mi 
 
 KB 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

 
 *%>*■ 
 
 ■* A. \D * i 
 
 A* / 
 
 ^ V" 
 
 
 
 
 ^ «s> *p 
 
 v * o „ C • \ 
 
 o v 
 
 *■ 
 
 ■^ ^ 
 
 V 
 
 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2011 with funding from 
 The Library of Congress 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/answerstoseventeOOadam 
 
ANSWERS 
 
 so 
 
 SEVENTEEN OBJECTIONS 
 
 AGAINST 
 
 SPIRITUAL INTERCOURSE 
 
 AND 
 
 INQUIRIES RELATING TO THE MANIFESTATIONS OF THE 
 PRESENT TIME. 
 
 BY JOHN S. ADAMS. 
 
 M Behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a 
 marvellous work and a wonder : for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, 
 and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid." — Isaiah 29 : 14. 
 
 "Beware, therefore, lest that come upon you which is spoken of in the proph- 
 ets ; behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish : for I work a work in your 
 dayB, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto 
 you." — Acts 13: 40,41. • 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 
 PUBLISHED BY FOWLERS AND WELLS, 181 NASSAU ST. 
 
 BOSTON : 142 WASHINGTON ST. 
 
 1853. 
 
 Price Twenty-five Cents. In Cloth, Thirty-eight Cts. 
 
ANSWERS 
 
 SEVENTEEN OBJECTIONS 
 
 SPIRITUAL INTERCOURSE 
 
 INQUIRIES RELATING TO THE MANIFESTATIONS OF THE 
 PRESENT TIME. 
 
 BY JOHN S. ADAMS. 
 
 " Behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a 
 marvellous work and a wonder : for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, 
 and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid." — Isaiah 29 : 14. 
 
 " Beware, therefore, lest that come upon you which is spoken of in the proph- 
 ets ; behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish : for I work a work in your 
 days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto 
 you." — Acts 13 : 40, 41. 
 
 NEW YORK 
 PUBLISHED BY FOWLERS AND WELLS, TM~£ 
 BOSTON : 142 WASHINGTON ST. 
 1853. 
 

 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1853, by 
 
 John S. Adams, 
 
 In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts. 
 
TO THE PUBLIC. 
 
 This volume is presented not as an account of manifestations, 
 but as a consideration of the arguments urged against the truth 
 of their spiritual origin. Nearly twenty of the principal, involv- 
 ing many minor objections, are reviewed. Much more might be 
 said, but it is hoped enough is herein given to lead the reader to a 
 fair examination, a just decision, and a full appreciation, of the 
 subject. J. s. a. 
 
 Chelsea, Mass, 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PREFATORY REMARKS. 
 Reasons for considering the subject, 5 
 
 FIRST OBJECTION. 
 
 The manifestations are produced by machinery, trickery, or de- 
 ception, 10 
 
 SECOND OBJECTION. 
 
 The manifestations are caused by the mind or will of the medium, 
 or by the mind of one, or the minds of all, acting through the 
 medium, . . . . ■ ~ 15 
 
 THIRD OBJECTION. 
 
 The manifestations are produced by electricity, magnetism, ner- 
 vousness, or some similar agency, 18 
 
 FOURTH OBJECTION. 
 The manifestations produce insanity, 26 
 
 FIFTH OBJECTION. 
 
 Mediumship injures health, — therefore good spirits have nothing 
 to do with it, 31 
 
 SIXTH OBJECTION. 
 
 If these communications are from spirits, why do we receive any 
 that are useless, inconsistent, and contradictory 1 34 
 
 SEVENTH OBJECTION. 
 
 If true, why do not public lecturers on the subject exhibit mani- 
 festations 1 Why do we not have them at any time 1 37 
 
N\ 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 EIGHTH OBJECTION. 
 
 When departed friends appear, why do they come with the deform- 
 ities which were theirs in this life 1 When they write, why do 
 they do so in that trembling, nervous style, which disease and 
 age had forced upon them before they left this sphere 1 «... 39 
 
 NINTH OBJECTION. 
 If these are spirits, they must be evil spirits, 40 
 
 TENTH OBJECTION. 
 
 Such strange, incomprehensible doctrines, are given by these man- 
 ifestations, so different from those I have commonly believed, 
 that I deny their holy origin, 51 
 
 ELEVENTH OBJECTION. 
 
 If these are good spirits of the departed, why do they come in 
 this way, and announce their presence by rapping, tipping, and 
 such-like demonstrations 1 53 
 
 TWELETH OBJECTION. 
 If these are spirits, why have they not appeared before 1 .... 55 
 
 THIRTEENTH OBJECTION. 
 What good result will these manifestations produce 1 57 
 
 FOURTEENTH OBJECTION. 
 Why are some persons mediums, and not others 1 Why not all 1 . 63 
 
 ELETEENTH OBJECTION. 
 This subject leads to scepticism, and a neglect of the Bible, . , . . 65 
 
 SIXTEENTH OBJECTION. 
 
 The doctrine of spiritual intercourse is contrary to the Bible. 
 Nothing of the kind is there related, — nothing promised, ... 69 
 
 SEVENTEENTH OBJECTION. 
 
 We have no need of any further revelations in regard to the spirit- 
 world. The Bible contains all tbat God has intended we should 
 know, and this spiritual intercourse is an unlawful prying into 
 things with which we have no concern, 78 
 
 CONCLUDING REMARKS, 83 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 
 
 PREFATORY REMARKS 
 
 I 
 
 REASONS FOR CONSIDERING THE SUBJECT. 
 
 All subjects are worthy of our consideration, 
 in order, that, if founded on truth, we may become 
 acquainted with their principles, and have such a 
 knowledge of them as will enable us to com- 
 mend them to every man's conscience ; or, on the 
 other hand, if false, we may have a full under- 
 standing of them, so as to be fully prepared to 
 oppose them, and save, not only ourselves, but our 
 friends from the snares of their deception. 
 
 The subject we are about to consider, has, 
 therefore, for one of these reasons, a claim upon 
 our thoughtful attention, the responsibility of 
 which we cannot evade. 
 
 To examine a subject justly, we must come 
 to it with a calm, dispassionate mind : without 
 prejudice inclining us for or against it. With- 
 out regard to the opinions of others, we must, 
 from the evidence presented, form an opinion of 
 our own. This evidence must not be what this 
 1* 
 
6 SPIRITUAL INTERCOURSE. 
 
 one says, or what that one thinks, but as authentic 
 as personal observation can make it, when such 
 observation can, as in the present case, be obtained. 
 That it is a truth of the utmost importance, and 
 worthy of our earnest adoption and efforts in its 
 dissemination ; or, an error of the most dangerous 
 stamp, and deserving our active and vigilant ex- 
 ertions to effect its overthrow, and stay -its further 
 progress, is a motive of sufficient importance to 
 induce every sincere inquirer after truth, every 
 well-wisher to human kind, to give it a candid 
 and impartial investigation.* True or false, it is 
 a subject not to be trifled with. It is spreading 
 from one extremity of our Union to the other. 
 Respectable, intelligent, and deeply religious fami- 
 lies have been forced by undeniable evidence to 
 believe it a truth. It bears too much sound evi- 
 dence to be at once condemned and thrown aside. 
 
 * Rev. Dr. Thomas M. Clark, one of the ablest clergymen of Hart- 
 ford, Ct., concludes a letter as follows: " I am aware that to ascribe 
 so much importance to such a subject as this, will lead those who 
 know nothing about it to suspect the soundness of one's judgment, 
 and it will be said that our wisest course is to ' let it alone ; it is one of 
 the humbugs of the day, and will soon die of itself.' It may be so, 
 but the indications do not point that way at present. Men of the high- 
 est scientific reputation acknowledge themselves to be perplexed ; judg- 
 es of our highest courts and of the widest experience, are personally 
 identified with these phenomena; clergymen are questioned by their 
 parishoners; the most important principles of our religion are called in 
 question. Meanwhile, is it right for the clergy, who profess to be the 
 teachers of the people, to remain silent, when they believe that souls 
 committed to their charge are being lured to destruction ?" 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 
 
 With those, who, on the advent of any new 
 thing, are disposed to join the vulgar cry of " hum- 
 bug," and class as delusion what they cannot ex- 
 plain or comprehend, I have no sympathy. The 
 early history of every new discovery, and of the 
 bringing to light of truths enveloped in a shroud 
 woven by the bigotry and superstition of the dark 
 ages, should warn us of our fallibility, and guard 
 us against rash conclusions and ill-timed judgment. 
 
 Calling anything a delusion does not make it 
 such. In olden time the mass of mankind rebelled 
 against newly discovered truth as they do now. 
 Then, they went beyond the sneer and look of 
 derision, yet the martyrdom of men of science did 
 not set at naught their discoveries. A forced re- 
 cantation of a belief of the earth's revolution did 
 not alter the fact. And, though it was generally 
 disbelieved, and those whose zeal ran mad for 
 forms and creeds feared it might endanger the 
 truth, yet the fact survived, and the truth survived, 
 for they were one and inseparable. 
 
 Humanity is not much different to-day from 
 what it was then. There are thousands, tens of 
 thousands who have adopted certain standards, 
 subscribed to certain creeds which they look upon 
 as perfect charters of truth. All things must adapt 
 themselves to these, or they are at once condemned 
 as monsters of error and the works of the devil. 
 
8 SPIRITUAL INTERCOURSE. 
 
 Such, are not willing to learn ; they are not wil- 
 ling to examine anything that clashes with their 
 preconceived opinions. Why not ? Will a fair 
 investigation injure the cause of truth? Will it 
 harm that which is as imperishable as the throne 
 of God ? Certainly not. If the subject examined 
 proves to be false, those who are convinced of 
 its falsity, are but the more firmly established in 
 their own views ; while, on the other hand, if it 
 proves to be true, candor, reason, common sense 
 would lead them to thank God for new light, and 
 for the additional proof of his goodness in leading 
 them in the way of knowledge, and directing their 
 minds to the adoption of truth. 
 
 We often talk of freedom of thought, though a 
 moment's consideration will convince us that it is 
 led by some more ambitious mind than our own ; 
 and too often we adopt views, not because we 
 know them to be true from our own personal ex- 
 amination, but because some one else says they 
 are so, and we unhesitatingly believe him. 
 
 If any new theory arises, any new views are 
 promulgated, we are apt to decide at once for or 
 against them, and this without giving them that 
 examination which would render us capable of 
 rightly judging. Thus man too often binds down 
 his thoughts in the rusty chains of false views, 
 riveted strongly with the iron of prejudice and 
 the pride of opinion. 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 9 
 
 You will admit that this is a subject of deep 
 interest to every living being. Why should we 
 deny it a hearing? Bring forward any other 
 with one-half the evidence of truth that clings to 
 this, and all will believe it. 
 
 I think I have said enough to convince you 
 that a consideration of it devolves upon us all. 
 I do not propose to give you a collection of facts. 
 The manifestations are continually transpiring 
 around you, and to them all some objections are 
 made. 
 
 These objections are of two classes :— 
 
 The first, comprises those made by individuals 
 who have partially or fully examined the subject, 
 and. though they are convinced of the reality of 
 what they see and hear, are yet inclined to doubt 
 the source from which they arise. In their minds, 
 belief and unbelief in turn bear sway. At one 
 moment, convinced, of the truth ; at the next, 
 troubled with doubts and objections. 
 
 The second, is composed of those who have 
 not yet examined and will not ; but, think them- 
 selves able to judge without knowing. They con- 
 sider it beneath their dignity to converse upon a 
 subject far above their comprehension. I have no 
 sympathy with such natures ; and, if any pity, it 
 is only by the exercise of that charity which "suf- 
 fereth long and is kind, is not easily provoked, 
 and thinketh no evil." 
 
10 SPIRITUAL INTERCOURSE. 
 
 To both of these classes I submit this volume ; 
 to the first, that their objections may be done 
 away with j and to the second, that they may 
 be induced to see the importance of a personal 
 examination of the subject. 
 
 FIRST OBJECTION. 
 
 "THESE MANIFESTATIONS ARE PRODUCED BY MACHINERY, 
 TRICKERY OR DECEPTION." 
 
 This has long since been discarded. No one 
 who has examined the manifestations, will, for a 
 moment doubt that they are produced independent 
 of all human agency. Those who have not ex- 
 amined, may bring up the objection, but will you 
 take their opinion. You would not in the sim- 
 pliest matters. Will you in this ? Are such capa- 
 ble of deciding ? It cannot be for a moment 
 supposed that so many thousands of our most in- 
 telligent, honest and respectable families, would 
 engage in a deception which takes hold on this 
 world and the next, and affects man's interests here 
 and hereafter ! 
 
 Thousands of mediums become such without 
 any particular desire of their own. Can deception 
 exist in such cases ? The following, a fair speci- 
 men of the experiences of many persons, is taken 
 from the " Philadelphia Sun" of a recent date. 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 11 
 
 "Harassed with many and serious business and domestic 
 cares, and with a mind preoccupied, I have, until the be- 
 ginning of last month, cared as little, indulged as little, as 
 any other in the country, in that enthusiasm which rushes 
 in headlong haste around the Spiritual "rappings." 
 
 "And now,without any intention of my own, I am what 
 folks call " a medium." 
 
