of the Babylonish Army namely that it was a People so Mighty as there hath never been the like of them nor ever shall be again in all Generations or to all Eternity will easily be granted by all the World And that this cannot be understood here of the Roman Army is no less evident For those that pretend this Chapter is already fulfill'd must at the same time own that if the Holy Ghost in ver 28. was poured out in the first Pentecost and if the Romans did not Besiege and Destroy Jerusalem but till Forty Years afterward it is impossible that in the Second Verse mention could be made of this Army From the Third Verse to the Ninth the manner in which this Army shall March is describ'd In the Tenth it is said That the Earth shall quake before it the Heavens tremble the Sun and the Moon be dark and the Stars withdraw their shining In the Eleventh the Lord utters his Voice before His Army which shall be very great and strong and shall execute his Word in such wise that this Day of the Lord shall be a Day so great and so terrible that none shall be able to abide it That all this should be done by the Babylonian Army is not probable either from Scripture or from any other Writer and much less by the Roman to which the very Order of the Prophet will not permit us to apply it as hath been already said From the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Verse the Prophet gives Counsel how the Inhabitants of Jerusalem ought to behave themselves and what they ought to do to be exempted from the Calamity Which besides can have no manner of Application to the Babylonian Expedition since it was known out of the Prophet that not only at that time there would not be any Remedy but that the Jews were bound according to God's Will to surrender themselves up to the Babylonians which since they refus'd to do the King together with the Nobles made hereby the Misery to fall heavier upon themselves their City and their People and so drew down upon themselves their own Ruin In the 17th He prosecutes his Counsel by advising the Priests the Ministers of the Lord to weep between the Porch and the Altar and to say Spare thy People O Lord and give not thine Heritage to reproach that the Heathen should rule over them Wherefore wilt thou let it be a By-word amongst the Nations Where is their God Hereupon follows in the 18th Verse till the 27th the Answer of this Prayer namely that God would be Jealous for his Land and pity his People Now it is not found that either the Priests then made such a Prayer betwixt the Porch and the Altar or that the Answer which is here promis'd to such a Prayer did follow The Temple with the whole City of Jerusalem and the Land of Canaan being destroy'd and made desolate Neither did this at all come to pass in the Destruction from the Romans but the Temple was reduc'd to Ashes some Weeks before the City and then there follow'd not any Relief but such a Desolation as endureth yet to this very day Nay the Order which the Prophet observes will not at all permit as hath been said already that the Destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans should be apply'd hereto Since that which now follows in the Text must according to the Sentiment of those who believe this Prophesie already fulfill'd have been Forty Years before the Destruction of Jerusalem which nevertheless the Prophet puts after the Calamity which he describes here and which shall come upon Jerusalem For after that this shall be after that Jerusalem shall be Environ'd after that it's Walls shall be Scal'd and after that the Enemies shall be as it were Masters of the City After that the People shall be hereby Converted to the Lord and after that the Priests shall send up to Him their Groans and Supplications and that He shall hear these Groans and these Supplications shall spare his Land and his People shall repel the Enemies and lastly shall cause them to see again and to enjoy much Prosperity then will the Lord after all this pour out his Spirit upon all Flesh and the Sons and the Daughters shall Prophesie c. Now this having not come to pass upon the Babylonian Captivity and Destruction and yet much less upon the Roman and since that which after this Promise happen'd in Pentecost to the Apostles preceeded the latter by many Years it is certain that the Prophetical Text has not hitherto had its Total Accomplishment to this present day but that necessarily the Time wherein it must and shall be accomplish'd is yet to come it being impossible for the Word to Lie And this is also Confirm'd by the Third Chapter whose Coherence with the Second is indissoluble that in those days and in that time when that which is promis'd in the Second Chapter shall be fulfill'd he the Lord shall bring again the Captivity of Judah and Jerusalem In which nevertheless Judah and Jerusalem have since the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon the Day of Pentecost been already more than Sixteen Hundred Years and still are in it Besides there is also express'd such a Promise in the 28th and 29th Verses of the Second Chapter which could not be Accomplish'd in the Apostles seeing that after this the Spirit ought to be pour'd out upon all Flesh in such a manner as that their Sons and Daughters should Prophesie their Old Men should dream Dreams and their Boys should see Visions and that also in those days upon their Men-servants and upon their Maid-servants should the Spirit be poured out Now the Apostles are not all Flesh And much less can it be said of them that they are call'd Sons and Daughters Boys Men-servants and Maid-servants and at the very same time likewise Old Men. It is true that in the First Pentecost of the New Testament there came upon the Apostles that which the Lord hath here promis'd yet this was very far from fulfilling the Prophesie This was only a Beginning and a Foretaste of which the Total Accomplishment is yet to be expected And this is also sufficiently evident from the very words of the Apostle Peter Acts 2.39 that the Promise was to them and to their Children and to all that were afar whom the Lord our God should call Wherefore since the Day here describ'd even the Terrible Day of the Lord is not yet come nor shall come but in the time of the Sixth Seal Rev. 6. And since the effectual Deliverance of God has not according to what has been already prov'd been given upon the Prayers of the Priests in the time of the Captivity of Babylon or of the Destruction of Jerusalem Which Deliverance ought nevertheless to be effected at the same time with the Fact here describ'd by Joel in such a manner that God will appear Jealous for his People and will pity them And in the
be at all concerned at it but they will send out others who must in like manner be treated Notwithstanding which there shall many be made manifest who love me and keep my Word and I will pour out upon them the Streams of the Spirit and all things I will Praise-worthyly and Gloriously accomplish And no body shall hinder me for I am the LORD and will fulfil my Word which hath this long time been spoken Amen It shall come to pass as surely as I the Lord am the Lord. Amen 11. Next follows a Glorious Promise how God's Truth shall break forth like Light so that none shall be able to withstand it and that it shall fall like Fire into the Eyes of the Fools whence dread and trouble shall come upon them Should I not in this time cause my unfathomable Faithfulness and mine Everlasting Love to break forth seeing that the Hour is come Yea my Light shall arise in the Darkness and my Truth shall Shine like the Sun in his full strength for my Statutes I will make to be acknowledged and my Truth will I not suffer to lye hid in obscurity I will do another thing in Israel yea a strange thing will I do which shall drop from the Spirit of Truth and like Fire fall into the Eyes of the Unwise And if they will not receive it Darkness shall seize upon them O slumber not now ye Wise Virgins but stand on your Watch for the Bridegroom cometh Go ye forth with a new noise Praise ye and Magnifie my Name O ye Nations and Armies For the New Jerusalem is about building Be ye then compacted every one to another in the Love taking no thought how it should be for I am with you 12. The following one is a precious Testimony of Christ towards a Person of great Quality being in the Fear of the Lord vvhom He lifts very Graciously up I the Substantial Truth the Everlasting Love do in the Spirit bear vvitness that I am CHRIST the Lord of Belief the Vanquisher of unbelief the Destroyer of doubt the Light of Men the Spring of Life one that is Holy and Righteous who destroyeth the Kingdom of Darkness taketh avvay the Power of Hell and pulleth out