USA > Pennsylvania > Lancaster County > Ephrata > Chronicon ephratense : a history of the community of Seventh Day Baptists at Ephrata, Lancaster County, Penn'a. > Part 24
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their hands, and the third wife spoke the above-mentioned words over them; then the exercises closed with prayer.
After this act the spirit did not trouble this person any more. The opinions which were now and then passed on these occurrences we will leave untouched; but as the Superintendent clearly expressed his opinion on them, we will lay it before the friendly reader for further consideration; it was as follows:
I cannot help but say a little something about what hap- pened to me last night during my spiritual labor, especially since I expressed myself pretty plainly yesterday. In the first place, yesterday I had a very strange revelation to my spirit before the mercy seat, and in my usual manner, in the spirit of the prayer. I went to lie down to sleep at the proper time and woke up again at midnight, as, indeed, is commonly the case. I looked at once for the mercy seat and put my incense on the altar, and it filled my house. After a while I again lay down to rest on my bench, but soon I had to get up again in order to offer incense, so I took iny golden censer and made the fire burn high; but myself remained bent low to the earth in prayer and intercession for the oppressed and innocent, and that God might vindicate his great mercy, goodness and compassion towards the innocent, just as he had sought to vindicate his honor on the unrighteous through his righteousness.
After this sacrifice I lay down again to rest, slept for a while, and when I awoke looked around and waited in spirit for my watch-word; when it was told me that we labored in vain about this spirit; that we would be rid of it if the stolen goods were returned to their proper place; not indeed as the spirit had ordered, for then we would become partakers of its sins. For no part of them can be laid on the altar of God; it would not bring honor even to use them as alms, for it is written: "I hate robbery for burnt offering;" and again: Who restoreth to the debtor his pledge and payeth back what he hath robbed. Without this neither sacrifice nor prayer can be pleasing. It was further told me that if it were right, nobody could for conscience sake take away any of the money from the children for whom it was
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intended, for this would deprive the father of his honor and parental right, and they, the children, would rob themselves of the father's blessing, for it is written: "The father's blessing builds houses for the children, but the mother's wrath plucketh them down."
Now I will speak: It came to my mind, after deep reflec- tion, that N. N. is the first-born child, who in this affair is nearest related to the mother. If now this should be so, then she (of course, if the others agree to it), instead of the mother, should gather up all, and should lay the money away in an unclean place (he ineant a secretary) until seven periods had passed, and should give up the mother and try to gain the heart of the father, where thus far she had been a stranger through the mother's fault, and therefore could not fully love the father, which brings upon us the mother's wrath which plucketh down houses. For by such work the kingdom of heaven is not gained; and so likewise, as I understand it, the spirit had not had a hair to give for the kingdom of heaven while it was in its body, and had nothing else to do but to torment innocent hearts, and so assist in the evil design, etc.
If the dear heart, N. N., cannot agree to this as above explained, to give up her mother with her evil doings and try instead to lay hold of the father's heart, which has as it is been sufficiently wronged by the mother, then it may happen that good fortune will not be with her in her future course, for the mother's curse destroys it. Should it, however, come to pass that the money could be disposed of as explained, and the spirit should continue to lay any claim to it, then we must do what we can. I also considered whether the spirit would not have lost its right if the money were only kept at those same places where the deceased had put it. F., One who Possesses
Nothing on the this Earth.