 "Visiting at the house of a friend when a medium was 
 present, I heard, for the second time, the "rappings;" 
 but, such is the uncertainty in locating sound, and the 
 many ways of producing it, that these were, to me, not 
 convincing proofs of either spiritual or electrical agency. 
 I was induced to form one of a circle ; and the table we 
 surrounded soon began to oscillate rapidly. My right arm 
 was seized with a convulsive tremor, and though then in a 
 44 positive condition," it refused obedience to my will. I 
 looked upon it with the same surprise that I would have 
 regarded the arm of another, subject to the same wild and 
 wondrous spell. A pencil and paper were lying on the 
 table. The pencil came into my hand ; my fingers were 
 clenched on it ! An unseen iron-grasp compressed the 
 tendons of my arm — my hand was flung violently forward 
 on the paper, and I wrote meaning sentences, without any 
 intention, or knowing what they were to be. Such messa- 
 ges were thus addressed to me, and through others in the 
 circle, so unexpected, and bearing strong interior evidence 
 in structure of thought and language of having come from 
 the loved and gone from whom they purported to come, 
 that I yielded to the gush of bewildering emotion, as I 
 would have done had I found myself suddenly in the 
 society of all most dear to me. With bowed head, and 
 my face covered with my left arm, I continued to write, 
 swiftly, lengthy and intelligible replies to my questionings. 
 Meanwhile, the medium passed into a mesmeric trance, 
 and described those who were about me, and among the 
 rest, ray father— his dark complexion, very black beard 
 and hair, and exact height — telling me all that I knew of 
 him myself, though he had been born after his death, many 
 
12 SPIRITUAL INTERCOURSE. 
 
 hundred miles away from his grave, and never could have 
 had the means of learning anything about him. He said 
 that my hand rested in a cloud, while my guardian-spirit — 
 my father — dictated to me. 
 
 "Since then, whenever I am passive, day or night, my 
 hand writes. The communications are always addressed to 
 myself ; and when advice has been given to regulate my 
 arrangements and intercourse with others, it has been — like 
 advice from other quarters — mostly unheeded. Once, 
 however, being governed by this aerial interference, saved 
 me from being in the rail-road cars at the time of a serious 
 accident. 
 
 "It would be needless to add other facts. I know not 
 whence the power comes, nor all that the mystery involves, 
 but I do know that some " Spiritual Manifestations" are 
 not the effects of jugglery. I know that they sometimes 
 exhibit proofs of physical strength and more than mortal 
 intelligence. But, seemingly " victimized" by impalpable 
 friends, I continue strangely skeptical. Still, without 
 mental volition, I write, and wonder at what is written. 
 
 "In the enjoyment of this " intercourse" I am tranquil, 
 happy, and— try to be — philosophic. It interferes, in no 
 wise, with my health, appetite, and ordinary habits ; nor 
 would I willingly have those around me — with the excep- 
 tion of earnest, thoughtful inquirers — guess in what weird 
 fantasia my seclusion is passed. 
 
 "Is this insanity ? If so, it is becoming genteel — it is 
 epidemic craziness. There is some meager consolation for 
 the man laboring under this " hallucination," in knowing 
 that he shares it with many who have long been esteemed 
 among the right-minded and right-hearted of every com- 
 munity, and those, too, who would neither practice decep- 
 tion, nor connive at it in others. 
 
 Every attempt to support this objection by 
 proof, has failed. I do not say that there is no 
 deception. In this, as in all subjects, it exists. 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 13 
 
 In Religion, Love, and Morality ; in the noblest 
 as well as the simpliest affairs of life it is to be 
 found. This subject is not infallable. Its most 
 zealous advocates never claimed for it that prerog- 
 ative of the Creator. There are some in every 
 grade of life, who, either for pecuniary gain, or 
 ■to gratify their own selfishness, practice decep- 
 tion. Would it not then, in view of this truth, 
 be wonderful indeed, if, in a subject taking such 
 deep hold of man's self-interests, and having such 
 an influence over his actions as this, were there 
 none among the tens of thousands upon whom 
 the blessing of mediumship has been bestowed, 
 who betrayed their trust ? Remember eighteen 
 hundred years ago, when, among twelve who 
 professed attachment, and promised faithfulness 
 to " God manifest in the flesh," one was found 
 whose selfishness led him to deceive. And shall 
 we expect better things ? 
 
 Do you love your Creator any the less because 
 men in distant lands hew out to themselves idols, 
 call them gods, and worship them as sincerely, 
 and it may be more devotedly, than you do the 
 only living and true God ? 
 
 Do you love true and undefiled religion any 
 the less, because thousands deceive and tens of 
 thousands are deceived by a false view of it? 
 Certainly not. Then why, because in this mat- 
 Pi 
 
14 SPIRITUAL INTERCOURSE. 
 
 ter we occasionally hear of a pretended or partial 
 medium practising deception, should you deem 
 the truth itself any the less worthy of support, at 
 least, of a fair consideration ? Yet, these instan- 
 ces are sent from paper to paper, blazoned forth 
 with all the emphasis which all the art of itali- 
 cising and pointing can give them, as proofs that 
 the whole subject is a deception. As well might 
 you gather all the idols of Burmah, all the Ko- 
 rans and vain traditions of men, and, with Jug- 
 gernaut as the crowning point of all, tell me that 
 there is no God, and the Bible is a fable ! 
 
 There can be no counterfeit without a genuine. 
 The very fact that there is an imitation, is proof 
 that there is a real. 
 
 Our spiritual friends are aware of the existence 
 of deception, and warn us against it. They tell 
 us to try the spirits. They give us peculiar sig- 
 nals, so that we may be certain of their presence, 
 and may not be deceived. The objection that 
 they, the manifestations, are caused by deception, 
 you will be candid enough to admit, has no foun- 
 dation. I have mentioned it because it was the 
 earliest made, and though now never brought 
 forward by reasonable persons, is worthy of note, 
 as foremost in the array of arguments against 
 Spiritualism, which will pass away before the 
 dawning light. 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 15 
 
 SECOND OBJECTION. 
 
 "these manifestations are caused by the mind or 
 
 will of the medium, or by the mind of one, or 
 
 the minds of all, acting through the medium." 
 
 To show that this objection has no weight, is 
 an easy task. If it was true we could receive 
 them at any time, and they might be just what 
 we willed them to be. But, contrary to this, 
 sometimes the medium and all present are very 
 anxious to receive something, and do not ; which, 
 we subsequently are told by our spirit friends, is 
 caused by there being not any or not sufficient 
 harmony— -a qualification of the first importance — 
 or it may be, the spirit cannot attend. In this 
 instance, there is a strong exercise of the will of 
 all present. Were manifestations caused by this 
 " will," could we not have them at such a time ? 
 At other times, when we least expect them, they 
 appear. At the tea-table we have conversed upon 
 the subject, when, unexpected to us, the raps 
 came, as if to rise up in evidence of the truth. 
 We have put questions, answers to which we all 
 supposed would be in the affirmative. We rather 
 wished them to be so than otherwise. Yet, 
 though our wishes and opinions have looked for 
 "Yes," "No," was given. We have asked if 
 
16 SPIRITUAL INTERCOURSE. 
 
 they were not mistaken ; if they did not mean 
 "Yes," if, on second thought it was not "Yes." 
 But they adhered to "No," and no effort of ours 
 could alter their response. Here is proof that it 
 is not the mind of any visible being present. 
 
 Sometimes, for some good reason of their own, 
 they tell one to leave the circle ; or tell us to 
 omit sitting at the time, though we may all be 
 anxious to have communications. Were this ob- 
 jection of any force, such incidents as I have 
 mentioned would never occur. 
 
 A friend of mine attended a sitting for the pur- 
 pose of testing this point. He asked for the spirit 
 of a friend. It announced its presence. In his 
 own mind he fixed the thought of his mother, 
 and resolutely determined, if possible, to have her 
 spirit and none other, respond. He asked the 
 name. A rap came at the letter M. Now, thought 
 he, I shall effect my end, for that commences the 
 word mother. He continued calling, and a rap 
 come at A. He now began to doubt the strength 
 of his will in the case. However, he determined 
 if possible to make the response, " Martha." The 
 next letter given was R, and he again thought 
 he should gain his point. He called the alpha- 
 bet, and reaching T, he dwelt for a moment, but 
 no rap came. He asked if T was the letter, 
 when, more distinctly than ever, came the single 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 17 
 
 rap for "No." He continued calling till Y was 
 spoken, when the response came and he was satis- 
 fied that his Will had no control over the answers. 
 If you will make a similar experiment, I have no 
 doubt it will be attended with a like result. 
 
 Numerous other facts could be mentioned prov- 
 ing that the mind of the medium or minds of 
 those visibly present, have no connexion with the 
 manifestations. No two spirits give the same 
 toned rap or the same style of hand- writing. , 
 Each differs, and that so as to be easily distin- 
 guished one from the other. Did the medium 
 control the manifestation, this difference would 
 not exist, and the writings would always be in 
 nearly the same style. Different spirits produce 
 different sensations upon the medium ; and the 
 latter can at once know when a spirit who has 
 never before communicated, begins to manifest 
 itself. Each spirit has, also, some peculiar char^ 
 acteristic. One intersperses its communications 
 with verses of poetry. Another's chief desire 
 seems to be to convince of the truth of the sub- 
 ject. Another is known by its very affectionate 
 and endearing allusions. With such facts before 
 you I think you will admit that the objection 
 under consideration, falls to the ground. 
 
 P*] 
 
18 SPIRITUAL INTERCOURSE. 
 
 THIRD OBJECTION 
 
 "THESE MANIFESTATIONS ARE PRODUCED BY ELECTEICITT, 
 MAGNETISM, OK SOME SIMILAR POWER." 
 
 Were these manifestations merely the moving 
 of tables, rapping, and the making ol marks on 
 paper, we might possibly admit that one of those 
 agencies produced them : but as they are not 
 these alone, but bear with them the evidence of 
 an intelligence, it were folly indeed to ascribe to 
 those powers the first cause oi these demon- 
 strations. 
 
 The attempt made by the holders ci this ob- 
 jection, is somewhat characteristic of the age. 
 Some men attempt to prove that all creation, even 
 life itself, is caused by those natural agencies; 
 and so it seems to me those who say these man- 
 ifestations are produced by Electricity. Magnetism, 
 and its kindred, would bring out their Materialism, 
 and credit it. not only with mechanical power. 
 but with an intelligence that can heal the sick — 
 give names never heard of by any present — ^ 
 dates forgotten by all. and only found correct by 
 reference to written documents — tell of ev . 
 past, present and to come, and to enact many other 
 proofs of the labor of mind. 
 
 In attributing such results to E' \ vou 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 19 
 
 invest it with a genius and talent superior to that 
 possessed by a vast majority of mankind. You say 
 it will write poetry and prose which could not be 
 produced by nine-tenths of the population of the 
 globe, and admit its claims to a degree of christian 
 character far exceeding that of most of mankind ; 
 and furthermore in thus admitting Electricity to 
 be the cause you allow it a full knowledge of the 
 Bible and the power to explain the hidden mean- 
 ing of many of its passages. 
 
 If Electricity is really the author of all these 
 manifestations, why is it that men of science, 
 professors, and those who have studied deep and 
 know all its ways do not admit the fact ? Where 
 is there one fully acquainted with the laws that 
 govern that subtle agent ; one who, by long years 
 of study and experiment is capable of judging, 
 that is willing to risk his reputation as a scholar 
 and a man of scientific attainments by coming out 
 and publicly declaring that all of the manifestations 
 said to be of spiritual origin are produced by Elec- 
 tricity or Magnetism, and prove the truth of his 
 assertion ? You cannot find such a person. But 
 you will find thousands, who, for want of any 
 other objection say "it is all Electricity ; it is all 
 Magnetism." And what, tell me, do they know 
 about those subjects ? How is it that such a host 
 of individuals have all at once become so acquain- 
 
20 SPIRITUAL INTERCOURSE. 
 
 ted with them, as to know for a certainty that 
 they produce such wonderful results, when those 
 who have made the sciences* the study of a life- 
 time, are silent ! A gentleman of Boston, a manu- 
 facturer and dealer in scientific apparatus, who is 
 well informed not only in the theoretical but in 
 the practical part of Electricity. Magnetism, and 
 their like, made an offer through the public prints, 
 of one thousand dollars, to any one who would 
 satisfactorily prove these manifestations to be pro- 
 duced by either or all of those powers, or from 
 any other cause than a spiritual. 
 
 Where then, were all those who so zealously 
 brought forward the objection we are consider- 
 ing ? Ah, they found it much easier to say, than 
 to prove what they said ; and even a thousand 
 dollars was not a magnet powerful enough to 
 attract a particle of proof. 
 
 A work is now in course of publication, in the 
 introduction of which the author says he shall 
 prove that these manifestations are produced by 
 a power similar to Electricity or Magnetism. 
 Truth has come to its own defence, and, at 
 the first onset of this weapon raised against it 
 blunted its edge and prevented the havoc it might 
 otherwise have caused, for in the very first num- 
 ber of the work, the author annihilates his own 
 theory. On page 50, IT 83, he says :— 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 21 
 
 " For it is admitted that a spiritual agent is an 
 intelligent agent. Its characteristics are those of 
 intelligence, every one admits. Wherever, there- 
 fore, these characteristics are wanting in a class 
 of phenomena, it is blindly absurd, greatly super- 
 stitious, even to draw the inference that they are 
 spiritual phenomena." 
 
 That is the true doctrine ; and it is on such a 
 foundation, a faith in the spiritual theory is built. 
 It is this very presence of an intelligence that leads 
 us at first to attribute the manifestations to other 
 than a natural cause j and as we proceed to in- 
 vestigate, fixes our minds more firmly in the 
 belief. Any one who has fairly examined, 
 cannot deny that this phenomena possesses the 
 very characteristic which the above writer says 
 spiritual agencies should have, and which is a \V 
 proof of their spiritual origin. In what way he ^ 
 can proceed in support of his views after such an 
 admission, I cannot determine. His only way, 
 as far as I can see, will be to prove that these 
 phenomena do not exhibit any proof of intelli- 
 gence, a hard task indeed. He mentions a few 
 instances which have taken place in ages past, in 
 which he judges there was not any intelligence. 
 He may judge correctly, but I doubt it. Sup- 
 pose, however, for a moment, that there was a 
 want of that spiritual characteristic, was any 
 
22 SPIRITUAL INTERCOURSE. 
 
 attempt made before the present time to elicit any ? 
 And may not all of those forcible manifestations 
 have been made for the special purpose of attract- 
 ing attention, and inducing man to investigate ? 
 Within a few years this has been done. The 
 progress of mankind in knowledge and the recur- 
 rence of such facts, have forced men to examine, 
 and, as this age is one of inquiry rather than neg- 
 lect and unwarranted condemnation, it has led to 
 a profitable result, and we find that there is in- 
 telligence to be received by these demonstrations. 
 
