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1 2 3

THE

•^ IMPRESSIONS OF THE MIND:

TO WHICH ARE ADDED

SOME REMARKS

CHURCH AND STATE DISCIPLINE,

AND THK

ACTING PRINCIPLES OF LIFE.

BY DAVID WILLSON;

BAST GWILLIMBUR7. COUNTY OP YORK, AND PBOVINCfi OP UPPER CANADA.

TORONTO
1835.

0100

Page

■" ] :* V

1
1
1!

i:
IJ

2i
21

2!
Si
3

Page 15,

21.
32,
37,
40,
46,
57,
63,
65,
66,

r 111.
110,

123,

138,

155,

198,

207,

213,

332,

237,

268,

290,

330j

343,

ERRATA.

lOlh line from bottom, a period should be aflcr God, and not ai\er

remembrance in the preceding line.
2l8t line from top, for " cannot," read can.
11th do. bottom, for ** ground," read ro$e.
23d do. top, for " slumber," read slumbered.
5ih do. do. for " is the earth," read is in the earth.
8th do. do. for " plead," read feed.
2l8t do. do. for " receive," read relieve.
27th do. do. for "creature's," read Creator'*.
2nd do. do. for " waywarks," read waymarks.
15th do. bottom, for *' those doth," read thou dost,
9tb do. top, for " robe," read Rabbi.
Ist line of prose, omit the word not.
8th line from top, for *' are," read or.
18th do. do. for " better," read bitter,
last line, 2nd verse, for " thine," read there.
4th line from bottom, for " The," read There.

8rd

7th

15th

2nd

24th

13th

12th

13th

do. top, for *' and the storm," read lahen the storm.

do. do. for " from," read for.

do. do. for " shall seek," read shall not seek.

do. bottom, for " a universal," read in a universtU.

do. top, omit the period after the word government.

do. bottom, afler " mountains," insert faUingm

do, do. ->-^«r 'lacsM' read rw#.^^'^^, t' 'iilUU-S

do.

top, for " these a with," read these asmth.

- -v.

■fV'V

OBSERVATIONS TO THE READER.

The want of literary qualifications will be seen by
every observing reader in the following pages. 1 have
not set out to please the learned, nor supplicate the
great. My object in the publication of these few
broken hints to the world, hath been to improve the
small measure given, that, in the end, I may lay down
my head in peace with God. I have drawn the follow-
ing lines from the mind ; and, where an error in senti-
ment is discovered, I have published the weakness of
my own mind. I trust a divided world will excuse me
for my singular deviations in Church and State Go-
vernment, as a diversity of sentiment is much in
fashion in our age. I am neither partially affected to
either Church or Nation, — as I have neither interest
or honour from either of them. It will be observed
that my mind is in favour of ancient simplicity and
plainness of speech. The want of education ucid lite-
rary skill has made my sentences but few on various
subjects, and left the cause naked that I have taken in
hand. Perhaps the learned may clothe the same sen-
timents with a more pleasing language, and the Truth
may live. / *^

i"'

r f

y.^.^t.

IMPRESSIONS OF THE MIND.

OcTOBBB 0th, 1832.

Lord, where the sun hath never shono,
And v'here the line was never drawn,
Where thy great name was never known,
To thence my mournful spirit's gone.

Dark are the regions of the dead,
They 're these that perish in their sins,
To thence my mournful spirit fled,
And thence my mournful song begins.

Lord, I attend with list'ning ears.
With hope thy solemn voice to hear ;
My spirit looks with watchful eyes.
Where nothing, nothing doth appear.

My hands O God, are spread abroad,
But nothing, nothing can I feel ;
I move my feet to find the way.
That thy great absence doth conceal.

There's life in death, and hope is there ;
These watchful eyes shall ever see :
And God in mercy will appear,
My spirit, he will come to thee.

OcTOBEB 14th, 1832.

Oh Lord, afar I see thy name.
Bright in the eastern skies ;

From thence at first my spirit came»
Thence will thy glory rise.

;

9 iMPBiHioNt or tnm mind.

My ipirit is a prii*ner, here,
I itruffgle in my chain,

I often shed the languid tear,
While bolts and bars remain.

As criminals in thy courts doth stand,

I live amidst my foes,
I only wait for thy command,

From whence my spirit rose.

Oh Israel's name afar I see.
Both priests and prophets there ;

The house of Jacob waits for thee.
And I'm with them in prayer.

October 16th, 1832.

Ob Lobd, thou hast shewn forth marvelous light in thy decrees ;
they are as the sun and stars unchangeable with thee. Thy sons and
servants are of unnumbered value to us ; they are appointed to teach
all nations forevermore.

Thou hast made thy son Jesus, Emanuel, to be as the sun amidst
stars. So he appeared amidst thy servants, glorifying the deeds of
ancient days. Blessed be thy name, my Redeemer liveth, — thou
art God over all of them.

Thou canst add or diminish the number of thy servants as thou wilt.
Thy mercy is ever found by them that seek after it in a needful time,
i. e., in a time of action.

Thou made conditional covenants with the world, by thy son Jesus
Christ ; and thou keepest thy word — thou fulfillest them. Thou
brought me O God, from the ends of the earth into thy vineyard.
Thou anointest mine eyes with the light of thy grace, 'till I see more
and more.

Therefore my tongue and pen continue for thee, to glorify thy
cause, and to exalt thy name. I am a servant of thy servants, at thy
command. My spirit is older than any that have been in the world, .
because it hath ever been with thee, and is not known only as deeds
express to a beholding world. Thy servants hath been a staff to my
soul in a needful time — a shield to my heart, and turned the arrows
of the archers aside from ending my deeds in everlasting destruction.
I am indebted to them for my past life, and preservation. Thou madest
them my staff and my shield. I leaned upon them, and made use of
their deeds in my defence. I find they were true weapons, and to
be trusted in. In thy name I fought, and fell not a victim to my foes ;
they were many but they came not out in thy name^or I had been
•lain, at by an arrow thou hadst sent.

; 1

TBI DKCRKII or «0P.

I now let down to reward thy children the proj^hets, wah inch
things as thou hast given me ; trusting in thy grace I shall be able
to s'and alone hereafter, and do for myself, when my honest debts

are paid. , , , ^ .

These were born before me, and have acted, and taught for my
reformation— and all that may live hereafter.

I have no desire to exceed or excel them in deeds : my only
prayer is to be as one of them, and it is enough. These Oh God !
were children led in thy hand, and governed by thy laws— they lived
by the words of thy mouth, and were not the children of invention,
but servants of justice unto thee. Here I see my prayer accomplish-
ed in them. Why may I not receive also my God, my Saviour and
my King. These taught Kings and Councils, and were not afraid.
These clothed themselves with thy name, as with a mantle, and
shunned not the siorm, these wore prophets of old. These furnish-
ed thy son the (christian Messiah) with lessons to repeat, so did
thy servant David, and Isaiah thy son ; for his spirit was of thee,
teaching these things that came to pass.

A remnant of the Jewg were saved. Thy son Jesus, that great

Jrophet knowing all thingd from first to last, hath said, Abraham,
saac, and Jacob should be seen in the kingdom of God — with all
thy servants the prophets.

Now if these have entered through the gates, into the city ; why
not follow them, Christ hath given them a good title, viz : worthy of
the kingdom of God. This light we receive from thy Son, that is,
that the spirit of these thy servants, that he hath named are justified
of thee.

Can I doubt in their measure ? No, forbid it O God. that I should
cast the least stain on bread thou hast given the world. Thy Son
came to justify the characters of these people, for this purpose he
was sent of thee. He foreknew that false people would arise zvti
despise their reverend heads ; therefore he placed a diadem upon
them that no false heart can take away, their title is as good to the
kingdom ofheaven as any names on earth. I will now talk with the
world of restoration in thy presence, and give these titles to theancienta
which is justly their due. Israel, scattered Israel has only to come
to the sacred writings, and they are a redeemed people as sure as
the sun rises in the eastern world. These things O God thou hast
hidden from their eyes, till the day of thine appointments, when thy
Son shall return and restore a kingdom to Israel. He hath appeared
as a prophet unto them, but not as a Saviour, or they had seen his
day and been glad and rejoiced with Abraham their father. Paren-
tal knowledge was lost by the Jews, and not restored by us, or we
could make the pathway plain before their eyes. By the light of a
Redeemer, Israel shall appear in his ancient glory, that is fitted for
ii3

IHPRBS8XON8 OF TUB HIMD.

the kingdom of God. The servants of God in Israel knew Christ far
better than ourselves — and hath declared his purpose and the even»
of his coming. He went away with a desire to save, this thirst of
his was not quenched, for they were not saved, — he will return unto
them when sent of God. The Christian world is little or no happier
than the Jews, for as Jews cheat Christians, so Christians cheat one
another. As they sought high stations, so do these I have last na*
med ; as Jews are scattered unto all the earth, so are Christians m
spirit divided one against the other.

As for that salvation, that came by Christ Jesus it is not on earth.
Now who dare say, who will be first restored to a peaceable kingdom
— or whether any. I will now take the liberty of expressing my
belief, and leave it with God to accomplish the same, enable this pub-
lic declaration to appear false or true.

If we who are Christians, or bear the title of believing in that body
that was born of the Virgin Mary, being the Saviour of the world,
why dc we not keep his words ? nothing is more certain, we do not
believe in them or truly we would obey ; we are preaching to these
Jews to believe in this very bread we cast away, and institute substi>
tutes in place thereof, and live on the imagination of our own brain
and human reason ; and let me add, the Jews never will be restored
to this Christian race as long as the sun rises in the East and sets
in the West.

The Jew saith our Messiah is to come^ the Christian saith our Mes>
siah hath come, and may justly add, " and we are not saved." Now
the former is better than the latter disposition. If our Saviour has
come, and we believe not in his words to practice them, we are as
far from the kingdom of God as the darkened Jew, and in my opinion
will enter afler them ; these will become the gates of the city, and
throOgh their means, we shall enter there. The Lord hath good ti>
dings in store" for them, — he hath not cast them off forever, but only
until his purposes are fulfilled with the Christian race, and then the
house of Jacob shall enter there. We are perpetual crucifiers of a
Redeemer's will, and have a right to that ever memorable prayer,
" Father forgive them, they know not what they do." Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob is the way to the kingdom of heaven. The life of
Christ, that sun of righteousness hath shone upon them, and told us so.

I believe in Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the prophets, and that
Christ came to justify their days, and be a light to the whole earth
by his precepts, and counsels he hath given unto men. Why should
I not believe that Israel shall be saved, and thousands follow them 1
If the love of God is not to them, why doth my spirit bear witness of
their ancient spirit ? I have said mine is still older because it hath
been contained in the treasures of the Lord until now. I bear no
man't testimony, nor no other man bears mine. We receive nd

'-^y'::

THB DB0RBE8 OV OOD.

rth
uld
m?
of
lath
no
nd

pToofby this, that I am alone, or thatmy testimoiiy ifl not true. I
believe also in the Apostles equally with the Prophets, both believed
in Christ, and consequently are saved. To as many as believed in
his name, he was perfectly the Saviour. The Prophets that hath
testified of him, were actually foll»wers of his spirit before his per.
son was born, and the Apostles followed aflerwards, which maketU
no difference between the two, that is, children of the former and lat-
ter days.

1 am not a stranger to these, though I seemingly follow these sa-
cred words alone. I speak personally and not spiritually, my person
is acting in a station where there is none living to take part with me,
I am sent to justify the ancients and proceed forward to my calling as a
child to the commandments of God. I know there is hidden treasure
in store for my spirit, and I must seek after it, it is bread for my
soul. I have been fed by Priests and Kings of ancient days, but
when I shall have rewarded them for their deeds, I shall be free, and
wait for God*s command as a child waiting at the gates to enter into
the city. Stars of direction have they been to my feet, a compass to
my spirit in the night season, the Lord hath brought them to my re.
membrance when I was weary, and gave me rest. He hath made
their blood as water to me by the way side, that my spirit might drink
when she was thirsty and near to faint, then their blood was as wine
to my soul, the Lord hath cheered me with their blood till I became
intoxicated with joy, and became among my fellows (according to
the flesh) as a drunken man, that standeth not upright unto the Lord.
The Lord hath caused this pool to go dry unto me, though a spring
of living water to all that live af\er me, and thirst therefor,
that is to drink the blood of ancient days as wine to cheer the faint,
ing soul. I sought and I found the spring of living water, it hath
not gone dry, there is sufficient for all the earth. All flesh will find
consolation in the blood of Israel. I cannot do justice to God, and
to his chosen people except I declare these things — that which I
have received, I have known ; but I am now about to leave this liv-
ing spring, and inherit a thirsty land, my spirit hath stolen away as
one in the night season, and where she is gone no one knowcth, but
God alone. It is where the Prophet never saw, and she hath no evi.
dence but the deeds of my person that may arise from the direction
of my spirit, whom I trust this day is with God and a Redeemer. Great
are thy works O God that are unrevealed, thou will appear as the
morning — as the dawning of the day without clouds, so shall the
coming of thy spirit be unto Israel thy chosen one, from the founda.
'tions of the world. Thou wilt give light to his eyes and shoes for his
feet, and rings for his fingers, and jewels for his ears, and lead him
to the land thou hast promised to Israel thy son, and unto Abraham
hiB father. Abraham will be restored to his, Isaac to his house, and
a 3

■I

}■ I

iMPnissioNs or run mixd.

Jacob to hif own. This is not comprehending Jewi only, but thes«
that love and fear the Lord, leave the world and glorify the life of
Abraham.

Oh let my spirit rise and sing.
For Israel hath a Priest and King, -

> And a deep Jordan to go through,

And they'll receive the land anew.

Oh Israel's God hath love in store, . ' . ,

And bread for him forevermore ;

A Saviour will his God appear,

And all his sons attend to hear. ., .

Decrees are made, the lines are drawn
. In darkness, where my spirit's gone, *^^

And none are given eyes to see - <' ■ ,

What is their part or God's decree.

In Eastern worlds will God appear.

He'll cleanse me from my doubts and fear, :

He'll oil my tongue, and bid me tell.

My soul's beyond the the gates of hell.

He bids mine eyes to see the land,
' ., " The pillars where his house shall stand;
He bids mine eye-lids rise and see
> His great design, his good decree.

-w i That all believing though we're lost, . ^

Shall see the stream that Israel cross'd ; .< vv r ,
And all that can his burden bear.
Their feet shall walk and enter there.

If Israel brought forth a Saviour to the world, and salvation is of
the Jews, why look we for another people ? Their system was pure,
but the people transgressed, yet as many as believed in Christ and ,
the prophets, he liberated from the bondages of the law. When we
have fulfilled the sacred laws of God given unto us, we shall be libe-
rated from these bonds, and not sin. Behold we cast off the fetters,
and do sin, and bring shame to the house of Israel. The pathway of
Israel is cast up for us to walk in ; then should we receive his glory
and be not a few, but the human brain is full of invention and we
are continually trying new ways, and defer his mercies from the
house of the Lord. What are these ? they are salvation for all the
world, behold how extensive are the plans ! These are the pillars of
the house — peace with all the earth, and a reconciliation with Israel
of old ; thither it my spirit gone, and she will not return. The Lord

- . ^-

THB DECREES OF OOD. ' * 7

Will make a peaceable mansion for her in the bosom of the Jews.
Though my body shall never see that day, there my spirit will be
found at perfect rest in the bosom of the God of Israel. I am tired
of the transgressing Christian world, that profess thrice more
than they fulfil, and not one of the Christians I see are now at rest.
She may court Christian Missionaries to enjoy her rests, but I am
not an heir of them, these have neither lot nor part with me in the
work ; and as to my soul, there is no temptation in a Christian
church. I had rather be with ten Jews, that keep their laws, than
ten thousand transgressing Christians ; for the vengeance of the
Lord is in store for the transgressor, but his love and mercy for them
that do well.

By the laws of Israel Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, entered the
kingdom of God ; are there better laws than these ? I do not allude
particularly to the hand- writing of Moses, but what God impressed on
the minds of these dear children before Moses was born. It was
only a loss of faith, that was the cause why Moses wrote his law.
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saw the apostolic age, as bright and glo-
rious as it ever will be seen : for they lived by faith, and brought
forth fruits of the spirit of God. The new testament was only writ'
ten for this dark age, that God foresaw would come on the world.
And the old Testament is to restore Israel to the spirit of their fa>
thers : and the new Testament to restore the world or Christians to
the Apostolic faith, and then their great mission and appointment of
God is done ; but like the sword of David or Goliah, they will be laid
up in the house of the Lord forever.

Time will shew whether I have any measure of this faith, and
whether I can live alone and bring forth fruits of God's spirit
without scripture, or stand in the storm without this ancient staiT
to lean upon. I am forewarned by them to boast not of to-morrow,
as I know not what the day will bring forth, but to improve
to-day, and pray for bread the morrow. I am satisfied I have
heard the voice of the Lord in the garden, as did my father that
sinned against God^by his measures I have sinned also, and have a
right to his decrees ; it was promised him that God would help him,
and do by him according to 1 is deeds. Now I am confident t' ma-
ny were restored to God before scriptures were written, by be .ng
in the promises of God, and the virtue of his in speaking word, i be-
lieve I am heir of this promise — it was by these means that Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob -entered into the kingdom of God, and by these
means my soul will enter a kingdom here and be at rest. Who can
rise above these means, or who can be happy, and fall below them ?

It is God's design to make this literary world a spiritual world, as
it was before Moses took up the pen to reveal his will, or write
down his decrees. Oh, my soul, be not the last to believe thesQ

f IMrSK>8I0278 OF THB MIKD.

Chingi, nor wait till the gatei are shut that exclude thee from the
City, but rua in haate and bring tidings to thy bretLr«>n, for God ii
there t thlit ie a apirit and not letters. Thia ia the laat teatimony I
•ball leave of theae things, and it waa my firat hand writing. My
spirit now goeth forth to ahow the world that my Redeemer liveth
and bringeth forth from the Spirit of God, receiveth the impressiona
•f the mind that waa common before Scripture, and believeth in
them, and practiaeth God'a daily command.

Deep were the watera. Lord, I know,
That ancient Israel passed through;
Both the deep rivera and the aea
Are now, are now, prepared by thee.

God of my life, my feet prepare.
And let my footstepa lead me there!
And let mine eyea thy promise see.
What is for Israel — thy decree.

HMt thou forbid his feet to move,
Or sworn his land he '11 not improve ?
Or hast thou love for him in store.
To be revealed for evermore?

My children shall the fountain find,
A living spring amidst the mind ;
Though monarchs fall and princes die.
This ipring, this spring, Aall never dry.

I 'v6 markM good Israel for mine own»
And in his tent I 've laid the atone
That never, never, will remove ;
There I attend with deeds of love.

I«et net thine heart attend to fear,
^or kindred oationa be ao near
As to my ancient aon deapiae.
For be 'a the eldest and most wise,

.Thy spirits in the darkened tomb
From thence will rise, as sun at ooon.
And when the clouds doth flee away.
Thine eye shall tee good Israel's da^.

TUB IMTI8IBILITY OF OOD.

October 18th, 1832.

God and his holy angels are obscure from us, and aflTord room
for extensive argumene, and abundant human reasoning, still adding
no proof on the subject, nor deciding what is the truth of this hidden
kingdom — the residence of God. If I can add light to darkness,
I am bound so to do, in my duty towards God, and my love and
good will to men.

I believe in no atmosphere of angels, but the mind. That spirits
subsist amongst the clouds mure visible than (hey do amidst the
waves of the sea, I believe not. The mind is a spirit, and her
attendants are such. We never see a spirit with our personal eyes,
it is the spiritual man only that knoweth the things of God, for it is
the soul that discerneth them. That appearances were seen in
days of old, I dispute not ; and that God gave them to confirm the
' feeble and unbelieving mind — not only so, but to manifest his dignity
and power to the world, — that John who wrote the Revelation saw
many visions, I dispute not. But that they were written to confirm
our weak and feeble minds, I believe also. He believed long ere
that day. But they were given to John to make a book of, that wa
may read and believe in a Deity as did this dignified servant of the
Lord.

That the Virgin Mary saw not the likeness of God's Spirit by
Gabriers name, I believe not, but that she did really see, and hear,
and understand; and although it is the mind that conceives the
spiritual Son of God, yet I really believe her person did conceive,
and that God formed this Emanuel within the bounds of her body or
person, and that he was born like another child into the world. I
also believe that his mind conceived of God ; as true it is that I
believe that Mary received his person from a Divine original. Now
if I could end a disputed matter, I think I am doing well in so doing.
Arguing and not gaining is like seeking and not finding, — like
travailing and never coming to the city, — like toiling and receiving
no wages ; for the world is farther from the knowledge of God in
these days than in times that are past: viz, the patriarchal age,
before the Son of God was bora of his Virgin mother. All received
of one God whether judgment or mercy. It is singular to repeat,
but no more so than is true, that is before the Scriptures, all the
godly Patriarchs of old believed in one God, and one word, and
were agreed these days God will restore to the world in the resur-
rection of the dead. These shall appear with Messiah our Saviour.
It is all the attributes and merits of God that compose a Saviour. I
have laid Christ that was born received of God, but he that is to come
ii God. A holy spirit thedi will our past Messiah appear again, I mMui

IMPRESSIONf OF THB MIIfD.

the deeds done in his person. His person also will be brought to re>
nicnibrance and gloriP.ed on earth. He that is to come is God, and
cannot conceive of another, then will he make use of a Redeemer's
heart or mind to redeem the world. Cain the son of Adam was and
is counted one of the worst of men because he killed his brother.
There is asmgular testimony in scripture of him, and that is, that he
knew he was worthy of death, according to the laws of Moses, and
consequently our laws this day. But God forbade the vengeance of
men upon their brother. Cain knew his crime and that was enough
in the sight of God, he said his burden was more than he could bear.
Here let us learn that he had to borrow of God, a back to bear the
burden or a heart to feel the stripes and yet live. Cain was a vebsel
of his own choice, as a stone in a building. His life forms part in
the written books of Moses. Now, if this hard-hearted man could be
made sensible by the convicting voice of God, that he was guilty of
sin, he was nearer the kingdom of Heaven than many in this day
that sin and know it not.

In him Gt d has pleased to display the power of his wrath and yet
save his soul alive. The soul or spirit of Cain liveth, or he could
not feel and testify of the anger of God. Now if God showed mercy
to Cain, to whoni shall we not shew mercy ?' Cain's neighbours let
him live, for God swore that he would be avenged of them that rose
up to be their brother's Judge, and lay on the stripes according to
their unforeseeing mind in the extensive purposes of God.

We will now describe a Deity as we can prove — and not leave
our lines in darkness for blind men to dispute about, (for so we all
are, till God gives us light the second time from heaven,) the sun in
the firmament is our first light, when we are born into the world ;
but this clouded and unclouded light lets us know little or nothing of
a spiritual kingdom or world to come. It is but an allusion though
really necessary for our personal benefit, that is as the sun in the
skies — teachethlus how to procure for the person, so doth that sun
within, that tells us we must provide for the soul, or she will perish
like one wanting bread.

To measure spiritual things by these that are natural is with me
impossible ; if we could see all, if we could comprehend all, we are
yet short of this kingdom, where the spirit forever is at rest. The

Shilosopher and star-gazer is far short of the kingdom of God.
acob saw more in his vision of the ladder, the descending and
ascending of angels, than all the philosophers in the world ; for he
■aw the Lord above, but they only see herbs and plants below ; rocks,
seas, and insects, globical apparitions with stars above ; but Jacob
saw the Lord. Jacob could not discover this to another, — it was his
own bread from heaven. He could testify of God and angels, but
could not give this illumination . to the world ; and that is all that
earthly Divines can do, from that day to this.

THB INVISiniLITT Or GOD.

These things were bread for his own soul, and it induced him to
erect a memorial to the Lord ; he could not write, and therefore
erected his memorial of stone, a well chosen material, because it
decayeth not. A Deity is power above us, to whom we can neither
give form, shape, nor size; but whosoever hath seen the creation
by visions of heavenly light, hath seen the body or person of the
Lord. If he is not in every thing created I am mistaken ; and this
is where the natural philosopher comes short of describing n. Deity
to the world. I form no disputes with any person, because i covet
not, I envy not, neither am I afraid that another will prove stronger
and take my crown away, — not a crown as a king, — but that which
God hath given, I place uppermost on my head. To me it is a
diadem of chief delights, the author of all my joys.

Whosoever hath received the words of conviction into his soul
from an offended God, has seen God, has known Gpd ; and him that
believeth sets to his seal that God is true, though we are sinners.
This way we receive the living God into the mind, and we know
that his testimony is true, for it is stronger than all in us, and the
most powerful ; and in that hour we have received an angry God
into the mind. Thus Cain knew the Lord long before Scripture ;
and thus my stubborn soul may know him when I know Scripture
no more : t. e. when other men's deeds shall or may be forgotten,
and I shall be swallowed up in mine own, whether they are deeds
of sin or righteousness. Cain's heart became a kingdom of hell to
him ; but he could not bear the convicting flame without expression.
If I have had my share in this kingdom, shall I not speak also, and
add to his testimony by saying, I know how his spirit did feel within
him; every foody hated him for his crime; to him the earth was
comfortless for a time. We know not but God abated the flame
before he built the city, or enjoyed society, or embraced a female
companion in life ; for we never read that he sinned afterward, but
was prosperous in this world. If he had been cut off by men
according to our designs, he could not have shewn the chastising
hand of God and such marks of forgiveness as he hath done. But
these deeds form precious lines in the hand-writing of Moses, and
are God's favours unto us. God was more powerful than him.
Though of a hard heart and of an unmerciful mind, yet he was
brought to confession before the Lord, whom we suppose might be
accounted as one of the worst of sinners.

Tlese written lines afford more knowledge of God to the world
than all the Newtons and Miltons that ever put pen to paper. Here
we have marks of God's superiority : that is to say, be is too strong
in judgment for the worst of men, and his flery darts or arrows of
conviction can convince the hardest heart of sin, and set the whole
kingdom on fire within us that we rest not. Now my opinioa of

mPBKMIOIfS or THB MI»P.

■alvation it this, — that a man'a bitter heart or mind of woea, wher*
the whole creatioa ia cursed to him and comfort not, can be changed
from this convicting and consuming flame to which all muat yield,
can be changed by repentance, and the forgiveness of God, till that
heart or soul that burned in the convicting flame and yet died not, can
be re*changed to be a kingdom of joys. Thus we know that God
is powerful by the changes uf the mind, more than the atmosphere,
or all the herbs, plants, trees, or seas and tides that ebb and flow
below the sun. It is the mind that is (he mediator ; the mind of
Emanuel was placed between God and my sins. His soul was in
hell for them ; that is, suffered judgment for sin, that sinned not,
and was translated from the kingdom of hell or conviction (for thia
kingdom is composed of spiritual fire, that is, the wrath of God that
reaches our spirit, which no material fires can do) to the kingdom
of heaven, where all is peace, and the spirit rests justified of our
deeds, which are according to command. As sin is counter thereunto,
here we see God's pre<emineuce ; he is over both kingdoms, binds
and releases as he will, and we are but the subjects of bis will, and
are not even master over our own souls.

God is invisible to the human eye, but plainly known to tho spirit
within us, which is the mind. It came from God, and knoweth tho
parent, when he speaks to it by his loud sentences of conviction
which wakes the dead comparatively speaking ; t. e. if I am in the
•pirit of my wicked iather, or a child of the spirit of Cain, though
he were dead, his spirit will come to judgment in me : for without
repentance it is unpardonable with God.

Thus Christ suffered a painful death for the whole world. AH
■ins or sinners received conviction in him ; and this was the hell of
spirits he suffered in, when his darkened foes railed around him and
rejoiced in their victory. Thus it is said is the way to tho kingdom
of heaven, — it lieth by the gates of hell, — the pool of repentance to
the sinner, the liberation of the spirit of the just.

The flame is forever, — as long as God is angry with us the fire
bums unceasingly ; but when he sees our spirit in a right temper to
serve the Lord and glorify his name, he liberates the captive and
Mts the bondsman free.

All these things I have known for many years; and believinff it
to be my duty to live a lonesome life in years to come, excluded
from the world and the cares thereof, I leave this written testimony
for them that may live after me, as my knowledge of God may be
strengthening to some one weaf in faith. For the same purpose these
lines are drawn to strengthen men, and be a lasting Confirmation to I
the mind.

I have engaged the world alone, — spoke that which hath not beei^
rtYealed, and written that which hath not been seen. Neverthelesf

«■

rtJ^tlOHT Am THB MATS OP HKAVKNLV LlflHT.

these declarations are true. Moses and the Prophets will shine on
them in years to come ; as the sun reacheth the western hills by
morning light, so the day dawneth when these things will appear, a
little above my brethren of the age. As to the appearance of God
and angels, God the great Deity of the world appnareth by his word.
Whatever is seen, or hath been seen, is only a confirmation to the
human mind, to strengthen the belief of him that otherwise might
be an unbeliever and reject the truths of God. Him that knoweth
God by his word, knoweth as much as ever will be known, or hath
been known by the appearance of angels, or all the visions of light
that ever hath shone below the sun.

OcTOBEB 19th, 1832.

Bright are the rays of heavenly light,

Like to the morning sun,
These load my footsteps from the night,

To months and years to come.

Yi ith bright allusions lead me on,

To place my feet secure ;
I've Israel for my stepping stone.

His blood my wounds to cure.

Jehovah's great eternal name
Broke through the eastern sky.

The prophet sang, the angel came,
Emanuel was nigh ;

Then I awoke, with great surprise,

To see my God so nigh ;
Then tears o'erflowed my weeping eyes.

That 'm despair were dry.

My heart affords a living spring,
From thence my tears doth flow ;

My soul rejoices in her King,
And triumphs o'er her foe.

These tears of joy, like Aaron's oil,

From day to day descend :
Adam was made to dress the soil)

And I'm made for this end.

iMrBCMioNg or tui mno*

OoTOBKR 28lh, 1832.

THE POWER AND VIRTUE OP THE WORD OP GOD.

if^

Oh Ood! I have heard thy word, and bear witness thereunto.
Thy word ia my salvation, the bread of my soul, water to quench
my thirst, and the pathway of eternal life, because there is no end.
It is wine to cheer my spirit, strength to my limbs, the physician of
my disease, and the bonds of peace. It proceedeth out from thee,
whom I know not, neither can I, for thou art unbounded by heaven,
earth, or sea. All that are created contain thee not ; thy magnitude
is beyond men and angels, and yet the earth is full of thee. The
seas declare thy glory, and the heavens show forth thy wondrous
name.

I now write for thee by the measures thou hast given, and cease
not to give thee praise. Thou madest a covenant with my soul when
she was young, and as a faithful friend thou now makest good thy
word. It is written in the past records of my life that I should write
for thee, which promise this solemn moment of my life thou by thy
justifying spirit enablest me to do. I am but a worm before thee.
Thou art all, to whom be honour and glory given forevermore. Thy
word is the pillar of the earth, the extent of the skies and stars in
the firmament of heaven. My soul or spirit is of thy word. As
the child knoweth the affectionate parent, so my soul knoweth thee*
and through thee can testify of thy wondrous works.

What is man? — he is but a worm, his days a span, and he is
known no more. I must die, and who shall live aAer me I know
not, or into whose hands these lines are falling I cannot tell. I am
yet alive, and indebted to thee for thy mercies and favours thou hast
bestowed on a poor worm of dust, not worthy to be numbered with
men, or claim a title to the workmanship of thine band. NeverthO'
less 1 must confess I was made by thee, and I cannot change my
being ; I have said I must die, because it is appointed to all men to
turn to dust and bo no more. Thus I mark my pathway down to
the tomb, and many thousands will walk therein aAer me who hath
no desire to live. My soul this day hath desired the depths of the
s ja, or the heart of the earth, more than the estate of kings or the
diadem of princes. I shall die naturally, but spiritually I shall
never die ; neither shall my spirit leave the earth. These things
the word of the Lord hath spoken in mine ears ; my spirit is ordained
to live and «ee deep sorrows here below. Pleasure has fled from
my garden, there is no flower of pleasant smell ; my heart is filled
with thorns and thistles, — the afllictions of men are engraven there.

Till POWER AND TISTUK Of TUB WORD Olf GOD.

Af Ihou writest Almighty God upon my heart, lo transcribe 1 to
paper. I am a frail man ; it ia all that 1 can do to write aAer thee ;
of myaelf I can do nothing.

Thou gavest me light in darkness ; thou commanded mine ear to
hear thy word, and mine eyes to see thy salvation ; and mine ear
and mine eyes obeyed thee. Thou walkedst before me in truth : I
followed after thee, as through the depths of the sea ; and men nor
angels knew it not. Thou dwelt with me alone in the dead watches
of the night, and taught my soul in the secret corners of the globe,
where men never saw. Thou gavest unto me a sun of light whereby
I could see thy name, and direct my pen for thee.

Thou planted a hedge on my right hand and on my leA, to save
my soul from the gates of hell and the bondages of the pit, to which
there is no end. Thou took fast hold on my right hand by mighty
strength ; for I have seen thy hands fairer than the hands of
maidens. Thou took fast hold on mine. Thou gave to my heart
spirits like wine, and I sang the songs of the Lord. Thou writest
and blottest out again upon my soul, and every day I come to nothing
before thee. Thou rebuildest my spirit by thy might, and by thy
power. Thou leadest into dark places, such as I can endure and
live; but trouble is yet to come. Then will I write the deeper
lessons. When thou leadest me by the more mysterious way, then
will I show more plainly the wonders of thy name, and mercies of
my soul that thou hast given. Thy will, O Lord, is like a country yet
unknown. There are hidden treasures with thee that thou hast
never shewn unto men. I thirst this day O God for springs of living
water, and bread to strengthen my spirit ; she is weak before thee,
and faintest as a maiden in despair. Reach forth thine hand O God,
and feel my necessities ; behold they are not a few. My spirit is
clothed with thy children as a garment ; they look up to me, and I
am lean to feed thy flocks Lead me to pastures that will never fail,
to springs that never dry : and my soul shall honour thee forever.

The day is dark, my spirit is in the desert ; she hath no sun, there
is no compass for my soul. Former favours hath passed away ; thy
goodness u not known save by remembrance^ Oh my Saviour and
my God ! Abhold thy sun hath risen in the eastern world, and there,
unto shair t^y feet attend and find rest. More than Israel and Jacob
of old shalt thou receive at my hand, for thy peace is forevermore,
thy pastures fail not, neither doth the spring dry that comforts thy
soul. Thou art in the ways of Israel, and his soul shall be found
of thee, and his spirit joined with thine to live forever. Thy sun
shall never set, nor the morning of thy days be forgotten, because
thou hast builded altars to the Lord, and sacrificed thereon at my
command without the laws of Israel. Life is in store for thee, and
bread forever.

IMPRKIflONS OF TIIH MIND.

;Si.

;

Thy spirit ihall ting longi that never were luns, nor committed
to the world lince the eun rose from the mighty deep» where light
wai clouded without me fbrevermore.

My apirit shall bo as the sun to thee, and these lines this day shall
be as a seal to my former covenants when I promised to thee,— thou
•houldst do that thou then couldst not do.

Thine heart shall be os the tables of the Lord, on which are
written the commandments of men, or bread that I shall give unto
them forever. Thy spirit shall not ascend above or descend below,
but shall remain unchangeable and immoveable between me and my
people ; and these things to which the earth is a stranger sholl be
seen of thee. Thy person is a tabernacle built of clay, that will
not soon consume, or deform, or moulder back to dust. Years will
declare for thee, and months reveal that which is unknown. The
storm shall beat in vain on thine house, and death go empty away.
The purposes of this world shall be fulfilled in thee, and darkness
brought to light which is hidden in the shades of the night and the
shadow of death.

Death shall be as a shadow unto the removing, and not sloying
the person in which thou dwells. Thine hearing shall be strong
and thine eye -sight clear ; thou shalt see beyond the grave and
faint not. The eastern world shall be as a garden to thee ; the
West is the beginning of thy pilgrimage full of sorrow, and pregnant
with bonds. The prison doors and keepers would receive thee ; but
I have bolted them and barred them with double bars : they cannot
be opened. The rich of this world shall hate thee, and thou shalt
endure the burden cast upon thee. Thou shalt groan beneath the
heavy load and cease not ; thy tongue shall toll, and thy feet shall
run to the tents of Jacob aud the house of Israel, for there in store
is thine everlasting peace. Thou shalt convince many of their sins,
and redeem a few to be the sons and daughters of the Most High
God. I will slay after thee : I will execute judgment in my wrath,
and few shall escape the sorrows of ancient days. I will overthrow
every false temple in the earth where my name is not written.

That house shall moulder as clay to the ground. I am full of love
to the world saith the Lord ; but the earth is not fit for my embracing,
to receive the counsels of my lips or receive the servants I shall
send unto them. I will send unto Israel of old, saith the Lord, the
Son of my power and glory ; he shall oppear in thee in spirit, and
the Lord on his right hand to justify his cause forevermore.

I will terribly scourge the earth, ere the inhabitants will be saved.
They are as intoxicated people, with the spirit of this world. Kings
and princes stand not upright to the Lord.

Prieats have become hired servants, and serve the world for
wages. This is Babylon of old. Her queen shall bs slain ; it is

BSIORT ABB THB BATS OP BBAVBIfLT LIOHT.

prophesied by my lervant John in the sacred records, and will surely
come to pass. 1 will have a new name and a people, that the world
knoweth not; and not these that have sworn to idols^ and made
covenants with the gods of the earth, and serve princes for their
favours. Behold the eastern sun is now risen i I will put evil far
from my tents and tabernacles. Israel shall serve the Lord in
fulness of spirit ; he hath only ceased, to live a^ain,— Inin down to
sleep, to arise in the fulness of his strength. Mme arm is stretched
forth full of ancient power } my covenants are with the just, and
them that fear the Lord. I will make the mountains of great men
(in this world) as hills of sand that run into the sea, and are known
no more.

I have not written of myselC but of the words of the Lord, revealed
in the secret watches of the night, and in the garden where no man
walketh but God alone.

Great is the name of the Lord, above all the mountains where he
appeared to Israel of old ; for more he will reveal to the world than
hath already been. My soul seeketh there for day and night, and
fainteth not, because the arm of the Lord is my support, and in him
I put my trust forevermore.

I am not a brute that I should not know his name. He hath made
man worthy of his presence ; and he will be seen of me, not a like-
ness of mine own, or any thing in heaven, earth or sea, but the
peace and salvation of the whole earth. I delight m his name. I
love to toil for wages. His justification is the bread of life, and
never failing spring that ceaseth not to flow, and giveth unto my soul
sweet waters. None knoweth the Lord save these that walk after
him ; these behold hie miracles in the soul and are acquainted with
bis wondrous works. Now I must testify of the Lord until this day
and then cease. He bath formed my spirit with hie right hand, he
hath said unto ray soul live, he hath opened a way before me and bid
me walk therein. He hath siven me jewels of gold, and made me
rich throuffh his mercies. He has given that which none can take
away, he hath estid>lished my feet in the way they shoLlt- ^ j, he
bath set a mark upon me that no man shall hurt me with m.s hands
or deform my spirit, he hath laid a heavy burden upon me and bid
me bear it up. He hath strengthened my hope, and brought yearn
to come near unto my soul. He hath bid me look afar off and
behold his name written. He hath endued me with patience in
tribulation that I u^int not. He hath set the whole army of saints
and servants before ii:«, and bid me run and overtake them, for they
are travelling to the ciiy of God. These pass on with a alow but
ateady step, waking for the redemption of the world, ere their spirit
can enter into perfect rest. H« hastens i^if^p ; hif sommandmenta
are to bid adieu to men. There is no time to be lost ; delay not

s:j

tttnuBsszom of thb Ktim.

li! . !

with the sluggard, nor wait for them that are slothful in spirit. He
bids me run alone and stumble not ; he will be my staff by morning
light, he will arise before the sun and lead me forward, he will place
a diadem upon my head, as were of old, and I shall dwell in the tents
of Israel. Heaven is before mine eyes ; her gates or portals are
open here below. It is my last end if I endure. Strengthened by
the promises of the Lord, I seal the services of the day with love to
God my Creator and Redeemer.

No love O God can exceed the tender affections of my spirit that
I bear to thee ; wine cannot cheer me, nor lands be a comfort to my
soul, — the smiles of this world are as an empty bubble for thy sake.
The joys of a wicked world is bitter as gall to my spirit ; I hate them
and love them not. A drop of ancient blood is strength to my sinews
and oil to my joints. Thou hast preserved the blood of the prophets
in cups of gold, and now and then I have tasted with my tongue ; this
blood is for cleansed vessels, and them that love the Lord with their
whole hearts and with an upright mind. It is precious in thine eyes,
anc^ not one drop thereof shall fall to the ground. This is oil for the
eyes of Israel ; this will be poured on the heads of their chief men.
It is not spilt to be lost, but is in store with thee, till Israel shall call
loudly on thy name. Thy love O God is the banqueting house of my
soul ; there she receives at thy table and is glad. O God, I have
loved thee more than the ancient hills. Sion will not compare with
thee, nor Sinai half declare thy name. My hope is in thee, my life
is in thine hands. The sun in the firmament is setting, and I must
close up this testimony and engage the watches of the night. Thou
hast been near me O God in the night season, and talked with me
when all flesh slumbered on their pillows. Thou hast been with me
by morning light, confirming me by the voice of thy truth, — wherein
I was doubtful, thou hast led me, when I was ready to stumble and
turned my spirit aside from the bonds of despair. My heart is thine
O Lord, and all that I have is thine. Thy treasures are in trust with
me, these things which thou hast given, thou commandest the whole
earth by thy word. It is the bounds of the sea, the line of the storm —
the direction of the clouds, the rising and setting sun is commanded
thereby, and thou art the God of the whole earth. Expose me no
more to the world God I pray thee, but let me write cf thy sacred
truths, and my name be hid forever. It is hard for me to give that
which thou hast given.

Mockers will mock me, and the present divines will despise my
name. Clothe my soul as with a mantle O God ! — my spirit in a
cloud, that I am not seen, that thy glory only may light the world
fbnvermore. Deeper ^^an the seas are thy wisdom. Wisdom
dwellf in uttsearchaCrPUepths, bring her up O God from deep
wtlers, as thou ealledat the aun to rise as revealed to thy servant

THE LORD IS NOT IN FETTBB8.

1»

Moses. Enable her to hear twins O Lord unto Moses and unto
Christ, the pillars of tl. \e house below. Let my name be blotted
out O Lord under the sun, that thou may have all glory ; for honour
belongeth unto thee. Build up the tents and tabernacles of ancient
days ; dwell therein, and make thy name glorious below the sun.

Thou hast heard my prayer O Lord. I shall be no more revealed
io the world :. nay spirit will dwell wiih thee forever*

October 29th, 1832.

Keep thou O Lord my harp in tune,

Both every string and cord ;
Nor let my trembling heart presume,

To stand before the Lord.

If that strong mountain Sinai shook.

That did receive thy laws,
Oh how shall I presume to look

On God or on his cause T

Veil me with clouds O God obscure.

And let me dwcill alone :
If rocks and mountains can't endure,

Caa I see things unknown T

Oh Lord to heaven lift up mine eyes ;

Thou dwells where none can see.
Thou 'st made a mantle of the skies,,

My spirit's feet for thee.

Thou 'st made my heart to burdens bear,

And laid the load thereon ;
Thou *st took ray person in thy care»

And I 'm forever gone.

My name is but a shadow here.

In haste prepares to flee.
Soon shall my person disappear.

And I '11 be found with thee.

NOVEMBER 1st, 1832.

The Lord is not in fetters, neither are his hands in chains, nor his
spirit directed by the prayers of men. He will pour out his blessings
on people of his own choosing, and commit his will to vessels of his

love. His grace and gooda shall be in trust with then} (o commit to

b 2 •-■■->

► 1.

- (

f J

W»' > IMPRESSIONS OF THE MIND.

the world in due season, in the appointed time that is only known in
heaven above. I am confirmed that a change will take place in the
earth, and such as has not been since the first rising of the sun. If
God is well pleased with the earth, why doth sorrow remain or infants
go down to an untimely grave ?

Let us meditate on the things of God, and be sober. It is a
dreadful day indeed when we have to live every hour in the fear of
death and terror of the gtave. So the last summer hath been to all
that beheld the unconfined chastising hand of God upon the earth.
The grave^yards were cultivated as the fiillow.ground for the seed ;
the grave-diggers were as so many gardeners preparing the ground
for the dead, — men that had not lived half their days. If we who
are spared from this dreadful and seemingly untimely calamity, and
are nothing the better of this sore chastisement on our brethren who
hath passed the gates of death, truly his hand will be drawn a little
nearer unto us, till we can see his vengeance written thereon ; for m
the very community to which we as brethren belong, doth not disputes
remain with us? doth not temporal interest inspire to grief, and are
we not in close communion and fellowship with all the world ? Then
when we see the limbs thereof falling into the earth like untimely
figs, we know the tree is shaken by him that first laid the pillars of
the earth. Who can control the storm ? who can command the sea ?
No, not one, but the word of God. Then are all things at his com>
mand ; and he is an unlimited God, both in his judgments and his
mercy. He will water the earth with his blessings ; he will smile
upon his people. My son and my daughter, come away from the
broad way of the earth ; there is danger therein, — a lion is in this
way: the Lord will appear before, strong and unconquerable, if
thou pursuest the pathway of men, or vain glory in the house of the
Lord. The bosom of the Lord is filled with wine for his people ;
he will make them joyful in his own inheritance, the house he hath
chosen for their dwelling.

The Lord is strong, there is no binding him. We cannot mock
his decrees and go unpunished. He hath the fires of hell in store
for them that mock his name. The disobedient shall wander as lost
sheep from the house of Israel and find no rest.

Feed with the flocks my son and my daughter : the banqueting
house is in the midst of them. There thy thirst shall be satisfied
and offend not the Lord, neither wilt thou become a stumbling-block
to his people. Fear to offend. Oh son and daughter, lest ye offend
the living God. It is a dangerous thing to offend these that believe
in God, but no sin to receive offences with patience.

There is a new day dawning on the world. The Spirit of the
Lord hath arisen in the east, and shineth on the western world ; and
by the rays of this sun, we behold the power and glory of ancient

THB LORD IS MOT IN FBTTBB8.

days. No man can govern the Lord ; he cannot be bound : he will
have his own way in the earth. And these are the latter days wh^n
the Lord shall appear as he now doth, — clothed with judgment and
with mercy.

Seek no victory amongst men : for so doth the crowns and princes
in this world. Seek it not, it shall be taken from thee, and lost by
them ; for God will be our all. He will give us that we sought not
for ; and these things the eye hath never seen are yet to come.

There is no danger in the counsels of the Lord. The will of the
Lord is as a strong fortress for his people, which none can take
away. The house of his blessings is rising, composed of all the
kindred of the earth. He will reconcile all into one body, save the
rebel ; he shall become the footstool of hi? wrath, heavy laded with
more than he can bear. His soul shall cry out before the Lord,
when his children shall rejoice in the vineyard of his pleasure,
gathering the lawful clusters of the vine, and joys appointed from
the foundations of the earth.

Hearken to the voice of the Lord my son, my daughter, the child
of my bosom, attend to hear, (there thou wast conceived and brought
forth into the earth to have a being amongst men.) The Lord talketh
with thee through a loud trumpet from above ; who canl^hear and
not understand ? None, savv^ these who have closed up their ears,
and refuse to be converted from the wicked and sinful paths of life,
which lead our footsteps down to hell, where there is weeping and
wailing forevermore, — where the tears cease not to flow, neither is
the fire of conviction quenched till the captive cometh forth captured
by victory. Oh shun this doleful pit ! The howling of beasts are
there : that is, our nature crying for relief, and is unheard until
repentance is offered to God for a sacrifice for sin.

It is yet the niornmg of the day ; fathers and mothers enter not
in at the gates of despair. She courts you with open arms and
kisses you with fond embraces. Partake not of her spirit. I am
acquainted with her ; I have been with her in the night season. She
will lull you to sleep in her arms, and feed you at her hopeless breast,
and bind your hands from labour. Hope is stronger than her ; make
her thy kinswoman. She arises by morning light. Her sparkling
eyes behold the first dawning of the day, she is early shod and pre.
pared to travel ; she is waiting for command, she leaneth on the pit.
lars of the Lord's house, and her staff faileth not in a day of trouble ;
her breasts are full of joy, the Spirit of the Lord abideth there, the
comfort of nations, kings and princes will come forth and taste of
her wine, and become as little children, and be saved in the latter
days, behold the sun riseth higher, farther and farther doth these
spiritual rays descend.

lUPBESSIOIfS OF THE MIND. ^

m- w

Behold the vineyard of the Lord increases; the pastures are
enlarged, and there is water in the stream to quench the thirst of
the thirsting flocks of Israel. The grape is on the vine, the figs are
on the trees, and in the midst of her are the words of life, and who-
soever partaketh thereof shall never die. These are the command-
ments of the Lord, springs of living water, the rivers thereof leadeth
all flesh to the city of God. This is the station of never ending
joyp, where the fire of conviction is quenched with the tears of the
penitent and the heart offered to God.

Continuing fire is where misery doth not abate, which is God's
wrath for want of repentance, and this is the universal station of the
western world. She is clothed ivith tears, but barren as sands to
repentance, and therefore sorrow remains. Come out of her my
children, walk not after her footsteps, for she hath led her children
to meet the judgments of the Lord ; or why doth death's chastising
hand pervade the earth? It is now the full time of his coming, he
will increase sorrow ; he will not be mocked with idle prayers, nor
the decrees of men. He will have repentance, or consume the
whole earth with fire ; e. e. conviction shall burn as unquenchable
fire on these that repent not, and the earth and the sea will abound
wilih the bodies of dead men. Infants shall meet an untimely grave,
to bring sorrow to the heart and tears from the eyes of afflicted
fathers and mothers which shall abound here below, till God offers
himself to be a parent to the child, and a shepherd to these that
stand in need. Then will the hands of death he bound with a chain,
and disease put into fetters, to prevail no more. Hell shall be closed
up as in a dungeon of sorrows ; none shall commune with her, neither
shall her guests be farther known. These things are the love of
God to his people. He will speak loudly in years to come ; the
trumpet is in his 'lips, the word of the Lord is on his tongue, and he
will convince the world of sin, and clothe the earth with righteous,
ness. Maidens have clothed themselves before him and princes put
diadems upon their head, but the Lord will take them off again, and
the soul of maidens shall become naked before his eyes ; they shall
appear as a back smitten with many stripes, and mark their pathway
with tears of sorrow down to the grave. Shun her ways Oh sons
and daughters ; these things are in the treasures of the Lord for
them that love the world and walk afler her as a maiden, and give
their heart unto her as an harlot for her favours. I now close the
service of the day according to God's dire^ction, whose commands
hath directed me to write these things, and wait at the gates of the
city, Jerusalem of old spiritualized ; for this is new Jerusalem, the
falyation of the world.

*,;.a

TBB LORD U KOT Xlf FSTTEAI.

It is where friends and kindred meet

A happy world of joys,
Where every soul can songs repeat,

Nor bird nor brute destroys.

The teniple where the Lord doth dwell,

A thousand angels round;
And I rejoice and I can tell,

Within this city's found.

God is a Spirit dwelling there.

His merits all are love;
None with his being can compare.

In earth or heaven above.

He keeps the city and the gates,
None, none can enter there;

But those whose spirit praise repeats,
And doth reject despair.

Long, long this city hath been sought.

The proud ne'er enter in ;
With blood these portals all are bought,

The sacrifice for sio.

November 13th, 1832.

Let every creature praise thy name.
From whom the hills and mountains came.
That bounds the billows of the sea.
And bids the bird and brute agree.

Lot ma^ devote his heart to praise.
For thou 'st appointed all his ways;
And thou 'st forbid his soul to sin,
Or hell to take his spirit in.

Oh let my soul to sin refuse.
For sins the living God abuse :
I '11 rise upright and form my prayer.
And God will keep me from despair.

Hell 's not appointed nor ordained.
Nor by a kind Creator named;
But a dark station men hath found.
With iron bars and empty sounds

24 IMPSSNKOIfS OP TBI HlIfD.

It is not numbered with the days,
When God performed his deeds of praise ;
But unknown spaee the sinners due,
That God has cursed and banished too.

To every man, to every son,
There is no death or hell to come:
To every creature that agrees,
The Lord commands them as the seas,
. That every wave the Lord obeys.
So man 's ordain'd to peace and praise*

I &

NOVEMBEB 18th, 1832.

When earth doth make her bosom bare,
She leads my footsteps to despair;
Though princes in her bosom rest.
The locks of Jacob 's there oppressed.

I hate her ways and her decrees;
She is not merciful to these:
Proud kiags doth in her bosom reign ;
They '11 fall to never rise again.

Children, with patience lend an var.
The Lord hath come, salvation 's near ;
With patience at his gates attend.
He 's como to be our peace and friend.

His name upon our books record;
He 's Jacob's Saviour and his Lord ;
His wor Is are like the rising sun.
He is my strength in years to come.

He lights my way and binds my foe,
And lengthens all my days below;
His arm is bright, his spirit 's strong,
He 'a my salvation and my soi^.

NovsKBBR 25tb, 1832.

The comer and the stone is bless'd.
That *s Jacob's home and Jacob's rest ;
The stone that Israel sought to find
Is deeply buried in the mind.

THB LORD If NOT IV FETTERS.

The love of God ia safe in store,
For those that Israers God adore;
The treasure *a plain, the lines are true,
There every prophet gets his due.

There *s no injustice, wrong, nor fraud.
With Israel's Saviour, Israel's God ;
He weighs the nations in a scale,
Whose measure 's true and never fail.

Justice doth long the balance hold,
That weighs the time, both new and old;
And him that doth the mountains weigh.
Hath placed a star in Israel's day.

Before the morning sun arose,

Jehovah did this light disclose:

The sun will rise, salvation 's near, <

The springs of Judah 's new and pure.

The corner's sought, the stone is found,

And Jacob's God 's again renown'd ;

And he will house and home restore,

And Jacob rest forevermore. '**-

November 28th, 1832.

Let Israel's name forever stand,
A monument amidst the land ;
And his bright sun, and his decrees,
A banner floating in the breeze.

It was from him salvation came»
To him will peace return again;
Angels of light assemble there,
Again will rise his morning star.

His Saviour sat on David's throne.
This world 's a kingdom for his own ;
And all his sons from tribute free,
His banners perfect liberty.

Within his gates no tyrants reign,
His bouse shall never fall again ;
The word of God 's the bottom stone,
And Israel ever dwells alone.

His gate's unknown to envious foes,

His throne well washed from blood and woes;

His harp's in tune to never cease,

His trumpets soundetenutl peace.

IMPRESSIONS or TUB MUfO.

NovRMDER 29th, 1832.

\h .1

■1

1j"

'4*

THE LOVE OP GOD TO THE WORLD.

Much hnth been written — but I must write ; different experience
afTords a difTerent hand writing, and that which is nearest the truth
will rise uppermost at last. I am persuaded to believe, but few, if
any, will write on religious subjects afler me — or the things of God,
or the power of religion on the mind.

I shull not follow the track that others hath laid down to walk by.
I have known something of myself, and this is my necessity, to testify
unto the world what things I have received of God. To explain
a change of heart or mind is hard to those that scarcely believe
redemption needful to comfort the soul. The dread of hell and the
fear of God, as far as I have known is safe ground to walk upon, and
farther I will leave till another day. I know I shall agree with the
evangelist — for truth is ever the same — though widely differing in
form. It is still the same in virtue or effect. It was a change of
mind that the Son of God sought for, what prophets and apostles
sought for or desired. The scriptures hath become books and texts
disputable in this world, they came from different minds, but from
one God ; they are the impressions of his mind, upon the heart of
man, brought into existence and remain with us. Nothing can be
added to make them more plain, and nothing should be diminished,
because they are the words and works of God ; but God can add
more without taking from them, and as the hill of Sion or Sinai, they
stand sacred with me, with which I crave no material alteration.

They first instruct us there is happiness and misery, and we pro- <
ceed on from childhood to prove that such declarations are true. But
how we receive the one or obtain the other, is a matter disputable in
this world. I testify that the fear of God is misery to me — and this
is misery I cannot shut out of my soul or spirit. The Lord the God
of Jacob keeps the door, and who can hinder to enter in what will,
or who can forbid the deeds of sin. There is one providential hand
over all his works, I am convinced, for by trial I know that I can do
no good thing. We are first made happy we know, and this we
know without scripture — but in tribulation we may forget there is a
happy stage of life, and cease to hope for the salvation of the soul.
It is therefore recorded that man was once happy of great liberty
and almost unbounded wisdom. God commanded a loss of these
things ; not by appoir ' aents, but by the event of action.

These things are ordained to come to pass, for this great purpose—-
that man may be sensible there is two kingdoms in God's power,
misery and joy ; it is not appointed that man shall remain in the first
or latter kingdoms, till he is capable of choosing for himself, whether

LoVB of 001) TO THE WUKlU.

he had rather sin and die, or repent and live. No man or mind is
capable of choice or choosing these kingdoms to himself, without
experience, therefore experience is expedient fur thu salvation of
the soul. To the hungry soul the bitter herb is sweet, but th. 11
soul loaths honey, the sweetest of moat.

How wonderful are the works of God in the creation ; how wise
his words, for the salvation of the mind. There are but few men or
women on earth, but know of being unhappy, and perhaps as few
that know of being redeemed from it ; such cannot read the scrip,
tures through — nor write a correct line of direction for others, but
go on apace like a man in youthful follies, and then get lost from
the way that leads to heaven and God — fall into confused arguments
that never hath been decided, about testimonies written in the sacred
lines. I am resolved in pursuing my own understanding and argue
with none. Strong contesting and argument is productive of an
equality of sentiment, but we ought always to prove ourselves the
servant or the master, and so proceed on our heavenly way, for
experience is a journey or pilgrimage, as from one kingdom to
another ; we all prove to the world we have known the kingdom
of darkness, and the regions of the dead, or death that bringeth
forth no light nor salvation to the world : consequently, no rest
to our limbs or troub'.d mind. Miserable is man in this lower
world, full of mistaken notions, for want of light he guesses at
many objects in this darkness in which he is deceived, and most
grossly disappointed. The miser flatters himself he has found
the compass that leads to rest, a piece of shining gold. The
scriptures plainly tell him he is a liar, and in the end ho finds
they are true — which his life disputed before. The love of God
shines brighter to me than gold, and the scripture is to my soul as
the anointing oil of salvation. Some say that joy consists in eating,
and drinking, much idleness and mirth ; but deatit blots out these
records from the book of remembrance, and in sickness, the shadow
of death, they comfort nothing. But if I make myself miserable to
comfort another, my reward is sure, and faileth not in the hour of
death, for thus God hath commanded the soul. A man in bonds is
weak, he can do but little for himself; but him that is free is swift on
the race, and strong in the battle. We are all captives that serve this
world, and the things thereof; these comfort no man that hungers
for the bread of life, and the springs of living water, that never fail
to quench a weary thirsting mind ; these are pearls to be bought, we
have sold them when we sold our birthright to the kingdom of God ;
this I call the world to come, or worlds above ; as they can be sold,
they can be bought, providence offers them at a price, not with
money can they be bought, but with a change of heart. The unre-
deemed will say, who can change his own mind ? he may as well still

IMPnE«SI0N8 OF THE MIN».

!■

the beating waves of the sea. If God hath made salvation impossi*
bio it is in vain to try. I know that peace cannot be bought with
money, but we could lose and we can find ; we have sold and
we cnn buy ; and with me tliere ia no disputing about the price of
our salvation. My suui huth cast ofT hor fears and speaks loudly to
the world, and not with timidity, as though she was a servant to
priests and kings tliat bare rule in tliis world, and still blind to tho
salvation of those that serve under them. My spirit is a servant of a
noble prince here below, nnd of God above ; he brings glad tidings to
my spirit, and that whicli I once feurod I fear no more. I fear no
hell for what is past — and all my dread is to not offend for years to
come. Who hid death and lioll from mine eyes, till I dread the
grave no more than the child in tho cradle.

I shall be stigmatized for presumption, if the Lord hath cast away
my fear what shall I say — shall I lie to please the world, to make
them think my spirit k like theirs ? No, not for all the earth affords,
or these in Heaven enjoy. I will give God his due, and breathe out
his glory to the ends of the world. I have paid the price, and then
God found it in his holy heart to give.

I am a man of trouble, but my dwelling is in safety from the temp-
tations of this world, because the arm of the Lord is about me. I
have made the choice that is acceptable to his own heart ; why
should he cast me into hell any more ? Death and hell hath fulfilled
their ofiice in my spirit, why should they return ? they are in chains,
they are bound with a cord ; but these have been profitable to me,
the Lord hath appointed them for the sinner's meat, and th>? drink of
the slothful. These hath affected my mind to flee from eviirlasting
burning ; and as I have known the goodness of God — Israel'ti Sa-
viour, and Jacob's Redeemer, I must write to the world of what
groweth upon mine own vine, and bear testimony with the prophet
and evangelist of old, who brought forth scripture from their owd
mind.

»*«'*-

Oh Lord, shall I presume to tell.
The heights of heaven or depths of hell :
Or shall my spirit loudly sing.
Of my Redemer and my King ?

My rest is where no foe invade,
I bought it when I tribute paid,
For when I ^as in bonds and fears,
I quenched this burning with my tears.

Jehovah saw me far astray.
The horrid pit where long I lay ;
But he commands the flame to cease.
And bought me with eternal peace.

''w-

TUB VENGEANCE Or OOD, ETC.

He plac'd salvation on my head
And bid mo load — 'twas cnptivo led,
Ho bid me sorrow, mourn, and pray,
For those that bhndly lead astray.

He bid the powers of death to cease.
And never more to hurt my peace ;
He bid my spirit write and rest.
With these that are forever bles't.

110

THE VENGEANCE OF GOD, OR THE SORROWS OF SIN.

If wo can only testify of one kingdom, we acknowledge by such
an omission, the deformity of tho mind, or inability of the soul. Some
describe hell with a thousand terrors, and affright people with a
shadow, which is not truth, and seldom or ever proves of lasting
benefit to the world. Every mind should taste their own meat, and
him that leads into the path of experience, leads the only right way.
Hell is where we are alienated to God, where the sweetest of meat
is bitter ; where nothing comforts the mind, where wine and mirth
is vain to fallen spirits. This is but hungering and thirsting in
the flame, this is teaching us where we are — it is not redeeming
us, nor releasing the bonds, we must bo brought submissively pas*
flivo before God — this is the use of the affecting furnace. The
hardness of the heart must be melted as clay fitted for the work>
man's use. Tho whole heart must say, make of me what thou
wilt, save, release me from these bonds. These are symptoms of
a' preparation to leave this lower kingdom, where thousands of tho
gentry of this age are now dwelling, beyond the power of meat
or wine to comfort them, nay, nothing will do but the unmerited
mercies of a Redeemer — nothing short of the whole heart is tho
price of our salvation. God will not receive a blemished or an
unsanctified offering. The furnace will burn in this world 'till
many thousands are prepared for the kingdom of God ; and
Death will throw his arrows 'till ho will bring forth salvation in
the soul, and then he will be btund for a little season. I write
extensively in opinion, for writing is my last testimony to the
Christian world, with which I am not well pleased. It affords so
many patterns of distinction in big men, that are called Lords of
tho earth ; their example is so corrupt, it leads many thousands
down to tho chambers of death, but a little farther to go, 'till tho
soul sinks into everlasting ruin and despair. They are loudly call,
ed upon in this age of life to exercise mercy, where they have

IMPRE8SI0NI OF TIIK MIND.

'..1-

ruled with judgment over poor captivated creature man. It la right
they ahould bo called upon, but not deny ; coniider how tho Chris-
tian world doth sufTer, to support pride and luxury.

Oh blind guides who have thouffht to be happy with the breod
of this lower kingdom I There is far better bread in worlds above,
the blessing of God to the weary, a drop of water to quench the
thirst of these whose spirits burn in the vengeance of God, and
he that receiveth enjoyeth more than princes, and her that re«
ceiveth, more than queens espoused to kings and potentates of
the earth. These hunger nor thirst for nothing better, — honey is
not half so sweet. These love the giver, the flume abates, and
the redeemed place their allections on the delivering hand. These
know the borrows of the pit, where not a crumb of bread or a
cup of cold water was received with a blessing to the mind.

Great men receive their patrimony and arc still poor, quar*
relinff with the world to serve, hungering for tributes of this
world, unwilling to give to a man that which is his own, for
whom they can do nothing. Oh that I could convince the
world that the kingdoms of this world hath become the kingdom
of hell, and th>re is no peace in them. What we enjoy to-day
is gone to-morrow, and our personal joys flee from us, and leave
a bitter stins behind — a heart clothed with sorrow or broken
with grief. I do not dread my years to come. I have no ap-
pointment from God, but to make the world happy as I can,
and my rewards are sure, therefore I toil without fear. If I sought
wages as I work, I should be as the hireling, on every every
evening and morning receiving wages, but these arc in store for
me — and they are not small, und are measurably manifest in this
world, whose servant am I, the Lord, Jacob's God excepted. If
I am not in necessity to borrow wisdom of the dignitaries, am I
not rich ? that is not to say I know much, but that I can accom-
plish my appomtments, which are God's designs, without injustice
calling any man Lord, that rules a kingdom here below. To
whom do I look as father ? to God only, my Redeemer. It was
not the arm of flesh, that drew me upward from the pit, but
God saw my soul, that I was passive in his hands, for so the fires
of hell wrought upon me, it turned my stubborness into clay,
and my heart melted within me, and I know not but I am
that that God would I should be. If providence is with me,
whom shall I fear? If he hath set me free from the bonds of
the endless pit — who can bind — who can trouble my spirit ? It
is not in the power of men to afflict more than is profitable,
but many may offend to tell the world how sinful the soul is
that is within them, and how far their spirit dwells from God.
He that too often offends the world reveals that his soul is ia

TRI VXNOIANOB OF OOD, BTC.

the pit| he ii not latisfied, and would that the world would change
ita course for his relief. Poor creature, blind and unjustifiable, our
aalvation is not of the world, but of God. A man is not bound under
obligations to redeem the world for his release, but pay the debt, —
the uttermost farthing — and [ testify unto him, the prison door will
be set open, he mny wulk out though ten thousand unrepenting cap*
tives remain behind in bonds. Pay the debt, and our election is sure.
God requires an offering of this world, that kings and prin-
ces will hare to make before the kingdoms of this world be-
come the kingdoms of God and Christ. There is no peace
where sin remaineth. Uightoousness is a perfect liberty. I am
bound to no man, though 1 am not clean before the Lord ; biJt
as there are but few more so, it hath pleased God to make me
more free than the dignitaries of this world, who seemingly de*

Eend altogether on their subjects to make them happy ; these
egin to refuse their tribute, kings and priests begin to mourn.
Happy man am I, I had none to lose, nor never knew that I
needed any, I only want a crumb of bread and a cup of water
with justification from the hand of God, and my spirit is happier
than the souls of princes on whom the wrath of God abides-—
Why is the earth sorrowful? because of tributes — because it is
the sorrows of sin, the downfall of pride and luxury, therefore
the servants of these practices that God hath forbid, mourn ;
there is a worm at the root of their joys, I know of none at
the root of mine ; I have nothing in this world to glory in but
tribulation, and this keeps me out of temptation, and ia proper
bread for years to come. The tnore I seek the more I find,
the more I ask the more is given : as n^y great thirst is pasture
for the flocks, and not for mine own spirit, for I am rich while
I seek, and inherit while I am sorrowful; for I think myself
safe in the hands of him that drew me upward from the pit,
and bid the flame abate, and now I have said much this day,
and committed these lines to memory.

Where is the witness of these things ? I write of myself in.
dependent of other men— I must produce mine own witness as
an introduction to believe these things which I have writ,
ten. I appeal to God, and publish to men, that I never
seek for dominion over my fellow worm, yet, dominion to me
is given by the strength of reason, and power of understanding,
and powers and princes cannot take it away. I never murmur
because of a low station of life, for I enjoy all that earth af.
fords, and more than courts and counsels can contain. My \i(e
is without disputing, and from ma the reasoner is far away.
No man can call me servant, nor say I am under obliga-
tioni to cooM at his command.. I have not robbed these young

k' ■■'■

lit ;

I ' J

l;i;: ..(

..,.. J

IMPRESSIONS OF THE MIND.

in experience, nor have I been chargeable to the house of the
Lord.

I have not been slack on the race ; nor swift for wages, who
hath been my example in latter days? Or who but God shall
I call the Lord? He hath quenched the flames of his wrath,
cooled the burning vengeance, and bid me write, their purpo-
ses and appointments as I have known in my soul, for these
are his decrees after me, and his appointments from the foun<
dations of the world. The flame abates with every repenting
sinner; but with the wicked, hell is forever, and the burniitg
flames thereof hath no end.

Oh how can I delay?

My spirit loudly sings, ; ?: - .^

Far from the flame she's borne away, «* ,.'

And rides on angel's wings. . . ' ^. [

The love of God is strong,
No towers half so high.
He lets me see my journey's long,
Nor in it's fears to die.

Death's bounded with a chain, ■
And all his arrows still.
And long in bonds will he remain.
For he's forbid to kill.

The fields around are green.
And mine 's a shepherd's care,
,^, And large and hung'ring flocks are seen,

Ready to enter there.

My soul's a living spring.
That pleasures doth aflbrd,
Where flocks doth meet and maidens sing.
The comforts of the Lord.

The gentle dews descend.
Upon the spreading gMMpi^, ''7^iX£^^
■\ It is where Jacob's fsorrows end,
And he commands his foes

Where widow's tears doth cease,
Nor her small orphans cry:
"\' '-. It's like unto the land of peace
Where springs doth never dry.

It's Jacob's fold of rest,
No bru;e can enter there;
, uw' ; The home where all his flocks are blesa'd.
And safe in David's care.

k }

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'i-.i \'t

[ 33 ]

LEt" THE EARTH HEAR, AND THE INHABITANTS OF THEf

WORLD GIVE AUDIENCE.

Tiie Lord will make a new covenant with the house of Ja^
cob and Israel his son, he will redeem the children of this world
to hear his word, to worship and adore his statutes day by day ;
these shall be written in their hearts to do them, and keep them
in reinfembrance forever. He hath drawn a line between his own-,
and' the children of this world, these are they whose own de-
crees are the laws of their heart, and by these sin against God
in word and deed, and profane the sacred laws of the most right-
eous; I am confirmed in these opinions, or sentiments of mind»
and record them here to be read hereafter when I shall be no
more. The Lord is breaking up the peace of this world. Kings
and kingdoms tremble at his command. Death is an arrow sprung
from the bow of his vengeance, and regardeth not the inhabit
tants of the earth: Flee my soul to the ancient hills where God
embraced bis' people, leave the kingdoms of this world in haste,
they are tossed as thia billows of the sea, the wicked shall find no
rest, every pillow shall prove false to them by night, and their sun^
shall be darkened by day, and the moon and stars shaK refuse to
guide, because of the pride and wantoness that darkens the soul, and
binds understanding in a prison that she walks not the streets by day
neither is her balance seen in the earth. Now we will begin to
speak of titles* and begin at the house of Jacob, the dream that God
gave to Joseph, the same is truth and is wonderful to mine eyes.
His father compares with the Sun — his mother with the Moon, and
his brethren with stars, eleven in number, himself the twelfth ; as the
stars and constellations of Heaven see where God hath placed these
ancient characters on earth, and then number the man that can re-
move them ; there is none, no not one. t plead for the house of Ja^
cob because it is the tabernacle of God, and giveth light to the world
that never will decay, all the Prophets and the Son are of this. Think
ye the house will be destroyed, and these live ? nay root and branch
shall be saved, and my soul is as a limb of Jacob that hath fallen to
the earth from the kingdom of God, not fallen into sin but hath arisen
in Jacob's name to plead his cause, which pride and superstition,
bigotry and zeal hath almost blotted out. It never will decay —
herein is the singular difierence between me and other labouring
servants of the age. I am for the covenant that God hath made
with his people of old, to be renewed, and others are for exalting the
Christian dispensation ; to the destruction and abolition of of the cov.
cnant of old with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Son of God.

•i^

IMPRESSIONS or THE MIND.

Invariable are the works of God, all days have their measures and
their blessings. I believe in a union and equality of the covenants
that God hath made. Wi ith him all days are alike. Abraham was
as acceptable to God in his day, age, and generation, as any Pro«
phct or Apostle in the world.

Why should we veil that which God hath blesU? Let all the earth
attend to hear, let every lamp burn that God hath lighted, and min.
istering servants, despise them not, for those that try to blow them
out will spend their breath in vain. Israel will be restored and the
Christian world unite with the ha-'i of Jacob and own his sons to be
apostles of the Lord. I write theoe things to inform the mind of my
brethcren to be wise in action — for you see my kindred and my
friends, that kings and priests are running their ship or church on
shore, and destruction rather than peace appears. The spirit of this
world inspires to action and self-importance, holds the reins of go-
vernment, but God will not be mocked, he will have anew covenant.
Run not after these, for them that run will fall.

The east will be a land of trouble for many years, and thence
Jacob's name will arise in it, for God will restore government unto
Abraham and Moses again, I say not unto dead men but their spirit
will prevail in this world, (and this is the resurrection of the dead
spoken of in scripture) and their foes will be subdued by the strength
of their wisdom. The arm of the Lord is in their favour to raise
them up, and my soul will have place with them on that day, and my
spirit dwell in the midst of the house of Jacob — and in the tents of
Israel.

Fear not the approaching hours, our name will not be blotted out,
though there will be great tribulation in the land, for the God of
Jacob is not preparing the trumpet to speak peace to the world, but
to sound an alarm. Give audience, the truth is plain. Hath not the
morning star already risen, do we not see as we once saw not ? Look
not for a greater confirmation that God will change the heart of
this world, and make the inhabitants his own.

The heart of the bridegroom now faileth in the bride, and the heart
of the bride in the bridegroom. The harvests of this world are
growing lean, the Fig tree casts her figs out of season, the Corn
ripeneth not with the usual blessing, the comforts of this world are
blasted and blasting because the Lord hath smitten the Christian
world with a curse of much trouble — and sorrows still attend our
gates. House is dividing against house, subjects against their rulers
and disciples against their priests — and flocks rise up against their
their shepherds, because their banks are bare, and the springs of
water faileth them, their consolation is drank up in wine, and Gover-
nors feast on their crumbs of bread, their basket is light, and their
flocks without number. And woe to the priests of this age, they hare

I.ET ALL THIS GARTH HEAR, ETC.

led the Christian world to the land of sorrow — and her inhabitants to
desolation — till the flocks are starving for crumbs of bread. I pledge
mine own heart in the hand of God, and my reputation amongst
men, that there will be a new covenant with the house of Jacob and
Israel his son. And the above written instances are the signs of
the coming thereof.

Hail happy day that I shall see.
Hail happy year the jubilee,
That takes the captive from his bands,
And breaks the iron from his hands.

No foe shall rise his feet to bind,
No adder shall the compass find, f

To lead his pen or lead bis tongue, *

To where the jubilee is ^ung.

Oh bless the morning of our days.

All ye that join the house of praise,

With harp, good Abraham's God adore, >

And sing his praise forevermore.

December 2nd.

Though kindred sleep and friends decay.

And shining suns decline,
My spirit seeks her hidden way

Through sorrow and through time.

VeiI'd deep in sorrow truth doth lie,

With servants in the grave ;
For they at first were born to die,

And rise, the world to save.

Come prophets to my spirit come.

Your deeds to me apply ;
Tell me how you such favors won,

Such pleasures when you die.

Leave me not long in dull delay.
Where I too long have been ;

Come, come and bear my soul away,
My spirit clothe unseen.

Let fruit upon the vine appear.

Lord let my spirit bear ;
Call children home and shepherds near,

To gather pleasures there.
c2

-SiA^'i***'?'

IMPRESSIONS OF THE MIKD<

Let fruit be seen upon the vine,
And waters in the spring ;

Let bread appear for flocks of thine,
And David Israel's King.

-ii (I

^a-

Decbmbeb 5th.
HUMILITY IN ROYAL APPAREL.

Fair one, my soul smiles to behold thy glory, my spirit is thirsty
for thy embraces ; come unto me, and take up thy rest in mine habi.
tation. Why shouldest thou travel all the day in the heat of the sun
and then not reach thy desired habitation by the evening shade ?
I will go out into the street to salute thee with love, and court thy
favours, with the prayers and supplications of my spirit. Thou wast
the bride of the apostles, and the consort of prophets, thou took up
thy rest in the chambers with priests of old ; but now thou art for-
saken, and mourns as a widow. Thou hast come down from Israel's
God — Jacob's Saviour, to seek a habitation here below, and shew
the glory of thy fair breast — and the fruit of thy bosom unto an
exalted world.

F have seen, and I will declare of thee these excellent things or
pearls that thou containest, and then if possible count thy affections
with groans and sighs, that thou will make the bounds of my spirit,
now and then a resting place for thy weary feet, and my bosom or
heart a refuge from the beating storm. The sons and daughters of
pride throw their arrows at thee, thou art often wounded and art
without defence. Let the arrows of the wicked, Oh God, that are
aimed at the breast of this fair one, be thrown at my soul, that my
heart may shield her bosom from their deadly wounds. Priests

Erofess her in this age, but she is used as an harlot by them : they
orrow her name, but practice not her precept. Her name is a staff
for them to lean upon ; but their delight and chief joys, are with the
deluding and alluring daughters of an unreformed world ; they
embrace them in the street, they ride with them in gaudy apparel,
they take them to their homes, and embrace them in the secret place.
These are the temptations of time, prevalent with us all, without
denial they reign over us as gods in the earth. Oh, humility, these
are no guests for thee, neither doth their servants embrace thy love !
Oh that I might be found worthy of thine oflections, thou fair one
the mother of truth, plainess of speech and of royal apparel. Truth
is in thy courts, justice rules and reigns on thy right band. Thy
countenance is fair as the Sun, thy character is without blemish

HUMILITY IN ROYAL APPAREL.

before the Lord. Thy sparkling eyes are as the rnorning light,
thou ornamentest the western sky with the rays of thy justice. Thy
spirit is from God, thou sitest upon the highest throne with him —
thy days are forevever, and thy years without end. Oh that I could
behold thy hands, and the direction of thy fingers for my soul—for
then she could act and not be condemned, and plant where none
could remove. Humility, I am more in want of thee than my natural
food, and more art thou to be desired than the court of kings.

Prepare my heart O God, for this fair one, make bare my bosom
to receive her embraces, for 3he awaits in the streets all the day for
a calling ; she offers not unto the world as the sons and daughters of
temptation do ; she is worthy to be courted, hailed and saluted with
the best and most tender affections of this world. She maketh the
whole house happy, the place of her abode. She is dressed in new"
garments, the world knew her not, she has passed by the court of
kings, and the throne of princes, she is traveling to the western sky.'
Hail her all ye my bretheren, and despise her not, as her kindred
hath done in the East. She planted a vineyard in the East in the
morning of her days, and committed it to the care of priest and kings.
These were not content with the tender grapes that grew upon the
vine, nor the Fig trees that were lawful for them. These grew
careless, and left open the gates thereof by day, neither did they
watch upon her wails by night. The sons and daughters the
offspring of temptation broke through, and did steal, they clothed
themselves with her name, and shewed her apparel on earth ; but the
blood of the prophets were not within them, neithe^ere their heart
clothed^ja'^fMrlet, the blood of the saints, and these forgot to watch,
and slumber€n the bed of ease, and reaped the harvests of the earth.
These bedame as a traiterous husband to humility, who would have
been their continuing bride, and filled their heart and house with
everlasting joys.

Nay, this covenant with humiliation was not sufficient, the priests
of almost every description went out a courting the daughters of this
world ; they entered into covenants that were not lawful for them,
and kept not to the line of the Apostles of the Lamb, or prophets of
old ; but took for their example the tithe gatherers in Israel, which
was lawful for them, but not for priests of the everlasting covenant,
the gospel of eternal truth. They committed fornication, and hu.
mility hath forsaken them, and the priests are found with unlawful
rights and pleasures, like so many mariners with a band of harlots.

Now they have to settle the debt with God, and men ; they are
called to an account by these of whom they have received unlawful
tribute; and by God for what they have done with the vineyard
committed to their trust — the glorious reformations of the East-^

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tVPRBMIONS Of THB MINft.

New Testament doctrines with many faithful martyrs that were
committed to their trust. If they spoke agamst their superstition,
ignorance and bigotry, they must be slain ; a-^.d if they avowed
against their worldly interest they were found worthy of scourging,
imprisonment and bonds. This generation of teachers have all
these deeds to answer for to the living God ; for it is the year of
accounts, and then cometh the jubilee that will remove no more.
Come humility, be not ashamed of me, I will embrace thy feet, I will
lead thee in with tender hands, if thou will come with me. I know
thou art worthy of supplication and prayer. Thou art the daughter
of the most high God committed to the souls of men, for thy ever-
lasting rest. I am ready, — I am willing to receive thy embraces —
break covenants with the earth — and follow thee. Behold my soul,
oh friend of my salvation ! point thine holy hands to the spots and
blemishes that thou beholdest, they will remove at thy commands,
—my love is to thee more than the throne of princes, — to thee will I
perform my vows, — with thoe will I not not break covenants for<
evermore*

Thy robes are scarlet and they *re white,

wN 1 human eye can see ;
The beaming rays by morning light,

That doth descend from thee.

Thy hands are as the lillies are,
Thy eyes are as the dove ;

No vine on earth with thee compare,
No breast so filled with love.

No tower can be half so high.

No mantle half so red ;
Thy feet are where the saints did die,

And where the prophets bled.

Thy mantle's white in prophets* blood,
Wash*d from the direful slain.

Descending from the living God,
Forever to remain.

A partner for my beating breast.
Thou art designed to be ;

Thine hands the pillars of my rest.
My spirit feet for thee.

EXALTATION NAKED TO THE WORLD.

Oh daughter of deceit, thine heart is dark as the midnight shade,
thy sorrows hath no end, and thou art never still. Thy prayers
are never accomplished ; the Lord is deaf to thy supplication, and
Jacob's God to hear thy cries. Thou dwellest in the corners of the
streets all the day long — thou hast courted priests, and these have
embraced thee for wages. Thou hast given to thy princes and
nobles the highest places in the world. Thou hast oppressed the
poor, with a hand of iron from thy dark heart, which is as clay in
the midst of the tomb. Depth is written in thy forehead — thou hast
ten thousand enemies — ^the poor and the humble hath cursed thee
with ten thousand curses, and sealed thee with an everlasting seal,
to rise no more. Thuu art indebted to men, and hath not wherewith
to pay.

Thy priests are as dogs whcse teeth are worn — they cannot 4iold
the prey, they are hated — and not beloved in all the earth. Thy
countenance is falling, and is as the evening shade — thy sun is setting
to rise no more. Thou art as a naked harlot in the street and without
a garment to cover thy shame from the world. Thou hast led little
^nes captive, — thou art the destruction of children, and lead parents
down to hell. Thou art near-sighted, and seeth not that which is to
come — and is decreed of God. Thy books all consist of the present
moment of time. Reward is hid in them from thine eyes. Thou
hast courted kings and kingdoms, to thy breast ; they have drawn
their wine theiefrom, and became as drunkards in the day time —
thy judges reel in courts as a drunken man, and thy juries are blind
to justice — and false are all thy decrees. Thy name is blotted out
under Heaven— thy offspring will be weak in years to come, and
wandering long to find their rest. Thy springs of consolation are
gone dry — the inhabitants of thy bosom at 3 angry, because their
time is short here below. Jesus saw thy prince fall from glory, and
exceeding angry in the earth because his kingdom hath an end.
Thou inspirest to pride, and to oppression ; the poor mourn beneath
the burden of thine hand and cast floods of tears at thy feet to affect
thine eyes ; all are dark with thee. Thou dwellest in the regions
of darkness, the sun never shone upon thee, nor moon nor stars hath
ever given thee light. Thou art the daughter of distress, the bride of
princes, the concubine of kings, the harlot of priests ; thou hast
deceived. Thou took the hireling into thy chamber for wages, he
will return naked to the world, and long repenting of ever tasting or
drinking at the springs of thy false consolation. Thou hast made
bim poor that sought to be rich. Thou hast robbed the world of his
wages, and clothed thy beloved with the wages of sin. Thy flocks

'm;

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m I

IMPRESSIONS OF TUB MIND.

cry loudly unto thee, but thou cannot answer their bleating. Reason

is far from thee and justice is unknown to thy guests. How wilt

thou feed, poor one ! the children of God demand their own, thou

hast gathered the grapes for many years, but a greater than thou art

J^^lfflb earth, the hand of the living God, and the balance of justice.

AXhe same arose not in thy courts, but far from thee but as an army

that rose between the setting and the rising sun, so hath justice made

her appearance, and found thee unarmed, the world rejoices-at thy

downfall, thou harlot of oppression, that led churches captive with

thy delights. The widow and the fatherless mourn because of

thee, while thou art drunken with wine, and clothed with deceit.

Thou stole the priest's robes that were of old, to cover thy nakedness,

and in these garments thou hast destroyed the peace and tranquility

of this world. Thousands have bled for thee, free-born children

have stained the earth and the sea with their blood for thy support ;

.thou art fallen at last, thou hast no resting place in the mind of this

wqrid, thou art hated because of priests thou hast sent abroad, thou

filled their lips with decrees, and then bid strangers welcome in ; and

when members came within thy gates, thou shut to the door upon

them, thou blindfolded them, and then reached forth thine iron hands

in darkness, to the spoiling of the goods of thepoor to ihy support.

Thy feet are on false pillars, and all thine house is sand, mouldering

down to dust and there to lie in everlasting ruins. Who will mourn

for thee ? the inhabitants of the earth will rejoice in thy disease, thy

priests and princes may wear sackcloth forever. Kings and councils

may mourn over thee, that thou hast deceived. Little children will

come short of thy forbidden breast, thy springs are turning dry, and it

will be well if the waters thereof are not turning into blood, and thy

attendants fight for thy cause. Oh deceiver ofthe world, I behold

thee this morning as4hou art, and what thou hast done to the sons and

daughters of men, the powers of heaven are against thee, and thou art

hated with a perfect hatred here below; thy drink is made bitter as gall,

thy meat as wormwood, and thou partakest with a curse from this world.

No son of justice reaches forth his hand to thy support, — thy fall is

appointed and decreed, and will assuredly come to pass. The inha<

bitants of the earth are against thy standing, they stone thee, and

thou hast no defence, thy looks are pale as ashes, thy countenance

burns with indignation, the fires of hell are in thy bosom, and thou

hast nothing to heir to them that are looking up to thee, — thou art

cursed of the most high God. Tliy shame covers the whole earth,

thy garments are divided with the world, and thy rewards are a curse

for thy distribution. Thou hast taken from one, and given to auothei ;

these things that belonged not to thee from the foundations of the

worldi Thou art a criminal in courts — thou walkest in chains, and

irons are on thine bands, thou art condemned, and crowns nor princes

EXALTATION NAKKD TO TIIK WORLD.

cannot release thee ; thy place of execution is over hell, — thou wilt
be remembered with indignation for evermore. Thy stain is of a
deep die. Thy blood is darker than the shades of the night ; to those
God has given moon and stars, but thou bust no light at all ; thou art
as a body without a soul, thy guests are bodies of clay, their end is
with the dead, they never placed a compass on earth for the feet of
men, nor lighteu a lamp in the ' ^.u season, — they were born to
sorrow, and their lives to decay ; their station, the most miserable
amongst men ; for their disnase, there is no physician, there is no
help, they rose to fall by thy invitation ; they exalted themselves
above the prophets, and the saints. Oh thy blind eyes have proved
their ruin ! Oh that my soul may ever behold thee as I do this day !
and shun thy invitations, as the gates of hell, for thine end is in the
silent chambers of death. The brutes will rejoice over thy grave*
they have swiftly carried thee from place to place, and thy sons to
battle — when in justice they should enjoy a quiet rest. Thou art
the misery of man and beast, a tyrannical oppressor of the poor, the
blindness of kings and princes, the delusion of priests and the mise-
ries of the world ; thy bread is bitter in years to come, and thy wine
is mingled with gall that thou hast in store for thy beloveds : strangers
will hate thy bosom and pass thee by, thy sun is setting to rise no
more. Thy evening sun is clouded with blood ; there will be wars
and blood concerning thee ; and many bodies untimely buried in the
ground. Disease will visit the nations because of thy decrees, and
the physician flee from the terrific sound of death. Poor creature !
who would have made thyself rich on the spoils of others, and have
placed thy banners as high as the sun in the skies ; thou would have
illuminated the whole world with thy false light, but God and Christ
would not suffer thee to reign. The voice of the prophet is raised up
against thee, thou hast disquieted the tombs of the dead. The ancient
lawgivers in Israel curse thy name, and crucify thee without the
gates of a New Jerusalem descending from God out of heaven.
Thou art neither numbered with the prophets nor apostles, Abraham,
Isaac nor Jacob — where wilt thou dwell ? Flee to the desert to hide
thy shame, and perish in everlasting darkness ; it is decreed for thee,
and binding chains for thy feet. Thou art unworthy to live or dwell
with the children of men ; thou hast arisen in the days of our child*
hood, and deceived many, but thy decree is to reign no more.
Humility is established in thy place to reign forever. Thou art
dethroned, thou art forever done, thine end is with the dead, there
never will be a resurrection of thy power. Thou ruined Israel of
old, and thou art the downfall of the christian world. The heathen
will not receiye thee, thy character is darkness in all the earth, a
queen thou hast been (but now a widow) exalted above Sinai. Horeb
was not good enough for thy dwelling, thou placed thy feet on Zion,

IMPRB88ION3 OF TUB MIND*

and from thence im th)' downfall forovor. Thou Imst dwolt in tb«
bosom and spirit of priestfl, the highest station in hfv, but now thoa
art forever done, so saith my soul. Amen.

Oh widow who can mourn for ihee,
Though long and loud thine offspring cry?
Parentless is thy family ;
For they were only born to die.

No joys nor life ne'er marked thy tomb,
For death's in chains where thou doth lie*
A cloud o'ershadowed th«e nt noon ;
^. Thine angels doth in darkness fly.

Death is engraven on their wings,
The hand of God is writing there.
An end to priesto, an end to kings,
Jehovah in his wrath doth swear.

Humility is called to rise.

From the deep tomb where long she 's lain.

Shine as the sun amidst the skies.

And on her wings a Saviour's name. ,c

pECEMBER 6th, 1832.

i- < .

When time to come spread out her wings,

I saw her golden name ;
She sorrow to my bosom brings,

And fills my heart with pain.

She early from the tomb arose.

And took her flight by day ;
She 's restless in a world of woes.

Deep sorrows to obey.

By night she to my bosom came,
And found my soul in prayer ;

Then on my heart she wrote her name.
And cloth'd me with despair.

On her bright wings I saw my name,
She spread them forth as gold ;

And from the tomb she early came,
The mournful days of old.

THR IILRSItNd OP UOD TO flINM'.RR.

Hor wings were stainM with propliota' blood,

She bid my soul arise ;
Oh then her name I understood,

My spirit heard her cries.

She bid mo move from hill to hill,

Her bosom to declare ;
A thousand smiles her face did fill.

And her sweet bosoms bare.

December 7th, 1832.

THE BLESSING OF GOD TO SINNERS.

Thx mercies of God are incalculable, and his ways past finding
out ; his wisdom as the depths of the sea, and his love to the world
without end. He beholdeth in darkness where we see not, and he
seeketh aflor the soul that is lost ; he mecteth the humble with kind
embraces, he stumbleth the exalted sinner in his ways. He con<
foundeth the integrity of the exalted ; he maketh his steps broken,
and hia own hands layeth a snare for his own feet. These things
he hath determined in his everlasting counsels, and his decrees will
have no end. Sinners, look upon these lines with me ; let us behold
our own ima^e and fear to die, for with us God is not well pleased.
I have part with you in experience, but I am not at present partaker
with you in your guilt. I am a friend to sinners in the hands of
God, forgiving many and loudly accusing the world of falling short
in God's glorious purposes in the creation. A man that is lost
knoweth not what to do, nor where to go ; for he knoweth not where
heaven is, nor that the darkness of the lost is about his feet. Ke
wanders to and fro, and findeth no rest. Heaven is hid from his
eyes, and repentance is obscured from his soul. God appears in
mercies to him like the rising of the sun from the shades of the
night, and he declareth unto him in positive terms, — " I am the way."
IVhat doth he desire of us, save that we should be happy (for this
is the purpose of our election) and praise him for our redemption
forevermore. He seeketh after us for our own soul's sake, which
he hath given, and breathed into us when we breathed the breath
of life. Now let us contemplate upon his goodness, and see if
reasons can be given why we should not obey. Doth the earth
contain more than heaven hath to give? Can we be comforted
without his favors? No, not one. Where is wisdom to be found
but in the bosom of the Lord ? Where is direction for our feet but
in the tabernacles of his grace ? Where can the mind rest but in
his presence ? Who hath sold his counsels and have somewhat to

m
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4V IMl>RE:SSIONi OF THE MIND.

boast? Oh foolish mnn, (hornusc ho will ho so,) is there not power
in heaven to conviiiro inon of error? tirul ronverl the mind to choose
the commands of God for the puths of life ? Ilo hntli not written
to blot out, nor draw lines to condemn ; (hey are to assist men in
wisdom, and make his dnughtors winu. A child luft to himself is a
prey to this world ; self is not to bo tnisted in. Nature is not cor.
rupt in itself, but never was made to dwell nione. As a brute with<
out eyes, so is a man without the presence of the Lord ; he runneth
into the fire or into the water, and drowns his soul in affliction.
How can he see peace where thu Deity hath not appointed it?
There is none, — vain man, the space is empty to comfort, and there
the world mourns this day, — thcnco we meet with untimely deaths,
there nothing is sure. Lot nie entreat thue, vain man, to be wise,
and my children to forsake the puths of folly. The end is eternt;i
ruin ; there is no recovery from the pit when the tree is once fallen.

What inspires me to plcud ? If I am saved, what will all the rest
of the world be to me ? Let me tell you, and attend to hear, it is a
Redeemer's love in my soul for the whole world. I have no interest
here for pleading ; but {rreat are my rewards in heaven if I continue
till the end doth come.

I know of the goodness of God, and speak with confidence. I
know his love to increase, an'^ his anger to abate ; and this he has
given me for them that hear. My heart is as free from indignation
to men, as the water spring is of the blood of saints.

Many things are required of me that are hard to give. The chief-
est of these are to write a path of salvation for the sons and daugh-
ters of men ; not hard if I can be passive in the hand of God, and
keep my rebellious will in subjection, till the hand of God doeth the
work. Him that knoweth not cannot draw the line ; but him that is
led to the fountain of mercies can tell the truth, and err not in the
path of direction. I dare not say come with me, for this is a com«
mand that belongeth to God only, and pertaineth not unto the child-
ren of men. If every priest or scribe in this age would assume the
title of command, the world would be torn in a thousand parts like
a garment that none can mend.

1 assume no direction to the mind, but speak freely of the deeds
of life, that enables the mind to become an acceptable sacrifice or
offering to God. Given to him for his direction, therefore, as to
what pertaineth both to the deeds of a civil and religious life, I say,
Come reith freedom.

Behold the mercies of our God, and be at peace ; there is but one
God, and all men ore created to serve. Is not the wages of a rights
eous life sufficient to tempt thee to leave thy sins ? What is the end
of our temptations to sin ? The servants of God hath baid, " The
wages of sin is death." If we leave this text without explanation,

THE llliESSlNO or GOD TO IINNKR8.

1V0 sholl gain nothing by Iho quotation ; and us Scripture is too oflon
used, it would only bo u rupolilion without the addition or explanation
of sense. Thuroforo, let us say as death is the most terrifying mes.
■enger sent from God, and is styled the king of terrors, so are the
consequences of our sins: they aro received with groans, and the
giving up of the ghost. Wo liavo to yield our hope to God that
directed us in the hour of temptation, and fall far short of our
expected joys. This is a day of Judgment indeed : it brings temp,
tation to tho test ; and the experienced huth compared it to vital
death, that destroys tho hopu and comfort of the soul that is within
us. Can we believe no body, and yet continue to sin? Do we nut
act as though the Scripture were lies, and the prophets fools, and
the saints vain talkers about the things of God? I persuade you to
hear them ; their spirit is with me, although they are personally not
here. I am not sent to blot out their work, or to increase the family
of infidels. I think I have heard their word in my soul. I think
the prophets hath prophccied to me, and I shall see the event ; the
saints hath called me, and I attend to hoar, and I am persuaded that
which hath been so good for me would be good for you also. Is not
the cup placed to your lips? why will ye not drink? Is not bread
from heaven spread on the table before you ? Can the temptations
of a few moments of time here below be sufHcient to offer to God
as an excuse for not partaking these blessings? If I had partaken,
and become an idiot in the land, it would have recommended you to
have shunned the fountain where 1 have partaken. Have I not
received talent enough to encourage you forward? Am I not
strengthened by this daily bread, in many respects to be an example
of self-denial to the world, to promote God's honour? For this is
the purpose of the creation, and the eternal interest of the soul, and
a treasure laid up where death never comes ; neither can the terrors
of the grave, like the pleaidures of this world, take these things away.

