work of inspiration and revelation, in the present day, among the people of God. 3. Therefore, saith the Lord, learn true wisdom, O ye people, and let your hearts seek understanding. The foregoing passages illustrate, in a small measure, that which is about to take place on the earth; and also the work which my Almighty hand is doing in Zion, and will continue so to do, in my own wisdom; and the operations of my spirit shall break out in strange and divers manners, among the nations of the earth. CHAPTER XXIX. THE SUBJECT CONTINUED. 1. Of the pouring out of the spirit of 28. Mankind vainly to look for mercy, after God upon earth. 2. Beware of fighting against God. 6. Of running into wildness. slighting God's offers. 29. Eternal collision between flesh and 7. Forewarnings of the operations of the 30. spirit of God. spirit. 31. Of delaying the day of preparation. 1. Hearken unto the voice of the Lord your God, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people. The Great I AM is beginning to pour out his spirit upon the earth; and many will be struck with consternation at what they behold; and many will be provoked in their spirits, to persecute and abuse those who are the subjects of strange and mysterious operations. 2. But take heed to your doings, all ye people, lest, unhappily for you, ye are found even to be fighting against the work and power of the Most High, by resisting and persecuting those whom He hath chosen as instruments, or vessels for his Spirit to operate in, to make itself manifest. 3. The operation of my Spirit leadeth not its subjects to shed blood, nor to commit acts of violence upon their fellow beings; but where those whom I have chosen as my vessels, or instruments of divers operations and exercises are abused and persecuted, I shall, saith the Lord, in my own wisdom, defend them by my own power, operating through such agencies as I may choose. 4. Therefore take heed to your doings, all ye who seek to oppose the workings of my Spirit. As well might ye fight and resist the rolling waves of the deep, and think to put a stop to their motion, as to strive against my work, or the workings of my Spirit. 5. Though it may appear never so strange and singular to you, though it may differ never so widely from your traditionated forms, habits and customs of worship; yet, if you have learned wisdom by the words I have spoken, you will humble your proud, exalted feelings, and unite, so far as not to be found opposing. 6. Though you may have reason to believe that many of its subjects run into wildness not required by my Spirit, which will, in some instances, be the case; yet, remember I have come to confound the wisdom of the wise, and remove the veils of deceit and hypocrisy. 7. And, as the greatest friend to your souls, do I give you a little foreknowledge of the many strange operations and exercises, which I shall cause upon mortal bodies, like the following: Violent shaking, until thrown heavily upon the floor, or ground; Every limb of the body made stiff and unyielding; Eyes set with a deathly appearance; Pulsation of life nearly extinct; Gestures and bodies exhibiting frightful attitudes; 8. Little children speaking with great power, and declaring, in bold and undaunted terms, my word against the wickedness and abominations of mankind. 9. The power of speech, for days together, entirely taken away; The power of utterance given in language that mortals cannot understand. Females greatly exercised in turning and suddenly stopping, declaring to the surrounding multitude the visions of God they have seen. 10. [Also,] The comfort and happiness of the saints in Heaven, V and the awful cries, screams and screeches of those who are bound in hell, suffering for the wickedness they had committed while upon earth; 11. And withal, holding forth sublime testimonies, with power and great eloquence, against the filthy and beastly abominations practiced by mankind, and of the awful judgments of a righteous and just God, about to come upon them for the same; 12. Singing melodious and heavenly songs, given directly from the spiritual world; conversing familiarly with unbodied spirits; In extreme distress, and then immediately in transports of joy, to all appearance enjoying the greatest degree of the sweets of Heaven, in the presence of justified spirits. 13. Often breaking forth upon formal preachers, when sermonizing to the people, [and not preaching the true gospel of Christ,] contradicting certain passages, and declaring what the truth of God is; Often setting aside all forms, creeds and ceremonies, and denouncing in strong terms, against the religious intolerance of man. 14. Many times,, loudly proclaiming against the lives of both priests and people; protesting, with great power, against all laws of inquisition, of persecution, or compelling by mortal power, either by law or violence; or in any way binding the freedom of the souls of men. 15. Thus saith the Lord, My spirit never did, and never will, operate in the hearts of the children of men to make them increase in that which is accursed in my sight; such like as wars, fightings, shedding the blood of their fellow creatures, or persecuting and abus ing them in any way; or swearing, lying, stealing, defrauding, cruelty either to man or beast, giving way to passionate fits of temper, indulging in feelings of lewdness towards the opposite sex; or to promote places and acts of prostitution by their examples of frequenting to indulge in such places, 16. Or bestiality, or adultery, or bigamy, or of any filthy pollutions or abominations, or of hardness of heart or feelings of unkindness towards the poor and distressed, or of any sexual connection in the actual works of the flesh, farther than is indispensably necessary for the purpose of procreation; or in any way to profane the holy Sabbath. 