The obeying of several hints, of secret impulses, argues great wisdom. I knew a man that was under misfortunes, being guilty of misdemeanors against the goverment; when, absconding for fear of his ruin, all his friends advising him not to put himself in the hands of the law, one morning as he awaked, he felt a strong impulse darting into his mind thus, Write a letter to them; and this was repeated several times to his mind, and at last he answered to it, as if it had been a voice, Whom shall I write to? Immediately it replied, Write to the judge: and this impulse pursued him for several days, till at length he took pen, ink, and paper, and sat down to write to him: when immediately words flowed from his pen, like streams from a fair fountain, that charmed even himself with hopes of success. In short, the letter was so strenuous in argument, so pathetic in its eloquence, and so persuasively moving, that when the judge had read it, he sent him an answer he might be easy, he would endeavour to make that matter light to him; and, indeed, never left exerting himself, till he had stopt the prosecution, and restored him to his liberty and family.
I know a person who had so strong an impression upon her mind, that the house she was in would be burnt that very night, that she could not sleep; the impulse she had upon her mind pressed her not to go to bed, which, however, she got over, and went to bed; but was so terrified with the thought, which run in her mind, that the house would be burnt, that she could not go to sleep; but communicating her apprehensions to another in the family, they were both in such a fright, that they applied themselves to search from the top of the house to the bottom, & to see every fire and candle safe out, so that, as they all said, it was impossible that any thing could happen then, and they sent to the neighbours on both sides to do the like. Thus far they did well: But had she obeyed the hint which pressed upon her strangely, not to go to bed, she had done much better; for the fire was actually kindled at that very time, though not broken out. About an hour after the whole family was in bed, the house just over the way, directly opposite, was all in flames, and the wind, which was very high, blowing the flame upon the house this gentlewoman lived in, so filled it with smoke and fire, in a few minutes, the street being narrow, that they had not air to breathe, or time to do any thing, but jump out of their beds, and save their lives. Had she obeyed the hint given, and not gone to bed, she might have saved several things; but the few moments she had spared to her, were but just sufficient to leap out of bed, put some cloathes on, and get down stairs, for the house was on fire in half a quarter of an hour.
While I am mentioning these things, methinks it is very hard that we should obey the whispers of evil spirits, and not much rather receive the notices which good ones are pleased to give. We never perceive the misfortune of this, but when in real danger; and then we cry, My mind misgave me when I was going about it; but if so, why do you fight the caution? Why not listen to it as to a voice? and then there had been no reason to make this complaint.
I remember about fourteen or fifteen years ago (as to time I cannot be very positive) there was a young clergyman in the city of Dublin, in Ireland, who dreamed a very uncommon dream, that a gentleman had killed his wife, a relation of his, by stabbing her in several places; the fright of this awaked him, but finding it a dream, he composed himself again to sleep, when he dreamed a second time the same dream. This made him a little uneasy; but thinking it proceeded from the impression made on his mind by the former, he went to sleep again, and dreamed the same dream a third time also. So troubled was he at this, that he arose, and knocked at his mother's chamber, told his concern, and his apprehensions that all was not right at his relation's house. Dear son, says the good old gentlewoman, do not mind these foolish dreams; and I very much wonder, that you, being a person in holy orders, should have regard to such illusions. Upon this he went to bed again, fell asleep, and dreamed a fourth time as before. And then indeed he put on his night-gown, and went to Smithfield, the place where his relation dwelt. Here it was, alas! he perceived his dream too sadly fulfilled, by seeing his relation the young lady, big with child, who was a Protestant, stabbed in several places by her barbarous husband, Mr. Eustace, a violent Papist, only for some discourses of religion that happened the day before. After the wretch had stabbed her in three places, he went to make his escape out at a window; but she cried out, My dear! don't leave me, come back, and I shall be well again. At which he returned in a hellish rage, and gave her four wounds more; when, even in this condition, rising from her bed, she wrapped herself in her night-gown, and went to the Lord Bishop of Rapho's chamber door (the Bishop lodging at that time in the house). My Lord, said she, O my Lord, make haste unto me; but as soon as his Lordship came, she expired in his arms, resigning her precious soul into the hands of Almighty God. The cruel wretch her husband was shot by the pursuers; too good a death for one who deserved the gibbet; and the lady was universally lamented by all tender and religious people. And this tragical relation I have mentioned, upon the account of that impulse, or dream, that the clergyman had at the fatal time of the bloody action.
It might be expected I should enter upon the subject of apparitions, and discourse concerning the reality of them; and whether they can revisit the place of their former existence, and resume those faculties of speech and shape as they had when living; but, as these are very doubtful matters, I shall only make a few observations upon them.
I once heard of a man that would allow the reality of apparitions, but laid it all upon the devil, thinking that the souls of men departed, or good men, did never appear. To this very man something did appear: He said, he saw the shape of an ancient man pass by him in the dusk, who, holding up his hand in a threatening posture, cried out, O wicked man, repent, repent. Terrified with this apparition, he consulted several friends, who advised him to take the advice. But after all, it was not an apparition, but a grave and pious gentleman, who met him by mere accident, and had been sensible of his wickedness; and who never undeceived him, lest it should hinder his reformation.
Some people make a very ill use of the general notion, that there are no apparitions nor spirits at all: which is worse than those who fancy they see them upon every occasion; for those carry their notions farther, even to annihilate the devil, and believe nothing about him, neither of one kind or other: the next step they come to, is to conclude, There is no God, and so atheism takes its rise in the same sink, with a carelessness about futurity. But there is no occasion to enter upon an argument to prove the being of the Almighty, or to illustrate his power by words, who has so many undeniable testimonies in the breasts of every rational being to prove his existence: and we have sufficient proofs enough to convince us of the great superintendency of Divine Providence in the minutest affairs of this world; the manifest existence of the invisible world; the reality of spirits, and intelligence between us and them. What I have said, I hope, will not mislead any person, or be a means whereby they may delude themselves; for I have spoken of these things with the utmost seriousness of mind, and with a sincere and ardent desire for the general good and benefit of the world.