Letter from Heaven. Jesus' sabbath letter. ". . . from Iconium."
England, 1795. Link to scan.
A Copy of a Letter written by our Blessed
Lord and Saviour
JESUS
CHRIST,
[Centered oval image of Jesus, see description below.]
[Preliminary text divides around image.]
And found eighteen
miles from Iconium, fifty three years after our Blessed Saviour's
Crucifixion.
Transmitted
from the Holy City by a converted Jew.
Faithfully
translated from the original Hebrew copy, now in the possession of Lady
Cuba's family at Mesopotamia.
This letter
was written by JESUS CHRIST, and found under a great stone round and
large at the foot of the cross. Upon the stone was engraved, "Blessed
is he that shall turn me over." All people that saw it, prayed to God
earnestly, desired that he would make this writing known unto them, and
that they might not attempt in vain to turn it over. In the mean
time there came out a little child, about six or seven years of age,
and turned it over without assistance, to the admiration of every
person who was standing by. It was carried to the city of
Iconium, and there published by a person belonging to the Lady Cuba.
On
the Letter was written, the commandments of Jesus Christ.
Signed by the Angel Gabriel, seventy-four years after Our Saviour's
birth.
[Divided text ends above. Next two lines undivided and centered.]
King
Agbarus's Letter to Our Saviour, and Our Saviour's Answer; also his
Cures and Miracles.
Likewise, Lentulus's Epistle to the
Senate of Rome, containing a Description of the Person of Jesus Christ.
[Remaining text in two columns, with narrow decorative scroll
in between.]
A LETTER OF JESUS CHRIST.
WHOSOEVER worketh on the Sabbath-day shall be cursed, command you
to go to church, and keep the Lord's Day Holy, without doing any manner
of work. You shall not idly spend your time for bedecking yourself with
superfluities of costly apparel, and vain dresses for I have ordained a
day of rest. I will have that day kept holy that your sins be
forgiven you. You shall not break my commandments, but observe
and keep them, write them in your heart, and steadfastly observe that
it was written with my own hand and spoken with my own mouth. You
shall not only go to church yourself, but also send your men-servants
and your maid-servants, and observe my words and learn my commandments;
you shall finish your labour every Saturday in the afternoon by six
o'clock, at which hour is the preparation of the Sabbath. I
advise you to fast five Fridays every year, beginning with Good Friday
and continuing the four Fridays immediately following, in remembrance
of the five bloody wounds which I received for all mankind. You
shall diligently and peaceably labour in your respective callings,
where in it hath pleased God to call you. You shall love one
another with brotherly love; and cause them that are baptised to come
to church and receive the Sacrament, Baptism, and the Lord's Supper,
and to be made members of the Church, in so doing I will give you a
long life and many blessing; and your land will flourish and your
cattle bring forth in abundance; and I will give unto you many blessing
and comforts in the greatest temptations, and he that doth to the
contrary shall be unprofitable. I will also send hardness of heart upon
them till I see them, but especialy upon the impertinent and
unbelievers. He that hath giving to the poor shall not be unprofitable,
remember to keep holy the Sabbath day, for the seventh day I have taken
to rest myself. And he that hath a copy of this my own letter,
written with my own hand, and spoken with my own mouth, and keepeth it
without publishing it to others shall not prosper; but he that
publisheth it to others, shall be blessed of me, and though his sins be
in number as the stars of the sky, and he believe in this he shall be
pardoned; and if he believe not in this writing, and this commandment,
I will send my own plagues upon him, and consume both him and his
children, and his cattle. And whosoever shall have a copy of this
letter, written with my own hand, and keep it in their houses nothing
shall hurt them, neither lightning, pestilence, nor thunder, shall do
them any hurt, and if a woman be with child, and in labour, and a copy
of this letter be about her, and she firmly put her trust in me, she
shall safely be delivered of her birth.
CHRIST's CURES AND MIRACLES.
He cleansed a leper by touching
him; he healed the Centurion's servant, afflicted with the palsy;
Peter's mother-in-law of a fever; several possessed of devils; a most
violent tempest stilled by him; a man sick of the palsy cured; raised a
man from the dead; two blind men, a dumb man, who was possessed of a
devil; fed about 5000 with five loaves and two fishes; walked on the
sea; all the diseases of Genesaret cured by the touch of his garment;
cured a woman of a devil; and multitudes of lame, blind, dumb, maimed,
& he fed 4000 with seven loaves and a few little fishes.
KING AGBARUS's LETTER TO CHRIST.
I have heard of thee and the cures
wrought by thee without herbs or medicines; for it is reported thou
restorest sight unto the blind, maketh the lame to walk, cleanseth the
leper, raiseth the dead, and healeth those that are tormented with
diseases of long continuance - having heard all this of thee, I was
fully persuaded to believe one of those two things, either that thou
art very God, and camest down from heaven to do such miracles, or else
thou art the Son of God and performest them; wherefore I have now sent
these lines intreating thee to come hither and cure my diseases.
Besides having heard that the Jews murmur against thee, and contrive to
do thee mischief, I invite thee to my city, which is little indeed, but
exceeding beautiful, and sufficient for us both.
OUR SAVIOUR's ANSWER.
Blessed art thou Agbarus for believing
in me whom thou hast seen not, for it is written that they who have
seen me should not believe, and they who have not seen me should
believe and be saved; but as to the matter thou hast wrote about, these
are to acquaint thee, that all the things for which I am sent must be
fulfilled, and that I shall be taken up and returned to him that sent
me, but after my ascension I will send one of my disciples who shall
cure thy distemper, and give life to thee and all them that are with
thee.
LENTULUS's EPISTLE TO THE SENATE OF
ROME
There appeared in these our days a man
of great virtue, called Jesus Christ; who by the people is called a
prophet; but his disciples call him the Son of God. He raiseth
the dead, and cures all manner of diseases, a man of stature, somewhat
tall and comely, with a reverend countenance, such as the beholders
both fear and love. His hair is the colour of a chesnut all ripe,
and is plain almost down to his ears, but from thence downwards is
somewhat curled, but more of the oriental colour, waving about his
shoulders ; in the middle of his head is a seam of parting like the
Nazarites. His forehead very plain and smooth. His face
without either wrinkle or spot, beautiful with a comely red, his nose
and mouth so formed that nothing can be reprehended; his beard thick
the colour of his hair on his head, his eyes grey, clear and quick. In
reproving he is severe; in counselling he is courteous; he is of a fair
spoken, pleasant and grave speech; never seen by any one to laugh, but
often seen by many to weep; in proportion to his body he is well shaped
and straight; and both hands and arms are very delectable. In speaking
he is very temperate, modest and wise. A man for his singular
beauty, far exceeding all the sons of men.
Printed
by J. Evans, 42,
West-smithfield, London.
Broadside, printed by J. Evans,
42, West-smithfield, London. This printer was active from 1789 to 1800,
according to several on-line sources (http://microformguides.gale.com/Data/Introductions/30330FM.htm).
Size: 12" by 8 1/8". In top center is an
oval illustration of Jesus (size 3.5" by 3") with halo and holding a
globe in his left hand. In a band around the oval: FAIRER THEN THE
CHILDREN OF MEN PSALXIV. Sic "especialy", "intreating", "chesnut",
"grey", "counselling". Provided by Bruce L. Johnson. Ebay lot
6551512232 closing 8/12/05. Entered by DWV.
he1795u_jesus_sab
Scan available at: he1795u_jesus_sab_image.htm
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