1939. Souls are spirits; for when a man dies, he becomes a spirit. Thus he can also be present to man, which was evinced to me by much experience; for there were with me many of those known to me in the life of the body, and that, too, for a very considerable period, even for days, weeks, and months, which they in like manner confessed, supposing that they thus returned into the body or into the world. Without reflection granted them that they were spirits, and were separated [from men in the flesh], and that, upon their removal, others had succeeded in their place, they would not be able to know that they were spirits. Very many who had departed life but a little while before, were with me, which I could discover as much from their stupor as from other indications. - 1748, May 12.)