is right, as my servant Job hath*. And in the same manner he speaks, by the Prophet, concerning these Adversaries of the Jews: And I am very sore dis pleased with the Heathen that are AT EASE; For I was but a LITTLE DISPLEASED, and they HELPED FORWARD THE AFFLICTION .-His sentence against the three Friends goes on in these words: Therefore take now unto you seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up yourselves a burntoffering, and my servant Job shall pray for you, for him will I accept: Lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job. This, I suppose, is designed to represent the defeat of their Adversaries, in the decree which the Jews, by the good providence of Gop, procured from Darius, commanding the Cutheans (who had hitherto so much hindered) now. to assist the Jews to the utmost of their power in rebuilding the Temple: "Then Darius the king made "a decree-Now therefore Tatnai, Governor beyond "the river Shetharboznai, and your companions the

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Apharsachites, which are beyond the river, be ye "far from thence: Let the work of this house of God "alone, let the governor of the Jews, and the elders "of the Jews, build this house of God in his place. "Moreover I make a decree, what ye shall do to the "elders of these Jews, for the building of this house "of God: that, of the king's goods, even of the tri"bute beyond the river, forthwith expences be given

unto these men, that they be not hindered. And "that which they have need of, both young bullocks "and rams, and lambs, for the BURNT-OFFERINGS "of the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, and oil, "according to the appointment of the priests which † Zech. i. 15.

Ch. xlii, ver.7.

Ch. xlii. ver. 8.

are at Jerusalem, let it be given them day by day "without fail; that they may offer sacrifices of sweet savours unto the God of heaven, and pray FOR THE 66 LIFE OF THE KING AND OF HIS SONS

The reason why the three Friends are condemned as not having spoken of God the thing that was right, was, 1. Because using the argument of an equal Providence only to condemn Job with the heart of an enemy, they made the honour of God a stale to their malignant purposes. To understand this more fully, we must consider that the great contest was concerning an equal Providence: What occasioned it was their suspicion of Job's secret iniquity; consequently these two points take their turns occasionally in the course of the disputation. Job, after many struggles, at last gave up the general question; but the particular one of his own righteousness, he adheres to, throughout, and makes it the subject of all he says from chap. xxvii. to chap. xxxi. This ended the dispute: for, in the beginning of the next chapter, the writer tells us,So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes; that is, they gave Job this contemptuous reason why they would argue no longer with him. By this we may see, how finely the dispute was conducted, to answer, what I suppose was, the end of writing the book. JOB, who represented the PEOPLE, was to speak their sentiments concerning their doubts of an equal Providence; but he was at last to acquiesce, to teach them a lesson of obedience and submission.

2. The second reason of the condemnation of these false Friends was, because they had supported their condemnation of Job by a pretended Revelation.-Now a thing was secretly brought to me (says Eliphaz) Ezra vi. 1. 6, & seq. ↑ Chap. xxxii.

and

and mine ear received a little thereof. In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men, fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones to shake: then a Spirit passed before my face, the hair of my flesh stood up: I stood still, but I could not discern the form thereof: an image was before mine eyes, there was silence, and I heard a voice saying, "Shall mortal man be more just than God," &c This was the character, and conduct, of the enemies of the Republic, as the Prophet, Ezekiel informs us whose words are so very apposite, that we may well think they were the original to those above in the fourth chapter of Job. Thus saith the Lord God, Io unto the foolish Prophets that follow their own spirit and have seen nothing-They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, The Lord saith; and the Lord hath not sent them.-Have ye not seen a vain vision, and have ye not spoken a lying divination, whereas ye say, The Lord saith it, albeit I have not spoken? Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Because ye have spoken vanity and seen lies, therefore behold I am against you, saith the Lord God f.

IV. The last Person in the Opposition is the Devil himself, SATAN, the Author and Contriver of all the mischief. And now we are come to that part of the Allegory, where the fable and the moral meet, and, as it were, concur to throw off the Mask, and expose the true face of the Subject; this assault upon JOB being that very attack which, the Prophet Zechariah tells us, Satan made, at this time, on the PEOPLE. The only difference is, that, in this Poem, it is Job; in that Prophecy, it is Joshua the high priest, who stands for the People. In all the rest, the identity is so strongly marked, that this single circumstance alone Chap. iv. ver. 12, & seq. Ezek. xiii. 3, & seq. VOL. V.

A A

is

is sufficient to confirm the truth of our whole interpretation. There needs only setting the two passages together to convince the most Prejudiced:-The Historian says, "Now there was a day when the sons of "God came to present themselves before the Lord, "and SATAN came also among them. And the "Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then "Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to "and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down "in it. And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou "considered my servant JOB, that there is none like "him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one "that feareth God, and escheweth evil? Then Satan "answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God "for nought? But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy "face. And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all "that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put "not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from "the presence of the Lord *."-The Prophet's account is in these words: "Be silent, O all flesh, before "the Lord: for he is raised up out of his holy habi"tation. And he shewed me JoSHUA the high priest,"

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standing before the angel of the Lord, and SATAN. "standing at his right hand to resist him. And the "Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O "Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem, "rebuke thee: Is not this a brand pluckt out of the "fire? Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, "Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with

change of Raiment. And I said, Let them set a "fair mitre upon his head; so they set a fair mitre "upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And "the angel of the Lord stood by*." JOB's whole dramatic life lies here in its stamina.-Satan standing at the angel's right hand to resist Joshua is, (when drawn out more at length) his persecution of JobJoshua clothed with filthy garments, is Job amidst the Ashes-The clothing of Joshua with change of rai-· ment, and setting a fair mitre on his head, is Job's returning Prosperity-And the angel of the Lord standing by, is God's Interposition from the Whirlwind.

But we have not yet done with this Character. The finding SATAN in the scene is a strong proof that the Work was composed in the age we have assigned to it. This evil Being was little known to the Jewish People till about this time. Their great Lawgiver, where he so frequently enumerates, and warns them of, the snares and temptations which would draw them to transgress the Law of GoD, never once mentions this Capital enemy of Heaven; yet this was an expedient which the wisest Pagan Lawgivers † thought of use, to keep the Populace in the ways of virtue. Thus Zaleucus, in the preface to his book of Laws, speaks of an evil DEMON tempting men to mischief: And in the popular Religion there was always a FURY at hand, to pursue the more atrocious Offenders through the world. Nay, when the end of that sacred History which Moses composed, obliged him to treat of Satan's first grand machination against mankind, he entirely hides this wicked Spirit under the Animal which he made his instrument. (The reason of this wise conduct hath been in part explained already, and Zech. ii. 13. Chap. iii. ver. 1, & seq. + See Divine Legation, vol. i. pp. 339, & seq.