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Practical Lectures on 
 the Book of Job 
 
 AN EXPOSITORY AND HOMILETICAL 
 
 STUDY 
 
 % . 
 
 FRANK E. ALLEN 
 
 Pastor , Reformed Presbyterian Churchy 
 Winnipeg , Canada. 
 
 New York Chicago 
 
 Fleming H. Revell Company 
 
 London and Edinburgh 
 
Copyright, 1923, by 
 FRANK E. ALLEN 
 
 New York: 158 Fifth Avenue 
 Chicago: 17 North Wabash Ave. 
 London: 21 Paternoster Square 
 Edinburgh: 75 Princes Street 
 
Dedicated to the memory 
 of my mother 
 GRACE AEEEN 
 
 who though called to her eternal reward 
 during the years of my boyhood, her 
 godly life and parting advice have left 
 a never-fading impression, which has 
 ever been an inspiration in my life and 
 ministry. 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2019 with funding from 
 Princeton Theological Seminary Library 
 
 ► 
 
 https://archive.org/details/practicallectureOOalle 
 
Author’s Foreword 
 
 T HE lectures which follow the introduction have 
 been delivered to my congregation from week 
 to week. I have not attempted a critical exe¬ 
 gesis except in a few passages: but have endeavoured 
 to deal with the problem of the Book, call attention to 
 the outstanding features of the various characters, deal 
 with their arguments in such a way as to furnish a 
 summary of their philosophies and distinguish between 
 them, present a sufficient exposition of difficult pas¬ 
 sages to clarify their meaning, and apply its lessons in 
 a practical manner. 
 
 Though many scholarly expositions of the Book of 
 Job have been produced, there still seems to be a place 
 for one which deals primarily with its salient points, 
 and brings out its lessons in a clear, constructive and 
 faithful manner. This I have endeavoured to do: very 
 imperfectly it is true; yet with the hope that it may 
 interest devout Christians who peruse it; enlarge their 
 appreciation of the depths of wisdom hidden within 
 the Book; and above all, glorify the God who alone 
 could sustain its hero amidst his prolonged trials, to 
 whom all of every age must turn for faith and strength 
 in their temptations and sorrows until time shall be 
 no more. 
 
 F. E. A. 
 
 Winnipeg, Canada. 
 
 5 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 ( 
 
 
 
 
Contents 
 
 I. Introduction.9 
 
 II. The Ideal Home.30 
 
 Chap, i: /-5 
 
 III. The Wreck oe the Ideal Home . . 45 
 
 Chap, i: 6-22 
 
 IV. Left to Satan But Not Forsaken . 60 
 
 Chap. 2: i-13 
 
 V. The Depths of Satan . . . .72 
 
 Chap. 2:2 
 
 VI. The Ministry of Suffering . . 85 
 
 Chap. 3:1-26 
 
 VII. Eliphaz the Mystic . . . .97 
 
 Chaps. 4, 5, 15, ^ 
 
 VIII. Weary of Life Yet Trusting in God . 110 
 Chaps. 7: 1-6, 17; 13:15 
 
 IX. Bildad: The Pitfalls of the Tra¬ 
 ditionalist .122 
 
 Chaps. 8, 18, 25 
 
 X. How Be Just with God? . . . 131 
 
 Chap. 9:1-33 
 
 XI. How May We Know God? . . . 144 
 
 Chap. 11:7-9 
 
 XII. Zophar the Dogmatist . . . 161 
 
 Chaps. 11, 20 
 
 7 
 
8 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 XIII. 
 
 XIV. 
 XV. 
 
 XVI. 
 
 XVII. 
 
 XVIII. 
 
 XIX. 
 
 XX. 
 
 XXI. 
 
 XXII. 
 
 XXIII. 
 
 The Deception of Conceit . . 171 
 
 Chap. 12: 2 
 
 God the Strength of the Nations . 180 
 Chap. 12:10-25 
 
 The Patriarchae View of Immor¬ 
 tality . 207 
 
 Chaps. 14:14; 19: 25-27 
 
 Wisdom in Comforters . . .221 
 
 Chap. 16:2 
 
 The Opportune Time to Seek God . 232 
 Chap. 19:6-10 
 
 The Redeemer Our Hope . . . 242 
 
 Chap. 19: 25 
 
 The Source of True Wisdom . .251 
 
 Chap. 28:12-28 
 
 Unforeseen Limitations of Pros¬ 
 perity . 259 
 
 Chap. 29:18 
 
 A Reasonable Reasoner . . .271 
 
 Chaps. 32-57 
 
 The Great Arbiter 
 Chaps. 38-42 
 
 True Repentance 
 Chap. 42:6 
 
 . 280 
 . 292 
 
 1 
 
I 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 JOB A GENUINE CHARACTER 
 
 T HAT Job was a real character is evident from 
 the nature and composition of the Book. Ex¬ 
 cept as one is endeavouring to work out a pre¬ 
 conceived theory there is no inclination to look upon 
 the Book as an allegory. The prophet Ezekiel 1 re¬ 
 garded Job as a real, historical character, as truly as 
 he did Noah or Daniel. The New Testament writer, 
 James, also spoke of him as an historical person. 
 Some critics have denied the literal historical character 
 of the Book on the ground that the arguments pre¬ 
 sented could not have been so well written and ar¬ 
 ranged under the conditions, and in so short a time. 
 Such critics could scarcely admit that a present-day 
 poet like Edgar A. Guest could write a respectable poem 
 each day and keep it up month after month. Hebrew 
 poetry does not possess rhyme or rhythm and is there¬ 
 fore not so difficult to compose as modern poetry. The 
 speakers in the drama of Job were not hurried in the 
 preparation or delivery of their arguments. Before 
 they spoke a word to Job, they sat down with him 
 seven days. They were probably thinking of what 
 they would say at the opportune time. Let us re¬ 
 member that these men represent the best of their 
 generation; men of culture, sobriety, wisdom and 
 experience. 
 
 1 Ezekiel 15:14, 20. 
 
 9 
 
10 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 THE PEACE WHERE HE RIVED 
 Ancient places are often difficult to locate on the 
 modern map. This is true of the land of Uz. It was 
 a general name for the Syro-Arabian desert: that ter¬ 
 ritory which lay east of Palestine and north of Edom. 
 There are many traditions concerning the home of 
 Job. There are said to be six different tombs which 
 are declared to be his. One tradition which has been 
 elaborately discussed by J. G. Wetzstein, and accepted 
 by Delitzsch, places the home of Job in Hauran, the 
 land of Bashan, between the Sea of Galilee and Da¬ 
 mascus. This theory has not received a wide accept¬ 
 ance among scholars. Professor Buttenwieser thinks 
 that, “ all doubt about the location of Uz has been re¬ 
 moved since Musil identified the place some thirty years 
 ago. He found the ruin elTs north of Petra, in the 
 same locality where, according to Eusebius, Onomas- 
 ticon, had stood Ausitis, as Uz is called in the Greek 
 'Version.” 2 R. A. Watson thinks the conditions have 
 been fully met in the valley or oasis of Jauf, lying in 
 the north Arabian desert about two hundred miles east 
 of the modern Maan and the ruins of Petra. It is a 
 broad, deep valley and very fertile. It is a valley which 
 is generally safe from roving tribes, and yet exposed 
 to those of the east and south which might make long 
 expeditions under the pressure of great need . 3 This 
 explanation seems quite plausible. We are not war¬ 
 ranted in dwelling upon this subject because the exact 
 location of Uz is not important. This much, however, 
 is apparent, that it was, in the days of Job, a fertile 
 spot whose inhabitants were prosperous. It was a 
 district which lay in the way of the caravans of Sheba 
 
 2 The Book of Job. Buttenwieser, p. 1SS. 
 
 3 The Expositor’s Bible, Job, pp. 20-22. 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 11 
 
 and Tema, and which was exposed to the lawless bands 
 of the Chaldeans and Sabeans. The residence of Job 
 was in, or near a city, at the gate of which he sat with 
 the elders, to administer justice. 
 
 ANTIQUITY OF THE) BOOK 
 
 This is an important point, and one concerning 
 which there has been a great deal of discussion. 
 Formerly it was generally accepted that the Book if 
 not the most ancient, was one of the most ancient of 
 the Scriptures. Later commentators have assigned to 
 it a much later date, varying from the time of Solomon 
 to the Exile. Some have attempted, arbitrarily, to fit 
 it into their own modern mold. Their objections may 
 be summed up under two points. First: The Book 
 exhibits such a splendid degree of composition, literary 
 finish, culture and dramatic excellence, as to render it 
 impossible to assign it to a date earlier than the time 
 of Solomon, because the development of the race pre¬ 
 vious to that time produced no one capable of writing 
 it. Secondly: The theological views concerning God, 
 sin, life, immortality, redemption and the resurrection, 
 are so clear and true, as to render it impossible to date 
 the Book earlier than the time of Solomon, inasmuch 
 as the race previous to that time could not grasp such 
 advanced views of theology. Such reasoning is, first, 
 rationalistic in its nature. It limits God in the opera¬ 
 tions of revelation and inspiration, to what the human 
 mind can grasp by reason alone. Secondly, it is untrue 
 to fact, because even the ancient Egyptians believed in 
 immortality, and looked for a deliverer to redeem them 
 from sin and death. The idea which generally under¬ 
 lies the effort to prove the Book to be of a late date is 
 of a rationalistic evolutionary nature, which looks upon 
 
12 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 man in the patriarchal period as incapable of under¬ 
 standing the deep things of theology. Such argu¬ 
 ments, because they are so prevalent, need careful 
 consideration. 
 
 It is somewhat natural that one who is considering 
 the various periods of the history of religion should 
 think of the Exile as a time, when from the general 
 sufferings of the people of God, some one would be 
 likely to record the emotions of the people in some¬ 
 thing other than prosaic history, perhaps in a drama. 
 But the Book of Job is not treating of national suffer¬ 
 ing, at least only incidentally, and it is well known to 
 every student of life that there are individuals in every 
 period of the history of the world, who, because of 
 their own personal or family suffering, have been as 
 deeply impressed with the ravages of disease, and the 
 trials of faith, as though they had seen the whole 
 nation suffer with them. This would be true of almost 
 every leper who lingers on in his misery of personal 
 exile. But upon the very surface of the Book, is it not 
 evident that Job lived before the general apostasy of 
 the nations from the knowledge and worship of the 
 true God: also, that he lived at a time when divine 
 knowledge was conveyed, not by writing, but by 
 tradition. 
 
 God made man in His own image. Though sin 
 marred that image, yet the body of man was able to 
 resist the ravages of disease; deterioration due to 
 labour, and decay due to age; to a far greater extent 
 during the first centuries of the world’s history. As 
 the strength of mind and body bear an unquestionable 
 relationship, is it not reasonable to suppose that, in the 
 days of greater physical longevity, the mentality of 
 man had suffered less deterioration due to the dissi- 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 13 
 
 pating results of sin? Do we not, then, have here the 
 solution of Noah’s brilliance and achievement as an 
 architect, navigator, economist and general manager 
 of a great undertaking, notwithstanding the lack of 
 training and precedent of his time ? Need we then be 
 astonished at the nobility, mentality, fidelity, and 
 statesmanship of Abraham, Job and Moses, in their 
 day? After generations of apostasy and sin, why set 
 it down as a foregone conclusion, that a man at the 
 time of Israel’s Captivity, would possess a mind more 
 capable of producing the drama of Job? 
 
 Moreover, why shall we because of our natural in¬ 
 clination to declare the advancement of the present age 
 so superior, or our unwillingness to admit the large 
 acquirements of the ancients, and our exceedingly lim¬ 
 ited knowledge of divine revelation for the first two 
 thousand years of the world’s history, dogmatically, 
 and in opposition to New Testament revelation, declare 
 that these ancient men had not, and could not have, 
 any adequate knowledge of immortality, the future 
 life, or the Christ who was to come? Do we not re¬ 
 member that the writer of the Hebrews said of Abra¬ 
 ham : “ He looked for a city which hath foundations, 
 whose builder and maker is God? ” Or have we not 
 noted that when speaking of Abraham, Sarah, and the 
 patriarchs who preceded them he said: “ These all died 
 in faith, not having received the promises, but having 
 seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and 
 embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers 
 and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such 
 things, declare plainly that they seek a country. And 
 truly if they had been mindful of that country from 
 whence they came out, they might have had opportu¬ 
 nity to have returned: but now they desire a better 
 
14 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not 
 ashamed to be called their God; for he hath prepared 
 for them a city.” 4 When Abraham received his son 
 as from the dead “ in a figure,” 5 Matthew Henry 
 says: “ It was a figure of the sacrifice and resurrection 
 of Christ, of whom Isaac was a type. It was a figure 
 and earnest of the glorious resurrection of all true 
 believers, whose life is not lost, but hid with Christ 
 in God.” 
 
 If others of the patriarchs had a definite knowledge 
 of the plan of salvation, a belief in the Messiah to 
 come, and a hope of immortality, why deny this knowl¬ 
 edge to Job? All revelation comes from God, and it 
 is not a question whether God could, it is a question as 
 to whether He did, reveal these truths to Job in the 
 days of the patriarchs, before the time of Moses. 
 Why conclude, as some commentators do, that Job 
 could not have known of the immortality of the soul at 
 so early a period of the world’s history? That Job 
 has given us no long treatise on the subject of escha¬ 
 tology, is no sufficient reason for arriving at such a 
 conclusion. If there is evidence from a plain and sane 
 interpretation of the language of Job that he did know 
 these doctrines, why not accept it? Why merely con¬ 
 jecture as to what Job knew or did not know? Could 
 not God have given this important revelation to Job 
 as He did to Adam, Noah, Enoch and Abraham? The 
 sacrifices from the time of Abel, looked forward to 
 one who was to bruise the head of the serpent. Was 
 Job only mumbling a ritual when he offered sacrifices 
 and prayed for divine forgiveness? Had not God 
 made clear to him what the sacrifice meant and why it 
 was offered ? To deny that other men of his day, and 
 
 4 Heb. 11:10, 13-15. 5 Heb. 11:19. 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 15 
 
 earlier, knew, is to deny the inspired interpretation of 
 their minds, as given in the Hebrews. 
 
 Jesus must look down with scorn upon many modern 
 writers who refuse to admit that the patriarchs might 
 have had any definite knowledge of His coming. Im¬ 
 mediately after His Resurrection, He said to two of 
 His disciples, as He walked with them toward Em- 
 maus: “ O fools and slow of heart to believe all that 
 the prophets have spoken! Ought not Christ to have 
 suffered these things, and to enter into his glory ? And 
 beginning at Moses, and all the prophets, He ex¬ 
 pounded to them in all the Scriptures the things con¬ 
 cerning himself.” 6 
 
 Among those who claim a late date for the Book of 
 Job, none of them have given a satisfactory answer to 
 these two questions: How shall we account for the 
 form of his worship? And, how shall we explain the 
 length of his life? With reference to the first of these 
 questions, which is a vital one, this is evident: that Job v 
 worshipped in the same manner in which the other, 
 patriarchs did, acting as priest for himself and family. 
 This he could not have done with the divine approval 
 after the days of Moses. Then there was a central 
 altar, a High Priest, and an order of priests, who 
 alone were to officiate in offering sacrifices to God. 
 After the giving of the Mosaic law and the establish¬ 
 ment of Aaron in the priesthood, it was a sin for 
 others to take upon themselves the duties of the 
 priestly office. When a man with all the authority of 
 king attempted it, as did Saul, he was condemned of 
 God, and a new dynasty established in Israel. Conse¬ 
 quently, after the days of Moses, Job could not have 
 officiated in the offering of sacrifices, and still have 
 
 6 Luke 24:25-27. 
 
16 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 been pronounced perfect and upright in the sight of 
 God, one who feared God and turned away from evil. 
 Job acted as both priest and ruler, at least as one of the 
 rulers in the land of Uz. 
 
 Moreover, let it be remembered that those who lived 
 outside of the bounds of Israel, after the days of 
 Moses, must also come to the central altar, the altar 
 which God had appointed, and worship in the same 
 manner as Israel, allowing the priest to offer sacrifices 
 for them. At the time of Christ, both Jews and 
 proselytes of every nation, knew that it was not per¬ 
 missible for them to offer in their own land and ob¬ 
 serve the Passover there. They came to Jerusalem to 
 worship, as did the devout Ethiopian, and as did men 
 from practically every nation when the great pente- 
 costal revival began under the preaching of the apostles 
 at Jerusalem. Job must, then, have lived before the 
 promulgation of the ceremonial law. Also it is evident 
 that he lived after the time of Abraham, for which a 
 number of reasons might be assigned, one of which is 
 that Bildad was a descendent of Shuah, who was the 
 sixth son of Abraham and Keturah. With reference 
 to the second question: How shall we explain the 
 length of Job’s life? There is no satisfactory explana¬ 
 tion, unless he lived in the patriarchal period, when the 
 length of the life of man was approximately two hun¬ 
 dred years. This was earlier than the days of Moses, 
 and about the time of Abraham. 
 
 PHILOLOGICAL ARGUMENT 
 
 It is questionable whether an argument from the 
 language can be deduced which will prove either an 
 early or a late date for the Book of Job. At least no 
 argument has yet been produced which is decisive on 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 17 
 
 behalf of a late date. While W. T. Davison, in “ The 
 Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament,” states that 
 there are a large number of words with Aramaic and 
 Arabic affinities, yet he adds that it is difficult to infer 
 a date from this phenomenon. One scholar argues for 
 an early date, another for a late date from the lan¬ 
 guage. “ The argument from language cannot be 
 used as a primary determining element in the case.” 7 
 A. R. Fausset believes that Job lived about the time of 
 Isaac, and in support of this view among other reasons 
 he says: “ The language of Job is Hebrew interspersed 
 occasionally with Syriac and Arabic expressions, im¬ 
 plying a time when all the Semitic tribes spoke one 
 common tongue and had not branched into different 
 dialects, Hebrew, Syriac and Arabic.” 8 While Gesen- 
 ius argues in favour of the Arabic cast of the work he 
 says: “ It would be unjust to infer from this that the 
 author of this book had any immediate connection with 
 Arabia, or with Arabic literature.” 9 If this argument 
 might be used in favour of any date, it would be an 
 early one. In McClintock and Strong’s Cyclopaedia, in 
 an article on Job, the argument is quoted from Span- 
 heim on behalf of an early date, in which it is said: 
 “ The language of the book of Job seems strongly to 
 support the opinion of its having been written as early 
 as the time of Moses.” Though Buttenwieser argues 
 in favour of assigning a late date to Job, yet he says of 
 the number of Aramaisms, “ They are not nearly as 
 numerous as Kautzsch, Die Aramaismen im Alt. Test., 
 and others think.” Notice a few specific instances 
 where Aramaisms have been alleged. In the critical 
 exegesis of chap. 5:2, concerning the word translated 
 “ foolish man,” Lange asserts that “ the le before the 
 
 7 P. 40. 8 Introduction to Job. 9 Barnes, Vol. I, p. 22, Intro. 
 
18 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 word is after the Aramaic usage, introducing the ob¬ 
 ject which is emphatically placed first.” Concerning 
 the same word Buttenwieser says: “ The construction 
 of the direct object with le, which occurs several times 
 in Job , 10 is not, as widely thought, a peculiarity of the 
 late literature due to Aramaic influence, but is a com¬ 
 mon construction also in the older literature . * 11 It is 
 found likewise in Arabic and Assyrian: in fact, as A. 
 Fischer has pointed out, it is a common Semitic usage, 
 the beginnings of which must lie far back in the 
 I/r-Semitic language . 12 On chap. 9 : 11 , Buttenwieser 
 says: “ If he passed by me: hen , as already understood 
 by Gk., is conditional particle, but not an Aramaism. 
 To consider every case of the use of hen as conditional 
 particle in Biblical Hebrew as an Aramaism would 
 necessitate resorting to an unwarranted method of 
 criticism.” On 31 : 33 , Lange, quoting Ewald, says 
 that hob is much more common in Aramaic. But con¬ 
 cerning the same word Buttenwieser says: " hob is not 
 an Aramaic loan-word, but a common Semitic word.— 
 It is derived from the common Semitic verb habab, ‘ to 
 love/ ” 13 
 
 A frequent attack has been made by critics against 
 the passage attributed to Elihu, and it has been de¬ 
 clared to be an interpolation. It is, however, natural 
 to think that Elihu—being of another tribe, a Buzite, a 
 descendent of Nahor the brother of Abraham—would 
 have certain peculiarities of language. While Butten¬ 
 wieser reconstructs Elihu’s speech to please himself, he 
 says: “ It is no wonder that the defenders of the Elihu 
 chapters as they have come down to us, Budde in par- 
 
 i° Cf. 12723, 19:28, and also 5:7. 
 
 11 Cf. Ex. 32:13, Nu. 32:15, etc. 
 
 12 Buttenwieser, p. 167. 
 
 is P. 264. 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 19 
 
 ticular, point to their linguistic character as a weighty 
 argument in favour of their genuineness/’ 14 
 
 The more careful consideration the philological 
 argument is given, the more certain it is that it cannot 
 be taken as the basis for assigning a late date to the 
 Book of Job. 
 
 G. Campbell Morgan says: “ There is every internal 
 evidence that this is an ancient story, probably patri¬ 
 archal.” He considers the Book “ in magnificence of 
 argument and beauty of style one of the grandest in 
 the Divine Library.” And that “ the arguments ad¬ 
 vanced are accurately set forth.” 15 
 
 RECENT EXPOSITIONS 
 
 Two of the most recent commentators upon the 
 Book of Job are the late Professor Morris Jastrow, of 
 the University of Pennsylvania, and Professor Moses 
 Buttenwieser, of the Hebrew Union College, Cincin¬ 
 nati. The former is admittedly largely influenced by 
 German criticism, the latter is a product of Jewish 
 criticism. Jastrow, after paying a high tribute to 
 Arnold B. Ehrlich and his comprehensive critical notes 
 on the Hebrew Bible, says that Ehrlich had this work 
 published in Germany because “ it was only in Ger¬ 
 many that he could find a publisher for a work of this 
 character.” Then he adds: “ If I were to have made 
 full acknowledgment to Ehrlich in the notes to my 
 translation, his name would have appeared on every 
 page.” 16 Buttenwieser’s publishers state that he has 
 “ hit on a re-ordering of chapters 16-37, which have 
 always been a great stumblingblock.” Jastrow says: 
 “ There are not ten consecutive verses in the Sym- 
 
 14 P.267. 
 
 15 The Analyzed Bible, Job to Malachi, p. 9. 
 
 16 The Book of Job, Jastrow, p. 16. 
 
20 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 posium between Job and his friends or in the speeches 
 of Elihu or in the magnificent closing chapters placed 
 as speeches in the mouth of Yahweh, the text of which 
 can be regarded as correct.” 17 But he admits that, 
 “ occasionally the critical student finds himself baffled 
 and must content himself either with a more or less 
 plausible guess, or admit his inability to solve the puz¬ 
 zling problem.” 18 Again he says: “ In a large number 
 of passages—-the text cannot be regarded as correct 
 for the sufficient reason that it gives no sense.” 19 An 
 example of one of the cases at which he was baffled 
 and evidently guessing, is that of the twenty-third 
 verse of the twelfth chapter, which he regards as an 
 insertion for the reason that it “ is foreign to the argu¬ 
 ment.” 20 On the contrary it is entirely relevant to the 
 main argument of the context and a striking example 
 of it. Job is showing the omnipotent power of God, 
 and in this verse he declares that it extends even to the 
 nations of the world. God can enlarge and destroy 
 them at pleasure. How often men in talking, or even 
 in writing, throw in a remark or quotation which is 
 not vitally connected with the context, or which, if 
 eliminated, would not mar the reading or the general 
 statement. If every critic were permitted to throw out 
 all such passages, the best literature would be muti¬ 
 lated. Shakespeare, Milton and Browning would be 
 disfigured. 
 
 Buttenwieser points out that the inference drawn by 
 Wellhausen, Jastrow and others, that the Job-story is 
 a product of folk literature is intenable. “ Repetitions 
 are not a special characteristic of folk-tales; they are a 
 feature of ancient narrative literature in general. 
 They occur with frequency throughout Biblical narra- 
 
 17 Ibid., p. 9. 18 P. 10. 19 P. 8. 20 P. 241. 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 21 
 
 tive literature—Old and New Testament alike—and 
 with still greater frequency in Egyptian and Hindu 
 literature.” 21 Jastrow attempts to prove that neither 
 the prologue or the epilogue are a part of the original 
 book. On the contrary, Delitzsch asserts, when speak¬ 
 ing of Eliphaz and the causes of the suffering of the 
 godly: “ Job’s suffering, according to the chief pur¬ 
 pose of God, is not chastisement, but trial. Jehovah 
 has decreed it for His servant, not to chasten him, but 
 to prove him. This it is that Eliphaz mistakes; and we 
 also should not know it but for the prologue and the 
 corresponding epilogue. Accordingly, the prologue 
 and the epilogue are organic parts of the form of the 
 book. If they are removed, its spirit is destroyed.” 22 
 
 Professor Jastrow admits that he cannot rearrange 
 the text of the Book to his own satisfaction, “ ex¬ 
 cept through the employment of an arbitrary method 
 which the best Biblical scholarship has never counte¬ 
 nanced.” 23 Employing this “ arbitrary ” method he 
 has torn down and reconstructed the Book with almost 
 as much liberty as a child with his tinker-toys. It is 
 not regarding the text as a “ fetish,” 24 Professor 
 Jastrow notwithstanding, to consider a book of the 
 Bible which is inspired of God and has been preserved 
 through all these centuries—the manuscript of which 
 has been reviewed and corrected by scholarly individ¬ 
 uals, by committees, national and international—with 
 sanctity and reverence, and to deny any one the right 
 of using an arbitrary method of expurgation and re¬ 
 vision. For a man to say concerning any portion of 
 any book of the Bible, here is a passage which to me 
 
 21 Book of Job, Buttenwieser, p. 19. 
 
 22 The Book of Job, Vol. I, p. 108. 
 
 23 P. 107. 24 P. 107. 
 
22 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 does not seem to fit into this position or to make the 
 sense which I would like, therefore I will deliberately 
 cut it out, or fit it into another section after revising it 
 to my taste, is the height of audacity, however learned 
 he may be. To try to cleanse the text of any inaccu¬ 
 racies, is one thing; to claim the right of an arbitrary 
 method of revision, is altogether another. 
 
 For instance: in the celebrated passage, chapter 
 19:25-27, Jastrow, in place of admitting that which is 
 manifestly true—that Job, rising above the torture, 
 distraction and temptation of the hour, soars like Paul, 
 in the eighth chapter of Romans, to the supreme 
 heights of faith and declares his unwavering trust in 
 his Redeemer and his hope of immortality—disposes 
 of this sublime passage by saying in substance this: 
 Job could not have said it because he was too ignorant, 
 he had not written a whole treatise on the subject 
 before, so of course, he did not know whereof he 
 spoke. He does, following Ehrlich, find some slight 
 textual criticism; but this is one of the arbitrary cases 
 in which he corrects Job’s ignorance. 25 Even the Jew¬ 
 ish professor, Buttenwieser, with all his liberality in 
 the reconstruction of the text, does not presume to 
 tamper with it in this manner. He leaves the word 
 “ Redeemer ” in verse twenty-five, and spelled with a 
 capital. He says there has been much diversity of 
 opinion about this passage and, “ all sorts of emenda¬ 
 tions have been proposed. Yet these verses require no 
 emendation, being perfect both in thought and gram¬ 
 matical structure. This astonishing fact is psycho¬ 
 logically interesting; there can be no doubt that the 
 confusion is due, not to the inherent difficulties of the 
 verses, but to the bias with which they have been ap- 
 
 25 Pp. 124-126. 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 23 
 
 proached.” 26 This is a very proper disposal of the 
 alleged textual difficulty. However, I do not think 
 that Buttenwieser gives, either the proper translation 
 or interpretation of this passage. He translates verse 
 twenty-six, “ Even after my skin hath been torn from 
 my flesh,” and while the wording may be permissible, 
 it is not warranted by the context, or a correct under¬ 
 standing of the conditions. The destruction of the 
 flesh, of which Job speaks, did not come about by 
 reason of wild beasts: his body was at that very time 
 undergoing putrefaction and decay due to his disease 
 and the ravages of worms. 27 In Job’s Redeemer, he 
 can see no farther than God the Father, the natural 
 Jewish interpretation, ignoring Job’s expression of 
 hope in a Redeemer who was to stand at the latter day 
 upon the earth. 
 
 Both of these two latest commentators on Job, in 
 endeavouring to improve and reconstruct the Book, 
 have taken the lustre from the diamond. Their efforts 
 are as if a man should enter the tomb of the Egyptian 
 king, Tutankhamen, and try to detect its mysteries 
 with a compound microscope, the meanwhile missing 
 all of its marvelous splendour, harmony and beauty. 
 They are both almost devoid of homiletical or prac¬ 
 tical value for either the minister or the layman. 
 
 Such quibbling as that in which many of the critics 
 indulge, is well described by C. H. Spurgeon, in his 
 Introduction to the eighty-fifth Psalm: “ Certain in¬ 
 terpreters appear to grudge the psalmist David the 
 authorship of any of the Psalms, and refer the sacred 
 songs by wholesale to the times of Hezekiah, Josiah, 
 the Captivity and the Maccabees. It is remarkable 
 that, as a rule, the more skeptical a writer is, the more 
 
 26 Book of Job, Buttenwieser, p. 238. 27 Chap. 7: 5. 
 
24 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 resolute is he to have done with David; while the 
 purely evangelic annotators are for the most part con¬ 
 tent to leave the poet in the chair of authorship. The 
 charms of a new theory also operate greatly upon 
 writers who would have nothing at all to say if they 
 did not invent a novel hypothesis, and twist the lan¬ 
 guage of the Psalm in order to justify it.” It is much 
 better, therefore, to approach Job in the spirit which 
 Delitzsch suggests: “ The right expositor of the Book 
 of Job must, before everything else, bring to it a believ¬ 
 ing apprehension of the work of Christ, in order that 
 he may be able to comprehend this book from its con¬ 
 nection with the historical development of the plan of 
 redemption, whose unity is the work of Christ.” 28 
 
 DOCTRINAL CONTENTS 
 
 In presenting an epitome of the principal doctrines 
 suggested in the Book of Job, the author does not pre¬ 
 tend to do so in the form of lucid reading: but rather 
 with the idea of showing in as brief space as possible, 
 that Job had an adequate knowledge of the plan of sal¬ 
 vation and of the principles of theology, which is so 
 frequently denied him. We may well suppose that 
 such a broad knowledge of theology was common to 
 other of the godly patriarchs, though not always ex¬ 
 pressed. From the earliest ages, from the beginning 
 of the operation of the covenant of grace, God did not 
 leave His people without a sufficient knowledge of 
 Himself, and of the plan of salvation. In preparing 
 this summary of doctrines, the author is in a large 
 measure indebted to Albert Barnes, although on some 
 points he differs from him. It might likewise be 
 shown, as Barnes has done, that Job possessed a sur- 
 
 28 Book of Job, Vol. I, p. 43. 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 25 
 
 prising knowledge of the sciences and arts. If one 
 were to develop each of these points, it would be to 
 write another volume from the doctrinal standpoint. 
 
 i. The existence of one God , the wise and glorious 
 Creator of all things. There is no suggestion of God 
 consisting of a good and evil principle, such as was 
 held by the nations of the east, particularly in Persia. 
 The pagan philosophers never held the high and pure 
 ideals of God, such as are spoken of here. 
 
 He is almighty. 9:4-12—He is the remover of 
 mountains—shakes the earth—commands the sun— 
 makes the stars. Also chapters 38-41. 
 
 He is omniscient. 11:8-11—He knows the hearts 
 of men, even the wicked. Also 21: 22. 
 
 He is wise. 12: 13—With Him is wisdom—28: 12, 
 He is the source of wisdom. 
 
 He is inscrutable. 11: 7-9—“ Canst thou by search¬ 
 ing find out God ? ” 
 
 He is invisible. 11:7; 10: 4 —“ Hast thou eyes of 
 flesh ? ” 
 
 He is the supreme governor of the world. 5 : 9-13— 
 8:4-6—12: 10-25. In His hand is the soul of every 
 living creature, and the breath of all mankind. 
 
 He is the creator of all things. 10: 8-11—38: 4-10. 
 
 He is perfectly pure and holy. 15: 15, 16—“The 
 heavens are not clean in his sight.” Also 35: 5, 6. 
 
 He is eternal. 10: 5—“ Are thy days as the days 
 of man? ” 
 
 He is a spiritual being. 10:4. 
 
 He is gracious and ready to forgive sin. 33 : 23-28 
 —If one seeks God he may find a ransom. He will 
 deliver his soul from going into the pit. 
 
 He is merciful, He allows the wicked to prosper. 
 21:7-13. 
 
26 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 He is a hearer of prayer. 33 : 26—42: 8 . 
 
 He is the dispenser of life and death. 4:9— 
 
 10: 12—33: 4—42: 2. 
 
 He is the revealer of all divine truth. 33: 14-17— 
 “ He openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their in¬ 
 struction/’ Also 42: 2, 3. 
 
 2 . The universe was created by God. It did not 
 come into being by chance. 10: 10—“ It was not the 
 work of inferior beings, nor was it eternal. 38:4-11, 
 “ Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of 
 the earth ? ” 
 
 j. He is the governor of all His creatures. The 
 whole book is a demonstration of this fact. The only 
 question is, the manner in which it shall be done. One 
 maintains that there will be a present retribution, the 
 other a future one which will accord with justice. All 
 agree that God would show Himself the friend of the 
 righteous and the punisher of the wicked. He dis¬ 
 penses rewards and punishments according to their 
 character. 12:23, “ He increaseth the nations and 
 destroyeth them; he enlargeth the nations, and strait- 
 eneth them again.” 34: 24, “ He shall break in pieces 
 mighty men without number, and set others in their 
 stead.” 
 
 4 . The existence of angels is asserted. 1: 6 —The 
 sons of God came to present themselves before the 
 Lord. Holy beings, spirits, which are superior to men 
 and have access to God are here indicated. 
 
 5 . The existence of evil spirits is asserted. 1: 6-12 
 —Satan is represented as an individual being, as truly 
 as any other spirit. He is represented as a vicious, 
 malignant, accusing enemy. He delights to cause pain 
 and ruin character. Job probably knew that Satan had 
 been the agent in the temptation of Adam and Eve. 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 27 
 
 There is a resemblance in the manner in which he 
 looked upon Adam and Job. 
 
 6 . Man was regarded as fallen and wholly de¬ 
 praved. 14: 1, 4 —“ Who can bring a clean thing out 
 of an unclean? not one.” 15: 14-16—“ What is man 
 that he should be clean ? ” 
 
 7 . The necessity of reconciliation with God in 
 order to he at peace. 22:21, 22 —“ Acquaint now thy¬ 
 self with him and be at peace.” In offering sacrifices, 
 Job recognized that reconciliation was needed. 
 
 8 . Sin was to he expiated hy sacrifice. Job offered 
 sacrifices for the sins of his family, 1:5. Also at the 
 command of God he offered on behalf of his friends, 
 and accompanied his sacrifice with prayer for their 
 forgiveness, 42: 8 . Job no doubt knew that these sac¬ 
 rifices were not sufficient in themselves to cleanse from 
 sin, but that they pointed to the Great Sacrifice which 
 was to be offered once for all, who was to be a ransom 
 for many, 33 : 24. See also Heb. 11. 
 
 MAN SHALL, LIVE AFTER DEATH 
 
 1. The soul is immortal. “ If a man die shall he 
 live again? all the days of my appointed time will I 
 wait, till my change come. Thou shalt call and I will 
 answer thee,” 14: 14, 15. In 19:25-27, Job expresses 
 his hope that though his body may be destroyed, his 
 continued life does not depend upon it, without his 
 flesh he shall see, and be with, his Redeemer. 
 
 2 . There will he happiness and rest after death. In 
 the abode of death, “ There the wicked cease from 
 troubling; and there the weary be at rest,” 3: 17. 
 
 3 . There shall he a resurrection. Job was assured 
 that his Redeemer would appear at the latter day upon 
 the earth, that he would see Him not as a stranger, 
 
28 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 'that is as one whom he knew, in whose presence he 
 should stand, 19:25. He believed that if a man should 
 die he should live again, that when the call of God 
 should come he would answer, 14: 14, 15. The fact 
 that Job believed there was a judgment, indicates that 
 he believed there would be a resurrection of those who 
 were to be judged. 
 
 4 . There shall he a judgment. “ The wicked is re¬ 
 served to the day of destruction, they shall be brought 
 forth to the day of wrath,” 21:30. “ That ye may 
 
 know there is a judgment,” 19: 29. “ For what is the 
 hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when 
 God taketh away his soul? ” 27: 8 . “ This also were 
 
 an iniquity to be punished by the judge; for I should 
 have denied the God that is above,” 31: 28. The offer¬ 
 ing of sacrifices was understood by Job to free men 
 from the wrath of God, not merely in this world, but 
 in the world to come. If sacrifices had been offered 
 merely for what might be gained in this world Job 
 would never have offered them, because he recognized 
 that the wicked prosper in this world, 21 : 7-12. 
 
 THE EFFECT OF REXvXGION ON MORARS AND MANNERS 
 
 1. It taught man to he diligent, and not to dissipate 
 his body or his wealth, Chap. 1 . 
 
 2 . It taught men to believe in a monogamous 
 home, 31 : 9 - 11 . 
 
 3 . It taught men the golden rule, to he respectful in 
 their treatment one of another. The friends of Job 
 were polite, they waited their turns when arguing 
 with Job. 
 
 4 . It taught respect for age. The elder spoke first, 
 and the younger waited until the last. 
 
 5 . It taught men that charity was God-like. Job 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 29 
 
 denied that he had lacked charity, he had not withheld 
 from the poor or the widow, he had not eaten his 
 morsel alone, nor withheld clothing from the desti¬ 
 tute, 31: 16-22. The stranger had not been permitted 
 to lodge in the street. He was eyes to the blind, feet 
 to the lame, and always sympathetic in trouble, 
 31:31-34. 
 
 JOB WAS A TYPE OP CHRIST 
 
 He was a great sufferer, despised even by his dearest 
 friends, he was emptied and humbled, but in order to 
 greater glory. He was persecuted for a time by men 
 and devils, and seemed forsaken of God: but was 
 afterward raised up to be an intercessor for his friends 
 who had sinned and added to his affliction. 
 
 It is evident that in that early day, faith and piety 
 were well rounded out. It would be well if some men, 
 who ridicule the patriarchs as being men who were in¬ 
 capable of receiving or understanding deep truths, had 
 as full an understanding of them as did Job. It would 
 be well if all men lived as closely to God as did he: if 
 they had the patience which Job had, and if they had 
 the endurance to await God's time and hold out faith¬ 
 fully against sin. 
 
THE IDEAL HOME 
 Job 1: 1-5 
 
 J OB lived in a day when the modern facilities for 
 simplifying work, and the conveniences for 
 making homes happy, were unknown. But 
 though the dwelling of Job lacked the latest devices 
 for furnishing water, heat and light, it was an ideal 
 home. His family was happy, the children were kind 
 to one another, were loving and lovable, were upright 
 in character and industrious in life, and they honoured 
 their parents and their God. 
 
 Ancient dates are often difficult to fix with ac¬ 
 curacy. To determine the date of Job’s birth or death 
 is impossible. One cannot state with assurance, within 
 several hundred years, the time at which Job lived. It 
 must, however, have been some time between the days 
 of Abraham, and the closing period of the life of 
 Moses. He could not have officiated as his own priest 
 after the establishment of Aaron in the priesthood, and 
 the promulgation of the Mosaic law. After that it 
 was a sin for either Jew or proselyte to take upon him¬ 
 self the duties of the priestly office. Even Saul, when 
 he attempted it, was condemned of God, deposed from 
 the office of king, and a new dynasty was established in 
 Israel. It is true, there were those who served as 
 priests in other nations, after the days of Moses, but 
 they were not perfect and upright in the sight of God, 
 as was Job. Job’s method of worship was according 
 
 30 
 
THE IDEAL HOME 
 
 31 
 
 to the customary patriarchal manner. He was the 
 priest and ruler of his household. 
 
 The land of Uz, where Job lived, was in the Syro- 
 Arabian desert; that territory which lay east of Pal¬ 
 estine and north of Edom. There are many traditions 
 as to its exact location, and many tombs have been 
 pointed out, as the tomb of Job. In Hauran, the 
 Bashan of the Bible, about twenty miles north of the 
 Sea of Galilee, the traveler is not only shown the tomb 
 of Job, but the stone upon which he sat, and the rock 
 upon which he leaned in his sorrow. It is said that no 
 disease can prevail in that locality today. Pilgrims 
 from many lands journey there to see and kiss the 
 spot. But there are traditions^ which have grown up, 
 and are repeated today with the same vivacity concern¬ 
 ing many other localities far from the land of Bashan. 
 The theory that his home was in Hauran does not ful¬ 
 fill the conditions, and is not generally accepted today. 
 All that we can say with definiteness is, that the land 
 \ of Uz was, in the days of Job, a fertile spot, whose in¬ 
 habitants were prosperous. It was a district which lay 
 in the way of the caravans of Sheba and Tema, and 
 which was exposed to the lawless bands of the Chal¬ 
 deans and Sabeans. The residence of Job was in, or 
 near, a city, at the gate of which he sat with the elders 
 to administer justice. We are not warranted in dwell¬ 
 ing at length upon the place where Job lived. It is not 
 vital, and is a matter which, though we should make 
 an exhaustive study, could not be exactly determined. 
 (For further discussion of time and place see 
 Introduction.) 
 
 That which is prominent in the very introduction of 
 this Book, is the character and home life of Job, his 
 posterity and his piety. We wish to make a few ob- 
 
32 
 
 THE IDEAL HOME 
 
 servations on the conditions which made Job’s home 
 life ideal, and which bless or mar our own. 
 
 GODLY PARENTS 
 
 Job feared God and turned away from evil. He was 
 perfect and upright. This is a condensed summary of 
 his character, but it is one which is full of meaning. It 
 is evident both from the nature of the man, and the 
 explanation of his character which follows, that the 
 Word does not intend to convey the impression that 
 Job was perfect in the absolute sense of the word. Job 
 was not perfect in the sense in which Jesus was per¬ 
 fect, without sin. Job was perfect in his dealings with 
 his fellow men, he was just, he was of an irreproach¬ 
 able character. He was regular and devoted in wor¬ 
 ship, patient in trial, and faithful under temptation. 
 We can say without stretching our imagination un¬ 
 duly, that the children of Job or his servants, never 
 saw him fly into a passion, or take the name of God 
 profanely upon his lips, or break a contract which he 
 had made with his neighbours or his servants. 
 
 Job lived in a fertile plain, as did Lot, but he did not 
 drift into worldliness and forget the moral and spir¬ 
 itual oversight of his family in the same manner. Lot 
 was drawn by evil. Job turned away from evil. It is 
 probable that there was idolatry around Job, as there 
 was about Abraham, but, like Abraham, he remained 
 separate from it. You remember that wherever Abra¬ 
 ham went he set up an altar to God. Job was also 
 sincere and regular in his worship of God, and in lead¬ 
 ing his family in divine worship. 
 
 There is no blessing which children in a home may 
 have which surpasses that of pious parents. The pious 
 mother is the conscientious, patient mother. The 
 
THE IDEAL HOME 
 
 33 
 
 pious father will not chastise his child without cause, 
 nor will he permit him to go on in sin until he becomes 
 a snare to himself and all about him. The Godly 
 parent is the kind, loving parent. The Godly parent 
 will train the mind of the child. The Godly father will 
 want to see his child fitted for the service of God. He 
 knows that a trained mind is best fitted for active ef¬ 
 fective service. His child is taught honour, truth, 
 patience, and respect for others. The child is thus 
 respected by his friends and neighbours and learns to 
 do to others as he would have them do to him. He 
 has a splendid capital in his own character. His 
 friends will trust, encourage, and help him. His social 
 life will be happy, his business life will not be irksome 
 but pleasant, and his religious life will be one of true 
 comfort because he worships God sincerely, with a 
 pure heart, and a clear conscience. 
 
 COMFORTABLE CIRCUMSTANCES 
 
 The outward circumstances of the family of Job 
 were comfortable. They had plenty to eat and to wear. 
 They were not confined to the most penurious living. 
 Their home had in it comforts above the average of 
 that day. 
 
 Job was the greatest of all the children of the East. 
 He had seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, 
 one thousand oxen, five hundred she-asses, and a great 
 many servants. Such a great herd of sheep would 
 furnish meat for the household, wool for clothing, 
 perhaps milk and butter, and offerings for the sacri¬ 
 fices. The great drove of camels would furnish cara¬ 
 vans for journeys in all directions across the desert 
 and enable their owner to trade with all the nations 
 about them, near or far. The large herd of oxen 
 
34 
 
 THE IDEAL HOME 
 
 would permit Job to make use of five hundred yoke, 
 enough to keep five hundred men busy plowing in the 
 proper season, and supply teams for work at all sea¬ 
 sons of the year. The she-asses were regarded as 
 more valuable than the male; they could be used not 
 only as beasts of burden, but also to furnish milk on 
 long journeys over the desert. 
 
 Job had not only a large equipment of men and ani¬ 
 mals for work, he had enough laid by to enable his 
 children to get a great deal of pleasure out of life. 
 They could feast together, and this they often did. 
 
 HARMONY IN THE FAMILY 
 
 Children in a home help to make it happy. Particu¬ 
 larly is this true when there is a large family and the 
 children get along well together. The children of Job 
 enjoyed each other’s company. The Psalmist tells us 
 that “ children are an heritage of the Lord: and the 
 fruit of the womb is his reward.” 
 
 Think of a home in which there were seven stal¬ 
 wart sons; young men who were not rowdies or 
 profane; young men who were always thoughtful 
 concerning their sisters; young men who were honest, 
 kind, industrious, and happy! Think of a home in 
 which the three sisters got along well with their seven 
 brothers! They were not recluses nor were they selfish 
 when with their brothers; they enjoyed their compan¬ 
 ionship, and their brothers enjoyed being with them. 
 When one son made a feast he would invite all the rest 
 of his brothers to dine, and they would all help to 
 bring their sisters and make things just as enjoyable 
 for them as possible. Wouldn’t it have been a pleas¬ 
 ant thing to look into that home on one of their feast 
 days, to see them all doing their best to make the feast 
 
THE IDEAL HOME 
 
 35 
 
 a success and the day an enjoyable one. No one was 
 invited out of mere courtesy. No one of them had to 
 be petted lest he should think he was slighted, and go 
 home pouting or in a sullen mood, and refuse to come 
 to their next family gathering. 
 
 There are many families today which ought to study 
 the family of Job, that they might profit by their ex¬ 
 ample. They would find them worthy of imitation. 
 There are a great many young men, who, if they took 
 lessons from the sons of Job, would not neglect their 
 own sisters so often for the company of some one else. 
 And perhaps there are many sisters, who, if they imi¬ 
 tated Job’s daughters, would make their presence so 
 enjoyable when with their brothers, that they would 
 not prefer the company of other young women to that 
 of their own sisters. 
 
 There is nothing much more like heaven underneath 
 the skies, than a home where there is a bright, happy 
 group of children, boys and girls, who love their 
 parents and who enjoy the company of one another, 
 who do not quarrel, whose parents are godly and 
 whose religion is a part of their daily life. 
 
 WORK FOR THE FAMILY AT HOME 
 
 There was work for the members of Job’s family 
 under the immediate direction of the parents. Job was 
 a farmer. He had plenty of work to do, he could give 
 his children work so soon as they were able for it, and 
 that under his own supervision. It is well for children 
 to have work, if children are not assigned certain 
 duties and taught to do them, if they are not taught the 
 value of work and responsibility when they are young, 
 it is likely that they will be slow in learning thrift— 
 even to work at all. In addition to this, it is well if the 
 
36 
 
 THE IDEAL HOME 
 
 father so arranges his work, that he can put his boy to 
 work under his own immediate care and direction. It 
 is much better for a boy if his father can work with 
 him, teaching him how the work can be done well and 
 how it can be done quickly, encouraging him on the 
 one hand and restraining him on the other. 
 
 This is one of the great advantages of the farm, and 
 it is one of the reasons why so many men who are now 
 in responsible places of business have won their posi¬ 
 tions of honour and responsibility. They learned 
 industrious habits. They learned to work. They 
 learned that if they were to be successful like their 
 father they must work, regularly, and hard. They 
 learned that grain would not grow without first culti¬ 
 vating the soil and tending it, and that it could not be 
 harvested without hard work at the proper time. They 
 learned that if they were to succeed as well as others 
 with whom they were competing they would have to 
 rise early and work steadily through the day. Their 
 father took pains to impress this upon them. He saw 
 that his own life and work would have to be regular 
 and industrious in order to set a proper example before 
 his sons. One reason why fewer girls go wrong is that 
 they are trained under their mother’s immediate super¬ 
 vision. Woman’s work in the home, the world over, 
 is largely the same. How much safer boys in the city 
 would be if more Christian fathers were to go into 
 business for themselves, so that they could have the 
 same oversight over their boys that fathers do upon 
 the farm. 
 
 Job arose early in the morning. It is one of the 
 splendid things about farm life that so many miss in 
 the city. The habit of early rising is essential both to 
 devotion and success. The history of the lives of 
 
THE IDEAL HOME 
 
 37 
 
 farmers does not show that they have become broken 
 men earlier in life because of early rising and industri¬ 
 ous working. One of the reasons why there is such an 
 unreasonable demand for short hours on the part of 
 many in these days, is, because the men were not 
 taught to rise early and apply themselves diligently in 
 their youth. Many fathers are handicapped in this re¬ 
 gard who are employed at work in which they cannot 
 take their sons with them and teach them as Job did. 
 
 Our ideal ought not to be to secure some plan by 
 which we are required to do the least possible work for 
 our fellow-men and for our God, but we ought to 
 strive to do the greatest amount of work for the bene¬ 
 fit of our fellow-men and for the service of our God. 
 In selecting work or a profession we ought to select 
 that which we love and then apply ourselves with all 
 our heart to it. A gentleman addressing a group of 
 college students a few years ago said: “ Young men, 
 fall in love! fall in love! fall in love—with your 
 work.” Too many young people fail at the beginning 
 when they do not fall in love with their work in the 
 school-room. They drop out of school early and are 
 hindered all the rest of their lives because they were 
 not willing to rise early and work late that they might 
 gain an education, which if they had gained, would 
 have given them a vantage ground when competing 
 with their fellow-men. 
 
 There was another and yet more important issue in 
 Job’s mind which led him to rise early. It was that he 
 might worship with his family in the morning. We 
 teach our children that they should pray, at least every 
 morning and evening. We ought to show them by our 
 example that we mean it. What good does it do for us 
 to teach them to pray in the morning, if we show them 
 
38 
 
 THE IDEAL HOME 
 
 by our example that we love our pleasures or our beds 
 more than God, and that we do not deem it important 
 to worship God in the morning? It is better for all 
 the family, except the very little children, who require 
 much more sleep, to be up in the morning and engage 
 in worship together. The whole family should be in¬ 
 terested in asking for God’s blessing through the day. 
 “ The slothful man says, a little more sleep, a little 
 more slumber, a little more folding of the hands to 
 sleep.” We ought not to permit our pleasures to inter¬ 
 fere with our morning worship by allowing them to 
 keep us so late at night that we cannot pull our eyes 
 open in the morning in time for worship before the 
 hour of work or school. 
 
 “ Early to bed, early to rise; makes one healthy, 
 wealthy, and wise.” It was an advantage not only to 
 Job, it is an advantage not only to the farmer, it is an 
 advantage to us all. Above all, the worship in the 
 home ought not to be neglected, morning and evening. 
 
 PLEASURE GIVEN A SECONDARY PLACE 
 
 In the days of their pleasure, Job’s family did not 
 forget God. It was when his children were absorbed in 
 the enjoyment of their family feasts, that Job thought 
 particularly of the danger of forgetting God. He did 
 not then neglect the daily sacrifice, nor did he forget 
 special prayer on their behalf, that they might not re¬ 
 nounce God in their hearts. When we design our din¬ 
 ners, picnics, or summer excursions it ought not to be 
 with an abandonment of sacred things. There are 
 clubs and lodges which put away a per cent of their 
 fees and earnings during the year to be used in a sum¬ 
 mer excursion of a few days. They seek out some 
 “ sporty ” summer resort and give themselves over to 
 
THE IDEAL HOME 
 
 39 
 
 the most dissolute abandonment. On such occasions 
 they would not dare to take their wives with them. 
 Their carousals and debaucheries would disgrace them 
 in the sight of any respectable woman. They are de¬ 
 termined to spend all the money they have saved, no 
 matter how much that may be. The more money, the 
 more lewd the festivities, and the deeper the sin. 
 
 Such a plan does not appeal to us as an ideal for a 
 summer excursion or a time of feasting. And yet, we 
 need to beware lest we do what Job feared his sons 
 would do, renounce God in their hearts, get just as far 
 away from the restraints of religion as we think we 
 dare for the time being. When we go camping in the 
 summer, or when we go to the iDeach to spend our 
 vacation, we ought to remember God, we ought to wor¬ 
 ship both in our homes and on the Lord’s day just as 
 regularly as at other times. Week end visits or excur¬ 
 sions are often accompanied with sin. We ought not 
 to ape the world in this. We ought to seek the glory 
 of God, diligently, both in our pleasures and in our 
 work. Let us use the six days for our work and our 
 enjoyment, and give the Sabbath wholly to the worship 
 of God. 
 
 G ' CHILDREN CONSECRATED TO GOD’S SERVICE 
 
 Job’s children were consecrated to God and His 
 service. He sanctified his sons and offered sacrifices 
 on their behalf. This Job did not only once, but it was 
 a regular habit with him, this he did continually. 
 
 Job offered burnt-offerings for his children. As we 
 study the meaning of the burnt-offering as defined in 
 the Levitical law, we learn that the special significance 
 which it conveyed to the mind of the worshipper was 
 that of entire consecration to God. No doubt the 
 
40 
 
 THE IDEAL HOME 
 
 meaning of the sacrifices had been revealed to Job. 
 Job felt the need, not only of atonement, but of conse¬ 
 crating his children, repeatedly, to God. 
 
 Job was not one of those doting fathers who thought 
 that his sons were too perfect to do anything that was 
 bad. He had not so blinded his own eyes that he 
 imagined his sons were above committing sin. He 
 knew that there was danger lest they should renounce 
 God in their hearts, and that they might allow profane 
 thoughts to enter their minds. He knew that, at best, 
 they were sinners like others, and needed the blood 
 atonement to cover their sins. He knew that a father 
 ought to remember his children in prayer and commit 
 them to the care of his heavenly Father. 
 
 I have no doubt but that Job consecrated his chil¬ 
 dren to God from birth, that if there was in his day, 
 any rite of circumcision, he performed it on behalf of 
 his children. But whether or not they were circum¬ 
 cised in form, they were circumcised in heart, as far as 
 Job was concerned. He was a man, who not only 
 “ turned away from evil,” but desired that his whole 
 family should do likewise. Job’s children could never 
 say that they could sow their wild oats because their 
 father did not care. They heard him at prayer on their 
 behalf and knew that he asked God to keep them 
 from sin. 
 
 Christian history inspires us with its illustrations of 
 parents who consecrated their children to God from 
 birth, and who continued to uphold them before God 
 in prayer. 
 
 Dr. A. C. Thompson, in his book on “ Protestant 
 Missions,” says: “ The first Protestant mission to 
 India originated in the heart of a praying mother.” 
 Bartholomew Ziegenbalg, the leading mind of the first 
 
THE IDEAL HOME 
 
 41 
 
 two missionaries to India, sailed in 1705, over a cen¬ 
 tury before the organization of the American Board 
 of Foreign Missions. How did Ziegenbalg become 
 consecrated, then enthused with foreign mission work 
 in that early day? The answer is found in the devo¬ 
 tion and prayers of his parents, though they died when 
 he was young. During the mother’s last days she 
 gathered her children about her bed and poured out 
 her heart to them in the following words: “ Dear chil¬ 
 dren, I have a great treasure for you—a very great 
 treasure have I collected for you.” The eldest 
 daughter asked her where it was. “ Seek it in the 
 Bible, my dear children,” answered the dying mother; 
 “ there you will find it. I have watered every page 
 with my tears.” “ In childhood Ziegenbalg exhibited 
 unusual seriousness. As a youth he maintained habits 
 of devotion which made him the target of ridicule for 
 his schoolmates.—He and a friend of his, Von der 
 Linde, entered into a covenant as follows: ‘We will 
 seek nothing else in the world but the glory of God’s 
 name, the spread of God’s kingdom, the propagation 
 of divine truth, the salvation of our neighbour, and 
 the constant sanctification of our own souls, wherever 
 we may be and whatever of cross-bearing and suffering 
 it may occasion us.’ ” To become pioneers at that 
 time was a very different thing from what it is now to 
 make an offer of foreign service. There was then prej¬ 
 udice at home and hatred abroad. 
 
 About half-a-century later (1750) Christian Fred¬ 
 erick Schwartz sailed for Tranquebar. “ Like many 
 another missionary Schwartz had a pious mother, 
 who died during his infancy, but who, just before de¬ 
 cease, informed her husband and her pastor that she 
 had dedicated her son to the Lord; and she obtained 
 
42 
 
 THE IDEAL HOME 
 
 from them the pledge that he should be informed of 
 this, should be trained accordingly, and if he chose 
 the ministry, they would give him encouragement.” 
 Providence directed him toward the mission field 
 through his father and his professors. When he came 
 to ask his father’s consent he received his blessing, and 
 he bade him go in God’s name, forgetting native land 
 and kindred that he might win souls to Christ. His 
 mother’s dedication was crowned with the father’s 
 benediction. 
 
