The National Register. — London, England, 1814-08-14 00:00:00

1, 1 F E OF JOANNA SOUTHCOTT. .10ANNAs ' S (IC=;re of obtait ink nrosel% tes led ber to ite• Me•ate through d:fleient parts of the conutry, particularly at Leeds, ()Id ~‘y•tilotd, St •ckport, and the adjacent: pa:ts, meeting with fu'l i,wei iii in diiectinns, but mote espec i a ..iv a! I. ec ii4, where het cattse ate tly bed. Ile , p,mpitlet, entitled a %Vol.(' to the Wi e, re,ointed in 141,), js ushered into the Wot ;(1 with so nn• otefatory line d :ted from 4 lid s:winford, .August the 31-t. 1803, wile. , she was employcd on her mi , sionary tour. Perig. inattoo not being her ultitnate wnh, Joanna has long since settled neat the metro.. polp:, her leading . chary' b• in; in Doke-street, St. George*s pi e i : l 4 , in the vie ini , y of t h e Obeikk ; where her hiuli priest. Mr. VV. Toter, presides. and %Oleic. the Lit tit gy of the (`hurt h o f England is rend. pi eparator% to the set monk e;ucidation of her prognostications They have a choir of singers, he. poetry supplying thcm•with hymns. Anxious to be .ega , ded •s within the acknowledged pale of the Chtistian Church, notwithstanding their eccentricities, the Sacrament is legit tarty admini;tered among them. and they even affeet to con sqler themselves in the character of menthe's of the Esta b!isl-ment ! It was customary with the prophetess, during the early part ef her career. to commit her supernatural contmunica• Cons to paper with her own hand; but lattetl ,. she has a se cretary in attet•dance on her. Several had imagined that this spirit of her's add essed her ()reply. The spirit, it wis supposed, spoke to her as man speaketh to matt ; and hence it was mulct stood that he addressed her in an audible v ice. till," says Mr Hann, suspecting the deception, I caused her to be jute , rogated, when, taken unawares, shc coufess , al that the Spirit's habit of addressing her was not in an audi ble voice ! Joanna was herself mu. h agitated on account of her uncertainty of the twine of this spirit, and this tunet r taintv was formerly so prevalent in her own mind, that she was frequently about to burn her writing.:, and relinquish her pursuits." When the Spit it is about to impart some cont. inunication, Joanna feels an agitation within ; then the Pro. phetess, her secretary, and the witness, range themselves in one group. After this, the Spirit begins to speak, addressing himself not to the witness, nor the secretary, but to Joanna within : so that our Pi ophetess has simply to sit down, and talk to herself! This she actual') does, when the secretary, :mother female, takes down what he says, and then the wit ness, likewise feminine, signs it. Joanna will sometimes die tate a line only, somuttmes a sentence, stopping till it is per fect!c committed to writing. While, however, site is thus feta iving the einnninnications of the Spirit, her thoughts are given to wander, which induces her to play a game at " mit maze to confine them ! Seeing how their Prophel(Ns has, accot ding to her own declarations. ‘. been led on by types, shadow , , dreaans, and vision:, from 1792 to the present dav," we cannot be stir prized , o find that her votartes so en• itely re.etuhle her, as to - regard dreams and visions as evidential of the divinity of her • mission. Mr. trOzer, fin one. boldly affiiins that what he has mtracul-msly seen and heard, sleeping and waking, is to hint sufficient confiimillon el - Joanna's visitation being from 'God ! Nothing k more easy than human weAttess to re- Pose on visions Of this kind; nor i an one So difficult to he undeceived asthe man who confesses that he dreams while Ikre 's awake. I; the aspires to the credit of inspira'ion have proposed some peculiar aidyan.age to such as should be induced to be- Aril. 14 I eve it, them Brothe.,held seer Res!or.ation to the Is aclues; though he denounced judgments on his own "con, try an d Joanna, while , he is nt-clatming woe to the inhabitan!, ea , th, not only assume , to usher in the Millenium, but to seal the faithful fir the enjo , n ent of it, to the'am to f one hundred and fort% four thousand ; :its() to chain it, wn -atm% for the thou,and yo a , 4. and having 'Pm , Itand-d . we e r the good fruit of the tree of ""wi 11 4 e. a" 'elleta:ed 1)..r fallen .sex, to terminne the immense nude , taking of maw s redetnnti n. N , ,w it is seat in lino constitute% the in , s , fa. y of her scheme. !laving at first wo , ked 4,11 the ( edin:s of her adhey cuts, she next called on them to sign their nan ies _t - . )r "Ini,t's glorious and peat efol kingdom to come nun!) the r , rth, and for Satan's to 1w de , tio• ai. Balt' a sheet of umter was accoritingly got, on which was wri!ten the , c words 6 The S e aled of the Lard—: hr Elect, Precious—Alan's Red..m9. tion—to inherit the Tree of Life-- to be made Hi irs of G o d, awl Joint. Heirs will, Joni Christ P Joanna then affixed tier signato , e Each of the , ea's being then 14 igued, the in ) . pres-iim of the seal of the ()Witless wis male 011 the Out. side wi , h wax*. Numbers at one time aopq.td I it- these sacred se.-k by inscribing their names on the list provided for that end, whirl) 'was understood to be sighing fit Satan's destruction. When vou petition your govt. , nous upon wot Idly aft' ohsei VCS one of Joanna's chief champions, •• do you not first give rior !lames to a rough rtition, then sign a petition pro. peily drawn up, and then w tit the result ? Then, why sh , iiiA you marvel that the Lord should deal wi'h men after the manner of men ? If you wish to kivisv what this Sealing is, read Joanna :•:onthemes book. c gilled Caution and Instruction to the Sealed, whi• h you may get at Nil. Ti:zer's, Chapel Plaee, Doke s treet, S:, (;eorge's Field .•' superstition was about this period at its height for the oeople were actually dying, and ordering these seals to be buried with them, only fur years ago, that their spirits might he wafted to the heaven of immortalitr Of such importance was the sealing of the Fai - hful, and so angered was the Dt vil at the success of it, that Joanna had to conflict with him timing seven days, and was afterwards compelled to fast for forty more days. Satan, it seems, had • The impression was performed with a seal that Joanna found in sweeping her house, anti %shill' she threw by into the till of tier box tint the Spirit one day ordered her to look for it, when :be toond the Teter. J. C. were enuraven on it. with Two Star% ; 11w initisl J. being by the spirit to het interpreted to :tand both for Jesus mitt Joaona, and that of C. for Ciniq. The :tars were lierealhr to :iv nify those of morning and evening ; Justis being the Morning Star t anti Joir..na the Evening Star ! Anorxvil to her Sealing, says Mr. Lane. is this IIIeTOCIY Pik (S. C.) the two initials upon which I can only understand to nw:4n INFEttN COMMISSION, believing that Joanna at:is tinder the im mediate direction of Satatt Hilt the prophetess still defends the valinity of the Seo/b, as the impartial reader will perceive by the ensuing extract from her WorJ ro the Wise. " Anti now you see," declares the Spirit to Joanna, " Men have begun to write their Atones-- for the desire ot my king. (tom ; as 1 said it was hastening oil. And now they are lislfillitq my words ; and they shall be weleomed in with the Itrielegroolc-- hell I come to bring on the mielnieht hour for inaii.—then flay shall lie known to me, fivin their names. who wish for my kituduln so all is sliewsi in the visions, as I told thee." Aeon. " It i% not thy prophecies," continues the SLiirit, sreal,ing to I)eiwa, '' that cont. oleic their happiness, but the sealing their names. that they have .Signed for Satan s Destruction, ;mu their 'testi . . for my kingdom, Via moist complete their haopiness iu I c end. 'thy prophecies shall toting them to the perreet knowledge of the good ; but it is the seals that must complete• their liappittes , in the end, $0 mail is an help. mate with thee, and thou with man ; tor Cita shall complete this liappine-s for man. .Anse it is for the sake of these, that elect toe fist their chosen Priest and King, that Satun's r. ago shall be ahortesed. So these are the elect, for whose bake he shall tie cast dorp;' VIE ITTnNAL RPOTQTRT?...