Ver. Then furely mortals, feiz'd with fright
And terror, muft decline

The glorious and tremenduous fight
Of majesty divine.

23 For, touching the almighty God
We cannot find him out;

So pompous

is his high abode,
And fplendid round about.
From majefty, fo great and high,
We must with dread retire
Nor gratify our curious eye,
But rev'rently admire:
But after all our bold effays

And fearches here we find
Our reafon cannot fhun the maze,
Nor grafp th' eternal mind.
So boundlefs and tranfcendent is
His energy and might,

His judgments are fo juft and wife,
And his decrees fo right,

That no debater must decry
The great Jehovah's deeds,
Nor boldly afk a reason why
He thus and thus proceeds.
Should any afk it to their fhame,
Then know that he alone,

Is fov'reign Lord and Judge fupreme,
Accountable to none.

This fhould inftruct us not to fpurn,
But pious rev'rence raise;
Our mutiny to marvel turn,
Our difcontent to praife.

This to right reafon fhould restore,
Make carnal reafon mute,
And teach us humbly to adore,
But never to difpute.

Mild mercy meets with juftice ftrict

In ftanding to his laws;

He therefore wills not to afflict,

Nor ftrikes without a caufe.

Ver. Men fear his name in Chrift for this,
24 Because he mercy hath;

But rebels, that reject the blifs,
Shall fear and feel his wrath.

God favours humble hearts and wills,
But fons of pride defies;

And in his fight wife men are fools,
Who in their own are wife.

SONG LXIX.

God's Words unto JOB, bis challenging bim.
Job xxxviii. 1, 2, 3.

*ALL nature felt a frightful fhock,
Α

When from the rolling cloud,

To trembling Job th' Almighty spoke
Thefe awful words aloud.

2 Who's this prefumptuous mortal bold,
That dark'ning counfel fo,
By words devoid of knowledge, would
Prefcribe what it muft do!

3

If thou pretend'ft to quarrel me,

For ought that I have done,
Gird up thy loins to hold the plea,
And like a man to win.

I'm now come at demands of thine,
Thy fcience to inspect;
Not to be taught, but of defign
Thy arrogance to check.

I'll now thy fkill and wifdom found,
Thy underflanding try;
To queftions I'll to thee propound,
See if thou canst reply.

SONG LXX.

GOD'S QUESTIONS.

Queft. 1. Conerning the Foundation of the Earth.
Job xxxviii, 4,-7.

4 WHEN

HEN I the earth's foundation laid,
Where waft thou then, O man?

Or didft thou contribute thine aid,
And help the mighty plan?

Ver. Whence did I, when the world I made,
For fit materials call,

When nothing I but nothing had
Wherewith to make the ball?

My hand, without thy help, could frame
This fpacious edifice;

And can't my fkill govern the fame
Without thy poor advice?

5 If thou haft knowledge, tell what pow'r
And wifdom I employ'd,

7

To dig the mafs of folid ftore,

Out of an empty void?

Tell how the globe was modell'd fine,
By what ftupendous art;

And by what measure, fquare, and line,
I fitted every part?

Declare on what foundation fure,
Did I the building rear;
And by what cement, fo fecure,
Do all the parts cohere?
Shew how the corner-ftone by me,
Was laid fo firm, fo well,

That mov'd the fabric cannot be

Without a miracle.

When earth was form'd at my command,

Which formlefs was and void,

Know'st thou how heav'n, in confort grand,

This dawn of time employ'd?

When all th' angelic armies bright,

The hofts of race divine,

Whose beamy heads, in fparkling light,

The morning flars out-fhine;

Thefe firfl-born fons of God renown'd,
With joyful fhoutings fung

My works on earth, till heav'ns around
With acclamations rung.

Queft. 2. About the limiting of the Sea.
Job xxxvii. 8,-11.

Ver. WHO did with rocks, like bolted doors,

8

Shut up the raging main,

With fandy banks, as fett'ring pow'rs,

The furious billows chain?
When with the rupture overcome,
The turgid upper earth

Did rend and ope her teeming womb,
To give the ocean birth;

9 O'er which my clouds I like a vest,
Or fabble garment, 'drew;

And fwaddling bands, of thicken'd mist,
I o'er its bofom threw.

10 I form'd a gulph within the land,
To be the ocean's bed;

The wat'ry troops at my command,
Soon to their lodging fled.

They march'd with all obfequious haste,
To my appointed ward;

And found their prifon chambers fast,
With rocky bolts were barr'd.

11 Then faid I to the raging fea,
That was diffus'd around,

12

Behold the frontiers I decree,

Thy billows fierce to bound.
Hither thou may't, within thy caves,
But may't no farther roll;
This fence fhall thy impetuous waves,
And flowing pride controul.

SONG LXXII.

Queft. 3. Concerning the Springs of the Morning.
Job xxxviii. 12,-15.

BY

Y whofe appointment does the fun
His morning beams difplay?

Tell; does he by thy orders run,
And spread the world with day?

Ver. By whofe contrivance, so exact,

Springs up the shining light,
To lenghten out, or to retract,
The time of day and night?
Who bids it late or ear' * arife,
At distance far or near,
Right to divide and fignalize
The feafons of the year?

13 With wings fo fpeedy did thy care
Provide the dawning ray,

That it through deeps immenfe of air,
So fwift might make its way;
That in a trice might be fulfill'd
Its fore-appointed race,

And that it might with luftre gild
The earth's remoteft face.
14 Prefenting all things fair to fight
That lay with fhades opprefs'd,
New ftamp'd as with a feal, in light
As with a garment dreft;

15 Light which by minds, where virtue dwells, Is peaceably enjoy'd ;

But which obnoxious criminals

With panic fear avoid :

For, if detected by its beams,

The guilty wretches know,

They muft the death their confcience deems

They merit, undergo.

With lifted arms 'gainst Heav'n they fought,

But thence the rays on wing

Pursue the rebels clofe, till brought
To punishment condign.

Whence come thefe meffengers of light,

To chafe the wicked crew,

And chain them faft with fear and fright,
Are they dispatch'd by you?

• Put for early.