Tuesday Afternoon, Sept. 25 Joanna has been reading through the firs cond Books of Kings; and is astonished to he judgment men have drawn of their Bibles, ing David and Solomon; as she has fre heard the Bible taken to pieces on account men, that the Lord promised such great l to, and they condemned them for the greatest But let them know how the promise stood entirely on conditions. Now, if David sini them see his repentance; which I have deeply. But now I shall come to Solomon. H the LORD said to Solomon, after he had b house. 1 Kings, ix. 4. The promise was "If thou wilt walk before ME, as David th walked."-Now go on to the 10th verse same words again in the 2 Chronicles, vii the end. Now let them read through the and see how the promises stood; and se Solomon did afterwards, in the 1 Kings, xi. deeply the 9th verse-" And the Lord was with Solomon, because his heart was turned fr Lord God of Israel, which had appeared un twice." Now weigh the chapter through; how the greatest part of the kingdom was rende Solomon, and given to Jeroboam; and see Rehoboam did, the son of Solomon these chapters my heart pondered deer ferent way from what I have heard men. The more I read the more I ad the goodness, and the condescen in all ages; how he trieth to win mercy, and with blessings, if the other gods, to their hurt.-B emy seems lost in wonder, of the ingratitude of and the power and influence that the Devil has them!-That after Rehoboam saw the Lord angry with his father, for departing from the c T seek ed his miracles, his y had despised their of their kings bedid some of the om the fury of their Jews, when our Sasciples, and many the GOSPEL. Then wo different spirits ng as there are two POWER OF GOD and are my observations sent; for I see them spirits, that are now ar will never change lestroyed the power vs stand out through e truth of our Savierusalem destroyed, roughout the face of change their minds. ny heart, in reading nd meditating upon as, that there is no Il established for the government that is is appeareth to me a ; that perfect peace when the fulfilment reading hath tried. Looking glass forme, ars. My observation S sin, and shew them what blessings they nould receive, in they would but walk in the fear of e Lord; but they themselves, by disobedience, wrought all the evils upon their own heads: for all the old Testament stands upon conditions. Then how can man say, the Promises were sure, let men do what they would? I have not read such words through my Bible: but I find the WORDS of the LORD have been TRUE, what he spake by the PROPHETS: and the fatal end of the kings came by their rebellion, as the prophets all had told them, one after the other. Then how can Man contend with his MAKER? or how can Men find fault with their MAKER, when they bring evil on their heads, by the hardness of their own hearts and their own unbelief? Then what have we to marvel now at the unbelief of mankind, seeing how the kings went on one after the other, after being warned by the prophets of the judgments that should follow? And the same judgments did follow; yet they still hardened their hearts.. Therefore my opinion, from what I have seen of the Bible, is, that men would e the same now; if the sword, plague, mine were to be in the land, it would not c people for any continuation, if it power ness remained; for, in reading read the perfect language tha Then where is the difference all of one spirit? While th at enmity against God. in man the same. See prophets worked of phecies came! And miss them, before Now, if that cam through unbelief prophets fulfille they were made ken from th () 1 f1the k orld. not are Aork 3 the pro should nawares. nardened ths of the e same, till ne kingdom our Saviour REMARKS ON MAN'S EVIL STATE. 27 came to visit them, they despised his miracles, his words, and his working, as they had despised their prophets before; though some of their kings believed in their prophets, as did some of the people, and hid the prophets from the fury of their enemies; just so was it with the Jews, when our Saviour came. Witness the disciples, and many of the Jews that turned to the GOSPEL. Then is it not plain, that these two different spirits will always be in the world, as long as there are two opposite powers to work; the POWER OF GOD and the power of the Devil? These are my observations from the past ages, and the present; for I see them perfectly alike in the opposite spirits, that are now in the world: and this I am clear will never change till the POWER OF GOD hath destroyed the power of the Devil: for how did the Jews stand out through unbelief? Though they saw the truth of our Saviour's words, the holy city of Jerusalem destroyed, and they themselves scattered throughout the face of the earth; yet all this doth not change their minds. But one observation I made in my heart, in reading over the reigns of the Kings, and meditating upon the reign of kings in all nations, that there is no government that has been so well established for the happiness of mankind, as the government that is brought in by the Gospel. This appeareth to me a shadow of good things to come; that perfect peace and happiness shall be establised when the fulfilment of the GOSPELIS accomplished. This is the pondering of my heart, from reading the Bible, which I am ordered to pen; and I think, instead of men's blaming the Lord, they ought in reading their Bibles to take guilt and shame to themselves, seeing what perverseness was in the heart of man; and they ought to look abroad and at home, and see what perverseness now is in the heart of man. So whattheworld now make a mockery of, is a truelooking glass forme, to see all faces in their true colours. My observation went the deeper, as I have heard men make the greatest mockery of the Bible; and I know many abandoned wretches have not only written against it, but have taken pleasure to turn it into ridicule and fun. But let them look into their own hearts; then they may say the Bible is a looking glass for them to see their own likeness painted there; for there is every man's likeness in the Bible, both good and bad. And the mockery and unbelief of mankind do but strengthen my faith the more; because I see all these characters have been before; and the Gospel assureth us they would remain till the powers of darkness were destroyed. Therefore, my prayer is, that the Lord will hasten that happy time, to cut off Satan's reign; and bring in HIS OWN, whose mercy and goodness are over all his works. But what mercy and goodness would it have been in the Lord to prolong the wretched reign of Manasseh ! who appeareth to me a complete type of the Devil; and yet Hezekiah his father was so good a man ! Thus it appeareth to me, it is not from the Fall of ADAM, as the blood running in man; for then the child might be like the father; but it appears to me, by the heart and spirit that are in men, some givethemselves up to be drawn by the Spirit of God, and others give themselves up to be drawn by the power of the Devil. But these are my own ideas from my observation of the Kings, that the sons did not all walk in their fathers' steps; for some turned to do good, and others turned to do evil; which brings my thoughts to our Saviour's words. "His servants ye are to whom ye yield yourselves to obey." "Now Joanna, thee I'll answer. From the ponderings thou hast here, Let them judge who is thy Master; That say from Hell thy heart doth swell, |