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THE 
 
 SPIRIT RAPPINGS, 
 
 MESMERISM, 
 
 C L A I E V Y A N C E , 
 
 VISIONS, REVELATIONS, STARTLING PHENOMENA, AND 
 
 INFIDELITY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 RAPPING FRATERNITY, 
 
 CALMLY CONSIDERED, AND 
 
 EXPOSED. 
 
 BY 
 
 REV. JAMES PORTER, A. M., 
 
 AUTHOR OF « COME-OUTISM t " "OPERATIVES' FRIEND," &c, &C. 
 
 "For there are certain men crept in unawares, turning the grace of God 
 into lasciviousness." — Bible. 
 
 "The patriarchal God is a magnified and refined Moses." — The roug\- 
 Jceepsie Seer and Clairvoyant. 
 
 " Whom shall I bring up unto thee ? " — Witch of Endor. 
 
 " The soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after 
 wizards, I will cut him off from among the living." — Ood. 
 
 BOSTON: ; ^y 
 
 JAMES P . M A G E E , 
 
 No. 5 COKNHILL, 
 
 TO WHOM ALL ORDERS MAY BE SENT. 
 
 
 Price, 12i Cents. 
 

PREFACE. 
 
 Is submitting these few pages to the public eye, the author has been influenced by 
 a deep sense of his responsibility as a watchman on the walls of Zion. Seeing the 
 " sword coming," — in other words, observing multiplied evils growing out of recent 
 experiments in Mesmerism, Rappings, &c, — he has been constrained to give what he 
 deemed an appropriate warning. Should this little effort succeed, in any measure, to 
 counterwork the most dangerous movements of the times, and settle the wavering 
 faith of the public in fundamental principles, he will be more than compensated for 
 his labor, and for any reproach he may have to endure as the result of it. God's 
 word is true, notwithstanding the " profane and vain babblings" of jugglers, and the 
 opposition of "science, falsely so called." Still it is being assaulted by infidels as never 
 before, under new, humane, and even religious pretences ; and with a power to de- 
 ceive that has seldom been displayed. But, "though hand join in hand, the wicked 
 shall not be unpunished." — Prov. xi. 21. "For the foundation of God standeth sure, 
 having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his." 
 
 We have deemed it best to publish our thoughts in the cheapest form, that " all 
 who run may read." We commend these pages to the candid consideration of all 
 whom they concern, praying that they may be accompanied by the divine blessing 
 and aid in averting the evils with which we are threatened. 
 
 Bostox, Feb. 16, 1853. 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. The Divine Manifestations to Men, .... 5 
 " IT. Objects and Results of Divine Manifestations, . Id 
 " III. Diabolic Manifestations, ..... .1% 
 
 " IV. Other Evil Agencies, . . 15 
 
 " V. Mesmerism, ... 19 
 
 " VI. Clairvoyance, particularly as developed in the 
 Experience and Revealments of Andrew Jack- 
 son Davis, 23 
 
 " VK. Spiritual Knockings — their Incredibility, . . 29 
 " VIII. The Knockings not attributable to Departed 
 
 Spirits, 33 
 
 " IX. The Phenomena connected with the Knockings, 
 
 how disposed of . . ..*... 41 
 
 " X. The Conclusion of the whole Matter, . . . 5C 
 
CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS TO MEN. 
 
 God is manifest in his works ; but to what extent, is a question about 
 which good men have widely differed. For the present, we have only 
 to say, that the manifestation is not so distinct and copious as to super- 
 sede other instructions of a more direct and specific character. Hence, 
 according to the Scriptures, the Creator had no sooner made the first 
 man, than he appeared to him, giving him definite directions for his 
 conduct in the position he occupied, and the consequences of deviation 
 therefrom. (Gen. ii. 16, 17.) He brought before him also the different 
 animals he had created, that he might name them. All these things 
 were undoubtedly effected by some mode of familiar communication 
 that was perfectly intelligible. 
 
 After the transgression, there was another manifestation, which, 
 however, gave great alarm. (Gen. iii. 8.) But Adam was brought 
 before his Maker, and conversed with him again, though under very 
 different circumstances than at first. It was a painful interview, and 
 issued in his ejectment from the garden. But God did not utterly 
 withdraw himself from the race. He had respect to the offering of 
 Abel, and testified to him of his gifts, witnessing " that he was right- 
 eous." (Heb. xi. 4.) But he did not manifest himself to Cain in the 
 same way, or to the same effect. Cain was, therefore, " wroth," on ac- 
 count of which the Lord reproved him. Subsequently to the death of 
 Abel, he had another manifestation, and received the sentence his crime 
 demanded. 
 
 Enoch walked with God at least three hundred years, and " had this 
 testimony, that he pleased God." (Heb. xi. 5.) God appeared also to 
 Noah, and informed him of the approaching flood, and of his will con- 
 cerning the ark. Abraham had frequent manifestations. In one of 
 them he was commanded to leave his country, in another he was 
 promised a son : afterward he was required to offer that son in sacrifice ; 
 but he was excused in time to spare his life. Similar manifestations 
 were made to Sarah, Agar, Isaac, Jacob, and numerous other worthies 
 of the patriarchal age, the records of which have come down to us well 
 authenticated. 
 
 Moses was particularly favored in this respect. " There appeared to 
 him, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, the angel of the Lord in a flame 
 of Are in a bush ; and when Moses saw it he drew near, and the voice 
 cf the Lord came unto him, saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the 
 God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then 
 Moses trembled, and durst not behold." (Acts vii. 30, 32.) It was here 
 that he received his instructions concerning his brethren in Egyptian 
 bondage, which he successfully carried out afterward. At another time 
 numerous others were permitted to share the heavenly vision with him. 
 " Then went up Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy 
 of the elders of Israel ; and they saw the God of Israel." (Exod. xxiv. 
 9, 10.) Then Moses went up into the mount at the divine command, 
 and the glory of the Lord surrounded him. " And the Lord spake unto 
 Moses," giving him directions about his worship, the ark of the cove- 
 nant, tabernacle, &c. ( Exod. xxv. 1 .) He spake unto him " face to face, 
 
 5 
 
SPIRIT RAPPINGS. 
 
 M I man speaketh to his friend." He showed him M his glory " also, and 
 such was the eiVect of it upon his eounteuancc, that the children of Is- 
 rael were afraid to come nigh him. % 
 
 .Joshua KM the captain of the Lord's host, and fell on his face to the 
 earth, and worshipped him. (Josh. v. 14.) "The angel of the Lord" 
 [Jehovah himself] appeared to the ehildren of Israel at .Pochim, and 
 spake such words unto them, that they " lifted up their voice and wept." 
 (Judges ii. 4.) And the effect was favorable, for "the people served the 
 Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that out- 
 lived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord, that he did 
 for Israel." (Ver. 7.) 
 
 Gideon was visited by this same divine personage, and directed in 
 relation to delivering Israel out of the hand of the Midianites. (Judges 
 vi. 12. fcc.) The conversation which occurred is full of interest. The 
 Lord appeared to Samuel, too, and made communications to him of the 
 highest importance both to himself and others. (1 Sam. iii. 7 ; ix. 17.) 
 The manifestations of God to David were many. He appeared to his 
 son Solomon in Gibcon, " in a dream by night, and said, What shall I 
 give thee ! " But though in a dream, his divine character was not mis- 
 taken, as the result fully proved. (1 Kings iii.) 
 
 Micaiah " saw the Lord sitting upon his throne, and all the host of 
 heaven standing by him, on his right hand and on his left." ( 1 Kings xxii. 
 1 9. ) The correspondence between Elijah and his God was very intimate 
 and striking. He spoke to God, and God answered him in rain, and in 
 fire, and in the still small voice. (1 Kings xix. 9, &c.) The Lord man- 
 ifested himself to Job out of the whirlwind, and that good man was con- 
 strained to exclaim, " I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, 
 but now mine eye seeth thee ; wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in 
 dust and ashes." (Job xlii. 5, 6.) Says Isaiah, " I saw also the Lord sit- 
 ting upon his throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple." 
 (Chap. vi. 1.) The object of this manifestation was to endow him for 
 his prophetic mission. His future life furnishes us with a continued 
 series of manifestations, the results of which appear in his prophecies. 
 
 To Jeremiah " the Lord appeared, saying, I have loved thee with an 
 everlasting love," &c. (Jer. xxxi. 3.) To Ezekiel he revealed himself 
 variously. Daniel saw the Ancient of Days, and one like the Son of 
 Man coming with the clouds of heaven." The three worthies in the 
 fiery furnace no doubt saw their divine Associate more clearly than the 
 king himself, who declared him to be " like the Son of God." 
 
 Other prophets and good men, of whom the Old Testament Scrip- 
 tures make honorable mention, had similar manifestations, and spake 
 as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. 
 
 Coming down to the Christian dispensation, we find numerous in- 
 stances of the same kind. God manifested himself to Joseph by an 
 angel, and instructed him in regard to the birth of Christ, declaring 
 what Joseph could not have known then to be true, without a revela- 
 tion. Simeon had it " revealed to him by the Holy Ghost, that he should 
 not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ." 
 
 Not every one who looked upon the person of Christ enjoyed the 
 divine presence ; but to many he was emphatically " God manifest in 
 the flesh." Thus Nathaniel saw him, and exclaimed, " Rabbi, thou art 
 the Son of God, thou art the King of Israel." St. John says that " he 
 manifested forth his glory, and his disciples believed on him." Such was 
 the power of his manifestation to that " woman which was a sinner," 
 that " she kissed his feet, and washed them with her tears." Peter and 
 
THE DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS TO MEN. 7 
 
 the two sons of Zebedee, before whom the Saviour was transfigured on 
 Mount Tabor, " saw the King in his beauty." " His face did shine like 
 the sun, and his raiment became white as the light ; a bright cloud over- 
 shadowed him, and behold, a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my 
 beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased ; hear ye him." Mary saw 
 Jesus at the sepulchre, and thought him to be the gardener; but when 
 he addressed her by name, her eyes were opened, to see him alive from 
 the dead. He also manifested himself to the two disciples who walked to 
 Emmaus, and were sad, and to other groups, and even to Thomas, 
 whose unbelief seemed to exclude him from so great a favor. 
 
 Three thousand on the day of Pentecost " were pricked in their hearts ; " 
 they were made to view divine things in a new light. God spoke 
 to them by his word in a wonderful manner. When Stephen stood be- 
 fore the council, u all saw his face as it had been the face of an angel." 
 Looking up " steadfastly into heaven, he saw the glory of God, and 
 Jesus standing at the right hand of God." " The Lord, even Jesus, 
 appeared unto Saul while on his way to Damascus. And " suddenly 
 there shone around about him a light from heaven above the brightness 
 of the sun," so that he fell upon the earth, and heard a voice calling him 
 by name. At Corinth, this same man had another manifestation. 
 The Lord spake to him in a vision, and said, " Be not afraid, but speak, 
 and hold not thy peace ; for I am with thee, and no man shall hurt 
 thee." At another time he was " caught up into the third heaven, into 
 paradise, and heard words which it is not possible for man to utter." 
 Having been arrested for preaching the gospel, he says, the night fol- 
 lowing, the Lord stood by him, and said, " Be of good cheer, Paul ; for 
 as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness of 
 me at Rome." On his way to Rome, while wrecked at sea, he had 
 another manifestation, which he describes in these words : " There 
 stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I 
 serve, saying, Fear not, Paul ; thou must be brought before Ca3sar ; and 
 lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee." 
 
 Similar manifestations were made to others. The Lord appeared to 
 Ananias, and calling him by name, directed him to go into the street 
 called Straight, and inquire at the house of one Judas for Saul of Tar- 
 sus, &c. (Acts ix. 10, &c.) Cornelius saw in a vision, about the ninth 
 hour of the day, " an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto 
 him, Cornelius." And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said. 
 What is it, Lord'? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine aims 
 are come up for a memorial before God," &c. (Acts x. 3, 4.) To secure 
 the object of this manifestation, the Lord appeared also to Peter, and 
 prepared him to respond to the call he was about to receive to preach 
 to the Gentiles. ( Ver. 9, &c.) The Lord appeared to this apostle again 
 while in prison, loosed and led him out. 
 
 The manifestations to St. John were frequent and- impressive. "I 
 was in the Spirit on the Lord's day," says that apostle, " and heard 
 behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, saying, I am Alpha and 
 Omega, the first and the last. And I turned to see the voice that spake 
 to me, and I saw one like unto the Son of Man," &c. (Rev. i. 10, &c.) 
 
 To these instances of divine manifestation might be added many 
 more of equal interest ; but these are sufficient. They indicate the 
 manner in which God communicated with men under the patriarchal, 
 Jewish, and the early part of the Christian dispensations. 
 
 Whether any further manifestation from God be necessary, is a ques- 
 tion concerning which different opinions are entertained. Some assume 
 
8 SriRIT RAPPINGS. 
 
 that the appearances to the fathers, the patriarchs, prophets, and apos- 
 tles, so fully revealed, and demonstrated the will of God, that we only 
 need (o read the Bible to obtain all the light and inspiration requisite. 
 They therefore place almost entire dependence upon the Bible for in- 
 struction and sueeess in doing good. They deeply sympathize with 
 the prayer of the Saviour, " Sanctify them through thy truth" and 
 teach, that if we continue in his word, "the truth will make us free." 
 fJohn viii. IV2 ; xvii. 17.) 
 
 Another elass oeeupy the opposite extreme. They admit the Scrip- 
 tures to have been valuable in their day, and even now are worthy to 
 be read as historic records, and for the many excellent principles they 
 inculcate. But they do not receive them as an infallible and ample 
 standard of truth. They regard thc«rcvelations of science, or it may be, 
 of magic, or mesmeric clairvoyance, so called, as more full, and of high- 
 er authority. Hence they do not hesitate flatly to contradict the Bible 
 whenever its utterances interfere with their assumptions, and to pre- 
 dict a kind and degree of progress that will throw all present attain- 
 ments in religious knowledge entirely in the shade. We see them, there- 
 fore, agog for light, now gazing into the depths of the earth, or perhaps 
 into the blue dome of heaven ; and now, though less scientifically, we 
 think, staring into the eyes of some favorite medium, or watching the 
 antics of imaginary spirits under the enchanted table. They are "free- 
 thinkers" indeed. They will have liberty. Said one. " I won't be tied 
 down to the Scriptures or any thing else. I mean to seek truth wher- 
 ever I can find it. I don't care where it comes from. If it comes from 
 a child or from the devil, if it is truth, I will receive it, and call it 
 God's truth." 
 
 Now, if we mistake not, the real truth lies somewhere between these 
 two extremes. The canon of Scripture is indeed full, as it was not at 
 the coming of Christ. The Mosaic economy contemplated a brighter 
 day, and a more glorious demonstration of the love and power of God. ' 
 The prophets foresaw it, and described many of its events with strik- 
 ing particularity. But Christ and his apostles employed a different lan- 
 guage. The next grand event to which they looked was the final coming 
 of the Son of Man to judge the quick and the dead. And what more 
 was desirable ? God had revealed himself by many signs and won- 
 ders, Christ had died and made an atonement for the sins of the 
 whole world, the plan of salvation had been clearly explained, minis- 
 ters of righteousness provided, the Holy Ghost given, and the invitation 
 had gone forth summoning all to come and partake of the waters of 
 life freely. The amplitude of these arrangements will be seen when 
 we consider the agency of the Spirit. This is indicated by the words 
 of Christ to his sorrowing disciples. " It is expedient," said he, " that 
 I go away ; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come ; but if I 
 depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will re- 
 prove the world of sin, and of righteousnes, and of judgment ; of sin 
 because they believe not on me," &c. (John xvi. 7, 8.) The Spirit, 
 then, convinces of sin, of the necessity of being righteous, and of 
 the certainty of a judgment to come. This prompts wicked men to 
 regard the instructions of the word, and work out their own salvation 
 with fear and trembling. In this way God really appears to them, and 
 influences their minds so as to attract attention, and impress them with 
 their duty, and they often have no more doubt that it is he who speaks, 
 than they have of their existence. This generally arises in connection 
 with the word, either read or preached ; but sometimes it has no appar- 
 
THE DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS TO MEN. 9 
 
 ent connection with any outward menns whatever. God speaks by his 
 Spirit directly to the heart ; but without the Spirit the word is ineffec- 
 tive, as are all other means that man can employ. 
 
 The Spirit is also a " Comforter." Said Jesus to his disciples, " If 
 ye love me, keep my commandments ; and I will pray to the Father, 
 and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you 
 forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, be- 
 cause it seeth him not, neither knoweth him : but ye know him ; for he 
 dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." Defining still more particularly 
 -whom he regarded as his, and their privileges, he added, u He that hath 
 my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me : and he 
 that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and 
 will manifest myself unto him." " Lord," said Judas, " not Iscariot, how 
 is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world 1 
 Jesus answered, and said unto him. If a man love me, he will keep my 
 words 5 and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, 
 and make our abode with him. These things have I spoken unto 
 you, being yet present with you ; but the Comforter, which is the Holy 
 Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all 
 things, and bring all things to remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto 
 you." (John xiv. 15-26.) 
 
 Hence the Christian has correspondence with God through the Spirit. 
 God takes up u his abode with him," " manifests " himself to his 
 heart, " helps his infirmities," witnesses to him that he -is a Christian, a 
 new creature in Christ Jesus, receives his prayers and homage, and 
 comforts him. Says the apostle to the Bomans, " Ye have not re- 
 ceived the spirit of bondage, again to fear, but ye have received the 
 spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself 
 beareth ivitness with our spirit that we are the children of God." The 
 same apostle says, " Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it 
 entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for 
 them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his 
 Spirit." 
 
 The means provided for obtaining these and other manifestations 
 and assistance, beyond what is communicated independently of human 
 exertion, are suggested in such scriptures as the following : " If 
 any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liber- 
 ally, and upbraideth not 5 and it shall be given him." He must not 
 ask witches, nor spirits, but " God." He is " more willing to give the 
 Spirit of wisdom, power, and grace to them that ask him, than earthly 
 parents are to give good gifts to their children." And he urges us to come 
 " boldly to the throne of grace, that we may find grace to help in every 
 time of need." This is our proper course, then, " in every time of 
 need." We should go nowhere else for supernatural aid. God is equal 
 to all our necessities, and we need no other help. To resort to spirits, 
 therefore, if it were practicable, would be an insult offered to his ma- 
 jesty, no less than to his wisdom and power. Saul attempted this ; 
 but God taught him that it was not competent for the dead to bless 
 whom he had cursed. 
 
 To encourage us to call upon God, and to keep ourselves from idols 
 and diviners, it is written, " If we ask any thing according to his will, 
 he heareth us;" and "we know that we have the petitions we desired of 
 him." Hence it is also commanded, " Is any among you afflicted, let 
 him pray," — not to images or spirits. u Is any sick, let the elders of the 
 church pray over him." Accordingly, when Paul would heal the 
 
10 SPIRIT RAPPINGS, 
 
 father o( PobliaS, M he prayed." Thus the Scriptures provide for all 
 our necessities. What we do not receive in the ordinary course of 
 things, we may obtain by prayer, if it be necessary to our interest. 
 
 But may we not be deceived, and suppose we have the Spirit when 
 we have not ? Certainly; but the remedy is at hand. God's revela- 
 tions are consistent with each other; they beautifully harmonize. 
 Whether the minutes or fire thousand years old, they agree in spirit, 
 object, and utterance. By bringing our experience to the Bible, which 
 has been established as the word of God, we can soon learn whether it 
 be from above or beneath. If it be not in accordance with that book, 
 we know it is spurious, and not to be trusted. Thus we are to " try 
 the spirits, whether they be of God." 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 OBJECTS AND RESULTS OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS. 
 
 In contemplating any phenomena which we attribute to an intelligent 
 agent, it is natural to inquire after their object, and to consider their 
 tendency and results. Such an inquiry, in the present case, is of the 
 highest importance. If no suitable reasons for the manifestations 
 enumerated can be discovered, or the tendency and legitimate results 
 of them are injurious, or unworthy of the Being to whom they are 
 attributed, our confidence in them will become essentially impaired. 
 Not that the Creator always reveals the objects of his action, or that we 
 are always capable of judging of such objects. when revealed. This/ 
 is not assumed ; but when the object of any phenomena ascribed to him 
 is manifest, and is clearly worthy of his acknowledged character as the 
 God and Governor of men, we find it easier to concur in such a refer- 
 ence of them than under other circumstances. Besides, such is our 
 confidence in the purity and goodness of God, we could not be induced 
 to attribute any phenomena to him of obvious evil tendency. He is 
 too wise to act without good cause, and too benevolent to act in a 
 way to injure his creatures. 
 