 If, in ages past, no intelligence was recognized, 
 it was not because it did not exist, but because 
 no effort was made to bring it to light. Years 
 ago we would have pronounced the statement 
 false that told us of the existence of millions of 
 living insects invisible to the human eye, but, 
 since by the aid of the microscope they are 
 brought to view, no reasonable mind will doubt it. 
 
 Has Electricity a mind? Has it reasoning 
 powers ? Can it write a single word ? Take 
 an electrical machine and try its powers. Bid it 
 answer your inquiries. But how useless it is for 
 me to tell you to do this. You know it cannot. 
 You know you might as well take a stick of 
 wood and bid it write, as to ask Electricity or 
 Magnetism to do any such thing. 
 
 Which view of this subject is it most difficult 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 23 
 
 to believe that the manifestations are caused by 
 rational, intelligent, reasoning spirits, or by sense- 
 less, soulless Electricity or Magnetism ? 
 
 I am told by some that they are caused by the 
 Nervous Principle. Were nothing written by me- 
 diums except what they had some knowledge of, 
 we might suppose that an undue excitement of 
 the nervous system had awakened some slumber- 
 ing thoughts and written them out. But, in 
 nearly, if not quite every, instance, the writing 
 relates to matters of which the medium is entirely 
 ignorant, and in some cases, incidents are given 
 that happened to individuals who left this world 
 years before the medium was born ! 
 
 If all that has transpired has been caused by 
 Nervousness, then that " Nervousness" must be a 
 thinking, acting principle, independent of the 
 minds of the mediums, for the reason that what 
 is written never existed in their minds ; and fur- 
 thermore, it must necessarily have a full know- 
 ledge of all the events of an individual's life, 
 who, centuries ago left this state of existence. 
 
 To whatever cause you attribute these mani- 
 festations, the truth forces itself upon the mind, 
 that, call it by whatever name you will, it is a 
 spiritual intelligence. You allow that the spirit 
 lives forever ; that the quitting of its earthly 
 tenement is not the annihilation of itself. Why 
 
24 SPIRITUAL INTERCOURSE. 
 
 then, are you so anxious to deny the presence of 
 a power which you freely acknowledge to exist ? 
 Why fancy to yourself some far-off Elysian of 
 bliss, when the kingdom of heaven has come nigh 
 unto you. Where is the spirit world? You 
 have located it tens of millions of leagues beyond 
 the fartherest star. Can you prove that it is there ? 
 Can you prove that it is not all around you ? Is 
 it not as natural to suppose that it is, as to sup- 
 pose it to be in that far-away region ? Can you 
 not believe with Milton, that 
 
 " Myriads of spiritual creatures walk this earth 
 Unseen, both when we wake and when we sleep." 
 
 Still bent upon objections, you say it is the 
 medium's mind acting through Electricity. I 
 have previously shown you that this cannot be, 
 and that the results are independent of that mind. 
 In saying this, you seem to admit that there is 
 "Mind" connected with these manifestations. It 
 is hard for you to believe that anything but mind 
 can perform these wondrous things. Electricity 
 may be employed as an agent to effect these 
 things, the same as a table is sometimes employed 
 on which to make the manifestations, but it is 
 only as an agent used by an Intelligence ; that 
 " Intelligence" I have shown you is not the mind 
 of any one visibly present, because facts are writ- 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 25 
 
 ten and communications given in a dozen different 
 languages, of which the medium never had the 
 least knowledge. Communications are also given 
 without the presence of any one. Pen, paper and 
 ink have been placed in a room, the door locked, 
 and a watch placed over every possible way of 
 entrance, and after a certain time that paper has 
 been found written upon ! Such things are facts 
 which can be as clearly proved as that the sun 
 shines at noon-day. If, then, it is mind and not 
 the mind of any one visibly present, it must be 
 the mind of some one invisibly present, and that 
 being must be a spirit, and that spirit must be the 
 one it purports to be, for it answers questions 
 which none but it can possibly know. 
 
 To suppose Electricity of itself to do all this ; 
 to attribute to Magnetism, simply as Magnetism, 
 those powers of thought, reason, and will which 
 man glories in possessing ; to say that anything 
 but a living, thinking, spirit has the power to 
 perform such things as are daily and hourly oc- 
 curing in our midst, would be considered if sup- 
 posed of any other subject, the judgment of igno- 
 rance and the decision of weak minds. 
 
 [3] 
 
26 SPIRITUAL INTERCOURSE. 
 
 FOURTH OBJECTION. 
 
 "these manifestations produce insanity." 
 
 This calamity is not produced by these alone ; 
 if it was, this objection might have some weight. 
 It has been produced by a thousand other sub- 
 jects presented to the human mind. It has been 
 produced by excessive joy ; yet you do not con- 
 demn joy and say, " Let us all be sad and sorrowful, 
 for some have become insane through gladness." 
 There is a lady now at the Hospital on Black- 
 well's Island, whose insanity was brought on by 
 the arrival home of her father and brother, whom 
 she had supposed Avere shipwrecked" and lost. 
 Her joy was so great that she became at once 
 wildly insane. The father and brother visit and 
 try to convince her of their identity. She does 
 not recognize them; but weeps and laughs by 
 turns, calling most frantically for her dear father 
 and her beloved brother. 
 
 The above is but one of many thousand cases 
 of insanity produced by similar causes, yet you 
 do not find the public, and its stentorian voice, 
 the press, impelled by one instance or many in- 
 stances of the kind, condemning joy as an evil, 
 and pointing to those instances as reasons why we 
 should discard and have nothing to do with it ! 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 27 
 
 A writer in the Springfield Republican, from 
 the Insane Retreat in New York, mentions the 
 following : 
 
 " There is a small pond in the garden. Just opposite the 
 pond I saw a woman, humbly dressed, looking into the 
 water. 'That poor woman,' said the doctor, 'has been 
 here for several years. She assists in the kitchen, and 
 is perfectly harmless, although incurable. She is the wife 
 of an industrious man living in an adjoining town. They 
 had a family of three boys, two of them died suddenly of 
 scarlet fever. Within a week of their burial, the mother 
 proceeded to a pond near by for some water. As she was 
 dipping her pail, she saw something just beneath the sur- 
 face which attracted her attention, and taking a wooden 
 rake, she pulled it to the bank ; it proved to be the body 
 of her remaining child. A walnut-shell, with a piece of 
 paper stuck in the centre, was floating upon the water, 
 which no doubt, sailing from the reach of the child, caused 
 him to stretch for it, lose his balance, and be drowned. 
 Before sunset she was mad, raving mad, and was brought 
 here.' 
 
 • ' I have seen faces whose melancholy expression might 
 chill the blood like the keenest wind, and the power of 
 sympathizing with them be very limited. But, of all that 
 I have seen, not any have approached the one I then looked 
 upon, in utter absence of all life's sunshine. Pale — ashy 
 pale were her features ; her lips were hueless, and her eyes 
 sunken ; her lower jaw dropped almost upon her breast, 
 and she looked like grief personified. 'Poor creature,' 
 exclaimed the doctor, what wretchedness of mind is there 
 depicted !' 
 
 'I never saw it equalled,' said I. 
 
 1 No wonder,' replied he, ' for five years a smile has 
 not played upon her features, and, in my opinion never 
 will.' " 
 
28 SPIRITUAL INTERCOURSE. 
 
 Can you produce any case resulting from spir- 
 itual manifestations which exceeds, if indeed, 
 equals, the above in sadness ? You would not, 
 however, condemn the cause producing it, be- 
 cause of this one-of-a-thousand instances of de- 
 rangement of mind on account of grief, at the 
 loss of relatives or friends. You would not say 
 it is our duty to live alone in the wilderness 
 where friends may never meet us. You would 
 not cast away the child you love, and turn from 
 his embraces, because it is possible for his death 
 to pierce your soul with sorrow and dethrone 
 your reason ! No. It is not right that you 
 should, and you do not. Should you then con- 
 demn this subject, and say, because some who 
 have communed with the spirits of the departed, 
 have, through undue excitement, lost their proper 
 mind, I will deny myself, and advise all others 
 to put far from them, all intercourse with the 
 loved and gone before, though they hover about 
 us and long to convince us of their presence, and 
 to hold sweet communion with our spirits ? 
 
 True religion rightly understood and wisely 
 engaged in, will not produce insanity ; yet look 
 over the past history of mankind, and count, if 
 you can, those who have lost their reason by 
 becoming engaged in it with a mis-understood 
 view of its truths. Just so in this handmaid of 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 29 
 
 it, this part, this very soul of it as it were, if 
 rightly understood and acted upon, it cannot pro- 
 duce evil results, though, misunderstood and fool- 
 ishly engaged in, it may. Rightly understood 
 and improved, it will calm the disturbed mind. 
 It will banish doubts that hang like black and 
 fearful clouds upon the sky of the future, and 
 lead man to adopt the Bible as his rule of life, 
 and to look forward to a joy set before him. 
 
 Examine the Reports and you will find insanity 
 attributed to matters of common, every-day occur- 
 rence ; yet you do not bring instances before the 
 public, and say, " You must not allow trade and 
 commerce ; for anxious days and sleepless nights 
 have led many noble minds astray. You must 
 not love : for the object of your affection may be 
 taken from you and you become a madman. You 
 must not hope ; for that hope may fail you, and 
 you will, in an insane asylum, find a home in 
 which to muse on your disappointment. You 
 must not think ; for if you do, you may overtax 
 your mind, and your reason will become de- 
 throned." 
 
 Such an argument leads to the most absurd 
 and irrational conclusions ; yet it is the argument 
 of this objection. If carried out, it would make 
 us senseless logs, inactive and useless members 
 of society, and the result would be the very one 
 [8*] 
 
30 SPIRITUAL INTERCOURSE. 
 
 you so deeply mourn ; for it would cause idle- 
 ness to become the heritage of mind ; and an idle 
 mind would certainly be a madman's or an idiot's 
 possession. 
 
 It is the mind, not the subject, we must regu- 
 late ; the fountain, not the stream, we must 
 sweeten. One mind might look on Sinai smok- 
 ing with fire from heaven, and hear the trump of 
 the last day, and not become injuriously affected ; 
 while another, might listen to the gentle rapping 
 of a spirit-friend, as soft and harmless as an 
 infant's whisper, telling him of future joy and 
 eternal blessedness, and starting, tremble and 
 become a stranger to reason. 
 
 This subject has the world to battle with ; it 
 has the Prince of Darkness to overcome ; and 
 wily and cunning are the weapons its opponents 
 bring against it. They would not dream of 
 urging the objection now under consideration, 
 against any one of the subjects above alluded to, 
 though it might be brought with as great, if not 
 with greater force. 
 
 It is not strange that, as a result of the abuses 
 this subject is constantly receiving, not only from 
 its enemies but from its unenlighted friends, we 
 occasionally hear of a case of insanity. These 
 instances are often exaggerated as they pass from 
 mouth to mouth, and from paper to paper, and 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 31 
 
 their disseminators boastingly exclaim : — " See 
 the results of this spiritual movement !" Why do 
 not these faithful guardians of the public mind 
 bring forward instances of insanity as they are 
 daily produced by other causes, and say : — " See 
 the result of Joy, of Hope, of Trade, of Reli- 
 gion?" 
 
 Ah, they will not. The wisdom of the world 
 teaches them better. And the wisdom which is 
 from above will soon teach them that insanity is 
 not the natural result of Spiritual Intercourse ; 
 that it is only produced by it on weak and un- 
 trained minds, and that such minds would be af- 
 fected in the same way by any other subject, of 
 equal interest, brought before them with equal 
 vividness and evidence of truth. 
 
 FIFTH OBJECTION. 
 
 "mediumship injures health, therefore good spirits 
 
 have nothing to do with it, for thet 
 
 would do no evil." 
 
 Innumerable instances may be named in which 
 health has been restored, the blind made to see 
 and the lame to walk, but very few are known in 
 which injury has resulted from Spiritual Inter- 
 course. These few are enough, perhaps you 
 
32 SPIRITUAL INTERCOURSE. 
 
 think, to condemn it. Let us see. The injury 
 alluded to, has been, in nearly if not every in- 
 stance, a derangement of the mental organs, and 
 this objection, therefore, is involved in that 
 of insanity, previously considered. To this, as to 
 that objection, the answer may be given, that 
 where the caution and judgment usually exercised 
 in the daily affairs of life are brought to bear, no 
 such result as ill-health of body or mind will 
 ensue. 
 
 It is not the subject, but the undue excitement 
 into which a medium allows his or her mind to 
 wander, unguarded by caution and unrestrained 
 by reason, that has given the least foundation for 
 this objection. 
 
 Heat is good. Air is good. Each in its proper 
 place. And neither will injure our health if we 
 use reason while being its recipient. But if, in- 
 stead of holding our hand at a proper distance, 
 we thrust it into the fire, whose fault is it if we 
 surfer ? We cannot live without air ; but if, in- 
 stead of having it circulate freely around us, we 
 sit in a position to receive a strong current of it 
 upon one portion of the body, it may produce ill- 
 health. In this case whose fault is it ? The fire 
 is not at fault, neither is the air ; nor are they 
 any the less good and useful because we impru- 
 dently meet them. 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 33 
 
 It is about thus in every condition of life. We 
 may make the circumstances of that condition 
 productive of good, or we may make them produc- 
 tive of evil. We may make the bible our ruin by 
 misinterpreting it ; religion our bane, by wrong 
 views and an erroneous practice of it ; though 
 the legitimate effects of these are the very oppo- 
 site of such results. 
 
 Spiritual intercourse may possibly injure us if 
 we engage in it without the exercise of that 
 caution and judgment which God hath given us 
 for our protection. Thus the blessing may be 
 turned into a curse ; and the light, instead of 
 guiding, may blind us with its dazzling bril- 
 liance. 
 
