him happy for this calls to my remembrance what is said in my writings:

Strange Effects of Faith, page 90.

"For though my sons they are fast bound,
And on the altar cast;

But Satan's doom must so come round
To be the ram at last.
If men, like Abraham, do begin,
I will my sons unbind:

The walls which Satan made so strong
Shall with his horns come down.
The walls of Jericho must fall;
The rams-horns must appear;
But let the sound be known to all,
"Tis I have spoken it here.

I shall throw down, and now build up,
That you may stand secure,
And build upon a firmer hope

Than you have stood before;
Because my mind I have conceal'd
From all the sons of men;

But when the mysteries are reveal'd,
Then will your hopes be known."

"Now let men look to the Communication, the year that it was given, and let them call to their remembrance at what time thou didst read it to him; and let them remember; because from the feelings of thy heart, trembling to hear the judgments pronounced, thy pleading was in verse; as Abraham contended in words to my threatenings, so were thy answers and petitions in verse, which he judged trifling, that could not be from the Lord. But now let them discern what hath been fulfilled; what hath taken place upon all nations; compare the words with the events, and see what hath followed since 1796. Then they will know that the preparation of the heart, and the answer of the tongue, are both from the Lord; for ye know not, when my, Spirit is strong in power and love, moving upon the heart-ye know not which way the words

proceed, or how the working of the Spirit is, to plead with the Lord, in the manner he pleads with his creatures, where the heart and soul be united to the Lord.

"The further meaning of this Communication I shall answer for the next book, when greater mysteries will be made known, and a greater light given, from thy works and writings, that came from ME, will be unfolded in the next; and then they will find the truth of *********'s words-The Bible is like a flower, that is opening in its bud;" and now the bud and blossom shall appear.

"And now come to thy observation on *******'s words."

He said the ministers were like a rope of sand, that would neither join together, nor bind together. From his observation, I thought the different opinions of men made the Scriptures the same; for it is written-"The wisdom of God is foolishness to man; and the wisdom of man is foolishness with God:" and this truth is plain and easy to be understood, as men so foolishly pretend to explain the hidden mysteries of the Bible, by their own wisdom; and they have explained it so many ways, that the Bible can have no meaning or explanation at all, by the wisdom of men for the wise men, the learned, and the good men, have drawn so many judgments different from each other, that they have made the Bible like a rope of sand, that cannot join together; and so they make their own wisdom, that will soon break in sunder; but the wisdom of God is wiser than all the wisdom of men, like a three-fold cord that cannot be broken. As soon as I had written these words, from my own observation, I was answered in the following lines:

"Now from thy wisdom I will answer man,
Thou'st plainly seen their wisdom like the sand,
That 'tis impossible for man to join ;
But now my foolishness I'll make it hang
Just like a three-fold eord that is not broke
By strength of man, unless you do it cut;
And now I tell thee, if men cut it here,
Just like a rope of sand shall all appear;
I say, in pieces so I'll break your land.
And here I'll end it by the rope of sand;
Unless they'll come and join it with my word,
And then I'll join them like a three-fold cord.
Because my weakness, every soul shall see,
Is stronger than the strength of man can be;
And so my folly, in thy writings here,
Is conceal'd in wisdom that no man can clear,
To prove them weak or foolish in the end,
But for to try men's wisdom I intend
To bring it round in this weak foolish hand,
To prove that men were like thy rope of sand,
That by their wisdom they could never join;
But like a three-fold cord they will find mine,
To break in pieces all their ropes of sand;

For so they'll find my three-fold cord shall stand."

And here I shall conclude with the words of St. Paul, Acts xxv. "And when he tarried among them more than ten days, he went down unto Cesarea, and the next day sitting on the judgment-seat, commanded Paul to be brought. And when he was come, the Jews, which came down from Jerusalem, stood round about, and laid many grievous complaints against Paul, which they could not prove; while he answered for himself Neither against the law of the Jews, neither against the Temple, nor yet against Cæsar, have I offended any thing at all. But Festus willing to do the Jews a pleasure, answered Paul, and said, Wilt thou go up to Jerusalem, and there be judged of these things before me? Then said Paul, I stand at Cæsar's judgment-seat, where I ought to be judged to the Jews have I done no wrong, as thou very well knowest. For if I be an offender, or have committed any thing worthy

of death, I refuse not to die: but if there be none of these things, whereof these accuse me, no man may deliver me unto them. I appeal unto Cæsar. Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, Hast thou appealed unto Cæsar? unto Cæsar shalt thou go.' And again, I repeat the words of Paul-"I stand at Cæsar's judgment-seat, where I ought to be judged."

JOANNA SOUTHCOTT.

Some part of this book is copied from different books of Joanna Southcott's writings, which are in print; but all the other part, from herself and the answers given to her from the Spirit, at the time the book was writing, I took from her mouth.

Marchant and Galabin, Printers, Ingram-Court, London.