MISCELLANEOUS REFLECTIONS.

Two Inferences naturally arise from this topic: one is that of caution. “Judge not that ye be not judged.”

The above witnesses are exhibited, not for the want of more, (for more than a hundred have seen the Spectre, or have heard her words,) but because repetition is tedious.

Our opponents now, we expect, will admit our inquiry of what they have to say against these attestations, whether any thing false—whether any thing even wearing a deceptive color has been presented to public notice.

It would have been my peculiar pleasure to have given more satisfaction with regard to the superior ends of the messages, subservient, no doubt, to still greater ends, if it had been lawful. But for the present, they are immediately interesting only to a few persons. The knowledge which many would improve, others would abuse. If the answer of the oracle intended for the personal safety of David and his men, is immediately published, Saul will know it.

When a creature professedly brings us a message from God, be this message ever so small, ever so strange, ever so unexpected; yet, if it does not oppose his word, we have not the least evidence that the profession is counterfeit, unless we obtain it by other means; because we are as yet ignorant of its connections, and God’s thoughts and plans are not like ours.

Some say, if the message appear not in the scriptures, that will sufficiently condemn it and the messenger too, whatever be the credentials, “I will obey nothing but what I see in the scriptures.”[54] But may I not say, with Doctor Owen, that they unwarrantably limit the Holy One of Israel? In absolute monarchies the people dare not say, “I will obey no precept from the king, unless I find it in the public code.” Such language would breathe rebellion. And dare we treat thus the King of kings, who is an absolute monarch, and by his propriety in the universe has a right to be such? Will the scriptures themselves warrant this behavior? Can we despise the message and them who heard it, and them who obeyed it, and the angels who brought it, and yet stand guiltless before Him who sent it? until we obtain proof that he did not send it, and that the credentials are forgery? And are we one inch nearer to this point, than we were twenty-six years ago? Do we perceive now any more than twenty-six years ago, how the deceiver talked in open space, by a voice inimitable, clearly understood by some, and not at all by others, with means of intelligence every way equal? Our blessed Lord, to prove that he was not a Spectre, said, “Handle me and see.” That is implicitly to say, if you handle me and find no substance, then you may conclude that I am a spirit. Our Spectre said, “Handle me and see.” And earnestly insisted on this experiment time after time. Can we tell now, why that very argument and mode of evidence which Christ himself used, is not valid and genuine, any more than we could twenty-six years ago? If not, let me be cautious, whatever be the conduct of this enlightened age, how I accuse my neighbors of folly or villainy, merely because they enjoyed interviews with a departed friend; lest I be found among those who speak evil of things which they understand not.

The Jews, besides their public code of revelation, had their Urim and Thummim for the particulars of duty. Is it certain? Is it even rational to suppose that the few answers of that oracle mentioned in the scriptures, are the only ones ever communicated? Prophets, too, were sent to manifest the particulars of duty, and angels, some of whom might be the spirits of just men. And we have no reason to doubt but Moses was a Spectre when he conversed with Christ on the Holy Mount; notwithstanding that old fiction of his resurrection, which has dishonored the antiquities of Josephus.

Now the question is, what person ever yet demonstrated that no such occasional revelation was ever wanted in any hour since the completion of the scriptures? Certainly this completion never precluded spectral missions in the view of the christian fathers. And their continuation has been the constant faith of christians in general, down to this day of deism. And the war of the deists against this opinion is easily accounted for: because the admission of Spectres is the admission of miracle; and the admission of occasional revelation, brings a question to their door which would be a troublesome neighbor. Why then should not a revelation be needful for the public? Great is their obligation to modern christians for their assistance in this warfare. It may be asked, if these missions have been thus continued, why have they generally been attended with so few witnesses? But if there be evidence enough for him, or those who are interested in the message, it is sufficient for their purpose, whether others believe it or not.

When David was told by the Urim that the men of Keilah would deliver him into the hand of Saul, no person appears to have been present but Abiather; but if the oracle was attended with the evidence described by Josephus, there was evidence enough for the purpose of David and his men, whether five other persons in the whole nation believed it or not.

After all, it is not our duty to expect apparitions, for they never come to gratify curiosity; nor to pray for their coming, unless our case be peculiar as that of Manoah; nor to entertain the idea that their speaking to us, would make a more durable impression than the preaching of the living. Such conduct and apprehensions are erroneous, and expose us to greater delusion. Our Lord has expressly taught us that, if we believe not Moses and the prophets, neither shall we be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. And accordingly the affectionate and persuasive addresses of the Spectre in this place, which drew tears from every eye, had no happy, durable influence on the unregenerate character in a single instance.

It was necessary that religion should appear in all her conduct and conversation, otherwise her profession would have been justly suspected. But on that Lord’s day morning, mentioned in several testimonies, she did not say to the people, Tarry and hear me. No, but “Retire to your homes, read the bible, pray and keep the day holy.”[55] That is to say, attend to those ample and most suitable means of grace which God has appointed for you in his written word.

