thrown my judgment.' What man is there like Job, who drinketh up scorning like water?" At length God himself becomes umpire in the dispute, and condescends to reason with Job, to show him that he came out of nothing, and that he ought to be satisfied to commit himself to the hands of his Maker. And the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said: "Who is this that wrappeth up sentences in unskilful words? Answer me: Where wast thou when I laid the foundation of the world; when the morning stars praised me together, and all the sons of God made a joyful melody?" And the Lord said to Job: "Shall he that contendeth with God be so easily silenced; surely he that reproveth God ought to answer him?"

The holy Job was convinced, and exclaimed, "I have spoken unwisely, and of things that above measure exceeded my knowledge. With the hearing of the ear I have heard thee, but now mine eye seeth thee; therefore I reprehend myself, and do penance in dust and ashes."

In reward of the humility of his servant, the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning. And he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels; a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand asses; and he had seven sons and three daughters. And

The book of Job gives us a consoling insight into the government of God, who frequently suffers severe calamities and afflictions to fall to the lot of those who love and fear God, in common with the punishments, which are certain in the end to overtake the wicked on account of their sins. It is also worthy of particular notice, that Job is a Saint who does not belong to the chosen family of Isaac and Jacob. The preservation of the book of Job, by the chosen family itself, as an example of a Saint in affliction, although not one of themselves, is an early proof of what St. Peter the Apostle afterwards declared at the baptism of Cornelius,

Job lived after these things a hundred and forty years, and he saw his children and his children's children

unto the fourth generation, and he died an old man, full of days.

the first Gentile convert, that in every nation he that feareth God and worketh justice is accepted with him. The expression, "Job's comforter," has become a familiar bye-word, to describe the kind of comforting which makes a misfortune worse than it really is.

THE FOURTH ERA OF THE HISTORY;

OR,

THE SIXTH HOUR OF THE PARABLE OF THE LABOURERS IN THE VINEYARD.

From B.C. 1570, to B.c. 1010-containing :

I-THE Deliverance of the Children of Israel out of Egypt-(80 years.)

II. THE Wandering in the Wilderness, or the Giving of the Law, the Institution of the
Tabernacle, and the Priesthood of Aaron-(40 years.)

III. THE Conquest and Division of the Land of Canaan under Josue-(40 years.)

IV. THE Judges of Israel, or the falling away of Israel into Idolatry-(340 years.)

V. THE Election of Saul to be King, to the Temple of Solomon-(60 years.)

FIRST SUBDIVISION. THE DELIVERANCE OUT OF EGYPT-80 YEARS.

§ 1. Introduction.

The Fourth Era of the History differs from the third Era, which we have now gone through, in this respect, that hitherto we have seen the Providence of God taking care of a single chosen family, and even of one member of it in particular, who though sold as a slave into Egypt, came to be its governor.

As families multiply, they come to be a nation or people, and then, they require laws for their government, public instructors to teach them their duty, and the public worship and service of God. Almighty God had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, severally, that he would make of them a great nation. We are now about to see how God kept His word, and gave His own laws, public teachers and sacrifices, to the family of Jacob whom he had thus multiplied. And when our Divine Lord appears, we shall see how He gave His Gospel of mercy, its holy sacrifice and apostolic ministry, to all nations of the world. The Providence of God

thus moving step by step. * First, the call of the single person named Abraham-then of his family, by circumcision-then of the whole people of Israel, as we shall presently see, by the Covenant of Mount Sinai-and lastly, the call of all the people and tribes of the whole world, by baptism, into the one fold of the one true Shepherd, Jesus Christ, the seed promised to Abraham, in whom all the nations of the earth should be blest.†

§ 2. The Birth of Moses, B.C. 1570.

Joseph being now dead, the children of Israel grew and multiplied, and became so numerous that they filled the land. In the meantime there arose a new king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph. And he said to his people, "Behold, the children of Israel are become both more numerous and strong than we: come, let us be wise and oppress them, lest they multiply, and if any war rise up against us, they take sides with our enemies, gain a victory over us, and leave the country. therefore set over them task-masters to afflict them and to lay burdens upon them, and they built for Pharao

He

*This advance step by step of the work of God, is described by our Lord in the parable of the labourers called at different hours into the vineyard. (Matt., xviii.) Those of the first hour are the immediate descendants of Noe, to whom Noe taught the knowledge of God-the labourers of the third hour, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob -the labourers of the sixth hour, Moses and Aaron--the labourers of the ninth hour, the Prophets of Israel-while the eleventh and last hour, is the ministry of the Catholic Church, which is to last to the end of the world. The evening when the labourers were called to receive their hire, is the last general judgment, at which all without exception will have to appear, to receive either the reward of their just labour or the punishment of their evil deeds.

+ Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the labourers of the third hour, are examples of men who lived in this world despising all its possessions and riches. Our Lord says of the people of Sodom and Gomorrha, that they were buying and selling, planting

But the more

the cities of Pithom and Ramesses. they oppressed them, the more they multiplied and increased. The Egyptians also hated the children of Israel and mocked them, and made their life bitter with the hard works with which they oppressed them. And Pharao commanded his people, saying, "All the male children that are born, cast them into the river, and save the female children alive."

Some time after this, a man of the tribe of Levi took a wife of his own kindred, and when their first son was born, the mother contrived to hide him for three months; when, however, she could conceal him no longer, she took a cradle of bulrushes, smeared it with bitumen and pitch, and putting the little babe into it, she laid him in the sedges by the river's brink.

The little child's sister remained standing a short distance from the spot, to see what would happen. About this time Pharao's daughter was in the habit of coming down from the palace to bathe, and she and her maids amused themselves by walking on the banks of the river. The cradle caught the eye of the princess, and she went up to it and opened it, and when she found the little babe inside, she pitied it, and said, This is one of the babes of the Hebrews." The little child's sister, who had been looking on, now came

vineyards and building, on the very day that the fire fell from heaven and burnt up their city. The holy patriarchs did not live for this world, they possessed nothing but a cave for a burying-place; they left country, friends, and relations at the command of God. "Now, they who do these things," says St. Paul," declare plainly that they seek a country, and truly if they had been mindful of that from whence they came, doubtless they had time to return; but now they desire a better, that is to say, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God." (Hebrews, xi., 14.)