I am sincere, and cannot lie,

To flatter I 'm afraid ;
The time is short till we shall die,

And is our tribute paid?

A thousand debts to God we owe.

To us his kingdom came ; >

Our spirit us'd him as a foe.
His will was never done.

Oh sinful race of human kind.

The danger's deep before;
Come read salvation in my mind,
, "^ And sin nor seek no more.

IHPBGSSIONS OF THE MIND.

J i

Tho sun arose from nightly shades,
'Twas long in sackcloth clad,

And shone upon our sinful heads, — "
Such light none others had.

My soul, a stranger from afar,

Came to your gates to plead>
For I beheld the morning star, j) J

— God's tender hand to nlaadp^[££..^L>

THE JOYS OF THE PENITENT.

I am' alone, saith the Reformer, and none tasteth the cup with
me ; mine eyes behold that — that the sinner cannot see. The
waters are sufficient for my thirst, and the Spirit o( God as wine to
cheer my thirsting soul. My bread is equal to my necessity, and I
know no want, but there is meat to supply. I cannot give to another,
I alone am the heir of these things. I cannot comfort the wicked,
nor put the taste of honey to their lips ; but I can tell them where
it is to sell, and how my kindred and friends can buy. The poor in
this world hath admittance there, and they are invited to the tables
of the Lord. He requires the wedding garment, and then the guest
is ready. Clothe yourselves with other repenting sinners that hath
lived before you, and the mercies of God are ever ready ; the foun<
tain hath not ceased to flow, neither is the store house of the Lord
broken up. Offer the ofl*ering and obtain, for every reformer testi.
iieth it is good. Who cannot believe ? Who can be so foolish in
their choice as to refuse the overflowing favours of the mercies of
our God ? Who hath tasted and wants to turn to the world again ?
These that fall in religion are no temptation to my feet to run after
them. They not only lose character here below, but blessings in
heaven above ; they are ever mocked of sinners, and laughed to
scorn by an uplifted world. Oh my soul, shun the pit where they
fall in ; they seldom or ever rise any more. These are they that
turn aside in the heat of the day ; they are not willing to suffer
stripes for religion, unconsidering that these are conviction for sin,
a just mantle for the heart. These that cannot endure never teach
rightly, they cannot strengthen that give way themselves, and the
waLt of experience leaves them blind, and they turn aside from the
way that leads to heaven and God. No true reformer doeth this,
he counts his interest dear, and his life cheap ; he has set out on the
race to win the prize. If the pride and glory of this fading world
runs faster in his mind than his religious exercises and righteous
deeds of life, he is a fallen captive. He that giveth back after tast.^
ing God's mercies seldom recovers.

THE J0V8 OF TUB PENITENT.

after

I wish our own particular vineyard would consider this, as we have
such standing evidences among us. Like the angel that stood with
one foot on the sea, and the other on the land, they have a name to
religion, while their soul rests on the things of the earth, the glori<
ous angel above quoted, expressing by this standing position, or atti.
tude, that he come to command the land and the sea, and swear by
him in heaven — to us time should be no more. Oh shocking sen-
fence to a sinful soul ! I do not write these things with pleasure,
but turn to my own mind ; the fountain there is not exhausted, nei«
ther is the spring gone dry. I cannot live by the experience of John
that saw these things. 1 must work out my salvation and partake
also. Great are thy mercies O God to my spirit. Thou taught me
that knew nothing, and I can teach the young and inexperienced in
this world, and prove that I have been with thee by these little les>
sons i strew in thy vineyard here below. Forsake me not, my Sa«
viour and my God ; conduct me on : thy name is truth, light and
life. Who has titles like unto thee ? none but thou alone, my Sa-
viour and my God. Hold up my head above the waters of affliction,
suffer not the beating waves to drown my soul ; for thee I was born
into the world, fulfil thy purpose in me, and let me live for thee.
Send me to and fro in the world, seeking that which is lost, meeting
those that are weary, lightening the burden of those that are afflicted,
and speaking peace to those that glorify thy name, and seek for thee
more than hidden treasures. Light my lamp O God never to go out,
place water in the cistern that will never tail, that I may adore thee
all my life long, and speak peace to the world, when time with me
shall be no more. These are the reformer's joys ; victory over hell,
and the pride of this world, — conqueror through faith in the arm of
power. The spirit of religion is the only source that makes the man
glorious here below, that washes the spots from his character, puts
rings on his hands and shoes on his feet. This is the spirit that leads
him to the feast of fat things. Who can boast above me, my kin.
dred and my friends, that hath taken any other way, or hath chosen
the things of this world, that I have denied for the kingdom of God?
Who is my master to give me command? Who can draw my path-
way with a pen ? What scribe hath taught me to pen the line of
experience? Who hath been with me in the desert? or hath been
my judge at court ? He that entered into the office came down with
shame.

My life is with the poor and afflicted, my spirit drinketh with them.
The pools of the haughty are long dry to my soul, and I thirst for
them no more. Day and night increaseth my wisdom, and mine
understanding. Come with me in action, and lean on the bosom of
the Lord. This love is not exhausted, the springs overflow fbr the
repenting sinner. ComOi I am not afraid. Serve the Lord aa he

IMPRESSIONS OF THE HIND.

engfaves upon thy mind, from one Sabbath to another. I know no
want but God's continuing mercy, his love faileth not, and my pen
never ceaseth, my tongue repeats his goodness, till all is fulfilled,
then to you I shall be no more. There is a rest in the East for my
spirit. It is not particular about a point of compass, but the rest of
the ancients is for my spirit, I toil with them— their spirit U my spirit,
I am not wise nor strong, but as the child incroaseth in strength at
the mother's breast, so doth my spirit at the bosom of the Lord.
Sing with me an everlasting song, my praise ceaseth not, and my
prayer continues for the redemption of the world. Delay not, death
is near, delay cometh not from the bosom of wisdom, but from the
lips of deceit; put other beloveds by to embrace wisdom, she will
not deceive thee, she is worthy to be thy sister, thy kinswoman, thy
bride, and thy friend ; she stands in the gates all the day and calleth
to thee : her breasts are filled with love, and her embraces are sweeter
than honey, come away from that which is common and unclean, and
furnish her table with a guest.

Fair as the lillies grow.
Bright as the morning sun,
Wisdom's fair hands are here below,
Unto our gates they come.

Kindred arise and see.
Her breast and bosoms fair ;
Her saints are there at liberty.
Her children bowed in prayer.

There the sweet clusters grow,
She is the yielding vine;
Her tongue doth conquer every foe.
Her stars in glory shine.

Her head 's above the skies,
Her feet stands on the sea;
She bids the billows, and they rise.
And winds and waves agree.

She makes eternal peace, ' '

Engraving with her hands ;
Her tongue doth speak and never cease.
To give her guest commands.

Her hands hath fixed the stars,
She bids the planets roll ;
She puts an end to blood and wars,
And peace she gives the soul.

f s

;<^

[49]

January 7lh, 1833*
THE MERCIES OP GOD TO THE WORLD.

t have ti'ied the mercies of God ; I have proved him, I have given
tny heart to him, when I was a sinner of deep die and of crimson
stain. I became burdened with my sins, and cast my soul at his
feet; I sought not for great things, but to be released from the
burden of my guilt, for I have found sin to be a heavy load, and to
impede my way to heaven. I was bowed in spirit before the Lord ;
I cast up my necessities before him ; he heard my cry, and was not
slow to remove my complaint from whence it came, and cast death
and hell into the lake that burneth with brimstone and fire. He
separated my soul from guilt, and set the captive free. His love did
not cer.se when he had done this, he awakened my sleeping eyes to
time to come. I beheld him afar off, with the son of peace in his
bosom, my boul could hear him whisper in the ear— and my heart
became acquainted with his, spirit — he began to teach my limbs to
move, as Tie wakened mine eyes to see, and my hands and feet
began to pi ^ * ^ e Lord.

He begai. .^ -und me on little errands abroad, like a child in his
father's care, for without him I dould do nothing. In time he cut the
strings of my lisping, tongue, and I eould begin to speak with men,
and reason with them, concerning the divine law, or will pf tha^Lord,
— I revealed unto them, that my sot|l had been at school with the
Lord, in the secret place, or that my spirit had seen the Lord. I
looked over the broad space of the earth according to the measures
of my grace, and I could see no master, but God alone* I had given
him my whole heart, the love of gold became weak in me, as the
intoxicated drunkard staggering nxid reeling, fell to the ground and
could not rise alone, and all that crowns aqd councils can enjoy would
not tempt me to love the world again. This world (unblessed) is as
a treacherous woman, she makes my rest as coals of fire, and lulls
me to sleep within a pace of hell — I hate her decrees, and renounce
her friendship, she is the mother of despair, her ofispring are the ^
judgements of the Lords, her ways are inviting, her reward is death,
and the end of her days are in hell, and she cannot deliver her cap-
tives from the bonds of death. All these things have I seen with
mine eyes, my spirit knoweth them, because I was a captive in her
chains, ^nd my spirit terrified with the voice of death. Marvel not,
my kindred, that I turn from her gates, her sweets are bitter, and her
e«nbraces as wormwood to the lips. I saw Heaven afar off as one
seeth a distant land from the mountain of the Lord, even Zion withia

§1

IW,

IMFBE8SI0NS OF THE HIND.

;!> 'i!'.

the soul. I got me down from the hills in secret. I hid my spirit
at the foot of the mountain, till I was found of the Lord. My hand
is now the evangelist of my spirit : who can write for me, there is
none knoweth me, not one, it is given me to write, and to speak of
the Lord, to shew forth Heaven and hell, to the world of men, as I
have known in my own breast — here the line is drawn, both the up-
ward and the downward road. The Lord awoke me in time ere I
embraced the dying pillow, and all the remaining days I owe to the
Lord, and more than I can do. He saved my soul from death, and
my spirit from a burning hell. I can speak without Moses and the
Prophets through the spirit of the Lord. His tongue hath become
intelligible, and his words the law of mine heart, and by these I daily
live, though the world know it not. Therefore of necessity I write
unto them these things they have not seen, neiiher heard in the ear,
nor entered into the heart of them that doth not know the Lord.
The Lord awakened me with a pleasant song, his blessings won my
love from the world, I found him worthy of mine whole heart, and
offered him mine all as a sacrifice for sin. The Lord accepted mine
offering, and I was glad of heart, and my spirit began to sing with the
spirit of the Lord, and we rejoiced together in the secret place and
he embraced me with his love, he drew me near his bosom as hia
own offspring, and bid me rest, for I was weary beneath a heavy
burden, and rest was to my soul as the honey-comb, and more than
kings and councils could afford. I had found the bosom of the Lord,
as the lost that had strayed from his rest. I laid up all my trea-
sures there, that I may be comforted when I am weary, and drink
when I thirst. He recorded mine offerings in his remembrance,
which to me is the book of life. If my name is therein written it
cannot be blotted out, for the Lord, is of greater dignity than to alter
his decree. He put to my lips the cup of the wicked, and I began to
weep like an infant far astray, tor that which I had known. Oh then
I began to know the Lord — and that there is heaven and hell of a
truth, I received it from him that cannot lie — conviction began to rjse
about me as an unabated flame. I could not quench the burning flame
with tears, nor could I dispel this shining light, with sighs as the
light of the lamp depart. I was a prisoner in the hand of the Lord,
the chain was too strong for me, it would not part for my struggles.
I sought for causer, and found none. Oh how I wept before the Lord,
I sought him in the solitary place and found him not — wheresoever
I placed my feet, an afflicted conscience was burning in my breast,
and I had no offering for the Lord that would abate the flame — Oh
then I read through the sinner's life, and saw his mournful end, and
if any priest or judge should say unto me, thy soul has not been in
hell, with confidence I could return, he is a liar, and knoweth not the
Lord.

THE MBR0IE8 OF OOD TO THE WORLD.

t began to read ia the book of experience, and turn over page after
page, till I fear the world no more, nor the delusions of the self,
conceited doctrine there is in it. I know of a truth, and it is not in
the power of men to put out my lamp, so great are the mercies of the
Lord. When I had endured as much as my spiritual strength could
bear, the hand of the Lord would relieve me from this spiritual
Jordan, ere despair took hold on me, to release no more, and I should
begin to curse the Lord. He drew me home as a lost soul, from a
far country, he drew me near unto his breast, and that which had
been as milk to mu, became wine to my spirit, and I grew up before
the Lord, in spirit, and no one knew thereof, — he gave me a
8tran{;;e tongue to this world, and the Elders in Israel began to
pour forth their wrath, as floods of water, and I hid from their
eyes as one in the wilderness of the land. The Lord forsook me
not, he fed me in secret, and now I shew forth openly his mercies to
my soul, and write for the whole earth, to fear the Lord, give glory
to his name, and extol his praises above the heavens, for he is the
life and the light of men. My pen shall never cease to give him
praise, nor my tongue to declare that he is good. I cannot write
forever, but my hand writing shall ever praise the Lord and be added
Co the house of my fathers, and these that have slept in Israel.

Continue Lord, thy mercies still.
My tongue shall give thee praise ;

My cup doth empty and doth fill,
And so pass on my days.

My soul sometimes in highest strains,

Too loud declares thy love ;
Sometimes she *s bound with prison chains,

And's mournful as the dove.

Prolong my days, my spirit cries,
'Till all thou wouldst is done ;

Increase salvation in the skies.
And hope through years to come.

Uphold me when the billows rise,

When loud the tempest roar ;
When this proud world, her peace denies,

Make mine election sure.

Place thou my feet upon a rock.
That death nor hell can move;

And when the powers of hell are broke,
With saints FU sing thy love.
d2

* i

1 ,.'

IMPRESSIONS OF THE MIMD.

Thou drow mo upwards from the pit,
('Twas in thy power to spare.)

I ne'er thy mercies can forget,
Nor yet distrust thy care.

Hope's beaming rays supports my soul,
Where tides doth ebb and flow;

Though calms appear or billows roll,
I 'm thine, I 'm thine below.

THE ANGER OP GOD TO THE WORLD.

The wicked walk on pillars of sand all their days, and at last fall
into conviction, to rise no more ; the rewards of the wicked are as
visible as the clouds. As a sky purified from darkness, the deeds of
the righteous are as stars in their character, that shine forever, so is
the righteousness of the ancients. When will the light of the
patriarchs, prophets and apostles be extinguished from the world ?
I answer with confidence, never : they may be added to, but not
abolished more than the stars can be removed from the firmament bf
heaven. When will the evil of the past ages receive praise of God,
or give light to the world ? I answer with the same confirmation,
never. If we add to these transgression, can we benefit the world ?
I answer no, but make hell the hotter, or increase the flame. We
are judged according to our measures, the more is given, the more
is required, can we plead excuses when so many lines are written,
so many stars of magnitude hath shone unto us ? Our only excuse
that we can offer unto God, is this — we were called, but would not
obey. Now let this sentence close up, and turn to the times in which
we live. Is there no marks of God's providence visible on the world ?
yea, in abundance, let us read the history of the times and be wise,
— scarcely a king on the throne, but what trembles with fear, lest his
dominions be taken away and given to another more worthy than
himself. This spark of terror rose out of hell. The flame will fol.
low, except men repent of their evil, and turn to the Lord with their
whole heart. What terrifies the World? the fear of the event of our
deeds. Why hath famine and pestilence visited many in our
days ? These are marks of displeasure of the Lord, his wrath is in
store for the rich and the poor that live a sinful life ; if she hath lain
a few, to terrify the remaining part of the world, receive the same
as a sign that God is angry with us. Men neither rule nor serve
according to his will—- he is an angry God, and will not be disap-
pointed in his offering. Misers may give their mind to Estate — and
Crowns to honour, the youth to mirth, and the aged to the enjoy.

THE ANOBB OF OOD TO THB WOBLD.

mqntaoflife. But the Lord requires that which the world hath
not in store to give. Is he an unreasonable God, requiring that we
cannot perform ? no, he is both reasonable and right — he gave unto
man his life and breath, and hath a just right to demand them again.
Can a man give his heart to God that hath given the same to another ?
Therefore God requires that which the world hath not in store to
give ; until the miser withdraws his mind from gold, and the king his
heart from his personal honour, God will not receive the offerings
of this world. Give him his due, and his anger will abate. Though
we should offer kingdoms to the Lord in a dying day, it would not
cool his wrath against our sins, it is righteousness that God requires
as a recompence for our sins with "hich we have offended God.
And him that looks for peac^ 'ire ^ a change of polit"--* -o/ern-
ment will be deceived. 0^. peace in store, and is i heaven
with God, but we are unworthy to receive, we have not offered him
the heart as a purified vessel to contain these joys. Where shrill he
bestow? in the fold with the beast? No, the mind of a brute cannot
contain them,^ they are designed for the heart and bosom of the man ;
and no where under heaven will God bestow his favours but in the
mind of his creature man. If he has enlightened my mind to walk
before the Lord, reveal truths to the world, or make bare the hidden
way, — am I not in the pathway of his favours ? I measurably earn
his blessing when I write, and more fully when I speak, for he hath
promised to all his servants. None can counterfeit his seal or signet,
his words are truth, and his blessings sure. I can write without the
direction of any parent on earth, or limb of flesh under the sun ; he
has given roe work to do, and I must be doing. His spirit directs my
pen. I have no personal copy before me when I write, and when I
speak, it is from his name alone. Can I leave my employ to serve
the world ? no, not for all the gold the hills contain. What have I
to yield to temptation ? I have given my heart to God, and nothing
is mine own, but a moment of time from day to day, and have signed
and sealed my covenant with him, that time with me shall not be lost,
neither shall my days win the cursing of God to be poured out on the
earth — I speak the truth, because the truth is in me. I write plain
because my path is clear. The cloud removed through repentance,
and the sun arose to my soul, as in the watches of the night. I have
nothing to relate but the mercies of the Lord, and the terror of his
vengeance, therefore I continue to explain the vengeance of God to
be worse than the terrors of hell, for this is the flame itself, consu-
ming our joys, destroying our hope, and cutting us off from the
pleasures of life. Turn from the gates of hell ; the world is in dan.
ger ; if we die in our sins who can save us ? Are we sure the door
will not open the day, or the morrow, and take us in ? If the sinner
is not sure, the penitent is ; his joys are to come, and hope is present
d 3

IMPRESSIONS OF THE MIND.

with him. Cease to sin, sin darkens the world as the clouds doth
the heavens, that the sun may shine not upon the earth. The deeds
of sin are as spots of darlcness in the skies, and not as stars of
everlasting light. If I could teach my brother to refrain I would
rejoice with him in the day of salvation, I would share with him the
cup of his blessings and increase my rest in worlds below, the Lord
teaches he is equal to our necessity, he is neither too fast nor too
slow. He called me to awake in a needful time, and come while he
had bread in store for me. If we come with a world of sinners, and
strive to enter in with the lamb of God, (our works not coming to
judgment before the dying day,) his words are to us as the piercing
sword, that cleaves the loins assunder, and our inside is poured out
on the earth. Oh, sinners ! behold sinners, how dark they are ;
how their deeds vary from the righteous, too slothful to save their
own souls and care not that their kindred go down to hell. Their
spirit seem3th to lie secure in death, shall they not lifl up their eyes
in hell, as him that passeth by in the night season shall relate to his
neighbor thine house is on fire, arise and abate the flame. If I could
write forever or speak to the end of my days, I could not repent for
another. Making atonement for sin, is bringing that down from
Heaven of which we stand in need, or God commanding through us
the acceptable offering for our brother's sins. No man can abate
the flame and leave his brother in sin. Past atonements are,
praying to God, and preaching to teach the world the paths of
error and the paths of peace. No soul that sinneth enters into
Heaven till he is clean, not one.

We read of ancient blood being spilt upon the earth, I wish not to
borrow but to relate : Priest and Prophet hath poured out their lives
before the Lord, that we thereby might be saved — they feared God
and loved us, they knew of cursing and blessing. How they did be-
seech, mourn and pray that men would forsake their sins, and flee the
burning vengeance of the Lord ! for they knew his anger to be ter-
rible to the soul, and consuming to all the pleasures both of a natural
and spiritual life. I am not depending on the world for her joys,
and therefore court her not, I have once known her false consolation
nor covet more at her hands. The thrones of kings are but as
sand hills before the Lord, the Lord will beat them down in a tempest
that serve him not. Ho will take from some and give unto others,
till government rest on whom he will, but the reward of the righteous
shall not be taken away. The praise of the Lord is worthy, and well
pleasing in his sight ; the harp shall not cease that is offered to the
Lord, but the music of kings and their courts shall fail, there shall
be mourning and not mirth in our present Christian Israel. The
feet of the wicked shall fail, their steps are on the sand, and in a
tempest they will remove.

HOPB IN MOVBinNO.

6S.

r Bo eoDBtant in prayer, my brethren. The Lord will try all the
earth. Trouble is as rain over us in the clouds of Heaven, llie
righteous and the sinner shall mourn together — the one shall rise
and the other fall, for the mercies of the Lord are to the just, and
from the wicked they are already taken away.

*Bles8in|;s we know Oh God's thy due,

Conviction gives us light;
Thine own shall tread tho journey thro'.
And shun the shades of night.

Although we for a moment cry,

Thine ears attend to hear;
Through love thou brings salvation nigh,

And casts away our fear.

Although the highest mountains move.

Are lost and seen no more ;
The comforts of thy tender love,

Will reach tlie distant shore,

Altho' these gulfs we're passing through.

Is unpleasant to the mind.
Our feet are sure, thy promise true,

If rest we seek to find.

Unto the proud thou hast forbid.

Their feet shall enter there ;
Thy bosom thou hast deeply hid.

And covered with despair.

A mantle covers o'er the skies.

Of these that seek for gold ;
And hell is naked to their eyes,

As all thy servants told.

■t

January 8th, 1833.

HOPE IN MOURNING.

Hops is a companion of the just, and the weary man'e friend.
She is near in a time of need to these that are deserving; of her
embraces and salutation; she deceives the wicked in their pride,
and leaves them in distress ; she walks hand in hand with despair, —
and these two sisters inhabit the whole earth. Hope mourns when
her designs are not accomplished, but she is never disappointed in

ixPRBvsioirf or tub hiicd.

I'' '

h«r own. The soul that entered into marriaffe with her is in safe
keeping : his spirit is with the Lord. Now I speak for the spirit of
these that receive her embraces with confidence ; from these she
never departs : she absents herself for a moment to give place to
her sister dc .ir, and then she returns in welcome to her house
again, or the mind of a man. It is hard to distinguish these spirits
by figures ; but as they cannot be seen more than the sun by the
blind, we must make use of similitudes to convey their likeness to
the mind. I doubt not but I am us well acquainted with these
impressions of mind as but few of my age ; and I have found it in
my heart to draw a few lines, such as have not been written con-
cerning these operations that are so (Vequent in the world. There
is a false hope, there is no doubt, and a lying despair, that tells us
not the truth ; and terribly the mind is troubled with this false visitor,
and tossed to and fro like the waves in a tempest. What can deliver
us in such an hour? The truth, and nothing but the truth. Like
tV\e mariner in the storm, many give way in despair, and conclude
it is no longer possible to bear up against the floods of discourage,
nient that come in our way. The Son of God ere he went to the
grave had a taste of these bitter waters. No follower of God's word
can escape this troubled stream ; it must be passed through, and is a
Jordan to the soul. If this cup is avoidable by the sons and daugh.
ters of men, then writing for their confirmation is vain. Perhaps no
man of this latter age has wrestled with these spirits as I have, for
I have been quite alone in my religious progression, and was forbid,
den the arm of flesh to my assistance, and had to engage the powers
of hell alone. My mind has been more than the Scriptures to me,
and the Spirit of the Lord than patriarchs of old. These have been
my stafi' amongst men, and through their help I have not been con.
founded. There is none wiser than they are ; and I commend all
young travellers in religion to lean upon them, and the aged to forget
them not, lest they go astray and their last end be not like unto
them, t. e. the patriarchs of old. It is proper I should give some
account of my mind ; there has been more written there than in all
the books in the world for my salvation and improvement. I do not
say I am wiser than others ; no man can be wiser than this, that is
to save his soul from the burning vengeance of an angry God : and
it is through tribulation we obtain the prize. Every soul or spirit
has its measures of sorrow. Let us not disappoint the world by
teaching them we can go to heaven by any easy way, or that salva-
tion is cheap to the mind. It cannot be bought too dear, and is
everlastingly worth more than the value given.

Scripture might be applicable in this place, LutI will try my mind {
and wherein I come short, borrow of these chat hath lived before
me^ifnecevBity requires further explanation to reveal the truth.

HOPE IN MOVRKING.

f «1m hope is th« only deceiver and flatterer of mankind, and
truth is the only hope of dependanco and our compass through the
storm. There is no hell that ia eternal but dospuir. Hell in u
visitor to us in life; we partake her bitter drugs and cry for a
release ; we partake of the joys of heaven, but cannot remain : so
the mind or the spirit of the man is tossed up and down in life.
The truth is over all these measures, and can set us free from
doubting, and consequently release us from despair. We first hope
in things we see and hear ; flattery tells us the world is sweet and
the fruit it bears. Is this spirit a liar? — not a wilful liar, for it
knows no better. It rules in the heart of children and fools, but
is in perfect subjection in the mind oi a man that is a servant of the
Lord. It repeats lies because it knoweth not the truth, and is ruling
in the mind of kings, priests, and judges. The truth prophecies to
this spirit to be still, and let the word of prophecy reign or ascend
in the mind. We may plead inability ; but a master can put a tenant
or servant out of his house : so my hands and feet can refrain to obey
this exalted spirit. When overthrown it becomes despair, and the
servants of this world fall with their prince and are an unhappy
people. Hope mourns over them; she was not accepted, — what. A
can she do for them 7 She beholds them lost ; she will not x^e%\V9 'l£/t{Jl(^ i
them, because they will not put their trust in heavenly things. Her
visitations are vain ; they will cleave to the world and endeavour to
rise again. They will hear to flattery a thousand times, and a few
guineas will receive such captives as these from despair ; and the
same hope will renew in them that flatters us from the beginning,
and so we go on trying the world all our days, and the virtue of her
trees to make us happy, and in this way come short of the salvation
of the truth till we fall to rise no more, and the cold grave close ds
in her arms to see no release. Now if there is not another way,
hope in God is vain ; but I can contradict this language, — there is
another way, and my soul knoweth it.

A few falls is enough to convince a child he is not a man, and he
taketh hold on his father's hand to bear him up ; so man receiveth
the truth, and puts the follies of youth away from his heart, i. e. he
embraces not the spirit that invites him into the broad space of the
earth for pleasure. He has been there already. Whom did he see ?
He was affrighted with the terrors of death and the mournful dread
of the grave. Are the^o a happy guest ? are these sweet kindred
or companions ? If not, come away from them ; receive a word of
advice and live. The truth reaches beyond the grave, — this is hope
in Juiovenly thingSt-—t\ua visitor banishes fear from the heart, and
leads death the king of terrors captive in a chain ; she holds despair
in one hand, and the pleasures of life in the other. God is the truth
and knoweth all things, and deceiveth not his creature man. Man is

imf

w-ih

IMPRESSIONS OF THE MIND.

hit own deceiver : lio mnkois n master of hin own thoughts, despises
counsel, and runs headlong into error. It is the first time he prays
in all his life. He may dusiro the things of this world, hut he cannot
relense his feet from bonds, nor his soul from guilt ; and he begins
to acknowledge there is one greater than himself, cnlled the Lord.
The Lord lends unto him for a moment that strength for which he
stands in need ; his thoughts renew, — he sins again. The sooner
we get enough of these draughts, the better it is for us ; the sooner
we will refrain to sin, and embrace the truth. This is false hope to
an end ; the reign is done when we forsake her ways: for nothing
can rule over and govern us, except we serve. We are not the
mciinest of beings that wa should be flattered by our eyes and ears
to run afler them : that is, partaking every thing that is pleasant to
our eyes, and running af\or that which deliffhts the ear. The soul
has a companion, direction, and truth within itself. The endowments
of God grow up in us with the strength of the mind, and we are
capable of doing for ourselves, were there not a contradiction in our
own breast inviting us to leavu the needful work undone. This is
the foe of man from the foundation of the world, anfl he is made
able through God to conquer (if ho will,) and take his dominion
from him and give to another. This is giving the mind to God over
and above all other objects in life. I have known my will to resign
and become captive and yet live, and is loosed now and then for a
little season, but sin not ; for God has given my will space and time
to act in, but resign to the will of God to give up my tongue, my
hands and feet. This is the man in subjection ; and now my will
can resign witho^it stripes, and is measurably in the kingdom of
heaven, or Eden» from whence it came.

Now I sing my songs with pleasure,

Not a limb is lefl behind,
Every spirit has their measure.

All my heart's to peace inclin'd.

Now I cease my ill disputing.
Now I know the worm must die ;

Truth is all my ways refuting,
Humble sinners captive lie.

Oh my "God that did forsake me!

How thou lefl my soul to mourn;
She wept and slept, but thou did wake me.

Welcome Lord was thy return.

Life and truth from darkness risen.
Lights O God the darkest sky;

DKIPAIR IN DHTRKSS.

*Tii thou that doth release from prison,
'Til thou ascends the soul so high.

Hope, most fair and beauteous creature,
Sought me when I would embrace,

Descending from a wise Creator,
Met me with a smiling face.

She bid me place my thoughts on hearen.
Oh then her bosom she made bare.

She said my sins were all forgiven.
And bid my spirit enter there.

DESPAIR IN DISTRESS.

The changes of the mind are applicable to us all ; and I think no
•oul can be quite a stranger to these things I am writing. Hop<- in
God is an infallible trust ; but hope subsists on the deeds of lif^v If
we hope in God, and still continue in our sins, our hope is false, and
will disappoint us in our trust. We must be subject to the Lord ; he
hath not made us the master, and himself the subject. We must
■erve, and our rewards are sure. He has offered enough for tX: !he
world to serve him : why do we delay ? because a fool is our i lastcr,
and we are captives in his hand.

Hope in this world doth not continue always ; at farthest, it departs
mt the appearance of death, and all her flattering means give way.
Death is a strong prison in the hands of the Lord : who can break
his bars and see release ? None, till the door is opened, can be
relieved from his chains. This is a change in life that brings all
things to the test ; in truth, it is the scale that weighs the man. We
are often terrified with the shadow. He taketh away our sons and
daughters, removes our wives and children, obscures the field with a
cloud, and casts a veil over all our works, leaves the widow to mourn
in the solitary place, and anoints the eyes of the Lhcrless with tears
to weep for friends. Why is he at al! in the eaxtl: ^ His terrors are
the wages of our sins, and a restoration casts them away. Hope
bears up the mind of these that serve the Lord, but despair casts the
soul into hell, and is not satisfied ; her arms are extended for more,
and her bosom is bare to receive them.

The bounds of hell are measured by the space of the earth ; as
far as sin is extended, her hidden flame is spread below. The sinner
is never safe ; his mind is subject to trouble, and as the mariner in
the storm, he knoweth not what will be the event. His thoughts are
as the billows of the sea : he knoweth not how soon his hope will

IMPSESSIOKS OF THE UIND.

'!■;:

},'■. . \i'^

sink, and all his thoughts descend downwards to the gates of hell.
This is an unhappy soul. I write for those that dwell in the body,
!>ut not for those that have gonn out of it. What I have known in
spirit is in the person, and not out o> it, — and farther I cannot tell.
These things are not required of mr that are not given. I write to
manifest the changes of the mind. If hope bears me up through
death and the terrors of hell, I expect to receive no more in the
body : for this is u perfect comfort to the mind. The wicked are
fur short of this constant pleasure nhich the penitent enjoys; but it
lies at every man's gates, — why will he not receive it? why will he
not take the stranger in ? Ha is possessed of a doubtful, lying fear,
that if he would receive tlie word of God he could no more enjoy
wine or wealth, — he must begin to give to the poor, and feel the
necessities of the naked, and part his fine mantles to clothe them.
All these things are done for a reward. Oh foolish man ! is not the
employer the Lord able to pay for all this, and restore thee more in
a day of Judgment than thou hast to give ? We are afraid to trust,
saith fear, the second time ; we will labour for the harvest of the
field, and make our winter's stock secure ; we will leave salvation
at the gates, — we will call him in when we are old and near to die.
The Lord sendeth in death to bring such a servant out to him ; he
leaves his wife comfortless, and his offspring to mourn. He has not
fed them with bread from heaven. It matters not how soon they
have another shepherd, — they can scarcely have a worse. So we
are parted in the bonds of death, and cannot meet again. Doth not
despair become the heir of his habitation, and distress fill all his
house? What profit has he in all his labour? He has lost his own
soul, or the peace of it, and the earth and all her joys comfort not ;
therefore, death is stronger than the pleasures of life, and taketh
them away, — taketh the soul a prisoner down to the gates of hell,
and hell awaits to take him in. This is everlasting despair. This
we may know in the person when the shadow of death passeth over
us, and we behold ourselves with the dead, our wives with widows,
and our children with orphans ; our house without a parent, brother
without sister, and sister without brother. So death divides the
kindred of this world ; but there is a place of embracing, of being
assembled into one: this is beyond the gates of hell, or terrors of
the grave. It is beyond the Jordan of our personal afflictions, where
every brother gives evidence to the sister that he has passed from
the bonds of temptation and sin to live with God. Peace is written
on his heart. He bought the hand writing by repentance. When
he poured out his heart before the Lord, as blood runneth from the
veins, he acknowledged his guilt, and offsred his heart to God a
sacrifice for sin. God accepted the gifl as his own ; he gave it to
iqan, and it is in his power to give to God again. This is leaving

l)ESiPAlR IN OISTBESS.

despair in distress and the heart set free from the prison gale. He
bid peace welcome to his soul. He wishes to try the world no more ;
she hath deceived many. Why should we disbelieve the evidences
that God has given us? Who has seen the wicked happy, or of
continuing joys?

We proceed farther to relate something in imitation of the truth.
Death is stronger than the joys of life or the stolen pleasures of
Eden ; but the truth binds death wiih a chain* conquers all his
terrors, and leaves them captives at the prison gate. Oh that I
could persuade my friends to serve the truih, and distrust flattering
lies. I k }w whai I have written, and I am here with you. I have
written foi the Lord and for his purposes, and surely these are his
gifts to men that are herein written. He administers all in a needful
time ; and we might know much by these changes of the mind if we
would embrace them.

I am rot cut off from one pleasure in life, and yet serve the Lord.
Sin is no pleasure to the righteous. Him that forbears to sin sepa-
rates himself from distress, and enters a garden of joys, where tfU
that God has created is lawful for him ; and he partakes without sin,
and doth not offend the Lord. The Lord rejoices in our pleasures.
The comforts of the righteous — they are for us — and it is his plea-
sure to give, if we choose to receive them. We must embrace them
through his law, written in the mind, — we must not steal them, lest
we boast of self-sufficiency. Therefore he hath prepared despair to
take them away, and to make the honeycomb bitter to the lips of the
robber that steals. We must know God to be a giver, and man the
receiver with a thankful heart. Then at what a low price do we
receive the joys of life ? It is then indeed we know our sacrifioei
whatever it is to be, well sold.

Oh could I see that happy place.

Could I from hell arise,
I 'd meet the Lord with shame of face,

Nor hide my sacrifice.

IM stand upright my guilt to own

With all my mantle — shamo ;
Fd not forbear to weep alone,

I 'd not from prayer refrain.

At yonder space the distant hill.

Is naked to mine eyes.
Behold! I see my saviour's will,

Spread over all the skies.

Oh Father make my mind like these,

Where all thy works adore, "'.

mPBBSSIOMS OF THB MIND.

The Sun, the Moon, the Stars agree, .,

Nor change forever more.

Peace thou commands in every part,
Where thy bless'd hands were spread ;

Write down thy name amidst my heart,
And raise me from the dead.

Command my feeble soul to rise,

And give her wings to fly,
Alone, alone to thee she cries,

And thou shalt not deny.

Give me a mantle for my breast,

'Twill cover all my shame.
Receive me to eternal rest.

Never to sin again.

I have written the truth ; my mind is covered up as the maided
conceals her bosom, and my hand is at rest. My mind rests as
still waters before the Lord ; my mind is not prepared for stripes
but for the, joys of heaven. A moment's rest on earth is a blessing
to the soul. Was it not for the courses of life, I might imagine my
days might be long, and my years not a few. There is no terror in
the grave to them that repent of their sins, and our stay is but waiting
for the greater salvation. This body is but a load to them that want
to go hence, and is wearisome to the righteous. I am not righteoos
according to the measure of the world, but I am nearly equal with
mine own, and my soul is at peace with all men, and comforted with
God ; his blessings are as the drops of dew upon the rose, so is rest
to the weary spirit. Shorten or lengthen Oh God but at thy pleasure
—righteousness with me is to be resigned. Remember Israel thy
son for whom I mourn ; comfort him and I will be satisfied here
below. I covet not gold, nor long to live but that these that mouril
be comforted, and him that is lowest in the valley, be set on the
highest hill.

Let Zion oppear with her guest — let peace arise. Time is far
spent and Israel is not redeemed — thy chosen one and Jacob thy
people — thou will cill Israel in Jacob ; and in Abraham shall thy
seed rejoice. The hills wait for their coming, the Sun will not set
till Israel is at rest ; thou wilt turn the light of this world back on the
dial, 'till Israel reach his fold, and *hou art at rest with him. Israel
shall come forth from thy bosom, and inhabit the earth, where they
have been captives. Shall thy songs be sung, for thou art truly his
great reward, his harp shall not cease to praise, nor his bow be
unstrung 'till his foes are captive, and the banners ofwiskom rule
over them ; then all the earth shall see the Lord and Israel's name
forevermore.

t63 ] ^M

Febbuary 2nd, 1833.
THE LIFE OP A REDEEMER IN THE MIND.

God possesses the hearts of those that love him : if ho hath
redeemed us from vain and transitory enjoyments he possesses the
whole mind, and this is altogether the pillars of the man, and the
principles of action. The mind is a combination of our numerous
thoughts. It is these that compose the mind ; and there is one
Judge over us to comfort or confound all the imaginations of the
heart. We are not to believe that God teaches those that toill not
receive^ or that he poureth out his judgments on the heart of a stone :
he chastizes where there is feeling, and where there is life, and unes
the rod where it will touch the heart. He feeds where they are
hungry, and conceals the bread of life from the exalted of the age.
He waters where they are thirsty, and leads where they have no way
— he embraces those with love who turn from their sins, but leaves
fools to enjoy the imaginatiou of their own thoughts. Our thoughts
are in as much want of a God to govern them, as the beast is in
want of a master, without, without which, he is good for nothing—
the hardest stone can be broken — and rocks did rend and the earth
trembled when the Son of God gave up the ghost — an alarming
circumstance. I receive these figures as a word of prophecy of
what was to follow our Redeemer's groans. His end shall be multi.
plied unto all flesh — the distant hills shall know his name, and
tremble ; the hardest heart shall fear the Lord. When the heart
fears and trembles the whole man is in danger ; the frame of nature
shakes when the pillars tremble, and human invention will r-^turn to
the ground, and become as dust in a ossiaiiisaiM hand, the judgments
of the Lord are in the earth. I would if possible teach the human ^ ^^ ^
family 'till they know these things ; but my desires are beyond j ^^
bounds, and limited by a wise Creator that governs all his work, y "
He hath reserved that in his o'wn power that none can do, and will
reveal himself glorious to the children of men. My heart fears the
Lord because I know that he is terrible in judgment, and that his
convicting word doth reach the mind. God forms his image in the
soul of those that love the Lord, and giveth unto him the whole heart;
and the man becomes as passive clay, and the mind as still waters
before the Lord. He has destroyed the old world in such a mind,
as sure as the flood overspread the hills. He hath consumed the
exalted mountains with Are, he hath smitten the earth with a curse,
(this is a Redeemer's baptism;) the life of God in the soul doeth
this — puts every exalted thought under his feet, as the brute in
chains, they are imprisoned captives of the Lord. He binds and

IMPUESSIONS or THE MINI).

releases according to his own good will, and resistance flceth as a
shadow before the wind ; the man hath nothing to glory in ; he
knoweth that another mightier than himself doeth the work : and
this in a most solemn and true information why every humble mind
is clothed with humility, and exaltation disappears as spots or stains
from the garment well washed in a Redeemer's blood — blood is but
a figure that implies life — it is impossible to wash a spirit in bloody
but it is not impossible for a spirit to reform and change the mind.
There are numerous contests up and down in life about figures and
types ; but where the word of God has made an impression on the
mind, we read plainly; and the chastizing hand of God blots out
disputes, erases fears and doubts from the mind, and refills the space
with faith, and the bosom bursts with love to a Redeemer. These
never rest without declaring the works of God. In their deeds,
some are strictly honest, some abundantly charitable, and others run
to redeem through the great abilities that God has given. I have
sat me down to count the numerous objects that are now before
redeemers, and I declare before God that temptations are set in their
way ; they run for a false prize and lose the true riches intended of
God.

The more we enjoy of ibis world, the less of the kingdom of
heaven ; for which sense I have returned hearty thanks to my Re-
deemer, that he hath made me a child of trouble, and the joys of
men bitter to my soul. We will not drink much gall because we
love it not, neither do I the common pleasures of men. God keep mo
so. For instance, the soul has bounds, there a^^e ten thousand thihgs
that our thoughts cannot reach, this is wisdjm without the soul,
why do we not receive it, it is in the bosom of God to give, and wis.
dom and works are the offspring of his own heart. If a gallon
measure is full it will contain no more, because it hath its bounds ; if
our souls are filled up with folly, and longing desires for a few flatter,
ing enjoyments of life, they will hold no more ; wisdom remains outside
of us, and she will bring forth by another that will receive her tidings,
and leave us as a stock or stone by the way side ; like a man waiting
for the judgments of God to be overthrown by his power in a future
day, there he stands, showing to the world her engravings and titles,
and exhibiting to travellers what the world has engraven upon his
heart. One says a thousand pounds a year of this world's goods, and
the things of time ; we pass a little farther tmd read twice the sum
on another ; another tells us great education, he has been to school
with men, and he is worthy of a title ; and the next corner we see
Bishop written in the forehead of a man, with his arm leaning on the
crown of England, or some other nation — the king's head is lower
than his, he teaches at court, and reveals the will of God on the
Sabbath, and I believe him to bo as far from being a redeemer as a

THE LIFE OF A BEOEElifieR' IN THE MIND.

bullock is from being cheese ; but wo must look what follows, we
have not yet come to the end of wa^rafks: Behold a nuivierous
parcel of boys are putting on priests garments, their eyes are fixed on
the bishop as they draw on their mantles, he is fat with the ^ood
things of life ; kings and nations servo him, gold itself ornaments
his character, his work is easy and his burden light, and who may
hot follow him? The priest has become the honourable man, that
Was once abused, whose heart was well acquainted with the smarting
scourges of sin. I have now seen enough to lill my heart with unbe-
lief, that God hath ever sent worldly minded men to redeem his
children from these disappointing enjoyments hero below. Keep
iny heart Oh God from these things, and forbid my spirit to trust in
them. I saw a man that had been to church ; he returned hungry and
full of sorrow, the will of God was not revealed unto him, he leaned
Upon his staff and said our priests are poor, they are without bread
from heaven, our flocks are going astray, and there is none to save,
he shed a tear and departed from me. I wept before the Lord and
was silent, for 1 am *oo young in spirit to hail him with the truth, I
sought the bosom of the Lord, and was comforted, he told me that
suns should rise from still waters or from a deep mind — I renewed
my hope in God my saviour, he multiplied my strength, increased
my faith and I uttered a few sentences in the name of the Lord ; the
hearer rejoiced, the city was glad, the heart ran over, the cup was
full, and the people at peace ; these are shadows of things to come,
for I fear not to speak in the name of the Lord, for his words are truth.
We now come to the point in hand, and give a full explanation
of the life of God in the soul or a redeemer in the mind. God
disquiets the still waters, he breathes upon the mind, he sets our
thoughtb in motion as the billows of the sea, and at his command
alone are they still. My spaces of rest are exceeding short, but as
day and night succeed each other, so are the sorrows of my soul,
for I am a troubled man. The vineyard is great committed to my
trust, the labourers are few, and I behold myself alone before the
Lord. I have no staff but his name, and I am afrai(^ that humanity
will betray me, and that I shall be forsaken of the Lord, and fall to
rise no more. The fear of this event clothes me as a mantle, and I
wear it all the days of my life ; this world hath given me this. I
see so many worms worrying in the earth, trying to make
holes in the ground like the miner for gold, I fear that I shall fall into
one of these pits also, and become a servant of pleasure, and hated
of God. But I know other things than these, and my heart is
clothed with a covering that I never have shown to the world, nor
ever will, except it is known in deeds. I have confidence that God
will keep me, as I deny temptations, for this is his written word and
his Spitit is the truth of the things written.

IMPRESSIONS OP THB MIND/

I now come to the office of the priest, and compare his heart with

mine, and put the two in the balance together, and our deeds shall

balance for us, and him that can testify the most plain truths of a

redeemer will find the greatest acceptance in the world, and the most

numerous favours of God. A redeemer in the mind, is as a strong

man that removes hills and mountains and casts them into the sea.

He maketh the path of his servants plain, their light clear, their

morning without clouds, and embraces them with the light of the

sun. The spirit of truth brings the Son of God to remc.nbrance ;

Moses,' Aaron, and the holy prophets, David and the saints ; and

these are such evidences for the believer, though he were alone in

this age, that he standeth upright before God ; he hath chosen these

for his stair, that hath received great favours. What is a title

without substance or a mind without works ? All the godly patriarchs

of old evince by the deeds of life that the word of God was with

them, writing in the heart these righteous deeds that came to li|;ht.

These were men of sorrow, sons of love, and vessels of great joy,

for they contained the pleasures of the Lord. The Lord enlarged

the mind, as the infant groweth up from small to great, and made

the minds of these men the habitations of wisdom, and these enjoyed

her embraces in the secret place, when the waters were still before

the Lord, then did they drink the sentence of " well done." Lord,

make my heart like these, let wisdom be my wealth, and my joys

the income of life ; and thy smiles will fill my whole heart. Thy

conviction maketh way in the heart for a superior guest in \\fe-~-

destroys the title of Kings and Bishops — consumes the exalted station,

and sinks gold to the depths of the sea, where it can be seen nor

known no more by all the servants of God. As the furnace purifieth

from dross, so thy word doth cleanse the vessel from temptation,

stains the pride and glories of life, and sets the wandering and

deluded captive free. Thou assumest the mind to thyself O God, as

thine house or tabernacle here below ; these deth.not despisje the

heart of man — thou hast made it for thine own dwelling, this is where

thou showest thyself to man, it is all thine, all must bow before thee,

all must confess thine is the inheritance, and must give way, all

must remove at thy command, and turn to earth again ; we receive

them from the earth and to thence they must return. They enter

in by the gates of temptation, and false representations, ^nd unto

dust they must return ; they appear false to evidence that God is true,

and that the truths of his word are forever.

Him that God loveth hath a living sou!.- fear hath perfect place
therein, and affects the mind against temptations. Love is her sister
and embraces the world of men with friendship, and courts the world
as a maiden, to win salvation to sinners, and this is the priest's prize,
to win souls from eternal death by the word of his lips, expounding
the law the Lord hath written upon his heart. ^

THB flALVATION OF TBB WORLD.

Oh Lord how lonesome and how few,
Are these that seek thy name;

They sorrow, sigh, and travel too,
The wandering soul to gain.

They pray, to win them to thy love.

Their heart is all sincere;
These lead the soul to heaven above.

These see the pathway clear.

These knew a dear Redeemer's prayer,

And God that doth redeem ;
Their days doth with thy sons compare,

In the same path they're seen.

Their words are lamps of endless light,
They place their feet by day ;

They have both Heaven and hell in sight,
And shun the dangerous way.

Gold is to them as harlot's bait.

That takes the stranger in ;
They 'r loudly crying at the gate.

To save the world from sin.

m".

FfiBRVART 3rd, 1833.
THE SALVATION OP THE WORLD.

Goo destroys to build again — he maketh us sorrowful and glad,
these are the changes of his hand upon the hidden mind. We can
mourn in secret, and rejoice alone ; it is not all lost that is not seen,
nor all forgotten that we have not revealed to our friends ; we may
hear one day and speak another, receive at night and shew forth in
the the morning. I continue to write because the spring hath not
gone dry, or because the Spirit of revelation ceaseth not to reveal ;
but when I have written all I shall write, it is no more than the heart
contains, and the numerous figures the Lord hath given, of which I
know the substance, and can explain to the critic the substance of
which these lines contain.

I was never a mocker or despiser of my father whose feet wai
plaeed in the happy station, Eden, and slid out of it ; neither do I
believe that his enjoyments or reward ever inspired me to sin. For

<fcw;

IMPRESSIOKS OF TUB MIND, i

instance, though a man should never read the bible or history of hia
life, he will find it in his mind to do as he did, partake of pleasures
contrary to the will of the Lord.

There is scarcely a being created, man or beast, but God has
endowed with a sense (if it may be so culled) that he has a superior,
and will flee from him. .\dam fled from the presence of the Lord,
he was not ready to come to judgment. It is the first time that we
read that he feared the Lord. lie had lost his friend, broken the
ties of society, and strove to hide himself alone, for him and his were
one flesh and blood, one was made of the other, and both were limbs
of one body, whom I suppose to have been the clothing of the Lord.
The sinner begins to embrace misery after transgression. I should
not have taken up the works of creation to assist the revelation of
my thoughts save for this reason, that through these means 1 could
make my heart more plain to the world. There is no person content
in childhood, nor youthful days ; the very infant will cry for help
like a repenting sinner. Is it not right in the sight of Heaven that
the soul should not remain in this crying and craving dispositic * As
the mother feeds the child, God grants to men their request; to prove
that their desires are incorrect, he makes that which is sweet, as
honey to the lips, bitter to the soul. It was in his power to keep
Adam from the forbidden tree ; but he had no experience to build
his house upon, the fear of the Lord was not about him, no more
than the sucking babe fears the mother. He made himsolf equal
with God, and set to work to execute his own designs, and make
himself happy by the deeds of his hands. If he had succeeded,
reason teaches us there would have been no God, but man, nor
angels but our thoughts to direct us in life. But God covered him
with a mantle shewing forth his capacity— with the low mantle of
the skins of beasts, teaching us thereby that he put in. practice the
disposition of a beast. Whose abilities are capable of their own
direction, save these that are servants unto men ? He placed him far
off, he sought him when he was lost, he convicted the works of his
hand, by so doing he fits and prepares our heart to receive the
wisdom of God. Think ye that Adam rejoiced in the old woman's
fruit, which she said was so good untried ? Here we see the whole
follies of youth in one man, and one woman. And I believe that
Moses the writer knew this way in his own soul, as I believe the
brute knoweth the stall or place of watering. What is food to these
that are not hungry ? It is tasteless to their lips. What is water to
them that never thirst? Not worthy of notice. What is the word
of God to them that are full of the joys of life ?

Adam was in trouble before God spake with him ; as he had invented
one action, he thought he could find a cover ; what he had done did
not fit the heart. The hand.writing of God was there, and he

TH« SALVATION OF THE WORLD.

wn's

|rhol«

that

the

[hese

ler to

^ord

observed a broken law and a disconsolate mind ; there is no hiding
from the presence of the Lord. He will not accept of our excusrs
or covering — he provides a cover that fits (he mind, and generally
speaking, men appear no great things in the spirit of the Lord. I
do not believe if Adam had found one of our Bishops among the
trees, that he would have been tailor enough to have clothed him to
please the Lord. So, it is God that covers us with blessing or
cursing, as he will. He is well acquainted with man in all his
thoughts, there is nothing secret or hidden from his eyes — he could
as well have spoken to Adam the moment he received the fruit as
afterwards, he could save the world from sin without sorrow, but it is
not his will and pleasure so to do. He spcaketh to us in trouble, he
sheweth us how we come there, and that it is by breaking some
good law or advice previously given to save the soul from sin. For
instance, no mother can keep the infant free from transgressing
counsel or the laws of the Lord. She cannot retain the comforts of
her breast to her sucking babe, the little infant will rise from it, and
through their own deeds bring that unwelcome visitor, trouble, to
their own young and tender minds God follows them because of
love, and tells them how it came. They have a mind in them to
search aAer hidden things or forbidden trees ; he tells them his word
and will is greater than the whole heart, and must be obeyed. Now
if it were in our power, we would save our darlings from such bitter
cups ; but there is no other way provided to introduce fear into a
hard heart, but by and through the gates of sorrow, and then it
reaches effectually and doeth more than the parent can do, or angels
from Heaven. Therefore sorrow, grief, woe, disappointment, groans
and tears are all servants of the Lord, sent to redeem man from
trusting in invention, and inviting him to put confidence in the will
of God his creator, adviser and law. Therefore, it is the weary only
that are prepared for rest ; those that are tired of invention and
■making coverings, and choosing fruit, that will come forth openly,
naked as they were born, and own their sins before the Lord, and
uncover their shame to the whole earth; God receiveth such as
children of his love. He taketh of) the skin of the beast, and
putteth the robe upon him as becometh the man, the best in the
whole world, for he is the most noble ereature of all his works, he
leadeth and guideth him by his words — he maketh his heart as the
angels in Heaven. He maketh his body a perfect garment for the
soul, and the deeds of the man sheweth forth the works of God in the
mind, and through man he reveals his will to the whole earth. This
jnind craves no higher station — he can teach men, he hath bread in
atore to give from the hands of the Lord. Gold becomes of none
'eli'ect, the will of God becomes to him as the mother's breast and
wore, for his soul in the bosom of the Lord knoweth no want.
c3

70 IMFRB88ZONS OF THE MIKD.

Oh happy man from pleasures free,
That hills and mountains doth afibrd.

Kindred and brothers unto me,

Whom God in mercy hath restored.

His soul has put new mantles on,
Such as the Prophets knew before.

Like unto these that's dead and gone,
But such as never hath been wore.

Kach one 's a mafltle of his own.
Such as the Lord in mercy saw.

On whom the sun hath never shone.
His hands doth clothe them with his law.

He makes their path a stream of blood,
The simple cannot err therein;

And he's an ornament to God,
That 's weary and forsakes his sin.

The hills and mountain^ give him rest.
The river overruns with joys ;

The mountain and the valley 'a blest.
Where neither time nor age destroys.

Febrvarv 4th, 1833.

THE WAY TO HEAVEN, uR THE PATHS OP PEACE.

It is not the wise and prudent man that finds the hidden way, the
learned nor the great ; it is not the general, priest, or king, but the
plain, simple, true, and upright man : his deeds hath acceptance with
the Lord, and heaven is his great reward. Peace doth not conisist
in wealth or honour, country or kingdom ; but in the will of the Lord
revealed to man. We have now the pillars laid, and will build
upward according to wisdom given. God hath a will for us to
perform on earth.

The will of the Lord is the law of men. As for men inventing
peace through the imagination of the mind, it is impos&ible ; God
hath made it so for the purpose of his own glory. The waters of
the moat distant and remote spring can find the bosom of the sea.
Why cannot man find the city of God, if God hath so formed the
water course, and the liquid stream can trace his will to the fountain
of the great deep ? Is the mind weaker than water ? Cannot the
mind know the appointments of the Lord ? The water hath but one

TBI WAY TO BIAVBir, OB THB PATHS OF PEACE.

way tnd cannot misi the course, but the mind of man hath two ways :

the one is temptation, and the other is to refrain. All wise men

have chosen the latter, but fools embrace the first invitation. The

earth afibrds pleasure of which we are unworthy till we work right.

eousness. From hence the pleasures of the life are our' great

reward. We may in justice say the saints and prophets have been

unhappy men. The paths of experience are ways of tribulation,

and every anointed son of God partakes of death or the wages of

•in before he moves his tongue to declare of the city of God. Ho

that is troubled and not for his own sins, is buying wisdom for

others, and receiving bread from heaven to feed the flocks, or teach

to men below. It is a singular thing to me that priests are ordained

to preach without experience, and sent out to teach about a kingdom

they never knew. They might as well say meat was sweet they

never tasted, and that hell was a place of misery ; 'heir father told

them so, and they must be sure not to go there. We have Scripture

proof to confirm experience, that the soul or spirit of the Son of God

was in hell, but not to remain. Likewise Job, David, Jonah, and I

believe ten thousand others unknown, these servants knew some.

thing ; they had been to school, and of such a one as never man

taught, the great irresistible hand of God. Cast the spirit, of these

men into a consuming flame ; there all resistance is destroyed that

is against the will of God. There the will of man consumes into

passiveness, and resists the will of God no more.

When God has answered his great and victorious purpose in the
hour of judgment, he abates the flame, and grants the prisoner
relief. These know the mercies of the Lord ; and as true it is that
Enoch, Elijah and Christ were translated, so true it is that God
tri^nslates the penitent from the kingdom of hell to the kingdom of
heaven : otherwise than this, how did these servants see a release
in spirit ? or how was the soul of a Redeemer released from bonds ?
These men knew these things of a certainty, and we must know them
while in the body ; otherwise men go a teaching men how to take
doves that never caught one in all their days. To send men out to
teach t!.a world how to shun the pit who never were in it, is like
goats teaching children how to sing that never knew a song in their
lives.

The learned in letters may do to teach the gentry, that are already
happy in the things of life, but the poor man, the mourner and the
blind, the hungry and the thirsty, need an experienced hsart to
teach them, a hand of mercy to lead them, one that hath been at the
tables of the Lord, one whose feet have been in the mire^ and saw a
release ; one who had been thirsty, and drank at the fountain of
living waters. He knoweth where the spring may be found ; he
knoweth of the mire and clay ; his heart hath felt the cords. His

f'i

IMPRE88IONI OF THE MIND.

•pirit hftt)i been with God, and hath received from his own hand an
lapp.tintment to teach men. His heart is the ways of peaces and htv
wordx footsteps to the kingdom of God. He wept that was not
guilty, and mourned without a cause ; his heart in hell made an
atonement for sin, ond his soul had acceptance in th§ kingdom of
heaven. ,

Here is the school that makes the man the scholar ; and him that
hath not been there, is like one trying to drive a llock of sheep over
the river whcro he hath made no bridge. So the worldly.minded
are trying.' to redeem the world, driving men into heaven where thev
never have been themselves. Experience should go beforehand,
and deeds be a light to our eyes. Never was a worldly*minded
man as redeemer of men ; he that pleads for mercy must be mer-
ciful, and him that saith repent, must have repented, or his doc*
trine is on the sand, false foundation and will remove. His doctrine
may be good, but he is not the heir of it ; sinners are not sent out
to redeem the world. What is more plain than this ? My son, let
us go to the field and gather in the harvest that we have sown : or
my daughter go to the fountain and draw to quench our thirst. The
son can find the field ; the father or parent strewed the seed, and
he sendeth out the son to reap the increase. The mother saith,
my daughter go to the fountain and draw, where I have found sweet
peace and consolation of soul : so simple is the way to the kingdom
of heaven. No, saith the youth, I have another mind than this ;
1 will go to the ball, the race, or the games ; I will take my part in
the dance, or spend a night in the jovial throng. He lifts up his
eyes in the kingdom of hell. Who led him there ? The productions
of inexperienced men. If he would hear one teaching the world of
men next day, would he believe in his doctrine? No, he would
know that his practice contained the sting of death ; he was teaching
that he never knew ; therefore, publican like, let a man place his
hand upon his heart, confess his sins, pray for mercy, obtain for.
giveness, and then teach his fellow men. Will the daughter attend
to the mother's cries ? No, there is something more delightful, there
is a flock at a distance just ascending the hills of pleasure. I must

go with them, eat and drink in the hour of temptation, and make my
eart glad. Oh silly one, thou art then descending the gulphs of
thy ruin, thou art then going to draw up the unabbted flame from)
hell about thy feet. Here thou art going to sacrifice thy glory to
this consuming flame. Thy deeds are as fuel for the fire, and
increase the flame about thee. It cannot be quenched with thy
mother's tears, nor abated with thy father's groans. Thou hast
then made the hope of thy father as barren as the desert sands, and
clothed his heart with despair, and watered the breast of thy mother
with tears that gave the suck. ^,,^

THB WAY TO nCAVCN, OR THE PATHS OF PBACB.

Drink at tho fountain of experience, and oat the bread of Hr«

S'ven thee of Ixod ; and tho kingdum of heaven will grow up about
ee, and thou wilt know no ill. There is not a spring under heaven
of which the waters thereof huth not a way to the sea. Thera ia
not a child born but there is a way for him to the city of God. So
plain is the way to the kingdom of heaven, so sure are our patha
peace, if we will walk in the appointments of the Lord. I am a
man of deep experience, almost unbounded in hope, and have an
interest with God. My children, why will ye not hearken to my
cries? Receive the breud of life, go to tho field, I have strewed
the seed, the harvest is ripe ; gather in, and your rewards are sure.
My daughter, go to the fountain of thy mother's experience, draw
counsel from her breast. This will quench thy thirst. Let her
words be the footsteps of life, and thy calling and thine appointment
is sure ; for thou art born to honour these that have lived before
thee, whose feet have been in the mire, whose soul hath been in the
pit. Their heart is with God, and their tongue will keep thy path-
way clear. ,

Come children hear a parent sing,

Most mournful is the song ;
The joys of life how they take wing.

And leave us in the wrong.

What blessings 'tis, oh child, to have

A parent good and kind.
That hourly mourns thy soul to save.

And seeks thy bread to find.

Whose hands have sought a fountain deep,

And found the living spring,
The waters cure the eyes that weep,

There maidens wash and sing.

Blest is that man whose harvest grows,

He tills a fruitful soil,
He stands upright amidst his foes.

And fights to save his child.

He stands amidst a beating storm,

Undaunted in his face,
And spreads abroad a tender arm,

The prisoner to release:

He makes the captive's griefs his own,

His soul he doth not spare;
He loudly calls the wandering home,

And doth their burdens bear.

..;\'

IMPRESSIONS or THE MIND.

S \\'

* THE WAY TO MISERY, OR THE HOURS OP DISTRESS. ^

The most wise and prudent man in life can find hours of trouble

and the paths of misery, but it is the simple one that profits by exper

rience, and sells his own for that which he hath bought. Is it not

silly for a child tu run twice into the fire in one day ? so it is exceed.

ing silly for wise men (so cnlled) to practise these things that priests

and prophets have forbid. He is the wise man only that fears the

Lord. We think we are wise when we despise counsel ; but the

King hath said, it is the path of safety. A man must have a high

esteem for his own imagination that will despise good doctrine, and

cast the counsel of aged men behind his back. It is to these the

truth is not revealed ; and a child is wiser in the sight of God, that

draws his food from the mother's breast, than these. They draw

because they need ; but what a fool most needs he most despises,

because he is a fool : and that is the way with son:8 of the learned

of our age. They need to go to the school of experience ; but that

would abase the man, as a mantle that doth not fit the proud and

exalted mind- It would simplify their manners, make their tongue

to be comprehended by the unlearned, and clothe them with the

mantles of the ignorant, and like a day-labourer they would be

earning bread lor their household. I speak particularly of priests

and of all teaching men. A distressed soul for the bread of life

doth not hunger to see a priesi's gown, nor a set of words difficult

to explain. But like a lost man enquiring the way, he wants to

know where is the city of God, — how far off, and how he can obtain

admittance. The priest should have in store these deeds in his

remembrance by which he found acceptance with God ; for these to

him are the bread of life. He should tell him where he is in danger

of missing the way, and where he (the priest) fell into the pit, and

only saw release through the mercies of God, the forgtver of sins.

But true it is, him that knoweth not the way cannot direct another;

but they can offer to Peter and John, that were preachers or teach.

crs eighteen hundred years ago, and they can tell them all about

the kingdom of God, for revelation hath now ceased ; but invention

is in full splendour, how to obtain the kingdoms of this world ; if so,

we may as well send the hungry man to the fountain for bread, or

thirsty man to the baker for water, and the poor man to the almanac

maker for the Gospel, as to go to the priest that has no experience.

The fountain could not afford bread, neither doth the baker barter in

water, nor the almanac maker in the Gospel, nor the in<$xperienced

man in the things of God. These are the paths of misery, where a

man travels and finds no consolation ; and if God doth not visit his

peoplei we are forever undone, and reveal to us from day to day the

THE WAY TO MISERY, OR THE HOFRS OF DISTRESS.

way we should walk to obtain the city. What doth it profit a man
4o go to a dry fountain ? if it is possible there is such a place, I
Icnow a place may be called a well without water, and a cloud with*
out rain, and a body may be called a man without wisdom, and a man
'may be called a priest without wisdom or experience — a man may
be called a doctor without medicine, and a man's mind may be called
a soul without grace ; and the poor man may say, when all these
visits are performed, as Joh did by his friends, miserable comfortera
are ye all, and physicians of no value. Now are not these things
possible? and are they not measurably true? and are they not pro-
per truths, to keep us from being dec sived, and to assist us in open-
ing our eyes to eternal light ? Are not these the paths of misery
and disappointment, the hours of distress? They are thought to be
wise and prudent that look up to the learned nobility of the age,
and imitate them in example. I have a mind to the reverse of this
practice, and stand in opposition to them and their followers. They
are a burden to the poor — in taxing, and rating, hard to them that
mourn., and are not in haste to take our burden away. They are
not content with wealth, but covet honor, by saying w^ are the way.
What presumption this will do to teach the blind ; but them that hath
aeen the Son of God and the prophets, even at a distance, (which is
to say through history,) know better things than these, and God hath
not committed it to their trust to deceive the world. I will take great
pains to lay a block of stumbling in the way of the exalted. I will toil
day and night for it, with faith, that I will lay that stone in their way,
through the assistance of God, that kings nor priests cannot remove.

The administration of the nobility are the miseries of life ; they
first tell us they are wise, and we must pay them dearly for their
wisdom. The end is they must be rich, let who will be poor.
We bear the censuring load of ignorance on our shoulders, which
we cannot remove without gold, which we cannot get ; and here the
counsel closes, they do not provide a way for us to be wise as them,
but at great expense. Invention continues to impose, we cannot
obtain the fee, and must therefore lose the prize. We may keep
cattle and feed swine, we mry attend the field, through sun and
storm, while their cover and canopy is known by the name of oflice,
and priests have an office now, and have bread to sell, — like bakers'
old loaves that Peter and John gave to the world for nothing.

Bishops and priests are now gathering up the crurribs, and selling
them to the world. Their basket is lean, their hearers are not satis-
fied. God hath looked from heaven on the simple part of the world.
He hath taken my spirit to the school of distress indeed, for I gave
it him. I know of being bound, and of being released. I know
thariron law of conviction, and that justifying hour of consolation
«nd my heart is not quite a fool to these things.

■ *■■ ■

■*■»■;

■ f '^/^

;M!

' ' w

IMPRESSIONS OF THE MIXD.

,'3a

■llii

I do not know girammaf, and upwards to tho dead languages ; but
I know of being released from the hours of sorrow, and whose hands
hath done this ; and I know it to be the Lord. I never had a bishop
to wash my feet, nor anoint my head with oil, and yet I can speak of
the things of God and not be confounded ; and this is my great reward
for suffering that which nature cannot endure.

The spirit of the Lord was with me in the furnace ; the flame con-
sumed not my suul, but my foolish prido and exaltation, and these I
would sacrifice to the Lord indeed, to see release. I have sealed
my covenant with mine own signet ; 1 have signed with a willing
mind — it is the service of my life to serve the Lord, if he will keep
me, and give me food and raiment, I am for ever his ; I have pro-
vided for mine own house and little ones, as you see on the tables of
the Lord this day, or hear in your ears ; I have been a safe adviser
to the young, and the counsels of aged men — the Lord hath done this
through me ; I have been a voice in the ears of them that hath heard,
and a stumbling block or stone in the way of the exalted ; I have
put the judge (or elder in the church) to silence, and have sot the
little captives free ; and through the mercy of Gnd they cannot blot
out the hand writing, because it is written of the Lord.

Some pleasant banks and morning suns

Afford an, hour of rest,
And peace around our little ones ;

1 see the flocks are blest.

No dread nor fear is in their way.

The block and stones remove;
The darkness of a former day "-■

Still vanishes with love.

God of our peace is still more near.

He moves these blocks and stones;
Goliahs too doth disappear.

And flees our little ones.

- It's rare for giants to defy,
As once in days of old ;
They sheath the sword and pass us by,
F * They 're weary with their gold.

■^-.i'?

February 5th, 1833.

When I see wonders in the skies.
And sorrow in the earth below,

I'm certain suns from death will rise,
And tell us things we do not know.

. b^ii

WHAT IS LIFK? •" '

There is a dreadful storm at hand,
Before the morning sun shall riso ;

Jehovah's wrath will scourge the land,
And make a remnant poor and wise.

He'll place the humble on a throne,
A humble heart the scale shall hold ;

He'll build a kingdom of his own,
On pillars that were laid of old.

Israel of old shall ever stand,

The Lord hath mark'd them for his own ;
Their deeds shall ornament the land,

Their prince be never overthrown.

Bright are the suns of Israel's days.
The happy morning hastes to come ;

Duvid shall tune his harp to praise —
Jehovah's will shall all be done.

Februaky 19lh, 1833.

WHAT IS LIFE?

The answer is as intelligence from a far country. If we can
come at the truth in reply to the question, life is near us, and yet at
a distance ; it is unmeasured and unknown to those who spend their
time in idleness, and lose the purpose of their creation. Life is
given to be known, but God is the interpreter; tc Li 71 we must
apply for the revelation of the soul, otherwise than thi< >': man never
Cometh to the sense of his own mind. Our bodies of chiy are hut a
figure of life; by life they move and have their being. TLe person
is but a waymark to the mind, and the mind as a dis tnt city or far
country to those who do not seek to find the prize, or travel tndus>
triously to come to a sense of the man. The coui^els of age and
experience improve the mind for a time. A man's mind is as a
wilderness; he knoweth not what it will produce until it is cultivated
and improved. For a time God leaves the mind in the care of
parents or guardians, but in time he assumes the whole controul
over it, to bless or curse, as our deeds may be. The mind is life
without dispute, because in the mind there is feeling, and feelings nre
effectual to life. The dead cannot feel, and is, therefore, a capacity,
if we may so say, to the reverse of life, and hath no connection
with the feeling sense of the mind. I am writing of the life of the
maUi and not of every living thing hat moves by animation from tii^

IMPRESSIONS OF THE MIND.

Pill

itti

'^Hll

■

^^H

^IHi

■iHiJ

1 «;"■

hand of God. I conceive God is a spirit, because he cannot be
seen with the human eye. I wish to build upon mine own reason,
and not merely believe a thing is so because it is written, but come
at the real sense of the word, to confirm my understanding in the
things of God, and know what pertaineth to the man. We cannot
see God any more than we can see the wind or the utmost bounds
of the sky. We can see the animated being, but cannot see the
animation. We can feel changes in the mind : it is subject to death
as the plant is to the frost, or the tender grads to the mower, that
falls before him. We cannot see death nor disease, but we plainly
feel these operations on the mind, because it is life and capable of
feeling. It is the mind that holds a communication with spirits, and
commits to the man intelligence from^od. The body is capable
of feeling its own enemies ; but the body can die and the soul be
left alive, otherwise there is not a spirit in hoaven that ev^r existed
in man. Soul and body is a strange composition, but little known,
and carelessly practised. We compare with other animated beings
without improvement ; but through the love of parents, and the un-
merited favors of God, we rise above every other part of the creation.
The mind or spirit of the man never was created, but is spirit, and
was and is with God always, either in the far distant and unmea-
sured regions of his judgments, or compassed about by the bounds
of his favours in which there is no wrong. Let our joys be ever
so great, they are the pleasures of the Lord given unto man, without
which he can enjoy nothing without a curse or the vengeance of a
Being whc m we cannot comprehend. It is life that receives plea-
sure. Thv> dead are unknown to it : comfort cannot cheer the dead
more than water can rejoice the heart of a stone. Death Is a terror
to all our temporal enjuyments, and this is the curso decreed of God
to them that steal.

In the law of the Lord are the pleasures of life. If we plant in
the wildnerness it will produce nothing ; so are these that hope for
joys in an unimproved mind ; they reap disappointment and cursing
for their service ; the end is bitter, and their hope fainteth away.
These turns affect the mind, because the mind is the spirit of life —
proceedeth out from a living fountain, and cannot die. The mind
dieth not, but the action ; the consequence affects the heart, and
ieaves the mind an intelligent being of the miseries received through
the actions of life.

The body without the mind is clay, ready to dissolve into the
formless mould from whence it rose. Life inspires all our actions.
The body can feel nothing, but it touches the mind, therefore it is
the man within that is the life of the body, and exists in all our
limbs. There are many going up and down in the earth, teiling
about sin and righteousness, that knoweth not the man, but are like

WHAT IS LIFE?

the
one.
it is
our
Hog
like

post-boys or news-carriers, communicating that which Editors or
others have given unto them. The heart or mind of these men may-
remain as a wilderness all their days, and then remain in the priest's
office wearing titles or garments that never knew the mind of a man.
I have found it in my heart to believe that man may attain to a
more certain knowledge of himself than priests and prelates now
reveal ; for instance, one part of the man is a light to the other,
and one part a servant to the other.

Doth not the servant know the mind of his master when his will is
revealed unto him? Verily, he saith unto him, go and do thiS;
and whatsoever is right I will give thee at thy return. Now query,
if the servant could ever enjoyed the reward if he had left his mas*
ter's will undone or the deeds of life unfinished ? So we suffer for
not doing the revealed will of God, and the mind is capabiu of seeing
a Providence frown, or feel the convicting scourge laid on the heart
for disobedience; the body suffers also, because life is in misery ;
the whole feeling sense of tlie man is distressed, and there is not one
animated limb of the person that enjoys the pleasures of life ; she is
in prison, she is in bonds, — the chains are strong and the powers of
the Lord greater than can be cheerfully borne. Thus life is destroyed
through sin, and I will now speak with the priest : Is his heart with
the sinner when he feels himself exalted with righteousness? Nay,
he is far from the diseased in soul, — and I have no prospect that he
will heal him. Priests ought to go to schools where the scholars
learn the miseries of lite, and be taught of God ; they ought to go
where conviction is master, and the iniquity of this world is visited
upon them, and then their very life within them could testify of the
gates of hell, atone for sin, and stand at the portals of heaven, — the
very gates by which men enter into the joys of life. The priest's
soul f hould be to them that hear, but the want of this convicted pil.
grim&ge leaves us to be physicians of no value.

I would that God would improve the priests, and the priests the
people ; they are selling history to the world, instead of communi-
cating feelings which would be far better intelligence to the man :
one generation of people may improve one part of the mind, but the
world is not yet perfect, there is more to do, one mechanic cannot
answer all purposes; if all were cultivators, who would be the
builders ; if all were builders, who would till the field ; if all were
pnests, who would hear ; if the child was wise by birth, where would
the parent show wisdom ; if there was no temptation, the faculty of
resisting would be in vain ; if we were capable of ourselves of a truth,
we would need no God ; and the conclusion would be, the Deity
would be without honour. The most humble man is possessed of
the best wisdom ; he that thinks least of n form of clay, readily most
esteems the Lord. The mind is never empty nor never still ; if the

1 \ ' \

IHPBE88\ONS OF THE MIND.

''J

i^H

?^H

ic^H

'll

a "■ *

soul is not going on towards heaven, she is travelling down to hell.
She is ever walking by direction, but fur want of information is
exceedingly unwise in choice ; like one that has never travelled, she
knoweth not the way, and walking alone, or by some stolen means
of our own choice, we fall into a pit, and the flames of hell arise
about us. The soul is life, and who can feel these things, and commu-
nicate to the world the errors of action, and the events of sin? — We
could not sin were there not a law given, neither could we resist
without an object to deny, and all things are set in order for the infor<
mation of the man, before he is born into the world ; but a little self-
confidence enables us to pass by all these way marks, and like a silly
child, tells us we can walk alone. Woe to that soul that feels the
want of a Creator's strengthening hand, for she is without comfort,
and in the midst of the flame is relying only on the mercies of an
offended God. Here self comes to an end. It is self-confidence
that perishes, and not the mind ; the mind knoweth self to depart as
an unwelcome guest from the house, so doth pride and self-confidence
leave the m; 'd at God's command. The soul, through disobedience
to revelatir.,, becomes weak, and can do nothing for herself, and
God has to flo .11 for the lost sinner or he is forever undone. To
prove thai the niind is life, my spirit knoweth all these things, and
that th wJl ot God is the measures of the man, and it is less possible
to gc beyond -;r bounds than the billows of the sea.

Tue living hath an eye to see,

A tender heart to feel ;
They have a listening ear to hear,

A tongue to truth reveal.

These know the mountain and the vale,
They feel the fall and rise ;

Their wandering feet restored again,
A aun to light their eyes.

They know the banquet that was poor,
Because the heart can feel ;

They know temptations lead astray.
For thus events reveal.

Without life hell would be no terror more than sickness is to those
that are in the grave. Life is a m ''iatCi between God and man,
capable of receiving from his right hand, and froir^ his left ; he
chastizes with the one, and heals with the other; he casts into prison
in his anger, and releases when he is satisfied. Whom should we
fear but God only ? His power is almighty, and his title is just.
Without him we can do nothing. Wo make use of his precious gifts

^VltAT ta LlfE?

Ihose
Inian*
1; he

rison
we

Must.

gift!

to sin, and offend the Lord. If thou would give to ihy friend thd
cordials of health, and he should pour them on a stone, would it not
offend thee ? Then be sensible, for God is intelligence to life from
a far country* Doth it not grieve a father to see his child run into
the fire or the water, and perish in one, or be lost in th6 other. It
is to him as the loss of the field to the husbandman, in which he had
hope. He expected to strew his counsels in his yineyard^ and
receive great joy, but behold, it is lost, — it is given to another by
the keeper. So are the children of men, that give their heart to
false commandments, and they smart for it in life — for life is given
as a medium through which we shall receive great misery or endlesa
joys. Life can feel and therefore discern the chastizing hand of
Almighty God, who doeth nothing without a cause, nor injustice to
the children of men. Now let us improve life, she is worthy, and
we have the means ; what has been led undone in past ages by the
builders and cultivators, let us do in this* 1 have said the world itt
not perfect : we are visited with miserable events for sin, and without
some other doctrine is practised than this we subsist upon, our
sorrows will not abate. The priest nor prelate hath not kept sorrows
from the earth, nor conviction from the heart of man. Let us seek
farther than they have revealed. An offering is wanting that God
hath not received, otherwise we would be the heirs of peace, that
are now the victims of misery^^and drag out our days like so many
captives in bonds. Let us make trial — let us bring our offerings to
(he gates of the Lord's house. We will not sin in sincerely trying to
do well, if we err, as simple children, the Lord that knoweth our
need will teach us with pleasure, for it is an honour to the Lord to
be the salvation of men. If he frowns on this day's work, we will
change on the morrow, 'till we find the offering that will receive the
sentence of " well done." Who hath pleased the Lord ? We will put
him foremost in the battle, he hath the strongest mind, because he
hath been fed with meat, from tho kingdom of Heaven. Wie will
walk in his hand, till we can run alone ; we will borrow of him till
we have something ourselves, and thence we will burden our friend
no more.

He that hath been accepted can lead us in the paths of accep*
tance ; and that which he shall give unto us, shall be as water to the
thirsty, and will quench our thirst : for we were enquiring the way
to the city of God, and hath found a friend directing us onward, for
his counsels are good. Ho placed our feet where they did not slide,
and wicked spirits were subject to his word. If this is not the way
to improve life, I nm mistaken ; it hath been my wa}', and I have
found peace, the fountain of living waters. How can I change?
The will of God is stronger in mc than the will of man, and self-
confidence bows in my soul as tho little child beneath the burdeni

'L*^i

* :■ :

ZMPBE68ZON8 OF TUB UIND.

of a man ; and this is the way I improve life, discerning the right
hand of God from the \e(t, and thereby shun the paths of trouble,
walking in the paths of reputation, for communicating wisdom to the
world. As the master is above the scholar, so are those that can
teach above them that are untaught in tiK school of wisdom ; and
who can take their crown away? They received it from the Lord
with a thankful heart, in a time of trouble, it was as wine to the
thirsty, as meat to the hungering soul, and a sure mantle in the
storms. These operations are the effects of life ; life is the giA of
God, and is from his own bosom, as much as the child is born of his
mother. The body is nothing but a covering, house, or habitation
for the mind ; she removes again to the bosom of her father. Spirit
cannot feed on flesh. This is the subsistence of the body ; but the
spirit draws from the bosom of the Lord as the infant from the
mother's love — is full and is satisfied. Do we not know what to feed
upon ? Can we see the pathway to walk in, or the highway for men,
and then say we know not the way, when we have daily counsels
from the heart of experience, as rain descending from the city of
God or gentle dews from a Creator's hand ? Oh self-confident soul !
who made thee stronger than the adviser? who taught thee to run
without a parent's care ? Whosoever hath done this, hath led thee
into the ditch, and there to improve life, and the event of thine action
will teach thee thou art a self-confident fool. Then thou hast known
more than the priest could tell ; he could not communicate unto thee
thy feelings obtained by self-confidence, but he could communicate
words to thine ears to affect thy mind, to place thy feet upon, and
receive them into thy house, as a guest from heaven or even the
bread of life for thy soul to subsist upon. Feeling is the last teacher.
He that knoweth not that the fire will burn by running into it, need
not fear the gates of hell. He that can endure conviction and not
feel, is fire-proof. He that can sin and not be sorrowful is the brute
And not the man ; he has or is possessed of an animated life, but is
a stranger to the purpose : he lives like a fool and dies like a brute.
An estate was given him, a wilderness to improve, a mind to plant
In, and reap the joys. No, he lefl these things undone, and God left
him out of the kingdom of heaven, to die without fear or favour of
father or friend. He has lived like an idle creature, he has gained
nothing ; he has returned to dust without the honours of the Lord,
and the vengeance of God will consume his character forevermore,
for his name shall be despised and hated of men ; the bills shall
not declare his glory, the vallies shall be a stranger to his cause ; ,
the earth shall not bear up his name, and his remembrance shall
forever cease. He became a parent without sense, his children
were orphans, his wife was forever as the widow ; she lived without
a friend, and wore the mantles of despair all her life. Life is the

WUJLT 18 DEATH? M

powers of the mind, communicated unto us as intelligence from a
far country, or a distant city that we can never measure. So wisdom
has no end, and is more extensive than the bounds of the sea, beyond
the compass of the skies, so unbounded are the measures of life, and
I will seek forevermore.

And as I seek 1*11 find.
For life *s not sought in vam \
' Oh God enlarge my feeble mind,

Restore to thee again.

By thee the sun arose,
] He came at thy command;

^ By thee we see our dangerous foes,

t And their unhappy land.

We shun the hidden snare,
The pit t' would take us in;
For prisoners long are howling therej
That doth delight to sin.

My sister, come with me,
I'll place thy feet secure;
I'll teach thine eyes the rock to see.
Thy buildings shall endure.

t:.

Febbvaby 20th, 1833.
WHAT IS DEATH!

Death is a companion to life, and these two change the mind.
They are as the balance in which all things &re weighed, the deci.
eion ot our deeds, the event of action, and the knowledge of the
truth. Death binds sin with a cord, death casts into prison, death
binds that none can release, and stills all the actions of sin. There
is lifii and death ia the animated creatures that has little or no part
in reforming or improving the man. Philosophers may write about
this, and give intelligence to the world, and sinners may hear, and
profit nothing, except they fear, and contemplate upon the works of
God.

Death is a strong spirit unseen, to which life gives way. Life is

weakened by sin, and death has gained a usurping victory over the

children of men. There is no conquering this foe or moth to our

earthly joys, but by deeds of righteousness. These weaken the

iMFRGgSIONS OF TUB Mt.'fO.

I'M

iS'

Sting '>f deal! drive fear flrom the loul, and assume the whoU
heart of the man. There is no space or time appointed for us to
sin, so doing is time lost — not only time lost, but comforts are gonsi
by these deeds we once enjoyed, and without righteousness will
return no ni .0. The mini is as a spring of living water, the well
is there that will satisfy every thirst. We cannot catch water in
nets, neither can we make cords of drops of rain, nor invent any
thing to obtain blessings from heaven but a righteous life; no one
can druvv water without means. The sinner is so ignorant through
imagination, he sets himself out on the jojirney to receive blessings
without the mercy of God, he desires to enjoy (or his own pleasure,
not receive that ho may have somewhat to glory in of the goodness
of I'.is Creator, but exclusively to gratify his brutal thirst. Vain
man ! he runs to meet death, he seeth him not that he is in the way ;
he ib clothed with the shadows of the night, as a snare set in a
pit. He taketh strangers by <he feet, and he will not let them so
till he is satisfied. He maketh a prey of life; he destroyeth all the
comfurts of the mind as a thoughtless brute in the vineyard of the
Lord. He leaveth n* ' a plant in it to bear, no not one; the man or
mind is left without one deed to glory in. Death is the harvest of
invention ; he gathereth in, and casts into the fire. Will not fire
crnstime hay, wood, and stubble t Truly, so sure it is, it will upon
the same principle destroy all the works of men, but not of God,
because he is over all operating power ; all moves and cease at his
command. Will not warning save an mfant from the flame? if not,
vain is the prayer of the father, cr the tender mother's desire. We
cannot save Irom f^'m we know, but can Jirect the child in the paths
of life, where death stmds nassiv^i and without teri':<*, and when the
stock of corn is fully lipe, ho gathereth in the faithtiil as a harvest
of joys unto the Lord ; and althuiigh we may say that death stands
in the way of all men, yet let us add, that there is a material diffev-
^ce in his operations. He gathers the wicked into hell, but the
ri ^teous home to God, that hath been long distant like a friend ;n a
fa ^^ountry, so are the aged, and the righteous they pray to return
io i^od, and fall asleep with their fathers that hath served the Lord ;
but the wicked groan fearing consequences. From whence cometh
this fear? Why do we crave to hide a little longer from the pres<
ence of the Lord ? We feel as the maiden half dressed, we are
ashamed of our nakedness ; and although God hath made us, sin
hath clothed us with shame before his face. These are only the
shadows of death that so affects the mind with disease. How the
sick covet to rise ! They are afraid to go. Is there no assurance
that our peace can be made with God ? There is ; I testify loudly,
that Avhen conviction ceaseth, God is pleased, and requireth not
repentance at our hands ; but while fear causes the frame to trembl*

not
bU

VTHAT II D£ATUT 'H

tnd the mind shftketh with fear and quakea before the T^ord, we are
indebted that ofTering to God, for our sins, that without which we
■hall see no salvation. Therefore to acquaint ourselves with death,
and giv a full answer to tlie question, Whut is death ? we must
state to the world his various operations on the mind. He is a ser«
vunt of the Lord, and sent of God to answer his great purpose in
the earth. We cun acquaint ourselve with strangers; let us shako
hands with death, tell how he feels, and warn our little ones to fear
the Lord. Is it possible to fortify aguinnt his stin^? The writer
answers yea. I have not feared his name for many years ; how did
I get on to this stage of action is a ({ucstion, but easy is the reply.
I reflected on his threatening consequences. If T did not repent of
sin, he told me he would cast me into hell, then* should be weeping
and gnashing of teeth, where sinners cuiuiot mfort one another.
We have emblems and figures of this conditi i life; for where
the spirit of the sinner reigns as a prince ot. , hrone, there is
comfort to no man. Is there any path to flee from the sting of
death? There is, and the patriarchs of old did not dread his sting
more than a weary mind the bed of rest ; and therefore in the arms
of death they quickly fall asleep, as the child at the mother's breast.
The commands of God effected this operation, and I have the same
chance with these, and so hath every other sinner. The kingdom
of heaven is not full, neither hath the living spring gone dry ; there
is mercy for every penitent in the bosom of the Lord. Death ope-
rates on us, as we are as seed fitted for the soil, and he hath operated
on my mind to fear the Lord ; and when I put in practice the fear of
the Lord, I fled from the iron hands of death ; his hands were colder
than clay, harder than iron. His sentence made all my soul to shako
and tremble before the Lord.

Time was not at his command — he was but the servant, a limited
servant, (to whom God hath given great space in these latter years.)
God gave me time to try me whether I would practise the fear of
his name or not. I did so ; deeds will witness for my spirit that I
lie not before the mighty God of Jacob. Thus the sting of death
departed from me, and he was a profitable visitor to my soul indeed,
for he placed my feet in the hidden way, and bid me flee the ven>
geance of the Lord. Can I complain of his arrows, the hardness
of his iron hands? His bosom was to me as a consuming flame, and
yet a just visitor ; for I had not feared the Lord in all my days. This
is making proper use of the chastising hand of God. He was then
before me, but now he followeth af\er. I centime in the way of his
direction, his very frown gave me light. I must flee all the days of
my life. God is between him and me, he cannot overtake me if I
will do the will of the Lord. I see him not in righteousness, shall
I fear him in death ? No, he is death. I have granted his com*
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XMPBE88X01TS OF THX MIND.

mands, and what demands has he on my soul to punish for sinning
against God ? None. Then why should I be distressed by him, or
fear him that hath no power ? for of such he is to them that do well,
but an immoveable terror to the wicked. As long as we sin, the
■ting of death is the recompense ; and the soul, which is the endow-
ment of life to these bodies of clay, can feel all these things, see
with spiritual eyes, and reveal to the world the hidden snare the little
child hath never seen, and through love direct the little ones to shun
the pit, and deliver their feet from the snares of death. Him or her
that believeth is terrified enough by parental counsel ; they wish to
run no farther to see whether the doctiine of the priest is true ; they
flee and glory in God their Creator, they see the stubborn fallen, and
no hand to say unto them arise, there thou must pay for shunning
counsels, there thou must do for thyself, that despised thy father and
mother, that is God that is in heaven, and his Church on earth, that
gave thee suck and fed thee from her tender breast.

See clearly child, the way is clear, ^ ♦

Now where doth death and hell appear?
They're not but in the sinner's way,
Still binding these that doth delay.

;, .... >

N;,<:-i:-

\,r:

The stubborn daily weaker grow,
Their sins are strength'ning to their foe ;
In a short space his cords will bind
_ ^ The stubborn and resentful mind.

It is no sin the child to be, <

', * For these, O God, are chose by thee; ^

These thou hast seen with weeping eyes.
And built their mansion in the skies.

Humility is not shame, but an ornament to the mind. If we should
condescend to hear that repeated that we have known before, it would
not hurt the mind. There are many repetitions given the world of
the good word of God, and God hath not seen that it is yet enough ;
he enjoins on my soul to call people to repent from exaltation, and
humble themselves before the Lord. ' If the calls of the prophets
had sufficed God, I had been willing. It is a hard service to contest
with these that are resolved on embracing death. They run to meet
him in the way ; they had rather place their feet in the midst of hell
than humble themselves to receive the counsels of the Lord. Like
a strong tower they stand in this world immoveable by the prayer of
the father or the desires of a tender mother. They prepare for death
with all the heart, they cry when none can hear, and like a soul in
\l%\[ cry for help when help is gone. Is not death of different effect

-VTBAT IS DEATH f fli

to these, from those that serve the Lord ? As difTerent as rain is to
the tender grass, as the waters that drown our lives in despair. The
rain is water, and so is the sea ; the dew is a comfort from heaven
to the plant that thirsts for the refreshments of God, hut the same
element will drown him that hungers for dry land. So is death dif-
ferent in operation to the righteous and to the sinner ; he comforts
the weary, but destroys the joys of the joyful that are rejoicing with-
out the vineyard of the Lord, or beyond the counsels of his word.

Hear my son, heaven is a store for thee, the keys are in the keep-
er's hand ; no thief can enter there — the walls are strong — they are
higher than the skies, and broader than the space of the earth ; thou
cannot ascend above them, or flee beyond them : God has made
these things impossible. That which he hath forbidden to move
cannot change. The conimands of God are the keys of the hidden
mansion. Make use of these, and the portals of his house will open
unto thee. No saint will bar thee from this kingdom ; he will bid
thee welcome there, he will lend his hand to thee. His spirit will
come down from heaven ; his love will be wings to thy spirit, he will
bear thee upwards as on the wings of a cherub. No death is in his
way; he acquainted himself with death while in the body. He
consumed his power through the deeds of righteousness — these are
they that are according to the revealed will of God, and farther than
this thou art not accountable to angels in heaven. Read out the
mysteries of life my daughter — know that our temporal joys are
subject to death. We cannot confide in them ; they will pass away
as the shadow of the night, and leave us as a deluded soul in a
strange land. Walk in the pathway of these that hath found the
city ; practise not an unbelieving heart, it will alienate thy soul to
God, and leave thee without a friend. No one can be happy alone,
we must be in communion with the saints of old ; these are in the
bosom of the Lord, out of the reach of temptation, and consequently
free from the terrors of death. Let death be as a messenger from
the Lord unto thee, warning thee to repent. Do not be so confident
in thy young and inexperienced years ; lean a little longer on the
bosom of thy father, and be tender to thy mother's breast : it hath
been a fountain of joys to thee when thou could not feed thyself.
Despise her not when she is old, and seeking help of thee. When
thou canst restore, repay her for her tender kindness, and comfort
her from the obedience of thy bosom ; and thou shalt comfort her
in her age, and repay her for a mother's joys. Be not hard of heart,
for this is oflTending to God ; he will repay thee with hardness again.
He will send death to thy bed-side, and thou shall sign covenants
with him, that breaketh thy promise with God thy Creator. He will
not own thee for his daughter in the hour of thy sorrow ; thou des.
pised him and honoured him not as thy father. How can he be a

IMPRESSIONS OF THE MIND.

parent to thee in affliction ? Fear his name while there is one hour
to spares I, the writer, am of a tender heart, wishing salvation and
peace to all the sons and daught<^rs of the Lord. I sell my rehukes
for sin, at the expense of frowns from the reproved : and so I pass
on with sorrow to the grave. I see my children despise the chosen
bread of their father ; for so is the Church to me, this little gathering
almost in a desert land. I will record my life on paper. Some may
read afler me ; I will leave them in the vineyard of the Lord, and
go hence to be seen of you no more. I shall depart from you with-
out the affecting sting of death. Time weareth not away my hope,
but increaseth my joys. The shadow of death doth not veil mine
eyes from things to come : I am safe in the service of the Lord.
His love hath been a hedge about mo, and death cannot leap over
the wall. He will come at the time appointed, when the righteous
crave to enjoy their rest. Then will I sign covenants with him
without fear, and seal them with my blood ; lot I know his power is
gone, and his breath as empty as the wind. May I not tell the
wonders of the Lord ? These are the joys of my life : I glory in
them. The revelation of the Lord is the riches of my sou!,* I have
in store for my children. They will not receive of me bread from
the kingdom of heaven. I can only witness, God is the power, but
my words are truth ; and my heart has gone before my tongue in all
these things that are written.

„, Death, empty sound or hollow blast,

y, 4 A bubble like the wind,

Thine arm is weak, thy power is past,
- When we repent who've sinn'd.

An empty space where mountains move,

And 's hidden in the sea.
For thou art from the child of love.

Thy terrors far from me.

No death is in the sinner's way;

When he's resolved to turn,
He'll find the debt but light to pay.

And hell will cease to burn.

Mountains will move at his command,

(As those from David fled,)
Long on a rock his feet shall stand,

Salvation crown his head.

In peace he'll tell his foes they're vain.

Nor death nor hell need try ;
For God in heaven has wrote his name.

His soul shall never die.

WHAT IS DEATH? ^

Bright ions will from the deep arise,
Such as the worlds hath never known;

For God will make his people wise,
And wisdom mark them for her own.

Her hands hath made their pathway clear,
And God commands the Church to move;

She doth like to the morn appear,
Or infant of her mother's love.

She's cloth'd with raiment white as snow,
Save drops of prophet's blood are seen :

She 's like a garden here below.

Where all the plants are fresh and green.

She 's like the meadow clothed with dews,
Or like a deep and crystal spring ;

Strangers delight to hear her news,
Because she doth good tidings bring.

When I see wonders in the skies,

And sorrow in the earth below,
I 'm certain suns from death will rise.

And tell us things we do not know.

There is a dreadful storm at hand.
Before the morning sun shall rise,

Jehovah's wrath shall scourge the land.
And make a remnant poor and wise.

He '11 place the humble on a throne,
A humble heart the scale shall hold;

He '11 build a kingdom of his own.
On pillars that were laid of old.

Israel of old shall ever stand,

The Lord hath marked them for his own;
Their deeds shall ornament the land.

Their Prince be never overthrown.

Bright are the sons of Israel's days.
The happy morning hastes to come;

David shall tune his harp to praise,
Jehovah's will shall all be done.

IMPRESSIONS OF TUB MIND.

February 22nd, 1833.