the Sting of Sin I am JESUS CHRIST the Lord who do reveal my self and for the Love which I bear to all Men do witness in the Spirit that tho' I do more clearly and more Familiarly reveal my self to some then I do to others as may be seen in Paul and Cephas yet my everlasting Love is the same unto all Men for I respect not the Person of any but whosoever doth well and keepeth my Commandments the same is well-pleasing unto me Wherefore I JESUS the Lord of Life do bear witness that I am revealed after an hidden Spiritual manner in their Spirits because in singleness and oneness I am delighted to Work I am the very same Spirit that bore witness in the Spirit of all the Apostles namely the Spirit of Christ by whose wounds you are healed I am the Eternal Love through whose Glory you stand in the Father's Presence Therefore Sing ye merrily O let Heaven and the Children of God give a shout for joy for my Hour is come in which I gather in my Vintage even them whom my Father hath given me for an everlasting Heritage whom I have purchased to my self through my Cross and Death In which blessed Way as many as are true believers do follow me under my easie Yoak I am the Way of Life whosoever believeth in me hath Life Everlasting and I will dwell in him and he in me to Everlasting Glory Behold here are the Wounds and the Marks of the Nails for a Testimony in the Spirit of this my so burning Love I spread forth my Arms to take in that which is gone astray to hold up that which is feeble to strengthen that which is fearful for I will take my Flock to my Self and feed them for my Heart melteth towards them Why should I not exalt my self in the Sanctuary And why should I not declare my Power in the Hearts of all the Faithful Yea why not in all Speeches and Languages Am not I your Shepherd How then can I any longer see the Confusion of my Flock Give thy Voice O Lord of Heaven my Father and regard the Desolation hereof and behold how all things are neglected and how my true Word which I uttered by my Prophets and my Apostles is looked on as nought For what they do is all Hypocrisy they forsake the Power of the Word and dig themselves out here and there their own Wells whose being is in the outward Work but the Powerful Principles of Faith whose being is in the Inward Ground they deny And therefore is my Wrath kindled and for this end am I come to Judge the Earth But who is there that hath known my meaning And who hath been of my Counsel Nevertheless the Spirit by whom ye are Sealed unto Holiness searcheth all things even the Spirit so richly poured out on you by the Father and by whose means you believe even by his strength for it is he himself who vvorketh Faith in you Be thou then through this Spirit stirred up in Faith my dear M y Dwell thou in me and I will dwell in thee that thou with memaist live everlastingly Believe and so art thou helped for in believing me thou findest all things Be joyful in Hope patient in Affliction take good heed to this I say and live up to it so shall I for ever remain thy faithful Friend and Brother Wrestle with me in the Faith so shalt thou know me for I will come with the Father and the Holy Ghost and we will dwell with thee for the Father loveth thee for my sake and the Comforter the Holy Ghost is with thee In singleness and lowliness of Heart Sing HALLELUJAH This is a Testimony in the Spirit given from the Everlasting Christ Jesus the Conqueror of Death Devils and Hell 13. The Grafting in again of the Olive Branches which were broken off and the breaking off of the Evil Branches and Transplanting them into a wild place Peace be with you dear Children Speak ye now concerning the help out of Sion and rejoice over the Salvation of Israel For the hour is come in which I bring again the Branches of the Olive and regraft them into their Places for that I am the Lord excercising righteousness and stedfast in keeping my Word But as for the Evil and the Hardned them do I again lop off and send away into a wild Place Why speakest thou so loftily O thou profligate one My Justice I will make thee to see for thou hast nothing of thy self but all that thou hast is from meer Grace But be of good Comfort my Ephraim I will provide for thee my dear Daughter and will deliver thee from the Scorners I have said it to thee be joyful henceforward and fear not for I am
had then some Conversations concerning the Conversion of Israel and the Kingdom of Christ For this Person happening afterward to Travel through the Town in which dwelt the Widow with her Daughters was informed by some Friends how there was in that Town a Godly Family in which a young Maiden had by particular Illumination received very much from God concerning the Future Grace and Restoration of the Tribes of Israel As the said Person writ this to us withal adding that all this Agreed with what we had been discoursing together we resolved in the Name of God to write to the said young Gentlevvoman from whom we received such an Answer as wonderfully heartned us and gave us presently to see that it must be an higher Hand that guided her's in writing XXI As therefore we knew not yet any thing of these Heavenly Testimonies or of the manner in which the Lord gave and dictated them he was pleas'd to comfort and lift us up who were wearied and tired and despised before the World for having believed and witnessed his Kingdom by a dear Kingdom Testimony which was sent us upon October the 20th of the Year MDCXC by this B. Maid which here follows I the Spirit of Love I the Truth of Jesus Christ do in the Spirit witness and declare that ye my dear Friends do stand in the Truth In which being firmly grounded be sure to hold fast the trust of my Love and I who am the Hope of Israel will bring you forth safe notwithstanding all the oppositions of the Incredulous for I am a Strong Castle wherein ye may securely dwell And the more simple ye grow so much the greater delight do I take that ye may see deeper and deeper into my Mysteries which I will reveal to those that are of a Contrite Heart and will lay open to the Simple in the Faith In this latter time I will declare my Wonders I say it who am the Lord of Faith Jesus Christ to you my beloved having Loved you from the beginning of your Life It is I who bind up what is Sore and heal what is Wounded for I am Love and whosoever remains in Love dwells in God and the Father dwells in him Dear Friends Farewel I have witnessed this in the Spirit from the abundance of the Love which I bear towards you Amen Reading then this Divine Exhortation Encouragement of which we had no manner of doubt we fell upon our Knees giving thanks for it and directing our Vows to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ of Sacrificing up to him our whole Life of placing our confidence in him preferably to all Men and of declaring abroad his holy Truth Hereupon we resolved to be acquainted with such dear Friends of God and accordingly we parted hence on the Third of November and arrived there on the Sixth of the same in the Evening where we saw in them much more then we could have before believed and were immediately convinced of the Divinity of the Matter And for as much as they had not hitherto observed in the Holy Scripture that which the Lord had spoken to them as God had made it knovvn to us by his Spirit and also for as much as there vvere also some things contained in those Divine Testimonies vvhich they had received vvhich they did not as yet understand and as vve confer'd one vvith another of the Gift vvhich vve had received from God vve vvere mightily comforted together We my Wife and I for that we saw how that which we had Comprehended and found out in the Prophets and in the Apocalypse concerning future things vvas not according to our ovvn Fancy but in the Truth according to the Sense of God And they for that by our Instructions they came to knovv hovv that vvhat the Lord had given them after an Extraordinary manner had been before conceived by the Spirit of God in the Writings of the Prophets and Apostles XXII We vvere then also mightily refresh'd by our dear Lord and Saviour vvho during this Intervievv vvas Graciously pleased to give us this follovving Testimony Be ye joyful be ye joyful ye vvho knovv my Name and have my Love for I will do great things for you Therefore be ye chearful Look and observe well for I am here I go in to the Work Be ye affectionate be filled with Joy and with Psalms of Praise Verily I say unto you the Hour cometh and is now come in which I judge according to Truth and Righteousness I am Christ the Lord who have Compassion over dear Sion and over Ephraim my Beloved I have brought you together with a Blessing and am in the midst