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But know, his son, that doth remain below,
A different labour he hath now to do-
The one, in heaven, praising of my name,
With rapturous joys, that do his tongue inflame,
And to my praises he does sing above,
In happiness that time can never nove.
And in like manner all my saints are gone:
I shew'd the vision of this single man,
To let you know how all the saints depart,
And how they are guarded from the tempter's dart,
That I have said is hovering in the way;
Therefore my angels must his soul convey.
In the like manner all do leave this earth
Who die in ME, with upright hearts and faith.
And so I've shew'd you how the worlds unite,
And how the angels always take their flight,
To guard my jewels to their heavenly bliss.
Then now I ask you how they e'er shall miss
To bring my glorious kingdom down to man,
When I have told you that the time's at hand
That my true kingdom must come down below?
How shall they miss these visions for to show,
Which all my prophets warn'd you of before?
Ezekiel's visions must to all appear;

Because the dry bones must begin to live-
I'll raise the dead, and will my Spirit give,
With heavenly music sounding in the ear,
More sweet than any music thou dost hear.
And so in harmony shall all unite-

I've shew'd the visions of the every sight,
And how my kingdom shall come down to all:
For as the spikes you place upon the wall,
To prick a thief, if he should enter in ;
I say, to rob you should he dare to come,
You place the spike to tear his every hand;
And now I tell you mine is plac'd the same;
If you begin to rob ME of my fame,

Then every spike shall run your hands all through:
Deep is the vision, but you'll find it true.
I'll save my jewels that within appear,

And those that kick against, shall feel my spear;
Therefore 'tis hard to kick against these pricks-
The vision now of Paul for all is fix'd;
And he that will not now like Paul become,
He'll feel the spear go through his every hand:
Because my jewels now I'll make them up,
And like the wise men now one heart did drop,
Who from the East did go the truth to know:
And here's the jewels I'll preserve below.

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And as the fishermen did then appear,
These are my jewels, that prove fishers here,
To fish for men, I say, on the right side;
For there the net must now by all be laid,
Or else your labour will be all in vain ;
You all may toil, but you no fish will gain;
Because, I tell you, all the fish are gone,
And nought but itching ears appear in men,
With different doctrine in their every mind;
But to the Law and Gospel none do bind ;
And so your Bibles you put out of doors.
By your inventions you destroy my store,
And so your houses build upon the sand-
Then now awake, thou dark benighted land;
Discern my Gospel, see the end's at hand;
Or else the storms and tempests fast will rise,
And great you'll see the fall before your eyes.
Your labour's lost, and all your fish are gone,
Unless your nets on th' other side you turn;
And then, I say, your nets will soon be full;
For then your wounded nation I shall heal;
And so my fishermen must now appear;
And these are jewels I shall make up here.
And next unto the prophets I shall come:
They were my jewels, that were faithful men,
And did with patience bear with ME the cross:
These are my jewels, and they are not lost.
And now these jewels shall again appear,
With the same spirit I shall make them here;
Because that now I've plac'd them in the land.
Like my first coming doth the second stand:
The Virgin warn'd before I did appear,
And now the Virgin's come to warn you here,
That in the Spirit I am come again:
And now, proud Herods, it is all in vain
To slay her children; for not one shall fall—
It is the Spirit's sword must conquer all:
And now the Spirit's sword they'll find is come,
To bring the day of vengeance fast on men,
That now arise to nail ME to the tree.

I've fix'd my spear, that every soul shall see:
And mark my eye, and now behold the spear,
And weigh the vision deep that's placed there;
And how the crowns within they all do stand--
And every Peter may these crowns command;
And so I say of persecuting Saul :

Fear ye the pricks, and I'll preserve you all.
For so my jewels now I'll make them up;
And as my eye is fix'd the globe shall drop

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With heavenly beauties I design'd at first;
And now's the time my kingdom so shall burst.
For if my kingdom I ne'er bring to ye,

I ask of men, what judge they e'er could be,
What Paradise they lost by Adam's fall?
Or of the tree of knowledge? tell me all,
What good fruit on it man hath ever gain'd?
The best of men have liv'd in grief and pain,
Oppress'd with sorrow, and oppress'd with sin;
If one be good, another does condemn:
So that the good fruit man could never taste,
To spend his days in happiness and peace.
But know, at first I did pronounce all good,
And now's the time I will fulfil my
word;
That all the nations of the earth may see,
How I created man to live with ME,
In heavenly union I have plac'd below:
The justice of my sentence now I'll show,
Why I confin'd the rebel down below,
With all his angels, and the fallen host,
That did rebel-I'll rid them off the coast,
And let them see the sad effects of sin;
I'll conquer death, and hell, and every sting,
I say, of poison I will take away;

