and thus my ponderings went deep of the different conduct of mankind. The ANSWER of the SPIRIT. "And now I shall answer from thy pondering thoughts; for it was I who brought all things to thy remembrance, from thy youth up to this day. And I now tell thee, in like manner as thou sayest by mankind, that thy foes have made the love of thy friends appear much greater to thee, than it could possibly have been done if thou hadst had no enemies. "As 'tis with thee it is with ME,' I tell thee, now the same: For to admire the more: Thy friends in love appear'd, With arts and lies; let men be wise, No victory they could gain; But know, thy friends did them chastise- Because thy thoughts thou hast not wrote, A man-hater thou could'st not be, Could'st thou hate man? as thou'st discern'd, To calm thy grief, and give relief: Though it not clear to thee appears The foes that won: I shall begin- "Now see the way men got the day: When Satan strong in man appear'd In malice to combine,: With arts and lies, (like men grow wise,) Thou knowest thy foes did thee despise, Then against man how can I come The thoughts of thee mankind must see; For I shall answer here, This perfect-likeness is in ME: My Bible so I'll clear. Because their love I sure can prove, In every age that's past, It hath been seen so strong in men, Upon the head where man obey'd; Which I have prov'd from those who lov'd, The love in man was great The pride of man: I tell thee plain To make men judge Me poor and mean, say A poor man I must surely be; My parents they did know. So here's the pride in men, you see, But then in man the love did come, A fiery zeal did they reveal, What were their hearts and thoughts. And though they were reprov'd by мE, It did go on the same to burn, Till they died for my sake. Then now to men I thus shall come, For just like thee, they all shall see, I cannot now hate man : The foes have got the victory, To make мE love more strong. For though the words, which I have spoke, To thee they are not clear, How they should gain the victory, Thy pondering thoughts appear: "Twas from thy foes, thou well dost know, That made men brighter shine, This way to gain the heart of thee; "Then see it clear, the victory here Sick of them all, thou know'st the call, For now I ask thee, where's the man Thou'dst not one friend for to depend And so their words were plac'd; And warn'd thee at the first; In black and white, thou'dst judge aright, For so mankind did burst, And so went on, 'tis known to men, Till thou grew'st sick of all; But trusted in ME thy guide to be, If 'twas of God, it would be known, Because no love they there did prove, No: well thou know'st it was not so; But I'll end here, and say no more, And, from the pondering heart of thee, "Now I shall begin from thy youth, where thou sayest thou regardedst men, as they regarded thee. This I shall bring back to the Creation. For, though Adam fell, I pitied the man; because he repented of what he had done. And from Abel ye may discern, that the Lord was not forgotten by them; for as thou sayest thou hast met with a mixture in mankind, some shewing their love and friendship, while others were enemies; thou must condemn the innocent with the guilty, if thou condemnest all men, because of some, who were thy enemies, if thou dost forget thy friends. This was my feeling for man, in the first age of the world. But now I shall come to the deluge, and come to thy pondering thoughts: when all men forsook thee, that thou hadst not amongst thy religious acquaintance any man that seemed to concern himself about thee, all become cold and lukewarm; then thou saidst thou wouldest bid the world adieu, and bid adieu to men. In this state the world was come, when the Lord said it repented him that he had made man; that |