Ver. 10.-"But as for you all, do ye return, and come now: for I cannot find one wise man among you." Job, having concluded his address to God, now turns and speaks to his so-called friends. The paraphrase of Dr. Bernard on these words seems as faithful as it is spirited. "In spite of the upright man, who would be amazed; in spite of the innocent man, who would bestir himself against the hypocrite; in spite of the just man, who would hold fast his way, and him, clean of hands, whose fortitude would be increased, ye would come back with your empty arguments. Nothing would deter you, and you would have the effrontery to continue your unmeaning speeches in the face of all good men who would sympathize with me and be shocked at the terrible lot which had been assigned to me. But I do not care for you or your reasonings. Yea, come ye even now, with your shallow arguments; I heed them not, for I know I shall not find one wise man among you." Ver. 11.-"My days are past, my purposes are broken off, even the thoughts of my heart." From this verse to the end of the chapter he seems to turn from the Almighty and from men, and speaks to himself. The verses are a sad, pensive, monologue. In this verse he virtually says, am dying, all is over. My days are run out, my purposes are frustrated, and even the thoughts of my heart,-as some render it, the possessions of my heart, are gone. I Ver. 12.-" They change the night into day: the light is short because of darkness." "They change." Whom does he mean? Some suppose the reference is to his friends, and that he means to say that they wished to make out that light for him was near at hand, when darkness was coming; and that darkness was near at hand when light was about breaking upon his path. Others suppose that the reference is to the thoughts of his heart mentioned in the preceding verse; and that he means to say that those thoughts changed the outward world to him, made light darkness, and darkness light. Ver. 13, 14, 15, 16.—“If I wait, the grave is mine house: I have made my bed in the darkness," &c. On these verses I will quote Dr. Bernard 66 Truly I hope for the grave to be mine house. I hope for the time when I shall have spread out my couch in the darkness. Dreadful as is the idea of rotting and mouldering in the grave, yet so great are my sufferings now, that I am become quite reconciled to it. Nay, death were for me a most happy and welcome change, so happy and welcome indeed, that with joy I would call out to corruption, Thou art my father! to the worm I would call out, O my mother, and, O my sister! For where is now my hope? What can I yet hope for? What use to prolong a life so utterly miserable and bereft of hope? Yea, as to my hope, who will ever see it realized? As to these limbs, destined to the grave, let them go down. Verily, quiet is altogether in the dust. There is neither quiet nor peace in this life for man, and it is only in the dust that he can look for them! (To be continued.) Sermonic Glances at the Gospel of St. John. As our purpose in the treatment of this Gospel is purely the development, in the briefest and most suggestive form, of Sermonic outlines, we must refer our readers to the following works for all critical inquiries into the author and authorship of the book, and also for any minute criticisms on difficult clauses. The works we shall especially consult are:-"Introduction to New Testament," by Bleek; "Commentary on John," by Tholuck; "Commentary on John," by Hengstenberg; "Introduction to the Study of the Gospels," by Westcott; "The Gospel History," by Ebrard; "Our Lord's Divinity," by Liddon; "St. John's Gospel," by Oosterzee "Doctrine of the Person of Christ," by Dorneor; Lange; &c., &c. Subject: Christ in Relation to the Absolute Will. "All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me; and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent Me, that of all which He hath given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of Him that sent Me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day."-JOHN vi. 37–40. cess. EXPOSITION.-Ver. 37.-" All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me." The word "all" is in the neuter gender, and therefore does not necessarily include men. It may include power, dominion, sucChrist ascribed everything to His Father. He regarded the mediatorial power He received after His resurrection as from His Father. "All power is given unto Me." Even the political power that Pilate had to condemn Him to death, He ascribed to His Father. "Thou couldst have no power at all against Me except it were given thee from above." Indeed, Christ speaks of Judas as being given to Him. "Those that Thou gavest Me I have kept; but the son of perdition." We do not see Calvinian election here. "Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out." Here is the masculine gender. Whoever the man may be that comes to Christ, he will be received; on no account will he be rejected. A more faithful translation of the verse cannot perhaps be given than that of Dean Alford: "All which the Father giveth to me shall come to Me, and he that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out." Ver. 38.