 If mediums proceed rationally in the perform- 
 ance of their duties, no harm will follow. But if 
 they indulge in levity, if they sit to gratify the 
 sportive desires of the thoughtless, and continue 
 their sittings at all hours, without regard to diet 
 or repose, they will injure themselves, and the 
 cause whose welfare they should endeavour to 
 promote. And, even if their intentions are good, 
 and serious thoughts control them, they should 
 not engage in the subject with too great a zeal, 
 but let moderation be in all their ways. There- 
 fore be cautious, exercise a good judgment, and 
 forsake not the paths of reason and prudence. 
 
34 SPIRITUAL INTERCOURSE. 
 
 SIXTH OBJECTION. 
 
 "if these manifestations and communications are 
 
 from spirits, why do we receive any 
 
 that are useless, inconsistent, 
 
 and contradictory ?" 
 
 I answer, because there are deceiving spirits 
 out of the body as well as in the body. The 
 bible frequently alludes to these, and gives us 
 warning that we may not become their victims, 
 by telling us to try the spirits whether they be 
 of God. 
 
 The mediums are often imperfect ; in fact, 
 there are not any perfect. It is difficult for them 
 to lay aside their own mind ; to make their own 
 will inactive ; yet these things are requisite, in 
 order to have the communications at all times 
 consistent and precisely what the spirit-communi- 
 cator wishes them to be. 
 
 Questions are oftentimes misunderstood. The 
 idea in our own mind is poorly denned. At one 
 moment, a question is put admitting of an affirma- 
 tive, and the next, one admitting of a negative 
 response. Furthermore, half a dozen mental 
 questions, admitting of various answers, are given 
 by as many members of a circle, and what one 
 questioner takes for the answer to his inquiry 
 may be the reply to that of another. 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 35 
 
 But, after all, there is not much inconsistency or 
 contradiction. You do not say that there is ; you 
 only ask why there should be any. I think a 
 moment's thought will satisfy you of the cause. 
 
 Spirits are not omniscient, neither are they om- 
 nipotent. We are apt to attribute to them every 
 distinguishing feature of the Creator, and to sup- 
 pose, because of their nature, they have a knowl- 
 edge of all things, and can answer any and all 
 questions we may conjure up. 
 
 This view of their ability is a wrong one, and 
 conflicts with the truth in our investigations of this 
 subject. We should commune with spirits some- 
 what as with friends in the body. From their 
 position they know more than we do about some 
 particular things ; while, about other matters, we 
 know more than they do. 
 
 It would be idle for us to ask them to protect 
 us from danger, if we rushed into it. They might 
 so impress our minds as to lead us in another direc- 
 tion; but they could not act against the direct 
 law of nature, so as to prevent fire from burning, or 
 water from drowning. And it must be exceed- 
 ingly annoying to them for us to suppose any such 
 thing possible. 
 
 Contradictions, therefore, may arise from such 
 confused and unreasonable ideas. The limited 
 knowledge we have of the laws of spiritual life 
 may cause us to look upon some manifestations 
 
36 SPIRITUAL INTERCOURSE. 
 
 as inconsistent, while the fact may be that it is 
 our own inconsistency we are rinding fault with. 
 Caution should be our guide, and charity the gov- 
 ernor of our judgment. Light might then break 
 out from amid the darkness, and all mysteries 
 become plain; all that we deem inconsistent ap- 
 pear reasonable. 
 
 If you go to a sitting for mere curiosity, — if 
 you ask idle questions, — if your thoughts are 
 always disputing, never admitting a palpable truth, 
 you may be met with inconsistencies ; but these 
 have their birth with you. At such times, what 
 you receive may be useless, but you do not desire 
 the useful If you go to seek for truth, earnest 
 and devout in your investigations, — if you go 
 with thoughts high and holy, — you will draw 
 around you spirits of intelligence, even the angels 
 of heaven. 
 
 This is a sure preventive against useless and 
 inconsistent results. Go to a good, candid, pas- 
 sive medium, — one who, as far as possible, gives 
 up to the influence of the spirit-world. Seek truth 
 and knowledge, not signs and wonders, and, be 
 assured, you will never have cause to present this 
 objection, or make the inquiry which I have briefly 
 answered. 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 37 
 
 SEVENTH OBJECTION. 
 
 "IP TRUE, WHY DO NOT PUBLIC LECTURERS ON THE SUBJECT 
 
 EXHIBIT THE MANIFESTATIONS ? WHY DO WE NOT 
 
 HAVE THEM AT ANY TIME ? " 
 
 This is not given to us for public show. Instead 
 of coming to crowds of scoffers, who would only- 
 ridicule it and mock at the most startling proofs, it 
 comes in its own quiet way to our firesides and 
 our homes. How characteristic of the whole gos- 
 pel dispensation is this ! God comes not in the 
 whirlwind, he visits us not in storms. He comes 
 in a still, small voice, quiet as the falling of dew 
 on Mount Hermon, to bless his people. 
 
 Think you the manifestation on the day of Pen- 
 tecost would have occurred, if, instead of their 
 being all of one accord, the confused multitude 
 had met? Then, instead of harmony, there would 
 have been discord. It is even so now. There 
 must be harmony. This is not always obtained 
 in small circles ; how, then, can it be expected in 
 large, promiscuous assemblies ? 
 
 But the very objection involved in this inquiry 
 is a proof of the truth of the subject. If it was 
 deception, — if it was caused by the mind of the 
 medium, by the will, wish, or desire, of the lecturer, 
 — most certainly he would never fail at such a 
 time to produce the manifestations. 
 4 
 
38 SPIRITUAL INTERCOURSE. 
 
 I have just heard of an instance in which a medium 
 was offered a thousand dollars if she would cause 
 the table to move, but could not. And, singular 
 enough, this was told me as proof that the subject 
 is not true ! What better proof than this very fact 
 can you have of its genuineness ? Here is a young 
 girl, not wealthy (and, even if she were, a thou- 
 sand dollars would not be likely to be passed by, if 
 it were possible to secure it), offered this tempting 
 prize if she would cause a table to move, as she 
 had many times before. If she had previously 
 done this by her own will, or by any contrivance 
 whatsoever of her own, or over which she had 
 control, would not svdi an offer have induced her 
 to do so again at this time ? 
 
 If these manifestations were to be seen at any 
 time and place, — if public lecturers could exhibit 
 them, — you would then say, "It is all a money- 
 making business ; it is nothing but a speculation. " 
 But you cannot say so now. A few years ago 
 this charge was brought up; but, as the gift of 
 mediumship became the possession of thousands 
 in every part of our country, and we received the 
 manifestations without money and without price, 
 that objection, which at first seemed so formidable, 
 was thrown aside, and gave place to the one we 
 are now examining. Thus, you see, the public 
 seem determined to raise some objection. If an 
 article is white, they object because it is not black ; 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 39 
 
 and if it is black, they object because it is not 
 white. 
 
 The very cause which gives rise to this objec- 
 tion is a proof of the genuineness of these mani- 
 festations ; is a proof that they come from a higher 
 source than any that earth can furnish ; a source 
 uninfluenced by sordid views ; a source too pure 
 and holy and intelligent to be made to contribute 
 merely to the gratification of man's curiosity, 
 without having any higher object, — without 
 reaching the heart. 
 
 EIGHTH OBJECTION. 
 
 " WHEN DEPARTED FRIENDS APPEAR, WHY DO THEY COME WITH 
 
 THE DEFORMITIES WHICH WERE THEIRS IN THIS LIFE ? WHEN 
 
 THEY WRITE, WHY DO THEY DO SO IN THAT TREMBLING, 
 
 NERVOUS STYLE WHICH DISEASE AND AGE HAD 
 
 FORCED UPON THEM BEFORE THEY 
 
 LEFT THIS SPHERE? 
 
 These peculiarities are assumed for your own 
 satisfaction. They might appear in that beautiful 
 body with which they are clothed ; but would you 
 know them then ? They might write in a fair and 
 artistic style ; but would you admit their identity 
 then? No. They must appear as you know 
 them, or you cannot recognize them. When you 
 are so far from being convinced, now that you see 
 them as you remember them, what hope would 
 
40 SPIRITUAL INTERCOURSE. 
 
 they have of success in their efforts to win you 
 to the truth, were they to appear as you had 
 never seen them? And certainly it would be 
 thus, if they came with all the freshness and 
 beauty of an immortal existence. Instead of ob- 
 jecting and building up scepticism on this fact, we 
 should be thankful that our departed friends are 
 permitted to assume the unmistakable habits and 
 appearances by which they can be recognized by 
 us, and thus in our minds place a belief of their 
 identity beyond the possibility of a doubt. 
 
 NINTH OBJECTION. 
 
 IF THESE ARE SPIRITS, THEY MUST BE EVIL SPIRITS. 
 
 Why are you led to this conclusion? If evil 
 spirits are allowed to visit and torment us, are not 
 good spirits permitted to draw near and comfort ? 
 What means the passage, "Are they not all min- 
 istering spirits?" Do you suppose these alluded 
 to are evil ones ? One writer on this subject, 
 reported to be Professor Po?id, of Bangor, says, 
 " The devils are always at hand;" and then goes 
 on "supposing" that these are of the same class. 
 Very willing, he appears to be, to have demons 
 about us, but thinks it impossible that angels 
 should be our visitants, 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 41 
 
 To give the Evil One such power over the an- 
 gelic host, which no man can number, places him 
 on a throne on which, I supposed, a mightier than 
 he held place. 
 
 " A house divided against itself cannot stand." 
 The communications received are not characteristic 
 of evil. They tell us to "read the Bible;' 1 to 
 "search its truths;" to " guard against sin;" to 
 " do no evil;" to "love God." They point us to 
 the Cross ; they tell us of the Lamb whose blood 
 was shed for the remission of our sins. 
 
 In the seventh and ninth of Mark, we are told 
 of " evil spirits" and of " dumb spirits," implying 
 that there were other spirits. Else why say " evil," 
 and why "dumb"? Why not say "a spirit," if, 
 indeed, all spirits were evil ? Christ told his dis- 
 ciples " this kind cometh forth only by prayer and 
 fasting," and, by the words "this kind" most 
 plainly showing that there were other kinds, — we 
 may reasonably believe good spirits, who would 
 leave without the effort of prayer and fasting. 
 
 Yes, there were good spirits then, as now, that 
 came to visit man. And then, as now. evil spirits 
 came. 
 
 What is the sense of the apostolic injunction to 
 " try the spirits," if they are all of one kind, — if 
 they are all evil 1 Why try that of which we 
 know already. If, as you say, these are all evil 
 spirits, they are so, and all the trial we could pos- 
 4* 
 
42 SPIRITUAL INTERCOURSE. 
 
 sibly give them would not change them, or con- 
 vince us that they were good. 
 
 I am informed that a recent commentator on 
 the prophecies declares that the manifestations of 
 the present time are foretold in Revelations 16th 
 chapter, verses 13 and L4. Let us examine those 
 passages and see. 
 
 13. " And I saw three unclean spirits, like frogs, 
 come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of 
 the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of 
 the false prophet. 
 
 14. " For they are the spirits of devils working 
 miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the 
 earth and of the whole world, to gather them to 
 the battle of that great day of God Almighty." 
 
 You will notice that there are but three of these, 
 and that the origin of each is given. One comes 
 out of the mouth of the Dragon, one out of the 
 mouth of the Beast, and one out of the mouth of 
 the False Prophet. 
 
 Who is the Dragon ? See chapter 12, verse 9. 
 " And the great dragon was cast out, that old ser- 
 pent called the Devil and Satan." Read all of this 
 twelfth chapter, and you will learn that the dragon 
 was that mighty angel that fell from heaven and 
 brought woe (verse 12) to the inhabitants of the 
 earth. You will become convinced that the dragon 
 is Satan. 
 
 Who is the Beast? See chapter 13, verses 2, 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 43 
 
 5, 6, 7. To the beast " the dragon gave his power 
 and his seat and great authority. And there was 
 given nil to him a mouth, speaking great things, 
 and blasphemies. And he opened his mouth 
 against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tab- 
 ernacle and them that dwell therein. And it was 
 given unto him to make war with the saints, and 
 to overcome them, and power was given him over 
 all kindreds and tongues and people." The gen- 
 eral belief is that the beast here spoken of is "Anti- 
 Christ." To it Satan has given great power. 
 You will admit that there has been, for several 
 centuries, an established form of religion in the 
 world that has professed to work miracles ; that 
 has spoken great things ; that has blasphemed and 
 persecuted God's tabernacle (church) and those 
 that dwell therein ; that has had many a severe 
 war with the saints, and has had great power over 
 kindreds and tongues and people. This is Anti- 
 Christ, and this is that which is called the Beast. 
 
 Who is the False Prophet ? False Prophet in 
 this, as in several other places, is a general name 
 for erroneous doctrines. See 2d of Peter, 2d chap- 
 ter, verses 1 and 2, tl There were false prophets 
 among the people, even as there shall be false 
 teachers among yon, who shall privily bring in 
 damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that 
 bought them, and bring upon themselves swift 
 destruction. And many shall follow their per- 
 
44 SPIRITUAL INTERCOURSE. 
 
 nicious ways, by reason of which the way of truth 
 shall be evil spoken of." In this passage you 
 have a full definition of a "false prophet," which, 
 you cannot doubt, means false doctrines. 
 