The history and revelations of Catharine Hummer follow now in order of time, and although we may have no right to connect them with this chronicle, especially since they began outside of this Community, they, nevertheless, deserve to find a place here, partly because they are edifying and
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partly because the Superintendent esteemed the person worthy of his favor; the account however is taken from her own confessions and is as follows:
While sitting in the kitchen near the fire on the night of October 3d, 1762, between ten and eleven o'clock, somebody knocked at the door. I looked out, but nobody was there. It soon knocked again, and I again went out but found nobody. At last it knocked the third time, and going out and looking about I saw an angel standing at my right hand, who said: "Yes, my friend, it is midnight and late; the hour of midnight is approaching; alas, what shall I say? love has grown cool among the members. Oh, that this were not so among those who are Brethren in the faith!" Then he sang, that it echoed through the skies, and. I thought it inust be heard far and wide. When he had ceased, I said: "Shall I go in and tell my friends that they may rejoice with ine?" He said: "No; they have lain down." I said: "They are not asleep." He said: "Yes, they sleep." Then I kept silence and thought, how well I feel, how well I feel! Thereupon the angel began to sing: "How well I feel, how well I fell, when our God doth show himself in spirit to my soul, so that within I leap and jump for joy, and bring all praise and honor to the Lord, although the tongue oft silence keeps." At the middle of the verse he told me to join in the singing; then he knelt down and I with him; he prayed fer- vently and beautifully for the salvation of believers. Now I wept for joy, and he dried iny tears; but I dared not touch him. Then I said: "Shall I go and tell my friends?" He laid his hands upon my shoulders and answered, "My dear child, they are asleep." I said: "My dear friend, they just now lay down, they do not sleep." After this we again commenced to sing: "The children of God indeed sow in sorrow and in tears; but at last the year yieldeth what they long for; for the time of the harvest cometh, when they gather the sheaves, and all their grief and pain is turned to pure joy and laughter." Then I again said: "Shall I go in and tell iny fatlier that he may rejoice with ine?" He said: "No, all your friends are asleep, and their hearts also want to sleep." Then I wept bitterly, and the angel asked: "Why do you weep?" I
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answered: "I have committed many sins and often grieved my Saviour." He said: "Do not weep, your Saviour forgave you your sins, for he knows that you have gladly listened to the good, and that you did not delight in the great- ness of this world, that you have no pride in your heart, and that you have kept lowly company with the believers." Then the angel and I began to sing: "Who knows what shall come, what shall be our lot, when the Lord one day his own will take, his chaste bride so full of honor; he hath already known her in his mind, she follows well his guiding hand and much augments his honor." Then we knelt and prayed again, and he prayed for the sinners. Then I asked for the fourth time: "Shall I go in and call my friends ?" He said: "This is asked once too often; do you not know that the Saviour awakened his disciples three times ?" I said: "This is too much;" and I wept. He said: "Weep not," and I kept silent. Then we began to sing: "O blessed he will be who shall enter in with me the realms of bliss; it surely is but right that we should here below us always well prepare." Then the angel began to speak and said: "My dear child. did you ever see such ungodly display ?. Did you notice the daughters of Jerusalem walking about in gay calico, of which things they have mnuch on earth. They will be sent down to the wicked if they do not turn back, for they will
not enter the kingdom of God; and there is still a great deal of this godless display upon earth; they will be shown down into hell. Then the Lord will say: Depart from ine, ye sin- ners! I know you not! And then you will burn to all eternity and will be tormented from everlasting to everlasting."
Then he ceased to speak of these things, and we again began to sing: "They all will see at once with pleasure and joy the beauties of the heavenly realm; and the beautiful throng will walk two by two on Zion's meadows." Then, for the third time, we knelt down on the ground and he prayed about the sufferings and the death of the Saviour, and then we got up. Now he said to ine: "Go in and lie down;" and said: "Hallelujah! hallelujah in Christ Jesus! Amen." Then he ascended towards heaven and spoke in a loud voice, so that it reached to heaven: "Father, father, faithful
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father!" and called out three times in a loud voice say- ing: "I ascend into heaven." I looked after him until he disappeared from my sight; then I went in and lay down.
After this I lay in a trance for the greater part of seven days and nights, so that my spirit was separated from the body. In this state I was led through strange conditions and dwelling places of spirits, and I saw such wonderful things that I greatly hesitate to reveal them. After this it became quite customary for me to talk with good spirits and angels, and also to be transferred in spirit out of my visible body into heavenly principalities, just as if it had happened bodily. The Al- mighty God in his inercy also allowed me to translate myself in spirit into eternity as often as I wished, either by day or night, and there to see, hear and touch the divine wonders. My body was always as if asleep until my spirit returned. I wandered through indescribable habitations of the blessed, and saw innumerable hosts; and once I was told their 111111- ber, but I could not remember it. Oh, what joy and happi- ness did I there behold! There you feel a bliss that is inexpressible and cannot be described. Now I will describe a few of the divine wonders which Jesus Christ, who had joined me and was my guide into eternity, revealed to me.
