SEERS OF THE AGES:

EMBRACING

S P I R I T U A L I S M ,

PAST AND PRESENT .

DOCTRINES STATEDANDMORAL TENDENCIES DEFINED.

B Y J . M . P EE B L E S .

I have stolen the golden k eys of th e Egyptians ; I will indu lge my sacredfury —Karma .

Old and new make the warp and woof of every moment . Th e h ighest statemen t of new ph i losophy complacen t ly caps i tsel f w ith some propheticmaximfrom th e oldest learning. Th ere is someth ing mort ifying in th is perpetualcircle—~EMERSON.

Mas ter mind and you mas ter th e u n iverse.—PEM BEE LENDAN'X

‘A.

I t doth not yet appear what we shal l b e.—APOSTLE J OHN.

FOURTH EDITION.

LONDON : J . B URN S , PROGRE S S IVE L IB RARY,

1 5 SOUTHAMPTON ROW, W.C.

B OS TON : WILL IAM WHITE AND COMPANY,

BANNER or LIGHT OFFICE 1 58 WASH INGTON STREET.

To T H E fi N G L IS H JR E A D E R .

THE great cordiali ty and interest with wh ich our labours have been received inGreat Britain , and th e increasing demand for facts and th ough ts on th e pheno

mena and tendencies of Spir itualism, have indu ced u s to accede so far to th e

requ est of many acqu aintances,and the wishes of the friends of Spirituali sm

generally, as to grant an Engl ish edi tion of “ THE SEERS OF THE AGES .

”

Th e price has been fixed so as to m eet the wants of almost every reader, and mu chlower than it cou ld possibly b e imported fromAmerica. It is not yet twelvemonthssince the first edition appeared, and if the present step in creases the u sefulness ofthe work, and proves an aid to th e inqui ring mind, th en shal l we feel recompensed

for our risk and trouble in preparing th is issu e.

J . M . P .

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1 869, byJAMES M. PEEB LES ,

In the Clerk’

s Offi ce of th e District Court of the District ofMassachusetts

R E E T IN G

TO THE

UR E P I R I T O F A R O NJD

F J“

Love is immortal. Golden is the chain that unites the past'

withthe present . More beau tifu l is the spirit-blossom for the sweet lovebudding of earth . Precious in Spirit-h istory is Yorkshire, Englandnot so mu ch for thy noble descen t and clerical cu ltu re

,as for thy

happy home there, whose first memories of incarnate life, maternallypu re, cling to thy sou l as lingering melodies from inspired minstrels .

Passing early through the pale-curtained doorway of death

,to thy

“ Pear Grove Cottage, in the upper kingdoms of immortality, rapidand rythmic has been thy march of progress .

Though gathering pearls of knowledge from the risen seers of India ,Syria and Greece, storing thy receptive natu re with those heaven lytru ths and divine experiences that abound so fu ll and free for all in theeverg reen gardens of the Infinite

— thou hast not forgotten thy mortalbrothers and sisters

,who feel their way in comparative darkness, and,

like children,continu ally cry for light and wise spirit gu idance .

Oft as hearts have ached,tears fallen

,or martyred feet

,on missions

of mercy, have crimsoned the soil , thou hast tu rned thy calm presence

earthward,laden with balms

,baptisms and benedictions .

To me hast thou come in lone evening hou rs , br inging the dewy

freshness of a foresli adowed morning , pearling the veiled moments of

GREETING .

despair, diffusing inner su nshine and gladness ; in wintry seasons 0 ?

discontent,scattering deliciou s blooms, laden with love ’s incense

,and

speaking words of tenderness starry with promise— words so aglow

with heavenly instru ction as to make music in the blissfu l homes ofthe glorified. How oft hast thou come with “ Celestia

,

” “ Morn ing

Star and “ ! ueen of Morn — S isters of Pu r ity— who prelude thy

philosophy with the harmonizing melodies of the harp, the lu te and

the lyre ! How indebted am I to thee for thy symbolic illustrations,

logical acumen,originality of thou ght, and messages warm with

sympathy from an overflowing heart !Spirit B rother ! as a feeble token of appreciation and sou l-fell

gratitude , for thy watch-care and many favors, permit me to dedicate

th is volume to thee, as one of my immortal Teachers .

J M. PEEB LES .

O R O S C O P E .

0 sou l,0 hungering, th irsting sou l ! for thee the fou ntains of the

great deep are breaking up, and sweet life-waves , long obscu red in thedebris of ages , are flowing love at thy feet, Whosoever will, let himtake of the waters of life freely.

Tru th is immortal,and long after the lips that spoke it have mingled

their dust with the Lethean stream,traceable afterwards by the freed

spirit, it echoes through the arches of heaven,the choral base of angel

song that celebrates the eras of progress . What,th en , cares

“ B rotherJames

,

” for praise or blame,approbation or censu re ? “ I testify of

myself ! ” is the language that speaks from his heart, beating along the

sun -mantled shores of time “ to seek and to save that wh ich was lost .This brother has subpoenaed me

,u nder solemn oath

,to write this

preface— actually ordered it as a

“ Thu s saith Perasee Lendanta !”

Well I said,

“ tell Perasee,the Italian prince of gods , so maj esti

cally calm and commanding, that neither he nor you shall change“one

jet or tittle of my testimony ; nor shall either of you know what iswritten abou t you and you r work

,un til the same is stereotyped. This

proviso being very meekly accepted, I wou ld like You r eyes,dear

reader,for a deep insight into the ocean mind of “ St . James .

Earnest, determined, fu ll of innocent sarcasm which no man can tame ;toned to sympathy, sparkling with wit and lofty thought ; belovedthroughou t America ; himself impressed upon the present age ; a con

fiding compan ion of his loving brother , John, the disciple of Jesu s , it

vi THE HOROSCOPE.

is not too mu ch to prophesy, that his book , here Oflered the world,will

be as a sun in myriad homes on the Western and Eastern continents .

Let me snatch from Oblivion one of his manu scripts, indexing the

man h imself, bringing u s nearer h is sou l,so buoyant and free

,so

ch ildlike and parental“Pythagoras lives in sacred memory

,as well as in Jamb lichus’ classic

prose . Jesus lives,though the mou ld is deep over the gardens and

olive groves that once felt the pressu re Of h is bleeding feet . Demos

thenes lives in that oration upon the crown . Mozart lives in thoseundying melodies that inspired with diviner ideals the courtly and the

sceptered of Europe. The dewdrop writes its h istory on the plant ;the stream its on the mountain side the fossil its in the rock ;the flower its on the passing breeze ; you , you rs, dear reader

, on

the sensorial facu lties and fu ture organisms Of a world-wide

brotherhood, and you will live,too

,on earth forever in the

forces you pu t in motion , the work you accomplish , the good you do.

I shall live when this parchmen t will have been smothered under the

rubbish of su ch viewless waste-winds as swept over those fearfu l

midnigh ts that gloomed in darkness the mediaeval ages . In spirationover-swept and over-arched all the past generations . There were

paradises lost and gained, scores Of centu ries since ; and,during their

growth , or decline, Spiritu alism ,in some form

,was a star of promise in

their midst . It is to-day a ligh t, a voice,a power from heaven— a

divine power acknowledged by million s , rolling the “stone of doubt

away from the door of a long entombed human ity. It is not onlythe second coming, bu t virtu ally a con tinu ous coming in the clou ds

of heaven with attending angels, the hope and the pledge of u n iversalredemption .

THE PASTOPHORA is the produ ction Of years Of close and severesearch ing , amid other pressing claims upon his attention . Withindefatigable labor , James has gathered rich lore where others saw on lyalloy. A band Of Spir its , some of them very ancient, and all lovers ofantiqu ity

,desirou s of blossoming into life “ th ings new and Old

,has

directed his mind and h is steps adown the sombre walks of the past,

THE H OROSCOPE. vii

amid the brooding s ilence Of bu ried civilizations . The pyramids hadvoices for him ; the Obelisks glared forth a h idden mystery in t heirinscriptions ; rocks and tombs

,scepters and swords

,du st and

ashes,all here traces of oracles that once bu ilt kingdoms and

empires, all were prin ts of events readable under the Spiritvision of his guides, aflash with the tru th that ministering angels

have ever been the arbiters of human destinies . THE PASTO

PHORA is the faithfu l record Of this pilgrimage Of study Offered

now to the world as a beau tifu l repository Of “Ancient and

Modern Spiritu alism . It is doubtless the first and on ly work everpublished that has placed the past wave-eras , with their representativespiritual chieftains, in chronological and systematic order . As su ch

,in

constru ction at least,it is “

something new u nder the sun . A book(if biograph ical and spiritual reference

,it is of inestimable value .

Its literary and ph ilosophical qualities are Obviou sly Of a high tone,both in style and sentiment

,all throbbing through with a pu re love of

truth,and a deep reverence for whatever ennobles humanity and lifts

it up to divine life.

The greatest diffi cu lty he has had to encounter,amid su ch a

profu sion of spiritual evidences , was to do ju stice to the great mu ltitudeof witnesses rising on every side

,demanding a hearing. In h is descen t

into the ocean Of the past, he found so vast a plain of preciou s pearls,there is not room to en shrine them all in this beau tifu l cabinet ; butenough are gleaned to show that our heaven ly philosophy, like silverveins

,branches in all possible directions— a vast and inexhaustible mine

Of immortal wealth , exhuming for incorporation into the spirit ualtemple we bu ild. A complete analysis of the Spiritu al phenomena,variegated with eclectic beau ties

,sweet with the love of truth

,it may

be properly styled Paradise Regained.

Another attractive feature is its Spiritual symbolism- which is thelanguage exalted angels u se—conveying to the senses

,as well as

understanding, truth set as diamonds in gold— a Specu lum Of the

Spiritual ph ilosophy reflecting the “sou l Of things . Even the title

of the book is pecu liarly significant .

viii THE HOROSCOPE.

PASTOPHORA is lexicographically related with pastor— shepherd

indicative of min ister ial offi ce for the protection of the religious flock .

It is originally rooted in the Sanscrit— the Oldest language in the

world ; and,u sed in the plural, Pastophorae, literally means dweller s

in the temp les . It is,therefore

,a most beau tiful title

,euphon iou s in

pronunciation , symbolizing the inner life,bu rning as a Shekinah

Watch-light to the worshiping sou l in its own “ holy Of holies .

The interested reader will also inqu ire into the mean ing of the

symbols on the back Of the book— the cross,tr iangle, and circle. As

he carefu lly peru ses these pages, he will discover that the data of the

world’

s progress in civilizations cen ter in India,whose religiou s symbol ,

providential as it seems , is the circle,representing God, the Universal

Sou l

All things are trinal— body,sou l and spirit ; man is th is perfedt

trinity— the cross,the triangle, the circle. Geologically our world

started from the circle . It extended then to th e broadness of its

orbit in a gaseou s condition incipien t to crystalization . Contracting,the elements were angu larized

— divided,sharp

-

poin ted, battling , volcanic

,developing latent force, crystalizing into extreme individu ality

the cross Of cru cifixion— when the law Of reaction obtained,tending to

centrality again— the leveling down of moun tains— the leveling up of

valleys,encircling all in harmony.

Religion is bu t the laws of natu re spiritualized— love married to science— the angel Of heaven acting in practical life . Religion dates inthe golden circle— in the tropics— the India Of love. Have you noticedthat civilization began there, and veered northward to be crystalizedinto sparkling in tellectu ality by a colder climate spreading itself overEurope, thence westward in parallels to America, across the Pacific toAsia

,and gradu ally settling back, laden with mental riches, to the

tropics again ? All things move in circles . India is the birth-

place

of religion— the Eden— the conjugal circle of sou l . How appropriate ,

then,is the circle to represen t her parental relations with all races

,

governments , and improvements ! The embryon ic religion Of mankind,

THE HOROSCOPE. ix

India is seen in the spirit world by the Sign of the circle—full-orbedand golden .

Egypt is the child of India, less afl‘

eetional in faith , but more astronomical

, philosophical, and practical— the daugh ter, whose name is

S cience. The Ganges and the Himalayas are so vast,clouded

,mystic

,

they inspire awe,and

,in so sunny a clime

,unfold an exuberant con

templation of sou l— a poetic religious idealism that enchants everysense and imparadises every thought. Egypt is tamer, not so melancholy, not so vast and spiring , not so cloudy

'

and luxurious,not so mel

low and mu sical. The Nile,mysteriou s as the Ganges , alluvial and

inundating, is not so sweetly imbosomed in the shadows of greatmountains and protective banyan forests . Egypt has more bu rningsands

,more rag ing sea from the north vexed with storms

,more poison

in her desert winds . Hence,her inhabitants have more angu larity of

character . She is spiritually tropical ; bu t nature’s battles make hercontentious, intellectual, fiercely just, the manufacturer of an implacab le hell, and of a delightful Elysium across the stormy lake Of death.

She is, therefore, the circle geometrically changed into a right-angletriangle. She is three-sided

, pyramidal, with stars for heart-beatsEgypt courting science from very love, her horoscopic sign in the Spi ri tworld is the right-angle-triangle.

B ut there must be body to this trin ity ; the perfect individuality ofprinciple. Palestine, whose people were born and disciplined in the

slaveries Of Egypt, is a little colder , variegated, and on a smaller scale.

The Mediterranean , dashing with awfu l roar against her shores, is thewarning voice of the great Jehovah , angry at the sins of his chosenchildren . The Jordan is swift and acrid. The valleys and brooks arecontracted. Horeb and Sinai and Lebanon are wrapt in jealous solitudes . The Egyptio

-codes Of Moses,in tensified to rigorous penalty,

enforce order and racial nationality. What,then

,is the Jewish char

acter ? Selfish,arrOgant, narrow,

jealous,and arbitrary. Judaism

,Spir

itualized,is Pau line Christianity— the aggressive sword— theProtestant

ism Of India— the body in the triune development —the religious bodyfor the sou l of Egypt and the spirit of India. What

,then

,is the sign

X THE HOROSCOPE.

of Christianity in the immortal horOSCOpe ? The cross,indicative of

doctrine, of individual ity, of progress towards the circle of the

Harmon ia] Philosophy.SO religion , like every other law of life

,repeats itself ; moves in cir

cles ; inversely from circles in incarnations to angles and crosses,and

from these back to the Ci rcle,Spirally climbing rou nd and round in

infin ite progression . Noth ing, then , is lost . All that India gives, orEgypt, or Judea, or America, are translated into newness of life, as theinher itance of the ages to come.

THE PASTOPHORA ,thu s set in prism,

is this beau tifu l trinity expressed—all religions essentially comprised i ii its circle of philosophy, dividingand Sparkling with angu lar points of electric thought, and blendingagain in rainbowed drops for ocean ic love.

Read then , 0 world searching for l ight, carefu lly read these breathingpages, redolen t with words that bu rn ; and then rank the book whereit belongs, with the standards Of Spiritualism,

and, with gratitude,

thank God and take courage under the glory that flashes from all

inspired pen s, and throbs in all honest bosoms,bared so freely to the

arrows of persecu tion as a bu lwark of defence to more Spiritual and

angelic generations coming .

If th is volume severs a mental chain , frees a creed-cru shed sou l, plu cksa thorn from a human pathway, planting a rose there

,sheds a kindling

ray of ligh t upon a pilgrim’

s path , or causes even a tremu lous smile to

brighten the brow of sorrow and suffering, then is the au thor satisfiedaye , r ichly blessed, for he finds h is h ighest happiness and sweetestblessing in blessing others.

J. O. B ARRETT.

NEW YEAR’S DAY , 1 869.

PE CTUR E I .

P IR IT O F THE fR E S ENT jot

FHAP TER I.

SPIRIT OF THE AGE

All gr im and soiled, and brown with tan ,I saw a Strong One, in h is wrath ,

Smiting the godless shr ines Of manAlong his path .

”

My sou l is not a palace of the past,Where priest-worn creeds , l ike Rome

’s gray Senate, quake,

Hearing afar the vandal ’s trumpet hoarse.

The time is r ipe and r otten r ipe for change;

Then let it come

Progress is God’s r ight hand ang el ! It is the Chr ist inour midst, working by methods mystic as the pictured symbols in the Patmos Vis ion s. Its law s diverse

,inverse

,and

often unfathomable,ever act to the same divine purpose of

phys ical refinemen t and spir itual unfoldmen t.Causation is infin ite. Change is a necessity of nature.

Essen tial Spir it— that al l-in terfus ing force-presence,filling

immensity, and being causative, does and eternally will actupon matter.

Something from nothing,a self-evident absurdity, there are

no absolute creations in the un iverse,on ly n ew and higher

formations . Spirit and matter both eternal ; spiritual substan ce in connection w ith phys ical substan ce in its variousgradations , con stitute one co-eternal duality .

Spirit is independen t of matter relative to mere existence ;yet dependen t upon it for its man ifestation s .

1 3

1 4 DOCTRINES OF SPIRITUALI STS .

The God-pr in ciple or Divin e En ergy immanent in , and con

nected w ith , the dual forms of matter and Spir it,must ever

produce motion,disin tegration

,evolution and pulsation s

towards perfection . The Old dies that the n ew may S ing ofbirth

,matur ity

,victory.

The past w ith its lengthen ed Shadows and sun s , its defeatsand triumphs , was wel l ; so were frightful explos ion s , dur ingthe old P luton ian per iod . Foss ils in Silur ian rocks weredeeply S ign ifican t as treasured histor ies of primeval life

,

bespeaking higher organ ized existen ce ; and so even the

poss ible of man,as pr in ce of immortal nature

,during com

ing geologic epochs .

Al l bloom i s fruit of deathCreation ’

s sou l thr ives from decay,And nature feeds on ru in ; the b ig earthSummer s in rot, and harvests through theTo fructify th e wor ld ; the mortal nowIs pr egnant with spr ing

-flower s to come ;

And death is seed-time of eternity

It is folly,madden ed by bigotry, to ask the thinkers of the

n ineteenth cen tury to hold the flag-staffs of the an cients .

Parchmen ts are fixtures. While n either con stitution s nor

creeds grow,sou ls do. A s well str ive to fill ou r arter ies w ith

the cr imson blood that coursed the vein s of Jew ish patr iarchsand priests, as to appropr iate their thoughts , commandmen ts

,

or religious exper ien ces , forgetful Of the living presen t,hoping thereby to have ou r spir itual life vitalized . Shall we

Load our young thought with the iron sh irt,By bigots raked from some Judean grave-yard ’s d irt ? ”

The yesterdays are gone ; let them go The good of thepast preserved and recon structed , American s have to do w iththe to-days , and a br ighten ing future stretching in mellowedradian ce

,deepen ing in sign ifican ce, gorgeous w ith hOpe, and

prophetic of a coming Eden , whose crown ing glories shallb e harmon ial m en and w omen , being law s un to themselves .

True, the presen t strikes its roots b ack in to the past. It is

SPIRIT OF THE AGE. 1 5

ou r legacy ; and, so far as it speaks truth to the soul, let u s dohomage at its Shr ine .

All those brave souls,Pythagoras

,P lato

,An axagoras ,

Con fucius,Jesus

,John

,and others

,martyred for prin ciple

,

g reatly advan tag ed and beautifully en riched the succeedingag es by w ise utteran ces that have streamed in golden splendors down to the presen t. They were helps , having helpedhuman ity ; and yet , they are not ou r masters— not infallibleguides . W isdom did not die w ith them

,and therefore they

mu st not talk to u S author itatively.

Each Should b e h is own author ity. God speaks to us j ustas frequen tly an d father ly as he did to Jewish seers . Seeingin every valley a Jordan

,in every sectar ian church a “ dead

sea,

”in every aspirational heart an altar Of w orship

,in every

woodland emin en ce a moun t of ascen sion ,and in every

child an emb ryo angel, what sp ecia l need Of Hebrew boun ty,styled “ R evela tion ?

Those must indeed b e babes and sucklings,who w ill

pers ist in partaking of manna— the history of bread n earlytwo thousand years booked— and dr ied fruit gen erally

,when

spir itual vin eyards are cluster ing w ith grapes , and orchardsare bending under a r ipen ed luxur ian ce

,and in spiration s , like

ben ediction s,are coming each day from heaven ly realms .

It is diffi cult to Jeru salem iz e Anglo Saxon s . If the soullamp would burn brightly

,illumin ing th e living now,

it mu stb e lit from such in spirational fi re-foun tain s as the wan ts ofthis age have kindled . Robes may have been well for Aaron

,

fox-chasing for Sampson,grazing for Neb u chadnaz zar

, ten tmaking for P aul

,locusts for th e Ju dean Baptists, and manna

for Israelitish wanderers but “ give u s this day ou r dailybread that is

,daily truths and prin ciples , all alive w ith love

from the many-man sion ed homes Of the angels . The wastershould b e the builder ; and th e han d that carr ies the torchfor the burn ing

,

”should also carry th e hammer for building

better . Sectar ian churches,doubtless

,are partial n ecessities,

and for the time being,well ; as were baptismal waters for

John ’s disciples ; but give us the baptism of the Holy Spir it ;

16 DOCTR INES or SPIRITUALI STS .

or the descending divine afliatu s from celestial hosts,submerg

ing and sufl'

using our n atures in a measureless ocean of purityand w isdom.

The revengefu l, repen ting, personal God of Judaism satisfi ed the demands of the Hebrews . They could grasp no

higher con ception of the infin ite in carnate l ife-pr in ciple ofthe un iverse. It still satisfies million s of con scien tiouschurchmen , w ith more zeal than kn owledge

, who strive tofill themselves upon the mouldy crumbs that fall from the

oily lips Of ordain ed R ip V an W inkles , who say” their

prayers in stead of doing them ,and “

profess in stead ofpossess the divin e pr in ciples of the absolute religion .

What pin ing ! what leann ess and lankness even in liberalchurches ! what m ean ings from the pulpits over “ bleedingZion ! ” what quiet slumber ings in the pews ! what efforts tomake special engagemen ts w ith God dur ing w inter-season sfor “

revivals ! ” Oh what a thin , dry , fleshless , marvelouslylifeless

,soulless “ Skeleton,” is Orthodoxy ! Numbers bitterly

feel it to b e thus , yet cling from fear , or motives of policy,to its bleached bon es and en crusted symbols . Others

,good

at heart, yet timid , fear ing the loss of position ,con tinue to

preserve their ecclesiastical conn ection s , faithfully huggingtheir theologically “ dead mother ’s breast !The wisdom of importing al l ou r religion from A s ia-M in or

is more than questionable, s in ce God is as presen t w ith u s asw ith the Asiatics , in spiration being a un iversal in-breathingfrom the Infin ite.

He sends his teachers unto every age,To every cl ime, and every race of men .

The remembran ce Of corn that yellowed in Kedron ’s

valleys,th e milk and hon ey that flowed in the lands of

Can aan ,and the figs and pomgranates that reddened around

Olive’s moun tain ,gladden ing th e disciples of the Nazarene,

can not satisfy spir itual hunger ; n or can th e Jewish crudenotions of retrogressive demon s and sacr ifices offered a personal, local, jealous God, satisfy the growing des ires of ou r

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18 DOCTR INES OF SPIR ITUALI STS .

A perfectly vigorous and or iginal life, founded upon the

scien ce of th e soul , is what seems fit and admirably adaptedto the gen ius of this coun try, n ow freed from the blight ofOppress ive in stitution s ; and this life-status is to b e supreme

,

sure as phys ical landscapes are reflected in individual character

,as climate affects religion .

L ight ! more light ! ” relative to immortality,the soul ’s

capacities and to th e glories of an infin ite future, is th edeman d of ou r grow ing human ity: In an swer thereto thechurch offers u s

“ faith and clerical leading str ings , san ctifi ed by custom

,telling u s to b e good, submiss ive

,quiet

“ babes in Chr ist ; and then ,just over Jordan ,

we shall fi ndthe jasper city paved w ith gold, and mus ical w ith sain tsserenading “ the Holy On e of Israel ! ” But this faithimparts n o free, spon tan eous en ergy. It soon degen eratesin to a languishing formal ity, a dry can t, a narrowing n on

descr ipt,an in expressible chu rchian ic hybr id between life

and death,as

“revival ” con fess ion s demon strate . Faith is

elemental in the human min d , but this eccles iastic fa ith , devoidof reason ,

and “ w ithout w orks , is dead ! The eccen tricCarlyle says

,tha “ just in th e ratio that kn ow ledge in creases

,

faith dimin ishes ; con sequen tly, those that kn ow the mostalways believe the least.The age demands , n ot aping shadows

,gloved gentry

,n or

cow led clergymen fashion ed to order in “ Theological Seminar ies

,

” bewailing th e s in s of Greeks and Jews , and aimi ngarrow s of rebuke at the poor Hittites and Moabites— not

sluggish con servatives in fected w ith stagnan t, deathly torpor ,staying on earth as do oyster s in their b ed , praying for th eM illen n ium because they then hope to “

Sit”— Sit under

ambros ial vin es— fear ing to brush down cobwebs in theirtemples lest th e roof fall in

,and piously Opposing the n ew

moon,

” out of a profound respect for the old , forgetting theCarlylean maxim

,that the old skin n ever falls from the

serpen t till a n ew on e is formed ; but it demands men and

women en thus iastic an d full-orbed, who see in every soul aposs ible Chr ist

,in every life a symbol-thought ofGod, in every

S PIR IT or THE AGE. 1 9

well-timed bath a baptism ,in every day a Sabbath , in every

hou se a living temple, and in every heart an altar of worshipwhereon the fires of love and devotion are kept as in cen secon tinually burn ing, making al l life’s hours precious like theEastern fi g—tree that bears in its bosom at on ce the beauty of th eearly bloom and thematured glory ofmost delicious fruitagewho are full Of warm blood, deep sympathies

,and great

moral independen ce, whose argumen ts again st home-s in shit

,whose shots tell, eyes flash

,words convin ce

,lips per

suade,and in spiration s touch the heart’s best affection s

call ing down sweet love-baptisms from on high— who w illspeak the whole truth , as they see .

.it,and actu aliz e

'

it in livescon secrated to divin e uses , though the fi re, the faggot, andcross are in full view— who, holy and rapt and mystic

.

at

times,as John of Patmos filled w ith ode, rhapsody and lyr ic,

utter ing from the depths Of the in ner con sciousness divinepr in ciples

,as w ith tongues of fi re

,causing them to s ing

through the corridors of the soul ’ s memory-chambers, awakon ing to resurrectional beatitude all those fin er impulses ofkindn ess

,forgiveness

,and devotion to the r ight

,the just

,th e

true,and the beautifu l

,that Slumber in the sacred heart of

ou r common brotherhood . Then w ill the kingdom of God,

so long the burden of prophecy and prayer,become as prae

tical an institution as it is progress ive on earth— the ideal thenbeing realized now— al l to the glory of ou r divine human ity .

The n ew is old, the old is new,

The cycl e of a change subl ime,Stil l sweeping thr ou gh I”

HAP TE P\ I l .

SPIRITUAL RATIOS .

Al l matter is God ’s tongu e,And from its motion God

’s thoughts are sung .

Th e r ealms of space are the octave bar s ,And the mu sic n otes ar e th e su n and star s .

The Infin ite Spir it is the infin ite substan ce of the un iverse,

th e on ly absolute reality , and Nature,as a garmen t

,is the

man ifestation of this reality to the sen ses . The con scioushuman Spirit

,as the inn ermost of man

,is an essen tial portion

of the Infin ite, pure and eternal— a divin e cen ter— a celestialcompass w ith an infi n itu de of poin ts

,bear ing fixed relation s

,

when in conj un ction w ith grosser matter, to time past, presen t,and future. Time is n ot a thing per se, but on ly the recordof a series of impress ion s made upon the spir itual sen sor ium .

“All are b u t parts of on e stupendou s whole,Whose body Natur e is, and God the sou l .”

Each thus conn ected w ith all,and human nature the same

in all ages, th e present gen eration has much to do in turn ingto good accoun t the gathered exper ien ces of the past

,in

fin ding th e lost arts,

an d measur ing th e folly and w isdomof those an cien t eras

,though grayed w ith coun tless decades .

Waves of progress,moving in cycles

,con tinually overlap

the highest reaching the shores,and there wr iting their

thoughts on crystal reams and defian t rocks . Th e past,then

,

w ith its long Shadow s— syén)b ols, hieroglyphics , poetry,

SPIR IT OF THE AGE— SPI R ITUAL RATIOS . 21

pain tings , proverbs and rabbin ical lore— converges in the

presen t. Aye , the gran d old pas t — it reaches down its

multitudin ous han ds to u s from th e A tlan tis , from In dia and

Egypt,from Syr ia

,Greece and R ome from bann ered cities

long sanded from S ight from an cien t temples whose goldengates dazzled like sun s ; from Old Gothic cathedrals and

Norman castles magn ificen t even in ruin s .

Un to u s,from all surrounding zon es

,worlds and realms,

have poured the streams of etern al life. Rock and ocean,

storm and stars,light and darkn ess

,Sain t and savage

,god

and demon ,w ith the boundless and fathomless deeps of

undying love,have all con tr ibuted to make up ou r phys ical

,

men tal and Spir itual organ ization s . To every poin t of th ecompass in th e infin ite domain of space, may souls sen d outtheir feelers and meet a glad respon se .

Our particled bodies m ay exchange w ith the minerals,the

soils,the fruits ; ou r Sp iritual stru ctures

,w ith the fi n e eth ere

al iz ed essen ces and ultimates that infill the surroundingregion s ; while the deifi c w ithin

,through aspiration and

effort,m ay con tinually come in to divin er rapport w ith the

great,beating

,throbbing

,loving heart—th e Infin iteSoul of

the un iverse— God.

This true , the past, w ith ' its deep r ich vein s of experien ce,

its half-bur ied yet glitter ing treasures , and its inexhaustibletomes of class ic r iches

,is to u s in valu e above what human

speech can express,pain ter tran sfer to canvas , or author

descr ibe . The leg itimate w ork Of the histor ian is to unveiland presen t to the people of to-day a Speaking pan orama ofthe extingu ished ages . This measureless period termed thepas t, when organ ized and comprehended in its broadest sen se,rounds up as the great drama of human ity— as the living epicof human progress— the forecourt of a more tran scen den tfutur ity.The histor ian

,however

,is not th e bare fact-gatherer.

Mere facts m ay b e as devoid of scien tific value as fiction s . To

reach truth there must b e a selection of w ell-attested facts,

with their j ust moral value afli xed . These,put in to the

22 DOCTR INES or SPIRITUALI sr s .

crucible of reason,systematized

,grouped in order

,and

organ ized in accordan ce w ith the best methods of philosophic r esearch

,must also b e critically weighed w ith referen ce

to their producing causes . This don e,they n aturally

crystalize in to,harmon ize w ith

,and help con stitute tru th .

While many spirit r ipples have dan ced upon the sea ofprogress

,three mighty waves have loomed up on the ocean

of the ages— an cient,mediaeval an d modern Spir itualism .

The first,shedding its kindling glories in India

,Egypt

, Chinaand adj oin ing n ation s

,threw such an efi

‘

u lgen ce of b aptisma

b eauty over the more cultured of those ear lier civilization s,

that all the subsequen t declin ing eras w ere illuminated evendown to th e birth of th e Nazaren e. Mediaeval Spir itualism

,

dating from th e adven t of Jesus,that emin en t J adean Spir it

u alist,en r iched the P laton ic thinkers of A lexandr ia

,enn o

bled the statesmen of Greece,quickened the orators of Rome

,

en circled in light th e footsteps of seers and mar tyrs , piercedw ith scattered sunb eams th e gloom of the dark ages , in spiredthose old reformers

,and tinged w ith a divin e br ightn ess the

progress ive movemen ts that marked n early twen ty cen tur iespreced ing the “ Rochester Rappings ! This last spiritualwave is familiar to u s all .

E CT

NC IENT IS T O R IO P IR ITUAL I S M .

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26 DOCTR INES or SPIR ITUAL I STS .

thou sands of years before the reputed Adam ate the “ for

bidden fruit that mellowed along the banks af the Euph rates . P lato , in the Timmaeu s

,speaks of a vast island

,larger

than Lyb ia and A sia combin ed,that

,n ine thousand years

before h is time,had its kings

,priests

,soldiers

,arts

, guardiangods and goddesses . This thickly-peopled isle

, or , more properly , con tin en t, ow ing to a fearfu l earthquake or some otherviolen t con cussion of n atu re , sank in a single n ight in to theocean and disappeared forever .

L e Can , an emin en t Mongolian scholar,per son ally assured

u s that the Chin ese measure time by dynasties ; that theirsacred histor ical works

,exten ding back in a line forty-four

thousand years,con tain many accoun ts of commerce ceas ing ,

because of th e s inking of large is lands and the r ising ofimmen se con tinen ts from th e ocean ’

s depths. Among themost promin en t of th e great n ation s of old whose footpr in tswere en cir cled in th e light of spir itual phen omena and in spi

rational truths,uttered by seers

,seeresses and oracles

,we

men tion Egypt,China, In dia , Syr ia and P ersia . These

either carved their gospels in symbols and hieroglyphics, orpenn ed them on scrolls—Vedas and Avestas .

That profound linguist,Mu ller

,of Al l Souls ’ College,

Oxford,says

,

“ Every learn edman kn ows that the H ebrew was

not, as Jerome and other Church Fathers taught, the oldestor pr imitive language of mankind .

” The S an scr it of theold Hindoos was a much more an cient and a far more perfectlanguage. This was in its full flush of glory more than fi vethousan d years ago .

Even SirW i lliam Jon es awards to some books , now extan tin San scrit, an an tiquity .of four and fi ve thousan d years .

Rev . M r. Maur ice,as quoted by Higgin s , thinks the Bhagavat

Gita, so marvellous ly r ich in thought relating to the immor

tality of th e soul and pre-existen ce,was wr itten over four

thousan d years s in ce . That fi n e S cotch scholar,Lord Mon

b oddo , w rote in 1 792 , that th e “ language of the an cien tBrahmins of India was a r icher and in every respect a fin er

ANCIENT HI STOR IC SPI RITUALI SM— INDIAN . 27

language than even the Greek of Homer . An other European scholar of great ren own says th e San scr it was a writtenand spoken language hun dreds of years before Abrahamappeared on the plain s of Shinar , and long before the Hebrewlanguage had an existen ce.

M . Ern est R enan ,in his his tory of the “ Shemitic lan

guages,

”says : “ The birth-place ofp hilosophy is India, amidst

an inquisitive race,deeply pre-occupied by the search after

the secret of all things ; but the psalm and the prophecy, thew isdom con cealed in r iddles and symbols

,the pure hymn ,

the

revealed book,are the inher itan ce of the theocratic race of

the Shemites—Assyrian s , Chaldees , Arabian s , Heb rews and

cognate tr ibes . H e further adds: “ The Shemite race hasn either the elevation of Sp ir itualism,

kn own on ly to India,nor

the feeling for measure and perfect beauty bequeathed byGreece to the Neo-Latin nation s .

”

It is gen erally con ceded by all learn ed Orien tals that alarge portion of th e wr itings of the Brahmin s is an ter ior toany part of our Bible . In style and spir it they are emin en tlysuper ior , abounding in the grandest con ception s of Deity

,

and in commun ication s from the gods , demi-

gods , manes and

spirits) The Vedas,Puranas

,Upan ishads , R ig-Veda Sanhita,

Bhagavat-Gita,Ramayanna, etc.

,are fu ll of myths in laid

w ith spir itual thoughts and sublime spir itual ideas,such as

“ Spirit moving upon chaos and fashion ing forms ”— thegirdles and spheres ” en circling the earth— the “ power ofthe gods to clothe themselves in a lumin ous ether ” and

appear to mortals the celestial state of eighty-eight thousan d saints

,

”th e holiest of the Brahmin s

,and their descen t

to guard cities and guide the young. The P uranas alsodescribe the oblation s offered and the methods devi sed todispossess “ malignan t spir its and enemies of the deities .

”

(Vishnu P urana, p .

Long b efore th e patriarchs pitched their ten ts un der Syrianskies , long before Moses saw the tables of ston e on theMoun t,long before the oldest Hebrew prophets were in spired tosound the alarm in Jadean moun tains

,there w ere million s

28 DOCTRINES or SPI RITUALI STS .

of Spir itualists,prophets

,yogees

,sages

,seers and mediums

,

in India. What is more,Ab raham himself was

,w ithout th e

least doubt,a B rahmin . The scholarly Higgin s proves this

beyond a cavil in his very labored work,the “Anacalypsis .

”

Terah,th e father of Abraham

,came from an Eastern

coun try called Ur . Higgin s clearly proves that this Ur ofthe Chaldees was in India

,that portion of the country lying

on the r iver Jumna and now called Uri,or Ur . Abbe Du

bois states that the Hindoos in their earliest times had no

images . They worshipped the one God as Divin ity in duality,pos itive and n egative— father and mother . Abraham refusedto worship the female pr in ciple in the Godhead. H e becamea P rotestan t Hindoo

,a wan der ing pilgr im ,

and according lyemigrated from Ur in India to Haran in A ssyr ia ; fromthen ce to Phoen icia

,and finally in to Egypt

,n ear ly B.

C. ,in con sequen ce of a terr ible famin e ; and in all his j our

n eyings h e took with him th e belief in and practice of themyster ies and spir it commu n ion h e had been taught in India.

Therefore w e read in the Old Testamen t that “ th e Lord ( 5.spiritual being ) appeared to him on th e plain s of Mamre .

’

Also when he sat in the door of his ten t, h e lifted up his eyesand looked

,and 10

,threemen stood before him ; and when h e

saw them— that is , these three sp ir its— “ he bowed himself

towards the groun d .

The history of the Phoen ician s and the A ssyr ian s (Assu r

ian s or Assoors from In dia)has reached u s on ly in fragmen ts,and these through that volumin ous author San chon iathan ,

thatlived long pr ior to Moses ; and Berosus , the Babylon ian histor ian . P orphyry says

,San chon iathan received much of h is

information from H ieromb alu s , a pr iest of Iao, that is , Jehovah ; accordingly,w ith deep in s ight, the sect of learned Gnostics taught

,that this Iao, or J ehovah of the Jews ,was the “

name

of an angel.” This shows that Sanchon iathan was a mystic

and medium,as well as histor ian . It is ‘ clear from both

San chon iathan and Berosus,that the Phoen ician s, full fi ve

thousan d years s in ce,engaged in an exten s ive commerce.

Modern exhumation s and discoveries in P eru,Mexico and

ANCIENT HI STOR IC SPIR ITUALI SM— INDIAN . 29

other portion s of the Amer ican con tin en t, obviously demonstrate

,as shown by symbols of su n -w orship carved upon

rocks,that they pushed their shipping al l along ou r w estern

sea coasts . Wherever they an chored they left their ideasof magic and spirit in tercourse.

LightSprung from the deep, and fr om her native East,To journey thro’ the airy gloom began .

”

In Pocock e’

s“ India in Greece

,the author

,from a

tran slation of documen ts existing in the San scr it,proves

con clus ively that,

“ In the great conflict between B rahmin ical and B uddhistic sects inIndia,the latter being defeated, emigrated in large bands, and colon ized

other countries . It is demon strated in this work that the principallocality from wh ich th is emigration took place was Afi ghan istan and

North-western India ; that the Indian tribes proceeding thence colo

n ized Greece,Egypt, Palestine and Italy ; that they also produ ced the

great Scandinavian famil ies , the early B riton s inclu sive ; and that theycarried with them to their new settlements the evidences of theircivilization

,their arts

,in stitu tions and religion .

Herodotus informs u s that,in th e lofty tower of Belus in

Babylon,there was a con secrated room upon the summit in

which was an oracular gold table ; and here a woman ofpr iestly offi ce stayed each n ight to obtain information fromthe presiding deity. A s imilar apartmen t adorn ed th e

I‘

emple of Jove at Thebes,in Egypt,and other N ilotic

cities . These media,virtuous in habit

,accustomed to

fasting and bathing,and other pu rifi cation s , before divin ing

or convers ing w ith th e gods,to give information

,w ere

required,in accordan ce w ith th e laws of th e coun try

,to

occupy those temples the n ight previous to the en tran cemen t.This more thoroughly magn etized them . The teachingsthen brought from the world of spir its were con sideredsacred .

I have seen,

saidApolloniu s , the B rahmins of India,dwelling on

the earth and not on the earth,living fortified withou t fortifications ,

possessing nothing and yet every thing .

”This he spoke somewhat emig

matically ; ll‘

l t Damis ( the companion of h is journey in India) says

O DOCTR INES OF SPIRITUALI STS .

they sleep upon the ground, bu t that the earth furnishes them with a

grassy couch of whatever plants they desire . That he himself had seenthem

, elevated two cubits above the surface of the earth,walk in the

air ! not for the pu rpose of display, which was qu ite foreign to the

character of the men ; bu t becau se whatever they did, elevated,in

common with the su n,above the earth

,wou ld be more acceptable to

that deity. Having bathed, they formed a choral circle,

having Iarchas for their coryphaeu s , and striking the earth with theirdivining rods

,i t rose up ,

no otherwise than does the sea u nder the

power of the wind,and cau sed them to ascend in to the air . Meanwhile

they continued to chan t a hymn not unlike the paean of Sophocles ,wh ich

is su ng at Athens in honor of fEscu lapiu s .

”(Ph ilostrat . V ita

Apollon . Tyanens . Lib . iii . c. 1 5,

W ithout the light of Spir itualism,the above statemen ts

can b e regarded in n o other sen se than chimeras of heatedimagination in an age of superstition ; but now they appearas embodied facts traceable to causes which ou r philosophyan alyzes . A s a common magn etw ill lift up a piece of steel

,

so by spir it attract ion did Jesus walk upon th e sea ; and as a

tab le,

'

or other obj ect by invis ible han ds,under th e same

law,is carr ied above the heads of th e spiritual circle

,so were

the Brahmin s of India floated in th e air,which many a

medium to-day can testify is true . How beautifu l is historyun der the light of Spir itualism ! W e seem n ow to feel thevery b reath and heart-b eats of those olden seers !

HAP TE IV.fl a

EGYPTIAN.

The Egyptian sou l sailed o’er th e skyey sea

In ark of crystal , mann ed by beamy gods ,To dr ag th e deeps of space and net the stars,Wh ere, in th eir n ebu lou s shoals , they shar e the vo1d

And through old Night’s Typhon ian bl indness shine.

Old sph inxes l ift their counte’

nances bland,

Athwar t th e r iver -s ea an d s ea of sand .

”

“ Those mystic, stony volumes on the wal ls lon g wr it,Whose sens e is late revealed to search ing modern wit.

If there is a charmed coun try b en eath the ben ding skies,

it is Egypt— land of th e N ile and th e Pyramids,of th e Pha

raohs and the P tolemies— lan d where art and scien ce glor iedin splendid achievemen ts before our historic records

,and

whose powerful dynasties held sway for long generation sover fertile valleys an d mighty cities . Thebes

,the hundred

gated, Heliopolis w ith its magn ificen t temples ,Memphis w ithit s shin ing palaces and evergreen garden s

,left memorials so

wondrous that the m en of to-day are attracted thither— toLuxor an d Carnak , to the avenues of sphinxes and the

summits of the pyramids .

Egypt, whose mystic hierophan ts vied w ith the gymnoso

ph ists of India— whose “ lost arts ” have never yet beendiscovered—whose learn ing

Uttered its or acl es sublimeBefor e th e Olympiads , in the dewAnd du sk of ear ly time,”

32 Doc'rnmns or SPI RITUALI STS .

had a 3ivilization more than fi ve thousand years ago, which,in some respects

,was in advan ce of ours to-day . In this

remote time n one were admitted to judicial offices save men

of in tegr ity and g reat erudition . The ben ch con sisted ofthirty j udges , ten chosen from each of the three greater cities

,

Theb es, M emphis and Heliopolis . Being duly elected,they

were paid by th e State . Coun sel was employed and j usticedispen sed gratuitously to all . Thus r ights were as access ibleto the poor as to th e r ich . In j udicial admin istration

,what a

lesson this to Amer ican s so given to boast ing and blunder ingin their selection of offi cers ! The very spir it of their laws

,

says W ilkin son,

“ was to give protection and assistan ce toth e oppressed ; and everything that tended to promote an

unbiassed judgmen t was peculiarly commended by the Egyptian sages .

”I s it strange

,then

,thatAbraham

,the Patriarch

,

journ eyed down in to Egypt ; that Pythagoras spen t twen tytwo years among her pr iests and seers ; that Moses waslearn ed in the “ w isdom of the Egyptian s , and Solon

,th e

great lawg iver of Greece, was taught that the Greeks of h istime were in philosophy but children ?Through all the palmy days of Egypt’s grandeur , Spir it

u alism,in some form

, was the un iversal belief. The morew ise and profound h ad it under their special supervision .

On e of h er most an cien t seers stated,that “ this earth was

surrounded by aer ial circles of ether , and that in these etherregion s the souls of th e dead lived and guarded mortals .

”

Hermes taught “ that this visible is but a picture of theinvisible wor ld, wherein , as in a portrait

,things are not truly

seen .

Herodotus men tion s a celebrated Egyptian king who

descended to the man s ion s of th e dead, and , after some stayin those spir it realms

,return ed to light. Th e ann iversary

of this return was held as a sacred festal day by the an cien tEgyptian s , as Chr istian s hold feasts and fasts .

Strabo states that in the temple of Serapis at Can opus,

great worship was performed ; many miraculous workswere wrought, which the most eminen t men believed and

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34 DOCTR INES or SPIR ITUALI STS .

con trol,and clairvoyan ce were well understood by Egypt’ s

s cholars and pr iests,and that through these methods , w ith

spirit in tercourse,they received their kn ow ledge of th e unseen

world and the art of healing , which they deemed pruden t tow ithhold from th e masses . On those time-defying pain tingsdiscovered among the ruin s that fr inge th e Nile, are the

fi gures of pr iests in the very act of operating by makingmagn etic passes ; and others are seen in the process of beingth rown into mesmer i c sleep . Anubis is represen ted in thosesacred pictures as ten der ly bending over th e b ed and puttingh is hands u pon th e s ick

,as do the healers of this age.

Emmanuel R ebold, M . D . ,P residen t of th e A cademy of

Indus tr ial S cien ces,Fran ce

,speaking of that occult scien ce

,

an imal magn etism,says : “ It is a scien ce that for more than

three thou san d years was th e peculiar possession of theEgyptian pr iesthood, into the kn ow ledge of which Moses wasin itiated at Heliopolis , where h e was educated .” Thisaccoun ts for much of Moses ’ w isdom

,and also for h is medi

umsh ip, equaling in some respects that of Egyptian seers

and hierophan ts . The light of this age clearly proves thatthe Jehovah w ith whom he so familiar ly conversed was h isspir it-guide

,an d w as not very exalted in the sweet graces of

char ity and love ; and that the “ word of th e L ord ” thatcame to him

,saying was merely th e voice of this at tend

ing spirit heard clairaudien tly, as S ocrates heard the

admon ishing voice of h is good demon . W e have author ityfor saying that this J ehovah of the Mosai c age , when on

earth,was an Egyptian priest

,by th e n ame of Gee-ho-ka but

n either of the n oblest n '

or purest of th e pr iesthood .The famed philologist, Kircher , in h is Odipu s Egyptia

cu s, g ives th e follow ing accoun ts of gods , demi-god s , and

genu of Egypt : “ Th e Egyptian s always held in great ven eration certain temples and statues— these latter they calledscrapes and over provin ces

,cities

,temples

,serapes

,pr ivate

houses,and especially m en

, gods , demons , and genii pres idedand watched as familiars , to guard from danger and giveadvice .

”Some of these were even tually worshiped by the

ANCIENT HI STOR IC SPIR ITUALI SM— EGYPTIAN. 35

less w ise as pr ivate deities , having been an cestors departedfrom the earth to become gods .

The signs of those that are inspired are mu ltiform. For th e

inspiration is indicated by the motions of the (whole) body, and of

certain parts of it,by the perfect rest of the body

,by harmoniou s

orders and dances , and by elegant sou nds , or the contraries of these .

Either the body, likewise, is seen to be elevated or increased in bu lk,

or to be borne along sub limely in the air . An equ ability also of voiceaccording to magn itude ; or a great variety of voice after in tervals of

silence,may be observed . And again , sometimes the sounds have a

mu sical inten tion and remission . (Jamb lichu s de Mysteriis .)

This is n othing at all remarkable, for bodies these days arenot on ly borne aloft

,but there are spirit-soun ds

,dan ces

,and

other phases of influence, exactly like the above descr iption sof an cien t M edia.

The image of the god (Jupiter Ammon) is composed of emeralds

and other preciou s stones , and gives oracles in a way qu ite pecu liar . I t

is borne abou t in a golden sh ip by eigh ty pr iests who,bearing it upon

their shou lders, gowh ithersoever the god ( image) by nodding h is head,

directs them.

”

(Dieder. S ieu l . Lib . Th is is not mu ch,even

though Jupiter did it . Abou t equ ivalent to tipping a light-stand, ormoving some other small fu rniture .

”

W ithin thirty-fi ve years an cien t Egypt has become betterkn own to us than it was to th e learn ed m en of the R omanEmpire ; for we not on ly read its theology and philosophy inits hieroglyphics , but in terpret more accurately by their aid

,

and that of the cun iform in scription s,th e an cien t n arratives

of Herodotus and B iederns S icu lu s . H er temples,tower s

,

relics,hieroglyphs and pain tings

,al l un ite their tes timony

with that of the Grecian histor ian s in confi rmation of theun iversal prevalen ce

,in some form

,of what is now den om

inated Spiritualism . It was God’s living w itn ess in remotestages . It is his w itn ess to-day by the mediation of angels ,voicing the eternal truth of a con scious immortality .

HAF T E R V .

CHINESE.

Th e awfu l shadow of some un s een PowerFloats

,though unseen

,among u s vis iting

Th is var iou s wor ld with a constan t wing ,As summer winds that creep from flower to flower ,

Meanwhile proph etic harpsIn every grove were r in ging .

”

Old as th e rocks, g igan tic in men tal structure

,stern ly

moral,Chin a— circling coron al roun d the brow of nation s

looms up before u s an in termin able pan orama,unrolling

religious scen ery that en raptures every sen se. The Chin ese,

through cycles of weary ages ,have held con scious commun ionw ith the inhabitan ts of th e heaven s .

After a voyage among th e South S ea isles and along th ePacific coast

, we were, in 1 861 , at P lacerville , in troduced toLe Can

,a learned Mandar in

,who graduated from a Chinese

Un ivers ity,and was then employed as in terpreter in th e

courts of Californ ia. Highly in telligen t, h e was proud ofh is national literature. Th e following conversation w ithhim w ill never fade from ou r memoryHave your people a Bible, or sacred books ? ”

“ Certain ly, s ir ; the sacred books of the kings, and the

divin e teachings of Lao-tse , and Confucius.

