1st. From Job's own testimony concerning his afflictions. Job's heathen neighbors supposed their evil god Ahraman was the cause of them. Christians believe their satan or devil was the cause of them. But does Job ascribe them to either? No, when one messenger after another is represented as announcing to him the loss of his property and at last the death of his children, he says "The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." chap. i. 21. He does not for a moment admit that either Ahraman or the devil had any kind of concern in his afflictions. He no more admits their influence in taking away his property and children, than in the bestowment of them. The giving and taking them away are alike ascribed to Jehovah. Similar were his views and feelings, when afflicted with sore boils. His wife desired him to curse God and die. But he says to her-"Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?" Job-ii. 9, 10. Does this look like acknowledging the Persian evil god or the Christian's devil? Notwithstanding the popular opinions, that Ahraman was the cause of all evil, the severe bodily pain he suffered, and the taunts of his wife, he holds fast his integrity in the true God. Now, permit me to ask, if Job had believed, that either Ahraman or the devil brought his afflictions upon him, why did he ascribe them all to the true God. without reservation? And why did he not correct his wife's mistake by telling her, that Ahraman or the devil ought to be cursed? But Job had no faith in either, and hence he told her, that she spoke as one of the foolish or heathen women speaketh. Job allowed of but one God, and it is evident, that his adversity and prosperity are both alike ascribed to him. See chap. xlii. 10-12. and i. 21.

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. Satan 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 Je-hovah. 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