THE IMPRESSIONS OF DIVINE LOVE, OR THE PARENTAL

CARE OF GOD TO MAN,

My best sense of the human mind is this—that man is a subordinate
creature, and hath nothing to glory in save this, that he has been a
servant to God his creator. How far the mind may be enlarged, for
time to come I cannot tell. The measures of the mind are in the
bosom of the Lord. No man can reveal God to the world, neither
could his workj contain him, for he is greater than all extent that
we can imagine, and can be but imperfectly known. The knowledge
of the mind is the salvation of men, the peace of the world, and the
joys of the heart. It is all that we can hunger, or thirst for at any
time. The want of which, is the cause of all true prayer that is offer-
ed up to God. The power of revelation is not ours, neither are we
Intrusted with it — 'till it is prayed for, and is given unto us ; from
whence we cannot tell — it comes and goes — and our days are not
alike : one day we will rejoice, and another mourn, and it is beyond
the powers of the mind to reveal to the world, the cause of obedience
to these impressions. We can only say we believe them to be
parts of a deity, they ebb and flow as the tide — and why they come
and go, we cannot tell. I am now writing in the book of nature, or
revealing man to himself, for the peace of his own mind, or the
salvation of his soul. I have set out on the journey and must travel
nature through, trusting I shall see God in the end — not see him as a
distinct being from man, but see all my given propensities, composed
as the house of the Lord in order on the throne, and my heart in
subjection to the Divine will. Man trieth many objects in his
pilgrimage from «arth to Heaven, like a wayfaring man, his space of
rest in these public inns, are but for an evening and a morning. He
must rise and travel again — he is not satisfied, he is yet seeking new
discoveries — he knoweth not what will appear in prospect by
travelling ; but this he knows, his mind is not at rest, a living thirst
remains in his bosom for something he never tasted, or to behold
that he never saw. His eyes are watchful on the journey — he
thinketh at times he seeth the city, and traveleth onward with cheerful
hope, but as soon as he enters the gates of the city, he beholds
strangers in the dwelling places ; he closes up his concerns — he
saith but little — taketh leave of his friends in the morning, pays the
cost for their moments of comfort, and sets forward again to some
distant hill. All this he performs to teach his soul that pleasure is
not here on earth, but in Heaven above, some distant and unknown
space where God hath concealed it from his eyes. When a man

THE IMPSESSI0N8 OF DIVIXE LOVE.

has thas travelled all the days of his life, from hill to hill, and from
oity to city, he has not progressed beyond the bounds of his mind.
The extent is far off, and past finding out — none knoweth it but God
alone, and to whom he will reveal the hidden mansion. Every
child can testify of what he knoweth — the infant expresses want by
weeping, and the soul never will cease to cry till her measures are
full. There are no lasting joys below the sun, or the light of heaven.
The mother can comfort her babe, but he weeps again. God can
give us an evening's rest, but our thirst is not satisfied : want still
repeats her cries in the heart of a man. It is the hand of God that
doeth all this. A brute may as well eat mill-stones,, as for a man to
satisfy himself. God is the author of this plant that makes us
miserable— he is the hnsbandman of the Soul, and streweth in it
what he will. Oh that I knew how to teach, my tongue should be
free as water, and my pen mark the way to the city of God. I
believe in no kingdoms beyond the measure of the mind, more than
I believe that one city is heaven and another hell. Kingdoms are
but figures of conveyance to lead us to the mind. There is a high-
way in every man's heart, in which he travels all the days of his
life, and he finds death at the end of the journey to put out his eyes,
and to still his feet. Death is a gate to pass through, after which the
living see the dead no more. If we should presume to tell what is
beyond Death, it would be the presumptious imagination of the heart
offered to God, presuming to teach what we cannot know till we go
thence, from whence we will not return. As this hidden mansion is
a space beyond my experience, I will not presume to reveal to the
world things I cannot tell. I have nothing to do with men farther
than the gates of the city, I must leave them there for admission let
their end be good or ill. But now I enter on the solemn journey—
and as I discover, so read to my brother and sister, and mark the
way with my pen, that these may know where I am gone that read
after me. My journeys in the mind have been long and tedious — I
find them to be but circles in the mind. I always return to the
place of beginning, and find every thing alive in me that I have
possessed from my childhood, not one propensity is worn out by
travelling, all is with me, and is the living soul that is within me, and
my propensities lead the way. They are as so many beloved friends
of mine, asking me to go with them on a journey to such a place,
and see something we have not known — I am willing and ready to
obey the call. What is nearer than a man's own heart, ready to
grant the desire ? for I am fond of seeing, that I have not seen, and
of knowing that I have not known. Now to fpeak of God is beyond
the measures of the man, but he can tell of his own heart, when he
knoweth it, and discover to the world how frail he is. His body of
flesh and blood is a figure of his mind, and his deeds tell his heart

III

IMFRS88IOM or TUB MIND.

to all mankind. Our passions are as so many princes, tuling one
at a time in tlio midst ufus, for one object will lake all our attention
for a moment, and then another ; so our mind like a wandering dove,
or pelican, is wandering frum place to place, seeking peace on earth
and finding none. And long it taketh for an experienced mind to
know the world is vain, and all that is in it. It is but a kingdom for
the body, affording our supplies, but of little comfort to the soul.
But it is not made in vain, the proper use thereof, comforts the mind
as far as its predestinated degree can extend. Food and raiment is
ail that earth can afford ; and he that seeketh further will find
disappointment in the end. He that feeds his mind with needless
supplies deceives his own soul, and will find sorrows in the end ; he
has made death his store-house, and in the end sorrows will be
revealed unto him from the bosom of the Lord. God keepeth a
book of remembrance. By comparison we understand the things
of God, for all is his that he hath communicated unto us ; and as
we cannot do as we will, nor find pleasure in the distant hills and
mountains, we must acknowledge there is a Supreme Being that
rules over us. It is as needful that we should know ourselves to bo
nothing, before we can honour God with sublime praise, as it is to
know a sandy soil will not produce comfort to the mind.

We now proceed to tell that all must be by God's direction. Not
one of our living, moving, or inviting propensities can be alone ;
God must be the father of them, and they are servants and subject
to the Lord. They may in justice be accused of lieing unto us, but
not wilfully so, for they sincerely convey to us all the truth that
they contain ; but their counsels can be confounded by an over-
ruling Providence, and our imagination brought to nothing from
whence it first arose. It is but an impression without measure, rule,
line, or order ; it proceedeth out from God, and returns again ; then
how can it arise from nothing ? because it is imagination, and is,
therefore, no substance, neither can it be the truth. We know not
from whence it cometh nor whither it goeth, and is therefore a servant
of the Lord, and a false master unto us, because it revealeth not
the truth. From whence cometh the shadow 1 We observe the
cloud over us obstructing the light of the sun ; it is presently gone
and teen no more. God suffered not the light of the sun to shine
through the cloud, neither has he the truth through the things of
this world ; but he has suffered them to rule over us that we should
know that they are false. No man can measure the contents of a
shadow, neither can he the imagination of the mind ; for before he
is' ready it is changed into another form as the shadow, and is there-
fore unmeasureable by men. The wise king said all was vanity ;
and the world vexed him, for it was full of disappointments, and no
reitiog place for the sole of the foot in it. Now that God is not the

THB IMPnKUIOIfl or DIVIIVU IK>VB. fP

author of imagination I am not about to deny ; tho tpreadiiig out
of his hand huth formed tho shadow and given dimensions to it, and
it is subject to him alone ; from man it fleeth away. Tell, who can
bind imagination with a cord? and I will tell in return who can close
up the shadow of the cloud in his fist and retain it to himself. God
is the author of all these unbounded operations ; they are visitors
sent unto us from the kingdom of heaven, and God has given them
space here below, that is while our mind abides in earthly things
and our thoughts are in pursuit of them. They are all reconciled
together in the kingdom of God, and it is this reconciliation that is
the kingdom of heaven within the compass of the mind ; it is in
truth a composition of our thoughts where life is reconciled to itself,
and knoweth that an unknown king ruleth over them. The mind
can testify of God as a master, and every propensity of the mind
can testify they are not free, as they would have composed a king,
dom of heaven of the things of this world ; the cities, hills, gardens,
and river sides ; but our thoughts are mistaken — and by taking on
such burdens we find how weak we are. It cannot be accomplished,
because there is another greater than our designs, one who can
accomplish the salvation of the mind, and reconcile one part to the
other, or life together ; and this is the salvation of the man. If our
passions or propensities should rule over us forever, they would be
God's, and everlastingly disputing about the kingdom, as they begin
with us in life ; but God, an alKwise Providence, or parental friend,
puts his servants to silence when they get too high, that is our vari.
ous capacities in the mind, he stills them by his word, and all trem>
ble at his sentence, for he is a threatening God to the exalted. Like
as many humble children, the composition of the whole heart resigns
to God, and with humble submission leans upon his breast from
whence they came. He pities their mourning ; even the soul that
he chastises he visits with sorrow, and every acting capacity rssigna
to the place of order, and like as many criminals in court fails pros-
trate from the exalted station before a righteous judge. Here ends
the days of a self-wise thinking man, and he knoweth the Lord no
other way than by power, and he is compelled by events to acknow.
ledge he would, but he cannot do, nor accomplish his designs.

Frail is that man whose thoughts doth rise.
To mansions far above the skies ;
As weak is he that sinks below.
Where he can never see nor go.

Our thoughts those distant kingdoms built.
And to possess them blood is spilt;
They're like the shadow, all in vain; —
My thoughts return, come home again. : .

04 IMPBBSSIONS OF THE XllfO.

Within the compass of thy mind,
Thou wilt the lesser kingdom find,
The city that '0 of great extent,
li th' bosom of the penitent.

There God we see, and God we own,
And find the city t' was unknown ;
There power is love, and judgment light.
That which was wrong again is right;

And all is order in the soul,
When tides abate and billows roll.
All, all are circles form'd to tread,
ho from the feet up to the head.

Mabcu 13th, 1833.

Deep is the mire and clay
Where sinners place their feet;
They meet destruction in their way.
And deadly groans repeat.

The soul most loudly cries.
Where none attends to hear.
Nor pity from their kindred's eyes
Descends, no mournful tear.

My soul is like to these,
While measuring out their fate ;
Strong are their cords, or God's decrees
Are mournful to relate.

His word like iron bars
That never rends in twain ;
His spirit like the distant stars.
That shone to us in vain.

Our deadly sleeping eyes.
Our dull and heavy ears.
Are deaf when e'er his spirit cries,
And blind whea light appears.

THE IMPBEMI0M8 OF DIVINK LOW.

March 17tb, 1833.

Though deep shall answer unto deep,

Or sky to sky reveal ;
There 's more where ancient prophets sloopi

Than seas and hills conceal.

Though stream should unto stream unite,

Or hill to hill should join ;
There *a more where man doth stand upright,

Than all the floods of time.

Though rivers flood their banks, and show

They boundless deeps contain ;
There 's more in words of truth below.

For these are not in vain.

Tho' men should sit on thrones most high,
With strength'ning towers round ;

There 's more where man's prepared to die.
Than can in these be found.

March 25th, 1633.

Forbid the lion Lord to rage.

Command him to be still ;
.He doth destroy in every age.

Because it is his will.

Tell shepherds to arise and see,
And bid their flock attend;

The lion tribe that used to be.
Is lamb-like in the end.

Bid children walk with fear and care,
And fear the* paths that stray ;

Attend to hear a shepherd's prayer.
Who shun'd the lion's way.

Oh children see the path before !

The stone securely lies.
That leads from where the lions roar,

And fools the truth despise.

IMl'BEISIOKg or THE MIII9*

MAncii 3lBt, 1833.

Wisdom, thv wayi are ways of peace.
Thy children to thy ways resign ;

Thy foes doth flee, thy friends increase,
The heavens and the earth are thine.

Anffels thy peaceful ways attend.

The earth delights to hear them sing }

Thy songs shall never have an end,
Thy harp shall sound on every string.

Thy ways are harmless as the dove,
Thy children mourns to hear thee cry ;

Thou meets thine own with deeds of love.
Thy foes thou gently passes by.

Fools scorn thee and profane thy ways,
The wise embrace thy tender breast;

Thou leads thine own to deeds of praise,
And leaves thy foes with guilt oppress'd.

The Lord spread out hi» hands, and I

Saw hills and plains abroad.
And blood from whence the prophets lie^

Descending down from God.

His presonce shone amidst the cloud,

Like to the morning star.
And angels round him sang aloud,

Their song was—" all prepare.'*

A sun will rise, a day will come,
Hope measures out this way,

The will of God shall all be done.
Upon this glorious day.

Come to the ancient tombs, and see

What testaments declares.
One day the captives shall be free.

And dwell amidst the stars.

As Israel once in glory shone.
When kings and priests did reign,

80 God again rebuilds their home.
And blots away their shame.

,<, .. [ V7 ]

April Ist, 1833.

THE CAUSE OF TROUBLE AND THE CAUSE OP JOY.

WniTiso history from history is like a retailer of goods nnd wnres ;
he spreads them fur abroad, but doth not cluinge the quuhty. Every
truth should wear its own mantle, and every mind be clothed with
its own spirit, and history discover truths from the mind. Repetitions
are not revelations — and one thing once over is enough, if a man'e
heart changes, his tongue will also be changed ; if he hath received a
change of spirit, he will explain a change of action, he will shew
forth by deeds he is not the same. I would write a few lines from
my mind, and let it sufHco to shew that my soul hath been with the
Lord, and brings intelligence from his kingdom. It is written, that
" man is born to trouble," but to prove the sentence true we must
all acknowledge we cannot escape the truth of this holy sentence.
Trouble is God's appointment, or men could turn aside from the
troubled way. I shall not dwell on Scripture but write from mine
own thought, and reveal the sorrows of the mind. We will not
contradict sacred truths, but concur therewith ; for God is minded
to make peace on earth ; but a great flood of trouble will first cover
the highest hills, I moan the highest stations on earth. What
can reach where the walls are silver and the pillars gold ? The
world hath worshipped these metals to their own shame, and to a
sorrowful end. If men could build a throne of peace, end establish
covenants here, the name of God and Christ with the Evangelists
giving an account of God, would wear out, and these sacred names
would become lost ; but God has made this building impossible with
the wisest of men, and he is but an exalted fool, that trys without
calling on the name of the Lord. My text is trouble, and it will
lead me to the cause — the child has trouble early in life — it is the
moving of our young propensities towards a better kingdom thaa
^here we are at present. If a child is quieted at a mother's tender
breast or father's table, hunger and thirst led him forward to the
rejoicing place ; but a child cannot here remain, as his mind extends,
vant increases, he is not at rest, nor ever will be till bis mind returns
to the bosom of God, from whence it came. As restless waters
seek the sea, him that tries the most objects, prolongs the time and
delays his own peace. The kingdom should be first sought, when
we are capable of knowing we have a troubled mind ; the parent
should go before the child, and the nearer the grave the more peace
vre should discover to the world, like one whose work is almost
finished, and the parent pleased with the deeds of his hands. To-
see a man old and full of sorrow, indicates there is time lost — like a

IUPHB88IOITS OF TBB MIMD.

fi^»

man that is poor in his latter days, and has his bread to earn when
he is old, this will undoubtedly be the case with some of our house-
hold to affright children from such a close of life. The tempest
troubles the sea, and the wind disquiets still waters ; but seas and
skies are the Lord's. He sets them at variance to answer his ends
and the purposes of the creation. The world is a book to me, I often
read therein without the help of the line of the philosopher, or the
points of astronomy. I behold the works of God with my naked eye
without glass or invention, and the deeds of a righteous God convey
sentences to my heart, from which I write this day. God maketh
the winds and waves to agree, when it pleases his contending
powers — he speaketh peace and these are still at his command, they
resist not neither do they refuse to obey, for then is it well pleasing
for winds and waters to obey still. They overthrow the wise
mariner in the deep waters, he cannot conquer them, his house is
lost and seen no more. How terrible is thy name O God, in the
rolling billows of the deep, not one is there without thy command not
one beyond the hearing of thy word !

With one accord they all obey,
Oh troubled i^eep why did thou rise?
Or darkening clouds overspread the skies?
^/ Or rudest tempest, why dost thou .

. Ne'er break, or not perform thy vow?

My life will well compare with these,
' ' My thoughts doth move like troubled seas,

I cannot bid the wave be still,
Because it 's not thy Maker's will. . ^

The tempest seeks a calm, and the beating sea still waters, and
leave each of these to their allotment, and they will be so. A
hurricane never bloweth out of a clear sky, neither doth the billows
rise without the storm. Peace is the intent of the creation — it is
God's delight. But with many things it pleases an angry God to
trouble a sinful world. Our mind of itself would be at rest,—

But God hath planted trouble there — . >

When will our sorrow cease to bear?
Like to the hidden deepest sea, . ,•

So trouble has no end with me.

God could have given rest to the mind of the infant, but he hath
set the plant in the young and tender breast, and as soon as the
child weepeth, it gathers in from the tree of sorrow; before it
knoweth good or evil, tempestuous trouble will disquiet the infant

TUE CAUSES or TROUBLB AND JOT.

and
A

llows

lit is

>dto

mind. Ero we were formed of the Lord it was not so ; and when
we return it will cease. Sorrows are as stepping stones to set our
feet upon, the more we haste the shorter will be the journey. We
must have as much sorrow and disappointment sooner or later, as
will make us distrust the things of this world to cease our sorrows, and
look up to him by whom the storms abate. The parent is short in
comforting the child : God must be all in all, he is the only
commander that winds and seas obey, the wisest seaman is in vain
in his rage, and so is the most skilful priest. He is now and then
sweeping the earth and sea with destruction, that the living may
tremble and fear his name. The thunders speak loudly in our ears,
who cnn still their voice ? The lightning surprises our eyes, who
can set bounds to its space ? None, Oh Lord, thou well knowest.
Thou hast set these things in the skies, and in the deep waters to
tell of thee. Thou hast troubled the extensive mind of the learned
and of great men. Who can hide from thee ? A little child, Oh God,
is the way home from whence we came ; then let our sorrows be
without sin, and we shall have a reward from thee for all our groans.
There is nothing troubles the man, save this, the creation is not
reconciled in him, till he doeth the work appointed him to do ; then
all will be still, and his spirit prepared for the fountain from whence
it came. Did you ever see waters contented on the hill side, that
had a course to run ? If not, thou never wilt see men at peace till
they fulfill the purpose of their appointment. We begin to cry
when we are young — and continue our weeping when we are old.
There is nothing appointed to stay with us, a man must part with
every thing he has but God alone. The more we love the world,
the more we will sorrow about it ; for it will not stay with us. The
child may love the mother's tender breast, but he is sure to cry at
the parting hour. He may love the table that the father has set for
him, it will not always suffice, he is not contented there, he must set
his own — he must do for himself, and tell his children how peace is
won ; give up vanities early in life — believe the prophets and the
Son of God, with every patriarch that hath conquered his foes, and
sees peace, — his mind is at rest, — he is only waiting for the gates of
heaven to open and take him in. But if his sorrows yet continue, it
is to lengthen out the line to his little ones — that they may be wiser
than past ages (through the counsels of their father) who hath come
short in the glory of God.

'■'.i

Ihath
the

Ire it
ifant

Oh let this line be given and sung,
A song of God's decrees,

Oh children with a humble tongue,
Repeat such lines as these.

100

IMPRESSIONS OF THE MININ

Your trouble's but a moment here,

If you the Lord obey,
He'll stay the little infant's tear,

And put his sighs away.

Then as the limb to manhood grows,

Or to a soul's estate,
His spirit's stronger than his foes.

And bids the storms abate.

His fields are green, his hedge is strong.

Nor trouble stays therein.
Ho drowns his sorrows in a song,

And ends where they begin.

April 7th, 1833.

Cubit will afler cubit rise,
'Till men on earth shall reach the skies;
Wisdom's bright hand doth plainly show,
Our way to Heaven from earth below.

How plain's these lines by wisdom drawn,
That leads to where our father 's gone.
How his descending love doth show.
The vanity of worlds below.

The throne's establish 'd and I'll see,
What has been done, and is to be ;
Truth rides the skies on chariot wheels,
That measures time, and truth reveals.

What is to be, is still unknown.
But half the sun hath partly shone ;
As three times three is three times o'er^
What 's given to me is one to four.

a
n

[ 101 ]

Ap^il 13th, 1833.
TRUTH ALONE.

God is truth, and truth is of God ; but we must come to the ope-
rations of this subject, or substance, to como to the knowledge of
truth, without which, no man can be saved from the errors of sin.

It is singular to our measures that any thing false or a lying tongue
ever existed — seeing (through history) that every operating substance
had its origination in the spirit of God. History doth not give us a
perfedt idea of every thing ; but truth alone speaks for hself. The
knowledge of history is not always the knowledge of the truth.

Historians disagree in things their eyes see, how much more shall
we be confounded in the mind or the spirit of God which we see not ?
I will write a testimony from mine own soul or mind, and historians
may correct the errors hereafter. I can speak of something I never
received from history. Is not this the truth that teaches me my
wrongs, and appoints a way for my soul to do better? The heart or
mind is a combination of thoughts, quick in changing as the light<
ning in the sky, passeth from sea to sea, and from shore to shore,
quicker than the heart of a person can repeat one of his repeating
strokes.

Surprising what can agitate the mind, to such a degree of swifl.
ness, and not run out of order. How our thoughts will extend and
return again to the place of their appointment, and discover nothing
certain, yet they do not get lost from the mind, but as the Wandering
dove return at the appointed time. Truth must inspire the thoughts
to wander from hill to hill, and from place to place. He sends them
forth to bring home new discoveries to the mind. Our thoughts de-
ceive us, and our mind alone is incapable of revealing the truth to man.
If they extend to a far country, what intelligence can they convey
to the mind? They are like as many blindfolded people seeking
water in a thirsty land and finding none ; so are our thoughts of
themselves about discoverng truth of things unknown ; tl <^ have
power to flee ; God hath given them wings swifler than i wind,
in a moment they flee, and in one third part of that time return to
the breast, or the mind of the man. God has not made them con.
tented from the foundations of the world, they are wandering as
doves, as the flocks without a shepherd, like as many pilgrims with-
out a home. A regular composition of these is the kingdom of heaven.
They are parentless as the orphan without the assistance of God.
God is spirit, and our thoughts are such. None seeth them but God
alone. Thoughts are the interpreter of the soul, and of no mean
nor low dignity ; for they discover to the mind the insufficiency of
g3 '

103

IKPBESSXONS OV THE HIND.

man to work his own salvation, and that his very thoughts need a
shepherd over them, or the mind a keeper, or he is forever undone.
Our thoughts discover our infirmity, and our deeds reveal them ; but
truth turns us from the ways that are wrong, and places our feet in
paths that are right. He that conquers the mind and binds our
thoughts is stronger than man, and is a friend to his propensities.

Good counsels are the issues of truth, but few receive them, be«
cause the mind is stronger than the words of our friend, and hath
power to resist every thing bat the love and vengeance of God. To
these two great moving capacities, kings and counsels must give
way ; these are the truth and nothing but the truth, and these are
truth alone. Words or deeds issuing from the truth are accompanied
by the mind and person of the man, which is long known to be faU
lible ; nevertheless man can speak, and God give evidence for or
against his word. I have run many risks of this kind of reputation
or character, and as I am not, nor never was accomplished with
power to make good my testimony to the world, I have to submit all
to the God of everlasting truth and endless power, and so I must
these lines I am adding this day to these I have already written.
Truth is an impressive power on the mind, agitating all our thoughts
to rise from rest (as men asleep) and obey the word of the Lord.
Our thoughts are not the truth, they flatter the mind with a false lan<
guage and deceive the soul, inspire the tongue to speak lies ; and
there is nothing worse than the mind of man is without direction.
It is the seat of all evil, and abundantly wicked, who can know it
but him that formed it and drew out the lines thereof, as from hill to
hill, from shore to shore, and from sea to sea. Come home my
thoughts and listen to the words of truth, the Lord will speak with
thee, he will make the soul the bride of his bosom. She shall con-
ceive of him, and bring forth wonders in the world.

God is the truth, and the mind is a companion of the most high
God. There is but one stronger than the mind. The soul of the
world was and is born of the Lord. What father can give spirit to
the son, or mother to the daughter ? They can bring forth the form,
but God giveth spirit to the little one. Is God the father of lunatics,
or every deformed mind ? I do not believe it to be the will of the
father to make the son a lunatic, or the mother her daughter silly ;
nevertheless these may have the less sin, and may not be so far
astray as our deceitful thoughts report unto us. Their form is not
desirable, yet it is beyond the power of our resistance to turn back
the chastising hand of God. God hath made the simple wise, and
the wise foolish, and who is able to correct him for the wrongs he
did ? or who can change the mind that God hath made thus for his
own ^lory? Neither can I change my mind from what it is, for
truth IS stronger than the soul, and bears up the mind like a floating

TBVTB AlOIfB.

lOS

bark above the waters, by which I am here this day an evidence for
God, for which purpose I was born into the world. No person is the
truth alone, his best days are but as issues from the unexhausted
fountain, and I bear my part on the records of history of the ever,
lasting truth. Truth purifies the mind from clouds, which are the
wages of sin. Sin bringeth death to the mind, and our thoughts to
be as bondsmen in a strange land, far from the city of God. Thia
is where our thoughts are combined in the service of God. God is
a spirit, (comparatively speaking,) shining on the mind, as the sun
without clouds upon the creation. Whosoever knoweth his own
heart by this discovering light, knoweth his own souj 'o be a compo-
sition of thoughts, as a restless family seeking peace and finding
none, till it is given of God.

As the dove fleeth from hill to hill, and from bough to bough, so
these go mourning on the way, till this earthly habitation is laid into
the tomb and is seen no more. But the sorrows of the mind still
exist on earth ; sorrow ceaseth not at death. The house is mould.
ering down to clay. The inhabitants fled at the fall thereof; but
our sorrows do not reach the grave. The son will be clothed with
the griefs of the father, and the daughter shed tears for her mother's
woes, that are entailed upon the creation from generation to genera,
tion. I said in my soul, O Lord God Almighty ! when will sorrows
cease ? when will the father cease to groan, and the mother to pour
forth her tears for the young ? And he answered me. Is not this the
truth ? there is no joy in mourning, neither are the mother's tears
wine to her breast. And I awoke and beheld the sky without clouds,
and my soul ascending upwards. There is a kingdom above these
woes, when the soul ceaseth to mourn, and the heart forgets her
sorrows. I saw the city but far off, — I saw the family of the Lord
'at rest, and the wicked forgotten ; and hope as a maiden clothed in
a white raiment led me by the right hand within the gates of the city,
but gave me neither rest nor food within the walls of the quiet habi.
tation of the Lord, neither did drops of water quench my thirst. She
lifted me up and placed my spirit on her wings, and bore me to the
furthermost parts of the earth. She lefl me in the bosom of despair,
and went her way from whence she came. This is truth alone, none
but truth has such delivering and binding power over the mind, and
man is not able to resist the truth when it cometh to him alone, with,
out history or the tongue of the human organ that God has sent into
the world to declare his will. The mind is his at all times to save
or to destroy, to trouble or receive peace at his most sublime plea,
sure, and this is the irresistible truth that none can conquer nor des.
troy ; and truth will make peace on earth and bring the distant city
near, and the inhabitants of old will be seen in it. We are the heirs
of their sorrow; but their spirits have gone to rest, and the Son of

104

IMPRESSIONS OF THB MIND.

righteousness that hath shone and will shine to all the earth, will dis.'
cover their kingdom to us with desires that we should enter therein
and be partners in their joys, and leave our sorrows in a sinful world.
When a roan believeth with his whole heart, his sorrows shall cease
for a short space of time ; but while his soul travelleth for the wicked,
his spirit must s6rrow with them, for in his own breast he will find
them, and not in worlds abroad. There he will measure out their
grief, feel as they feel, see as they see, and set out on the journey
hand in hand with them for the city of God, travelling through dry
places and regions of despair, where he will be forsaken of many ;
but his staff is the truth : he has seen the city, and will not delay.
As the descending waters seek their home, so his ascending soul
pursueth his quiet rest.

Oh blessed is the truth alone.

He maketh not asham'd,
He keeps salvation for his own.

Whom he for heav'n has nam'd.

Oh that my name were written there.

Sure none could blot nor stain;
My joys as great as I could bear.

Would not depart again.

Oh truth, how powerful thou, and strong!

I've known thy name alone,
Thy words to turn me froca the wrong,

To seek my quiet home.

Oh truth, my trav'ling feet prepare.

Renew my heart or mind.
And send fond hope to my despair.

With mercies deep and kind.

Let me again ride on her wings.

That I thy kingdom see.
Where saints adore and cherubs eing.

Prepare a seat for me.

April 15th, 1833.

When e'er these shining rays descend.
That's sparkling in the skies.

The ways of fools will have an end.
And wisdom's ways will rise.

TRUTH ALONE.

The Lord spreads out his hand to savo.

And Jacob's God is near;
He '11 lead our footsteps to tho grave,

And blot away our fear.

No stone is plac'd but he'll remove,

His builders are his own ;
The fields atid gardens he'll improve,

And find the building stone.

Amidst the heart the lines are drawn, '

He '11 build his city there ;
The mmd of these that 's dead and gone.

His priests and flocks shall wear.

105

Apbil 21st, 1833.

Frou every hill we plainly see,

The valleys deep below ;
From the hill side the streamlets flee.

And through deep valleys flow.

'Tis their Creator calls them home;

My spirit run with these,
Where the bright sun hath never shone.

These know the Lord's decrees.

No sun hath shone amidst the rocks.
But there the streamlets hear;

God doth command to do his works.
Where wisdom's ways appear.

Shall sloth forbid my soul to run.

Or keep me from his will?
Unto the seas the rivers come,

Their thirsting to fulfil.

Jehovah calls my spirit home,

As he fulfils the seas;
I'll tarry nor I'll wait for none.

His words are my decrees.

100

lUPRESeiOXS OF THB XIRD.

Apbil 28th, 1833.

Time her bright mantles doth unfold,
She makes hor windows bare;

She lets us see her sons of old
Are resting in her care.

Her walls and pillars standing strong.

She ages doth defy ;
She sings salvation in her song.

With all her kindred by.

No brute can break her hedges down,

Nor lions enter there ;
Her head bears the eternal crown,

That none but her can bear.

Her garments white as falling snow,

Her fields forever green,
She brings salvation down below.

And lets her sons be seen.

May 1st, 1833. *
THE EFFECTS OF TROUBLE ON THE MIND.

The mind of the youth groweth upward as the tender plant by
the river side, with refreshing dews and morning suns ; but it groweth
not up into rest or lasting joys, but to meet with sorrows prepared
from the beginning of the world for us to bear. We have no thirst
in our minds for trouble, yet trouble cometh ; it is a providential
event, and not ours in the beginning. There has none been so
righteous as to escape trouble, no not one ; but we increase sorrows
that we might shun by thirsting for and practising unlawful joys —
these are the sins of conviction. If the trouble that God giveth
would convince the mind there are rivers of sorrow crossing the paths
of life, it would be well for us ; but if a little will not do, God giveth
more, rather than we should be lost through sinning against his name.
He hath sent many servants into this world, reproving the deeds of
sin, and chastizing rebellion against God. It maketh the life of any
true servant of God sorrowful, when he considers it to be his lot and
appointment to offend the self-conceited children of this life ; it may
be his unreformed father or mother, his brother or his sister. He
must stand against all that cometh in bis way, either great or small,

but

THB UFFEOTS OF TROUBLE on THIS MIND.

107

without respect to rank or station. The service of the Lord increases
the sorrows of the soul, for the minds of the unreformed nre preg*
nant with many woes against them. I have not yet found a way to
be reconciled to a sinning world, that is acting against the mind of a
Deity, and making every succeeding generation more unhappy than
they #ould otherwise be, if so many wilful and obstinate sins were
not repeated. Now let us conclude the service, by saying that sorrow
is needful to convince of sin ; tlion every servant of God, in whatever
capacity he acts in a reformHtion, his own heart should be effectually
troubled with the deeds of the transgressor, before he openeth his
lips in reproof; a being angry with sinners is no qualification for
service, but being sorrowful as the penitent is the just reward of sin,
of which all the just servants of the Lord are made partakers before
the transgression takes place, otherwise than this, they have no part
in saving people from sin, or the soul from the effectual cause of trans-
gression. I have no author to appeal to, save my soul within ; I have
no priest to quote to, but the word of God in my soul, which I am
struggling to reveal to the world ; I am truly a lonesome man, wishing
that error should not be found in my ways : I may not be tried at
court, nor by a band of learned and inexperienced ecclesiastics ; but
I shall be tried of God, and Providence will be for or against my
days : I wish not to live an hour in vain, and I am restless when I
«m idle, as the servant without employ ; and I had rather do small
things than nothing.

The cause of sorrow is plain with me, whether it first cometh of
God, or in the second place of ourselves. I am well acquainted with
the effects of trouble, and read the following lesson from my soul ;
there is a record there that never will be known, except the numer-
ous lines that are there recorded are communicated to the world ;
they may do for a witness hereafter, but not a guide. There is none
but me alone in the space wherein I am in action.

The mind is prepared to bear sorrow e'er it is given of the Spirit
of God. As we receive that which we thirst not for, it is nearly or
quite the first evidence that we receive that there is a providence
ruling over us, giving us that of which we stand in need, though
not desired, as what we thirst for and strive to obtain and accom-
plish. Our desires we may attribute to ourselves, but trouble we
thirst not for, yet trouble cometh, and this we must attribute to God,
I wish to build my house or mansion of rest of the works of God
rather than the deeds of men, for he is the master workman of all
good, and the avenger of all evil. He nourishes the mind as the
tender grass, and then touches the plant with disappointment, and
then saith unto me, '< soul, why didst thou mourn V* I answer, O
God ! thou required sorrow at my hands, and I am bound by fate to
obey. I sorrow to fulfil thy decrees. Now I know there is a God ;

108

IMrRCSSZONS OV TUB MIND.

when I am thus far advanced into o knowledge of myself, shall I
not fear to ofl'end him that caused mo to mourn without sin ? Light
is that sorrow that is without guilt, that is only given for a lesson
of instruction; hut oh, that woo that is to come for sin ! who can
grant a release? who can make the burden light?

I detest the flattery of men ; one justifying another, and one con.
victing another, without experience in the cause. They are vain
boasters — idle judges, that know not the way ; their feet are within
a span of hell, and Ciod is rising, and has already risen, against the
false qualification of ilioir days. They impose on the world, afflict
the poor, and bear the orphan's bread away, and leave the widow to
mourn without her due. llow fur are these from being the salvation
of the world, that wounds the heart and leaves the mind to bleed,
passing forward with the spoils of the poor. There is a recompenco
for us that are thus led ; neither shall our sighs he in vain, nor our
groans depart from this world, till there is a change on earth which
is now decreed in heaven. If we were left without sorrow, we
would be like men at ease, and as sluggards* do, dream our lives
away, and have nothing to hope for in the end. Trouble breaks up
my youthful and unsought rest, awakes mine eyes from a dreaming
position, and inspires me to look round in the world for a cause of
these things, and to read the heart (the book of life,) and see what
is recorded there. A sleeping man cannot read, neither can a man
travel with his eyes shut. For what end descended the cheering
dews and morning suns? to strengthen me for a time, which,
unknown to me, was appointed to come. Now I begin to behold the
deeds of a wise builder, and trace the lines of a Creator's hand in the
mind. Now 1 begin to know something without thanking the RabbieSt
or giving praise to vessels of clay. I begin now to love the Lord
above others ; he hath shown me more, and is worthy of esteem.
I begin to call on him for more till I am informed of all things that
pertain to the peace of the mind. This is the effect of trouble,
without which no man is wise concerning his own salvation ; neither
can he be a light unto others, except he goeth before them in the
way. The mind of the laborious man must advance forward and
■ee what is in the way of his rising offspring, and then tell them
of such things as they can bear, and then be sure never to fail in
his counsels ; for instance, one class-leader, or the minister of any
sectarian plan, will justify the subjects of his own creed, when at
the same time I might be twice as good a man, and be a member of
my neighbour's congregation ; at the same period of time I would
not have half the esteem from my brother sectarian as though I
belonged to his particular lines of order. Think ye that the minister,
or that poor soul of a counsellor, went forward on the way ? nay :
I tell you of a certainty he is towed along by men ; as the brute by

t . ,11. -. t

TIIK EAUTll U FULL OV THE WONDEUS OF TIIIJ LOKD. 100

Iho hulter, so he followeth tho lino thnt is in the hand of the priest.
What but trouble will enable us to brenk or pnrt tho cord ? This
alone will awake our eyes, inspire to industry and our own vigilence
iu the hand of God, work our salvation.

When worlds uncommon nnd unknown,
I And suns of liglit appear;

When graco dusccnds that never shone,
Then is salvation near.

Wisdom doth spread her hands abroad, ,.

The works of Ciod to show;
Iler deeds reveal the will of God

To worlds unseen below. . \ , .

Dark are the mansions of tho mind,

Till wisdom's ways are seen; " "' •

We know not where the soul to find, '- ■' /

Nor where the spirit *a been.

But wisdom lights us to tho tomb.

To see the spirits there ;
Or bids our hearts to fuel the doom

Of these that 'a in despair.

' ■ She calls her subjects to the grave,

And bids their spirits mourn ;
"'■ •♦' To see their friends where none can save,

Nor ever shall return.

May 3rd, 1833.

THE EARTH IS FULL OF THE WONDERS OP THE LORD.

We cannot discern the blessings of God, except he assist our
spirits to see his providential aid and care over us. If the mind run
without an early conviction, where would we land at last ? It is
impossible with God to approbate sin, and is inconsistent with himself
or his divine nature, that formed the whole earth by his word. 'His
blessings are as diamonds in this world, if we could see them ; but
this privilege we must buy at a price ; we must fulfil his divine law
and reap the advantage of so doing. It takes a man all his days to
come to a knowledge of himself, (even if Tife is well fulfilled,) which
is coming to thu knowledge of God, for man is the work of God, and
by bis deeds ho is to be known. I imagine if I should gaze into

IMI'REfflONf or TUB MIKD.

the skiei all ihe days of my life I should not see a spirit ; but if I fee
a innchino in operation it attracts my attention to seek aAer the cause
till I know the power of operation by which it moves to the
advantage of men. If I see a man doing good, and making or
endeavouring to muke the world or a part of it happy, it leads me to
enquire how he obtained the talent that set him to work in such
effectual operations. I am not satisfied with seeing, any more than
I would be to sit down with a companion at supper — and then see
bim sweep the whole board to fill his own stomach. The anciente
have seen, and I wish to see ; they have known, and I pray to know
—they have done, and I want to be doing. I see none so glorioue
as the servants of God. I wish to go to the school where the
scholars learn this service, they beat historians, for thev tell us of
God whom we cannot see, nor know except we do his will. I wish
I could read in it daily. I wi»h these lines were the law of my heart.
God writes so intelligently.no where as in the mind, but it is as a desk
closed up ; and that which man reveals to man is despised by our
humanity, and we are not possessed of enough discernment by nature
to discern a diamond from the most rough and uncultivated stone in
the world. Nothing in more needful thtm to first know we are frail.
We will never call on a physician, till we are sick, or on the Lord
till we are disappointed in our own nature and disposition of mind.
Is it not an evidence that we are frail, while we see the servants of
the Lord double talented, when we can do nothing ? Come a little
nearer the subject, my friends, I invite you.

The cultivator taketh his little sons early to the field with him, to
show them how business is done ; he directs their hands to the sickle
and bids them try ; he corrects their error with patience, delighted
with the little they can do ; he is cheered with the hope that by and
by they will do more, and grow up to men, and serve the Lord in
the vineyard uf his service, in which the soul hath great delight.
Can it be found that one man hath repented in serving the Lord ?
If it cannot, thousands may be found that hath repented serving their
own imagination, and living without law. Are not these the wonders
of the Lord, that a man should turn from serving himself to serve
another, and forbid his own soul's desires, to receive a law from the
hands of God? Historians dispute about this way, but these that
have entered into the house knoweth the door, and none can blind
their eyes ; all contentions are in the outer court of the Lord's house.

He that hath entered into his own mind, hath received another
world to improve, and is scarcely brother or kindred to him that
remains without in the world, where darkness reigns and long
disputes abound. Is it not wonderful that a man can see the works
of God in his own spirit ? This is the city from whence cometh
sacred writings, and the Spirit of the Lord is there. It is

THE TUAVEL* OV TUM lOVL.

Ill

through deeds wrought by (aiili that we enter
mansion, which is the house of '^Tod, the dwelling of

the extensive
ing ot the saints, the
throne of the prophets and apostlea-^.these are one, they saw together
and performed alike, and are all bretheren of the mind. If i could
follow the track of one of these, it would lofid me to the sacred
mansion. I should see and know the whole of them in deeds in this
world ; and as I could do I would share my part at supper with them.
1 have found these things in my mind, and the Spirit saith unto mo
writOi for no mW below the Sun hath placed me here.

While I can sins, my song shall be
Hallelujahs, Lord, to thee ;
And when I ask, or when I pray,
I '11 cry for these that 's fled away.

May 4th, 1833.

THE TRAVELS OP THE SOUL.

To eo where reason cannot reach,
We °re blind to see and dumb to teach ;
Wo own the soul must have a guide,
By whom her wants are all supplied.

From whence the soul cometh, or whether it goeth, is hard to tell.
Historians say of God : can we not come to a knowledge ourselves,
as certain as they can reveal without making them liars, or ourselves
untrue ? We acknowledge there is a spirit unbounded and ineom>
prehensible ; this we acknowledge by the operations of power on the
soul, which is in every living thing that breathes the breath of lite.
We own the soul or mind must be a spirit, for there is a communi-
cation of spirits with the mind, which is the soul of every creature.
Reason teaches me without the assistance of any historian, that one
great spirit governs the whole created system. If this is vai ^nd, I
am deceived, and trust in vain things. I believe the mia^ .o be a
part of the deity, for every living thing ia governed by the mind, in
earth, air, or sea, — and these three contain the whole creation.
As for the habitation of God, I believe it to be in the mind of the
living, and not with the dead bodies in the tomb. Every mind has
a governor let the faculties be extensive or limited. There is none
of them can get beyond their bounds, any more than we can wander
beyond the bounds of the earth. Our thoughts can wander from
whence they can bring no intelligence to the mind but supposition

'0\

112

IMPRGSSIOXS OF THE MINP.

and imagination. These are empty systems to teach to men, if they
may be called systems ; many buildings are erected upon them
however ; some ascending the air, and some descending into the sea,
or the heart of the earth. Such thoughts as these serve to vex the
spirit, and leave all the imaginary worlds in uncertainty at last, I
believe the bounds of human reason to be the limits of the soul ; all
things farther proves vanity and smoke. As the plant groweth our
reason may be extended and bear much fruit. The heart of a child
will admit of improvement, and the mind of a man, of cultivation all
the days of his life.

When the field has once bore, it is not done ; when wo have done
one thing, life is not dune ; but some have ignorantly made it their
choice to rest in the stall with the brute. Our minds and necessities
are made equal, we are made to desire what we can obtain, and to
be satisfied when the soul or mind is full. A brute is content with
the product of the earth, but this will not satisfy the mind of a man.
Our minds are made to dread the end of life, of which the brute
seems to rest contented till the moment of his death. Here is a
distinction in the mind worthy of note, and here I shaU leave the
animal creation, and mark the travels of the mind of the human
family, who are more destitute of rest than any other part of the
creation, and more rifflicted with disease, which operates, affecting
the mind with sorrow, for our infirmities of the bodily kind are
footsteps to the end, —

The dreadful end •

, That maketh all afraid ;

And him from whence beginning came
Likewise the end hath made.

Has God caused us to hunger for nothing ? If we can consistently
so believe — we must conclude the human system is out of order, and
man is made in vain. It is consistent with my reason which is my
understanding of human and divine sense, that there is a store or
treasure to hope fur. Will not the infant cry for the mother's breast
before he hath any sense that joy is there ? So we thirst for what we
need, and when God giveth we cease our crying. The soul is not
evil in itself, but is given in a capacity to seek a Creator, or deliver^
ance from these objects that cause woe and wa;:^ If a man was
made completely happy he would be completely idle, and less
sensible than the brute that seeketh his own diet. Mourning is as
natural to the soul as the water to descend, and joy is like unto it,
and there are appointed times for these operations to convince the
man who he is, and of what he stands in need. He giveth way in
temptation, whenever our keeper slackens his hand, his redeemer
meets him in sorrow, and communicates unto him the cause of his

TttB TRAVELS OP TH* sWli.

lid

complaint — his footsteps downward, and how he may a^rise. Here
man finds himself alone the offspring of God, but ipcapable of
direction. He weeps t^^ embrace something he has not known ; it
is not a fruitful field — ti. i would not wash the stain away. In truth
he wants a parent's hand ; but he knew it not, till he fell into the
pit, but then he wept, then his soul was set in order to commune
with God When the weakened and bewildered mind confesses
infirmity-— and the want of a staff to lean upon, which is compared
to bread from Heaven, a stronger than we are unbinds the chains
and sets us free. This is gaining sense for ourselves, that there is
a deity, and increases our , understanding. The soul hath borne
fruit once, but is not done, nor entered into the kingdom of God —
but is only baptized and fitted for another trial. So God communis
cates himself to the mind by power : and I know not that I shall
find the city hoped for all my life long. Nevertheless I am not
discouraged on the journey— I am fully paid for what I have earned
and my soul is not yet full, but hopes for more, — Is there no supply
for my thirst? Truly as I have received a little there is more, and I
will travel while I thirst. Shall I believe I thirst in vain? No, who
hath planted such un inconsistent plant, wanting dew and rain, and
there is none to come— truly not a consistant God. If we come
short of our hope and our expectation is made vain, we hope for vain
things and these are the productions of imagination, the wandering
of the thought beyond bounds, and is not the offspring of faith. The
productions of faith are to labour for these things in which we have
hope. If a man wished to find a piece of gold in the bottom of the
sea, how would he labour to accomplish it ? If he >trished to ascend
above the moon, where would he get his ladder ? These are the
just comparisons of the imagination of the thought. But if he wished
to find an inheritance with God, the way is open.

The mind is a part of God's spirit, given to this human frame,
and as the streamlets and rivers never rest short of the bosom of
the sea — where the whole family of springs and rivers unite ; so
the travelling mind cannot rest short of the bosom of God. A man's
mind is ever from home till he returns to the father or fountain of
spirits, and this is thi^ place of his appointed rest.

The way is clear, let us proceed/ 1 ; ' iT '

For all our footsteps are decreed;
But if our thoughts these lines despise.
There 's death and hell before our eyes.

The tomb looks frightful aS the night,
We tremble when the grave's in sight ;^
Affrighted man, O tell me why
Thy soul is not prepared to die?

'M:^m

!-^!
i*i:

e< ! .■■

114

IMPBE88X0N8 OF THE HlNfir*

i| '

Hast thou been idle or astray?
Or did thy thoughts pervert the way?
Get ready now — the time is short.
Thy dwelling's in the outer court.

Come in, the keeper's at the door,
The fountain's clear, and bread in store;
fiehold the living system move,
See God is jealous of thy love.

His word be thy chief corner stone;
There build thy house for God alone,
And God will come and dwell with thee.
Whoe'er thou art or may est be.

-r . ■ 'r '"!

•• • »■■>,,

Mat 13th, 1833.

I . ->,

Oh truth and mercy be my guide,
For these like twins agree;

These all my faults and failings hide,
And shone like suns to me.

These bore good Abram o'er the plain,
When he walk'd to and fro;

Oh angels bright return again.
Shine on this world below.

When sun nor moon shall shine no more,

When land nor sea prevail,
Then truth r^nd mercy I'll adore, ■-'■■'

For these can never fail. ^ '> • '^

Companions of my lonesome breast.
Whene'er I walk abroad, :*

These lead my spirit home to rest,
And make my peace with God>

J !.

■ imi'' , [ 115 ] ;:>-rmf

May 28tb, 1833.
WISDOM'S WAYS.

Wisdom's ways are as many paths leading to a fountain of livinjj
water, where the weary drink and are at rest. They are as gates
to a hidden treasure which when the soul tindeth she seeks no more.
They are as pillars that never move in a storm. The fountain never
dries, neither is the treasure exhausted ; she has no end. Few find
the gates of wisdom ; haste leads us by the port, and except wo return
we miss the appointed way forever. The things of God or the work,
manship of his hands delights the mind at the first appearance, and
like as many children gathering flowers, we run aAer them ; and as
the beauty of the rose declines in the hand of a child through using,
80 doth all our stolen joys decay.

There is a way to a substantial blessing through the laws of the
Lord. These are the ways of wisdom. The heart of man is a table
for God to write upon } the laws of Moses and the life of Aaron were
written there.

I am not under a necessity in this moment to borrow of these
patriarchs. I have a heart also given nie of God, and he hath writ<
ten thereon, and from thence I draw these lines ; and I can believe
in no other way of communicaiica between God and man, for no
other way to me is given. Proof is needful where the case is doubt-
ful ; but wisdom's ways can stand alone, for truth is the direction of
wisdom and bears up the mind.

God is truth. He bringeth forth both the flower and the fruit ;
but if we pluck the flower from the bearing tree as the rose from the
brier, the fruit is lost : so we run too hastily into the joys of life, and
the mind only smells the flower, that might taste the fruit. The
flower is an evidence that the tree will bear ; but if we destroy the
bud, the leaf never will be seen : so are these that gather joys in the
childhood of the mind.

A man may live till he is grey-headed, and for want of experience
be useless in the world. He may be led on by something that flat,
ters him, that the real joys of life are on the next hill he shall ascend ;
but when ho arrives at the expected haven of his joys, they are fled
like the blossom blown from the tree and no fruit appears, for some
other one hath gathered them that ascended the hill before him. So
men hath run from the foundation of the world, rather abusing the
creation than cultivating it ; and though I may be alone in my opin-
ion, I am resolved on speaking freely on the subject — the salvation
of men. The view of the world is the first knowledge of God.
We see the garments, but are not yet >icquainted with the contents
h2

'■'P

116

IMPRESSIONS OF THE MIND.

of them. It is right to be delighted with the things of God, and hope
(as the flower should flatter us) that we shall enjoy by and by. This
is an enjoyment of itself, and by receiving this confidence we actually
enjoy things to come ; and this is the proper use to make of the
things of time. Our father in Eden gathered too soon. This mark
Moses has given to unthoughtful travellers through time. He has
given this to assist the mind, and to make the way more plain to
a lost world. If we have missed the gates, we must return again.
They are not before us, we have passed them by ; and by running
headlong or pursuing the thought delighted with a flower, they never
will be found. A man and his garments may be separated, and sa
may God and his works. Many there are that possess that they do
not enjoy. Can there be any other reason given than this, — they
have eaten that which is forbidden, or put forth their hands too young
to gather in the things of God.

As the heart like a store-house filled with odd combustibles, so ift
the mind unprepared to enjoy the things of time ; it is filled up with
the idle follies of youthful life, and these may continue till old age,
and do, where we see a man idle in the deeds of salvation to accom*
plish the mind. Every man should set his house in order before he
invites the guest, lest they should enter his doors and gates before
his entertainment is prepared. He has invited the things of God to
his house or home before he is prepared to receive them : so is many
a wife with the husband, and child with the parent. They do not
afford their expected joys ; the guest is dissatisfied for want of enter,
tainment, and so the world seems to mourn forever, or from the^
beginning till this day.

lam minded to give up all things that ever I have enjoyed, as a
garment, and appear naked before the Lord, as a child is born into
the world ; for I am tired of living on stolen bread. I am now writ,
ing lines of experience. No person can be poorer in spirit than I
am, nor any weep louder for the truth, or the paths of wisdom to direct
my feet ; but it is the pleasure of God to leave me here till I write
these lines : and then I shall see a release from these bonds.

The things of time are delusive and persuasive, and the law of the
Lord only can stand against them ; they are stronger than the mind,
and overcome the man. Him that trusts alone in his own heart will
be overcome by them ; he will miss the gates of wisdom, the paths
that lead to the fountain of the hidden treasure, and enjoy nothing
but the flower all the days of his life. The question is, how are
these gates to be found, the water tasted, or the fruit known ? Whero
doth the treasure lie? He that wishes to acquaint himself with the>
world need not travel over it, it is at home in his own soul ; the spirit
of the world is there that destroys life and deforms the man : and if
he should travel from one pole to the others ox from the east to the

WISDOM'S IV ATS.

117

western hills, he would not know the world, till he could measure the
spirit of it in his own mind. God hath written a law in the heart from
the foundations of the world ; the first mnn was not without it, nor
the last. He is not a partial God, he doeth by all alike, he hath not
respect to the persons of men ; — here lies the error, (and one day the
remedy will be applied.) Man leaves this law unread till late in life,
and rather keeps it as a book in a desk or book- case all the days of
his life, into which he has never sought to know the deeds of
salvation, or to find peace to the mind ; but hath run afler the more
visible part of the world, and missed the gates of wisdom, or passed
by the ports of lasting joys, and is ever wandering for his rest.

The garment is not the man ; a man can depart from his own
clothes, and so can the blessing of God from his works. We want
to enjoy with a blessing, and then all is well with us ; so Moses tells
us they were made, first formed, and then blessed. But again he
repeats, in sin they were cursed ; and sin is the cause of the blasting
of the fruit, the blinding of the eyes, the missing of the gates, of
seeking treasure in vain, of thirsting forevermore. Now we must
come to the knowledge of what sin is. It is, in the first place, a
neglect of the Divine law, aAer our abilities have grown strong
enough to contemplate upon the things of God, or the deeds of crea-
tion. Until this day we cannot sin, or be guilty of actually trans-
gressing the will of the Lord ; but if he hath stored my heart with
a law, as a desk or book-case, I can and should look therein to see
what God has given to me, for every man (if he knew himself) is
independent of another, and hath his own law ; but if like an idle
drone, I neyer search my desk or never walk in my garden, or
acquaint myself with my own mind, I run afler the heels of another
all the days of my life, till he falls into the pit or grave, and I am no
nearer my journey's end on that day than when I was a child and
first began. So I may be delighted with trees, vales, gardens, and
rivers, and with different species of the creation, till I lose the pur.
pose of mine own appointment, and go ignorantly down to the grave
not knowing the purpose for which I was made, and altogether lose
the salvation of the soul.

Every parent should take his child with him to the school of reflec
tion, and teach him that these outward observations are only the gar-
ments of the Lord. He is to be known within, and is a spirit in the
mind, that will commune with us, if we will seek for him as for a lost
piece of silver, or as the thirsty seek the fountain. He will be eyes
to the mind, a treasure to us in life. He hath hid himself from the
human eye, and yet he may be found. He that desires to know the
world must enquire at the gates of a Creator, and he will gain a cer-
tain intelligence of all things needful to set the mind at rest. There
is no mystery that we thirst for through a righteous prayer but God
h3

■a ^

118

IXFRE88ION8 OF TRB MIND.

yr'iW reveal to us ; he will satisfy our hunger and quench our thirst,
and the laws of life are written in the soul, and we are sorrowAi),
because we do not or will not read them. Our thoughts are persua.
ded by a fading flower to run after it ; but by long trial men will grow
wise. I think I have gained something for turning from the whole
human family, trusting in God and reading the law of the heart.
The Lord promised it should there be written ; the prophet told me
so. I would sooner believe him than all the world of men beside
him, for he had a communion with the Lord, and 1 know that he told
the truth; but those that do not try his word do not know these
things, and like fools they run and miss the way, telling their brethren
it is a troubled world, and there is no peace in it. Th« saying is
true, but there is peace in a man's own heart, for it is the house of
God and his laws ; and I am resolved forever to read in them, and
things that should be written give unto the world, and that which is
mine retain unto myself, for it is that which the Lord hath given.

It took me many years to prepare the house for things that I de.
sired, but now they have come. I wrought by the will of the Lord
and made my heart ready, and the things I communicate to the world
hath come into me, for they were not there from the beginning.

'1 \
i ■

How gloriously to God I'll sing,

And keep my harp in tun'^ ;
My soul drinks of a living spring,

With flowers of sweet perfume.

My hand's forbid to touch the rose,

But see the garden grow;
The chrystal fountain overflows,

Ihe gates I've passed through.

These, these are joys that never end.

But yield a great supply;
For here we drink nor doth offend,

Though thousands pass us by.

The whole creation here adores,

And every plant is bless'd ;
For here we find the hidden stores,

The pleasures of the bless'd.

We find the Lord that all things knows,

(A part of man within,)
And thus the fountain overflows,

And thus our joys begin.

■It

OHAPTXB I.

Delvded man from hill to hill,
From age to age hath sought;

He sought a guest his house to fill,
And spent his days for nought.

The tomb's his lot and portion here,

And this he 's sure to find,
He's liv'd in hope and died in fear.

And hath a troubled mind.

Oh shun such paths my friends as this.

There is a wiser way.
And shun the bait by which we miss.

And enter in this day.

Wisdom stands at our gates to cry,
Why should she not be healed?

With her sweet counsels all comply;
Her heart's a fruitful field.

>v, •>' .'

i • . 1 . - « :

Mat 28th, 1833.

CHAPTER I.

I am im aware that it is a hard thing to show the heart to the ,
world, because it is a country that cannot be seen, or as the fountain
of deep waters, but I will begin this twenty-eight day of May, one
thousand eight hundred and thirty.three (from the birth of a Christian
Messiah whose life we trust to be the evidence of the truth) and if I
can get through in the time of my life I trust my salvation will be
accomplished, for I am induced to believe that God requires this
history at my hands. A historian can give an account of a nation
or country we never saw, why may not religious men reveal the
things of God? The contents of the r ind to them that never saw
them ? If a country affords an encouraging history, we will some
times haste to remove there to better our condition of life, why not
speak of the fertility of the mind, and induce some wandering souls
that are seeking for a residence of rest, to leave this world and its
common course, and inherit the mind, improve it as a new country,
and enter into rest, enjoy the fruit of our labour and be at peace ;
for this is where God hath ordained praise, and where he will satisfy
the soul in itself, for a man is a kingdom of his own and he needeth
not be as an alien in a far country, and a servant of men.

I commence in short chapters — and as God giveth to me, my
intentions are to give to the world.

1)0

IMPRESSIONS OF TOE MIND.

Our first comparison is, the mind jls as still water when at rest, but
when we are born into thi* world wp have many beating storms to
to endure. A child hes rest in the cradle, but it is not permanent,
but like the rest of our father, Adum ; for a short space ere life grows
worse, the infant's wants are small, that can be comforted at the
mother's breast, or rest upon a sleeping pillow ; but alas ! our days
are few in this capacity of life, time passes like a wintery day, till
we seem to open our eyes in a world of necessities and woes ; for
deep sorrows abound on earth : the creation is wanting that which
they cannot obtain, and him that hath received much of it is in the
same capacity as when he began. He will compare with a man,
walking up the hill all the day, and sliding down at night : and in
the morning he sets out again on the hopeless journey, and so
worldly minded man spends his days, and goeth down to the grave
unaccomplished, and hath left this example for bread for his children
to feed upon, the very crumbs that made their parent miserable, all
the days of his life, and to go both wanting and reluctantly down to
the grave ; because his designs or desires were not accomplished.
Can any human being believe that this man or mind ever knew
where peace was to be found, or where the soul hath rest in store
for her on the dying day ? As the instrument is in the hand of the
cultivator, so are our limbs in possession of the soul or mind. But
where the inside of a man is out of order, his bodily services cannot
be right, his mind pursues vain things, and he toils for nothing ;
and though he should possess a nation or a kingdom here, he goes
like the most starving beggar down to the grave : his worldly songs
turn into mourning, the flower blasts, and like a fool he dies ; he has
won nothing — he hath lel\ his inheritance to another, and children of
^kis own mind, superficially enjoy his goods. These are the evidences
of an ill spent life. We are all prone to these paths of error; but one
stronger than ourselves hath made it possible to deny the invitation
that leads us this way, and hath promised a reward we can take with
lis when we die, and none can be heir of it but the soul who bought
the same at the hand of God at the price of sacrificing the human
will. My desires are well sold if I can purchase everlasting peace
at the sales of them.

I shall now leave the common paths of life, and walk alone through
this short travel or account committed to my trust. Fear hath a
dreadful effect on the inexperienced mind ; but experience and the
favours of God can wear nut fear as a garment. I am bounded by
the things I know> I do wut wish to be understood that I am not in
fear to sin, or miaa my way ; but that fear I wish to reveal, is this — I
am not afraid of receiving the event of an ill spent life ; the latter
produces groans at death that are hard to be utter^^^. Death with
ail his terrors hath stared me in the face. I believe the Lord

th
rd

OnAPTlB f.

•#«

brouffht him to my gates to try my soul, and to give me a confirma.
tion by the same proof that I was ready fur his arrows, end then he
departed from mo, and though it is many yvixra past, he hnih i.
returned. I have continued in the same lino and trust my appoint,
ment is sure if I fail not in my integrity to God, and continue to walk
in the direction of his holy Spirit ; &r this hath been all the education
that 1 have received concerning a religious life. I find this law to
be safe, and my feet to stand where they have not sHdden. What.
ever I have gained I have kept, and still intend ascending the hill,
and marking the way as I pass forward to the habitation from
whence I came, (the spirit of God.) There are many sliding in this
age of life, and never was it more needful that a sure path be known,
and truth nakedly revealed to the world. The Lord hath chosen
me, I had not chosen him, my choice was as the choice of other rnen,
that is, to heap up a little sand hill in the world : but he spoke loudly
to me through fear, and bid me dread the end. I am now giving
true intelligence from the mind, he terrified me with hell and the
grave, and I awoke as one from sleep, and saw my soul on the
precipice of everlasting ruin, from whence I knew there was no re*
turn, and those that write that the end of the wicked and the righte-
ous are alike, I am confident .re in error ; for I have measurably seen
the end of both and have been advanced in these prospects as far as
any living man can go and remain in the body, and there will be no
deeper history than mine — and God will give it to the world with a
blessing. I am astonished at his goodness, and the measures of his
spirit he poured out on my soul, for renouncing my worldly desires
and running afler him. I was as the dumb that knew nothing, — as
the blind that saw not the way ; but for all my needful wants he hath
provided, and still invites me forward to come to the banquetmg
house of the Lord, which is the mind, for there he feeds his people.

My praise arises from a cause.

And from a heart unknown;
I read the table of his laws, ,

And see the building stone. ^ ■■ ' ■ f

*Tis God's delight to frame the mind.

On pillars sure and strong, / «, j

As worlds are built and seas are lin'o.
So I begin my song.

The mind was dark and waters flowed,

O'er all that was within.
But God these distant regions knew,
'^ And bid the worl<ki begin.

.•■,|T

123

IMPRESSIONS OP THK MIND.

A light amidnt my bosom rose,
No tongiio nor pen con tell,

How this discovered all my foes,
And showed me death ond hell.

May 20lh, 1833.

Oh that my days were fully spent,

And I had peace in store ;
How could I covet long to live.

What could I covet more.

We find deep sorrows in the earth.
And woes and wants abound ;

'T is hard to find the paths of peace,
Uncertain when they 're found.

How can we make our calling sure.

Or the great purpose find ?
'T will toll us why we 're placed here.

Or what afflicts the mind.

There is a God to cloud our days, '.

And hide a glooming sun ;
A God to make the wisest mourn, —

And {bus his will is done.

•■,.'•.!'■'•', J

V 1

June 2nd, 1833.

On God, how merciful and kind
Are all thy statutes and decrees;

Thou heals the heart and stays the mind,
'T is thou that doth such deeds as these.

Thou calls us to a world of joy.
The wise with gladness doth obey.

But fools their bread and cup destroy,

And throw their living souls away. * ; i

The way is plain, the path is clear.
And upright men can walk therein;

And these unclothe their souls from fear.
And soon their joys of life begin.

The more they taste they love the more.
The more they drink the more thoy thirst;

They 're not contented with their store,
Until the soul is fully bless'd.

CHAPTEB t.

• ' ' ' June 6lh, 1833.

Evory thing Uiat our eyos behold clothes the mind, and all wo
hear affects the hoart within us. No maiden changes her mantle
as often as the mind ; she puts off her wedding garment of joys,
she clothes herself in the solitary place with habits of mourning,
■he walketh the pensive plain and strews her tears alone ; she never
rests, she is thirsting for her God as the weary for fountains of living
water, are a heaven of rest. I can account j^he world for no
mind but mine own. The bounds of my soul fir the limits of my
days, and worlds beyond ihese are to me unknown. There is
nothing created that doth not affuct the mind— the least insect we
can see affects tho mind. The sun in the firmament, the greatest
object of our attention, has the same affect. Nothing is more certain
than this, that the whole creation has part in the mind, for it is a
mansion or receptaclo to all we see and hear ; it is a table of the
memory of the just, and receives what is present : it is enlarged by
knowledge and improved by science, but accomplished by the
builder of the mind. The mind hath as many parts in it as there
are in the creation, and the centre of it we wish to find. My small
history will end there ; there will my pen and thoughts be stayed,
my hand will be bound as with an iron chain, mine eyes shall behold
no more, neither shall my ears hear. There I shall find the Lord
if he is ever known of me, there I shall see the saints at rest; there
I shall hear the last song that ever shall be sung, and the solemn
harp of everlasting praise. There is another possesses me, my soul
is not free, she is as Lord over nothing beneath the sun ; she is
capable of impression, she can receive, but nothing can she give to
another. God is Lord over every mind, and opens or closes up the
doors of the heart. He is the keeper of every soul. If we drink
in bitter waters, he casts them out again ; if we sin, he puts our sins
away : he will not dwell in peace with sin, no more thui. -ve will
with disputing inhabitants of our own house.

My soul is the Lord's, my heart is at his command my limbsfobey
his call, and step forward after him ; and whither would I go ? the
earth may enquire. I would reach the centre of my soul and see
every propensity of the mind at rest with God, and this is toUh me a
world to come. Sin is an alienation of our faculties from the centre
of the mind, the table of the heart, and these sinning propensities of
ours, are like as many wandering restless strangers having no place
of abode — their home is conviction — and they are ever travelling
out of it — and find no end, for hell is without bounds to the sinner,
but him that returns sees a release.

We increase our joys by righteousness, but the mind is not full
while more can be obtained, and this is the thirst of the righteous to

A'm

411

"ir!

1 1 'A

i \

134

IXPBKMIOXI or TIIR MIND.

reach that they do not yet enjoy ; they thirot, boeauio the mind if
not full, and trnvel, becauso they are strong to improve. Hope ia
one of the great talents of the mind; hut hope itself cannot exist
without a support. Faith is a property the most hard to keep in our
possession of any of the abilitiuH of the man. The absence of which
convinces us of the si;,'>remo abilities of a God ; and wh6n hope
faints we slacken our step, — the soul mourns — despair taketh her in
her arms, and presses her to her breast, and bids her drink of her
cold and hopless diet, that banishes hope from the soul. And the
renewal of the mind is as wonderful tome as the creation of the
world, and is the only convincing proof that there is >\ God, to be
hoped for and to be enjoyed.

Tub builder now may cheerly sing,

The pillars all aro laid.
And shaded by an angel's wing.

By whom the worlds were nrade.

God it the angel unto me,

The st.int whom I adore.
By him my faith doth come and flee,

He doth my hope restore.

Year unto year ho*8 added on,

Both youthful time and age,
With me are these that *8 dead and gone,

My sorrows to asuage.

ix i

Oh these I find a hopeful band,
With these my book I find,

Unknown to builders on the sand,
Tis these that form my mind.

Tis these that Heaven above compose.
And God 's the monarch there ;

He led them through a world of woes,
Rejoicing — and despair.

i-»tf

These found the centre, home at last,
And measured my decrees,

^nd when my mournful days are past,
My home will be with these.

[ 12ft]

'<*'

CHAPTER II.

Junk 7ih, 1833.

TiiRRB are no clouds so dark as these that clothe the mind. Gold
may be lost in obtscurity, but almost every person can form some
conjecture where to look fur a lost material, but no man under
heaven knoweth a tlirection where to find the innocency and sim-
plicity of past life, that is, our younger years of time. Our sins
increase with our abilities, but our innocency decays, till we become
crafly, cunning and wise in our own imagination. Then are we
clouded with obscurity, who can rend the veil ? Durknoss is sepera*
ble or the sun hulh never risen. These that are in darkness may
see light, or there is no salvation for the mind. Let us say God
reveals, and we can receive, and in this way only the lost prize is
found. I have travelled in many paths, but have never turned
backward~-each path or hour of experience hath led me to discover
something. And I am minded to make a fuw notes of singular
experience. Scriptures and records are but witnesses of the truth
that is to be known and tasted of, it is as diet to the soul, clothing to
the spirit, and the ways of life. The soul is acquainted with events,
the mind is a spirit on which the event of sin and righteousness is
visible. The wages of sin, are an invitation to a change of practice.
If our mind is not out of order it will loudly judge for us, and
strengthen the tongue to speak the truth. Eyes and ears are but
the organs of the mind, of themselves they can do nothing. It is
the mind that employs them to hear and speak, they are as servants
sent abroad to bring home intelligence to tne mind. The mind is
not small, otherwise as a vessel it would become full. But not a
little hearing and seeing fills the mind, and now we have an evidence
of its almost unbounded extent, it will contain a history of all nations
kingdoms and countries, language and science.- It will not contain
a deity only by parts, but there is nothing created so extensive as
the mind and as it is unknown, uncomprehended, and to us unbound,
ed, we are almost or quite forced to believe it is a limh of the deity,
and came out from God, and is our intelligencer from heaven above
and hell below. That which is not known in the mind, we never
know. It contains a large space for joy, and a limited space of
misery,->sorrow8 may have an end but the joys for well doing are
forever. I believe no more in the death of the spirit of the righteous
than I do that the deity will have an end — or ever had a beginning.

Who hath exhausted his 6tore by drawing wisdom from his friendly
bosom ? Who hath broken into his store and stolen goods away ?
Sectarians apprehend they have received a great share — but aAer

,1 W

126

IHFRESSIONS OF THE MIND.

■ i.i

'Si

f;f

all this, I find for my latter days, things that never were revealed,
and deeds that were never brought to light, — a way unmarked by
the (eet of men, neither is the blood of the prophets there.

The rewards of wickedness is my way — it is darker than the dungeon
—the night will not compare with it, the angels of God cannot rest
there, neither is there sleep to the eyelids of a weary soul, neither
fowls nor brute is in this way — worm nor insect, it is the space of
man alone. Acquaintance cannot comfort, and these that are gone
are hid from our eyes. This is the space where the sun first arose
from deep waters here. God begins to do his work alone — man is
the witness, and thus Moses wrote of the creation of God. Thus is
a renewal of the mind — this is where the lost is found — how can I be
to blame to write the way ?

Oh my mis'ry unexpres't,
Free from light and free from rest,
Where no sound of joy is heard,
Where no angel hath appeared, > '

Where no brute a burden bore, i

Where no human minds adore, -

Where no glass is given to see.
Where we *re neither bound nor free.
Where we know no foe nor Lord,
Where we feel no chain nor cord, ^ , ^
■ Where all past has fled away, ■ \ .''•

And nought remains but memory.

Hell is heard of, but death is known — it obscures the soul, spirit
or mind, beyond the regions of all light spiritual or temporal. This
is where all proves vain but a deity : the help of man is unseen, and
the joys of creation are as vain to touch the feelings of the soul, as
ardent spirits would be to intoxicate the dead. Here I begin my
history, what is writen is but an introduction to the path downward.
There are very few that are willing to travel the downward way, it
is common to possess a disposition to rise ; and too many unskilfully
practice, and fall again. Deep wells the most seldom go dry, but
the shallow spring giveth way in the drought.

Those that hath endured persecution, remain to shine as the stars
in Heaven. An active man must have his feet well placed. Many
get into office that cannot stay — the disease is in the mind — the foe
in the world, but the cure is in Heaven, with God. It is the
pleasure of God only that quickens a mind that is far astray. It is
the most peculiar wisdom of the wise to hearken to his parental ad-
monitions, for these are life to the soul — and the dead rise by them.
There are many obstructions in the way of our rise ; in which case,

CHAPTER II.

127

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we have a continual necessity of the favours of God. Many set out
that do not perform the journey, — and others remain with brutes
because they will not go. God hat not predestinated our eternal
destruction, but men hath chosen it. If we die with a fallen
character when will we give light to the world? Not till hell
becomes a pleasure, and Heaven is tired of her saints.

j^ Rhyming 's but a simple notion,

' Yet it makes the silly wise,
And every billow of the ocean
Is pleasant in the Maker's eyes.

Truth by every revelation,
' ■■ > - Is the spirit of the mind,

And the great builder of creation.
Writes his name on every kind.

' ' And all combined is but description, t <

Revealing truths that are within ;
- One hidden truth commands submission,
' , y And here the deeds of light begin.

Tis here our eyes are first unclosed,

And here his Majesty doth rise;
And here the veil that sin 's imposed, ■

Is rent and taken from our eyes.

June 8th, 1833.

Tub light of the mind is beyond being fully discovered, and the
end of it beyond the measures of the man ; we can speak a little of
its consequences and events, its lustre and benefit. There is no light
that will compare with the light of the mind ; the righteous have
been compared with it, and bear witness of God. The sun in the
firmament is incomparable to that which enlightens the mind. There
is a sufiiciency of this internal illumination to light the whole heart.
Its beginning may be compared to a light or lamp in darkness, but
the increase hath no end to these that believe in its superior benefits
to the world. Let a man possess what he will by nature, his heart
remains as a field without cultivation without the direction ot this
light; it not only giveth intelligence of time past, but directs our way
through hours to come. History is veiled with darkness except
through the means of this light, but through this light history gives
intelligence of the truth to the soul. It not only lights us in darkness
as the lamp the dark habitation, but utters language lo the mind. It
is not only capable of language to the mind, but agitates our feelings.

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IMFRES»IOI«S OF THE MIND.

and sets all within in motion like a troubled ocean in the storm ; and
not only so, there is strong power in the truth to still the restless
waves, and abate the beating of the storm. Truth only is light.
Herein men are compared to light — and are the light, because their
verbal and written testimonies are the truth.

It is light that darkens the mind as well as enlightens it. We
must speak distinctly of these various operations to make our history
clear. History giveth intelligence through the conveyance of the
truth. Truth causes us to see that our mind is dark and void of
understanding. It is truth that cvo^'temns the morning of our days,
and clouds the mind with the evil consequence of our sins. It is the
truth that puts out the false light of our imagination, and leaves the
soul as without the least gleam of light in the night season. There
are but few that are acquainted with the power of truth, but few hath
followed him through all his hidden ways, in which he appears to man
unknown to the world. I have found this intelligence in mine own
mind, or as a hidden store that hath been lost from the world since
the days of old. I esteem it as one of the greatest favours of God
that he hath communicated something to my spirit, which is not com-
mon with men. And it is not proper to hide this measure, as it tends
to multiply the glory of the giver, whose name be praised without
end. lie is my God forever, the light and salvation of the mind.

How plain the dimest eyes can see, . ,

When God it pleases to awake;
How clear the darkest sky can be.

When God descends the cloud to break.

How high our heart known praise can rise,
* When wrote upon an angel's wing; , .

How God can light the darkest skies,
How loud with joy the mourner sings*

P^i- ^ How dark 's the tomb where sinners li«,

How strong the cords by which they're bounds-
How long to rise doth these deny,

How deaf to hear the trumpet sound. f^

* ' Here death we see in various ways, '",,

With binding cords to still the soul,
To bind the tongue from vocal praise.
To bid the storms and billows roll.

One God alone doth death command;

One God alone spread out the sea;
And there's but one redeeming hand^-

To conquer death and comfort me;

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fill

All things but him as dust are vain,
'Tis him the insect doth obey ;

The sun proceeded from his name,
The darkest night, the brightest day<

1^9

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There is but one original of our misery, and our chiefest joys-^
our darkness and our light — our mourning and our praise. Therd
is but one God that governs all these mysterious kingdoms of which
we hear, (but humanly speaking cannot see.) There is but one
power by which all move and have th c being. God alone is thei
spring of life. Heaven is a place f joy, we have heard, and hell
of misery. There is an inseparable connection between these two
kingdoms ; this connection is in the one Governor that governs them,
the spirit of truth. If death and Veil had no terror in them, of what
use would they be to men, or of what honour to God 1 Hell is not
in vain ; we lay the pillars of our repentance there. Who would
refrain to sin, was it not for the fear of death ? We may not always
dread the dissolution of the body through the deeds of our sinning
against God. This is not the death most to be dreaded ; but there
is a following consequence for sin that afflicts the mind, and is called
death, because ii puts an end to all our spiritual joys — brings on the
storm where the calm was, and sets the most quiet waters in a rage.
No man can be reconciled to the events of sin, though some may be
so hardened by practice that thay may be but imperfectly capable ot
measuring the consequence. ** The wages of sin is death," and hell
receives the soul ; and it is as natural for a brute to be reconciled to
a consuming fire, as for a soul or spirit to rest in hell. Here we are
t'aught our fallibility, the error of our ways ; and in this lower kingdom
a spirit is given us to change our deeds of life and the teformationi of
the mind, which completes the salvation of the man. All eonsisti^
in obeying this invitation to a change of life. One spirit leadeth Ui
there, but another out of this misery; but all is God. It is the
measures of my soul to know these various operations oi impressions
to be varying parts of one God, and are united in the bosom of the
Lord ; and this n heaven, or a kingdom of peace. The name of
kingdonm are but representations, and lead us on as to the substance
from the shadow. It is God that formeth the shadow— he is the
substance of every impression, and commandis the whole heart — the
evening and the morning are equd to him; and these two kingdome
effect his purposes, the salvation of the mind.

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IXPBESSIOirS OF TH£ KIND.

June 18th, 1833.

When I lie on the bed of death, '

And life must soon decay,
How small's the interest I am worth.

How soon Hwill pass away !

Beneath the shadow of his wings.
That bids my breath to cease,

My soul shall find a thousand springs.
And drink eternal peace.

Though time afflicting days repeat.
My sorrows can 't be long ;

The path is short'ning for my feet.
My steps increase my song.

There is a stream to travel through, ,

But a short space before;
There I shall bid my friends adieu.

And I'll be seen no more.

Oh then my kindred for me weep,
And strew their tears in vain;

These weeping eyes shall ever sleep.
Never to weep again* ** — * .*i— »

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' - • June I9th, 1833.

CHAPTER III. H* . , i^

It is hard to measure that which we cannot see, and there is none
that can give bounds to the mind. This is the prerogative of an
unmeasured and unnumbered being unto whom Moses hath given the
name of God. By his information we call him so, and then pass on
to behold his works. There is no doubt he wrought by faith, and
giveth faith to the heart of man* Faith is a gift, or belief that we
can accomplish in his name all things that an overruling power
requires we should obey. By faith I use my trembling pen, with
hope that I shall bring a few hidden parts of the mind to light, which
we do not behold by common observation. It is the mind that is
nearest these two distant kingdoms called heaven and hell, of which
the inexperienced know but little of; they remain unto them as a
distant country which they have heard of, but never have known.

CHAPTER in.

13t

These two are positively passions of the mind ; and as they could
not be seen, writers have set out to describe them by kingdom <>
angels, and a king : but I am about to make thoni bare, and leave
them naked in the world. Heaven still remains in obscurity, and is
therefore too little desired ; hell, in like manner, is too little dreaded t
but nothing is farther from me than to disbelieve there is a heaven
and a God^ a hell and a rebellious spirit therein. We are taught to
dread this state of the mind, to raise the fear of God ; for hell is the
vengeance of God, and this wicked world is in danger of being
swallowed up in it. I will make no more use of Scripture than will
assist the mind of those that read these lines when I am dead and
gone ; for I am one alone, and not another is there possessed of my
understanding, — yet I have no supremacy amongst men. The
fathers will bear me witness, we cannot have an offspring of that
which is only born of God, and it hath not pleased him to form
another like unto me, neither have I a parent here below ; for flesh
and blood hath not taught me these things, but a spirit that sees and
hears, and is at peace. I cannot bring forth an increase of this
spirit in the world, any more than the sea can produce beasts of the
wilderness. All that I can do is to follow my guide and pen down
the way. Deeds give light to the world, and so may these ; and as
I have no hope in any survivor to vihJicate these things which I
now write, I am under a necessity to pen down such evidences as
will end disputes about the things I write : and then these lines will
be ever in court a jury present, and a judge in the minds o/ just men.
As for our knowing any thing beyond the limits or hounds of the
mind, it is impossible ; and him that writes of it is telling of things
he never knew, neither can he, for the mind is the bounds of reason,
sense, justice, judgment, and mercy ; and farther than these heavenly
lights are, we cannot perceive. It is not presumption to say we know
that which we can make manifest to the mind of this world. If we
are not improved beings, it doth not prove but that wo may increase
in wisdom, and have an understanding mind. The mind changes
h6r garments oftener than a maiden doth her mantles, for the mind
giveth space to all things we can see and hear ; and one stage of the
mind perhaps will not continue one hour without changing. It is
the house of abilities, and the throne of God, or that which is to be
known with us. It is there God judges his people, and there the
world feels his judgments, and this world is the court of the Lord,
and his sentences are known to the mind. We will not measure
things out of the body ; this would be presumption and deceptive to
the children of men. The body is the space of action, and the mind
can do nothing out of it. And as the Servant can relate of his mas.
ter, so our mortal bodies can testify of a good or evil mind. How
oft do we relate to each other how we feel, and like as many simple
12

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133

IMPRESSIONS OF THE MIND.

children our evidence is true! We possess strong desires for relief
in trouble, but in the midst of our joys we wish to continue. God
maketh an end of our sorrows now and then, and newly clothes the
mind with another mantle, as the mother the little tarling of her own
heart. When ourjprayer is accomplished, and we gain a short space
from woe and grief through the mercies of our God. Our joys will
not continue. The sun may rise clear, but Providence may spread
over the dark mantle, and we only see the sun by changes all our
life long ; and so are the joys of the soul, for in the body she hath
no abiding place. While we are in action, the scene changes — and
that is while life remains ; for so long we are bringing in the event
to the mind. The little child hath no sorrow for sin, because he hath
not committed it. We cannot sin by doing the will of God, but by
obeying the various passions of the mind. These are called satan,
or fallen angels, when they lead us wrong-^and miserable are the
events of our sins, for it leads our minds astray and our deeds to be
out of order ; and we manage our affairs like a man trying to build
a house without plumet, rule, o: line, and our works are ever jarring
together for want of these. liighteousness is the greatest rule of
architect on earth below or heaven above. What a hand a man
maketh in his sorrows when he begins to curse men and give latitude
to his passions. To run lawless, and without the fear of God, there
is no being so capable of evil as he is. He may exemplify a thou-
sand younger children than himself. What a most wretched parent
he is to them that receive his doctrine. His soul is in hell, and he
bears witness of his agonies.

It never was heard, nor never will be known, that hell is our lot
before sin ; but it is the event that cometh aflerward. Now, I must
close up the gate that I have opened concerning the Son of God,
who suffered without sin. Our sins came first, and he died to teach
us the event of them, and bore with patience that which we endure
with anger. Oh what a light to a clouded and bewildered world !
Sometimes we are in the height of our joys; they personally appear,
because our minds are so, and the body bears witness that the mind
is at rest, or as a child delighted with a new garment given of God.
We may be delighted without righteousness, and suffer without sin ;
but these are pictures of information of things to come. Did we not
know the) mind could be joyful, what invitation could heaven contain
in it ? If we did not know we can receive sorrow, misery, and woe,
what fear could we be possessed of to fear God or dread a burning
hell?

All these are passions of the mind,

And these are paths to tread; .. , i

t , Through these the living God we find,

And these are hourly bread.

•k.

CHAPTER in.

133

There is nofhing so high as the mind, for our abilities may ever
ascend in it. There is nothing so deep as the measures of the soul ;
let us do what we will, there is still a space beyond — a hell
unknown, a space unmeasured — the writers have said a " bottomless
pit," because its bounds cannot be found — it is only measured by
our sins ; and as wo live to sin, we sink the deeper in despair ;
hope forsakes us on our downward journey — our house hath no
pillars, and when conviction rains from Heaven, we sink in despair
— ascending increases our hope. We could not arise but by the
event of our deeds, these elevate the mind as on the mountain top,
from whence we can see a broad space on earth, and those that toil
in it. There is no person purchased eternal reward while in the
body ; for we have to travel over hills and mountains, through gulfs
and ri-'ers — and this is the progress of the mind. He is no minister
or rabbi whose soul hath not been in hell, neither can he tell the
afflicted captive how he can escape his bonds and set his mind free
from eternal death.

Teaching men should be men of experience ; but, alas ! they are
but men of history, relating that which they have heard rather than
shewing that which they have known. The priests and rulers of the
land should acquaint themselves with these things at school, and then
read them in the church or declare them in courts of law. I pre-
sume the sheep have not their proper pasture, neither have they
received that which God has intended for them, or these singular
lines would not be written. These will be as a sword to priestcraft
and reach the mind of the people, because they are true, revealing
that which is not known, and discovering that which will come to
pass. If a man knows his own mind, he needeth no teacher. God
is there, the best of masters, the spirit of truth. What is history to
him that knows his own mind ? It is no more than letters in arith«
roetic, with which without figures as signs he cm do nothing. His-
tory tells us of heaven and hell, but experience leads us to these
kingdoms, and from thence the mind returns while m the body, and
we can tell the way — we can tell the traveller of all the ports of rest,
havens of joy, gulfs of distress, rivers of despair, and the power of
God. The mind is known to a Creator ; and to whom he will, he
reveals the mind, as the far distant country appears to the travelling
man. We partake of joys, or we should faint, — of sorrows, or we
would forget God, and have no compara for the soul. As long as
God pleases we wear these mantles. When he commands sorrow
and soberness to depart, we cannot retain them. He taketh the
mind, as the mother the infant ; she seeth when he needeth a change,
she strippeth him of his clothes, and covers him again ; she will not
leave him without her attributes : and so doth God by the soul of
man. Whatever we wear, it is the pleasure of God, he puts it on,
13

134

IMPRESSIONS OF THE MIND.

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and v/o cannot resist. Our joys are but for a moment. As there is
new mantles in the desk for the babe, he hath hidden treasures for
the soul, and will not suffer us to remain in old clothes. Like a
garment our joys wear away, and we are baptized or washed in
sorrow, before they are increased or renewed again. But the favors
of God aij ever new. These increase our faith and strengthen our
trust ; we hope in God and pursue again. Was there not something
to travel for, I am sure the mind would be still ; but God hath ever,
lasting riches in store, and when we enjoy them, they are heaven
to the mind. Then doth peace rule over us — the governing passions
af the soul. This is the reign of the Messiah which shall take place
on earth, the fall of pride, and satan will be as contented in his place
as before the worlds began. He is only a passion to be experienced
to muke our joys the more sweet; and then to him we '11 bid adieu,
and he '11 enjoy his former rest. He is a part of the mind, and one
of the passions this unknown space contains, and life is order in the
soul ; and then doth all things revolve to their former place.

Oh what craft abounds on earth, and oh what speculations on the
poor for want of knowing these things ! but God will give them to
the world, and the spirit of truth shall rule over us. Then are courts
and congresses done ; then are kings and priests in vain. Then shall
the shepherd see his flocks at rest, and peace their hedge forever*
more.

Then shall the harp forever sound,
Then shall the joyful ever sing; ' ' ,

Because the lasting pasture's found, ^

Likewise the never failing spring.

Oh hell, vain bubble, but a span, '' ' '"

To these that tread thy darkness through ;

Thy space is the events of man,
That doth their tempting thoughts pursue. /

The darkest mansion of the mind, ... ^

Yet 'tis for sinners to improve ; ^ l •

No peace the wicked here can find, ,. '

Until our sinful thoughts remove.

*Tis hell consumes our stolen joys, "'

'Tis God above inspires the flame,
'Tis God alone our hope destroys, '

In things that are fleeting and in vain.

All these are lines that are drawn to know
The varied precepts of our God; ,: ,

For he commands, and things are soj
We find them when we walk abroad.

• ' f

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OHAPTER III.

Our rolling mind is never still, : '
Our thoughts are restless as the wave ;

And we pursue to life fulfil,
And ever toil the soul to save.

If sin we brins the wages home,
And know the space wr over knew ;

If we see God upon his tnrone,
The latter doth convince us too.

Unbounded mind, how far from home
All thy unnumbered thoughts can move ;

To worlds unseen, to heights unknown,
The wonders of thy God to prove.

185

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June 20th, 1833.

Mt soul, bring intelligence from a far country,'8how thy mantles to
the world, wherewith God has clothed thee — speak plain of Heavea
and hell, that the doubtful may be still, and false language cease.
Truth, clothe thyself with my spirit for a moment and then cast off
thy shame, and dwell alone. The scriptures are the truth in the
principles of them ; there may be a fe ^ errors by way of translation,
but the principles of them are true, and no honest mind can be
mistaken in them. The principles of the sacred historians are these:
sorrows for sin, and joys for righteousness. And God has given us
a mind like unto these, and he is a fool in divine things, and a liar
against the truth, that disbelieveth them ; he is ignorant of his own
soul, and his heart will compare with the brute ; but God hath given
it him for the choice he hath made, and the way he spends his time
in speaking against just men, seven limes wiser than himself.

It is the sacred characters that give light to the world, and
experience tells us that Moses is true, who hath testified of God,
and the heart of this world ; for we have a mind as he hath said
unto us, we come to shame for our sins, and put off the dark mantle
by a change of life. I have honoured the sacred characters and
will write for myself, and of things my spirit hath known, for this
also is the truth. 1 have known as much misery as I could bear and
exist— (my mind has been like him that said my burden is more than
I can bear) — and if God had not put forth his hand, I should have
given way beneath my heavy load. How came this upon me? I
can answer of a truth, it was from varying in my deeds of life from
what God had revealed I should perform. I never was a criminal
in court, nor called to the bar to answer to Judge or Jury, in all my
days. I have committed no sin that is unpardonable by men or

186

IMFBElSIOIfS OF TBI KIND.

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in i

•ven diicovored by the human race ; but I ofiended my God and
know his vengeance to be poured out upon my apirit ; and him that
■aith that there if no hell is not sensible that he hath a living mind
within him. To see or feel the joys ofriffhteousneas, or know the
agonies of hell below the skies — hell is said to be below and heaven
above, and I add my witness as a confirmntion that such intelliffence
is the truth, and proceeded out from God — my soul hath been m the
sacred furnace ; Job speaketh of it in his affliction. I could not know
by his declaration the effects of the sacred flame; but when all
seemed to be consuming within me, and the world passing away,
then did I know that Job spoke the truth. I do not wish to take
the scripture from the Bible, and write them here, let this suffice, as
I know the intelligence of Job to be true by experience — so do I
know the other sacred characters likwise ; and that Moses spoke
the truth about the fall ; and Christ about the resurrection. And
these are the pillars of tho Christian world (to whom I am writing)
and the examples of civil government, and hath given laws to the
world far better than our unredeemed mind ; and he doeth well that
walketh in them, and observeth them through life ; for whatever he
may receive of God, he findeth them in his way, and these are a
literal path to rest, but we must experience them — we must come
and see< I sought not misery yet misery came. I made my own
choice in choosing joys, or the fruit I would partake of — but oh the
end pen nor tongue can never tell, neither is this mortal body
alto((ether adequate to answer for the immortal soul.

T^e mind liveth, because we have a mind like unto our father
Adam, and a divided world like unto his sons, and one is against the
other in it. Then are we sure that neither the mind of the good nor
of the evil bath ceased — both are afflicted ; but the righteous is
borne up by hope, when the wicked sinketh in despair. Misery is
offfood effect to the mind, it is the means of our repentance, and
adds strong reasons why we should make a change of life or choose
another road ; for our first acting propensities, lead us down to hell ;
it is a place of refinement; inspires to choose the better way — it is
the end of imagination, it inspires with the truth — it is not false,
it afflicts the mind, soul, or spirit that is within us. It is spirit,
because it afflicts the mind and is the order of life appointed for
them that sin. It is to make our garments clean and put our spots
away. It is below indeed, what a condition it brought Job into, his
person was a true figure of an afflicted mind ; what a condition it
hath brought juy spirit into ! Nothing was too dear to offer unto
God for a release. No deist taught me this — no atheist was with
me there. I here begiii to find that my mind was a table for the A.U
mighty to write laws upon, and engrave his will upon the mind ; this is
baptism indeed, — it is the baptism of the Son of God. It is with firO}

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CHAPTER III.

137

and the holy Spirit of God doeth it. It is below indeed, for nothing
in Heaven above or all on earth can comfort there. It h where
God hath decreed misery, and there is no changing of it ; no one
can testify of country or climate, as him that hath lived in it, and my
soul hath been in extreme misery and did livo ; received a release
from bonds and ascended from the afflicting (iume. How did I arise or
see a release? may be a question the unexperienced may put to my
spirit. The answer is plain and ewy to these that know not, but
the experienced need no book, for they have seen with their eyes
and heard with their ears the heart-felt sentences of an angry Judge.
The answer is, my heart was softened like ore in the furnace, and
all within me said, do with me what thou wilt. I will give all the
remaining part of my days to serve thee ; only release me from
these bonds, and all that I have is thine. Thus I covenanted with
my God, and saw a release — I did not only covenant, but set myself
out to fulfill, and he filled my spirit as with wine ; and I became
like one intoxicated with the joys of life. He changed my garments
— he turned my sorrows into joy, and my mourning into songs of
praise. But oh how low I was ; sun, moon, nor stars, gave light
unto me, nor instruction how to ascend from this horrid place. All
books were no more than leafs of clean paper. The sacred charac<
ters bore evidence against my sins. The earth was covered with a
mantle of darkness — I saw no joys in it — my food was tasteless—
my wine without spirit, and water would not quench my thirst. The
flame was spiritual, and with man there is no abating it. Hell is an
evidence of Go(*'s power, and he that descends to those lower
regions (or various degreees of conviction) will find it is so, and
never dispute with the account I give of it. He that knows can tell,
and he only — I write for a staff for others to lean upon that may be
travelling this way, not that I can save, but my memory that I
communicate may somewhat lighten the burden, and be borne in
mind the afflicting journey through. But few will be as deeply
baptized as I have been, into this horrid gulf, where there is no
relief but by the mercy of an everlasting God, that laid the pillars of
the earth and spread out the sea. We err in our joys, and in our
misery, until we are cci-rected in them. I have found the miseries
of hell a sure place from temptation ; it is not where sins increase,
but where we repent of them. The thief on the cross repented in
misery — so doth all that improve the mind that God has given.
Conviction convinces of sin, and sorrow soflens the mind, and
prepareth us for the works of God, and I have forsaken my interest
here below, and am now doing them. I have known that gold
availeth nothing in the hour of conviction ; God requires a broken
heart and an upright mind—- one that is broken from its hardness
And will stand upright according to bis laws. Our joys lead us

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IMPRBCIIONI OF TUB MIND.

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to forget the sorrows ofiin, when we drink too freely of them ; but
God leaveth us not in he!l if our repentance is sincere ; nor in
heaven if we forget his name — (that is the vengeance of his wrath)—
for both of those should, and do, leave a lasting impression on the
mind of those that choose- to fear and serve the Lord. And some-
times we are clothed with misery, and sometimes with joy ; and
these are changes of garments, and given Ub of God. These are
various passions that rule over us in their appointed time, there is no
doubt of it. The joys that heaven uflurd hath no sting in them, no
dread nor fear, that we are doing wrong — there are no laws written
against our partaking of them. Neither is the mind of a deity (which
far exceeds ours) contrary to these joys, they are a part of him and
given us to enjoy. The joys of the righteous and the wicked,
exceedingly ditler In their nature — leave n stin'* in the mind, which
is hard to endure, and brings a dark and mournful mantle over the
soul ; we mourn in the solitary place and abhor our deeds before
the Lord ; we own how frail we are, and repent of them. Those
very deeds that delight us in our sins, are bf^ter to us when we are
farther advanced in life, and more acquained with the more sublime
joys of Heaven and God. So both country and climate changes
with us as we travel forward through life ; and as we do, God clothes
the mind, and commands our various passions to rule over us, he is
the governor of the soul, ther? *3 no changing his decrees ; what he
hath said at the first will remain forever.

We shall suffer for our sins, and rejoice in the repenting of them.
And he that believeth in any other doctrine or tenets, hath no part
with me in the works of God, nor explaining truths to the world.
Experience confirms the sacred writings to be the truth, in the
principles of them, and I am not adding to them ; but every revealed
truth increaseth light, and God is multiplying wisdom in the world.

Oh rest, my soul, sit down and sing,
The flowing stream is by ;

The heart of man 's a living spring,
That never more will dry.

'.;;• 'I.; :■

The thirsty doth assemble there,
And there repeat their praise ;

A heritance regained by prayer.
The mourner's happy days.

There is green fields of pasture round,

And fruit upon the trees,
And David 's harp of pleasant sound.

To gain the praise of these.

f- > U *'. *

CIIAPTKS IT.

I knew no want, I had no caro,

The saintt compaaa'd me round ;
Fill'd up with joya, I had no prayer,

For all I Bought was found.

Both woe and want waa put way,

My aoul waa raiaed ao high ;
I thirsted for no other day,

Nor did I fear to die.

The clouds above began to move,

And [ could see the aun ;
Jehovah clothed me with hia love.

And all my feara were done.

But Oh ! I had not long to atay,

Nor could I quite be atill ;
God led me farther on my way.

Because it|wa8 hia will.

And aomething more we ne'er can find,

Aa we through life puraue ;
The loneaome journey's in the mind.

Both hell and heaven too.