 Dr. W. M. Taylor, when speaking upon “ Paul the 
 Missionary,” touches one’s heart with this thrilling 
 account of the consecration of Thomas M’Crie and of 
 himself. 1 “ When Thomas M’Crie, the biographer of 
 John Knox, was setting out as a lad from his country 
 home for Edinburgh, there to enter upon his first ses¬ 
 sion of university life, his mother went with him for 
 a portion of the way: and when at length they came to 
 the place where they had to part, she took him into a 
 field by the wayside, knelt down wtih him beside a 
 stock of standing corn-sheaves—for it was the time of 
 harvest—and fervently besought for him the blessing 
 of the Lord. His son tells us that he never forgot that 
 prayer; and that its influence for inspiration and for 
 strength was with him through his life.” Dr. Taylor 
 adds, concerning himself: “ And if I may be per¬ 
 mitted to refer to my own history, I recall with pe¬ 
 culiar vividness at this moment the last evening at my 
 father’s fireside before I set out for college life. I had 
 never been away from home for any length of time 
 before; a great city like Glasgow was, to a boy brought 
 up in a provincial town, full of perils; and so a strange 
 commingling of joy and trepidation was in my heart. 
 
 1 P. 372. 
 
THE IDEAL HOME 
 
 43 
 
 “ After family worship my father took me with him 
 into his own place for secret prayer; and as we knelt 
 together, he put his hand upon my shoulder, and 
 poured out his heart for me before God. I think I feel 
 that hand upon my shoulder now; and looking back 
 through the years of the past, I can remember many 
 times when the memory of that prayer was a solace, a 
 stimulus, a support. It has been better to me than 
 would have been the legacy of a millionaire; and if 
 some similar home-scene should by my words be 
 brought even now before any of you who are yet 
 ‘ strangers from the commonwealth of promise,’ let 
 that plead with you tonight to bring you to the Lord! ” 
 
 Oh, the untold possibilities of a Christian home! 
 Oh, the responsibilities and opportunities of devoted 
 Christian parents, who are ready to consecrate their 
 children to the service of God! Would that every 
 child had parents like Job! If so, there would be no 
 barren cry on the part of the church for men to lead 
 in the ministry of the Gospel, either at home or abroad. 
 
 MAKING GOD THE SOURCE OE CONTENTMENT AND JOY 
 
 God in the home is the source of contentment and 
 joy. Job did not have modern conveniences in his 
 house. He could not turn on the hot or cold water at 
 pleasure. He could not turn a button and have his 
 house flooded with light. He did not dream of 
 vacuum cleaners and electric washers. His wife and 
 daughters had to sweep the floors with an old- 
 fashioned broom and wash the clothes with their 
 hands. But Job’s wife did not apply for a divorce. 
 There are many women applying for divorces in these 
 days on the ground that their husbands are cruel, and 
 when the details of the alleged cruelty are sifted out, it 
 
44 
 
 THE IDEAL HOME 
 
 is discovered that they are not satisfied because their 
 husbands have not furnished them with modern con¬ 
 veniences in their work. They make the most frivo¬ 
 lous and unreasonable excuses in applying for divorce. 
 
 What is back of it all? It is because God is not in 
 the home. God in the home, in the hearts of both 
 parents and children, will make a happy and contented 
 home. It will make the parents willing to bear and 
 forbear. It will enable them to enjoy the work, as well 
 as the hours which they give to pleasure. 
 
 Job, or his family, did not need a shower bath and 
 electric vibrator and disappearing bed in order to be 
 happy in their home. Modern conveniences are valu¬ 
 able, they make the work easier and the drudgery of 
 the house-wife lighter. But they are not essential to a 
 happy home. A family can be happy in a dug-out. 
 And many a family has been happier in such a home 
 than others who live in modern mansions. From what 
 part of society do we read of separations and divorces 
 most frequently, from the poor or the rich ? Riches do 
 not make a home happy in themselves. Riches may be 
 used by godly people to promote happiness in the home, 
 and among others. But it was something far deeper 
 and more vital that was the source of happiness in the 
 home of Job, and is the source of it in the homes of 
 our day. It is the love of God in the heart, manifest¬ 
 ing a spirit of contentment, patience, industry, joy, and 
 filial devotion. 
 
 May God give us all homes like that of Job where 
 the Spirit of God dwells in both parents and children, 
 and where love is manifest both without and within. 
 
Ill 
 
 THE WRECK OF THE IDEAL HOME 
 
 Job 1:6-22 
 
 T HE first scene in the drama of Job portrays a 
 happy gathering upon earth. The second, 
 which is included in the passage before us, 
 depicts a concourse in heaven. In the former scene we 
 saw a prosperous home in which there was enjoyment 
 and love. The love of God was never forgotten even 
 in the days of their pleasure. Today, we witness the 
 wrecking of that home. But it was not wrecked by 
 immorality or the sale of virtue. Did not the enemy 
 of souls engineer the wrecking of that home? Yes, 
 but in doing so he only touched the body. He was 
 bent upon wrecking their souls, but he failed. He 
 could not gain the victory over the souls of the mem¬ 
 bers of that household. In touching their property, or 
 mortal frames, he was not getting at the real life, he 
 was only destroying the house in which the soul lived. 
 They could not be harmed because they were safe 
 behind the blood. 
 
 Today we are brought face to face with the great 
 problem that is presented and solved in the Book of 
 Job. Why do the righteous suffer? How is God good 
 when He sees His people spoiled of their property and 
 tortured or slain? Why does He permit Satan to be 
 the awful scavenger that he is? 
 
 It is nothing new or strange to see men suffer. 
 Today, the whole world knows what suffering is as it 
 
 45 
 
46 
 
 THE WRECK OF THE IDEAL HOME 
 
 has perhaps never known it in the ages past. The war, 
 and conditions which have followed, leave few homes 
 untouched. The official report, given out recently, 
 showed that in 1920, 968 out of every 1,000 babies in 
 Vienna died of starvation. The suffering in eastern 
 Europe and in Western and Northern Asia during 
 the past year is overwhelming in its intensity and 
 magnitude. 
 
 Suffering from robbers, or lightning, or hurricane, 
 or war, or famine, or pestilence, is not new. But that 
 which is new, is, having the curtain drawn aside that 
 we may look behind the scenes and know the plans in 
 heaven and in hell. To get a glimpse behind the scenes 
 and read the record causes us to stand in amazement. 
 That which puzzles us is, why did God issue the chal¬ 
 lenge to Satan? We know that there is evil in the 
 world, that Satan is the father of lies, and that even 
 within the heart of man there is an evil nature. But 
 perhaps we never imagined before, that God would 
 issue a challenge like this to Satan. Many earnest men 
 have been seriously puzzled over this, for it is a prob¬ 
 lem that is not easily solved. 
 
 Why did Job suffer as he did? 
 
 JOB WAS AN EXAMPLE 
 
 Job lived before the Bible had been written. God 
 took care that men should have examples, both for 
 their warning and encouragement. Paul tells us con¬ 
 cerning the people of Israel, “ Now all these things 
 happened unto them for ensamples: and they are writ¬ 
 ten for our admonition.” 1 James enforces the same 
 truth: “ Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have 
 spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of 
 
 11 Cor. 10:11. 
 
THE WRECK OF THE IDEAL HOME 
 
 47 
 
 suffering affliction, and of patience.—Ye have heard 
 of the patience of Job/’ 2 God made examples of some 
 men who were sinners, in bringing some marked judg¬ 
 ment upon them that others might be warned and not 
 follow the same course. God made examples of some 
 men who were godly in allowing them to pass through 
 severe straits, but delivering them in a remarkable 
 manner, that men might know that “ he ruleth in the 
 armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of the 
 earth, and none can stay his hand or say unto him, 
 what doest thou, or why doest thou thus ? ” 
 
 BEFORE THE ADVENT OF CHRIST, GOD USED MANY 
 
 GOOD MEN AS TYPES 
 
 Job was a type of Christ. As a type of Christ, as 
 one who suffered patiently, Job has no peer. Christ 
 was patient in enduring suffering. “ He was led as a 
 lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before his shear¬ 
 ers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.” 
 
 Job was like Christ in that he was a man upon whom 
 Satan did his worst. Because of his perfection Satan 
 made a special target of him, that he might cause him 
 to fall, and expecting to make great capital of it: but 
 he failed. 
 
 Job was like Christ in that he was tempted of his 
 own friends during his suffering. He was like his 
 Lord in that he had to resist alone, because even his 
 wife advised him that death was better than life, that 
 he should curse God and die. 
 
 Job was like his Master also, in that, when he 
 overcame the tempter he became an intercessor on 
 behalf of others who had sinned. He prayed for 
 them. 
 
 2 Jas. 5:10, 11. 
 
48 
 
 THE WRECK OF THE IDEAL HOME 
 
 IT IS GOD WHO TAKES THE INITIATIVE IN 
 PROVING VIRTUE 
 
 It has been well said, “ It would be inconsistent with 
 divine wisdom to suppose that God was led on and 
 beguiled by the sneer of his own creature to do what 
 was needless or unfair or opposed to His own plan of 
 creation.” God did not advise Satan to attack Job. 
 He offered no temptation, nor did he encourage any. 
 “ God cannot be tempted of evil, neither tempteth he 
 any man.” When Job was tempted God enabled him 
 to resist the temptation. He said to Satan, as He 
 always says by the life of a virtuous man: “ Here is a 
 godly man, let the world take note of his life.” 
 
 God had searched the heart of Job: Satan had not. 
 We often attribute too much knowledge to Satan. 
 He cannot search the heart and determine whether it is 
 regenerate, as God can. Satan always suspects the 
 man who appears godly, and tries to prove that his 
 profession is only veneer. He tries to show that there 
 is a sinister aim in every godly man. He throws out 
 insinuations; so and so does not fear God for nothing. 
 He is prospering, change his outward circumstances 
 and see if you do not see a different man. His theory 
 is that every good man is only a Dr. Jekyll dressed in 
 Mr. Hyde’s clothes. 
 
 But in his guess, or his charge, Satan is often foiled. 
 It is an honour to God and a witness to the sustaining 
 power of His grace when man passes through the fire 
 and comes out unscathed. God never doubted the re¬ 
 sult of this contest. He knew the heart of Job. He 
 knew the utmost limits of Satan. It was no reckless 
 challenge that He made. There was no danger that 
 the results would be unfavourable to Him. 
 
THE WRECK OF THE IDEAL HOME 49 
 
 It is a sad confession which we must make, that 
 there are many cases in which Satan’s guess is right. 
 There are many who do not fear God for nought. 
 They are, as is said of some Orientals, “ rice Chris¬ 
 tians.” They may be loaded with wealth and enjoy 
 luxurious homes and proud families, but Satan is often 
 right in supposing that they are selfish underneath it 
 all. When men are sifted it is too often true that their 
 reputation, or titles, or place of power, or place of 
 business, or farm, is their paradise. It is like an oasis 
 in the desert to see a character like Job, tried, yet not 
 found wanting. It is a testimony both to the honour 
 of God and to Christian faith. 
 
 In setting before us the character of Job, God does 
 not set up a monstrosity. Job is entirely human, the 
 characters who have to do with him are human. The 
 calamities and temptations are not at all impossible or 
 improbable. The calamities which befell him, because 
 of their suddenness and succession and terribleness, 
 were unusual. But it is all within easy range of 
 possibility. 
 
 Job’s children seem to have been enjoying the first 
 family feast of the season. They had gathered in the 
 eldest brother’s house. Job had offered the morning 
 sacrifice, as usual. He had slain the sacrifice and 
 poured out its blood upon the ground, and had taken 
 its carcass and placed it upon the altar. He had taken 
 another and another, until there were ten sacrifices 
 which had been offered, one on behalf of the sins of 
 every one of his children. He had poured out his sup¬ 
 plications to God. He had asked God to sanctify them. 
 He had been particularly fervent on that morning, be¬ 
 cause it was a feast day, and he was anxious, like many 
 another Christian parent, lest during the time of feast- 
 
50 
 
 THE WRECK OF THE IDEAL HOME 
 
 ing or merriment his children had forgotten God, or 
 engaged in some amusement which would not be 
 honouring to Him. 
 
 The old father had thus remembered his children 
 before God. He had seen the servants on their way to 
 work in the fields, riding the asses and bearing the 
 plows on their backs, then hitching the oxen to them 
 that they might tear up the soil in preparation for an¬ 
 other crop. He had perhaps been busy during the 
 portion of the day that was past, meeting those who 
 had been unfortunate as they came for alms. He had 
 distributed to many a hungry hand and weary souk 
 He had rejoiced that God had so prospered him that 
 he had been able to give to those who were needy. 
 The smoke of those ten sacrifices had not ceased to 
 rise from the altar, when, all at once, he sees a mes¬ 
 senger hastening across the field at full speed. As the 
 runner gasps for breath he moans, that while his fel¬ 
 low servants were plowing, with the asses feeding 
 beside him, the Sabeans, with terrible ferocity, had put 
 all the rest to the sword and had driven away the 
 oxen and asses, and he alone of all the servants had 
 escaped to tell the tale. 
 
 Before Job had time to ask questions about this 
 disaster, another with streaming hair and fright¬ 
 ened face hastens into their presence, and in his 
 excitement, forgetting all formalities, bursts out with 
 the message: “ Lightning has fallen from heaven and 
 has burned up the sheep together with the shepherds, 
 and I am the only one who has escaped to tell the 
 sad news.” 
 
 The full record of this disaster had not been fully 
 related, when a dark, swarthy, camel driver rushed 
 into his presence. Almost fainting with fright and 
 
THE WRECK OF THE IDEAL HOME 51 
 
 exhaustion, he told of a fierce raid which a cruel band 
 of Chaldeans had made upon the camels and their 
 drivers, so that not one of the three thousand camels 
 was left. Nor had any of the camel drivers escaped 
 except this one, who had evaded the fearful attack of 
 the robber band. All the others had been slain. 
 
 The poor old man, now robbed of all of his prop¬ 
 erty, his servants all slain except the three who had 
 merely escaped with their lives, was looking aghast, 
 when another with clothes torn, bareheaded and breath¬ 
 less, rushed up with a more frightened countenance, 
 and a more fearful tale than any who had yet appeared. 
 He gasped out his heart-rending message, that while 
 Job’s sons and daughters were feasting a hurricane 
 struck the house and shattered it in pieces, crushing 
 out the lives of all of his children and he alone had 
 escaped to tell of the fearful wreck. Do you wonder 
 that Job arose and tore his mantle? Is it strange that 
 he did this as a sign of great grief? Would you have 
 expected him to collapse with the nervous shock, and 
 groan with mental derangement, at the thought of the 
 overwhelming, multiple loss of children, servants, and 
 property ? 
 
 During the war, some friends from an eastern city 
 told us of a woman in that city, who, one day as she 
 was beginning to give her babe a bath was called to the 
 door. When she reached the door she noticed some 
 one who had fallen at the step and was badly injured. 
 She rushed out to help without waiting to read the tele¬ 
 gram that was handed to her. When she read the 
 telegram it brought the news that her husband had 
 fallen at the front. The excitement and the sad mes¬ 
 sage caused delay, so that when she returned to her 
 babe the water had risen in the bath tub and it was 
 
52 
 
 THE WRECK OF THE IDEAL HOME 
 
 drowned. The shock was so terrible, and it all came 
 so suddenly, that she lost her mind. Her friends had 
 to take her away to the asylum. 
 
 Her shock was exceedingly severe, though not so 
 multiplied as that which came to Job. What was the 
 difference? Why did not Job become a madman in 
 place of calmly saying, “ Naked came I out of my 
 mother’s womb, naked shall I return thither: the Lord 
 gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the 
 name of the Lord ”? The end of life, the purpose of 
 existence, was evidently built upon an entirely different 
 basis in the minds of those two who faced disaster. 
 Job’s philosophy of life, made not his own happiness, 
 nor even the existence of his family, the end of life. 
 He knew that life did not depend upon material things, 
 or even upon the presence of family and friends; he 
 knew that after this life the body would decay, worms 
 would destroy it, but he believed that whatever might 
 befall, he would see God. He believed that he would 
 dwell with Him forever. Moreover, he had faith to 
 believe that though his children had lost their lives in 
 the storm, that they had lived in trust in God and they 
 had besought God’s favour through the atoning blood. 
 After all, it was not their loss, but their gain. They 
 had gone from a mansion here; they had found a more 
 glorious mansion there. He could endure a lonely life, 
 it was a very heavy burden, but he knew that he would 
 see God at last and be with them through all eternity. 
 Is this crediting Job with too much of the Gospel? As 
 we shall progress in our study of Job we shall see that 
 it is not. Job had a much clearer idea of the Gospel 
 and of eternity, than those do who cannot find the 
 Gospel in Job. 
 
 But the problem still confronts us, why should God 
 
THE WRECK OF THE IDEAL HOME 
 
 53 
 
 in this case, why should He so frequently in the lives 
 of His people, permit severe suffering and the breaking 
 up of happy homes? Let us endeavour to face the 
 problem, and discover that God is a perfectly just and 
 loving God though He deals thus with men. Yes, He 
 is just and loving because He does this, it is even a 
 manifestation of His love. 
 
 THE END OE life is NOT HAPPINESS 
 
 The Epicurean in his philosophy, in the days of 
 Paul, declared that the end of life was happiness. This 
 is the solution which has entered into the philosophy 
 of many since that day and has depraved the thinking 
 of many a man, down to Herbert Spencer and Paley, 
 and their disciples today. Yes, so acceptable has this 
 philosophy been to the minds of men, that all over the 
 world there are voices, Christian and non-Christian, 
 which are declaring that life is intended for enjoyment. 
 That which gives enjoyment is said to be good, and 
 that which causes suffering and pain is pronounced 
 evil. Anything that reduces the body, or the capacity 
 of the body for enjoyment is bad, so thought Mr. 
 Spencer. This philosophy underlies many of the ser¬ 
 mons, and much of the religious belief, and teaching, 
 of the present time. There is no book that needs to 
 be studied, by men who attempt to formulate a phi¬ 
 losophy of life, more than that of Job. 
 
 Paley’s study of life leads him to the conclusion that 
 the chief aim of God is, to make His creatures happy 
 in this world. Now if Spencer and Paley are right; 
 if a host of respected religious teachers and professed 
 Christian optimists are right; then God, in bringing 
 affliction and sorrow and pain upon his servant Job, 
 was the cruel enemy of man. Spencer refuses to be 
 
54 
 
 THE WRECK OF THE IDEAL HOME 
 
 called a materialist, but the reasoning of the Book of 
 Job, if we interpret it aright, places Spencer and all 
 who accept such a philosophy of life, in the circle of 
 materialists. 
 
 Human nature is so averse to pain that we have 
 come to consider pain a synonym for evil. But when 
 we get the matter clearly before us we must conclude 
 that pain and loss are not evil, they are not in any sense 
 evil. We have absorbed remnants of heathen phi¬ 
 losophy. We have allowed ourselves to think in the 
 common strain, that rebellion against divinity is al¬ 
 ways the immediate antecedent of pain and sorrow and 
 disaster. We forget, in such reasoning, that the 
 wicked often prosper, that sometimes “ they are not in 
 trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like 
 other men.” 3 We forget that chastisement may also 
 cause pain. 
 
 While happiness and enjoyment are thought of as 
 the principal exponents of salvation we cannot call 
 religion pure. While happiness is the main promise of 
 the man who offers the Christian religion, the whole 
 basis of religion is on a wrong foundation. This ideal 
 will not build the strongest and most virtuous Chris¬ 
 tian character. If happiness is our aim, then it may be 
 well asked, as did Satan concerning Job, doth this man 
 serve God for nought? 
 
 The honour of God, the gift of God, which is ever¬ 
 lasting life, apart from either pleasure or pain, is what 
 man is to seek. He may find it in a life of pain, he 
 may find it in a life of happiness; but either should be 
 made to minister to the higher aim of life. The 
 favourite philosophy of today, the avowed aim of most 
 social theorists, is to secure happiness for all. Their 
 
 3 Ps. 73: 5. 
 
THE WRECK OF THE IDEAL HOME 
 
 55 
 
 dream is to make the struggle of man upon earth so 
 easy that he shall have no need for personal endeavour. 
 He is to serve even here and now for happiness, and 
 that is to be his desire and goal. 
 
 But would such an ideal not lead human beings to 
 doubt God when they have little pleasure, or when 
 they are physically handicapped through life? Would 
 they not say that if they do not enjoy the best of this 
 world that they have lost all? The trouble is that in 
 this ideal of happiness which underlies so much of our 
 philosophy, men are really seeking after a new god, and 
 this while they discourse about the greatness of the 
 world which God has made, the wonders of His 
 creation, and the blessings of His provision. 
 
 HAPPINESS MAY BE PUNISHMENT, SUEEERING MAY 
 
 BE KINDNESS 
 
 Pleasure and pain are both appointed of God. 
 Either may be used to promote Christian character, 
 either may be used to lead men into deeper sin. Hap¬ 
 piness may be punishment. It is punishment to him 
 whose sin, whose unbelief, perverts his view of truth 
 and blinds him to the true ideals of life and the will of 
 God. The pleasures of a sinner are not a gain, they 
 are a loss. On the other hand, the pains and sufferings 
 which fall to the lot of evil men which are given for 
 their warning, if in blindness of soul they are misun¬ 
 derstood, become a punishment, and the life is made 
 worse. Thus either happiness or suffering may make 
 a life worse, either may be a punishment. 
 
 The world and its discipline, its sufferings, the trials 
 of men, the doctrine of the cross, and the fellowship 
 of the suffering of Christ, are not intended to intro¬ 
 duce us merely to a state of enjoyment or the gratifi- 
 
56 
 
 THE WRECK OF THE IDEAL HOME 
 
 cation of our personal desires. They are intended to 
 develop in us a stronger faith and a nobler and holier 
 life. Our Lord solved the problem long ago in simple 
 language which we have often failed to comprehend, 
 when He said, our life is more than meat and our body 
 than raiment. Then in our seasons of enjoyment we 
 ought to be especially careful as to what we eat, and 
 what we drink, and what we wear, and what our atti¬ 
 tude of mind is toward all these things, for our happi¬ 
 ness may tend to evil and while we are seeking it we 
 may be preparing for punishment. Joy may be pun¬ 
 ishment as well as pain. If by either we are made 
 worse, we are punished. 
 
 PAIN AND MORAL, EVIE ARE ENTIREEY DISTINCT 
 
 The house of Job was wrecked, but what of it? 
 It was a physical wreck and not a moral one. How 
 much worse would it have been if it had been a moral 
 wreck. 
 
 Luther was said to have dreamed that he saw Satan 
 gather about him his hosts of evil angels to receive 
 reports of their deeds in the world. One reported that 
 he had raised a wind in the desert and had destroyed a 
 party of Christians who were crossing it. “ What of 
 that,” said the Devil, “ their souls were all saved.” 
 Another said that he had aroused a wind on the sea 
 and had sent to the bottom a vessel laden with mission¬ 
 aries. “ What of that,” said Satan, “ their souls were 
 saved.” Another reported, “ I have been working for 
 ten years to put a single soul to sleep and have finally 
 succeeded.” Then the Devil and all the angels of hell 
 shouted for joy. 
 
 If you should read a detailed report of a society 
 which cares for neglected children, you would get a 
 
THE WRECK OF THE IDEAL HOME 
 
 57 
 
 glimpse of the disaster which falls upon homes where 
 immorality has entered. The most of the children who 
 have suffered, and have been taken under the care of 
 a society which cares for destitute children have 
 usually come from homes which were not physical, but 
 moral wrecks. If poverty had come and deprived the 
 parents of food, if fire had taken hold and burned the 
 house to ashes, if the wind had blown and torn the 
 house to pieces, the home might be physically wrecked 
 but as different as light from darkness, from those 
 homes which have been moral wrecks. There might 
 be physical suffering and poverty without evil, there 
 might be pain and weakness and disease, yet that suf¬ 
 fering might be working out the perfection of char¬ 
 acter in the mother, or the little child which was left 
 destitute. 
 
 Pain ought always to develop virtue, but pain may 
 be sent upon the virtuous while the sinner goes on en¬ 
 joying the pleasures of this world and sinking deeper 
 in sin. There may be sins which, when indulged in, 
 will almost inevitably bring pain. On the other hand 
 there may be righteous deeds which will almost in¬ 
 evitably bring pain. As an instance of the former, 
 one may be an habitual drinker of liquor. He will 
 suffer for it, and men will say, “ the result of his sins.” 
 As an instance of the latter, a righteous man may go 
 as a missionary to Turkey. He will almost inevitably 
 suffer in some manner. He may be beaten and left 
 half-dead, he may be thrown into prison, he may suffer 
 hunger, he may see his loved ones taken from him 
 while he looks on helplessly. But with all his suffer¬ 
 ing, he is honouring God, and is growing into a nobler 
 and holier saint. 
 
 Job suffered, not because he was tending to sin, or 
 
58 
 
 THE WRECK OF THE IDEAL HOME 
 
 sinful ways. He was tried, he was tried severely, but 
 he came forth purer, stronger, holier, and richer than 
 before. After his suffering he could sympathize with 
 the suffering as he could not before, he could commune 
 with God in a more intimate manner, he was a better 
 husband, a better father, and better fitted for fellow¬ 
 ship with Christ. As a result, today, he is a better 
 example to all the world. 
 
 When we have gone the round, seeking a solution 
 of this great problem, why the righteous suffer, we 
 inevitably come back to Christ and the Cross which He 
 bore at calvary. He suffered in all points. He was a 
 man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He bore 
 our sins upon the tree. Suffering was not degrading 
 to Him. He was devoted to his Father, to His work, 
 and to those whom He loved among men. Sin pre¬ 
 sented more of a horror to Him than pain. He was 
 ready to be made perfect through suffering that He 
 might enter into glory. 
 
 When we are thinking of our homes and are making 
 an application of the life of Job, we remember the 
 awful hour of the wrecking of that home. What a 
 good thing, that when the wreck came, it found that 
 family in a worshipful mood! What if they had 
 renounced God in their hearts? We never know 
 whether a crash will come, or when it will come. It 
 may come when we are in the midst of our merriment. 
 Would it always find us like Job, in a devout, prayer¬ 
 ful spirit? 
 
 Therefore, may we turn all our pains and our sor¬ 
 rows, as well as our joys, to the benefit of our souls 
 and the honour of our Ford. May they serve to draw 
 us nearer to Him. When He gives us blessings may 
 we rejoice in Him, and when He sends sorrows may 
 
THE WRECK OF THE IDEAL HOME 
 
 59 
 
 we consider our frail and mortal natures and remember 
 that in Him there is life, life now, and for evermore. 
 May our lives be knit to His in a bond of inseparable 
 love and unending testimony and service. 
 
 “ Leaving the cloud and the tempest, 
 
 Reaching the balm and the cheer, 
 
 Finding the end of our sorrow. 
 
 Finding the end of our fear. 
 
 Seeing the face of the Master. 
 
 Yearned for in ‘distance and dream/ 
 
 Oh! for that rapture of gladness! 
 
 Oh, for that vision supreme ! 
 
 “ Meeting the dear ones departed 
 
 Knowing them, clasping their hands, 
 
 All the beloved and true-hearted 
 There in the fairest of lands! 
 
 Sin evermore left behind us, 
 
 Pain nevermore to distress; 
 
 Changing the moan for the music, 
 
 Living the Saviour to bless. 
 
 “ There we shall learn the sweet meanings 
 Hidden to-day from our eyes; 
 
 There we shall waken like children 
 Joyous at gift and surprise. 
 
 Come then, dear Lord, in the gloaming, 
 
 Or where the dawning is gray! 
 
 Take us to dwell in the presence— 
 
 Only thyself lead the way.” 
 
IV 
 
 LEFT TO SATAN BUT NOT FORSAKEN 
 
 Job 2 : 1-13 
 
 T HE man who is rich is generally a man of ease 
 and therefore less inured to the hardships which 
 many endure. When he is called upon to en¬ 
 dure hardships he is usually less courageous under 
 them, and the first to complain. He is apt to make any 
 sort of a compromise in order that he may escape from 
 the suffering which falls to his lot. 
 
 Though Job was rich he had never pampered him¬ 
 self or allowed others to pamper him. He was the 
 greatest of the men of the East, and yet he was an 
 ordinary man among men. He was one whom riches 
 had not spoiled. If all the wealthy men of the world 
 today, were as humble and upright as Job, there would 
 not be the stigma cast upon the capitalist that there is. 
 The capitalist would be respected among working men 
 and class distinctions would be unknown. 
 
 Rich men in Job’s day, however, were no less sus¬ 
 ceptible to temptation than they are today. Satan 
 knew that they were usually an easy mark for him. 
 Satan made special attacks against rich men because he 
 knew that they were more widely known and exercised 
 a greater influence, and if he could cause their down¬ 
 fall he not only hastened a soul to the realm of woe: 
 but he was more likely to sweep along with him, and 
 in his train, a whole troop of others that they might 
 also end in destruction. 
 
 60 
 
LEFT TO SATAN BUT NOT FORSAKEN 61 
 
 This is an unusual passage, we wish you to note a 
 few observations which we have made upon it. 
 
 SATAN GOES ABROAD IN HIS SEARCH EOR EVIG 
 
 God asked Satan where he had been. He could 
 not name a single good deed that he had done since 
 a former occasion when the sons of God had gath¬ 
 ered together. The only non-committal thing that 
 he could say about himself was, that he had been 
 walking about the earth. Think of a spirit always 
 going about as a scavenger among men, always seek¬ 
 ing out evil and never good. That is what Satan is 
 doing. 
 
 Satan is a living active spirit. At one time he was 
 possessed of all the powers of good that any of the 
 angels had. But he became proud and rebellious and 
 was cast out of heaven. Ever since that day he is, as a 
 roaring lion, going about seeking whom he may de¬ 
 vour. The lion prowls around in the darkness, creep¬ 
 ing up quietly near its prey, and then pouncing upon 
 it and tearing it to pieces. As far as Satan has the 
 power, that is what he does. He loves darkness rather 
 than light. His deeds are evil, always evil, and he 
 seeks the cover of darkness for them. In the darkness 
 in our great cities evil walks abroad with a fearful 
 stride, which it does not dare attempt in the open day. 
 Satan’s works will never stand exposure and publicity, 
 if they are to entrap men. He endeavours to entrap 
 them when they are not looking, when they are off 
 their guard, or when they have the least power of re¬ 
 sistance. He knows that he is repellent when seen in 
 his true garb in the light. Whether it be fish, or bird, 
 or animal, we turn away with disgust from the scav¬ 
 enger. Satan is one of the worst of scavengers. Why 
 
62 LEFT TO SATAN BUT NOT FORSAKEN 
 
 do we not always avoid him? We know that he is 
 always seeking evil, and only evil. 
 
 SATAN HAS NEVER GOTTEN BEYOND THE CONTROL 
 
 OE GOD 
 
 He tried it while in heaven. He learned that he and 
 his angels were in God’s power. He found that God 
 could cast him out. But while God has cast Satan out 
 of the place of the holy, He has never shut him up in 
 the place of torment, as yet. He will one day be shut 
 up, away from all that is good and from the reach of 
 the redeemed. 
 
 But even now, God has set bounds which Satan can¬ 
 not pass. God does not permit Satan to tempt His 
 people without limitation. He permits him to go a 
 certain length, in order that His people may be purified 
 and learn to resist evil, as well as to love the good. 
 
 God said to Satan, in the first instance, that he might 
 not touch Job’s body, whatever he did to his posses¬ 
 sions and his family. He said later, that he could not 
 destroy the life of his servant. Satan could not go 
 beyond the limit which God set. All that God per¬ 
 mitted Satan to do, was, to afflict Job outwardly, then 
 inwardly for a time, that his servant might come out 
 of the fire as steel, purer and stronger. 
 
 If we are God’s children we may suffer. Yes, we 
 will suffer! We will, perhaps, suffer severely. One 
 of the apostles admonishes us, 1 “ My brethren, count 
 it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations. Know¬ 
 ing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 
 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be 
 perfect and entire wanting nothing.” Another warns 
 us, 2 “ Beloved, think it not strange concerning the 
 
 1 Jas. 1:2-4. 2 1 Pet. 4:12, 13. 
 
LEFT TO SATAN BUT NOT FORSAKEN 63 
 
 fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange 
 thing happened unto you: but rejoice, inasmuch as 
 ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his 
 glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with 
 exceeding joy.” 
 
 When we are afflicted, we ought to remember that it 
 is the best thing that could come upon us, it is for our 
 purification. We need it that we may be humbled 
 before God. We ought never to complain against God. 
 He will never leave us nor forsake us. He never loses 
 hold of our great enemy or lets him get beyond His 
 control. God sets a bound which he cannot pass. 
 However he may follow us in this world, we may rest 
 assured that God will never permit him to follow us 
 to the next. 
 
 The charge that men care more for their own 
 heaeth and comfort than for anything 
 EESE, IS TOO OFTEN TRUE 
 
 Satan said, “ Skin for skin; yea, all that a man hath 
 will he give for his life. But put forth thine hand 
 now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse 
 thee to thy face.” This proverb may be difficult to in¬ 
 terpret if we endeavour to consider it literally. Some 
 who have endeavoured to pick it to pieces and to ana¬ 
 lyze it have arrived at very peculiar conclusions. There 
 are many proverbs or idioms whose meaning is well 
 understood, which will not bear scrutiny in the effort 
 to give a literal interpretation. For instance, we hear 
 the expression, “ they were taken red-handed.” One 
 who endeavours to translate our words into another 
 language may convey a wrong meaning. It may be 
 taken literally, it may be used of one who is caught 
 doing wrong though not thinking of shedding blood, 
 
64 LEFT TO SATAN BUT NOT FORSAKEN 
 
 it may be used humourously, merely indicating that 
 some one was found while in the act of doing some¬ 
 thing. Or the expression, “ A penny for your 
 thoughts,” does not mean that the person who is ad¬ 
 dressed is necessarily a deep thinker, and we would 
 like to buy his valuable suggestions. We all under¬ 
 stand that such expressions often have a different 
 meaning than that which appears on the surface, or in 
 a literal interpretation of the words. The context 
 usually makes the meaning clear. 
 
 If we endeavour to analyze the proverb, “ skin for 
 skin,” we will make ourselves ridiculous in working it 
 out. The meaning is, however, plain enough, that 
 men care more for their own bodies, their health and 
 comfort, than anything else. That a man would give 
 anything to save his skin, was Satan's theory; how¬ 
 ever, that theory is not always true. It proved to be 
 untrue in the case of Job. It has been untrue in the 
 case of every martyr. Satan knew human nature quite 
 well, he knew that when the flesh and bone is touched 
 that men feel it far more keenly than when their prop¬ 
 erty only is harmed, or when their friends or relatives 
 are injured. He thought Job was like the average 
 man, that he would yield under bodily torture. 
 
 The affliction which Job endured did, literally, touch 
 his bones and his flesh. It was exceedingly severe. It 
 is described as boils which covered his whole body. 
 He suffered excruciating pain and misery. It is de¬ 
 scribed by some, who have made a careful study of 
 Job’s case, and of oriental diseases of that nature, as a 
 disease called elephantiasis, one of the most terrible 
 forms of leprosy. 3 It is a lingering disease accom¬ 
 panied with intolerable irritation and painful and loath- 
 
 3 The Expositor’s Bible, Job, p. 71. 
 
LEFT TO SATAN BUT NOT FORSAKEN 65 
 
 some ulcers. Probably the reason that he is said to sit 
 among the ashes, is, that it was the common place for 
 the leper outcast, who was not permitted to enter his 
 own home or the homes of others. He lay down on the 
 mound of ashes, which was always found in Arab vil¬ 
 lages. It was composed of burned litter which was piled 
 in one spot year after year until a large mound was 
 formed. There the beggar sat, or lay, to ask alms of the 
 passers by; he was warmed by the sun during the day 
 and sheltered by the ashes at night. Only a short time 
 before, Job was the chief man of the East, but he had 
 fallen until he was the most loathsome of the outcasts. 
 
 As the lepers were despondent and immoral in char¬ 
 acter, as a rule, because they were cast out by society 
 and most of them felt deserted of God, so Satan as¬ 
 serted Job would fall. If there was any place on earth 
 which would tempt him to declare that there was no 
 God, or that God was cruel, it was out there on the pile 
 of ashes, bereft of family, robbed of property, broken 
 in health, suffering the greatest pain, loathed by his 
 fellowmen, and advised of his wife to curse God 
 and die. 
 
 The man who has been very ill, whose body has been 
 wasted, and who has suffered from extreme weakness 
 and pain, is not always the most to be pitied. Some 
 years ago a wealthy duke died leaving two sons. The 
 elder one contracted consumption when a boy, from 
 which he never recovered. He lay ill for many weeks, 
 but bore his weakness and suffering patiently. Two 
 ministers went to see him at the family home, near 
 Glasgow, where he lay. After prayer the young man 
 took his Bible from under his pillow, and turned to 
 this precious passage: “ I have fought a good fight, I 
 have finished my course, I have kept the faith: hence- 
 
66 LEFT TO SATAN BUT NOT FORSAKEN 
 
 forth there is laid up for me a crown of righteous¬ 
 ness ”; 3 and as he looked up he said: “ This, sirs, is all 
 my comfort.” When his death approached, he called 
 his younger brother to his side, and spoke to him very 
 tenderly, ending with these words: “ And now, Doug¬ 
 las, in a little time you will be a duke, but I shall be a 
 king.” Though Job was passing through the fire God 
 was preparing him to reign with Him. 
 
 God has promised to care for His people. It is 
 Satan’s object to convince them that when health is 
 broken, God is not caring for them. Do not be de¬ 
 ceived by his wiles. God was caring for Job. He 
 would not permit Satan to touch his life. Trust Him, 
 and He will care for you. 
 
 THE HARDEST ENEMY TO RESIST IS THE ENEMY 
 
 IN THE HOME 
 
 Job’s wife said to him, “ Dost thou still retain thine 
 integrity? curse God and die.” Job replied, “Thou 
 speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What! 
 shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we 
 not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with 
 his lips.” 
 
 The question naturally arises—why was Job’s wife 
 spared when the rest of the family was destroyed? It 
 may be that Satan left her that she might tempt Job. 
 Whatever may have been the cunning or foresight on 
 the part of Satan, the result was, she was a scourge to 
 her husband. Job experienced the difficulty of facing 
 a foe in his own household. Unbelievers in the home 
 can do more than any others to discourage or harass a 
 good man. Particularly is this true of a wife. The 
 wife is the confidant, and ordinarily the helpmeet, of 
 
 3 2 Tim. 4:7. 
 
LEFT TO SATAN BUT NOT FORSAKEN 67 
 
 the husband. She can be of special help in time of 
 trouble. When a man has all the trouble that it would 
 seem human nature could bear, and then has to endure 
 a despondent wife, it is a terrible scourge. 
 
 A friend told me of a man whose wife was at that 
 time a scoffer. One morning when some gentlemen of 
 his acquaintance were delivering groceries to that 
 man’s house, they heard a very strange noise. As it 
 was warm weather and the door of the house was open, 
 as they drew near they looked in, and a very strange 
 sight met their eyes. The husband, who was trying to 
 perform his duty as a Christian, was holding family 
 worship, but his wife was rolling on the floor, cursing 
 and scoffing at him. It was a very trying season of 
 life for that man. In later years, however, his wife 
 was converted. The husband’s consistent devotion led 
 her to Christ. 
 
 Ahab’s wife, by her cruelty and recklessness, brought 
 her husband and his kingdom into trouble. Hainan’s 
 wife, in her ambitious and heartless desires, advised 
 her husband to take a course which resulted in his 
 death upon the gallows. For a woman to speak as one 
 of the foolish women, is to throw about her husband a 
 net which is apt to entrap his soul. 
 
 It is true, Job’s wife was greatly tempted. The 
 suffering of a loved one who looks on, is almost as 
 great as that of the one who suffers. When we blame 
 the wife of Job, let us remember that we would per¬ 
 haps do no better under the circumstances. But what 
 good would it have done if Job had taken her advice? 
 If he had cursed God it would not have relieved him 
 of his misery. If he had died as she suggested, he 
 would have been thrust at once into greater torment 
 in hell, he would have gone down with the curses 
 
68 LEFT TO SATAN BUT NOT FORSAKEN 
 
 of God upon his lips. Turning against God, if he 
 had lived, would not have relieved him of pain. 
 Job’s wife did not see that he might have lived on in 
 greater misery than ever. Without God he would be 
 in far greater misery. He would suffer in soul as 
 well as in body, because he would have no spiritual 
 support. 
 
 A man may count that he has the greatest possible 
 blessing in the home, greater than riches, greater than 
 fame; if he has in his home a wife who shares with 
 him his troubles, and strengthens him in the midst of 
 his temptations: who when he is weak enables him to 
 be strong; when he is downcast gives him encourage¬ 
 ment ; when he is ill bravely nurses him back to health 
 again. She can be his greatest scourge, or she can be 
 his greatest blessing upon earth. The price of a true 
 wife is indeed “ above rubies, and happy is the man 
 who retaineth her.” 
 
 IT IS A SPLENDID THING, IN THE MIDST OF 
 affliction, to see as GOD SEES 
 
 Job replied to the taunt of his wife, “ What shall we 
 receive good at the hand of the Lord and shall we not 
 receive evil ? ” Or, as it may be translated, “ Shall 
 we receive gladness at the hand of the Lord and shall 
 we not receive affliction ? ” It is far easier to criticise 
 in time of health than it is to exercise such piety and 
 patience. But failure to speak and act calmly and pa¬ 
 tiently in the midst of affliction is sinful. As we stand 
 at a distance and look upon some one who is under¬ 
 going chastisement at the hand of God we can see how 
 it should work out for their good, and perhaps we can 
 see something that is kind and loving in the working 
 of God’s providence in connection with it. But it is 
 
LEFT TO SATAN BUT NOT FORSAKEN 69 
 
 not so easy when we are the subjects of sickness and 
 pain. Then we are apt to assert that we can see no 
 reason for it. 
 
 We should not become fatalists and simply say: 
 “ Well, it was all meant to be or it would not have 
 happened. This was what was intended and it is of 
 no use to think that it might have been otherwise.” 
 Let us rather endeavour to see God’s purpose in it for 
 us and remember that we are in the hands of a gracious 
 and wise God, and if He is trying our virtue we ought 
 to show to the world that we are virtuous, and that we 
 realize that our “ life is more than meat and our body 
 than raiment.” “ No chastening for the present seem- 
 eth to be joyous, but grievous; nevertheless afterward 
 it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto 
 them which are exercised thereby.” In the midst of 
 affliction, of sorrow, and of temptation may we be 
 exercised as was Job in such a way that it shall yield 
 the peaceable fruit of righteousness. May we realize 
 that God in afflicting us, in trying our virtue, is dealing 
 with us not as outcasts but as sons. If we can look thus 
 upon our trials we shall make every temptation and af¬ 
 fliction a stepping stone to higher and better things, we 
 shall become purified in body and soul, and better fitted 
 for the life which, begun here, shall last forever. 
 
 friends are valued in trouble 
 
 A man with a character like that of Job; a man who 
 is fair and honest in his business relationships; who is 
 modest and patient and kind, is sure to make friends. 
 When he is in trouble he will not be deserted and left 
 to suffer alone. Job had won friends, no doubt many 
 of them; men who were noted for their wisdom and 
 
70 LEFT TO SATAN BUT NOT FORSAKEN 
 
 piety. Job had not selected as his associates men who 
 cared only for sports and frivolities. If he had done 
 so they would never have looked near him when he 
 lost his property and became ill. It is true that they 
 advised him wrongly, yet they did the best that they 
 knew. 
 
 Let us not scoff at the friends of Job until we have 
 gone to visit the sick when they are in trouble, until we 
 have sat by their side and endeavoured to comfort 
 them, until we have waited patiently upon them and 
 tried to point out to them what we think to be right. 
 Job’s friends, remember, wept with him, they mani¬ 
 fested great grief by rending their mantles and throw¬ 
 ing dust upon their heads. They sat down with him 
 for seven days and seven nights there in the ash-heap. 
 Until we have made some such effort to comfort our 
 friends, let us not begin in careless derision to sneer at 
 them. If only their words of comfort had been sea¬ 
 soned with divine wisdom and grace they would have 
 been friends who might be taken as an ideal example 
 by the whole world. Sometimes we hear men say, “ I 
 never knew that I had so many friends until I found 
 myself in trouble.” Again we hear some one say: “ I 
 thought that certain ones were my friends, but I find 
 that I am deserted, they were only friendly while every¬ 
 thing was going well, while I had health and money, 
 but now they are all gone.” 
 
 We ought to be careful in selecting our friends. 
 The person is usually popular who has the freest 
 tongue and the heartiest laugh, regardless of his devo¬ 
 tion or his sincerity. Perhaps some one who is not so 
 brilliant an entertainer may be a far more worthy 
 friend and be found more faithful in trouble. Yet men 
 go on thinking of friends in such a shallow manner. 
 
LEFT TO SATAN BUT NOT FORSAKEN 71 
 
 that the one who affords the most enjoyment for the 
 moment is the one whom they seek. 
 
 Job’s friends were not the comfort to him that they 
 ought to have been; not that they did not mean well ; 
 not that they were not attached to him: but they did 
 not have a right view of suffering or a clear view of 
 God’s manner of dealing with men. It is important to 
 us if we are trying to select friends who shall be most 
 valuable under all circumstances, that we seek out men 
 and women who have a true and correct view of God 
 and of His plan for the world. We should not form 
 friends without thinking of their religion, of the real¬ 
 ity of their religion: whether or not it is manifestly a 
 part of their life. Nearly all men come to realize the 
 value of such suggestions when they have grown 
 older: but we should learn to act upon them while we 
 are young. Remember your Creator, in this, as in all 
 other things. 
 
 It is a terrible thing to be left in the hands of Satan 
 that he may buffet us. The sifting of the chaff, the 
 trying of virtue is a severe trial, but it is never hopeless 
 when God is with us. We may be alone so far as 
 human help is apparent, as was Job when he was first 
 robbed of his family and scoffed at by his wife, and 
 yet we are not alone, for God is our never-failing sup¬ 
 port. He will never leave us, He will never forsake 
 us. He says as Peter said to his Master, “ though all 
 men forsake you yet will not I,” and He does not fail 
 in keeping His word, as did Peter, at the critical hour. 
 “ He is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” 
 We may trust Him and not be afraid. 
 
V 
 
 THE DEPTHS OF SATAN 
 Job 2:2 
 
 O UR subject is stated in Scripture language . 1 
 The expression, “ the depths of Satan,” was 
 evidently a proverb when it was used by John. 
 How ancient that proverb is, we cannot say, but it 
 possibly extends as far back as the time of the patri¬ 
 arch, Job. At any rate Satan revealed the depths of 
 his cunning in that early day. 
 
 When this proverb, “the depths of Satan,” was 
 quoted by John, Satan was doing his utmost to over¬ 
 throw the early Christian Church as it had been estab¬ 
 lished in western Asia. When we meet with Satan in 
 the first of the Book of Job, he was doing his utmost 
 to overthrow the faith of the few scattered patriarchs 
 who were upholding the worship of the true God. 
 
 In the first of this book a remarkable thing is done 
 in that the doors of the spirit world are partly opened 
 and we are enabled to get a glimpse behind the scenes. 
 There is portrayed a meeting of the sons of God when 
 Satan came to get permission to throw some of his 
 brands into the calm of a godly home. But after the 
 second chapter we never hear of Satan again in the 
 book. He was working on, he was still attempting to 
 seduce Job: but the door which guards the holy place 
 was not opened again, and we only see the traces of 
 Satan in his working. 
 
 i Rev. 2: 24. 
 
 72 
 
THE DEPTHS OF SATAN 
 
 73 
 
 We all have to meet the same enemy of souls which 
 Job met. In order that we may resist him it is well 
 for us to know something of his personality, his pow¬ 
 ers, his tactics, and his limitations. Above all, we want 
 to know how to overcome him when he attacks us. 
 
 HIS PERSONALITY 
 
 In a home in which a young minister was being en¬ 
 tertained, the question arose—-Is there a personal 
 Devil, or is the Devil only an influence? The question 
 was asked by a young man in the home who had just 
 returned from college. As the family was seated at the 
 table and the father, who was an elder, was seated at 
 the head, the young minister did not attempt to answer 
 at first, thinking that the father would reply promptly 
 and show the young man how ignorant he was. But 
 the father, who seemed to be somewhat in doubt, re¬ 
 ferred the question to the minister. He took the sub¬ 
 ject up in as kindly a manner as possible, trying to 
 show the family, both from Scripture and reason, that 
 the Devil is a personal, active being, and that we need 
 to be constantly on our guard in order that we may 
 resist him. When there is ignorance on such vital mat¬ 
 ters both among college students and elders, shall we 
 be surprised when we note the instability and the drift 
 in many homes ? 
 
 There are many proofs of the personality of Satan. 
 
 i. The Biblical Proof. The record before us is a 
 proof of the personal existence of Satan. He was a 
 being as truly, as distinct, as any of the sons of God. 
 He could plan, he could move from place to place 
 through the earth, and he could direct some of the 
 forces in the earth. 
 
 His temptation of Christ is an evidence of his per- 
 
74 
 
 THE DEPTHS OF SATAN 
 
 sonality. When Satan tempted our Lord it was a 
 struggle between two beings. Satan had a personality 
 as truly as did Christ. 
 
 The entrance of demons into men, and the record of 
 their being cast out, their outcry and fear, are proofs 
 of the personal existence of evil spirits. It was not 
 merely an influence which was cast out of the one 
 possessed, it was a spiritual being. It was a being who 
 had power to tear as it came out. It was a being which 
 when cast out was not destroyed or annihilated, it could 
 enter into men or beasts again. Demons could control 
 the actions of swine. Sometimes there was more than 
 one demon in one man. 
 
 The history of Satan proves that he is a being. He 
 was cast out of heaven. There was not merely an in¬ 
 fluence cast out of the realms of glory, but a spiritual 
 being, who afterwards had his existence beyond the 
 realms of heaven. 
 
 The Devil is commonly referred to as a personal 
 being. He has a personality as truly as Adam or 
 Christ, or any other person whom he tempted. He is 
 referred to under different titles, such as Satan, the 
 Devil, that old serpent, the prince of the power of the 
 air, the ruler of the darkness, and Beelzebub: but, in 
 any case, a personality is manifestly intended in his 
 titles. 
 
 The Biblical proof is quite sufficient for the Chris¬ 
 tian, and it is the decisive proof of the personality of 
 Satan. There are other methods of arriving at the 
 same conclusion, however. 
 
 2. The Philosophical Proof . It is a recognized 
 fact that there is no power apart from personality. 
 There may be manifestations of power without the 
 personality being seen or known. That is a very com- 
 
THE DEPTHS OF SATAN 
 
 75 
 
 mon condition. But there cannot be power without an 
 intelligence originating it and directing it. There is, 
 without question, an evil power in the world. This 
 proves the personality of an evil being at work behind 
 the scenes. 
 
 This is one of the hidden things that is revealed to 
 us in one of the oldest of the Books. The veil is drawn 
 back and we get a view of Satan such as we perhaps 
 do not in any other writing. 
 
 j. The Experimental Proof. There is no man on 
 earth, but who, if he will look into his own experience, 
 will find that there is a real power at work dragging 
 him, or attempting to drag him, down. If one has 
 been yielding to temptation without attempting to re¬ 
 sist, let him but try to resist, and he will find that he 
 has a fight on hands with a real foe. It is not merely 
 an evil influence, it is Satan waging a conflict within us. 
 
 his powers 
 
 Satan does not have unlimited power, as we some¬ 
 times think, but he has a large range of power. He 
 influences men in all nations of the world, and he 
 works in the governments of the nations, leading them 
 into his snares. In one place 2 he is called the prince of 
 the power of the air. He may sometimes direct wind 
 and storm as he did in the days of Job when he 
 destroyed Job’s family. 
 
 Satan has even been permitted to perform miracles. 
 When Moses was commanded to show Pharaoh the 
 power of God by performing miracles in his presence, 
 the magicians of Egypt did so for a few times with 
 their enchantments. They were servants of Satan. 
 
 The Devil has been able to work wonders in the 
 
 2 Eph. 2:2. 
 
76 
 
 THE DEPTHS OF SATAN 
 
 minds of men in the manner in which he has deceived 
 them and led them to deceive. He has been a lying 
 spirit in the mouth of the prophets again and again. 
 In Elijah’s day the vast majority of the prophets were 
 false. Elijah was left alone among the four hundred 
 to testify of the living God. In Micah’s day Satan 
 was a lying spirit in the mouth of most of the proph¬ 
 ets. Micah suffered because he would not yield to 
 Satan’s temptations and falsify also. 
 
 But while Satan has great power let us not think of 
 him as supreme in any sphere. He is under limitations 
 wherever he may go. He could send forth the storm 
 and wind, but he could not go beyond the permission 
 of God in that. He could not destroy the house in 
 which Job lived with the east wind, though he was 
 permitted to destroy the house in which his children 
 were feasting. Jesus in the midst of the storm could 
 rebuke Satan, for his temptation of His disciples, and 
 effort to destroy them, and could say to the sea, be 
 still. It was as obedient to Christ as any child could be 
 to its mother. Satan could bring on sickness, but he 
 could not cause death when God set bounds beyond 
 which he could not pass. Though he might touch the 
 flesh and even the bone of Job, yet he could not 
 destroy his life. 
 
 The magicians of Egypt could only go a certain 
 length with their enchantments, and that not far, in 
 comparison with the servant of God in the miracles 
 which were performed. Those miracles which the 
 magicians were permitted to perform only showed the 
 limitations of Satan’s power, that he was under God’s 
 control. Satan has used false prophets, but he cannot 
 use them to defeat God’s plans, or to go beyond God’s 
 permission. Balaam was restrained. He would have 
 
THE DEPTHS OF SATAN 
 
 77 
 
 preferred to curse Israel, but he was only permitted to 
 bless. It is a remarkable example of the defeat of the 
 plans of the Evil One. 
 
 HIS MANNER OR WORKING 
 
 Satan does not like the light. He works under 
 cover. He was disguised when he tempted our first 
 parents in Eden. He worked through the best agency 
 he could at that time. There were no other human 
 beings besides the two, so he used what was then the 
 most inviting and pretentious of the beasts, the serpent. 
 The serpent has been cursed since, and moves in a 
 different form, and is hated of all men. But it was the 
 most attractive at that time. 
 
 Satan will work through any agency, he is not above 
 using the most vile or perverting the most holy. Satan 
 is a great personal worker. He gets hold of one man 
 and uses him to draw another and another. He tries 
 to get men to sit in the seat of the scornful. His first 
 attempt in Eden was to get the control of a human 
 being, then he thought he could get the ear of another. 
 He was successful. So he thought he could tempt Job. 
 He thought if he could win Job’s wife he could easily 
 entrap him. Then he tried to use Job’s friends to lead 
 him astray. First Satan tried an open assault. He 
 thought Job’s power of resistance was so depleted 
 that an assault would work. But when he found that 
 would not work, he used the more subtle means of 
 working through his nearest companion, and then 
 through his most intimate friends, but he was not 
 successful, at least not as he had hoped to be. Satan 
 did cause Job to sin to a certain degree, but not as he 
 had planned. He could not drive him or coax him to 
 curse God. 
 
78 
 
 THE DEPTHS OF SATAN 
 
 HIS METHODS 
 
 There are several ways in which Satan commonly 
 works. To name all of his cunning schemes would be 
 to recite the whole history of sin. 
 
 1. He attempts to persuade men to doubt God's 
 love. That was the temptation that he brought to Job. 
 He tried to persuade him that God did not love him, 
 else He would not have permitted all those calamities 
 to come upon him. He tried to persuade Eve and 
 Adam that God could not love them greatly, else He 
 would not have withheld from them the fruit of the 
 tree of knowledge of good and evil. But it was be¬ 
 cause He did love them that He had forbidden them 
 to eat of it. Any temptation which suggests to you 
 that you doubt God’s love, you may be sure, is from 
 Satan. 
 
 2. He tries to implant a selfish motive in our hearts. 
 If there is some act which you seem impelled to do and 
 it is for your own honour, or some end to be gained 
 for the promotion of self, you need to beware lest 
 Satan is back of it, whatever the guise may be which 
 he uses. King Uzziah appeared to have a high purpose 
 when he went into the temple to offer incense. But he 
 was taking the honour to himself which belonged to 
 the priest. He was selfish at heart. For his pride and 
 disobedience God smote him with leprosy. 
 
 5. He tries to flatter us. Satan is a great flatterer. 
 If some one is throwing bouquets at you from every 
 side and making you think that you have some peculiar 
 power which others have not, if there is some work 
 which no one else could carry on: look well about you 
 and see if Satan is not the flatterer, if he has not some 
 ends in view which will dishonour God. He may be 
 
79 
 
 THE DEPTHS OF SATAN 
 
 * r 
 
 doing it under the semblance of promoting the Lord’s 
 work. 
 
 4. He tempts us to fear. He leads us to fear to 
 undertake work for God. He tells you that the work 
 can be done, but you are not the one who is able for it. 
 He tells you that you will lose your reputation, and 
 that you are in danger of losing friends or position, if 
 you take part in some reform which is in need of sup¬ 
 port, or in some work which is before you. 
 
 5. He tries to make us feel depressed. Job felt de¬ 
 pressed. But he did not turn from God. Satan makes 
 us feel depressed. He makes us feel as if all the world 
 had forsaken us, and it is of no use to try to carry on 
 the work that we have undertaken. He used this 
 temptation with Elijah. The Spirit of God does not 
 give us a depressed feeling, He gives us strength and 
 comfort. Hence, if the opposite feeling comes over 
 you, beware of the Evil One. 
 
