to dye Nor should I offer to expostulate ' And with my Maker enter in debate Is there an Umpire to oblige us both And tye us by Subscription and Oath To stand to his award for who is he Dares arbitrate betwixt my God and me But let him hold a little and at least For some small time forbear at my request To torture me let him withdraw his Rod And let th' hot Pincers of an angry God Piece-meal my Soul no more O let his wrath Be satisfied with a single death Then would I boldly speak and without fear Before him in my own defence appear Then would I argue with such Eloquence As in short time would clear my Innocence But 'cause at present I am not in case For speaking I think fit to hold my peace Cap. X. MY Soul 's cut off and though I seem to breath Yet am I coop'd up in the jaws of death My Soul is fled my days of life are gone And this poor widow'd Body left alone To be the subject of some country fable As in its ruines only memorable This fashion'd piece of Earth which formerly One would ha' thought would shift Mortality For many years a Body which of late In health and vigour fully animate With a most cheerful Soul seem'd to imply As if at least some small felicity Were to be found below the Heavens this point Of the Creation framed joint by joint Into a reasonable shape at last By griefs consuming fury quite defac't Has now no figure but doth every day Like Wax before the Candle melt away For as a stranded Vessel by no hands To be got off and sticking on the Sands Obnoxious to the rage of every Tide Whilst each rude Wave beats ribs out of its side In its dimensions every day decreases Until at length 't is shattered all to pieces And then what was a statelie Ship before In Planks and Boards is cast upon the Shore So this frail Body which in health and strength Look'd like a tall Ship in its Course at length Stranding upon the Shelves of foul diseases In its proportion every hour decreases And that it may be ruin'd with dispatch Each ulcerous Billow doth large Gobbets snatch Out of that vigorous Body which alace Is now in a most despicable case Hence what remains is that this shattered frame Void of all honour beautie shape and name Should like infected Goods by no man own'd In Skin and Bones be hurried under ground Then what is Life O let me but admire What idle expectation can hire Insipid man upon this Earth to dwell And love that thing which we call Life so well Life like the Mornings-dew upon the Grass Exhal'd e're Noon-tide Life a simple lease At will and pleasure of a homelie Farm For us to toile in where we 're hardly warm In the possession of it when anon Our Lease runs out and we must all be gone Life but the parcels of a few years breath Summ'd up at last i' th capital of death Times wast-book health and strengths extinguisher Heavens great derider Hells remembrancer The old mans profit and the young mans loss The rich mans Idol and the poor mans cross Sins active Pander for some little space Then to Repentancea sad looking glass Pleasures mean vassal times obedient â—alve And a most faithful servant to the Grave Death charges Time Time charges Life by Roll To make account of every living Soul The grand Collector by just calculation Himself discharges of each Generation In deaths exchequer then begins afresh T' exact the impost of all living flesh This is that we call Life this is the thing Of which poor Mortals make such reckoning As if the sum of all their happiness Lay in their breathing for some little space Alace that men of reason thus should lye Sick of an universal phrenesie And not rouz'd up at length perceive for shame What is this Life which they so much esteem This Life a thing so burdensome to me As how I hate it you do clearly see May I not then oppress 't with Life repine Since there 's no Life comparable to mine The dregs of Life that do with me remain Are but the meer fomenters of my pain For who extended night and day on rack Would not with all his heart Death welcome make O let me then to God make my address O let me to himself my woes express He is a God of mercy and will hear Th'oppress't and have regard to every tear That drops from pious eyes A sore complaint then on my self I 'l make And in the anguish of my Soul I 'l speak I 'l say to God condemn me not and why Wilt thou contend with such a thing as I An Eagle take the pains to kill a flee Contend with me a thing not to be nam'd A thing of which even Nature is asham'd A piece of Earth that serving for no use Is thrown out on the Dung-hill as refuse The dross of human frailâ—â—y the abstract Of all that 's mouldy low decay'd and crack't A thing now grating at the gates of death Retarded only by a gasping breath A thing so mean as is not worth thy wrath Then why good Lord dost thou take so much pleasure T' oppress so mean a thing beyond all measure What doth this to thy Glory contribute How doth such usage with thy Justice sute Alace I know not how the matter stands But thus t' undo the labour of thy hands Thus to destroy a Creaure thou didst frame And once didst think it worthy of a name Nay as thy Creature thou was 't pleas'd to own Thus to reject it with a sullen frown Me thinks is strange What may the Atheists say When thy own servants are oppress 't this way Why they will surely in their scoffing mode Blaspheme the ever glorious Name of God See here they 'l say a man who seriously Apply'd his mind to th' art of piety Who his great God above all things ador'd A most devoted Servant to his Lord. One who not pleas'd with what his neighbours us'd Despised their Religion and refus'd T' acknowledge any of their Deities But in a zealous phrensy did devise A Deitie to himself peculiar Out of an humour to be singular See now they 'l say see how his God doth treat him See how his Lord he so much lov'd doth hate him How he doth whip him how he takes delite To vex a man who us'd himself to write A most obedient Servant to his God See how he beats him with a heavie Rod. Let him complain weep pray do what he can Let him cry out yet still this pious man Finds none to comfort pity or deplore him And for his God ' has no compassion for him But on the contrair doth appear t' abhor him Sure this will be their language thus alace Those impious wretches will themselves express Yes this will be their Table-talk I fear O then forbear for thy own sake
you see My body thus piece-meal'd but you must be While you pretend my losses to condole The cruel Executioners of my soul. Is 't not enough you see my body pin'd But you must likewise thus distract my mind Ah will your tedious arguing never cease Would as for seven daies you did hold your peace When first you hither came so to this hour You ne'r had spoke alace how lean and poor All your Discourse is on my present state Expressing not so much your wit as hate Still varieing still mistaking of my case Still anvilling on one poor common place As if 't were meritorious to assert Though pious in my words yet in my heart I am a rotten Hypocrite indeed If you intend in railing to proceed In my opinion truly it were fit You should at least those threed-bare tropicks quite You should your former Batteries neglect And on new grounds new arguments erect And truth I think by what I 've spoke of late I 've furnish d you with matter adequat To more then any of you hath spoke as yet Proceed my friends then do your worst let all Your wits joint forces brisquely on me fall All your insults I shall with patience Endure and with my miseries dispence When I reflect on my own innocence My innocence I ever will assert For not your logick not your wit and art Shall wheadle me into acknowledgement Of your so oft repeated argument No no I never will confesse what you To have conceded keep so much adoe No I 'm so far from being asham'd of what I 've spoke since we did mannage this debate That I could wish my words were registrat I care not who hereafter do revise The memoires of my woes and miseries I am indifferent who hereafter read My Plea and see how I have answered Your pointed arguments I care not who In after ages do peruse what now I speak although the words that from my mouth Do issue are not so polite so smooth So fine so quaint so fraught with Eloquence As yours are yet I do presume the sense Imports as much as if you had abus'd Your Parts and most injuriously accus'd A man who ' spite of all your argument And pungent talk will still plead innocent O that my words were keep 't upon record O that my God such favour would afford That what I speak in this my agony Might be transmitted to Posterity In such a fair and lasting character As all our Edicts Laws and Statutes are Would they were graven with an Iron pen In Lead or Brass that all the race of men Might still remember on this conference And see how firm I 've stood to the defence Of my as yet unspotted innocence Nor would I have you think my friends that I Value my self on my integrity Or boldly plead my innocence because I fall not under reach of humane Laws Or that I did on Earth no tryal fear Because my Padlock't-sins did not appear By evidence expos'd to publick view But cunningly were all conceal'd from you No God forbid that e'r I should assert My innocence i'th'least if in my heart By strictest search I found on record that Which my assertion might invalidat No no such practises I do detest I keep a constant Jury in my breast By which I 'm hourly try'd no allegation No fain'd excuse no specious information No falshood no corrupted evidence In that impartial Court of Conscience Will ever be receiv'd at any rate From this same Court I have certificat Of my pure innocence For I 'm perswaded my Redeemer lives I firmly do believe 't is he that gives Assurance to all those whom he doth love That he will interceed for them above I know in him I have some interest And upon that security I rest I know he will at last on Earth appear And make the sinful World quake for fear Of his approach when like a mighty king He shall i' th' Clouds appear and in a ring Oh Heav'ns great Host stand circled all around Issue his Edicts and by Trumpet sound Command both dead and living to appear In Judgement where each mortal thing may hear His just Procedure there he will indite Him whom you call the cunning Hypocrite As well as th' open sinner him he will Find guilty and condemn for all his skill If I be such then as you 'd have me be In that great day my friends you 'll clearly see What shall become of me For after this my Body Worms have eat And with their substance 't is incorporat After my Bones are squandred in the Ground And of my Flesh no vestige can be found My Scull my Arms and Thigh-bones thrown aloft By th' Shovel of the Grave-maker as oft As for new Guests new Rooms he doth provide And in the Earth my Corps are putrifi'd After my Dust about the Grave is roll'd Yet in the Flesh I shall my God behold Yes with these eyes these individual eyes With which I now behold these glorious Skies I then shall see that glorious Architect Who for his glory did the Heavens Erect For though some think our Bodies made of Clay Which crumble in the Grave on rising day Shall not stand up but some of thinnest Air Compos'd shall in their place that day appear Yet I 'm convinc'd that this numerical This Earthly Body this organical Composure which we here a Body name Shall on that day appear the very same Only as Earth when vitrify'd is still But Earth though richly polish'd by the skill Of knowing Artists so this peice of Clay Shall be refin'd and at appearance day Shall with such beauty grace and glory shine As God thinks proper for the grand design Of its perpetual true Felicity Which join'd with Soul in heavenly harmony It shall enjoy impassible of all Those thwarting ills which here we troubles call Then in this Body with those very eyes I shall perceive him with none else but these I shall behold my Saviour I believe Firmly that in the Flesh I shall perceive My bless'd Redeemer though my very Reins Are shrunk within my Back and all my Veins Choak'd up with stagnant and corrupted Blood Are now like Ditches full of Dirt and Mud. Although my moisture is all spent and gone And I am nothing now but skin and bone Though I all humane shape and form have lost And in the eyes of all more like a Ghost Then like a living man I do appear And no man will come nigh me now for fear Of my contagious breath yet after all This bodie this same individual And putrid bodie shall again revive And I again as formerly shall live And my Redeemer with those verie eyes I clearlie shall behold when from the skies He shall descend to judge the Quick and Dead And with those verie eyes I then shall read The Journals of his Actings then I shall Before my Heavenlie Judge convince you all I am no Hipocrite as you assert But
seem to represent In all his actings something of a Saint Yet then he cryes then he repines a main Then he complaines of poverty and pain O then he railes upon that providence Which was in former times his sole defence For now all sorrow wrath and desperation He thinks on nothing less then restauration Whereas before he thought he was so sure His wealth to generations would endure Well I have seen some Gallant in his pride Inâ—ulsly laugh at all the world beside Fix'd and firme-rooted as he did suppose And proof against the batterie of his foes When on a suddain providence would frowne And this same fool would tumble headlong down With all his sins about him in a tryce Kill'd by the fall from glories precipice Then would I say this man deservedly Doth fall and with him all his family Is levelled with dust because he did In such vain transitory things conside For by fair justice he shall be destroy'd And all his unjust purchases made voide Then after he has justly forfeit all He without pity shall most justly fall Those who are hungry shall eat up his grain And reap the profit of his nine Months pain Nay they shall sweep his grounds and fields so clean As his poor children shall find nought to glean The thirsty travellers who for rain doth gape Shall drink up all the substance of his grape For thou must know afflictions do not come By accident as is suppos'd by some On any man nor do Heavens noble laws Allow that any one without a cause Should suffer punishment no not at all There 's no such thing as that you fortune call 'T is a meer notion a device of men To palliate their sins and entertain A proud opinion of their innocence And lay the blame of all on Providence Which they call fortune and conclude from thence When any are afflicted at the rate As thou art now that they 're unfortunate Unlucky and I know not what alace Why should we with such sopperies as these Abuse our selves when certainly we know Who know there is a God things are not so But that our God doth formally arraigne For every sin convict and punish men Then know That no affliction comes by accident But that all Judgements to our doors are sent By rule of Heavens Court where information Is made and prov'd preceeding condemnation Besides as sparks by nature upwards fly So man to sorrows born doth live and dye In a continued sweat of toyle and care With dregs of anger for his daily fare Tortures of mind and body all at once Do suck the marrow from his very bones Nor can he pleasure to himself project Or joy and comfort in this earth expect Were I then in thy lamentable case I 'd not repine but humblie make address To my good God from him I would demand A patient mind and learn to understand From whence such floods of evils do proceed And in my sorrows I my sins would read To him alone my self I would apply To whom the world belongs who sits on High To whom all Creatures in subjection are Whose Jurisdiction doth exceed by far All Powers on Earth who things unsearchable Performes of which we are not capable To give a Judgement things beyond our reach Things which to act no humane Art can Teach 'T is he who makes the Rain from Clouds to fall By which the Earth made pregnant yeelds us all Our Hearts can wish affords us dayly Bread Drink Cloaths and Med'cine and what else we need For Maintnance of that Fabrick which he fram'd To Lodge the Soul and it the Body nam'd The Body O a thing most excellent For whose Subsistence we should even torment Our Souls a very precious thing indeed That on the Labours of the Soul should feed The Body a meer piece of useful Dust Demis'd for some time to the Soul in Trust. Though for its use the too kind Soul at best Payes a severe and dreadful Interest Whilst to afford it pleasure legally It forfaults its own true Felicity What is 't we hugg then what do we esteem A dying thing which scarce deserves a name A thing so long as Soul doth it inspire Moves for a time like Puppet on a Wyre That gone it moves it prats it squeeks no more But a dull piece of Clay as 't was before Breathless and Sapless on the Ground it lies Yet in its Fall its Maker glorifies As well as in its Frame because from thence We learn what Honour and Obedience We owe to him who this fair Fabrick raises And by a Breath destroyes it when he pleases Besides who 'd not in Duty be exact When still before his Eyes he sees the Rack The Axe the Gibbet and in Mind doth feel Sad apprehensions of the dreadful Wheel Is not our case the same do we not see How many thousand Shapes of Death there be Dayly presented to our view to show That after all all to the Grave must go From this fair Topick let us argue then He is our God and we poor sinful men Therefore since to him we owe Life and Breath We should live well that when invading Death Approaches he may find us on our Guard Not by his gastly looks to be out-dar'd For though he seize the Body yet on high The Soul shall live to perpetuity 'T is he the mighty God 't is he alone Who in the Heavens has set up his Throne From whence he orders all things and doth raise This man to honours and that man debase That to th' afflicted he may comfort give And make those whom the world abhorreth live The subtile plottings of our knowing men He disappoints and makes their projects vain He laughs at all their consults and despises Both them and all their silly state devises So that what e're those Crocodiles project Their Machinations never take effect He spoiles their counsels and makes all their wit Like salt whose savour's lost down-right unfit For any thing save at a round of Ale To be the subject of some Country tale For the Worlds wisdom in Gods eyes is folly Their Art but th' product of dull Melancholly Their reasoning is notional and vain Erring in things even evident and plain Things manifest things clear as noon-tide-light To them are dark as to one in the night Who nothing sees gropes but no rode can find And stands confounded betwixt raine and wind Whil'st at each justling shrub his joints do tremble Thinking the Night-thieves round him do assemble Lord what is all we brag of then for what Keep we such toyl on earth is 't only that We may be thought more wise than others are And be esteemed wits 't is very fair A rare designe indeed well worth our pain When after all we learn or can retain All our fine wisdom in Gods eyes is vain For when our Politicians counsel take How they the just and pious man
so great measure As far exceeded all his Wealth and Treasure For his seven Sons who we suppose had now Attain'd mans age and that he did allow T' each of 'em distinct Farms off his Estate Did mutually each others kindly treat In Peace and Plenty they their hours did waste And call'd their Sisters when they mean't to Feast But Job considering in such 〈◊〉 How many strong temptations do ly For sinful lewdness scarce to be evited By such whose Blood and Brains by Wine are heated He would next morning early stir and pray That GOD would pardon sins o'th'by-past day Committed by his Children For sayes he I do suspect how ere the matter be There 's something sinful in the case since Feasting Is still at least accompany'd with Jesting Thus with himself in private reasoning Hee 'd for each Child make a Burnt-offering And whilst their Feasting lasted every day Job for his Childrens sins would Fast and Pray In short if Jobs Felicity we rate By Birth and Knowledge Honour and Estate A goodly Issue bless't with unity Amongst themselves unspotted Piety Sincerity in all his Dealings Grace Frugality and Virtue we may trace All Histories with which the World doth swell And 'mongst them all not find his parallel For sure this worthy Gentleman appears T' have been a Patern for some hundred years To all about him and we here may see How God thinks fit his Memory should be To this same day preserv'd that we may thence Precisely understand at what expence Of true Devotion we should live and know When with Afflictions God doth bring us low As this same Good man was how to endure With Patience the hottest Calenture Of Sorrows fever and may likewise see What silly Expectations those be On which we feed in our Prosperity As if we fancy'd Perpetuity Of our Enjoyments here and that our God Lov'd us so well he 'd never use his Rod But with soft Hand would clap our Heads and lay Our Pillows every Night and every Day Afford us every thing we can project For our poor Fastings and our Prayers sake No no that Man who ere he be that thus With fond Delusions doth his Soul abuse Dâ—th shreudly erre for in this Precedent We may perceive how clear and evident The contrair doth appear and calculate From thence the folly of a great Estate For now as longest Day must have its Night And Darkness must at length succeed to Light As greatest Calms do Storms prognosticate So greatest Joyes do Sorrowes antidate And this Good-man whom in Serenity Under the Zenith of Prosperity Wee 've lately seen must now 〈◊〉 prepare To show his Virtue in another Sphere For at a General Sessions of Heaven Held at that time when Liberty was given To all that in that Court do make abode To see the Face of the Almighty God When Heavens Great Monarch in Majestick State Environ'd with his Troops of Angels Sate He too who once was of that Corporation As Eminent as any of that Station Until with foolish Pride he did so swell Because he thought he was not us'd so well As his great Services requir'd and so He with some others would a Plotting go Against his Prince and think to model too As all our discontented States-men do The Government of Heavens but instantly His Plot was opened and he by and by With all his Friends about him poorly fell From thence by Deportation to Hell This wretched Head of Rebels too appear'd Amongst the Just demanding to be heard In some shrewd Accusation patly lay'd Against some Champions of the praying Trade At least that he might shortly understand Upon what Service God would him command He there as Serjeant of the Court did waite To receive Orders at the Utter-Gate But as when Damnster doth in Court appear The Condemnation of some Man we fear So this Old Rebel did prognosticate The Alteration of some Persons State By his officious presence This thing appearing then well known by name Of Satan God did ask him whence he came Not but that all his Wandrings he did know With all his Plots and Projects here below But that from his own Mouth he might express His villanous Toilling and Unwearyedness In doing evil and that since he fell From Heaven he every hour doth merit Hell Satan makes answer I have been abroad Compassing all this Earth of thine Great God There I have walk'd at randome to and fro And view'd the State of all things here below I 've seen how thou dost constantly suppress Me and my Subjects by thy watchfulness On all our Motions as if all to thee Belong'd by Right and nothing else to me But thy displeasure yet I 'le not resign My claim for all that nay I still design Where ever thou a Colony shall plant I and my Friends shall all their Meetings haunt And make that Church at best but Militant For since I 'm not allow'd 〈◊〉 Priviledge Of my Creation but with bitter rage Am to this day secluded from my Right Why should not I with all the Force and Might That I and my poor banish'd Friends can raise By constant In-roads still disturb the Peace Of those whose constant Prayers do combine To ruine further yet both me and mine As if already I were not undone By thy Displeasure these for sooth must run A sharper Scent and by their Prayers baull For my Destruction yet for good and all Nay know Heavens King for so I must confess Thou art indeed that I am not the less A Prince on Earth and will endeavour still To keep that Right do with me what you will Yes I 'll mentain now what I do possess And still will make it my great business T' enlarge the Limits of my Empire here Since in thy Heavens I date no more appear As formerly allow me then Great God To wander sometimes here and there abroad To view my Interest though yet after all I am thy Servant and obey thy call Then sayes the Lord since thou goest every where A-wandring since thou couldst not chuse but hear Of my great Servant Job sure thou dost know How of all Mortals that live there below He 's the most just scarce to be equalled On Earth him sure thou hast considered As one of thy chief Enemies for he Is a most Loyal Subject to me A Man most Honest Pious and Upright Just shunning Evil doing at my sight What I Judge candid good and equitable And for his Heavenly Interest profitable One who by Standart of true Piety Doth measure all his Actions constantly What say'st of him Is he not such now say For all thy Art can'st fall upon a way To make that Man break his Allegiance To me can'st thou thy Interest advance With him or tempt him to do any thing That may i'th'least displease his God and King Yes says the Divel thy Servant Job I know And have considered too why be it so That he is such as truth I
