Excerpt from The "Ministry of Angels" Realized: A Letter to the Edwards Congregational Church, Boston

Some months subsequently to this, we were led again-to at tempt the investigation, under circumstances more favorable to arriving at a satisfactory conclusion. At this time, public atten tion was beginning to be turned somewhat extensively to the subject, and many were yielding credence to these marvels, as the precursors or attestations of a new dispensation of divine truth. Te felt that if these things were from the Spirit of Evil, that fact could and ought to be ascertained and exposed and that it did not become those who profess to have had their minds enlightened, and their spiritual perceptions quickened to discern between truth and error, between evil and good, to sit by with folded hands, and not attempt to rescue from this-new 'snare of the devil, ' those who were being 'taken captive by him at his will.' It must first, however, be proved to be a snare of the devil, lest, in our efforts at rescue, we should 'be found even to fight against God' (acts 5: This proof could not be obtained without a candid personal exami; nation, and such we resolved to make, as the only basis of a rational conviction.

The results of the first interview were of the most surprising, yea, astounding character. An intelligence, claiming to be the spirit of a venerated parent, who had long since passed within the veil, manifested its presence, and addressed to one of us a com munication glowing with parental affection, and breathing the very spirit of the upper realm. This was accompanied by the statement of a number of facts pertaining to his earthly life, none of which, we were fully satisfied, could have been known to any person bodily present, except the inquirer, and some of them un known even to him. Although the investigation had been ap proached with minds on the alert, and perceptions sharpened, to detect collusion, imposture, deception, or diabolism in any of its forms, no trace of them could be perceived; all was conducted with evident frankness and candor, on the part of those con cerned and no solution of the mystery was then arrived at, and no adequate one has since been offered, which does not recognize the agency of invisible intelligent beings. A trumpet-blast from the clouds could scarcely have been more startling to our pre judices and unbelief, than was that message from the hidden world. For days it seemed as if a voice from heaven was indeed ringing in our astonished ears, and never were our souls more deeply stirred than by that solemn exhortation to 'lead a life of holiness and sobriety on earth,2 that we might receive the 'crown of glory' and the Divine benediction when we should enter upon the life to come.

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