Not knowing that there were two ministers of one name at Bodmin, I thought it was the Rev. Mr. Pomeroy, I had been ordered to write to, whom I had always judged, from my writings, the Lord would convince in the end. But as I thought he was taken by death, I began to grow jealous of my writings, and of the Bible likewise; as I began to meditate how he had acted for six years in every step according to the directions of the Gospel, and the commands which the Lord gave to the prophets and his apostles, to try the spirits, whether they were of God or not, and to be clear in judging, before they condemned. And, as my writings went out in the world by his judgment alone, my thoughts went deep of the different conduct of him from all other ministers, whom I had been ordered to write unto, who treated my letters with silent contempt, contrary to the Gospel: yet they went to the grave, and their pomp followed them. But the sudden manner I thought he was cut off, without living to clear himself, why he fell back, or what caused his unbelief; this caused deep ponderings in my mind and heart, to take the ways of the Lord in question, and the Scriptures and my writings in question, that there could not be a God, in power, in justice, mercy, and goodness, as is recorded in holy writ, and what was revealed to me in my writings. This I meditated deeply upon; and my own jealousies, with doubts and fears, came strongly upon my mind, how often I had been alarmed with fears, when my writings were not fulfilled according to the hasty judgment, which I had drawn myself; and how, through a wrong judgment, not understanding my writings, I have grown jealous of the spirit, and determined to destroy the whole; particularly when my brother told me a lie, to deny the truth of the spirit; I then thought to burn the whole, and never be led by the spirit any more; and pondered deeply in

my own heart, how so many truths could come from a spirit, which was not of God. These meditations, and reflections of my own weakness, through jealousy and unbelief, thinking what I should have done myself, had it not been for the spirit reasoning with me of the wrong judgment I had drawn of things I did not understand, and which were explained to me by the spirit; and knowing that Mr. Pomeroy had not this assistance, I therefore in my heart pitied him in his fall, and was grieved that he had not lived to clear his honour, as I then supposed he was dead.

In this manner was my meditations, for three or four days, before I took up the book and read the letter I had sent to him; and then it struck forcibly upon me, that he whom I had written to was still alive. I then began to blame myself for taking the ways of the Lord in question; and have since been often grieved to the heart that I should do it.

The ANSWER of the SPIRIT.

"I shall answer why I commanded thee to bring forward thy own thoughts: it is to shew what wrong judgment men draw, for want of the knowledge of the truth, as thou drewest a wrong judgment of thy Creator, because thou judgedst had taken him by death, in a way and manner that some, who were believers in my visitation to thee, might have placed as a judgment upon him; and it was from not knowing that he was living, and that I should fulfil the words, which I had spoken to thee concerning him, that if I took him by judgments, it should be when the things were made plain before him, that he refused to walk in the light when the light was brought to him; but as thou judgedst I had taken him before it was revealed the way the light should be brought to him to convince him; this made thee take my words

and my ways and decrees in question, for want of knowing the truth. And perfectly like thee is the state of mankind: it is for want of knowing the true meaning of the Scriptures, in what manner they stand for the end, that makes men take my wisdom in question, in the manner of my visitation to thee. For as thou wast stumbled, as two men bore one name, not knowing there were two ministers of one name in that place; this made thee draw a wrong judgment, that it must be him to whom I had ordered thee to write. In this perfect state stand mankind: they draw as wrong a judgment of my gospel and the prophets, and as wrong a judgment of the end, as thou drewest of his death; and therefore this great contention is amongst mankind, because they do not place the Scriptures to the true sense and meaning of the WORD, that my Gospel hath two meanings, the spiritual and the temporal; and for want of this knowledge, the way it will be brought in and fulfilled, it makes men to err, and take my wisdom in question, as thou didst concerning the man whom thou judgedst I had unjustly punished; because he had acted more consistently with my ways and my gospel, than the others, whom thou sayest went to the grave, and their pomp followed them. This was for want of knowing what were my decrees, that he who began according to my gospel was still alive to complete the work which he had begun, if my offers of love are not rejected, when I make it plain before him. But now I ask thee what pomp followed those men? They died the common lot of all men: and those who have the riches of the world, their pomp may follow them to the grave; yet these are but honours one of another; but the honour that cometh down from God is greater: the pomp they enjoyed is but the vanity of the world, which perisheth at the grave; but the honour and glory, which come from the Lord

go beyond the grave, and will not stop there. Look to the memory of the prophets, to my disciples, and the martyrs: they are dead; but their names are not perished, and will be had in everlasting remembrance till time is no more: and so I tell thee of these days, those who fight valiantly, as good soldiers and servants, for my coming, and for my kingdom, their names will stand in everlasting remembrance, who are taken before the time, and those who remain to the end will be standing pillars of blessings to men, so that all generations will call them blessed.

"Now I shall come to thy other ponderings, which made thee feel for and pity the man, from thy own feelings and thy own weakness, knowing how often thou hast been ready to sink in despair. When things did not come clear to thy judgment, thou grewest jealous that it was not from the Lord, and thoughtest to destroy the whole; so it was from thy own feelings, thy own weakness, and thy own temptations, which made thee feel in thy heart so much for him, to pity his fall, and take my ways, and wisdom in question, that I had not prolonged his life, to convince him, as I had convinced thee. But now thou seest that his life is prolonged, to try him, as I have tried thee; and if, like thee, he will be convinced, like thee he will find my promises sure. But from thy pity, through thy own weakness, which made thee so greatly to feel for him, and which thou couldest never have done if thy faith had always stood stedfast, and no doubts or jealousies arose in thy mind; but had always judged, as some truths had taken place, in my appointed time, all would be fulfilled; had this strength of faith been always in thee, thou couldest not have felt that pity for the man. Now perfectly so stands my Gospel: had I not taken. men's nature upon ME; to feel their weakness, suffer myself to be persecuted, to be a judge for

men, what they suffer by persecution; suffered the temptations of the devil, to be a judge for men, what they suffer by temptations; had I not in all things resembled men, and bore all their infirmities, I could not be that judge for men, to pity their weakness, which I now am. And from thy feelings, from thy ponderings, the way thou feltest so much in thy heart- for him, saying with thyself, from thy own infirmities, thou shouldest have acted like him, in the time of temptations, if I had not kept thee by my power; in that perfect likeness stands my Gospel: I bore every infirmity of man, as man; but then in power I was GoD and MAN. But this power is not in men; and, from thy likeness, they may see why I came to take their nature upon ME,-to suffer for their transgressions, that I might be a merciful judge for them; knowing in all things what they have to go through; and therefore I said in my Gospel, he that believeth in ME shall be saved; because they must believe in my mercies, in my loving kindness towards the sons of men, that I shall plead men's cause from my own knowledge of their infirmities as thou pleadedst in thy heart, from thy own weakness and thy own feelings. And this was a thing ordained by ME, to shew mankind in what likeness I shall pity them, like thee, from taking man's nature upon ME, to judge of their temptations from my own; and therefore I concealed from thee a knowledge of the truth, when thou heardest the report at first; but left thee to thy own feelings, and the. ponderings of thy own heart. But I now tell thee and all mankind, had I suffered an evil spirit to work upon thy heart at the time, he would have worked different feelings, and different passions, to have said, that it was a just judgment which came upon him, that my threatenings were fulfilled in him. Thus Satan would soon have worked upon thee, if I had suffered his temptations