11landed him, faying, Be thou thankful unto G o d - : for whoever is thankful,
lhall be thankful to the advantage o f his own foul; and if any lhall be un-
thankful, verily G o d is felf-fufficient, and worthy to be praifed. And remember
when L o k m a n fa id unto his fon % as he admoniftied him, O my
fon, Give not a partner unto G o d ; for polytheifm is a great impiety. We
have commanded man concerning his parentsb, (his mother carrieth. him in
her womb with weaknefs and faintnefs, and he is weaned in two years,) faying,
Be grateful unto me, and to thy parents. Unto me lhall all come to be judged.
But if thy parents endeavour to prevail on thee to affociate with me
that concerning which thou haft no knowledge, obey them not: bear them
company in this world in what lhall be reafonable c j but follow the way of
him who fmcerely turneth unto med. Hereafter unto me lhall ye return,
and then will I declare unto you that which ye have done. O my fon, verily
every matter, whether good or bad, though it be of the weight of a grain of
muftard-feed, and be hidden in a rock, or in the heavens, or in the earth, God
will
lived feveral centuries, and to the time of David, life of Efop from 'the traditions he met with
with whom he was converfant in Paleßine. in the eaft concerning Lokman, concluding them
According to the defeription they give-of his to have been the fame perfon, becaufe they
perfon, he muft have been deformed enough j were both Haves, and fuppofed to be the writers
for they fay he was of a black complexion, of thofe fables which go under their refpedtive
(whence fome call him an Ethiopian,) with thick names, and bear a great refeniblance to one ano-
lips, and fplay feet: but in return, he received therj for it has long fince been obferved by learn-
from G od wifdom and eloquence in a great de- ed men, that the greater part of that monk’s
gree j which fome pretend were given him in a performance is an abfurd romance, and fupport*
vifion, on his making choice of wifdom prefera- ed by nt> evidence of the ancient writers 2.
bly to the gift of prophecy, either of which a His fon;] Whom fome name Andm, (which
were offered him. ’The generality of the Mo- comes pretty near the Ennus of Planudes,) fome
hammedans therefore hold him to have been no AJhcam, and others Math an.
prophet, but only a wife man. As to his con- b We have commanded man concerning his pa-
ditiön, they fay he was a Have, but obtained his rents, &c.] The two verfes which begin at thefe
liberty on the following occafion. His mailer words, and end with the following, v iz. And
having one day given him a bitter melon to eaf, then w ill I declare unto you that which ye have done,
he paid him fuch-exa£l obedience as to eat it all j are no part of Lokman's advice to his fon, but
at which his mailer being furprized, asked him are inferted by way of parenthelis, as very per-
how he could eat fo naufeous a fruit ? To which tinent and proper to be repeated here, to Ihew
he replied, it was no wonder, that he Ihould for the hainoufnefs of idolatry : they are to be read,
once accept a bitter fruit from the fame hand (excepting fome additions) in the twenty ninth
from which he had received fo many favours i . chapter, and were originally revealed on account
The commentators mention feveral quick repar- of Saad Ebn Abi.Wakkas, as has been already
tees of Lokman, which, together with the cir- obferved 3.
cumftances abovemention ed, agree'fo well with c Bear them company in. what f a ll be reafon-
what Maximus Planudes has written of Efop, that able;] That is, Shew them all deference and
from thence, and from the fables attributed to obedience, fo far as may be confiftent with thy
Lokman by the orientals, the latter has been ge- duty towards G od.
iierally thought to have been.no other than the A Follow the way of him who is fmcerely turned
Efop of the Greeks. However that be, (for I unto me;] The perfon particularly meant here
think the matter will bear ä difpute,) I am of was Abu Beer, .at whofe perfualion Saad had be-
Qpinion that Planudes borrowed great part of his come a Mößem.
* .A l Z amakh. 4/Beidawi, & c. V. D’H erbel. Bibl. Orient, p. 516. .& Marracc. in
Ale. p. 547. 2 V. la vie d'Efope, par Mr. de Meziriac, & Ba y le, D ill. Hiß. Art. Efope.
Rem. B . 3 See. chap. 29. p. 325. and. the notes thereon.
will bring die fame to light; for G od is clear-lighted and knowing. O my
fon, be conftant at prayer, and command that which is juft, arid forbid that
which is evil: and be patient under the afflictions which lhall befall thee ;
for this is a duty abfolutely incumbent on all men. Diftort not thy face out
of contempt to men, neither walk in the earth with infolence; for G o d loveth
no arrogant, vain-glorious perfon. And be moderate in thy pace : and lower
thy voice ; for the moft ungrateful of all voices furely is the voice of afles *.
Do ye not fee that G od hath fubjefted whatever is in heaven and on earth to
your fervice, and hath abundantly poured on you his favours, both outwardly
aad inwardly 11 ? There are fome men who difpute concerning G od without
knowledge, and without a diredlion, and without an inlightening book. And
when it is faid unto them, Follow that which G od hath revealed ; they anfwer,
Nay, we will follow that which we found our fathers to praftife. What,
though the devil invite them to the torment of hell ? Whoever refign-
eth himfelf unto G o d , being a worker of righteoufnefs, taketh hold on a
ftrong handle ; and unto G od belongeth the iflue of all things. But whoever
lhall be an unbeliever, let not his unbelief grieve thee : unto us lhall they re-,
turn ; then will we declare unto them that which they have done, for G od
knoweth the innermoft parts of the breafts of men. We will fuffer them to
enjoy this -world for a little while : afterwards we will drive them- to a fevere
punfthmenc. If thou afk them who hath created the heavens and the earth,
they will furely anfwer, G od. Say, G od be praifed ! But the greater part
of them do not underftand. Unto G od belongeth whatever is in heaven and
earth : for G od is the felf-fufficient, the praife-worthy. If whatever trees are
in the earth were pens, and he Ihould after that fwell the fea into feven feas
of ink, the words of, G od would not be exhaufted c for G od is mighty, and
wife. Your creation and your refufeitation are but as the creation and re-
fufeitation of one fould: verily G od both heareth and ktxh. Doft thou not fee
that G od caufeth the night to fucceed the day, and caufeth the day to fuc-
ceed the night, and compelleth the fun and the moon to ferve you ? Each of
thofe luminaries hafteoeth in its courfe to a determined period : and G od is well-
acquainted with that which ye do. This is declared concerning the divine
knowledge and power, for that G od is the true Being, and for that whatever
ye invoke, befides him, is vanity ; and for that G od is the high, the great
C od. Doft thou not fee that the Ihips run in the fea, through the favour of
G od, that he may fliew you of his figns ? Verily herein are figns, unto every patient,
grateful perfon. When waves cover them, like overlhadowing clouds,
X x they
* The voice of ajjis;] To the braying of which in anfwer to the Jews, who infilled that ail
animal the Arabs liken a loud and difagreeable knowledge was contained in the law 1 .
vo'ce* / ' " d As the creation and refufeitation of onl foul j]
b Both outwardly and inwardly;] i. e. All kinds G od being able to produce a million of worlds
of bleffmgs, regarding as well- the mind as the by the lingle word. Kun, i. e. Be, and to raife
body- * t the dead in general by the Angle word {Cum, i- Q*
c I f whatevei*trees are in the earth were pens, Arife.
&c.] This paffage is faid to have been revealed