The Washington weekly post., 1900-11-13


OF Job. DR. Talmage took his theme yes
terdsy. and found in the Lords mercy %
the afflicted Israelites at the time job
prayed for his friends lesson teaehing
Christians TO think OF each other as well
as an example of the efficacy OF prayer.
Dr. Talmage took for MS text: Job.
xlA.i0: And the Lord turned the captiv-
ity Of job when he prayed Tor his
friends" and said:
Comparatively few people read this
last chapter OF the Book OF Job. The ear
ler chapters are so full OF thrilling Incl
cent, % events so dramatically portrayed,
OF awful ailments and terrific disaster. Of
domestic infelicity. Of staccato passage, of
resounding address, OF omnipotency pro-
claimed. OF utterances showing job to
have been the greatest scientist OF his
day, an expert In mining and precious
stones. astronomer. and geographer, and
zOologist. and electrician. and poet, that
most readers stop before they get to my
text, which strangely and mysteriOusly,
announces that the Lord turned the cap
tivity OF job when he prayed for his
friends
Now. will you please explain TO me
how Jobs prayer for his friends halted
his catastrophes. Give me some good
reason why job on his knees In behalf o.
the welfare OF others arrested the Ions
procession OF calamltes. Mind you, II
was not prayer FOR himself, for then the
cessation OF his troubles would have been
only another instance Of prayer answered.
but the portfolio Of his disaster was rolled
up while he Supphcated God In behalf Of
Eliphaz, the Temanite; Bildad, the Shu-
hite, and Zophar, the Naamathite. l must
confess TO you that / had 10 read the
text over and over again before ] got its
fun meaning. And the Lord turned the
captivity Of Job when he prayed for his
friends
Well II you will not explain II TO me-
will explain il 10 you. The healthiest
the most recuperatiYe thing on earth
TO do is to stop thinking so much
about ourselves aud TO go 10
thinking about the welfare Of others,
Job had been studying his misfortunes,
but the more he thought about his bank
ruptcy. the poorer he felt; the more he
thought Of his carbuncles the worse they
hurt; the more he thought of his unfor-
tunate marriage the more intolerable be-
came the conjugal relation; the more he
thought Of his house blown down the more
terrific seemed the cyclone His misfor-
tunes grew blacker and blacker. But
there was TO come a reversal of these sad
conditions. One day he said to himself
i have been dwelling too much on my
bodily ailments, and my wifes temper,
and my bereayements. 1t is time began
10 think about others and do something
for others, and l will start now by pray
ing for my three friends Then Job drop
ped upon his knees, and as he did so the
last shackle of his captivity of trouble
snapped and fell off. Hear it, all ye ages
Of time and all ye ages of eternity, the
Lord turned the captivity of Job when he
prayed for his friends
THE fault of most of US Is too much
self-cOncentration-our health, our for
tunes, our advancement, our social posi-
ton, our achievements, our losses, our
defeats, our sufferings, our persecution,
our life. our death. our Immortality. OF
course. there is a lawful and righteous
selfishness. In a world and in a time of
such activities and rivalries and tempta-
tions we must look after our own inter-
ests and our own destiny, or we will go
under Do not wait for others TO take
care Of you. Take care Of yourself. But
il will not hinder our preservation and
prosperity If we enlarge the sphere of our
wishes and prayers so as TO take in 9TH
ers. The law in the natural world would
do well for the moral and spiritual world.
The centripetal force in nature would
throw everything in toward the center.
and the centrifugal force in nature would
throw everything out from the center
But the centripetal and the centrifugal
work beautifully together The one force
that would throw everything toward The
center Is balanced by the force that would
IL.
with its own interests, feels the pull OF
other worlds. No world. no nation, no
community, no man. no woman can afford
20 exist only for itself, or himself, or her
self. The hour in which Job had that So
liloquy about the enlargement of his pray
ers so as 10 take in his friends, and he
put into execution his good resolution, was
the hour when he felt a tonic, a sedatiye
a neFvine, cataplasm that helped 10 cure
his body and revived his fortunes until
they we're hundred per cent. better'than
ever before. for the record is that the
Lord gave job twice as much as he had
before and tended 10 make him a wonder
of longevity, for he lived 40 years after
his troubles were gone. Oh, what a
mighty medicament is the contemplation
of and the effort for the welfare of 9TH
ers!
But says some one, 1T was easy
enough for Job 20 pray for his friends
Anybody can do that. There are those IA
whom we are obligated for years of kind
ness. They stand so close tc us in sympa-
thy and "reminiscences and anticipation that
II Is easy for Us 10 pray for their welfare.
Well, l see you do not understand thai
these friends Of Job were the most tan.
taliZing and eNasperating friends a man
ever had. Look AT their behavior. When
they heard OF his bereavements and the
accidents by whirlWind and lightning
stroke. they came in and sat down by him
a whole week, seven days and seven
nights, and the record is none spake a
word 10 HIM What a direputable ana
wicked silence! Mind you they professed
To be religious men, and they ought "a
have been able 10 offer some religious
consolation. Instead Of that they were
as dumb as the Sphinx which al thar
time stood in the African desert and
stands there still Why did they not say
something about reunion in the heavenly
res Inns with his children who had been
slain? Why did they not talk TO him about
the satisfactory explanations in the ia.
ture world of things We do not under.
stand IN this world? Why did they moi
30 10 the apothecary and buy a poultice
that would nave soOthea The carbuucies
or some quieting potion that would have
calmed his nerves, or a few drops Of feb
rliuge that would cool his heated frame
No For seven days and seven nights
they did nothing ana said nothing for his
relief They must have almost bored hin
to death.
"After these three friends had complet.
ed their Infamous silence OF a week they
began TO lecture Job First. Elphaz. tht
Temanite, opens with long story about
a dream which he had In the night. ant
irritates the sufferer with words thar
make things worse instead OF better, and
set him In an attitude or defense against
the lecturer. Then comes Bidad. IN,
Shuhite, who gives the invalid a round
scolding and calls him garrulous. and
practically tells him that he deserved
all that he has get, and that II he had be-
hayed himself Alright he would not hav,
lost his house. or his children, or his es
tate He practically says. job, 1 will tel
you what Is the matter with you. You al,
bad; you are A hypOcrile. you are nov
getting paid Tor your wtokedness NJ