LIFE & JOURNAL - Christian Israelite Church

1819-1822
The believers in the visitation of the Spirit of God, at Ashtonunder-Lyne,
never had any correspondence or acquaintance
with the believers of Bradford; in consequence of which the
letter sent to them was directed wrong, and did not come to
hand for several weeks. On its receipt the contents were laid
before a meeting of the friends, and two of the committee were
deputed to go to Bradford to make inquiries upon the subject,
etc., one of the two being their speaker. They arrived on the
20 th of November, 1822, and the believers at Bradford had a
meeting that night, in which John Wroe spoke. The day
following, these two men were in company with John Wroe, at
the house of John Brunton; and they expressed their satisfaction
with what they had heard at the meeting, but one of them (the
speaker) said he was placed in a particular situation, for he had
to stand between God and the people, and wished for some
evidence for them in writing; they (the committee) wrote him a
few things. John then asked him if he was any better satisfied;
he said, “If there were more it would be better.” He said he had
a sign when he received the visitation of Joanna Southcott;
another when he received the visitation of George Turner, and
another when he received the visitation of William Shaw.
John then answered, “There will be a sign, and you must look
for it in the newspapers in about a fortnight, it will make the
ears of all to tingle. And there is another sign for you,
(addressing the speaker), and it will be ready for you, and meet
you when you get home; and it will be the greatest trial to you
that ever you had in your life, and you will take your bed upon
it, and seek for death.”
While he was at Bradford, the believers at Ashton, by whom
he was much respected, discovered that he had been carrying on
an adulterous intercourse with a young woman of the same
society, though he was an aged man, and had a wife and several
children; and as soon as he got home the sign was ready for
him, and he acknowledged it was the greatest trial to him that
ever he had in his life, and took (to) his bed upon it, and sought
for death. And in about fourteen days after the other sign took
place, which was an uncommonly strong wind, by which
buildings were blown down, and people so frightened in the