course.

When they came to the mead, Dakis bounded forth like a giant when he stretches himself out, and he left his dust behind. He appeared as if without legs or feet, and in a twinkling of an eye he was ahead of Ghabara.'

A celebrated German commentator of the last century thinks that none but a military man can fully understand this description of the war-horse, or thoroughly appreciate it. 'I have myself,' he says, 'perhaps rode more horses than many who have become authors and illustrators of the Bible; but one part of the description, namely, the behaviour of the horse on the approach of a hostile army, I only understood rightly from what old officers have related to me; and as to the proper meaning of the two lines-" Hast thou clothed his neck with ire ?" ['with thunder' in the Authorized Version,] and "The grandeur of his neighing is terror" [The glory of his nostrils is terrible'Author. Vers.]-it had escaped me; indeed, the latter I had not understood, until a person who had had an opportunity of seeing several stallions together instructed me, and then I recollected that, in my eighteenth year, I had seen their bristledup necks, and heard their fierce cries when rushing to attack each other.'

Eighth Week-First Day.

JOB TAUGHT OF GOD.-JOB XL. I-7.

THE controversy in which the Lord himself is now represented as taking part, as the judge to whom Job had so often appealed, comes to a point at the commencement of the fortieth chapter, which the reader will note with special interest.

The Lord has spoken. His first object has been to bring Job into a proper state of mind, by beating down the boldness and presumption which he had repeatedly evinced in speaking of the divine dealings with mankind, and with himself in particular. This is effected by showing him, by many examples drawn from the visible creation, his utter incompetence to judge of the ways of God. The argument, as we have already stated it, is that since in these, his outer works, the Lord has evinced such power and wisdom, and since, even in these, there is so much that surpasses man's comprehension, He is entitled to claim implicit trust in his moral government of the world; and that whatever He does, whether immediately comprehensible or not, whatever He gives or takes, the only proper feeling for man is, that He does, and, from the essential attributes of his being, even as evinced in his works of creation, must do, all things wisely, justly, and well; so that it is the height of ignorant presumption to arraign any part of his doings at the bar of human judgment. This touched the core of Job's offence; and he felt it.

At the point we have indicated, the Lord seems to have made a pause, as if to afford the patriarch the opportunity he had so earnestly desired of pleading his own cause before the Almighty. But the perception that he had in this matter so heinously offended, and so justly rendered himself obnoxious to the divine displeasure, appalled the man who had so often in

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sisted upon his uprightness. He perceived now that there was an uprightness of judgment towards God no less needful than uprightness of conduct towards man. He felt that there were

sins of the mind not less blameworthy, and often more blameworthy, than sins of the life and conversation. He perceived that herein he had failed-had sinned in the midst of the great trials to which he had been subjected. This conviction had its proper effect. His habitually conscientious and reverent mind was shocked at the perception of the sin into which he had fallen; and his heart was now thoroughly humbled. This kept him silent. But an answer was expected-was demanded from him. The Lord said, 'Will he who disputes with the Almighty now instruct him? Will the reprover of God now answer?' To this Job could not but reply; and his answer is that of a man heart-smitten-of one shaken where he had deemed himself most secure: 'Behold, I am vile: what shall I answer Thee? I will lay my hand upon my mouth. Once have I spoken; but I will not answer: yea twice; but I will proceed no further.' It is marvellous, in the face of this plain confession and deep contrition, and of the fact that the Lord's address is mainly intended for his conviction, that Job's part in the controversy has been deemed all but perfect and blameless. Job himself knew better. He confesses that repeatedly, in the endeavour to vindicate himself, he had spoken of God in an irreverent and improper manner; and declares he will not repeat what he said, or attempt any further vindication of himself. He felt in his very heart that the Lord was right; that he had often indulged in a most unbecoming spirit towards God, and that all which became him was a humble and penitent acknowledgment in the fewest possible words. These words were the best that could be chosen under the circumstances. 'Behold, I am vile!' was ample and all-sufficient. Remorse is never wordy. And the real penitence of any one is open to distrust who finds it needful to say much more than can be comprised in such simple phrases as 'Behold, I am vile'—'God be merciful to me, a sinner!'

The Lord, then, to strengthen this salutary impression upon

Job's mind, resumed the argument which had been interrupted, to afford him the opportunity of speaking. The sequel of the divine address is precisely of the same purport with the previous portion. It is an extension of the argument, and an enforcement of it by new illustrations.

It must be seen that this sublime argument, although perfectly suited to the state of knowledge and the measure of light which existed in the time of Job, and therefore the only effectual one that could be given, is not of the kind which would now be given, under the later and higher teachings of the Holy Spirit, which have disclosed to us things ‘hidden from ages and from generations.' The discourse is not so conducted as to explain or remove the difficulties under which Job and his friends laboured, but to overpower them by the divine sovereignty and prerogative.

Job is not informed why the wicked are often allowed to live in this world prosperously, or why the righteous are often overwhelmed with afflictions. The Lord does not show how the sufferings of the upright are consistent with his approbation of their conduct; and far less does He anywhere refer to the retributions of the world to come. He does not say that the inequalities of this life will all be adjusted there; that the wicked, however much they may have prospered here, will there meet their just doom; or that the righteous, however much they may have suffered here, shall there find abundant compensation for all their trials. Most of us might have anticipated, when the Lord, with such imposing grandeur, appeared to give his high decision, that this would be the line of argument taken—as it is the one to which we should now, under the like circumstances, resort. But a little reflection will suffice to show us that nothing like this was to be expected. It would have been too far in advance of the knowledge then possessed in the world, and would have been an untimely anticipation of the great and consoling truths which it was reserved for Christianity to open. God's teaching of men had been from the first progressive; and while yet in the infancy of sacred knowledge, He saw not fit to set before them the high matters reserved for their manhood.

God has in all time fed his children with milk, and given his strong meat to men of full age. He could doubtless have imparted the fullest knowledge at first. The question is not what He can do, but what He has seen best to do. No doubt He might have made the sun's light rise every morning in noontide glory, instead of gradually rising to the perfect day. He could. have ordained that every plant should at once yield forth its seed, without the slow process of bud, and blossom, and fruit. He could have decreed that man should be born in maturity of strength and intellect, instead of first passing through many years of immaturity and weakness. He could have sent his well-beloved Son into the world-He could have poured down the Pentecostal Spirit, as easily in the time of Abraham, of David, of Hezekiah, of Daniel, as in that of Tiberius Cæsar. It suffices that He has not done so-that He has seen fit to make all things progressive. So was it with religious truth, until Christ came to set his seal-the seal of his blood, to all that patriarchs had hoped, all that priests had shadowed forth, and all that prophets had uttered. This is not a speculation. It is a fact; and we ought to be satisfied with it. If we are not, we sin as Job sinned, and lay ourselves open to more severe rebuke, seeing that our light is greater than his.

But although the considerations presented to the mind of Job are not such as would alone be presented to ourselves under the like circumstances, they form no mean part of what might be advanced for our satisfaction and comfort under severe trial and affliction. That the Lord has a right to reign over us; and that we are bound to a cheerful submission to his dispensations, not because we see the reasons of them, but because they are his will concerning us, and we know that He cannot but will our essential good,-these still form proper grounds of argument with the afflicted, and sometimes amount to nearly all that can be urged.