Professor BRITTAN proceeds:

The following extract from the fifth and sixth pages of the Doctor's dis course, for the bold dogmatic spirit and utter recklessness of statement which it exhibits, is not likely to be transcended:

"It is to be remarked, moreover, that among all the strange and miraculous events of both dispensations, there is not one instance on record of the manifestation of a disembodied human spirit to the minds of men. Samuel appeared

to Saul under the incantations of the witch of Endor, as much to the surprise of the sorceress as to the terror of the impious king. But it was not the disembodied spirit of the prophet which manifested itself to Saul. It was his body, or a visible representation of his body, which God miraculously summoned for his own wise purposes. Moses and Elias appeared in visible forms, talking with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. At the time of the Saviour's crucifixion, it was not the disembodied spirits of the saints that revisited the earth, and peeped, and muttered, and rapped through floors and tables at Jerusalem; but it was the bodies of the saints that arose and appeared unto many. There is not, amid all the miraculous appearances of angels, and of men temporarily summoned from the regions of the dead, which are recorded in the Old and New Testaments, a single instance of a disembodied human spirit manifesting itself on earth and communicating with men."

Here the author positively affirms that neither the Jewish nor Christian dispensation has furnished a single instance of the return of a departed human spirit, or the manifestation of such a presence to the minds of men. Speaking of the case of Samuel, Dr. Butler says, it was not the "spirit of the prophet' -i. e., the prophet himself-which appeared to Saul; but we are told that God performed a special miracle, either reconstructing the decomposed body of Samuel, or otherwise producing a visible image of the prophet's form. Thus the Divine Being is represented as directly coöperating with the Witch of Endor by a most unusual and marvelous display of his power, and for what purpose? What, but to give the most signal endorsement to witchcraft, and to deceive the Hebrew king, by causing him to believe that the spirit-Samuel himself was really there, when it was only an automaton figure that arrested his attention. Our author and his brethren are shocked with the profane nonsense of Spiritualists, who maintain that departed human beings come back and make their presence felt amongst men, by revealing their forms, or otherwise, but he evidently presumes that it altogether comports with the dignity of the Divine nature to do the same thing, even to produce a mere puppet to support the pretensions of an old woman, who, according to our author's notions, was in league with the devil. Is not this straining at the gnat and swallowing something larger? Moses and Elias are disposed of in the same manner. It is all the work of an instant. Their immortal natures are exoreised by a single dash of Dr. Butler's pen, and behold they are nowhere.

Jesus doubtless thought that he was honored by a spiritual visitation "on the Mount of Transfiguration." Moses and Elias verily appeared to be there, with all the imperishable elements and faculties of their spiritual being. But according to Dr. Butler, they were not there at all; Jesus merely saw and

conversed with "visible forms," composed of common earth and air. In like manner all the saints who are said to have appeared at the time of the crucifixion are promptly dismissed or forbidden to show themselves, while their mortal remains, disorganized, corrupt, and corrupting, are made to crawl through six feet of kindred earth, and to stalk abroad on its green surface. It was not the departed saints who "appeared unto many," according to Dr. Butler, but only a number of soulless bodies, which very much resembled the saints themselves! To such unmitigated absurdity modern theologians are driven to get rid of the spirits. Like children frightened at a ghost, they rush headlong and blindly away, not pausing to consider whether, in order to cscape the phantoms, it be better to dive into a ditch or stumble over a wall.

These absurdities result not only from Dr. Butler's ignorance of the "Spiritual Manifestations," but from his careless and reckless reading of the Scriptures themselves. How else can we account for that bold and unqualified assertion, that there is not a single instance of a disembodied human spirit manifesting itself to man? What does he make of that portion of Revelation delivered to John on the Isle of Patmos, where he says,

And I, John, saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which showed me these things. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not; for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book worship God.

Here was a disembodied human spirit, one of the old prophets, called an angel-in other words, a messenger of God-sent to deliver to John, and through him to the world, the most important revelations ever made to man since the time of Christ. And yet this passage of Scripture is entirely overlooked or ignored by the reverend gentleman in his zeal to disprove the fact of a disembodied human spirit ever returning to earth! Why, every boy, whom his mother has taught to read the Scriptures, is perfectly cognizant of this fact, and would, without hesitation, cite it to disprove the position taken by Dr. Butler. How, then, are we to account for this apparent recklessness? Not that he has not capacity to understand so plain a portion of Scripture, for the position he occupies precludes that idea. Not that he would intentionally attempt to mislead

his hearers or his readers, for his character as a clergyman is presumptive evidence against that. It can only be accounted for by an oblivious memory, by which the passage had been wholly obliterated from his mind, the same as a partial obliteration caused him to say that "the rich man, in torment, desired that ABRAHAM might be sent to his brethren on earth," instead of Lazarus, as the Scripture account hath it!

