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The Garden first you must discern,
What Agonies I then did bear!
And how the midnight hour drew near,
As my Convulsions were within.—
My feelings were unknown to Men
What for their sakes I then did bear;
As well I knew my chosen were
To suffer then the like for ME-
And then the Jews I knew were cast,
To prove the mysteries at the last,
That dead to knowledge man was come,
As I at first pronounced him;

And so their knowledge it was dead;
And by their death my Blood was shed;
Because that ME they did not know,
From all the wonders I did show,
A's never could be work'd by man.
And now in SPIRIT I am come
To work by Wisdom now the same,
And man knows not from whence it came
To see these mysteries so brought round;
They cannot tell from whence the sound,
Before some others do appear

To make these mysteries out more clear;
And then they'll own their knowledge dead
To every thing before them laid;
That they did never understand
It was a Work by my Command;
Because they judg'd I could not go
To stoop to man in things so low.
From types and shadows to appear
In language low, no man could clear,
To see the depth, how all is plac'd.
You ne'er discern'd, ye fallen race,
How I from shadows plac'd all first,
Nor how the likeness it did burst.
The type of Isaac plac'd before,
And so my death it did appear.
And then the Brazen Serpent see ;
For as I say they look'd on ME,
Nought but a Serpent to appear,
As from the Jews, they judg'd ME there.
So from these shadows none do see
How deep they're plac'd as types of ME;
And let my Gospel to appear;

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.
From types and shadows I began,
From types I now shall make an end;
So from this type I now do say
Here is a shadow plac'd this day,

*

* Child's convulsions, death, and burial.

( 11 )

How all the substance will appear,
For the death warrant's hastening here:
Unto the shepherds this will be,
And their convulsions you will see
To be much greater than the child's;
For now the learned will be foil'd.
For here's a mystery none do see,
How the Tenth Year these things must be,
To have thy letters blaz'd abroad,
A way that man ne'er understood;
But judg'd the letters sent before
Did in like manner so appear;
But then thy letter could not be,
Thou publish'd then the mind of ME
In public letters for to send;
But now I tell thee, by thy friend
Thy letter is publish'd all abroad:
And all the others will be know'd
To fly abroad to man the same;
For here's the letters I did name †,
That I should make to fly abroad;
And now their conduct will be know'd,
For different roads they now will take,
Until they find the truth to break.
But from what shadows you don't discern
The way or manner 1 to you do warn;
It was a private letter blaz'd abroad,
When in November every truth was know'd:
And now to make the likeness all agree,
It is the private letter I tell thee,

That by the public now must fly abroad;
For like the shadows must the truth be know'd;
For so the substance in the end must burst,→→→
You ne'er discern'd the manner of the first,
Nor how the shadow it did first appear:
When Pomeroy read his name in public there,
That thou didst put in print by my Command,
But now the substance all may understand."

(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.

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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.

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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
To wish my Kingdom to appear;
And then he knows I'll bring it here,
And then his Kingdom it must fall.
And now I tell you one and all,
That men's desire must first appear
Before I bring my Kingdom here;
And their desires I soon shall know
When I have prov'd my writings true į
Because thy writings are from ME,
That every soul shall know and see;
For so I'll prove them in the end.
But first with man I shall contend,
To see what in them all do lye,
And then they'll find I'm come in thee,
So strong in power for to appear,
That all shall know their Lord is here,
That in the end I said should come;
In marvellous things appear to man;
And so mankind may marvel here
The way that I in thee appear,
To keep thee secret at the first,
Before men's judgment it is cast;
And then in wonders to appear,
The sacred Truth then in all to clear.-
And this to Townley thou must send,
And tell her, as a faithful friend,
Where thou residest no man must know,
Before their judgment they do shew,
To tell from whence thy writings came,
And then they'll surely know my Name,

"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

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