BEING PRESENT AT THE TRIAL, I tell you plain, ye sons of men, Or how could I, who dwell on high, If they had known they had murder'd ME? So I'll end here, and say no more, But this I bid thee send; And now this answer let them hear, 189 After this communication was written, the Spirit seemed to leave Joanna, and there was no further communication till half past six o'clock; the thoughts of her awful Trial seemed as though it was over her head, and greater than she could bear; and was answered with these words: Thy Trial there's no Man could bear, If I in SPIRIT was not there; But soon thy Trial will come on- Over thy Spirits to appear, And so thy doom thou'lt shortly hear." Joanna being very faint, Townley persuaded her to take a little port wine. It was in a tea-cup, and she said to herself, when the wine was brought, "May I drink deep into the Spirit of Christ!" She was immediately answered, "Wilt thou break that tea-cup as thou didst break the glasses? then I will take thy Trial from thee; for thou wilt break thyself off from me." These words cut her to the heart, and Joanna thought she would sooner die as a martyr, than ever desert the Lord or his cause; so that she `was fearful of letting the cup fall. As we were writing, she took up the book of the Flock of Sheep, and opened it at the place of Osmyn, which affected her heart deeply. Now, Joanna, thee I'll answer, Let thy doubts and fears be gone; And shew'd thee of the awful day, If thou would'st break ('twas I did speak) The Trial thou should'st never bear, That thou wilt shortly see. But then behind thou soon would'st find Thy ruin to appear; Because to ME thou'd prove unkind, My Cross thou could'st not bear. Then I must fall, I tell you all, It could not go, I well do know, But I shall thee support; I say, thy hand in MINE does stand, THE LIMITS OF SATAN'S FOREKNOWLEDGE. 191 Oft to indite, when I'd not speak, So where's the Man shall dare condemn A heart that acts like thee? And all thy foes confound; Letters came from Mr. Hirst, and Mr. Senior, on Friday, August 10, 1804, which Joanna did not answer till this day. Yesterday, she said the letters must be answered, but as no conimunication was given her she could not answer them, so we did not write till half past six o'clock, and the Spirit of the Lord broke in upon her, and gave her an answer to Mr. Hirst's letter, which was finished this morning. 'After that, she had no communication till this evening, after the melancholy had seized her spirits; and one part of her melancholy sprung from our telling things of gipsies and people's telling of fortunes, which had been true; this worked a jealousy in Joanna's heart, that as knowledges had been given to them from a wrong Spirit, and thinking of ner awful trial, how she should appear if there was a possibility of her being deceived; but as soon as the question was put to her, of breaking herself off, she trembled at the thoughts and burst into tears. and thought she would sooner die than run that fatal hazard. Now, Joanna, thee I'll answer: How cans't thou with them compare; If ought be true, before their view, In them he'll speak, in them he'll break, For now I'll answer thee: As I do come, and in MY NAME, The words are spoken here; So Satan works the same with them, So some things true, before their view, So in the land they still do stand, The way that all's brought round; The wisdom see brought round by ME, And every footstep thou hast trod, It is to tell the fates of all, And so I've answer'd Man. And can thy heart in grief now swell, Upon the head of one that laid Thy soul in deep distress? To carry on as I've begun, And then the end thou'lt see; To be alone, thy grief to come, And Spirit thou hast none; Then let them see 'tis all in ME, To make the victory come. THE EXPLANATIONS OF THE BIBLE are continued in the THIRD PART. [Price Eighteen Penee.] S. ROUSSEAU, Printer, Wood Street, Spa Fields, London. |