of Haman Let his name

not out of a printed copy, but from a roll kept on purpose. Every one who is able is required to come to this feast to join in the reading, for the better preservation of this important fact. While the chassan is reading, as often as the name occurs, the whole auditory cry out, be blotted out,' or 'Let his memory perish.' The children at the same time hissing, and striking loudly on the forms with little wooden hammers made for the purpose. When the reading is finished, all cry aloud, Cursed be Haman! Blessed be Mordecai! Cursed be Zeresh! Blessed be Esther! Cursed be all idolaters! Blessed be all the Israelites; And blessed be Harbonah,' at whose instance Haman was hanged!"-(Clarke.)

The historical part of the Old Testament closes here; but it may be proper to add a few reflections. We have before us the most ancient and the most authentic history in the world. Beginning with the birth of time, and the creation of the first human pair; the sacred historian brings down his deeply interesting narrative through many generations, to the time when God "formed for himself a people who should show forth his praise." The history of this people is also traced with an unerring hand, from the call of Abraham their father, to the destruction of their famous temple, and their dispersion in part, among the Chaldeans, the Assyrians, and the Persians. Would we know any thing of the true history of a people to whom we are indebted for that part of the Bible which is called the Old Testament? in the books which constitute that part of the sacred volume, their history is fully and faith

fully delineated. Here we tread on "rich historic ground"-all beyond is conjecture, uncertainty, or fable! Would we know the true origin of those mutilated and disfigured accounts, which constitute an important part of "classic lore," such as the Chaos of Sanconiatho, Hesiod, Aristophanes, Diodorus Siculus, Ovid, and others-their fabled Prometheus, Deucalion, Hermes Trismegistus, Iphigenia, Nisus, Phæton, &c. &c., we have only to turn to our Bibles, and there we can read the undisguised and simple truth.

And now, if any one should be found so far beneath the standard of reason and common sense, as to say, that these authentic records are the offspring of priestcraft, let him know that it is evident that the Protestant priests had no hand in writing them, for they were written long before their time, for Luther and Wiclif only translated them. It is equally certain that the Catholic priests are exempt, for they were completed long before their time. And as to Ezra the priest, who probably arranged them, it is certain that many of them were in existence long before his time. But though some of them had existed from the time of Aaron the priest, there is no evidence that he wrote them. And it is certain that the Egyptian priests, for the credit of their craft, would not write them. As well might we suppose that Elias Hicks wrote Barclay's Apology, as to suppose that the historical books of the Old Testament are the offspring of priestcraft.

9

LECTURE III.

ON THE POETICAL BOOKS.

"For whatsoever things were written aforetime, were written for our learning, that we, through patience and comfort of the Scriptures, might have hope."-Romans

xv. 4.

"THOSE books which, by the Hebrews, are termed Hagiographia, or Holy Writings, are Job, the Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon. They are termed poetical, because they are generally composed in measured sentences, and possess what has been considered as the distinguishing characteristic of Hebrew poetry. They are placed in our Bibles between the historical and the prophetical books."-Critica Biblica, Vol. IV. p. 349.

THE BOOK OF JOB.

"This is one of the most extraordinary books of the Holy Scriptures, and has occupied the attention of the learned in all ages. There has been much diversity of opinion concerning its hero, chronology, character, and author. Some have denied the actu

al existence of the venerable patriarch, and considered the book as a fictitious narrative, intended to instruct through the medium of parable. But that such a notion should have been entertained by persons who credit the writings of Ezekiel and James, is something calculated to excite surprise. Both these inspired writers speak of him as a real, and not a fictitious personage. (See Ezek. xiv. 14; and James v. 11.) To this we may add, that he is also mentioned as a real person, in the Apocryphal book of Tobit; as such he has been contemplated from time immemorial in Arabia and Palestine; and no good reason can be given why we should abandon an opinion so strongly supported. With regard to the time when the events here recorded took place, and when the history was committed to writing, critics are by no means agreed. Some are of opinion that it was the earliest written of all the books of the Bible; while others ascribe it to the time subsequent to the captivity. It has been attributed to Moses, to Elihu, to Job, to Solomon, and to Ezra. To enter into an examination of these several opinions, each of which has been advocated by men of the profoundest learning and ability, would exceed the limits of this discourse, nor would it prove materially edifying to the reader."-(C. B.)

"Those who wish to investigate the claims of these different hypotheses, may consult the writings of Lowth, Stock, Warburton, Peters, Faber, Good, Horne, and Dr. A. Clarke. Dr. Hales was of opinion that Job lived before the time of Abraham, and in support of this opinion, Mr. Townsend, in his arrangement of the Old Testament, has added several

weighty arguments. In the opinion of these writers, the book was written by Job himself, or one of his cotemporaries, and was obtained by Moses when in the land of Midian, and by him prepared for the use of the Israelites. The country in which this scene is laid, is said to be the land of Uz, which Mr. Good has distinctly shown to be the land of Idumea.?

"Of the character and structure of this extraordinary book, as a literary composition, several opinions have been entertained. Calmet, Warburton, and others, have regarded it as a drama. Bp. Lowth conceived it to be of a mixed character. Mr. Good considered it as a regular epic poem. Dr. Clarke, whose opinion coincides nearly with that of Bp. Lowth, says, 'It is a paem of the highest order; dealing in subjects the most grand and sublime; using imagery the most chaste and appropriate; described by language the most happy and energetic; conveying instruction, both in divine and human things, the most ennobling and useful; abounding in precepts the most pure and exalted, which are enforced by arguments the most strong and conclusive, and illustrated by examples the most natural and striking.""

"The general scope and moral of this sublime production, namely, that the troubles and afflictions of a good man are, for the most part, designed as tests of his virtue and integrity, out of which he will at length emerge with additional splendor and happiness, are common to eastern poets, and not uncommon to those of Greece. But, in various respects, the poem of Job stands unrivalled and alone. In