ing was from Mesha, as thou goest unto Sephar, a mount of the East." Job is said, in the Scripture record, to have been "the greatest of all men of the East;" and it is highly interesting to trace the collateral evidences, which the sacred genealogy affords, respecting the circumstances of this remarkable narrative. "The land of Uz," where Job lived, was, as we have good ground to believe, peopled by Uz, one` of the grandsons of Shem; of whom we read, Gen. x. 31, "These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations." Uz was evidently an extensive territory, comprehending various nations; for the prophet Jeremiah, (chap. xxv. 20,) speaks of the different races that composed "The mingled people that dwell in the desert," amongst these he mentions "All the kings of the

Kirharaseth; Zarthan, Zaredath; Noph, No; Sheba, Seba; Assyria, Assur and Asshur; Chittim, Kittim; Caphtorim, Caphtor; Shechem, Sychem and also Sychar; and many similar changes. In referring to the genealogy of the earliest patriarchs and of their immediate posterity, as recorded in Gen. x. and xxxvi., and in 1 Chron. i. and ii., we may observe the frequent variations that occur in names. Seth and Enos are called in Chronicles Sheth, Enosh; Salah is called Shelah; Phut, the son of Ham, is called Put; Obal, the son of Joktan, is Ebal; Mash, the son of Aram, and grandson of Shem, is called in Chronicles Meshech, with many others. Yet this circumstance does not warrant the faintest doubt of the perfect authenticity or the Divine authority of Holy Scripture, but, on the contrary, strongly attests its genuine character; because we perceive in it the entire agreement of the facts and events, as related by holy men of old, who lived in different ages of the world, and whose dialects would naturally conform to the period in which they wrote-as has been the case with those who translated the Holy Bible into our language.

land of Uz." That Job lived near to Edom is evident, because one of his friends came from Temani, and the prophet Obadiah speaks of "the mighty men" of "Teman" of "the mount of Esau," with other allusions to "the wise men of Edom." The district lay to the south-west of Sabæa and Chaldea, whence bands of robbers came and seized on Job's cattle. This "greatest of all the men of the east," was doubtless a sovereign ruler, probably one of "the kings of the land of Uz." Of his power and greatness we have proof from his declaration that when he went out through the city, or sat in the street, "the young men hid themselves, and the aged arose and stood up-the princes refrained talking, and the nobles held their peace;" and he says, Unto me men gave ear, and waited, and kept silence at my counsel; after my words they spake not again' -"I chose out their way, and sat chief, and dwelt as a king in the army." He also says, "He hath taken the crown from my head." One of the sons of Seir, the Horite, who dwelt in Edom, gave to his eldest son the name of Uz-and Bozrah is spoken of, both in his time, and in the prophecies of Isaiah and Jeremiah, as the capital of Edom (sometimes called Idumea.) Amos prophesies that the Lord would punish Edom, and would "send a fire upon Teman, which shall devour the palaces of Bozrah." Thus we perceive that Bozrah and Teman were either contiguous or the same city— and we may conclude that Job was the person who is spoken of as reigning in Bozrah. We have another most satisfactory evidence of the authenticity of this narrative respecting Job, from the names of his friends

who visited him in the time of his sore calamity. Esau's first-born was named Eliphaz, whose eldest son was Teman from this stock, doubtless, sprang Eliphaz the Temanite and from Shuah, who was one of the sons of Abraham by Keturah, we trace Bildad the Shuhite; whose father's name is twice mentioned in connexion with Edom. Elihu the Buzite, of the kindred of Ram (called elsewhere Aram) from Buz, the son of Nahor, Abraham's brother. Distinct territories derived their names from them, as we find in Jeremiah xxv., that "Dedan, Tema, and Buz, and all the kings of Arabia,” are connected with "the kings of the land of Uz.” Dedan and Tema (or Temani) were conquered by Edom, which was distinguished for its advancement in knowledge. Teman is spoken of as the seat of wisdom (See Jeremiah xlix. 7.) Bozrah and Teman were (according to Eusebius, and other ancient writers,) within a short distance from Petra. The tombs there cut out of the rock-still existing-explain Job's desire that he were at rest in the grave "with kings and counsellors of the earth, which built desolate places for themselves."

CHAP. XXIII.-And Jacob had twelve sons-each of them became the head of a tribe-their names being Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Zebulon, Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Joseph, and Benjamin.

"Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children," and "he made him a coat of many colours." For this distinction, together with their interpretation of dreams which he related to them, and which be

tokened his future pre-eminence, his brethren envied and hated him, and at length conspired to slay him; but, through the direction of a gracious overruling Providence, they were induced to sell him as a slave to some Midianitish merchants, of the race of Ishmael, who took him into Egypt, where he was purchased by Potiphar, an officer in Pharaoh's house, and captain of his guard.

Here Joseph's integrity and virtue brought him into favour with his master, so that he confided to him the entire charge of his household. But it pleased the Almighty to permit injustice and cruelty again to oppress him, and he was cast into a prison; but he was sustained by faith, and "God was with him," and endued him with spiritual understanding, and at length "delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt," who made him governor over all the land.

Joseph had, under divine direction, foretold a lengthened period of famine, and had devised the means of providing for it:-the dearth prevailed in all the adjacent countries, and Jacob with his household would have perished, had not the supply been graciously provided by the God whom he worshipped. He sent his ten elder sons to Egypt to buy corn: and afterwards the youngest was taken thither by his brethren, on which occasion Joseph made himself known unto them; and he sent for his aged father, who, with all his family, migrated into Egypt. "And the children of Israel dwelt in the district of Goshen, and they multiplied exceedingly, and became great."-"And the time

drew nigh that Israel must die;" and he pronounced a prophetic blessing on the sons of Joseph; after which he called together all his twelve sons, and declared unto them "that which should befall them in the last days." Under the influence of that faith which "is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen," the venerable Patriarch, as he was about to enter into the blissful presence of the Angel of the Covenant, who, said he, "redeemed me from all evil," was divinely inspired to delineate the character and circumstances of the future generations of his children.

CHAP. XXIV.—Respecting one of his sons Jacob uttered a very remarkable prediction, clearly indicating, not only the prosperity and the regal power which should distinguish his tribe, but more particularly the extinction of this external dominion upon the coming of Christ, and the establishment of that spiritual kingdom which shall endure for ever:-"Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise; thine hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down to thee:-the sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be."

And Jacob charged his sons, saying, "I am to be gathered unto my people-bury me with my fathers, in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan." And when Joseph had lived to the age of one hundred and ten