Ver. 5. — 'And when the days of the feasting had gone round in turn, Job sent and sanctified them; and rising up early in the morning he offered holocausts for every one.' 30. Christ cleanses the hearts of His preachers. — The days of the feasting pass in turn, when the ministries of preaching are accomplished. And the feasts being accomplished, Job offered a holocaust for his sons; because on behalf of the apostles returning from preaching, the Redeemer besought the Father. Now He is well said to sanctify by sending; because, while He grants the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from Himself, to the hearts of His disciples, He cleansed away whatever of fault could be in them. And He is rightly recorded to rise early to offer holocausts;
because, in that He offered the petition of His intercession on our behalf, the night of error being dispelled, He illumined the darkness of the human mind; lest by any contagion of sin, arising from the very grace of preaching, the mind be polluted in secret; lest it ascribe to itself what it does; lest, by ascribing to itself what it did, it lose what it was doing. Whence it is rightly subjoined: