DEAR MISS TOWNLEY,

ילי!

Now I shall tell you the reasons assigned to me, why you was permitted to have the Book altered from the first directions that were given me; and then I was ordered the Book should not go out in, the world so, but take away your letter, where you say Christ is Coming the Helpmate in the Woman, to shew mankind they had done by their Bibles, as I am ordered now to do by the Book: they have taken away the first promise that was made them; therefore you are ordered to have one thousand half sheets printed, beginning with the Church Prayers, as far as the leaf was sent, and then let all the others stand as they are *. If the readers enquire why the Prayers of the Fast stand printed twice in one Book, the answer is given: because by their taking away the first promise, that the serpent's head must not be bruised, nor the Woman made a helpmate for Man's good, by the death of Christ; that as in Adam all died, even so in Christ shall all be made alive; this they have taken away, and placed their Bibles for to crucify the Lord afresh, and to have Him die twice, as the Prayers are printed twice. And now this Book must go out one thousand with this half sheet, to convince mankind the way they are taking their names out of the Book of Life, and the other six thousand must go out as they are printed, after my trial is over. Now the readers may ask, how this confusion came? To this I answer, I was ordered to begin the Book with the Prayers on the Fast; and one proof sheet was printed so, which was sent to Bristol, to Miss Townley; and she not knowing the order was given me from the Lord, wrote to Mr. Sharp to alter the beginning, and have the Book begin with the letters she sent

Two distressing difficulties here operated on the heart of Joanna. The Lord's command she must obey; and her faithful friend she could not offend; who not knowing of the Lord's command had innocently given contrary orders. Joanna was afraid the contempt might appear against her friend, which was intended for the clergy, who had treated these letters with scorn and derision; therefore they were ordered by divine command to be withdrawn, and published after the Trial.

to the Bishops. This was done unknown to me, after that I was ordered to call in every printed letter, that no one might be able to have one, as the Ministers were turning them back, with infamous scorn and contempt; and I was answered, not one of them that had returned the letters should appear in my presence; and that they might not be able to forge them, or produce any thing of the kind, every letter was called in, and every Minister that doth appear, must bring his letter with him and swear by Him that liveth, the letter was sent him, and he has kept it; and other Ministers that ever appear in my presence must swear by Him that liveth, they never had a letter sent them; for every man that has turned back his letter is as an evil forbidden fruit to me, that I would fly from, as from the face of a serpent; and as a serpent they must fly from me, for now is coming the New Covenant with Man, The Lord will do away the first and establish the last, by the Woman's perfect obedience; and to prevent her seeing the forbidden fruit, they are bound by this oath, never to come in her presence, that we may not fall the second time; for then the last error would be worse than the first. Therefore when I saw the Book, it is fruitless to pen the horror I felt, fearing we had done wrong; and recollecting, in a letter of Mr. Sharp, wherein he said he had altered the title page, which I understood was the outside leaf, which I did not approve of, but when I saw, in another letter, he had altered the whole, th cworld will see what I must have suffered, but not one quarter part can they be a judge of what I suffered, from two o'clock yesterday till ten o'clock to-day; but this will appear in another letter, and now I shall give the answer of the Spirit, as it is spoken in verse:

Now Joanna thee I'll answer,

Perfect as thy book is here,
Perfect so I now do tell thee
All the learned do appear.
They take away, I now do say,
The promise first was plac

And so their wisdom doth betray
And crucify me twice;

And perfect so thy book shall go,
In print to men appear;

The leaf that thou to Sharp hast sent
Must now be printed there,
As it is sent for to begin,
And this must follow next:
Until the half sheet it do end,
And then the whole I'll fix,

To prove to man that so they're come
My Life for to betray;

The very ends for which I died

They now do take away;

And ME again for to be slain
The second time for man.
For perfect as thy book does lay
The learned lay their plan;
It's plainly seen, for I'll begin,
And from thy books appear,
The promise first was made to ma
Satan his curse should share.
If I did mine, my life resign
And offer it up for man,

It was to do my FATHER'S will,
And in the help-mate come;
Then for his good the promise stood,

But this they took away;

And as thy book does now appear

Men's judgment it doth lay.