The preaching of the gospel was not her design; but she had other designs which appropriate the sentence, “I am not to be trifled with.”

In some old fashioned minds, her familiar conversation may excite the suspicion of necromancy and divination, by a familiar spirit, so plainly forbidden in the law of Moses: and then doubtless Mrs. Butler must bear the accusation. But there is no evidence that this angel conversed more familiarly with her than with others who were never suspected. She conversed familiarly with all those who had much conversation with her.

The ancient idea of a familiar spirit appears not to have been obtained from the familiar conversation of any person with a spirit, (though sometimes the inquirer might be deceived by the artificial resemblance of it) but from the opinion that certain persons had a spirit foreign to their own, residing in them and uttering oracles from their bodies.[56] These persons were a sort of ventriloquists. Their conduct is described by Rollin in his account of the Grecian Oracles. The speech of their familiar spirit was imagined to proceed, not from the lips of any person, but from a part of their own bodies, in some manner artificially swollen. This is confirmed by their very name Abefeth, in the Hebrew language, which has the signification of swelling. The familiar spirit itself was called Afeb, which is the same noun in the singular number. The swollen part and the familiar spirit, which was imagined to reside in it, had one name. “Divine unto me by the Afeb,” said Saul, 1 Sam. 28: 8. Divine unto me by the swelling, and bring me up whom I shall name unto thee. But it does not appear that the woman had any time for divination. She saw Samuel unexpectedly, and cried out for fear:[57] and Samuel, instead of being familiar with her, never spake a single word to her. Now it is not even pretended that any such token of Afeb or necromancy, have appeared among us.

Doubtless this wickedness among the ancients, was for the most part legerdemain,[58] and their predictions always uncertain, as appears not only from their ambiguity, but from the public estimation of some oracles in preference to others, and of the Delphic oracle above all the rest.

From the observations now made, we learn the criminality of witchcraft or legerdemain, for there is no essential difference between them.

To counterfeit the royal seal was ever a capital crime. How presumptuously criminal then are they, who counterfeit the royal seal of heaven! The certificate of divine revelation, such is the conduct of every mountebank, while the spectator is left ignorant of his art. His false miracles spread a cloud of uncertainty over the minds of men, so that many are at loss how to distinguish the true miracle, the true seal of the King of heaven, from its counterfeit. And they who countenance and encourage such persons, are guilty of far greater evil than the great evil of wasting time and property. But such behaviour is the food of infidelity. No wonder it is so common at the present day.

Whether the writer is one who gives such countenance and encouragement, is for the next writer on the subject of these pages to shew,[59] not by pointing out inaccuracies here and there, for this any person may easily do, but by presenting to the public a complete, satisfactory analysis of this whole mystery.

To his particular notice, I ask leave to offer a few cautionary observations; if needless for him, they may assist another.

Among so many of us who have heard and seen the Spectre, it would be very strange, if, in the course of twenty-six years past, no one should have deviated from the strait line of perfect rectitude. If imperfection should be found among us, and the publicity of it will cast any light upon this subject, by all means let it come forth: if not, let him, who is without sin, cast the first stone.

The question is not, How have we conducted, unless our conduct be such as invalidates our evidence: for we are liable to evil every day; but, How has the Spectre conducted? and who could she be? It has been frequently reported among people at a distance from this scene, for more than twenty years, that the whole business was an artifice, and fairly proved to be such. We who believe the existence of the Spectre, have thought that this inaccurate on dit has had currency long enough. Our respondent, therefore, will not fail to shew our mistake, by demonstrating that this report is indeed correct. Suppose then, (no matter how distant the supposition is from what has really happened) suppose then, I say, that, in the course of his zealous inquiries, our respondent should find that he, who pretends to have discovered the plot, is a witness in favor of the Spectre, and that his testimony was connected with a solemn and public profession of his firm belief that the Spectre was really such as she professed to be. Suppose further, that in contemplating the dates of these events, our respondent should find that the discovery preceded that testimony and that solemn, public profession: to say nothing of the numerous other witnesses who might contradict him. In such a case I should imagine that a discerning, wary and unprejudiced reader would give but a cold assent to his process of demonstration.

It is my earnest desire that the reply may honor the author by the expressions of candor, philanthropy and grand thought. If his talent be that of a Swift or a Juvenal, his temptation will be great to adopt the loose style of the infidel. Let not compliance deceive the unwary. Between ridicule and reasoning the distinction is eternal. The most important and solemn truths have been the subject of both. The sober school of Socrates furnished a comedy for the Athenian stage. And Voltaire could tell us from the Apocalypse, how incommodious their situation will be who shall inhabit the upper story of New Jerusalem.

