The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1900-11-23

pray for their welfare" Well, i So
you do not understand that ther
friends of Job were the most tantali;
ing and exasperating friends a ma
ever had. Look at their behaviol
When they heard of his bereavement
and the accidents by whirlwind an
lightning stroke they came in and sa
down by him a whole week, seve
days and seven nights, and the rec
ord is none spake word to him.
What a disreputable and wicked 81
lence! Mind you, they professed to b
religious men, and they ought to hav
been able to offer some religious con
ISOLATION. Instead of that they wer,
dumb as tie sphinx which at that tim,
stood in the African desert and stands
| there still. Why did they not say
something about reunion in the Heav
emily realms with his children who
had been slain? Why did they not
talk to him about the satisfactory ex
plantations in the future world oil
things we do not understand in this
world? Why did they not go to the
apothecary and buy a poultice that
would have soothed the carbuncles
or some quieting potion that would
calm his nerves, or a few drops of
febrifuge that would cool his heated
frame? No! For seven days and
seven nights they did nothing and
said nothing for his relief They must
have almost bored him to death.
After these three friends had COM
pleted their infamous silence of a
week they began to lecture Job. First,
Eliphaz the Temanite opens with
long story about dream which he
had in the night and irritates the suf-
ferer with words that make things
worse instead of better and sets him
in an attitude of defense against the
lecturer. Then comes Bildad the
Shuttle, who gives the invalid round
scolding and calls him garrulous and
practically tells him that he deserved
all that he got, and that if he had be-
haved himself Alright he would not
have lost his house or his children or
his estate. He practically says: Job,
| will tell you what is the matter with
you. You are bad; you are hypo-
critic; you are now getting paid for
your wickedness." No wonder that
there came from Job an outburst of
Indignation which calls out the other
luondam friend, Zophar the Naa-
who begins denouncing Job |
oy calling him a liar, and keeps on
he discourse until Job responds to all |
hree of them in the sarcastic words: |
No doubt but We are the people, and
visdcm shall die with you"
Oh, what friends Job had! Heaven
leliver us from having one such
riend, to say nothing of having three
# them. 1t was for such friends that
'ob prayed, and was it religious tri-
Imph for him to do so? Would you,
he very best of you, be in very devout
mood and capable of making interces-
ion for people who had come to you
n a day of trouble and said: Good
or you. You ought to be chastised.
'ou are being taken in hand by eter-
al justice. If you had behaved your
elf Alright you would not have been
lex or prosecuted or impoverished or
lade childless." Oh, no, my friend,
OH would not have felt like Job when I
e prayed for his friends, but more I
Ike Job when he cursed the day of his {
ativity. {
Notice that this flagellation by the
lree friends was premeditated. They I
id not merely happen in and come I
iddenly upon the trouble for which S
ley could not offer compound. The v
ible says: "They had made an ap-
ointment together" The interview S
as prearranged. They had agreed f
to what they would say to the sick v
an. You can see that their remarks t
ere not eXtemporaneous What they il
id was sublimely poetic. They rose a
style into what in later times we o
ould call the Homeric or Dantesque. h
1t Job was not in need of poetry so W
UGH as a salve for his eruptive dis b
der. He was not dying for lack of t,
paragraph in blank verse. He was a.
It so much in need of didactic lee d
re about the justice of God as an p
surance CT the Divine mercy. Some al
Gus rustic of the land of Uz not able F
put three grammatical sentences ca
gether could have said something IT
're consolatory. al
The meanness of the attack of these io
igious critics was augmented by Fl
e fact that they had the sufferer in I'll
cir power. When we are we'll and e,
do not like what one is saying we til
n get up and go away. But Job A
IS too i'll to get up and go away. co
-st he endured the seven days and WI
zen nights of silence, and then he tn
jurad tbair o--o;,xn,,a,. - IL. iii