That I again now must be slain

Now in the Woman's form,

So twice they have plac'd their death for me.

In Spirit now I'm come.

In love to all is now my call,

But it you take away,

As Townley's bounty now doth fall,

The cost on her doth lay,

Which I remov'd, to shew my love

That I with her compare;

You take my bounty all away,
As thou hast taken here

Her love to waste, as this is plac'd,

For to reject her hand.

This very thing I did ordain

To bring it to your Land,

That just like thee the world now be
To know their every will;
They take away my perfect love,
And place ME twice to spill
My Blood for all, to free the Fall;
And this would never do.
And now the mystery I'll explain,
In coming to you Two:

Had this been done by thy command.

:

And though thou in her bounty stand,
And thy own pride to burst,

And alter so, though thou dost know
The strength in her doth stand,
Thy labours now for to go through,
And could'st thou so command,
Thy pride to shew it should not go
As she had plac'd it there?
For thou to say another way,
Thy honour can't appear,

Because the first by thee was plac'd,
Thou sayest by thy command;

And though the love in her doth burst,
Thou would'st not let her stand,

Though she obey'd in what thou say'st,
And wish'd it to appear

Unto the world as it was laid,
To prove her honour clear.

And thou by pride thrown all aside,
Ingratitude must come:

And from the ponderings of thy heart,
I now will answer man;

Ungrateful love thine now must prove
And thou thyself should'st hate,
If thou by pride throw'd her's aside,
That shew'd her love so great;
What monster here must thou appear,
Her boundless love to scorn;

Because in pride thou would'st appear
To shew the power thy own,

When thou hast none, to me 'tis known,
For friends do thee support:

And would'st thou swell thy pride so high

Thy faithful friends to hurt?

Thou answerest no, the truth is so,

For thou would'st sooner die,

That empty way thy pride to shew,

Thy faithful friend deny

Her justice here to shew it clear,
That she did ME obey;

And in the front for to appear,
Thy honour stands that way.
If you could see the mystery,
How every thing is plac'd:
Because that she did thee obey,
So empty pride must burst,

in thee for to deny,

And this thou dost discern,

No honour in thee could there be,

But pride and empty scorn:

This thou see'st plain, I'll answer men,

That just the same, they mock my Name,

By pride and empty scorn:

But I'll no further answer here,

The Blind-Man next must come.

7

THE ANSWER OF THE SPIRIT TO JOANNA'S

PARABLE OF THE BLIND MAN.

Now from thy Parable I'll answer here:
If men don't come thy every Truth to clear,
Then such Impostors they must surely be
As in the Blind-Man mentioned there by thee,
And much more strong shall the words appear
Than in the Parable is mention'd there;
For now unto the Blind-Man I will come:
He form'd his judgment and he form'd his plan
As in the dark to him all things appear,
And in the dark he'll find his judgment there.
To his own judgment, as he cannot see
Whether it is right or wrong, as form'd by he;
Because the man is mentioned to be blind,
And so he gropeth and may another find
Just like himself and equally blind to be;
Perhaps in judgment these two might agree
In all one judgment as the first did form,
For of the colour neither could discern;
So black for white may unto both appear.
But now comes on the thing I mean to clear:
Suppose a man encompass'd with these two,
Whose eyes were open plain before his view
Should tell them they draw'd their judgment wrong,
For by his sight he could the thing discern,

And tell them plain they draw'd their judgment wrong;
Suppose the Blind-Man then should boldly swear,
If you condemn our judgment, now we'll tear
You all in pieces: impotence must be
To say its wrong the judgment drawn by we;
So now together, though we're blind we're strong,
And out your eyes, like ours, shall surely come;
For why should Heaven give to you more light
Than we have got? No, now we will fight,
I say, together, till we have made you blind;
No greater favour you from God shall find
Than we have got; for if you do see
We are resolved to make you blind as we,
Unless unto us now you firm will swear
You'll join with us, and prove our judgment clear,
That we did surely draw our judgment right;
We boldly now tell you that we will fight,
Unless you'll swear that you are blind as we,
And with your eyes the thing the same do see.
This you shall do, if you your eyes will save→→
Perjure your soul before we'll let you live,
Because that in our power now you are come,
And though we're blind, yet know we two are strong;