destinies. The man who does not feel this, has no claim to be heard. He whose manhood is lost in the preacher, the priest, the ecclesiastic, may speak with erudition and eloquence, but has no claim to my attention. The Great Teacher descended to the "lowest parts of the earth," came down to the common experiences of humanity, and from that plane He spoke, and "the common people heard Him gladly." The true teacher must be en rapport, he must bear the burdens and carry the sorrows of our common nature. Oh, come the day when man shall speak to man on the great questions of religion-not in professional modes of thought, or speech, or garb, or spirit, but as a brother immortal, and thus commending himself "to every man's conscience in the sight of God." What are these grounds? IV. A consciousness of REPRESENTING GOD HIMSELF.— "Behold, I am according to thy wish in God's stead." God reveals Himself through man to man. A true man is the temple of God. There the Almighty Himself is to be met with. In Him the shekinah beams its mystic radiance. Paul at Athens said, "Him declare I unto you." Every true man may be said to be "in God's stead on this earth. He is the mirror of God's being, the organ of God's will. The man who feels this may well have confidence in speaking. "I beseech you in Christ's stead," says Paul, “be ye reconciled to God." CONCLUSION.-Heaven grant to all who speak to their fellow-men on the great vital questions of being, that consciousness of sincerity, knowledge, common humanity, and Divine representation which Elihu seems to have had, and which is essential to the discharge of their high and awful mission. HOMILY No. LXVI. THE FIRST SPEECH OF ELIHU. (4.) THE COMMON IN CONTROVERSY, SIN, AND THEOLOGY. "Surely Thou hast spoken in mine hearing," &c.—CHAP. xxxiii. 8–18. EXEGETICAL REMARKS. Ver. 8. Surely thou hast spoken in mine hearing, and I have heard the voice of thy words." This language shows that Elihu had been present during the debate, and had paid profound attention to all that had been said. And it denotes not a little astonishment. Ver. 9.-"I am clean without transgression, I am innocent; neither is there iniquity in me." He here professes to quote the very words which he heard Job utter. But where are those words recorded? Nowhere throughout the record of the discussion can we find them. It is true that Job had maintained that he was not guilty of the transgressions of which his friends had charged him (see chap. ix. 21; xii. 4; xvi. 17), but nowhere does he declare his absolute innocency. Vers. 10, 11.—“Behold, He findeth occasions against me, He counteth me for His enemy, He putteth my feet in the stocks, He marketh all my paths." In (chap. xix. 11,) Job had given utterance to what Elihu here states, and also in (chap. xiii. 27.) Ver. 12.-" Behold, in this thou art not just: I will answer thee, that God is greater than man.' "Behold, in this thou art not right, let me tell thee. Thy three friends told thee, thou must needs have done wickedly in the former part of thy life, and saying so they may have wronged thee. But I do not say so, I believe thee to have lived a righteous life, till these afflictions came upon thee; but then thou didst sin, and sin very grievously, in that thou couldest presume to utter unseemly words concerning God, because He had afflicted thee, for God is greater than frail man. He is a Being so great and so exalted that it is not possible to suppose He would afflict such a weak and frail being as man, unless He knew that he would be benefited by his afflictions."-Bernard. Ver. 13.-"Why dost thou strive against Him? for He giveth not account of any of His matters." The idea is that it is useless to contend with God, for, whether His creatures like it or not, He pursues His course without pause or alteration. Submission to His will, and not contention, is at once the wise and proper course of conduct. Ver. 14.-" For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not." God's communications to man are many and numerous, yet man too often disregards them. Ver. 15.-" In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed." Dreams and visions in seasons of deep sleep were the means by which the Almighty made known His will in the earlier period of the world's history; and I am disposed to believe that these are means He employs in every part of the world now. HOMILETICS. These words present us with three subjects of thought What is I. A FAULT common to CONTROVERSIALISTS. that fault? The exaggeration of an opponent's opinions. Elihu charges Job here with having said, "I am clean without transgression, I am innocent; neither is there iniquity in me." There is no proof that Job said this. It is all but certain that he never gave utterance to such an untruth. He declared often that he was no hypocrite, that he was sincere, never that he was innocent and free from all sin. Now, to exaggerate an opponent's error is a fault too prevalent in all controversies. How the errors of the