B.C. cir. 1520. curtain of mysterious darkness hangs before it." -Wordsworth. Ex. XX. 21, xxxiii. 20-23; Ps. xcvii. 2. See Ge. i. 1-10. ment, yet ages prior to Thales the Chaldean, or Ptolemy the Alexandrian, this fact was as above declared by revelation to the patriarch Job. A necessary revelation, for it must not be regarded as a natural idea. The cosmical theory of ancient astronomers generally was that the earth had a discoid form, and either floated upon the ocean or was upheld by a definite support. Analogous expressions will instantly occur to the recollection of every student in the older Greek poetry. (See Trans-Syro-Egyptian Society, 1868.) And such was, indeed, the received opinion in b "He hath the seventeenth century, when the sovereign pontiff Urban VIII., drawn a circular upon the strength of a mistranslation in the Vulgate, "Terra boundary upon stat," persecuted Galileo Galilei for maintaining a contrary the waters with exact proportion opinion. Such also was to a great extent the belief of the Hindus, of light and dark-who asserted that the earth was borne up by an elephant, which ness."-Robinson. again was supported by a tortoise. This, again, according to some, stood upon a serpent, but upon what this last creature was sustained they did not venture to determine. A similar belief, with a little variation in the arrangement of the animals, was Na. i. 5; Hab. also entertained by the Buddhists of Japan and China. Traces of the myth exist in the Talmud, and its descendant the Koran. The Scandinavian Sagas repeated and modified still the same idea. Despite these opinions there yet exist indications that when once the actual condition of the Cosmos was revealed it became a scientific fact too wonderful to be wholly obscured or lost sight of; and hence it is that, like the sudden flashes of sunlight during an eclipse, here and there, among the traditions of all the ancient mythologies, glimpses of physical truth shine forth amidst metaphysical absurdities by which they are enclouded. To quote but one passage which has given rise to these reflections, what can be a closer parallel with the sacred text than the following extract from the Parsee Zenda vesta, in which Zarathrusta (Zoroaster), addressing the Deity, inquires, "Who upholds the earth and the unsupported (skies) so that they fall not? who the waters and the trees? who has united swiftness with the winds? who, O Mazda (the Supreme Being), is the creator of mankind? That will I ask thee; tell thou me, O Ahura (Mazda)." Compare also Isa. xl. 12, 26.e iii. 10. d"To the poet's ear the prolonged echoes of the thunder are the voices of the mountains ex pressing their consternation at God."-Spk. Com. the rebuke of v. 9. W. Oram, 47. e W. R. C. and these are 12—14. (12) divideth, stirreth up; agitates. proud, Heb. only parts of God's ways rahab (ch. ix. 13). "The power of evil represented by the a "By His power of cosmic convulsions." monsters of the deep, huge saurian forms destroyed in some age He scourgeth the (13) spirit, breath, putting forth of sea. By His wis- His power. garnished, etc., with blue, with cloud, with stars. dom He bindeth Reference here, however, is to calm, succeeding storm._crooked up its pride."-serpent, a northern constellation was known as Draco, the "By His power dragon.c (14) parts, borders, ends, outskirts. portion," better, the sea suddenly whisper: contrasting with thunder. Herder. 'becomes tempes tuous."-Luther. b Spk. Com. The depths of God's ways (v. 14).-I. Proofs of the doctrine that God's ways are deep. In-1. Works of nature; 2. Conduct of providence; 3. Mysteries of religion; 4. Dealings with the Church. The Zodiac, II. Reasons why so small a part of His ways are revealed. 1. With its twelve His sovereignty and our dependence; 2. Disproportion between lations, was an- His knowledge and ours; 3. Prejudices which obscure our sight; ciently represent- 4. We walk by faith; 5. Contrast between present and future ed as a serpent with its tail in its economy. Application:-(1) Ignorance should inspire reverence; mouth."Rebin (2) We should be cautious in judging of God's works; (3) We should acquiesce in the mysteries of revelation.< signs or constel son. B.C. eir. 1520. d" What a whis Parts of His way.-God often lets His people reach the shore as on the planks of a shipwrecked vessel. He deprives us of the cisterns, in order to make us drink out of the fountains of waters. per of a word do He frequently takes away our supports, not that we may fall to we hear!"