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chapter. How could the words of Peter be fulfilled, to prove the last days were come, if there did not appear these "scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, where is the promise of his coming? for, since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation?" And these men are daily increasing; for they are willingly ignorant of the word of God; and therefore the Spirit is mocked, that testifieth of the Scriptures, that the last days are come, wherein the Scriptures shall be fulfilled. And now men are fulfilling the words of Peter, in the Second Chapter, "denying the Lord that bought them, and bringing upon themselves swift destruction." And many are following their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth is evil spoken of. Here thou mayest clearly see the truth of the Gospel, from what I said of the wheat, and the tares to be separated at the harvest; and what my disciples said, after me, who these tares were, that would arise in the last days."

2 Timothy, iii." This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come: for men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers." Now these men are come forward in their true colours, perfectly as described by Paul: "truce-breakers, false-accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away."

"And now I shall answer thee, and the public at large, from the words which Besley hath printed, recommending an early communication with their respective pastors, for a right explana

tion of the numberless scripture texts so evidently distorted in the writings of Joanna and her confederates.

"Now I ask thee and all mankind, to what pastors can ye be recommended, to prove the truth of all these texts of scripture, which I have ordered thee to bring forward, any other way than I have revealed to thee, that my visitation is now to fulfil them? Should I answer a fool according to his folly, and tell him to apply to pastors and teachers of the Gospel, for a right explanation and meaning of them, would he not continue in his folly as before, and no more believe in the explanation of the teachers and the pastors, to believe the scriptures true, from any judgment formed by them, or any explanation given by them? This I tell thee, such men as Brice and Besley no more believe in their teachers and pastors than they believe in my visitation to thee; but this is pretending to have a form of godliness, to recommend them to teachers and pastors; this is done through hypocrisy, while he is denying the power of God and his Spirit. Then now let the pastors appear and convince these blasphemers, by their wisdom; or let them diligently search out the truth, to shame and confound them, by my power, and my word, which I have said I shall fulfil in thee.

"And now come to my Gospel. John vi. 39. "And this is the FATHER'S will which hath sent ME, that of all which He hath given ME I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent ME, that every one which seeth the SoN, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day."

"Now where are their teachers, or where are

their pastors, that the believers can apply unto, to explain the meaning of my words, if I do not Julfil them? And, how can I fulfil them, for every one to be taught of the Lord, as it is written by the prophets, without raising up in the last day a LIKENESS of the BODY I laid down for man? But now I tell thee of mankind, they are perfectly what I said in my Gospel: they will not enter in theirselves, nor suffer those that are entering to go in. And this I warned thee of in the beginning, that thou wouldest first hear the mock of fools; and now the mock of fools hath filled thee with anger and indignation; because of their lies, as well as their blasphemy. But now I ask thee, how could it be proved, that it was the mock of fools, if they did not discover their folly, by shewing that it is men void of understanding, void of sense, reason, and religion? For such men would rejoice to come forward in the same manner against the Scriptures, with ridicule, as they are come forward against my visitation to thee, if they were not afraid of the laws of the land. For, if ye discern the manner of the abuse, the Scriptures are mocked in like manner, artfully done, like the devil, to mock them in thy name; and this sheweth plainly what the hearts of men are: and it was to discover the hearts and thoughts of men that I ordered thee to carry thy first book to Brice; for thou didst not know what his religion was, nor why I sent thee to him. But now call to thy remembrance, that he did not mock the prophecies; but said people were eager for them, and therefore willingly took it in hand; but know, as soon as the Gospel was mentioned, and the Holy Ghost was mentioned, then his mockery began; and he soon discovered what he was. Then he began to

abuse the prophecies: so that, from him, ye may judge the hearts of men, what is their belief of the scriptures, what is their belief of a God. It is only fools who thus mock, whose hearts are drawn away by the influence of the devil: but no longer let these madmen deny the existence of a devil; because he hath allowed that there is a devil. But let him know, however idle the devii hath been with thee, finding all his temptations vain and fruitless, that thou hast resisted him, and he must fly from thee; so that he might as well be idle as to tempt in vain; for I have taken his power from thee; yet I now tell thee, he is not idle with the author of these hand-bills; and that the man will find to his sorrow hereafter, and to his everlasting disgrace. So this proves the truth of my words, what I said to thee in the beginning, that thou must first hear the mock of fools; and now they have exposed their folly by their lightness, and their lies, by their ignorance, being void of understanding, brutish men, that I said would appear; but now I shall confound them all in the end, by men of wisdom and understanding; and by fulfilling my words, according to my promise, thou hast felt the LIFE, in May; and, before the harvest is ended, the SON will be born, to the joy of all thy friends, and to the shame and confusion of all such lying inventors, whom Satan leadeth captive at his will; because their hearts are wholly given up to him, and the ways of the Lord they have no desire to know. Now from the lying inventions which he hath published, to mock the truth, marvel not in thy heart if a man like him should say the time was past that the little prince of darkness was to be born, as he hath infamously called it ; but now I tell him and all such men, they have

the great prince of darkness to fear, whom I shall cast out with all his branches, that join so closely with the root and therefore. I said, in my Gospel, if ye die in your sins, where I am ye cannot come; for such blasphemers were while I dwelt with men in the flesh, and so they continue to persecute in the Spirit. Then now let them judge for themselves, how such men would appear before the Lord, whom they have blasphemed their own conscience must condemn them, and justify my Gospel, to separate them, as tares from the wheat. Here I shall leave thee of these men. "And now come to the minister who preached a sermon against the visitation of my Spirit.*

"I shall begin with his text: Colossians ii. 10. "Ye are complete in him."

"From his text I shall condemn him; and make this inquiry of him: in whom is he made complete? or whom of his hearers is he striving to make complete? Will he answer, in the Gospel of Christ; for in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily? But what fulness of my Gospel, what fulness of the words of the Apostles can there be made complete in Christ, before the fulfilment hath taken place? From his own doctrine I shall condemn the man, as I said in the Gospel, as the blind leading of the blind, till both fall into the ditch together: and therefore I said, woe unto you, blind guides! should the day of the Lord come unaware, how must such pastors appear, who have been deceiving their flock, and leading them astray; denying my second coming, which I told them to look for; denying the Spirit of Truth, which I said should come? And therefore I said before, that these teachers and pastors would no more convince the

* The Rev. James Hearn, curate of Brixham, Devon.

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