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you cannot, you must say, "the Lord hath chastised us, and we are chastised like bullocks unaccustomed to the yoke; we cannot answer one word of a thousand,"-neither do I believe you can, out of ten thousand.

Now, Sir, if you condemn my writings, when you have seen them, I will give up all to your superior judgment; and wherein you will blame me, I will blame myself; but if you persevere to judge a cause unheard, and murder my character, which you do not know, by saying I am out of my senses, marvel not if I persevere to clear my inno

cence.

For bold I see mankind with me,
And I'll be bold with man;
You say my senses they are lost,

Then prove that they are gone.

Will you say as Felix did to Paul, too much learning made thee mad? Then, like Paul, I answer most noble Sir, I am not mad-and now I tell you what will in the end be the language of your hearts:

"We judg'd her senses to be gone;

"But surely ours were lost :
""Twas but the sand we built upon;
""Tis she the rock can boast."

On what rock do you judge I build, to have my enemies to be my judges? I must intreat an answer to this letter.

From your humble servant,

JOANNA SOUTHCOTT.

A Letter sent to the Rev. Mr. Pomeroy, in December, 1799.

Rev. Sir,

As I have received no answer from you, I suppose you mean to run the hazard of another year

if so, I mean to go abroad, which I was ordered not to do, till I received your answer; and your silence is an answer, that you mean to see further events; which I cannot blame in you, Sir. As I see and hear the ministers are so careless, that they do not concern theirselves to know whether the Lord hath spoken or not; but another year will convince them, if the Lord hath spoken by me.

I am now ordered to send to you a copy of the letter I put last spring in the hand of the Reverend Archdeacon Moore. As half is not yet fulfilled, you will see more of it in the 1800. I have sealed it up with three seals, as I sent it to him; but it is copied out as you can read it: but I must beg the favour of you, Sir, not to break the seals till the end of the year, unless you judge it prudent to shew it to the Archdeacon Moore.

I have sent in some of my letters what is hastening on the ensuing year, as unbelief is so likely to abound. I must beg the favour of you to take care of all my letters; for you will find it the Lord's doing, however marvellous it may appear in your eyes. If I stay two years, as Mr. Taylor hath engaged for me by that time, I believe the writings I have put in your hands will truly convince you it is of God, and no enthusiasm of a disordered brain: for now, mockers are begun, and they will bring down the judgments that are threatened. So let no man complain of the times; but let all men consider that they haye been mockers and our bands are made strong; the judgments of the Lord will be carried into victory over

us.

I have sent you these letters, as I was ordered to send to you the copy of the other; and if you judge prudent to wait longer, you must have the truth in your own hand, to see it plain if it be of God.

I hope I shall not be called to trouble you any

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more till one year is past; and if not till the expi-
ration of one year, I know strange events must
take place, before men will believe the strange
things that are said in my writings, so very differ-
ent from all men's opinions upon earth: as they
judge that the second coming of Christ is the day
of judgment; but it is said to me, it will be a
thousand years and more before that time; that
Christ will come in the power of his spirit to dwell
in the hearts of his believers; and all unbelievers
will fall with their master: and these days are
drawing nigh at hand; but, till ye see signs and
wonders, ye will not believe. I must conclude
with saying I am sorry to see the unbelief of man-
kind: we know not what a day may bring forth.
I remain, with the greatest respect,

Your humble servant,
JOANNA SOUTHCOTT.

A Letter sent to the Rev. Mr. Pomeroy, December 3d, 1799.

Rev. Sir,

Some of your questions I must beg leave to answer. You asked, if I judged myself so great a favourite of heaven, as to think the Lord had sent a curse over the land, because men had despised my writings. To this I answer, not for my sake, but for his great name's sake, to prove the truth of what he had spoken and threatened. If things are of God, he is as good as his word. No man hath despised me, but my writings it is that they have despised; and if they came from God, it is to his Spirit they have done this despite.

But you say, Sir, the working of miracles follows prophecies. Here are our Saviour's words verified"Faithless generation, unless ye see and wonders, ye will not believe !" Then come to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, and

signs

ye shall see greater miracles than was wrought in Cana, at the marriage there: for the water shall be made more than wine.

You say, Sir, you fear I shall not resign to the judgment of men, if they condemn my writings: I should say they were out in their judgment, as my writings came true. To this I answer, if men meet according as I am directed to have them, and then condemn my writings, that they are not of God; they cannot be true; for I am promised that the Spirit of the Lord shall be poured out upon them, and that the candle of the Lord shall shine bright amongst them: then shall the light break forth as the morning, and the truth be as clear as the noon-day sun; for then will the Lord shame all that have shamed me, and confound all that confounded me.

God is not slack concerning his promise; so I will rely on his word, and resign to the wisdom of men, when they meet, as the Lord has appointed. To the judgment of twelve I will give up the whole; but not to eleven; for I as much believe my writings are of God, as I do the Bible: and eleven men cannot convince me to think otherwise; but twelve men will, if they meet together, and say they do not think it is of God; and that I am certain will never be the case. I am ready to meet any ministers, and tell them what strong reasons I have for this unshaken faith.

You say, the Lord never acts inconsistently with himself. Sir, I grant it: and in all my writings he hath spoken more consistently with his wisdom, goodness, mercy, and truth, than ever I heard any man judge him in my life. And now I am ready to stand the trial, and prove the truth of what I say, or wait the event of another year; but that I am ordered to give up to your superior judgment.

I must conclude with saying I believe my wri

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tings came from the Lord; and he hath fixed for me a Judge and Jury; and so will I submit to be tried; and till I am condemned by them, I shall judge myself an innocent woman, greatly wounded in the house of my friends. I am sorry to trouble you with so long an epistle; but I am ordered to answer all your objections, and could not do it in a smaller compass.

I am, with the greatest respect,

Your humble servant,

JOANNA SOUTHCOTT.

Another Letter sent to the Rev. Mr. Pomeroy, March 23d, 1800.

Rev. Sir,

You may be surprised to receive a letter from me, after saying in my last letter, that I meant to go abroad for two years, if my writings were not now proved. But what man appoints God disappoints; I find I cannot go one step, in myself, to do any thing; I must stay to see the event of what I have written. And what, shall I see nothing but sorrow surround me on every side? Already I hear the cries of the poor, complaining they are starving to death, for want of food. It is almost incredible to believe they can keep life in the manner they now live: every station of men are full of complaints, unless it be the rich and great: and when will these sorrows have an end? I am told, never; till ministers do awake, as men out of sleep, to search out the cause; which I am told, in my writings, is men's unbelief of what I have written; and ministers' neglect of not trying the Spirit, whether it came from God, or not. If men will not try the Spirit, God will prove the Spirit, by sending a heavier curse on the land, than is already sent. Severe