And from their conscience they must own it true;
For praise and victory is all that's in their view:
And in thy heart thou say'st the words are true-
They are not soldiers suffering for my sake;
Nor will they answer that their life's at stake
For any love that they have got for ME;
And with the shepherds this cannot agree,
With saints and martyrs ever to compare;
Because the praise of men is all their care;
And nothing now they 're suffering here for ME.
Because my Honour I do plainly see
Is not regarded by the shepherds there,
If they judge blasphemy in thee appear,
And not come hasty all for to prevent:
They must in silence say with one consent,
No, 'tis our Honour we come to maintain.
If thou from Exeter hear first from men,
Then for my sake must every man stand mute
While I with reason boldly will dispute
It's not my Honour you sought to maintain:
No! no! I tell you 'tis the pride of man;
Because your Honour you were afraid would fall—
And this shall be my answer to them all,
If they in London do not first appear;
Because the Warning and the News came there*:
Unto that City, I do tell thee, first,
And their Society must now be cast;
If they can prove the Book in vice
And do not hasty come, to see it clear;
For I permitted it there to come at first,
To try and prove them how they now will burst.
So if they do not come for to condemn,
They must appear to justify thy hand,
Or else no love they can have for ME.
"Tis but seditious books, I now tell thee,
That their Society do now suppress,
If they are silent now to answer this ;-
Then where's the love that men express for ME?
No, all my suffering friends I now do see
Are only those that wish my Kingdom here;
And they alone men's ridicule do bear.
For this I know they suffer for my sake;
And here with power shall my Spirit break:
And so their Prayers shall rest upon your heads;
For here I'll prove my Spirit strong doth lead,
To shew my Coming unto all is near;
For so my suffering friends do now appear
To suffer shame and all reproach for ME:
No other sufferers in this land I
That now can prove they suffer for my sake;
* See the advertisement in the papers, addressed to the Society for the Suppression of Vice.
And here my Spirit shall with power break.
For with my suffering friends I'll now go on,
Until their sufferings all for ME are gone;
And then to joy their sufferings I will turn,
And those that cause their sufferings then shall mourn
For in the end my suffering friends they'll see
To come in triumph every one with ME,
Enthron'd in glory, or, I say, below."
My suffering friends for ME I then shall shew
That they in ME shall find their full reward;
For all their love I faithfully regard.
So now, my suffering friends, let all appear,
And speak from conscience if they suffer here
For any love that they have got for ME,
Only my friends that now are join'd with thee;
And then to man I'll answer here again;
But well I know it cannot be prov'd by men.
Therefore the Prayer they then made for the Fast,
1 say, upon your heads that Prayer shall burst.
ON EVE'S BEING THE SISTER, BRIDE, AND MOTHER, IN THE CREATION.
I had a wonderful communication given me this morning that astonished me, when I came up to my writing, and prayed for directions. It is thus:
"I have brought thee hither with these two : [Miss Townley and her Maid,] who I call my Mother and my Sister; for I said they that did my will, the same were my mother and my sister; and by them my will is done. Now I shall give directions to thee, and tell thee what is meant by my mother and my sister. . As a mother wishes to sup port the honour of her son, and the happiness of a son, so does she wish to spend her time, and money like a mother, for my honour and glory, and for the good of my brethren; and as a sister that loveth her brother joins with her mother, just so is her servant now joined with her mistress; here is the shadow of my Bible fulfilled; as it is with the mistress, so with the maid; as it is with the borrower, so with the lender. Let my brethren weigh this deep, and know, I called these two women my mother
and my sister, and as my brides joined with thee: for so the woman was in the creation, as being taken from the man, she was his sister; but as bearing him children, she was a wife, and a mother; thus was the woman made at first, and this must be the state of the woman at last, now I am come to free the fall of women. Here I have placed you three, as true helpmates for man; and as such let men receive you, if they wish to be made alive in ME, as they died in Adam. For here all shall find is a shadow of my Gospel began in you three; and by the hands of you three my wondrous working shall go on, till your light shall break forth as the morning, and the truth be made as clear as the noon day's sun, that the woman is the true and perfect helpmate for man; for by the woman I will now complete his happiness, but no other way will I ever accomplish it.
