25. Now, if it be not so indeed, who will prove me a

liar,

And show my words to be nought?

And to the hasty judgment of sense, we must own, there will often appear much to countenance this view of a visiting providence, which Job has taken in this chapter. Perhaps our observations on what is passing in life has almost led us to draw, on some occasions, the same conclusions with Job! But with him, we shall be afterwards instructed, by the word of inspiration, that these are mistaken notions, formed in ignorance, from partial views: That, in truth, the present providence of God, in the affairs of men, is in every thing a just, wise, designing, and discriminating providence.

SECTION XV.

Bildad commences a Third Address, but is interrupted by Job.

SUCH was Jcb's answer to the third reply of Eliphaz, as in the two last series; Bildad next addresses him, and we expect Zophar to follow. But we seem, at first sight, to have only the exordium of Bildad's speech, and Zophar does not reply at all: at the same time, what might well pass for the continuation of Bildad's speech follows as spoken by Job, chap. xxvi. 5, &c., and another string of observations commences chap. xxvii. 13, &c., which is certainly on the side of the argument which the three friends maintained against Job, and which

Dr. Kennicott conjectured to be the third speech of Zophar. We must either admit this conjecture to be well founded, and suppose a dislocation, or some damage in the ancient manuscripts; or else, -which, upon the whole, I much prefer, and which has something in the style of the original to support it-we must consider Job as interrupting Bildad, in the speech we are going to consider; and as this speech, perhaps, was one of the sayings of the ancients, which Job could repeat as well as he, he finishes it for him, or repeats another parable, which he thinks more applicable. What is conjectured to be the third reply of Zophar, we may understand as spoken also by Job,-borrowed also from the traditionary sayings current among them-not as his own statement, but as the sum and substance of what his friends had said, or could say, as attesting the authority of the ancient sages to the doctrine of a just retribution of Providence, in this present life, both to the evil and to the good.

We ought not, certainly, lightly to conclude, that the manuscripts have suffered the damage conjectured; and, on the scheme I am adopting, the propriety of the reasoning will be equally apparent: in short, it will make no difference, except, perhaps, in the choice of meanings, which one or two words may equally bear.

Chap. xxv. Ver. 1. Then answered Bildad the Shuite, and said,

2. "Are not dominion and dread with him,

a

"Executing vengeance in his high places?

For this sense of a see Judges i. 7.

Executing vengeance or working recompense,ought not dominion, and that which may well strike sinful mortals with fear and awe, to be ascribed to Him who, as we know, has judged the fallen angels? The answer of Bildad, I conceive, is another quotation from their traditionary sayings: 3. « Is there any numbering of his hosts ?

"And upon whom doth not his light arise?

4. "How, then, shall man be justified before El⚫? "How, then, shall the offspring of woman be cleared? That is, when God has already visited upon angels their iniquity, and is possessed of such power and knowledge, How can it be supposed that guilty mortals will escape with impunity, be pro. nounced just, and held to be clear of their sin?

5. "Look even unto the moon, and he will not pitch his

tent,

"And the stars will not be cleared in the sight.

6. "What, truly, shall man, a moth?

"And the son of man, a worm"?

From the parallel places, chap. iv. 18, and chap. xv. 15, it is plain, that the judgment of the fallen angels is referred to-God held them not clear, 'angels that excelled in strength!' and shall sin not be visited on creatures so much inferior to angels? Behold, even unto the moon, there is no place

b, tentorium figet, habitat (ad lunam usque nullus locus est satis purus, quo Deus habitet) Schultens ad h. 1. rejectâ (rectè ut arbitror) quam in animadvers. defenderat explicatione, splendit a rad. splenduit, quæ ex formâ in libris scriptis et impressis saltem exculpi non potest. LXX. quidem, Syr. et Vulg. exprimunt sed sensus tantùm causâ." SIM. Lex. Heb.

regarded sufficiently pure for God to inhabit, or to uncover there his manifested presence; not even as far as the stars! It is remarkable that, in the parallel places, angels and heavens' are synonymes of stars' in this place:-and, "look even to the moon, and he will not pitch his tent," or, "inhabit," is the parallel of, "Lo, he confirmeth not his ministers in their stations,"-and of, "He confirmeth not in their stations his saints or consecrated ones." Does not this countenance the supposition, that the heavens, which are the abode of angels, include all from the surface of the earth to the remoter stars; and that the fallen angels have their residence or sphere of action nearest this earth which we inhabit; for aught we know, throughout the solar system, or a great part of it? And may not this illustrate what St. Paul says of Satan?-"the prince of the power of the air :"-and that of our Lord, "I saw Satan, as lightning, fall from heaven."

-That he will not pitch the tent of his manifested presence in these polluted regions! doubtless, that tabernacle which is to be with men hereafter, when glorified men shall come with the Lord from heaven;' when the heavenly places shall have been purified with their better sacrifices, and Satan and his angels shall be cast out-that tabernacle, of which the Mosaic was a type; and, no doubt, the cherubim, that seemed to keep the divine presence at the expulsion of man from Paradise-all were emblematical of the glory that is to be brought to

us at the revelation of Jesus Christ,' whom, we are told, we are to meet in the air;' when he will not only judge the kings of the earth upon the earth,' but also the hosts of high ones that are on high,'when we, according to his promise, look for a new heaven,' as well as a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.'—A world to come,' not subject to angels, but to risen and glorified saints, who sit down with the Redeemer on his throne, where HE will appear, in his kingdom, the "image of the invisible God,' as well as the first-born of every creature; and heaven and earth shall be filled with his glory,' the glory of the only-begotten Son of God,' Immanuel,' God with us,' the manifested JEHOVAH !'-when all his foes shall have been made his footstool; and, as another oracle has declared, there shall be abundance of peace, so long as the sun and moon endureth ;' ay, thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever;' thou art Jehovah !'

Bildad, we should remember, is answering Job by a quotation from the parables' of the ancients. It proved, indeed, from this venerable authority, that God would certainly not let go unpunished the sinners of mankind; but was not quite relevant to the arguments of Job, who only maintained, that not in this life was that punishment manifested. Job seems here to interrupt Bildad, and afterwards concludes, from his own memory, as we are supposing, the speech which Bildad had begun, or relates some other saying of the ancients more to his purpose.