first teachers in infidelity; that they had studied and taught infidelity for twenty years. They had made God out a liar; Jesus an imposter; the Holy Ghost a myth; the Bible a fable. He tried to believe man died like the ox and had no soul. He said that he lay in a trance three different times—struck down by the power of God. He did not know then what it was and would not be convinced, but now he knew it was the power of God. He met Ingersoll in 1850. In 1857, he had the first trance. He lay fourteen hours and it seemed to him that he had died and was buried. He knew when his spirit had left the body for the grave. He saw his friends weeping over the grave, heard them preach his funeral, saw them place the coffin in the grave, fill up the grave, and return to their homes. God did this to show him that he had a spirit that would never die or lose its identity, but he would not believe. Years after he fell in another trance that lasted twenty-two hours. His spirit left the body, was carried away to heaven, and he saw millions and millions of human beings, all clothed in pure white. He heard the sweetest music, saw most beautiful flowers, and the city with its beauty and grandeur. He could not describe it all. This time he had his identity. His spirit had perfect freedom and liberty: Still he drove off conviction and continued to contend with the Almighty. God came to him again in a vision, showed him the condition of the saints of God in eternity, after this world and everything in it has passed away. He saw the new earth—everything was new and beautiful—adapted to the use and enjoyment of the ransomed army of the Lord.
The first heaven, the real city of God that he hath prepared for his redeemed children will come down and be set in the new earth—something like Washington City is to the United States. God’s children will not be confined to the Beautiful City. The whole new earth will be our inheritance. Our bodies will be light, our capacities so great that there will be no limit to our knowledge. We will be continually exploring new beauties and treasures in the wonderful works of our Father.
And you who call yourselves unbelievers or infidels, trying to make yourselves believe a lie, God have mercy on your souls and help you to see your danger before he permits you to believe a lie, and be forever damned.
At the close of the last meeting, it was requested that we