 Let us inquire, then, What are the facts in the case under considera 
 tion 2 What was contemplated by the manifestations to which we have 
 adverted 1 And what are their tendency and results ? In answering 
 these interrogatories, we remark, — 
 
 1. That the design of them was evidently of no trivial character. 
 Magicians, jugglers, and other human wonder-workers, aim to astonish, 
 amuse, make gain, and overthrow the truth. But we see nothing of this 
 here : all is serious, open, practical, devout. 
 
 2. The object in every case is important. God appeared to Adam, at 
 the time of his creation, to acquaint him with his Maker, and instruct 
 him in relation to his duty, and the consequences of neglecting it. 
 Though innocent, he was by no means omniscient ; he needed instruction. 
 And this was promptly furnished in a way suited to his capacity, so 
 that he seems to have understood it perfectly. The divine appearance 
 to him, after his fall, was for his arrest and banishment from the garden 
 and the tree of life. It was made necessary by transgression. God ap- 
 peared to Noah to reveal his purpose as to the flood, and to provide for 
 
OBJECTS AND RESULTS OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS. 11 
 
 preserving him and his family, with the specimen of the different birds 
 and beasts, from the general ruin which was at hand. His appearances 
 to Abraham were interesting both to him and the people he repre- 
 sented, and, indeed, to all mankind. They have a connection and 
 bearing,. which we can but admire, if we examine their history in regard 
 to the grand scheme of human redemption. 
 
 The objects of the numerous manifestations made to Moses were 
 always tangible and important. Israel was in cruel bondage, and 
 must be delivered by human instrumentality. Who so proper to be 
 selected as Moses — an Israelite by birth and by sympathy, and yet the 
 reputed son of the king's daughter ? But the undertaking was sur- 
 rounded with infinite difficulties. No mortal would dare to assume it 
 without divine counsel and assistance. Hence God appeared to Moses, 
 and proposed to send him to Pharaoh, promising to be with him. But 
 Moses apprehended difficulty ; he foresaw that the people would not 
 believe that God had appeared to him. Therefore the miracle of 
 the rod being converted into a serpent, and then again back to a rod, 
 in his hand. This was done to convince him of his call to the work, 
 and insure the success of the enterprise. There is no unnecessary 
 display, no voice, no act, nothing wonderful, to excite astonishment, 
 gratify curiosity, or glorify Moses. Every remarkable circumstance 
 takes place just at the time it is needed to carry out the plan adopted 
 for the deliverance of the people. And each is so different from the 
 others as to convince all that the resources of the Grand Mover in 
 the drama are infinite. The appearances in connection with giving the 
 law were not less necessary. If God would give law to his people, he 
 must do it in a way to convince them that it was he who had spoken to 
 them, and not another. He allowed them, therefore, to witness some- 
 thing of the phenomena accompanying the interview which he held 
 with Moses in the mount. 
 
 The gracious appearances to Joshua, Gideon, Samuel, Job, and indeed 
 to all the prophets and apostles, are characterized by similar importance 
 Their object in every case seems to be worthy of God himself. And we 
 have called particular attention to this circumstance because of its influ- 
 ence upon our confidence, and because of the contrast, in this respect, 
 between divine appearances and those which are false and deceptive. 
 
 For the same reasons, we deem it necessary to make special reference 
 to the moral influence and tendency of these manifestations. Did they 
 prompt to virtue or to vice — 'to sin or to holiness? We regard this 
 as one of the best tests, whether of men or things — " By their fruits ye 
 shall know them." A manifestation which lulls conscience, neutralizes 
 the fear of God, and other stimulants to piety, restrains prayer, dissuades 
 from the means of grace, is evidently from an unworthy source. But 
 the manifestations under consideration exerted a very different influ- 
 ence. They prompted to all those inward graces and outward habits 
 which God enjoins, and which the duty and interests of men require 
 them to observe. Whdh Nebuchadnezzar, saw the form of the fourth in 
 the fiery furnace, he was convinced that there was no God like the God 
 of Shadrach, Meshech, and Abeclnego, and forbade that anyone should 
 speak " amiss of him." And how often did the manifestations of God 
 to his prophets reform the Jewish nation! The tendency of these 
 gracious visitations is still in the same direction. We can hardly read 
 of them without thinking more of our Maker, and being excited to 
 obey him. 
 
 It is to these phenomena that we are indebted, in a great measure, for 
 
12 spirit MABFlNtifc 
 
 the l.nr and the tcstimont/. Had not God appeared to Moses, where 
 -would have been the Pentateuch? Had the prophets seen no visions, 
 whm would have been the propheeies | Had the apostles enjoyed no 
 divine eoiuinunieations, where would have been the Gospels and 
 the Kpistles I The influenee of these appearances to them lias in some 
 sort been transmitted to us. We learn the tendency of them, therefore, 
 by what we feel in reading the Holy Seriptures, and by marking their 
 results upon others. As these manifestations were diversified in their 
 influence, on the one hand comforting and encouraging the good, and 
 00 the other striking terror to the heart of sin, as in the ease oi' Cain, 
 so it is with the revelations which w r e have in the Bible. The obedient 
 love them, and are stimulated to continuance in well doing, while 
 transgressors are admonished and urged to repentance on pain of the 
 most serious consequences. 
 
 We beg the reader's special attention to this feature of the subject, as 
 we shall have occasion to advert to it again, when we come to examine 
 certain modern phenomena which are being urged upon our attention. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 DIABOLIC MANIFESTATIONS. 
 
 I 
 
 Following the Mosaic history, and the other authorities from which 
 we have derived material for the preceding chapters, we are led to con- 
 template another class of manifestations from a different quarter. It is 
 equally important to our object to examine these also, that we may see 
 wherein they agree with the others, and wherein they differ. We shall, 
 therefore, refer to some of the more prominent of the cases recorded in 
 Scripture, and invite attention to their distinguishing characteristics. 
 
 Perhaps some may think that we should first prove the existence of 
 the devil, before we attempt to discourse about his manifestations ; but 
 we judge otherwise. Revelation as clearly recognizes his existence as 
 it does the existence of God ; and there are various phenomena coming 
 under our observation from day to day which clearly indicate, not only 
 his existence, but a considerable degree of intelligence and power. If 
 any are so blind to the teachings of the Bible as to need any further ar- 
 gument on this subject, while we pity them, we must pass them by for 
 the present. We only write for those who receive the Bible as the word 
 of God, in its simplest and most obvious meaning. Atheists, (if such 
 beings exist,) Deists, Parkerites, Come-outers, Rappers, Universalists, 
 and other infidels, who believe the Bible just so far as it suits their 
 taste, would not certainly believe in the personality of the devil from 
 any thing we could say.* If they believe not Moses and the prophets, 
 
 * Should any think us uncharitable in this allusion to Mr. Parker, we ask their at- 
 tention to the following extracts from his recent publications. If they can refer us to 
 a more consummate infidel of the deistical stamp, we shall be obliged to them if they 
 will do so. 
 
 " I do not believe there was a miracle, or ever will be : every where I find law — 
 the constant mode of operation of the infinite God. I do not believe in the miraculous 
 inspiration of the Old Testament or the New Testament. I do not believe that the Old 
 Testament was God's first word, or the New Testament his last. The Scriptures are 
 no finality to me. Inspiration is a perpetual fact. Prophets and apostles did not 
 monopolize the Father ; lie Inspires men to-day as much as heretofore. 
 
DIABOLIC MANIFESTATIONS. 13 
 
 and especially if they believe not Christ, neither would they be per- 
 suaded though one arose from the dead. And as to others, they 
 already believe. We shall, therefore, take his existence for granted, as 
 the Scriptures do, and trace the manifestations therein detailed. 
 
 And in regard to these, it is proper to observe, that they are restricted 
 to no specific modes or forms. His satanic majesty has imitated the 
 Deity in this respect ; he has operated through different mediums, and 
 appeared in different forms. His first appearance to the human family 
 was in the form of a serpent. God had given his commands, and our 
 first parents were governing themselves accordingly, when he appeared 
 among them as an inquirer. 'This attitude was a suggestion of his 
 subtlety. Much depends upon the manner of introducing a subject 
 " Hath God said," he inquired, " ye shall not eat of every tree of 
 the garden ? " Being informed by the woman that there was an 
 exception, that they must not eat of a certain tree, nor even touch it, 
 on pain of death, he boldly contradicted the divine decree, by saying, 
 " Ye shall not surely die." This was followed by a train of statements, 
 implicating the integrity of the Lawgiver, and the intelligence of his 
 subjects. It was also affirmed that great advantage would result from 
 disobedience. Hence, " when the woman saw that the [forbidden] tree 
 was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be 
 desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and 
 gave also to her husband, and he did eat." The result taught him that 
 it is wise to obey God, whoever may call us foolish or fanatical. 
 
 This same deceiver appeared to David, and " persuaded him to num- 
 ber Israel," which displeased the Lord very greatly, and resulted in 
 heavy judgments. (1 Chron. xxi. 1, 14.) He appeared among the sons 
 of God, too, in the days of Job, when they " came to present them- 
 selves before the Lord." (Job i. 6.) It was at that time that he said 
 he had come from " going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up 
 and down in it." It was then, too, that he commenced his engagement 
 with Job, which resulted in the multiplied afflictions, for the patient 
 endurance of which that good man has since been distinguished. 
 From this we learn that his agency extends to the body as well as the 
 mind, and even to the elements, which he may employ to the destruc- 
 tion of both property and life. Hence he is called " the prince of the 
 power of the air." (Eph. ii. 2.) We learn also that he sometimes 
 appears quite religious, for "when the sons of God came to present 
 themselves before the Lord, he came also to present himself before the 
 Lord." (Job ii. 1.) But it is manifest from the same source that his 
 power is limited. Whatever feats he may achieve, there is a point at 
 which his inferiority will appear, to the glory of God. 
 
 His appearances to the Saviour were numerous. At one time he took 
 him up into a high mountain — at another, upon a pinnacle of the 
 temple. The devils which possessed the men coming out of the tombs 
 
 " I do not believe the miraculous origin of the Hebrew church, or the Buddhist 
 church, or the Christian church ; nor the miraculous character of Jesus. I take not 
 the Bible for my master, nor yet the church ; nor even Jesus of Nazareth for my 
 master. I feel not at all bound to believe what the church says is true, nor what any 
 writer in the Old or New Testament declares true ; and I am ready to believe that 
 Jesus taught, as I think, eternal torment, the existence of a devil, and that he him- 
 self should, ere long, come back in the clouds of heaven. I do not accept these things 
 on his authority. 
 
 " He is my best historic ideal of human greatness ; not without errors, not without 
 the stain of his times, and, I presume, of course not without sins ; for men without 
 «ins exist in the dreams of girls, not in real fact : you never saw such a one, nor I, 
 and we never shall." 
 
1 { SPIRIT RAPPIN08- 
 
 remonstrated with him to let them alone, and not torment them before 
 the time. They Bpoke by the men themselves, thus controlling their lips 
 and tongues to say /<•//(// tAey would, as a mesmerieer controls his victims. 
 Devils appeared to others, and afflicted and took possession of them. 
 One was so possessed, as to be both "blind" and "dumb." Another 
 ^^ as so 96X98?, that lie ,l ofttimes fell into the fire, and into^thc water." 
 It was the devil that entered into Judas, and prompted him to betray his 
 Master. One woman was bound by him " eighteen years " Whether it 
 was done by mesmeric influence, or otherwise, is not stated. St. Peter 
 says, that " Satan filled the hearts of Ananias and Sapphira to lie 
 to the Holy Ghost." (Acts v. 3.) All these things imply the presence 
 and influence of a personal) intelligent, powerful, and malicious being. 
 
 There are other references to him which indicate how much he has to 
 do with the world, and especially with wicked men. The Saviour said 
 to his enemies, " Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your 
 father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode 
 not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speakcth a 
 lie, he speakcth of his own 5 for he is a liar, and the father of it." 
 ( John viii. 44.) When one "heareth the word, then the wicked one 
 cometh and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart." (Matt, 
 xiii. 19.) St. Luke says, " The devil taketh away the word out of their 
 hearts, lest they should believe and be saved." (Chap. viii. 12.) He is 
 the "spirit that worketh in the children of disobedience." (Eph. ii. 3.) 
 He is the "tempter" the "deceiver" the " enemy of all righteousness." 
 He enables the man of sin to come " with all power, and signs, and lying 
 wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that 
 perish." He leads sinners captive at his will. Even those who try to 
 resist him, he often pvercomes by his devices. He transforms himself 
 into an " angel of light," and goes about seeking whom he may devour. 
 (1 Pet. v. 8, 9.) Indeed, the Scriptures represent him as the instigator 
 and. promoter of all moral, and much of the physical evil, there is in the 
 world, or ever has been. " He that committeth sin is of the devil" 
 (1 John iii. 8.) "In this the children of God are manifest, and the 
 children of the devil; whoso doeth not righteousness is not of God." 
 (Ver. 10.) He is God's grand enemy, resisting him and his work in 
 all possible ways, and through all possible " mediums," and we may 
 recognize him wherever we find the children of disobedience. 
 
 What renders him the more dangerous is, that he moves under false 
 appearances. His open attacks are less frequent, and least successful. 
 It is when he appears an angel of light, or the patron of some useful 
 measure, art, or science, that he effects the greatest mischief. In his ap- 
 proach to Eve, he assumed to be very wise ; he probably accused her of 
 ignorance and superstition, of being under religious delusion, &c., and 
 boasted of the advantage of knowledge, such as he enjoyed. He assured 
 her that if she would break away from her cruel bondage, and "follow 
 nature," eating that desirable and pleasant, though forbidden fruit, she 
 should be as God — be a "philosopher," possibly. He promised Christ 
 " all the kingdoms of the world," if he would worship him : and at- 
 tempted to carry his point by pressing the Scriptures into his service. 
 He darkens the understanding and blinds the minds of men, and induces 
 them to believe that they are peculiarly enlightened. Thus he deceived 
 Saul of Tarsus, and thus he doubtless deceives many now, who will 
 have to become fools, according to their present views, before they will 
 really become wise. 
 
 And yet people often have no idea that any such being as the devil is 
 
OTHER EVIL AGENCIES. 15 
 
 near them. They even deny his existence, and put good for evil and 
 evil for good. Being " vain in their imaginations," their " foolish 
 heart " is darkened, and they become fools, and change the glory of the 
 incorruptible God into electricity or animal magnetism, or some other 
 pantheistic divinity, and " serve and worship the creature more than the 
 Creator." (Rom. i. 21, 22, 25.) Thus he helps sinners in their work of 
 sin and death, urging them to " believe a lie," or do some fatal deed, 
 that " they may be damned." Hence " the Son of God was manifested 
 that he might destroy the works of the devil." (1 John iii. 8.) "And 
 he sent St. Paul to turn men from darkness to light, and from the power 
 of Satan unto God." (Acts xxvi. 17, 18.) How he does all these things, 
 we cannot say. We presume, however, it is not by creating any new 
 principle. His miracles and wonders are probably, in some cases, the 
 result of laws he understands and we do not. But if we did know 
 them, the work would not be less chargeable to him. Some think, if 
 they can account for evils scientifically, it is not reasonable to attribute 
 them to the devil. But it must be remembered the devil is obliged to 
 work by means, and may work scientifically as well as any other way. 
 He wished to have Christ betrayed, and succeeded ; but he did it by 
 such means that none but God could see the part he acted. The 
 Sadducees supposed the project originated with Judas, but God saw 
 otherwise. So our modern Sadducees may suppose that their wonders 
 are scientific, or philosophic, and this may be true ; still they may be of 
 satanic suggestion and growth. Let us not forget that the devil seldom 
 appears in his works — that success requires concealment — and that he 
 sometimes hides himself behind men, even good men, and at other times 
 takes advantage of things, which are acknowledged to be good and right 
 in themselves. But however God-like the power, and harmless the 
 means, by which his work is executed, the tendency and influence will 
 soon betray its proper origin and designs. 
 
 There are numerous other allusions in the Scriptures, setting forth 
 the agency of this being; but these must suffice. How to distinguish 
 satanic suggestions from those which come from a better source, is an 
 important lesson to learn. Few can say with the apostle to the Gen- 
 tiles, " We are not ignorant of his devices." But when the suggestion, 
 or influence, or doctrine, lessens our reverence for God and good people, 
 and alienates us from religious interests, as set forth in the Scripture s. 
 we need not doubt for a moment that the devil is in it, and that it will 
 result in evil, and not good, if not resisted. -Mark this I 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 OTHER EVIL AGENCIES. 
 
 As every light has its shadow, and every truth its falsehood, so every 
 benevolent measure of the Creator seems to have been confronted and 
 opposed in some way, and by some evil agency, with the view of frus- 
 trating the result contemplated. We have intimated that the general 
 object of the divine manifestations has been to instruct, govern, and 
 guide men in such a manner as to promote their best interests. It was 
 necessary, therefore, for the Creator to present himself so as to com- 
 
16 sriKIT KAPriNGS. 
 
 mand confidence, that his word might be authoritative. This he has 
 done in three ways: 1. By making such a display of power as was 
 practicable to no other being; 2. By evincing a degree of intelligence 
 beyond the reach of the human mind. And, 8. By a manifestation of 
 Bit worthy of himself, ami to bo found nowhere else. The first 
 lie effected by working miracles; the second, by predicting** events that 
 could not have been foreseen by any other than himself; and the third 
 by providing for the salvation of Offending man. Hence the opposcrs 
 01 his designs, who have not thought it expedient to deny the facts 
 as-timed , have attempted to counteract their influence by opposing 
 miracle to miracle, knowledge to knowledge, and goodness to goodness. 
 And they have so far succeeded, at times, as to deceive many, and bring 
 religion into distrust. They have foretold coming events, and worked 
 wonders, which observers could not reasonably deny, or satisfactorily 
 explain on natural principles. This is conceded by Moses, where he 
 says, M If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, 
 and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder come to 
 pass whereof he spake unto thee, Let us go after other gods, which 
 thou hast not known, and let us serve them ; thou shalt not hearken 
 unto the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the 
 Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your 
 God with all your heart, and with all your soul." (Deut. xiii. 1,3.) Tho 
 Saviour also predicted the coming of false prophets, who should 
 " show great signs and wonders." (Matt. xxiv. 24.) And he assures us 
 that many rejected sinners will say in the day of judgment, " Have we 
 not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name have cast out devils, and 
 in thy name done many wonderful works ? " 
 
 This mode of resisting the truth is very ancient. When Aaron 
 cast down his rod before Pharaoh, to prove that the Lord had sent him, 
 and it became a serpent, Pharaoh immediately called the wise men, or 
 philosophers, the sorcerers and magicians, and they cast down their rods, 
 which also became serpents. They were equally successful in turning 
 the rivers and ponds into blood, and in bringing up frogs over the land. 
 How they did these things we know not, nor are we disposed to deny 
 them, or resolve them into mere sleight of hand. We shall glance at 
 other facts, which show that God sometimes permits men and devils to 
 exceed their ordinary powers, in a way to try the faith of his people. 
 But always, as in this case, he will " make his power known " sooner 
 or later, and take the victory to himself. If he suffers a temporary 
 loss, it is only to make the defeat of his enemies the more complete. 
 Hence he allowed the magicians to convert their rods into serpents, 
 that the rod of Moses might swallow them up ; and to achieve other 
 wonders, that he might demonstrate that the greatest wisdom and 
 power of man fall short of infinite ; and that their brightest hopes 
 are born but to perish. 
 
 The Scripture history of magic, witchcraft, sorcery, divination, an.d 
 the like, places this subject in its true light. It proves not only that the 
 people referred to believed that such beings as magicians, and witches, 
 and sorcerers existed, and possessed great power and intelligence, but 
 that they did really exist, and wrought many of the wonders attributed 
 to them. Joseph said to his brethren, when his cup was found in the 
 sack of Benjamin, " Wot ye not that such a man as I can certainly 
 divine ? " Nebuchadnezzar, having dreamed troublesome dreams, 
 called'' the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers " to ex- 
 plain them. (Dan. ii. 2.) Balaam sought enchantments, and forsook God. 
 