”

Do they g ive any accoun t of a flood occur ing severalthousand years s in ce

Most assuredly,sir ; and not on ly on e, but many floods ,

also of th e sink ing of is land?6and th e r ising of con tinen ts

ANCIENT HI STOR IC SPIR ITUALI SM— CHINESE . 87

from the ocean . Phys ical convulsion s were very frequ en tfifteen

,twen ty and thirty thousand years ago ! ”

How far back does the history of your sacred booksextendFull forty-four thousan d years ! ”Why , our histor ian s g ive no accoun t of your nation

reaching in to the distan ce so many thousand years ! ”Your histor ian s ! When Amer ica was inhabited by Indian s

and Europe by barbar ian s , we were an old and maturednation . Civilization s , like in dividuals , have their morn ings ,n oon tides and declination s .

”

What do your sacred books teach ? ”Ours ,w ith al l other or ien tal scriptures , teach the existen ce

of God, the n ecess ity of morality, and the immortality ofthe human soul .”

Do your people believe in any in tercourse between the

living and the dead ? ”“ They have always believed it ; and what now surprisesyou under th e phen omena of Spir it Rappings is as an cien tas ou r national records .

”

Dr . McGowan , long a miss ionary in China and Japan,in

a lecture del ivered a few years s in ce before th e Y oung Men’s

Chr istian Association of Chicago , Ill. , speaking of the arts,

scien ces, and won derful ing enuity of the more an cien tAs iatics , said

The Chinese were well acqu ainted with the modes of table tippingnow occurring in America, and have been for a. great lapse of time .

Their great teachers also many thou sand years ago offered sacrifices andprofessed to hold actual converse with the departed of the futureworld.

”

Gu tz laff aflirm s that they sacr ificed on h igh moun tains,

con s idered themselves surroun ded by hosts of spir its,demon s ,

gods , angels and invis ible pow ers, and that spirits met themat their altars and presided over their temples .

At a gran d ban quet given to Mr . Burlingame and his

as sociates of the Chin ese Emb assy,in New Y ork

, th e dai liesreporting the speeches gave this Christian coun try some n ew

38 DOCTRINES or SPI RITUALI STS .

ideas relative to China . Who are the hea then,Americai

Christian s , or the Con fucian Chin ese ? M r . Burlingame said

The East which men have sough t since the days of Alexander ,now itself seeks the West . Ch ina, emerging from the mists of time

,

bu t yesterday su dden ly en tered you r western gates, and confron ts youby its represen tatives here to-n igh t. What have you to say to her ?

She comes with no menace on her lips ; she comes with the greatdoctrine of Confu ciu s , u ttered two thou sand and three years age ,

‘ do

not u nto others what you wou ld not have others do u nto you .

’

I say that the Chinese are a great and noble people . They have all

the elements of a Splendid nationality. They are the most numerou s

people on the face of the globe ; the most homogeneou s people in the

world ; their langu age spoken by more human beings than any other inthe world

,and it is written in the rock it is a country where there is

a greater u n ification of though t than any other in the world ; it is acountry where the maxims of the great sages , coming down memorized,have permeated the whole people, u n til their knowledge is rather an

instinct than an acqu iremen t. They are a people loyal wh ile living ,and whose last prayer when dying is to sleep in the sacred soil of theirfathers . It is a land of scholars and of schools ; a land of books

,from

the smallest pamphlet up to en cyclopedias of five thou sand volumes .It is a land where the priviliges are common ; it is a land withou tcaste

,for th ey destroyed their feudal system two thou sand and one

hundred years ago, and they bu ilt up their great stru cture of civilizationon the great idea that the p eop le are the sou rce of power . That ideawas u ttered by Mench iu s two thou sand and three hundred years ago,and it was old when he u ttered it .

”

An Oxford P rofessor,England

,lectur ing upon Orien talism,

said : “ Buddhist miss ionar ies reached Chin a from In dia,asearly as the third cen tury before Chr ist.” The “ languagewhich the Chin ese pilgrims w en t to India to study

,as the

key to the sacred literature of Buddhism,was San scr it.”

The Br itann icaEn cyclopedia avers that S irW illiam Jon esand others attr ibute to some of the works extan t in San scrit,m an tiquity of four and fi ve thousan d years .

”Speaking of

the immen se wealth and beauty of this language, S ir W illiamfurther says “ The San scr it is of a wonderful structure,more perfect than th e Greek

,more copious than the Latin ,

and more exquis itely refin ed than either . On e of theprofoundes t thinkers of Chin ese antiquity appeared in the

person of Lao-tse, b etwee i six and seven hun dred years ,

ANCIENT HI STORIC SPI RITUALI SM— CHINESE.

B . C. He was a great spir itual reformer, and, living a life ofself-den ial and con templation

,professed frequen tly to ascend

into the immortal realms,and there live dur ing br ief season s

w ith the germ and seen-sp ir its an d angels . Then h e wouldr etu rn freighted w ith n ew ideas , teaching h is coun trymen a

purer faith and divin er doctr in es . H is life was calm and

beautiful . H e taught al chemy and magic ; also maxims andmorals so exalted that they called him a doctor of reason ;and yet he strenuously in s isted that al l great religious and

spir itual truths had been brought down to m en from such oftheir hon ored an cestors as h ad become gods in celestialclimes .

The emin en t Chi n ese sage, Con fucius , was born the 1 9th ofJun e, 551 ,B . C.

,at Shanping in th e kingdom of Lu . Th e real

name of Confu cius was Kong, but h is disciples called himKong-fa tse, that is , Kong th e Master

,or Teacher

,wh ich the

Jesui t miss ionar ies Latin ized in to Con fucius . R emarkab ledreams and omen s are said to have preceded h is birth

,and

h is or igin,traced back by his disciples , was der ived from

Hoang-ti , a powerful mon arch, of China, who flour ished morethan 2000

,B . C. In th e in troduction to the “ Chin ese

Class ics , part l st, R ev . Dr . L egge says Confucius , inh is frequen t referen ces to heaven , followed th e phraseologyof the older sages

, g iving occas ion to many of h is followersto iden tify God w ith a pr in ciple of reason and th e course ofnature . A l ong w ith the w orship of Godthere existed in Chin a, from the earliest histor ical times , theworship of other sp ir itual beings specially, an d to everyindividual the w orship of departed an cestors . In the

Confucian Analects , (p . He Loo asked about serving th esp ir its of the dead . The master said, “While you are not ableto serve men

,how can you serve their spir its ? ” Ke Loo

added,

“ I ventured to ask about death .

”The

master said,

“ How abundan tly do sp ir itual beings display thepow er that belongs to them ! They cause all the people in theempir e to fast and pur ify themselves ; then , like over-flowing

40 DOCTRINES or S PIRITUALI STS .

water,they seem to b e over th e heads , and on the right and

left of their worshipers ” that is , admirers .

H e who attain s th e sovereign ty of the empire,having these

three importan t things , shall effect few errors u nder h isgovernmen t. H is presen ting himself w ith his institution sbefore sp iritual beings , w ithout any doubts about them ar ising,shows that he kn ows heaven .

”

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42 DOCTR INES or SPI RITUALI STS .

word sign ifies consecrated men,m en devoted to the worship

of God. A ccordingly,the w ord m ag ic originally s ign ified

the practice of wor ship,and th e Magi of the East w ere those

who devoted themselves to scien ce an d worship .

Says A lger : Zoroaster prays, When I shall die , let Aban

and Bahman carry m e to the bosom of j oy.” It was a common belief among the P ersian s

,that souls were at season s

permitted to leave th e un der world,and th e upper region s

an d vis it their relatives on earth .

The confusion relative to th e time and teachings of Zoroaster

,has arisen from over looking th e w ell established fact

,

that there were certain ly two,probably three

,distinguished

personages bear ing th e n ame . Zoroaster occurs as a royaln ame in th e Chaldean lists of Berosus. P liny

,following th e

pos itive afli rmation of Ar istotle, declares that Zoroaster th efirst

,flourished s ix thousan d years before P lato . H erm ippu s ,

a man of great erudition,places h im fi ve thousand years

before the Trojan war. Meoyle, Rhode, Voln ey, G ibbon ,

an d other rel iable scholars , con cur in throwing him backin to this vast an tiquity.The great relig ious chieftain of P ers ia, called by the

Greeks Zoroaster , and by th e Or ien tals , Z endu st , was bornaccording to Herodotus

,about th e year 1 250

,and , according to

other historic w r iters,full B . C.

,in Aderb lj an ,

an cientMedia . Su idas terms him a P erso-Mede. H is birth was

ann oun ced to h is mother in a wonderful dream . She alsosaw In V i s i on a br il lian t angel hur ling a book at evil demon s ,and a youth r is ing up and becoming a migh ty person in thelands of the Or ien t. Zoroaster was often warn ed in dreams ;saw celestial spir its ; en ter ed by tran ce in to —the heaven lywor ld, and , being ushered in to the presen ce of Ormuzd .conversed w ith him an d his hosts of angels . The histor ianin forms u s that he obtain ed the commandmen ts of the Avestan rolls from Ormuzd on a moun tain

,amid awful flames of

light, as did Moses on Mt. S inai .

ANCIENT HI STOR IC SPIR ITUALI SM— PER SIAN. 43

After a quiet retreat of “ twen ty years duration ,accord

ing to P liny, as a work of preparation by fasting and commun ing w ith heaven , h e commen ced th e public propagationof h is doctr in es

,at the age of thirty, in the capital of th e

kingdom of th e Bactrian s . H is system was emin en tly spiritu al, abounding in revelation s , prophecies and miracles— invis ion s

,atten ding angels , good and evil spir i ts . S carcely is

a man dead,say the Zend books, “ before demon s good, or

demon s evil come to possess him ,and bear him to their Own

state of life.

R ichardson informs u s“ that, among other relig ious cere

mon ies,th e Magi used to place upon th e tops of high tow ers

var ious kin ds of r ich viands , upon wh ich it was supposed theP er is and the spir its of their departed heroes regaled themselves .

” This correspon ds w ith th e s cr iptural accoun t ofJesus ’ partaking of “ broiled fi sh and an honey comb

,

”after

h is resurrection . During th e r ise,the reign an d fall of the

Persian kingdom ,the Magi, or media

,were held in great

repute, s itting Often as coun selors in the courts Of kings .

Magic was but an other n ame for w isdom . The magic ofthe P ers ian s and Chaldean s , says th e scholar ly Brucker

,

“ is

not to b e confounded w ith w itchcraft, or a supposed inter~

course w ith evil spir its on ly ; it con s isted in th e performan ceof certain religious ceremon ies or in can tation s

, which weresupposed, through th e in terpos ition of good demons , to havesupern atural effects.” Magic and miracle, dream and vis ion ,prophecy and angel in tercourse, blending w ith the P ersianphilosophy and theology as rainbow hues , w ere among theprevail ing religious ideas of this powerful empire. Fromthese the later Hebrew prophets , Of Old Testamen t memory,b orrowed largely.

HAF TER V II .

HEBRAIC.

Who is he that cometh from Edom .

‘

7 with dyed garments fromB ozrah traveling 1n the greatness Of h is strength .

”

I have trodden the wine-press alone . Who hath believed our

report ?”

0 Israel ! how beautiful upon the moun tains thy patriarchs , prophets , apostles ! What a lyr ical sweetness, r ichness of express ion ,

moral grandeur of thought,flame through

their language , br idging and brighten ing th e histor ic passageof full four thousan d years ! Abraham , girded w ith faithDavid, poetic— Isaiah , inspiration al— Ezekiel, psychologicDan iel

,prophetic— Jeremiah , sympathetic—Jesus

, spiritualistic— James, practical— John , pictor ial and affectionate — all

these starred th e highway of their “ Lord ” with heaven lytruths , voiced the w ord of angels from the Dead Sea toGen n esaret, shed upon the ir promise lan d ” a light thatlingers now in vesper beauty there , but re-lit to blaze w ithloftier in spiration s— a su n r is ing in the W est.No scholars versed in Shemitic tongues , or well read in

an tiquity, w ill deny that th e Hebrew scr iptures are made uppr in cipally from religious records

,superstitious relics , and

th e sacred books that long preceded them . Hen ce, GodfreyHiggin s (in his learned An a ,

p. 272) says, in referr ing to

Wil son ’

s discoveries, “ It is now certain that al l the fi rst threeparts of Genes is mu st have come from Indi a.

ANCIENT HI STOR I C S PIR ITUALI SM— HEBRAIC. 45

The dogmas , laws , rites , and ceremon ies that characterizedth e M osaic dispen sation ,

were taken almost bodily from th e

mythic codes cf Egypt ’ s pr iests and subordinate castes . The

deciphered hieroglyphs demon strate this . Th e wr itings ofthe lesser Jew ish prophets , booked in th e Bible, are largelydrawn from the symbols , won ders , n ight vision s , and gen eralreligious literature of th e older P ers ian M agi . TO this en dthe author of th e English P enny Cyclopedia in form s u s thatsome of those prophecies recorded in the Bible were extan t

in books wr itten long before the even ts took place to whichthey refer .

”

F ew histor ic facts are better established than that Indiacolon ized Egypt. A fter giving many sound reason s for this

,

Higg in s states w ith emphas is , that “ India was th e paren t ofEgypt.” Man etho

,a m an Of great w isdom ,

Egyptian bybirth

,residing at Heliopolis in the time of th e P tolemies

,

yet wr iting h is history in Greek, con s idered the Hebrews aslow in caste

,a loose, war-like, wandering people, g iven to

hein ous vices . H e further con tends that this n omadic“nation

,called shepherds

,were likewise called captives in

their sacred books . After “ being dr iven out of Egypt,

”

as th e great Jew ish histor ian Josephus admits,they j our

n eyed through th e “ w ildern ess of Syr ia,and finally built a

city in Judea, which they called Jerusalem .

”P rofessor

Morton,an emin en t scien tist

,giving u s the represen tation

of a mummied cran ium,taken from one of th e oldest

Egyptian sepulchres,remarks : This head possesses a great

interest on accoun t of its decided Hebrew features,of which

many examples are extan t On th e monumen ts .

”The Egyp

tians being or iginally from India, and the Heb rews res idingin , and then ultimately dr iven out from Egypt, it is perfectlynatural that th e customs

,and particularly th e theological

ideas of the Jews,relating to this and the future life

,sh ould

in a great measure coin cide with those Of th e r iper and

superior n ation s .

The P en tateuch Of Moses was n early al l made up fromthe Brahmin ical Vedas and Phoen ician manuscripts .

“ In

46 DOCTR INES or S PIR ITUALI STS .

Sanchon iathon,

says Higgin s,

“ w e have,in substan ce

,the

same cosmogony for the Phoen ician s as is foun d in Gen esis .

On“ this accoun t th e genuineness of h is books has beendoubted

,but I think w ithout sufficien t reason .

”

(Anac. B . 8,

C. 2,p . Father Georgius , who was master of th e

Tib etiau language , quotes th e story of Anob ret from S an

chon iathon,and shows that th e Jend of this forerunn er of

Moses , is the Jid of th e Tib etian s . Both A lexanderP olyhistor and Abyden e, the on e a learn ed compiler inS cylla’s time

,the other referred to for h is w isdom by En se

b iu s,agree to San chon iathon ’

s an te-dating M oses, and to th eaccoun t of th e deluge, and other por tion s of Gen esis , beingpurely Chaldean ,

taken from “ manuscripts of an almostinfin itely remote per iod of time .

The philosopher,P orphyry

,s tuden t of Origen and Lou

gin us , wr ites (L ib . iv,Adv . Chr istian os), that San chon iathon

and Moses gave the like accoun ts of person s and places,and

that Sanchon iathon extracts his account partly out of theannals Of th e cities , an d partly out the book reserved in thetemple

,which h e received from Jeromb alu s , P riest of the

God Jcu d , who is Jao or Jehovah .

Though the Jews w ere ever less spiritual than th e inbahitan ts of th e sun ny clime of In dia

,less learn ed than the

Egyptian s, less poetic than the P ersian s,they ever had

among th em rare spir itual gifts ; and al l through that collection of books called th e Old Testamen t

,Spir itualism

stands out prominen t. Among th e many,n ote the following

passages“And there came two angels to Sodom at even

,and Lot

,seeing them,

rose up to meet them .

”Gen . xix : 1 .

“And the Lord appeared to h im (Abraham) in the plains .

And he lifted u p h is eyes and looked, and 10 ! three men stood besidehim ; and when he saw them he ran to meet them from the tent door,and bowed h imself toward the ground.

”Gen . xviii : 1 2

When Jacob was traveling to meet Esau , he beheld the angel of

God, and said“ This is God’s host .” Gen . xxxii.

The angel Of the Lord appeared to Moses in a flame Of fire out Ofthe midst Of the bush the bu sh burned, bu t was not consumed. He

ANCIENT HI STOR I C SPI R ITUALI SM— HEBRAI C. 47

said,

‘ I am the God Of thy father , the God Of Abraham,Isaac

,and

J acob and Moses h id h is face .— Ex . iii .

“ And the angel Of the Lord found her (Hagar) by a fou n tain of

water in the wilderness , and said,

‘ Whence camestthou ?’ —Gen xvi : 7 .

“ Th is Moses,whom they refused, did God send to

be a ru ler and a deliverer by the hand Of the angel which appeared to

him in the bu sh .

”— Acts vii : 35 .

“ And Jacob went on h is way, and the angels Of God met him .

Gen . xxxii : 1 .

“And as he (El ij ah) lay and slept u nder a j u niper tree , behold, then ,an angel touched h im and said u nto h im‘ Arise and eat .

’ — 1 Kings

xix . 5 .

“ Then the Lord Opened the eyes Of B alaam,and he saw the angel

of the Lord standing 1 n the way ,—”N i .tm xxii : 31 .

Sau l consu lted a medium at Endor .

And she said, An Old man cometh up; and he is covered with a

mantle .

’And Sau l perceived that It was Samu el

,and he stooped

with his face to the grou nd, and bowed himself.”— 1 S am. xxviii 1 4 .

“ Fear came upon me and trembling , which made all my bones toshake. Then a sp ir i t passed before my face . It stoodstill ; bu t I cou ld not discern th e form thereof. Iheard a voice saying, ‘ Shall mortal man be more ju st than GodJ ob

,iv : 1 4-1 7

While I was speaking in prayer , even the man Gabriel, whom Ihad seen in the vision at the beginning tou ched meabou t the time of the even ing oblation .

— Dan . ix : 2 1 .

“ Then Nebu ch ednezzar spake and said,

‘ B lessed be the God of

Shadrach , Meshach and Abednego, who hath sent h is angel and

del ivered h is servants that tru sted in h im,and have changed the King’s

word .

’ Dan . x : 9-1 0 .

“ Yet heard I the voice Of his words,and

behold a hand tou ched me .

’ “ Then there came again

and tou ched me on e like the appearance Of a man,and he strengthened

me .— Dan x : 1 8.

“ And it came to pass , when I, even I, Dan iel , had seen th e vision,

and sough t for the meaning , then , behold, there stood before me as th e

appearance Of a man . And I heard a man’s voice between the banks

Of Ulai , which called and said, Gabriel, make th is man to u nderstand

the vision .—Dan . viii : 1 5-1 6 .

Yea,while I was speaking in prayer , even the man Gabriel

,whom

I had seen at the beginn ing , being cau sed to fly swiftly,touched me

abou t the time of the evening oblation .

”— Dan . ix 21 .

A most interesting case of th e return of spir its to mor

tals , is related of Ezekiel . On on e occasion the “ Lord,

”

48 DOCTR INES OF SPIR ITUALI STS .

that is th e ruling spirit of the Jew ish nation,appeared to

the prophet, and by the hair of h is head floated him awayto Jerusalem .

And he pu t forth the form Of a hand,and took me by a look of

mine head ; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and theheavens and brough t me in the vision of God to Jeru salem to the doorOf the inner gate that looketh toward the nort —Ezekiel viii 3 .

Arriving at th e temple after this aer ial voyage, he en tered,

and there stood before him seven ty spir its,who appeared

as m en ; men who had lived many centur ies before his

timeAnd there stood before them seventy men Of the ancients of the

house Of Israel,and in the m idst Of them stood J aazaniah

,the son of

Shaphan , with every man his censer in hand.

’ — Ezekiel viii : 1 1

At an other time,being in vision

,having been carr ied

thither as before, he saw fi ve and twen ty men,or

.

spirits,some

of whose n ames were g iven ,who were kn own as con spicuous

actor s in the an cien t days of IsraelMoreover thc spirit l ifted me up, and brought me unto the east

gate of the Lord’s hou se, wh ich looked eastward : and behold at the

door Of the gate five and twen ty men ; among whom I saw J aazan iah

the son Of Azu r,and Pelatiah

,the son Of B enaiah, princes Of the

people .

’ —Ezelciel xi 1 .

About 3260, B . C.,a powerful Mede, visiting Sardanapa

.u s , reproved him for the luxur iousn ess of h is court, and

con spired w ith B elesis , of Babylon ia, to Overthrow him .

Diodoru s S icu lu s informs u s, that when Sardanapalus heardof it

,he laughed the whole thing to con temp t, saying, an

an cien t prophecy, sin ce confirmed by the voices Of the ‘gods,

’

h ad promised that N ineveh should n ever b e taken by force.

This exhibits th e faith those Old A ssyr ians had in omen s andoracles from the immortals .

Berosus states that the w inds, aided by the gods , angelsor Spirits

,destroying th e towers of Babel, in troduced the

con fusion Of tongues ; and that their w ise men,in dreams

and visions,frequently foretold the ruin of nations.

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50 DOCTRINES or SPIRITUALISTS .

third volume Of P lato,by Burges

,Tr in ity College

, Cam

br idge : “ They are ‘ demon s,because pruden t and learned .

Hen ce,poets say w ell

, who say thatwhen a good man shall have reached h is end

,he receives a

mighty destiny and hon or,and becomes a demon according

to the appellation of pr uden ce.

”

Con curring w ith the gen eral belief of those ages,the

Grecian poet Hes iod,in his “W orks and Days ,” says

“ B u t when conceal ed had destiny th is race,

Demon s th ere were, cal led holy upon earthGood, il l-averter s, and Of men the guard .

Also, this S ign ifican t lin e occursHoly demon s by great Jove designed .

Earn est Renan , on e of th e m ost eminen t Shemitic scholars living

,speaking

,in h is “L ife of Jesu s

,Of th e group

that assembled upon th e banks of Lake Tiber ias to listen toJesus s ays They believed in spectres and in spir its .

”

These citation s from Hes iod , P lato , and especially PhiloJudaeu s

,a few years th e sen ior Of the Galilean

,clearly demon

strate the fact Of the iden tity of gods , spir its , demons and

angels,that there w ere good

,learn ed , and holy demon s

,

and those den ominated unholy ; an d that these demons, or

spir its and angels,held intercourse w ith, and were the

guardian s of mortals .

As a gen eral thing, th e magi , magicians , or media of

Egypt,excel led Moses in th e production Of wonders manifest

in the differen t phases of phen omenal Spir itualism . Tak

ing their account, they were doubtless always the victors .

They certainly had several tr ials for the mastery. A cceptingthe scr iptural rendering

,

’ it is eviden t that the'

wonderfulworks wrought by Moses w ere also accomplished

, w ithhardly an exception , through the “

en chan tmen ts ” of Pharaoh

’s“w ise men and magician s .

” This en chan tmen t wasthe mesmer ic w ill-force— a part of the very “wisdom

” thatMoses had learn ed in Egypt. P sychologists are always aidedmore or less by th eir spirit guides .

ANCIENT HISTORIC SPIRITUALI SM— HEBRAIC. 51

R eferr ing to the so-called miracles recorded in the 7th

chapter of Exodus,we fi nd that the mag ician s turned their

rods in t-o serpen ts (psychologically, of course ) ; water in toblood ; and produced th e frogs also

,w ith seemingly the

same ease and celer ity that Moses and Aaron did,and

by the same psychologic law . But when th e L ord, throughMoses , commanded Aaron to “ stretch out his red ” and goto manufacturing “ lice

,

”themagician s begged to b e excused ;

it was too small busin ess— utterly beneath the magi , ormedia of Old

,proud and class ic Egypt ! They w ould n ot

thus degrade their psychologic know ledge— a portion oftheir sacred myster ies . To b e sure Moses says they “

could

not.” This is Moses ’ vers ion of the matter , however , ( if

indeed,he ever wrote the P en tateuch ); and Moses , holding

himself in high estimation,wrote in his own in terest ; and,

what is more, a man

,courting fame

,that could write an

account of his own death and bur ial, is en titled,write what hemay , to little credit.Never charmed with Moses ’ characteristics , we do not

“deny his mediumship,nor th e truth Of h is frequen t conver

sation s w ith the “ Lord God, face to face ;” that is , h is familiar spir it, but we rate it second to th e mediumistic powersof the seers of Egypt an d P ersia

,and immeasurably infer ior

to that of the Jadean prophets . See the power of the godswhen the Syrian s came to seize Elisha : “When the servan thad risen early and gon e forth

,behold an host en compassed

the city, both w ith horses and char iots . And h is servan tsaid unto him ‘A las ! my master ! what shall we do ? ’

And Elisha prayed,and said

,

‘L ord,I pray

thee Open his eyes ( clairvoyan t eyes ) that he mayAnd the Lord

,angel or spiritual being

,open ed th e eyes , that

is,the in terior or sp iritual eyes, of the young m an

,and he

saw— saw because the inn er vision was un sealed— and“ behold, the moun tain was full of horses and chariots offi re round about Elisha — 2 K ings iv.Titus , in his address to h is soldiers before Jerusalem ,

said “For what man of virtue is there that does not kn ow

52 DOCTRINES or SPI RITUALISTS .

that those sou ls which are severed fromthei r fleshy bodiesin battles by the sword

, are received by the ether,that purest

of elemen ts,and j oined to that company which are placed.

among the stars ; that they become good demons , and propitious heroes

,and show themselves as such to their poster ity

afterward — J osep hus , B . vi : chap . 5 .

The Hebrew scriptures,Talmud

,and Kabbala

,all abound

in dreams,omen s

,prophecies

,angelic interpos itions and

spirit commun ication s , often beautiful, and sometimes ab solu tely grand all of which bear a close resemblan ce in formand purpose to those more marked man ifestation s of spir itpower

,that threw such a tran scenden t glory over the older

n ation s of Cen tral and S outhern As ia.

“Th e most usualform

,

”said th e learn ed and Orthodox Calmet,

“ in whichgood angels appear

,both in the Old Testamen t and NOW

,is

the human form .

” It was in that shape they showed themselves to Abraham

,Lot

,Jacob

,Moses

,Joshua

,Man oah the

father of Samson ,to David

,Tobit

,and the P rophets . The

one that appeared to Joshua on th e plain of Jer icho , appearedapparen tly in th e guise of a warr ior

,s in ce Joshua asked

him— “ A rt thou for u s or for ou r adversar iesBut en ough has been adduced to prove that th e Hebrewgovernmen t

,in al l its religious and secular in terests

,was

regulated by spir it oracles,and that these con stitute the

ch ief beauty of its admin istration .

There was a time when al l mankind

Did l isten to a faith s incere,

TO tunefu l tongues in my stery verse.

But alas , how infidel n ow is the church that practicallyseem s the voice of faith ! L et Tertullian speak to such ;“ Thou can st not call that madn ess of which thou art provedto know n othing.

”

HAF TER V III .

GRECIAN.

“GO on, spotless mortal , in the path of vir tu e ;It is the way to th e star s ;Offspr ing Of the gods thyself

So shal t thou become the -

father Of gods .

Th en side by side along the dreary coas t ,Advanced Achi lles and Patroclu s ’ ghos t,

A fr iendly pair .

”

En chan ted is Olden Greece ! P re-emin en tly the lan d ofpoetry

,pain ting and mus ic

,of art and w itching song

,her

republics voiced the heaven -w inged words of freedom longbefore the “ Son of Man

”said

,

“ whom th e truth makethfree is free indeed .

”H er classi c mind drank deep of inspi

ration s that gushed, foun tain -like,from moun tain

,hill and

vale,haun ted by nymphs and sylphs— from sun-kissed seas

sprinkled w ith ever-green isles embossed w ith rainbowsunder gorg eous skies

,deifi c in guardian ship . All things

con spired to engender men tal vivacity, gen ial heart, an dap titude for spir itual impression and culture. In cidental tothese influen ces

,th e literature

,attributed to th e poets

,h istor

ian s , tragedian s , philosophers , statesmen and moral heroesof Greece, abounds in br illian t thoughts and the mos tsublime ideas

,touching the invisible realities of the spirit

w orld.A s American s look to English un ivers ities for samples of

highest culture— as Nor thern Europe on ce looked to R ome53

54 DOCTR INES OF SPI RITUALI STS .

Rome,in her palmiest periods

,to Greece

,and Egypt to

India,so the literati and ph ilosophers among the Greeks

looked up and bow ed in profound reveren ce before the

authors,poets and long -treasured w isdom of Egyptian

savan s . Thither flocked the w isest of the Grecian s to perfecttheir education both scien tific and religious . The learn edJacob Bryan t says : “ The whole theol‘ogy of Greece wasderived from the East. Josephus wrote in his day “ All

that con cern s th e Greeks,we m ay say is of yesterday on ly.

He further assures u s that the Greeks “acknow ledged that

it was not they,but th e Phoen i cian s, Egyptian s and other

nation s of an tiquity,who preserved the m ost memorials and

arts of mankin d, and that from Egypt they themselves

imported them ; and that to those who in troduced philosophy and the know ledge of thing s celestial and divin e amongthem ,

such as Ph erecydes th e Scyrian , Pythagoras and

Thales , they were greatly indebted . All'

with on e con sen tagreed that they learn ed what they kn ew of the Egyptian sand Chaldean s , and wrote but little. Though tinged and

tin ctured more or less w ith th e older philosophers of Egyptand India, Spir itualism was , for a long period

,th e un iversal

religion Of Greece. Hes iod flourished about 1 000 B . C. ,

and in h is Theogony gave a faithfu l accoun t of the gods( spir its ) -Of an tiquity. H e himself con sulted oracles

,as to

the future, and at a certain time the Pythia— priestess Of

Apollo that is , th e female medium con trolled byApolloan ascended mortal termed god) directed him to shun the

g rove of Nemean Jupiter , which he did, saving his life. He

declares,himself prophetically in spired by the gods and

goddesses,saying of the daughters of Jove

They gave into my handA rod of marvelou s growth ; a laurel boughOf bloomin g verdure ; and within me breathedA h eaven ly voice

,that I might u tter forth

Al l past and futu re th ings , and bade me praiseThe bles sed of ever-l iving God.

ANCIENT HISTORI C S PIRITUALI SM— GB ECIAN. 55

"Hesiod frequen tly breathes h is fi rm' b elief in the tenderwatch-care of guardian spirits , as well as those that takec'ogn izance of vice

“ Invis ible, the gods are ever n igh ,Pass through ou r midst, and bend the all-seeing eye ;

The men who gr ind the poor, who wrest the r ight,Aweless Of heaven ’

s r evenge, stand naked to their s ight ;For thr ice ten thou sand holy demon s r oveTh is breath ing world, the delegates of Jove.

Guardians of man , th eir glance al ike surveysTh e upr ight ju dgmen ts and th e unr igh teou s ways .

W r iting of the seers and sages of a past golden age, the

spirits of which became the guardian s of m en,he says in

his Works,Elton ’

s tran slationWhen earth ’s dark womb had closed th is race around,H igh Jove as demons raised them from the ground

Earth -wander ing spirits that th eir charge began,Th e min ister s Of good, the guards Of man .

Man tled with mist Of darkl ing air they gl ideAnd compass earth , and pass on every s ide ;Kingly th eir state, and delegate Of HeavenBy th eir vicar ious hands prosper ity is g iven .

TheArundelian marbles place Homer 907 B “

. C. Born at

B eth sia,~

a village “

of Egypt, nearer the Red Sea than the

Nile,he became a medium and seer at eight years of age ,

spirits appear ing visible to him w ith harps and '

songs , indicating h is future greatn ess . H is earthly Egyptian teacherwas Helecate

,and h is Grecian tutor , Myrah . Hesiod was

his direct con trolling or guardian spir it. In these breathingnumbers , immor tal utteran ces and matchless poetical combinations, Hesiod prompted him in the G reek

,and Lu c

‘

itan in

the Egypt ian,while in tellectual lyand spir itually above-them

both , w as one of those gran d old Indian seers that had longsummered in the heaven s . This accoun ts for the Strik ingresemblan ces betw een the Iliad of Homer and that greatB rahmin ical poem of V alm ike, entitled the Ramayana.

Al,l versed in th e Iliad and Odyssey

,kn ow they are all

ag low w ith oracles , prophecies , dreams -the d escription s

56 DOCTR INES OF SPIR ITUALI STS .

of gods, g oddesses and demon s

,and the interest they ever

take in human affairs . The very warp and woof of theGrecian poetry and philosophy were spiritual

, and hencetheir beauty and freshn ess to-day .

Herodotus writes (Eu terpe, 53 — “ I con s ider Hesiod and

Homer Older than myself,by four hundred years .

They were th e poets who framed the Hellen ic theogony ;gave distinctive n ames to the gods ; distributed amongstthem hon ors and profess ion s

,and pointed out their receptive

forms .

” Diodoru s S icu lu s,in the seven th chapter of h is

first b ook,

“asserts the same ; that is , these histor ian s mean

to state that these poets did not inven t,but arranged and

detailed the knowledge of the gods ,” brought from India in toEgypt ; then from Egypt and Syr ia in to their coun try byOrpheus , Dan aus and Cadmus . Pherecydes , the earlyteacher of Pythagoras

,flour ishing some 600 B . C.

,taught

the immortality of th e son ],the guardian care of holy gods

and demon s , and is con sidered the fi rst who wrote concern ingthe nature of the gods in p rose.

P lato in the Tim oeu s says : “ That between God and man

are th e daimones or spir its,

‘

who are always near u s,though

common ly invisible to u s , an d know all ou r thoughts . Theyare intermediate between gods and men

,and their fun ction

is to interpret and convey to the gods what comes from men ,

and to men what comes from the gods .

”

In P lato’s Apology and R epublic ( p . 31,40, b . that

great master Grecian says : The demon s Often direct man in

the quality of guardian spirits,in all h is action s

,as w itn ess

the demon of S ocrates .

” “ There are two

kinds Of m en . One of these , through aptitude , w ill receivethe illumination s of divin ity, and the other

,through inap

titude,w ill subj ect himself to the pow er of avenging

demon s .

” They ( the poets ) do not composeby art

,b u t through a divin e power ; s in ce

,if they kn ew

how to speak by art u pon the subject correctly, they wouldbe able to do so upon al l others . On this accoun t, a deityhas deprived

'

them of th eir sen ses,and employs them as his

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58 DOCTRINES or SPI RITUALI STS .

th e gods , who give ( u s ) eviden ce Of their presen ce byoracles divination s, in spiration s , and al l other sen sibles ign s .

R eferr ing to his eccen tr icities, Socrates says : “ The cause

of this is that which you have often and in many placesheard me men tion ; because I am moved by a certain divin eand spiritual influen ce

,which also Mel itu s

,through mockery

,

has set out in the indictment. This began w ith me fromchildhood

,being a kind of voicewhich

,when presen t

,always

diverts m e from what I am about to do,bu t n ever urges me

on . But this duty,as I said

,has been enj oin ed on m e by

the Deity,by oracles

,by dreams

,and by every mode bv

which any other divine decree has ever enj oin ed anything forman to do .”— Cary’ s Tran s lation .

Reason ing,h e asked M iletus

,

“ DO we not take thesedeities

, or demons , for the gods , or the children of gods ? ”“Y es

,doubtless ! ”

Therefore,you ackn owledge

,said S ocrates

,

“ that Ibelieve there are demon s

,and that these demons are gods .

I have likewise told you that I received myorders from God himself, by oracles , dreams , and all othermethods Deity makes u se of to make known his pleasure tomen .

”

M .

'

Dacier,in a n ote

, (Apol . of Soc., p

'

. 3 93) saysS ocrates learn ed of Pythagoras that demon s , or angels and

heroes— that is , devout m en and sain ts,are the son s of God,

because they der ive from him their being, as light owes itsorigin to a luminous body .

Socrates being in quired of why h e busied himself so muchin private , and did not appear in the conven tion s of thepeople, gives the following reason

“ The thing that hin dered me from doing so,Athenian s,

was this familiar spirit, this divin e voice, that you have Oftenheard of

,an d which Mel itu s h as endeavored so much to

r idicule This spirit has stood by me“ from my infan cy. It

is a voice that does not speak but when it mean s to take m e

Off from some resolution . It never presses me to undertake

ANCIENT HI STORIC S PI RITUALI SM— GRECIAN. 59

anything; but it always thwarted me when I mean t to meddleih affairs of state .

”

(Apol. Soc. p .

Turn ing at a certain time to his fr iend S imm ias,h e dis

coursed thus of virtue and the future immortal life : “WhatI have said ought to sufficien tly show that we should laboral l ou r lives to acquire vi rtue and w isdom ,

s in ce we have so

great a . reward proposed to u s and so br ight a prospectbefore u s . A s for you

,my dear S immias an d Cebes , and all

you Of this company, you w ill follow m e shortly. My houris come ; and as a tragic poet would say , the surly pilot callsm e aboard . It is time I should go to th e bath ; for I thinkit better

,before I drink th e poison

,to b e washed in order to

save the woman the trouble after I am dead.”Crito, inquir ing what orders he had to leave w ith referen ceto h is children and other affa irs,further asked : “How w illyou b e buried ? ” “ Just as you please,” said S ocrates

,

“ if Ido n ot slip from you . At th e same time

,looking upon

them w ith a gen tle smile,said : “ I cann ot attain my end in

persuading Orito that this is S ocrates who discourses w ithyou ; and s till h e fan cies that Socrates is the

thing that shall shortly see death . He confoun ds me w ithmy corp se; and in that view asks how I w ill b e bur ied . And

al l this after the long discourse I made to you lately '

in orderto show

,that

,as soon as I shall have taken the poison

,I shall

stay no longer w ith you ; but I shall part from hen ce and

enj oy the felicity of the blessed . ( S eeAp . Phedon,p .

That erudite P laton is t,P roclus

,wr iting upon the demon

of Socrates,commenced h is forty-third chapter on the “The

ology Of P lato thus : Let u s speak con cern ing the demon swho allotted the superintendan ee of mankind The !

most perfect souls choose a life con formable to their presidin-g god , and live according to a divin e demon . Hen ce theEgyptian priest admired P lotinus as being con trolled ( onaccou n t of the purity of h is life) by a divine demon . And

with g reat propr iety also does S ocrates call his demon a

god, for he belonged to the first and h ighest demon s.

60 DocTRINEs or SPI R ITUALI STS .

Accordingly , Socrates was most perfect, being governed bysuch a presiding power

,and conducting himself by th e will

Of such a leader and guardian of h is life.

R emembering, then , that Pythagoras res ided for a periodof years in Egypt

,that S ocrates was personally acquainted

w ith some of th e disciples of Pythagoras,the an oin ted

Samian,and that P lato was a pupil of S ocrates

,w e perceive

the naturaln ess of the descen t from age to age of theseSpiritualistic teaching s relative to th e gods and demon sto their g en tle gu ardian ship and con tinuous converse w ithmortals

,and th e un speakable b lessedn ess pertain ing to

those Elysian fields that gladden w ith molten glory th ehomes of th e angels .

Jesus,born e in in fan cy “ down in to Egypt, early

conn ected w ith the Essen ian s , afterwards in itiated into thepsychologic and mediumistic w isdom Of the older Easternmyster ies

,as well as conver san t w ith those glitter ing

thoughts that dropped like pearls from the pen s of theP ers ian poets

,n atural ly imbibed

,in con sonan ce w ith h is

susceptible organ ism ,and taught some of th e P laton ian

doctrin es , among which was the “ min istry of sp ir its , pre

existen ce,an d th e ascen t of souls in to that Paradisiacal

house of “ many mansion s .

Every s cholarly theologian kn ows that the parables ofJesus

,as w ell as John ’

s Gospel, abound in P laton isms .

A ccordingly,the orthodox commen tator

,Dr . Campbell ,

frankly, yet doub tless unw illingly, confessed that, “ Our

Lord’s description s of the abodes of departed spirits w ere not

drawn from th e w r itings of the Old Testamen t ; but have a

remarkable affin ity to the descr iption s which the Grecianpoets have given of them .

”

Nonn u s informs u s that “ there was . a statue at Delphiwhich emitted an in articulate voice .

”The spir its w ere thus

exper imen ting w ith th e solid ston e to produce a Memn onin Greece, as they do these days train th e muscles whichthey w ish to u se in w r iting or speaking ; but doubtless foundthe mater ial too perverse for their purpose.

ANCIENT HI STOR I C SPIRITUALI SM— GRECIAN. 61

Epimen ides , a promin en t poet,living in S olon ’

s time,

possessed the remarkable power w it-h which certain mediaof ou r day are gifted

,of leaving h is body, and, conducted by

immortal guides,visiting fr iends gone b efore, vast galleries

of art,and the magn ificen t temples of the ascended sages of

an tiquity. Those tran ces con tinued so long, and h e revealedso strange truths upon return ing in to the mortal ten emen t

,

that he was held in high repute— almost revered among theAthen ian s during his life, an d at death they gave him a placeamong their gods . The rarely endowed Hermodoru s pos

sessed this same power . A ided by th e con trolling magn eticinfluen ces of spirit-guardians

,he frequen tly quitted th e phys

ical frame,and explored the matchless beauties that obtain

in the lan d Of souls .

‘

SO Ar istides the Just gives a fullaccoun t

,in the Oration es Saci'ee

,

” of his visits to the healing temples of E scu lapiu s . Many of his dreams proved tob e prophecies , and in h is tran ces h e men tion ed things as thentaking place in distan t coun tr ies . These w ere afterwardsver ified

,as in like cases w ith Swedenborg.

In the n ight vision ,Apollo and xEscu lapiu s came to Epi

men ides and requested him to compose and s ing verses ;something which he had n ever thought of attempting in hisnormal state. H e so did

,however

,w ith emin en t success .

H is'

feel ing s , while in this in spirational con dition , h e said,

were most delightful. After h is s ight was more thoroughlyOpened, he declared that P lato, Demosthenes and SophoclesOften stood near the foot of h is couch an d conversed w ithhim . All through h is marked career immor tal demon s seemto have accompan ied him

,to whom h e owed not on ly his

health,b u t much of his w isdom . ( S ee Ar is .

,by Can ter . )

Thus run s Spir itualism through al l Grecian history inconverse w ith gods , angels , demon s , spirits , and th e appearan ce of appar ition s

,symbols and psychological forms , in

connection w ith vision s,tran ces and healing s . The mythol

ogy of the Greeks , even w ith all its shadowy vagar ies , wasinfin itely super ior to modern theology. The clergy, w ithfew exception s

,have persisted in wi ckedly misrepresen ting

62 DOCTRINES OF SPIRITUALI STS .

the ethical teachings and theological doctr ines that prevai ledin Greece for many cen turies before the Chr istian era.

Occas ionally a clergyman has dared to b e just. Such wasthe R ev . J. B . Gross . In h is “ Introduction to HeathenReligion

,

” h e says : “P erhaps on no subject w ithin th e

ample range of human knowledge have so many fallaciousideas been propagated as upon that of the gods and the

worship of heathen an tiquity. Nothing but a shamefulign oran ce, a pitiable prej udice or the con temptible pride

,

which den oun ces al l in vestigation s as a useless or a criminallabor

,when it must b e feared that they w ill result In the

oveI throw of pref established system s of faith or the modifi

cation of long-cher ished prin ciples of scien ce,can have thus

m isrepresented th e theology Of heathen ism,and distorted

nay , car icatured— its forms of religious worship . It 1 8 timethat poster ity should raise its vo i ce in vindication of violatedtruth

,and that th e presen t age should learn to recogn ize in

the hoary past,at least, a little of that common sen se of

which it boasts w ith as much self-complacen cy as if theprerogative of reason was the birth-r ight on ly of moderntimes .

”

The aim of pr iests,in throw ing contempt u pon the

mythologies of In dia,Egypt and Greece, was doubtless to

enable them longer to continue their hold upon th e mindthrough their superstition s , and th e mouldy traditions ofchurch fathers . But th e great Newton said

,that “ an cien t

mythology was n othing but h istorical tru th in a poeticaldress .

” Bacon said, it con sisted solely of moral and metaphys ical allegor ies . The learn ed Bryan t

,as quoted by S ir

W illiam Jones , said, that “all th e heathen divin ities were

on ly differen t represen tatives of deceased progen itors .

”

J amb l ichu s,author of L ife of Pythagoras, admits that

the “gods and demon s of the mythologic ages , were the

good and h e1 Oie of earth ’ s immortalized , y et giving oraclesto the living ’

From th e facts adduced In Grecian history, we lea1 n whatthe modern church of Chr istian s dare not recogn ize, that the

ANCIENT HI STOR IC SPIRITUALI SM— GRECIAN. 63

images of those ancien t gods , some beau tiful and othershideous , according to th e plan e of spiritual perception , wereused as oracles

, the same as tables , musical in strumen ts andplanchetts for spiritual commun ication

,are these days .

Theirs were doubtless better media,being forms of the

spirits themselves , made by their order for mediumisticpurposes . Originally, those “ idols

,

”as chu rchal worshipers

scorn fully call them,were the chann els of sweet and holy

commun ication w ith pres iding angels on ce inhabiting theearth-sphere.

Beda,treating of the “ Seven W onders of the Wor ld

,

tells u s,that

,in the capitol at R ome

,there were statues

(m ediumized by spir it magnetism ) set up for all the prov:inces con quered by the R oman s. These w ere images oftheir gods

,on the breasts of whi ch were wr itten the n ames

of the n ation s . On their n ecks little bells were hung,and

pr iests w ere appoin ted to watch them (lay and n ight. Whenone of these rung by spir it influen ce

,they kn ew at on ce

What n ation was about to rebel again st the Romans,of which

du e n otice was immediately g iven to the civil author ities ,who made provision accordingly.By mean s of bells the Spirits gave many of their commu

n ication s to the Jew ish priests, Whose garmen ts were

festoon ed w ith them ,making music, under r ight conditions

,

delicious as that we these days hear at th e mus icalen tertainmen ts of spiritual circles .

M . de L’Ancre

,in his book en titled The In con stan cy of

Demon s and Evil Spir its , tells u s , “That in the town ofBourdeaux

,there was an honest can on of a chur ch who had

h is hou se for sometime troubled ( haunted )w ith spirits ; andthat

,among other things

,there was heard almost every n ight

a kind of mus ic, like that of the espiru t, set w ith little bells ,so pleasan t, that this partly took from him the fear and

apprehen s ion of the spir its .

W ith the an cien t Spir itualist-s commun ication s by soundswere carried to a high state of perfection

,show ing the

delicacy of their spiritual batter ies,and the beautiful degree

64 DOCTR INES or SPIR ITUALI STS .

of their musical scien ce blending with their religion .

Undoubtedly they discovered a certain mental ratiocinationbetween sound and moral character

,an d made it practical

in the methods above described . Developed by the SpiritualPhilosophy

,it is already known

,that every person

,as is every

object in th e outer world,is en sphered in an atmospheri c

magnetism exactly of th e quality of the inn er affection and

the co-relative molecular texture of the body. The in tonation s of every person ’

s voice is a sure index of su chqualities— indeed of the very spir it itself. Man is organ izedon the eternal pr in ciples of mus ic

,and is keyed to certain

grades of love and thought as a musical in strumen t tosounds which it is in tended to produce . This spir itualkeying of th e character determin es taste in mus ic. Hen ce,certain sounds are agreeable to some ; to others disagreeable.

Deep,solemn psalmody

,w ill stir the soul of the chu rchal

worshiper ; such sounds en ter in to rapport w ith himinter iorly ; hen ce the respon se . The lute or the guitar w illbetter charm the passional lover or melan choly dreamer .

Gottschalk,th e great p ian ist

,speaking of musical philos

phy,states that “ the flame of the can dles oscillates to the

quake of th e organ . A pow erful orchestra n ear a sheet ofwater ruffles its surface. The soun d of the bassoonis cold ; th e n otes of th e Fren ch horn , at a distan ce , and ofthe harp

,are voluptuous . The flute

,playing softly in the

middle of the register,calm s the n erves .

”Swedenborg

discovered the practicability of this musical ratiocination inthe spir itual world

,when he said

,al l the speech of the angels

,

“at the close of every sen ten ce

,has its termination in un ity

of accen t,which is merely in con sequen ce of the divine

influx in to their souls respecting the un ity of God.

We see,therefore

,a most beautiful truth in Jamb l ichu s ’

explanation of musical divin ation by the u se of pr iestly bells .He says in substan ce : “ Var ious kinds of motion s in the

wor ld an swer to var ious orders of the gods . Melodies agreeaccording to the prin ciples of their motions ( undulatoryvibrat ions ), and flow to certain gods to which they are most

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66 DOCTRINES or SPI RITUALI STS .

readers atten tion is called to the following facts,culled from

the many , exactly parallelThere are many oracles among the Greeks

,many also among the

Egyptian s , many in Africa, and many h ere in Asia . B u t these giverespon ses neither withou t priests , nor withou t interpreters . Here

,

however,Apollo is self

-moved,and performs the prophetic ofli ce wholly

by himself ; and th is he does as follows : When he wishes to com

mu n icate,he moves in his place , whereupon the pr iests forthwith take

him u p. Or if they neglect to take him up, he sweats,and comes forth

into the middle of the room when , however , others bear h im upon th eir

shou lders,he gu ides them ,

moving from place to place . At length thechief priest supplicating h im ,

asks h im all sorts of qu estions . If he

does not assent,he moves backwards ; if he approves, he impels forward

those who hear h im,like a charioteer . Thu s they arr ive at responses .

They do noth ing except by th is method. Thu s he gives predictionsconcern ing the seasons , foretells storms , &c. I will relate another thingalso which he did in my presence. The pr iests were bearing h im upon

their shou lders- he left them below u pon the grou nd, while he himself

was borne aloft and alone into the air . ( Lu cian . de Syria Dea.)

A little before the misfortu ne of the Lacedaemonians at Leu ctra,

there was heard the clashing of arms in the temple of Hercu les,and

the statu e of Hercu les sweat profu sely. At Thebes , at the same time,in the temple of Hercu les

,the folding doors , which were fastened with

bolts , su dden ly opened of themselves,and the arms which were hu ng

upon th e walls were fou nd thrown upon the grou nd . There were oth ersigns preceding th is calamity. The statu e of Lysander at Delphi,which the Lacedaemonians had placed there after h is great naval victoryover the Athenian s

,appeared crowned with weeds and bitter herbs

,

and the two golden stars wh ich had been su spended there as offerings

in honor of Castor and Pollux,who had assisted th em visibly in that

battle,fell

,and disappeared .

”

( Cicero, de Divinatione i .

The cultured Greeks,emin en tly poetic and spir itual

,

cher ished view s con cern ing death '

qu ite similar to th e spiritu alists of this cen tury. P lato was

,to them

,a cen tral In spi

ration . Touched and thr illed b y h is sublime doctrin es , theycon s idered this world th e on ly H ades heaven ,

their nativehome

,and all death an ascen t to th e higher life .

