Future Life: as Described and Portrayed by Spirits thru Mrs. Elizabeth Sweet
by Elizabeth Sweet
1869

FROM THE INTRODUCTION

At an early period of my investigations into spiritual intercourse, when I was but an inquirer and by no means a believer, I was invited to join a circle which had weekly meetings at the house of Mrs. Fish, the eldest of the Fox family. I accepted the invitation, and met there some five or six persons, male and female, all strangers to me.

After a few meetings, Mrs. Fish introduced two new members to the circle, Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert Sweet, alike strangers to me. They were very quiet and unobtrusive in their manners, and I soon discovered that they were very earnest and honest seekers after the truth. But I had no idea, nor had they, that there was any mediumship about either of them.

At that time, my official duties compelled me to be absent from the city one month out of every three. On one occasion, when I returned from such an absence, I was informed at the next meeting of our circle, that Mrs. Sweet had begun to be developed as a medium. The fact itself, and the manner in which it was told to me, interested me at once.

In the course of the evening this development began to show itself, but in a manner that was very repulsive to me.

Our circle had been uniformly orderly and decorous, and Mrs. Sweet was one of the most gentle, modest, and retiring among them. But on this occasion she was influencedto jump up from her chair and run around the room, gesticulating vehemently, and speaking in a loud voice, entirely alien to her usual manner. The exhibition was so repulsive to me, that I arose to leave the room. I threw my cloak around my shoulders, and then paused a moment, looking at the scene. While I was doing this she came up to me, and in a loud tone said, "You don't like this?" I answered, "No; I do not, indeed." At once the manifestation ceased, and she resumed her seat, and all was quiet again. Then through the rappings it was said, that they, would influence her more quietly in future.

At the next meeting of our circle she was again influenced, and in a similar manner, though perhaps with less vehemence. I at once spoke, "Is this what you call influencing her more quietly?" If she had been knocked down with a club, the manifestation could not have ceased more suddenly. From that time we had no more of that rudeness, but every thing that came from her had all the gentleness and modesty that so eminently characterized her.

I was then too much of a novice to know what I afterward learned, that this violence, which mediums at times displayed, was owing to their own opposition and resistance to the influence, and was necessary not only to overcome such resistance, but also to show the mediums that it was a power out of and beyond themselves. I have often found, in other cases as well as hers, that it was harder for the mediums—those especially who knew nothing of the philosophy of the subject to realize and acknowledge the presence of the power, than it was for the uninfluenced spectator.

In her case, it was the work of time to overcome her doubts and her reluctance, but finally, through her own singleness and purity of purpose, and the judicious action of her husband, she became one of the best trance and speaking mediums I have ever seen.
This occurred in the early part of 1852, but our circle continued at Mrs. Fish's until after I went South for the benefit of my health, in December of that year.

In the mean time, I was in the habit of visiting her and her husband two or three times a week at their house, and never without receiving a communication from the spirits through her. Sometimes I went alone, and sometimes I had persons with me, but we formed no regular circle, for so complete was her development that no aid from a circle was necessary. And so far did her development progress, that it became no longer necessary to put her into a trance, which had been previously necessary to prevent the operation of her own mind from interfering with the spirit's thoughts.

Those thoughts came from her with great freedom and accuracy, the language uniformly good and much beyond what would be expected from her education, using at times words very pertinent to the matter in hand, but which she hesitated to speak because she had never heard them before, tittering sentiments from which she strenuously dissented, and giving expression to trains of thought far beyond the reach of any on which her mind had ever dwelt.

I was in the habit of writing down with great care what was thus uttered, and ore long her husband adopted the same practice, and so committed to writing many communications given when I was not present.

In this manner was preserved a great mass of spirit teachings of much interest and value. But it was not thus alone that such teachings through her were received and preserved.