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| Preface.—Letter from J. F. Lanning, Esq.—Spiritual communication, through themediumship of Mr. Lanning, to the author—Author’s Reply—Communicationfrom an assembly of eminent spirits, sanctioning, under test conditions, the credentialstransmitted through Mr. Lanning—Postscript by the author—Supplemental Preface | [3] |
| Introduction.—The evidence of the existence of a Deity, by the author—TheologicalAxioms | [17] |
| Intuitive Evidence of the Existence of Spirits.—Narrative of the author’sexperimental investigation of Spiritualism—Letter in reply to an inquiry respectingthe Influence of Electricity in Table-Turning—Of Manifestations founded onMovements without contact, or such contact as cannot be sufficient to cause theresult—Hymn chanted, and reply | [35] |
| Corroborative Evidence of the Existence of Spirits.—Evidence afforded bythe Rev. Allen Putnam, of Roxbury, Mass.—Evidence of Dr. Bell, of Somerville,near Boston—His errors, arising from ignorance of facts, (110, 283, 864.) | [55] |
| Foreign Corroborative Evidence of the Existence of Spirits.—Manifestationswhich occurred in France in 1851—Letter from T. R. P. Ventura—Letter ofDr. Coze—Letter of M. F. De Saulcy—Spiritualism in Paris—Spiritual Manifestationsin France and Germany—Spiritualism in Great Britain—Letter of RobertOwen, Esq. | [66] |
| Communications from the Spirit World.—Remarks introductory to my spiritfather’s communication—My father’s communication—Communication from a spiritson of the author—Additional communications from spirits who died while infants—Communicationfrom a very young spirit child to its parents | [85] |
| Of Spiritual Birth.—Narratives given by spirits of their translation to the spiritworld—Narrative of his spiritual birth, by W. W., a most benevolent spirit—Thespirit Maria’s narrative—My sister’s account of her translation to the spirit world—Mybrother’s account of his spiritual birth, &c. | [101] |
| Convocation of Spirits.—Sixty-four queries addressed to a convocation of worthiesfrom the spirit world; also their replies to the same, (through the mediumship ofMrs. Gourlay,) confirmed under conditions which no mortal could pervert | [113] |
| Exposition of the Information received from the Spirit World | [119] |
| Apology for my Conversion.—Reasons for my change of opinion, and belief inthe existence and agency of spirits—On the whereabout of heaven—Correspondencewith Mr. Holcomb, of Southwick, Massachusetts | [125] |
| Moral Influence of Spiritualism | [136] |
| The Heaven and Hell of Spiritualism contrasted with the Heaven andHell of Scripture | [141] |
| Instinctive Impression as to Heaven being overhead.—Discordance as to thewhereabout of the scriptural heaven | [149] |
| “The True Doctrine.”—The Rev. H. Harbaugh’s opinion respecting heaven | [151] |
| Of Mediumship | [159] |
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| Of Counter-Mediumship.—On the influence of the ill-treatment of media on spiritualmanifestations—The author’s discovery of his powers as a medium | [166] |
| On Psychological Explanations of Spiritual Manifestations | [168] |
| Alphabetic Converse with Spirits.—Modern process for alphabetic converse withspirits as new as that of electric telegraph | [173] |
| Influence of Mundane Wealth in the World to come.—According to the spiritualcode, riches elevate or degrade according to the morality displayed in theiracquisition and employment | [176] |
| Mrs. Gourlay’s Narrative of her Conversion to Spiritualism | [179] |
| Practical Benefit of Spiritualism.—Illustration of the practical benefit of Spiritualism,in the happiness imparted by the conversion of an unbeliever to a beliefin immortality—Letter from a spirit daughter—Correspondence with a spirit brother | [192] |
| Marriage on Earth and in Heaven.—The hymeneal tie in the spirit world growsout of the necessity of the connubial union in the mundane sphere—“Free Love”imputation refuted | [204] |