Arminians are exaggerated by the Calvinists, errors of the Unitarians by what are called the Orthodox party, the Papists by the Protestants, the Churchmen by the Dissenters, and vice versa. The polemic takes the opinion of his opponent, and of the dwarfs he makes giants, of the innocents he makes devils, of the harmless he makes pestilences. This exaggeration springs from a variety of causes. Pride has much to do with it. The disputant wishes to appear as a hero, battling with Apollyons, so that if he crushes them, his triumphs will be the more signal and the more lauded. Revenge contributes to its existence. The mutual retorts have kindled mutual revenge, and revenge has magnified the errors on each side. Untruthfulness, the want of a strict adherence to truth, has left the imagination free to fabricate falsehoods. Ah me! in religious polemics some of the best men that ever lived are made to appear monsters, unworthy of life. Here we have II. A SIN common to MANKIND. Why dost thou strive against Him?" Striving against God, is the common sin of humanity. "The carnal mind is enmity with God." What is it to strive against Him? It is to pursue a course of conduct contrary to His will, contrary to truth, justice, benevolence, holiness, out of harmony with the holy ordinances of nature, with the conditions of true happiness, with the progress of the world. Striving against God-(1) How wrong. Striving against the best Friend. (2) How foolish! How futile the attempt! It is a moth struggling against the flames. Why dost thou strive against Him? Ah, why? Has He ever done thee any harm? Hast thou any hope of success? Here we have III. A THEOLOGY common to THE BIBLE. What are the theological points here? First: The infinite superiority of God. than man." "God is greater Greater! There is no comparison. You may compare a rain-drop to the Atlantic, a spark to the central fires of the universe; but between God and man there is no comparison. "He He Secondly: The absolute irresponsibility of God. giveth not account of any of His matters.' The only moral intelligence in existence that is irresponsible, is God. is absolutely independent, and is under obligation to no being in the universe. He does "whatsoever seemeth good in His sight" with the armies of heaven and the inhabitants of this earth. He is not bound by law or power, outside of Himself, to be kind, loving, or just. Hence these attributes in Him are the more conspicuously glorious. Thirdly The constant communicability of God. "God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed; then He openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction." God has not only access to the human mind, but access to it even irrespective of its choice or effort; He enters it when "deep sleep falleth upon men," when the senses are sealed, when the limbs are motionless, when the will is passive. Then He enters it. Not once, but often; not with one, but with all. : Fourthly: The redemptive purpose of God. Why does He work with men ? "That He may withdraw man from his purpose, and hide pride from man. He keepeth back his soul from the pit, and his life from perishing by the sword." Colonel Gardiner, it is said, was meditating an act of wickedness, and was alone in his room awaiting the appointed hour; but in the silence of the night and the solitude of his room, he had a vision of the Saviour on the cross, and this vision broke his purpose, and kept back "his soul from the pit." HOMILY No. LXVII. THE FIRST SPEECH OF ELIHU. (5.) THE SUCCESSFUL DISCIPLINE OF LIFE. "He is chastened also," &c.-CHAP. XXXiii. 19-33. EXEGETICAL REMARKS. Ver. 19. "He is chastened also with pain upon his bed." From here to the end of the chapter, Elihu indicates even severer methods than alarming dreams employed by God to discipline the human soul. He is subjected to severe physical sufferings. "And the multitude of his bones with strong pain." While his bones are firm.-Ewald. Ver. 20.-" So that his life abhorreth bread, and his soul dainty meat." This is the natural effect of great corporeal suffering. Instead of a craving for food, there is a disgust or nausea, even the dainties are loathed. Ver. 22.-" Yea, his soul draweth near unto the grave, and his life to the destroyers." The soul here, as elsewhere, does not mean the spirit, as distinguished from the body, but life the man himself. "The meaning is, that the afflicted man comes very near to those acute sufferings which terminate life, and which by personification are here represented as the authors of death.” Vers. 23, 24.-" If there be a messenger with him, an interpreter, one among a thousand, to show unto man his uprightness: then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit: 1 have found a ransom." Dr. Samuel Davidson's translation of these verses, which we prefer to any other, runs as follows-"If there be for him an angel, an intercessor, one of the thousand, to show man what is right; then he is gracious to him and saith, Deliver him from going |