Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1913-10-16
10 as REVELATION

4 BIS INDY DE III QS lAt Ca
periences of Job. According to the
record, in the book of Job. the sons
Of God came to present themselves
before God, and Satan came also.
When asked where he came from
Satan replied, From going to and
fro in the earth. ard from walking
up and down in it" Surely that is
not so much a locality as fluctuat-
ing wave Of error However, it is
to be noted that Satan presumed up
on the notion that Jobs goodness
was a form OF selfishness,-t it
was a personal desire expressed mere
Iy for the hope of a reward in HEAVIER
and that if that hope Of a reward
were to be withdrawn. Job would
curse God to His face. Satan de-
cIared,. in ether words, that Jobs
goodness was a mere personal sense
with himself, a form of selfishness,
a mixture of good and evil. But the
question arises as to whether that
was correct charge. Permission
was granted to make trial Of his
charge, to prove whether he was
good merely for the sake of a re-
ward.
The first trial or temptation was
the destruction of Jobs property,
but that had no disturbing effect on
his goodness. Next his children
were destroyed, but that did not
change his divine purpose to be
good. Finally the trial was made
more personal Job was afflicted
WITH grievous diseases which tor
mented him so sorely that his wife
broke down under the stress of it.
JOB however, stood fast; he was good
just the same The trial had been
made; the proof was conclusive that
Jobs goodness was not entertained
for the sake of a reward. 1t was
proved to be as unchanging as God
himself-a divine attribute that is
reflected through all alike.
With the recognition of one good
who is God, it naturally follows there
can be but one goodness to ex-
press Him, which expression must
characterize all alike. Indeed it is
so pure and simple as to be recog-
nfzed and obeyed by a child The
activity of that right desire in the
consciousness Of Job enabled him
to look up through the law to its
divine source and declare that Won
derful vision, yet in my flesh shall
I see God" Those words are en-
tirely in argument with what Jesus
himself later declared in the Sermon
on the Mount Blessed are the pure
in heart: for they shall see God
Job therefore acquainted himself witt
the human intellect, as by the IN
derstanding of his goodness ia its
simple purity, as an attribute of God.
| Not only did it enable him to see
| God, but it endowed him with the
power of God to heal and save him
self The healing power of God was
actually communicated to his human
| consciousness through the law Of
goodness. scientifically understood.
For example: The cropping student
! Of mathematics never goes directly
| to its basic meaning. He needs must
90 by way of its rules. The first
! task set for the beginner to do is
! TO assimilate the meaning of the
simplest rule into his understanding
and he reaches the basic meaning by
| way Of it's several rules. SO it
is that no one gees directly to in
finite good. He must so by way OF
goodness, the law Of God. AS Job
assimilated the simple meaning OF
goodness into his consciousness, he
| could look through the law to it's
divine Principle, and truthfully de
clare, yet in my flesh shall l see
God" That acquaintance with the
divine nature healed him, and show.
ed forth the divine law as the COM
municator of Gods healing power to
| the human consciousness.
ONE HONESTY
Continuing this illustration, it may
he said that honesty is not per
st3al possession, but a law or attri;
butte of God, for there are not as
many kinds of honesty as there are
people There is one honesty, which
IS a law or attribute of God reflect
ed through all alike. Honor among
thieves is far from being honor amons
! honest men. Honor among thieves
is but q subterfuge that has it's basis
in evil. Honor among honest men is
honesty from Principle. Indeed, il
is commonly said that truly honest
man must be honest from Principle
One who falls short of being honest
!rom Principle has no power to re
sist temptation. For example: Sup.
pose such an one were to be placed
as a cashier in bank, and sub
mitted to a severe pressure of temp
tation to dishonesty. He has no
power to resist it. But the man
who is honest from Principle has
the power Of divinity to overcome
the temptation. Indeed he can not
go contrary to the power of its gov
eminent. Therefore honesty from
Principle communicates the divine
power to overcome dishonesty, even
as goodness from Principle communi-
Gates the divine power to overcome
evil.
HEALTH AN ATTRIBUTE OF GOD
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