THE SPIRIT’S LETTER.
1518. To the Friends of this Circle: After various inquiries made at this circle, we deem it highly necessary to reply by stated reasons, why our presiding spirit declines to give the names of the spirits present during our performances at this room:
1519. 1st. Let the inquirer conceive himself entering a congregated promiscuous assembly of persons, who are all anxiously awaiting his approach under the discharge of some important and general mission, in behalf of those in attendance. On entering the assembly, he looks around upon his anxious inquirers, and sees them attended with their respective safeguards, such as he never saw before. In the discharge of his official duty, however, he is necessitated to exclude himself from the direct view and intercourse of the safeguards, so as to be brought into a nearer relation to the corresponding parties. The interlocution accordingly takes place, when each one in turn begins to interrogate the speaker in his excluded position, on subjects relating to their excluded guard, of which the speaker knows but little or nothing, except the cognition of their presence on his arrival; and in order to acquaint himself with the circumstances and matters inquired after, so as to answer correctly, the speaker has to disencumber himself at every inquiry, and not only so, but would also fail to perform his devolved duty by submitting himself to the scrutiny and criticism of the corresponding parties. Which, then, of the two requirements would be of the most consequence—to discommode the general interest of the assembly and that of his own official duty, or to omit the latter and attend to the discharge of a more important and higher duty, by which the peace and consoling riches would be augmented to the fulness of their cup?
1520. Now, this is the position our presiding spirit occupies. When himself and band enter the room, he recognises, many bright guardian spirits interspersed among the promiscuous assembly, of whom he has no knowledge. And in the discharge of their manifesting performances, they necessarily must assume physical incumbrances, which shuts them from a direct view of the attending spirits; and as many questions that are led in relation to them so often, the corresponding spirit has to disrobe himself so as to give a correct relation, to say nothing of the possibility of receiving and conveying wrong impressions from spirits who do not regard the truth.
1521. Given by Second King, at the council of the presiding band.
THE ABOVE IS CERTIFIED TO.
1522. After this communication had been read, a certificate, setting forth the above facts was drawn up and signed by all those present, as follows:
1523. Audience present.—Portia Gage, Gage’s Lake, Ill.; John Gage, Gage’s Lake, Lake county, Ill.; Solomon Bordon, Millfield, Athens county, Ohio; Thomas Morris and wife, Hyram Schenick, Selah Van Sickle, Delaware, Ohio.
1524. Mediums present.—Jonathan Koons, Abigail T. Koons, Nahum W. Koons.