of you I am the Light and the Love and I delight to abide with you I have said it unto you but who is there that can discover that which is my Intention Amen I have said it unto you Now according as the Lord who both knows all things and can make all things subservient to his Will had said it so it came to pass While by his Marvellous and holy Conduct we have now had with us this dear Family for these Nine Months past which we had not at our first Meeting any reason to hope for and have according to his Will been by wonderful steps brought to dwell together So upon the Tenth day of November we parted thence with Joy and were led home in Peace But as soon we were return'd the Slanders began afresh to be reviv'd against us but we took new strength from all the Benefits which we had received from the Lord and one day we had this Encouragement given us Peace be with you ye Blessed here am I your loving Saviour your dearest Friend and Brother whose Everlasting Love and Faithfulness cannot be bounded for my Love is flaming and my Heart is all on fire But ye do not yet conceive my Love it is so very great O be glad O cry aloud and sing O praise ye and magnifie my Name for my Right shall get the Victory and my Truth shall be made great It shall arise and spread like the break of the Morning Rejoice ye in my help ye who are driven out I run after you to bring you back to lead you home unto me I who speak it am Christ the Lord. Believe only and hold fast to me and then let not your Hearts be troubled for I will make my Name to be great and my Statutes I will cause to be received Ye are those whom I love confess ye therefore that I am the Lord from Everlasting who lye not that I should be slack to fulfil the Word of my Promise And I would that every one should be converted and live My Hand is not shortened my Faithful Mercy hath no end and my Love grows not cold O Sing with a joyful Melody for my Hour is come and the Day of the Bridegroom is at hand Love ye one another and live happily To your upright Friends in the Truth
an appearance of Godliness as if it were possible the very Elect would be deceived by them For they have Tokens of Perfection making to themselves a Glory of true Humility notwithstanding which there is nothing in them but Deceit and Abomination As I live I will destroy them for they Prophesie by their own Spirit with which the Starry Spirit is intermixed and bring forth many Wise Sayings and say I am he I am he believe me for here is Immanuel Christ is in me he speaks by me But all this is meer deceit they are Lies and Fallen Spirits Yet be not afraid ye Lambs who hear my Voice for ye shall be preserved against the Hour of Temptation for to Babes is the Mystery discovered and that which is Foolish and that which is Simple before the World is that which I have prepared for my self And the Simple tread securely and that which is Nothing I have chosen and unto little Children is given the Heavenly Wisdom to the end they may put to shame that which is lifted up in the Carnal Sense and that which is little may put that which is exalted underneath it Be not then afraid ye Lambs for unto you is given the true Wisdom to the end ye may be certain and able to discern for ye have the pure Ointment and the Spirit of Truth whereby ye may know all the secret Pleasures and become certain Take heed for the False Spirit is now in all States though not so powerfully as he shall be Judge now my Fathers and Brethren beloved in Christ a true Judgment in the Eyes of God I earnestly beseech you for the Universal Love of the Truth and to the Publick Confession of the Holy Wonders of God to send me as soon as may be your Theological Answer May the Lord JESUS to whom this Matter appertains be powerful with his Spirit in your Spirit May he defend you with his Mighty Arm against all the Gainsayers of his Holy Truth and Crown you in the Day of the Resurrection of the Righteous with Everlasting Glory Amen I remain Your c. Most Obliged to Love and Prayer J. W. P. The Postscript IT having pleas'd our Good God and Saviour by several Testimonies of the same kind and Revelations given to Persons in many Places and of all Sorts and Ranks as Rich and Poor Noble and Plebeian Learned and Unlearned Men and Women Young and Old hidden from the World but known to God to confirm what he has Reveal'd by his Spirit in this Blessed Lady I beseech you Country-men and Brethren from the Deep Centre of Love to hearken to this one Sealing Testimony which some few Years since flow'd from the Vnity of the same Spirit to One in This Nation I heard a Voice saying Great silence in Heaven for half an Hour Then there was a great Gathering together of many Saints and Angels before the Throne and they seem'd in great Consultation And He that sate on the Throne appear'd in great Glory with a glorious Crown on his Head Then I heard a Voice saying Arise my Servant that art to go forth with the Everlasting Gospel for I am coming forth with Ten Thousands of my Saints to Judge the Earth Pray and cry aloud that Judgment may not break out in the House of the Lord Say Spare thy People O Lord and deliver thy Heritage and let them not be consumed with the Wicked Mourn O my People betwixt the Porch and the Altar so may ye prevent the Judgment that is coming forth Behold I will put a Key into the Hand of my Servant that is to go forth with the Everlasting Gospel which will unlock the Heavens and bring down a Blessing upon my People Sing O ye Heavens and rejoice O ye Saints that live upon the Earth For I will deliver you from the Adversaries by the mighty Hand of my Power Fast and Pray and your Cries shall be heard and your Tears shall be shut up into my Bottle for a Memorial before me And such as rise up against you shall fall before you And I saw a Rainbow about the Throne and the Voice said This shall be a Covenant betwixt me and my People Then I heard a great Voice saying I will come forth with Power and will scatter such as rise up against the Everlasting Gospel Arise arise my Servant and put on my Strength and come forth For I am coming to do great things upon the Earth Howl ye Wicked for I will pour out my Spirit on my Servants and on my Handmaids and they shall Prophesie and their Prophesies shall come to pass Prepare your Hearts O ye Saints to meet your God and I will fill your Hearts full of Joy and Rejoicing For it is given to you to sing the Song of Praises and Thansgivings Then shall the Daughters of Sion be fill'd with Praises and Songs of Deliverance For behold the King cometh with Triumph and Victory and the Voice of the LORD shall be heard through the Earth Then I beheld Four Cherubims clapping their Hands together and crying Holy Holy Holy Lord God of Sabbaoth Heaven and Earth are full of thy Glory Then I beheld a Glorious Throne in the midst of Mount Sion and Twenty Four Elders round about the Throne and they threw down their Crowns saying Amen Amen so be it FINIS
A LETTER To Some DIVINES Concerning the Question Whether GOD since Christ 's Ascension doth any more Reveal himself to Mankind by the means of Divine Apparitions With an Exact Account of what God hath bestowed upon a Noble Maid from her Seventh Year until Now MDCXCI Written Originally in High-Dutch and now set forth in English by the Editor of the LAWS of PARADISE newly Published 1 Cor. 2.16 Who hath known the Mind of the LORD that he may instruct him But we have the Mind of CHRIST LONDON Printed and Sold by John Whitlock in Stationers-Court near Ludgate 1695. TO THE English READER MAny and Vain have been the Pretensions to Inspiration in all Ages of the World even â—o many as to make one almost doubt of the Reality of Any Thing that would be thought to be of that kind If God has had his Prophets the Devil has always had his in much more abundance and he has learnt so well to transform himself into an Angel of Light that it requires perhaps something more than Man to trace out his Windings and pluck off his Vizard Hence it is that some Considering Persons and those as there is reason to believe of Good Intentions have at the end after long Search and Puzlings of their Brain on this Head been tempted to conclude that whatever goes beyond the Reach of the Ordinary Light of Reason or Claims to be deriv'd from an higher Source is Uncertain and altogether Unsatisfactory Whence they have thought it sufficient to observe the Laws of Natural and Moral Religion And for fear they should be Impos'd upon have cut the Knot at once and so without fairly weighing the Arguments on both sides have too hastily decided the Controversie in favour of Human Reason against Divine Revelation Others who are convinc'd of the Corruption and Degeneracy of our