labour there is profit, but the talk of the lips that is penury.' 'A man has joy by the answer of his mouth, and a word spoken in season how good it is!'

But practical as the tendency of the Book undoubtedly is, it insists upon a life of rectitude and self-denial not merely on account of the worldly advantages it may secure, but for its own sake and from religious motives. To the mind of the pious Hebrew God was ever present, watching over his actions, and awarding blessing or punishment in accordance with his deserts. Therefore the Proverbs instil above all the love of God, which is frequently represented as synonymous with the love of good and the hatred of evil. For they look upon religion and virtue as identical; they teach a theology simple indeed, but all-sufficient for attaining moral strength and singleminded purity; and they denounce unkindness, deceit, and pride with double force, because they regard every vice as 6 an abomination to the Lord.' Like so many of the Psalms, they describe trust in God and His decrees as the fountain of all safety and success, of all knowledge and wisdom; they never cease to impress the fact that man is powerless without His guidance and assistance. Trust in the Lord with all thy heart, and lean not to thy own understanding.' Commit thy works to the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.' He that handles a matter wisely shall find good, and whoso trusts in the Lord, happy is he.' The lot is cast upon the lap, but the disposing thereof is of the Lord.' 'Say not thou, I will recompense evil, but wait on the Lord, and He shall save thee.' The fear of man brings a snare, but whoso puts his trust in the Lord shall be safe.' "The designs of the heart are in man, but the answer of the tongue is of the Lord.' 'A man's heart desires his way, but the Lord directs his steps.' 'The hearing hear and the seeing see; the Lord has made both of them.' There is no

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wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the Lord.' 'The horse is prepared against the day of battle, but safety is of the Lord.'

Thus we meet with the same thoughts and sentiments which so often occur in the Psalms, and though in the Proverbs they are not expressed in the lyrical language of the poet, they breathe the same earnestness of feeling and conviction. They furnish another proof that the best and most pious among the Hebrews understood religion, not as consisting in outward observances, but in the fear of God and in the practice of all human duties. They do not indeed reject the willing sacrifice, as they enjoin, Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the first-fruit of all thy increase,' but they give more frequent utterance to maxims like these: To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.' The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination; how much more when he brings it with a wicked mind.'

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And the Proverbs also uphold throughout the doctrine of retribution, promising God's favour for deeds of righteousness, and menacing evil-doers with His displeasure: As the whirlwind passes, so is the wicked no more, but the righteous are an everlasting foundation.' 'The fear of the Lord prolongs days, but the years of the wicked will be shortened.'

It was reserved for later stages of religious training to pass beyond this conception, and to search for other explanations of the destinies of man.

D. THE BOOK OF JOB.

Though remarkable for poetic beauty and tragical pathos, the Book of Job is chiefly interesting on account of the philosophic problem which it discusses. Leaving the beaten track, and boldly opening new paths of enquiry, it brings some of the most important questions nearer a satisfactory conclusion, and prepares the way to their final solution.

The doctrine of retribution pervades all the earlier productions of the Hebrews: the Law and the Prophets, the Historical Books, the Psalms, and the Proverbs, they all uniformly describe the short-lived happiness of the wicked, and the certain, though often long-deferred prosperity of the virtuous. That doctrine was deemed sufficient to check the misdeeds of the one, and to sustain the fortitude of the other, yet it could not fail to be rendered doubtful by daily experience, which showed that bad men often enjoyed every earthly blessing, while the pious frequently died in suffering and misery. Such doubts found utterance in some of the finest Psalms, but they led to no new result, and the writers finally acquiesced in the traditional belief of speedy retribution, as may be seen from the following verses: Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious of the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. . . Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him: fret not thyself because of him who prospers in his way, because of the

man who practises fraud. Cease from anger and forsake wrath; fret not thyself only to do evil, for the wicked shall be cut off; but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth' (Psalm XXXVII.). Another Psalmist forcibly describes the great difficulties which he felt in reconciling his experience with the popular doctrine; yet his inward struggles made him cling all the more firmly to the old belief, as the only source of peace and comfort. 'Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart. But as for me, my feet had almost fallen, my steps had well-nigh slipped. For I was envious of the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For they have no torments until their death, but their strength is firm. They are not in trouble as other men, nor are they smitten like other men. .. Behold, these are the ungodly who prosper in the world; they increase in riches. Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocence. For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning. Then I considered to comprehend this; it was too hard for me, until I went into the Sanctuary of God, and looked upon their end. Surely Thou settest them in slippery places; Thou castest them down into destruction. How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors. As a dream when one awakes, so, O Lord, Thou awakenest them, and destroyest their delusion' (Psalm LXXIII.).

But the same problem was forced again and again upon thinking minds; and the first real advance towards its solution was made in the Book of Job. The author succeeded in proving the fallacy of the old theory, and especially in showing that suffering is by no means to be regarded in all cases as a punishment. He combated that theory not timidly and cautiously, but with searching boldness, and in a series of argumentative speeches which

remove all doubt. He skilfully chose a form of discussion which allowed a combination of exact enquiry and dramatic vivacity, of logical argument and poetic composition, and as a framework for his enquiries he employed the following narrative :

'There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God and avoided evil. And there were born to him seven sons and three daughters; and his cattle was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she-asses; and, besides, he had a very great household, so that this man was the richest of all the men of the East. And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and they sent and called for their three sisters to eat and drink with them. And when the days of their feasting had gone round, Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered up burnt-offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.

'Now one day the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them. And the Lord said to Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. And the Lord said to Satan, Hast thou considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that fears God and avoids evil? Then Satan answered and said, Does Job fear God for nought? Hast not Thou made a fence about him and about his house, and about all that he has, on every side? Thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his cattle has increased in the land. But put forth Thy hand now, and touch all that he has, and he will