2d. The speech of Job's wife, and his reply to her, shows, that neither Ahraman nor the devil was the cause of his afflictions. She no doubt heard what he said, chap. i. 21. Upon seeing him still persisting in his integrity under his affliction of the boils she was provoked at him, and in taunting language says to him"dost thou still retain thine integrity? Curse God and die." On the word rendered to curse, Parkhurst thus writes: "The Lexicons have absurdly, and contrary to the authority of the ancient versions given to this verb the sense of cursing in the six following passages -1 Kings, xxi. 10, 13. Job i. 5, 11. And ii. 5, 9. As to the two first the Seventy render Berek, in both, by eulogeo, and so the Vulgate by benedico, to bless. And though Jezebel was herself an abominable idolatress, yet as the law of Moses still continued in force, she seems to have been wicked enough to have destroyed Naboth upon the false accusation of blessing the heathen aleim and Moloch, which subjected him to death, by Deut. xiii. 6. and xvii. 2-7. Job's fear, chap. i. 5. was, lest his sons should have blessed the false aleim; and verse 11. he says ought to be rendered- And indeed stretch forth thy hand now, and touch all that he hath, surely he hath blessed thee to thy face,' i. e. hypocritically; the verb being used in a past tense. The Seventy render it, truly he will bless thee to thy face. And the Vulgate-unless he hath blessed thee to thy face. Comp. verses 5, 7. And 1 Kings xx. 23. brings the same charge of hypocrisy against Job, chap. ii. 5. which the Seventy, Theodotian and Vulgate render in the same manner.

And at verse 9. his

wife says to him, dost thou yet retain thy integrity, thy regard for the true God, blessing the aleim and dying, or even to death?"-Thus far Parkhurst, whose remarks shed additional light on this account. They agree with the usage of the word, which is rendered to bless, in other texts: they also accord, with the

charge of hypocrisy, which is brought against Job by his friends throughout the book. But what deserves particular notice, these remarks show, that Job lived among a people who had a false aleim or God, and a contrast, if not a contest between this god and Jehovah is set forth in the account. The false god is spoken of as one, and not many, and what god could this be but Ahraman? For the Persians had only two, their good god and their evil god. That a contrast, is set forth betwixt the false god and the true, is evident from Job's fear, chap. i. 5. lest his children should have blessed the false aleim or god, instead of cursing the true God as in the common version. It is also plain from the speech of his wife, who, instead of desiring Job to curse the true God, expresses her surprise, that he should continue to bless him though at the point of death in suffering from his hands. It is apparent, that she believed in Ahraman, and entertained the opinions concerning him as stated above by Prideaux. She was displeased with her husband, for continuing to trust in the true God at the gates of death, and even blessing him for his afflictions. In desiring him to renounce his confidence in the true God, did she mean that he should become an atheist, or live without any God? No; she impliedly wished him to trust in Ahraman the evil god, the author of all evil, and the cause of all his afflictions. Job had despised him, and continued to trust in the true God to the last. She therefore wished him to abandon this confidence, and trust in the evil god, the true author of his afflictions. By doing so, he would become his friend, remove his afflictions, or terminate them by death.

3d. That this account of satan, is introduced to be condemned, and not sanctioned, appears from the reasonings of Job and his friends throughout the whole book. Job's friends, like himself, did not be

lieve in Ahraman, for they maintain, that Jehovah, on account of his hypocrisy and wickedness, had sent such afflictions upon him. But I ask, does any one of them ever intimate that satan, whether Persian god or Christian devil, had produced his afflictions? No; they are to a man agreed, that they were the doings of Jehovah, nor do they insinuate, that he used satan as a tool in producing them. As a specimen of their sentiments on this subject, let the reader consult chap. iv. 9. and v. 17, 18. and viii. 3, 4. Job defends himself against the charge of hypocrisy and wickedness brought by his friends. See as examples chap. vi. 4, 5. vii. 20, 21. ix. 16-18. x. 2. xvi. 11 -15. and 19. 21. We may then appeal to every candid man, whether Job's friends, would have been silent about satan producing his afflictions, if they believed so. And had they believed satan, or Ahraman the author of all evil, would they have ascribed his afflictions to Jehovah? Besides; had Job or his friends believed, that Jehovah used satan as an instrument in inflicting them, why is nothing said about it, either in their charge or his defence? In repelling their accusations, would Job have failed to urge that his afflictions arose from satan's great enmity against him, had he but suspected that this was true. All know, that people are not very scrupulous now in blaming the devil. Nothing could have been easier or more natural, than for Job to repel the charges against him by saying, that satan hated him and had thus afflicted him. Can any man then believe, that this account was introduced to establish the existence of such an evil being, yet this be contradicted by Job and his friends throughout the book? If true, why not rather go on to confirm such a doctrine. Is it objected—“if false why introduce it at all?" I answer; for the very purpose of refuting such an opinion, and for establishing the unity and supremacy of

the one living and true God. It is well known, that false gods are often introduced in Scripture, in contrast with the true, for the very purpose of exposing their absurdity. But I ask, is any false god ever allowed to be able to do good or evil? No; they arc challenged to do either, to prove that they are gods. It is admitted by every intelligent man, that in the after parts of the Old Testament, and in the New, there are allusions to the evil principle deified, or the evil god of the Persians. And to darkness as the symbol of this god. See a specimen of these, and how the sacred writers expose such a doctrine, Isai. xlv. 5-7. 2 Cor. vi. 15. x. 3. and xi. 13. Eph. vi. 10.

4th. Job's afflictions are referred to, James v. 11. and his patience under them, is set forth as an example to us, but are not ascribed to satan but to Jehovah. Indeed no sacred writer, these two chapters excepted, say or insinuate that Ahraman or satan had any influence in producing them. But I have a right to demand, why no sacred writer has done this, if they believed as most people do now that satan was the author of Job's afflictions? If they had the same view of those two chapters as most people now have, is it possible that they would have been silent on such a subject?

5th. However prone the Jews were to idolatry, and the superstitions of the nations around them, it was a truth obviously taught in their Scriptures, that their God was good, and that he had no evil being as a rival to him. So far from giving any countenance to an evil being called Ahraman, Satan, Devil, or by any other name, all witchcraft, necromancy, or appeals to any other being or power stand condemned, and the Jews were solemnly charged to have no concern with them. Jehovah, and he alone, is declared to be the creator, preserver, and ruler of all things, and all beings in the universe. Life and death, sick

6,

ness and health, prosperity and adversity, are all ascribed to him. See Gen. i. 1. Dan. iv. 35. 1 Sam. ii. 6. 7. Isai. xlv. 7. Amos iii. 6. Micah i. 12. Psalm xxxiii. 13-15. Prov. xvi. 4, 9. and xxi. 30. The idea of an evil being, which Christians call the devil and satan, and other nations have designated by a variety of names found no place in the Jewish Scriptures. That the Jews learnt such opinions from the heathen, we shall see in the next Section. In concluding our remarks on this account of satan in the book of Job, let us compare what is said in it, with the above quotation from Prideaux, and we shall see all that has been advanced strongly confirmed.

Let us begin with the term satan? We have seen that this word signifies an adversary. That person or thing, is called a satan to another, which stands in his way, or in any shape opposes him. Thus, the angel of Jehovah, was a satan to Baalam, and the writing sent to Ahasuerus, was a satan to the Jews. Satan, in this account, is represented as opposed both to God and Job. He was their adversary or satan. Prideaux, in the above quotation, informs us, that Ahraman the evil god, was opposed to the good God, and that this opposition would continue to the end of the world. He also informs us that the evil god was considered the author and director of all evil. This, is precisely the representation, which is given of satan in the book of Job. All Job's afflictions are supposed to be the doings of satan. Orthodox people contend, that this was the case, and that satan is their devil. They have then got only an evil heathen god, or the principal of evil deified, a mere nonentity for a devil. But is this very honorable to Christianity? And is it like persons, who reverence the word of God, flatly to contradict Job, in ascribing afflictions to satan which he ascribes to Jehovah? Job contends, that the good God was the author of his