Nature the Vncertainty of Human Reasoning and the Imperfect Knowledge which we have at best of the Divine Being or of our own Spirits and Souls have thought it absolutely impossible without the assistance of a more than Ordinary Illumination from Him who is the Fountain of Lights to arrive at any True Discerning in the Concerns of Religion Hence they have determin'd it Necessary and Included in the very Notion of a God which supposes the Care of All that has proceeded from Him that God should send his Prophets Apostles Evangelists and other Inspir'd Teachers to inform us of our Present and Future State so far as is needful for us to know to admonish us of our Duty to keep up in us a Sense of his All-directing Providence and to Foretel and Prepare our Minds for the reception of the various Dispensations of his Love and Justice For the Perfecting of the Saints and for the Building up the Body of Christ that by the means of These we may grow up into Him who is the Head But all this say many among the Great the Wise and the Learned has been sufficiently provided for already God has reveal'd his Holy Will to us in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament the Canon of which is now Seal'd up Christ having abundantly Instructed his Disciples in all that 's Necessary to make Mankind Happy whilst he Convers'd with 'em here Below is now Ascended up on High and speaks no more to us but in that Book which He has left behind for the Ordinary Guidance of his Church until he shall come again in like manner as he was seen to go up He has also forewarned us that in the Latter Days many False Prophets and False Christs should arise who would deceive if it were possible the very Elect. We have Moses and the Prophets yea we have Christ and the Apostles Therefore 't is just that we should cleave to these Alone without looking for any further Revelation or Manifestation from God lest we should come to be Deluded by Dreams and Legends or Tales of Women and to be carry'd about with every Wind or Spirit of Doctrine by the sleights of Men lying in wait to deceive Many instances are produced by them of such as have Knowingly or Ignorantly been the Instruments of Seduction and have drawn in many into a Belief not only of the greatest Extravagances but also of the highest Blasphemies And so many things are truly urg'd concerning the strength of Imagination and the Effects of Religious Melancholly that I do not much wonder at 'em for suspecting all that they hear of Extraordinary Illumination to be no better Notwithstanding which prejudices I have yet met with some few Persons both Abroad and at Home that are neither Fools nor Madmen of whom I do sincerely profess after much Doubting and long Examining that they seem to me assisted in a Special Manner by God for some Great and Glorious Ends which are as yet hid from the World These live in great Humility and Simplicity entire Resignation universal Love and an Heroical Faith that is without Doubting without Fear and as free from Credulity as from either In whom I have beheld the Princely Magnanimity of the Lion mix'd with the Meek Sweetness of the Lamb. With these they go forth Conquering and to Conquer in the Power of God being Dedicated to him and most assuredly Possess'd Enlighten'd and Actuated by Him not living their own Life but His neither speaking their own Words nor doing their own Deeds but letting Him Speak and Act all in them whose Right it is to be All in All of whose Nature they are made Partakers in the New Birth having in 'em the Mind of Christ and being truly the Temples of the Holy Ghost They have their Eyes constantly fix'd upon the Author and Finisher of this Warfare for the sake of whom they not only endure the Cross but what is more to a Brave Spirit despise the Shame They are especially given to the Reading of the Holy Scriptures and they believe the Lives of the Antient Worthies that are there Recorded to be set down for them to Copy and not to give 'em barely an Historical Knowledge of some strange Particulars that are not Now any longer Practicable They say that Moses and the Prophets Christ and the Apostles have all had respect to and prophesy'd of the Times that are approaching very swiftly They expect in these Latter Days to see many False Prophets and False Christs setting up themselves yea that the Great Antichrist shall be reveal'd in the Deceivableness of Lying Wonders But they are not at this at all solicitous or troubled they know on whom they relye they will not mistrust their Heavenly Father as if he would suffer them to be misled who have given up themselves without reserve to be led by Him Let Him do say they with us as he pleases we are no longer our Own but His We know our own Weakness and Inability to Guide our selves and that as we cannot but Err and go Astray whenever we follow the Devices and Desires of our own Hearts let 'em appear
find And I do sincerely assure every Christian Soul that reads this that if it were possible to have found any Real or Material Objection in any one Point I would certainly have shewn it I am not Ignorant of most or all the Objections which the most Jealous and Subtle Spirit can here form yet after all am still more and more through the Grace bestow'd on me confirm'd in the Belief hereof Some Arguments for which both External and Internal I shall briefly hint and leave to the Censure of the Judicious and Sober Among the External Proofs for the Truth of this Matter I place first the Agreement of the Line of Time or the Prophetical Measure Which is not altogether to be despis'd notwithstanding it is so very intricate and perplex'd and that so many have hitherto fail'd in it For allowing it to be true which is not perhaps yet altogether so clear that all have yet been out in it to say thence that none can ever know it is no more than to say That because Multitudes have been mistaken in a Thing 't is not possible that any one should be in the Right Or because we have seen none that have hit the White 't is not possible that any should come near it which would be as if a Naturalist should deny the possibility of making Salt-water Fresh because many have not succeeded in the Attempt But not to lay any greater stress upon this than it will bear it will not be amiss that the Inquisitive Christian look a little into the Face of the Times and consider the present Tendencies which he can perceive towards some Grand Revolution in the Church Of this not some few as of the former but every one is capable and this likewise every one is oblig'd to that believes the Gospel of Christ who for that end gives us at large the Marks and Signs which shall forerun the Coming of the Son of Man to destroy the Wicked Worldly Jerusalem Typify'd under that Bloody City which was raz'd by the Romans under Titus Vespasianus giving at the same time to those who omit to do so the terrible Name of Hypocrites ranking 'em among those who say They are Jews but are not Another Consideration that might incline every serious Person to give a more than ordinary Attention at this time and to take the Pains to try the Spirits whether they be of God or not is that Universal Expectation in all Places of something New that is to break forth upon the Stage of this Lower World Germany is not the only Place France according to all Credible Relations is little less Tinctur'd the Severity of that Monarch and of the Governing Clergy of that Kingdom is not able to put a stop to the Growth of that Mustard-seed which is encreasing into a Tree that is to overshadow the whole Earth Neither has God left himself without a Seed in Italy and what I have found there after the most sincere and impartial search that I have been able to make is enough to satisfie me that it is design'd by God to be the Scene of some very Extraordinary Thing within a little space of time and that there will be such a glorious Manifestation of his Judgment and Mercy as never has been yet there Neither are these great Expectations accompany'd with extraordinary Motions of the Divine Spirit in several Persons only among Christians but even among the Turks and that too among the most Eminently Dignify'd and the Chief Ministers of the Port several of whom as I am inform'd by such as have nearly Convers'd with 'em and whose Integrity as well as Ability I can confide in expect only a Door to be open'd for 'em that they may profess what they are in their Hearts Convinc'd of That there is also something moving at this Day in the Spirits of the very Jews beyond what has hitherto been and in quite another manner is well known to several who have intimately Discours'd 'em upon Divine Matters and the Fulfilling of Scripture