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not knowingly or designedly. But from whence came all my misery that I cannot bear? Am I my own murderer? Have I been doing wrong? And is this the way that the Lord is come to punish me? Was mine false fire? Was mine false Love? Was mine a delusion from the devil? must now be my enquiry:-For the Lord hath now hid his face from me; and the devil, with all his hellish power, has now taken possession of my soul. Who shall I reflect upon? If my sufferings are that I am wrong, being led by a wrong spirit, that is now come to shew himself in his true colors, and the horror and misery I must soon be in -then I must say, cursed men! that when I besought them, in the bitterness of my soul, they would not hear me, but do as the devil said they would, to make me believe it was the God of heaven. Then, by what arts are we all betrayed? Is there a God, must now be my enquiry? And will HE give all this power to the devil? LORD have mercy upon me! CHRIST have mercy upon me, and deliver my soul from the jaws of death, from the power of hell, from the pit of destruction; for in thee, my God, I have trusted: forsake me not in this trying hour; but let thy light shine upon me, and shew me where the error lies, which way my sufferings came. Is it for the present? Is it for the past? We are all undone: for then the whole world lies in the power of the devil. If for the present-pardon my iniquities, blot out my transgressions, in mercy, dear Lord! I pray thee, and remember them no more; for my trouble is greater than I can bear. The power of hell has taken hold of me, and there is none but a God can deliver me; for it is not all the powers on earth, that are in man, can now give me one

moment's pleasure: for, if the Lord do not deliver me, I am for ever undone. Now, I must leave all to yourselves; for my direction seemeth quite over. If they were from the devil, it is time to be over: if it be of God, HE hath hid His Face from me; and, for a moment, HE hath forsaken me. But in loving kindness I trust HE will visit me, and not destroy me for a thing I am innocent of. I am, &c.

JOANNA SOUTHCOTT.

AFTER writing this letter, she begged me [Underwood] to leave her to herself, and to take with me all the knives, and every thing that she I could hurt herself with; but not to go away, but stop in the adjoining room: when she went to prayers and tears, that the Lord would deliver her from her dreadful sufferings; which I did the same by her door. After a considerable time she opened the door, and her distressed looks I cannot describe. She said, she had no answer to her prayers, and we must direct ourselves: at which I cried out, we cannot direct ourselves; and there shall not another letter go out of the house, unless the LORD, in His unbounded love, mercy, and goodness, direct us, through thee. She said, she had no answer, and she could not direct us; and flung herself back in a chair, for a few minutes. It is too late to write you the particulars, though you shall have them in your next. Oh, what a day and how the house has shook?

(Signed)

JANE TOWNLEY,

AND

ANN UNDERWOOD.

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Here I shall go on with a continuation of Joannd's sufferings of yesterday.

in

June 13th, 1804.

AT the time the horror of the devil was upon me, I felt I could not bear my existence: therefore I desired Mrs. Underwood to take away every knife out of the room; that, in my despairing moments, I might not lay violent hands on myself. As soon as she was gone, I fell on my knees prayer, and could not avoid crying aloud; but could not express all with my tongue, WHAT I felt in my heart: but, finding I had no answer to my prayers, I arose, and was silent for some minutes, listening if I could hear "THE SMALL STILL VOICE OF THE LORD." But, fecling no comfort, and hearing no answer, I opened the door, and desired Mrs. Underwood to send the letters by their own directions, as none were given to me. Mrs. Uuderwood, in floods of tears, said, we cannot direct ourselves; and no more letters shall go out of the house, unless the Lord, in His unbounded Love, Mercy, and Goodness, will direct us through thee. She then went and told Miss Townley, no answer was given, no more directions from the Lord. The Lord had hid his face from us, and no more letters shall go out of this house: for she felt in her heart, if the Lord would not be pleased to direct us, we would not direct ourselves. She then came back to me, and told me, that Miss Townley was upon her knees in prayer and tears, when Mrs. Underwood came back with this word. Here all were alarmed; and they would do nothing of themselves, without the directions of the Lord

Then the Light of the Lord broke in upon mes and I walked the room, in tears, speaking these words:

"I feel my JESUS is not gone;

I feel my SAVIOUR will return;
He'th hid his face, but now he's come;-
A tedious night shall a bright morning have:
Then my soul shall take its old abode,

And, cloth'd in flesh, I shall behold my God."

My repeating these words, Underwood fell down upon her knees, to return thanks to the Lord: and, in an instant, a Spirit entered me, that took my senses; and I felt strength enough in me, as though I could crush the world to atoms. The Spirit spoke with power and fury, "I'll chain the rebel to his den." I walked up and down the room, and shook the whole house; for I was not myself. I could not stop my fury; words flew too fast to utter against the power of darkness: and I felt in myself power, that I thought, if he was present, that I could tear him to pieces; and should not have feared, had there been ten thousand men and devils before me. After this power ceased, I laid myself upon the bed, to compose myself for a little while. I soon was ordered to rise and write. The first words I penned, were, "Dear Lord! what Spirit hath been so powerful in me, this day." I was answered, "The shadow of the substance to come in all. The horror of hell that thou hast felt this day, some will come against thee in, by temptations- then, as a God I shall appear in thee, and cast the devils out of men by my power, as I broke in thee: but as I knew these things were too high for thee, without a veil between, I caused Foley's illness, for thou to judge it a pleasing dream. Now I must explain that,

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before I go any further. Mr. Foley's illness, with
the other confusions, gave Satan the advantage
over me: and, as I had written the day before
that the Lord had ordained the thing concerning
the book, and then to feel that horror and misery
after, threw me into a dreadful state of despair.
And now I shall go on, as it is spoke in verse.
"And now I tell thee how I shall appear,
In much more power then they all shall see:
Than now, this day, I entered into thee.
Because, in power, I did now appear,

And now's the time I'll shake the earth once more.
And they shall find ME in the woman's form;
For hell shall tremble now it shall be known.
For now, I say, I'll chain the rebel down,
And men shall tremble at my every sound;'
For every heart I shall much stronger shake,
Than ere thy walking in this room did make:
And much more fury every foe will see,
Than ere this day did now appear in thee.
And now I'll tell thee of the words I spoke-
When from My Silence I in thunder broke;
So strong within thee then I did appear-
I said, that hell should tremble and should fear.
I said, that man I surely would redeem,

And they should find me in the woman's form.
I said, no longer men should bruize my heel;
But now my fury it should fall on hell.
I said mankind should all begin, like thee,
For to enquire, and long the truth to see.
I said, my power should all in fury break:
I said, the devil now hath laid his net-
I said, that in it he should surely fall
I said, My Fury now should conquer hell→→
I said, the hearts of men I'd surely shake,
And many hearts like thine I d surely make;
As full of horror when I do appear,

That they like thee would say they could not bear
The Agonies, I said, that they would feel,
When they do know they're bruising now my heel: