When Friend’s Turn to Enemies

When malice, or envy, or suspicion, or evil surmising exists, no established reputation, no lack of evidence of guilt can “tie the gall up in the slanderous
tongue.” By a long and holy life Job had given incontestable evidence of the purity of his character. His friends could bring no proof of his criminality in
anything. Yet they charged him with cruelty, avarice and hypocrisy. Such wickedness has not yet left the earth. It is no new or rare thing for the best men
to be charged with the basest plans, principles or practices. It will be so until grace shall reign through Jesus Christ over all hearts. A propensity to evil
thoughts and evil speeches is among the last faults of character from which even good men are delivered.

7. If friends accuse us falsely and act as enemies, let us not forget to pray for them. Job set us the example: Job 42:8. Enmities arising between old friends
are generally more violent than others. “A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle.”
Prov. 18:19. But we must not yield to passion. We must forgive and seek blessings on those who falsely accuse us and cruelly treat us. It was not until
Job prayed for his accusers that God turned his captivity. Let us never carry a load of malice in our hearts. It is worse than any evil we can suffer at the hand
of man.

8. When our characters are assailed, we are at liberty to use Christian measures to remove an evil report. It is then best to leave the whole matter in the hands of God. Lawsuits for character may be lawful and sometimes expedient. But when bad passions are excited, no character is so unspotted that malice will not spew out its venom against it. We may deny our guilt; we may call for evidence against us; we may bring evidence of innocence; but with men of heated imaginations and strong prejudices, evidence never has its just weight.

What is the grief of each one? Is it poverty, poor health, loss of reputation, loss of spiritual comfort? Whatever it is, take for an example of suffering
affliction Job, the narrative of whose trials was written for our comfort. Like him, let each one say of the Almighty, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in
him.” Job 13:15. Never was pious confidence in the Lord misplaced. Never did any trust in him and was confounded.
—William S Plumer ‘Job’s Trials and Mercies’