 Thus you see that, of these "three unclean 
 spirits," these "spirits of devils, working mira- 
 cles," one proceeds from Satan, the great dragon ; 
 one from Anti-Christ, the beast, and one from 
 False Doctrines, the false prophet. By a spirit pro- 
 ceeding from each of these, we are to understand 
 that power which they exercised, that life in the 
 world which they put forth to enact their will. 
 The three unclean spirits are, therefore. Sin-, Anti- 
 Christ, and False Doctrines. They are " the spirits 
 of devils." No one will dispute that. They have 
 gone " forth unto the kings of the earth and of the 
 whole world." This all will admit. And they 
 were to be in full power during the pouring forth 
 of the vial of the sixth angel. See verse 12. They 
 have had that power. The few centuries past 
 have witnessed the mighty rule of Sin, of Anti- 
 Christ, and of False Doctrines. Their spirits have 
 gone forth to work miracles and to deceive. The 
 time of the sixth angel is now about closing. 
 Read the 17th verse. "And the seventh angel 
 poured out his vial into the air ; and there came a 
 great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the 
 throne, saying, It is done." 
 
 Can you not discern, in the signs of the times, 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 45 
 
 the presence of this seventh angel ? See you not 
 in these manifestations the pouring out of his vial 
 in the air ? The power that produces them is not 
 visible ; it is in, and, as it were, a part of, the air, 
 for it has been poured " into the air." Can you 
 not hear that voice, — a voice " out of the temple 
 of heaven, from the throne" ? 
 
 What will follow these manifestations is plainly 
 told in the 18th chapter. " And after these things 
 I saw another angel come down from heaven, 
 having great power ; and cried mightily with a 
 strong voice, Babylon, the great, is fallen." 
 
 In the 19th chapter, verse 20, we are told what 
 will become of the beast and the false prophet, — 
 they will be cast into a burning lake; — but we 
 are not told what will become of the dragon, Satan, 
 till the 2d verse of the 20th chapter, where we are 
 told he will be bound for a thousand years. Then, 
 when Anti-Christ and False Doctrines are no more, 
 and Sin is bound, will be the bright and glorious 
 age of the millennium. 
 
 Do not these manifestations tend to such an 
 end ? Most assuredly they do. The three unclean 
 spirits will be vanquished in this " great day of 
 God Almighty." 
 
 The attempt of this " learned writer upon the 
 prophecies" to prove that those passages foretell 
 these spiritual manifestations is opposed by truth, 
 and is in direct contrariety with the views of all 
 
46 SPIRITUAL INTERCOURSE. 
 
 former writers. Why, the very fact that the spirits 
 now holding intercourse with us are numbered by 
 millions, is enough to convince any one that there 
 are more than three ! Those " three spirits " have 
 had their rule. Their reign is nearly over. To 
 those who would wrest the meaning of the Scrip- 
 tures, I would say, Be watchful, lest, ere they 
 depart, they ensnare you in their meshes, and the 
 spirit that came, from the mouth of the " false 
 prophet" claim a kindred sympathy with your 
 own. 
 
 I am free and willing to admit that some of the 
 manifestations now appearing proceed from spirits 
 of evil ; but that all do, I most emphatically deny. 
 The minds of the sitters attract around them spirits 
 of a similar turn of thought, and, even' though the 
 minds of the sitters are well-inclined, and their 
 desires are for high and holy communications, the 
 medium may be one who will attract mischiev- 
 ous and deceiving spirit-visitants. The medium 
 may have had visitors who came for mere curios- 
 ity, and whose highest wishes were satisfied with 
 the grotesque actions performed by their unseen 
 attendants ; thus there may have gathered around 
 many low and disgraced spirits, and they may 
 have partial, if not complete possession of the 
 medium, at the time when other visitors for better 
 purposes are in attendance. 
 
 The subject is one not to be trifled with. Take 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 47 
 
 the advice of good spirits, and the evil will be far 
 from you. Says one : 
 
 " Seek not to gratify curiosity, but rather search 
 for wisdom which will profit. Sit with holy 
 thoughts, and have trust and confidence in your 
 Creator's promises." 
 
 ■ Another spirit, in answer to an inquiry to ascer- 
 tain how we can avoid intercourse with the evil, 
 wrote as follows : 
 
 " Strive by earnest and sincere prayer to keep 
 all thoughts of them from your mind." 
 
 All communications on this point inculcate 
 strongly these injunctions: — "Resist, and they 
 will flee from you." "Turn from evil, and sin 
 not." " Many deceivers have gone forth into the 
 world ; therefore, try them and know for a cer- 
 tainty whether they be of God." 
 
 Again I say, these are not all evil spirits, and we 
 are no more led to conclude that they are, from 
 manifestations received, than we are to conclude 
 that all mankind are murderers, because some 
 raise their hands to slay a brother. Some com- 
 munications received may partake of error, and 
 bear abundant evidence of an evil origin ; but all 
 do not. Ninety-nine hundredths are good and 
 holy ; urging to repentance, to wisdom's ways, to 
 paths of righteousness. You might as well con- 
 demn all religion as emanating from the Evil One, 
 as to say these manifestations do; for the same 
 
48 SPIRITUAL INTERCOURSE. 
 
 reason can be applied. Some take the Bible as 
 their corner-stone, and, to the ignorant and those 
 who will not use common judgment as their guide, 
 preach doctrines which, to the enlightened, appear 
 as utterly false as some of these manifestations. 
 But do they charge religion with folly ? Do they 
 say, "Religion is the work of the devil, its doc- 
 trines have all proceeded from him, and all the 
 manifestations of scripture times were but the 
 works of evil spirits " 1 No, they do not ; and it 
 would not be the course of prudence, reason, com- 
 mon sense, or in accordance with the dictates of 
 conscience, to do so. Why, then, will you charge 
 this subject with so base an origin 1 Do you do 
 so on mere hearsay, without personal examination ? 
 Then you judge most unfairly. Has not enough 
 transpired to induce you to test before deciding a 
 question of such importance 1 
 
 For a moment suppose, what I know to be true, 
 namely, that good spirits are near, and holding 
 intercourse with us. A father, perhaps, beloved 
 and honored ; a mother, whose memory is dearly 
 cherished ; a sister, a brother, a friend, are now 
 hovering about you. They impress your mind so 
 that you are led to a sitting with a good medium. 
 There they manifest themselves. They inform 
 you of events which none but they and yourself 
 ever knew, to convince you of their actual pres- 
 ence. You wonder j you are almost persuaded to 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 49 
 
 believe. They place a pencil in the medium's 
 hand, and write to you, entreating you, as they 
 have myself, in sentences like the following : 
 
 u We are with you always ; you are very dear 
 to us, and we long to give you these beautiful 
 truths." 
 
 • " Love the Bible; search its truths, and you will 
 find much to convince you of our existence among 
 you." 
 
 " Doubt not. All things are mysterious. Our 
 being, — who can tell its design 7 And shall feeble 
 mortals attempt to speak our limits?" 
 
 " We have long wished to have you believe us 
 hovering o'er you." 
 
 In every possible, and what you have always 
 thought impossible way, they strive to convince 
 you of the truth of what you see and hear. Were 
 anything else presented to you with such evidence, 
 you would at once admit its truth. But now you 
 doubt. Perhaps those holy and tried friends, thus 
 hovering about you, hear you laugh at all their 
 efforts, and resist all their persuasions. You have 
 mourned their absence. You have often wished 
 that you might speak to them, and that they might 
 say one word to you. Now they come. Now 
 your wish is granted. Now they tell you they are 
 happy, and are "hovering o'er you." And what 
 is their greeting ? Think, what is the welcome 
 you give them ? Though they give you every 
 proof of their identity, you mistrust them. Though 
 5 
 
50 SPIRITUAL INTERCOURSE. 
 
 they breathe in your ears the words of holy love, 
 and the truth from God's revealed word, you turn 
 away, refuse to listen, deny them a hearing, and 
 call them spirits of evil ! 
 
 But yet they are not disheartened. They know 
 your heart, and trust to its good judgment for an 
 acceptance. They are yet with you, and wish to 
 have you examine their evidence, and with can- 
 dor listen to their appeals. Call them not evil. 
 I assure you that, as true as darkness and light are 
 about you, good spirits and evil are at hand. Con- 
 demn not the good as evil, lest they forsake you, 
 and you find, to your sorrow, that you have chosen 
 darkness rather than light, and that you are finally 
 left to your own choice. 
 
 We often hear of individuals who, at the hour 
 of death, see spirits hovering about them. They 
 beckon the departing from earth to mansions 
 above. They smile upon them, and the reflection 
 of angelic joy is seen in the brightening counte- 
 nance, as nearer and nearer they approach the 
 confines of the eternal world. Do you suppose 
 those gathering companions for the soul on its jour- 
 ney upward are evil spirits? How repugnant to 
 every rational, generous sentiment of the heart is 
 such a supposition ! Yet, if your objection be 
 valid, — if none but evil spirits come to us, if 
 none but such can commune with man, — then 
 they are such. 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 51 
 
 TENTH OBJECTION. 
 
 ** SUCH STRANGE, INCOMPREHENSIBLE DOCTRINES ARE GIVEN BY 
 
 THESE MANIFESTATIONS, SO DIFFERENT FROM THOSE I 
 
 HAVE COMMONLY BELIEVED, THAT I DENY 
 
 THEIR HOLY ORIGIN." 
 
 Here, again, comes with much force the com- 
 mand, " Try the spirits." As I have before said, 
 there are deceiving spirits, and they go about to 
 deceive. You should therefore " watch and pray." 
 You must not take all for truth. Good and true 
 spirits are cautious, and are generally reluctant 
 about answering questions which are hid in the 
 deep mysteries of God. On the other hand, evil 
 spirits will answer anything. They profess to 
 know all things, and to have no limit to their 
 understanding. For my own part, all doctrines not 
 coinciding with those of the Word of God I en- 
 tirely disavow. When such are given, it is time 
 for us to be cautious how we proceed, and to what 
 extent we rely for truth on the communications. 
 Good spirits invariably commend us to the Bible 
 for our rule of faith and practice ; though they may, 
 from the fact of being able to see beyond the scope 
 of our vision into futurity, give other interpreta- 
 tions of some portions of it than those we have 
 believed in, yet never do they so alter the meaning 
 
52 SPIRITUAL INTERCOURSE. 
 
 as to affect the standard truth of the doctrine 
 involved. 
 
 Place not, then, your confidence on anything 
 else than the divine revelation contained in " the 
 Scriptures of the Old and New Testament." Try 
 the spirits by the test of the Bible, and you will 
 soon know whether they be of God. 
 
 The " New York Observer" has given to the 
 wings of the press a statement, apparently greatly 
 exaggerated, judging from the violent language 
 used, in which this holy subject is called "a stupid 
 imposture ;" and then mentions an account of a 
 sad affair said to have recently taken place by the 
 "direction of the spirits." But what does this 
 fact, backed up with any amount of abuse from 
 its excited narrator, prove ? Why, simply this : 
 that the victims of the case did not obey the scrip- 
 tural injunction, to try the spirits whether they 
 were of God. They rushed headlong against truth 
 and reason, — against every sense of justice, and, 
 above all, against the Bible, that great safeguard 
 of humanity, — and they suffered. Should the 
 subject suffer through their indiscretion ? Certainly 
 not. But it does; and Christianity suffers through 
 the wickedness of its professors ; but neither one 
 nor the other can be destroyed. 
 
 In this connection, I cannot do better than to 
 adopt the language of an honest and intelligent 
 writer upon the subject. " Proclaim nothing, en- 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED, 53 
 
 dorse nothing, accept nothing, as from the world of 
 departed spirits, which, in the full exercise of en- 
 lightened reason, you cannot confidently defend as 
 such. This is my ground. I advise you to make 
 it yours. There is enough of glorious and blessed 
 revealment in these manifestations to rejoice in, 
 and be thankful for, without retaining anything 
 that is spurious or equivocal. And the signs of 
 the times are auspicious of a hastening future, 
 when the present twilight dawnings of spiritual 
 communication will sublime into the full effulgence 
 of day. May the waiting and anxious expectants 
 of that day do nothing to retard its advance, or to 
 dim its morning sky with a single unpropitious 
 cloud!" 
 
 ELEVENTH OBJECTION. 
 
 " IP THESE ABE THE GOOD SPIRITS OP THE DEPARTED, WHY DO 
 
 THEY COME IN THIS WAY, AND MANIFEST THEIR PRESENCE 
 
 BY RAPPING, TIPPING, AND SUCH LIKE 
 
 DEMONSTRATIONS ? " 
 
 I do not know why it so; it is enough for me to 
 know that it is. There are myriads of facts I 
 know to be true; why they are so I do not know, 
 neither can I know. These manifestations are not 
 all of the kind to which you allude. The manner 
 of communicating is rapidly advancing to a higher 
 order. At first, it was by rapping; then, by moving. 
 5# 
 
54 SPIRITUAL INTERCOURSE. 
 
 In the course of time we had written communica- 
 tions, and of late they have been received orally 
 from spirit-friends. But, admitting, for the moment, 
 what is not true, that rapping and tipping are the 
 only indications of their presence, and that it is 
 through these modes alone they communicate to us, 
 what more gentle or less terrifying manner could 
 they adopt ? You say now that men become in- 
 sane. What might be expected, if- spirits rose up at 
 every corner, and at times unexpected, to greet us 1 
 How would you have them come? and, besides, 
 will you undertake to instruct God, and tell him 
 how to carry on his dealings with us ? If you 
 believe not these manifestations of the spirit, I fear 
 you would not believe even though one rose from 
 the dead. 
 
 Take the truth as a fact, and question not its 
 wisdom. Shall not the Judge of all the earth do 
 right? It -may be foolishness to men, yet "God 
 hath chosen the foolish things of the world to con- 
 found the wise ; and God hath chosen the weak 
 things of the world to confound the things which 
 are mighty ; and base things of the world, and 
 things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, 
 and things which are not, to bring to naught things 
 that are; that no flesh should glory in his sight." 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 55 
 
 TWELFTH OBJECTION. 
 
 "IF THESE ARE SPIRITS, WHY HAVE THEY NOT COME BEFORE? " 
 
 Can you prove that they have not ? I know 
 that I can prove they have, and I have in these 
 answers frequently alluded to this point. But, 
 even supposing they have not (which is rather an 
 inconsistent supposition for one who believes the 
 Bible to bring up), is that any reason why they 
 should not appear now ? The world was never so 
 far advanced in knowledge as now. Mankind, 
 generally, have never been so free to examine, so 
 inclined to liberal and candid views, and they have 
 not, consequently, been in a condition to receive 
 these great truths. In centuries past, the world 
 has known in part, and prophesied in part ; but 
 now that which is perfect is come, and that which 
 is in part shall be done away. 
 
