for interior communications, you must become absolutely true in every thought, feeling, and affection—become absolutely pure in every desire and aspiration of your souls—become absolutely just in all your relations of life, so that morning, noon, and night you shall be inquiring and thirsting after righteousness. Such an individual will not need any outward signs to convey truth to him. But the person disposed to live in the outward world, to live in the enjoyment of his appetites and lustful affections, will require representations, if he ever believes in Spirits. He has to be addressed as a physical or sensuous being. If he ever believes in a future life, the Spirits have got to come and rap him over his head. These outward manifestations are designed to say to the sordid atheist, to the materialist, to the religious worldling, "You have a soul." It is for this reason that there is speaking with tongues, and that all the wonderful works are wrought in your midst. That is what makes Mr. Davenport's circles necessary for the vast majority of the citizens of New York. They are not sufficiently developed to understand Spiritual truth. These manifestations are necessary. They are not calculated to make you wise, but they can startle you, and prompt you to investigate; and they can give you such direction as will prepare you to enter into a higher and holier investigation of your relation to the world and to the Divine Father. It makes little difference whether they lie or tell the truth, provided they satisfy you that you have souls. If they were always to tell you the truth, you would be too dependent upon them. You have intellectual faculties—exercise them, and you will never