Prophesies Some in Holland Germany Italy and even here in England have been found to give some Testimony to some of the Great Things contain'd in this Letter some one way some another some by Interpretation of the Old Scriptures others by immediate Illumination of whom even those who have not understood it have appear'd to themselves to have been surrounded with a Bright Cloud and to behold the Vail drop from them But I forbear considering that many things relating to them and to the rest of the Tribes of Israel are to be kept secret till the Appointed Day For the same Reason also what relates to the Preparation and Disposition which is at this time in the Heathens themselves both in the East and West Indies and how that among these last in like manner as before the coming of the Spaniard there are Expectations and Predictions of another sort of Revolution to be in those Parts than the former one was As also for that I love not to speak of any thing that is at a distance without the Authority I have it from be sufficient to make amends for the same and to put me even beyond almost the possibility of being my self deceiv'd or of deceiving others I shall not insist on but leave this with many other things of a Particular Nature that might be said upon this Head till the Truth shall Powerfully manifest it self Another Consideration to incline us to a serious Weighing at least of the Matter of Fact contain'd in this Letter may be the several Miraculous Appearances that according to the Belief of many have lately been and yet are amongst us here in England Now tho' I would not lay a greater stress upon these than they are able to bear as being sensible that one False or Suspicious Miracle is of greater disadvantage to Reveal'd Religion than all the Real Ones of our Blessed Saviour and his Apostles are of advantage to it in the Minds of many Gentlemen who value themselves above others for what they call Thinking Freely notwithstanding this I am not afraid to assert that be they what they will they are however Alarms to Awaken us to Try the Spirits Which is all that I desire in order to the giving a Verdict upon the Life of this dear Blessed Lady as to that part of it which is here Recorded Neither is that Great Inundation of Atheism and Deism at this present a Sign slightly to be pass'd over of the Breaking forth of the Heavenly Powers For were not the Spirit of God very Active at this time in the Spirits of his Saints the Spirit of the Prince of this World would never be so busie either to Deny him barefacedly or to Oppose at least his Return to Universal Nature to restore it to its Primitive and Paradisiacal State And as there never was more Sadducism in the World than when the Son of God was first Manifested in it and did so many Miracles so is
Confirmation and we cannot without the highest Affront to that Reason which we pretend so much to but give it to that side which has all the real Characters of Truth and Sincerity when the other has only Phansies and Suspicions to support its Credit But if besides all this God himself has been pleas'd by his Immediate Finger to set his Seal to the Truth of these Revelations and to confirm 'em in a Miraculous Manner as will in part appear by the Account of some Matters of Fact nakedly related in This Letter that are evidently above the Power of Nature then one would think there could be no longer any room for standing out against or even for not surrendring one self up to the Belief of their Divine Original And if all the Marks of True Inspiration be Applicable to These and no Objection has been made to 'em which has not been made to those of the Acknowledg'd Prophets in the Times wherein they liv'd as might be instanc'd at large I know not what more can be desir'd This is left to the Spirits of the Prophets and to the Consideration of all those who profess to believe that sure Word of Prophesie which is the Testimony of JESVS Many Testimonies relating to this Matter might easily be brought were it either Needful or Convenient under the present Circumstances so to do Whence it is thought fit to Publish only One that has been Communicated by an Eye and Ear-witness who made it his Business to be perfectly acquainted with this Matter By all which and by a mighty Cloud who daily bear Testimony hereto and especially by the Two Witnesses of the Old and New Testament there are some who for their own parts dare say that they are fully Convinc'd both as to the Revelations consider'd apart and as to the Blessed Lady whom God has chosen to be the Instrument of ' em Who is not in the decrease at all but still gloriously proceeds as is well known to many in the Increase of this Marvellous Illumination The Sun-beams of the Divine Light and Glory do every day more Throughly and more Intimately Enlighten the Bright Wounds of Jesus do daily more and more purifie Her and in short she is in such a manner prepar'd that if She be call'd out hereafter of the Solitude in which she is at present and be Crown'd with Glory Wisdom and Power it will be no more than what we may reasonably expect It is not to be doubted but that the Spirit will bear Witness that this is Truth to all that will listen to it in the pure stilness of Holy Silence And I am well assur'd that here in England in like manner as it has done in Germany and Holland it must work with great Power on the Souls of many and that God will do something in a little time to awaken the Slumbering Nations But granting there should be nothing at all Divine in this Matter I can't see any Hurt that the Publishing of it to this Nation would be For here is no Encouragement to any Frantick Zeal to set up it self in the Name of the Lord nothing to promote Seditions Strifes and Dissentions but the quite contrary nothing for the Establishing a Sect or Party but frequent and powerful Incitements to Peace Unity and Love of every one Nothing taught but what is highly Agreeable to the Doctrine of Christ and nothing Foretold which a Good Man may not wish for or which as to the Main is not publickly Pray'd for in Most or All the Congregations of Any that are call'd Christians In some of 'em Occasionally in others Constantly As the Conversion of the Jews the Fulness of the Gentiles the Destruction of all Idolatry Superstition Heresie and Schism the Settlement of Peace Truth and Righteousness over the whole Earth that so all that will may come to be Enlighten'd and those that will not but obstinately refuse the Light may be cast out into the outward Darkness the Kingdoms of this World being made the Kingdom of our God and of his Christ and there being One Fold under One Shepherd If then these things be in themselves desirable and to be Pray'd for and have been Pray'd for above these Sixteen Hundred Years we must needs allow that there can't be any Hurt in the Belief of 'em to be near at hand And consequently let this Matter of Fact be never so contestible it can have no Bad Influence either upon the Lives and Actions of Any or upon Publick Affairs But if this Matter be indeed of God God will go along with it Here and those that Fight against it will be found to Fight against God So that if it be of Him it shall stand and Triumph and if it be not of Him none can more Earnestly desire that it may come to Nothing than He who sends it Now abroad to the English Nation for this End that God alone may be Glorify'd and that Truth and Righteousnes may Prevail to the Confusion of Errour and Impiety To which let all the Earth say Amen Hallelujah Come Holy Ghost our Souls inspire And lighten with Celestial Fire Thou the Anointing Spirit c. Form of Ordering of Priests 1 Thes v. 19 20 21. Quench not the Spirit Despise not Prophesyings Prove all things hold fast that which is Good Acts xxii 14 15. The God of our Fathers hath chosen Thee that thou shouldest know his Will and see that Just One and shouldest hear the Voice of his Mouth for thou shalt be his Witness unto all Men of what thou hast Seen and Heard John xiv 21. He that loveth me shall be loved of my Father and I will love him and will manifest my self to him 1 Cor. ii 10 11 12 13. God hath Revealed them to us by his Spirit for the Spirit searcheth all things yea the deep things of God For who knows the things of a Man save the Spirit of a Man even so the things of God knows none but the Spirit of God Now we have received not the Spirit of the World or of Man but the Spirit of God that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God Which also we speak not in the words which Man's wisdom teacheth but which the Holy Ghost teacheth comparing Spiritual things with Spiritual And afterward v. 14 15. But the Natural the Animal or Soulish Man receives not the things of the Spirit of God For they are foolishness to him neither can ye know them because they are spiritually discerned But he that is Spiritual discerneth all things yet he himself is discerned of no Man John i. 46. Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth Come and see The Testimony which is referr'd to in the Preface EST illa Virgo singularibus maxime supernaturalibus a Deo ornata donis Spiritus ita ut externus ipsius faciei habitus cum intima animae Spiritus qualitate suaviter respondeat Gaudet mirabili summe extraordinaria a