 6. He tries to make us lose patience. One of the 
 most important traits of character which is exemplified 
 in Job, is patience. Satan tried to make Job lose his 
 patience. Our patience is tried not only by affliction, 
 but in other ways. We may be tempted to plunge 
 into things without due deliberation. We do not see 
 the work advancing as we think it ought to do and we 
 may press on carelessly with feverish haste. The 
 tempter has a rather easy time with us if we lose our 
 patience. 
 
 But enough of the nature of Satan, his power, and 
 his manner of working. What we are anxious to do as 
 Christians is to overcome him. 
 
 HOW TO OVERCOME 
 
 Christ overcame Satan. He gained a decisive vie- 
 
80 
 
 THE DEPTHS OF SATAN 
 
 tory at Calvary. The question may come to us, why 
 did not Christ put Satan out of the way forever, so 
 that he would never be able to tempt any one again? 
 The full answer to that question may be beyond our 
 powers of comprehension at the present time, and yet 
 I think we can see a sufficient reason. 
 
 It is better for us that, like Job, our virtue is tried. 
 It is better for us that we are chastened. It detracts 
 from our present happiness oftentimes, it is true; but 
 happiness is not the great aim of life, and we ought not 
 to permit it to direct our plans and life aims. If we 
 are led by the rebuke of God, like Job, to abhor our¬ 
 selves and repent in dust and ashes, it is far better for 
 us. We come out more virtuous and pure in the end. 
 
 In order to overcome we need to: 
 
 I. Recognize temptation. In order to recognize 
 temptation we must make a careful study of the Word 
 of God. We must have a clear knowledge of God. 
 Many of us would not have recognized the temptation 
 which came to Job. It takes keen observance, and 
 hearing, and thinking, in order to discover it. The 
 temptation which Satan offered Job through his three 
 friends was very subtle. One less grounded in the 
 faith, and less sincere in his belief, would have been 
 led to believe that their advice was good: he would 
 have accepted it, and thus have become ensnared. 
 
 Many of us would have been trapped by the tempta¬ 
 tion which Satan brought to Christ. Hunger is a 
 natural and proper thing from which to seek relief, and 
 we would have yielded to Satan’s suggestion to try to 
 create bread. We would have wanted relief. We 
 would have wanted to show Satan right away. God 
 intends that His people shall be fed. Christ fed the 
 people Himself by a miracle when there was nothing 
 
THE DEPTHS OF SATAN 
 
 81 
 
 for them in the desert. Why not make bread of 
 stones? Christ said, “ No! ” 
 
 Many of us think that we can put our trust in the 
 promises of Scripture, and whatever may be the con¬ 
 ditions we so argue. But when Satan quoted a prom¬ 
 ise of Scripture to Christ He would not accept it under 
 the circumstances, and He did not act upon it. We 
 cannot discern these things of ourselves. We need the 
 enlightenment of the Holy Spirit to open our eyes, to 
 enable us to see when Satan is the apparent angel of 
 light, and to guide us into all truth. 
 
 2 . We need to watch and pray. That was the com¬ 
 mand of Christ to His disciples in the hour of tempta¬ 
 tion. The one would not do without the other. Faith 
 would not do without works. Therefore the command, 
 watch and pray. Sometimes men pray and then act 
 presumptuously because they do not watch. 
 
 It is very easy to criticize the disciples of Christ, and 
 then when we are confronted with temptation to feel 
 that our condition is perfectly safe, that the angels are 
 watching over us and we do not need to be on the alert. 
 But when God tells us to watch He expects us to be 
 obedient. Otherwise our prayers will not be heard. 
 
 j. We need to lay hold of divine revelation. In the 
 days of Job the Word of God was, as far as we can 
 discern, not yet printed. Job could not quote the writ¬ 
 ten Word. But Job was not left without knowledge. 
 He could quote from the pages of memory, which he 
 did to the dismay of Satan. When the evil one was 
 pressing him the hardest he cried out, “ I know that 
 my Redeemer liveth.” He could not persuade Job to 
 renounce God as he thought he would do. Job had 
 been taught this great truth of God, and he clung to it 
 in the hour of temptation. 
 
82 
 
 THE DEPTHS OF SATAN 
 
 We are all familiar with the manner in which our 
 Lord used the Word of God in His own defence when 
 He was tempted of men or devils. It is the sword of 
 the Spirit which we ought to lay hold of and use. We 
 ought to be skilled in its use so that in the day of battle 
 with Satan, we will not swing an untried blade. It is 
 a Damascus blade and we need not fear if we know 
 how to use it 
 
 4. We can overcome through the blood. The stain 
 of the blood of the lamb slain, the incense of the sacri¬ 
 fice, had not yet disappeared when Satan first made his 
 attack upon Job. God had heard Job’s prayer. He 
 had seen the blood poured out for sin. He smelled the 
 sweet incense of the sacrifice and he had forgiven his 
 sins. The sacrifice pointed Job to the Lamb which 
 was to be slain, it taught him of the blood which was 
 to be shed for sinners. In the Name, and through 
 the blood of the Redeemer, Job sought pardon, and 
 he had no reason to fear death. Though worms 
 should destroy his body, yet he knew that he should 
 see God. There is none other Name under heaven, 
 given among men, whereby we must be saved, but by 
 the name of Jesus. 
 
 A missionary in South Africa was traveling in 
 Bechuanaland, camping by the banks of a badly swol¬ 
 len river. The discomforts because of rain and insects 
 was great. But she was more discomforted by the vile 
 practices as liquor was being sold to the natives. She 
 went away to pray, then she came back and walked 
 over toward the canteen. She saw a man who had the 
 look of a bloated sot and she asked him why he was , 
 drinking when it was ruining him. He replied with a 
 wild laugh, “ Why I can’t help it, I am enslaved by this 
 white man’s drink. I would gladly quit, but I can’t.” 
 
THE DEPTHS OF SATAN 
 
 83 
 
 She told him there was a way out of such slavery. She 
 told him of Jesus and of the power of His Name. 
 They knelt there by the river and parted. She learned 
 afterward, from the poor man’s wife, that he had 
 gone away, and when the thirst for drink came upon 
 him he repeated the name of Jesus over and over and 
 the craving for drink left him, and he felt as if he 
 had never tasted it. He said his mouth felt as clean 
 as a little child’s, and his body had become strong 
 and well. 
 
 An Arab woman in Algiers who had been won to 
 Christ was persecuted by her family. They coaxed, 
 argued with her, and threatened her. They tried in 
 every way to shake her faith, but could not. Then they 
 did what was very common for them, they prepared a 
 poison, and they put it in her food. After the meal she 
 knew at once what had happened, she felt the effects 
 of the poison beginning to tell upon her. She knew its 
 deadly effects. It would make the person feel very 
 irritable and mean, then it would make the mind dull, 
 and finally cause death. As she sat at the table she 
 began to repeat the name of Jesus, the great Name 
 which is above every name. She could not repeat it 
 aloud because that would mean persecution, but she 
 kept Jesus on her mind, pleading with Him for two or 
 three days. Then the family saw something that they 
 had never seen before, they saw the effect of the poison¬ 
 ing begin to fail. She said, afterward, “ Each time I 
 said that Name it was like a wave of life coming in 
 between a wave of death.” Then in a few days she 
 was free from the deadly poison, to the astonishment 
 of the heathen, and to the glory of Jesus Christ, who 
 giveth the victory through His blood. 
 
 It is well to know Satan’s methods. It is also well 
 
84 
 
 THE DEPTHS OF SATAN 
 
 to know that he can be conquered. Knowing that we 
 can conquer through faith, let us lay hold upon the alb 
 powerful, the ever-saving Name of Jesus Christ, our 
 gracious Redeemer: Job’s Redeemer and ours. 
 
 “ Let no threat’ning ill appall thee. 
 
 Trust in God whate’er befall thee, 
 
 Serve Him with thy latest breath; 
 
 Be thou faithful unto death! 
 
 “ Men may praise thee, men may jeer thee, 
 
 Ever keep in sight to cheer thee 
 What the heavenly Master saith. 
 
 Be thou faithful unto death! 
 
 “ Let no loss or sufFring rue thee, 
 
 God at last will triumph through thee, 
 
 Crown thee with the victor's wreath; 
 
 Be thou faithful unto death! ” 
 
VI 
 
 THE MINISTRY OF SUFFERING 
 Job 3 : 1-26 
 
 S OMETIMES a minister of God brings a message 
 to a man which he would rather not hear. He 
 may wish he had not met the minister. He may 
 dislike the warning or advice which is given to him. 
 He may even manifest signs of unwillingness to hear 
 the truth, and yet the minister goes on delivering his 
 message, endeavouring to make use of the opportunity 
 of the hour, lest he should not have another interview 
 with the man. 
 
 Likewise a man, to whom God is bringing a message 
 through the providences which He sends, may not like 
 it; he may writhe under it; yet God may continue to 
 lay His hand heavily upon him. If the affliction is 
 very severe, even though he may be a good man, he is 
 apt to become impatient and irritable with his nurse 
 and with his friends. 
 
 When Job’s property was destroyed and his children 
 swept away, he retained his composure. He was in 
 great sorrow, but he bowed humbly before God and 
 said, “ The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away, 
 blessed be the name of the Lord.” And we are told, 
 that, “ in all this did not Job sin with his lips.” That 
 was far better than the average man would have done. 
 Many would have begun to doubt God when their 
 property was destroyed. Then when all their children 
 
 85 
 
86 
 
 THE MINISTRY OF SUFFERING 
 
 had been taken, they would possibly have renounced 
 God, and have given up in despair. 
 
 Not long since I was talking with a woman whose 
 husband had survived the war, but died of the in¬ 
 fluenza before he reached home. She was very bitter 
 against God and against the Church. She said she 
 could not see anything just in that. She could not see 
 any possible reason why she and her two children were 
 thus bereaved. She said the children prayed for their 
 father, but he was not brought back to them. She 
 could not see that, if her husband had been a believer, 
 he might be better off than if his life had been spared. 
 Until faith is implanted in the hearts of men and 
 women they cannot see any good in God’s providences 
 when they seem adverse to them. They do not realize 
 what the Prodigal gained. 
 
 Job did not sin with his lips until he was afflicted in 
 person, in addition to all the rest of his loss and misery. 
 But Job, in cursing his day, was finding fault with the 
 God of providence. He wished that he might never 
 have been born: then that he might have died as an 
 infant: then that he might go at once to the grave. 
 Even if Job’s birth had not been honourable, it would 
 not have been right for him to wish that he had never 
 been born. No matter what may be our troubles and 
 temptations we still have reason to thank God for life, 
 and of the promises of redemption, and of an eternity 
 to be with Him. “ Count it all joy when ye fall into 
 divers temptations.” 
 
 This is the same man, who, a little before, when he 
 -was suffering, had said, “ shall we receive joy at the* 
 hand of God and shall we not receive affliction? ” But 
 the suffering had become so great that it had almost 
 driven him mad. He was saying things for which, 
 
THE MINISTRY OF SUFFERING 
 
 87 
 
 perhaps, he was not wholly accountable. In his suffer¬ 
 ing he could not control his thoughts or his words at 
 all times. 
 
 However, Job was never driven to the extent which 
 Satan tried to drive him, that he would curse God. 
 That person is seldom met with, who, when old age and 
 infirmity and suffering have racked his frame, and he 
 feels that he has passed the useful stage of life and 
 cannot help his friends, but must always be waited 
 upon, still seems satisfied with life. Rather do such 
 people usually long and sigh for death to come to re¬ 
 lieve them of their suffering and helplessness. You 
 have often heard some one who is advanced in years 
 and is in the midst of suffering, say, “ I don’t see why 
 I am left here to suffer. Would that God would come 
 and take me away.” He had lived what seems to us a 
 godly life, and as far as the common standard of judg¬ 
 ment goes we would be ready to say of such an aged 
 saint, he has lived a perfect life. And yet such Chris¬ 
 tians are not perfect, there is a refining through which 
 they must pass. They are not ready to meet the judge 
 of all the earth, and God is merciful in leaving them 
 here to be purged. They need greater patience, they 
 need deeper humility, they need complete forgiveness. 
 
 Unless one has sinned away the day of grace, when 
 God permits affliction He is sending it in His mercy, it 
 is a call to that man to remember God and draw near 
 to Him. Affliction has its message to the unbeliever, to 
 the backslider, and to the pious believer. 
 
 What ministry has suffering, 
 
 TQ THE UNBELIEVER? 
 
 f 
 
 It is a call to turn to God. If Job had been an un¬ 
 believer he would no doubt have despaired of life, and 
 
88 
 
 THE MINISTRY OF SUFFERING 
 
 would likely have committed suicide. It was to despair 
 that Satan thought he might lead him. And it is 
 natural that the unbeliever should wish to end a life of 
 misery as soon as possible. From the standpoint of 
 the unbeliever, suicide is a logical end for his misery. 
 If there is no God, no future life, no judgment; then 
 why may not the old idea of the heathen when in 
 suffering or disgrace, prevail? Why not end the life? 
 Matthew Arnold, in his Empedocles on Etna, a poem 
 which seems to be modeled somewhat after Job, makes 
 Empedocles cry out against life, and then when the 
 universe does not answer he leaps into the fiery crater 
 of Etna. Such a course is not right, but it is as logical 
 as is unbelief. 
 
 The Spirit of God only, can change the heart, and 
 that without our aid. But the Spirit of God does not 
 work against the will of man, and he uses various in¬ 
 strumentalities to make a man willing in the day of 
 God’s power to cry out to God to save. The sinner is 
 often brought to the point when he is about to despair 
 of life before he is willing to turn to God, and to cry 
 out from the depths. He must first see that there is 
 hope in no other power, that there is relief from no 
 other source than God. Then he will cry out to Him 
 to save. 
 
 Manasseh had spent his long life in sin, and in lead¬ 
 ing men into sin. But when God gave Judah into cap¬ 
 tivity, and when Manasseh was put in irons and was 
 in terrible distress, then he cried out to God and re¬ 
 pented of his sin. Great as his sin was, God heard his 
 cry and forgave him. Manasseh had only the last 
 portion of a long life to serve God after that. He was 
 a firebrand plucked out of the burning. But yet he 
 served God as well as he could during the remainder of 
 
THE MINISTRY OF SUFFERING 
 
 89 
 
 his days. God graciously forgave him, though he 
 could not undo all the wickedness that he had done. 
 As far as human eye can see, had it not been for the 
 ministry of suffering to Manasseh as an unbeliever, he 
 would have died in the midst of sin and idolatry. 
 
 Augustine was, for a long time, a careless sinner. 
 He went deeply into sin. His mother’s pious appeals 
 and prayers were unheeded by him. But when he came 
 to loath sin and could see no way out, he turned to God, 
 and God in His mercy forgave. Thus Augustine was 
 transformed from a vile and debauched sinner to one 
 of the great fathers and theologians of the Church, 
 whose writings are still a powerful influence in mold¬ 
 ing the thought of the world. Calvin affirmed, that 
 what he knew of theology he had learned from 
 Augustine. 
 
 One of the lessons which we may learn from the 
 parable of the Prodigal Son is, that poverty, and lone¬ 
 someness, and suffering, may be used of God to bring 
 men to Christ. The Prodigal was not merely a boy 
 who, though a Christian, needed some reforming. The 
 Prodigal represents a boy who was bad at heart: who 
 neglected religion and the thoughts of God until he got 
 down in the depths of poverty and distress. He was 
 an unbeliever whose greatest blessing was his poverty, 
 it was used of God to lead him to find the true riches. 
 His suffering led him to seek God and everlasting life. 
 It taught him that there was no hope in any other 
 source. So in his despair he turned to God and found 
 the greatest gift possible. 
 
 One of the modern prodigals of whom I was reading 
 last week, in a book by Philip I. Roberts, 1 is named 
 John Tyler. He took to drinking at an early age. He 
 
 1 The Dry-Dock of a Thousand Wrecks. 
 
90 
 
 THE MINISTRY OF SUFFERING 
 
 was a drunkard and a vagabond for forty-two years. 
 As he said himself, the whole world was his stamping 
 ground. He had spent much of his time in the slums 
 of New York, but had also been in the slums of Lon¬ 
 don, Paris, Calcutta, and Hong Kong. He had tried to 
 rid himself of the slavery of drink out among the bush- 
 men of Australia. But the thirst came over him and he 
 tramped the four hundred miles which he had put be¬ 
 tween himself and the source of drink. He was in 
 New York when he came to the worst stage of desper¬ 
 ation. He was on Mulberry Bend on the East River, 
 where the bums congregated, and as a beggar came by, 
 a man sitting by Tyler said, “See that feller? Pve 
 known him for twenty years. For all the use he is to 
 himself or anybody else, in this world, he’d be a thous¬ 
 and times better dead. Why he doesn’t go and make 
 a hole in the East River gets me.” John Tyler said to 
 himself, “ That hits me, that is my description exactly.” 
 “ He’d be a thousand times better dead,” seemed to be 
 exactly his condition. He thought he could not be 
 more miserable than he was, he did not want to die in 
 the park some cold night, or in the poorhouse. He 
 thought the suggestion of the man who had sat beside 
 him was the best. To make a hole in the East River, 
 where many another of his kind had gone, would be 
 the best, he would do it as soon as darkness should 
 brood over the city again. 
 
 But a man who had been sitting near him had got up 
 and had gone away, leaving an evening paper beside 
 him. It told of an anniversary celebration at the Jerry, 
 McAuley mission. He had been at this mission once 
 years before as he had gone to escort a party of ladies 
 there. He thought it was of no use for him to go, or 
 to think of reformation. But he thought of his moth- 
 
THE MINISTRY OF SUFFERING 
 
 91 
 
 er’s faith in such things, and of her assurance that God 
 could save the vilest of sinners. He resolved to go. 
 He couldn’t pray, but he flung his arms heavenward 
 and cried out to God to help him. At the Mission he 
 found Christ, who gave him the power to get the 
 victory over his old habits. The days immediately 
 following his conversion were difficult. But God 
 helped him to face the temptations. God used his con¬ 
 dition of despair, his physical weakness, and his pov¬ 
 erty to cause him to cry out to Him. Forty-two years 
 was a long, dreary period; but it was the ministry of 
 suffering to bring him to Christ. 
 
 It is the unbeliever, who in the midst of suffering 
 and melancholy is driven to contemplate, or to attempt, 
 suicide. The believer has a better outlook on life and 
 the end of existence, -ven though in the midst of ex¬ 
 cruciating misery. The testimony of the martyrs in 
 all the centuries gone by furnishes abundant proof, that 
 God is sufficient for the most extreme needs, and that 
 belief in God will prevent despair. 
 
 THE MINISTRY OF SUFFERING TO THE BACKSLIDING 
 
 believer 
 
 It reforms him. David said, “ Before I was af¬ 
 flicted I went astray; but now have I kept thy 
 word.” David allowed his passions to get the better 
 of him. He knew that he was doing wrong, when 
 he virtually murdered Uriah in order to get his wife. 
 God manifested His displeasure with David. David 
 felt the hand of God lying heavily upon him. God 
 came into the palace and took the child. David 
 mourned for his sin in dust and ashes. He fasted, 
 refusing to eat. He entreated God on behalf of the 
 child and for his own sins. God’s hand lay upon 
 
92 
 
 THE MINISTRY OF SUFFERING 
 
 him in chastisement, to bring him to repentance and 
 reformation. 
 
 Hezekiah was a godly man. He was a man through 
 whom God wrought marvelous things in answer to 
 prayer. And yet pride got the better of Hezekiah for 
 the time. “ God left him to try him that he might 
 know all that was in his heart.” Hezekiah was very 
 rich. He had a wonderful assortment of ornaments 
 and relics in his palace, and when he had some visitors 
 from a distance he gloried in being able to show them 
 all these things, and in displaying the abundance of 
 his wealth. God had forbidden it, and he chastised 
 Hezekiah for it. When Hezekiah was sick and 
 thought that the end of his life was near, he repented 
 with bitter tears, he turned his face to the wall and 
 cried out to God, that he might forgive him, and give 
 him a new lease on life. The affliction brought about 
 repentance and reformation. 
 
 The life of Jonah furnishes another illustration of 
 how God uses suffering to bring about reformation of 
 life. As a prophet Jonah hesitated to do hard things. 
 He was called of God to go as a foreign missionary 
 He was to go alone. He was to go to a nation which 
 was a sworn enemy of Israel. He was to go to a na¬ 
 tion in which there were perhaps no true believers. So 
 he thought that the best plan was to get out of the 
 country and avoid duty. But getting out of Palestine 
 did not take him any further from God, nor did it 
 excuse him from the performance of his duty. God 
 laid His hand upon him and by means of the storm' 
 and great fish, saving Jonah in a supernatural manner, 
 led him to repent. Then he was ready to offer himself 
 to go and do as God bade him. By danger and suffer¬ 
 ing he was led to reformation of life and plans. It 
 
THE MINISTRY OF SUFFERING 93 
 
 was the ministry of suffering to Jonah as a backsliding 
 prophet. 
 
 THE MINISTRY OF SUFFERING TO THE PIOUS BELIEVER 
 
 It purifies and increases faith. This is where the 
 problem is more difficult. At least it seems so to many. 
 They can easily see how suffering ought to have its 
 effect upon a vagabond or moral outcast. They can 
 see how it ought to bring about a reformation in a 
 backsliding Christian. But it is difficult for them to 
 fathom the meaning of suffering, or its value, to the 
 man who is regarded as a pious follower of God, as 
 was Job. 
 
 It is intended to purify, to lead to humility and trust. 
 Job was perfect and upright in the sight of men, but 
 not so in the sight of God. He needed to be tried in 
 order that he too might repent, and that he might be 
 made better. The ministry of suffering may be very 
 hard to discover at the time. It was hard for Job to 
 see, and too deep for his friends to see. They thought 
 they knew the meaning of Job’s suffering; but they 
 mistook the meaning of it, and in their misinterpreta¬ 
 tion in place of relieving him, added to his misery. 
 
 Jeremiah was a godly man; but he was called to pass 
 through a great deal of physical and mental suffering. 
 God revealed His plan in the end. It served both to 
 purifv and to vindicate the great prophet, as it did 
 with Job. 
 
 One of the blessings which, James assures us, comes 
 from the temptations which we endure and the trials 
 into which we fall, is, patience. It is developed within 
 us. “ The trying of your faith worketh patience.” 
 Peter says that one of the reasons why we are par¬ 
 takers of Christ’s sufferings is, that the Spirit of God 
 
94 
 
 THE MINISTRY OF SUFFERING 
 
 may rest upon us and that He may be glorified. That 
 which is hard for us may be for the glory of God. 
 Paul admitted that suffering was good for him, as he 
 said, “ When I am weak then am I strong.” 
 
 McCheyne testifies of the blessings which came to 
 him through his sickness and suffering. He was 
 caused to give up his congregation because of failing 
 health. He was called to go to Palestine both on ac¬ 
 count of the condition of his health, which it was sup¬ 
 posed might be improved by traveling, and because of 
 the desire to establish a mission among the Jews. He 
 traveled in weakness. He suffered delays and mishaps. 
 But though sometimes his patience and strength were 
 severely tried, yet he could see all along how God was 
 leading him. He testified to the manner in which he 
 was given strength to endure, and how even in the 
 midst of unusual effort he gained in health and 
 strength. In his weakness he was made strong, strong 
 in body and also in faith. 
 
 Recently I was reading “ Muller’s Life of Trust.” 
 It is an account of the life of George Muller. Most 
 of it is simply a record as left by Mr. Muller in his 
 daily diary. When he was a young man in the early 
 part of the nineteenth century, he offered himself as a 
 foreign missionary. He was anxious to be sent out as 
 soon as possible. He met with one disappointment 
 after another. He went to England to take some 
 special work for about eight months preparatory to 
 going. He was delayed a month in making the trip 
 to England, then he became ill. He was unable to 
 pursue his studies in the usual manner. He had to 
 seek health in relaxation and in a change of place. 
 While he was in London, as he began to recover, he 
 thought, “ why not begin mission work right here in 
 
THE MINISTRY OF SUFFERING 
 
 95 
 
 place of waiting until I get to Palestine ? ” He began 
 to preach. God led him on until he became pastor of 
 a congregation at Teignmouth. As the salary of a 
 minister in that congregation was derived from the 
 rental of pews he declined to accept a salary because he 
 feared that some might be too poor to come under 
 that plan. 
 
 Later he established an orphan’s home at Bristol. 
 The funds for its support were received entirely in 
 answer to prayer. God laid His hand upon him in 
 affliction. He had great pain in his head. The funds 
 of the orphanage also ran low. But God granted him 
 a blessing as a result. He said, after several hours 
 upon his knees in prayer, that his soul was brought into 
 such a state as regarded his health that he could say 
 from his heart that he would not have this disease re¬ 
 moved until God by its means had bestowed the bless¬ 
 ing for which it was sent. Later, he says, he was 
 enabled to thank God publicly for his late affliction. 
 God tried his faith again and again by lack of funds, 
 at least there often seemed to be a lack up until the 
 time that payments must be made, but God always sup¬ 
 plied it. He came to the place where he did not look 
 for a supply more than one day ahead. God tested his 
 faith in it, but he always found God ready to supply 
 the need when it came. 
 
 Poverty and affliction may bring very great blessings 
 to the righteous. The ministry of suffering, if with¬ 
 held from them, would deprive them of rich experi¬ 
 ences and increase of faith, greater sympathy, and tried 
 virtue. When the Lord tries His people it is another 
 proof of the promise that “ whom the Lord loveth he 
 chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom he receiv- 
 eth.” When we are chastened “ God dealeth with us 
 
96 
 
 THE MINISTRY OF SUFFERING 
 
 as with sons; for what son is he whom the father 
 chasteneth not? ” 
 
 Job was like other men and women: the suffering of 
 the flesh when it was terribly severe caused him to say 
 things which he would not have said otherwise. He 
 yielded to some extent to the temptation. It ought to be 
 our object to guard against the failure of Job, and when 
 we are in the midst of suffering, to hold our lips that we 
 shall not complain. On the other hand, if we see godly 
 people, who, in the extremity of age, or when in weak¬ 
 ness and suffering, make complaints or wish that they 
 were taken away, and are irritable; let us remember that 
 though the spirit may be willing the flesh may be weak, 
 and let us rather pray for them than ridicule them or 
 doubt their sincerity. In the midst of his suffering Job 
 cried out, “ Oh that I knew where I might find him! ” 2 
 But he did not cry the cry of despair. He found God 
 and hastened to assure himself and us, “ He knoweth 
 the way that I take: when he hath tried me I shall come 
 forth as gold.” 3 Bet us never, whether in health or in 
 sickness, lose sight of God! But if we do, may it be our 
 first and greatest concern to find Him, and to lay hold 
 of Him in faith! Let us assure ourselves that He 
 knoweth the way that we take, that He is trying us, not 
 to destroy us; but to purify us. Let us rest assured 
 that He will not permit height, or depth, or any other 
 creature, to separate us from Him. 
 
 Then, children; friends, both younger and older; let 
 us not put off the hour of seeking God. Let us remem¬ 
 ber Him in the days of our youth. Let us seek Him 
 while He may be found. Let us make Him our never- 
 failing portion, so that we can say, “ To live is Christ, 
 to die is gain.” 
 
 2 23 : 3 . 3 23 : 10 . 
 
VII 
 
 ELIPHAZ THE MYSTIC 
 Job 4 , 5 , 15 , 22 
 
 W E were introduced to the three friends of Job 
 in the closing part of the second chapter. 
 Their visit to Job could not have taken place 
 until some time after he was stricken. They evidently 
 lived at some distance, because they were from three 
 different nations or tribes. It would in all probability 
 take a considerable time, perhaps weeks or even 
 months, before word could reach them, and they could 
 arrange to come to see their distracted friend. It 
 would be a long, hot journey over the desert sands with 
 their caravans. There would be many difficulties to 
 consider and prepare for, in the journey, which do not 
 trouble or delay us. Within an hour or two after a 
 loved one has been stricken we receive a telegram, 
 flashed across hundreds of miles of space, and perhaps 
 over night we are borne in the fast train so that we 
 reach the bedside of the loved one the next day. 
 
 They would have many a long talk by the way con¬ 
 cerning their old friend on whom so many calamities 
 had fallen. They would wonder how it had been that 
 so good a man as Job was called upon to suffer so 
 severely. They had admired him, and had thought that 
 he was an exceptionally good man. They could not 
 imagine that Job had been neglectful of divine worship 
 or that he had been an open transgressor of the law. 
 The members of his family always seemed to walk in 
 
 97 
 
98 
 
 ELIPHAZ THE MYSTIC 
 
 an exemplary manner, and he had been known to be a 
 good and kind father. Yet they thought that God 
 never sent severe affliction upon a man, much less such 
 terrible calamities as had befallen Job, unless the suf¬ 
 ferer had been a great sinner. They were anxious to 
 find out wherein he had sinned. They thought per¬ 
 haps that when they reached the bedside of Job that he 
 would confess his sins to them, and then they would 
 know what had been hidden from them of the evil life 
 of their friend, which had been the cause of all his 
 grief. 
 
 They were God-fearing men; but not nearly so well 
 instructed in things divine as was Job. Their knowl¬ 
 edge of the plan of salvation and of God’s ways of 
 dealing with men was still quite limited. 
 
 Eliphaz, who was the elder of the three, spoke 
 largely from experience. A part of the experience 
 which he had, consisted of a vision by which he was 
 taught, as he thought, some remarkable things. Be¬ 
 cause of this we call him the mystic. 
 
 Bildad does not speak so much of things that had 
 come under his own observation as that which he had 
 learned from the fathers. He built upon tradition. 
 He was more severe in his dealing with Job than was 
 Eliphaz, although Eliphaz spoke quite harshly in his 
 last argument with Job, uttering many rash statements. 
 
 Zophar was very blunt and dogmatic in his style. 
 What he wished to say, he spoke with decision, as 
 though there could be no appeal from it. Therefore 
 we style him, the dogmatist. 
 
 We can easily imagine a modern sufferer who might 
 be called upon by different classes of men who have a 
 far more erroneous view of the methods of God’s deal¬ 
 ing with men, of the government of the world, and of 
 
ELIPHAZ THE MYSTIC 
 
 99 
 
 the cure of disease, than did the friends of Job. We 
 talk about the primitive day, and the meager knowl¬ 
 edge of the people of the early age in which the patri¬ 
 archs lived. But their knowledge was not nearly so 
 childish as that of many today who endeavour to 
 console the afflicted. 
 
 If Job had lived in the present time it is very likely 
 that some one of his comforters would have endeav¬ 
 oured to console him by saying: “ You have been told 
 that your sons and daughters are dead, and if their 
 representation could be considered correct you might 
 well weep. But your sons are not dead, nor are you 
 forbidden their fellowship because you do not see them 
 now. You can consult with their spirits at any time 
 and can learn from them their whereabouts today, you 
 can learn what they are doing and thinking, and all 
 about the last feast which they had in their elder 
 brother’s house. Do not mourn as though you had lost 
 your children, just place a few bright coins in the palm 
 of my hand and I will bring back the spirits of your 
 children, and they will indicate by automatic writing, 
 or by raps and knocks and signs, anything that you 
 want to know concerning their present condition.” 
 
 Think of poor Job robbed of all his property, having 
 not a penny in the world, nor anything which he could 
 exchange for money, or physical ability to make 
 money, being told that for a certain fee, paid in ad¬ 
 vance, he might have a seance with his departed 
 loved ones! 
 
 Or if he had lived at the present time and become 
 widely known as a sufferer, there would be sure to be 
 one who would stand beside him, and notwithstanding 
 the fact that the poor man was suffering intolerable 
 physical and mental anguish, notwithstanding the fact 
 
100 
 
 ELIPHAZ THE MYSTIC 
 
 that he lay on a pile of burned offal, and the worms 
 were crawling over his body and working their way 
 into the sores as he endeavoured to scrape them off 
 with a piece of potsherd; would say to him: “Job, all 
 that you need to do is to get in the right frame of 
 mind, there is no pain, there is no matter, there has 
 been no sin, just think that you are free from pain, 
 just think that you are clean, just bring your mind to 
 the high plane of thinking until you are convinced that 
 there are no boils, that your sons and daughters did 
 not really exist at all, and that all that has passed from 
 your view is the report of imaginary personages, and 
 you will be relieved at once of this fit of melancholy. 
 If you get a right view of Science and Health your 
 depressed view and thought of pain will depart to 
 return no more, you will have made the great discovery 
 of the modern age, you will have no worry, no misery, 
 no suffering, no sorrow.” 
 
 If Job’s case had been merely one of bad nerves, 
 such talk might have given him relief. But the deep- 
 seated, continuous, racking pain to which Job was 
 subject, places any man beyond the reach and entice¬ 
 ment of any one who would attempt to inflict upon him 
 such a false view of science. No present or absent 
 mental treatment is tolerable when in such misery. If 
 Job was stirred to utter hard things in answer to his 
 three friends, he would surely have been stirred to a 
 greater limit of patience if such comforters had been 
 admitted to his presence. 
 
 However, Eliphaz and the other friends said enough. 
 
 There is much in the argument of Eliphaz concern¬ 
 ing which one can take but little exception. It seems 
 that Eliphaz was a God-fearing man and intended to 
 honour God, at least in the main part of his argument. 
 
ELIPHAZ THE MYSTIC 
 
 101 
 
 He attempted to point out the justice of God. In the 
 latter part of his argument one is led to think that 
 Eliphaz either lost his temper, a condition which is not 
 unknown among good men, or he had such a strong 
 desire to carry his argument that he overstated what 
 he knew to be true. It takes careful thinking to detect 
 just the points in which these men were right and, 
 those in which they were wrong. That they were 
 wrong, at least in many things, we are assured by the 
 condemnation of God when He passes judgment upon 
 their reasonings. God reproves Job for some things 
 which he said, but He does not reprove him nearly so 
 severely as He does the would-be comforters. 
 
 It has already been intimated that Eliphaz main¬ 
 tained that he spoke in a large measure, 
 
 PROM EXPERIENCE 
 
 We often hear it said that experience is the best 
 teacher. It is a good teacher providing we are guided 
 in our experience by the Spirit of God. Otherwise 
 experience may be a bad teacher, that is, it may lead to 
 wrong conclusions. 
 
 Eliphaz was seemingly an old man, at least he was 
 the oldest of the three friends. He prized the experi¬ 
 ence which he had had, and what he had learned from 
 it. Eliphaz declared that his experience taught him, 
 that one was always a guilty sinner, when grievous 
 afflictions came upon him. Therefore he felt that Job 
 was guilty, very guilty in the sight of God: that he 
 ought to repent and God would heal him. Eliphaz was 
 perhaps speaking largely the truth so far as his ex¬ 
 perience had gone. He had seen men of the world, and 
 they were mostly of that class where he lived, who 
 had fallen into some habit of sin, and their evil 
 
102 
 
 ELIPHAZ THE MYSTIC 
 
 lives had brought upon them some disease from 
 which they suffered. They were reaping what they 
 had sown. They had sown the wind and were reap¬ 
 ing the whirlwind. 
 
 Some time ago when talking with an old physician, 
 a skeptic, he confidently affirmed the same of Job. He 
 said: “ There is no doubt in the world but that Job was 
 suffering from a bad case of syphilis.” As though 
 there is sufficient evidence for a physician to diagnose 
 a case in this way, with such confidence, having only 
 the brief record which we have in the Bible, and thus 
 prove Job to be a reprobate. If a physician could diag¬ 
 nose this case so accurately, why does a physician need 
 to see a patient today in order to make a careful diag¬ 
 nosis? Why does he not merely ask a few questions 
 about the case and then come to a correct and final 
 conclusion without seeing the disease or keeping the 
 case under observation? His conclusion would prove 
 that all physicians are dishonourable and fraudulent. 
 If it is not necessary for them to see a case of sickness 
 before prescribing, then they are all deceiving the 
 public and extorting money from them for unnecessary 
 visits. We do not accept either of the conclusions, that 
 Job was a reprobate or that all physicians are dishonest. 
 We have already spoken of the general conclusion of 
 students as to Job’s disease, that it was a terrible form 
 of disease which is found in the East, which is known 
 as elephantiasis. It is a loathsome disease, sores ap¬ 
 pear upon the body, and the sufferer undergoes terrible 
 pain. It is a form of leprosy, and as a result the 
 sufferer is an outcast from society and friends. 
 
 One needs more than experience as his guide, even 
 though he may have studied and observed very widely, 
 yes, even though he may have lived a long and ob- 
 
ELIPHAZ THE MYSTIC 
 
 103 
 
 servant life. One needs, in addition to experience, 
 divine revelation and divine guidance. He needs the 
 Spirit of God as his guide to help him interpret divine 
 providences as he has seen or experienced them. 
 David said that he had more understanding than all 
 of his teachers. But it was not merely because he had 
 more experience than others, it was because he made 
 God’s law the subject of his meditation day and night, 
 it was because he took that law as his guide. That was 
 the point in which Job excelled his friends so far. 
 Divine revelation meant more to him than it did to 
 them. God’s Word stands far above the experience of 
 any short-lived man. We ought to take God’s knowl¬ 
 edge, which is infinite, as far above our own, which, at 
 best, is finite. A man who sets himself up against the 
 Word of God, relying only upon his experience, virtu¬ 
 ally denies the truthfulness of God. His knowledge in 
 comparison with that of God is less than that of an 
 infant when compared to its father. 
 
 Eliphaz also maintained that he received infor¬ 
 mation, 
 
 prom a vision 
 
 If one has experimental knowledge which comes 
 direct from God in a special revelation given to him, to 
 guide him in some point of duty or doctrine, he must 
 surely be right. Eliphaz asserted that he had some 
 such supernatural guidance. The nature of this vis¬ 
 ion 1 is one of the difficult problems of the book. The 
 question is, was it a divine revelation, or was it a 
 natural, and not altogether reliable, dream? A con¬ 
 sideration of its source is important, because there are 
 some statements included in it which are difficult to 
 
 1 4 : 12 - 21 . 
 
104 
 
 ELIPHAZ THE MYSTIC 
 
 harmonize with the true history and character of Job, 
 and also with the will of God. 
 
 We are of the opinion that it was not a vision in the 
 sense of being an inerrable revelation from God. 
 
 J. The word translated vision may mean dream. 
 The Herbew word (chizzayon) which in the fourth 
 chapter and thirteenth verse, is translated vision, is 
 defined in the lexicon as, “ a night vision or dream.” 
 The word dream is sometimes used interchangeably 
 with vision. For instance, in this passage taken from 
 the book of Daniel : 2 “ Thy dream, and the visions of 
 thy head upon thy bed, are these,” it is evident that 
 both words refer to the same message which Nebu¬ 
 chadnezzar had received. 
 
 2. He may have thought he saw a vision when it 
 was only a dream. Eliphaz was not accustomed to 
 receiving visions, and he may not have known just 
 what a vision was. The dream may have been particu¬ 
 larly vivid, as it seems to have been, and therefore he 
 thought that he had been especially favoured by a 
 vision from God. There are those who undergo a 
 sympathetic affection of thoughts of another at a dis¬ 
 tance, which we call mental telepathy, and they think 
 that they have seen a vision. Such a statement as 
 Shakespeare, in Macbeth, puts into the mouth of Len¬ 
 nox, is not considered a vision. It is unusual but not 
 supernatural. 
 
 “ The night has been unruly: where we lay, 
 
 Our chimneys were blown down, and, as they say, 
 Lamentings heard i’ the air, strange screams of death, 
 And prophesying with accents terrible 
 Of dire combustion and confused events 
 New hatch’d to the woful time: some say, the earth 
 Was feverous and did shake.” 
 
 22 : 28 . 
 
ELIPHAZ THE MYSTIC 
 
 105 
 
 Satan may have had something to do with the 
 hallucination, and the appearance of a spirit before 
 Eliphaz, in order to convince him that it was a vision, 
 that the temptation might be stronger when it was 
 presented to Job. 
 
 j. He may have been intending to imply that he 
 saw a vision without saying directly that he did, be¬ 
 cause of the effect which he wished to produce. Some¬ 
 times men stretch the language which they use, they 
 imply more than they could vouch for. Eliphaz did 
 that in his argument. If he did not intend to blacken 
 the name of Job, if he had merely listened to street talk 
 until he believed that the charges which he brought 
 against Job were true, at least he did not represent 
 Job fairly. 
 
 There is a question as to just how far the vision 
 extends in this record. If, as some think, it ex¬ 
 tends to the seventh verse of the fifth chapter, then 
 it is evident that it was not of God. If it extends 
 merely to the close of the fourth chapter, there is 
 that which seems to us to fall under the condemnation 
 of God . 3 
 
 If the translation of the revised version is correct , 4 
 " His angels he chargeth with folly,” that is, if it in¬ 
 tends to represent the angels as continually going 
 astray, it is evident that he was not speaking by divine 
 revelation: unless one should take his statement as does 
 Delitzsch, who understands it to mean, he chargeth 
 them with imperfection. If the authorized version is 
 correct, the explanation is not difficult, “ He charged 
 his angels with folly,” for then it would naturally be 
 taken as referring to the fallen angels who were 
 charged with folly. 
 
 3 42 : 7 . 4 4 : 18 . 
 
106 
 
 ELIPHAZ THE MYSTIC 
 
 The question of the reality of this vision is a prob¬ 
 lem upon which we do not desire to speak dogmatically, 
 but, from its substance, from that which follows in the 
 argument, and from the condemnation of Eliphaz for 
 misrepresenting , 5 our opinion is that it was a dream 
 rather than a vision. 
 
 Moreover Eliphaz arrived at his conclusion, 
 
 FROM AN UNFAIR JUDGMENT 
 
 Eliphaz was unfair in his charges against Job. He 
 uttered charges against him which were not founded 
 upon fact, mere conjectures, to prove a wrong theory 
 with which he had begun his argument. 
 
 Eliphaz could say that Job had not kept the law per¬ 
 fectly. That could be said of any man, for no one is 
 without sin in the sight of God. But to bring a man 
 to the legal test and say that he is condemned because 
 he has not kept the law perfectly is to forget on the 
 other hand the mercy and forgiveness of God. Bun- 
 yan pictured Christian in his conference with Mr. 
 Worldly Wise-man, hesitating and turning aside to the 
 town of morality and the house of Mr. Legality. He 
 said, the way which Evangelist pointed out was a hard 
 and dangerous road, and he would find it much easier 
 if he would follow his advice and seek out Mr. Legal¬ 
 ity. But when Christian tried it he found that the 
 way was dangerous and threatening, so that he began 
 to doubt the wisdom of trying it. Then he met 
 Evangelist, who pointed out the serious danger into 
 which he was running and told him there was no way 
 but through the wicket gate and by the straight and 
 narrow way. 
 
 M2:7. 
 
ELIPHAZ THE MYSTIC 
 
 107 
 
 Job did not trust in the law. He had not denied the 
 immediate providence of God or His omniscience, as 
 he was charged by Eliphaz . 6 He was not a sinner 
 above those who were destroyed by the flood, as 
 Eliphaz intimated . 7 
 
 Eliphaz, like the other comforters, had indulged in 
 general charges up to the time of his last argument; 
 but as he found that he was not winning his point he 
 began to make them particular, though he spoke only 
 from supposition, and was not able to prove them. He 
 charged Job with being unkind and cruel to the poor: 8 
 with foreclosing mortgages unjustly: with stripping 
 the naked of their clothing: with refusing to give the 
 thirsty drink or the hungry food: and with robbing 
 the widow and the fatherless . 9 
 
 These charges were altogether untrue, as Job as¬ 
 sures us in his reply. He said he had not dealt falsely, 
 he had not used an uneven balance, he had not turned 
 from his wife to another woman, he had not withheld 
 from the poor, he had not eaten his morsel alone, he 
 had not caused men to lie uncovered and uncared for 
 in the street. On the other hand he had opened his 
 doors to the traveler, he had fed the hungry, he had 
 helped the widow and the fatherless. He calls God 
 to witness and send His curse upon him if the 
 charges were true: “ Then let mine arm fall from my 
 shoulder blade, and mine arm be broken from the 
 bone.” 10 He was not like Adam, trying to cover his 
 sin. He had lived an upright life which would stand 
 for itself. 
 
 One who makes charges in the fashion which Eli¬ 
 phaz did against Job, just from general inference, 
 because he thinks the man is suffering divine retribu- 
 
 6 22:13-16. 7 22:16. 8 22: 6, 7. 9 22: 9. 10 29:22. 
 
108 
 
 ELIPHAZ THE MYSTIC 
 
 tion, and who feels that he can judge the secrets of a 
 man’s life and heart from his physical condition, is not 
 a good counselor or a wise friend to follow. 
 
 Eliphaz was almost as unjust to Job as the Sabeans 
 or Chaldeans had been. They had robbed him of his 
 camels and oxen, but Eliphaz was robbing him of his 
 good name. He was charging him with being an un¬ 
 scrupulous, oppressive capitalist, a grasping character 
 without mercy upon the poor, a man who loved gold 
 more than justice or life. Job spurned such an idea. 
 He denied most vigorously that he had made gold his 
 hope or fine gold his confidence . 11 A man who would 
 rob a good man of his honest reputation is taking from 
 him that which is more valuable than his wealth. “ A 
 good name is rather to be chosen than great riches and 
 loving favour rather than silver and gold.” “ Who 
 steals my purse steals trash—but he who robs me of 
 my good name, robs me of that which not enriches 
 him and makes me poor indeed.” 
 
 We ought to be careful how we charge men with 
 specific, or even general, crimes of injustice, when at 
 best, with us, it is only a conjecture. It is a very com¬ 
 mon charge for men to make these days against capi¬ 
 talists. Regardless of their creed or methods of deal¬ 
 ing with men they are classed with the oppressors and 
 heartless. There are many capitalists who have been 
 proven unfair and grasping; but because some of them 
 are dishonest let us not make a wholesale charge of 
 criminality against men merely on the ground that they 
 have a considerable share of this world’s goods as Job 
 had, or because they are large employers of labour. 
 There are yet among the well-to-do, men whose hearts 
 are large and whose souls have been possessed with the 
 
 1131:24. 
 
ELIPHAZ THE MYSTIC 
 
 109 
 
 desire to help their fellowmen, who are kind to the 
 poor and pity the oppressed. Let us beware of be¬ 
 smirching the name of any who may be upright and 
 just by a wholesale and ignorant charge of criminality. 
 
 In fact our charges or insinuations against the char¬ 
 acter of any man are unfair and unwarranted, whether 
 that man be poor or rich, whether he is a labourer or 
 a capitalist, unless we know beyond doubt that he is 
 unjust, or unless we have proof because of his avowed 
 associations that he is responsibe for what unjust 
 men do. 
 
 The friends of Job dwelt upon the justice of God in 
 divine retribution. They were either ignorant, or for¬ 
 got that God not only punishes the wicked; but He 
 tries the righteous. Divine retribution has its place; 
 but so does the mercy of God, so does the blood of the 
 Lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world. 
 Job was not trusting in his own righteousness; but in 
 the blood that was shed. God was not pouring out His 
 wrath in divine retribution against him. 
 
 Those on whom the tower of Siloam fell, we are 
 assured by Jesus, were not sinners above all those who 
 dwelt in Jerusalem. They were, however, called to 
 repent, as we also are. Whether we be rated as good 
 and just among men, or whether we be condemned by 
 them, unless we repent we perish. We cannot enter 
 heaven upon the merits of our own righteousness; but 
 only through the righteousness of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ, who suffered and died for us. 
 
 Job knew that experience is not a sufficient guide, 
 nor are works a sufficient merit in the sight of God. 
 May we have a like faith, and similar wisdom. 
 
VIII 
 
 WEARY OF LIFE, YET TRUSTING IN GOD 
 
 Job 7: 1-6, 17; 13:15 
 
 T HE natural tendency of man is to avoid thoughts 
 of death. But when a storm sweeps over us, 
 leaving destruction and death in its wake, very 
 many people are alarmed and in their fear they think 
 of the possible proximity of the end. One who is 
 familiar with them, turns to the words of Job: “ Is 
 there not an appointed time to man upon earth ?—My 
 days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle.” 
 
 When man is brought face to face with the end of 
 life, whether it is because of illness or danger to him¬ 
 self, or whether it is because of the decease of a near 
 relative, he begins to long for a message of comfort. 
 One of the most comforting books, of those which 
 were written for the benefit of the sorrowing during 
 the late war, was written by Bishop Moule. He had 
 been bereaved himself, he had witnessed the death of 
 his mother, his daughter, and his wife; and he realized 
 how keenly one who has been bereaved feels the loss. 
 He wrote, therefore, from a heart that was sore from 
 a sense of loneliness and grief, and could sympathize 
 in a personal way with others whose hearts were 
 heavy and lonely. 
 
 Job’s comforters lacked experimental sympathy and 
 tact. They not only failed to comfort him, but served 
 to irritate the sufferer. However, it is better for the 
 world today that it was so, because it led Job to ex- 
 
 110 
 
WEARY OF LIFE YET TRUSTING IN GOD 111 
 
 press himself more fully as he replied to their argu¬ 
 ments, which were generally comfortless and misap¬ 
 plied. The record is, on that account, more valuable 
 to us. 
 
 Job was weary of life, he desired the end, and yet 
 he would not allow either his suffering or his friends 
 to disturb his faith in God, for he said: “ Though he 
 slay me yet will I trust in him.” 
 
 SUFFERING CAUSES MEN TO THINK OF THE END 
 
 OF FIFE 
 
 Job had failed to think of the end of life before his 
 affliction, but he thought far more seriously of it dur¬ 
 ing his suffering. As we think over the past, we trem¬ 
 ble for some who did not pass through a period of 
 suffering, and had little time to prepare for the end. 
 The end has often come in the twinkling of an eye. 
 Justinian, Emperor of Rome, is said to have died as a 
 result of going into a newly-painted room. One of the 
 popes was strangled by a fly. Men have been killed by 
 stumbling over their own threshold; others have been 
 choked by a seed in the fruit which they were eating. 
 When we think seriously, we marvel at the frailty 
 of life. 
 
 James speaks of people who are so confident of life 
 that they plan their course far in advance. They say: 
 “Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city”; 
 they feel that there is no hurry, much less reason to 
 worry; they will “ continue there a year and buy and 
 sell and get gain.” They think they might remain 
 there several years, according to their own choice. 
 They do not take into account the possibility of sick¬ 
 ness, or accident, or other providential hindrances. 
 They have always acted independently, and they feel 
 
112 WEARY OF LIFE YET TRUSTING IN GOD 
 
 that they will continue to do so indefinitely. They are 
 sure that there is a fortune before them. It has been 
 accumulating rapidly and nothing can hinder its 
 growth. There was one man who worked on that 
 plan, of whom it is recorded that God spoke to him on 
 his last night on earth, and said: “ Thou fool.” It is 
 probable that there are many whose record we do not 
 know, to whom God has spoken in like manner. 
 
 The historian tells of Peter Waldo, who was sitting 
 at a banquet when a companion at the table suddenly 
 died. It caused him to think seriously, and to search 
 the Scriptures. It is said that later, he became the 
 second founder of the Waldensian Church, which was 
 used of God to keep the light of the Gospel shining 
 clearly, when all the world around was in darkness. 
 Some have been influenced by the stroke which has 
 fallen upon others, but the more closely it comes to 
 themselves, the more serious is the thought provoked, 
 and the more frequently it leads them to repentance in 
 view of the end. 
 
 SUFFERING OFTEN DEADS MEN TO DONG FOR THE 
 
 END OF EIFE 
 
 Suffering caused Job to long for the end. He 
 wished that he had never been born. In the first verse 
 of our text, the word “ appointed ” is translated in the 
 margin, “ warfare.” This is one meaning of the word. 
 The thought seems to be, that as a soldier enlists for a 
 certain period of time, and afterward expects his dis¬ 
 charge : so man may look for discharge or release from 
 life at the end of a certain time. He has an appointed 
 time upon earth. As a servant looks for a shadow, or 
 a cool resting place from the heat of the tropical sun, 
 so man looks for rest and relief from the burden, toil, 
 
WEARY OF LIFE YET TRUSTING IN GOD 113 
 
 and trouble of life. As a hireling looks for a reward 
 for his work at the end of the day, so man looks for a 
 reward at the close of life, as he is ushered into the 
 glories of heaven. The days and nights seemed long 
 to Job; they seem long to any sufferer. When one is 
 suffering extreme pain and tossing upon his bed, un¬ 
 able to sleep, it seems as though the night will never 
 end. This continued with Job, perhaps for months in 
 succession. It is when the body becomes weak and the 
 nerves exhausted after long illness, that pain is more 
 terrible to bear. There are few men, if any, under 
 such circumstances who do not long for the time to 
 come when death shall bring relief. The wicked man 
 looks for relief from his suffering, not realizing that 
 he will be thrust into a place of greater torment. The 
 righteous man not only longs for bodily relief, but he 
 confidently expects to enjoy matchless and eternal rest 
 and happiness. 
 
 We have seen those ripe with years, infirm and suf¬ 
 fering with age, who expressed themselves over and 
 over, as wondering why they were left here .when they 
 were of no use in the world and only a burden to them¬ 
 selves and their friends. It may be impossible for us 
 to understand God’s way with them, and yet, fre¬ 
 quently we can see some reason for it. They may be 
 left for the benefit of their godly advice to their 
 friends. They may be left that their sanctification may 
 be completed. No one in this life is wholly perfected. 
 The chastening which they are enduring, though it 
 seems grievous at present, may be yielding the peace¬ 
 able fruit of righteousness as they are being exercised 
 thereby. We may be sure, if we are children of God. 
 that the Lord is chastening us and our friends in love, 
 and preparing us for being received into glory. 
 
114 WEARY OF LIFE YET TRUSTING IN GOD 
 
 SUFFERING EEADS THE PIOUS MAN TO HUMBEE 
 himseef before GOD 
 
 Job exclaimed: “ What is man that thou shouldst 
 magnify him?” The history of Nebuchadnezzar, 
 though old, is ever new in its lesson, that when men 
 become proud they are brought low. Job had not 
 become proud like Nebuchadnezzar, nevertheless he 
 needed a new lesson in humility. 
 
 The Hebrew captives by the waters of Babel sung 
 of “ the streams of the south.” They were summer 
 torrents which flowed only when the rain had fallen 
 upon the distant hills. Awaiting the refreshment from 
 such rains, the farmer sowed the dry and parched 
 ground. Perhaps he would look and long day by day 
 for the gathering of distant clouds. He would be feel¬ 
 ing the pinch of want, and be wondering what he 
 would do if the rain did not come. But when the 
 clouds had gathered at last, and had poured out their 
 contents, and the water began to rush down from the 
 hills reviving the grass and bringing greenness to the 
 trees, he would rejoice that he had been remembered 
 again with rain from heaven. One of the lessons 
 which God would have His people learn in every age, 
 is to toil and wait. We must sow in tears, but if we 
 are willing to wait upon God with sufficient patience, 
 at last we will reap with joy. 
 
 With a natural tendency to be proud and inde¬ 
 pendent, man does not like to humble himself. He 
 does not like to be abased in the sight of man or 
 God. But such philosophy, though it is natural 
 with man, is wrong. It is contrary to the plan taught 
 in the Gospel. It is against the deeper and truer 
 philosophy of life. No device of man has ever found 
 
WEARY OF LIFE YET TRUSTING IN GOD 115 
 
 rest and peace for the sinful soul except through 
 penitence and sorrow for sin. The greatest joy of 
 the heart is found in one who has experienced the 
 deepest humiliation. The strongest and stablest char¬ 
 acters are founded upon repentant, trustful, humble 
 hearts. 
 
 Tears are sometimes looked upon as an element of 
 weakness. But the very opposite may be true. Even 
 our Lord wept. He wept over Jerusalem, and His 
 tears were caused by reason of the impenitent hearts 
 of the people. Paul wept with men, and over men, 
 who would not repent. There were some whom he 
 besought night and day with tears. An earnest man 
 sees much in his own heart and in the world around 
 him to make him weep. One of the truest and bravest 
 of the prophets, who had faced torture and death to do 
 his duty and to preach the truth, when he thought upon 
 the sinful state of the people and the dangerous con¬ 
 dition which they were in, wept. He said: “ Oh that 
 mine head were waters, and mine eyes fountains of 
 tears, that I might weep day and night.” He that 
 thinketh he standeth is likely to fall. He that is truly 
 penitent and humble before God, is resting upon the 
 rock of eternal strength. 
 
 SUFFERING HEADS The GODEY MAN TO REASSERT HIS 
 
 faith in god 
 
 Job said: “Though he slay me yet will I trust in 
 him.” 1 From the pious sufferer’s lips, although there 
 are many groans of pain, yet there are also notes of 
 triumph. Reading the biography of the persecuted 
 Christians is not all sorrow. Sitting by the bedside of 
 the Christian sufferer is not all sorrow. The dross is 
 
 1 13:15. 
 
116 WEARY OF LIFE YET TRUSTING IN GOD 
 
 being consumed; the refining process is going on, and 
 out of the fire there is emerging the gold. 
 
 Job spoke many sad words, but intermingled with 
 them there are some that are triumphant. When his 
 spirit, as though for the moment released from the 
 flesh gave utterance to his innermost thoughts, there 
 was exultation. Though Jeremiah often wept, he like¬ 
 wise knew that every cloud had a silver lining. He 
 had occasion to weep for his own sins, but usually he 
 wept for his people. However, he saw beyond the 
 wreck of a sinful nation, a revival and a return to the 
 land of promise with prosperity under the blessing 
 of God. 
 