In the year 1762, on November 12th, my spirit was taken from this visible creation, and out of my body, up into invisi- ble eternity. There I saw all the prophets and apostles, together with all the saints and patriarchs, and heard one of them say these words to the pious: Hallelujah, hallelujah, highly praised, highly honored; gather ye pious, gather all ye pious to the great supper; rejoice ye all and triumphantly declare how kindly the Lord leads you. To the godless the Lord will say: Depart ye wicked, I do not know you, go with him whom ye have followed. Then they will try to excuse themselves and implore the Lord, but he will say to them: Depart from me, ye evil-doers. And the Saviour then will say: Come, all ye pious, to the great supper. And they will hasten with gladness, and triumphantly shout and say: Highly, highly be praised the Lord's precious name! Then they will walk two and two on the meadows of Zion; then they will walk even by fours. Oh, how will the pious rejoice
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when the Saviour says: Come hither, ye pious! Then they will hasten by fours, and the gross, godless sinners, by hun- dreds, and on the middle path by sixties; and the unbelieving children, under seven years old, by twenties on the middle path. Then they are again divided on the middle path. What is here said about three paths is to be understood as follows: We human beings know what is meant by morn- ing, noon, evening and midnight; in the same way this is also to be understood in the other realın. A great water runs from Noon between Morning and Midnight which divides the earthly from the eternal realın. When man dies and leaves this earthly realm he imagines himself alive and does not know anything of his having died, and yet finds himself a stranger on earth. Then he comes to a great road that leads from Evening towards Morning; after he has travelled some distance on this road a broad road branches off to the left, leading to damnation and hell. The road ascends a little until it reaches a certain height, when it suddenly descends, and there hundreds on hundreds are travelling. But on the road which leads towards Morning there sixties on sixties are travelling; this road leads to the water mentioned, but the other one, alinost directly towards Noon, brings you to the water sooner. On this road none but adults walk towards the temple of Mount Zion. Then the angel said: "And then the Lord will say: Come ye pious and baptized, who have persevered to the end, come over here; come, you are bap- tized and have persevered to the end." Again the angel spoke: "Behold the five chosen ones! Oh, how glorious and how mighty! Behold the Father, and the Son, and those three with him, God Abraham, God Isaac, and God Jacob!" And one of the three went into the water and baptized (what is not fulfilled here in this time minst and inevitably will be ful- filled in the time to come). And the Saviour and the Father stood on the other side of the water, and the Saviour called the innocent by name, one after the other, to go in. Those who had here repented and believed in baptism he also called in. But those who had transgressed the Word of God, after having been baptized on earth, they must tarry at the water until they have repented anew. Those whom the world had
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bought, and who clung to it with their hearts, they must anew repent upon earth, for they must wait by the water and listen to what the Father preaches to them. These two, the Father and the Son, stood together on the other side. Then they also came to the water and preached, the Father to the godless, the Son to the pious. Now the pious also went into the water and were baptized, and the Saviour called to them to cross also; and they were glad and joined in the triumphant shout of the angels; and the angels stood in the water up to their hearts. I will yet add something important about baptismn. I know a man, it is not necessary to mention his name, who when he died and came to the water was told that before he might cross he would have to be baptized. He answered that he liad been baptized in his infancy, and had always thought that immersion was not so essential. Then he heard the words: Jesus too was circumcised on the eighth day, and nevertheless was also baptized in his thirtieth year; therefore he would have to follow, and so indeed he did. I saw him moreover until he had crossed.