OTHER EVIL AGENCIES. 17 
 
 The Israelites, in their backslidings, " used divination and encnantments," 
 and thus sold themselves to do evil, and provoked the Lord to remove 
 them out of his sight. (2 Kings xvii. 17.) Among the crimes charged 
 upon Manasseh, these are prominent : viz., " that he made his son to 
 pass through the fire, and used enchantments, and dealt with familiar 
 spirits and wizards." (2 Kings xxi. 6.) St. Paul groups "witchcraft" 
 with idolatry, " hatred, murders, drunkenness," &c., and characterizes it 
 as a work of the flesh. (Gal. v. 20.) "The elders of Moab, and the 
 elders of Midian, departed with the rewards of divination in their 
 hands. (Num. xxii. 7.) Ezekiel says that "the King of Babylon stood 
 at the parting of the way to use divination ; he consulted with images, 
 lie looked in the liver, and God removed his diadem, and took off his 
 crown. (Ezek. xxi. 21.) When the ark troubled the Philistines, "they 
 called for the priests and the diviners" to direct them what to do 
 with it. Saul, bemg in trouble, " said unto his servants, Seek me a 
 woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her and inquire of 
 her. And Saul disguised himself, and ]Jut on other raiment, and he 
 went, and two men with him, and they canie to the woman by night ; 
 and he said, I pray thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and 
 bring me up whom I shall name unto thee. Then said the woman, Wltom 
 shall I bring up unto thee ? And he said, Bring me up Samuel. And 
 when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice ; and the 
 woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me ? for thou 
 art Saul. And the king said unto her, Be not afraid ; for what sawest 
 thou ? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of 
 the earth. And he said unto her, What form is he of ? And she said, 
 An old man cometh up, and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul 
 perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the 
 ground, and bowed himself. And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast 
 thou disquieted me to bring me up ? And Saul answered, I am sore 
 distressed ; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is 
 departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets nor 
 by dreams ; therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known 
 unto me what I shall do. Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost 
 thou ask of me, seeing the Lord is departed from thee, and is become 
 thine enemy % The Lord hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, 
 and given it to thy neighbor, even to David. Moreover, the Lord will 
 also deliver Israel, with thee, into the hand of the Philistines, and to- 
 morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me." (1 Sam. xxviii. 7-19.) 
 
 A more striking case could not be desired. In obedience to God, 
 Saul had proscribed witchcraft, but was induced nevertheless to invoke 
 its aid. Hence he inquired for " a woman that hath a familiar spirit." 
 "A woman I " Mark that. Such a one was soon found, but with all 
 her power, she had the fear of the king before her eyes. This seems 
 remarkable. Being quieted on this point, she stands forth in her true 
 character. " Whom shall I bring up to thee ? " Here we see her 
 pretensions. She claimed to hold converse with the dead, and to be 
 capable of calling up whom she would. Samuel was wanted. Now 
 for the experiment. She looks, and cries aloud. What is the matter ? 
 " Thou art Saul ! " Wonderful discovery ! But " be not afraid ; what 
 sawest thou ? " Some spirit must have appeared to thee. ! "I saw 
 gods ascending out of the earth." "What form was he of?" "An 
 old man coming up, and covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived 
 that it was Samuel, and stooped with his face to the ground, and 
 bowed himself." Becoming a little recovered from bis surprise and 
 
18 SPIEIT RAPPINCS. 
 
 reverence, he wu put in communication with the prophet, through 
 the witch as a medium, ami learned that his destiny was fixed, and that 
 his end was near, all of which turned out to l>o true. 
 
 But the a po logy of Saul tor disturbing Samuel is remarkably sug- 
 gestive. " why nasi thou disquieted me?" said Samuel. And Saul 
 answered, " I am sore distressed, and God is departed from me, and 
 answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams; therefore 
 
 I have called thee/' As if he had said, I know that I should have 
 consulted God, and not the witch; but since he has forsaken me, I 
 have been compelled to this course. But Samuel was not satisfied. 
 Nor but that, if men are ever justified in such a measure, they aro 
 under these circumstances. Certainly no better reason can be given 
 for invoking the aid of the devil, than that God has abandoned us. 
 But Samuel knew that, even in this case, it was wrong; for whom God 
 has cursed, neither the devil, nor spirits, good or bad, can bless ; so 
 that, according to Samuel, the consultation of "familiar spirits" is 
 never justifiable, not even in ihe greatest extremity. 
 
 This is not all. By turning to the Scriptures again, we shall find 
 much more to the same effect. The command of God to Israel was, 
 
 II Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live." (Exod. xxii. 18.) " There shall 
 not be found among you any that maketh his son or his daughter to 
 pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, 
 or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter of familiar spirits, 
 or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an 
 abomination unto the Lord, and because of these abominations 
 the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee." (Deut. xviii. 
 10, 12.) " Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after 
 wizards to be defiled by them ; I am the 'Lord your God." (Lev. xix. 31.) 
 11 The soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after 
 wizards, to go a-whoring after them, I will even set my face against that 
 soul, and will cut him off." (Lev. xx. 6.) God regards such as seek 
 in this way to know the secrets of eternity, as idolaters and enemies. 
 We are to learn of Him. Hence says Isaiah, " When they shall say 
 unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards 
 that peep and that mutter ; should not a people seek unto their 
 God?" (Is. viii. 19.) " Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath per- 
 verted thee. Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the multitude 
 of thy sorceries, if so be thou shalt be able to profit. Let the astrolo- 
 gers, the star-gazers, the monthly prognosticators stand up and save 
 thee." (Is. xlvii. 10, 12, 13.) 
 
 The wickedness of resorting to familiar spirits, soothsayers, &c., in 
 the sight of God, is manifest from almost every book in the Bible. It 
 cost Saul his kingdom and his life. (1 Chron. x. 13.) It made a cap- 
 tive of Manasseh. (2 Chron. xxxiii. 11.) It ruined Egypt, and over- 
 threw Israel, and brought Babylon to the dust. The Kevelator con- 
 signs sorcerers "to the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone." 
 (Chap. xxi. 8.) Speaking of the New Jerusalem he says, " Without are 
 dogs, and sorcerers, and murderers, and whosoever loveth and maketh a 
 He." (xxiii. 15.) Said Paul to Elymas, the sorcerer, who sought to 
 turn the deputy from the faith, " O, full of all subtlety and mischief, 
 thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness." (Acts xiii. 10.) 
 When he was molested by a certain damsel, who had a spirit of 
 " divination," and brought her master much gain by soothsaying, he 
 commanded the spirit to come out of her. (xvi. 18.) It is a spirit of 
 falsehood. Says the prophet, " They prophesy unto you a false divination 
 
MESMERISM. 19 
 
 I sent them not." ( Jer. xiv. 14.) " Hearken not to your diviners, nor to 
 your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, for they 
 prophesy a lie unto you." (xxvii. 9, 10.) " Thus saith the Lord, Let 
 not your diviners deceive you. I have not sent them." (xxix. 8. 9.) 
 
 11 The diviners have seen a lie, and have told false dreams ; they com- 
 fort in vain." (Zech. x. 2.) " Her prophets have daubed with untem- 
 pered mortar, seeing vanity and divining lies unto them." (Ezek. xxii. 28.) 
 
 Thus the Scripture history of divination, &c., presents us with a 
 mingled mass of wonders and deceit, often displaying knowledge and 
 power, which we are accustomed to ascribe only to God. And they 
 warn us of the fearful consequences of resorting to them for direction 
 in any case. Whatever the diviner may do, or know, however scien- 
 tific or philosophical, we are not permitted to consult him. God will 
 be respected, and those who run after witches, or mediums, do it at their 
 peril. Our duty is to consult God, by the means he has ordained. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 MESMERISM. 
 
 We come now to contemplate more recent phenomena. Every age 
 has had its pretenders, miracles, prophets, witches, and devils ; and the 
 friends of God and the Bible have found it necessary to rally in de- 
 fence of fundamental principles, against some new mode of assault. 
 Still the foundation standeth sure. The pretensions of Mohammed, 
 the " lying wonders " of Romanism, the baseless visions of Sweden- 
 borg, the witchcraft of Salem, the revelations of Jo Smith, and the infidel 
 ravings of Come-outers, all made an impression at first ; but investiga- 
 tion has proved them to be " wanting," and they have lost their power to 
 invalidate the truth of divine revelation. But invention is not exhausted. 
 
 Frederic Anthony Mesmer, a German physician, and the pretended 
 discover of animal magnetism, otherwise called mesmerism, went to Paris 
 to practise his new discovery in 1778, and made quite an impression ; 
 but at length the government appointed a committee of physicians and 
 others, among whom was our own Franklin, to examine the subject. 
 The investigation was had, an able report of which soon after appeared, 
 completely showing the futility of the art, and the quackery of its 
 discoverer. Thus ended the first edition of mesmerism. 
 
 Since then, it has made its appearance in different places, and at dif- 
 ferent times, but has never attracted so much attention as of late. 
 Some dozen years since, we witnessed a specimen of it in Boston. The 
 subject appeared to be a green, untutored boy. By much staring in his 
 face, and various manipulations on the part of the operator, he was 
 brought into the mesmeric state, when he answered difficult questions, 
 to the astonishment of most present. He seemed dead as to his own 
 senses, and to know, feel, taste and see just what his master did. He 
 could therefore tell the time of day by a watch held behind him, de- 
 scribe objects in his master's hand, &c, &c. This was all very strange, 
 and, to many, a new thing under the sun, though others understood that 
 it was only the revival of an old art. 
 
 But if one in a mesmeric state enjoys a* interior or second sight, so 
 
80 SPIRIT KAlTINus. 
 
 M to describe objects at hand which he does not sec, why may lie not 
 describe others, at b distance ! Sure enough. Hence arose the idea of 
 pilgrimages, which the mesmerised performed with such as were put in 
 communication with them, describing places and scenes they never saw, 
 
 and discoursing on subjects they never studied. And further, if they can 
 see some things near and distant, why may they not see others ? Hence 
 they wen set to searching for rogues, lost articles, money, and finally, 
 after departed spirits. Their sueeess in finding terrestrial objects was 
 not very flattering. It was soon ascertained that little reliance could 
 be placed upon their revelations ; but in spiritual things, and in search- 
 ing out internal diseases, they appeared to be more successful. At all 
 events, their errors were not so easily detected here as in more tangi- 
 ble eases. They could tell fortunes too, and describe the state of things 
 in the moon, and other spheres, and predict distant events, without 
 much danger from investigation. 
 
 This suggested a new idea. Certain clerical gentlemen had already 
 left the altar to practise the " new science" and were lecturing and per- 
 forming, from place to place, under the assumed title of doctor. They 
 had long labored, as preachers, to prove that all men will be saved ir- 
 respective of their character ; that there is no devil, no hell, no day of 
 judgment, and therefore no truth in many of the fundamental principles 
 taught in Evangelical churches. But to say the least, they had not 
 been very successful. The Bible was too explicitly against them. 
 Their friends and supporters were harassed with many doubts. Hence 
 it occurred to them to despatch a clairvoyant on a tour of discovery in 
 reference to these great problems. Immediately a mesmeric shout of joy 
 was heard. Said the doctor to his subject, " What do you see ? " " 0, 
 heaven! sweet heaven ! I am happy. Praise the Lord!" "Who 
 do you see there ? " "I see Mr. G., and Mrs. W., and Esq. R., and Dr. 
 J.," several of whom were known on earth as " enemies of all righteous- 
 ness.' 1 " Do you see Colonel S. ? " " O, yes, and he is happy." 
 " Very good. There, gentlemen, is not that demonstration of our doc- 
 trine ? " But now says the doctor to his subject, " I want you to search, 
 and see if you can find such a place as hell. Look sharp, and make 
 no mistake." The patient commences the work, and canvasses all eter- 
 nity, above, beneath, around, but finds no such place. No. " All is 
 heaven. God is love." 
 
 We were in a certain place where this game was played with great 
 success. We honestly believed at the time, and have no reason to 
 doubt it now, that it did more to convince the people of the truth of Uni- 
 versalism than all the preaching they had heard in ten years. The large 
 hall was crowded night after night, to hear the glad news of salvation 
 right from heaven itself. But the course soon ended, and the lecturer 
 went on his way. The business, however, was too good to flag, and 
 the public curiosity must be gratified. Directly Mr. B. appeared. 
 Now, it was known that he was a man of remarkable mesmeric power, 
 and besides, had made some improvements on the system. He could 
 get people to sleep without touching them, and even draw them out of 
 the congregation upon the platform ; and it was known that he had 
 formerly been a Christian, and hence it was thought, if Mr. B.'s 
 subjects agree with the others, there can be no mistake ; Universal- 
 ism must be true. The time having arrived, the hall was crowded again. 
 Mr. B. arose in his usual moderate way. and proceeded to explain the 
 subject, when several persons walked up to the platform and took seats. 
 Here the inquisition eommoneed. Soon the sleepers began to sing, and 
 
MESMERISM. 21 
 
 clap their hands, and praise the Lord, very much as others had done ; 
 and they explained themselves by saying that they saw heaven, &c., &c. 
 Universalists were delighted ; Christians, if any were present, were 
 alarmed ; and the heresy gained ground. 
 
 This came to our ears the next morning early. As it happened, we 
 had enjoyed a pleasant acquaintance with the lecturer in former 
 years, and knew enough of his philosophy to be certain that it afforded 
 no justification of the heretical inference which had been drawn from 
 his experiments. We determined, therefore, to give him a call, and 
 did so immediately. After explaining why we deemed it inexpedient 
 to attend his lectures, we referred him to the facts above detailed, 
 and said that whatever might be his views of these theological ques- 
 tions, if we understood his system, there was just as much punishment 
 as reward in it, but it actually afforded no proof of either one or the 
 other. To this he readily assented, when we asked him, as a personal 
 favor, to explain that point in his next lecture, and give an example. 
 
 The evening was fine, and a delighted audience was early in wait- 
 ing to catch the first whispers of the occasion. Operations com- 
 menced, and proceeded about as on the preceding evening. The sub- 
 jects had become very happy, and the audience supposed that they were 
 actually in heaven, or at least were beholding its glories, when a change 
 came over the spirit of their dream by the announcement, that it was 
 a mistake ; that clairvoyance, as it is called, was a humbug, and that 
 the sleepers were there in the hall, and had only seen what he willed 
 them to see. He further stated that he could reverse the scene, and 
 make them see frightful objects ; but he did not like to do so, because 
 he wished to make the occasion as agreeable as possible. Still, to de- 
 monstrate his philosophy, he would depart from his usual custom. Sud- 
 denly there was a simultaneous screech of distress among the sleepers. 
 But " What is the matter'?" inquired the operator; "what do you 
 see ? " u O, hell ! hell ! devils ! and lost spirits" The outburst 
 was of short duration, but like an earthquake, it shook all around, and 
 dashed the beautiful hopes of unbelievers as a potter's vessel. 
 
 In this way, Mr. B.'s improved views were made useful. Following 
 in the wake of Universalist lecturers, he demolished the doctrinal cas- 
 tles they had constructed for the comfort of sinners, and created for 
 them the necessity of studying up something else to prop the tottering 
 faith of their dear people. The delusion, however, still exists to a 
 certain extent, and the dreamers fancy that they really do visit other 
 spheres, and see the things whereof they affirm. 
 
 That mesmerism may have relieved distress in certain cases, is 
 highly probable. We presume it has even cured diseases of a nervous 
 character ; and in this respect, it is worthy of the attention of the 
 medical faculty, perhaps. But, like certain drugs, it is a dangerous 
 power in the hands of villains, who are as often found invoking its aid 
 as any other class. If mesmerizers can do what they pretend, none cer- 
 tainly but the most religiously upright may be safely trusted. If, 
 by a single movement of the hand, and even by a single exercise 
 of the will, without any motion whatever, they can dispossess a 
 portion of every community of all consciousness, we see no rea- 
 son why they may not commit any outrage upon them they please, 
 with utter impunity. One, for instance, knows his victim has in his 
 possession five hundred dollars of his employer's money, which he is 
 conveying to the bank. He meets him, and wills him into a mesmeric 
 
*J'J m i kit rtAPFmus. 
 
 state, and then wills Mm to deliver the money into his hands, and 
 lvtuni to his employer with just such a story as lie may think appro- 
 priate. How is the robbery to be detected? Nobody has touched him; 
 there has been DO BCUffle, DO noise, nothing suspieious, and yet the money 
 is lost. The poor subject knows nothing- about it: and if he did, he 
 would say nothing, for all his affinities arc for his operator, whom ho 
 would not harm if he could. 
 
 I low much of our lost money is disposed of in this way we cannot 
 Bay : but knowing what we do of the power of certain men over 
 others, we will say, the young man or woman who dabbles in this thing 
 could not be trusted by us, however honest. We might name a most 
 active youth in this city, whose morals we consider unexceptionable, 
 but who is not trustworthy at all, because he has given himself up 
 to the control of other men, and is often thrown into a state of uncon- 
 sciousness. Merchants will do well to examine their clerks and other 
 employees on this point ; and it may not be amiss ftfr mothers to 
 look after their daughters, who expose themselves to this dangerous 
 paralysis. And, lest we should be misunderstood as to the medical 
 influence of mesmerism, we are bound to say, that, in our opinion, 
 wdiere it has improved one invalid, it has made two, both physically and 
 mentally. 
 
 Says the author of an " Expose" of Animal Magnetism" in what he 
 calls the " Confessions of a Practical Magnetizer" I cannot here re- 
 frain from warning young females, and even married ladies, not to trust 
 themselves alone with practical magnetizers, who are comparative 
 strangers to them ; for, did I feel at liberty to reveal, some startling 
 facts w r ith which I am conversant, the community would be thoroughly 
 awakened to the danger of permitting the exercise and employment of 
 this agency," &c. (p. 11.) He speaks of a lady he had offended and could 
 not appease for a whole year, whom he then made to say, by magnetizing - 
 her without her consent or knowledge, " I can forgive you, but cannot for- 
 give myself" &c. (p. 11.) He also speaks of winning the heart of his own 
 wife, at the age of seventeen, by first magnetizing her for disease, at 
 the request of her father, whose rank placed her entirely out of his reach, 
 in the ordinary course of things. He claims to h#ve put a young lady 
 to sleep against her obstinate resistance, when he so willed her affec- 
 tions towards himself, that " she would not spare him a moment to 
 leave her, but nestling by his side, seemed happy only there." (p. 15.) 
 In another case, he alienated the affections of a young lady from her 
 suitor, and directed them to another, at the request of the latter. He 
 details also the circumstances of an ingenious robbery at the Howard 
 Hotel, in New York, in 1842, in which a young Frenchman put a law- 
 yer to sleep, and robbed him of his pocket book, containing $950 in cash, 
 and escaped South. Subsequently he was sent to the state prison in New 
 Orleans, for absconding with another man's wife, and taking money 
 from her husband by the aid of mesmerism. He certifies, also, to the 
 ruin of a young lady by the seduction of a magnetizer, under whose 
 care she had placed herself, as a patient in a nervous complaint, who 
 " rather mourns over her misfortune in silence, than expose her own 
 shame." (p. 47.) 
 
 Whether all these statements are true, we cannot say, not being ac- 
 quainted with the author ; but considering what mesmerism is, and the 
 use that has been made of it by curious and credulous people, it would 
 be strange if it had not been employed in perpetrating the blackest 
 
CLAIRVOYANCE. 23 
 
 crimes, of which the human heart is capable. With these mere hints, 
 we leave this aspect of the subject, assured that the prudent will see 
 the evil, and " hide themselves," before they become entangled in a net 
 from which they may not escape. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 CLAIRVOYANCE, PARTICULARLY AS DEVELOPED IN THE EXPERIENCE 
 AND REVEALMENTS OF ANDREW JACKSON DAVIS. 
 
 This subject has engaged the attention of lecturers and authors for 
 several years, but is nowhere so fully developed as in the writings of 
 Andrew Jackson Davis. He styles himself the " Poughkeepsie Seer and 
 Clairvoyant" and distinguishes his writings by the imposing title of 
 11 Divine Revelations" To give the reader an ample idea of his preten- 
 tions, not to say egotism, we had thought of presenting several extracts 
 from his different works ; but on further reflection, we think one will 
 suffice. Mr. Davis claims to have fallen into the magnetic state in 
 1844, and to have been in that state a considerable part of the time 
 since. The extract we propose relates to this condition, and indicates 
 the remarkable powers therein enjoyed. It runs thus : — 
 
 " In this state my previous developments are not only enlarged, but 
 all my mental faculties are set in perfect action. / possess the 
 power of extending my vision throughout all space — can see 
 
 THINGS PAST, PRESENT, AND TO COME. I IiAV 8 *NOYV ARRIVED AT 
 THE HIGHEST DEGREE OF KNOWLEDGE WHICH THE HUMAN MIND 
 
 is capable of acquiring, when in the state that I now am. I am 
 
 MASTER OF THE GENERAL SCIENCES, CAN SPEAK ALL LANGUAGES, — 
 
 impart instructions upon those deep and hidden things in na- 
 ture, which the world has not been able to solve ; — can name the different 
 organs in the human system, point out their offices and functions, as I 
 have often done ; tell the nature, course, and symptoms of disease, and 
 prescribe the remedies that will effect a cure." (Rev. p. 535.) 
 
 Others have made high claims ; but we have seen nothing that ex- 
 ceeds this. One might naturally infer that the man is crazy ; for if 
 we except Swedenborg, no other dreamer outside of the madhouse 
 has ever claimed so much. But Mr. Davis thinks he is in his right 
 mind, and others agree with him in this particular. Professor Bush, a 
 recent convert to Swedenborgianism, thought so well of his " revela- 
 tions," that he did much to bring them before the public in a favorable 
 light. His object was, no doubt, to prop up the fancies of Swedenborg, 
 and help on a clumsy and laboring system. And he has had his re- 
 ward, for Davis has given Swedenborg unusual credit for him. But he 
 has denounced some of his notions, particularly his " hells" in a most 
 unqualified manner, which has occasioned Mr. Bush considerable trouble. 
 
 Mr. Davis has had the favor also of other distinguished names. Mr. 
 Sunderland thinks him a good clairvoyant, and a teacher of many 
 sound principles, though imperfect and erroneous in some of his pre- 
 tended " revealments." Indeed, we believe he is regarded by the vota- 
 ries of clairvoyance and spirit knockings, so called, as a prince and 
 an angel of light. He is often quoted, therefore, as authority of the 
 
24 , SPIRIT RAPPING S. 
 
 highest character. Hence, in examining his revelations, wo may foel 
 ■Mured that ira are breading on solid ground, if such ground is to bo 
 found any whore in Ihc utterances of Clairvoyants. 
 
 Let us eoine, then, to Mr. Davis's M revelations" How is he " im 
 ;»/•(^•^•((A ,, and what does he say? The tree is known by its fruits. 
 
 1. In regard to Deity. That he acknowledges the existence of a 
 God, 18 undeniable; but his* God is not the God of Noah, or of Moses, 
 or of the apostles. " The patriarchal God," he says, " is a magnified 
 and refined Moses" " The God of Joshua was capricious and revenge- 
 ful." (Ilannonia, vol. ii. p. 259.) Writers on this subject, the inspired 
 not excepted, he thinks, have done little more than to make a "phan- 
 tom n instead of a " God." So all our theology is wrong at the starting 
 point. Our God is only a "phantom" a " fabled" Jict ion, answering to 
 the views of the w r riter who describes him. 
 
 What then is God ? Mr. Davis replies, " He is an infinite cause." 
 Very well j this is nothing new. What else? He is "the Great Pos- 
 itive 3find." (p. 270.) But what is mind? " Mind is matter in a high 
 state of refinement and organization." (p. 130.) " It is righteous to be- 
 lieve that He possesses a cerebral organization, partially analogous to 
 the human mental structure, and that his celestial and superlative 
 perfect qualities, essences, and principles flow from the mighty centre 
 of his own existence to the unimaginable and immeasurable circum- 
 ference of infinite space." (p. 290.) " Mind and matter, or God and 
 his Body, are universal and eternal." " God is the soul of the universe.'' 
 He is every where, and forms a part of every thing, though not " as 
 perfect in a hair as heart." " He is life, and life is love" So writes 
 Mr. Davis. 
 
 2. In regard to Qhrist. He says, " It cannot be disguised that Moses, 
 and Joshua, and Jesus, and Mahomet, and Swedenborg, and many 
 modern reformers, claim to be the special agents of the Divine Mind." 
 (p. 72.) This indicates his general view of the Saviour. In another^ 
 place he associates him with Solon, Socrates, and Plato, and says, " He 
 was a reformer, because he was more free from educational influences 
 than were any of the previous minds." " He was an amiable, 
 benevolent, and an unassuming man." Yet adds our " Seer," " He ac- 
 knowledged no authority superior to his spontaneous intuitions, and the 
 divine suggestions of his own reason ; " and " the true reformer can have 
 no other," not even the Bible. 
 
 3. As to man, "he is God manifest in the flesh." " The good which 
 the analytical science of phrenology has done, and is doing, and will do 
 to mankind, is embraced in this highly important, yet scarcely admitted 
 truth, that mind is matter." (p. 130.) "I esteem this as an invaluable 
 discovery ; for it not only strikes a deep and fatal blow at the founda- 
 tion roots of pulpit theology, but it proves that the mind is capable 
 of endless progression. The finer matter becomes, the more it expands ; 
 the more it expands, the more it is enabled to do, contemplate, and enjoy " 
 (p. 131.) Who ever heard the like? Matter "contemplate" and 
 " enjoy " ! But such the clairvoyant " sees " " to be the legitimate 
 teachings of phrenology," and he rejoices in them. 
 
 In speaking of the theories of metaphysicians who have written on 
 the subject of mind, he says, ' ; I find none so closely allied to truth as 
 those of Charles Fourier." He is not insensible, however, to the system 
 of " A.Bronson Alcott," nor to " the profound disclosures of Swedenborg." 
 This is enough to show the moral affinities of the man, and his revela- 
 tions indicate in more ways than one, that he is with these writers on 
 some very delicate points. 
 
CLAIRVOYANCE. 25 
 
 Man is, then, matter, soul and body. Immortal, because matter is 
 eternal. Progressive, because matter is capable of great refinement. 
 Not a free agent, because subject to invincible laws in and around him, 
 which forbid his being different in any way from what he really is. He 
 may be unfortunate, therefore, but not wicked ; and should not be pun- 
 ished, but pitied. Hence all our penal enactments are unphilosophical, 
 unjust, and heathenish, especially that which provides for hanging 
 murderers. And the way to reform men is to change their circumstances, 
 not their principles, or hearts. So that to look after matrimonial 
 alliances, and the physiological and social laws of our nature, is the way 
 to reform society. But should this be neglected, they will fare better 
 in the world to come, and be put upon a course of improvement, which 
 Will continue ad infinitum, reaching, in the course of ages the highest 
 sphere in the scale of celestial being. So that future punishment is a 
 Bible fiction after all. 
 
 Thus he comes out just where we expected, and probably just where 
 he intended, when lie commenced dreaming. Necessity was laid 
 upon him. Things were not as he thought they ought to be. The 
 Bible teaches depravity, guilt, punishment, and he cannot explain it 
 away. Punishment is allowed in the State, in schools, and families, 
 and it must be broken up. So he goes into a trance, and opens his 
 magnetic battery upon almost every holy principle of the sacred canon ; 
 and comes out with a bran new theory, if theory it can be called, except 
 so far as he had seen fit to borrow from Swedenborg, Fourier, Bron- 
 son Alcott, and others. 
 
 How much matter it takes to distil a soul, he does not deign to state, 
 though he thinks there is stock enough in the innumerable worlds in 
 existence to last many years yet. Nor does he state at what stage of 
 refinement matter begins to think, nor what is to be done in the end, with 
 the coarser matter, that cannot be manufactured into souls. It is not, 
 however, to be destroyed — cannot be. These, and numerous other 
 questions, which naturally occur to common minds, are left for future 
 development. 
 
 4. Of free agency, he remarks, "It is impossible to calculate the 
 evil consequences that have proceeded from this doctrine." Among these, 
 he names original sin, the atonement, faith, and regeneration, as held by 
 Christians in general. Clergymen teach their congregations, that each 
 one of them has power to decide whether he will "follow God or 
 Baal." This idea of free agency has also originated our " system of 
 jurisprudence," — is the foundation of " merit and demerit — praise and 
 blame — rewards and punishments." (p. 211.) "It is the thread by 
 which the whole system of unphilosophical theology is suspended." 
 (p. 219.) "Man is compelled to act as he is acted upon, and to manifest 
 character according to his constitutional capacity, and social situa- 
 tion." (p. 225.) Hence, if he commit murder or theft, it only shows that 
 the temptation is stronger than he. Therefore, "he should be treated, 
 not as a being having the will and 'power to do what he desires, but 
 he should be born, educated, situated, rewarded, and punished as a tree, 
 which is capable of yielding an abundance of goodi fruit only when it is 
 properly organized, and correspondingly conditioned in a good soil." 
 (p. 230.) 
 
 Thus he apologizes for criminals, and represents their punishment 
 as inhuman, and unjust. How strange it is that neither Jesus nor 
 his apostles understood these novelties ! And it is hardly less strange, 
 that " nature" " reason" and " intuition, "'Mr. Davis's three grand guides, 
 
26 SHRIT KAPPINGS. 
 
 should have always testified to the exact opposite of what ho teaches. 
 But they cannot err, for, oue of his visions "impressed" him that "man 
 is an incarnated divinity, and therefore not intrinsically evil in himself, 
 and cannot love any thing intrinsically evil." (p. 163.) Hence, having 
 no intrinsic bias to evil, and only committing sin as he is constrained 
 by circumstances, the "hell" of the Bible is a "fable" as^arc sin and 
 Bat&H ; BO that all must and will be saved. 
 
 5. In regard to religion in general, Mr. Davis is evidently a " Come- 
 outer" and an infidel. Hear him. u I attend no church but my mind ; 
 I listen to no preacher but reason; I read no book but Nature." (p. 71.) 
 In referring to evangelical people and principles, he uniformly misrepre- 
 sents them. His enmity to the word of God and the means of grace 
 is indicated by multiplied slurs like the following : " The Reformer 
 knows he never can secure heaven, by praying or being prayed for, nor 
 building churches, and hiring the gospel preached ; nor by believing any 
 system of religion, or trying to believe, but only through self-develop- 
 ment, and self-harmonization." (p. 103.) He seems to have special dis- 
 like to prayer, and recommends it in no case whatever. Though Jesus 
 prayed much, and urged it upon his disciples, the " Seer " and revelator 
 of Poughkeepsie is opposed to it. On page 275, he speaks of the sad 
 results of believing that " God can be moved to sympathy by prayers, 
 or to passion by the taking of his name in vain." " It is unreasonable 
 and unrighteous to believe that God takes special notice of those nu- 
 merous transgressions, by which individuals only injure themselves." 
 Nor is it good to believe that God exerts his omnipotent power to 
 bestow special endowments in answer to the prayers of the (so styled) 
 righteous." (p. 350.) 
 
 He treats the Bible with as little respect as he does its friends. 
 44 The idea of there having been a first human pair" he says, " sounds 
 to the ear of a geologist like the tale of an Egyptian priest." That is, 
 in plain English, the Bible account of our first parents is all a fable ; 
 no such beings ever lived. In page 223, he calls it " an Oriental fable" 
 in so many words. He speaks also of the "fabled hell." (p. 254.) He 
 advises, in relation to reading, " If you are moved to read the word 
 of God, go forth to the highest mountain, to the humblest valley, to 
 the living forest, to the simplest flower." (p. 339.) That is, don't read 
 the Bible, but nature. He says of Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, that it 
 u is probably, next to the Bible, the most influential representative of 
 Oriental superstition and systematic mythology, ever published in Chris- 
 tendom." (p. 386.) On the same page he declares, that " The reason 
 why a devil or evil spirit was first conceived of, is explained in the 
 mythological tale of the Garden of Eden." (p. 386.) " No man must 
 strive to be wise above what is written ; this is what I am impressed to 
 pronounce as eminently false and pernicious." (p. 385.) " I feel im- 
 pressed it is now a proper age to confess, that revelations of God in the 
 natural and spiritual universe, and in the soul, — in our deep con- 
 sciousness, — are the only revealments which can be made to perfectly 
 harmonize with the mighty declarations of Nature." (p. 386.; "This 
 is right to the point. My own experience first, and the Bible next. 
 The Bible contradicts my consciousness, and I will not, therefore, be- 
 lieve it. I will make something to suit my taste better. 
 
 But enough of this. We might continue these quotations till scarcely 
 a gospel principle would remain unrejected. Indeed, we cannot call to 
 mind a single principle of religion but what is discarded, while pro- 
 fanity, murder, theft, and every other vice is excused, and principles in- 
 
CLAIRVOYANCE. 27 
 
 culcated, which, put in operation, would banish virtue from the world. 
 And all this from a M seer," a " clairvoyant" who can " see through all 
 space" and has acquired the " highest degree of knowledge" and is com- 
 missioned to make " divine revelations " I How false ! How ridicu- 
 lous ! What can the man be thinking of? Does he expect to over- 
 throw Christianity with a vision 1 This is evidently his object. The 
 difference between him and other infidels, is in their mode of attack. 
 He has chosen to follow Mohammed, who claimed that he went to 
 heaven, rather than Thomas Paine, and Voltaire, and Abner Knee- 
 land. His language betrayeth him. It may be the language of fallen 
 " nature," perverted " reason" and carnal " intuition ; " but it is any 
 thing but the language of truth. It sounds much like that of the " ser- 
 pent " — " Ye shall not surely die. God doth know that in the day ye 
 eat thereof your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods." Be scien- 
 tific, be wise, be philosophers ! The cloven foot stands out on every page. 
 
 If his writings do not belie their author, Mr. Davis is unquestion- 
 ably a fatalist, an infidel, a materialist, a Come-outer, a Universalist, and 
 whatsoever else opposes religion, as taught in the Bible. And yet, with 
 this dreadful accumulation of errors about him, he claims to be commis- 
 sioned from on high, and advertises his unhallowed and irreverent 
 utterances, as " divjne revelations " to all mankind. 
 
 But this is no more than we had reason to expect. It is only 
 another fulfilment of Scripture. Partisans in earthly enterprises 
 generally predict the rising up of friends to their cause in the future ; 
 but not so with Jesus and his apostles. They always anticipated 
 opposition, and foreshadowed it in terms of remarkable significance. 
 St. Paul spoke of a coming time, when men " will not endure sound 
 doctrine," but following " their own lusts" will " heap to themselves 1 
 teachers having itching ears, and turn away from the truth unto fables" 
 (2 Tim. iii. 3, 4.) There were some in his day, who " turned aside unto 
 vain jangling ; desiring to be teachers, but understanding neither what 
 they said, nor whereof they affirmed." (1 Tim. i. 6, 7.) He found others 
 who " became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was dark- 
 ened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed 
 the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like unto cor- 
 ruptible man ; changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped the 
 creature more than the Creator" " Brethren, be ye followers of me, 
 and mark them which walk, so as ye have us for an ensample. For 
 many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you, even 
 weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ ; whose end 
 is destruction, whose God is their belly, whose glory is their shame, 
 who mind earthly things." (Phil. iii. 17-19.) Jude, speaking of cer- 
 tain characters, calls them u filthy dreamers, who despise dominion, and 
 speak evil of dignities, and of * those things which they know not ; " 
 " clouds without water, carried about of winds ; trees, whose fruit wither- 
 eth, twice dead and plucked up by the roots ; raging waves of the sea, 
 foaming out their own shame ; wandering stars, to whom is reserved 
 the blackness of darkness forever." 
 
 How far these descriptions of character are applicable to Mr. Davis 
 and his associates, the reader must judge. But if he has not changed 
 the incorruptible God into an image like unto corruptible man, we mis- 
 take. God is " matter" that is, a creature, and " possesses a cerebral 
 organization." He is a part of every thing, and every thing is a part of 
 him. "Matter is his body," so we are told, and we" are called upon to 
 abandon the Bible as a grand "fable," and adopt the new revelations, 
 
•JS SFIKTT WAITINGS. 
 
 merely because the i Seer of Ponghkeepsie 11 has fallen into tho raag- 
 netfc state. Ho gives us no miracles, though he came very near it in 
 tho chapter of his revelation! relating to his early experience. It is 
 
 written there, that he mysteriously disappeared, tearing tho house all 
 
 fastened on the inside, and miraculously crossed the Hudson River, and 
 
 made a most precipitate journey, and yet all the while was invisible to 
 
 mortal eyes. The story is about equal to that of Mohammed, who assumed 
 that he went from Mecca to Jerusalem, and from thenco to heaven and 
 hack again, in a single night. But subsequent rcvealmcnts suggested 
 to 1st. Davis, the u tinsupcmafuralness of all human events." That is, I 
 suppose, he saw that to allow any thing to be supernatural, would 
 be giving too much advantage to the Christians, and would not be 
 quite philosophic enough for his new invention. So he goes to work to 
 explain it away, as he docs Scripture phenomena. And this is his 
 method : 1. The man who said the doors and windows were fastened 
 in the morning told a Jib : 2. The Hudson River was frozen over at the 
 time, so that any one could cross who pleased ; 3. He was gone from 
 Poughkecpsic fioe hours longer than was at first stated ; and, 4. His sup- 
 posed invisibility arose from his confounding the flight of his mind 
 with that of his body. So that there was nothing miraculous in the 
 whole affair ; and those who were converted to thfl revelations by it 
 must find themselves in an unenviable position. 
 
 Nor does this "seer " bring us any fulfilled prophecies to demonstrate 
 his authority ; or any internal evidence, or good tendency, that indi- 
 cates that his revelations arc divine. Jesus, the prophets and apostles, 
 all came working miracles, predicting events which occurred with singular 
 exactness in their time. The tendency of their teachings was sal- 
 utary ; many repented, and were converted through their means, and 
 commenced lives of piety, prayer, and holy conversation. But Mr. Davis 
 brings us nothing. His prophecies relate to eternity, or at least to 
 events so distant, that we cannot test them ; the internal evidence is 
 against him ; and as to the fruit, it is unto death, and not life. His 
 revelations neutralize the restraints of sin. They say to the sinner, he is 
 not guilty, do what he may; that God loves, approves, and will save 
 him at last. He need not pray, because God is not moved by prayer. 
 He need not read the Bible, because it is a book of fables. If he takes 
 the name of God in vain, it is no offence ; nor if he breaks the Sabbath, 
 or does any other wrong, because he can only " act as he is acted upon." 
 Hence nobody is made better, but whoever believes the revelations 
 is made worse. He will pray less, keep the Sabbath less, be less 
 scrupulous, and less devout. 
 
 We cannot, therefore, receive these revelations. They are not from 
 above. Reason and intuition discard them. Matter cannot think, nor 
 feel, nor act, however refined. Such a thing was never known. 
 
 How strange that men can so far bereave themselves of reason and 
 of consciousness, as to cherish this delusion for a single moment ! But 
 many do. They forsake the old paths defined by inspired authority, to 
 follow the dubious teachings of this tribe of sleepers, whose auguries 
 indicate that they speak not the words which the Holy Ghost teacheth. 
 u 0, the times and manners ! " Christian reader, as you respect God, 
 and wish well to your race, go not after them. They will lead you to 
 death. If they be correct, of which there is not the barest possibility, 
 you are safe in being a Christian. But if you leave religion, to tamper 
 with the dreamy revelations of knaves or fanatics, you will probably 
 find, when it is too late, that you sold yourself for nought. 
 
THE KNOCKINGS INCREDIBLE. 29 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 SPIRITUAL KNOCKINGS, SO CALLED. — THEIR EARLY HISTORY, PHE- 
 NOMENA, AND INCREDIBILITY. 
 
 Another important event, which has recently occurred in the world 
 of wonders, is the appearance of certain strange u knockings" or 
 " rappings." They originated with some girls in the neighborhood of 
 Newark, N. Y., a few years since, and were seized upon by certain 
 mesmerizers, attributed to spirits, translated into English, and reduced 
 to a system. They have since been expanded into " tippings" u im- 
 pressings" "speakings," M writings" &c. ; so that we are now favored, not 
 only with "knocking " mediums, but with speaking and writing mediums. 
 The assumption is, that the spirits of the departed communicate to them, 
 and through them to others, upon all the mysteries of which they dis- 
 course, sometimes by tipping the table at which they sit for responses, 
 sometimes by rapping, or ticking it very lightly, sometimes by taking 
 possession of their right hands and causing them to write, and at other 
 times, by impressing their minds, and prompting them to speak. The 
 result is, we have numerous volumes, claiming to be composed of com- 
 munications from the spirit world, which we are called upon to believe 
 as " divine " revelations. 
 
