"And in the next place observe these words in page 13:"There was no way that thy innocence and injured honour could be cleared but by a marriage union." But now I ask thee, how thy injured honour could be cleared from the false inventions of men, who have risen up against thee, and all the malicious lies they have invented against thee; how could this be cleared by a marriage union? But now I have told thee in what manner: not from the past, but the present; for, without marriage taken place, before the CHILD is born, to have a Father, to adopt him as his Son, thou wouldest be looked upon as an adultrous woman, having a base child; and there is no way that men could clear thy honour and innocence..

"So from this ye may see the meaning of my words, and the truth is plain before you, which no man could clear or understand, when I ordered thee to put that book in print. For when words are given, ye know not the way I shall work round to fulfil them, to make them clear to the sons of men, which cannot at first be understood by men; now perfectly so the scriptures stand, which men can no more understand, to explain the meaning of them, to prove them true, any more than thou or thy friends could explain the Second Book of Wonders, why a marriage union with thee should be a blessing to mankind; or why thy friends should all rejoice, when marriage had taken from thee thy reproach among women. How could this be explained and understood by men? If they call the prophecies a reproach, a marriage union would not take it away; and if ye call a single life a reproach, then the Gospel is contradicted, to say, blessed is the barren womb that never bare, and

that the single woman is to the Lord. So there is no way that men could explain the meaning of the words, before I had brought thee into this situation, that is called a reproach to a woman, not having an husband. Then now ye may see all is made as clear as the noon-day sun; and your rejoicing will be great, when every thing is made so plain before them, that there is no room for doubts left. But how could this be proved last year? If a marriage union had taken place, when I first warned thee of it, could it be then proved that it is a visitation from the Lord, to bring in an earthly marriage, different from what hath taken place before? Have not all manner of strange marriages taken place, which have been thought so wonderful amongst mankind, which men have said must be decreed by the Lord, from the manner it was brought round? Then how could this marriage be different from what hath ever taken place before, and counted a blessing from the Lord, without some extraordinary event happening, that never hath taken place before, to be a blessing to the man who is made the reputed Father of the SON, whom he believes to be created by the power of the Most High? And without faith this cannot be fulfilled; therefore I said concerning the marriage, in the 16th page, that no union of marriage should take place with thee, to join your hands, before I had joined your hearts, which must be united in a firm and steady faith, both alike believing it from the Lord that thy visitation is, and the manner I have brought it round to have the marriage completed with God and man. The spiritual visitation is granted by the Lord, to fulfil the scriptures, as I have told thee already, which men no more understand, how

to explain, and make them true, before the end cometh for ME to fulfil them, than they can explain thy Second Book of Wonders, how to prove it true, concerning the marriage, from the way and manner it was spoken, if it had taken place last year. But now, from what hath followed since, every man that is a true believer will see it plain.

"Now let them look back, and weigh what is said in the Second Book of Wonders, and compare it with the Fifth; then they may see it like the rising sun, shining brighter and brighter to the perfect day, and the truth, like the noon-day sun, standing before them, which could not be proved without this union taking place.

"And let them look to the Third Book, and answer my demand, how they can prove the Scriptures true, any other way than I have explained them to thee? And how they can prove the end to be at hand, of its fulfilment, before these strange events have taken place? Where will they prove any SON of MAN ever established upon an earthly throne, to be for ever, till the Lord cometh to bring in everlasting blessings to man, that the whole earth shall be filled with his glory, and to bring glory to God in the highest."

"Now come to Psalm cx. which I ordered thee to put in print. Second Book, page 83. "The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion; rule thou in the midst of thine enemies." Those that reprove, let them answer, who is the ROD of my STRENGTH, that I said should rule in the midst of mine enemies? Were not the Jews mine enemies, when I dwelt amongst them? Was I not cut off from them? And were they not scattered throughout the nations? But where hath the ROD of my STRENGTH ever yet

been sent to gather them together, to raise a Ruler and a Prince amongst them, to restore them again as my people? For those who are my people will be all willing in the day of my power, which they will find hastening on, by the SoN that I told thee I should bring; because I told thee, in page 86, that I should bring the SoN.

"And now let them look to page 110. Isaiah xxxviii. 7. 8. “This shall be a sign unto thee from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing that he hath spoken, behold I will bring again the shadow of the degrees which is gone down in the sun-dial of Ahaz ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees by which it was gone down."

"And so in like manner the Son must return, when the Sun of Righteousness ariseth with healing in his wings. I have brought round many of thy prophecies in a manner that no one can understand, neither by argument prove them true, before I work a way to fulfil them, beyond the power and wisdom of man to shew them plain. In like manner the Scriptures stand.

"And now I shall answer thee further of the Books which were printed last year. Second Book of Wonders, page 7, concerning the marriage being granted by the Bishops.

"Here come to the judgment of thy friends, and then men may see the truth of my words, and the necessity of the marriage being granted by them.

I was ordered to call together the same seven friends who had met by my directions last year, and the following contains the question proposed to them, with their answer.

"Having been this day called together by the direction of Mrs. Joanna Southcott, to take into

consideration her present situation, as announced in the Books of Wonders, we were desired to give our opinion upon the following question proposed

to us:

"How can the Son who is to be born of her inherit as an Heir, after the manner of men, without having an adopted Father, before he shall be born?"

"In answer to this inquiry, we say, that, according to the laws of the land, the Son so announced cannot be a legitimate child to inherit as an Heir, after the manner of men, without a marriage union having taken place between her and some man, previously to the birth of such a Son.

(Signed,) WM. OWEN PUGHE.

BENJAMIN CARDER.

THOMAS TURPIN.

Saturday, June 4th, 1814.

WILLM. SHARP.

JNO. Hows.

THEODORE TURPIN.
WM. TOLHURST.

The above opinion was also agreed to by CoL. W. TOOKE HARWOOD, Mr. WM. TOZER, and, RICHARD GOLDSMITH.

The same question was sent to Mr. HALHED, and he returned the following answer signed by himself and Mr. SPRING:

"We have maturely considered the question this day proposed to us, relative to the actual situation of Mrs. Joanna Southcott, as described in her late Books of Wonders, and as far as our own limited knowledge extends, are perfectly agreed in the following answer:

To constitute a capacity for inheriting as a legal Heir, by the laws of this country, and pro