Ver. Thou didst with confidencee too bold

Thy spotless virtue boast;
And yet my care and kindness hold

As quite extinct and loft.
But since my care does ev’n respect

My lowest creatures clan,
How canst thou judge that I neglect

My nobler creature, Man!
8 Wilt thou my judgment thus defame,

That thou mayst righteous be?
Canst thou thy innocence proclaim,

Without reproaching me?
Must my proceedings be contrould,

Thy character to clear ?
My deep decrees be disannul'd,

Thy name and fame to rear ?
Vain man, wilt thou so slanderous

Thy righteous God indite?
Dost thou thy kind Redeemer thus
Ungratefully requite ?

S O N G XCV.
Quest. 24. Tbe Vanity of vying with God for Power,

Majesty, and Dominion over proud and wicked

Enemies. Job xl. 9,–14. 9 HA

AST thou an arm like God, that can

Against him take the field,
And win by force ? Art thou, O man,

With pow'r almighty steel'd ?
Canst thou both heav'n and earth sedate, 3

Fright with a dreadful noise ;
Or most exactly imitate

Jehovah's thund'ring voice?
10 If thou, poor mean dependant wight,

Presum'st with God to vye,
Then now adorn thyself with light,
With

pomp and majesty ;
With state and dread that can and will

The host of hell annoy;
With beauties too, that heav'n can fill

With wonder and with joy;

Ver. Cast forth the fury of thy wrath,
II

See and abase the proud ;
12 And look them down to hell beneath,

Whose wealth their vices throud. 13 Hide thou and bind them in the dust

And crown them in their caves;
For here's the work of God, the just,

Who digs the wicked's graves.
14 Do these great things; then thou, I'll grant,

Mayst thine own faviour be:
But, weak, unequal combatant,

Subinit thou must to me.

SONG XCVI.
An instance of divine Power in Beheinoth; that is,

as some tbink, ibe Elephant. Job xl. 15,–24. 15 BEHOLD again, to stop the mouth,

And bring thee further down,
Thy fellow-creature, Behemoth,

A beast so strong, fo grown.
Were flesh his meat, what would fuffice

His vast capacious womb,
Which could whole flocks, at once or twice,

And num'rous herds entomb?
Therefore it was the Maker's care,

Such ruin to prevent,
To make the ox's food his fare,

The grass his aliment.
16 The strength I did on him bestow,

Within his loins remains ;
The navel of his belly too,

His mighty force contains. 17 Like to a cedar tall and high,

With tempelts tost about,
From side to side, in gallantry,

He moves his pliant fnout.
Wrapt are the finews of his thighs,

Like complicated cords,
Which close involv'd with many ties,

United force affords.

Ver. His bones are firın like bolts of brass, 18

Which guard the pond'rous frame; Their strength the bars of iron furpass,

Well temper'd in the flame;
19 O'th' brutal kind this bulky beast

Is the chief work of mine ;
Craft, use, in him, beyond the rest,

Structure and strength combine.
On him his Maker did bestow,

Instead of fighting arms,
An active trunk to wound his foe,

And guard himself from harms.
But God can kill the elephant,

Soon as a gnat or fly;
So will his sword the combatant,

That dare his pow'r defy.
20 This beast prodigious, for his food,

Frequents the verdant plains,
The grassy mountains, desarts broad,

Where he a monarch regins.
And there to him the forest's beasts

Do all in troops refort ;
They know him harmless to his guests,

And by him fearless sport.
21 Thence he retreats to groves for ease,

Lies in the shady woud, 22 By reeds and fens, and willow-trees,

That deck the purling flood.
23 Fearless his mouth, be when a-thirst,

,
To Jordon does apply;
Nor doubts but with a glut, at first,

He'll drink the river dry.
He draws it up with greedy eyes,

And who can in his light,
With him attempt, or enterprize,

A fair and open fight? 24 Who can, by force, the beast command ?

And who e'er undertook,
Into his nose, with strength of hand,

To fix the servile hook ?

Ver. Through snares and gins his piercing nose

And fnout is his defence ;
By art furprize him may his foes,

But not by violence.
Thou dar'st not that strong beast offend,

Lest foon he thee devour ;
Why wilt thou then with God contend,

From whom he gets his pow'r ?

SONG XCVII.

of the Leviathan in general; that is, the Whale,

or Crocodile : Man, being unable to subdue and tame bim, muft own bimself to be utterly unable to stand before the great God. Job xli. 1,-10.

JOB, if thou canst debate with me,
Јов

I

As
I'll but produce, for humbling thee,

A formidable fish.
Canst thou the great Leviathan

Draw out with hook or line ?
Or in the deep the whale trepan

With common baits of thine ?
2 Canst thou run through his gills a thorn,

A jav'lin through his jaw ?
Or with a cord, he laughs to scorn,

Ashore the monster draw?
3 Will he, like man in great distress,

With tender words intreat
Thy pity, and with meek address,

His moan to thee repeat ?
Will he a contract with thee make,

To be thy slave for ay ?
5 Tam’d as a bird, wilt thou him take

To be thy children's play?
Will he be bound, and fo submiss,

As thy domestic fort?
He that to man a terror is

Be to thy maids a sport?

4

Ver. Shall neighbours make a hearty meal
6 Of him when catch'd by art ?
And foon his bones and oil for sale

Among the merchants part? 7 Is't easy work his scaly skin,

With barbid irons to prick;
His head with spears to assaffine,

And touch him to the qaick ? 8 Suppose thy hardy valour should

The furious beast assail,
Think'st thou that fwords and daggers would

Soon o'er his strength prevail ?
Suppose thou shouldest with thy life

Escape the dreadful rage,
Thou wouldit remind the fearful strife,

And dread anew t'engage.
9 The hope of conquest here is vain *;

For, with amazing fright,
The stouteft hero would, as slain,

Faint at the monster's sight. 10 In sleep no giant iron-clade

Dare his disturber be ;
What mortal, then, with fury mad,

Dare face and fight with me?

SONG XCVIII.

The Power of God set forth in a more particular

Description of obe Leviatban. Job xli. 11,-34.

II

S 1. God's sovereign Dominion over bis Creatures.
SAY;
AY, in what creature's debt am I,

I
That as injurd can whine ?
For what's beneath and 'bove the sky

Is all and wholly mine.
Evin brutal hosts spread my report,

From smallest mites and snails,
To monsters of the biggest fort,

The crocodiles and whales.

Viz. When the engagement is single, or by any man alone,