'T ia God commanda thoae parts parts to reign,

Tia him that atilla our foes ;
And what hath been, will be again.

And then the scene will close.

130

June 34th, 1833.
« CHAPTER IV.

The mind is an atmosphere in itself, containing wonders to us
unkown. He that doth not improve his own mind, liveth in ignorance
all his days, and dieth short of the intended city, or salvation of the
soul. A field improved is productive — a land cultivated is enjoyed,
for then we reap the product of our labour ; and it is so with the
mind. The atmosphere changeth by an over.ruling providence,
and there appeareth to be life and motion, in the whole moving
system, and this to me is the distant and uncomprehended life of
God. He hideth in the cloud, he obscures himself in the clearest
sky — ^he liveth in in the deep waters, the living is there, they have
their course to run, and I am not afraid to say that nature has a God,

-'I

140

IMPRESSIONS OF THE MIND.

IB||Ki

' W

It -Sj

jh^hh^^

^ral'

jB^B'

^^^H

^■^■^H

•j^E

^^^H

and there is not a plant nor tree without him, bud, leaf, or flower.

We cannot see any thing, but God ia there — he is perfect in the

storm, he orders the waves of the sea, they rise and fall at his com>

mand, there is no space where he is not, and man is as part of these ;

and God is likewise in the soul, he is the order of life, and the joy

of all living, — the stars sparkle with his light, and he commands the

rays of the sun to their most extensive bounds. My thoughts, come

home into thine own house, and begin to measure thine own habita*

tion, and declare to the world the wonders of thy God ; prove that

thou art acquainted with him, by leaving an evidence of his light to

bear witness of him to the sons and daughters of men. He hideth

himself in the mind as in the cloud, and in the waters ; and we must

seek and find him there. Can a man travel in his own heart?

he can seek peace when he is disconsolate. A thirsty brute would

seek the fountain of water. Oh silly man, art thou more ignorant

than these — sun, moon, nor stars can comfort thee, when thou art in

trouble, earth nor all her bearing trees — then seek that which thou

hast lost when thou wast a child, which is a guiltless and a quiet

mind. Improve thy mind and reap : behold the storm and be still ; for

it is but a shadow of that which doth abound within the soul. God

changeth the atmosphere, so doth he change the mind, and in every

change, we travel forward, if our feet are placed in the ways of

eternal life : to all that is without the mind, we must die. But a

justified mind will live forever ; it may be so with the sinner and

the wicked, but those that live in conviction, live to mourn — and

the present wicked inherits the mind of the first sinner that existed

on earth. The mind of one is extensive enough to receive the whole,

and a convicted mind is hell to me, and there has been no increase

of heaven or hell since the world was made, or man existed.

If I enjoy a justified mind it is heaven to me, and as all goodness

floweth from one spirit and the waters return to the sea, so hath

all the righteous but one mind, and inherit the pleasures of God. It

is the righteous that know the Lord, and glorify his name — they

sing a thousand songs of joy ; while the sinner is pouring forth gall

from his lips ; his word is bitter because his soul is in hell ; he

cannot praise, because his spirit is in bitterness, and his life and

language are bitter to the world : here is the difference between the

justified and convicted — the improving man reaps his joys when the

sluggard is bitter for the want of them — he is like a man wanting the

bread of comfort to his soul ; and he is so clothed with ignorance

which is the production of sin, that iie envieth others like a wicked

brother, and is uncomfortable to the world. It is meet that I bear

witness of these things, as I have a mind acquainted with these

kingdoms and have improved them both, through the mercy of God,

to mine own advantage, and can speak the truth of them.

^iy^^y CHAPTER IV.

141

Few have been baptised in sorrow as deep as I have, and but few
have been raised so high in the joys of life. I therefore trust I shall
be found a true historian of the mind, and add somewhat to the infor>
mation of an inexperienced mind. I do not believe that any thing
is given the mind, or taken away from the foundations of the world.
I cannot conceive that the grace of God descends from the skies or
comes up out of the water, but that it is found in the heart, and
enlightens the mind. It is said to be a giA ; and truly it is so, with
all our moving propensities within. The child knoweth not there is
grace in his mind, any more than he knows there is fish in the bot-
tom of the sea ; but in progressing forward he finds it there. Our
father in the first innocent station of life did not know there waa
conviction in his mind, but in his pilgrimage he found the unhappy
space, and a God to rule over him, a cloud to obscure his mind, and
sorrow in his soul. He saw that he was naked, that knew it not
before. Can disputants disagree with me, and say — these were not
new discoveries, made by our afilicted father, and tha<. he found them
in his mind ? No, it is impossible ; life was there — God was there,
and with irresistible power, like a supreme court, ruled over the
mind, and our father had a sorrowful and an afflicted soul. The
soul of every wicked man is his soul, and his is theirs; and
as there is but one God, and one atmosphere, there is but one
mind in the whole earth, but the revelation of the system is this, —
sometimes we are governed by the event of temptation, some-
times with the event of conviction, and at other times with the
pardon and blessing of a God ; and these are all the changes there
are in this world. It is the various passions at their different and
appointed times ruling over us, and there never was one created, or
given the mind, but hath a time to reign, inspiring our choice by
these various operations, which shall rule over us and according to
our choice : so we form the man.

Instruction is a world of light,
Ignorance as the darkest night;
We wander but we know not where,
So good and evil doth compare.

We see the sun to set and rise.
We see the foolish and the wise ;
When we look strictly thro' the mind.
The cause we know, the good we find.

These, these are given to inform,

The calm, the wave, the beating storm;

:i!t,:'.i*a

142

Hi^'

»!-, ,

IMPRESSIONS OF THE MIND.

The cloud that doth obscure the sky,
The sun that sets and rises high.

The barren and the bearing trees,
Have their appointment and decrees ;
The bud, the leaf, the op'ning flower,
Ail reusoning for a God of power.

The calmest day, the strongest wind,
Are evidences of the mind ;
Our troubled hours and calmest peace,
Relatei? that time doth never cease.

One God in every thing we see.
Though varied as the world may be ;
All is connected and the same.
From whence our joys or troubles came.

To unconnect a varied God,

Is beyond the power of flesh and blood ;

Be still and see the system roll.

All, all*a connected with the soul.

No joint can e'er be put apart,
God is the centre of the heart;
And him that can the centre find.
Will see contentment through the mind.

Oh earth, pour out thy blessings upon us as fountains of living
water ! Oh heaven, shine upon us with all thy glory ! All ye saints
compass us round ! All ye prophets dwell in the midst of us, near
unto the throne of God! Enlighten the dark parts of the earth;
speak peace to the world, and bid the weary rest.

These are all revelations of the mind, and all things that we can
read may be found in the mind ; from thence they came at the begin-
ning, and all intelligent writings invite us to the centre of the soul,
and there our wearied propensities find a resting place.

I will now begin to mark the path to the city, but extensive is the
circle that reacheth there.

Doth not angels hover round about us seeking admittance to the
mind ? Such writing is altogether a figure, but our angelic spirits (or
compound which composes the mind) seek to rise from the fall of
sin, and cannot rest in these lower kingdoms of conviction ; therefore
there is a seeking and praying with men of sense. There is a turn-
ing away from our temptations, and a denying of them. In the first
place we are tempted by the world and the things of it ; in the Becond
place, the hope of heaven transpires above these lower objects, and

CBAPTEn IV.

■■'11

149

is the

again we arc tempted with joys above, and they strengthen our hope,
and increase our faith to believe there is a supreme joy to any thing
we have not yet known. All the earth will not comfort the mind, but
in heaven we are accomplished. Things out of the body cannot be
known, only when we are out ot it ; and without the body nothing
hath been revealed to the world from the throne of God. When the
righteous die to this world they see peace, their soul enters into the
happy kingdom. Thus the saints have wrote of heaven, and thus
the experienced have written of eternal burning, and how disagree-
able it is, — representing this furnace (by comparison, because it
refines, and moulds the soul into a frame or temper of repentance)
by brimstone and fire, — making use of every possible means to con.
Tince the world of the consequences of sin, and the events of them,
and on the other hand, the joys of the righteous, by representing the
kingdom of heaven as a choir of singers, praising Almighty God for
a great deliverance from a prison of conviction, into which all sinners
descend before they rise to tHe kingdom of heaven. And this prais-
ing system or representation I know is true, for all our faculties are
glad and full of joy and the great mercy of God, which is an eflfec
tual feeling of the mind, in the midst of them as a monarch, or his
miraculous name -receiving praise for wonders done. It is the joy
of the sou! *o give thanks, and the mercy of God to receive. Thus
believe I, tir tt^ whole mind of the righteous is in operation forever ;
because th- k ri i is life, and God, undivided from every other part
of the Deicj, abideth in it, and hath revealed these things to the
world by the sacred writers. But that I may not leave this body
without giving the world a witness that I see also, I write in a little
different style or form, not obscuring the Scriptures, but adding my
evidence that the sacred writings are lines of experience, and books
of great information, and are profitable to the world. They are the
productions of experienced minds, there is no doubt of it ; and though
the different writers were selected from far distant ages, the writings
in the principles of them agree, and are unto us an undeniable witness
that one God presides over all forever. They that believe have
wrought wonders, improved their mind and divided their harvest with
the world, as a rich man can give unto the poor ; but the unbeliever
hath lefl his fields unimproved, his lands uncultivated, and is but a
shadow of darkness to the hijiman family. He believeth not, because
he hath not had wherewith to gather in ; and he is so distant from
the cultivator, or improver, in the harvest day, that he hath nothing.
He has made no discovery, because he has sat still ; and from the
same state of ignorance proceeds on to say, — Scriptures are not the
truth, when the experienced mind, the travelling man, the cultivator
can positively declare he found them in his own mind to be a book
of order, and lines of peace.

144

'.'• I

IMPRESSIONS OP THE MIND.

Now shall my soul set down and singi

I'll see a day to rest;
Not covered with an angel's wing,

Save these within my breast.

The crystal fountains gently flow,

I see the springs to rise;
And hell and sorrow sink below,

Veil'd with the brightest skies.

I see the earth her pleasures yield.

To clothe my weary mind ;
I see the harvest of the field,

That every soul can find.

The weary enter into rest.

While the unfruitful stay ;
Where weary brutes are long oppressed,

And see a tedious day.

Oh full and plenty is my store.

And I can feed the poor ;
Nor things below I covet more.

Their burdens to endure.

June 27th, 183d.

To thy eternal name,
That fram'd the earth and skies.
That never spoke a word in vain.
Let incense ever rise!

Ride on the cloud and see.
Behold a rising sun ;
All nature's name arose from thee.
In thee the worlds begun.

Both earth and sea adore.
The Dillows are thy name ;
The hidden rock, the peaceful shore.
From thy own bosom came^

Let every age and tongue.
Long, long declare thy praise ;
For thou hast all these wonders done^
In heaven, in earth, and seas.

met

toil,

Lor

CHAFTEB V.

The Storms are thy command,
The billows and the wave ;
The living of both sea and land,
Likewise the darkening grave.

All have their birth in thee,
Let incense ever rise.
From all that's in the earth and sea.
In heaven or in the skies.

Ride on the cloud and see,
That all the earth adores.
And all our limbs rejoin in thee.
With sun, with moon and stars.

145

JuLT 1st, 1833.

CHAPTER V.

The earth abounds with sorrow, but the mind is not full; as the
sea drlnketh in rivers of water, so doth the mind the sorrows of this
world and is not yet satisfied. We thirst for the judgments of the
Lord in an obscure way, that is unknown to ourselves. The vain
delights of time invite us forward ; we fall into the pit or snare short
of obtaining them, and there the mind mourns for error, for the
purpose of proving that there is right and wrong, and sorrow convin-
ces the mind. These ways are the decrees of God, to us unforeseen,
— but known of God, who hath predetermined them. If one fall
would convince us of sin, and convert the mind, we would not fall
so oflen ; but as oflen as we sin we shall suffer for it, and it hath
been so since the worlds began. Man could not sin of himself, but
the world helpeth him that God hath made, and invites him forward
to taste and see the events of time, and what they afford the mind.
The son of God lived and sinned not : he is our pattern, — he did not
come to shew the righteous how to live ; but sinners how to enter
into rest — and cast off their weary load. The rise, is like the fall,
and both is decreed of God, and we may partake of them. God
hath not sworn that he will convince the world of sin, by any other
means than sorrow. There is something lefl for us to do, we must
toil, or suffer for the wages of the obedient, or these that serve the
Lord. Sorrow or trouble, is as natural to the mind as the bread
we eat, and is in store with God, ere we partake of it. The heart
of God is incomprehensible, because it is greater than our own ; but
we cannot see or feel any thing, but the spirit of it is in the bosom of

"•

14d

laiFRESSIONS OF THE MIND.

God ; he is the spirit of the world — and there is nothing can live or
move without him ; he is in light and darkness, with the living and
the dead : I mean with the souls that hath departed life. He is with
the patriarchs of old, prophets and apostles. He must be with those
that abide his wrath, as perfect as ho is with these that are in a hea-
ven of joys. All things came forth from his spirit ; if not so, who is
he ? or what is the life of man ? The mind knoweth these things,
and the man is a world within himself, and the invisible God ruleth
over it. If not so, who is lie, or to whom is he accountable ? If not
so, why is he not a master of continuing joys, rather than a servant
of sorrow ? It is the most extensive education in life to know the
man, and the far v xtending bounds of the soul. He may find his
ipind as a world unknown, in which he may improve or travel for<
ever. He will ever find new discoveries in it, unfathomable
and heights unknown.

Him that hath gone out of it to see the works of God, only behold,
eth the world at a distant prospect ; he can see but imperfectly, and
account for nothing he sees. A man that cultivates one field reap-
eth more from it than the whole world which he improveth not ; so
is the man that improves his mind, he finds bread at home, while the
wandering are starving abroad. We cannot satisfy ourselves by
hearing or seeing the works of men and God ; but a man can eat
the bread of peace that cultivates his mind, and satisfy all his hunger
and his thirst for seeing the distant hills, or ascending mountains
to us unknown. How this improvement or cultivation is to be made,
is a question for which we may seek the answer, and not find. We
cannot conceive that Moses was present when the world was made,
or that a history of the creation was handed down to him, but that it
was revealed to him by the spirit of truth, and his witness or proof
were the fathers that lived before him. He did not travel over the
world to give an account of it, and yet there is not a historian oa
authenticated ground that can deny the truths that he hath penned.
He is the great evangelist of God, and the only man that hath so.
discovered a Deity to the world. If nothing yet remains to be
known, we need not seek farther ; but as many things yet remain in
obscurity, it is needful we should seek : for the more we find, the
more we glorify our Creator by revealing hidden truths to the world.
Moses formed a communion with God in his own mind, and from
thence proceeded the history of the world. The wise prophet did
not dispute with him nor the Son of God. His lessons given us to
read are the truth, and will stand forever. But these bright sons of
the morning revealed something that Moses lefl untold ; and so they
continued on from the first to the last of them, and all continuing to
give a history of the mind of a Deity. It is to our pnind he reveala
biipfielf ; that which we see with our eyes is but itn imperfect coa-

CHAPTER V.

147

eeption of the Uiings of God. The mind knoweth the truth, for God
is a spirit and revealeth himself to the mind^ which is a spirit, and a
servant of the Lord. These bodily conceptions deceive us, and
delude the mind when we go after them. Now we will answer the
question how a man may improve his own mind, and place it into
the capacity of the poor and illiterate man. For instance, Moses
was not rich, nor David when he became a king, nor Peter, James
nor John, when they became apostles ; but Christ became as God
unto them. So Moses improved Aaron and his brethren ; and by the
improvement of the mind made them men of great sense and talent.
Wisdom took up her abode with them, and revealed herself to the
world through these oracles of light.

Hath the Lord sworn he cot "ot be found if we seek al\er him?
He is hidden indeed, tc^ ^re^ ' a prize to be foi ' '"t the street,
or gathered from the trb«.., to bt ..lown by travellib^ ovor Asia or
other parts of the world, by fathoming out the sea, or sailing to all
the ports below the sun. He is hidden in the mind. T;r.o mind is
his doUiing ; he is within the nmntle and may be found. My soul',
call on the name of the Lord — he is not far off that he cannot hear —
he is within thee, waiting to be revealed to man, when he shall
receive the titles of honour that are his due for so doing.

Oh man, begin to make the enquiry at the gates of heaven — why
thou mourns at the turns of the mind or changes of the seasons, why
thou art the works of God, and art still unhappy ? And God will
reply, — I witness for him this day, and reveal the prize I have found.
I was ever unhappy and afraid until I improved my own mind ; but
from that time I have no need to borrow of my neighbours, Moses or
the prophets, but call on them to prove that God has done by my
soul, as he hath done by them, and provided a path of mine own,
and he walketh in it before me. I continue, and still find my ap.
pointments are written there, and are a law to my mind. Before
this hand-writing in my soul I had no way, my propensities ran law.
less through life ; I saw much, but knew nothing that satisfied my
mind, or put the dread of hell away. Moses revealed there was a
cause to fear ; and the many punishments of God visited on the
world, is a proof that Moses spake the truth. This law hath no end.
A book we can read through, but who can tell what God will reveal
unto us, or what life will conceive if we continue on the mysterious
journey? I possess more hope now than ever I did, although I am
advanced in years.

By prophetic whispering in mine ears, there remains more to be
done ; God is yet to be scdght, and truths revealed. I know not
that I am nearer the end of my journey than at the beginning, though
more is received ; and there is no doubt with me that the mind can
receive and be enlarged forever. This is the way to find the prize,
k2

146

IMPRESSIONS OF TUB MIND.

improve the heart, and become independent of men, and a servant
of the Lord, and he will bless thee, (for it is his pleasure to richly
pay bis servants for their labour.) Thus I answer the question, im>
prove the mind as a field or vineyard of the Lord, given thee to im.
prove. Thou will find sweet fruit on the vine, a rich harvest in the
tield that will put thee out of debt to all men ; and thine whole heart
will honour the Lurd, and all thy propensities or moving abilities
within will praise him. Thou wilt know him to be a God over all,
and the order of life, a law written in the mind. Hidden in the
mantle thou mayest find him there ; he will be found of thee forever.
This law hath no end ; if we should ascend to heaven it is but begun,
for he will order thy praise, and the deeds thy mind should do for>
evermore.

I sought the Lord alone, without the help of men. I retired from
the world and all that were abroad to seek peace at home ; and an
unknown God said unto me. Choose religion for thy path, and sacri*
fice for thy deeds of life. I know not from whence the voice came,
but it was strong in me. I believed it without doubting, and began
to obey the will of the Lord. He soon shewed unto me the use of
sorrow, and that I must embrace her as a dear companion of my
soul, for she was a part of mine own mind, and could not be put
away ; and the joys of life were like unto her, both good in their
season. In this my mind rejoices. I began to know myself, and
how to serve the Lord, and I am still increasing my store, for wisdom
increases with me. I am still travelling farther on, and to this
church (the christian world) I will tell of the mind ; but unto the
Jew and the heathen [ will write of the Deity, for they are the oldest
in the world, and the Christians will learn of them. They have
seen the most sorrow, and will receive the most sublime wisdom, and
the JetDish church and Israel will live forevermore*

Oh now my praise abounds,

And I have cause to weep.
For in mine ear the trumpet sounds,

Awakening these that sleep.

I found the life of Moses in mine own soul, and the spirit of Abra-
ham that lived by faith ; for my dwelling hath been alone, — I have
had no companion nor household with me on this lonesome journey,
save the spirit of Moses and the prophets to whisper in mine ears
to encourage me, and tell me that I was right, and that God whom I
could not comprehend was before me. The memorial of tb^se
increased my faith, and I continued my slow but steady steps forward,
and all my compass is the mind, and all the circles of my days are
ivrittea there, and I must seek to find them.

■ , %. -& i~ ,

CHAPTER V,

140

All, all along I 'vo songs of praise,
And hoar the trumpet sound,

That I shall see increasing days.
And worlds of lisht be found.

The pillars that hath first been laid,

Mine eyes shall plainly see,
And tell the world how peace is made.

And of mount Calvary.

The ancient city *s in the mind,

Jerusalem was built.
Where seeking men their guilt may fmd,

Where precious blood was spilt.

The Lord will build the city new.

Not as it stood before ;
And he will call the kindred Jew,

To fall and part no more.

These things— engraven in the mind,

I oAen read them there ;
W^hat's lost the Jew again will find.

And build the house of prayer.

And kindred nations will come in.
As once they've done before.

And Israel's praise will there begin,
Nor cease forevermore.

The earth smiles with a blessing. Wisdom walketh in it, her
hands are spread abroad. Sorrow hath had her place in the mind.
The flower mourned beneath the frowns of God ; the tree ceased to
bear, the tender grass withered away, and appeared again. The
scorching beams of the sun caused the fruitful fields to thirst for a
blessing. The days of sorrow are fulfilled ; mourning is past in
these that know the Lord, that is to say, we know the blessed effects
of sorrow when we embrace her as a maiden when she walketh
alone in the earth.

The humble cry ; what do they thirst for? It is to know the use
and purpose of the abilities and propensities of the mind that God
hath given ; for this satisfieth the soul, and she weepeth no more for
that which she enjoys.
k3

'^r^^

.«.^i

,1.5! :

160 IMPBBMI0178 OF TUE MIltD.

July IGth, 1833.

Dark are the valleys deep and low,
^y mournful spirit travels through ;

T^o sun upon those ways have shone,
No brother nor no shepherd known.

Yet here do I existence find,

(Tis but improvement in the mind ;)

Like fields 'twere never sown nor bore,
Where sin nor satan 's known no more.

Mine eyes see no temptations here,
Nor ruling men nor ghosts appear;

Like to the wood where nature g ew,
My mournful spirit's trav'ling through.

Tis where the plant at first arose,

Before the worlds were known to foes ;

It is where friends to man appear.
From heaven above most bright and clear.

Tis here we see the sun to rise,
Tho light and glory of the skies.

It is where God to man is known.
And truth can comfort roan alone.

July 22nd, 1833.

When we rejoice or we complain,
Or with those calls comply;

They *re those the bosom doth contain,
They're calls that nono deny.

Omnipotence writes his decrees,

Amidst a changing mind.
These various parts are bearing trees,

And we 're to these inclined.

Who bids the ocean to be still,

And then the waves obey,
Savci him that made us of his will,

And made his house of clay 1

Man is the clothing of the wi^'e.
The storm and calm is there.

The cloud that darkens all the iHcies,
Likewise the clearest air.

'>'t^'

CHAPTER V.

July 20lh, 1833.

Why should I doubt, why should I foar,
A resurrection day is near ;
Although this body shall decay,
My soul shall rise another day.

Mine eyes shall see, mine ears shall hear,
A trumpet sounding in mino ear;
The ancient days are call'd to rise,
Where Noah and where Abram lies.

The earth a thousand truths will yield.
And there the weary will bo heal'd ;
The wicked son that hath been slain,
With all the just will rise again.

And every spirit well shall know.

That God doth govern all below ;

The blind shall wake, the deaf shall hear,

A judgment day shall then appear.

And in the body all shall know.

That God Almighty rules below.

AuorsT 5th, 1833.

The hean'. will break, the rocks will rend,
The Lord will all the earth offend ;
The Lord in judgment will appear,
The passage of the saints is clear.

The spirit of the dead will rise.
The eastern sun will light the skies ;
And those that doth the Lord offend,
Are hastening to a mournful end.

The grave before their eyes appear.
Their ears a doleful sentence hear.
The soul shall tremble and decay.
And life take Mings and flee away.

What is my portion let me know,
God of my soul that rules below ;
Shall I be terrified at death.
Or as a victim yield my breath ?

Or shall my soul rejoice to hear,

My passage with the saints is clear?

And when I die I shall arise.

To those that's harmless, meek and wise.

151

'1-

153

IXPBRBIIONS OP TUX! MIND.

ArorBT 25tli, 1833.

CHAPTER VI.

Thb mind of a deity is the beginning of all living ; the sun rose
in it, in it the moon and stars gave light, in it the fowl flios a ndthe
fish swims — the plant grows and the tree bears — the Lion roars, and
the Wolf pursues his prey. What is the M'hole creation but the
mind of a deity in existence 7 All came from his own heart, and
man is as one of these, amidst the living. The first prize he should
obtain or ask of God, is wisdom to know himself, and then proceed
forward to understand his portion of the deeds uf his creator. The
more wisdom he obtains, the richer he is ; and tl\e more he enjoys
in his latter days, he is the more independent of the world, and of
historians that lived before him. I cannot say that I know the man,
the mind is almost an unbounded circle, nothing but the mind of the
deity exceeds the bounds of the man. I can relate of those things I
know ; but the mind can be enlarged, the circle increased, and
the bounds thereof I cannot ^<;ll. The productions of the man is an
evidence of the mind, and what may proceed from mine I cannot
tell ; it is of my own I am writing, for it is nearest to me and is best
known ; he that giveth a history of his neighbour's mind, and know-
eth not his own, is like ho that spells not knowing letters. The
mind is the great scale to try all things ; we think we know, and if
the balance is out of order, we can rightly adjust nothing; because
our balance is not true. I am resolved my history shall be bounded
by mine own soul, and not be a shame or reproach to another that
thinketh he can comprehend my days, and measure them as an
hand's breadth. My mind did not originate in history ; but history
came into my mind — it was not hewn out of a rock, nor squared by
the hands of men ; it originated from the mind of a deity, and from
some small or limited acquaintance with my parent the deity. He
kindly reveals to me my form, the nature he hath given me, and the
disposition of my mind. If it produced nothing, it would never be
known. If a child learneth the alphabet of a parent, it is evident
that he is taught, and is an honour to the parent by uttering the few
syllables he hath obtained from his affectionate friend ; so likewise,
if I can do a little, it will be an honour to God and accepted of my
soul, as a testimony of respect to his most sacred name. I believe
the mind to be a part of the deity, and so I believe by every living
existence ; for what can we see but a deity in existance when we
see the whole world ? Let me testify of the merits of my origin, and
then proceed to relate what he hath revealed.

It appears by Moses, that sun, moon, and stars were placed in
heaven before man was born of the dust : and when he was made,

CIIAPTKR VI.

158

in
ide,

ka iaw tho morits of hifi Crontor — thoy woro mndo for him to look
upon, and to give his body light : those have an original as well m
the human mind.

Why ore wo not brethren, that proceed from one God ? Truly
there is a mutual connection in the whole creation, and I am ol'the
same origin os the worst sinner on earth. All were made to adore ;
but man hath power to refrain. If him that worships God, doth not
exceed him lliut worships not, i. e. whose mind is in the original
capacity of tho creation, hia dcod.s nro f«>r nothing; hut it is meet
the parent give light to the child ; fur he has a heart or mind given
of God to be improved. I will now enter on the work and show
some small benefit arising from subordination to a deity. The tree
can bear no fruit save that of its own nature ; the apple groweth not
on the thorn, nor tho fig upon the vine — the grape is only subject to
its own original, the vine, that wus appointed to bear them. Man
bringeth forth after his own kind, and there is not a being under
heaven of so numerous a production as the heart of n.in. It is not
only like the atmosphere, producing both light and darkness, rams
and scorching suns, but like the earth, that beureth both the bitter
and the sweet — the thorn, the brier, and the vine. The man is more
productive than those, and not so limited in his space ; for 't^ is
capable of receiving from day to day, and God is willing to give them
that ask him. And this day I write a lesson not known before,
because the deity hath taught mo so, and administered to my . m^I a
greater measure of that imago of his own. The soul is the Lotd's
if we restore it to the giver which is his due, after we have had it in
possession long enough to teach us that without a parent we can do
no good, neither reveal a deity, nor ourselves to the world ; but he
hath endowed my heart with a portion of wisdom concerning himself
and the mind, that proceeded from the bosom of the Lord, and this
is a book of the mind. But another is committed to my trust,
concerning the deity, for it is the mind that reveals God to the world.
I build not on history, nor write from history, but from one of the
most simple minds in the world. I am like something moving but
cannQt comprehend the impression from whence it came, or tell the
world why my person is thus in operation to reveal my mind to
worlds or minds below ; but so it is with me, and v v. turns out to be
an honour to the deity then it will be known thtxic which is now
a mystery to me. When I am revealed then will I know myself,
but how can I tell before I know the man. Doth the earth know
why it bears, or the tree why it produces food for the gatherer? No
— why may I not be like one of those? These all reveal the living
God and why not I ? The earth bears by divine impression, and
from the word of God the tree bringeth forth her leaves, the flower,
and the fruit, to feed the living souls of men. I now begin to read

1 f

' .2

lfy

154

IMPRESSIONS or Tm: mind.

It '

in the alphabet of my history, for in these things I see the Lord in
greater perfections than in the hand>wciting of men. These things
are fulfilling their purpose ; but there is a delay in man, which Ood
seeketh to come forth, the purpose o'* creation in the mind. God
will not be disappointed, he hath ordained and it will come to pass —
hidden things will be known, and judgment will be brought to light.
Man shall know he is as on the left hand of God, or on the dark
side of the question ; because he doth not improve the mind. An
uncultivated field beareth not the harvest, and an unimproved mind is
like unto it — man is unacquainted with his own soul. Oh man, take
me by the hand and walk with me a moment, and I will show thee
that which is, and that which will be hereafler.

Behold the vine, ready to bear the blessings of the Lord, the rain
to descend, the sun to rise, the stars to give thee light, the moon and
stars to witness for a Redeemer's hand, and show the power of thy
God. Can thy mind receive these things and be filled with sinful
thoughts and vain imaginations about the things of God? No, thou
must forbear pursuing thine own thoughts, they lead thee into a
wilderness of darkness, and another seeketh thee and findeth thee
almost spent, wandering to and fro as a lost sheep, or as flocks
without a shepherd. God will give thee the creation if thou wilt
return unto him. Let those lines invite thee home, for thou art
bewildered in the midst of thy thoughts, and drowning in the imagi-
nation of thine own mind, — thy balance is out of order, thou can
adjust nothing rightly, and knowest not why thou wast bom into the
world ; because thou dost not enjoy the Lord. Behold thy mind is
as the field unin^>roved. I have been with thee in the desert, and
come away ; the hand of the Lord found me there, and his voice said
unto me come away, leave the race of men, and improve the mind —
the mind is the pillar of the Lord's house and he builds all his works
' on it. The mind of the Deity is the order of life, and he hath given
■us that which is his own, and bid us build thereon. The creation
beareth all things for our subsistence, — the heavens contain all our
personal light — the soul beareth the interpretation of God, and the
mind is his dwelling, and there he reveals himself to man. All
that we see is not more productive than the mind. My heart
now bears, that was once as the barren tree — the vine without the
grape, or the field without the harvest. The Lord hath watered it,
«nd it hears the bitter and the sweet, or deep joys and mournful
sorrow — the fruitful and the barren year — a time of labour and a
time of rest. The sun giveth his light and then is obscured in the
cloud as for a winter's day. The Lord begineth his works again in
the miud — the spring cometh forth, the bud appears. I walk alone
"(rith the impressions of the mind — the flower bursts from the heart as
t^« new found spring from the mountain side— the grape appears on

CUAPTER VI.

155

ftie vin6, and the heart bears a harvest, and mM can gather in and
be comforted, till they can strew and reap for themselves ; and this
is a history of the mind.

Oh God, the spring will never dry,

Nor shall my soul complain; ' ■ ^

Thou gave my spirit wings to fly, ■ V!

And eyes to see thy name.

•/ itM

The earth doth loudly tell of thee,
Sun, moon, and stars, declare;

"\ here e'er the dead or livin g ^g
Thy name's forever thin»» '/pJjJm^ _

The sea abounds with praise of thine,

The billows tell thy love ;
Thou 'st mark'd their compass with a line,

And their commands above.

No soul the billows can control.

Thine is the earth and sea ;
And thou commands the living soul.

And every plant and tree.

1, -».■.

tnA'\

Now we will proceed to the creation in the mind of a Deity as
being transferable to ours. The globe, and the whole moving
system, can be in the mind or spirit of God, but not in ours. The
sense, use, and benefit of the creation can be transferred from the
mind of God unto us. The sense of the creation giveth cause to
the soul to magnify the Lord. The pillars of the earth are these id
the mind, passiveness, obedience, patience and love. The whole
creation was passive e'er it came into existence ;— obedient, because
it came at God*s command ; patient, because it came forth one part
at a time, without murmuring against the other ; love, because the
Works of (rod gave him renown.

Now we have the pillars, we will try to build a little upward and
inform the man. Sense has a beginning in us — wisdom and under-
standing : and thus Moses accounts for the works of God. Our minds
are darl( in sin, as the atmosphere without the sun, moon, or stars
therein. Moses saw the sun to rise, (he was not present when the
pillars of the earth were laid) but when God began to enlighten
his soul, he was present there, and saw the sun arise as from deep
waters, and he saw one thing come forth after another, till he received
the sense and wisdom of the whole world. Moses had no written
testimony to teach him of the things of God. Moses gave a more

15G

IMPRESSIONS OF THE MIND.

ample account of himself, than he did of the creation : and his
writings showeth the bounds of his almost unbounded wisdom. He
saith the female cometh of the man, because these two are one. I
believe his writings to be a figure, by which I trust I shall find the
substance ; not because he hath written, but I will add my testimony
also to sacred truths he has explained ; for instance, the bone implies
a part of the man — man being made of the dust implies his spirit
is given of the spirit of the world, and is a strange sample of all that
is contained therein. God commanding the sun and moon in their
course implies that he directs the abilities of the mind ; the sun
rising at his word tells how light cometh into the mind of those that
hath sinned, and departed from God. It was a son of Adam that
wrote this strange history that no man can read. As for the earth
or sun arising out of deep waters or darkness it is mysterious and
strange ; but for God to enlighten a dark mind and increase our
understanding is not marvelous with them that receive, for they are
present with the Lord, and see how these deeds are done. That
which discovers to us the use, benefit and purpose of the creation, is
light, and maketh manifest in the mind, that those things are of God,
and beyond the abilities of the man. The more we see, the more
we glorify the builder, and are astonished at his extensive and most
wonderful works. As wisdom and understanding increases in the
mind, the creation seems to rise, and all those worlds without are to
inspire and impress the mind within, to praise the builder ; so Moses
came to a sense of every thing that was created, and begins to
account for the creation of the world. The use of the world is lost
from our knowledge in sin ; but wisdom and understanding bringeth
the worlds to light again, and this is the restoration of the man to
bring him back to what Moses saw, viz., the garden of his creation.
This is containing the spirit of the world in the mind, and every part
of the creation in their proper place : and as our hands and feet are
one workmanship, and both in their proper places, so God restores
the whole creation to the mind. We do not need all the earth to
till, to enjoy the world, nor gold to inspire with wisdom ; but we
want sensibility to know that the spirit of the world is in order in the
mind.

August 27th, 1833.

Though the leaf withers and decays.
Again the bud appears ;

So is the man inclin'd to praise-
Sweet music in our ears.

.-»C!

CHAPTEB VI.

157

The spring flows from the mountain side,
The plant is fresh and green ;

Our sorrows doth consume our pride,
And makes the conscience clean.

My soul learn at the school of woes,
The load thy brothers bore ;

Call on the Lord to still thy foes,
His love to heal the sore.

Tis Satan's part the heel to bruise.
He doth not beat in vain ;

My spirit rise and tell the news,
That satan beats again.

The plant ne'er withers nor decays.
Through gentle showers of rain ;

The love of God inspires our praise,
And tunes the harp again.

A song sublime my heart shall sing.

Of wisdoms bright decrees ;
The winter yields a pleasant spring.

My soul appeair like these.

The tree casts off her spreading leaves,
By autunm's great command ;

The limbs doth tremble in the breeze.
Chills clothe a mournful land.

■'')^ -asRIi^

All these are wisdom for my soul,

And clothing to put on ;
At God's command the leaf doth fall.

And summer's days are gone.

158

IMPRESSIONS OF TUE MIND.

October 31st, 1833.

TO THE MEMORY OF ANNE REID.

These records were transcribed thus far by a beloved sister, Anne
Reid. Her virtues were excellent, she walked foremost in the flock ;
she was a diligent singer, and a wholesome pattern for the young.
But on the 20th of October, 1833, she deceased, after a short and
painful illness. She desired death in her best days, as the world
afforded her but little pleasure. She never inclined to marriage or
male company as could be discovered. She often said it was her
place to serve the congregation, and nurse the records of the Church,
rather than to raise up children in a troubled world. She travelled
much abroad, spending her hard earned money with a willing mind.
She cared for the company, and always when able raised the tune in
worship, abroad, and at home. She walked atler our banners in
York with her sisters a few days before her departure. The last
time she left her little habitation (which was afler she was seized
with her last illness) was to worship God. She was unable to per-
form her common service. She has lefl her seat empty to be la-
mented forevermore.

My brethren, mourn with me — my sisters give ear to the words of
my spirit.

My sister is no more with the flocks ; she feedeth not with them
in green pastures. She is no more seen at the tables of the Lord.
She is no more washing herself with the maidens in the blood of
sorrow. She hath made her garments clean ; they were white as
hills of snow. She hath dressed herself, and gone to the wedding ;
the dead are her guests, and the Son of God her bridegroom, or her
spirit is alone forever. She has gone to the deceased sisters of her
love. She is no more in the banqueting place. She was at the head
of the table on the days of our solemn feasts, and elders crowned
her head with honour. Her voice is no more heard in the assem-
blies — her ears are deaf to my calls, — and I am alone. I am as
one awoke from sleep in a world of affliction. The Lord hath bro-
ken the staff I leaned upon, and my spirit hath fallen to the ground.
She mourns in the dust of the earth, and weeps aloud in the solitary
place, and my mourning is without remedy. Tears is the oil of my
mind, and my nights pass sorrowfully away. I wander abroad, but
find her not. I read over her days in the still watches of the night,
and cry unto the Lord — thou mighty God of Jacob, thou hast troubled
mci and taken her away that cannot return.

TO THE MEMORY OF ANME BKID.

Tuis song for her be over sung,
By every nation, name and tongue ;
Her virtues, like the rising day,
Are clouded, and hath fled away.

" Record my name my sisters dear,
And keep me in your mind ;
Sing o'er my sorrows with a tear.
Whene'er this song you find.

Penn'd by my brother, all my joys

That 1 had here below,
Behold how tears o'erflood his eyes,

His spirit loved me so.

A solemn part with him I bore,
His v^ounsels gave me rest ;

But now I see his face no more,
But know his mind's distressed.

May mercy reach his failing eyes,
From Jacob's God most kind.

And heaven above renew his joys,
While he remams behind.

'Twas my delight to ease his breast.
Whene'er I saw his pain ;

And he his love to me confess'd.
And gave me love again.

My virtues were his great delight,
'Twas joy my deeds to see;

He lent his hands to lead roc right.
His soul to comfort me.

But Oh to multiply his pain,

God took me far away;
He ne'er can see my face again.

Nor my kind deeds repay.

My soul be ever near hi? breast,
While he may here remain;

Farewell my brother, I'm at rest.
And we shall meet again."

15Q

DAVID WILLSON.

''!

. i

160

IMFBESSIONS OF THE MIND.

September 0th, 1833.

God enlarges the mind as the world was made : that is, one thing
after another ; and wise Moses carefully distinguishes an evening
between the days. God increases wisdom and understanding in
ancient order : that is, part at a time. The writings of Moses are
to impress the mind as the type in the hand of God ; and him that
hath received the impression, readeth more than the Ccriptures of
themselves explain. The word of God is as a seed cast into the
mind by the sower ; it multiplies as we resign, and bringeth forth
as we are willing to receive. The splendid and the luxurious have
the least taste to receive, but to the hungering soul the very sorrows
of the truth are sweet. These are cross occurrences that come in
our way for doing justice. The will of God is never true with the
measures of the earth, but is productive of such reason and justice
as but few or none have understanding or abilities to deny. Truth
is the poor man's friend, and God his Creator and Saviour. He
hath given his word for the salvation of men, and him that receiveth
it, in the love of it, careth but little about the present distinctions
that are made in the earth. His friend the truth is in his mind, and
lights his way through the dark habitations of the earth. Him that
hath received a spirit of truth hath ever a light before his eyes, and
seeth where to place his feet, direct his hands, and speak with his
tongue ; and these are the acting abilities of God committed to our
trust, and we have not received them without direction how to use
them.

God himself hath worked for our example, blessed for our comfort,
and entered into rest. Moses hath said justly when he said, God
finished the world, and entered into rest. Nevertheless he is willing
to educate every mind that is born of a woman and hath existence
in the body.

The mind is given of God, but the body is clay, yet apparently a
father and mother, and the parent of many souls. Moses wrote for
the information of the world. God taketh the type that Moses has
leA on record, and impresses the minds of many. Engraving on a
stone is a strong impression ; nevertheless, the impressions on the
mind is not likely to fail in a tempest, or waste away in the shining
rays of the sun. Stone were the tables prepared for God to write
upon. He commanded Moses to prepare them : that is to say, every
man should prepare his heart for the la^v of the Lord, and he will
write down his duty in it, and the will of the Lord will not waste
away. Moses' writings are for impression, ibr reception, for intelli-
gence to our friends, (for they were read in Israel,) for salvation to
the mind. Hence we conceive the first man that sinned was afforded
the measure of salvation, restoration and peace.

ooD gnlahoes tub hind.

161

The birth of a Saviour in the likeness of a man is the appearance
of the will of God in the mind. He grew up from small to great»
increasing in wisdom and understanding ; and here we have a true
figure of the gifl of God to the world. 1 have now quotations enough
to evidence the fullowing work, and wish to refrain from them ; I
only bring them to remembrance to confirm a doubtful mind. Moses*
writing is but a shadow of the mind ; the substance, the enjoyment;
and understanding are in the heart. Wisdom is the gates of heaven,
and few enter into rest through them. We see a busy and a restless
world, but few we see at peace in it ; the reason is, the mind is not
with God — the work is not finished — and many are seeking rest
without the salvation of the soul with God, and never find. Moses
•howeth his extensive understanding, and that there is a pillar of
rest for man, and that we may see God in peace, for so Moses saw
the Lord. How could he say he created all these things and entered
into rest, except the mind of Moses folio jd him in the work of ere-
tion, and saw the end of man ? Moses saw all these things, and
also prophecied of what would come afler him ; but he set no bounds
to the wisdom of God, but hath only revealed to the world the mea-
sures of the man, or wrote his own on paper for a testimony of the
most high God.

God worked not in darkness saith Moses the evangelist of the cre-
ation ; the first appearance was light. Oh what a true figure of a
dark mind when we have sinned ! Without the word of God we can
do nothing — this is the light of the world. Adam could not see to
make his own apron, and worked by guess, and missed the mark,
and God had to clothe him as a child whom he h&d made naked.
Oh what deprivation of abilities ! Oh what darkness sin bringeth
upon us ! diminishing our understanding, and puts our light of inno-
cence quite out. But God hath promised to recover and restore.
Then let me and all my earthly-minded brethren receive the means —
a light from the mercies of God to work by ; for so he hath done by
himself when he created the worlds, and hath given wisdom thereof
to the mind. How could Moses discover thG works of God, and
what he did at a time, was it not for this light set in the firmament
of heaven ? Moses maketh use of these things to increase the under-
standing of his brethren.

The sun is but a figure of God's grace ; and God gave grace to
the heart of Moses, and then by and through this light revealed the
world to him, and heaven above, where God is at rest. I now begin
my own testimony : — I have known my mind to be as dark to the
revelation of God, or the understanding of his revealed will, as the
firmament was before the sun arose in it. A history of the world is
no salvation to man, but the knowledge of himself completes the mind ;
fills up the measure of God in the soul, and his spirit is at rest in it.
z-

i!t;t":i'C

I 1 £,

fv;*"'

103

IMFHISSSIONS OF TUB MIND.

The worlds came into existence by passiveness and obedie<ice---8tf
doth God do his work in the mind. My abilities cometh forth one
after another as the worlds were made, and when I see these
things, I see as Moses saw, and am confirmed he spake the truths
and wrote of God to increase my faith and enlarge my understanding*
He whose heart is illuminated by the light of grace, is as a man
walking in darkness with a lamp before his eyes, without which he
can seo nothing to his own satisfaction, or is worthy of revelation to
his brethren ; but the lamp is as light to his eyes, oil to bis tongue,
direction for his feet, and the ornament of his hands. And when he
hath travelled a great way alone, comparative to the life of Moses
before he wrote, he finds the hand writing of Moses by the way.side,
and he readeth it in the light of the sun or the Spirit of God, which is
as the lamp before him, and he seeth that his servant Moses travel-
led that way before him, and lefl these marks to comfort the weaiy,
lest humanity should faint and stop short of the blessing. He hath
not said stop when we have made this divine discovery, fo. he has
prophesied there is somewhat yet to come ; but when we have seeR
as he saw, pursue on in pursuit of these things, he declares to the
world, till we see God at rest in the soul as his servant Moses saw
him in heaven ; and then we are but fit and capable to walk alone
without a staff from Moses or the Prophets io lean upon, or any other
laborious servant that hath toiled on earth to strengthen his weak<
ened brother man. We hereafter begin to see for ourselves, and
Advance beyond what others have done for us, fulfilling their mea-
sure given, and in peace they pass away. But we close not the
path to younger travellers, nor put out the light that others have
lighted, but bless them as the works of God, our witness on the way
to heaven. There is but one way for all men, and that is revealed
by Moses and the Prophets, justified of God, practised by his Son,
<ind blessed in worlds below. We travel forward as is above writ-
ten, into a desert where none hath been— -here we must work alone
by faith, as Israel in the wilderness, when kings and nations could
not direct their way ; my soul knoweth these things, and I am bound
(for favors received) to give honor to Moses and the Prophets for
.ever, for I found them in the way to God, and David, Israel's king,
in the midst of them. Now, if the saints of old hath quoted too Moses
,and the Prophets to prove their experience right, why may not my poor
soul, of latter days, in the like manner ? If the latter saints, the sons o(
the New Testament, hath called on the name of Moses and Abraham
with David and the Prophets, to prove the truth and authenticity of
the Gospel, why not I to prove the experience of my mipd ? Though
I were at peace with God, I am only restored from whence I came, it
is Dot to say my life is fulfilled, but only my debt is paid. I have
atoned to God or repented for transgressions I h^ve coinmitted.

deit

dHAPtfiR Vtt.

\9t

• KoW begins the life that God directs in the soul :— Shall we not
see temptation in the wilderness ? The Son of God saw and fought
alone, and won a victory over my foe. Shall I not make use of his
name till I win the prize, and tell my human desire it is wrong for my
limbs to obey ? they are consigned to God, and for his purpose they
were made and created^ If I obtain the prize I praise none but
God alone—U is done by his Word, by which we read and see and
understand, and the mind begins to increase in wisdom and under-
standing, and one day's work af\er another is revealed to us all our
life long, till we come to the final end, and see the works of God
done in the soul, life fulfilled, and the mind fitted for heaven and the
body for the tomb. So fulfil my days, my Saviour and my God.

When e*er the sun begins to rise,
Then more and more t'll sacrifice,
^ The higher t shall plainly see.

The will of God wrote down in me.

God is my trust, God is my care,

He bids my feet to enter there,
Where mornings cease and evenings die,

Because the soul doth rise so high.

Oh, earth ! thy measures all farewell,
■f.: My soul of God his truths can tell,

And of his blessings here below,
Of victory and a conquered foe.

The throne whereon his spirits rest.
The saint and son in garments drest,

Unspotted while their robes appear,
As sun and stars for ever clear.

September 25th, 1833.

CHAPTER VII.

What is the mind ? is a question hard to answer or give a full
reply to ; we can hear of a city and by faith received by hearing, set
out on the journey and travel to it. The city we cannot fully see
till we enter through the gates into the city ; and see the walls
around that defend the city, and keep men out of it. God keeps
the keys of the mind, to whom he reveals seeth the city, and to
wHom he revealeth not, cannot see through the walls ; so the mind
is inclosed with a mysterious veil that none can rend but God alone.
He that seeth the mind, seeth the city af the most high God, and the
deity in the midst of it. All things serve the Lord at all times, and
13

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104

IMPRESSIONS or TRB MIND.

'Ms

^■^B'

It'

there is no getting beyond the measures of our God. >Vhat is sin f
It is the want of improvement. You may as well tell me the dove
can swim under water, or fly without wings, as to tell me that ever
man walked where there was no way, or acted without the inspiration
of God. This argument leadeth us on to ask the question — what is
God ? He that knoweth not the mind cannot tell ; but he that enter-
eth through the gates into the city, can give a history both of God
and the mind. What the deity was Moses let\ untold ; only that he
was a spirit, and naturally speaking is not seen with the human eyes.
He directs the world of mankind to behold his works, and as the
deeds of the man give us knowledge of his heart, so doth the whole
world of the spirit of God. The deity is the spirit of all living, he is
clothed with the flower, and with the grass, as perfectly as with the
man-— as perfect in the Lion as in the Lamb — as in the Eagle so in
the dove — the fish — all animate or inanimate being. Now tell me
if it is possible for the thorn or thistle to grow without the inspiration
of God's spirit. If you think r:.\ create those thmgs for yourselves
in gardens or fields, or invent a plant that never yei hath been— or
bring the dry tree to bearing, and then human reason will stand.
There never was a fish that did swim in the sea, or tree that grew in
the field, but by the inspiration of God, and it is his spirit that sup.
ports all existence, and is the order of life. Every thing received
their nature from God ; and what is man but as one of those whom
God has made. If he has sinned, the very event is to learn him
wisdom. Did man ev<)r act by a nature that was not in himself? No,
no more than the dove can fl} without wings, or the lion take his
prey without the wisdom of God. Then God is life and thought,
and what we see is the spirit of the mind brought into action, and this
is the spirit of God revealed as when he created the world. From
whence did the bitter herb receive virtue ? From the spirit of God.
From whence doth the Bee gather honey, but from the flower that
God hath commanded to yield her food ? Now what is man ? He
is as the plant of the field — a tree of the wood, or a supreme over the
animal creation. Why ? Because he hath more talent given him*
and more is required of him ; and man should reveal himself to man
as the father should provide bread for the child. He that knoweth
himself, knoweth the deity, as well as he knoweth how he entereth
through the gates into the city, and that it is by permissicn, and so
God permits man to come to a knowledge of himself.

Sin is a great stumbling stone in the world, and priests gather
great wages for endeavouring to move this stone out of the way.
They are like doctors giving medicine to the sick, that prevail not —
it is the nature of man, and in every human creature by the appoint,
ment of God, and we cannot remove. But when we tire in this
practice, God can give us another ; and sin is of bad consequencef,

CRAPTIR VII.

105

for it darkens and troubles the mind ; and he that knoweth it, hath an
introduction to an improvement. And, who can say that he hath
sinned, and thereby hath not come to a sense there is a better way ?
and the purpose of these lower kiogdoms nnd the trouble of them is
to teach the the man that we are frail, and cry mightily for the
superior abilities of our God, so we fulfil the first lesaons of life, and
pass on our way. And when we reach the city, we see that God is
in all our deeds of life, and is acting in every creature ; and a com-
position of all is the mind, anH God within the bounds of the City,
moving the limbs or the bodies of men by the impressions of the mind.
Individual objects may take the whole heart astray, like the fruit
our father eat, and disquiet the whole mind. But there is no peace
without the knowledge of God, for man was made uj know his Creator,
and it is all he thirsts for since the pillars of the earth were Itiid.
Our father sought to find him in the fruit — some in women, some in
wine, some in lands and in gold — but he is not in these only by
parts ; and the first man found the fruit bitter that sought for sweet :
and herein is the experience of the man. So he cometh to the sense
of the herb, the honey and the gall, and all these do not sufiice, till
he seeth every thing or every part in its place, according to its
decreed or appointed purpose, and this it is that completes the salva-
tion of the man, his mind is in order, and he knoweth the worlds
move by the impressions of God.

How can my soul attempt to sing.

Or how can I forbear ;
For God is in the angel's wing,
'' ..^ . ^ And life and spirit there.

The dove flits round his holy throne,
«■ - Oh what's an angel's name?

To men unseen, to God they're known,
From him all spirit came.

*. i'^

fi*i#

Angels are these that conie and go,

Impressions of the mind ;
And some of these are bitter woe.

With some sweet food we find. " .

There 's no deception in their wings, ' ^ '

They fly at God's command; ** t '

''- They visit priests, and visit kings,

^ And curse and bless our land.

Gozt willeth not that vrt should remain in sin, for he that remaineth
in sin dwelleth in the city of ignorance, and a cloud of darkness
hangeth over his habitation, and he knovt^eth not what he doeth. If
12

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Iff'

t. til

lUPBBSSIONS OF THE MIND.

by fin wo fulfil the first lessons of life, by righteousness we fill (^<«
last, and these are the events of man. In all these changes we know
the Lord. When we come to a knowledge of self, we know what
we are, and that heaven and hell are impressions of the mind and
rule over us, and that God governs the world by these. Because of
he!! we fear God ; and because of heaven we love him ; and who
can say he is not in all our deeds of life ? As ore is cast into the
furnace, the soul is cast into affliction, to soften the mind that we
may be remoulded into the more glorious abilities of our God.

If God in the first place hath made us subject to temptation, ha
hath in the second place made us subject to righteousness. And
affliction is for a great an'* glorious purpose in the mind : it subdues
our lesser or brutal propensities, and makes way for the more glorious
abilities of God to act in us. As by the deeds of the mind, the Deity
is glorified ; he is not willing to leave us in this low station, that
doth no honour to a Creator m the eyes of an enlightened mind. —
He therefore softens us in affliction, reforms the mind, and giveth
us new clothing as often as the summer tree doth change her leaves.
Though every garment is received from the same giver ; yet every
change increaseth the glory of God, as doth the spring his smiles
from heaven.

THE FALL OF MAN AND RISE TO RIGHTEOUSNESS.

All men fall into sin by nature — that is, there is a nature or spirit
in us that leadeth us that way, and another that leadeth us to forsake
our sins and live a justified life. It is evident that God desireth a
change, and requireth righteousness ; this is being equal with God —
that is to say, perfectly fulfilling his commands. This fall is mys.
terious, yet plain. When we have arisen from the dead — that is,
where we are closed up in conviction, as the body in the grave, it is
where we cannot reason for ourselves, but own our sins, confess
our guilt, and resign to the powers above. Here temptation dieth,
and hell becomes alive in the soul, and the flame encompasseth the
whole mind. This is an impression of the most high God, and is
perfectly his command, as that ever the sun should rise out of dark-
ness. No reasoning of our father Adam could cease the convicting
flame. The Deity was not to be overcome ; he had designed
experience for the mind, and determined that men should drink of
it. Him that falleth is. at a school of woes, but he needeth a master
to teach him how to read the lesson ; for many are afflicted without
the intended purpose, which is to humble the mind. God would
walk before us all our life long, if we were humble enough to hear
his word, and obey his command. The very purposes of sin are to
■often the heart and humble the mind. What foolish and afflicted

CIUFTER VII.

167

eraature can say he hath no need of a reformation ? if lo, he i^
foolish to an extreme ; etruggling in his chains without hope or relief.
Hell is the vengeance of God, and will soften the hardest heart,
and the most reprobate mind. The priests should reveal all these
things to the world, that the afflicted should be patient in tribulatioii,
for it is the purpose of our grief: God wants a heart refined in the
furnance, as when he began the world, and then he will make some,
thing of us ; but while we devise our footsteps by these low abilities,
we fulfil not the purpose of our creation ; and a mightier hand than
ours is ever laying a stone in our way ; and the world will walk and
■tumble till men are convinced of themselves they can do nothing —
that is, they cannot build a tower to reach to rest, nor such a ladder
as Jacob saw, (the path of angels from heaven to earth, and from
earth to heaven.) The fall is human, but God is the builder of the
jiropensities by which we fall. He hath connected all these things
m the mind of the man, and Ae must, in some indirect way or mys.
terious impression, be both the author of the fall and the rise of the
human will ; for this is the whole guidance of life. The will teach*
eth us t3 fall, and like a child falling into a pit, the will weepeth in
us; but if a merciful parent draweth us upward from the burning,
it 18 the will of the mind to shun that slippery way by which we are
taken in the snare, and God has bid us do what he knoweth we are
disposed not to fulfill ; and so all men fall into hell. We must
return to the law of the Lord for salvation, for this law we lefl be-
hind us when we set out on the journey alone ; acting by the first
propensities of God in the soul — or the abilities of a child's mind.
• And here ends my book of the soul, or history of the mind.

Long in the secret courts to dwell
Hath been my lot alone ;
^ But I stand in the door and tell

What long hath been unknown.

Worlds at a distance now may lise,

As Muses hath foretold ;
And lights sublime may light the skies,

Like days that were of old.

The sun may rise that lights the mind.

And to all nations shine ;
And I may peace and safety find

Amidst this soul of mine.

Farewell, historians all, adieu!

Your goodness to fulfill,
I must come up and walk with you,

And write my Saviour's will.

"' h' Vl'<^*^

II '

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16S IMPBE8SI0NS OF THE MIKD.

^r \ ■ . ■ ^ . . .

September 28lh, 1833.
No. I.

Thb following chapters are a history of the bouse of the Lord,
the world, and the crciation'of it. They are observations that I have
made in my travels through the mind.

As a man writeth of a distant country, so my soul doth write of
these. The spirit of truth hath been with me and speaketh no lie.
I have not been idle on the pilgrimage ; I have placed my feet in
haste, and got myself ready to discover to the world the being of a
God, his habitation, and the work of his hands.

I was like a worm asleep in dust or ashes, but the spirit of truth
said unto me. Arise. The word of the Lord spake in mine ears as
with u trumpet of quickening power. I could not excuse for want
of literary skill, nor offer my poverty in life an atonement for my
guilt. I saw that I was clothed with sin, and must go down to the
baptizing place ; (my body was not plunged in water,) but my soul
in affliction- Of this baptism I can give some relation ; but of water
I know none, because I have not received it. The Lord became a
father to my spirit, and led me behind the backs of men into the
wilderness, and instructed me alone in the school of affliction ; and
truly the Lord talked toith me in hellf and translaced my spirit into a
moiMntary heaven^ where I could see the saints, David and the
prophets, with other patriarchs in Israel. I saw the days of Abram {
for truly I was alone, and the Spirit of the Lord talked with me : he
set a seal upon my lips, and forbid my communication with men
about religion and *he things of God. His voice was with power,
and I obeyed the visions of the mind. He soon began to declare
unto me of things to come ; and as I grew humble in affliction, the
spirit of truth grew up in roe, and I saw that I was in the Lord's
house, and all his sons of old were in it. I saw God and Christ to
be a light to the world ; and my soul rejoiced in God my Redeemer.
My spirit took cc'irage, my belief increased in the revelation of
God ; and i began to act by faith as did Abram my father— (spi-
ritually so, for I am not of the blood of Abraham, though no blood
is dearer to me than his.) Sectarians of our age began to stone
me, and the archers let fly their arrows by no small measure, and I
began to cry like a child chastised with a rod ; but I saw the hand
of the Lord was in all this, and that the gates were closed up behind
me, and that I must only receive these stripes as thb chastisements
of his will. I pressed foirward against the storm, and saw the cloud

S've way, darkness rent in twain, and I saw my passage clear, and
at nothing could stand before the Lord nor conquer the truth.

HISVOKY UF TUB HOUSE OV TUll LOBU.

169

I am now getting my little book ready for the world, and kings
and princes may look therein, and lords and dukes deny, but it is
the hand of the Lord spread abroad from the bosom, or the mind.

This world is the house of the Lord, but the mind is his secret
dwelling. I write from the mind and the penetration of thought
with which my mind is impressed, and the spirit of truth hath shewn
me many things to be revealed. I am a great admirer and lover of
the works of God, according to my small measurcj. Those that hath
seen more can reveal more ; I am only accountable to God for that
which I have received.

Moses and the prophets hath great place in my mind, or beareth
much weight on my spirit. I see their days glorious, and a portion
of their spirit in me. Every herb, plant, and tree declares the work
of the builder's hand ; and if I only appear as thu thistle by the rose,
I will not deny the maker's hand : I will show my form unto men,
for the Lord hath done this.

My best days are to be resigned ; for then I am fit for the builder's
put-pose, and he may make of me what he will. So I am trusting
he will guide my hand through this work and bring me to a glorious
end ! that is, to praise God for his mercies and be at peace, and
princes and potentates can rise no higher. I covet no throne here
below, nor any part of the earth to be my footstool. God hath cre<
ated the world equal; and this will be the end of controversy and
the fall of kingdoms, — the long captivated Jews will rise into dwnin-
ton, and fulfil the days that the prophets and Christ hath desired.
Their prayers were the will of God, and will be fulfilled. The lights
of the world proceeded from the Jews, and they will not be cast away.
The Lord hath kept them distinct to show his name in them. He
will give them a land and they will be a people, excelling in wisdom,
for a time, till the rest of the world shall fulfil their measures ; after
which all nations will be as one, and Ishmael united to the house of
Abram again. Abram is a pillar in the Lord's house ; he will not
remove. No new dispensation hath been that hath darkened thd
light of his days, nor ever will. The lights of the world sprang
from the loins of Abram, and his good name will never fail under
heaven. I am not afraid to speak of things to come, because I have
seen the glory of the Lord in years that are past in fulfilling pro-
phetic sayings that were whispered in mine ears. I do not say I
am a prophet, but that a prophet hath spoken to me. I believe it to
be one of the spirits of ancient days that dwells with God, and whis.
pars in mine ears. They are all in the house of the Lord, and are
spirits at his command. It is declared they shaU rise again, with all
the rest of the world. Then the Jews will rise to their former sta.
tion, that is, to believe in God and truths that are revealed unto
tb«m ; and as I have written unto them, I shall not prolong their

170

IMPSESSIONS OF THE MIND.

E !

Ifii 5.

name or character in this work, but in due time give them that
which is their own, and lines that God hath given. It tatceth time
to evince truths. I must only strew these lines as seeds in the earth,
(from my small habitation in the wilderness of Upper Canada,) and
as the husbandman or cultivator trust to the growth of them, or whe>
ther they have place in the mind of this world or not, 1 know that
I have found what 1 cannot deny, and seen that which I dare not
conceal.

The Lord is present every where ; why not with me, a lonesome
inhabitant of the wilderness ? The ends of the world are not forgot.
ten, the poor widow, nor the fatherless child. Who can blame the
Deity for showing mercy to my soul ? He hath shewn me the inner
courts of his house, and is now leading me out to see the world,
show me the flowers of the field, the lillies, and all his wondrous
work that is comprehensible by the mind of a man. He showeth
me his likeness in all things that he hath created, and that he en*
lightened the mind of Moses his servant, and then hath shewn unto
him the world, and man that he hath made, and of his disposition.
Nothing is more true than this that the mind of Moses must have
been, and now is, a store-house of the wisdom of God. He fed his
people from the mind of Moses ; and I have read many sacred les.
sons there, by the light of the sun, that lights the mind. This is the
sun that Moses saw rise out of darkness, or a sinner's mind.

The plant showeth the form of God, as perfect as the man. He
is not deformed in his work. He is governor in his own house, and
orders life as he will. That man can do any thing but by permission
of God is impossible, and that he can reap a reward that is not de.
signed is presumption to believe. The hand of God is in all his
works — as perfect in the thistle as in the rose, and glorious in all the
works of his hand. His voice is heard in hell as perfect as in hea-
ven, and he is life in the brute as perfect as he is in the man ; and
these forms are the purposes of God, and are made to glorify his
name : but man is accountable to God for all he sees, and is debtor
for all his works, to give him praise for all he has done. In order
to prepare the heart for such an office, we must walk abroad in the
band of the Lord, and behold his works through the revelation of his
will. Such favours as these inspire the heart to praise, when we
see him in the brute and in the flower ; when we taste him in the
fruit, or see him ripening on the tree ; when we see him spread in
the leaves, grow in the grass, and ornament the field ; when we see
him to ride upon the cloud, and know him to be swifler than the
wind ; when we hear him in the thunder, and fear him in the light,
ning of the sky ; when his voice sounds in the billow, and his life is
hid in deep waters ; when he nourishes in the plant, and feeds in
the animal of the field ; when he fleeth in the desert, and clothes

HISTORY OF THB HOUSE OF THE LORD.

ITl

himself with the wood ; when he rises on wings, and showeth him.
self abroad; when we fear him in the terrors of the storm, and
when he is clothed with the night ; when he speaketh from the wave,
and defieth the world to command the seas ; when he standeth on
the mountain, and bids the vallies behold his superior form. All
these are my God, and tlTe clothing of the Almighty, whose name
I dread and fear ; my preserver from sin, and the sole comfort of my
days.

Let each created being sing,
The fowl that fly, the creeping thing ;
For man alone is one of these, .

Hath but his portion — his decrees.

How can the soul presume to boast,
That was in woods and waters lost?
Or as the worm amidst the dust.
Knew not his God in whom to trust?

My soul, by mercy thou arose.
And as the worm or lilly grows.
Thou art a plant arose from dust.
And saw a God in whom to trust.

Sublimest praise is his reward.
Thou art but dust and he is Lord ;
All thou receives to thee is given.
Of earth or sea, of hell or heaven.

; \-.>^

,■>

'-?*•'.«.--

God is as perfect in the infant child as in the greatest artist. Earth,
air, or sea hath nothing to boast, — the vallies nor the hills. God's
perfections are as great in the insect as the eleph&ut, — in the valley
as in the hill. The creation is equally blest and eac:> part for the
purpose it was created.

God is as perfect in the lion as in the dove ; and 1? is not distinct
in these, but is connected in the whole, and one orii^inal is the spirit
of all being.

His measures are as bright in Moses as in the Soa of God. Grace
and law are the gifts of one God, and man hath nothing to boast
since the pillars of the earth were laid. Each were appointed for
their purpose, and hath found their course to run. If hell is in our
way, a mightier hand than ours hath placed it there, and we cannot
remove. If heaven is appointed for our rest, there is a way pre<
pared to receive the blessing ; sinners only delay their passage home.
The worlds were created in peace, without controversy, and worthy
of a blessing. When the worlds were blessed, man was also blessed ;
he was cursed with affliction that he might perfect his blessing; kaow

,1 ■*;■■ ■ '■ '"

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172

IMPBESSIONS OF TUB UIND.

the goodness of his God, and be at peace. The blessings and afflic.
tions of God are talents worthy of improvement. We cannot tell
the depth of a water till we futhoni to the bottom, and then measure
the line. We cannot tell the goodness of God till we improve his
blessing, and reap the harvest from a field of joys. The rivers hold
their contents, and the seas the same. Ev^ry mmd is full that serves
the Lord ; by joy and affliction he enables us to choose the paths of
wisdom. We would not know that vinegar was sour did we not par.
take of it, nor that gall is bitter ; but so the Son of God came to the
experience of life. A servant in the days of Moses was as fully
justified as in the days of Christ; and there is but one God to bless
and curse the earth.

Oh pity him that is so poor,
He knows not where to find a cure ;
Oh pity him that's so distress'd.
That cannot find the way to rest.

Oh pity him that doth not know
That man is to himself a foe ;
Oh pity him that ever flees.
From fruitful to the barren trees.

Oh pity the exalted, proud,

For darkness clothes them with a cloud ;

Oh pity these that truth despise.

For God 's forbid their souls to rise.

i- (

^ '

' October 21st, 1833.

The creation is made to suffer according to the appointments of
the builder ; he is in every thing that is made, and man is a distinct
spectator of his deeds. There is no Life but one — he. is the same
undivided God in all things. There is no living existence but the
Deity — he changes his garments in death, and clothes himself again,
and is for ever. The grass withers at his departure, the flower
decays, and the tree ceases to bear — the bride is left with the dead
body of her bridegroom, he sleepeth, and none can wake him out of
his sleep — the child giveth up the mother, and the husband the wife,
Jie stands as one defenceless in the day of battle, the Almighty is
too strong for him. Were these things not the appointufents of
God and the purposes of the creation, they could be prevented ; but
it is not in the power of man or beast to save his own life, he must

TllK CaUATIOX la M\DU TO SUFFUR^

17a

fulfil the decrees of the Maker. God hath not seen it good in his
pleasure that life should remain in bodily existence, save the cartM^
she bringeth forth for ever, she is as the bride of the Almighty, she
conceiveth of God in the creation of the world, or when the earth
came into existence, (that is, where we see the purposes of it,) and
bringeth forth the herb and the tree, supporteth the fowl, the fish,
the brute, and every bitter and sweet below the sun. The species
flow from her bosom, and the refreshing nir is the breath of her
heart ; not the mist of the earth, but the Spirit of God ; he sweet,
ens the air with the spices of her garden, and bids my soul to
behold her deeds. He sendeth rain upon the fields and bringeth forth
the harvest. His own life exists upon the plant of ihe ^ield, for
without this we perish.

What is sin ? Let me know thou great, alUwise and wondroiis
God. It is sin, not to go to the school of education where God
showeth man his abilities, and the volumes of nature are open beforo
him. Lord, lead me there, and I will be with thee, and be taught of
God, and distrust man (who fadeth as a leaf,) for evermore. Be.
hold the earth, she is full of my glory, she is clothed with the sun,
changeth her garments as the moon, and as a mother of all living,
she receiveth a blessing from God, and is one of the most divine
blessings to man that ever he can enjoy. The glory of the earth,
the sun, moon and stars, the sea and what is contained in it, fills the
mind of the man, as the atmosphere is filled with the work or deeds
of God, and the mind rejoices in the deeds of the Creator. More
extensively speaking, the incomes of the earth bless the mind, and
inspire th'CJ thoughts to praise the builder. It is not having much
in our care that increases knowledge ; by partially looking on that
small dust we call our own, too oflen blinds our eves from a more ex-
tensive knowledge of the deeds of God. God is the master of his own;
scholars, and them that come to him. These things that I am writing
is «vhat his Son Jesus, that great Prophet, hath in store to give them
that Cometh to his Father. He is a steward of his grace in heaven,
that is, where the mind is reconciled to the judgments and mercies of
God. I wish the world knew the Lord as I know him, and more so.
I care nothing for riches, but am forbidden to waste. I thirst after
no crown or country, but my heart is not satisfied ; I thirst for wis.
dom, and as the pantmg soul, I know not the extent of my mind, nor
when it will be filled, fbr this thirst is not quenched, neither doth my
desire abate. I am at peace with God, and esteem trouble, however
bitter, to be a blessing to the inind, ibr sorrow is part of God, and a
gift to the mind. When do we know God more perfectly that when
we are sorrowful, and then to know our sorrows to i^bate ? We know
him in sickness and in health, in sorrow and in joy, in the bitter and
in the swee!, in life and in death ; and this is due to God, a blessing

!|l'/^

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" 174

IMritE8SION8 OF THE MIKDi

fijr bis revelation ; for in all we taste, see, or smell, the Lord reveali

JjiPself to man. Death is unavoidable, but life is for ever. God

''"^ffiinisheth not in death, neither dcth he increase in life, he is what

iM'-was, apd evermore will be, the life of all things under the sun ;

in the aogel and in the saint, in the rich and in the poor, he is one

unchanging God.

Let not my thoughts presume to sing,

Where there 's no stranger nigh ;
But still revealing God my King

On whom I do rely.

Unto what shall we compare the world but the Deity, and with
what shall we compare the Deity but with all we see and hear.
Man is but a small portion of his image : all things created are as
perfectly h<«4 likeness as the man ; man is said to be his likeness
because h^- exceedeth all in wisdom, understanding, and workman-
ship, save v< id his master. There is not a thing or being that lives
and tnoves 1 ut is a perfect form of the Creator; there is nothing
gre'^n vT dry but sheweth us the likeness of God. When we behold
the V. oT), nan we see his arts and ingenuity are the lines of his hand ;
in r.ll this \ ^^e the builder, for man without the Deity is clay, and
senseless as tm dust.

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My song begins with trouble here,

For this invites to move ;
The soul encouraged with fear,

And thus we life improve.

Oh life is God within the soul,

The soul is life likewise.
As billow after billow roll,

God doth the earth chastise.

'Tis life that feels the piercing rod,

And life is given to know.
That life is spirit and is God,

And God's in worlds below. -i , /

Who bids my senses rU ttj feel,

But life's chastizing hand?
Who seals up life, and breaks the s«$al.

But life's unknown command.

God from the earth none can divide,
Nor part him from the sea;

■} ■ -,. . IV:,: V

tUK CKEATIOX IS MADU TO 8UVFKR.

173

ii'^^iii^^ (Sinners through shame and darkness hide,

From things they all might see. : 4^ :

There 's not a leaf that ' s spread in vain,

Nor cloud obscures the skies,
For there I see my maker's name,

And thesie that make me wise.

t WILL write down the paths of sin, and the way that leads from
the knowledge of God. We do not sin with the endowments of the
fear of the Lord, but when the Lord is hidden from our eyes, then
are we bold to sin. We do not sin through the remembrance of his
judgments, but when we have forgetten the chastising hand of God.
Will not the Lord chastise till we fear, and afflict till .we remember
his judgments? Then shrll we live as though God was present
with us, and know his mercies.

The enjoyment of forbidden fruit is stolen pleasure, for which we
suiter like criminals in the day of judgment. God hath not created
any thing but we may know ; but we must first fear him, and then
we walk uprightly with the Lord. Sin is the mind running without
a guide ; we soon find the fetters or get fast in the snare ; but as wo
walked in the darkness we know not the way we came, and we
ascribe the cause to every thing but that which is just, and that is
hidden from our eyes ; so the world of men suffer in sorrow, and
cannot account for the cause of it.

We are unwilling to own our own crimes, or to tell our brethren
how weak we are. The forbidden tree was planted to know : it is
nothing short of the life of God, for he hath perfect knowledge of
good and ill ; but man hath not this knowledge till he knows his
Creator, and that is never till he will reveal himself to man. What
our father partook of was the knowledge of evil, and he was ignoraat
of the use of the tree afler partaking the fruit of it.

We are permitted to do what we are not commanded to do : we fall
into hell through our own abilities — we learn a sad lesson there, the
want of direction. If a righteous man receiveth trouble at the hand
of God he knoweth it is to make him more clean, or to increase the
experience of the mind, he knoweth that God doeth it, and that it is
not the event of his own sins. What a distinguishing diflTerence in
distress — the one increaseth in wisdom, and the other getteth angry
witb folly, and curseth men for his pains, that is more clear of them
than God in heaven ; this is darkness and the deeds of it. He that
walketh with the Lotd is baptized in season, and when the mind is
ready God walketh with him in baptism, and reveals to him these
truths that are not otherwise known, and he increases in the wisdom
of the Lord, while the other darkens into despair and gives up
the ghost.

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176

lairitEssioKs of tii£ mind.

If-f''

Thi« if death to sin, but we can renew our affliction by a repetition
of our crimos, and so live sinning and sufiering all our days, and
know no more about God and the creation than we know whether the
bottom of the sea is black or white. Come with me, afflicted sinner,
1 will show thee the paths of life, for the«e are given me to reveal to
my brethren, Adam's children. The way to heaven is a path of
affliction, affliction increases fear, and fear forbids to sin ; these fqot*
steps are right, and none will reveal them more plainly to the world
than my spirit — affliction is the knowledge of God. I am one of the
sinful sons of Adam, and know there is sorrow for sin and affliction
without crime, for it pleases God to afflict his own, to keep them in
safety, multiply their understanding, increase experience, and show
forth wisdom from the regions of the dead, that is, where the sinner
lieth in chains, without a word of utterance for his God, or a syllable
of doctrine for the souls of men. These are the paths of life that
lead from where the captivated dead doth lie to the knowledge of
God — this is a solemn lesson to learn, i. e. to be reconciled to afflic*
tion, that is not to say we shall not groan nor feel the stripes of the
chastizing hand, but we show ourselves men when we complain not
in trouble, speak against God, nor envy men : in this I am wanting.
It is this lesson that completes the pilgrimage of life. When we
become reconciled to judgments the sacred flame doth abate. Learn
my soul to feel the rod and not complain, for this is heaven itself; we
are then passing through the gates into the city, and are the lawful
heirs of life. Him that feareth God ceaseth to sin, and this is the
^wisest stand that ever mortal man hath made in all his days. Let us
make proper use of affliction, and improve her as a field or a garden ;
she hath been as the spouse or bride to my mind, and if I know any
thing rightly, I was taught that same lesson in the school of affliction,
where God is master of his own, and conquers the mind of man by
the chastisement of his hand. I am the heir of his mercies according
to my affliction ; I bought them in the flames of hell, I sold them for
nothing, and have bought them at a price.

Oh brother rest with me awhile, -

And learn with me to sing, *

When e'er we 're thirsty with our toil,
We'll find a living spring.

When e'er we're tired with the fruit,
>. ;:.>i.ii>t: We will the tree despise;
r V. jui. Nor will we with our God dispute,
, ' ' When he doth long chastise.

'i - We'll drink his mercies and be still,

The draught will make us strong, *^'

THE CREATION AN EVIDENCK OF THE UEITr.

17T

Both sweet and bitter is his will, —
We'll note them in our song.

We'll rise again, our strength renew,
Our hope we'll fondly cheer,

We'll reap right well for what wo do,
For heaven and God is near.

♦ ')

November 23d, 1833.

The creation is an indisputable evidence that there is a Deity ; .
and the most sublime use of the creation to the immortal spirit is, to
give hope to the mind. As for its temporal purpoiaew it only exists
the person, till the soul or mind in this mortal or d& aying frame,
works a peace or salvation for itself. The deeds of the body produce
a good effect to the mind ; and when the soul hath fulfilled her ap.
pointed purposes, and is ready to return to God for an eternal recom- .
pence, she is willing to part with the body as being no more useful _
to the mind. And sometimes life becomes a burden to the righteous,
and they stay longer in the body than the soul desires. But to prove
that the Deity works a perfect submission in the mind of his people,
we have to bear the burden till he cuts the thread of life, and divides
soul and body apart, by the same hand that connected them together.
The body may suffer pain, while the soul suffers not for sin : but this
sorrowing itself works the greater salvation to the mind. The
deeper the bonds, the more rejoicing in the day of our deliverance ;
as God never requires his own to suffer without a recompence. The
sufferings of Job were great to prove the irresistable power of a Deity
to the world ; Lut he fully recompenced Job for all his pains. To
continue our line of evidences, for the Deity — we must own there
is a future existence, or otherwise that there is no beginning. I
believe there is a beginning, and end, and that there is eternal life.
I do not believe there js beginning or end with God, but there is
beginning and end with us. There is existence here and hereafler )
there is an existence in the body and out of it. I believe in the hand
writing of Moses, because it is agreeable to my own impressions.
Any thing that is alone, hath no proof, and may be the effects of
imagination, or of an unseeing or an unfeeling mind. The captivity
of life, (styled the fall of the mind) imprisons our spiritual abilities, and
darkens our eyes with a veil. We rather see with the brute than
with the man, in this darkened and bewildered station of life. Moses
writes of the beginning of a reformation in our father. A light from

heaven shone round about him, and shewed unto him the evil he had

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178

IMPRESSIONS OF Tlin MIND.

dono. T have received the same measure and many thousands

beside myself; and a hot conviction to tlie mind worketh a penitence

of soul ; and oven the goodness of God is such to uf, that he asks

not our repentance but at a price ; and he is as ready to justify the

penitc * as he is to convict the sinner; and as for deism, and

atheism, they have no part wih me in the work ; what is written in

the heart by the hand of God, cannot be blotted out by the imagino.-

tinii of men ; and what I know, Moses knew and more so, that is,

there is a God to be feared because of conviction ; and that he is to

be served because of his blessings. And how earnestly did this

poor man Moses toil to promote the will of God ; and that without

money or price? Ilis ho| o must have been in a world to come, md

a quiet peace and eternal salvation to the mind. Israel rewarded

him not with a temporal reward for his pains, or a bodily rest : there-

f( re his hope was in God and in worlds to come. This man knew

there was a beginning ami an end to our existence : and he found it

in his heart to greatly iuvo' and fear the Lord. He said in the

beginning was God, and then he 'md a text for his whole theory and

laws. He had ' Jiope the vvorU. could not take away, and aconfi.

dence ihat all beings return to their original. This is not to say, the

impenitent mind dwells in the bosom of God ; but is ever kept at a

distance, till the day of n ;)entance, which is to say, that all living

shall bear witness of Cod in the body ; for this is the purpose of the

creation and the cause why we are created. All these things have

I believed, and in earticst have I practised my faith without fee or

reward from the children of men. The athiest has no hope in these

things ; bat is not without tear, fo Death is terrifying to his soul ;

because God has innde his.^oul capable of fear, and endued his heart

with love, and yet he denies the revelation of God, or that there is an

existence but nature ; it is true, God has his own nature and, we the

nature and disposition that he has given. But here is the indisr>utabte

evidence of God; he has made our nature subject to his, and our

sorrows agreeable to his will. This is not saying that he dolights in

our chastisements, but as conviction is the knowledge of sin, it

cannot be withheld from the mind. If we were conquerers of the

governing system of the world, I think the athiest would be a happier

man, and his glorious nature which is his God, would produce all

that nature desires. But the athiest is as short in his prayers as

other men; and the deist, as far from the kingdom of God. To

prove that we offend, and the truth of the scriptures that say, as we

sow we shall reap, or as we strew abroad we shall gather ill- — the

athiest is not accomplished, neither is the deiat satisfied.

Now it is time to speak for myself: — I am glad in conviction, and
even rejoice in my sorrow, because they are profitable to the minJ.
I was seeking the Lord, and thus I found him ; the will of God

THE CREATION AN KVIDENCH OF THE DEITY.

17U

and

IminJ.

God

chastizing our iniquities in Jesus Christ, and in the prophets. Hero
1 i'\nd the Lord dosiriug the saUiition of tho world, and not at rest
with the brute, not knowing tho cause of his own pain ; for this is
the state of the uthiest, and the hnrd hearted ofiending unbeliever in
the things of God. I thank God that ho is redeomidg my trust from
all things here bolow, and weaning mo from tho bosum of this world
that can only afford us personal joys, and for a moment delight a
human mind. Thus every drop of yiill becomes as honey to my lips ;
increases my hope in God, and redeems my affections from the earth
and the enjoyments of it. Here the unpractising christian remains
too long; he somotimes dies without hope, because his life hath not
brought satisfaction to the mind. Ho maketh his grave with the
athiest, for his faith in God was too feeble to practice ; and the light
of^stification never shone round about his soul.

Oh Lord, give me to know my last days u mine end to be as my
beginnmg ; passive in thy hands, and without nee to God or man.
Oh that my days may not offend the Pro, ..ots, nor thy Son, by
pleading for a faith or a non-beliof that they rcfi\sed to practise.
Let me believe with these that hath seen sorrow, and the recompcnco
for pain : these that have prepared the mind to return to thee in the
furnace of thy displeasures for despising thee and practising tho
human will. Give me, Oh God, to know that my day's work is done
before the setting sun, for who can work repentance in the grave. So
I have lived, and so I practise. I increase in faith, and hope forsak-
eth me not. She is my comforter from heaven, she will lead me
home, she is strengthened by my deeds and finds a subsistence in the
work of mine hands ; and God tuketh her not away from my bosom,
because she is satisfied.

What athiest can sing with me ? What deist can blot out the revela'
tion of my bosom ? No ten thousands of this class of people; neither
are they upheld by God, for although they measurably believe in na*
tare, and disbelieve in God, the begining or the end, they despise the
servants of the Lord, because they will not suffer tho light of Christ
and the Prophets to be blown out by a fool's lips. But he permits
them to stagger, and try if they can find any substantial God
that will bear up the mind through affliction, save the God of Moses
and of Christ. Of a truth they are a scattered people in sentiment ;
like lamps without oil, or candles without light, arguments without
proof, and are alone from Prophet or Apostle, and for their singular
languge cut off from the rest of the world ; and no christian repents
of being a believer, and embraces their dead principles in the hour
of death : days of old are against them, and prc^nt experience starea
them in the face ; the end of their principles is to hide in darknesa
and bo seen no more. ' >

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180

xni'RESsioNs or tKE Kinr.

Sing Httlleluja'.iS give me grace,

That I can my Redeemer see —
A maker's pleasure face to face ;

A way Oh God, *t will reach to thee.

A rising sun to light my day,
The saints to shine as lamps most clearj

As morning stars to light my way,
Beyond the gates of hell and fear.

Immortal princes on the throne,

But God the first to sit most high,
Whose hands hath for my soul a home,

And all my kindred when I die.

Oh hope inspire my limbs to move.

Oh grace and truth alight my way.
And l"ll perform the deeds of love.

And then I '11 leave this house of clay.

No fee this fading world affords,

No mountain hears when I complain;
I live to bless these just records.

That ne'er was wrote for man in vain.

Living in the memory is eternal life ; and Moses and the Prophet
has a place with me. Will their spirit despise me when I leave this
body ? If I hear them do I offend God ? Do I write another history
to condemn Moses, as an athiest, or a deist ? Do I deny revelation ?
No, God is with me with sore impressions of mind. I am chastised
because of love ; he willeth that I should be more spiritually minded ;
he left bodies of clay, or personal help with me (or a moment, and
then reached down his hand from heaven, and withdrew the staffs I
leaned upon. He bid me not to faint but live, and bear testimony of
his word. In all this, I am bound to bless the Lord ; these are deeds
of his pleasure, and who can deny his offering ? He taketh whom he
will — the saviour from the children, and the children from the world.
Truly he is a chastising God, but not in vain. He adds understand,
ing with affliction, and light in the furnace of conviction ; and the
believer finds it in his soul to bless God in bis afflictions ; and God
accepts the offering from his hand or tongue. And who is the roan
that repenteth4»raising God in his affliction ? Or who is he that hath
eursed God in trouble and hath not had his lamp put out. Many of our
deists are fallen christians, and athiests are these that lie with the
brute<— that is, rest in nature and eateth and drinketh like the ox : the
world leadeth him like an ass in the halter and he goes on dying all
bis days in the mmd of christians ; for his whole life and theory is t«

TUB MIND.

181

ilestroy the character of these that lived before him, and remains in
the mind of believers, — these stand in the way of his brutal joys ; for
when he dieth his hope ends, his short and disappointed prospects
reaeh no farther than the grave : and according to his own profes*
his eternal end may he to-morrow ; and if I was an athiest to

sion.

get clear of present trouble, I would destroy myself. But their is
something that keeps the worst condition of men from this, and I
believe that the athiest himself hopes that things will be better some
future day, and 's afraid to die and come to that professed senseless
«nd.

December 29th, 1833.

The mind is tender as water in the infant frame, as sofl as still
water in the quiet child, but capable of being disquieted by all the
changing scenes of life. The creation is effectual to the mind, and
governs over it. The creation is an evidence of the Deity ; but the
creation resteth not in the mind, but every herb and plant in their
proper place. The mind is extensive, receiving all things heard
and all things seen, but retaining nothing of them, because the Lord
is the keeper of the gates of the city ; it is by his permission that all
things enter in, and by his command depart again. The things ot
this world and of the world to come, or a future existence, never
agreeth in one mind ; one must give up the kingdom for the other :
they never were reconciled to abide in one mind in peace. «We
could not know the powerful effects of the creation on the mind did
we not receive these things ; but the creation attracts our love, and
leadeth the mind from a Deity to trust in things below the skies. I
do not believe any thing is above the skies that is not below ; but
the Deity is every where present, revealed and unrevealed, revealed
in earthly things and concealed in heavenly-mindedness. If we had
received nothing from God, we could have nothing to offer to him ;
if he had given nothing, it would be unreasonable in him to require
something where nothing was : but we have received at his hand,
and must give again. The last offering that he requireth of us is
life, and he sendeth death to take it from us. As a summons from
a judge, life is commanded to depart this body. This is not the first
offering of the mind, but the last ; and blessed is that soul that pre*
pareth life an acceptable offering for the Lord.

I now refer to the book of experience. When the earth has
become hopeless, life is not very dear to the mind ; and thus God
pjrep^riBth his own offerings, giveth and taketh away. The creation
mS

182

IHPnESSIONS OF THE MINP.

hath but a momentary delight in it ; it leadeth the mind from God,-—
it leayeth the soul as a stranger lost in the vilderness. These are
only joys that prepareth the mind to cry after them that are forever
gone. Thus God heareth the cries of the solitary, and embraces his
own with love ; he comforteth these with the blessings of experience,
the use and benefit of the creation to the mind, as well as the support
of the body. This world prepares the mind to mourn for a Deity,
or somewhat that this world hath not in store to give ; for there was
neither prince nor potentate that was completely at rest below the
sun. To use the creation according to the purpose for which the
world was made, is glorious in the sight of God ; and thus he clothes
his sons with double honor for so doing. The purposes of the ere.
ation to the mind are to learn us to weep for a better inheritance ; for
salvation to the mind is not in the world. The world is but for a
moment of time and is no more. It delighted the child in bis infancy,
but not the man of age and experience ; he hath received it, and it
hath passed away again while he remains in existence, and his mind
retained or contained in his body. Were it not so, the youthful days
of life would have no instruction, neither would a lamp of light burn
before their eyes. Age and experience is of benefit to children ;
every aged mind of experience can prophecy unto them of things
that will come to pass. The children are as the field to the mind of
experience. Here they cultivate the mind of children, and reap a
harvest of comfort before they die. Here they see the early impres-
sioDS of God on a youthful mind. Herein they are comforted in the
things of God, and behold the impressions of future time making
impressions on the mind. Thus the religious parent is comforted in
their oflfspring, and in this only they have cause to rejoice in children
before they go down to the grave. Good counsels are precious to
the n)ind, and an understanding heart is life to the man, for it never
departeth from him ; it goeth with him beyond the grave, and bears
away all his weary and toiling limbs to rest : that is, the whole spirit
or mind that .abilitates the human frame ; for there is a man as per*
feet within the man as the body is perfect without the soul. The
body is but the clothing of the mind, a sign or shadow of things that
nrG within, or the spirit that governs all our actions of life.t

'Tis but a simple thing to say,
That we are born to live this dayj
But deep and solemn is our trust.
That lives wheii we are in the dust.

No shadow can suffice the mind ; it is net in the power of all this
world. The mind cannot subsist on temporal diet ; it only flatters
for a time, and is no more. It must be spiritual food that comforts
the mind ; this, God has retained in his own treasures. It must be

TJTE MIIfD.

189

nuHirned for, — it must be bought at tho expenao or price of al) things
on earth. God wanteth not our earthly things, but he desireth the
knowledge of himself in the mind. He hath given us a mind intelli.
gent in understanding to the person, if we will improve his word :
that is, obey his command, and gather the harvest of the field for so
doing ; for the mind is as a field which we improve by action, and
is capable of receiving a happy or an unhappy reward. The event
of our deeds teaoheth us whether we are doing good or ill, and our
sweetest joys are often an introduction to our deepest sorrow ; for
our first sense and taste of the creation is given to pass away, and
the mind is capable of mourning after that which never will return.
Thus God has procured a hunger and a thirst for himself in the mind,
that he may enter there when hills and seas, fields and gardens, have
done all they can afford for us. It is sorrow that maketli joy accep-
table. These joys that we receive without sorrow are fleeting and
transitory; they are here to.day, but to-morrow they are forever
gone. God introduces himself through sorrow into the heart or mind
of the man. We cannot love God with the whole heart while we
love the world with any part of it. Therefore he hath given us that
which we can give, and prepared the offering which we can resign,
and the kingdom of heaven is purchased (according to our measures)
at the expense of this world, and the latter must be given up before
the former is received ; but while we remain in possession of this
world, we know but little of the world to come, and remain to be
blind guides to our children, and as lamps without oil to them that
live afler us.

I know these things, — they are written from my heart ; they are
first written there by the hand of the Deity, and then translated to
you my friends and kindred of the Church to' which you belong,
(which is an unknown Church to the world,) somewhat like a medium
between the Christian and the Jew. It is where the light of former
and latter days are united into one, and shineth with considerable
lustre on the earth, somewhat uncomprehended and out of the way
to these that are in extremes about the dispensation of former and
latter days. It hath not been in the power of Jew nor Christian to
extinguish this small gleam of light ; its increase is unknown to the
world, and when my small lamp will go out is unforeseen by the pro-
phets of the age. My journey is long in the book of experience,
and my mind ceaseth not to progress forward ; and as I receive, I
give unto you these things that God hath committed to my trust.
The more enemies we have the better it is for us, if we are not con.
quered by them. If one man beats a thousand, it sboweth that he
is strong ; if two ten thousand, nothing is more certain than this that
God is with them. It is God and not men that governs the earth ;
power is not in the hands of men to do as they will. If we feel not

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184

IMPBE8SION8 Or THR HIITO.

the power of the oppressor, we feel not with the oppressed. One
thing is meet fo«^ another. Complain not of the times ; all things
are in order for improvement. Be not dismayed at the things of
this wx>rld ; it is in the power of God to give to whom he will, and
from whom he will, take away.

How can we say, Oh sorrow cease,
When sorrow is our path to peace ?
How can we wealth or honour crave.
That blinds us lo the tomb or grave ?

The purpose of the creation is to learn us to mourn. We first
fall in love with the things of time, as a man with a maiden, and then
they are dissolved or taken from us. Thus we know the use of
things created, and the purpose of the world. It is for us to offer to
God, to embrace, and then mourn after these things we mast sacri-
fice in return to the owner. Thus we know the insufficiency of time
and the necessity of a sure eternity that will exceed the comforts of
life.

And thus to conclude : the sorrows of the world maketh way for
the sure mercies of God, and a long continuance in sorrow sweetens
our rest, and thus weMl conclude the service of the day. The Deity
has a right to the mind, and enters into us (in spirit) through the
gates of sorrow, and comforts the afflicted mind. These are the
lines of my experience and the end of humanity^ when and where
man and his desires shall rule nor reign no more.

Sing Oh heavens. Oh angels sing.

Oh earth attend to hear!
'Tis thus we find the living spring

Of waters ever clear.

Oh, here the humble thirsty draw,

The weary drink their fill ;
This is where God writes down his law, .;

Where God reveals his will.

Wisdom, thy spring shall never dry,

Thy bread shall never cease ;
Thou givest the weak a full supply,

The weary lasting peace.

May blessings ever crown thy name,

The name whom I adore ;
Thou brings thy children all to fame,

AncI comforts with thy store.

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i 185 ]

T,;'

Febbvabt 11th, 1834.

' THE PORMF4R AND LATTER DISPENSATIONS OP THE

WORLD.

However the Deity hath changed the covering or garments of
the human mind, he remains to be unchangeable in spirit through
all the multiplied ages of the world. We must first know the Deity
before we can have a light to a lost or bewildered mind. When
we have light before our eyes, wo see where to place our feet, and
' have the less cause for stumbling. The divisions of the world con-
cerning the Deity are incorrect ; those that knew him in past ages
did agree, both of the former and latter dispensations, which is a
substantial evidence that he is one God in all the ages of the world,
invariable in the mind of the human family.

No^ disputing darkens the elements, and obscures the kingdom
of God. God*8 kingdom is wherever he reigns as king or prince
over the people. This is the happy place we wish to go to, to
accomplish the desires of the mind or of the man. God is not con<
tradictory to himself, but one invariable God. I accept that the
Prophets and Apostles both, or all of them, prayed for the admit*
tance of the inhabitants of the earth into one kingdom, and I see
nothing variable in the family that God hath chosen, (through
repentance for the remission of their sins) ; I believe that Patriarchs,
Prophets and Apostles inherit one kingdom, for they were of one
heart and mind, and in their united capacity in their observations,
are a light to the world. What God has appointed and decreed from
the first gives light until now; we behold him in sun, moon and
stars, and they fade not away ; he hath not changed the lights of (he
world nor of the mind-<-he is one invariable God. We see him in
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, with many other bright suns that shone
in the morning of our ages, and he never hath sent a son, saint, or
angel to cloud or obscure these lights. So professing, or to so
profess, is diminishing the light of the world, and endeavouring to
veil the stars of heaven with the light of the sun. I confess him
that hath perfect knowledge of the Son of God, or the latter d^spen-
sation, hath no ueed to go back to Moses for instruction ; but he
hath said, there is a possibility of believing that we are wise, and
neither know Moses or Christ. If I know Moses, his history bears
on my mind that the lesser lights were to rule the night, and not-
withstandng a bright shining sun, these, according to their ap.
pointment and decree, remain to fulfil their office till this day. So
I accept there are many goodly lessons in the life of Moses and the
Patriarchs that are not to be passed by ; they direct us a piece on

K 4

186

iHPnESsioNs OF Tnt: mind.

the way to that kingdom whore we would meet with all in peace,
without envying or dispute. As we have fallen into the dungeon by
following the dictates of our own mind, (rather than the laws and
counsels of the Lord,) I never think it wise in the human mind to
despise small things : the sun doth nut shine by night, but moon and
stars. When we have reverenced God for his unmerited blessings,
for giving unto wilful sinners these lesser measures of light, and
beheld bis mercies and merits to Abraham and others, he may
through his unnumbered favours, increase our measures and bring
UB nearer to his own bosom, where his image shines more bright to
the mind than these lesser lights, viz., Moses and the Prophets.
But they are worthy to be ^eard by all ages, and are justified by the
Son of God, so far as to say they are in a kingdom of peace.
There is nothing variable between the Prophets and the saints : they
all cried repentance to the world to be blessed of God — so, my
friends, when we fulfil one dispensation we receive another. It
matters not about the clothing of the mind if our garments are of
God. God is not contradictory to himself — we will agree and see
alike-^he gave one dispensation to the Jew and another to the
Christian, but by these visitations unites them in one kingdom in the
end. Let us be united here, it will be an honor to God, increase
our praise, and multiply light in the world. Let us look on Christ,
let us keep his life before our eyes, and his deeds in remembrance :
he fulfilled all righteousness, he walked according to Moses and the
Prophets, and grace was multiplied upon him. I no more dare to
speak against the righteous of former ages than I would offend my
dearest friend on earth ; are not their souls in heaven where I wish
mine should be ? Can it be any qualificalion to my mind to speak
against the inhabitants of the city where I wish to reside ? The Son
of God fulfilled one dispensation, and passed on to another ; he
honored God for what he had done in the world by the first dispen-
sation, and then entered into his own, to lay the bottom stone of .the
christian church.

We learn the alphabet at school before we spell, we spell before
we read, but him that is so veiled with self-possession, imagines he
knoweth all things by the life of Christ, and yet cannot observe the
moon and stars by night, nor knoweth where religion first began.
Moses and Christ are names or titles given to the personages of
men — God is all. Through these we look up to the Most High,
and first learn the easier lessons of his grace. Him that has a law
written has an easier station to fulfil, than him that is : praying from
dayito day, and has but a crumb at a time to satisfy his hungry
mind, or a drop of water to cool his thirst. This requires the greater
degree of faith, and a more continual supplication than him that has
hia law (m tables of stone before his eyes. i

THE FORMEIl AXD LATTER DiarE?!SATlO\.

1*^T

I do not wish to clothe my friends with tho warm garments of
Israel, but that we should receive such as is given from heaven, and
first learn the easier lessons of God's law. Him that doeth not
justly tn the lesser matters never will be trusted with the things ot
God. Him that despises a written law through the blindness of his
exaltation, will not become an heir of God's grace. Oh my brethren,
do justice in earthly things, that your measures may increase, and
the grace of God enlighten the whole mind. Christ fulfilled the
dispensation of Moses, and then entered into his own. How, just
and true is that sentence that saith, he is the light of the world, for
all things shone unto him ; he received all, and retained all, and all
did he admmister to the life of men ; neither did he hide Moses nor
the Prophets from their eyes, nor one of the kings or patriarchs
that shone in Israel. So let me see, so let me practice, that I may
be as near that heavenly Son as I can obtain, through the mercies
and merits of our God.

Never let me, O God ! be led away by self-perfection, for this is
the spirit that veils sun, moon and stars from mine eyes, or my soul
from an understanding of Moses or of Christ ; keep mine imperfec
tions before mine eyes, and every convincing light that convicts for
sin, shinmg upon and giving light to my imperfect mind.

Then of thy grace aloud I'll sing.
And see thy name in every thing.
Thy name through every age declare,
And all thy sons and saints compare.

Oh pride ! dark mantle of distress.
When will thy name or words be less?
Thy children have no power to savp,
Nor eyes to see the hidden grave.

tVhile I see the former dispensation to far exceed my given mea^
euros of grace, how can I despise a sun that shines brighter than
mine own mind ? But so Satan hath exalted himself in the mind of
the priest, till the world has become as a broken vessel, practising
nothing that is equal to the former dispensation to enlighten our age
of life. Each monk, or priest, (not pointing to the Catholic religion)
but all tho sectarian priests are exalted upon their own stools, divid«
ing the people by their imaginary perfections, dividing them into
kingdoms here below, and still fitting them for one kingdom here-
aAer. It would take a saint that mine eyes have never seen, to
convert my mind to believe that such a practice of life proceedeth
out from the Dieity ; no, it is the dictates of the human mind, leading
the flocks into the wilderness, and feeding them on sectarian crumbs
from the dark mind of imagituition, Moses, by his measures, endea-

w : ■

;

l-i

189

IMPREIfIOI«« or TUB MIMD.

voured to unite the mind to Christ, the oracle of ail light, ao did the
Prophets, and ipake plainly of him, so did Christ, ao did the
Apostles, and as many as believed were of one heart and soul. But
now we have as many souls as sects, and more so, for brethren
cannot agree ; all this is to teach us the imperfection of our shep.
herds : they say they are all administering Christ to the world —
communicate his body and blood — advise to him as the pastures of
the flocks of Israel ; but, alas ! we see gold in the case, and the
love of the world ; we see our present prophets or apostles fond
of dignity and wealth, and what better are such mmds than a
heathen prince, that knoweth not Moses nor Christ ? We do not
know Moses by seeing his law, nor Christ by the written Gospel,
we must practise the obedience of these two sons, and then we
come to the blessed effects of being accepted of God, and justified
for our faith which he hath given.

So let me see, so let me feel.

So let me understand ;
Truth after truth Oh God reveal,

Command after command.

Did the dispensation of Moses turn the people from the Son of
God? It directed them that way. Was there any distinction in
these that received the commandments ? They were one people in
heart and mind. Then the days of Moses were better than ours.
Are they not aliens to peace that divide apart and struggle for pro.
motion ? Are they getting ready for the kingdom of God that are
dividing here on earth ? Who can believe that either the former or
latter dispensation is preached to the world? The hypocrite can
use letters, and satan and sinners use the name of the Lord in argu.
ment; but it is the reformer that clothes his mind with the spirit of
Moses and Christ, and speaks peace to the world through the mercies
and merits of God, and that the old and new dispensations are his
gifts to the world, and the pleasure of the Most High. Both of these
in effect reduces our pride and our wealth, increases our humility
and a union of spirit with men. Blessed be one God over all forr
averj Amen.

CovLD I see Jesus on the throne,

I would see Moses sitting by;
Could I the mournful prophet own,

The humble saint I'd not deny.

Oh how extensive is thy grace,

That spreads thy building hands abroad ;

Thy name *b delighting to release,
From every malice, guilt and fraud.

.,n ;.,.,

Tilt PATH OF 0U8KHVATI0?!.

Lord, cauie my weeping eyes to see,
As Moses saw in days of old ;

He caird the people home to thee,
Unto one shepherd and cne fold.

Lord, from my soul hide not the Son,
But bless my mind with every light ;

For since the day my sins begun,
I need them all to lead me right.

A song of praise shall crown mine end,
O Lord my soul to peace restore ;

Nor shall my soul thy sons offend,
Their days shall shine forevermore.

If these the lesser lights may be,
They still are brighior than my mind;

Sun, moon, and stars are all of thee.
By these 1 will thy kingdom find.

180

' ^-f i,f

Mabcb 13lh, 1S34.

h Whosoever leaveth the path, or placeth his feet no hiore by
observation, will receive many falls before he can stand alone. Ha
is like a man that turneth aside from a beaten way to seek his foot-
steps in the wilderness where none hath gone before him. The
Hebrews in the wilderness are a perfect similitude of such a life.
But him that walketh not in this depending way, is like the wheel
driven by the stream, or the leaf that flutters in the wind. He feed-
eth all his days upon what he hears, but never draws one drop of
water from the spring of his own knowledge, but lives by borrowing
all his days, and hath nothing to return to the world for what he has
received. He has lived all his days a servant to other souls, and
dieth in debt.

V To remove such causes as these, I would encourage to the wilder-
ness, — receive the falls — cry and rise again. Every fall that is hurt-
ful to the mind is still adding strength. If we have stepped into the
mire once, we know where it is, and will endeavour to shun the next
appearance of the pit by the remembrance of past days. Him that
setteth out on the journey to heaven through his own mind, must
depend on finding himself to be a lost being often in life. He must
rely on finding these thirsty lands that Israel saw, and his soul pant-
ing for water almost without hope. All this is better or sweeter than

• • A

100

IMPRRSIIONI OF TUB MflfD.

It' !-V':i«

to remain a servant all our days to the princes and Pharaohs of the
earth. And although Israel sinned in the wilderness, they served
God in this obscure journey ; and his good and incomparable spirit
gave thom laws. I had rather eat one crumb of independent bread
than to be fud at the king's table with all the luxuries of life. What
Ciod givolh is our own, independent of princus and nobles that rule
over us. It was the mercies of God that delivered Israel from bonds,
and the same continuing favours will deliver all that seek them ; but
him that is contented to li-ve on the wind, is satisfied with drawing in
the breath from his neighbour's lips : so are many historians that
are ever repeating what others have done, but for want of experience
must be silent to their own merits, or the particular favours of God.
Whosoever wishes to live a depending lite can follow the track of

Friosts and lawgivers, and go a silly captive into the bonds of death,
am resolved on trying the possibility of standing alone ; and if
through the mercies of the Lord I find an independent path to the
grave, and my footsteps shall give glory to God the director, then
shall my life be a memorial of encouragement to them that inherit
the earth when I am dead and gone. Priests make us tributaries,
and kings keep us in slavery. The learned would sell their talents,
but we have not money to buy them ; we have our families to support
with temporal diet as well as them. How can we buy bread for the
soul ? There is a better way, God hath in store to give from the
foundations of the world. Wo have only to repent of our sins to
obtain this bread ; and I am sure this is better than to continue to sin
and remain slaves. This leadeth us on to consider what law is this
that we have broken whereby we come to the dishonourable title of
tinners. It is the law of the heart or mind ; this is the first ofTence,
and it is this sin that maketh men and women to be slaves, aAer God
hath made them free. The world is changing — let us observe the
builder's hand. This inward or^divine law is repairing again ; lot
us give God the mind as it was his at the beginning, and he will write
in the heart of his people. And to encourage us to such an offering,
Moses and the prophets hath been sent unto us from the kingdom of
God. Whosoever believetli in them, trusteth in God, and is sure
there is a pathway for him to heaven, without serving the bandstand
host of Pharaoh all his days. All that is written is for the purpose
of increasing our faith, and to encourage us to try be confident in
God through wonders he has done, and leave the unbelieving family
behind us, — as the ship for the foreign port, trusting in the mercies
of God as the compass of the soul. I oAen invite our people to
make their observations on tho life of Christ and the Apostles, and
■uflfer their minds to go to school to these heavenly masters or
teachers, for they will learn us good things. They are as Moses
«Dd the prophets ; they are sent of God, to fit and prepare the mind

Till l*ATn OF OHflKRVATIOX.

101

for this lonesome journey. They nre only to feed us while the mind
is young in experience ; but when we come to practise, we must
leave observations and wolk after the spirit of truth. But if we will
not do these things, we cannot be their disciples, nor walk in spirit
with Mosos in the wilderness.

The world is changing indeed, and I have strong desires to leave
it ; but as yet these are unheard prayers, and while I live I must be
in the service of God. 1 must go on to the grave, and not sit down
idle till the grave cometh to me. I wish the light of my brethren
grew brighter and brighter ; but I can see but little with some of
them, save time wearing away. They err grossly in judgment, and
plead the unrighteous cause of sinners. Such pleadings are not the
righteous calls of Christ : which is, that sinners should repent. I
should not record such things : but it is late in life with many of my
brethren ; and by these misfortunes, or steps of mire and clay, I
advise the succeeding generation to place their feet on wiser ground,
and do not such deeds as sink the soul down to hell, the place
prepared for the obstinately wicked since the; pillars of the earth
were laid. He that striketh hands with a sinner, will fare with him
ih the end ; both will be found in error together. These are untaught
and unskilled deeds of life. Wo do not learn these lessons of Abra-
ham, that first reformer of the Jews, the father of the faithful, the
then stone to brild upon, — we do not draw such references as these,
flrom the mind of Moses, nor his faithful associates, — we do not read
these laws in the bosom of the prophets ; we do not find them written
in the life of Christ. Oh what would I do to convince my friends?
l^hey should make their observations and advance forward. God
made every good Israelite to walk in the same way. One light was
sufficient for them, and they walked together. I live to exhort you
my brethren a little longer. While you are in your fields and shops,
I am spending the day writing for you. When will you learn to
know that divisions are errors — save dividing the mind from the deeds
of sin and sinners ? This is a righteous separation ; but Oh my
brethren the whole house trembles with divisions, and the earth is
at variance one part with the other ! Repent hastily, and every soul
forgive his brother that so repenteth. The cry of all good people
was to the offender, Repent of thine offences, receive forgiveness,
and be at peace ; but we will not even own that we are guilty, or
hath given cause of offence. Oh miserable people ! how can the
upright be at peace with you? Where is our house standing? or
what will be the fall thereof? The servants of kings and counsellors
are at variance, but the servants of the Lord are at peace. I have
set out on the lonesome journey, and I know not that patriarchs or
prophets that were of old condemn my lonesome steps, neither has
Christ and his lonesome followers risen up against my mind. I

I'M''
i' 1

193

IMPUESSIOMS OF TUE UIKD.

i I

apprehend my spirit ia in the way appointed of God, and I have but
little comfort or consolation in the earth. As I serve not the princes
and nobles of my age, they frown upon my appearance, — as I pay
no tribute to the priest, he stands a distance from my necessities, —
as I find fault with governments and counsellors, I share none of the
public gold, — and as I cannot walk in consort with my brethren, I
am chastised by them for error : and hasten my steps to meet the
grave. Every time I fall, I am the stronger. Every turn adds,
experience to the mind. Every frown increases my faith; for by
these heart«known lessons I am taught more and more to distrust .
the world.

The drop of water tasteth sweet,

We in the thirsty desert find,
And every fall directs our feet,

And every crumb assists the mind.

The more we suffer to perform a righteous life, the richer we are '
with God ; we have the more in store. He doth not require our
service without wages. His servants are not like the servants of
kings ; they never complain of their master. Though they hunger,
they are sure to be fed; and tho'\'3h they thirst, the spring is ever
at hand for their consolation : and these are my evidences for the
Most High God, Jacob's Lord and Israel's Saviour. ) have found
these things in my way ever since I lefl this world of observation,
and the historian with his book under his elbow, like a man leaning
on the tombs of the dead for the bread of life, he goeth backward
through life, ever looking on past things, and falls accidentally into
the grave : for he that giveth his rnind to history, is ever looking
backward into the world. These are the servants of big meny so
called, because of an empty title. These are the men of our present
renown ; these are the men of talent, the directors of schools and
of science ; these are the depending souls, that give the world the
example of bonds ; these are the men between the great and small,
that are nothing at all of a certainty. They are what the potter
that lived before them has made them : they are as the wheel driven
by the stream, as the dead leaf fluttering in the wind.

I'll on my lonesome journey sing,

And truths will I declare;
'Tis but a shame to be a king.

For there's no honour there. *

On fields and folds he doth depend,

Supported by a slave;
What honour is in such an end?

What glory's in the grave?

TBB PATH OF OBSBRVATIOIf.

Still boasting in a shepherd's trust,

I'll bid my brother come,
And first the water I will taste.

And earn the honest crumb.

O be contented great and small,
• That finds the living spring;
For sure there 's bread for one and all.
And mercy for the king.

Be not afraid in heaven to trust,
Or winds and waves engage ;

For sure the pilot can 't be lost,
The star of every age.

Although the water's dark and deep.

There is a distant shore;
The eyes will cease that now do weep,

And never weep no more.

The shepherd's caring for his sheep.

Although the forests howl;
There's guardian angela where we sleep.

And comforts for tho soul.

198

•if ''ki::H

i '.i\\

Mabcb 30th, 1834.

Oh Lord, thy name forever bless'd,'
My peace;' my comfort, and my rest.
My bread, my water, and my wine.
My saint, apostle, and divine.

My life, my Saviour, and my law,
My God to worship and to awe ;
Exalted nations trembling stand.
And driead his judgment and command.

Death is to him our conquer'd foe.
The dread of worlds that dwell below,
Depriv'd of heaven and worlds above,
He's bound and conquer'd through his love.

The love of him that bids him move,
Till we our fields and vines improve,
Arise my soul behold his grace.
That visits and improvM our place,

194

IUFBES8I0NS 01* TH£ KIND.

l:i

riv' I

The lamb *s appointed here to reign,
. , And David's throne arise again ;

The saints to teach and to foresee,
These things that will hereafter be.

The priest and prophet to adore,
Both God and Christ forevermore.
And Abram leave his house and home,
To go to lands and names unknown.

April 27th, 1834. ^

The strength of the mind is inconceivable by the non.practiser.
Many are moving that move not by their own abilities ; and there
are great characters in the mind of this world that cannot walk
alone, any more than the helpless child without the assistance of his
father's hand. They move altogether by borrowed impressions, and
their very life is the production of history ; and by the same means,
when a child is born into the world, the Rabbies receive him from the
mother's hands, and form his .mind as an earthen vessel, as they
will. I never had the hands of these fashioning men upon my mind.

I am in a great measure an inhabiter of the wilderness, and my
mind has increased in a natural way by the help of God. The hand-
writing of the scribe and prophet encouraged me forward ; but when
I had found a little, I could feed myself through God's assistance,
and I had no need that these present divines should put bread to my
lips. My mind endureth deep sorrows and the reproaches of the
earth ; and if one mind can endure the reproacli of ten thousand, it
is just for him to say his mind is strong through Divine assistance.

Every fall doth not amount to a dissolution of action. I have seen
a child fall and rise by his own abilities ; and when he arose he was
indebted to no man for assistance, and had no need of an empty
trumpet to sound the applause of the Rabbies to the world.

Blessed is the mind that trusteth in the Lord ; he is as a staff that
doth not fail ; he is a sure compass in the storm. Who was ever
lost that put his trust in him ? We are not all obliged to go to
school to be wise. Were it so, the poor must be slaves forever, for
the Rabbies do not teach for nothing, as in days of old. But that
spirit which hath arisen by Moses, the prophets, and the Son of God,
will never set ; it remaineth as the sun, to give light lo the world :
and these ancient characters are the productions of the spirit of
truth. The mastei* teacheth the scholar ; but when he is taught he
must read for himself* The jpiar^mt^eaifftetb bre,ftd for tbe^child when

THE STBKNOTH OF THE MIND.

105

stiser.

there

walk
of his
;s, and
neans,
am the
8 they
\f mind,
and my
»5 hand-
when

stance,

dto my
of the

sand, it

tance.

ve seen
he was
empty

itaffthat
vas ever
go to
jver, for
But that

of God,
|e world :

spirit of
jaught he
\ild when

he is young, but when advanced in years he must seek his own meat,
find his own springs, or dig for that water that supplieth his immortal
thirst. A Christian's mind cannot remain in history but a few ^ays.
His soul begins to hunger for the bread he has heard of, and to drink
of that spring where Christ and the prophets draw water for the
whole earth. He becomes dissatisfied with shells and shadows.
History becomes light diet to him ; it only increaseth his thirst rather
than to satisfy his mind. But this is where our literary gentlemen
keep their scholars forever, flitting from one sort of history to
another, from sacred to profane. I do not speak as a chastisement
to them, for this has been as a line of order from age to age, and
the path to promotion and wealth. It is justified by the world, and
tends to drown the conviction of God.

The scholar cannot exceed his master ; but as the father is, so is
the son : and both may be in error, as blind men go into the mire.
We shall ever love the vanities of this world, till the Lord pleases to
cast a dark mantle over them. When the Son of God was crucified,
the light of this world was clothed with a mantle. None but God
and heaven above could do this. That day the pride of this world
lost glory, honour, and renown ; for their deeds were dark, — the sun
in heavea bearing witness unto them. And although the Son of God
died with sinners, he rose again, for God commanded him to rise.
So when I fall with sinners, I know there is power in heaven to
raise me up. But these that fall from ofiico cannot rise without the
help of men ; they are as depending on the things of this world as
the child on the mother's breast, and disclose the greatest weakness
of the mind that can be in the human existence. He that is con.
ducted through life by the arm of flesh, depends upon it as the staff
of life, and from his infancy becomes a man-pleaser rather than a
worshipper of God. And as I or my mind depends on them that
please men, my low and miserable ofiice of life is to please them
that are pleasing others, which brings my immortal soul to be a ser>
vant of servants, a pleaser of these that are pleased by the wealth,
pomp, and vanities of the sinful world. .

Flee my soul to the desert often as the morning ; thou cannot be
so retired but thou can be found of th^ Lord, or a prophet can be
directed to thy lonesome habitation. It is better to dwell with the
flocks than the shepherds of the age, for they please men for sheila
and shadows here below. It is good to feel the bruises of the afflict<
ed, and visit the habitations of those that mourn. God heareth the
cries of the humble, but mocketh the prayers of pride, and giveth
up the worldly-minded to feed on the wind, and not be satisfied.

Every soul has to answer to God for his own guilt ; and the books
of the prophets stand alike to us all, and they direct us forward to
the bosom of a Saviour, who is now with God, who said. If I go not
n2

3 * h '

III'

HI/" pi J

mM^

^JriiV'-. fJ--

106

I1IPBE88IOITS OF THE 111190.

II m

away, the comforter will not come. His personal appearance is bat
for a time, but his spirit is fotever. His spirit is clothed with power
and glory, but we are weak in trust. The Scriptures direct, but we
are slow to believe. Who hath given his heart to the Lord and he
hath not received it? None : but many have given their tongues to
the Lord to repeat his lessons, and the heart to the world to enjoy the
luxuries of the day.

These are no Rabbies to me, neither do I see the life of a redeemer
formed in the mind. I only see the tongue move by words that he
hath revealed, and the evangelists and prophets hath penned them,
and our priests made barter of them like goods in store. Oh what
a deviation from the sacred ages of the world, — believe in revelation,
and feed the world with history ! Every true prophet from Abram
till now dug their own wells, and watered their flocks from the springs
of experience. But now people live as if all things were done for
them, and as though the experience of David were an everlasting
song in their lips. Such a life is a repetition, and the productions
of a weak mind. Any natural and cultivated school boy can perform
such deeds as these. But to prova that the Lord is unbounded in
wisdom, and that he hath not given all his mercies to one age of the
world, nor to one mind, — Isaac succeedeth Abram, and Jacob Isaac,
and the prophets Moses, and Christ all that had been before him.
In these sacred characters we see the order of life and the continua-
tion of revealed religion ; and by these succeeding ages the world
grew wiser and wiser, for all and every age added to the honour and
glory of God. But by feeding on history, — this idle, easy, and indo-
lent way of life, — the world has lost the knowledge of God, and the
progress of the mind is stayed for want of faith in God through the
revelation of Moses and the prophets— 'the practice of Christ and
those that believed in him. Oh that life was restored to the world,
and light to the mind, that wisdom mighf increase, and the glory of
God be multiplied by every succeeding generation that is born into
the world ! And for this purpose I write from mine own mind, and
somewhat against the most earthly dignified characters in existence ;
and my mind still continues to find that daily meat, that strengthens
my abilities to step a httle further forward, with hope that I shall find
the lonesome mind of the prophet, or the indwelling of a Saviour,
that my experience may be like theirs and in accordance with the
will of God, as he hath revealed to the world by Moses and by
Christ. Then I shall know the Lord by tasting of his bitter cups,
by rising when I fall, by rejoicing in the favours of God when he
heareth my righteous prayer, that he again may afibrd means to the
world by the spirit of his Son, by whom Israel shall be restored, and
a> sacred Saviour to all that are lost. Then shall my soul rejoice in
heaven, though my mind is in this short-lived tabernacle of clayi and

TnV MINB N A OOXPAOT BODT.

197

in no wise shall I lose my reward. The days are not long hence
till God shall turn the heart of the father to the children, and the
children to the father, and they shall seek the kingdom of heaven
together ; for as there was peace when the worlds wt,re made, after
sin is accomplished, and the sorrows thereof— it will return to the
world again, and there shall be neither office nor priest under hea-
ven. God and the people shall be all and all. Amen.

Unto the Lord I '11 give my praise,

Nor stumble o*er my foes ;
Because the light of ancient days

My songs and prayers compose.

The mind is strong, unmeasured strong.

Oh, kindred, rise and try;
The mournful soul can sing a song.

And rise io God most high.

The blood of Jesus is my food.

To bless and praise his name ;
My soul his life hath understood.

Because I drink his pain.

A numerous world he did oppose, '

Because his mind was strong;
And he was beaten by his foes.

For teaching they were wrong.

His spirit is my lasting bread,

The spring I ever find;
My soul shall bow where Jesus bled.

Yet have a living mind.

' June 4th, 1834.

The mind is a compact body or spirit, yet unbounded save by a
deity ; and unmeasured by all the learned masters that were in
existence ; neither hath line, reed or figures reached to the extent of
the mind. Life is but a journey in the mind ; and although this body
shall decay, the mind still liveth for another to inherit ; for all the
inhabitants of the earth are inheritors of the mind, and such as man
was possessed of since the worlds were made. How many new
inventions hath arisen in the mind ? How many creeds, and yet the
mind is not satisfied, but seeking something we do not yet enjoy ? If
n2

lib

198

IMPRESSIONS or THB MIND.

we go to various parts of the world, we gain but little, if we stay at
home, we are not content ; if we gain much, the mind is not full ; if
we possess but little, the mind is wanting. Let us travel if possible
where none has been, and seek that which hath not been found.
Enjoy that whici; we have not known, and endeavour to see things
that have not-been revealed. Contentment is the great object that
is wanting to make a happy mind ; if there is a heaven, it is there,
for there is no contentment in the miseries of hell, neither is it
possible with man to to be reconciled to the griefs of his soul. I am
not doubtful but there is a heaven ; and hell to me is known when I
am in my deep distress. The events of life is heaven and hell to
the soul, and God doth govern them. If we cast off the fear of the
Almighty, we are not happy : if we follow the dictates of grace,
florrow is in our way. Whereunto shall we flee to escape the decrees
of God ? They are in heaven above, and in hell below, they were
known to a mediator, whose being was between God and man, he
was heir of both kingdoms, and the spirit of truth can reveal secret
things unto us. We look in the east for the rising of the sun, and
we are not disappointed. Why doth the sun continue to rise in the
east? Because God's decrees are so, and they are unchangeable.
His decree is also unto us, that, if we give our hearts to know that
which we need, we shall be happy ; are not his decrees with man
established in heaven as with the sun that he commanded to rise and
give light to the world, and his covenant with this heavenly light
changeth not forever and ever. I believe in the decrees of God and
the more I suffer for the kingdom of heaven's sake, the more my joys
ehall be. Hope is my staff to lean upon, and heaven directs my way;
and daily I am finding unmeasured gulfs, rivers, and miseries in the
way, and no man hath shewn me how to surmount these difiiculties,
neither am I able to discern a way to pass them through. And if
there is no God, (as the atheists say) I can pass no farther on, but
must be everlastingly miserable, or till time shall be no more. It is
in these very straits that God reveals himself to man — wins our con.
fidence, and obtains our love. Is there a book in the world that can
direct us through our daily troubles ? They are not known to ages
before us, neither doth the scriptures contain them — they are the
productions of time, and the revelation of God. The natural man
can be confounded and put to silence ; but the light of grace goeth
not out, neither can the arm of the Lord be weakened by human
reason. Therefore I will trust in him that led me through sorrows
that were never known to man, andthrough gulfs and rivers where
human assistance is in vain. 'Hie^s a God, and on him our all
depends, there is a contentment in ine treasures of his grace ; for I
have seen these days in which nothing was wanting to the body or
the mind ; my cup was full and I coveted not, these moments are not

Tni MIIVD II A COMPACT BODY.

or
not

at my command ; he that gave them took away again, and I am
bound to ever bless his name ; he hath no judge, and all he doeth is
right. Could I read my life in a book ? Or wizzard or fortune telfers
reveal to me that which was to come ? No ; neither could my
mind contain the events of the day before their coming : these things
were hidden with God and revealed at the time appointedt* If we
want to see a city, we must go to it — it will not come to us ; if we
have lost a pearl of much cost, we must seek for it, or it will not
be found. No man enters into the kingdom of heaven in a state of
ease. Christ ascended through deep sorrows to the throne of God ;
could man assist him through his distress ? No ; he was beyond the
help of men — forsaken of angels-.givcn into the hands of the wicked
and deprived of the help of God ; or he could not have said, he
was " forsaken." All these impressions did he feel to^fflict his holy
heart, and my soul must taste also to become acquainted with his
mental feelings. It is not looking on a saviour that saves the soul,
or redeems it from sin : our minds must be acquainted with his grief,
and know God to be our deliverer ; and there is no other way to
follow Christ to heaven, and as he said, let the day provide for itself,
" sufficient is the day to the evil thereof." It is impossible with us,
to provide to day to shun the evil that is appointed for to>morrow ;
nevertheless we can live in favor with God this day, and he will be
our friend on the morrow. As we travel, we find the events of life,
and sorrow overtaketh these that sit still ; as we travel we see, and
as we read we learn, and as we receive, we are satisfied, and this is
the path to contentment, that is, to read in the book of experience ;
that is, to feel as a sorrowful Redeemer — destitute of the help of
God, and out of the reach of the salvation of men. Who shall say
that this is not a gulf or river to pass through? That none can
know, save these that are in the very strait in mind of him that
bled for us. These sorrows and divine assistance, is what is
called the sacrament, or bread communicatd to us from heaven ;
and we that receive have great cause to bless the giving hand for
communicating the life of Christ to the mind. Those that seek
these things shall find them ; he is the pearl of dear cost — it is his
life that is lost from the children of men, or rather we are lost from
the knowledge of God : but he hath made a covenant with his people,
that is if we seek he will be found of us. He will place a Saviour in
our way — give light to our eyes, and we shall see — life to the mind,
and we shall feel the griefs he bore, weep disconsolate and rise
aga.in ; die to all our human desires, and live again. Oh how cruci.
fying to my rouI ! I cannot communicate the tenth part of what
is revealed, neither can the will of God be known till it is partaken
of. The sun arose at his command : there is no life without— or
independant of a creator — there is no peace but God giveth, and

300

ntPBKMtoM or tnm mifft.

heftven if contentment to the eoul. I deaire to decline writing ; bat
I am bound to obey, and the very things I communicate in writing, I
had rather retain to myeelf: I do not increaie my salvation by these
little services: It is hard labour to the weak, and almost reduces
me to despair. Nevertheless I am not content without noting the
journies in the mind, and leave them on record as a witness of God'e
providence to the mind. I must solemnly exhort my friends first,
and then all the world, to come away from vain things. Thejvanity
of this world is only as chaff to be fanned away by the power of the
spirit of God ; and the spirit of fine things will burn in hell with
consuming fire. Behold a suffering Redeemer and then anticipate
what trouble is to come on the world : he said if he was liAed up, he
would draw all men after him. What can induce us to believe that
this prophecy is false ? No, the wicked and the righteous shall suffer.
If the righteous did bleed and die, shall the sinner escape his mourn,
ful end? There is no refuge my brethren in distress, but the favors,
of God ; seek for them daily, that ye may know Christ in this world ;
fori believe the whole earth shall suffer before the great day of
restitution, which shall come on all flesh. The good and the evil
will be tried in the resurrection — the ancient day will be restored to
the world, and remain forever — the sincere Jew and the true hearted
christian will be brethren : as God and Christ is one, these will be
without preference or dispute. Equality is the way to rest, despise
none— bay, wood and stubble shall be consumed with fire unquench>
able ; that is to say, that which men cannot abate t the prayer of
kings and councils before the Lord will be in vain, save for righteous-
ness. The earth will become one people in heart and mind, in the
the second coming of the Son of God, that is, the will of God
revealed the second time from heaven. There is no time to delay,
— the earth is in motion like the sea — the minds of men are troubled
and there is no rest. Believe my brethren, a change is at hand, the
most high hath appointed it, and the most established atheist shall
call on the Lord ; and the unbelieving deitt believe in the reveUaimof
God,

Arise, Oh son of truth arise.
Alight the dark and hidden skies ;
Appear Oh God on sea and land.
And give both heaven and earth command.

Let us measure by the means we receive, and if they do not reach
to the hills of contentment, or the shores of peace, seek for more.
The salvation of the mind must be worked out while in the body ; for
though we may be called in the resurrection of the dead, the wicked
cannot hope to be happy, and the mind of the wicked is only called
and quickened to life to suffer for our sins. All things will be tried-

DISAPPOINTMENTS OP TUB MIND.

301

over tgftio betwev Tsracl and his feet — the Jews and their enemiet
—the chriatian aiiii the persecutor — aAer which I believe that peace
will reign on earth forever and ever ; and that it is the appointed reign
of the Messiah, and will not pass away. I believe (although alone)
that for his name thrones tremble and the pillars of the earth are
shaken. Am I led into darkness to discover these things ? Or do
they appear unto you as a display of light, or ofGod*s unbounded
favors to the soul ? So I both believe and practice, and am comforted
in the practice of my faith, which commandeth ray soul to do good
and forbids the doing of evil to the human miiid.

Although there 's sorrow in my song.

My soul doth flee from doing wrong ; ^

Although contentment's far abroad,

There 's peace with Christ in heaven with God.

Although I mourn the Lord to see,
I'll bear no more than 's borne for me ;
Although I hunger for my bread.
He mourn'd that was by angels fed.

Although my heart is cloth'd with fears,
I've hope still whispering in mine ears ;
The waters and the streams give way.
And this is but the ancient day.

Although my Saviour lived to die.
And fled that I might for him cry ;
As Mary sought him I shall find,
A joyful moment to the mind.

Although he's gone to heaven above,
My distant Saviour still I love ;
Twas angels promis'd he should come,
My Saviour and my rising sun.

ich
ire.
for
ted
lied
ied

July 27th, 1834.

Thbrb is nothing more disappointing than the mind : our thoughts
are as doves on the wing, seeking rest but finding none. Every
object seems to disappoint the mind, our thoughts are not under right
direction, or so many disappointments would not take place: wo
apprehend we see an object to be desired ; but it answers not the
expected purpose when it is obtained ; and we are lefl in the
same condition of mind as before our expected delight appeared. If

202

IMPRKMIOIfl OF THK MIND.

k 1

mtn if not to be comforted, it had been better that he never wat
bom into the world ; for what doth life add unto U6 that are ever in
diaappointmonts, sorrows and afllictions. My mind has been long at
this school, but hath not received that which my soul desires : never<
theless, as these conditions of lite is the bread I eat, and the cup of
my disconsolation, it is needful that I reveal to the world the
effects of them. Hope is my companion through almost all the
scenes of life ; dispair excepted ; (of which I have a large propor>
tion and yet do not faint.) All these disappointing changes shew
us the manifest want there is of direction, and a stay to bear up the
mind. Where is the traveller in this nge, that hath found rest to his
feet 7 Where is the throne that is satisfied ; or the council that is
without defect? When we see all these things, we must conclude
we are in a world of disappointments, and are in want of an estab'
lished mind, to stay the thought from seeking afler vain things.
Shall I say the world is not finished ? that God has done his work,
but we have not done ours ? Moses hath said, whenjho had done his
work, he entered into rest, and enjoyed what he had done. Moses
hath penned these things for our justification, that wu may know
when our work is finished. It is revealed to us hereafter that the
deity was disappointed in man ; and brought sorrow over his spirit
that he had made him ; it is not revealed that he was sorrowful for
any thing but the form of man : to every thing else he hath given
command, and the world obeys : but we have lost the comforting
benefit of every thing through sin, by the mind going out from the
habitation of God, before there was a place of rest : this Moses
reveals unto us, by our father leaving the garden before there was
a place of rest prepared on earth for the mind. The garden was
not a place of contentment ; otherwise, there could have been neither
want nor prayer ; which appeared in that inexperienced place. It
appears that every thing was present with our parents, but the
productions of righteousness : the garden was the product of the
righteousness of God, but not of his people, and this is what the earth
is wanting till this day ; it was wanting in the ancient cities, and
fields ; and last of all in Jerusalem the City of the most High : Zion
failed, and Eden is lost, and there is not a happy City beneath the
Sun — we are partakers of disappointment. We may say a deity
could not be disappointed ; then we may say, that he has made man
to turn into hell and suffer for doing what he foresaw he would do.
This doctrine is too absurd for the human family to believe. If God
saw all our evil inventions, then he is a combination of all our evil
thoughts, and the source of sin. I acknowledge he hath given man
the mind, and given the mind direction, but that he hath drawn every
line, or appointed every course in ^hich the mind runs, exclusive of
bis direction, I am not able^to prove. The son of God hath said, that >

DISAPPOINTXENTI OF TUB MIIfD.

203

•vil proMedeth from the mind, and lie gooth no farther back for the
original of ain. If wo go out from tho habitation ot God, that ia the
houae of hia commanda, before the world ia blesaed to ua ; where
ahall we find a realmg place ? There ia none beyond the appoint,
menta of God : he hath appointed peace unto ua through hia com-
manda, but a diaquiet mind through our inventiona. It ia needful
that every prieat and governor drink deeply of the cup of diaappoint-
menta, and that tho ahepherd be disappointed in his Hock ; for W0
have disappointed the Lord ; and his own sorrows ho hath visited on
ua. Why did Christ groan in whom the spirit ot tho most high did
dwell ? Because God is acquainted with the misery of man, and
given hia own spirit to feel, and know their grief, and bid them come
away — forsake the transgressing and exalted thought, and be taught
from the throne of life where the Son of God aitteth forever and ever.
The spirit of God took our sinful life upon him, in hia aon Jesua
Chriat ; acquainted his own heart with our grief, in an experimental
manner : calling unto us for the aacrifice of good works to happify
the mind. The eventa of righteousness are in the treasures of the
Lord, aa at the beginning ot the world ; but they are retained till
the day of restitution, when man shall return to God and live. The
worka of men are wanting to make the world happy. While we put
our trust in any thing but divine revelation we shall be disappointed,
and the gates of hell will prevail against us : this waa the ain of our
father to trust his mind, and forget God ; and ao hia children have
run until this day. But my mind seems drawn backward from the
race ; for I have found nothing in the world but disappointments,
neither have I found rest for the feet, nor a quiet place for the mind ;
for the whole earth ia cursed because of sin : the priest may try, and
the king presume ; but all will end in shame and contempt. Glory
is not appointed to kings in heaven, nor salvation to the priest ; all
will cry with Soloncon in the end, *< vanity and vexation of spirit."
And the priests like the prophets, they shall loose their flocks, for
when disappointment has its effectual place, the whole earth will turn
to the revealed will of God (by Moses) and know the eventa of ain
aa our afflicted father ; and trust no more in invention nor the devi-
ces of the mind. The world is at a good school ; the king ia learn"
ing the fallibility of his power ; and the priest the ignorance and
weakness of his voice, the fallibility of his acquired parts, his College
accomplishments, with all his parents can do for him. Where is there
a man left any more that we may trust in for the salvation of the
world 7 The shepherds are gone astray, and the flocks are loat, —
seeking from hill to hill — from city to city ; but find no rest. Is
there any thing better than for us to turn to that we have left undone,
and live according to Moses, and the Prophets, and the revealed will
of God through hu Son Jesus Christ ? If he is appointed our Prince,

•ji-T-,.,,,

■J T^I ^ 'J

204

IMPRESIIONa or THE MIND.

1^1

«nd Sftviour, his Ooipel must rule over ui ; if our evorlaiting father,
we muet obey ; the mind becomes small in invention — the lamp of
nature departs from us; and we become servants of the Lord ; fol-
lowing the dictates of Moses and the Prophets, and every word that
proceeded out of the mouth of God by his Son Jesus Christ. The

Srinces of the earth must come to this, tho priegt muat live by it aa
i$ bread from heaven, I am not doubtful of these things, the Pro.
phets that foretold the birth of the Messiah yet livelh as parts of the
divinity that abideth in one body forever. All those are as lights, as
■iffns, or as suns : angels to convict, convince, and convert ua from
self trust, or confidence in an unconverted mind, to the power of
God in life, and his word amidst the soul ; but till we receive the
lesser we cannot receive the greater mercies of the Lord ; and thus
God will prove the authenticity and authority of the scriptures by
troubling the world ; confounding deism, and disappointing the learn,
ed, till all shall bow and humble themselves before the mighty God,
the Saviour of Israel : for this purpose are we at the school of disap.
pointments, where nothing has its desired effect, and there we shall
remain till a change of life, till our clothing is put off, and we return
naked to Eden again. The king is sitting with a crown on his head
as a distinguished mark of power and glory ; the priest as though he
was worthy of tribute, and these two cannot comfort one hungering,
thirsting soul in life ; and many under them are in the same condition.
The sooner I despair of hope in these Images, the better it is for me ;
and I will hasten my way back (in a spiritual sense) to the habitation
of my father and mother, where and when they were naked before
the Lord. They were not clothed with office nor interest ; neither
were crowns of honor placed upon them ; all is vanity and vexation
of spirit. The revealed will of the Lord is the salvation of the mind :
this is the habitation I wish to obtain, and I shall not be disappointed.
It is where the glory of man ceaseth ; and the Lord reigneth, where
he is obeyed ; but in all the inventions and devices of the mind, there
is disappointment, wailing and gnashing of the teeth ; men hunger-
ing and receiving not, thirsting and no living spring. It is a prize
to obtain the favours of the Lord ; and the richest jewel, the bright,
est diamond — the most precious ct'^ne or fruitful field, is the revealed
will of the Father through his Son Jesus Christ. The Prophets are
wanting to Israel, and Jesus to the Christian world ; for in these we
should have truth without lies, and hope without disappointment ; and
tribulation is appointed as our school of necessity, to teach us the
want of these characters. Moses and the Prophets are as stars of
light to convey us to the soul, or inner man. Christ is the image of
the Father in the midst of us, and he hath revealed unto us the afHic
tions of God's spirit, when he groaned on the cross, and expressed
unto us the love of God for the world ; but according to appoint.

DiSAPrOINTMENTI OF TUB MIND.

206

ment man mutt labour Cor his own meat : the subjects cannot happify
the king ; nor the king the people : the governors cannot speak peace
to the worldi nor the priest save his people from the miseries of the
age.

What can my mournful soul convey,

This dark and tribulated day ;

When stars are dim

To humble man nor

nor suns arise,
make him wise 7

My soul shall wait an hour or too,
To see what kings and priests can do;
Or I from action will refrain.
Until I see their deeds are vain.

I find my soul in Adam's case,

Far, fur removed out of place.

And where I'm strange doth kings arise,

And priests do feed with vain supplies.

Equality 's decreed for man.
Each his allotment and his span ;
And this is God's unchanged decree,
All, all shall labor and be free.

And thus at first the world was made,
God calls for tribute that 's unpaid ;
Purchase the ground where man shall hear.
Where suns are bright and stars are clear;
And man's bright eyes shall plainly see,
That all his deeds are vanity.

We cannot behold any thing that will comfort the mind ; we can.
not find comfort by digging, nor ascending ; we cannot purchase it
by applying to thrones, or trusting in a priest. It is God's unmer<
ited giA, it cometh of his free will and pleasure, when invention ia
spent, and devices cometh to nothing. Nevertheless it is needful
for all the sons of Adam to know of these miseries that are out of
the garden, as well as to know what Eden contains.

Peace at first was not given to man, but a servicCi or a work to
to be done, afler which the soul resteth.

God hath drawn the line ; he hath appointed the course, and until
it 18 fulfilled, all is unhappy. Our father was placed in the world.
Eden was one condition of the mind, and out of it is another ; all
must be known to know the power and love of God, the inventions
of the mind and the frailty of human life. There is no resting out
of the habitation of the Lord, that is his courts where he teacheth
his people.

'i :.fl}iri

»».•. ■■;

806

IMPRESSIONS OF THE MIKU.

I have no doubt of superiority falling to the ground ; there never
was priest, prophet or king, that had received knowledge of the
power and wisdom of the Lord, and the insufficiency of the mind,
but were a humble and low hearted people, content with small things,
neither asking tribute or honour of the world.

Humility and praise,

Sisters together join,
Companions of king David's days,

The comforts of his mind. - .

Come near unto my breast,

Ye twins that do agree,
Ye pillars of my lasting rest.

And built by God's decree.

Oh all within give way, i

These princes wise and strong, '

^/^ Are as the rising stars of dry, ..v, , /

My trumpet and my song.

Awake my thoughts to hear.

From distant hills return ; *

Your kingdom and your God is near,

Oh cease my soul to mourn.

, The highest hills are vain.

Nor doth bright suns arise.
Where princes boast and kings do reign,
The people are unwise.

Captivity decreed.

The sons of sin are bound,
Where princes reign and shepherds feed,

Man over man is crown'd.

Seftembeb 5th, 1834.

The extent of the mind is only measured by the pleasure of God,
and the bounds thereof are not known unto men ; and the productions
are the evidences of the mind. God can give or take away, lengthen
or shorten as he will. He assumeth the right of command, and his
spirit receiveth honour ; and it is his due for all that he doeth beyond
the power and abilities of men. We behold him in the billows and
in the wind ; and who can say unto these be still in their appointed
time to rage ? or unto the storm, cease from thy extending pcmer ?

EXTENT OF THE MIND.

307

He that cannot command the billows of the sea, nor the boating of
p the storm, hath no power over his own mind ; and like the mariner,
//lj^|g^i rABAthe storm cometh. the mind is troubled, and the poor subject,
I ' " man, obeys the extremities of th storm. God is right in the storm
and in the calm, in peace and in /ar, and man is never wrong save
when he disobeys his Maker's will, and conjectures paths of his
own ; and in these God meeteth him in a right time and way, and
bringeth in the cause of stumbling in due season. If not so, who
is he that is the Lord ? I believe that a man may improve his mind
and enjoy it, though his brethren may be astray, or his father an
alien to the truth. If not so, where are the rewards of the righteous ?
They cannot be sealed up in the bosom of other men. A man only
knoweth his mind by improvement, as the travelling man knowetli
the way. As extending sparks are evidences of the fire, so are
swelling words of what is below or from whence they came.

A man knoweth not his own mind, for he knoweth not to-day what
he will do the morrow, neither can he boast of it. He only knoweth
the part improved ; what is to come remaineth with him as an untra-
versed wilderness, as an unmeasured sea. There are no bounds' to
the mind but in God's will ; he setteth bounds where he will, and
there is no passing them by. We may struggle like the prisoner in
chains, — we may rise a little, and fall again ; there is nothing that
can stand but the decrees of God, and these remain forever.
The Scriptures are a true word of prophecy. Many are rising up
against them, but in vain. These are the evidences of ancient
minds, and the latter days will not exceed them in power, strength
and glory ; for as the child receiveth, the glory of the teacher passeth
away, and he is no more. As the low, humble, and moderate classes
of the world is enlightened, the glory of office and the priesthood
will fall to the ground, which now sitteth as on a throne, giving
decrees to the people. He that liveth many years will see the
scholar equal with his master, and the hearer with his priest ; and
craft and tribute will fall to the ground. Let us consider that the
mind is the Lord's ; it proceeded out from him. He is the proper
master, and teacher of the soul. He will reign over us forever.
We cannot become his equal. He is everlastingly our Lord and
our God. There is abundance of crafl in existence. The end is
honour and profit to the masters of the age ; they love to be called
Rabbi, and many schemes are used to obtain the title. I have
refused to be taught by our present masters, and hnve turned back
to the ancient school if possible where Moses was taught, and the
prophets heard from heaven what they should say ; and the query
may arise, where am I now ? I readily reply, I am with my bre<
thren, but in communion with my own soul, which is the property
of God, and the spirit he hath given unto men.

u 'it

iii

sod

IMPBESSIONS OF THE MIKD.

U> t'

God hath a right to direct the mind in all the turns of life ; and
what is this we can do one for the other ? We can do much for our
neighbours in the service of God. If thou seest a sluggard that
doth not cultivate his field, or hedge his ground, thou canst go to his
door or bed-side early in the day, and say unto him, Friend, arise,
the day cometh when thou will stand in need of bread ; Atiae and
cultivate the field that God hath given, or improve thy mind and
reap, for I have done so before thee and know that it is good, and I
must yet labour. When I improve one field God giveth another ;
when I improve one talent or part of the mind, God enlarges it, and
I know not when my service will be done, or how large my mind
should be : the farther it extends, the richer I am in the mercies of
God. Come walk with me, and let it continue until God seeth that
it is enough, and he requires the living soul to remain in these bodies
of clay no more. The cultivator bringeth forth the harvest, but the
sluggard nothing ; he remains as he was born, save a little the worse ;
he was born prone to sin, but when he groweth up he practises it.
This is an evidence of the condition of his soul, that it is in the hands
and power of sin and satan ; and God will not be his Redeemer till
he worketh the work of repentance, and bringeth forth these eviden>
ces that he is the servant of God.

Every thing proveth for itself, and the mind is not concealed but
for a short space of time, measured by Moses when he speaketh of
the evening of the day of our father and mother when they had lost
the favours of Eden. They soon brought forth an evidence of the
mind. But the industrious man, or the laborious traveller, steppeth
farther and farther out of the reach of temptation ; but lest he should
take up his rest too soon, the governor of the mind letteth go of his
hand as a child to let him see if he can walk alone, and the child
slideth, falleth, hurteth himself, repenteth of his footsteps and taketh
hold more fastly on his father's hand than before, for now he knoweth
his soul is not in safety ; he is yet in the reach of temptation, and in
danger of falling to rise no more. All that God doeth we see is good,
as we pass forward in the mind. We would be very willing to reap
an early harvest, like our father in Eden ; but it is the will of God
we should sow before we reap, and if we sow iniquity we will reap
the same, and the soul or mind shall be convinced by its own deeds
of right and wrong, for the Lord is judge over us and seemingly
knoweth all we do. There is a possibility of acting by command,
and of our limbs obeying the will of God, and of our hands and
tongue giving him much praise. The mind hath a needful master,
for it was not given to walk alone at any time. No soul hath done
this and remained to be glorious. Their garments hath been shame
and the contempt of the Almighty for such an action. The man is
never so glorious as when he is the humble servant of the Most High

ofi

£XT£NT OF THE MIl^ID.

SlOd

Ood. This station of life would not hurt the king. It would be as
a sun of light to Congress men, and they would disagree no more $
but from many masters cometh a division of servants, and in the whole
space of the earth, where men have power, servants and subjects
are divided one against the other. There is no turning from this
stage of action but by turning a little nearer to God ; the soul is hia
gift. Then why should not every man improve it ? and it would be
better than gazing on the divided Rabbies of our days. You see in
the beginning our souls are in one likeness, and that in the image
of our father as Moses has by his hand-writing discovered unto us;
for he is a true historian of the first stage of the suul ; and God haa
made uo distinction from that day to this. We arc all prone to sin ;
and as for other abilities it is beyond the power of the pen to minutely
distinguish : there are no contradictions in that which is good, neither
is God divided against himself, if so, we may say that it is right that
good gifts be in controversy with each other; but if we are of one
mind before sin, we will be of one mind when we repent of it ; and
form a peaceable kingdom. What has Rabbies to do with a peni-
tent 7 No more than Satan has to do with a Christian : he only serves
to torment him, and make his days the worse ; he doeth him no more
good, than the physician to the man in health. So are our present
Rabbies ruling and tormenting the minds of simple honest people
that hath no need of them ; they are co.itinually dividing the people,
and making the condition of life worse. These are the evidences of
the mind of this world, the present teachers and rulers that are in it ;
discontent abounds and the soul is not satisfied.

We must travel a little farther, my brethren, by the gtfl of God.
As the eye is the light of the body, the uncorrupted mind is the light
of action ; and he that hath seen must tell his brother that he may
see ; and he that reapeth must declare it is good that action should
be done, for it is as seed sown in the earth, from whence cometh a
good reward ; it convinces the mind, it increaseth wealth, it addeth
to the City, it establishes faith, it reneweth hope, it satisfieth the
mind, it increaseth thirst ; it is as the Spring, it createth hunger ; it
is as the bread, it addeth life, it is all things of which we stand ia
need : it bringeth in a flow of blessings, a harvest to the mind.
Now, my brethren, let us subject ourselves to good counsels in early
age, and when we are old we will not depart from them. It was the
great error of our father that he would not be advised ; it was the
downfall of Israel, and the destruction of the Christian world. God
hath sent his Son to advise, till he shall come himself; but he will
appear to the penitent, as to the child ; he will be all power over him ;
he will direct his mind as he did our father in Eden. We see by
Moses how it grew in extent before sin, but how his light was put out
and his joys diminished afler — how the work of his own devices had

i1i. 'I

210

IKPRKSStONS OF THE Miinn.

not acceptance with God — how he could not cover himself by
making aprons. These are God's revelations to the world, that by
these observations and remarks made by Moses we should know
ourselves. Mosus became a servant of God before he wrote these
things ; his history of man is the book of experience ; and the
productions of the mind proveth unto us that Moses is both a true
prophet and evangelist of the most high God. Moses doth not
encourage a conlinuance in sin, neither hath he painted the deeds of
sin with the power of temptation ; but stained them with grief,
woe, and shame, that we may shun them forever. Moses saith,
believe in irie, for I come from the Lord ; but now Moses is divided
against himself; he is every where, and travelling every way, into
Egypt and out of it: making contradictory laws and creeds, and
every priest has become the Moses of his congregation, and every
member must Aaron unto him ; till alas for scattered Israel ! who
will redeem ? Who will bring together that which they have strewed
abroad ? The harvest will be great, the servant will leave his master,
and the disciple his Lord, and God will send help unto them from
heaven, and the servant shall become as his master, and the disciple
as his Lord, in those days, and man shall rule over man no more.
These are the productions of the mind.

Sing, my soul, nor cease to praise;
The rising sun that lights thy days
Doth more and more to thee reveal,
And still unmeasured grace conceal.

Oh, rolling and most troubled sea.
Like to the mind that troubles me;
There 's none that can direct thy ways,
My song, my sorrows, nor my praise.

The storms descend by great command.
The winds are in a mighty hand ;
And when he bids the billows cease,
The winds and waves are all at peace.

My soul, my soul, is taught by these.
Storms come and go by God's decrees ;
And so my soul must live and know.
How God doth govern worlds below.

f. 211 ]

September 28th, 1834.

I*h6 mind uf the Deity is the original of all existence, fiut our
tnihds are fashioned according to this present world, -\vlien we arti
unthoughtful from whence we came, and who it is that giveth life and
being, and every capacity to do good to these that stand in need of
friendship, and to honour the author of our being. What we see
are to us the evidences of the mind of a Deity ; that we may believe
^ete is an existing God, the worlds are in a regular course of order.
The sun and the storm, beyond the power of the human mind, they
are established forever, that every generation may believe there
lis an existing God, immutable in his ways, and remains to be the
same to his ofispring, the breath of his own soul, the life of his
creature man. Our minds are like unto the air, the earth, and the
sea. The better we know ourselves, the more we form an acquaint-
aoce with God : we are the proceeds of the niost high ; and the
workman or builder is known by the work. We have every evidence
of the extent of a Deity ; that he is unsearchable and past finding
out ; worthy of praise for what is revealed ; and secret and sacred
things remaining in him worthy of seeking. Wisdom has no end,
therefore the joys of the righteous are forever. Every divine attri-
bute discovered, is as a pearl of high price to the mind ; it fadeth
riot away, nor departeth again : what God is to-day he is forever :
perfect in all his ways, with the creation. I will not distrust him
that I have known, for a stranger, although he should descend from
the court of kings, or from a throne in Israel — the highest priest in
existence. I will tell of the workmen as I discover the work, or of
the great building, as God reveals to my spirit. The mind is like the
air, because it is at some times clouded from every light under
heaven, and the soul mourns as the flock without the shepherd ;
there is no rest to the wandering mind neither doth he know when
or where he will receive a smile from the Deity, or when the cloud
will depart from the mind ; he is helpless as the clay, he has no
power above. God delights that we should mourn, that we may be
comforted. A long calm leadeth the unthoughtful mind into ease,
and forgetfulness of God. We know not when the storm will arise,
and the lights of heaven be obscured, and the S^on of. righteousness
depart from us. These changes are the moving hand of a Deity, my
mind is ip subjection to these : I am bound to comply and testify to
all the earth that there is no resisting the decrees of God : he maketh
the sinner his own through the atonement of repentance, and doeth
with him what he will, he taketh his mantle off from days that were
of old, causeth the Saints and the Prophets to enlighten the mind, as
ihv br^htest stars do the heavens above ; he collects them together
o2

. v

212

IMPUKSSIONS OF THE MIND.

US the constellations of the mind. Ho causes the life of his Son to
rise as the principal light of this world ; and thus he illuminates that
dark mansion called the sinner's mind. These that do not discover
these things arc too ready to deny there is an existing God. Our
thoughts are swift as lightning in the air. Who directs them, or by
whose command do they pass ns from the east to the western skies 1
Their changes are unsusceptible, to us unaccounted for, and unknown
to the human vnind. We can only say that so it is ; but the com«
mand we know not, nor by what spirit they are directed as swift
as lightning through the mind. Therefore we must humbly acknowl-
edge, Lord thou hast power over us past finding out, and turneth the
mind into heaven or hell as thou wilt, for sorrow and joy are at thy
command. Thou settest the plant in the earth, and blesseth it from
heaven. Thou emplanteth just principles in the upright mind, thoti
buildest thine house or throne upon them ; and none can overthrow
what thou hast done. Thou causeth the trne to bear after its own
kind. And so are these to thee producing glory and honor to thy
unmeasured name forever. The body passeth away into the earth
and ariseth no more, but life and being are immortal and forever. As
the earth prodbceth for our health, strength, and abilities ; the mind
delighteth in the earth, because it is thy vineyard yielding honour
to thy most sacred name ; pleasure and profit to th^ soul. The earth
cherishes our belief; it is an evidence of thee : its proceeds are
various and in abundance. In the earth, we see ourselves as in a
glass. The obedient or obeying earth produceth at thy command —
drinketh in the rain, and bringeth forth to thy glory ; so is the mind of
the upright, they produce much good to the creation, and as we are
many we are one for the other. Man is not to be alone, his neighbour
is to comfort him, give uai God has given, and remain a standing mon-
ument of God*s evidences in the earth. Here we see the mind is
like the earth, able through God to comfort those that stand in need;
and where we sow, another should reap the soil,) I mean where we
labour in the services of the Gospel) others should receive the benefit,
and we should be comforted with them, for this is the just event of a
righteous deed. Our minds are like the sea, because they are never
still ; like the needle to the pole so do the thoughts of man seek
the centre of his soul — or place of rest. While the mind is agitated,
our thoughts are not in heaven, the sea is never still, till the Lord
commands a calm ; but then doth winds and waves obey ; and man
can no more form a rest to his mind, or build a refuge against the
storm, than he can command the sea, or clothe the storm with a
mantle : as to these things he is powerless. The Lord would not
be our Got' Sdd he not reserved power and glory to himself to com-
mand the ^ ; if the tempest should continue to rage, we would not
believe, bui s the storm obeys we believe there ia an existing God.

•rilE MIND OK THE UEITV.

213

I corn-
Id DOi
God.

What is the mind but a composition of thought that God governs by
the event of our deeds, whether they are good or ill. The little mind
is happy without deeds, and mourneth without a cause. The Lord
is there in the mind of the infant doing as he will, till the day of
command, and then we are requiied to act for ourselves, and put out
a hand to the deeds of cultivation, JLigie^ the improvement of the
mind, that we may reap or gather 3tEK0urseves a blessing for our
work ; and our deeds are as a seconi creation or birth to the mind ;
if good, the mind improves in sense, praise and revelation ; if ill, our
days are worse- -our lamp goeth out, or command departeth, unful-
filled ; and y^e are left without a friend in life as a stranger in the
night, and wander we know not where, or what will be the event of
our straying paths. If it were in my power I would convmce the
world of the undeparting benefits of righteousness. But there is no
other way appointed for the sinner, or lost world but to seek and
then find, and I cannot change the decrees of God. If our deeds
are evil, we gather but little more than the thorn or thistle from
them ; for these plants produce affliction when we gather them ; and
but small are the comforts of life that proceedeth from the thorn.
As these are to the flesh, so are our evils to the mind. God is in
the event of all our deeds ; and he that caused the thorn (o spring
out of the earth and the thistle to rise in the field of the 'cultivator,
hath caused a restless and fearful discontent to arise in the mind of
the wicked ; and death is the king of terrors to his soul : he is then
to be cut ofi" from his last hope of earthly things, and gather the
blessings of the Lord from the fields no more. Why doth death
terrify the mind, if he is not the appointment of the Lord, sent to
take away what he hath given ? i. e. life to man ; why is he not
embraced as a welcome messenger ? he is sent of God, why should
we resist or repine at his coming ? Life came unto us unsought ;
and he that giveth taketh away, and many return unto the Lord
without works, as they were born into the work' ; for so doth sleep-
iog infants go down to the grave.

Oh that years may increase our understanding ; that the young
may be clothed with wisdom that the Lord would reveal his will to the
fihepherds of this age. Oh that parents may mourn with acceptable
sorrow for their oflfspring, to the God of Jacob and of Israel. Oh
that their prayers may be formed in the heart, through the still
watches of the night, and come forlh in the morning before the rising
sun, that they may have acceptance with God ; and the aged atone
for their young ; that they may receive wisdom, and implant in the
mind, as the plant in the field ; for the Lord blesses the deeds of
wisdom, and sendeth rain and dew from heaven upon them. Im.
prove the mind my brethren, first your own, and then your neighbors.
Who will fill your lips with precepts when the servants of the Lord
o3

, JIM- ^

. ..Mm

J ), .♦. ■ - >■■. ■

Il^f''i':f1

IMPRESSIONS OF TOE MIIfD.

are taken from the earth ? What will become of your little ones
when you have no minister from the Lord ? Work while it is to*day,
we know no farther than we see, and can say nothing of to-morrow :
the Lord revealeth to whom he will, and from whom he will he
taketh away, and the days of the wicked grow worse and worse, tifl
his body goeth to the grave, and his soul to where there is no rest ,
to receive the event of our deeds till the day of restitution ; when
every soul that sinneth against God, shall confess and repent with
humility and fear.

These daya are filled with hope, and my soul shall receive as
follows {

A world of blessings forms the store,

And all the just assemble there ;
Their souls do rest iorevermore.

Relieved from service and from care.

Blest morning, how the sun doth rise !

And shine on all the hills of praise ;
And stars are fixed in the skies,

To tell of my Redemer's ways.

Oh cloudless morn, how bright and clear?

The clouds depart, the storm doth cease ;
My soul's unclouded from my fear,

My spirit sees eternal peace.

No deaths pervade — nor foes ensue,

No sorrow nor no flowing tears; ;>

Here Israel's God receives his due,

The end of grief and troubled years.

October 30th, 1834.

How beautiful are the laws of the Lord ] Our pathway to happi*
ness, our footsteps to peace ! By these I shall see good and evil, by
these, I shall obtain the things of God, that were made and created
for my soul.

The heart or mind is the table of the Lord, on which he impresses
the laws of life. From this law I am minded to write of the purposes
of the creation — the visible things of God ; the spirit and benefit— «
the purposes, and fulfilment, of the world. It is a du^ of rest with
my inind. I have passed through much sorrow, and written to the
world of the mind, and though I may see things imperfectly, ther9 if

THB LAWS OF THE LOBD.

SIS

a beginning to all things, and this last «hort but comprehensive
history may be right in the end ; and discover the errors of the
beginning. It is easy to speak after Moses ; but I am minded to
refrain and speak for myself. The world was long made before
Moses saw it ; or ever his person was born into the world ; yet he
speaks of the beginning and the end ; and the whole history is his
conception of the matter ; which I believe to be the truth, but imper-
fectly understood by those that read the records of his hand. It is
not in my heart to add or diminish from the work, justify or condemn
from the few broken hints I may give.

My salvation or peace of mind doth not consist in what Moses
saw, wrote or did ; I must seek and find, and then obtain. For
me to look over the whole earth, to come to a knowledge of the
works of God is impossible. Every created being has a spirit within
itself, and is Lord and master o^both body and mind, and teaches
us all we know. There is a growth to perfection in every thing that
is created— the herb, the plant, the tree, the brute, the man : there
is life in all these, either animate or inanimated being, there is but
one source from whence all arise, and all have a connection in the
original of all things. The man, the brute, the tree, the herb, the
plant, with the least insect that hkin existence, every being glorifies
the Creator.

There is no sin, but a transgression of nature's laws : every thing
hath received direction from the Creator that descendeth downward,
or groweth upward, in all he is the laws of life. The child may be
governed by a written law, or parent's care, till he cometh to a
knowledge of himself; afler which the Creator assumes the power
and glory over the whole mind. These are lines of experience : I
write not from history, tables of stone, nor the heart of Moses ;
(though far surpassing mine,) but the pathway of my travels, and
the discovery -^f the journey as though I had been looking on the
fields and cities, rivers and seas ; and these were a journal of my
days. It is not so with me : I have pursued what I thirsted for, as
the thirsty for water ; and now discover by seeking what I find. I
am at rest, though alone ; no visionary characters frighten me,
neither do our present saints mako me afraid. I still pursue the
lonesome journey; my lot is now and then a crumb of satisfaction,
and a drop of water to cool a thirsting mind ; I suffer long and obtain
little, but I receive by the law of life, and none taketh it away. I
earnestly seek for the grave. The walls of the tomb are to me
unseen, death is hidden from mine eyes, and I continue to see, that
which I have not known. I am confident that wisdom has no end,
nor a Creator a beginning. But he begins to discover his deeds to
man, and reveal himself to the mind, by all his hands hath made and
created.

'•■ n^\;

910

IHPRi:S8I0IfB OF THIS MIKD.

The first discovery that Mosss made waa light ; and without this
heavenly light, we see nothing. By nature the mind of man is as
deep waters, we know not what it contains, nor what time will bring
forth from the mind ; but he that hath light seeth one thing afler
another, as Moses saw the worlds created. Now I will make my
own remarks on this divine light : historians may say it was the sun :
this opinion will do bettor for a comparison than the substance,
because the sun is a fountain or source uf light : but by the sun
I can see nothing but a few rods from mine eyes ; neither do I believe
that by the light of the sun any created being evur saw how the
worlds were made ; it is the light of the mind. The word of God,
that gives intelligence to the mind : by his word were the worlds made
and the line drawn in the heavens above ; and he that is possessed
of this divine nature, has a law in his heart, written by the hand of
God, and needeth tables no more — a parental father to direct his
steps, nor written law to clothe his mind. He sees the pillars of the
earth laid, and he possesses as great abilities as he that is born to be
a king ; and is heir to a throne here below. He finds his body preg.
nant with life, and his soul in every part of it; for no part can be
injured, but his mind can feel the pain ; and sympathize with a bleed-
ing body, or a smarting wound. The body can be persecuted till
the mind can stay no longer in it ; The mind fleeth to another habi>
tation and the body is dead. There is no death, but, the mind
absenting the body — like the tenant relinquishing the dwelling, and
the house is known no more. Soul and body is put together in
perfect shape : mind and earth connected. Is there any thing mrye
true than this, that the mind giveth life to a form of clay ? All ani.
mate and inanimated life returns from whence it came. There is no
being that endureth forever but the mind ; this is the word of God to
all the earth. But as the creation came to light one day afler another,
man cannot walk alone when he is first created ; and though perfectly
made, he cannot lean upon his own mind, so Moses speaks of our
fallen father. There are two languages in the mind, and our minds
apeak with a double tongue unto us, to do both good and ill. And
here cometh in the fall of the mind, by doing the latter, and leaving
the former undone. The event convinces him that there is sin ; and
when he seeth he is a sinner, he hath divine light given him, and a
sun has risen in his heart he never knew before ; and this sun is the
saviour and redeemer of the world. The event of sin teaches him
he has a master, that never knew subjection till he is a fallen man.
He is unhappy, — he seeketh that which he needeth — he is a stranger
far from home, and his own soul is discontent with his untolerated
freedom, and seeketh a governor to the mind : for God hath not said
we should obey the ill, but the mind hath desired it, and come to the
j^owledge of right and wrong on earth : he seemeth at a distanpe

THE LAWS OF THE LOBD.

217

from the inheritance of God. As the living stream never rests till
it finds the bosom of the sea ; so the soul novcr is content, till wholly
united to the original from whence life and being at fir^t cumo. This
pilgrimage from sin to the bosom of God, is the mental and experi-
mental knowledge of the creation, and we observe not all in one day,
and it may tuko mo fur one short ago of years to finish this.

NOVEMUER 1st, 1884.

All things that are are ri^ht, and not any thing hath been removed
from its place since the witrlds began. Providence iis every where
and overseeth all things. I shall be but short on the deeds of sin and
righteousness, as the latter originates in God and the former in man.
The mind of this world overfloweth with creeds and doctrines, but
Ihey have not removed the cause of sin; nor exalted to the throne,
(in this personal kingdom) the name of righteousness : righteousness
never did reign since the world was created and two put together by
the hand of God. We generate evil, because our minds are so to
do ; and if we did not, we would not know ourselves to be the
weaker or lesser part of experience ; but sin bringeth in or introdu.
eea the superiority of a judge to abuse a sinning mind. The Lord
loveth sinners, as the husband the field, from which he receiveth
wealth, honour and glory from the workmanship of his hand ; so doth
the Deity from the heart of a sinner. The forgiving of sins by the
Deity, extolls and promotes the noblest praise of God. Is this not
Tight ? If not so, why was it ever found in the heart of man so to do ?
Is there one right in the creation, if this is not right? No, not one
<— an early conviction is right, and our chastisements are the rebukes
of lov3. Could we form n world ourselves we have not the pattern,
nor the mind that could exceed this.

We are not to look back to Moses for all things that pertain to ii; >
oreation ; but take up things as they are, and look forward. The
Lord hath created many since the days of Adam ; but never hath
he thrown away the old pattern, or changed the disposition of the
child. The last child that is born into the world, is as innocent in
temper and action as the first man that God, made in whom there is
no error ; consequently there can be nothing wrong. But if we
may proceed on a little farther, we come to the necessity of a man
knowing his own mind — because it is the offspring of God. And as
every thing is known by what it bears, or produces — there is no other
measure given man ; but the product, to come to knowlege of the
truth. The mind as it is, is God's own will or pleasure, he givelh
to the first and the last without control, such a mind as he will. Our
minds are capable of fecliing, of seeing, of containing an innumepa

is:. !^

818

IM1>RISMI0N8 or TIIK MIND.

I!'!

ble multitude of thoughts. The mind is on unmoaaured apirit. A«
God la unknown, ao are the heights and dophs of the mind. Sin and
righteousness are obvious changes of the thought, aa the atmoaphere
changes from the cloud to the r'ljning sun. In all this, we see tha
revealed deeds of the Deity; and who would love a friend without
favors ? Or who would love a God that would show us no compaa.
sion in distress ?

The events of sin are not agreeabto, and are therefore not account-
ed right. Wo cannot presume to fmd out failings in the deeds of a
Creator's hand, and still we must acknowledge that every son and
daughter that is born of a woman uro prone to sin, and on the other
hand are as prone to salvation through and by the merits and i ttri.
butes of God. There are two distinct natures in one mind : to do
good and to do ill is the mind of man ; nevertheless we have but one
Governor over both these dispositions that sots bounds or toleratea
thi faculties of the soul to act. This may suffice at present. I
hope 1 have hit on the truth as fur as I have advanced, and have left
no room for contradictions aAer mo. All things are right. We
come to a sense of the mind by our acting abilities, (and so I believe
Moses came to the knowledge of God.) We come to the knowledge
of sin by the event of it, and righteousness by the attending blessing
for the deed. Now who will not acknowledge by these measures
that sin is wrong, and that righteousness is right ? and none but the
repenting sinner measures out the things of God in this way, and
acknowledges the Scriptures are true, from these practical lines that
are in him, that book or table called the soul.

In all this we say not that God hath appointed or ordained ain ;
but it originates in the activity of the mind, before it is known to a
governor, or judge to preside over it ; but as the sentence of a pow.
erful judge terrifies and heals the converted criminal from disease,
80 doth the convicting and converting word of God change the acti-
vity of the mind. And we find the soul possessed of abilities to do
good, as equally we have known there was excitement in the mind
to do wrong, and every act that convinces us of the power of a Deity
cannot be in vain ; for, as Moses hath suid in the creation, God saw
all things that he did was good : and truly he could not have made
auch a great mistake as to have overlooked the mind of man, the
most noble and ingenious of all his works, (if we may so say,) an
image of his own. I now argue that I see my creation right, and
the turns of the mind and changes of the thought. The event of
action hath brought me to some knowledge of the Deity ; his anger
which produces fear, and his love which affects tht. mind to praise.
And aa far as I have advanced I see the works of my Creator and
Redeemer right. I read those things in mine own aonl, and am not
indebted to the world.

I tiltt ]

NovRMBrn 2nd, 1334.
THE WORLD'S EVIDENCE FOR A DEITY.

The creation proves his Rpirituol existence. It wai by the crea-
tion and sublime evidenneR that Moses came to the knowledge of
God; he was no man's sorvai t in his hand-writing, but his history
in many passageB are evidently the productions of the mind. That
Moses ever saw the worlds created by the light of the sun I believe
not, but that he saw the world and the things thereof come to light
in himself, and he wrote of them as they arose. He wrote in ob-
scuring figures ; nevertheless ho made things as plain to our under-
standing as our unseeing minds could observe. What God com-
mended, ho said appeared. Every building hath a corner and chief
foundation stone, which in and whom he calls tho Lord. In thki
name he wrote to tho children of Israel ; his heart was not only a
history of past things, but prophetically revealed that which was to
come. Now, I presume, we may see as clear in this age as Moses
did, if it should bo the pleasure of God to reveal any thing to the
mind. The mind is the man of his will, mourns and rejoices at his
command, rises and falls his precepts to obey. Where did Moses
contain his skill of revelation before his hand-writing? In the mind
without doubting. Then ail he knew was contained in the mind ;
and the moon and stars, rivers nor seas, days nor night, seas nor dry
land were never there, neither did this sun that lights the globe ever
rise in the heart cf Moses. He was not born when the worlds were
made, nor Adam neither. Then no man revealed these things to
Moses, nor ever was there a man in life that ever saw the worlds
begun. Now, I will give my sentiment of the times, and pass for-
ward. The Lord continues to reveal. He cannot be known bv
ascending in balloons or digging into the earth ; and the whole hand-
writing of Moses is to convince the world there is a God. He,
Moses, was no better child when he was born than Abraham his
father ; but Abraham saw one thing, and he and seeking ages ever
find, and reveal the wisdom of God unto the world, so the whole of
the books a,re composed called the sacred writings. They are all
the productions of the mind and the revelation of God.

These do not excuse any person from seeking that which is
unknown ; and I believe that God will reveal himself to the world
by ways that hath never reached the thought of man. Nature, so
called, is almost ripe, and human invention near to an end. The
world is preparing for a fall, and rise again ; and the penitent mind
hath gone beforehand to the pit or furnace, ai^^td there been refined
And JTOse iigain. These reveal the chan^^es of a subduing, enlivea-

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220

IMIMIKSSIOXS OF THE MI>D.

ing, and creating hand. And as one has gone or more, ao all will
go itefore this world will see the Sabhath that Mosos tells of. When
God was reconciled to or with his works, he blessed all, and all rested
in concert, harmony and peace. This was the reformation in the
mind of Moses. He knew all the propensities of the fallen sinner,
the rise, the inheriting of Eden, of standing in the presence of God,
of knowing his will, and revealing it to the world ; and thus began
his visions of heavenly light, and speaketh by the might and power
of God. I will now speak again for myself, and as far as I have
seen reveal to my brethren : not in imitation of another, but of my
own soul. We are all in the hands of God, and must receive what
he givetb ; bitter or sweet, sorrow or joy, all are revelations of his
command. He that seeth the creation rising in his mind according
to its religious and temporal usefulness, saw as Moses saw, he owns
the operations of God's Spirit on his mind, and one thing after ano.
ther is brought to light in him.

November 5th, 1834. • >

Life is one united and spiritual body, or world — the Deity and
direction of the universe : ever changing the garment going and
coming, and is ever the same. What is the birth and death of a man,
but one of the regular circuits or circles of life ? the same order in
existence in tlic whole moving creation, in all things that come and
go again. The spiritual world is the hidden mystery of life ; but the
evidence is plain before our eyes, on which I will make a few
remarks and pass on to the connection of the spiritual world, with
this lower system (so called). The person cannot see what the
mind conceives; neither can this world or the eye of this world by
the light of it, the sun, see a spiritual existence ; yet we can see by
unnumbered evidences that life remains, comes into the infant and
passes out of the deceased ; we may not only conjecture, but prove,
that all in existence is the evidence of a spiritual world ; and that
life in ourselves hath an unconquered direction. The physician can
not turn, neither can the artist delay its progress. In life we see the
indisputable evidences of a Deity, and that the spiritual world hath
power over this. We cannot keep off calamities by oui prayer, nor
disease and death from the habitation ; life goeth without our direction,
and Cometh without our command, performs his own revolutions in the
heavens, summer and winter seasons on earth — and in various climes
»hew8 various circuits and progressions, and without life existence

LIFE IS ONE UMTED AND SPIRITUAL BODY.

221

is not. Our most needful dwelling is, the atmosphere ofcontentmcni—
this is hoped for in another world, revealed to us by a spiritual
existence.

I can believe but little or nothing in the rise or elevation of tho
mind aftm it leaves tho body ; as justification cometh by action only ;
and we go nut long without the wages of well doing. I believe the
mind rises to its proper height in the person, yet may be troubled at
the parting with the body ; which hath been as two jointly connected
to effect the purposes of God. The knowledge of a spiritual world
is a happy mind, and i am from experience obliged (if [ do justice
to my own soul and the Christian world to' whom I am writing,) to
acknowledge that I have seen these intervals of time in which I
wanted nothing.

I could remember deep sorrows but could not weep : peace and

Pleasure sat as upon the throne, and governed my whole heart ; but
was not to remain, it was but a taste of heavenly things, or the
worlds to come, when all my purposes and appointments are fulfilled.
Then I saw the worlds which were to come — every faculty of the
mind at perfect rest ; the whole heart enjoyed a felicity undescriba'
ble. Experience only can convey the truth of these things : as they
are a gifl in life which we cannot give one to another. Then I saw
life at perfect rest ; because all past appointments were fulfilled, there
was no conviction from Saint or Saviour ; then I was united to their
rest, and them with me. My whole heart was full of life overflowing
as it might be with spirit, because I was happy. This I accepted as
a Redeemer's praise ; and as for any distinction, I knew it not, for all
my personal faculties were alive ; and my whole heart was as one ; be.
cause I was at rest with the Deitv and the fountain of life, and I knew
of no distinction in my soul of abilities, more than you can divide
the waters of the sea, and declare unto me which are from one con.
tinent or the other, and this is the spirit of truth — the worlds of felicity
and everlasting rest. The spiritual world is as closely connected
with this world as soul and body is connected — and governs over us
by a supernatural influence ; but tolerates man to step aside, that he
may know error, increase his fear of a supernatural providence, or
an overruling world.

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IMPRESSIONS OF THE MtJitf^

November 7th, 1834.

The turns or changes of the mind are visible to the mind ; but the'
causes seem to be obscure from the human family. Every turn or
change is an evidence of God's overruling providence ; but the causes
are in himself: as far as we can trace the dtteds of sin or righteous,
ness to affect the mind, we may be satisf ed with the sublime ev'u
dences of conviction or justification imj> -ssing the mind with these
various and (to us) divided effects. But there arc changes and turns
of the mind that are beyond these, tliat are known to the creatures
of God, especially his creature man, that is capable of revealing the
observations he may make upon the turns of his own mind. Moses
has revealed unto us the causes and effects of sin, and the man of
experience and self-knowledge ; that is, when his weakness or frailty
to do good is revealed to his own mind, sayeth Amen to the hand,
writing of Moses. But if the mind was restored to Eden, (which is,
to stand in the presence of God without conviction,) which is possible
in the body, as in the body Eden was first inherited and lost, in person
it may be regained, and man still live. I do not believe that Eden
consists of a certain tract of land ; but that it is known by a certain
condition of the mind — so I believe that a man may inherit and liv*.
But life will produce action, and action is the production of thought;
and the heavenly or sublime powers impress the man within, forsa
sin and righteousness cometh to light ; they are both the production
of the mind, but not of the inspiring word of God. I believe ia
changes, though we were at peace with a Creator, and knew no con.
viction for sin or justification for righteousness ; and I believe withr*
out a shadow of doubt, that these changes are the continuing revela-
tion of God ; for though it should be our happy lot to reconcile the
mind through the humble deeds of righteousness, I do not believe that
the purposes of the creation are fulfilled in us, neither hath this
world or globe and things thereon fulfilled their proper purposes to
the mind. As long as the mind changes, we increase in wisdom^
and the power of an overruling Providence is more and more visible
to the soul, or the man within ; whom I believe to have communion
with the spiritual world ; that is, his own soul is sensible of over,
shadowing power, and is ever revealing something to the thought
that this world knoweth not : and where the spirit and principles of
atheism and deism originated I cannot tell, as my soul is neither of
these, therefore by experience I cannot reveal ; but give my distant
evidence, that they are borrowed from the brute — who despisea law,
and his own mind is unto him the law of life ; and all his changes or
turns of the mind are effected by earthly things^

tb<

THE CHANGES OF THE UIItD.

229

tt is not so with the man of thought and serious contemplation on
the things of God. He beholds a clear and clouded atmosphere, in
which he has no part ; he turns his mind to the inward man, or njiind,
and finds him either weak or strong, bright in observation, or dull of
apprehension ; and though his life may be steady, and he places
every deed, or moves his feet with the utmost care, giving all honor
to Divine direction, putting self-confidence far from his soul, and still
these changes ure obvious within ; he is forced to acknowledge they
are the turns of a Redeemer and Creator's hand, wrought without
cause in the man, when they are not the production of action. The
coming attributes of God are unmeasured. He redeemeth us with
the merits of his own love. I have mourned without sin, and rejoiced
without any peculiar or present deeds of righteousness ; yet these
changes of which I have been writing, are obvious to my own mind ;
and as I have no known part in them, I attribu them to God's own
will and unmerited pleasure, to bring th(^ i* an within to a proper
sense of the creation ; and it was from these turns of mind that Moses
writes unto us of day and night, as times of the greater and lesser
light : and so, as there are times that darkness obscures the human
eye, the Lord casts a mantle over the soul, and overshadows the
mind ; and when we come to a sense of this world, we will find the
original in ourselves, and the worlds are made to bring us to a sense
of ourselves, and the man within. The mind inherits the spiritual
worlds from whence this globe did proceed, or a true and indisputable
sense thereof. The more we see of this kind or nature, th<^ better
we are acquainted with God our creator, and redeemer from sin. The
mind knoweth the change and turns of his fashioning hand, and he
that knoweth his soul to be renewed, is like unto him that saw the
worlds created or come to a sense thereof.

The worlds that are discovered with a human eye, are the visible
parts of a deity ; his mind is in them, and by this soul or spirit that is
in them, they move in their regular course of order, come and go^
and some parts of them visibly die and live again.

And as God hath given unto man a mind like his own, (which Moses
calls his own image,) it adds to the salvation of the mind to come to
a seneof these things, through the merits of a Redeemer's hand*
Moses for our information has divided time into days, as though these
visible changes were in the mind of a Deity, of which I have been
speaking, which I believe not. But that Moses seemingly reduced
the extent of a Deity into the small power of our conception and
understanding ; and as the rising and setting sun measures one day
unto us, Moses tells us thereby, that the mind is never still, but of
a changing and travelling capacity, and though wo are up tO'days
and God's providence will seemingly illuminate the whole mind by
the light of his inspeaking word, yet the salvation of the soul is not

V I ■*

324

IMrBKSSIONS OF THE Ml'XJ.

accomplished ; when one command is fulfilled ; the light of this day^
will pass away, as the setting sun: the mind will be obscured from
past things, but the same word will return again as the rising sun,
till the whole purposes of the creation is fulfilled in the mind ; which
Moses hath called the Sabbath of God's rest, when man is wholly
justified for all the deeds that he hath done. But ( believe not that
the whole will of God is then wrought in the mind, or will of man ^
fur afler Moses saw this and wrote the book of creation, he had many
things to write and do afterward, and this history of the creation,
were but as lines of his experience, and knowledge of God. We
must descend into the nature of things to be more fully accomplished.
Our rest here is but for a Sabbath day, in comparison a seventh part
of the time, and it is my belief that the souls of but few attain to this
measure in our age of life.

i!* I

November ISih, 1834.

Let the earth arise from deep waters, let the sea and dry land
appear. Now shall I see by the light of the sun ; not this visible
light which is shining in the heavens that lighteth the human eye,
but the spirit of that sun that lighteth the soul within.

The more we see of the deeds of Providence, the more we breathe
out glory and holiness to his name ; his deeds inspire our praise, and
his works are as lines drawn upon the human mind. It pleaoed God
that there should be sea and dry land. It also hath pleased him that
there should be body and soul, a man spiritual within the man tem-
poral, or mortal, or changing clay. We observe by Moses that the
waters were the element of God's creation ; and from thence the sun
arose, and dry land appears, and the Lord set them apart, each of
them for their appointed purpose, and neither of them are without
the Lord.

When Moses has done all and all by his hand-writing of the crea-
tion, he. has only described the man and Creator by the creation
coming out of darkness, as the mind of the man cometh to a know-
ledge of his own formation and acting capacity ; for we by nature
see but little use in our birth or death, till we are endowed with a
sense of these things, or why we are born to suffer and die, and go
hence, not knowing the purposes of our birth or creation. The
worlds are made for us to know, and all we see is the perfect figure
or shadow of the man. We know there is something bringing deeds
to light in ourselves, as we experience the benefits of age, and
advance towards the kingdom of heaven, from whence all good at

tttVi CHANGES OF TtfE KIND.

225

#r8t ftrose. Atl things below are but a shadoinr of worlds to eortie'tr
iThat which is to us to come, is that which ever was. There is spirit
and mind in the kingdom of God. The mind is the atmosphere of
all God's holy'and atigelic spirits, saint and Saviour ; if we ever know"
Chem, we know them there. It pleased the Lord to reveal to thtf
mind of Moses, the deeds of creation ; he made use of the waters to
prefigure the nrind to Moses; the sun, as the rising of a Saviour
tir the soul ; the body as dry land. And here God distinguishes
to Moses, th6 distinguishing purposes of the sea and dry land. Th^
body is useful in the hand of God, as well as (he mind, and God set
their purposes apart, that one might not haVe all the honor, but that
soul and body should both worship and adore the Lord : he set bounds
to the sea as we see at this day, and both are for a glorious purpose,
both to God and man, for the sea is a communication that bringeth
distant friends by a speedy means near together. All the springs
and streams worship the sea, because they are the greater fountain
of living waters. So all our mind and abilities worship the mind of
a Deity, the element of our creation. Who can keep the living
stream from the sea ? neither king nor Councils. Who can keep my
soul from God? None. She is in her appointed course. She ifl-
the offspring of spirit, and cannot be contented with earth, nor all
that are thereon. She will return to her father's arms from whence'
she came, — the Creator of the world. So with the least stream of
the living fountain, so with the most distant soul or spirit that God
has given, they will unite with crowns at last. And as there are no'
superior waters in the sea, all things are alike in the kingdom of
God, from whence at first all things arose. The earth is as useful
to bring us to a sense of the benefit of the person to the soul as the
land is to discover unto us the marvellous work of God in setting thcr
land ajyaft from the sea. In the sea and dry land we see life, and
the deeds of a; Creator'is band. Give glory all that see ! and those
that see not, Wait for his coming. Where we see life, God is there ;
but Oh, unmeasured purposes ! who shall presume to write after'
Moses, the wisest scribe in these things in all the earth ? I prigMi'me
not to follow after nor run before, but give my sense as s distinct
being from many others of the purposes of the creation, and the
knowledge of God. The more I can prove by Moses; the stronger
is the building ; the more I add together, the greater is the pile. If
Moses is not to be understood, in vain are his writings to them tha£
see not. I speak as I understand, and add as I discover; for the
God of Moses is my God, and the God of the whole world. He
hath; not limited himself by what he hath revealed to Moses nor the
Jews, but continues to add by every discovery of his insearching
and divine light.
The earth produces after its own kind, and so doth the sea; bat

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226

tMPBESdlONa OF THE MIKtr.

1- I

a)I have their original in one, and none of our upright deeds of hft
should be despised, for the nature and spirit of a Deity is in them
all : and there are no productions of body or soul in which the
divine nature is not, save this untolerated liberty wr take upon
ourselves to act without the laws of life, and in these we unlawfully
use the creatures of God to fulfil our own appointments. The sea
and dry land hath appeared unto us, to worship, glorify, and adore
the Creator. Every deed aAer its own kind, from one original. So
hath God revealed himself to Moses, and Moses to himself, by the
varied and unnumbered productions of the soul, as the deeds of the
human body arising from the soul or mind, the man within. We
make the best use of a weapon when we receive it according to its
use and appointed benefit ; the sword by the hilt, and every subject,
object or action, according to its varied and appointed purpose.

Every plant in the earth is the f reduction of the dry land, bringing
forth aQer its own kind or nature. From whence came all nature ?
It is the proceeds of one living source, called the Deity ; and evei^
thing in which there is life, breath ar being, honours the Lord for
giving capacity or ability to live, 9-t, or grow upon the dry land.
We view them in the light of tho sun ; but when spirit leaves the
body, there is light in the eye no more : and it was by the spirit of
the sun that Moses saw the sun, and by the spirit of God he beheld
the whole world, the uso and benefit of creation.

November 14th, 1834. |

Lord, thou art my dwelling through ages that are to come. Thod
hast been with me since the pillars of the earth were laid. My spirit
is from everlasting to everlasting. Thou art my God. Thou bast
done, and it moveth not away ; thou spake in the beginning, and thy
word changeth not. Thou art in the midst of thy dwelling. Thou
art clothed with righteousness. Thy deeds praise thee with a pleas,
ant song. Thy works sing aloud. The voice of the shepherd
rejoiceth in thy flock. The dove and the lion unite to give thee
praise. My heart, reveal thy Maker and thy Redeemer's hand.

The fields were naked, and the Lord clothed them with pasture for
his own. He drew a line round about them. He forbid the destroyer
to hurt the plant of the field. The walls arose at his command ; they
were hedged in, and no sin came through his gates. The little bills
burst into singing. The spring burst from the mountain side; the
flocks were watered, and thirsted not for springs abroad. The flower
rose amidst the tender grass ; the field was of a pleasant smell— the

OOD IS LIFB.

227

■ 1

ancient fold of Israel. The dove sat on the bough, the lion fed on
the tender grass ; his disposition to destroy was not found in all the
land ! The Lord bore away his mantles from the 'sun. He was
clothed in thick darkness. A mantle of mourning enclosed his illus>
trious rays, that he shone not on the earth ; but the Lord said Arise.
The waters gave way, and the inhabiters of the field were known
Onto the Lord. He set bounds to the wave; he commanded the
floods to be still, and the marvellous deep obeyed his word. He
placed the planets in their course, and the constellations of heaven
were still at his command. He bid man to rise as from a deep sleep,
and behold the glory of his hand. My soul awoke at the sound of
a trumpet : I beheld and sought the Lord that shewed unto me these
things. I found him in the midst of them. The Lord is in the midst
of his sanctuary, and his deeds clothe him as a garment, and every
life doth give him praise. He giveth unto man power and dominion
over the field of his inheritance, and the little flocks come and go at
his command. His mind sitteth on the mountain. He beholds the
vallies and the flower of the field, the rivers descending to the foun-
tain of waters. He descendeth from the top of the hills; he clothes
his soul with the deeds of creation as with a garment ; he followeth
after the courses of Jordan, till he cometh to the city of God ; he
casts off his garment at the feet of his Redeemer, and beholds that
he is spirit before the Lord, prepared to inherit the temple of the
creation, the city of God, the mind of the Deity, the element of all
his works. The whole creation sings with him in spirit the sacred
anthem of endless joys. We all see with our eyes as through a
glass from hill to hill, from sea to sea. The Lord is still to come.
He will multiply wisdom. Hope is our sister and wisdom our kins-
woman. She will multiply in the earth. The Lord is her bride-
groom. The creation, originated in her brea«t. She will conceive
of him that liveth forever. She will come forth again. Israel shall
behold her glory and live. Here ends my song, this solemn morning
of my days.

'WW

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November 19th, 1834.

God is life: we are the proceeds of life. Life is spirit to all
extent we can behold with the human eye ; there is no changing
existence that cometh and goeth again in whicn there is not life and
spirit, from the greatest to the least in the whole animal or vegeta-
ting part of creation. There is no life in course or order but is under
a spiritual direction ; and that which we see is the lesser part, or
parts of creation. Ohe spirit hath placed direction in all things to

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;«28

IMPRESSIONS OP TliS MIND.

go and come and fulfil the appointed circles of life. The atfDo.
sphere, the earth and sea, is full of life and order. Nothing moves
but by supreme command. The heavens obey ; the earth and waters
bring forth to their Creator's name. The miad is the sense of all
things observable. The Deity has taken up his rest in the human
mind. All nature doth adore and worship there, or Moses could not
have told us of a Sabbath's rest. The superior parts of a Deity
rest in this temple or spirit called the mind ; and this is the house
of the Lord. And thus, having a communion with his own soul and
the visible parts of the Deity, he wrote his history of the world. If
the unbeliever should critically dispute by saying, I was not present,
I will refer him to a decision by saying that the same God that hath
been with Moses is with us, and hath been with all the rest, of the
world from that day to this, in a greater or less degree. The very
heathen imitate his name by idolatry ; but returning to the human
family, they have been the instruments of his revelation in all ages
of the world. When we see the vegetating plant, the growing tree,
the increasing and decreasing brute, the turns of the seasons of the
creation, the activity of nature in'all living, save man, we have seen
the end of what these can reveal of the deeds and formation of a
Creator's hand, the activity of spirit in them, which is given according
to their needs ; but when we come to the mind of the human family
and the revelation of God to the world, who hath read through the
book of life and can say we have come to the end of wisdom ? Not
the Pope, nor his superiors. When the wise men can tell me the
drops of water there are in the sea, and the depths of the atlantic,
then will I believe these things, or that the end has come or revela-
tion ceased.

I believe that will he that never has been, and yet it is not new
under the sun, for God ever was, and nothing can be new with him.*
He has a beginning and end with man. To us he is an unchange-
able being, increasing in mercy, revealing to us that which we have
not known. He that knowelh himself knoweth the spirit of this
world ; for all is there, in the temple of the Lord, the mind of the
man. I am not about to say that our mind is our God, for there are
impressions on the mind as Moses reveals by saying, " He moved on
the waters," and the Son of God hath said, if the mind cometh forth
or is born of the spirit we hear the sound, the voice of God, in the
inner courts of the Lord, the temple or mind, but from whence it
cometh or whither it goeth we cannot tell. God never will make
liars of his saints or prophets, much less his Son Jesus Chiist. We
are the lesser means, we cannot weigh or measure the Deity ; if so,
revelation would come to an end. The mind is the medium between
God and our acting abilities, which is called the man, the connection
of this earthly frame. It is the mind tha( feeli and knows our siiMi

GOD IS LIFB.

2*29

and tnaketh the actual atonement that God requirea for oar acting
transgressions ; but the mind doth not perform this alone, more than
the son eould act without the father. It is a well impressed mind
that regulates our sinful and transgressing deeds of life. The soul
is the bride, the word of God the bridegroom of the soul, and our
person holds out to public view the revelation of God. It was by
the spirit of the world that Moses saw the '<-ld ; for the spirit is the
inside liglit of all being, and from thence proceedoth the activity of
the creatures of God : and man is endowed with these noble abilities,
i, e, to worship God for all. And to perform true and accepted wor-
ship we must come to the outside knowledge of the deeds of a Deity,
as well as these things that are revealed within ; and he that doth
not come to the visible sense of the works of God, as seen by the
human eye, is resting short of the sense of that which God hath
openly revealed to the human eye. I write a little that if possible
I might assist my brethren and friends to see these things as they
are that God hath placed before our eyes, that the end may be to
increase the homnge of the Almighty, and increase his praise as it
might be from fresh springs of living water arising in a thirsty land :
that is, a few sparks of revelation that may not be common With the
whole world, or the inexperienced or untravcUing human family that
seemeth to measurably content themselves with the fleeting dust of
this lower world. I have no doubt that all things were made for us,
and we were to have dominion over them : that is to say, be wiser
than them, command them in ourselves by superior impressions of
the mind, or the direction of a Creator, Saviour, or Redeemer's hand,
(whom to me are all the same ;) there is but one original of all good.
Man is not made to bow to any thing in the creation. Here Moses
reveals the will of God in the first command. In obedience to such
eommand the soul begins to ascend, and so on till we stand in the
presence of God, as Moses did when it is said he saw him face to
face. Theie are contradictory Scriptures to these, that sayeth no
man hath seen the face of a Creator. I accept that Moses stood in
his presence and saw the visible glory of God, these things that are
manifestly revealed by the deeds of creation ; but that God hath
revealed his face or shewn his whole glory to man, I believe it not :
for the whole mind of man could not receive the extent of the Deity^
— moreover he is more, glorious than we can behold. If not so, there
is nothing to come that hathjiot been revealed, and we have seen
the end of a Deity, and wisdom is accomplished ; this is not the true
faith. The Lord liveth, and is forever and ever to all generations
of the world new to every creature, discovering unto him these things
he has not known.

Tlie purposes of the creation are glorious ; they enlarge the mind
as they improve the soil, and bring in a welcome income to our
p3

.!|J

' !