give me strength to bear My Losses so as all men may confess Who see me in this miserable case That thou hast not depriv'd yet of Grace Lord theâ— what shall I say thou giv'st thou tak'st Thou raises thou throws down again thou mak'st And thou unmak'st O let thy glorious Name Sound in the Trumpet of eternal Fame For all thy Actings are both just and fair And well thou know'st what Criminals men are And what they do deserve O make me then Highest of late but lowest now of men O make 〈◊〉 wiâ—â— a 〈◊〉 patience Endure what thou art pleased to dispense Thus though we see Jobs Grief was answerable To his Condition which was lamentable Yet in his greatest paroxism of woe He did not sin nor treat his Maker so As if he would accuse him foolishly For th' only author of his Misery Then happy he who can his loss sustain With patience and not of God complain For when Afflictions Storms from Heavens do fall We ought to suffer and not cry at all Because we know that God affliction sends Upon a many whom he least intends â— extirpate in his anger for we shall See this good mans afflictions after all Converted to a fair and pleasant Scaene Of Wealth and Honours and a most serene Aspect of Favour when our God doth show To Job his Face ex Postliminio Cap. II. HEre 's a Grand-Tryal then awake all you Who ever in your lives Affliction knew Sum up your Sorrows reckon all your Woes And all your wreaking Miseries unclose Your Crosses and your Losses all declare See who with Jobs afflictions can compare Or with his Patience For now his Issue Wealth and Honours gone His Body must be sadly rack'd anon And put to horrid torture as if what He yet had lost were not proportionate To th' merits of so great a Criminal He must endure the question after all See here then God again in Judgment set Environed with Majesty and State Before whom numerous Angels do appear As if for jury they impannelled were He who by Virtue of his late permission Had to a most deplorable condition Reduc'd this pious man appears there too To see if there was more mischief to do Satan from whence says God from compassing The Earth and there securely travelling In every corner doing all I can Says he to dissappoint the Hopes of Man I 've done what thou allowd says he and â—ow I ask if thou hast any more to do For me on earth is there another there Whom thou thinkst just and upright let me hear Is there a man for whom thou hast esteem Under the Heavens pray let me know his name And by thy good permission I shall try The utmost Force of his Integrity I 'le soon reduce him to the same estate As I have done thy other man of late And then thou 'lt see that all those upright men Are but thy Servants for their privat gain Not so says Heavens King for yet I see My faithful Servant Job doth honour me The Man whom thou so falsly didst accuse As though he like a Hireling would refuse To serve me were his wages taken from him See now thy malice cannot overcome him Th' hast cut off all his Family and tane His means from him yet he doth not complain He thou didst move me without cause t' oppress See he continues firm in uprightness True says the Enemy of Man 't is true To give thy faithful Servant Job his due He bears his Losses yet with that Submission As I expected none in his condition Could well ha' done for by this time I thought The Bitter Potion would a shreudly wrought But yet when I consider these mean Creatures Whom thou call'st men I do observe their Natures To be above all things most prone to live For Skin for Skin all they possess they 'll give For one hours breath so yet thy Servant Job Because as of his goods I cannot robb Him of his life truly he doth dispense With loss of these since the convenience Of breathing is allow'd him still I know The man is in great misery and wo. His Losses do oppress his Spirits sore Yet as a Ship-wrack'd-man when got a-shore Glad to have ' scap'd with life doth soon forget His losses and though wearyed faint and wet To the next Village hee 'll a begging go For men will rather beg than dye we know So Job though stripp'd of all yet still in health Already has forgot his former wealth So glad hee 's yet alive he has forgot The loss of Children Honours Fame what not He with Contentment begs and eats his bread And only sighs for those are lately dead Nay now he with some ease doth spend his years Because hee 's free of all his former cares But pâ—â—â—â—â—â— now great God stretch out thy Hand And touch his Body let me but demand This favour of the once for all and then I 'le make this Job of all the Race of Men The most impatient then thou 'st quickly see What is his true Opinion of thee For with his paines I 'le alter soon the case And make him curse thee to thy very face Then says the Lord his Person 's in thy hand But save his Life I strictly do command And thou shalt surely see all thy designs Soon disappointed by his countermines Of Piety and Patience Out flies the Devil and instantly doth fall On Job by Execution Personal He baits his Body with a thousand sores And makes an humour issue from its pores So pestilentious hot and purulent So foul so loathsome and so virulent As soon his Body doth appear all o're To be but one continued scabby sore Merciful Heavens What a sad sight is here Pouldred with Ulcers Job doth now appear All Comforts and Subsistence from him taken His Body with a scorching Feaver shaken Of loathsome sores what shall this poor man doe Thus cruciat in Mind and Body too Why patiently he sits on Dung and Asâ—â—s Not bursting out in angry fits and flashes As in like case a many sure would doe But with a peice of broken pitcher now He scrapes the putrid matter from his sores And silently his sad Estate deplores But all th' efforts of cruel Poverty With Heavenly thoughts and smiles of Piety One of undaunted spirit will make sweet Though he can neither have to drink nor eat Diseases of the Body often too Afford such thoughts as Health will scarce allow Our Entertainment for when free of pains And in the ouzy channels of our Veins Our Blood flows smoothly then we think on pleasures On Honours and in hoording foolish Treasures And on these things we rest like silly â—ops Feeding our Minds with vain fantastick hopes But when Diseases on our Bodies seize And in our Veins our Blood begins to freeze When th' motion of our Pulse seems at a stand Scarce to be felt â—y the Physicians hand When with excessive pains our
Life a Life so poor and mean A Life so larded with sad grief and pain As if his mortal foe a man would curse All his invention could not wish him worse Then I am now then I am I sad I Who that I may be sadder must not dye Lord how my Sighs with force ingeminate Pump up whole floods of Tears which when I eat Are now the only Sawces to my Meat For from my Eyes these as from Water-spout Like Rain swoln Torrents issue always out Then let me dye O let me quickly dye As others do and not so cruelly Be forc'd thus to survive my Losse and see Under the Heavens no sinful man like me No sinful man no none of all that Race So much opprest as I am none alace Of Heavens foes suffering so much as I Who liv'd by th' Laws and Rules of Piety As I who always studied to shun Those Courses which a many Mortals run As I who always shunn'd to give occasion To my indeed kind God of provocation But now I plainly see my former Zeal And Piety could not with him prevail T' avert this blow no no my clouds of Prayers Are now dissolv'd in deluges of Tears And I must suffer now what never man Endur'd before me since the world began Indeed in th' affluence of my former bless I still would fear this sad Catastasis And these same thoughts did so my Spirit seize As in the night time my o're wearied eyes Had little sleep for I could ne're endure In all my prosp'rous time to live secure As some who on their earthly Blessings rest Which makes me so uneasily dâ—gest My present troubles O then let me dye For since alace my â—eal and Piety My Prayers my Tears my daily Offerings Could not prevent my present Sufferings How should I think they can me extricate Out of this sad and miscrable state Then let me dye O let me dye again I beg it Lord let me be out of pain At any rate let not thy dreadful wrath Deprive me of the benefit of death As it has done of all things here below Nâ— my good God permit it not for so I shall in horrour live and possibly After long sufferings in despair shall dye O let me dye then for thy mercies sake Lord let me dye and force me not to take Those resolutions which some other men Would take if in such misery and pain Burst then poor heart O split burst speedily That I may have the happiness to dye To dye and then I know my Makers wrath For all this will be by my single death Quickly appeas'd and in the grave I shall Rest sweetly free of troubles after all O death what mortal can thy worth esteem Who 's he can thy intrinsick value name All states of life are daily to be sold But thou death art not to be had for gold Though th' world of life but one great mercat be Yet all 's bought up and there 's none left for me But that which even mad men would abhor Then why should I this life keep any more This life this hellish life O now kind death Ease me of this and take my parting Breath Then burst sad heart what cannot all my Art Be able yet to burst one broken heart Yes sure burst quickly let me quickly dye And in this ugly â—â—unghill where I lye Let me be buryed but my Friends take heed My Body with much earth be covered Under a heap of stones lest Labouring Men Digging this Dung hill in the Season when They dung their grounds should find my Carcass here For if uncovered will infect the Air. PART II. Cap. IV. JOB having thus attempted to express That inward grief which did his Soul oppress One of his three Friends Eliphaz by name Did him thus tartly for his passion blame Should we says he with thee expostulate And on the matter enter in debate We see the heat of thy impatience Is such as our discourse may give offâ—nce Yet though thou should st be vext and curse us all As thou hast done thy birth-day nothing shall Make us forget our duty for reprove The errors of a man we so much love We must indeed then pray who can forbear To answer thee when such discourse we hear Of thy great zeal and piety of late Thy grace thy virtue and I know not what By which thou'd make us think forsooth that he Who cannot act unjusâ—ly punish'd thee Without a fault preceeding very fair Pray who with patience can such language hear Should in our hearing one of God complain Unjustly and from answerâ—ng we abstain No no my friend we came not here indeed To hear thee in thy Passions exceed The rage of mad-men or allow thee so To cry and overact a man of woe For shame how mean a thing it is to see Thy mind thus discompos'd that such as thee Whose eminent prudence virtue piety And long experience o' th' worlds vanity We thought had taught thee to know better things That such as thee in foolish murmurings Should bluster thus Thou who didst others in affliction teach How to behave would to them patience preach And how with crosses they should be content Thy self to become thus impatient Thou who in troubles others hast restor'd Canst thou no comfort to thy self afford Others thou'd check when in Adversity As thou dost now they 'd passionately cry And curse their Birth-day as thou now hast done Afflictions at length are come upon Thy self and thou art griev'd it toucheth thee I' th' quick and thou art all in flames we see Where 's now thy fear of God thy confidence In him thy Uprightness thy Patience Where are those Virtues now what are they fled At such time as thou most of them hast need Why should'st my friend like mad-man then cry out In view of all thy Neighbours round about And set out thy condition with such Art As if without cause thou afflicted wer 't Have not thy sins call'd for thy punishment Prethee forbear then this thy vain Complaint Who ever perish'd being Innocent Pray call to mind how thou hast liv'd before As other sinners and complain no more Revise the Annals of thy former time And thou wilt surely find the hidden Crime For which we all of us perceive indeed Thou now art most severely punished Consider this pray and without debate Thou 'lt not so with thy God expostulate He acts according to most upright Laws And punishes no man without a Cause But I 've observ'd that Antecedent sin How slow soever still doth usher in Punishment to it self proportionate Which still attends the sinner soon or late So in his Judgement on his sins may read And see the Cause from whence his woes proceed For I have often seen that such as Plow Your heathy Ground and corrupt Seed do Sow For all their Labours when their Harvest came They'd Reap no other but the very same Vain men who
thou shalt know No want of any Blessing here below Firm peace within thy walls thy family Shall live with thee in perfect amity All thy Relations shall thee kindly own And to undo thy Fame shall joyn with none As some who on small Piques and petty Jars Do lay foundations of fierce lasting Wars Against their nighest Friends and Blood-Relations And will not hearken to accommodations Whose wretched malice doth admit no change But with a most implacable revenge Pursue their foolish quarrels never cease From Railing and have in their Minds no Peace No Wars like those 'mongst Friends no Piques so hot As those in the same Family begot When Blood it self in several streams divides And checks its common Course by Counter-tides Of Envy Malice Pride Revenge and Hate O how much to be pitied is the State Of that accurs'd unhappy Family Where such sad Piques have broke its Unity Thou shalt be ignorant of all such and scarce Think there are such things as domestick Jars Thy Blood shall in a peaceful Channel flow And all its Course no other Banks shall know Than those of Love and Friendship all thy Life Shall have no Quarrels and perceive no Strife Shalt see thy loving issue multiply Into a fair and numerous Family Whose large extent should one intend to trace Might as well reckon every pile of Grass That grows i th' field or calculate the motion Of waves and billows in the foaming Ocean Full fraught with years at length thou shalt descend Into the pleasant grave and put an end To those enjoyments of thy mortal state As those who with their Feasting satiate Lye down to sleep or as the Corn is brought Into the Barn when it by time is wrought To full perfection or as Fruits do fall From Trees when over-ripe so truly shall Thy exit with felicity be crown'd And thou shalt sleep most sweetly under ground Thus friend we have enquir'd and thus have found Nor is our Doctrine without solid ground Thus then it is if we be understood For what we speak is only for thy good Cap. VI. AS prisoner at bar for crimes arraign'd Hears his Inditement read and is constrain'd To hold his peace in such an exigent Although he knows he 's truly innocent Of what he is accus'd but after all He pleads not guilty and begins to fall To his defence so with attentive ear Job all this while this reasoning did hear Not interrupting till at length his friend Of his so learn'd discourse had made an end Then as his sorrows would permit he speaks And argues thus O says he that my ponderous griefs were weigh'd And all my miseries were in ballance laid Poys'd by a steddy and impartial hand Then my good friend you soon would understand What is my case what my disease and pain And how much reason I have to complain It would be found most unsupportable The sands with it were not comparable No pain so great no grief so heavy sure As this which I poor mortal do endure I cann't express it I want eloquence And cannot with that grace make my defence As you accuse me grief will not allow Me the same liberty of speech as you Do use in your discourse your figured words And pretty Tropes which like so many Swords Cut out a passage for your arguments And make a Lane for your unjust Complaints T' oppress my Spirit do your wit express But what do all such Flowers of Art as these To one in my condition signify Who am already dead with misery Why do you then accuse so dull a thing That doth not understand your Reasoning A silly Creature that makes no defence But only strives t' express its innocence By pious Sighs you had as good forbear Your Rhetorick and with me drop a Tear In kind complyance with my killing grief To which your pointed words bring no relief You see my case beyond expression sad Then why d' ye affliction to affliction add See how th' Almighties Arrows in my Heart Are fix'd beyond all remedy of Art Th' envenom'd Shafts have suck'd my Moysture dry And caus'd the Wounds they made to putrify Spreading a foul contagion every where Yea even my very Soul they do not spare Besides I feed a flame within my Breast By which my pain is every hour encreas't A flame that burns with heat and violence Beyond belief a flame of Conscience A flame that makes us waste our days in fear For who a wounded Conscience can bear A wounded Conscience ah a dreadful thing What Art can this express whence shall I bring Similitudes to point it out O whence Shall I bring homeward so much Eloquence As to express a wounded Conscience A Sting of Conscience O a horrid thing Not the most virulent and sharpest Sting Doth hurt the Body as this doth the Mind No no this Sting is of another kind Then all your Sâ—ings on Earth no poysoned Dart Composed by the subtilest Rules of Art Makes such a wound as doth a Conscience When God allowes it once a perfect Sense Of its own Strength then then it wounds indeed And makes the Heart of hardest Mettal bleed What tempered Steel can make a wound so deep As doth a Conscience rouz'd out of its sleep By Divine Power it Rages Stares and Foames Like one out of his Wits that haunts the Tombs It Stings it Bites it Pierces Cuts and Stricks Practising all the Feats of Lunaticks For when of sin we have a lively sense No Torment with a frighted Conscience Can be compar'd Yet this this Torment I endure alace There 's none can pity one in such a case But he that hath the like affliction known And so can guess my Torment by his own Why do you then condemn my just Complaint As if it did exceed my Punishment Why so severe to vex a poor forlorn Unhappy wretch as ever yet was born A thing Of which my Countrey is ashamd And thinks not fit that I should ere be nam'd Hereafter but as Malefactors are Who suffer for their Crimes with shame and fear Indeed you try me by too Bloody Laws When you affirm I cry without a cause Pray does the wild Ass bray and make a noise When it has Grass for Pasture at its choice Does the Ox Low when Fodder lyes before it Or cease from Lowing whilst it doth implore it D' ye think I 'm proud of suffering God knows I take no pleasure to express my woes I had as â—â—â—ve be silent but that you Force me to speak because you won't allow Me to sigh out my Breath and hid my Face Amongst those ashes whilst I hold my peace Can any man take pleasure in his pain Or by stupendious Poverty make gain No sure no more then you 'l with pleasure eat White of an Egg or such unsavoury Meat Without some Salt such my affliction is And needs no help of this periphrasis T' express its nature such my
to your half-dead Friend you threaten Death Your unkind words like Grins and Snares you lay By which your Friend you shrewdly may betray Now therefore pray at length impartially Look on me and consider whether I Have reason thus t' expresse my grief or no When I endure what none of you can know Assure your selves then I take no delight Thus to complain I am no Hypocrite As you pretend my sorrows are no less Then I esteem them nay could I expresse My inward griefs they 'r more in number sure Then mortal man did ever yet endure Forbear then pray at my desire forbear From such Discourse so rigid so severe As wound my Heart more than my Sorrows do With all my Plagues and Torments pray allow My grief some vent or as my present case is Should I be silent I should burst to pieces Have patience but a while and you shall see There 's no so great iniquity in me As you alleage when my survey is made And with my woes my words in Scales are laid Cap. VII THen what am I a man and what is he A breathing Bauble now pray let us see What is this man of what should he be proud What more than t' other Creatures is allow'd To this same taudry piece of Flesh and Bone This painted Glow-worm this Cameleon That casts it self in every Form and Shape And fain would something of its Maker Ape Is there not to this glorious Creature set A certain time his days are limitate As are those of a Hireling his abode Upon this Earth has its own period Beyond which no man of the greatest strength Can pass vain man must dye vain man at length Must drop into his Grave and there become The very Dross the Caput mortâ—um Of Lifes projection fitted for no use Yet is this all his labour doth produce Although he fancies to himself he may Exceed the reputation of Clay In high conceits and even seems to hold Within his Clutch whole Magazines of Gold Like one who in a Dream great Booties takes But finds himself deceiv'd when he awakes On what alace then should this silly Tool Value it self this Hypocondriackfooll For what should he himself so much esteem When all his Life is but a very Dream Have you not seen a Labourer all the day Long for the happy night wherein he may Refresh his wearied Bones and think the Sun Spite of him with too slow a pace doth run And with impatience doth his Task attend Longing to have his Labours at an end This is my very case for so have I Toil'd all the day long of my vanity And long'd extreemly for th'approach of night In which I pleas'd my self to think I might Enjoy some Rest but here the difference lay 'Twixt the Labourer and me the night and day To me were both alike no rest I found In either at no rate I could compound With sleep for one hour of its company But on my Bed I 'd sick and tossing lye With Eyes unclos'd and Spirit much perplex't Fainting with grief in Mind and Body vex't So runs my Time so do my Years advance I'have indeed had for Inheritance Long dayes of pain and months of vanity Which makes my Life a Scene of misery So soon as I my self compose to Rest Thinking to cach some slender Nap at least Before I shut up my o'rewearied Eyes Now I lye down but when shall I arise I say how shall I pass the tedious night When shall I see again the morning light The night I do by Moments Calculate And with impatience for the Morning wait With tossing too and fro upon my Bed My Body is sore pain'd and wearied My Body tortur'd with a strange Disease Wâ—ose fury no soft Ointments can appease What art to such as I am can bring ease My Flesh with Vermine is all overspread See how with Dust and Mud I 'm covered My Skin to pieces is all rent and torn Was ever man to such sad Judgements born My Pains and Torments are all visible With Ulcers I am become horrible My days do pass with more celerity Than Weavers Shuttle through the Web doth fly Amidst a thousand Sorrows Cares and Fears I spend some inconsiderable Years They flye they flye nothing in Earth or Air In swiftness can with humane years compare Out all sight they flye they flye amaine Never intending to return again Time turns its Hour-glass and ore'turns us all No Mortal Creature can its Time recal Consider then good Lord what thing I am And how I must return from whence I came In a few days my Life is but a blast And like a puff of Wind is quicklie past Then shall my Eyes with darkness black as night Be sealed up and to my earthly sight Nothing that 's pleasant shall again appear For what to me most precious was and dear I have alreadie lost and now remains What to preserve is hardlie worth my pains For why alace should such a one as I Desire to live in pain and misery Of which I cann't be free unless I dye In a short time for which I do implore Th' Eye that hath seen me shall see me no more Thy Eyes O Lord are on me and annon Shal't strike me dead and so I shall be gone I shall no longer in this state remain For Death shall put an end to all my pain As Clouds do quickly vanish into Air And in full Bodies do no more appear So he that once goes down to silent Grave To Life again shall no more access have Shall not return unto his dwelling place For even his Servants who ador'd his Face To whom on Life his presence was most dear If after Death to them he shall appear His gastlie looks will make them quicklie run Nor can these very underlings be won With their old Friend and Master to converse By all the Rhetorick of the Universe Though all such apparitions as these Are but meer phantasms and delude our Eyes With empty Shadows of composed Air But the True Body never doth appear That rests in Grave and shall not rise before The Fabrick of this Earth shall be no more Then since no other lenitive can be found T' allay my grief ere I go under ground But only words by which I may express Those inward ills that do my Soul oppress I will not spare my mouth but openly Unto my ever-living God I 'le cry I 'le speak as one in Spirit sore perplex't As one with Plagues and Torments shrewdly vex't I 'le speake I 'le speak I will not hold my Tongue But roar out my oppressions all day long Lord I 'le say what am I an Ocean A Whale or any thing that 's more than man That to destroy me thou shouldst take such pains Whilst to undo all that of me remains Were but a small Task for a Gnat a Flee A Wasp a Hornet or a humble Bee
