The Garden first you must discern, And so their knowledge it was dead; To make these mysteries out more clear; From Parables I told them there, How I had liken'd every thing. Now all to your remembrance bring, Then all these shadow's you'd see clear Doth with my Bible all compare. * * Child's convulsions, death, and burial. ( 11 ) How all the substance will appear, That by the public now must fly abroad; (signed,) as we beathe of I have given the last first, and the first last. you will see what was written before the letters were returned is written last, and ur to send this communication. was written after the letters were returne is watter pint Manuscupt not puntio the letter to you. "N:4 JOANNA SOUTHCOTT. DEAR MISS TOWNLEY, May 23d, 1804. In answer to the Letters being returned, you say, the day the child was buried, and the Letters sent the * Parliament Letters. † See page 82 of Joanna's Six Books of Prophecies. N:5 day he was designed to be buried, I was answered in the following manner: As this day was designed for the child's funeral, and this day the letters are sent, it will be for their funerals if the living do not lay it to heart. But as the child was buried the day before, and the letters did not go that day, if they come forward like the letters, the funeral is gone before them; and by the child's death they may have life. If they do as these have done, to improve their time for the future, and be strict to obey my Commands; then I shall change my Threatenings into Blessings, as thy Brother changed his funeral; and my sunshine shall rise upon them. If they now turn unto ME, I will now turn unto them. And now I will tell thee why I have made thee a prisoner; Because I know the weakness of thy nature, mind, and heart. I put thee to the trial by Pomeroy, and saw the weakness of thy heart: thou hadst no fortitude to withstand one man, but signed thy name, to please him, to what he never said but once; and that was by putting his name in print, which he said was from the devil; but he never said thy writings were*. But as he complained to thee, thou hadst no fortitude to dispute with him. Therefore, now I have made thee a prisoner, to see no one before it is disputed by those that have more strength and fortitude than thou hast got; and not to give up to any before they give their strong reasons, why they judge thy prophecies come from the Devil; and how they can prove such types and shadows were first placed by him; and how the substance came in such manner, in the tenth year, wherein thou sawest the light of the candles; and how thy Brother should have a Son in that very year, that had nought but daughters before: but he said he had a Son dead-born before the time. And now I tell thee, like dead-born See page 76 of the Second Book of Letters. children, before the time, all have been; but now the living children shill appear.-Here thy heart beginneth to ponder: Will the living children die, like the child? To this I answer: the living children, that are to die before my Kingdom is established on this Earth, shall die as innocent as the child did; for I will not impute any more sin to them than I imputed to the ch id, that had committed no sin. But as the child's name shall stand for ever in remembrance, and dying in convulsions is left on record, so shall their names for ever stand, in honour to them; and their virtues be recorded, like the child's convulsions, for the pains they have taken to bring in a guilty land. So here I have compared my living children to the dying child, if they die before my Kingdom is established. But, as the other was living, all will not die before the time; but the child, that standeth as a type I compared of my Death, must die before the time, to shew the shadow of thy Writings, which I ordered as a sign to put as in the grave; and so by the child's death, I ordered my Shepherds to be warned, to bring them forth by the death of the child. Now let the learned answer, how Satan should place the writings first as a shadow of death, and how death should come to thy Brother's Son in the tenth year of the Vision, and in the month of May to die in convulsions; a month that I threatened a fatal month for man? Let these things be answered by the learned, before I permit thee to appear for well I know thy weakness; and as Satan cannot overcome thee in any form he can come himself, I know he will try, as an angel of light, to come in man. Therefore I will not leave thee to Man, as Adam left Eve to the Serpent. Thou hast trasted to my protection, and my protection thou shalt have: for I myself have made thee a prisoner; • A vault under the High House at Paddington. † See page 17 of the first six Books of Prophecies, 1794. N°5 and it would be fatal for any man to seek to find thee out, to break my prison doors, before they have brought thee to a fair Trial, then thou shalt appear; and as my guardian angels have guarded and kept thee from all the arts and power of hell, now let my friends, brothers, mother, and sister, keep thee from all the arts and power of men; for there will Satan try to work, to prevent the truth from being tried and proved; as he knoweth, if the truth is tried and proved, they will prove the calling from the Lord; and then MY KINGDOM must come in As men's desire will daily come "Now let Townley answer all that enquire for thee, the Lord has commanded her not to tell; for she will not tell them; and it is fruitless for the Serpent to come in man to her, and tell her that it is the |