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events, before they came to pass, every year, from 1796 to 1800. But the standard for men to be clear judges, that they could not be deceived, was fixed by the wonderful vision I saw in 1794;* when I was told, that when twelve chosen men should meet together to break the Seals, then the Lord would make every crooked path straight before them, and the truth be as clear as the noon day sun; and such signs were then given me that should happen at that time, that no man could err. Now such justice and equity I have never yet found in man; and I can never believe it is in the devil, though some worldly-wise men are led to believe it; for he must have risen against him self; then how will his kingdom stand? Is Satan come to tell me that his whole nature is like the serpent when he appeared to Eve at first? For such he is represented throughout my writings; though some of my readers do not believe him so bad, but judge men are their own devil O, madmen and fools, how hath Satan bewitched you! what mad judgment have ye drawn! I grant the wind bloweth where it listeth, ye hear the sound thereof, but cannot tell from whence it cometh, or whither it goeth; so is every one that is born of the Spirit; and so it is to me ; and I judge of the spirit by its truth, that it came from the Lord, as he saith. But some are so ignorant to judge my writings are of myself; I must be bold to say that they are both proud, vain and conceited, to think that dust and ashes could invent such writings as mine are; and bring all so close to the Bible, and so full of truths; which is more than all men on earth could do, if they had all Solomon's wisdom. So let no man give such merit or wisdom to me; for as distant as the heavens are from the earth, so distant are my writings from any knowledge, wisdom, or understanding of my own: and were I so proud and vain a fool to say it was of myself, I should judge the Lord would take my senses from me; so men of wisdom must see they come from a superior power to man, and placed by justice more than I

*See Strange Effects of Faith, page 17.

find in man. They have judged me without knowledge, according to the deceitfulness of their own hearts; but I have not so learned of Christ, as to mock God, and deal deceitfully with men ; and I should not have penned the manner of my life, if I had not been ordered, to convince mankind I was born for what I am. So a religious life I do not consider as any merit due to myself, but give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name,who gave me a heart to hate sin from my childhood: and yet to my shame, I have one ruling sin I cannot conquer; and that is a resenting spirit, where I have been used ill; but can venture my life for those who use me well. My readers may say, if I am a true Christian I ought to forgive every one. I answer, our Saviour said, if thy brother offend seven times a day, and seven times a day say he repents, thou shalt forgive him; and so can I freely. We are commanded to pray to the Lord to forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us: now we cannot expect the Lord will forgive us our trespasses unless we repent; and by repentance I can forgive the greatest enemy. But though I bring scripture to clear myself, I do not justify myself in so strongly resenting a spirit; it is a sin that has mortified me ever since I began to write; I have often been compelled to act contrary to my own natural evil, and fight against myself; so I have nothing to boast of: it was the unbounded love of God who drew my heart to run after him, before I had any knowledge of him; so it is the Lord's goodness that hath made me what I am; but let no one say I am self-righteous; for I may say, blessed be the rod of the Lord, that crossed me in every thing in this world, that I might not set my heart upon it, but seek for happiness in him alone: it is the crosses, disappointments, and cruelties of this world, that made me seek all my happiness in the Lord; and I always found him a God hearing and answering prayer; and I have found the truth of his words for more than twenty years; the Lord

never did deceive me, and he never will. But do my readers judge if I had not been acquainted with the ways of the Lord, before the Spirit of Prophecy was given me, that my faith would lead me to leave my work, spend my time and money, to write things that then seemed to me as unlikely to come true as the most distant thing? But I have found the truth of the Lord, concerning myself, for near twenty years before; so I judged concerning the nations, and the truths have followed for eleven years, as I have frequently observed in my writings; and as the past have come true, I judge the future all will take place, however unlikely it may appear; and the wondrous manner I have lately been restored from a sick bed confirms my faith. Here I have given a short account of the manner of my life, and find the world perfectly like the judgment I had found for years past.