— Rethe ground, but that He may Himself become our rod and staff. vised Eng. Bible. The embarrassments of His people are only the festive scaffold-Henri Chateings on which His might, His faithfulness, and His mercy celebrate their triumphs. CHAPTER THE TWENTY-SEVENTH. laine. f Krummacher. a "Applied in E. to a figurative 1-4. (1) parable," poetic discourse, in wh. truth is concisely Job's protesand figuratively expressed. (2) taken away, put aside, not tation of allowing me to plead. judgment, plea for trial; right of sincerity defence. vexed, Heb. made my soul bitter; sorely saddened me. (3) spirit of God, breath of God, as Ge. ii. 7: fig. for as long as I live. (4) wickedness, which a mere feigned utterance of penitence, such as the friends desired, would be. Job would honour God by integrity.d em sententious bodiment of wis dom in poetic form."-Fausset. b Ru. i. 20. c"In falsely, and contrary to my conscience, admitting myself to Righteousness.-One day, as I was passing into the field, and that too with some dashes on my conscience, fearing lest yet all was not right, suddenly this sentence fell upon my soul, Thy righteousness is in heaven," and methought withal that I saw with the eyes of my soul Jesus Christ at God's right hand. There, have been a I say, was my righteousness, so that wherever I was or whatever secret and guilty I was doing, God could not say of me, "He wants my righteous-transgressor." ness;" for that was just before Him. I also saw, moreover, that Robinson. it was not my good frame of heart that made my righteousness d Ps. xxv. 21. better, nor yet my bad frame that made my righteousness worse; e Bunyan. for my righteousness was Jesus Christ Himself; the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever." 5, 6. (5) justify you, by admitting that your assumptions are correct. integrity, wholeness; moral soundness; sincerity." (6) righteousness, not absolute, or in evangelical sense, but innocence of the charges you make. heart.. live, better, "My heart reproacheth not one of my days." Self-reproach.-Let us consider-I. The proper office of conscience. It is twofold. 1. To judge of what is past; 2. To direct what is to come. II. Our duty in respect to it. 1. To consult its record; 2. To venerate its testimony; 3. To obey its dictates; 4. To get it enlightened and rectified. Then-(1) Guard against a guilty conscience; (2) A partial and deluded conscience; (3) An over-confident and unfeeling conscience.' asserts that fast his v. 5. Dr. R. Wel- vv. 5, 6. Bp. Hickman, i. 352; Dr. Dr. S. Elsmere, B. Calamy, 318; 239; Dr. H. Smith, 166. v. 6. Dr. N. Brady, ii. 25; Dr. J. Orr, ney, i. 279; Dr. J. Langhorne, ii.190: Sydney Smith, 278. Imputed righteousness. All colours are wrapped up in the sun-i. 170; Dr.J. Dislight, which, as is well known, may be seen resolved into its elementary colours by the prism or rainbow. Apart from the sunlight, no object has any colour, as is shown by the fact that, as soon as light is withdrawn from the landscape, the colours fade from the robe of nature. The difference of colour in different objects while the sun is shining is produced by some subtle difference of texture or superficies, which makes each object absorb certain rays, and reflect certain other rays, in different proportions. Now, Christ is the Sun of Righteousness, in whom dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily-the fair colour of every grace and Christian virtue. When Christ is shining upon b Dr. H. Bonar. to every one, and his who spake them after."-Mon taigne. B.C. cir. 1520. The nearer you the stream. the heart then these virtues are manifested there-by one, Christian graces of one description; by another, of another, according get to the foun-to their different receptivity and natural temperament; just as, tain, the clearer when the sun is shining, colours are thrown upon a landscape, and reflected by the different objects in different proportions. But as no part of the landscape has any colour in the absence of the sun, nor can acquire any independently of the sun, so Christians have no grace except from Christ, nor hold any virtue independently of Him.c c Dr. Goulbourn. the hope of the hypocrite is vain a Fausset. b"One of the 7-10. (7) be.. wicked, "He who opposes my asseveration of innocence must be regarded as actuated by criminal hostility." Some think Job intends to express his abhorrence of ungodliness. (8) hypocrite, Job viii. 13. Such these friends tried to make him. God taketh away, and "the secrets of all bearts are strongest pas- revealed." (9) his cry, that of the hypocrite, who must be sages to prove an offence to the holy God. (10) will he, etc., Job implies that and ineradicable he was himself no hypocrite, so could hold fast his faith, hope, faith in the im- and piety. Job's instinctive mortality of the living principle." -Spk. Com. "Lit. cuts asunder; the metaphor is derived fr. cutting the cords of a tent, and removing it."Wordsworth. e Pr.xxviii. 9; Je. xi. 11, xiv. 12; Exe. viii. 18; Zec. vii. 13; Ja. iv. 3. Gain and loss for eternity.-The word hypocrite here means properly the ungodly. He loses such things as the following:I. His soul. II. Heaven. III. Christ. This loss is great-(1) Because of what Christ is in Himself; (2) Of what He has done on the cross; (3) Of His love; (4) Of His sympathy, fellowship, and consolation; (5) Of His reward. Simile of the hypocrite.