66 grave. If then fome perfon of more than common knowledge, "fome divine meffenger be fent, which is another way whereby "God conveys inftruction to the mind, to persuade this fick man "to amend his ways: if, I fay, the dying perfon's mind, by the pious admonitions of fuch meffenger be formed to virtue; then he, being touched with pity and compaffion for his misfortunes, "shall pray to the Almighty that he would extend his mercy to"wards him, saying; O Lord, confent to fpare his life; and though thou chastisest him, as he is truly penitent, do not totally deftroy him. Let it be fufficient that thou didst afflict him, “and that thy rod has had its due influence over him. Then the Almighty shall restore him to his former state of health and ease; "and he fhall become a new man both in body and mind. His "bones fhall again be cloathed with flesh, and he shall look as gay "as when he was a child: he fhall be as vigorous, as when he "flourished in his bloom. He shall put up his humble fupplica"tions to the throne of grace; and the Almighty, being well pleased, shall grant him his request: he shall approach the temple of the Lord with gladness, and employ his grateful lips in hymns of praise. The Almighty's anger being thus appeased, he "fhall acquit the poor man, and admit him into his favour. Then "will he confefs to his neighbours that stand round about him, as · a true penitent ought, all his former errors, and express himself "in terms to this or the like effect: "I have finned indeed against "the Almighty, and he has justly punished me for my offences: Though I deferved, it is true, to feel the weight of his rod, yet "in mercy, he has fpared my life, and kindly faved me from the grave into which I was finking; nay moreover, he has given me good grounds to hope, that I fhall once more be restored to my "former state of peace and plenty." Behold! in all thefe procced 66 ings the great goodness of God is very confpicuous, who by fuch "various means condefcends to inftruct us, and bring us to repen "tance; "tance; to restrain us from our vicious courfes, which had brought us to the very brink of the grave; and to raise us once more to a perfect state of and tranquility. 66 peace Weigh well, O Job, what I have hitherto faid; for it may prove a concern to you of the laft importance; and if I find you are difpofed to listen with attention to what I have to add on the topick before us, I will gladly give you fome farther inftructions. “Or, in cafe you have any material objection to raise against what I "have advanced, I fhall very readily give you a hearing. Speak 66 freely; I will by no means interrupt you; for I should rejoice, in you can duly acquit yourfelf, and demonftrate you are that inno "cent and faultlefs perfon you have so often afferted yourself to be. "But, on the other hand, if you have no exception to what I have "faid, and you ftill imagine, that there is any force or weight in my arguments, ftill lend me an attentive ear, and I will endea"vour to improve your knowledge." 66 MISCELLANEOUS REMARKS on CHAP. XXXIII. VERSE 1. WHEREFORE JOB, I PRAY THEE HEAR MY SPEECHES. "ELIHU proceeds with caution in this delicate affair. He now addreffeth himself "to Job, and folicits his candid attention by feveral engaging motives. Is this the "manner of a vain prefumptuous speaker? SCOTT. VERSE XIII. WHY DOST THOU STRIVE AGAINST HIM? FOR HE GIVETH NOT ACCOUNT OF ANY OF HIS MATTERS. JOB's extravagant juftification of himself and murmurs against providence are "what Elihu justly calls ftriving against God. The A'mighty passes the fame fen"tence upon them, chap. xi. 2. To convince Job how wrong and culpable this be"haviour is; Elihu argues, first, that it is irreverent, and fruitless: God fays he, will never ftoop to defend his meafures against murmurers, nor will communicate the reafons of them to thofe who cavil at his difpenfations. For he giveth not ac"count of any of his matters.-In the fubfequent verfes.-He alledges another argu " ment ❝ment against striving with God. There is no juft caufe for it. God has fufficiently "manifefted his goodness and care of human kind, by the methods which he takes to "shew them their duty, to recover them from their wanderings, and thereby to fave "them from deftruction. One method is, to reveal his will to them in a dream. "By mentioning this, and dwelling upon it, he seems tacity to reprove Job, for not "having paid regard to the dream of Eliphaz, chap. iv. 12, &c. That old gentle❝man could not fail of being pleafed with this piece of refpect fhewn to him. ScoTT. VERSES XV. XVI. IN A DREAM, IN A VISION OF THE NIGHT WHEN DEEP SLEEP "IN midnight shade, when fleep on mortal eyes "And turn the level'd fhaft of death afide. "The heathens, fomehow or other, came to the knowledge of God's revealing his "will to men in this way.-Agamemnon's dream, in the fecond book of the Iliad, "is a good proof of the high antiquity of the notion among them. We fhall fubjoin the following translation from Mr. POPE. "Now pleafing fleep had feal'd each mortal eye, "To honour Thetis' fon he bends his care, "And plunge the Greeks in all the woes of war: "Fly hence deluding dream! and light as air, "To Agamemnon's ample tent repair, &c. "Swift as the world the vain illufion fled, SCOTT. « Canff "Canft thou, with all a monarch's cares opprest, "The phantom said; then vanish'd from his fight, The whole action of the dream is beautifully natural, and agreeable to philofophy. It perches on his head, to intimate that part to be the feat of the foul: it is circumfufed about him, to exprefs the total poffeffion of the fenses which fancy has during our fleeps. It takes the figure of the person who was dearest to Agamemnon; as whatever we think of most when awake, is the common object of our dreams, and just at the instant of its vanishing, it leaves an impreffion that the voice feems still to found in his ear. No defcription can be more exact or lively. POPE'S OBSERVATIONS ON ILIAD, BOOK II. VERSE XIX. HE IS CHASTNED ALSO WITH PAIN UPON HIS BED, &c. "HE paffeth now to another method ufed by the goodness of God for healing "moral diforder in his human offspring; namely, the difcipline of bodily affliction. "This comes home to the circumftances Job was in. The painting is strong, "and the whole description highly graphical and affecting. It does honour to the 1 powers of Elihu, or rather of the poet. 66 his grace commiffions fierce difeafe "The The languid ftomach turns, with fick'ning hate, "Fly, health to yonder bow'r, "Contrition hath appeas'd my wrath; go, fave "The penitent, and disappoint the grave." VERSE XXXII. SCOTT. IF THOU HAST ANY THING TO SAY, ANSWER ME: SPEAK, FOR I "IT will be a pleasure to me to find you innocent of arraigning the goodness of CHAP. XXXIV. NOTWITHSTANDING ELIHU, IN THE PRECEDING CHAPTER, HAD Fff |