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


where light dwelleth?" Can'st thou
blind the sweet influences of the PIE.
iades or loosen the bands of Orion ?''
/ Doth the eagle mount up at thy COM
mand and make her nest on high ?"
"Shall he that contendeth with the
Almighty instruct him?" He that
reproveth God, let him answer It !"
| All, Job, hear in this counsel wisdom
for thy true friend is He. He it is
who knoweth all thy ways. Twas the
first drop OF dew, the first gentle show
er, the first sweet ray, the first warm
radiance to Jobs desolate soul 1t
brought awakening, shame, rebuke,
nope, courage. Twas the medium of
vision and Job saw quickly and cried
Behold, am vile; what shall l ans
wer thee. / will lay my hand upon my
mouth. Once | have spoken, but l
Will not answer; year, twice; but
will proceed no further" Jehovah
continues, "Gird up thy loins now like
man." and the opportunities for vi
sion are further extended. When God
has finished, Job sees as he has not
seen before. Hear him. Il know that
thou canst do everything, and that no
thought can be withholden from thee.
| Who Is he that hideth counsel with
out knowledge? Therefore have l ut
tered that understand not; things too
Wonderful for me, which knew not.
Hear, beseech thee, and will speak:
; will demand of thee and declare
thou unto me. have heard of thee
by the hearing of the ear: but. now
mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore. I
abhor myself and repent in dust and
ashes" It's ever so when men get
visions of God. Sometimes we have
been taught that Job was very wicked
surely he was very human. Gods
revelation to Job in that series of won.
derful lnterrogatorfes in chapters 49,
39-4O embody much rebuke, but who
small say twas condemnation? We
nave warrant of reason for the hope
that is within u.s." How shall we at
tain unto it unless We be honest with
ourselves and with such things as are
TO us mysterious. Thomas cried lex,
cept shall see in his hands the print
OF the nails and put my finger into
the print of the nails, and thrust
my hand into his side, 1 will not be-
lleVe." Thomas has been much con-
demned, but Jesus said to him Reach
hlther thy finger and behold my hands:
and reach hither thy hand and thrust
1t into my side, and be not faithless
but believing" God wants honest men,
candid men, sincere men, trustworthy
men. He wants them in the pulpit:
he wants them in the pew; he wants
them in the inquirer's seat; he wants
them at the altar of penitence; he
wants them at the communion table;
ne wants them on the rostrums of the
schools he wants them in the marts
OF trade. God wants such men every
where. He has nowhere con-
demned the man who quer-
les how? or why? nor has he failed,
this paper doth opne. to give every
such man troubled with mystery, with
misunderstanding or sorrows burden
ed, vision of himself. He who
stands upon the summit of the noun
tain within whose base is cavern deep
and damp and rayless. may find before
the day dawn darkness almost as of
the lonely cavern. Above, beneath.
about, no ray of light may be. His
hand before his eye may be indistinct
as though within the cavern he tried
to see it. But time and patience
change the black night into better see.
ing. From yonder horizon of the east
the day-dawn cometh. Family at first
and mellow the cleaning dawn creeps
on heralded by advance sentinels of
gold and crimson and pale gray and
interblended hues, that tell the story
OF the skilled touch of the master ar
tits of the universe.
How radiant in the glowing splendor
OF the morning tho full
proud king of day, now seems. What
vision is his who beholds him from
the mountain top. Alas for him who
IN yon cavern is. None SO blind as he
who will not see" So is it in the cav
ems OIL human mystery. Mystery m s.
understanding, inexplicable sorrow
then are Of the might. These consti-
tute the cavern at the mountains
base, but as the soul thus benighted
waits upon the mount of expectation in
service and sacrifice, out of all cometh
vision; glorious vision; holy vision.
When vision is of God then vision of
self is and that is we'll For visions
OF God and self mean light, warmth,
radiance, beauty, life. How blessed is
such life. Job had vision and in the
vision life.
Jobs reward justifies this position
We have not said that he was not en-
rate nor that he was not sinful, but
that God is pleased to make plain to
every honest inquirer who seeks in
Gods good way to know the truth
through vision of himself Light and
life. these are Gods gifts to men al
ways, and everywhere God reveals
himself in light and life to them who
seek and find Him, nor does He shut
Himself up and refuse to be found of
him who seeks sincerely and with can
dor.
Jobs friends came as teachers of
righteousness, counsellors of wisdom,
ministers of sympathy heralds of love-
That they made a sore. mistake and
that job was preferred above them
God says in the seventh verse of the
twenty-seventh chapter: and it was
SO, that after the Lord had spoken
these words unto JOB, tae Lord said
to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is
kindled against thee, and against thy
two friends; for We have not spoken
to me the thing is right, as my SER
want Job hath" Further emphasis he