But I'll appear to answer here,
There's no one I do blame;
But to the shadow I shall come,
And put mankind to shame:
Such fools appear, I tell you here,
To mock you all with lies;
And as the shadow she plac'd there,
So fools do all disguise,
To tell you plain, ye sons of men,
Your faith is on the sand;
And plac'd a shadow in my room,
To wound the faith of man;
But when you come to see it plain,
The shadow doth appear;
But now the substance I'll maintain,
Is what I said before.
He that believ'd was not deceiv'd,
But laugh'd the truth to see;
But she that stood in unbelief
Offended seem'd to be,
That she was mock'd, the other jok'd;
But here the lines go deep;
For as the shadow then did come,
The end of all will break :
Those that believe won't be deceiv'd,
By any artful hand;
And they will laugh at every way
They've baffled been by man;
But those that doubt, when they find out
How they were mocked there,
May then in anger all stand out,
To see what fools they were,
To judge that I, who dwell on high,
Will not fulfil my word!
A boasted zeal they may begin,
And say "we judg'd our Lord
"Would never come in such a form,
"In jesting to appear."
But how my Gospel do you scorn?
When I arose, see clear,
I did go on to jest with man,
And ME they did not know,
Until they had constrained me,
That I with them should go.
So men must come and now constrain
And hold me to my word;*
And then you all shall know my name,
And then behold your LORD.
This alludes to the Disciples of Christ at Emmaus
So I end here, and say no more,
But to the purpose come;
Men's jesting, I have answered here,
Is like the women done:
To mock the faith of prudent men,
Like her you place the sign;
To mock the fools, and ignorant men,
I'll own the jest is mine.
So let the fable to appear,
As 'tis a type of man;
For fools do mock my followers here,
By Satan's artful hand.
So it was I that work'd on she,
To shew the mystery plain;
The very thing that she had done,
Was like the sons of men-
Who would make men believe the word of God was as dead, and like the image she put in thy room; for just so have the ministers placed my Bible, that could neither see, hear, or speak; and so they have judged their God! for I must be like the image she placed in thy stead, if all these wondrous writings and truths had come round in such order without my Spirit and direction; but as thou wast in the inner room, perfectly risen in health and strength, according to Sharp's faith; perfectly so shall he find his God, not as the ignorant world, who say, "Since the fathers fell asleep, all things remained as they were"-judging there is no more knowledge in the Most High than there was in the image she made up. But let all men know, the substance was a living witness, close by; and so close am I to all your faith and unbelief. Those that have believed will find the world have imposed upon them to mock their faith; but the unbelievers will be hurt to find I have mocked their unbelief; so now let the living lay it to heart; for they have placed me and my Bible perfectly like the image they placed of thee, to mock the faith of believers, and strengthen the unbelief of fools. Simple as this may appear to the world, let it go in print; for it is perfectly like what men have likened ME to. So now to men I've shew'd the plan, How you your Bibles place; And now to Satan I shall come, Who did his Lord disgrace,
To judge that I, who dwell on high,
Have done with Satan here;
No, no, the fool will find me nigh,
And the sixth day appear:
He'll surely know the truth is so,
I kept him for this day;
His punishment he now shall know,
And like his word, I say,
Such harden'd being he appear'd;
He held me to my word,
That I with pain should visit thee,
But now he'll feel the rod.
For I'll appear, in anger here,
Just like the words he spoke;
For the sixth day I now shall clear,
And there the fool shall drop;
And then I'll rest, and man possess,
As I have said before.
Just like the Circle now he's plac'd,
And let the sign appear;
He's circled round with every sound,
The Cross throughout doth stand :
The four Crosses do appear,
He fatally brought on man.
You see the first when man was cast;
What Cross did then appear!
And when the World I all condemn'd,
And brought the Deluge here,
What Cross for Man there then did cone,
And Satan brought on all!
Now Sodom and Gomorrah see,
What Cross on them did fall! .
When fire from heaven did appear,
The flames they could not miss;
For they were so encircled there-
And Satan's doom is cast
To be like them; it now must come;
For I went through the whole !*
And then you see the Cross to be,
Jerusalem did fall!
Encompass'd round with every sound,
The Heathen took the place.
So, Satan, see thy destiny;
For this is now thy case.
