*. '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 donc,

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 JOB were penn'de

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.

113

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 sav 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 contende

The End is in my view."

THE PSALMS.

Monday Evening, October 1. Joanna has been reading the Psalms, all the day, mierein 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 merCics 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 *God; and a desire for his honour and glory, as 235 ir y heart ponders upon the Psalms; and I do not tad of any one in the Old Testament, that seems Whave more of a heart to honour' and glorify GOD

- DAVID. Hear what he says, Psalm xix. 14Las the words of my mouth and the meditation of * heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my 12h and my redee'ner. And how strong is his $ 12:. Psalın xxiii. 1-Yes, thus! I walk through

vallı y of the shadow of Death, I will fear no 11: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff

en comfort me. Psalm xxv. 141--The secret of ; * LED is with them that fear him ; and he will

* thein bis covenant. Psalm xxvii. 8-When 3. said-t, seek ye my face, my heart said unto

P

thee, thy face LORD will I seek ; hide not thy face from me. Ver. 14--Wait on the LORD : be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart : wait, I say, on the LORD. Psalm xxx. 4, 5–Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the reinembrance of his holiness : for his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. Psalin xxxvii. 4,5-Delight thyself also in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD ; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. Ver, 11~The meek shall inherit the earth ; and shall 'de. light themselves in the abundance of peace. Ver. 28, 29-For the Lord loveth judgment, and for saketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever : but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off. The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever. Psalm lxxiii. 25-Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. Psalm lxxiv. 10-O God, how long shall the adversary reproach ? Shall the enemy blasplieme thy name for ever ? Ver. 22-Arise, O God, plead thine own cause; remember how the foolish man reproacheth thee daily.

Here ends Monday Night.

Tuesday, October 2, Three o’Clock. Joanna has finished reading the Psalms through and from pondering them in her own heart, she car see the manner of her own life through all DAVID's Sometimes he writes strong in faith, and his whol confidence and rejoicing in the LORD ; other time he writes in despair, being overpowered by his ene mies. The different manner of David's writing. I man can be a clear judge of, but tloșe that ca

115

3220 OF THE PSALMS. judge by expefience, the different manner that our own spirits may be led; for though my life has not been like David's, yet it has been similar to it in another way; therefore in the Psalms of David I see the different feelings of my own heart placed every way. But one thing David and I differ in: Psalm lxix. 21. Though he speaks of himself, he prophesies of our SAVIOUR--They gave me also gall for my meat ; and in my thirst they gave ine vinegar to drink. In the following verse, he pray's for utter destruction upon his enemies, without shewing any mercy to man; and in the same manner he writes in Psalm cix. Fatal judgments without mercies on his enemies. Here David and I widely differ, on the one hand, and yet we join together on the other. Now I shall explain iny meaning : I never could feel that anger and indignation against the greatest enemy I had in this world, but always felt in my heart to pray for my enemies, that the Lord would Turn them from the evil of their ways. And though I have been provoked, to see the hardness of men's hearts, and have been angry with them ; yet I always wished to see them turn from their evil, that they might not perish everlastingly. This is my Leart, in a temporal sense, that I cannot join with DAFID there ; yet I can join with David in a spic rés i sense. When I come to reflect on all the mi$75 a d sufferings, that the Devil lias brought on maakind, from the Fall of ADAM to this day, and ist dreadful blasphemy he has come to Me against be LORD, and against his anointed, who is full of inercies, goodness, and truth; but Satan's zelve has been full of blasphemy. Here I an o'n with DAVID, against the Devil. Psalm C. 1;. 18-As he loved cursing, so let it come neey !im: as he delighted not in blessing, so let

be far from bim. As he clothed himself with

riay like as with his garment, so let it come Les his bou els like water, and I like oil into

his bones. Now this is the spirit of the Devil, from his own confession to me. Then if it be his delight, let his delight come upon him; and let him not make others miserable with the wretchedness that he delights in. Here, in a spiritual sense, my heart joins with David : and the feelings of my heart, in various different ways, are perfectly penned by David in the Psalms. And the Spirit of the Lord must be with David, or he would never liave had .snch strong love for the Lord, as he expressed. But the prophecies of David go deep to the establishing of CHRIST'S KINGDOM. Psalm cx. 1-The Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou at my right hand, until I make thin: enemies thy footstool. Here David in spirit calls our SAVIOUR LORD: and he adds, in ver. 3-Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning : thou hast the dew of thy youth. Psalm lxxxix. 19, 27, 28, 15--Thou speakest in vision to thy Holy One, and saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty ; I have exalted one chosen out of the people. I will make him my first born, higher than the kings of the carth. My mercy will I keep for him for evermore,' and my covenant shall stand fast with him. Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance. Psalı lxxxv. 9, 10, 11-Surely his salvation, is nigh them that fear loin ; that glory may dwell in our land. Mercy and truth are met together : rightcousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth shall spring out of the earth ; and righteous-, wess shall look down from Heaven. Psalm lxxxii. 8 - Arise, o God, judge the earth : for thou shalt inherit all nations. Psalm!xxviii. 2. 6-I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old. That the generation to come miglit know them, even the children which should be born ; who should arise and declare them unto their children. Psalm lxxvi.