Avoiding descen t for in carn ation,an d remain ing on high,

w ith the gods,was real life

,because life in the Spir it ; while

descen t into this world was death . Macrobius w r ites in his

ANCIENT HI STORIC SPIR ITUALI SM— GRECIAN. 67

dream of Scipio ,” Here, on earth,is the cavern of despair

,

the infernal reg ion . The r iver of oblivion is th e wanderingof the mind

,forgetting the maj esty of its former life ; and

a thinking residen ce in the body the on ly life.

”

(Lib . i .cap. To the clear vision of those inspired Grecian s, dyingwas ascending to the soul ’s pr imal home— the society of thecelestial gods in the starry region s of measureless space.

HAF T ER IX .

ROMAN.

For thrice ten thou sand holy demons roveThis breathing world, the delegates of Jove,Guardians of man , th eir glance al ike su rveysThe upr ight judgments and the u nr ighteou s ways .

Thu s we see how man’s prophetic creeds

Made gods of men , wh en Godl ike were their deeds .

R ome ! proud , imper ial , seven -hilled— Rome ! that w ithnod could crown king s and bury empires— R ome ! boastfulof her Cicero and her Caesars— R ome ! that humbled Garthage

— R ome w ith her deep blue skies,southern w in ds

,and

ruin s r ich in an cien t legen ds ! she accepted,even in her most

famous ages,Greece for her schoolmaster . Her philosophy

,

religion,scien ce

,art

,and poetry— h er dramas

,and even the

very laws so long hon ored in A then s,were brought from

Greece and in troduced among th e Roman s more than thr eehundred years before Christ. Greek art was copied byR oman artists . Greek professors taught the Grecian philosophy to the more promising of the youth of R ome

,and al l

were taught to respect the oracles and reveren ce th e godsand gen i i that appeared to, guarded, and conversed w ithmortals .

Sallu st, a P laton ic philosopher , author of a treatise “ On

the Gods and the world,

”says : But we,when we are good ,

are conj oin ed with the gods through similitude ; but whenevil

,we are separated from them through diss imilitude.

68

ANCIENT HISTOR IC SPIRITUALI SM— ROMAN. 69

And while we live according to virtue, we partake of thegods

,but when ‘

we become evil,we cause them to become

ou r enemies ; not that they are angry, but because guilt preven ts u s from receiving the illumination s of the gods

,and

subj ects u s to the power of avenging demon s .

S in ce th e providen ce of the gods is every where extended,a certain latitude, or fitness , is all that is requis ite in order toreceive their b en efi cent commun ication s . But s in ce so muchproviden ce is displayed in the last things, it is impossible thatit should not subsist in such as are first : bes ides

,divination s

and the healing of bodies , take place fr om the b enefi cen t

providen ce of the gods .

Cicero says — “Now,as far as I know , there is no n ation

whatever , however pol ished and learn ed, or however barbarous and un civilized, which does

i'

not believe it possible thatfuture events may b e indicated, understood and predicted bycertain persons .

”—DeD ivinatione, lib. 1 .

He further says,

“ To natu ral divination , belongs thatwhich does n ot take place from supposition

,observation s

,or

w ell-known s ign s ; but ar ises from an inner state and activ

ity of the mind in which men are enabled by an unfetteredadvan ce of the soul to foretell future things . If

we turn to r idicule the Babylon ian s and Caucasians,who

b elieve ' in celestial s ign s , and who observe the n umber and

course of the stars ; if, as I said,we condemn all these for

their superstition s an d folly,which

,as they main tain

,are

founded upon the exper ien ce of fifty cen tur ies and a half ;let u s

,in that case

,call the belief of ages imposture— let

u s burn our records,and say that everything was but imag

ination . But is the history of Greece a l ie,when Apollo

foretold/th e future ‘

through the oracles of the Lacedaemo

h ian s and Cor in thian s ? ‘ I w ill leave al l else as it is,but this

I must defend, that the gods influen ce and care for humanaffairs . The Delphian oracle would n ever have become socelebrated, nor so overwhelmed by presen ts from every kingand every n ation , if every age had not experien ced the tru tho f its predic tion s .

”

70 DOCTR INES or SPIRITUALISTS .

Among the most n oted of the an cient oracles were Delp r i ,Dodona and Trophon iu s . Delphi was s ituated at the foot ofMoun t Parnassus , histor ic as on e of the haun ts of themuses . Upon this moun tain there was a cave

,from which

arose electric exhalation s in toxicating the brain . It was discovered by a shepherd youth

,who, upon exper ien cing its

influen ces , was caused to pron oun ce strange w ords,and

foretell future events . Around this cave were erectedseveral temples

,on e of which was magn ificen t. To it

,all

nation s flocked for respon ses . Apollo,a Grecian god

,was

the spir itual in telligen ce that gave the oracle . P oets,ora

tors , and generals frequen tly con sulted theDelphian medium ,

receiving respon ses an d prophecies . This medium,through

whom the oracle was delivered, was a priestess called Pythia.

Apollo did not always give the commun i cation s orally, butimpressed the leading ideas upon h er min d, and she utteredthem in her own language

,thus affecting or stamping them

with her own peculiar ities.The Pythia prepared herself for the spir itual con trol of

Apollo by pu rifi cation s and fastings ; then ,being so charged

by him w ith the electr ic fluid,that her hair stood upright

,

eyes w ild,and even the foun dation of the temple shaking,

she uttered strange, mystic words , which w ere collected byprophets and poets, and woven into verse. Here is a sample,designed to in spire the halting nature of Agesilau ss

Sparta, beware, though thou art fierce and proud,Lest a lame king thy ancient glories sh roudFor then

’twill b e thy fate to undergoTediou s tu rmoil of war and sudden woe.

P lutarch , as translated from the Greek by Philips, givesthe reason why the Pythian pr iestess ceased her oracles inverse. The class ical An thon says

,that besides the Sacred

Oaks ” at Dodena,“ dreams

,

" vis ion s , and preternaturalvoices also announ ced the w ill of the divin ities . Theseoracles continued to speak from the immortal realms, as may

be proven from P lutarch and Sueton ius , long after the

ANCIENT HI STORIC SPI R ITUALISM ROMAN . 71

adven t of Chr istian ity. Nero and Julian both con sultedthem and received satisfactory an swer s . It also appearsfrom th e edicts of th e Emperors Theodos ius

,Gratian and

Valen tin ian,that oracles existed and w ere con sulted as late

as A . D. 358. These, in fact, have existed in al l ages and

under al l civilizations,as an cien t records demon strate. They

w ere s imply phases of mediumship . Th e utteran ces of theselords

,gods

,angels

,demon s

,and spir its

,have been termed

,in

difl'

eren t per iods, oracles , scriptures and in spiration s .

The R oman s, ambitious for fame , not on ly con sulted theprophetic spir its of their own empire

,but each year sen t

authorized individuals , as embassador s extraordinary,to

con sult w ith the most n oted oracles of Greece . L ivy’

s h is

tory of Rome covers a per iod of time six hundred years fromth e laying of its foundation to the date of its highest military pow er as a commonwealth , and that popular Englishw r iter

,Wm . How itt

,tells u s that “ in L ivy alon e he had

marked above fifty in stan ces of h is record of the literal fulfi llm en t of dream s , oracles , progn ostics , by soothsayers and

astrologers .

The R ev. E. L . Magoon,in his Grand Drama of Human

P rogress,

”w riting of R omulus

,says :

“W e are told by L ivy, that soon after his disappearancefrom among m en

,the spir it of R omulus visited the distin

gu ished sen ator,P rocu lu s Julius

,and addressed him as

follows z— ‘ Go , tell my coun trymen it is the decree ofheaven

,that the city I have foun ded shall become the mis

tress of th e w orld . Let h er cultivate ass iduously the military art . Then let her b e assured , and tran smit theas suran ce from age to age , that n o mortal power can resistth e arms of R ome .

’

Str ict and persever ing obedien ce tothis coun sel eventually caused that colossal power to extenditself from S iber ia to the Great Desert, and from the Gangesto th e Atlan tic.”

"

When th e R oman Emperor Tiberius left the city forCaprese

,the soothsayers— a certain order of mediums gifted

with the power of foretelling the future— said, with deep

72 DOCTR INES or SPI RITUALI STS .

solemn ity, h e would n ever again en ter the eternal city .

This , Tacitus admits , was l iterally fu lfilled . These are h is

words : “ That T iber ius would return no more was,as

prophesied, ver ified by the even t.” Further illustrating thepeculiar ities of Tiber ius ’ life

,in the s ixth book of the

Annals , and weighing the testimony as to oracular proph ecies , and also to what exten t gods and demon s exercisedguardian ship over and came into conscious relation s w ithmortals

,he adds

That though what is foretold and the even ts that follow’

may often vary, the fallacy is n ot to b e imputed to the ar

itself ( that is, the tru th of mediumship but to the van ityof pretenders to a scien ce respected by an tiquity

,and in

modern times established by un doubted proof.”The pr in cipal events pertain ing to the reign of Nero were

foretold by th e son of Thrassalu s, a n oted prophetic seer ofthat time.

P liny the younger relates marvelous things that occurredw ithin h is range of kn ow ledge, as foretold by oracles or

predicted in vis ion s and dreams .

The assass in ation of Caracalla was foreshadowed to him ina dream .

Sylla was apprised of his death by a strange vis ion the

very n ight before his depar ture from earth .

A lso,on the n ight that Attila passed to the sun lit shores

of immortality,Mar ius dreamed that Attila ’s b ow was

broken ; and according to P lutarch,Brutus himself

,in a

grim tw ilight hour,was met by Caesar ’s spirit

,that said

,

I shall meet thee at Philippi and at Philippi Brutusfell .P resen timen ts , spir it voices , porten ts , bodings , visions,dreams and shadowy warn ings have frequen tly precededindividual and almost un iformly national disasters .

Vespasian,p robably the most un assuming, and certain ly

one of the most emin en t, of th e R oman emperors , was thepossessor of several mediumistic gifts, the most promin en tof which were seeing and healing. Several in stan ces are

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74 DOCTR INES or SPI R ITUALI STS .

gemmed w ith valleys and moun tain s,flowers

,fruits

,and

crystal streams,symb olizing immortal truths— tru ths w ith

million s-phased fore-g leams and fi nger-marks demon stratingan actual converse w ith those exalted and immortalized soulsthat traverse the upper kingdom of God Hen ce

, Sophoclesafli rmed that

This is n ot a matter of to-day ,

Or yesterday, b u t hath been fr om al l time.

And Hesiod,in strain s as m ellifluou s as undying , told of

E r ial spir its des ign edTo b e on earth the guardian s of mank ind.

while the grandly inspired Goethe sang in sweet refrainThe spir it wor l d is n ot closedThy sense i s closed—thy h eart i s dead.

HAP T E IX X.

THE FORESHADOWING.

“God has taught bu t one religion ,

One in every age and land.

-x as -x

God has wr itten b ut one BibleLove—compr essed in on e qu ick word .

Religion is natural . The religious sen timen t is ’

an essen

tial pr in ciple of th e human soul . L ike the true and the

beautiful , like moral con sciousn ess, it is in human ity perman en t, eternal.L ife’s emotional stream from the manger in Nazareth to

the “rappings ” in R ochester

,has been bridged with

startling , spiritu aLphenom ena. So devious its w indings, the

patien t studen t of an tiquity often wear ies in tracing itamong the lights and shadows that alternately dan ce in

brightn ess, or darken in to sullen midn ight along its shelvingshores .

The gen uin e historian living in two worlds— the past andth e presen t— is necessar ily philosophic and imaginative,-pain ting visible forms , as w ell as tran scribing passing even ts .

Though gather ing these,‘

and weighing facts correctlythe hard gran itic facts character izing given epochs— heexper ien ces deeper delights in arranging them in orderlyser ies , and deducing therefrom such great logical con clus ionsas tally w ith th e mighty march of th e ages .

During those fearful mediaeval years,when a cultured

pagan ism and Pauline Chriséizan ity , brooded by a chrysalis

78 DOCTRINES or SPIR ITUALI STS .

papacy,were struggling for social and political mastery,there

were treasured in costly tomes the records of strange psycholog ic wonders , inner vis ion s , imperial prophecies , and granddemon stration s of immortality . Thes e

, exhumed and ana

lyz ed under the mer idian su n of this cen tury,stand as

phen omenal w itnesses of spir it in tercourse— echoes from thegods flow ing in melodious lights

,and flaming w ith promise

along the stately steps of human ity.Th e n ights of those dust-bur ied cen tur ies had their stars ;

the angels , their blessed miss ion s ; all the old legendaryper iods, their represen tative personages . Balan ced u pon thetopmost waves of circling eras

,each

,in turn

,exclaimed

“ It is I, b e not afraid ! ” Startling the world,founding n ew

in stitution s , they disappeared for still greater,to breathe

divin er utteran ces , prophesy of rosier Jun es , r iper harvests ;and br ing to a thirsting people fresher draughts from th e

ever-flow ing foun tain s of in spiration .

Among the eminen t leaders that arose under A sian skies,

was Joshua—He was so called by h is friends and Hebrew cou ntrym en

,sign ifying savior . The Syr ian world expected some

remarkable leader . Coming even ts cast their shadowsbefore.

”This thought impregnated the n ational atmos

phere. It was truly a propitious period. -There was weepingby Babylon ’

s streams ; a suspen se of spir itual life ; a literalreign of r itualism in Judea . The Phar isees corresponded toNew Englan d Pur itan s , being the most promin en t of theJ ew ish sects . In Hillel

,disciple of Shammai

,and other

grave R abbins , th ey had in terpreters of the law ; but themasses and more advan ced thinkers of the times

,deman ded

an exposition of th e sou l ; its forces , sympathies,capacities

and infin ite poss ibilities . Deman d br ings supply. WhenIndia

,Chin a

,Greece

,called

,there were born to them

,

saviors— Chrishna, Confu cius , Pythagoras .

The coming of these r eligious chieftain s,as w ith Jesus

,

was foretold in dreams and prophecies ; foretold, because thethought con cern ing them ,

and their mediator ial miss ion on

earth,were born and shaped in the Angel Congresses of

CHR I STIAN SPIR ITUAL I SM FORESHADOWING. 751

supern al w orlds . The w orld of spirits is th e world of causes ;this

,of Shadow s and effects . Al l broad human itar ian plan s

,

for redemptive purposes , are first con ceived in th e higherrealms of spir itual existen ce ; then inflow ed by th e n aturallaw of influx to the sen s itive of earth , to take form , b e enunciated

,an d ultimately outworked in to practical life . A scen ded

Hebrew prophets,P ersian magi , and other sages of the Or ien t,

long in th e heaven s , plann ed th e birth of a more Spir itualorgan ism— a better type of Shemitic manhood, to lift theJew ish nation out of its chron ic clann ishn ess and dwarfingformalisms , into th e diviner reg ion s of absolute relig ionthat perpetual gospel destin ed fin ally to bless al l n ation s .

Law is infin ite . All con ception s,births

,deaths

, are

governed by fixed an d established law s ; therefore, na tural.Marywas susceptible to spir it influ en ce. Immortals kn ow ingit,and seeing h er to b e a futu re mother

,overshadowed her

w ith their piercing,moulding magn etism . To this end th e

angel Gabr iel,through the mediumistic Evang eli st, Luke ,

said to her “The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee,an d th e

power of th e Highest Shall overshadow thee .

” Jesus therefore was precocious and loving ; impress ional an d clairvoyan t ; a mortal brother of th e immortal gods and goddesseswho helped fashion him men tally

,that he

,in spired by them

,

and “

a“ legion of angels

,

” might aid in fashion ing futureages

Speaking the Syr iac dialect,mixed w ith , if not mostly

Hebrew ,his better words

,dropping like gem s from crown s

,

were gilt-edged , and alive w ith the logic of love an d

in tuition . H is life so r ich and suggestive to a spir itual philosopher , so vague and mystical to an extern al matter-of-factJ ew

,was a blended Odyssey and tragedy

,w ith legion s of

in spiring powers b ehind th e scen es . On Calvary h e died a

martyr ! H is pr in ciples live forever ; while h e, a perpetualin spiration to this plan et

,mediator ially preaches un iversal

love as a redemptive pow er in all worlds .

HAF T ER XI.

MYTHIC.

Men groped to find the wrecks of pr imal matter ,And wasted long year s in putting bone to bone ;Babel r evives wh er e th e world ’ s gossips clatter ,And foss il words adju st to fossil stone.

O’

er fossil homil ies the chu rch es nod

Ston e h eart, stone service, and a stony God 1

Thinker s of th e living presen t w ill n ecessar ily study theman of Nazar eth from three plan es of thoughtI. The histor ic Jesus , copied from the Chrishna of IndiaII . Th e theolog ic Jesus , a church mon ster of the “ Chr istianFathersIII. Th e natural Jesus , an en thus iastic Spiritualist ofJu dea .

Naturally w orshipful, all nation s have had their J ehovahs ,Chr ish nas , Chr ists , Bibles , and pr iests to expoun d them . The

oldest of these are traceable to India . Un der tropical skiesthere summered the most an cien t civilization s. They hadtheir arts

,scien ces

,ethics

,poets , authors , th e literature of

which , has streamed in such unbrok en chann els down the

in termediate ages,as to overwhelm w ith aston ishmen t the

first scholars of Europe .

S irW illiam Jon es said their “L iterature seemed absolutelyin exhaustible

,remin ding him of infin ity itself. John son

wrote : Th e Iliad of Homer numbers twen ty-four thousandverses ; but the Mahabharata of the Hin doos four hundredthousand ; and th e P uranas comprehen ding on ly a small

80

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82 DOCTRINES OF SPI R ITUALI STS .

Gospels , is of itself suffi cien t eviden ce to show that on e wasborrowed from the other ; or that they were both copiesfrom some older myth .

Chrishna is always represen ted as a savior,the same as

Jesus Chr ist . Con sidered originally,the Supreme God, he

condescen ded to descend and take upon himself the s infulstate of human i ty

,as Chr ist is said to have don e

,by

orthodox theologian s . Of royal or ig in ,h e was born in a

low ly condition . Immediately after th e birth of Chrishna,

he was saluted by divine songs from the Devatas— angelsas was the Nazaren e. Surrou n ded by shepherds , thoroughlyimpressed w ith h is grea tness

,he was vis ited by the Magi

,

wise men,among whom was an Indian prophet, called Nared

,

who,hearing of h is fame

,examin ed the stars

,and declared

him of celestial descen t. H is paren ts “Nan da,

”the father

,

and Deva Maia ,”

the divine mother , were compelled to

flee by n ight in to a remote coun try, for fear of a tyran twho had ordered all the male children of those region sto be Slain . This story, says the emin en t Godfrey H iggin s , (An ac . b . iv. s .

“ Is the su bject of an immen sescu lptu re in the cave at Elephan ta, where the su spicioustyran t is represen ted destroying the children . The dateof this scu lpture, Higgins fu rther says “ is .lost in the mostremote an tiqu ity .

”

Ch rishn a was sen t to a tutor to b e in structed ; an d

in stan tly aston ished him by h is profound w isdom ,as did

Chr ist, the Jewish doctors , in the temple. Ch rishna is calledHeri

,and Her i

,in San scr it, mean s shepherd, as well as savior .

Chr ist was termed the “shepherd of the Sheep . Chr ishna

had a forerun n er in h is elder brother,R om

,as had Jesus in

his cousin,John th e Baptist. R om assisted Chrishn a , the

Good Shepherd,” in pur ifying the w orld from the pollutionof evil demon s . To Show deep humility

,Chrishn a washed

the feet of the Brahmin s so did Jesus the disciples . Uponon e occasion a woman poured on Chrishn a

’s head a b ox of

ointmen t,for which he cured her of an ailment. Matthew ’

s

gospel assures u s that a w oman an oin ted the head of Jesu s

CHRI STIAN SPIR ITUALI SM— MYTHIC. 83

in a s imilar mann er . On e of Chrishna’s first miracles,w as

the cure of a leper . It was also among the first of Christ’s .

During th e succeeding career of Chrishna, he taught in spirational truths

,raised th e dead

,was crucified

,descended in to

Hades— the un der w orld of spir its —when ce he return ed,an d

ascended to V aicon tha , H eaven,or the proper P aradise of

Vishnu,who is the Father , or first person of th e Hindoo

Tr in ity.

There are further similar ities in the lives of Chrishna and

Chr ist. Chrishna had a favor ite disciple— Arj una— th e thirdson of P an du , corresponding to th e “ disciple that Jesusloved . Th e first section of the Bhagavat-Gita, is devotedto the grief of the loved Arj una. The church histor ian s

,

Eusebius and Athanasius , state, that, when Joseph and Maryarrived in Egypt

,they took up their

'

abode in Thebais— ihwhich was a superb temple of S erapis . En ter ing the

temple,miracles were wrought. The full accoun t is recorded

in the Evangelium Infan tiae.

Th e Rev. M r . Maur ice acknow ledges that “ Th e Arabicedition of the gospel of the in fan cy of Jesus

,men tion s

Matarea as the place wh ere th e infan t savior res ided dur inghis absen ce from Judea

,un til th e death of Herod . Chrishna

was born at Mathura . The Evangelium Infan tiae men tion sth e place where Jesus was born , as filled w ith light surpassing that of th e n oon day sun . The momen t Ch rishna wasborn the whole room became splendidly illumin ated

,and

the heads of th e father and mother w ere surroun ded w ithrays of glory. These s imilar ities are so striking

,that n on e

can fail of perceiving why the “ Gospel of the In fan cy ofJesus ” was voted n on -can on ical by a coun cil of Chr istianBishops . The book was con sidered in spired

,however

,by

many of th e church fathers,and was highly esteemed by

S t . Irenaeus , Bishop of Lyon s , who suffered martyrdom,

A . D . 202 .

Chrishna of India,and Chr ist of Judea, both born in A sia

,

were so literally iden tical in gen eral character, as w el l as inth e min or even ts and circumstan ces of their lives , that n one

84 DOCTR INES or SPI RITUALISTS .

can deny their close histor ic conn exion . Which , then , theoriginal ? which the copy

The Bhagavat-Gi‘ta

,on e of the most sacred of th e Puranas ,

con tai i s an accoun t of Ch rishn a’s life— the Gospels ofChrist’s life . Both were ann oun ced as saviors . Which was,therefore

,first

,the Bhagavat-Gita, or th e New Testamen t ?

W ith profoun d or ien tal scholar s there can b e little,perhaps

no differen ce of Opin ion .

The sacred Hin doo book— the Bhagavat-Gita— lays claimto n early th e highes t an tiquity of any of the Brahmin icalcompos ition s . That very competent j udge, Rev . Mr . Mau

r ice admits there is ample proof to Show its existen ce full fourthousand years sin ce . S ir Wm . Jon es

,whose orthodoxy was

n ever qu estion ed,afii rms that the n ame of Chrishn a

,and th e

gen eral ou tlin e of h is history, were long an ter ior to the birthof ou r Saviour

,and probably to the time of Homer , we

kn ow very cer tainly . This is author ity from an unw illingw itn ess .

The celeb rated Eng lish scholar,Godfrey Higg in s , says

,

(Anac . b . iv. c . i . p . The sculptures on th e walls ofthe most an cien t temples— temples by no on e ever doubtedto b e long an terior to th e Christian Era— as well as wr ittenworks equ al ly old, prove, beyond a possibility of doubt

,th e

super ior an tiquity of the history of Chrishna to that ofJesus .

Dr . P r ichard admits , (Anal . Egypt . Mythol . p.261 ,) Thatthe history of Ch rish na

'

is to b e foun d in al l th e caves of

Ellora,Elephan ta and others kn own to b e th e oldest.”

The learn ed B aldeeu s observes , (P ref. Un i . .Hist. p .

that every “ part of the life of Chrishna has a near resemb

lan ce to the history of Chr ist ; and that the time whenChrishna

’

s m iracles were performed, was dur ing the Du apparajug , which ended thirty-on e hundred years before th eChr istian Era.

In con son an ce w ith th e ab ove,th e Cantab declares : “ If

there’s mean ing in words,this Chr istian M ission ary admits

,

(according to Higg in s ,) that th e history of Chr ist is founded

CHR I STIAN SPIR ITUALI SM— MYTHI C. 85

on that of Ch r ishna . This author fu rther declares, (Anac .

b . x. c . 1 1 . p .

“ That even the most blind and credulousof devotees must allow that we have the existen ce of theChrishna of the Brahmin s in Thrace

,many hundred years

before th e birth of Jesus Christ.”Justin assures u s

,that the Erythraen Sybil, which

foretold the thing s that should happen to Jesus Chr ist, alsotold that

,in a n eighbor ing coun try, between the In dus and

Ganges,there was a person

,Chrishna

,long before Chr ist’ s

time,to whom were ascr ib ed n early al l the things that were

ascribed to Jesus Chr ist.” It is further demon strated uponthe author ity of a passage of Adri an , that the wor ship ofChrishn a was practiced in the time of A lexander th e Great

,

(330 B . C.) in the Temple of Mathura, on e of the most

famous of India.

”These testimon ies settle the matter of

time.

Maur ice,in h is elaborate work, frankly confesses that the

Evangelists must have copied from the Bhagavat-Gita and

other Puran as ; or the Brahmin s from the Evangelists . Butwe have shown from the most in con testable sources,that thesacred Bhagavat-Gita an tedated the time of Christ by atleast a thousand

,and far more probably, two thousand years ;

and that the celebrated Chr ishna lived and wrought hismarvelous miracles long before the appearan ce of theNazaren e .

The educated protestan t divin es of Fran ce, and the moreerudite of the German theologian s , admit the aston ishings imilar ity in th e Asiatic savior s

, Chr ishna and Chr ist. This,

in a good measure,accoun ts for the prevalen ce of German

Ration alism . The Amer ican clergy, w ith few exception s,

narrow,con ceited and sectar ian , prefer reveling in blissful

ignoran ce relative to th e an tiqu ity of In dia, China, Egypt,and the saviors and sacred books ofA s ia, from which ourshave been borrow ed

,or clandestin ely purloined.

From travel,and profoun d an tiquar ian research

, Rev . Mr .

Maurice confesses that the pr in cipal in ciden ts in the n arratedlife of Jesus Chr ist— the birth at midn ight, the chorus of

86 DOCTR INES or S PIR I TUALI STS .

angels , th e cradling among shepherds , the child ’ s con cealmen t in a foreign coun try , from fear of a tyran t ; the earlywisdom man ifest , the cu r ing of th e leper , the raisings of thedead

,etc.

,are paralleled in Chrishn a— all paralleled in the

pr ior life of Ch rishna, except the “ immaculate con ception .

This vacuum is readily supplied in the history of Pythagoras

,born n early Six cen tur ies before Jesus , on the Isle of

S amos . Of h im Jamb lichu s wr ites No on e can dOub t thatthe soul of Pythagoras was sen t to mankind from the empireof God

,being an atten dan t on the god, Apollo ;

or co-arranged w ith him in some other way .

It was the custom of the early Church Fathers to travel forinformation . This was especially the case w ith Papias

,

H egesippu s , Justin and others . These,vis iting the most

en lighten ed portion s of th e East,mingled th e teachings

there found,con cern ing Pythagoras

,w ith those r elating to

the Indian Chr ishna,an d from th e “ supernatural conn ected

w ith the two,they con structed th e mythologic portion s of

th e gospel histor ies .

When young,Pythagoras w en t to Tyre and S idon

,to b e

schooled in their learn ing . Then he j ou rn eyed to Egpyt, tob e taught in the w isdom of her pr iests and seers

,as did

Jesus,according to th e testimony of A than asias and the

scholarly M . Denon . After this Pythagoras was born e to B abylon by Cambyses , th e restorer of th e Jew ish temple and

religion,an d in itiated into the divine myster ies of th e

Persian Magi ; and fin ally,he traveled in to India

,where he

became acquain ted w ith the eth ics and occult scien ces of theBrahmin s . I t is not on ly n atural

,but veryeviden t that this

in spired Samian der ived many of h is metaphys ical doctrin esfrom the Gym nosophic school of philosophy. From extens ive travel

,this commingling could hardly b e avoided .

The method of Pythagoras ’ concep tion is equally as miracn lou s as that ascr ibed to Jesus . They are

,in fact

,identical.

In th e w r iting s of Jamb lichu s , who quotes , for author ities,

Epimen ides , X en ocrates and Olimpiodoru s , all living longprior to the birth of Christ

,may b e found a full accoun t of

CHR I STIAN SPIR ITUALI SM— MYTH IC. 87

the immaculate con ception and b irth of Pythagoras . Thattruly learn ed and candid scholar

,Godfrey Higgin s

,wr ites

(An ac . 0 . iv. p .

The first striking circumstance in which the h istory of Pythagorasagrees with the h istory of Jesu s

,is,that the were natives nearly of

the same coun try ; the former being born at idon,the latter at B eth

lehem ,both in Syria . The father of Pythagoras , as well as the father

of Jesu s , was prophetically informed that h is wife shou ld bring forth a

son,who shou ld be a benefactor to mankind. They were both born

when their mot-hers were from home on jou rneys Joseph and his wife

having gone up to B eth lehem to be taxed,and the father of Pythag

oras having traveled from Samos,h is residence

,to Sidon

,abou t h is

mercantile concerns . Pythias , the mother of Pythagoras , had a

connexion with an Apolloniacal sp ecter , or ghost, of the god Apollo,which afterward appeared to her hu sband

,and told him that he mu st

have no connexion with his wife du ring her pregnancy— a storyevidently the same as that relating to Joseph and Mary. From thesepecu liar circumstances

,Pythagoras was known by the same iden tical

title as J esus, namely,the S on of God

,and was supposed by the

mu ltitu de to be u nder the influ ence of divine inspiration .

“When you ng , he was of a very grave deportment, and was cele

brated for his ph ilosophical appearance and wisdom. He wore his hair

long, after the manner of the Nazarites, whence he was called the

long-haired Samian .

”

Jamb lichu s himself says : “ The Pythian oracle foretoldto Mn esarchu s

,th e father of Pythagoras

,that his w ife would

br ing forth a son ,surpass ing in beauty and wisdom al l that

ever lived,and who would b e of th e greatest advan tage to

th e human race,in everything pertain ing to the life of man .

The infan t,upon coming in to existen ce

,was called Pythag

oras ; s ign ifying by this appellation that such an offspr ingwas predicted to h im by the Pythian Apollo .Pythagoras professed to vis it th e spiritu al world

,and hold

converse w ith departed Spir its,and described the condition

of Homer,Hes iod and others there. H is pure

,holy and

divin ely won derful life,mak es it imposs ible to doubt his

s in cer ity. It was said of him,that he “ knew every thing ,

and was r ight in every thing.

” It was asserted by manythat he was the Son of God.

Underlying all mythoses are pearls of w isdom and sprinklings of truth. The crucified reformers of to-day become

88 DOCTR INES or SPIRITUALI STS .

the gods of to-morrow . This applies to th e Nazarene.

From the lives of Chrishna and Pythagoras,were gathered

and woven the pr in cipal events con n ected w ith the histor icJesus of the Evangelists . H e is a copy of prior saviors .

This was the work '

of the Church Fathers of the firstcen turies

,and in perfect keepin g w ith their gen eral char

acter ! Ambrose,Augustin e

, S t. Jerome , and others , w ere

c orrupted w ith the villain ous idea, that “ it was right to l iefor th e sake of religion .

” Mosheim tells u s (Vol . i . p .

th e doctr ine, “ that it was not on ly lawful,but commendable

to deceive and lie for the sake of truth and piety,early

spread among the Christian s of the second cen tury ! Thischurch historian further admits (Vol . i . p . that piousfrauds and impos itions were among the causes of the exten s ionof Christian ity ! ”

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90 DOCTR INES or SPI R ITUALI STS .

by his mother,the same with the prophet ’s son

,whom he was ordered

to name Maher-shalal-hash-baz .

"

(Class . Jou r . vol . i . p.

That there were gen eral and dimly defin ed propheciesenun ciated by the more mediumistic of the Hebrew seers

,

relating to coming saviors,and looking to th e future spir

itual illumination of their n ation,is evidently true.

The A I ian con troversy con cern ing the der ivation an d

deity of Ch i ist,commen cing early in th e fourth cen tury

,

between A lexandei , Bishop of A lexandr ia, and A i iu s, on e

of h is presbyters,fin ally termin ated by the Bishop ’s assert

ing :“ That th e Son was n ot on ly of the same emin en ce

and dign ity,but also of th e same essence w ith the Fa ther .

”

(Mosh . vol . i .) Accordingly,w e have

,in the Athanasian

creed , received by all evangelical Chr istian s , this , con cern ingJesus Christ :

The Son i s Of the Father alone,not created

,bu t begotten .

The God head of the Father,of the Son

,and of the H

*

oly Ghost,

is all one,the glory equ al , the majesty cc eternal .

“ Su ch as the Father is,su ch i s the Son

,and such 18 the Holy

Ghost.The Father is Almigh ty, the S on is Almighty, and the HolyGhost

Almigh ty.

And yet there are not th ree Almighties , b ut one Almighty.He therefore, that wou ld be saved

,mu st thu s th ink of the

Trin ity.

After God had made the world in six days,

and Adamfrom the dust of theground,” he placed him in a garden

,

and cau sing a“ deep Sleep ” to fall upOn him ,

“ took on e ofhis r ib s and made h e a woman .

”The ~ B ib le says it. This

woman “ frail,

”and con vers ing w ith

, was tempted by the“serpent

,which serpen t

,the M ethodist

,Dr . Adam Clarke,

thinks was an ape, or an orang—outang ! (Com . vol . i . 0 .

iii . p .

Eve yielding to the temptation,and finding the fruit

pleasan t,

“ gave to Adam .

”They fell ! And being the

federal heads of th e race,falling , they involved al l the ir

unborn poster ity,even un iversal human ity

,su bj ecting it to

CHR ISTIAN SPI RITUALI SM— THEOLGIC. 91

the “miser ies of this life,death its elf

,and the pain s of Hell

forever.

” So affi rms th e creed.It was a fearful crisis. God was exceeding ly angry at

Adam an d Eve for doing just what h e kn ew they would do .The sword of divin e j ustice was raised. The Throne wasin danger !

Twas a seat of dreadfu l wrath ,And shot devou r ing flame ;Ou r God appeared con suming fi re,

And vengeance was his name.

Deifi c j ustice had been w ronged. A ton emen t must b emade . The threaten ed penalty must b e inflicted upon the

race of man,or some substitu te . A “ plan ”

is devised.God , the Son ,

equal w ith the Father,stepping in between

an offen ded God and offending man,says : “ Spare the

guilty race of human ity ! open a way ! glut thy vengean ceupon m e ! I w ill take upon myself the pen alty ! I w ill die a

substitute God the Father hears— relen ts . God the Son,

correspon ding to in carnation s of India, Shapes himself inhuman form ; is born of the Virgin Mary ; sufl

'

ers u nderP on tius P ilot— “ dead and bur ied .

” W atts versifi es th e

Chr istian idea thus :Wel l might the sun in darkness h ide,And shu t his glor ies in ,

Wh en Chr ist, the mighty Maker,died

For man , the creatu re’s s in .

Mark the phrase— the “mighty Maker died — a dead

God dying for the purpose of permitting r ebellious s in n ersto go unpun ished , to escape the penalty of the law ,

providingthey believe in this divin e mystery ”— the aton emen t . Afterthis sacr ificial death of an inn ocen t Son ,

open ing the way forthe guilty to escape th e deman ds of justice , God th e Fatherb ecom zs recon ciled— pleased. W atts s ings it :

“ R ich wer e the drops of Jesu s ’ bloodThat calmed his frown ing face,

That spr inkled o’er the bu rn ing throne,

And turn ed hi s wrath to grace .

92 DOCTR INES or SPIR ITUALI STS .

He qu enchedHis Father ’s flaming sword

In his own vital blood.

”

Another Christian poet says“ With one tremendou s draught of blood,He drank damnation dry !

This prevailing theologic dogma of the aton emen t, w ith a

mythologic Jesus as pr in cipal actor , is termed the “ plan ofsalvationSalvation

,in its more philoscph ic sen se

,is soul-growth

divin e unfoldmen t from the in n ermost outward , and a

strictly per son al matter . My savior is the Chris t prin ciple.

It was born w ith me— is in m e— is m e . It was before thewan dering Galilean ° before Abraham ; before astra l worldscommen ced their stately march through the siderial

heaven s— pre-existen t - etern al ! Neither the mer its of

Buddha,Chrishna

,nor Chr ist Jesus , are tran sferable, like

bundles of merchan dise. S elf-salvation ,self-sanctifi cation ,

were th e doctrin es taught by that emin en t Judean Spiritu alist

,Jesus . Said h e— “ I testify of myself.” Again— “ I

sanctify myself. Soun d and sen s ible ! The grace of Godis as powerles s to save souls

,as the grace of colleges to make

scholars,independen t of earn est effort. “W ork out your

own‘

salvation,

”is among the bes t of the Paulinewriting s.

P erson al character , not th e sacr ificial blood of goats and kidsun der the law

,not Chr ist ’s un der th e gospel , decide

individual destiny .

Jesu s ’ mer its saved h im,n on e else . Y our mer its must

save you . Each sou l is a manger,cradling a savior— God in

man . The blood of on e cann ot aton e for the sin s of another .

That hemlock draught poison ed on ly Socrates . Jesus ’prayer in the garden brought angels to him,

not u s . God is

just. Compen sation is an inflexible law . Justice is sw eetas mercy ; both , cen tering in ,

flow out from an infin iteocean of love . Happiness comes not by imputed, but bypersonal righteousn ess ; that is , r ight doing. On ly by being

CHR I STIAN SPIR ITUALI SM— THEOLOGIC. 93

good , can there b e good results . On ly in a heaven ly stateof m ind can heaven come to any soul . “What w ilt thouhave

, quoth God— pay for it, and take it, wr ites Emerson .

Over the shin ing portals that open into the city Celestial,are

in scribed Noforgiveness —merit entitles to admission — loveis life I— harmony is heaven

HAP T E IK XIII.

THE NAZARENE.

Th e Twelve in awfu l circle standWh ere mortal dar e not enter ;

And , blazing l ike a solar wor l d

S tands Jesu s in the center .

I testify Of mys elf — J esus .

Entombed among myths , and bur ied under the film tha tflecks th e syn optic gospels , there Shin es a life

,gen tle

,beau

tifu l,divine . The mythologic an d theologic savior

,copied

from Chrishna, of India, as ide, then , we come to Jesus theSp iritualist

—Jesus th e natural m an,the expected Son of

Syria,child of love an d w isdom— ou r an cien t brother .

A h impassion ed theatre-admir ing mother gave to Englanda Byron

,who shocked the State Church w ith h is bold

,

pass ional thought, and called down angels to hear his strong,

loving heart b eat in poetry that w ill live'

when his persecutorsare unknown ,

save as pigmies on Alps . A mother,

ambitiou s and dar ing,rode a dashing steed upon smoking

battle-fi elds in southern Italy ; and Napoleon ’s sword caused

Europe to tremble. Mary was calm,loving

,aspirational

,

spir itual . Overshadowed by heaven ly influen ces,and other

beautiful and an te-natal condition s,th e civilized wor ld throbs

in respon sive sympathy to the moral power of Jesus ofNazareth . Whether Joseph

,or a priest of the temple

,

sustained the masculine relation to the welcome Nazaren e,

94

CHRI STIAN SPIR ITUALI S'

M— THE NAZARENE. 95

matters n ot,so far as the presen t exeges is is con cern ed .

Suffice it,that h e was th e n atu ral offspr ing of human

paren ts ; the begotten of love and harmony,un der the sweet

baptismal magn etisms of angels ; al l conducing to an impressional

,inspiration al

,harmon ial organ ism— a medium— harp

admirably fitted for the play of divin e powers .

In the gorgeous East, amid the mellow sunbeams,S ifted

from Syrian skies,Jesu s awoke to the outer con sciou sn ess

of earth-life.

Galilee, writes Renan,

“ is a country very green ; dense withmasses of flowers ; fu ll of shade and pleasan tness the tru e cou ntry ofthe canticle of canticles , and of the songs of the well-beloved .

In no place in the world do the mou ntains spread ou t with more harmony

,or inspire loftier ideas . J esu s seems to have loved them

especially. The most importan t acts Of h is divine career were per

formed upon the mountains ; there he was best inspired ; there he hadsecret conferences with the ancien t prophets , and showed himself to his

disciples already tran sfigu red. As often happens in verylofty natu res

,tendern ess of heart was in h im tran sformed in to infin ite

sweetness,vagu e poetry, universal charm . The group that

pressed arou nd him upon the banks of the Lake of Tiberias,

believed in spectres and in spirits .

>l< Great Spiritu al man ifes

tations were frequ en t . All believed themselves to be inspired in

differen t ways . Some were ‘

prophets,’ others ‘ teachers .

’

(Life of

Jesu s, p.

Education h as mu ch to do in fashion ing character . Wherewas Jesus between the years of tw elve and thirty ? In whatschool of ideas was he educated ? To these I n qu i r ies theNew Testamen t gives n ot th e least clue. Those s chemingsuperstitious Bishops

,that collected the scattered manu

scripts,often guilty of con du ct that w ould have lastingly

disgraced th e fraile st of th e Alexandrian P laton ists , votedgospels in and out of the can on ,

ad libitum. ( Ecumen icalcoun cils debated and decided by maj orities upon th e comparative mer its of some thirty or forty gospels , cach claimingby interested parties , divin e or ig in . Among them w ere the

gospel of S t . P eter , of S t . An drew , of S t . Barnabus ; thegospel of th e infan cy of Jesus , &c. They rej ected all,

96 DOCTR INES or SPIRITUALI STS .

save Matthew,Mark

,Luke and John . The gen eral char

acter of the Chr istian Bishops compos ing thes e cou n cils , isdescr ibed thu s by Dr . J ortin (Bucks . Theol . Die. p .

They have been too much extolled by P apists,and by some

P rotestan ts . They were a collection of m en who w ere frai lan d fallib le. Some of those coun cils w ere n ot assemblies ofpious and learn ed divin es

,but cabals

,th e maj ority of wh i ch

were quarrelsome, fanatical , domin eering , dishones t prela tes ,who wanted to compel m en to approve al l their opin ion s

,of

which they themselves had no clear con ception s ; and toanathamatiz e and oppress those who would n ot implicitlysubmit to their determin ation s .

” Upon the author ity of thi sscholar and Chr istian theologian ,

w ith the testimony ofmany others

,in confirmation

,at ou r disposal

,it is clear

that the New Testamen t books have reached u s through“ fanatical

,

” “ quarrelsome and “ dishon est prelates .

”S o

dishon est,that they voted every thing u n -can on ical that

r elated to Jesus ’ soj ourn in Egypt,and in itiation into the

Essen ian brotherhood .

Fortunately,however

,a few of the more hon est of the

Church Fathers,w ith certain Pythagor ic and P laton ic

authors , whose in tegr ity stands un question ed, have left suflicien t histor ic data to establish the theory of Jesus ’ travels inEgypt, and deep schooling in the “myster ies pertain ing toIndia

,China and Greece .

M . Denon,descr ibing a very beautifu l temple of th e

an cien t Egyptian s at Philoe, says“ I found w ithin it some

remain s of a domestic scen e,which seemed that of Joseph

and Mary,and it suggested to me the subj ect of the flight

in to Egypt,in a style of th e utmost truth and in terest.

(Eng . Trs . by A . A iken,vol. ii . p .

Both Athan asius and Eusebius state that when Josephand Mary arr ived in Egypt

,they took up their res iden ce in

a city in which was a splen did temple of ' Serapis . (Eu sb .

Demon . Ev . L ib . vi. ch .

The candid R ev . Mr . Mau rice assures u s that , “ The Arabic editionof

‘ the Evangel’um Infantiae records Matu res , near Hermopolis, in

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98 DOCTR INES OF SPI RITUALI S‘

TS .

Long inus , afterwards a disciple of P lotinus , says : “ Therew as on e tr ibe of Indian s divinely wise, whom the Greeks wereaccustomed to call Gymn OSOph ists ; but of these there weretwo sects

,over on e of which

,Brahmin s pres ided ; over the

other,the Samanaeon s .

”

(De Abst. b . iv. S ect.Pythagoras

,in In dia

,was a studen t at the feet of those

Gymn osophists . A s a sen ior among the mystics , h e theregraduated . Higgin s affirms

,that the “

school of this greatphilosopher from the East— In dia

,Carmel

,Egypt

,Delphi

,

Delos— was closely conn ected with th e schools of th e Essenian s

, Samanaeon s,Carmelites

,and Gn ostic Chr istian s . The

Pythagorian s were Essen ian s ; and th e R ev. R . Taylor,

A . M .

, has clearly proved all the hierarchical in stitution s of the Chr istians

,to b e a close copy of those of the

Essen ian s of Egypt .” (Anac . b . x . 0 . vii . p .

These Essen ians were sometimes denominated physicians of the sou l,

or Theraputae ; and,

“residing both in Egypt and J udea

,they prob

ably spoke, or had their sacred books in Chaldee. They were Pythagorians to all intents and pu rposes , as is proven by their forms ,ceremon ies and doctrines . If the Pythagor ians , or Ccenob itae,as they are called by that famou s Neo-Platonian ph ilosopher , Jamblichu s

,were B uddhists

,then the Essen ians were originally B uddhists .

A branch of these Essen ian s,termed

,Koinob ii, lived in Egypt, on the

shores of lake Parembole,in Monasteries .

”

(Anac. b . x . 0 . vii .)

These quotation s Show the in timate relation s,if not direct

identity of th e Gymn osophists; Y ogees , H ierophan ts , Pythagorean s , Ess en ian s , Magi

,Su fi s and B ashees . Of these

latter , Ayeen Akb erry , w rites : The mOst respectable peoplein this coun try are the B ashees

,who

,although they do not

suffer themselves to b e fettered by tradition s,are

,doubtless

,

true worshipers of God . They revile not any other sect,

and ask n othing of any on e ; they plan t the road w ith fruittrees , to furn ish the traveler w ith refreshments . Theyabstain from flesh, an d have n o in tercourse with the othersex .

”There are n early two thousan d of this sect in

Cashmeer . Higg in s adds : “ These R eyshees , or B ashees,

same a s Sofees,are the Essen ian s

,Carmelites

,or Nazarites

CHR I STIAN S PI R ITUALI SM— THE NAZARENE. 99

of th e temple . ! uoting a passage from the learn ed and

emin en t Burn et,in confirmation , b e further says : “ I was

not a little gratified to fi nd that th e close relation betweenth e Hindoos and the more respectable of al l the Jew ish sects

,

the Essen ian s,of which I have not the slightest doubt that

Jesus Christ was a member,had been observed by this very

learn ed man,almost a hun dred years ago, before the late

b laze of light from the East had shon e upon u s .

”

(An ac.vol. 1 1 . b . ii . p.Old India

,the mother of civilization s , colon izing Egypt,

n ecessar ily bore her sacred myster ies there . Egypt,cele

b rating them in her pyramidal chambers , tran sferred them ,in

a somewhat modified form ,to Persia and Greece

,and

,

through Moses,to the more in tellectual of the Jewish

people ; these, j oin ing by in itiation ,were called Therapu tes ,

and Essen es .

Father Rebold says : “ This religious and philoscph ic sect,the

Essenians,of which Jesu s Chr ist was a member; was composed of

learned Jews,who lived in the form of a society similar to that Of

Pythagoras . If not the same, in substance,they were intimately con

nected with another sect, called Therapu tes, residing In Egpyt , formingthe fraternal link between the Egyptians and the Hebrews .

That occu lt scien ce,designated by the ancien t priests , u nder the name

of regenerating fi re , is that wh ich , at the presen t day , is known as

anima l magnetism— a science that, for more than three thou sand years ,

was the peculiar possession of the Indian and Egyptian priesthood, intothe knowledge of wh ich Moses was initiated at Heliopolis , where he

was edu cated ; and Jesus among the Essenian priests of Egypt or

J udea and by which these two great reformers , particu larly the latter ,wrought many of the miracles mentioned l n the Scriptu res .

It being eviden t,then

,that Jesus, spending h is youth in

Egypt,perhaps traveling in other A s iatic countr ies than

Palestin e,was conn ected w ith the Essen ian s , the question of

their teachings and practices becomes deeply in teresting.

Philo,of A lexandr ia

,in two books , wr itten expressly

upon the subject of the Essen es,giving a close and critical

accoun t of their doctrin es an d mann ers,says : “ L isten ing to

the instruction s of their chiefs,they were taught, as w ere the

1 00 DOCTR INES OF SPI RITUALISTS .

Pythagorian s , the existen ce of on e supreme God, the him or

tality of th e soul,rewards and pun ishmen ts for good and ill

doing, and the guardian care of gods and angels . It wasenj oined upon them to Show obedien ce to authority ; fidelityto all m en ; to b e lovers of truth ; exercis ing kindness toinferiors ; con cealing n othing from their own sect ; n or

discover ing any of their doctr in es to others than those whohad received them w ith th e white ston e and the n ew name ;and lastly, to preserve th e books belonging to the sect

,and

the riames of th e angels .

A t the time of the Maccabees,1 80 B . C .

,on the western

coast of th e Dead S ea, the‘

Essenian s made the doctrin e ofcommun ity of goods , an d a life in common

,a religious and

social dogma. L odged under the same roof,taking meals at

the same table , clothed in the same dress , ign oring marr iage,they observed celibacy and l ived in con tin en ce

,abj ured

oaths and all violen ce,con temn ed r ich es

,rej ected the u se

of th e precious metals , w ere given wholly to the meditationof moral and relig ious truths , and subs isted by the labor ‘oftheir han ds,were con tent w ith on e meal a day , and that ofbread and vegetables and fruits .

Philo further informs u s,that

,

“spreading them selves all

through As ia M in or,and in the environ s of Alexandria

,they

became,at a later period

,m ore devoted ; ren oun cing all

pleasure,ambition

,glory

,earthly possession s

, and theirnative country, even , to give themselves en tirely to theexercise of pr

,aye1 con templation and deeds of char ity.” To

overcome the passion s,th e spir itual con trolling the Adamic

,

to subjugate th e sen ses,to rai se the soul ab ove the influen ces

of the body, to despise th e sham of fame and glitter ofwealth , to commun e w ith th e gods and orders of celestialbeings— these, in the estimation of the Essen ian s

,con stituted

the ideal of human perfection . Who does not see in itthe underlying an imu s that

,from th e earthly s ide

,In spired

th e consecration and catholicity of spirit which so eminen tlydistinguished the reformer ofNazareth ?

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1 02 DOCTRINES or SPIRITUALISTS .

Pythagoras is made to say , by the R ev . Dr . Collyer, (I. cc. xii.p .

“ God is n either the obj ect of sen se,nor subject to

passion ; but invis ible, on ly in telligible, and supremely in telligen t . I n his body, h e is like the light, and, in his soul, heresembles truth. He is th e un iversal spir it that pervadesand diffu seth itself through all nature. A l l beings receivetheir life from him . There is but on e on ly God , who is n ot,as some are apt to imagin e, seated above the wor ld

,beyon d

the orb of the un iverse ; but, being himselfAll in All, he sees

all th e beings that fill h is immen sity, the on ly prin ciple, thelight of Heaven

,the Fa ther of all. H e produces everything ;

he orders and disposes everything ; he is th e reason,the life

,

and the motion of all being s .

” These doctrin es,embody ing

the un iversal Fatherhood of God,w ere the teachings of

Pythagoras , con cern ing Deity. Jesus on ly reiterated themw ith a pathos peculiarly h is own .

Or igin ality cann ot b e ascr ibed therefore to Jesus . The'

doctr in e of the Fatherhood of God,is an cien t as the teaching s

of the w ise in In dia, Syr ia and Greece.

May the Father of Heaven,who is the Father of Men

, be favorableto u s .

”— R ig Veda .

“ Father of gods and men .— Hesz

°

od .

Z eu s,most great and glorious Father .

— Homer .

Father and guardian of the human race .— Horace.

He,the gloriou s Paren t, tries the good men and prepares him

“

for

himself. — S eneca .

He,who regards the whole u niverse as his cou ntry

,feels bou nd to

seek the favor of its Father and framer .

”— t'

lo.

“ They are children of their Father who is Heaven . Everynation has its special guardian angels .

”Ta lmud .

Th e A lexan dr ian Philo Ju daeu s,41 B . C. ,

belonging to anillustrious Jew ish family

,emphatically declared all m en

brothers,by virtue of th e in spiration of th e Eternal W ord .

In timately acquain ted w ith the' philosophy of Indi a and

Egypt, the an cien t Grecian schools,an d the cabalistic doc

trin es preceding him,h is system was a mixture of Ch rishn a,

Zoroas ter , P lato, abounding in Jew ish phrases , and weari ng

CHRISTIAN SPI R ITUALI SM — THE NAZAR ENE. 1 03

Hebrew forms as garments . From him th e Nazaren e b orrow ed largely, in the imagery con n ected w ith h is parab leAmong Philo ’s pr in cipal doctrin es , were the divine Logos ,th e un iversal brotherhood , pre-existen ce, the descen t of sou ls ,and th e guardian care of angels .

The human itarian spirit of brotherhood pervades th e olderBrahmin ical theology that on ce flooded As ia

,finding expres

sion in the “ law of love for all .”The eloquent ! uin tilian con stantly appealed to the s entimen t of brother ly love, as the sweetest in m an

,and

,

“as

un iting all men by the w ill of the Common Father .

”

Cicero frequen tly affi rmed, that m en w ere“created for the

purpose of mutual help , to love and b e loved,and for th e

s imple reason ,they were men .

”

Epictetus , Aurelius,S en eca, and others

,taught the

common citizen ship and brotherhood ofm en .

”

All men , everywhere, belong to one family.— Dt

’

odoru s .

No man is a stranger to me, provided he be a good man ; for wehave all one and the same natu re .

”— Menander .

“All men are ou r fr iends and fellow-citizens .

Greeks and barbar ians dr ink from one and the same cup of brotherlylove .

-Z eno.

Will you not bear with your brother ? He has his birth from the

same Jove as thou,is His son

,as thou ar t

,born of the same divine

seed . Will you en slave those who are you r brothers bynatu re

,children of God — E

’

p ictetu s .

I am a man,nothing human can I cou nt foreign to me .

— Terence.

Den is,in his learn ed work on the moral theor ies and

teachings of an tiquity,show s clear ly that th e highest moral

sen timen ts of human ity,brotherhood and self-sacrifi ce

,

thread the ethical and religious codes of every cultured age .

All th e w ise sayings ascr ibed by P rotestan t clergymen toJesus

,were said b efore his time . This they ought to know ,

and,kn ow ing , teach .

Saisset well said,that stoicism an ticipated Chr ist’s teach

ings,in the recogn ition

,that m en are brothers and brothers in

God .

”The more honest of th e old Church Fathers

,con cede

a superiority of scholarship and w isdom to th e heathen over th e

1 04 DOCTR INES or srrnrr uamsrs .

first Christian s . Con scious of this , the orthodox Merivale,says , that while the apostles preached th e commandment ofJesus

,that he who loveth God love h is brother also, the same

instin ct and sympathy sprang spon taneous ly, and w ithout asan ction but that of nature , in many a ( heathen) watcher ofthe wants and miseries of men .

”

The golden rule ” b elongs to Hillel , as well as to Jesusmore to Confucius ; Philo , and the sen of S irach

,more than

to the son of Joseph,because they en un ciated the thought

before him . S ir Wm . Jon es,w riting of the an tiquity of

this precept,says : “ R el igion has no need of such alde ’

as

m any are w illing to give it,by asserting that th e w isest men

of this world w ere ign oran t of the two great doctrines , loveto God

,and love to al l human ity . These dogmas run like

s ilver threadings through the systems of the most an cien tnation s .

”

The golden ru le was a common teaching among Chin ese,

Syrian and Grecian philosophers , long before the Chr istianera.

That wh ich thou b lamest in another,do not thyself to thy

neighbor .— Tha les .

“ Thou Wi lt deserve to be honored,if thou doest not thyself what

thou b lamest in others.— I socra tes .

Do to no man what thou thyself hatest. — Tobz'

t.

Do not to another what then wou ldst not he shou ld do to theethis is the sum of the law.

”— H t'

llel.

What you do not wish done to you rself, do not do to others .

Conf ucius .

But this g olden rule of the Chinese philosopher is put inthe n egative, says the clerical objector . Gran ted So are

the ten commandmen ts of the Old Testamen t ; but are theyany less commandmen ts 7Thus far w e have traced

,by good author ities

,the con sce

utive relation s of rel igion s from one race and coun try toan other , show ing their mutual helps , their co-relation s , theirupward growth in to h igher altitudes of thought and u se. Itremain s n ow to analyze the degree of or iginality that justlybelongs to the Spiritualism of Jesu s .

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1 06 DOCTR INES or SPIR ITUALI STS .

clothes ou r freezing human ity. In this sen se is pr imitive

Chr istian ity or ig inal , the same as can b e said of Buddhism,

Mahomm edan ism,or any other relig ion .

Here shin es in again the all-un sealing light of the Spir itualPhilosophy. The Jews borrow ed of India and Egypt

,and

other then en lighten ed nation s , in a closer sen se than historydefin es

,than th e in tercourse of commerce can guaran tee.

The w ork of mediumistic min ds is by no mean s ended w iththeir departure from this rudimen tal sphere. Taking w iththem their peculiar proclivities of thought, their n aturalcharacter istics , their purposes to fin ish what they began here ,they impress upon th e n ew races they affi liate w ith

,their

politics,scien ce

,religion , thus completing the cir cle of com

mu n ication in tern ation ally and spir itually. Hen ce,e ven

w ith races locked in by seas or mountain s,or walls

,like old

China,there is a general resemblan ce in these particulars .

which on ly the philosophv of angel-min istry can fu lly,explain .

In th e light then of the Spir itual Philosophy, we are um.

to look exclus ively to an ter ior races for th e or igin of theHebrew

,Chr istian , or of any other subsequen t religion for

it was in the power of an cien t spir its , and natural to theircommun icative relation ship

,to re-con struct their religious

w isdom,to b e main ly orig inal to their media .

Eclectic,then , let u s here cull some of th e beautifu l spirit

ualities of ou r dear brother , the self-denying Son ofMan .

R eading the beatitudes , we feel a sweet throbbing w ithinas if the heart’ s chords were swept by an angel ’ s breath .

That on e sen ten ce is a life-k ey that open s to calm sun lightthe soul of Jesu s Blessed are the pure in heart

,for they

shall see God .

” There is a very en chan tment in h is precepts,

parables,aptitude of illustration , love of the beautiful, moral

heroism,tender sympathy for the sorrow ing

,non-res istan ce

,

and martyrdom for a pr in ciple. The picture which R en andraw s of him is truthful and charming

As many of the grand aspects of h is character are lost to u s by thefau lt of h is disciples , it is probable that many of h is fau lts have been

CHR I STIAN SPI R ITUALI SM— THE NA ZARENE 1 07

dissembled . B u t never has any man made the in terests of human itypredominate in his life, over the littleness of self-love

,so mu ch as he .

Devoted,withou t reserve , to his idea, he subordinated everything to it ,

to su ch a degree that, towards the end of h is life,the u n iverse no

longer existed for him . It was by this flood of heroic deeds he con

qu ered heaven . H is life-deeds of benevolence will growwithou t ceasing h is legend will call forth tears withou t end ; h is su fferings will melt the noblest h earts ; all ages will proclaim that, amongthe sons of men

,there is none born greater than Jesu s .

”

When ce h is greatness ? It was the blossoming out of h isinner divin ity, u nder the m in istry of angels l— a link in the

golden chain that draws u s n earer to the divine teachings of

the New Testamen t. It is the cable to the br idge of Hopethat arches th e mystic r iver

,on which human ity may pass

safe over to th e morn ing lands .

Gabriel,the prophets ’ angel , hails Mary Blessed art

thou among women,

”ann oun cing the adven t of th e Ju dean

Spir itualist. R epeating the song sung at the birth ofCrishn a

,a host of angels

,appear ing to the shepherds

,sing

at his birth Glory to God in the highes t ; on ear thpeace and good-w ill toward m en .

”In the temple

,when a

mere lad,under the heaven ly min istry, he confoun ds the

Rabbis . At h is baptism th e spir it descen ds in form of adove

,and voices h is consecration

,as i t has to other mediums

This ' is my b eloved son .

” A t h is temptation,when fam

ishing w ith hunger,

“angels came and min istered un to

him .

” Un der spir it influen ce, he heals the diseases ofthe people. In spired by a Samson

,h e dr ives out the

“ mon ey changers ” of th e temple . Moved by his mightyguards

,indignan t at religious corruption

,he utters words

that call down upon him th e an athamas of all the pr iesthood— a true sign of the faithful icon oclast. A pure loverof nature

,catching his best in spiration s from the beautiful

and the true,h e retires

O

w ith P eter,Jam es and John

,to a

high moun tain,

“and is there tran sfigu red before them .

”

En tran ced,

“ h is face shin ing as the su n,h is raimen t white

as the light,there appears un to them Moses and Elias

,talking

with Jesus . Upheld by spir it-hands,h e walks upon th e

108 Docrnmns or S PIR ITUALISTS .

sea of Tiber ias. Spiritually clairvoyan t , he reads what isin man

,and prophes ies . Foreseeing h is martyrdom ,

he is

troubled , and, during h is prayer , a spir it voice is heard bythe listen ing people, who “

said that it thundered ; otherssaid an angel spake to him .

”In Gethseman e, and before

P ilate, “an angel appeared

,s trengthen ing him” for the

ordeal . At h is cru cifixion , the electro-spir it batteries are

strong en ough to “rend the rocks

,

”and “ the veil of the

temple,from top to bottom . So poten t the influence

,so

mediumistic the people , they see the spi ritual bodies ofascended

,

saints,walking in their midst ; these “ w en t in to

the holy city, and appeared u n to many. An angel rollsaway the stone from h is sepulchre. The spirit of Jesusappears to Mary

,to P e ter and John— to the disciples on their

way to Emmaus , when he expounded to them h is miss ion ;and at last “ their eyes w ere open ed, and they kn ew h imand he van ished out of sight .” Jubilan t over the stupendousfact

,that thei r divine Teacher is yet alive, they retu rn to

Jerusalem,and

,finding the eleven chosen disciples gathered

together,earn estly listen ing to their happy repo rt of h is

appearan ce to S imon,lo ! the r isen “ Jesus himself stood

in the midst of them,and said

,P eace b e u nto you But

they were terrified and afl'

righted, and supposed they hadseen a spirit.” P sychologically assuming the form of thecrucified

,he thus showed them his “ hands and feet

,an d

they handled h im .

From this data of spiritual perception,deepen ing in clair

voyan ce and clairaudien ce,they saw the real presen ce.

Being substan tially a spiritual organ ism,and m easurab ly

dependent upon material sub stan ce for sustenan ce, at h is

request, they gave him a piece of broiled fi sh and an honeycomb , and h e took it

,and did eat before them ; that is , by

imbibation ,h e m edium istical ly partook of, and appropriated

,

their aromal efllu ence.

The martyrdom of the cross en dured,he appeared as th e

Christ-spirit to the assembled twelve, charging them to goin to “ al l th e w orl i and preach the gospel to every creature .

”

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1 1 0 DocTR INEs or SPIR ITUALI STS .

when he was admon ished : “ S ee thou do it n ot ; for I amthy fellow-s ervan t

,and of thy brethren th e prophets .

”

G lor ified now in the heavens , hon ored as a star in the

congresses of spirits,he is in spired w ith love so tender

,that

his heart s till beats down all the ages s in ce,at every pulsa

tion voicing the divin ity w ithin— “ L ITTLE CHILDREN,LOVE

ONE ANOTHER ! ”

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1 1 4 nocr aa s or S PIR ITUALI STS .

Phara see ; in philosophy , tin ctured w ith P laton ism ; and , incommon w ith th e thinkers of h is time, given to allegor icalin terpretation s . Mosai c in theology, he taught the existen ceof on e invis ib le God— immutable, in efl

'

ab le and in compre

h en sib le— the originator of all things in connection w ith th eM other of th e un iverse

,whom the Greeks termed, Sophia , or

Wisdom. By virtue of this deifi c marr iage, he accoun ted foral l germinal en tities and Spiritual types of future emb odi

men t ; and,as a corollary

,taught that man is a tr in ity com

pounded of essen tial spir it,having

,in personality

,a more

mater ialized spiritual b ody,and an extern al or earthly body.

A teacher of pre-existen ce, he main tained that matter, beingdark and gross

,is the source of evil

,and that man therein

veiled,ass isted by S ophia an d the good angels

,is enabled to

ris e out of this temporary degradation,in to th e holy sun shin e

of God’s light and love . An other feature of his Spir itualismis thus expressed in Y onge ’

s tran slation

The Creator of the gods is also the Father of everythingelse—the world being an imitation visible to the ou ter senses of an

archetypal model . Some sou ls have descended into bodies,and others

have not . thought wor thy to approach any portion of the earth.

Those whom other ph ilosophers call demon s ,Moses u sually calls angels ;bu t they are Spirits flying through the air . These spirits are

wholly immortal and divine . Those who descend in to bodies,are often

overwhelmed,as in a whirlpool ; bu t , by struggling , emerge, and fly

back to their homes in the upper region s . B y consider ing thatangels, demon s and sou ls

,are different names for the same beings , you

will clear away mu ch superstition from the subj ect . The etherialregion s are like popu lou s cities

,filled with immortal spirits, and

numerou s as stars in the firmament .

A POLLONUS,an in spired sage of Tyan a

,born in A s ia

M in or,about th e time of Jesus of Nazareth

,was con s idered ,

by some,as super ior in mediumistic en dowmen ts

,to the son

of Joseph an d Mary . P roteus,famous for his prophetic

powers,appeared to th e mother pr ior to h is birth

,illuminat

ing her apartment w ith divine radian ce. In ear ly youth,he

wrought many so-called miracles . Th e celebrated templeof E scu lapiu s was h is favorite resort for recuperation and

MEDIE VAL— TRANS ITIONAL. 1 1 5

spir itual commun ion . Philostratu s informs u s,that he

could read the thoughts of m en,foresee fu tu re even ts

, and ,w i thal

,was gifted w ith th e won derfu l power of w orking

miracles .

”These are equally as well substan tiated as those

of Jesus . H e taught,

says L . Mar ia Child,

“ there is on eGod

,the Father of all , and that the numerous deities

,who

are objects of popular w orship , are in termediate spir its,

employed as agen ts . He invoked these spir its,placed great

relian ce upon dreams an d omen s , and believed that h e wasoften divinely guided by spir itual beings of heaven .

The early Chr istian Father s , in alluding to him ,do

not deny th e miracles he w rought, but attr ib ute them to theaid of evil spirits

,procured by magical arts . The pur ity of

his life,ow ing to h is affiliation wi th God and angels

,was

unquestion ed,h is ben evolen ce almost unparalleled

,and hi s

sympathies so ten der and touching, that multitudes hungupon his lips

,as though charmed and chain ed by a power

divin e.

S IMON MAG ' us,the Samar ian mag ician ,

who greatly trou bled the apostles by h is so-called heresies

,and miracles

wrought indepen den t of Chr ist, (A cts was a scholar lymedium of gen eral n ote. H e taught that “ th e Source of allgood dwells in plen itude of light ; that “ In ter ior Thought,(Ennoia) is the pr imitive femin in e emanation therefrom ; andthat by th e assistan ce of spir its— her children— she createdth e w orld

,and gave them its supervision . R egarding matter

co-eternal w ith God, and dark and chaotic,h e deduced the

logical con clus ion,that moral and phys ical disorders are

mere pervers ities,occas ion ed by th e soul’s contact w ith it.”

In his en thusiasm and spir itual rapture , like thousan ds ofother media

,who, from flattery

,magn ify their own achieve

men ts,h e con sidered himself to b e the “ Great P ower

of God ,” the “W ord of God,” sen t to r edeem the worldfrom evil. Jehovah was s imply a leader of spirits, and rebellious at that

,from whose imperfect law s he was to err an ci

pate mankind. Not a bad proposition by any mean s. Like

1 1 6 DOCTRINES OF SPIRITUALI STS .

a sen sib le man,he “ den ied the resurrection of the body.

H e advocated holy aspiration s that the soul “might be re

un ited to th e Source when ce al l beings proceeded.” A ccording to the authentic accoun ts , he and the Christian Fathersw ere competitors in miracles . H is influen ce

,doctrin es and

wonders , so ann oyed them,they proverbially called all

heretics , “ disciples and successors of S imon,the Samar itan

magician .

” They did n ot question the genuin eness of hismiracles

,but were eviden tly j ealous of his success

,and

attr ibuted it to the agen cy of evil spir its . All th e marvelsrelated of him are philosophically traceable to psychology orreal spir it pow er . The fathers of th e Church , Clemen sR omanus and Anastasius Sinaita,” says a wr iter

,

“ have presen ted u s with a detail of thewonders he actually performed .

”

As cases show ing his mediumship to b e reliable and explainable on the laws of Spir itual Philosophy

,occurring in the

presen t,w e quote from the histor ian :

“H e flew along in th eair ; bolts and chain s were impoten t to detain him ; he madeall the furn iture of the house an d the table to change places,as required

,w ithout a visible mover ; he walked through

streets attended w ith a multitude of strange forms , which heafli rmed to b e th e souls of the departed.”

CERENTHUS, a highly educated J ew and spiritual reformer,

conn ected w ith the A lexan dr ian school,professed to believe

in Jesus,but was deeply tinged

,in thought

,w ith the or ien tal

ideas in respect to spir it and matter . H e rej ected the dogmaof the in carnation of Jesus

,being unw illing to suppose that

a Son of God could b e born of woman . L ike some of ou rmodern thinkers

,h e con sidered Chr ist a spir it who dwelt

in the divin e presen ce before the wor ld was made,and that

the Jesus of Galilee was a mere man,son of Joseph and

Mary. Grounded upon th e philosophical bas is of personalmer it, as the data of redemption

,he sen sibly con cluded

that h is Chr ist-angel,descending in th e form of a dove

, baptiz ed him into the full glory

.

of celestial truth and thatthrough th e culture of th e graces— ten dern ess

,j ustice and

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HAF T ER X V .

APOSTOLIC.

“ As pu re, white l ight thr ou gh colored glas s ,

Truth gl immer s thr ou gh th e sou l ,

And gives a gl imps e, in broken parts,Of on e grand , perfect whole.

”

POLYCARP , Ignatius , Clement, Apollin ar is , and others , privileged w ith the person al presen ce of th e first spir itualizeddisciples of Chr ist, have received the appropriate appellationof Apostolic Fathers . Blessed w ith direct in spiration fromthe spir it of Jesus and Syr ian seers

,summer ing in th e

heaven s , we in stin ctively r evere th e divin e utteran ces thatwelled from the inner foun tain s of their souls , and whateverspir itual phen omena they medium istical ly evolved for theen lightenmen t of human ity .

POLYCAR P , a Smyrnian bishop of eastern or igin,was

,in

childhood,a s lave , and by Calisto, a char itable lady, redeemed

from bon dage, in con sequen ce of an angelic dream,and edu

cated at h er expen se. The later Chr istian Fathers aver thath e listen ed to the preaching of th e apostle John ,

led a blameless life

,presided over the Smyrn ian church w ith assiduous

fidelity, an d was won derfully empowered w ith spiritual gifts .

Dur ing the persecution s u nder Marcus Aurelius,th e in furi

ated populace deman ded h is death . Con sciou s of approaching danger , and occupied in prayer , he saw

,in a vision

,h is

“ pillow all on fi re,

”and exclaimed I shall certain ly b e

1 1 8

MEDIE VAL— APOSTOLIC. 1 1 9

burn t alive '” These words were regarded as prOphetic.

On the way to th e stake,amid the j eer s and excitemen ts o i

Jew s and Greeks , follow ed by a few sorrow ing fr iends,the

ven erable pr ison er was calm and seren e as sun light ; andwhen approaching the fatal scen e, a loud and distin ct voicewas heard to exclaim

,as from heaven P olycarp

,befi rm

IGNATIUS,bishop of An tioch, and a loved and prominen t

disciple of the apostle John,is said to have been on e of the

little children whom Jesus took in h is arms and blessed .

The church fathers record the fact,that

,in youth

,h e was

“so inn ocen t he could hear the angels s ing .

”This heaven ly

music so impressed h is min d, that, when becoming a bishop,

he introduced into liturgical service the practice of sing ingin responses

,j ust as he h ad heard

,in youthful year s

, the

laughing melodies of immortal choirs . Arrested by Trajan,

he was thrown into chains , and sen t to Rome,to b e exposed

to lion s in the amphitheater . On the way thither , con sciousof attending angels , inflamed w ith divin e ecstacy

,he ex

claimed , in language w orthy the heroic reformer— “ L et

them rack my limb s , break my bon es , bruise my wholebody

,hang m e on th e cross

,burn m e w ith fi re

,throw m e

into the jaws of fu r ious beasts ; I care not for al l the

tormen ts th e devil can invent,so that I may have the

con sciousn ess of right, and the personal approval ofChrist.” When he passed through th e city of Smyrn a, inchain s

,the people embraced him and wept ; kissing his hands ,

h is garmen ts , and h is chain s , rej oicing in his courage . Howb eautifu l h is character ! how in spir ing h is example !

A POLLINAR I S , the Raven n ian bishop of note ,according to theecclesiastic historian s , accompan ied P eter , as an assistan t

,to

Rome . Here that apostle laid h is hands upon him ,and com

m un icated th e g ifts of the Holy Spir it ; that is, a most excellent spir it influen ce . P reaching on th e eastern coast of Italy

,

he is said to have s ilen ced th e oracles in R oman temples,and

“ caused deceiving Spirits to depart therefrom .

”Attractive

1 20 DOCTRINES OF SPI RITUALI STS .

in person ,hold in enun ciation , and miraculously gifted, he

psycholog ized vast multitudes . Histor ian s relate that heon ce saw a poor boy, born blind , washing his rags outs ide thecity ; and, moved w ith compass ion ,

h e made the s ign of thecross on h is eyes , (spiritual impress ibility) and immediatelyh e received h is s ight." This miracle

,so poten t for good

, as

we naturally infer from ou r own observation,was the mean s

of converting the father , a R oman soldier,and al l his house

hold. Among th e in stan ces of his healing,may b e m en

tioned that of a distinguished gen tleman of Rome, for severalyears dumb , who, hear ing of Apollinar is , sen t for him ,

and

was instan tly cured. In this family,finding a case of ob ses

sion,he cast out a demon . This remarkable achievemen t

converted the family, w ith fi ve hundred more,to the

Spir itualistic pr in ciples of Jesus.

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1 22 DOCTRINES or SPI RITUALISTS .

benefit,and expound the mysteries of God.

” Eusebius,in

referr ing to the reason s why these spir itual gifts had

measurably deoi n ed in the church , in h is time, asserts that“ th e churches had become unworthy of them.

”

JUSTIN MARTYR,of Grecian descen t, familiar , in h is youth ,

w ith the doctr in es of Zen o and Ar istotle,mingled

,in after

years,the acknow ledged dogmas of the church w ith the

P laton ic philosophy . This Grecian culture the better prepared him to analyze the law s of mind and its relation s w iththis and th e spir it-wor ld . W ith Philo , h e declared that n o

man had ever seen God the Father,” but that “ it was ou rChr ist

,or an angel

,wh o spoke to Moses from the bush

,in

the form of fi re,an d said

,P u t of thy shoes In a book

ascr ibed to Justin Martyr,it is stated that “ demon s

,spir its

of the dead,still speak by those who are called ven trilo

quists . In h is famous A pology, he teaches that, “ whenGod created the world, he committed the super in tenden ceof it to angels .

” Main tain ing the plaus ible doctr in es ofobsess ion s

,h e afli rm ed that evil demon s “ inflamed women

,

corrupted boys , and spread ter rors among those who did not

examin e things by reason . Not realizing they were a lowerorder of spir its

,

“ they called them gods,arid gave to each

the name h e claimed for himself ; but Socrates endeavoredto expose their practices

,and by true reas on draw m en away

from their influen ces,and th e demon s

,by the help of w icked

m en,caused this Grecian philosopher to b e put to death as

an atheist and impious person .

”A ccording to certain phe

nomena of the presen t,does not this statemen t con cern ing

Socrates bear th e semblan ce of truth

TERTULLIAN,son of a R oman cen turion

,.at Carthage , 1 60 A.

D., distinguished for his great eloquen ce,and for h is familiar ity

w ith Grecian an d R oman literature,pos itive an d vindictive

in nature,and g iven to controversy, was fearless in h is afli r

mation s of spiritual gifts and commun ication s . In his celeb rated work

,

“De An ima, he says : “W e had a r ight to

MEDIE VAL POST-APOSTOLI C. 1 23

expect, after what was said by S t. John ,to an ticipate proph e

cies and we n ot on ly ackn ow ledge these spiritual g ifts , b u twe are permitted to enj oy the gifts of a prophetess . Thereis a s ister among u s who possesses a faculty of revelation .

Common ly,dur ing relig ious service

,she falls in to a tran ce

,

holding then commun ion w ith the angels , beholding Jesushimself

,hear ing divin e mysteries explain ed

,reading the

hearts of some person s , and admin ister ing to such as

require it. When t he S cr iptures are read, or P salms sung,

spir itual beings min ister vis ion s to her . W e were speakingof the soul on ce

,when ou r s ister was in the spir it (entran ced);

and,the] people departing, she then commun i cated to u s

what she had seen in her ecstacy,which was afterwards

closely inquired in to and tested . Sh e declared sh e had seen

a soul in bodily shape, that appeared to b e a spir it,n either

empty n or formless, but so real and substan tial,that it might

b e touched. It was ten der , shin ing of th e color of the air,

but in everything resembling the human form .

’

A s an exhib it ion of Tertu llian ’

s ferocity of n ature,posi

tiven ess of w ill,and assuran ce Of spiritual ability

,as well as

faith in angel min istry,he says : “ If a man calls himself a

Chr istian,and cann ot expel a demon

,LET H IM B E PUT TO

DEATH ON THE SPOT ! ” R eferr ing to the con trolling in telligen ces of ZEscu lapiu s ,Than atiu s , and other oracles, he asserts ,w ith fierce authority Un less these confess themselves tob e demon s

,not daring to l ie un to a Chr is tian ,

then SHED THE

BLOOD OF THAT MOST IMPOTENT CHR I STIAN ! ” To suit th eaction to the word, h e comman ded , “ L et some on e b e

brought forward at the foot of your judgmen t seat, who it isagreed is possessed w ith a demon . When ”

; ordered by anyChr istian to speak, that spir it shall as truly declare itself ademon

,as elsewhere falsely a Tertullian

,highly

susceptible,was eviden tly con trolled by a spir it on a very

low plan e ; but being powerfu l and electri c,he could eas i ly

dispossess any n egative m edium,even of a celestial angel .

His success in this psychological art,was

,therefore

,no

cr iterion of moral or relig ious superi or ity,bu t simply of

1 24 DOCTR INES or SPIR ITUALI S ’I ‘S .

phys ical and men tal, which,l ike M ilton ’

s fabled Satan ,defied th e Almighty, and made war again st him in heaven !

HERMAS,brother to P ius

,a bishop of R ome

,w rote h is

P astor ” abou t the middle ofthe second cen tury. This bookis more appropriately kn own as The Shepherd of Hermas .

Its con ten ts , divided in to Vis ion s , Commands , and S imilitudes

,

”remind on e of th e visions and angeli c in terviews of

Ezekiel. Or igen expresses th e opin ion that his books weredivinely in spired . They g ive an accoun t of the “ Vis ion s ofHermas

,

”seen in h is super ior state

,and gen erally inter

preted in a symbolical sen se. Eviden tly,his epistles were

too spiritual to b e voted canonical. In the n inth of h is“ S imilitudes

,an an cient white ston e of immen se magn i

tude is described which had a n ew gate open ed in it ; andin th e “ Vis ion s

,Hermas relates that he saw six young

m en,

or rather angels clothed in shin ing vestures,building

a tower of square white ston es,symbolic of th e church

militant.” A w r iter in Appleton ’s Biographical Cyclopedia,

edited by the R ev . Dr . F . L . Hawks,speaking of this book

of Hermas,remarks

,that “ it is fur ther in teresting because

affording eviden ce that th e ear ly Chr istian s believed in themin istration of angels around them .

”

MONTANUS,a Phrygian bishop

,flour ishing in the second

cen tury,preached a fi rm and fervid Spir itualism

, attractingimmen se crowds . H e con tended that every true believer inChr ist received a direct in spiration . This b e based uponthe prophecy of Joel I w ill pour out my spir it upon al l

flesh .

” Judaism was to him the morn ing-youth ; Christian ity, the manhood ; the post-apostolic, the culmination or

difl‘

u siven ess of spir itual gifts . Gifted w ith prophetic power ,h e main tained that himself

,and two leading prophetes ses ,

had received th e fuln ess of the Divine Spir it,through whose

agen cy all holy works are wrought.

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1 26 DocTR INEs or SPIRITUALISTS .

and when it would take place . In agreemen t w ith h iscotemporary

,h e taught that evil spirits obsess mortals

,that

they lurk around tutelary statues,inspire soothsayers

,excite

terror in the minds of men,disturb their sleep

,destroy their

health, etc. ,and “ then either van ish immediately

,or go out

gradually,according to th e faith of th e patient, or th e grace

of him who effects the cure .

”H e declares that there is no

measure or rule in th e dispen sation of the gifts of heaven,as

in th e gifts of earth . The spir it is poured forth liberal ly,

w ithout limits or barr iers . Bes ides vis ion sof the n ight

,even boys among u s are filled w ith .the Holy

Spir it,and in fi ts of ecstacy see, hear and speak things by

which the L ord (a leader or angelic being) thinks fit toin struct u s .

Either through can did ign oran ce of the law ,or in excusable

bigotry,th e bishop ofAn tioch

,Theophilus

,avers that it was

evil spir its who in spired the prophets of Greece and RomeThe truth of this is man ifestly shown

,because those who are

possessed by demon s,even to this day , are sometimes exor

cised by u s in th e n ame of God ; and the seducing spir itsconfess themselves to b e the same demon s who beforein spired the gen tile poets .

”

The hon est reader w ill clearly discover the deep and nu r

ta red jealousy existing between th e Class ics and Chr istian s,

and the studied effort at the mastery over each other ’soracles ; and draw his con clusion s

,n ot from apparen t

victory— becau se of better b attery forces— but according tojustice and in tegr ity

,crediting Egyptian ,

Jew ish and GrecianSpiritualists w ith th e virtue j ustly their du e .

W e have the most abundan t proof of the con tinuan ce of

spiritu al g ifts and converse w ith the immortals , both from theOf class i c and eccles iastic writers

,dur ing the first six cen turies

th e Chr istian era. Among th e church histor ian s who treateddirectly Of this matter, were Eusebius, S ocrates , S cholasticus,S oz om en

,Theodoret and Evagriu s . H egisippus and Papias ,

who preceded Eusebius,testify to the prevalen ce of spir itual

dreams,prophecies

,tran ces and seership

,in their age.

MEDI E VAL POST-APOLI STI C. 1 27

GREGORY, a Thaumaturg ist, and n oted disciple of Or igen ,was famous for the great n umber of miracles or spiritualman ifestation s , wrought through h is mediator ial organ ization .

AUGUSTINE,flour ishing about the middle of the fifth

cen tury, bears multiform testimony to th e con tinuan ce of themiraculous g ifts of Chr istian s .

“ Bes ides th e restoration ofa child to life

,h e relates twen ty miracles performed under

his observation w ithin the space of two years .

”

AMBROSE,living towards th e end of the fourth cen tury

,

is stated to have fal len asleep ( en tran ced ) at the altar on a

certain Sun day, remain ing so for several hours,to the great

won der of the people. Awaken-

ing , h e declared that h e hadattended the fun eral of S t. Martin

,and performed the

service. The fact n oted,it was ascertain ed that St . Martin

had died at th e time specified by this seer . H e also assuresu s that th e martyr Agn es was seen ’

on e n ight at her grave,surroun ded by a choir of singing maiden s .

"

JEROME,living in th e fifth cen tury

,relates numerous

miracles occurr ing in his time, such as“ the restoration of

S ight to a woman ten years blin d, the in stan t cure of paralysis , and the casting out of demon s .

“ These miraclesare paralleled by what are now den ominated “

spir itualman ifestation s .

Mosheim, (vol . i . p . 1 04) in h is ecclesiastical his tory, says

The ligh t of the Gospel was introduced into Iberia, a province Of

Asia (now called Georgia), in the following manner : a certain womanwas carried into that cou ntry as a capt ive, du ring the reign Of Con

stantine ; and by the grandeur of her m iracles,and the remarkable

sanctity of her life and manners,she made su ch an impression upon the

king and qu een , that they abandoned their false gods , embraced the

faith of the Gospel , and sent to Constantinople for proper persons togive them and their people a more satisfactory and complete knowledgeof the Christian religion .

’

1 28 DOOTR INES OF SPIR ITUALI STS .

This was in the fourth cen tury. After maturely con sidering the whole g round and al l the author ities

, on the n extpage he saysI am W illing to grant , that many events have been rashly deemed

miracu lou s wh ich were the resu lt of the ordinary laws of natu re ; and,also that piou s frau ds were sometimes u sed for the pu rpose of givingnew degrees Of weight and dignity to the Christian cau se . B u t Icannot

,on the other hand, assen t to the Opinions Of those who maintain

that in this cen tu ry,miracles had entirely ceased ; and that

,at this

period, the Christian Chu rch was not favored with any extraordinaryor supernatural mark of a Divine power engaged in its cau se.

”

Con stan tin e’ s reign in fused a sort of pride in to the Christian ity of that and subsequen t centuries . W ith n ationalambition and individual worldlin ess spurred to in ten seaction by reign ing r ival powers

,there commen ced about this

time a rapid declin e of spiritual gifts among n ominal chr istians

,forcibly reminding on e of the Apostle P aul ’s prophecy

of the “ falling away ” that Should come . Chr istian ity,a

shell devoid the spir it-sub stan ce,still flou nders in this

“ fallen ” condition .

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1 30 DOOTR INES OF SPIR ITUALI STS .

DION CHRYSOSTOM,writing in th e time of Trajan ,

says : Isee among you A lexandrian s

,not on ly Greeks and Italian s

,

Syrian s,Syb ian s , Ethiopians and Arabian s

,but Bactrian s ,

S cythian s,P ers ians

,and travelers fr om India who flew

together in to this city, and are always w ith you ;Gn osticism

, (ginosko, to know) budding in the first,blos

somed more fully among educated classes in the secondcentury. The Gn ostics w ere In du ction ists . Gnosis was

con sidered a divine science ; an d,w ielded by those metaphys

ical thinkers,successfu lly con tended again st Christian ity

,in

the estimation of th e literati. It is averred, with great plau

s ib ility , that th e A s iatic Gn ostics were personally acquaintedw ith the Gymn osophists of In dia and the Magi of P ers ia.

The Christian Fathers , ow ing to a lack of literary culture,

w ere disin clin ed to meet them in discuss ion . Man i,born in

P ers ia,Marcus Tatian , Cerinthu s , the father of Gregory, of

Naz ian zen,w ere promin en t among the Gn ostics . These

,

w ith others of the same school , held to the or ien tal philosophical theory

,that all spir its eman ated from God

,an d were

a part of him ; that angels , by divin e appoin tmen t,exerc ised

a super inten den ce over the affairs Of this world as guardian s ;that mortals had the high pr ivilege of commun ion w ith thesecelestials ; that Chr ist, as a heaven ly spirit, was not investedw ith a mortal body after his resurrection ,

or,better

,eman ei

pation ; that souls , as tenons,emanating from the infin ite

foun tain of Deity,by a law of progress

,returned pur ified

to th e bosom-source when ce they came . Clemen t of A lexandr ia

,says : Their worship con sists in con tinu al attention

to their souls ; in meditation s upon the Divin ity,as being

inexhaustible love.

AMMONIUS SAecAS,profound

,scholarly and eclectic

,com

bin ing in h is rare organ ism the extremes of con servatismand radicalism ,

organ ized this famous school about the year220 A . D . P lotinus

,P orphyry

,P roclus

,J amb l ichu s

, and

others,rej ecting th e mouldy crumbs of Hebrew revelation s

,

and versed in th e elemen ts and pr in ciples character izing the

MEDIE VAL NEO-PLATONIC. 1 31

orien tal theosophies,were among the emin en t disciples of

Ammon iu s . H is lofty purpose was to combin e th e good and

beau tifu l found in the theologies an d philosophies of India,

Egypt,China, P ers ia , Ju dea , Greece and R ome

,in fact

,al l

nation s in al l times,and out of these vast mater ials to form

a grand eclecticism,al ive w ith a l l th e thought

,w isdom and

virtue of the ages,like a superb temple compounded of al l

the kingdoms of life in the un iverse.

PLOTINUS,eleven years the studen t of Ammon iu s Saccas

,

retain ing h is Egyptian idiosyn cracies , educated at A lexandr ia

,an d of immeasurable influen ce in society

,was the

in spir ing animus of Nee-P laton ism,and gave to it much of

its prestige an d fame in the wor ld. H is metaphys ical doctrin es run thus : That there is one God

,the perfect

,un cre

ated pr in ciple ; that W isdom is th e L ogos of the good ; thatfrom W isdom and L ove proceeded th e souls of all things ;that the human soul

,an essen tial portion of the D ivine Sou l

,

can,in its highest states , pen etrate in to all worlds ’ myster ies,

and hold commun ion w ith th e essen ce of things ; that thislife is a mere flash of light, which God, in h is goodn ess,gran ts to souls for a season ; that, whils t this earth-life lasts,memory of the pr ior existen ce van ishes

,but in th e n ext life

,

the mind beholds th e past, present an d future, at one glance ;that poets , lovers , musician s , philosophers , more ether ialw inged, can the easier ascen d into the super ior region s ; thatmiracles are in harmony w ith fixed pr in ciples of the u n i

verse ; that self-den ial of al l lusts and pass ion s is inductiveto con scious commun ication w ith and glory of the gods

,or

angels . H is en thusiastic disciples ascr ibed to him miracn lou s gifts . In their writings it is frequen tly afli rm ed thathe could discern the secret thoughts of m en . When Porphyry con templated suicide

,he discovered it without the

least outward in timation . When a theft had been committed in the house

,h e collected th e domestics and immediately

pointed out the culprit, w ithout asking a question . They

1 32 DOCTRINES OF S P IRITUALI STS .

requested him to evoke h is guardian spirit, wh ich th e Greeiaus called his demon .

” H e refused for a long time.

Finally,yielding to their entreaties , they saw a god appear in

the ir midst. He healed th e most dangerou s diseases ,obtain ed great repu tation for foretelling future even ts , andwalked in daily conver se w ith spirits an d angels . Em iliu s

,

urging him to attend the s ervices of the church , h e replied,“ Th e spir its must come to m e

,n ot I to th e spir its .

”After

h is departure to the spir it world,in the s ixty-S ixth year of

his age , h is fr iends in qu ired of an oracle as to the residen ceof his soul . The respon se was g iven in verse , to the effect

,

that ow ing to his gen tlen ess , goodn ess , elevated ideas, pur ityof life

,h is soul had rej oined th e j ust Spirits of M inos , Rhada

manthu s and E acu s . By virtue of these graces h e was perm itted to behold, face to face, the more exalted and glorifi edof the celes tial w orlds .

P OR PHYRY , of P hOenecian descen t, was on e of the most distingu ish ed disciples of P lotinus , succeeding him in the thirdcen tury as presiden t of the A lexan drian school . It is as

morally impos s ib le for a R oman Chu rch '

fath er to speak or

w r ite impartially of P orphyry, as for a modern P rotestan t ofth e orthodox school , to aw ard Spiritualists their j ust position .

Deeply read in th e lore Of th e past,an arden t admir er of

P lato , P orphyry is descr ib ed by th e church histor ian , Nean

der, as“a man of n ob le spir it

,un ited w ith profound in tel

lectual attainmen ts a man of th e East, in whom th e or ien talb as is of character had been completely fused w ith th e

elemen ts of Grecian cu lture . He devoted much time toth e study of magic

,called Theurgy ; to th e psychologic and

mystic relation s of min d to min d ; to the n ecess ity of selfab n egation

,as preparatory to the highest angelic com

mun ion ; an d , like h is predecessors ,Ammon ias and P lotinus ,h e sought to estab lish a u n iversal eclecticism in religion .

Nearly al l his works again st Chr istian ity w ere burn ed byChr istian s— a proof this of their in estimable value. When a

sectar ian m an can n ot meet h is n eighb or w ith sound reason,

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1 34 DOOTR INES OF SPIR ITUALI STS .

being informed they were Eros and Anteros— deities acknowledged by the Greeks— he scarcely touched the water , u ttering a few words

,when there rose up before them two beau

tiful children,who clasped their arms around J amb lichu s ’

neck. From this momen t n on e of h is adherents doubtedhis commun ion w ith the gods . H is biographer, Eu napiu s, avery learn ed and con scien tious writer , n arrates many othermiraculous thing s attr ibuted to him . So wonderful werethey

,that “ n either Edesius , nor h is fr iends , have dared to

put them in their w orks .

” In order to attain the highestdegrees of mediumship— then called Theurgy— he and h is

w ise compan ion s , like th e Egyptian Hierophan ts , preparedthemselves by fasting, watching, praying, and devout relizgion s reflection . These spir itual con ditions in troduced intorealms of divin e exaltation ,

are thus descr ibed by Jamb l ichu sin his “ Myster ies The sen ses are in a s leeping state.

The Theurgist has no command of h is faculties, n o con sciousn ess of what he says or does . Carried by a divin eimpulse

,h e goes through impassable places , through fi re an d

water w ithout kn ow ing where he is . A divin e illuminationtakes full possession of the m an

,absorbs all

‘

h is faculties,

motion s,and s en ses ; making him speak what he does not

u nderstand,or rather seem to speak it ; for he is , in fact,

merely the min ister, or in strumen t,of the God who pos

sesses him .

” What a p erfect descr iption of modern tran ce,by this an cien t Neo-P laton ist !Of prayer

,this most devout philosopher says : “ Frequent

prayer n our ishes ou r Superior part,ren ders the receptacle of

the soul more capacious for the gods,discloses divin e things

to men,accustoms them w ith the splen dors of the world of

intelligen ces , and gradually so perfects ou r un ion with purespir its, as to lead u s back to the Supreme God.

”

JAMB LI CHUS was familiar w ith clairvoyan ce in all its phases,w ith healing by spirit influen ce

,w ith dreams as spir it impres

s ion s, and w ith the beauties and glor ies of the tran ce, bothfrom observation and experien ce. He explain s what is said

MEDIE VAL NEO-PLATONIC. 1 35

by P orphyry : “ That some immediately fall in to a tran ce on

hear ing music ; and he shows an in timate acquaintan ce w ithin stan ces of person s hear ing most divin e music, especially onapproaching deatW ell

,therefore

,did Jamb l ichu s , in his celebrated work on

the “Mysteries,

”assert that admissibility to , and commun ion

w ith,spir itual beings

,

“ is eternal and cotemporary w ith thesoul .”

PROOLUS,the heir of P lato ,” the ascetic teacher ofAthen s ,

the young prodigy of theA lexandr ian philosophy,saw

,in his

day , the culmination ofNeo-P laton ism . He commen ced h isforty-third chapter on the theology of P lato thus : “ L et u s

speak con cern ing the demon s who are allotted th e superin

tenden ce of mankind. The highest genus ofdemon s

,being proximate to the gods, is un iform and divine.

The next in order to these demon s,possessing a highly in tel

lectual nature,pres ide over individuals

,as well as over the

ascen t and descent of souls .

”The Egyptian pr iests admired

P lotinus as being governed (on account of the purity of h islife) by a divin e demon . And w ith great propriety, also,does S ocrates call h is demon a god, for he belonged to thefirst and highest demon s . Proclus further says : Socratesperceived a certain voice proceeding from h is demon . Thishe asserts in the Themtetus and in the Phcedrus .

” What theGrecian s termed “ divin e demons

,we den ominate min ister

ing angel guides,who delight to do the will of the Eternal

Father .

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HAF TER XV III.

CHURCHIANIC.

“ Oh , n ever rudely will I bl ame their faithIn the might Of gods and angels

“ Sometimes th ere gl impses on my s ightThrough Chr istian wrongs the eternal r ight ;And step by step s ince time beganI see th e steady gain of man .

”

Christian ity, heretofore spir itually spon taneous as taughtby the Nazaren e

,became sectariz ed and n ational ized— a

court-religion un der the reign of Con stan tin e.

Not a vestige of S imilar ity is traceable between the n atureteachings and pure

,sweet life of the gentle son of Joseph and

Mary,and the w or ldly Chr istian ity of the 1 9th cen tury .

From this fatal Con stan tin ian era,its pur ity more rapidly

paled,un til an eclipse of spir itual midn ight brooded over its

blin ded devotees . Fossils n either flash n or flame w ith vig

orou s life. Few blossoms of in spiration come from a

leafless,sapless

,w ithered trunk. When doctr in es , how ever

beautiful, crystalize in to creeds, they die and rust awayinto Lethean forgetfuln ess .

R oman Catholicism ,imitated by her schismatic daughter ,

P rotestan tism,adopted

,in her extern als

,a pagan ized J udaism,

combin ing th e ceremon ials of the Mosaic and later clas s ic,w ith their sacerdotal

,hierarchal paraphernalia

,th e better to

seize and appropriate the more cultured religious thesestaught in the mystic temples of the orientals , for priestly

1 39

1 40 DOCTRINES OF SPI R ITUALI STS .

power and worldly aggrandizemen t. A s every midn ight hasits stars , and every stormy ocean its pearls

,so

,under the cold

drapery of the royalized church,were genuin e s ilver-glim

mer ings of the aspirational and spir itual.

GUI ZOT,in h is recen t w ork en titled

,

“Meditations upon theRelig ious ! uestion s of th e Day ,” in which h e eviden tly usesthe word sup ernatural for sp iritual, says : Belief in the supern atural is a fact n atural

,primitive

,un iversal and con stant in

the life and history of th e human race. Unbelief in the

supernatural begets mater ialism,mater ialism sen suality

,sen

su al ity social convulsion,amid whose storms man learn s

again to believe and pray.

CONSTANTINE, having espoused Chr istian ity,and being men

aced in con sequen ce by its en emies , was compelled to takeup arms for self-defen ce. Eusebius states that h e heardCon stan tin e declare, un der oath , that “when h e was goingto attack the tyran t Maxen tiu s

,and was full of doubt

,as he

was resting in th e middle of th e day , and his soldiers abou thim

,he and all the soldier s saw a lumin ous cross in the

heavens, attended by a troop of angels , who s aid, 0

,Con

stan tin e ! by this go forth to victory " At n ight,

Chr ist appeared to him in a dream,having the same cross

,

which he ordered to have wrought upon his bann ers,w ith

the w ords,B Y THIS conquer ! ’ Under this in spir ing sym

bol he did conquer .

LAOTANTIUS corroborates the statemen t, that the S ign of thecross on the shields of the soldiers , was put there in con se

qu en ce of a vis ion or dream . Socrates , Ph ilostorgiu s , Gelasiu s

,Nicephoru s, all testify to the appearan ce of the cross in

the'

sky . It was a most magn ificen t psychological presentation

,produced by min ister ing spirits.

SOZOMEN, a church histor ian of the 5th cen tury, inform sus

“ that when Julian was killed in P ersia,his death was

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142 DOCTRINES or SPIRITUALI STS .

his palace was con secrated to th e sun ; but h is garden s werefilled w ith altars and statues of the gods and angels .

”He

main tain ed that there were messengers betw een God and

m en,and sometimes , for special purposes

,res ided in earthly

temples— haun ted houses . No won der the church calledhim “ Apos tate !

When Ju lian and h is brother Gallu s were indu ced to u ndertakethe labor Of erecting a chapel over the tomb of the martyr Mammas

,

the work went on rapidly u nder the hands of Gallu s,bu t the stones

which Ju lian laid were constantly overthrown as by some invisibleagency. Gregory of Naziangen says that he had this from eye

witnesses and he seems to regard it as a prOphetic miracle.

The Greek Church Of Russia, r eceiving her apostolic hierarchy and pr iesthood from Greece

,has carefu lly main tain ed

th e in tegrity of the pr imitive Church w ith less inn ovation s,

doubtless,than the Catholic

,and is

,therefore

,more au thori

tative in respect to what th e Apostolic Fathers taught. The

doctr in e of min ister ing Spir its,working miracles through

their patron sain ts,is plain ly set forth in their relig ious

histories .

M . MOURAVI EFF,a church histor ian

,tells u s that “ his or h er

‘angel ’ is the customary phrase in Russia for the patronsain t after whom any on e is n amed ; but that they alsobelieve in guardian angels appoin ted to each baptized person .

Th e church coun ts , as its chief guardian s and intercessors , acon siderable number of sain ts . Th eRussian Church believesfirmly in ‘ the doctr in es of the holy Icon s (pictures of sain tsand the Virgin), in relics

,th e S ign of the ven erable cross

,of

tradition,of th e mystery of th e most pure blood an d body

of Christ,of the invocation of sain ts and angels

,of th e s tate

of souls after death,and of prayers for the departed .

’

How itt,in h is “ History of th e Supern atural ,” adverts to

th e fact,that “ in the time of P eter th e Great

,th e A nglican

Chu rch made application to b e admitted to un ity w ith the(Ecumen ical Church

,an d desired th e Russian patriarch to

OHUROHAL SPI R ITUALI SM OHUROHIAN IO. 1 43

transmit their prayer to Con stan tin ople ; but the Russ ianprelates , having con su lted , declin ed , becau se the Ang licanChurch had heretically ren oun ced the tradition s of th eFathers , the invocation s of sain ts , and the reveren cing ofIcon s —sacred pictures .

