BEING PRESENT AT THE TRIAL,

I tell you plain, ye sons of men,
The Woman nought can do;
No; it is M, the end you'll see,
When have all went through.
So now for Man the time's at hand,
Your HELPMATE shall appear-
The SPIRIT'S ME, you all shall see,
That will MY GOSPEL clear.
The words I spoke, the way I act,
Was ne'er discern'd by Man;
Because this day to thee I say,
I often stumbled them;

Or how could I, who dwell on high,
Eer save them by my Death,

If they had known they had murder'd ME?
Mark what the Scripture saith-
They did not know what they did do!
To knowledge Men were dead;
But now I'll bring ail to their view,
For I AM the LIVING HEAD,
That shall appear the whole to clear,
They'll see MY SPIRIT strong;
No enemy that day could bear
Into the Field to come,

So I'll end here, and say no more,

But this I bid thee send;

And now this answer let them hear,
That wrote thee as a friend.

189

After this communication was written, the Spirit seemed to leave Joanna, and there was no further communication till half past six o'clock; the thoughts of her awful Trial seemed as though it was over her head, and greater than she could bear; and was answered with these words:

Thy Trial there's no Man could bear,

If I in SPIRIT was not there;

But soon thy Trial will come on-
Over thy head thou say'st 'tis come,

Over thy Spirits to appear,

And so thy doom thou'lt shortly hear."

Joanna being very faint, Townley persuaded her to take a little port wine. It was in a tea-cup, and she said to herself, when the wine was brought, "May I drink deep into the Spirit of Christ!" She was immediately answered, "Wilt thou break that tea-cup as thou didst break the glasses? then I will take thy Trial from thee; for thou wilt break thyself

off from me." These words cut her to the heart, and Joanna thought she would sooner die as a martyr, than ever desert the Lord or his cause; so that she `was fearful of letting the cup fall. As we were writing, she took up the book of the Flock of Sheep, and opened it at the place of Osmyn, which affected her heart deeply.

Now, Joanna, thee I'll answer,

Let thy doubts and fears be gone;
1 that am thy every MASTER,
Much like OSMYN now am come.
"Twas thee to try, I now do say,
I did thy grief awake,

And shew'd thee of the awful day,
That on thy head would break.
I painted here, to make thee fear,
What thou hast to go through;
And then in sorrows thou wert found,
I brought all to thy view.

If thou would'st break ('twas I did speak)
Thyself then off from ME,

The Trial thou should'st never bear,

That thou wilt shortly see.

But then behind thou soon would'st find

Thy ruin to appear;

Because to ME thou'd prove unkind,

My Cross thou could'st not bear.

Then I must fall, I tell you all,
As it was plac'd at FIRST;
Orlando Osmyn's ruin sought,
And so the end must burst.
'If thou had'st done as then I said,
To break thyself from ME;
But from the Parable that's here,
I hold the hand of thee.

It could not go, I well do know,
For thou art in my hand;
And so the Trial thou'lt go through,
And by thee, I will stand.
So do not fear, thy Trial's near,

But I shall thee support;
My rival may thy heart ensnare,
But he shall never hurt.

I say, thy hand in MINE does stand,
And I will guide thee through;
Not all thy foes who're in the land,
By Satan's arts can do.
For every way, I now do say
I've tried thy every hand;
And silent here I did appear,
To see if thou would'st stand

THE LIMITS OF SATAN'S FOREKNOWLEDGE. 191

Oft to indite, when I'd not speak,
The letters waiting here,
For thou to send unto thy friends,
But thou didst not appear
To answer one, till I did come,
And answers gave to thee.

So where's the Man shall dare condemn

A heart that acts like thee?
Now I'll go on, from man to man,

And all thy foes confound;
And in the journal this must stand,
For all to judge the sound.

Letters came from Mr. Hirst, and Mr. Senior, on

Friday, August 10, 1804, which Joanna did not answer till this day. Yesterday, she said the letters must be answered, but as no conimunication was given her she could not answer them, so we did not write till half past six o'clock, and the Spirit of the Lord broke in upon her, and gave her an answer to Mr. Hirst's letter, which was finished this morning. 'After that, she had no communication till this evening, after the melancholy had seized her spirits; and one part of her melancholy sprung from our telling things of gipsies and people's telling of fortunes, which had been true; this worked a jealousy in Joanna's heart, that as knowledges had been given to them from a wrong Spirit, and thinking of ner awful trial, how she should appear if there was a possibility of her being deceived; but as soon as the question was put to her, of breaking herself off, she trembled at the thoughts and burst into tears. and thought she would sooner die than run that fatal hazard.

Now, Joanna, thee I'll answer:

How cans't thou with them compare;
All the WISDOM of thy MASTER,
With the lying gipsies there?

If ought be true, before their view,
That Satan here did see,

In them he'll speak, in them he'll break,

For now I'll answer thee:

As I do come, and in MY NAME,

The words are spoken here;

So Satan works the same with them,
In things that he can clear.

So some things true, before their view,
Satan by chance may know;
Bring the Egyptians to thy view,
What wonders they did shew;
For to go on, as I began,
By Moses to appear.

So in the land they still do stand,
By Satan's wonders here;
But as to thee, let all men see

The way that all's brought round;
No Devil here thou hast to fear,
For I am in the sound.'

The wisdom see brought round by ME,
The lines that thou hast penn'd;
And all thy footsteps let them see,
Then wisely judge the end.
Call back thy youth, and let the truth
That did to thee appear,

And every footstep thou hast trod,
Let Men discern them here;
Then they will see the mystery,
What fortune teller's come;

It is to tell the fates of all,

And so I've answer'd Man.
The fate of Hell to thee I'll tell,
The fate of Man below;

And can thy heart in grief now swell,
To strike the fatal blow

Upon the head of one that laid

Thy soul in deep distress?
But for MY PROMISE is thy plead,
So calm thy grief to rest;
For I'll appear, I tell thee here,
Thy every wound to heal;
And thou hast nothing now to fear,
MY POWER shall never fail

To carry on as I've begun,

And then the end thou'lt see;
When every victory thou hast won,
Thou triumph wilt with ME.
So I'll end here, and say no more,
But I must win them all;
Because thy weakness they may see,
When I do let thee fall;

To be alone, thy grief to come,

And Spirit thou hast none;

Then let them see 'tis all in ME,

To make the victory come.

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