930

IMPREflSIOIft or Till MIND.

desire. Let us read a little in the book of nature, for in it are written
the laws of life. Our first prospect is with the human e^e; we
behold much in visibility. We see life in action in earth, air, and
sea. We see the deeds but not the mind ; i* is spirit, it is secreted
within this veil of flesh as a mantle. Life Is hidden in the tree, the
grass of the field, the flower of the garden. We see the visible part,
but there is another that expands the bud into the leaf and flower,
growelh and is multiplied by it. It fulfils the appointment in all
being, and returns from whence it came, but whither we know not.
We cannot follow by the light of the human eye to the fountain of life.
Our own limbs move by a power unseen ; they are commanded by a
measure unknown to ourselves. I am ready to cry out. Oh ignorant
men that we are ! can we not advance ? can we not see the purposes
of a Creator's hand ? There is a school prepared for us. Moses
not only saw what had been from the beginning, but saw what would
be in the end. God would come in the flesh, and him we should
hear in all things. Here ends the law of Moses. It brings us to
this school ; and the evangelist John tells us by this word that teaches
the mind, whose house is the inner temple and courts of the Lord,
the world was made, and all that are therein. Now I presume the
visible God is within the voice like the coming and going wind.
The mind that is like the table for the law of the Lord, can receive
the purposes of the creation. The outside of a Deity — that is, all
we see, if but as the mantle of the Lord — excites me to know what
is within '.he veil, and the creation attracts my mind, not to sin, but
to fear a Deity of such power. I see the plrnets in their course,
obeying direction ; the rising and setting sun, the regular changes
of the moon, the morning and the evening star, the rushing storm
moving on deep waters, the calm, the evening and the day, the
activity of the fowl and brute, till I behold my own limbs moving
from a power within, my tongue revealing the secrets of my soul, my
pen now running by the virtue of something unmeasuredjn my mind.
My all gives up : I acknowledge there is an unknown Deity in all
life, and I am frail to know mine own existence. I will go to that
school, as a child to the master that knoweth all things, he that
dwelleth in that unknown mansion called the mind ; and I will
worship before him, and say. Good master, teach me these things
that I need, that my mind may enter into glory with thee, and inherit
eternal life. Will he not show unto me the spirit of all things in mind,
of which he builds his house in the spiritual worlds, and is a spiritual
world? He has said, " he will teach the meek and humble of his ways,"
and I shall see his life in all living ; the more he gives the more I'll
love, the more I see the more my limbs shall cease to oflTend, till I
bear the true image of his will, as far as is to me designed. And the
more 1 receive and know of the Deity, the more full, perfect, ^nd

OOD IS COMMAND.

asi

«x(ensiv« thall my worship be. And the purpose of the whole
visible creation is to direct our attention to the inner man, who is
acquainted with the revelation, the judgments, and mercies of our
God. Spirit only seeth unto spirit. The human eye can only
discern the outside of things. It is the inner man that knoweth the
Lord and is acquainted with his works.

November 36th, 1834.

God is command, — command is life, and precedeth action. The
world is the oflTspring or the proceeds of command. We cannot call
God that which he is not, sin and unrighteousness excepted — and
these are performed by his abilities given us in trust, and made use
of without command. By command the sun arose, the planets took
their course, and the fixed stars were still. By command man came
to the sense of his abilities ; without command, he is lawless in life.
By command the creation appeared unto Moses, and he saw an ex>
tensive Deity in all his works, and became the servant of the Most
High God. The more we see by the command uf God, the more
the soul multiplies ; the more extensive the command, the more the
■oul reveals ; the more is revealed, the more we receive for doing ;
the more we receive, the richer and more noble is that kingdom by
the saints and son c&tled the mind. Moses is one of the most exten>
aivvt historians of the world ; he hath revealed unto us the ways of
right and wrong, and that command is the law of life, and that God
is command to the whole world.

If we see the sun to rise, we see one part of his existence ; for by
this we see the outside of things, the garment of a Deity, but know
not the mind. All that behold the creation should enquire aAer the
mind of this world, which is the Deity, not the mind of sinners ; for
it is a kingdom dark as the tomb ot the dead, in which a man cannot
see right or wrong. There is no law from the Maker's hand written
there that we can see with our human eyes. Nevertheless it is to us
the space of the creation, and where God begins his known works,
reveals his abilities and calls the sun to rise. But the mind of a Deity
is what we should seek for in our lost condition of mind, that is when
our spirit is not at rest, neither do we know where to find it. When
God commands the sun to rise in the inside kingdom, so described to
us by the saints and the Son of God, we have a light which showeth
unto us the whole mind or heart of the human family ; and this is
where Moses saw the sun to rise which directed him to the sun in
the skies to reveal to the world the spirit of God. What can be more

'■»! :. i '¥:]

•.■>i

imi

9it

IMPREflllOIfl OF THIi MIND.

correct 7 By th« light of the lun we behold the creation ; by th«
light of the mind we see the epiritual wor'd, from whence tbie world
•roie, or wai at fitBt revealed to man. It is the inner courts of the
liord that satisfieth the mind ; for there all our abilities are at home,
•nd seek no more, but enjoy the prize they sought. I believe Miosea
■ought for wisdom before the creation was revealed to him. Th«
Son hath said by seeking we find, o'* seek and ye shall find. This
is one infallible command from the foundation of the world. But
who could seek to find till he was lost, or found himself in need of
that which he did not possess? I confiess that although a man was
righteous according to his measure, as Adam before sin, he hath not
m perfect sense of his own soul or mind ; for the mind of a righteous
man may be improved. I may fulfil all the laws of the Lord this day
that he hath revealed, oLoheKjiis most righteous command, but it
doth not follow that I Bh^^Hik for more on the morrow, though I
were righteous to-day. fw world was revealed unto Moses a day
at a time : a veil was cast over the first day's work, which is called
the night ; and I have no doubt but Moses saw the first day's work
that it was good, and God blessed it unto him, and it satisfied part of
his mind. But Moses was not content with seeing the work begun ;
and aa his prayer for wisdom was just, blessed and answered of God,
he saw another : and thus God was revealing himself unto Moses by
the creation, showing unto him the purpose of all things. And I
believe, by reading over my own sins'* degree of experience, that
Moses was not content nor accomplished for action till he came to t
aense of the mind of this world, which is the Deity, and then begaa
to serve or obey the world to come ; for it will come unto us all if we
will obey command, which ia the law of life or nature's laws. Mosea
had a frame or body to act in, which is an image of God ; not because
of form, but because it contained the sense of all things in existence,
aru the original from whence they came.

Moses never could have described the first man to us but by him-
self; for the very soul of Adam was in him, and in us all, and Mose*
improved it, and found the Lord to move on his mind as on deep
waters. And Moses discovered a light in his own soul, but it did
not continue ; there was night as well as day in him. The Lord is
a consistent God ; he is the same within in spirit as he is without in
deeds : and this world is a true figure of the Deity, and the spirit of
the world to come. There is a rising and setting sun in our presence,
a time to act in the service of God and a time to be still ; but the
might ia noi without his blessing, for Moses says it is a time of the
lesser light, the moon and stars are in it. The Deity himself, aa
revealed unto Moses, brought forth the creation to hie presence by
this supernatural light, by which he saw the sun, the infallible cvi^
lience of the ebbing and flowing of the spirit of truth in hia own ma\,

«■.

OOD IS COMMAND.

333

«vfiicb led him into all things, and to give a true history of the Deity
by the book of croiition to the human family that are born into this
world. When I advance in this little work, I would keep the evidcn.
ces of all things compact in one connection, that I may be the better
understood, if I may be suffered to progress to the satisfaction of any.
There are sufficient evidences that all existence hath a spirit, but
without which we are lust from the use of them ; the spirit is the
light of all thin^rs that are animated under heaven. It is in my mind
to say, ihere is not a nature, ability, or principle of action in the animal
life that is not connected with the human family. To know these in
•one united spiritual body, and the word of God to be tho head or
command of them, completes a spiritual world, or a satisfied mind,
in my belief, the salvation of tho mind. A man without the Lord ia
but (be brute in action. He has the man's form, but the brutal prin-
(ciples ; but by them he can never work a salvation, neither is ho sat*
isfiod. He is either coveting^ or hating, gaining or losing, strewing
oe gathering. His mind is never still. He is coming or going to
«atisfy his soul. The event of all he doeth is uncertain to him ; ^.nd
at an untimely season, as we would have it, he is cut off from hito
works, and leaves this world unaccomplished, and enters into another,
because the mind is life. God's own breath (saith Moses) breathed
into man. Personal decease cannot slay a spirit : therefore the mind
doth not die, yet it changeth by the deeds of life, and our deeds re-
vealeth unto this wo'ld the heart of man. Moses has said that the
Lord made man naked and then clothed him. In vain we raed if
we do not understand. Man was not ashamed until he sinned, and
was then disposed to hide himself from the presence of the Lord.
The deed he did was only an evidence of his spirit. He was not
ready to come to judgment, — he had not fulfilled commaild, — he hid
himself from the Lord, revealing to us the space of repentance was
wanting before he was ready to appear before the Judge of a spiritual
world ; and by his deeds hath revealed himself unto us. The Lord
clothed him, but slew him not ; Moses hath wisely said with the fikina
of beasts, a true evidence of his action, the spirit and principle he
aeted from in the mind. If this spirit had been obedient in the mind,
(the world of spirits,) from whence should we have known sin?
There is nothing now that was not then, there was nothing then that
is not now. The whole writing of Moses respecting the creation is
(he evidences of the form of the man In the inner part, and the deeds
of Adam our personal action. Adam by his own deeds knew himself
(O be a sinner; but not without the assistance of a Judge could be
have known this. The spiritual world (the mind within) was out of
order. He had moved the wrong foot first, as it might be, and darit-
ness began to cover the mind, and he began to act in vain, and make
a wrong use of the fig leaves which was given for the clothing of the

i;Ekn

234

IMPRESSIONS OF THK MIND.

tree but not the man ; but the Lord clothed him according to his ac
tion, for lie could not bear to go naked. Therefore God gave him a
defenee, as it might be, against sun and storm, the troubles of life,
till his repenting days shall be performed. Then shall he say in all
of us, Here am I Lord, the workmanship of thine hand ; Without (hee
I can do nothing. Thou hast made mo naked before thine eyes.
My deeds are all thy works ; they are all performed by thy command,
and of them I am not ashamed. I delight in them. I rejoice in thy
presence as the rising sun. Thou showest unto me I am thine own
likeness, containing the spirit of all visibility within myself. I am a
kingdom and thou art Lord thereof, to myself an inward and an out-
aide world; ^r by thy word within (the sun of the mind) I see all
things that are in existence, and my soul containeth the spirit of them.
I have found all and thy righteous name in the midst of them, reveal,
ing to man that which is right and wrong. Thou ait the tree given,
but not stolen. Thy life is command, and most freely may my soul
partake of it. i

Of all the trees thou mayest freely partake, but right and wrong is
the knowledge of the Lord, the Most High God. Thou must first
observe the lesser growth of the field, partake of them, and see that
they are good, as Moses saw the creation revealed, till thou perform-
est the whole life of man in experience, that is, all. Thy soul shall
be under Divine direction from the lesser to the greater, from the
beginning to the end ; and thou shalt see that all thy acting principles
are good, very good : and, last of all, thou shall come to the knowledge
of that comparative tree of good and evil, and, like thy Redeemer
.and Creator God, be reconciled to a world of spirits, and his judg-
ment shall arise to the throne in these the most high and noble prin-
ciples of the mind, and thou shall be reconciled to the immoveable
judgment of thy heavenly Father, and thy soul within thee, through
tribulated experience, rest in the presence of God forever, with the
knowledge of the tree that never dieth — the true sense of right and
wrong.

mm r

NovEMBER 27th, 1834.

The Lord is in his sanctuary — he is in the midst of his works — he
will reveal himself to Israel, and be perfect in Judah. The Islands
shall know his name, and the mountains shall bow before him.
He will plant a vine in Israel and Judah shall gather the grape : he
■hmU give to the nations that are at thirst, new wine from the grape
in Israel. The Lord will return to his former habitation and reveal

THE LORD IS IN HIS SANCTVAKY.

235

■u\.

himsHflo the world by the deeds of his hands. History has become
as Babel's tower : historians are confounded and reveal nothing.
The skill of the penman cannot reach the truth ; the wise and prudent
of these ages cannot see the heart or mind of God. The Creation
is a true history of the Most High, and Moses is our great informer
that it is so, for from the heart of Moses came great and mighty
works, — an evidence that his conception of divine mysteries and the
visible worlds were true. If I see the Lord in his sanctuary or the
midst of his deeds, any conception of him is right, and will satisfy
my soul, and I will not stand knocking at the gates of the College or
seminaries any more ; for this indeed is the poor man's history of
God and the creation.

Having scarcely education to mark down my thoughts, my senten-
ces are few, because words are (carce with me, and language is
limited and bounded to the narrowest space. There is none that can „
cast a mantle over the sun, or change the planets in their course, or
bid the fixed stars to move ; none can change the features of the
brute, or change the Ethiopian's skin. The works of God remain
as they were, but the deeds of men hath made a confounding Baby-
lon on earth : there is not a man of education or science that can con-
nect them together as d way from earth to heaven : they are as the
stumbling block of the poor uneducated world : they stand gasing on
them, and time is spent talking of that which profits nothing. The
Lord bath done this, ho has given way to the prayers of humanity
and suffered (not commanded) every scribe to bring art to the proof,
and wise and prudent speculation to the public scale, and see what
they would weigh in the public mind. The world is divided through
these means into unnumbered parts. The tower is finished, the
people are confounded : Israel had one way ; but we have our thou-
sands following aAer our disputing shepherds, who are astray, and
the flocks are lost. '

Oh that Moses would return, for he would go into the secret or
silent tabernacle, his own mind, and commune. with God, and reveal
to us the truth according to our necessities. The Lord would place
a cloud before him by day, and a burning lamp by night, and all the
Lord's chosen people would have but one way. But now we are as
the ship without the helm, the mariner without the compass : we are
driven every way in the storm, and death overtaketh us before we
reach the haven of our rest.

The Lord will gather together into one, his hands are spread
abroad through all his works, he shines in the sun, he will speak
from the stars, and these eyes that behold him in all living existence,
will overflow with tears of joy ; for the Lord hath formed all crea-
tures to give him praise ; he has given man a heart to receive all,
and give him glory for his works. The creation is a true histoiy of

f (

h?f 1,1

■„..l!I^i

236

I9IFKBS8ION8 OF TRE XIin>.

III'

ll'l

i;''i

the Deity, shewing unto us all the pafts he would reveal. No Evari*
gelist or Prophet disputed wirh Mosea about the creation ; they 6aw
alike and so did the Son or Word of God by whom the world wat'
made and the seas received their bounda. How profitable it is, Oh
Lord, to see thee in thy works ! It unites the most distant ages togeth.'
er ; and will unite my soul with these that first wrote of thee. I love
them in my spirit because they were the servants of the Lord-
drawing the attention of all nations unto one God, by a revelation of
thy will. That which is right cannot be moved : that which thou
hast justified will stand forever ; and the hand-writing of Moses, the
Prophets and David was found worthy of reception by thy Son Jesus :
he bowed the knee and reverenced them. "There is nothing hid,
but shall be revealed" (said that great Evangelical Prophet of God,
Jesus Christ) — all thr.t is in obscurity, shall come to light as on the
house top ; and all the world shall see the glory of the Lord, the
least as well as the greatest ; and there shall be speculations in the
human family no more, nor impositions on the degenerate mind.
The Lord loveth all his works to the ends of the world : he hath
formed the least insect — given life and command unto them : his
ways are in the earth, air a<iid sea. Has he forgot the noblest of his
deeds, his cieature man? Nay, there shall be resurrection afler
resurrection, the dead shall live till all is fulfilled, i. e. the appoint,
ments and ordinations of the most high God. When human invention
tires, then will the inhabiters of the earth seek for rest ; but all must
be fulfilled that the heart of man can devise, for without this man
would not know his own mind ; therefore the Lord has begun by
permission unto Adam, and yet continues and will to the fiill extent
of the mind ; and although I do not know that I am the worst of
sinners, or the farthest from the Lord; but beiing of a small and
contracted mind, soon came to the bounds thereof, and saw without
the Lord that all my works were like Babel's tower ; built up t<»
prove the fallacy of invention, and to bring human skill down to the
earth. Here I ftm but dust as I begun, and if any of the babel
builders can ascend to be what I am not, I will confess I come down
too soon. But if the end of human invention should amount to no
more than it has in me, it is no matter how soon it comes to passj
we shall scarcely arise to heaven, till we see what is on earth, or
enter into the courts of the Lord. I have no desire to ascend again,
but try to see what is in this little garden, the globe th&t is round
about me : Adam my father was placed in it, and sufTered to|)artttke
of the fruit, part at a time, and the whole world was givem him tb:
enjoy. But he was not commanded to come to the knowledge of
God first, but partake of the lesser mattera or fruit by God's permis-
sion, and not to ascend so fast by invention, lest he should fall and
kill hiikitelf. But he, in haste to come to the knowledge of God-r

WHO CAN KNOW TUB MAN?

the tben forbidden tree (of which the crucified son of God partook
thereafter) lost his first estate, u loss that is hard to gain. But Moses
came to a mental sense of all the trees, and his mind will live for-
ever; because^ he had knowledge of the tree of life; the troe of
knowledge and all others. He tells of a fiery sword that cannot be
conquered — it is the sword of God's indignation against human
invention, and these which have not passed through the fiery trial,
their deeds will not live ; and a great deal of history will prove like
Adam's fig leaves, good for nothing, and will be no covering for the
man.

NovEMBSB 29th, 1834.

Who can know the man ? There are many judges, but who hath
measured the mind with a reed to know the heighth and depth
thereof, the longth and breadth of it ? There is none knoweth man
but his maker, and the giver of the mind, the same hath prohibited
judgment from the human family ; because the eye cannot behold the
brother's heart ; but as far as is revealed to us we can discover, and
every man hath lii.. 'leu bounds to his mind. It is the space, or place
of our rest, our h nf miseries and woes : space of darkness or
marvelous light, .t ^ the house of our acquaintance with God-^it
is the habitation ct despair, when he is absent not comforting the
mind. The beam must be removed from our eye, before we can
assist another — converted, before we strengthen our friends. The
extent of the mind is not bounded by conceiving a sense of this
world, and its purposes: it still thirsteth after rest, or heavenly
things. We are then certain that temporal and spiritual things have
space and place in the mind, and one word or command is given to
govern over them. The mind will justly compare to the beam and
the balance ; if we goto any extreme in any of these points, we will
sooB prove to a beholding world the mind is out of order. God
created the earth and the heavens, temporal and spiritual things ; it
is only a just Judge that can make proper use of them, and own,
that by the hand> writing of Moses, that our father received the world
from the hand of God, and all things therein were placed before
him ; and whatsoever he called the name of any thing that it was.
The eye of Mosed was clear; (there can be no doubt of ity) he
received the lost state of man before he saw things as they were»
and wr^e of them: he pointed to creation, and his hand-wrilin^
saithfftTftiiversal sense of the word) behold the worlds, and man the
true witness of God! When we behold with the huinaQ eye, W9

• '1

838

IMPRESSIONS or THB XIIID.

't-^

hare seen the shadow, and this infallible witness of God invites the
soul to come forward and know the substance of these things* As
far as my mind discovers, I can reveal ; but farther is dark as the
tomb to me : the light of heaven hath not shone upon it. How can
I speak or reveal the hidden things of God ? The mind will conceive
all the eye glances over — all the ear can hear — all that life can feel
-—the tongue taste, or the breath smell, and it is not yet full : it will
conceive an endless law from heaven ; which is the life of God in
the soul, or otherwise, his living and existing word in the mind. By
this, we spell all things, great and small : connect heaven and earth
together : that is, to labor on earth by the word of God, and receive
our joys in heaven.

The earth is a blessing to the mind, and it was blessed to the mind
of our father in the day of blessings ; in that day, roan was wholly
blessed : and all things that were made. Heaven and earth was
clothed with a blessing ; and man was made of clay, or born into
the world. If I conceive, I may speak again — clay is a passive
substance ; so was man when he was made, and he never arises
from his first estate by human devices or invention. But all his
independent deeds of a Deity, reduces the man. Every human act
darkens the mind, till he becometh quite lost from a sense of himself;
and many minds in this estate, are clothed with blind imagination,
so far as to conclude they are something in their own eyes, when
it remains evident to a discerning mind, they are nothing in the sight
of God, nor ever can be, till his fashioning hand shall or may rebuild
them an€w, and reveal to man by his sublime deeds that he is
nothing of himself. Now, I believe with Moses, that his mind was
reduced by tribulation, and events to the estate or condition of passive
clay in the builder's hand : and the mercy of God built him up for
the sake of Israel ; and he tells us, that man was first made of clay,
for 80 bis dead mind came to life ; and when God had done, Moses
saw himself, the man ; and thus he knew the first and last estate of
Adam, in every soul ; for had not his mmd ran through the records
before his pen, he could not reveal these things unto us. My great
and immoveable proof, is the experience of my own mind. Who
ever fell from grace, but by the form that Moses hath given unto
Adam's fall ? Who have been restored, but by rising as they fell ?
Who could see the first estate of man, but by the restoration to Eden
again? And I presume tha^ Moses is not half known to the world.

We read, but earthly things hath such an overbalance in the mind
that our thirst seemcth satisfied about heavenly things by hearing tell
of them. But it is written the world shall have an end. When earth
begins to fail, we call on heaven and heavenly things. The soul is
not satisfied ; a thirst arises (when we look into death, hell and the
grave) for a place io heaven, or rather a rest for the mind. This is a

WHO CAN KNOW THE MAN 7

339

quickening event that happeneth to all men sooner or later in life.
Moses was anxious to see his way clear, and began to make peace
with God by a passive obedience, or sole resignation to his will ; and
of his passive mind God made of him the man. I have never read
that he had a soul within him coveting wealth, that he was fond of
office, or clothed himself with pride. He excused himself from the
calls of God, because of inability ; but not that he had other things
to do, but that he was weak to perform. God blessed his weaknes*
or stammering and slow tongue with assistance ; but his tongue did
not forbid nor hinder him to write, or become as God unto Aaron,
teaching him all things that he should do. Now we observe that
Moses was fully the man, and the schoolmaster of his brethren ; and
God made use of Moses as a son of light to reveal himself to the
world. There was not a Son of God born afler, (by what is called
the second birth,) which is nothing more than God improving the
mind, when humanity has come to their wit's end — but saw as Moses
saw, the priest, the prophet, saint and king ; and hereby I see in all
ages that God by revelation hath been the same to the world. ChrisI
nor the evangelist doth not diminish from the hand.writing of Mosee
concerning the creation and God, but addeth thereunto, and increas.-
eth mercy and the forgiveness of sins in the world. If I write things
inconsistent with revealed truths, I am not of God ; for God is con.
sistent with himself in all ages of the world. Every man that is res*
tored by the hand of God to a sense of himself, the builder and re.,
builder's hand, seeth as Moses saw, and as children of one father^
agreeth about the revelation of God. Now, Oh divided world, whea:
will you see these things ? When will the scribe cease to run his
speculative pen, with the beam in his eye, still rending the human
family farther apart, as bono from bone and joint from joint? Oh
that the gathering hand of God would gather together, that his corner
ing mercy may save that which is lost ! When a man cometh to a;
sense of himself, then hath he seen the works of God ; but until then,
his numerous volumns and religious speculations will only be as the
dry leaf on the iree, profitable to no man ; for our latter productions
divideth the world mere and more, and produceth quite a contrary
effect from gathering together the inhabiters of this woild into one
happy kingdom of reconciliation one with another, which reconciles
a man with God. That is not to say that a reconciliation with sin is
well pleasing in the eyes of a Deity, but that the forgiving of sin is
his pleasure, and prepares the soul for rest ; for by so doing all re*
venge and malice is cast out of it. We are only to mourn for these
we cannot save. Now, if the Son of God had come, not partaking
of the earth, we might say the fruit of the field is vain for the salva.
tion of the mind ; but Moses saw heaven and earth both to be a bless-
ing, for tba^ which God hath blessed is a blessing to us : we cannot

' m

t40

IMPBESSI0N8 OF THE MIMI>.

receive from the flocks without the shepherd, neither can we gat^f
in the harvest from the earth without cultivation.

Man was created to till the ground and keep God's command.-
Doth this amount to two occupations for one man ? It positively dotb
not ; for a man may till the field by God's commnnd, and eat of it,
and see that it is a blessing to his mind to eat honest bread, as ever
it was to gather of the trees, of which the Lord said our father and
mother might partake. There are two parts in the man, and the one
is a blessing to the other ; for without the body the soul is not revealed,
neither is God known to the world. Is not then the body a blessing
to the soul and an honour to God, created whereby he may be reveal*
ed one unto another? Revelation doth not cease here, when we
know what another could reveal. Though this might fill a space of
the mind to<day, it may be enlarged to>morrow ; for wisdom hafh no
ead. Though to>day I am blind for the morrow, to-morrow will'
answer for itself; so Moses continues his progress, till he saw the
man wholly blessed, as God had created him in every particle, joint
and feature.

« Mow, who can dispute but Moses saw the whole restoratioo of ther
world, the life of Christ, the seed born of the woman, the contendiog
controversy between good and ill, the wicked cast out, the idle pro-
hibited from the living tree, the cherubs and defence? All these
things he knew in his own soul ; they are what the mind can receiver
and more so : and where is that welMnstructed scribe that cail set
bounds to the mmd of the man ? It conceiveth good and ill, heaven
and hell, death and life, of going from and returning into the favour
and mercy of God. To receive God, reconciled with his deeds, and
all and every work of his hand blessed ; he that can measure farther
may say there is an end to wisdom, and that be hath set bounds and
limited the living God, that he shall never more increase the mind of
man, or cease to reveal his mercies to the world.

■'.h

Iff

t 241 ]

Decembeb 6ih, 1S34.

ttfE sotj op god is sent to the lost sheep of the house

OF ISRAEL, AND tJNTO THEM HE SENDBTH HIS OWN.

I have written in my foregoing pages to the wise and prudent of
the age, and hereby dedicate the same unto them for their observa.
tions antl remarks on the deeds of a poor fonesome and illiterate mind
ef the wiMerness of Upper Canada. I now address children of the
lesser stations in religious society, from the same mind, that (if it
may be so,) I may be some smell ad'- age to all.

I am myself one of the w ieriui 'nd from societ} .< the
Judg«8 found me unworthy of cuinmunioii, and like my father out of
Paradise — I was put away — the gates were closed against me, ^ist
and strong. I could enter in no more, they were placed as the
burning cherubs there, t went from door to door, many hundred
miles for communion with my friends the Quakers, but could gain no
admittance ;- as spoke one, so said they all : they were fearful I would
divide the society, by public communication ; for I had uttered a few
broken and ilKconnected sentences with them ; but the Judge sternly
repliedy it was Wrong— be still, or depart was the sentence to my soul.
As ntan was not born to be a servant of men, I took my chance in
the open world, having hope in God alone for my stay, t soon
found a spring of living water, and fresh pastures to my soul. I now
enjoy a Kttle field in the wilderness with a few brethren of the lost
number like mysdf : here we have been since the year 1811, build-
ing houses to the Lord — introducing ancient praise into the assem-
blies of his people. Our little field enlarges (as David hath said of
the abounding mercies of his God) — our springs fail not, neither do
our pastures pass away, and from my lonesome tent I set out this
morning to reveal the Son of God to the world. It Vill be observed
that I have first written of Moses in this little work, which I am about
to commiHiicate to the world, but more particularly North America,
or the United States, the land of my nativity — the place of my birth.
It is requisite to know Moses before Christ. Christ hath said, if ye
had known Moses ye would have known me : but the wise and
. prudent of his day, did not know either of them. I think I have
some sense of the mind of Moses and it is a regular course of order
to proceed forward to the heart of God, which is hidden in Christ his
Son : he has revealed his father, by parables unto us, but without a
parable hath he not revealed himself to the prudent and the wise.
His own saw him face to face as Moses saw the Lord.

! f

242

IMFRESSIons OF THE HIND.

The person of Jesus is an evidence of the truth — his deeds oro
signs or true representations of the Holy Ghost : he was a Prophet
in which there was no guile — blameless before the Lord ; his body
was a tabernacle of the highest, but who hath seen his mind ? It
never was revealed to the world, but under a vei^ or shadow, it was
secreted in his holy body, for the Lord hath not appeared unto us
without flesh, as unto our father in Eden, or as he hath done ante
Moses face to face ; and except the days come that never has been,
we shall not be saved from our sins.

The Lord hath given me a soul like all other beings ; and in my
straits and deep distress I gave it back as an offering to the Lord,
for I proved the world of a certainty, and found I could do nothing
for myself, and what is done the mighty God of Jacob has done, for
there is no merit in the man : he led me to the spring of living waters,
he caused or commanded the fresh pastures to spring up in my mind
. — and there our little flocks are feeding till this day. What I have
communicated in the fore part of this work, is a true copy of the
mind. And what I now write unto you, to whom these may come, is
my bread from heaven : it hath proved salvation to my mind, and
these about me : seek in this world no more : we were oflf.castii, and
the Lord hath shewn unto us marvelous mercies, and hath given us
a house and jflocks of our own — they go in and out, and find comfort
to their souls.

A few lines of history cannot communicate all things — come and
see — come into the same way that we are and you will find comfort
to your souls, and the pastures of life, and the living spring that
faileth not. We have no communication with the righteous, all our
religious barter or communication is with sinneri*, they will both hear
and sec, and sometimes receive a little ; but the eyes of the righte-
ous of this age are closed up — the shepherds retain the sheep from
our flocks, as though we were wolves : we borrow not, touch,
taste, nor handle not, any goods or barter that belongeth unto them.
But if dissatisfied minds run away from them, and come unto us,
we receive them as David did, and we can assure you, they are not
weak men in our little Israel. They are kind to the poor, and
merciful and forgiving to the sins of the whole world. Is not this a
mark of the lamb of God, that through his unbounded mercy taketh
our sins away ? We must first believe, and then practice, and our
rewards are the salvation of the man. Our imperfections are great ;
but our mercies continue, and we are endowed with a living hope in
God our Saviour, and this is one great comfort to the soul. The lost
sheep is the field of the Lord, although it is the wilderness of the
man, for there he finds and grants love to his people. If he is sent
to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, it is these that are scattered
from the flocks or society, whose gates are no way for them to the

TUK SON OF OOD 18 SENT TO THE LOfT, ETC.

848

patturei of life, or springs of living water. The whole need no
physician ; we therefore leave the assemblies alone, and rather seek
aAer that which is lost, and as we are of this number, and mercy
came unto us, while we wore seeking, for we did find, we think we
know of being lost and found again, of being dead to society and are
again alive : for we are now equal to our friends or more so, in our
own country where it is said a Prophet is without honour ; this is an
uncommon day ; but living witnesses can vouch fur the truth of these
things. The shadow pursued to its origin, leadeth us to the substance ;
so the person of the Sou invites us to come to God, the original of
all good, and the father of that which came by Moses into the world.
Those that know not Moses, know not God, for Muses was of God,
a true servant sent into the world, to redeem Israel from bonds.
Sectarians are lean in mercy, but cruel in judgment. They evidence
for the phurisee, hypocrite and the hard hearted priest: they can
crucify the mind, but seldom raise the dead to life — but clothe them
with a garment like their own. I do not number all in society with
sectarians — there are humble minds, beloved of God, and are friends
to their brethren : but some of their shepherds are of this class I
have been speaking of — my very soul or spirit within, hath proved
them to be so. They add to- the hard hearted number but gather
few to the fold of Christ. I have suffered much in mind, but speak
sparingly — experience hath taught me what to say. He that hath
been the criminal, is a true evidence of the sentence of the Judge,
whether it was merciful or just. The tree is known by the proceeds,
and so is the Son of God — observe he was the sinner* s friend ; but
the exalted man's foe. He was rioht and changeth not : his personal
deeds are a true evidence of his Father's will, which is in heaven.
He seeketh the lost, and he findeth them seeking, and is found of
them : the lost are never content till they find a union of spirit, and
there they are at rest, for the prince of peace is in the midst of them
as on the throne of David ordering all things in the house of the
Lord. I f he is sent to the lost sheep, who will not be found ? He is
not a blind shepherd, he knoweth where to find, and how to give
them rest ; he maketh us his children — we become his sheep — he is
the one true shepherd of all nations, kindred, tongues, and people;
the everlasting father of the world. When we find this shepherd,
we seek no more, he hath the words of eternal life — the liviiji^
spring — the bread that cometh down from heaven, and satisfieth the
mind. We as a people do not speak boastingly of these things, but
as far as we have found, so far we can give, and bear a true witness
of the mercies of the Lord. He hath made us liberal to build the
house of his father, to feed and clothe the widow and the fatherless—
to humbly submit and sit down and eat in peace with the ends of the
world : he has made us, (as it might be) a friend to publicans and
a2

If/ '■ ' v"i'?'!Bl^l

•: ■ ■*'!

iP,; *'

-, !•■

844

IMPREMIONB or THB MIKD.

i'^

sinnora ; but no physician to theao thnt are whole : we pass by their
gates in silence, knowing they must become as the lost sheep of the
house of Israel, before the Lord will come unto them, or send one of
his angels or servants to their door, for it is his choice, to send his
servants to the lost. Nevertheless, he treats them with a word of
conviction ; which ' ' unto them, as taking away these unsquared
and unpolished stones of exaltation from under their feet, by which
means they will one day fall to the earth ; for neither the axe nor
hammer is ever still in Israel. The people do not please the elders
of the house.

If there is no greater salvation to be hoped for, than is now in the
christian church, it matters not how soon we die ; for things grow
nothing the better, but rather the worse ; divisions increase, govern,
ment rends in twain, and wise men are put to their wits end to know
how to keep the nations in peace, and the churches fall to pieces,
like stones falling from an old building : many have been there long
enough ; they are not squared and polished by the priest. A living
mind cannot be reconciled to a dead and speculative system ; and
every priest hates a change, for he dreads the day that is coming
when every one shall come unto the Lord " without money and
without price." They make a great cry when any person leaves
them ; they say he will be lost, but he that is sincere is found of
Christ and comforted— my soul bearing witness of my hand ; for I
no more covet what they possess than I do what is in Babylon.
There is no doubt of a fall : this cry doth not issue from a throne of
contentment, but from a throne of fear ; and doubts are arising in
church and state affairs, and he that doubteth, is already damned or
condemned ; for doubtings are not the issues of grace. The Lord lov>
eth the man that cannot help himself; his heart is an open door for
the reception of the Lord ; he will take the stranger in — he will give
him drink, when he is thirsty, food when he is hungry— he will clothel
the naked and feed the fatherless — he will visit the sick, and those in
prison, for the soul of Christ is there suffering for our sins, that is not
to say he is not reconciled with God in heaven ; for the father was
well pleased with him when he was groaning for our sins. Till we
relieve the aflHicted, the Son of God will not be at rest with us. While
the effects of sin remains, those on whom they are visited are object!
of our mercy, till the whole world is saved. The Son of God suffered
for all : he has bought us with a price, and we are his ; and he that
knoweth the Son of God is no man's property or servant any more.
The Son of God is kept from his tight, as the creditor from his due ;
for priests, elders, dukes and kings, rule in the heritage of the Lord :
their power will be broken, the yoke that is heavy will fall from the
neck, and small things will be raised up to confound the wise and pru.
dent of the age ; and them that could not sec, will have light — for this

THE 80IV OF GOD 18 tSNT TO THB LOIT, ETC.

245

purpose said lie am I come into the world, that those which were
blind may see, and breathe out glory to God, their creutor and
Redeemer from the infirmities of sin.

Hallelujah, sin^; his praise,

The she«p tVas lost, again in found,
And these are blest Messiah's days;

For he receives us safe and sound.

In heaven above doth joys arise, ^^
Messiah 's resting here below ;

The babe, the simple is most wise,
For truth and wisdom binds his foe.

Oh now the builder's stone is square.
The axe nor hammer *8 heard no more ;

Our house is now a house of prayer.
And God the cripples doth restore.

The Lord *s well pleased in his son,
That mercy to the farthest shows ;

For these are days that were to come.
The gates of death and hell must close.

Messiah lived beyond the grave,

And he his holy body wore ;
He 's come again my soul to save,

To give me life t'will die no more.

Angels attend him on his throne.
Good Moses and the Prophet's there;

He 's bought us and we're all his own.
And he rebuilds the house of prayer.

He equalizes every stone,

He's building by Divine command,
He's made my spirit all his own,

The prince of peace in every land.

The trumpet breathes his lasting praise,
His honours doth to heaven arise ;

He lets me see king David's days.
And every son, of equal size.

He is the word that stills my foe,
)9e is salvation t*was to come*,
<i3

■ ' " U 'I

846

mrRKfsioxs or rvm miko.

He leta my mournful spirit know,
The power of priest and elders don«.

'Tis his appointed time to reign,
He is one Lord of groat and small ;

His love and mercy 's come again,
To seek and find and save us all.

Dkcember 11th, 1834.

SnEPiiERns of North America, fortiino or fate huth separated mo
from you, and I can have no acquutnlanco with you hut hy a paper
communication, whicii 1 embraco as a privilege or means this morn-
ing, as I am separated from all the Christian Churches in existence.
There may be a purpose in my arvpjintment in this service ; it will
either tend to establish that which has been, or remove that which is
good for nothing in a greater or lesser degree according to the abili>
ties of God given.

I do not agree with you in your saintish appearance of great per-
fection. I wou il believe with you if the evidence you bear was
according lo your faith, that is, the impressions of the Holy Ghost
upon the mind. I defy profession to rise higher than it now is. How
is it that the Holy Ghost has so divided the shepherds, and the shep-
herds the sheep. None professes higher than my old friends the
Quakers ; and according to their practice, there are two Holy Ghosts
and two kinds of shepherds, and the one kind is rather against the
other, and the Holy Ghost has gone into the law and contention with
himself. We must not profess so, but that our friends have not con-
tinued to follow their light, guide, pattern, or Son of God ; if not so,
they are as gross sinners as those that did not keep the laws of Israel.
It is just to believe that every one shall be judged according to their
means. It is but a few short years since I was judged by them to be
one of the grossest errors in life. The aged frowned upon me, and
the young ones mocked me with scorn, for I was like one nuked in
the midst of a storm, without a garment ; (that means) I had no wit-
ness nor defence against the arrows of the age. The archers bent
their bow and shot not sparingly, and I was near to be slain with
arrows from their Holy Gliost, (for my friends profess no rule in judg.
ment so strenuously as the Holy Ghost, or God's Son Jesus Christ,
the light of the world ;) and their judgment inspired others to rise,
for I was thought to bo the ruin of society, and a shame to the Chris-
tian world. 1 wrapped this character or garment about me. The

SIIEPIlF.RUa OF NORTH AMERICA.

847

eflTeets reached my heart. I went my wny and wept ; I lat down
under a vine of sorrows indeed, nnd fruoly partook of the grapes
thereof. The Lord saw me woopin^, ond sent unto me a friend ;
and our number increased from thut day till this. But tho gates and
doors of the Churches are all barrud against us ; wo have to seek
our bread alone or perish whero wo are.

Now my good friondii, by one I have received of the nature of
you all ; for although my friends the Quakers have done this by me,
there is no class of people I esteem before them in the various
branches of the Christian Church. Thny have done this both for
my good and their own, to prove that their spirit is we.ik to discern
what will be, and that my soul could livu williuut tlinm in the world,
and wear out ali thut giirmotit of slininc wherewith (lujy liiivo cloilu'd
me. Wondrous are iho works of ihe Lord. 'I'heso changes uro the
turns of his hand, and wo will not dispuM) about them. As for a
crown in a Christian name, there is no need of it; there i;* no danger
of losing ihe prize. All will have their due according to t' rir deeds,
and here we will cease to be judj^cs one of another; for ihe judges
have failed respecting their brethren. Wo cannot measure what is
to como by things that are past; and hero Iho judges of past ages
miss the mark and lose their arrows. Israel missed in ilie sanr.'.
way, as hath done our lust judges in the Christian name. The same
errors arise from the same spirit, — profession cannot ascend ; but
deeds might exceed these. Every plant that the hand of God hr*h
set in the earth is for some purpoiic ; all his v/orks give him prai iO,
There are many branches of the Christian Church : the Lord reward
them as their works may be. If I cannot see the use of the plant,
I am hot justified to rise up and destroy ; the Lord hath not destroyed
all the trees of the forest because the cedars of Lebanon exceeded
them in height. I think it would be a deed of compassion for the
big Churches to leave the lesser kind alone ; God may have a pur<
pose yi them that he hath not revealed to every hypocrite or exalted
mind : and if I was no more to the world than the bitter herb by the
way side, the thorn or the thistle, those are the workmanship of God,
and the less we handle them the more comfortable they are. God
has a purpose in all things that he hath made. It is but a lion-like
disposition to destroy the lesser brute; but so the 'i. iiLi'ches have
gone on from the first to the last of them, till they are (I> warmed from
every weapon, by the civil powers of tho Christian worlds but the
tongue and pen. And these the priests and elders make use of as
the last weapons of their defence to keep up interest, self-interest,
Bi^d superiority in a Christian world. I havo received what they
had to give, as one receiveth of his unkind brother ; and this is all
the communion I have with the branches of the one great body, the
Christian Church. I hope and trust my soul will be the last sufferer

: * % '

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" ''■■Q

348

IXFBESSIONS OF THE MIND.

by t^e$e descending arrows ; for although they are only from the
tongue and pen, they are grievous to those that are young in serving
the Lord. The parent careth for the child, but the elder Church is
always uncareful to her younger children that dissent a little from
them for conscience' sake. Such proceedings as these has divided
the Christian Church into zealous, dwariish handfuls, for the sake o|'
bigotry and sup-erstition ; not for mercy, justice, truth and peace^
All extension has but one centre ; there is but one original of all
good. There is a time to part, and a time to come together ; it hath
been fully tried. No one Church can conquer the universe; but
mercy and love as the Lord hath commanded can unite all these
divided limbs into one body and will, when there is a resurrection of
the dead, limb to limb, and joint to joint. All good will have one
connection and be one body ; the wolf and the kid can agree. That
death which came by Adam is essential. We are all baptized into it,
aod at the sound of a trumpet we shall arise ; and all that is good
will remain, but that which is vain and profitable for nothing will be
and is consumed in God's consuming fire, which is the baptism of his
word or his Son Jesus Christ.

The life given in the resurrection of the dead is a positive life ; it
is that which was in the person of our Lord after he was crucified
and had risen again : it bore him upward to heaven -and God, and
Jiveth forever. This is a life that cannot be crucified by all the
existing Churches under the sun. If I am possessed of this life in
my services devoted to God, they will remain ; for this life is having
jknowledge of the Son of God crucified, who in the soul can die no
more, all can profess : but God is the substance and the evidence of
every truth, and time alone must prove for us all. I believe that
humanity is nearly done being a Lord in religion. I believe the
race of Adam is almost accomplished, and that he will return unto
the Lord his God as he was first made ; and for this purpose hath
the Son of God been sent into the world, and never will return till
his mission is accomplished. |Iis spirit appeared in that holy person
Mary's son, but did not continue in tite world, or there had been no
persecution in the Churches. The reign of Adam was not accom-
plished, and ho gave his Son Jesus no rest here below ; but when
humanity has finished his reign in the broad circles of the earth, the
Jewish Messiah will reign : but the strong man armed keepeth the
house till a stronger casts him down or out and spoileth his goods ;
afterwards a better reigneth in his stead. God only is the Lord of
humanity, the builder and maker of his frame ; he never ivas con-
quered by the reign of all the princes or priests that hath ruled a
Christian world. If the Messiah could not conquer or save that
hostile Church the Jews, and persecuting to his reign, in his name
the nations will not be saved from their sins ; but in the name of his

SHEPUSRDt OF ^'OUTII AMRRICA.

840

Father shall Ephraiin no mote eovy Juduh, and in his name shall
peace be mado through all the nations of the earth. Christ was and
is the means, Gud the Saviour of us all. The means could not do
farther than the Father was with him ; he overcame the world in
apirit, but the world overcame him m person, and he fled from the
house of Jacob and the tents of Israel. He did no_t only ascend in
4)erson, but in spirit also, and revealed himself to but few afterwards;
ibut as thie is the highest attainment in religion, the name of the Holy
KGhost, which has now hecome a hiding place for hypocrites, (not the
4jrhostbut the name,) satan himself hath chosen this garment or cha.
jacter to wear in the name of religion, and in this name I have suf.
iered shameful t igue and pen abuse, which is hard to endure', be-
cause it hurts the mind, and is not the deeds of mercy nor good will,
^ow hath satan -clothed himself with his last garment. Adam will
soonbe naked again. The first will be last, Alpha and Omega ; the
begging will be the end. There is but one God and one order of
Jife. When all the various means are summed up into one, they will
number no more than one man and one woman, nature and God.
Here satan first began his reign, and here it will end. God will
labernacle with man, and there will be God and man again, no ser.
pent or mediator between, it is near at an end, when satan is where
he began. The covering shall be taken from our father, and the
man shall see himself, and the man Jesus will pass away when his
mission isfulfilledy as his body ascended back into heaven. Between
God and man is Satan's place, and Christ came from heaven to
abolish his name from between man and his Maker, that every soul
should have knowledge of his builder and maker, who is God, and
his word or Christ the means and maker of us all. When will the
American shepherds learn that day, our divines will turn into huma-
nity, for that they are, and that they were, when they begun : climb,
ing up into the mediatorship, to reconcile man to God, that cannot
reconcile man to man ! because they cannot reconcile to God — they
cannot reconcile one to another. They have sat, dividing the goats
from the sheep, from the right hand to the lefV, till the Christian faith
as like unto a sheet of paper, or a law divided into thousands — the
partt in a church must be small, nevertheless, it as as the heart of
the members of the various bodies. So truth and justice hath been
degenerating down into little pieces, of which our shepherds hath
professed to be the stewards, preaching one God, Saviour and Medi*
iator to the house of Israel. Let the judge come down from his seat,
for God is coming to judge the world by the event of our deeds ; and
in this way all shall know him from the least to the greatest, and all
flesh shall see the salvation of God. I am unshaken in the faith,
although it is a gift of the wilderness of Upper Canada, that God
will syet th^ Churches free from tribute, false mediators and self-coQ'

S50

IMPRESSIONS OF TH£ MIND.

ceited judges ; for when satan is done, humanity can rule no more :
he is but the deceived and deceitful man in earthly things, unskilful
in the vuice of God, and leads the world astray. I am not minded
to keep up an argument with the priest or his flocks ; it is but the
abuse of Scripture to make swords of bentences to hew down each
other. All controversies must be leA to one judge to decide at last ;
and peace is ordained to be the ruler of the universe and governor of
the world. I am no Scripture critic, of small education, and no study
about the things of God. I wait with patience on the Lord, and I
am content with small things, and from my closet visit the ruler of
nations, the priest and his chosen flock. If I write more, I trust it
shall be the will of God which is in heaven ; for I am tired of that
deception that hath appeared in Scripture clothing in the name of the
Holy Ghost. When the means that God hath given by Scripture
evidences are united into one body or one mind, the world will have
a Saviour, and his glory will appear in ancient Israel. '

Oh may my spirit live to see
His elect, and his great decree,
And every nation have the Sun
That was, and is, and is to come.

Oh may Jehovah's name arise,
The wise exalted to surprise ;
Oh may the suckling babe appear,
To heir the love of Jesus dear.

How vain is this contending strife.
The end of pride and human life ;
Oh may my soul see better days.
And all my heart prepared to praise.

The sun will set again to rise.
The least, the humble be the wise ;
The highest mountain will be low.
And straight will be the passage through.

The seas no more will beat the shore,
For man on earth shall T'<\e no more;
'Tis sworn that time shall have an end,
And those shall cease that do ofiend.

[ 251 ]

December 17th, 1834.
THE DISPENSATIONS OF GOD TO THE WORLD.

The Deity revealeth himself unto us as the worlds were created—
a day at a time. The more is revealed, the more is required, and
every soul is judged by his own laws. It is God alone that measures
the mind and bounds our abilities ; according to the pattern so we
must build ; according to our strength are we required to bear the
burden. That we are accountable to powers above will admit of no
contradiction : it is the human desire of the mind to enjoy all things ;
but give what latitude to the mind we will, or run to every excess in
libertineism, we will^come as far short of fulfilling our human formed
prayer, as before we moved hand or foot on the brutal journey.
But these that will not believe in the revelation of God, and the laws
and bounds of the mind, are suffered — not commanded, to take what
sense they have, and set out on the independent journey, and when
all is proved that the human mind can invent, or is hoped for, cometh
short of the intended prize for which we run ; so I behold our present
generation ; and a little child at the mother's breast or father's table
is wiser than a generation of this description, adding the prince
\iith the rest ; for the child is more contented than the king, or the
wisest councils of the the age. The child has no wisdom to procure
any thing, or treasure up for years to come, to place his hope upon.
A return to this capacity is desirable, and although I wish not to use
many scripture quotations, yet to prove the text true from the abili.
ties of the mind, for which I am accountable to the Deity as for a
divine or civil law that is written in a book. I have proved various
scenes of life, and never have found that law written that is so
extensive as the right means of one day, for this will last forever;
we cannot live tO'day for the morrow ; and he is but a silly one that
flatters his mind with time to come. The food of the babe is in store,
but the mother can retain the breast from her sucking child — the
parent withhold bread from the table of his son. But these will not
do this, they have great love to their children before they offend and
irritate the mind. The Deity is to the simple, as one of these : he
loveth his none-ofiending offspring — he never forsaketh them with
the necessities of the day, and the love of God is the only sure and
lasting store of the mind — the mind is a kingdom when collected
together, if in favor with God he commands peace throughout the
whole extensive empire ; and there is no riches that will compare
with the order of the mind. There is no monarch or congress that
can order a nation or their subjects, as the Deity can and doth the
floul ; it is the contents of all good that is designed for man. He

' 1.

252

IMPnESSIONS OF THE MIND.

crowns every faculty with a blessing and makcth the mind an equal
kingdum of his own. He that hupeih fur more to-morrow, thun he
enjoys' to-day, is not happy at the present lime, and all the child has
to hope for, is a continuation of God's love. He that hath lived in
this capacity for many Vt'iars, is translated from a world of fears into
a world of joy^ ; so is his mind changed from the common course of
life, which by nature is the lot of all. If fears halh passed away
doubting hatli also passed away ; for fears and doubts are wedded
together as the husband and wife. If the mind is contented this day,
there is nothing to hope fur to-morrow, and the soul is completely in
the joys of the Lord. Long experience hath brought me here to
taste of these things, and write to the world from thence of the
kingdom of heaven and how the mind enjoyeth it. This is individ.
ual blessing from the hand of the Deity, and if any miser or letter
minded person, can write more instructively from the incomes of
wealth or literary education, I will suffer my hand. writing to be
blotted out and remembered no more, but if I reveal more from that
little kingdom called the mind, than the miser from his chest, or the
historian from his library ; then it will stand the test in the public
mind — that I have drawn wisdom from the deepest well, or gathered
bread from the most distant or unknown regions of the mind, the
contents of the mind is small, measured by the man, but the abilities
to receive is greater than the globe ; for the mind will conceive both
earthly and heavenly things — and contains a world of sorrows, and
a world of joys — and there is no monarch that rules over so great an
empire as the mind. This is the poor man's blessing, a happy mind.
And, although I am content with my lot to-day — 't doth not follow I
shall be so to-morrow, for I only know what is the bread of the
present time ; to-morrow I may be plunged into a world of miseries.
But I am possessed of confidence to-day, that if it is so with my soul
to-morrow, through past experience I am confident — and that without
doubting, that if I sufier tribulation without sin, the hand of God
doeth it, and it is only to reveal to my soul, the greater measures of
his will — enlarge the mind by baptism, and bring that to light to-
morrow, which to-day is unrevealed — as wisdom under deep waters,
he only changes our diet to delight our taste, increase our love, and
multiply our praise. How can the miser increase his joy ? No way
but by doing one thing over ; but the children of God, ever hath new
bread from heaven ; for he giveth us these things which we could
not hope for, because the eye never beheld them, neither hath it
entered into the mind, the good things that are in store for the
righteous. Our bread (if I may be so numbered for a few moments
of my days,) is ever new and our praise increasing, and we shall
build up our house through remembrance, forgetting no past favors
of the Lord : they are engraven in the mind, and the righteous is

DISPENSATIONS OF GOD TO THE WOKLD.

258

richer than the miser, for the treasure of his blessings never pnsseth
away. The great mystery is to subdue tiie man ; then the DtMty
in his stead will appear. There never was a civil or religious law
written, but was fur the purpose of subduing and subjecting tho
human will. It is not the will of God ihat requires the law, but the
will of the man. He that breaketh a good written law is a sinner :
but he that serveth God cannot transgress a written law, because the
Deity is greater than the law, he is (rod, but the law, the means
given. It hath been the dispensiitions of God to the world, to give
civil and religious laws to his creature man, and by the study of
them— the literary object hath received an apprehension that he is
wise and worthy of a high seat at Court, where criminals are to stand
at the bar. No where doth supremacy reign or rule in higher station
than the Church or religious laws. Here the literary doctor sits as
Judge over his offending brother for transgressing the laws of the
Lord. If the laws of God are taught to the people, it is enough, and
I would recommend the literary giant to still his tongue about «m, as
God is a judge of his own laws, and knoweth best to whom they are
given. God did not ren-jire all the earth to be Jews, and they are
therefore not judged by the Mosiac law. The laws of God are
between man and his maker, and he hath placed no Judge between,
but one mediator, one that knoweth the will of God from first to last,
from the time that man was made until now, or all time that ever will
be. The civil law is between man and man — containing, binding
and bounding the duty of one man to another, and while we are
under the dispensation of sin, it is right in these respects that we
should be judged and directed by them. But by the grace or gift of
God, a man fulfilleth all righteousness, and the civil law is no
fetters to his feet ; but bonds to him whose heart is inclined to sin.
Now, I believe that the priest from the pulpit, should administer both
these laws to the world civil and religious ; teaching all men of their
necessity, virtue aud effect to the mind. But the want of the true
administration of these things — as a just application to our necessity,
hath introduced bad government into the world, and discontent about
the law of nations. The priest's disciples ftre busy about these
things, aod they have more trouble than their master, the image in
the pulpit, for they have neither been rightly taught how to receive,
or administer as a nation of people, and kings and congress has to
find by experience what is best to be done : there is no eye in the
church to foresee events, nor to direct the remedy to the cause.
Now, we know it hath pleased God, through his multiplied mercy,
to give civil laws to the world, as a remedy to our necessity, and
reilgious laws, whereby we might offer devotion to God. But sin and
Satan has ascended into these high stations, and our deeds of life
produc j much discontent in the world. Trouble denotes a fall — if

f V^

964

IMPRESSIONS OF THB NIND.

the pillars shake, tho whole house is in danger ; ifl am not mistaken
this is the case with the highest stations in life, in both our civil and
religious laws. That which is well done, will admit of no improve-
ment. If the shepherd is no wiser than the sheep, the flock has the
name, without the virtue. Why are priests paid for repetitions? The
children's bread is ever new. God never troubles that with which
he is reconciled ; but he oAen rebuilds, where the work is not well
done. It is a strange thing, that the priest knows religious laws,
and the will of God concerning his flock ; but is dumb in tue day of
tribulation in civil matters. Suffer me to tell you, that Moses of the
old dispensation, was a wiser shepherd in his age, than the most wise
and learned eclesiastics of our age ; for when there is trouble on
earth, they can prescribe no remedy. But Moses saw the necessity
of civil and and religious laws, and administered daily unto the
people, supplying thereby the wants of Israel : their bread was new
and God multiplied his blessings upon them. If thesa good dispen-
sations were connected in one mind, as in the heart of Moses, the
necessities of this present world or age would be supplied. But Oh,
divided people, in church and state systems, a fall precedes a rise.
The exaltation is to the mind, or man that abases himself, and the
fall to the self-exalted, as God equalizes the faculties of the mind,
and blesses all — and condescends to our low estate, to bless us with
means where we are, and comfort the soul. If his spirit was in the
mind of our administrators, through these the whole world would be
comforted. I impute no sin to any church or nation of people, farther
than our professed written laws may direct : if the shepherd flndeth
not the pasture, the flocks are dissatisfied, a change of pasture is well
pleasing to the sheep, as daily bread to the soul. I have a few part-
ners in life, I never repeat one communication twice over, nor sing
one old hymn in worship : bread from heaven is our lot — descending
mercies. Our church government is mercy to all, and the forgiveness
of sins, our civil capacity is deeds of love according to the necessi-
ties of our brethren, and I have been administering both these
capacities to our friends, and give direction how they may serve God
and honoir the king — and all these small matters have been of good
eflfect to us, and it will net be beyond bounds to say, we are at peace
with all men ; but it would be beyond our measure to say, it will be
so with us to-morrow and forever ; for sorrow enlarges the mind, and
redemption from sorrow is a divine favor — enlarges the mind —
increases our blessing, and multiplies our praise. A little leaven
leavens the whole quantity.

If biggots would bend to the necessities of the people, the world
would be more happy. If the eye of crowns, and congress were
fixed more peculiarly on the lower stations they would be more
blessed.

DISPENSATIONS OF GOD TO THE WOBLD.

269

To conclude, the law of Lord is the rule and government of the
mind, and the small man may make his soul through humility as
happy as the king, and his own small tent or dwelling, as the house
of congress, or the great senate of North America, or the united
colonies. Peace is the proceeds of wisdom, and him that maketh
the most, is the most blessed. Now in the midst of the ruling pow-
ers of the reformed churches, the members or flocks are not taught
how to serve a republic with that reverence and respect, that is due
to so good ani nstitution ; and the iiouite will fall on the priest's head,
not the government, but the errors that are so justly due to them.
They have been the means of making disturbance themselves, what
can be expected of the weaker and illiterate mind ? The heirs of
grace, disturb the world with discontent about earthly things : such
faith as this might us well be tied to a mill stone and cast into the
sea, and the civil powers of the world struggle on without such guides
as these. The best sermon I have heard for a number of years, from
the United States, was delivered by the con' ess, the best we have
is with our parliament men, and the civil powers in the christian
world hath gained the pre-eminence over the ecclesiastics. The
next step is the flocks will be free, the universal law of the States or
Empires will unite the people, and tliey will flow together through
humility, when these hills and mountains are removed from their
way, that parts the river and the stream.

!-; |l

I am content within my dwelling.
Nor am I foe to great or small ;

I some simple truths am telling.
The way to comfort one and all.

Truth is unexpected rising,

Let the hills and mounts give way ;
My humble mind is realizing.

The good will of God this day.

Through subjection, love, and mercy,

Former dispensations rise ;
Thus I find my sou! is happy,

Thus I know the babe is wise.

Why should bigots plead for honor?

Why should gold enrich their store ?
Here to>day, away to-morrow!

Dead and gone and seen no more.

'.'■ ' ,'* fe|

::ih:

f f'l

356

IMPRE8SI0IVS OF TUB itllJlK'

So is wcnith ant! tribiite falliiijT,
Tis tlio rou^h and crooked way }:

God the babo ife gently calling,
To his bosom all the day.

Fond is he to see him weeping,
Loving to redress his cries;

He 's the shepherd, he is keeping,
Far beyond the vulture's eyos.

All the little ones doth know him,
For his mercy makes them smile;

IIo's the husband he is sowing,
Laws and truths to reconcile.

Moses and the babe is coming.
Hills and mountains flee away ;

God again the church is clothing.
See the dawning of the day !

Little things doth rise to praise him,
See his mercies never cease ;

The flocks on yonder hills are grazing.
All around them walls of peace.

In the vale is living waters.

See the springs doth gently flow ;

Sec we drink of our Creator,
Share his blessings here below.

[267 J

DEOEMBEit, 23rd, 1834.
THE PILLARS OF GOOD GOVERNMENT.

GiOV^RiyMErfT dpth pot consist in form or system, any more ^lan
t^lie rejigion doth in cei;emony — nevertheless, religion hath a form,
fkpd governmant system. The error of government lieth not in form,
nor religion in church discipline. As one of these systenis is not
9^it^ut the other, it is impossible to do justice to either o^ th.em
Mritho^ut quoting to both these operating systems. Our Crowns and
Congress, and their subordinate adherents, are the offspring of the
<;|^ur(;hes— where the church is out of order, the governniept cannot
be gppd. I acknowledge that priests ought to be at the helm of
government, but not at the head of Interest. It should be the interest of
$he priest to keep the nations at peace, and the flocks reconciled one
to .another. 3ut the present acting church system is, one abQve
l^ptber, and who shall be at the head-end of things in a religious
ca|>acity, apd whose members shall govern the state. Ttiti national
iphiprcbes have giv«n great dissatisfaction in this capacity to the si^ex
jpil^iilches-^-her dissenters ; so are things in Europe but not in Amo' •
ica. There have bieen many dissentions from the church pf Rpine,
aiyi some iraprpvement, but the principles of superiority are still
rema,iping in the bosom of the various branches of the Cbrpptian
f;hurch,.and here jUe the pillars pf bad gpvernment, and many fifh/^fi
are tjiat build thereon. A republic is a dissentien frpm a mpnarchi-
ical, gnvenupae^nt, but the, -desire for wealth ^^^ ppwer is still remaining
in the republic pf the United States, and these are the pri^c;ip^e8 of
^fae deatrii^ctipn .-every where. Equality is the principle pfjtbe
gfe,A^st < glery in the werld ; ^he prpceeds are justice, tp the whple
e^aifth. lam cptitent , with a ropnarchical gpvernment, but npt.|Kit|i
voequal interests and power. If a man's mind is a Jittle i;e49emed
^qm the Ipye pf wealth and ppwer, which are the prpceeds pf theee
ji^pjiver .king^qqiS, IpvPifind fellpwahip would abound. I am v^;i)|i'Qg
AO)betbpug,ht<)ne,pf the mpstignprant that ever tppk pen in hand on
l^ae subjects; but dp not wish tp,be thpught pf as qne t|iat has
Hijfaed the whqle truth, and drawn a line pf tPtal errprs-^ think the
.adfice pf I the Sen pfGpd tp be gppd, and never, failing pn thei^
,^^epts»ibe qpmman()ed his ministers tp Ippk pr seek fpr the eqdptpr.
qif^flt ipf Jieigbbquriy aifectipn, and brptherly love. What do ypjui
thi|il|..pf,<he-Ju4g® in tlte pulpit, when he is wejghipg the tef^ets pf
bisneigiibpui'ing-, society with his pwn 1 he ever gives the prefer^a^e
tp;hia offfii belief. Here is the prpceeds pf bqilding joa a, bad pijliur.or
vM^^dy;fp^n|datipn : fprauch judgments are net of the wpr^ds pf Goi] :
if^e4o ,DPtiike them we are net to use them unequal taqurselK^fi :

958

IMPRESSIONS or TUB MIICD.

Ihe partiality of nations is not of the words of God, nor superiority at
court ; and he thut lovelh the titles of honor, is a hypocrite, and
rcceiveth that which God hath forbidden. The priest is the chief
speculator in the church system, he is a monarch, or a despot there —
the rest are tributaries, but he is the receiver of tribute. We do not
look for the servant to be greater than his master, or the desciple
above his Lord, so did the priest, so did the flocks, and this dispo.
silion is making some rents in the United States republic that will
bo found hard to mend. Tb^ storm has arisen that will not soon
abate, a calm will be looked for before it cometh. If the master is
good, so are the servants. The Son of God was and is a good Lord :
in his name governments reign, and in his name are the pulpits
filled. Israel were not all of Abram's spirit, therefore not heirs of ihe
promise : all that have named Christ, are not of his spirit, for his
mind is worthy of government and is "the prince of peace." He
and his adherents, are the pillars of good government; and there is
no other to equal them under the light of heaven ; he hath appointed
them judges of errors and anointed them above their followers, and
given as it were, thrones or a super'nr station to fill in life. They
did not teach the nations that they should take more tribute than
their master and then divide the spoil with their own particular fami*
lies, as the ministers of the United States do, while they are speaking
against a monarchical government and the decrees of our king. We
cannot obtain the benefit of law without a lawyer, nor the lawyer
without the fee — we cannot hear the Gospel without the priest, nor ob-
tuin the priest without the fee, and this system is in circulation through
almost all the Christian ci. *irches, and if Senate and Congress pre^r
self.interest in State affairs, they are as much like the priest as the son
is like the father, or the servant thut doeth his master's will — they have
all been to church before they went to Congress, and there they
took their particular degrees, and when they have power fulfill them.
When God was minded to reform Israel and redeem them from bonds,
he chose a legislator and deliverer that was not fond of wealth or
honour, for he never collected a tribute for himself, and he gave God
the honor of all he did. When God was minded to advance the
reformation of the Jews ; he sent his son, without tribute or fee
— power, honor or glory in this present life, save to know the will of
God and do it. When he was minded like his father, to redeem Israel
from sin, and many Church and State errors, his first meant.^ was to
redeem a few men from the love of wealth aud honor, forbid them
the title of rabbi, and the interest of the Levites, and send them into
all nations to preach the Gospel without money or price ; but money
and price is now at the helm of our present Gospel. Christ said to
his disciples, "without me ye can do nothing;" and so it may be well
said ia this present age» without silver and gold; we get neither the

THE PILLARS OP GOOD OOVKBIfllBIVT.

359

benefit of law or gospol ; and the republic! are welcome to their
■poil, 1 envy them not— it will cost them dear enough before the
event of auch preachins is settled.

Till the day cometh that the universal love ofnatione and societies
is preached from the pulpit— the hve of neighbors as ourselves^ and
practiced, (here will he peace in iw nation under the «ttn, for these are
the principles or pillars of good government, and they should first ap.
pear in the bosom of the priest the leader of the flock ; but if they are
not seen there, the nation has no light ; for what avail is a shepherd
but to bo heard ? and for what end is he hired but to teach the people T
and why do people go to hear, save to Hsed on the pastures communi-
cated unto them from their shepherds? There is great honor due to
the Apostles of the Son of God : he gave them a title that is impossi.
ble for us to take away. The world called them the ofi'.scourings of
the earth, but he that knew their calling, said, *Mh' light of the
world"—" the salt of the earth" — " the city on the hill"— truly they
are the light of ministers of the gospel, and the highest station is
allotted unto them ; we cannot rise up and cloud their days with
ceremonie6 or system in church or state afiairs ; " they that turn many
to righteousness shall remain as stars or lights forever" — if they
are the light of the world, they are so to the king and congress — they
are so to the priest and pleader at law, and how shall we get clear
of their example ? How shall we receive a blessing on these that
are contrary to the will of a long established providence here on
earth ? Christ acted according to the will of God, and the Apostlea
received their mission from him. Has his holy mind, now sent out
a tribe of superiors into the w^orld for money and price, contrary to
these established lights — the fixed piilars of all good to the Christian
ytoi 1 ? They that so believe, may build their house on the sand,
and the judgments of God will try the pillars of tho house, and if it
is divided against itself it will not stand, and this is the unhappy lot
of almost all the existing governments in the world. And what hath
republicans to boast of? they are as much at variance as the subjects
of our monarchical government; and as dissatisfied with senate and
president as we are with William our king. Good government doth
not consist 'il. form or system, nor religion fn church order, or what
is called sacred ceremonies; but in the established principles of the
Son of God, and his ministers, these are the pillars of the house — the
salt that saveth the earth from spoil ; but where virtue is lost, the
priest is good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under the
feet of men : and this will be the end of many that are professing to
be gospel teachers: the salt hath no savor, but speculation and
superiority is effectual. The people are not taught from the pulpit
how to frame and administor good government : we are all climbing
up after the priest, as the sho'^o followeth the shepherd so are we %t

Kit

^\-

■;Jl

I- %'

Vo6

IMPSI8II0NI or Tlfl KIND.

fhf prieai*t tail. I got a terrible fall by this meant, itnd fell from
•odety, and the fall almost killed me : I am but just left alive to
breathe out these sentences, and tell the world whitt a fall I got,
^hat I fell upon, how I was hurt and am yet alive. I was in no
small station anionast my brethren, the Quakers, in my own country.
I stepped up by degrees of righteousness, so I was promoted m
society tl!! ! began to speak publicly about the things of God, and
the practice of men, and I fell (as it might be) in a moment, from
the pinacle of the temple, clear down amongst the worst of sinners,
and! left my good name on the house top, and received my bad one
with the ofT'SCOiirings of the earth. They that gave me a uood name
had a right!to take it away, and these were my judges in ooth these
stations of life, the good and the ill. Spiritual pride, or society mag<
fieence, got a dreadftil fall that day, the vessel broke, and the contents
dj^scendied into the earth ; but it never bore fruit, it is gone to the
low^r regions of the world forovermore. I found my soul was yet
AliVe, and that I had 6ti\y \oit that which I had stolen ; for I had
deceived the name of being good, with the rest of the world, but in
reality Was not so, it was only a title given of men rather than God ;
for to be good is to be humble, and not to be a rabbi in the world,
dor covet it. Do not the masters now govern in church and state
— and private members of society vote according to their education 7
Triily like the mdster, interest is at the helm of church and state, and
ih^ nobility think themselves worthy of tribute, or conscientiously
they icould not receive.

This pillars of good government are equal princifiles, these were
found in the heart of the Son of God in national affaii^s, or he would
not have sent one humble and selfdenying means to all the nations ot
the world, to teach equality love and fellowehip between nation and
iiation, society and society, man and man. These are the lights of
ihb world, the salt that saves the people, the city on the hill that
danhbt be hid. Their tenets, principles and doctrines, will be called
tlji'on beforie the seas are still, or the storm abates. You may say
the gospel is preached — I may say it is not practised, and we will
^ay that the greatest hypocrites in the days of our Redeenier were
j^feaching doctrines worthy of observation, but themselves practisied
thehi nbt. These doctrines did not avail to redeem the world ; lior
give' the hearers a knowledge of the truth ; neither doth wh&t is nb#
taii^glit, but unpraictised lead the flocks into the principles of righteous,
h^iba ; fdr the s^lt has lost its savor, the light of nations hath eotie
btit ; the flocks stray for want of the true shepherd's care, and the
i^dteiisistrators of government find themselves in a troubled day — the
t^pegt beats from eVery side, but they cannot still the stdhn.
V^mTe speculations abound, the nations will be at war — the flocks
'dis6bntdnted, and a house divided against itdelf. The eifects d/ these

TUB riLLABS OF GOOD GOVERNMENT.

9Cl

thingfl are, to most serionily tench us the failings of our guide, ^nd
him that hath sold the gospel for silver hath sold his nation for gold :
he that receiveth the title of Kobbi, and receiveth tribute therefor,
Iiath made his brother a servant and a slave, and I escaped with my
life to tell you these things ; and until a day of reformation and
repentance, republics are no nearer the city of peace than the men-
archical governments of the -.vorld : what hath ruined the peace of
one hath destroyed the administration of the other — unjust specula'
tion and robbery in the church.

' Oh how can I presume to sing,

My station is so dark and low,
Or how can I an ofiering bring.
And offer to my strongest foe.

The priest 'a the doctor of my soul,

He 's both the steeple and the bell ;
The waters round with billows roll.

The cause the doctor cannot tell.

We scarcely find n soul at rest, ,^

But yet we hear the shepherd's prayer ;

Few are the flocks we find are blest,
And yet the hired shepherd 's there.

What ails my soul, the world may say, <

We 've agents in the world around : '

But oh we see a troubled day, '
Where teaching and where prayers abound.

What ails my mind that's all alone, .^

Or Oh my soul where is thy rest;
To thee the cause is truly known,

And why the nations are distress'd,

RejE^ch forth thy hand with deeds of Ipve^
(Althoueh thy offring 's young and small,)

It is a gift from heaven above,
And given to thee for one and all.

Cease, cea6e, Oh speculating hand,

Oh priests, from barter all bo free ; .

And you shall teach and bless the land,
And all around your light will seo.

Take up your station with the poor.

Let seats of honor tempt no more ;
In you the land will find u cure.

And peace, good Jesus will restore.
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il^'2 IMPRESSIONS OP fut: iiixt>.

Janvart 22nd, 1836.
A CALL TO REPENTANCE, AND THE REVELATION OP GOD.

A FALL to society is the Lord's decree. If Israel could not stand
that is now the wandering Jew^ on what pillar do we place our con-
fidence, that our little, exalted, parcels of souls will remain, that sit
above their brethren ? Israel of old fulfilled the same station ; and
why was it so ? The shepherds, the guides sat in the seat of Moses,
but did not fulfil the space allotted them to perform, neither do these
exalted priests, of little parcels, that have set their brethren above
the rest of the world. If repentance is called for of the Most High,
it follows that the sin is revealed of which repentance is required.
Did the Son of God exult his ministers above any kingdom, city, na>
tion, kindred, people, or tongue ? Nay, he made them the bread of
life unto all, and the light of the whole world. Let us observe our.
■elves by these unextinguishing lamps that were lighted by the hand
of God and trimmed with oil from heaven, and we shall see they
were servants to all people, without partiality or respect ; so in the
resurrection wo shall see the impartial love of God to all people, but
his most pecu!i'ar objects are these that are lost. How differing is
this day, when the righteous shut themselves up in parcels from the
rest of the world — close shutters, or close the veil that was rent by
the death of the Son of God ! and the holy of holies purchased to
all people by his blood ! Shall we close the veil again and make his
blood unto us of none effect ?

If Israel had pleased the Lord, he had not taken the inheritance
from his hands ; but to eot and drink with sinners, was a capacity too
low for the exalted hypocrite to fulfil. Who slew the Son of God 7
The self.thinking righteous ; and they are the worst of men the earth
bears up. The Sun of God came to save exalted sinnerS; and they
despised him for his humility, and hated and envied him for his supe-
rior talents or wisdom. If you can find more wickedness in one mind
than was contained in these, you will discover unto me those things
I have not seen. It was Pilate's interest to please the people, and
o^Sce is filled with his likeness till this day ; and some of your prelates
err from the truth to please the people, and change the tongue to
obtain the fee. All these things are obvious with us, and yet they
hope to rise, or at least stand where they are and increase.

Do you believe that Israel should repent of their sins, little secta.
rians? I do of a truth, and I am willing to repent with them, and
ask it of you also. Was not their sect so high in their eyes that
neither the prophet nor the Son of God could have acceptance with

A CALL TO BI:PENTA2(CE, ETC.

263

them? Truly, and wo are exactly wearing the same image. No
people or priest are like our own, and the imperfections of our neigh-
bours are treated with contempt as the dust.

The principles of your government will change, united America,
and the exalted doctrine of your bigots will be hewn down, and very
little good wiir be found in the great substance ; it is three quarters
dross or sectarian pride, supported by exaltation and covetousness.
He that hath fallen feels the smart of it. I know how it hurts the
bones, or breaks the mind, that is not stronger than the shell of an
egg; so will your systems break, and the insids of them, almost all,
run out on the ground that none can gather up again. I am not wri-
ting for a fee, or smile ; if so, I would bend the knee, and please my
master. I am not in office ; I am independent, with the few crumbs
I possess, and believe religion to be ihe universal love of all men.
If we love a child or friend, we use our best endeavours to heat their
complaint ; we are affected with their cries, or their errors reach
their mind or the man within. When I am writuig to you, I know
that 1 am like one that is throwing chaff against a giant, with which
he cannot h^ »lain, for you do not think yourselves indebted to name
or nation for wisdom or for strength ; but while I am casting chaff
abroad, a blade might get into the sectarian priest's eye, and ho
might have to rub some time before he would get it all erased from
his sight, or call on his neighbour to cleanse the mote away. Them
that think they see, are to be made a little blind, that they may be
the more humble. If Messiah returns, he will come as he went
away, closing the eyes of the self«conceited, — suffering judgment
from Pilate's throne, or those that deliver their sentences to please
the people. He was every sinner's friend ; he communed with them,
and revealed his humility and mercy to their minds. He did not
exclude them from his body or blood, or forbid the bread of life that
God his Father committed to his trust. He rent the veil that all
might see alike ; but Oh what distinction is now made ! what holy
things within the veil ! what conversions ! it is of a truth, almost the
full reign of the Pharisee. Every priest has got on the sheep's
clothing, but has not obtained the lamb's heart, or there would be
freedom and friendship, and on all days the sinner would have a
kind, loving, and merciful friend.

I believe in the salvation of the world ; and for this purpose is my
feet released from sectarianism* and my soul possessed of univer>
sal love that where I am sinners and publicans can be with me.
This is the cause why we should repent. Part of the world are
exalted above their brethren ; and these that profess to be lights in
the world have become stumbling.stones in the way of the weak,
and are rebuilding or building up Judaism again in the name of
Christ, as the light-hearted did in the name of Moses. These tot-

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teriog tovi^eKi are preparitig for a fall, atid Cliurch aUd Slate llieit<
surei wilt be greatly afiectcd with it. If we walk Ati^t fallbh Israel
we shall fare with thenfi. Legisldtors ! turn your atteiitioil tio thiA
poor and lower orders of the world. Distribute part of ybui* triUute
money for their education, ahd your country will be pos^es^^d of
niore talent, and your loving mercies extend to nations abroad.

Pulpit gentry ! plead the cause of sinners, be loving, kind and
merciful unl(v.them, for through your means they are appointed to
be saved, and none of them shall be lost. Though a man shall die
in his sins, and in them to Christ he cannot come, his spirit shaU
live again, repent of all, be baptized, and his soul shall live. iTeach
the universal love of Ood to all men. Come down from your high
places, walk and talk with them, fill up the image of Christ through
the mercies of your God, and the world shall be saved from tlieir
siof.

' t-^

Sing of universal love.

See the waters deep and clear,
See the holy harmless dove,

Jubilee is drawing near.

Rend the veil and let us see
What is in the mind within ;

Holy blood was spilt for me.
Mercies to my deepest sin.

To the sinner, to his breast,
Oil and wine and love apply;

Thou shall go before to rest,
Dwell below and upward fly.

Humble station ever bless*d,

Harmless lamb and dove is there.

Dearest partners of my breast.
Stars of light my shepherd's care.

Love is like the water streaming,
Chrystal flow from Zion's hill,

Love of God is so redeeming.
Bidding sinners' foes be still.

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January 29lh, 1835.
UNITED COLONIES OP NORTH AMERICA,

t AATE not a mind despising nations nor upholding pride. The
God of Jacob hath committed a few things to my trust, and I am ac>
countable to him for what I do, or by his judgments I must suffer for
what I leave undone. I am independent of society, and shall not
irdproach any with what I do. I am poor in estate, and alone in pub.
lie service. I solicit no kindred or friends to join with me in the
cause ; and for all that is committed to my trust I am accountable to
God. Sectarians are the present light of nations, and you are pos*
isessed of your share of them, and much counter doctrine there is
up and down in your land ; many there be that assume the highest
fltation, and your government hath followed aAer them. Your inde-
pendence has become a boast, but you have lost your humble minded
Washington, and your peace is rather on the decay. The Friends
or Quakers were at the head of sectarianism ; but they have received
a h^w name, aAd since that day I know them not — their one hath
become two, and their own profession or spirit hath rent them apart,
when ho one envied them. Their rent hath been to me a cause of
sorrow, because of my former love wherewith I loved them. This
evil hath come upon them because of pride ; for while they accounted
themselveis the foremost of the flocks, their judgment must be that
other sectaries were more unworthy of the high seat than themselves.
The hand of God is ever ready to fulfil the prophetic sayings of his
Son. I'hose that exalt themselves shall fall ; and this is an ancient
decree that took place in Israel, and never will abate as long as men
cohlinue to exalt themselves. I must be a little particular concern-
png the cause afid tnerfls of this fall that hath taken place with the
Friiands, that were once my brethren in North America. I think in
(he yeiar l'8l2, I was shut out from conununion with thom. Since
chat day t have sought a home with society, but found it nut. It is
Ihrough their means I arrt alone. There is a smzi I bod* \ f pev-ple
with ihe consisting of a few hundreds ; but I am not a -T^tmber with
(heM, hieither do they assume any control over my little -ervices. I
am unbouiid from all parts of the world, since the firy my brethv^n
pronounced me unworthy of communion. The Mlorrn arose, rnd I
fleid before excommunication. The cause of censure was, erroneous
doctrine ; but I aihied at' the truth, and could not retract what I had
delivered. The elders were to me like lions, and the lambs were
isdafce ; eVery finger was pointed at me as if I was the great error
land 'foe to sdciefy. I was not disposed to stt^nd the contest, but
1>6W«d tuy shoulders, received my burden, and walked away. AAer

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206

IMPRGSSIONS OF THB HIND.

which I took much pains and travelled a great deul from Upper Ca-
nada to the City of Philadelphia and New York to obtain a cunfer>
ence. All was vain ; I was cut off forever. But I have taken my
feeble pen this morning to pay the debt I owe unto them. My
friends, it is this day on record that in the year 1812 I sent an address
to your house or society, to this import, " that you would rend as a
garment and your glory would fall to the ground." It is by your
profession my soul doth live, and it is by your profession I address
you this day. I have been grieved with your proceedings with me
before and since I was excommunicated from your religious dwelling ;
but the smart is gone, the Lord God of Jacob has healed the wound,
and there is no spark of anger remaining in me : but I would be glad
to sec you face to face in public worship, but that is forbidden by your
decrees. I have often asked the favour to worship with you, but you
are resolved not to break them ; and this is the only way that is led
for me to commimicate to you and relieve my mind. I apprehend
your fall (for so it is unto me) will be to your advantajre ; it will in
time humble your pride, and abase the exalted mind, and teach you
that spifit by which you fell was not the light of the world, but the
exaltation 0*" the human mind. Hereafter seek, my brethren, nor
despise small things ; for your imaginations are as fallible as your
brother's letter profession. The Lord is minded to equalize the
world, if my understanding is true ; and he has begun at the head
to bow down the hills, and raise up other people to be equal with
yourselves. Boast not that these things have come that ar*i yet to
come. The Lord will have an equal people before he will have
peace in this lower world; he will redeem Israel to his home, and
Christ on Divides throne will order all things here btiicw. Il is the
reign of kir gs and the administration of priests or ministers, in both
spiritual and temporal things. The head of your Church destroyed
the body ; it was not the open sinner nor the young. Here you see
the failure of men in judgment, and how the most wise thinking soul
can fail in his decrees. You profess Christ to be the head of the
Church, and so he is, while the members doth obey; but man assu-
med the seat of judgment, and a right to reign or rule over the giAs
of God. You made yourselves the solo judges of doctrine, and judg.
fnent hath cast down your fold to the ground ; for you are no more
respected than your neighbours, for you divide in Jacob and scatter
in Israel. Your judgmen! began with me coiicerning doctrines about
the Son of God. You cast me away as a grain of sand from a
mountain : I was accounted no loss to you ; you rejoiced in the vic-
tory, blowed your breath upon me, and as you thought wafted the
chaff from the wheat. But we were both in the hands of God,
although not in one house. The lion did not cease to roar after me,
• nor communicate wrong things ; but this is my day to speak, it is ^

VXITED COLONIRS OF NOBTH AMERICA .

207

Vnorniftg after great sorrow, you soon found another cause to judge,
the hteatla of your Church literally got at variance, and you could
not settle the dispute nor reconcile man to man ; and a day hath
come upon your judges that proves them to be physicians of small
Value. The garment is rent, and you cannot close again. You are
Che genuine followers of the light of this world, or the Lamb of God
that taketh sins away.

Now hear a cripple; that hath borne a heavy burden, and ha^h
done a little without borrowing of you, neither hath your name had
lot or part in the work. The Lord is every where present, and giv.
«th strength unto these that love his name ; but unto your house he
hath given weakness or withdrawn his presence or his strength, for
ye were not able to bear one with another, with the gifts of God or
services of the Lord. This is an old tradition that was in Israel;
they stoned the prophets, and crucified the Son of God. Bl-rssing
never attends this disposition. Your judgment descended from your
throne or gtillery down into the minds of your children, and they
troubled the grey headed till he went down into the grave. In this
ye have done unrighteously ; and though you are justified by Eng.
land, France or Spain, you are not justified of God, and following
consequences will attend and prove it so. If a spark of doctrine
ever rises again with you on either side, do not fill the bellows or
your lungs with wind to blow it out ; for that which ye have judged
to be chaff is as heavy as your wheat, and as fruitful in the world.
Let your manhood judgment cease, and lord not over the heritage of
God ; for the house is not yours, nor the gift given. If all things had
come, and the salvation of the world was accomplished, then ye might
say we covet no more at thy hands my Saviour and my God ; but
while the house of Israel are in captivity and we are prone to sin,
let every m&(iical aid be tried, one physician cannot heal all things,
without abundant more virture than your society or either of you hath
possessed. To conclude, let the children be free, till the doctrine is
tried, we are not capable through our small measures to weigh the
whole rnind of the Deity, nor bound his revelation that he giveth unto
man.

Call every society your sister, ant^ every labourer in the vineyard
your brother, and 'ie at peace with the world, and God will be at
peace with you ; but you have corrupted the high seat with judgment,
and the good profession with pride, and no more will you be exalted
above your brethren. Sectarians ! behold your fate ; if these could
not stand on the top of the moimtains that hath professed to be led
by an unerring spirit, what will become of those that are guided into
a thousand ways by the impression of letters from what is called the
sacred book? While there are so many lords, the servants will be
divided, and the world cannot be at peace. We profess but one

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Iiord, fiiith and baptism, but creeds, tenets, and doctrines wUhiOUit

number. Can one good Lord Jcsus Christ be the author of t^hia

abounding contention there is on eurth about heaven and belJ, God

snd ths devil ? I think not. He communicates one understanding

to all men because he is the Prince of Peace, but a diversity of gifts

from one body or spii it ; but these accord and at last centre into one,

the bosom of Christ Jesus the Saviour and Redeemer of the world.

Humanity hath effected this dividing plan ; and no doubt but God

hath seen it meet in his wisdom to provide a fall for all that exalt

themselves. The body of people called the Quakers were equal in

wisdom and in righteousness to any sect in your Colonies ; yet the

hand of God hath borne them a little downward, and is removing

thi« earthly crown from their head that nations hath put upon them

You witl follow them, (that are standing by,) delighted with the great

fall of Quakerism ; and your gownvment boast of independence will

not be able to retain peace on your shores or possess a quiet home. I

write not by -vay of reflection, neither are these lines the issues of

ill-will, but nvy simple sense of a coming day, and the now impre^>

•ions of my /and. I need not add doctrine from my limited »tore,

for the hand f : God will scourge before he will heal ; we shall smart

before ho vure5; the wound. If I may speak as a sectarian or states.

mui — ve ujVL. been casting others down for ages past, and as ve

OttMk 'inti>/:<th ^rii shall we receive again, sectarian pride and govera -

^<^m< BnlK^_' Bx?t' t < -a will prove a curse or scab to your CoIonieS;, but

tfiiouffh rep<: 4,iU.ace it will be cast oJand the wcand healed.

The greatest has a Lord and King,
The least doth heir a Saviour's love,
Be wise and harmless as the dove.

It is through sorrows deep we rise,
Through tribulation the more wise,
And by our falls let 's humbled be,
And Church and nations all agree.

When peace is made the kingdoms come.
The sun *a arose — his will is done,
His father is in heaven at rest.
By whom alone we can be bK;ss'd.

Mt measures are small, and I ar > in a "olitary part of the earth,
the lonesome wood of Upper Canaan. Wherein I have come short
of the truth as may be discovered in Ihis day or here Aer, ascribe it
to the weakness of the human miiul, or a mis-informed soul ; but
where I have marked out the truth, the honour be to God, for he
hath been my friend when all have forsaken me. AmoA.

r*-";l3

The reader of the foregoing pages will doubtless be led to enquire,
who or what is he the author ? To answer the enquiry is the pi^<
pose of the following testimony, now written by those who have had
the best means of knowing him from the years of his minority^ and
tiumber one of us for almost thirty years past :

He Was led without a father at an early period of life, and wM
cast as an orphan into the world, having to struggle through years of
penury : finally his lot was cast into Upper Canada, from whence
we now write. His mind became impressed with some visitation
which led him to believe in a spirit operating on the mind, and very
early directed his steps, and brought him to seek out the meetings of
Friends, or Quakers, where he sat in silence with that people. He
aflerwards became a member with them, and was much sought unto ;
friends saw or discovered a devout turn of mind in him, much given
to silent devotion, a faithful servant, and of solid judgment. AAer
seven years service in the church, that visitation or impression which
first led him to their meetings, he thought required him publicly to
testify of the being of a God. The doctrine delivered by him was
not received by that body of people. He then retired peaceably to
his own house ; some few followed him, who were anxious to obtain
better information. These patiently heard, weighed the subjects and
found full unity and friendship with him. His life was singularly
spent, between labour and devotion, oflen retiring to bye-places, fence
corners, or the woods ; always allowing one hour in the after part
of the day for any person who might be working for him to retire also
for devotion, if they inclined so to do ; never employing any person
without first seeing the way to pay when wanted or required ; living
in peace with his neighbours, never disputing about any points of
doctrine. His doctrine was unto us very singular, who were bred
up strict sectarians ; he pleads the sinner's cause (not the eause of
sin) and convinced many of us of our partial dispositions. He hath
written much, and to our surprise, hath often delivered publicly, and

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[ 270 ]

nlso wrote truths which hns proved to us that he was favoured with
some foreknowledge of events, which has come to pass within our
knowledge. He is a man of scarcely any education ; but hath been
able to teach us doctrines we never know. He is no sectarian, nor
pay prear her — his mind (as he has often intimated to us) has travelled
backward from the last dissenters, until his mind dwelleth much
with Abraham, Moses, David and the prophets, and latterly he has
been engaged in writing some manuscript in favor of the restoration
of the Jews, and the downfall of Christian sectarianism. He never
rails, ridicules, nor despises any people's mode of worship ; believing
(hat every sincere effort of people, in any society, is an acceptable
sacrifice unto the God of heaven. As a minister, wo with hini, aro
in perfect unity, harmony and peace.

signed, for tb« VUlaie of Bope, where he reeidee, by

MURDICK McLEOD, Smnu.,
WILLIAM REID, Sbmr.,
JOHN DOAN, Sbhs.,

SAMUEL HUGHES,
EBENEZER DOAN.

FRIEND TO BRITAIN:

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BY DAVID WILLSON,

EAST GWlLLiMBURY, COUNTY OF YOAK, AMD PROVINCE OF UFFER CANADA.

TORONTO:
1635.

TO THE READER,

III"
E", I

I am not partially afTected to church or nation ; but a servant and subject
to the King of Britain. The g' )d of bis subjects and peace of his
Throne, has been my devotion, or aim, for many years. It is through
warm afTeclions that I liave exposed my i.iind to public censure, by pub-
lishing my sentiments on the yet existing errors i;i the British Empire.
I have also added my apprehensions of the following consequences of an
uorepenung people. But the conciuuion can only be, that all are but
the sentiments of a frail man that knoweth but little of Foreign affairs,
clouded and shaded with the wilderness of Upper Canada. From the
remotest habitation have I drawn these lines, they are the productions of
an afflicted miud, givcu l'> the subjects of my Lord the King.

December Itt, 1834.

AN ADDRESS TO THE CLERGY OF THE CHRISTIAN WORLD.

ii'-

Believers in Christ, Shepherds of the Flocks, Pastures <{f Life, and
the prqfessed way from Earth to Heaven I

I ADDRESS you as a stranger, having no spiritual or literal
acquaintance with your ways : ye are they with whom I have no
acquaintance in life. I am alone with u few brethren, this day in
the closet, and write from the secrets of my soul. Where you came
from I know not : I might trace you back to birth, hut not to Moses
nor the Prophets. I am acquainted with them : l)ut I know not
your origmation there. I have read of the man Ji ms, who also is
called the Christ, and his Apostles, but your ima^ ot engraven

in the account of them. I am acquainted with the .vil powers that
are, and have at sometimes acted a little in concert with them in
practical reformation ; but I saw you not there ; it was your practice
of life we were trying to improve, and such a day I never saw, for
the flocks have arisen to correct the shepherds. What will become
of the flocks is a serious enquiry : I believe they will be blessed,
and you may /bZ/oto after them for a time, for the crumbs they
may aflbrd. Civil legislation had origination in the heart or spirit of
Moses : but hired servants to preach or teach the gospel, had no
origination there. He said, when the Messiah came (whom you
profess,) he should be heard in all things. But it appears that you
belong to the tithe plan, and are cut off from the unbelieving Jews :
I do not know where you will get your living by and by, except ye
learn some other occupation, for the flocks have openly revolted
against the covetousness of their shepherds, but are dealing kindly
with you, until you can find some release. Now be it known unto
you, these that can do so much for themselves, can do more, and the
day is coming when there will not be a shepherd of your likeness ia
the whole Christian church. Ye have divided the church, and each
shepherd shears his ovm followers, until the shears have made great
contention in this world. Blessed are the peace makers ; but ye
are not the heirs of it. Covetousness has destroyed your kingdom ;
and a day of tribulation, deep sorrow, and anguish will arise, and
you shall be cast out of it. The pen is taken from your hand, and the
most just mode of reasoning is now found in the cabinet, civil courts
and assemblies of the world. When will the heL return to your
hands? I trust I am safe in taying, never. For although there may

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-A FRIEND TO BUITAIIf.

be honest hearts, and humble minds amongst you ; your mode of
reasoning has become too weak diet for the age ; it is like milk and
water to the world, and the best of you will be joined with the civil
powers, and act in concert with their will ; no more to rule in the
Israel of the age, but be brethren to the commonality of the world.
The higii places must fall before a day of universal restoration,
before a day of general peace, before the millenium morning shall
appear. But then ancient Israel shall arise, as the morning star of
ancient days. I write from the mind : if my spirit is under a cloud
of darkness, or false direction, then these things will not be. But
before these lines are read by you they will be measurably fulfilled.
I write to let you know, that the eye of heaven is upon you ; and that
the calls of God have reached the wilderness, and that the God of
Jacob is whispering in the ear of those whom ye call small thipgs^
Small and great are the Lord's and we have part in Israel's Saviour,
the Messiah of the Jews. Now is the day of prophecy to the world,
but not as in the days of Israel : we are neither Isaiah, Jeremiah,
Ezekiel, or Daniel ; but writers of a few simple truths as they may
occur to the mind. The mind that has no peculiar object in view is
^7^/!^ikely to err in testimony. I have no wages at stake — ^no peculiar
church to please or offend ; I have no office to gain ; I have none to
loose ; I possess as much of this world as I need, and in these
fespects I am wanting nothmg. I am writing for the salvation of the
souli and for the purpose of casting a few burdens off from my mind,
to encourage reform— to increase hope in the salvation of the world—
the independanre of the people — and sole dependence on God. I
am net inspired by education, I need not say, for the frail form of my
handi> writing or language will declare thia to all that hear. I would
willingly set my heart at rest, without this subject ; this latter service
of my days with the pen, save I may write something by way of
praise hereafter ; but all aouU are the Lord's, and it is of material
importance to leave points of duty undone. The greatest hypocrite
in life can profess as I do ; but I will let you know, that I am not
dressed in borrowed clothes, the Lord hath given me or my soul a
garment of my own, and I must not be ashamed to appear before men
in my own simple clothing. Literary opportunities and information
have been hidden from mine eyes : neither do I converse with men
about the things of God, or the salvation of souls, until I speak of
thent openly. I am not the Priest's clerk, the Bishop's boy, the
the Clergy's 'prentice, nor the Deacon's command. I am a poor and
a lonesome Aian contented with small things. I have read a little
of Israel, and of all the maidens or churches ; I am in love with them»
for although they are cast off at present, their former blessings
exceed all that «rowneth the earth ; and you are walking after them
towards their fall, but have not tasted of their hope to arise. I

AS ADDRESS TO THE CLEHOT, ETC.

275

believe without doubting in the resurrection of Israel ; and whatso.
ever they have done good, to the resurrection of life, will remain
forever.