 Though the "rappings" had an independent origin, and differ 
 somewhat in their operations, they have come to be intimately con- 
 nected with mesmerism. The medium needs to be in a trance state, 
 which many can now assume at pleasure, without foreign aid* 
 We may regard the " rappings" therefore, as an appendix to mesmer- 
 ism and clairvoyance, though it is very difficult to see wherefore they 
 were necessary. If clairvoyance opens all eternity, its heights and 
 depths, past and future, and gives perfect knowledge of things present 
 and things to come, it would seem to be quite sufficient. To intro- 
 duce witnesses, after such a discovery, is to progress backwards. But, 
 then, the " knockings " give us an additional mystery, and strengthen 
 {he proof of the revelations. Clairvoyants only " see" and commune 
 with spirits, in an inaudible manner, and we have to take their word 
 for the result ; but " mediums " bring forward the spirits, and have 
 them speak for themselves, by certain raps and other means, which 
 many find it difficult to explain. The consequence is, the public is in 
 a quandary as to what all these things mean, and the issue to which 
 they will come. Mesmerism alone was more than many could endure. 
 It shook their faith exceedingly on several important points. The addi- 
 tion of clairvoyance, rendered the difficulty still greater; but the 
 " rappings " have capped the climax, and so confused some real Chris- 
 tians, and many speculative believers in the Bible, that they know not 
 what to think. To meet this state of things, and counteract the evils 
 that seem likely to grow out of it, we propose to investigate the subject 
 very briefly, and beg the reader's attention, while we u try the spirits 
 whether they are of God ; because many false prophets are gone 
 out into the world." (1 John iv. 1.) 
 
 That there are certain peculiar noises and other phenomena indica- 
 tive of more or less intelligence, connected with this subject, we do not 
 deny. As Mr. Ballou says, there are mysterious knockings, rappings, 
 
 * This however is getting to be less necessary. The mind intensely directed toward 
 another object will answer. 
 
SB SPIRIT RAPPINGS. 
 
 creaking*, tickings, moving of sofas, lightstands, and chairs; and shak- 
 ing, tipping, sliding, and raising them iVom the floor; opening and shut- 
 ting doors, thrumming musical instruments, &c., &c. Those things, how- 
 ever, are not new. They have occurred many times before, in different 
 
 countries, but were never construed exactly as at the present. Now, we do 
 nol deny that the spirits of the departed sustain a conscious existence, and 
 enjoy a degree oi intelligence that is not practicable in the present state. 
 This lias been the sentiment of the church, with slight exceptions, in all 
 ■get, and we think it clearly revealed in the word of God. Much less do 
 we deny that the Creator is capable, if he please, of making spirits the 
 medium of communication with man. His power is unlimited. 
 Whether he has ever done so, is not so clear. Instances are upon rec- 
 ord which indicate something of the kind ; but they are not numerous, 
 and ought not to create the expectation that they will be repeated, es- 
 pecially for trivial purposes. Nor can we say, if he were to commission 
 departed spirits to become the teachers and guides of men in the 
 llosh, that he would not adopt the mode of communication employed by 
 the " knockers." But though we know " his ways are not as our 
 ways/' we must confess, it looks to us very improbable. From the rep- 
 resentation he has given us of his character, and from his former modes 
 of addressing men, we certainly should not suspect him, or his spirit 
 representatives, of cutting capers with tables, chairs, and other furniture, 
 much less playing with a fiddle, and rifling pocket books. Such things 
 seem natural enough in witches and ivizards, who have characterized 
 themselves in all countries by feats of this nature ; but to charge them 
 upon the Deity, or upon the spirits of the just made perfect, is to de- 
 grade the majesty of the Godhead. 
 
 But we will not press these points. The limits we have assigned to 
 this work require that we confine ourselves closely to a few radical ob- 
 jections. To state our true position plainly, we cannot believe the 
 ;> knockings," &c., are authorized by God, or made by good spirits, in 
 any sense whatever, and therefore that their moral lessons are not to be 
 relied on in the slightest degree. For. it is undeniable, — 
 
 1. That some of the "knockers" do teach what is known to he false. 
 A brother, whose name I have not asked the privilege of publishing, wm 
 present at a very religious sitting, — that is, in appearance, — in New 
 York, and was permitted by the spirits to propound a question concern- 
 ing his father. The spirit answered promptly, but without the shadow 
 of truth. The circle was mortified, and desired another sitting. To 
 this the brother assented ; but the result of the second trial was as un- 
 fortunate as that of the first ; there was not one word of truth in the 
 answers given. 
 
 In another instance, a young man called on a medium to converse with 
 the spirit of his brother. The case proceeded well to the end. In 
 a few days he called to extend the conversation a little, and concluded 
 by informing the company that his brother was still in the flesh, teach- 
 ing school in a neighboring town. 
 
 A similar case occurred near where we write, though the actress was 
 from another state. Wishing to test the truthfulness of the rappers, 
 she arrayed herself in mourning, and visited a distinguished wizard, as 
 a young widow, to hold converse with her departed husband. Matters 
 being duly arranged, his spirit appeared by the raps in regular order, and 
 made developments of a very affecting character. We have nothing 
 to say in justification of such deception, even for a worthy object ; but 
 the results were significant. And the same thing has occurred in many 
 
THE KN0CK1NGS INCREDIBLE. 31 
 
 other places, and has been accounted for by the assumption, that there are 
 lying spirits among the departed as well as among the living. 
 
 Rev. Adin Ballou, of Hopedale, a Universalist preacher of the Res- 
 torationist stamp, speaks of this subject in his recent work, entitled 
 " Spirit Manifestations," like an honest man.* He says, " Implicit 
 reliance cannot be placed on the mere imcorroborated communications 
 of spirits, as absolutely veritable, for three important reasons, viz. : 1. 
 There are multitudes of imperfect and low spirits. 2. The transition of 
 dreamers, somnambulists, clairvoyants, seers, &c., from the material to 
 the spiritual sphere of consciousness, and back again, is liable to such 
 a mixture and confusion of dissimilar ideas, that more or less of phan- 
 tasy, obscuration, and perversion must occasionally supervene. 3. The 
 generality of mankind are so ignorant of spiritual realities, laws, and 
 conditions, so wanting in discernment and candor, and so prone to er- 
 rors of reason as well as imagination, that few are even tolerably well 
 qualified to understand and make a proper use of spiritual communica- 
 tions. Hence the strange mixtures of truth and error, reality and phan- 
 tasy, consistency and contradiction, gravity and levity, sober probabil- 
 ity and wild extravagance, rational thought and fallacious imagination, 
 presented in dreams, clairvoyant visions, spirit trances, and the whole family 
 of mental and spiritual phenomena." (p. 8.) 
 
 This is frank, and is unquestionably true. He that was filthy at 
 death is, no doubt, "filthy still." (Rev. xxii. 11.) Many spirits are 
 probably just as mean, and low, and knavish, as he represents them ; and 
 it would be just like them to play the " deuce " with the knockings of 
 the saints, if they could get a chance. Hence, if all parties herd together 
 in the spirit world, as it seems they do, so as to have equal access to the 
 knocking apparatus, we agree with the gentleman, that if the knockings 
 come from the spirits, they will need pretty close scrutiny, before it will 
 be safe to trust them at all. 
 
 But suppose we should succeed in making the proper distinction 
 among the spirits, and detect the lying ones ; there is another difficulty 
 not less formidable. The mediums, it seems, are not always perfect, 
 but, owing to phantasy, &c, often miscarry, though entirely honest. This 
 looks very reasonable indeed, and confirms us in our previous suspi- 
 cions. Says Mr. Ballou, " I have known cases, 1. In which the bias, 
 prejudice, predilection, or will of the medium evidently governed and char- 
 acterized the demonstration. Questions have been written out and pre- 
 sented to the medium, with a request that the answers should, if possi- 
 ble, be given, thus and so, and they were given by raps accordingly. I my- 
 self gave questions in this way to a certain medium, and found that 
 answers could be obtained in the affirmative or negative, or in flat con- 
 tradiction to previous answers, if the medium would but agree 
 to will it." -(pp. 52, 53.) 
 
 Hence it follows, that if we will have truthful raps, — we must be sure 
 that we call up truthful spirits, and get unbiased mediums. But here 
 is the difficulty. If we call for St. Paul, Satan may come, and rap to 
 suit his own taste, and thus deceive many. Or, if Paul should be per- 
 mitted by other spirits to speak for himself without interruption, the 
 medium may pervert his utterances, and make him say quite another 
 
 * Mr. Ballou is himself a medium, and has had a very large experience in the 
 business of mesmerism, clairvoyance, and the knockings. His book is one of the 
 very best of the kind before the public, and is designed, we apprehend, to establish 
 his philosophy of universal salvation. We shall make free use of it. 
 
3*2 SPIRIT KAT TINGS. 
 
 thinp:. For instance, it* Pan) should speak of the " angels which kept 
 not thoir ilrst estate, and an reserved in chains under darkness unto the 
 judgment of the great day," (Jade 6,) and the medium should happen 
 to be a Kestorationist, she might so control the raps as to make them 
 read, that " the judgment is past," or that " they are reserved in a state 
 ot discipline and progress, for the highest sphere." So»»that we are 
 fearfully exposed to deeeption both from the spirits and the mediums. 
 
 But this is not all. Suppose that we make sure of a good sph'it, and 
 get the medium into so perfect a state of magnetic sleep, as to destroy 
 all personal prejudice and predilection, may we not then depend upon 
 the knockings ! Mr. Ballou says no, because, " in other cases there has 
 been an overruling psychological influence exerted by some powerful 
 mind or minds present with the medium. In such cases, this powerful 
 influence, with or without the consciousness of the medium, has elicited 
 answers just such as had been wished or willed by the managing mind, 
 and these answers have alternately contradicted each other in the 
 plainest manner, during the same half hour s demonstrations. In one 
 instance, a strong-willed man resolved to reverse certain disagreeable 
 predictions frequently repeated through two tipping mediums, who 
 often sat in conjunction. The result was, he could overrule one of 
 them, sitting alone, and get a response to suit himself. But both of 
 them together overmatched his psychological powers." . . . "I have 
 found that some media were so imperfect, or had been so sophisticated 
 by the management of overruling minds, that scarcely any reliance could 
 be placed on what purported to come through their mediumship. 
 Others, especially tipping and hand-moved media, are frequently so 
 nervous, doubtfully balanced, and peculiarly affected, that one knows 
 not what to depend on." (pp. 53, 55.) 
 
 We shall have occasion to refer to this point again, when we come to 
 consider another aspect of the subject. It is introduced here simply 
 to indicate the liability of mediums to other influences than those of 
 disembodied spirits, and therefore the utter incredibility of their knock- 
 ings. According to the concessions of Mr. Ballou, the " knockings " are 
 as unreliable as the winds. Admitting they come from departed spirits, 
 (which, by the way, we do not believe,) they cannot be trusted for any 
 statement, not otherwise demonstrated. Such is the uncertainty about 
 them, their testimony is no better than that of a heathen oracle. 
 
 To give them the least weight with reasonable men, it must be shown, 
 1. That they are produced by departed spirits. 2. That they are pro- 
 duced by good spirits, and not by those which are so " low'"' and " lying 11 
 that there is no truth in them. 3. That they are in a condition to 
 know whereof they affirm. Human spirits are not infinite, and may be 
 very ignorant, and liable to deception. If recent assumptions are well 
 founded, some of them are now in school learning the alphabet, gram- 
 mar. &c., to enable them to knock in good English. 4. We must be 
 assured that the medium is perfect — is not biased by his own notions, 
 or by bad spirits, and is not influenced by the powerful wills of spirits 
 still in the .flesh. And, 5. It must be shown that the knockings, &c, 
 are correctly translated. 
 
 But how can all these points be settled % As to mortals, they cannot 
 see the spirits to determine their competency as witnesses. The 
 mediums, even, are unable to distinguish the spirit of Voltaire from 
 that of St. Peter, or of the devil. They have to take the "knocker" 
 upon trust, whoever he be. Where, then, is our security for the truth 
 of what is knocked ? We have none. Nor have we any proof, that the 
 
THE KNOCKINGS NOT FROM Sl.KiTS. 33 
 
 knockings are not the work of some powerful spirit in the flesh, coun- 
 teracting the good wishes and efforts of departed spirits, and controlling 
 the knockings through the medium, by his own " management. " 
 
 We ask, then, in the name of reason, what is such testimony good 
 for 1 It would be ruled out of any impartial court on earth, as utterly 
 unreliable. It would not be taken as of the least account in the most 
 trifling affairs of life. Is it prudent, then, to receive it in reference to 
 the momentous concerns of eternity 1 — to make it paramount to God's 
 word 1 We admonish the reader to beware. This is not the first time 
 that men have undertaken to subvert the truth by pretended revela- 
 tions. Logic, learning, dreams and visions, art and science, witchcraft 
 and legerdemain, have all been taxed to overthrow the Christian 
 system ; but it still remains. And we apprehend it will abide when 
 the knockings shall have ceased forever. Reader, don't be too credu- 
 lous. Criticize the witnesses — compare their testimonies — look to 
 their associations, and see if there is not a conspiracy against God and 
 truth. And 
 
 " God speed the right." 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THE KNOCKINGS NOT ATTRIBUTABLE TO DEPARTED SPIRITS. 
 
 To the objection urged against the spirit " knockings," &c, in our 
 last chapter, we proceed to add others relating especially to the revela- 
 tions attributed to them. Mr. Ballou divides these into three classes : 
 The first, embracing such as he thinks come from departed spirits ; the 
 second, such as are " greatly affected by tmdeparted spirits ; " and the 
 third, such as are " of a heterogeneous, incongruous, or derogatory char- 
 acter." (p. 12.) In the remarks which we are about to make, we shall 
 confine ourselves chiefly to first class revelations, because we wish to 
 meet the case fairly. The assumption is, that they come from departed 
 spirits, and are reliable as revelations in regard to the spirit world. 
 We object to receiving them as such, — 
 
 1. Because of their want of proper reference to the Father of spirits. 
 The Scriptures declare that the •' spirit," at death, " returns to God, 
 who gave it." (Eccles. xii. 7.) Not to some distant sphere or circle, 
 little above the range of mortality. This is modern language — the 
 language of Restorationism — " eternal progression," and perverted " in 
 tuition?' When Stephen was stoned, he cried, " Lord Jesus, receive my 
 spirit." St. Paul thought it better to depart and " be with Christ," 
 because, " whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the 
 Lord ; but when we are absent from the body, we are present with the 
 Lord" If, then, the spirits of the departed are with God, he must be 
 the principal object of attraction to them. Hence, if they should be 
 permitted to communicate with men, they would naturally speak of 
 Him. Besides, to know more of God, and of our relations to him, 
 would seem to be among the most useful attainments ; and of what 
 could spirits speak more appropriately than of Him. 
 
 But what is the fact in relation to the assumed spirit revelations ? 
 It is remarkably this — God is hardly named. Indeed we do not learn 
 3 
 
M SPIRIT RAPPING S. 
 
 that the spirits have ever seen him, or that ho is an object of any con- 
 siderable interest among them. They have seen the infidel Paine 
 in the sixth circle, and other M enemies of all righteousness " stretch- 
 ing ttwaj towards infinity; they have reported their present notions, 
 ami described their relative conditions. But the Alpha and Omega of 
 the spirit world, they do not seem to find, nor do they report any thing 
 from him. Their thoughts run in another channel. By adverting to 
 Mr, Bailout first class revelations, it will be seen that the first men- 
 tioned relates to a man in Rochester having received a communication 
 that his child was dead at Lockport. The second describes a conversa- 
 tion the spirit of a Mr. Willets had with his son, advising him to " come 
 to Rochester," where he would get work. In the third case, the spirit 
 rapped a man's age, &c, and told how many shells he held in his hand. 
 The fourth describes how the spirit requested a certain hymn to be 
 sung, and directed where to find it. In the fifth, the spirit states how 
 and when it departed, and how many children it left, &c. (pp. 26-30.) 
 In the sixth, it seized its daughter by tho foot, to convince her of its real 
 presence. And so on to the end of the class. The name of God is 
 hardly mentioned from first to last. We conclude, therefore, that the 
 knockings are not the work of departed spirits, but of other spirits, 
 which think as little of God in their waking, as in their sleeping 
 moments. 
 
 II. We object that the knockings are deficient in reference to Christ. 
 They treat the Son with less respect, if possible, than they do the Father. 
 Of the latter they say little, but the former they characterize only 
 as a nice young man, and an excellent " medium? This indicates the 
 school of theologians to which they belong, and shows that they have not 
 the slightest sympathy with the Scriptures, which are filled with the 
 praise of the Saviour, as " the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, and 
 the Prince of Peace." The knocks import what many of the leading 
 mediums and their associates have taught for several years, but not 
 what is taught by " holy writ," or congenial to vital piety. The 
 knockers, therefore, show clearly that, whoever they are, they are not 
 " with Christ" and have no regard for him in the character he sustains 
 in the Scriptures. In other words, they show that they are infidels of 
 the darkest dye. They neither recognize his Godhead, nor his office as 
 an atoning High Priest, nor any one principle of the grand scheme of 
 redemption and mediation developed by his life and death. They 
 ■iteer just as clear of Christ in this respect as though they were 
 Hindoos. We conclude, therefore, that the knockers are not disembodied 
 spirits. 
 
 III. We object, also, that they undervalue the office of the Holy Spirit. 
 As we have before shown, this is the divinely-appointed agency, by 
 •vhich the world is reproved " of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment 
 o come." To the good, it is a Comforter ; it dwells " in them" "fills" 
 
 enlightens, guides, sanctifies, and consoles them. " I will send the Com- 
 forter," said Christ, and " he shall testify of me," and he shall " be with 
 you," &c. This is the grand efficient means by which men are moved, 
 reformed, saved, and made happy in the Lord. It is to the gospel what 
 the sun is to the solar system. And yet, the knockers do not seem to 
 have seen him at all. They call up any spirit demanded but the Holy 
 Spirit. In reference to Him, they maintain a deadly silence. 
 
 Now, reader, is not this very singular ? What should we think of 
 communications purporting to come from Prance, that should say 
 nothing of Napoleon ? Or from Washington, that should make no 
 
KNOCKINGS NOT FROM SPIRITS. 35 
 
 allusion to the President, or to Congress ? The prophets, writing of God 
 and heaven, of the means of grace, &c., have given the Holy Spirit large 
 consideration — have denned his character, agency, and importance, in 
 the fullest manner. And so have the apostles, and all Christian 
 authors. But in the new system, the Spirit of God seems to be super- 
 seded by the u knockings," and the " communion of the Holy Ghost " 
 has given place to communion with departed spirits. It really brings 
 forward other comforters, who shall lead us into all truth. Mr. Ballou's 
 son writes back to his sister, that the love of the spirits is " doing a 
 vast amount of good ; rendering many a heart, otherwise desolate, 
 
 FULL OF JOY AND PEACE J SOOTHING THE COUCH OF SICKNESS and 
 
 death, and, while it ushers into immortal blessedness the departed spirit, 
 speaks such words of hope and consolation to the mourner, as no earthly 
 heart could dictate." (p. 226.) 
 
 What a pity that St. ^Paul had not known about this ! He never 
 could have said the " fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace? &c. Nor 
 could Stephen have prayed, when dying, u Lord Jesus, receive my 
 spirit," if he had understood the new system. And St. John, we think, 
 would not have said, " we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit 
 which he hath given us," and " the Spirit of glory and of God resteth 
 upon you." Hence we see, that the inspired writers did not recognize 
 the agency of departed spirits in the work of salvation. 
 
 But what is there so very consolatory in the words of the spirits to 
 the mourner ? Did not this boy hear his father teach the same things 
 before the spiritual knockings commenced ? Mr. Ballou has been 
 preaching universal salvation for many years. He undoubtedly com- 
 forted great numbers of sinners with the assurance that there is no hell, 
 and no punishment, other than what is reformatory, long before he be- 
 came a medium. He might not have told them that the " spirits of the 
 dead were pursuing them with words of forgiveness, restraining them 
 from still viler deeds? &c, — this is the work of the Holy Spirit, not of 
 human spirits, — but he did tell them their departed friends were in a 
 hopeful and improving state, and that they would all get to heaven 
 finally. And was not this as consolatory as words could be ? They 
 comforted Eve of old, and she was encouraged to trample divine revela- 
 tion in the dust. 
 