 Our Lord was a man of sorrows and acquainted 
 with grief, but for the joy that was set before Him 
 He endured the cross, despising the shame, and He 
 now sits at the right hand of the throne of God. Paul 
 could reiterate a whole catalogue of sorrows. He had 
 been driven from chy to city. He had suffered ship¬ 
 wreck and hunger and distress: he had narrowly es¬ 
 caped drowning in the sea. He had been beaten, he 
 had been torn almost asunder by the cruel mob. He 
 had suffered more than mortal man is usually expected 
 to endure: but still when he saw the executioner at his 
 threshold, he triumphed. He gave expression to a 
 steadfast faith which has strengthened many a disciple 
 in the hour of trial: “ I am now ready to be offered and 
 the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a 
 good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the 
 faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of 
 righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, 
 shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto 
 all them also that love his appearing.” 2 
 
 2 2 Tim. 4:6-8. 
 
WEARY OF LIFE YET TRUSTING IN GOD 117 
 
 The Covenanters of Scotland suffered, they were 
 driven from home and hunted in the mountains and 
 caves. They were hung upon the gallows, they were 
 shot like beasts in the field. They were caged like 
 rodents in filthy dungeons, and were banished like 
 criminals to a foreign land: and yet they triumphed in 
 the midst of it all. Richard Cameron and his loyal 
 followers could sing at Ayrsmoss: “ God is our refuge 
 and our strength.” After John Brown, of Priesthill, 
 had been brutally shot down before his own door, his 
 wife and her friends could gather for the worship of 
 God, singing those triumphant words of the twenty- 
 seventh Psalm: 
 
 “ For He in His pavilion, shall 
 Me hide in evil days; 
 
 In secret of His tent me hide, 
 
 And on a rock me raise. 
 
 “ And now even at this present time, 
 
 Mine head shall lifted be, 
 
 Above all those that are my foes, 
 
 And round encompass me: 
 
 “ Therefore, unto His tabernacle 
 I’ll sacrifices bring 
 Of joyfulness; I’ll sing, yea, I 
 To God will praises sing.” 
 
 The Armenians suffered, they have undergone many 
 persecutions, and it has been said frequently, “ It is a 
 wonder that they have not lost faith in God entirely.” 
 But those who have had true faith have not lost it, and 
 there have been many providences which have strength¬ 
 ened the faith of those who have suffered. Some of 
 you heard a missionary relate, that during the war the 
 Turks took all the Armenian women and children from 
 
118 WEARY OF LIFE YET TRUSTING IN GOD 
 
 their mission compound, and drove them out to the 
 desert to die, or to suffer unspeakable torture by the 
 way. After the Armenian women had been held one 
 night, they were given a chance to live if they would 
 choose Mohammedanism, but were told that they 
 would be separated from their children and exiled in 
 the desert if they refused. The next day after this 
 offer had been made, a missionary who talked with one 
 of the women said that she expressed her faith in this 
 way: “ I have passed through my Gethsemane this 
 night, but I have gained the victory. If my Saviour 
 gave his life for me, why should not I give mine for 
 Him ? ” She was driven to the desert, suffered ter¬ 
 ribly by the way, at last took typhus fever, and her 
 enemies, supposing she was dead, threw her out on a 
 pile of dead bodies. Almost miraculously, she recov¬ 
 ered, and made her escape back home and to her child. 
 All of the women who were taken from that mission 
 were providentially cared for and permitted to return 
 home again, and nearly all were restored to their chil¬ 
 dren. Only one of those orphan children, who had 
 been cared for in orphanages, died during her mother’s 
 exile. Does not such a striking providence lead us all 
 to renew our faith in Almighty God, who has promised 
 to care for the widow and the orphan ? 
 
 It might seem that suffering would cause doubt. If 
 it does, it is because we have a wrong philosophy of 
 God, for “ whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth and 
 scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.” Every true 
 follower of Christ must take up his cross. He must be 
 ready to endure suffering if he is to fight the good 
 fight. One of the seals of the Moravian church bears 
 a lesson on its surface for every Christian. It is the 
 picture of an ox, with a plow on one side and an altar 
 
WEARY OF LIFE YET TRUSTING IN GOD 119 
 
 on the other, indicating that it is ready, either for 
 labour or sacrifice. 
 
 One of the most beautiful birds, because of its grace 
 and elegant appearance, has been named, “ The Bird 
 of Paradise.” Travelers tell us that it never flies 
 before the wind of its own choice. When it is com¬ 
 pelled to do so by danger or fright, its beautiful train 
 of plumes is disordered and torn, and soon it is baffled 
 and beaten down until its gorgeous plumes are trailed 
 in the dust. But when it mounts and faces the wind, 
 soon the dust is swept from its plumes, it recovers its 
 beautiful shape and graceful motion, and ascends with 
 unwearied flight on high. There is nothing on earth 
 that is so beautiful in the sight of God as the soul of 
 man that has been cleansed of sin and made new in the 
 image of Christ. He is guided on the way by angels, 
 and his robes are those which Christ has given him. 
 But in order to reach the Celestial City, he must strug¬ 
 gle against the storm and amidst the trials of this 
 world. He must lay aside every weight and run with 
 patience. If he drifts with the wind and current he 
 will mingle with the world and his beauty will be soiled 
 in the sight of God. He that soweth in tears shall reap 
 with joy. We must wait with patience and humility if 
 we would stand unashamed in the presence of the King 
 of Glory. 
 
 There is an appointed time to man upon earth. 
 Since we cannot avoid the time of the end we might as 
 well face it. The postponement of the consideration of 
 it will not delay its coming. 
 
 THE THOUGHT OE DEATH WIEL DO ONE OE TWO 
 
 THINGS FOR US 
 
 I. It will haunt us if we remain apart from Christ. 
 
120 WEARY OF LIFE YET TRUSTING IN GOD 
 
 It will probably become the king of terrors. Men may 
 put Christ far from them, but they cannot put death 
 forever away. They may avoid the thought of the 
 cross, but they cannot avoid the reality of the grave. 
 All efforts to ease the mind can only be temporary 
 aside from Christ; permanent peace will never be the 
 possession of those who deny Him. 
 
 2. It will be a blessed hope if we rest in Christ . 
 There was joy before Jesus as He ran the Christian 
 race, and there is likewise joy before us if we run with 
 Him and rest in Him in faith. If some one should 
 take away from you a valuable jewel, but give you in 
 its place one a thousand times more valuable, you 
 would not be disappointed at the exchange. If God 
 takes us away from this world, and places us in a 
 mansion in glory, we ought not to regret the exchange. 
 
 We can follow the advice of the old Jewish teachers 
 who said: “ Teach thy tongue to say, I do not know.” 
 When we become wise enough to know that we cannot 
 see into eternity, and leave the whole plan with God, 
 we have relieved ourselves of a great burden, and have 
 learned a most important lesson. 
 
 “ I know not where His islands lift, 
 
 Their fronded palms in air, 
 
 I only know I cannot drift 
 Beyond His love and care.” 
 
 Bishop Moule in his little book, “ Christ and Sor¬ 
 row,” reproduces the picture of an old book mark 
 found in his mother’s Bible. There is a picture of it 
 on the interior of the front page, and there is another 
 on the back. The front page shows the wrong side of 
 it, and seems to be an unintelligible scrawl. On the 
 one on the back, which shows the right side, may be 
 
WEARY OF LIFE YET TRUSTING IN GOD 121 
 
 plainly read, the words: “God is Love.” The author 
 has drawn this charming lesson from the two pictures, 
 by writing under the curious scrawl of the front one: 
 “ What I do thou knowest not now,” and under the 
 beautiful words of the back one: “But thou shalt 
 know hereafter.” The wrong side represents to us 
 much of this life in which we do not know the end of 
 God’s plan. But we know that there will be a time 
 when it will all be made clear, and that which in God’s 
 providence seems to lack a plan now, will then appear 
 a part of a loving and blessed whole, which will excite 
 our adoration through all eternity. 
 
 We ought, therefore, to go through this world 
 thanking God for what He has given us, and rejoicing 
 that He has laid up great treasures of love, beauty, rest 
 and happiness for the future; that He has promised us 
 more than eye has seen or ear heard or has entered into 
 the heart of man—a mansion at His right hand which 
 is glorious and eternal. 
 
IX 
 
 BILDAD: THE PITFALLS OF THE 
 TRADITIONALIST 
 
 Job 8 , 18 , 25 
 
 W HEN we take up the study of a character we 
 are always interested in his history. It en¬ 
 ables us to understand more clearly the prin¬ 
 ciples of his philosophy and the tenets of his religion. 
 Bildad the Shuhite, who is the object of our study to¬ 
 day, was evidently a descendent of Shuah, who was the 
 sixth son of Abraham and Keturah. Incidentally this 
 furnishes a clue as to the time in which Job lived. He 
 must have lived after the time of Abraham, but appar¬ 
 ently not long after. These descendents of Abraham 
 had not forgotten all of the teachings of their father. 
 If Bildad is a fair representative of the Shuhites, they 
 had a large knowledge of God. They venerated their 
 father, Abraham. Looking back to his forefather, 
 Bildad held that his family had a remarkable history, 
 that he could well be proud of it, and that he could 
 * argue best from that standpoint. He said , 1 “ Inquire 
 I pray thee, of the former age, and prepare thyself to 
 the search of their fathers.” He made a strong appeal 
 to the tradition of the fathers. He was therefore, at 
 least to a certain extent, a traditionalist. 
 
 There are other phases of the argument of Bildad 
 which one might dwell upon. He takes a part in each 
 of three controversies with Job. He follows Eliphaz, 
 
 1 8 : 8 . 
 
 122 
 
PITFALLS OF THE TRADITIONALIST 123 
 
 but with more abrupt statements, less argument, and 
 stronger invective. In his first argument he cruelly 
 attributes the death of Job’s children to their own 
 transgressions and calls upon Job to repent of his sup¬ 
 posed crimes. His second speech is largely a recapitu¬ 
 lation of the former, he does not assert so definitely, 
 though he does imply the wickedness of Job. In his 
 third argument, unable to refute the defence of Job, he 
 resorts to irrelevant statements concerning God’s glory 
 and man’s nothingness. The distinctive feature of 
 Bildad’s argument, however, is his appeal to the teach¬ 
 ings of the fathers. 
 
 Bildad evidently had some revelation from God in 
 mind when he referred to the fathers, because they did 
 not have the written Word, and what they knew of 
 things divine was received, either by direct revelation, 
 or by tradition. Under such circumstances tradition 
 would be much more important than it is with us. But 
 whatever Bildad may have had in his mind, he did not 
 get the revelation which God had given accurately fixed 
 in his memory, nor did he interpret it rightly. His 
 argument was not all correct. Tradition, no doubt in 
 those days, as in these, was often misquoted and 
 misconstrued. 
 
 There are different ways of looking upon tradition. 
 It may be used in a valuable manner, or it may be 
 harmful. Care is needed when we refer to the fathers, 
 particularly when we build upon their traditions. A 
 doctrine or theory is not necessarily right because it is 
 old. If the fathers did not receive their message and 
 practices from God, we may be led far astray by 
 tradition. 
 
 The theory which Bildad brought forward in the 
 hearing of Job, that it is only the great sinner who is 
 
124 PITFALLS OF THE TRADITIONALIST 
 
 called upon to suffer greatly, was a tradition then, and 
 in many circles it is a tradition now: but that does not 
 make it right. The othejr so-called comforters, used 
 this argument also. As we have already dwelt upon 
 that method of reasoning, we wish to take up that 
 which is more distinctive in the personality or argu¬ 
 ment of Bildad, his appeal to the former age, or 
 tradition. » 
 
 False religions are perpetuated by tradition 
 
 Almost all false religions venerate writings, it is 
 true, but frequently these writings have come to be 
 venerated through time and tradition. Many of those 
 who follow false religions are ancestral worshippers. 
 
 Confucius, during a part of his life, was compelled 
 to live as an exile from his native province, in poverty, 
 because there was such a strong opposition to his 
 teachings. As time passed by, and the followers of 
 Confucius increased in numbers the veneration of the 
 Chinese for him amounted to worship, to which the 
 second and third months are devoted. Confucius, 
 when a young man, devoted himself to the study of the 
 ancient writings, in the effort to restore the usages and 
 doctrines of the old sages. The Chinese venerate the 
 fathers. To them the cemetery is a sacred place. They 
 have so large a respect for what the fathers said, that 
 they memorize some of their writings word for word. 
 It is difficult to persuade such a people to accept any 
 new doctrine, or to examine a new doctrine sufficiently 
 to learn that it is superior to the old. 
 
 The Egyptian was a traditionalist. Many stories 
 were accepted concerning ancient men and images, 
 merely because they were old, and had been retold so 
 often that they considered them sacred. So great a 
 
s 
 
 PITFALLS OF THE TRADITIONALIST 125 
 
 desire had they for the preservation of the body of 
 the dead that they spent time and effort in the devel¬ 
 opment of this science until they surpassed every 
 other nation, both ancient and modern, in the art of 
 embalming. 
 
 The Mohammedan is a traditionalist. He regards 
 Mohammed as a great prophet. His cry is, “ There is 
 one God and Mohammed is his prophet.” To the Mos¬ 
 lem, time and tradition, have woven a halo of glory 
 around the ancient leader. If his followers could see 
 him as he was, a proud, hysterical, epileptic fanatic, 
 they would have a widely different opinion of him than 
 they do today. 
 
 The Catholic, whether Greek or Roman, is a tradi¬ 
 tionalist. Take tradition from the Catholic Church 
 and the whole structure, as the modern working of it 
 goes, would collapse. Certain decrees were promul¬ 
 gated by one council or pope, and after a time, these 
 came to be regarded with more and morf reverence. 
 The theory of the infallibility of the pope could not 
 have been asserted, had it not been that isolation and 
 tradition had surrounded him with unusual veneration. 
 Reverence for the Monasteries, the Convents, the Con¬ 
 fessional and the Mass, has grown through tradition. 
 
 The system of Mormonism rests upon venerated tra¬ 
 dition. Strip its so-called prophet, Joseph Smith, of 
 / the halo that is thrown around him by Mormon tradi¬ 
 tion, and you reveal a fraudulent, unbalanced, vision¬ 
 ary, immoral fanatic. In Mormon circles the tradition 
 of martyr has grown up about a leader who was in 
 reality a criminal. 
 
 We need to remember that more is needed than tra¬ 
 dition to establish a doctrine of faith. Many have 
 gone down to eternal doom having the deepest vener- 
 
126 PITFALLS OF THE TRADITIONALIST 
 
 ation for some of the ancients and their teachings. 
 Divine revelation is the test of truth, not age. 
 
 It is said by some students of Job that Bildad built 
 upon an ancient poem from which he quoted. If so it 
 is possibly the oldest fragment of a heathen poem in 
 existence. There are many traditionalists today who 
 build their life principles upon the sayings of poets or 
 writers of note, rather than upon the writings of 
 Divine revelation. Many of the poets were not true 
 in their faith or their theology. One needs to select 
 carefully when he chooses a poetical statement as a 
 moral for life. If we select such a statement merely 
 for its beauty or its popularity, without comparing 
 it with the truth of the Word, we may be setting up 
 false gods. 
 
 We may accept at their face value these words of 
 Lowell, that great champion of freedom, without stop¬ 
 ping to think of their real import. 
 
 “ He’s true to God who’s true to man; wherever 
 wrong is done, 
 
 To the humblest and the weakest, ’neath the 
 all-beholding sun.” 
 
 The poem in general is an admirable one, but this state¬ 
 ment will not bear the test of the Holy Word. One 
 may be a great friend of the oppressed, as there were 
 men who were zealots in the cause of freedom in days 
 of slavery, and not be true to God. 
 
 EAESE theories are perpetuated among 
 
 CHRISTIANS BY TRADITION 
 
 With some, what the fathers said, is reviewed more 
 frequently than the Word of God. It is the leading 
 factor with them in determining their doctrine and 
 
PITFALLS OF THE TRADITIONALIST 127 
 
 practice in religion. t We do not wish to generate in 
 the mind of any one lack of respect for parents, where 
 respect is due, nor do we wish to undermine the proper 
 estimation of parental authority and teaching. What 
 is taught by parents should not be merely tradition. 
 It should have its foundation firmly centered upon the 
 Word of God. If, however, parents are manifestly 
 wrong in the light of Scripture, then children are not 
 bound to accept their teaching. God has the first claim 
 upon us and upon our reverence. The missionaries go 
 out to heathen lands to teach the children not to follow 
 the teaching of their fathers. It is not an easy task. 
 But children cannot follow the teaching of heathen 
 fathers, and the teachings of Jesus Christ. 
 
 The principles of religion do not change. If our 
 fathers rightly interpreted the Bible we want to hold 
 to that view. If it is manifest that they were wrong 
 we ought not to follow them. No generation is justified 
 in accepting a system of doctrine without comparing it 
 with the Word of God for themselves. They will be 
 held responsible before God for what they believe. 
 Those who accept the findings of the Westminster 
 Assembly are often accused of doing so blindly. It is 
 evident that the Scottish Church did not do so care¬ 
 lessly in the beginning, because they discriminated. 
 There was a small portion of the Confession of Faith 
 which they did not accept. One who accepts this or 
 any other formula of doctrine, ought not to do so 
 blindly. He should test the doctrines, by the Bible, as 
 the early Christians of Berea did when they heard 
 Paul’s teachings. “ They received the word with all 
 readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, 
 whether those things were so. Therefore many of 
 them believed.” 
 
128 PITFALLS OF THE TRADITIONALIST 
 
 Let us prove all things, let us hold fast to that which 
 is good, and only to that which is good. Let us not 
 reject a matter because it is new, or seems new to us. 
 There may be nothing new under the sun, but there are 
 many things which are new to us, discoveries in science 
 and religion. We are never too old to learn, or at 
 least, ought not be. One of the missionaries to Syria 
 told of an American firm which tried to introduce mod¬ 
 ern plows into that land. They shipped a great num¬ 
 ber of them over there. Some farmers had been using 
 them with splendid success. The soil that had been 
 only scratched on the surface before needed deep stir¬ 
 ring. But the people would not buy the plows. They 
 said, the old style is the kind that our fathers used, and 
 they are good enough for us. So they continued to 
 buy and to use the ancient make of plow, made of a 
 crooked pole with an iron point attached. 
 
 There are people who are just as firmly bound by 
 tradition in matters of religion, both of faith and prac¬ 
 tice. May we walk according to the law and the testi¬ 
 mony, but let us be sure that that law and testimony 
 are the inspired Word, or according to the inspired 
 Word, and not merely according to the tradition of 
 the ancients. 
 
 false: lessons are perpetuated by tradition when 
 
 THEY ARE DRAWN WITHOUT DISCRIMINATION 
 
 We can learn from the past, and anyone who ignores 
 the past is ignoring one of his greatest schoolmasters. 
 We are exhorted in Scripture, “ Ask the days that are 
 past.” There is perhaps no one who does not occa¬ 
 sionally wish with the Darkie “ that his foresight was 
 as good as his hindsight.” No intelligent person can 
 well doubt the value of reviewing the past, but the more 
 
PITFALLS OF THE TRADITIONALIST 129 
 
 intelligence one has, the more he will discriminate as 
 he makes his choice of life’s lessons. 
 
 The prophets were given to us for examples. There 
 is a great cloud of witnesses to which we can look, and 
 from whom we can take new courage and new lessons 
 of faith. We should walk with new faith as we medi¬ 
 tate upon the faith that was given them when they 
 were tried and tempted. 
 
 We can take encouragement from the past as we 
 look back over our own lives and see how good and 
 kind God has been to us. We can see wherein we 
 failed, and perhaps, wherein we were hindered by 
 traditional notions to which we had tied ourselves. 
 
 A tradition which is followed continuously becomes 
 a habit. If we have not considered an act carefully 
 each time that it is performed it may become a habit 
 which cannot be broken. Miss Martineau tells of a 
 white infant who was captured by the Indians, and 
 grew up among them, trained to their habits, and to 
 think that to take the greatest number of scalps was 
 the highest glory. While yet a youth he was rescued, 
 was educated, and subsequently became a minister. 
 During the Revolutionary War, he held a pastorate 
 near the scene of conflict. He went into the field of 
 battle in his ministerial dress, but returned changed. 
 A gentleman saw blood on his shirt, and said, “ You 
 are wounded.” The clergyman put up his hands as if 
 to conceal the wound. The gentleman, thinking it 
 ought to be looked to, pulled open his shirt, and from 
 beneath it took out a bloody scalp! “ I could not help 
 
 it,” he said, as he reflected on his early teaching and 
 habits. He ran to the Indians and never again ap¬ 
 peared among the whites. 
 
 Never stop with mere teaching of the past when you 
 
130 PITFALLS OF THE TRADITIONALIST 
 
 come to decide upon your principles of life or of doc¬ 
 trine. We need an open mind when we come to ask 
 the past. We need to reject what is wrong and select 
 what is right. In making such a selection in the study 
 of the book of Job we cannot draw right conclusions 
 unless we do careful thinking and make accurate dis¬ 
 criminations. We cannot follow all the statements 
 that are made by different men in their arguments. 
 If we did we would become confused, because opposing 
 statements are made by different voices. We need to 
 interpret according to the general principles of the 
 book, and the teaching of the remainder of the Word. 
 
 Let us not ignore tradition, let us build upon it 
 wisely, not indiscriminately as many men have been led 
 to do in the past. Go to the last source of authority 
 and you have a higher source than that of the fathers. 
 Go to God and you will find false ideals set aside, and 
 true ones set forth fully and clearly in his blessed 
 Word. 
 
HOW BE JUST WITH GOD? 
 Job 9: 1-33 
 
 “ T" UDGE not that ye be not judged,” was the 
 I warning of Jesus as He sat upon the Mount 
 and taught His disciples. There is no one who 
 relishes an unjust accusation against himself, it cuts 
 keenly. Job felt that the accusations of Bildad were 
 unjust. He was not guilty as his friends thought him 
 to be, he had not brought all the trouble upon himself 
 by wicked deeds. 
 
 During the time that Athens was governed by the 
 Thirty Tyrants, Socrates was summoned to the Senate- 
 house and ordered to go with some other persons, who 
 were named, to seize a man by the name of Leon, a 
 gentleman of rank and fortune, whom they had de¬ 
 termined to put out of the way that they might enjoy 
 his estate. Socrates positively refused to go with such 
 a commission. He said, “ I will not willingly assist in 
 an unjust act.” Chericles replied sharply, “ Dost thou 
 think, Socrates, to talk in this high tone, and not to 
 suffer?” To which threat Socrates replied, “ Far 
 from it, I expect to suffer a thousand ills, but none so 
 great as to do unjustly.” 
 
 Job was a higher type of man than Socrates. If 
 Job’s friends were conscientious in their accusations 
 they were at least misled, and their implications of his 
 guilt only made his suffering the more intense. Job 
 knew that he was not free from sin, but he knew that 
 
 131 
 
132 
 
 HOW BE JUST WITH GOD? 
 
 he was innocent of the sins which were charged against 
 him. It is one thing to stand in the presence of men 
 and claim innocence, it is quite another to stand in the 
 presence of God and insist that one is innocent in 
 his sight. 
 
 EVERY MAN IS CONDEMNED AS A SINNER 
 
 “ How should man be just with God? If he will 
 contend with him he cannot answer him one of a 
 thousand.” 
 
 Job had grasped the truth, milleniums before the 
 days of Uuther and centuries before the time of Paul, 
 that, by the works of the flesh shall no man be justi¬ 
 fied. Suppose a man is being tried and there are a 
 thousand charges brought against him. If he could 
 not answer even one charge out of all the thousand 
 how could he expect to be cleared? If Job, who has 
 been reckoned an exemplary man among men, could 
 not answer one charge in a thousand before God, we 
 may well ask ourselves in the utmost seriousness, how 
 can we stand before Him when we are brought face to 
 face with the whole multitude of sins of our lives? 
 How can a man be just with God when the very best 
 man must reckon his sins by the thousand ? 
 
 Here was a man who was sick, he was suffering 
 pain, suffering in excruciating agony. Was it right 
 that he should be troubled with the thought of sin? 
 Should a friend ever present to a sick man who is 
 suffering intensely, the fact of the danger of sin? 
 Should one under such circumstances be troubled with 
 a great and deep doctrine like justification? How can 
 a man be just with God? Should a friend not always 
 attempt to bring a message of comfort to such an one, 
 something which is considered practical, rather than a 
 
HOW BE JUST WITH GOD? ' 133 
 
 deep doctrinal subject when he visits one who is 
 very ill? 
 
 We would not endeavour to defend Bildad’s argu¬ 
 ment or his method of presentation, but to a sinner 
 who is ill there is nothing more practical than the 
 doctrine of justification by faith in God. The thief on 
 the cross would never have accepted that doctrine if he 
 had not accepted it in the midst of excruciating agony. 
 If he had not accepted it he would never have been 
 received into the kingdom. A time of suffering is not, 
 as a rule, the ideal time to bring such doctrines to the 
 attention of men with the plea that they accept them. 
 But if they have neglected them before they should be 
 presented then. It may not agree with modern medical 
 ethics, but it is far better that one who is very ill shall 
 have the annoyance of a friend pleading with him to 
 accept Christ, that he may be just with God, rather 
 than, omitting it for the sake of bodily and mental 
 ease, allow his body and soul to be cast into the pit of 
 eternal woe. 
 
 May we be made just by any new and modern 
 method which has been discovered since the days of 
 Job? Job was made just with God as he was accepted 
 on account of a sacrifice offered in his stead. That 
 sacrifice was to be an innocent and unblemished victim. 
 Thus the great sacrifice was to be innocent and just 
 before God that we might be made to appear just in 
 His sight. May we pay a sum of money and thus 
 avoid the subject of justification? Ask Simon the 
 sorcerer. “ Yes,” says Simon, “ the gift of God may 
 be purchased with money.” “ Thy money perish with 
 thee,” said Peter, “ your heart is not right in the sight 
 of God, you are in the gall of bitterness and in the 
 bond of iniquity.” 
 
134 
 
 HOW BE JUST WITH GOD? 
 
 Shall we work for God until our record is made 
 clear, as the prisoner who is sentenced to hard labour 
 works for years in the penitentiary and afterward is 
 made free in the sight of the law? We may toil for 
 years in the effort to clear away our guilt before God; 
 but after we have done all Jesus says that we are un¬ 
 profitable servants, we have only done that which was 
 our duty to do. 
 
 Shall we build character, until after striving for 
 noble ideals for many years, keeping before us the law 
 we shall at last stand before God with a perfect char¬ 
 acter and shall not need to be made just? Ask the 
 rich young ruler to tell his experience in building 
 character. He will tell you that he endeavoured from 
 his youth to keep the commandments and he thought 
 that he had succeeded quite well. But lest the rich 
 young ruler may be mistaken about himself let us 
 turn to Jesus and ask Him how He thinks he has 
 succeeded. As Jesus turns away with a sad look He 
 replies, the rich young ruler tried hard to keep the 
 law, and he thought he was doing it, but he failed, 
 like other men he too is a sinner, he cannot be just 
 in my sight, apart from the righteousness that I can 
 give him. 
 
 The question which Job asked is one which is ever 
 before the human mind. The inquiry, how shall man 
 be regarded as just by God? has led to many forms of 
 religion among men, and to various methods of sacri¬ 
 fice and penance. The only answer that has ever been 
 satisfactory is that which is made known to us by 
 divine revelation, for of himself man cannot answer 
 for one of a thousand of his sins. How wonderful! 
 how simple! how glorious! is that plan which God has 
 revealed, by which a sinner is treated as though he 
 
HOW BE JUST WITH GOD? ' 135 
 
 were righteous, because the gracious and blessed Re¬ 
 deemer has borne the burden of his sins and has laid 
 down his life in his stead. 
 
 attempting to resist god only brings disaster 
 
 UPON THE SINNER 
 
 “ Who hath hardened himself against him and hath 
 prospered? ” Of what value is it for man to set him¬ 
 self against God, who is so powerful that He can re¬ 
 move the great mountains and overturn them in His 
 anger? He can cause the mountains to sink, either 
 slowly or quickly, beneath the surface of the sea, and 
 can heave up the crust of the earth and cause other 
 mountains to rise to precipitous heights which defy 
 the skill of man to ascend them. We speak of the 
 everlasting hills, but when God so wills He can over¬ 
 turn them as quickly as He overturned the wall of 
 Jericho. When man stands and looks at the great 
 mountains he may well say, “ what is man that thou 
 dost consider him ? ” 
 
 Why shall man set himself against God, when God 
 can make the very surface of the earth to tremble? 
 He can make it shake as though its pillars were giving 
 way beneath it and men like insects are swallowed up. 
 If there is anything that takes away the conceit of man 
 it is to experience an earthquake. He knows not which 
 way to look or turn for safety. 
 
 So great is the power of God that He can cause the 
 sun, though it is many times larger than the earth, to 
 stand still, or turn backward in its course. He can hide 
 the stars so that they do not shine. All the great stars 
 march at His bidding and each holds its place at His 
 command. What is man in comparison with the great 
 suns, and systems of suns, and the world and systems 
 
136 
 
 HOW BE JUST WITH GOD? 
 
 of worlds, in the vast universe? Shall he set himself 
 against the Almighty Creator ? 
 
 God can command the waves of the sea and they 
 hurl the mightiest vessels about upon their surface as 
 mere bubbles upon the water. The greatest sea-going 
 vessels have been sent to the bottom in the midst of 
 the ocean. But a mere word from the Lord, and 
 the waves which roared and fought with one an¬ 
 other are quiet and at rest. All that man can do is 
 as nothing to calm the mighty deep. Thus Job 
 pictures the mighty power of God, “ Which doeth 
 great things past finding out; yea, and wonders with¬ 
 out number.” 
 
 Nothing is a greater act of folly than to harden one’s 
 heart against so great a God with the idea that man can 
 resist Him. Pharaoh hardened his heart against God. 
 He was sole monarch of the greatest empire of the 
 world. He declined to hear the command of God 
 through his servant Moses. What mattered it to him 
 how vigorously the leader of a slave people should cry 
 out for mercy? Need he grant their request? Many 
 miracles were performed to demonstrate to Pharaoh 
 that it was folly for him to try to resist God. Even 
 the destruction of the heir to the throne, together with 
 the firstborn of all Egypt, only humbled him for a day, 
 and he was ready to try to thwart God’s plan again. 
 He would not admit the great fact that no man can 
 harden his heart against God and prosper, until his 
 corpse and the corpses of the men of his army were 
 floating on the Red Sea. Nebuchadnezzar in the zenith 
 of his power and pride, said to the three men who 
 would not bow down to his golden image, “ if ye wor¬ 
 ship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst 
 of a burning fiery furnace: and who is that God that 
 
HOW BE JUST WITH GOD? , 137 
 
 shall deliver you out of my hands ? ” The faithful 
 three never regretted the heroic answer which they 
 gave to the hardened king, “ Our God whom we serve, 
 is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace; 
 and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. 
 We will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden 
 image which thou hast set up.” It was not long, how¬ 
 ever, until Nebuchadnezzar regretted his blasphemous 
 course. He lost his reason. “ He was driven from 
 men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet 
 with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like 
 eagles’ feathers, and his nails like birds’ claws.” Bel¬ 
 shazzar with a hardened heart and a stiffened neck 
 blasphemed the name of God and drank wine out of 
 the sacred vessels. But the hand of God wrote upon 
 the wall, thy days are numbered, thy kingdom finished. 
 And the power of Belshazzar and his kingdom went 
 down in a night. Saul of Tarsus thought that with 
 the consent of the Roman government and the power 
 of the Jewish authorities behind him, he could go on 
 breathing out threatenings and slaughter, and nothing 
 could stop him in his bloody course. But the voice of 
 God brought him to the earth. He entered Damascus, 
 not as a proud conqueror, but as an humble suppliant 
 seeking mercy. All you who are hardened in heart, 
 will you not take warning! It is hard to kick against 
 the goads. 
 
 Anne of Austria, the Queen of France, said to her 
 implacable enemy, Cardinal Richelieu, “ My lord- 
 cardinal, there is one fact which you seem to have 
 entirely forgotten. God is a sure pay-master. He 
 may not pay at the end of every week or month or 
 year; but I charge you, remember that He pays in 
 the end.” 
 
138 
 
 HOW BE JUST WITH GOD? 
 
 NO AMOUNT OF PERSONAL, EEEORT CAN CEEANSE 
 
 THE SINNER 
 
 “ If I wash myself with snow water, and make my 
 hands never so clean; yet shalt thou plunge me in the 
 ditch, and mine own clothes shall abhor me.” 1 “ If 
 
 we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and 
 the truth is not in us.” 2 
 
 Job looked at himself. He saw the filth that had 
 accumulated upon his body, the discharge from his 
 wounds and the ashes and dust that had been mixed 
 with it and smeared over it; he realized his own in¬ 
 ability to care for himself, or even to cleanse himself 
 thoroughly with water. He thought to himself, though 
 I were able to wash myself with the purest water con¬ 
 taining lye or alkali (as a literal interpretation indi¬ 
 cates) and make my skin appear ever so clean, yet my 
 appearance would not be changed before God. 
 
 How many since that day have thought that by a 
 superficial cleansing they could clear themselves of 
 guilt. Do you see that weak-willed politician who is 
 called a governor, before that frenzied mob, offering to 
 release unto them a prisoner whom they shall choose. 
 He suggests that he release one called Jesus. They 
 shout in reply, not this man, but that noted bandit, 
 Barabbas! He made a weak protest, but when the 
 crowd shouted, give us Barabbas, he stood before the 
 multitude and washed his hands, declaring that he was 
 innocent of the whole matter, that they must bear all 
 the blame. What a fool! to think that a little water 
 dashed over his hands, or a mere denial of responsibil¬ 
 ity, would cleanse him of the blood of the Son of God. 
 
 The Pharisees washed their hands, thinking that 
 they were thus making themselves clean. But their 
 
 1 Vs. 30,31. 2i John 1:8. 
 
HOW BE JUST WITH GOD? 
 
 < 139 
 
 hearts were just as black in God’s sight as though they 
 had not followed the daily routine of cleansing. 
 
 Lady Macbeth may wash her hands and try to take 
 away the stain of blood and the remorse of a con¬ 
 science which accuses her of murder, but she will cry 
 out even in her sleep: “ Here’s the smell of blood still: 
 all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little 
 hand. Oh, oh, oh!” When we try to cleanse our¬ 
 selves of guilt it remains whether the sense of it re¬ 
 mains or not. But the sense of sin as well as the sin 
 usually remains. 
 
 Alanus once went down by the seaside to meditate. 
 While there he spied a boy very busy with a little spoon 
 trudging often between the sea and a small hole which 
 he had digged in the ground. Alanus asked him what 
 he meant. The boy answered, “ I intend to bring all 
 the sea into this pit.” Alanus replied, “ Why dost 
 thou attempt such impossibilities and misspend thy 
 time? ” The boy might just as wisely attempt to carry 
 all the sea into the little pit that he had dug, as we, to 
 wash away the sins which stain our souls. 
 
 When, some years ago, a vessel was on her way to 
 Australia, in the midst of a storm, she sprung a leak. 
 It was repaired, but in a little while another tempest 
 assailed the vessel. There was a man on board of a 
 very nervous temperament and a loose tongue who 
 began to alarm all the passengers. When the storm 
 came on the captain, who knew what harm might be 
 done by a suspicious talkative individual, came near 
 him for the purpose of quieting his fears. The man 
 said, “ what an awful storm, I fear we shall go to the 
 bottom, I hear the leak is very bad.” “ Well,” said 
 the captain, “ as you seem to know it and perhaps the 
 others do not you had better not mention it to any one 
 
140 
 
 HOW BE JUST WITH GOD? 
 
 lest you should frighten them, but rather lend us your 
 valuable help. Will you stand here and hold hard on 
 this rope; do not leave it until I tell you to get it go.” 
 The man held on tightly, and though he wearied of 
 holding the rope he did not let go until the storm had 
 abated, when he was released. He thought that the 
 thanks of the crew and of the passengers should be 
 tendered to him, and when it was not, he hinted to the 
 captain that as he had saved the vessel he at least should 
 be thanked. The captain replied, “ What, sir, do you 
 think you saved the vessel? I gave you that rope to 
 hold to keep you busy that you might not be in such a 
 feverish state of alarm.” 
 
 A man can do no more to save himself from sin. 
 The self-righteous man may think that he can cleanse 
 himself of sin, and may set himself to work with all 
 the determination that the nervous man did to save the 
 ship. But when he has done all that he can do to 
 cleanse himself of sin, he has done no more than that 
 gentleman did to save the vessel from the briny deep. 
 If ever you are saved it will be apart from your own 
 works, you had best cease to rely on self, and let 
 Christ come into your heart and purge away your sin. 
 “ Without the shedding of blood there is no remission.” 
 
 This brings us to the source of cleansing. 
 
 ONLY the: MEDIATOR CAN MAKE THE SINNER 
 
 APPEAR CLEAN 
 
 “ Neither is there any daysman betwixt us, that 
 might lay his hand upon us both.” 3 I think that when 
 Job speaks of a daysman he makes at least some refer¬ 
 ence to the Mediator between God and man. Job did 
 not have all the full and clear evidence that the apostle 
 
 s V. 33. 
 
HOW BE JUST WITH GOD? 
 
 141 
 
 John had, who said, “ And if any man sin, we have an 
 advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 
 and he is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours 
 only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” 4 Job 
 was greatly tried and tempted. In the midst of his 
 weakness and suffering he gave utterance to some 
 sentiments which did not become a faithful follower 
 of God. Yet Job, like many other of the patriarchs, 
 lived and died in faith. Throughout his life he recog¬ 
 nized that he could not approach into God’s presence 
 acceptably, except as his sins were cleansed with blood. 
 He knew that a substitute must be offered in his stead. 
 Job was up early in the morning offering sacrifices for 
 all of his family, that their sins might be washed away. 
 It is very evident a little farther on in the argument 
 that Job did have a knowledge of the Redeemer, as far 
 as the facts were concerned, a very definite knowledge. 
 He said, “ I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that 
 he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. And 
 though this body be destroyed, yet apart from my flesh 
 I shall see God: whom mine eyes shall see for myself 
 and not a stranger; though my reins be consumed 
 within me.” 
 
 Not long ago there was a man released from the 
 Federal Penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas, who had 
 been sentenced as a deserter from the army. Everyone 
 thought that he was justly sentenced and that when he 
 was released, a man who had broken his oath and 
 deserted was being set free. But it was learned that 
 he had impersonated a friend and was not guilty of 
 the charge at all. The friend who was charged with 
 desertion had saved his life, and he had served the 
 sentence in prison, appearing to be the real deserter 
 
 4 1 John 2:1, 2. 
 
142 
 
 HOW BE JUST WITH GOD? 
 
 and willingly bearing all the ignominy of it, because 
 of his love for the friend who had saved his life. 
 
 Jesus was served with the sentence of death, for sin, 
 in our stead. He appeared before God, covered with 
 our sins, bearing them for us and suffering all the 
 ignominy of one who was really guilty. He has given 
 us His own clean white robe that we may put it on and 
 appear clean before God just as though we were His 
 own Son, and free from all charges of guilt. 
 
 When one is justified by human laws he goes away 
 from the bar deriving no other benefit from his acquit¬ 
 tal than mere release from punishment. He does not 
 depart, laden by the judge with great favours and priv¬ 
 ileges. But the sinner who has been justified by the 
 righteousness of Christ gains something more than 
 simple deliverance from the present and future wrath 
 of God. He gains every mercy which he needs for 
 this present life, and everlasting happiness in the life 
 to come. 
 
 Some harbours have bars of sand which lie across 
 the entrance, and prohibit the access of ships at low 
 water. There is a bar, not of sand, but of adamantine 
 rock, the bar of divine justice, which lies between the 
 sinner and heaven. Christ's righteousness is the high 
 water which carries the believing sinner over this bar, 
 and assures his transmission in safety to the land of 
 eternal rest. Our own righteousness is the low water 
 which will fail us at the hour of greatest need, it can¬ 
 not lift us into that high and pure realm where we shall 
 appear just in the sight of God. 
 
 One who enjoys the meditation of Jesus Christ 
 needs nothing more that he may have the highest and 
 best spiritual blessings. May we never cease to render 
 praise and glory to the Mediator, our great and glori- 
 
HOW BE JUST WITH GOD? 
 
 143 
 
 ous Redeemer, who was willing to renounce the purity, 
 the happiness, the quietness, the beauty, the love, and 
 the holiness of his heavenly home: and come down to a 
 land of discord, shame, filthiness, and impurity, a land 
 reeking with every sort of sin; that He might, by walk¬ 
 ing in uprightness and purity teach us how we ought 
 to walk, and by dying in agony and reproach bear our 
 sins upon the cursed tree. 
 
 “ Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for 
 the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” 5 
 “ For there is one God and one mediator between God 
 and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a 
 ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” 6 “ Now 
 unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to 
 present you faultless before the presence of his glory 
 with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, 
 be glory and majesty, dominion and power; both now 
 and ever. Amen.” 7 
 
 5 Jude 21. 6 i Tim. 2: 5, 6. ? j u d e 24, 25. 
 
XI 
 
 HOW MAY WE KNOW GOD ? 
 
 Job 11: 7-9 
 
 I HAVE asked people who have visited Yellowstone 
 Park: “ What are its greatest attractions ? Could 
 you describe its wonders and its beauties ? ” The 
 usual answer is, “ It is too wonderful, it is so magnifi¬ 
 cent that I cannot describe it. One has to see it to 
 appreciate it.” You perhaps say: “ It is strange that 
 they cannot describe it. They have been looking upon 
 material things, some animate and some inanimate; 
 they have seen mountains, snow, rocks, pools, geysers, 
 valleys, lakes, streams, rivulets, canons and precipices, 
 all of which are visible and comprehensible. Why 
 then is it not possible to describe it ? ” But even 
 though they are urged, they often reply, “ It is too 
 wonderful to picture or describe in words.” 
 
 But when we begin to talk of God, of His being, of 
 His perfections, or of His attributes, men may well 
 pause at the very outset with the remonstrance, it is 
 impossible to describe Him. God is a spirit, and we 
 cannot describe finite spirits, much less the infinite 
 Spirit of God. We cannot compare Him with any¬ 
 thing that we know. We have never seen another 
 spirit with which we might compare Him. But even 
 if we had seen other spirits we would have no compre¬ 
 hension of God because He is as different from other 
 spirits as He is from man. 
 
 One of the problems of the missionary when he goes 
 
 144 
 
HOW MAY WE KNOW GOD? , 145 
 
 to a heathen land is to convey to the ignorant people 
 an idea of God. They have always been used to think¬ 
 ing of a God of material parts, and of limited knowl¬ 
 edge and power. They have usually been accustomed 
 to thinking of a god which is subject to mistakes and 
 evil tendencies and passions like men. They have no 
 word to convey the idea of a spirit without material 
 parts and a limited form. You ask, does the Indian 
 not speak of the Great Spirit? Yes, but the missionary 
 who is familiar with their belief tells us that their idea 
 of the great spirit is altogether different from ours. 
 Their great spirit is the sun. 
 
 You have read of the blind man’s description of an 
 elephant. Several blind men went to see an elephant. 
 One grasped its tail and said that it was like a rope, 
 another touched its trunk and declared that it was like 
 a snake, another felt its side and thought it was like a 
 wall, another took hold of its leg and believed it to be 
 like a tree. I heard some one ask Helen Keller if she 
 could distinguish colour. She replied that green was 
 like spring. We may smile, but it is not strange that 
 one who cannot see gets a wrong conception of things, 
 when he lacks ability to use that wonderful faculty of 
 perception, the eye. God must laugh at the efforts of 
 many men who have tried to picture, and describe, and 
 compare His being or His nature. 
 
 The scientist often ridicules the theologian and says, 
 all that is valuable must be discovered by scientific re¬ 
 search. He insists that only those tenets of Christian¬ 
 ity which have been submitted to scientific research are 
 worth relying upon or propagating. When con¬ 
 fronted with such a theory we feel compelled to ask as 
 Zophar asked many centuries ago: “ Canst thou by 
 searching find out God? Canst thou find out the Al- 
 
146 
 
 HOW MAY WE KNOW GOD? 
 
 mighty unto perfection ? It is as high as heaven; what 
 canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou 
 know ? ” 
 
 Zophar thought he could tell Job something about 
 God. He was a man who was very firmly set in his 
 opinions. But it is evident to a careful reader of the 
 Book, that Zophar did not know as much about God as 
 did Job. It was true of either of them, that they could 
 not find out the Almighty unto perfection. 
 
 When Jesus said to the Samaritan woman, “ God is 
 a spirit,” He was endeavouring to instruct her concern¬ 
 ing the being of God. Her people had received only a 
 small portion of the Bible, and they had changed that 
 to some extent. Moreover she was not the kind of a 
 woman who would study even that which she had with 
 care. Jesus wished to give her a proper conception of 
 God, and to correct her idea of worship. 
 
 How may we know God ? is a very large and difficult 
 question. Fortunately our eternal welfare does not 
 depend upon finding out God to perfection. Our eter¬ 
 nal welfare depends upon faith in God, whether we 
 know much or little. An appropriate prayer is, Ford I 
 believe, help thou mine unbelief. 
 
 “ Canst thou by searching find out God? Canst 
 thou find out the Almighty unto perfection ? ” 
 
 GOD IS INFINITELY PERFECT 
 
 i. In His being . There is no other being that can 
 be omnipresent. There is no place in all the universe 
 where God is not. He not only has a knowledge of 
 things in all places and in all space by reason of re¬ 
 ports that are brought to him by His ministering spir¬ 
 its, but He is there in His essential presence. The 
 Psalmist presents this truth to us vividly in the one 
 
HOW MAY WE KNOW GOD? 
 
 147 
 
 hundred and thirty-ninth Psalm: “ Whither shall I go 
 from thy Spirit ? or whither shall I flee from thy pres¬ 
 ence? If I ascend into heaven thou art there; if I 
 make my bed in hell behold thou art there; if I take the 
 wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts 
 of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy 
 right hand shall hold me. If I say, surely the dark¬ 
 ness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about 
 me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee: but the 
 night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are 
 both alike to thee.” 
 
 God can penetrate and comprehend not only all mat¬ 
 ter, but all mind as well. Not only are the actions of 
 men known to God, but all thoughts, all designs, all the 
 changes in the soul are known to Him. “ The Lord 
 searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imagi¬ 
 nations of the thoughts.—I am he that searcheth the 
 reins and the heart.” 
 
 No finite being can comprehend Him who is infinite. 
 The finite mind has not the capacity to grasp even the 
 full idea of infinity. Who can find out the Almighty 
 to perfection? “ Such knowledge is too wonderful for 
 me, it is high, I cannot attain unto it.” Our knowl¬ 
 edge and perfections may be enlarging through all 
 eternity, and still we will not be able to grasp His 
 knowledge, or attain unto His perfections, or com¬ 
 prehend His being. 
 
 2. In His wisdom . There is no other being who is 
 omniscient. God only is capable of knowing Himself 
 to perfection. God does not depend upon any of His 
 creatures for His knowledge of them. God knew the 
 end from the beginning, He knew what we would be 
 doing today, millenniums before we were born. 
 
 The wisdom of God is manifest in creation. Think 
 
148 
 
 HOW MAY WE KNOW GOD? 
 
 of the human body, of its appearance, of its construc¬ 
 tion and marvelous working, and you have an example 
 of the infinite wisdom of God. Think simply of the 
 face and general appearance of all the people whom 
 you know. Could you not pick out your mother, or 
 your brother, or your babe from among millions? 
 Suppose a mother lives in London or New York, where 
 there are millions who pass through the large stores, 
 and any group of those millions may pass through 
 while she is shopping: would she be afraid to leave her 
 child in a safe place while she goes to another depart¬ 
 ment, lest perhaps she would not know her child among 
 the others when she returns ? How can she be sure of 
 knowing her own when there might be a number there 
 out of a hundred thousand? But though there might 
 be a million babes lying in a row the mother would 
 know her own. How is it possible that there can be a 
 distinct difference among so many? You do not see 
 the same difference in the works of man. You could 
 not pick out a doll from among others on the counter 
 and then be sure of knowing it from a million others 
 if it were placed anywhere among them. The mind 
 of man is not capable of so much variety. Try to draw 
 a picture. You will do well if you can draw one which 
 actually resembles any human being. But try to draw 
 another out of your imagination, another and another, 
 all of which have distinctive features, and after making 
 a few you run out of further variety. It takes an in¬ 
 finite God to stamp an individual appearance upon 
 every one of all the millions of people in the world. 
 The same is true of all God’s works, they are wonder¬ 
 ful, varied, and beautiful. God not only creates all 
 things which have such similarity and harmony, yet 
 such distinctiveness, but He knows all creatures by 
 
HOW MAY WE KNOW GOD? 
 
 149 
 
 name, not one escapes His knowledge, not even a 
 hair of your head. Not only is the physical appear¬ 
 ance known to Him, but not one thought of any 
 of His creatures escapes Him, for His wisdom is 
 infinite. 
 
 The wisdom of God is manifest in providence. God 
 did not create the world and then leave it to run riot. 
 He controls all created beings and all the forces of 
 nature in His all-wise providence. We cannot know 
 God to perfection in His works of providence, never¬ 
 theless His wisdom is limitless and His work is per¬ 
 fect. Consider His providence in His care of the 
 Church through all the ages. Think of the many na¬ 
 tions in which it has existed, the many enemies which 
 have attacked it, the smallness of its numbers at times: 
 and yet how wonderfully and gloriously God has pre¬ 
 served it, how it has grown amidst persecution, and of 
 the strength that it has already gained, and is destined 
 to have in the future history of the world. 
 
 The wisdom of God is manifest in redemption. 
 Man did not have the wisdom either to plan or to carry 
 out such a plan as that of redemption through the 
 atonement of Christ. Any system which proposes to 
 save men by a plan which human wisdom might devise 
 is unquestionably false. 
 
 God not only knows all things, but He knows them 
 without having to take time or pains to reason them 
 out. He knew before events took place, just what 
 would occur, He knows every thought and word of all 
 history. Can you know so much? Can you find all 
 these things out unto perfection? 
 
 3. In His power. There is no other being who is 
 omnipotent. We look out over the world, we travel 
 over vast plains, we cross mighty rivers, we climb 
 
150 
 
 HOW MAY WE KNOW GOD? 
 
 great mountains, we ride on the great ocean, we look 
 into space at the clouds which float over our heads, and 
 at the sun, moon and stars, and we wonder at the great 
 power which is over them all, and holds worlds and 
 systems of worlds in their exact orbits. We remem¬ 
 ber, also, that there was a time when none of these 
 existed. God did not have to begin and build slowly, 
 adding atom to atom, and rock to rock, and lay field to 
 field, to make one star and afterward another. He 
 spake the word and it was all done. We cannot make 
 something out of nothing. Man has never done it, nor 
 has he seen it done. Many deny that it was done, the 
 atheist who tries to comprehend creation cannot un¬ 
 derstand it, and therefore denies that God could create 
 by His word of power. 
 
 “ The heavens by the word of God 
 Did their beginning take, 
 
 And by the breathing of His mouth 
 He all their hosts did make.” 1 
 
 No better explanation has ever been given, and it is 
 all that is needed to enable us to know how the uni¬ 
 verse came into being. Beyond our comprehension! 
 Certainly! But simple to a God of infinite power! 
 
 Moreover the control of the world, the revolution 
 of the seasons, the breaking forth of volcanoes, the 
 earthquakes and storms are all directed by the mighty 
 power of God. Men in all ages, men of low and of 
 high position have tried to defeat the plan and power 
 of God. There have been men who have claimed the 
 power to produce rain at will. They would take the 
 power out of the hand of God. God is not disturbed, 
 He merely laughs at their presumption. There are 
 men who have tried to defeat God's established control 
 
 1 Ps. 33: 6. 
 
HOW MAY WE KNOW GOD? 
 
 151 
 
 of death and decay, His law of dust returning to dust. 
 An exploring Frenchman in the early days after the 
 discovery of America, thought he had found the foun¬ 
 tain of perpetual youth. But he died as other men die. 
 Another arises occasionally who tries to discover the 
 secret of perpetual motion. There is no such power 
 apart from God. The idea arises not from science 
 but from a wrong theory of science and of God. All 
 power is of God. If you had a machine which would 
 supply perpetual force and motion you would have an 
 eternal power. Even the noted Edison has tried to 
 delve into the realm of spirit, and the world beyond, in 
 his search for an instrument which will enable him to 
 communicate with departed spirits. In this he is en¬ 
 deavouring to assume a power which is not vested in 
 man, and can never be gained by man, it belongs only 
 to the omnipotent power of God. The man of simple 
 faith has more wisdom in this particular than the bril¬ 
 liant and trained scientist. All power belongs to God 
 and many privileges and faculties which He has will 
 never be entrusted to man. 
 
 4. In His love. God is infinite in His love. In his 
 exercise of love we cannot find Him out unto perfec¬ 
 tion. It was due to His love that Christ came and gave 
 Himself, and has henceforth made it possible for who¬ 
 soever believeth on Him to have everlasting life. He 
 did not love us because we were His friends, but while 
 we were yet enemies He loved us and sent His Son to 
 die for us. Paul tells us that the love of Christ passeth 
 knowledge. Pie calls upon us to try to comprehend 
 what is the breadth and length and depth and heighth 
 of that love . 2 
 
 God’s love is so deep, that, as one has said, it begins 
 
 2 Eph. 3 :18, 19. 
 
152 
 
 HOW MAY WE KNOW GOD? 
 
 at the throne and reaches down to the cross. If there 
 were an explosion in a coal mine and men were en¬ 
 deavouring to clear the shaft and get the debris out of 
 the way, the men would not enter the poison-filled 
 chambers until ventilation had been effected and the 
 poisonous gases dispelled. But Christ goes down into 
 a world reeking with sin and corruption and stretches 
 out a hand to the weakest and undermost of the vic¬ 
 tims. He did it though He lost His life while saving 
 them. 
 
 It was not God’s fault that man sinned. God might 
 have lived on in holiness, even though He had left man 
 to perish. He might not have sent His Son to die for 
 sinners. But God, on account of His great love, de¬ 
 cided to save man from his state of sin and redeem 
 some that they might have life eternal and be preserved 
 to praise Him forever. 
 
 Where is there any room for pride as we contem¬ 
 plate the wonderful being, wisdom, power and love of 
 God. As we think of how great He is and how little 
 we are in comparison we ought to humble ourselves in 
 the dust. As we think of His might and wisdom, of 
 one who can create and control all the universe, we 
 ought to see how little is our power in comparison, 
 and to realize that our wisdom is as nothing in His 
 sight. What are we as we measure ourselves in His 
 holy presence? Can we think of God dashing the na¬ 
 tions into pieces as a potter’s sherd, without having a 
 spirit of repentance ? Blessed be His name and eternal 
 be His praise because He loved us in the midst of our 
 sins and has stooped down and picked us from the dust. 
 May God save us from the presumption of thinking 
 that we can find Him out unto perfection, and may He 
 preserve us in His mercy and save us in His great 
 
HOW MAY WE KNOW GOD? 153 
 
 love, that we may enjoy His glorious presence for¬ 
 ever more. 
 
 GOD HAS REVEALED HIS PERFECTION TO MEN 
 
 j. He has given man an innate knowledge of Him¬ 
 self. That man has an innate knowledge of God is 
 proven by history, observation and Scripture. Solo¬ 
 mon informs us that God “ hath set eternity in their 
 heart.” 3 Paul tells us that the heathen have “ the law 
 written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing 
 witness, and their thoughts the meanwhile accusing, or 
 else excusing, one another.” 4 Men therefore have a 
 feeling of accountability to a superior being, to one 
 who knows what they are, what they do, and who will 
 reward or punish. Atheism did not arise among the 
 heathen, it arose among philosophers. The heathen 
 had some idea of a God whom they ought to honour 
 and who would call them to account for what they did. 
 
 Those who have had experience in foreign lands 
 testify to the fact that the heathen worship something 
 and they are trying to find a religion that will satisfy. 
 The biographer of Adoniram Judson in “ The Child 
 of the Ganges,” impresses this very forcefully upon 
 the reader. The first part of the book is taken up with 
 a picture of the unsatisfied feeling, and the prolonged 
 search, of a man who is trying to find God. He tried 
 first one heathen religion and then another, but in each 
 case with sorrow and disappointment because his soul 
 found no rest. After following this man from one 
 shrine to another, and from one nation to another, and 
 pointing out that in place of finding peace of con¬ 
 science, he was in every case more wearied, unsatisfied 
 and heart-sick: the author sums up his thought in 
 
 3 Eccl. 3:11, R. V. * Rom. 2:15. 
 
154 
 
 HOW MAY WE KNOW GOD? 
 
 some such words as these, “ Such, Oh reader, is the 
 condition of a soul without God.” 
 
 2. He has revealed Himself in His works. The 
 Psalmist has worded this fact in an elegant and strik¬ 
 ing manner: “The heavens declare the glory of God: 
 and the firmament sheweth his handiwork. Day unto 
 day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth 
 knowledge. There is no speech nor language where 
 their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through 
 all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.” 
 So wonderful are some of the works of God that men 
 have mistaken them for God Himself. The sun, the 
 moon and the stars, have frequently been objects of 
 worship by those who did not know God. The moun¬ 
 tains so overawed men by their majesty that many of 
 them thought the home of the gods was upon a moun¬ 
 tain top. Great rivers like the Nile and the Ganges 
 have been objects of worship. God did not intend that 
 any of His creatures or of His works should be wor¬ 
 shipped by man, but He did intend that they should 
 declare His glory, and lead men to reverence and stand 
 in awe of Him. 
 
 It is evident that everything that exists, that has had 
 a beginning, owes its existence to some cause or being 
 which produced it. It is admitted that the universe, as 
 it exists today, has had a beginning. The cause which 
 was able to produce it must have been greater than all 
 the universe together. Such a cause must have been 
 infinitely great, and therefore none less than Almighty 
 God. Some of the ancient philosophers reasoned in 
 this way: they said the world is an effect and must 
 have had a cause adequate to produce it. This is fre¬ 
 quently called the cosmological argument for the exist¬ 
 ence of God. 
 
