King of the universe with wickedness? This remonstrance of Elihu's is,

"How

II. Founded on the IMPARTIALITY of the Eternal. much less to Him that accepteth not the person of princes, nor regardeth the rich more than the poor? for they all are the work of His hands." "God is no Respecter of persons." This is a fact proclaimed over and over again in the Bible, and which all nature and history demonstrate. The persons of princes are no more to Him than the persons of paupers. The affluent are no more to Him than the indigent. All alike are the "works of His hand." And all are liable every moment to be swept by Him from the face of the earth. "In a moment shall they die, and the people shall be troubled at midnight, and pass away: and the mighty shall be taken away without hand." All are alike subject to the common doom. None are spared on account of their rank, their wealth, their talent, their beauty, or their learning. "The kings and counsellors of the earth, which built desolate places for themselves," the "princes that had gold, who filled their houses with silver," as well as the most degraded and the most destitute-all alike have to descend to the grave. "There the prisoners rest together, they hear not the voice of the oppressor: the small and the great are there, the servant is free from his master." The thought of God's impartiality serves two

purposes,

First: To alarm the influentially wicked. Unrighteous magnates, millionaires, princes, kings in the world, what are you? No more in the eyes of God than the meanest beggar that totters from door to door in search of alms. Your pride, your arrogance, your pageantry, are an incongruity and an indecency, as well as an impiety before God. Mark this, you will have your due. God is impartial. This thought

serves,

Secondly: To encourage the godly poor. Let not your want of food or raiment or shelter depress you, you will have justice done you. Your virtue makes you nearer and dearer to the great King of the universe than are the mightiest monarchs

of the universe without godliness.

Elihu is,―

This remonstrance of

66
"For

III. Founded on the OMNISCIENCE of the Eternal. His eyes are upon the ways of man, and He seeth all his goings. There is no darkness nor shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves." Observe,

First: That wicked men perform their deeds in darkness. "Men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil." As a rule, men will not perpetrate their worst deeds in open day before the social eye. They retire into dark chambers, shadowy haunts, to do their work. Evil men, like nocturnal animals, can only live in the dark. Observe,—

Secondly However deep the darkness, God's eye is on them. "There is no darkness nor shadow of death-i.e. the deepest darkness-where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves." There is no hiding from Omniscience. "Whither shall I flee from Thy presence ?" etc., etc. (Psalm cxix.) If there be a God, He is omniscient; and if He is omniscient, nothing is or can be hid from Him. "The darkness and the light are both alike to Him." How should this solemn fact restrain us from

wrong and stimulate us to right!

O let these thoughts possess my breast
Where'er I roam, where'er I rest,
Nor let my wicked passions dare
Consent to sin, for God is there."

This remonstrance of Elihu is,

IV. Founded on the POWER of the Eternal.

What a de

scription of power we have here! "For He will not lay upon man more than right; that he should enter into judgment with God." The meaning of this verse, as we have seen, is, "He needeth not long to regard man, to bring him before God to judgment." He can do it at once. "He shall break in pieces mighty men without number, and set others in their stead." Unintimidated by their wealth, their power, or number, He can strike them down at once and call others up in their place. "Therefore [for] He knoweth their works, and He overturneth them in the night, so that they are de

stroyed." Unlike human judges, He does not want witnesses to confirm their guilt, "He knoweth their works,” and execution can take place at once. "He striketh them as wicked men in the open sight of others" (or in "the place of beholders"), "because they turned back from Him, and would not consider any of His ways. So that they cause the cry of the poor to come unto Him, and he heareth the cry of the afflicted." Those against whom His great crushing power is directed are not the godly, but those who have turned back from Him, have apostatized, "would not consider His ways,” and those who "caused the cry of the poor to come unto Him." Here is a glorious truth, that God, in His almighty procedure, has a regard to character. He will crush the wicked, and the wicked only. His power will invigorate, ennoble, and beautify the good. Still more " when He giveth quietness, who then can make trouble? And when He hideth His face, who then can behold Him? Whether it be done against a nation, or against a man only." The idea is, that so effective is His power, that when He gives rest no one can disturb, that when “He hideth His face," no one can "behold Him"; and the same with nations as with individuals. If He quiets a nation or a man, no one can disturb the quiet; or if He disturbs the peace of either, no one can restore it, so powerful is He. And what is the great object of His power? "That the hypocrite reign not lest the people be ensnared; or, as some render it, "That the wicked shall no more reign, or be snares to the people." Such is Elihu's representation of God's power-power to break in pieces "mighty men without number," power to overturn and crush them in the night, power to strike down wicked men in open day, and power which in all its operations has a due regard to the moral character of mankind.

Such are the grounds on which Elihu takes his stand in expostulating with Job on what he considers his wrong views concerning God. He reminds him of God's supremacy, impartiality, omniscience, and power, in order that he might humbly submit to and cordially acquiesce in the dispensations of Heaven. And are not these views of God sufficient to hush

every murmuring thought, to subdue every rebellious will, and to bring every heart into a loving agreement with His plans?

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 Dorner; Lange; etc., etc.

No. LXXI.

The Man Born Blind. Types of Character in Relation to Christ's Work.. 5. Those who are consciously

Restored by the Work.

"THEN AGAIN CALLED THEY THE MAN THAT WAS BLIND, AND SAID UNTO HIM, GIVE GOD THE PRAISE : WE KNOW THAT THIS MAN IS A SINNER. HE ANSWERED AND SAID, WHETHER HE BE A SINNER OR NO, I KNOW NOT: ONE THING I KNOW, THAT, WHEREAS I WAS BLIND, now I see. THEN SAID THEY TO HIM AGAIN, WHAT DID HE TO THEE? HOW OPENED HE THINE EYES? HE ANSWERED THEM, I HAVE TOLD YOU ALREADY, AND YE DID NOT HEAR: WHEREFORE WOULD YE HEAR IT AGAIN? WILL YE ALSO BE HIS DISCIPLES? THEN THEY REVILED HIM, AND SAID, THOU ART HIS DISCIPLE; BUT WE ARE MOSES' DISCIPLES. WE KNOW THAT GOD SPAKE UNTO MOSES: AS FOR THIS FELLOW WE KNOW NOT FROM WHENCE HE IS. THE MAN ANSWERED AND SAID UNTO THEM, WHY HEREIN IS A MARVELLOUS THING, THAT YE KNOW NOT FROM WHENCE HE IS, AND YET HE HATH OPENED MINE EYES. NOW WE KNOW THAT GOD HEARETH NOT SINNERS; BUT IF ANY MAN BE A WORSHIPPER OF GOD, AND DOETH HIS WILL, HIM HE HEARETH. SINCE THE WORLD BEGAN WAS IT NOT HEARD THAT ANY MAN OPENED THE EYES OF ONE THAT WAS BORN BLIND. IF THIS MAN WERE NOT OF GOD, HE COULD DO NOTHING. THEY ANSWERED AND SAID UNTO HIM, THOU WAST ALTOGETHER BORN IN SINS, AND DOST THOU TEACH US? AND THEY CAST HIM OUT. JESUS HEARD THAT THEY HAD CAST HIM OUT; AND WHEN HE HAD FOUND HIM, HE SAID UNTO HIM, DOST THOU BELIEVE ON THE SON OF GOD? HE ANSWERED AND SAID, WHO IS HE, LORD, THAT I MIGHT BELIEVE ON HIM? AND JESUS SAID UNTO HIM, THOU HAST BOTH SEEN HIM, AND IT IS HE THAT TALKETH WITH THEE, AND HE SAID, LORD, I BELIEVE. AND HE WORSHIPPED HIM."-John ix. 24-38.