my Heart is thy Chamber to sleep in and my Wounds thy Bed to rest in My Life is thine my Glory is thine I am thine and will remain thine Again HE said Walk before me and be good Serve me faithfully and follow me I will enflame thy Heart with a lively burning Devotion and with the Light of my Grace Thy Prayers shall be as perfume before me and I will answer them Thou art my dear Child my precious Child my most lovely Child and I am thy God thy Fortress thy Life and thy Light X. As this blessed Creature was favour'd with these and many other Refreshments by CHRIST her Well-beloved she was at the same time exposed like S. Paul to the pinchings and buffettings of the Devil For at diverse times she has seen in â—…ll day Satan present himself before her in the shape of a Black with bâ—â—â—…ng Eyes and an horrible Face being attended with other Devils who together with him endeavouring to lay word on her were not able but after having a little terrify'd her were driven away by the holy Angels whom God had sent for her defence and rescue Aâ—â—â—… the Devil appear'd to her one day with a Coffin making a shew of casting her into it when no sooner had she â—â—â—…'d upon God to help her by saying 〈◊〉 â—herefore is the Son of God revealed 〈…〉 destroy the Works of the Deâ—â—… 〈◊〉 at these words became as so mâ—â—â— flaming Scourges which were 〈…〉 to her Eyes and forced the 〈…〉 â—…ave her XI In the same Year it pleas'd the Great GOD to give her an Opening out of the holy Revelation especially out of the xxth and xxist of the said Book Which I here subjoin that you may judge whether it be possible that this could be produced by the Phansy or by any Faculty of the Soul in a Child so young as this The Manifestations which the LORD dictated Verbatim and gâ—â—… 〈◊〉 her Pen in setting down when she was hardly able to Write or Spell and which she keeps by her in the Original are these word for word I will go forth within a little while and will bind the Devil in such a manner that he shall not be able to fly any more in the Air nor to seduce Mankind and then I will come upon the 〈…〉 God and Man with the holy Câ—â—… JERUALEM and will Judge 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I will and my dear Christians 〈…〉 appoint Judges and my Glory 〈…〉 â—â—…nd them and in my Brâ—â—… 〈…〉 they shine I will givâ—â—… 〈…〉 Power to Teach and to Reprove and I will give them such a Spirit as I have given to those who are Beheaded for my Name Such a Spirit shall rest double upon all of them and they shall reign with me a Thousand Years and I will give them great power to bring in the Ignorant that so there may be one Shepherd and one Fold The Wicked Dead shall not live again till the Thousand Years be expired and then they shall be raised to Judgment So shall all the Blessed be in the Kingdom and I will descend with all the Faithful and Elect Souls and will keep Heaven as it were with the Children of Men. I will also preserve Christianity for a Thousand Years so as it may during that time â—â—â—…ease till that the Number be 〈…〉 When therefore these Thousand Years shall be finished I will be no longer with Christendom after thâ—…â—â—…nner but will go unto the Father into the wide Eternity together with the Elect leaving here the JERVSALEM-Christendom And I will 〈◊〉 Satan to come forth that he may seduce the People that are hardned which shall remain which are Gog and Magog And these shall be gathered together in Battel against the Christians who are my holy People But I will then cause Fire to fall from Heaven and will destroy them utterly and bring them to an End And I will raise all the Dead and will make an end of this World and the Faithful who shall then be alive I will transform and will sentence the Good and the Wicked XII As now her Mother saw and read so many Revelations she became impatient to be satisfied whence they did proceed and being of the Opinion that she could not 〈…〉 than to impart the same to 〈◊〉 â—â—â—…essor she took this Resolution 〈◊〉 discover'd to him the whole Affa◠〈◊〉 he exhorted her to stand upon 〈◊〉 â—â—…ard considering how the Devil could transform himself into an Angel of Light and other like Advices he gave her As therefore the Mother with her Daughters were troubled at this and in great Affliction throwing themselves on their Knees before Christ pray'd him that he would reveal to them whether that which the Priest had said was true or whether it was he himself the true Saviour JESUS CHRIST the Son of the Living God who had overcome the Devil and bruis'd the Serpent's Head And in case it were He who had hitherto appear'd to this Child that he would continue to speak to her as before But if not that he would put the Devil to silence XIII Then the Kind Saviour accepting their Prayer made Answer in this wise I am the Son of God who have bruised the Head of the Serpent and not he who seduced Adam and Eve in the form of an * This agrees with Patrick's Annot. Gen. c. 3. Angel of Light I do not Counsel what is good against my own Will as doth Satan I who speak with you am that God who governeth and reigneth over the Cherubim and the Seraphim But I see your weak Faith how you waver and suffer your selves to be shaken by a little Gust However I have patience with you and will make you mine Elect ones in the Furnace of Tribulation And what I have begun thus meanly I will gloriously accomplish Whereas Satan beginneth always gloriously and endeth pitifully XIV HE also said Many Preachers who ought to enlarge the Gates that I the King of Glory should come in do stop them up wherefore these not being worthy I will chuse my self some who shall do this in the Joy of their Hearts I tell you now I the SON of God who have chosen you out to be my People and Heritage that I will make you undoubted Heirs in the Kingdom of my FATHER and will exalt you very high for evermore I have now established you fast by means of my faithful Temptation for ye may at this time well believe that I am the true CHRIST from whom the Devils fly away XV. She after this saw CHRIST in the Clouds speaking these Words Behold I march upon the wings of the Wind the Lord of Hosts is my Name I am the God of Abraham of Isaac and of Jacob and also your God too who will make you come forth to my Honour Therefore be not faint in the Faith for I will avenge mine Honour with a mighty hand and will not keep silence in my Cause Moreover she saw God the Father in Heaven seated
thy Refuge and thy strong Rock I say Amen! 15. A very lovely Consolation for Judah and Israel with a Comfortable word to the First-born of Joy in their Posterity Hope in the Lord O Israel shout for joy O Judah for the Lord hath looked upon thee in kindness He shall make thee to rejoyce O thou First-born in thy Posterity I am He that hath said it But to whom is my secret known and who is there that understandeth my meaning Nevertheless the Deep shall utter forth the praises of my Righteousness and the Clouds shall declare my Truth Dear Children be not afraid for I am the Truth Abide in my Truth and what is there that can disturb you Unto you I am All in All. He that loveth me hath Everlasting Life and is Justified in me through the power of Faith Cry aloud lift up your Voices for I am a wonderful God one who levelleth the Mountains and pulleth up Men from the Deep of the Earth Be at peace my dear Sion Waver not my Child Behold in thine hands I have signed thee I am a God of thy Name a Keeper of Israel a Friend of Sion a Benefactor of Ephraim Trouble not your selves dear Friends for no Evil shall be able to reach you and as for what you undertake it shall prosper for I will set your Feet in a large place XVIII All these Testimonies and many more were given by God to this Blessed Maid before I had any manner of Acquaintance with Her Upon the Evidence of which she is so Convinced of the Divinity of this matter that not withstanding all the Contradiction and Opposition of Men she doth without the least mixture of Doubt or Fear believe in pure Simplicity and Child-like Confidence that whatever the Lord hath told or shall according to the expectation of her Faith hereafter tell her