New-York tribune., 1905-01-25
RIGHTEOUS MANS DILEMMA.
DR.. Slicer Lectures on Job and His Religious
Ideas.

The idea that the present generation takes
interest in the Bible was hardly borne out by the
large and intensely interested audience which
gathered at the Berkeley Lyceum yesterday morn
ing TO hear the Rev DR.. Thomas r. Slicer's iect-
ure. given under the auspices OF the League for
Political Education. THE Righteous Mans
Dilemma" set forth in the Book OF Job. the
dilemma being the old but ever problem of
why the righteous man should suffer while the
wicked hourtshes like green bay tree.
The current theology OF the time this book was
written was based the be good and you'll be
happy theory" said DR.. Slicer. 1T is pretty
theory. only IT doesn't happen to be true. and
Jobs dilemma is that he cannot reconcile it with
his own condition. He is conscious OF his own
integrity and there is harm in the world in
man knowing that he is righteous. You mnsn't
say 1t on the street corners, OF course because
1t would impair credit at the shops, but what
can be more yours than the consciousness Of your
own integrity? If the heart knows its own Bit
terness. why should it know its own integrity?
In this condition of mind his three friends,
pFooaoly sheiks like himself. find him and attempt
10 comfort him Now, there was only way in
winch they could have done this. and that was by
SUBSTITUTING view of the universal order that
would have been Strengthening and sustaining for
one that was defective. They had none such TO
offer. and so they simply took it out Of Job by
trying 10 make his fit their theories, which
was not only unkind but untrue Their one stroke
OF WISDOM was in keeping silence for seven days
ana seven nights. for they saw that Jobs grief
was very great Job is the first TO break the
silence. His grief having eaten into his SOUL he
opens his mouth and curses the day In which he
was born.
Then it is borne in upon Eliphaz that he has
been quiet long enough, and he raises his clipper
little note against The diapason Of Jobs distress.
EHphaz is the man who thinks he has had a
revelation-the party with G theory He knows the
dialect OF heaven better than any one else and
argues from a monopoly OF divine wisdom. One
finds dozens of his kind to-day His observations
MAKE fine poetry, but dreadfully poor theology
in the presence Of sorrow like Jobs His argu-
neht Is that God is angry with Job because Of
something In his own personal character. Job de-
mes this and argues the point out at some length.
lou Just look around you, Eliphaz' he said,
ana you Will see that the people who are having
q good time are the wicked people,
Then Bildad. who is the man Of tradition and
knows Just how things ought to be because they
always have been So argues:
AZ thou vert pure and upright, surely He would
awake Tor thee and make the habitation Of thy
righteousness prosperous
Zophar' who is the Of common sense, tries
t 20 prove that the triumph OF the wicked is only
"a, At last Jehovah answers Job out of the whirl-
wind and asks. Who is this that darkeneth coun-
fSon Oy yb words without knowledge? Where vast
the ecae If thGS hast who hath laid
stretched the line upon it WheTe;1pon are Ibe
Iounaatons ons thereof fastened, who laid the
together te; and all the sons Of God shouted for
'OS 31, %au @ son on through four chapters.
me purpose OF this argument is TO show the
uselessness OF trying solve the problems OF hu-
man man existence. The enumeration of the things that
cannot be known. and the examples Of Gods ten
uefheSs 10 things not human, extending even to
Ihe waste places Of the earth, incentive TO
Joo to trust where ne cannot understand. and not
70 elevate any sorrow, however keen above the
all 1850 " 49, 80
JOB answers, I uttered that I understood not
things too wonderful for me, which knew not.
nave nave heard Of Thee by the hearing OF the ear but
self and repent In dust and ashes
The meaning OF this is that he who knows God
personally, not by hearSay but in real expe-
rience. VIII be content to trust Him, even IL he
cannot explain the chapters of his fate"