The book of wonders

"To confound the wisdom of men at first and prove your judgment wrong—those who attributed your writings to him in the manner of men—I well knew it was impossible for you to remain in Exeter and have your writings proved there if ********* had stood steadfast with you. This is because men and devils would have risen in fury against you and against the man; for as they began, they would have continued to say he had written from his own invention what he was ashamed to put his own name to, and therefore requested yours. So, one way or the other, both would be condemned.

"Call to your remembrance what they said of *****; whatever they approved of in your writings, they said was written by him. The world would have affirmed this had I permitted any man to take the writings from your mouth after I ordered you not to write the communications yourself. Therefore, I told you I should gain two handmaids to write for you These were Jane Townley and Ann Underwood.; and you know this was in 1795. Now let them discern the manner in which I worked a way to have strangers come forward who had no knowledge of you or your writings, which had been carried on for so many years and published to the world before they had ever heard your name.

"This was my wisdom, to baffle the wisdom of men; for I have shown you plainly, from the wisdom of a few, what the wisdom of thousands would be. As books are printed now against you, Satan would have had every advantage to work in men to publish books against him and you if he had stood steadfast to go on. Therefore, I permitted his fall from any faith in your mission.

so that you dare not say your souls are your own, or that you can stand or fall by your own masters. Because the fear and dread of men make many fall from their own steadfastness: man’s inhumanity to man makes countless ages mourn. A reference to Robert Burns’ poem "Man was Made to Mourn."

"But know, I told you that if he repented and acknowledged the truths that were put in his hands, I should make his standing more secure than it was before he fell. For I have already shown you how his standing could not be secure if he went on according to his first calling. But in his unbelief, he has acted like the unbelieving world; as I told you before regarding the Bible, they are doing the very things he did with your writings. Are they not dividing the Bible, taking away one part so that it may not be understood? You have heard the manner in which the Arians Arians were followers of a theological belief that denied the full divinity of Christ; Southcott views their biblical interpretation as selective. are dividing the Bible. If this were to be done by everyone in the same way—taking away one part—men would have no clear knowledge of the Scriptures to compare them together or show the truth of one part with another. This could not be done by man; if everyone joined in the same way, then there could be no witnesses of the Scriptures to prove their contents. The knowledge would be concealed from public view, just as the truth of your writings was concealed by him. So both stand in the same likeness.

"Now call to your remembrance what books you have heard of, and what books have been brought to your view, that are printed against the Scriptures and against my Gospel—much worse than anything ever printed against you. And now I ask mankind: how will these blasphemous writers,"