-There is mention made of Parrhasius and Zeuxis, two excellent painters, that, being upon a trial of their skill how to excel each other in the matter of their art, Zeuxis drew out a bunch of grapes so fair and well coloured that the birds came and pecked at them, to the great admiration of the beholders. Parrhasius thereupon falls to his pencil, and makes upon his table the resemblance of a white sheet, tacked up with v.8. E. Littleton, four nails, one at each corner, so artificially, that being offered to ii. 33; Dr. R. Welton, 310; D. Wil-view, Zeuxis bade him take away the sheet, that they might see cox. i. 163; Dr. J. the excellency of his art that lay behind it. Whereupon it was Weedon, 145. adjudged that Parrhasius had gone beyond him in so doing: and for good reason too; for the one had only deceived silly birds, but the other had put a trick upon a knowing artist himself. And so it is with the close, reserved hypocrite; such is his subtlety that he doth not only delude silly birds, poor ignorant souls, but knowing men, experienced Christians, and, if it were possible, the very elect themselves. v. 10. Jon. Ed wards, ii. 71. d Dr. H. Bonar. e Spencer. he proposes to teach the ments wh. had 11-13. (11) by, concerning the hand or handiwork of God. Job proposes to state his belief concerning the Div. dispensation." work of God (12) have seen it, Job recognises much of truth in what the a "This prepares friends had said, and some of the same things he repeats. us for a modifica- altogether vain, in making so unworthy application of your tion of state- arguments. "Why do ye cherish foolish notions?" (13) this, been wrung fr. which he is about to detail: this is the view the friends took of him, when his the portion of the wicked. Job goes on to say, granting it is all words flowed true, you ought not to make of it an argument to criminate me. over fr. a spirit drunk with the The speculative difficulties of an inquiring intellect solved by the heart of practical piety (vv. 12-28).-I. Every inquiring intellect has difficulties which it is anxious to remove. II. The principle which removes those difficulties can neither be purchased by wealth, nor attained by investigation. III. The heart of practical piety yields a satisfactory solution of all painful intellectual poison of God's arrows. See ch. vi. 4."-Spk. Com. b Delitzsch. c Barnes. B.C. cir. 1520. "I had rather be fully understood thousand."- Dr. difficulties. 1. This is asserted by one who understands what wisdom is; 2. It is proved by the nature of the case. Piety, v. 11. M. P. Cornthen, is the "wisdom"-the solvent principle." wall, 121;J. Styles, Successful hypocrisy.-A clergyman of the Church of England ii. 333. was left, by the death of his relatives, the last of his family;d Dr. D. Thomas. and, resolving to emigrate to America, took ship with his worldly "Very fine, sir, effects, to end his days with preaching the Gospel here. A very fine, but convict, leaving his country for his country's good, in the same people can't live upon flowers."ship, concealing his true character, became intimate with the R. Hall. clergyman. On the passage, however, the latter, took sick, was nursed assiduously by the other, and, dying, left all his effects, including his sermons, letters, and testimonials, to the unknown nurse. Upon arriving safe in this country, the convict assumed the name of the deceased, and, presenting the letters and credentials of the departed to the bishop, was invited to preach, which he did, using one of the sermons he had inherited, and was called to a church, where he officiated acceptably for several years. The truth would not have been discovered had not the wretched impostor divulged it on his death-bed. 14-17. (14) for the sword, they are slain in war. with he declares bread, or they die in famine. (15) in death, or by death: the portion i.e. death will have to do it all, bec. they have no one to mourn them. Poss. the picture of a plague-time.a not weep, bec. trouble shall be on them also. (16) he, the ungodly man. as the clay, in such abundance that it shall be common as clay. In raiment the wealth of the ancients greatly consisted. (17) the just, bec. in righteousness is stability and continuance. As we say, in the long run, goodness pays. Treasures of raiment (v. 16).-According to D'Herbelot, Bokteri, an illustrious poet of Cufah, in the ninth century, had so many presents made him in the course of his life, that when he died he was found possessed of a hundred complete suits of clothes, two hundred shirts, and five hundred turbans. This anecdote proves how frequently presents of this kind are made to persons of consideration in the Levant; and at the same time furnishes a beautiful illustration of that passage in the Book of Job where the afflicted patriarch describes the treasures of the East, in his time, as consisting of clothes and money: "Though he heap up silver as the dust, and prepare raiment as the clay; he may prepare it, but the just shall put it on, and the innocent shall divide the silver." d of the wicked a "His survivors shall be buried by the pesti lence."