! : While Job's three friends, with an uncharitable fpirit, thus strove to depress him, and made use of many acute and weighty arguments to support their propositions; he, on the other hand, deserved cenfure for giving way, in the bitterness of his foul, to an unwarrantable impatience, and dropping now and then expreffions that seemed to upbraid the Almighty with chastising him more feverely than his faults demanded. The contest was, however, at length put an end to, by the interference of Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, another of Job's friends, who had listened to the whole of the arguments which had been advanced during it.-Displeased with the conduct of both parties, he blamed Job, because he juftified himself rather than God; and reprimanded his three opponents, because, notwithstanding they had given no fatisfactory answer to Job's assertions, yet they had condemned him. At last the Almighty is supposed to interfere, and, from a whirlwind, to bring the drama to a conclufion, by convincing Job of his ignorance and inability to reason on his difpenfations:-upon which Job fubmits, and, repenting of what he had advanced, thus exclaims-" I have uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not." But the wrath of the Lord was kindled against Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, "Because they had not spoken of him the thing that was right, as Job had." Moreover, to shew in what superior estimation he held Job, he commanded the offending trio (left he should deal with them after their folly) to appease his displeasure by a burnt-offering, which he promised to accept at the interceffion of their more righteous friend. Now also, as a compenfation for the fufferings and fevere trial Job had undergone at the instigation of the great feducer of mankind, the Lord gave him twice as much as he had been poffeffed of before his downfal. Through the valuable presents made him by his relations, who came to confole and affitt him, he was enabled to recruit his broken fortunes. So that the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning; for his flocks and herds increased in a two-fold degree; he found himself, at length, poffeffed of fourteen thousand sheep, fix D 3 thoufand thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she-affes. He had also born unto him seven fons and three daughters; and died at a good old age, leaving this memento to fucceeding generations, That though neither riches, power, nor worth, can fecure from adversity, yet a just and upright man has room to hope for a return of profperity. RUT H*. Far diftant from her native home, A S Thomson has constituted his beautiful Tale of Palemon and Lavinia, so well known, and so justly admired, on the History of RUTH, in the Sacred Writings; and as it affords a pleasing instance of the mutability of fortune, we flatter ourselves it will not be deemed unworthy a place here. During the period in which the judges ruled over the children of Ifrael, there was a grievous famine in the land. Among great numbers who left their habitations to feek for bread in other countries, a certain *Book of Ruth-and Jofephus, book v. chap. 11. man of Bethlehem-Judah, named Elimelech, went to sojourn in the country of Moab, He took with him his wife, whose name was Naomi, and his two sons; and foon after their arrival, the two young men married two Moabitish women, the name of one of whom was Orpah, and of the other Ruth, After a refidence of ten years, during which time Naomi buried her husband and her two fons, she determined to return to her own country. But, concluding it would not be agreeable to her two daughters-in-law to leave the place of their nativity, and follow her into a strange land, the defired them, just before her departure, to return each to her mother's house; " And may the Lord deal kindly with you," faid the good old woman, as ye have dealt with the dead and me!"-She then tenderly embraced them. Affected by this regardful behaviour of their mother-in-law, Orpah and Ruth both wept, and faid, " Surely we will return with thee unto thy people." But Naomi continuing to diffuade them, Orpah was at length prevailed on to remain with her mother. Ruth, |