 In the history of mankind you will find fre- 
 quent allusions to visions of spirits, and intercourse 
 with them. In every nation and tribe, Christian 
 or heathen, the fact stands out in bold relief, — 
 there is a spirit-world, and we are closely allied to 
 it even in this. Think over your own experience, 
 and you will bring to mind some incident you have 
 seen or read of inclining to a spiritual origin. 
 Every neighborhood has its tradition of some 
 
56 SPIRITUAL INTERCOURSE. 
 
 spiritual manifestation. The sublimest strains of 
 all poetry embrace the idea. The Bible is full, 
 Nature is replete, with the truth. It cannot be that 
 this universal belief — this sameness of thought, 
 pervading every nation peopling the globe — is 
 founded upon nothing ! Look below us. Every 
 grade of existence has some connection with that 
 above. The lower races of animals see and have 
 a means of intercourse with the higher ; and shall 
 man, who is but a little lower than the angels, find 
 a barrier to his aspirations, as his mind strives to 
 ascend and commune with an intelligence higher 
 than himself? Never ! The early history of man- 
 kind, before the dark ages, answers, Never ! An- 
 gels, a mighty cloud of witnesses about us, would 
 sound in our ears their united response of u Never,' 7 
 if man would not stop his ears, close his eyes, 
 and roll himself up in the garments of superstition, 
 bigotry, and unbelief. 
 
 These manifestations are partly new. They are 
 new in directness of appeal ; new in being of a 
 more personal nature. Yet this "newness" is not 
 caused by any increase of power in the world of 
 spirits, but an increase of light and knowledge 
 among mankind on the earth. 
 
 The error and superstition which have shrouded 
 our world in worse than Egyptian darkness have 
 served as a barrier between us and the spirit-host, 
 and millions upon millions of our fellow-men have 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 57 
 
 labored on, encompassed about with a great cloud 
 of witnesses ; yet some looked down to earth and 
 grovelled among its cares, and others threw a veil 
 over their faces ; others were blinded through un- 
 belief; and so the blessing hovering above them 
 was not seen, save by a few, and those few were 
 looked upon as visionary enthusiasts. 
 
 But a better day has dawned ; the clouds of the 
 long, long night are dispersing, and light is break- 
 ing amid the darkness. Ask not why you do not 
 receive a blazing sun, instead of a glimmering star. 
 Be thankful, and rejoice that that star has risen. 
 It is the precursor of a noonday light. 
 
 THIRTEENTH OBJECTION. 
 
 "WHAT GOOD RESULT WILL THESE MANIFESTATIONS PRODUCE?" 
 
 The mass of evidence in proof of the good pro- 
 duced by these manifestations is so great, that I am 
 at no loss what to present that will, in the brief 
 limits of these "Answers," meet this objection. 
 
 The most important of these results is that men 
 have been led to a fixed belief in their own im- 
 mortality. It will not do for us to say that, with- 
 out these manifestations, they had sufficient proof 
 on this point ; for we do know that, with all the 
 proof which overwhelmed us with evidence of 
 
58 SPIRITUAL INTERCOURSE. 
 
 an immortal existence, they, and many others, 
 doubted its truth. 
 
 If, then, by these manifestations, one mind has 
 been led to adopt as its belief this great and cheer- 
 ing truth, is not the rescuing of that one mind from 
 the darkness into which it had fallen a fact of 
 sufficient importance to urge us to say, " God 
 speed them on their glorious mission " 1 
 
 Of the many instances of conversion from infi- 
 delity, and reformation of character, which have 
 taken place, I have room for but a few. 
 
 Under date of u Pittsjield, N. H., Sept., 1852," 
 a correspondent writes as follows : 
 
 " For the last six and a half years I have fol- 
 lowed the occupation of pedler, in this state. I 
 have sold without any regard to truth ; and, during 
 that time, I learned to play cards for money, and 
 lost in money six thousand dollars, and in time 
 four thousand dollars (if time can be reduced to 
 dollars and cents), and became in my belief 
 nothing but a professed Atheist, — doubted the 
 existence of a God, and, consequently, did not 
 believe in any revealed religion. I had, in my 
 travels, seen a v number of spiritual mediums, and 
 believed it all to be a humbug, and had once gone 
 so far as to deceive professed believers, making 
 them believe I was a writing medium, although I 
 could not produce the rap, but I supposed it was 
 done by electricity." 
 
 In September, 1852. the writer of the above was 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 59 
 
 visited by spirits, between one and two o'clock in 
 the morning. Of that visit he writes thus : 
 
 " I cannot give any description of my feelings ; 
 but it seemed as if I was in a new world ; and the 
 first thing that came into my mind was, There is a 
 God ; and the next, There is a spiritual world, and 
 we must exist hereafter. Then all was calm, and 
 I was happy, though I had been miserable before. 
 They then told me, in a loud whisper, what to do. 
 First ,to quit playing cards ; next, to stop peddling, 
 and go to school." 
 
 They next directed him to certain persons who 
 would assist him in disposing of his stock, and 
 obtaining an education. He closes as follows : 
 
 " I firmly believe it was the spirits of departed 
 friends that produced this great change ; for I have 
 turned a complete somerset, and am now a new 
 man. I will go to school till I spend what little 
 money I have, which is about five hundred dol- 
 lars." 
 
 Another writes from Butler. Pa. y as follows : 
 
 " I was raised a rigid sectarian, but, having a 
 peculiar organization, I claimed the right, long 
 before arriving at my majority, to do my own 
 thinking, on religious matters particularly." 
 
 He read in the Bible that, in olden times, God 
 manifested himself by his spirit, and many won- 
 drous things were done in his name among men ; 
 that angels walked and conversed with them. 
 But, as none of these things were acknowledged 
 
60 SPIRITUAL INTERCOURSE. 
 
 to have taken place since that time, he discarded 
 the Bible, and with it, his belief in the existence 
 of a God. 
 
 "For," says he, "I reasoned thus: — If there is 
 a God, he is wise and just, and knows that his 
 creatures are wandering in error. If he does not 
 manifest himself to me, I cannot believe, and he 
 knows it ; if he wishes that I, and such as I am, 
 should believe, he will manifest himself again, if 
 he ever did before ; for infinite wisdom changes 
 not, and he is said to have communed willingly 
 with creatures heretofore ; he has the same will 
 now, if he exist at all. 
 
 "Not seeing any manifestations in the time, as I 
 thought, of man's greatest need, I concluded there 
 was no God, — that man was mortal, and died to 
 live no more. The belief was gloomy, to be sure ; 
 but I loved truth, and thought this must be true. 
 I have not witnessed these manifestations person- 
 ally, but the thousands who have seen, and do 
 believe, have raised a hope that God exists, and 
 that man is immortal ; I feel anxious about this 
 matter, — and why should I not? I, who, by the 
 light of Revelation, could see nothing beyond this 
 short, unhappy life, but thick darkness and eternal 
 oblivion. 
 
 " May I not hope that mediums, who are well 
 developed, will travel and enlighten the dark 
 places?" 
 
 From Parish, Oswego Co., N. Y., a correspond- 
 ent of the "Spiritual Telegraph" writes as fol- 
 lows: 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 61 
 
 " I have been a Materialist. I believed, when my 
 material organization ceased to act, that my mind 
 would sleep that sleep that knows no waking ; but 
 still my motto has always been to 
 
 * Seize on truth, wherever found, 
 On Christian or on heathen ground;' 
 
 and so, I have been reading everything I could get 
 on these new phenomena. I own it has caused 
 my Material castle, which, I supposed, was built 
 upon the God of Nature's own adamantine rock, 
 to tremble to its base, while undergoing analyza- 
 tion in this invisible crucible." 
 
 Another, writing from Crawfordsville, Ind., 
 says : 
 
 " I have been an infidel fourteen years. lam 
 now a firm believer in the immortality of the soul. 
 I am worth but little of this world's goods; but, if 
 you could place the wealth of your State at my 
 disposal, on condition that I would give up what 
 knowledge I have, and relapse into the state I was 
 a few years ago, it would be no temptation to 
 me." 
 
 At a sitting of several clergymen for the purpose 
 of investigating this subject, the following com- 
 munication was received : 
 
 " Brethren, have you not seen the need of a tan- 
 gible manifestation to convince the sceptical man 
 of his immortality] How many have refused 
 to enter the portals of a church, who would not 
 refuse (prompted by curiosity) to investigate 
 these rappings ! Then rejoice that God, in his 
 great mercy and loving-kindness, has permitted 
 
 6 
 
62 SPIRITUAL INTERCOURSE. 
 
 ministering angels to knock at the door of the 
 sceptic's heart, to awaken him to sensibility." 
 
 Do you now ask what good will this subject 
 produce ? We have, in ages past, separated the 
 spirit from the word. We have sent out the reve- 
 lation of God without accompanying it with the 
 spirit which knoweth all things, maketh all things 
 plain, and instructeth the ignorant and those that 
 are out of the way. We have closed our ears, and 
 would not hear the voice that speaketh from 
 heaven. And, though reading in the Bible that 
 communings with the angels were vouchsafed to 
 us, and were enjoyed in those holy days which 
 ushered in the advent of Christ, and Christ him- 
 self told us to expect such things,* yet we 
 have groped on, choosing paths of our own, by 
 interpreting a passage in one way, while others 
 gave it a different meaning : refusing the light that 
 shone from heaven, until now, so confused, various 
 and contradictory, are the views and opinions of 
 the religious world, that that world has become a 
 Babel, which, by the incoming of these manifesta- 
 tions, or rather by the awakening of the human 
 mind and the opening of the understanding, seems 
 about to be destroyed. Soon will the prophecy be 
 fulfilled, "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen." 
 
 Then shall the inhabitants rejoice, and from the 
 rivers to the ends of the earth shall be written, 
 
 * Mark 10: 17. 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 63 
 
 "holiness to the Lord; 5 ' and there shall be one 
 Faith, one Hope, one Baptism. 
 
 FOURTEENTH OBJECTION. 
 
 * { WHY ARE SOME PERSONS MEDIUMS, AND NOT OTHERS ? WHY 
 NOT ALL ? " 
 
 I doubt very much whether there are any per- 
 sons who are not mediums, in a greater or less 
 degree. If there are any, it is because their minds 
 are so formed as to preclude the possibility of 
 being sufficiently influenced by that unseen power 
 which is requisite for their development. 
 
 Many are strongly prejudiced against the sub- 
 ject. They would suffer through fear, were any 
 approach made towards the point of their becoming 
 mediums. Spirits, in most cases, act through or 
 upon the mind of the medium. It will be seen, 
 therefore, that, in order for them to develop a per- 
 son as a medium, the mind must be passive, and 
 willing to surrender its strongest powers to spirit- 
 ual influence. There must also be harmony of 
 thought, peace, quietness, and an entire absence of 
 perplexing cares. 
 
 This state is not, however, in all cases, abso- 
 lutely necessary. It is not important when the 
 power which the spirit brings to bear upon the 
 individual mind is sufficient to overcome the will 
 
64 SPIRITUAL INTERCOURSE. 
 
 and inclinations of that mind. This is shown in 
 the numerous instances which exist in which a 
 person becomes a medium, without any special 
 desire of his own. 
 
 The very fact that we cannot become mediums 
 at our pleasure, — that some are mediums who 
 have had no particular wish to become such, while 
 others who have ardently desired, and earnestly 
 used every endeavor to obtain the gift, do not 
 receive it, — is an evidence of the truth of me- 
 diumship, and proof-positive against the objec- 
 tion, that the Will produces the manifestations. 
 Could any one become a medium by merely wish- 
 ing to be, you would then bring the objection in 
 another shape, and that previously urged, of the 
 reaction of the human mind, might possess some 
 plausibility. 
 
 When the cloud that now overshadows the pub- 
 lic mind in regard to this truth shall have passed 
 away, and the veil that is before the face of the 
 people is removed, — when prejudice surrenders its 
 rule, and pride of opinion descends to humility of 
 thought, — then mediumship shall be as free as the 
 air we breathe, and each will become a partaker 
 of the blessing. 
 
 In the mean time, let those who have share 
 with those who have not. Let no complaining 
 mind ask, " Why am I denied the gift?" or say 
 there is no wealth in the world because he is poor 
 and in want. Hope, trust, and wait ! 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 65 
 
 FIFTEENTH OBJECTION. 
 
 "THIS SUBJECT LEADS TO SCEPTICISM, AND A NEGLECT OP THE 
 BIBLE." 
 
 , Here is an objection of a very serious nature. 
 If true, it would at once condemn the subject be- 
 yond the least hope of redemption. But, fortu- 
 nately for the truth, and quite the reverse for its 
 opponents, it has not a shadow of support, and it 
 can only be made through gross ignorance. Read 
 the answer to the thirteenth objection, and look 
 for a moment, at the great inconsistency of this 
 charge. Here are men holding intercourse with the 
 spirits of the departed ; they have received abundant 
 evidence, and they as much believe that the spirits 
 of their friends are around them as they do that 
 they themselves exist. Now, can you believe such 
 men will doubt the soul's immortality 1 In a full 
 belief of spiritual intercourse, does not their faith in 
 the Bible become stronger 1 Here I cannot employ 
 more suitable language than that of a writer 
 before quoted, Rev. Adin Ballou, whose " Expo- 
 sition" of this subject is full, plain and explicit, 
 and to which I would refer you for facts and 
 authentic incidents connected with spiritual mani- 
 festations. 
 
