as those two celebrated poems, the Iliad of Homer, and the Æneid of Virgil. We shall conclude this stricture with a short character of this univerfally admired performance. The author, whether MOSES or SOLOMON, or any other infpired writer, has exerted the beauties of his art, to fo great a degree, that whoever reads this historical poem, with the least attention, will foon difcern, that for the dignity and grandeur of its ftyle, for the fpirit and energy of its dialogue; for the variety of its characters; for the beauty of its metaphors, fimilies, and descriptions, and in a word, for the pomp and majefty of its machines, there is no human compofition to be met with in all the records of antiquity, that, upon a fair and impartial examination, will be capable in any degree of standing up in competition with it; fince it is not only a perfect piece of itself, thrown into a poetick mould; but is likewife fraught with fuch a variety of noble and fublime images as are rarely to be met with in the brightest and most polished writings of the Greeks and Romans. This will appear a matter beyond difpute when we view the poets and philofophers of every succeeding generation availing themselves of this treasure. To prove our intimation by producing a variety of paffages derived from this incomparable original, particularly those which may be found interfperfed in the compofitions of the most deservedly admired Authors of our own nation and language, is the avowed bufinefs of this undertaking. In fhort, to convey fome ufeful leffons of inftruction under the femblance of amufement, is the utmost praise we afpire after; and the Author will be happy if the courteous reader accepts this humble attempt, without exploring its defects, or expecting at difplay of critical learning. THE J THE ARGUMENT. OB, a prince, refiding in the land Uz, is reprefented, in the beginning of this facred poetical hiftory, as a favourite of heaven, and one who was as happy, as an uninterrupted series of fublunary enjoyments could poffibly make him. On a sudden, however, SATAN by divine permission, for the trial of his patience, and the exercise of his other heroic virtues, is permitted to render him as remarkably miferable, as he was fuperlatively happy just before. After this fudden revolution; his wife, as an aggravation of his mifery, urges him to renounce all trust and confidence in the Almighty, to despair of all hopes of any aid or affiftance from him; and, in short, to put a period to his days and his agonizing pains at once: but without the least hesitation, he feverely reprimands her, for giving him fuch impious as well as foolish counfel. Soon after, three of his most intimate friends, perfons not only of illuftrious birth, but of diftinguished wisdom and virtue; namely ELIPHAZ, BILDAD, and ZOPHAR, vifit him by way of confolation. ELIHU, another profeffed friend, had waited on him, in all probability, fome time before. Their intention was doubtless good and laudable, but after a long and profound filence, and upon mature deliberation, they concluded, that since afflictions were the natural refult of impiety, and fince the divine vengeance frequently overtook such nations and families as were profligate and abandoned, that notwithstanding JOB was to all outward appearance a very upright man, yet he must, doubtless, be guilty of fome very enormous, though secret fin; for if that was not the cafe, they thought it abfolutely inconfiftent with divine mercy and juftice, to permit any one, who was ftrictly and truely religious, to be plunged into fuch an abyss of troubles. This is the topick they labour to demonftrate; and confequently, prefs it very home, in hopes, by dint of argument, to bring him to an ingenuous acknowledgment of his misconduct, and a fincere a fincere forrow and contrition for it; upon which they imagined, as they frequently hinted, that God would vouchfafe to withdraw his afflicting hand, would incline his ear with pity to his complaints, and restore him to his former ftate of health, prosperity and grandeur. JOB, on the other hand, being conscious of the integrity of his heart, and his inoffenfive deportment towards God and man; and confequently, altogether undeferving of the bitter intimations of his friends, endeavours to vindicate his conduct; and affures them, that they entertained dishonourable notions of him; that their heavy accufations were false and groundless; that they perfectly mistook his cafe, and pursued wrong measures for the alleviation of his forrows; for he was fully convinced, notwithstanding they persisted in maintaining the contrary, that God Almighty, for reasons best known to himself, did frequently afflict the most strictly virtuous, and that too, with the utmost severity; and at the same time, permitted the most profligate and abandoned to live in a state of affluence and ease. And that consequently, no argument could fairly be drawn from the misfortunes that attend a man, that would prove him to be more immortal or irreligious than his neighbours. No fooner were their debates concluded, but ELIHU, who though a young man, was endowed with more than common knowledge, having modeftly forbore to speak a long time, and liftned with all due attention to the arguments that were produced on both fides the queftion, affumes at laft the character of MODERATOR, and proposes to reconcile the point in dispute between them. In order to fet matters in the most impartial light, he allows, on the one hand, that the position which ELIPHAZ and his companions had advanced was in a great measure just; namely, that immorality, and a profligate course of life were odious and abominable in the fight of God; and that divine vengeance did frequently overtake those who prefumed to oppose his facred will; on the other, however, he denies, that Joв, from that conceffion, might with justice be cenfured and condemned as a profligate, and irreligious perfon; fince the Almighty oftentimes, for wife ends and purposes, afflicts the fons of men, notwithstanding they are shining examples of the most heroic virtue and though he allows that Joв might not be guilty of hypocrify, or the commiffion of any other enormous fin, yet ftill he highly blames him for his reftlefs and impatient deportment under the afflicting hand of divine providence, and holds him inexcufable for the bold and unguarded expreflions which he took the liberty to utter, wherein he seems to charge the Almighty. Almighty with dealing inconfiftently with his two darling attributes, his justice and his mercy. After this, GoD himself moft graciously condefcends to take the fubjectmatter of their controversy in hand, and to bring it to a final decifion. In fhort, he reproves ELIPHAZ and his friends for their two partial and uncharitable cenfures of his fervant Joв in the midft of his diftrefs; and at the fame times reproves Joв for his unjuft murmurs and complaints, in regard to the ways of providence, which are too intricate and unfearchable for human comprehenfion: on the comparison, however, he declares in favour of JOB, that his cause was by far the best, and that he had in reality spoken with more reverential awe and refpect of the divine majefty, and had teftified a more chearful submission to his fovereign will, than either of his friends, alluding, in all probability, to that remarkable conclufion of his rebuke to his restless and impatient wife ;-namely, WHAT! SHALL WE RECEIVE GOOD AT THE HAND OF GOD, AND SHALL WE NOT RECEIVE EVIL?Or perhaps to that paffage where he fays,-THE LORD GAVE, AND THE LORD HATH TAKEN AWAY; BLESSED BE THE NAME OF THE LORD. No fooner had GoD pronounced this definitive fentence, but Joв's afflictions are ended, his maladies cured, his adverfe friends abashed, and as a fignal reward of FAITH and PIETY, the amount of his former worldly poffeffions is not only doubled, but his years extended to a longer period than was common even in the age wherein he lived. Mr. Scort in his very laudable TRANSLATION Of the book of Job in English verse, has summed up the CATASTROPHE in the following lines. “God call'd to Eliphaz: displeas'd I heard' "My fervant Job, while yet your victims burn, Then God began the mourner to restore, "His houfhold cares three lovely daughters cheer'd; པ་ Then, full of days, in hoary peace he dy'd." A PARA |