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severely reproved Job for insisting so much on his own innocence before God, chap xxxii. &c.

16 Q. What was the foundation of Elihu's argument on this occasion ?

A. The supreme majesty and holiness of God, the meanness and sinfulness of the best of men in his sight; his sovereign dominion over all things, and the unsearchableness of his wisdom and conduct toward men, chap. xxxiii. and xxxvi. &c.

17 Q. How did God himself manifestly engage in deciding this controversy ?

A. He greatly confirmed the sentiments and opinions of Elihu, by asserting and displaying his own supreme wisdom and power, his grandeur and dominion over all things, by a voice out of the whirlwind, chap. xxxviii. &c.

18 Q. What effect had this upon his servant Job? A. Job confessed his folly, abhorred himself for his sin under the apprehension of the holiness and the majesty of God, and repented in dust and ashes, chap. xlii. 1-6.

19 Q. How did God deal with the three friends of Job?

A. He disapproved of their false accusations of Job, and their wrong sentiments concerning God himself and his conduct, and bade them offer a sacrifice of atonement, and Job to pray for them, ver. 7, 8.

20 Q. What tokens of approbation and favour did God show to Job?

A. While Job prayed for his friends, God released him from all his afflictions, and afterwards gave him ten children, as he had at first; he doubled his estate, and prolonged his life to four generations, chap. xlii. 10-17.

CHAPTER XV.

THE HISTORY OF JONAH.

1 Q. Who was Jonah?

A. A prophet who lived about the time of Jeroboam the second, king of Israel, Jonah i. 1. 2 Kings xiv. 25. There is no need of particular citations of chapter and verse for the history of Jonah, since the whole is contained in four short chapters.

2 Q. Whither did God send him?

A. He was sent to Nineveh, to produce destruction upon that great city for their wickedness. 3 Q. How did Jonah disobey God?

A. He took shipping and fled toward Tarshish, from the presence of the Lord, because he supposed that the mercy of God would spare Nineveh after he had pronounced destruction upon it, and then he should be counted a false prophet.

4 Q. What befell him in this voyage?

A. There arose a terrible tempest which endangered the ship; and Jonah being conscious of his own guilt, advised the sailors to cast him into the sea, and then the storm ceased.

5 Q. What became of Jonah?

A. A great fish swallowed him up, and he continued in the bowels of the fish three days and three nights.

6 Q. Did he ever come to the shore again?

A. At his repentance and earnest prayer, God commanded the fish to vomit out Jonah upon the dry land, Jonah ii.

7. Q. What service did God assign to Jonah after this great deliverance?

A. He sent him the second time to Nineveh, to preach destruction against it within forty days, Jonah

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8 Q. What effect had this preaching upon the people?

A. The king and the people put on sackcloth,

mourned for their sins, turned from their evil ways, and cried mightily to God for mercy, whereupon God withheld the punishment which he threatened. 9 Q. How did Jonah resent this merciful dealing of God with Nineveh ?

A. He feared he should be counted a false prophet, and in an angry temper desired God to take away his life, Jonah iv.

10 Q. What did God do to convince him of the unreasonableness of his anger?

A. He made a gourd grow up in a night, which sheltered him from the heat of the sun, and he caused it to wither the next day; upon which Jonah murmured against God.

11 Q. How did God argue with Jonah upon this occurrence?

A. God reproved the prophet that he should be so much concerned about a gourd, a senseless plant, which grew up in one night, and only afforded him some convenience of life; and that he should be no more concerned about the lives of so great and populous a city, which, besides men and women had above six-score thousand children in it.

CHAPTER XVI.

THE HISTORY OF JEREMIAH.

1 Q. Who was Jeremiah?

A. One of the priests in the land of Benjamin, whom God called to be a prophet when he was very young, in the days of Josiah, king of Judah, Jer. i. 1-7.

2 Q. What encouragement had he when he was so young to pronounce the judgments of God against the people?

A. God put forth his hand and touched his mouth to signify his divine inspiration, and promised his

presence with him to deliver him from all that should oppose him, ver. 7—19.

3 Q. What was the chief message with which Jeremiah was sent to the people, and to the princes and kings of Judah?

Ă. That Jerusalem should be destroyed, and the people and princes should be carried away captive into Babylon, because of their sins, and remain there seventy years. From chap. vii. to xxv. ver. 11, 12.

4 Q. By what method did Jeremiah set before them their sins, and these judgments of God?

A. By some very plain and direct speeches, by an example of the Rechabites set before them, and by some parables or emblems.

5 Q. How did Jeremiah show them the heinousness of their sins by a view of the example of the Rechabites?

A. Since all the family of Rechab abstained from wine which is no unlawful liquor, merely because Jonadab their father forbade them; much more should the Jews have abstained from those practices which are utterly unlawful, when the God of Israel had'forbidden them, Jer. xxxv.

6 Q. What were some of the emblems by which God ordered Jeremiah to foretell their calamities? A. A linen girdle, a potter's vessel, an earthen bottle, yokes of wood and of iron, &c.

7 Q. What was designed by the linen girdle?

A. Jeremiah was commanded to hide it in the hole of a rock near the river Euphrates, and when he sought it again it was quite spoiled; so God decreed to spoil the pride of Jerusalem by the nation that dwelt near Euphrates, that is Assyria, Jer. xiii.

8 Q. What was intended by the potter's vessel? A. As when the vessel of clay was spoiled in the making, the form of it was changed, and it was moulded up into another vessel, as the potter pleased; so God declared his power over the house of Israel, to manage and dispose of them as he pleased; and

that he would change his providence and their state according to their behaviour, Jer. xviii.

9 Q. What further lesson was taught by an earthen bottle?

A. Jeremiah was commanded to break the bottle in the sight of the priests and the elders, and to declare, "Thus saith the Lord, Even so will I break this people and this city, that it shall not be made whole again."Jer. xix.

10 Q. What did Jeremiah teach them by the emblems of bonds and yokes?

A. In the days of Jehoiakim king of Judah, God commanded Jeremiah to make bonds and yokes, and put them on his own neck; and then to send them to the kings of the nations round about, to assure them that they should all be made subject to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Jer. xxvii. 1—12.

11 Q. Who were Jeremiah's chief enemies?

A. The priests and the false prophets, who would have put him to death in the reign of Jehoiakim, Jer. xxvi. 1-8.

12 Q. Who saved Jeremiah at that time?

A. The princes and the people saved him from death, though the king slew Urijah the prophet, who confirmed the words of Jeremiah, ver. 10-24.

13 Q. What abuses did Jeremiah receive from Pashur the priest?

A. Pashur smote the prophet and put him in the stocks, Jer. xx. 1, 2.

14. Q. What evil was denounced against Pashur on this account?

A. God changed his name to Magor-missabib, to denote that he should be a terror to himself and to all his friends; and foretold that he should be led captive to Babylon, and die there, ver. 3-6.

15 Q. How did Jeremiah's patience hold out under the many injuries he received?

A. In the main he continued to trust in God, but

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