 "Is it likely that one who has seen doors open 
 and shut, heavy substances moved about, and a 
 
 6* 
 
66 SPIRITUAL INTERCOURSE. 
 
 human body upborne, without mortal contrivance 
 or effort, will believe less that Christ walked on 
 the water ; that an angel rolled away a great stone 
 from the sepulchre ; or that Peter was released from 
 prison by a spirit? Because one has seen lights 
 and appearances of flame, caused, as he verily 
 believes, by spirits, will he have less faith that the 
 angel of God manifested himself to Moses in a 
 burning bush, or that tongues of fire sat on the 
 apostles at the great spiritual manifestation of 
 Pentecost? Shall one hear all manner of sounds, 
 caused by spiritual agency, even to a thundering 
 roar, which shakes the whole house, and therefore 
 grow more sceptical about the thunders of Sinai, 
 or the c great noise, as of a mighty rushing wind,' 
 and shaking of the house where the apostles 
 prayed '? Shall one be convinced that spirits can 
 actually write on paper, wood and stone, with pen- 
 cil, pen, &c, and therefore have less faith that a 
 mighty angelic spirit inscribed the decalogue on 
 tables of stone, and reached them forth, out of a 
 thick cloud, to Moses '? Will men, who are sure 
 they have conversed with the spirits of departed 
 friends for hours, therefore doubt whether Moses 
 and Elias conversed with Jesus on the Mount? 
 Anti-Bible scepticism does not thrive on such 
 nourishment. Neither does irreligion and immor- 
 ality gain strength by the almost uniform religious, 
 moral, and reformatory communications made in 
 connection with these manifestations." 
 
 Some who make this objection will say that 
 none of the communications received are above the 
 capacity of the human mind, and employ this, 
 which they deem a fact, as a proof that they do 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 67 
 
 not come from a higher state of existence than our 
 own. We have the Bible, — is not that sufficient? 
 Supposing we did receive something far beyond 
 what the human mind can produce, might there 
 not then be some reason to fear an invasion of the 
 right of the Scriptures? But no; nothing will 
 ever be received that will displace or supersede 
 that great revelation from God to man. We may 
 not receive any startling disclosures. No secrets 
 will be revealed that are not laid open in the 
 Bible. We shall probably receive much light on 
 that book, but nothing will be added. Passages 
 of scripture, that have appeared dark and incom- 
 prehensible, will be made luminous, and their 
 meaning made plain to every mind. 
 
 The spirits invariably tell us to " search the 
 Bible," to "study its truths," to "love it, and 
 take it as our guide." There can be no neglect of 
 the Bible by those who examine this subject sin- 
 cerely. It will lead them directly to that fountain 
 of truth. They will become deeply interested in 
 those higher revelations, the truth of which is sub- 
 stantiated by those they are daily receiving. And 
 how comforting and cheering is the thought that 
 their friends are hovering about them, and making 
 light, with the brightness of their presence, those 
 paths that lead beyond the tomb ! 
 
 A recent number of the "Puritan Recorder" a 
 Boston paper, gave as an objection to spiritual 
 
68 SPIRITUAL INTERCOURSE. 
 
 manifestations, that they come, in many instances, 
 to infidels. Thus, you see, objections come in 
 every form, and from every direction. One fear- 
 ing that Christians will be. made infidels, and 
 another fearing, it would seem, that infidels will 
 be made Christians. 
 
 They object now, because these demonstrations 
 of a spiritual existence come to infidels ! . To 
 whom should they come, if not to them ? They 
 come to convince of truth ; they come to open the 
 eyes of the blind, — to open the prison doors, 
 within which error has held its victims, — to un- 
 loose the chains which unbelief hath made fast. 
 Hundreds, doubtless thousands, of our fellow-men, 
 who once disbelieved in the immortality of the 
 soul, are now, through this instrumentality, re- 
 joicing in the truth. God calls sinners, not the 
 righteous, to repentance ; and if this mighty dem- 
 onstration of his goodness, — this overwhelming 
 flood of light, mercy, blessing and immortality, 
 comes to destroy the barriers of error, and to dissi- 
 pate the shades of unbelief, shall we use the fact 
 as an argument against its truth ? Shall we not 
 rather rejoice, and give thanks that these manifesta- 
 tions are drawing the attention of thousands to 
 Bible truths, and to a sense of their position as 
 regards the things of time and of eternity, — that 
 they are awaking slumbering thoughts, and en- 
 livening all the highest and noblest emotions of 
 the soul 1 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 69 
 
 SIXTEENTH OBJECTION. 
 
 " THE DOCTRINE OF SPIRITUAL INTERCOURSE IS CONTRARY TO THE 
 
 BIBLE. NOTHING OF THE KIND IS THEREIN RELATED, 
 
 NOTHING PROMISED." 
 
 Have you examined the Bible with a willing- 
 ness to learn on this point? If you have, you 
 cannot have failed to notice that the entire revela- 
 tion of God rests on this very truth, — the truth 
 of spiritual intercourse. God sent his holy angels 
 to speak to man through the prophets. Was not 
 that spiritual intercourse? Jacob beheld angels 
 ascending and descending; and the Saviour said, 
 "Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the 
 angels of God ascend and descend." Do not these 
 passages prove that man's vision may sometimes 
 include spiritual beings ? Moses and Elias ap- 
 peared ; and so cognizant was Peter of the fact, 
 that he said, " Let us make here three tabernacles." 
 Are you not convinced, by these and similar words, 
 that the spirits of the departed have the power to 
 be visibly present with man on earth? Let me 
 remind you, also, of the angels seen at the sepul- 
 chre, who appeared like men, and conversed with 
 the women. St. Paul knew a man who was 
 caught up into the heavens, and saw things im- 
 possible for man to utter. Mark his words. It 
 was not an "apostle," it was not a "prophet," 
 
70 SPIRITUAL INTERCOURSE. 
 
 but it was a man, — one like unto us. All these 
 things were possible then, — they are possible now. 
 Tell me, if you can, when God commanded them 
 to cease. He never has. He never created a law 
 of our being, and afterwards destroyed it. It has 
 only been because ignorance has prevailed, that 
 these things have not been. If suspended at all, 
 it has been because man would not willingly and 
 gladly receive the blessing. The world has not 
 been sufficiently enlightened. The shadow of the 
 dark ages even yet lingers upon the earth, but the 
 sun of righteousness is rising, and those shades 
 are becoming dissipated by its light. 
 
 Read the account of that mighty spiritual man- 
 ifestation at the day of Pentecost, when the apos- 
 tles and others were all, with one accord, in one 
 place. Just as these meetings are now conducted, 
 with one accord ; with harmony, which is the ele- 
 ment in which this intercourse can alone be carried 
 on. " There appeared unto them cloven tongues, 
 like as of fire." Similar appearances have been 
 seen during these manifestations. The sign of 
 "tongues" seemed to indicate what was to follow. 
 " They spake with other tongues, as the spirit gave 
 them utterance." They spake the language of 
 every nation. Such manifestations have now ap- 
 peared. Individuals entirely ignorant of every 
 language but the English have spoken and written 
 in French, Spanish, Latin, Hebrew, Greek, and 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 71 
 
 various others. As it was then, so it is now. 
 'Some were amazed, and said, What meaneth 
 this?" ''.Others mocked, and said, These men 
 are full of new wine," insane or foolish. As Paul 
 said then, so we say now : " These men are not 
 drunken (foolish or crazy), as ye suppose; but 
 this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel : 
 I will pour out my spirit on all flesh, and your 
 sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your 
 young men shall see visions, and your old men 
 shall dream dreams." Do you say this reply of 
 the apostle had reference only to that time, people 
 and place 1 Read the 39th verse. " For the 
 promise is unto you and to your children, and to 
 all that are afar off." 
 
 That day, there were added to the church three 
 thousand souls ; the evidence of the truth of the 
 apostle's words and mission was so plainly visible, 
 that none could dispute it, and they admitted what 
 they could not deny. It is so now. Men who 
 have doubted the statements of the Bible now 
 believe them. Wherever these manifestations go, 
 infidelity departs. 
 
 Those who say the Bible is against the doctrine 
 of spiritual intercourse are sadly at a loss for pas- 
 sages in proof of their assertion. There is one, 
 and only one, on which they rely ; and that is a 
 part of a law, long since annulled by the coming 
 in of the new dispensation. They rest their 
 
72 SPIRITUAL INTERCOURSE. 
 
 assertion on Deuteronomy 18: 11, in which the 
 children of Israel are told there shall not be 
 found among them one who consulteth familiar 
 spirits. If this passage proves anything, it proves 
 that there were spirits who could be consulted. If 
 you say the command to abstain from such inter- 
 course is now in force, I can also say that the 
 other commands contained in that code of laws 
 and ordinances are also in force, and equally bind- 
 ing. Here are a few : 
 
 " If thy son be a stubborn, or a glutton, or a 
 drunkard, thou shalt stone him to death.' 5 Deut. 
 21st ch., 20th and 21st vs. 
 
 " Thou shalt not wear a garment of divers sorts, 
 as of woollen and linen together." Deut. 22d ch., 
 11th vs. 
 
 "Ye shall not eat of anything that dieth of 
 itself, but ye shall give it to a stranger." Deut. 
 14th ch., 21st vs. 
 
 Read all the laws and ordinances in the book of 
 Deuteronomy, and know that, if the passage 
 against spiritual intercourse is in force, all those 
 commands and rules of action are to govern you 
 to-day. But neither are now in force. It was not 
 because such intercourse was bad that it was for- 
 bidden; but the idolatrous nations had perverted 
 the blessing, changed it into a curse, and their per- 
 version of it had made it an abomination in the 
 sight of the Lord. For the same reason were 
 many other of those laws given. For instance, 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 73 
 
 the command not to " wear garments of divers 
 sorts." The mere wearing of the garment was 
 not objectionable, but the nations from whom they 
 were to come out and be forever separate made 
 such garments signs or symbols of their idolatrous 
 worship. 
 
 ' After a certain period, those laws and commands 
 were to pass away with the time and circum- 
 stances for which they were adapted. Men might 
 wear what they deemed best, without regard to 
 that injunction ; and mankind were subsequently 
 taught that they were but a little lower than the 
 angels, and might commune with them. All along, 
 from Deuteronomy to Revelations, we have ac- 
 counts of consultations with spirits ; of angels 
 appearing and holding intercourse with men ; and 
 we are commanded to desire such things, and dili- 
 gently to engage in them. 
 
 They are not only promised, but we are com- 
 manded to seek them. And the command is as 
 binding as that which tells you to " love the Lord 
 with all your heart," to " obey your parents," or 
 to "abstain from all manner of sin." If you 
 annul one, you destroy all. If you remove one 
 stone from the sure foundation which prophets and 
 apostles and the good of all ages have built upon, 
 you weaken the whole structure, and threaten 
 destruction to our noble faith. But, weak, puny 
 man, you cannot do this. So long as God's 
 7 
 
74 SPIRITUAL INTERCOURSE. 
 
 throne endures, even so long will his truth con- 
 tinue. 
 
 St. Paul tells us (1st Corinthians 12th chapter) 
 to desire spiritual gifts, and that these manifesta- 
 tions are given to every man to profit. That these 
 "gifts" are various, but the same God worketh 
 all. Some receive "the gift of healing;" some of 
 " prophecy;" some " the gift of discerning spirits." 
 What does this mean, if not seeing spirits? That 
 must be a strange gift of "discernment" which 
 cannot see. To some, divers kinds of tongues. 
 Read the 28th verse, and you will find the in- 
 spired apostle saying that God hath set some of 
 the recipients of these gifts in the church. Do 
 you ask, Why not all? Just because there are 
 evil spirits as well as good, and they who are 
 controlled by them cannot be within the church. 
 God hath set them there. Do you believe 
 the Bible ? This is a Bible truth. Believe all it 
 says. Believe this. Who hath driven them out ? 
 Who hath made the temple of God a place of mer- 
 chandise ? Who, throwing aside the apostolic 
 command, say, " You shall not desire spiritual 
 gifts ; these manifestations are ruining you ; they 
 do not profit; they are the work of the Evil 
 One"? O man, whosoever thou art, the Bible 
 says, "Desire spiritual gifts," The Bible says, 
 " The manifestation of the spirit is given to every 
 man to pr&fit withal." The Bible says, "There 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 75 
 
 are diversities of operations, but it is the same God 
 which worketh all in all." Be careful how you 
 judge. . Watch, lest ye condemn a holy thing ; lest 
 ye charge God with folly. 
 
 Paul tells you to "covet earnestly the best 
 gifts." What gifts? Why, these spiritual gifts, 
 such as he previously mentions. He tells you 
 they are spiritual ; he particularizes them; and yet 
 you will not believe, — the church will not believe. 
 Some begin to believe the word of God, and to 
 have a living faith in its promises; and what do 
 you do? You call them "deceivers." You say 
 they are led by the devil. You say they incline 
 to infidelity! Who are infidel, but they who do 
 not believe? The devils believe, and tremble at 
 the power of the Almighty, whilst you disbelieve 
 and are firm. 
 
 In the 2nd verse of the 13th chapter, St. Paul 
 says, " Though I have the gift of prophecy, and 
 understand all mysteries;" implying that that gift 
 enables its possessor to understand all " mysteries," 
 that is, all that appears mysterious to those who 
 are not spiritually discerned, in regard to the fu- 
 ture state. In the 1st verse of the 14th chapter, 
 he says, " Desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye 
 may prophesy." Showing that of all the spiritual 
 gifts which it is God's pleasure to grant unto us. 
 this one gift of prophecy, which he interprets as 
 meaning the understanding of all mysteries, we 
 
76 SPIRITUAL INTERCOURSE. 
 
 should first seek after. In the 3d verse he says 
 that those who have this gift speak to men unto 
 edification. That gift is abroad in the world now. 
 If you will heed it and listen, you may be edified. 
 Why call these manifestations anti-scriptural, when 
 every page of the holy Book is illumined with 
 the glorious light they have shed 1 The Bible is 
 a history of the manifestations of the olden time, 
 interspersed with high and lofty communications ; 
 and, though never again anything so holy and 
 sacred may be vouchsafed, yet enough will come 
 to comfort and bless us, and establish our belief 
 and confirm our faith in that divine book of rev- 
 elation. 
 