”

ST. BERNARD, a healing and most ben evolen t priest, thusalludes to the divin e care over u s

“ We owe to ou r guardian angels great reveren ce,devo

tion and confiden ce . P en etrated w ith aw e, walk always w ithcircumspection ,

remember ing the presen ce of angels,to whom

you are g iven in charge, in all your ways . In every apartm en t

,in every closet, in every corn er, pay respect to your

angel . Dare you do before him what you dare n ot commitif I saw you

Con sider w ith how great respect, awe, and modesty weought to behave in th e s ight of the angels

,lest w e offend

their eyes,and render ourselves unworthy Of their company

Woe to u s if they who could chase away ou r en emy, b e

offended by ou r n egligen ce,and depr ive u s of their visits .

GREGORY VII . , (Hildebran d) of the 1 1 th cen tury,was a

n oted thaumaturgist or seer . When R odolph marchedagain st Henry I V. , this pope was so certain Of success that h even tured to prophesy, both in speech an d wr iting

,that h is

en emy w ould b e con quered and s lain in battle,and w ould

tran spire before S t . P eter ’s day , which prophecy was literallyfulfilled .

R OGER BACON, Of the 1 2th cen tury , a Fran ciscan Fr iar , theaccredited inven tor of th e telescope, and a profoun d scholar

,

who much disturbed the church bV h is seership and scien ce,

un der th e con trolling in telligen ces of the Spirit-w or ld,pen e

trated in to the myster ies of life , and,piercing the cloudy

sun -mists of in terven ing ages , seized upon th e occult forcesthat bowed as servants to h is beck and adapted them byinven tim to practical uses .

1 44 DOCTRINES or SPI RITUALI STS.

A profound study of magic with the n atural scien ces , madeh im liberal an d progress ive . The clergy prohibited h islectures , and confin ed th e circulation of h is writings to thewalls of the conven t. Finally a coun cil of Sanfran ciscan scondemn ed h is books and sen t him to pr ison . He was

specially gifted w ith th e power to discern future even ts beinghighly mediumistic. S ome of h is remarkable prophecies ,uttered six hun dred years ago, relating to modern inven tion s ,were strikingly practical , as the follow ing testifies

B ridges , unsupported by arches, will be made to span the foamingcurren t . Man shall descend to the bottom of the ocean

,safely breath

ing, and treading with fi rm step on the golden sands,never brigh tened

by the ligh t of day . Call bu t the sacred powers Of Sol and Luna intoaction , and behold a single steersman sitting at the helm

, gu iding thevessel which divides the waves with greater rapidity than if she had

been propelled by a crew of mar ines toiling at the ears and the loaded

chariot no longer encumbered by the panting steeds,shall dart on its

cou rse with res istless force and rapidity. Let the simple elements dothe labor ; bind the eternal forces and yoke them to the same plow.

’

The’

excellen t w r iter,P rof. Brittan

,says that “ these

prophecies of Bacon embrace the S uspen sion Br idge,th e

Diving Bell, Steam Navigation , th e Rai lroad , and the S teamP low ,

in the same chain of even ts,al l of which are among

the accomplished realities of-day .

”

Infin ite Spir it is infin ite causation ; fin ite spir it in man is

fin ite causation . Just so far as this fin ite causation comesin to relation w ith causes outs ide and independen t of himself

,

is he able to read the fu ture. Exalted Spir its standing uponthe plan e of causes , and, seeing w ith un sealed vision certainOperative forces

,are en abled to determin e the legitimate

effects then ceLder ived. P rophecy

,therefore

,is just as n at

ural as cause and effect. Angels,spir its

,men

,possess th e

power of previs ion j ust in th e ratio of exaltation in w isdom.

PETER D’APONO

, 1 250 A . D .,an emin en t philosopher

,math

ematician and astrologer , is said to have been possessed byseven spir its

,from whom h e received all information he

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1 46 DOOTR INES or SPIRITUALI STS .

convicted of direct spiritual in spiration and the probablevisitation of spirits and angels . This apparen t cowardiceand most sadden ing mistake in the Reformation

,constitute

the tare in th e chur ch-fi eld,which has in creased till al l the

wheat is smu tty . This reaction from the abuse Of spiritualgifts in the Catholic Church , has been all along a killing frost

,

destroying every beautiful flower of P aradise . Reader !have you thought of the pain ful fact, tha t all the P rotestan tChurches date their spir itual decay back three hundred yearsto this fatal error of th e father s of the R eformation

,whilst

th e Mother Church , assailed on every s ide,a thousand times

menaced w ith ann ihilat ion , lives on amid P rotestan t decay,

fresh and green in her soul— beautiful vin es climbing wallsin ruinThe Catholic Chu rch n ever lost its cyn osure star— th e

p robable min istry of angels . A S ever her devotees havesaid

,

“W e bel ieve in commun ion w ith the sain ts,

” thoseangels have felt the prayer and kept the estate secure fromb last. The Catholics , clinging w ith loving ten acity to thebeautiful belief Of “ commun ion w ith the saints

,

” have,from

time immemor ial , preserved it in impos ing ann iversary.The secon d of October is th e Feast of Angel Guardian s

,in

commemoration,as A lban Butler says

,of a commun icat ion

of spir i tual commerce between u s on earth and h is holyangels , whose compan ion s we hope one day to b e in the

k ingdom of h is glory.”But Luther ’s vacuum was filled w ith h is roaring devil ! ”

that haun ted him in all h is travels and labors,as a familiar

spir it.” Th e devil supped w ith him ,s lept w ith him

,watched

w ith h im,conversed w ith him ,

spoke to him in all calamitiesand misfor tun es . On on e occasion , when this spir it interfered w ith h is tran slation , perhaps on ly for a playful taun t,he threw his inkstan d at him . This icon oclast had a g reatdeal of trouble w ith this spirit

,who eviden tly delighted in

a frolic to keep up a healthful con dition w ith h is medium .

H e l ittle realized that h is devil,attracted to his sphere of

life,was a power that in ten s ified his w ill and strengthen ed

CHURCHAL SPIRITUALI SM CHURCH IANIC. 1 47

him in h is reformatory work. G ive thy devil his du e , 0Luther ! But these days we have learn ed n ot to call thesehealth-giving, rough and playful spir its , devils , but fellowlaborers .

P oor Luther , so protestan t as to drive away the higherangels , so icon oclastic as to attract destructive spir its to b ehis compan ion s ! W e do not wonder that al l his churchchildren have been Obsessed, and do to this day see on ly a“ devil ” in Spiritualism— the angel Of God return ed torescue P rotestan tism from death .

“ A s a m an thinketh so

is h e .

” Devilish condition s clothe all spir its w ith demoniacattr ibutes . Look w ithin

,0 dying: Church ! and behold

thyself en tombed w ith the real GADARENE — blank skepti

cism—w intry atheism ,

“ legion of doubts and bigotr ies !

PHILIP MELANC'

I‘HON, more spiritual in organ iz ation than

Luther, had a more equably balan ced faith in the min istry ofspir its

,and relates several in stan ces of such in terpos ition in

times of peri l. He tells u s,that h e had seen sp ectres ,

( spir its ) and that he knew many m en,w orthy of credit

,who

not on ly had seen,but had likew ise discour sed w ith them .

L eck endoye, on the authority of Solomon Glasse,states

that Melan cthonwas recalled from death by Luther ’s prayers,pos itively indicating his healing power un der th e influen ceof his attending spir its

“ Luther arr ived,and found Philip about to give up the

ghost. His eyes were set,h is un der standing was almost

gone,his speech had failed

,and also his hear ing ; h is face

had fallen ; h e kn ew no on e, and had ceased to take eithersol ids or liquids . A t this spectacle Luther is filled w ith theutmost con sternation— turn ing away towards the w indow ,

h e

called most devoutly upon God. A fter this,taking the hand

of Philip,and well kn ow ing what was the anxiety of h is

heart and con scien ce,he said

,B e of good courage

,Philip ;

thou shalt n ot die.

’ While h e utters these things, Philipbegins

,as it were, to revive and to b reathe, and gradually

1 48 DOOTR INES OF SPIR ITUALI STS .

recovering his strength,is at last restored to health . Mel

an cthon,w r iting to a friend

,said, “ I should have b een a

dead man,had I not been recalled from death by th e .oming

of Luth er .

JOHN CALVIN,

“ the iron -clad,

th e actual murderer of

S ervetus for heresy, th e father of “ election , rep robation and

Infant Damnation,

”an d of a church still as r ig id as h is stern

self— a man whose S in ewy temperament would not or iginateor indulge in spir itual fan cies

,as we m ight n aturally suppose,

if he believed at all in Spir its,accepted th e doctr ine of the

so-called supernatural under th e “ agen cy of Satan He

however claimed to have a genuin e spirit of prophecy, andto b e clairaudien t

,as Beza show s in h is biography of Calvin .

COLUMBUS,toiling seven teen years un der th e lofty ideal of

faith,at length procured th e ships that wooed th e shores of

the w estern wor ld. He was pron oun ced a“ vis ionary and

fanatic.” When w restling w ith sorest diffi culties , h e heardan unkn own voice whisper ing in his ear

,

“ God w ill causethy name to b e won derfully resoun ded through the earth,and g ive thee the keys to th e gates Of the ocean which are

closed w ith strong chain s .

”

CIOERO gave this remarkable prediction Across the

ocean,and after many ages , an exten s ive and r ich country

w ill b e discovered, and in i t w ill ar ise a her o,who

,by h is

coun sel an d arms,shall deliver his coun try from th e slavery

by which sh e was Oppressed . This h e Shall do,un der

favorable auspices ; and oh ! how much more admirablew ill he b e than ou r Brutus and Camillus This predictionwas kn own to A ccius

,and was embellished in poetry. Thus

prophets have been honored and prophecies preserved in al l

ages of the world .

THE WALDENSES of th e fourteen th and fifteen th cen tur ies,

resolved to b e pure and clear of Catholic idolatry,were

pursued by their en emies w ith the most malignan t persecution s to extermin ate them from the earth . Among the

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1 50 DOCTRINES or SPIR ITUALI STS .

show ing him how to overcome difli cu lties . When his mediumsh ip was better developed , he heard the voice of his angel,saying

,I w ill save thy soul . It is I that appeared to thee

before.

”This spirit would knock at h is door— spir it

rappings— direct him in h is devotion s— guard him in his

s ickness— preven t his reading anything morally injur iouswarn him of evil by touching his left ear

,Of good results by

touching h is r ight ear—map out for him the true path of lifeby s igns

,vis ion s and impress ion s.

TRITHEMIUS,Abbot of Spanheim ,

flourishing in the fifteenthcentury

,au thor of many valuable w orks, and a man of great

learn ing an d d ign ity,gifted w ith second s ight

, saw h is

departed w ife and recogn ized her . His biographer statesthat after long pondering upon secrets unknown to men

,

”

un til ashamed of h is seeming folly to discover “ impossi

bilities,

”h e was on e n ight visited by a spir it who assured him

that his deep thoughts were in spired . Th e whole mysterywasexplain ed

,and the result was the secret in strumen t en titled

S tenographia , which, doubtless , was n othing more nor lessthan a scien tific revelation of men tal telegraphing, kin dredwith spir it commun ication s .

I n his work on“ S ecret Things and Secret Spir its

,he

in culcates the Old Hindoo virtue of self-den ial : “ It is fitthat w e who endeavor to r ise to an elevation so sublime

,

should study first to leave behin d carnal afl‘

ection s,the fra ilty

of th e sen ses,and the pass ion s that belong thereto .

TAsso,the first of Italian poets

,was a gen ius beyond the

capacity of h is age, and so brillian t that popes , cardinals,prin ces

,and the court of Ferrara

,where he res ided

,esteemed

themselves hon ored w ith h is presen ce . H e ranks among themost distinguished Spiritualists of the ages . Daily conversing w ith in spir ing spir its

,h is poems abound w ith beautiful

pictu rings of angels and loving demon s , who not on ly peopledthe realm of his imagination , but con stituted the real of h islife .

He l ived the songs he sung .

CHURCHAL SPI R ITUALI SM CHURCH IAN IC. 1 5 ]

The plodding indu ction ists of his time pron oun ced him“ mad — mad — m ad as Socrates— mad as Jcsus— m ad as

John on P atmos— mad as Spir itualists now are mad . Ow ingto his spir itual exaltation and magical power of comm fi n ingw ith spirits

,despite h is finely molded form and character

,

and the felicity of h is poetic thought, h e was con temptuouslypersecuted by the petty Duke of Ferrara, on e of the min ion sof the church

,and thrust in to a cold pr ison at San ta Anna .

Here h e was visited by spir its , on e of whom he calls Folletto.

S trange n oises and commotion s were produced by thisinfluen ce, when h is min d was thus wrought up to deepfeeling and anguish on accoun t of bigoted

,envious sectarists ;

“ h is books were flung down from th e shelves,a loaf was

snatched out of h is own hands,and a plate of fruit

,which he

was offering to a P olish youth God kn ows,

’he says

,that

I am n either a magician nor a Lutheran,that I n ever read

heretical books,nor those which treat of n ecroman’ cy

,nor

any prohibited art ; yet I can neither defend myself fromthievish m en when I am absen t, n or demon s when I ampresent. ’ To soothe h is sufl"erings , he had a vision of theVirgin Mary. Through spirit power he was healed

,and an

appreciation of the heaven ly interven tion,he embodied it in

sw eet song.

The emin en t author , W illiam Howitt, wr iting of h im ,

says :Whether grave or gay, th is Spir it Often came to h im

,and he Often

held long discourses with it . Manso endeavored to persuade h im thatit was a fancy bu t Tasso maintained that it was as real as themselves ,a Ch ristian Spirit , and which Manso admits gave him great comfort andconsolation . Tasso

,to convince Manse Of the reality Of this Spirit,

begged h im to be presen t at an in terview. Manso says that he saw

Tasso address h imself to some invisible object,listen in return

,and

then reply to what it appeared to have said. He says that the discou rses of Tas so were SO lofty and marvelous

,both by the sublimity

of their topics and a certain u nwon ted manner of talking, that, exaltedabove myself into a certain kind of ecstacy

,I did not dare to interrupt

them .

’Tasso was disappointed, however , that Manso did not see or

hear the Spirit— wh ich he ought not to have been after what he h imselftells u s

,that to see Spi r its the human eye mu st be pu rified, or the Spirits

mu st array themselves to matter . Th is is the present acknowled . ;cd

1 52 DOCTRINES or SPIR ITUALISTS .

law in su ch cases of apparitions . They who see them mu st be mediums— that is, have their spir itual eyes Open

— or the Spir its mu stenvelop themselves in matter obvious to the ou ter eye . Tasso did not

recollect that Manso might not be in the clairvoyant condition in whichhe h imselfwas ; and Manse

,wholly ignorant of these psychological laws ,

cou ld only suppose Tasso dealing with a subj ective idea. Yet Manse

evidentlyfelt the presence of the spirit, for he was raised by it ‘ into a

kind of ecstacy,’ and . he confes ses that Tasso’s spiritual interviewswere more likely to affect h is own mind than that h e shou ld dissipateTasso

’s tru e or imaginary Opinion .

’

THE ENGLI SH CHURCH, founded by the voluptuous Hen ryVI 11 ,

con tains in its homilies sundry statements of the giftsof the Spirits , of which th e follow ing is a sample

The Holy Ghost doth always declare Himself, by His fru itfu l and

gracious gifts —namely, by the word of wisdom,by the word of

knowledge, which is the u nderstanding of the Scriptures ; by faith indoing of miracles , by healing them that are diseased

,by prophecy,

which is the distribu tion of God’

s mysteries ; by discern ing of spirits ,diversities of tongues, and so forth . All which gifts, as they proceedfrom one Spirit, and are severally given to man according to the

measurable distribution Of the Holy Ghost ; even so do they bringmen, and not withou t good cau se

,in to a wonderfu l admiration Of God

’s

power .

”

B u t this on ly saving elemen t, casually infused in to thecreed from its scr iptural pledges of allegian ce to the “W ordof God,” was stu ltifi ed by the tran smissible, can cerou s poisonof Lutheran origin the non-necess ity of further miracles.

”

A wr iter,understan ding its un spir itual condition

,its super

fi cial relig ion ,appropr iately calls it the “ Anglican drying

house, whose looks and w ords are of the purest dry-as-dustorder

,cap ites

-mor tuum men— of th e earth , earthy.A ll relig ion turn s to brass to rust in sepultures , when itsdevotees deny the min istry of angels . It degen erates w ithfashion , grow s lecherous w ith lust, sinks in to an ecclesiasticn ight-mare , a kin d of chu rchal delirium tremen s , that seeson ly devils in all spir itual phen omena

,come to raise “ the

dead in trespasses and sin s .

”This is the trouble— the

dead-lock of every church from the Lutheran down to theUn iversalit t I

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1 54 DOCTR INES OF SPI R ITUALISTS .

H is biographer says , “ if ever Englan d had a prophet,he

might seem to b e on e . He prophes ied h is own death bymartyrdom . So it is ; m en may as well try to bottle up the

sun light as the heaven ly efl’u lgen ce of angel min istri es .

When m en attr ibute the spir itual phen omena to evil spir its,

or the devil, what do they on their angle of religiousin ciden ce, but clin ch the truth of spir it commun ication ?

J UDICIOUS HOOKER also of the Eng lish Church , more j udicions than his famous compeers , more P laton ic and Grecian lycolossal in thought, j umped over the Lutheran “ S loughat on e bound . A moral lion he whose man e the Spiritsdelighted to magn etize. He says

The angels resembled God in their unweariable and even insatiablelonging to do all manner of good to men by all means .

’ “ The paynimzs

,

’h e says

,had arrived at the same knowledge of the natu re of

angels Orpheu s confessing that the fiery throne of God 1s surrounded

by those most indu striou s angels, carefu l how all th ings are performedamongst men .

“ Angels ,”says Hooker i n another place, “

are Spir its immaterial andintellectu al. In number and order they are large, mighty and royalarmies

,desiring good u nto all the creatu res of God

, but especially u ntothe ch ildren of men ; in the cou ntenance of whose nature

,looking

downward,they behold themselves beneath themselves ; besides which ,

the angels have wi th us tha t communion wh ich the Apostle to the

Hebrews noteth , and in regard whereof they disdain not to profess

themselves ou r fellow-servants . And from hence there Springeth upanother law

,wh ich bindeth them to works of minister ia l emp loymen t.

”

BI SHOP HALL,ofNorw ich

,the revered poet

,had the moral

hardihood,like Hooker

,to vindicate the u se of spir itual g ifts

in the Protestan t Church . H e is very explicit in h is declarations of spir it commun ication in tangible forms . H is wi fewas poin ted out to him by an angel Of God.

”His mother ,

being prostrated with S ickness,had a vis ion

,in which a

physician appeared and actually healed her this he confirms .

At on e time,when j ourneying to the Netherlands

,an angel

delivered him from the hands of robbers the man ifesthan d of God.

”

CHURCHAL SPIR ITUALI SM CHURCH IANIC. i 55

He w rote a valuable work on“ The Invisible W orld,” in

which he main tain ed that “ the spir itual g ifts are perpetual.He often invoked th e aid of guardian spir its . H e felt theircontinued presen ce

,and so was impressed w ith high purposes

to walk carefully but confiden tly .

”In his spir itual treatise

he says“ So su re as we see men

,so su re we are that holy men have seen

angels . Have we been raised up,” he continu es

,

“ from deadly Sickness,

when all natural helps have given u s up ? God’s angels have been ou r

secret physicians . Have we had intu itive intimations of the death of

absen t friends, wh ich no human intelligence had bidden u s to su spect,

who bu t our angels have wrought it ? Have we been preserved frommortal danger, wh ich we cou ld not tell howby our providence to haveevaded

, ou r invisible guardians have done it .

AROHB ISHOP TILLOTSON,a great light in theEnglish Church

,

confirmed the dark as well as light s ide of Spir itualism— thatboth evil (undeveloped) and good spir its influen ce mor tals .

Speaking of the con tinual in tercourse of angels w ith m en for

their protection and advantage,he says “ they are God ’s great

min isters here below .

B ISHOP BEVER IDGE supports the reality of “ min ister ingangels and min istering devils,” and that both kinds performmiracles ! He advocated the doctr in e of seership “ by strongfaith spir itually and that spl rits “

assume a bodily shape .

B ISHOP B UTLER argued the credibility of “ miracularinterpos ition s .

”

B I SHOP SHERLOCK, agreeing with Tillotson respecting themin istry of both evil and good spir its

,discarded the doctrine

of a stereotyped revelation . H e did not believe in thus tyingup God ’s hands . He re-asserts

,

“ that the graces of theSpirit are the arms of the Chr istian , with which he is toenter the lists again st the powers of darkness

,and are a

certain indication to u s that God in tends to call u s to theproof and exercise of ou r virtue ; why else does He give u s

this additional strength ? ”

1 56 DOCTRINES or SPIR ITUALI STS .

These extracts from the wr itings of the Anglican Fathers,

are sufii cen t to indicate that that very fashionable church hasnot entirely smothered th e spiritual light under its S ilks and

cushions ; but it is also apparen t that said church has beenshy of it, because i t threaten ed to burn up their formularythat “ miracles are n eedless .

”Occupying a middle groun d

between Catholicity, w ith its hosts of min ister ing sain ts, andextreme P rotestan tism that has sealed God ’ s lips w ithin th elids of the Bible

,and made Jesus the mon opolizer of al l

virtue,they were quite w illing to have personal p r ivate

sean ces w ith the ang els as do other good members of“respectable churches ” to-day , but were generally carefu l

how they committed th emselves before the world . L ightunder a bushel basket is better than n o light ; but the basketw ill catch fi re on e of these days

,s et by such spirits as Hooker

,

who puts the torch of Freedom in to the hands of Colenso andTyng and Bishop Clark.

PARACELSUS,beholding the morn ing light n ear Zur ich

,

about the commen cemen t of th e fifteen th cen tury,was dis

tingu ished as the founder of the modern scien ce of medicin e,

in conn ection w ith the remedial agen ts of magn etism . H e

un derstood th e reciprocal life-forces— being mediumistic.Enn emoser

,a great admirer

,wr ites of him thus

Paracelsu s was the first who compared th is u n iversal reciprocity ofu niversal life in all creations

,in the great as in the small

,with the

magnet so that the wordmagnetism,in the sense in which we u nderstand

it, originated with Paracelsu s .

”

H e was con s idered an en thusiast and Spiritual adventurer,

traveling through Germany, M oravia, Hungary, and otherEuropean coun tries . Believing in dreams , forebodings , presen timen ts

,prescien ce , he distin ctly taught the presen ce and

con trolling influen ce of spir its . In the S trasburg Edition ,

1 603, P aracelsus wr ites in th e follow ing mann er of the pow er

and Operation of the Spir l tIt is possible that my spirit, withou t the help of the body, and

throu gh a fi ‘ ry wil l alone, can wou nd others . I t is also poss ible that l

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1 58 DOCTR INES or SPIRITUALI STS.

not more hon ored by the Church Fathers thanthis sunnysouled, spir itually illuminated girl by later mystics . No

history is better authen ticated than that which relates to hervis ion s

,prophecies and angelic commun ings . As if the very

leaves of h er favor ite tree, under which she so often sat,rapt

in heaven ly reverie, had tongues, she heard angel voicesan n oun cing h er future miss ion . Again and again theycalled with imperative command ; and

, at length,in spired

w ith th e en thus iasm of patr iotic fulness,she meekly and

trustfully obeyed . Orlean s was besieged ! England’s reigning mon arch was expectan tly waiting to snatch the crown ofFran ce ! Spir it-guided, sh e mounted the war-steed , unfur ledher talisman ic bann er , thrilled the Fren ch Soldiers w ithun con querable dar ing to gain a glor ious victory.Immortal in history

,artists delighted to transfer h er form

to the canvas ; S chiller and Southey hon ored her in poesyand song ; defeating the phlegmatic English , they burn edher for a w itch

JACOB B CEHMEN ,of the sixteen th cen tury, surnamed Teu

ton icu s , and known in history;as the German Mystic, or

Theosophic En thusiast,” was a native of Old Seidenb urgh ,n ear Gor itz . When a shoemaker in his master ’s Shop

,h ewas

vis ited by a stranger of a ven erable aspect, who, departingfrom the place

,exclaimed w ith a loud voice Jacob !

Jacob ! come forth ! ” The lad was aston ished to b e calledby h is Chr istian n ame . The spir it guided personage thentaking him by th e hand , said, “ Jacob, thou art little

,but

shalt b e great, and become an other man,at whom the world

shall won der . Thou must endure much miseryand poverty, and suffer persecution ; but b e en couraged, andper severe

,for God loves and is gracious to thee.

”

These w ords produced a burn ing impress ion upon h ismind . H e felt th e power of the commission to unfold themyster ies Of the Apocalypse an d th e inn er sen se of theDivin e Word.” H e became a voluminou s

‘

writer,suffered

pers ecution for h is inn ovating thought, blessed all the world

CHURCHAL SPIR ITUALISM CHURCHIANIC. 1 59

w ith br ighter light, and finally was summon ed to Dresdento an swer to the charge of heresy. After a tortuous trial

,he

was hon orab ly dismissed.Speaking of himself, he says : “ After th e gates of spir itualknow ledge were open ed to m e

,I was compelled to commen ce

working at this (book) like a child that goes to school . In the

inter im,I certain ly saw th e truth as it were at a great depth.From time to time it Open ed to m e like a plan t

but it was twelve years before I could br ing it out.”Dr . Hamberger says

,introductor ily to his manuscr ipts

The author wrote w ith divin e in spiration from living contemplation ; but it cost him hard battles , and it was not

always poss ible to reducewhat he saw in to words and ideas .

L ike illiterate clairvoyan ts and vision ists of the presen t,he

found it difli cu lt to class ify and develop his revelations to th ecomprehen sion of practical thinkers .

B oehmen passed to the Summer Lan d, Nov . 1 8, 1 624.

Early in the morn ing h e called h is loved son to his side,and

asked if h e heard that excellen t mus ic ! R eceiving a replyin the n egative, he directed him to open the door that hemight hear it better . A sking

,afterward

,

“what the hour ? ”he was told two

”— upon which h e remarked that h is timewas “

yet three hours hen ce.

’ When it was n ear Six 0’

,clock

blessing his w ife and son,h e took leave of them

,saying

,

Now I go hen ce into Paradise ! ” H e then bade his son

turn him,and w ith a deep peaceful s igh

,his Sweet spir it

departed.

RAPHAEL, speaking of h is pain tings, con scious of in spiration s

,says h is whole work is accomplished as it were in a

pleasan t dream

DANNECKER,the German sculptor

,said he “ obtained his

idea of Christ in a dream— spir itually impressed— after failingto realize it in his waking hours .

”

LORD BACON, the master thinker , the relig ious philosopher,whosew isdom flashes in all ou r literature

,was a clear headed

,

1 60 DOCTRINES or S PI RITUALI STS .

devout Spiritualist. W e respectfully ask the soi-dis taat

scien tists of the cler ical orders to rej ect Lord Bacon fromthe list of “

author ities,

”or else respect h is teachings

,of

which the follow ing extracts from his works are samples .

In h is preface to his Great Ins tauration,

”h e prays that

What is human may not clash with what is divine ; ahd that whenthe ways Of the senses are opened, and a greater natu ral light set up inthe mind , nothing of incredu lity

'

and blindness towards divine myster iesmay ar ise ; bu t rath er that the u nderstanding now cleared up, and

pu rged of all van ity and superstition , may remain en tirely subject tothe divine oracles

,and yield to faith the th ings that are faith ’

s .

”

(B onn’

s

Edition, preface, p.

Again h e saysAS to the natu re of Spirits and angels , this is n either u nsearchable

nor forbid, bu t in a great par t level to the human mind, on account of

their affinity. We are,indeed

,forbid in Scriptu re to worsh ip angels ,

or to entertain fan tastical opin ions of them SO as to exalt them abovethe degree of creatu res

,or th ink of them higher than we have reason ;

bu t the sober inqu iry abou t them,wh ich either ascends to a knowledge

of their nature by the scale of corporeal beings, or views them in the

mind,as in a glass , is by no mean s foolish . The same is to be u nder

stood of revolted or u nclean Spir its ; conversation with them,or u sing

their assistance,is u n lawfu l ; and mu ch more in any manner to worship

or adore them ; bu t the con templation and knowledge of their nature,

power and illu sions,appears from Scripture, reason and experience, to

be no small part of Spiritual wisdom . Thu s says the apostle, ‘ Strategematum eju e non ignar i sumu s ’ (2 Cor . ii. And thu s it is as

lawfu l in natu ral theology to investigate the nature of evil spirits , as thenatu re of poisons in physics , or the nature of vice in morality.”(“ Advancement of Learn ing ,” 1 2 1

S IR THOMAS BROWNE, who lived about half a cen tu ry afterBacon

,on e of th e ablest thinkers of his age, and an open

advocate of Spiritualism ,says

,in his Relig io Medici ”

Those that,to confu te their incredu lity

,desire to see apparitions,

shall question less never behold any . The devil hath them already in a

heresy as capital, as witchcraft,and to appear to them were bu t to

convert them .

”

An admirer of Paracelsus, h e adds : Ou r good angelsreveal many things to those who seek into the works ofnature .

”

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1 62 DOCTR INES OF SPIRITUALI STS .

On another occas ion , he saidI went to a meeting at Arnside

,where R ichardMyers was

,who had

been a long time lame of one arm . I was moved of the Lord to say to

him amongst all the people, ‘ Stand upon thy legs .

’And he stood up

and stretched ou t his arm and said,

‘ Be it ‘ known u nto you , all people ,that th is day I am healed .

’

“He came soon after to Swartmore meeting and declared how the

Lord had healed him .

The Lord hath given me a Spirit of discerning , by wh ich I manytimes saw the states and conditions of people, and cou ld try theirSpirits .

”

Why cann ot the declin ing sect of the ! uakers recogni zethe marvelous beauty of that spir itual power man ifest in our

midst to-day , as well as that which has flowed in brokencurren ts of in spiration

,tinged w ith the theological idiosyn

cracies of in terven ing cen tur ies ?

LUCAS JACOBSON DEBES,of Denmark

,a person age in his

day of religious author ity, published a book in 1 667, in whichhe relates an in stan ce of angel ic visitation to Jacob Ollusson ,being then at Giow . W e quote the language of this reliable .

author : On the fourteenth day of h is i lln ess, as.

h e layasleep at n ight

,there came on e to h im w ith Shin ing clothes

on,whereat he awoke

,and perceived him (the angel) by him

in that figure,the room appear ing full of splendor ; and it

asked the man where his pain was . Wh ereun to he answeredn othing. Afterward the angel stroked him w ith his handalong his breast

,and round ab out ; whereby h e was perfectly

healed .

”

This testimony bears the unmi stakable marks of truthfuln ess

,beautifully illustrative of the curative agen cies of spir its

by th e man 1pu lation s of the hand direct or indirect bymediation .

R ICHARD B Ax'

rER,in h is “ Histor ical Discourse on Appar i

tions and W itches,

”w rites an accoun t of an acqu aintan ce of

his,“a gen tleman of con siderable rank

,

”who

,addicted to

in temperance, was always visited by a spirit immediately

CHURCHAL SPI RITUALISM— CHURCHIANIC. 1 63

after he had slept himself sober,warn ing him of h is vice

by rapping on h is head-board , and other visib le sign s ofheaven ly guardian ship and discipline . M r . Baxter

,having

seen the man,and besought him to reform

,believing the

spirit presen ce to have been genuin e , con scien tiously an d

feelingly asked, Do good spirits dwell so n ear u s ? or,A re

they sen t on such messages ? or,I s it h is guardian angel ? ”

WALTON, the celebrated, in h is biography of the learn edDr . Donne

,in King James ’ t ime

,after giving remarkable

tests of spir it influen ces and revelation s , illustrates the lawof spiritual sympathy

,whereby a spirit can impress a medi

umistic mind,by the u se of mus ical in struments . Con tend

ing that vision s and miracles have not ceased,he says : It

is most certain that two lutes, being both strung and tun edto an equal pitch

,the on e played upon , an d the other n ot

touched,but laid upon a table

,at a fit distan ce

,w ill

,like “

an

echo to a trumpet,warble a fain t

,audible harmony in an sw er

to the same tun e. Y et many will not believe that there issuch a thing as sympathy w ith souls !

J OHN AUBREY, a distinguished an tiquar ian,published

,in

1 695 , a book of “ M iscellan ies,in which

,bringing King

James as w itn ess, h e speaks of a haun ted house whose superin tending spirit was a faithfu l “ rough man .

”H e parallels

certa in phases of modern psycholog ical influen ces where thespirit

,planed to the earthly

,caused the “

seer to swear,

tremble and screech.” He recommended the min istry alwaysto in terven e in cases of spir it control and exorcise theghost.” Exorcism, philosophically speaking, con s ists in

br inging a stronger magn etic power to bear upon the

subj ect, scattering and diss ipating the previously adj ustedspirit-forces . The moral peril of such interferen ces amongign orant, un spiritual clergy, is , that when “ th e house is sweptand garn ished,” the dispossessed spirit, forced away, return s ,at the first opportun ity, w ith seven other spirits worse thanhimself, and “ the last state of that man is worse than the

1 64 DOCTRINES or SPIR ITUALISTS.

first.” Force repels force ; hate begets hate ; but the on lysubduing

,saving power in the un iverse, is wi sely disciplined

love.

THE SCOTCH repeatedly aver that infan ts are seers— a fact

demon strated by our own observation . How beautifully thelegend of ou r Ab origines chimes in w ith th e Highlan der ’shappy gift ! The In dian s— nature’ s children— tell u s whenthe innocen t babe, cribbed in its w illow basket, looks outin to seeming vacan cy and smiles

,its g randmother has come

from th e hun ting grounds to greet it.The ru stic people

,especially the Highlanders

,of S cotland ,

have ever been celebrated for their gifts of Second S ight ”—clairvoyan ce. A s garden s and flowers tend to the cultivation of the beautiful

,so moun tainous region s to the

developmen t of the spir itu al .The S cotch historian s also testify to what is apparen t in

the modern phen omena,that this so-called “

strange gift ”does not depend upon moral character

,but upon organ ization .

They assert that certain beasts are seers— horses especially.An in stan ce of this kind occurred in the Isle of Skye

,where

a horse discern ed a spir it at the same time w ith h is .r ider,

and was frightened . This statemen t is not without itshistor ic support. Paracelsus informs u s that horses

,and

even dogs , have their “augur ies .

” Ou r good churchmenw ill not surely discredit testimony like this

,s in ce they do

believe that B alaam ’s beast “ saw th e Angel of the Lord

standing in the way , w ith a drawn sword in his han d .

And the L ord Open ed th e mouth of th e beast, and sh e saidun to Balaam

, What have I don e un to thee , that thou hastsmitten m e these three times ? ’ That an angel spoke toBalaam through a beast

,is very acceptable in church circles

but that ou r spir it friends impress,in spire

,and Speak through

human lips,is blasphemous !

JOHN KNox,the fierce reformer of S cotland , who knocked

down steeples and popish mummer ies,and who

,in his stern

ness,after the ,

pattern of Luther , stripped religion of the

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1 66 DOCTR INES or SPI R ITUALI STS .

The phys ica l phen omena of those perilous days here a

striking resemblance to those of the present— such as haun tedhouses , raising of bodies , n oises , tran ces , clairvoyan ce, clairaudien ce and prophecies . The case of the un fortunate Anne

Cole was but one among hundreds and tens of thousandswho

,in this coun try and Europe

,were arraigned

,tr ied and

executed for w itchcraft !Had the clergy not sought to divorce reason from religion-mental scien ce from religion— common sen s e from rel igion— w ith an eye to th e glory of God

,

”as revealed

through Hebrew goggles , th is murderous man ia, in stigatedby pr iestcraft

,would not have s tain ed w ith blood the histor ic

page.

WI LLIAM BLAKE— artist, poet, idealist— oh , for adequatewords to s ing thy praises ! Walking among men

,m en

’ knewthee not ; but angels kn ew thee, and the r ichest gold of thySou l which shin es now th e br ighter for the ordeals ofthy trials ! So completely did h e live in the ideal world

,

which he w ove aroun d him as a garmen t of glory— so con

stan tly did he look thro’ it in to th e inner life, that externalthings became as pass ing dreams . A seer by birth

, b e

discern ed the inn ermost,and reveled en raptured in what

cold plodders called “ imagination .

” An Eng lish author,

criticis ing Blake ’s life by A lex. Gilchrist,says :

Th e attempt to do more than accept the subjective reality of thevis ions

,rested solely upon the grou nd of their confidence in B lake’s

eracity . Thu s he wou ld say , I saw Socrates to-day ; he said to me

th u s and th '

u s .

’

The visionary ( spirit) heads wh ich B lake drew in the company ofJohn Varley furn ish an example to the point . The remarkable product ion s were professedly Copies of what B lake at the momen t saw. He

wou ld see King Edward I .

,and looking up now and then

,with most

perfect composu re , at h is imag inary sitter , wou ld draw his portrait .Varley

,Who had faith in B lake’s power of vision and also in B lake’s

doctrine that it was a universal gift, sat beside him ,and

,since he made

some profess ion to a Spiritu al sight, being an astrologer in h is way,looked wistfu lly in the direction to which B lake’s eyes pointed, inearne st hope Of

'

seeing the same Sight. He was honest and looked as

hard as he cou ld,bu t his honesty compelled him to confess that he saw

CHURCHAL SPI RITUALI SM CHURCHIANIC. 1 67

no king before his eyes. B lake held that he drew what he saw,and

inasmu ch as he saw angels more distinctly than some artists seem to see

men,he drew them boldly, gave them something to exist in , instead of

adopting a common trick,and trying to conceal a fearfu l absence of

body by an unmistakable presence of clothing .

>l< >1< >1< >1< >1<

There is a subtle element in B lake’s poetry, disengaging one from

Objects of sen se and leading the enchanted spirit on a far journey, A

similar power in differen t form appears in certain poems of Coleridge,which was heightened, if we are to believe h is cotemporaries, by therecital of the poet. The entranced listeners might float with Coleridgeto Xanadu

,to get back as they cou ld at the u nfortu nate end of the

poet’

s vocal jou rney, while he traveled on by h imself, wh ither no one

but h imself cou ld tell,and whither

,alas ! he has failed to tell u s . It

is related by his biographer , that B lake u sed to sing h is songs to musicwhich he had composed, bu t which never was written down . Whatangelic melody it ough t to have been ! ”

This eminen t Spir i tual ist was born in 1 757, and livedun interruptedly in L on don

,except three years in Chichester

,

to fu lfill an engagemen t w ith Haley, Cowper ’s biographer .

_

W e pore over the production s of Blake’s gen ius , wondering , delighted, aw ed , and inquire of ourselves , Who is thism an

, that had so little in common w ith earth — who paintsh is pictures — who s ing s h is songs ? Of himself he wouldsay

I live in a hole here, bu t God has a beau tifu l mansion for me

elsewhere .

“ I am,

not ashamed,afraid

,or averse to tell you—what ought to be

told— that I am u nder the direction of messenger s from heaven , dailyand nightly. B u t the nature '

of su ch th ings is not , as some suppose,withou t trouble or care . Temptations are on the right hand and on

the left . B ehind,the sea of time and space roars and -follows swiftly.

He who keeps not right onward is lost ; and if our footsteps slide inclay, what can we do otherwise than fear and tremble ! Ifwe fear to do the dictates of ou r angels , and tremble at the tasks set

before u s ; if we refu se to do spiritual acts because of natural fears or

natural desires ; who can describe the dismal torments of su ch a state !I too well remember the threats I heard : ‘ If you ,

who are organizedby Divine Providence for spir itu al commun ion

,refuse

,and bury your

talent in the earth , even though you shou ld want natu ral bread— sor

row and desperation pu rsue you through life, and after death shameand confu s ion of face. Every one in eternity will leave you ,

aghas t atthe man who was crowned with glory and honor by his brethren and

1 68 DOCTR INES or SPIRITUALI STS .

betrayed their cau se to their enemies . You will be called the baseJudas who betrayed his friend Such words wou ld make any stou tman tremble , and how then cou ld I be at case ? B ut I am now no

longer in that state, and now go on again with ' my task , fearless ,though my path is diffi cu lt . I have no fear of stumbling wh ile Ikeep it.”

LOUIS X VI .,benevolen t and reformatory

,has been styled

“n oblest of all the reign ing Bourbon s .

“ Coming to h isown

,his own received him not.

”A rraigned , tr ied by a

boisterous assembly,he was heartlessly condemn ed to the

block._

Seeing the courier sen t to inform '

him of his fate, heexclaimed— “ I know it al l ! I kn ow it all ! L ast n ight Isaw a female form clothed in sta in less white

,walking these

solitary apartments. When the reign ing powers of the thron ebehold a vis ion of this character , they know that pr in ce or

king is to b e dethroned and . s lain . Tell my accusers toprepare to meet m e in the land ‘of the just !

MAR IAANTOINETTE— fated child of imperial destiny Neverwas mother more proud than Mar ia Theresa

,on the eve of

her daughter ’ s marriage. Before h er glittered the first throneof Europe

,to b e shared by a successor of S t. Louis. Night

resting upon Vienna, the church festival over, the benediction pron oun ced, the empress retires to h er chamber

,but

not to sleep . Speaking to the waiting-woman,she inquires

who is there ?“ A stranger ; he has been seeking your presen ce a fu ll

hou rfi’

The waiting-woman leaving, soon return ed, and ush eredin an elderly man dressed in black. This is Dr . Ga

‘

ssner,

on e of those m en who, about the year 1 770, were scatteredthroughout Europe— a Cagliostro , or S t . Germain —performing cures by th e laying on of hands , seeing vis ion s , indu lging in prophecies and inspiration s .

“ H is relation s to the

spir itual w orld had brought him in conflict w ith variou secclesias tical pr in ces

,un til he found refuge at the court Of

Maria Theresa, fer the empress had a love for the mysterious .

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170 DOCTR INES OF SPIR ITUALI STS,

vision s and day-dreams of th e spir itual . Sh e gives the

fol low ing accoun t of an interview w ith Euphemia, a magicianof her native isle

The old S ibyl,on beholding me, u ttered a loud exclamation ,

and

almost by force seized my hand . She appeared to be u nder the greatestagitation . Amu sed at these absurdities

,as I though t them,

I allowedher to proceed, saying, ‘ So you discover something extraordinary in mydestiny ? ’ ‘ Yes .

’ ‘ Is happiness or misfortu ne to be my lot ? ’ Mis

fortu ne ah,stop

— and happiness , too.

’You take care not to commit

you rself, my good dame ; you r oracles are not the most intelligible .

’ Iam not permitted to render them more clear

,

’said the woman

,raising

her eyes with a mysteriou s expression toward heaven .

‘ B u t to the

point,’ replied I, for my cu riosity began to b e excited ; ‘ what read youconcern ing me in fu tu rity ? ’ ‘What '

do I see in the future ? You

will not believe me if I Speak.

’ ‘ Yes, indeed, I assure you . Come,

my good mother , what am I to fear and hope ? ’ On you r head b e itthen ; listen : you will be married soon that u n ion will not be happy ;you will become a widow

,and then— then you will be ! u een of France !

Some happy years will be you rs ; bu t you will die in a hospital, amidcivil commotions .

’

MOZART,the g reat mus ical gen ius of h is age, speaking of

his in spirational momen ts,when melodies fell unbidden upon

his soul,said : A ll my feelings and composition go on

w ithin m e on ly as a lively and delightful dream .

”

H e gave a further accoun t of receiving his masterly produ ction s from the rythm ic sphere of spiritual harmon ies inthe follow ing language

When all goes well with me— when I am in a carriage, or walking,or when I cannot sleep at n ight, the thoughts come streaming in upon

me most flu ently ; whence , or how is more than I can tell. Then

follow the counterpoint- and the clang of the different instrumen ts ;and

,if I am not distu rbed

,my sou l is fixed

,and the thing grows

greater, and broader, and clearer ; and I have it all in my head, evenwhen the piece is a long one and I see it like a beau tiful picture— n ot

hear ing the difl'

eren t parts in succession,as they mu s t b e played, bu t

the whole a t once. That is the delight ! The composing and makingis

f

lil

fis a beau tifu l and vivid dream ; b ut this hearing of it is the best

0 a

These are fi ne examples of in spirational influx a nd

clairaudien ce .

CHURCHAL S PIR ITUALI SM CHURCH IANI C. 1 71

W hen,in his last days

,quietly approaching th e summer

shore of heaven ,being composed and calm

,some friend of

h is pass ing through th e room,he exclaimed— “ L isten l

listen ! I hear music ! H is fr iend said,I hear n othing.

Mozart paused w ith rapture beaming on his sallow face,

averr ing that he heard music , and quoted the testimony ofJohn with a sweet trust that plumed his spir it-w ings for a

better flightAnd I heard mu s ic in h eaven .

Having fin ished th e R equ iem,h is soul filled w ith in spi

rations of r ichest melody, and already claiming kindred w ith

immortals,giving it its last touch

,the “

eygn ean strainwhich was to con secrate it through al l time

,and then falling

in to a gen tle s lumber,dur ing which h is min ister ing angel

enrapt his soul in the glory forecas t from the land of song,

he awoke at the light footstep of h is daughter Emelie,and

called her to him Come hither , my Emelie— my task isdone— the R equiem—my R equiem is finished ! ” At his

earnest request she sung it,commen cing

Spir it ! thy labor is o’er !Thy term of probation is run ,

Thy steps ar e now bound for th e untrodden shor e,

And the race of immortal s begu n .

”

As she concluded , she dwelt for a m omen t on the low

melan choly n otes Of the piece, and then turn ed from the

in strument to meet the approving smile of her father . Itwas the still , passion less smile which the rapt and departedspirit left upon the features .

”

B EE'

I IIOVEN whose soul was toned to musical ecstacy, con

fes sed to an overmaster ing pow er , the rythmic harmon ies ofangels . In h is own words

,mus ic was to him a higher reve

lation than all the artificial philosophy of the world. Hearh is inspiring language : I must live w ith myself alon e. Iwell know that God and angels are nearer to me in my artthan the others . I commune w ith them w ithout dread.

1 72 DOCTRINES or SPI R ITUALI STS .

Music is the on ly unembodied en trance into a higher sphereof kn owledge which possesses man .

”After some of th e

sweetest utteran ces,he would exclaim “ I

’ve had a

raptu r e ! ” Goethe, in speaking of him,term s him a

“ demon -possessed person,

”and adds

,

“ it would b e mischievou s to advise him

,because h is gen ius continually

in spires him .

”

GOETHE,rare soul of poetry and song, whose an te-natal

tenden cies were spiritual,and whose phys ical perfection

justly entitled him to a compar ison with Apollo ,was heraldedin to earth-life by weird dreams of future greatn ess . If it istrue that all poets are prophets, it is equally true that genu inepoets are Spir itualists . To him a friend said

,

“ Thou livestamong spir its ; they g ive thee divin e w isdom ; and he saidof himself

,I should hold myself assured of the gift of

prophecy belonging of Old to my family .

”He con s idered

himself born un der favorable stars,and is reported to have

said to his mother at seven years of age, “ The stars w ill notforget m e

,but w ill keep the promise made over my cradle .

At the death of a playmate he did n ot shed a tea1,but said

he had gon e to dwell in the fairy wor ld before him .

”

SWEDENBORG,the mystic and Chr istian philosopher , of

Sweden,flour ishing in the seven teen th cen tury

,was of n oble

birth,scholarly in attainmen ts

,material in h is scien tific

pursuits,theistic l n h is relig ious tenden cies, and, up to th e

fifty-fi fth year of h is age, was a traveler , exten s ive author and

man of th e world,

l

a guest at royal courts,and of high repute

in literary circles . About this per iod of h is life,a startling

development of men tal condition s blossomed out,Open ing to

h is inn er vision the spir it world. H e had impression s,dreams

,vision s ; conversed w ith spirits— heard them— saw

them— walked w ith them— reason ed w ith them ; and was so

con scious of their presen ce,that the geography of their homes

became as familiar as h is own native lan d.

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174 DOCTR INES OF SPIRITUALI STS .

Jews,and that I ( since he spoke with diffi cu lty) shou ld be spokesman ,

and go with h im to-morrow to the Synagogue, there to preach hiswords .

a: ac

Whilst I was with Dr . Smith, Mr . Swedenborg wen t to the SwedishEnvoy

,bu t was not admitted, it being post-day . Departing thence he

pu lled off his clothes and rolled himself in very deep mud in the gu tter .

Then he distribu ted money from his pockets among the crowd which hadgathered.

“ In this state some of the footmen of the Swedish Envoy chanced tosee him

,and brought him to me very fou l with dirt.”

These well sub stant iated facts indicate the n aturalness ofthose mental and psychological changes

,in ciden t to n early all

media in their growth from th e grosser material to the morespiritual and harmon ial plan es of life. Carlyle

,speaking of

s imilar exper ien ces,says : Such tran s ition s are ever full of

pain : thus the eagle when he moults is s ickly ; and,to attain

his n ew beak,must harshly dash off the old on e upon the

rocks .

”

In common w ith all the churches , the presen t followers ofSwedenborg flippan tly berate Spir itualists

,especially the

mediums in their earlier stages of developmen t, on th e

ground of demon iac possess ion s .

” It is as amus ing as

pitiable to w itn ess the holy sn eer that plays upon the scorncu rled lips of th e crystalized Sweden borgian

,who

, w ithunwarran table assumption ,

shrugs h is shoulders and breathesin manner, if not in words Stand by

,I am holier than

thou l”

Looking at him in after years,when chaos had rounded

in to symmetrical form , and disorderly mediumship had

flowed out into beautifu l harmony and sweetn ess of heaven lytrust

,he challenges ou r profoun dest admiration . The symbol

key held in h is hand , h e opened the mysteries of the heaven s— the Word ” being to him a link of corresponden tialthoughts and ideas imaging eternal things . Gazing as

through an angel microscope,and reading the soul of

things, all the un iverse spread itself before him r ightly in terpreted

— the material being the type of the spiritual—its

CHURCHAL SPIR ITUALI SM CHURCHIANIC. 1 70

body— and all objects the represen tation s of men tal and

moral condition s.

Manger the chron ic church n otion s of h is time, his doctrines and exper ien ces agree w ith those of modern Spiritu alists . In his Sp iritual D iary, 4602 , he affi rms

That there is an influx from the Spiritual world into the naturalworld

,and that the natu ral world thence subsists

,as from it it began to

exist,is at the present day u tterly u nknown ; becau se it is not known

what the Spiritu al is , neither do men wish to know anyth ing b u t what isnatural

,wherefore they deny anything else , especially the learned. Man

was created to be a type of either wor ld ; h is interiors to be a type Of theSpiritual world, and h is exteriors to b e a type of the natural world

,to the

end that in h im both migh t be conj oined .

‘

Hence it is that h is natu ralworld, or microcosm ,

does not live except by influx from the spiritu alworld

,and that there is , with many, a continu al cona tu s to the u nion of

both worlds in him .

”

'

H e taught that the Spiritual is the real maxi,and dwelt

largely upon the substan tiality of the spir it world as a realmof groves an d garden s , seas and mou n tain s , forests and birds ,and nationalities of immortal men and women

,having habits ,

affections and aspiration s similar to those th ey cherished inth e earth life. There the scholar pursues h is studies , thepoet courts divin er muses

,th e g eologist probes n ewly formed

orbs,the mathematician calculates immeasurable dis tan ces ,

the orator discourses in lofty strain s of eloquen ce to assemb led multitudes

,the astron omer counts distant stars and

resolves n ebulae in to revolving systems of suns and plan ets,and the reformer who on ce walked the earth w ith bleedingfeet

,now crown ed in the heaven s , descends to revolution ize

and further con summate th e world ’s eman cipation .

In a V 1elon h e foresaw h is trans ition,and

,full of rest

,

departed at the time,in confirmation of his own prophecy.

THOMAS SAY,member of the Fr iends ’ Church ,was esteemed

for h is g reat piety, blameless life, and s in cer ity of soul . A

compilation of h is wr itings and manuscripts were publishedin Philadelphia

,1 796, by Budd and Bartram . Gifted as a

speaker, his mediumship assumed the forms of tran ce and

healing.

1 76 DOCTR INES or SPIRITUALISTS .

H is biographer,affi rming that he could cure wen s , remove

tumors,and other afli ictive diseases , by stroking w ith the

hand,

”says , that “ however some might r idicule this , it was

a fact, in proof of which many living testimon ies could b eproduced.” Fastings and secret prayer ever proved effi cacion s in open ing h is inn er s ight, en abling him to behold w ithrapturous j oy th e marvelous glories of th e heaven ly world.

We transfer on e of h is spiritual exper ien ces to these pages .

On the n inth day, between the hou rs of fou r and five,I fell into a

trance,and so continued till abou t the hour of three or fou r the next

morn ing . After my departure from the body ( for I left the body ), myfather and mother

,Su sannah Robinson and others who watched me

,

shook my body, felt for my pu lse, and tried if they cou ld discern the

remains of any life or breath in me,bu t fou nd none. Some m ay be

desirous to know whether I was laid ou t or not .

“ I found myself,when I Opened my eyes

,lying on my back, as is a

corpse on a board ; and was told after getting better , that Iwas not laidon a board

,because mother cou ld not find freedom to have it done.

They then sent for Dr . Kearsly, who attended me,for his opinion . He

fou nd no pu lse nor any remains of life ; bu t as he was going away,

returned again , and said that someth ing came into his mind to tryfurther . He then asked for a small looking-glass , wh ich CatharineSouder

,who lived with my father , procured. The doctor placing it

over my mou th , a short time there appeared on it a little moistu re. The

doctor then said to them,

‘

if he is not dead I think he is so far gone hewill never open his eyes again ; let h im lie while he continues warm

,

and when he begins to grow cold,lay him ou t.

This they told me when I returned into the body. Upon hearingme speak, they were all very mu ch surprised ; the second time I spokethey all rose from their chairs

,and the third time they all came to me

My father and mother inqu ired how it had been with me I answered,

and said u n to them,I thought I had been dead and

.gone to heaven.

After I left my body I heard, as it were, the voices of men , women and

children singing songs Of praises u nto the Lord God,withou t inter

mis s ion, which ravished my sou l and threw me into transports of joy.

My sou l was also delighted with most beautifu l glades and gardens ,which appeared to me on every Side

,and such as were never seen in

th is world. Through these I passed, being all clothed inwh ite, and inmy fu ll shapewithou t the least diminu tion of p ar ts . As I passed alongtoward a higher state of bliss , I cast my eyes ( being perfectly consciou s)upon the earth

, which I saw plainly, and beheld three men (whom Iknew) die. Two of them were white men , one of which entered intoimmediate rest. There appeared a beau tiful transparent gate opened ;and as I with the one that entered into rest came up to it , he steppedin bu t as I was about to en ter

,I stepped into the body.

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1 78 DOCTRINES or SPIRITUALI STS .

asking , did not Dives know both Abraham and Lazarus, though

afar ofl"?

Frien d Say ’ s j ourn eyings in the spirit-world, while out ofth e b ody, are exceedingly valuable, because occurr ing longprevious to the modern spir itual man ifestation s ; and, amongthe ! uaker s , a peop le distinguished for integr ity, s implicity,and devotion to religious conviction s .

W e are pr ivileged w ith th e personal acquain tan ce ofseveral promin en t media, who, becoming en tran ced, leave(save by sympathetic and magn etic relation s) their bodies ,and

,traveling w ith their spirit-guides through th e heaven ly

spheres , observe the scen ery and listen to celestial music.Su ch experien ces bless th e partakers beyond all blessing.Paul

,referr ing to himself, according to Biblical exposi

tion s,says h e knew a man who was caught up to the third

heaven,

”where he “ heard un speakable words , and “whether

he was in the body, or out of th e body,” at the time,he could

not determin e. W ith those accustomed to cite apostolicauthority, this s cr iptural language ought, at least, to favorably commen d th e idea of mor tals leaving their bodies. The

phraseology of P aul certain ly implies that th e spir itual manmay b e temporar ily released from its corporeal relation s in a

degree,that it may ascen d to “ the third heaven that is

,

the third sphere of spir it-life. The un speakable words ”were

,doubtless

,the sublime utteran ces of an an cien t Semitic

seer , long summer ing in the upper kingdoms of glory, thevern acular of which even th e scholarly Gentile Apostle wasnot acquain ted . The past re-lives in the present

,and the

living now pref ers the mystic key that un locks and cor

rob orates m uch of th e past.JOHN WESLEY

,high in the coronal region

,gifted w ith full

spir ituality, and train ed under the paternal roof to hearstartling accoun ts of apparition s

,clothed in vestures seamless

and glitter ing, con fessed to th e Spiritual as naturally as

flower s turn to the sun shin e in May morn ings . The Rev .

Samuel W esley, father of the celebrated John Wesley,

CHURCHAL SPI RITUALI SM - CHURCHIANIC. 1 79

founder of Methodism,while rector of Epworth, Englan d ,

in 1 71 6, heard n oises and rapping s several mon ths in hisresiden ce , keeping a detailed accoun t of them .

Th e R ev. M r . Hoole,of Haxey

,visiting Mr . W esley

,wrote

thus con cern ing the myster iou s soun ds : After supper andprayers

,we al l wen t up stairs

,and as w e were stan ding

roun d the fi re, in th e east chamber,something began kn ock

ing j ust on the oth er s ide of the wall,on th e chimn ey-piece

,

as w ith a k ey . P resen tly the kn ocking was un der ou r feet.W e went down— he w ith hOpe, I w ith fear . A S soon as we

were in the kitchen ,the soun d was above u s in the room We

had left. Mr . W esley spoke to it. Soon afterit kn ocked at the w in dow

,and changed its sounds in to on e

like plan ing b oards .

”

A s to the proceeding causes of these disturban ces , thelearn ed commen tator

,Dr . Clarke

,has the follow ing For

a con s iderable time all the family believed it to b e a tr ick ;but at last they were all satisfied it was something supernatural .” “ S ome thought it was a messenger ofSatan .

” “ Mrs . W esley ’ s Opin ion was differen tfrom all th e r est

,and was probably the most correct. She

supposed that these n oises and disturban ces portended thedeath of h er brother

,then abroad in the East India Com

pany’s service. This gen tleman sudden ly disappeared

and was n ever heard from more .

Having had un question able eviden ce Ofmysterious agen ciesand spir it man ifestation s

,in the tender years of childhood

,

and personally blessed w ith some of th e gifts promised tobelievers

,John Wesley

,all through his evangelizing career

,

n oted an d recorded cases of spir it-power and premon ition inh is Journals and the Armin ian Magazin e.

He healed the sick,writes a distingu ished English au thor

,

“ byprayer and laying on of hands . He and some others joined in prayerover a man who was not expected to live till morn ing ; he was Speechless

,senseless

,and h is pu lse was gone . B efore they ceased

,h is senses

and speech retu rned . He recovered ; andWesley says theywho chooseto accou nt for the fact by natu ral cau ses have h is free leave : he saysit was the power of God . (Vol . 1 1 . p.

1 80 DOCTR INES or Sp IR ITUALI STs .

Wesley believed with Luther , that devils— demons— produ ced disease and bodily hu rts ; that epilepsy and insan ity often proceeded

from demon influence. He declared that,if he gave u p faith in

witchcraft,he mu st give up the B ible. When asked whether he had

h imself seen a ghost, he replied, ‘No nor have I ever seen a mu rder ;but u nfortunately I am compelled to believe that mu rders take placealmost every day , in one place or another .

’ Warbu rton attackedWesley’s belief in miracu lou s cures and expu lsion of evil spirits ; bu tWesley replied that what he had seen with h is own eyes

,he was bound

to believe ; the bishop cou ld believe or not,as he pleased.

R ev. Mr . Fletcher , ofW esley’s time,records many str iking

instan ces of angelic in terpos ition . On e related to h is own

bathing in the Rhin e ; when sinking,he remain ed un der

water twen ty minutes , and y et was restored. Some wouldsay ,

“Why , this is a miracle !” “Undoubtedly,observes Mr .

Wesley. “ It was not a natural event,bu t a work w rought

above the power of nature,probably by the min istry of

angels .

S outhey mention s the psychological ten den cies an d expe

riences of R ev . Thomas W al sh,aW esleyan preacher . H e

was sometimes found in so deep a rever ie,that h e appeared

to have ceased to breathe ; there was something resemblingsplen dor on h is coun ten an ce, and other circumstan ces seemedto attest h is commun ion w ith the spir itual world.” Thiscorrespon ds to the state of many of ou r tran ce speakers .

Dur ing the sermons,and especially in the prayer circles of

theW esleys,the more susceptible became sufficien tly spirit

nally influen ced to man ifest symptoms of violen t spasms andconvulsion s . S imilarly wrought upon in our day ,M ethodistshave fallen w ith the power

,and seen vision s— al l phases

of Spir itualism .

The first M ethodist preachers,threaten ed

,persecuted

,were

afterwards cu rsed and ston ed for their heres ies and zeal inkindling the fading fires of religion . The English Churchden oun cing them as disturbers of the peace

,and seducers

,

compelled them , if preaching at all , to hold their services inlanes, streets and groves . They w ere humble during this

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1 82 DOCTRINES or SPI R ITUALI STS .

Romans, he exclaimed— “ Death shall b e conquered ; helldisappoin ted ; the devil con foun ded

,and sin totally de

stroyed ! ” Wr iting of the passage of th e apostle JohnGod is love ”— h e says

,

“ God is an infin ite foun tain ofben evolen ce and b enefi cence to every human being. He

hates n othing that he has m adef H e cann ot hate becausehe is love. He h as made no human being forperdition ; nor ever ren dered it imposs ible

,by any n eces

sitating decree, for any fallen soul to fi nd mercy.Love seems to b e the essen ce of the Divine nature

, and all

other attr ibutes to b e on ly modification s of this .

”

ANN LEE, hon ored by her admirers w ith th e appellation s,

Sain ted Mother ,” and S ister ,” overshadowed by angelsof pur ity

,and en lighten ed by the descen t of celestial influ

ences,received her heaven ly commiss ion in 1 758, n ear

Man chester , England . H er vis ion s were remarkable ; h erprophecies , oracles . Th e phys ical man ifestation s

,relating

to herself an d adheren ts,con sisted of dan cing

,trembling

,

whirling, an d speaking w ith tongues . These exercises and

spir itual gifts called down upon them th e hostility of th eChurch . P r iests and magistrates , who have ever sought togag the truth , dungeon con scien ce, and impeach the induction s of scien ce

,charged them w ith disorder and Sabbath

breaking. The religious authorities slandered,fined and

imprison ed them .

In 1 774 , in spired by the “ Chr ist of the new order,

sh e

received a revelation to emigrate to Amer ica . A few purepurposed

,loving Souls clustered aroun d h er as a cen tral

teacher directed by angel min isters .Thi s n ew church— the “ Shaker s —much resembles the

Essen ce of Philo’s time. The Nazarene had but threehundred followers when martyred upon Calvary . The

in crease of the Shaker fratern ity has not been rapid ; but ispermanen t. Holding that God is dual, etern al, Father and

Mother in deiflc man ifestation s , they practically teach thestr ict equality of the sexes .

“ First pure, then peaceable,”

CHURCHAL SPIRITUALI SM CHURCH IANIC. 1 83

they profess to live in th e resurrection state, and preachto those “ w ithout ”— th e Gentiles— to raise few and betterchildren . They all believe in spirit man ifestation s and

revelations .

Elder F . W . Evan s wrote R obert Owen ,in 1 856, that,

“seven years previous to the adven t of Spir itualism ,

the

Shakers had predicted its rise and progress , precisely asthey have occurred, an d that th e Shaker order is the

great medium betw ixt this wor ld and the world of spirits .

Phys i cal man ifestation s , vision s , revelation s,

prophecies , and gifts of var ious kin ds , of which volumin ousrecords are kept, and, indeed , divers operations, but all ofthe same spir it

,

’were as common among u s as gold in

Californ ia.

Elder J. S . P rescott,conn ected w ith th e commun ity near

Cleveland, Ohio , made a s imilar statemen t to u s dur ing thesession of the 4th National Conven tion of Spir itualists . Mr .

Dixon,an English wr iter of con siderable n ote

,vis iting

Elder Evan s, of Moun t Lebanon ,dur ing h is Amer ican tour

,

wrote thus of th e Shaker doctr in esTo th is dogma of the existence of a world of spirits—u nseen by us,visible to them— the disciples of Mother Ann most strictly hold. In

this respect, they agree with the Spiritu alists ; indeed they pride themselves on having foretold the advent of th is Spiritu al distur bance in theAmerican mind .

’Frederick tells me— from h is angels— that the reign

of this Spiritualistic movement ‘ is on ly in its open ing phase ! it willsweep through Europe, through the World

,as it is now sweeping

through America ; it is based on facts,representing an active

,though

an u n seen force .

’

“ These Shaker commun ities all claim to be Of sp ir itua l origin — to

have sp iri tua l direction — to receive sp iri tu a l protection ! Hu ndreds

of sp ir itua l mediums are developed throughou t the eighteen societies .

In tru th,a ll the members in greater or less degree are mediums .

Sp ir i tua lism ,

”he continu es

,

“ in its onward progress , will gothrough th e same thr ee degrees in the world at large . As yet it is on lyin the beginn ing of thefi r st degree, even in the Un ited States . It willcontinu e until every man and woman upon the earth is convinced thatthere is a God— an immortality— a spiritual , no less than a naturalworld ; and the possibility of a social , intelligen t communicationbetween thei r inh abitants respectively,” &c.

, &c.

184 DOCTRINES or S PIR ITUALI STS .

B asing ou r opin ion upon reliable testimony,these Shaker

commun ities con stitute a body of the neatest,healthiest

,the

most pure-minded and kind-hearted souls of earth . Cer

tainly they are the on ly people on this con tin en t, who have

successfully maintain ed , for more than seventy years,a

system of rational living, on e of th e fundamen tal pr in ciplesof which is the apostolic commun ity of property.

JOHN MURRAY, the father ofAmerican Un iversalisms , bornin England , persecuted for his beautiful heresy in his nativecoun try

,was a Spir itualist. The birth of all great religious

thoughts . have their origin always in some spiritual agen cyIt was so w ith Murray.A s early eviden ce of hism ediumship and con trol by spir its,

when but two years old , at his baptism,h e articulated

“ Amen” —th e first word he ever spoke. Clairvoyan t

,he

saw a spir it—his Eliza— in Newgate prison ,

“ irradiatingthe walls

,

” before whom he,in h is sorrow , prostrated him

self,and, in spired by her sweet magnetism , foun d relief.

Speaking of this happy visitation in an hour of deepanguish

,he said : “ My soul became calm , and although

every hepe from this world was extin ct in my bosom, yet I

believed I should b e the better able to accommodate myselfto whatever suffer ings th e A lmighty might think proper toinflict.When about to leave England for Amer ica, having served

h is time in pr ison for heresy, and feeling discon solate overthe departure from the scen es and associations of h is home

,

he heard the voice of a guardian spir it,saying

,

“ B e ofgood cheer. B e not afraid when thou passestthrough the waters ; I w ill b e w ith thee, fear n o evil !”But the most interesting feature of his spir itual experi

enes e,show ing how well and wisely the messengers of

heaven direct even life ’s even ts, for the con summation ofdivin e purposes, is delin eated in his in terv iew w ith Mr .

Potter , after h is arr ival in Amer ica.

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1 86 DOCTR INES or SPIRITUALI STS .

blossom the flowers of hope under tears of sorrow, he

buckled on the armor of the “soldier of the cross

,

”waked

up the slumbering people to the action of freer thought andcharacter, led to glor ious victory, and

,departing

,left a

trailing light of in spiration that has flooded deeper,higher,

broader, till all the land is under th e auroral baptism now ofangels .

When the heaven ly in spiration s of the faithful Murrayand his self-sacrifi cing coadjutors , crysta lizing in to a creed

,

were chilled by formular ies , in terpreted by foss iliferousConven tion s, stu ltifi ed by strain ing after ecclesiastic respectability

,

”the angels of progress left th e den omination to

wither,shrivel

,die ! Tis God’s voice to every organ ic

body— grow or per ish ! Un iversalism was a stepping-stonefrom a broad P rotestan t faith to demonstrated immortality.The good it had is blossoming and seeding in to Spir itualism .

The tenden cy of all Chr istian sectar isme is downward,

demanding faith w ithout eviden ce, and saying to the aspirational soul thus far and no farther . The followers ofal l religious icon oclastic Chieftain s have, in after years

,fallen

far below their or iginal stan dard-bearers . The Lutheran sare per se sectar ian s . M ethodists , degen erating fromWesley,Whitefield , Fletcher , as a church, virtually now deny all spiritual gifts and commun ication s . Calvin ists

,condemn ing

the barbar ities of Rome, turned inquis itors and persecuteddissen ting souls un to death. The Puritan s , leaving England,settling at P lymouth , and founding the New England colon ies , fled professedly from persecution , seeking a place toworship God according to the dictates of con scien ce

,w ith

the ulter ior purpose of chr istian izing the Indian s !Settled, they commen ced robbing those Abor igines

, en slav

ing their w omen and children , and visiting upon them inbuman and self-degrading cruelties . They plundered the

town s of the n atives ; paid br ibes to assassinate Indianchiefs ; burn ed hundreds of red men alive—and all in the

name of Chr ist, tho: Pr in ce of P eace

CHURCHAL SPIRITUALI SM CHURCHIANI C. 1 87

A promin ent New England author bears the followingtestimony

Their ablest and favorite divines declared that the burning of four

hu ndred Indians at once,mostly women and children

,seemed a sweet

savor to God, wh ile they admitted that it was awfu l to see their bloodru nn ing and qu enching the violence of the burning wood. Theyturned upon the ! uakers . They imposed heavy fines for hearing themSpeak. They passed blue-laws . They flogged, inhuman ly,women and ch ildren . They pu t them in prison and wh ipped themdaily. They cu t 0 11 their ears . They bored their tongues with red

hot irons . They hu ng men , women and children as witches, and con

tinu ed it for fifty years . They ban ished Roger Williams .

They drove women and helpless ch ildren,u nder severest penalties, to

seek protection among the savages, (where they were all murdered)becau se they difl'

ered with them on metaphysical divinity. As

late as 1 740, they enacted the most barbarou s laws against hereticalthinkers

,and enforced the Saybrook P latform.

”

Such was— such is,though modified by the gen ius and

intelligen ce of the age, creedal Chr istian ity, devoid of spiritu ality

— formal Christian ity,unbaptized of Spir itualism.

Chafl’

without wheat ! shell w ithout substan ce ! a swollenbody w ithout the spir it that giveth life !

“Far from the golden shores of fateI gaze across the past

‘

;

Forever on l ife’s dial-plate

The shade is backward cast.”a x x at

“Ere long a fairer morn shall r is e,

With pu rer air and br ighter skies ,When force shall lay his scepter downAnd strength shall abdicate its crown,An d tru th incarnate sway the race,With mildest power and tenderest grace.

-x ae a x a!

“ R ing ou t the darkness of the land,

Ring in the Chris t that is to b e.

”

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HAF TER XIX .

THE PRELUDE.

Through the harsh noises of ou r day

A low,sweet pr elude finds its way ;

Through clouds of doubt and creeds of fearA light is br eaking calmand clear .

That angel song, now low and far

Ere long shal l sound from star to star !That l ight, th e breaking day which tipsThe gol den

-spired Apocalypse.

Circles are the highest symbols . There are probably nostraight-line motion s in the un iverse. Those seeming suchare on a scale so vast the curve cann ot b e perceived. Fragments are all parts of circular bodies

, as a piece of gran iterock is a part of those pr imitive formatl on s that en circle theearth . Atoms gyrate upon their axes an d follow the line oftheir strongest attraction s . Things move in spirals

,and

generally w ith the sun, from left to right. Sea shel ls are

built up spirally. Vin es ascend forest trees spirally. Par

ticles of steel flying toward a magnet move spirally. Thislaw ,

w ith few exception s,applies to atoms

,worlds

,systems

,

civilization s,and all those histor ic cycles of ever-recurring

spiritual epochs and eras that distinguish an tiquity.

Progress underlies all things,and Spiritualism

,though

ever majestic in its past w in dings , may b e compared to theocean waves that r ise and fall . It has had its morn ingsand even ings of decline. Its careers fleck the n ights and

1 92 DOCTRINES OF SPIR ITUALISTS .

days of earth’s var ied revolution s w ith Splendors un speakableand its heaven -illumin ed truths

,voiced by angeli c in spired

chieftains,have rolled in solemn grandeur al l along the

sun lit periods of the half-b ur ied ages ; and i ts mus ical echoesadd to the glories of the n in eteenth century.

Each spir itual wave , in accordan ce w ith the laws of accelcrated motion

,rose ab ove th e preceding, bearing the masses

higher up th e altitudes of w isdom . The impetus was greater ;th e spray from the wave more glittering ; the pr in ciplesinvolved

,coupled w ith its holy teaching s , were , dur ing each

succeeding per iod , more w idely diffused .

Under some n ame and in some form Spir itualism , as

herein demon strated,has con stituted the basic foundation ,

and been the motive force of all religion s in their in cipien tstages . The Spiri tualism of to-day differ s from that Of fi vethousan d years sin ce on ly in th e better understanding of itsphilosophy

,the general con cess ion of its n aturaln ess and

its w ider dissemin ation through th e differen t grades ofsociety. It has been and is God’s visible seal of love to allclimes and ages .

The spirit-wor ld is the wor ld of causes ; this of effects .

Obj ective en tities are but the projection s of etherealizedspir it-substan ces . Inven tion s relating to in dustr ial activities

,

or th e spir itual exaltation of the races,have their first birth

in the inn er life . A l l great proj ects for the moral redemption of human ity

,primar ily con ceived in the upper deeps

Of infin ity,are inflowed from immortal minds to receptive

mortals by th e law of influx . These m edium ized souls,

impress ionally catching th e shadowy dim-defi ned plan s,

fashion them in to forms ; or perhaps partially con structing ,push them out in to the sen suous wor ld. As spirit mouldsan d takes on form

,so w isdom ceaselessly descends from the

heaven s .

Cogn izan t of a r is ing spiritual wave,Congresses ofAngels

devised the n oble proj ect of laying th e foundation -ston e ofthis new Temple

,maj estic

,cosmopolitan

,and str ikingly

sublime, in Amer ica—l andof free thought, free speech,

.free

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1 94 DOCTRINES or SPI R ITUALI STS .

and con trolling the more mediumistic members,

Spoke intongues

,

” prophes ied,and gave remarkable commun ications

relative to the open ing Of th e seals,

and the descen t ofspiritual powers and gifts to the “ world ’s people.

”Earth

and heaven aboun ded in s igns of an approaching n ew era.

In 1 846, some two or three years before the fain test tran slatab le echo from the summer-land h ad reached an Amer icancar

,A. J. Davis stated

,and it stan ds recorded in h is “Divin e

Revelation s,

”

(p . that the shin ing in telligen ces of th esecon d sphere of existen ce were soon to hOld tangible commun ion w ith the people of earth . These were h is propheticwords— “ It is a tru th that the Spir its Of the higher sphef

'

es

commune w ith persons in,

the body by influx, althoughthey are un con scious of th e fact. This truth w ill ere longpresen t itself in th e form of a living demon stration .

And the World w ill hail w ith delight the usher ingin of th e era !

Why come not spir its from the realms of gloryTo visit ear th , as in th e days of old

Th e times of ancien t wr it and s acred storyIs h eaven more distant ? or has earth grown cold ?

To Bethlehem ’s air was th eir last anthem given

Whpn other stars before the On e grew dim ?Was their last presen ce known in Peter ’s prison ,Or wh er e exu lting martyrs raised the hymn ?

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198 DOCTR INES or SPIR ITUALI STS .

“ Behold,

said Jesus,

“ I stand at the door and knock.

That apostolic cloud of witn esses — ou r sain ted lovedones, approaching the doors of ou r understan ding throughsounds

,dreams

,vis ion s , premon itions an d in spiration s , plead

for recogn ition and admiss ionThe love which survives the tomb

,

”says Irving

,

“ is on e

of the n oblest attr ibutes of the soul .”Golden memor ies are undying. P ure love is immortal.

The bud of fr ien dship that begin s to bloom on earth,bears

precious fruitage in heaven . Holy remembran ces call theas cended hither . Death

,the s ilen t key that un locks life ’s

portal to let ear th-en coffi n ed spir its up on e step higher,

severs no sweet attraction . Sympathies between the two

worlds,are as natural as between the two con tin en ts. Th e

tran slated mother looks down lovingly upon h er weepingchild . Delicate th e electr ic table-touch— mus ical the rap— blessed the intelligen t respon se— sacred th e message ! andhappy each glory-bathed soul, who, catching, cherishes th ewhisper-accen ts breathed from those angel dwellers upon theshadowless shores of immortality.

M inute the in itial steps of all great movemen ts ! How

pale th e thinkers face, stan ding in that retired mechan ic ’sworkshop ! H e paces the cin der-paved floor crazily

,while

r iveting proces ses are being adjusted through a succession oflittle con tinuous “

raps .

” R ivet after r ivet fastened— wheelspoised— machin ery arranged, and lo ! steam engin es biddingdefian ce to w inds and waves— cross ing con tin en ts and whiten ing ocean s— dash th e gifts of commerce at ou r feet. RobertFulton

,in spired by inven tors of the better land, is on earth

immortal !Bouchard

,digging in 1 799, in th e fort of S t . Julian ,

discov

ered the R osetta ston e wr itten over in speaking characters,

epistolary, hieroglyphic and symbolic . This, with sub se

quen t discoveries , equally importan t, led to a full verificationof the histor ic records of Herodotus . These figures and

hieroglyphs carved upon Lydian ston es, on obelisks and

pyramids,permitted an cien t Egypt to tell the world

,in her

MODERN SPIR ITUALI SM— SPI R IT PHENOMENA. 1 99

own native language , of pr ior golden ages,pu tting to s a me

the boasted civilization s of Greece and R ome .

Newton , on a summer ’s aftern oon , saw an apple drop to theearth . It was an effect. Investigating

,studying indu ctively

,

the great law of gravitation flashed upon h is min d . Ark

wr ight,carefu lly watching th e vibratory motion s of a cog in

a wheel, was repaid by discover ing the prin ciples of a n ew

mechan ical law,resulting in th e saving of labor and life .

Frank lin,w ith kite and str ing

,called subtle electr ic fi re

fi u ids from the storm-clouds above him,and chain ing them

to machin ery,threw an etern al truth in to th e face of all th e

sere-man tled ages . Now telegraphic w ires g irdle th e g lobe ,and words from Amer ican s to A sian s

,ou tfiy th e w in ds an d

sunbeams . Joshua, Grecian ized in to J esus , awoke to outercon scious life in a Ju dean manger .

” Humble an d unpro

pitious the adven t ! But there lay con cealed causes destin edto shake kingdoms , and give practical force to a highercivilization . Few atten d th e bir th of gen ius . All n ew ly “

con ceived truths are cradled in mangers . No age appreciatesthe martyr souls that take advan ced pos ition s .

Th e r iveting— then the engin e whose motive force liesbehin d the gracefully folding sails that whiten ocean s ; thekite and s ilken str ings— then telegraphic commun ication sbelting the plan et w ith burn ing thoughts ; th e vacatedmang er adj oin ing Bethlehem— then n ation s and swarmingempires bow ing to th e cross of Christ ; ” the “

rappingsn ear Rochester , th e heaven s open ed— then overj oyed multitudes

,shouting— See — behold ! a tang ible demon stration of

a future existen ceThis has ever been th e divin e formula for inaugurating

new dispensation s . God was not in the whirlw in d bendingLeban on ’

s cedars ; b u t in th e “stil l small voice.

”To

inductive plodders , how ever,th e more poten t causes em

ployed in th e establishmen t of these tidal eras , pass unn oticed

,b ecau se spir itual . S cien tists deal on ly w ith phen omena

an d forms of substance. They see moun tain s ; but n ot thehidden volcan ic fires that ren d them . They discern oaks in

200 DOCTR INES or SPI RITUALI STS .

the distan ce ; but not the electr icity that shivers them toatoms . They behold par lor tables move w ithout visiblecon tact ; yet are blin d to those poten tial spir it-forces con

n ected w ith the motion s. S cien ce n eeds spir itualizing. The

gods playing upon the harp-str ings of un seen causes,ever

conquer . In spir it-life , w isely to plan is to perfect.The mediative heralds of higher , br igh ter cycles— the

stan dard-bearers of n ew ly-con ceived truths,bathing their

pale foreheads in the first pear ling sprays from celestialfoun tain s

,unappreciated

,persecuted, pron oun ced “ mad

,

”

ban ished from aristocratic circles— gen erally suffer socialmartyrdom

,or are put to s low torturous deaths by the

prevailing respectable con servatism of the times .

R eformers of al l ages,whose mysti c words s tartled the

world,and whose in spired thoughts streamed like pearls

down the future, un recogn ized by Church or S tate, were

bran ded “ infi dels But the future did— will do j ustice tosuch , erecting over their lifeless remain s splen did monuments

,where millions each spr ing morn ing shall delight to

s catter flowers and evergreen s , beautiful emblems of a

fadeless immortality.When the philosophically in clin ed heard of these phe

momena, starting almost s imultan eous ly in differen t portion sof the w orld, they earn estly sought the producing cause.

This,n atural to cultured German s , was especially praise

worthy in Americans . Truly great m en are not on ly cr iticalreason ers , but r igid investigators of n ew ly-ann ounced sub

j ects or scien ces . Theologic darkness trembles at everyflash of advan cing light. Bigots and moss-wreathed clergym en

,fear ing, heard in those gen tle tappings from ‘ loved

on es,on ly ghostly mutter ings of th e devil . Sectarists

religious ly cann ed, sealed and creed-en crusted,cr ied in

ton es fearful and sepulchral humbug .’ an exclamation

distinguishable for ponderous lungs and liliputian mentality .

A parrot can assume grave platitudes and mou th the wordwith piou s grace

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202 DOCTR INES OF SPIR ITUALI STS .

A s th e Ma1 ies— “ holy women of Syr ia,mediumistic and

in tuitive— were firs t at the Nazaren ean tomb to triumphan tly announ ce he is not here

,bu t r isen so w omen in the

in itiatory hour of the spiritual d ispen sation were the first tocon struct the key , and devise th e m ethod

,

°

for understandingly in terpreting the fact, that a blissful converse in harmony w ith natural law ,

had been established between the

two wor lds of con scious existen ce.

Tongu es br oke ou t in unknown strain sAnd su ng su rpr ising gr ace

”

The gates of heaven ly courts ajar,angels

,white-robed

,

and baptized in the s ilvery dews of paradise,re-appeared

,

open ing again the song that an cien tly thr illed th e watchingshepherd-souls of Syr ia— “ P eace on earth and good w ill tomen .

”

HAF T ER XXI.

MEDIUMSHIP .*

Sun light through the ether of space— electr icity throughthe telegraphic w ire— steamers through the waves of myr iadwaters— r ivers thr ough valleys— blood through vein s and

arter ies— min d through brain ! All pr in ciples,indeed

,all

forces,are mediative. Ou r organ s, ou r sen ses , our faculties ,

are media of life, of love , of thought. M ediumship in terpermeates and in terlin es all phases

,all attributes

,all mo

tion s of being. It is un iversal . What nature is to spir it,what body is to its soul

,phen omenon is to Spir itualism the

sign and seal,the portal and in itiation of this n ew religion .

A s substan ce precedes forms , so spir it,in the divin e order

,

precedes these “ modern man ifestati on s . Phen omen a,

therefore,are n ecessary to discover ies of spir itual truth

,as

facts are to in du ctive scien ce . A ll obj ective kn owledge of afuture existen ce is obtain ed through the gradation s ofspiritual mediumship .Some writers on the Spir itual Philosophy enumerate

seven , others twen ty-four phases of mediumship as well

Aside from book r efer ences , we ar e indebted for many of the ideas in th is

volume, to ancient spir its , or in spir ing influ ences . Th ese, frequ ently entranoing Dr . E. C. Dunn , our travel ing compan ion for several years

,in th e capacity

of a healer , gave u s valuable sugges tions and pr eciou s truths , coin ed from th e

mint of super nal l ife. The spir i t teacher to whom this book is dedicated,though a member of ou r circl e

,is th e spir it-gu ide of B ro. Dunn , phas es of

whose mediumship we have n ever seen excelled . In the field of progress , he

is a su ccessful healer and eloqu ent speaker .

203

204 DOCTRINES or SPIR ITUALI STS .

specify seven hundred and twen ty-four thousan d . Truth isa un it ; but its man ifestation s are as diverse as the organ ization s through which it is '

revealed . Mediumship , therefore,must b e as multiform as the divers ities of condition s and

relation s .

Mediumship,l ike in spiration

,is both gen eral and special .

As spir its en rapport w ith the surrounding spir itual atmosphere, breathe and envelop themselves w ith its aura

,they

are influen ced by the aggregated magn etic force of th e age,

thus comprehending ou r n eeds in faithful min istration s bypour ing down upon u s love-waves of heaven ly in spiration ,

leveling up human ity at large,the same as the sun attracts

and. unfolds the floral beauties of all lan dscapes . But spir itsin sympathy of purpose may band together, as do earthlycorporation s , to accomplish special obj ects through the bestadapted media .

Vibrate on e chord of a musical in strumen t, and all th e restof the same tens ion wi ll vibrate in harmony w ith it. So the

human spir it,sen s itive to the gen tlest influen ce from the

spiritual spheres,sustain s s imilar relation s w ith spir its that

musical chords do to each other . Thus spir it un dulates tospir it. The greater the harmony

,the more perfect the

respon s ive un ’dulation . A s if comprehen ding this beautifullaw

,Jesus prayed that his disciples might b e on e with him

as h e was on e w ith th e Father .

”

The man ifestations of mediumship are graded really according to the con stituen t structure of the organ ism . The outerelectr ic sphere surroun ding media

,and others , also, is com

posed of eman ation s,n ot on ly from th e body, but from each

of its organ s . Indeed,each brain faculty has its distin ctive

radiation . By this both spir its and clairvoyan ts measureou r men tal states . Man

’s spir itual sphere

,being interior ,

emanates from th e more ethereal and vitalized substan ces .

The predominan ce of man ’

s electr ic sphere from the moregross or mater ial— un der con trol of correspon ding spir its— isspecially adapted to phys ical man ifestations ; while the predominan ce of h is spir itual sphere

,allies him more in timately

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206 DOCTR INES or SPI R ITUALI STS .

spir it ; and light will surely reveal what the candid soul iss eeking— the demons tration of angel presen ce.

When th e in qu irers have advan ced in to th e real inner lifeof spir ituality

,there is l ittle or no n eed for the circle to

cen ter the magnetic forces . Through true developmen tsuch have come into complete rapport w ith their spir itguides , render ing th e circle n o longer a n ecess ity. Theyvirtual ly become on e of the circle

,con stituting its earthly

polar ity, receiving by sympathetic in spiration the en lighten edunfoldmen t of angelic life.

HAP T E P\ XXII.

WITNESSES .

Judge Edmonds,a j urist of un impeachable i n tegr ity and

keen discernmen t, estimates "

the number of Spiritualists inthis coun try at “

eleven million s .

” If bel ief in th e merefact of con scious spir it converse legitimately en titles to theappellation , Spiritualist, the ven erable Judge is eviden tlyquite correct. In the w ider , and, we think, better defin ition ,Spir itualism in ter-related to the in ductive an d deductivemethods of research, implies fact and philosop hy— scien ce and

religion— culture, growth , and a true harmon ial life.

In a lecture delivered by this emin en t legal gen tlemanb efore the Spiritualists w orshiping in Ebb itt Hall , he said

I have been addressed upon the subject of Spiritualism by letter ,or personally, by persons from Cadiz in Spain , from Corfu and Malta inthe Mediterranean , B engal and Calcu tta in Asia

,from Venezuela in

Sou th America, from Austria, Germany, England, France, Italy, Greeceand Poland in Eu rope, from Algiers and Constantinople, from almostevery State in North America ; and I have heard of my own publications being fou nd on the Himalaya Mountains in Asia

,and in the fore

castle of a whale ship in the Northern Ocean ; and in many differen tlangu ages

— Latin,Greek, Spanish , French , German , Polish and Indian .

Su ch and so wide-spread has become, with in the short period of fifteenyears

,the knowledge of and the interest in our faith .

So among the chu rches have I witnessed its wide-spreading influence . H igh dign itaries , archbishops and bishops— both Catholic and

Protestan t ; many u ntitled clergymen , of almost every denomination,

and J ewish Rab' 1is, have alike shown their belief and their in terest inthe subj ect .

208 DOCTRINES or srmrruar tsrs .

A foreign correspon den t wr iting from Lon don,for the

Boston Commonwealth, in formed its readers that“ I t had been publicly stated and not den ied

,that John Stuart

Mill had become a convert to Spiritualism. Certainly the Spiritualistshave an imposing catalogu e of names to present before Eng landRuskin , Mill, Wilkinson , Dr . Whately

, William and Mary Howitt,Mr .

and Mrs . S . C. Hall,and ( it is said) Frederick Tennyson .

'

Doubtless,

the majority of these have been helped to this conversion by theextreme reaction against Positiveness and Atheism

,with a violent

yearning to find something beyond the grave other than the ‘ desolate

The R oman Catholic Guardian, St. Louis , M issour i, publish ed

,S ept. 1 868, a pastoral letter from Bishop Viviers

,

relating to the p lanchette and spir itual man ifestation s . Herefollow extracts of con fess ion and warn ing

Doubtless there are relations between the intelligence of men andthe supernatu ral world of spirits . These relations are necessary ;they are all sweet and consoling to the poor creature exiled in th isvalley of tears . B u t God has not given us the power of commun ica

ting with the other world by m g and every way , wh ich human imprudenee migh t avail itself of.

To wish to penetrate it in any other manner , ( than the chu rch prescribes) to seek to discover by natural means the h idden mys teries of

heaven,or the terrible secrets of hell

,is the most foolish and cu lp able

of under takings ; th is is to make an attempt to distu rb the order of

providence and to make u seless efforts to over-step the limits imposedon ou r present condition .

“What shall we say to them who fear not to address hell itself,in

order to call from it the spirit of Satan ? For it is that cu nning spiritwhich most ordinarily plays the principal part in these manifestationsCertainly

,we our selves do not dou bt the fa ta l in tervention of the fa llen

angels in human afi airs .

All idolatrou s worship was bu t an incessan t communication withdemons . Socrates conversed with his familiar spirit ; Pythagorasbelieved in the sou l of the world, wh ich animates

,according to him

,

the different spheres , as the sou l animates the body. Th e poet Lu canhas described the mysteries which were u sed to en ter into relation withthe manes of the dead ; and

,in times yet ‘

more remote,sou ls from the

other world were invoked to demand the revelation of hidden th ings .

“ B u t,

”con tinues the vigilant pastor a long time before the mu l

titude of facts which have been developed from so many quarters,and

under so many observing eyes, were able to demonstrate to him the

extraordinary frequ ency of the action of these maliciou s and perfidious

invis ible beings , “ if th ere is bu t little belief in the presence of these

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21 0 DOCTRINES or SPIR ITUALISTS .

occupied at intervals the attention and invited the investigation of

many scientific minds all over the world. Such men as Lord Lyndhurst

,Lord B rougham ,

S ir David B rewster,and others

,took much

interest in it. Some people claimed that these distingu ished men werebelievers ; others asserted that they were confirmed skeptics . No

matter for that : they thought the subj ect worth looking into, likea great many other people. It is said that even ! ueenV ictoria consu lted the Davenports , and we know that Lou is Napoleonhas for a long time been pu rsu ing his star in the s é ances of the

American Spiritu alist, Home .

“ The movemen t is a growing one, strictly democratic, popu lar in its

character,and revolu tionary in its nature

,and defian t towards the

prevailing theology of the age. I ts influence is felt in the j ury-box,

the ballot-box , the bench , the press, the platform ,the pu lpit, and even

ou r national council halls . It asserts the great Protestant principle ofthe righ t of each man to judge for himself, become h is own Evangelist,and get to heaven h is own way . It presents the strange anomaly ofmeetings withou t a m inistry

,worship withou t chu rches

,conventions

withou t delegates , halls and fluen t speakers that they pay for , and yetwithou t chu rch edifices

,funded property or real estate— withou t ordi

nations,convents

,colleges or creeds

,written or implied. Spiritu alists

as a body act together , and even now have become a great power inthis cou ntryOn an other occas ion it published an accoun t

,saying

“ The capital of Peru has been recen tly (Augu st 7th) thrown intosome commotion by a pastoral letter of its Archbishop, addressed to hisflock

,in reference to magnetism,

Spir itualism ,rappings and other phe

nemena,which had lately received a good deal of atten tion among the

Peruvians .

This Church dign itary stoutly affi rms,that it is “

all th e

w ork of th e devil .The R ound Table

,ar istocrat among the New Y ork week

lies,and on e of th e most astute and cr itical per iodicals

published in the country,says

This qu estion of Spiritualism has been suggested anew to u s

through reading an accou nt of a‘mysteriou s disappearance in Cincin

nati,Ohio.

’

“We take for ou r point of departure an extract from a letter writtenin the au tumn of 1 852

,by Mrs . Sarah Helen Whitman

,of Providence

,

R . I .

,to Horace Greeley. Mr . Greeley heads the extract with a note to

th is effect : ‘ The writer has received the following letter from Mrs .

Sarah H , Whitman , in reply to one of inqu iry from him as to her own

experience in Spiritualism ,and especially with regard to a remarkable

n oDERN SPIRITUALISM WITNESSES . 21 1

exper ience, cu rrently reported as having occu rred to Hon . James F .

S immons,late Un ited State Senator from Rhode Island

,and widely

known as one of the keenest and clearest observers,most u n likely to be

the dupe of mystery or the slave of hallu cination . Mrs . Wh itman ’

s

social and intellectual eminence are not so widely known ; bu t thereare very many who know that her statement needs no confirmationwhatever .

’

“ B y the way, Mr . S immons was in the Senate for another term afterthat writing, and he was looked up to as one of the ablest

,most prac

tical,and most upright of its members. It may be not improper for u s

to state,in the same connection , that we have examined some corres

pondence with Mrs . Whitman relative to the knowledge of her man ifestations . She states therein that her attention was called to the

mystery in the latter part of the year 1 849, abou t three mon ths before ,(mark this ,) before any intelligence had reached her of the Singu lar

exhibition s in Rochester . She n oticed the sou nds (gentle tappings ,they were near the hou r of midnight, while she was alone in her cham

ber) for the first time after the death of a friend. This friend was a

boy by the name of Albert Helm,abou t ten years of age . He came to

his death by drown ing near noon of the day preceding the n ight onwh ich the raps were heard. B u t to Mr . Greeley’s letter :

‘DEAR SIR— I have had no conversation with Mr . Simmons on the

subject of you r note un til tod ay. I took an early Opportu n ity of

acquainting him with its contents,and th is morn ing he called on me to

say that he was perfectly willing to impart to you the particu lars of hisexperience in relation to the mysterious writing p erformed under the

very eyes , in broad day light, by an invisible agen t.‘ In the fall of 1 850

,several messages were telegraphed to Mrs .

S immons through the electric sou nds, pu rporting to come from her

s tep-son , Jas . D. S immons,who died some weeks before in California .

The messages were calcu lated to stimu late curios ity and lead to an

observation of the phenomena. Mrs . S immons,having heard that

messages in the hand-writing of deceased persons were sometimeswritten through the same medium,

asked if her son wou ld give herthis evidence . She was informed ( through the sou nds) that the

attempt shou ld be made, and was directed to place a slip of paper in a

certain drawer at the hou se of the medium,and to lay bes ide it her own

pencil , which had been given her by the deceased . Weeks passed, andalthough frequ ent inqu iries were made , no writing was fou nd on the

a er .p l)

Mrs . Simmons happen ing to call at the hou se one day , accompanied

by her hu sband, made the u su al inqu iry and received the u sual answer .

The drawer had been opened not two hou rs before,and nothing was

seen in it bu t the pencil lying on the blank paper . At the suggestionof Mrs . S immons

,however

,another investigation was made, and on the

paper were found a few pencil lines , resembling the hand-wr iting of the

deceased,bu t not so closely as to satisfy the mother ’s doubts Mrs .

21 2 DOCTR INES or SPIR ITUALI STS .

Simmons handed the paper to her hu sband ; he though t there was a

sligh t resemblance, bu t wou ld probably not have remarked it had the

wr iting been casu ally presen ted to h im . Had the signa tu re been givenh im

,he shou ld at once have decided on th e resemblance . He proposed,

if the spir it of his son were indeed present, as alphabetical commu n ications received through the sou nds aflirmed h im to be

,that he shou ld

,

then and there,aflix h is s ignature to the su spiciou s documen t .

In order to facilita te the operation , Mrs . S immons placed the closed

points of a pair of scissors in the hand of the medium and dropped her

pencil through one of the rings or bows,the paper being placed

beneath . The hand presen tly began to tremble,and it was with dith

cu lty it cou ld retain its hold aof the scissors . Mr . S immons then tookthe scissors into h is own hand and dropped the pencil through the r ing .

It cou ld not readily be su stained in this position . After a fewmoments,

however,it stood as if firmly poised and perfectly still . It then began

s lowly to move. Mr . S immons saw the letters traced benea th his eyes

the words,J ames D . S immons

,were distinctly and delibera tely wr itten ,

and the hand-wri ting wa s a fac-simi le of his son’s signa tu re.

‘ B u t what Mr . Simmon s regards as the most aston ishing part of thisseeming miracle is yet to be told . B ending down to scru tinize thewriting more closely

,he observed

,j u st as the last word was finished

,

that the top of the pencil leaned to the r ight . He though t it wasabou t to s lide through the r ing ; bu t, to his infin ite su rprise, he saw the

p oin t s lide slowly back a long the word S immons,

’till i t r ested over the

letter i , when it imp r in ted a dot. This was a pu ctilio u tterly u nthoughtof by him— he had not noticed the emission

,and was therefore entirely

u nprepared for the amendmen t . He suggested the experiment, and heth inks it had kept pace on ly with his will or des ire bu t howwill thosewho deny the agency of disembodied Spirits in these marvels , ascribingall to the u nassisted powers of the human will

,or to the blind action

of electricity— how will they dispose of this last significant and cu riou s

fact‘ The on ly pecu l iarity observable in the writing was that the lines

seemed som etimes slightly broken , as if the pencil had been lifted, thenset down again .

One other circumstance I am permitted to note,wh ich is not readily

to be accou n ted for on any other than Spiritu al agency. Mr . Simmons,

who received no particu lars of h is son ’s death u n til several months afterh is decease

, proposing to send for h is remains,qu estioned the spir it as

to the manner in wh ich the body had been disposed of,and received a

very m inu te and circumstant ial accou nt of the mean s which had beenresorted to for its preservation ,

it being at the time u nbu ried. Im

probable as some of these statements seemed,they were

,after an in ter

val of fou r mon ths,confirmed as literally true by a gentleman then

recently retu rned from Cal iforn ia,who was with young S immons at the

per iod of h is death . Intending soon to return to Californ ia , he calledon Mr . S immons to learn h is wishes in relation to the final disposition

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21 4 DOCTRINES OF SPI R ITUALI STS .

happened that the battery came into possess ion of ju st those materialsou t of which to brew electricity, su ch as shou ld be identical with the

knowledge possessed by a part icu lar body before it parted with its spirit.If they hold the intelligence to be mesmerism,

it devolves upon themto point ou t the mesmerizer, to explain how he manages to throw fromh is Own mind into that of another, information which never was in hismind and how he handles the p encil . Hence the bu rden Of the proof

is upon the negative . Let her or h im who will take the negative bringforth the proof.”

The Scientific American , a r ightly n amed and w idely circulated paper

,writes editor ially of the P lanchette :

You may hold a conversation with planchette , provided your own

part in it cons ists in interrogation . I ts replies , so far as we have seen,

are sometimes tru e and sometimes false. SO are the replies given byh uman responden ts. It sometimes refu ses towrite at al l

,and plays the

most fan tastic tricks,in apparently wilfu l disregard of the feelings of

those who are anxiou s that it shou ld do its best . These

motions seem to those whose fingers rest upon the board to be entirelyindependent of their own wills . their on ly care being to avoid anyresistance to its motions . The fact that it is impossible to suppose thatthe wills of two persons cou ld be, by their own desire, mu tually coincident

,withou t previou s agreement, forms one of the most pu zzling

featu res of the su bj ect,as the nature of the question asked and

answered precludes the poss ibility of collu sion .

”

“ The Spirit with which scientific men have looked upon these phenomena, (denominated Spir itualism) has been u nfortunately such as hasretarded their solu tion . Skepticism as to their reality, although cor

roborated by ev idence that wou ld be convincing upon any other subject,refusal to investigate, except upon their own conditions , and r idicu lenot only of the phenomena themselves , bu t of those who believe inthem

,have marked their cou rse ever since these man ifestations have

laid claim to public credence . Su ch a spirit savers of bigotry . The

phenomena Of table-tipping , spirit-rapping (so called), and the variou sman ifestations wh ich many have claimed to be the effect of other willsacting u pon and through the medium of their persons, are exerting an

immense influence, good or bad , throughou t the civilized world. Theyshou ld

,therefore

,be candidly examined, and if they are purely phys

ical phenomena, as has been claimed, they shou ld be referred to their

true cau se . This is due to tru th , and the common du ty which all oweto their fellow men . Nothing that affects the welfare Of mankindshou ld b e considered beneath the notice of a true ph ilosopher . Whatincalcu lable benefit might have resu lted if the same amount of studyhad been given to the subject of witchcraft

,at the time of its occu r

rence,that has s ince been bestowed upon it . When su ch th ings become

matters f history,there are always enough who do not th ink it derog

atory to their dign ity to devote their time to specu lation upon their

MODERN SPI RITUALISM WITNESSES . 21 5

cau ses . How mu ch wiser is it to throw aside prejudice, and to look at

the facts themselves in a spirit of candor and earnest desire for tru th .

The H erald and R eview,a religious j ournal

,w rites edito

rial ly of the progress of the spir itual movemen t in thisstyle :We Often hear the remark

, Spiritualism is dying out .

’ Wheneverwe hear one make su ch a statement

,we are led to think at once

,Did

you know what it is doing , you wou ld take back that saying , and standaghast at its gigantic strides . He might as well have said

,Popery was

dying ou t in the th irteenth centu ry,becau se very little noise was made

abou t it . The reason was,there were scarcely any left to Oppose, hence

all was comparatively qu iet. Spiritualism has al ready planted its sen

timents so firmly, and generally, in chu rch and state , that the victoryis nearly complete . The Opposition is now very feeble, like that Of a

dying man in h is last moments .

“We do not say that the great body of the chu rch and state are yet

avowed Spiritualists bu t that the sen timents of Spiritualists, more or

less,are being adopted by the masses .

”

This, though perhaps an unw illing,is a true man ly

confession .

Thus are these literati,scientists and sectarists forced to

con cede to Spir itualism a w on derfu l destiny of u se in everydepartmen t of earth ’s government. When the ocean movesin un chainable tides

,al l the bays and coves fi ll ' up to over

flow ing. Every soul is moved by the inflowing tides Of

in spiration . A l l are pushed forward . Even oppositionreacts into acceleration He maketh the wrath of man topraise Him .

HAP TE FK XXIII.

CLERICAL AND LITERARY.

“Ou t of the strong, came forth sweetn ess .

”—J udg . 1 4 1 4.

In the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may b e established.

’

Matt. 1 8 1 6.

I give you th e end Of a golden str ingOn ly wind it into a bal l ,

I t wil l lead you in at Heaven ’s gate,

That invitingly ope’

s for al l .

The ideal is the prophetic . It precedes , in orderly ser ies ,the Obj ective actual . Th e fin est human types

,moulding the

present, are but dwarfs of those promised m en, yet to crown

the ages w ith ineffable Splen dor . Ou t from the evolution s Ofa life divin e and circular

,are con tinually being born leaders

and w itnesses for the people. The good abounds everywhere.

P rogress is un iversal. The rock that - on e civilization failsto crush , crumbles into soil to n our ish the roots of thesucceeding. The b ee extracts sweets from thistles and

thorn -blossoms . A t th e tel ling of church-bells on Sundaymorn ings

,there stream from old barreled sermon s many glit

ter ing truths . P iercing through the sophistr ies of speenlation , the lifeless skepticism of scien ce

,and the corpse

in crustation s b f creeds,there are l iving, regen eratir g forces

at work in the most hidden avenues of society . Angelsseek and min ister to al l condition s of mortality. The clergy,overshadowed by an in spiration that stirs the divin ity w ithin ,

21 6

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21 8 DOCTR INES OF SPIR ITUALI STS .

be a vu lgar th ing . Doubtless there are vu lgar spirits ; b u t it does not

follow at all that spirits who are most potential, and most to be feared,are vu lgar . On the contrary, where spir its are embodied, it is supposedthat those who are the most cu ltu red are the most powerfu l for evil .

“The pervers ion of moral ideas— the suborn ing Of all things to sel

fishness— the want of tru th and equ ity— the corruption of religion

these things are inexplicable on any other supposition than that thereare m igh ty powers at work above the agencies of nature, and beyond thewill of men ; that there are Spirits of wickedness that are abroad inthe world

,and that render l ife u nsafe .

“ On the other hand,I believe that there are angels Of light, spirits

of the blessed , ministers of God. I believe,not on ly that they are ou r

natu ral gu ardians , and friends , and teachers , and influencers , b ut also

that they are natu ral an tagonists of evil spirits . In other words,I

believe that the great realm Of life goes on withou t the body very mu chas it does with the body. And

,as here the mother not on ly is the

guardian Of her children Whom she loves,bu t foresees that bad asso

ciates and evil influ ences threaten them,and draws them back and

shields them from the impending danger ; so min istering spir its not

only min ister to u s the divinest tendencies , the pu rest tastes , the nobles tthoughts and feel ings, bu t , perceiving ou r adversaries , cau tion u s againstthem

,and assail them ,

and drive them away from u s .

“ The economy,in detail

,of this matter

,no man u nderstands . All

we can say is , in general, that su ch an tagon ism exists ; that. there are

Spir its that seek ou r good, and other Spir its that seek our harm ; thatthat there are spirits that seek to take us to glory, and honor, and

immortality,and other Spirits that seek to take u s to degradation .

”

In an o ther discourse reported in the New Y ork I ndep endent

,he employed th e follow ing unmistakable language. The

quotation s are in troduced w ithout any special view to theirlogi cal conn ection . Mr . Beecher himself is a s tranger tothe logic of the schools :

There is an atmosphere Of the sou l as well as an atmosphere Of

natu re . In the atmosphere of the sou l, God sometimes brings down

the divine landscape, heaven ly tru ths , so clearly that the sou l restsupon them as upon a pictu re let down .

“ Out of the du st and din and m ist and observations of life,there

come moments when God permits u s to see,in a second

,fu rther

,wider

,

and easier, than by ordinary methods of logicwe can see in a whole life .

Do I undervalu e logic when I say that it is infer ior to intu it ion ? Intuitien , when at white heat, teaches a man in a s ing le moment more thanlogic ever teaches him . Logic con stru cts the walls of though t, throwsup ramparts , and lays ou t highways ; b u t it never discovers . Logicmerely bu ilds , fortifies, demarks . The discovering power is intu ition .

There are certain times when parts of the mind lift themselves up with

MODERN SPI R ITUALI SM— CLER ICAL AND L ITERARY. 21 9

a kind of celestial preparation, and we see and think and feel more in

a single hou r than ordinarily we do in a whole year . And howeveru sefu l and needfu l reason ing may be, as compared with these sudden

insights , it is scarcely to be mentioned with respect .Ordinarily we are u nder the influ ence of the things which are seen .

In ou r lower life we mu st b e u nder the influ ence Of sen se . B u t now

and then,we know not how

,we rise into an atmosphere in wh ich spir itlife

, God, Chr ist, the ransomed throng in heaven , virtu e, tru th , faithand love

,become more significant to u s

,and seem to rest down upon u s

with more force,than the very things which our physical sen ses recog

n ize . There have been times, in which I declare to you , heaven wasmore real than earth ; in Which my children that were gone spoke moreplain ly to me than my children that were with me in which the b lessedes tate of the Spirits Of j u st men made perfect in heaven, seemed morereal and near to me than the estate of anyj ust man upon earth . These

are experiences that link , one with another and a higher life . Theyare generally not continuous , bu t occasional Openings through wh ich welook into the other world . These glimpses of the

futu re state are a great comfort and consolation to all those who are

looking and waiting for that development of perfect manhood .

”

This clergyman doing an immen se work for freedom and

religious progress,should n ot b e too severely cr iticised by

such uncompromis ing progression ists as w ere fortunateen ough to snap their ecclesiastical fetters at a s ing le bound .

Though con tradictory,though h is cler ical trumpet Often

g ives an “ un certain sound ,” he is a grand man w ith a warmheart and an in spiration al brain . Pardon him , then ,

for

occas ionally “ falling from grace,” to flou nce , at in tervals ,in the miry clay Of h is childhood catechism . The history ofmediumship furn ishes many s imilar cases .

R EV . E. H. CHAPIN’S testimony

In a masterly discourse , entitled the voices Of the dead ,this eminent pulpit orator breathed these words of cheer . ItisUn iversalism just blooming in to Spir itualism— faith smilingat its first gl impse of kn owledge

Well,then , is it for u s at times to listen to the voices of the dead.

B y so doing we are better fitted for life and for death .

.

From thataudience we go pu rified and strengthened Into the var l ed d l SClpl l ne of

our mortal state. We are Willing to stay , knowing that the dead are SO

near us,and that our commun ion with them may be so intimate . We

220 DOCTRINES OF SPI R ITUALI STS .

are willing to go, seeing that we shall not be wholly separated fromthose we leave behind . We will tell in ou r lot wh ile God pleases , andwhen he summons u s we will calmly depart.

R eferring to certain moods and con secrated nou rs , he

addsThen

,though dead, they Speak to u s . It needs not the verbal

u tterance,nor the living presence, bu t the mood that transforms the

scene, and the hour supplies these . That face that has slept so long inthe grave, now bending over u s

, pale and s ilent,bu t affectionate still

the more vivid recollection of every featu re,tone

,and movement, that

brings before the departed ju st as we knew them ,in the fu ll flu sh of

life and health— that soft and consecrating spell wh ich fal ls upon u s,

drawing in all ou r thoughts from the presen t, arresting , as it were, thecu rren t of our being , and tu rn ing it back , and holding it still , as theflood of which rushes by u s— while in that trance of sou l

,the beings

of the past are shadowed— old friends , old days,old scenes recu r

,

familiar looks beam close u pon u s,familiar words re-echo in ou r ear s

,

and we closed up and absorbed with the by-

gone , u ntil tears dissolvethe fi lm from ou r eyes

,and some shock Of the actual wakes u s from ou r

reverie — all these,I say , make the dead commu ne with u s

'

as reallyas though in bodily form they shou ld come ou t from their mys teriou ss ilence and speak to u s . And if life consists in exp er ience, and not mere

physical con tacts— and if love and commu n ion belong to that experience

,though they take place in meditation , or dreams or by actual

con tact— then,in that hou r of remembrance

,we have really lived with

the departed, and the departed have come back and lived with u s .

”

R EV . THEODORE PARKER ’

S testimonyThis individual

,so self-poised and tower ing in in tellect,

was the m an -colossus among Amer ican clergy. A scendedhe is l iving and speaking still

,through ou r media. Assum

ing that revelation was n o green -house exotic,but perpetual

as cycling ages , and that in spiration , n ative to the posturesof th e soul

,is cognate w ith the races

,he propagated a

relig ious philosophy that w ill stream in in creas ing beautythrough all the fu ture eras of free thought. H is grave is a

M ecca un der th e mellow Skies of Floren ce. Con sideredmen tally he was thoroughly self-con scious of his greatn ess .

Tend this head well,

”says M irabeau

,on h is death-b ed ;

it is the greatest head in Fran ce .

” “ God gave m e greatpowers , says the expiring Parker , “

and I have but half

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222 DOCTR INES or S PIR ITUALI STS .

men at whom the world Opens wide the mou th, and draws ou t the tongue,and u tters its impertinent laugh ; bu t they received the fires Of God on

their altars,and kept l iving its sacred flame. They go on

,the forlorn

hepe Of the race ; bu t Tru th pu ts a wall of fire abou t them,and holds

the shield over their heads in the day of trouble. The battle of tru thseems Often lost, bu t is always won . Her enemies bu t erect the bloodscaffolding where the workmen of God go up and down

,and

,with

divine hands, bu ild wiser than they know. When the scaffolding falls

the temple will appear .

”

“ This party has an idea wider and deeper than that Of the Catholicor Protestant ; namely

,that GOD still inspires men a s much a s ever ;

tha t he is imminent in spir it a s in sp ace. For the present pu rpose, andto avoid circumlocu tion , this doctrine may be called Spiritualism. Th isrelies on no church tradition , or scripture , as the last grou nd and i

'

nfal

lib le ru le . It counts these things teacher s, if they teach— not masters ;help s , if they help u s— not au thorities . It relies on the divine presencein the sou l of men— the eternal word of God, which is Tru th

,as it

speaks through the facu lties he has given . It believes God is near thesou l as matter to the sense ; th inks the canon of revelation not yet

closed,nor God exha us ted . It sees h im in Natu re’s perfect work ;

hears him in all true S cr iptu res , J ewish or Phoenician ; feels H im in

the inspiration of the heart ; stoops at the same fou n tain with Moses

and Jesu s , and is filled with living water . It calls God, Father , not

King ; Chr ist, brother, not redeemer ; Heaven,home Religion , Natu re !It loves and TRUSTS , bu t does not fear . It sees in JESUS a MAN

,living,

man-like ; highly gifted and living with blameless and beau tifu l fidelityto God— stepping thou sands of years before the race Of men— the pro

fou ndest religiou s geniu s that God has raised up ; whose words and

works help us to form and develop the native idea of a complete reli

giou s man . B u t he lived for himself,died for himself

,worked ou t h is

own sa lva tion,and we must do the same ; for one man cannot live for

another,more than he can eat or s leep for him . It lays down no creed

,

asks no symbol,reverences exclus ively no time nor place, and therefore

can u se all time and every place . It reckons forms u sefu l to such as

they help . I ts temple is all space, its Shrine the good heart, its creed

all tru th,its ritual works of love and u tility

,its profess ion of faith a

divine life , works withou t faith, within love of God and man . It takesall the helps it can get ; counts no good word profane, though a heathenspoke it— no l ie sacred, though the greatest prophet had said the word.

Its redeemer is wi thin,its sa lva tion within

,its heaven and it oracle Of

Go

d. It falls back on p erfect religion— asks no more

,is satisfied with

no ess .

HARRI ET BEECHER STOWE’

S testimonyW hile walking among the trees that surrounded the Aberdeen Cathedral, immortals seemed to accompany this truly

MODERN SPIR ITUALI SM— CLER ICAL AND LITERARY.

in spired woman and author . In “ Sunny M emor ies,

she

wroteI cannot get over the feeling that the sou ls of the dead do some

how connect themselves with the places of their former habitation ;and that the hu sh and thrill Of spirit, which we feel in them,

may be

owing to the overshadowing presence of the invis ible. S t . Pau l says,

we are compassed abou t with a grea t cloud of witnesses ; bu t how can

they be witnesses if they cannot see and be cognizant ? ”

From on e of h er articles relating to th e New Y ear,w e

select a few Of the more touching paragraphs . A s sigu lfi

cant of the subject, Sh e commen ced w ith this poetic quotationI t is a beau tiful b el ief,That ever r ou nd ou r h ead

Are h over ing. on Viewl es s wings ,

The Spir its of the dead .

”

One Of the deepest and most imperative cravings of the human

heart,as it follows its beloved ones beyond the veil

,is for some assur

ance that they still love and care for u s . As a German writer beau tifu lly expresses it , ‘ Our fr iend is not wholly gone from u s ; we see

across the r iver of death,in the blue distance

,the smoke of his cot

tage ; ’ hence the heart,always suggesting what it des ires , has ever

made the gu ardian ship and min istration of departed spirits a favoritetheme of poetic fiction .

B u t is it,then

,fiction ? Does revelation

,which gives somany hopes

which natu re had not, give none here ? I S there no sober certain ty to

correspond to the inborn and pass ionate craving of the sou l ? DO

departed spirits in verity retain any knowledge Of what tran spires inthis wor ld

,and take any par t in its scenes ? All that revelation says

of a spiritu al state is more intimation than assertion it has no distincttreatise

,and teaches nothing apparently of set pu rpose, bu t gives vague,

glorious images , while now and then some acciden tal ray of intelligencelooks ou t

Like eyes of ch erubs sh in ingFrom ou t th e veil that h id th e ark .

’

“ B u t ou t Of all the different h ints and assertions Of the B ible,we

th ink a better inferen tial argument migh t be con stru cted to prove the

ministration of departed Spirits , than for many a doctrine wh ich haspasssed in its day for the heigh t Of orthodoxy.

“What then ? May we look among the band of min ister ing Spir itsfor ou r own departed ones ? Whom wou ld God be more likelyzto send

u s ? Have we in heaven a fr iend who knew u S to the heart’s core ? a

friend to whom we have confessed ou r weaknesses and deplored ou r

224 DOCTRINES or SPIRITUALI STS .

griefs ? If we are to have a min istering Spirit, who better adapted ?Have we not memories which correspond to such a belief ? When ou 1

sou l has been cast down , has never an invisible voice whispered, ‘ There

is lifting u p ? Have not gales and breezes Of sweet healing thoughtbeen wafted over u s

,as if an angel had shaken from his wings the

Odors Of paradise ? Many a one,we are confident

,can remember such

things . And whence come they ?“ B u t again

— there are some spirits (and those of earth’s choicest)to whom

,SO far as enjoyment to themselves or others is concerned

,th is

life seems to have been a total failu re. A hard hand from the first,

and all the way through life, seems to have been laid upon them ; theyseem to live on ly to be chastened and cru shed

,and we lay them in the

grave at last in mou rnfu l silence . To su ch,what a Vis ion is Opened by

this belief !“ They have overcome

,have risen , are crowned

, glorified ; but stillthey remain to u s

,our ass istants

,ou r comforters

,and in every hou r of

darkness their voice Speaks to u s :‘ SO we grieved, so we struggled , so

we doubted ; bu t we have overcome,we have Obtained

,we have seen

,

we have fou nd ; and in our victory behold the certainty of thy own .

”

In a poem clipped from th e New Y ork Indep endent, sh ewr ites h er clairaudien t exper ien ces in Spiritualism ,

in linesthus sweet and tender

Th os e halting ton es that sound to youAr e n ot the tones I h ear

B u t voices of the loved and lostNow gr eet my l onging ear .

I hear my angel moth er ’s voiceThose were the words sh e sung

I h ear my broth er ’s r inging tones,As on ce on earth they r ung.

And fr iends that walk in wh ite aboveCome

’r oun d me l ike a clou d,

And far above those earthly notesTheir s inging sounds al oud .

”

REV . E. CHANNING’S testimony“ I live

,as did S imeon , in the hope of seel ng a brigh ter day. I do

see gleams of dawn , and that ought to cheer me . I hope noth ing fromincreased zeal in u rging an imperfect, decaying form of Christianity.One higher , clearer view of religion rising on a single mind, encou rages

me more than the organ ization of millions to repeat what has beenrepeated for ages with little effect . The individual here is mightier

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226 DOCTR INES OF SPI RITUALI STS .

s lowly with drew,like a fading beam of su nset

,into the abysses of the

stars . Then all was S ilent . I was u ndeniably awake at the time,and

cou ld recall neither fact, reflection,n or fancy of a natu re to suggest

the sou nds . How does one facu lty of the brain act,so far

beyond ou r consciou s knowledge , as to astou nd u s with the mostu nexpected images ? Why shou ld it speak in the Latin tongue ? How

did it compose mu sic— wh ich wou ld be as impossible for me as to writea Sanscrit poem ? ”

REV . G . H. HEPWORTH ’S testimonyA s a represen tative Of l iberal Un itar ian ism ,

this clergymanhas few super iors . H is sain ted mother

,a medium

,lived and

passed to the better-lan d a confirmed Spir itualist. In a

funeral sermon , after Mr . Hepworth had cited sundry casesof mediumship in the S cr iptures

,the case of Joan of Arc

,

S ocrates , Luther , Swedenborg and Indian medicin e m en,he

remarkedI have been greatly interested in the new sect

,or denomination

,

that has come into existence in the last few years . I ts members callthemselves

aS piritu alists . Fifteen years ago they were laugh ed at ; now,

who laughs a t them ? Then,few had ever heard of su ch a system of

doctrines ; now,they number their converts by millions— they tell me

that there are six m illions Of believers,so-called

,in the United States

alone— and these converts belong to all classes of society,from

'

thepoorest to the richest and most learned . They have thirty jou rnalsdevoted to the propagation Of th eir faith . They have a library of fivehundred volumes advocating their sectar ianism . The moment you r eyeglances over these figu res , you ask

, Why is this ? The answer is plain

first,becau se the doctr ine of commu n ion has pu t off its Oppressive robes

of selfishness and personal aggrandizemen t, and pu t on the whi te ga rmen ts

of good news to the wor ld and second,becau se nothing is more evident

to my mind th an that the world long s to believe,and n eeds to believe

,

something of this sor t . It is essential to ou r relig iou s well-being. The

very minu te that terrible desolation enters a hou se and robs the familyof a loved member , leaving as a sacred memento of the past on ly the‘ vacan t chair

,

’the holiest part of ou r human natures looks up to

heaven with a dim,vagu e expectation , with a belief that has never

taken a definite shape, perhaps, that though we cannot see them,they

do see and know u s . I have the very firmest faith inthat kernel of inspiration wh ich has given to the sect all its valu e

,the

assertion that heaven is close to u s,and that its inhabitants walk the

earth both when we wake and when we sleep. It seems to me that thistru th is at the cen tre of all tru e religion ; and when I b id the sect Godspeed, it is with the gratefu l feeling that it is reviving the forgottentru th wh ich the prophets and the Christ h imself have taugh t u s . Yes

,I do "believe in this possible communion with all my heart .

MODERN SPI RITUALI SM— CLERICAL AND LITERARY.

REV . A . D. MAYo’

s testimonyWh en pastor of the Un itar ian Church , in A lbany, N . Y .

,

Mr . Mayo, in an excellen t article on“ Tran scenden ta lism

and Spir itualism,

”expres sed h is convictions thus defin itely

Transcendentalism has been confined to the circles of the cu ltivated,

though in many ways it is helping to form the national theology. This

habit of th inking on religion ,wh ich has been r idicu led in every Evan

gelical pu lpit and newspaper as the essence of absurdity and infidelity,

is s imply the American cu ltivated rendering of the words of J esu s‘ The kingdom of God is within you .

’ It is a protest against the banishment of God from natu re and the sou l an assertion that the Deitylives in America as he did in Palestine

,and u nderlies ou r conscious

n ess as su rely as that of Moses and Isaiah . To it we are indebted forth e substitu tion of the simple doctrine of Jesu s concern ing UniversalInspiration , in place of the worn-ou t mach inery of the orthodox HolySpirit. B u t it is not‘

°

as a body of people interested in mesmeric media, that this large relig ious denomination ,

now numberingof disciples, ch iefly concerns the observer of American theol

ogy , bu t as an exhibition of the popu lar tendencies of though t on

religion . Sp iri tua lism is a na tu ra l awakening of the American masses

to the doctrine of the Immor ta l L ife taught by J esus . This movementis mightily shaking the American church ; severing great ecclesiasticalbodies

,rending chu rches

,depopu lating fashionab lyb fu rnished temples,

and every year coming up with increased assu rance to demand of the

popu lar theology an accou n t of its stewardsh ip. A portion of the

churches have welcomed it,and we will be saved by their wisdom b u t

woe to the sect or chu rch that sets its face against it . It is not to bestayed by criticism from a theological or aesthetical poin t of view.

We shall learn ou t of it wha t i t means in the 1 9th century to believe in

the immor ta lity of the sou l ; and it will be fou nd that this doctrine willcome to u s fraught with vaster relation s

,suggesting larger du ties, and

elevating with nobler aspirations , than to the darkened masses of the

early ages of Heathenism or middle ages of Christian ity.

Invisible hands leave u pon our tables gifts of faith and deathless loveand immortal hope, of wh ich our fairest Christmas flowers and ou r

greenest wreaths are bu t withered and van ished types . The pavementis thronged with a mighty host that crowds no hasty passenger, andspeaks in no audible voice

,b u t all the time holds sweet converse with

the hearts of them that go to and fro. The school and the senate,and

the places where men congregate for the seriou s work of life,have their

empty chairs ; empty to ou r mortal vis ion, yet to the eye of the sou l

filled with forms of unearthly wisdom and dign ity and grace. I preachnot to-day to th is congregation alone ; bu t th is church is thronged and

overflowed, yea, the whole air is popu lou s with an audience you cannot

see ; for every beloved spirit that has left its mark on mine,and every

weary and stricken sou l that I have tried in feebleness to help, and

228 DOCTRINES or SPI RITUALI SI‘S .

every cou ntenance that only for once has gleamed ou t in spiritual recogn itica from the strangest crowd ; all who have heard my words on earthwill hear them no more ; all whose words I have heard for the las t timein th is valley of mortality, all are here to-day .

”

When a few more of the “ Rulers of th e Phar isees havebelieved ”— when a few more esteemed great, gifted an d

reputable,as guaged by th e w orld’s stan dard, Open ly avow

their kn owledge of a future existen ce through modern spiritu al phen omen a

,certain clergy w ill re-affi rni their on ce

brave utteran ces breathed in momen ts of in spiration,and

stoutly aver that early in the resurrection morn ing of American Spiritualism

,they w ere presen t and among the first to

proclaim it as a“n atural awaken ing of the masses to the

doctr in e of immortality .

”Spiritualists must keep their

chain of historic records br ight again st that prophetic day ,when the “ priests of my people shall b e brought intoj udgmen t.

REV . G . W . SKINNER ’S testimony

No matter what explanation we may give thereof, the facts of whatis called modern Spiritualism have ever been in existence . To denythem is idle ; to ignore them is trifling ; to ridicu le them is to exhibitou r own Weakness .

“What shall we do with the facts ? The records of all timesmention them ; the B ible is full of them they are said to be happen

ing all abou t u s to-day. The movement of modern Spiritu alism ,by

some,is supposed to rest solely on these phenomena . This qu estion of

Spiritu alism will yet be a greater distu rbing element in the religiou s

World than it is at presen t . These wonderfu l facts will interest thecuriou s and engage the attention of the candid ; and from them mu chligh t may be shed on obscu re natu ral laws . The intelligent masses of

America wan t more rational ideas of God, of the soul , and of our

fu ture life .

”

REV . G . S . Gownv’s testimony

I have no mean s of determining definitely what portion of ou r

Universalist preachers are Spiritualists For one,I

believe that sp ir its commun ica te with mor ta ls . I have not changed mymind upon th is subject since my controversy with B ro. Hunt.”

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230 DOCTR INES or SPIR ITUALI STS .

REV. J. P . SANFORD’S testimony

Those reading the Monthly Clarion, received this information from the R ev. M oses Hull

The last time we saw Mr . Sanford, (a Un iversalist clergyman) of

Iowa,he told a large audience in ou r tent that he was a Spiritu alist.

Said he : ‘ Persons may, by the aid of their index finger, succeed inturning up their noses at Spiritualists , bu t it is too late in the day tothink of hooting four millions of people down .

’

REV . H. A . REID’s testimony

“ The real and living verity of the fu ture life and the Spirit-world isa doctrine wh ich can appeal confiden tly to the B ible, to h istory, and toscience

,for its substantial proof and reasonable confirmation .

“ That the inhabitants of the spirit-realm ,both good and bad

,can

and do, u nder some circumstances,man ifest themselves to persons still

in the flesh , is a doctrine of natu re,taugh t most distinctly in the B ible,

and proven by the concurren t testimony of every race of mankind,in

all ages of the world.

“ In the spir it world, those having similar tastes,loves and desires

,

good or bad, associate together by spontaneous mu tual attraction or

aflinity . And each spirit is known by all the rest precisely AS I T I s,

with all its goodness or all its badness unmistakeably discerned byevery one .

REV . DR . FI SK ’

S testimonyGod, he said, has u se or employment for all the creatu res he had

made : for every saint on earth,for every angel in heaven . He wou ld

that none b e idle. He has a mission for every one . Angels and arch

angels , cherubims and seraphim s, patriarchs and prophets , apostles and

reformers,and all the holy hosts of heaven

,are h is min istering spirits ,

frequ ently dispatched to min ister u nto the strangers and sojou rners of

earth. He sends forth these spirits to gu ide and gu ard h is contritech ildren throu gh the wilderness world to their promised place at his

right hand .

Oh,consoling doctrine ! Angels are arou nd us . The spir its of the

departed good encamp abou t our pathway. Who knows how manytimes the sainted spirit of Pau l has been ou r gu ardian

-angel , protectingand defending u s . Who can tell how often Marah

’

s humble spirit hassu rrounded ou r thorny pathway, strewing it w ith heaven ly flowers and

the golden fru its of the tree of life,and perfuming the atmosphere we

breathe with celestial fragrance .

“Who knows how frequently the sainted spirits of B enson and

Watson and Clarke have hovered over ou r minds , directing them to the

sound doctrines of the Gospel of Tru th and how often has the fervent

MODERN SPIRITUALI SM— CLERICAL AND . ITERARY . 231

Spirit of Wesley inspired u s with zeal,and the spirit of Lu ther withholy boldness to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the

saints . And how often has B unyan ’s b lessed spirit lingered arou nd ou r

path , to lead us on tou

God . And who knows,brethren

,bu t it is the

inspiring spirit of the flaming Whitefield, or Hall,or Chalmers , that

sometimes sets on fi re ou r stammering tongues with heavenly eloquence.

”

REV . H. ELKIN’S testimony

“ The B ible is fu ll of these revelations,Sights and man ifestations

,

and if we believe the B ible, why is it .not as easy to believe that spir itscan commu n icate with men now as anciently ? If spirits ever cou ld

appear u nto men,they can to-day . If man ever had intercou rse with

Spirits he may to-day bu t no doubt certain physiological and psych ial

condition s are necessary,else all men cou ld hold intercou rse . Not all

men anciently cou ld commune with Spirits . Not all men at the presen ttime can commune with spirits . B u t the same facu lty wh ich aided

them to see and commune with Spirits anciently,can

,if righ tly devel

Oped, aid them tod ay ; and modern man ifestations are as real as ancientones .

Spiritualism comes to the aid of the church and they reject it . Itsupplies to atheists and infidels the lacking evidence of immortality

,and

they receive it . It thu s resembles Chr istianity in its first movements ,which was rej ected by professedly religiou s men . The doctrine of

immortality mu st u ltimately rest upon proof, or be rejected . And if

all the phenomena attending the modern movement be accou nted for on

physiological grounds, withou t the in tervention of Spirits , ancient phenomena will have to pass the same ordeal and receive the same senten ce .

Whatever physiological law will accou nt for involuntary polyglot speaking and writing modern ly, will accou n t for the Speaking in u nknowntongu es anciently. Whatever physiological law will accou n t for themodern prophecies , gifts of healing , revelations

, poems , hymns and

doctr ines,will accou nt for the ecstacies

, prophecies, gifts of healing ,&c.

,in ancient times . Whatever physiological law will account for the

apparitions , or the seeing of Spir its , lights , hearing of mu sic,&c.

,

modernly,will accou n t for the visions and Voices heard anciently.

Whatever physiological law will accoun t for the lifting and moving of

tables, pianos , &c. by invisible power , modern ly, will accou nt for the

u nbarring of the doors of Pau l’

s prison anciently. Whatever physiological law will accou nt for John Hocknel

’

s seeing Ann Lee’s Spirit

when it left the body,wafted upward in a golden chariot drawn by

wh ite horses,and scores of similar cases

,when spirits have been seen to

leave their earthly bodies,wafted upward by a convoy of angels, mod

ern ly , will accou nt for the trans lation of Enoch,and El ij ah , and the

ascens ion of Christ, ancien tly. Whatever phys iological law will accou ntfor Henry Gordon ’s being carr ied throu gh the air

,by invis ible power

from a sofa,across the room

,and pu t upon a bed

,modern ly

,will accou nt

for Jesus ’ walking upon the sea,anciently.”

232 DOCTR INES or SPIR ITUALI STS .

REV . J . H . TUTTLE’

S testimonyThis Un iversal ist clergyman ,

review ing a camp-meetingdiscourse of th e R ev . M r . Mattison , says , inquir ingly

How do you KNOW that the sou l,when it leaves the body. departs

far away ? and does not retu r n Solomon says the Spirit shall retu rnu nto God who gave it— I s GOD so FAR AWAY ? One wou ld think so

from the scream i ng effort you r brethren on the camp-

grou nd made to

enable him to hear their ‘

prayers ! In the B ible,we can poin t out

numerou s instan ces where spiritual beings talked and commu ned withmortals ; where , too, they assumed a form and were visible . If spiritscannot retu rn , how did Moses and Elij ah appear to Peter , James and

John on the Mou nt ? I f you reply that this, and other instances of

th e kind mentioned in the B ible, were special interpositions of Providence

,exception s to a general law,

we ask again ,How do you know

this ? An angel appeared to John the revelator . (See Rev . 8th .

If you reply that th is was not a spirit which had once been 1n the flesh,

then we ask you to read the following and learn you r mistake : And IJ ohn saw these things , and heard them ; and when I had heard and

seen,I fell down

,to worship before the feet of the angel, which showed

me these th ing s . Then saith he unto me,see thou do it not : for I am

thy fellow ser van t,a nd of thy brethr en the P rop hets , and of them which

keep the say ings of this book : Pau l,in Heb . l st

,1 4th

,says : ‘Arc

they not all, ( i. e . angels ,) min istering spirits , sent forth to minis ter

unto them who shall be heirs of salvation ? ’ From these,and other

passages , it is plain that spirits do come and minister u nto us ; and

therefore we have little regard for the Specu lations Of man to the

contrary.R EV . W . KER ’

S testimonyThe gen tleman cr iticis ing this clergy ’man s recen tly pub

lished w ork,pen s th e follow ing mean ing paragraph

The writer of these pages has, for a length of time , bestowed greatatten tion upon the su bject, and is in a position to aflirm with all confi

dence,from h is own experience and repeated trials , that the alleged

phenomena of Spir itu alism are,by far the most part, the products

neither of impostu re nor delus ion . They are tru e,and that to the

fullest extent . Nay, the marvels which he h imself has witnessed in thepriva te r etir emen t of h is own home

,with only a few select fr iends

,and

withou t hav ing even somu ch as ever seen a public medium ,are in many

respects fu llyz3

equ al to any of the startling narratives which haveappeared 1 n pr in t. He has fou nd that there

o'

1 s an intelligence behind,or u nder, those varied man ifestations

, which can read our inmostthoughts ; can in many cases tru ly predict coming events ; can tellwhatmay be at the momen t pass ing i n distan t places ; can answer mental

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234 DOCTRINES or SPIRITUALI STS .

These extracts , s elected almost at ran dom,reveal her

mediumship and SpiritualismPresentiments are s trange things and so are sympath ies ; and so are

signs . I never laughed at presentiments in my life ; becau se I have hadstrange ones of my own .

“ B esides this earth,and besides the race of men

,there is an invisible

world and a kingdom of spirits that world is around u s,for it is every

where ; and those spir its watch u s,for they are commissioned to gu ard

us ; and if we were dying u nder pain and shame,if scorn smote u s on

all sides,and hatred cru shed u s

,angels see our tortures

,recogn ize our

innocence, ( if innocen t we b e,) and God waits on ly the separation of

Spi rit from flesh to crown u s with a fu ll reward . Why, then , shou ld weever sink overwhelmed with distress

,when life is so soon over

,and

death is so certain an entrance to happiness— to glory ? ”

Her b iographer makes the further record“ Some one conversing with her once obj ected

,in my presence, to

that part of J ane Ey re, in which she hears Rochester ’s voice cryingou t to her in a great crisis of her life

,he being many, many miles

distan t at the time . I do not know what incident was i n Miss B ronte’srecollection

,when she replied, in a low voice

,drawing in her breath,

‘ B UT IT I S A TRUE TH ING ; I T R EALLY HAPPENED.

’

HORACE GREELEY ’S testimonyNoting the R ecollection s Of a busy L ife

, th I S politicianand con servative moralist, in referen ce to attending spiritualseances with N . P . W illis

,M ’ lle Jenny L ind

,and others

hon ored in th e literary and mus ical world,w rites

I never saw a‘spirit hand,’ though persons in whose veracity I

have fu ll confidence assu re me that they have done so,B u t I have sat

with three others arou nd a small table, with every one of ou r eigh

thands lying plain ly, palpably, on that table, and heard rapid writi ngwith a pencil on paper , wh ich , perfectly white, we had j ust previou slyplaced u nder that table ; and have, the next minu te

, picked up thatpaper with a Sensible

,straigh t-forward message of twen ty to fifty words

fairly written thereon . I do not say by whom ,or by what said message

was written ; yet I am qu ite confident that none of the persons presen t,who were visible to mortal eyes

,wrote it .

“ The ‘ mediums ’ are often children of tender years,who had no

su ch training , have no special dexterity, and some of whom are knownto be awkward and clumsy in their movements . The jugg lery hypothesis u tterly fails to account for occurrences wh ich I have personallywitnessed

,to say noth ing of others .

MODERN SPIR ITUALI SM— CLERICAL AND LITERARY.

The failures of the ‘ mediums’were more convincing to my m nd

than their successes . A j uggler can do near ly as well at one time as

another ; bu t I have known the most eminen t ‘ mediums spend a longevening in trying to evoke the ‘

spiritual phenomena ,’ withou t a gleam

of su ccess . I have known this to occu r when they were particu larlyanxiou s— and for obvious ly good reasons— to astou nd and convincethose who were present and expectan t ; yet not even the faintest ‘

rapcou ld they scare u p. Had they been j ugglers they cou ld not havefailed so u tterly

,ignominiou sly. All that we have learned

of them ( the spirits) has added little or noth ing to ou r knowledge,un less it be enabling u s to answer with more confidence

,that old

,

momentou s qu estion,If a man die

,shall he live again ? The on ly

certain conclus ion to which my mind has been led in the premises , isforcibly set forth by Shakespeare in the words of the Dan ish pr ince

Ther e ar e more th ings in h eaven and earth , Horatio,Than ar e dreamt of in your ph ilosophy .

’

MARGARET FULLER ’S testimony

As to the power of holding intercourse with Spirits emancipatedfrom ou r present sphere, we see no reason why it shou ld not exist

,and

do some reason why it shou ld rarely be developed, bu t none why it

shou ld not sometimesf These spirits are, we all believe

,existent some

how ; and there Seems to be no good reason why a person in spiritualnearness to them

,whom su ch intercou rse cannot agitate or engross SO

that he cannot walk steadily in his present path , shou ld not enjoy itwhen of u se to h im.

”

GERR ITT SMITH ’

S testimonyNO mortal— brave

,free an d gen erous as this life-long

reformer— could b e a sectar ist. R eferr ing to h is “ S ermon sand Speeches”— p . 39—40— we fi nd this statemen twe are charged with being Spiritu alists . Some of u s are

,and

some of u s are not Spiritu alists . B u t what if w e all were- still mightwe not all be Ch ristians ? To be a Spiritualist— that is , to believe thatspir its can commu n icate with us— is no proof that a man is, or is not , aChr istian . H is cordial reception , as evidenced in h is life, of the greatessential moral tru ths which come to h im

,whether in commu nication s

from spirits or from any other sou rce— this,and this alone

, proves thathe is a Chr istian . If Spiritu alism has been the occas ion of harm to

some,nevertheless there are others in whom it has wrought good. We

have neighbors , whose religious life has been greatly improved by theirinterest in Spiritu alism . A favor ite,and certainly a very

winn ing doctrine of the Spiritu alists , is that a wicked man attracts wickedSpirits , and a good man good ones . Howp rotective,p urifying , an d every

236 DOCTRINES OF SPI RITUALI STS .

way happy , mu s t be i ts influence on him who tru ly believes i t ! How

efi cicn t the motive it fu rnishes to avoid a bad and p u rsu e a good lifeI mu st not fail to add, in this connection,that the SpiritualistsI met in my tou rs through the State, last fall,were nearly all reformers .

They had broken ofl‘

from both political and ecclesiastical parties , andwere earnestly and openly devoting themselves to the abolition of sec

tarian ism,slavery

,intemperance, and other wrongs . I have no doubt

that, in proportion to their numbers

,Spiritualists cast tenfold as many

votes for the abolition and temperance ticket as did others . Surelysuch a fact is high ly commendatory of the influence of Spiritualism.

MRS . STANTON,of the R evolu tion

,wr iting of a vis it to Mrs .

Gerr itt Smith and her san ctuary sacred to angel converse ,says

This is Ann Fitzhugh, the wife of Gerritt Smith, and this is theplace where she commu nes with the invis ible world, with the Spirits ofj u st men and women made perfect through su ffering . Here she reads

Davis and Harris,and discu sses the doctr ines of modern Spiritu alism

in wh ich she is a fi rm believer .

”

W I LLIAM LLOYD GARR I SON’S testimony

As the man ifes tations have spread from hou se to house, from cityto city

,from one part of the country to the other

,across the Atlan tic

into Europe , till now the civilized world is compelled to acknowledgetheir reality

,however diverse in accounting for them— as these man i

festations continu e to increase in variety and power , so that all suspicionof trick or imposture becomes simply absu rd and preposterou s— and as

every attempt to find a solu tion for them in some physical theory relating to electricity

,the odic force

,clairvoyance

,and the like

,h as thu s far

proved abortive— it becomes every intelligen t mind to en ter into an

investigation of them with candor and fairness,as opportunity may offer ,

and to bear such testimony in regard to them as the facts may warran t ,no matter what ridicu le it may excite on the part of the u n informed or

skeptical . As for ourselves,we have been in no haste to jump to a

conclu sion in regard to phenomena so u niversally diffused and Of so

extraordinary a character . For the last three years we have kept pacewith nearly all that has been published on the subject ; and we havewitnessed

,at variou s times

,many surprising ‘ manifestations ; and ou r

conviction is, that they cannot be accounted for on any other theorythan that of spiritu al agency.

”

REV . DR . G . TOWNSEND’

S testimonySO completely has the skeptical ph ilosophy of the day pervaded

society, that even among p rofessed Chr is tians , he wou ld now be esteemeda visionary who si -Ou ld venture to declare his belief In this most favorite'

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238 DOCTR INES or S PI RITUALI STS .

into a seer,and the poet into a prophet ; herein we find a key to the

mysteries of Horeb, and Elron,and Ombos to the in toxication of

Castal ian lau rels , the revelations of the month Ension . Hence,too

,we

have Pelcia at Dodona Phemonae at Delphos ; Trophon iu s in Z ebadea ;Ezekiel on the Chebar ; and Jerome in the Thepais Lu therholding converse with devils in his garret at Wittenbu rgh ; Pascalshu tting ou t the View of the infernal regions with the screen of h is

cabinet ; the African Ob i conversing with the wh ite-faced God,B ossum

are each and all the same p henomena , diversely in terpreted by the mindsin which they manifest themselves , according to their capacity and

power . Lu ther and Pascal were grand, and are grand still .”

In a fun eral address delivered at the in termen t of EmilyDe P utren ,

this Fren ch author said most feelinglyDeath is the greatest of liberties ; it is also the furthest progress .

Death is a higher step for all who have lived upon its height. Dazzlingand holy every one receives his in crease

,everyth ing is transfigu red in the

light and by the light. He who has been no more than virtuous on earthbecomes beau teou s ; he who has on ly been beau teous becomes sublime ,

and he who has on ly been sublime becomes good . The sou l,

the marvel of this great celestial departure wh ich we ca ll death,is here .

Those who that depart still remain near u s— they are in a world of ligh t,bu t they as tender witnesses hover abou t our world of darkness .

The dead are invisible,bu t they are not absen t.”

W ILLIAM HOWITT’s testimony

This emin en t man and distinguished author,SO scholarly

in attainmen t and affluen t in class ical allus ion,con tinually

testifi es— a living apostle— to a presen t commun ion w ith theSpir it-wor ld . H e wrote thus vig orously last season to theEnglish Dunfermline Press

SIR—Who are the men who have in every countryembraced Spiritualism ? The rabble ? the ignoran t ? the fanatic B yno means . B u t the most intelligent and able men of all classes . Wh enSu ch is the case

,su rely it becomes the ‘majority of reflecting men ,’ to

u se the words of your editor , to reflect on these facts . Let numbers gofor nothing ; bu t, when the numbers add also first rate position , pre-eminent abilities, largest experience of men and their doings,weight of moral ,religiou s , scientific, and political character , then the man who does not

look in to what th ese declare to be tru th,is not a reflecting, bu t a very

foolish and prejudiced man . Now,it is very remarkable that

,when we

proceed to enumerate the leading men who have embraced modern Spiritualism ,

we begin also to enumerate the pre-em inent intellects and characters of the age. In America you jus tly say that the shrewd and honest

MODERN SPIR ITUALISM— CLER ICAL AND LITERARY. 239

Abraham Lincoln was a Spir itu alist. He was a devoted one . So also

were,and are

,the Hon . Robert Dale Owen and;J udge Edmonds so was

Professor Hare. You are righ t in all these particu lars . In fact,almost

every eminent man in the American Government is a Spiritu alist. Gar

rison,whom the anti-Spiritualists were so lately and enthu siastically fete

ing in England, for h is zealous services in the extinction of negro slaveryis an avowed Spiritualist . Horace Greeley

,the editor of the New York

Tri bune,a man whose masterly

, political, reason ing has done more thanany man to direct the course of American politics, is a Spiritualist .Longfellow,

the poet, now in England, and just treated with the highesthonors by the Un iversity of Cambridge , and abou t to be feted by thewhole literary world of England, is , and has long and Open ly been , a

Spiritualist. B u t I might run over the majority of the great names of

America. Turn to France. The shrewd Emperor , the illustrious V ictorHugo, the sage and able statesman Gu izot

,one of the most powerfu l

champion s of Christian ity, are Spiritualists . So is Garibaldi,in Italy.

In England, you might name a very l ong and distingu ished list of menand women , of all classes

,Spiritu alists . If you had the au thority you

migh t mention names which wou ld startle no little those who afl'

ect to

sneer at Spiritualism . It is confiden tly said that a Spiritu alist sits on

the throne of these realms,as we know that su ch do sit on those of the

greatest nations of Europe . We know that the members of some of the

ch ief du cal hou ses of Scotland, and of the noble hou ses of Ireland and

England, are Spiritu alists . Are all these people likely to plunge theirheads and their repu tations in to an u npopu lar cau se withou t first lookingwell in to it ? B u t then , say the Opponen ts , the scien tific don ’t affect it .

They must greatly qu alify this assertion , for many and eminent Scientificmen have had the sense and the cou rage to look in to it, and have foundit a great tru th . The editor of the Dunfermline P r ess remarks on yourObservations regarding Robert Chambers , that Chamber s’ J ou rna l of the1 3th of May last, has a certain article not flattering to Spiritual ism .

Tru e,bu t not the less is Robert Chambers an avowed Sp ir i tu a list, and

boldly came forward on the Home and Lyon trial,to express h is faith in

Mr . Home . The editor might quote articles in the Times,the S tandard

,

the S tar , and the Da i ly Telegrap h , again st Spiritu alism , yet it is a wellknown fact that on all these journals some of their ablest writers are

Spir itu alists ; bu t is it not always prudent for a man to say what he is .

This is not an age in love with martyrdom .

>1< >x< >s< >1< >k >l<

Numbers of scientific men have embraced Spiritualism . Dr . Hare,

men tioned by you , was a great electrician , rated by the Americans little,if any , inferior to Faraday. He did exactly what people now wantscien tific men to do. He thought Spiritu alism a humbug , and wen tregu larly into an inqu iry in order to expose it . B u t it did— as it has

done in every case that I have heard of,where scientific men have gone

candidly and fairly into the exam ination— after two years of testing and

proving, convince him of its tru th . Dr . Elliotson,a very scientific

man,and for years violently opposed to Spiritualism,

so soon as he was

240 DOCTR INES or S PIRITUALISTS .

willing to inqu ire, became convinced,and now blesses God for the know

ledge of it . Dr . Ashbu rner , h is fellow editor of the Z oist,has also

long been an avowed Spiritualist. Mr . Alfred Wallace,a scientific

man and excellent naturalist,who was on the Amazon with Mr . B ates

,

has published h is conviction of its tru th. S ir Charles Wheatstone,

’

some time ago, on seeing some remarkable phenomena in h is own house,declared them real . And ju st now,

on the Home and Lyon trial,the

public have seen Mr . Varley,a man of first rate scien ce

,the electrician

to the Electric and International and the Atlan tic Telegraph Companies ,come forward and make affi davit of ‘ h is having investigated the facts of

Spiritualism ,and found them real . Now

,after su ch cases

,why th is

continual cry ou t for examination by Scientific men Scientific men of

the first stamp have examined and reported that it is a great fact. Sci

entific men by the hu ndred and the thou sand have done it,and yet the

crowd go on crying for a scien tific man . Why ? Simply because it ismu ch easier to Open their mou th s and bleat as sheep do in a flock thanexert their minds and their senses . It is time that all this folly had an

end. There are now more'

Spiritu alists than wou ld popu late Scotlandseven times over at its presen t scale of popu lation and su rely the testimony of su ch a mu ltitude

,inclu ding statesmen

, ph ilosophers, historian s ,and scien tific men

,too

,is as absolu tely decisive as any mortal matter can

be. And pray, my good friend, don ’t trouble you rself that your neighbors call you mad . You are mad in most excellent company. All the

great men of all ages who have in troduced or accepted new ideas weremad in the eyes of their cotemporaries . AS I have said

,Socrates and

Christ and St . Pau l were mad ; Galileo was mad ; De Caus was mad ;Thomas Gray, who first advocated railways

,was declared by the Edin

bu rgh R eview mad as a march hare. They are the illu striou s tribe of

madmen by whom the world is propelled, widened as by Columbu s, anden lightened as by B acon

,Newton

,Des Cartes

,and the rest of them

,who

were all declared mad in their tu rn . And don’t be anxiou s abou t Spir

itualism . From the first momen t of its appearance to this, it has movedon totally unconcerned and u nharmed amidst every Species of opposition ,misrepresentation , lying , and obstru ction

,and yet has daily and hourly

grown , and spread, and strengthened, as if no su ch evil influ ences wereassailing it . Like the sun

,it has traveled on its cou rse unconscious of

the clou ds beneath it . Like the ocean,it has rolled in billows over the

slimy creatures at its bottom,and dashed its majestic waves over every

proud man who dared to tread with in its limits . And whence comes

this ? Obviously, from the hand which is beh ind itr —the hand of the

Great Ru ler of the Universe . For my part, having long perceived thisgreat fact, I have ceased to care what people say or do against Spiritualism to care who believes or does not believe who comes into it orstays ou t ; certain that it is as mu ch a part of God’s economy of theuniverse as the light of the sun

,and will

,therefore

, go on and'

do its

work .

”

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£242 DOCTRINES or SPIR ITUALIS ’I ‘S .

high above them all . It is necessary here to pu t by the common and

more imperfect man ifestations of Spiritualism,and

,

also to concede to a

man of able mind a large liberty of judgment . The common u tterancesof any faith wou ld discredit it with one who had no sympathy with it .If a man of mind and character adopts a faith which is supposed bas eless, it is necessary to as sume that there may be some mistake in thissupposition . He wou ld be singu larly at faul t who shoul d think it mecessary to explain in the way of apology Mr. Pierpont’s adherence to Spiritualism . The fact does not at all abate from his credit, bu t on the

contrary to his honor .

It is too early to vindicate, withou t extended explanation , the providential significance of the movement known as Spiritualism. I am not

myself competent to adequ ately criticise this movement. B u t I have no

doubt whatever that it is to become the most living and most y aluab le

developmen t of modern Christian ity. It is working up from the people,from those to whom no Chur ch penetrated, and in the day of its fu ll

power it will be a force in religiou s progress su ch as no Chu rch has been .

It will bring to all the Chu rches new life,in faith

,hope and love . The

day\will come when the devotion of our friend to this movemen t will

mark him as one on whom a prophetic Spirit rested . It was in the h ighcourage of a noble confessor that he took this step, as all the other greatsteps of his life.

A B RAHAM L INCOLN,gen erally con s idered an infidel by

evangelical den omin ation s , was a member of no church, andmade no profess ion of religion . H is ten den cies were al l

towards Spir itualism and German Ration alism,as his real

heart-friends unhes itatingly testify . That he invited mediain to h is presen ce, atten ded seances

,and devoted not a l ittle

time to the investigation of Spir itualism ,n one of even

ordinary information upon th e subj ect deny . Judge Edmondsdelivering an oration in Hope Chapel upon th e life of th emartyred Pres iden t, spoke of his close sympathy w ith h imin that divin e philosophy— th e ministry of spir its . M r .

