The book of wonders

of him, to justify himself in keeping it back. Therefore, he could not appear to come forward and cast the blame on you; but if he appeared to clear his honor, it must be to own the truth and blame himself for listening to the wrong advice of men. Then, from the Bible, I would have cleared his honor among mankind, to prove he had acted as a faithful shepherd who cared for his sheep, and as a faithful shepherd between God and man.

If he had come forward with the truth to clear himself, he would have found my promise true; but I did not tell you he could do this. For you know I told you how much he feared to appear, knowing he could not clear himself of what he had done without acknowledging every truth—which he thought would condemn him and justify your writings, which he had advertised as coming from the devil. But know my promise, which stands on record: he who confesses his sins shall find mercy, if he forsakes them to turn from the evil of his ways.

Here I have shown you how I would have cleared his honor had he come and repented; but they must discern from his letters how he argued about the loss of his honor, which I told you he would never regain without appearing to clear the truth. They must discern deeply how much he wished to have everything concealed and given up concerning him, so that he might not be brought forward in your writings. Then they may understand my answer to his request—that I would never give him up, but all the truth must be brought to light and published concerning him.

“This was my strict command; then they must discern what I said concerning the trial being brought around to judge him if he refused to come himself. Then let them see how the trial was brought around by the witnesses con-

cerning ********; then how I ordered everything to be printed. So that, according to the words I spoke of him, saying I would never give up the man, they will find all are fulfilled; for I did not give in to any request that he made. It was to test the wisdom of men—how they would compare things together—that I ordered them to try their judgment and draw their conclusions from the communications. No man could draw a clear judgment without going back to the beginning to discern the letter I ordered you to send; then to compare it with his answer, seeing how much he entreated for everything to be given up concerning him, so that none of the truths might be made known or published. Then they must know that my answer was never to give in to his request, but to have every truth tried and proved.

“Here I have shown them the way they must judge the pages that I ordered you to point out to them: that it was in answer to his letters, which I ordered you to put in print; and here they may clearly judge the whole. But if his letters had been kept back and not put in print, everyone would have stumbled, as ******** began to do; for they would not have understood the meaning of the words saying I would not give him up. Neither should the believers give him up to the request that he made, which is the meaning of the words. Therefore the letters that wounded your heart to see in print when he was no more, I now tell you, will ease the hearts of many; because they cannot clearly see the meaning of the one without the other. My Bible stands exactly the same way—it requires clearing the end from the beginning; comparing my Gospel with the Prophets, and the Redemption with the Fall. Without weighing the whole together, men can draw no more judgment from