the loftiest strain of poetry to show forth the immeasurable power and holiness of the Almighty, and the infinite distance between Him and His creatures, while yet His eyes are upon the ways of Man, and He seeth all his doings. "There is no darkness nor shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves. For He will not lay upon man more than right; that he should enter into judgment with God." To the reasoning of Elihu, Job makes no reply: he had before urged his defence in language which enlightened piety cannot justify; but "that individual must be less than human who makes no allowance for this child of sorrow." His friends had mingled unjust accusations with their vindications of God's Providence, and, as is too often the case, asperity and bitterness on both sides was the consequence. The address of Elihu equally reprehended Job and his accusers, for want of justice and humility; he called upon Job to recognize the hand of the Almighty Sovereign of the universe in his afflictions, and to remember that, though righteous in his own sight, "God is greater than Man," and knowing all things, gives no account to Man of His allwise dealings with him, and therefore it is fitting that men should trust in Him, and not rely on their own frail understanding, and condemn presumptuously the ways of His providence: He sums up his address with this truly devotional and sublime truth: "Touching the Almighty, we cannot find Him out; He is excellent in power,

and in judgment, and in plenty of justice; He will not afflict. Men do therefore fear Him; He respecteth not any that are wise (that is proud) of heart."

This address of Elihu subdues Job: he makes no reply, and then comes the grandest and most magnificent portion of this sublime poem: "Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me, Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest; or who hath stretched the line upon it; whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened; or who laid the corner stone thereof; when the morning stars sung together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?"

It falls not within the limits of this work to make farther extracts out of this magnificent poem: detached portions can give but a faint idea of the sublime morality and the awful grandeur of those descriptions of Divine Power with which it abounds; and we refer our readers to the Bible itself, for a fuller understanding of this unrivalled production. We must content ourselves with briefly noticing the close of the history.

Job humbly acknowledges his frailty and weakness, and 'repents in dust and ashes.' The

friends of the Patriarch are condemned, because they had not spoken of God the things that were right; and they are commanded to expiate their sin, by offering a sacrifice of seven bullocks and seven rams; while Job is restored to health, and blessed with increased riches and prosperity : "the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than the beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand she asses. He had also seven sons and three daughters." "After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, even four generations. So Job died, being old, and full of days."

This is a brief outline of this earliest complete poem extant. With regard to its nature and character, it is generally regarded as a true history, adorned and amplified by the sacred Poet. The moral to be drawn from the Book of Job is two-fold; first, from the simple circumstances of the history, which represents the Patriarch suddenly and grievously afflicted, bearing his losses with patient submission, and being finally rewarded by a full restoration to his former state of prosperity: from this we learn the duty of patience under suffering, and that suffering is not of necessity the token of guilt. The second lesson taught is yet more important, and is found in the conduct and speeches of the friends, and Job's vindication of himself. Malignity, and an artful application of known truths

respecting the power and goodness of Jehovah, to the purpose of concealing their own bitterness, under the veil of a pretended zeal for the honor of God; this is the real character of their discourse, and under this trial the Patriarch in part yields the unjust asperity of his accusers brings forth asperity and undue self-justification in him. Here is his fault; and for this he is reproved, first by Elihu, and next, by the awful voice of Jehovah speaking in the whirlwind. That Man should not be self-righteous, but should distrust himself, and confide with humble trust in the dispensations of God, under every trial, and in every affliction, and never, even in thought, doubt the goodness, justice, and wisdom of his Almighty Creator, this is the second, and most important truth impressed by the sacred writer of the Book of Job.

END OF THE SECOND PERIOD.