GOD BETTER THAN OUR PRAYERS. 323 of truth, he values his acquisitions so highly that he would have them spoken with everlasting energy, and graven on the rocks of time for ever. His experience of the truth he sees lends it a new glory, makes him its advocate and missionary, and he is ready to go to the ends of the earth to persuade men to accept it and live by it. Paul feels that necessity is laid upon him, and he must hazard his life in preaching everywhere a gospel which it has pleased God to reveal in him, and incorporate with his best and most progressive life; and Job has a momentary thrill of those grand fervours when he wishes that his words concerning his living Redeemer may form an inerasable inscription on the forehead of all time. Nor did he wish in vain; for as John Chrysostom says, "Job's words have not been written down with an iron stylus, as he desired, but far more durably. Had they been written as he wished, time would have obliterated them, but they have been inscribed in the imperishable records of Holy Scripture; they are graven on the rocks of God's word, and there they are still read, and minister comfort to all generations." God is better to us than our best desires, and gives a larger blessing than our fullest prayers. The incised rock and molten lead are not to hand, but a place is given to the suffering preacher in that "finer world of books within the world" yea, in that finest book-world of all— the Bible, so that instead of speaking in one language he speaks in hundreds, and where he might only have reached the eyes of a few solitary pilgrims he now addresses the hearts of myriads, and shall have an increasing congregation for evermore. "God is not unrighteous to forget our work 324 THE GRACE OF GOD. of faith and labour of love," and fervency of missionary No prayer without a sequent deed; "LIE not; but let thy heart be true to God, Thy mouth to it, thy actions to them both; Dare to be true. Nothing can need a ly: A fault, which needs it most, grows two thereby." "Restoration to spiritual health, or conformity to the Divine character, is the ultimate object of God in His dealings with the children of men. The sole object of Christian belief is to produce the Christian character, and unless this is done nothing is done." ERSKINE. The Penitence of Perfect Job. "YET SHALL THE RIGHTEOUS HOLD ON HIS WAY, AND HE THAT HATH CLEAN HANDS SHALL WAX STRONGER AND STRONGER." "I HAD 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." Job xvii. 9; xlii. 5, 6. I. It is not possible to set out the salient features of Job's strength, with even a slight approximation to completeness, without taking into account the immense energy he derived from his burning consciousness of unimpeachable integrity. Like Paul, he always "exercised himself to have a conscience void of offence, both towards God and men;" and, therefore, like him, his "native resolution was never sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought," but he carried Y |