Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

these things from myself; which, you know, I told you, I knew no more from myself than your fable. At the same time there were in the writings events that were to take place in years to come, that now seem bursting out in all nations; and you told me yourself, you knew they would be true; yet for some time disputed with me, if it was not from myself, for my own knowledge; but when I assured you it was not from myself, and I had no knowledge of my own, you asked me, why I did not publish to the world? For, if you was clear you was called of God, you would fear no man. And now, sir, I am clear I am called of God; for the wondrous visitation that hath happened to me for the three months past, is impossible to come from any but a God; therefore I shall fear no man's words, neither shall I be dismayed at their looks for little do men know what lieth before them. You know I put in your hands the truth of the harvests in 1799, and the 1800; and it has stood me in pounds to put writings in your hands, which you always promised faithfully to keep, and faithfully to deliver to me, whenever my trial was: and now my trial draweth near, and I shall hold you to your words, and to your promises; and if you gơ from them, I have more just grounds to publish yout to the world, that the Devil has taken the advantage over you, than you could have to publish to the world that I was led by the Devil, to put your name in print, as the Lord had commanded me; but that command you said was from the Devil. Now, sir, reflect on the change of your conduct: how you acted before, when you said my writings were not from the Devil, how faithfully you promised to act. How you said you would meet with six, or with twelve to prove my writings. How you asked me, in Mr. Taylor's house, in 1801, to put the prophecy in your hands of that harvest, that I told you I had put in Mr. Jones's; for you said, in Mrs. Taylor's pre

:༡

10

T,

1

1

THE REV. MR. POMEROY.

47

sence, if you was to be the judge, the writings ought
to be put in your hands; which I complied with, and
carried them to you. You promised to keep the whole
safe; and told me you had every one of my letters
in your bureau, that you would keep safely for me.
But as soon as the Lord put you to the trial, to see if
you could bear the mockery of men, and the ridicule
of the world, for his sake, by having your name in
print, how soon did the fine gold become dim!
How soon did you begin to act like Pilate, fearing
the Jews! and just so you began to fear men, that
you should lose your honour amongst them. But
know what our Saviour said: He that loseth his life.
for my sake, shall find it; but he that saveth it, shall
lose it. Now you tried to save your
tried to save your honour amongst
men; and that is the way you have lost it for the
honour of the world worketh death to the honour of
God; and that death you soon fell into; for you be-
gan in the Spirit, but you ended in the flesh. Here
your wrath began, by fearing the honour of men; and
you let the sun go down upon your wrath; and so
you gave place to the Devil, Then you sent to me to
give in my sacrament ticket, to turn me from the
altar, which I faithfully delivered up to you. at your
request, as I well knew there were other ministers I
could go to, to receive the sacrament; but after
that your conscience seemed to reprove you, you
sent me a note to come again, and invited me to
come by Mrs. Taylor; then, after that, you sent for
me to give up the second note; and because I had mis-
laid it, and could not find it directly, you seemed to
be angry that it was not returned; but as soon as I
found it I faithfully returned it to you. Then you
came to Mrs. Taylor's, and told her and me how
you was situated, and how the ministers were all
plaguing you, that you could not go into company,
if I would not sign that you had said my writings
were from the Devil. Mrs. Taylor expostulated

with you, that you had never said they were from the Devil, but you had affirmed to the contrary; but you made answer, you had said it was from the Devil, my putting your name in print, which I confess was true; and as you cried, and said I should kill you if I would not sign it, I gave you the advantage of that word, as you thought it would reclaim your injured honour. But how did you yourself go on with principles to lose that honour, that you with subtilty went to claim? I returned to you every demand you had of me, by returning the sacrament tickets; though I never promised it before you demanded them, and then I returned them. But how unjustly did you deal with me? As soon as I demanded all my writings, you went from the promises of a man, refused to return me one of my letters, but told Mr. Taylor that you had burnt them, and that you was persuaded to do it; so you broke your word, you broke your promise, and you dealt unjustly with me. Now do you think the Lord is another such as yourself, to break all his words, all his promises, and to act unjustly, as you have done? This change of conduct in you truly convinceth me, that you gave the Devil that advantage over you, that you published to the world he had over me. And now I shall call to your remembrance the words I said unto you in Mr. Taylor's house, when Mrs. Taylor said to me, she feared your advertisement would hurt the cause; you know I made answer, that was impossible; for what was of men would come to nothing, but what was of God they could not overthrow, lest they were found to fight against God. You answered, that was true. And now I answer, you are fighting against God: but you can not fight against God and prosper. See how soon your eyes were darkened; see how soon your understanding was hid, when you were seeking the praise of man more than the praise of God; and the

THE REY. MR. POMEROY.

49

honour of men more than the honour of God. How did that honour you contend for come to nothing, by your own conduct, by not returning back my letters, according to your promise? This provoked the Lord to anger against you, and I was ordered to publish to the world all your conduct; so the honour you contend for, you yourself brought to nothing; but the honour of God, and the visitation of God, it is not you, nor all the clergy in England, can overthrow. All the Bishops have been written to, that if they would come forward, or send twentyfour of their ministers, to meet the twenty-four whom the Lord has chosen, to have a fair investigation into all the writings for seven days, if they could then prove they came from the Devil, they should be then given up to their judgment; but this the Bishops have declined, as they know it is a thing impossible for man to prove; so their silence gives consent that the writings are from the Lord, The Religious Society have been appealed to likewise; and they are silent. So all their silence gives consent, that the calling is of God, and they cannot overthrow it. But this way that you acted to overthrow it was like throwing of oil into the fire, and make the flames burn the greater. So you have been the murderer of your own honour, and convinced me clearly that it was you and not me, that was deceived. by the subtle arts of the Devil. And now I shall come to Mr. Jones. The Lord commanded me to send Mr. Jones unto you, to reprove you, as Nathan reproved David; but you refused to hear the reproof, and blamed Mr. Jones for obeying the command, and returning the answer you gave him. Now I shall come to reason. Mr. Jones believes my visitation to be from the Lord, and in obedience to his command he waited upon you. Now if you

The Society for the Suppression of Vice,
G

blame Mr. Jones for doing that, I must beg you will throw off your gown: what use is your mocking of God to go into your pulpit, and tell people to obey the commands of the Lord, and then to go out of your pulpit and abuse them for doing the very thing that they believed the Lord had commanded them? For it is by faith we must be saved. And now I shall ask you one question : Supposing a Jew, who never believed in Christ, but believed him an impostor, as the Jews do, yet if that man being a gentleman of great property, and wishing to have land like the Christians, and say I will turn Christian, I will turn to the Gospel, and I will take the sacrament, to worship what I believe an impostor, because I will have a title and honour amongst men ; would not that Jew be a greater sinner, that could thus mock God in his heart, than the other Jews who would not worship him as a Saviour, out of conscience to the Lord, because they did not believe he who was the Saviour-only trusted in one God? which, judge you, would be the greatest sinner? You must believe it to be him who mocked God with his unbelief; because it is from the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and the Lord judgeth not as man judgeth, by outward appearance; the Lord judgeth from the heart. So, from the faith of Mr. Jones, you must blame the man for doing what he judged doing his duty; and to sin against God and his own conscience. And is this advice worthy of a clergyman? Can you justify yourself in these things I tell you, No. Your arguments were to bring sin upon Mr. Jones's head, and to blame him for doing what he judged was the will of the Lord concerning him. And now I shall come to my. Brother. You say, my Brother ought to be horse-whipped, for claiming justice to be done to his Sister. Then what religion do you preach? or, how would you wish brothers and

« AnteriorContinuar »