woe unto the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirits, and have seen nothing. Now I'll appear to answer here, Yet like the foxes they are come, They'll not appear the truth to clear, The gaps are breaking every where, But still in blindness they do hope They'll find no rock to build upon- I ne'er did clear men's wisdom here, For then my Bible all must err, But they do not, mark what is wrote, No wisdom in themselves they've got To know when I appear; Nothing they've seen, nothing they've known, But judge their wisdom great; But I this wisdom shall unthrone, If they will not submit To learn of ME, I now tell thee; Though men do prophesy They know the calling's not from ME, And give thy pen the lie: Then let them come now in MY NAME And answer to MY WORD, What have you seen? what have you know, To prove it not from God? Then where's the man that thus can come And answer so to ME? Will they affirm a learned man This prophet deep can be? ZZEKIEL ORdered to deLIVER PÅRABLES. 371 Then I'll appear to answer here, But know my people he'll make err, Then I shall come against the man, So I'll end here, and say no more; If they cannot I'll tell their lot, Just like the end shall fall; My people I'll deliver here Out of the hands of all. Your vanity they all shall see, How vain was all your trust, Who nothing here had heard from ME, Here ended Sunday night, Nov. 4, 1804. Monday morning, Nov. 5. Ezekiel xvii. 2-Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house of Israel. Now let the learned answer, why I ordered the prophet to put forth a riddle, and speak a parable to the house of Israel? If they judge it sin and blasphemy to put forth riddles now, then what do they understand from the riddle to Ezekiel? Let this be answered by the learned, and I shall answer thee again. Now let them answer Chapter xix. 2-What is thy mother? a lioness: she laid down among lions, she nourished her whelps among young lions. Now let them weigh my prophets deep, and they will find the parables I shewed to them, and ordered the prophet to bring to them, are of the same nature, the same sense as the parables I have ordered thee to put out to the world. Let them weigh deep Chapter xxiii. 2-Son of man, there were two women, daughters of one mother, and they committed whoredom in Egypt Now when these chapters you've gone through That I have brought it round the same, Like Burnet's story thou hast penn'd *: If like the lady they go on They'll find her fatal end to come. Though like a riddle 't may appear; See the Book published by Mr. Foley in the Autumn of 1904, page 88. A WARNING TO THE SHEPHERDS, 373 But 'tis a riddle that goes deep, The way I warn'd them at the first To bring the mysteries out to man; Ezekiel xxxiv. 2-Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds-Woe be 'to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? How shepherds here can you appear And prove my sheep you're feeding here, I tell you no; you'll find it so, My sheep are gone astay, Which you yourselves profess to know; That they are gone, to you 'tis known? Who judge the callings of ME, And you will not appear To call them back? Then see the stroke, You must be cast this way. If you sav no; it is not so, Fis other sheep we see Are wandering on, from ME they are gone; When you yourselves so lead them on To tell them thou dost err? To say they are free in peace to be, Ne'er seek the truth to know? I tell them this can never be, All ages, see, were known to ME, From ages past as all was plac'd, And so the end will come, Where I blame man: Let it be known, So from the prophet you discern, Then now discern my hand. Now let them weigh the chapter through and see the threatenings there to the shepherds for the neglect of the sheep; and let them weigh the past with the present, and see the situation of the sheep now; how many thousand believers on the one hand, and how many blaspheme on the other; then is it not for you shepherds to learn judgment, to know wherein the truth lies, and to know wherein the fault lies, that truth and righteousness may be established in your land? This is a command to you, O shepherds! And now come to chapter xli. The measuring of the temple; the breadth of the doors; the side chambers; the breadth of the house. All this mark how it is penned, that every thing was to be measured and formed; the height, the length, the breadth, the depth, how the buildings were to be formed. Then mark chapter xliii. 7 -And he said unto me, son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever, and my holy name shall the house of Israel no more defile. Now |