| Influence of Scripture on the Morals of Christians.—The morality of Christendombeing irreconcilable with the New Testament, cannot be its legitimate offspring—Inspirationcan have no higher authority than the human testimony onwhich its existence is arrogated—Injurious influence of unreasonable restriction—Noone would believe that a capable farmer would make such a mistake as to sowgarlic instead of wheat; yet God, while represented as having intended to sowProtestantism, is considered as having caused throughout Christendom a crop ofCatholicism, in the Roman or Grecian form, for more than a thousand years: thoseweeds still occupying more than half of the whole soil—Letter of William Pitt, afterwardEarl of Chatham—Offer of guidance by a mundane spirit—Improper use ofthe epithet Infidel—On Atonement—On the massacre at Sinope—Opinions of Godheld by Sir Isaac Newton—On God and his attributes, by Seneca—On the betteremployment of the first day of the week—Additional remarks respecting the observanceof the Sabbath, so called—If creatures be not so created as to love theirneighbours as themselves, precepts can no more alter them in this respect thanchange the colour of their hair or the number of cubits in their stature—Attacksupon the authenticity of Scripture cannot endanger the prevalent morality, which,while superior to that of the Old Testament, indicates a recklessness of the preceptsof Christ, excepting so far as faith is upheld as a counterpoise for sin—Thedoctrine of a peculiar belief being necessary to salvation, and a counterpoise forsin, a source of discord originally confined to Judea, expanded with Christianityand Islamism: verifying Christ’s allegation, that he came “as a sword, not as amessenger of peace”—Superior morality and far less questionable certainty of thecommunications from the spirit world—Quotation from Mosheim—Quotation fromGibbon—For more than a thousand years, the Grecian or Roman Catholic clergywere the solo depositaries of the word of God, so called, and regulators of religiousmorals; yet, according to Bishop Hopkins, during that time, the clergy were forthe most part pre-eminent in vice, as compared with the rest of the community;whence it is inferred that, like Pope Boniface, the wicked clergy in general wereunbelievers in the truth of the gospel—If the morals of the modern clergy arebetter, it is neither from the barbarous example furnished them in the Old Testament,nor the ultra precepts of the gospel; being too much enlightened to be governedby either—Summary made by Bishop Hopkins—Any religion, like that ofMoses, which does not make immortality a primary consideration, must be chieflyconfined to worldly objects, and, of course, unworthy of consideration. Peopleprofess Christianity more from a desire to do right, than they do right in consequenceof their professions—A calumny against human nature to represent men as wilfullyignorant of the true religion—To appreciate the Jewish representation ofthe Deity, a reader should first form an idea of this planet and its inhabitants,comparatively with the hundred millions of solar systems, and the inconceivableextent of the space which encompasses them, and which falls within the domain ofone common Deity—Our actions dependent, under God, on organization, education,and the extent to which we are tempted extraneously—On probation—Worldleast moral when the Christian church had most sway—Honour and mercantilecredit more trusted than religion. Virtue due more to the heart than to sectarianism.Bigotry acts like an evil spirit—Progress of literature and science in Arabia,under the Mohammedan pontiffs, called caliphs | [206] |
| Additional Corroborative Evidence of the Existence of Spirits.—The opinionsof MM. de Mirville and Gasparin on Table Turning and Mediums, (consideredin relation to theology and physics,) examined by the Abbot Almignana, doctor ofthe common law, theologian, &c.—Mechanical movements without contact, by Mr.Isaac Rehn, President of the Harmonial Society, Philadelphia—Communicationfrom J. M. Kennedy, Esq.—Communication from Wm. West, Esq.—Koons’s Establishment—Communicationsfrom Joseph Hazard, Esq.