It is with extreme mortification and humiliation that I am compelled thus to speak of Dr. Butler. He belongs to the Protestant Episcopal Church, to which, from my earliest manhood, I have been, and am still, devotedly attached. He is one of the professed guides of the church. How, then, could I be otherwise than mortified and humiliated when I heard from such a source the crudities and absurdities which he has put forth to enlighten a denomination of Christians who boast in their ministry some of the purest and brightest lights of this or any preceding age? The reverend gentleman showed, nay acknowledged, that he had never investigated the subject, and still undertakes to give opinions in regard to it as if it were as familiar to him as "household words."*

Dr. Butler undertakes to comment, in the most disparaging terms, on a communication purporting to come from DANIEL WEBSTER to myself and others through a writing medium. The communication will be found in the Appendix to Judge Edmonds' book on "Spiritualism," with the explanations in regard to the medium and the circumstances under which it was received. I pronounce that communication infinitely beyond the capacity of the medium, vastly beyond the capacity of those present, and far beyond the capacity of Webster himself in his best days on earth, because it contains a profundity and sublimity

"He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him."--Prov. xviii. 13. "The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge; but the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness."--Prov. XV. 14.

of thought beyond human conception! And still this sublime communication was characterized by the reverend gentleman, in his discourse as delivered, and after quoting from it, as "miserable twaddle!" I will not attempt to characterize the reverend gentleman's discourse by such language as that, because it is below my sphere. But I will say, that it shows a want of capacity to comprehend the sublime truths of that communication that is perfectly astonishing a communication that exhibits mind that would stand in comparison with his own as "Hyperion to a Satyr."

The concluding advice of the reverend gentleman to his "friends and brethren," is worthy of a passing remark. He said, "I earnestly entreat you, under the persuasion that it is a crime denounced by God, not to allow yourselves either to act as mediums, or to be present where others are professing to act as mediums, or in any way to countenance this dangerous delusion." When I heard this it carried me back to the dark ages, when ignorance and superstition covered the world like a pall; when the mind of man was enslaved by the dogmatism of priestly usurpation; when the soul of man-a spark of Divinity itself— was cramped and warped till it became the mere "counterfeit presentment" of that great and benevolent God in whose image man was made. I could not realize that we were now advanced beyond the middle of the nineteenth century, but fancied that the car of Time had rolled back until we were again enveloped in that "blackness of darkness," from which I fondly hoped the world had emerged forever.

A learned, and pious, and aged clergyman of the Protestant Episcopal Church, with a share of "common sense" not common to some of his brethren, once said to me, that he knew nothing of this subject; but, if he did not investigate it, he would say nothing about it; for, said he, if it be true, opposition can not stop it, and if it be not true, it will die of itself. Why, then, said he, shall we distract

our people and bring dissensions and divisions into the Church, and by our folly inflict wounds that can never be healed?

The spirit of this advice was the same as that of Gamaliel, a doctor of the law and president of the Sanhedrim, when the Jews were endeavoring to find cause to put Peter and the other Apostles to death. He said, "Refrain from these men, and let them alone; for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to naught; but if it be of God, ye can not overthrow it, lest haply ye be found. even to fight against God." Now these manifestations are either of men or of God. That they are of men, no one having a decent regard for his own reputation will pretend to assert. The day for the cry of imposture and delusion has gone by. That they are of God-that is, according to God's laws-no one can doubt who is familiar with the communications purporting to come from the spirit-world; for they are not only in accordance with God's laws, but are made—as I have abundantly shown-in the same manner that similar manifestations were made, as recorded in the sacred Scriptures. That they are from spirits, both good and evil, is proof of their spiritual source; for the same law that enables the good to communicate, enables the evil to communicate also. It may be asked, if they are from both good and evil spirits, how are we to distinguish the good from the evil? I answer, by the rule laid down in the First Epistle of John iv. 1, 2, 3: "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God. Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God; and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God." If the spirits did not hold intercourse with men, why should this warning be given and this rule be laid down by which to "try" them; which warning and which rule were delivered to