is like throwing oil into the fire, to quench the flames, which makes it burn the greater; and therefore if he will bring his fifty righteous men, he must find them amongst the flock that I have already prepared for thee; and then he may plead as Abraham did. I shall not destroy the nation for fifty's sake, if he will this way bring them forward. "And now come to what I have told thee before, and bring forward the Prophecies that stand in print, that they may see the truth of my words." Strange Effects of Faith, page 109. The following was written in answer to a dignitary of the church, to whom I have sent many letters. It was from the text he preached on a thanksgiving day in 1797-" Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling." Psalm ii. It was answered me in the following manner: "Now thou hast ended I'll begin. My sword I'll send from shore to shore, But if your peace you'll keep at home, Provok'd by anger first they'll go; And soon the pain will seize their head; And show your flocks where they must hide; Nor did a woman so appear To write, or act, as thou hast here. No more you see the days are come." "I shall answer thee of the Second Psalm. Now let men land back their thoughts to see the time that this was given; and then look back on what hath followed since. Let them compare this with the nations abroad and at home; then they will see the truth has followed, like what I told thee of the shepherds. And now let them discern deeply, how greatly the burthen is complained of in your land and now I give the warning to all, the fulfilment of this is hastening fast. Hitherto thy WRITINGS have been as a candle hid under a bushel; but now I have ordered thee to put it on a candlestick, that it might give light to all that are in the house: the HOUSE is the house of faith; but the candlesticks are the heads of the church, that are invested with power amongst mankind: and as I have told thee of the standard of the church; let them look to their Prayer-Books, and see how the standard beginneth. 66 Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. I will arise and go to my Father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee; and am no more worthy to be called thy son. Enter not into judgment with thy servant, O Lord; for in thy sight shall no man living be justified.-If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us; but if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." "Here I have shewn thee the standard they must all come to, and then they will come to the standard of everlasting happiness: for know I have told thee My arms are open all men to receive: The water's flowing, and the fountain gives; In his distress he sought his father there,- Then like the Father's love my heart will yearn; To act like faithful soldiers in the fight; So now my threatenings let them all appear, Go to thy printed books and shew them where, And how through faith awhile I've kept them back; And so my promise I did then fulfil, And wait awhile, though anger then did feel: A communication given in July, 1797, taken from the Second Book of Sealed Prophecies, page 114. "So thus will come the hearts of men; "Our sons we've lost, our gold is past, "We are but burthened more; The quarries they have patch'd them up "Tis nought but beggary here: Thy Father's house is just like mine ; But out the rags I'll tear; I will begin as thou did'st then, I'll make the water run, like thee; So perfect like thy Father's house That I can hurt? 'tis mire and dirt And perfect like thy Father's house Then I'll go on as thou didst begin, And both together they must hang, Here I shall give the meaning of my Father's house: As he lived by himself, I made it a custom to go in the summer to make his house thoroughly clean and wash the floors: the glass was broken, but the landlady would not mend it; so it was stopped up with rags, which I pulled out to dry the floors. I was answered as follows: "The windows I shall all unhang, As thou has now begun; And through the glass you all may see For as the squares of glass are broke, And rags do so appear, The paper is cling'd to keep the stroke So now this thing I shall explain, And to the nation come: The quarrels they are broken out, I say, in every land; And, like these windows are patch'd up But like thy pen, I say, must drop, Because the glass it is not whole, The rags will tumble down; When thunder sounds from pole to pole So with the land 'tis just the same; I |