insusceptible of change. But still he maintained, and proved it, as he conceived, from fact and observation, that the present disposal of events, both with respect to the righteous and to the wicked, was not according to the equitable rule of a Just and Holy Governor. He questioned not the justice and goodness of the Deity, absolutely considered; but maintained that, for some mysterious reason, the wisdom of which was inscrutable to man, he did not manifest these attributes in his present government of the world. This was boldly to arraign the conduct of God in his moral government of mankind, who claims to be just in all his ways, and holy in all his purposes; and this is reprobated as the greatest pride and arrogancy. Job ought to have given more credit to his Maker as the governor of the world. As Elihu had begun to do, so God points to the phenomena of creation, to the evidences of his power and wisdom, in all the works of his hand displayed before the sight of all men, even in the structure and instincts of many a remarkable animal with which Job was acquainted. Was not all this enough to show the wonderful wisdom and contrivance which the great Governor of the earth was putting forth everywhere, in his present ordering of all things? Was it likely that the concerns of man alone were given up to misrule; or that in this alone God would act contrary to his character, and his present providence over mankind be the only exception, and here alone the justice and goodness of the All-wise not be exhibited? Alas, what had Job been guilty of! He had condemned God, that he might justify himself!' He had arraigned the providence under which he was a sufferer, as not conducted by the rules of equity! Now, providence is the manifestation of the wisdom and justice of that same Divine Being, whose perfections are seen in all the works of nature. But Job had taken upon himself to show, from God's providential dealings with men, that justice and equity was not the character of his present moral government over mankind; that it required the compensation of a future state to clear up its justice and wisdom. If so, Job was wiser than his Maker; for the design of God had ever been to show himself, by his providence, to the careful and patient observer, to be just, and wise, and good. SECTION I. The Admonition of Jehovah. Chap. xxxviii. Ver. 1. THEN Jehovah addressed Job from the stormy cloud, and said: 2. Who is this that darkeneth counsel, By words without knowledge? By counsel, is either intended the wisdom of the divine decrees, or the deliberation which Job and his friends had held concerning it. Job had certainly darkened it, for he had perplexed and silenced his friends when they maintained this great fundamental truth, that God is everywhere, in his providential government, the righteous Judge, rendering to every man according to his deeds. Job had used many words to prove, from observation and actual experience, that this could not be the fact. But God pronounces that these words were without knowledge.' The instances that Job had appealed to, as being obvious to the sight of all men, of God's giving prosperity to the wicked, and causing the innocent to suffer wrongfully, and without redress, are pronounced to be untrue. The instances which any man may think he sees of such misgovernment -as who does not, according to the estimation of his own poor wisdom?-are declared, by God himself, to be mistaken, to be contemplated in ignorance. We know not all things which God knows, or we should see the most striking of these instances no exemptions from the rule of perfect justice and goodness; and as often as we presume to think so of any event that happens, we set up our wisdom against God's. It is, in fact, as the following address of the Deity to Job implies, to arrogate to ourselves a knowledge equal to that of Him who has made the worlds, and is conducting the mighty operations of nature. For the great God seems to say, 'If I act unjustly towards my creatures, or unwisely or unkindly towards the children of my grace, it can only be for want of power or of discernment; and if you think my actions wrong, you certainly assume to be wiser than I am, and therefore I send you to contemplate the visible creation, in order that you may judge, from what you know or can see there, if that be probable.' Thus, in his great condescension, God reasons with Job. a 3. Come, manfully gird thy loins, And I will question thee: Inform me, then— To gird up the loins, is a phrase, common in the language of Scripture, to denote preparation, or the setting earnestly about doing of anything. The Almighty bids Job to prepare to converse with him. 4. Where wast thou at the laying the foundations of the earth? Say, if thou knowest its construction? 5. Who laid out its dimensions, that thou couldst discern; Or who stretched the line over it? 6. On what were its foundations sunk, Or who laid the stone of its corner 7. Amid the universal din of the stars of the morning, While all the sons of Elohim shouted in congratulation? The divine language is formed, as usual, in allusion to the practices of men. The creation of the earth is spoken of under the notion of the erection of some great building. On the laying of the first stone, or putting on the top stone, rejoicing multitudes are wont to shout in congratulation of the a Mr. Goob. Its plan.' Idem. c Or, Amid the universal shout of the morning stars, ,ברן יהד "in the one sound," or, while they were sounding together;', in its proper sense, denotes the twinging of a bow-string, or the rattling, or ringing of arms; the congratulations, as it were, of an armed host striking their arms, or waving their banners. This passage certainly supplies an argument to prove that the angels,' and the stars' also, were created previously to our mundane system: that is, assuming the fact, that the Beni Elohim' of former worlds are angels, which it is impossible, however, for us to know for certain. architect or erector. So God represents the morning stars,' the sons of Elohim,' as congratulating the Almighty Maker when he created the earth. The argument is-You, Job, at least, should have been there, and known it all, to be able to arraign my conduct in providence ;-or, you know, though you saw it not, that I am the builder of this spacious earth. Have I not wisdom and power to govern it rightly? 8. And who' from flood-gates poured out the sea, When in its bursting from the womb it came forth? 9. When I made the clouds its' garment, And the obscuring mist its swaddling bands. The sea, or the deep, we learn from the book of Genesis, at first covered all the face of the earth. It was at the beginning of the second day of creation, that God said, " let there be a firmament," or, "expansion in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament, from the waters which were above the firmament, and it was so. And God called the firmament heaven." This was clearly the formation of the earth's atmosphere, expanded, perhaps, out of the fluid matter that before covered its surface. The visible effect of this was, the formation of clouds and mists; these are figuratively spoken of as the garment and cradle clothes' of the mighty waters. And the quantity of the original matter, which, in a fluid state, had previously covered the globe, which was henceforth invested in |