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:
Thy foes have gain'd the victory,
Who do not know thy name.
How can this be, is said by thee,
Thy foes the victory gain?
I'll answer here, and make it clear,
And so my words maintain :
Because the love in men thou didst
For to admire the more:

When men thy enemies arose,
Thy friends in love appear'd,
To shew that great, without deceit,
Their friendship did abound;
Like fathers here they did appear,
Like brothers men were found
To stand by thee, they all may see,
When foes against thee came :
That way men got the victory,
It must to all be known.
But now within thou dost begin
To say, 'twas not thy foes
That any victory here could win,
Who did on thee impose

With arts and lies; let men be wise,

No victory they could gain;

prove,

But know, thy friends did them chastise-
And see the victory plain.

Because thy thoughts thou hast not wrote,
Nor penn'd thy pondering clear:

A man-hater thou could'st not be,
As men have judg'd thee here.

15

Could'st thou hate man? as thou'st discern'd,
In grief they stood thy friends;

In thy distress they calm'd thy breast,
And every aid did lend

To calm thy grief, and give relief:
Their friendship every way

By foes was tried-the field is wide;
And now like thee I say:
Though it not clear to thee

appears

How foes the victory got;
But I shall further answer here,
And tell thee it was not
The foes that won: I shall begin—
Ne'er gain'd the heart of thee;
But to thy friends thou must discern,
(The way thy friends didst see
To shine more bright before thy sight,)
That men thou could'st not hate;
Thy enemies did make them bright,
And love in thee create.

"Now see the way men got the day:
Thy pondering deep I know;
Because thou'st ponder'd every way,
How men their love did shew,
To make it clear that thou must err,
For to condemn mankind,

When Satan strong in man appear'd

In malice to combine,

With arts and lies, (like men grow wise,)
With all the rage of hell.

Thou knowest thy foes did thee despise,
Which made thy friends to swell
In love the same, who knew thy name,
And took thy every part:

Then against man how can I come
With an unfeeling heart?

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,
From enemies that burst.

So all the Prophets call to mind,
How men their love did shew;
Though Satan's fury they did find
In man to bring a blow

Upon the head where man obey'd;
Yet they did not turn back,
But still went on, as I command;
Then can my love be slack,
Not to regard, nor yet reward
The love in man to ME?

Which I have prov'd from those who lov'd,
By their great enemy.
And to my Gospel now I'll come:

The love in man was great
When Satan's fury it was strong,
The rage of hell did heat

The pride of man: I tell thee plain
He work'd it every way:

To make men judge мE poor

Know what my

and mean,

foes did say

A poor man I must surely be;
My parents they did know.
So here's the pride in men, you see,
When I appear'd so low;

But then in man the love did come,
And my Disciples see,
How they in love to ME did burn,
Despis'd by enemies;

A fiery zeal did they reveal,

What were their hearts and thoughts.
Did Peter then his love conceal?—
"Let fire from heaven be brought,"
Was spoke by he, you all may see,
For to destroy my

foes.

And though they were reprov'd by ME,
Yet still their love, thou know'st,

It did go on the same to burn,

Till they died for my sake.

Then now to men I thus shall come,
Their cause I'll undertake:

For just like thee, they all shall see,
I cannot now hate man:

The foes have got the victory,

To make ME 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;
Thy ponderings call to mind.

17

"Then see it clear, the victory here
Came from thy deadly foes;
Because that I shall call thee back,
The mysteries deep unclose.
Call thou to mind when all unkind
Were sickly and lukewarm ;
I ask thee what inveterate foe
That thou could'st then discern?
For ninety-two bring to thy view,
When all appear'd as friends;
And out of love pretended so,
Satan would gain his ends;
If thou'dst go on, as thou'dst begun,
The small still voice to hear,
They told thee dangers would come on,
And thou hadst room to fear.

So thus in love thy friends did

prove

'Twas done in love to thee.
Thy former writings now call back,
Then sick of men to be;

Sick of them all, thou know'st the call,
Thou surely wast at first;

For now I ask thee, where's the man
On whom thy love was plac'd?
Thou answerest none; then now discern
The way I'm warning here:
Thou❜dst not one friend for to depend

That thou could'st trust, be clear;
Nor yet a foe, thou well dost know,
That did in anger burst.
They judg'd in folly thou didst go,
And so their words were plac'd ;
So sickly here did all appear,

And thou grew'st sick of men;
And thou may'st easy see it here,
Judge from thy written hand:
The world adieu! thou well dost know,
In heart was spoke by thee:
Sick of mankind was then thy mind-
In checker'd lines thou'dst see
The hearts of all, when I did call,
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,
And so to judge thy call:

8

If 'twas of God, it would be known;
Thy reasoning thoughts went deep:
But sick of men thou sure wast come,
As they were all asleep.

Because no love they there did prove,
To say, "we'll judge the sound,
"And wait awhile who may beguile,
"The truth may soon be found,
"As years roll on." Did they begin
This way their reason rule?

No: well thou know'st it was not so;
But love thou saw'st grow cold,
Till Pomeroy came: behold the man;
He work'd thy passions high;
Because thou know'st the way he went
The spirits for to try.

But I'll end here, and say no more,
But to the purpose come;

And, from the pondering heart of thee,
I'll shew the state of man.

"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, al 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