-"For I came down from heaven, not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me." Mark His origin. Heaven, where is that? Where the presence of the Eternal is especially manifest. Mark His mission: "Not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me." Ver. 39." And this is the Father's will which hath sent Me, that of all which He hath given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day." Who can tell what the Father has given Christ? He has given Him the universe. Whatever He has given Him He will take care of,-answer for the whole at the "last day." éoxáτn nμépa. Does Paul refer to this, when he says: "Then cometh the end when He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father, when He shall have put down all rule and all authority and power." "Raise it,"—not them,-" up at the last day." On the last day there will be many resurrections besides the resurrection of men. The resurrections of buried truth, dead consciences, abused mercies, etc. Ver. 40." And this is the will of Him that sent Me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day." Here is the condition of everlasting happiness. Seeing the Son, and believing on Him. HOMILETICS.-The subject of these words is, Christ in relation to the absolute will. The words teach, that the Father, the Great Head of the universe (1) Has a Will. He is not unintelligent force, blind and resistless; He is a free mind. He wills. (2) He has a Will in relation to humanity. He has not left men to chance or fate, but taken them into His purpose and plan. (3) That Christ is the great Interpreter and Administrator of this Will. He came down from heaven to do it. Of all who ever trod this earth, He alone knows the whole will of the Father. He was in the bosom of the Father. He knows the inmost purpose of the eternal fountain of light. The verse leads us to consider two things in relation to Christ and the Divine will. I. CHRIST REVEALS HIMSELF TO MAN IN RELATION TO THE DIVINE WILL. The words teach,— First: That He had a thorough knowledge of it. He speaks of it as a subject with which He was perfectly acquainted; He knew it in all its relations and bearings upon humanity through the ages. Secondly: That He had unbounded confidence in it. "All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me."* He knew that that will would never break down, but would be realized on every point. He knew that the Father intended Him to have power, and He would have it; success in His mission, and He would have it; genuine disciples, and He would have them; a spiritual kingdom, and He would have it. Thirdly: He cordially acquiesced in it. "Him that cometh to Me, I will in no wise cast out." It is His will that men should come to Me as their Teacher, Example, Redeemer, and I am willing to receive all. I will on no account cast any man away. I will not cast him away on account of the greatness of his age or the number and enormity of his sins. Fourthly: He absolutely obeyed it. "I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me." He was influenced by no personal consideration; He committed Himself absolutely to the working out of the Divine will. His meat and His drink was to do the will of His Father. II. CHRIST REVEALS TO THE WORLD THE DIVINE WILL IN RELATION TO HUMANITY. He taught that it was the will of GodFirst: That they should be everlastingly happy through Him. "This is the will of Him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life." Here is the true ground for belief in the immortality of the soul. Some men ground their faith in the immortality of the soul upon what they call its immateriality. But as no science can inform me what matter is: how can I predicate concerning immateriality? Some ground their faith on the undeveloped powers of the soul at death. But do we not find everywhere, in the vegetable and animal kingdoms, millions of existences dying with undeveloped powers? Some ground their faith on the instinctive longings of the human soul for a future state. But have not men on all hands instinctive longings here for things they can neve * See Homilist, 4th Series, vol i., Z have, and were never intended to have, such as long life, wealth, fame, dominion ? Some ground their faith on the idea that men have not justice done them here; that the Divine government here makes no distinction between the righteous and the wicked. But does not the greatest sufferer here feel in his conscience he has less punishment than he deserves? I rest my faith on the revealed will of the Absolute One. All existences are either contingent or absolute, dependent or independent. There is but One Absolute Existence, and that is God; and all others depend upon His will. The only way in which I can ascertain the duration of any creature's existence, is to ascertain the Creator's will concerning him. If the Creator has willed that he shall go out of existence in a few years, or days, or hours; then, however strong or robust in constitution, his being shall terminate for ever. But if He has willed that he shall continue for ever; then, however fragile his constitution, he will run on through ages without end. Now, here I have the will of God on this question, stated by One who knew it thoroughly, and in language too unambiguous to misunderstand. "This is the WILL of Him that sent Me, that every one which seeth the Son and believeth on Him, MAY HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE." Secondly; That they should recover everything that was lost through Him. What do men lose here? Their virtue, their freedom, their rights. Christ here says, that it is the will of His Father that He should "raise it up at the last day," whatever it be. They lose more. They leave the bodies through which they received their impressions and wrought out their character to moulder in the dust. Christ says, in relation to every man who sees Him, that it is the will of His Father that He should "raise him up at the last day." He will have |