CONCERNING JOB. 99 GOD the liar, when the LORD had justified Jog: and by Job's words he affirms the TRUTH of what the LORD had said concerning him. Hear what Job says, chap. xxix. to chap. xxxii. But hear what answer Elihu made him; and how he goes on to chap. xxxviii. Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind. In the last chap. 7th verse, the anger of the Lord was kindled against his friends: for he said, "They have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath." Now, though Job's friends were, as he said, cruel tormentors and miserable comforters; yet they did not speak against GOD: yet by their judgment they denied the LORD, like the Devil, that when the LORD justified JOB, Satan condemned him; and when Job justified himself, his friends condemned him; they told lies to him; and wanted Joв to affirm they were true. See chap. xx. 19. what they upbraid Job with; and how false was their accusation; therefore, though they justified GOD, and condemned Joв for justifying himself, yet they did not justify the truth of the words of the Lord, that he had spoken of Joв, as JOB by justifying himself did. This is my judg ment in reading the Book of Job. Wherein I err I trust the Lord will forgive me, as I am ordered to draw my own judgment, and cannot deceive the Lord with the thoughts of my heart. THE ANSWER OF THE LORD. "Now I will answer thy thoughts of JOB. I shall not blame thy judgment that thou hast drawn: for though I bid thee draw thy own judgment, yet thy ideas come from ME; and it is I that work them in thee. And now I tell thee of Job's friends: Satan worked strong in them to make Job confess himself guilty of crimes he had never committed; then Satan might accuse ME, out of JOB's own mouth. Therefore Job contended with men as I con tended with the Devil; and Job justified himself, as I justified him.-So Here's a mystery deep of Jos, That JOB was not what I had spoke, And on his friends he strong did work That JOB with man might so contend, And like thy judgment, in the end, 1 Satan might give the lie, say, to ME, if words from he Then, I do tell them, in the end And now to clear the End that's near, From JOB I shall begin; And from thyself I will appear, As thou hast form'd the thing: For with thyself thou him compar'd, For men like them have greatly err'd, That every soul will find. Just like Jon's friends have thine gone on And like them still they be; And let men answer ME, If they can clear their sayings here, I tell them, no: they all must know, When to the purpose all do come, Will they their God deny, That lies all through, they'll prove Because, thy life I've justified? it If they can come and prove it wrong? CONCERNING JOB. Would they wish thee for to condemn, Had Jon denied, then I must lie, And prov'd his GOD unjust. If Job the same himself had blam'd, No Justice there they then did clear, But his accusers he did hear, And by his conscience crown'd, The words of ME were spoke for he, So Men and Devils both you see More just than he, then I must lie !!! He must be cast, if he had burst In lies spoken like they. Could I appear the man to clear, No, no to man I thus shall come, And answer so for thee; I've plac'd thy life throughout the land, That men thy life might see; How every way men would betray, And Satan work'd the same. 101 Then now to Man I so shall come; And if his life he had condemn'd, If he'd denied the whole. But the first lines call thou to mind- That upright he appear'd. The same I'll answer here Thy life hath been, to ME 'tis seen, Which Men and Devils both condemn'd, I shall condemn thy every friend, These wondrous things I order'd so When at the last the whole did burst, To work my Bible through, To shew the shadows from the first To clear the whole: and Men must fall The likeness I have shew'd in all, For God or Man they must condemn, And will they answer from thy hand, That silent all must stand; Sufferings that no one here could bear, That thou hast all gone through, Unless that I who dwell on high Had strengthen'd thee in all. Therefore thy friends at first did lie, CONCERNING JOB." Because thy friends they did pretend With grief too great for he to bear, I tell thee no; it should not be so, With words appear himself to clear, And though he thought my rod was there, Came all from ME, was judg'd by he, And yet he did submit: But now I'll chain the enemy, And lay him at Men's feet. One chapter there to thee I'll clear, Isay, the following day: And other mysteries will I shall before thee lay; appear, Because to Man all Types must come- After his fall, which came by Hell, He did in grandeur break; And from his friends see what is penn'd, They surely did repent; Their boasting soon was at an end— The just I'll free, as I did he, And make their foes to turn; Because the end, they ALL shall see, The xxxviii chapter, ver. 11. Hitherto shalt thou proud come, but no further; and here shall thy waves be stayed.-The 13, 14, 15, verses. That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, that the wicked might be shaken out of it, it is turned as |