The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-02-14


relied accuse him OF wrongdoing.
Il propose tonight, as far as can, with
this Introduction; to let this drama, this
with some running comments. enough or
1t to give a conception of IL TO you in its
days and seven nights of silence have
passed Job utters the curse with which the
poem. after the prologue, begins:
THE CURSE.
job.
Perish the day wherein I was born:
And the night which said. a man child is con-
ceived,
That day-let it be darkness;
Let not God inquire after IL from above,
AMI let not light shine upon it,
Let darkness and shadow OF death reclaim It;
Let darkenings of the day terrify it.
M il o oee a6hg the se ass upon d the year
Let it not come into the number of the
Lol that nlght-let it be barren:
Let no joyful voice come therein,
Let them curse IL who curse days.
Who are ready TO rouse up leviathan,
Let the stars of the twilight thereof be dark!
Let II look for light, but have none:
Neither let it behold the eyelids of the MORN
Because it shut not up he doors of thy moth
Nor hid trouble from mine eyes.
Why died not from the womb!
For now would have lien down and been quiet:
With kings and counselors OF the earth.
Which built solitary piles, for themselves:
Or with princes that had gold.
Who filled their houses with silver:
OR as an hidden untimely birth had not been;
As infants which never light.
There the wicked cease from troubling;
And there the weary be at rest.
There the prisoners at together;
They hear not the voice OF the taskmaster.
The small and great are there;
And the servant is free from his master.
Wherefore is light given to him that is In
And life unto the bitter IN soul?
Which Az, long ,or DEATH but It S e1meth not;
Which rejoice exceedingly,
And are glad when they can find the grave.
and whom God hath hedged in?
For my signing cometh before l eat
For the thing which fear cometh upon me,
And that which am afraid OF cPmeth meth unto me.
Neither have / rest. but trouble cometh,
"Elphaz. one of the three friends. speak
ing on their behalf, gently and in kindly
lations of theology which declares that
adversely is divine punishment. He begins
with an apology:
II one essay. word with thee wilt thou be
Yet who can forbesr speaking?
HE expresses the message with tact as a
revelation from the unseen:
To once a word came stealthily.
And mine caught the whisper OF IT,
In wandering thoughts from visions of the night.
Fear came upon me and trembling,
Maeh m spirit all e my o Snford to g
The hair OF my flesh rose up
1t stood still, but its form could not discern.
a figure before mine eyes.
Shall the strong man before his Maker be pure?
beo He In s epo et6 Bf s ns
How much more them that dwell in houses
OF clay.
Who are crushed like the moth:
Who are beaten in pieces from morning to even
Who for lack of one that regardeth perish
Is not their tent cord within plucked away?
They die. and not in wisdom
He follows his message with an exhorta-
ton. 1t is easy in prosperity TO exhort
those that are in adversely. Rochefoucauld
has said Ii does not require much pa
tience to bear the troubles OF another:
Behold. blessed is the man whom God eorrecteth;
Therefore despise not thou the Christening of the
He bruiseth and His hands make whole
In six troubles shall He deliver thee
In famine He shall redeem thee from death.
And in war from the power Of the sword
When the tongue scourgeth thou shalt be hid
Nor shalt thou be afraid of devastation when it
At devastation and dearth thou shalt laugh:
Nor hast thou aught to fear from the beast of
For thou hast a league with the stones of the
And the beasts of the field shall be at peace
And thou shalt know that thy tent is peace.
Thou Shalt know also that thy seed is numerous,
And thine offspring the grass OF the earth.
AS the sheaf is garnered in, in it's season.
Lo. this; we have searched il out; SO 1T is;
Hear il, and know thou IL Is for thee
Imagine for one moment this poor man.
bereft of his children. sitting on the ash
heap i'm his misery and hearing this for his
consolation Job protests: he declares in
very emphatic language the hopelessness
of relying on human friendship; he COM
pares his friends to a brook in the hot
country to which one in his thirst comes
in midsummer to find the brook dried
parched. gone.
Kindness from his friend is due TO the de-
Who is losing hold Of the fear of the Almighty.
Ny brethren are dee sL Xix, like a brook;
Mscb hne arc nd q bv Tsaon Of ce
Wh here the snow failing hideth itself.
When it is hot. they dried up out of their
place.
The wayfarers along their course are turned
They 60 up into the wastes, and perish.
The companies of sheba set their hope upon
They were ashamed because they had trusted;
They reached the spot: and were dismayed.
See now-ye are Just like that; ,,o,,v,so,
We have seen a terror and are confounded.
And then hc turns from his friends to
the Almighty. pleads with Him. rehearses
again his misery and pleads patheticaily
with jehovah Watcher of Men, who
makes man the mark for his arrows and
will not pardon his iniquity. also denies
him even the respite of sleep. but scarest
the sufferer with dreams. He protests:
If 1 have sInned what difference would it make
to Thee; what could do unto Thee?
''Bildad next takes up the argument, re-
peats ard reaffirms 1.-THE justice of God
with greater warmth than Eliphaz:
VIII God pervert the right2
or will the Almighty pervert Justice?
III thy children have sinned against Him,
Hath He given them over into the hand of their
But thou-if thou wilt seek earnestly unto God,
And 10 the Almighty make supplicatiOn.
SO be that thou art pure and upright.
Verify then He Will awake for thee.
And will restore the habitation OF thy right
Then. though thy beginning be small.
Thine end shall increase exceedingly.
Behold God wilt not despise the perfect man.
Nor will He grasp the hand OF the wicked
And thy lips with song OF JOY,
They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame.
And the tent OF the wicked shall be more.
Thus the issue Is joined. On the one
hand is a real man In a very real sorrow.
He endured with patience the loss of prop
counsel of his wife. but he resents injustice
and if the current theology Is correct anu
suffering is a penalty for wrong doing life is
unique. grossly unjust. For he has done no
not indeed. deny some imperfections. How
can q mortal be pure with God! But God
conceals Himself. will not reveal His will.
| leaves His child in darkness.
THE UNSEARCHABLE GOD.
10. He goeth by me, and see Him not;
! lie passeth along and | perceive him not
10. lie snatcheth away, and who Will restrain
Him.
Who viii say TO Him. What doest thou?
\ God VIII not turn away His wrath:
/ Beneath n bowed the helpers Of Rahab;
How much less shall answer Him.
4 Choosing my words against Him.
/ Whom. though were righteous. could not
I must supriicate Him that judgeth me.