I SHALL begin this Book with the advertisement sent to be put in Bell's Weekly Messenger of Sunday, the 29th of May, but which was refused insertion.

"In the Third and Fourth Books of Wonder's, Joanna Southcott announced to the world, that she should have a Son this year, in the sixtyfifth year of her age, by the power of the Most High.

"Whatever mockery the announcing of such an event may cause amongst mankind, or however wonderful it may appear, there is the most satisfactory evidence that it will be realized. This proof is established upon the testimony of the three women, being mothers of children, who have all along attended her; and upon their examination by two medical gentlemen, as to the symptoms which have taken place in Joanna Southcott, from the 17th of March to the 26th of May, whose decided opinion thereon is, that, if such symptoms were in a young woman, she must be pregnant of a living child."

Now I shall begin to answer the mockery of the world, from the words of Paul, Acts xiii. 40, 41.-" Beware therefore, lest that come upon you which is spoken of in the prophets; behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no ise believe, though a man declare it unto you. ut why should they not believe? The prothem because of their sins God gave

to the hard
12. "B
my voic

their hearts. Psalm people would not Israel would none of

I SHALL begin this Book with the advertisement sent to be put in Bell's Weekly Messenger of Sunday, the 29th of May, but which was refused insertion.

"In the Third and Fourth Books of Wonder's, Joanna Southcott announced to the world, that she should have a Son this year, in the sixtyfifth year of her age, by the power of the Most High.

"Whatever mockery the announcing of such an event may cause amongst mankind, or however wonderful it may appear, there is the most satisfactory evidence that it will be realized. This proof is established upon the testimony of the three women, being mothers of children, who have all along attended her; and upon their examination by two medical gentlemen, as to the symptoms which have taken place in Joanna Southcott, from the 17th of March to the 26th of May, whose decided opinion thereon is, that, if such symptoms were in a young woman, she must be pregnant of a living child."

Now I shall begin to answer the mockery of the world, from the words of Paul, Acts xiii. 40, 41.-"Beware therefore, lest that come upon you which is spoken of in the prophets; behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you.

But why should they not believe? The prophets tell them: because of their sins God gave them up to the hardness of their hearts. Psalm lxxxi. 11, 12.-" But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of

So I gave them up to their own hearts' lust; and they walked in their own counsels."

As it was in those days, so it is now, from the mockery I am informed of, from different places. They invent lies, and believe them; but the truth they will not believe, if it be told them. The first invention I shall notice is, their saying, that I shall contrive to have a child brought in a warming-pan; others say that there are young women in the house, who are with child, and their child will be imposed on the public as mine; another said, that I could easily buy a child from the workhouse, and Townley and Underwood would lend their aid in the imposition.

In these inventions, they have shewn their own folly, in supposing that we have so little respect to our characters, as to have recourse to such foolish expedients of deception, which must uecessarily be exposed, if the child announced by me should not be born as promised, to bring in blessings to mankind. Then the practising of such inventions, as they have thought of, must not only bring a curse upon ourselves, but an everlasting disgrace that could never be forgotten. The world do not know me, Townley, nor Underwood.

Here I think it necessary to notice what men have reported of the property I am worth, and to reason with them upon their own grounds. My sister Carter told me, at Bristol, in 1809, that the report was in Ortery, that I was worth ten thousand pounds; another told me, that he hath heard the same report at another place; and, after the death of Mr. Cosins, I have been informed that the world have magnified it to fifteen thousand. And now, to shew the folly of these inventions, I shall let them know in what manner I made my