HOW MAY WE KNOW GOD? 
 
 155 
 
 Wherever we look about us in the world we see 
 order and useful arrangement pervading the whole sys¬ 
 tem. There must therefore exist an intelligence which 
 is able to produce that order and arrangement. Is it 
 reasonable to suppose that the house which we admire 
 was built without any plan, or any being to plan and 
 construct it ? Is it reasonable to suppose that the watch 
 had no maker, or the book no author? We recognize 
 the necessity of design in that which we construct: 
 was there not therefore necessarily a design and a de¬ 
 signer to produce that which is beyond our ability to 
 construct, namely, the world and all the creatures which 
 it contains? Even a half dozen marbles which a boy 
 may carry in his hand could not have come into being 
 in such uniformity without a design. Even if the 
 atheist is so illogical as to deny this, the teleological 
 argument, why should we be so foolish as to accept 
 his conclusions ? 
 
 Dr. Carpenter said: “ The atheist is like a man ex¬ 
 amining the machinery of a great mill, who, finding 
 that the whole is moved by a shaft proceeding from a 
 brick wall, infers that the shaft is a sufficient explana¬ 
 tion of what he sees, and that there is no moving power 
 behind it.” It is certain that such reasoning will never 
 satisfy the world. 
 
 Moreover, it is evident that man has a mental and 
 moral nature, which implies that there is an author of 
 it. It is also reasonable to suppose that there is a law¬ 
 giver to direct his moral nature, and a judge with 
 whom the breaker of law must reckon. Conscience 
 recognizes the existence of a moral law which has su¬ 
 preme authority. Conscience does not make law, but 
 it warns man of the existence of a law which should 
 not be broken. Tulloch says: “Conscience, like the 
 
156 
 
 HOW MAY WE KNOW GOD? 
 
 magnetic needle, indicates the existence of an unknown 
 Power which from afar controls its vibrations and at 
 whose presence it trembles.” Kant argued, that faith 
 in duty requires faith in a God who will defend and 
 reward duty. It is very natural that Schopenhauer, 
 who denied Christ, should also deny that there is a 
 philosophy of history. That he should regard “ his¬ 
 tory as the mere fortuitous play of individual caprice.” 
 
 Concerning these three forms of proof just men¬ 
 tioned, Prof. A. H. Strong says: (We quote with a 
 slight change in the wording, substituting faith for 
 “ intuition.”) they “ may be likened to the three arches 
 of a bridge over a wide and rushing river. The bridge 
 has only two defects, but these defects are very serious. 
 The first is that one cannot get on to the bridge; the 
 end toward the hither bank is wholly lacking; the 
 bridge of logical argument cannot be entered upon ex¬ 
 cept by assuming the validity of logical processes; this 
 assumption takes for granted at the outset the exist¬ 
 ence of a God who has made our faculties to act cor¬ 
 rectly ; we get on to the bridge, not by logical process, 
 but only by a leap of faith, and by assuming at the 
 beginning the very thing which we set out to prove. 
 The second defect of the so-called bridge of argument 
 is that when one has gotten on, he can never get off. 
 The connection with the further bank is also lacking. 
 All the premises from which we argue being finite, we 
 are warranted in drawing only a finite conclusion. 
 Argument cannot reach the infinite, and only an infi¬ 
 nite Being is worthy to be called God. We can get off 
 from our logical bridge, not by logical process, but 
 only by another and final leap of faith, and by once 
 more assuming the existence of the infinite being whom 
 we had so vainly sought to reach by mere argument. 
 
HOW MAY WE KNOW GOD? 
 
 157 
 
 The process seems to be referred to in Job 11 : 7 — 
 ‘ Canst thou by searching find out God ? Canst thou 
 find out the Almighty unto perfection? 5 ” 0 
 
 Though men have an innate knowledge of God, and 
 though He is revealed in His works: He is so imper¬ 
 fectly revealed in these ways that something more of 
 revelation is needed that they may find out God. Even 
 Aristotle and Plato could not by searching find out 
 God unto perfection. 
 
 J. He has revealed Himself in his Word. This is 
 the principal way in which God is known. It is the 
 only way in which He can be known clearly and ac¬ 
 curately. Wherever men have been without the Word 
 of God, though they have had the law written in their 
 hearts, though they have had the works of nature de¬ 
 claring to them the glory of God, though they have 
 had philosophers who reasoned in a laborious manner 
 and with mental keenness, yet they have remained in 
 darkness and spiritual ignorance. It would not have 
 been necessary that God should have given the Bible to 
 man if he could have known God without divine 
 revelation. 
 
 Single books of the Bible, or in some cases even a 
 few leaves of it, falling into the hands of the heathen 
 have been blessed to their conversion. Though men 
 may learn of God’s glory from the heavens, yet they 
 cannot learn of His redemptive work, and of the way 
 of approach to Him without His Word. In the Word 
 God manifests His own power in contrast with wicked 
 men and with false gods. In the Word He not only 
 shows that He is the Creator, but that He is the ruler 
 of all creation. Job knew God better than his would-be 
 comforters, because he knew more of God’s law and of 
 
 5 Theology, Vol. 1, p. 88. 
 
158 
 
 HOW MAY WE KNOW GOD? 
 
 divine relevation. It is an unpardonable fallacy in an 
 enlightened land like ours to build upon the theory that 
 one may learn enough of God apart from His Word, 
 because forsooth one is a student of nature or of art 
 or of history. If we are to find God at all we must 
 reach Him through a Mediator. This was true in the 
 old dispensation as well as in the new. 
 
 4. He has revealed Himself in His Son. No man 
 hath seen God at any time. But they have seen Jesus. 
 Men knew God more perfectly after Jesus had come 
 than they ever knew Him before. Jesus was revealed 
 to the natural eye. He sought through His human 
 nature to reveal God to the eye of faith. “ God who 
 at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time 
 past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last 
 days spoken unto us by his Son.—Therefore we ought 
 to give the more earnest heed to the things which we 
 have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. 
 For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and 
 every transgression and disobedience received a just 
 recompense of reward; how shall we escape, if we ne¬ 
 glect so great salvation; which at the first began to be 
 spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by 
 them that heard him; God also bearing them witness 
 both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, 
 and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his will? ” 
 
 Christ was able to reveal the future. He was able to 
 resist the temptations of Satan and to remain free 
 from sin, which no mere man could do. He was able 
 to forgive sin, which fact He proved by miracle before 
 a skeptical audience. He was able to hear and answer 
 prayer. He knew the thoughts of man before they 
 were uttered. He was one who was altogether lovely. 
 Thus in various ways he demonstrated to the world 
 
HOW MAY WE KNOW GOD? 
 
 159 
 
 the character of God. Since Christ came those who 
 desire to know God can know more of Him, and those 
 who deny God are the less excusable. 
 
 May we, like the early Christians, search the Scrip¬ 
 tures, that we may find God as He is revealed in Christ 
 Jesus. If we cannot find Him out unto perfection, 
 why be amazed or doubt? We cannot know God’s 
 works perfectly. Man cannot even know himself per¬ 
 fectly. We may know many of the stars by name, w r e 
 may be able to locate them in the sky, and we may 
 know something of their size and composition. But 
 even the most learned astronomer does not pretend to 
 see all the stars, or to know all about any one of them. 
 He may talk about knowing the heavens, but he does 
 not mean that he knows them perfectly. One may 
 know the ocean. He can taste it, he can bathe in it, 
 and he can sail over it. He may know it so well that 
 he can sail directly across it, keeping in his intended 
 course almost as directly as a railway train keeps to its 
 track. And yet, even the experienced mariner does not 
 pretend to know the ocean perfectly. A child may 
 know his father. It can love and be loved. It may be 
 able to distinguish its father amid a multitude of other 
 men, yet it may not know his business, his plans or his 
 desires. Is it therefore strange that we cannot know 
 God perfectly? It is our duty to endeavour to know 
 all that we can of God. It is also our duty to recog¬ 
 nize that there is a place where our knowledge must 
 cease. We shall know more of God when we reach 
 heaven: “ Now we see through a glass darkly, but 
 then face to face; now we know in part but then 
 shall we know even as also we are known.” Though 
 we shall know much more of God when we reach 
 heaven, even then we shall not know Him perfectly. 
 
160 
 
 HOW MAY WE KNOW GOD? 
 
 Millenniums of years may pass away in eternity, and 
 yet there will be infinitely more to learn of God: He 
 will still be infinite and we finite. We cannot by 
 searching find out God: we cannot find out the Al¬ 
 mighty unto perfection. 
 
 “In life, in death, in dark and light, 
 
 All are in God’s care; 
 
 Sound the black abyss, pierce the deep of night. 
 
 And He is there ! ” 6 
 
 6 Whittier. 
 
XII 
 
 ZOPHAR THE DOGMATIST 
 Job 11, 20 
 
 W E have now come to the third, and we suppose 
 the youngest, of the three friends of Job. 
 One would think that, being younger, he 
 would be more reticent than the others when accusing 
 Job of wrong-doing; but he proves to be very out¬ 
 spoken and decided. Nothing which he says seems, as 
 far as he is concerned, to admit of debate. A man who 
 is thus set in his opinions, who will not reason or listen 
 to reason, who becomes peeved when one tries to 
 reason with him, is dogmatic. 
 
 There was much in the argument of Zophar which 
 was similar to that of each of the other friends. They 
 all attempted to lead Job to the conviction that he was 
 wrong: that because he had been vile in the sight of 
 God he was being punished for his great sins, and if 
 he would only repent he would find relief at once. We 
 are not overlooking this fact, or the main body of the 
 argument of Zophar. Since, however, previously in 
 our discussion of this Book and of the characters por¬ 
 trayed in it, we have considered that important subject, s 
 and have indicated that the advisers of Job were mis¬ 
 taken, it is not essential that we shall repeat the argu¬ 
 ment. We desire rather, in our study of the character 
 of Zophar, to note that which is distinctive in him - 
 when compared with the other friends. That distinc¬ 
 tion is, mainly, his dogmatic manner. 
 
 161 
 
162 
 
 ZOPHAR THE DOGMATIST 
 
 One of the friends of Job arrived at his conclusions 
 through experience, another <from the traditions of the 
 fathers, but Zophar arrived at his largely through his 
 own conceit. He began by calling Job an empty talker: 
 “ Should not the multitude of words be answered ? and 
 should a man full of talk be justified? ” Then he de¬ 
 clared that Job was a liar and a mocker: “ Should thy 
 lies make men hold their peace ? and when thou mock- 
 est shall no man make thee ashamed? ” 
 
 Whenever you find a man who flies off in a rage at 
 once, who is not approachable by reason, who calls an¬ 
 other a liar without any hesitation and without definite 
 proof, you have a man who is a hard character to deal 
 with, because he is so self-willed himself He takes 
 the short, and often the wrong course, of ending an 
 argument. x He calls his opponent a liar, and thinks that 
 settles the matter. He may imagine that it is settled, 
 but it will not settle it for a man of reason and con¬ 
 viction nor for the mass of mankind. Wrong prin¬ 
 ciples are wrong, however they may be arrived at, but 
 the man who is wrong and who will not listen to reason 
 is one of the most hopeless of cases. 
 
 The man who is right from honest study and convic¬ 
 tion is not afraid to reason about it: he does not grow 
 angry if he meets with some one who has arrived at a 
 different conclusion, and whom he knows to be wrong. 
 He does not simply make a blustering statement and 
 then turn haughtily away from any one who might 
 dare to suggest the possibility of another view. A man 
 of firm and unshakable conviction may not be a dog¬ 
 matist. A dogmatist is one who speaks arrogantly as 
 well as positively in advancing principles. We hear a 
 great deal of talk these days about dogmatism. One 
 of our objects today is to discover whether such talk 
 
ZOPHAR THE DOGMATIST 
 
 163 
 
 is to any valuable purpose or not. There is a great 
 deal of confusion as to what dogmatism is, also as to 
 who is, and who is not, a dogmatist. 
 
 HOLDING TO CERTAIN PRINCIPLES ARROGANTLY, WITH¬ 
 OUT REGARD TO EVIDENCE, IS DOGMATISM 
 
 There are some men who act as though they think 
 that it is never possible for them to be wrong. When 
 they have taken a stand, even though reason may be 
 against them, they will not change. They think that 
 it is a sign of cowardice or weakness to change their 
 minds or to admit that they do not know definitely. 
 
 John Calvin is often said to have been a dogmatist, 
 but such a view is superficial. Calvin formulated all 
 of his principles with scholarly care. His reasoning 
 stands, today, in open form so that any one may study 
 it and compare it with his source of evidence, the 
 Scripture. His reasoning, though concise and definite, 
 when backed by reason and Scripture, cannot be said 
 to be dogmatic. 
 
 There are a great many prominent leaders in Chris¬ 
 tian work today, who ridicule what they term dogma 
 and the dogmatist, while they themselves are arrogant 
 and positive apart from reason, and therefore the dog¬ 
 matists. Recently there appeared in one of the most 
 widely-read magazines, an article concerning a min¬ 
 ister who declaimed vigorously against all sects and in¬ 
 dividualistic dogma. In order to abolish all sects he 
 would establish the community church. He says, “ We 
 must replace all sectarian churches by a new and funda¬ 
 mentally different type of church.” His view is, “ If 
 religion be an attitude to life instead of a dogma, there 
 is no necessity for the label of sect, and the theological 
 interpretation of the life of Christ is outworn.” Now 
 
164 
 
 ZOPHAR THE DOGMATIST 
 
 it seems to me clear, that any one who holds such views 
 and makes such statements, is an ignorant dogmatist 
 himself. He is like Zophar, he charges others with 
 being wrong when he is the most in error. He charges 
 others with extreme positiveness in their convictions, 
 when perhaps their faith is based upon the plain teach¬ 
 ing of the Word of God, and therefore not dogmatism 
 at all, while his is not Scriptural and is dogmatic, be¬ 
 cause he asserts very positively that he is right when 
 he is without foundation. In the statement quoted, 
 there must be “ a new and fundamentally different type 
 of church,” he is extremely dogmatic, because Christ 
 asserted that His church should always stand and that 
 the gates of hell should not prevail against it. 
 
 If the new church is to be fundamentally different 
 from the Church today, then the true Church has been 
 v lost. To teach as he does, and as many of his class do 
 today, that religion is to be an attitude to life instead 
 of a dogma, and that the theological interpretation of 
 the life of Christ is outworn, is to strike at the very 
 foundation of the true Church and to attempt to set 
 aside, in a most arrogant manner, the plainest teaching 
 of Christ and the apostles. Where such a theory is 
 held today it appears that almost as great a reforma¬ 
 tion is needed among religious leaders as in the days 
 of Luther. It is only another phase of the same funda¬ 
 mental error as Luther fought against—salvation by 
 works, rather than through the atonement of our 
 Lord. A man who poses as a religious leader and 
 makes such thoughtless statements as that, “ the theo¬ 
 logical interpretation of the life of Christ is outworn,” 
 is either ignorant of the Word of God or skeptical of 
 its teaching, so that he does not know the plan of 
 salvation as set forth in it. 
 
ZOPHAR THE DOGMATIST 
 
 165 
 
 Think of what that expression includes! In order 
 that we may not appear to be dogmatic, but may show 
 clearly what we mean, let us analyze the meaning of 
 the terms which he uses. The term, theology, is of 
 Greek origin, a composition of two words, Theos and 
 logos, meaning, literally, to speak of God. Theology 
 is, then, the science of God. It is a study of the nature, 
 the being, the attributes and the powers of God. Then, 
 stating it more clearly without using the term theology, 
 men of the stamp of the one just quoted declare, that 
 a study of the being, nature, and powers of God as 
 interpreted by, or in relationship to, the life of Christ 
 is outworn. Think how dangerous is such a view. It 
 would declare unimportant, it would relegate to obliv¬ 
 ion, the very center of all religion, the atonement of 
 Jesus Christ. This was the very thing that Paul said 
 was the heart of all of his teaching and thought: “ I 
 determined not to know anything among you save 
 Jesus Christ and him crucified.” Such a principle 
 would be mere rubbish for a man of such advanced 
 thought as the one quoted above, it would be dogma, 
 musty and useless. 
 
 Christ taught and the apostles emphasized that, fun¬ 
 damental to all life is faith. Was the charge to the 
 Philippian jailer by Paul, “ Change your ways, be 
 more kind to your prisoners, do not put them in the 
 stocks, feed them well and give them air, light and 
 heat, and we will consider that you are alright in the 
 sight of God, we will call you a Christian ” ? By no 
 means! Paul never taught such a doctrine! Paul said 
 first of all: “ Believe on Christ; without faith there is 
 no salvation.” A good life and efforts of kindness will 
 not cause one to merit salvation. Philip said to the 
 Ethiopian: “ Believe with all thine heart.” The writer 
 
166 
 
 ZOPHAR THE DOGMATIST 
 
 to the Hebrews said: “ How shall we escape if we 
 neglect so great salvation?” But in the face of all 
 this, many who are popular religious leaders today 
 vehemently assert, that a moral life is sufficient and 
 the blood atonement is unimportant. Any one who 
 declares that the relationship of Christ to God is a 
 matter of no moment, is responsible for such teaching; 
 teaching, which has no foundation in the Word of 
 God; teaching, which God took care to show men 
 was wrong, from the very first sacrifice which was 
 slain, until the Son of God died upon the cross. There¬ 
 fore one who endeavours to overthrow this truth with 
 a word, is the dogmatist, and not the one whom he 
 accuses of being such. 
 
 There are a great many men who in religious 
 thought and discussion are dogmatists in fact, when 
 they pronounce very strongly against it. They set up 
 a dogma of their own against the teaching of the Bible 
 and against that which the Church has held for ages 
 past. The fact that their dogma is new and the whole 
 outline of it is very indistinct and indefinitely stated 
 does not change the fact that they are dogmatists, for 
 they are arrogant and positive concerning the few 
 tenets which they hold, though without evidence to 
 support them. If they would only listen for a few 
 moments to honest, careful reasoning, and interpreta¬ 
 tion of the Word of God, they would learn that they 
 are wrong. But they feel so infallibly certain that they 
 are right that they do not need to study the Bible or 
 refer to its body of truth. 
 
 There are others, who, in the main are right, but in 
 some things misinterpret the Bible. It may be through 
 carelessness, it may be because of a limited knowledge 
 of the Bible, it may be through a limited range of 
 
ZOPHAR THE DOGMATIST 
 
 167 
 
 mental capacity: but they hold so fast and determinedly 
 to views of their own that one does not have a chance 
 to show them wherein they err. They are dogmatists. 
 They perhaps say that they are open to conviction, but 
 at the same time they would like to see the man who 
 could convince them. If Peter had listened to reason, 
 in place of being so sure he was right, he might have 
 saved himself the shame of denying his Lord and 
 Master. May we always be willing and ready to turn 
 the light of divine truth upon our views, and upon 
 our reasonings, lest perchance we have accepted some 
 statement for the truth, which may not conform with 
 a full and clear exposition of the Word of God. 
 
 a sound Faith and unwavering convictiq^t, 
 ACCORDING TO EVIDENCE, IS NOT DOGMATISM 
 
 Almost every reformer, during his lifetime, is ac¬ 
 cused of being a dogmatist. The fact that he is on the 
 minority side, and holds out tenaciously against the 
 majority, does not prove such an allegation. The fact 
 that he may be convinced of his position, remain true 
 to it, and die the martyr’s death, is no proof that he is 
 a dogmatist: it may serve to place upon him, in the 
 light of future and more reasonable generations, the 
 martyr’s crown. 
 
 There are a great many charges these days against 
 men and churches. The accusation is made that they 
 are dogmatic, if they are at all firm, when perhaps they 
 are only standing against the drift of the age, like a 
 great rock in a weary land. Such men stand in their 
 position with clear brain and open mind, but they stand 
 firmly and they are upheld by the grace of God, for 
 God will maintain His church amidst all the worldli¬ 
 ness of the age. 
 
168 
 
 ZOPHAR THE DOGMATIST 
 
 The idea of majority rule is becoming more and 
 more popular. It is popular in any country that is 
 ruled by a democratic or republican form of govern¬ 
 ment. In some lands where the popular voice was not 
 regarded until recently; now it is held to be supreme. 
 The common method of settling all matters is by a 
 vote of the people, and by many, the vote of the people 
 is regarded as the voice of God. It is evident, how¬ 
 ever, to the thinking Christian, that a wrong decision 
 by the majority of the people on a moral issue cannot 
 make that wrong right. Drinking intoxicating liquor 
 can never be made right because it is approved by the 
 majority. The approval of certain forms of adultery 
 and making it legal, cannot make it right. The view 
 that a majority vote can make a theory right has gone 
 too far, and that view having become popular in the 
 state, is carried over into the Church, and many men 
 are ready to allow it to be the deciding factor in mat¬ 
 ters of faith. What the majority want, it is said, they 
 should have, even in matters of religion. This is vir¬ 
 tually saying that the world should rule the Church, 
 that her tenets should be the interpretation of the Bible 
 which the world would suggest, for the majority of 
 the people in this age are of the world. 
 
 The majority in any age have not been careful 
 thinkers on theological principles. The old philosopher 
 was right when he said: “ One with God is a major¬ 
 ity.” Paul would not have been justified in yielding to 
 the majority in any school of philosophy. He was not 
 bound to remain by the teaching of his old instructor, 
 Gamaliel, although he was generally regarded as a very 
 wise man. He could properly refuse the advice of the 
 majority of the religious teachers, the rabbis, because 
 he had evidence from a higher authority. He had been 
 
ZOPHAR THE DOGMATIST 
 
 169 
 
 r 
 
 given a direct revelation from God, and he had before 
 him the whole Word of God. He reasoned out the 
 principles of theology in a most masterful manner. He 
 did more careful thinking than all of his teachers or 
 critics. When he was thrown out of one city and 
 forced to flee from the mob to another, he did not need 
 to revise his books or his theology for the next city. 
 He was right and could afford to stick to his reason¬ 
 ing, and to his faith. He was looked upon as madman 
 by some, as a witch by others, and as a heretic by 
 others: but he was none of these. He was a righteous, 
 humble, godly Christian. Arrogance or dogmatism in 
 one’s religious views is one thing: the charge by others 
 of being such, is another. 
 
 We need to weigh our own hearts and our own 
 teaching carefully, in order that we may determine 
 how closely they conform with the revealed will of 
 God. If they do not measure up to that standard, 
 then we need to change both our views and our ways. 
 If they stand the test of the will of God, then, though 
 the world is against us, we need not fear. If we know 
 some one who is pious, and patient, and thoughtful 
 concerning God and things divine, who holds a differ¬ 
 ent view from that which we hold, we should think 
 very carefully, lest after all our efforts, one so pure 
 and godly may have searched more deeply into spir¬ 
 itual truth than we. Job was more nearly correct than 
 Zophar, and yet Zophar talked as though he could not 
 possibly be wrong. The life of Job and his faith 
 ought to have led Zophar to be more careful and re¬ 
 luctant in making charges such as he made. No man 
 is a sufficient guide, even though he is patient and 
 pious, the only supreme guide is God: but we ought 
 to give more careful attention to the corrections or 
 
170 
 
 ZOPHAR THE DOGMATIST 
 
 reasonings of one who gives evidence of living close 
 to God. 
 
 Go to the Word of God with reverence. Accept 
 truth because it is truth, not because it is old, nor 
 merely because it is new. Reject error, even though it 
 may be new and popular: hold to truth because it is of 
 God, and its authority is above either the vacillating or 
 dogmatic opinions of men. The truth concerning God 
 can never die, nor can any man who holds fast to Him 
 through faith in Christ Jesus His Son, who died for 
 sinful men. 
 
XIII 
 
 THE DECEPTION OF CONCEIT 
 
 Job 12:2 
 
 A NCIENT history informs us that “ the person¬ 
 ality of Pythagoras deeply impressed the imagi¬ 
 nation of a later age, and he became the subject 
 of a myth or legend. The legend avers that he visited 
 Egypt and other lands of the Orient, and thus became 
 versed in all the wisdom of the East. It represents 
 him later in the midst of his disciples at Croton, elicit¬ 
 ing admiration and reverence through studied peculiari¬ 
 ties of dress and manner. It tells how his pupils in the 
 first years of their novitiate, were never allowed to look 
 upon their master; how they listened to his lectures 
 from behind a curtain; and how in debate they used 
 no other argument than the words, Ipse dixit —“ he, 
 himself, said so.” 
 
 Poor suffering Job had no curtain stretched between 
 himself and his friends who came to inflict their com¬ 
 forts upon him. Doubtless he would have desired a 
 curtain of sound-proof asbestos so placed, could he 
 have ordered it. After he had listened to one friend 
 after another pour out their comforts upon him, he 
 felt like saying ironically, Ipse dixit , “you have said 
 it, and your statement ends all argument.” But as that 
 phrase was unknown and unexistent at that time, Job 
 gave expression to the thought in his own language: 
 “ No doubt ye are the people and wisdom shall die 
 with you.” 
 
 171 
 
172 
 
 THE DECEPTION OF CONCEIT 
 
 Job was more frank in replying to his friends than 
 most people are today, though they may have similar 
 feelings. Of all the hard persons to listen to with 
 patience, it is the conceited man who thinks that he is 
 “ Sir Oracle,” and when “ I ope my lips, let no dog 
 bark.” Such men sorely tried the patience of Job. 
 
 CONCEIT DOES NOT GAIN THE RESPECT OE MEN 
 
 Frequently we hear men complaining because others 
 do not think more of them. Evidently others do not 
 rate them as highly as they rate themselves. They 
 have such a good opinion of themselves that they can¬ 
 not understand why others do not see them in the 
 same light. Jesus says: “ Blessed are the meek for 
 they shall inherit the earth.” Men will honour the 
 meek more in the end, than they will the proud. 
 
 When Rehoboam began to reign he sat upon a totter¬ 
 ing throne. The very heavy taxes which the people 
 had been asked to pay during the reign of Solomon, 
 which were raised to complete all the magnificent 
 buildings and maintain his splendid court, had necessi¬ 
 tated financial support to the breaking point. The wise 
 old men knew the feeling of the people and advised a 
 steady decrease of the burden of taxation. Rehoboam 
 might have got along very well if he had answered 
 them in a conciliatory manner, and had shown that he 
 was really seeking to be a servant of the people, desir¬ 
 ing to make their yoke just as light as it could be made, 
 in keeping with the necessary expenses of the kingdom. 
 But in place of trying to be agreeable he answered 
 those who were seeking relief in a haughty, conceited 
 manner. He did not propose to try to relieve the 
 strained conditions, he proposed to do just as he 
 pleased, and they could dance to his tune The result 
 
THE DECEPTION OF CONCEIT 
 
 173 
 
 was that a part of the nation rebelled and the kingdom 
 was divided. 
 
 The world today, laughs at Xerxes for his con¬ 
 ceited pride. When the force of the current and the 
 wind had carried away the temporary bridge which he 
 had caused to be thrown across the Hellespont, on his 
 expedition into Greece, he was so enraged that he not 
 only ordered the heads of the workmen struck off, but, 
 like a madman, inflicted lashes upon the sea to punish 
 it for its insolence. Moreover, he affected to hold it in 
 future under his control by throwing fetters into it. 
 
 The average politician today, unlike the tyrants of 
 old, realizes the value of affecting meekness in the 
 midst of his constituency, at least preceding election. 
 He takes an entirely different attitude from that of 
 Rehoboam. He says he wants to be the servant of the 
 people. It frequently proves afterward, by his actions, 
 that this is only camouflage in order to gain votes, but 
 at any rate, it is a recognition of the accuracy of the 
 point before us, that conceit does not gain the respect 
 of men. 
 
 conceit does not gain favour with god 
 
 It is the humble person who gains favour with God. 
 Meekness is so related to humility, that in the Old 
 Testament the same word is sometimes rendered by 
 one, and sometimes by the other. The two are never 
 wholly separate. One who has spoken on this subject 
 has said: “ As the terms are now used in moral and 
 religious subjects, humility more commonly expresses 
 our sentiments and temper of mind toward God, and 
 meekness our feelings toward men who abuse or injure 
 us. The opposite of humility is pride. The opposite 
 of meekness is wrath or sinful anger.” 
 
174 
 
 THE DECEPTION OF CONCEIT 
 
 Man is naturally proud and self-reliant. Such a 
 nature has no place with God. No tenet is more 
 clearly set forth and repeatedly emphasized than, “ The 
 proud he knoweth afar off.” “ Lowliness of mind is 
 not a flower that grows wild in the field of nature, but 
 requires to be planted by the finger of God.” 
 
 The teaching and example of Jesus was so evident 
 on this point that no one can mistake the emphasis 
 that He placed upon humility. When seized and 
 bound He did not utter any angry denunciations, but 
 simply said: “ Are you come out as against a thief 
 with swords and staves? When I was daily with you 
 in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me; 
 but this is your hour and the power of darkness.” 
 When Peter flew at one of the assailants and cut off 
 his ear, Jesus rebuked him by saying, “ Put up thy 
 sword; for they that take the sword shall perish with 
 the sword.” Jesus did not gloat over the victim; 
 rather, He touched the ear of the wounded man and 
 healed him. Jesus was not in the position of the ordi¬ 
 nary man who is persecuted and who cannot defend 
 himself, but the meeker He appears the milder will 
 the suffering probably be. He had power to rebuke 
 and destroy all of His persecutors with one stroke. 
 “ Think ye not,” said He, “ that I could now pray to 
 my father, and he would give me twelve legions of 
 angels.” Fie could have destroyed them like the army 
 of Sennacherib, but He chose rather to drink of the cup 
 which His Father had given Him. When blindfolded 
 and mocked and scourged He said, “ If I have spoken 
 evil bear witness of the evil, but if well, why smitest 
 thou me? ” Even on the Cross He did not rail upon 
 His enemies, but prayed: “ Father forgive them for 
 they know not what they do.” Jesus by His constant 
 
THE DECEPTION OF CONCEIT 
 
 175 
 
 spirit of humility gained favour not only with men, 
 but with God. 
 
 Mr. Spencer said, “ There are those who are self- 
 conceited in matters of religion; who are pure in their 
 own eyes, wise and prudent in their own sight, yet are 
 not washed from their filthiness; who stink in the nos¬ 
 trils of all who come near them,—such as the Nova- 
 tians, of whom St. Cyrian saith, ‘ They pronounce 
 themselves to be pure gold. But, if they be gold, it is 
 then that gold in which the sins of the people of Israel 
 are denoted.’ They are but golden calves.” 
 
 CONCEIT IS AN INJURIOUS POSSESSION 
 
 J. It prevents advancement. It carries with it a 
 self-satisfied feeling, a feeling that sufficient advance¬ 
 ment has been made, and it is not necessary to keep on 
 making a diligent effort. We hear it said of some one : 
 “ You couldn’t teach him anything, he knows it all 
 now.” A boy may be in school. If he feels that he 
 knows as much or more than his teacher, it is very 
 difficult for the teacher to accomplish much with him. 
 He doesn’t feel that it is necessary that he should listen 
 to the instruction, or that he should apply himself. 
 He is perhaps the bully of the neighbourhood, he can 
 lord it over the other boys and have a good time, so 
 what is the use of bothering with studies? He defies 
 the teacher when she urges and entreats and threatens. 
 His self-conceit is a great barrier in the way of his 
 progress. 
 
 A man may secure a position and begin work, but he 
 has a high opinion of himself and will not take advice 
 from his employer. He insists upon his own methods 
 and his own time. Perhaps his employer is seeking his 
 best interests by giving him timely suggestions. But 
 
176 
 
 THE DECEPTION OF CONCEIT 
 
 he is so determined in his own mind, and so defiant in 
 his manner, that his employer finds that he has to dis¬ 
 pense with his services and secure some one in his place 
 who is ready to fall in line with suggestions made, and 
 work in harmony with the plan of progress of the 
 company. 
 
 2. It sours the mind. One who is full of self- 
 conceit is usually soured on other people so that he 
 does not think he is treated properly, and that every 
 one is against him. He wonders why other people are 
 so kindly toward each other but slight him. He does 
 not see that he has made himself so obnoxious that he 
 is an injury to every organization with which he is 
 connected, and at last when people are so out of pa¬ 
 tience with his manner that they tell him so plainly or 
 let him alone, he thinks that it is all other people’s 
 fault and charges them with lack of religion. 
 
 A fable is told of a pig, which runs like this: A pig 
 once made its way into the courtyard of a lordly man¬ 
 sion, sauntered at its will around the stables and the 
 kitchen, wallowed in filth, and then returned home 
 from its visit, a pig of the most piggish order. “ Well, 
 Kavron, what have you seen ? ” asked its owner. 
 “ They do say that rich people’s houses are full of 
 pearls and diamonds, and that everything there is the 
 finest possible. What nonsense to be sure! ” grunted 
 the pig. “ I saw no splendour at all,—nothing but dirt 
 and offal; and yet I didn’t spare my snout, but rum¬ 
 maged the whole of the backyard.” 
 
 There are many people of the nature and manners 
 that they are constantly meeting with rebuffs. They 
 wonder why it is, but they have gotten just what they 
 were looking for according to their nature. 
 
 It hardens the heart. One who is lifted up with 
 
THE DECEPTION OF CONCEIT 
 
 177 
 
 pride, like Pharaoh, becomes harder and harder in 
 heart. The lowly man draws nearer to God, and the 
 haughty drifts farther and farther from Him. One 
 has said: “ Let us not be satisfied with a small degree 
 of this lowliness, but strive after it, make it an object, 
 so run as to obtain it, and remember that he who is 
 contented with grace enough to get to heaven, and 
 desires no more, may be very sure that he has none 
 at all.” 
 
 Haman’s pride grew a little larger and his contempt 
 for Mordecai and the Jews grew stronger every time 
 he saw the hated Jew. At last his heart became so 
 hardened that he would gladly have seen the body of 
 Mordecai dangling from a tall gallows where everyone 
 might see, and as he hoped, despise him. His hard¬ 
 ened request for the life of Mordecai reverted upon 
 his own head, and his life was forfeited on account of 
 his haughty conceit. 
 
 CONCEIT UNEORGIVEN ENDS IN DESTRUCTION 
 
 “ Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty 
 spirit before a fall.” A noted writer says, “ The vain¬ 
 glorious man looks upon himself through a false glass 
 which makes everything fairer and greater than it is; 
 and this flatulous humour filleth the empty bladder of 
 his vast thoughts with so much wind of pride, that he 
 presumes that Fortune, who hath once been his good 
 mistress, should ever be his handmaid. But let him 
 know that the wings of self-conceit, wherewith he 
 towereth so high are but patched and pieced up of bor¬ 
 rowed feathers, and that, too, in the soft wax of un¬ 
 certain hope, which in the encounter of very small heat 
 of danger, will melt, and fail him at his greatest need; 
 for fortune deals with him as the eagle with the tor- 
 
178 
 
 THE DECEPTION OF CONCEIT 
 
 toise—she carries him the higher, that she may break 
 him the easier. It would, therefore, be good advice, 
 that in the midst of his prosperity he should think of 
 the world’s instability, and that Fortune is constant in 
 nothing but inconstancy.” 
 
 Uzziah was a very prosperous king. He built up 
 the kingdom. He increased the military forces and 
 equipment so that he conquered both the Philistines 
 and Arabians, and the Ammonites paid tribute to him. 
 “ His name spread far abroad, for he was marvelously 
 helped till he was strong, his heart was lifted up to 
 his destruction.” Because of his pride and his sin due 
 to it, he was cursed of God, he was afflicted with lep¬ 
 rosy, and died an outcast, a miserable leper. 
 
 “ There never was a saint yet,” says Spurgeon, 
 “ that grew so proud of his fine feathers, but what the 
 Lord plucked them out, by and by; there never yet was 
 an angel that had pride in his heart, but he lost his 
 wings and fell into Gehenna, as Satan and those fallen 
 angels did; and there never shall be a saint who in¬ 
 dulges self-conceit and pride and self-confidence, but 
 the Lord will spoil his glories, and trample his honours 
 in the mire, and make him cry out yet again, Lord 
 have mercy upon me, less than the least of all the 
 saints, and the very chief of sinners.” “ A man’s 
 pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the 
 humble in spirit.” 
 
 When Christian and Hopeful wandered out of the 
 right path and were on their way to despair, they 
 caught up with one by the name of Vain-Confidence 
 who assured them that he was on the way to the Ce¬ 
 lestial City and they had only to follow him. But as 
 he hastened on before, he fell into a deep pit which 
 was placed there by the prince of those grounds to 
 
THE DECEPTION OF CONCEIT 
 
 179 
 
 catch vainglorious fools. All they heard of him after 
 that, though they called to him, was a groaning. He 
 was forever lost. And then the author refers to this 
 verse of Isaiah: “ For the leaders of this people cause 
 them to err; and they that are led of them are 
 destroyed.” 1 
 
 If, then, conceit is so deceptive that it does not gain 
 the favour of man or of God, is an injurious possession 
 and ends in eternal destruction, we ought not to be long 
 in making up our minds to cease to trust in it. We 
 ought, in meekness of mind and humility of heart, to 
 put all of our confidence, not in self, but in Jesus 
 Christ, who is meek and lowly of heart and in Whom 
 we shall find rest for our souls. 
 
 1 Isa. 9:16. 
 
XIV 
 
 GOD THE STRENGTH OF THE NATIONS 
 
 Job 12: 10-25 
 
 W HILE the message of Job was not primarily a 
 social one, yet in his argument concerning the 
 omnipotent power of God, he uttered some 
 profound statements concerning the relation of nations 
 to God. The twenty-third verse—“ He increaseth the 
 nations, and destroyeth them; he enlargeth the nations, 
 and straiteneth them again ”—is as clear as any other 
 in the Bible, in setting forth God’s power over the 
 nations. It shows that God may increase the number 
 of inhabitants and enlarge the bounds of a nation, so 
 that it makes a great showing among the nations, then 
 He may cause it to decline, or He may terminate its 
 existence. The sources of prosperity of a nation are in 
 the hand of God. He can visit them with famine, 
 pestilence or war, until their numbers are decreased 
 and their prosperity of former years is known only 
 by the record in history. “ He blesseth them also, 
 so that they are multiplied greatly, and suffereth not 
 their cattle to decrease. Again they are minished, 
 and brought low through oppression, affliction, and 
 sorrow.” 1 
 
 Even if Job lived as early as the time of Abraham, 
 he had ample opportunity to witness the rise and fall of 
 nations. Abraham came into contact with an alliance 
 of nations and defeated them to save Lot. That there 
 
 i Ps. 107:38, 39. 
 
 180 
 
GOD THE STRENGTH OF THE NATIONS 181 
 
 was extensive legislation in nations at that time is evi¬ 
 denced by the code of Hammurabi, which was discov¬ 
 ered at Susa. Hammurabi is identical with Amraphel, 
 whom Abraham overtook and captured . 2 God directed 
 Abraham and strengthened him, so that with a small 
 group of armed men, he defeated an alliance of na¬ 
 tions. Consequently Job could say, from his knowl¬ 
 edge of the destiny of nations in that early day: “ God 
 increaseth the nations and destroyeth them,” for: “ In 
 his hand is the soul of every living thing, and the 
 breath of all mankind.” 
 
 THAT GOD IS THE STRENGTH OE THE NATIONS IS A 
 PLAIN TEACHING OE THE BIBLE 
 
 God made this fact clear to Israel, and in fact to all 
 the nations, in the early epochs of the world’s history. 
 He taught it through Abraham, Job and Moses. God’s 
 care of Israel in Egypt, their deliverance from bond¬ 
 age, and the exodus, is a vivid exposition of this great 
 truth. Led by Moses, Israel sang at the Red Sea: “ I 
 will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed glori¬ 
 ously : the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the 
 sea.—The Lord is a man of war: the Lord is his name. 
 Pharaoh’s chariots and his host hath he cast into the 
 sea.—The Lord shall reign for ever and ever.” 
 
 Dr. S. H. Kellogg, in the Expositor’s Bible, when 
 drawing the practical lessons concerning the sin offer¬ 
 ing, after quoting the thirteenth and fourteenth verses 
 of the fourth chapter of Leviticus, says: “ Thus Israel 
 was taught by this law, as we are, that responsibility 
 attaches not only to each individual person, but also to 
 associations of individuals in their corporate character, 
 as nations, communities, and—we may add—all So- 
 
 2 Gen. 14. 
 
182 GOD THE STRENGTH OF THE NATIONS 
 
 cieties and Corporations, whether secular or religious. 
 Let us emphasize it to our own consciences, as another 
 of the fundamental lessons of this law: there is indi¬ 
 vidual sin; there is also such a thing as sin by ‘ the 
 whole congregation.’ In other words, God holds na¬ 
 tions, communities—in a word, all associations and 
 combinations of men for whatever purpose, no less 
 under obligation in their corporate capacity to keep 
 His law than as individuals, and will count them guilty 
 if they break it, even through ignorance. 
 
 “ Never has a generation needed this reminder more 
 than our own. The political and social principles 
 which, since the French Revolution in the end of the 
 last century, have been, year by year, more and more 
 generally accepted among the nations of Christendom, 
 are everywhere tending to the avowed practical denial 
 of this most important truth. It is a maxim ever more 
 and more extensively accepted as almost axiomatic in 
 our modern democratic communities, that religion is 
 wholly a concern of the individual; and that a nation 
 or community as such, should make no distinction be¬ 
 tween various religions as false or true, but maintain 
 an absolute neutrality, even between Christianity and 
 idolatry, or theism and atheism. It should take little 
 thought that this modern maxim stands in direct op¬ 
 position to the principle assumed in this law of the 
 sin-offering; namely, that a community or nation is as 
 truly and directly responsible to God as the individual 
 in the nation. But this corporate responsibility the 
 spirit of the age squarely denies. 
 
 “ Not all, indeed, in our modern so-called Christian 
 nations have come to this. But no one will deny that 
 this is the mind of the vanguard of the nineteenth cen¬ 
 tury liberalism in religion and politics. Many of our 
 
GOD THE STRENGTH OF THE NATIONS 183 
 
 political leaders in all lands make no secret of their 
 views on the subject. A purely secular state is every¬ 
 where held up, and that with great plausibility and per¬ 
 suasiveness, as the ideal of political government; the 
 goal to the attainment of which all good citizens should 
 unite their efforts. * * * It is not strange, indeed, to 
 see atheists, agnostics, and others who deny the Chris¬ 
 tian faith, maintaining this position; but when we hear 
 men who call themselves Christians—in many cases 
 even Christian ministers—advocating, in one form or 
 another, governmental neutrality in religion as the only 
 right basis of government, one may well be amazed. 
 For Christians are supposed to accept the Holy Scrip¬ 
 tures as the law of faith and morals, private and pub¬ 
 lic; and where in all the Scriptures will any one find 
 such an attitude of any nation or people mentioned, 
 but to be condemned and threatened with the judgment 
 of God? 
 
 “ Will any one venture to say that this teaching of 
 the law of the sin-offering was only intended, like the 
 offering itself, for the old Hebrews? Is it not rather 
 the constant and most emphatic teaching of the whole 
 Scriptures, that God dealt with all the ancient Gentile 
 nations on the same principle? ” 3 
 
 “ Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a re¬ 
 proach to any people.” 4 “ The nation of Israel was 
 
 most prosperous when it was most religious, under the 
 pious reigns of David and Solomon. And when did 
 it become an abomination, and a hissing, and a destruc¬ 
 tion, but when it departed from the Lord, and filled up 
 the cup of its iniquity by rejecting the Messiah? ” 5 
 
 That God is the strength of nations is set forth 
 
 3 Expositor’s Bible, Leviticus, pp. 125-6. 4 Prov. 14: 34, 
 
 5 Messiah the Prince, Symington, p. 283. 
 
184 GOD THE STRENGTH OF THE NATIONS 
 
 clearly in the second Psalm, which is manifestly Mes¬ 
 sianic. “ Why do the nations rage, and the peoples 
 meditate a vain thing? The kings of the earth set 
 themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, 
 against Jehovah, and against his anointed, saying, let 
 us break their bonds asunder, and cast away their cords 
 from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: 
 the Lord will have them in derision. Then will he 
 speak to them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore 
 displeasure.—-Now therefore be wise, O ye kings: be 
 instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve Jehovah 
 with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the son, 
 lest he be angry, and ye perish in the way, for his 
 wrath will soon be kindled. Blessed are all they that 
 take refuge in him.” 6 
 
 “ The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the 
 nations that forget God .” 7 National destruction 
 awaits all the nations that forget God. God, speaking 
 through the prophet Jeremiah, says: “ At what instant 
 I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a 
 kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy 
 it: if that nation, against whom I have pronounced, 
 turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I 
 thought to do unto them. And at what instant I shall 
 speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, 
 to build and to plant it: if it do evil in my sight, that 
 it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good 
 wherewith I said I would benefit them.” 8 
 
 Daniel was permitted to live to a ripe old age, during 
 which time, he had a part, in the providence of God, 
 in teaching one king after another, that kings and na¬ 
 tions derive their strength from God, and according to 
 His will rise or fall. If we have conceived the notion 
 
 6 American Revision. 7 Ps. 9:17. 8 Jer. 18:7-10. 
 
GOD THE STRENGTH OF THE NATIONS 185 
 
 that God had to do only with Israel, as a nation, may 
 we remember that all of the nations under which Dan¬ 
 iel served were Gentile nations. In the vision which 
 Nebuchadnezzar saw, of a great tree which extended 
 to heaven, but was cut down, leaving only the stump: 
 Daniel showed that the tree represented Nebuchad¬ 
 nezzar himself, and that if he did not repent he would 
 be made to eat grass with the oxen until he should 
 know that God ruled, and he and his empire were sub¬ 
 ject to Him. He was given a year in which to repent; 
 but at the expiration of that time he was more haughty 
 and defiant than ever. As he walked in the palace he 
 boasted: “ Is not this great Babylon, that I have built 
 for the house of the kingdom, by the might of my 
 power, and for the honour of my majesty? While the 
 word was in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from 
 heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is 
 spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee: and they 
 shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be 
 with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat 
 grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, 
 until thou know that the Most High ruleth in the king¬ 
 dom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.” 
 After seven years of the most terrible humiliation, his 
 reason was given to him again, and he was willing to 
 admit that the Most High liveth forever, “ whose do¬ 
 minion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is 
 from generation to generation: and all the inhabitants 
 of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth ac¬ 
 cording to his will in the army of heaven, and among 
 the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his 
 hand, or say unto him, What doest thou ? ” 9 
 
 When th e voice of God spoke to Belshazzar he was 
 
 9 Dan. 4: 30-35. 
 
186 GOD THE STRENGTH OF THE NATIONS 
 
 not given a year, or even a night, in which to repent. 
 Dissipation and drunkenness, while they are great sins, 
 were not the only sins of Belshazzar, nor were they 
 primarily the cause of the fall of the Chaldean empire. 
 Belshazzar met his fate because he had not humbled 
 his heart before God, but had lifted it up against the 
 God of heaven. He knew the lesson which God had 
 taught so forcefully to his father, Nebuchadnezzar, but 
 notwithstanding, he had gone on in sin and had dis¬ 
 honoured God in a flagrant manner by drinking out 
 of the sacred vessels and praising “ the gods of silver, 
 and gold, brass, iron, wood and stone.” God wrote 
 his doom upon the wall while the trembling knees of 
 the defiant king smote together. The first statement 
 is repeated for emphasis, in order that kings and na¬ 
 tions of future ages might not miss the point: “ God 
 hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. God 
 hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. Thou art 
 weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. Thy 
 kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Per¬ 
 sians.—In that night was Belshazzar the king of the 
 Chaldeans slain.” 10 
 
 Years later king Herod, decked in all his royal robes, 
 sat upon the throne and made a great oration to the 
 people. “ The people gave a shout, saying, It is the 
 voice of a god, and not of a man.” But they had 
 scarcely ceased to shout, when God smote him and he 
 was eaten of worms. Why? Because he gave not 
 God the glory . 11 
 
 Paul assures us that “ Our Lord Jesus Christ ” is 
 “ the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, 
 and Lord of Lords .” 12 John reminds us in the 
 Apocalypse that Christ will deal sternly with the rebel- 
 
 10 Dan. 5. 11 Acts 12:21-23. 12 1 Tim. 6:14, 15. 
 
GOD THE STRENGTH OF THE NATIONS 187 
 
 lious nations: “ As the vessels of a potter shall they be 
 broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.” 13 
 
 There is no lesson more evident in Scripture, from 
 Genesis to Revelation, than this: namely, that God is 
 the strength of nations, and that they rise, expand, or 
 fall, accordingly as they trust or offend Him. 
 
 THAT GOD IS THE STRENGTH OE NATIONS IS A PLAIN 
 
 TEACHING OF HISTORY 
 
 The course of history usually follows the rise, 
 progress and fall of nations. How does history bear 
 out the conclusions of Job, that “ God increaseth the 
 nations and destroyeth them”? If one reads history 
 with his “ eyes and not with his prejudices,” he will 
 discover that the chief factor is God. “ The nations 
 which have been hurled down from the supremacy 
 which they formerly possessed, perished not from the 
 want of resources, but of the courage and the skill to 
 use them. God had taken their hearts from them, and 
 they fell in an evil snare. They bowed down under 
 the load of unrepented sin, and submitted their necks 
 to the conqueror. Babylon, Persepolis, Greece, Rome, 
 and Constantinople, were fuller of wealth and arms on 
 the day that they opened their gates to the conqueror 
 than when poor and few in numbers, but resolute in 
 spirit, they first started in the career of victory. Had 
 God restored to them the mind of their forefathers, 
 they would soon have rolled back the battle from their 
 gates, difficulties and dangers which were bringing on 
 their speedy doom would have disappeared as a dream, 
 and with united hearts and hands they would have re- 
 edified to more than their former height their temples 
 and their bulwarks. But sin, with the power of an 
 
 13 Rev. 2:27. 
 
188 GOD THE STRENGTH OF THE NATIONS 
 
 avenging God, is the ruin of every people. He turns 
 their wisdom into folly, and their strength into 
 weakness.” 14 
 
 One of the great Christian statesmen of half a cen¬ 
 tury ago, when speaking on the subject of “ Christ in 
 History,” and referring to the great Rebellion of that 
 time, said: “ Men are subordinate agents; they are not 
 sovereigns, but subjects: they are overmastered by 
 events that are too great for them, are driven before 
 them like chaff by the storm. It might be laid down 
 as a universal rule, I think, that wars never turn out as 
 those who originate them, either design or anticipate. 
 No conqueror ever ends where he expected. Napoleon 
 appeared to direct the storm for a time in his day, but 
 it was but a short time: he was very soon overpowered, 
 and of all the wrecks of that time his was the most 
 complete. In the present page, which a Divine Provi¬ 
 dence is unfolding before our eyes, how utterly insig¬ 
 nificant do men appear. I would not unduly depreciate 
 human instrumentality; there is abundant room for the 
 display of human wisdom and sagacity—nevertheless, 
 is there any one so blind as not to see that on both 
 sides these events control man, and not men events? 
 What is the explanation of all this ? The great plan is 
 God’s, men are His subordinates. His counsel shall 
 stand, and He will do all His pleasure. ‘ There is no 
 enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divina¬ 
 tion against Israel/ The success of men is dependent 
 upon their plans falling in with the divine will.” 15 
 
 There is not necessarily a decadent principle within 
 a nation which determines that it shall grow and ex¬ 
 pand to maturity and then, like a man, decline, become 
 
 14 Douglas’s Prospects of Britain, pp. 16, 17. 
 
 15 Life and Works of J. R. W. Sloane, p. 432. 
 
GOD THE STRENGTH OF THE NATIONS 189 
 
 weak and die. There is no nation that has existed, in 
 its present form, more than a thousand years. The 
 usual length of the life of nations is much less. There 
 are trees now standing, sufficiently hoary with age, that 
 they might record the rise and overthrow of nations 
 in every part of the world. Yet we do not affirm that 
 these trees may never grow old and decay. The indi¬ 
 viduals within a nation may change, increase in num¬ 
 bers, develop in intellect, in resources, and in purity of 
 heart. The nation may grow stronger with every gen¬ 
 eration. But as a matter of history, after a certain 
 amount of development, there has come laxity of relig¬ 
 ion, morals, and contentment: following which there is 
 certain to be a gradual or sudden decline. The nation 
 which has remained in right relationship with God has 
 not yet been found, and ignoring the greatest source 
 of national strength, they have, like Israel, leaned upon 
 a broken reed. 
 
 Spain at one time had the opportunity, by reason of 
 her wealth and vast territory, of becoming one of the 
 greatest, if not the greatest, power in Europe and 
 America. But Spain was oppressive, deceitful and 
 godless, and God broke her Armada upon the rocks 
 and rent her territory from her cruel grasp. 
 
 Russia, with her millions of citizens, her vast and 
 fertile plains, extending almost from the Atlantic to 
 the Pacific, might be a world power which could take 
 her stand and make the allied forces of the nations 
 tremble. But because of her materialism, godlessness 
 and ignorance, her government today is more of a ter¬ 
 ror to its own people than to the world outside. With 
 godliness outlawed, the Bible trampled under foot, edu¬ 
 cation condemned, virtue disowned, persecution ram¬ 
 pant, property unsafe, and her homes rent asunder: 
 
190 GOD THE STRENGTH OF THE NATIONS 
 
 Russia stands like a helpless beggar, a byword before 
 the civilized world. Would that she might have heard 
 and heeded the voice of the statesman quoted above, 
 when he said: “ Infidel communism—and communism 
 is the logical consequent of all theories of government 
 which do not hold the State to be of divine origin— 
 can create a mob frantic as the victim of delirium in its 
 struggles against lawful authority; but Christian mo¬ 
 rality alone can create and preserve a great, free, and 
 enlightened nation.” 16 
 
 Germany, less than a decade ago, was ready to, and 
 did, shake her mailed fist in the face of the civilized 
 world. Her onslaught was so fierce that men feared 
 that civilization might collapse before her. It took the 
 combined armies of the greatest nations of the world 
 to drive her back within her borders and force her to 
 disarm. Today she stands throttled by one of the 
 smaller nations of the world. She stands as one of the 
 most striking examples of modern, if not of all history, 
 of a nation which, having every opportunity of enlight¬ 
 enment, turned to materialism, forsook God, and was 
 forsaken of Him. Today, in influence, in wealth, in 
 territory, and in power of combat or resistance, she is 
 but the shadow of her former self. In place of being a 
 center of influence and education, as she formerly was, 
 she is the scorn of the world. 
 
 It is well for us to consider earnestly with Kipling; 
 
 “ If drunk with sight of power, we loose 
 Wild tongues that have not Thee in awe, 
 
 Such boastings as the Gentiles use, 
 
 Or lesser breeds without the Law— 
 
 Lord God of hosts, be with us yet. 
 
 Lest we forget—lest we forget! 
 
 16 Life and Work of J. R. W. Sloane, p. 269. 
 
GOD THE STRENGTH OF THE NATIONS 191 
 
 “ For heathen heart that puts her trust 
 In reeking tube and iron shard, 
 
 All valiant dust that builds on dust, 
 
 And guarding, calls not Thee to guard, 
 
 For frantic boast and foolish word— 
 
 Thy mercy on Thy people, Lord! ” 
 
 — Recessional. 
 
 History cries with a voice that increases in volume 
 as it echoes down the ages, that all the strength of 
 every nation is derived from, and centers in, God. 
 
 THAT GOD IS THE STRENGTH OE THE NATIONS IS A 
 PLAIN TEACHING OE CHRISTIAN POLITICAL 
 
 PHILOSOPHY 
 
 Job was in advance of some of the philosophers of 
 today. Political science has been developed in a man¬ 
 ner that Job never dreamed of: and yet Job reasoned 
 more correctly than many of those who have made a 
 life study of this science. It is one of the remarkable 
 things about the divinely guided philosophers of an¬ 
 cient days, that their principles were sound, and 
 whenever men deviate from those principles they are 
 moving backward rather than forward. The political 
 philosopher never gets beyond the teaching of the 
 Bible. God, the author of the Bible, knew the best 
 philosophy for the nations, long before men began to 
 discuss these principles. We talk about the advance¬ 
 ment of Egyptian art, and the tomb of Tutankhamen, 
 which is being unearthed today, is revealing the devel¬ 
 opment in that day, as never before. But the Hebrews 
 had advanced in the science of political philosophy until 
 they are still our standard today. And the heart of all 
 that philosophy, Job was able to sum up in one sen¬ 
 tence, and hand it down to us in the words of our text. 
 
192 GOD THE STRENGTH OF THE NATIONS 
 
 Of course there are many who deny this doctrine. 
 But their denial does not change the facts. There was 
 no physician in Europe over forty years of age, ac¬ 
 cording to Harvey, who accepted his view of the circu¬ 
 lation of the blood. But their denial did not disprove 
 the scientific fact. That there are some who teach, 
 write, and speak in the field of political science, who 
 deny that the nation is morally accountable to God, or 
 that it has anything to do with God, does not change 
 the facts. We have already laid a basis for this fact 
 in Scripture and history, and it is helpful and encour¬ 
 aging to know, that there are many of the best thinkers 
 of modern times, who have made a scientific demon¬ 
 stration of this great truth in their own chosen field 
 of political philosophy. 
 
