Fowle's New Hampshire Gazette And General Advertiser

PHILADELPHIA, February 14.

There are now in this city a number of the disciples of a certain Jemimah Wilkinson, a native of Rhode-Island, a person who professes that "she is Jesus Christ come again in the flesh a second time without sin unto salvation;" though it should be noted, that her followers do not admit she is a woman, as a female Messiah appears an incongruity, and they therefore of consequence deny her name, and appear to resent it as an affront when she is called Jemimah Wilkinson, and declare in the most solemn manner they know no such person.

Some of the society, when asked to explain themselves, do it after the following manner; "That the names of persons most properly belong to the soul, but while body and soul are in union, the body may also be called by the name of the soul; but when a person dies, and the soul leaves the body, the body then can no more be called by its former name:--now some years ago there was a person by the name of Jemimah Wilkinson, but she died, and her soul went to heaven, after which the Divine Spirit re-animated that same body, and it arose from the dead; now this divine inhabitant is Christ Jesus our Lord, the friend to all mankind, and gives his name to the body to which he is united, and therefore body and spirit, conjointly, is the universal friend." To complete the character of so extraordinary a personage, she has her attendants of the extraordinary kind also, and those attendants are said to be the two witnesses which are prophesied of by John the divine in the Revelations. See chap. xi. from the 3d to the 13th verses.

The extraordinary personages above described, according to this fanaticism, are a certain James Parker and Sarah Richards, the latter is now in this city, with some others, both men and women the disciples of the aforesaid universal friend, or Jemimah Wilkinson, and are endeavouring to establish the society here, meeting often together for this purpose.
To such of the curious as have never seen those singular people, nor perhaps ever will see them, it may afford some satisfaction to describe their persons. The Universal Friend, as she is titled, appears to be about 30 years of age, about the middle size of women, not genteel in her person, and rather awkward in her carriage, her complexion good, her eye black and remarkably brilliant, her hair black, and waving in beautiful ringlets upon her neck and shoulders, her features regular, and the whole of her face thought by many to be perfectly beautiful; as she is not supposed of either sex, of this neutrality is manifest in her external appearance; she wears no cap, letting her hair hang down as above described upon her neck and shoulders, her neckcloth she wears like a man, her shirt buttons round her neck, and her shirt sleeves are brought down to her hands, and buttoned as is common with men, her outside garment is a loose robe, that resembles a morning gown, such as both men and women commonly wear, under this it is said her apparel is very expensive, and the form of them conveys the same idea as her external appearance of her being neither man nor woman; her understanding not deficient, except touching her religious fanaticism. She is very illiterate, yet her memory very great, artful in discovering many circumstances which fall out among her disciples, and in making them believe that as she is divine, nothing can be hid from her. On all occasions she requires the most extraordinary attendance that can be bestowed upon her, having little regard to the conveniency of families wherever she happens to be, and either one or more of her disciples usually attendant upon her, and ready to do her the most menial service. Her voice is masculine, and her pronunciation in the peculiar dialect of the most illiterate of the country people of New-England, her preaching has but little connection, and frequently very lengthy, standing at times for several hours, sometimes cold and languid, but at other times it is said she is lively, and discovers that kind of zeal and animation which gives reason to suppose she may really apprehend herself to be a person that is divine. She is commonly reserved to strangers, and only grows familiar as she discovers in them a great respect for her, and as she is very attentive to the disposition of those about her, she soon distinguishes such who are affected by her peculiar manner. Her first address to strangers is usually in a grim masculine authoritative tone of voice, with expressive countenance and piercing eye; and though these are the effects of her spiritual pride, yet she often strikes the beholder with a profound awe, and the immoral are sometimes convicted before her, which she is artful to improve so as to raise in them a great veneration for her; and when she discovers any one properly prepared in this way, she usually puts some question to them relating to her own imagined divinity. Of a particular person she asked the following question, What God dost thou worship? upon the person replying they worshipped the Creator of heaven and earth, she added, "No man can come to the Father but by me no man can come to the Father but by the Son." Of another person she asked, Whom they took her to be? the person replied, they thought she had the spirit of God: she then asked them, If they did not believe that Christ was come within the veil?--Such interrogations being usually accompanied with an appearance of high authority, and seeming sanctity, the person's judgment is often bewildered, and by this means prepared for a further deception, which she well knows how to carry on, and some times ends in a full and clear declaration to them of her being Christ Jesus our Lord, to the amazement and profound veneration of the inoffensive believer. It is asserted, that some have fallen prostrate at her feet; but if she observes that her ambiguous expressions give some offence, as discovering spiritual pride, she is then immediately reserved and cautious in what she further says, and either advances or retreats as occasions require.

Sarah Richards, one of the witnesses before mentioned, is a widow, appears to be about 28 years of age, is sensible, and would be a comely person were she to dress as becomes her sex, but as she imitates the person they call the friend, in her external appearance, and particularly in wearing her hair down like a man, she is by that means rather disfigured; it is said she is now clothed in what they call sackcloth (that is mourning,) in which she is to fulfil the days of her prophecy; she is remarkable for an infirmity of body, being subject to a particular kind of fit in which she appears for some time dead, upon her recovering, she pretends she has conversed with the dead, divers relations of this kind having been taken down in writing; the angel Raphael is her guardian angel, and at some times when she is in those fits (or as they term them, visions,) she is conducted by Raphael to distant parts of this world, and there sees what mankind are doing, at other times taken to heaven and says that the throne of Jesus at present is vacant, and will be so until the friend ascends to heaven and is seated thereon. With the above, and many more idle reveries not necessary to mention, does she entertain her credulous admirers.

James Parker, the other witness, appears to be about 45 years of age, is artful, conceited, and illiterate; and, as the countenance of a man is sometimes a tell tale, so those who are skilled in physiognomy may see in his face the cunning which lies hid in his heart, though varnished over with an apparent candour and freedom in conversation, and as he possesses none of the fire of a divine enthusiast, so neither does he possess that zeal which is necessary to complete the character of an impostor; he is crafty, but cold and unanimating, and that moderate share of understanding which he possesses does not appear so much clouded with an imagination of his own sanctity, as he appears desirous of making others believe him a saint. and on the whole, it seems as if he endeavoured to be great among this mistaken people, from a principle of a most ridiculous species of vanity, and for the sake of an indolent life. But as there are divers of them who appear simple and sincere, so it is hoped, amidst all this delusion of their understanding, there are some innocent among them; but with respect to the principal persons in this society, the writer of these remarks gives it as his opinion, that they are villainous impostors, and therefore sincerely hopes that all good people will shun them, unless it be to endeavour to reclaim them from their impiety.