If there is to be no greater salvation than that which the European
nations are preached into, in vain is the coming of your Messiah, for
he set the Christian church free from tithes, and taught a free gospel
to the world. He was an equalizer of the human family, and content
with the least stores that were among them ; but as the steeple is
above the chapel, so is the priest above the people ; and as the
mother feeds the sucking child, the priest draws his wealth and
grandeur there. Even tlie hand of the poor is reached abroad to
place bread on the king's table ; and the king divideth with the
priest. The sun is setting, my brethren, if I may call you so : it is
enough for kings and priests to fare as their Lord, and not be exalted
above him. I am content with the government I am under. It is
no crime for Israel to have a king : it is a blessing to a Christian
world to have a Saviour ; and the greatest monarch and priest should
honour him. Will nut his example preside over us ? Is he not rising
by unexpected means to be Lord of all? He is so professed— let
him be so received. Has his practice, humility, and example been
preached by you, my friends ? If so, it has not been practised by
yourselves. I will not say that you are hypocrite», or dressed in
■beep's clothing ; but that you are someting that will pass away
before the coming of a better day ; and as your station has become
very high in life, there will be a great noise when it falls to the earth.
I hope it will be without the sword and blood ; but I think in all
places it will not be so. There is blood enough in the Christian
name. The Clergy have been the cause of persecution and much
blood to promote their reign ; but that which is built at the expense
pf our brother's blood will not remain forever.
.' To this I would commend Israel, i. e. the blood of the prophets,
and Christians to the blood of martyrs ; for we have this to drink for
our diet, that is, sorrow unto repentance for the crime of past days.
Why is not the world happy? Our sins are not repented of and our
souls are hot at rest: singular indeed! that the priests would stand
in the way of improvement — the lights of the nation ; but the lamp
is almost spent for want of oil. How much are the Clergy debtor to
the world, for that which hath been taken contrary to the dictates of
the gospel ? I will venture to say, more than all the mathematicians
in England or Ireland can enumerate. Is there not great cause for
repentance ? Were martyrs slain, that priests might rise and shear
the sheep ? Permit me to tell you, in that day ye put out the light of
nttions, as Israel, when the prophets were slain ; and they never
u a body of people have seen well since that day. If the New Tea.
tament is true, they said, " let the blood of Christ be upon us and

,0.j|

I'ii

S7d

A FRIEND TO BBITAIIT.

our children," but, on whom is the blood of thof e martyrs who have
been slain for tho purpose of the now standing, and our present
churches ? The children of Israel have almost fulfilled a dear atone*
ment for the blood of the prophetti, and the Messiah ; but you are
living in pomp and splendour, while the blood of martyrs is crying at
your gates. I am a kind of an original character, and look back to the
Ancient of days for light. Why should I prefer you before the Jews ?
The hands of the Christians are stained with blood ; hot only war
but the murder of their brethren, who gave up their lives for con.
science sake. If Israel had to answer dearly for this crime, (the
Deity is not changeable in his mind,) you must answer for yours.
Your spiritual courts issued these mandates : first killed your brethren
and then went and preached the gospel to the poor, and took their
bread and garments for revealing the will of God unto them. Now
let it be no mystery unto you, that a judgment day has come ; it is the
decree of God ; those that judge shaU come to judgment, and the
scale is gently turning on the balance ; the nobility are falling, and the
commons are rising. Things never can be rightly adjusted while all
the weight is in one scale: it may be you have judged' the world
long enough. Have you done justice when you gathered your bread
from the poor ? And your fathers slew the martyrs for the privilege
of the opportunity of continuing the sum? The eye of this world is
enlightened by the mercy of heaven, to behold the sospel is not in
your ways, nor the spirit of truth in the mind ; ior these that were
directed by it do not do as you have done.

I dedicate the foregoing address, chiefly to the most ancient
churches in Christendom, and those that have persecuted others unto
death for the privileges they now enjoy ; but not so much the adheraia
as the priest. He is the angel of the flock, and the successor of
those who stained their hands with blood, from the selfish principles
the Romish and some of the Protestant churches now stand upon :
these are points of superiority, who have made themselves judges of
the servants of the Lord, and the earth tributaries to their support ;
and every rising oflSicer after the order of the priest, has reached
forth his hand unconsciously to the spoils of the poor* It is but a
few short ages since my good friends the Quakers were persecuted to
prison, and from prison to death. How could such deeds take place
under the gospel covenant of grace ? Was the widow's loss ever
^stored to her ? Or the tender parent to the child ? No, you could
take away, but not restore again. Of what generation will this
blood be required, from Christ until now ? Are the Jews answera-
ble for all ? No, Chrisftians have had a reign, and the New
Testament, the records of the blood of our professed Redeemer and
his children. What churches have reigned and their desciples?
Rome, Scotland, England, in their turns have produced a hostile

THB lAXrCTVART OF TRB &OSD.

a7T

reisn over the consciences of men. And though ihe present gene-
ration may be in soma mnasure clear, yet they are after the order of
these that profaned the sacred rights of man, — have been at the
helm of war to support their own purposes ; the sea and the field have
been stained with human blood by their command, and the Lord
calleth for repentance for all ; let his servants be free, he is Lord of
all ; and the priest should be first weighed in the scale of repentance
or their feet first in Jordan, for the promise of a holy life ; but now
they are last to reform. — Amen.

Decexbeb 4th, 1834.

The sanctuary of the Lord is in the midst of all things. The
nearer my heart is to God my Saviour, the more I can see of his
wondrous works ; the more passive is my mind, the more sensible
of impression. The nearer I am to the. centre of all things, the
more subject to command. The more I am simple and ignorant by
nature, the more ready I am to obey. The centre of a compass ie
the stand to see every point of the globe. Every good talent hath
one giver : there is but one original of all good.
(' He that is the builder has the best sense of the workmanship ; and
one God is impartially the maker of us all. It is written that hell
shall give up the dead that are therein, and every part wherein the
dead doth lie. There shall be a solemn restitution of all things that
hath been from the beginning of the world until this day. If the
father received the son that was lost, — (there is nothing farther from
God than that which is lost,) — if he received him safe and sound,
what part shall remain in hell, death, or the grave 7 for he was dead,
and is alive again. What is farther from life than death ? Who is
farther from the kingdom of heaven than the lost ? And these the
Son of God is sent to save, and, as the shepherd, find the lost sheep
of Israel.

" I will now proceed to writing to the whole world from my small
tent or dwelling, that lonesome mansion called the mind. I have
addressed the leading stars of the nation. Britain is my hope, for
thdre I shall see the salvation of God. I love the king as my father,
for he will receive grace, and be at peace with his people. Britain
is the star of nations ; the sun will rise and shine upon her as morning
rays on the western hills. Britain will beer me as a saviour to the
world; as the mother of nations, she will receive of God, and crown
her offspring with peace. She has conquered her deepest foes, the

u-t

278

▲ EBISMD TO BRITAIN.

clergy. She has got the holm in her hand ; she is steering a right
course for a happy kingdom in this world. Truth is at the helm,
and justice appears in her servants as the dawning of the day. The
sun will rise and crown with glory all her little hills, and the lowest
stations of life will be glad in their king, and rejoice in God their
Saviour. There will be great tribulation before the coming of these
days, such as has not been or ever will be again. There is that
born into the world that will become the pillars of the'millenium,
and the sons of Britain will build upon them. Truth establishes
justice, justice mercy, and mercy love and the forgiveness of sins.
The bonds are broken, the captive is free from his chains, the strings
of the tongue are loosed, the pen is free ; and without a Lord or
Master in this world, Britain can net for herself, the fetters will be
left far behind, the chains will moulder down to clay, (the priestcraft
of the nation.) These crafls have been as spots on the garment of
our king, a shadow over the crown of his head. When the sun of
righteousness shall shine upon his crown, a diamond shall appear
iipon his brow, and precious stones upon all his head ; he shall stand
at the gates of Israel, his justice, love, mercy, and truth shall be the
way to life. The day cometh that no governinent shall boast over
Britain. They have long worn the chain, — the efTects are deep,-—
they have reached the mind, the seat of life, and will be remembered
forever.

Hear a word from a friend, ye inhabitants of the isles. What Go4
hath ordained and appointed will come to pass. He hath appointed
Israel, the Jews, to be his people, and it will be so. God is their
Saviour ; to this end were they made, and their means is salvation
to all the world. The globe has but one centre, nor Israel but one
Saviour. The personal Son of God hath appeared, but the solemn
effect is yet to come ; for though we say we have believed, (that are
Christians,) we have not practised ; such a faith is dead, and renders
Oiir situation but little better than the Jews. The mind is not free
in Christendom ; nevertheless I believe our rulers, governors, and
priests to be equal to our righteousness.

Isaiah hath said our Saviour should be called the Prince of Peace.
Now query, if this prince hath ever had his reign in this world.
When he taught his disciples to pray the kingdom of God should
come, has an everlasting Father appeared to us? No, a day
of universal peace hath never appeared, nor an everlasting Fath-
er, for bur councils ate changing, our priests, ourrulers, and our
kings; there is nothing more certain than th^s. There is a day
to come, the likeness of which hath not been seen, save by the pro-
phets that have foretold of the salvation of the world. It is declared
of this prophet, (the man Jesus, who hath given evidence of the sal-
"vation of God in this lower world,) " that he is the root and offspring

THl fAHOTVART Or TBI I.OBD.

870

of David, a bright and morning star." He was tho morning of tlie
day; but that sun hatli not arisen that will light tho whole world.
He was an uncomprehended light when he was in the world ; but
what availeth that light to those that do not or cannot see? Had
'the Jews known be was the Messiah, he would have been received
by them, as the first people in the world. It is true he was conceived
'and brought forth in Israel, and a remnant of them were the first Co
believe ; but Israel is kept in bonds, till the great day of restitution :
and if they are not the first to receive the doctrines of univertsal sal-
vation, I have not understood the prophets aright, but so I believe,
and then to the whole world. Them that hath governed over the
Jews in the Christian world, hath governed over us. Had church
and state administration been after the order of the Messiah, as re*
vealed by the prophets, they had been converted long ago and had
received their home, been restored to David their king, and the spirit
of truth on the throne of David ordering ail things in Israel. But
it hath not been so with us ; our deeds have covered them with blind-
ness, that could not see well before. We say that we believed in the
birth of Mary's son, but hath not produced peace in this world. He
was to be a Prince of Peace. Where is he ? In heaven with tiod,
but not on earth with us. There is not a nation in peace, neither are

^ our subjects reconciled to their government, which is their king.

' Republicans are as far from the chambers of rest, as Israel from the

I promised land.

If the Jews could believe the reign of the Messiah is with us, they
must blot out the hand-whting of the prophets and banish hope from

, the soul ; for he was to restore unto them the kingdom free from tri.
bute and from spoil. And the day will come that Israel will be as

, free from tribute as Solomon was to the nations that were round him,

I when he sat upon the throne in Israel ; and that tribute by which so
many were lost in the revolt in Israel will be taken away, and the ten
tribes return to Judah again for David's sake, for he was king of all,
and therefore the kingdom of the Jews in the reign of the Messiah
will be restored safe and sound. The lost will be found by him, and
these that are apparently dead will live again. Can you believe.
Christians, that the Messiah sits on your thrones? Can you believe

- he. is in your dwellings? Can we believe he is in our proud minds?
Can you believe he hath saved the world from sin, or restored even
Christians to the kingdom of God ? Or can you believe the will of
God is done on earth as it is in heaven, or that happy kingdom hath
come unto us ? Then we must believe these things are to come, or
the prophecies are false, orj^he Lord's prayer is vain. You can reply
that as many as have believ<n?practically, have received the kingdom
of God. So believe I by every righteous Jew that was born into the
world before the birth of Christ ; and all the Jews had one means of

aeo

A nam to biitaiiv.

1
i

righteouineM, but all did not receive it, or all would have been mved t
and where would have been the lost ahoep of Israel 7 The ordination
of God is forever. The Christian world is not saved from such cala-
mities as come upon Israel : hunger, sickness, blood, wars, woe, and
want, and great division, and the downfall of kinas and princes in a
Christian world. I believe in a coming Saviour, but in no salvation
without deeds of righteousness. If we would keep his revealed will,
and Israel receive the prophets, he would be our great reward ; he
would come into the mind and dwell with us. He hath made his per-
sonal appearance in this way : we need not look for him any more.
But he has a spiritual coming appointed of God ; and as he was in
that holy and blameless person, so would he be with us and in the
mind, leading us into all the truths of which the prophets hath fore-
told, and his holy person revealed. A singular personal appearance
will appear unto Israel, for a confirmation of their faith ; but as the
Messiah's personal deeds have appeared unto you, you have received
them without doubting; your faith is established in them, and by
practice ye will be saved. He is the Messiah of which the prophets
spake unto the world ; and I believe not in another, but in the fulness
of his measure and the appearance of his latter days.

Oh Britain ! draw near the Son, the centre of all good ; fulfil his
lip direction and what the evangelist hath revealed to you, and be
will appear upon your throne, and in the heart of every king (by the
same means in this world) David is appointed to Israel. Moses spake
of him, his spirit is fitted to the Jews, he believeth with them and is
therefore of their brethren. The heathen shall hear his voice as a
trumpet, and assemble at his gates. Through Israel's means shall
the whole world see salvation. IHie Lord hath pulled them down
to build them up, spread them abroad, to gather them together ; and
their deeds will be mude a light unto all people whithersoever they
have been. The second appearance of the same Messiah is the sal-
vation of the Jews ; and all will be restored unto them that hath been
taken away, and great will be the day of peace. When Israel is
restored, all the world will follow them, for first to the Jew and then
to the Gentile will the great day of restitution appear; and these are
the purposes of God's elect from the foundations of the world.

Reform began in Abram, and succeeded through his generations
tUl a Messiah was born, an evidence of the Prince of Peace, and the
one universal Father of the whole inhabited earth. Reform hae
begun in Britain as in Abraham, and will spread through the whole
earth. It is without a priest, but not without the Spirit of God, or
his Son Jesus Christ. Truth, justice:''*^d mercy is in it ; these are
principles of peace, and will descend to the whole world. Britain
is restoring the poor to their right, and pleading for a free circulation
of just principles, and the preaching of the Gospel on the principles

ADDIBM TO StfOLAIfD, ETC.

sei

it began in Iirt«l and in Judah. They complain of the lorda with
the prophet ; they boast in the juat victories of David, and, as Israel,
they are inspired with renewed love to their king. The fire will
never cease till the hay, wood, and stubble is consumed, the ail /er
separated from the dross, and the pure gold the interest of the nation,
that is, the salvation of souls ; the baptism of Christ is in the mind,
it operates as fire amongst the chaff, as the furnace to the dross, so
is the throne of Britain refining for the good of the whole Christian
world. They will be able to set Israel on his throne, and the Jews
will return unto them good and great deeds for their mercies.

Decxmbeb 7tb, 1884.

I APDRKSs England and Ireland with my best love ; I love the peo-
ple and the king. These islands are as two sisters to my soul ; and
though they are possessed of many beloveds, who can speak with
them in finer language than I am possessed of, yet from the overflow
of the mind, or the abundance of the heart, I have undertaken to do
a little. They are Kke kindred I never saw, yet they are the home
inheritance of my king, the land of my progenitors, the objects of
my love. In all the Christian world no islands unto me are beloved
like these. I am neither courting favours nor casting frowns, from
the throne downwards to the least subjects of our earthly lord the king.
I am speaking with these in the fear of the Lord about the things
of God and the deeply affecting deeds of sin. Ireland will be quick
in apprehension and zealous of good works ; England will be exten-
sive in power as the diadem of the Christian world, till the Messiah
reigns, in wh''>m all nations are alike. She has been the island of
deep sorrow > j she will be the mother of joys, and foreign princes
will draw wisd^ m from her breast. Her present shepherds are lost
from the fold ; for under their administration of law and gospel, the
souls of her children are not at rest. England will be tried as gold
in the furnace ; there will be a perpetual turning and turning again,
till the gold is clear, and peace is found on Britain's shore. There
will be a change of princes, a refining of laws, a building up and
pulling down, till the mind of England is still as the quiet waters at
.God's command.

The House of Commons and the King is my hope in earthly
things ; but the speculative powers of Britain will pass away* Woe
to that man that maketh the law of sinners a wealth to his mind.

■^.

.989

A FBIBMD TO BBITAIN.

Thefo are deadi that are not done by (he master builder, and |he
hand of (he Dehy is rising against these that make the sinner's bread
a golden store. How many thousand have made themselves rich in
England by administering laws to the poor? More than can bo
measured in a span, or counted in an age. Why should I speak
from the wilderness, when present help is at hand at the doors and

f;ates ot England ? The wilderness both its blessing, the cultivated
ends and the sea, all show forth their maker's hand, and all his deeds
do give him praise.

I may have some peculiar ideas, and some smnll part of the mind
to improve in Britain ; and who will excuse me from the work ? The
Lord maketh not his servant to be idle, nor sleep in the time of day,
lest the nobility should ride over him while he is asleep. The great,
(he noble and the wise, have tried their talents, the seminaries have
afforded their best means, and yet there is no peace below the sun.
Think it not strange that other labourers are called into the vineyard
of the Lord. The day is coming, and now is, when there will be no
•ales of the Gospel ; and administerinff men will observe the same
rule, and the nation will be at peace. When the peace of the people
.becomes the interest of the nation, then will the inhabitants be at
peace, and every subject embrace his government with love.

Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world !
Nothinff ia more needful for the nobility of England than this direc-
tion; for in him we see all things we need. That which is not of
.God will pass away ; this world will have an end. The world passeth
iLway and the lusts thereof, but he that doeth the will of God abidetfa
forever.

To the lords and crown of England I write this simple address,
from my best respects to them. As no station is clear of sin, none
should be above doctrine, I have not undertaken to address the
throne of England as a particular object, but the ruling and govern>
ing men in Britain's laws. There is but one bread that satisfieth (he
soul, the true comfort of life ; there is but one living spring that sat-
isfieth every mind under the sun. How much happier would our king
be, if his administration and constitutional forms were well pleasing
to all his subjects on Britain's shore and the distant islands of the
sea. This is impossible ; the sinner cannot be satisfied. There was
a shepherd and prince Christ Jesus, and he sent out an army of se*
venty warriors at one time against sin and satan, and no fee was col-
'. lected for preaching the Gospel, but yet they returned with joy to
their Lord. That which has been is po&sible : (he Lord had (welve
8ervan(8, and he took their goods and gave (hem to (he poor, and (hey
loved (heir prince un(o dea(h, and were fai(hful servants of (he Lord.
Moses was one of the best legislators in the world, ind never ^p-
IKMin^d a fef to himself. He said the Son of God should be like

fv -w fliT ?#r» r

?&«ti

■«*(i'

ADDRESS TO KNOIiAMD, ETC.

98S

hkn, not an expensive legislator. By the one came law, and the
other gospel ; but both these were the administrations of good will
to the world. Behold the Lamb of God ! is the direction. Should
he not be more than gold in our eyes, and his love more thiin the
spoil of nations f for the whole earth is at his command — the sea and
the storm — the crown and the subject. He took the poor from the
net, and enlightened the mind. He did not leave them inferior to
any thing in life ; he called them from the borders of the sea ; hn
sent them out to preach the Gospel to all nations, to the prince as
well as the people. One bread sntisfieth the mind. He hath not
refused to be lord of all ; he careth for his people. Hath he reserved
the best bread or Gospel for those in high estate ? or are his giAs not
equal to all that will receive ? We are under no obligatrons to be
learned in letters to receive the Son of God. He has proved hia
mission on the weak, or those that were low in education ; and it
was effectual to the mind : as the leaven hid in the meal, it leavened
the whole heart, and the remains of the love of the world was not in
them. The world passeth away and the lusts thereof, but he that
doeth the will of God abideth forever.

I cannot change what is written or communicated to ua from the
aacred writings. The world must pass away, and the love of it, but
he that doeth the will of God shall abide. The memory of Christ
and Moses is forever, but that which is of the world or the luats of
at passeth away*

How many hired servants are there of the Lord my king that hath
bread and to spare, while others perish with hunger? Almost all the
servants of our king are hired servants, and the poorer classes sup-
ply their wages ; one church is tributary to another ; and almobt
every man is a servant of his lord, and he that is the priest liveth
on the spoils of the people. England is scourging for her good, and
the revolt against the clergy is for peace on earth. The servant
has become as his master, and the disciple as his Lord : the com*
monality of England know as much as the priest, and are crying
for justice in the world, — the reign of that good prince, that maketh
the tribute light to his people, and sendeth a free gospel to the world.
Every priest should live on alma given because of love ; and until
that day cometh, they will be a public nuisance on earth. The hand
of the peasantry is moving them out of the way ; they plead for bonda
and do not set their subjects free. If the churches are free, why
are they under tribute to the Apostles 7 Such a thing never was in
Israel, neither will it remain, it is of the world and the lusts thereof,
and will pass away. Christ paid tribute to Ceasar, he was not a
jmesf, but a prince, to whom Israel was in bonds, and he fared with
his brethren. Behold the Lamb of God, he is that bread that satia-
fieth the roind, and midteth peace on earth ; he oomforta the poor

t'K-J.

•«f^>s'

-■J'T'S

^94

A FSIIND TO BBITAIlf.

i )

and he maketh the rich happy by dividing Ihe tpoil. Will he not do
as he hath done 7 Or look we for another 7 Tit he of whom the
Prophet fpoke, that did this. We learn hit diipoailion fVom hie
deedi : hia deeda were loving, merciful and kind, and ao hia heart
muat be. He that hath the mind of Jeaua but in a amnll degree, will
accordingly bear wilnesa of hia aoul, but our nobility bear the image
and auperacription of CcDsar, they take more from the poor than
they give, and the poor diociple of Jesus Christ hau to go a fishing to
get the money, and many of our poor are doing likewise. It ia not a
fight thing to bear with a heavy hand on the poor, it is spoken againat
in the books of God's revealed will, and it is ever succeeded by a
eurse on earth. There is great generosity in England, but oppression
far exceeds ; and there will be a suffering atonement for what ia
already done. When the poor began to cry, the gathering hand
ahould have been withheld. The world passeth away ond them that
love it, but the will of God and him that doeth it, abideth forever.
The blood of saints and martyis that opposed this hostile and oppres.
aive race, will arise fresh in remembrance, and what was designed
by them that were godly hearted men, will yet be done in England ;
and then will she shine like the diamond stone in righteousness. The
aword of the Lord cannot be turned backward, nor the axe taken
from the root of the tree ; that which bearetb not good fruit will be
hewn down, and cast into hell or the fire. Tithe gathering hath not
borne good fruit in England, extortion in office, or high tributea to
our king. With such thmgs as these the Lord hath a controveray and
he will perform his oath. He swore or revealed unto us by John the
Baptizer that every principle that did not bear good works should be
hewn down as with an axe and refined in the furnace of conviction till
the chaff ia aeperated from the wheat and burned (recollect) with
unquenchable fire. The dross shall be divided or be aeperated from
the gold and the good remain. If England is worthy of chastisement
ahe IS the object of God's love ; she hath been the place of beginning
of much good ; but like Israel of old, much evil hath arisen in her.
Her lords are troubled, and the pillars of the earth tremble ; the little
flock will obtain the kingdom, and with a thousand blessings crown
their king. England has not to flee to republicanism to make herself
happy, she has wisdom on her own shores, and it will shine to the
western world when republicanism will tremble like a leaf. Christ
ia appointed of God to be a prince and abepherd in Israel, the just
principlea of his soul, may appear in the mind of a thousand kings,
while he reigns on the throne of Judah in the heart or mind of hia
father David, from whence by birth he personally did arise. And if
you should say that thrones and kingdoms shall have an end, and ^o
afler the kings and kingdom of Israel, I will venture to say they will
rise again, for it is the appointed reign of the Mesaiahi to set upon a

ADDRCI8 TO BNOLAND, ITC.

386

throno ; that which hoth beon bluMod will be blest again, neither can
it pasi away forever, for he thai doeth the will of God if eetublithed
here below, ia there not a peculiar service for a king, as well as th«
subject 7 and till all is fulfilled it will not be well with us. Who
would iif\ a hand against a throno, administering mercy to the poor,
and justice to the whole world? Improving the mind of the weak,
and leaving the widow's tribute in her own hands? None ; but O
England it has not been'so with thee ; thy fishermen were not improv*
ed with the nobility, but had to go and fish tribute for Ceasar and his
household, and their mental abilties wore as so mar / talents buried
in the earth ; with little or no improvement, they died as they were
born into the world. Was (he Son of God in your courts ordering
this ? No, the British government and gospel hath not been of small
costs to the subjects ; and discontent to your own shores. Behold
the lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world, without
money or price, and administering to his own all they need without m
standing tribute of his people. It is time to turn the scale, and though
men would not, the Lord will, and bring past ages to remembrance,
ever since the gathering hand was reached to the poor. The Lord
is in the rumours of the earth ; and although his voice is small and
still, his name will be heard in the day of events, and until that day
his breath will trouble the mind as the tempest doth the seas ; but
when he speaketh " peace be still," wo shall know that his hand hath
been in all his works ; and from the least to the greatest shall they
all know the Lord, for the poor are objects of his love. It is not a
day of rest to the shepherds of this world. The Lord is moving as on
deep waters, and who knoweth what will be the proceeds of the mind,
till the sun of righteousness arises and lights the earth ; then will he
not shine on the poor as well as on the rich, the simple as the wise, and
reveal his will to the babe and suckling, and from the humble mind or-
dain his praise ? His wrath is not finished — he in not received, nor his
end accomplished, neither hath he passed away, till he maketh thia
world his abiding place. He will rule over us with a scourge in Israel,
the rich and the poor shall feel the stripes thereof, the great and the
stnall ; and in that day he will not pass by the pulpit of the priest,
nor the throne of the king. There is no hiding from his presence-
it is not in the power of the hills to hide us ^om his sight, and as
ancient Israel is naked before the Lord, and without a cover for
their sins, so shall all the nations of the earth be.

Sing my soul and praise his name.
He 's in the earth the sea and skies ;

We 're falling to exalt his reign,
And as we bow the Lord doth rise.

4
■p

'ffi

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388

A l^I^^D TO BBITAIir.

He 's come, to trouble and distress,
From the least subject to the throne ;

He 's come to scourge, and then to bless.
He 's come to make the worlds his own.

Monarchs shall tremble and shall fear,
And princes bow in woilds below ;

Thus our redemption draweth near,
My troubled soul doth tell me so.

Exalted thoughts doth rise in vain,
And thrones are but a bubble here;

Their pillars tremble in his name,
That makes my soul to dread and fear.

How can my soul his anger shun.
That 's spread his hand so far abroad ?

Sure tokens tell me he will come.
And be Emmanuel our God.

The knee shall bow, the tongue confess
That we, as sheep, have gone astray ^

Like children in the wildnerness
For the good shepherd cry this day !

December 12lh, 1834.^ v

Britain may hope in the salvation of God ; but bo assured of deep
and affecting baptism as we are that God is in heaven. The moun>
taint will be brought low, and the valleys be filled up ; the rough
way smooth, and the crooked way straight, and air her sons and
daughters shall see the salvation of God. There are too many
extremes in Britain for a day of peace ; equality is the pillar
of peace and many ten thousands will build thereon. I need
not say that God careth for the poor as for the rich ; the com-
ing of the Messiah hath proved this to the full. He also cared for
poor sinners with such love that he imparted unto them bread
from heaven ; and they are heirs of the mercy of God, both in
spiritual and temporal things. The Son of God is Lord of the
universe, imparted the rich man's bread by command, and gave it
to the poor. He commanded his Apostles in a peculiar manner to
do this ; not that they might only comfort the poor of their age, but
preach their Saviour's command to all the ends of the world, and

BKITAtN MAT HOPE IK TBB SALTATION OF 000.

28f

ll'

be themselves an example to every gospel minister that should live
after them. It is by command God saveth the world from sin ; at
his command the sun arose, and the stars of heaven gave us light.
The Son of God hath said, his ministers were as a city set on a hill,
that could not be hid, the light of the world and salt of the earth,
adding, if the salt hath lost its savor it is henceforth good for nothing.
IVhen our ministers have lost these saving virtues, they are only fitted
for the earth, rather than salvation to the people of God ; these were,
exalted as the mountains in England, and all the little hills and
valleys were tributaries to their high estate. They have preached
written gospels to our King, but not salvation to his people. The
mind of England is a troubled sea, and long will her thoughts like
billows roll, before the Lord will say, " peace be still," and a general
calm appear. England is not blessed with contentment under her
present administration ; who was at the helm of government ? the
Bishop, where he ought not to be ; but preaching the gospel to
the poor, going from house to house crying unto the rich in the
name of Jesus to give unto them. They have went from house to
house indeed gathering from the poor and giving to the rich ; this
practice must abate ; these mountains must come down, if not so,
we may bind a millstone to our faith, and cast it into the midst of the
sea. John the baptiser preached unto the people a division of the
garments and the meat, and cautioned the tribute gatherers not to
take more than their due, and the soldiers to be content with small
wages, for all they needed was added unto them, and fto be careful
to do violence to no man. Query — if the Bishop had divided his
income with the poor till he possessed no more than they — would he
not have expressed in his example the law of God, " love thy neigh-
bour as thyself ?" If the tribute gatherers for the priest, or the priest
himself, had taken no more from their brethren than the Son of God,
their professed Lord and Master, had commanded them — would not
their tribute have been light, and the commonality of England
seen the laws of the Lord written on the minds of their priests, and
printed in their inward parts, and the priest acting from New Testa-
ment laws as though the Saviour was in the soul ? But from the
soldier to the priest, those that live on tribute love the wages that
England doth afford ; and many a soldier has enlisted for the spoil
of his brethren ! there hath gone the General, and all under him,
that he might make plunder of his country's fees. Here the moun-
tain is above the valley, one must have thousands while others must
live on a groat. So in the civil powers of England — so in the priest*e
office, the place of the gospel, the direction of all ; and the priest
loves his fee as well as the General, and is less deserving. The
General serves at the expense of his life, and all his servants under
him ; if any are deserving of high fees it are these ; but extortion

t/ 4

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288

A FBIBMD TO BBXTAIN.

S M

may be found in almost every office in the British Empire. The
priest clothes himself with soft clothing, and reads the traditions of
his fathers, with small, borrowed additions of the same kind, and is
exposed to nothing but the temptations of extortion, and that seem-
ingly has become the law of his mind. He reaps where he hath not
sown, gathers in property where he has spread no gospel.
, My plain way of speaking is offensive to a polished mind, but I am
possessed of but few words, and I have to use them for every purpose,
to convey the sentiments of my mind to the world. I am not hired,
neither have I earthly lords to offend. I love the order of a monarhial
government, it is designed to the Son of God, and the throne of
David for him to sit upon ; he is a prince of mercy, and I trust he
will arise from small things and ascend to the heart of our king, and
that his judgment and justice will be seen to all, descending from
our king and Britain's throne to all the world. To promote this
reign, as a lover of my king, I extend my best means to the least
subject in the British Empire.

A revolt against government would be the destruction of the land,
and attended with a double cursing from heaven ; an improvement
of the government will save the nation from sin, our brother's soul
alive, and his blood from the ground. Ye that are sitting in the place
of stars of light to the British nation, and you that preach gospels to
all the ruling subjects of our king, consider that all souls are the
Lord's, and he doeth with them as he will : he setleth up'one, and
casteth another down ; he abaseth the mountain and filleth up the
valley, and who can stay his hand ? Hearken to the cries of the
poor,. the Lord hath made them poor indeed, he hath prepared them
to cry for bread in a plentiful land* The Lord has a controversy
with sin in all people, and the New Testament is his revealed will,
and must therefore be our law. The Son of God said, follow him,
and so we believe. The poor in England hath been of bad economy,
and caused want, but it hath not been so with all that cry : who is
he that withholds bread from the poor in a needful time ? Whoso-
ever they may be, their heart is harder than Pharoah's, and the
Stewards of the treasure by far worse than Joseph. In such a case
what is the poor profited by the coming of the Son of God? I do
not think in this age of the world that Christians give more to the
poor than was given under the law, and that did not satisfy the Lord,
for he sent his Son to preach salvation to the poor in temporal an J
Spiritual things. If a man has two coats, and gives one to his nnked
brother, the two extremes have met— the mountain and the valley
has become equal ; and he that hath most, said John, " let him do
likewise," loving our neighbours as ourselves, equalizes the world ;
and this is the prince that is wanting in England. And he that
{•reached this doctrine is the prince of peace, and before his poming

BRITAIir MAY HOPS XK THB SAITATION OF OOD.

969

Iq spirit to dwell on earth, the hand of" John" will be reached forth
to the nationa full of good tidings, saying, do justice with earthly-
things ye that are stewards of them ; for it is well pleasing to the
Lord. His eye is upon small things in earthly matters, and he careth
for the poor, he hath prepared them to cry, and he will hear them
and visit a revenge according to their deeds upon the enemy of their
just rights. Priests and prophets were ever sent to plend their cause,
and gather for them ! Bnt now our gospel priest (as he would be
called) stands in the gate as a sentry keeping them from their just
rights by the law of his !ips. Here is a cause for baptism ; there
will be a restoring of that which is taken away, and a law to set the
poor free from Church tribute, as the Lord hath commanded, and the
priest shall go opt to meet them and divide his bread and clothing
with those that are in want : then can the tender hearted bishop say,
follow me my prince ! and my king ! and every double-coated man,
and of extortionate tribute in the whole British empire ; then will the
Prince of peace, ascend to the throne, and make a quiet home on Bri-
tain's Isles. Oh ye mountains of this world, how hard it will be for you
to come down and dwell with these you have made your footstool !
It is not the priest, but the poor that has supported the great Church
of England ; she will come down and sit with her sisters, and her
shepherds in the dust — they have sheared the flocks, and clothed
their little ones with the spoil, but have not preached the gospel to
the poor, for this is glad tidings of great joy, salvation to them that
are in want.

Now, my good friends, the mountains and little hills, the more
they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew ; the more
you oppress the poor and lower orders of the people, the stronger
they grow against you, and the more enemies you make ; the more
you make the stronger is the army you have to conquer to retain the
hills and mountains above the vales that are below. The mountains
shall be brought down and the v dies shall rise ; that is, meeting
together as brethren ; and the sooner it is done the better, and more
glorious for Britain's name, for that which is ordained will come to
pass. Britain doth not ask a new government, nor to borrow abroad,
but improvement at home ; the prayer is just, and in earthly things
will satisfy the mind. Let reason take place. With our judgment
we must mep'^ure according to our understanding, we must be-
lieve in the gos ' or otherwise practise infidelity. It is the goS'
pel, accompanio.. with present events, that inspires us to believe
there will be a change ; and • to accomplish our hope, we rise and
labor— stoop down to remove these stones out of th^ way, which are
the cause of stumbling to our feet. We expect no salvation without
service, and from the principles of equity, truth, and justice, invite
the priests to come over on our side, and plead the cause and preach

■• "51 SI

soo

A FRIEND TO BBITAIN.

the good tidings of salvation to the poor. The poor &rc rising and
the mountains will do well to bend, or be assured they will be over-
thrown, not by revolt, but by the power of reason, the principles of
truth and justice — the issues of an understanding mind. If things
must remain as they are, the tenets of the gospel must be shut out
from Britain, without which no nation can be happy. We have the
form in some measure, but not the practice. I am not writing against
the doctrine of the churches, but the inconsistent practice of life,
with the revealed will of God, or gospel of Jesus Christ.

Crucifying has not only been done in England in a Redeemer's
name, but the goods of the poor have been taken and given to the
rich, till the clergy in this age have as many enemies as they can
stand against. If they are not able with ten thousand to stand against
twenty, they had better send to the common people ambassadors of
peace, and stand against reform no more ; I add my witness, they
will be overcome at last, fur the flocks are as wise as their shepherds,
and have become inspired judges of right and wrong, and the poor,
according to the gospel, are demanding of the clergy their right, and
all that rule above them in church and state affairs. No more shall
Britain impose upon her subjects. The laity seeth with the eyes of
the Clergy, and statesmen have become as wise as they ; and because
of the omission of the Clergy have arisen to plead the causes of the
poor, and restore unto Britain her right, which long before this day
should have been a free nation from tithes and excessive tributes.
She is an old sister in the Christian world, so are her islands. Why
are they captives or in bonds to a tribe of hireling priests ? Have
the Levites found the way to her shores ? No, but a singular dispo-'
sition for which there is neither law nor gospel, hath long filled the
pulpit in England : as is the father so hath been the son for ages past,
and little or no improvement there. But government is fulling into
the hands of the people and their king, and th^j^Mnake peace
together. The valleys are rising and the n^iJAt9ura?n!tfmting will
go out with love to embrace his people ; he will clotne^^^oor and
put shoes on their feet ; they shall perform the service of the Lord,
and jewels or rings of the king's love shall be seen upon their hands.

The commons in England have arisen to fulfil the priest's office,
and they will prevail ; for truth, mercy, and judgment will be witir
them till all is done, and the throne of our kins is established in
peace. Then will the Lord say " peace be still,'' and there will be
a calm, and all Britain's subjects in earthly things will be satisfied.

'Tis liope inspires my soul to sing, -

To love my God, and bless my king;

In these alone my soul doth trust,

That all my kindred shall be blest. '•

)d.

BBITAIN MAY BOPB IN THB lALVATIOIf OF 000.

'Tia but tho evening of the day,
When setting suns doth pass away,
And glimmering stars of light arise,
To light the mind and bless the skies.

It 's near the dawning of the day,
When these will come that went away;
The spirit of the martyr slain.
Will rise on Britain's shores again.

The glim'ring lamp they will renew.
They *11 legislate and precept too ;
But few hath been such suns as these,
(England destroyed their bearing trees.)

The trumpet calls them from the tomb,
Their spirit cannot rise too soon ;
Oh God of heaven ! no delay.
Return those souls that 's past away.

The soul of Britain for them groans,
'Tis for their blood our grief atones ;
Oh had they never passed away.
We 'd shunned the sorrows of tliis day.

Oh could I reach the Bishop's ear,
Or cause the Clergy all to hear;
From my poor soul I would express,
The way that sorrows may be less.

Take up, 1 pray, the orphan's cause,
Remind the poor when making laws.
And count from whence your tribute comes,
That should be stars, and should be suns.

Oh Clergy if your virtue *s lost.
The ship without the helm 's tost ;
The sheep are bleating far astray.
As flocks without a guide this day.

A shepherd when the savor's lost.
Is like to nothing for great cost;
A scattered flock and trembling throne,
So is the land of Britain known.

The Lord's preparing to repair.
He 's heard their cries and Britain's prayer ;
And prince and subjects will arise,
To meet their shepherd from the sk'* js.
t2

391

>i'i '

■■i>'- ■ , n
,<;;■■ (b

I'm

202

A FBIEND TO BKITAIW.

Dkcembcb 18th, 1834.

THE EVIDENCES OP TRUTH AND ERROR.

I LOVE the inhabitants of the Isles, and pour out my spirit in this
way, for the salvation of the soul. Men hath not given me abilities
to address the ancient Ishir-^s, England and Ireland. They are as
the pillars of wisdom, and the most popular part of the earth. But
1 have an impression of the mind to do these things in my low style
of writing, and if it is not accepted of the more learned part of the
world, it may be as a blessing from the Lord to the poor, and comfort
some thirsting mind. I am not taught by the mind of the Deity,
from which I trust I draw these few broken sentences, to fear an
image of clay ; they are perishable like mine own, and must soon
go down to the dust. The child is as innocent in his alphabet, aa
the most advanced scholar in life, and possessed of less crafl and
policy in his mind : he is not exalted by his education, nor able to
deceive the more ignorant part of the world with polished mantles.
He is unprepared for tribute and knoweth not that he is above his
fellow men ; he is ready to receive by every means, and increase
the abilities of his mind. I am willing to give and receive again, for
gifts are the tokens of love between sisters and brethren. If the
nobility of the Isles should give me a few stripes by the way of hand
writing it will not be extremely offensive, or grievious to my soul.
If I am thought to reach too high with my blunt pen, I trust I shall
not exceed the bounds of sin in the human mind. The whole crea-
tion hath a right to the Deity, and he is not bounded or limited in the
revelations of his will ; he also hath a right to great and small, to
direct their purposes as he will, and who can dispute the title of our
God ? The priest has been at the helm of Government — the shep-
herd of the British nation, and as Lord in the church ; these have
been the chosen and qualified souls in Britain.^ As they are but clay,
why may not the lower orders of the people, the peasantry speak
with them about the Deitv, and salvation of the mind? We are all
created to be the servants of God, but not to remain in bonds or sub-
jection one to another. We have read, it is the principles of the
gospel, to " set the captives free," that one God may rule and
govern all that hath the alone undoubted right to the souls and
persons of men. Though we are not skilled in the dead languages,
and can speak but a few sentences in the English tongue ; yet God
has given to every rational being a book of reason in his mind, some
more, some less, as necessity may requiro. The Lord calleth on
hia servants to know if they kava read the book and fulfilled the pages

rns ETiDBircBs of tbvtu a?id error.

29S

lep-
jave

leak
all

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and

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God

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of it, for our judgments and mercies are written in the mind, and
there we meet the eternal Judge of quick and dead. The earth is
the Lord's and all it contains, and he hath power over it to such a
degree, that there is no contending with the Deity in the tempest,
neither can the prince of nations cause the herb to grow — stay the
rage of famine, pestilence or disease. In all these we see the supe.
nor hand. Heaven is the Lord's, and all that there abounds ; and
from thence he governs the world as he will. The happiest station
that ever man was in, was lost, the Eden or paradise of the mind.
The man was made steward of it, but he inclined to take too much to
himself, he ook his own part, and also what the Lord had reserved
for his own. The most happy Isles in Britain cannot exceed this ;
the highest offices are not so high as our father Adam, for he was
made heir of the whole earth, and Lord in paradise to do as he
Would. He makes me think of the British Clergy, they take what
they will, and give to whom they will, and on conditions, they crown
themselves a king. The crown of England is theirs to give, and the
people have no voice in the matter; but all their mental faculties
must bow to the priest, and the Crown, — their persons must serve
also, and the priest will divide the &poil. So much for information,
to preach the revealed gospel to the crown of England and his sub*
jects, which the Son of God and his Apostles gave for nothing, save
they Were to obey the word of God. The Lord chose his own
servants in that day, and appointed in soul and body to all the purpo-
ses he would. Hereby we learn the independent mind of the Deity
and his government over the mind. I never have said that I was hiii
disciple, but that I possess a small share of reason, which I esteem
as his gift to the mind I will not deny, it is the book of my education
and from this small volume I have to draw all the lines of my life.
When I pour out my spirit upon the earth, the heads of England will
see my soul naked before their eyes, save clothed with such a cover*
ing as I am writing this day. I will not withhold that which I think
is given, nor leave my master's will undone. A man has to answer
to his own soul, and if his deeds are not equal to his mind, then a man
is not reconciled to his own works. If I had never heard of a Saviour,
reason teaches me to know that the mind is the mediator between
God and man. God is greater than the mind, but our measures are
there, and it is required of great and small to fulfil them. The shop,
herd is accountable for the flock ; and they that govern for the sub.
,j«cts; and the rulers of Britain have much committed to their trust
in earthly things ; they also have had good ministers from the Lord, as
stars of morning light. These they have slain in abundance. What
would have been their proceeds we cannot tell, but, like John the
Baptist, they were cut off in early life before it was known what
fruit the tree would bear, and others took dominion and government
t3

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lei

804

▲ FBIBND TO BBITAIIf.

from their handf, and it ii strongly impressed on my 'v.ind to call to
remembrance in England the many martyrs that have been slain on
that island ; and though it hath been done ages past, the Lord re>
quires an atonement for their blood. They were slain like John, to
promote the earthly joys of some priest or king, that thought them,
selves more worthy than their bleeding brethren. Their blood, as
a cloud, hangs over the superiors of England till this day. Now the
high stations have found a match ; reformers have arisen in too great
numbers to burn, and I believe will one day eflfect that work from
the ashes of the dead which the liberty of the Gospel would have
done by these martyrs ages ago, and England this day would have
been a more happy land.

There is no turning the will or mind of the Deity backward, and
then promote our own in the atead of it. But a man may defer his own
salvation ; and so has England obstructed her appointed or ordained
blessings, which, through the purchase of deep sorrows and long
tribulations, will come to pass. I wish from my soul that the nobility
of England and Ireland would make use of the written gospel for the
rules of life ; and I believe if the priest would step in first, the flocks
would follow, as Israel passed through Jordan. That priest that is
not just in earthly things is not worth hearing. Who is he that
thirsteth for his brother's blood, and names a Saviour's name ? He
is the brother of him that reaps his brother's soil, and gathers tribute
for his own. How hard is his heart, how unfeeling is his mind. He
hath taken his neighbour's bread and turned it into wine, and the
garments of his children to clothe his own with the silks and satins
of the earth. He has turned the sweat of his brother into the coach
and splendour ; it is drawn by the toils of the poor over the banks of
England. This is a day to be rewarded on Britain's isles ; this proud
and abusive and unjust spirit will feel the effects of it. Oppression
has become the education of England, and sons and daughters are
sent to school to learn these heart-felt affecting lessons, viz : how to
oppress. Do you believe the martyrs gave up their lives and stained
England with their blood to effect such a purpose as this? I am as
free to think as the king on the throne, or the bishop with ill.got gain,
but no power to practise, because no servant is committed to my
trust. But I am a servant, and must fulfil. I am indebted to both
God and man ; I must serve my king and fear the Lord. Mine eyes
have been fixed on my earthly sovereign, and I have beheld no such
spots on his garments as the priest's name written in italics there.
Reformers will wash the garments of our king, till they are white as
snow. If he will lend an ear to their cries, his throne will increase,
and love to him be multiplied, and the pillars thereof be established
forever. One God is Judge of all. The tender parent will hear the
least cries of his houseboldj and stoop down to quiet the suppiicationa

Tna KTiDEifOBs or TRxrrn and bbbor.

906

of his youngeit child. Tho last meant are the best, my sovereign,
the elder shall servo the younger, lift not thine hand against improve*
ment in thy land, is the most sincere desire of my soul ; lest in
reaching forth thy hand, it be stained with blood when it is withdrown
to thy breast, and the blood of the king's subjects be visited upon the
king s mind in his latter, days. I am far otT, but would my prayers
would reach the heart of my sovereign, because of love. A distant
inhabitant of the wilderness may pray for the king with as much sin-
cerity and effect as those at the foot of his throne. There has been
blood enough shed in England for reform. Let reason and justice
take place and the sword be still; that which is gained by the sword
is frequently lost again. We cannot establish peace by persecution,
nor gain a blessing from our brother's blood : I mean that for which
we sell our brother's blood cannot be a heart-felt blessing to the
mind.

I have not made discontent on the shores of England ; but it is so,
and the clergy are at the helm of bad government; Their means
will be hewn down, and cast into the fire, there is no doubt of it ;
because the effect of the present means is not peace to the subjects
of our gracious king.

I find my harp in tune.
My heart prepared to sing.
For hope fills up my beating breast,
With blessings to my king.

Why should our friends impose,
That are but earth and dust ?
Why should jur priests become our foes,
The poor withdraw their trust?

How mournful 't is to hear
The littke orphan cry.
Where kings do reign and thrones appear.
And Bishop's set so high ! !

Oh lend an ear, I pray.
Although my means are small;
Th^y 'd take the king's reproach away,
And comfort one and all.

Bright reason is my guide.
Strict justice is my scale;
Where such as these are not denied,
A blessing will prevail.

300 A niUND TO BBlTAIir.

A powerleM worm of clay,
In a dark shaded land,
The winter*! forest round this day,
I'm writing to England.

Sands of the sea are small,
God gave them shape and size.
And God above hath numbered all,
By whom the mountains rise.

A blessing may atten'd.
For God hath blessed these.
For he gave them the great command,
By sands he bounds the seas.

He equals great and small.
He bids the seas be still,
And there is but one God of all.
And we must do his will.

Deobmbkb 24th, 1834.
THE PRINCIPLES OF LIFE.

The heart is the table of the Lord, the book of life, because it is
forever, the library of principles, the book of wisdom, the daily ser>
vant of the Lord. From the mind proceed good and ' ill. There
is no human evil but originates in the mind ; from the mind-proceed-
eth government, and it is the public mind endowed with power that
rules the isles of Britain. The mind will admit of improvement.
The Lord blotteth out and writes again, and this is the original order
of all improvement that hath ever been made in the world. Man
invents, God destroys ; we partake and he taketh away. Like rob-
bers we steal and come to judgment, so we and our fathers come to
judgment for deeds that should have been left undone. Sin doth not go
unpunished ; all evil is brought to light sooner or later in life. The
deeds of the father are punished in the son, or the Son of God hath
not suflfered for past sins. If a bad practice exist to generations yet
to come, the spirit thereof will come to judgment, and the mind within
suffer for these sins. The sooner we know the will of God and do
' it, the sooner the mind enters into rest. I am writing to my friends :
all that believe with me are brethren, and all that receive with me

TUB PBINCirLKS OF LIt'K.

207

•re at hand ; although tho body I cannot aee, their fpirit if ai mine,
«nd we are one. 1 would not write these letters could I aee them
face to face. It is given me to believe I have a few friends on the
isles of Britain, whose numbers I cannot know. I am far from de*
signing to offend my king, or to lay a block of stumbling in the way
«f his ministering or administering men in stnte or church discipline.

There is no work done effectually without just principles in the
mind. The house of Solomon was first erected in spirit, and then
in practice. The intent of the house was good, but it was in some
measure made had use of; and so I believe of the Church of Eng.
land. Speculation has got within her M'alls, and church and state
government is corrupted by it. In such a case the Son of God found
a light scourging to be needful. He did not destroy the house, but
removed the money changers, and upset their system. He did not
find fault with the building, nor the purpose of it, a house of prayer
dedicated to God ; but when it became a place of barter, and supply,
ing the poor for money, he simply said, the people were thieves : they
were robbing the poor of their right, and profaning the sacred name
by 80 doing. Above and before all places in this lower world, the
church should be a place of mercy and a mind of pity on the afflict,
ed ; it is the most sinful place for barter that ever was invented. The
Son of God was not so rash against merchandizing any where as in
the church ; and whether small cords will do or the greater be need,
ful I know not, but I fully believe the Deity is minded to scourge
aelf'interest from the name of religion, and from thence through th<e
extensive business of tho state.

I possess neither power nor interest by appointment from my so.
vereign lord the king, and I am under no obligations to praise him
or his governors for favours received. I am endowed with no fear
that interest will be taken away ; I can only point towards the evil
aikd acknowledge the good— die and be seen no more. It hath fell
to my lot by adoption to be a subject to the British throne, and to
Britain I owe my best means of reformation. If I speak from prill'
ciple, it is worthy of notice, — if I serve without interest, my deeds
are the proceeds of love to the British subjects of my king. I am
an inhabitant of the wood and a cultivator of the soil. I eat honest
bread, and covet nothing above my station. I have a mindt and that
is my chief interest, it is that alone that will live forever; this is the
time of good things to them that receive them. It is the mind that
the Son of God came to purify with baptisms; it is in the mmd the
Lord first builds his house, as in the heart of David, and then show.
eth the building to the world. The mind is the house of God ; the
table of the Lord is there, — thereon he engraves just principles of
judgment, mercy, and truth. If the heart of the money changers
had b^en clean, they would not have made merchandise of the house of

%y-s\

308

A PKIIZfD TO BIITAIIV.

the Lord. When the insido ii clenn, the outiide will bo olao. Till
the mind of England is right, her subjects will not bo at peoce. The
Lord hath a controversy with money changers in the church, and I
most earnestly advise them to go out while the scourge is small. The
Lord Jesus Christ will not leave thorn there. He came to baptise
the mind ; but such deeds as those ure no honour to the baptisms of
the Son of God, neither will he leave them there. All that I can do
can be no more than the evidences of the truth, but if errors, I hove
done these things to my own sliome, and from the fulso conceptions
of the mind. If the evidence and the substance proceed from one
source, then these lines will be an honour to God that I believe gave
them, whose words ore furever true. The priest is the foremost man
of the flock in England ; from the pulpit he is teaching the whole
world. Then government must be the proceeds of the priest, both
in church and state ; for his subjects govern the soil, command the
sword, and the army is at his word. The king adheres to the priest,
and the common subjects to the king ; the proceeds of the church
govern all the British isles. The priest hath not rebelled against
the people fur bad government, but the people against the pulpit—
not the throne. Why is the scourge drawn on the priest's back 7
Because he is a money changer in the house of the Lord, and sella
his oflferings to the people. Sm will not go unpunished. How many
ages these things had existed in (he temple I do not know, but they
were shamefully scourged out at last, that all church officers thereby
might know the heinous sin of church barter, and the disposition of
the Son of God with such a practice of life, — to let us know it is tho

greatest sin under heaven. These were the only kind of people tho
on of God lashed with a scourge in tho whole earth. From thence
proceed the grossest evils in the British name : t. e. the love of
money hath destroyed the peoce of England, alienated subjects to
our king, and disquieted the British throne ; and the priest is at the
helm of these things in church barter, collecting his revenues from
the poor for his offerings. His disciples are like himself, but less
blameable. They have set too high a price on their abilities in every
office in the British name, with but very few exceptions. These
practices have run England in danger of a fall, and have disquieted
the nation. Nevertheless I am glad in one thing, i. e, that the
hearer sees beyond the practice of his priest. It i& in vain to flee
from the British constitution for a better, or from king to congress.
The storm has arisen there that is not yet seen to abate. Selflinte*
. rest is of one effect every where, destroys the name of religion and
the peace of the nation. Well might the wise Apostle say, " Money
is the root of all evil." Scourge out the priests' practice from the
house of the Lord, or, according to tradition, they will not move
without a few cords, and the upsetting of their system. Give church

TUB PBIKCIPLKI OF Un.

2d0

mnd ilita government into the hnndt or honest and jiiit eultivatora or
mechanici, and we will have a peaceable world. There was more
aense in one old shepherd in Israel than there is now in the wholo
British clerffv, and the United States republic teachers added with
them ; for Moses gave law both to the priest and the people : and
there was more peace in Israel than in the clergys* reign in England.
Behold the virtue of a shepherd ! The Lord wrote on his mind, and
he administered to the people of temporal and spiritual administra-
tion, and the Lord blesned his work. He took no tribute in the house
of the Lord, neither wos he ever scourged out of office for the love
of self-interee(4 I would that God had written his name upon my
mind, and it would bo ever present with me, and then I would know
on what principles I should serve my brethren, that my deeds mi^ht
be blessed by the Giver of blessings, and my back never smart with
his chastising scourge. Moses was a man ; he was not like one tree
in a forest. His hcert was as the library of the Most High God, and
has exceeded all the old history there is now in England, for his mind
was a present help to Israel in their needs ; but what do old books
now for England? By these we cannot abate the storm nor bid the
•eai be still. The mind of England is agitatud with priests' mea«
■ures. These that should have been peace-makers, and beloved as
the children of God, have introduced these practices that hare die-
quieted the whole Christian world. England requires a new heart
from the hand of God ; that mind that hath long made disturbance
and dissatisfaction with tribute money will not make peace. Some
■mall things will yet bo raised up to do this ; the proceeds of the
college have failed in the attempt. A heart with small desires for
earthly things, and great with justice, abounding with love and peace
for their brethren, will do this. I believe the mind of God is bent
towards England, neither is he minded to cast her throne away.
The throne of England is not at the root of evil, but her Ct<«rgy and
their proceeds have disquieted the world. They have lost their office.
Babylon has fallen, and become " the habitation of every unclean
bird." The Lord hath avenged the blood of his people at her hands.
Sin shall not go unpunished ; the deeds of darkness shall be brought
to light, with every spirit that is evil. Truth is rising — error is fall-
ing, and great will be the fall of it. That which is not according
to the wo!'* i of God is on the sand ; and the Lord will try the house
whether it h good or ill. I write to remind England of past days,
bow many have wept and groaned and died in England for reforma-
tion. Their blood will be raised up and it will come to pass.

Mf^'

' '■■'

'<\i I"*:

800

A FRIEND TO BBITAHr.

.4.1.

Bbhold the morning sun arifie,

And death's dark shade doth rend in twain;
Tiie night that's long obscured our eyes,

No more shall over England reign.

Hie pillars shake, the staff gives way,
The Son of God the sceptre holds ;

The stajr of light, the dawn of day,
Is spreading over flocks and folds.

The mind hath risen from her rest,

Her load was more than souls could bear ;

And she is with new garments dressed,
The hand of her Redeemer 's there.

Her little ones around her cry.

With tax and tribute long oppress'd ;

Their prayer has come to God most high.
He 's promis'd, and they will be bless'd.

Oh isles of Britain, happy shore,
. Your lusts and pride in haste subdue,
And you will know no want no more,
No islands will be blest like you.

Britain is nam'd the seat of sense.
And your best wisdom 's rising there ;

Jehovah will be your defence.
If you '11 rebuild the house of prayer.

Put merchants from the pulpit's stand,

Religions barter far away;
And God will bless your h^ppy land,

And learn your subjects how to pray.

Speak peace around your happy king,

With blessings crown him on the throne ;
From thence he will good tidings bring,
•He'll bless you and your house and home.

♦ Jii-

^i 301 ]

January 24th, 1835.

\:i?(i

^J Q*

All who are great are not wise, neither are all things that are
common right. Custom hath become nn impressive law on the
mind of princes and potentates, and the son walketh after the father,
and many there be that mourn behind. The promise of the Lord i»
to those that weep ; and many times hath he delivered the cnptivity
of Jfudah and of Israel. Sincere mourning is a well.formed prayer,
and the Lord boweth his ear to hear them, and a Providential hand
turns in favour of those that mourn. I address the European
Islands from a low estate of mind, and in a language or form un«
worthy the prince of nations to look upon. But the truth hath been
found in low style ; imd what has already been, again may be. The
Lord requires that which is past. I write not for money nor favour,
but from the impressions of the mind, that my heart may be clean
before God, without which no soul can be at rest. I have not re-
ceived the petition of my friends to do these things; but what I find
in my mind, uninfluenced by friends or foes, I communicate to the
world.

My love to Britain I have expressed, but my mind is not full,; my
soul yet receives, and I continue to reveal. Britain may be a star of
light to the whole world if her princes and potentates will reform in
those measures that cause the subjects of the throne to weep ; other-
wise the throne of Britain will fail, and her inhabitants become to-
tally destitute of the royal name. Britain is inclined to support a
monarch with honoyr, but the back that feels the burden alone
knoweth the weight of it. Kings and priests, I pray unto you this
morning from the depths of my soul, make the burden of your sub-
jects light, and save the crown of England : If not so, your crown
will be cast into the dust as a load of oppression, and men never will
raise their hands to crown a king again. O king, my father ! hastily
unite with thy loyal subjects and those that wish grace, mercy, and
peace to thy soul, and they will save thee from the spoil of nations :
they will be a wall around thy throne that cannot be broken ; they
will crown thee with love and bless thee with peace. Lift not the
sword against thine own ; for, if thou doest so through the influence
of those that are called great and yet are not wise, thou wilt pierce
thine own body and die with the wound. Look down into the dust
for things that are lost : thou mayest find the truth, a pearl of high
price, near unto thy feet, — truth secreted in the bosom of meek,
low.hearted, and humble-minded men. But, if thou wilt not hearken
unto them that cry unto thee as a father for bread, and thou givest
unto them a stone or scorpion, thou wilt cry when no one will hear.

v.;.

'4m

'''^.

■t-

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802

A FRIEXD Tfa BBlTAIir<

neilher will the Lord show thee pity from Heaven. Thoa art a man
in great trust — as the staflf of nations — the pillar of princes, com*
manding great things. Hearken to thy subjects while they cry
unto thee like children, and weep with tears at the feet of thy throne.
How unjust is that scale which taketh from the poor and giveth to
the rich, and to those that waste the bread of the poor in pomp and
vanity ! The Lord is weighing Britain in a scale, and the balanc*
will turn in favour of the poor ; for the Lord hath a controversy with
the pride of nations. Bow down, my king, and incline thine ear to
the mind of those that are thy footstool : These know the burden of
thy throne, and that it is not light, while they see the deeds of their
hands divided by thee, and thy councils so contrary to the will of
God in Christ Jesus the Saviour of the world. But if thou wilt only
advise with those that ride on the shoulders of men, whose backs
feel not the burden, they will advise thy throne to ruin, and thy crown
into the dust. Make a royal decree from thy throne, by and through
the advice of thy humble.minded subjects, that the priest's hand
shall be bound as with a cord, that he shall withhold his iron hand
from his neighbour's bread. For, the bishops of England, by their
decrees, are advising thy crown down into the dust. Write the laws
of the Lord Christ Jesus upon thy sceptre, and sway them abroad to
the nations of the world, and thy name shall live for ever and thy
throne stand as the pillars of the earth.

at! ■■

Then every tongue shall sing thy praise,

And every ear attend to hear ;
Peace and great glory crown thy days,
' And God will cast away thy fear.

The tears shall cease, and smiles arise.
And little children bless thy name ;

Thou wilt be humble and be wise —
A crown from God and man retain.

Thy gardens round thy feet shall grow.
Thy sword shall moulder and decay ;

For nations round will love thee soj
Thine hands may cast the sword away.

»-t&^«

w [ 303 ]

nan
orn-
ery
one.
hto
and
Knc«
with
ir to
9n of
their
ill of
only
>aek8
crown
rough
hand
hand
their
9 laws
oad to
id thy

January 27th, 1835.

THE SORROWS OF THE LORD.

Mourn for England, all ye righteous ; and, ye souls of just
men, make supplication for her name ! Her pride hath slain her
thousands, and her crown hath been stained with the blood of saints ;
the just hath bled in her cause. The Lord hath bought England
with a price, and she is indebted to Him for all His sorrows that
He hath mourned for her. England, thou must repay the Lord for
all the spoil thou hast won, and all the blood thou hast cast into the
sea ; and the blood of the field is crying unto God against thy namer
Thou wast made thy brother's keeper, and thou hast ruled over him
with the sword, and divided his bread with thy little ones. Thy bul-
warks have been the bodies of men, and they have poured out their
blood on the ground to support thy name and the honours of thy
king. Thou art indebted to the Lord for all thy victories : he hath
made thee the pillar of nations, and he will build thereon and have
a throne in Britain that will not decay, and a king showing mercy
to his people. The king shall receive strength from those in low
estate, and those that have been his servants will become his lords
and rule over him — and advise their king, and he shall live, and
they will uphold his throne in their hands. The king will do well
to lend an ear to the day of small things, for England is turning in
the balance, and as she hath been, she will not be any more. Her
crumbs will be divided with the poor, her orphans cease to cry, and
her widows forget to mourn ; for there is a day of great blessing
prepared for England and for Israel. England will change her
garments as a maiden ; she is washing by the water course, and
will become altogether clean. The Lord will place his feet on
England, and teach many nations by her decrees. He will give
wisdom to the heart of her king, and he will spread his hands
abroad in mercy and gather praise to his own soul.^ He will reap
the soil in love, and in justice will he divide the gathering in of
his hands : he will hearken unto the cries of those that mourn, and
his eyes shall have compassion on those that weep ; his name
shall rule when priests shall be no more. They have sold the life
of a Redeemer to the world, and made servants of the king's
hands to gather in for them. The Lord hath sold them for a groat ;
they are gone for ever, neither will they return. The Lord Je.
hovah ariseth in his strength, he giveth grace to the king's
heart ; and he will be strong as the Hon in the battle, and as the
lamb in the day of peace : as the dove in the morning ; and in the

''ksjcJI

!•

\>l\m

304

A FBIl^ND TO IIRITAIir.

evening of the day he will rest from all that he hath done. He
niaketh war with his foes ; his sword is wisdom and the Almighty is
the arm of his strength, for the Lord is visiting the earlh with his lovo ;
he will puur out the blood of those upon the earth that rise against wis*
dom ; he will bury their bodies in the sea, and they shall arise no more.
The hand of the Lord is stretched out against pride, and will not be
withdrawn till he haih conquered his foes. He prepareth the earth
fur his feet, and he will stand on it ; for the latter days draw nigh
when he will spoil with the sword no more. He will save the
mother's son and the father's child from the battle. The day com-
eth when the families of England will bo no more separated in her
cause, for the Lord halh sworn he will have peace on earth as in
Heaven above ; and, through wisdom, nation shall lift the sword
against nation no more.
. England, make thyself clean as the bride for the bridegroom, for,
behold ! thy Lord cometh in a time thou lookest not for him, and
from whence thou knowest not. These lines are as a word of pro-
phecy unto thee, cast upon thy shores, and many shall gather them
and treasure them up in the House of the Lord till Shiloh be come.
The heart will receive them, and the remembrance of England
retain them for ever. England, O England ! wash thine hands
from blood, and make an atonement to God, through grace, for thy
brother's blood thou hast cast into the sea ! and that whereby the
field hath been replenished ! It is a day of sorrow; the righteous
mourn for thee, and the souls of just men make supplication at thy
gates. The Lord heareth, — they pray for thy arising from unjust
things and from all that the Lord's sentence hath pronounced un*
clean in the written Gospel. Let the princes of Europe become
as children directed by a father's counsel, and the Lord will or-
dain praise from their lips. They have sat on high for many ages
of the world ; but the poor have now arisen to teach them wisdonqt'
and bless their name ; — priests have arisen from their footstool that
are able to do them good, and add grace as a healing bahn to their
sovereign's mind. These are they that are crying, — O Lord my
King, do justice with the harvest of the field, and show mercy to
the poor that are within thy gates ; for these are the i;< v«wn of thy
head and the strength of thy throne. Deliver all thy captives ;
help Judah home to his own country, — he has long been thy ser-
vant and a captive at thy gates ; thou wilt not be wholly blessed
while thy children are in prison, or slave or captive sets his feet on
British ground. The Lord will assist thee in every good work.
Raise no controversy with the poor, lest the hand of the Lord shall
rise against thee and cast thy crown into the dust, and give them
dominion over thee that have long ruled with an iron hand over
them. Let their cries soften thine heart, and their tears wash thy

THE SOBROWS OF THE LORD.

305

fin
fo ;
iris,
ore*
Lb« ,
&rth
nigh
I the
;oin-
I her
as in
word

, for,
, and
' pro-
them
come*
gland
hands
or thy
by the
bteous
It thy
unjust
un>
Bcome
ill or.
jrages
isdom
ol that
their
rd my
rcy to
f thy
■)tives ;
y ser-
ilessed
eet on
work,
d shall
them
over
shtby

soil from blood and thy throne from the spoil of nations ; for these
things are found unjust before the Lord. For which cause he has
come, and is coining, to judge the earth ; and bond and free shall
know his name, and with great fear will they flee to escape the
vengeance of the Lord. The throne shall be no covert for the
king, nor his footstool a hiding-place for his servants ; all shall
know Him from small to great.

Seek the peace of nations, O England ! and, O my Prince !
spread thy hands abroad in love. He that is against peace is a.
gainst thee, and, if thou inclinest thine ear unto him, he will cause
thy throne to'^swim in blood, and he will drown thy name ; for he is
unjust before the Lord. Believe him not, nor receive him. Incline
thine ear to peace, and the Lord will clothe thy mind with a bless-
ing. Cause the poor to hope, and make glad the heart of the wi-
dow, and the Lord will visit thee with his lovu. Keep the sword
within the sheath, lest it pierce thine own bowels ; but if thou wilt
unsheathe the sword, the Lord will take it in his own hand, and it
will return unto thee stained with blood, and it will remain thereon
forever, and thy sword shall be victorious no more. Raise thine hand
against those that are against the poor, take the trumpet in thy
right hand, (not the sword,) and cry aloud to the oppressor from
the throne of thy strength ; thy voice shall be strong, and the
sound of thy trumpet be heard afar off. The King of England is
blessed with compassion on the poor, and all the princes of this
world must bow the knee and confess his decree ; for grace, mercy,
and peace are sent abroad from the throne of England.

The widow's song 's a song of love.

Her orphan babes do cease to cry, —
For God has conle from Heaven above,

That heard her groans in misery.

He's'blessed our " William" on the throne,
And those that may hereaflcr reign ;
*' The widow and her cause he 's known,

! And all the blood the sword hath slain.

He 's placed His feet on British ground,

Or there has sent His Loving Son ;
Our ears do hear the trumpet sound, —

Our pride is fallen and peace has come.

]^ '

ip'.K

'1 .'.

*•?

306

A FRISnD TO BBITAIK.

O (hat the measures of my love were filled up for Britain, and
the desires of my soul accomplished ! — for, from hence, I would
express my desires by the pen no more for the Christian world.
My soul is as the living spring, or well of deep water, in Britain's
cause. I draw from the secrets of my mind, but my prayer is not
accomplished, — my love is not all expressed. I return as the
thirsty to the living spring, and draw out line by line : The Lord
knowelh when the end will be. I have cast the pen away, and
sought afler it again as a piece of silver that is lost. Is Britain the
field of high price ? — or why am f , the least of the kind's subjects,
thus . straitened ? Britain, thy cause is dearer to me Than the life
which I possess, and I would lay down my life for thee if my blood
would blot out thy stain, or if, in my days, thou couldst see the
decrees of the Lord. Anger against thy throne hath not inspired
my hand to move, but love to thee hath quickened my soul, and I
shall see the fruit of these things on thy shores, and the vine Christ
Jesus bearing the grape to my sovereign lord the king. I will not
despair till death closeth up mine eyes, or till mine hand can
move no more in Britain's cause. What the Lord requireth must
be accomplished. The truth is not limited, neither is the Son of
God a respecter of persons. If I have reached my pen too high
to please the world, I have not done it in mine own name, for a
fee of gold or a reward of silver, but to please our Father which
is in Heaven, (he Builder and Maker of the Earth. If I err in the
apprehension of great men, I will sacrifice all in their presence,
and give my errors for their truths ; but, if they are silent, then
nm I free, and this little book is given from the hand of mercy to
the children of men. We can offer no acceptable excuses to God
for services required ; we may err, and be sincere. The great
and small are prone to evil ; we are one blood and of one mind.
The origination of our sinning degrees is m the mind of our father
Adam, but it hath pleased the Lord to make kings of his blood
and servants of the same. I am not about to chastise my Maker
for his choice of the creation ; all are his, and it hath pleased
Him to make my body the footstool, and the king my head to
rule over me ; but the feet are the strongest members of the frame,
for they bear up the whole body : s6 do the lower orders of life.
But the feet are not, without the Lord, mora than the head, and
all must perform our several appointments, for the whole earth hath
but one God. The feet are accountable to God for strength given,
and the head for how he maketh use of them. So is the throne
of Britain, and the head thereon accountable to God for every
subject that stands below, looking up to the lord our king for pa.
rental care. The hear^ i**: not without the feet in the day of battle,
neither arc the feet T/itiiiout the head when the sword is drawn

THK SOBItOWS OV THE LORD.

807

from the iheath. The express desires of my soul are these, that

f^reat and small will agree, for we are one body and blood in this
ower world, without partiality or respect by him that is in Heaven.
He hath appointed one end unto all men. " There is a time to be
born, and a time to die," and who knoweth it ? The king reigneth
a day at a time, and, of a truth, cannot boast of to-morrow ; and so
it IS with all the subjects of his throne, and last of all with me also.
I am doing the king's service by the Lord's appointment, and so will
I fulfil on the morrow, if time and strength are administered unto me
from that throne that never will decay ; for I am resolved to serve
no other throne but the throne of Britain, nor serve another king but
him of England by the allegiance of my soul.

Sing, welcome are the days of peace.

Lord, haste the blessings of our king,
His subjects sing and never cease,
j: And ever praise him when you sing.

The Lord hath spread his hands abroad,

His throne hath made a good decree,
His servants all shall worship God,

And all his captives shall be free.

Hosannah in his presence sing,
Peace and long life to all abroad ;
^ / Great are the blessings of a king

That loves his own and praises God.

ime,
life,
and
Ihath
Wen,
Irone
Ivery
pa-
llet
rawa

His flocks and folds are all at rest.
He *s cast away the hedge of fear—

From great to small his flocks are blest.
And share the harvest of the year.

The dove is quiet on the bough.

Her spreading wings from far withdraws,
For Britain's throne hath made a vow

To please her servants with good laws.

308

A FniEMD TO BBXTAIK.

B iM

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1 'V 'flc

K |;M ijj'

P W

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Januauy 28th, 1835.

THE LOVE OF GOD TO THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND. u4

Thou art the mistress of many nations, or the mother of many
dissenting bodies ; thou art almost as the eldest in the family, the
Church of Rome excepted. Thou art the mother of children, and
thine husband the king, father of decrees. Thy bishops are as lords,
but not servants in thy cause. Thou hast shown a little mercy in
these latter years, and obtained from the whole earth great ho«
nour. Thou hast been prosperous in war, and nations have bowed
down to thee for peace.sake, and sheathed the sword that was
drawn against thy name. Consider, my mother, how great thine
honours are ; all thy servants support thee, and hold a crown upon
thy head. Increase in mercy, and God will increase his love to
thee and all thy dominions, and thou shalt wear the crown without
the violation of blood and war. We are all servants of God that
fear his name ; we cannot rise above his judgments, nor descend so
low that mercy is not there. Thou art as the compass of the Bri<
tish nation, and thy clergy stand at the helm ; for thou hast com<
mitted power and trust unto these. All dissenters bow their knee
to hold thee up ; why shouldst thou receive two shares amongoi thy
friends ? thou hast a double portion in spiritual and temporal thmgs.
Thou art the queen of nations, and, according to thy decrees, none
can be equal with thee. Thou hast made thy mother, the Church
of Rome, subordinate with the sword, and then made the feast for
thine own, as though thy priests were Sarah's son, and poor cast-
off Ishmael can have no part with thee. In Isaac all nations are
to be called into one. Ishmael and Isaac were one in their father's
loins, and both are the children of Abram. Ishmael is a little dis.
agreeable (for his spirit is in his children) till this day: his birth-
right was taken away, and he was cast ini-^ the wilderness a hungry
and a thirsting soul, with a poor, despised, weeping mother by his
side. It \ias the desire of good Abram that he should live, but not
that he should be cast off. In Isaac we hope, and this was the
comfort of Abraham that strengthened him to bear the loss of his
son, the offspring of his own loini<, cast off from his then great es-
tate. He had enough for him and hi» mother ; but Sarah, unwilling
he should enjoy, made u decree, (and the Lord commanded Abra-
ham to bow to it,) that there might be peace between him and Sarah,
the spouse wherewith the Lord appointed him to dwell ; but a living
hope that he should return to his father's blessing, that was then
cast off, remained in Abraham's breast and comforted his soul. The

■%

TnS LOVE OF flOD TO TIIB CRVRCII OF ENOLA?ID.

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any

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wfts then

ml. The

promiie of the Lord is good to all people ; he shall return unto
Isaac and break bread with him, hoir his brothorship, and live in
peace ; for neither of them twain shall be lord or master over his
brother, for these are both good Abram's sons. Our Isaac was born
in Bethlehem c'' Judea ; his mother's name was " Mary ;" she is
of Isaac, — blesL . Mother, — but her Son is of God. We all have
but one God, and Christ is our Shepherd and the lawful heir of the
head of the Church, the Saviour of nations, and Redeemer of the
world. Mary might have said with confidence, — None shall be
heir with' my Son ; He is the Father of all, the wisest that is born
of a woman, greater than Solomon ; and " of the increase of his
peace and of his kingdom there shall be no end. On the throne of
bavid he will order the house of Israel for ever." Careth he for
Ishmael 7 — or hath Ishmael another than the olFspring of Isaac
wherein he may hope ? No ! He is the Saviour of the world, Esau's
friend, a father to the afflicted and the poor. Do His decrees, or
old Sarah's, rule the Church of England ? — I presume Sarah's ; for
none are heirs with her, either in temporal or spiritual things. Ish-
mael was jealous, and was angry to see his father's estate so di-
vided between his two sons that were brethren in their father's
loins ; but Isaac could not retain the blessing his mother conferred
upon him, for Isaac's children have been very poor since that day,
and cast into the world, as Ishmael and Hagar, to the wood. Now
ii the time for Isaac to remember his afflicted brother, and hope, in
the promise of God to their father Abram, that Ishmael will be
called in to share the land and the equal blessings of God. Every
church is jealous that hath not an equal right to heavenly and
earthly things. But Isaac's Son has come to call Ishmael and share
the blessing. This is the home, or domestic difficulty with the
Church of England and her dissenters. If all have to support her
crown, why not all share her blessings ? From the promises of God
to Abram, we all have cause to hope we shall one day, through
Christ Jesus, (the saving Isaac of the world,) be brought together
as the children of one father, or the offspring of one mother, and
share temporal blessings alike. As for spiritual gifts, they are at
God's command, and no bishop is lord over them ; but the earth is
given in trust to us that inhabit it, and God has given us laws,
through his great Legislator his Son Jesus, how we should divide
the harvest, or lord over the soil below our feet. For all we are
accountable ; for that which is given the Lord requireth again,
whether spiritual or temporal ; all are his. Why, Church of Eng.
land, should thy sons bo lord over their brethren ? If this was the
Lord's decree through Christ Jesus, there would be peace ; for " all
his paths are peice," and all his ways are pleasantness. Your land
is now in a family quarrel ; to the mother's shame do the offspring
u 3

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A FAIim) TO BSITAIN.

ii,v

difaf(ree. Hare they been brought up in the way they ahould go ?
They have not ; and hard it is for thorn to depart from their edu<
cation. Let us make use of the judgments of the Lord to make
us wise : There is captivated Israel at our gates, and for our sakea
BufTering captivity for our groat information. They had a country
— the garden of the world — a lawgiver, and a king. And the Lord
sent prophets unto them, to declare unto crowns and princes their
errors face to face. Is it not as hard for England, or the Church
of England, to reform from manifest unfriendly and unjust errors,
as it was for the Jews to repent of their sins ? In time they wearied
the patience of their God, and slew the last prophet that was sent
unto them, (our professed Saviour.) They lost their country, their
kingdom, and their prophetic friends. There they are at your
gatee, waiting for the mercies of God. They that could once
wield the sword with as much power as yourselves, and cause whole
nations to bow the knee, sheathe the sword, and be at peace with
the King of Israel, — are now as helpless children ; and, as for their
own deliverance, can do nothing. Learn a lesson, my mother the
Church of England, while the day is young. The wise king hath
said there is nothing nev ' the dispensation of God is without error
from the beginnmg to thn end with the children of men. That
which is, '* has already been," and God requires that which is
past. Dissenters do noi ask the crown from thy head to place it
upon their own, nor thy bishops to be- their footstool, but their
brethren. This is Ishmael's right with Isaac, and it will be ob<
tained ; this is the right of the Church of Rome and of all dissenting
bodies. Now, my mother, make peace with thy children. It is but
a shame to thee and a stain to thy Christian covering, to have
quarrels in vhine own house, through the decrees of Sarah, when
the Lord hath promised through Christ all shall be made alive, and,
as we obey his voice, be saved from our sins. Did the Son of God
divide temporalities like unto thee ? Did he give more to James
than to John ? — or did he anoint Petrr lord over his brethren ? No !
Then thy decrees are not of God, tor thou hast done so ; thou 'hast
set one of thy children above another, and thou hast made some
their brother's slaves. Are these the sinful sons of Noah thou hast
with thee in thy Church ? — that thou hast bound their hands to the
ground, to earn their brothers' bread ? Ishmael will ever mock and
envy in the days of feasting, while thy decrees are so ; and if he
is found speaking against these things, he is styled as a rebel to thy
throne, — unworthy of trust : He must take his loaf of bread and his
bottle of water, and be off from the feast, the office, and the bishops'
board. Now, my kind mother, the Lord hath done much for thee,
and committed nations and generations to thy trust ; do not be hard
with Ishmael, for there is a cause, and the Lord hath remembered

or 000 TO Tiis cntTK< n of motAvn. Sli

Emu in h^ cnef, an

Iff
bear Uhmmtin fate
it OD your brethren. rher<
for thine houie and thy king
it as it is the decree of God
looted man do much, ai Peter

fiath pent one Savi>oui ' is alt. Could you
d be K '? Ifnc so, a is wrong to impose

i ble8»- ng tur < ■ poor, and peace
if th J, as a Ciiurch, wilt receive

give. Follow Christ : let the ta.

mmI tam w k to do ; but do not make
him his brother's lord, for the Son oi God hath not done this in
spiritual or temporal thinss. Call all thy children together, and
make a feast for them. . When children are of age, they act for
themselves. Why dost thou assume the lordship over thy neigh>
hour's goods, and take from John and James and give unto Peter ?
Thy throne is in danger because of these decrees, and thy Church
is stained with spots of partiality with the children of men. Thou
hast reached the king's hands into the world, to gather into thy
bosom, and then hast thou fed thine own with a partial hand from
thine own breast. These things have evilly affected the mind of
thy subjects against thy name ; and, when no nation is against thee,
thine own house is quarrelling at home about the tribute thou hast
taken from the ground. Change thy decrees ; call all to thy table,
and give all an equal share of thy mercies while it is in thy power,
and they will bless thee from head to foot ; for these^^are the decrees
of God unto us through his Son Jesus Christ.

i'?n

■ •M'

Join hand and foot and sing this song.
And let the king attend to hear :

Injustice in religion 's wrong,
The cause of many a groan and tear.

The Lord hath placed his feet below,
His holy body stands to plead,

And he is L.^ong against his foe,
Impartial where his hand doth feed.

My mother, drink of his decrees.

As oil and wine they '11 heal thy breast ;

There's none on earth so good as these,
They give the weary laden rest.

O mother! rise and spread thy hands
To all that are around thy throne.

Be all impartial in command,
And God will bless thy house and home.

913

A VRIRIVD TO BRITAIW.

t»^r

Per Contra,

It may truly be said that the Church of England hath rebellious
iervants against hor decrees, and a family of many diflicuUien
wherewith to make peace, and tlin rod is the only means convenient
in her hands. Fear causoth the sword to be drawn from the nheath,
but the sword will not be a continuing wall around the Church of
Christ; it was the wall trusted in that hedged in the ci(\ of God,
Jerusalem. But the Lord is stronger than the wall can be ; ho
threw it down, and made Jerusalem a prey to her enemies. The
like again may be — (I do not &ay it will be ;) you niny lose the
city, and your sorrows be very great. It is better to give a little
than to have a largo sum taken away. Bend the knee, bring ttie
ear of the Church and the crying child together; give not the stone
in place of the broad, nor n scorpion when the fish is desired.

Now, my brethren, subjects of the throne, hope in patience. The

S remises of the Lord are sure ; till he giveth, we cannot obtain,
srael was long reaching the promised shore ; sometimes near and
at other times faraway. Pursue the desired object of reform no
faster than the light of Heaven goeth before you : That which God
giveth, none can take away ; it is ever his own. Jerusalem fell by
his decrees, rather than by the strength of men. Pursue just rea-
son, and pray for an understanding heart : Reach not the sword to
blood, else thy brother's blood will cry against thee from the ground.
Give not the Lord a cause to judge us, or the children of Israel, any
more ; all their sword victories are lost, because the Lord hath
taken them away. They will obtain their country and freedom in
peace, and it never will depart from them ; so let us obtain every
privilege we hope to enjoy, and they never will pass away. Wis-
dom exceedeth the sword in skill, and is stronger than an army of
trained men : she never was conquered, nor ever will be. —
Draw the line in wisdom, and build with the utmost skill. The
calling is of God, and the prize is sure, if we will honour his Son
Jesus, and keep him foremost in the battle : He will plead with the
priest till he is ashamed, and weigh him in a scale, the justness
whereof he cannot deny. He, Jesus, is a friend to the king, and a
father to the people : his love is to England and Ireland ; these are
as the pillars of his feet, and he will do many things thereon, and
bless the nations of the world.

THl T.OVK OP flOD TO TflR Cfimrif Of K?ruL.iM>.

319

He 'II tench iho captives how to sing,
And give them oil and wine in ntoro ;

He 'II learn them how to blesn their king,
To dry their teara and mourn no tnote.

.ffft Hr, 'virWilh equal balance he'll divide,

He 'a made these distant Isles his own ;
^ilh love will he subdue their pride,—
Through grace rebuild the British throne*

i« '

His weeping eyes have seen the grief,
His troubled soul their burdens bear;

His name is coming for rel' i,
To build his throne and glory there.

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For the reader's information, we give the following few brief
hints to elucidate in some measure the character of the Author:

His disposition is to patiently hear the cries of the young or old,
and to perform any kind of labour or service in the church-—
preaching the ways of salvation to all mankind, through the blood
of Jesus or his sufferings. He has given the whole of his time to
religious service for rising of twenty years, although a man in U>
raited circumstances, and he would never receive any remunera«
tion for this service. He is of a charitable disposition, beyond
what has appeared in our day — having instituted a " Monthly Sa-
crifice," or contribution, (voluntarily offered,) for the benefit of the
poor or afflicted. He has given gratis to his brethren his services
as a builder, also the ground whereon our three buildings of wor-
ship stand. And although he is a man not versed in science, yet
his pattern for building will stand the test of the most strict scrutiny,
and we can say the house (which he designed) for our Monthly Sa-
crifice has obtained the character of being a modern structure
for chasteness of design unsurpassed.

He is not in connexion with any of the sectarians in the Christian
name, — himself standing alone in his public testimony. His mind
appears to be fashioned by an invisible hand ; ready at all seasons
to do good, and communicate, sensibly feeling with the afflicted.

signed, for tho Village of Hope, where he resides, bjr

MUROICK MoLEOD, Sbnr.,
WILLIAM REID, Sma.,
JOHN DOAN, Skmr.,

SAMUEL HUGHES,
EBENEZER DOAN.

THE

ACTING PRINCIPLES

LIFE.

BY DAVID WILLSON,

EAST GWILLIMBURY, COUNTY OP YORK, AND PROVINCE OP UPPER CANADA.

U >1

TORONTO:

1835.

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TO THE READER.

I HAD thought to close up the preceding work in this place, but my mind
being impressed with a few things contained in the following lines, respect-
ing " the acting principles of life," I have given a few representations to
encourage virtue and suppress vice, which I trust the reader will find to be
just representations of truth. D. W.

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ti-.'n

-. ' Fkbruabit 20th, 1835.

■ LOVE.

LovB hath no beginning nor ever will have an end. Love is tho
revealed will of God, and the saviour of nations. Love is the con-
quering sword of God, the peace-maker of the world, the blessed of
God. She bears his own image, and is forever. She arisoth in the
east as the light of day. She is the bride of man, and the bridegroom
of the soul. She binds together, and none can part those whom she
hath joined together. She hath connected limb to limb, and joint to
jc^nt, since ever her name was known to the human mind. She ia
ever in the presence of God. She conceals her mind from those that
disbelieve her name, till sorrow shall enable them to embrace her
hand with a smile. She is as the queen of the Deity ; as male and
female, she is one with God. Love is not without God, neither is the
Deity without love. Love is the spring of life and the pillar of the
world. Were it not for love, we should be drowned as in the depths
of the sea ; death would run lawless, and disease would prevail over
us. I am of a depressed mind, and would know the cause of it.
My sorrows are without sin, and my burden is that which guilt hatli
not brought upon me. The Lord measures our iniquity in a span,
reveals our sins to our souls. . He causeth us to smart for them, and
he taketh them away ; as a stone cast into the sea, they are seen or
known no more. Sorrow and grief remain when sin is gone ; but
these are attributes by which we shall know the Lord. Love is a
stranger to sinners ; she walketh alone in the world till she findeth
the partner of her choice. She embraces with joy, and her cove,
nants are forever. She forsaketh not the beloved of the Lord ; she
bindeth together those whom he loveth, and is in the midst of them.
She Cometh from the east, clothed with the light of heaven ; her
breasts are as two rising suns by the morning light. She is without
clouds. She walketh as a maiden from the wilderness. She mourn,
eth, but I know not why ; the name of sin is not engraven upon htr
mantles. Her eyes flow as streams of living waters. Why doth
this fair one weep ? Her covering is dark as the night with mourn*
ing, and she lifleth not up her eyelids to behold the morning. Her
bosom is bare, but without embraces. Her eyes are bright as the
diamond covered with clear water ; so are her weeping eyes with
tears. She is coming ! she is coming ! a cup of gold is in her right
hand, and a sword in her left. Her cup is filled with bloods that
were of old, the life of her children that have deceased in former
days ; she seeketh a covering for them. She seeketh a husband to

I *■ i

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318

ACTING rniXCIPLES OF LIFE).

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drink of lier cup, and her children shall bo clothed with flesh agaici^

and become as the stars of heaven. Peace is engraven on her sword

with letters of gold. She showeth the hilt to kings, but keepeth fast

hold of the blade of it. The point is dipped in blood for a short space,

and blood droppeth from the point of the sword on the nations, and

it is as rain on the ground that maketh the tender plant to grow ; so

doth peace follow the sword through all the nations of the world.

Her breasts drop with milk and wine, and there is none to retain

the oil of her love, and like precious silver or fine gold that is lost,

this ointment wasteth away. Now, I know why love mourneth as a

maiden without a lover, why her tears run from her pitying eyes,

as streams of living water, and why her coverings are dark with

mourning as the night. And the Lord gave unto me a pen of thick

darkness, and I gave my right hand unto the Lord forever, and I sat

me down at his table, and he commanded me to write the sorrows of

love, and the morning of her days, and give the same to the souls of

m.en to be remembered by them forever ; and I drew near unto her,

and saw that her feet were clothed as with gold, and she walked upon

the mountains and upon the rivers, and I saw none to follow her ; and

I arose and walked after her with my pen in my right hand, to record

the steps of her feet, and reveal that she hath shewn unto me. And

she behold mo afar off, Hke one seeking in distress for that which is

lost ; and she hailed me with a gentle sound of a trumpet, and she

said. Come near unto me, and I will clothe thee with mantles of

mine own, and thou shalt mourn for all flesh below the sun, and

these sorrows shall be heavy upon thee, but mine shall be more

light, when I impart to thee my cares. And I saw why I have

mourned without sin, and wept for a cause that hath been to me

unknown. And she showed unto me her hands, and I saw they had

been wounded, but they were healed again, and she spake gently in

mine ears of things that will not be revealed, till Israel is restored ;

and then they shall be seen and heard by all the nations of the world.

8he took hold of me in her right hand and placed the cup of gold in

my left, and bid me write with the blood of the prophets, and drink

thereof and be filled, and I should see as they saw, and write as they

had wrote, and mourn because of love to Israel. And she set her

right foot on the sea, and looked toward the east from whence she

came ; and all the nations of the east smiled to see her breasts, and

rejoiced with a sound of great joy. And I saw the kings of the east

come unto her with their crowns in their left hand, as the covering

of the head of a child, and vessels of gold and of precious silver in

their right hand, to receive the flowing milk and wine that ran from

her bosom, and had been lost on the earth and in the sea ; and they

returned with thanksgiving and praise to God, and divided their milk

and their wine and their oil with those that mourn. And I saw the

LOVE.

319

sun arise, clothed with a mantle of blood ; and when he arose to the
height of a man, love, that did stand with her right foot on the sea,
raised the sword in her lefl hand, and drew a line on the covering
of the sun, and the mantle divided into four parts, and fell upon the
ground and upon the sea, and the raging thereof was still, and the
voice of the billows lid cease, and I heard them no more. And the
inhabitants of the world became clothed with blood that was of old,
and Israel arose from his captivity and visited his native home ; but
there was no temple in it : the hedges of Jerusalem were broken
down, and there was great sorrow in the heart of Jacob, and such
as hath not been since the foundations of the world ; and all flesh
mourned with him, for they saw he was exceeding sorrowful, evea
unto death, through the remembrance of past things. And love
spread out her hands over Judah and Jerusalem ; and she command.*
ed me to mourn for Israel, and she would weep with me, and we
mourned together in a solitary place, where none beheld but the eye
of heaven. And the Lord gave kings and priests unto Israel, and
auch as were of old, even David their king, and Jonathan to sorrow
with him, and priests of a goodly kind ; and they rebuilt the walls
of Jerusalem and the house of the Lord, and my sorrow ceased, and
my burden was taken away : and love changed her mantle, as by the
watercourse, and she is the heart of man that God has given, as the
angel of his praise^ and there will be peace on earth, and the terror
of the sword shall cease. The husband will be no more taken from
the bride after these days, nor the son from the mother's arms. The
blood of the prophets will overspread the nations, and sorrows that
were of old will abate the fiery indignation of the sword. Wars
shall cease and peace abound ; for these are the virtues and effects
of love. There shall be but one prince in Israel, the Lord of Hosts
in the heart of his servant David ; and all flesh shall become as Israel
in the latter days, and greatly love and fear and serve the Lord. The
Most High hath spoken it, and love hath become the visitor of my
soul, revealed unto me the cause of sorrow, and why the nations
mourn. She hath conquered death. He shall no more walk in
darkness with diseases in his hand. His distressing mission shall
be fulfilled, and he shall be no more. i

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[ 320 ]

t , , , .

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SORROW.

:i.l

ii.

, SoBBOiv, thou art my sister. Thou hast set all my limbs and joints
apart. Thou hast divided the world. Thou hast come unto me
through the gates prepared for thy feet before the pillars of the
earth were laid. Thou art in all my bones ; my whole heart know,
eth thee. Thou hast become the heir of (he whole earth. Thy
bosom is broader tlian the sea. Thou art stronger than the mind.
Thou subduest princes by thy name, and leadest kings captive down
to death. Thou dividest apart all that the Lord hath put together.
Thou art the powerful and terrifying servant of the Lord. Thou
walkest on the highest hills, and the humble vales are not free from
the burden of thy feet. When wilt thou release me from thy bosom?
When will crowns and princes cease to walk after thee ? I am wea>
ry of thy groans by night, and flee the shadow of thy name by day ;
but from thy penetrating eyes there is no hiding place. Wilt thou
leave mo alive to mourn till the setting sun ? or wilt thou take me
away before my mourning cease ? Oh thou visitor of the Most High,
my heart doth fear and tremble because of thee ! Why hast thou
come unto me to increase my tears, multiply my sighs, and increase
my groans without number ! Oh kindred sister of my soul, depart
from me and send death unto me, and I will cease to mourn, and
mine eyelids will be closed up. Why dost thou walk in the earth
where no sin is ? Why callest thou on my soul to mourn ? Thou
art ever ready by t;ie morning light. Thou walkest with ma all the
day ; thou art not weary by the setting sun. Thou continuest sighing
in mine ears through the still watches of the night, and when mine
eyelids close, I dream of thee. Thy hand has been heavy upon me,
and love ha^ come from heaven to share my grief. My sighs have
brought merCy to my bosom, and pity from the Most High ; but thou
art not willing to depart till thy days are filled, and all my soul mourns
with sorrow, and every limb and joint crieth because of grief. Thou
art unseen by those that are in the high ways ; but thy snares are
laid in the midst of the street, and none shall escape the net thou
hast set for the feet of all men. Thou standest in the street corner
unseen by the young. Thine hands are spread abroad as a mother
to gather them unto thy bitter breast. Thy paps overflow with worm,
wood and with gall, and as vinegar are the words of thy lips. Oh
that I had died in infancy, or that ever I was born to know thy name
or write of thee ! Thy wine is the blood of those that were of old,
and thou hungerest for the grave to cast the present m. Death is on
thy right hand a shortened space from thee, and diseases are in the
breath of thy lips. Thou fannest the world with sighs of sorrow.

SORROW.

tai

{,i

The mother mourneth for her first-born because of thee. The bride
is taken from the tender husband for thy sake. No pity is in thj
ways ; thou art without respect to names below the sun. Thou hast
clothed nations with a cloud, and drawn the sword in the dark, and
slain the offspring of the world. Thou art the heart of man chas-
tised of the Lord. Thou walkest without a covering ; thou art with-
out shame. No pity is in thy ways ; thou causeth the little ones
to weep. From thee there is no hiding place, neither can any close
up thy secrets from the world. Thou walkest before the Lord day
and night, neither can sea or land part thee from thine own. Thou
hidest in the valley for a moment ; again thou art seen on the moun.
tain top. Zion is not free from thy mourning, neither is Sinai without
thy name. There is no just law.giver but hath known thee. Thou
hast first enclosed him in the bosom of thy cares. Thou strewest tho
blood of saints upon the earth. , Thou makest their veins to becomv
as rivers in the east, and thou baptizest all nations in them. Thou
makest thy name to be known to the most distant hills in this world ;
and whefe the babe is not born, thou art waiting for the birth. Oh
that my soul hath 6ver knpWn thy ways ! Thou makest me to mourn
all the day, and my burden heavy to be bbr'rtb. Hast thou no end,
or where is the curse or the purpose of thy coming ? I am weary
of thy ways, and still thou boldest fast on me as though thine hands
were iron, or as though t anir debtor to thy will. My evenings are
not without sorrow, ant) my noon-day droppeth as with blood frOm
the skies. Thou providest ni» shade for thine oWn, nor a covert from
the storm; The billows mourn because of thee, and swalloweth up.
the dead thou basteth' therein. The mbrfner dreads thy name, and
landsmen fear thy ways. Thou si«indest at the brink: of Che gravs
all the day ; at the setting of the sun thou closest up the dead in thy
bosom, and see kest again for mourning kindred that are yet behind.
Thwi art almost as old as the hills, and art not stltisfiJed. Thou
hast been with man almost since he was made, and yet thou art not
weary in thy steps. Thbii waitest for every onti thdt is bom into
the world* Thou art aS the mother of all to feed them at thy bosom,
and quickly part the parent from the ' ild. Thine age is as nothing
before thee ; the sen u full, but thy days aire not yet ttccomplished*
I will make a covenant with' thee niy sister^ I will mourn as long as
thou wilt show a cause, and then shall my sorrows cease, l^ott
art as the garments of Israel thai were of old. Thou wast with Ja-
cob in the days of hisyoiith. Thou leddest Israel into bonds, and
through deep sorrow they came away. Thou leddest Pharaoh into th«
depths of the sea, and drownedst him in deep waters ; thou fulfilledsf
thy mission with him and followed Israel. Thou didst throw down the
temple of the Most High, and overcamest the walls of Jerusalem. Thy
name shall be blotted out under heaven, and thy time shall b« no

322

ACTING I'SINCIPLES OF LIFK.

Thou hast been with mo from a child till I am of old age, and no^
thine hands are multiplied upon me. Thou hast incieaHod my sighs,
and caused mine eyes to How as streams of living water. But love
hath embraced me when thou sawest her not ; she came unto me by
a way thou hast not known. Thou cannot follow after her. She is
as the eagle in the air, or the ship in the sea ; she hath left no way
behind. Thou canst not find her out by the marks of her hand, and
her embraces are where thou never sawest. She fulloweth after thee,
and beholds all thy ways, and her ointments heal all the bruises
thou hast ever made. She will show thee naked to the world. Thou
shah be ashamed of thy ways, and return to death from whence thou
earnest ; and these twain shall go together down into the grave, their
remembrance shall be forever. The inhabiters of the earth shall
rejoice over their end, and all the dead shall live and be at peace
with God.