innocent on trust Should men with silence hear thy precious lyes Or when thou dost make faces shut their eyes As if forsooth 't were finful to behold Such a sad Object Dost think but we all with compassion see Thy case although we cann't comply with thee In all thy doleful foolish exclamations Nor second thee in thy expostulations Thou who so often hast thy Neighbours blam'd For such vain talk shouldst thou not be asham'd To prate so idly Shouldst thou not be asham'd thus to assert Thy uprightness when he who knows the heart Doth laugh at thee pray' with what impudence Dost thou upbraid us with thy innocence Thinkst thou that we believe that all is true Which now thou speaks't no if thou hadst thy due And all thy words were well considered ' Stead of being pitied shoulds't be punished Thou blameless in thy Life thou innocent Thou one of whom no man can make complaint Thou in the sight of God upright and clear Bless us what foolish arrogance is here Was ever wise man in discourse so weak Did ever man so like a mad man speak Was e're such talking heard wouldst thou lay claim To what no Mortal can attain for shame Forbear such words forbear this canting strain And of thy Maker do no more complain For all thy exclamations are in vain But since we cann't prevail with thee and since I see we are not able to convince The of thy Errors O that he would speak Who fram'd the Tongue that for his Justice sake Since what we argue is but lame and faint Himself would please to take up th argument And lay thy sins before thee all a row That so we might by demonstration show How much thou' rt in the wrong and let thee see In short how like for all the world to thee The fool doth prate who when in humour cross't And overpower'd with judgements thinks all 's lost O that our God himself would take in hand To answer thee and make thee understand Wisdom's true value which if thou didst know Thou wouldst not through impatience bluster so As now thou dost nor clamour at this rate For were thy punishment proportionat With thy foul sins as thou hast merited Thou shouldst indeed be doubly punished Know therefore that because of thy offence God hath forgot thee and will not from hence Acknowledge thee as he has done before And in his presence shall 't appear no more But say now thou who dost to Wit lay claim And thy own Knowledge dost so much esteem Thou who thy friends and neighbours fools do'st call And think'st thou knowest much more than we do all Vexing us with a pitiful relation Of all thy former Life and Conversation With Tales of thy pretended patience And formal Stories of thy Innocence Cans't thou my friend conclude with all thy art What trulie God is cans't thou for thy heart Reduce thy Maker to his proper kind Or thy Creator in perfection find Say canst thou do this wilt thou take in hand To answer me the question I 'l demand In the first place then I desire to know How high the Heavens are say now canst thou show What bounds that spacious Vault doth comprehend How far it doth from East to West extend On what foundations the proud Pillars stand Which that vast arch support what mighty hand Did found them in each of 'em how much space Doth lye betwixt the Chapter and the Base No 't is in vain thou mayst thy labour spare Such things beyond thy scantling knowledge are For as Heavens are immeasurably high So the Foundations of those Pillars lye Deeper then Hell it self thou canst not reach Their true dimensions which no art can teach Nor can the same by Theorems express For all your Artists do but faintly guess What really and truly these things are For O how mean and low they do appear Demonstrat in a Map a Globe or Sphere By our vain plodding Charlatans of Art Who cannot comprehend the smallest part Of the Creation and yet soar so high As nought below th' Empyrean Canopy Can satisfie their curiosity Nay even those who pretend by art to know The measure of the Heavens and boldly show Their Longitude by Lines imaginary Even those same fools in their opinions vary And cann't agree what bounds they should allow For that capacious Fabrick far less thou Void of all art canst make us understand How far that Powerful All-creating Hand The wings of Heaven beyond the Earth has spread How much in breadth they do the Seas exceed Yet if our God at any time intend To pull down all this Pile and make an end Of what with admiration we behold And so esteem its worth cannot be told If God intend to cut the Heavens assunder And blast the universal Globe with Thunder Pray who can stop him who can turn him back Or to desist from his intentions make If once he thus intend he 'l surely do it And see what any Mortal dares say to it For O he knows vain men he knows us all Full well and what we Wit and Parts do call He names meer folly and can clearly show The wisest man on Earth doth nothing know He knows our private Cabin-thoughts full well In vain from him our sins we do conceal He knows them all no winged thought can flye From Pole to Pole so soon but instantly Our God discovers from whose Breast it came And in that instant can its owner name He sits in all the Councils of the Heart And undiscovered laughs at all our Art By which we mannage every close design So covertly as those who dig a Mine Unseen by any yet he plainly sees What we intend by all such thoughts as these Yet would vain man fain be esteemed wise And think each one injures him who denys To him that goodlie Epithet although This self conceited fool doth nothing know Stupid insipid ignorant and dull Rude as a Boobie of a thick hard scull Is this same man at best a very brute And while refin'd by art without dispute Like a wild Asses Colt so dull a Creature As he appears no more oblig'd to Nature Then rugged Flints untill by Artists hand Polish'd and cut But after all though mankind in hIs eyes Be of no value yet he still will prize Religious thoughts and quickly understand True sighs and pious motions of the hand If evil from thy heart thou'lt banish far And against fin declare a formal War If thou in thy own house as Judge wilt sit Acting in all things what is just and fit Suff'ring no Crime within thy walls to sleep But in a most assiduous method keep Strict watch upon thy actions and practise Good things and use Religious exercise When thou art private with thy Family As an instructer in true Piety Then shalt thou glory in thy Innocence And in thy well Reformed Conscience Enjoy a sweet serene tranquility Beyond
we call Man alace This the Heir Male of the first mortals race This Man of Woman born whose foolish years Are wasted in a tract of cares and tears If this be he that proud and lofty creature Who calls himself the Master-peece of Nature Why sure he seems to me so mean a thing As he is hardly worth our mentioning Strange then kind Females should be at such pain In bringing to the world a thing so mean A thing which valued by just Estimation Is scarcely worth the pains of Procreation Yet after all say of him what we can This empty thing is all we have for Man Yes in this very piece of miniature So long indeed as Heavens and Earth endure We see the Image Glory Wit and Power Of him who fram'd him so that to this hour In this same Man with no small admiration We read th' Abridgment of the whole creation This is the Lord of Earth yes this is he Who holds o' th' King of Heaven in capite This goodly Mannor and that as appears In Mort main too to him and all his Heirs For payment only of some Tears and Pray'rs I this same fair and fruitful Seigniory Was once indeed his settled Property For ever in his Person to endure Full and in peace before the forfeiture But O thâ—u man to whom in Paradise This fair Appanage God did first demise Man not of Woman â—orn thou poorly sold What was not to be purchassed for Gold Both thine alace and our felicity For a mean toy and for thy fault we dye Ah! hadst not thou with dull indifference Exchang'd thy opulent state of Innocence For this poor mortal state which we possess What Art could have express'd man's happiness He could for ever have retain'd his breath And bid defyance to the force of death He had with great convenience eat his Bread And call'd himself the Lord of Earth indeed But now that in continued miseries He lives a while then miserably dies He owes to thee and for thy curious Crime He and his Race are eaten up by time As Oxen eat up Grass Then what are all these things we pleasures call Wealth Honours Issue Fame What are they all When man must dye when he must formally Abandon all these pleasant things and dye Yes dy e and as into the world he came Naked and poor go out of it the same For as a flower its beauty doth display And suddainly doth moulder and decay So man in gâ—y and verdant youth appears Most glorious in the Summer of his years Void of all sorrow and anxiety Spread like a Garden-flower but by and by When he is cross'd with thoughts and businesse His Tulip-colours disappear apace And as a shadow when the Sun is gone Appears no more but vanisheth annon So all his beauty vanisheth and now Wrinkles succeed it and with much ado His face is known to those who formerly Knew him i' th' days of adolescency At length Time fairly turns his Glass and now The Fable's done and there 's no more to do But that Wrapp'd up in Home-spun Winding-sheet O brave The Lord of Earth be thrown into his Grave Almighty God! what fluctuating thing Is this same Man how frail and perishing How subject to himself how much a slave To passion from the Belly to the Grave Nay such a piece of meer formality Though Mantled with a glorious vanity Of Wit Birth Riches Learning Honours all Which he doth his appurtenances call That even himself when with impartial eye In Reasons Looking glass he doth survey His worldly state perceives that all he can Pretend at most to is to be a Man A man of woes and sorrows cares and fears A poor retainer to some painful years A short-liâ—d man who rarely doth attain To th' age of sixty and doth still complain Either of pains of Body or of Mind So long as within bounds of Life confin'd So that if th' hadst not let him understand He 's chief of all the Labours of thy Hand He 'd think himself in this same contemplation The very meanest part of the Creation Yet dost thou Lord thou high and Heavenly King Take special notice of this foolish thing Thou look'st upon him with a careful eye And tak'st the pains for his security T' enclose him with a wall of Providence And keeps't a constant Watch for his Defence Both day and night so that the power of Hell Cannot against him with their Plots prevail Whilst guarded thus and so well for tifi'd By his Creators Art on every side Yes and of late too I was one of those Whom thou with a strong Rampart did'st enclose But now thou'hast deserted me and I Unfenc'd lye open to the Enemy Now my accusers in great throngs do bring Their several Charges before thee my King Before thee I as Criminal appear At Bar and am environed with fear Now thou dost try me now thou dost intend To bring me quickly to a shameful end Lord what am I a wretched dying thing Not worth thy wrath not worth thy noticing Why try'st ' me then with such severity And of my actings maks't such scrutiny As if of all men I had most transgress'd Thy Divine Laws thou hear'st I have confess'd I am a sinner dost thou Lord expect That mortal man can other answer make When thou dost charge him with impiety Then I do now I do not Lord deny That all the Judgements I do now endure Were merit long ago for I am sure That man was never born since Adams Fall That can affirm he never sinn'd at all What then wouldst ' have me say I do confess I am all sin I am all guiltiness Can any thing that 's good from me proceed No sure then judge me for I cannot plead Not guilty I 'm unclean and who can bring That which is clean out of an unclean thing Then since it is so since I cann't deny I have abounded in iniquity Since I 'm found guilty and condemn'd why then I ask but what is granted amongst men On such occasions to a Criminal Who freely at the Bar confesses all Of what he hears himself accus'd and so Himself on mercy of the Court doth throw Then what I beg great Judge what I demand Is not to live because I understand As I am sadly circumstantiat now Death will oblige me more than Life can do But only since I have confess'd my Crime I may be but reprived for some time That I may have some leasure to repent And not at least out of the World be sent With all my sins about me Remember Lord how man is in his prime But a poor Gleaner of a scattered time A calculator of some triffling years An Almanack of sorrows woes and tears Are not his days and months determined His bounds design'd which he cannot exceed Let then his bitter persecution cease That for some time this Creature may have peace That he at least may be allow'd to live Until
from the Mothers Nature A creature black with sin Original Before it well its self a man can call One whose defect doth with its life begin And in the Womb becomes acquaint with sin Can he be clean can such a one as he For all the World be esteemed free From all that 's evil Man of a Woman born can he be clean Pray what by such expressions dost thou mean Can any thing that 's good from one proceed Who so much mischief to the World doth breed Who plagues us all with sin that cursed root Which in its season yields no other fruit But sin alone which we do soon disperss Through all the corners of the Universe A fruit in which men drive a constant trade And toil as much as for their daily bread To purchase this dear fruit at any rate In this all mortals do negotiate But after all this Traffique when at last Man on his Death-bed doth begin to cast Th' accounts of this same dismal trade alace How doth he look when all the passages Of his past life before him doth appear And he poor soul already dead with fear Sees by account what profit he has made Through all the course of this unlucky trade Sin upon Sin Loss upon Loss he cries Shuts up his Books curses this trade and dies Yet is this all that Woman doth produce Beseech thee then my friend do not abuse Thy self with fancies as if any thing That 's good from such a tainted root can spring No no wee 're all unclean wee 're sinful all No man on earth himself can upright call What! while the very Saints while travelling here Bedaub'd with sin did in his sight appear Nay even the Heavens themselves are in his eye Grossely unclean full of Deformity Will man pretend that he is clean will he Who 's sin in the superlative degree Who in provocking God takes such delite As in his food and sins with appetite Who greedily sucks in iniquity Shall he pretend i' th' least to purity No sure thou err'st my friend but if thou 'lt hear What 's for thy good I freely will declare What I have seen and in my time have learn'd What with great pains and labour I have earn'd I 'le tell thee things which prudent men of old Have by their Reverend Ancestors been told What these did not think fit to be conceal'd But for their childrens benefit reveal'd Who by learn'd Sayings and wise Apothegms In History have Eterniz'd their Names Who by their Prudence did so moderate And mannage that which God had allocate To them for their inheritance so well With such Discretion and did so excell I' th' art of Government mentaining peace With all their Neighbours living in such case Amongst themselves as none durst undertake T invade them or atempt i' th' least to break Their firm confederacy which of old They had so founded as nor Steel nor Gold Could cut that Knot nor could the smiling tricks Of States-men countermine their Politicks In short they did possess and govern all As if their Land had been Allodial As if it had belong'd to them alone And save o' th' King of Heavens they held of none Those men have told us that the wicked are Most miserable in continual fear In pains like those of Child-birth still they lie Exclaiming in the extream agonie Of a sad troubled conscience which alace Allowes them ease scarce a small moments space The cruel man is never void of fear But fancies Death attends him every where For when he calls to mind by what Oppressions He has enlarg'd his Titles and Posessions How many he has ruin'd and undone And eat up all their means since he begun To set up for himself how cunningly ' Has turned out many a goodly family And sent them all a begging he from thence Infallibly concludes All hate him curse him do his name abhorr And as they ask their alms from door to door They tell by whose oppression they are poor Then when he thus reflects and calls to mind How hateful he s become to all mankind The unjust Tyrant doth not think it strange That all the world should meditate revenge Against their common Enemy a man Proscrib'd and out-law'd by the publick Ban Of all just pious men who in their prayers With fervent zeal and floods of bitter tears Accuse them to their God and constantly For Justice Justice in Heavens Court do cry Against him then he stares and looks about And even his own Domesticks he doth doubt Upon his life have some design and those Who break his bread are now become his foes With horrour thunder-struck with care oppress 't This miserable soul can have no rest Before his eyes strange visions appear His mind is sore belaboured his ear Is still infested with a noise of fear A dreadful noise like that of Passing-bell Which doth his nigh-approaching death foretell In which he 's not deceiv'd for by and by Even in the solstice of prosperity Down from the Mountains falls some injur'd Lord Who and his hungry crew with fire and sword This mighty mans Dominions invade And wasting all before them make a Trade Of pillaging appearing every where Like lightning sometimes here and sometimes there So through his territories nimbly fly Seizing his Towns and Castles speedily Advancing still in a vindictive rage Until in Battel with him they engage Defeat his Forces put them all to flight Then to his glory he bids long-good-night Thus ends the whip and terrour of his age For to him so his mind did still presage I' th' noon-tide of his blesse he durst not hope Or fancy any other horoscope Then a most wretch'd and miserable end Which makes him in perpetual horrour spend The best of all his time enjoyes no ease But is disturb'd in mind for still he sees The raging Sword before him and he fears His Enemies are still about his ears At length when misery doth come indeed Like one that wanders to and fro for bread So doth this great man ramble every where And makes what shifts he can for daily fare Carelesse of Honour outward Pomp and State And costly Dyet now content of what Nature affords a simple Peasants Food To him is pleasant and he finds it good He eats he sleeps no more he doth demand Because he knows his death is nigh at hand Anxiety affliction grief and care Which stir up good mens hopes make them despair Despair down-right in fiery rage exclaim ' Gainst-what the precious fool doth Fortune name And in his humours openly blaspheme Transported drunk with fury he cryes out In fits and like a mad man runs about The Towns and Countrey-fields vents all his passions In angry wrath and horrid execrations 'Gainst him at length despair doth so prevail He becomes faint and all his spirits fail Curs'd be the Stars that rul'd my Birth he crys With a strong sigh thrusts out his Soul and
they did before Because the hand of God hath made me poor Since thou hast made me odious to all And none do pity or lament my fall But even my friends men who I thought had known My temper and at such time would ha' shown Their kindness to me in my sad distresse By their proud words afford me nothing lesse Nay those whom blood to me had rendred dear Insult upon my woes and now appear More fierce more cruel more in Rancour di'd Than all my prating Enimies beside Then let me die at length Lord let me die That I may here shut up the History Of a most miserable Life and close In my last Groan the Fable of my woes For why Lord should I any longer see The light of Heaven who am condemn'd by thee No with my Mantle wrapp'd about my head Let me be to the place of dying led Where I may quicklie find what I desire And in the twinkling of an eye expire Expire O happie word to ease my pain Let me but once repeat that word again Expire alace I fear that favour yet Will not be granted I must longer wait For that last blow and in this panting breath Still live yet feel the horrid pains of Death A thing that should not live yet cannot die Lord what a goodly spectacle am I Poor Lean Diseas'd Sun-dry'd and Withered My Face with Wrinkles deeply furrowed All these do shew it is not fit that I Should live and yet I 'm not allow'd to die Was ever man in such a dismal case Was ever mortal tortured thus alace I 'm torn to pieces by the Divine Wrath And yet deny'd the Liberty of Death I 'm become odious in Gods sight he hates The verie thoughts of me he meanlie rates All my Pretensions nay he frowns upon me Denies his presence will hear no more on me As a notorious Traitor I am us'd The priviledge of council is refus'd To me and which is worse oblig'd down right To answer my Inditement without sight And 'cause th' Almighty doth me thus despise My Enemies in wrath against me rise They rise against me with great Violence And with sharp words assault my innocence With grinding teeth and eyes all in a flame They stare about them when they hear my name With such disdain they do upon me smile As if forsooth it were not worth their while To notice such as I appear to be Or eye such a poor wretched soul as me With mouths wide open they upon me gape As if they 'd me devour and seem to ape The Hectors of the Ocean when they chase With open mouths before them through the seas Shoals of small Fishes and most bitterly With Tongues like Scorpions they continually Do whip my Soul they whisper to each other They go aside and there consult together How they may vex me further they devise With all their force and art that in them lies How to undo me and bring evidence T' invalidat my Plea of Innocence Now it appears alace that God indeed Has me rejected and delivered Me as a slave into the hands of those Who are both his and my declared foes I was in Wealth and Honour and Esteem In great respect of all who heard my name I knew what plentie was I liv'd at ease And no cross-dealings did disturb my peace Now I am poor now I am desolate And forfeit both of Honour and Estate Now I am pinch'd and in great Penury Now I am poor and on the Dung-hill lie Like an old useless Jade expos'd to die The Wrath of God has shattered me to pieces And yet that wrath against me still encreaies As Grim-fac'd Archers Executioners Of earthlie justice do themselves disperse In quest of Malefactors beat the Woods Willowes and Reeds that grow among the Floods Survey the Mountains and the Champaign Ground And give not over while their prey be found So have Gods Archers compass'd me around I 'm now their Captive by those I am led Whether they list pinion'd and fettered They spare me not their fury knows no bounds They 've made me all a Masse of Blood and Wounds With heavy stroaks and blows ingeminat I 'm broke to pieces I 'm excoriat By Furrowing Stripes such cruel usage sure Never yet breathing Mortal did endure As a fierce Giant with his monstrous Spear Banded and pointed beyond ordinar With violence upon his foe doth run So by the strength of God I am undone For this cause I upon my Skin have sow'd A doleful Sack-cloath and my head have bow'd Low to the ground for this cause I lament For this cause I my cloaths have torn and rent My head have shav'd and in this sad Estate Each minut I my Threnody repeat My face with weeping is all withered Death o're my eyes its coverlet hath spread The pretty guardians which did formerly Protect my wearied eyes from injury Now weak and sore with watching overspent And by uninterrupted weeping faint Have quite their stations and take no more care Of their poor charge but now quite uselesse are O let me once again then but demand Of my great God that I may understand From him what is the cause of all my woe Just King of Heavens why am I punish'd so I am not conscious of such horrid guilt As may deserve this do then what thou wilt Cut me to pieces let my flesh be thrown To Dogs for food my bones dispers'd and sow'n Upon the highwayes that each Passenger Who travels on the Road may without care Trample upon them yet I still must cry O my good God with thy good liberty I bear a heart that doth entirely love Its great Creator and each hour doth prove By fervent prayer with what alacrity It doth perform all works of piety And is not guilty of hypocrisie O Earth to Mortals common Source and Grave Who kindly dost all breathless dust receive If I be such as men would have me be Let my foul blood no shelter find from thee But let my Corps expos'd upon the place Be to Spectators shown with open face That if I dy fo great a Criminal As men would have me I may by all Voted unworthy of a burial Why be it so then let me be condemn'd By man on Earth let me be thus esteem'd A lying Rogue a Hypocrite a Cheat Of Principles false and adulterat Yet the great Judge o' th' World doth know my cause And well I hope by tryal of his Laws To be acquit my witnesse is on high My Records in the Heavens securely ly By those one day I hope to make appear How from those Crimes I 'm innocent and clear Then to my unkind friends who on pretence Of consolation vent their eloquence Against the most unpitied of men Accusing me poor wretch once and again Present I shall no other answer make Then that my God I hope at length will speak And from his mouth resolve