shall be punctually fulfil'd both in Her and in others She knows in whom she Believes and understands to distinguish between the Spirit of Truth and the Spirit of Errour with a clear Eye She bears with those who are not as yet able to own in her the Lord's Work but withal she believes that if they be of upright Hearts they will not be swift to pass Sentance upon Her as also that as many as are Enlighten'd by the Divine Light will be capable to feel that to be from God which God has bestow'd upon her But in bearing thus with the weak she permits not her self to be made Weak And so far is she from being disturb'd at the Blasphemous Sentence of the Unbelievers that she prays for them that God would not therefore on a sudden bring them into Judgment as might justly be fear'd but that he would in mercy delay it who is a God using terribly to punish the Blasphemy of imputing that to the Devil which proceeds from the Holy Ghost She says and maintains No body can make me doubtful of that which I have seen and heard No body knows the New Name but he that receives it None but the Spirit of Man which is in him knows what is in Man even so the things of God are not known to any save to the Spirit of God Now we have received not the Spirit of the World but the Spirit of God that we might be able to know what is given us of God With this one Testimony of the Holy Spirit She overthrows all the Objections made against her from Without which for the most part come from those who cleave too much to the Flesh Notwithstanding all which she trusts that in the end God will manifest His Work so as all the World may own that it is even He himself who hath witnessed all these Words by Her XIX But that you may understand the Method in which these Revelations pass and how this B. Maid doth not see with her Gross and Corporeal Eyes or hear with her Corporeal Ears but doth see and hear the Lord in Spirit and how she doth from time to time write down from his sweet Mouth the Words which she thus hears I will here import a Testimony which was given her on the Twelfth on November in the Year MDCLXXXVIII The LORD himself dictating the same as she wrote to the end that if any were desirous to be inform'd concerning the manner of the Revelation she might be able to answer them in His own Words Which are these Peace be with you the Friends of Our JESUS the Saints Blessed and Beloved I speak with you as one Friend Speaks with another I speak at this time with the Mouth of Truth that I may be heard yet not outwardly by the Bodily but inwardly by the Spiritual Ear which is a Thousand times more delicate then the Outward one I speak to you by my self as true God and true Man and cause my self to be seen not by the Eyes of the Body but by the Internal Eyes the Eyes of the Spirit of such a Spirit naturally as is united and betrothed most strictly to me And this manner of Sight is real tho' it be hidden and subtil This I know will seem strange to you who do not yet understand my Mysteries and my Wonders Yet I tell it you that you may be able to discourse of it properly according to my Inspiration For so and by this means have I spoken to you all those sweet Words which you have hitherto written I have this further in love to speak and say to you Rejoyce ye for your great Glory and Honour since you are rendred so bright through my Righteousness as to become white as the Snow to be cleansed and purged from all Sin yea to be one Heart with me and to be my Temple and Holy Habitation Keep now the House of your Heart clean and let it be mine neither suffer your corrupt sinful Will nor the Love of the Creatures to Lord it therein So will I sink down very deeply into you and then will arise up again in you and such a purifying will I make within you that you shall praise me both with Heart and Mouth My dear little Children rejoice ye for my sake and be of good Courage for I am with you Lay your selves now to rest in my Holy Will and pursue it that I may make you the Instruments of my Graces and Gifts XX. But as the Divinity of this Affair hath been witnessed particularly to some Friends so hath it been to my Wife and Me. For after that God had before this even while we were yet in Holstein made known to us not by such high and extraordinary Revelatiosn but by his Spirit in his Word the great Promise made to Israel in Scripture and the Mystery of his Kingdom and that we for the sake of this had suffered a great deal it pleased him to let us have for about a Year since the knowledge of this Gentle vvoman of whom we had not then heard any thing by the means of a devout Person with whom we
Will that Men should believe righteously of me even as I have revealed my self in the Scriptures when not drawn aside with one's own Reason but opened with and by the Holy Ghost who is promised to and resteth upon all those that are upright in my sight As for those who Fight against my Truth with pretence of knowing better and trust to the darkness of their own imaginary Reason they go down into darkness be they of whatsoever Religion they will But as many as love me and seek seriously to be sanctified by me not being content to believe outwardly which is without Foundation or to sit still with outward Worships but searching after me in the Ground of their Hearts in Spirit and Truth they find Grace before me and with me in all Generations and in all Religions If so that they do not wittingly and after that they are once convinced deny me the Everlasting Son of the Father For all must go to the Father by me and all must be purified in me for out of me there is nothing of Purity The Ignorant let no Man presume to condemn for who is there to Judge them but I And my Judgment is Righteous and for this cause they are not judged to Everlasting Misery Otherwise my Judgment would not be Righteous Here is the depth of my Secrets All must praise me and be subdued to my Truth and be hallowed and washed thro' me All must be put under me and thro' me be made Righteous in the true acknowledgment that I am the Lord. But how this shall be done and how it shall be accomplished in the very Heathens ye are not yet able to comprehend and therefore I do not explain it to you This is my word and the Testimony of Truth For I the Lord even the Lord JEHOVAH have spoken it who can do beyond all comparison more than ye are able to comprehend Watch for I come XXXIII After some days there came to this B. Maid a Principal Officer who deliver'd to her a Seal'd Letter which he said came from a Person of Quality The Name of whom he told her which afterwards was found to be a meer Falshood and pray'd her to propose the same as from the said Person to the Lord. The Answer was this I the Lord of Hosts who come upon a Cherub who destroy all Falshood and root out all Deceitfulness even I it is who speak here Who is it that persecuteth me And who is it that is not discovered before me I say unto thee Repent Awake for it is high time and I am coming to thee yea I come speedily For my Love and Mercy is great And to such as have a clean Heart free from all filthiness and dead Works I am gracious and hear their Cry Sighs and Moans And Lo this is my Will and the Testimony which I give to every one that whosoever shall lay hold on me with a pure Heart and with a strong Faith the same shall attain to all that remaineth and shall even in all things be able to find it Yea Amen I the LORD even the LORD who speak with my Voice as the Voice of Thunder have witnessed this and spoken this And there is none that can withstand me For I am risen up and do many Signs and Wonders And blessed is that Person who loveth me and keepeth my Commandments for at the end it shall go well with him See that thou mistake me not so as to do any thing that may mislead thee Follow that which is right before me according as I do in thy Conscience witness to thee in the Truth and be godlily-minded and so shalt thou with me be well led and shalt dwell with me in the Light and not be cast out into the Darkness This is enough for thee and I say no more A little while after the aforesaid Officer sent a Letter Seal'd in his own Name which the Blessed Maid receiv'd thinking that he had enquir'd something of the Lord from a remorse of Conscience And this I thought too for as much as he had frequently said to me that he wish'd to discourse with me about God and in what manner one might advance in Piety And hence I could not but conclude that the Lord would give him a gracious Answer But we were struck with a mighty Astonishment when we read the Lord's fierce Answer Which behold I the LORD have in abhorrence the Blood-guilty and the False And he that is Wicked shall not stand before me Therefore