GOLD MINING IN GENERAL I come to love mining by chance, a chance encounter some eleven years ago with one of the Gurus of mining, one chance encounter that shifted most of my life's interests, perspectives and directions. It made me seek more knowledge about the intricacies of mining gold leaving me to believe that i found real wisdom not until, i stumbled upon a chapter and a few verses in the Holy book, in Job 28:1-28 which tells of a comparison between man's knowledge & skill in seeking and in getting Earth's Treasures to a real wisdom that is often neglected, God's greatest gift, his Wisdom. 1"Surely there is a [a]mine for silver And a place where they refine gold. 2"Iron is taken from the dust, And copper is smelted from rock. 3"Man puts an end to darkness, And (A)to the farthest limit he searches out The rock in gloom and deep shadow. 4"He sinks a shaft far from habitation, Forgotten by the foot; They hang and swing to and fro far from men. 5"The earth, from it comes food, And underneath it is turned up as fire. 6"Its rocks are the source of sapphires, And its dust contains gold. 7"The path no bird of prey knows, Nor has the falcon's eye caught sight of it. 8"The proud beasts have not trodden it, Nor has the fierce lion passed over it. 9"He puts his hand on the flint; He overturns the mountains at the base. 10"He hews out channels through the rocks, And his eye sees anything precious. 11"He dams up the streams from flowing, And what is hidden he brings out to the light. The Search for Wisdom Is Harder 12"But (B)where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? 13"(C)Man does not know its value, Nor is it found in the land of the living. 14"The deep says, 'It is not in me'; And the sea says, 'It is not with me.' 15"(D)Pure gold cannot be given in exchange for it, Nor can silver be weighed as its price. 16"It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, In precious onyx, or sapphire. 17"(E)Gold or glass cannot equal it, Nor can it be exchanged for articles of fine gold. 18"Coral and crystal are not to be mentioned; And the acquisition of (F)wisdom is above that of pearls. 19"The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, Nor can it be valued in (G)pure gold. 20"(H)Where then does wisdom come from? And where is the place of understanding? 21"Thus it is hidden from the eyes of all living And concealed from the birds of the sky. 22"[b](I)Abaddon and Death say, 'With our ears we have heard a report of it.' 23"(J)God understands its way, And He knows its place. 24"For He (K)looks to the ends of the earth And sees everything under the heavens. 25"When He imparted (L)weight to the wind And (M)meted out the waters by measure, 26When He set a (N)limit for the rain And a course for the (O)thunderbolt, 27Then He saw it and declared it; He established it and also searched it out. 28"And to man He said, 'Behold, the (P)fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to depart from evil is understanding.'" My analysis: Man has, by knowledge & skill, brought the precious metals from their concealment. He can similarly discover hidden things, as the veins of silver, and gold, yet this was a wisdom of an higher nature, and out of man's reach. The caverns of the earth he may discover, but not the counsels of heaven. Dispensations of Providence were regulated by the highest wisdom. To confirm this, Job showed of what a great deal of knowledge and wealth men may make themselves masters. The caverns of the earth may be discovered, but not the counsels of Heaven. Go to the miners, thou sluggard in religion, consider their ways, and be wise. Let their courage and diligence in seeking the wealth that perishes, shame us out of slothfulness and faint-heartedness in labouring for the true riches.. How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! How much easier, and safer! Yet gold is sought for, but grace neglected. Will the hopes of precious things out of the earth, so men call them, though really they are paltry and perishing, be such a spur to industry, and shall not the certain prospect of truly precious things in heaven be much more so?