"If they can prove that I am wrong by that time, I will give it up to their wisdom, but not after to any one's judgment, till I see the end of another year; for the Lord will begin with a new century; and I will see what he will do, before I will hearken to any man's judgment"
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Joanna Southcott was a self-proclaimed prophetess in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and her works often carried a tone of defiance versus skeptics of her prophetic claims. In this specific quote, Southcott speaks to a common theme in her works: the stress in between magnificent discovery and human judgment. The text shows her unwavering confidence in her spiritual insights and her determination to defy popular opinion and criticism.
The beginning of the quote, "If they can show that I am incorrect by that time, I will provide it approximately their wisdom", seems to show a conditional openness to other viewpoints, recommending that she is not completely dismissive of proof or argument that might contradict her views. However, the condition "by that time" indicates a specific, maybe imminent, timeframe for her prophecy or beliefs to be disproven, a timeframe she does not define here but likely lines up with her other predictions.
Continuing, she mentions, "but not after to any one's judgment, till I see the end of another year", which enhances her resolve to stay unfaltering in her beliefs until a certain period elapses. Here she is firm in her stance, showing that human judgment is secondary to her own faith and the divine timeline she prepares for. This point even more highlights her belief in a greater wisdom, as she relies not on human recognition but on what she perceives as a divine plan.
Finally, the statement, "for the Lord will begin with a brand-new century; and I will see what he will do, before I will hearken to any male's judgment", suggests that Southcott sees an upcoming century as pivotal, where divine actions will confirm her predictions. Her language indicates an extensive rely on divine timing over human understanding, dismissing "any guy's judgment" up until she has empirical, divine verification of what she anticipates.
Overall, this quote encapsulates Southcott's dispute in between prophecy and public hesitation, encapsulating her conviction that magnificent fact will ultimately dominate in verifying her claims.
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