take away the Evil from before mine Eyes that this my Word may not become to thee a Terrible Judgment in the Day of my Wrath For I am a consuming Fire The Elect Virgin made a difficulty of sending him presently this dreadful Testimony Whereupon she sent him back his Letter Sealed without having open'd it and wrote to him at the same time that she had receiv'd a very harsh Answer which startled her the which if he desir'd to see he might send for which he did the next day After some few days he came to Visit us and speaking about the matter of the Letter he told us what had been in it which was such a Question as at which he might for ever blush But he confess'd that he had not well done in it However he endeavour'd to excuse himself with this that in the first Letter among other Religions Questions he had demanded something concerning the Word Sacrament which having not been exactly answer'd to he did not think it was the Lord who spake by her And this he said was the Reason why he had put such sort of Questions into the Second Letter which notwithstanding he wish'd he had never done He also confess'd that the First Letter was written by himself and not by a Person of Quality as he had before pretended As we then read over again the First Answer we saw clearly that it agreed exactly to him containing an express mention of Deceit and Falshood as also that one ought not to resist the Lord to whom all things are discover'd and from whom nothing is hid Lastly That he should take care not to be mistaken so to mislead himself nor to do any thing which might not succeed well with him or lead him into Evil. So that in the First the Lord would answer him not to his Questions but to his Heart And in the Last he hath given him very sharp menacing words that so he might not persist to kick against the prickles God grant that these Testimonies may pierce into his Heart that he may be Converted and do true Repentance XXXIV Upon this Encounter the B. Maid became somewhat more reserv'd and resolv'd not to receive for the future any Letter that should be Seal'd from any Person whatsoever since she must do it in doubt and could not know whether it be writ from an Heart that is upright and humbled before God or not She therefore neither would nor could after this unpleasant
third place since that to this present day the Captivity of Judah and of Jerusalem is not turn'd away nor all the Heathens judged and much less in the Valley of Jehosaphat Joel 3.2 9 10 11 12. which the 14th Chapter of the Revelations compar'd with the Third of this Prophet ver 13. lays down as a thing which ought yet to come And lastly since the 16 17 18 19 20 and 21 Verses are not hitherto in their power executed namely that Jerusalem shall be Holy and that no Stranger shall pass through her any more but that Judah shall abide for ever and Jerusalem from Generations to Generations It is not to be doubted upon all these Considerations but that God will according to his Promise After that time I will pour out my Spirit upon all Flesh cause such Visions Prophesies and Revelations as are here describ'd effectually to be in this Latter Time in like manner as he hath by many Powerful Testimonies witness'd to the same by the Elect Virgin and confirm'd us in the expectation of its future Completion XXXVII In the Holy Revelation of Jesus Christ for this ought to be the Title of that Holy Book according to Chap. 1. where it is said That God gave this Revelation unto Jesus Christ to shew unto his Servants there is also found a clear Argument of God's Will that he will send his Two Witnesses Adorn'd with very many singular Powers true Miracles and consequently many Extraordinary Gifts who shall Prophesie Twelve Hundred and Sixty Days Rev. 11.3 c. This is done in the Fifth Seal in which their Companions and they both at the last when they shall have finish'd their Testimony shall be kill'd and after Three Days and an Half shall truly and bodily rise again to the Terrour of their Enemies and ascend up to Heaven in the Clouds their Enemies beholding them Now that this has not been hitherto Accomplish'd is evident in that the Miracles which are here specify'd as for instance That they should go forth in the Power of Moses and of Elias and cause Fire to fall from Heaven and turn the Waters into Blood and shut Heaven for the space of Three Years and an Half as did Elias Jam. 4. to the end it rain not have not been yet seen Besides the Judgment which follows after the Twelve Hundred and Threescore Days is not yet come which shall be at the Second Wo in the Sixth Trumpet After which shall quickly succeed the Third Wo of the Seven Vials of Wrath being the Seven last Plagues in the Seventh Trumpet and shall make an end of Babylon and of the Enemies of God to the glorious bringing forth of a Better Time of which it is said Now are the Kingdoms of the World become the Kingdoms of the LORD and of his CHRIST And also We give thee thanks O Lord God Almighty who art and wast and art to come because thou hast taken to thy self great Power and Dominion Rev. 11.15 17. Whereas at this time Babylon is standing in its full Vigour therefore the Witnesses are still to come But about the time that Babylon shall be Judg'd the Two Witnesses which are sent by Christ shall before give their Testimony by Prophesies and Miracles according to God's Promise in which his Will is contained That God should do such Miracles as these in the Last Time was both foreseen and believ'd by that dear Man of God Luther who in his Commentary upon the First Book of Moses thus delivers himself (a) Postquam Noah fui diu clamaverunt acccusantes malitiam Mundi ostendit tandem Dominus se quoque illam malitiam videre ulcisci velle Hunc secundum gradum nos quoque Hodie expectamus nec dubium est quin erunt ALIQUI HOMINES quibus revelabitur ista mundi perditio futura Nisi forte ea perditio erit dies novissimus extremum judicium quod sane optamus Et Lat. f. m. 122. a. When Noah and his Sons had a long while Preach'd accusing the Wickedness of the World the Lord at last shews that he also saw the Wickedness and would revenge it This in some Degree we also at this day expect Nor is it to be doubted but that there will be SOME PERSONS to whom this Future Destruction of the World shall be revealed Unless perhaps this Destruction may be the Last Day and the Final Judgment which we indeed do hope And in his Preface upon Amos he says (b) Hic mos est Domino Deo nostro ut quoties insignis aliqua rerum mutatio instat quoties egregium aliquod malum imminet mittat Prophetas suos aut Ministros verbi qui verbum nuncient qui futura mala praedicent ut saltem Aliqui convertantur ad poenitentiam reducantur Tom. III. Jen. Lat. This is the manner with the Lord our God as often as any Signal Revolution is at hand or any notable Evil doth impend to send his Prophets and Ministers of his Word who may Preach the Word and Foretel the Evils that are to come that some at least may be Converted and Call'd to Repentance Also in the German Edition of his Works he hath the (c) Tom. IX Edit Wittemberg Germ. f. m. 268 269 seq Vision concerning the Pope which happen'd in Switzerland to Friar Nicolas Van Felsen and was before written by Charles de Bouillon and he hath made to it a Preface to shew in what manner we ought to make Reflection upon such Signs and Miracles which Christ hath given to the Papacy And do we not also read in the Confession of Ausbourg as in Our Symbolical or Canonical Book the (d) Apolog. Aug. Conf. De Votis Monasticis Prophesie of John of Hilten how that in the Year MDXVI there should come one that should Preach against the Disorder of the Monks which was fulfill'd accordingly in Luther So also the Clergy of Lubeck Hambourg and Lunenburg in their Apology against the Patron of the Revelation of Guthman would not at all declare that they did (e) Part. 1. p. 84 c. 269.297 Simply and Absolutely reject and condemn all Visions and Revelations of these Times Baldwinus confirms the same with these Words (f) Non dubitamus Deum Adhuc nonnullis interdum revelare Futura quae ad Ecclesiae Reipub. statum pertinent in usum hominum annuntianda Comment sup Ep. 1. Tim. 4. p. 251. We do not doubt that God doth yet sometimes reveal to Some Future Things pertaining to Church and State which are to be Declar'd for the Good of Men. There are also other Divines of Authority who assert the same thing whom we omit as being to be found in the aforesaid Fabricius XXXVIII For a Conclusion I shall yet add here one Considerable Testimony which we receiv'd from the Lord by this Blessed Lady this present Year MDCXCI And it is this Dear Friends peace be with you Stir up one another in my Love and give me