91 And then, I said, they should repent like thee; So let thy friends observe all that is penn'd, 19 But in this manner should I come to man, In words that all will tremble for to hear- JOANNA SOUTHCOTT, Here follow the words that I had been writing on Tuesday morning, June 12, 1804, when Miss Townley and Uuderwood brought me Mrs. Foley's letter. I shall begin at the words where I had begun in the morning, and their names are signed. June 12, 1804. DEAR MISS TOWNLEY, I shall now give you the Communication that I had been writing on Tuesday morning, June 12th, when you brought me. Mrs. Foley's letter, wherein it was said, that Mr. - Foley was very ill indeed and you seemed thunderstruck at my saying I was glad of it, and desired you both to sign your names to what I had been writing; where I had began, and where I had wrote to when you came. You know I had told you how dangerously ill I had been in the night, and marvelled the people in the house had not heard me groaning. The communication is as follows, "As restless as thou hast been this night, which is but a shadow of what the Clergy WILL FEEL that have turned back thy letters; and thy confusion of this morning, is but a shadow of their confusion that have mislaid their letters. What hurry will they be in to find them? And say, as thou sayest, they must find them, or thou wilt not speak unto them. And when they have found them, they will see, they have as wrong misplaced their bibles, as thou hadst wrongly misplaced thy writings: and they will own,Townley hath found for them what they had lost, CHRIST' in the woman, THE HELPMATE for man, to enter into a new covenant with man, that all the old may be done away, and all things become new: and the former shall not come into my mind; for, behold, I create all things NEW. And this is My New Creation, -to place the forbidden. fruit in man, that hath returned their letters, refusing to accept ME as a helpmate in the woman. And this is my command to man they must tell the Bishops, one and all, that any of their Ministers they may send, that can produce their letters, and own they have kept them; but those that have returned their letters, as evil, they must not send. And My Chosen Men must tell them, they will not meet ANY MAN to dispute with, but those that can swear, by Him What Manier of Communications 21 that Liveth, the letters were sent them, and they have kept them. And, if this cannot be found among the Church Clergy, let it be enquired among other Ministers: for I will make of the Church that are not of the Church, if they cannot be found in the Church. But there are THREE that I have reserved to myself, by sealing their names in the sealed book; that is, the Reverend Archdeacon Moore, the Reverend Chancellor Nutcombe, and the Reverend Mr. Pomeroy. Now, if these men have not had the letters sent to them, and returned them, they may have one given to them; but, if they have had one, and returned it, they shall not appear. So they must say, by Him that Liveth, every man is come according to order; "for God is a God of Order, and not of Confusion." And this is the new Covenant I will make with man; and that proverb shall be no more in Israel, "The Fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge." But, now, 'tis the soul that sinneth shall die; for the iniquities of the Father shall no longer rest upon the Children. For THIS IS THE NEW COVENANT I am making with man, and I will be a Covenant-keeping God: if they do rot break My Law, they shall have part in the first Resurrection, and then, of the second, death hath no power; for these are the first Redeemed upon the Earth, and their leaves shall be for the healing of the nations. And if any man add to, or take from this Covenant, he shall add to his own destruction, and have his name blotted out from the Tree of Life, to have no part in it. Now, if any man ask thee, by what authority thou hast done these things, let this be thy answer-Let them tell thee, by what authority they rejected Christ to be the Helpmate for man in the woman, when they say, as in Adam all died, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. And what they know not now, they shall know hereafter; for I am come to fulfil My Bible." So far had I written, when you came with Mrs. Foley's letter; and here both your names stand (Townley and Underwood). Now do you marvel! I rejoiced at Mr. Foley's illness; knowing, if it was not from the Lord, it was better for he and me to die, than to have this Covenant go out in the name of the Lord; as I am ordered to have it printed. If it was from the Lord, I knew Mr. Foley's illness would be set for a clear sign for me if it was from God: if not, I had rather die. Therefore, this must be printed by Mr. Foley, with the reasons I assigned; and the answer to his sickness, with this Covenant of the Lord, that I was writing when his letter came, must now be put in print, with the answer that was given me the same day of his recovery, which took place before my letter could reach his hand-by the letter I received the following day: and the shadow of my rejoicing then, brought the substance to me the following day; when both wonderfully broke in upon me,-the Power of God-and the Truth of his. Word-as I felt the One-and saw the Other, by Mr. Foley's letter. (Signed) JOANNA SOUTHCOTT, |