After they liad come out of the water they went away from it, the Father first, then the Saviour and the Three, and after them the angels. The further they went the more beautiful it was, bright and shining. These five sat down, then the baptized, then the angels singing most charmingly. The Saviour preached the Gospel; he did not preach as he had to the Jews in their synagogues. And after he had preached the Gospel, he also preached faith. Then they stood up and prayed mightily and gloriously, and Jesus told the pious to go their way, and they all departed; but the five chosen ones returned again to the water, and the angels accom- panied them, and did as they had done before at the water. But the multitude of the pious, whoin Jesus told to go their way, numbered one hundred; they departed and were pre- pared. Then one of the Three went into the water, and also the angels up to their hearts. Then the Lord of inno- cence called out and said: "Come hither ye innocent, ye must be baptized." Then they will hurry into the water and be baptized; and when they come out, the Lord will call to them: "Come over here!" and they will go to the
T
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Five. But those who are baptized here, and fall away again, but repent again and are converted during their lifetime, to them the Father will say, when after death they come to the water: "Halt, halt!" and will preach to them and tell them what they have done; but the Saviour will preach to the pious. Then the Saviour will say: "Come also into the water, you must be baptized again;" then they will go into the water and be called over to the other side, shining and glorious in their beauty. Thereupon they all will rejoice witlı shouts and jubilation, because the Lord has led theil so kindly. But to those who but half repented the Lord will say: "Depart, depart, depart from the middle road!" And when those come who here on earth stood by themselves, the Lord will say to them: "Depart from me, I know you not!" He will say: "No standing alone availeth here!" and they will be turned off with the godless.
Then the Saviour will say: "Come ye pious, rejoice and triumphantly shout, because the Lord leads you so kindly;" and he who baptized in the water said to ine: "Behold Peter, and John, and James!" They were of the same de- gree; Peter and John had friendly countenances. Peter said to ine: "Are you glad that your spirit will soon depart?" I said: "Yes, my friend, I am very glad." I sighed: "Come, Jesus, take me up." I was so happy, my heart was never quiet. Peter said: "Yes, my dear child, you shall soon join the five chosen ones." He continued: "They may keep your body, but not your spirit; I shall soon bring you up to me, as soon as your spirit departs from you; but your friends will sleep, and not see it." I spoke: "I am glad, my heart is never quiet; soon I shall rejoice and shout in triumph, because the Lord so kindly leads me." I was very glad that I had seen the believers in eternity; but my heart was very sad as they took leave of me; and yet I was glad, and hoped to see them again in eternity. It also gave me much joy that two of them returned with me to the water. Then one of them spoke: "The Lord will say to them that are exalted: Go down, you stood high in the world, you must now be made low; you were not satisfied with shelter and food. But to the humble he will say: Ye must be raised up, you
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were low upon the earth. But woe to them who purchase the world; they must go with the godless. Oh, how will the humble rejoice! for those who purchased the world and are citizens thereof, they will cry woe! over themselves; hallelu- jah, amen." When I came to this side of the water I began to sing: I shall love my Jesus until I am carried to the grave, and until he shall awaken mne, and they shall write on my coffin: Jesus is my hope and my light; I my Jesus shall never leave.
Anno 1762, on December 6th, my spirit was again carried out of this visible creation and frame of flesh, up into the in- visible eternity, again to hear something new. Then one spoke the following words, and spoke very loudly to those in heaven and on earthı: "Rejoice and shout triumphantly, you will soon be led to your rest; rejoice with might, ye pious, you soon will find your rest. Hallelujah, rejoice with might! High, high, as high as you can extol, rejoice ye all and triumphantly shout, for the Lord so kindly leads you! Oh, how glorious and how mighty! Rejoice ye all and shout in triumph: come all ye pious, come to the great supper! Hio! lio! hallelujah! Oh, how glorious and how mighty; rejoice ye all and shout in triumph; soon all the pious and all the lowly will find their rest! Oh, what joy! oh, what delight! rejoice ye all and shout in triumph, hallelujah, hal- lelujah! Come ye pious, come ye all, come to the great sup- per!"' The angel further spoke to me: "Behold the angels without number, behold how splendid and shining; behold how they protect the pious on earth! Oh, how glorious and how mighty! Who can number the angels who sit above and protect the pious on earth? Rejoice ye all and shout in triumph, the Saviour will come soon to take home all the pious, and with him his angels in white array; then heaven shall be barred. Hallelujah, hallelujah, rejoice with might ye pious, you soon will come to your rest! High, high, extol as high as you can! High, high as he can be extolled! Rejoice ye all and shout in triumph! Oh, how glad the pious will be! Oh, how blessed are they who believe that the Saviour died for the world and who are baptized in His name," etc.
