woe unto the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirits, and have seen nothing.

Now I'll appear to answer here,
The learned may dispute:
In their own spirits they appear,
But I shall strike them mute.
Nothing they've seen, to ME 'tis known,
And nothing do they know;

Yet like the foxes they are come,
That in the desert go:

They'll not appear the truth to clear,
And nothing will they see;

The gaps are breaking every where,
And down they all may be,
They'll not go up, nor will they stop
The dangers are before,

But still in blindness they do hope
Their dangers will be o'er.
Like Israel here do all appear,
And so their fall will come;
But when MY BATTLE doth appear
They'll find they cannot stand;
If they go on as they've begun,
In vanity to trust,

They'll find no rock to build upon-
Men's wisdom must be cast.

I ne'er did clear men's wisdom here,
Nor will I at the end;

For then my Bible all must err,
Should I my Spirit send
From first to last, as it is plac'd,
If men in wisdom shine;
Then I'd no need to visit here,
If men did know my mind;

But they do not, mark what is wrote,
I've told them all before,

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,
A prophet he must come:

But know my people he'll make err,
The thing to ME is known;
From his own Spirit he must come,
And from it he'll appear,
Profess himself a prophet strong
To know I am not here;

Then I shall come against the man,
And answer from MY WORD:.
Out of your mouth you prophesy,
But do not know your LORD
Pronoun'd you dead, as I have said,
Then what hath man to boast,
That he can know what I shall do?.
His wisdom must be cast.

So I'll end here, and say no more;
But let men weigh it deep,
The chapter through I bid them clear,
If they can answer it;

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,
But of your wisdom boast.

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
And brought the whole before your view,
The parables that here are plac'd
Are just like thine, the end to burst;
As from the whoredom let them see
The meaning of the words to he,
And then the meaning that is thine,
They'll see the warning to mankind
Doth in like manner now appear;
So if you blame the Woman here,
You'll blame my prophets all before;
As in this land men do appear,
Thousands my Bible here do blame,
And put my prophets so to shame
As they do now shame all thy word,
And say can never come from God,
The simple parables thou'st penn'd.
But 'tis my Bible to defend

That I have brought it round the same,
To shew all those that mock my Name,
They mock'd my Bible at the first,
And in like manner now I am burst
To place the parables the same,
That in the end I all might shame;
For when they find thy writings true,
Such parables before their view,
And they confess came all from God;
As in this land it shall be know'd
Thy every writings came from ME,
And then the parables they'll see,
How every thing alike is plac'd,
And then discern, ye fallen race,
How I my Bible clear this way
I know what mockery in thein lay,
And now I'm come to mock the whole,
And they shall find the truth to fall.
Like whoredom first I plac'd my word,
When they were wandering from the Lord,
And so like whoredom I've plac'd here
Thy parables to make all clear;
And so they'll find it in the end

Like Burnet's story thou hast penn'd *:

If like the lady they go on

They'll find her fatal end to come.
So let none mock thy fable here,

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,
If men go on to mock my sheep,
And say blind shepherds do appear,
They'll find their fatal end is near;
For like that lord I'll surely come,
And so their end it will be known
Much like the lady's to abound:
The riddle deep for them is found,
Though well I know 'tis mock'd by man,
But 'tis my Bible to discern,

The way I warn'd them at the first
The way the ending now shall burst.
So with my Bible I'll go on

To bring the mysteries out to man;
So now my prophet you read through,
And then the mysteries you will know,
The way I first compard the whole,
The way I've said the end shall fall.

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
To answer my demand,

And prove my sheep you're feeding here,
While you do silent stand?

I tell you no; you'll find it so,

My sheep are gone astay,

Which you yourselves profess to know;
But tell ME now which way

That they are gone, to you 'tis known?
Will you answer 'tis here,

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;
Then how will you appear

When you yourselves so lead them on

To tell them thou dost err?
Can they be free: then answer ME,
Which way they this will do:
For all must know, in blasphemy
Some thewands now do go,
As men blaspheine to hear my Name
Is writter by thy hand;
My Bible many put to shame,
Then can my shepherds stand

To say they are free in peace to be,

Ne'er seek the truth to know?

I tell them this can never be,
And they will find it so-
What at the last it here was plac'd,
As in my Bible penn'd,
Though at the first it now shall burst,
For this was my intend.

All ages, see, were known to ME,
And so I shall go on;

From ages past as all was plac'd,

And so the end will come,

Where I blame man: Let it be known,
That warning stands for all.

So from the prophet you discern,
Ye shepherds judge your call,
From what is said be not misled,
The chapters stand for Man;
As at the first so now at last,

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