 IV. We submit that the business of tipping and knocking tables, and 
 playing other pranks connected with these phenomena, is too grovelling and 
 contemptible for departed spirits. Said Christ to the penitent thief, " To- 
 day shalt thou be with me in paradise." Not flying hither and thither 
 at the beck of some silly swoon, flirting about under beds and tables, 
 down cellar and in the garret, scratching and snapping furniture, and 
 fooling over fiddle strings. If this be heavenly work, we have read the 
 Bible to little purpose, and the devil has received more than his due. 
 And if this" be all that is meant by being " before the throne of God," 
 being " with Christ," and crying with a " loud voice, Salvation to our 
 God, and unto the Lamb," and " serving God day and night in his tem- 
 ple," heaven is no great attainment after all. But it is not so. God 
 hath not written it. It is the work of an enemy. Seeing that they 
 could not annihilate the soul, and send it to eternal silence, as infidels 
 have tried to do, or translate it to heaven unconverted and unrenewed 
 by the Holy Ghost, ungodly men have undertaken now to annihilate 
 heaven, or transform it into a kind of purgatorial Babel, to meet the 
 necessities of certain sinners they have failed to supply by their infidel 
 and Jesuitical arguments. But it will not succeed. If the rich man 
 
ou SPIEIT RAFFING*. 
 
 could not persuade Abraham to lot Lazarus come to his relief, or go mid 
 warn his tivc brethren of their dreadful danger, mesmerizera need not 
 
 think they are going to call down spirits from heaven to amuse them 
 With a miserable jugglery, only befitting .fortune tellers and wizards. The 
 spirits of the pious dead have better business; and if spirit hunters 
 k - believe not Moses and the prophets, neither would theysbc persuaded, 
 though one arose from the dead." ' 
 
 As it respects the spirits of the wicked dead, though they might covet 
 the mischievous business of haunting the living, and scaring them with 
 strange and unearthly appearances, they are not permitted. Otherwise, 
 the rich man, who was peremptorily refused the services of Lazarus, 
 would have gone himself, and knocked, and tipped among his brethren, 
 till he had frightened them to repentance; and this mode of com- 
 munication between the living and the dead had been divulged, long 
 before the advent of the Newark girls, Mr. Spear, and company. We 
 conclude, therefore, that the new revelations have no connection what- 
 ever with departed spirits. 
 
 V. Another objection is found in the character of the mediums and their 
 associates. Though God lias seldom spoken by earthly dignitaries, and 
 has generally " chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the 
 wise, and the weak things of the world to confound the things which 
 are mighty," he has uniformly chosen persons who were " rich in faith 
 and heirs of the kingdom." If he chose Saul of Tarsus, a persecutor 
 of Christ, to be an apostle, he was not initiated until he became a new, 
 penitent, praying, converted man. So of Peter, and of all the apostles. 
 His communications were made to his friends, to those who sought him 
 in fastings and prayers, in the temple and about his altar. But, in 
 the present case, the order seems to be essentially reversed. Universal- 
 ists, Come-outers, infidels, Sabbath breakers, charmers, phrenologists, quack 
 doctors, and others, who have never been distinguished for devotion to 
 God and his truth as it is in Jesus, are particularly favored. They are 
 chief priests of the profession. Hence, when a Christian gets into the 
 rappings, he instinctively feels that he is out of place, that he belongs with 
 the enemies of the church ; and he leaves his old associations, and 
 joins himself to his new friends, the Rappers. Just as Come-outers, 
 Universalists, &c, when they u repent of their sins," and commence a 
 life of prayer, and holy living, leave their old associates, and go over to 
 the church. 
 
 Now, it does seem to us, if God had been going to make a communi- 
 cation to the world through human spirits, for its religious benefit, he 
 would have selected different mediums. But this objection will only 
 have weight with believers in the Scriptures as a revelation from God. 
 The Rappers, of course, if honest, would expect the spirits to hate the 
 church and her ordinances as much as they do, and rap against her 
 Sabbaths, sanctuaries, Bibles, prayers, heaven, hell, and other pecu- 
 liarities, just as they are said to do. 
 
 VI. We object to the new revelations still further, that they are ir- 
 reconcilable with the Bible. Christians agree that the Bible is from God, 
 and is the standard of religious truth and doctrine, so that what is not 
 clearly taught therein, or may not be fairly inferred therefrom, is not 
 true. And it is also agreed, that its teachings are sufficient, accompanied 
 by the Holy Spirit, as they are, for all the purposes of life and salva- 
 tion. It is claimed, therefore, that no impression, experience, doetrine, 
 or action, which is not according to this book, is from above. Hence, 
 said the apostle to the Galatians, " Though we, or an angel from 
 
KNOCKINGS NOT FROM SPIRITS. 37 
 
 heaven, preach any other gospel unto you, than that which we hav* 
 preached, let him be accursed." (Gal. i. 8.) 
 
 If, then, the revealments of the " knockers " are, as is assumed, from 
 departed spirits, and are to be relied on as true, they must harmonize 
 with the inspired records. But they do not. Some of the most im- 
 portant truths they flatly deny ; others they deny by implication from 
 asserted doctrines, while many are passed over with entire silence. For 
 example, — 
 
 1. The Bible teaches the future and eternal punishment of those who 
 die in impenitence and unbelief. But the knockers generally say there 
 is no such punishment. They divide departed spirits into ranks, or 
 circles, and set them off upon a course of endless progression, with a 
 certainty, that they will graduate from circle to circle, till they reach 
 the highest sphere. Avery pretty notion indeed, extremely comforting 
 to " murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers," and other rebels j 
 but it is utterly destitute of authority. The Bible gives no hint, not a 
 vowel point, upon which to build the castle. It originated in another 
 quarter. Mr. Ballou says, it is according to the philosophy he has 
 taught for many years, and we believe it. Its origin is earthly. The 
 spirits know it is not true. It is another gospel. 
 
 2. The Bible teaches that man is conceived in sin j that he is " cor- 
 rupt" t; sold under sin;" that he is depraved, " carnally minded" and 
 therefore, that he is weak, and poor, and miserable ; and that Christ 
 was sent a u quickening spirit." But the " knockers " have nothing 
 to say about all this. The fall of man has no place in their creed. 
 " Man," says Jackson Davis, is " an incarnated divinity." They talk 
 about following "reason" " nature" and "philosophy" just as if nothing 
 had happened, and man were as clear sighted, and unbiased to evil as 
 he is to good. 
 
 3. Nor do repentance towards God, and faith in the Lord Jesus 
 Christ, form a part of their creed. They are not even mentioned, though 
 the Scriptures urge them as indispensable to salvation. The prophets 
 preached that men ought to repent, lest iniquity should be " their ruin." 
 (Ezek. xviii. 30.) John came preaching repentance. Jesus followed, 
 urging the same duty by the awful considerations of the love and dis- 
 pleasure of God. And his apostles did the same, as all successful 
 ministers have done since. But the reputed "spirits" do not even 
 mention the thing. Kepentance has no place among them. They come 
 knocking about the merest trifles, and that for the amusement of infidels, 
 and other enemies of the cross, whose first duty is to repent and believe 
 the gospel ; and yet they say not one word about it. How unlike to 
 heaven is this ! The Saviour declares, " There is joy in the presence of 
 the angels of God over one sinner that repentethr And he came not to 
 call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance. But the spirits seem to 
 be quite unaffected with any thing of this kind. The reason unques- 
 tionably is, they are Poughkeepsie, Rochester, Hope Dale, and other local 
 spirits, and not heavenly. 
 
 4. The same is true of pardon or forgiveness, and regeneration — great 
 Scripture doctrines. " Except a man be born again," said Christ, t: he 
 cannot see the kingdom of God ; " that is, born from above, " not of 
 blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God," 
 (Gal. vi. 15 ;) so born as not to sin, but to hate sin and turn from 
 it, and so forgiven that all his sins are "blotted out." These are 
 fundamental principles, the very essence of divine revelation. The 
 way of gaining these grand achievements was the good news which 
 
38 SPIRIT RAPPINGS. 
 
 Christ rune: Kn the ears of the world. The guilty sinner needs pardon ; 
 the Ctnial mind, which is enmity against God, and cannot be subject 
 to his law of its own energy, needs regenerating. 
 
 But the u hu* & vrs " say nothing on the subject. According 
 to Mr. Ballou's book, they arc all taken up with the new develop- 
 ments — "social reform," and other things of little^ importance. 
 His spirit son is represented as saying that, when they look on the 
 different kinds of -wickedness around, they " are made to rejoice by 
 turning their eves to this dale, [Hope Dale,] and in the vision of faith 
 beholding the whole earth under such principles, and those even better, 
 changed into the Eden that once was." (p. 225.) It is interesting to 
 observe the sympathy spirits have for the views of their living friends. 
 Romanists have had many communications from them, and they 
 uniformly relate to masses, purgatory, pilgrimages, alms, &c. Boden, 
 in his Demonology, mentions cases where spirits have appeared to 
 indicate that certain dead were in purgatory, and wanted prayers and 
 alms for their deliverance. It is assumed that a catechumen, dying 
 without baptism, was permitted to return to St. Martin to obtain that 
 rite. (Phantom World, pp. 202, 203.) Sancho appeared to his master 
 several centuries ago, four months after his death, and told him he was 
 going to expiate the harm he did in the last war, and desired him to 
 aid him by his good works, and have his wife give the eight sols she 
 owed him on his salary to the poor in his name, to help him out of 
 trouble. Being interrogated, he reported who was saved and who 
 damned ; but King Alphonso had not been dead long enough for Sancho 
 to learn about his case. But another spirit said he was in purgatory 
 with them for a while ; but the monks of Clugni extricated him, since 
 which they h^d not heard from him. (p. 286.) Some time before the 
 death of Pope Leo IX., which occurred in 1059, there was a great rush 
 of spirits, and the community was much alarmed. But one man of 
 rare resolution accosted them, to whom they replied, " We are spirits, 
 which, not having yet expiated our sins, we are going into holy places 
 in a spirit of repentance. We arc now come from visiting the tomb 
 of St. Martin, and we are going straight to Notre Dame." (p. 288.) 
 
 If it were necessary, we could furnish volumes of such nonsense, 
 which goes just as far to prove the orthodoxy of Romanism, as the 
 present rappings go to prove Universalism and infidelity. They are 
 all, however, we believe, a libel upon the spirit world, and upon 
 Christianity, got up for the occasion, to help out a wicked system, 
 which God rejects as he did Saul. 
 
 5. The rappers are also silent in regard to the doctrines of the 
 resurrection and the general judgment. The Bible reveals nothing more 
 clearly than that the dead shall live again ; that they shall be judged, 
 and every man receive " according to that he hath done." And all this 
 shall take place at a definite time, called the day of judgment. 
 
 But our new system makes no more allusion to these things than 
 though they had never been thought of. And worse than this, it puts 
 all spirits upon a process of progression, which is to continue ad 
 infinitum. Of course, there can be no judgment, no adjudication of 
 particular cases, and no punishment. So that the Bible, on these 
 points, must be a grand lie — a mere scarecrow to frighten souls. 
 
 6. They are equally heretical in regard to religious duties. Though the 
 Bible insists on the religious observance of the Sabbath, they do not. 
 Mr. Ballou, who seems to be the very chief of saints among them, en- 
 joins prayer but twice, I think, in all his book, and then only mental 
 
KNOCKINGS NOT FROM SPIRITS. 39 
 
 prayer. Most others say nothing about it. It should be observed, 
 however, that those who are gradually receding from the churches, and 
 following the rappings from religious considerations, often pray very 
 ardently when they come around the table for responses. They did so 
 in the cases referred to in New York, where the spirits rapped nothing 
 but falsehood. But this is soon found to be an unnecessary and 
 troublesome ceremony, too " ckurchisk" and unphilosophical for the new 
 dispensation, and is laid aside, except where it is necessary to keep up 
 appearances. Many are too conscientious to be seduced away from 
 all their old tendencies at once. A little prayer to open, takes off the 
 curse very much, and makes it quite saint-like to consult the spirits. 
 
 7. Indeed, they are wanting in almost every point of Christian theology. 
 The materialism of Mr. Davis we have before proved. Mr. Ballou 
 says, u Matter and spirit are both eternally coexistent substances in the 
 universe." (p. 5.) Of course, God is not the Creator of the universe, for 
 what was created must have had a beginning, beyond which it did not 
 exist. " Each," he says, " exists more gross or more refined, the finer 
 pervading the coarser through all degrees. But these terms seem to 
 belong to matter. , It does not sound well to say " coarse " soul, and 
 "fine " soul. What does the writer mean ? Does he not hold that the 
 soul is ." refined matter" ? If he does not many of his coadjutors do. 
 A Mr. C. H. White, who is both a medium and an author, says " he 
 agrees somewhat with A. J. Davis " about the earth, and he denies 
 that the time ever was when only two human beings existed, and 
 says that u the vegetable and animal kingdoms, not excepting man, 
 were made and expanded by natural process of refinement." (Hist, of 
 Spir. Knoclcings, &c., p. 34.) That is, they grew. This writer con- 
 cedes that he is a Universalist, — says the spirits designate A. J. 
 Davis's, Hammond's, and Ambler's books, as the best to be read at 
 the meetings of the circle, (p. 36.) He thinks a glorious day has 
 dawned. But " ministers of the gospel are the last to assent to new 
 truths." He is, however, comforted in the belief that though "priest- 
 craft clings tenaciously, with iron nerves and muscles, to retain her 
 followers in the chains of tyranny and bigotry," " the hour draws nigh 
 when her foundations will crumble headlong, and she become a second 
 Tower of Babel." (p. 17.) Whether this prophecy should prove true 
 or not, the gentleman may be assured that he is not the first sufferer 
 from ministerial tardiness to believe new notions. St, Paul gave the 
 masters of a certain medium great trouble in his day, insomuch that 
 they had him arrested and imprisoned. (Acts xvi. 16-24.) He also 
 disturbed Demetrius, a silversmith, to such an extent that the whole 
 city "was filled with confusion."* (Acts xix.) And we cannot deny 
 that it would be just like ministers, if they should bring a cloud over 
 the prospects of the Rappers. They certainly will do so, if they are 
 actuated by the spirit of the preacher at Ephesus. 
 
 VII. We object to the assumptions of the Rappers, that they are often 
 presumptuous, childish, and contradictory. 
 
 Presumptuous, in that they attribute to spirits a sort of omniscience 
 and omnipresence which belongs only to God. Said the witch of Endor 
 to Saul, M Whom shall I bring up 1 " And the medium inquires, " What 
 spirit shall I call for ? " just as though the spirits of all the dead were 
 present, and ready to communicate, while there may be a thousand 
 other mediums in different parts of the world calling for the same 
 spirit. It is further presumed that the spirit introduced is capable of 
 giving correct information on all conceivable subjects, from the most 
 
40 sri Kir RAPPINGS. 
 
 trivial to the most important, and that without a special commission 
 from Qod. They are childish and contradictory, in that they attribute a 
 degree of incapacity to spirits,, that has no foundation in revelation or 
 well-established tarts. For instance, they account for the bad spelling 
 of sonic o( the spirits, that they- had never learned English. One 
 author, speaking of the Spirit of a child, who made bad«work in this 
 respect, obtained information that it had been placed under the tuition 
 ol % a relative spirit, and was making line improvement, and would be 
 able to knock better soon. In one instance, a Rapper commenced a 
 sentence and stopped short. Another spirit, coming up, explained by 
 saying, that he was called away on " special business." A lady visited a 
 medium, during the convention at the Masonic Temple, with important 
 inquiries, but could get no responses whatever, because, as she was in- 
 formed, the spirits had all gone to the convention. Yet with all this 
 ignorance, ptess of business, and liability of being abroad, the spirits can 
 generally be rallied to suit customers, and we arc required to believe 
 that they teach the high mysteries of eternity in truth and right- 
 eousness. 
 
 They arc contradictory in other respects. We are acquainted with a 
 preacher, who, happening into a neighbor's house, was informed that 
 the medium daughter had a communication for him from his departed 
 wife. He heard it with considerable interest, and questioned her on 
 several points of doctrine, and was assured that he was in error. Sub- 
 sequently he was in another house, where there was an excellent medium, 
 who, to her credit, only operated for family purposes. The wife, being 
 called upon the stand again, assured him he was preaching the truth, 
 and urged him to continue in the work. Such contradictions are con- 
 stantly occurring. Mr. Ballou details several of them, and adds, " In 
 fine, specimens of almost every thing incoherent, contradictory, deceitful, 
 and absurd have come from what purported to be spirits," and says, it 
 is " extremely difficult to answer satisfactorily " how these things are to 
 be accounted for. (p. 60.) How, then, we ask, can a sane man receive 
 the testimony of the Rappers on any point, not demonstrated by other 
 evidence ? 
 
 VIII. Finally, we reject the whole concern — operators, mediums, clair- 
 voyants, hnockings, and other mysteries, be they more or less — as means of 
 information from the spirit world, on the ground, that its results are 
 morally and religiously evil, and that continually. God's revelations have 
 always been characterized by a high moral tendency. Appealing to 
 our intelligence, our sense of right and wrong, our self-love, our hopes 
 and fears, they have impressed us with those sentiments which prompt 
 men to obey God and do good to their fellow-men. They have proved 
 themselves " profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for in- 
 struction in righteousness." (2 Tim. iii. 16.) And, if, they have not 
 made every man who has come within their influence what he ought 
 to be, it is because some have turned away from the holy command- 
 ment, and would not submit to the divine counsel. 
 
 But how is it with the pretended revelations of mesmerism, and the 
 knockings ? We have no hesitancy in saying, that it is exactly the 
 reverse. As a general thing, they are brought forward by irreligious 
 men, who have not failed to rap Christianity on all favorable occasions ; 
 and they have been its chief priests to the present time. If they are 
 not infidels outright, they are 'in effect. They reject the fundamental 
 doctrines of the gospel, particularly those which disturb the conscience, 
 awaken the fears, and bring sinners to Christ. They have been the 
 
PHENOMENA, HOW DISPOSED OF. 41 
 
 enemies of the church for years, and have tried more ways than one 
 to destroy her influence. Several of the men who figured largely in 
 the ranks of the Come-outers a few years since, are. now prominent 
 among the Rappers, and are rapping away at the church just as lustily 
 as they did under their former name. The president of the rapping 
 convention held in the Masonic Temple will excuse me if I say. that, 
 when best acquainted with him, he was a distinguished Come-outer of 
 the Garrison and Bronson Alcott school. His history will show, that 
 this is not the first convention in which he has taken a prominent part. 
 And where is the evidence, that he loves the Lord or the church any 
 better now than then ? We are not aware that he professes to have 
 changed at all in this respect. 
 
 But " some ministers and other good people are interested in the 
 rappings." True, curiosity led many to look into it a little at first, and 
 some, being exceedingly credulous, were carried farther than they in- 
 tended to go. Where they have embraced the Rappers as divine 
 teachers, they have generally left the church, and gone to their own 
 company. And this is as it should be. When men adopt new revela- 
 tions, contradicting the Holy Scriptures, and making it religious for 
 Christians to affiliate with the enemies of the cross, as hale brothers 
 well met, we think it time for them to secede. Some did the same 
 thing under the leadership of Mr. Garrison, ten years ago, and took 
 leading parts in the anti-church and anti- Sabbath conventions. And 
 they were caressed as " Progressionists" " Universal Reformers" &c. ; 
 and they did more for Come-outism, than those who had never been in 
 the church at all. And some ministers have run after the " Rappers " 
 honestly, perhaps, at first, but they have been corrupted. There are 
 more, however, who have gone far enough to produce the phenomena, 
 and then left it because of its evil tendencies. Like the witchcraft of 
 old, it almost invariably leads its votaries away after other gods. It is 
 therefore to be rejected as an enemy to religion and to man. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE PHENOMENA CONNECTED "WITH THE * KNOCKINGS " — HOW 
 DISPOSED OF. 
 
 " What then," say the advocates of the new revelations, " are you 
 going to do with the facts ? " " How will you explain them ? " To 
 this we reply, — 
 
 I. Suppose we should conclude to put them with thousands of 
 others, which are older and more common, and yet remain unexplained? 
 If the inquirer will look around, or even within himself, he will be 
 forced to concede many facts, of which he can give no rational ex- 
 planation. He may, perhaps, discover that the earth rests upon an ele- 
 phant, but what supports the elephant will not be so easily determined. 
 Should we insist that he give the explanation, or believe that the ele- 
 phant stands upon the shoulders of the Hindoo god Vishnu, he would 
 think that we had pressed him unreasonably, and would claim the 
 right of choosing some other alternative. Yet this is the precise 
 position in which he places us. We must explain the facts, he says, or 
 
49| SPIRIT RAPPINGS, 
 
 believe they are caused by departed spirit*. That is, we must explain 
 the facts, or admit bis inferences from theni. 
 
