anger. But had he told me of his judgment on the letter, I should have been answered then, as I am now, that nothing further was required of him, than to answer to the truth, which was put into his hands.*

The ANSWER of the SPIRIT.

"Now I shall answer from thy saying, if he had told thee his thoughts on the letter, thou shouldest have been answered then, as thou art now; and so the anger might have ceased, before it was kindled to a flame: and this might have been done, if he had told his mind on the subject; but as he concealed his thoughts from thee, so I concealed from thee any judgment that he had drawn from the letter, before my appointed time was come, to prove the truth of the letter, and the fulfilment thereof. But in years past no man could draw a clear judgment from the letter; because they could not see how a mock marriage should be required, in the likeness there mentioned and now I tell thee, in the perfect likeness that that letter stood concealed from all, and could not be made clear to any one, to prove a right judgment could be drawn till now, because a real marriage cannot be compared to a mock marriage: and before this visitation appeared no man could prove his judgment true, the way to explain the letter, though his anger was kindled the way he drew his judgment; in this perfect likeness stands my Gospel and the Prophets with the Jews for they drew their judgment as wrong as he drew his, seeing the persecution to my disciples, and what they went through, judging that the same destruction must come upon them; and seeing no way that the words of the Prophets could be fulfilled, for their deliverance, at that time, to

The friends are requested not to trouble Mr. Pomeroy any more, either by letter or in any other way. ·

heighten their joy, but all seemed to heighten their destruction; and not understanding the meaning of my Gospel, how I came to prepare the way for the end, which was not understood by any of my Disciples, in what manner the cCOMFORTER should come, that I spoke of; and as I said of my Disciples, they would be put to death for my sake; this appeared as strange to the Jews as thy letter appeared to him, who saw nothing but destruction before him, if he was compelled to enter into a union with thee: and therefore he said in his letter that he could not judge thy writings were consistent with a benevolent and merciful God; as he judged the threatenings stood against him, if he did not enter into what he judged his ruin.

"Now perfectly so were the thoughts of the Jews concerning the Gospel; they knew not what was before them; if they had been all united to gether in faith and belief, at that time, they knew not in what manner I should have worked their deliverance, to have conquered their enemies, as their enemies conquered them, after they had rejected me and my Gospel, Therefore, they knew no more in what manner I should bring round my Gospel, to fulfil it in the end, than Pomeroy knew in what manner that prophecy would be brought round, to be fulfilled in the end; which could not be fulfilled by any judgment he drew, or by any judgment mankind could draw, from that prophecy, till now. For this was concealed from thy knowledge, and from all, what was the meaning of my saying of a mock marriage, to place it in the likeness of a king; though thou sayest, had he told his fears, his jealousies might have been removed, that no such thing was required of him; yet, at that time, the meaning could not have been explained to thee nor to him, without I had told thee in what manner I meant to visit thee in the end. But know what I said in

the letter: it was concealed from thee the knowledge of thy written hand; because thy senses were too weak, thy spirits too headlong, and anger would break out too soon, if thou couldest see the mystery of thy writings and this would have been the case with thee, if I had revealed to thee the sense and meaning of the letter, in what manner I meant to fulfil it, and at what time; thy faith would have been too weak: thy spirits are too hasty to have prophecies fulfilled, when they are made plain before thee. So there would have been room for Satan to work fears and jealousies in thee, that a wrong spirit was deceiving thee: therefore I said that this must be concealed, and not revealed, until the time came of its fulfilment. For there was no warning to be given of the meaning of this communication, or in what manner it should be fulfilled, till the end; and therefore I said, the mystery lies behind; I said my judgments appeared, my strange works were begun and let them look to all nations, what hath followed since ninety-seven; but the end is not yet; for stranger works are hastening on, to bring the righteousness that I said must appear.

"Then now let them see the line, in what manner I have revealed to thee, from the scriptures, from the prophecies I have given to thee, and the manner of this visitation; then they may see the line and the plummet plain before them; for now the mystery is revealed, which hath been concealed. So marvel not in thy heart, that I ordered thee to put it in the hands of a man whose anger would break out, from the judgment he drew, but would conceal that judgment from thee; because, I tell thee, thou wouldest have been foiled in giving an answer to his judgment; as he thought he saw it clear from this letter,

which I ordered thee to put in his hands; and therefore my answering thee that no threatenings stood against him on thy account, if he acted faithfully, to acknowledge the truth of what was put in his hands, was all that was required of him. But this would have been no convincing proof to him, as thou sayest in thy heart, nothing can be a convincing proof to him now, as he hath fixed his determination not to hear any thing, nor to read any thing, to convince him of his errors, from such determinations.

"I have answered thee already what destruction it bringeth upon mankind, and it is to shew what wrong judgment men draw, how little they know of the ways of the Lord, and his just decrees for them that follow on to know the Lord, that I have directed thee to such men, as thou hast been greatly stumbled at in thy own mind, and which the end will shew their folly. So let him not fix his determination, what he will do, or what he will not do, in a cause so weighty as this but let him know, what man appoints, God disappoints; for my ways are not as man's ways, nor my thoughts as man's thoughts. It is these determinations, that people fix in their own minds, which leads thousands into errors: it was these determinations in the Jews, not to see the truth, or to know it, but to try every way to conceal it, that brought destruction upon them, and hardened their hearts through unbelief. And so these determinations, in various sects and parties, determining to theirselves not to be con vinced whether they are right or wrong, which lead thousands to go on in errors; and with these determinations persecution hath been in all ages against the word of God. So let him trace the records of the scriptures through, and he will find what these determinations brought men to:

it brought destruction upon the prophets, and after that upon their own heads; it brought on the persecution in my Gospel, till men were determined to put ME to death, and after that on my Disciples; as men were determined not to hear nor listen to reason. And therefore such determined minds, in spiritual things, can never preach the scriptures aright; because, in condemning others, they must condemn theirselves. How can a man go into his pulpit to condemn the stubbornness of the Jews, who were determined not to see or believe, because of the prejudice they had taken against ME and my Disciples, without condemning himself? And as I was persecuted, so men joined in the persecution, and said it was spoken against every where, and therefore they would not believe in my Gospel, who suffered through persecution. Then now I tell thee and all mankind, if a religion is despised, because of persecution, or a person is despised for being visited from the Lord; then, let all men know, it is to support those that were persecuted that men are called forward to preach the Gospel, and to condemn their persecutors. So, if thy character is disgraced through persecution; let them know, it is from despised and disgraced characters that the scriptures are established throughout.

"Now let them come to the words of Paul :"We persuade you, in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to him" and so, in my stead, like the Disciples of old, was my command given to Pomeroy, with promised blessings, if he went on to try the spirit, and prove it, that he might know if it was of God; and threatened judgments, if he refused. But now it must be made known unto all men, he did not refuse receiving thy letters; he did not refuse passing his judg