Chapter X: Section III: The Proofs produced by Testimony (3)

[36] These enigmatical warnings were some of the first
words which the voice uttered, and they appeared
strange to us all. They appeared void of instruction,
impertinent and utterly inapplicable to any thing
which was seen, remembered, or expected among us.
None were then trifling with her; all wondered, and
many were solemnized. Nor was there any remarkable
contention among us. But after she had produced her
strange, unexpected, unheard of message, our behaviour
soon fixed the meaning of these enigmas, and rendered
them like apples of gold and pictures of silver. Her
speaking so much in a by-place (a cellar) separate
from the common dwelling of man, like John in the
wilderness, has offended us. If her paths were the
Lord’s, instead of making them strait, we have made
them crooked by misconception, misrepresentation, and
falsehood. While the ghost was then speaking, one of
the company was near eternity. Therefore “seek the
Lord while he may be found.”

With what contempt and ridicule has the ghost been
treated on account of the marriage! Therefore “I am
not to be trifled with,” was pertinent. What violent
contentions, occasioned by her messages, appropriate
the terms “Peace, peace,” or “there must be peace,” as
she more plainly said to another person about the same
time.

[37] Here we see that the direct answer was entirely
avoided. It was no design of her mission. We have the
Bible by which even the angels must be tried. To the
law and the testimony. If they speak not according to
this word, it is because they have no light in them,
from whatever world they may profess to come. She
accordingly took this ground, and reasoned with the
people out of the Scriptures as the standard of truth
by which she would be tried.

[38] It was matter of trial to some christians among us,
that the Spirit should thus associate with one who
never gave the least evidence of piety: But the Spirit
informed them, out of her hearing, that Mrs. Butler
was one of the elect, and would repent before she left
the world.

[39] She had several times fainted before.

[40] “Don’t you believe a word of all that I have told
you,” say some who heard it.

[41] She now talked without appearing. It was the next
night after this, that the attempt was made to handle
her while she appeared.

[42] The last member of this sentence is matter of dispute.

[43] This shews that this witness was not in the cellar,
when the preceding sentence was uttered. They who
were there, say that it was the Spectre who said,
_they must come down_, and Mr. Blaisdel who added that
_they should be satisfied_. Others tell us that the
sentence was, “Come down _in order_, and you shall be
satisfied.”

Make the worst of it; it was but innocent inaccuracy, like
what is recorded of angels in the scriptures. Possibly
the ghost did not foresee this confusion. Certain it
is, that she constantly and strictly insisted upon
order and solemnity, as indispensably requisite to
her manifestations. After all, if the ghost has ever
uttered one falsehood, or _one_ false accusation,
with the manifest design of injurious deception; or,
if she has ever committed or ordered the commission
of _one_ crime; we must, without hesitation, condemn
her as an evil angel. But then we must remember that
her criminality should first be proved, not by our
surmises or conjectures, but by substantial, plenary,
and indubitable evidence.

[44] Here is a little mistake. It was not her mother,
but Mr. Blaisdel who proposed this question, by her
mother’s desire expressed to him.

[45] This sentence was uttered at another time. It is
believed by some, among whom is the writer, that
several interviews mentioned in the last letter were
not those of N. H., but of another Spectre. This may
be somewhat difficult, and doubtless not essentially
necessary to prove.

[46] That is, that they experienced the same.

[47] “Before she vanished.” That is, before she vanished
for the last time that morning, for this was after
she had vanished in the view of Mr. Downing, as in
Testimony 8.

[48] These last words declared to me by other witnesses
are not in the original testimony of Mrs. H. I have
therefore enclosed them.

[49] Her messages were probably such as never were since
Christ was on earth. Some of them are contrary to all
expectation, and exposed the families of Mr. Blaisdel,
Mr. Hooper, Capt. Butler, and Mrs. Butler, in
particular, to unjust reproach. Therefore the loving
kindness of the Lord to these families, made the
proofs as extraordinary as the messages, that whoever
shall calumniate either of those families, on account
of these events, may do it at their peril.

[50] Mr. D. has since declared that he had found all these
words to be true.

[51] They saw no personal form.

[52] The greatest things are from among the least.

[53] The order was nearly elliptical; for the two ranks
were joined by certain persons at each end.

[54] Whatever message enlarges or diminishes their doctrine
or worship, must undoubtedly be rejected and the
messenger too. But beware of extremes.

[55] There was no preacher in the town that day.

[56] _To have a familiar spirit_, as expressed in the Old
Testament, and, _To have a demon_, as expressed in the
New; seem to be phrases of the same import, and the
idea of it was that of criminality. But we find no
person in the New Testament justly accused of it.

Demoniacs were of another description. They were esteemed
innocent, and pitied, as being afflicted by the demons.

Possibly this in part was the true evil which afflicted
part of our land in 1692, and which our pious
ancestors unhappily mistook for witchcraft.

[57] The original of verse 11-12, is strictly thus: “And he
said, bring me up Samuel. And the woman saw Samuel and
cried out.” This strongly intimates that Samuel came
unexpectedly and without any previous divination. The
word _when_, in our translation has no responsive in
the original.

[58] Not altogether such, why else should the oracles cease
at the time of our Saviour’s birth? Legerdemain found
no more difficulty afterwards than before. God did in
his righteous judgment, choose the delusions which
they had chosen for themselves. He sometimes fulfilled
their predictions, Deut. 13: 1, 2, 3. Ezek. 21: 22 to
25; and might sometimes, though very seldom, suffer
such real miracles as were either vain, or injurious;
but never those of benevolence. Compare the magic of
Egypt with Rev. 16: 14. The demons drowned the swine,
but never gave rain; Isa. For satan must not oppose
satan.

[59] Should they appear worthy of such painful notice.

Transcriber’s Note

This book was written in a period when many words had not become standardized in their spelling. Words may have inconsistent hyphenation in the text. Jargon, dialect, obsolete and alternative spellings were not changed. Misspelled words were corrected.

New original cover art included with this eBook is granted to the public domain.

Words and phrases in italics are surrounded by underscores, _like this_. Footnotes were renumbered sequentially and were moved to the end of the book. Obvious printing errors, such as partially printed letters and punctuation, were corrected. Final stops missing at the end of sentences and abbreviations were added. Duplicate letters at line endings were removed. The text employs non-standard use of quotation marks and Biblical references.

The following items were changed:

who believe on [in] immortality
August 0 [10], 1800