 II. Suppose wo should choose to attribute the phenomena to the 
 Jtril, rather than to departed spirits? His existence is substantiated 
 beyond reasonable doubt. We have as clear proof of it as can be pro- 
 duced of the existence of God, or of human spirits. As to intelligence, 
 he is represented as standing very high. Hence his powcY to deceive. 
 His ability to produce the knoekings, tippings, &c, is undeniable, since 
 we are divinely assured that he has great power, it was he that 
 tempted and afflicted Job, that destroyed his children and property ; 
 that bound a daughter of Abraham " eighteen years ; " and that possessed 
 and tormented many in the days of Christ. The knoekings would be 
 easy enough for him, unquestionably. And the tipping of a table with 
 several men sitting upon it would not be a circumstance to what he 
 has done many times. And we see nothing in the phenomena, or their 
 special abetters and supporters, inconsistent with the idea that he is at 
 the bottom of the whole thing. And certainly, there is no good resulting 
 from it to invalidate this view of the subject. If there be now ami 
 then a ray of light, or even if there be some important truths conceded, 
 and some benevolent results reached, — of which, however, we see no 
 evidence, — it is only in accordance with his old habits. His objects are 
 sometimes secured more readily by transforming himself into an " angel 
 of light," and by admitting some truths, and using some Scripture, 
 as he did in tempting the Saviour. History shows, that rank infidel- 
 ity does not take well in this religious world. It must be sweetened 
 with some truth, and have some show of goodness, or it cannot suc- 
 ceed. And then these phenomena look just like works of the devil, as 
 detailed in Scripture. So that the presumption that he may be the 
 real " rapper" after all, would not be so wild as some may imagine. 
 And the knockers seem to be aware of it, and, therefore, to get rid of 
 the difficulty, deny the existence of such a being as the devil in the 
 very outset. 
 
 Eor ourselves, if we must believe the rappings are produced by 
 unembodied spirits at all, we shall be compelled to take this view of 
 the subject: i. Because the devil possesses the powers and faculties just 
 named. 2. Because of a very striking correspondence between these 
 things and his former proceedings, as stated in Holy Scripture. 3. Be- 
 cause of the religious views and affinities of the rapping fraternity. 
 4. Because the tree is to be known by its fruit. And, finally, because 
 it is not known that departed spirits possess the powers necessary to 
 such results. 1. It remains to be seen that they have any communica- 
 tion with the living, except by special commission, and for a special 
 purpose ; whereas the devil hag been in frequent communication with 
 them ever since the fall. 2. Suppose they were permitted, the question 
 is, whether they possess the powers of ubiquity and intelligence attributed 
 to them. We know the devil can do these things, because God has 
 revealed it. But where is the evidence that departed spirits can do 
 them ? especially that they can lift tables loaded with men, smash up 
 chairs and crockery, and perform other feats of power 1 or that they 
 can look into the future, and disclose the hidden things of eternity, at 
 the bidding of a frivolous circle of unbelievers in everlasting truth ? 
 No one of these points is yet revealed, nor can it be proved, while every 
 one of them is provable of the devil, from divine revelation, and his 
 own doings. 
 
 III. But suppose we should believe that the knoekings are produced 
 
PHENOMENA, HOW DISPOSED OF. 43 
 
 by the mediums themselves, though we cannot explain the manner in 
 which they are effected. Would this be inconsistent, or unphiloso- 
 phical, or irreligious % I believe it is the immaterial spirit in me that 
 moves my fingers and pen, but I have not the slightest idea how it is 
 done. We believe the food we eat is transformed into blood, flesh, 
 bones, hair, nails, &c, and thus sustains the different parts of the human 
 system 5 but no mortal can fully explain the process. Nor has it ever 
 been seen how spirit can move matter at all. Mr. Anderson, the great 
 American wizard, keeps his patrons entranced with his jugglery, and 
 they are compelled to say that it is wonderful, though they are unable 
 to explain how he does it. Should hd^assume to do it by the power 
 of Gabriel, and demand us to believe, or explain, the teachers of the new 
 revelations would be obliged, on their own grounds, to believe. Had 
 the magicians of Egypt placed Moses in this condition, he must have 
 become an idolater, because he was probably unable to explain the 
 power of their enchantments. We object to being limited to these 
 alternatives. There are others which we prefer. 
 
 In relation to the raps being produced by the mediums and their asso- 
 ciates, we remark, 1. That we see less difficulty than attends the be- 
 lief that they are produced by departed spirits. But it will be asked, 
 How can spirits in the flesh move tables, without touching them ? 
 Here is « the "pinch" and we do not say that we have the means of 
 giving a satisfactory answer. But if the inquirers will tell us how 
 departed spirits can move tables, and produce the other phenomena 
 attributed to them, we will try. Or, if they will prove that departed 
 spirits can do these things, or have done them, though they do not 
 explain how, we will engage to show how spirits in the flesh can do 
 them. But this is impossible. Hence, we see the grossness of their 
 assumptions, and the unreasonableness of their demands. They assume 
 that departed spirits have the power to produce these phenomena, which 
 we deny ; then, that they do produce them, though they cannot tell 
 how, and demand of us to explain how spirits in the flesh can produce 
 them, or concede what they assume. The only reason they can give for 
 attributing the raps to departed spirits is, that the rappers say they are 
 spirits. Yet they concede that the spirits afe often of a low class, and 
 do lie ; that they pretend to be what they are not, as one is reported to 
 have said in explanation to her inquiring husband, " My name is 
 often used where I am not." Now, if they lie about one thing, they 
 may lie about another ; and hence, as no man has seen them, or can 
 see them, to distinguish which is good and which bad, which truthful 
 and which /treacherous, were we to admit that departed spirits make 
 the raps, their testimony would not be worth one fig. It would not be 
 taken in court, nor would any sane man venture a sixpence upon its 
 authority. But they are not agreed in this particular. Some claim to 
 be the spirits of beasts. So that the pretence of Rappers, that they are 
 spirits, is no evidence at all. 
 
 2. We consider the point conceded by some of the principal movers 
 in the rappings. Mr. Sunderland, whose name stands high in this con- 
 nection, though heterodox in his religious views, probably, as any 
 of the rapping % fraternity, discards the idea. Mr. Ballou, who 
 claims that the rappings are generally produced by departed spirits, 
 and places great account upon their revelations, admits that they may 
 be caused, or greatly affected, by undeparted spirits, that is, " spirits in 
 the flesh, who, by their will, or psychological power, control the agency 
 which gives forth sounds, motions," fee. (p. 52.) "Hence," he says, ''the 
 
 which gi\ 
 
4A SPIRIT KAPPINGS. 
 
 communications, even o( a decent and urll-mcaning departed spirit mtgrAi 
 
 ro^Jt 1 ouf j'/i (7 irr// awkward translation, something ymw unlike what was 
 
 intended." (p, 61.) We have quoted from this author before to the 
 same effect, and might add several pages more, recognizing tho 
 power of mediums to control the raps. If, then, the mediums control the 
 raps, why not produce them ! If they produce them in some cases, why 
 no: in all ! It seems to us that if we have diseovered a pysehological 
 power in mortals, in some cases, to make the raps, and in others to con- 
 trol them, it is more reasonable to believe that they are made in all 
 cases by the same power, than to attribute thern to an intangible agent, 
 whose presence, power, and action are unestablished by any sufficient 
 evidence. 
 
 3. Our third remark is, that there are numerous facts which render it 
 decidedly more probable that the raps are produced by the mediums and 
 their associates, than that they are the work of departed spirits. In 
 this we mean to concede certain physical phenomena, such as have 
 been detailed in the preceding pages, and that they arc not to be ac- 
 counted for by any legerdemain, trickery, or sleight of hand, nor purely 
 by magnetism or electricity, though there may have been respectable 
 counterfeits produced by these means. Our opinion is, that there is a 
 certain power in some persons which enables them, under favorable cir- 
 cumstances, to produce all these results. It is not strictly physical, 
 nor is it entirely intellectual, or sympathetic, but seems to be a combi- 
 nation involving perception and will. We hardly know what name to 
 give it. It is not electricity, though we have no doubt electricity has 
 something to do with it. It is not animal magnetism alone, though the 
 magnetic or clairvoyant state has seemed to be a necessary circumstance 
 in producing some of the phenomena. One writer denominates it spi- 
 ' ricity ; but the name is of the least consequence. Does the thing exist 
 in fact ? We have no doubt of it ; and though we do not design to 
 enter much into the philosophical aspects of the question, we beg the 
 reader's attention to the following facts : — 
 
 (1.) It is an old truth, and not fiction, that there is a power in some 
 persons to detect the locality of metals and water in the earth by the 
 aid of a hazel stick. The writer has seen the operation. What power 
 is that 1 No one can explain it, and yet its existence is generally con- 
 ceded. Now, if there be that in persons which causes the stick to 
 bend downward as they hold it over metals or water in the bowels 
 of the earth, why may there not be something in others, that will 
 cause the table to move, or give out sounds as they approach it? 
 (2.) In 1839, two* Smyrna girls visited France to exhibit what was 
 then called their " electrical powers" in moving tables without contact. 
 Men of science assembled to witness the performance. They heard 
 sounds, saw the table shake and move, but found that by placing a piece 
 of iron on the table, the phenomena ceased. They were also found to 
 be disturbed by a change of atmosphere, showing clearly enough that 
 electricity was concerned in producing them. — Philosophy of Mysterious 
 Agents , p. 101. 
 
 (3.) Some thirty years ago there were many experiments of this na- 
 ture in Europe. Speaking of the results, one writer says, "I saw the 
 chairs move ; a large dining table was thrown against me, and a small 
 stand, on which stood a candle, was tossed up and thrown into my 
 wife's lap." In another case, it is recorded, " The table was forced 
 against each one of us so powerfully as to move us from our position, 
 together with the chairs we occupied, in all several feet." (pp. 140, 141.) 
 
PHENOMENA, HOW DISPOSED OF. 45 
 
 This power is not limited to mesmerizers, nor to any particular as- 
 sociation. Yet it may be concentrated, and employed to produce 
 remarkable phenomena. The rules laid down for forming circles are 
 philosophical, but they seem to us to explode the idea that the raps are 
 made by spirits. (1.) The circle should be composed of fourteen persons. 
 But why fourteen ? (2.) None must be admitted who are " opposed to 
 receiving manifestations conflicting with their preconceived opinions, or 
 
 WHO WILL NOT SIT IN A PASSIVE STATE." (3.) The Circle must 
 
 combine both ladies and gentlemen. (4.) They must seat themselves at 
 the table, the ladies on the opposite side of the gentlemen, and take the 
 magnetic cord in their hands. The object of this is said to be to " con- 
 fine their thoughts to one thing" and " insure a passiveness requisite for mu- 
 tual improvement" Will not the spirits rap without all this parade ? 
 But this is not enough. (5.) Silence must be preserved for one hour. 
 (6.) All must then put their hands upon the table — Hist, of Spir. 
 , KnocJcings, pp. 28, 29. Now, which does this look most like, coaxing the 
 spirits to rap, or preparing a battery for producing the sounds among 
 themselves ? We leave the reader to judge. 
 
 4. Mr. Rogers gives us, in his " Philosophy of Mysterious Agents" a 
 fact of the spirits being banished from a very happy gentleman by 
 a dose of calomel and rhei. He has lectured the doctor many times 
 since on his wickedness in dispersing them, and thinks less of the 
 regular practice than formerly. The same physician, a gentleman of 
 this city, was called to visit a young lady twenty-two years of age, 
 a regular " rapping medium" He found her to be affected with head- 
 ache, sensation of fulness in the cranium, frequent vertigo, resulting 
 often in spasms and convulsions ; sometimes had cataleptic attacks, 
 complained of pains in the back, &c. ; pulse rapid, coldness of the 
 extremities, amenorrhcea for the last ten months. " She informed 
 me," he says, " that she had not been able to sleep half the nights for 
 the last six months, on account of the almost constant rapping of the 
 spirits around her. And they would keep rapping, she said, until she 
 questioned them. To be satisfied whether all this was not the work- 
 ing of a diseased fancy, and was not altogether subjective, I made care- 
 ful observations, and soon became satisfied that the sounds were not 
 in her fancy, but outward, veritable phenomena, cognizable to my own 
 sense of hearing as well as hers. Neither could they have been produ- 
 ced by collusion. I now asked her to question them. One afternoon 
 I called upon her, and found her nervous system in a high degree 
 of excitement, indicating an epileptic attack. The rappings were 
 heard around, here and there. I immediately administerd a powerful 
 sedative. On this the rappings ceased, and have never annoyed her 
 since, with the exception of twice, when a few faint raps were heard 
 during some slight paroxysm of the nervous malady." (p. 288.) 
 
 From these and other cases innumerable, it is obvious that the rap- 
 ping agent is physical, and not spiritual. The most rigid Thomsonian 
 cannot presume that the spirits would be so offended at a dose of cal- 
 omel, as to take their leave of a favorite subject, and never return. 
 Nor can our spiritmongers think that they would budge an inch, for all 
 the " sedatives " in creation. And yet we see, that the administration 
 of certain drugs, has ended the rapping in a day, in the case of a me- 
 dium of great power. 
 
 We should be gratified to give what we regard to be the proper ex- 
 planation of these facts ; but we leave this branch of the subject to 
 
46 BPIBIT RAPPINGS, 
 
 Others. If any arc disposed to examine this matter of rapping power, 
 they will find a multitude of interesting facts, and well-arranged argu- 
 ments in the above mentioned "Philosophy." AV T e regard this as an 
 
 able work, well worthy o( the attention of all persons interested in the 
 true philosophy of the rappings. 
 
 Uut we shall be asked. If this rapping power be a physical agent in 
 the circles, how is it controlled ? We answer, Just as the magnetic or 
 mesmeric power is controlled — by the will and movements of mesmer- 
 iiers. They possess a power to mesmerize certain willing subjects more 
 or less, at their pleasure. So mediums possess a power (which time 
 and investigation will more fully explain) to produce mysterious 
 sounds, move tables, shake doors, &c. How this power is influenced 
 by the willy we cannot explain, any more than we can explain how the 
 feet, and hands, and tongue are governed by the will. One is no 
 greater mystery than the other. And the fact that this power some- 
 times operates to produce its phenomena without the consciousness of 
 the medium, is no more incredible than that all our limbs and other 
 faculties do the same, as we know they do, from every day's observa- 
 tion. Hence the unconsciousness of having produced these phenomena 
 on the part of the medium, is no satisfactory proof that she did not 
 produce them. People seldom have any consciousness of what they 
 are really doing in a state of dreams and mesmerism. They often 
 fancy they are drowning, flying, falling, &c, though they are actually 
 lying still, or engaged in other ways. Mr. Rogers places this point 
 in a very clear light. 
 
 "We shall be asked, also, If this rapping power is in the mediums, and 
 is in any way subject to their will, why cannot they produce the phe- 
 nomena one time as well as another? We answer, For the same rea- 
 son that a man cannot speak as well at one time as another ; and that 
 chemists and philosophers cannot always succeed alike in producing 
 the same scientific phenomena — the circumstances are not alike favor- 
 able. Owing to personal causes, the power is not always the same. 
 It varies with the health, and mental and nervous states of the medium, 
 and others of the circle. And these are affected by other circumstances, 
 as the state of the atmosphere, food, exercise, and the company present 
 at the sitting. These are the surly spirits, that take fits, and will not 
 knock at all, and then again knock lively. Hence the managers insist 
 that the mediums must not be overworked, because it will exhaust the 
 nervous energy, or whatever you please to call it, by which the mystery 
 is wrought. And here, too, they insist on having only a few present, 
 and those of a particular character and demeanor. And then, every 
 thing must be conducted just so gravely and thoughtfully. Not that 
 the spirits are so very pious and sensitive, that they would be afflicted, 
 and refuse to knock. For, if there are some punctilious ones, it is 
 evident from the revealments, that others .would not mind a little noise 
 or irreverence, since they are quite inclined to deceive their mortal 
 inquisitors, and make sport for themselves. The object of all this 
 nicety is to keep the mind and nerves of the mediums right, so that they 
 may bring their forces to bear upon the point. Moderate mediums 
 would be disturbed by the presence of powerful unbelievers, and not 
 less so by fun and ridicule, noise and disorder. 
 
 We have no doubt they are often disarmed by qualms of conscience, 
 so as in a measure to lose their power. It is conceded by the ablest 
 expositors of the rappings, that some mediums begin very feebly, and 
 
PHENOMENA, HOW DISPOSED OF. 47 
 
 wax stronger and stronger, till they reach a high character; and 
 others lose their power altogether.* So long as they allow shame, 
 or guilt, or the fear of man to harass them, they can do hut little ; but 
 as these impediments pass away, and they become valiant, they are 
 correspondingly perfect. And, then, if by the Spirit of God, or other- 
 wise, they are aroused to see the sin, disgrace, and danger of their 
 course, and to tremble in view of the consequences of pursuing it, 
 they lose their power, as did the " damsel " who possessed the spirit of 
 "divination." (Acts xvi. 18.) When she was awakened, and began 
 to follow the apostles, acknowledging their office, she could do no 
 more and " her masters or magnetizers saw that the hope of their gains 
 was gone." 
 
 The reader will understand, that these are not mere hits, but facts, 
 conceded by the Rappers in general ; that is, so far as they relate to 
 the necessity of having things in just such shape, in order to bring out 
 the wonders. If it were necessary, we would prove this beyond a doubt. 
 The explanations and inferences are our own, the justness of which we 
 submit for consideration. 
 
 But some will inquire, Suppose this to be true in regard to the raps, 
 and other physical phenomena, how do you explain the indications of 
 intelligence manifested ? The question is a fair one, and demands a 
 serious answer, which we will endeavor to give. If we shall fail of 
 making every point as clear as is desirable, the reader will remember, 
 that the subject docs not admit of demonstrations cither way, and that 
 we are limited to a few lines. We must satisfy ourselves for the 
 present with such conclusions as seem the most probable, all things 
 considered, and await the developments of the future. With this pre- 
 cautionary suggestion, we remark, — 
 
 That the intelligence manifested by the phenomena is partially ac- 
 counted for by the intelligence of the mediums, except where they are 
 perfectly magnetized, or by other means are in that peculiar state in 
 which the brain becomes nicely susceptible to impressions from men 
 and things. When in this state, the mind seems to be defunct, while 
 the brain, in a highly-sensitive state, receives impressions of things, 
 and automatically indicates them to others. The knocks, speech, or 
 writing, therefore, will be directed by that other mind, or fact, which 
 occupies the brain. If there are different minds in rapport with it, the 
 demonstrations may be confused and contradictory. And the same 
 will be the result where the medium is imperfectly passive. The 
 knocks will be according to the aggregate of the contending minds in 
 rapport with the brain. Should there be one more powerful than 
 others, it will control and have every thing in its own way, though it 
 may be entirely concealed from the company present. 
 
 This is actually admitted by Mr. Ballou and others, who claim to 
 converse with spirits 5 and it is demonstrable by facts. We could 
 name a Christian gentleman who has so much power of this kind, that 
 he can go in where experiments are being made, and control them to 
 his own liking. Observing the operations of a most distinguished 
 lecturer one evening, he remarked to a friend, that he could counteract 
 the results, and make them very different. And to prove it, he said, 
 " When the medium gets to such a point," she will stop ; and she did so. 
 
 * Mr. Loveland informed the writer a little before he left the church, that he was 
 improving in mediumship, and had the promise that he should become a writing 
 medium. He has probably reached that puint <>ince he left. 
 
48 SPIRIT KAPPIttGS, 
 
 Thus he took her right out of the bands of the lecturer, without his 
 knowing what was the difficulty, and (.-out rolled her jus he pleased. 
 
 Now. whether we hare stated the philosophy of the thing correctly 
 or not, we do not mistake as to the /nets, llenee, when the mediums 
 come around the enehanted table with their chosen circle, they enter 
 into communication with that circle together, or separately, and feel 
 and know what they feel and know. Hence, if one asks, "How old am 
 I \ n he necessarily thinks of his own age, which thoughts impress the 
 medium in communication with him more than they do himself. If 
 he asks, (to adopt the nomenclature of the Rappers,) " What docs the 
 spirit of my wife wish to say to her husband ? " the picture of his wife, 
 her views, affections, domestic habits, modes of expression, are all 
 before him, and impress the brain of the medium, so that the answer 
 is made much as the wife used to speak herself, and in accordance with 
 her former views, or the husband's idea of what she would naturally 
 say ; provided, however, Jirst, that the medium is not partially con- 
 scious, and biased by prcadopted opinions ; and secondly, that a more 
 powerful mind in the flesh does not interfere, and control the answers. 
 Should the medium disclose what the husband supposes to be a secret, 
 it will be attributable to the fact, that he thinks of it himself. Hence, 
 if the medium goes into communication with the whole circle, she will 
 know and express what they know, and will astonish them with de- 
 velopments of the most wonderful character. 
 
