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CONCERNING JOB.

109

In chap. viii. Joв is deeply condemned by his friends, verse 13-And the hypocrite's hope shall perish-Chap. xi. 2, 3, Job is again reproved by his friends-Should not the multitude of words be answered? And should a man full of talk'be justified? Should thy lies make men hold their peace? And when thou mockest, shall no man make thee ashamed? Chap. xv. Job is again reproved by his friends, verse 4, 5-Yea thou castest off fear, and restrainest prayer before God: For thy mouth uttereth thine iniquity, and thou choosest the tongue of the crafty. Chap. xx, Job is again reproved by his friends, verse 5-The triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment. This they laid to Job, that his triumph was the triumph of the wicked, and his joy, the joy of the hypocrite, which they said should perish like his own dung; and they which saw him, should say where is he? Therefore Job might well say, in chap. xxi. 27-Behold I know your thoughts, and the devices which ye wrongfully imagine against me. But how do his friends reprove him, in chap. xxii. 5, 6, 7 -Is not thy wickedness great? and thine iniquities infinite? For thou hast taken a pledge from thy brother for nought, and stripped the naked of their clothing. Thou hast not given water to the weary to drink, and thou hast withholden bread from the hungry. But see what Job answers for himself, in chap. xxix. 12, 13-I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him. The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me: and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy. Now let God be true and every man a liar for in the same manner that the Lord spoke of Joв to the Devil, in the same manner he justified Job to his friends. So, blessed be God, a good conscience is better than ten thousand witnesses. For so Job was able to justify himself; and their boasting as fools was but for a moment; and thus

will be the boasting of all those who judge of things they know nothing about, as Job's friends judged him. "They neither knew the cause, nor his life; and therefore they drew a proud and ignorant judg ment; but were soon cut down in their own boasting, and brought upon themselves what they blamed JOB for-that they had judged as hypocrites, condemning the innocent, and clearing the guilty. For though they did not discern what they were doing yet in the manner they condemned Job, they joined with his accuser, which was the Devil, who condemned him to Mr. Now remember what I told thee in 1792 thy cause was like JoB's cause; and thy friends were like Job's friends; and because they could not account for my wondrous working with thee, they were sometimes silent; and when they spoke, they spoke wrong; for when they drew their judgment, they drew it from the Devil. And now I will prove they are perfectly like JoB's friends; for while they are boasting of their great goodness to ME, and the great merits of their SAVIOUR, they are just like JoB's friends, that wanted to make their GOD the Liar, by denying the PROMISE that was made in the Fall; and by denying the fulfilment of the Merit of my Death. Now, as I said by Joв, I say by thee: if Joв had said of himself. what his friends said of him, he could not have said he was a perfect and upright man; for, then he must have given his Gon the lie, and denied the truth of what I said to Satan concerning him. And just the same I say of thee: shouldest thou speak after the manner of the world, to say thy writings were from thy own invention, thou must give the SPIRIT the lie; as I have said through thy writings that they came from ME. Now, if thou sayest they are from the Devil then thou must be openly obeying him. But here in thy heart thou hast often pondered like Job, wher confusion has filled thy mind, and knew not from whence they came. How often has this been th

CONCERNING JOB.

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complaining-Oh! that I could come before the Lord! Oh! that I could bow myself before the Most High!

And now to Man I bold will come :

For I shall answer here.

Perfect like JOB thy cause has been,
So let thy Foes take care;
For much like he, I now tell thee,
Satan did thee condeman;
Therefore I gave hiin liberty
All ways to try thy hand.
So every way, I now do say,
The tempter did appear;
And every way, they all may see,
Like Job thou didst appear.
Integrity was found in thee,
Thou never would'st give up
The hopes that thou hadst got in ME,
Which made thy foe to drop.
I say, in het can never be

In boldness to appear;
Because I let him every way,
Like JOB, to try thee here.
Then now to Men I'll boldly come,
And let them all stand mute,
Their boasting shall be overthrown,
When I do strike the root;
Then they shall see they surely be
Like JOB's friends heretofore;

Their boasting is hypocrisy,

Their triumphs shall be o'er;
Because of ME, all flesh will see,
They cannot find a Man

My Bible clears as thou hast here,
To glorify my Name;

In wisdom shine the thoughts of thine,

Thy God in all thou'st freed.

Bring ME the Man that now can come,

My Bible clear like thee :

Though 'tis from Hell some men do tell,
Then Satan all may shame;

If 'tis from thee, they all must see
Thou'st honour'd great my Name.

Then where's the Man can dare to stand

For to condemn thee here?

For let them seek throughout the land,

My Bible none can clear,

As thou hast done, I'll answer man→→
Let every book be found
Against my Bible that is penn'd,

And let them judge thy sound;
Then they must say another way-
"We judg'd the Bible wrong;

Therefore our hearts were led astray,
"Our Bibles to condemn."
But let them see the lines of thee,
Which way can Man appear,
I ask them now, to answer thee,
The way thou'st work'd it here?
If by thy hand they say 'tis done,
Then by it they shall fall.

Let these pretended Christians come
To answer one and all:

When men appear, as they have here,
You know, throughout the land;
My Bible's mocked every where
Then let these Christians stand
To answer men, as thou hast done-
'Tis more than Man can do.
My honour they do try to shun;
My words I'll prove them true.
My honour here can men now clear-
Ne'er to support my word?

Can I be honour'd by their prayers,
While they deny their LORD?
And while then here men do appear
My Bible to disgrace,

My honour they'll not try to clear-
Then judge, ye fallen race,

If honour due is brought from you?
I tell you, you bring none;

Just like the Friends of Joв were penn'd,
My honour you unthrone;

For they appear'd, I tell you here,
As Satan did at first,

That way my honour tried to clear-
See how the end did burst:

When I did come I did condemn-
My thunder will appear,

I'll make men tremble in this land:
Like JOB's friends, men shall hear,
That right of ME, they all shall see,
Like thee they have not spoke:
And if they say 't come not from me,
Let them no longer mock;
For they must see a mind in thee
My honour all to clear;

But can men say 'tis done by they,
Because they meet in Prayer?
I tell them, No; it is not so;
Though thou dost pray the same;
But if no further thou dost go,
Could'st thou exalt my Name?
I tell thee, No; they all shall know,
Their Prayers are all in vain,
If they no further will go through,
My honour to maintain.

OF THE PSALMS.

So let them see the end of thee,

When I have all work'd round,
And then their boasting they will see,
Like Job's friends they are found.
So I'll end here, and say no more;
But to the Psalms I'll come :
What in thy pondering heart appear'd
Must now be penn'd by them;
Then I'll explain what all do mean,
When thou hast all gone through;
For now with men I shall contend-
The End is in my view."

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THE PSALMS.

Monday Evening, October 1. Joanna has been reading the Psalms all the day, wherein her heart has been pondering.

And now I shall give the thoughts of my heart, from the words of David. His heart has often been like mine; and mine joins with him in complaining against my enemies; and relying only on the mercies of God. But from my judgment of David, whatever was his fault, concerning Uriah, he ap. pears, by the Psalms, to have a warm zeal and love for God; and a desire for his honour and glory, as far as my heart ponders upon the Psalms; and I do not read of any one in the Old Testament, that seems to have more of a heart to honour and glorify GoD than DAVID. Hear what he says, Psalm xix. 14Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer. And how strong is his Faith. Psalm xxiii. 4-Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of Death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Psalm xxv. 14-The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant. Psalm xxvii. 8-When thou saidst, seek ye my face, iny heart said unto

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