a positive decision on the subject. It was a malady above human skill, and so intolerable as to drive from him all human assistance. In this wretched state he sat down among the ashes, and took himself a potsherd to scrape himself withal."

We may form some faint idea of the miserable condition of Job from his own mournful language and pathetic complaints. "The arrows of the Almighty are within me; the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit: the terrors of GoD do set themselves against me." "When I lie down, I say, when shall I arise, and the night be gone? And I am full of tossings to and fro unto the dawning of the day. My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust; my skin is broken and become loathsome."

In the time of sickness we naturally look for the consolations of friendship, and for the dutiful attentions of domestics, but Job was cut off from all these: "My brethren," says he, "are far from me, and my acquaintance are estranged from me. My kinsfolk have failed, and my familiar friends have forgotten me. They that dwell in mine house and my maids count me for a stranger, and I am an alien in their sight. I called my servant, and he gave me no answer; I entreated him with my mouth."

The persons who had been partakers of his prosperity, rescued from poverty by his liberal hand, and fed by his bounty, now shunned and despised him as a miserable outcast, undeserving of compassion. In some places he speaks as being "persecuted," and that too by men who were formerly his nearest friends. Instead of experiencing pity and receiving consolation from them, he was abhorred as a man suffering under the Divine displeasure, and therefore unworthy of the common offices of humanity.

But in all this accumulation of misery, one might well expect that the "wife of his bosom" would feel a sympathetic concern for his sufferings, and endeavour to pour balm into his wounded mind, though she might not be able to alleviate his bodily torments.

Here, however, Job was fated to receive a wound more deadly than that inflicted by the adder's tooth. His wife, instead of administering comfort to him in his distress, or by a tender solicitude easing the agony of his mind, aggravated his misery by advice calculated to answer the purpose of the devil. "Dost thou still retain thine integrity?" says she, "Curse GOD and die."

Though the word rendered curse signifies also to bless, yet the evil meaning of the speaker is not thereby removed. The former sense implies something very shocking and impious; and if she advised Job to blaspheme GoD, it was from a conviction that by so doing, the vengeance of heaven would instantly deprive him of his existence. By rendering it "bless GOD and die," it reduces her speech to an ironical contempt of Job's faith and piety. In either case her counsel was offensive to the distressed, but still religious patriarch; "he said unto her, thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh: what! shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not also receive evil?"

The confidence of Job in the goodness of God, continued stedfast in all this complication of misery, the privation of worldly good, the persecutions of men, the cruel neglect of his dependants, and the sinful advice of his wife.

In this wretched condition the pious sufferer was visited by three friends from distant parts, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite; all of them men of piety, and zealous for the honour of the Almighty. When they first came to the spot where Job lay, his loathsome disease had so disfigured his person, that they did not ⚫ know him. So great and lamentable a change in one of his high rank and eminent virtue very sensibly affected their hearts, "and they lifted up their voice and wept."

These men sat down upon the ground near Job, and continued in a state of pensive silence seven

days and seven nights. They knew not what kind of consolation to suggest, and they saw that the wretched sufferer was literally "eat up with excessive grief."

At last that patient endurance, which had so long distinguished him, gave way. His disease became probably more and more excruciating, till at length the mind felt the weight too great to be borne, and Job gave vent to his sorrow in some passionate exclamations. He did not, it is true, charge GOD foolishly, he did not express any profane sentiment, or impeach the Divine rectitude; but his impatience was manifested in "cursing the day of his birth,” and in an importunate desire of death.

After pouring forth the most pathetic lamentations, his three friends severally addressed him in some very fine discourses, full of pious sentiments, and clothed in elevated language. But there was a want of tenderness in these good men during the whole of their controversy with Job, whom they reproved with severity for his exclamations, and unjustly accused of some secret offence.

It was their error, and it is now a very common one, that great misfortunes and calamities are Divine judgments. They conceived it impossible that the Almighty should visit an innocent person with such severe dispensations; and they therefore concluded that Job, with all his outward piety, must have been guilty of some atrocious crimes, and consequently that his religion was pretence and hypocrisy.

Job, roused by such unjust charges, vindicated himself in a powerful and affecting manner: but it must be admitted, that in his apologies, if we may so call them, he blended too much self-righteousness, and talked of his innocence and uprightness with too great a confidence. He dwelt upon his virtuous actions, and religious life, with a complacency that ill becomes man, who, in his most sanctified state, is still a sinner.

While this dispute was vigorously maintained, au

extraordinary young man, named Elihu, attended with great seriousness to the arguments urged on both sides; but when the debate was ended, he modestly interposed as a moderator, reproving by turns Job and his friends, and vindicating, in the most convincing manner, and elegant language, the ways of Providence.

Though possessed of more wisdom than any of the sages before him, he commenced his discourse in terms of respectful diffidence, conscious that the young, however knowing they may be, ought to listen with reverence, and to speak with modesty, in the presence of the aged: "I am young," says he, " and ye are very old, wherefore I was afraid, and durst not show you my opinion. I said, days should speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom."

What an excellent pattern for our imitation, and especially for young persons, who, instead of listening with attention to the opinions of older and wiser men than themselves, are but too forward to take the chair of instruction, and to oppose the theories of inexperience to the principles of wisdom.

But there is a zeal which becomes even the young, when it proceeds from the sincere love of truth, and not from a principle of ostentation.

The age and rank of Job's visitors rendered their errors the more dangerous; and it was, therefore, of consequence that the true doctrine of Providence should be set in a clear light. Elihu undertook this important cause, professing, at the same time, that he acted under the influence of the Holy Spirit, and that his concern for the truth was superior to all respect for particular men.

As Job was by far the most concerned in this important question, Elihu addressed himself directly to him; and, in a strain of the most captivating and powerful eloquence, proved that the ways of the Almighty, though dark and mysterious, are perfectly just. He endeavoured also, to convince him of his great error in setting up a piea of merit for the jusΓ

tification of himself, and for having uttered these unbecoming words: "I am clean, without transgression; neither is there iniquity in me."

It was the great object of this admirable speaker to beat down the wretched delusion, that man can possibly render himself acceptable to GOD, or, in other words, be justified by virtue of his own works. He did not dispute the point so much agitated by the others, whether Job really was a just or a righteous man. Admitting this to its greatest extent, still must Job be considered as highly culpable for justifying himself rather than, or without, GOD.

This was the principal fault of the sufferer; and it was in a great measure to bring him out of so dangerous an error, that these severe visitations were permitted to take place.

The reasoning of Elihu had its effect upon Job; for he made no reply to it, as he had done to the discourses of his three friends. Their arguments only served to irritate his wounded mind; but those of Elihu opened his eyes to a humble sense of himself.

But now God himself appeared, and took a part in the controversy, confirming what had been asserted of the wisdom and rectitude of his ways by Elihu, illustrating the whole by such a display of his attributes, that Job was convinced of his folly, and humbled himself before the Lord in these penitential words: "Behold I am vile: what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth. Once have I spoken, but I will not answer; yea, twice but I will proceed no further." He afterwards expressed his contrition in still more humiliating terms: "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee; wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes."

At the conclusion the Almighty reproved the friends of Job, for not speaking of him the thing that was right; but no observation was made upon the discourse of Elihu, because his counsel to the sufferer, to prostrate himself as a sinner before the