—A visit to the Spiritualistsof Ohio—Letter from John Gage—The home of the mediums, and the haunts of thespirits—What they did, said, and wrote—The house of the Spiritualists—Presenceof electricity—The room where the spirits manifest their power—The furnitureand occupants—The manifestations commence—The spirits play on drums, harps,French horns, accordeons, and tamborines—The manifestations continue, and thehead spirit writes a communication—The spirit’s letter—Concluding remarks—Anevening at Koons’s spirit room, by Charles Partridge, Esq., New York—Experienceof the Hon. N. P. Tallmadge—Letter from Mr. D. H. Hume—Spiritualism in London—LordBrougham with the spirits—Evidence afforded by the Rev. J. B. Ferguson—Anexposition of views respecting the principal facts, causes, and peculiaritiesinvolved in spiritual manifestations; together with interesting phenomenalstatements and communications, by Adin Ballou—Testimony of the Hon. J. W.Edmonds—Testimony of Henry Lloyd Garrison.—Testimony of Mr. and Mrs.Newton—Testimony of members of the New York circle—Testimony of the Rev.D. F. Goddard, Boston—Manifestations at Stratford, Connecticut, in the house ofthe Rev. Eliakim Phelps, D.D.—Remarkable exhibitions of power—Singular occurrences—Image-making—Destructionof furniture—Incendiary spirits—Thespirits identified—Unhappy spirits, from the remembrance of wrong done in thisworld—Wrong doing revealed—Directions given for restoring ill-gotten gains—Discontinuanceof the manifestations—Idea of the existence of a spiritual sun,and a vital spiritual oxygen, found to exist, independently, in the mind of a much-esteemedauthor | [273] |
| Of Matter, Mind, and Spirit.—Of matter—Strictures on a speculation by Farradayrespecting the nature of matter—On Whewell’s demonstration that all matteris heavy—Additional remarks on the speculation of Farraday and Exley, abovenoticed—Of mundane, ethereal, and ponderable matter, in their chemical relations—Suggestionsof Massotti, respecting the nature of matter—On electro-polarity asthe cause of electrical phenomena—Of mind, as existing independently, and as distinguishedfrom matter—Of spirit independently, or as distinguished from mindand matter—Of the soul, as distinguished from mind and matter—On the odic, orodylic force | [363] |
| Religious Errors of Mr. Mahan.—Proposition of Mr. Mahan—Of the origin ofthe Books of Moses no higher evidence exists, according to the testimony of theBible itself, than that of an obscure priest and a fanatical king—Scriptural accountof the finding of the Books of Moses by Hilkiah, the high-priest—Accountof the finding of the Books of Moses, by Josephus—If the Pentateuch had beenpreviously known to the Jews, it is incredible that it could have become obsoleteand forgotten prior to the alleged discovery of it in the temple in the reign ofJosiah—Great importance attached to a belief in immortality by Cyrus the Great,King of Persia, as contrasted with the recklessness of Moses respecting the samebelief—The worship of a book, idolatry—Evidence of Josephus and Gibbon vs.Mr. Mahan—The worshippers of the golden calf more righteous than their assassins—Justdenunciation of the religious imposture and usurpation of Moses, by noble-mindedIsraelites—Remarkable observance of the golden rule by Moses, in his lastadvice to the Israelites—Straining at spiritual gnats while swallowing scripturalcamels—The evidence which is insufficient to establish the iniquity of a sinnercannot be sufficient to establish the divine authority of a book—Word of God, socalled, or the golden rule inverted by God’s alleged commands—Pagan fearlessnessof death—Observations of Mr. Huc, a Christian priest, that it is their religionwhich makes Christians more fearful of death than the Chinese—Mr. Huc’s observations—Conclusionof strictures on Mr. Mahan’s religious errors | [396] |
| Conclusion.—The Pentateuch inconsistently represented as the basis of a belief inhuman immortality—Injustice of representing disbelievers in the Bible as not havingas good ground for belief in immortality as those who rest their belief on awork which, by its silence, tends to discountenance the hope of a future life—Thosewho uphold the Bible against Spiritualism, the real antagonists of the onlysatisfactory evidence ever given to man of a future habitation in the spirit world | [423] |