--Delitzsch. b Ps. lxxviii. 64; Je. xxii. 18. c Is. xxiii. 18. Thy actions to thy words accord; thy words to thy large heart due; thy heart contains of good, wise, just, the perfect shape."Milton. give utterance d Paxton. 18-21. (18) as a moth, Job iv. 19. A slight fabric in the the terror of garment consumed; rapidly and easily built, but as rapidly and the wicked, easily overthrown. booth, hastily put up as a temporary though rich shelter fr. the sun. Always a very fragile construction.a (19) lie down, to sleep. not be gathered, with a long and a Is. i. 8. peaceful illness. openeth.. not, surprised by murderers, he only awakes to die. (20) as waters, like a suddenly loosened flood. (21) east wind, the most vehement and destructive in Eastern countries. his place, where he made sure long to remain. "The house of the ungodly man, though a palace, is as brittle and perishable a thing, and can be Keepers of vineyards.-How often in my morning and evening as easily destroydrives in India have I seen these and other like passages of ed, as the fine Scripture illustrated! Wherever a spring of water has been dis-moth, or even spinning of covered, there is to be seen the vineyard, or field, or garden the small case enclosed, green, fruitful, and beautiful, while outside is a barren wh. it makes fr. wilderness. In the early morning, and as the sun is about to set, the keepers are at their work, watering their plants with the greatest care and diligence, and gathering the ripe fruits. But their labour does not end here. When the short twilight commences, and the beasts of the forest creep forth, they are still on the watch. They then mount aloft on the booths which they have constructed-a framework of branches of trees, raised on four poles, a shelter from the sun's rays by day, and a place of security at night; and there, if only a footfall or rustle of a leaf is heard, they give a long call, which is quickly taken up by another keeper in his garden at a little distance, the cry going on from one to another till it sounds like an echo in the distance. returning as it went, louder and louder, till sounded forth again by the first keeper. 22, 23. (22) cast, His thunderbolts of wrath. his hand, God's hand. "Before His hand he fleeth hither and thither. (23) clap their hands, in abhorrence of his character and joy at his fall. hiss, as at an object of execration. Oriental modes of expressing joy (v. 23).—The present female way of expressing joy in the East, by gently applying one of their hands to their mouths, seems to have obtained in the times of remote antiquity, and to be meant in several places of Scripture. What their present custom is. appears in the following passage of Pitts, describing the joy with which the leaders of their sacred caravans are received in the several towns of Barbary through which they pass: "This emir Hagge, into whatsoever town he comes, is received with a great deal of joy, because he is going about so religious a work; and it is who can have the favour and honour of kissing his hand, or but his garment! He goes attended in much pomp, with flags, kettledrums, etc., and loud acclamations do, as it were, rend the skies; nay, the very women get upon the tops of the houses to view the parade, or fine show, where they keep striking their forefingers on their lips as fast as they can, making a joyful noise all the while, which sounds somewhat like yow, yow, yow, hundreds of times." Others have given us nearly the same account. This seems to me to be referred to in some passages of Scripture; and that the sacred writers suppose two different methods of expressing joy by a quick motion of the hand, which is lost in our translation; for I suppose the clapping of the hands in the plural is a very distinct thing from the clapping the hand in the singular, though our translators have confounded them together. The striking one hand against the other with some smartness, which we mean by the term clapping of the hands, might, and I believe did, obtain anciently as an expression of joy, not unfrequently, if not always, of the malignant kind; so the Prophet Jeremiah says of Jerusalem when it was destroyed, "All that pass by, clap their hands at thee; they hiss and wag their head at the daughter of Jerasalem, saying. Is this the city that men call the perfection of beauty, the joy of the whole earth?" (Lam. ii. 15.) In like manner Job, after describing the sudden destruction of the wicked, says, "Men shall," etc. |