SUBJECT: The Force of Right Words.

"How forcible are right words!"-Job vi. 25.

Analysis of Homily the Five Hundred and Fifth.

WHO has not felt the superiority of the power of Job's words compared with those of the words of his friends? How is this? Job suffered, struggled and sorrowed, and therefore he learned something of the human heart. Irritating to him were the words of his friends. Those words were

as

nothing; they reproved nothing; they appealed to nothing in the sorrow-stricken man. Righteous words would have been precious to him; hence his bitter disappointment after listening to the effusion of Eliphaz. Who has not felt the feebleness of mere platitudes when the soul has longed for sympathy? Who has not longed for words that stood for things, principles, realities, when he has heard words that expressed mere opinions and notions? Right words have power. The text teaches:—

I. THAT WORDS MAY POSSESS A RIGHTEOUS OR. UNRIGHTEOUS CHARACTER. "Right words." God declared to Job's friends, "Ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right as my servant Job hath." Job's wrong utterances seem to have been spoken in a truthful spirit; whilst the accurate speeches of his friends were uttered in a spirit of falseness. First: The power of speech is a divine gift. Whether words were originally given, or were elaborated by the faculty of speech, does not alter the question of the divine origin of the gift. Without speech, where would have been the outcome of man's spiritual energies? How the soul speaks in the voice! "Burning words" proclaim the power of the spirit that is in man. The languages of the earth testify many things both of God and man. Look into words. Secondly: The divine gift of words is intended to be

a righteous power. By perversion of words sin was introduced; by the righteousness of words error and evil shall be destroyed. The words of God "are spirit and life." Thirdly: In proportion to the excellence of the gift will be the responsibility of the speaker. "By thy words shalt thou be justified," &c.

II. THE POWER OF WORDS FOR GOOD OR EVIL IS IN PROPORTION TO THEIR RIGHTEOUSNESS OR UNRIGHTEOUSNESS.

"Doth not the ear try words?" "Righteous words reprove." First: The words of God are instruments of righteousness. "Do not my words do good?" (Mic. ii. 7.) Secondly: The words of man, are only righteous as they harmonize with the words of God. "Let your speech be always with grace." (Col. iv. 6.) Thirdly: In the "war of words” the righteous words shall be victorious. Great is truth, and must prevail. Fourthly: Divine power operates through the words of the good. "I will be to thee a mouth and wisdom." Therefore "How forcible are right words?" Fifthly: Evil words are destructive. "Whose words doth eat as doth a canker." The unrighteous words of Job's friends possessed a power that forced him to exclaim, "How forcible are right words!" Possibly of all written and spoken words no righteous ones have ever been really lost. The growing wisdom of words indicates the increasing weight of goodness in the world. Blessed, indeed, are pure words. "Whosoever offendeth not with his lips the same is a perfect man."

PERCIVAL

Biblical Criticism.

[Contributed for the Homilist by the REV, WM. WEBSTER, M.A., late Fellow of Queen's College, Cambridge, joint Editor of the "Annotated Greek Testament."]

SECTION III.

ON ἐλεήσον AND ἱλάσθητι.

6

The passages in the A. V. in which the words 'merciful,' 'mercy,' 'compassion,' 'pity,' occur, are generally speaking the renderings of the words ἔλεος, ἐλεήμων, ἐλεήσον. This is the case in Matt. v. 7; where we read, 'Blessed are the merciful,' in the cry of the blind, Matt. ix. 27, Thou Son of David have mercy on us'; in the petition of the father for his child, Matt. xvii. 15; of the woman of Canaan for her daughter, Matt. xv. 22. Also where we read Matt. xviii. 33,Shouldest not thou have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee'? the same verb occurs in both clauses of the verse.

These instances occur in Matthew. The use of these words by Mark, Luke, and Paul is the same; the only variations are in Heb. viii. 12, and in the prayer of the Publican, Luke xviii. 13, we have ὁ Θεὸς ἱλάσθητι μοι τῷ ἁμαρτωλῷ.

Now why should inάonti, be here used? Can any reason be assigned why words like ἔλεος, ἐλέησον which occur about fifty times in the N. T. were not exactly suitable to express the feelings of the Publican? The reason seems to be this, —the penitent felt himself to be a sinner, and his prayer might rather be rendered 'God be propitious to me, sinner that I am; to me who am confessedly a sinner.'

ἱλάσκομαι undoubtedly means to grow or become ἵλαος. Now what is the meaning of this adjective which occurs in Matt. xvi. 22; Heb. viii. 12? In the former passage we read what seemed to our translators a paraphrastic equivalent, 'that be far from thee Lord; this shall not happen unto thee. The first clause is no translation whatever of the original ἵλεώς σοι, κύριε. Our translators would have done better if

they had rendered it 'God forbid,' which they have frequently given as an equivalent for μ yévoto. I conceive it ought to be rendered 'May He be propitious to thee; God be gracious to thee; this will not be your case.'

Why did Peter use the word ἵλεως rather than ἐλεήμων ? In the dark picture which our Lord drew of his rejection by the elders chief priests and scribes, of His cross and passion, Peter instinctively recognised a manifestation of the Divine wrath, such as he could conceive no one would endure who was free from personal guilt. The import of our Lord's language was hid from him, as he did not then understand the prophetic language, 'The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.' The word enμw would have been applicable to the lowest depth of misery and distress arising from misfortune or ill-treatment; but the idea of guilt as the root of the suffering rendered news peculiarly applicable, not to say necessary.

With this agrees the use of the word in Heb. viii. 12, where we read in the A. V. 'I will be merciful to their unrighteousness,' but which might be rendered 'I will be propitious as regards their unrighteous deeds.' The dative adikiais marks the proximate cause or occasion which called for the exercise of favor. The verb ἱλάσκεσθαι occurs in Heb. ii. 17 'that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.' This I would translate that he may prove merciful and faithful as high priest in respect to God for the rendering Him propitious as to the sins of the people.'

In

The term propitiation is used in A. V. 1 John ii. 2; iv. 10; where asus is found in the original. I would render the first passage He himself (He personally, our living Lord) is the means of propitiation for our sins, not I say for our sins only, but for the sins of the whole world.' Rom. iii. 25, propitiation occurs as the rendering of harpov, A. V. 'Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation,' &c. This we might translate Whom God presented (to the world) as a propitiation, or as a propitiatory sacrifice, by means of faith in his blood.'

In the use of news and its derivatives there is latent the idea of guilt which called for expiation or Divine interposition. The idea of guilt is not necessarily connected with λeos. Hence news is applied to the Creator only;

λeos is ascribed to the creature as well. remark that Homer always uses ináσkeoba to make them propitious, win their favor. it of men, of the divine honors paid to them after death with the view of conciliating them, and of making atonement for injuries done to them on earth.

The Preacher's Finger-Post.