AN

EXPLANATION

OF THE

PARABLES

As the Two Books of Parables, which have been a stumbling-block to me and to many others, are more deep, weighty, and clear, to show the end of all things to mankind, than any books I have written; I shall now give the public my own pondering thoughts concerning them, and the merciful manner the Lord has condescended to make every crooked path straight before me, and unveiled the mysteries in them, so that I have been lost in wonder and surprise, to see the weakness of my own judgment, and the folly of my own heart, when the Lord was pleased to condescend to unveil his hidden wisdom that was concealed from me.

But first I shall give a short account of my own folly, and then show how the whole is explained. Although I have been often reproved concerning my jealousy in this context, "jealousy" means suspicion or cautious anxiety of putting in print those Parables, and all the simple history of my Life; yet on reading them over I felt a jealousy arise in my heart, whether there was a possibility of my being deceived, by the directions of a wrong spirit, to put them in print; as I knew my Visitations spiritual experiences where the author believed she was hearing or seeing divine messages at Bristol were stronger than I ever experienced before or since; and the powers of darkness often assaulting me, my earnest prayer and petition was, to know if the Lord had permitted a wrong spirit to deceive me, for ends unknown; and fearing I might be in a sin, in disliking the Parables, if they were from the Lord, as taking in question his wisdom, that I well knew could never