St. Landry democrat., 1885-07-04
THE MIsrAKE OF ELIpHAz.

For then shalt thou have thy delight in
the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto
God."-JOb %: 26
THE MISTAKE OF ELIPHAZ.
Eliphaz and his friends had judged Job
from their own point of view, making
their own experience to be the standard.
They themselves had prospered, and
therefore they inferred that if a man
served God he must necessarily prosper in
worldly things; and that if 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 been a hypocrite, and
have acted oppressively to his servants,
or have been unmindful of the claims of
the poor, or in some other way have
brought upon himself the wrath of God.
1t never entered their mind that so terri
BILE sickness and such list of dreadful
calamities could have befallen any man
except as punishment for special sin.
They inferred virtue from prosperity,
and sin from adversity. Unrighteous
and cruel 1ogici Atonce false and brutal
It renders them at once false wit
nesses and Pharisees; condemning the.
fattering themselves because of their ease.
To judge according to outward circum-
stances has been the tendency of men in
all times; even David could not under
stand how it was that the wicked were so
free from troubles, while all the day long
he was himself plagued, and chastened
every morning. a right principle lay at
the bottom of this wonder; for, indeed,
the Lord will reward the good and punish
the wicked; but a great mistake is made
when we suppose that this life is the time
for melting out rewards and punishments.
We must not judge according to the sight
of the eyes, or according to present condi-
tions, or we shall make gross mistakes.
The richest may be the most wicked, and
the poorest may be the most gracious;
those who suffer least may deserve to
suffer most, and those who are most affiict-
ed in this life may have the highest glory
in the life to come.
suspect that Eliphaz and his friends
had enjoyed smooth sailing. How should
they judge the man who had done business
amid tempests? Their mental life was not
disturbed by great conflicts; they had not
gone deeply into things, nor searched to
the bottom of spiritual matters; they had
no knowledge of their own hidden corrup-
tions, and had endured but little of the rod
of chastisement, and, consequently, they
had been at ease. Their mistake was that
they sat in Judgment upon another who
was more tried than themselves, and con-
demned him for being in sore distress.
Their own serenity led them to judge the
troubled one very harshly. This ought
mott be. If fany of us are inclined thus to
judge and condemn, it is time that we put
this mischievous spirit far from us. If we
judge others, others will judge us. Gods
children always play the fool when they
play the Judge; they are never In order
when they act as if they were the head of
the family of grace. The Father knows
all His children. All who observe careful
ly will also know that while some are
strong in the Lord and in the power
of His might, others are weak in faith
and mere babes in grace. These little
ones are not one jot the less precious in the
sight Of the great Father than the more
fully grown ones. Let none of the strong
cattle push the weak. cattle with horn and
with shoulder; for when the weak ones
complain unto God He will regard them,
and will average them upon the proud. If
thou be strong, God keep thee so, and
make thee stronger; but use not thy
strength for treading down the weak. If
thou be weak, the Lord strengthen thee
and deliver thee from this malady; but do
not envy the strong, and begin to speak
lightly of those who excel thee. The more
of light, the more of joy, the more of holy
confidence, the more of faith, the more
AZ. IL
earnestly as among the best gifts. May
the Holy Ghost help US to attain the
highest degree of grace; but may He ever
prevent us from judging our brethren.
Here was the fault Of EIiphaz. He was
right in many of his statements, but he
was wrong in his ungenerous application
of them to holy job.
Many men forget God: He is no object
of delight to them, for they ignore His ex-
istence, and they would even think it a
great relief if it could be proved that there
were no God-no God to observe them, no
God to record their snisdeeds, no God to
call them to Judgment, no God to punish
them for their iniquities. Let US pity the
multitudes who claim to be happy without
God; for it is the last extreme of deprav-
ity when, blotting out God from his soul, a
man obtains a wretched comfort as the
consequences Of his folly. To be without
God is to be without rest in the present
and without hope for the future.
Great numbers of men 60 stage further:
they believe in God, they can not doubt
that there is Most High God who judgeth
the children ofmen; but their only thought
towards Him is that of dread and dislike.
4 mt xyaut IN hoor 0f b;,,, 4t,n
things of God are forced upon their atten-
tion they are soon weary of such distaste-
full themes, for they only look upon God as