The WOMAN She did stand my friend
Let Pilate's Wife appear;
And now I'll be a Friend to she,
And thou thy Judge shalt fear.
The great Cross within the Circle, is the Cross of rist, who suffered for the whole. The four Crosses which fell on Man; viz. his fall from the Divine Image at first; the Deluge; Sodom and Gomorrah; the Destruction of Jeru salem, in consequence of the Death of our Lord, who bore all fa Man. This Note is only made for the Reader to attend to the Figure in Page 56.
Thy MASTER here I'll now appear,
And that thou'lt surely find;
Thy Trial now is hastening near
Thy fetters I shall bind,
I tell thee, strong before 'tis long-
Both Sheep do now appear,
That thou art murdering by thy hand,
And now I'll Answer here.
Satan, Satan! how wilt thou appear?
And in the fifty-fourth page see clear,
Where thou condemn'dst the Lord is now come true;
And Wilson's illness bring before thy view;
For she hath suffered all of Wilson's pain,
Her head afflicted did one week remain;
And after that in arts thou didst appear
To wound with pain her body most severe.
So as one truth so hasty now has come,
I tell thee plain, the other will come on;
And so already thou'st begun to fall;
And from thy words I now shall answer all.
If she had forg'd my Name she'd been undone,
And never liv'd to see the morning sun.
When on her sick bed thou didst so appear,
To pull her lifeless from it on the floor:
Dead to all feeling was my Handmaid plac'd;
Dead to all knowledge of the death she did taste;
And there advantage thou didst surely gain;
She neither felt her sufferings or her pain,
When on the floor she gasping there did lie-
Tremble, O Satan, I WAS STANDING BY,
When thou didst go to pull her from the bed,
And on the floor her body there thou'st laid;
And sick I know thou mad'st her to the heart;
And thou, O Satan, now shalt feel my dart.
Weigh thou her answers, speaking for her LORD;
Weigh thou her life what she hath all gone through;
No Woman like her on the earth I know,
In upright dealings now with GoD and man;
Then now, O Satan, trembling thou shalt stand:
For here, I say, shall thy proud waves be stay'd-
It is not she hath room to be afraid:
For I must act unworthy of a God,
If on thy head I do not cast the rod.
To see my friend so wounded for my sake,
Her Love to ME shall now make mine to break
With fury on thee, as thou didst appear
With all thy threatenings, thou thyself shalt bear.
For now her Character I'll give to men,
What is seal'd up, and then behold her hand.
If such a Woman ever did draw breath,
Since I created man, and form'd the earth;
For of her virtues I'll begin to boast,
And show you plain when all her Seals do burst,
That more than Woman she must then appear,
If you do not confess her LORD is there.
For Men and Devils she has strong withstood,
And all her conduct I'll pronounce is good:
For as her Judge I surely do appear;
If from herself alone her virtues are;
Then I may blush to view the buman race,
That in their conduct do their LORD disgrace;
Who do profess to praise my holy name,
And yet they often put their Lord to shame,
By many follies I do see in men ;
But in this Woman, form'd by nature's plan
That you, vain fools, do judge her for to be;
Then how can GRACE and Nature now agree,
If she in virtue do outshine you all,
Without my Spirit? judge her every call
And see if Nature brings you better fruit
Than Grace can render; O! ye fools, stand mute.
When all her life is laid before your view,
You must confess her character is true:
Beyond all women doth in virtue shine;
And teil ME if this Spirit is not mine?
Or will you answer, No; she is too good
To have a Spirit ever like her God;
Then sure like Satan you must all appear,
Condemn your GOD, the Creature now to clear,
To shine in virtue brighter than mankiud ;
And say that Nature all these virtues binds,
Without a spirit ever come from heaven.
I ask you, who this Spirit to her hath given?
And will you answer, "why it came from hell"
Where the infernal host in rage do dwell,
In pride and envy, and in malice great,
With every subtle art, and all deceit ;
With lies and murder, and of every ill,
And with all evil he men's hearts doth fill?
But here is a heart from every vice is free;*
Vain fools, appear and instant answer ME,
If unto Satan you will give such praise,
To say he's chang'd, and hath reform'd his ways!
It is to be remarked, that Joanna was prepared from her birth by the Divine
Spirit, which makes her by no means assume any superiority above others, but she feels it her duty to be humble.
|