Rending of clothes, that is to fay, the mantle, or any other upper garment, and shaving the head, was an antient custom obferved amongst the people of the east, when they would exprefs their unfeigned forrow for any extraordinary or fignal calamity, whether public or private; and is particularly taken notice of in several places of the Old Teftament. The patriarch Jacob is the first instance. When that indulgent parent heard of the untimely death of his darling Jofeph: when his inhuman fons brought home to him his bloody coat on purpose to deceive him, he very naturally, though falfly concluded, that the unhappy youth was torn to pieces by fome wild beaft; and thereupon, to exprefs his excess of forrow on that melancholy occafion, he rent his clothes, and put fackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his fon many days. Again; when the doleful news of the death of Saul and his fon Jonathan first reached the ears of good king David, that benevolent and compaffionate prince, to exprefs his forrow for a loss that fo tenderly affected him, took hold on his clothes, and rent them, and likewife all the men that were with him. So likewife, when David attended the funeral of Abner he rent his clothes, and faid to Joab, and to all the people that were with him, rend your clothes, and gird you with fackcloth, and mourn before Abner. And king David himself followed the bier.-And this, in short, was an ancient custom amongst the heathens, as is evident from the account we have of King Latinus's diftrefs on the death of his wife, and the deftruc. tion of his city.

it fcifsâ vefte Latinus,

Conjugis attonitus fatis, urbifque ruina

Canitiem immundo perfufam pulvere turpans. NEID XH. Ver. 609.

Latinus tears his garment as he goes,

Both for his public and his private woes ;

With filth his venerable beard befmears;

And ford.d duft deforms his filver hairs.

DRYDEN.

The purport of this Chapter is drawn up in the following fix lines by Dr. YOUNG.

Thrice happy JOB long liv'd in regal ftate,
Nor faw the fumptuous eaft a prince fo great;
Whose worldly ftores in fuch abundance flow'd,
Whose heart with fuch exalted virtue glow'd:
At length misfortunes take their turn to reign,
And ills on ills fucceed; a dreadful train!

CHA P. II.

IN THIS CHAPTER THERE ARE THREE THINGS WORTHY OF THE READER'S OBSERVATION. IN THE FIRST PLACE, SATAN PROCEEDS, BY DIVINE COMMISSION, IN HIS UNJUST PERSECUTIONOF JOB, AND INFLICTS ON HIM A VERY LOATHSOME AND PAINFUL DISEASE. IN THE SECOND IS SHEWN HIS UNSHAKEN CONSTANCY AND RESOLUTION UNDER THIS ADDITIONAL WEIGHT OF HIS AFFLICTIONS; AND HIS SEVERE REPRIMAND OF HIS WIFE, WHO WICKEDLY PROMPTS HIM, IN A FIT OF DESPAIR, TO CURSE GOD AND DIE. THE LAST GIVES AN ACCOUNT OF JOB'S FRIENDS, WHO CAME FROM THEIR RESPECTIVE SEATS TO CONDOLE WITH HIM ON THE MELANCHOLY NEWS OF HIS MISFORTUNES.

A

FTER all the tranfactions mentioned in the former Chapter, the holy angels going once again to attend God's throne, in order to give an account of their respective commiffions, Satan likewife openly appeared amongst them, and prefented himself, as one equally ready and willing to be examined in regard to his past conduct: not daring, however, to speak till spoken to, he waited till God demanded of him where he had been, and what he had done. To which he replied, that he had loft no part of his time, but had taken a fecond circuit round the earth to find a favourable opportunity for the exertion of his power. "Well then, faid God, you are now convinced, that the character 66 I gave of my fervant Job was ftrictly juft, and that you brought "in your charge against him without the leaft grounds, fince he "ftill refolutely perfifts in the unwearied exercise of his exalted vir"tues; and maintains his integrity with the fame ftrictnefs and fincerity, as he did in his ftate of affluence and profperity, notwithstanding

66

"withstanding my affent to thofe fevere calamities which he has fo undefervedly fuffered."

"Your fervant Job, replied this malicious fpirit, continues feemingly conftant, it is true, and unmoved at prefent, neither is it any great matter of wonder or furprise that he does fo; fince any "one may be faid to be rich enough, that enjoys a perfect ftate of "health; and who would not fit down contented with the lofs of his “effects, and the lives of his children, if by that means he could

