Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

of him, to justify himself in keeping it back. Therefore he could not appear to come forward and cast the blame on thee, but if he appeared to clear his honour, it must be to own the truth, and blame himself for listening to the wrong advice of men; and then, from the bible, I should have cleared his honour amongst mankind, to prove he had acted as a faithful shepherd that cared for his sheep, and as a faithful shepherd between God and man. If he had come forward with the truth, to clear himself, he would have found my promises true; but this I did not tell thee he would do; for know I told thee how much he feared to appear, knowing he could not clear himself of what he had done, without acknowledging every truth, which he thought would condemn him, and justify thy writings, that he had advertized came from the devil. But know my promise, that stands on record : he that confesseth his sins shall find mercy, if he forsake them to turn from the evil of his ways. Here I have shewn thee how I should have cleared his honour, had he come and repented; but they must discern, from his letters, how he contended of the loss of his honour, which I told thee he would never regain, without appearing to clear the truth; and they must discern deeply how much he wished to have all concealed and given up concerning him, that he might not be brought forward in thy writings; then they may understand my answer to his request that I would never give him up, but all the truth must be brought to light and published concerning him.

"This was my strict command; then they must discern what I said concerning the trial being brought round to judge of him, if he refused to come himself; then let them see how the trial was brought round by the witnesses con

13

cerning ; then how I ordered all to go in print. So that, according to the words I spoke of him, saying, I would never give up the man, they will find are all fulfilled; for I did not give up to any request, that he made. And it was to try the wisdom of men, how they would compare the things together, that I ordered them to try their judgment, and draw their judgment from the communications; which no man could draw a clear judgment from, without going back to the beginning, to discern the letter I ordered thee to send; then to compare it with his answer, how much he intreated for all to be given up concerning him, that none of the truths might be made known, or published; then they must know that my answer was, never to give up to his request; but to have every truth tried and proved.

"Here I have shewn them the way that they must judge of the pages that I ordered thee to point out to them, that it was in answer to his letters, which I ordered thee to put in print; and here they may clearly judge the whole. But if his letters had been kept back, and not put in print, all would have stumbled, as ****** began; for they would not have understood the meaning of the words, saying I would not give him up; neither should the believers give him up, to the request that he made, which is the meaning of the words. Therefore the letters, that wounded thee to the heart, to see them in print when he was no more, I now tell thee will ease the hearts of many; because they cannot see clearly the meaning of the one without the other; and perfectly so my Bible stands-without clearing the ending from the beginning; comparing my Gospel with the Prophets; and the Redemption with the Fall; without weighing the whole together, men can draw no more judgment from

the scriptures, to understand them, and discern the fulfilment; than they could draw their judgment clear from what thou hadst pointed out to them; because thou didst never mention that the answers were given to his letters. And now thou must point out to them, from his calling at first, where he stood without conditions to be the man as I told thee that thy writings should go out by; and by him it was done; and where he stands without conditions, that they may discern what is spoken on conditions, that no man can draw a clear judgment of, till they have seen the

end."

to

After this letter was sent, I took my book, and was reading the first letter I was ordered to send ** in 1804, when I came to these words, "***** believes my Visitation to be from the Lord; and in obedience to his command, he waited upon you. Now if you blame

*** for doing that, I must beg you will throw off your gown." On reading these lines, it struck so forcibly upon my mind that he had not; neither was he dead; and therefore thought to myself it was a thing done in mockery, by some one who had seen the book, and had placed his death in that manner, that he took off his gown, and did not go into his pulpit; and though 'I reasoned with myself every way of the inconsistency of my thoughts, that he would not suffer any one to do such a thing; and that they dared not do it without his permission; yet I could not get the impression off my mind. told my thoughts to more than forty of my friends. They reasoned with me how unlikely it was for any such thing to be done; or that he was not dead; for it would have been contradicted in the papers; even if he had been seized with a fit and recovered, it would have been put

I

15

in the papers; and therefore no one could join with me in opinion, that any thing of the kind had been done in mockery; or that ******* was not dead. Their reasoning was strong with me every way; but still the impression was made so powerfully upon my mind, that there was no truth in it, but a thing done in mockery to me. To my thoughts I was answered:

"Now suppose that he is dead,
As in the paper it was said

The way his death did then appear;
Wilt thou then see the mystery clear?
So now discern the way I warn:
If he be dead and gone,

As in thy thoughts thou still dost fear
"Tis mockery done by man.
For I have left thee to thy fears,

For ends thou dost not know;
But when the mystery is made clear,
Thou'lt find mankind is so.

For all thy thoughts call thou to mind:
Thou'st reason'd every way;

And yet within thou still art blind;
Because thou still dost say,

The way his death was plac'd by thee

In mockery might be done;

And fools together might agree

This way to mock thy hand.

And though thy reasonings have been strong,

"Tis folly to judge so;

And thou wilt know, before 'tis long,

In folly thou dost go;

To judge that man could do the thing,
Because thy words were plain-

"And so we'll mock her in the end-"

The simple sons of men!

Now thou discern how 1 do warn,

Though simply here 'tis penn'd.
But this I tell thee of mankind,
They'll judge so in the end:
And in thy judgment mea do stand
So perfect like thy thought,
And unbelief is in your land,

The way that thou hast wrote→

Perfectly like thy thoughts of when thou seest the likeness in thy letter, and the likeness of his death, how it was said he took off his gown, when he was in the desk. Here the likeness struck so deep upon thy mind, which made thee doubt of the truth of what thou hadst heard ; because thou judgedst that in mockery a thing like this might be done, to place it from thy letter. And this is the perfect state of mankind, who are filled with unbelief: they judge that thou hast discerned from the scriptures that the redemption of man must take place; and therefore, in mockery they judge, that thou hast warned mankind: the time is at hand, thou hast seen from the Revelations, that a great wonder is to appear, before the end cometh, of salvation and strength of the kingdom of God, and the power of his Christ. This men judge that thou hast seen; and therefore, in mockery to mankind, to mock both God and man, they judge that thou hast placed thyself to be the Woman, to make the Revelations true: for so thou art judged and condemned by men, that it is in mockery what thou hast done; because thou hast discerned from the scriptures how to place it; and so they have judged from the fall, that thou hast observed the promise was made to the woman in the fall; and therefore, in mockery with God and man, thou hast brought forward the scriptures, to say, the promise that was made to the woman at first must be claimed by the woman at last; and as it is written that enmity should be kindled between Satan and the Woman; so they judge thy disputes were pretended, that appeared to mankind; because thou hast discerned from the scriptures how to place them. In that perfect likeness thou hast judged men may mock from thy letter, in that likeness men have judged that thou hast been mocking from the scriptures.

« AnteriorContinuar »