The book of wonders

the scriptures, to understand them, and discern their fulfillment; then they could form a clear judgment from what you had pointed out to them; because you never mentioned that the answers were given to his letters. And now you must point out to them, from his calling at the beginning, where he stood without conditions to be the man, as I told you, through whom your writings should be sent out; and by him it was done. You must also show where he stands without conditions, so they may discern what is spoken on conditions, which no man can judge clearly until they have seen the end."

After this letter was sent, I took my book and was reading the first letter I was ordered to send to ****** in 1804, when I came to these words: "****** believes my visitation visitation: a divine communication or appearance to be from the Lord; and in obedience to His command, he waited upon you. Now, if you blame ****** for doing that, I must beg you will take off your gown original: "throw off your gown"; refers to resigning his clerical office." Upon reading these lines, it struck my mind so forcibly that he had not resigned; nor was he dead. Therefore, I thought to myself it was a prank done in mockery by someone who had seen the book and had described his death in that manner—that he took off his gown and did not go into his pulpit. And though I reasoned with myself about the inconsistency of my thoughts—that he would not suffer anyone to do such a thing and that they dared not do it without his permission—yet I could not get the impression off my mind.

I told my thoughts to more than forty of my friends. They reasoned with me about how unlikely it was for any such thing to be done, or that he was not dead; for it would have been contradicted in the newspapers. Even if he had been seized with a fit and recovered, it would have been put

in the papers. Therefore, no one could agree with my opinion that anything of the kind had been done in mockery, or that ******* was not dead. Their reasoning was strong against me in every way; but still, the impression was so powerful in my mind that there was no truth in the report, but that it was a trick played on me. In response to my thoughts, I was answered:

"Now suppose that he is dead,
As in the paper it was said.
Given the way his death appeared,
Will you then see the mystery cleared?
So now discern the way I warn:
If he is dead and gone,
While in your thoughts you still do fear
It is a mockery done by man.
For I have left you to your fears
For ends you do not know;
But when the mystery is made clear,
You will find mankind is so.
For recall all your thoughts to mind;
You have reasoned every way,
And yet within you still are blind;
Because you still do say,
That the way his death was described
Might be a mockery done;
And fools together might agree,
In this way to mock your hand.
And though your reasonings have been strong,
It is folly to judge so;
And you will know, before too long,
That in folly you do go
To judge that man could do the thing,
Because your words were plain:
'And so we'll mock her in the end—'
The simple sons of men!
Now discern how I do warn,
Though simply it is written here.
But this I tell you of mankind:
They will judge so in the end.
And in your judgment, men do stand
Exactly like your thought;
And unbelief is in your land,
In the way that you have worked."