upright My sins were perceptible by the sight Of God alone and so such Godly men As you are of no scandal can complain Proceeding from my carriage pray then why Should you upbraid me thus continually With sins which were you put to prove I fear For all your art you could not make appear That I were guilty of 'em why should you Who are wise men such liberty allow To your hot passions why should you exclaim Against a poor afflicted man for shame Forbear this bitter railing pray forbear And if you be Comforters let me hear Some words of comfort pray now let me see If you be such as you pretend to be But if in railing you will still proceed And think you do perform a noble deed In whipping one with words already spent With sad afflictions whilst you would torment A dying creature I will teach you how To mannage this trade better than you do I 'le furnish you with store of arguments Better than those which your poor wits invents And let you see where your advantage lies Which yet indeed for all that your 're so wise You have not hit I 'll teach how t' upbraid And how to say more then you yet have said Though after all 't is but a scurvy trade I 'd have you then my friends to understand That by the Power of an Almighty hand I 'm totally undone I 'm overthrown And all my glory turned up side down I am entangled in afflictions net With wounding sorrows I am round beset And still the more I struggle to get out I stick the faster when I look about For help from man I easily perceive That of all my acquaintance none do grieve To see their old friend in this woful case But all upbraid me to my very face I cry out of Oppression Rapine Force Plain Depredation or what else is worse Yet from Heav'ns Court there 's yet no answer made I call but there 's no justice to be had All do abhor me all do do say 't is just That I should have my dwelling in the Dust Because in wealth I many did exceed And had in store all things that Mortals need From whence as 't were a Crime they do infer 'T is just that such as I should now be here For those who me in peace and wealth did know Are out of envy glad to see me low This is my lot this is my present state This is the woful and disconsolat Condition of my life I now appear Like a distress'd night-wandering Traveller Who sometimes falls on stones sometimes doth rush Amongst the prickles of some silent bush Sometimes in Quag mires falls from whence got out With arms at length out stretch'd he grops about I' th' horrid darkness of the night and fain Would follow out his way but all in vain For the poor soul no sooner extricats Himself from troubles then in other straits He quickly falls now on some precipice He finds himself advanc'd then in a trice He casts about him and not many paces From thence the Trunk of some old tree embraces Anon from some steep Rock he tumbles down And finds himself amongst the Brambles soon Engag'd with Wild goats thence with toil and pain He wrestles out and by and by again Falls in some Quag-mire to the Knees and thence He makes a passage with some violence And falls anon into some Ditch at length O're toil'd with wandring and now wanting strength To wrestle any more with Shrubs and Bushes Ditches and Quick-setts Quag-mires Pools Bull-rushes Willows and Elms which ever and anon He doth encounter fairly he sits down On the cold ground and there in pain and fear Resolves to watch it out while day appear Even such am I such is my dismal case My way is closely fenc'd all passages Block'd up on every side and every road Stopp'd as with trees a cross by th' mighty God So that I cannot pass Inward and outward so my troubles now Do multiply I know not what to do As waves upon each others back do ride In a full body at a growing Tide And with such fury fall upon the Shore As if they would the very earth devour And as one breaks another doth succeed With the same force and in that others steed Another and so wave on wave doth break So after one sad cross I still expect Another and another on the back Of that and so untill all go to wrack I cannot see how these rude waves will cease But that my woes each moment will encrease Untill I be destroy'd I cannot see What th' issues of these miseries may be Or where my sorrows raging course will stop Only upon a slender plank of hope I still do â—it expecting after all The pride of these insulting waves may fall A calm may come and I may get ashore And live in plenty as I did before But now the hand of God upon me lies Most heavily my woes and miseries Are not to be express'd my prosp'rous state In which I was conspicuous of late Is now renvers'd my Honours rent and torn And I exposed to the rabbles scorn He who created me he who employ'd His Breath in framing me has now destroy'd What formerly de did appoint to live And for that end did such allowance give Out of Heav'ns treasure as might well expresse Both his own glory and the happinesse Of him he lov'd But now I am undone My expectation is quite overthrown And as when th' Earth doth in her bowels find Strong torments of a subterraneous wind She trembles as in Ague fit and then To ease her self of that sad inward pain Like one in Child-birth for sometime she roars Then quickly bursts asunder and devours Towns Castles Mountains Houses Villages And by the root pulls up the tallest Trees Though ne'r so firmly knit though ne'r so sure Fix'd in the Rocks yet they cannot endure That furious shock of Nature but must all In Earths dark Caverns find their Burial So am I swallowed up alive and none Can help me now for all my hopes are gone Against me God his Ban has issued Proscrib'd me set a price upon my head And now as for an Outlaw every where Search is made for me neither here nor there Am I secure but still I am espy'd My God has hemm'd me in on every side And as a skilful wary General E're he to close Seige of a Town doth fall First with light Troops invests the place around Shut up all Passages takes up his Ground As he thinks proper then begins his Lines Raises his Batteries labours in his Mines Makes his approaches and doth never cease By night or day until he gain the Place So I am now besieg'd his Troops invest My fortresse on all quarters and infest Me with allarums and with all the power Of Heavens I am assaulted every hour Expecting no relief I do perceive That all my hopes depend upon the Grave For
for the love we bear to thee would fain Reclaim thee from thy errors but alace I fear 't is all in vain we do expresse Our selves as men that really do fear Their God in all our words and do appear To be thy friends but hitherto we see There 's no convincing such a man as thee For it appears that thou art obstinate In error and with all thy soul dost hate To be reformed esteeming none thy friend Who in discourse will be so free and kind As tell thee of thy faults and let thee see How many men have been as well as thee Oppress'd in spirit and in body too And yet have never kep't so much adoe As thou hast done in all their sufferings Nor us'd so many sinful murmurings Against their Maker not to speak of us Thy friends whom thou dost openly abuse For I 've observ'd friend that when Eliphaz Did learn'dly speak thou told him in his face He did not understand so much as thou Did know of Gods great works when Bildad too Express'd his mind in golden Eloquence And truly spoke with as much deference To thy condition as men did of late When thou didst triumph in thy prosprous state Thou said his tale had formerly been told And so on what he spoke thou laid no hold For he knew nothing but to rail and scold As for my self however I did speak Thou told me all my arguments were weak For my part therefore seing 't was in vain To speak I was resolved to abstain From further talking but that now I see Thou' rt pleas'd of late forsooth to challenge me As one who has injur'd thee hence I find My self oblig'd again to speak my mind My thoughts are numerous and my brimful heart Will burst if I the same do not impart In words for which those numerous thoughts do call And therefore I 'm constrain'd to utter all I think with freedom and I must make haste To speak too for this speech shall be the last That I shall use to thee hear me and then Thou shalt have no more reason to complain Of my discourse let thy two other friends As they most learn'dly can expresse their minds Continue to expostulate with thee Thou shalt hear no more arguing from me Allow me then my friend to vindicat My self from those aspersions of late Thou' rt pleas'd to throw upon me for I 'm touch'd To hear my self so frequently reproach'd Even in my face what man will be so us'd And hold his peace I must then be excus'd If I make answer to thy late Oration Reflecting so much on my reputation Why then my friend were I as much a slave To passion as alace I do perceive Thou art should I give vent to wrath as thou Hast all this time done without more adoe I 'd fall a railing on thee all my words Should be like pointed knives or shearing swords My Tongue I 'd with such acrimony whet Stare with my Eyes and in such order set My Teeth against thee and with clutched Fist Whilst in my burning fury I persist To menace thee so thunder out my wrath As should make thee I doubt wish more for Death Than yet th' hast done I 'd so belabour thee With whips of speech as thou shouldst quicklie see Thy foolish error in provoking me I would so threaten terror and revenge As I suppose would make thy colours change For all thy courage I 'd so tartly speak As would make all thy joints and sinews quake But God forbid that I should be so mad As to practise such an unlawful trade That I should to my passion give such vent Of which hereafter I 'd no doubt repent No my good friend indeed thou dost mistake If thou believe that yet I am so weak No thou shalt hear me with great calmness speak For since thou hast reproach'd me to my face I cannot sure in honour hold my peace But must make answer to what thou hast said Though after all indeed I am afraid I 'le have not better success than before Only since I intend to speak no more Hear me but for some time with patience And then descant upon thy innocence Even as thou wilt for seriouslie I shall In a few mild Expressions sum up all What I intend to speak so I have done And then if thou think'st fit I shall be gone I doubt not friend but thou art fully read In Naturals and hast much laboured To know the real true Origination Of all the glorious work of the Creation I also know by reading History Thou hast great knowledge of antiquity Whence I conclude sure thou dost understand How that since with a high and mighty hand The King of Heavens did first the Earth Create And in its full possession enstate That ungrate thing call'd Man Since that time sure thou can'st not chuse but know How God Almighty brings the wicked low For that accursed man who doth despise His great Creator though in wealth he rise Above his neighbours and in honours sphere A Star o' th' greatest magnitude appear Though like a tall Oak he doth overtop The lower shrubs o' th' World and in his hope Devours whole Kingdoms Cities Common-weals States Empires Districts or what ever else May bring him profit honour and delite And answer his voracious appetite Although he triumphs in the spoiles of those Whose riches only make great men their foes And seizes on all that unhappy ground Belong to whom it will where can be found That Idol of the World which men call Gold To purchase which that Creature will make bold To swim through seas of blood and venture all For what wars Nerves and Sinews he doth call Yet are his triumphs all but empty shows And all his bloody purchases God knows Of which that Heavens-contemning fool doth boast Are scarce well setled when they 're wholly lost His joys do only for a moment last And when his glorious days are overpast And troubles to his former joys succeed What miserable life shall that man lead Each moment haunted by the memory Of his few years spent in prosperity Which galls him more then he had never seen Those whiffling days nor in his life had been Above the rank of those who meanly beg Along the high ways and will make a leg For a poor farthing for its own'd by all That he who for his pride of old did fall From that great share of heavenly happinesse Which whilst he fear'd his God he did possesse Is now more tortur d by the memory Of his so poorly loâ—t felicity Then he had ne'r those higher Regions known Or seen the splendour of the heavenly Throne But had been still in horrid darknesse bred And from his first Creation Billâ—ted I' th' Bowels of the Earth where for his pride He 's now condemn'd for ever to reside That man I say then who doth God despise Although in wealth and honour he Should rise Above all others and
were known From upright men and so would fain perswade Th' afflicted man that he had merited All he did undergo and with what art On th' other hand he laboured to assert His innocence and without heat or passion Did prove by many a lively demonstration That where mens antecedent sins did call For punishment on earth yet after all Heavens gracious Monarch freely did permit Those men to live and dy as they thought sit Whilst pious men were often visited With sad afflictions and overlaid With plagues and torments and that some of those Whom they call'd sinful suffered many woes Even in this life from whence he did conclude What they affirm'd must not be understood To be a general rule which did admit Of no exception and that all their wit Was mis-imploy'd on such an argument And that they 'd surely fail of their intent If by the threatning of their Eloquence They thought to fright him from his Innocence One might ha' thought I say those learned men Would now no longer labour to maintain A thing not only so ofttimes deny'd But prov'd so learn'dly to be false beside Yet will they not their arguing give o're But still assert as stiffly as before Their former Doctrine for to all was said The Temanite this stubborn answer made Why friend sayes he I have with patience Heard thee descant upon thy Innocence I 've heard thee talk much like those quibbling fools Who for the reputation of their Schools Will upon any subject frame debate And even deny what is homologat By all the knowing World who will assert Falshoid it self t' express their prurient art And argue pro or con on what you will As Juglers shift their Balls to show their skill Nay they 'll not stick to prove by argument That the Sun shines not in the Firmament And by their pestilentious parts are able To make all things created disputable So thou to show thy wit art not asham'd T' affirm such things as ought not to be nam'd Thou tell'st us thou art pure and innocent And why should the Almighty thus torment One in the reputation of a Saint I see indeed thou fain wouldst us perswade 'T is not for sin that thou art punished No not at all for thou insistest much That thou art just and always hast been such Even in the hight of thy prosperity And still abhoredst all impiety And being yet such in thine own conceit At least why thy Creator doth think fit T' afflict a man pure just and innocent Only to try a new experiment That he may know how good men will behave Under his Rod not that men should conceive That all afflictions are th'reward of Sin No by no means for if they should begin To entertain such thoughts they might conclude The very Saints cannot be understood To have been just since none ere suffered In all the world more sorrows than they did And then demandst us if God punish none As we affirm but sinful men alone Why do these wretches who in sin abound Flourish on Earth why are so many found Guilty of Sin and yet not punished Why here 's a contradiction indeed Sayst thou a Riddle which I cannot read This is thy Doctrine in this error thou Endeavourest to maintain with much adoe Thy innocence but trust me 't is in vain For we perceive how evident and plain Thy misdemeanours are For even in this that thou so frequently Valuest thy self upon thy Piety And boast est so much of thy righteousness Thou sin'st though there were no more in the case For I do lay it as a principle Beyond all question most infallible That let a man be never so devout Zealous and just in heart it booteth not For this to God no profit doth afford It yields him no advantage in a word All we can do all that our hearts are able To muster out is no wayes profitable To our great God for let us fast and pray Let us give alms and labour every day By all the lawful means which mortals use To make their Court with Heav'n we but abuse Our judgements if by these we do suppose To merit favour of him for God knows When we have labour'd and done all we can To serve our Maker be perform'd by man Yet one with reason may us freely call Unprofitable servants after all For 't is not so with God as 't is with men Where one by parts and prudence may attain To profit and enrich his mind with all The Revenues of what we knowledge call Or feast his Soul with Heavenly Contemplations And frequently imploy in Meditations His heart with pleasure and so happily Improve the noble art of Piety No no all these God values not a whit Of all our works he maks no benefit Then what avails it for a man to boast Of what God doth not value what at most Yields but some profit to himself and so I must with calmness tell thee that although Thou wert ev'n such as thou pretendst to be Just Upright Zealous and from Errors free As we conceive thou are not yet alace Thus to brag of it as a great trespass Next then my friend as he who sits on hie Reaps no advantage by thy Piety So on the other hand I 'd have thee know He fears no hurt from thee nor doth he show Himself offended at thy righteousness As in thy passion thou dost oft express No no mistake it not for certainly God quarrels no man for integrity Nor doth he think it is his interest That such an one as thou should be supprest Lest if perhaps thou shouldst become too wise His Majesty might suffer prejudice By thy practising with his enemies For as th' Almighty doth not apprehend Thy merits to be such as do transcend The power of his reward So fears he not thou wilt become so great But that by his eternal rules of State Though thou shouldst to the Highest pitch attain In power with him can be acquir'd by men Yet he with ease can take thee down again Since then for what is good we plainly see The God of Justice doth not punish thee Nor any man because his upright Laws Ordain that no man should without a cause Be punished why sure we must conclude These thy afflictions must be understood Either to be thy punishment for sin Or else for nothing And how absurd it were for one t' assert I'th'least the verity of the latter part Of this alternative I freely leave it To th' judgement of good men but I conceive it To be an error of so deep a dye As falls within the verge of blasphemy And now dear Friend at length I must be free And tell thee out what are my thoughts of thee Since thou wert pleas'd to say that all this time We spar'd thy person and reprov'd thy Crime 'T is true indeed in pity of thy case We did forbear to tell thee in thy face Thou wer 't the unjust man whom
we did mean But since thou put'st me to ' t I shall be plain For thus I argue He whose wickedness Caus'd many cry to Heaven for redress He who was not asham'd to make profession Of that foul sin which men do call Oppression That man I say 't is plain and evident Deserves from God severest punishment This I have still esteemed from my youth A proposition of eternal truth But so it is thou in thy life hast been As is but too well known the worst of men In sin thou didst thy Neighbours all exceed And therefore thou art justly punished But here because I know thou wilt deny What I subsume I 'le prove it instantly Here is my charge then stand to thy defence For thus I do impeach thy innocence Who 's he of us that cannot say his ears Have been infested now these many years With th'horrid noise of thy lewd practices Whilst thou without distinction didst oppress Each living Soul that came within thy reach And seiz'd on all as far as thou couldst stretch Thy grasping Talons may as we have heard Thy avarice so palpably appear'd And thy â—oul dealings were so understood By all the people of thy Neighbourhood As no men durst with thee negotiat Save those who better understood to cheat Then thou didst and we hear they were but few Besides thy self my friend who so well knew The art of Couz'ning nay besides we hear Thy crueltie was such thou wouldst not spare Thy nearest Kins-men but at all occasions Wouldst justle them out of their just Possessions When having lent them money in their need Upon a Mortgage by some Counter-deed After true payment of the Principal Just Interest Expences Costs and all Under the Title of some scurvy lease After Redemption thou wouldst still possess And lest thy Title should be quarrelled Thou'd quicklie purchase in some Latent-deed Which carry'd the reversion and then Th' extinguish'd Mortgage openlie retain Nay more thou didst not onlie strangers use After this fashion but wouldst even abuse Thy very Brother if necessitie Oblig'd him to demand from thee supplie For thou wert rigid cruel and severe In all thy dealings as most rich men are And for thy Soul alace thou took'st no care Interest allow'd by Law would not content Thy covetous mind but even cent per cent Thou'd take from some and Pledges to the boot Worth thrice the money which thou didst lend out Then lest the Statutes might thy dealings reach And thee for bloody usury impeach Thou'd licitat the Goods and for the fashion Cause a led Jury put a Valuation Upon them far below the sum thou lent And then wouldst sell them to the full extent Nay which is strange as we 're inform'd the poor Who daily begg'd their alms from door to door Thou sometimes with provisions wouldst supplie And make the gleanings of thy Usâ—rie In publick pass for acts of Charitie But how pray didst thou order thy affair With those poor Souls say now didst thou forbear To take a Pledge from such for what thou lent Nay my good friend 't was never thy intent For e're thou'd wanted all thou even wouldst seize On their poor rags and make such things as these Yield thee some profit Whilst overcome with cold and penurie Those naked creatures in the streets would die In fine both rich and poor thou us'd to rob For no such famous Usurer as Job Did in these Countries live this was thy Trade By this a great Estate th'hadst latelie made And for this now on Dung hill thou art laid Then as thou did in avarice abounds So in thy petriâ—yed heart was found No room at all for love and charity For thou the thirsty never would supply With one cold cup of water or in need Afford the hungry one poor loaf of bread But O in these days there was no complaining On such as thee as there was no regaining Of what thou took'st thou then didst rule the land And hadst both power and statutes in thy hand Men knew no other laws but thy command And though thou wouldst unmercifully treat The poor yet thou wouldst fawn upon the great And rich men of the land and countenance Them in their law-suits that thou might'st advance The interest of thy self and family And raise thy brats by open bribery Lastly which is the greatest of oppressions When some poor widows would at general Sessions Implore for justice where thou didst preside Protesting they did starve for want of bread And therefore beg'd their suits might come to tryal To this thy answer was a flat denyal Either because some great men were concern'd In these same actions or that thou hadst learn'd It was the interest of some puny friend Those peoples tryals should not have an end The orphans too when thou in Judgement sat And acted as a bribing Magistrat Did starve for want of sustenance and cry'd Aloud when dying Justice was deny'd Hence 't is that woes environ thee around And sudden fears thy spirits do confound Hence 't is that thou art levell'd with the Dust 'Cause whilst thou wert a Judge thou wast unjust Hence 't is that thou art every way undone And with a flood of sorrows over-run Hence 't is that spoil'd of goods health family In an abysse of troubles thou dost ly But O whilst thy proud honours did endure Thou thought'st thou were from punishment secure For God saidst thou who lives above the skie And has his habitation more high Then that of fixed stars can never know What we do act who live so far below The pavement of his Heavenly Residence Will he be at the pains to view from hence The base and silly actions of men No 't is below him sure to entertain Such worldly thoughts sure he has no regard To our mean actings but as we 're debarr'd From seeing of him so his Majesty Employ'd in thoughts more elevate and high Disdains to keep intelligence with such Whose practises he doth not value much Thick vapours saidst thou all our actions shroud From him can he perceive through darkest cloud What we do here on Earth pray can he see What daily passes betwixt thee and me Can 't be imagin'd that he doth perceive What here we act or shall a man believe That through so many Orbs as roul between The Heavens and Earth our actions can be seen No no wrapp'd up in coverlets of clouds He sees us no more then in thickest woods We can perceive the Sun he knows no more How we do live then men upon the shore Can tell us what the several motions be Of Fishes in the bortom of the Sea Noâ— he knows neither what we act or talk But undisturb'd in Heavens large Court doth walk Further my friend I tremble to repeat What were thy thoughts of God whilst thou were great For as most men in grandeur vainly think That at their splendid errors God doth wink And on the rabble only