So from you three mankind shall see,
Your brother I'll appear;
The second Adam is in ME,
Then see the Bridegroom here,
To take the woman as my friend,
My mother for to be:-
I tell you man knows not the end,
My sister they must see;
My brides appear I tell you here,
For I am the woman's friend.
It is to make my Gospel clear
That I these things ordain'd;
To have these three alike to be,
And see my Gospel clear.
Then, my disciples, now judge ye,
My brethren all appear;
And now see plain, ye sons of men,
How I've brought round this last;
Before the trial doth come on
I tell you so't must burst:
For to shew clear all are here,
And here I've place'd these three,
My Law and Gospel for to clear:
Then let my brethren see,
My will by them must now be done,
If brethren they will be.
Then I'll appear, I tell them here,
Their brother and their friend :-
Their conquering Saviour I'll appear
And save them in the end;
From Adam's fall, I tell them all,
I shall them all redeem;
And let my coat be known to all,
It was without a seam,
Then now see clear, I must appear,
All interwoven through;
No seam of sorrow shall be here,
When I've my work gone through
So brethren all I now do call
You, by the woman's hand,
And if my friends you'll now appear,
Then by these women stand,
In perfect love let none remove
Your strong affections here!
And place no daggers in the breast
Of those to me are dear:
For if you do, I tell you true,
You'll place them in your own;
My Gospel is before your view,
And let my words be known;
My will is done, I tell you plain,
By these three women here:
And I their cause will now maintain,
And let the land take care.-
For now I say to thee this day,
Their ruin shall come on,
If men my words now disobey;
I this shall answer man,
I've made all clear, that I am here
In Spirit come again :
The mystery deep no man can clear
To prove from Hell it came;
No, 'tis from ME, mankind shall see,
For so I shall appear,
To prove my Spirit visits thee,
And other friends are here,
Whose hearts within to ME are known
Like mothers to appear,
And so a sister's love is shewn
And let the Land take care
They do not mock, for now the stroke
Shall go throughout the Land;
I tell thee, like thy Brother's Son,
Convulsions now shall come;
If men appear as heretofore
And now despise the call,
I tell thee, like thy Brother's Son,
I'll bring the stroke on all;
Year after year it shall appear,
Convulsions men will see,
The agonies the child did bear
In England now shall be,
If they go on, I tell thee plain,
My Warning to despise,
I shall not trifle now with men
If they do act unwise,
To slight my Love, as now I'll prove
I'm come to set them free,
And all their sorrows to remove,
If now they'll turn to ME.
If they will not, I'll tell their lot,
'Their ruin shall abound;
And let the child not be forgot-
In May they heard the sound;
So May is come, I say, for man,
And may they all relent!!
Or they will see such destiny
Will make them all repent.
If they can bear my threatenings here
And not the words regard,
But all my Love they disapprove
And not my Love reward,
To wish for me--they all shall see
My anger for to burn-
Ingratitude, they all shall see,
Shall find the same return:
But those that turn and now begin
In Love to wish me near,
They'll find a brother and a friend,
A Saviour to appear-
To save them all from Adam's fall
And set the prisoners free,
That now are bound in Satan's chains.
If men will turp to ME;
Then I to them will surely turn
And strong their Friend appear,
For my delight shall be with men,
If their delight be here
To have me come, and dwell with them,
My Coming they shall see,
How I from Sorrows shall redeem
And from all sufferings free.
So this to Sharp I bid thee send ;
And let them weigh all deep,
And then I'll stand their every friend,
If now my word they keep;
And warn them all, that great's the call,
And great 'tis now for man;
Because my Judgments strong will fall
If men now mock thy hand :
For I'll appear in words more clear,
Your Nation blind must be,
If altogether men compare
And judge it not from ME:
And if they're blind, the ditch they'll find It hastening on for all :
But if they see the mystery
And come to judge the call,
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