Of Job.

35. THE history of Job is probably very ancient, though that is a point upon which learned men have differed: It is dated, however, 1520 years before Christ: 1 believe it is uncertain by whom it was written: many parts of it are obscure, but it is well worth studying, for the extreme beauty of the poetry, and for the noble and sublime devotion it contains.

36. The subject of the dispute between Job and his pretended friends, seems to be, whether the Providence of God distributes the rewards and punishments of this life, in exact proportion to the merit or denierit of each individual. His antagonists sup pose that it does; and therefore infer from Job's uncommon calamities, that, notwithstanding his apparent righteousness, he was in reality a grievous sinner: They aggravate his supposed guilt, by the imputation of hypocrisy, and call upon him to confess it, and to acknowledge the justice of his punishinent.

37. Jub asserts his own innocence and virtue in the most pathetic manner, yet does not presume to accuse the Supreme Be ing of injustice. Elihu attempts to arbitrate the matter, by alledging the impossibility that so frail and ignorant a creature as man should comprehend the ways of the Almighty, and there fore condemns the unjust and cruel inference the three friends had drawn from the sufferings of Job. He also blames Job for the presumption of acquitting himself of ail iniquity, since the hest of men are not pure in the sight of God—but all have some thing to repent of; and he advises him to make this use of his afflictions.

38. At last, by a bold figure of poetry, the Supreme Being himself is introduced, speaking from the whirlwind, and silenc ing them all by the most sublime display of his own power, mag nificence, and wisdom, and of the comparative littleness and ignorance of men. This, indeed, is the only conclusion of the argument, which could be drawn at a time when life and im mortality were not yet brought to light: a future retribution iş the only satisfactory solution of the difficulty arising from the sufferings of good people in this life.

Of the Psalms.

39. NEXT follow the Fsalins, with which you cannot be too conversant. If you have any taste, either for poetry or devotion, they will be your delight, and will afford you a continual feast. The Bible translation is far better than that used in the common prayer-book, and will often give you the sense, when the other is obscure. In this, as well as in all other parts of the scripture, you must be careful always to consult the margin, which gives

you the corrections made since the last translation, and it is ge nerally preferable to the words of the text.

40. I would wish you to select some of the Psalms that please you best, and get them by heart; or, at least, make yourself master of the sentiments contained in them: Dr. Delaney's life of David, will shew the occasions on which several of them were composed, which add much to their beauty and propriety; and by comparing them with the events of David's life, you will greatly enhance your pleasure in them.

41. Never did the spirit of true piety breathe more strongly than in these divine songs; which being added to a rich vein of poetry, makes them more captivating to my heart and imagina tion, than any thing I ever read. You will consider how great disadvantages any poem must sustain from being rendered literally into prose, and then imagine how beautiful these must be in the original. May you be enabled, by reading them frequently, to transfuse into your own breast that holy flame which inspired the writer!-To delight in the Lord, and in his laws, like the Psalmist to rejoice in him always, and to think “ one day

in his courts better than a thousand!"-But may you escape the heart piercing sorrow of such repentance as that of Davidby avoiding sin, which humbled this unhappy king to the dust― and which cost him such bitter anguish, as it is impossible to read of without being moved.

42. Not all the pleasures of the most prosperous sinners, could -counterbalance the hundredth part of those sensations described in his penitential psalms and which must be the portion of every nan, who has fallen from a religious state into such crimes, when once he recovers a sense of religion and virtue, and is brought to a real hatred of sin. However available such repentance may be to the safety and happiness of the soul after death, it is a state of such exquisite suffering here, that one cannot be enough surprised at the folly of those who indulge sin, with the hope of living to make their peace with God by repentance.

43. Happy are they who preserve their innocence unsullied by any great or wilful crimes, and who have only the common failings of humanity to repent of: these are sufficiently mortifying to a heart deeply smitten with the love of virtue, and with the desire of perfection.

44. There are many very striking prophecies of the Messiah in these divine songs, particularly in psalm xxii. Such may be found scattered up and down almost throughout the Old Testament. To bear testimony to him, is the great and ultimate end for which the spirit of prophecy was bestowed on the sacred writers--but this will appear more plainly to you, when you enter on the study of prophecy, which you are now much too young to undertake.

Of the Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Solomon's Song, the Prophecies, und Apocrypha.

45. THE Proverbs and Ecclesiastes are rich stores of wisdom; from which I wish you to adopt such maxims as may be of infinte use, both to your temporal and eternal interest. But detached sentences are a kind of reading not proper to be continued long at a time; a few of them, well chosen and digested, will do you much more service, than to read half a dozen chapters toge ther: in t. respect, they are directly opposite to the historical books, which, if not read in continuation, can hardly be understood, or retained to any purpose.

46. The Song of Solomon is a fine poem-but its mystical reference to religion lies too deep for a common understanding: if you read it, therefore, it will be rather as matter of curiosity than of edification.

47. Next follow the Prophecies; which, though highly deserving the greatest attention and study, I think you had better omit for some years, and then read them with a good Exposition, as they are much too difficult for you to understand without assistance. Dr. Newton on the prophecies, will help you much, whenever you undertake this study; which you should by all means do when your understanding is ripe enough; because one of the main proofs of our religion rests on the testimony of the prophecies; and they are very frequently quoted, and referred to, in the New Testament: besides, the sublimity of the language and sentiments, through all the disadvantages of antiquity and translation, must, in very many passages, strike every person of taste; and the excellent moral and religious precepts found in them, must be useful to all.

