63 took up the cross to follow ME, and went on bearing the reproach of men. Then now, who is he that contendeth with ME? let us stand together. Who is mine adversary? let him come near to ME. For now is the time when my adversary shall be destroyed; and those that walk in the sparks of their own fire, which is of anger being kindled by the devil, such will be destroyed by the fire of my anger; because theirs is kindled by the fire of hell; but those that are kindled by the fire of love shall now be saved by the fire of my love. "And now come to the following chapter, Isaiah liv.-" Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness; ye that seek the Lord, look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged; look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you ; for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him." "Now let the wisdom of the world appear, To shew what I for FAITH had done. "So now the Jews they must appear That they are bid to look unto-→→ Know then a wife for him was found, "These are but shadows past and gone; "The Esaus I shall all destroy; Because that way I said I'd break "For the pillars of heaven shall be shaken, and the foundation of the earth shall tremble. A part of this book is copied from the Sealed Writings, and the remainder from answers given by the Spirit at the time when the book was writing, and taken from Joanna Southcott's mouth. by me, ANN UNDERWOOD. Witness, JANE TOWNLEY. December 3, 1813. [Price One Shilling and Threepence.] EXCELLETH THE WEAPONS OF WAR, AND HEREIN IS SHEWN THAT JUDGMENTS ARE THE STRANGE WORKS OF THE LORD, BUT MERCY HIS DARLING ATTRIBUTE. I SHALL begin this book with my observations on the weather, which I was ordered to mark, from Christmas-day till the New Year's day, old stile. December 25.-Christmas-day was mild, rather heavy, rained a little in the afternoon. Sunday, the 26.-The weather was remarkably fine; the sun shone beautifully. 27.-The weather was much changed; the frost came in, and a thick heavy fog, which increased so much towards the evening, that even torches were not sufficient to travel with in safety. The fog continued till January the 3d. It last ed eight days; many accidents happened, and some lives were lost, people not being able to see their way, or the dangers that were before them, from the darkness occasioned by the fog. So the year ended and the new year began during the continuation of the fog. Now I shall come to the last day of the year, old stile, Wednesday, January 12th. The sun set very brilliantly, with a bright sparkling lustre, too dazzling for my eyes to look at. The first day of the new year, old stile, the sun shone very bright; and though the frost continued, yet it was a very fine, clear day; the weather contiuues very cold; and several people have lost their lives, from the severity of the frost. The ANSWER of the SPIRIT. "I shall answer thee from the weather. As the old year ended and the new year began with men, according to the new stile which they have made; so they will find new things come upon them, which their dark benighted minds have no knowledge of; and through unbelief they are so blinded, and their understanding so darkened, that they neither discern what they are doing, nor where they are going; for, as the old stile is altered by men, just so is my Bible altered by men; because they have all placed it another way, not discerning its fulfilment, in what manner I have spoken of the end. Therefore they do not see the days of their visitation, because their wisdom hath placed my Bible wrong. And let men see in what manner I ordered thee to put in the paper the Scripture prophecies, which I told thee I should go on to fulfil, which they no more discerned, in what manner I spoke of them, to compare them to the days that are come, than they discerned in what manner I have spoken to thee; for both alike is darkness to them, that in sceing they cannot see, nor in hearing can they understand; and as the darkness of their minds, so the year ended, and the new began, by the 3 wisdom of meu. But now come to the old stile, which I told thee I should always go to; for this I shall bring to thee and the believers. So as the year ended to thee, with a sparkling lustre round the sun, too bright for thy eyes to look into; and as the sun arose again the next morning, with a sparkling lustre of light; perfectly so thou wilt find the event of this year will happen to thee and true believers: though the year ended in a cloud to thy mind, because thou canst not look into the depth of my wisdom, in the way I have directed thee, in the year that is past; this is too bright for thy understanding; it takes thy senses, as the sparkling lustre of the sun took thy sight, so that thou couldest not look at it; perfectly so I now tell thee, if thou wouldest call back the strength of thy faith, when the visitation of my Spirit was so strong upon thee, all appeared to thee like a bright sparkling lustre of my ways, of my wisdom, and the fulfilment of my decrees; that now thy light shall break forth as the morning, and thy righteousness appear as the noon-day sun, that I shall make bare my arm amongst mankind, and prove that thy visitation was from ME the living Lord, by the light of my Spirit breaking out upon men, and the power of my Spirit to awaken them. This was thy faith, that I should fulfil the vision I shewed thee-arise, shine; for the light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen: therefore arise, and shine, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem. These things appeared to thee, by an eye of faith, as though they were done; yet still, clouds came over thy mind, from the wisdom of men, after I had ordered thee to give the warning, and set the sign before them; but this sign, like the weather, ended in clouds and thick darkness; so that no light appeared to men; neither did it appear to thee; because the ways of men had clouded thy |