 It was a sad day for Germany when her philosophers 
 repudiated the principle that the nation was morally 
 accountable to God. The blame for leading Germany 
 up to the precipice over which she leaped in the summer 
 of nineteen hundred and fourteen, is frequently placed 
 upon Nietzsche, because he gave expression to a phil¬ 
 osophy, which, when accepted, made the transition 
 from the creed to the krieg of Prussia, a perfectly 
 natural one. When we read such statements as he 
 made in Zarathustra: “ Ye shall love peace as a means 
 to new wars, and the short peace better than the long. 
 —Ye say a good cause will hallow even war? I say 
 unto you a good war halloweth every cause,” we are 
 shocked. And in “ The Will to Power ”: “ Such men 
 as Napoleon must always return and always settle our 
 belief in the self-glory of the individual afresh.—Man 
 is a combination of the beast and the superbeast; higher 
 man a combination of the monster and the superman; 
 these opposites belong to each other.” At such mon- 
 
GOD THE STRENGTH OF THE NATIONS 193 
 
 strous assertions we stand aghast. But if we examine 
 a little more closely it is evident that we cannot attach 
 all the blame to Nietzsche, for he is not an accident in 
 the evolution of modern Germany. The destructive 
 religious critics must share, and perhaps bear, the re¬ 
 sponsibility for the false philosophical theories which 
 have been so widely condemned. A book which has 
 had a great influence upon the religious life of Ger¬ 
 many, we are told, is “ Das Leben Jesu,” by Strauss. 
 He was more Jewish than Christian, and held that 
 Jesus of the Gospels was a mythical character. Strauss 
 has had a steady line of admirers and followers. 
 Deussen, the student companion of Nietzsche, says, 
 that the latter was fascinated with Strauss’s “ Leben 
 Jesu,” that he devoured it, and at the same time was 
 fully aware of the significance of its teachings. 
 Nietzsche asserted the logic of it in this way: “The 
 thing has a very serious consequence, when you give 
 up Christ you must at the same instant give up God.” 
 He gave up Christianity, and he hurled his anathemas 
 against the Lord of glory. He said: “ I call Christian¬ 
 ity the one great curse, the one great intrinsic deprav¬ 
 ity, the one great instinct for revenge, for which no 
 expedient is sufficiently poisonous, secret, subterranean, 
 mean—I call it the one immortal blemish of mankind. 
 That which defies me, that which makes me stand out 
 from the rest of humanity is the fact that I have un¬ 
 masked Christian Morality.” Such is the logic of anti- 
 Christian philosophy. He who renounces Christ denies 
 God, and he who repudiates God rushes headlong 
 toward the abyss, dragging a train of satellites with 
 him. When a nation accepts a philosophy which denies 
 God, it, at that moment, signs its death warrant, and 
 assures the world of another illustration of the truth 
 
194 GOD THE STRENGTH OF THE NATIONS 
 
 expressed many centuries ago by tbe Psalmist: “ The 
 wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that 
 forget God.” The destruction may not be so violent, 
 but it is just as certain, as that of Germany. 
 
 We are thankful that we can point to Christian lead¬ 
 ers in political science who have not led us in a suicidal 
 course, but who have recognized the moral personality 
 of the nation, and its responsibility to Almighty God. 
 It will be well when every nation lends a listening and 
 sympathetic ear to such principles of philosophy. John 
 Milton said, “ A commonwealth ought to be but as one 
 huge Christian personage, one mighty growth and 
 stature of an honest man, as big and compact in virtue 
 as in body.” Edmund Burke, when speaking of the 
 moral relations and duties of the state, said of the 
 British nation: they “ think themselves bound, not only 
 as individuals in the sanctuary of the heart, or as con¬ 
 gregated in that personal capacity, to renew the mem¬ 
 ory of their high origin and cast; but also in their 
 corporate character to perform their national homage 
 to the Institutor and Protector of civil society .” 17 
 The Hon. Wm. E. Gladstone said concerning the state: 
 “ It is moral, and not merely economical, inasmuch as 
 its laws and institutions, and acts done under them, are 
 intimately connected with the formation of our moral 
 habits—that which we are individually we have come 
 to be, in a very considerable degree, through and by 
 means of that which we are nationally.” 18 Benjamin 
 Franklin made a lengthy argument in the Constitu¬ 
 tional Convention, on this subject, the substance of 
 which is: “I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the 
 longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this 
 
 17 Reflections on the Revolution in France, pp. 183, 185. 
 
 18 The State in Its Relation with the Church, Vol. I, p. 86. 
 
GOD THE STRENGTH OF THE NATIONS 195 
 
 truth—that God governs in the affairs of men.” 19 
 Phillimore, in his first volume on International Law, 
 said: “ Moral persons are governed partly by divine 
 law, which includes natural law; partly by positive in¬ 
 stituted human law, which includes written law and 
 unwritten law or custom. States are reciprocally 
 recognized as moral persons.” 20 Elisha Mulford, in 
 “ The Nation,” said: “ The nation is a moral person¬ 
 ality.” 21 Dr. David McAllister said, in his book, 
 “ The History and Principles of Christian Civil Gov¬ 
 ernment ”: “ The nation, or the state, in the sense of 
 that word in international law, is a moral agent, or a 
 being with true moral character and accountability.” 
 The object of his book is to prove this fact, which is 
 so often overlooked. One of the greatest addresses of 
 Dr. J. R. W. Sloane is entitled: “ The moral character 
 of the nation.” In it he says: “ The nation is of God, 
 is a creature of moral law, and subject to the divine 
 government; change the names, and the burden of 
 Tyre, of Edom, and of Ammon, may be written of any 
 nation that follows in the same path of wickedness; 
 phenomena are transient, but principles are eternal.” 22 
 In his address on “ The three pillars of a republic,” he 
 says: “ A nation is a moral person; has, or ought to 
 have, a conscience; sustains relations to the immutable 
 and eternal; is a plan of the divine mind; lies directly 
 under the eye of God, and is accountable to him.” 23 
 Theodore Roosevelt said, in Oxford, in 1910: “ I hold 
 that the laws of morality which should govern indi¬ 
 viduals in their dealings one with the other are just as 
 binding concerning nations in their dealings one with 
 
 19 Franklin’s Works, Sparks’ Edition, Vol. V, p. 153. 
 
 20 P. 15. 2i P> 19> 22 Li fe and Work, p- 282. 
 
 23 Fife and Work, p. 237. 
 
196 GOD THE STRENGTH OF THE NATIONS 
 
 the other.” Abraham Lincoln, in a Fast proclamation 
 which he issued in 1863, said: “ It is the duty of na¬ 
 tions as well as men to own their dependence upon the 
 overruling power of God, to confess their sins and 
 transgressions in humble sorrow * * * those nations 
 only are blessed whose God is the Lord * * * nations, 
 like individuals, are subjected to punishments and chas¬ 
 tisements in this world.” Woodrow Wilson said, in an 
 address to liberty loan workers, Apr. 2, 1918: “We 
 are coming to the place where we shall more and more 
 recognize that nations must have the same standards 
 as individuals.” President Harding said, in his open¬ 
 ing speech to the conference for the limitation of arma¬ 
 ments : “ Inherent rights are of God, and the tragedies 
 of the world originate in their attempted denial.” 
 
 We have quoted from a number of specialists in the 
 sphere of political philosophy, both of the past and 
 present, in order to emphasize this important truth 
 which is so frequently overlooked in our so-called prac¬ 
 tical age: namely, that the nation has a moral person¬ 
 ality, is therefore responsible to God, and is subject to 
 rewards or punishments by Him. Her strength rests 
 wholly in Him: “ Except the Lord build the house, 
 they labour in vain that build it; except the Lord keep 
 the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.” 24 
 
 THAT GOD IS TITE STRENGTH OE THE NATIONS IS THE 
 NECESSARY CONCLUSION OE EAITH IN AN 
 OMNIPOTENT GOD 
 
 Job, in this connection, is speaking of the omnipo¬ 
 tent power of God, “ In whose hand is the soul of 
 every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.” 25 
 If God is omnipotent He must control the larger, as 
 
 24 p s . 127:1. 25 V. 10. 
 
GOD THE STRENGTH OF THE NATIONS 197 
 
 well as the smaller units, of life and society. God 
 could not be omnipotent if He did not control nations. 
 Men who profess Christianity readily admit that God 
 is omnipotent. They have, however, many lame theo¬ 
 ries in the application of this principle. They halt when 
 they are faced with difficult or unpopular problems. 
 For instance, in the case of Jonah: they readily admit 
 that God could control a worm; that He could control 
 a gourd, and that He could even control a wind; but 
 when it comes to exercising control over a whale, and 
 particularly over nations, they are confounded. Such 
 men are not as willing to recognize the omnipotent 
 power of God as was the heathen Nebuchadnezzar 
 when he declared: “ All the inhabitants of the earth are 
 reputed as nothing. He doeth according to his will, 
 and none can stay his hand.” They have not had the 
 same experience as did Nebuchadnezzar before he came 
 to that conclusion. Perhaps if they had, they would 
 not be so incredulous about God’s power. Though 
 Assyria was the greatest empire of Isaiah’s day, God 
 told him that it was only a rod in the hand of the 
 Almighty. 26 The spokesman of the Assyrian king, the 
 cruel, ironical Rabshakeh, boasted of the sweeping 
 overthrow of the gods and the kings of other nations, 
 and demanded the immediate capitulation of Hezekiah 
 and his army, as he pointed to the fires burning in 
 devastated Judah and stood before the wall of the last 
 fortress still held by the Hebrew people: “ Behold thou 
 hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all 
 lands, by destroying them utterly; and shalt thou be 
 delivered? Have the gods of the nations delivered 
 them which my fathers have destroyed, as Gozan, and 
 Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden which 
 
 26 10 : 5 . 
 
198 GOD THE STRENGTH OF THE NATIONS 
 
 were in Telassar ? Where is the king of Hamath, and 
 the king of Arphad, and the king of the city of Sep- 
 harvaim, Hena, and Ivah ? ” 44 Who are they among 
 
 all the gods of these lands that they have delivered their 
 land out of my hand, that the Lord should deliver 
 Jerusalem out of my hand?” 27 By the omnipotent 
 arm of God the flower of the Assyrian army fell in 
 one night, and the broken remnant, in disorganized 
 flight, hastened back to Ninevah. They were not per¬ 
 mitted to come into the city of Jerusalem, nor shoot 
 an arrow there, nor come before it with shields, nor 
 cast a bank against it. When God was speaking of 
 punishing the nation of Assyria He said: 44 Shall the 
 axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? or 
 shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh 
 it ? ” 28 44 Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, 
 
 or being his counsellor hath taught him? With whom 
 took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught 
 him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowl¬ 
 edge, and shewed to him the way of understanding? 
 Behold the nations are as the drop of a bucket, and are 
 counted as the small dust of a balance: behold he taketh 
 up the isles as a very little thing.-—All the nations be¬ 
 fore him are as nothing; and they are counted to him 
 less than nothing, and vanity.” 29 When a nation is 
 blessed, it is God who blesses it; when it is cursed, it is 
 by His will. 44 The curse causeless shall not come.” 
 44 Shall there be evil in the city and the Lord hath not 
 done it? ” 
 
 44 Why do the nations rage, and the peoples meditate 
 a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, 
 and the rulers take counsel together, against Jehovah, 
 and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their 
 
 27 Isa. 37:11-13; 36: 20. 28 Isa. 10:15. 29 i sa . 40 : 13-15, 17. 
 
GOD THE STRENGTH OF THE NATIONS 199 
 
 bonds asunder, and cast away their cords from us. 
 He that sitteth in the heavens will laugh: the Lord will 
 have them in derision.” 30 Can the nations resist or 
 outwit the omnipotent God? Their efforts do not dis¬ 
 turb Him, He only laughs in derision. You cannot 
 tame a volcano, bind the ocean with a chain, or lash 
 her waves into submission. Turn away, then, from the 
 tactics of Xerxes. As it was foretold that the strong¬ 
 hold of Tyre and the cities and nations of western 
 Asia were to fall, one by one, before the devouring 
 hoardes of Alexander the Great; it was also foretold 
 that a greater than Alexander was to come; a King 
 who though He appeared in humble form, “ Riding 
 upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass,” was 
 to be so powerful that He could speak peace unto the 
 nations, for, “ His dominion shall be from sea even to 
 sea, and from the river even to the ends of the 
 earth.” 31 
 
 James T. Fields, in his vivid, poetic picture of a 
 storm at sea, when the vessel was shattered, the bravest 
 were trembling, and the hungry sea threatened instant 
 death, says: 
 
 “ As thus we sat in darkness, 
 
 Each one busy with his prayers, 
 
 * We are lost! ’ the captain shouted 
 
 As he staggered down the stairs. 
 
 “ But his little daughter whispered. 
 
 As she took his icy hand, 
 
 * Isn’t God upon the ocean 
 
 Just the same as on the land?’ 
 
 “ Then we kissed the little maiden, 
 
 And we spake in better cheer, 
 
 And we anchored safe in harbour 
 When the morn was shining clear/' 
 
 30 Ps. 2:1-4, R. V. si Zech. 9. 
 
200 GOD THE STRENGTH OF THE NATIONS 
 
 Out of the mouth of babes, the omnipotent God has 
 perfected praise. The God whom the little girl 
 trusted, Who ruled sea and land, is He Who rules the 
 turbulent nations today, and can say: “ Peace be still.” 
 
 THAT GOD IS THE STRENGTH OE NATIONS IS AN INDIS¬ 
 PUTABLE REASON WHY THE NATIONS SHOULD 
 SUBMIT TO HIS RULE IN HUMBLE LOYALTY 
 
 A great vessel sails out on an ocean voyage. The 
 captain has orders from the owner of the vessel which 
 direct him toward a certain port, and furnish general 
 rules for the crew. Those rules do not cover action in 
 routine matters, nor do they provide for emergencies. 
 Nothing is said about religious services on board. No 
 provision is made for worship or prayer until the storm 
 arises. Then the captain and the crew fall on their 
 knees, they entreat God for protection, they make 
 ready to lower the life boats, they prepare for the 
 worst. What would you think of the man who makes 
 no approach to God except when the storm grows 
 threatening and he fears for his life? This illustra¬ 
 tion may be applied to the ship of state. The orders 
 to the captain may be compared to the constitutional 
 law which the people of the nation give to the rulers. 
 It does not pretend to cover all details or to provide for 
 every emergency. What if it makes no reference to 
 God? What does God think of the nation which only 
 makes an appeal to Him through her rulers in an 
 emergency when they think the ship of state is in 
 danger of being broken and ruined by pestilence, 
 famine or war? Is God likely to hear a nation which 
 ignores and rejects Him in peace, though she does cry 
 out and stretch forth her hands in war ? “ When ye 
 
 spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from 
 
GOD THE STRENGTH OF THE NATIONS 201 
 
 you; yea, when ye make many prayers I will not hear: 
 your hands are full of blood.” 32 If a nation expects 
 to be heard in an emergency it ought to approach God, 
 it ought to acknowledge and reverence Him in time of 
 peace. An appeal to God ought to be made in the 
 fundamental law of the land, realizing that He is re¬ 
 sponsible for every good gift and for every blessing, 
 in peace or in war. God often does hear, and relieve, 
 men and nations, though they have dishonoured Him 
 before the hour of trouble. But it is only because of 
 His great mercy, and if they act in that way they can¬ 
 not be sure of His protection. 
 
 Dr. S. H. Kellogg, concerning the national recog¬ 
 nition of God, speaks thus: “ The history which 
 records the overthrow of those old nations and em¬ 
 pires does so, even professedly, for the express purpose 
 of calling the attention of men of all ages to this prin¬ 
 ciple, that God deals with all nations as under obliga¬ 
 tion to recognize Himself as King of nations, and 
 submit in all things to His authority.—How awfully 
 plain, again, is the language of the second Psalm on 
 this same subject, where it is precisely this national 
 repudiation of the supreme authority of God and of 
 His Christ, so increasingly common in our day, which 
 is named as the ground of the derisive judgment of 
 God, and is made the occasion of exhorting all nations, 
 not merely to belief in God, but also to the obedient 
 recognition of His only-begotten Son, the Messiah, as 
 the only possible means of escaping the future kindling 
 of His wrath.” 33 
 
 Of the latter part of the nineteenth chapter of 
 Isaiah, Dr. George Adam Smith says, these verses 
 “ form the most universal and * missionary ’ of all 
 
 32 Isa. 1:15. 33 Expositor's Bible, Lev., pp. 126-7. 
 
202 GOD THE STRENGTH OF THE NATIONS 
 
 Isaiah’s prophecies.” 34 The prophet foretells a day 
 when there shall be an altar in the midst of the land of 
 Egypt, and a pillar at the border thereof to the Lord. 
 He also looks forward to a day when the highway 
 from Egypt to Assyria shall be traversed freely, and 
 the religion of Israel, or the true religion shall be the 
 blessing in the midst of the land. That is, the great 
 powers of the world, formerly contending nations, 
 shall throw down all barriers to intercourse; there shall 
 be peace, and the prevailing religion shall be the wor¬ 
 ship of the true God. This is a beautiful picture of 
 the nations in the future, and of an ideal for today. 
 The altar in the midst of the land is indispensable: 
 namely, religion in the heart, the home and the church. 
 The citizens of a Christian nation should be taught 
 from youth, that religion is the heart of the nation, 
 and everything is barred out of it that derogates Chris¬ 
 tian morals and practices; that all immigrants upon 
 arrival, and in preparation for naturalization, should 
 be taught that the Christian religion is the key pillar 
 of the nation, and that no one is welcomed who pur¬ 
 poses its demolition. The pillar at the border of the 
 land to the Eord is also indispensable. The one is not 
 sufficient without the other. God’s plan is not com¬ 
 plete with either alone. Religion in the heart is good, 
 but it cannot thrive without the pillar at the border of 
 the land; in other words, personal religion, family re¬ 
 ligion, and public worship, in order to thrive, need the 
 national recognition of religion and protection of it. 
 The Sabbath must be protected, the home must be pro¬ 
 tected against immorality and divorce, the name of God 
 must be honoured and blasphemers punished, and the 
 traffic in injurious drugs and drinks must be prohib- 
 
 34 Expositor’s Bible, Isaiah, Vol. I, p. 275. 
 
GOD THE STRENGTH OF THE NATIONS 203 
 
 ited. The Word of God must be held up before the 
 youth, by the nation, as the basis of all morals, and 
 the guide for political action. The pillar at the border, 
 the recognition of Christ and the protection of the 
 Christian religion is indispensable to the life and wel¬ 
 fare of a Christian nation. 
 
 God repeats and reiterates this great truth until it is 
 emblazoned upon the Word from beginning to end. It 
 is as clear as any other fact of divine revelation, that 
 it is the duty of the nations to acknowledge the God of 
 nations, and submit to His rule in humble loyalty. 
 “ Be wise now, therefore, O ye kings; be instructed, 
 ye judges of the earth. Serve the Ford with fear, and 
 rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, 
 and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled 
 but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in 
 him.” 35 “ All kings shall fall down before him; all 
 
 nations shall serve him.” 36 “ By me kings reign, and 
 princes decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, 
 even all the judges of the earth.” 37 “ I said, Behold 
 
 me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my 
 name.” 38 That this passage speaks of Gentile nations 
 is evident from Paul’s interpretation of it. 39 “ I saw 
 
 in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of 
 man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the 
 Ancient of days, and they brought him near before 
 him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, 
 and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, 
 should serve him: and his dominion is an everlasting 
 dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom 
 that which shall not be destroyed.” 40 “ Christ—is the 
 blessed and only potentate, the King of kings, and 
 
 35 Ps. 2:10-12. 
 
 36 p s . 72:11. 
 
 37Prov. 8:15, 16. 
 38 Isa. 65:1. 
 
 39 Rom. 10:20. 
 
 40 Dan. 7:13, 14. 
 
204 GOD THE STRENGTH OF THE NATIONS 
 
 Lord of lords/’ 41 “ Now we see not yet all things put 
 under him. But we see Jesus—crowned with glory 
 and honour.” 42 “ The seventh angel sounded; and 
 
 there were great voices in heaven, saying, The king¬ 
 doms of this world are become the kingdoms of our 
 Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever 
 and ever.” 43 The prophets and the apostles testify 
 with one accord to the fact that Jesus reigns, and that 
 te he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his 
 feet.” 44 The sane thing, therefore, is for the nations 
 to submit to him now. Julian the Apostate tried to 
 reject Christ—did reject Him during his lifetime. At 
 last when he was wounded in battle, and was unable to 
 pull out the javelin which had struck him a fatal blow; 
 he is said to have taken a handful of the blood which 
 was flowing from his side, and, flinging it toward the 
 sky, to have cried out: “ O Galilean Thou hast con¬ 
 quered ! Thou hast conquered! ” 
 
 As I take up my telescope I turn it toward the past, 
 and look back through thirty-five centuries of history. 
 I see two armies struggling upon the field of battle; 
 they are unequal in numbers; the smaller army is made 
 up of clean stalwart men; the larger of fierce heathen 
 warriors. As I look, I see the larger army advancing 
 and the smaller driven back—my heart begins to fail 
 me, for I think that I can see upon the banner of the 
 leader of the smaller force, the sign: “ Marching under 
 orders of the Captain of the Lord of hosts.” Then as 
 I watch I see the tide turn and the smaller army ad¬ 
 vances, cutting down the larger host and creating con¬ 
 fusion in their ranks. But again they rally and drive 
 back the smaller force. I begin to scan the plain and 
 
 41 1 Tim. 6: 15. 
 
 4 2 Heb. 2 : 8, 9. 
 
 43 Rev. 11:15. 
 
 44 1 Cor. 15:25. 
 
GOD THE STRENGTH OF THE NATIONS 205 
 
 the hills to see if there are any recruits coming to 
 strengthen the weakening battalion upon the field. As 
 I look up toward yonder mount, I see three men. Is 
 it the general accompanied by his aides? No! the 
 central figure is an old man with his hands stretched 
 toward the sky. As his voice grows weak and his 
 hands fall by his sides, those fierce heathen hoardes in 
 the valley move slowly forward: but the two men by 
 his side join him in his appeal to God, and raise his 
 hands toward the sky again. No sooner have they 
 done so than the small, but still intact, and vigourous 
 army, takes a new stand; moves rapidly forward, and 
 drives the larger host in confusion and dismay from 
 the field. It is a magnificent and glorious victory for 
 the Lord’s host. As I turn and watch the three come 
 down from the mount, I see that the central figure is 
 strong and vigourous, though an aged man, and as I 
 think I hear him sing from the distance: “ The Lord 
 is a man of war, the Lord shall reign forever and 
 ever,” I conclude that it is he who led Israel through 
 the waters of the Red Sea, and I rejoice in the mighty 
 faith of Moses as much as I do in the brave charge 
 of Joshua and his heroic followers. And I admire 
 these two heroes of the day, as together, and with¬ 
 out any show of vanity, they build an altar and in¬ 
 scribe upon it these long-remembered words, Jehovah- 
 nissi, The Lord is my banner. 45 And as I shorten my 
 telescope inch by inch, and scrutinize history, century 
 by century, I see the same lesson emblazoned upon 
 its pages in all the ages; and I sing again with the 
 sweet singer of Israel: “ Blessed is that nation whose 
 God is the Lord,” and I chant with the wisest man 
 of all antiquity: “ The race is not to the swift, nor 
 
 45 Ex. 17. 
 
206 GOD THE STRENGTH OF THE NATIONS 
 
 the battle to the strong,” 46 but victory belongeth unto 
 the Lord. 
 
 “ O God, we have heard and our fathers have told 
 What wonders Thou didst in the great days of old; 
 Where nations were crushed and cast out by Thy hand. 
 Thou plantedst our fathers to dwell in the land. 
 
 “ They gained not the land by the edge of the sword; 
 Their own arm to them could no safety afford; 
 
 But Thy right hand saved, and the light of Thy face, 
 Because of Thy favour, Thy wonderful grace. 
 
 “ Command, and Thy word shall deliverance bring, 
 
 O God, unto Jacob, for Thou art my King. 
 
 Through Thee we will surely put down all our foes, 
 Through Thy name will trample on them that oppose. 
 
 " No trust will I place in my sword or my bow, 
 
 ’Tis Thou who has saved us from hater and foe. 
 
 In God we will boast who hast put them to shame. 
 
 And all the day long will give praise to Thy name.” 47 
 
 May God grant that the day may be hastened when 
 all the nations shall understand the record revealed 
 from heaven, and written upon earth, and when, under¬ 
 standing they shall heed the divine call, and bow in 
 humble submission to the King of kings! Then shall 
 be ushered in the glorious day when they shall beat 
 their swords into plowshares, when all the earth shall 
 live at peace with man and with God. 
 
 “ All ends of earth, rememb’ring Him, 
 
 Shall turn, repenting, to the Lord; 
 
 The kindreds of the nations then 
 To Him their homage shall accord; 
 
 Because the Lord the kingdom owns, 
 
 And rules above all earthly thrones.” 48 
 
 4 6 Eccl. 9:11. 47 Ps. 44 :l-9. 48 Ps. 22:27, 28. 
 
XV 
 
 THE PATRIARCHAL VIEW OF 
 IMMORTALITY 
 
 Job 14:14; 19:25-27 
 
 T HERE are those who maintain, in recent years, 
 that belief in the future life is not a matter of 
 faith, but of scientific demonstration. They in¬ 
 sist, that from an investigation of the phenomena 
 which they have accumulated, it may be shown that the 
 reality of the future life is a matter of knowledge, 
 rather than of faith. The question of Job: “ If a man 
 die shall he live again,” is taken as the title of a book 
 by Edward Clodd, in which he discusses this theory, 
 known as Spiritualism. He reviews the various argu¬ 
 ments such as those promulgated by Sir Oliver Lodge, 
 and the purported communications from his deceased 
 son, Raymond. He examines at length, the work of 
 some of the well known, and most highly reputed me¬ 
 diums. He records the findings of leading scientists 
 who have investigated these phenomena. After having 
 done so he records as his conclusion, that: “To Job’s 
 question, ‘If a man die shall he live again?’ science 
 can answer neither ‘ yes ’ nor ‘ no ’; all that can be said 
 is that the evidence supplied by comparative psychology 
 does not support the belief in a future life. It leaves 
 it unsolved. * * * Spiritualism is the old animism 
 ‘ writ large.’ ” He terms some of it “ nauseating 
 drivel.” 
 
 Professor Henry E. Armstrong endorsed the con- 
 
 207 
 
208 PATRIARCHAL VIEW OF IMMORTALITY 
 
 elusions of Mr. Clodd in a postscript to his book. Re¬ 
 viewing the investigations of Henry Sidgwick he says: 
 “ He had been President of the Society for Psychical 
 Research—was in close touch with the spiritualists of 
 his day, including Sir Oliver Lodge; he took part in 
 their so-called investigations on numerous occasions. 
 But he was beyond the reach of the ‘ confidence trick * 
 and although, apparently, he was willing, if not anx¬ 
 ious, to be convinced, he was never able to believe that 
 the manifestations were otherwise than illusory.” 
 
 A physician of my acquaintance used to tell of an 
 experiment performed by one of his instructors in 
 medical college, who weighed a body before and after 
 death, for the purpose of proving to the students that 
 the soul had no weight, and therefore no existence. 
 But neither pseudo-science nor real science can prove 
 or disprove the immortality of the soul. Science may 
 corroborate this truth, but it cannot prove it by demon¬ 
 stration. It is probable that Solomon intends to teach 
 us, that the indestructibility of matter, 1 is a corrobora¬ 
 tion of the truth that God has set forth to man, that 
 He has “ set eternity in his heart.” 2 It points to the 
 fact that we learn in the Word of God, that the 
 body shall rise again. But the only satisfactory proof 
 which we have is recorded in the Scriptures, and it is 
 no fantastic reasoning like that which the spiritualist 
 builds upon. 
 
 Immortality is proven in the resurrection and ascen¬ 
 sion of Christ as the first fruits from the dead. No 
 one can successfully deny it. No proof can surpass it, 
 as it was borne witness to by many men, and is re¬ 
 corded by accurate and honest historians. The raising 
 from the dead of men, women and children by the 
 
 1 Eccl. 3:14, IS. 2 Eccl. 3:11, Am. Rev. 
 
PATRIARCHAL VIEW OF IMMORTALITY 209 
 
 prophets, by Christ, and by the Apostles, is a proof of 
 the continuity of the soul and the power of God to 
 raise from the dead. The many promises of God, and 
 of our Lord Jesus Christ are proofs which are as 
 strong as the integrity of God that the dead still live 
 and shall rise again. 
 
 There are, however, quite a number of worthy men, 
 Bible students, who have been led to the conclusion 
 that the belief in the immortality of the soul was not a 
 distinct part of the faith of the patriarchs. They be¬ 
 lieve that this wonderful doctrine developed slowly as 
 the race developed and the book of revelation grew. 
 In fact it is said by many of them, that the hope of im¬ 
 mortality was never very clear or strong in the human 
 breast until after our Lord came into the world, until 
 He died and arose again. 
 
 It is evident from our former study of the Book of 
 Job that it is as old or older than any of the other 
 books of the Bible: that Job could not have lived and 
 worshipped as he did after the Levitical law was given. 
 Consequently he was at least as old as Moses. Let us 
 confront the question fairly, did he believe in the im¬ 
 mortality of the soul? Did he believe that his Re¬ 
 deemer lived and that he would continue to live after 
 death? Could it have been possible in that early day 
 that one could know that his soul should live on in 
 eternity and that it should be reunited with the resur¬ 
 rection body? 
 
 Was the question: “If a man die shall he live?” 
 (again, is supplied in our translation), an open con¬ 
 jecture in the mind of Job? One who reads the re¬ 
 mainder of the verse, receives the impression that Job 
 rested in the assurance, that if he should wait patiently, 
 his change would come. He knew that there would be 
 
210 PATRIARCHAL VIEW OF IMMORTALITY 
 
 a change, but he believed that after that change he 
 would continue to live. It is unfair to Job, to separate 
 this query from his exultant cry of faith, as found in 
 the nineteenth chapter, in which he asserts without any 
 equivocation, not only, that he knew that his Redeemer 
 lived: but that after his body should be destroyed, 
 without his flesh he should see God. 3 During the time 
 which intervened between the utterance of these two 
 statements, Job had engaged in a discussion with two 
 of his friends, but there is nothing to indicate that he 
 had changed his mind concerning God or the future 
 life. Job’s faith was not newly found in the nine¬ 
 teenth chapter, it was simply more forcibly expressed. 
 There is abundant evidence to show that Job knew, 
 knew clearly, believed firmly, that his soul would not 
 die, that there would be a resurrection and a judgment, 
 and that all shall stand before the Great Judge; some 
 
 3 In order to interpret verse 26 correctly, it is first necessary to 
 translate it accurately. The word, worms, is supplied by the 
 translators of the Authorized version, and there is no semblance 
 of it in the original. They possibly derived the idea from Chap. 
 7:5. It is not necessary for us to determine the agent which 
 would destroy the body, the fact is apparent. The phrase, trans¬ 
 lated, “yet in my flesh,” is one word in the Hebrew. This word, 
 mibbesari —with the conjunctive particle, which in this case adds 
 emphasis to the prepositional phrase—is literally translated, “ yet 
 from my flesh.” It does not mean, in my flesh, which would have 
 been expressed by the preposition, be. Delitzsch and Lange agree 
 in translating the last clause of this verse: “ and free from my 
 flesh, shall I behold Eloah.” The American Revision translates 
 it: “ Then without my flesh shall I see God.” Most critical com¬ 
 mentators agree in some such translation. The Authorized trans¬ 
 lation “ in my flesh ” is intenable, since the preposition min never 
 means in, but from or from out of. The thought contained in 
 19:25-27 is believed by the author to be correctly expressed in 
 the following translation: “ For I know that my Redeemer liveth, 
 and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and 
 though after my skin (death) this body shall be destroyed, yet 
 without my flesh shall I see God: whom I shall see for myself, 
 and mine eyes shall behold, and not a stranger; though my reins 
 are consumed within me.” 
 
PATRIARCHAL VIEW OF IMMORTALITY 211 
 
 as saved to dwell with Him, and some forever cast out 
 from before Him. 
 
 Would that the students of the Book of Job would 
 read it “ with their eyes, not with their prejudices,” 
 for there is abundance of proof to show that Job be¬ 
 lieved in the immortality of the soul: that he believed 
 in the resurrection, in the judgment, and in the 
 Redeemer. 
 
 JOB KNEW THE DANGER OF SIN UNFORGIVEN 
 
 At the very beginning of the book, Job gives evi¬ 
 dence of his belief in immortality when he offered 
 sacrifices. He was careful to offer regularly. He was 
 more than usually particular about it when he knew 
 that his sons were in the way of temptation. The fact 
 that he offered bloody sacrifices showed that he had a 
 higher form of faith than that of Cain. He had 
 rather the faith of Abel, who looked forward to the 
 promise of the coming of the Saviour, who was to 
 shed His blood for sinful men. 4 
 
 Job knew that there was to be a day of reckoning. 
 He knew that no sinner could expect to dwell forever 
 with God. He wanted to come to God in the right way 
 that his sins might be covered over by the blood and 
 that he might not be rejected by God forever. When 
 his wife urged him to curse God and die, he rebuked 
 her, he said that she spoke as one of the foolish women. 
 The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God, and 
 consequently no life everlasting, and no judgment. 
 Job would not harbour such a horrible thought for a 
 moment. He wished that he had never been born. 
 But having been born, he knew that there was in his 
 body a soul, and he never yielded to the temptation to 
 
 4 Heb. 11:13-16. 
 
212 PATRIARCHAL VIEW OF IMMORTALITY 
 
 separate himself from God. He knew that separation 
 in time meant separation in eternity. 
 
 job believed in the resurrection 
 
 When Job desired that he might be hidden in the 
 grave, and asked the question, “ If a man die shall he 
 live?” he replied at once: “All the days of my ap¬ 
 pointed time will I wait, till my change come. Thou 
 shalt call and I will answer thee.” He was assured 
 that if he should die it would not be spiritual death, 
 but that he would continue to live on. He would wait 
 until the change should come when the soul should be 
 separated from the body. When the end of time 
 should come and the archangel should call to the dead, 
 he would answer. The grave was not the end: it was 
 only a change, and from that state the dead would be 
 called forth. 5 
 
 When, out of the depths of his suffering he gave 
 utterance to that wonderful passage in the nineteenth 
 chapter concerning immortality he said that he knew 
 that his Redeemer lived and that he should stand at 
 the latter day upon the earth: then he would see Him 
 for himself and not as a stranger. It would be a 
 genuine resurrection when all would be as real as it 
 ever was in the former days upon the earth. He could 
 be with his Saviour then, as truly as he was with 
 others in this life. It would be no mere dream or 
 vision. Then he would see Him face to face. 
 
 job believed in the judgment 
 
 “ That ye may know there is a judgment,” were his 
 words at the close of the nineteenth chapter. “ The 
 wicked is reserved to the day of destruction, they shall 
 
 ”»T4:14, 15. 
 
PATRIARCHAL VIEW OF IMMORTALITY 213 
 
 be brought forth to the day of wrath.” 6 This is the 
 declaration of Job when answering the question, why 
 do the wicked prosper, grow old and mighty in power ? 
 They have their portion in this life but destruction 
 awaits them at the day of judgment. They are re¬ 
 served until the day of wrath. 
 
 Again, Job cries out in response to his critics: “For 
 what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath 
 gained, when God taketh away his soul?” 7 The 
 hypocrite may seem to gain much; but what of it 
 when he stands in judgment before God, when He 
 has taken his soul? He is like the man of whom our 
 Lord spoke in the parable: he might build many 
 barns, he might think that he could say to his soul, 
 “ Soul, take thine ease, eat, drink and be merry ”; but 
 what would he do, where would he flee when God 
 would come and say, “ This night thy soul shall be 
 required of thee ” ? 
 
 JOB BEUEVED in CHRIST 
 
 Job believed that the Saviour who was to come was 
 the Son of God. He believed that He was then the 
 anointed Son, that He lived, and that he would one day 
 meet Him face to face. 8 “If in this life only we have 
 hope we are of all men most miserable.” Job was 
 miserable; but it was because of physical suffering. 
 He was not of all men most miserable. He was not 
 ready to despair because he clung to his Redeemer. 
 
 Some commentators start with the wrong premise, 
 naturally they reach the wrong conclusion. They 
 begin with the premise that the patriarchs in that early 
 day did not know anything about immortality, conse¬ 
 quently, whatever Job may have seemed to say about 
 
 6 21: 30. 7 27:8. 8 19:25-27. 
 
214 PATRIARCHAL VIEW OF IMMORTALITY 
 
 it, they interpret away, they say that he could not have 
 known that his soul lived forever. They forget that 
 Abel, Enoch, Noah and Abraham had faith, that they 
 died not having received the promises; but they were 
 looking for a better resurrection, they were looking for 
 a heavenly country, they knew that God had prepared 
 for them a city . 9 
 
 Suppose that others of the heathen about Job in that 
 day did not have any idea of the immortality of the 
 soul: neither do they have in this twentieth century 
 long after Christ has come into the world. But God 
 could reveal it to Job, He did reveal it, and when the 
 language plainly teaches this great fact why shall we 
 deny that it was possible for God to reveal it to Job 
 many centuries ago, or that it was possible for a man 
 of that day to understand it ? 
 
 Yes, long centuries ago; from that pitiable looking, 
 greatly abused, much neglected mortal on the ash heap, 
 from out of the depths of the most profound misery, 
 from those lips of suffering and sorrow, there sounded 
 out a note as clear as that ever revealed to, or uttered 
 by, man: “ I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that 
 he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and 
 though after my skin, this body is destroyed, yet 
 without my flesh shall I see God: whom I shall see for 
 myself and mine eyes shall behold and not a stranger.” 
 The Apostle Paul never uttered a clearer statement on 
 the immortality of the soul than that. He said: “ I 
 know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he 
 is able to keep that which I have committed unto him 
 against that day.” These words have often been 
 quoted by dying saints. It is an expression of their 
 assurance of immortality, of a life that has been com- 
 
 9 Heb. 11:13-16. 
 
PATRIARCHAL VIEW OF IMMORTALITY 215 
 
 mitted to Christ. But it is no clearer or more definite 
 than the words of Job uttered about two thousand 
 years before that time. 
 
 Job was not afraid of the test of time giving evi¬ 
 dence of misplaced hopes or of insecure faith. He 
 would fling his testimony out to the world, he would 
 preserve it through the ages if he could have it en¬ 
 graved upon the imperishable rocks of the mountain 
 and filled with lead to defy the ravages of the elements. 
 “ Oh that my words were now written! Oh that they 
 were inscribed in a book! That with an iron pen and 
 lead they were graven in the rock forever.” His was 
 a record of trust in God for time and eternity and he 
 had no fear to set it down for the observance of future 
 generations. If he had been afraid that he was mis¬ 
 taken he would not have wanted his words to be writ¬ 
 ten at all; but he knew that they would furnish proof 
 of the power of God to sustain, they would serve, both 
 to vindicate him in the eyes of the generations to 
 come, and they would serve to strengthen some weak 
 mortal who was hanging over the brink of eternity. 
 
 What mattered it what was left of his mortal clay? 
 What difference though after his death his body should 
 be destroyed? What though worms should pollute his 
 body? The word, worms, is supplied by the trans¬ 
 lators of the authorized version. 10 It is evident, how¬ 
 ever, that they gave the correct idea when they supplied 
 the word. It is horrible to think of, but no worse than 
 the condition of Job at that very moment, for the 
 worms had not waited until his death to attack his 
 body, they were then eating his corrupting flesh. He 
 says, “ My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of 
 dust, my skin is broken and become loathsome.” 11 
 
 10 19:26. H7:5. 
 
216 PATRIARCHAL VIEW OF IMMORTALITY 
 
 As he lay there exposed to the flies and vermin, with 
 nothing but dust and ashes for his bed, nothing but 
 sackcloth for his covering, the worms were attacking 
 his boils and ulcerated sores. His condition was fear¬ 
 fully loathsome. 
 
 But Job’s hope of immortal life did not rest upon 
 the purity of his skin or the preservation of his flesh. 
 The flesh only furnished the tabernacle for his soul, 
 and the sooner the soul was released the more he would 
 rejoice, because then he would be free from pain and 
 filth and scorn, and suffering. He gave a clear and 
 lasting testimony long before the Apostle wrote, that 
 “ flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.” 
 
 Over across the Red Sea, west of where Job lived, 
 and where his caravans had often gone, there stood the 
 great pyramids of Egypt, the tombs of the kings. Be¬ 
 side them there stood the great image of the Sphynx, 
 a massive monument, the supposed representation of 
 the Redeemer to come. Every Egyptian hoped that his 
 body might be preserved until the coming of that re¬ 
 deemer. They thought that if they could not preserve 
 their bodies until He came there was no hope. The 
 Egyptians spent fortunes in building great tombs to 
 enclose their bodies within rocky walls where they 
 would not be exposed to the elements, or of the devas¬ 
 tating enemy tribes. They studied the art of preserv¬ 
 ing the body by embalming it so that it would not 
 decay for thousands of years. The kings who could 
 best afford the great monuments had their bodies laid 
 away in these massive tombs, which were like an arti¬ 
 ficial mountain covered with alabaster. The only 
 opening was hidden and sealed so that for thousands 
 of years no one found an entrance into those ancient 
 tombs, and there are no doubt many caverns in them 
 
PATRIARCHAL VIEW OF IMMORTALITY 217 
 
 which have not yet been found. They did it all that 
 they might await, in a state of preservation and repose, 
 the coming of the one whom they thought was the re¬ 
 deemer, and who, it was supposed, would call their 
 bodies to life again. 
 
 But Job said to his friends, and to all who may have 
 fathomed his teaching; it is all folly, you may build 
 costly tombs and spend great sums in embalming your 
 bodies and in laying them to rest; but our flesh does 
 not need to be preserved, in fact it is not God’s plan 
 that it shall be. It is natural that our bodies shall 
 become corrupt and decay, they were dust and they 
 shall return to dust. But it is not in our body, it is 
 without our present flesh that we shall see God. 
 
 But, says some superficial reader, whose eye has 
 caught a verse a little farther on in the book, 12 “ look 
 a little farther on in the speech of Job and you will 
 see his faith waver, you will hear him cry out, 4 Oh 
 that I knew where I might find him!’” Tell me, 
 what saint of God is there, who, when his body is 
 racked with pain, when he is full of tossings all night 
 long, when he is deserted of his friends and of his 
 wife, when even the little children who are usually so 
 sympathetic ridicule him, when he is wasted with dis¬ 
 ease and his mind is weakened, 13 when he is able to 
 control himself only with the greatest effort, when he 
 is set about by Satan, who is seeking to drag down his 
 soul—who is there under such circumstances who is 
 not apt to lose sight of his Lord for the moment? 
 Bunyan was picturing the average believer when he 
 portrayed Christian passing through the river of death, 
 sinking under the water occasionally until all became 
 dark for a time. But it was only momentarily that 
 
 1223:3. 1327:2. 
 
218 PATRIARCHAL VIEW OF IMMORTALITY 
 
 Job lost sight of God. He did find Him, he did have 
 absolute assurance that his Redeemer lives and that he 
 shall see Him face to face. His faith never gave way 
 to despair. With almost the next breath he added: 
 “ He knoweth the way that I take; when he hath tried 
 me I shall come forth as gold.” 14 
 
 The story of Job is a very sad one. Yet we ought to 
 be glad that God wrote it in a book and that it will 
 stand as though written on the rock forever. There 
 is no story that has been told more frequently at the 
 bedside of the suffering and the sorrowful. There is 
 no story that has applied more commonly to those who 
 were down in the depths. There is no story, unless it 
 is that of the suffering of our Lord, that has surpassed 
 it in helping to bring comfort and courage to the weary 
 and sorrowful. Over and over the words of Job have 
 been repeated at the side of the departed, and at the 
 grave, to bring comfort to those who have been left 
 behind: “ I know that my Redeemer liveth and that he 
 shall stand at the latter day upon the earth * * * mine 
 eyes shall see him and not a stranger.” These words are 
 so clear, forceful, and consoling, that they have become 
 a part of the ritual of almost every sect as they have 
 paid the last tender rites to loved ones who have been 
 placed beneath the sod. Nothing clearer or more con¬ 
 cise has ever been uttered by any of the saints or has 
 been revealed to man in all history, than these precious 
 words of the oldest of the patriarchs which are quoted 
 in the nineteenth chapter of the Book of Job. 
 
 “ If in this life only we have hope in God, we are of 
 all men most miserable.” It was that man at the 
 earliest stages of saintly history might be relieved of 
 the darkness and uncertainty concerning the future, 
 
 14 23:10. 
 
PATRIARCHAL VIEW OF IMMORTALITY 219 
 
 that their hearts might be relieved of the greatest 
 source of misery, that God revealed to men this 
 great truth that the soul is immortal. Therefore our 
 future hope does not depend, as the ancient Egyptians 
 thought, on the preservation of the body, but on faith 
 in the Redeemer. 
 
 We have ground for the profoundest thanksgiving, 
 as well as the greatest joy, that not only have we the 
 assurance of the aged patriarch and saint of God, that 
 the Redeemer liveth and that He will stand at the last 
 day upon the earth; but we have the living record of 
 His coming, and we have His own assurance that He 
 will come again: that at His coming the dead shall 
 arise, those who love Him shall awake to everlasting 
 joy, joy in His presence and at his right hand for 
 evermore. 
 
 The question confronts each one of us, do we know 
 that our Redeemer liveth? Have we the assurance 
 through faith, that when we die we shall live on and 
 on with Christ through all eternity? 
 
 “ I say to thee do thou repeat 
 To the first man thou mayest meet 
 In lane, highway or open street— 
 
 “ That doubt and trouble, fear and pain 
 And anguish, all are shadows vain, 
 
 That death itself shall not remain; 
 
 “ That weary deserts we may tread, 
 
 A weary labyrinth may thread, 
 
 Through dark ways underground be led; 
 
 “Yet if we will one Guide obey, 
 
 The dreariest path, the darkest way, 
 
 Shall issue out in heavenly day; 
 
220 PATRIARCHAL VIEW OF IMMORTALITY 
 
 “ And we on divers shores now cast, 
 
 Shall meet, our perilous voyage past. 
 
 And in our Father’s house at last.” 
 
 In like manner sang the Psalmist in words inspired 
 
 “ But as for me, I Thine own face 
 In righteousness will see; 
 
 And with Thy likeness when I wake 
 I satisfied shall be.” 
 
XVI 
 
 WISDOM IN COMFORTERS 
 Job 16:2 
 
 A MONG the outstanding general topics which 
 appeal to one as he studies the Book of Job 
 is the one before us today. The men who 
 heard of Job’s sorrows and of his pain came for the 
 purpose of comforting him. They were his friends. 
 They had sympathy for him. They were willing to put 
 themselves to a considerable expense and inconvenience 
 in order that they might meet with Job. They were 
 ready to devote a large portion of time that they might 
 sit by his side, help to lighten his burden, and drive 
 away his sorrow. Our text indicates that however 
 good their intentions may have been, they failed in 
 their effort. In place of making Job’s condition easier 
 and his burden lighter, they added to his anguish and 
 enlarged his burden. Not one of these three men in¬ 
 terpreted Job’s condition or his state of mind correctly. 
 After they had sat by his side for days, and had taken 
 up his condition as they saw it, he was driven almost 
 frantic and exclaimed: “ Miserable comforters are 
 ye all.” 
 
 We have hesitated to take up this subject because 
 we feel our own weakness in the same line. It is not 
 an easy task to be an able comforter. To feel with 
 friends in their sorrows and bereavements, to deal 
 kindly and tactfully, discerningly and courageously, 
 lovingly and fearlessly, is a very difficult thing to do. 
 
 221 
 
222 WISDOM IN COMFORTERS 
 
 Wisdom in comforters requires a number of things. 
 
 THE PERSONAE PRESENCE OF FRIENDS IS NEEDED 
 
 This sounds like an axiom, its truth is so plain, and 
 yet there is a difference of opinion, and a great differ¬ 
 ence of practice, in this regard. 
 
 Absent treatment may satisfy a Christian Scientist 
 —he never gets sick: he never suffers pain—but the 
 ordinary individual of unwarped intellect does get sick, 
 does suffer pain, and does long for the fellowship of 
 kind-hearted friends during his hours of suffering. 
 Even Jesus, with all His nearness to God in prayer, 
 and with all His purity of heart, longed for the ten¬ 
 der sympathy of human friends in His hours of 
 agony in the garden. When He returned and found 
 the disciples, whom He had left to pray, sleeping, 
 He exclaimed: “ Could you not watch with me one 
 hour ? ” 
 
 It is becoming more and more a custom to leave all 
 the attention of the sick to some one who is trained to 
 nurse, and the friends pay for all the help and sym¬ 
 pathy which is received. This may serve to give the 
 body more scientific attention, but it is a very cold and 
 heartless method of looking after the mental and spir¬ 
 itual comforts of our friends. In the hour of suffer¬ 
 ing when the familiar voice and the loving look mean 
 most, then the paid stranger affords all the care and 
 the sympathy. It is true that there is a certain amount 
 of sympathy which can be shown when a friend is not 
 actually present: flowers may be given, letters may be 
 written, and various tokens of friendship and sym¬ 
 pathy may be sent; but none of these will take the 
 place of personal calls and personal attention which 
 loving hands may, and should, bestow. 
 
WISDOM IN COMFORTERS 
 
 223 
 
 EXPERIENCE IS NEEDED 
 
 When we have passed through sorrow we can un¬ 
 derstand and sympathize—feel with—as we cannot 
 otherwise. Bunyan’s picture of Christian, which has 
 so aptly fitted many others passing through this world 
 of sin, was largely a picture of his own life. He could 
 write so aptly and fully, because he had experienced 
 the joys and sorrows and temptations of which he 
 speaks in allegory. 
 
 When my brother was sick, at the time we were at¬ 
 tending college, there was a family which lived next 
 door to the house in which we roomed, the members 
 of which were in a measure sympathetic. The woman 
 asked about how my brother was getting along oc¬ 
 casionally, and once or twice sent him a little remem¬ 
 brance, but she said: “ I never go into a sick room, I 
 cannot stand to look upon a person who is sick.” I 
 thought, what will you do if ever you are seriously ill 
 and no one will enter your sick room ? What will you 
 do if no one can bear with you or look upon you when 
 you are suffering? 
 
 Before I had entered the ministry, one summer 
 when recovering from a long siege of illness, my 
 pastor remarked: “ It may be a part of your training 
 upon which you will look back as one of the most 
 important periods of your life. We must suffer pain 
 in order to know how to sympathize with others who 
 suffer. We must suffer bereavement in order to know 
 how to sympathize with others who are bereaved.” 
 And he added: “ When I was a young man and was 
 about to complete my training for the ministry, I was 
 not then at all fitted for the work in the pastorate. I 
 had not known what it was to suffer serious illness. I 
 
224 
 
 WISDOM IN COMFORTERS 
 
 was taken with a very severe attack of pneumonia, 
 and for a time, my life hung in the balance. I did not 
 know what it was to experience serious sorrow: but my 
 mother was taken ill and died. If I had not had these 
 experiences I would not have been nearly so well fitted 
 to sympathize with the sick and sorrowing as I am 
 today.” Those of us who have passed through similar 
 trials, know that what he said is true also of us. We 
 profit by experience. 
 
 TACT IS NEEDED 
 
 How many people there are who fail in this par¬ 
 ticular when they try to sympathize with their friends. 
 A returned soldier told me of a gun crew which was 
 stationed in the lane just back of where they were bil¬ 
 leted. These men were operating an anti-aircraft gun 
 and were on guard at night. The enemy dropped a 
 bomb which fell right in their midst. Some were 
 killed, and others badly torn and bleeding came run¬ 
 ning into the house to receive aid. One soldier looking 
 at these torn, bleeding men said: “ Ah, you fellows are 
 no good anyhow.” Few are so abrupt and untactful 
 as that, and yet there are many who act and speak so 
 that it hurts the person who is ill, though it may not 
 always be so intended. Prof. R. J. George used to 
 caution his students in regard to this matter when he 
 was advising them concerning the proper behaviour 
 in the sick room. He said: “ The afflicted in a weak 
 state of mind often suffers torture by being forced to 
 listen to the recital of dismal tales of disease and death 
 similar to his own case. Avoid suggesting to the pa¬ 
 tient blood-curdling remedies for his disorder. I knew 
 a case of blood-poisoning where the weary sufferer was 
 urged to apply such measures as the following: 4 Cut 
 
WISDOM IN COMFORTERS 
 
 225 
 
 open a live chicken and apply it while still hot.’ 
 * Make a poultice of crushed worms.’ ‘ Take a black 
 cat and split it open lengthwise and lay the poisoned 
 arm inside of it.’ That the patient did not die from 
 listening to such tragic suggestions in her extremely 
 weak and nervous state was probably due solely to the 
 fact that her time had not come.” And he sometimes 
 added very tenderly: “ That happened in my own 
 home, when my wife seemed to be at the point of 
 death.” 
 
 Not long since a woman related to me some of the 
 remedies which people suggested to her husband, who 
 had been ill with the rheumatism. She said: “ My, the 
 consoling remedies that people offer! Many people 
 have told him of some one of their friends who had 
 the rheumatism in a similar manner and it left them 
 helpless, or they died from the effects.” She added, 
 “ Now a man is offering to cure him with an electric 
 belt. Every other kind of belt had failed but his. He 
 was sure that his would help.” 
 
 A sick person is especially sensitive. One person 
 will come into the room who speaks with a loud voice, 
 and laughs in a boisterous manner, which disturbs the 
 nerves of the patient. Another will come in with a 
 long face and turn away quickly and go out with a 
 handkerchief over her mouth. Then perhaps there are 
 low tones and whispers in the other room. Such people 
 may be truly sympathetic, but they lack tact, they make 
 the patient feel like using the words of our text: 
 “ Miserable comforters are ye all.” 
 
 There are others who stay too long. Sometimes 
 there are kind-hearted friends who feel that they can¬ 
 not call often, so they will stay a long while when they 
 do come. Remember that when one is seriously ill his 
 
226 
 
 WISDOM IN COMFORTERS 
 
 nerves are weakened and he cannot endure with the 
 same degree of patience that he could when well. A 
 conversation which he might welcome when he is 
 strong is often very wearying and nerve-racking when 
 he is weak. 
 
 The same conditions apply in case of bereavement. 
 Sometimes friends feel that they are exercising the 
 part of a friend when they come to stay a long time, 
 following bereavement. In fact there are some who 
 feel that they ought either to stay or see that others 
 stay almost continuously under such circumstances. If 
 ever the patience of the family of the bereaved is 
 tested, it is at such a time. It is a splendid thing to 
 show sympathy in the hour of bereavement, but if 
 there is one time above another when a family would 
 like to have the quiet and seclusion of home alone, it is 
 at such an hour. 
 
 FAITH IS NEEDED 
 
 Almost every affliction is a trial of faith. “ The 
 trying of your faith worketh patience.” One needs to 
 have firm faith so that it shall not be shaken by any 
 sufferer who lacks faith, or who is of a doubting 
 nature. 
 
 A case like this came under my observation. There 
 was an old gentleman who was suffering from mental 
 and physical causes. He had made some bad financial 
 deals, and the money representing years of saving was 
 practically all tied up, with little probability of getting 
 much of it again. His older son was reckless and a 
 disappointment to him, his eyes were failing, and he 
 thought that he was going to lose his sight. He was 
 bitter in some of his remarks and doubted the good¬ 
 ness of God. It seemed to his friends that if he had 
 
WISDOM IN COMFORTERS 
 
 227 
 
 trained his older son as he was then training, or rather 
 not training, his younger son, that he had no right to 
 blame providence for the waywardness of his boy: but, 
 like Eli, he was to blame himself. And with reference 
 to the turn of finance, which he also attributed in part 
 to an unkind providence, it seemed to others that rea¬ 
 sonable judgment would have kept him out of the 
 financial entanglement in which he was involved. But 
 there he was, a member, yes, an officer, in the church, 
 doubting the kindness of God. 
 
 Faith is the solution, and a great deal of it is needed 
 when dealing with a man who is in such a state of 
 doubt. Genuine faith will not permit one to be unduly 
 troubled about, either physical, or financial, reverses. 
 It will lead one to look out on the grass which withers 
 in a few days and say, “If God can clothe the grass 
 He can clothe me.” It will lead one to look at the 
 birds which have only the merest shelter for their 
 home, but which sing merrily and seem altogether free 
 from care, and sav: “ Not one of these falls without 
 God’s notice, and He will care for me.” 
 
 COURAGE IS NEEDED 
 
 A god-fearing man must deal plainly. A great deal 
 of the present camouflage in connection with sickness 
 and death, about God’s salvation for all, is deception. 
 When an unbeliever is preached into heaven, wrong is 
 done. The comforter may share the blame because of 
 lack of courage, which is virtually, dishonesty. There 
 are far too many, who, when acquaintances are ill, or 
 are in trouble, are ready to tell all the neighbours about 
 what they think is the fault and how there ought to 
 be a change of character and manners: but they do 
 not have the courage to tell the one who is immediately 
 
228 
 
 WISDOM IN COMFORTERS 
 
 concerned, who first of all should be the one spoken to 
 and admonished. 
 
 Job’s friends talked plainly with him. They did not 
 lack courage so much as they lacked knowledge. They 
 were ignorantly leading in the wrong direction. The 
 old prophets are splendid examples of men who exer¬ 
 cised courage whether in case of personal, family, or 
 national trouble, and they stand in marked contrast 
 with many of the time-serving religious leaders who 
 seem to prefer dishonesty to faithfulness under simi¬ 
 lar circumstances today. 
 
 A HIGH REGARD for THE SABBATH IS NEEDED 
 
 Sometimes when one member of a family is ill, all 
 the connection allow it to serve as an excuse for a big 
 gathering, and often a big time as well, upon the Sab¬ 
 bath. They perhaps call in the minister to conduct 
 family worship for them in the evening, and thus in a 
 certain measure, think they have atoned for their secu¬ 
 lar gathering upon the Lord’s Day. 
 
 Sabbath is usually visiting day in the hospitals, and 
 a patient is at the mercy of visitors. Sometimes 
 friends will come in to call upon a godly man, who is 
 a patient in the hospital, and disturb his peace of mind 
 to a great extent, because they think and talk of 
 nothing except the most worldly things, while he is 
 trying to center his thoughts about God. Some hos¬ 
 pitals arrange for religious services for convalescing 
 patients, and it often affords comfort and consolation 
 for them such as cannot well be expressed. 
 
