plainly tells us, that unless we were as wise and as powerful as he himself is, we could not conduct and manage the business of our salvation. And no doubt this is applicable to every part of our salvation, both as relates to this world—that we may be kept from the evil thereof-and as it relates to the inheriting of eternal life in the world to come.

SECTION III.

Job's Restoration, and Appointment to be the Priest of God.

Chap. xlii. Ver. 7. AND it came to pass, after Jehovah had spoken these words unto Job, that Jehovah said unto Eliphaz the Temanite: Mine anger is kindled against thee and against thy two friends, because you have not addressed to me that which is meet, as my servant Job has done.'

a

From the following verse, where the three friends are directed to go to Job' it should seem, that this message of Jehovah came to Eliphaz some time after his appearance to Job. The Lord expressed his displeasure that Eliphaz and his two friends had not addressed that which was 'meet' -'right,' ' fit,' or becoming,' to him—not, 'spoke concerning him,' but to him.'-This is the only authorized construction of the words, and it refers not to the former conversations between the friends and Job; but to Job's humble address of penitence to Jehovah, in which, it seems, Eliphaz and his companions had not joined.

a See the Preface..

Indeed, if we reflect, this cannot refer to those former conversations; for Job certainly had not then spoken what was meet' concerning God,— far less so, indeed, if you except his profession of faith in his living Redeemer, than the friends; however defective in some respects their addresses may appear in their application of them. But it became Eliphaz and his companions, on such an occasion, to have humbled themselves in penitence, as Job had done. But his example was lost on them. For this, the displeasure of the Lord is declared, and God will honour Job as the instrument of turning away his indignation from them.

8. Now therefore take to you seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job. And offer ye a sacrifice for yourselves, and let my servant Job make intercessionfor you, for truly his person will I respect, that I execute. not on you the punishment of' your crime, in that ye. have not addressed to me that which is meet, as my servant Job hath done.

9. So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuite and ' Zophar the Naamathite went and did according as Jeho vah commanded them, and Jehovah accepted the person of Job.

The story of Job finishes with an account of his restored prosperity. The Lord declares himself 'not willing to afflict :' and when the necessity for the chastisement ceases, as soon repenting him of the evil.'

10. And Jehovah restored the reverses of Job when he made intercession on behalf of his calamity; and the Lord increased all that Job had had unto double.

*, in the following verse, evidently signifies calamity," or evil.

11. Then went forth and came unto him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all his former friends; and they ate bread with him in his house, and they condoled with him and comforted him respecting all the calamity which Jehovah had brought upon him, and each gave him one vessel of silver, and each one ring of gold.

12. And Jehovah blessed the latter end of Job beyond his beginning; and he had fourteen thousand sheep and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand she-asses; and he had seven sons and three daughters.

14. And he called the name of the first Jemima, and the name of the second Kezia, and the name of the third Keren-happuch;

15. And no women in the land were found so fair as the daughters of Job; and their father gave them an inheritance among their brethren.

16. And Job lived after this an hundred and forty years, and saw his children and his children's children to the fourth generation. And Job died an old man and full of days.

6

The divine narrative seems to dwell with delight on the circumstances of the restored prosperity of Job, when, "after he had suffered awhile," the God of peace' "makes him perfect, stablishes, strengthens, settles him." Contrary to all his former expectations, he lives to see good days; his

I adopt the conjecture of Faber, in explaining now, of some particular vessel of silver, which might anciently have been used in exchange. Geddes supposes it to mean a belt, or girdle;' the ancient interpreters, a lamb, or sheep.' See SIM. LEX.

"Jemima, literally, days upon days.' Ketzi, or Kezia, Cassia, the plant of aromatic fame. Kerenhapuc⚫ the inverted, or flowing horn;' the horn of plenty,' and hence rendered by the Septuagint, Amalthæa." Mr. GOOD.

old age is blessed; and "the Lord delighteth in the prosperity of his servant." Temporal blessings are now real blessings; the humbled man may be trusted with them, without their being hurtful to his salvation.'

But the highest honour that is put upon Job, is the constituting him to be the priest of the Most High God, and his appointment to be the minister of his grace to his friends.

In the offerings which the three friends are, by divine appointment, to bring to Job, that he may make an atonement for them, we recognise an established rite of the ancient patriarchal church— 'the seven-fold sacrifice;' a custom still retained in the age of the apostate Balaam. For Balaam belonged to this dispensation. And in this appointment of Job, we see how dear to God is a child, whom he has lately chastised! Now that he is humbled under his mighty hand, how does Elohim delight to honour him! He will have Job to be the intercessor for his friends as the consecrated priest at his altar, to serve in pattern, and in type, of the great Atoning Priest that was to come, of whose propitiation, as we have observed before, the rites of the patriarchal church, as well as those of the Mosaic dispensation, were all emblematical, and, when the sacrifice was offered in faith, sacramental pledges.

From the appointment of Job to this office in this particular manner, all the churches in that neighbourhood would know, that Job was established to

be a priest of the Lord.' We find, moreover, from an observation in the prophet Ezekiel, that Job was very celebrated in his generation, as a powerful intercessor with God, like Noah and Daniel in theirs; that is to say, he was raised up in his day to execute the functions of his ministry with great success; and, by the grace and blessing of God, was made a public benefactor to the age in which he lived, as by him the Lord would work a great deliverance on the earth.'

6

And who can forbear to infer that part of God's design in the late trial of Job, was to instruct, to fit and to prepare him for this ministry of grace? And assuredly his troubles and afflictions would have made him an experienced instructor! For though the most important acts of priesthood are merely official, and borrow nothing of their efficacy from the virtue and abilities of the man, but are effectual in virtue of Christ's promise, though they be even ministered by evil men; yet we perceive that the patriarchal priest united in his character, as the Christian priest also does, that of an apostle," an ambassador of God in Christ's stead." And here the functions of the priest are not merely ceremonial, as when, under the ancient dispensation, he slew the victim, and sprinkled the blood, and purified with water; or, as under the present, when he consecrates and administers the holy sacraments, pronounces absolution, or puts God's NAME in blessing upon the people. These are simply official acts, as to him, almost mechanical acts. But to dis