Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-01-09

| oi I'll "a ouPSiioiiSy oNCl youy Soi-
demned you while justifying them.
selves, and that while you were down,
costs no small effort. T'were easier
/ in prosperity, but to do it in adversely
/ yes, there's the rub" Job prayed for
his friends, he prayed for Eliphaz, the
sturdy thinker and commanding per.
sonality of the three; he prayed for
Bildad, worthy follower of Eliphaz
easy leader; he prayed for Zophar, the
! "metoo" of the trio; there is no record
| that he prayed for Elihu, t'would not
have been worth while and Job is
therefore not to be condemned. There
! is too much random praying in this
world and ever was; too much prayer
/ perfunctory. 1t has been no use to
pray for Elihu, he was not ripe for
prayer His self-importance his bonn.
bast, his consciousness of duty self
! imposed well done, his sufficiency with.
in himself had made it useless to pray
{! for Elihu. Better opportunity would
come some day when Elihu was older,
ripper, more mellowed and subdued
But Job prayed for his three friends
and when he prayed God blessed him
largely and multiplied rewards. Jobs
friends gathered about him and
brought material testimonials of their
appreciation and their love, for they
loaded him with money and with earn.
ings of gold, and God gave him twice
as much as he had before. Sons and
daughters had he, equal numbers to
those he had lost; that is seven and
three. That special pride of true pa
ternal heart, fair daughter, was Jobs
fnl Twill 70 to-, Ill l. L.. I
were none beside so fair as the three
daughters of Job. Years We're added
to his head years rich and full and
plenty and Astounding, continued to an
hundred and two score, and Job saw
his posterity of four generations, happy
in life, comfortable in possessions,
sturdy in character, the favored of
God.
Would you know the intensity of in.
cident or exciting story? Go with
John to the Isle of Patmos; Paul to
the shipwreck at sea, or the bite of
the singing lash; Jesus to the blood.
perspiring garden of Gethsemane: Eli
jah to Mt. Carmal, or Joseph, the
Hebrew, favorite in slave delivery, to
the merchantmen of Egypt. Would
you enjoy the richness and fullness of
history? Stand by the babbling wa
tiers OF Egypt and fish from their tur-
bid bosom the bull-rush ark, safe bark
of Hebrew baby Moses, and follow him
through all the changes of a six-score-
years career, be with him when he
pleads for liberty as God passes upon
him his premiership in Israel; as he
stands in the presence of the burning
bush and discovers the idoltry of the
people when he returns from the noun
tain; go with him into the presence of
Pharoah, as ten several times he warns
him in the name of Jehovah to let
Gods people 60 Weep tears of pa
thetic bitterness upon the mount of
Nebo because the grave of the success
full Hebrew is hid from mortal ken
Follow Israel under Joshua's lead to
Jericho and to All. Be with them as
they people the promised land and
hear their piteous plea of pathetic pat
riotism as they respond to the masters
of Babylon, How can we sing the
Lords song in a strange land? If
forget thee, 0 Jerusalem, may my
right hand forget her cunning, and my
tongue cleeve to the roof of my mouth
If I prefer not Jerusalem above my
chief joy" Would you have the vi
sion of the seer,make the major phoph-
cts your own, stand upon the summit
of yon ancient eminence and in the
spirit of Israel's master cry: who
Is this that cometh from Edom, with
dyed garments from Bozrah, this that
is glorious in his apparel, travelling
in the greatness of his strength?
that speak in Righteousness mighty TO
save Would you know the beauty
Of literature which combines the reve.
lation of God in the laws of nature. his
revelation in the laws of Grace and his
revelation in the laws of human exper
fence, read the Nineteenth Psalm.
Would your soul be waited on the
breezes of poetic harmony. feed on the
First Psalm. Stake your thirst at the
fountains of the twenty-third Psalm
But would you be fed on literature in
drama, get all you may from the
Brownings, the Kiplings, the Shakas-
pears, and others all, then turn to this
book of Job, startling in prose, rich in
poetry, diversified in character. deep
and terrible in trial, sublime and swift
Of wing in victory, broad OF compass in
human experience, great in adaptable
ity and application Of the divine favor.
sweet and simple in beautiful lessons
of the blessedness of human service to
God and the glory of the divine re
ward and know that Job is the master
drama of the ages, and that in that
drama as in all great dramas of life.
God is all and in ALL