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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?
I warn:

So now discern the way

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 men 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.

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I'll tell thee more another day;
But mark the words I now do say:
When **'s death is clear to thee,

Thy folly great they all will see,

The very way thou judg'dst the first,
From thy own letter how 'twas plac'd,
That fools and knaves might act that way;
Thou'st judg'd the world, as they judge thee.
So unjust judgment doth appear:

"Tis truth must make all mysteries clear.
Therefore the truth I did demand,

That

** should the trial stand
Though in it he did not appear;
And therefore I forbade thee there
To see the witnesses at the time;
Although the trial I call'd thine;
And yet no trial thou didst stand,
To be examin'd then by man.
Whether the witnesses were true,
They brought no knowledge to thy view,
Of any witness they did bear,
Till for the press did all appear.
And thus mankind do not discern
The way I brought thy trial on,
To have the witnesses so agree.
Thou stood'st the trial, just like he;
And he like thee stood just the same;
Though to it he did never come;
And in it thou didst not appear.
So both together now compare,
The way the trial now doth stand
Between the WOMAN and the MAN."

From the above communication I was convinced of my folly, in judging it was done out of mockery; and I was answered that the judg ment of my friends was right-it could not be done in mockery. And no more than ******* would have suffered a thing like that to have gone out in his name, and he not sharply reprove person, and immediately contradicted it in another paper; no more than he would have suffered the one, to have his name forged, and not contradicted it; no more, *** shall find,

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would I suffer thee to forge my name, and have things go out in my name, as prophecies given from the Lord, without contradicting thy assertions, by proving all was false that thou hadst put in ** *'s hands; for not one of the events should have taken place to thy predictions. Hadst thou invented the name of the Bishop, to put the event of his death in * ****'s hands, to tell him it was a sign which the Lord had given thee, to know that thy visitation was from him; but if thy visitation had not been from ME, that sign should not have been fulfilled; for I would have contradicted it, by prolonging the Bishop's life, that it should not have taken place at that time, if I had designed to have taken him that year. And perfectly so of the following year: if thine had been inventions, from any thoughts of thy own, of what would happen in Italy, or England; and thou hadst put it in his hands in the name of the Lord, I would have worked another way, that thy inventions should not come true of prophecies. Had it been done in mockery, I would soon confound the whole; and therefore the judgment of all thy friends was right, to think that such a thing could not be done in mockery, without being contradicted, to prove it was false. Then, if man would contend for his honour, if mockery was done in his name, I ask mankind what they judge of ME, that I should suffer all thy writings to go out in my name, and not work a way to prove to mankind there was no truth in what thou hadst said? And therefore, no more than he would suffer the one, would I suffer the other and as thy friends judged of man, so have they judged of the Lord, that these truths could not be in thy writings, to be placed in the name of the Lord, if the Lord had not spoken by thee."

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After this my mind was perfectly composed, and my heart set at rest, being answered

"Thou must love man more than thy God, and have a greater desire for his honour than mine, if thou grievest thyself for carrying on the contention, when he begun it; and to clear thy honour, when he went to rob thee of it. For thou must disgrace both God and man, if thou hadst submitted to his request, through the advice of his faithless friends; for then thou must rob ME of my wisdom, in ordering thee to put the events in his hands."

After this reproof was given me, I saw my own error; and was ordered to examine deeply the judgment of the friends, concerning the pages that I had pointed out to them.

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One of the friends saith his judgment was, « That ******* would certainly bring me to the trial; that now his death has taken place, he is quite foiled; and he looks upon it a mystery through, beyond his comprehension; but the more he thinks of it, the more he is lost; but he expects that the Lord will clear it up, and then something great and grand will appear."

Another saith-" It is all dark and mysterious to him; from what was said of *******, he judged he must come forward at the trial; but trusted that the Lord would make his own words clear to his people: crooked paths he will make straight, and lead the blind by a way they know not, till at last he shall lead his faithful in the joys of his Kingdom."

Another of the friends was so much stumbled at my letter, and the pages which were pointed out, that he said, "his mind had been considerably harassed, and perplexed with even doubts of the visitation: he could not describe his feelings: that he could not make the communications and

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