 In the same epistle, the apostle says, "As in 
 Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made 
 alive." You believe that ; then why not believe 
 all that the apostle says. Do you reply, " I do 
 believe all " ?■ Then read the entire sixteen chap- 
 ters of the 1st of Corinthians carefully, consider- 
 ately, and tell me, when you have risen from such 
 a perusal, with God's word as your guide, whether 
 spiritual intercourse is condemned. Is it not 
 rather commended and commanded ? 
 
 In conclusion, I would ask a moment's consider- 
 ation of three verses, to be found in the 16th chap- 
 ter of Mark, which read as follows : — "He that 
 believeth and is baptized shall be saved. * * 
 And these things shall follow them that believe. 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 77 
 
 In my name shall they cast out devils ; they shall 
 speak with new tongues ; they shall take up ser- 
 pents ; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall 
 not hurt them ; they shall lay hands on the sick, 
 and they shall recover." 
 
 You claim a fulfilment of the promise, if you 
 helieve ; but, if I tell you you must believe that such 
 signs as are promised must folloio as a proof of 
 your belief, you turn aside and your faith staggers, 
 and the belief you founded the hope of your sal- 
 vation upon grows weak, and you say, "It is 
 impossible. Such things cannot be ! " But let me 
 tell you these signs are as certainly promised, if 
 you believe, as your salvation is. 
 
 Look not to your creeds, but rather look in your 
 own heart. Con over its secrets. Count up its 
 jewels, and see if, among them all, you find this 
 glorious behest, — this last promise of an ascended 
 Redeemer. 
 
 O ye of little faith ! Ye have good things 
 promised you. You are permitted to look into the 
 world of spirits ; to gaze on brighter scenes than 
 earth can ever afford ; but you let superstition 
 blind you, prejudice shackle you, and the littleness 
 and vanities of earth obstruct your view of the 
 greatness and glories of heaven. The fact that 
 you doubt this parting promise of the Saviour 
 is caused only by your *want of faith, and your 
 rising unbelief. Mark this : "He that believeth 
 
78 SPIRITUAL INTERCOURSE. 
 
 shall be saved." Believeth what ? Why, believ- 
 eth the words of Him who came to save us. Not 
 partly, but wholly. Not only believeth that he 
 shall be saved, but believeth that these signs shall 
 follow if he does believe. And what are these 
 signs? They are just what are now taking place 
 in our midst ; and lo, Bigotry raises its hand, and 
 hurls its rusty weapons against them ; and Super- 
 stition crawls back in its dark corners, and will 
 have nothing to do with them ; and Public Opinion, 
 that great bugbear of the human mind, looks with 
 mingled scorn and derision on those who love the 
 truth, and will walk in light. These three leaders 
 marshal a mighty host. Come ye out from among 
 them, and be ye separate ! 
 
 SEVENTEENTH OBJECTION. 
 
 " WE HAVE NO NEED OF ANY FURTHER REVELATIONS IN REGARD 
 TO THE SPIRIT WORLD. THE BIBLE CONTAINS ALL THAT GOD 
 HAS INTENDED WE SHOULD KNOW ; AND THIS SPIR- 
 ITUAL INTERCOURSE IS AN UNLAWFUL PRY- 
 ING INTO THINGS WITH WHICH 
 WE HAVE NO CONCERN." 
 
 After the answers already given to other objec- 
 tions, but little need be said in reply to this ; for it 
 is met in those. I have shown you that good 
 spirits may reasonably be expected to engage in 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 79 
 
 this intercourse, and that we have abundant reason 
 to suppose that they do. I have also shown that 
 the manifestations are productive of good ; that 
 they lead to religious conviction, and a consequent 
 attention to Bible truths. And lastly, but greatest 
 of all, and a single truth that should silence all ob- 
 jections, I have shown that, in every portion of the 
 Bible, the subject is commended to our attention, 
 and we are told to desire such things, and to seek 
 wisdom from on high. Every page you turn sets 
 you an example of spiritual intercourse, and every 
 chapter you read directly or indirectly leads you 
 to expect such things, and diligently to labor for 
 them. And, as we take the Bible for our guide, it 
 is our duty to follow as it leads, and to do those 
 things which it commands. 
 
 The Bible tells us of man as first of God's cre- 
 ated works on earth. It says he is fearfully and 
 wonderfully made, and next to the angels of 
 heaven. This is about all it tells us of man as 
 an inhabitant of this world. I am not speaking 
 now of his probation here for a future life, but of 
 man subject to the laws and requirements of 
 nature. Shall we know nothing more? Shall we 
 fold our arms, and when sickness comes say, " It 
 is God's will ; the Bible says we shall all die, and 
 this sickness is ordained for the accomplishment of 
 that sin-created law of our being " 1 Shall we say 
 so ? Shall we say that it was never intended for 
 
80 SPIRITUAL INTERCOURSE. 
 
 us to know how to stay the progress of disease ? 
 for the Bible says nothing about it, — gives us no 
 directions, and that contains all it is God's will we 
 should know. Shall we conclude that to seek to 
 know more than what ihe Bible says on this point 
 is " an unlawful prying into things with which 
 we have no concern " 1 
 
 It is the object of the Word of God to reveal to 
 us great and fundamental truths; truths on which 
 others are founded. But it is left for the satisfac- 
 tion of our boundless thirst for knowledge to look 
 into, search out, and solve the great problems 
 shadowed forth in that high revelation. 
 
 The Bible tells us of man in general terms. 
 Man himself is to find out. by actual experience, 
 his physical wants, and the means with which to 
 supply them. The Bible tells us of the earth ; but 
 to us is left the task of studying out its form, its 
 productions, and the laws that govern it. The 
 Brble tells us of an immense creation, of lights in. 
 the firmament of heaven, and of the stars; but 
 centuries of ceaseless toil and close application of 
 thought must man endure before he can begin to 
 know the depths of its wonders. With the tele- 
 scope he is to look above, and see worlds pursue 
 their course, with an unerring precision, returning 
 to a given point at a certain period. With the 
 microscope he is to look at the dust beneath his 
 feet, and the particles of spray that dance in 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 81 
 
 beauty around the fountain, and find, even in these, 
 worlds on worlds like Alps on Alps arise. 
 
 What if you should say, "All this is wrong. The 
 Bible contains all that God has intended we should 
 know of man ; all we should know of creation ; all 
 we should know of the boundless space above, and 
 the living worlds beneath us; and this never-satis- 
 fied endeavor to acquire further knowledge is but 
 an { unlawful prying into things with which we 
 have no concern. 5 " 
 
 But you would not say so. You would not so 
 insult your own immortal mind as thus to limit its 
 aspirations, and deny it its sustenance. 
 
 As with those matters just alluded to, so with 
 this of spiritual existences and intercourse. The 
 fact is given. The great general truth is stated, 
 and we are to study out its bearings and its rela- 
 tions to us in this state of our being. We are told 
 of angels ascending and descending from heaven. 
 We are told of spirits meeting Abraham. We are 
 told of spirits talking at the sepulchre, and time 
 would fail me to mention all the examples set 
 before us for our instruction. The Bible is full of 
 these great truths. Of man and science allusion 
 is merely made, without any special command for 
 us to seek further knowledge relating to them. 
 But in this matter of spiritual life and intercourse, 
 we are told again and again, and in the most ear- 
 nest manner, to increase in knowledge, to be 
 
82 SPIRITUAL INTERCOURSE. 
 
 spiritually-minded, to investigate and search out. 
 We are told to believe, and, as the result of this 
 belief, to increase in spirituality, and intercourse 
 with spiritual beings. 
 
 We do not receive any "new revelations;" the 
 manifestations are only in confirmation of the most 
 important truths of the Old and New Testament. 
 As to the Bible's containing all that God intends 
 we shall know, the idea is not in unison with His 
 holy word, which employs every incentive to urge 
 us over the limitless ocean of knowledge before us. 
 If we are to increase in a knowledge of things 
 which are temporal, we certainly are to progress 
 in a knowledge of things eternal. If our bodies 
 are to be cognizant of earthly objects, our spirits 
 are to be cognizant of spiritual beings. If we are 
 to learn the wants of our physical natures, though 
 we have no command, we are to learn that of our 
 spiritual, for we have a command. 
 
 How can you say we have " no concern " in the 
 spiritual world, when it is to be our abode for an 
 eternity of ages ? No concern ! Ask him, thy 
 brother, just trembling over a grave, if he has no 
 concern. Ask him, whose weeks of lingering dis- 
 ease are about closing, whose eye sees, beyond this 
 world, mansions that crumble not, if he has no 
 concern in this matter. Let his answer be yours ; 
 for his will be your situation, some time. 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 83 
 
 CONCLUDING REMARKS. 
 
 It has been my purpose to answer objections, 
 not to give a statement of facts. I could fill a 
 volume with an account of what has taken place 
 under my own immediate observation; of test 
 questions answered to my astonishment; of the 
 correct performance of tunes by unseen hands; 
 of the writing of names on paper, placed, with a 
 pencil, in a closed drawer ; and present copies of 
 the most beautiful and cheering communications, 
 of high and holy import, urging us to investigate, 
 and promising increasing evidence of the truth of 
 the subject. Such facts have transpired at my 
 own residence, where every guard was placed 
 against deception, and the subject, in its various 
 phases, has been thoroughly tested ; but similar 
 statements have been repeatedly published. I have 
 endeavored to meet your objections with argu- 
 ments, and induce you to examine and obtain facts 
 for yourself. Such facts will be the most satisfac- 
 tory to your own mind. 
 
 What this subject requires is examination. 
 Will you be independent enough to act for your- 
 self, and judge from facts, not from exaggerated 
 statements. Then I know that with you the truth 
 will prevail. It is very easy for men to call it "a 
 humbug," "a stupid imposture," " a delusion," 
 
84 SPIRITUAL INTERCOURSE. 
 
 '• a fanatical fever ;" but it may be difficult for them 
 to prove it to be either. We should not be willing 
 to take the mere "say so" on any subject, much 
 less on one of such importance as this. The advo- 
 cates of the spiritual theory of this subject are 
 willing and anxious to support the position they 
 have taken with proof; and it is no more than just 
 that those who call it error should do the same in 
 favor of their views. 
 
 Every attempt to explain the subject in any but 
 a spiritual way has signally failed of success. 
 At first, men denied that the manifestations were 
 produced at all ; then they attributed them to un- 
 derground wires, and intricate machinery. Driven 
 from these views, they next admitted, they were 
 produced, and that no contrivance of machinery 
 effected them. They heard the sounds. They be- 
 held inanimate bodies, all at once vitalized as it 
 were, move about, untouched by human hands. 
 They read communications inculcating truth, and 
 bearing evidence of a high order of intelligence 
 What should they do ? They knew not; but yet, 
 unwilling to come to the light, and, strange as it 
 may seem, unwilling to believe what they could 
 not deny, they fell back into a mist of ideas which 
 had neither reason, nor justice, nor any such thing. 
 They said they were caused by " something," and 
 there they came to a full stop. But some go fur- 
 ther and inquire. What is that " something " ? and 
 
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 85 
 
 such have found that " he who seeketh findeth, 
 
 and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." 
 
 These manifestations are not confined to any 
 particular locality, and in this fact we recognize a 
 proof of their genuineness. No person or class of 
 persons, no sect or party, can claim that they come 
 exclusively to themselves. Free as the air to sus- 
 tain our mortal life comes this truth, to give en- 
 ergy and support to our spiritual life. 
 
 Innumerable and convincing as are the proofs of 
 the spirituality of this subject, very many profess- 
 ing Christians will not even look at it. How often 
 have I heard the subject mentioned, and one, 
 claiming fraternity with truth and humility, smile 
 deridingly, and, with the heart, if not with words, 
 say, il Stand off, for I am holier than thou ! " 
 
 Will you examine? Will you, rising above the 
 world and its grovelling desires and ends, throw 
 aside all superstitious fear of spirits, when you are 
 so soon to join their ranks, and become one of 
 them? 
 
 Familiarize your mind with a subject with 
 which your existence is so unalterably identified. 
 Learn to live and act in view of the change which 
 awaits you. 
 
 'Tis a glorious faith which this subject opens to 
 
 your mind. Adopt it. Make it your own. Death 
 
 shall have no terrors ; for a mightier than he has 
 
 conquered death, You shall but change your 
 
 8 
 
86 SPIRITUAL INTERCOURSE. 
 
 abiding-place. Like the weary traveller, you shall 
 lie down to rise again. To rise, — not to the 
 darkness of night, — not with the same cares upon 
 you, — but, in the light of eternal noon, beside the 
 refreshing waters of the river of life, you will con- 
 tinue your journey, and walk on, unwearied, for 
 eternal ages, through scenes of bliss and joys 
 which are immortal. 
 
 You will but leave one state for another ; and 
 joyous will be the moment when the guardian 
 spirits now hovering about you shall strike anew 
 their golden harps, and lead you on till faith be- 
 comes fruition, hope realization, and you become 
 a full participator in those eternal realities which, 
 by these glorious manifestations, through, the good- 
 ness of God, they are now endeavoring to impress 
 upon your mind ! 
 
H « *6. 
 
 
 <$*. 
 
 0> 
 
 "o S ea f C,d , ified usin 9 the Bookkeeper procpss 
 
 Treatment Date: Nov. 2004 
 
 PreservationTechnologies 
 
 awor LDLEA „ e NPAPERpREsERv y^ 
 
 '" r nomson Park Drive 
 
 (72T)^T t nsh,p ' PA16066 
 
 $ 
 
 aV 
 
 (724)779-211 
 
 
£% 
 
 ,v<v 
 
 o„ J 
 
 o 
 
 ■■ ■■> 
 
 
 ■*% 
 
 
 o « i ■ ^ 
 .-0> 
 
 '^0^ 
 
 
 ^ > 
 
 
 ■% A v 
 
 
 r. 
 
 cy