And man with ME shall see a glorious day.
For as the vision Young did bring thee here-
It was my mother, hovering in the air,

To show them plainly that her Son should come,
And be the Prophet: they must worship Him;
Or all that City † it shall surely fall:
The books are open now, I tell you all;
And fast the ruin on the Turks will come,
If they don't worship now my only Son.
But those that worship, as the books are here,
I say, their city and their land shall share ;
For I'll not stop until I've made all good;
For now my eye is fix'd to crown my word.
So now your Bibles with these visions weigh:
I ask what man of sense will dare to say
That from the devil did this likeness come?
Then your Creator you must all condemn
For want of wisdom-Satan here must shine,
I say, in wisdom, and in words divine.
Or will you say, these two were so agreed,
From the invention of their simple heads,
The one to draw, the other to explain
Such wisdom bright, beyond the heads of men?

Alluding to the vision out of Knowles's History of the Turks.
Medina.
Joanna and Joseph.

By words and visions make my Bible true,
And bring these wondrous visions to your view?
I say, 'tis more than e'er was done by man:
You don't discern the way you lay your plan,
To turn my Bible by your judgment here,
Till there's no man can prove my Bible clear:
And so you wrest i', till to nought it comes.
Therefore my Bible I have took in hand,
And now my Bible I will make it true;
But that is more than any man can do,
By all the judgment you from it do draw;
You are but men, I tell you, plac'd below,
Who eat of knowledge I pronounced dead,
And perfect so is all your knowledge fled.
And 'tis by faith you knowledge must obtain,
And by charity you must perfection gain;
Faith to believe, my Bible I'll fulfil,
And charity in your Creator's skill,
That he hath wisdom all for to perform,
In his own likeness God and man to join,
As in my
likeness I have made them here;
And for their sakes Satan must disappear;
Because his sentence is already cast.
But here's a wondrous mystery in the last :
The world has stood nearly 6000 years,
And never was an age that past before,
That e'er a woman did the promise claim,
That Satan's curse it must be worse than man's,
And plead my promise for to bruise his head;
And on the serpent she the fault hath laid,
And pleads the promise now for to redeem,
That I will come and conquer hell and sin,
And conquer Satan, as she hath begun:
I ask you when such things were done before?
No, all must own that something new appears;
Yet on the earth, you say, there's nothing new :
The words you must affirm them false, or true;
For on the earth there's something new appears.
Since earth's foundation plac'd I tell you
here,
Such wondrous woman never was below,
(Bring all before you, and the truth you'll know)
To seal the people in her Maker's name,
Bible true and it explain;

To prove my
To speak of dangers, and say they are near,
And then the truth to make for to appear;
And with the Tempter then for to dispute,
Till by her arguments she made him mute;

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And then by chance a vision * one did see,
That came from heaven, and was shewn to be
The power of Satan breaking off from man,
And in her writings she had laid her plan.
Now if you judge this all a woman's wit,
I ask you how the mystery came so great,
That she was forc'd to leave her native home
Before these visions to her could be shewn?
And how the visions did not so appear,
Till men had sign'd to free the woman here,
And in her stead to have the serpent cast,
And then such wondrous visions for to burst,
To shew them plain their words I would fulfil,
And their desire the serpent's power should chill;
That is, his power I would so tread down;
And all shall know I listen'd to their sound.
Now on this earth you must confess it new;
But know, in heaven these wonders John did shew;
And now to earth they all are coming down :
Therefore, ye husbands, tremble at the sound;
Your wives in bondage you do make to be,
The masters of them, you'll not let them free,
To have a power o'er their every will:
The married woman doth your power feel;
Then know the single woman is to ME
As much in bondage, every soul shall see,
By my command, for to obey my word;
And like a husband now I'll draw my sword,
If man, like Satan, dare for to assume
To threaten her, now I have shewn so plain,
From types and shadows, and from visions here,
And from my Bible every line is clear,
And from the prophecies how all do stand;
And now, I say, if you deny her hand,
I tell you plain you must deny your God,
And then, I tell you, you shall feel my rod;
For such a chance did never come below,
Without my Spirit, every soul shall know.
Think how this woman left her native home,
And in what manner did these visions come.
The way they came must all in print appear,
And tell the time the visions were brought here,
And in what manner all did sign their names
To free the woman and the serpent blame.
Now then appear, ye learned sons of men,
And tell what chance made all these things so plain,
That are beyond the learned to confound?
When they begin they all must judge the sound.

• Joseph Prescott's Vision.

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