judgements sends To keep the great-men of the Earth his friends So thou didst think when thou didst live in state God thought it fit thou shouldst be alwayes great As being one so justly qualifi d For Government as there were none beside In all the Countrey to supply thy place Wer 't thou undone and therefore if in peace His Majesty would govern all above He thought it not his interest to remove From Government so great a Minister As thou wer 't hence thou vainly didst infer That having left all to thy management Reward thou might but never punishment Expect from God O principles most Atheistical Opinions to be abhorr'd by all Dost think that God who all things did create Who plac'd us all in every rank and state That he whose eye views all things should not know What all of us think speak or act below His Heavenly Throne dost think the thickest cloud From him who holds them in his hands can shroud Our actings here on Earth dost think but he Whose eyes see clearly through the thickest Sea And through the body of the Earth can tell What all those things do act who live in Hell Dost think but he with far more ease doth see Through all those rouling orbs and clouds what we Act here on Earth dost think that he 'll permit The sons of men to live as they think fit Whilst as a meer spectator he looks on Indifferent and concerns himself with none No sure thou thinkst not as thou speakst for so Thou mightst as well pretend thou didst not know Whether there were a God in Heavens or no. For to conclude with thee that Providence Doth rule the World with such indifference As sometimes here it strikes and sometimes there Sending out plagues or blessings everie where As th' fatal Dye doth turn upon the square As points out each mans Destiny were even To fancie a grand Lottery in Heaven Or think that God who all men fullie knows Should by mistake at anie time send blows Where blessings should be sent allow me then To tell thee that none but the worst of men Should vent such errors in which thou appears To be involved over head and ears For thou thinkst not enough thus to denie That providence doth rule with equitie But dost thy error proudlie justifie Thou argu'st too by reason as do all Those whom the knowing world do Athiests call But were there no more arguments to confute Thee and those prating Fellows who dispute The actions of their Maker this alone May teach you all God will be fool'd by none That though those wretches firmlie do believe There is no God yet still they do conceive There 's some such thing for in their mind they doubt Although they are asham'd to speak it out Whether what they believe be reallie true Or not for to give providence its due They find all 's ordered by some supream hand Though whose it is they will not understand So though in their opinions positive Yet by their doubtings we may well perceive That they with contrare thoughts are still opprest And maugre all their braving cannot rest On such opinions but still apprehend God out of Heav'ns will view them in the end And on their old-age heavy judgements send Take heed I do beseech thee then from hence My friend how thou dost talk of Providence And ask no questions pray why wicked men To great enjoyments in this life attain Whilst pious men are strictly punished As if here Providence did erre take heed And do not think such things for if thou dost Assure thy self thou art for ever lost Then use no more that trivial defence So oft repeated of thy innocence For we are all perswaded that our God Without just cause doth never use the Rod. Remark but th' History of former times Thou 'lt see how men have suffered for crimes Hast thou not heard how men before the Flood Behav'd themselves as if they had withstood The power of Providence and would not bow To the great Prince of princes or allow That homage to him which the Creature owes To its Creator he did so dispose Those Clouds in which thou think'st he 's wrapp'd a round As in a few dayes all those men were drown'd He who by power of his Almighty Hand Clear'd all the Marches betwixt Sea and Land And by the same power doth restrain the Floods Above us in Borrachios of Clouds Was pleas'd then in his wrath t' unty them all Which caus'd a Deluge Epidemical That race of Creatures which not long before He had created he did then abhore Because they had his Government disclaim'd And all his reverend Orators contemn'd Whom he had sent with open mouths to tell 'em Of those sad things which afterwards befel 'em But they with open mouthes those men did mock And told them that they knew not what they spoke Nay when the Good-man whom the Lord design'd To be the great Restorer of Man-kind By special Direction did begin In view of all to build an Ark wherein The Seeds o' the World might be preserv'd entire Whilst all the rest did in the Flouds expire Those silly Fools did laugh at his intent And oft would ask what the old Fellow mean't So in their errors these men did proceed Still living as they were accustomed In wanton pleasures regulating still Their Lives by order of their foolish will Hence when the Cataracts of Heaven did swell And Floods out of the Skies upon them fell They were catch'd napping in their Festivals And minding nothing but their Bacchanals Were in that universal Deluge drown'd With all their sins about ' em But O the man who as they thought had rav'd Was in that Ark which they derided sav'd With all his Family he safety found Amidst those rowling Waves in which they drown'd And the Good-Master of Heavens only Barque With all his Passengers did in his Ark O'r'e-top the Flouds Then on might see when that Spring-tide was full The Stock of Mankind floating in a Hull The hopes o' th' world the Origination Of every future Kingdom State and Nation Shut up below Decks under Boards and Dails Without the help of Masts Ropes Oars or Sails Rudder or Compass Steer they knew not whither Upon the Waters many days together And yet at length as well as any now Who with great Art and Skill the Ocean plow Arrive at their wish'd Port of Ararat From whence they quickly did Disseminat In fruitful Colonies giving Birth to all Who now do scramble 'bout this Earthen-ball Such wicked men then did not dy in peace Nor did they step into their Graves with ease Who said to God depart from us good Lord What more than we enjoy can'st thou afford And generally were so insolent In sin as they disdained to repent As thou affirm'st no they were visibly While living punish'd for Impiety Yet after all with thee I must confess 'T is strange to think how our good God did bless
time are often overtane With punishment nor do I yet denie But God doth his Displeasure signifie By previous signs to such ere he doth fall Upon them in his Wrath for good and all But that he sends afflictions on none But those whose sins do merit Hell alone I still denie and in that Confidence To all your bold and cruel Eloquence I still oppose my Faith and Innocence On these and on Gods mercie I relie And if you think I argue foolishlie Convince me pray by other arguments Then I have heard as yet But thus to treat me thus to aggravate My woes to comfort me at such a rate By adding to my sorrows is indeed A comforting of which I have not read 'T is such a method as I think that none Did ever yet practise but you alone I do confess indeed my grief is such As may have prompted me to speak too much Upon the Subject and I don't denie But in my sore and bitter agonie Some words might fall I cannot justifie But when you see me in this dire estate With griefs and sorrows so exasperate And plagu'd with such sad exercise of mind I did expect you would a'been so kind As to afford me counsel and advice That such a fool as I by men so wise As you are might b'instructed in the case But stead of that you tell me in my face I 'm lost undone and may in justice fear Moe pains and torments then I yet do bear Such comforting did ever Mortal hear What spirit moves thee thus my friend to speak Dost thou imagine I am yet so weak But that I understand as well as thou What is Gods greatness and his justice too What spirit then doth move thee thus to speak Dost thou intend to comfort or correct Thy poor afflicted friend do let me know Whether thou means't to comfort me or no For what thou speaks't doth nothing contribute T' uphold my swouning spirits or recruit My so much wasted strength I cannot see What comfort all thy speeches yield to me For with such zeal and fervour thus to press Once and again what all men do confess Gods power and greatness thus still to repeat Were to suppose that we did now debate The truth of these things and that I deny'd What you so eagerly affirm beside If any man should chance to hear us now Upon this Subject and observ'd but how Thou and my other friends with all the Art That Learning can afford do still assert What I deny hee 'd presently conclude That you are pious men and I a leud Ungodly person whereas you all know And are convinc'd your selves things are not so Pray then forbear this way of comforting By such reiterated arguing And telling of me things I don't deny For what doth all this talking signifie T' a poor afflicted man and if you please Pray use such words as may afford some ease To one in a deplorable estate And let me hear no more of your debate For what you speak if I do understand Doth not concern the question in hand But here my friends that you may no more Preach Upon this Theme as if you meant to teach One that is dull and ignorant I 'le show How I Gods Greatness and his Justice know As well as any of you all and how I can descant upon his wonders too Allow me then his Greatness to express As you have done by as few instances First then that my discourse may method keep Let us observe his wonders in the deep Let 's there begin and see how providence So vast so pow'rful so profound immense Active and quick at all occurrences Doth reach ev'n to the bottom of the Seas There he doth rule as well as on the Land There all the Creatures which his mighty hand Hath fram'd submit themselves to his command Those Monsters of the Ocean who afright Th' admiring Sea-man with their very sight Those dreadful Creatures of such various frames As we do hardly yet know all their names Those numerous Giants of the deep who scoure The Ocean with an Arbitrary power Swallowing their fellow-creatures with such ease As if they claim'd dominion of the Seas Who when they mean to sport themselves will make Th' unbroken Waves with their strong motion shake Like troubled Waters and anon to show Their force whole Tuns of Water up they throw From their prodigious Snouts as if they 'd dare By force of Water to subdue the Air. Those huge portentuous Creatures though they seem In their own Sphere to be of some esteem To have some pow'r dominion and command Yet are they govern'd by his mighty hand And do submit their necks with deference To his great Lord-Lieutenent Providence Who when he sees those Creatures wantonly Sporting along the Ocean by and by With single nod commands them to be gone Then like so many Slaves they trembling run To the Seas bottom where they groveling ly Until from him they have the liberty To swim aloft and there they roam about At every prey till their Verloof run out Dead things he also orders in the Seas Such as Pearls Amber Coral Ambergrease And Sperma cete which for humane use He makes them as a yearly Rent produce Now as he rules i'th'bottom of the Seas So in the earth he orders all with ease He views its darkest Caverns and descryes What is impervious to all humane eyes The Grave before him opens up her Womb His eyes doth pierce the clossest Marble Tomb. No place affords a shelter from his wrath Not all the winding Labyrinths of death Not Hell it self in whose closs Vaults do ly The burning Tares of poor Mortality Where damned Souls eternally bemoan Their idle progress here on earth whilest none Can make them help and to no purpose groan Where grining Fiends by his permission rule And treat our glorious World in ridicule Making the highest 'mongst the lowest ly Where all are Cudgell'd to conformity Yet of this Dungeon he doth keep the Keys And every moment doth survey with ease The actions postures tears of all in Hell And the sad living knows exactly well Of all those Souls who nigh Earths Center dwell With curious Art he doth expose to th' eye That large and glorious Azure Canopy Which round this Earthen Glob he doth expand Whilst in its Center with a mighty hand He makes this Glob so spacious and fair Unfix'd unprop'd unfounded any where Hang like a Water-bubble in the Air. Here then let admiration fix its eyes And high-flown Art its Artless self despise When it considers how beyond all Art And contrair to what reason doth impart A solid Body which should downwards tend By Nature and is apt still to descend Should in this posture Pendulous remain And by its own weight it s own weight sustain To see gross Earth and heavy Water mix't Stand so unmoving so secure so fix't Amidst the Light thin Element of Air That unresisting Element that rare And
must be Some liquid thing for so they say 't is plain VVhen they by cold are soon condens'd again As waters are Others again assert And labour to make out by Rules of Art That out of Earth and VVater mix'd adust And in Earth's Oven bak'd into a Crust Springs Vitriol which doth all Mettals breed From which as their first Matter they proceed Because all Mettals when dissolv'd appear Like Vitriol besides they say 't is clear That Oyl from Vitriol Sublimat is drawn By which all Mettals are reduc'd again To their first Matter Others there be yet VVho on this Subject eagerly debate That from earths intrails a dry breath ascends VVhich mix't with watry vapours upward tends And as it meets with earth accommodate And by its matter become Sublimate Condens'd by cold this or that Mettal flows And it Gold Silver Lead Iron Copper grows And last of all there 's others that debate That Mettals are all truly procreat 'Twixt th' elements which do give both to all And those we name Bodies Celestial But whatsoever be their generation Sure 't is a matter worth our admiration To think Earths bowels doth such things prepare As frets us all to know what things they are Mystical creatures whose origination In vain we search and trace their procreation But by uncertain rules for after all We must acknowledge every Mineral Is fram'd by th' hand of God and seriously After all Arts profound subtility What we suppose their birth must be confess 't Are but sublime conjectures at the best Then to proceed to th' several species Of that so vagrant subterraneous race First let 's observe what we in Silver see Which from Earths-center branches like a Tree And its small roots so cunningly doth spread Some here some there on purpose scattered As though it fear'd to be discovered By th' Art of Miners yet the Art of man Finds out this Mineral do what it can To hide it self in Natures most recluse And private Cells and for a publick use Brings it above Ground where the silly Ore Which in Earths bowels signified no more Then its own Sparr and in no more esteem Then Lead or Copper soon procures a name After it's washen sifted melted cast In massy Ingots stamp'd and coyn'd at last Above its fellow Minerals and doth hold In mens esteem the second place to Gold To Gold why there too is a boasting Ore Though in its Veins it signifies no more Then other Mettals yellow Earth at best Meer coloured Dust but once brought to the Test 'T is no more dust 't is no more simple Ore No more a heap of Sand as 't was before But now a most illustrious name it bears Beyond all Mettals and indeed appears To be the Worlds Idol This O this Mettal this dear Mineral This Earths Elixir this fair all in all This Princely Dust what figures doth it make Amongst poor Mortals how oft doth it break The bonds of Conscience and Morality Th' interest of Blood and common Honesty Makes Wars and Tumults 'mongst the race of men And quickly reconciles them all again Tyes and un-tyes kills wounds and heals apace Leads men in favour brings them in disgrace Sets up with this hand and with that pulls down What ' ere it lists from th' Budget to the Crown This is the Standart which doth regulate The actions of men and sets a Rate On every Head this puts a Valuation On every Kingdom State and Corporation In short this Gold makes such a mighty sound And keeps such Domineering above ground As it gives Laws to all the World a-round For Gold for Gold alace all 's bart'red now For that proud Mettal and with much adoe A few poor soules who generouslie soare Above the scent of that infecting Ore Escape which were they catch'd would soon be sold Amongst so many thousands too for Gold Yet that I may give this same Gold its due As 't has its Vices so its Virtues too Are Eminent which Artists do relate Who of the state of Minerals do treate 'T is prov'd by these then in their Operations Which surely are the best of Demonstrations That gold is such a Mettal as the fire In which all other Minerals expire At least much of their Weight and Substance lose In every trial though from Bellows nose Suppli'd with constant aid yet after all Can not subdue this solid Mineral Or make it quit the very smallest grain Of Weight which in its Ore it did contain Next as a mark of its true purity We see it has this singular quality Above all other Mettals that it never Leaves any Tincture on the hand however It frequently be handled then again Sharp Juyces which all other Mettals stain And by degrees corrodes if Gold do ly In such it nothing of its quantity Doth lose nay to the brim a Vessel fill With Water then but sink it in with skill A lump of Gold yet th' water shall not spill Or in the least run over by which sign Artists find out what Gold is purely fine For if but allay'd with the smallest Grain Of other Mettals 't will run o're Again This Gold though pure and soft yet 't is not frail Nor can the Hammer in the least prevail To break this Mettal as 't would do a Stone In little pieces no for 't is well known By strength of hand upon the Anvil beat In such thin Leaves it doth it self dilate As out of one Grain fifty Leaves or more Have been beat out by th' hammer whence we know Of what pure Matter Gold consists Again This Mettal seems for ever to remain In its perfection for when eating Rust Reduces other Minerals to Dust By length of wasting-time on upright Gold What eats all other Mettals takes no hold On Gold no Rust no Verdi greese appears Though buried under ground a thousand years But after all its Weight and Quantitie Pure Substance solid Grain and Qualitie Will be the same as when at first prepar'd By Artists hand Then if we do regard Its usefulnesse for Humane Life no Mine Produces such a Cordial Medicine As is this Gold for being cold and dry It guards the heart by its Frigidity From all infecting Exhalations hence Princes not onlie for Magnificence But out of Cups of Gold for Health do drink As out of Wholes me Mettal for some think Gold for its drynesse powerfullie resists All Putrid Humours Then for Splenetick Vapors Plates of Gold Made often hot i'th'fire as often cool'd In Earthen Vessels full of purest Wine Drunk up by such whom that Disease doth pine Doth quicklie cure 'em nay this Liquor too As most of our Physicians avow And some inform us by Experience Is a firm Antidote against Pestilence And these intected Cures But what needs more 'T would take up too much time to reckon o're Its numerous qualities now let us see What other Minerals in Earths Closet be Why there is Iron a Mineral that 's found Not much below the Superfice
bright and fair Highly esteem'd because it is so rare With this in value never can compare The finest Gold which we poor Mortals hugg Compar'd with this is but a very Drugg From whence this wisdome then from whence from whence This sacred wit this high intelligence Which doth all humane knowledge far exceed Whence doth it spring in what place doth it breed Where doth it breed pray where is 't to be found In Fire or Air above or under ground What shall we do then shall we yet enquire What thing it is or our invention tyre In finding out its place which yet no eye Ev'n the most piercing ever did espy A thing which still the more we strive to know The less we in its knowledge forward go A thing as not conspicuous to our eyes So far exceeding the abilities Of our created Souls to comprehend A thing in search whereof there is no end 'T is true we may by long experience Attain some knowledge of its excellence We may indeed by daily observations Upon Gods great and various dispensations Attain some random-notions of the thing Especially when by canvassing Th' affairs o' th' world and viewing carefully VVith serious eyes the instability Of humane state we see what shines to day Most brightly and is gloriously gay To morrow is obscur'd what now is high Beat down annon in lowest dust doth ly Thence in some measure we may learn to know What is this Wisdom For when we do observe how Providence 'Mongst mortal things doth make no difference But sometimes here and sometimes there le ts fall Blessings or Plagues without regard at all To this mans well improven Piety Or ' t'others gross habitual villany Yes when we see how all our art and care In guarding of our Souls by daily prayer In thinking speaking doing what is good Though of our claim to Heaven we are not proud Nay even our pure and Dove-like innocence Can not prevent a blow when Providence Thinks fit t' afflict us and on th' other hand How wanton sinners do securely stand Rooted in their Possessions and appear As safe from danger as they are from fear Then sure in some proportion we may guess What is this Wisdom by such acts as these For God with good intention beats his own That he from thence may make their virtue known Which in the Sun-shine of Prosperity Even in the best of men but soberly Makes an appearance like a Candles-light Which only shines i' th' dark or in the Night And for those others who their God do hate And yet their Bread in peace and plenty eat Nay to our outward senses do appear Not ordinarly to their Maker dear Why if wee look aright upon their case We 'll find God only suffers such as these To live in plenty 'cause he doth not care What becomes of 'em and doth only spare Those slaughter-fed Bread eaters for some space That they their little short liv'd Happiness All they desire may peaceably possess But of destruction certain they at last When all their days of jollity are past Perceive there is a Divine Wisdom too As well as Earthly which they never knew Till now and find that by its ordinance Hell and Damnation's their Inheritance But O to our great God to him alone This Divine Wisdom is exactly known To him to him it is appropriat And no man with him can participat In that high Knowledge for by that alone He gives directions from his lofty Throne For th'Government o' th' World for well he knows He knows exactly what we but suppose Or faintlie guess although indeed we find No little satisfaction to our mind When having in our recess meditat By what strange means what hidden Rules of state This World is govern'd whilst by what we here Observe in earthlie courts these do appear To counter-act all wise proceedings there When we I say with contemplations eyes Have view'd at random what beyond the skies Is the procedure in the Government Of this vast Fabrick and how evident In it that Divine Wisdom doth appear Which is not to be learn'd or valued here Then finding how our curious Thoughts have reacht Their ne pâ—â—s ultra From Heavens high Court we modestlie retire And with great pleasure do these things admire We cannot learn since to our God alone The Government o' th' world is only known For who can manage this vast Government But he alone who is Omniscient Who everie moment views with searching eye All that lies under Heavens Canopie Who onlie knows who onlie understands How this great bodie which his mightie hands Have fram'd and moulded must be governed Who by his wisdom has so ordered And all affaires dispos'd so prudentlie As far exceeds all Human Policie For not one puff of wind i' th' air doth blow Nor from the clouds do anie waters flow Without his special Tolerance for when By his Decree some quantitie of rain Is on the earth let out or when from high Out of his Cage swift Lightning is let flie When all these for their sudden march are clear Ere they dare move before him they appear Where with a serious and perpending eye He takes review of them and carefullie These fierce Invaders strength doth estimat And sees it onlie be proportionat For his Design whether for Punishment A second Deluge lies in his intent Or that he means by lightning to destroy Men Beasts and Fruits o' th' earth and thence annoy Some sinning Nations whose lewd practices Have call'd to Heavens for such returns as these That they may not be able to offend The passive World more than he doth intend From whence my friends 't is plain and evident That the eternal solid Government Of all things which his mighty hands have made Is by this Divine Wisdom managed Then to conclude my friends from henceforth pray Let us forbear let us forbear I say To argue on the Rules of Providence For sure we cannot well without offence Make enquiry in things which certainlie The King of Heavens from all Eternitie Resolv'd should from his Creature be conceal'd And to himself belong No more debating then but let us here Content our selves with things that do appear Obvious to our reason and enquire No further in Gods secrets but admire His Government o' th' world for after all To know this thing we Divine Wisdom call Is not our business but if we would learn To know what our Salvation doth concern Of all that Knowledge here 's th' abreviat Let us fear God all sinful courses hate Our Neighbours love to each his right allow And in this world we have no more adoe This this is all the Knowledge this is that We ought to study without more debate For this alone for this we should implore For who endeavours to know any more Will find i' th' end he spends his time in vain In searching what he never can obtain But this by
enjoy Not worth my thoughts nor would I e're employ The least part of my time in valuing My self in that contentment Gold doth bring For though as much as many I possess 't Yet on that dust my spirit did not rest I never look'd on 't as a sure defence 'Gainst misery nor plac'd my confidence In that weak Rampart as if all my store Although I had possess'd some ten times more Had e're been able to withstand one hour The Battery of Divine Wrath. No no what 's all that we on Earth possesse Our Lands our Stores our Money what alace Do all these triffles signify when wrath From Heaven assault us or approaching Death Hangs out his bloody Flag and bids us soon Yeeld up our Fortresse or he 'll throw it down O where are all our Stores and Treasures then Where all our Wealth which with much toile and pain We'd had rear'd up as a most sure defence Against all troubles where 's that confidence Which in our count'nance did before appear Where 's all our hope where all our courage where Are all our mighty Allies where is all The valour of our boasting Mineral Oh where is all its force when death appears And we 're invested by an host of fears Nay where are they when Heavens King in wrath Against their master doth his Sword unsheath Why these same peaceful Warriors assoon As they perceive the enemy take down Their glorious Ensigns pack up all anon And in a moment they are fled and gone Leaving their hopelesse master all alone Tendure the Siege O brave Assistants O stout Legionaries O hopes of men O firm Auxiliaries Who make your owners foolishly believe You can do wonders when they do perceive What glorious show you make in time of peace But dar not look an enemy i' th' face Who then would trust to those same cowardly troops In time of trouble who would place their hopes In such a crew of aery painted things Which we call riches Creatures that have wings And on the high boughs of prosperity Do sweetly chirp but when adversity Begins to fire away like smoke they fly In such vain things then would I never trust Nor valu'd them more then as useful dust By which we live with some convenience But in them ne're would place my confidence Because I knew such emptie things as these Were only the Concomitants of Peace And when afflictions winds began to roar In rising Billows signify'd no more Then wicker anchors hausers made of dust Or Ropes of Feathers in which none would trust Therefore my friends I never valued My self upon what I had purchased I never thought I should be more esteem'd Cause I was rich or should be happy nam'd Because in plenty or 'cause Means encreass't To be repute above my neighbours bless't Or because wealthie that I liv'd in ease No I knew always better things then these I knew indeed and to this hour I know There 's nothing more ridiculous here below Nothing more silly nothing more absurd Nothing more indiscreet yea in a word Nothing more wilfully irrational Amongst us mortals then for men to call This or that Person Prudent Knowing Wise Only because he 's rich and to despise Others 'cause poor and say they have no wit Because they have not reap'd such benefit In their transactions as those others have And so by each mans successe do conceive He 's wise or foolish Whereas commonlie The first are men of small sagaciâ—â—e Dull and Phlegmatick and the latter are Often in parts and prudence singular For God has ordred in his Providence It should be so that men may learn from thence Th' Art of contentment whilst they seriously Observe with what discreet variety He doth bestow his Gifts Knowledge to these Wealth to these others and that none possess All blessings upon Earth for he whom Wealth Doth crown with plenty usually of health Is destitute whilst he whom poverty Puts to sad pinches with his Family Enjoys it fullie he whom parts adorn Is despicably poor and laugh't to scorn By those whom Means have rendred boldly proud Whilâ—â— of rich fools the world doth talk aloud As th' only wise men To some he allows Wealth without issue others he endows With a fair Off-spring but scarce competence For feeding of 'em with convenience To others he gives both but thinks not fit T' enrich them with a treasury of wit And all that God to us would signify By this remarkable variety Of Dispensations is undoubtedly This only That since all blessings do from him alone Proceed and that 't is in the power of none To become masters of these qualities And be Rich Fruitful full of Health and Wise Or to attain by toile or strength of art That which he only freely doth impart To whom he will that men may not be proud Of what to them is by his Grace allow'd Nor boast of any prosperous condition Which cann't be say'd to be their acquisition Besides if we 'll but think how mean esteem God has for Riches we will quickly blame That vulgar apprehension which doth pitch It s silly slubbering fancy on the rich Who generally are but men of base Unworthy and unhallowed Principles Men of mean spirits and deceitful hearts Great Master of the most pernicious arts Of couz'ning and oppression men of wealth Term'd by the world because by cunning stealth They 've rais'd Estates men they are seldom bred In any Learning scarce intituled To moral virtue men who take no pleasure In any Science but upon their treasure Do fix their Souls and yet dare do no more Then with devout eyes gaze upon their Ore But thinks't a sin to touch that sacred score Hence those poor Silk-worms with great toile and pain Spin out their Bowels to make orhers gain Not living mean time on the precious fruit Of their own Labours which without dispute Is none of theirs on Leaves they meanly feed And ' midst their riches are half-famished They 're men whose sordid labours have no end For when great store of riches they have gain'd They vex themselves no lesse in the tuition Of these sad toyes then in their acquisition For there 's a certain Idol on which all Those Sons of Earth do every moment call An Idol by these had in great esteem Which in their phrase security they name This they with vows this they with offerings load This is their patron this their houshold god Yet that security they can never find For all their art in which their troubled mind Doth fully rest for still some point doth lake Of this or 'tother evident to make A compleat Right and sure establishment Of what these men have purchased or lent So on they go in all the Chicanries Which their well hired Scriv'ners can devise To make it out though to make them secure Many an honest Fam'ly should endure Great want and hunger for they seize on all Their Debtors means and constantly do baule About the