Now the world I bid farewell,
For now I plainly see

The hearts of men, in chequer'd lines,
Lie open unto me:

For now the world I plainly see

In colours black and white;

Farewell, vain world, adieu to me,

For God is my delight!

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Here I shall mention two particular instances that happened to me when a child, as they are explained by the Spirit. One was my reading about Peter's denying of Christ, which made me often go den of my father's, that was like a grove shaded by trees, at a small distance from the house; where I went in prayer that I might never do as Peter did, to deny Christ. The other instance was from an accident; I was sliding upon the ice on a large pond belonging to my father, when I came to the further end the ice broke and I fell in and went under,and must have been drowned, had not my father, who was in his barn threshing, seen me, and immediately ran to my

relief, and he was obliged to break the ice to get me out. This simple thing I should not mention had it not been explained to me by the Spirit; and I have been wonderfully preserved from being drowned three times. Now I shall give the answer of the Spirit to what I have written of myself.

"Now thou hast ended, I'll begin-
Awake, ye fallen sons of men!
For now I see you are all asleep ;
Awake, awake, or soon you'll weep.
All she hath written here is true;
Her Life and Faith no man doth know;
But I, that am enthron'd on high,
Do tell you all she does not lie;
Because I tell you she was born
My GOSPEL TRUTHS for to perform;
Because a Spirit she hath got
That Man by Nature knoweth not;
No vice to conquer it is true,
A Child that's born my Work to do.
The voice of nature must be free:
Satan could never dwell in thee;
Because my Spirit I plac'd there:
Ere thou wast born, thy mother's prayer
I surely promis'd so should be ;
Like Samuel I have brought up thee
Ever to wait upon the Lord;
And great they'll find is thy reward.
So as thy Life is written here,
I say in print it must appear;
And half the truth is now not told,
What I hereafter shall unfold;
Because my Spirit was in thee,
When from a child, they all shall see,
Which made thee to the Garden go;
And all thy Life I'll let them know:
When thou a child didst go in prayer,
And all shall know that I was there :
I saw thy tears, I heard thy tongue,
What from thy infant lips did spring;
And this they'll find is Foley's Child,
That he did dream, and so was foil'd;
Because thou'rt come of riper age,
And short thy life is on the stage;
Therefore thy Writings they must prove,
And then they'll find the harmless Dove,

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To bring the Olive Branch of Peace.
Believers' joy will then increase;
For then they'll know, that from a child,
Thy Spirit was by ME beguil'd;

And so thy life they'll then trace back,
And know I kept thee from the rack,
When to be drowned thou wast near;
But then thy Father did appear,
And quickly sav'd thee by his hand.
So here's the Dove in Foley's dream;
Thoa brok'st the ice, 'tis broke for MAN,
That on the bason it was seen,

That then may rest on Foley's head.
So wash your hands, you need not fear,
And quench the thirst that will be laid
On every thirsty soul that's there.
"The Robes of Innocence are found,"
Will be the voice in every sound;
"We see the Dove, we see the Child,
"How Innocence was always foil'd!"
And it hath been throughout thy life;
Thou'st found a world of sin and strife,
So different from the make of thee,
Which always spoil'd thy harmony.
But when my Kingdom doth appear,
Such spirits will be plenty here;
And then your bliss will be complete;
For I shall surely finish it.

So now men's mockery do not fear;
I know the truth is written here:
And for my honour it must go
In public print, that all might know
That thou hast sero'd me from a child.
Thy heart was tender, temper mild,
And from all vice thou sure wast free:
I know the Cains will envy thee;
Because like ABEL thou dost appear;
Thy Innocence I'll surely clear;
Because the whole I know is true;
And many things before my view,
That make thy virtues bright to shine.
I'll answer man as I did Cain:
If they in virtue act like thee,
Then so accepted they shall be;
But if that Sin lies at the door,
Let all their pondering wrath be o'er;
Or else I'll prove they act like hell,
Where the infernal host do dwell;
Who envymerit where 'tis good,
But in their vices still they stood:

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