 Usually Sabbath calls upon a godly man do not give 
 him relief, but only serve to irritate him, because he 
 desires to give the day over to private meditation and 
 worship since he cannot engage in public worship. If 
 
WISDOM IN COMFORTERS 
 
 229 
 
 he is an earnest Christian he wants to search his own 
 heart and repent of his sins, therefore light conversa¬ 
 tion, such as is often engaged in, stands in the way of 
 serious thinking. Then there is a knowledge in the 
 patient’s heart that he is dishonouring the Lord in dis¬ 
 honouring his day, and he feels worse rather than bet¬ 
 ter. Moreover, people who call on the Sabbath do not 
 have any work pressing, and they often stay so long 
 that they weary the patient, and thus harm him from 
 the physical standpoint. 
 
 Comforters who are pious and wise can do a great 
 deal of good by calling upon the sick in hospitals and 
 elsewhere upon the Sabbath, as they offer Christian 
 consolation, and draw their patients closer to God. 
 But men of that character will usually do more visiting 
 upon other days of the week than they do upon the 
 Sabbath, and they will not speak carelessly, or remain 
 to weary a patient upon the Lord’s Day. 
 
 KNOWLEDGE OP THE DIVINE PLAN IS NEEDED 
 
 Because Job’s comforters did not have such knowl¬ 
 edge they made things worse. They were harsh and 
 untrue. Eliphaz accused him of being guilty of op¬ 
 pression. This may have been from hear-say as he 
 gathered news from the streets, or from among those 
 who had turned against Job. They said that he was 
 a great sinner, which they insisted was proven by his 
 great suffering. We know that he was not as great a 
 sinner as his advisers. When comforters guide the 
 sick or the dying in the wrong direction they are hast¬ 
 ening their way to death rather than life. 
 
 An intimate knowledge of the Bible is the best 
 equipment for a wise comforter. The Word of God 
 is replete with promises and precious passages. If one 
 
230 
 
 WISDOM IN COMFORTERS 
 
 is familiar with them he will find that they give his 
 friends who are ill great pleasure and comfort. Prof. 
 R. J. George, when speaking of the precious promises 
 and their value in directing the dying to Christ, said, 
 that even when the dying may seem unconscious, it 
 may be well to repeat promises. He spoke of wit¬ 
 nessing the departure of a young woman who, in the 
 early part of her sickness had greatly feared death, 
 but at length found comfort in the text: “ When thou 
 passest through the waters I will be with thee, and 
 through the rivers they shall not overflow thee.” He 
 added: “ When the hour of her dissolution came, I was 
 hastily summoned to her bedside. As I entered the 
 room all seemed to be over. Her eyes were closed. 
 She had ceased to speak. They said she was uncon¬ 
 scious. All stood about her weeping, waiting for her 
 breath to cease. Stooping near her pillow I repeated 
 the familiar promise. As I spoke she slowly opened 
 her eyes wide, beaming with a more than earthly light, 
 and passed them from one to another of her friends 
 around her bed—all her countenance changing—until 
 we saw her face as it had been the face of an angel. 
 And so she passed within the veil.” 
 
 It is considered the duty of the pastor to be with 
 members of his flock in their departing hour, that he 
 may comfort them and commend their souls to God, 
 and so it is. But it ought to be considered the duty of 
 elders, and also of other godly friends, to do likewise. 
 The writer is familiar with a case in which a minister 
 was asked to go a distance by train to the bedside of a 
 woman who was thought to be dying. He could not 
 go, but felt considerable relief, as an elder of consid¬ 
 erable experience, and a close friend of the family, was 
 to be there. In that case he felt that the elder should 
 
WISDOM IN COMFORTERS 
 
 231 
 
 be able to take the place of the minister in attempting 
 to speak peace to her soul and comfort the sorrowing. 
 If he had never undertaken such an important duty- 
 before he ought to have begun then. Sad to say, he 
 did not, and there are many of supposedly long Chris¬ 
 tian experience, who will not undertake the important 
 and tender duty of speaking peace to the soul of a 
 departing friend. 
 
 When this earthly tabernacle is being dissolved: 
 when the spirit is about to take its flight to God who 
 gave it, it is the blessed privilege of God’s saints to 
 commend the spirit to God who gave it. May God 
 give us grace and wisdom, that we may be ready to 
 comfort, and that we may speak wisely in the hour of 
 sorrow or of trial. 
 
 “ In every pang that rends the heart 
 The Man of Sorrows hath a part; 
 
 He sympathizes with our grief, 
 
 And to the suff’rer sends relief.” 
 
XVII 
 
 THE OPPORTUNE TIME TO SEEK GOD 
 
 Job 19 : 6-40 
 
 W HILE we have chosen this as our text today, 
 we do not wish to be confined merely to the 
 verses before us. We purpose rather, to 
 draw a lesson from the life and suffering of Job, and 
 its effect upon him; a lesson which is perhaps not fully 
 expressed in any one text in the book of Job, but which 
 naturally presents itself to us as an outstanding infer¬ 
 ence from his life. The thought which is in our mind 
 is this: the hour of severe trial is not the hour to delay 
 to seek God. Job did not delay in his search for God 
 until he was tried. As the trial was so great and the 
 temptation so strong, one may well suppose that if he 
 had not had his faith rooted and grounded in God 
 before this, that he would have fallen in despair under 
 his affliction. The verses which we have chosen for 
 our text show how nearly Job came to giving in to the 
 temptation, that there was no hope for him, and that 
 he was forsaken of God. 
 
 Fuller says: “You cannot repent too soon, because 
 you know not how soon it may be too late.” Satan is 
 said to have deceived the Circassians by leading them 
 to divide their life between sin and devotion: to dedi¬ 
 cate their youth to rapine and their old age to repent¬ 
 ance. He is constantly deceiving men in that way to¬ 
 day. Every man who looks upon Job and studies his 
 life ought to know that this is a very dangerous pro¬ 
 cedure, because, if the trials and temptations which 
 
 232 
 
THE OPPORTUNE TIME TO SEEK GOD 233 
 
 came upon Job had found him in the midst of rapine 
 and sin he would not have repented at all, but would 
 have fallen never to rise again. We all know from 
 experience or observation, that the hour of trial, or 
 weakness, or old age, is not an opportune time to seek 
 God. If one leaves off seeking God until that time of 
 life, he is not likely to find him. 
 
 We do not want any one to infer from these state¬ 
 ments that an eleventh hour repentance is not possible. 
 It is possible, but not probable. The examples which 
 we know from Scripture, history, or experience of 
 such times of repentance are very rare. We would not 
 drive any one to despair who may have reached old 
 age, or who may have been called near death’s door, 
 for the Lord is long-suffering and tender in mercy: He 
 heard the cry of the thief on the cross and took him 
 with Him to glory. On the other hand, we would 
 warn every one who may be feeling that there will 
 always be time for repentance, neglect or unnecessary 
 delay is well nigh spiritual suicide. 
 
 We wish to consider this subject both from God’s 
 side and man’s side. 
 
 god's side 
 
 i. God is not satisfied with the last place in our 
 lives. The man who flees to God at the last moment, 
 not because he loves Him, but because he fears eternal 
 punishment, is not acceptable. God says: “ Seek ye 
 first the kingdom of God.” “ He that is not with me 
 is against me, and he that gathereth not with me scat¬ 
 tered! abroad.” We might as well refuse Christ at 
 once as to offer Him a secondary place, or the last end 
 of our lives, while we propose to give the best to the 
 world. There was once a rich man who felt entirely 
 
234 THE OPPORTUNE TIME TO SEEK GOD 
 
 satisfied with his own condition, and thought nothing 
 could disturb his happiness or prosperity for years to 
 come. He said to himself: “ Soul, thou hast much 
 goods laid up for many years. Take thine ease, eat, 
 drink, and be merry.” But there was one with whom 
 the rich man failed to reckon. God called to the rich 
 man and said: “ This night shall thy soul be required 
 of thee.” He had given the world first place and God 
 the last place, and when the call came unexpectedly, as 
 it did, he found that God gave him no place. 
 
 2. God does not save men merely to fill up the 
 ranks of heaven. Heaven is perfectly glorious as it is. 
 It would be less glorious if any were admitted who 
 were critics, or half-hearted followers of Christ. God 
 does not want mere numbers of followers to populate 
 either earth or heaven, He wants those who will give 
 Him honour. He is not lacking honour now, and 
 needing a great influx of followers that His kingdom 
 may make a showing. He has all honour and glory 
 and power: He reigns over all mankind and all the 
 universe, now. All power is given unto Him in heaven 
 and in earth. There are some organizations which will 
 gladly accept members or followers, even though they 
 be only indirectly in sympathy with the aim of the or¬ 
 ganization. Not so with admission to the kingdom of 
 heaven. There are in glory now, enough angels to 
 make its borders resound continuously with the praises 
 of God. Let no man think that the kingdom of heaven 
 cannot get along without him. A mansion there costs 
 him nothing but the love of Christ; but without that 
 love there is no admission to its borders. 
 
 Why administer “ extreme unction ” to a man who 
 has been living in sin? The supposition that this so- 
 called sacrament will blot out his sins at the last mo- 
 
THE OPPORTUNE TIME TO SEEK GOD 235 
 
 ment and pave an entrance to heaven, is a dreadful 
 deception. It has no value for any one, but to admin¬ 
 ister it to all alike, is extremely presumptuous. The 
 New York press reported the following account of a 
 gentleman who died at his residence in one of the 
 up-town fashionable sections, leaving millions of dol¬ 
 lars. He was a member of an evangelical church, in 
 good standing, a good husband and a good father, and 
 a thrifty citizen. On his death bed he suffered great 
 agony of mind and gave frequent expression to his 
 remorse for what his conscience told him had been an 
 ill spent life. “Oh!” he exclaimed, and his weeping 
 friends and relatives gathered about his bed—“ Oh if 
 I could only live my years over again! Oh if I could 
 only be spared for a few years I would give all the 
 wealth I have amassed in a life time. It is a life de¬ 
 voted to money getting that I regret. It is this which 
 weighs me down and makes me despair of life here¬ 
 after.” His pastor endeavoured to soothe him, but he 
 turned his face to the wall. “ You have never reproved 
 my avaricious spirit,” he said to the minister. “ You 
 have called it a wise economy and forethought; but 
 I now know that riches have only been a snare for my 
 poor soul. I would give all I possess to have hope for 
 my poor soul! ” Worth eleven million dollars! But 
 he himself had concluded that God did not care to fill 
 up the ranks of heaven with such, though he had been 
 a member of the church and had been known as a 
 moral man. God is no respecter of persons. 
 
 J. God will not set aside His justice to save any 
 man. Job recognized this great truth. He offered 
 sacrifices for each of his children, saying as he did so: 
 “ It may be that they have sinned and cursed God in 
 their hearts.” He knew that the justice of God would 
 
236 THE OPPORTUNE TIME TO SEEK GOD 
 
 demand punishment and that the only hope of escape 
 from it was by sacrifice. When Job was cast down by 
 sorrow and suffering, he sinned, and for quite a while 
 would not acknowledge his sin. Had he not been a 
 believer and a lover of God he would no doubt have 
 fallen lower and lower. God would not have ap¬ 
 proached him in the same way, He would not have had 
 compassion upon him as He did, had Job not sought 
 Him when He could be found. It was not as though 
 he had spent his life up to that time in the midst of sin. 
 A life spent in sin must be punished. God will in no 
 wise clear the guilty. 
 
 I have been impressed recently, when reading some 
 dying testimonies of infidels, of how they have been 
 terrified as they thought of meeting with a just God. 
 Francis Spira, an Italian apostate, exclaimed just be¬ 
 fore his death: “ My sin is greater than the mercy of 
 God. I have denied Christ voluntarily; I feel that He 
 hardens me, allows me no hope.” Philip III of Spain 
 said: “Oh would to God I had never reigned! Oh 
 that those years I have spent in my kingdom I had 
 lived a solitary life in the wilderness! Oh that I had 
 lived alone with God! How much more secure should 
 I now have died! With how much more confidence 
 should I have gone to the throne of God! What doth 
 all my glory profit, but that I have so much more tor¬ 
 ment in my death ? ” 
 
 Since God is a God of justice it behooves us to seek 
 Him early, and seek Him that we may find mercy: for 
 if He would only mark one of a thousand of our sins 
 we could not stand in judgment before Him. 
 
 man's side: 
 
 i. When the body is racked with pain or impaired 
 
THE OPPORTUNE TIME TO SEEK GOD 237 
 
 with disease it is difficult to concentrate the mind. 
 Even Job found it so. He admitted afterwards that 
 he had said things which he understood not. That 
 was not natural with Job. Ordinarily he was a very 
 considerate man, he was careful to seek remission of 
 sin for all of his guilt. But he was different when he 
 was so pained in body that he could scarcely endure, 
 and had not the patience that he usually had. I know 
 from my own experience when ill, that one is surprised 
 how difficult it is to concentrate, to think of the com¬ 
 mands of God, and of the various phases of the way 
 of life as one may easily do when he is well. And one 
 can readily see that it is a very poor time to try to seek 
 God if he has not known Him before. 
 
 When the body is impaired with disease the mind is 
 not fitted for important work, or in case of old age, 
 the work that would have been easy in years past, be¬ 
 comes very difficult, and it is hard to launch out into 
 new and unfamiliar fields of thought. When one 
 notices those in extreme weakness, upon their death¬ 
 beds, he sees how difficult it is for them to think clearly 
 and consecutively. They often desire that some one 
 shall lead them in thought, perhaps read a portion of 
 Scripture or pray with them, because it is hard for 
 them to recall extended passages of Scripture or to 
 formulate a prayer right through. The task is so hard 
 for them that sometimes they will fall asleep in the 
 midst of it, or give it up altogether. When my grand¬ 
 mother was upon her last bed of sickness, and had suf¬ 
 fered intensely, I remember that she said, in the midst 
 of her weakness and pain, when she was trying to 
 concentrate her mind on God and His Word: “My! 
 how dreadful it would be in an hour like this to be 
 without God. This is a poor time to seek God.” 
 
238 THE OPPORTUNE TIME TO SEEK GOD 
 
 In a little country tavern on the road from Sheffield, 
 in the New England States, over a century ago, there 
 lay a young man by the name of George Sanders, sick. 
 Adoniram Judson, later missionary to India, at that 
 time with a theatrical company of New York, halted 
 for the night. He was told by the old Puritan landlord 
 before he retired, that there was a sick man next door 
 to his room and that he intended to watch all night 
 with him. Judson could not sleep well. His con¬ 
 science was troubling him because of a sermon which 
 he had heard the day before. He had gone to church 
 out of respect for his uncle. As he lay awake that 
 night he could hear the groans of the man next door. 
 Occasionally a loud curse or a blood-curdling yell 
 would be mingled with the sobbing wind and the noise 
 of the rain without. As the sick man grew worse the 
 cracked voice of the old Puritan landlord could be 
 heard reciting passages of Scripture or offering the 
 comforts of religion which seemed rather to enrage 
 than to console the poor sufferer. At length, after a 
 more severe outburst than usual, the groans and the 
 curses ceased, and after a few short stifled gasps, all 
 was still and the shadows ceased to flit along the wall. 
 
 Next morning at breakfast he inquired after the 
 condition of the sick man. “ Dead,” replied the old 
 man, “ and such another death I pray God I may never 
 see. Without faith in God, and without hope in 
 Christ, he has gone to meet his doom.” Judson, who 
 was then an infidel, did not relish such serious reflec¬ 
 tions, but he inquired who the young man was and 
 where he came from. The old man replied that he had 
 found a letter addressed to Mr. George Sanders, of 
 Brown University. Judson’s knife and fork fell rat¬ 
 tling on his plate and his hands dropped to his sides 
 
THE OPPORTUNE TIME TO SEEK GOD 239 
 
 as if paralyzed. “ What,” he cried, “ my old school¬ 
 mate who graduated with me last year?” When he 
 was shown into the room and saw the distorted fea¬ 
 tures he exclaimed, “ Poor, poor George! Who would 
 have thought a year ago when you graduated, the pride 
 of your class, that you would be lying thus, far from 
 your home, with not even a schoolmate to soothe your 
 dying hour though under the same roof. ’Tis sad to 
 think that such a star of promise should be thus 
 shrouded in darkness. Nothing accomplished in this 
 life. And the next—Alas! we both denied a future 
 existence. Your past was an opening rose-bud, your 
 present a withered flower, and your future, for all we 
 know, dust and ashes. Shall I ever lie thus?” He 
 who entered an infidel went away a penitent seeking 
 light. He said: “ With his memory I also bury my 
 former life. From this day forth I will strive for 
 something nobler than either of us sought before.” 1 
 The old Puritan landlord, godly man that he was, had 
 tried his best with exhortation and prayer to point the 
 brilliant George Sanders to God in his dying hour. 
 But he had denied God too long. It was not an oppor¬ 
 tune time then, when his body was weak, and his mind 
 was impaired and delirious with disease, to either seek 
 or find God. How dreadful is it to meditate on a life 
 with such opportunities going out in darkness! How 
 loudly, therefore, does the call come to us, who have 
 before us the way of life, to seek Christ our Creator 
 and our Redeemer in the days of our youth while the 
 evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh when we 
 shall say, we have no pleasure in them. 
 
 2. The longer we permit Satan to control our lives 
 the more we are in his power. When Satan gets hold 
 
 1 The Child of the Ganges, pp. 119-124. 
 
240 THE OPPORTUNE TIME TO SEEK GOD 
 
 of us at all he is hard to break away from, but when 
 he gets a strangle hold our condition is desperate. 
 Habit is difficult to overcome when outward circum¬ 
 stances are favourable, how much more so when one 
 is weak in body and has lost his power of will. Bad 
 habits of all kinds are very dangerous to follow, but 
 particularly so is the habit of denying the love and the 
 goodness of God and of ridiculing the grace and mercy 
 of our Lord and Saviour. George Sanders had formed 
 the habit and kept it up, and the Lord departed from 
 him in his dying hour. Job faced a struggle which 
 taxed him to the utmost, even though he had already 
 turned away from evil and had formed the habit of 
 doing so before he was ill. What would have been his 
 opportunity if Satan had gained a strong hold of him 
 before? 
 
 Saul permitted Satan to get a larger and larger place 
 in his heart, until, when honour or dishonour faced 
 him squarely, and when even death stood at his side he 
 could not endure the thought of it all. God had left 
 him and he had no support for such a terrible hour. 
 He took his own sword and fell upon it and thrust out 
 his life. He permitted Satan to gain a stronger and 
 stronger hold until at last he gloated over him in an 
 ignominious death. 
 
 There are few examples that are more wholesome 
 for us to follow than that of Job. He sought God in 
 the hour of health and prosperity and joy. He per¬ 
 mitted no rush of business or pressure of pleasure to 
 interrupt his communion with God or his worship of 
 him. Consequently God did not fail him in the hour 
 of his most terrible trials. “ Remember now thy 
 Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days 
 come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt 
 
THE OPPORTUNE TIME TO SEEK GOD 241 
 
 say, I have no pleasure in them.” 2 “ Seek ye the Lord 
 while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is 
 near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the un¬ 
 righteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto 
 the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him: and to our 
 God for he will abundantly pardon.” 3 
 
 As we said at the beginning so we say again, that 
 we would not discourage anyone who wishes to come 
 to God though he has delayed long in doing so, but we 
 wish to emphasize the danger of procrastination. 
 Eleventh hour conversions are not impossible, but they 
 are improbable, and it is not safe to count upon finding 
 God when we have gone the round of life in sin. He 
 is ready now to hear in His mercy, but if we put Him 
 off until the last moment of an ill-spent life, He may 
 turn from us in His anger and leave us to be judged 
 without mercy. 
 
 2Eccl. 12:1. 3 isa. 55:6, 7. 
 
XVIII 
 
 THE REDEEMER OUR HOPE 
 Job 19:25 
 
 T HE word which is translated Redeemer in this 
 passage is in the Hebrew, Gaal, which means 
 to redeem or ransom by paying a price. It 
 may also mean to avenge, as in the case of an 
 avenger of blood. The former was used in civil 
 jurisprudence when applied to the next of kin who 
 redeemed or bought back the inheritance. The latter 
 was used in criminal jurisprudence when applied to 
 one who was the avenger of the blood of a murdered 
 relative. 
 
 Both phases of the subject open before us from this 
 one word which is translated Redeemer. There is pos¬ 
 sibly the thought of the avenger or destroyer, as well 
 as that of one who buys back or redeems in order to 
 restore and to save. Job was suffering so terribly that 
 it seemed to him as though he were being murdered by 
 a cruel enemy. Satan was the murderer, Christ was 
 the great Redeemer in whom Job trusted to pay the 
 price, that he might live eternally. 
 
 See Job lying there in the ashes, his skin is all 
 cracked, and there are open festering sores. He does 
 not have the inclination or the strength to cleanse him¬ 
 self. To do so would cause too much pain. Besides, 
 in his present condition he would be little better, for 
 with his property all gone, his home broken up and 
 nothing but disease left, nothing but ashes in which to 
 
 242 
 
THE REDEEMER OUR HOPE 
 
 243 
 
 sit, he would be in as filthy a condition in a short time 
 again. The condition in which Job was at that time is 
 almost beyond description, it makes one shudder to 
 think of it. But to have an accurate realization of 
 what it meant to him we must remember it. The flies 
 annoy him constantly, the worms are crawling over 
 his body 1 and getting into his putrefying sores. He 
 is loathsome to himself and to his friends. They 
 stand back and shudder and will not touch his repel¬ 
 lent flesh. 
 
 After a season of great despondency, when, bereaved 
 of his family, stripped of his honour, deserted of his 
 friends, looked upon by his servants as an outcast: Job 
 turns over, looks up to heaven and—though Satan has 
 been trying to gain the mastery the Spirit of God has 
 never left him—with his faith centered upon God and 
 a brighter vision he cries out: “ I know that my Re¬ 
 deemer liveth.” The sacrifices which I have been 
 offering are not in vain. They point me to the Re¬ 
 deemer. He has cleansed me and purchased me with 
 his blood. Truly my sins have been as scarlet, but He 
 will redeem me, buy me back, and present me at the 
 last day cleansed from all sin. He is no stranger to me 
 and will not appear a stranger when I arise clothed 
 with immortality. 
 
 This great fact had so impressed itself upon the 
 mind of Job that he wished that it might be engraved 
 upon the rock so deeply, and preserved so carefully, 
 that it would last forever. It is the greatest fact which 
 the world can know. 
 
 To those to whom this message comes as it has been 
 handed down from the generations gone by, what has 
 it for the world today? 
 
 *7:5. 
 
244 
 
 THE REDEEMER OUR HOPE 
 
 WHAT HAS CHRIST REDEEMED US EROM ? 
 
 The old avenger is Satan. He is still trying to 
 destroy us, body and soul. Like the fabled Cyclops, 
 we cannot meet him successfully alone. We need some 
 one who has sufficient power to save us from his grasp. 
 
 The Rev. James Evans, “ The Apostle of the 
 North,” upon one occasion, set out with two Indian 
 companions, Hassel and Oig, to reach a distant north¬ 
 ern tribe, “ to guard them against the false teachings 
 and erroneous doctrines of the Church of Rome.” 
 They had made rapid progress for a number of days, 
 until, one misty morning, after they had launched their 
 canoe, they saw a flock of ducks, and the man in the 
 stern of the canoe handed the gun to Mr. Evans, who 
 was passing it forwards to his companion in the 
 front, when it was accidentally discharged. The whole 
 charge went into Mr. HasseFs head just at the base of 
 his skull. “ Poor Hassel! he just turned and gave one 
 sad look at the missionary and then fell over dead. It 
 was an awful time. Mr. Evans was wild with grief, 
 and so was I. We wept and mourned like little chil¬ 
 dren. We were dazed and bewildered.” This was the 
 manner in which Mr. Oig, the Indian guide, spoke in 
 after years. They were forced to bury the Indian there 
 because they were so far from home. With a broken 
 heart Mr. Evans returned to his wife and daughter. 
 After thinking the matter over carefully he decided to 
 surrender himself to the tribe to which the dead man 
 belonged. He kissed his wife and daughter good-bye 
 and left alone. After a long journey he came to the 
 bounds of the pagan tribe, and sought out the tent of 
 the mother of Mr. Hassel. All he could do was to 
 weep for a time. When he told his story, the Indians, 
 
THE REDEEMER OUR HOPE 
 
 245 
 
 most of whom did not like the missionary or Mr. Has- 
 sel, who had “ left the religion of his forefathers/’ de¬ 
 manded vengeance. “ Tomahawks were drawn and 
 knives unsheathed, and there was a cry for the satis¬ 
 faction of blood.” But Mr. Hassel’s mother, who saw 
 the genuine grief of the missionary, was moved in 
 sympathy toward Mr. Evans. “ When it seemed as 
 though the avengers of blood would prevail, and Mr. 
 Evans would be killed, she sprang up from her place 
 in the wigwam, and, going over to him, she put both 
 her hands upon his head and said: 4 He shall not die. 
 There was no evil in his heart. He loved my son. He 
 shall live, and shall be my son in place of the one who 
 is not among the living.’ ” He remained in the wig¬ 
 wam of his new father and mother for a time. He 
 talked to them of God as revealed in Jesus Christ, and 
 of the blessed land beyond this, into which their son 
 had entered. When the time came that he, according 
 to the custom of the tribe, could go, he kissed them 
 both and returned to his family. Ever after that he 
 sent money to them as their son Hassel had done . 2 
 
 As truly as the Indian mother saved the missionary 
 from the avengers of blood in her tribe, so truly has 
 Christ the Redeemer saved us from the great avenger 
 Satan. Our opportunity to know the Redeemer and 
 the extent and power of His sacrifice and redemptive 
 work is much better than was that of Job. May we 
 exercise like faith, that we may be redeemed from the 
 cruel and relentless grasp of the great enemy, Satan. 
 
 WHAT HAS HE REDEEMED TOR US? 
 
 The Jew was always grateful to the person who 
 would redeem his farm when it had been sold and he 
 
 2 The Apostle of the North, pp. 244-53. 
 
246 
 
 THE REDEEMER OUR HOPE 
 
 was in poverty. Naomi and Ruth were grateful to 
 Boaz, because, when they were poor and unable to pay 
 off the debt on their property, as there probably was a 
 debt which had accumulated through the years past, 
 and when they were in need of money for the future, 
 he redeemed it for them. It would have been ex¬ 
 tremely difficult for Naomi and Ruth to have existed, 
 owing to past family losses and financial reverses, if 
 there had been no one who was willing to purchase the 
 inheritance from them. 
 
 Christ has redeemed for us something that is far 
 more valuable than any farm or property. He has 
 redeemed our souls, He has bought them back with His 
 own precious blood. That was what gave Job such 
 relief amidst his poverty and suffering. He knew that 
 Christ had redeemed his soul and he would see his 
 blessed redeemer in heaven. The world when weighed 
 over against the soul is nothing. “ What shall it profit 
 a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own 
 soul, or what shall a man give in exchange for his 
 soul ? ” 
 
 Job knew that his soul, which was in the hands of 
 God, could not be destroyed. It might be refined and 
 purified but it would last forever, though his body 
 might pass through the fire. In a New York city store 
 there was displayed in a window two garments, bear¬ 
 ing competing brands, which it had been claimed were 
 all wool. Both of these garments had been submitted 
 to the test of an acid which destroys wool, but which 
 does not affect vegetable fibre. One garment, which 
 was really all wool, was entirely destroyed so far as it 
 had been dipped into the acid. The other showed a 
 coarse net-work of cotton fibres, from which the fifty 
 per cent wool had been eaten. Job was then being 
 
THE REDEEMER OUR HOPE 247 
 
 tried by the acid test. His body was not immortal and 
 it might not endure, but nothing could consume or 
 annihilate his soul, because it was safe under the pro¬ 
 tection of the Redeemer, who never allows any of His 
 own to perish. 
 
 Why should this be a matter to be graven with an 
 iron pen and lead in the rock forever ? One reason is, 
 because it lifts up the downcast, relieves the afflicted, 
 and heals the broken-hearted. Job’s friends, though 
 they had tried to bring relief to the man who was in 
 the depths, had only made matters worse. But when 
 he laid hold of Christ anew, his soul triumphed, and 
 forgetting his bodily pain and the scorn of friends, he 
 was ready to “ die in faith, not having received the 
 promises, but having seen them afar off.” 3 By his 
 life and words he declared plainly that he sought a 
 country. That he “ desired a better country, that is, 
 an heavenly.” That “ he looked for a city which hath 
 foundations, whose builder and maker is God .” 4 
 These Scripture references speak of men and women 
 as old, or older than Abraham. Surely then we will 
 not deny Job the possibility of having as clear a vision 
 of immortality and of his Redeemer. When he had so 
 clear a vision, is it not natural that he should desire 
 that it should be graven on the rock, that all men of all 
 ages might read and believe that Christ is a blessed 
 and glorious Redeemer? What this glorious message 
 means to one man who is seeking relief, it will mean 
 to any who will seek Christ. 
 
 It was well that this message of Job should be writ¬ 
 ten on the rock forever, because it is the most glorious 
 theme of all mankind. From the Apostle Paul, whose 
 theme was Christ crucified, to the latest convert of to- 
 
 3 Heb. 11:13. *Heb. 11:10. 
 
248 
 
 THE REDEEMER OUR HOPE 
 
 day, they find their greatest message in the cross. 
 There is nothing in which they glory so much as in 
 the thought of the cross and in what it means for men 
 of every race. 
 
 We like to honour the hero, particularly one who 
 has sacrificed much for his fellow men. The soldier is 
 honoured because he was willing to risk health and life 
 for his home and country. The missionary is hon¬ 
 oured who makes great sacrifices for his fellow men, 
 and that with the greatest spirit of unselfishness. That 
 is why the reader who meditates on the life of David 
 Livingstone is filled with admiration. He began life 
 in a workman’s cottage without knowledge or skill, 
 and without money to obtain them. Yet when he died, 
 the world was so full of his praise and wonder at his 
 work that his body was brought from Africa to rest in 
 Westminster Abbey in company with his country’s 
 greatest men. And the traveler today who passes by 
 his tomb pauses, and reverently breathes a prayer that 
 he may be filled with a similar spirit of dauntless zeal 
 and unwavering sacrifice. It was because of her sacri¬ 
 fice and devotion in her missionary work at Burmah, 
 that Mrs. Sarah Judson, second wife of Adoniram 
 Judson, who because of failing health had started 
 homeward and died at St. Helena, was paid so much 
 higher a tribute by her biographer than Napoleon. 
 They were both buried on the same bleak island, but 
 the one had gone out to a dark land to conquer the 
 world by love for the great Captain of her salvation: 
 the other had started out to conquer the world by the 
 force of the sword and had caused Europe to run red 
 with human blood. The one had given all in noble 
 sacrifice for her Lord: the other had given all in 
 haughty and reckless prodigality for the honour of self. 
 
THE REDEEMER OUR HOPE 
 
 249 
 
 When we are honouring the hero and talking of sac¬ 
 rifice we must place far in advance, and in a class which 
 stands wholly alone, the great sacrifice which our Lord 
 Jesus made for sinful men. Others have been willing 
 to give up much, but He gave up His glorious home in 
 heaven to come down into a sinful world to be mocked 
 and buffeted and hung upon the cross. We bear the 
 cross, in part at least, that we may be saved from suf¬ 
 fering eternal death. Jesus bore the cross, not for any 
 sin or need of His own, but that we might be saved 
 from the wrath of Almighty God. If there is anything 
 that is worthy of being written with lead on the rock 
 forever, it is the story of Jesus and His unselfish love. 
 
 Moreover, the message of Job is worthy of being 
 written upon the indelible rock because it is the most 
 glorious theme of heaven forever. When John in vis¬ 
 ion saw the throne of God, he saw the four living 
 creatures and the four and twenty elders singing the 
 praises of the Redeemer: “ Thou art worthy—for thou 
 wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, 
 out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and na¬ 
 tion; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests; 
 and we shall reign on the earth.” Then the great 
 chorus of angels and living creatures round about the 
 throne, ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands 
 of thousands broke in: “ Saying with a loud voice, 
 Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, 
 and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and 
 glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in 
 heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such 
 as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I say¬ 
 ing, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be 
 unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the 
 Lamb for ever and ever.” 
 
250 
 
 THE REDEEMER OUR HOPE 
 
 When Moses and Elijah came down from heaven to 
 have a brief season of communion with Christ on 
 earth, their theme was the decease which was about to 
 be accomplished. That was the great theme of heaven 
 then, and so it has been ever since. It was the greatest 
 event of all time, it was greater than the creation of the 
 world, and it will be greater than the destruction of 
 the earth. 
 
 Christ’s redemptive work is the great theme of the 
 whole Bible. The crimson cord reaches through the 
 sacred volume from beginning to end. From the sac¬ 
 rifice which was offered by Abel, to the Lamb which 
 was slain of which the angels sang in Revelation, the 
 outstanding message of all Scripture is the work and 
 death of the Son of God. The Old Testament leads 
 up to it, and the New Testament records the facts of 
 it and points out the results of it. It should be the 
 great theme which rests upon our hearts. It should be 
 on our minds day and night through the days that are 
 to come, so that we shall be prepared to give the highest 
 honour and glory to our Redeemer who lives and 
 reigns forever. 
 
XIX 
 
 THE SOURCE OF TRUE WISDOM 
 Job 28 : 12-28 
 
 I T is coming to be more and more the popular opin¬ 
 ion, that the men who hold the largest number of 
 degrees or the highest professorship in the leading 
 universities, are, aside from all other considerations, 
 the wisest men. But education and wisdom are not 
 always synonymous. One occasionally hears expres¬ 
 sions like this: “ Mr. So and So has a splendid educa¬ 
 tion, but he doesn’t have a bit of sense.” Of course 
 by that they mean that such an one does not have what 
 is ordinarily termed common sense. 
 
 There is another phase of wisdom which is presented 
 in this chapter, and which is of prime importance in 
 a true estimation of any man. One may have uni¬ 
 versity degrees and be entirely devoid of the wisdom 
 which is highest and truest. One may have what is 
 popularly termed common sense, and yet not be wise 
 in the sense in which wisdom is used in the passage 
 before us. Job sums up the true and false values as 
 regards wisdom, and shows where it does, and where 
 it does not lie. If men would take Job’s advice today, 
 there would be many wiser men than there are in 
 the world. 
 
 The price oe wisdom 
 
 I have heard of men who have bought honorary 
 degrees from certain educational institutions. That 
 
 251 
 
252 
 
 THE SOURCE OF TRUE WISDOM 
 
 rather reveals a lack of wisdom than a large amount 
 of it. True wisdom, according to Job, cannot be 
 bought with gold or silver or precious jewels. While 
 there were some things in which Job’s judgment erred, 
 in this he was certainly right. “ Where shall wisdom 
 be found? and where is the place of understanding? 
 Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found 
 in the land of the living. The depth saith, It is not in 
 me: and the sea saith, It is not with me. It cannot be 
 gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the 
 price thereof. It cannot be valued with the gold of 
 Ophir, with the precious onyx or the sapphire. The 
 gold and the crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange 
 of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold. No mention 
 shall be made of coral or of pearls: for the price of 
 wisdom is above rubies. The topaz of Ethiopia shall 
 not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold.” 
 
 “ Whence then cometh wisdom ? and where is the 
 place of understanding ? ” 
 
 the: peace; whe:re wisdom is pound 
 
 i. It is not found in man. Some of the most dili¬ 
 gent and painstaking investigators have not found wis¬ 
 dom. One may have looked deeply into science, an¬ 
 other may have searched the realms of philosophy 
 without finding wisdom. Sir Oliver Lodge and others 
 of similar persuasion, have thought that the highest 
 wisdom could be found through science, that the 
 human mind may even search the realms of eternity. 
 He has, however, overlooked the very elemental dif¬ 
 ferences between faith and science. 
 
 Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, a con¬ 
 viction of things not seen. Science is classified knowl¬ 
 edge of things seen. One rests upon things not seen, 
 
THE SOURCE OF TRUE WISDOM 
 
 253 
 
 the other upon things seen. Consequently, in the very 
 beginning, faith is thrown out of the same realm as 
 that of science. The one corroborates the other: but 
 the man who tries to base one upon the other, and in¬ 
 termingles his reasoning concerning things which are 
 not basically homogenous is revealing his own lack of 
 logic, and renders himself unworthy of confidence as 
 an investigator. 
 
 “ God has hid these things from the wise and pru¬ 
 dent and revealed them unto babes.” The term wise, 
 as used here, defines earthly wisdom. The highest or 
 truest form of wisdom is not found in the world alone 
 or in man. 
 
 2. It is found with God. To try to imagine one 
 who has all wisdom, is so wonderful, so confounding, 
 that when we begin to attempt to comprehend it we 
 become lost and confused, and can only say, His 
 wisdom is infinite. 
 
 We do not have all knowledge concerning any one 
 little circle in which we live or work. Suppose you 
 narrow it down to house and home. Suppose you wish 
 to understand all about the furniture of your house 
 and the people in it, you soon discover that your knowl¬ 
 edge is very superficial. Take the chair in your house. 
 How is the carving done upon it? Of what is the glue 
 made ? How does the wood grow ? What makes some 
 wood light and some heavy? Some hard and some 
 soft? Or the dishes from which you eat. From what 
 are they made? How are they coloured? What is 
 the chemical composition of them? How are they 
 glazed? What acids will not injure them, and what 
 ones will cause decomposition? Or notice the rug 
 upon your floor. What is the composition of the cord 
 of which it is woven? How are the colours woven 
 
254 
 
 THE SOURCE OF TRUE WISDOM 
 
 into it? Or the potato in your pantry. How does it 
 grow? Why does it lie through the winter without 
 sprouting? Why is it in the spring that you cannot 
 prevent it from sprouting? How does it reckon time? 
 How does it separate the ingredients, of which it is 
 composed, from the air and soil? Or the persons in 
 the home. Can you explain the human system, its 
 growth, its working, the causes of decay? Can you 
 tell why certain organs of the body cease to function? 
 Why under similar circumstances does one organ fail 
 to perform its part, at another time some other organ ? 
 You may reply, I am not a physician: but if you were 
 could you understand all of these things? Can you 
 understand the mind of man, how the memory works, 
 the reasoning faculties, the emotions? We cannot un¬ 
 derstand even our minds, much less those of others. 
 But God knows all about all of these things, He knows 
 all about all things everywhere. He knows our 
 thoughts, what they have been and what they will be 
 through life. 
 
 j. God's decrees were from eternity. God is the 
 author of all wisdom. He had planned the form, com¬ 
 position, and working of the world, before it existed. 
 He had planned the creation of man, the increase of 
 population, the similarities and differences, yes the 
 mind of man and its individual workings, when even 
 man’s dust had not been formed. To manage a great 
 department store, or a great factory, or an army of 
 men, is a large undertaking. Not every mind can grasp 
 it all, no one attempts to handle all the details. Many 
 things that are attempted are merely experimental. 
 Not so with God. He knows all the details, He knows 
 how they will work out before they are begun. 
 
 There are men who rise to as great heights of knowl- 
 
THE SOURCE OF TRUE WISDOM 
 
 255 
 
 edge as they can, by studying God’s works and work¬ 
 ings, as they are seen in material things, and then they 
 think that they are on the summit of wisdom, so far 
 as it may be possessed by man. Shall we yield to the 
 position of such men? Do we show that we are big¬ 
 oted when we insist that such scholars are wrong? 
 Surely any one who will admit that God is the source 
 of the highest wisdom must admit that such men are 
 mistaken, for God says: “ The fear of the Lord is the 
 beginning of wisdom.” 
 
 Therefore, the educator, or the school which does 
 not give first place to the fear of God, is not promoting 
 the truest wisdom. It is a lamentable fact that many 
 of the educators of the present day, having absorbed 
 the secular theory of education, do not see the impor¬ 
 tance of this great truth. They have relegated the 
 Bible, the source of all wisdom, to the background. 
 In the majority of public schools in America there is 
 little of Bible reading or prayer. The Book which sets 
 before the child the beginning of wisdom is withheld 
 from the pupils. God was the first superintendent of 
 education. He directed Israel in their establishment 
 of schools, and in their teaching. Wherever the Bible 
 has gone, education has gone, wherever the Bible is 
 unknown ignorance prevails. It is evident then, that 
 God’s Word is the greatest inspiration in the promo¬ 
 tion of education. The more religious of the early 
 settlements in America were the most diligent in pro¬ 
 moting education. The little red school house, which 
 has been so highly praised, was built not merely to 
 develop the mind, but the soul. The object was to 
 teach morals as well as figures. In the Massachusetts 
 colony in 1647, an order was passed which runs in this 
 way: “It being one chief project of the old deluder 
 
256 
 
 THE SOURCE OF TRUE WISDOM 
 
 Satan, to keep men from the knowledge of the Scrip¬ 
 tures, as in former times—that learning may not be 
 buried in the grave of our fathers in the Church and 
 in the Commonwealth, the Lord assisting our endeav¬ 
 ours.” It was therefore ordered that where there 
 were fifty families in a township a teacher should be 
 hired, and where there were one hundred families there 
 should be a grammar school. The charter of Pennsyl¬ 
 vania contained the following preamble: “ Whereas 
 the prosperity and welfare of any people depend, in a 
 great measure, upon the good education of the youth, 
 and their early introduction in the principles of true 
 religion and virtue, and qualifying them to serve their 
 country and themselves by breeding them in reading 
 and writing, and the learning of languages and useful 
 arts and sciences: ” they would erect public schools for 
 the purposes of promoting education. 
 
 It is not a step forward in the acquirement of true 
 wisdom, that schools are more and more overlooking 
 the basis of all wisdom, the fear of God. One won¬ 
 ders, when will men learn that wisdom is not from 
 man, but from God? “ The fear of the Lord that is 
 wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding.” 
 The highest and truest wisdom is not lodged in the 
 great scientists, or noted philosophers, or popular 
 statesmen. Paul was a convict in chains, yet he could 
 advise the sailors concerning navigation better than 
 they knew, because his wisdom was from God. Joseph 
 was a slave, yet he could advise the wise men and as¬ 
 trologers of Egypt. Daniel was a young captive, yet 
 he could advise the experienced physical trainers, pro¬ 
 fessors, and philosophers of Babylon. What was it 
 that enabled these men to advise those who held them 
 in dishonour, and looked upon them as ignorant? 
 
THE SOURCE OF TRUE WISDOM 
 
 257 
 
 They said distinctly, that it was nothing peculiar to 
 them, but it was God who gave them the wisdom. 
 
 WHY IS THE FEAR OF THE FORD THE TRUEST WISDOM ? 
 
 1. Because there is more genuine satisfaction in it. 
 There is a certain amount of satisfaction in the ac¬ 
 quiring of knowledge. An understanding of some 
 phase of science, or of philosophy, or of literature, 
 brings a degree of satisfaction. But there is never the 
 peace of mind and the comfort of the heart which 
 comes from this alone that there is from the knowl¬ 
 edge of things divine, particularly to know God as our 
 God and Christ as our Saviour. 
 
 Col. Ethan Allen had lived the life of an infidel. 
 His wife was a pious woman and taught her daughter 
 the Gospel. The daughter sickened and the father was 
 sent for, to be with her in her dying hour. “ Father,” 
 she said, “ I am about to die: shall I believe the prin¬ 
 ciples which you have taught me, or shall I believe 
 what my mother has taught me?” After waiting a 
 few moments to calm his extreme agitation, he replied, 
 “ Believe what your mother has taught you.” 
 
 2 . Because it does not lose its value with a new 
 generation. With every new generation one feels that 
 the knowledge which he gained in the schools is out of 
 date. One who has been out of school for a few years 
 is surprised when he returns to some of the rooms, for 
 the methods which were used when he was there are 
 revolutionized. But the knowledge which we gain 
 concerning God does not change. It is true, we hear 
 that certain tenets of theology are out of date. Some 
 may so declare, but it does not change the basis of 
 truth in the Impregnable Rock of Holy Scripture. It 
 remains eternally the same. If you once have a true 
 
258 
 
 THE SOURCE OF TRUE WISDOM 
 
 view of God, and of the doctrines which He has given 
 to men, you have a true view always. You have the 
 same hope to rest upon, now and forever. 
 
 j. Because it is a guide to purer life and better 
 society. Higher education is not necessarily a guide 
 to a purer life and better society. We often see very 
 impure lives, and corrupt society in university circles, 
 or in the so-called upper classes of society. But where 
 the fear of the Lord is, there is also a separation from 
 evil. Job did not think it enough to fear God, he also 
 turned away from evil. And that is what he advises 
 here. The fear and love of God will give us an ab¬ 
 horrence of evil. We will not love evil companions, 
 we will desire to see society purged of all vices and 
 institutions of evil which demoralize men today. 
 
 We can talk about education performing this great 
 work: but it has not, and will not do it alone. We can 
 talk about social service giving men an opportunity to 
 be better: but it will not, it cannot purge society, with¬ 
 out the love of Christ and the fear of God. 
 
 4 . Because it is a treasure which incomparably 
 outlasts all earthly wisdom. That which we gain in 
 knowledge in the schools, we expect to use mainly 
 during the years of our profession or business. We 
 do not expect that it shall be of value in the enjoyment 
 of heaven. But the knowledge that we gain of the 
 Bible and of God will be of value long after our dust 
 has returned to dust, and the spirit has returned to 
 God who gave it. 
 
XX 
 
 UNFORESEEN LIMITATIONS OF 
 PROSPERITY 
 
 Job 29 : 18 
 
 T O build air castles is not merely the play of the 
 child, it often holds a large place in the life of 
 the man. They are not usually so wildly con¬ 
 structed by mature minds, but yet the hopes, the plans, 
 the expectations of many a man are blasted and driven 
 away in what we would have supposed was an incred¬ 
 ibly short space of time. You may say, Job’s hopes 
 were not merely air castles. Perhaps it would not be 
 correct to call them that: he was not merely imagining 
 a time when he would be rich and when he would have 
 an ideal home, with all the possessions that he would 
 want to make him happy, with a family which was 
 harmonious and prosperous, with honour both within 
 his own city and abroad, with the respect not merely of 
 the poor upon the street to whom he gave alms, but 
 with the respect of the rich and noble as well. His 
 riches, his fame, his honour, and his pleasure were 
 actually present. But where Job’s hopes failed to ma¬ 
 terialize was in the supposition that this condition 
 should last permanently. Job thought that there was 
 no doubt, since he was making a right use of his 
 wealth, that he should be permitted to retain it, and as 
 he expressed it so vividly, die in his nest. 
 
 Job stood in striking contrast to the foolish rich 
 man of whom Jesus spoke, who had much wealth, 
 
 259 
 
260 
 
 LIMITATIONS OF PROSPERITY 
 
 many barns, and abundance hoarded up, and whose 
 complete satisfaction lay in this treasure. He thought 
 because he had an unusually large crop he would pull 
 down his barns and build greater and then retire and 
 say: “ Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many 
 years, take thine ease, eat, drink and be merry ”; but 
 his plans did not last over night, for in the morning he 
 was dead. He had gone where riches of the sort that 
 he possessed never follow. Job never based his plans 
 for the future, or his ideals for his family, upon such 
 a low material basis. Like the foolish rich man, he 
 had great possessions, but he did not think that these 
 could supply food for his soul. During all the years 
 in which Job had been accumulating wealth, he had 
 been laying up treasure in heaven where it could not 
 be corrupted or stolen. 
 
 Nevertheless during the days of Job’s prosperity he 
 did not think it possible that he should ever languish 
 in the poverty and misery of dust and ashes, wishing 
 that God would relieve him of life because of his suf¬ 
 fering and because of the ridicule which was cast at 
 him by former friends. He did not know the future. 
 He learned, as few men have ever learned, how quickly 
 riches can take wings and fly away. He learned how 
 suddenly friends can become persecutors. He learned 
 how, in a moment, the happiness of a fond parent can 
 be turned into the lamentation of a forlorn mourner, 
 bereaved of all. 
 
 it is sometimes best that our prosperity shape 
 
 BE LIMITED IN ORDER THAT WE MAY BE TRIED 
 
 Although it was altogether unforeseen by Job that 
 he should suffer the loss of home and family, yet it was 
 best for him. When he was tried he was to come forth 
 
LIMITATIONS OF PROSPERITY 
 
 261 
 
 as gold. It takes a very hot fire to melt the gold that 
 it may be separated from the dross, but it is the only 
 way by which it can be purified. Job had to pass 
 through the hottest of fires, and suffer both physical 
 and mental anguish. He was the purer in the end, and 
 he is the greatest teacher for us today, because of it. 
 
 The Word says: “ In the day of adversity consider.” 
 One is more apt to take time to consider his ways when 
 his pocket is empty, than when it is full. There are 
 many who, in the days of their prosperity, say: “ I 
 shall never be moved.” But though man proposes, God 
 disposes, and His disposition is always better than our 
 proposition, though perhaps it would not have been our 
 choice. King Manasseh was brought to repent when 
 he was taken in captivity and placed among the thorns 
 and hurt with irons. The Prodigal returned when his 
 money was gone and he had to eat with the swine. 
 The thief who was hung beside Jesus did not turn 
 away from his burglary and repent until he was suffer¬ 
 ing upon the cruel cross. When we are tried may we, 
 like Job, come forth as gold. 
 
 IT IS BEST THAT OUR PROSPERITY SHALL, BE LIMITED 
 IE WE IGNORE OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO GOD 
 
 Job did not ignore his responsibility, nor was it for 
 that reason that his wealth was taken away. But there 
 are few like Job, who consecrate their possessions to 
 God, and realize, as he did, that all that we have we 
 hold as stewards for God, and if we do not recognize 
 our responsibility to Him He may take from us our 
 possessions and our honour as He did from Nebuchad¬ 
 nezzar: that we may know that the Most High ruleth 
 over all that we have, and that He giveth or withhold- 
 eth as He will. We may come to see like Thomas 
 
262 
 
 LIMITATIONS OF PROSPERITY 
 
 Cromwell when we have lost all, “ Had we but served 
 our God with half the zeal we served ” self or served 
 another, “ He would not have left us naked in our 
 misery.” 
 
 The foolish rich man had ignored his responsibility 
 to God. He had cultivated the ground and sowed the 
 seed, but the greatest factor after all in the production 
 of his wealth had been God, who sent the rain, and 
 caused the sun to shine, and the grain to grow. The 
 rich man never seemed to think that in place of all 
 about him belonging to himself, it belonged to God. 
 
 How many men boast that they are self-made men. 
 How many take all the credit to themselves as the 
 architect of their own fortunes. Whatever is due in 
 the production of our wealth, to human genius, is from 
 God, for He made the mind of man. Whatever is due 
 to physical strength is from God, because He gives us 
 strength for our work, and watches over even the 
 minutest hairs of our head. It would be far better for 
 us to say: “ Not unto us, O Lord, but unto thy name 
 be the glory.” 
 
 Multitudes of men never pray to God about their 
 business, because they seem to think that they are en¬ 
 tirely independent of Him. Some who pray for pros¬ 
 perity never return to thank Him when He gives it. 
 Few ask God to direct them in disposing of their 
 wealth. That is the last thing of which most men seem 
 to think. Accumulation is their great aim, and they 
 spend the most of it on their own indulgence and not 
 for the glory of God. We speak very strongly against 
 those men who have been guilty of embezzlement in 
 banks or commercial institutions, or by profiteering in 
 any way have taken that which does not belong to 
 them. And their wealth, however it may be procured 
 
LIMITATIONS OF PROSPERITY 
 
 263 
 
 in an illegitimate manner, is deplorable and reprehen¬ 
 sible. But are there not many who are loud in their 
 denunciations of such men who are guilty of defalca¬ 
 tion before God, inasmuch as they have kept for them¬ 
 selves, and spent on themselves, the wealth which God 
 has entrusted to them for the glory of His great name? 
 
 Property has its responsibilities as well as its rights. 
 And if men would see their responsibility more fre¬ 
 quently, their rights with respect to property would be 
 more highly respected. The Communist says to the 
 Capitalist: “ What is called yours is mine, and I will 
 come and take it by force.” Such methods would be 
 theft. The Christian says: “ What is mine is God’s, 
 and I will use it under the direction of God for the 
 good of others. That would be stewardship, and in 
 such a plan lies the cure for the troubles which are so 
 hotly contested today. There are many cures which 
 are suggested which would never cure, because they 
 are based upon selfishness. When one does not realize 
 his responsibility to God as a steward it is best for him 
 that his possessions shall be limited, in order that he 
 may be brought to repentance, and in the end receive 
 God’s blessing in place of His curse. 
 
 How much better would it have been for Jehoiachim, 
 King of Judah, to have looked upon himself as God’s 
 steward, rather than, as he did, thinking he was perma¬ 
 nently settled in his nest of ease. Listen to what God 
 says concerning him: “ I spake unto thee in thy pros¬ 
 perity ; but thou saidst I will not hear: this hath been 
 thy manner from thy youth, that thou obevedst not 
 my voice.” “ He shall be buried with the burial of 
 an ass, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Je¬ 
 rusalem.” “ O inhabitants of Lebanon that makest 
 thy nest in the cedars, how glorious shalt thou be when 
 
264 
 
 LIMITATIONS OF PROSPERITY 
 
 pangs come upon thee, the pain as of a woman in tra¬ 
 vail ! ” 1 How much better it would have been for 
 Edom to have humbled himself in place of thinking 
 that he dwelt in the clefts of the rocks, and in place of 
 boasting: “ Who shall bring me down to the ground ? ” 
 God said, he might think his nest secure, but it was 
 not: “ Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and 
 though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will 
 I bring thee down, saith the Lord.” 2 
 
 IT IS BEST THAT OUR PROSPERITY SHALL BE LIMITED 
 
 IE WE IGNORE OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO OTHER MEN 
 
 We are told not only that we should love the Lord 
 our God, but that we should love our neighbour as our¬ 
 selves. How valuable it was to Dorcas and her 
 friends, that she had not stored all the goods which 
 she possessed in safety vaults, or packed them with 
 moth balls. There would not have been any to stand 
 and weep and appeal to the Apostle until he raised her 
 to life again. She had been laying up her treasures 
 where moth and rust do not corrupt. What we have 
 that others have not should be used, not for our own 
 accumulation, but for the good of others. If we have 
 an exceptional endowment it carries with it an excep¬ 
 tional responsibility. If our endowment is strength, 
 we are called upon to protect the weak, if it is wealth 
 it makes us responsible for the care of the poor, if it 
 is education we are called upon to teach the ignorant. 
 If we ignore our responsibility to other men, then our 
 wealth, if we have it, becomes a snare, and it is a kind¬ 
 ness in God when He takes it from us, that we may 
 learn the lesson to distinguish between the true treas¬ 
 ure and the false, between that which endures and that 
 
 1 Jer. 22:21, 19, 23. 2 Obadiah 3, 4. 
 
LIMITATIONS OF PROSPERITY 
 
 265 
 
 which decays. The wealth of the world ought to be 
 valued only because of the opportunity it gives us to 
 honour God and help our fellow men. If we look upon 
 it thus, then the gold which is material may be trans¬ 
 posed into the riches which is spiritual and abiding. 
 No philosopher’s stone or alchemist can equal this, for 
 it changes material silver and gold into immortal riches 
 which endure forever. 
 
 Two prominent examples of men who ignored their 
 responsibility to other men, in recent years, are Wil¬ 
 liam II of Germany and the Czar Nicholas II of Rus¬ 
 sia. They appeared to have places of great might and 
 power. They had immense wealth and great armies at 
 their command. But God ruled upon a greater throne 
 than either of them, and He cut off their prosperity 
 and gave their kingdom to others. God is preparing 
 this world so that some day all will have a fair chance 
 to show their gratitude to Him, and also to their 
 fellow men. 
 
 IT IS BEST THAT OUR PROSPERITY SHALL BE LIMITED IP 
 WE ALLOW OUR MATERIAL POSSESSIONS TO 
 DEPRIVE US OP SOUL NOURISHMENT 
 
 Job did not, with all of his riches and his hopes of 
 prosperity for the future, allow his wealth to deprive 
 him of soul nourishment. In the midst of his pros¬ 
 perity and his pleasure he did not forget God, or at¬ 
 tempt to rush the world so fast that he had no time 
 for thoughts of God. But Job was the exception. 
 There are very few men who look over their posses¬ 
 sions and feel that they have plenty and that they shall 
 die rich, who do not feel self-satisfied, and fail to seek 
 God as they ought, or give attention to their soul nour¬ 
 ishment as they should do. 
 
266 
 
 LIMITATIONS OF PROSPERITY 
 
 Material things are not food for our soul. When 
 we incline to allow them to be so, it is merciful in God 
 to limit our possessions. Were we to try them out to 
 the extreme in the effort to prove them satisfying, we 
 would unquestionably find them, as Solomon did, “ all 
 vanity and vexation of spirit.” Our Lord said to 
 Satan when tempted with material things, even when 
 He was in need of them: “ Man shall not live by 
 bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of 
 the mouth of God.” 3 The foolish rich man made the 
 mistake of thinking that he had sufficient for both 
 body and soul, because he had great possessions. He 
 never dreamed of finding rich food where Christ found 
 it. When Jesus was hungry He said: “ My meat is to 
 do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.” 
 That was better food for Him than the bread which 
 came from the merchants of Samaria. 
 
