or glorify myself amongst mankind? Did they then fly to me as a cloud, and as doves to the windows? Did they then wait for ME; and the ships of Tarshish first to bring my sons from afar, their silver and gold with them, unto the name of the Lord thy God, and to the holy One of Israel? Was this done in the days of the flesh, that I was thus glorified by man? Where were the sons of strangers, that built up the walls? and where were the kings that ministered unto ME? No: in their wrath they smote ME; in their wrath they persecuted ME; therefore I said I would give them up until she that travaileth hath brought forth. Then cometh the SEED'S SEED, that they may now seek my favour, and I shall have mercy on them: then shall the gates be open continually; they shall not be shut by day or by night: for now will I throw the Scriptures open to their view. For as the flowers come on in the spring, one after the other, to open in the bud, till ye see all the flowers opened; perfectly so shall I go on, till I have made my Bible as plain before them, as ye see the flowers, when they are fully blown: for so shall the fullblown rose appear; and therefore I told thee that the Rose of Sharon should be here: the glory of Lebanon shall come unto ME; the firtree, and the pine-tree, and the box-tree together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary: for now will I make the place of my feet glorious. But, let them know how I was afflicted, how I was persecuted, when first my feet trod the earthly ground but now will I make them bend before ME, or 1 will destroy them; they that despise ME shall now bow down to the sole of my feet; and they shall know that I am the LORD, the HOLY ONE of Israel. But now I ask mankind, how they will place this chapter? or

which way will they explain it? Thou sayest, it is spoken by the Prophet-"The city of the Lord, the Zion of the holy One of Israel:" and it is spoken of a people forsaken and hated, that "the Lord will make an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations." But now I ask them, how they will bring it to the JEWS, that these blessings shall rest upon, to make this a happy people, to call their walls, Salvation; and their gates, Praise, before their great DELIVERER is come to be made known to all nations? Now see the words of the Prophet-" The Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended." Here let the learned answer, how this can be fulfilled without a visitation from the Lord, to bring that light, that God be their Glory. Is not the Lord in heaven? and doth not the working of his Spirit with the children of men go on in every age? Where is the age that the Lord hath entirely forsaken his people? Doth not the Lord dwell in heaven above, and amongst the inhabitants of the earth below? and yet this chapter is not fulfilled; neither will the words of the Prophets be fulfilled, till the BRANCH of my planting, the WORK of my hands, that I may be glorified, is placed amongst them; then "a little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the Lord will hasten it in his time." And now they will find the time is come. When I came

first in the FLESH, it was to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our Gop: for I knew I should be rejected and despised by them; and therefore I told them of the day of vengeance, that would come upon them but the acceptable year of the Lord I told them was at my return, that I should call them trees of righteousness, and turn their sor

rows into joy, when they begin to look om ME whom they have pierced, and be longing for my coming: then will the chapter be fulfilled.

"Now come to the Prophet: Jeremiah xxii. 5. "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David à righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judalr shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely and this is his name whereby her shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS."

"Was this done in my days, when I said I was the Root and Offspring of David, the bright and morning Star? But was not the Root then cut off? Was Judah saved, and Israel dwelled in safety? Is it established to this day? Alb men must answer, no. Then know, the BRANCH must spring from the ROOT, before the fulfilment of the Prophet's words can be true."

Zechariah ii. 10, 12, 13. 66 Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord. And the Lord shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again. Bé silent, O all flesh, before the Lord: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation."

Zechariah iii, 8, 10. "Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou and thy fellows that sit before thee for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my SERVANT THE BRANCH. In that day, saith the Lord of Hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig-tree."

"Here let men see, from the Prophets, what ai change is to take place for man's happiness, when I bring forth my BRANCH to man: for though Isaid, I am the VINE, ye are the BRANCHES; and

so I called the believers in my Gospel as branches joined to the vine, and as brethren, when I came as the SON; but know what I compared my second coming to the Bridegroom and the Root of David; then from the ROOT the BRANCH must come to dwell amongst mankind; therefore, it is spoken to the daughter of Zion, lo, I come and dwell in the midst of thee. Here let men discern the Prophets aright, in what manner it is spoken of a WOMAN, that my coming is first made known to; then they must know this BRANCH does not allude to the sons of men; but as a Branch springing from the Root, from the power of the Lord. For I now tell thee of men, that there is no particular man ye can place it to, for to prove that the Branch was come, that the Sun of Righteousness would arise with healing in his wings. But here is a way that I have worked round to make it clear; from the manner of my visitation to thee, they will find that the Branch will come from the Root, as I told thee of the budding leaves, that bud in the spring; because the tree is the same; for though they fall off in the autumn, yet they bud again in the spring, from the same tree that the branches come; and perfectly so the end must be: I came to seek and to save that which was lost, and to bring in the redemption of man. I placed the types and shadows in my Gospel, whereby they should know when the end was at hand; and I placed them likewise by the Prophets, that I said I came to fulfil."

"Now come further to the words of the Prophet: Zechariah vi. 12, 13. "Speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of Hosts, saying, Behold the MAN whose name is the BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord; even he shall build the temple of the Lord; and he shall bear

the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the council of peace shall be between them both."

"Now this was not fulfilled in my days; therefore I said that the Gentiles were more blind than the Jews; because the Jews looked to these promises to be fulfilled, when the MESSIAH came: and therefore they rejected ME and my Gospel, not understanding that there must be a ROOT and a BRANCH both to come from the Spirit of the Lord. Know I said of a grain of wheat, it is first cast into the ground to die away; and then it ariseth and bringeth its increase. In this manner the Scriptures are placed; but how could I express my love to mankind, how could I say my delight should be with the sons of men, that I should bring in a happy and glorious kingdom for them, and destroy the works of the devil for their sakes, before I had tried the love of men? Can men simply suppose that I should return in love to mankind, to bring in everlasting blessings to man, and to establish the earth with every blessing, and redeem them from every sorrow,→→ can men simply suppose that I should do this, while I stand as a crucified Saviour, or as a malefactor to be despised and rejected of men? In this manner I cannot return, before the BRANCH springs from the ROOT, to be esteemed and beloved of men, to be worshipped as a Prince and a Saviour. How can I confound the devil and fallen angels, to cast them out for their rebellion, and bring in redemption to men who stand out in rebellion the same, were the day of judgment to come in this manner? Then it must be fatal for man, or my honour must be lost, if I do not prove the blindness in men, and that the temptations of the devil were the cause of their persecution, through unbelief; because they did not discern