17. Therefore, saith the God of Heaven, inasmuch as my holy and divine Spirit hath never, and will never, operate in the hearts of the children of men to make them increase in any of the before mentioned evils, or sinful indulgences, but to cease therefrom, 18. I have never, and will never, commission mortal man with power to usurp authority over the hearts and souls of the children of men, as respects the law and worship of their God. 19. For man to control the volition and free agency of man, is usurping authority that I, his God and Creator, never gave him; and it is that in which my Almighty power never will sustain him; but will surely visit, in judgment, such as contend for the right of exercising it. 20. My holy influence, operating upon the hearts of the children of men, as I have before stated, leadeth directly away from indulging in any kind of vice or wickedness whatever. 21. But the evil influence, or the devil operating in the hearts of the children of men, leadeth them directly to indulge and increase in all those evils before mentioned, and in every species of vice, productive of misery and mischief in every sense of the word. 22. Therefore, the laws that man is empowered to make, are for those who have a disposition, through the influence of evil, to transgress the righteous and moral laws of their God, which I gave them in the beginning, and which were again sent forth, with an increased degree of restriction, when I first sent your Lord and Savior upon earth; and for the transgressing of which, all those evils have been suffered as a scourge and judgment upon man. 23. He brought with him the law of grace, which not only fulfilled all previous laws, but wholly superseded the necessity of them, by a law which was far more perfect, and went directly to accomplish that work, for which all previous laws served only as directors, or pointers towards this very law, which your Lord and Savior did now establish, and [which] comprehended all the law and the prophets before him, in these few words; Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so to them." 66 24. And again, of the operations of my spirit abroad in the earth; Strange signs shall appear, both in the Heavens above, and on the earth beneath; and strange signs shall be made by mortals; and when these you behold, again renew your zeal to prepare your souls in the lowest of humiliation, and cry unto your God: 25. Remembering at all times, that my work, saith the Lord, will always prove itself: I need not, that mortal man should undertake to decide in his own wisdom, whether the work emanated from my Almighty hand. 28. My work, saith God, cannot be overthrown; though the wickedness of man, by violence and persecution, may be suffered for a short season to suppress its subjects in certain places; 27. Yet, it will keep breaking out here, and breaking out there, with greater and greater power and evidence of the Almighty hand that guides it, until man shall fear and tremble before it as a leaf shaken of a mighty wind; and all his sins and abominations staring him in the face upon the left, and the indisputable signs of an Almighty power, approaching him on the right. 28. Now the hearts of men shall fail them, their joints shall tremble, their knees smite together with fear. Then shall their eyes be turned with an imploring look, for mercy from that God whose words they have laughed to scorn, and whose kind and fatherly admonition, with solemn words of warning, they have set at naught. 29. But alas, for mortal man! The time has now come, that an eternal separation between flesh and spirit must take place. 30. Now, man laments the day and time that is past, but he cannot recall it; now he sees the folly of his own doings, but too late to retrace his steps: Now he sees that he has outstood the day of God's visitation in mercy to him; now he takes a realizing sense of the power of that Almighty hand against which he has been fighting; now he beholds, at a glance, the exaltedness of man, with all his might and power, sink quickly into oblivion, as the small insect is crushed beneath his foot while walking upon the earth. 31. Then why will you, O vain mortals of earth, harden your hearts, as your fathers before you have done? Why do ye delay the day of preparation? Because your natures doubt whether the work is of God, or of man? 32. Why do ye stand in your own light, fighting against your own best good and comfort, and thereby hazard the awful consequences of being found fighting against your God, since He requires nothing but what is conducive to your peace, comfort and happiness, with a justified conscience in the present tense, and an inspiring hope for mercy from his Almighty hand, in the world to come, however quick you might be called? 33. Turn, turn O Israel; turn, and change thy goings O Jacob! Turn to the Lord thy God, while he calleth unto thee in the still small voice; lest his heavy thunders from Sinai's top, in forked lightnings play upon the earth, and destroy both man and beast. 34. For I testify unto you all, saith the God of Heaven, I testify |