bably of other natic also, the Child must be "This is all the answer we feel ourselves called upon by the terms of the question to state as our opinion. NATHANIEL BRASSEY HALHED. Sunday, June 5th, 1814. "Now, from the judgment of thy friends, thou must come to what I said in the Second Book of Wonders, that the MARRIAGE UNION was granted by GOD; but it must be granted by men. And now I ask thee what occasion was there to apply to the Bishops, or to the Ministers, to grant a marriage, if it was but after the manner of men? Their belief or unbelief of the prophecies bath nothing to do with granting a marriage in the likeness that other marriages take place; but now observe, from this Visitation, which no one had any knowledge of at that time, it bringeth it to be a Union to be granted by GoD and MAN; because this must be granted to take place on conditions, as a thing that is temporarily done not à marriage to stand before the Child is born; because it is the Child makes the marriage complete; but if no Son be born, then the marriage is null and void, when the time is 2 over that I have mentioned to thee. But now I ask, how such a public marriage can take place, to be known unto all men, that it is not a marriage binding, without a Son is born? I ask how such a thing can be done, without its being granted by the Bishops, by the Rulers, and by the Clergy, saying that they see the justice of such a marriage being granted, that if a man through faith will come forward to have thee, as a reputed father to adopt the child as his own? Then his being born under wedlock will make him a temporal Heir. But they must see it is not right for that man to become a husband, till the truth of the words are proved; and if the truth follow, they must allow that it is the Lord's doing, and marvellous in their eyes: and that man must shew a contempt to his Creator, who would refuse, in a cause like this, to grant the marriage, and make it honourable, but, on the other hand, if there were a possibility of thy being deceived; then they see the justice of the marriage being null and void; because it proves not to be from the Lord, if there be no Son as promised. "In this manner the marriage must be granted, before it can take place; for now I ask them, what man of a respectable character would like to live with a woman, as a husband, if he found she was deceived in this manner? And as to thyself, thou sayest that thou shouldest rather die than be compelled to live with a man as a husband, if there were a possibility of thy being deceived. And therefore, to prevent running into dangers on either side, or having any alarming fears, the caution must be given in this manner: it must be publicly made known on what conditions THIS MARRIAGE takes place; that thou canst not live with any man as a husband, before the Child is born; so, without the Son, thou hast no D Father; and without the Father, the Son is not made a perfect heir, after the manner of men; and so thou canst not have the one without the other. "And in this manner the MARRIAGE must be granted, to stand or fall; for any power as a husband must be denied, till the birth of the Child. So, from this all men may see why I said the marriage could not take place, without being granted by the Bishops, as they are placed in priestly authority. But hadst thou been married last year, it did not require them to grant the marriage, to take place after the manner of all other marriages. And now let them see the very things which men stumbled at in the Second Book, which appeared dark and mysterious to mankind, are now made clear and brought to light before them, that all men might see what were my designs, and what were my decrees, in not suffering any man to come into thy presence, before this marriage union was agreed upon. But it would have been folly in ME to have confined thee from all thy friends, and all thy acquaintance, till a marriage union was agreed upon, had not this visitation been my design: and this is the reason I said to thee of the Bishops, if thou wast confined one year, through their neglect; then in one year I should cut them off. Now let men see the justice of my sentence, if thou art confined through their neglect, that no MARRIAGE is granted by them, till after the CHILD is born; then such a marriage is of no use. Then how can they appear as Bishops of my Gospel, or as priests unto ME, if they refuse to grant it, before the twelve months are up; for, then it will be too late? And now they may see why my threatenings were so severe; because my honour must be lost in the bishops and stewards of my Gospel, if this request should be denied. But thou inquirest, how? To thy inquiry I answer: those that profess my Gospel must prove they do not believe my Gospel, if they, through unbelief, will run so fatal a hazard as to have the Child born without an adopted Father. Then I ask, how they will appear, if they neglect so great a Salvation, which is for the glory of God and the good of mankind, to prove my power, and prove my wisdom, that the way I laid my plan in the beginning I shall accomplish in the ending, to bring in the new heavens and the new earth to men. For all will be brought round in as strange a manner as thy Five Books here are brought round; which no man understood at first, why I ordered thee to put in print what was given in 1794, which was in part kept back by thee. "And now come to the First Book of Wonders, page 80. "I caus'd my servants for to err For ends they did not know, Had "I shall answer thee from these words. they not erred through unbelief, but come forward last year, as thy friends and believers did, to be obedient to every call; then I ask thee how the marriage could have been put off, after it was mentioned and made public, that I had said it must take place? But now look to page 81. "The wisdom of the prudent men "Twas I alone conceal'd, That they might see with eyes more bright "And now I have revealed to thee why I spoke in that manner, of the necessity of the marriage, and why I ordered thee to put in the hands of the Bishops the Sign of Pomeroy, that he would be so deeply convinced of his errors; but finding the truths were not fulfilled in him last year, it made them all to err. In this I will not blame them; because the error was caused by ME, and their wisdom was concealed by ME; as they knew not for what ends this was done last year to make it shine bright this year, now that the mystery is revealed by ME. So let them weigh the Five Books together; then they will see why I ordered thee to put in print many things that the believers stumbled at, why thou shouldest take things out of other books and reprint them again in these; but it is to bring these Wonders together that I ordered it to be done. Now come to page 69. "Then I'll go on as thou didst begin, And both together they must hang, The Gentiles and the Jews; Then at their feet (the mystery's great) The nations all must come. "This meaneth, to let the light of the Scriptures break in to mankind. The hidden mysteries of the Prophets, the hidden mysteries of my Gospel, have been as windows fastened, that could not be opened; because the sense and meaning thereof have been concealed from men; but now is the time I have revealed it to men, and shall go on till I have fulfilled the whole, that ye will not see as through a glass darkly, but the true day-light of the Scriptures will now break in upon you. "And now mark what I said of the JEWS and GENTILES hanging together; which meaneth, in one faith and one belief: and this year I have |