The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1900-11-17

In this discourse DR.. TalmAge wars
on Of view and urges . life
helpful TO others; text, job 42-lO;
-And the Lord turned the captivity OF
Job when be prayed for his friends."
Comparatively few people read this
last chapter OF the Book Of Job. The
earlier chapters are so full Of thrilling
incident, OF events so Dramatically por-
trayed, Of awful ailments and terrific
disaster. Of domestic i~nfelieity, Of STAG
cato passage, Of resounding address. OF
omnipoteney proclaimed, Of ~utterances
showing job 70 have been the greatest
scientist Of his day, an sxpsrtin mining
and precious stones, astronomer and
g~eogrApher and Eoologist and eiec-
trician and poet, that most readers
stop before they get to my tsxt' which
strangely and m~ysteiously. announces
that "ths Lord turned the captivity OF
Job when he prayed for his friends"
Now. will you please explain TO me
how Job's prayer for his friends halted
his cAtastrophes7 Give me some good
reason why job, on his heesin behalf
Of the welfare Of others, arrested the
long procession OF calamitiea- Mind
yoa, It was not prayer for himself, for
Nan the cessation Of his troubles would
lave been only another instance OF
prayer AnIwsreA But the portfolio OF
his disaster was rolled up while he
su~xplieatsd God in behAh Of Bhphaz
tAa Temanits, BihAd the shuttle and
EopAar the Nasmsthits. ! must cor
ten 70 you that ! had to read ne text
ever and over again before gotits fun
meaning: "And the Lord turned the
ssptivity Of job when be prayed for
Aks friends"
Well, II you viii net explain II TO ma
/ VIII explain il 10 you, The health
issl the most recupsrstivs tang on
earth to do 10 to stop thinking 90 much
about ourselves and 20 70 thinking
aboat the welfare Of others job had
bssa studying his m~isfertunes, but the
more he thought about his bankruptcy
the poorer he seemed. the more he
thought Of his earbuneles the worss
they hurt, the more be thought Of his
unfortunate marriage the more intol-
srsble became the conjugsl relation
Ne more he thought Of his house blown
down the more terrible seemed the cy'
clone. His misfortunes grew blackeI
end blacker. But there was 70 com {
reversal Of these sad conditions. One
day he said 20 himself: Il have beer
lwelling too much upon my bodily all
msnts and my wifs's temper and my
bsreavsments. 1t 10 time i began tS
tank about others and do something
for otbsrs, and ] will start nov By pray
tag for my three friends" Then Jot
dropped upon his knees. and as he Die
. the last sbsekls of his captivity o
troubles snapped and fell on. Hear II
ell ye ages Of time and all ye ages o
eternity, "the Lord turned the esptiv
fly OF Job when he prayed for hi
friends"
The fault with most Of us Il too mucl
Observation-Disclosures health, GU
fortunes, our Advancement, our soeia
position, our aehievements, our losses
cur defsats, our sufferings. our perse
e%ution. cur life. our death, u immor
tally. OF course there 10 a lawful an.
righteous selfshnsss. In q world an
in q time Of such activities and r~ivalrie
and temptations We must look ate
our own interests and our own destin
or w will 20 under, Do o wait 70
othsrs to taks care Of you. Take car
of yourself. But II will not hinder on
preservation and prosperity II we eI
large the sphere Of our wishes an
prayers 90 a. TO take in others. Tn
lew In the natural world would do we
for the moral and spiritual world. tn
eentripetai force in nature weui
throw everything In toward the cent,
and the centrifugal force In natui
Z would throw everything out from II
E center. But the centripetsl and Il
centrifugal work beautifully togethe
The o force that would throw ever
tang toward the center 10 balanced B
tAe force that would throw sverythin
outward.
Our world. with tie " interest
feels the pull Of othsr worlds. \
world. no nation, no community, =
man. no woman, can afford 10 ext
only for Itself or himself or hsrsel
The hour In which job has that o
liloquy about the enlargement Of b
0 prayers 80 as TO take in his friend
and he put into execution his GOO
8 resolution. was the hour when he fe
. tonic, . sedAtive. . nsrvins, Q cat
plasm that helped 10 cure his bod
and revived his fortunes til they wei
. hundred per cent. better than ev,
before, for the record is "ths Lor
gave job twice a. much Is he had b
4 fors." and tended to make him . woi
c der Of longevity. for he lived /.
n years after his troubles were gon
Oh, what q mighty m~edieament Is II
contemplation Of and the effort u
the welfare Of othsrsi
"But." says some one, ut IL cas-
: enough for Job to pray for his friend
Anybody can DO that. There are tho,
: 10 whom We are obliged for yesrs I
|, kindness. They stand 90 close to .
d In sympathy and "reminiscences and Al
ticipailon that II IL easy for NJ I
pray for their welfare" Well, j q
o you do no, understand that the.
fisnds Of job were the most tantalii
Q Ing and sx%asperating friends = ma
sveF had. Look at their behavio
When they heard OF his bereavement
. and the accidents BY whirlwind IN
lightning stroke they cana In and a
d down by him 8 whole week, aeYs
days and seven nights. and the rel
ord 10 none Spake 9 word 10 him,
What q ~disrsputable and wicked s
b iencsl Mud you. they professed to b
religious men, and they ought to haS
been able 20 otter soms rsligious COZ
ISOLATION, Instead Of that they wei
dumb az tie sphinx which at that tim
stood In the African desert and stand
there still Why did they not Ga
something about reunion In the Hea'
emily realms with his children VIII
had been flhin7 Why did they nc
talk TO him about the satisfactory e,
plantations In ths future world c
things we do not understand In thI
+. world7 Why did they not 20 TO tn
F; s~pothscary and buy a poultiee tha
would have soothed the eArbuncleI
OF some quisiing potion that wcul
calm his nerves, Of q few drops g
fsbrifugs that would cool his hsate
frams7 MOI For seven days an
seven nights they did nothing an
said nothing for his relief. They mus
have almost bored him 70 death.
After these three friends had con
|. pleted their infamous silence Of
week they began to lecture Job. FRS
4 Eliphaz the Temanite opens with
long story about . dream which h
had in the night and initiates the sui
fsrer with words that make thing
worse instead Of better and sets hir