The Brothers Karamazovtake from him his children, smite him with sore boils so
that he cleansed the corruption from his sores with a pot-
sherd — and for no object except to boast to the devil ‘See
what My saint can suffer for My sake.’ ‘But the greatness of
it lies just in the fact that it is a mystery — that the passing
earthly show and the eternal verity are brought together in
it. In the face of the earthly truth, the eternal truth is ac-
complished. The Creator, just as on the first days of creation
He ended each day with praise: ‘That is good that I have cre-
ated,’ looks upon Job and again praises His creation. And
Job, praising the Lord, serves not only Him but all His cre-
ation for generations and generations, and for ever and ever,
since for that he was ordained. Good heavens, what a book
it is, and what lessons there are in it! What a book the Bible
is, what a miracle, what strength is given with it to man! It is
like a mould cast of the world and man and human nature,
everything is there, and a law for everything for all the ages.
And what mysteries are solved and revealed! God raises Job
again, gives him wealth again. Many years pass by, and he
has other children and loves them. But how could he love
those new ones when those first children are no more, when
he has lost them? Remembering them, how could he be ful-
ly happy with those new ones, however dear the new ones
might be? But he could, he could. It’s the great mystery of
human life that old grief passes gradually into quiet, tender
joy. The mild serenity of age takes the place of the riotous
blood of youth. I bless the rising sun each day, and, as be-
fore, my heart sings to meet it, but now I love even more
its setting, its long slanting rays and the soft, tender, gen-