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have no tafte for the generous pleafures of friendship
and fociety. We fpeak therefore, Chriftians, a lan-
guage
harmonious in your ears, and congenial to your
hearts, when we fay with the apostle, Ufe hofpitality

one to another without grudging,

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And his fons went and feafted in their houses, every one bis day, and fent and called for their three fifters, to eat and to drink with them. And it was fo, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job fent and fanctified them, and rofe up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job faid, It may be that my fons have finned, and curfed God in their hearts. Thus did Fob continually.

F

ESTIVALS in families, on occafion of marriages,

births, and other profperous events, have been ufual in most ages and countries. And it is not to be doubted, that the practice is innocent and commendable. It is capable of being improved to ends the most falutary and important; and, on the contrary, of being abufed to purposes very criminal and pernicious. To offer fuch advice, therefore, as may prevent the evils apprehended,

apprehended, and contribute to the cheerfulness: and utility of these domestic friendly affociations, is the object of this difcourfe. The story just read naturally leads us to our defign: the particulars of it therefore we fhall confider and explain.

It has been questioned by fome, whether the story of Job is to be confidered in any other light than a fable or allegory, after the manner of the easterns, and agreeable to fome other parts of fcripture. But there does not appear to me ground fufficient to fupport this opinion. The ftory, exclufive of the difcourfe between the several parties, is short, told with a great air of fimplicity, and an exactnefs of circumstances and names, scarce to be expected in mere apologue. But befides the internal marks of its being a true history, there are external ones which feem to me unanswerable: I mean Ezekiel's mentioning Job in company with Noah and Daniel*, which it is hardly imaginable he would have done, if Job had not really existed as well as they; and the apostle James, referring to his history at the fame time he does to that of Christ : "Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have feen "the end of the Lord +."

As to the author, it is not certain who he was, whether Job himself, Elihu, or Mofes. The latter feems most likely, as the name of JEHOVAH (by which God began to be known, or however chiefly known, in the time of Mofes) is frequently used in the historical part of the book; whereas it is fcarcely, if at all mentioned in the difcourfes which make up the chief part of the book, and which are fuppofed to have been fpoken, and indeed the whole matter to have happened,

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But whoever the au

before the time of the author. thor was, the enquiry of the greatest confequence to the business before us, is at what time Job lived. Now it is plain it must have been before Mofes' time, becaufe the age of man was then reduced to what it is now, feventy or eighty, whereas Job, we find, lived one hundred and forty years. It was before facrifices were confined to one altar, before the general apoftacy of the nations, and when there was as yet no other idolatry, but the worship of the fun and moon, and that was punished by the judges *. It was while God was known more by the name of GOD ALMIGHTY than JEHOVAH, as was hinted before; and when divine knowledge was conveyed not by writing but by tradition, as feems probable from fome paffages in the courfe of the book +. In fine, it was evidently before the time of Mofes, because no mention is made of the deliverance of the Ifraelites out of Egypt, and no reference is had to any of the customs of that dif penfation. I should fuppofe Job therefore to have lived in the patriarchal age, perhaps about the time of Ifaac or Jacob, and very probably he was of the pofterity of Nahor, Abraham's brother, whofe firfl-born was Uz .-It was then in an age of great fimplicity of manners, but in which however idolatry began to prevail, and vice to fpread itself among the nations, that the scene of this hiftory is to be placed.

Now the text tells us, That the fans of Job went and feafted in their boufes, every one his day, and fent and called for their three fifters, to eat and to drink with them. And it was fo, when the days of their feafting

*Judg. xxxi. 26. 28.

Judg. viii. 8. 21. 25.

Gen. xxii. 20, 21,

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feafting were gone about, that Job fent and fan&ified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings, according to the number of them all; for Job faid, It may be that my fons have finned, and curfed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.

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Several things are here deferving our notice, fome of which require a little explanation. As

I. This feftival which was obferved in the family of Job...

Our accounts of these early times are very short fo that we can frame but a very imperfect idea of matters of this fort. Human nature however being the fame in every age, we may easily fuppofe that fuch cuftoms in the general as now prevail in moft countries, prevailed then; though with lefs art and more fimplicity, Events that were memorable, interefting, and important, would be apt to bring people toge.. ther; and good nature, an inclination to mirth, and a fondnefs for (hew, would be likely to put them on making entertainments for each other, expreffive of their mutual joy and good will. As to this feftival, it does not feem to have been on a religious account; or of a very general and public kind. Only one fa mily is mentioned, though it is true families were then very large, and others might be invited to the feat. The occafion it is probable, was within themfelves, either the birth or the marriage of fome one of the houfe, or fome profperous event that had happened to them. But however that might be, it looks as if thefe feafts were periodical, or at ftated feafons: and it is certain they were circular, for it is faid they feafted in their houfes, every one his day.

Now

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