Gents Mag 1747 p.612

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	Gentleman's Magazine 1747 p.612 [ta]ken it into their heads to imagine there is no hell, at least that its punishments are not eternal, and that the devil, if there is such a being, hath nothing to do with the world; and, consequently, that there can be no such things as spirits. Whenever these immaterial beings are constrained to act in a more open manner than they chuse (for 'tis not th[e] interest of the devil to have it known there is such a being) these wise men are forced either to deny the facts, by accusing the relators of falshood, folly, or credulity, or impute them to other causes. Yet there is an old book, which I shall not name, lest it should be ranked with Glanville, or Amadis de Gaul; for in that old book the Sabeans and Chaldeans could not steal cattle, lightning kill some sheep, a high wind blow down a house, nor a man be troubled with boils, but all is imputed to the Devil; whereas, our modern philosophers would have found a thousand other causes for those misfortunes, in order to excuse that being. Shall I add, that that old book, to give a slight idea of the number of Daemons, asserts, that seven were cast out of one woman, and a legion from a man, &c. But, leaving that old book to itself, let us suppose one of our philosophers to see a regiment of dragoons reviewed in Hyde-Park: If asked what they were? might he not truly answer, that they were a company of spirits, confined for a time to inhabit material bodies of different forms and textures? And was he asked the same question, on sight of a number of animalcules, visible only thro' the assistance of microscopes, would not the same answer be a truth, tho' the bodies of these animalcules are almost as rarified as themselves? Nay, do we not know that there are several insects that change their shapes at times? Where then is the absurdity in supposing it possible for some spirits to appear for a short time in bodies still more refined, and capable of what shape they please, and when? And were this not the case, as who can prove it is not? is not the regularity of a regiment of men's exercise a greater wonder than that of spirits, who may well be supposed much wiser than mortal beings, who are more confined by their bodies than they? In short, if there are really a vast multitude of immaterial beings concerned in the affairs of the world as the said old book seems to assert, is not the denying their existence as great an absurdity as was theirs who denied the antipodes, because they had never seen them? And would not the allowing of such beings be a much easier and truer way to account for such appearances, than that of meteors, &c. P. S. It is pleasant to observe, that, notwithstanding the endeavours to discredit the being of spirits, there is hardly a person in England (I believe I may say the world) but hath either heard or seen one himself, or been acquainted with those that have: and was this rightly attended to, such apparitions would be reckoned no more supernatural than it is to see an American or East-Indian; the one being as much a work of creation as the other. But, because spirits are beings something above us, and we cannot account for all their actions, therefore we think there are no such things; but Death shall remove us from our material bodies, when we may perhaps view more fellow spirits than ever we saw fellow-mortals. ... ...
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