Unhappy man! thy fruits of genius furnished a feast of intellectual dainties. But the figs of Cleopatra covered the basilisk, and a world was ruined by the tree of knowledge. The termination of Satyre was horror; and the pure day of awful truth now glaring upon thee from every point has impressed sobriety eternal.

The result of this whole inquiry is that of consolation. Our death will not be total. Our souls will survive our bodies. We shall think and reason and know the moral conduct of this world, and perhaps the very names of particular persons, after our bodies are turned to dust.

Among us are a considerable number of people who say that the Spectre knew and told them their thoughts past, present or future, or all three; and such thoughts as she could not have known or conjectured by ordinary means. To one of them, whose veracity is doubted by none, she foretold the time, before several witnesses, when his mind would be struck with horror for opposing her messages.

When the time was come, which was about six months after the prediction, his mind at first, as he informed me, was calm as usual. To disturb him he saw nothing, expected nothing, and was about to reject the prediction as nothing. Instantly he was surprised by a new train of ideas. The evil of his conduct was set in order before him, and his distress was apparent to others, as some of them, whose witness cannot for a moment be suspected, informed me.

Now this instance alone, would prove but little; yet, when connected with ten or twelve others, of undoubted credibility, attesting the same kind of experience, while they have no visible combination by kindred, employment, age or interest, it is certainly worthy of some consideration.

If one departed saint is capable of knowing our thoughts, so may others. That uncorporeal spirits are witnesses of the conduct of this world, appears not only from that of Spectres, but from the scriptures, as in Dan. 8: 13. Rev. 6: 10. Eccl. 5: 6. 1 Tim. 5: 21. No reason can be assigned why our conduct may not be as visible to a saint made perfect, as to an angel: for neither of them can know us by bodily organs, such as we now possess, and their knowledge of our thoughts without these organs, is just as easily accounted for, as their knowledge of our external conduct. The spirits of just men, when they leave this world, are made perfect. “But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. Now I know in part; but then shall I know, even as also I am known.” This cannot mean that I shall know other souls and even Christ himself as perfectly as he knows me; but I shall know them in the same manner. I shall know other souls intuitively as Christ knows me. Indeed, what idea can we have of mere spirits seeing each other, and being present with each other, but that of the mutual intuition of thoughts?

If that day should find the saints as ignorant of the human character as they are at the hour of death, their judgment will be of small account for their own satisfaction or that of others.

And should evasion tell us that Christ and his angels will then reveal to the saints the character of this world; still this character would be only the object of faith, not of sight, and satan and his adherents, could say that the saints had condemned them for the most part by hear-say, and that of those who had always opposed them from the beginning.

Now it does not seem probable that the enemies of Christ will ever find occasion for such a plea as this. Every mouth will be stopped. And the mouths of wicked men will be stopped, not merely by the testimony of foreign angels, but by witnesses taken from their own family, and such too as have been the greatest and most constant friends that ever they had in the world: such as had counselled and warned them—had experienced the most cordial and warmest zeal for their salvation and had often wept for them in secret places. Thus mankind will be judged by their peers. Their quarrel with God and each other, will be decided in their own family. “The Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment to the Son,” in union with his spiritual members, and there must be knowledge in them for this purpose. And what better method of acquiring it can we conceive so easy and natural as that of their contemplating the moral conduct of mankind through all ages of the world. May we not then indulge the idea that, when the humble and afflicted leave this body of sin and death, they hear the voice of the Beloved saying, “Come ye blessed of my Father:” possess in perfection my spirit of holiness and unerring wisdom, to know as you as are known. Great is the work for which you are ordained. You have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many. You must judge the world with me. Henceforth watch their conduct, know their character, and prepare for it.

Hence it follows that we do nothing in secret. All our behaviour is known, not only to Christ, but to the watchers, his holy ones. With them is the book of God’s remembrance.

O gracious Redeemer, shed abroad thy love in our hearts. May faith and patience have their perfect work. Beautify us with thy moral likeness, that we may be fair in thine eyes and in the eyes of our kindred who dwell with thee. With them at last may we behold thy glory and celebrate thy love forever. ALLELUIA.

FOOTNOTES:

Transcriber’s Note

This book was written in a period when many words had not become standardized in their spelling. Words may have inconsistent hyphenation in the text. Jargon, dialect, obsolete and alternative spellings were not changed. Misspelled words were corrected.

New original cover art included with this eBook is granted to the public domain.

Footnotes were renumbered sequentially and were moved to the end of the book. Obvious printing errors, such as partially printed letters and punctuation, were corrected. Final stops missing at the end of sentences and abbreviations were added. Duplicate letters at line endings were removed. The text employs non-standard use of quotation marks and Biblical references.

The following items were changed:

who believe on [in] immortality

August 0 [10], 1800