logy from Adam,
through all the tribes of Israel and Judah; and the remainder is the
same history which is contained in the books of Kings, with little or no
variation, till the separation of the ten tribes: From that period it
proceeds with the history of the kingdom of Judah alone, and gives,
therefore, a more regular and clear account of the affairs of Judah,
than the book of Kings. You may pass over the first book of Chronicles,
and the nine first chapters of the second book: but, by all means, read
the remaining chapters, as they will give you more clear and distinct
ideas of the history of Judah, than that you read in the second book of
Kings. The second of Chronicles ends, like the second of Kings, with the
Babylonish captivity.

31. You must pursue the history in the book of Ezra, which gives the
account of the return of some of the Jews on the edict of Cyrus, and of
the re-building the Lord's temple.

32. Nehemiah carries on the history for about twelve years, when he
himself was governor of Jerusalem, with authority to re-build the walls,
&c.

33. The story of Esther is prior in time to that of Ezra and Nehemiah;
us you will see by the marginal dates; however, as it happened during
the seventy years captivity, and is a kind of episode, it may be read in
its own place.

34. This is the last of the canonical books that is properly historical;
and I would therefore advise, that you pass over what follows, till you
have continued the history through the Apocryphal Books.

_Of Job._

35. The history of Job is probably very ancient, though that is a point
upon which learned men have differed: It is dated, however, 1520 years
before Christ: I believe it is uncertain by whom it was written: many
parts of it are obscure, but it is well worth studying, for the extreme
beauty of the poetry, and for the noble and sublime devotion it
contains.

36. The subject of the dispute between Job and his pretended friends,
seems to be, whether the Providence of God distributes the rewards and
punishments of this life; in exact proportion to the merit or demerit of
each individual. His antagonists suppose that it does; and therefore
infer from Job's uncommon calamities, that, notwithstanding his apparent
righteousness, he was in reality a grievous sinner: They aggravate his
supposed guilt, by the imputation of hypocrisy, and call upon him to
confess it, and to acknowledge the justice of his punishment.

37. Job asserts h