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النشر الإلكتروني

CONCERNING JOB.

But how by Man can this be done?
Now see my Bible clear:
As I did say to Job that day,

I now may say to Man;

The Leviathan there's none can slay,

The way I said to him;

And now the same I say to mas

Can you destroy your foe,
That, like that fish, is surely strong,
And doth a fishing go?
I know for man his power is strong,
They caunot him destroy;
But I'm a God shall send a rod;
For man I will enjoy."

107

Ch. xli. last verse. - He beholdeth all high things; he is a King over all the children of pride.

Now from the verse that there is mention'd
Let the wise and learned see;
Then they must drop all contention,
Know the fish was nam'd by ME;
What I compar'd, they all must hear,
A Type of Satan stood.
How can men say another way
I do the fish allude,
To be the whole when I do call
My children from distress?
As I did there to Job appear,
His sufferings to redress,
His grief to free, I now tell thee,
The fish I did compare;
There was no wisdom wrought in he
For to destroy him there;
And so to Man I now shall come-
You can't destroy your Foe:
For as I said the fish was strong,
So Satan's arts I know;
But as a king can you now bring
That fish upon the sea,
That all the children here of pride
His power do cast away?
In power there can he appear,
O'er all them that are proud?
I tell thee, No; he cannot go;
Nor can you this allude,
To make it plain by learned men,
The way 'tis mention'd there,
Nought but the fish did I allude,
That did in power appear,
No; 'twas to Hell, the truth.l tell,
Though like a fable penn'd;
*For Satan's arts they so did swell
Against my every friend;

So unto he I then did sav,
Could he destroy his Foe,
Who like that fish in power did lie?
But now the truth you know,
'Twas drawn from he, the end you see,
Because you know 'twas great;

And I did turn his enemies,

That judg'd there was deceit
Found in the Man, his grief did come,
But I did turn the whole;
And now the end 'tis my intend,
The same on Man shall fall;
Though Satan first in rage may burst,
My friends for to condemn;
But I do tell them at the last

My thundering voice shall come;
My friends I'll free, I now tell thee,
As I freed Јов before.
But first, you see, condemn'd they be
By false friends to appear,
Who say, 'tis wrong they do go on,
My friends they would confound;
And strong the tempter now is come,
I say, in every sound,
For to condemn in every Man
That upright wish to be,
And wish the Serpent was destroy'd,
That they might live in ME.
Then these to JOB I shall allude-
And here the lines go deep:
Because they wish for to be good,
That they my laws may keep;
Sin to be gone, and I may come
To be the guide of all;
Then all may see they upright be,
Or they'd reject the call.
So unto JOB I all allude,

That wish my Kingdom near;
But I do say to thee this day,
False friends do now appear,
As his did come, I see in Man
They daily do abound;
Hypocrisy they do condemn,
But their words will be found.
I say, at last, as Job's did burst
It fell upon their heads:
And in the end 'tis my intend,
That back their words I'll lead
Upon them all, when I do call;
So let the words be penn'd.
This is a warning deep for all;
For so they'll see the end."

1 CONCERNING JOB.

109

In chap. viii. Job 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 JOB 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 judgment; 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 MF. 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 Jов, І say by thee: if Job 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 God 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, when confusion has filled thy mind, and knew not from whence they came. How often has this been thy

CONCERNING JOB.

111

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

has been,

And now to Man I bold will come :
For I shall answer here.
Perfect like JOB thy cause
So let thy Foes take care;
For much like he, I now tell thee,

Satan did thee condemn;
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 che't 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;

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