 We speak of men being rich intellectually. By that 
 we mean that a man has means of satisfying the crav¬ 
 ings of his mental nature. He has developed his men¬ 
 tal capacity and filled his mind with good things. We 
 sometimes speak of one and say, he is deficient in in¬ 
 tellectual resources. If such an one were placed in a 
 dungeon, as was Bunyan, he would have nothing to 
 fall back on to satisfy his mind and to give him com¬ 
 fort. What would have been Job’s condition when he 
 lost all that he had of material possessions, if that had 
 constituted his main source of wealth? He would 
 likely have gone mad. He had a mind that was filled 
 with the highest and purest knowledge of God. He 
 had a conscience which was clear; he had a will which 
 was accustomed to submit to God and delighted in 
 doing so, and he had a memory which was full of 
 
 3 Matt. 4: 4. 
 
LIMITATIONS OF PROSPERITY 
 
 267 
 
 lingering thoughts of spiritual feasts with God. Job 
 did not need to try to satisfy his hunger with a gold 
 coin, or quench his thirst with an Indian pearl. Even 
 at the height of his sufferings and misery he could 
 allow his thoughts to soar on high, and rejoicing in 
 the goodness and mercy of God, exclaim: “ I know 
 that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the 
 latter day upon the earth. And though after my death 
 worms destroy this body, yet without my flesh I shall 
 see God: whom mine eyes shall see for myself and not 
 a stranger; though my reins be consumed within me.” 
 
 In his “ Course of Time ” Pollock sings: 
 
 “ Attempt how monstrous and how surely vain! 
 
 With things of earthly sort, with aught but God 
 With aught but moral excellence, truth and love. 
 
 To satisfy and fill the immortal soul. 
 
 Attempt, vain inconceivably! attempt 
 To satisfy the ocean with a drop, 
 
 To marry immortality to death, 
 
 And with the unsubstantial shade of time 
 To fill the embrace of all eternity! ” 4 
 
 Our souls are never satisfied until they find satis¬ 
 faction and rest in God. 
 
 IT IS BEST THAT OUR PROSPERITY SHALL BE LIMITED 
 IN TIME, IE WE THINK THAT OUR MATERIAL 
 POSSESSIONS WILL BE OURS EOREVER 
 
 Job did not intend to carry his possessions with him 
 into eternity. Yet with all his uprightness, he was not 
 fit for heaven. There was a lesson in humility, and a 
 certain amount of pruning that Job needed before he 
 was fitted for the best that God had in store for him. 
 Even as good a man as Job was better after he had 
 
 4 Bk. 4. 
 
268 
 
 LIMITATIONS OF PROSPERITY 
 
 been deprived of his earthly possessions for a time 
 until he got away from the idea that it was necessary 
 for him to die in his nest. But how many men of 
 wealth tend rather to the extreme of the foolish rich 
 man. He thought that when he should die in his nest 
 that he would be able to go on enjoying a place of dis¬ 
 tinction and happiness forever. All of his wealth could 
 not have bribed the messenger of death to delay one 
 hour when God called and said: “ This night.” There 
 is a Spanish proverb which runs: “ There are no pock¬ 
 ets in a shroud.” The modern millionaire has died. 
 Some one asks, “ how much did he leave ? ” Another 
 replies: “ All he had.” Where does wealth stand at 
 the hour when our souls are called to depart from this 
 world ? God said to the rich man: “ Whose shall these 
 things be which thou hast provided ? ” The moral 
 which Jesus draws from him is this: “ So is he that 
 heapeth up treasure to himself, and is not rich toward 
 God.” If we are rich toward God the earthly treasure 
 will not seem important. If we are rich toward God 
 we will learn that we can get the most out of our riches 
 by spending them for God. 
 
 If some men who die rich could only appear again 
 upon earth and see how they are treated after they 
 have gone, they would desire that they had never been 
 known to have wealth. When their relatives begin to 
 fight over their possessions, and witnesses begin to try 
 to prove that the man had so little gray matter that he 
 did not know how to make a will, therefore it should 
 be broken: and when all the queer traits of character, 
 the evil habits, and the family secrets are made known 
 to the world; if he could know all this he would be 
 glad if he could have destroyed his wealth ere he had 
 known what it was to treasure it. 
 
LIMITATIONS OF PROSPERITY 
 
 269 
 
 We need not merely ask, whose shall these things be 
 when we have gone? Whose are they while we live? 
 They are God’s, and should be used for God. When 
 David, who had gathered material for the building of 
 the temple, finally brought it out and consecrated it to 
 God, the people followed his example. When he pre¬ 
 sented his gift to God, he said: “ All things come of 
 thee, and of thine own have we given thee: for we are 
 strangers before thee and sojourners, as were all our 
 fathers; our days on the earth are as a shadow, and 
 there is none abiding.” 5 If there were more of that 
 spirit, we would feel that the incoming of the kingdom 
 would be nearer than it is today: there would be 
 abundance to finance the kingdom and the kingdom 
 work. The people of God would be far happier, as a 
 whole, than they are, because they would be placing 
 their trust, not in uncertain riches, but they would be 
 rich toward God. They would have a greater posses¬ 
 sion, a soul which the world cannot retain nor take 
 from them, when they are leaving it never to return. 
 
 The guiding hand, the infinite mind, which takes 
 our thoughts away from, and places them upon, higher 
 things than our present possessions, is merciful and 
 wise, even though it may be that in teaching us the 
 lesson He shall deprive us of them now. Better be 
 without them altogether than learn to put our trust in 
 them. A few years ago, Mr. F. Bettex, in attempting 
 to turn the rising tide of materialism in Germany, said 
 this: “ Years ago I was on a visit to a friend, a coun¬ 
 try gentleman, when I happened to speak of paradise. 
 He smiled, and, pointing out of the window over his 
 extensive estate, cried, 4 There is my paradise! ’ And 
 certainly it was a paradise; vineyards and meadows, 
 
 5 1 Chron. 29:14, 15. 
 
270 
 
 LIMITATIONS OF PROSPERITY 
 
 framed by fruit-trees, lay in the sunshine sloping down 
 to the blue lake, and above them the snowy Alpine 
 peaks rose into the blue sky! A few years afterwards 
 I returned to the place; the lake still lay smiling in the 
 sunshine; the trees were laden with blossoms; but the 
 owner of it all sat in his room, a broken-hearted man, 
 the picture of misery. His son had been drowned in 
 the lake before his eyes; a daughter had made an un¬ 
 happy marriage, and he himself was slowly dying of 
 an incurable disease. And when his younger daughter 
 came into his room and said, ‘ Father, I am going to 
 drive into town; what shall I bring you ? ’ he answered, 
 gloomily, ‘ A pistol! 5 ” 6 In what a miserable condition 
 is the man who in this life only has hope! There is 
 perhaps no subject which our Lord dwelt upon more 
 frequently, and impressed more vividly than that of the 
 insecurity of trust in riches. And yet it seems that 
 men are almost as slow to believe His warnings as 
 when He walked this earth and plead with them, telling 
 them how they might escape the end of the foolish rich 
 man, or of that of Dives, or of the publicans. 
 
 May God give us such high spiritual attainments, 
 and such true consecration, that we shall not ape the 
 world in its attainments or ideals: but shall seek first 
 the kingdom of God and His righteousness, knowing 
 that all these things shall be added unto us. God has 
 provided no permanent abode for us upon this earth, 
 which we are sure shall be ours, even through our 
 short lives here: but we are sojourners as all our 
 fathers were. May we learn, like Paul, in whatsoever 
 state we are, therein to be content. May we have 
 perfect peace of soul, so that we can say: “To me to 
 live is Christ, to die is gain.” 
 
 6 Science and Christianity, p. 302. 
 
XXI 
 
 A REASONABLE REASONER 
 Job 32-37 
 
 T HE argument between Job and his three friends 
 has ended. Zophar made but two speeches, and 
 Bildad’s third was very short. Zophar seemed 
 the most certain of his ground when he began, but he 
 gave up the soonest. They were not able to convince 
 Job, and perhaps they had come to see that their 
 reasoning was not good. 
 
 A fourth speaker now appears. He is not mentioned 
 before this in the narrative, or afterward. Because he 
 is not introduced at the first of this book, as were the 
 three friends of Job, and because his argument is not 
 reviewed later, there are many of a critical mind who 
 have declared that this section of the book of Job is an 
 interpolation, that it did not belong originally to the 
 book, but was added by some one many years later. It 
 is also alleged that there are Arimean words, which 
 were used by Elihu, which show that he wrote at a later 
 date. This argument has been so framed by some, that 
 it has made his peculiarities of diction appear in a 
 greatly exaggerated form . 1 Would it not rather be 
 unnatural if there were no differences of diction when 
 compared with those men who had spoken before? 
 The genealogy of Elihu is given to indicate his nation¬ 
 ality. He was a Buzite, the son or Barachel. Buz was 
 the second son of Nahor, the brother of Abraham. 
 
 1 See Introduction—The Philological Argument. 
 
 271 
 
272 
 
 A REASONABLE REASONER 
 
 There are many conjectures as to where Elihu came 
 from and who he was. It is useless for us to con¬ 
 jecture, as we are not told. He is not the only char¬ 
 acter in the Bible who is mentioned, whose surround¬ 
 ing record is not given. But it is not at all surprising 
 that such a man should be there, and that he would 
 have truer views of life and of God than those of Job’s 
 friends who came from a distance. He may have been 
 one of the servants of Job who escaped from the wreck 
 of his property, one who had a godly training under 
 the great patriarch. He may have been one who had 
 remained with Job through all of his suffering and had 
 ministered to him, and had heard the conversation be¬ 
 tween him and the three friends who had come from 
 a distance. Elihu was evidently the son of pious par-, 
 ents. He was the son of Barachel, whose name means 
 “ God blesses.” The meaning of his own name is 
 equivalent to saying: “ God is my God.” 
 
 The brief introduction which we have, before Elihu 
 begins to speak, does not serve to impress us favour¬ 
 ably concerning his character, or to arouse our sympa¬ 
 thetic interest in what he shall say. He seems like one 
 of those men who have an outward form of politeness, 
 who will hold their tongues until an opportunity is 
 given them to speak: but who, in the meantime, are 
 pacing back and forth muttering to themselves, and 
 gritting their teeth, to keep from breaking forth in 
 anger. However, before we have heard the conclusion 
 of Elihu’s argument, we conclude that he did more 
 clear thinking than any of the other friends who had 
 spoken, and that he had a more accurate knowledge of 
 life and of theology than they. When a man begins an 
 argument in a rage we usually discount his speech to a 
 large extent. The anger of Elihu, however, may have 
 
A REASONABLE REASONER 273 
 
 been, in part, righteous anger for the manner in which 
 the friends who had spoken had dealt with a pious 
 man who was in the midst of terrible suffering, was 
 enough to stir up almost any man who knew Job well, 
 and who thought deeply concerning God’s ways with 
 men. filihu was angry, both with Job and with his 
 three friends. He did not like Job’s attitude toward 
 God, nor did he like the attitude of the three friends 
 toward Job. They had accused Job of being so guilty 
 that he brought the suffering upon himself, and yet 
 they had not been able to bring proof to substantiate 
 their assertions. Elihu, who was younger than the 
 others, in order to be polite, waited until they had 
 completed their argument before he began. 
 
 The first chapter of Elihu’s speech is introductory . 2 
 He apologizes for his part in the argument by stating, 
 that days should speak and multitude of years should 
 teach wisdom. That is, the older the man, and the 
 more experienced he is; he should be better qualified to 
 speak and should abound with wisdom. 
 
 Elihu had heard one of the friends of Job speak 
 from the standpoint of his own experience, and he had 
 become entirely dissatisfied with his conclusions. He 
 decided that experience is not always a true teacher, 
 and that one has to go beyond his own experience for 
 sound principles. Man must seek guidance of the 
 Spirit of God, and seek wisdom from the fountain 
 head of all wisdom. Sometimes the great men are not 
 wise, nor do the aged always judge rightly . 3 Younger 
 though he was, Elihu had lived closer to God, he had 
 perhaps had more pious training from his youth, and 
 had a truer view of theology. Paul said to Timothy, 
 who was then a young man just beginning the work of 
 
 2 Chap. 32 . 3 32 ; 9 . 
 
274 
 
 A REASONABLE REASONER 
 
 the ministry: “ Let no man despise thy youth.” Tim¬ 
 othy might be younger than many whom he would be 
 called upon to teach. But that need not cause him to 
 hesitate to speak with assurance concerning Christ and 
 His law. He had his enlightenment from a higher 
 source than many of the old men. They might deny 
 Christ: they might be entirely wrong concerning many 
 doctrines of the Bible. He could not only teach them, 
 but he could teach with authority as though he were an 
 older man. God is not taught by experience, and any¬ 
 one who speaks, either by inspiration or from inspira¬ 
 tion, has as his teacher the wisdom of one who has 
 more knowledge than the accumulated experience of 
 the ages. The natural man is. no more capable of 
 teaching without guidance from on high than is the 
 sun dial of informing us of the hour of the day, when 
 the sun does not shine upon it. 
 
 The three friends of Job, although they could not 
 convince him, and were outclassed in the argument, 
 would not admit that they were mistaken. It is said 
 that the three words: “ I was mistaken,” are the three 
 hardest words to pronounce in the English language. 
 But when we acknowledge that we were mistaken, we 
 are wiser than we were before to own it, and humbler 
 than we were before to confess it. Goldsmith remarks, 
 that Frederick the Great did himself more honour by 
 his letter to the senate stating that he had lost a battle 
 by his own fault, than by all the victories he had won. 
 
 Elihu argues with Job, that afflictions are disciplin¬ 
 ary and are designed to produce humility and penitence. 
 God’s great purpose is to take away pride from man 
 and produce humility. The friends of Job were mis¬ 
 taken when they maintained that the cause of his af¬ 
 fliction was his great wickedness. Job was also guilty, 
 
A REASONABLE REASONER 
 
 275 
 
 in that when he was afflicted he laid unjust charges 
 against God. 
 
 God, in His providential dealing with us, may be 
 showing us far more than w^e are willing to see. When 
 Ferdinand Magellan first landed at the Ladrone Is¬ 
 lands, they were inhabited by a tribe of Indians whose 
 curiosity was so extravagant, that when they were 
 shot through with arrows, they drew them from their 
 bodies and gazed at them with an intentness which 
 seemed to overcome all sense of pain, until they 
 dropped down and expired. In like manner when the 
 arrows of the Almighty are within us, it should not be 
 our first and chief concern to mitigate the pain we 
 suffer, but to ascertain the cause of the affliction. Thus 
 messengers of death to us may often be converted into 
 messengers of mercy. 
 
 It has been said that a Christian’s life is laid in the 
 loom of time to a pattern which he does not see. On 
 one side of the loom is sorrow, and on the other is joy; 
 and the shuttle struck alternately by each, flies back 
 and forth carrying the thread, which is white or black 
 as the pattern needs. In the end when God shall lift 
 up the finished garment, and all of its changing hues 
 shall glance out, it will then appear that the deep and 
 dark colours were as needful to beauty as the bright 
 ones. Even godly men, when afflicted, often do not 
 see God’s hand in their suffering as they ought to do. 
 Job was not guilty of all that was charged against him 
 by his three friends, but he had nevertheless sinned. 
 He had put too much confidence in himself, and he 
 would not humble himself as he ought to have done, 
 nor would he listen to the reasoning of a man though 
 he was ever so faithful, in trying to lead him to look 
 upon his afflictions in the right spirit. Not until God 
 
276 
 
 A REASONABLE REASONER 
 
 spoke directly to Job, and rebuked him severely for his 
 lack of repentance and for his confidence in himself, 
 did he bow low before God in humble penitence. 
 
 One of the most serious errors into which Job Was 
 accused, by Blihu, of falling, was, that of having a 
 proud, scorning spirit on account of the divine deal¬ 
 ings with him, when he affirmed that it would be of no 
 advantage for a man to be pious, and to delight himself 
 in God . 4 It is not uncommon for men to assert that 
 they have never done anything which deserves so much 
 suffering or affliction, and that God is not good be¬ 
 cause He has sent it. It is sinful for any man so to 
 speak, but especially so for a man like Job; with his 
 knowledge of right and wrong; with the mercy that 
 he had received from God, and with the assurance of 
 God’s love, to fall into such an error. True, we can¬ 
 not be sufficiently pious that we shall work our way 
 into heaven, but we can try to be so Christ-like that we 
 shall receive favour and forgiveness and mercy from 
 God. We can cling so closely to Christ, that we can 
 say like Paul: “ When I am weak then am I strong.” 
 We can come to have the assurance of the saintly 
 apostle, if we are intimately united with Christ, so that 
 we are persuaded that nothing can separate us from 
 the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 
 Although we cannot save ourselves by good works, 
 piety is of value. We can lay up treasure in heaven, 
 where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where 
 thieves do not break through nor steal. 
 
 Another lesson that is evidently taught in this argu¬ 
 ment is : there is so much in the divine government 
 which is inscrutable, and there are such evidences of 
 God’s wisdom and power, that we should be ready to 
 
 4 34:9, 10. 
 
A REASONABLE REASONER 
 
 277 
 
 submit to His superior wisdom, though we cannot un¬ 
 derstand. As one of the friends of Job asserted in 
 an earlier argument: “ Canst thou by searching find 
 out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto per¬ 
 fection ? It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do ? 
 deeper than hell; what canst thou know ? The measure 
 thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than 
 the sea.” 
 
 Often in trouble we pray for deliverance. If it is 
 sickness we pray that our loved one may be restored: 
 if it is sorrow we pray that God will give us relief: but 
 usually we add, not my will but thine be done. It may 
 not be according to God’s plan to grant us relief soon. 
 It was not in the case of Job. The solution was too 
 hard for him to see at that time. He began to feel 
 that there was to be no relief. Nevertheless relief 
 came. The ways of God were strange, the plan of God 
 was beyond his understanding, but it was all for God’s 
 glory and his good in the end. There will be many 
 things in our lives which we cannot understand. There 
 will be times when we would that we could open the 
 book of God’s decrees and get a foretaste of the future, 
 but it is a beneficent plan of God that He has not 
 opened the future to us. Sometimes there may be sor¬ 
 row and bereavement in store and we would be caused 
 many added days of worry if we knew it beforehand. 
 We may wish that trouble would be taken away. If it 
 is to be allowed to remain it would not bring us relief 
 to know it, if it is to be taken away we will know it 
 without having ability to prophecy of the future. 
 
 Elihu paused several times in the course of his 
 speech to see if Job had any answer to make, and when 
 he did not, he proceeded. He made a longer argument 
 and a better one, than any of the three friends of Job. 
 
278 
 
 A REASONABLE REASONER 
 
 His was introductory to the solution, as it is given by 
 God in the section which follows, when he spoke out 
 of the whirlwind. 
 
 When God spoke to Elijah in the cave He caused the 
 earth to quake, but that did not frighten the great 
 prophet: then He caused the storm to sweep the moun¬ 
 tain side, but still the stalwart prophet was not alarmed. 
 At last, when God began to speak Himself, though in 
 a still small voice, the great prophet fell on his face and 
 heard Him with the greatest reverence and humility. 
 As Elihu was closing his argument and drawing some 
 illustrations from God’s works of providence, he was 
 showing Job that he could not expect to comprehend 
 the workings of God in their fulness and mystery; 
 that when the frost and the rain come, sometimes it 
 is sent for correction and sometimes it is for the bene¬ 
 fit of the land, but ever in His mercy. As Elihu spoke, 
 the storm drew on. The clouds began to roll up in the 
 heavens, the lightning to dart across the sky, the wind 
 to blow and the rain to fall. His speech was brought 
 to a speedy close, with the warning to fear God for 
 He is no respecter of persons, He is beyond our un¬ 
 derstanding, He is excellent in His power and fair in 
 His judgment, and in the exacting of justice. He has 
 always a purpose in affliction, it does not come indis¬ 
 criminately, nor does it come upon the pious without 
 purpose. 
 
 Just at this juncture, when the storm had come on in 
 full blast, and the thunder was reverberating, and the 
 lightning flashing, the Lord Himself, who had been a 
 witness to all the suffering of Job, and who had heard 
 all the argument of his friends, began to speak to him 
 out of the whirlwind. To God belonged the right to 
 rebuke the great Emir of Uz, who had not yet humbled 
 
A REASONABLE REASONER 
 
 279 
 
 himself sufficiently in His just and holy presence. Job 
 could not be moved by all the arguments of men, he 
 was no more terrified by the storm than was the 
 prophet Elijah in later years: yet when the voice of 
 God began to fall upon his ear, when the Almighty 
 began to rebuke him, he also was like the old prophet 
 in the cave, he also was dumb, he abhorred himself and 
 repented in dust and ashes. 
 
 God is speaking to us, today, through the great 
 patriarch of old. God often speaks to us in His provi¬ 
 dence when He sends sickness, or sorrow, or when He 
 calls us to mourn for our loved ones. May we hear 
 the voice of God speaking to us. May we likewise 
 humble ourselves before Him, knowing that His ways 
 are not our ways, and that His ways are wiser and 
 purer and more far-sighted than ours: and however 
 we may fail to see what the value of it all will be to 
 us or to the world, yet in the end it will all redound to 
 our good and His glory, if we will humble ourselves 
 and repent in dust and ashes. Not in His anger, but 
 in His mercy, is He calling to His people to repent, 
 while still the opportunity of grace affords. There¬ 
 fore : “ Let the wicked forsake his way, and the un¬ 
 righteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto 
 the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him: and to our 
 God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts 
 are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, 
 saith the Lord.” 5 
 
 5 Isa. 55: 7, 8. 
 
XXII 
 
 THE GREAT ARBITER 
 Job 38-42 
 
 A T the close of the former passage the storm was 
 already breaking. As Elihu was closing his 
 speech the clouds began to gather in the sky, 
 the lightning began to flash, the thunder to roll and 
 the wind to blow. Amidst the darkness of the storm 
 there appeared a bright light in the north, indicating 
 the approach of the Most High. Elihu hastily con¬ 
 cluded his speech, permitting God to speak in His 
 awful majesty from the whirlwind. 
 
 In most disputes there is a contest as to who shall 
 have the last word: but in this one the three friends 
 seemed ready to yield that privilege to Job, seeing they 
 were unable to answer him. Job yielded to Elihu as he 
 could not answer one who was presenting the matter 
 from the standpoint of his Maker. But even Elihu at 
 once yielded to God when He appeared to speak di¬ 
 rectly to Job. The judge upon the bench must have 
 the last word. The others in the controversy stood 
 back in awe when the great Judge began to speak. Job 
 had often appealed to God, and had spoken boldly of 
 how he would order his cause before Him, as a prince 
 he would go near to Him , 1 but when it came to the 
 test, and God began to speak. Job had nothing to say 
 in self-defence. 
 
 God showed Job wherein he had erred in his pas- 
 
 1 31:32. 
 
 280 
 
THE GREAT ARBITER 
 
 281 
 
 sionate and uncontrolled statements concerning Him. 
 He brought him to an humble state of mind by calling 
 upon him to compare God’s eternity with his own time, 
 God’s omniscience with his own ignorance, and God’s 
 omnipotence with his own weakness. 
 
 god's eternity compared with man's time 
 
 God said to Job: “ Gird up now thy loins like a man; 
 for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me." 2 
 That is, prepare, make ready in your utmost show of 
 strength, for your manhood will be tried to the extreme 
 in the contest with God. Let us remember, that when 
 this challenge was written Genesis was not then in 
 print. Job did not have the brief review of the creation 
 which we have in the Word of God. 
 
 The irony is keen and searching. God said: 
 " Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the 
 earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath 
 laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who 
 hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the 
 foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner¬ 
 stone thereof, when the morning stars sang together, 
 and all the sons of God shouted for joy? " Again and 
 again men have praised the book of Job as a magnifi¬ 
 cent piece of literature, and the section that is particu¬ 
 larly considered is that which is before us. Truly it 
 is a most remarkable gem of literature, as it describes 
 the origin of the earth, the stars, and the animals of 
 the earth. No one of us could write such a wonderful 
 description of them, or dress them up in such a beau¬ 
 tiful and awe-inspiring garb. But if beautiful lan¬ 
 guage is all that one sees in this part of the book, in 
 fact if that is uppermost in one’s mind as he reads and 
 
 2 38:3. 
 
282 
 
 THE GREAT ARBITER 
 
 studies it, he is missing the intention of the author, and 
 he should, like Job, be brought face to face with God, 
 that he may see Him in His majesty and power 
 and glory. 
 
 You may be reckoned a wise man fti Uz, said God, 
 you may be old and experienced, you may have sat as 
 a judge among the men of the east, and they may have 
 looked upon you as an oracle: but where were you 
 when the earth was brought into being ? Did you help 
 to measure it and determine the size that it should be? 
 Can you point out its foundation, on what does it rest? 
 Who began the work and who completed it? Were 
 you then living and observing, and can you tell all 
 about its construction, its size, and the substance of 
 which it is made ? Did you hear the morning stars and 
 the sons of God sing together, rejoicing because the 
 cornerstone of the earth was laid? Were you there to 
 hear the angels sing for joy when they saw the marvel¬ 
 ous work of God in the completed worlds ? 
 
 Where were you when God gathered the waters of 
 the sea together and shut it up as with great doors? 
 When He stretched it out so far that it seems to dis¬ 
 appear in the clouds and descends to the deeps of dark¬ 
 ness? How can God control it as though it were a 
 little child wrapped in swaddling bands of darkness, 
 and covered over with the clouds? Could you say, as 
 God said to the sea, this is your limit, hitherto shalt 
 thou come, but no further; and here shall thy proud 
 waves be stayed? If you were living then, and under¬ 
 stood all this, perhaps you have wisdom so that you 
 can understand the infinite times and ways of God? 
 
 Do you know the origin of the day? Or were you 
 ever down in the depths of the sea to know the source 
 of its springs? Can you tell how it was first made? 
 
THE GREAT ARBITER 283 
 
 Are there springs beneath it? Who supplies it with 
 water ? 
 
 Do you know what awaits you after this life, in 
 eternity beyond as well as in eternity before? Can 
 you tell where man goes or what is the condition at 
 death ? Have you the infinite knowledge and existence 
 to explore the gates of eternity? 
 
 Where does darkness go when it is dispelled ? 
 Where does it remain during the day ? After all, com¬ 
 mon as light is, can you explain its origin? Or per¬ 
 chance you were born when light began to appear, and 
 hence you can trace its beginning? 
 
 Can you search out the sources of the snow and hail ? 
 Whence comes such great quantities of snow? Can 
 you make its origin clear to all of your friends? What 
 determines when it shall hail, or when it shall snow? 
 God uses the hail sometimes as a means of chastening 
 His people, sometimes to enable them to defeat their 
 enemies. Can you direct it in either case to suit your 
 pleasure ? 
 
 Can you go out in mind and power into the desert, 
 beyond the extent where foot of man has trod, and 
 tell, who commands the rain to fall there ? Who makes 
 the bud to grow in the jungle or the uninhabited por¬ 
 tions of the earth? When did it first rain? Who first 
 formed the ice and frost? 
 
 Or if you choose to go out into space beyond the 
 reach of man, among the stars, who directs them? 
 Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades, that small 
 cluster of the stars which is supposed to introduce the 
 spring with all of its pleasures and joys? Or can you 
 loose the bands of Orion, that greatest cluster, which 
 is declared to introduce the cold and hardships of win¬ 
 ter ? Can you control the stars, either many or few, or 
 
284 
 
 THE GREAT ARBITER 
 
 can you take charge of the change of seasons, either 
 spring or winter? Is your power sufficient to control 
 these? Canst thou lead forth the Mazzaroth in their 
 season ? Or canst thou guide the Bear with her train ? 
 In other words, what control have you over, or under¬ 
 standing of, the management of the stars away to the 
 south, or to the north in space? If you have infinite 
 wisdom you know. Does your mind extend far 
 enough, or broad enough, to know the laws and ordi¬ 
 nances of heaven? Is your voice loud enough that it 
 will carry to the clouds, and can you direct them? 
 Can you command the lightnings, can you send them 
 out at your pleasure? If you have infinite power like 
 God that will be easy. Can you do it ? 3 
 
 god's omniscience compared with man's 
 
 IGNORANCE 4 
 
 “ Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts ? Or 
 who hath given understanding to the mind ? ” Will 
 any amount of study of human wisdom, of philosophy 
 or psychology, enable you to open up the workings of 
 the mind of man and comprehend it? If you are a 
 scientist today, perhaps by the aid of Roentgen rays, 
 you can photograph the brain. But can you by gazing 
 at the surface of the brain tell what intellect is there, 
 or how it works to produce thought? Can you tell 
 by the size of the cranium, whether a man is wise or 
 ignorant? Coleridge thought he was a reasonably ac¬ 
 curate judge of the mentality of men. A gentleman 
 who was one day seated opposite to him at dinner, 
 possessed a magnificent forehead, and a fine and vener¬ 
 able bald head. The eyes of this patriarch intimated 
 the fires of genius, and the whole bearing of the 
 
 3 38:1-35. 4 38:36-41; 39:1-4. 
 
THE GREAT ARBITER 
 
 285 
 
 man was suggestive of immense capacity. Coleridge 
 thought, if he would but speak what grand things we 
 would hear! What large utterances worthy of early 
 dramatists! What poetry! What eloquence and truth 
 and thought! Suddenly the gentleman who looked so 
 venerable and impressive spoke; the oracle delivered its 
 burning message, and to this effect: “ Hand me them 
 dumplins! them’s the jockeys for me.” What a poor 
 judge is man, even having all the outward signs of 
 character, in appearance and bearing. He cannot go 
 within and read the operation of the mind, or discern 
 the thoughts of man. But to read the mind is as sim¬ 
 ple for the omniscient wisdom of God, as it is to read 
 the lines of the page which is printed to record men’s 
 thoughts. 
 
 God challenged Job concerning his wisdom in nature. 
 Who can number the clouds by wisdom ? Or who can 
 pour out the bottles of heaven? Have you sufficient 
 wisdom to explain the manner in which the clouds are 
 formed, how the moisture is first drawn up into the sky 
 from its place in the sea, how it is collected in clouds, 
 and how at a certain time they are made to pour out 
 their water upon the earth? Perhaps some one says, 
 though Job could not understand it, men of science 
 have explained it all today and it is not beyond the 
 wisdom of man. Is it not? Then can you explain 
 how, in the same locality there are sometimes dry sea¬ 
 sons, and sometimes wet ones ? Can you foretell which 
 will be the dry and which the wet season? If you 
 could do so you could become independently rich within 
 a short time. Can you tell why, in a dry season, the 
 clouds will float over, day after day, and month after 
 month, without pouring forth their contents? Why 
 in a wet season, it seems as though a cloud scarcely 
 
286 
 
 THE GREAT ARBITER 
 
 appears without opening its windows and pouring 
 forth its contents upon the earth? 
 
 Coming down to the ordinary creatures of the earth, 
 can you plan for them? Do you understand all that 
 they do, ignorant as they may seem? How does the 
 lioness hunt for the prey? Can you go out with the 
 same sagacity and cunning and find the victim for 
 the young lions? Or could you search the earth with 
 the same keenness of vision and smell, and locate the 
 carcass for the raven, that she and her young may be 
 fed ? Can you understand the manner in which the wild 
 goats live: how they increase in number and grow? 
 These are well known animals, and yet man cannot 
 explain their life and methods of working as can the 
 Almighty. He knew from the very beginning, and 
 He knows every one today, even in the uttermost parts 
 of the earth. 
 
 Why then shall Job, or any of his kind, be restless, 
 because they do not understand the greater and more 
 wonderful ways of God? His ways with man are 
 more complex than in nature. Surely we will stand in 
 awe of Him and not claim that we know the secrets of 
 His counsels, or the utmost of His methods of work¬ 
 ing. If when He chastens we do not see His object, 
 let us never doubt His just purpose in it; if it is simply 
 to try our hearts it is well: but if we cannot see now 
 as we look through a glass darkly, let us patiently wait 
 until we shall see Him face to face. 
 
 god's omnipotence compared with man's 
 
 WEAKNESS 
 
 The wild animals which range the mountains, are no 
 less under God’s control than those which are most 
 domesticated. But how can man control the wild ass 
 
THE GREAT ARBITER 
 
 287 
 
 or the wild ox? Has he assigned them their places? 
 Can he trust the wild ox to harrow his field, or can he 
 send him out to bring in the ripened grain? God not 
 only knows, but controls, the dwelling of each, and 
 directs them all in securing their food. 
 
 Can you run and catch the ostrich, which scometh 
 even the swift-footed horse of the desert? Can you 
 direct her, or change her habit of laying her eggs in 
 the sand. We speak of such habits as instinct: but 
 what is the source of the instinct of the animal ? 
 
 Does the horse owe his great strength to you, have 
 you clothed his neck with the quivering mane? Have 
 you made him leap as the locust, and made his snorting 
 terrible ? Is it you who has made him so great a power 
 in war, who hast made him to scoff at the danger of the 
 arrow or the spear? Have you put that courage into 
 him that he will dash forward at the sound of the trum¬ 
 pet, regardless of the power of the enemy or the danger 
 before him ? Do you give the hawk and the eagle the 
 strength that they may soar far and high? Have you 
 enabled the eagle to mount up beyond the clouds and 
 to make her nest upon the cliff, out of reach of man 
 and beast? 
 
 Is it you who gives strength to those two great 
 creatures, among the most powerful of God’s creation, 
 the one a monster of the land, the other of the sea, the 
 behemoth and the leviathan ?—Supposed to be the hip- 
 potamus and the whale. What control have you over 
 the great behemoth, with his tail like a cedar and his 
 bones like brass and his muscles like bars of iron ? Can 
 you draw out the whale with a fishhook? If you catch 
 him with a cord, will he want to make an agreement 
 with you at once, and will he be your servant forever ? 
 Will you take him and play with him as a little bird, or 
 
288 
 
 THE GREAT ARBITER 
 
 will he make a fine toy for your children? Can you 
 approach that great monster, whose skin looks like cor¬ 
 rugated iron and who makes the sea like a boiling pot 
 about him, and frighten him by slinging pebbles at 
 him? Can you even make him afraid of the spears 
 which you may throw at him, or the darts which would 
 be fatal to other creatures? There is no monster on 
 earth like him, if you can make a pet of him, then you 
 may talk of your power! If these great creatures 
 which are so strong are as insects in the hand of the 
 Almighty, why should man attempt to oppose him? 
 What power has he in his presence ? 
 
 Before God had finished His terrible comparison, 
 showing how even nature displays His marvelous 
 power and His eternal wisdom, Job began to speak 
 with the utmost humility, and to assert that he was of 
 small account and had nothing to answer. But when 
 God had finished, he was humbler still: then he was 
 ready to confess that God could do all things, and that 
 no purpose of His can be restrained. He acknowl¬ 
 edged that He had uttered things far beyond his under¬ 
 standing, too wonderful for him that he knew not, and 
 that as he saw himself in comparison with God who 
 is good and gracious, all-wise and powerful, he ab¬ 
 horred himself and was ready to repent in dust and 
 ashes. 
 
 No sooner had Job repented, and humbled himself 
 before God, giving Him all the honour and glory in 
 heaven and on earth; than God received him with love 
 and tender favour. Then God made him intercessor 
 on behalf of those other servants of His, who had 
 sinned more grievously than had Job. Eliphaz and his 
 two friends were told to go to Job and offer up a burnt 
 offering, and to permit Job to pray for them, and his 
 
THE GREAT ARBITER 
 
 289 
 
 petitions would be acceptable on their behalf, for he 
 was a man of penitent heart and true faith. 
 
 Thus Job forgave those who had misunderstood and 
 misrepresented him, and who had made his misery 
 greater in the midst of trouble already overwhelming, 
 and prayed for them with sincerity and faith. It was 
 long before Christ had appeared upon the earth and 
 had set that high ideal: “ Love your enemies, pray for 
 them which despitefully use you and persecute you.” 
 But with that spirit in his heart, Job forgave and 
 sought the pardon of his three former companions, 
 who had caused him so much anguish. It was also 
 before that promise had been given, that if any should 
 leave house and brethren and sisters and father and 
 mother and wife and children, for Christ’s sake, he 
 should receive an hundred fold now in this present 
 time, and in the world to come everlasting life. God’s 
 love and mercy was the same, as He dealt with the 
 patriarchs, and He gave Job twice the possessions 
 which he had before, and children who were brighter 
 and more charming than any in all the land. The 
 names of his daughters indicates that they were beau¬ 
 tiful and lovely. Moreover Job’s friends were ready 
 to do him honour and bring him gifts. He was purer, 
 greater, wiser, and happier than he was before his 
 affliction. “ The Lord blessed the latter end of Job 
 more than his beginning.” 
 
 THERE ARE Two OR THREE EESSONS WHICH WE 
 
 CANNOT BUT NOTE 
 
 I. It is a dangerous thing to find fault with God's 
 justice. God is infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in 
 His justice, and for weak, mortal, sinful man to look 
 upon the ways of God and find fault with them, is to 
 
290 
 
 THE GREAT ARBITER 
 
 sin against Him. God could cast us off in a moment. 
 He could blot us from the face of the earth as He did 
 with Korah, Dathan and Abiram, and their company. 
 It is only because of His mercy that He does not; con¬ 
 sequently for us to challenge His justice rather than 
 plead His mercy, is to endanger the provocation of His 
 wrath. Our God is a consuming fire. It is a fearful 
 thing to fall into the hands of an angry God. 
 
 The Lord is just in His ways all. 
 
 And holy in His works each one. 
 
 He’s near to all that on Him call, 
 
 Who call in truth on Him alone.” 5 
 
 2. However careful the life man needs to repent . 
 Job had been among the most godly of men. His piety 
 is quoted as an example to generations which followed. 
 Yet temptation and weakness and suffering caused Job 
 to sin and to speak unwisely in the presence of God. 
 Good as he had been, many as his deeds of philan¬ 
 thropy had been, they did not serve to justify him 
 before God. He had to be brought to see his sin, and 
 to repent with the deepest humility, and utmost sin¬ 
 cerity, ere he was restored to the favour of God. 
 There are none of us so good that we can afford to 
 permit one day to pass, without humbling ourselves 
 before God, and repenting in the most earnest manner. 
 
 j. God expects His people to live in faith. If, like 
 Job, they cannot see the end of suffering, or of poverty, 
 or distress; they ought still to trust God, knowing that 
 He can see farther than we, and His plans are all 
 arranged to the very end. They ought still to trust, 
 knowing that nothing is done unwisely or carelessly, 
 but that one day all will be open and manifest. One 
 
 5 Psa. 145 :17, 18. 
 
THE GREAT ARBITER 
 
 291 
 
 day all will know why troubles came as well as why 
 joys were given. In the meantime, however dark to 
 us may seem the plan of God, let us still trust. God 
 did not feel called upon, either before or after Job’s 
 repentance, to go into an explanation of the past and 
 of the future, and to show why this had all come about. 
 He wanted Job to know, and He wants us to know 
 likewise, that we should submit to Him. If He has 
 no other reason than to teach us submission, He may 
 try us by permitting affliction to come. We owe our 
 very lives to Him, therefore when we are spared, and 
 our souls are saved, we ought to be exceedingly 
 thankful. 
 
 “ O God, whose thunder shakes the sky, 
 
 Whose eye this atom globe surveys, 
 
 To Thee, my only rock, I fly, 
 
 Thy mercy in Thy justice praise. 
 
 “ Thy mystic mazes of Thy will, 
 
 The shadows of celestial light, 
 
 Are past the powers of human skill; 
 
 But what the Eternal acts is right. 
 
 “ O teach me in the trying hour, 
 
 When anguish swells the dewy tear, 
 
 To still my sorrows, own Thy power, 
 
 Thy goodness love, Thy justice fear.” 
 
XXIII 
 
 TRUE REPENTANCE 
 Job 42:6 
 
 W HEN the wind began to drive across the plain 
 of Uz, the lightning to flash, and the thunder 
 to roll; and when from the midst of the 
 whirlwind God began to speak to Job, and to rebuke 
 him with the most scathing irony, Job listened with 
 humble and rapt attention. Whether the other friends 
 heard the voice which spoke to Job or not, we are not 
 informed. If they heard, they, like Job, did not dare 
 to make reply except in humble supplication. Even if 
 they did not hear the voice of God, they must have 
 observed a change come over Job. Whatever traces 
 of haughtiness or rebellion there were, rapidly with¬ 
 ered in the presence of Almighty God. 
 
 It is said that Chromatius, a heathen, sought a cure 
 from one of the early Christians who was reputed to 
 have the gift of healing. As a condition, he demanded 
 that all the idols in his house should be broken. The 
 heathen gave his keys to the Christian, who went about 
 the house, and destroyed all the idols he could find, 
 and then began to pray for the desired cure; but in 
 vain. The Christian said: “ There is yet an idol in your 
 house, that must be destroyed.” The heathen con¬ 
 fessed that he had one of beaten gold, of great value, 
 which he desired to save. When it was broken Chro¬ 
 matius was healed. 
 
 There are those who profess an abhorrence of sin, 
 
 292 
 
TRUE REPENTANCE 
 
 293 
 
 and by their outward actions seem to abhor themselves 
 because of it. When it nears the season of the year 
 when Jesus was put to death they may be very active 
 in doing penance. They go out with whips and lash 
 themselves over the back until the blood flows. They 
 take up great crosses and bear them on their naked 
 shoulders. They walk with bare feet over rough and 
 stony ground, or through stubble, and even over cactus. 
 It is all done with great solemnity. As one sees them 
 at it, he may think that they are really sorry for their 
 sins, until he sees them back at the same old sins with 
 as much abandon as ever, shortly afterwards. They 
 call themselves Penitentees, but they evidently perform 
 penance with the intention of going into sin again as 
 soon as Lent is over. There is a world of difference 
 between their state of mind and that of Job. They are 
 spurred on to it, partly through ignorance, partly 
 through fear, and partly through custom. Between 
 such forms of penance and the reality of true repent¬ 
 ance there is a great gulf fixed. There is an old prov¬ 
 erb: “ Whom the gods destroy, they first make mad.” 
 We might suggest another and more hopeful one: 
 Whom God saves, He makes to abhor himself as a 
 sinner. 
 
 A CORRECT VIEW OE GOD IS CALCULATED TO MAKE 
 ONE HUMBLE and penitent 
 
 Job was a good man before his affliction. He loved 
 God, he trusted in Him for forgiveness, he turned 
 away from evil, he was kind to his friends and to all 
 about him who were in need. He sought the spiritual 
 as well as the temporal welfare of his children. But 
 Job, goaded on by others, had made many rash and 
 impious statements during his suffering. He needed a 
 
294. 
 
 TRUE REPENTANCE 
 
 new vision: he needed to be brought face to face with 
 God again that he might see the reflection of his own 
 wicked heart, and abhor himself in His sight. God 
 showed Job that if he had even made a careful ob¬ 
 servation of the wonders of nature, he would have had 
 no reason to feel independent or self-sufficient. When 
 once face to face with God, his attitude was wholly 
 changed. 
 
 So it has ever been: sin hides its face in the presence 
 of God. When the Lord appeared to Adam and Eve 
 in the garden of Eden, they tried to hide from Him, 
 because they knew they were sinners. They did not 
 want to face God, they knew that He was holy and 
 abhorred sin. 
 
 When Isaiah saw a vision of God sitting upon His 
 throne, high and lifted up: when he saw the seraphims 
 veiling their faces before Him: when he heard them 
 cry out, “ Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the 
 whole earth is full of his glory ”: and when he saw 
 the great pillars of the temple shake in His presence; 
 then he cried, “ Woe is me! for I am undone; because 
 I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of 
 a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the 
 King, the Lord of hosts.” 1 
 
 Moses feared and hid his face, when he saw the bush 
 that was not consumed, in which was the manifestation 
 of the presence of God. Moses was a good man, far 
 above the average in purity of heart and nearness to 
 God, and yet he was abashed in His presence. Joshua 
 was a fearless warrior. He did not hesitate to lead 
 the people over the Jordan to make an attack on the 
 stronghold of the Canaanites. When he had gone out 
 alone and was taking in the situation and drawing up 
 
 1 Isa. 6 . 
 
TRUE REPENTANCE 
 
 295 
 
 his plans, a man appeared near him. He was not 
 afraid of an encounter, and demanded of him whether 
 he was for Israel or against them. But so soon as 
 Joshua learned that the man was the Captain of the 
 Lord’s host, he fell upon his face, prostrated in God’s 
 presence. When a man appeared to Gideon, as he 
 threshed wheat, he was not afraid, even though he 
 knew that the enemy was lurking about. But when the 
 man departed and Gideon knew that he was the angel 
 of God, then he feared and said: “ Alas O Lord God, 
 for because I have seen an angel of the Lord face 
 to face.” 
 
 Even the devils feared and trembled in the presence 
 of Jesus. The sense of the presence of God causes 
 man to fear. God purposed to humble Job, and to 
 show him the need of repentance, when He appeared to 
 him out of the whirlwind and rebuked him so severely 
 as He did. It would be well for us, if we should never 
 become so self-satisfied, or good in our own sight, that 
 we would fail to exercise the spirit of humility, and to 
 view ourselves as mere worms of the dust in the sight 
 of our God, who is holy and pure, and who cannot 
 look upon sin but with the greatest abhorrence. 
 
 A CORRECT VIEW OE GOD WIDE PRODUCE WHAT NO 
 ARGUMENT CAN IN CAUSING PENITENCE 
 AND HUMIDITY 
 
 Job’s friends had sat for days, and perhaps for 
 weeks, arguing with him concerning his own physical 
 and moral condition, and attempting to persuade him 
 to take a different view of life: but they only irritated 
 him and accomplished nothing. It only took a moment 
 in the presence of God, to effect what all the argument 
 of the best minds of his day could not do. 
 
296 
 
 TRUE REPENTANCE 
 
 A well-to-do traveling salesman was an unbeliever. 
 He had been what is known as a good moral man. 
 He was generous. He had helped to educate a young 
 man who was converted from the Roman Catholic 
 church, who is now a well known minister of the Gos¬ 
 pel. In cities or towns where he stopped, he was ac¬ 
 customed to attend church on the Lord’s day. He 
 listened to the sermons which were preached, but he 
 thought he could answer every argument that was pro¬ 
 duced. None of the noted ministers to whom he had 
 listened had been able to convince him. But one day 
 in a young people’s convention, he heard an old woman, 
 who arose and out of a full heart gave a short testi¬ 
 mony of what God had done for her: how He had 
 always been her support and had ever proved faithful 
 to her, and she had confidence that He would never 
 forsake her. The message seemed to open to him the 
 love of God and His mercy, he saw that there was an 
 earnestness and a genuineness in her which he could 
 not doubt or reason away. He gave himself to Christ 
 and went home a changed man. When he reached 
 home it was not easy for him to break the news to his 
 wife and family, for he had always ridiculed religion. 
 He had never asked the blessing at meals, and had 
 never conducted family worship. But when he sat 
 down with his family to dine, and bowed his head and 
 asked God’s blessing upon his home and the food of 
 which they were about to partake, his wife and children 
 sat in astonishment. Then he told them all about the 
 change that had come over him, and how he had gotten 
 a correct view of God, as a result of the old woman’s 
 testimony, though no eloquent argument had affected 
 him before. 
 
 The late Chas. G. Finney was reared in an irreligious 
 
TRUE REPENTANCE 
 
 297 
 
 home. It was not untjl he reached manhood and left 
 home, that he heard much about religion. When he 
 did hear different ministers preach, even after he be¬ 
 came a lawyer and began to analyze their sermons, they 
 did not make much of an impression upon him. He 
 studied his Bible in connection with his practice of law, 
 until he knew it quite well, still he was not convinced. 
 Not until the Spirit of God began to move upon his 
 heart and made him feel that he was a great sinner: 
 that he was about to die, and if he did he would sink 
 down to hell unless he sought God earnestly. When he 
 was on his way to his law office one day, an inward 
 voice said to him: “What are you waiting for? Did 
 you not promise to give your heart to God ? And what 
 are you trying to do ? Are you endeavouring to work 
 out a righteousness of your own?” Then God re¬ 
 vealed to him the reality and fulness of the atonement 
 of Christ. He saw that in place of needing any right¬ 
 eousness of his own to recommend him to God, he 
 needed to trust only in the righteousness of Christ. 
 What the arguments of able men, reasoning before an 
 analytical mind, could not do, God could do in a mo¬ 
 ment when He revealed Himself to him. He went out 
 to the woods to pray, and there opened his heart to 
 God. He was ashamed of being seen by any one at 
 first, but God gave him the conviction and the humility 
 to cry out before Him. He says in his autobiography: 
 “ An overwhelming sense of my wickedness in being 
 ashamed to have a human being see me upon my knees 
 before God took such a powerful possession of me, that 
 I cried at the top of my voice and exclaimed that I 
 would not leave that place if all the men on earth and 
 all the devils in hell surrounded me.” Thus he cried 
 out: “ What such a degraded sinner as I am, upon my 
 
298 
 
 TRUE REPENTANCE 
 
 knees confessing my sins to the great and holy God; 
 and ashamed to have any human being, and a sinner 
 like myself, find me on my knees endeavouring to make 
 my peace with my offended God! The sin appeared to 
 me awful, infinite. It broke me down before the 
 Lord.” 
 
 The presence of God is just as dreadful as ever in 
 the past. The Spirit of God reveals the truth to men 
 as He ever has done. The voice of man, or well ar¬ 
 ranged arguments, can never make a sinner truly 
 humble: but when God reveals to man his sin, he sees 
 himself abhorrent in his sight. 
 
 ONE IS IN A HOPEEUIv STATE WHEN HE SEES 
 HIMSELE VIDE beeore GOD 
 
 Job did what was natural for one to do in his day, 
 to sit in the ashes, or to throw ashes over his head as a 
 sign of great grief. In the days of Darius when Dan¬ 
 iel was praying to God on behalf of Israel’s release, he 
 sought God “ by prayer and supplications, with fast¬ 
 ings, and sackcloth, and ashes.” When the king of 
 Nineveh repented at the preaching of Jonah, he sat in 
 sackcloth and ashes. In our day it is the custom for 
 the mourner to wear black, that the external appearance 
 may correspond with that which is supposed to exist in 
 the heart. In times gone by, sorrow was usually ex¬ 
 pressed by disfiguring the appearance as much as 
 possible. 
 
 The outward appearance of repentance, or fasting, 
 however, never clears the heart of any sin. The at¬ 
 tempt to cover inward pride by outward forms of 
 humiliation, was so disgusting to Jesus, that He said 
 to the Pharisees, when they fasted they should shave 
 as usual, wash their faces, and act outwardly as at 
 
TRUE REPENTANCE 
 
 299 
 
 other times. He told them that they were fasting for 
 the benefit of men, not of God. When one is proud, 
 or indifferent to sin, he is in a very serious state of 
 mind. When he is merely formal in apparent repent¬ 
 ance, he is still in just as serious a condition. But 
 when, like the Publican, he sees himself vile, and cries 
 out for mercy, he has gotten very near to God. 
 
 Job was in a far more hopeful state, when he fell 
 down before God and abhorred himself in dust and 
 ashes, than when he was defying the arguments of 
 his friends. 
 
 Isaiah told the people that the forms which they were 
 observing of fasting, and of making many prayers, 
 made them more abhorrent in the sight of God, when 
 there was nothing in their professed humility. “ The 
 calling of assemblies, I cannot away with: it is in¬ 
 iquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons 
 and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a 
 trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. And when 
 ye spread forth your hands I will hide mine eyes from 
 you; yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: 
 your hands are full of blood. Wash you, make you 
 clean; put away the evil of your doings from before 
 mine eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do well; seek judg¬ 
 ment, relieve the oppressed; judge the fatherless; plead 
 for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together, 
 saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they 
 shall be as white as snow; though they be red like 
 crimson, they shall be as wool.” 2 It is the contrition 
 of the heart and the humility of the soul, that God 
 desires, so that we may see ourselves vile before Him: 
 then He offers divine blessings. 
 
 Saul of Tarsus was in a more hopeful state, after he 
 
 2 Isa. 1:13-18. 
 
300 
 
 TRUE REPENTANCE 
 
 had been struck down on his way to Damascus, and 
 went about blind seeking some one to show him the 
 way: than when he was marching proudly up and down 
 the land breathing out threatenings and slaughter, and 
 receiving the plaudits of men for it. 
 
 Peter was in a more hopeful state when our Lord 
 turned and looked on him, reminding him that in the 
 face of His warning he had denied his blessed Master. 
 That look brought bitter tears, it is true, but it was 
 better than sitting as a haughty enemy of Christ, and 
 attempting to avoid trouble by denying Him. 
 
 John Bunyan was in a more hopeful state when the 
 Spirit of God spoke to him, and seemed to say: “ Wilt 
 thou leave thy sins and go to heaven, or have thy sins 
 and go to hell,” and he began to abhor himself; than 
 when as a frivolous, profane young man, his crowd 
 thought he was a boon companion and a jolly sport. 
 
 A nun or a priest is in a far more hopeful state, who 
 lays aside the black robes, and in place of showing an 
 outward form of humility and penitence, goes to God 
 through Christ, in the utmost abhorrence of self, call¬ 
 ing upon him for forgiveness and grace. So with 
 every one of us. Let us lay aside forms and pretences 
 of worship, and let us bow before God, great sinners 
 that we are, and as we see our souls in the blackness 
 and darkness of sin, let us call upon Him to cleanse us 
 with His blood, and cover us with the pure robe of 
 Christ’s righteousness. 
 
 IT IS DUE TO THE MERCY OE GOD THAT HE SHOWS 
 
 MEN THEMSEUVES 
 
 God might have cut Job off when he would not hear 
 Elihu, and when he did not repent, after his admoni¬ 
 tion: but he did not. God was merciful, He appeared 
 
TRUE REPENTANCE 
 
 301 
 
 to Job Himself, and spoke from out of the storm, 
 that Job might be led to repent and find mercy. 
 God is under no obligation to any of us, or to those 
 who have gone before, to show mercy. But out of 
 His loving heart, because He is more ready to for¬ 
 give than we are to seek forgiveness, He brings us to 
 the place of repentance, where we may find mercy 
 and grace. 
 
 It is said of Alexander, that when he encamped 
 before a city, he used to set up a light, to give notice to 
 those within that, if they came forth to him while that 
 light lasted, they should have quarter: if otherwise, no 
 mercy was to be expected. God sets up light after 
 light, and waits year after year, and earnestly invites 
 men to come unto Him, that they may have life. 
 Christ stands at the door and knocks, if you will let 
 Him in, He will show you your own heart, and you 
 will then see its need of cleansing. 
 
 A young woman was presented with a beautiful silk 
 handkerchief, by a friend. By accident she overturned 
 the inkstand upon it, as it lay upon the table, and 
 spotted it badly. Her husband came in and saw her 
 distressed look, and smilingly took the handkerchief 
 from her. He was an artist. He went to his study 
 and set to work upon the blot, and later returned with 
 the handkerchief to her. “ Oh! ” she said, “ that is not 
 my handkerchief.” “ Yes, it is yours.” “Mine?” 
 “ Yes, I simply took the ugly blot and transformed it 
 into a picture.” How often God has done that if we 
 could only see it. He has taken our blotted life when 
 we have been sorely disappointed, or have sinned griev¬ 
 ously against Him, so that we have thought we would 
 have to go marred all our life, and has handed it back 
 with the marred background, transformed into a 
 
302 
 
 TRUE REPENTANCE 
 
 picture. It is not that we deserve it, or that He owes 
 us anything, but He does it out of His great love 
 and mercy. 
 
 AN ABHORRENCE OE SIN IS EOEEOWED BY TURNING 
 
 EROM IT 
 
 No sooner did Job see that he had sinned, and that 
 he was impure in the sight of God, than he began to 
 confess, and seek forgiveness. He did not go back to 
 the condition in which he had been. He feared God 
 and turned away from evil. 
 
 When Peter was led to abhor himself, and to weep 
 bitterly because of his denial of Christ, he walked more 
 regularly and resolutely afterward. In later years 
 Peter did not retract because of danger from a perse¬ 
 cuting official, or a court of justice, or a prison cell. 
 He would not deny his Lord even when he was con¬ 
 fronted with the terrible death of the cross. He was 
 ever ready to hearken unto God rather than man. 
 When Paul repented, he was never again found with 
 the scoffing or persecuting crowd. He was willing to 
 live a dying life, in order that he might walk continu¬ 
 ally with God and not disgrace his Lord and Master: 
 whose he was and whom he served. Pilgrim’s Prog¬ 
 ress is, to a large extent, a picture of the life of the 
 author. When Bunyan had once made the right start 
 in the Christian life, tempted, and persecuted and im¬ 
 prisoned, though he was, he said that he had a gladness 
 of heart and a tranquility of soul that was always with 
 him in the midst of his suffering. If temporarily he 
 turned aside, and got into a pitfall, yet he never for¬ 
 sook his Lord or turned back from following Him, 
 until death. After Adoniram Judson had left the 
 stage and the old life behind, he never wanted to turn 
 
TRUE REPENTANCE 
 
 303 
 
 back, though in the service of Christ, he endured 
 months of the most cruel torture. 
 
 God is never satisfied with us if we merely have 
 certain days of doing penance. He is never satisfied 
 with a season of revival in our individual lives, or in 
 the church, no matter what the show of humility may 
 be; unless we continue to trust in Him with unwaver¬ 
 ing faith, and walk with Him in our everyday life. 
 May God grant that we shall each have deep experi¬ 
 ences, which shall reveal to us our sinful state: but 
 that when we have been forgiven, and have begun to 
 walk with Him, we shall not turn back, or hesitate to 
 follow wherever He leads; even though it may be 
 through the dark valley. 
 
 “ ’Tis the Master who holds the chisel. 
 
 He knows just where 
 
 Its edge should be driven sharpest, 
 
 To fashion there 
 
 The semblance that He is carving; 
 
 Nor will He let 
 
 One delicate stroke too many, 
 
 Or few, be set 
 
 On forehead or cheek, where only 
 He sees how all 
 
 Is tending—and where the hardest 
 The blow should fall, 
 
 Which crumbles away whatever 
 Superfluous line 
 
 Would hinder His hand from making 
 The work divine.” 
 
 Printed, in the United States of America 
 


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