yet for some years to live At this his sicknesse shall decrease apace His spirits shall return and in his face The blossoms of new life shall then appear As when the Spring doth usher in the year His flesh shall be as soft and delicate As it appear'd once in his infant state But that 's not all for as to health restor'd So God to him most kindly shall afford That sweet communion with himself which all Esteem so much who on his Name do call And that bless'd comfort which afflictions cloud So long time from this poor mans soul did shrowd Shall then more bright appear and shine again As when the Sun triumphant after rain Unto the longing Earth himself displays And chears her up with warm refreshing rays Then he shall be above all calumny And shall rejoice in his integrity Shall pray to God with successe and no more Sadly suspect as he had done before That he who dwells in Heaven did disdain So much as t' hear him when he did complain And all his tears and prayers were in vain For our good God in mercy infinite Be sure my friend doth take no small delite To save a sinner that is penitent When he perceives him heartily repent For often upon men he casts his eye Where if he in a corner doth espy Some poor heart-bursting sinner on his knees Whose outrun eyes are now upon the lees Whose voice with crying to that note is shrunk As if he mutter'd through a hollow Trunk Who after many a sad and killing groan Whose heat would almost melt a heart of stone In a few words can only stammer out Lord I have sinn'd and now what doth it boot What doth it boot good Lord what after all My trade of sin can I my profit call Ay me good God to what by just account Doth th' provenue of all my sins amount What have I gain'd alace what have I gain'd To what have I by my dear sins attain'd How foolishly good Lord as now appears Have I consum'd my profitable years And spent the cream of all my youth and strength In prosecution of what now at length Affords no profit to my soul but brings The thoughts of sad and execrable things Into my mind which though I do deplore And by thy grace intend to act no more Yet the remembrance of my wanton years Present a prospect of perpetual fears Before my eyes and I still apprehend That I shall justly suffer in the end For all my sins unless that thou in Grace Wilt hear me and have pity on my Case This poor convinced sinner God will hear And to him soon most gracious appear He will not let him perish but will save His soul from Hell his body from the Grave Thus then by Dreams by Visions and Diseases And by his Preachers whensoere he pleases He warns us of our danger and commands His killing Angels oft to hold their hands For a few years at least that he may see What the effects will of these Warnings be For in mens ruine he no pleasure takes But even suspends his Justice for their sakes That they may have some leasure to repent And not be reeking in Offences sent Like Devils t' endure eternal punishment But of their foolish Errors undeceiv'd Spite of themselves they may at length be sav'd Then pray my friend remark what I have said And to what I have yet to say take heed Observe me pray and to my words give ear For it is fit thou with attention hear What God has by Commission ordered me To speak dear friend in reference to thee Yet if th' hast any thing to say my friend In thy defence I 'le not be so unkind As to command thee silence but allow Thee liberty to speak and argue too Against what I have said for my intent I' th' series of my present Argument Is if I can to prove thee Innocent If not pray hold thy peace be silent pray And with attentive mind mark what I say Mark what I say for by his Divine Grace Who ordered me to speak upon this Case I 'le teach thee Wisdom more then ever yet Thou understood'st although thou wert of late Renown'd for Wit and Literature at least In Reputation rank'd amongst the best Of those sharp Wits who live here in the East Cap. XXXIV AFter some pause as if he did expect An answer seeing Job no answer make To what he said he thus continued To speak and argue on the common Head And now says he you see how I am sent By warrand from my God to represent His judgment of the Question in hand And therefore I must let you understand As I 'me commanded with Authority Where you 've done right and where your Errors ly Shall then request you of my audience Whom I esteem men of great eminence For wit and parts to hear with patience What I am now to speak For I am not to speak before a Rabble O' th' Vulgar but before those who are able To judge of my Discourse before such men As on this Subject can themselves explain Better then I and handle with more wit The Question if their Passion would permit Let 's then impartially consider now Without all heat what 't is we have to do With moderation let 's the Question state And understand on what we 're to debate For I am not ambitious in the least Nor do I entertain within my breast Such a proud thought as that I may be said T' have had the better of you no indeed I 'me none of those that argue for applause Or love to preach for reputations cause Or in discoursing make it all my care To angle Ears and become Popular By flourishes of studied Eloquence Or gain the name of learn'd with great expence Of painted Language as too many now Of my Profession are in use to do No no my friends I hate such practices And only shall in a few passages Without all Art a short Relation make Of what my God has ord'red me to speak To come to th' point then as I 've formerly Show'n how th' Almighty by his Ministry By Dreams Diseases Visions and such means Is in his Mercy pleas'd to take much pains To show the sons of Men what he intends Before upon them he Afflictions sends That by the prospect of their Punishment He may perswade them timely to repent Especially when thus before their eyes He lays the scene of their Calamities By which you see he deals not by surprize With any man from whence I do maintain That he who of his Judgments doth complain As if such Woes without prediction were Pour'd out upon him doth extreamly err So in the next place I intend to show That when our God is pleas'd to inflict a blow On anie man I think in conscience Th' afflicted man should with great patience Endure it as a thing which suddainlie Has
knows at best his life is but a span And in a little interval of breath He lives but troubled still with thoughts of death For when his God thinks fit that he should die Then must he quit this breath and instantly In the cold grave lye down and be no more A living mortal as he was before All flesh shall perish every creature must At his command be pounded into dust Then why of God should any man complain When he injures him not or why in vain Should he upbraid him with his innocence When he 's afflicted as if providence Were ty'd to th'rules of his convenience And now because my friend what I have said Concerns thee most I 'de fain my self perswade That thou dost with attention hear me speak And dost thy own use of my Doctrine make If thou hast understanding then take heed To my discourse for thus I do proceed You see then how I 've urged all along That our just God to no man can do wrong Nor that he in inflicting punishment On any man though ne're so innocent Can be esteem'd unjust since he can never Do an ill thing on what account soever For were he such how could he regulate The Universe in every rank and state With so much justice mercy and compassion As no created thing can in that fashion Govern some Petty Province yet doth he With great discretion govern all we see Although he here and in Heav'ns knows not what 'T is in dominion to be limitat How in thy raving then dar'st thou express Thy self in such unheard of terms as these Which I have tax'd how darst thou thus exclaim Against the justice of thy God for shame For shame such exclamations forbear And let 's no more of thy complaining hear For pray now let me ask thee is it fit Dost think for any man of solid wit To tell an earthly Monarch in his face That he 's unjust or doth in any case That which is sinful would'st thou tell a King Hee 's such as he deserved not to reign Would'st tell him flatly that his Government Were arbitrary and did represent The seas whose politicks tyrannical Allows the great fish to eat up the small Would'st speak at this rate prethee to a King A Potentate or any ruling thing That sits in State I doubt thou wouldst not do So foul a thing especially thou Who know st all pow'rs on earth from God proceed And upon him depend as on their head By him Kings rule and in their Royal seat Impartial Justice do administrat To all their Subjects ' countable to none For any actings but to God alone To God alone whose mighty hands did frame This Universe and to it gave the name Of earth Which he has slyc'd in many Provinces And over them has plac'd those Deputies Whom we call Princes men of great esteem Since the great King of kings is pleas d to them To grant Commissions of Lieutenancy Each in his own distinct Locality In all the parts of earths vast Monarchy Hence all men are oblig'd in conscience To pay that due respect and deference To all in power which God has ordered Especially to a Crowned head Whose individual power in Government Doth that of Heav'ns more highly represent Then any other Government as yet Devis'd by men for in that single state He represents his God who gave him power And who in his great wisdome to this hour Maintains the state of Kings and will defend The Crown and Scepter to the worlds end His power is such as none should countermand Or when he strikes should bid him hold his hand Nay though he act unjustly yet should none Accuse him for it since to God alone Hee 's countable and though he should commit The worst of sins I do not think it fit Each Subject should reprove him or because Of his few pers'nal failings slight his Laws Or enter into plots of discontent To alter or subvert his Government Because he is not such as they would have him Or with their clamorous tongues and pens out-brave him No not at all for though a Prince may erre As other mortals we should not inferre From thence that it is lawful to rebell Against him for as such bad thoughts from Hell Are prompted to us so we should forbear T' have entercourse with any rebels there Whose work it is to raise rebellion here For though the Prince should erre th' authority Is still the same which flowing certainly From the Almighty we should all obey And to our soveraign Kings all honour pay I ask thee then would'st think it fit to use Such language to a King wouldst thou accuse A Monarch in his face I think indeed Thou would not so imprudently proceed With any such but rather hold thy peace Then run the risque whatever were thy case Of his displeasure or at least I doubt Wouldst use smooth words and be thought wise to boot If then to Kings on Earth thou wouldst not speak In such rude language why art thou so weak As in such jargon boldly to addresse Thy self to th' King of Kings I must confess This is a piece of that extravagance As I admire thou hast the countenance To look up t' Heavens when thou dost reflect How insolently thou didst lately speak Of their great Monarch one before whose Throne All Kings most bow and with submission own Him as their Patron and their Soveraign too And think 't their greatest honour so to doe One who has no regard for this or'tother Who e're he be nor one before another Esteems as we do here because he 's great Wears costly Diadems and sits in State For they 're but all his Creatures and depend Upon their God how e're they may pretend To soveraignity here whilst they abuse Their power and with fine titles would amuse Their fellow mortals but 't is all in vain For God alone above all Kings doth reign He governs all that Nature comprehends And fully acts what ever he intends Whilst Kings and Princes with their swords in hand Before him ready for performance stand Of all that he thinks proper to command Yet none of these can really be said Actively to concur and furnish aid To him in all his glorious operations The thoughts of which exceed our meditations More then if one should undertake to prove That wheels in Engines by themselves do move Without a Spring or that without all air A man can live which clearly doth declare That all these Monarchs whom we here adore Not mov'd by the first Mover are no more With all the force they to the field can bring Then Wheels in Engines are without a Spring For as so many puppits here below By th' hand of God they 're hurried to and fro While he is pleased to keep up the Show But when he doth withdraw his mighty hand They move no more O this great Monarch of the universe Who can his glorious Attributes rehearse Who can
wrong Because I did think fit to change thy state Therefore in passion thou'd expostulate With me for doing so since then thou hast So oft deni'd to plead with me at last Shalt have thy wish and since thou wilt not be Convinc'd by those who have discours'd with thee By my appointment and will yeeld to none In thy opinions but to me alone It shall be so I 'le argue now the case My self with thee and show thee in thy face How thou hast err'd I 'le let thee plainly see I am not such as men take me to be But am what neither thou nor any thing That breaths on earth from woman issuing Can comprehend Go too then Job behave thee like a man I 'le ask the question answer if thou can Say then poor mortal man where wast thou say When I at first did Earths Foundations lay Where wast thou pray hadst thou a beeing then Didst thou exist wast thou created when I did this Glorious Work at first commence And ordered all things so by Providence As I no sooner did this thing intend Than instantly the work was at an end Who did the Model of this World design Who drew the Plan thereof who stretcht the Line From Pole to Pole on which as all may see It yet doth roul as on an Axel-tree Who measur'd out at first the vast extent Of this huge Glob or by what instrument Was all that now the universe is nam'd At first into a perfect Circle fram'd Upon what grounds are the Foundations laid Of this great Fabrick which my hands have made Canst thou O man by all thy art find out On what this Glob of earth doth rest I doubt Thou never canst imagine how a thing Of so much weight i' th' open air can hing Without some Nail on which by Chain or String Such a vast ponderous body should depend I know this doth thy reason quite transcend Dost know how every Atome doth support Each other in that Mass in such a sort As no part upon any part doth rest Nor are light parts by heavy parts deprest But altogether solid firm and sure Ly in one lump by Aequilibrature And for the Air that subtile fluid thing Which 'bout this Orb like a soft rind doth cling And fills up every waste hole pore or chink That 's in this Glob what dost thou of it think Dost think that can so great a weight sustain That in its own sphere doth subsist with pain Shattered each hour by Thunder Lightning Rain No truely it doth upon nothing rest So that all your opinions at the best Of the supporters of this earthen Ball Are but mere notions and conjectures all Then where wer't thou when I at first did lay The Worlds Foundations when the blushing Day Did first appear and all my numerous croud Of Angels did for joy cry out aloud When they perceiv'd all I had done was good Where wast thou pray when all that now thy Eye Perceives distinct did in confusion ly When the luxuriant Seas did issue out Of Natures pregnant womb and grasp'd about The spongious Earth so close as by the Flouds Its face was covered as 't is now by Clouds When then in these the Earth lay sopp'd around And nothing like dry Land was to be found All being under Water Who did their rage else boundless limitate And within doors as 't were incarcerate Those furious Seas which now with all their power Cannot o'reflow Earths surface to this hour Who was it then that first this Earth did drain And from the Land so separate the main As they should never be unite again Who was it pray dost know why it was I Thy God and Maker I did speedily As with a swadling Band of darkest Clouds Ty up those Infant and disordered Flouds Then in a distinct body I did frame Those rouling Waves and them a Sea did name I cast them off the Earth and by and by I did assign them a Locality In which they might thereafter domineer And roar their fill but never more appear Upon the Earth and overwhelm the Land Without my warrand and express command Such bounds I for these Billows measured out As I thought good and fenc'd them round about With earthen Ramparts such as might expell Their fury when they should begin to swell And make them tamely within bounds contain For all their lofty pride and numerous train Assaulting oft these Ramparts but in vain I said unto them thus far shall you go No further in High Spring-tydes shall you flow I charge you that you do encroach no more Upon the Earth this Line shall be your Shore Dost know what light is pray or to what end Both this and darknesse I on Earth did send Dost know the reasons which made me conclude At first upon this strange vicissitude Of day and night or why I overspread The glorious face of Earth which I have made With clouds of darkness so that what of late Appear'd in a most beauteous pomp and state Whilst light did shine and feasted curious eyes With all the choice and rich varieties That heart could wish doth suddainly appear An object not of pleasure but of fear When then the Sun is gone when he is fled And darknesse doth the face of Earth o'respread Canst thou command him to return with light T' allay the horrour of a Winters night Or canst thou hire him to diffuse his rays Before his time didst ever in thy days Attempt such a light wind-mill enterprise As to make day spring e're the morning rise But when this Sun by my command appears Upon Earths utmost confines and still bears Upward to his full Orb Then doth your darknesse quickly steal away With all its allies at the break of day For when the Sun out of his sleep awakes Those things like downs from coverlet he shakes Which do in darknesse trade at sight o' th' Sun Night-walkers into holes and corners run Whilst th' Earth which by its absence void of light Shut up behind the curtains of the night Appear'd without all form at break of day As upon washen and well tempered Clay A new impression brightly doth appear Is in her morning dresse most bright and clear At break of day the labourer breaks his rest And to the field with every working beast He cheerfully doth march nothing afraid Because pursuing of his lawful trade Whilst Drunkards Camesters Whores Adulterers Murderers Lifters Thieves and Burglarers Who in the night-time do their businesse Assoon's the Sun begins to show his face Run all into their lurking holes annon And at the break of day they 're broke and gone Next as to darknesse dost thou comprehend What thing that is or what I do intend By this privation what 's the use of it What is its scope for what end is it fit Sure thou who understand'st not what is light Which every day is obvious to thy sight Canst
aspects of the Pleiades Who when the Sun in Taurus doth appear Calmly and gently usher in the year Or when the sullen barbarous Orion Attended by an host of storms leads on The dreadful Winter which o're runs you all And makes you with ingeminat groans recall Your ever kind but then far distant Sun To your assistance else you 're all undone With killing cold When this same Orion doth then appear In wasting terrour to shut up the year And bury all in Snow can'st thou restrain His violence and force him back again Can'st thou repell the fury of his Winds His Rains his Hail and Tempests of all kinds And make that ne're yet conquered Constellation Draw off his Troops with fear and consternation Can'st in his season bring out Mazzaroth That torrid Constellation of the South And make him in his Summer garb appear To celebrate the Solstice of the year Say canst thou make this Constellation shine This Canis major which beyond the Line Lyes quartered and from its pleasant seat Draws out but as a Sammer guard to wait Upon the motion of the glorious Sun What time he his three greatest heats doth run Can'st thou by Art a certain survey make Of all the Chambers in the Zodiack That spacious Colledge that magnificent And stately Inns of Court that eminent And princely Fabrick of great excellence Where the Twelve Signs do keep their residence And though they hold their chief Demeurage there Yet in their several Circuits appear The twelve conspicuous Judges of the Year Each Month by turns attended by no less Then the bright Sun himself with all his rays Who for the time keeps House with each of them Then what can'st say to this would thou reclaim Against this order or in spite decry This method can'st thou by authority Inhibite their procedure and allow No such Appartments but to one or two Of all the twelve Or can'st thou make the Sun per saltum pass Into the Rams head from the Ballances And baulking the five Melancholly Signs In which he rather looks a squint then shines Make him continue his warm influence In every corner of the Earth and thence By that new heretofore unknowen device Evite the trouble of the Winters Ice Canst make the Northern Stars live orderly And rule Arcturus with his Family Who in the Harvest season doth appear Attended with his great and little Bear And th' other Troops of the Septentrions Drawen out of all his Northern Garisons T' invest as 't were the year whilst Orion With the main body follows quickly on Canst make celestial bodies influence Bodies sublunary dost ' know from whence That rich but hidden Virtue doth proceed Which 'mongst you mortals strange effects doth breed Whilst some Diseases others Health afford Some fair and some foul weather in a word Each constellation in its aspect bears A consequence of either hopes or feares But not a cause for that to me alone Belongs which I communicate to none Whom I 've created for in sober sense These Stars have in themselves no influence On any thing but as determined By second Causes which are furnished By my appointment and the Subject Matter With which they meet Yet I know some of you sad Creatures too Pretend by study to demonstrare how All things are ordered in my Cabinet Ere they be brought to action and relate By knowledge of these Stars strange passages Of my designs long e're they came to pass Fools whence have you so good intelligence Of my intents and purposes from whence Have you this knowledge is it from the Stars D' ye think such mean things are my Counsellers That such as these forsooth should be acquaint With the deep Intrigues of my Government Presumptuous Mortals that you thus should dare To think you know what my intentions are When you own Reason fully may convince You of your folly for if even a Prince Of my creation that on Earth doth dwell And must make use of Council can so well Conceal his Secrets as what he intends Is neither knowen to Enemies nor Friends How think you then That I who use no Council in the least But that which doth reside within my breast Should of my Secrets take so little care As any thing in Heavens Earth Sea or Air Nay even my Angels who my Court attend Should e're discover what I do intend But from my Mouth yet from a silly Star With which you correspond of Peace and War Intended Famine Fire or Pestilence You Mortals have all your intelligence Would not you of that States-man make a sport Who from the Lacqueys of a Princes Court Pretended he did draw intelligence Of all his Cabin-councils and from thence Would take his measures pray what else are those With whom you correspond do you suppose That I make any other use of these But as of Grooms to carry Messages Nor is it lawful for you to erect Your Figures on Nativities and make From thence Conclusions or by Art to frame From the conjunctions of the Stars a Scheme O' th' life and death of any private man That lives on Earth a thing no mortal can With safety undertake or if he do Know all of you that I do not allow Such Practices for hidden things are knowen To me who am your Soveraign alone But things reveal'd to you are only showen The Knowledge then in which I do permit The wisest of you all to try your Wit Is to distinguish as these Stars appear The several times and seasons of the Year To know them all both fix'd and wanderers And gaze upon them as Astronomers To know besides their influences so As when 't is time to plant and when to sow When to set sail when to return again When to endure when to cast off your pain How in the darkest night your course to steer At Sea or Land when to hope when to fear When to rejoyce when sadly to Lament Especially when flaming Stars are sent As Heralds of my Wrath when to repent All this I do allow and you may pore Upon this Knowledge so far but no more For none of all these Stars can in the least Have influence on either man or beast As Causes but they only do appear As signs to show my actions every where Can'st thou by keeping coyl and noise below Perswade the Clouds to let their Vapours go And water all thy Sun-burn'd Grounds with Rain When they at any time of Drought complain Can'st thou by single lifting of thy hand Make all the Troops of Lightning understand Thy pleasure and appear at thy command All ready arm'd in order instantly And hotly forward in thy service cry Lord we are here let 's have thy orders now Pray what wouldst have thy Souldiers to do Give us the Word and Sign let 's understand Upon what Service thou would'st us command For here we 're ready as one man to act Whatever thou would'st have us undertake But all these things and