On December 13th my immortal spirit was again carried
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up to eternity, and again heard the voice of a watchman resound aloud like a trumpet; the sound seemed to go through all the heavens and the earth. He again spoke: "Oh, how glorious and how mighty! Rejoice ye all and shout in tri- umph; behold how the Lord so kindly leads you! Rejoice with might, all ye pious, and ye pious all at once, come to the great supper!" etc., etc.
I find that these visions continued at least till April, 1765. . The father of this person was a respected Baptist preacher. He, because he also had a great desire to build churches, made use of this circumstance and travelled through the coun- try with his daughter, baptizing and preaching God's king- dom, whereby many were awakened from their spiritual sleep, somne of whom he baptized in the stream Codorus, at York- town. It is beyond description how quickly this awakening spread through the country; people came from a distance of more than sixty miles to the house of the above-mentioned Hummer, so that the too numerous visitors emptied these good people's house and barn of their provisions. Night services were then arranged, to which people came every night; but if some tried to steal in from impure motives, the Instrument1 was so keen to find it out that they were exposed and excluded from the service. That at the same time mnost charming hymns were sung by angels in the air, I give on the authority of those who allege that they heard them. Catharine Hummer, before mentioned, and her sisters, showed from the very beginning of this awakening a par- ticular esteem for the Solitary in the Settlement; therefore it was hoped that this awakening would be of great advan- tage to Ephrata; for as the Superintendent with a consider- able following of the Solitary was at this time officiating at the altar in this region, these daughters invited them to visit their house, and entertained them in Christian love, even without their parents' knowledge, who at the time were not particularly favorable to the visitors. May God repay them for this faithfulness on the day of judgment, because they without fear went to meet the reproach of Christ and sheltered under their roof such scourings of the world.
1 [Catharine Hummer.]
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Thereupon it came to pass that two of them, namely, the chief person, Catharine, and her sister, Maria, paid a visit to the Solitary at a time when there was a service at the altar, so that they were initiated into its mystery, which produced great excitement in the whole Settlement as well as in the Congregation, because the hope was entertained that such respectable lasses would help to make up the church of the 144,000 virgins of the Lamb, that so the new world might the sooner become manifest. These matters at last induced the Superintendent to write an edifying letter to the Instru- ment, in which he, with his usual modesty, spoke in a very Christian way of this movement, and laid before this person certain signs by which to recognize whether the Spirit of Jesus Christ were its impelling force. He wrote as follows: " If our beloved and respected friend, or rather Sister, C. H., wishes to be fully assured of the spirit of her divine youth, or of what she has further to expect of the whole affair which happened to her, then let her preserve right relations with her virginity. If so be that the Princess on the throne is using her sceptre in this affair, then let her be of good cheer, the matter is all right, and no doubt concerning it need arise in all eternity; for the Virgin never deceives, be- cause she is the mother of the eternal Wisdom, through which all things were created. If, however, the Virgin should have to lose her princely hat through the affair tlien it may be a result of the official or judging spirit of the fallen angel, administering his office for good and ill over the apostate life. But he does not get into the city of God or the New Jerusalem with his office, but has to live and lodge out- side the boundaries of Israel; and at last will even be 11tterly expelled, when the mother-church or the church of the Holy Spirit shall wield the sceptre and the kingdom. Then, of course, all the offices created by the fallen prince of angels shall be abolished."
But it appears that after the above-mentioned person had changed her state and inarried, the spirit retired into its chambers again and the whole work stopped and fell into decay, which is usually the case with all angelic visions and revelations. May God grant that it may turn into a plentiful harvest in eternity.
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