The surprising case of Rachel Baker, who prays and preaches in her sleep : with specimens of her extraordinary performances taken down accurately in short hand at the time ; and showing the unparalleled powers she possesses to pray, exhort, and answer questions, during her unconscious state : the whole authenticated by the most respectable testimony of living witnesses / by Charles Mais, of the city of New-York, stenographer.

  • Mais, Charles.
Date:
1814
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The surprising case of Rachel Baker, who prays and preaches in her sleep : with specimens of her extraordinary performances taken down accurately in short hand at the time ; and showing the unparalleled powers she possesses to pray, exhort, and answer questions, during her unconscious state : the whole authenticated by the most respectable testimony of living witnesses / by Charles Mais, of the city of New-York, stenographer. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    30 the last days, saith God, I* will pour out of my spirit upon all flesh, and jour sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams, and on my servants, and on my handmai- dens I will pour out in those days, of my spirit and they shall prophesy. Q. Have you reason to believe that you have an interest in this Jesus of whom you have just been speaking ? A. I must acknowledge I have many doubts and fears. When I view the unholy exercises of my sinful heart, when I see my short comings in duty, my want of sufficient love to God, neglect, of religious duties, and murmurings against the dealings of Providence towards me, I am sometimes led to doubt whether I have any interest in the redemption of Christ. But, at other times, when I remember, that, if I had never received divine grace, I should not love God at all, J. should not grieve that I love him so little, I should not mourn for my iniquities and short-comings in duty. I am con- strained to say, that I have a hope of an interest in Jesn- Dcscriplion of this young woman, and her exercises by an intelligent gentleman, at Cayuga, in March 1814, I went last evening with our friends S. and H. to hear the famous female somniloquisi, or sleep-talker, of whom I said something in my last. We went at an early hour, that we might have an opportunity of conversing with her while waking, and of laying in stores for scepticism ! she is a plump, hale country lass of nineteen, rather above the mid- dle size ; of a smooth, equal, vacant tranquility of visage, without mental vivacity or vigor. You would pronounce her eye to he good ; but it is unsteady, wild and capricious, with an unusual, if you please say sickly, dilation of the pu- pil. She is taciturn and diffident, with a heavy, languid drawl of utterance, which pains you. Our conversation was of a critical cast; run mostly upon facts relating to herself; her parentage, nativity, age, edu- cation, health, accidents, religion, &c. and the amazing un- conscious faculty of talking in her sleep. She followed all our questions in a regular pace, she anticipated nothing, but on the last head spoke with reluctance, and in a manner which betrayed a deep sensibility cf her misfortune. It