43 Though I have spoken of these books in the order in which they stand, I repeat, that they are not to be read in that order—but that the thread of the history is to be pursued, froin Nehemiah to the first book of the Maccabees, in the Apocrypha; taking care to observe the chronology regularly, by referring to the index, which supplies the deficiencies of this history from Josephus's Antiquities of the Jews. The first of Maccabees carries on the story ull within 195 years of our Lord's chcu:ncision : the second book is the same narrative, written by a different hand, and does not bring the history so forward as the first; so that it may be entirely omitted, unless you have the curiosity to read some particulars of the heroic constancy of the Jews, unde the tortures inflicted by their heathen conquerors, with a few other things not mentioned in the first book.

49. You must then connect the history by the help of the in dex, which will give you brief heads of the changes that haps

pened in the state of the Jews, from this time till the birth of the Messiah.

50. The other books of the Apocrypha, though not admitted as of sacred authority, have many things well worth your atten tion; particularly the admirable book called Ecclesiasticus, and the book of Wisdom. But, in the course of reading which I advise, these must be omitted till after you have gone through the Gospels and Acts, that you may not loose the historical thread.

Of the New Testament, which is constantly to be referred to as the Rule and Direction of our moral Conduct.

51. WE come now to that part of scripture, which is the most important of all, and which you must make your constant study, not only till you are thoroughly acquainted with it, but all your life long; because, how often soever repeated, it is impossible to read the life and death of our blessed Saviour, without renewing and increasing in our hearts that love and reverence, and gratitude towards him, which is so justly due for all he did and suffered for us! Every word that fell from his lips is more precious than all the treasures of the earth; for his are the words of etermal life!" They must therefore be laid up in your heart, and constantly referred to on all occasions, as the rule and directions of all your actions; particularly those very comprehensivɛ moral precepts he has graciously left with us, which can never fail to irect us aright, if fairly and honestly applied: such as, “what** soever you would that men should do unto you, even so do unto them."There is no occasion, great or small, on which you may not safely apply this rule for the direction-of your conduct; and, whilst your heart honestly adheres to it, you can never be guilty of any sort of injustice or unkindness.

52. The two great_commandments, which contain the summary of our duty to God and man, are no less easily retained, and made a standard by which to judge our own hearts-" To

love the Lord our God, with all our hearts, with all our minds, "with all our strength; and our neighbour (or fellow-creature) "as ourselves."-"Love worketh no ill to his neighbour "Therefore, if you have true benevolence, you will never do any thing injurious to individuals, or to society.

53. Now, all crimes whatever, are (in their remoter consequences at least, if not immediately and apparently) injurious to the society in which we live. It is impossible to love God without wiesiring to please him, and, as far as we are able, to resemble hia: therefore the love of God must lead to every virtue in the highest degree; and, we may be assured we do not truly love him, if we content ourselves with avoiding flagrant sins, and do not strive, in good earnest, to reach the greatest degree of perfec

tion we are capable of. Thus do these few words direct as to the highest Christian virtue. Indeed, the whole tenor of the Gospel is to offer us every help, direction, and motive, that can enable us to attain that degree of perfection on which depends our eter nal good.

Of the Example set by our Saviour, and his Character.

54. WHAT an example is set before us in our blessed master! How is his whole life, from earliest youth, dedicated to the pursuits of true wisdom, and to the practice of the most exalted virtue! When you see him, at twelve years of age, in the temple amongst the doctors, hearing them, and asking them questions on the subject of religion, and astonishing them all with his understanding and answers-you will say, perhaps, Well might

the Son of God, even at those years, be far wiser than the "aged; but, can a mortal child emulate such heavenly wisdom! "Can such a pattern be proposed to my imitation?”—Yes, certainly ;-remember that he has bequeathed to you his heavenly wisdom, as far as concerns your own good. He has left you such declarations of his will, and of the consequences of your actions, as you are, even now, fully able to understand, if you will but attend to them. If, then, you will imitate his zeal for knowledge, if you will delight in gaining information and improvement, you may even now become" wise unto salvation."

55. Unmoved by the praise he acquired amongst these learned men, you see him meekly return to the subjection of a child, under those who appeared to be his parents, though he was in reality their Lord: you see him return to live with them, to work for them, and to be the joy and solace of their lives; till the time came, when he was to enter on that scene of public action, for which his heavenly Father had sent him from his own right hand, to take upon him the form of a poor carpenter's son.

56. What a lesson of humility is this, and of obedience to parents! —When, having received the glorious testimony from heaven, of his being the beloved Son of the most High, he enters on his public ministry, what an example does he give us, of the most extensive and constant benevolence !--how are all his hours spent in doing good to the souls and bodies of men!-not the meanest sinner is below his notice:-To reclaim and save them, he condescends to converse familiarly with the most corrupt as well as the most abject. All his miracles are wrought to benefit mankind; not one to punish and afflict them. Instead of using the almighty power which accompanied him, to the purpose of exalting himself, and treading down his enemies, he makes no other use of it than to heal and to save.