LXXVII.

ELIHU.

CREDULOUS AND INCREDULOUS MINDS.

JOB XXXII. 2.

"THEN WAS KINDLED THE WRATH OF ELIHU THE SON OF BARACHEL THE BUZITE, OF THE KINDRED OF RAM: AGAINST JOB WAS HIS WRATH KINDLED, BECAUSE HE JUSTIFIED HIMSELF RATHER THAN GOD."

1. THE character of Elihu, influencing as it does his speech and address, tends to throw light on the difficulty, which every one must feel, more or less, in the relative positions occupied by Job and his three friends. "Who are right and who are wrong?" is a natural question asked by many readers; "wherein are they right and wherein are they wrong?"

We all know the stamp which has been affixed to Job's character by the Word of GOD. We regard him as a shock gathered

with the sheaf and safely treasured amid His own beloved ones. Nevertheless, his words occasionally savour of hastiness, impatience, and petulance. His friends condemn him, and Elihu finds fault with both. We feel the force of the objections raised by his friends, and we are half startled by the announcement at the end of God's anger against those friends. It is impossible but that any student of Holy Scripture should wish to penetrate the mystery, and ascertain what the standard of right and wrong is, by which their several words and actions are judged and determined.

Elihu's position is to a certain degree a key to the question. His character is natural and like that of many among us; but to ascertain it we must examine his words.

He appears to have been a young man of keen perception, vigorous intellect, and possessed of the idea that he had a mission to teach and criticise others. He saw their mistakes as a bystander might, and set himself to correct them. In the thirty-second chapter he justifies his proceedings. He declares his youth and natural unfitness to teach those older than himself. He then describes himself as "bursting" with strong feeling and pregnant matter

on the question in hand and therefore impelled to speak. But the thing which peculiarly stirs him is, that while Job was clearly wrong, the friends had not hit off the truth, they had erred more than he, and this he considers as overruled for good that they might not fancy that they had answered him," and that they, and not God had "thrust him down." With this view of their relative positions he goes to work to answer their objections and to correct Job.

The opening of his speech to Job gives the impression of a simple and intentionally humble person, nevertheless deeply persuaded that his mission to advise and teach others is from GOD. In these respects, his force of character, youth, keenness of intellect, mingled with humility, remind us of Daniel or S. Stephen. Yet there is an inclination to condemn others, and to an apparent arrogance which makes us for a moment pause ere we place him with such men as those to whom I have referred. But the best way of ascertaining his character is to see what the substance of his speech is.

He first describes himself " as full of matter." Now this at once brings before us the history of many a youth who full of earnest feeling, is so convinced of his opinion that there is no