Are you tormented as Job was, over and above all your sorrows, by
mistaken kindness, and comforters in whom is no comfort; who break
the bruised reed and quench the smoking flax; who tell you that you
must be wicked, and God must be angry with you, or all this would not
have come upon you? Job's comforters did so, and spoke very
righteous sounding words, taking great pains to justify God and to
break Job's poor heart, and made him say many wild and foolish words
in answer, for which he was sorry afterwards; but after all, the
Lord's answer was, 'My wrath is kindled against you three, for you
have not spoken of me the thing which was right, as my servant Job
hath. Therefore my servant Job shall pray for you, for him will I
accept;' as he will accept every humble and contrite soul who clings,
amid all its doubts, and fears, and sorrows, to the faith that God is
just and not unjust, merciful and not cruel, condescending and not
proud,that his will is a good will, and not a bad will, that he
hateth nothing that he hath made, and willeth the death of no man;
and in that faith casts itself down like Job, in dust and ashes
before the majesty of God, content not to understand his ways and its
own sorrows; but simply submitting itself and resigning itself to the
good will of that God who so loved the world that he spared not his
only begotten Son, but freely gave him for us.
mistaken kindness, and comforters in whom is no comfort; who break
the bruised reed and quench the smoking flax; who tell you that you
must be wicked, and God must be angry with you, or all this would not
have come upon you? Job's comforters did so, and spoke very
righteous sounding words, taking great pains to justify God and to
break Job's poor heart, and made him say many wild and foolish words
in answer, for which he was sorry afterwards; but after all, the
Lord's answer was, 'My wrath is kindled against you three, for you
have not spoken of me the thing which was right, as my servant Job
hath. Therefore my servant Job shall pray for you, for him will I
accept;' as he will accept every humble and contrite soul who clings,
amid all its doubts, and fears, and sorrows, to the faith that God is
just and not unjust, merciful and not cruel, condescending and not
proud,that his will is a good will, and not a bad will, that he
hateth nothing that he hath made, and willeth the death of no man;
and in that faith casts itself down like Job, in dust and ashes
before the majesty of God, content not to understand his ways and its
own sorrows; but simply submitting itself and resigning itself to the
good will of that God who so loved the world that he spared not his
only begotten Son, but freely gave him for us.