The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-02-14
Out of this whirlwind the voice of Jeho-

"Out of this whirlwind the voice Of Jeho-
yah speaks:
Grid up thy loins now like man:
viii demand of thee. and declare thou unto Me.
wilt thou even disannul my Judgment?
WIT tnou condemn ne, that thou mayest be
or hast thou an arm like God?
And canst thou thunder with a voice like Him?
Deck eek, thyself now with exeelleney and dignity:
pour forth tha I Mitn ronoo f anu .hinn se
And look upon everyone that is proud. and
abase him.
Look on everyone that is proud, and bring him
And tread down the wicked where they stand
Hue them IN the dust together,
Bind their faces in the hidden place.
Then will 1 also confess Of thee
That thine own right hand can save thee.
TEACHING ITS OWN LESSON.
''The last four chapters. as it stands in
our Bible, Of this drama is eloquent with
the picture of the mystery of life, and with
that picture of the mystery of life the
drama ends. To read these chapters
through is impossible tonight. To read a
portion would fail to produce the effect
which is dependent wholly upon the accu-
| mutation of mysteries.
| THE epilogue is as simple as the pro-
logue. The three friends are told to offer
| friend. and Job also shall pray for them
Then all Jobs wealth is returned to him
| doubled in quantity; his seven sons and
his three daughters come mysteriouSly back
| TO him, and his life DIS in greater wealth
and honor and prosperity than before. And
| the Adversary. what of him? He still goes
| about the world preaching his unitarian
| philosophy, struggling his shoulders over
righteous men and saying. Does Job serve
God for naught?'
1T were perhaps best to leave this drama
| TO teach its own lesson. Though as one
may draw lessons. from life. so, briefly, /
may state some of the lessons of this life
picture. First, the reality is always better
| than falsity. The man who in the reality
| OF his experience challenges Jehovah stands
commended beside the men who are liars
| for God. Secondly, that humility is wis
| dom. There are some problems too great
| for our understanding. There is a divine
truth in certain phases of iciSm !;
| there are some things it is well we should
| say we do not know. Thirdly. suffering is
| not punishment for sin. Whatever it may
be hereafter, il is not so to be interpreted
| here. That sometimes ii may be penal is
| true. but there is some deeper understand
| ing than that to make life reconcilable with
| divine justice. Finally. and TO my mind
most important and essential of all, this
| dogma of Job is the dark background on
| which the luminous cross OF Christ Is
erected. This drama of Job is an irlustra-
| ton of what natural religion will do for
men who have not the light Of prophecy and
| revelation. Cast Christ away and His cross
away, ana all revelation tnat comes from
| it. and we come back to the same dark
| ness of experience of Job, and the same
| impossibility of reconciling the strange.
| weird cruel experiences of human life with
| the moral order of the universe or the
| justice of Jehovah. But now In Christ the
prayer of Job is answered. The cry that
| some book may he written, the cry that
some Daysman might be found, the cry
| that God might show himself, that he might
| be found-all this is responded to in Chris
| tianity and to-day, standing with this
strong picture of a terrible experience this
wrestling of faith with skepticism in the
night of ignorance. we sing the song of
| Paul, if we will: Neither life. nor death,
nor municipalities. powers, nor things
present nor things to come, shall separate
us from the love of God in Christ Jesus
our Lord