many moe then thou Or any man can fancy I can do I can with ease oblige the whole Creation T' obey my Orders as I find occasion I can make th' Universe at my command Return to its first Chaos Sea and Land I can confound and mix them so together As th' wit of man cannot distinguish either I can do more then all you can conceive I can do what you but with pain believe Nay so much too thou know'st for frequently I 've heard thee in thy sharpest agony Express thy self with zeal and admiration Upon the copious Theme of the Creation I 've heard thee too with no small Eloquence Discourse upon my works of Providence I ask thee then who made thee understand Who made thee know that by my mighty hand All things in Heaven and Earth were fashioned And to this hour are dayly ordered Who taught thee these things who instructed thee Hadst thou this Wit from any else but me Did not I lend thee Parts and made thee know How from my Power all things created flow How all your Wisdom of which you do boast Is not your acquisition but at most A simple loan of my benevolence Which I to this or that man do dispense As I think good By rules then of your own Philosophy If from me Wisdom flows then certainly I who bestow it must be wiser far Then the accutest of you Mortals are Who all your Knowledge do derive from me Since that for which a thing is such must be More such it self I do demand thee then Thou most pretending to it of all men Is 't fit that any Mortal should be proud Of what in Loan I only have allow'd To him upon design that he should know What he 's himself and then what he doth owe To me who made him such but not to state Himself my Party or like thee debate On my Proceedings but that he should be Content to know that he knows all from me For what is all your Wit what all your Parts What all the subtile Sciences and Arts Which you do study and profess to know Nay what is all that Wisdom here below On which you men value your selves so much What is it how d' ye rate it is it such As by it you can even but calculate The number of the Clouds or estimate The value of those Magazines of Rain What quantity of Vapours they contain Under what Lock and Key they 're all secur'd How guarded by what Policy ensur'd At all Adventures from the craft and force Of th' other fiery rambling meteors Can all your wit at any time restrain The falling of the smallest drop of rain Out of those heavenly bottles which you see That both are fill'd and emptied by me For when by drouth the Earth to flying dust Appears converted then I let out just As I think fit such quantities of rain As may reduce it to soft clay again Thus much for Heavens now let 's to Earth repair And see what absolute power I have there For thou wilt say the Meteors o'th'Air Are far above thee and it is no wonder Though rain and snow hail lightning frost and thunder Be things unknown to thee I 'll lead thee then To objects that more obvious to men In the same Earth with you converse which though Thou see and hear them daily yet I 'll show For all thy wit and art thou dost not know The nature of them I will show thee then That there are many things unknown to men Even in this Earth Do then but cast thy eyes Upon my Parks my Ponds and Volaries Thou 'lt quickly see that I have creatures there Which thou know'st hardly either what they are Or how they live First then you have the Lyon such a creature As best of you do hardly know his nature A creature full of fury full of wrath That to all other creatures threatens death If once withstood but when to him they yeeld There 's no more generous beast in all the field For his opposers he in pieces tears But such as do submit to him he spares Observe this Lyon then he must be fed As well as thou he must be nourished Who therefore taught him pray' to find his prey And how to feed his young ones every day Knows then what shifts he uses for his food And makes provision for his tender brood In the wild Forrest where there is no trade Where for a price no meat is to be had Dost know how in their Dens they couchant ly To catch th'unthinking beasts that passing by Do not their cunning ambuscade espy Next there 's the Raven such a creature too As lives by prey as well as Lyons do Who doth provide its food who entertains This idle creature who is at the pains To feed its young ones when the naughty dame Unkindly in the Nest abandons them When the raw-chicks do squeek and crock aloud Half-starv'd for want of meat who gives them food Who doth with Worms those shiftless creatures feed Which 'bout the nest in Ravens dung do breed Dost understand who is it that supplyes Those small forsaken things with Dew and Flyes Or when as yet pin-feather'd they are thrust By th' cruel Dame out of the Nest and must Make shifts although not able yet to fly For their subsistence in the world or dy Who hears them pray when they for hunger cry And doth them with an Aliment supply So that for all these hardships they do grow To a great age and ramble to and fro Catching their preys and live as well as these Who from their birth enjoy'd both food and ease Cap. XXXIX NExt I demand thee know'st thou who it is That doth preserve the several species Of all those Creatures by what hidden means Are they assisted when they take their pains Dost know what art those artless Brutes do use At such occasions how they do produce Their young ones who 's their Mid-wife who takes care Of them in that estate who doth prepare All that is suitable who makes provision Of necessars for them in that condition Who layes them up who cures them of their sores Who is 't that them to perfect health restores As first for instance the wild Goat who rambles Amongst the Rocks and on sharp Briars and Brambles Doth often thrust her Belly and her Brood Whilst in the Cliffs she searches for her food So that a man would think this same unwary And climbing Creature surely would miscarry Who doth take care of her when doth she bring Her young ones forth dost know her reckoning Or know'st thou when the Hinds do calve what pain These Creatures in their labour do sustain Canst tell how long those Beasts do pregnant go Or dost the time of their delivery know The time of their delivery indeed Of all the Creatures that on earth do feed Both rational and brutal there is none Endures such torment as these Hinds
be conceiv'd 'twixt God and thee to ly Canst ' make huge Armies at thy call assemble And with uplifted hand make Nations tremble Canst make the Scoâ—ts of Lightnings fly abroad And manage Thunder with a voice like God Canst ' thou appear in splendid majesty Equal in beauty and excellency With me can thou poor-dying man display Such glory and thy self with light array More bright then th' Sun at Noon-tide of the day Canst thou send out the Serjeants of thy Wrath Bring in the proud and prosecute to death All those who dare presumptuously dream They 're such as I can hardly humble them Canst thou sad Creature cover such with shame As I can do canst in the view of all With great contempt make such high-soarers fall From top of all the hopes which they conceive Down to the very bottom of the Grave Canst break the Projects long time harch'd by such As are ambitious to command too much Who vex their Neighbours with unjust Pretences And will not hearken to their just Defences But with their Sword in hand do boldly seize On what they can and do even what they please Whom Oaths and Treaties can no longer tye Then with fresh Troops they can themselves supply Which done A Quarrel suitable to their design Is slily fabricate and then the Mine Doth quickly spring and at the Trumpets sound The peaceful Nations are involv'd around In Blood again whilst the voracious things Mounted aloft upon Ambitions wings With confidence at no less Prey do fly Then that of universal Monarchy Do'st thou then thou thou man of words do'st know The ways and methods how to bring such low Canst ' take them down can'st their ambition crush And make those mighty Conquerours sadly blush To see themselves out-done by such as they Did look upon as conquer'd 't other day And where their Armies us'd abroad to roam Canst ' turn the chace and give them work at home Canst ' crumble all these men in dust together And send them with their glory who knows whither In some dark corner canst thou make them die Where they 're attended by no weeping eye And not in publick where the pitying Croud Of curious Spectators can make proud The dying Wretches where they cann't declaim Or bribe the favour of a whiffling same By a set speech Where none are present where no standers by Observe with what composed looks they die And so spoil Deaths beloved Pageantry If all this thou canst do then I 'le confess And willingly acknowledge thou' rt no less In power then I am and that thou canst save By thy own strength thy body from the Grave But since thou are a man so mean and weak As thou canst hardly speak what I can act Then O poor Mortal how I pity thee That proudly offerest to debate with me Not knowing as thou shouldst do who I am Nor valuing the glory of my Name At its true rate for if thou didst but know With whom thou hadst to do thou hadst not so Express'd thy self as thou of late has done Like mad-man in the view o' th' open Sun For thou must know that I who form'd both thee And all what thou around dost hear or see Must know how all things should be governed Better then any creature I have made Know then that though on Earth there were no more T' expresse my power then those of which before I 've made relation yet since they transcend Thy knowledge and thou cans't not comprehend How and for what use they at first were fram'd And why not men as well as beasts were nam'd I 'll show thee in two special instances The one on Land the other on the Seas How much my creatures do my worth expresse Observe then Behemoth a first-rate creature A beast indeed of a stupendious feature Which you may think is that which you do call The Elephant well then there 's one for all Observe his body how he doth exceed In bulk all creatures that on Earth do feed This same huge Animal I did create This bulky thing these hands did fabricate And yet for all his bulk and vast extent Of bones and sinews I made him content With the poor Oxe that labours in the plow To feed on grasse and Hay and glad so too Observe then Job of how much strength and force This creature is exceeding far the Horse And Lyon for all creatures in the field To th' Elephant in force and strength do yeeld His legs like brazen pillars do sustain His close-built body which with little pain They bear from place to place as he doth ramble Whilst all the other beasts in forrest tremble At his appearance no less honouring That stately creature then he were their king When his proboscis in the Air he shakes With violence he such a figure makes As if a tall and lofty Cedar spread Its Trunk with all its boughs above its head 'T is wonderful to think what strength doth ly In this proboscis what activity What art what cunning what dexterity When with it as one with his hand would do He 'll mannage Faulchion Sword and Dagger too When with it he on man or beast will seize Lift them from ground and throw 'em up with ease To th' Garrison o' th' Tower upon his back Where they are kill'd the sinews which do make His Trunk so strong are twisted so together As branches of a tree and move it hither And thither as it pleaseth wantonly Though big and long with great agility Like staves of brass his great bones do appear His lesser bones like bars of Iron are Amongst the beasts he terrible appears His Trunk the Horse in battel only fears The Lion when he sees him shrinks apace The Tiger dares not look him in the face The Boar the wild Bull the Rhinoceros The Unicorn and Panther are but dross Beside pure mettal when with him compar'd The Stag the Bear the Wolf and Leopard Are all afraid of him and run for fear When like a walking-Tower he doth appear Yea man himself no less amaz'd doth fly When he perceives this dreadful Beast draw nigh For when you men do in closs Battel stand And threatning Swords appear in every hand With many Bows and Shields and many Spears And pointed Launces yet he shrewdly fears Th' approach of this four-footed Warriour Whose blows and throwings he cannot endure Yet this same dreadful Beast I can with ease Beat down like other creatures when I please For though By reason of his bloods frigidity He sometimes lives a hundred years yet I Who made him live can make him sooner die And now this Beast as dreadful as he is Is tame and gently peaceable in this That with the other Creatures who do breed Upon the Mountains he on Grass doth feed As if they were his equals every day Whilst round him all the lesser Beasts do play Now fearless not suspecting in the least
The killing wrath of this familiar Beast Yet though by day he on the Hills doth feed When night approaches he doth make his bed In warmer places and delights to ly Under the sweet and spacious Canopy Of some small branching Oak where this tall Beast As in a Pallace doth securely rest Or under covert of Bull-rushes Reeds Low-spreading Willows or thick bushy Weeds That flourish about Fenns and Marishes And there he lays him down and sleeps with ease Under the shadow of the Trees he lyes Couching upon his Belly with his Thighs And Legs laid under him and doth not lean Upon the Trunk o' th' Tree as some do faign 'Cause wanting Joynts he could not rise again Should he ly down no but as other Beasts For all his bulk he feeds he moves he rests When to the River he for drink draws nigh Like other Beasts he drinks not hastily As if the Huntsman with his Hounds were by Nor stands he on the Bank but boldly wades Into the Channel and securely treads The ouzy Bottom whilst his bulk doth seem To stop the very current of the stream For ere he drink he plunges for some time And with his feet doth raise and mix the slime O' th bottome with the current till it be So thick and muddy as he cannot see His feet below him for he doth not care To drink the water when 't is pure and clear As other beasts are us'd to do but when He has thus troubled all about him then He drinks securely at his ease and leasure Void of all fear with great delight and pleasure Yes Tuns of Water to appease his drouth He by his Trunk doth pump into his mouth Nay should he chance by Jordans streams to graze He 'd drain that River in not many days For in his thirst he greedily doth seem As at one draught hee 'd swallow up the stream And then he drinks too with such eagerness As though both Reeds and Bushes he doth press For water and what else doth him oppose He bores it through with his prodigious nose Now this same creature though he doth excell In strength both thee and all on earth that dwell Yet owes he all this strength to me alone Who gave it to him and will stoop to none But me for while he has my liberty He lives when I recall it instantly For all his strength he must ly down and dy Cap. XLI THus having shown thee how I do command All things that have their beeing on the land Now I 'le inform thee of my pow'r at Sea And show thee what vast Creatures too there be Within that District which though they appear To thee and others to be Soveraign there And by their bulks to those who Plow the Seas Would something like unlimit power express Yet they are but my Vassals and are even Subject to th' Admirality of Heaven As well as all the smallest Fishes are That swiming in the Ocean appear To give you then for all one notable And famous instance as most suitable To my intent I 'd have thee seriously Observe but with a meditating eye The Princely Leviathan such a creature As shall hereafter furnish no small matter Of dispute in your solemn Homilies What this same Leviathan signifies But whatsoe're it be it is a thing Of such a force beyond all reasoning As all the force of man cannot subdue And where it swimes is yet but known to few Canst draw this Leviathan then with ease By simple hook or line out of the Seas Like other Fishes hale him on the Land By force of rops and kill him on the sand Canst thou with angle catch this Fish canst thou When catch'd as men with lesser Fishes do String him upon a hook a thorn or cleck And bear him lightly home upon thy back Dost think if thou should catch him that he 'll cry To thee for quarter and degeneratly Offer to be thy slave as th' Elephant And all the other beasts will covenant To save their lives or will he offer thee As others do a ransom to be free Dost think he 'll supplicat and speak thee fair That thou forsooth in pity shouldst him spare And not with Hatchet cut him down to pieces And of his bulk make havock as thou pleases Canst tame him so by art as thou canst make Thy boys in playing with him pleasure take As they with other beasts are used to do And birds of several species canst thou As with a pretty linnet with him dandle And make him gentle for thy girles to handle Upon him shalt thou and thy partners feast And of his fat and oily bulk make waste Gobbets of him to friends as tokens send And to each merchant give his dividend Dar'st thou with barbed Irons boldly fall Upon this Fish as men do on a Whale And when his body is stuck full of these Let him at ropes-end tumble in the Seas Till overcome with pain he forcibly Doth rush his belly on the shore and dy Do lay thy hands upon him then thou 'lt see By sad experience he is not to be So tamely catch'd thou'lt see what he can do What cunning art he will practise and how To save his life he 'll all his force assemble And make the very stoutest of you tremble Then as thou wouldst desire to live forbear T' assault this war-like thing with hook or spear That man who thinks to catch him is not wise For he can kill one with his very eyes Since then there 's none of you who dares attacque This mortal creature which my hands did make Since no man dares contend with him who 's he That lives on Earth and dares contend with me Who 's he amongst you all that dares contend With me who 's he of you that dares pretend By any merit t' have oblig'd me so That I should to him any kindness show Fools that you are doth even the best of you By all your tears good works and fastings too Or any thing that man on Earth can doe Suppose you can of Heaven a purchase make Or of your God in gratitude expect Not as a favour but as a reward What I have from Eternity prepar'd For such of you as I intend to blesse After this life with so much happinesse A happinesse to which no man can claim And those are fools that confidently dream They by their art of living can attain What all without my aid attempt in vain Nor am I oblig'd in this Earth to show Kindnesse to any of you or bestow A foot of ground upon the best of you For any good you by your selves can do No all you do possesse all you design Your property on Earth is simply mine And what you think your own inheritance Is only yours by my pure tollerance I do to this man a large portion give To th' other hardly whereupon to live I do allow from this man
for I will lye before your face 29. Return I pray you let there be no iniquity return I say and you shall yet see my righteousness in that behalf is there iniquity in my tongue doth not my mouth feel sorrows 1. Is there not an appointed time for man upon earth and are not his days as the days of an hireling 2. As a servant longeth for the shadow and as a hireling looketh for the end of his work 3. So have I had as an inheritance the moneths of vanity and painful nights have been appointed to me 4. If I laid me down I said when shall I arise and measuring the evening I am even full with tossing too and fro unto the dawning of the day 5. My flesh is cloathed with worms and filthiness of the dust my skin is rent and become horrible 6 My days are swifter then a weavers shuttle and they are spent without hope 7. Remember that my life is but a wind and that mine eye shall not return to see pleasure 8 The eye that hath seen me shall see me no more thine eyes are upon me and I shall be no longer 9. As the cloud vanisheth and goeth away so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more 10. He shall return no more to his house neither shall his place know him any more 11 Therefore will I not spare my mouth but I will speak in the trouble of my spirit and muse in the bitterness of my mind 1â— Am I a sea or â—whale-fish that thou keep'st me in ward 12. When I say my couch shall relieve me and my bed shall give me comfort in my meditation 14. Then fearest thou me with dreams and astonishest me with visions 15. Therefore my soul chuseth rather to be strangled and to dyâ— then to be in my bones 16. I abhore it I shall not live always spare methen for my days are but vanity 17. What is man that thou shouldest magnify him or that thou â—ettest thy heart on him 18. And dost visit him every moment and tryest him every morning 19. How long will it be ere â—â—ou depart from thou wilt not let me alone whilst I may swallow down mâ—spittle 20. I have sinned what shall I do unto thee O thou preserver of men why hast thou set me as a mark against thee so that I am a burden to my self 21. And why dost thou not pardon my trespass and take away mine iniquity for now shall I sleep in the dust and if thou seekest me in the morning I shall not be found 1. Then answered Bildad the Shuhite and said 2. How long wilt thou talk of these things and how long shall the words of thy mouth be as a mighty wind 3. Doth God pervert judgement or doth the Almighty subvert justice 4. If thy sons have sinned against him and he hath sent them to the place of their iniquity 5. Yet if thou wilt early seek unto God and pray to the Almighty 6. If thou be pure and upright then surely he will awake up unto thee and he will make the habitation of thy righteousnesse prosperous 7. And though thy beginning be small yet thy latter end shall greatly encrease 8. Enquire therefore I pray thee of the former age and prepare thy self to search of thy fathers 9. For we are but of yesterday and know nothing and our days upon earth are but as a shadow 10. Shall not they teach thee and tell thee and utter the words of their heart 11. Can a rush grow without mire or can grass grow without water 12. Whilst it is yet in its greenness and not cut down it withereth before any other herb 13. â—o are the paths of all that forget God and the hypocrites hopes shall perish 14. His confidence also shall be cut off and his trust shall be as the house of a spider 15. He shall â—ean upon his house but it shall not stand he shall hold him fast by it yet it shall not endure 16 But the tree is green before the sun and the branches spread over the garden thereof 17. The roots thereof are wrapped about the fountain and are folden about the house of stones 18. If any pluck it from his place and it deny saying I have not seen the. 19. Behold it will rejoyce by this means that it may grow in another mould 20. Behold God will not cast away an upright man neither will he take the wicked by the hand 21. Till he have filled thy mouth with laughter and thy lips with joy 22. They that hate thee shall be cloathed with shame and the dwelling of the wicked shall not remain 1. Then Iob answered and said 21 I know that it is so for how should man compared unto God be justified 3. If he would dispute with him he could not answer him one thing of a thousand 4. He is wise in heart and mighty in strength who hath been fierce against him and hath prospered 5. He removeth the mountains and they feel not when he overthroweth them in his wrath 6. He removeth the earth out of her place that the pillars thereof do shake 7. He commandeth the sun and it riseth not he closeth up the stars as under a signet 8. He himself alone spreadeth out the heavens and walketh upon the hieght of the sea 9. He maketh the stars Arcturus Orion Pleiades and the climats of the south 10. He doth great things and unsearchable yea marvellous things without number 11. Lo when he goeth by me I see him not and when he passeth by I perceive him not 12. Behold when he taketh a prey who can make him to restore it who shall say unto him what doest thou 13. God will not withdraw his anger and the most mighty helps do stoop under him 14. How much less shall I answer him or how shall I find out my words with him 15. For though I were juli yet I could not answer but I would make supplication to my judge 16. If I cry and he answer me yet would I not believe that he heard my voice 17. For he destroys me with a tempest and woundeth me without a cause 18 He will not suffer me to take my breath but filleth me with bitterness 19. If we speak of strength behold he is strong if we speak of judgement who shall bring me into plead 20. If I would justify my self mine own mouth willcondemn me if I would be perfect he shall judge me wicked 21. Though I were perfect yet I know not my soul therefore I abhor my life 22. This is one point therefore I said he destroyeth the perfect and the wicked 23. If the scourge should suddainly slay should God laugh at the punishment of the innocent 24. The earth is given into the hand of the wicked he covereth the faces of the judges thereof if not where is he or who is he 25. My days have been more swift than a post they have fled and have seen no good
