"-- Chron. xiii., 12.
God dwelt in a city made of nothing cheaper than gold and
precious stones. For His own glory, He maintained a court
Oriental in form, with strange beasts to sing His praises, and He
tortured forever and ever creatures that He had made.
The present conception of an omnipotent God has changed greatly
since the old days, when cruelty was the rule and was admired.
There is to-day insistence on God's LOVE, on His JUSTICE, on His
MERCY that "endureth forever"--there is practically no teaching
of the old belief that a creature, born of circumstances, and
good or bad as circumstances may determine, is to suffer endless
torment under never-changing conditions of horror. ----
The writing of this editorial is based upon frequent reading of
the book of Job. In that ancient and wonderful book, as in no
other writing, the Jewish forces of poetry and of prophecy are
exhausted in the effort to portray God's majesty.
All of the old prophet's knowledge of the world, all of his
mystic notions of sidereal government, are used in the effort to
glorify his Creator.
"Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days?
"Canst thou send lightnings, that they may go and say unto
thee, Here we are?
"Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow?
"Gavest thou the goodly wings unto the peacocks?
"Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook?
"Will he make many supplications unto thee? Will he speak
soft words unto thee?
"Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast
thou seen the treasures of the hail?"
Thus through chapters of greatest beauty the primitive mind seeks
to portray for the benefit of other primitive minds the
omnipotence of the world's Ruler.
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