Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1858-11-24
RALEIGH, NoRTH &ARoLINA,


menduous effort was made to draw her In
to it; but she felt lerself safe under the
protection of her gI@dian angel. She re-
cognised many in lie place Of torment
whom she had knot Il on earth, and even
some who had beens thought good Chris
tians. There were rinces and peasants,
rich and poor, learncA and unlearned, writh-
ing together in ont Dreadful unquenchable
fire, where all cart y distinctions and IT,
ties were forever aatn end. Among them
she beheld a Miss r. who had occu-
pied a prominent q ton, but had died du-
ring tie trance cluases 0ung woman. She
said that when MIS- sSSI- saw her ap-
proach, her shrieks were appalling beyond
the power of language to describe, and
that she made desperate butsunsuccessful
effort to escape. The punishment of lost
souls she represented as symbelizing the
sins which had occasioned their
condemnation. Miss W, for instance,
was condemned for her love of money,
which | had every reason to believe was
her besetting sin; and she seemed robed
in garment of gold, all on fire. Mr..
o., whom she saw, was lost through
intemperance and he appeared to be pun
lshed by devils, administering to him some
boiling liquid. She said there was no sym
pathy among those unhappy spirits, but
that unmixed hatred, in all its frightful
FORMS prevailed in every part of the fiery
regions. She beheld parents and children,
husbands and wives, and those who had
been companions in sin, exhibiting every
mark of deep hatred to each others socie-
ty, and heard them in fendish accents up
braiding and bitterly cursing one another.
She saw nothing in hell but misery and
despair; and heard nothing there but the
most discordant sounds, accompanied with
weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of
teeth. While she gazed upon this revol-
ting scene, many souls arrived from earth,
and were greedily seized by innumerable
devils of monstrous shape, amidst horrid
shouts of hellish triumph, and tortured ac-
cording to their crimes
This fearful view Of the state of the lost
agrees with the testimony of S. T., whose
case is on record in Mr.. Wesley's Journals
She tells US that while in her trance, the
place of the condemned was unveiled, and
she ''saw vast number who stood up cur
sing and blaspheming God, and splitting at
each other. And many were making balls
of fire, and throwing them at one another"
She also "saw masy others who had cups
of fire, out of wffi3R they were drinking
down flames; and Others who held cards
of fire in,- their hands, and seemed to be
playing with them"
From the gates Of hell Miss D. was
conducted to another position, whence she
had view of heaven and hell, and earth !:
she described earth as appearing like a
vast stage crowded with human beings, and
full of confusion and blood. From this
stage persons were continually stepping on;
and others were rapidly approaching its
edge, and would very soon disappear,
amongst whom was Mrs. L, an init
mate friend of ours, who died fortnight
afterward. Other persons whom she named,
were represented as near the edge of the
stage; and although quite we'll when she
made this communication, did in every case
shortly afterward leave this probationary
state. One of the days in which Miss
D lay entranced was the holy Sabbath;
and she told US that she knew where l and
my colleague preached on that day from
, each chapel she perceived holy incense rise
which she described as mingIing together
3 and coming up before the throne; then ia
!. ken by the Saviour and presented to the
r Father, while angels and all the compa
e ny of heaven rejoiced together. She also
t stated, that during one of Mrs. Young
: visits to the house where she lay entranced
e she saw her sitting by her bedside, reading
r to the family chapter out of St. Johns
t Gospel, and then saw her kneel down ant
e pray with them. She likewise gave us t.
: understand, that matter, under none of it
t forms or notifications, is any interruption
d to the vision or movements of spiritual be
! ings.
: She was next taken to place where sh
d saw the moral state of the world symbo
e lized. A female, holding prominent sit
!, uation in the church; was represented as sit
d ting under tree of most luxuriant and beau
d tiful foliage, with long tube in her mouth
\ by which she was drawing people to hel
d and the conducting angel informed Mis-
d D that the tube indicated the powe
rs of this females persuasive language, the fc
.e liage of the tree her religious profession
at and its trunk the state of her heart. @
m looking at the trunk, she beheld that il
Sc core was rotten, and full of venomous reE
d; tiles. Miss D told this to the fema
to in question; and from the unchristian ten
of per she manifested on the occasion, an
Be her subsequent conduct, she fully prove
es the correctness of the representation Al
n other female, professor of religion, high
st respected for her apparent piety, was re-
er resented to her as having yielded to tenn
It's tation, and withdrawn her heart from Go
4r- and when her backsliding was announce
or in the world of spirits, Miss D locke
he towards the Saviour and thought she pc
er ceived the appearance of blood tricklir
er. from his wounds, as if "crueifed afresh
ce (Heb. vi. 6.r When Miss D--was
of our house, she sent for this female, and,
it. the presence of Mrs. Young and myse
he told her the above; and, according to b
ss- penitential acknowledgment, but to cur t
ed ter astonishment, it was a correct view
in her spiritual state. Miss D. had lik
ID. wise the moral condition and perilous G
zee cumstances of young man brought befo
he her. He was in possession of religion. "
e represented as assailcd by very plausiI
lfonnn+at;on ond woDld male .h;r-rool-