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:
[1] Christ laid down his life for his sheep; but mere law and justice never required this of him.
[2] Even the divine Trinity, existing from everlasting, to speak with accuracy, is the Trinity of Person, not of Persons.
[3] It is the opinion, not only of Mr. Swedenbourg, but of many other pious and learned men, of other persuasions, that when the pious soul has left the body, he occupies a vehicle or spiritual body which may be considered as the resurrection commenced, and to be perfected in the last day, when the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
[4] Matthew 10: 28.
[5] 1 Samuel, xxviii, 15.
[6] Eviden. of Christianity, Sect. 7.
[7] Kate with a hide and horns.
[8] Ecclesiast. Hist. Vol. 4. sect. 1. c. 1.
[9] Life of Dr. Johnson, pp. 364.
[10] Spectator, No. 110.
[11] Since the Deity has assumed our nature, his being comprises Divine intelligence and human intelligence. The former is intuitive; the latter reasons sometimes for the investigation of truth; yet being in a sense made Divine, is the infallible source and medium of all our spiritual knowledge, grace and happiness. Now as intelligence is the very essence of personality, distinction of intelligence must be the distinction of personality. Therefore the Divine Intelligence is the Divine Person, and the human intelligence, is the human person. The Divine breathing, too, called the Holy Ghost, is a person in the figurative sense; several personal pronouns being applied to this Divine afflatus in the Scriptures. Our meaning thus explained, we may truly say that there are three Persons in the Deity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, all comprised in our glorious Saviour, in whom dwells all the fulness of the Deity bodily. But the doctrine of there being literally three distinct personal divinities in the Deity, has no foundation in the Scriptures.
[12] The personal pronouns she and her are here used with reference to the sex to which the ghost belonged in this world.
[13] i. e. On the distinction between the original and required perceptions of sight.
[14] To him she had before sent several messages by several persons of different families.
[15] I hear your objection. “There was a reason for her being consoled. Make me believe, if you can, that, if her professed ignorance of the affair was real; the appearance and discourse of a ghost by her side, would not augment her fears and distress.” But remember, dear sir, that experience in this case is the best teacher. More than thirty witnesses of both sexes, are against you; all declaring that though at first the ghost excited terror; yet, after a little discourse with her, their fears were entirely dissipated, and succeeded by peculiar pleasure: so familiar and delightful was the mode of her address and conversation. At this time Mr. Blaisdel heard the conversation distinctly, but saw nothing. His daughter both saw and heard.
[16] This was ordered by the ghost.
[17] That all these reasons were assigned at that juncture, I pretend not to say. Probably they were not; but certain it is, that she expressed them all to her friends at different times.
[18] Voltaire, in his philosophical dictionary, treating the Bible and ghosts with equal ridicule, says that the latter, “used to hie away at the crowing of the cock.” The same was the idea of Shakespeare in his ghost of Hamlet, “Adieu, the glow worm shews the morning to be near.” But this we now see, is not always the case.
[19] These two, by their own desire, had obtained a promise that they should not see her. There were several such instances at different times.
[20] A place in the house most distant from that of the Spectre.
[21] This meeting was the wedding. He who is able to receive it, let him receive it. One infinitely greater than this Spectre, attended the marriage at Cana in Galilee.
[22] In about an hour after she appeared to forty of this assembly. But I must here also insert a particular observation of Dr. Rush in his chapter of illusions; “When a person fancies that he hears voices and sees objects, which do not exist, he has these sensations alone. The voice supposed to be heard, says he, and the objects supposed to be seen, are never heard nor seen by two persons, even when they are close to each other.”—Disease of the Mind, chapter 15.
The inference then is certain, with respect to those witnesses, that no mental disease could be the true origin of their hearing and vision.
[23] This only means that they were together at a little distance from the rest of the company in the same apartment.
[24] She then expressed not only her own feelings but those of the family. The idea of a Spectre coming into the room, where they commonly were, was distressing to them, as already observed.
[25] I find no evidence that these two went without others.
[26] This experience is testified by all who saw and heard.
[27] This, however, he denies, but suppose it were true, why was it improper that in his own house he should choose the place where he would stand? If they knew where he was, that was sufficient.
[28] See the date in the last letter, page 39.
[29] He had said that Mr. Blaisdel’s family could not raise the Spirit any where but in their own house, as several testified.
[30] That is, that they heard the same words.
[31] There was not only this similarity in voice, but the same phrases, which she was accustomed to use, and which were peculiar to her in her life time, she uttered now, as several of her intimate acquaintances have informed me.
[32] She had come several times before, as the preceding letters show. Five months before this, Mr. Blaisdel’s son P. and his sisters, were sent by the ghost to a house where several young people were met for amusement; not for this purpose, but for terminating a difference between them and one of that company. The ghost strictly charged them to go and return in peace, and to abstain from all appearance of evil. The propriety of this small errand appears by its connections and the events which followed. But, as it stands insulated before the eyes of pride and folly, how despicable it must appear! Had such eyes looked on, when the first silk worm was formed, it would have appeared a trivial and useless contrivance. “As the heavens are higher than the earth; so are my ways higher than your ways, saith the Lord, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” It would be very strange indeed, if a messenger from heaven should have much to perform in such a world as this, and yet meet with no opposition; and equally strange, if that messenger should perform nothing but what mankind would naturally expect, especially in a period when christians themselves have not escaped the contagion of infidelity.
[33] The children, through fear, had moved their beds into the room where their parents lodged.