preserve his own? Do but enlarge my commiffion, and let me "touch him to the quick; let me but once lay my hand on his "body, and I will engage the hypocrite will foon be unmasked, " and you will find, that he will renounce your providence, and ungratefully treat you for all former benefactions." God, beyour ing confcious of Job's integrity, and well knowing that all his other heroic virtues would be, by his additional afflictions, ftill rendered more exemplary and illuftrious, replied, "I now give you "the fame power over his perfon, as I did before over his family. "and effects. Inflict what distemper you think fit upon him, but "prefume not to touch his life." No fooner had Satan obtained this new commiffion, but, withdrawing from the divine prefence, moretransported with pleasure than before, he went to pursue his mifchievous purpose, and fmote Job from head to foot with a fiery ulcer, whofe malignant and corroding humour pervaded to the very. marrow of his bones, and was as painful as his most implacable enemy could poffibly with it. The noifome impurity of his malignant distemper was fuch an aggravation of his forrow, that it obliged him to fit down in the midft of a heap of afhes, and lay hold of the first thing that came to hand, which happened to be a potsherd, to scrape off the filth and corruption that iffued from his blains. Whereupon his wife, provoked at the miseries he underwent, and the unhappy circumstances, in all probability, to ¡ which the herself was thereby reduced, expoftulated with him in

the

the following profane and most audacious manner. "Thou doating "devotee! how I deteft thy hypocrify! how vain are all thy affec"ted prayers! what I beseech you have they procured you, "but one continued feries of forrows? Do, cant on, and pretend ¿c to blefs your God but for what I would fain know? Will you ftill feem perverfely righteous? Be wife for once, and know your "own intereft. Bid him open defiance, and by one act of refolution, put a period to a life that is not worth preferving." This blafphemous and perverfe fpeech was doubtless no fmall aggravation of his agonizing pains; and notwithstanding her words cut him to the heart, yet he uttered no indecent expreffion, no murmur or complaint against God, on account of his extreme and undeferved fufferings; but, on the contrary, not only feverely reprimanded his evil counfellor, his wife, and told her, that he talked like a rash, thoughtless, and foolish woman; but piously added thereto, that nothing ought ever to be taken ill at God's hands; and the more good men receive, the less reafon have they to complain, when any fudden calamity comes upon them.

intimate

Now there dwelt in the parts adjacent, three of Job's acquaintance, namely, ELIPHAZ the Temanite, BILDAD the Shuhite, and ZOPHAR the Naamathite; all perfons of distinction, and univerfally admired for their profound wisdom: these, hearing of their friend's fad calamity, came from their refpective feats, and meeting at a place appointed, went together the next day, in order to condole with him, and alleviate his diftreffes by their wholefome admonitions.

No fooner were they entered into the place where their afflicted friend lay upon a heap of aflies, but they were shocked to that degree, at the diftant view only of a wretch fo deformed and in fuch confummate mifery, that they perfectly fhrieked, like persons that had seen a phantom; but upon a little recollection, they burst into tears, rent their garments, and threw up duft into the air, which

defcending

defcending on their heads expreffed the confufion they were in, to find him fo covered and disfigured by his noifome boils, that they could fcarcely be convinced, he was the man they looked for.

When, however, they had taken a more perfect and nearer view of him, they fat down on the earth, at fome diftance from him; and seeing him in fo difconfolate a condition, they never offered, for feven days and nights fucceffively, to utter one fingle word; nor did they make the attempt, till time, which makes an alteration in all things had caused fome abatement in their mutual forrows.

MISCELLANEOUS REMARKS on CHAP. II.
VERSE VII.

SO WENT SATAN FORTH FROM THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD, '
AND SMOTE JOB WITH SORE BOILS FROM THE SOAL OF HIS
FOOT UNTO HIS CROWN.

"THIS was one of the plagues, with which the Egyptians were fmitten. It was` 86 frequently the first stage of a leprofy. According to the great Dr. Mead, it was that fpecies of leprofy, which had the name of elephantiafis, the elephant difeafe; fo "called from its fwelling the mouth, legs and feet to an enormous fize, although the

body at the fame time was emaciated. The very bones, he adds are injured by it. "The learned Michaelis fays, it is an univerfal ulcer; an exceeding foul, painful, and "naufeous distemper. Those who were affected by it, are faid to have been weary "of life, and to wifh and hope for nothing fo much as death: it made them impa"tient, paffionate, difcontented with every thing, wild and defperate." SCOTT.

The Eaftern people relate feveral particulars of Job, of which we have no account in the facred fcriptures. We have selected the following for the amusement of ' our readers. God permitted the devil, fay they, to try Job with a dangerous disease, upon condition that he should spare his mouth, his eyes, and ears. Whereupon the devil blowed such a peftilential heat upon him through the nofe, that the whole mass of his blood was immediately corrupted with it, and his body became one continued ulcer, the ftench whereof kept all thofe at a distance from him, who were inclinable to go near him. They were obliged therefore to put him out of the city, in a very remote place; notwithstanding all thefe misfortunes, Job ftill continued patient. His wife, Rafima by name, and a defcendant of Lot, that is to fay, either a Moabite, or an Ammonite, did not fail to carry him every thing that was neceffary. The devil,