The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1885-07-23
DELIGHT IN THE LORD.
Mons Mistakes In Judging and
Conforming.
many would Forget God, While Others
Dread and Dislike Him - What
II In to Delight In the
Almighty


Spurgeonl
"For then shalt thou have thy delight 10
d0d."-Job y! 26.
rHE msrAKE OF ELPnA1.
I miphax and his friends had judged Job
krom their own point Of view, making
their own experience 10 be tho standard.
They themselves had prosporsd, and
therefore they inferred that II q mAa
sTvsd God he must necessarily prosper In
worldly thingsi and that II he did not
succeed as they had done, he must have
been guilty Of great crimes Though they
could not discover any actual fault In Job,
they concluded, without further evidence,
that he must have bson q hypocrite, ana
have acted oppresslVely 10 his servants,
or have been unmindful Of tho claims OF
the poor, or In some other way have
brought upon himself the wrath of God.
II never entered their mind that so terri-
BILE n sickness and such list OF dreadful
oalamities could have befallen any man
except az punishment for special sin.
They inferred virtue from prosperity,
and sin from adversely. Unrighteous
and cruel loglcl At false and brutal
10 renders them at once false Wit
nesseS and Phariseesj condOmnlng tho
Innocent because OF their sorrows, and
hattoring themselves because Of their case.
To Judge according 10 outward clrcums
stances has been tho tendency OF mon In
all times; even David could not under.
stand how II was that the wicked were so
free from troubles, while all the day long
hs was himself plagued, and chastoned
every morning, A right principle lay at
The bottom OF this wondsrj for, indeed,
ths Lord will reward the good and punish
che wicked; but great mistake Ia made
whom We suppose that this life 10 tho time
for netting out rewards and punishmsnts.
We must not Judge according 10 the sight
Of the eyes, or according to present condi-
tions, or wo shall make gross mistakes.
The richest may DO the most wicked, and
the poorest may DO the most gracious;
those who suffer least may deserve TO
suffer most and those who are most Afiiict-
cd In this life may have the highest glory
In the life TO como.
suspect that Ellphaz and his friends
lad enjoyed smooth sailing. How should
thoy judge the man who had done business
amid tompostsi Their mental life was not
disturbed by great conflicts; they had not
gone deeply into things, nor searched 10
tho bottom OF spiritual matters; thoy had
no knowledge Of their own hidden corrup-
tons, and had endured but little Of the rod
OF ohastissmont and, consequently, they
had boon NJ eAso Their mistake was that
thoy sat In judgment upon another who
was moro tried than themselves, and con-
dsmnsd him for being In sore distress.
Their own serenity led thom " Judge tho
troubled ono very harshly. This ought
not 10 be- II any Of us arc Inclined thus 20
judge and condemn, II is time that wo put
this mischiovous spirit far from us. II wo
judge others, athors will judge us. Gods
children always play tho fool whom they
play the Judge; they are never In order
whom they act as II thoy were tho hoad Of
Che family OF grace, Tho Father knows
all His children. All who observe caroful-
ly will also know that while somo are
strong In the Lord and In tho power
Of His might, others are weak In faith
and mere babes In grace. ThesO little
onos are not one jot the less precious In tho
sight OF tho great Father than the more
fully grown ones, Lot mono OF tho strong
cattle push tho weak cattle with horn and
with shoulder; for when tho weak ones
complain unto God He will regard thom,
and will average them upon the proud II
thou DO strong, God keep thoo so, and
mako thee stronger; but use not thy
strength for trondlng down the weak. II
thou DO weak, the Lord strengthen thee
and deliver theo from this malady; but do
mot envy tho strong, and begin 10 speak
lightly OF those who excel thoe. The more
Of light, the moro OF Joy, tho more Of holy
confidence, tho moro OF faith, tho moro
glory 10 God; therefore oovot those things
earnestly M among the best gifts. May
tho Holy Ghost hOlp US 10 attain tho
highest dogroo OF grace; but may Ho ever
prevent us from judging our brethren.
Hors was tho fault Of EliphaE Ho was
right In many OF his statements, but ho
was wrong In his ungonerouS application
Of them 10 holy Job.
Many mon forget Godi He IL no object
Of delight 10 thom, for they ignore His ok
istonco, and thoy would oven think II q
groat relief II II could DO proved that thoro
were no God-no God 10 observe thom, no
God 10 record their mlsdcods, no God 10
call them 10 judgment, no God 10 punish
thom for their iniqultIes. Let US pity the
multitudca who claim 10 DO happy without
God; for II Ia tho last eItrcmo OF dOprav-
ity whom, blotting out God from hls soul, a
man obtains q wrotohod comfort az tho
consequences OF his folly. To DO without
God Ia TO bo without rost In tho present
and without hope for the future.
Great numbers OF mon 20 stage furthori
they believe In God, thoy can not doubt
that thcro IL Most High God who judgoth
tho children OF men, but thoir only thought
towards Him Ia that OF dread and dislike.
They do not want 10 hoar OF himi II tho
things OF God are forced upon their alton
ton they arc soon weary OF such dlstasto-
ful themes, for they only look upon God AZ
q Just and terrible Judge, who will corr
tAlnly punish thom for thoir transgreb-
sions. II Ia WOO 10 them oven 10 think Of
ths great God. Though this droad Of God,
and this neglect OF God, can mot deliver
them out OF His hands, yet they nnd q
Kind OF comfort In u. An We are told OF
the ostrich-I know not whothor II be true
or not-that whom II can not escape tho
hunter II burlcs its head In tho sand 10 nn
NOT 10 see itu pursucri 80 those foolish per-
cons blind their own eyes, and thus pro-
duce foolish security OF heart They
think OF God with dread, dsmay, dcspond.
sncy and despair. am gricyed 10 add
that this principle even tinctures the
thoughts OF true friends OF 0odi for
whom thoy bow down before God II
n not with tho reverence Of q loving child
but with tho terror OF slave; they
sre afraid OF Him who should bo their OK
sseding Joy. Their Wow OF God 10 incor'
rect, for Ills not such an tho Spirit oi
adoption would give them. Thoy ar,
0sally tfuNtiao In Hlt,, auA a.. th. .eaa,