he placed himself in many parts of the Scriptures. This they allowed seemed hard to be believed; yet, as he had been visited by the Lord, in the truths that had taken place, they feared to take in question the ways and decrees of the Lord; and as the Lord had made use of instruments to work by man in ages back, as with Moses, Elijah, Elisha, and other prophets, they could not be assured that the Lord would not make use of an instrument in man again, to convince the Jews, and bring in their restoration. So they looked on him as an instrument which the Lord might choose to work by; and the mysteries they could not understand they left to time, thinking the Lord would clear every mystery to them in the end, as they looked to a higher power than Brothers to fulfil his words; for they did not believe the man in himself could any more work the miracles he proposed, then they believed he could have foretold the events of the war and other things, that so soon took place, without a visitation from the Lord, any more than another man; and therefore they judged, as the Lord had warned him concerning the war, HE might give him power, as he did to Moses, to be a means of awakening the Jews; and thus his believers, in the beginning, were drawn in from the truth that followed concerning the war, and left to time the things they did not understand; though they said that many things in his writings stumbled them; but they were afraid of drawing too hasty a judgment. This just reasoning of his believers made them appear to me as prudent and conscientious men, fearing to exercise themselves in things too high for them; therefore they prudently left it to time to unveil the mysteries they did not understand; and I own myself, if I had read his books in the beginning, when the truths appeared, before I had seen what he wrote afterwards, I should have believed as they did; but when I saw the C

whole together, I marvelled greatly that a man like him should be visited by the Lord at all, before the following Communication was given me, wherein the wisdom of the Lord was made manifest.

THE ANSWER OF THE SPIRIT.

"I shall answer thee from thy pondering thoughts, in reading over the books of Brothers, wherein thou marvellest at the believers. And now I bid thee look to the Jews, and tell ME where they place these Scriptures either to God or man; for if thou discernest the Scriptures that he hath pointed out, thou must discern, in many it speaks of a man being on the earth, as thou wilt discern from the Branch growing out of the Root of Jesse to have the Spirit of the Lord upon him; and the same from the Psalms, it must be a man upon earth, or his hands and feet could not be pierced. So if thou marvellest at the believers' believing this to be a man where all these characters allude, then thou mayest marvel at the Jews who believed not my Gospel, when they saw all my miracles, but believed these Scriptures would be fulfilled by a mere man empowered from on high. But now come to the Calvinists, and search the Bible, as thou hast Brothers's books, and thou wilt find the Scriptures as strongly to contradict their doctrine, as thou hast his books; therefore I have told thee, the end of all things is at hand, and to open the blind eyes, and unstop the deaf ears, I visited a man in the beginning, whose heart was known to ME to place the Scriptures to himself, that exalted him above mankind. But now I ask thee, where is the difference between him and them? Is not their belief alike to read of the Elect, and say that meaneth themselves; to read of the Reprobate, and point it out to their neighbours? are not all conditions left out of the question, as Brothers left out his? doth

he not say it was a covenant made with David con cerning him, and he is the man to claim it? and do not the Calvinists say, it was my decrees, before the foundation of the world was made, to elect them as members for honour and glory? and do they not say with Brothers, these elect mean myself, without conditions of saying my Elect are every where them. that fear God and work righteousness shall be ⚫aved, and he that seeks ME shall find ME, and whosoever cometh unto ME I will in no wise cast them out, and if the sinner turn from the evil of his ways I have said I shall turn unto them and pardon their iniquities and love them freely; but if the righteous man forsaketh his righteousness and committeth sin, his righteousness shall be forgotten? Therefore my Elect stand on conditions, but no more discerned by the Calvinists, that I shall elect all my saints together, and all them that love my name I shall elect as my people, is no more understood by them, than Brothers hath understood the Scriptures that he hath pointed out, to say it was a covenant made to him, that stands on the records of the Scriptures, and therefore it must be fulfilled to him, notwithstanding all his murmuring, and all his writing against his Creator. Thou seest he stands self-confident to the end, that he is the restorer of the Jews, that his election stands on the record of the Scriptures; and in like manner is the election of the Calvinists; therefore I told thee thou must place them both together, and I commanded thee to search the Scriptures; and thou marvellest in thy heart as much at the belief of the Calvinists, when thou seest on what conditions all stand, as thou hast marvelled at Brothers. And know how I placed them together in the Scriptures: Both prophet and priest were prophane, and prophane they will find in the end are thousands that boast themselves of being elected; thousands will find them

selves as much disappointed of being my Elect, as Brothers hath found himself disappointed in being the chosen vessel to be honoured above his brethren, and above mankind; therefore his doctrine is no more erroneous than the other; and know I told thee in the beginning to place the Romans, the Arians, and the Calvinists with him; and thy heart is known to ME, no more to believe the one than the other; but as they have been customs so long established, it doth not appear so marvellous in thy eyes concerning the Calvinists, the Arians, and the Romans, as it doth concerning Brothers; but I tell thee, as a looking-glass for all to shew the folly that is in mankind, I visited Brothers in the beginning, concerning the wars; for the heart of the man was known to ME, in what manner Satan would swell his pride, as his heart was inclining thereto. Perfectly so are the Calvinists; as soon as they feel a check of conscience, being convinced of the error of their ways, they go on like Brothers, boasting of their calling, and their election, upon a sandy foundation, as he went on to boast of his great character in the Scriptures; and so from the Scriptures they boast of theirs; and this error is gone through your land; and to shew them their own folly the books of Brothers are brought forward, which I have bid thee to compare together. But they will find Brothers to be the perfect Jonah, which every one will see in the end; for as true as the wars followed his predictions, so true will all men find every chapter that he hath brought forward, I am hastening on to fulfil; but as his dates failed, when he placed these Scriptures to himself, so they will find him to fail of being the character he hath said; and yet like Jonah's warning to Nineveh, is his warning to mankind, that all these chapters he hath mentioned I am hastening to fulfil, till the Second Psalm be fulfilled, as I told thee in the be

gining and then My kingdom of righteousness and peace will be established, when the uttermost parts of the earth are in my possession; that meaneth, all hearts to be mine, and death and hell swallowed up in victory. And now discern from the earthquakes abroad, and the falling of the mountain, and all the wars and tumults that are going on, and see how my Gospel is fulfilling, and the Revelation; all is hastening on, as I told thee in the begining, to bring the earth to the knowledge of the Lord: and then will wars and tumults cease; for know I told thee, the first woe was for man, and and after that comes the woe for the devil. And now discern how the woes for man are hastening on, and how I told thee of my going from nation to nation, as thou wentest from field to field. So if thou discern thy writings, what I told thee of the nations abroad, and what I have told thee of this nation; all must discern how my threatenings were more severe abroad than at home, before I had tried this nation, and made it clear. And now discern in what manner the substance is going on to follow the shadow of what I told thee of the two monarchs that started out on a sudden; and now discern from the shadow that is past, and what ye hear of the substance to follow; then ye may discern in what manner I have spoken of the nations abroad, to keep off the stroke from this nation, before I have tried them to the utmost. And in this manner I shall go on to fulfil my words in the nations abroad; but as this nationhath been warned, and hath been invited, and sees the stroke abroad, I tell thee, when it cometh upon this land it will come suddenly, as I have told thee, in a way and mannet not expected; therefore no man can draw a judgment to tell them when or in what manner I shall bring the stroke upon this nation. But this I tell thee of Brothers, the Scriptures that he hath brought forward in his prophecies I am