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L o r d , thou haft given us death twice, and thou haft twice given us life *;
and we confefs our fins: is there therefore no way to get forth from this fire?
And it Jhall be anfwered them, This hath befallen you, for that when one G od
was preached unto you, ye believed not; but if a plurality o f gods had been
affociated with him, ye had believed: and judgment belongeth unto the
high, the great G od. It is he who Iheweth you his figns, and fendeth
down food unto you from heaven: but none will be admonifhed, except
he who turneth himfelf unto G od. Call therefore upon G o d , exhibiting
your religion pure unto him, although the infidels be averfe thereto.
He is the Being of exalted degree, the pofielfor .of the throne; who fendeth
down the fpirit, at his command, on fuch of his fervants as he pleafeth;
that he may warn mankind of the day of meeting6, the day whereon they
fhall come forth out of their graves, and nothing of what concerneth them
fhall be hidden from G o d . Unto whom will the kingdom belong, on -that
day? Unto the only, the almighty G od. On that day fhall every foul be
rewarded according to its merits: there {hall be no injuftice done on that day.
Verily G od will be fwift in taking an account. Wherefore warn them, 0
prophet, of the day which fhall fuddenly approach 5 when mens hearts Jhall
come up to their throats, and ftrangle them. The ungodly fhall have no
friend or interceffor who lhall be heard. G od will know the deceitful eye,
and that which their breafts conceal; and G od will judge with truth: but
the falfe gods which they invoke, befides him, fhall not judge at all ; ■ for
G od is he who heareth and feeth. Have they not gone through the earth,
and feen what hath been the end-of thofe who were before them ? They were
more mighty than thefe in ftrength, and left more confiderable footfteps of
their power in the earth: yet G od chaftifed them for their fins, and there was
none to prote£t them from G o d . This they, fuffered, becaufe their apoftles.
had come unto them with evident figns, and they difbelieved: wherefore G od
chaftifed them; for he is ftrong, and fevere in punifhing. We heretofore
fent M oses with our figns and manifeft power, unto P h a r a o h , and
H a m a n , and K a r u n ; and they faid, He is a forcerer, and a liar. And
when he came unto them with the truth from us, they faid, Slay the fons of
thofe who have believed with him, and fave their daughters alive '■ but the
ltratagem. of the infidels -was no other than vain. And P h a r a o h faid, Let
■ me
a Thau baß given us death twice, and baß twice
given us life :] Having firft created us in a ftate
of death, or void of life and fenfation, and then
given life to the inanimate body 1 ; and afterwards
caufed us to die a natural death, and raifed
us again at the refurredlion. Some underftand
the firft death to be a natural death, and the fécond.
that in the fepulchre, after the body lhall
have been there raifed to life in order to be examined
Î! ; and confequently fuppofe the two
revivals to be thofe of the fepulchre and the
refurreflion 3. ■
b The day of meeting;] When the Creator and
his creatures4, the inhabitants of heaven and of
earth, the falfe deities and their worfhippers,
the opprelfor and the opprelfed, the labourer
and his works, lhall meet each other 3.
5 Slay their fons, and fave their daughters
alive;] i. e. Purfue the refolution which has
been formerly-taken, and execute it more ftridtly
for the future. See chap. 7. p. *30. not b.
1 See chap. 2. p. 4.
See chap. 6. p. 101 ■
2 See Prel. Difc. §. IV. p. 76, tele,
' A lB e id . J a l i a l .
3 vf/BEID. JAILAU.
me alone, that I may kill M oses 1 ; and let him call upon his L ord : verily
I fear left he change your religion, or caufe violence to appear in the earth6.
And M oses faid unto his people, Verily I have recourfe unto my L o r d , and
your L o r d , to defend me againft every proud perfon, who believeth not in
the day of account. And a man who was a true believer, of the family of
P h a r aoh c, and concealed his faith, faid, Will ye put a man to death, becaufe
he faith, G od is my L o rd ; feeing he is come unto you with evident
figns from your L ord ? If he be a liar, on him will the punijhment o f his fallhood
light; but if he fpeaketh the truth, fome of thofe judgments with which he
threateneth you, will fall upon you: verily G od direfteth not him who is a tranf-
grefior, or a liar. O my people, the kingdom is yours this day ; and ye are con-
fpicuous in the earth: but who lhall defend us from the fcourge of G od, if it
come unto usd ? P h a r a o h faid, I only propofe to you what I think to be mofi
expedient: and I guide you only into the right path. And he who had believed,
faid, O my people, verily I fear for you a day like that of the confederates
againfi the prophets in former times; a condition like that of the
people of N o a h , and the tribes of A d , andTHAMun, and of thofe who have
lived after them : for G od willeth not that any injuftice be done unto his fervants.
O my people, verily I fear for you the day whereon men lhall call
unto one another'; the day whereon ye fhall be turned back from the tribunal,
and driven to h e ll: then lhall ye have none to protedt you againft G od. And
he whom G od lhall caufe to err, lhall have no direftor. J oseph came
unto you, before M oses, with evident figns ; but ye ceafed not to doubt of
the religion which he preached unto you, until, when he died, ye faid, G o d
will by no means fend another apoftle, after him. Thus doth G od caufe
him to err, who is a tranfgrefibr, and a fceptic. They who difpute againft
the figns of G od, without any authority which hath come unto them, are in
great abomination with G o d , and with thofe who believe. Thus doth G od
leal up every proud and ftubborn heart. And P h a r a o h faid, O H a m a n ,
build me a tower, that I may reach the trads, the trads of heaven, and
may view the G od of M oses f ; for I verily think him to be a liar. And thus
the evil of his work was prepared for P h a r a o h , and he turned afide from the
right path: and the ftratagems of P h a r a o h ended only in lofs. And he
who had believed, faid, O my people, follow me: I will guide you into the
right way. O my people, verily this prefent life is but a temporary enjoy-
D d d ment ;
* Let me alone, that I may k ill Mofes ;] For
they advifed him not to put Mofes to death, left
it Ihould be thought he was not able to oppofe
him by dint of argument *«
b Or caufe violence to appear in the earth.']
By railing or commotions and feditions, in order
to introduce his new religion.
c A true believer of the family of Pharaoh,
£5V.] This feems to be the fame perfon who is
mentioned, chap. 28. p. 318.
1 -4/ B e id aw j . Alls v. 38, 39.
d See the fpeech of Gamaliel to the Jewifh
Sanhedrim, when the apoftles were brought before
them 2.
e The day whereon men p a ll call unto one another
;] i. e. The day of judgment; when the
inhabitants of paradife, and of hell, lhall enter
into mutual difeourfe : when the latter lhall call
for help; and the feducers, and thefeduced, lhall
caft the blame upon each other 3.
f See chap. 28. p. 320.
3 A l B e i d . J a l l a l u ^d d in ,
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