Thus far the Holy Scripture has delivered down to us the history of the transactions of God with men, and particularly with his own people, the nation of Israel, in a long and continued succession of events, from the creation of the world to the return of the Jews from the captivity of Babylon, and the settling of the church and state under Nehemiah, whom the king of Persia made governor over the land.

There are several other historical matters related in Scripture which belong to particular persons; the most considerable of them are the histories of Job and Jonah, Jeremiah, Daniel and Esther.

CHAP. XIV.

The History of Job.

1 Q. WHO was Job?

A. A most religious man in the land of Uz, who had ten children, and very great riches. Job i. 1-3.

2 Q. In what age of the world is Job supposed to have lived?

A. In, or before the days of Moses, because there is not the least intimation of any transactions of God with Israel in the whole book of Job.

3 Q. What particular act of piety is related concerning him in his prosperous state?

A. When his children had been feasting each other in their turns, Job offered sacrifices for them, lest they should have sinned, and provoked God in the seasons of their mirth. ver. 4, 5.

4 Q. What were the afflictions that fell upon Job? A. God permitted the devil, by kindling of lightning, and by stirring up robbers and plunderers among his heathen neighbours, to bereave him of all his cattle and his wealth in one day, and to destroy all his children,

even seven sons and three daughters, by a tempest which blew down the house in which they were feasting. ver. 6-19.

the

5 Q. Was the devil suffered to vent his malice upon person of Job?

A. Yes; God permitted him to smite Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. Job ii. 6, 7.

6 Q. What was the design of God in these providences toward Job?

A. To try the strength of his piety, and to set him up as an example of patience, both in the exercise of it, and in the rewards of it. Job xxiii. 10. James v. 11.

7 Q. trial ?

What was the behaviour of Job under this

A. He blessed the name of the Lord, and did not murmur at his providence. Job i. 20-22, and ii. 10. 8 Q. What was a further aggravation of Job's distress?

A. That his wife tempted him to abandon all religion, because God suffered him to be thus afflicted. Job it. 9, 10.

9 Q. Had Job any comforter?

A. Three friends came from the neighbouring places to mourn with him and comfort him.

ver. 11.

10 Q. How long did his patience continue in this perfect exercise of it?

A. Seven days he sat down in ashes, and was silent under the hand of God. ver. 13.

11 Q. Wherein did any impatience of Job at first appear?

A. In cursing the day on which he was born. Job iii. 1-16.

12 Q. What were the sentiments of Job's three friends on this mournful occasion, and how did they carry it towards him?

A. When they saw him to be so dreadfully afflicted, they rashly concluded he had been guilty of very great sins, notwithstanding his outward profession of piety,

and therefore they severely reproved him for his grievous complaints. chap. iv. &c.

13 Q. How did Job answer to their charges ?

A. He maintained against them all this great truth, that God did sometimes afflict those who were innocent, for wise and unsearchable reasons; and he vindicated his own innocence, placing his trust in God. chap. ix. &c. 14 Q. Wherein did Job fail in his duty towards God in this matter?

A. Under the violence of his distress, and the most unjust accusations of his friends, he sometimes spake words of unreasonable despair, and sometimes he used rash and unbecoming language against the great God, and vindicated himself too much, as though he had been perfectly innocent before God as well as before men. chap. vi. &c.

15 Q. How was the controversy between Job and his friends compromised at last?

4. Elihu, a fourth friend, who was younger than the rest, and had come to visit him, took a middle way to end this controversy, and spoke more agreeably to the truth and though he reproved the three friends for asserting that God would never afflict any innocent man so much as Job was afflicted; yet he severely reproved Job for insisting so much on his own innocence before God. chap. xxxii. &c.

16 Q. What was the foundation of Elihu's argument on this occasion ?

A. The supreme majesty and holiness of God, the meanness and sinfulness of the best of men in his sight; his sovereign dominion over all things, and the unsearchableness of his wisdom and conduct toward men. chap. xxxiii. and xxxvi. &c.

17 Q. How did God himself manifestly engage in deciding this controversy?

A. He greatly confirmed the sentiments and opinions of Elihu, by asserting and displaying his own supreme wisdom and power, his grandeur and dominion over all things, by a voice out of the whirlwind. chap. >XXXV. &c.

18 Q. What effect had this upon his servant Job? A. Job confessed his folly, abhorred himself for his sin under the apprehension of the holiness and the majesty of God, and repented in dust and ashes. Job xlii. 1—6. 19 Q. How did God deal with the three friends of Job?

A. He disapproved of their false accusations of Job, and their wrong sentiments concerning God himself and his conduct, and bid them offer a sacrifice of atonement, and Job to pray for them. ver. 7, 8.

20 Q. What tokens of approbation and favour did God shew to Job?

A. While Job prayed for his friends, God released him from all his afflictions, and afterward gave him ten children, as he had at first, he doubled his estate, and prolonged his life to four generations. 10-17.

chap. xlii.

CHAP. XV.

The History of Jonah.

1 Q. WHO was Jonah ?

4. A prophet who lived about the time of Jeroboam the second, king of Israel. Jonah i. 1. 2 Kings xiv. 25. There is no need of particular citations of chapter and verse for the history of Jonah, since the whole is contained in four short chapters.

2 Q. Whither did God send him?

A. He was sent to Nineveh, to pronounce destruction upon that great city for their wickedness. 3 Q. How did Jonah disobey God?

4. He took shipping and fled toward Tarshish, from the presence of the Lord, because he supposed that the mercy of God would spare Nineveh after he had pronounced destruction upon it, and then he should be counted a false prophet.

4 Q. What befel him in this voyage?

A. There arose a terrible tempest, which endangered the ship; and Jonah being conscious of his own guilt, advised the sailors to cast him into the sea, and then the storm ceased.

5 Q. What became of Jonah?

A. A great fish swallowed him up, and he continued in the bowels of the fish three days and three nights. 6 Q. Did he ever come to the shore again?

A. At his repentance and earnest prayer, God commanded the fish to vomit out Jonah upon the dry land. Jonah ii.

7 Q. What service did God assign to Jonah after this great deliverance ?

A. He sent him the second time to Nineveh, to preach destruction against it within forty days. Jonah iii. 8 Q. What effect had this preaching upon the people?

A. The king and the people put on sackcloth, mourn ed for their sins, turned from their evil ways, and cried mightily to God for mercy, whereupon God withheld the punishment which he threatened.

9 Q. How did Jonah resent this merciful dealing of God with Nineveh ?

A. He feared he should be counted a false prophet, and, in an angry temper, desired God to take away his life. Jonah iv.

10 Q. What did God do to convince him of the unreasonableness of his anger?

A. He made a gourd grow up in a night, which sheltered him from the heat of the sun, and he caused it to wither the next day; upon which Jonah murmured against God.

11 Q. How did God 'currence?

argue with Jonah upon this oc

A. God reproved the prophet, that he should be so much concerned about á gourd, a senseless plant, which grew up in one night, and only afforded him some conveniency of life; and that he should be no inore concerned about the lives of so great and populous a city, which