 But we are told that " this does not cover the whole ground — that 
 there are phenomena which it does not explain." We concede it. 
 
 1. Mediums sometimes give answers different from the true one which 
 is in the inquirer's mind. How is this ? 2. They often teach different 
 doctrines from those which the inquirer believes, and wills to have con- 
 firmed. 3. They sometimes contradict themselves while in communi- 
 cation with the same person, and without his willing it. 4. They make 
 true statements, contrary to what the inquirer supposes he knows to be 
 facts, and what he wills to have made, and yet they turn out to be true. 
 There is a large class of these difficulties, but we think them perfectly 
 reconcilable with our position. 
 
 1. Let it be borne in mind, that mediums are seldom free from per- 
 sonal bias, and hence do not always speak other opinions than their own. 
 
 2. That where they are so, that is, where the mind is entirely abstract- 
 ed, they are an instrument on which the circle may play any tune 
 they please. A Romanist, having the ascendency, elicits responses to 
 his taste. A Christian, overpowering him, brings out Protestant views ; 
 but an infidel, of more powerful will than both together, may call out 
 responses demonstrating infidelity. And all this without a word being 
 said by either of them. The inquirer may suppose the fact to be thus, 
 but the answer is different, and correctly given, because another in the 
 circle knew better than the inquirer, and had more influence with the 
 medium. 
 
 But how is it where no one in the circle knows the fact, and it is given 
 correctly ? For instance, one asks, " Where was my father born % " but 
 does not know himself, nor is the correct answer known to any one in 
 the circle, yet the medium gives it. In such cases it will be generally 
 found, that on asking the question, the inquirer's mind wanders to the 
 old family Bible or other book wherein the fact is recorded, and where, 
 by a process which is not fully understood, the brain of the medium be- 
 comes impressed with the record, and gives the right response. The 
 knowledge seems to be intuitive. Some would attribute it to "second 
 
PHENOMENA, HOW DISPOSED OF. 49 
 
 tigJtt," of which the world has heard so much in past time. The power 
 of knowing these things is not very dissimilar, and certainly not more 
 wonderful, than the peculiar power of Colburn and SafTord, manifested 
 in solving mathematical problems. It furnishes the result, without the 
 trouble of going through with the usual process of reaching it, and fur- 
 nishes no more reason for assuming spiritual agency than do the 
 thousand similar cases, of the existence of which we are assured. 
 There is a communication between the brain and that record, as strong 
 as the telegraphic communication between Boston and New Orleans, or 
 the communication between the face of the customer and the plate upon 
 which his phiz is daguerreotyped by a single look. 
 
 There is one other class of facts to which we will barely advert. It 
 embraces all those cases where the mediums have reported distant 
 events. For example, a medium visiting Rochester had, as he thought, 
 ■a communication from a spirit that his child Was dead at Lockport, 
 which turned out to be true. How do you explain this 9 it is triumph- 
 antly asked. In reply, we say, as we have before said in a general 
 sense, perhaps we cannot explain it at all. For aught we know, the 
 despatch came over the telegraphic wires to the medium, before it came 
 to the brother who reported the case. Or, he might have known his 
 child was dangerously ill, and guessed he was dead. But if we cannot 
 explain it, it does not follow that a spirit communicated the fact. How 
 could a spirit in Rochester know what was occurring in Lockport ? 
 Answer that, my friend, will you 1 When you have done that, just tell 
 me how you know it was a spirit 3 How do you know but it was the 
 Great Father of all, and" not a human spirit, that did it ? or an angel ? 
 Prove that it was a spirit, and we will show how it was done. 
 
 But it seems to us not so very difficult a case after all. Mesmeric 
 subjects have their congenial operators, who often have such influence 
 over them, that they can throw them into the mesmeric state at will, 
 however distant, and impress them with such facts or falsehoods as they 
 please. This man lived at Lockport, and had his familiar spirits there, 
 with whom he had been in correspondence. The fact of his child's 
 death was undoubtedly known to the circle. Why might not they have 
 impressed this fact upon him at that distance, as well as any other fact ? 
 We see no more difficulty in one case than in the other. If one can 
 throw another into the magnetic sleep sixty miles distant, we see no 
 reason why he may not impress him with any news of the day. The one 
 seems to^s as easy as the other, and can be explained as well as the other. 
 If one requires the agency of disembodied spirits, so does the other. 
 
 But we will not press this point further. Enough has been said to 
 answer our present purpose. The reader cannot fail to see that the 
 knockings, &c, are not attributable to spirits. There is not the slightest 
 reason to believe that departed spirits have any thing to do with them, 
 that does not apply to any other invisible being. The argument seems 
 to be this : " I cannot account for the phenomena ; therefore they are 
 produced by departed spirits." Others might say with equal propriety, 
 u Therefore they are produced by an angel, or the devil, or by leger- 
 demainy But this is not good reasoning, and we cannot be influenced 
 by it. If there are other apparent miracles and prophetic announce- 
 ments to which we have not alluded, they may be set down with many 
 that preceded them, and passed away without explanation. People 
 have in special cases predicted their own death, and that of others, in a 
 remarkable manner, and have achieved other wonders, which have never 
 been explained. Still the word of God remaineth sure. 
 4 
 
50 SPItlT RAPPINGS, 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Tin: CONCLUSION 01 THE WHOLE MATTER. 
 
 From the foregoing considerations we deduce the following practical 
 inferences, to which the reader's attention is especially invited : — 
 
 1. The first is, that to become a medium is dangerous. The physical 
 influence of the operation, particularly upon the nervous system, is mani- 
 festly of the most alarming character. It may be endured for a time, but, 
 like other unnatural excitements, it will prey upon the system it con- 
 vulses until it can no longer perform its proper functions, when disease 
 and premature death will ensue. The extreme weakness and nervous 
 irritability of mediums, should be a warning to others, not to resign them- 
 selves to an influence so prejudicial to the laws of life. 
 
 Its effects on the mind, are still more appalling. Self-control is an 
 elemental principle in the human character. It is here that we find 
 our responsibility, and safety. Take this away, and wc are mere ma- 
 chines, without judgment or will, subject to be driven and tossed at 
 the dictation of others. Thus it is with the subjects of mesmerism. 
 They consent to suspend their moral, conscious existence, and leave 
 themselves entirely in the hands of whatever operator may chance to 
 appear. In this condition they are made to assume different characters, 
 and are excited, and bandied about, till they cannot control themselves 
 in their conscious moments. Multitudes have gone a step further, and 
 taken their places among the insane. 
 
 This, of course, involves another danger. In so impure and dis- 
 honest a world as this, there is no security for our character and fortune, 
 but in sleepless vigilance. What, then, are the dangers of one who 
 submits himself to be divested of all consciousness and control, and 
 subordinated to the passions of others ? Take the case of a young 
 man, in whose integrity you have the utmost confidence. You wish to 
 give him some charge of your business ; but how can you do so when 
 you know that by a word, a look, or even a thought, from certain 
 characters, with whom he spends his evenings, he may be paralyzed, 
 and bereft of all capacity to do your business % You could not employ 
 such a man with safety. And what safety has a young lady for her 
 virtue, who submits herself to such a state? Look at ifa then, in 
 what light we may, it is full of peril, and should never be submitted to, 
 except by high medical advice. 
 
 2. It is also a great sin against nature, and against God. The 
 Creator has endowed us with rational powers, which we are required to 
 exercise to his glory, and our own good. One who unmans himself 
 with alcohol, and becomes senseless, silly, or raving, is a sinner by 
 the law of God, and common sense. If he commits a crime in this 
 state, we punish him, though he was deranged at the time, because he 
 made himself deranged. He voluntarily assumed that state, and is, 
 therefore, holden for all the consequences of it. If he dies by reason 
 of it, he dies by suicide. This is all very plain. The same is true in 
 regard to the use of opium, and other drugs. Good people esteem it a 
 great sin to impair their intellectual and moral powers by any of these 
 means. "YVe should rather strive to keep wide awake, and only con- 
 sent to a different state when sick, and our medical advisers judge it 
 expedient. But how is it any better to stupefy and befool ourselves 
 
THE CONCLUSION. 51 
 
 with mesmerism, than with alcohol or opium 3 We consider the sin as 
 great, at least, in the first case, as in the last. They are but different 
 modes of destroying our moral and intellectual natures ; of reducing 
 the free man to a slave, the rational man to a maniac or a fool. They 
 are, therefore, equally criminal ', and should be avoided as the road 
 to ruin. 
 
 Besides, God requires us to "watch" to "consider" to be " active? 
 to be " wise" to confide in him. But mesmerism, like drunkenness, dis- 
 qualifies us for every duty. It is the extreme opposite of watchfulness, 
 consideration, and right action. It destroys our capacity to see the 
 evils that threaten us, or to resist them. In abandoning ourselves 
 to it, we are liable to be "led captive," not only by "the devil 
 at his will," but by any strong-willed villain that may have an end to 
 serve by taking us in charge. We consent not to one evil only, but to 
 any evil that our managers may fancy. 
 
 We ask the Christian reader, then, how he can submit to be a medium, 
 or resign himself to the mesmeric influence ; in other words, how he, 
 with the commands of God upon him, obliging him to believe certain 
 sentiments, and pursue a different course of conduct, can acquiesce in 
 the condition of mediumship ; that is, how he can abandon the truth 
 as it is in Jesus, all settled principles and opinions, will and desire, 
 and become mentally and morally extinct, as it were, on pretence of 
 receiving communications from departed spirits. Those who have no 
 principles, and are floating about on the sea of speculation, may do it 
 without sacrifice, perhaps. They may be u Orginals" or any thing 
 else but Christians, without a departure from their position.^ But a 
 Christian has to forsake all, and admit that he may be in error at every 
 point and resign himself up to the mesmeric power, as a poor disci- 
 ple, who would be instructed. We used to hear much said, in our boy- 
 hood, about " forming a league with the devil," but never had any defi- 
 nite idea of what it involved. But is not this the very thing ? It is 
 all the devil asked of CJirist, and we cannot give more. If we go thus 
 far, and he does not taTe possession of us. it is either because he is not 
 what he is represented to be, or God, in mercy to our ignorance and 
 folly, lays him under special embargo. 
 
 But let it be observed, we do not say, that one may not be mesmer- 
 ized, or possess the power of rapping and moving tables, without sin. 
 Some have a very strong proclivity to the mesmeric state, even fall 
 into it involuntarily, and may be in so susceptible a condition, as to be 
 thrown into it against their will. And others have the rapping power, 
 whether they will or not. It is in them, and they are not to be blamed 
 for it. A gentleman who has no part in this business remarked the 
 other evening, that his little daughter, without the least instruction, 
 would make a table tip, and walk all about the room ; and we have 
 this moment been informed of a lady in Portland, Me., who plays all 
 these pranks with tables, knocking, tipping, and shaking them at pleas- 
 ure, and who scouts the idea of departed spirits having any thing to 
 do with them. Now, that attention is called to the subject, and the ex- 
 periment is being tried, there are found to be many who have this 
 strange power. What we object, to, is the effort being* made to obtain, 
 
 * " Originals," is the title of a party formed in Boston a few months since. We 
 understand the term to indicate the same as Freethinkers, or Deists. The party 
 have no standards, and acknowledge no authority, but what they are pleased to 
 call " superior goodness, justice, wisdom, reason, intuition." Mr. Sunderland 
 affiliates with this party. 
 
HI SPIRIT RAPPINGS. 
 
 Of elicit it. and the use made of it. The power is well enough, but 
 appropriated as it is, it becomes AH instrument of tuiriyhtcousness. It is 
 the innocent occasion of as real " (Urination" and necromancy, as ever 
 existed, and is the most effective instrument of infidelity now in the 
 field. It if to this that we allude, when we speak of the sin of 
 mediumship. Here, mediums take rank with the witcl^of Endor, and 
 the damsel who " brought her masters much gaiu by soothsaying ." They 
 assume to converse with the dead, discover secret things, arid predict 
 coming events. And, as has generally been the case, they claim to be 
 wise above what is written, and treat the word of God with contempt. 
 
 «'}. We believe it is equally wicked to patronize the Rappers, as spirit- 
 ual tcachei's. 
 
 1. It is an insult to God. lie is the infinite source of all wisdom, 
 and has freely promised to supply our wants, in response to proper 
 means. "We are charged to " ask of him, if we lack wisdom, and are 
 assured, that he giveth liberally and upbraideth not." He is more will- 
 ing to give "the Holy Spirit" to them that ask him, than earthly 
 parents are to give good gifts to their children. Hence, to turn away 
 from him to consult " familiar spirits," and to pry into the mysteries of 
 the spirit world, by the mediation of the dead, is to implicate the Sover- 
 eign of the Universe, in being either incompetent, or indisposed to give 
 the necessary light. It is a kind of •treatment, which he has always re- 
 garded as particularly offensive. If justifiable under any circum- 
 stances, it is where he refuses to answer us. But it is wrong even in this 
 case, as may be seen from the application of Saul to the witch of 
 Endor. It seems to say, that God is insufficient for us, that he is only 
 one among many, and that his communications may be enlightened 
 and improved by the arts of necromancy. No matter how we may 
 conceal it under a cloak of piety, it is an act of repudiation, and idolatry, 
 that will sooner or later bring out the jealous God in judgment on 
 the offenders. And the sooner those who resort to such tricks re- 
 nounce all religion, and go to their own company, the more creditable 
 it will be to the cause. 
 
 2. It is a denial of the sufficiency of the Bible. Christians regard 
 the Scriptures, as a perfect standard of doctrine and morals. They 
 agree, that holy men of God wrote as they were moved by the Holy 
 Ghost. But here is a new revelation, or, at least, an attempt to obtain 
 one, implying that the old is wanting. Many have no hesitancy 
 in avowing this openly. They seek light, and demand a " sign" But 
 this is unnecessary ; the act speaks ; it unequivocally implicates the 
 word of God, in darkness and insufficiency. Thus, doubting, men 
 are soon led to disbelieve. Hence, most who consult the spirits to any 
 considerable extent, have lost their confidence in the Bible. Many 
 boldly deny its teachings, and vindicate the suggestions of the Rap- 
 pers ; while a still greater number are paralyzed. They have lost their 
 former faith in God and his word, are halting between two — hardly 
 knowing what to believe. The charm is upon them, the moral poison 
 is working, the snaky coils of infidelity are intwining around^hem. 
 They are already half fallen, and can only escape by a speedy return 
 to the simplicity of the cross. They need the apostolic warning, " Be- 
 ware, lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after 
 the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after 
 Christ." Their condition is alarming. 
 
 3. It is a reproach to the Christian church. Its appearance is that of 
 dissatisfaction an! d'strust. It seems to say, that we need other sources 
 
THE CONCLUSION. 53 
 
 of information, — that the all-wise Creator is not sufficient, — nor his 
 word, nor yet the Holy Spirit. It is said, in the language of the grand 
 seducer, " God doth know, that in the day that ye ' consult the spirits,' 
 ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil " — knowing of eternity, 
 past and future, of philosophy and endless' progression. The church, 
 therefore, with her ordinances, is superseded. Good enough perhaps 
 in the days of darkness, but stale and unnecessary now, nay, an encum- 
 brance. Such are the views and feelings of the new orde,r generally, 
 if we mistake not, and Christians, who run after them, countenance 
 heresy, and bring a reproach upon the cause. We could no sooner 
 participate in these operations, than we could associate with open infi- 
 dels, and consult the blasphemous rantings of their leading minds. It 
 is a practical betrayal of Christ and his church into the hands of their 
 enemies. One really comes out from among the good, and the spiritual, 
 and goes over to the world, joins himself to idols, and enters into 
 fellowship with Belial. Think of these things, dear reader, before you 
 take the fatal step. 
 
 That we do not err in this view, is obvious from two experimental 
 facts, viz. : 1. That many Christians, who have been led by curiosity to 
 examine these phenomena, have done with them altogether, from the 
 conviction that their tendency is evil, and only evil. They see that 
 there is no other alternative — that they must abandon religion, or the 
 knockings ; and they have chosen to abandon the latter, and this from 
 their own private conviction of duty. 2. The second fact is, that those 
 professors, who have gone into these operations, and followed them, 
 have generally become unbelievers in the distinguishing doctrines of 
 Christianity. How, then, can any Christian give his influence in favor 
 of them ! 
 
 4. We object to patronizing these strange operations because God has 
 expressly forbidden it. " There shall not be found among you any one 
 that useth divination, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a con- 
 suiter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all these 
 things are an abomination unto the Lord." " The soul that turneth 
 after such, I will surely cut him off." " For they prophesy falsely 
 unto you in my name ; I have not sent them." 
 
 The resemblance between the ancient charmers and modern mesmer- 
 izers, is too striking to require a word of confirmation. A similar 
 resemblance is observable between the ancient witches, enchanters, 
 diviners, necromancers, and consulters of familiar spirits, and modern 
 operators, mediums, and circles. The necromancers were a class of pre- 
 tenders who divined by consulting the dead. Thus Mr. Webster defines 
 necromancy to be " the art of revealing future events by means of pre- 
 tended communication with the dead." Mr. Watson says, it is u the 
 art of raising up the ghosts of deceased persons, to get information from 
 them concerning future events." And this is in accordance with the 
 general understanding of the best writers, on the subject. The witch of 
 Endor was, therefore, a necromancer — she consulted Samuel. S.o were 
 those who had familiar spirits, answering to our mediums, necroman- 
 cers — they claimed to converse with the dead. When Saul in- 
 quired for a woman who had a familiar spirit, the witch was named, be- 
 cause she claimed to commune with the dead. Therefore, she said to 
 Saul, " Whom shall I bring up unto thee " ? To pretend to call up the 
 dead, and converse with and divine by them, is necromancy — is to con- 
 sult with "familiar spirits." And to resort to such characters for 
 information about this or any other world, is to break a plain command 
 
54 SPIRIT RArriNGS. 
 
 of the Most High, and incur his displeasure. Thus saith the Lord, 
 " When they Bhflll say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar 
 spirits, and unto wizards, that peep and mutter ; should not a people 
 seek unto their God, for the Living to the dead? " Reader*, you cannot 
 do this thing and be innocent. You would not offend your Maker moro 
 by going into the temple of Dagon, and worshipping his image. 
 God regards himself as forsaken, and his throne insulted alike in both 
 cases. 
 
 We say to all, then, in conclusion, Stand clear. Have nothing to do 
 with this whole business, as a source of information from the spirit 
 land. In this respect it is a deception, and a sin. It will alienate and 
 destroy the soul that falls under its power. " Touch not, taste not, han- 
 dle not.'' Though it may command respect by its wonders, remem- 
 ber that the miracles of the magicians, and the pretensions of the di- 
 viners of old, did the same, in a still higher degree. If you want light, 
 consult God. His is the only true philosophy in the universe. No 
 matter who cries, Lo ! here is light, or, Lo ! there : follow them not. 
 All philosophy and science, which contradict the revelations of Scrip- 
 ture, are false, and must pass away. Be not deceived ; God is not 
 mocked ; whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. He that 
 soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption, but he that soweth 
 to the spirit shall of the spirit reap life everlasting. Let us not weary, 
 therefore, in well doing, for in due season we shall reap if we faint 
 not!! 
 
JE& iJ-DLfrxtw* 
 
 THE Ji°,m, 
 
 SPIRIT RAPPINGS, D 
 
 MESMMISM, CLAIRVOYANCE, 
 
 frwions, ftroelationa, Startling phenomena, 
 
 AND 
 
 INFIDELITY OF THE RAPPING FRATERNITY, 
 
 CALMLY CONSIDERED, AND 
 
 EXPOSED. 
 
 BY REV. JAMES PORTER, A. M. 
 
 AUTHOR OP " COME-OUTISM," "OPERATIVES' FRIEND," &C, AC 
 
 PRICE, 12 1-2 CENTS 
 
 BOSTON: 
 JAMES P. MAGEE, No. 5 CORNHILL, 
 
 TO WHOM ALL ORDERS MAY BE SENT. 
 

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