in his prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him 22. He believeth not to return out of darkness for he seeth the sword before him 23. He wandreth to and fro for bread where he may he knoweth that the day of darkness is prepared at hand 24. Affliction and anguish shall make him afraid they shall prevail against him as a king ready to the battel 25. For he hath stretched out his hand against God and made himself strong against the Almighty 26. Therefore God shall run upon him even upon his neck against the most thick part of his shield 27. Because he hath covered his face with his fatness and has collops in his flank 28. Though he dwell in desolate cities and in houses which no man inhabite but are become heaps 29. He shall not be rich neither shall his substance continue neither shall he prolong the perfection thereof in the earth 30. He shall never depart out of darkness the flames shall dry up his branches and he shall go away with the breath of his mouth 31. He believeth not that he erreth in vanity therefore vanity shall be his change 32 His branch shall not be green but shall be cut off before his day 33 God shall destroy him as the vine her sauce-grape and shall cast him off as the olive doth her flower 34 For the congregation of the hypocrite shall be desolate and fire shall devour the houses of bribes 35 For they conceive mischief and bring forth vanity and their belly hath prepared deceit 1. And Iob answered and said 2. I have oft times heard such things miserable comforters are you all 3. Shall there be no end of words of wind or what maketh thee bold so to answer 4. I could also speak as you do but would God your soul were in my souls stead I could keep you company in speaking and could shake my head at you 5. But I would strengthen you with my mouth and the comfort of my lips should asswage your sorrow 6 But though I speak my sorrow cannot be asswaged though I cease what release have I 7. For now he maketh me weary O God thou hast made all my congregation desolate 6. And hast made me full of wrinkles which is a witnesse theirof and my leanness riseth up in me testifying the same in my face 7. His wrath hath torn me he hateth me and gnasheth upon me with his teeth mine enemy hath sharpned his eyes against me 10. They have gaped upon me with their mouth they have smirten me upon the cheek reproachfully they have gathered themselves together against me 11. God hath delivered me to the ungodly and turned me over into the hands of the wicked 12. I was at ease but he hath broken me asunder he hath also taken me by my neck and shaken me to pieces set me up for his mark 13. His archers compass me round about he cleaveth my reir asunder doth no spare he poureth my gall upon the ground 14. He hath broken me with one breaking upon another and runneth upon me like a giant 15. I have sowed a sackeloath upon my skin have abased my horn to the dust 16. My face is withered with weeping and the shadow of death is upon my eyes 17. Though there be no wickedness in my hands and my prayer be pure 18. O earth cover not thou my blood and let my crying find no place 19. For lo now my witness is in heaven and my record is on high 20. My friends speak eloquently against me but mine eye poureth out tears to God 21. O that a man might plead with God as he doth with his neighbour 2a For the years accounted come I shall go the way whence I shall not return 1. My breath is corrupt my days are cut off the grave is ready for me 2. There are none but mockers with me and mine eyes continueth in their bitterness 3. Lay down now and put in surety for thee who is he that will touch my hand 4. For thou hast hid their heart from understanding therefore shalt thou not set them up on high 5. For the eyes of his children shal fail that speaketh flattery to his neighbour 6. He hath also made me a by-word of the people and I am a tabret before them 7. Mine eye therefore is dim with grief and all my strength is like a shadow 8. The righteous shall be astonished at this and the innocent shall be moved against the hypocrite 9. But the righteous will hold his way he whose hands are pure shall encrease his strength 10. All you therefore turn you and come noâ— and I shall not fiâ—â— one â—ise man among you 11. My days are past mine interprises are broken and the thoughts of my heart 12. They have changed the night for the day and the light that approacheth for the darkness 13. Though I hope yet the grave shall be my house and I shall make my bed in the darkness 14. I shall say to corruption thou art my father and to the worms you are my mother my sisters 15. Where is now then my hope or who shall consider the thing I hoped for 16. They that go down into the bottom of the pit surely they shall ly together in the dust 1. Then answered Bildad the Shuhite and said 2. When will you make an end of your words cause us understand and then we will speak 3. Why are we counted as beasts are vile in your sight 4. Thou art as one that teareth his soul in his anger shall the earth be forsaken for thy sake or the rock removed out of its place 5. Yea the light of of the wicked shall be quenched and the spark of his fire shall not shine 6. The light shall be dark in his dweling and his candle shall be put out with him 7. The steps of his strength shall be restâ—â—â—â—d and his own council shall cast him down 8. For he is taken-in the net by his feet and he walketh upon the snares 9. The grin shall taâ—â— him by the heel and the thief shall coâ—â— upon him 10. A snare is laid for him in the ground and a trap for him in the way 11. Fearfulnesse shall make him afraid on every side and shall drive him to his feet 12. His strength shall be famine and destruction shall be ready at his side 13. It shall devour the inner parts of his skin and the first born of death shall devour his strength 14. His hope shall be rooted out of his dwelling shall cause him to go to the king of fear 15. Fear shall dwell in his house because it is not his and brimstone shall be scattered upon his habitation 16. His roots shal beâ—lvyed up beneath and above his branches shall be cut down 17. His remembrance shall perish from the earth and he shall have no name in the street 18. They shall drive him out of the light into darkness and chase him out of
the world 19. He shall neither have son nor nephew among his people nor any posterity in his dwellings 20. Posterity shall be astonished at his day and fear shall come upon the ancient 21. Surely such are the inhabitations of the wicked and this is the place of him that honoureth not God 1. But Iob answered and said 2. How long will you vex my soul and torment me with words 3. You have now ten times reproached me and are not ashamed you are impudent toward me 4. And though I had indeed erred mine error remaineth with me 5. If indeed you will magnify your selves against me plead against my reproach 6. Know now that God has over thrown me and has compassed me with his net 7. Behold I cry out of wrong but I am not heard cry aloud but there is no judgement 8. He hath fenced up my way that I cannot pass and he hath set darkness in my paths 9. He hath stript me of my glory and the crown is taken from my head 10. He hath destroyed me on every side and I am gone and mine hope he hath removed like a tree 11. He hath also kindled his wrath against me and he counteth me as one of his enemies 12. His troops come together and raise their way against me and encamp round about my tabernacle 13. He hath put my brethren far from me and mine acquaintance are verily estranged from me 14. My kinsfolk have failed and my familiar friends have forgotten me 15. They that dwel in my house and my maids count me for a stranger I am an alien in their sight 16. I called my servant and he gave me no answer I intreated him with my mouth 17. My breath is strange to my wife though I intreated her for the childrens sake of my own body 18 Yea young children despised me I arose and they spake against me 19 All my inward friends abhorred me and they whom I loved are turned against me 20 My bones cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh and I am escaped with the skin off my teeth 21. Have pity upon me have pity upon me O ye my friends for the hand of God hath touch'd me 22. Why do you persecure me as God and are not satisfied with my flesh 23. O that my words were now written O that they were printed in a book 24. That they were graven with an iron pen in the lead and in the rock for ever 25. For I know that my redeemer liveth and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth 29. And though after my skin worms destroy this body yet in my flesh shall I see God 27. Whom I shall see for my self and mine eyes shall behold and not another though my reins be consumed within me 28. But you should say why persecute we him seing the root of the matter is found in me 29 Be ye afraid of the â—â—â—rd for wrath bringeth the punishments of the sword 1. Then answered Zophar the Naamathite and said 2. Therefore do my thoughts cause me to answer and for this I makchaste 3. I have heard the check of my reproach and the spirit of my understanding causeth me to answer 4. Knowest thou not this of old since man was placed upon earth 5. That the triumph of the wicked is short and the joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment 6. Though his excellency mount up to the heavens and his head reacheth unto the clouds 7. Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung they who have seen him shall say where is he 8. He shall fly away as a dream and shall not be found yea he shall be chased away as a vision of the night 9. They also who saw him shall see him no more neither shall his place any more hehold him 10. His children shall seek to â—lease the poor and his hands shall restore their goods 11. His bones are full of the sins of his youth which shall ly down with him in the dust 12. Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth though he hid it under his tongue 13. Though he spare it and forsake it not but keep it still within his mouth 14. Yet his meat in his bowels is turned and it is the gall of asps within him 15. He hath swallowed down riches and he shall vomit them up again God shall cast them out of his belly 16. He shall suck the poison of asps the vipers tongue shall sâ—ay him 17. He shall not see the rivers the floods the brooks of honey and butter 18. That which he laboured for he shall restore and shall not swallow it down according to his substance shall the restitution be and he shall not rejoice therein 19. Because he hath oppressed and hath forsaken the poor because he hath violently taken away an house which he builded not 20. Surely he shall not feel quietness in his belly he shall not save of that which he desired 21. There shall none of his meat be left therefore shall no man look for his goods 22. In the fulness of his sufficiency he shall be in straits every hand of the wicked shall come upon him 23. When he is about to fill his belly God shall cast the â—ury of his wrath upon him while he is eating 24. He shall fly from the iron weapon and the bow of steel shall strick him through 25. It is drawn cometh out of the body yea the glistering sword cometh out of his gall terrors are upon him 26. All darknesse shall be hid in his secret places a fire not blown shall consume it shall go ill with him that is left in his tabernacle 27. The heaven shaâ—l reveal his iniâ—uiâ—â— and the earth â—â—all the up against him 28. The encrease of his house shall depart and his goods shall flow away in the day of his wrath 29. This is the portion of a wicked man and the heritage appointed to him by God 1. Put Iob answered and said 2. Heat diligently my speech and let this be your consolation 3. suffer me that I may speak and after that I have spoken mock on 4. As for me is my complaint to man if it were so why should not my spirit be troubled 5. Mark me and be astonished and lay your hands upon your mouth 6. Even when I remember I am afraid and trembling taketh hold on my flesh 7. Wherefore do the wicked live and become old yea are mighty in power 8. Their seed is established in their sight and their off-spring before their eyes 9. Their houses are safe from fear neither is the rod of God upon them 10. Their bull gendreth and faileth not their cow calveth and casteth not her calf 11. They send forth their little ones like a flock and their children dance 12. They take the timbrel and harp rejoice at the sound of the organ 13. They spend their days in wealth and in a moment go down to the grave 14. Therefore they say
thing 11. He bindeth the floods from overflowing and the thing that is hid he bringeth forth to light 12. But where shall wisdom be found where is the place of understanding 13. Man knoweth not the price thereof neither is it found in the land of the living 14. The depth says it is not in me and the Sea says it is not with me 15. It cannot be gotten for gold neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof 16. It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir with the precious Onyx or the Sapphire 17. The Gold and the Chrystal cannot equal it and the exchange of it shal not be for Jewels of fine Gold 18. No mention shall be made of Coral or Pearls for the price of wisdom is above Rubies 19. The Topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it neither shall it be valued with pure Gold 20. Whence then cometh wisdome where is the place of understanding 21. Seing it is hid from the eyes of all living and kept closs from the fowls of the air 22. Destruction death say we have heard the same thereof with our ears 23. God understandeth the way thereof and he understandeth the place thereof 24. For he looketh to the ends of the earth seeth under the whole Heaven 25. To make the weight for the winds and he weigheth the water by measure 26. When he made a decree for the rain away for the lightning of the thunder 27. Then did he see it and declare it he prepared it yea he searched it out 28. And unto man he said behold the fear of the Lord that is wisdom 1. Moreover Iob continued his parable and said 2. O that I were as in months past as in the days when God preserved me 3. When his candle shined upon my head and when by his light I walked through darkness 4. As I was in the days of my youth when the secret of God was on my tabernacle 5. When the Almighty was yet with me when my children were about me 6. When I washed my steps with butter and the rock poured me out rivers of oyl 7. When I went out to the gate through the city when I prepared my â—eat in the strcet 8. The young men saw me hid themselves and the aged arose and stood up 9. The princes refrained talking and laid their hands on their mouths 10. The nobles held their peace and their tongues cleaved to the roof of their mouths 11. When the ear heard me then it blessed me when the eye saw me it gave witness to me 12. Because I delivered the poor that cryed and the fathersess and him that hath none to help him 13. The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me and I caused the widows heart to sing for joy 14. I put on righteousness and it cloathed me my judgement was as a robe and a diadem 15. I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame 16. I was a father to the poor and the cause which I knew not I searched out 17. And I broke the power of the wicked and plucked the spoil out of his teeth 18. Then I said I shall dy in my nest and I shall multiply my days as the sand 19. My root was spread out by the waters and the dew lay all night upon my branches 20. My glory was fresh in me and aâ—y bow was renewed in my hand 21. Vnto me men gave ear and waited and keeped silence at my counsel 22. After my words they spoke not again and my speach dropped upon them 23. And they waited for me as for the rain and they opened their mouths wide as for the latter rain 24. If I laughed on them they believed it not and the light of my countenance they cast not down 25. I chose out their way and sat chief dwelt as a king in the army as one that comforteth the mourners 1. But now those that are younger than I have me in derision whose fathers I would have disdained to have set with the dogs of myflocks 2. Yea whereto might the strength of their hands profit me in whom old age was perished 3. For want and famine they were solitary flying into the wilderness formerly desolate and waste 4. Who cut up mallows by the bushes and juniper-roots for their meat 5. They were driven forth from among men they cryed after them as after a thief 6. They dwelt in the cliffs of the valleys in caves of the earth and in the rocks 7. Amongst the bushes they brayed under the nettles they were gathered together 8. They were children of fools yea children of base men they were viler then the earth 9. Yet now am I their song yea I am their by-word 10. They all abhor me they fly far from me and spare not to spit in my face 11. Because he hath loosed my cord and anâ—â—câ—â—â— mâ— they have also lâ—â— loose the bridle before me 12 Upon my right hand â—ife the youth they push away my feet and they raise up against me the ways of their destruction 13 They mark my paths they set forward my calamity they have no helper 14 They came upon me as a wide breaking in of waters in the desolation they rolled themselves upon me 15. Terrours are turned upon me they pursue my soul as the wind and my welfare passeth away as a cloud 16. And now my soul is poured out upon me the dayes of affliction have taken hold on me 17. My bones are pierced in me in the night season and my sinews take no rest 18. By the great force of my disease my garment is changed it bindeth me about as the collar of my coat 19. He hath cast me into the mire I am become like dust and ashes 20. I cry unto thee and thou dost not hear me I stand up and thou regardest me not 21. Thou art become cruel to me with thy strong hand thou opposest thy self against me 22. Thou liftest me up to the wind thou causest me to ride upon it and dissolvest my substance 23. For I know that thou wilt being me to death and to the house appointed for all living 24. Howbeit he will not stretch out his hand to the grave though they cry in his destruction 25. Did not I weep for him that was in trouble was not my soul grieved for the poor 26. When I looked for good then evil came unto me and when I waited for light there came darkness 27. My bowels boiled and rested not the days of affliction prevented me 28. I went mourning without the sun I stood up and I cried in the congregation 29. I am a brother to dragons and a companion to owls 30. My skin is black upon me and my bones are burned with heat 31. My harp also is turned to mourning and my organ to the voice of them that weep 1. I made a covenant with my eyes why then should I think upon a maid 2. For what
I will answer thee that God is greater then man 13. Why dost thou strive against him for he giveth not account of any of his matters 14. For God speaketh once yea twice yet man perceiveth it not 15. In a dream in a vision of the night when deep sleep falleth upon men in â—lumbrings on the bed 16. Then he openeth the ears of men and sealeth their Instruction 17 That he may withdraw man from his purpose and hide pride from man 18 He keepeth back his soul from the pit and his life from perishing by the sword 19 He is chastned also with pain upon his bed and the multitude of his bones with strong pains 20 So that his life abhorreth bread and his soul dainty meat 21 His flesh is consumed away that it cannot be seen and his bones that were were not seen stick out 22 His soul draweth nigh to the grave and his life to the destroyers 23 If there be a messenger with him an interpreter one amongst a thousand to shew man his uprightness 24 Then he is gracious to him saith deliver him from going down to the pit I have found a ransome 25. His flesh shall be fresher then a childs he shall return to the days of his youth 16. He shall pray unto God and he will be favourable unto him and he shall see his face with joy for he will render unto man his righteousness 27. He looketh upon men and if any say I have sinned and perverted that which was right and it profited me not 28. He will deliver his soul from going into the pit and his life shall see the light 29. Lo all these things worketh God oftentimes with man 30. To bring back his soul from the pit to be enlightned with the light of the living 31. Mark well O Iob hearken unto me hold thy peace and I will speak 32. If thou hast any thing to say speak for I desire to justifie thee 33. If not hearken unto me hold thy peace and I shall teach thee wisdom 1. Furthermore Elihu answered and said 2. Hear my words O ye wise men and give ear unto me ye that have knowledge 3. For the ear trveth words as the mouth tasteth meat 4. Let us choose to us judgment let us know among our selves what is good 5. For Iob hath said I am righteous and God hath taken away my judgment 6. Should I lie against my rigâ—t my wound is incurable without transgression 7. What man is like Iob who drinketh up scorning like water 8 Who goeth in company with the workers of iniquity and walketh with wicked men 9. For he hath said it profiteth a man nothing that he should delight himself with God 10. Therefore hearken unto me ye men of understanding far be it from God that he should do wickedness and from the Almighty that he should commit iniquity 11. For the work of a man shall he render unto him and cause every man to find according to his ways 12. Yea surely God will not do wickedly neither will the Almighty pervert judgement 13. Who hath given him a charge over the earth or who has disposed the whole world 14 If he set his heart upon man if he gather unto him his spirits and his breath 15 All flesh shall perish together and man shall turn again unto dust 16 If thou hast understanding hear this hearken to the voice of my words 17 Shall even he who hateth righ govern and wilt thou condemn him who is most just 18 Is it fit to say to a king thou art wicked and to princes ye are ungodly 19. How much less to him that accepteth not the person of Princes or regardeth the rich more then the poor for they are all the work of his hands 20. In a moment shall they dâ— and the people shall be troubled at midnight paâ—s away and the mighty shall be taken away without hand 21 For his eyes are upon the ways of man and he seeth all his goings 22 There is no darkness nor shadow of death where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves 23 For he will not lay upon man more then right that he should enter into judgement with God 24 He shall break in pieces mighty men without number and set others in their stead â—5 Therefore he knoweth their works and he overturneth them in the nighe so that they are destroyed 26 He striketh them as wicked men in the open â—ight of others 27 Because they turned back from him and would not consider any of his ways 28 So that they cause the cry of the poor to come unto him and he heareth the cry of the â—â—â—â—â—ted 29 When he giveth quietness who then can make trouble and when he hideth his face who then can behold him whether it be done against a nation or against a man only 30 That the hypocrite reign nor lest the people be ensnared 31. Surely it is meet to be said to God I have born chastisement I will not offend any more 32. That which I see not teach thou me if I have done iniquity I will do no more 33. Should it be according to thy mind he will recompence it whether thou refuse or whether thou chuse and â—ot I therefore speak what thou knowest 34. Let men of understanding tell me and let a wise man hearken unto me 35. Iob hath spoken without knowledge and his words were without wisdom 36. My desire is that Iob may be tryed to the end because of his answers for wicked men 37. For he addeth rebellion to his sin he clapâ—eth his hands amongst us and mâ—ltiâ—lieth his words against God 1. Elihu spake moreover and said 2. Thinkest thou this to be right that thou saidst mâ— righteousness is more then Gods 3. For thou saidst what advantage will it be to thee and what profit shall I have if I be cleansed from my sin 4. I will answer thee and thy companions with thee 5. Look unto the heavens and see and behold the clouds which are higher then thou 6. If thou sinnest what dost thou against him or if thy transgressions be multiplied what dost thou unto him 7. If thou be righteous what givest thou him what receiveth he of thine hand 8. Thy wickedness may hurt a man as thou art and thy righteousness may profit the son of man 9. By reason of the multitude of oppressions they make the oppressed to cry they cry out by reason of the arm of the mighty 10. But none saith Where is God my maker who giveth songs in the night 11. Who teacheth 〈◊〉 more then the beaâ—â— of the earth and maketh us wiser then the fowls of heaven 12. There they cry but none giveth answer because of the pride of evil men 13. Surely God will not hear vanity nor will the Almighty regard it 14. Although thou sayst thou shalt not see him yet judgement is before him therefore trust thou in him 15 But now because iâ— is not 〈◊〉 he hath