is like throwing oil into the fire, to quench the flames, which makes it burn the greater; and therefore if he will bring his fifty righteous men, he must find them amongst the flock that I have already prepared for thee; and then he may plead as Abraham did. I shall not destroy the nation for fifty's sake, if he will this way bring them forward.

"And now come to what I have told thee before, and bring forward the Prophecies that stand in print, that they may see the truth of my words." Strange Effects of Faith, page 109.

The following was written in answer to a dignitary of the church, to whom I have sent many letters. It was from the text he preached on a thanksgiving day in 1797-" Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling." Psalm ii. It was answered me in the following manner:

"Now thou hast ended I'll begin.
The Second Psalm to all is come;
My sword is drawn, and dipp'd in blood,
'Tis time for man to know his God.
For conquering now I'll conquer all,
And fast the deluge down shall fall,
Till every nation you shall see,
Will each fall down and worship me.
I'll trifle now with man no more,

My sword I'll send from shore to shore,
Until the nations do comply,
And in the vallies humbly lie,
To worship at Emanuel's feet
Now I've begun I'll finish it.

But if your peace you'll keep at home,
My mind and will must be made known;
That every nation now may fear;
Let England know my Kingdom's near,
When every burthen I'll relieve,
And gladden soon the hearts that grieve.
But if this way you do go on,
To keep in darkness still your land,
Just like thy head all hearts will be-
"We cannot stand"-lie down, like thee.

Provok'd by anger first they'll go;
Careless, like thee, of what they do,
Until their feet are wet with blood,

And soon the pain will seize their head;
Then sure, like thee, they'll all lie down-
"We cannot stand, nor bear the wound.”
Therefore ye shepherds, now awake,
The helmet of salvation take,
And the whole armour now put on :
And show the corner-stone to man;
The temple-gate throw open wide,

And show your flocks where they must hide;
The Rock of Ages now is come-
Such days as these were never known,

Nor did a woman so appear

To write, or act, as thou hast here.
Then every thing together weigh,
You'll see the dawning of the day;
Though like the weather it doth appear-
The sun seems hid and cloudy here,
That you cannot behold the sun-

No more you see the days are come."

"I shall answer thee of the Second Psalm. Now let men land back their thoughts to see the time that this was given; and then look back on what hath followed since. Let them compare this with the nations abroad and at home; then they will see the truth has followed, like what I told thee of the shepherds. And now let them discern deeply, how greatly the burthen is complained of in your land and now I give the warning to all, the fulfilment of this is hastening fast. Hitherto thy WRITINGS have been as a candle hid under a bushel; but now I have ordered thee to put it on a candlestick, that it might give light to all that are in the house: the HOUSE is the house of faith; but the candlesticks are the heads of the church, that are invested with power amongst mankind: and as I have told thee of the standard of the church; let them look to their Prayer-Books, and see how the standard beginneth.

66

Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at

hand. I will arise and go to my Father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee; and am no more worthy to be called thy son. Enter not into judgment with thy servant, O Lord; for in thy sight shall no man living be justified.-If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us; but if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

"Here I have shewn thee the standard they must all come to, and then they will come to the standard of everlasting happiness: for know I have told thee

My arms are open all men to receive:

The water's flowing, and the fountain gives;
The gates of mercy I'll throw open wide;
And all shall find the SPIRIT and the BRIDE
Do now invite you all to come to Mr.
Returning sinners I will surely free;
And so my shepherds, if they now awake,
They'll surely find their cause I'll undertake;
Who like the Prodigal, (I know of some,)
Who spent his money with the harlots strong,
Until that poverty it did appear;"

In his distress he sought his father there,-
But this I mean to turn another way;
Who like the Prodigal went off from ME;
But when he sees he'th wasted all his store;
His stock of WISDOM he can gain no more,
Without unto his Father he doth turn,
And plainly sees then all his knowledge gone;
That he was blind become, naked and poor:
Now ask for wISDOM, and I'll give him more;
Because I tell thee I shall give it right,
And make his wisdom now for to shine bright.
If like the Prodigal he'll now return,

Then like the Father's love my heart will yearn;
Full of compassion he will find it so ;
I'll hold his hand, and will not let it go;
If he repents before it is too late,
He'll find the gate of mercy is not shut.
And so my mercies now stand out for all,
That now return and don't reject my call,

To act like faithful soldiers in the fight;
They'll find my power, and they'll find my might.
That is in wisdom, man judges to be so;
Yet heavier weight than they can ever go:
And so my faithful shepherds now give up;
And then the curtains you may all draw back,
And see the blaze of day begin to break;
And so you'll find my promises are great,
If my commands you do but now obey;
But if refused, I'll turn the other way;
Because my thunder it shall loudly roll
To break in pieces the most stubborn soul.

So now my threatenings let them all appear,

Go to thy printed books and shew them where,

And how through faith awhile I've kept them back;
Because my promises are never slack ;

And so my promise I did then fulfil,

And wait awhile, though anger then did feel:
Part of my threatenings by the load that comes,
And by men's vices, they are hastening on."

A communication given in July, 1797, taken from the Second Book of Sealed Prophecies, page

114.

"So thus will come the hearts of men;
Like fevers they will rise-

"Our sons we've lost, our gold is past,
"And all's before our eyes,
"And to no use doth it produce;

"We are but burthened more;
"We see the shore, and all is o'er,
"We've wasted all our store!"
So this they'll see; as deep as thee
Their sorrows they will come,
And perfect like thy Father's house
They'll see it in the land :

The quarries they have patch'd them up

"Tis nought but beggary here:

Thy Father's house is just like mine ;

But out the rags I'll tear;

I will begin as thou did'st then,
The floors I'll make more clean,
Their ragged garments throw away,
For in the light shall come;
To make it dry the rags shall fly,
And down they all shall drop:

I'll make the water run, like thee;
The cob can never hurt
If all is gone-I see my land
As empty doth appear,

So perfect like thy Father's house
What furniture is here

That I can hurt? 'tis mire and dirt
Appear in every mind!

And perfect like thy Father's house
I now do see my land;

Then I'll go on as thou didst begin,
Till I have join'd the two;

And both together they must hang,
The Gentiles and the Jews;
Then at their feet (the mystery's great)
The nations all must come."

Here I shall give the meaning of my Father's house: As he lived by himself, I made it a custom to go in the summer to make his house thoroughly clean and wash the floors: the glass was broken, but the landlady would not mend it; so it was stopped up with rags, which I pulled out to dry the floors. I was answered as follows:

"The windows I shall all unhang,

As thou has now begun;

And through the glass you all may see
The days are hastening on:

For as the squares of glass are broke,

And rags do so appear,

The paper is cling'd to keep the stroke
When winter doth appear.

So now this thing I shall explain,

And to the nation come:

The quarrels they are broken out,

I say, in every land;

And, like these windows are patch'd up
With rags and paper here;

But like thy pen, I say, must drop,
When winter doth appear;

Because the glass it is not whole,

The rags will tumble down;

When thunder sounds from pole to pole
No safety can be found,

So with the land 'tis just the same;
They've like thy Father done;

I