February 25th, 1835. i ft t U«ts ./

HOPE.

: Hope, thou art the bride of the living, the staff of the afflicted,
and the pillars of life. Thou art everywhere present with those
that serve the Lord. Thy departure from the mind is despair,
which none can endure and be at rest. Thou fleest as the dove
from the bough ; thou rcturnest again with renewed strength. Thoii
Art as wine to the thirsty, and comfortest those that mourn ; none can
do the will of God where thou art not, but sorrow with unceasing
pain till thy fair hands open the prison doors, unbind the prisoners,
and sot the captives free. Thy hands lead the way from earth to
Heaven. O, how shall I write of thee, and do justice to thy name !
Thy merits are past finding out ; the line of thy ways is unknown
to man ; thou art unequalled in the balance, unweighed, and ua>
measured in the scale.

Lend me thine hand, thou fair one of the East, thou companion
of the sun, and I will draw a line of all thou deliverest to my soul.
Ttiou art from earth to Heaven, before the worlds were made or
the measures thereof weighed in a balance. Thou wast with God
when darkness was, or ever the sun arose. In thy name the pil*
lars of the earth were established, and for thee did all living come
into existence to accomplish the measure of thy days. Thou built
as 4he hand of God to comfort thine own bosom, and to satisfy the
«e«ii4$ Eye with the glory of thy ways ; thou art with the living,

nor£.

931

,> *•■

ipanion
ly soul,
nade or
th God
he pil-
come
u built
i8fy the
living,

and beyond the inunsions of the dead a living sfj'rit of the Most
High — and, with us, the presence of God. Thy liand is fair, thy
presence is without spot. Thou deceivcst by thy absence the wicked
that trust in thee. Thy wings are from the east to the western
•kies, and thy name is written in the inidiit of Heaven. Thou de-
ceives!, and thou healest again ; thy absence turns the sinner from
his ways, and thy presence heals the weary soul. Thou art rest
to the afflicted ; but, without thee, crowns and princes mourn and
cannot bo comforted. Thou art the fountain of living waters, the
everlasting bread of life, and every taste of thee is more to come.
Thou strengthenest the weak and givest courage to the weary ; by
thee his trembling steps are increased, and thou art with him al.
ways down to the grave. Thou bearest up his mind beyond the
tomb. Thou takest away the covering from the skies, and reveal-
est Heaven to his soul. Thou restest with him by night, and wait>
est with patience fur his waking eyes. Thou showest unto him the
cause of his birth, and biddest him pursue, and thou walkest before
him all the day. At the setting sun thou removest his landmark
a day before. So we travel and enjoy thy breast, and still thou
commandest our feet to run * there is for ever more to be obtained,
and thou art also our present joys. Take me in thine arms, and
show unto me the prize that is afar off. Let me draw the wine of
thy bosom, and I will write of the steps of thy feet, and know thy
soul within, and the spirit from whence thy bosom flowsr Thy
days are as a hand's-breadth to the wicked; thou art as the light
almost extinguished; and Despair pursueth, and waAeth thy name
away. Where thou art not, life decays; there is no bridegroom
for the soul ; she mourneth in lonesome places ; she seeketh, and
findeth not : To these thou art gone, and hast lefl no space behind
that man can follow thee. Thou art the independent visiter of our
God. There is none can bind thee with a chain, or by invitation
command thee to tarry here. Thou art older than the sun ; before
the angels of Heaven were assembled together, thou art the inspi.
■ ration of the mind, — the gathering arm of God. The Lord drew
out the lines of the creation in thy name ; and all that He hoped
for, He saw arise. Thou art the pillar of pleasure, — the light of a
coming day. Thou risest early before the sun, and providest for
I thine own, as a mother of the righteous. The saints draw wine at
thy bosom, and are comforted ; thou art never weary by the setting
sun ; thy presence is for ever new. To those that love, thou in-
spirest life, and bringest the income of labour to the breast. The
righteous drink of thee, but thou art not exhausted : thou art the
wine that is never spent. Heaven is thy treasure, and the earth
the deeds of thy building hands : thou walkest up and down in it,
u a maiden in the garden of her joys. Thou art ever in th« tern*
v 2

fi\

S2«

JICTINO rniNCIFIiRS OP LIF1<:.

^^loofGod: lliou sm^cst wiili tlio rigliteoiis, ond cotnfortcst those
ftiat mourn with the ploasure of thy Ups. Thou ombraccst the little
ones ; and, as the lender mother, thy broa»ts do flow to those that
Jove. Thy covermg is changeable as the evening and the mor<
fling : thou changest thy covering as oi\en ns the day. Thy man-
tles tfro never worn ; they are for ever new from the Lord. Thou
art the bride of the soul, and as the bridegroom of life : for thee all
things were made, that thy spirit might be full and thy treasures
for ever. Thou leadest the soul in hidden paths: thou embracest
when alone in the secret watches of the night. Thou givest wino
to the thirsty when all are still ; the righteous drink of thee with a*
eomposed mind. Thy cup decayeth not away, neither are the
righteous drunken with thy joys : they are life to the mind and
spirit to the soul, — oil to the joints, — blood" to the veins, — light to
the eyes, — direction to those whose eyes are dinn—^a lanip in the
night season,— and our rising sun by morning Tight. Thou art
never conquered with the sword, nor slain in the buttle.- Thou for-
sakest not those that put their trust in thee ; neither dost thou des.
pise the infant's name. Thine hand doth write earfy on the tables
within his breast : his eyes are early taught to see thy name, and
all his little limbs do toil for thee all the day, that ho may enjoy
thy bosom by the setting sun. Thou art with the widow, a parent
to those that mourn ; thou anointest our eyes to see beyond tho
grave ; thou hast written thy name in worlds to come ; thy store,
house and thy treasure are there. Thou art with tho servant and
with the great ; the minds of young and old are clothed with thee :
thy mantles are as the clouds of heaven : within thy ^ates is eternal
life, and the afflicted have their dwelling there. Thoa hast been
in the midst of the flame ; and, as life consumed away, thy pre.
•ence did increase in their minda, and the saints were strong in
death because of thee. Thou deflest the arrows of the wicked, and
abatest the anger of the unjust. Martyrs have slept in thine arms,
and received death in sweet repose. The conquerors will be con*
quered : with despair they shall weep where thou art not to com-
fbrt them: thy absence is the terror of a coming day, and the
cause why the wicked shall mourn for thee (in thy absence) where
there is none to hear. Thou art stronger than death, and swifler
than the wind: thou fleeat where none can pursue : as the ship in
the sea, as the eagle in the air, thou leavest not a way behind.
Thou canstnot be overtaken by the horse and his rider. Crowns
•hall seek thy name in vain, and many higlv priests shall fall pros-
trate at thy feet.^

Continue thy direction, and I will pursue, my sister ; and, when
f am old, I will overtake thee and enjoy thy love. Thy presence
waiteth for those thou scest coming, and thy love embraces with a

IIOPB.

soft

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ian>

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sternal

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fimlle : thou art in the desert and in the city. Thou art ever with the
righteous : thoii nmkest a certain covenant with them : thou fleest for
n moment, to visit again. As a maiden chnngoth her garments in
secret, so thou renewest thy life, nnd returnost to those that love.
Thou blessed of the Most High, O that I could see all that is within
thy breast, that I might decliiro unto man the purpose of thy days,
and why thou art sent into the world to live with us! Thy bosom
is as the heavens above, covered with a cloud ; so art thou to
those that look not upon thy name : tho'i art more virtuous than all
the maidens of the king's house, or any of ihem. Thou wilt not expose
the secrets of thy breast to those that love thee not ; and to those
that despise thy name thou art afur off. Thine eyes behold our
necessities : thou waterest, as we thirst for heavenly things. Thott
deceivest in the coverings of this present world ; thou wearest
crowns for a moment, and easiest them away. Thou clothest thy-
self in costly apparel, and then despisest them ns the unclean rags
for men to wear. Thou setteEt landmarks in the earth, and re-
movest them again ; and no eye seeth the marks of thine hand.
Thou buildest cities, and casteat them down : thou buildest thrones
and fallest therefrom, to disappoint the world in deeds like these.
Thou enterest into the merchant's ship, and swiftly passest from sea
to sea as on the wings of the wind. Thou disappointest in trade,
and fulfillest — >to bring to nothing again. All these things the God
of Heaven hath given thee, and hid the powers of Heaven in thy
bosom, and shadowed Hell within the mantles thou dost wear. Thou
fleost nt an unexpected time, and leavest the soul to mourn for thee
without a covering, and to thirst' without a cure. O that my soul
knew all thy ways ! I would speak of thee through years to come,
and teach my soul to believe in all that will come to pass. From
the earth thou art gone, and hast left this world as an empty habi-
tation to mourn for thee for ever. The solitary place knowoth thee
no more ; many are seeking the paths of thy feet where they can-
not be found. They flee from hill to hill — from valley to vaMey :
all are covered with a gloom of despair. The light of the sun de-
creaseth, and the lamp of tho wicked hath gone quite out, because
of thee. Thou bast aris«m ; the bright cloud is thy covering ; the
sun is in the midst of thy bosom ; who shall remove the cloud, that
I shall see thee shine ? Tiiy heart is in tho midst of the temple of
the Lord, and thy spirit in all his dwelling-place. Thou art gone
where I cannot see : the Earth mourneth for thee, as the mother
for the loss of her first-borr. The Lord hath borne thee from ttie
earth : the hills are desolate ; the valleys are without a shepherd,
and the flocks arc scattered abroad. The fields mourn because of
thee, and the bridegroom is without the bride, in his distress, hi»
fair one is lost, and hath no compass to her soul. She walkoth i»
V 3

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930

ACTING pvnrciPLS!! or tint.

the garden where the flowers grew : tiiey are fallen
without the rose : the flower and the stem ii gone.

the bush i»
The gntes

mourn, and there is no pleasure within ; Hope has gone tu her
rest, and all her guests are there. She rendeth the cloud and part,
eth her mantles, but she is afar ofl*. She appears as a shepherd in
the skies, fending her flocks as on tho side of n hill. Tliere are
deep rivers between us and the fold of rest. Hur sun never goeth
down, neither doth the oil in her lamp docay. She sitteth in the
shade all tho day ; her oil is not wasted, nor her wine spent : she
ii with the Most High, and her absence will change the whole
world.

■ 5t

■ 1

';ti

■J,

lit

m,.

.1:''„- .

DESPAIR.

Dksfaiii, thou art as the dark cloud that roceiveth the setting sun.
The stars of heaven were never set in thee, nor the moon known to
change within thy breast. Thou wearesta mantle of deep mourning.
Thou hast taken fast hold on mine hand, and I cannot put thee away.
Thou art the bride of kings, and princes will slumber within thy
breast. Thy gates are open to the whole earth ; the way is broad,
and none can pass thee by. Thou spreadest thine hands abroad
through the dark watches of the night. Thou hidest thyself in the
chambers of the rich before the setting sun. Thou art under the
king's pillow, and ho knoweth it not ; he cannot pursue, for thou hast
left no way behind. Thou makest all thy mantles of the night, and
thy garments of the midnight hours. All thine house mourns because
of thee ; thou art as tho mother without wine, thou hast nought to
lend to those that would borrow of thee : thy breast is empty, a
doleful sound is heard in thy habitation, the flocks cry for a shep-
herd : thy sons are bound in prison, thy daughters are gone out, and
the pathway is closed from their return. Thy little ones cry at thy
feet, and thou shakest the rod over them ; they look up to thee for
pity, thou frownest upon their desires and flilest their cup with tears.
Wormwood and gall are in the treasures of thine house ; thy sun
hath gone down, and all thine household are in the night. Hope
hath forsaken thee, and left thy gates to mourn ; thou art the terrors
of life, and hell to those that seek thine habitation. There are none
to close thy gates ; there is no lamp in thee by night, and all thy
helpless kindred are mourning. Thy beds are as rods of iron. Thy
garden pruduceth the thorn and thistle to the young, there is no plea,
sure upon the stem ; the rose doth neither bud nor blossom there.
Thy wuUs are as hills and mountains on which the sun hath never
shone. Thy rivers flow with thick darkness ; thy brood is unknown

;V-

DESPAIR.

lilt

her
•art*
d in
I are
oeth
I the
she
rhole

I sun.
)wn lo
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away,
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h tears,
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Hope
J terrors
ire none
all thy
m. Thy
no plea-
m there,
ih never
inknown

to wine Aiid oil. Thy cupj are fillod with blood ; they are bitter in
my soul, and the bonds jf donth are in thee. Thou art (he prison,
but the konpcr of tliy doors cannot release : thou art the endless pit
that takotli the stranger in, in thco his time is never fulfilled, nor bin
desires uccomplishod. Thine hou»o is never filled ; thou art ever
thirsting and novor satisfiod. Thou art the mother of all the afflicted
sons of muu ; thy duughtors walk abroad with a false invitation, but
thou art ever before thum to take their unthoughtful lovers by the
foet ; thou Inyest the snare in darkness, whore none doth see thine
haiids doth labour, fur shame doth cover all thy works.

Thy prince is like the rock, ho changeth not by feeling; death it
in hjs ways ; to comfort he is a stranger, nor pitieih those that mourn :
he hath no hiding (.''^co from the presence of God; the sun of right,
eousness hath shone upon his ^ rmonts, he hath compassed him about
with wisdom and bound him with a chain ; he is unknown to the heart
of a man, but the sun of righteousness hath sought him out, disco,
vered all his dwelling ond revealed his ways. His covering is the
shadow of death ; the music of his house are deep sorrows, and his
time without end. His habitation was builded m the east ; his heart
is the house of sin, and he repays his servants there. Oh thou bride
of distress, when will thou release those that ore bound in thee T
When shall thy little ones behold the deception of thy ways? Thou
hast removed to the western hills, but the rising sun hath followed
thee as the shadow of the night; he hath withdrawn hope from thee,
that the world may know thy temple or dwelling, and all thou canst
do alone. Hope hath forsaken thy bosom as the setting sun, and
thy clouds are spread over the whole earth. Thou art the gateway
of nations, and all flesh shall pass through thee, and thou shalt be
lefl without a son to keep diy doors, or a servant to serve thy name.
Sorrow in thee shall cease : the dove shall visit thy habitation and
return to the world. Death shall depart from thy gates ; the dove
shall fulfil all thy sorrows, and death shall be no more. Thou art
the habitation of the lost, and the comfortless of the Lord. The
dove shall mourn in thee, till there is no cause found in thee to
moiirn, and then shall sorrows cease. The blood of the martyrs are
in thy treasures, and the soul of those that have done wickedly since
the world begun ; this blood is for their drink, and the wages of past
sins are united in thee, and thy garment is dark as the covering of
the night. The whole earth are at thy gates, and a voice is heard
in thee as the "voice of many waters ;" all Israel doth mourn for
the desolate city Jerusalem. The sins of Sodom are in thee, and
Gomorrah mourneth in thee us thy first-born ; thou hast not where-
with to comfort these that weep, and by thee none shall be satisfied ;
thou art the left hand servant of the Lord, the sorrows of sin, the
dwelling of the proud, thy sun shall never rise, neither shall a lamp

898

ACTINO PRIKCIPI.EI OV LIFH.

ktt Men iij^ t^fije. |n thee there is no stepping stone, the weary make
no progress there. Thy time is «lrawing to a close ; thou art th9
offspring of sin. Sin is the pillar of thine house, and all thy builders
labour in the dark. Thy walls are without square or cubit ; thine
house is without direction, built by the invention of the man ; thy
■tones were never squared, neither was the line of the Almighty
drawn upon ^hy work j thou hast built without hope, and thy soul i^
never satisfied. Oh that my soul may descend to the depths of tb.y
dwelling; Oh that I may drink all thou hast to give, and mourp
where none can hear, that I may write of thee, ana reveal thy mind
to the world. Thpu art as the hidden mystery of life, all flesh fear^
thy bosom, and none are willing to dwell with thee and know thy
ways. Thou art forsaken of hope, thy sun hath gone down^ anil thy
lamp is extinguished ; thy candlestick is removed from the pillars of
thine house, thou art ip .d^rkxiiesp, and the worlds know thee not : hold
fast on my hand while thy strength doth remain, lead me downward
to the lowest hell, and I wjll speak with Ijtie prisoners there, and
,those that have been alive in thee since Ihe foundations of the world.
Thou habitation .of einners ! I £ear not thy gates por thy lowest pit.
I have been with thee from ro^ youth, and have known all thy ways ;
the Lord will set me fnee Irom th^n^ iron bands, and many will he
release with me. Thy mind shall pass as a shadow from the earth,
ko4 the Lord wijl 4i.scover thy nakedness to all the world ; thou shaijt
be ashamed of thy deception; pjriests have gone up and down in thy
name, frightening people with the shadow of thy cause. They knew
thee not, they liave won j^old in thy name ; in thy presence they have
scourged the ,captiv«s, and bound those that were free, they are the
last that shall mourn in thee, they shall weep and be still, for the
Lord will set all thy captives free, and the priest shall be without
tribute or fee any moj^e.

Tnou art the habitation of the afflict/^ ; thou art appointed for ^
time, and then thou art not to those that mourn. The sun of right-
eousness has come from heaven to destroy thy gates and burst thy
bonds, and free those that ara in prison within thy walls. Thou art
deception, and reality is not in thy ways; thou hast |>ecome the
priest's garmient to frighten the world from sin, but love hath appear*
•d before thee, and hope hath established her feet in the earth. She
liath gone upward k>r a little season, but she will return with the
flocks of Israel in her bosom, and her servant Jacob at her breast.
She will put thee to flight with the brightness of her wings, and sing
fk pleasant song to those within thy prison doors. Thou art the dread
and fear of death, thy dwelling is dark as the grave, and many havp
made their tomb in thee ; but they rhall hear the voice of 6od*s ever-
lasting truth, and thou shalt be c^nquere dby the servants of God,
«ad to thoM that believe thy dwelling shall be no more.

.1*^^.* «»^

[ 32» ]

s m^rriih

»iS

■'■5'

. » «..*..,' ■ >. '-.• 'fi ■' V

MAncii 4tb, 1835.
F A J T H.

Faith, thou Art the eye of the mind, the spriag of action, tlie
oldest in existence, — the life of man, and the jnind of God. Thou
art clothed with the sun : foy thee the moon dotli cast off Iter gar*
(nents, and is clothed anew. By thee the planets move in the at.
mosp^ere, and the constelktions of Iveaven are still. By thee tho
sun doth rise and set : the shadow comes and goes at thy commajid.
^y thee the tempests rise «ad fall, and all tho waves of the sea obey
thy name. By thee the rains descend and tho grass sprmgs upward :
the garden ie implanted in thy breast, and every rose and flower is
set by thee. The earth is concealed in thy bosom, and covered
with a mantle^ till thou unfoJd.est thy vesture and showest thyself
naked to the raind.. Thou art as the moon and stars by night : tho
righteous are illuminated by thy Jamps till they come to the perfect

oay.

Thou art a lijght

to tho feet of the righteous ; and those that

walk by ^ee priace their feet ip safety through the dark watches of
the Bight. Thou art nevejr etill : thou art ever increasing or de.
creasing the abilities of tfaie soul. Thou art the hand of God, by
whom the line was drawn, and the earth arose from still waters, or
«9 inactive o^ind. Thou art the line of the coniets in the heavens,
the pathway of the sun, the varying courses of the moon, and tho
bounds of tho sea. The tide ebbs and flows by thee, and its
coming and going despise the king's command. Thou liftost up
the mountains from the depths of the sea. T.hou jcommandest our
sorrows to remove and be seen no more. Thou callest the bud from
the tree. In the change of the atmosphere life in the root adheres
tq thy calls, and springeth upward from the ground. Thou biddest
the infant move his hand ; he spreadeih pyt his arm by theej and
obtains the prize thou biddest him seek. Thou art with the aged
down to (^eath ; thou waftest his soul beyond the grave, while here
llie trembling body still remains. Thou hast provided the unseen
habitation for the just, and compeilest the soul to believe there is a
rest for the iQnind of man. Thou dwellest in secret, but thy deeds
are .oidied to all the earth, and none can clothe them with a cover,
ior hide thee in the cloud that thou art unseen by the hum^n eye.
Thou bearest up the jcloud upon the wings of the wind, and the
moving cloud ifl the ittmosphere is a shadow of thee,^ — an inclisputa.
ble evideivee of thy name. Thy rest is in the mind : when thou bast
builded thy house thou enterest into rest, and none but thine own
can dwell with thee. Thou art immortal unto man, — the life of the

SI 'i

■Sat

".<-
*>';

■'&• 'II

l'^f

330

ACTING FRINCIPLKS OF LIFE.

soul that never was extinguished : thy light never goeth out : thou
art the conqueror of Despiur, and changest the midnight watch into
noon-day. Thou art the way of the righteous, the stumbling-stone
of the wicked, and the everlasting recompcnce of the just. Thou
judgest by thine own might; thou measurest unto man, and recallest
again for that thou hast given. Thou coverest thyself as with seyen
garments in life ; seven nights are contained within thy span. Thou
art the light of seven d&ys : by thee the worlds were builded and
the Deity is at rest. Thou art the Spirit of God given unto man,-— •
the light, strength, power, might, and glory of his days, whereby
he may do all his work. Thou sittest as on the highest hills below
the sun : the moon and stars set and rise in thy presence : king,
doms fall and change by thee. Thou recordest every birth as in a
book : the records of all living are in thy bosom, and the righteous
read the deeds of the Creation ther». Thy heart is hard to find ;
it is as lost silver to the wicked, — as gold hid in the bowels of the
earth. Thou clothest thyself as with a man, and the maiden
flatters to deceive, for thou art not within the covering of these, thy
clothing is the mind of the righteous. The bosom of maidens is
not thy dwelling-place, and thou art but a deceiver to the hearts of
wicked men. Thou hidest to bid the exalted seek ; but, when
they seek, thou art not found, for thou art not clo'.hed with the
earth or bodies of clay. Thou art not satisfied with the harvest
of the field, neither is the rising vi^ealth a storo w' thy joys. Thou
art the offspring of God, the line of his directio ■ . hi art beyond
the grave, and present with the mind. Thou b .(> :°:. togetlier that
which death hath strewed apart. Love is the partner of thy breast,
and you twain are one in the deeds of the Almighty. Thou art
known in the sea and heard in the storm ; but thy abiding place
is beyond the human eye, — the space that kings and councils never
can command. Crowns are but dust before thee : thou wearest
them as a covering, and easiest them down to the earth. Thou
settest thy feet upon the wings of the wind, and fleest from na<
buildest thy nest in Heaven above. Thou art more
be sought than gold or precious silver. Cities are but
to thee ; they rise by the might of men, and are cast
by the breath of thy lips. Thou takest the infant into thine
and showest unto him the ways of life : by thee he moveth

tions, and
worthy to
as a bubble
down

arms,

his feet, and directeth his hands to the cultivation of the ground.
By thee he planteth a vineyard and gathereth from the vine : from
thy hand he receiveth the wine from the grape, and is merry in
heart : in all this he has only parted thy mantle, or unfolded the
most extensive covering of thy mind. In all this he is not content :
he thirsteth again, and crieth like an infant for the greater portions
of thy love. Thou takest hold of hJs infant hand, and impressest

.'^■ii,!'

TArrn.

.^/iifr-

331

his infant mind by the light of the sun: thou pointcst his active
fingers to the stars, and showest him the hand of God in all the'
lights of heaven. Thou commandest his infr it soul to obey all .
the impressions these engrave upon his mind : thou directest him
to believe, by these magnificent displays, that there is a God — and
to fear and tremble before the Builder of such an extensive frame,
that cannot be measured by the mind of man or imitated by his
works. Thou leavest the rising young, for a moment, with a law
engraven upon his mind : thou hast bidden him read and practise,
and he will see and know the event of it. Thou art the inspiration
of the limb, and the strength of the mind. Thou hast written me*
mory upon the heart : he soweth and he rca[)eth, and his joys pass
away with the gathering in of (he event of the deed. The soul is
not content : there is a world unknown, and the mind thirsteth after
it as the travelling pilgrim for a home. It is from whence we
come, and happiness is not decreed this side of the return. The '
man seeth a mountain afar off: he taketh all that he hath, and re- '
moveth to build his habitation there : he has been twice disappointed ; [
bot, by thee, O faith ! he removeth again : He bids adieu to the
hope he had in former joys, and he places his feet on earth as the
young weaned from the mother's breast ; and, after seven days'
journey, he reacheth the expected hill : he begins to ascend, with
confidence t!:?t Heaven is on the height of it, and his joys are all
concealed on the top. He ascendeth with weary steps and a heavy
load, and beholdeth weary pilgrims leaning on a broken staff al.
most ready to give way. Disappointment for the third time hath
led them near to despair : Hope appeareth pale in the visage, and
the weary soul joins the mournful few — but hath no seat of rest, no
shade to hide his weary limbs from a scorching sun. A maiden, as
dark as the watches of the night, nriseth like one from the tomb,
and putteth a cup of blood to the lips of those that thirst. She covers
them with a mantle of despair, and declarcth unto them there is no
spring of joys upon this rising hill : it is the place of the dead, and
she watcheth over the tombs lest the wicked would enter in with
the righteous and be at rest. She bindeth the feet of pilgrims with
a chain, and biddeth them to stand still till these iron cords sh<*U
wear away. She consumeth their staves in a flame, and she is no
more. She is Despair upon the mountain top, or the impressions
of the mind of the exalted. The sun ariseth anew in the east, afler
a scorching day and weary despairing night ; and behold ! in the
light of the sun, the soul beholdeth Jacob feeding his flocks upon
the plain. The chain parts, and the soul beginneth to move again
for the tents of Israel. Faith directs their way down a steep place,
and this is the third time that Faith in earthly things hath deceived
the soul. The garments of the mind become worn, and are ready

333

ACTING FRINCIPLE8 OV LIFB.

to fall to the i arth as a broken vessel for want of care. The mind
of these begins to descend the hill, but the iron hand of Despair
hath written upon the mind a law that cannot be forgotten, and they
return with a heavier load than when they did arise, and the remem.
brance of sorrow is ever with them. They behold Jacob afar oflfin
his tent-door : they hasten their steps for mercy, trusting salvation
is in his ways, and thai, under the shadow of his vine, they will be
at rest. But he beholdeth them coming : he closeth his ^oor, and
sendeth messengers unto thejn, forbidding them the fruit of his trees,
the waters of his well, or the grape of his vine ; and their light went
out at these words before they reached the habitation of their hope ;
and they had nothing to lean upon, for their former hope had passed
away. And again, Jacob hailed them as with a trumpet, declaring
unto them that they were not of his blood, nor heira of his rest: they
must go to the land of darkness where he had boon, and where his
ofispring mourned for bread ,; and he gave unto them a lamp, and
directed their way ; and Faith showed unto them a city afar off,
where the righteous did dwell, and he strengthened their limbs and
bade them move forward for the gates of the city, and he would em>
brace them there. With weary xmd with broken minds, — the
memory of disappointments and increasing sorrows, — they moved
along : they drank of the cup of blood that Despair had given them :
it is the life of former days ; and, with repeated sorrows, and with
one accord, they travelled for the city of their rest. Hope pro<
grossed before them a handVbreadth : She could not be overtaken
nor commanded to stand still. They drew near the gates of thu
city, and saw the king sitting in the gates. He hailed them with a
pleasant sound, and they made haste to the city of a great king.
They cast down their burdens before him, and prayed for a crumb
of bread, and a drop of cold water to quench their thirst. He
said he had not these things to give : the meat of his household
was measured by God above, and he had nought to give unto
those that were hungry or athirst. He called them, to inquire of
them of a far country that he knew not of, for his household began
to be in want, and he was taking thought to remove. They in.
formed him that Despair was on the highest hills on the earth :
the dead are buried there, and she inherits the tombs. And he gave
his crown unto them, and bade them travel to a far country east,
ward, and tell the inhabitants that they were sent by a great and
mighty king, to seek for rest for the kings that are in the earth ;
and, seeing the crown, ye shall obtain favour : and return, and ye
shall go with me, and we will enter into the city of strangers ; and
ye shall serve, and I will rule and give you meat. And they took
the crown out of the kirtg's hand as the hope of treasure, and tra.
veiled away towards the rising sun ; aQd Faith was as a lamp burn*

VAITIf.

d33

in-

■rth :

;ave

sast.

and

rth;

d ye

and

ook

tra-

urn-

ihg bofuro their oycs, and Hope walked with Fuiih as a maiden in
ttie hand of her lover ; uiid the mind of the weary boro the croWn
of the great kinj; upon their shoulders. But Jordan came in their
way, and Faith and Hope stepped over before ihem ; but they could
riot pass the baptizing stream with the croM'n of a king upon them j'
but they cast it into the waters, and, as a stone in the sea, it wa<«
Fost and seen no more, Hope waited for them on the farther banks
of Jordan, but Faith passed away, and the light of the pilgrims wn»
extinguished on Jordan^s shore : the crown was lost, and Hope also
vanished from their sight. Five disappointments were now to bear :
the way was closed up before them, and man was alone. Here
they parted, and every one went his own way, like sheep in the
wilderness or children m the dark : like the flock without the shep.
herd, they had no communion nor guide ; and here society doth
end. And life came unto me alone, (for I am one of these,) and
Faith arose out of Jordan as a sun from deep waters, and stood ovei*
my head. The hand of God came down from Heaven ; and, as a
father assisteth the child over the water-brook, so did the Builder
of Earth and Heaveti, by his love, set my soul over the troubled
stream : it is never still by day, nor resteth by night. And when I
was left alone, I saw that I was the workmanship of God, and I wan
not made the servant of kings, to bear the crown on my shoulders
that is an honour to their head. And Hope, as a maiden, took hold
of my left hand; and Faith, as a bridegroom, of my right; and
liove^ as the morning, was before mine eyes ; and I travelled east,
ward for the space of one day, and I rested by night under the
shade of a vine that Jacob had set in the earth, and my companions
with me. Through the nrght we all tarried and slept ; but, when
the morning arose, I thought I was in Heaven : My mind was at
I'est, and, as the child, I rose up to play. I drank freely of the wine
of the grapes, and [ partook of them, and I hungered or was thirsty no
more. But I saw Jacob coming with his flocks into the plain where
the vine grew, and Faith said unto me : — We must arise, for Jacob
Cometh here, and he is heir of all these things. And the sixth
trouble had come upon me, and I was exceeding sorrowful, bo.
cause I had to rise from my rest and flee away. And Faith put a
staff of gold in my hand, and bade me travel whithersoever 1 would
till my feet did enter into rest ; and Hope, as a dove, spread out her
wings and fled upward, till I saw her no more in the heavens above.
A cloud received her of a light cast, and she was no more. Faith
divided into two parts, — the one on the right hand and the other ori
the left, — and walked away. The one on the left hand is to lead
the mind into earthly things ; the other, on the right, to Heaven and
God above ; and these twain, as one, had been joined together,
leading my 9o\i\ through earthly things : But, until now, I knew it

i:0

%m^<^

>334

ACTING PR1^X'I^LKS OF LIFK.

not. And I beheld myself us one alono on a mighty plain or deep
waters, for I feared Jacob ns a thief that had partaken of his vine.
.And the billow arose, and the winds blew, and thty wafted my soul
whithersoever they would, and I was like a leaf driven by the wind.
I was without direction ; and my daily joys were like a bubble on
the waters, broken by the wind or the breath of him I knew not ;
and I have returned to nothmg, from whence I came ; and Faith
hath led me here to tell me that man is nothing in body or in soul,
,but God is all in and out of him, now and for ever ; and this is the
seventh day, the end of nights. Immortal and eternal rest, here
desire ceaseth, and sorrows are no more.

IMMORTALITY.

Immobtality, thou art without beginning of days, thine end »■

not, thou art forever, thou art the name of our Lord below the sun,

,the Deity is with thee, and thou art one with God ; thou hast no abid'

■ing place in any form of clay ; these fall and rise as the sun, but untp

■changes thou art unknown. Thou art the life of man that passeth

>'not away : despair is in thine arms, and love hath fast hold on thy

-naked breast ; thy feet standeth in the midst of the flame, thou bold'

■ est fast on the wicked, thou numberest their groans with a pen, and

with their sighs thou dost increase the flame. Thou keepest the

' prison door, thou doth receive and release since ever a living soul

was breathed into man. Thou art the habitation of the Jews, thou

bast covered the head of their kings with a mantle ; none can rend

the veil and place them into dominion but thou alone. The saints

are in thine hands, thou leadest their spirit as children in the present

time, thou secretest their dwelling that they shall not be slain by the

iron hands of death. The prophets partake with thee at thy table,

the blood of the ancients are in thy treasures, thou hast gall and

wormwood to impart to the world ; thou art tiie treasure of sorrows

that are past, thou hast a garment for the poor, and bread for the

hungry, wine for them that thirst, and the weary draw at thy breast.

Death is an arrow from thy bow, thou conquerest kings and princes

in thy name, and leadest crowns captive down to the grave ; thou art

higher than the sun, deeper than the heart of the earth. Thou

compassest the atmosphere round about ; thou art the direction of

the soul, and the bread of life. Thou art the treasures of God, his

own habitation, and his name dwelleth there ; thou art where the

world never was, thou art the spirit of all things before existence

IMMORTALITY.

330

and

appeareth unto man. Thou placedst the stars in the firmament by
thy right hnnd, and badest thcni never vary from their course. Thou
art the mother of mortality, thou broughtest forth wlicre nothing was ;
by thee wo die and live again. The carlh is immortal in her course,
the planets never change their direction, the sun hath received thy
decree to ever shine on the earth ; thou coverest with a cloud, and
takest thy garments from the sun. All thou doest is furever, be-
cause thou art to man an endless life; thou hast clothed man with
a garment of clay, and whimpered to him in the hearing of the ear.
Thou hast said unto thy son, live, and his soul obeyeth thee. Thy
mansion is beyond the grave, and thy dwelling in heaven with the
saints; thou buildest below the sun, and it shall not pass away;
thou art life to the soul, and the body is thine and all that in it be ;
thou art command, and the Deity is thy Father and thy God. Thou
art a fair mother bearing twins, flesh and blood are the offspring of
th, ! ' abt, thy dwelling and tabernacle below the skies ; the earth
is forever and all that on it be ; thou art the mother of the east,
thou spreadest out the shadow of the night, and it passeth not away.
Thou numberest time with thy engraving hand ; thou hast made a
decree with day and night, and they shall be forever. Thou art
where the suu never rose, where moon or stars never gave light ;
thou art the inhabitant of the mind, and the soul is thy covering for.
evermore. Thou lookest through the windows of heaven upon
thine oyfu that are on the earth, and thou watercst them with dew
from thy breast, nnd anointest the soul with the oil of gladness, and
givest hope to the bosom, which is life to the mind through years to
Qome.

. Thou hast ordered the paths of faith in this lower world, and
drawn the direction of love in a line ; thou hast bound despair in
prison and set all her captives free. Thou art the ways of life, and
the seven coverings of the mind ; thine eye awaketh by the morning
light; thou beholdest the western hills ; thou sendcst love abroad as
a messenger to those that are lost, and this fair one to comfort those
that mourn. I behold her coining, her footsteps are on the sea, the
sun of righteousness is in hsr bosom, and his joys are extending to
the western hills ; she travclleth all the night, and is not weary by
the rising sun. The ways of her feet are as cords of silver, and her
footsteps as drops of fine gold ; life is written on her forehead ; she
covereth it with her right hand, she biddeth her suns arise and shine
to the eastern shore. She saith come, and the hills tremble ; Zion
and Horeb do bow beneath her feet ; she sinUeth them in the sea.
'f!he ways of men are equal, and she biddeth them arise and behold
the coming of their God. She is as one forsaken of men ; as a maid
that seeketh for a lover, she is walking alone. And I hid myself in
the cave of the hill, and fled to the by places in the rocks ; for 1

I f.i

I
f
ix

330

ACTING rniXCIPLRS or LIFE.

fearod the step's of her fuct, and fcnred that she was God that had
come to tnko the world away. And she hailed me with a trumpet,
and I daw I was not hid from her eyes ; and thoHjjh I feared death,
her voice did pursue, and I saw there was no hiding place for man
from the judgments of God, and I returned in the presence of the
world. And she clothed me with sorrow, saying, I must live and
place my feet in hell with immortality and eternal life, and my
tongue should tell the afflictions of my soul, and write of the ways
df truth to the nations of the world. And love embraced me with
a smile, that had been long afflicted ; and she gave me wine from
her bosom, and the oil of gladness from her breast ; and her heart
was naked before mine eyes, and she bid me enjoy all things here
below, and weep for these that mourn, and the dead arise and the
worlds are comforted with the blessings of God. I saw all things
as in a moment of time, and I reached my hand unto them to par.
take, and they fled as a shadow before mine eyes, and t wept before
her, and said, she had deceived me with her tongue ; mtid all my
joys turned into sorrow, and she said unto me, these aM immortal
and eternal, and sisters to the joys of man. She turned he^ fa6e
eastward and bid me come ; I saw I was alone, for all fl6sh bad fled
at her presence when her sun shone on the earth. And I saw her
footsteps were marked from the western hills to the eastern skies,
and she rose upon the wind and rode on the cloud, and I saw h^r Atn
more. I had thought she had come with the Saviour in her bosom
to lieavo the world no more ; and I looked downward on the sea^ but
1 saw not in deep waters, the lights had departed from the akies, ancf
I was deceived with love, and immortality was unseen by me. I
was as the child without the parent, as the lost without the shepherd,
as the weary man without the Lord. And the^e was silence in hea-
ven and on earth for the space of three days and three nights. And
the dead arose from the tomb, and walked afler me to the borders of
the sea, and they became equul with me ; and I saw Jstcob embrace
his young, and their flocks to follow them. And the sun that bad
gone down arose in the eastern sky, and love and immortality came
unto me as one, and reached one hand to those that had been dead,
and one hand to these that were living, and confirmed their stay
with the living and the dead ; and unnumbered angels followed them
on dove's wings, and I knew them I had ever known, and sealed my
Covenants with immortality and eternal life. And there was a way
for all men under heaven. The hills and the mountains had passed
away. And we placed our feet on the billows of the sea ; the trum>
pet blew aloud and maidens sang, the harp of David was in tune,
and thore is life on earth without end now and forever.

fe< ) i . ■

[ 837 ]

March 6th, 1635.
LIFE.

LiFK, thou art the ways of man, and the child of God. God hath
clothed thee with his own dwelling, he hath given thoe garments of
nrfany colours, he hath made thy feet to walk abroad and return io
his own dwelling. He hath placed a crown on thy head and thrown
k down to earth. In thy name he hath built great cities, and con*
sumed them with fire. He hath caused thee to flee to the mountain
and hide in the by places of the rocks, to shun his name. He hath
pursued thee with the sword, and caused thee to fall in the battle.
He dothed thee with a garment by the morning light, and before the
setting sun cast thy covering mto the grave. He has made theo
mourn with the mother, and rejoice with princes in one day. He
hath enabled thee to behold the work of his hands : he hath placed
thee in the human eye, and drew out the heavens in thy presence :
he has lifted up thine eyelids that thou shouldest behold the sun, and
see in him the image of thy God. He hath placed the stars in thy
presence without number, and shewn unto thee his wonders in the
sea. He hath caused the fowl to flee before thee, and the fish to
shun thy presence. He hath cic ed the wild beasts with fear be<
cause of thee, and given the shepherd's flocks to know thy name.—
He hath mounted thee on the swif beast, and thou ridest as from place
to place on thy own strength, as though thou hadst been borne on the
wind. He hath wafted thee from shore to shore, over the broad
space of the sea, in the deeds of thine own hand. Thou eommandest
and obeyesl thine own name. There is none to equal thee for grief,
and thou also art the mother of all our joys. Thou walkest swiftly
with the young, and tremblest with these of declining years. Thou
fleest, before thine own fears. Thou sittest as a king, and serves!
as a servant at his feet. Thou art of many coverings, the wise in
spirit know thee not, because thou art with fools, and those that
comniit sin. Thou art alone known of God ; and all I can do with
the lines of the pen, is but a shadow of thee. Thou wast before
man was made, or ever the hills arose from the deep waters. It is
beyond the measures of the man to trace the steps of thy feet, for
he knoweth not to-day what to-morrow will bring to his mind. Thou
pressest the maiden to thy breast to-day ; but on the morrow she is
put far from thee. Thou lovest to-day, that which is loathesome to
thee in future time. Oh thou unknown one that walkest alone in the
earth: thou art the bride of the highest, and by thee he showeth
himself all-powerful below the sun. Thou dreadest the storm, aiid
■w

11;

;f;

388

ACTINO l>RINCirLES OF LIFR.

rejoicost when tiie calm appears. Thou closest thine eyes by the
midnight walch, und dreamost of things io come. Thou soest visions
of which thou canst not tell, and 8tip|)lica(cst thy God lor rest. Thou
art weary with truvol, and urt glad with the rising spring. Thou art
the house of hope, and faith hath a habitation within thy breast.
Love waims thy bosom as with wine, and despair is the keeper of thy
gat«s. By her doth sorrow enter into thy habitation, ond causeth
all thine house to mourn. Thine eyes are as the windows of heaven,
through these thou seest the deeds of thy Redeemer's hand. Thy
feet are placed in the tinme, and consume not away, thou dreadest
the flame, but defiest the effect thereof to consume thy being. Thou
art with the saints, and sorruwest with those that mourn. The earth
is thy habitation, and thou walkest in the space of it. Thy mind fleeth
with the cloud, and returneth with the storm. Thou feolest all mis*
ery, and receivest all joy, but chungest not. Thou art immortal
unto man, and none can change thy covering. The mantle was made
for thee — thou art the clothing of wisdom, and thy form is within
this tabernacle of clay. Thou despisest no being — the Lord hath
clothed thee with all things, and made thy rest and everlasting dwel*
ling the mind of the man. The atmosphere is before thee as a
garden to enjoy, thou seest thine own name written in it, and thou
art every where present with the Lord. Thou bringest forth
wisdom, thou art a saviour unto man, and the child is at rest with
thee. Thou art in heaven and in hell : with the wise and with the
foolish : near ut hand and afar oil*. Thou art the bride of the servants
Qf the Lord — the righteous embrace thee and are at rest. Thou
bast made a covenant with this world, and written it within my breast.
Thou hast made the hills and the vallies the place of thy stay. The
8UD shall rise and set in thy presence forevermore. Thou calleat
the dead as with a trumpet. Thou shalt answer to thine own callsi
axxd clothe thyself with that which hath already been* Thou art
immortal to this world, and never shalt decay. Thou hast broken
off thine hand from thy afflicting companion, death, he is going
down to the grave to rise no more : hell is under thy feet, and heaven
in thy right hand : thou art the dwelling of the saints and God ia in
thee. Thou art the garments of the Almighty, and thine everlasting
dwelling is in bodies of clay. Thou hast quickened the earth from
the beginning, and made this world thy dwelling place ; and angels
shall see thee there, and come down to thee. In thy name shall
cities arise, that shall not be overthrown, and kings reign that never
shall decay. The righteous shall shine as the sun forever and ever. Qh
thou maiden of all my sorrows, and living spring of all my joys ! In
thee I shall see all that hath fled away, and acquaint my soul with
all that is past. Thou hast risen as the sun — thou hast shewn me
thy covenants in thy right hand — thou art from the chambers of the

LIPI.

139

East and tho city of God. Thou art oicendiog from the tomb, and
coming down from heaven, the present and the dead shall meet in
thee, and see a world of peace. Thou hast been afar off*, but thou
art returning to thy habitation, and where thou wast befoie man waa
madu or the worlds began. Thou art clothed with all sensibility—
thou roouruest with the wicked, and rejoicest with the righteous,-~thy
feet have found the habitation of rest for all the sons and daughters
of men. Thou hast clothed thyself the second time with thy first*
born, nnd hast made a covenant with him to abide forever — man is
thy tabernacle and house of clay, thou wilt be seen in all his limbs,
bright in all his eyes, extensive hearing in his ears, — thou wilt taste
of the vine on Sis tongue, and in his soul within thou shalt know
the pleasures of his God. Thou immortal one ! thou hast made the
earth thy dwelling, and the soul of man thy hiding place— thou wilt
be seen in all his limbs, his foot shall be swif\ in the race, and his
arm strong in the battle— his tongue shall declare thy ways, and his
pen mark down the steps of thy feet. Thou movest forever, and
increasest thy name by wisdom and understanding: these are as
twins of thy breast ; they draw out the line from thee that cannot
be broken, and build that which will never pass away. Thou art
the mother of visibility. Thou enjoyest the sea and the land.
Heaven and earth are drawn out in tines for thee, by thy Redeemer's
hand : thou hast been sorrowful, but thou art comforted. The Loi^
saw thee alone, and embraced thee with his love— he hath entered
into covenant with thee before the worlds begun, and sworn by his
righteousness thou never shalt decay. He has stripped thee nakeo,
and clothed thee again, — he hath cast thy garments into the tombi
and clothed thee anew. Thou art the companion of God ; by thee
he sheweth himself to all the kingdoms and nations of the world.
He hath closed up the tomb, — thy feet shall never enter there— tho
sea shall net receive thy body, neither shalt thou flee from the earth
any more. Thou art heaven for the soul to enjoy, and bell for tlie
wicked to fear,- — all the ways of the Lord are with thee, and
thou art 'with my soul forever. The sea was made for thy feet^rttio
cloud as shadows of thy delight, and the earth the habitation of tby
Everlasting rest. Thou feedest with the shepherd, and rejoicest with
-the young. Wisdom and understanding are the pillars of thy feet,
thou bowest down thy breast unto them, and cheerest the little pn|S8
that are on the earth. The moon is thine evening shade, the plan-
ets rise and set before thee ; thine eyes are filled with all thinga tl^t
God hath made. Faith with thee enjoys a perfect rest ;,ahe hath
entered into the habitation that passeth not away ; by her the sun
deth rise and set, and all things move before thy seeing eyes. T^pu
beholdest afar off and callest home to thy bosom those 'nat are
astray. Thou connectest by love these scattered limbs of Ihtne,
w2 ' '■" '■'•

.*i

840

ACTING PRIIfCIPtEl OF LIFB.

thst are tpfead abroad in the earth, into one body: tliou art the
perfect image of our God, and hy thy sensibility the Redeemer of
the whole world. Thou hnst come from God to change thy gar-
ment5i no more : ho hath clothed thee with a mantle that will not
pass away, that thy name may be eatablised forever, thou Saviour
and the joys of men.

DEATH.

" Dkatii, thou art the coverings of this wicked world; the Deity
hideth his name in thee, and the whole earth trembles because of
thy name : thou art the gates of hell, and many go in by thee that
see no release. By thee halh Jacob fallen asleep, and the pro.
ph6t8 inherit the tomb. Life is concealed within thy garments, and
the world know it not ; thou hast made the grave the hiding place of
men, and cast their bodies into everlasting sleep. Thou walkest in
darkness at noon.day ; thou art the father of diseases, and the sword
is secreted within thy breast ; thou stayest and none can make alive
again : thou hast clothed the whole earth with fear as with a mantle,
and hidest thy footsteps in the dark. Thou takest from man the
light of his eyes, thou dullest the hearing of his ears and layest him
prostrate on the ground ; thou biddest his active hands be still, and
all his limbs obey thy call.

Thy hand is upon all living, thou king of terrors ! Both bird and
beast doth fear thy name : thou hast made the bodies of men as one
of these, and swallowed them up in thy bosom, or cast the living
into the grave. Thine hand spareth not the young, neither doet
thou withhold thy hand for the crying of children, or the mother's
tears. Kings bow down before thee, and princes come at thy com<
mand : thou sealest up the stars from the eyes of men, and spreadest
a dark mantle over the sun ; thou wraps life in a garment, and
bidest her from the human eye. Thy ways are unknown unto the
world ; thou art seen and heard, but the measures of thy days re-
main in darkness to the sons and daughters of men. Thou hast no
respect td time nor age ; all flesh is before thee as the grass before
the mower, that knoweth not the appointed time to fall. Thou hast
followed man into this world, thou hast slain him at noon-day and
ChBt him into the grave ; thou hast taken the parent's hands from
the young, and caused the widow's eyes to weep with tears. Thou
hast clothed all nations with fear, and cast the righteous that were
of old into the grave.

blATU.

The earth loudly tells of thee, thy name is written on every hill»
and in almost every vulloy in all the earth, the memorials of thine
hands arise. The sea is not free from thine offspring, thou hast
stained the waves with blood-; but thou host not seen it is yet
enough ; thou hant drawn out the sword to slav, nor will thine hand
■oon abnte ; the nations shall know thine hand ns a thorn, and the
heart of the living shall be pierced through. Thou art in the court
of kings and those that make wur; thou ort th*^ terrors of life, and
the tombs of the dead : the sea is satisfied with the rivers, but the
grave is not yet filled up. Thou committest the living to the heart of
the earth ; the righteous hath fallen asleep in thee ; thou art the
terrors of the Almighty sent abroad in the earth. Life is the first-
born of God, but thou followest with a weapon all the day, and
overtakest her by the rising sun. Thou easiest a dark mantle over
her eyes, and hidest her in the tomb, thot she can see no more.
Thou hast made the earth her covering, and her name to be writtea
on the tombs cf thy memorials forever and ever. But, Oh death,
thou hast a master, and life hath fled where thou canst never come ;
; he hath put didease to defiance and written her name with God,
she is whero thou canst not slay, thou dark and conquered servant of
the Lord, t'lou hast been a deceiver of men *, hell is secreted in thy
bosom, brt life hath dee^'ended into all thy hidden treasures and will
expose thee nake i to tho world. Thou art conquered, and all thine
arrows are put H uefiance ; life hath ascended upward where thine
iron hand can never com^ ; thou art an inhabitant of the earth, the
bride of liiO wicked, and .^.nners fall asleep in thine arms. '

Thou ha. t come from God to terrify my soul with fear, and put
my sins away. Thou art the farh^r of sinners, and the increase of
their loins ; it is thy hidden name in the flower of the field, the fruit
of the tree, the rose of the garden, in flesh and blood that is before
our eyes; but all thy hidden treasure is known. The Lord hath
given tho key of mysteries to the mind of man ; by him whom thou
hast conquered thy feet shall be bound and cast into hell, for thou
hast sorely afflicted the earth ; thy name is blotted out under hea-
ven, and all that sleep in thee shall rise again. The body is thy
prey, and with this painful covering of clay thou afTrightest the
mind of frail and trembling man, but thy terrors shall be erased
from the mind, and thy name unknown under heaven. And Hfe
shall arise as a maiden from the tomb, clothed in the garments of
a queen, and the presence of the Almighty shall be upon her for-
ever, and the visage and visions of everlasting life shall be engra-
ven on her breast with letters of blood : and the memory of the tomb
shall be forever, but the grave shall be without inhabitants, as the
hollow and empty walls of a house where the living is no more.
All that is dead shall live, and all that are lost shall be found, and
w 8

S4S

ACTING PBII«CirLBt OP LIFE.

•very tinner and every saint ehaTl know the Lord, the unrighteouf
forsake his sins and live. Life hath descended with great power,
she is as the army of a king, her name is recorded in the standing
castle in heaven with God to remain forever. She taketh her ser-
vants by the hand, she leadeth them through the chambers of death
to the windows of everlasting light, and they shall stand in the pre-
sence of God forever. She hath made the earth the unchanging
pillar of her feet, her fingers are amidst the stars of heaven : she
placeth them in our eyes as at the beginning ; in them we see the
everlasting works of God. She upholdeth the righteous in her right
hand, and showeth them afar off; she maketh them to drink of this
world, and taste of the worlds to come ; she clothes them with hope,
and placeth faith within the vesture, and they wall beyond the eyes
of death from the rising to the setting sun. Oh death, she hath
made thy deeds to be in vain unto them, and thy name altogether
nothing before them, she hath unclothed them from the fear of thine
arrows, they walk naked before thee and fear 'hee not ; they set
their feet on the tombs of the dead, and look upward ; they are un-
known to the gates of hell, and the grave refuses to take their spirit
in. Thy kingdom is lost, thine hands are bound ; thou hast parta-
ken of blood all thy days, and thy feasts have been the bodies of the
dead. Thy mantle is rent as the cloud parted in twain ; thou art
but a shadow of things to come, the terrors of life and the paths of
the wicked. Kings and princes are not at rest with thee, and with-
in thy gates there is no peace. The dead are not satisfied with thy
mansion, they are waiting for the sound of a trumpet to rise again
and reign triumphant over thee ; thou art the terrors of the Almigh-
thy name ceaseth with the deeds of sin, and with the soul of tha
righteous thou art no more.

Mabch 11th, 1834.

. RELIGION.

Reuoion, thou hast dove's eyes, thou lookesl with pity on the
world, and mournest for those that are lost. Thou art the ways of
the righteous, the laws of life, and the paths of the afflicted. Thpu
art the comfort of the friendless, and oil to those that mourn : all
sorrows are written in thy name — hell consumeth at thy feet ; but
thoii wasteth not away. Heaven is present with thee, the hand of
Omnipotence leadeth thee, and thou walkest in safety through the
night. The oil in thy vetsel never wasteth away; thou bast n

BSLIOIOir.

.843

burning and continuing light. Hell giveth thee understanding ; and
the flame of it lighteth thy whole heaii. Hell is the fear of the
Almighty, present and increasing pain. Wisdom is on thy right
band, and increaseth thy joys forever more. The sun is her mantle>
and the spirit of the Almighty is at rest within her gates : her wholo
, house is filled with his presence, and her heart rejoiceth in God her
saviour. Religion, thou art the heir of the courts of wisdom, and
none dwellcth with thee but the sons and daughters of the highest.
Thou art the habitation of God below the sun : he keepeth thy whole
house in order, and hath given wisdom to remain with thoe. She
builds her house upon seven pillars; her lines, squares and cubits,
are within herjates ; she weighs the mountains in a scale, and com-

Easseth these^fprith a line ; her guc ts are a household of virtue, and
er walls do arise to save those that were of old from the tempest
and the lion of the wood. David und Solomon are within her gates ;
she is building the house of the Lord, but the kings and princes of
nations know it not. She hath mourned with the dove many days
on the hill of Zion, but Religion halli come to her breast ; she is no
more alone. Religion and wisdom are in covenant, and are reaching
out a hand to restore the world. Wisdom is active with the pen, and

. penetrating in thought ; she draweth the line, and buildeth upward.
Abraham squareth the stone, and Moses bindeth together. &ko
weigheth all in a balance, and trieth her servants in a scale ; iij^e
apreadeth out her hands as the wings of a dove, and gathereth thdso
that are far away ; she hideth in the rock in safety ; she ariseth by
the morning light, and buildeth her towers of hewn stone ; she
buildeth her cities on a rock, and her castles on the sea. The name
of pride cannot pass them by, nor enter into the cities of our God.
Her hands hold the balance ; she trioth the hypocrite as with fire,
and feeds her little ones with the milk of her breast. Religion is
the order of her days, and she giveth wine to the weary soul. She
hath planted a vineyard in a very fruitful field, and planted her
trees upon the hill side. Even Zion beareth them, and Sinai and
Horeb do bow at her feet. She hath room for the feet of strangers.
Jordan proceedelh as from her bosom, and spreadeth herself to all
the nations of the world. The windows of wisdom are as the Jeru.
aalem of our God, burnished by the rising sun : her flocks are as the

. stars of heaven, and her Shepherds Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
that were of old: her guest beareth twins, and she increaseth in the
earth. Religion is a living spring within her walls ; the weary
partake and are at rest : her wine is ever new ; she inviteth {stran-
gers to the table of the Lord, and feedeth them with bread from
.heaven. She is a city below the sun, built on Zion, and Horeb
mourns at her feet. She surpasseth all that is gone ; she bringeth
, bontie the living, and the dead, together at her flowing breast { she

^i'

344

JiCTINO FBIMCIPLEfl OF LIFB.

.tendeth hone abroad, never to return : her servantis are as tfie rising
and setting sun, they ever return from whence they come, and shine
as the fixed stars of heaven for ever and ever. She spreadeth her
hands abroad in the secret watches of the night, whiiie her spirit
resteth in the rock in safety, and compasseth kings and kingdoms
with walls they never can subdue. The Lord hath crowned her
with life, and made religion to be the activity of her hahds ; she
cannot be bound with a chain nor slain with a sword. The Lord
hath made her course clear to all nations, as the streams of living
water, that crowns nor princes cannot subdue. She cannot be
obstructed with a wall, nor her feet cast within the prison doors;
■he is the servant of the Lord ; she rideth on dove's wings, and
looketh down on all the inhabitants of the world ; her b/easts drop
with blood that was of old : it floweth to the tombs of Israel. The
dead awake at the rushing of the floods of it, for it covereth the
whole earth. It is as wine for those that are thirsty, and she giveth
her blessings without a price. She careth for the young as the
mother that beareth twins ; she gathereth them under the shadow
of her wings, and saveth them from the gates of hell ; she feedeth
them with the oil of the olive, and speaketh peace to her own. She
weepeth over Jerusalem, as the bridegroom over the tomb of his
beloved ; her voice is heard afar off, as mighty waters troubled with
a storm ; she re-buiideth, and mourneth for that which is to come ;
she gathereth in, and seeketh again for that which is lost : her
soul is like the bosom of the sea, that drinketh in all the riveks of
the world ; her store is never full, neither doth her wine decay.
She hath placed religion in the breast of man ; she hath given inspi-
ration to the tongue, to declare her ways ; she hath a beginning in
life, but her end shall not be. She is in league and covenants with
God, that can never pass away ; she has come to make this earth
her dwelling place, to set her feet upon the hills, and awake the
dead with a doleful sound. The tomb shall groan with distress, and
the dead shall arise at her call and come away. The bosom of the
earth shall be closed up to receive her loving servants no more.
Blessed is the man that is in love with wisdom, for she sendeth reli.
gion to his breast, and her lamp lighteth his whole house, and he
walketh in the light of it forever and ever. Wisdom becometh his
bride, and they lie down together in the chamber of joys, and he
draweth wine from her breast forever ; he placeth his feet upon a
rock by the morning light, and he walketh in safety all the day, and
when the sun setteth he slideth not with his feet, for his soul waiteth
for her that hath gone abroad in the garden of the Lord, and moveth
not until her return. His oil doth flow as rivers, and his stores do
feed the poor ; he partaketh and knoweth no want ; his cup is full,
And sorrow hath fled from his breast ; he is able to comfort all he

IMFIDELITY.

345

seetYi, and direct tho stranger on his way to the city of abode, wbora
the feet go no more out, and the Lord maketh a lasting covenant
with his own. His joys increase by the morning light, and every
rising sun renews his joy ; his laws are written within, where storms
can never come, nor the hand of the wicked blot out the laws of the
Lord. His vine beareth and faileth not ; his trees cast their figs in
due season, and the pomegranate passeth not away ; his flocks rest in
safety, and he divideth the fleece with the poor ; he delighteth in
the naked and the_ hungry ; he calleth them into his habitation ; he
clothes with a smile, and feedelh with his love; his eyes cast a
tear upon the haughty, and he remembereth them no more. His
groans cease in one day, and sorrow departeth from his breast :
ileath fleeth as a shadow before him, and his soul is unknown to the
grave ; he setteth his feet upon the tombs, and seeth his God above :
the billows of tho sea roll beneath his feet, and he is not moved ; he
resteth in the storm, and loud thunders awake him not. The light*
ning in his eyes are as the rays of the morning; in these he sees
the wonders of his God. He liveth without fear, and the dread of
hell is far from him ; he is led by the hand of wisdom, and religion
is at home within his breast. His going out and coming in are as
the rising and setting sun, bis deeds are a light to the world. He
setteth his feet in deep rivers, and they pass away before him ; and
at his command, the roaring of the tempestuous gulphs are still.
He beholds ail living before the rising sun, and counteth their foot,
steps by the morning light. He writeth the ways of life in a book,
and giveth unto those that believe not the Lord. He awaketh death
from sleep by his word, and calleth up captivity to judgment, and seta
the prisoners free. These are the deeds of religion and wisdom,
these are the gifts of God to man ; tho world may look upon them,
believe, practice, and enter into rest.

INFIDELITY.

Infidelity, thou art as tho stone never squared. The line hath
not been drawn upon thee, nor the name of the Almighty written
there. The Lord is not alone : the angels of Heaven bear up his
name in the earth, and the spirit of the saints is within his breast.
Deeds of old are recorded on the tables of his love, and immortality
is in his right hand. Love is his continuing friend, and Faith read*
eth his name as in a book, and Hope leadeth us to the bosom of the
Lord. But, Infldelity, thou knowest not these things : thou art as
the buildmg unfinished, as the tomb without the dead : thou art as

346

▲OTXIVO PRINCIPLES OF X.IFE.

the tombstone of nothing, for all thou hast passeth away. Thou art
unknown to Heaven or Hell : thou deniest wisdom her appointed
place, and livest as the brutal inhabiier of the earth. Hope resideth
not with thee : thy love is as a bubble broken by the wind, for all
thou seest passeth away. Thou hast no faith to perform thy work,
and thy soul actuates thy person as the dead machine driven by the
hands of men. Thou hast no store but the present crumb : thou
hast no way but what the sons uf men have shown unto thee : thy
soul remains as when thou wast born of thy mother, save that thou
hast grown strong to d'sbolieve and curse the Lord. Thou canst
not account for one thing under Heaven, or reveal to thy young
how life came into the world. Thou seest no farther than the de-
cay of thy frame, and all thy natural hope doth perish in the earth.
Thou art a stranger to the soul of the living, and unknown to thine
own mind. Thou art clothed with clay, and bclievest not that God
hath given shape to thy limbs. Thou art the companion of brutes,
and led by a halter in the hand of another, like the dumb ass.
Thou knowest not why the sun doth rise and set in thy presence ;
neither doth the building hand of God give thee wisdom. Faith is
a stranger to thy ways : thou art darker tha i Despair for thou be>
lievest not in thy release. Thou livest, and knowest not why ; but
the Lord hath suffered thee to bear the sinner^s name, acquaint
thyself with death, and see no release, till God shall quicken thee
with his presence in Hell, and put thy unbelief to flight as a shadow
that never shall return. Thou waitest for thy immortal change,
defying the hand of the Almighty, as the stone that knoweth not
his name. Thou art confounded in building : thou beginnest with
deism, and ceasest in the dark. Thou hast lefl the atheist to finish
what thou hast begun : thou hast no cover to thy soul, and thy
deeds are without immortal life. Thy building shall be as the house
on the sand : in one hour it shall be seen no more : the dead shall
rise, and put out thy decaying lamp. Thy name shall hide in
darkness, and thine offspring remembejr thee with shame. Thy
hand.w siting shall be scaled in the dust : thy deeds shall see no
resurrection from the dead : the moon shall cast oil* thy garments,
and the stars of heaven despise thy name. The ancient memory of
the Lord shall rise, and the sun shall shine on thy tomb to give thy
children light. Thy bride hath been a harlot and a deceiver ; and
thy children are not the heirs of Heaven. The attributes of God
rest not with thee, nor doth the believer rest his feet within thy
gates. Thy walls are built of the winds : the thunders cause them
lo tremble, and lightning from heaven pierces them through : thou
hast built thy rest within a span of Hell, and death is standing at
thy gates. Thou tremblest as a thief when judgments are in the
earth: in trouble thou hast no God to call upon : Death afirights

t>TII>EI<ITY.

347

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thy bulwarks as with a shadow, and thy walls decay as with an
empty sound. The grave terrifies thee with darkness, and the sheet
Curneth thy visage pale. Thou art as the hindmost parts of the
world, and all the earth is before thee as a cloud which thou canst
not pursue ; neither canst thou measure tho deeds of the righteous.
Thine eyes are blind to foresee their end : thy nights are solitary :
thou liest down without hope ; there is no lasting comfort in thy
ways. Thou risest without faith, and foreseest not the wages of thy
days, and thy soul and thou perish together in the piospects of the
grave. Thou livest without fear, till death is upon thee. The earth
if covered with a cloud in thine eyes, and thou hast no living di-
rection for thy feet. Tiiou enjoyest not anything as the gift of God,
but, as a thief, partakest of all as though it was thine own. The
world itself despiseth thee, and the sinner seeth beyond thy name :
he owneth his guilt before Gud, and Hope impresseth his mind that
he shall live : Faith placeth his hands to the deeds of life : he seeth
the income of his work, and the immortal man rejoiceth with God
his Saviour. Infidelity ! thou unknown space to the hand of God,
thy mind is as deep waters before the worlds begun : no sun is
seen in thee, neither have the stars arisen from their immortal rest.
Thou art unknown to the Spirit of God, neither have the deeds of
his hands been seen in thee from the foundations of the world.
The Lord will cause light to shine upon thee, and teach thee that
thou never wast quickened with immortal life. Thou art like the
bubble blown up by the wind : thou knowest not thine own meas.
urea : thou art quickly to pass away. The Lord hath made a de-
cree, and written upon thy dwelling with his own hand — Thou shaft
not live : thou shall neither enjoy the bride nor the bridegroom, the
fruit nor the flower of the tree : thou shall not be clot'ted with tho
fleece, nor eat at the table of the Lord. Ue hath beheld thee as
one that hath despised him : ho will pour out his vengeance upon
thy name ; he will quicken thee from unbelief, fo'r ho hath given
thee life, but thou hast blasphemed against his name. Infidelity
shall decay in the dust, but life shall come out of thee to deny thy
deeds, and bury all that have been born of thee in the world. Thou
hast seduced maidens to believe in thee, and led children captive
down to death : thou art a denier of faith, unknown to thyself, and
from the Most High thou art far away. He will increase the fur-
nace for thy name's sake, and thou shall cry as an orphan for his
lo^e, for thou shall be wihtout friends, and every tongue shall be
still to plead thy cause. Th<* terrors of the Highest shall come
upon thee, and the dread of Hell compass thee as the bounds of the
sea: thou hast but a time, and thou art no more.

948

ACTING PRINCIPLEf OF Z.IFE.

• March 12th, 1835.
PIETY.

Piety, thou risest before the day, and makest thy feet clean in
Jordan ; by the light of the morning thou preparest thine household
to walk with thee to the city of thy rest. Thou drinkest of blood
that was of old ; it is wine to thy breast, and life to thy soul that is
within. Thou embracest the day, and hailest life as a stranger, and
biddest the saints welcome to thy breast. Thou numberest thy rising
hours, and measurest life as in a span, and knowest thou art in an
uncertain dwelling, and thou art not willing to leave thy name empty
as the forgotten tomb, and leave no memorial below the sun. Thy
hands are spread abroad to gather in the summer fruit, that the
Lord hath prepared for thee ; thou early gatherest the grape from
the vine, and behuldest the ripening fruit ; thou extractest the vine
from the grape, and thine house is made merry with the wine of thy
love. Thou feedest thy little ones with care, and thou beholdest no
waste in the house ot the Lord. Thou art shadowed with belief, and
thou placest thy feet by direction of the rising sun. Thou makest
a way in the sea that cannot be forgotten, and Jordan parteth for the
steps of thy feet. Thy remaining household that are yet unboi'n,
read the lines of thine hands with delight, and pursue after thee
■^they overtake thee in the bride chamber of the Lord ; for there
all thy daughters wed to the son of righteousness, and all thy sons
receive in thy name. ^

Piety, thou art as the memorial arisen from the tomb of the saints, — -
thy mind is in heaven with God — hope directs thy hands, and faith
beareth thee up as on dove's wings. Thou art never weary, thy
Vf'ine is ever new, and thou drinkest before the setting sun, and
enterest into thy immortal rest. Thy limbs may tire below the
heavy loads of life ; but thy mind is ever new, thou art the bride of
the saints. Thy name is written by ages past, and thou hast come
to enjoy the world. Thy sons were slain in the battle, and the flame
hath consumed them ; but thou hast come to provide a place for their
everlasting name, and call thy bleeding martyrs to arise. Thou
will set them over kings, judges, and priests, that have sworn their
lives away. They have sworn in the chambers of death, and in the
courts of despair have they slain thy little ones ; but a cord shall
bind them there, and Jehovah will close up their lips : they shall be
silent as the tomb wherein the dead lieth. They have sworn falsely,
and judged with an unrighteous judgment ; but the Lord will blot
out the iniquity of their hands, and he will judge his people.

PIETY.

340

Piety, thy name is written in the book of life, and sealed with a
seal to remain forever. The Judge of the Lord's people hath become
silent as the tomb, and his eyes are closed up from the cause, and
children nhall take the crown froiu his head, and cast it upon tho
Hands of the sea, and it shall be driven to and fro in the tempest for<
ever. It shall no more be established in the earth ; nor the name
of a man written on the diamonds of it : they shall grow dim in the
eyes of all men ; as the stars covered with a cloud, they shall shine
no more. The throne of kings shall become a highway for the feet
of strangers ; for the Lord will rule over his people, and bo their
God. . Judah shall be the garments of the Lord, and from the thronp
of Israel will he speak peace to the world. These are the paths of
piety cast up before his eyes, and her spirit draweth near the holy
City, and her fe'^t shall enter there. She is crowned with love ; and
the name of David is a precious stone on the crown of her head,
and all Israel beholdeth it afar off. She seeketh afler the lost to
feed them with the fruit of her vine ; and invites them to walk in the
garden of the Lord with her mind, and behold the hand of the Lord
in the lilly of the valley and the flowers of the field. Her bright
«yes see beyond the tomb, and behold Jacob afar off. The sun
has arisen for her sake, her name rideth on the clouds of heaven,
4q the farthest parts of the earth. She hath placed her feet, and
they move not : she hath found the chamber of her beloved, and
goeth no more out into the street, to hail those pleasures that are
passing by. Her soul hath received a new covering from the Lord
— she dwelleth in the mind to depart no more. The flesh is an
evidence of her building hands. She draweth her lines in darkness
and sheweth them to the world by the rising sun. She waiteth at
the gate for the feet of strangers, and haileth them that would pass
her portals by : she declareth unto them there is no lasting joy
beyond her gates, nor a rest for man without the walls of her king,
dom — she hath become a lamp unto Jacob, and a way for the feet
of Israel. Her house is ornamented with the deeds of her life, ai\d
her memorials are forever. The vine beareth in her presence :
her flocks rest in the shade of it in safety, — the lion knoweth not
her habitation, neither can the subtilty of the serpent enter there.
Her house is built of hewn stone, the Lord hath given her the lines
of it, and she hath built with her hands a habitation for the just.

950

ACTINtf PRINCI1>LB8 OF LIFK.

IMPIETY.

Impiety ! Sloth hath closed thine eyes : The sun hath arisen on
thy habitation, and thou sleepest as in the clouds of the night : thine
hedges are thrown down by a stranger ; the enemy hath come into
thy habitation, and spoileth all thy goods. The gates of thy city are
open to the feet of strangers : the lion from the wood entereth there,
and the serpent ascendoth under the pillow of thine head. Thy vine
decayeth at the root, and the caterpillar eateth the leaves of it. Thy
trees cease to bear for the want of cultivation, and thine enemies
stand on Zion*s top. The dove hath \e(i thy dwelling : she found
no place for the soles of her feet ,* she hath fled to the distant hilt,
and thy drowsy eyes behold her not. Thy springs are filled with
mire, and thine cvn are thirsty without water, and hunger withoat
bread. There is no grape on thy vine, nor oil in thy store : thy
servants h. j sold it, and secreted the price while thou slept. Thy
gates are thrown down, and the feet of men go in and out, and des.
pise thy name. Thy shepherds have lost thy flocks : they wander
in a strange land to seek their former rest. The canker hath de«
stroyed thy garden : the flower decays for want of dew, and the rose
withereth away. The rain descendeth not on thy fields ; another
gathereth in thy scanty harvest, and divideth with the servants of
the king's house. Thy maidens are in the arms of strangers, and
their name perisheth for want of care : thy spouse hath made a co-
venant with another, and -will not be redeemed for money> nor
bought with gold. Thou art as a stone by the way-side ; Sorrow
aad Joy pass thee by, and thou knowest it not. Thy city is taken
with the sword, and all thine house are captives in a foreign land.
Thine harlots have gone to the chambers of the deceitful, and the
soils of men deceive them in their reward. Thy laws are trodden un-
der feet in the highways, and there are none to keep the keys of thine
house. Thy name is clothed with everlasting shame, aud the world
hath robbed thee of thine own : thou art poor, and hast not where-
\vith to cover thy shame. The judge calleth for thee, and thou hast
nought to answer his demand : the prison. door is open for thee, and
thou shah lift up thine eyes in death, and behold Piety afar off in the
bosom of the Lord. O thou slothful one ! thou carest not for thine
own chastity, nor mournest with the poor : thou seest not them that
are naked of thine own house : thy sons and daughters are without
law, and with the brute they go down to the grave. There is no
harp in thy courts : the songs of the living are not there, nor one
that was of old to plead thy cause Thy feet stand in Hell, and the
flame is near to thy soul : Wilt thou wake and come away, or canst

l;oiit.

351

.^km.m^m-,

on
line
into

are
tere,
vine
Thy
imies
bund
thill,
[with
ithoot
: thy

Thy
d des-
rander
th dO'
le rose
nother
ants of
ra, and
a a CO-

Borrow
B taken
n land,
and the
den un-
of thine
e world
wheriB-
lou haat
ee, end
•flfinthe
or thine
tern that
without
re is no
nor one
and the
or canst

thou sleep in theso burning regions of distress ? Thine eyelids are
fastened as with nails, and iby head lieth on an irun pillow. The
trumpet soundoth, but thou bearcat not to undo .stand : thou raisest
thy head for a mouient to inquire the inenning of it : thou art weary
with a moment's toil, and sleepest again. The judge calleth for
thee : Death ib at the bars of thine house, and thou must adhere to
his calls : the grave is open ; make thy feet ready ; for I by reproach'
ful name must enter there. Thme bouse shall be left desolate,
without a hand to record thy name. Piety called within thy gates*
and baih written these lines for tbee : the Sun of Righteousness
hath forsaken thy cbambers while thou slept ; but thou knowest not
whereunto he bus fled. He rideth on doves' wings, and departeth
in the dead watches of the night, while the sluggard and unthought.
ful are at rest. Thy windows are closed up with the clouds of the
east : the sun sbineth no more upon thy habitation, and thy spirit is
bound in the dark : Thou shalt cry in prison for the keeper of the
door, and shalt not be heard : he has gone to his rest, and thou inust
abide his coming with a groan, and await bis coming with many a
mournful sigh. Thy tomb shall be covered with darkness, nor shall
the Sun of Righteousness shine on it for ever. A fire shall be kin«
died within thy breast, and the doleful sounds of Hell shall be heard
in thine ears : thou shalt call on days past that never will return ;
neither will the hand of God come down from Heaven to comfort
thee : Thou art a spot on the human name, — a stain that shall never
wash away. Time shall be restored unto tbee, but thy memorial
shall be for ever : it is written in a book for all thy sons and daught-
ers to look upon. Thy habitation is with the dead, and where devils
weep for lost time for ever and ever.

Mabcu 25tb, 1835.
LIGHT.

LiOHT, thou art the covering of the world, the presence of the
highest. By thee man was made, and a sun placed within his breast
to give light to the inner man. Thou art without and within the
soul; by tbee the earth is discovered, and heaven, to the mind.
3y thee the plant arose from the bosom of the earth, and is clothed
with many colours. Thou art the name of the Deity with us ; the
bitter and the sweet grow up before thee, and unnumbered virtues
are extracted from the ground. By thee Jacob directed his feet
and fled from the city of revenge. By thee the sea did part, and
thy presence made a way for the feet of Israel. Thy garments

111-

953

ACTINU rillNX'IPLES OF LIIR.

extend beyond tbo deeds of thy giver's hands, and compassoth all
that is seen as with a mnntlc. Thou art the atmosphere of life ;
and all living move and have their being in thee. Thou art the
way of the fish and the fowl, and the eagle spreadeth out his wings
in thy name. Thou art wiihin and without all vegetation ; the flower
and the rose are formed by thee. Thou art the order of life ; thou
art perfect in the brute, but wanting in man till all his deeds are
accomplished, and his soul at rest with thee. Thou art in the grass,
and the harvest of the field ; and when the little one reacheth out
his hand to obtain the discovered prize, the direction is by thee.
Life is not without thee, nor any thing that groweth upward below
the sun. Thou art connected with life as the husband with the
bride, and life and light are one in nil things.

Wisdom is the light of life, and with her she walketh always.
Who hath seen wisdom without thee, or life without direction ?
Hope is implanted in thy breast, and faith is the proceeds of light,
and bringeth life into action, and the whole work of God appeareth
visible to the eye in thee. Thou art in the eye, and in the sun and
skies ; and when life departeth from the body light is absent also,
and the eye is closed in the dark.

Thou, O Light ! art the master of darkness ; but the night foI<
loweth thee afar off, as the evil hath followed the good in life. Thy
space is from the rising to the setting sun, and where life is thou
art there. Thou commandest life as a trained band of servants.
Thou art with the shepherd and his flocks, and where the Lord is
thou art present with him. Thou art the lamp of religion, a way
for the foot of the righteous, the direction of the hand, and the mov.
ing of the tongue. Thou art in hell, and convincest with the flame :
thou showest to man by conviction the error of his ways, and con*
verteth his soul from the night. Thou fashionest in darkness and
bringest forth to the perfect day, and clothest all thy deeds with gar.
ments of thy love. How beautiful is the flower in thine eyes! the
spreading leaf doth give thee praise, fiy thee the mountains were
made, and the shepherd's flock beareth twins. Thou directest the
soul to the baptizing place:, thou art as a consuming fire in the
heart of man, and the furnace ceaseth not to burn, till sin and dark-
ness is no more. Thou art the way of the ^hip in the sea, the eagle
in the air. The subtle serpent deceiveth by thee the unenlightened
hearf of the man : by thee he is overtaken and bound with a cord,
and for thy name he giveth up the ghost, to convince us of the extent
of thy power. The swift beast placeth his feet by thee, and winneth
in the race. Thou art within all living, and direct the limbs in all
the various deeds of life, thou lightest and succeedest again, and over-
comest the deeds of thine own hands, and puttest away the dawn of
the day by the rising sun. So thou dost within the soul ; and suc>

ilOUT.

S5S

h all

life;
t the '
vings
lower

thou
Is are
^rass,
ih out
thee,
below
h the

ways,
ction T
light,
eareth
m and
t also,

[ht fol-
Thy
is thou
rvants.
[jord is
a way
le mov.
flame :
nd con<
ess and
ith gar-
es! the
ns were
itest the
I in the
id dark-
le eagle
ightened
I a cord)
le extent
winneth
lbs in all
ind over-
, dawn of
and sue-

eeedeth in the child from the birth to the perfect man. Thou didit put
darkness to flight when the worlds began, and she serveth thee fur-
ever. By thee the earth was brought into motion, and the planets
fixed in the skies ; thou art the ;paths of the sun, and thou changest
the garments of the moon to show unto man thy wondrous works.
Thou ebbets and Howest with thi tides of the sea, by thee the billows
rise and fall again, by thee the s;)reading cloud knoweth her course,
she gathers together and extends and is no more : the clouds dis-
solve before thee, and the rain is directed downward to the earth.
The water-course hath found a way for her feet, and by thee the
way of the rivers is clear to the bosom of the sea. By thee man
hath seen his Creator God iu all his works, he hath given thee
to the world that the earth may know thy name and see his being
there. Thou art the way to heaven, and the communion with
saints. By thee the lines of Jerusalem were drawn out, and by thy
presence cast down to the earth. By thy name God hath revealed
himself to the world, and drawn out the heavens for thy rest. Thou
hast directed the pen to mark down the paths of the soul and the
ways of life ; thou hast opened the prison doors and delivered the
captive from his chains. Thou ham directed the iiving to the tomb,
and become a way for the dead to rise. Thou art the bride of the
living, and the Deity of the soul ; mun is thy servant, and thou gov.
ernest over him forever. Thou makest an end of darkness and set*
test the sun in the skies. Thou makest thy abode with man to part
with him no more ; thou hast clothed his spirit as with a mantle, and
no spots of darkness shall be seen in him. By thee the worlds
were made, and the heavens drawn out in a line, by thee the hea*
vens and the earth were rejoined together. Thou hast sealed thy
covenants with the earth, and made a league with man that shall not
pass away : thou hast taken fast hold on his right hand, and given
his soul dove's wings ; thou hast appointed his paths to the utmost
bounds of the earth, and the farthest borders of the sea. Thou hast
placed his feet on Zion, and by thee he beholdeth the whole earth.
By thee the Saviour cometh, and by thee the parent of the earth is
known. By thee is Jerusalem rebuilt, aitd by thee she hath a new
name under the sun. By thee the Saviour hath seen his bride ; by
thee he hath embraced the Church of his love ; and by thy name he
hath scaled covenants with the earth to part no more. Time is ea>
closed in thy breast, and thou art prepared to bear twins to the sons
and daughters of men. By thee the dead shall live, and the present
be saved. Time will make known that which cannot otherwise be
revealed. Thou art present with us, and art to come ; thou ridest
en the wings of time, and secretest thyself in the garment of future
years ; thou art the handmaid of the Lord, and showest thyself to
the world. Thou wt chaste io tt^ court of kings, and goest not

S&4

ACTING rUINCirLES OF LIFE.

into the chambors of the wicked, noithor dost thou wed with tlie
king's Ron. Thou art the bride of the Most High, nnd serveit at
the tables of the Lot-:'. — hi^ son is concealed in thy busom, the Sa-
viour of the wor)('. In ihy name he shall come to save all flesh.
Ho is the word of > >' ; I Jl thou art the garments of his name:
thou hast seen him kcibro he was born, and brought out his namo
to light below the skies. Thou art fairer than the morning, the sun
nseth in thy boso—.j and is clothed with thy garments all the day.
The day ceaseth not where thou art. Thou hast made nu covenant
with the night, and darkness fleeth before thee as a shadow. Sin
departeth from thy presence and is known no more, the skies own
thy talents, and tho grave rofusoth to take thee m, neither is thy
tomb made in the deptlis o the sea. Thou walkest on still waters,
and ridest on the storm. Thou bust led crowns captive and set tho
prisoners free ; thine eyes have beheld tho poor at thy gates, and
thou hast clothed them with garments of thy love. Thy name is
written in heaven and known on earth, the beginning and the end of
all things. Thou ort present with us, the name, eflecis, and pres.
ence oT the everlastmg God. Thou art unknown to darkness, nei<
ther hath the sinner entered into covenant with thy ways; thou
waitest for him os the weeping mother for the return of her young,
that hath gone abroad to gather flowers and is lost ; thou art in the
wilderness seeking, thou blowest a trumpet, but ho hcareth not.
He is in league with death, and she fleeth from thy presence, for
at thy presence she must give up the ghost, or be seen no more.
Thine eyes run down with tears for the dead: thy cheeks are as the
pathway of waters : thou seest, but pursuest not : thou waitest as by
the river side for those thou seekest to come unto thee. Thou hast
been to the wood, and marked the way to Jordan with thine hands ;
and here thou standest to heal their distresses through the baptizing,
and cleanse our leprosy away.

DARKNESS.

Darkness ! thou art where the hand of God hath not been in ac
tion ; — like the shapeless stone, neither polished nor square. Thoii
art the mind unimproved, where the feet of a man walk without line
or direction. There are no paths in it : he seeketh in thee aAer
conviction to turn his progressing feet back to childhood again. The
active hand of God seeth him there, and there he cannot go in
peace, to the grave. Thou art the hidden mansion of the dead, or
those that have passed away in their sins since the worlds began.
Their spirit is like that of the blind striving to see, and where the
■pirita of men cannot be at rest :— where a burning hell giveth light

MEKCY AND CHARITY.

s&»

to tlio foot, and the consuming flamo convertotU iho sou]. Tliey.
■hall see relief when thy bar« are broken: they are in the in in Jd of
men, und contmite tu sin till life and light lead them uaptivo frum the
dead. Light pursueth afler her captured victims, — bumta the prison,
doors, und biddoth them to como away, unwearied with trying,
•lothtul to fuini. Continue to seek longer, and increase the flame.
So man pursueth b.i^ sclf.concoited joys, till he returns to serve tho
Lord. The Lord hath not made man independent in life, neither
hath he placed the lump of his life in his own hands ; neither con
man make the light of life subject to his own desires. Tho Lord
hath prepared man to sacrifice to his name, but not to govern over
his own soul. The mind is the medium between God and the per-
son, and, when the mind goeth astrny, the man is lost : ho hath for.
bidden his loving presence to shine upon the deeds of sin, but hath
clothed them with darkness for ever. Hell arisoth about our wan*
dering feet, to convince us we are astray, and far from Heaven
above. The sinner's light is conviction to the soul, and Hell is a
light to man that God hath decreed amidst the darkest night. When
man is fully convinced of his errors, he will, through repentance,
come out of this convicting, convincing, and converting flame, and
resign his soul to God : and this is tho full purpose of a burning and
continuing hell in the mind. The sinning spirits are all in it that
ever were ; but there is not a penitent but hath seen a release from
these bonds : darkness is the space of it. The sense of man and
God is clothed with a cloud, and man mourneth as without a cause
till he knoweth his sins : these flames shall resign all the penitent!
of the world, and darkness shall be brought to light, and every anci*
ent spirit arise as from the tomb, and the righteous rejoice in the
flesh, and be comforted there: by the justifying presence of God
their spirits shall live, and die no more. The wicked shall groan in
the flesh, and repent before God ; for these are the operating pow>
ers of the Highest, and the way of his revealing his love and anger
unto man. Tho righteous shall fear his name, and sin no more :
the sinner shall fear und tremble, and dread the coming of his judg-
ments ; for all souls shall suflTer in the body, and in the flesh shall
all spirits be justified. Man is the servant at all times, — God his
judge and lawgiver, the justifier and condemncr of the soul.

March 16th, 1835.

MERCY AND CHARITY.

Mercv, thou hast spread thy wings abroad : the name of the Deity
is written upon them. Thy ways are infinite and thy life immortal
unto man. Thou inhabitest his bosom, and thy spirit is seen in the

856

▲CTiNO PRiMciPtEs or Lira.

deeds of Love. Charity is thy sister, and dwelleth with thee forever,
As streams of living water united in the soul, ye are the principles
of the virtues of life descending from God to make your abode with
man, and live with him forever. Mercy, thine eyes do see the
boundless pit ; thy spirit suffers with the wicked, and Charity sees a
release from the bonds of death. Ye are the attributes of the highest,
—the end of sorrow and the beginning of joys ; ye are ever present
with the Lord, — the direction of his hands : ye unbind the cords in
prison, and set the captives free ; ye are the lines of heaven and
the direction of life. Your offspring remain not in hell. Y« are
partakers of the bitter cup, that through your sorrows others may
see, and the truth be revealed to those that are not yet dead in their
sins. Ye were with ^od before the worlds were made, or the earth
revealed to man. Ye erect the dwellings of the just, and enter with
the righteous into rest. Ye measure out the measures of hell, and
declare there is no end to these that sin. Yo bear unto us the
decrees of God from heaven, and spread out your virtues before
y ur eyes.

Mercy, thou art our Saviour, and Charity the forgiver of our sins.
Ye are with us in our sorrows, and with the weary enter into rest.
Ye are the garments of the righteous, and a covert to the weary in
the storm. Take hold of mine hands ye loving arms of God, that
redeemeth the sinner, and callest the weary to his breast ; without
thy presence, the world is lost forever, and the captive remaineth
in his chains. Oh ye spirits of life ! ye flee from the presence of
angels in heaven, to the farthest sinner in the darkness of the earth ;
ye paths that are for the feet of those that go astray, lead my soul
to the City of God ; reveal unto me time to come, and clothe this
world with a garment that never will decay. Ye are as angels from
a Saviour's heart ; ye have been with God always, knowing all things
past, present, and to come ; ye are the ways of life, ye have led
death captive, and set the prisoners free ; ye are bread to the hungry
and wine to those that thirst. Life is in your ways ; ye quicken the
dead to live, and engrave your name upon him.

Mercy is the way to peace, and Charity the forgiveness of sins : —
by these the dead shall live ; ye are the gates of eternal life, the pil-
lars of heaven, and the living joys of the earth ; the light of the
human eye, and a spirit in the mind that passeth not away ; ye are
the justified of God, whose lamp shall not decay, nor your deeds

Jerish in a storm. Mercy and Charity ! sisters of my love ! oh that
may be led by you for ever. Your walls pass not away, neither
do your buildings decay in a storm. Your house is built on the piU
lars of wisdom, and your lamp is a burning and shining light to the
present world.

JUDGMENT.

JuDoUENT ! thou art the presence of God in the storm, — his anger
on the seas, when the billows, as the grave, receive the despairing
captives there. Thou attendest the diseased on the pillow : thou
causest the father to mourn for the son, and the mother to weep over
her departing joys. Thou sendest thy servants in the earth : DiS'
ease obeys thy command, and returns at thy calls. Thou openest
the grave, and closest it again : thou turnest the sinner from his
-ways, and Mercy followeth after thee. Ye are as twins of one
bosom : Judgment and Mercy are the proceeds of one God. —
Judgment ! thou art the consuming flame of the Almighty and the
conviction of God : thy flame goeth not out by day, neither are thy
bars closed in the dark watches of the night. The sinner on the
pillow numbers thy pains, and flees to Mercy as a Saviour of his
soul. Thou art with the sword, and feared in the battle : thou lay-
est the living on the ground, and causest the spectator to dread his
fate. Thou art Hell to those that sin, and there is no turning thy
feet from those to whom thou art sent. Thou teachest the fear of
the Almighty, and tellest the living to dread thy ways. Thou art
the gates of Hell, and all the earth are passing thy portals through.
Mercy is beyond thy ways : thou baptizest, and Mercy receives
thine oflferings cleansed in thine hands : Thou art the shadow of the
hand of God upon the earth, and none can see beyond thy ways but
those that know thy name. Thou art wearisome to the soul and
the gate to everlasting rest : all the inhabiters of the earth are one,
beyond thy ways. Thou consumest < de in thy s^acred flame»
but in thee there is no rest : witbi hy walls is no abiding
place : in thee the soul resteth not. i hou makest our nights to
be weary, and darkenest the morning of our days, thou uncon.
quered servant of our God ! Crowns cannot bind thee with a
chain, nor princes lead thee captive in a cord. Thou deflest
the physician, and shakest the powers of the whole earth. Thou
causest thrones to tremble, and crowns lo pass away ; the young
are in thy hands, and from thy gates the aged are not free. Thou
art the arrows of death sent abroad into all the earth ; thou art
the shaded space of the Almighty, no human eye can se^ beyond thy
gates ; — thou art established through sin, and thy griefs are forever
more. Man was born to die, and pay the tribute of his blood in
thee. Thou enlargest thy bosom as sin increases, thou gateway aud
space of all the inhabitants of the earth ! Sinners draw at thy bosom
and are not satisfied. Mercy is beyond thy ways, and liveth when
thy flames abate. Thou art the sinners companion by night, the
bride of his chamber, a champion slaying all his joys. Thou art th«

358

ACTING rniNCirXKS OF LIFE.

oppressing liand of God upon the children of men, as the furnace,
purifying the soul ; the way to the house of wisdom, in thee, is the
fear of the Lord. Thou art a light to the feet of the sinner, a burning
lamp to his darkened mind. The Lord hath placed thee in the ways
of all men — the saints have not entered the portals of the skies but
by thy name. Thou art placed as a pillar in the earth that cannot
move ; thou art the decree of God since man was made, that all souls
may fear thy name and be saved. Thou art the terrors of life, and
affrightest the departing soul. Thy gates are as Jordan, and all men
pass thco through ; thou art the di>lay of sinners, and those that obey
temptation abide with thee ; thou art the house of the afflicted ever
since the world began, the baptising hand of God, and the reformer of
the soul ; — thou convincest by pain, and convertest by thy chastising
hand. Thy gates are open all the day, thou art ever present with
those that sin ; he cannot turn his feet from thy gates, neither can
wisdom lead him by. Thou art the lost city, the space of the dead ;
in thee thy scholars are untaught to rise and come away. But there
is one mighty in strength, and wise in direction, he hath set bounds
to thy name : he shall lift np his voice in thee as with the sound of a
trumpet, and all thy dead shall arise and come away ; in thy bosom
all the inhabitants of the earth shall be converted from their sins ;
they shall know the purpose of thy name, and bid thy gates adieu ;
and the hand of mercy lead them to their God. Thou art the mise<
riesof life, immortal in thy ways, and the curse that God hath placed
on the earth ; in thy dark mansion the kindred of one blood divide,
and a man becomes a stranger to his brother, and by thee doth curse
his name. Beyond thy gates are the paths of peace, and the redeemed
walk therein and see t^y gates no more.

Judgment and mercy are as twins of the Almighty : by the one he
doth trouble for our sins, and by the other abate the consuming flame.
These are united by his convincing and converting power, by which
he will redeem all the inhabitants of the earth into the presence of
ope God ; and the children of this world shall be as the children of
one father : and heaven and God, and saints and angels, dwell here
on earth with them forever. All shall be convinced and converted
in the flesh : the mind is the habitation of spirits, heaven and hell is
in it, and here guilt consumes the sinful soul ; it is where the dead
shall live, and the sinner be converted and redeemed from all his
woes, and his soul as the living stream seeking the bosom of the
sea, flow to his creator God, and live with him forever and enjoy
those promised worlds that are to come, which is a conversion of the
soul.

-''*'-

INDEX

IMPRESSIONS OF THE MIND.

Page.

The decrees of God, 2

The invisibility of God 9

Brioht are the rays of heavenly

light 13

The power and virtue of the

word of God, 14

Keep thou, O Lord, my harp in

tune, 19

The Lord is nol in fetters, ib

The love of God to the world,. 26
The vengeance of God, or the

sorrows of ein, 29

Let tiie earth hear, 83

Ilumility in royai apparel, 36

Exaltation naked to the world,. . 39
When time to come spread out

her wings 42

The blessing of God to sinners, 43

The joys of the penitent 46

The raerciea of God to the world, 49

Anger of God to the world 52

Hope in mourning, 55

Despair in distress, 59

The life of a Redeemer in the

mind, 63

The salvation of the world, .... 67
The way to heaven, or the paths

of peace 70

The way to misery, 74

What is life? 77

Whatisdeathi 83

Vci impressions of Divine love, 90

.'Ocop is '.he mire and clay, 94

k'^Oijid the lion. Lord, to rage,. . 95
The cause of trouble and the

cause of joy, 97

Truth alone 101

. The eiiisctB of trouble on the mind, 106
The earth is fuU of the wonders

of the Lord, 109

The travels of the soul, Ill

Wisdom's ways, 115

Chapter Ist, 119

" Sod,. 125

Page.

Chapter 3rd 130

•• 4ih 139

•• 5'h, , 145

•• 6ih 152

To the memory of Anne Keid,. .158

God enlarges the mind, 160

Chapter 7th, 163

History of the house of the Lord, 168
The creation is made to suffer,. .172
The creation an evidence of the

Deity, 177

The mind is tender as water in

the infant frame, 181

The former and latter dispenaa-

tionq, 185

Whosoever leaveth the paths of

observation, 189

The strength of the mind, 194

The mind is a compact body, . . .197
There is nothing more disappoint-
ing than the mind, 201

Extent of the mind 206

The Mind of the Deity 211

How Beautiful are the Laws of

the Lord! 214

The World's Evidence for a

Deity 219

Life is one United Spiritual Body ,220

The Changes of the Mind 222

Let the Earth Arise, 224

Lord ! Thou art my Dwelling

through Ages, 226

God is Life 227

God is Command, 231

The Lord is in his Sanctuary,.. .234

Who can Know the Man 1 237

The Son of God is sent to the lost,241
Shepherds of North America,.. .246
The Dispensations of God to the

World 251

The Pillarf of Good Government,257

A Call to Repentance, 262

United Colonies, 265

Testimony to the Author, 269

'^"

INDEX

A FRIEND TO BRITAIN.

Fag*.

An Address to the Clergy in the Christian World 273

The Sanctuary of the Lord, * 277

Address to England and Ireland, with my best love to the People and

the Kino, 281

Britain may hope in the Salvation of God 286

The evidences of Truth and Error 292

The principles of life, 296

An Address to William IV., of Great Britain & Ireland, King, 301

The Sorrows of the Lord, 303

The love of God to the Church of England, 303

INDEX

TO THB

ACTING PRINCIPLES OF LIFE.

. Pag*-

Love, 317

Sorrow 320

Hope 322

Despair, 326

Faith, 329

Immortality, 334

Life, 337

Death, 340

■ ■ * ■ Paije.

Religion, 342

Infidelity 345

Piety, 348

Impiety, 350

Light 351

Darkness, 354

Mercy and Charity, 355

Judgment 357

Toronto ; J. H. Lawrence, Printer, Guardian Office.

***,

Page.
.... 273

. . 2T7

and
.... 281

286

. .. 292
.... 296
.... 301

... 303
308

Page.

342

345

• •••■• O^IO

350

351

. ....354

. . , . . .uOO

So I