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النشر الإلكتروني

ECCLESIASTES AND PROVERBS.

Saturday Morning, October 6, 1804.

Now Joanna begins with Ecclesiastes xi. 1, 2Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shall find it after many days. Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth. Chap. viii. 11-Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. Chap. vii. 29-Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions. Ver.8Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Chap. iii. 14-I know that whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him. Proverbs xxix. 27-An unjust man is an abomination to the just: and he that is upright in the way is abomination to the wicked. Chap. xxviii. 26-He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered. Chap. xxvii. 12A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished. Chap. xxv. 2-It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter. Ver. 5-Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness. Ver. 19-Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint. Chap. xxiv. 12-If thou sayest Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that ponderetl the heart consider it? And he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? And shall not he ren der to every man according to his works? Cha xxi. 2-Every way of a man is right in his own eyes

OF THE PROVERES OF SOLOMON.

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but the Lord pondereth the hearts. Chap. xix. 9A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish.. Chap. xviii. 13-He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him. Chap. xvii. 13-Whoso rewardeth evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house. Ver. 15-He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the Lord. Chap. xv. 22-With*out council purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established. Chap. xvi. 1-The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. Ver. 3Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established. Chap. xiv. 10-The heart knoweth his own bitterness; and a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy. Ver. 27-The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death. Chap. xii. 13-The wicked is snared by the transgression of his lips : but the just shall come out of trouble. Ver. 19-The lip of truth shall be established for ever; but a lying tongue is but for a moment. Chap. xi. 14-Where no council is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety. Ver. 26-He that withholdeth corn,

if the people shall curse him but blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it. Ver. 30-The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise. Ver. 31-Behold the righteous

ock shall be recompensed in the earth. Chap. x. 29The way of the Lord is strength to the upright. Ver. 30-The righteous shall never be removed: but the wicked shall not inhabit the earth. Chap. viii. 12-I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions. Ver. 29-When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth. Ver. 30-Then I was by

him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him. Ver. 31Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and iny delights were with the sons of men. Chap. iii. 19-The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens. Ver. 32-For the froward is abomination to the Lord: but his secret is with the righteous. Ver. 6In all thy ways' acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Chap. ii. 5-Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. Ver. 6-For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. Ver. 22-But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it. Chap. i. 23-Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. Ver. 24Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded. Ver. 25-But ye have set at nought all my council, and would none of my reproof. Ver. 26-I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh. Ver. 29-For that they hated knowledge, and did not chuse the fear of the Lord.

THE ANSWER OF THE LORD.

"Now, Joanna, I shall answer thee, from the words of Solomon: a wise son maketh a glad father, but a foolish son is heaviness to his mother. And now I shall tell thee from the WISDOM OF SOLOMON, who is the WISE SON, that shall make glad his FATHER that first created him to have HIS delight with the sons of men: for by MY WISDOM, I laid the foundation of the earth, and by MY WISDOM I formed MAN in it; and now iny secrets shall be with them that fear ME; and they who delight in the knowledge of their God, the knowledge of their GOD shall be given unto them; and I will pour out MY SPIRIT Upon them. The WISDOM that was given to

OF THE PROVERBS OF SOLOMON.

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SOLOMON, was wisdom given for all men to know and understand the end of all things; that the wicked should be rooted out, and they that TRUST in the LORD, should be ESTABLISHED in the earth.

So I'll begin from SOLOMON:
As backward thou didst go,
And so the same I shall go on
Till I the end shall shew.
The bread is on the water cast-

My WORD doth now appear.
You know that water bread would waste,

If men should cast it there;
Then 'tis MY WORD that's on record
IS BREAD for all to find:

And if they'll now believe their LORD,

'Tis my appointed time For men to see the ways of ME,

In wisdom to appear; And many portions now I'll give To them that seek ME here. Evils will come upon the land, And fast they will abound: But they that trust to MY COMMANDS, In secret will be found, Theirselves to free from misery, When it do hasten on; But evil workers, I do see,

They are more harden'd strong.
A sentence here they oft did hear
Against them it was cast;
But hastily the fools do say-
These judgments did not burst.
So evil here doth strong appear
Against my every hand;
They say my words they will not hear
As judgments are prolong'd;
But I do say to thee this day
That hasty they will fall;
The time's at hand you'll see your land
To tremble one and all,

That now do mock the coming stroke;
For men I now do see,
Inventions here in them appear
To mock the words of ME;
They will not clear my BIBLE here,
Nor suffer 't to be done;
But judge that all is ended here,
The wisdom given to Man.
Was it for he, blind mortals see,
And for himself alone?
No: it was wisdom come from ME,
Given out for every man,

That at the last when I do burst

My SPIRIT to appear,
The wisdom given at the first,
Men all might see it clear.
For now the end, 'tis my intend,
The wisdom seen by he
That better shall the ending come
Than the beginning be.
But can you say, in every way,
The ending is the best?
Man that's of a Woman born,
And in this world is plac'd,
If he grows up, can he now hope
His end for to appear
Much better than his birth did drop?
If every sin appear

Strong in the Man, will you contend
His ending is the best?
And if he goes to slay a friend
With malice in his breast;
If he goes through what's in his view,
His faithiul friend to slay,
Then will you say the end is best
What in his thoughts did lay;
That power there did so appear,
His thoughts for to complete?
No, no; the end he most must fear,
Because his evil great

Must fall on him, at last must come
His ending's not the best;
The thing much better was for him
To stop it at the first,

And ne'er go through what's in his vięw;

So ending you see here
With SOLOMON can never join,
In earthly things appear;
Because in all I'll prove the Fall
It often is for men,
That they the ending cannot call
The best for them to come;
If men begin to harbour sin,
Imagine at the first,
And then in practice they go on,
Their ending is the worst.
So now if men do clear discern,
From Solomon appear,
They all must say another way-
"We cannot see it clear
"'The ending best for all to burst;
"We know it is not so."
But I shall prove it at the last,

And prove his WISDOM TRUE-
The ending here doth now draw pear,
For I shall end for MAN,

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