Or Ophir's treasures made my chief defense,
And said: thou art my strongest confidence ;
If I rejoiced because my wealth was great,
Because my hand had found a vast estate ;
If I beheld the burning sun advance,

And shine in glory through the heaven's expanse ;
Or silver moon, in brightness, walking high,
Around the circuit of the evening sky;
And secretly through heathenish device,
My foolish heart, in awe, they did entice;
In disobedience of the Lord's command,
To worship them, and at them Kiss my hand;
This also were a bold idolatry,

To be rewarded by the judge's decree;
As then had I through sordid, creature love,
Denied the God that rules in heaven above.
Malicious feelings also never rose,
Within my soul, at troubles of my foes.

If I rejoiced unspeakably to see,

The woes of him that deeply hated me;

Or lifted up myself when evil found,

And hurled him headlong on the filthy ground;

(Oh! no, I suffered not my mouth to sin,
By wishing curses on his soul had been :)
If strangers, stopping in my tent at night,
And faring sumpt'ously within my sight;
From fond remembrance did not always say,

When hunger seized them on their fainting way:

Oh! now that we could sit once more and eat,
From off his table rich and dainty meat!
Since then our hunger hath not been supplied,
We cannot elsewhere be so satisfied ;

(The stranger lodged within the street no more, But for the trav'ler opened I my door ;)

If I concealed my sins as Adam did,
And my transgressions in my bosom hid;
If fear of multitudes tormented me,
In consequence of some contemned decree ;
Or scorn of families so made me fear,
Because my judgments seemed to them severe;
That I was silent, and from words forbore,
And never ventured from my fastened door;
(Oh! now that one would lend a list'ning ear,
And this my speech attentively would hear;
Behold, it is my soul's supreme desire,
That God Himself an answer would inspire;
That mercifully He would on me look,
And that my adversary'd writt'n a book;
A full indictment with the pleadings in,
And showing clearly what has been my sin;
For on my shoulder I would lay it down,
And bind it on me as a royal crown;
I'd tell my steps to Him, devoid of fear,
And as a prince to Him would I go near ;)
Or if my land against me truly cry,
Because the ground I did not justly buy;

If all the furrows now complain and weep,
Because my guilt is so amazing deep;
Because the labor that did turn them o'er,
Has not been throughly recompensed before;
Or if I've eaten of its luscious fruits,
Produced by toiling of my vast recruits;
And not rewarded amply ev'ry one,

For all the work his brawny hands have done;
Or if through fraud, or some unrighteous strife,
I've caused the owners e'er to lose their life;
Let thistles grow instead of wheat or corn,
Instead of barley, yield it bramble thorn.
The words of Job conclusion here do reach,
Because his friends are silenced by his speech.

CHAPTER XIX.

SPEECH OF ELIHU.

ELIHU now interposes, and takes up the controversy which had been terminated between Job and his three friends. The first six verses of his speech are prose; the remainder is poetry. Job, an eminent patriarch, a magistrate, a man of great wealth and consideration in the East, had been suddenly overwhelmed by the greatest calamities; his flocks and his herds had been plundered by robbers, and devoured by fire from heaven; his house had been blown down by a whirlwind, and his children buried beneath its ruins; his person had been covered with boils, and reduced to a mere skeleton by a most painful and loathsome disease; his friends had forsaken him; his servants had despised and insulted him ; his wife had advised him to curse God and die; the meanest bands of robbers and thieves that prowled in the deserts had made him their song and their byword; Satan had been permitted to torment him unmercifully; and God had apparently forsaken him, and given him up to his fearful destruction and misery. His three friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, seeing him so horribly afflicted, and believing that God punished only the wicked in this life, impelled by a rash and headlong impulse, not only by ungenerous suspicions, but by cruel criminations, had attacked him; charging him with the greatest crimes, and alleging that his sufferings were the result of his sins, and were sent upon him by a just and angry God, as a worthy and condign punishment therefor. With very slight discrimination respecting the truth, and biased by their prejudices and theological opinions in regard to the government of God; they had not replied to Job's arguments, but had unmercifully condemned him and hurled against him, not only their own bitter, and cruel words, but also the apothegms and maxims of ancient wisdom. Job had, however, by his logical, cogent, sublime, and overmastering speeches, silenced, and confounded them, but not convinced them. The last reply of Eliphaz was brief, and recitative of his former arguments, rather than the production of new, and relevant replies to Job. Bildad's last answer was limited to only six verses, in which he uttered a few general truisms, with no sort of relevancy to the argument of Job, adduced in his previous speech. He was confounded, and silenced, but not convinced. He was exhausted, as to invectives, and citations from antiquity, and simply added that God's dominion is great; heaven is high; Jehovah's armies numberless; man cannot be justified with God; the sun

and moon are not pure in his sight; and much less man. He then paused. It was now Zophar's turn to speak. But he is silent. Job then gives utterance to a lengthy and general reply to them all, which for masterly eloquence, cogency of reasoning, just discriminations, and triumphant conclusions, is unexampled. At this juncture, a youthful bystander, who had listened to the previous speeches of Job to his three friends, comes forward and utters his opinions. He was Elihu, the son of Barachel, the Buzite, of the kindred of Ram. He was a young man, having great respect for age, but with all very pompous, and self-opinionated, as young men not unfrequently are. His wrath was kindled against Job, because he justified himself, rather than God; and against his three friends because they had found no answer to Job's arguments, but had nevertheless condemned him. He says he had waited till Job had spoken because he was elder than himself, and that when he saw his three friends did not reply, his wrath was vehemently kindled. He declared he was young and they were very old; that he was consequently afraid, and durst not show his opinion; that he considered days should speak, and the multitude of years should teach wisdom; yet he believed that the inspiration of the Almighty giveth understanding to the young, as well as to the old; that great men are not always wise, nor do the aged always understand judgment; therefore he says he will show his opinion, and asks them to hearken to it. He says he anxiously, and patiently waited for their words, and gave ear to their reasons, while they searched out what to say; that none of them had convinced Job, or answered his words. Elihu then declares that the inability, on their part, to convince and answer Job, arose lest they should say we have found out wisdom; and asserts that God alone can reply to him, and thrust him down. He says Job had not directed his words against him, and that therefore he would not answer him with their speeches; that they were amazed at Job's replies, and answered no more, but stood still. He asserts that he is full of matter, and that his spirit constrains him; that his belly is as wine that has no vent; that it is ready to burst like new bottles; and that he will open his mouth, and speak that he may be refreshed; that he will be impartial, accept no man's person, and give no flattering titles to any one. Job had often expressed a desire that God would reply to him. Elihu now declares that he is, according to his wish, in God's stead, although he is also formed out of the clay. Job had also frequently expressed a dread to come into court with his case. before God, lest his dreadful majesty should overwhelm him; Elihu now assures him that his terror shall not make him afraid, and that his hand shall not be heavy upon him. He then rebukes Job for his self-righteousness, and repeats what Job says of himself; that he is clean; without transgression, and innocent; that no iniquity is in him; that God findeth occasion against him; counteth him for His enemy; putteth his feet in the stocks; and marketh all his paths. He then assures Job that in this he is not just; that he will answer him; that God is greater than man. asks Job why he strives against God, since He gives no account of any of His matters; that He speaks oftentimes to man, and he perceives it not, in dreams, and visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed; opening their ears and sealing their instruc

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