uch upon their stupidity, as to give them directions about the
management of their miraculous powers, which being matters of
fact known to themselves, therefore, if false, I conceived must
place Paul in their minds in the light of a banterer, when he told
them of gifts, which their own consciousness, I thought, must
make them sensible they had not. I say I was puzzled with this
argument, until I happened to meet with some extracts from
Brown's "History of the Shakers," which convinced me at once,
from the obvious likeness between these Shakers and the primitive
Christians, that Paul might have written to the Corinthians "
concerning their spiritual gifts," with perfect impunity.

This Brown had been a Shaker himself, and while with them, he
was as great a believer in his own and their gifts, as the Corinthians
could be; and since it must be obvious, that the gifts of these
Shakers are mere self-delusions, there is, then, in our own times an
example of the gifts of the primitive Christians, which enables us
to comprehend their nature and character perfectly well.

"Many of them," (the Shakers) says Mr. Brown, "professed to have
visions, and to see numbers of spirits, as plain as they saw their
brethren and sisters, and to look into the invisible world, and to
converse with many of the departed spirits, who had lived in the
different ages of the world, and to learn and to see their different
states in the world of spirits. Some they saw, they said, were
happy, and others miserable. Several declared, that they often were
in dark nights surrounded with a light, sometimes in their rooms,
but more often when walking the road, so strong, that they could
see to pick up a pin, which light would continue a considerable
time, and enlighten them on their way. Many had gifts to speak
languages, and many miracles were said to be wrought, and
strange signs and great wonders shown, by the believers.

And these poor creatures believed, and at this day do believe, all
this. They are not, you will observe, artful impostors, for the
Shakers are, certainly, a harmless and a moral people, and yet they
confidently asserted (and continue to assert), that they had these
miraculous powers of "discerning spirits, speaking with tongues,
and doing great signs and wonders" Nevertheless, it must be
evident, that these powers were conferred upon them only by their
enthusiasm and heated imaginations.

I have heard of the Shakers before, and have b