[34] These words were heard by eight persons.
[35] This answer she now denies; but owns she saw the apparition.
[36] These enigmatical warnings were some of the first words which the voice uttered, and they appeared strange to us all. They appeared void of instruction, impertinent and utterly inapplicable to any thing which was seen, remembered, or expected among us. None were then trifling with her; all wondered, and many were solemnized. Nor was there any remarkable contention among us. But after she had produced her strange, unexpected, unheard of message, our behaviour soon fixed the meaning of these enigmas, and rendered them like apples of gold and pictures of silver. Her speaking so much in a by-place (a cellar) separate from the common dwelling of man, like John in the wilderness, has offended us. If her paths were the Lord’s, instead of making them strait, we have made them crooked by misconception, misrepresentation, and falsehood. While the ghost was then speaking, one of the company was near eternity. Therefore “seek the Lord while he may be found.”
With what contempt and ridicule has the ghost been treated on account of the marriage! Therefore “I am not to be trifled with,” was pertinent. What violent contentions, occasioned by her messages, appropriate the terms “Peace, peace,” or “there must be peace,” as she more plainly said to another person about the same time.
[37] Here we see that the direct answer was entirely avoided. It was no design of her mission. We have the Bible by which even the angels must be tried. To the law and the testimony. If they speak not according to this word, it is because they have no light in them, from whatever world they may profess to come. She accordingly took this ground, and reasoned with the people out of the Scriptures as the standard of truth by which she would be tried.
[38] It was matter of trial to some christians among us, that the Spirit should thus associate with one who never gave the least evidence of piety: But the Spirit informed them, out of her hearing, that Mrs. Butler was one of the elect, and would repent before she left the world.
[39] She had several times fainted before.
[40] “Don’t you believe a word of all that I have told you,” say some who heard it.
[41] She now talked without appearing. It was the next night after this, that the attempt was made to handle her while she appeared.
[42] The last member of this sentence is matter of dispute.
[43] This shews that this witness was not in the cellar, when the preceding sentence was uttered. They who were there, say that it was the Spectre who said, they must come down, and Mr. Blaisdel who added that they should be satisfied. Others tell us that the sentence was, “Come down in order, and you shall be satisfied.”
Make the worst of it; it was but innocent inaccuracy, like what is recorded of angels in the scriptures. Possibly the ghost did not foresee this confusion. Certain it is, that she constantly and strictly insisted upon order and solemnity, as indispensably requisite to her manifestations. After all, if the ghost has ever uttered one falsehood, or one false accusation, with the manifest design of injurious deception; or, if she has ever committed or ordered the commission of one crime; we must, without hesitation, condemn her as an evil angel. But then we must remember that her criminality should first be proved, not by our surmises or conjectures, but by substantial, plenary, and indubitable evidence.
[44] Here is a little mistake. It was not her mother, but Mr. Blaisdel who proposed this question, by her mother’s desire expressed to him.
[45] This sentence was uttered at another time. It is believed by some, among whom is the writer, that several interviews mentioned in the last letter were not those of N. H., but of another Spectre. This may be somewhat difficult, and doubtless not essentially necessary to prove.
[46] That is, that they experienced the same.
[47] “Before she vanished.” That is, before she vanished for the last time that morning, for this was after she had vanished in the view of Mr. Downing, as in Testimony 8.
[48] These last words declared to me by other witnesses are not in the original testimony of Mrs. H. I have therefore enclosed them.
[49] Her messages were probably such as never were since Christ was on earth. Some of them are contrary to all expectation, and exposed the families of Mr. Blaisdel, Mr. Hooper, Capt. Butler, and Mrs. Butler, in particular, to unjust reproach. Therefore the loving kindness of the Lord to these families, made the proofs as extraordinary as the messages, that whoever shall calumniate either of those families, on account of these events, may do it at their peril.
[50] Mr. D. has since declared that he had found all these words to be true.
[51] They saw no personal form.
[52] The greatest things are from among the least.
[53] The order was nearly elliptical; for the two ranks were joined by certain persons at each end.
[54] Whatever message enlarges or diminishes their doctrine or worship, must undoubtedly be rejected and the messenger too. But beware of extremes.
[55] There was no preacher in the town that day.
[56] To have a familiar spirit, as expressed in the Old Testament, and, To have a demon, as expressed in the New; seem to be phrases of the same import, and the idea of it was that of criminality. But we find no person in the New Testament justly accused of it.
Demoniacs were of another description. They were esteemed innocent, and pitied, as being afflicted by the demons.
Possibly this in part was the true evil which afflicted part of our land in 1692, and which our pious ancestors unhappily mistook for witchcraft.
[57] The original of verse 11-12, is strictly thus: “And he said, bring me up Samuel. And the woman saw Samuel and cried out.” This strongly intimates that Samuel came unexpectedly and without any previous divination. The word when, in our translation has no responsive in the original.
[58] Not altogether such, why else should the oracles cease at the time of our Saviour’s birth? Legerdemain found no more difficulty afterwards than before. God did in his righteous judgment, choose the delusions which they had chosen for themselves. He sometimes fulfilled their predictions, Deut. 13: 1, 2, 3. Ezek. 21: 22 to 25; and might sometimes, though very seldom, suffer such real miracles as were either vain, or injurious; but never those of benevolence. Compare the magic of Egypt with Rev. 16: 14. The demons drowned the swine, but never gave rain; Isa. For satan must not oppose satan.
[59] Should they appear worthy of such painful notice.