he roundly maintains his own meritorious integrity, though he is sometimes compelled a little to qualify the strength of his language. Next, he confesses his belief in a Redeemer

who should cause his body to rise again from the dead; though he still refuses to give up the fond persuasion of his own unsullied integrity. And at length he fully acknowledges his vileness; though his prejudice is so obstinate, that it yields to nothing save to the immediate teaching of God himself. It is in the second of these mental states that he is exhibited, when he utters the memorable words which we have been considering: and, accordingly, we find him in immediate consecution telling his friends, that they ought to say; Why persecute we him, seeing the root of the matter is found in him? The import of such a monition is perfectly obvious: nor can any thing be more exactly in character. Since I believe in a Redeemer as much as you can do, and since I expect a resurrection from the dead through his agency; why need you persecute me with this wearisome dispute respecting man's entire sinfulness? The root of the matter is found in me, because I hold the grand tenet of the Patriarchal Church: what signifies it then, if I happen to differ from you as to the extent of human corruption?

Job therefore is now brought to confess a Redeemer and a future state through him, while yet he clings to the notion of his own merito

rious dignity. Hence his friends continue to argue as before against the error which he still maintains, without adverting to the fully acknow ledged doctrine of a Saviour; which, as they had injudiciously omitted to touch upon it before, would now of course be quite beside the mark of their reasoning'.

On this principle, Zophar to whose turn the conducting of the debate now falls, urges, that the triumphing of the wicked is but short-lived. He may for a time appear to be successful: but, ever since man was placed upon the earth, iniquity sooner or later is sure to be followed by condign punishment 2.

In reply, Job admits the truth of his remark; but contends, that it is wholly irrelevant to his own case: because, as he throughout maintains, he himself was a strictly holy man. How then comfort ye me in vain, seeing in your answers there remaineth falsehood or inconclusive reasoning?

Eliphaz now, losing his temper at the obstinacy of Job, quits the broad ground of man's inherent corruption; and breaks forth into personal abuse, alike false and indecorous. Though Job, like all the children of Adam, laboured under a taint of original depravity which rendered it impossible for him to be just before God; still he had led a very moral and creditable life, and had never been guilty of those

3

1

Job xix.

2 Job xx.

Job xxi.

enormities which the angry controversialist so rashly and offensively lays to his charge. But this, in the heat of dispute, Eliphaz wholly forgets or overlooks: and, as he had failed to convince Job by alleging what was true, he now strangely attempts to make a convert of him by alleging what was absolutely false'.

Job, disgusted by his indecent acrimony, appeals from the judgement of man to the judgement of God: but, while he allows that the wicked are soon cast down from their prosperity; he stoutly denies that any such character belongs to him, and therefore still continues to justify himself as much as ever he did. God knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

My foot hath held

his steps: his ways have I kept, and not declined. Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips: I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food".

Perceiving the error of Eliphaz, Bildad prudently abstains from all gross personalities; and contents himself with briefly restating the position, which his ally had twice already advanced in two of his former speeches. How CAN MAN

BE JUSTIFIED WITH GOD: OR HOW CAN HE, THAT IS WOMAN-BORN, BẸ CLEAN? BEHold, EVEN TO THE MOON; AND IT SHINETH NOT: YEA, THE STARS ARE NOT PURE IN HIS SIGHT.

' Job xxii.

2 Job xxiii. xxiv.

HOW MUCH LESS MAN, THAT IS A WORM; AND THE SON OF MAN, WHICH IS A REPTILE'.

The regular dispute now drawing to an end, Job, in his long concluding speech, professes himself to be wholly unconvinced. He acknowledges the greatness of God; he declares the final calamities of the wicked; he extols the excellence of divine wisdom; he adverts to his former prosperity; and he notices his present troubles: but, preserving a perfect consistency from first to last, he still resolutely justifies himself, and still firmly maintains his meritorious sinlessness. Till I die, I will not remove mine integrity from me. My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me, so long as I live. Let me be weighed in an even balance, that God may know mine integrity. Oh, that one would hear me! Behold, my desire is that the Almighty would answer me, and that mine accuser would file his bill of accusation against me. Surely, I would take it upon my shoulder, and bind it as a crown to me. I would boldly declare unto him the number of my steps: as a witness in court, I would fearlessly approach him.

At the close of Job's final oration, the author of the poem speaks in his own person: and, as if to preclude all possibility of mistake with respect to the subject which he has been discussing (though indeed it is no easy matter for

1 Job xxv.

2 Job xxvi-xxxi.

any moderately attentive reader to mistake his drift), he specifically tells us, that these three men ceased to answer Job, BECAUSE HE WAS RIGHTEOUS IN HIS OWN EYES'. What then is to be done? Is the character, represented by Job, to be left in this state of mental delusion? Another expedient yet remains: Elihu, whom I suspect to personate Moses himself in his capacity of a teacher sent from God, is introduced as a moderator, at once to correct the error of Job and to supply what is defective in the argument of his three friends. Accordingly we are informed, that his wrath was kindled against Job, BECAUSE

HE JUSTIFIED HIMSELF RATHER THAN GOD:

and that his wrath was also kindled against his three friends, BECAUSE THEY HAD FOUND NO

ANSWER AND YET HAD CONDEMNED JOB.

This being the case, his decision, if it be at all in point, must, on the one hand, censure the self-justifying humour of the parabolizing Arab; and, on the other hand, must find that conclusive answer which the three friends had not found. Now with such a presumption it exactly corresponds: and the circumstance of its correspondence furnishes an additional proof, that the argument of the sacred drama has not been misunderstood or mistated."

Elihu, as the course of his argument naturally prompted him, begins with censuring the error

1 Job xxxii. 1.

2 Job xxxii. 2, 3.