L in coln ’s frequ ent presen timen ts were to himself author

itative prophecies

In Judge Pierpont’s address to the jury at the Surratt trial, he saidhe now came to a strange act in th is dark drama— strange, though not

new—so wonderfu l that it seems to come from beyond the veil that separates us from death . It is not n ew

,bu t it is strange .

.All governments

are of God,and for some wise pu rpose the Great Ru ler of all

,by pre

sen timen ts, portents , bodings , and by dreams

,sends some shadowy

Warning of a com ing dawn when a great disaster is to befall a nation .

MODERN SPI R ITUALI SM— CLER ICAL AND LITERARY. 243

So was it in the days of Sau l— when Caesar was killed— when B ru tusdied at Phillippi

-so was it when Christ was cru cified—s o was it when

Harold fell at the battle of Hastings —so was it when the Czar was

assassinated—s o was it before the bloody death of Abraham Lincoln

,

Presiden t of the Un ited States . In the life of Caesar,by De ! uincy, in

f Pompey, by P lu tarch , is given the porten ts that came to warnPompey. Here it is we find how Caesar was warned. We find it truein all cases

,and never in the whole history of the world has there been

a single instance when the assassin s of the head of the movemen t havenot been brough t to pu n ishment . The assassin of a ru ler never hasescaped, though he has taken the wings of the morn ing and fled to the

u ttermost parts of the earth .

’On the morn ing of April 1 4th ,Mr . Lin

coln called his cabinet together . He had reason to be joyfu l , bu t he wasanxious to hear from Sherman . Gran t was here

,and he said ‘ Sherman

was all right ; bu t Mr . Lincoln feared,and related a dream which he

had the n igh t before— a dream which he had previou s to Chancellorsville and Stone R iver,and whenever a disaster had happened. The

members of the Cabinet who heard that relation will never forget it .

A few hou rs afterward Sherman was not heard from— bu t the dream was

ful filled. A disaster had befallen the government, and Mr . Lincoln’s

Spirit returned to the God who gave it .

”

In con trovertible eviden ces in confirmation of spir itualpresen ces in ou r midst to impress

,in spire and commun icate

— testimon ies from clerical and literary gen tlemen— frompoets

,authors

,pr iests

,j udges and hon ored senators— are

n ear ly as numberless as stars in the fi rmam en t . P u t the

in quiry directly,however

,to some of the clergymen— Do

you believe in Spir itualism — believe that departed spir itscommun i cate w ith friends on earth — an d piously declar ingagain st “ phys ical man ifestation s by way of spr inkling a

few grain s of in cen se upon the altar of a church-begg ingrespectability

,they w i ll an swer We believe in the B ible

min istry of angels .

” Down on this slimy policy— this con

summate cowardice ! S tirr ingly wr ites the English poet,

Gerald MasseyOu t of the l ight, ye Pr iests , nor flingYour dark, cold shadows on u s longer !

As ide ! thou wor ld-wide cu rse, cal l’d king !

The peOpl e’s step is qu icker , stronger .

There’

s a Divin ity with inThat makes men g reat, wh ene

’er they will it !

044 DOCTR INES or S PI R ITUALI STS .

God works with a l l wh o dare to win,

And th e time h as come— to r eveal itThe People’s Advent’s coming !

Spir itualism has in carnated itself in to ou r literature, art,music

,philosophy and legislation and it gathers strength

and courtly symmetry as it sweeps through the land,destin ed

to become the un iversal religion of the en lighten ed wor ld .They bu ilded wiser than they knewThe consciou s stone to beauty gr ew.

”

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pHAP T EK XX IV .

POETIC TESTIMONY.

“ Sounding through_

the dreamy dimnes sWhere I faint and weary lay ,

Spake a poet I w il l lead th eeTo the land of s ongs to

-day .

’

Sweet and heaven ly s ings the P oet Laureate of Englar d‘How pure at heart and sou nd in h ead,

With what divin e affection s boldShou ld b e the man whose though t wou ld hol d

An hou r’

s commu n ion wi th the dead .

In vain shalt thou , or any , call

The spir its from th eir golden day ,Except, l ike th em, th ou too can st say

My spir it is at peace with al l .”

Exalted minds dwell in the elemen t of the spir itual.Th e spir itual is the real . P oets are the soul’s prophets.Un like m etaphysw l an s , they give u s the product of theirspiritual life and intuitive in sight, and appeal to th e con

sciou sn ess and deep sympathies of human ity for th e verification . P oets are divin ity-appoin ted in terpret ers

,employing

th e shadows of the outer world to reveal the substan ce of thew orld w ithin . From the Vedic hymn s of th e Hindoos theirg lory gleams al l along the pages of thought an d culture .

Brain,sunned from heaven , pen afi re w ith truth

,their lin es

ever tender , glow w ith the fadeless radian ce of immortal247

248 DOCTRINES or srrnrruamsrs .

love. Divest God of th e attr ibute of love— dis robe literature of its ideal— strip poetry of its Spir itualism ,

and th e

res iduum is shells— n othing but shells . The nature-poet ofGalilee

,Jesus

,walked under Syr ian skies a Spir itualist.

guarded by a leg ion of angels .

W ant of space warran ts but a few quotations from the

r ich poesy fields of Spir itualism . Grand this apos trophe ofColer idg e :

Contemplant Spir its ! ye that hover o’er

With untr ied gaze the immeasurab le foun tEbu l l ien t with cr eative DeityAnd y e of plastic power , that inter fu sedRoll throu gh the grosser and mater ial mas s

In organ izing su rge Hol ies of God

LONGFELLOW ’

S testimony“ Some men there ar e, I have known such , w ho th inkThat the two wor lds— the seen an d th e u ns een ,

Th e wor ld of matter and the wor ld of spir itAr e like the h emispher es u pon ou r maps ,

And tou ch each oth er on ly at a point.B u t these two wor lds ar e n ot divided thu s ,Save for th e pu rpos e of common speech .

Th ey form on e globe, in which the par ted s eas

Al l flow together and ar e intermingl ed ,

Wh ile th e gr eat continents r emain distinct.96 ac as 96 at

Th e spir itu al wor ldLies all abou t us , an d i t s avenu esAre open to the un seen feet of phantomsThat come and go, and we per ceive them not

Save by their influ en ce, or wh en at timesA most myster iou s P rovid ence permi ts themTo manifes t themselves to mor ta l ey es .

at at x

A drowsiness is s teal ing over meWh ich is n ot s leep ; for, though I close mine eyes,I am awake

, and in another wor ld.

Dim faces of the dead and of th e absentCome floating u p befor e me .

-x 96 ~x at 96

Wh en th e hou rs of day ar e number ed,And the voices of the n igh t

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250 Docrnm s s or srrarr uamsr s .

The pillow by h is tear -drops wet,The s ton iest couch that heard h is cr ies,

Had near a golden ladder set

That touched the skies .

And at the morn ing on h is b ed,

And in sweet vis ion s of the n ight,Angels , descending, comforted

His sou l with light.

And , a s the g lory thu s discernedHis heart des ir ed

,with strong desire ;

By seraph s tou ch ed, his l ips h ave burnedWith sacred fi re.

As raven s to El ij ah bare,At morn and eve, the promis ed bread ;

So by the sp ir its of th e air

His sou l was fed .

MR S . M . A . L IVERMORE ’

S testimonyThe glory of genuin e poets trails all along the eras of art

and culture . Their in spiration s are comparable to dewdropsdr ipping from the leaves of the Tree of L ife .

”The g ifted

Mrs . L ivermore, w ife of R ev. D . P . L ivermore , and assistan teditor of the New Covenant s ings the pr in ciples of Spir itualismin these lin esList thee, father : ’twas last even ing as I lay upon my b ed,

Thinking of my sainted moth er , whom they hid among th e dead,

Till my tear s bedewed th e pill ow, as though wet with dropping rain ,An d I prayed aloud in angu ish that sh e might come back again

’Twas ju st then , as I lay weeping , that the beau tifu l angel came,And her voice was fraught with mu s ic as sh e cal led me by my name ;

And her r obe seemed woven sunbeams ,’twas so soft and clear and br igh t,

And h er fair,h igh brow was cir cled by a diadem of l ight.”

Descr ibing th e br ightn ess of the shin ing angel mother , theimpr inted kiss and her own calm

,happy sen sation s , she thus

con tin uesAnd sh e spoke— I cannot tel l thee all the blessed angel said

As sh e bent above my pil low an d kept watch beside my b ed ;B u t of heaven ly things she told me- of a l ight and lovely land,Where there dwelleth angel

-ch ildren many a fair and spotless band

MODERN SPIRITUALISM POETIC TESTIMONY . 251

And she s aid such flower s bloom there as we never see below,

Rosier than the hues of sun set, br ighter than th e rain ’s fair brow

And such gush ing strain s of mu s ic swel l along the fragrant air ,As will soothe the ransomed spir it when r eleased from earthly care.

MILTON’S testimony

“Mil l ion s of spir itual beings walk the earth unseen ,

Both wh en we wake and when we sl eep.

"

TENNYSON ’

S testimony :Inthat spiritual b iog raphy, In Memoriam

,is mirrored

the var ious changes of a poet’ s love and tendern ess upon theearthly loSs of a friend . Death he con siders an upwardflight

— the leaving of a mortal garmen t, a ruin ed chrysalis,

a shattered temple .

Th e poems of this gifted son of song presen t a type of

Spiritualism ,as beautiful as philosophical

God’s finger touch

’d him,and he s lept

The great Intel ligences fairThat range above ou r mortal state ,In circle round th e blessed gate,

Received and gave him welcome th ere

And led h im through the bl issfu l cl imes ,And show

’d him in th e fou ntain fresh

Al l knowledge that the son s of fleshShal l gath er in th e cycled times .

i t 99 96 at X

And he the mu ch -beloved again ,

A lord of large exper ience, trainTo r iper growth the mind and will

And what del ights can equal thoseThat stir th e spir it’s inn er deeps,Wh en on e that loves b u t knows not, reaps

A tru th from on e that loves and knows ?

If s uch a dreamy tou ch shou ld fall ,

Oh , turn thee round, r esolve th e doubt,My guardian angel will speak ou t

In that high place, and tell th ee al l .

252 DOCTR INES OF S PI RITUALI STS .

If any vis ion shou ld revealThy l ikenes s, I might count i t va inAs b u t th e canker of th e bra in ;

Yea, though it spake and made appeal

To chances wher e ou r lots wer e castTogether in the days behind,I m ight b u t say , I h ear a wind

Of memory murmu r ing th e past.

Yea,though it spake and bar ed to view

A fact within th e coming year ;And though the month s , r evolvin g n ear.

Shou ld prove the phantom-warn ing tru e ,Th ey might not s eem thy proph ecies ,

B u t spir itu al pr esentimentsa at 96

Descend, and tou ch , and enter ; h earTh e w i sh too strong for words to n ame

That in th is blindness of the frameMy ghost may feel that time i s n ear .

Come— n ot in watches of the n ight,B u t wh er e th e sunbeam b r oodeth warm

Come, beau teou s in th in e after form ,

And l ike a fin er l ight in l igh t.

B e near u s when we climb or fal lYe watch , like God, th e r ol ling hour s

With larger oth er eyes than ou r s,

To make al lowance for u s all .

it 9t

And al l at once it seem’d at last

His l iving sou l was flashed on mine,

And min e in h is was wound, and wh ir l’d

Abou t empyr eal h eights of thought,And came on that wh ich is , and cau gh t

The deep pu l sation s of the wor ld .

”

WHITTIER’s testimonyWith s ilence on ly as their ben ediction

God’s angel s come,

Wh ere,in th e shadow of a gr eat afll iction ,

Th e sou l sits dumb-x at

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HAP T E FK XXV.

EXISTENCE OF GOD.

The people were aston ished at h is doctrine.—Matthew.

My doctr ine shal l drop as th e rain

My speech shal l disti l as the dew ;As the smal l rain upon the tender herb,And as the shower s upon the gras s .

”- J ehokah.

“As oth er men have cr eeds , so I h ave min eI keep th e holy faith in God, in man ,

And in the angel s min istran t between .—Til ton .

I hold a faith mor e dear to me

Than earth ’ s r ich m in es , or fame’

s prou d treasu r e ,

ac at -x se at

A faith that plu cks from death i ts sting ;Commu nes wi th an gel s every day ,Sees God, th e good in every th ing,Wh er e Tru th E terna l holds h er sway.

— P o'wel l .

R eason pertains to God ; reason ings , w ith their inductiveand deductive methods , to progress ive m an . Moral freedomis liberty of action , achieved in accordan ce w ith the divin eforces of ou r being and th e law s of th e Infin ite . The sphereof freedom is the relative. It stan ds related to the absolute

,

something as th e varying eddy to the deep,clear

,rolling

r iver , destined to sweep onward to th e ocean .

Belief is an assen t of th e min d to certain preposition s . Itis based prin cipally upon testimony . Suffi cien t eviden cescompel it ; a lack of demon stration precludes any rational

254

EXEGETICAL SPIR ITUALI SM — ’

EXISTENCE OF GOD.

belief. The reasonableness of eviden ce is the sou l of evi

dence, and the highest au thority that any individual can

possibly have,is the voiced command of God in his own

sou l.Spiritu alists have no au thoritative book-oracles , nor p et

rifi ed Apostles ’ creeds to be interpreted by cowled priests or

mitered pon tiffs. They bow to no kingly master Chrishna,

Jesus nor John . They tru st in n o external sign s , ceremo

n ies or institu tional law-logic, scriptu ral or secu lar , for

salvation . They rely upon no wafers , sacramen tal altars red

with the crimsoned cu rren ts of slain goats , kids or Christs,to remove the legitimate con sequ ences that resu lt from

infringemen ts of natu ral law .

3

They ackn owledge n o ecclesiastical au thority, n or lean upon clergymen or popes , Romishor American , for their kn owledge of those spiritual mattersthat relate to immortality and etern ity .

In giving general doctrinal statements , then , we define not

for su ch Spiritualists as the King of Bavaria or Napoleon ofFrance

,or Gar i baldi of Italy ; not for the How itts and W il

kinsons of England ; not for Senator Wade and other honorable members of Congress ; n ot for R obert Dale Owen ,

Prof. Upham or Col . Higginson ; not for numbers of the

most celebrated judges , j urists , poets and w r iters of the age ;n ot for Theodore Tilton ’

s many hon ored members in evangel ical churches who are Spir itualists ; n either for J udgeEdmond’s estimated “

eleven millions of believers ” in thiscoun try ; but for ourself on ly, w ith an eye to the usuallyaccepted opin ion s of the main body

,and are therefore alon e

respon s ib le for these doctrin es and defin ition s .

Ign or ing the fetich gods of Africa— the repen ting,jealous

god of Ju daism— th e changing,angry-getting god of Cathol

icism,th e partial

,malicious god of Calv in ism— th e mascu

line,miracle-working god ofUn iversalism— w e fi nd infin itely

higher con ception s of Deity in the defin ition s of P lato ,Proclus

,Jesus

,John

,Mahomet

,P arker and Davis

Of good there is one eternal,definite and un iversal Cause— the

Infinite Soul .”

256 DOCTR INES OF SPIR ITUALI s rs .

God is spirit, and Spirit is causation u nderlying all things .

God is a spirit, and they that worship h im must worship him inspirit and in tru th .

”

“ God is love .

”

There is one God .

TO God—ou r“

Father,and ou r Mother

,too— will we ascribe all

praise .

”

“The great positive mind Of the u n iverse— Father God and MotherNatur e .

”

Those accepting th e Spir itual Philosophy bel ieve in the

Divin e Existen ce,the .Infin ite E sse

,embodying and en z on ing

al l pr in ciples of mind and properties of matter ; all w isdomand love ; life and motion ; God man ifest in everything fromsan ds to solar systems . This is th e spon tan eous con cess ionOf th e w orld ’s con sciousn ess . Egypt’ s Os ir is

,India’s Brahma,

Ju dea’s Jehovah,the Grecian ’

s Jupiter,th e Mussulman ’

s

A llah,th e P laton ist’s A l l-Good

,th e Theist’sDeity

,the Chr is

tian ’

s Ou r Father,th e Northman ’

s Odin,th e In dian ’

s GreatSpir it

,expr ess more than glimmer ings of un iversal beliefs

in that God whose altars are moun tain s and ocean s,and

whose pulpits are fields,earths

,orbs and circling systems

,

perfect in order,musical in their marches

,an d flaming w ith

holiest prais es .

R ej ecting th e human -shaped,prayer -i d olized

,person al God

of evangelical theolog ian s , —b ecause person ality log icallyimplies locality

,and whatever becomes localized in space is

n eces sar ily limited and imperfect— to us,God is th e Infinite

Sp ir it ; Soul of al l things ; th e in carnate L ife-P r in ciple ofth e un iverse ; imperson al , in comprehen s ible, u ndefi nab le, andyet imman en t in dewdrops that glitter and s hells that shin e

-in stars that sai l through s ilver seas,and angels that

delight to do the immutable w ill . W hen w e designate Godas th e Infin ite spir it-pres en ce an d substan ce of un iversal

‘Nature, from whose etern ally-flow ing life w ondrous sy stemsof worlds have b een evolved

,w e mean to imply, in the affi r

mation ,al l divin e pr in ciples , attr ibutes , qu alities an d forces ,

pos itive and n egative— Sp ir it, as spirit-substan ce,and ma tter

as phys ical sub stan ce , or a. solidified form of force,th e former

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258 DOCTRINES or SPI RITUALI STS .

The existen ce of God is n ot on ly th e logic of intuition ;b u t one of the pr imary recogn ition s of human con sciousnesswhich con sciousn ess

,therefore

,is absolutely inseparable from

the Infin ite Con sciousn ess .

Napoleon,while upon th e ocean

,poin ted starward

,and

sa id Talk,t alk much as you please

, gen tlemen ; but who— what made and govern s those u nnumbered worlds thatpasture in the illimitable fields of heaven ? ”On ly apprehen ding an d comprehen ding that which isinferior to ourselves , we cann ot comprehen d God, nor can

w e fully fathom the measureless possibilities conn ected w iththe Divin e w ithin ourselves ; much less can w e reach theperfection s of the Infin ite through any lengthen ed series of

fin ite progress ion s . Un til parallel lin es meet an d circles aresquared

,n ever can any con tin uous number Of multiplied

fi n ites amoun t to the sum of an infin ite . Al l human progress is upon the fin ite plane . A l l true un foldmen t is fromthe cen ter outward . The ratio of the moral being mathem atical

,it is clear that m an may progress endlessly w ithout

reaching God . P rogress is not attr ibutable of God,an d n o

methodical thinker con n ects progress ion w ith th e infin iteenerg izing L ife-P r in ciple of the u n iverse .

In con ic section s there is what is termed th e mathematicalparadox

,where the asym ptote con tinually approaches th e curve

,

but n ever meets it otherw ise expres sed,we have the formula

of two -mathematical lin es , eternally approaching and n ever

meeting so fin ite m an m ay forever progress ; eternally n ear ingthe infin ite foun tain of causation w ithout reaching God. Ifmatter

,as certain theor ists have taught, becomes essen tial spirit,

then progress is ultimately defeated , for man n ecessar ily losesh is individuality and con sciousn ess by assimilation w ith an dabsorption in to

,the infin ite ocean of P ure Spir it !

Demosthen es is represen ted to have said through a modernmedium

Had you asked me concern ing God, a thou sand years ago, I cou ldhave told you all abou t h im bu t now,

after I have walked the h ighwayof celestial worlds for more than two thou sand years

,I am SO far lost and

EXEGETICAL SPI RITUALI SM— EXISTENCE or con . 259

overpowered amid the splendors of Infin itude, I can say nothing . Heighton heigh t beyond the penetration of fin ite vision

,I see the dim ou tlines

of a deific u n iverse ; I feel the flood-tides of Divin ity flowing downthrough all the avenues of my immortal being . I hear peal after pealof archangel elequ ence ringing through the endless archways of the

empyrean , evermore sounding in to my ears the name of God,God,God I

I am silen t,dumb ! ”

Philo,asserted in the most positive mann er th e masculin ity

and femin in ity of God and the sexual order of creation . He

repeatedly represen ted W isdom as“spouse of God and

mother of all things ; and b e further says,

“W e may

r ightly cal l God the Father an d W isdom the Mother of theun iverse.

”Also according to Mich elange Lan ci , the Egyp

tian Hieroglyphs,in terpreted in the light of Egyptian theos

0 phy,taught that both th e male and female pr in ciples inhered

in Deity,sp irit and matter , as father and mother . Indian

Gymn osophists also admitted,in the most an cien t per iods

,

th e duality of theDivin e Existen ce . Abraham,a dissatisfied

,

ambitious Brahmin,in augurated the worship of a un itive

mascu line god. Moses built upon the same rock ; hen ce h ismasculin e

,blood-thirsty

,retaliatory laws, founded upon

“ Thus saith the L ord. And the popular P aulin e Chr istian ity of th e past eighteen cen tur ies , is Judaism ,

on lyspar ingly galvan ized .

The patern ity and matern ity of the Divin e Nature, thefratern ity of human souls

,or iginating from the same pr imal

foun tain , and the progress ive evolution s of al l the races,are

truths that will bloom in to ‘

Lw ider acceptan ce as the ages

r ipen .

Th e man ifestation al order of the past demon strates thatGod— th e Divin e En ergy— was . The fixedn ess of law and

th e un iformity of Nature’s processes , prove that God now is .

Y ea,

“ of him , and through h im , and to him ,are al l things

,

to whom b e th e glory forever .

” L ooking from the moun tof vision

,we behold Deity enthron ed everywhere in majesty

and splendor— a holy p resence, which is th e inn ermost lightand life of al l lives . Springing from the paternal and

260 DOCTRINES or S PI R ITUALISTS .

maternal S ource,and divin ely allied therew ith

,upon

loving bosom of God we reclin e and rest,w ith a trust so

beautifu l and a confidence so deep , that n othing can disturbthe calm.

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262 DOCTRINES or SPIR ITUALISTS .

The divine image in which m an is made con s ists in thoseor iginal con stituen ts and prin ciples that con stitute him an

eternal individuality. At th e inner bas is he is essen tial sp irit,clothed secondarily w ith a spiritual or soul body

, and rimmedw ith a grosser phys ical organ ism . Tr inal in con stitution ,with crown ing brain -organ s inviting angel guest-s

,man is a

perfect structure. The spir itual n ature Keyston e to themoral ar ch— seals w ith etern ity ’s seal both his divin ity and

immortality.The basis of man ’

s immortality is deifi c subs tan ce . A s a

con scious sp ir it in the inn ermost, he is in compounded and

therefore indissoluble. Having in spir it n either a beginn ingnor en ding, he is eternally past and eternally fu ture— everliving in etern al life. Neither bur ial in the placen ta walls ofmatern ity, n or bur ial in the human organ ism ,

nor burial froms ight

,can effect the essen tial rea l.

The an imal having on ly a portion of the primary elemen tsof life

,having a less n umb er of b rain-faculties

,and u ncon

s cious of its relation s to th e original foun tain of being, i s

comparably an imperfect structure . L ogic cann ot leg itimately affi rm of a part what it does of a whole ; n either w illphilosophical min ds , conversan t w ith the results of an alys isand critical exeges is , claim— for entities and individual itiesdestin ies to which they n ever aspired. These statemen tsadmitted, an imals , as such, are n ot immortal . There i s

,

however,n o an n ihilation ; n o absolute loss in the un iverse .

When the grazing an imal dies,earth crumbles to its native

earth,and the spir itual substan ces

,dis in tegrated

,pass in to the

great vortex of spir it, to b e elemen tar i ly re- in carnated foru se in higher forms .

That human be ings dw ell in distan t coun tries or islands,

with no con ception s of God, or of worship germinal or

expressed , is notm erely doubted , but den ied . If such peopleexist

,not on ly their location

,but their deplorable pos ition ,

is susceptible o f proof. When those Span ish conquerorsreached Mexico and P eru

,the histor ian

, Prescott, says theyfound there an

“abiding faith in God and immortal ity .

’

EXEGETICAL S PI R ITUALI SM— THE DIVINE IMAGE .

Roman Catholic Jesuits,fired w ith a miss ionary en thu s iasm

,

vis iting Chin a,Thibet, and the distan t islands of the ocean ,

found everywhere the religious idea firmly rooted . The

North Amer ican Indian s , when first discovered by Europeanexplorers

,had their relig ious ideas of God, worship and

heaven ly hun ting-grounds . Dr . L ivingston e,the Eng lish

traveler , pen etrating in to th e in ter ior ofAfrica , brought homethis report : “ There is no n ecessity for beginn ing to telleven the most degraded . of these people of th e existen ceof God, or of a future state

,these facts being un iversally

admitted .

On question ing in telligen t men among th e B akwain s as

to their former kn ow ledge of-g ood and evil,of God

,and of a

future state, they have s couted the idea of their ever havingbeen w ithout a tolerably clear con ception on all these sub .

jects . They fully believe in the soul’s con tinued existen ceapart from th e body, an d visit the graves of relatives w ithoffer ings .

”

Un folding human ity in every coun try and conditionworshipful, aspirationa l and con scious of vast capabilities forprogress— has w ithin itself the prophecy of a future as en dlessas golden .

Admitting true the old legen d of man ’s creation

,or rather

hurried improvisation from the dust of th e groun d,

”and

woman ’s from “ Adam ’

s r ib,

”when in deep s leep

, the

position would afford n o logical basis for th e affi rmation,that

man was made in the divin e image .

”Philosophy

,older

than tradition s , goes ben eath symbols . L isten to its divinevoice !Al l kn own substances are composed of some s ixty-fi ve

s imples called p rimaries , becau se first foun d in the rocks .

These rocks , from pulver ization and th e attrition s of ages,

result in soils . From these soils— spir it the motive forcevegetables are evolved, which still lift and more thoroughlyrefin e th e pr imates, a iding them to become sufficien tlyatten uated an d poten tial iz ed to sustain an imal organ ization s .

Man’s phys ical con stitution is the grand reservoir of al l the

264 DOCTR INES or SPI RITUALI STS .

ultimates of rocks,soils , vegetables , forests , fruits and an i

mals . H e does n ot appropriate the pr imates as such .

There ’s no affin ity . These basic elemen ts,taken up by the

lower order of plan ts , and progressing upward through al l

the ascending grades , ultimate in man . A s a physicalbeing

,then , he is related to al l orders of existen ce below him ,

and,as a spir itual being , composed of or iginal sp ir it substances

and p rincip les , h e is con n ected not on ly w ith al l the higherin telligen ces of the heaven s

,but w ith the Infin ite him self, as

a ray from a central sun , or stream proceeding from and su s

tained by an Infin ite Fountain . A chemis t,analyzing a drop

of water from a thermal sulphu r or sodium spr ing,w ill show

by critical,

'chem ical analysis that each drop not on ly partakes

of, but con tain s , the iden tical elemen ts an d properties of thewhole foun tain . W ell

,man is the drop, and God the Eter

nal Foun tain And the divin e chemistry of logical analy siintuition

,reason and s cien ce— demon strates that every

essen ce attribute and pr in ciple of God exists fin itely in man ,

and thus is he truly made in the divine image— a perfect

structure a god man ifest in the flesh,imaging the

eternal prin ciples and properties of Father and Mother .

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266 DOCTRINES or SPIR ITUALI STS .

The ascended John P ierpoin t, reflecting upon or ien tallands and their illumin ed seers

,gives express ion to his

admiration for Syr ian scen ery in these rhythmic lines The

airs of Palestine .

”

Let a lonel ier , lovel ier path b e min e,Greece and her charms I

’d leave for Pal estine.

These pu r er streams thro’ h appier val leys flow,

And sweeter flower s on hol ier mountain s blow .

I shou ld love to breathe wh er e Gilead sh eds her balm,

I shou ld love to walk on Jordan ’s banks of palm,

I sh ou ld love to rest my feet in Hermon ’s dews

I shou ld love the promptings of I saiah’s mu se

In Carmel’

s h oly gr ots I ’d cou rt r epose,And deck my mossy cou ch with Shar on ’

s blooming rose.

Abraham wen t west and foun ded Israel ; Cadmus wen twest and founded the secon d Thebes .ZEn eas went west andfounded R ome ; leaving Jerusalem ,

Jesus w en t w est to seekand save “ his people from the ir s in s .

” It was not Israel ,Judea

,Carmel

,n or Sharon ,

but represen tative men — the

men of ideas gracing those an cien t coun tries,who live in his

tory so fadeless,and con tinue precious along th e memor ies

of many gen eration s . Human nature in its best estate,ri s ing

above family,social relation s

,coun try

,n ation

,is ever regard

ful of the great, and loyal to the good, whenever and whereever found .

Admitting the gen eral tenden cy of the Asiatic mind to th edreamy exercise of a vivid imagination

,coupled at times

w ith exaggeration,still it is very clear to those read in the

philosophy of history,that th e more an cien t parables and

myths w ere not the empty fiction s of an idle fan cy ; butrather t he utteran ces of an immortal and ubiquitous in tuition , whose substratum is truth .

To assume the absolute creation of su ch a personage fromn onentity as Jesus of Nazareth

,en titles th e on e thus afli rm

ing to th e charity of imbecility. H e was the child of th eheaven s, of prophecy, and of harmony . The w isdom of theangels threw him in to an age of con servatism and stupidb igotry. The Mosaic law had degen erated into cold

EXEGETICAL SPI R ITUALISM— MORAL STATUS OF JESUS . 267

formalisms ; brotherly kindnes s in to caste and curren cy,and

pr in ciple in to policy. Judaism,largely mingling w ith th e cu r

ren ts of history,had b ecome d ivided

‘

in to two bran chesPalestine and that called the “ disp ers ion . Such sectar ists w ere they in their own A sian coun try

,border ing Afr ica

and Europe, that, press ing around on e temple and one altar,the Rabbins cursed a l l Is raelites wh o proved so recrean t tothe law of M oses , as to teach their ch ildren

'

Greek.

The Sadducees were a sort of Epicurean s mater ialistic intenden cy , denying the immortality of" th e soul an d the

existen ce of angels . Th e Pharisees w ere S eparatis ts , clinging to the letter of the law ,

and the traditional injun ction s ofJehovah . The Essen ian s w ere the Shakers of that per iod.Jesus was in full sympathy w ith them .

W ar,commerce

,th e A ssyr ian captivity and n omadic

tenden cies,had scattered many

'

of th e Israelites throughoutth e world . These spoke the Greek tongue. This language

,

derived largely from th e San scr it,had become

,what Latin

was at a much later period, the court language and m ediumof c ommun i cation among all the more en lighten ed n ation s .

In those promin en t eastern cit ies , especially A lexandr ia and

An tioch,flour ishing capitals of Egypt and Syria, these scat

tered Jew s formed numerous societies, placing at the headsome r ich

,influential families . The ir P alestin ean brothers

called them H ellenists They were n ot con sidered soundlyOrthodox, even though they had succeeded in getting theJew ish Bible tran slated in to Greek , under th e P tolemies .

A t this in itial poin t in th e religious cycle of that era,we

get a correct clue to those moral forces con stituting thepeculiar ities of John — the disciple that “ Jesus loved .

”

Zebedee,h is father

,a wealthy Israelite

,was a profound

thinker of the school of Hillel,and exceeding ly liberal in

doctrinal tenden cies . John,a natural gen ius

,r ich in the

gift of a warm,sen sitive love-nature , endowed w ith a fi n e

delicate organ ization ,highly m edium stic

,a thorough

trained scholar for that age of the wor ld, and w onderfullyg ifted w ith a capacity for acquiring a kn owledge of the

268 DOCTRINES or S PIR ITUALI STS .

languages,was j ust adapted for the con stan t compan ion ship

of Jesus . L iterally,John was a He llen istic J ew ,

thoroughlyin itiated in to the civilization

,literature , and philosophy of

the Greeks . This accoun ts for the con tinually cropping outof Pythagor ic doctr ines in his gospel . John

,ou r patron

sain t, is, in many respects , th e ideal man of the New Testamen t. Holy and heaven lywas the perpetual friendship existing between Jesus , John ,

and his brother James . Super iorscholarship

,coupled w ith a sweet-tender heart-fellowship

,

en titled John to the pr ivilege of ever accompanying Jesusas lingual in terpreter and coun se lor

,which en abled him

more fully to comprehen d the scope and moral grandeur ofJesus mediator ial work ; for , medium-l ike

,

“ h e came not

to do h is own w ill, b u t the w ill of him that sent him .

”

Dying a martyred death , Jesus committed to th e care o fJohn

,h is sain ted Mother . L ove and tenderne ss grow from

th e same stem . Budding on earth they unfold and bloomforever in th e heaven s . Enwrapt and emblazon ed in the

g lory of fratern al affection , Jesus and the disciple h e

loved,

n ow together , traverse the celestial heaven s , doingth e w ill of th e Eternal , by teaching in supernal spheres , andinspir ing God’s dear hum an ity.Though th e Church-Fathers may have man ipulated thepr im i tive manuscr ipts— gospels and epistles— on e giving tothe Nazaren e a ce rtain attitude ; an other some peculiarexpress ion of form or forehead ; and

—

other s still,crown ing

him with plumes or iginally worn by Chrish na,Confucius ,

P lato,andHillel— ou r belief in Jesus remain s un shaken . W e

believe in him ,not as th e Infin ite God

,n ot as a supernatural

being,not as a miracle-b egotten specialty to patch up an

inefli cien t “ plan of salvation and ward off divine w rath ;bu t as a man— a mortal b rother of the immortal g ods and goddesses

,who temperamen tally helped fashion him

,that

,in spired

by them an d a“ leg ion of angels , he might aid in uplifting

and molding th e future ages . He called himself th e Son

of m an . The Apostle termed him “ou r elder brother .

”

He ate , drank , slept , hungered . thirsted. and,w eary from

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70 DOCTR INES or S PI RITUALI STS .

upon Calvary, “ Father, forgive them .

” When utter ingthese tender sen timen ts , feeling a quicken ing of the divinenature

,— and literally “ born again ,

”— born into the celestial degree of th e Chr ist-life— coming in to close magn eticfellowship and onen ess w ith h is “ My Father” or Spir itguide, truthfu lly h e said

,

“ I andmy Father are on e”— that

is , I and my con trolling spirit in telligen ce are on e in des ire,purpose and th e great work of human elevation . R eferringto the Infin ite P resen ce, h e exclaimed : God (Theos , not

P ater) is a Spirit, and they that worship him,must worship

him in spir it and in truth .

”

Harmon ial,prayerful

,divinely overshadowed

,b e grasped

and appropr iated the good, the pure , and the true,found

in the older systems,and lived them in his daily life .

Though walking with man,h e talked w ith angels . H e had

bread to eat,that the Jew ish extern al wor ld .

“ knew not

of.” H e went forth , especially towards the close of his m iss ion

,a practical impersonation of the pr in ciples .he taught

UNIVERSAL LOVE— UNIVER SAL PUR ITY— UNIVERSAL CHARI TY .These being the three pillars in his soul-temple

,h is kingdom

was not of this world . H is heaven s and hells were con

dition s higher or lower ; his Salvation self-growth. Caringlittle for outward pur ity , n othing for the cowardly “ whatw ill the people say ,

”and desiring on ly to establish the

inner reign of truth , love and self-den ial,he left no wr itings ,

n o creed,no code

,no ru le of life

,no church organ ization s

,

no plan for S tate con stitution s,no cler ical investitures

,n o

baptismal ceremon ies,

nor foss il forms of worship. H is

trust in God was absolutely sublime. H is hopefulness ofm an was unboun ded . H is love for women was angelic ;and pur ity

,th e on ly guaran tee for seeing God .

Jesus , then ,stands in relation to the past the best emb odi

men t of Spiritualism,th e r ichest Judean outgrowth of the

spir itual idea, and looking lovingly down from the SummerLand, sweetly says , Come up hither .

” By the exerciseof sympathy an d aspiration

,by effor t and con secration to the

truth, by daily holy living, he came in to the highest heaven ly

EXEGETICAL SPI RITUALISM— MORAL STATUS or JESUS . 271

relation s . ! uicken ed , in ten s ified from the celestial heaven s,

his original pre-existen t home, (for before th e mortal Abraham was

,he had a

“ glory w ith th e h is inmostyielded an elemen talflow of pure spir itual life. The finesttextured type

,the most harmon ial brain organ ism perhaps

of this plan et,in that era

,b e virtually lived in two worlds

the Chr ist of ten derness an d love,exper ien cing sweetest

un ion w ith God . A thorough in tuition ist by n ature,he was

a p ractica l S PI RITUALI ST in word and deed . He worshiped inspirit and in truth. H is kingdom was a spir itual kingdom

,

w ith the cen ter in human ity ’s great throbbing heart,and

L ove th e king. H is church was a spir itual church,built up

in the souls of men and extens ive as the races . H is secondcoming was spiritual— coming

,as a spirit, in spir it an d

power . That secon d coming” in th e clouds of heaven,

w ith holy angels and min ister ing spir its freighted w ithexalted truths and the enun ciation of eternal pr in ciples , is inprocess n ow . Multitudes of the more mediumistic feel thisdivin e down -flowing influx as the breath of an eternal spr ing.

Beautiful is this faith, this belief, in Jesus, the ascendedSon ofNazareth . Al l those who thus believe— that is

,come

in to harmon ial relation s w ith the Chr ist-pr in ciple,living the

same time Spir itual life that h e lived—may do s imilar, and,perhaps , greater works than these . True

,h e did not give

all th e “ tests,

”all th e sign s

,nor do al l the w orks that

Jew ish skeptics , plodding in cold extern alisms,expected .

He did not tran sform ston es to bread,

” by command ; didnot “

save himself by coming down from the cross.” H e

cou ld n ot thus save himself ; for he could tran scen d n o

established law of Nature . At certain times,ow ing to

“ condition s,

” unbelief,lack of harmony or passivity

,he

could do comparatively n othing. Hen ce in Matthew(xi ii : 58) we read

,

“ Jesus did n ot many mighty worksthere

,because of their unbelief.” And the Evangelist Mark

says distin ctly,

“ And he cou ld there do no M IGHTY work,

and h e marveled because of their unbelief.” Beforedeparting

,however , for that many-man sioned house in th e

2 DOCTR INES OE S PI R ITUALISTS .

upper kingdoms of the Infin ite he assured his disciplesin all ages These signs shall follow them that b elieveIn my name shall they cast out devils they shall lay hands onthe S ick and they shall recover ; and if they eat any deadlything it shall n ot hurt them : Go ye therefore into all the

wor ld and preach the gospel to every creatureWhile s in cerely believing in Jesus

,infin itely deeper is ou r

trust in God, the in carnate life and light of etern ity. In

holiest fellow ship w ith Jesus , angels and loved spir its in theb osom of the Infin ite, then , is ou r rest forever .

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274 DOCTRINES or SPIR ITUALI STS .

Then said Jesus to them again , peace be unto you . And

when he had said th is, he breathed on them,and said

,Receive ye the

Holy Spirit.After they were come to Mysia

,they assayed to go into B ithynia ;

but the sp ir it permitted them not .”

“While Peter thought on the vision , the spirit said unto him,B ehold

,

three men seek thee.

”

Then the spirit said un to Philip, Go near and join thyself to thischariot .”

“And when Pau l laid his hands on them,the Holy Spirit came on

them and they spake with tongu es and prophesied.

“ Then Peter and John laid their hands on them,and they

received the Holy Spirit.”

These apostles,as well as Paul

,being powerful developing

mediums,so inten sified the spiritual atmosphere

,that

,by

laying their hands upon those susceptible person s,thus

in creasing the magn etic battery,they were surcharged and

thrilled w ith the electr ic influx . So at the P en tecostal scenedescr ibed in A cts

,

“ when they were all w ith on e accord inon e place

,sudden ly there came a soun d from heaven

,as of a

rushing mighty w ind , and it filled all the house where theywere s itting . And there appeared cloven tongues like as offi re. And they were all filled w ith the Holy Spir it

,

and began to s peak w ith other tongues,as the Spirit gave

them utteran ce .

The spiritual man ifestation s upon presen t pentecostal occasion s

,when ou r media are in harmony, corroborate those of

th e past ; and the past, to historic in clined minds, confirmthe presen t. Thus the old and the new

,as w itn esses in a

common cause,clasp hands .

.On e of the demon stration s of spir itual clairvoyan ce,estab

lishes the fact that each individual is enveloped in a spir itualsphere or emanation . This is often seen by the exceedinglysen s itive, and sometimes absolutely felt even by those ofdull and deaden ed sen sibilities . The discovery of the spectrum analys is , which n ow occupies so importan t a pos itionin the investigation of th e phys ical scien ces

,is already help

ing Spiritu alism , by demon strating similar auroralj spheres

EXEGETICAL SPIRITUALI SM— THE HOLY SPIR IT. 275

and emanation s around phys ical substan ces . Spir itualistshave taught this for years . It was a clairvoyan t discovery.S cien ce follows Spir itualism— a great way ofl

‘

.

Mr . R uskin , w riting a friend in the n orth of England,

You most probably have heard of the marvelous power which chemical analysis has received in recent discoveries respecting the laws of

light . My friend showed me the rainbow of the rose,and the rainbow

of the violet, and the rainbow of the hyacinth,and the rainbow of the

forest leaves being born , and the rainbow of forest leaves dying . And,

last,he showed me the rainbow of blood . It was bu t the three-hundreth

part of a grain , dissolved in a drop of water ; and it cast its measur edbars

,for ever recognisable now to human sight, on the chord of the seven

colors . And no drop of that red rain can now be shed,so small as that

the stain of it cannot be known,and the voice of it heard ou t of the

ground.

”

If there is a spheral emanation aroun d th e crystal,th e plan t

,

the rose,and a drop of blood

,how n atural that there should b e

electro-odylic spheres aroun d phys ical and more etherealizedspir itual bodies . The earthly is but the analogue of thespir itual .Sen s itive person s

,w ith organ isms like iodized plates

,sym

pathetically sen se these spheres . Clairvoyan ts see,and read

therefrom the true character .

This age has few secrets . Seers see the inn ermost of th ings ,and con scious souls know kindred souls . When rapt in thisholy soul-blending sympathy, law is useless , labor a pleasure,and duty a word obsolete. Such souls converse across ocean swhen no sounds pass . Oblivious to the outward , to timeand space

,they live the in n er life . Those pos itive impart to

the n egative— impart what they have, the quality of the effluxcorresponding to the in ter ior state. If good and pure-minded ,they impart the “ H oly Sp ir it ; that is , a most uplifting andspiritualizing influen ce. This rationally explain s why Jesus“ took little children in h is arms and blessed them .

” The

bless ing did not cons ist in th e uttered w ords,but in th e

celes tializ ing influen ce of th e divine magnetism h e imparted .

2 76 DOCTR INES or SPIR ITUA J STS .d

It explains also why he “ breathed upon h is disciples,

and

how it was that h e “ felt virtue go out of him ”when the

negative woman touched the h em of his garmen t.To feel the breath of the pure— to come in to soul-fellow ship

with th e true and n oble,is equivalen t to a

_b aptism of the

Holy Spir it ; a crown of j oy and a moral tran sfiguration .

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278 DOCTRINES or SPI R ITUALISTS .

This on e genu ine baptism ,however, is n ot, n ever was , water

baptism . A l l outward baptisms are Mosaic . A fter every actof defi lem en t

,the Israelites were commanded to bathe and

wash themselves clean w ith water .

John the Baptist, seemingly disorderly and fanatical,a

partially developed medium ,con trolled by Elias to cry in

Ju dean forests , n ever embraced Chr istian ity as taught by th eNazaren e ; n either did he spir itually en ter in fuln ess the

Messiah ’s Kingdom of Heaven .

” Hen ce,said Jesus

,

“ H e

that is least in th e kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

”

John came un der the law dispen sation . Immers ion in someflow ing stream was his mann er of in itiating converts . Manyof his more aspiration al disciples soon left him ,

how ever,and

followed the man of Nazareth . John , by the aid of h ismediumship , caught a glimpse of this super ior teacherand testifi er : “ I indeed baptized you with water untorepentan ce ; but he that cometh after m e

,whose shoes I am

not worthy to bear, shall baptize you w ith the Holy Ghostand with fi re .

“ But Jesus himself baptized not”w ith

water .

H is disciples in a few in stances baptized by immers ion ; so,

not having attain ed un to the higher and more spir itual , theyalso

,in the ear lier years of their mediumship

,occas ion ally

circumcised and practiced other Jew ish ceremon ies . Noneof them, save John the Evangelist, understood Jesus , or theimport of h is spir itual kingdom . They received th e Nazaren ean baptism of fi re, of love, of con secration an d holyspir it influx

,on ly in part, and hen ce their doubts, fears and

tergiversation s . Honoring John the Baptist~for his zeal ,

admir ing his immers ion r ites because of their clean ly andinvigorating effects in tha t dusty tropical coun try

,and

believing also in the n ecess ity of presen t phys ical ablution s ,we recommend daily baptisms in summer-time

,and their

frequen cy in w inter .

There is , however , an eflicacy of water baptism ,under

spiritual con trol , not yet un derstood or appreciated by thechu rch— a baptism which the spirits were able to induce

EXEGETICAL SPI RITUALI SM BAPTI SM . 279

through John ,in on e of his exalted mediumistic states

,

whilst baptis ing Jesus in Jordan . It is w ell kn own thatwater can b e magnetically spir itualized by repeatedly touching and ag itating it ; and that water being a con ductor ofelectric action

,can thus b e made a powerful agen cy in curing

diseases and spir itualizing body and min d . It is said that anangel

,at certain times

,stirred the pool of Bethesda

,and

whosoever then stepped in to it, was healed of any disease .

No doubt the angel magn etized it— charged it w ith spir itualvitality. A baptism therein was efficacious to th e well andthe s ick. The water that closed over Jesus in baptism

,was

spiritualized by spir its through the mediumship of John ,and

therefore was more than a s ign of pur ity. Spir its have beenknown of late to sprinkle a wh ole circle of inquirers w ithspir itualized water , th e influen ce of which was most b en eficent to harmon ize the mediumistic condition s . W e do n otdissen t from such uses of water

,but recommen d them . W e

,

however,would have no special formality. L et all elemen ts

b e spir itualized,even th e food we eat

,as an every-day

euchar ist. W hen we are in tromitted in to th e real spirituallife, and all ou r being is thus harmon ized to th e mus ic-r ipplesof “ the water of life — the divin e inflowings— n ot on ly arewe -in person

,but al l things aroun d u s

,are truly baptized and

con secrated to holin ess . There is,then

,but one true Chr ist

baptism— the baptism of the “Holy Spir it,

”— the descending,divin e afi iatu s

,l ifting the soul in to that sweeter

,calmer

fellowship of the more heaven ly in telligen ces . In thisdivin e baptism ,

whether from good men or w .\men,or

angels , we believe, and un to it continually seek.

HAF TER xxx .

INSPIRATION.

There is a spir it in man , and th e in spiration of the Almighty giveth it

under standing .

”

Inspiration clothes creation in a robe—

of day .

In spiration— God’s ou tflow ing breath— is man ’s inbreathed

life— a con stan t pow er . The un iverse is a many-ton ed harpwith strings swept by the forces of the Infi n ite . Aspiration sare the vibration s . Al l souls feel them . Uplifted

,they

measu re the divin e light poured into receptive spirits .

Spiritual illumin ation s,— exalted

,and or iginal thoughts

eviden tly eman ate from an over-arching world of subtilepr in ciples and invis ible powers . The heaven s vivify the

“ Every sou l is aflame with God.

From the Latin,insp iro, comes the word insp iration ; imply

ing inb reath ing s , impregn ating and open ing the avenuesof perception

, the in fusion of feeling, influen ce, ideas fromthe All-perfect and the angelic— from the immortalized , and

from mortals— from forests,fields , flowers , and the beautiful

in nature everywhere . A s God is infin ite, filling immen sity , in spiration is n ecessarily un iversal and perpetual asthe r iver of life. Not creating w ithin u s n ew faculties , itarouse s and kindles in to keen er activities all the hiddenforces of ou r con scious beings . Pertain ing more to souls

280

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282 DOCTR INES or SPIRITUALI STS .

the prophets of Heb rew history, — like the apostles and'

martyrs of the better dispen sation s , are— in their hours ofabstraction or loftiest con templation , beautifu lly in spired .

As one among these, “ doomed to-day ,” w e take a man lypr ide in ackn owledging ou r helps from the world ofspir its .

There is a gen eral and a special in spiration— both natural.Ou r spir it guides inspire u s

,e ither by w illing a magn etic

curren t to touch , as w ith regen erating fi re , ou r brain facu l

ties ; or— the condition s previously prepared— by approaching and breathing the inmost feelings of the ir own heavenillumined souls into ours . God

,b eing infin ite and impartial

,

all human ities , con stituting a fraternal un ity in divers ity ofindividualities

,are in spir ed from higher or

flower plan es ofconscious existen ce . The truer the aim

,th e diviner the

purpose,sweeter the n ature and holier the aspiration

,the

more exalting and ecstatic is the in spiration . P lato,man tled

in Grecian grandeur , gathered h is highest in spiration swhile summering upon the cloud-piercing Hymettus ;Mahomet

,from A rab ian summits ; Confucius , from A s ian

mountain s,and Jesus , tearfu l and prayerfu l , from Kedron

’

s

valley, and Olive’s moun tain .

In spiration comes ob edient to the law of attraction ; it isas natural to the men tal affection s as air to the lungs . It isever ratioed to the plan e of ou r moral status of character .

On ly th e active,thinking , loving , aspir ing mind is truly

in spired. W e get here what we seek. There are spir itualstrata of in spiration as there are n atural strata in ou r ma

ter ial atmospheres for each grade of sen tien t being. W e

m ay , therefore , b e in spired in th e depar tment of pass ion ,of

reflection ,of inven tion

,of mus ic

,of poetry, of patriotism,

ofphilanthropy

,of the loves of childhood, of moral j ustice, of

divin e recogn ition,j ust as w e adjust and habituate these

fun ctional organ s and faculties . Th e low er the plane thegrosser is the qualitative in spi ration ; the higher the plan e thepurer is th e in spiration . Ou r status of love-life determinesthe degree of our heaven or spir itual sphere of u se . If we

EXEGETI CAL SPIR ITUALI SM INSPI RATION. 283

would b e ushered into holy light, the holiest pu zpose mustan imate the w ill to corresponding activities . Thus

,and thus

on ly,do we dr ink of the immortal foun tain s of undimmed

and celestial goodn ess . Under such an in spiration,we are

able to discover defects in ou r forces of character,creating a

keen,sharp pain in a tender con scien ce that rouses up to

focalize those dorman t faculties to higher poin ts of min d andheart, that then loom up in vision s as an attainable g lory.The holiest spirits have th e deepest pain when any tain t isfound upon their inn er life . When admitted to inspirationsand consociation s of such spir its

,our un strung or un touched

°chords of love are attun ed to heaven ly order , when our

whole being is at length spir itually mus icalized,heard an d

felt in raptured gratitude to the “ white-vestured” come tolead u s into their Eden s of Inn ocen ce and Beauty .

Believing in in spiration,then

,we would go up day by day

on to th e Moun t of Tran sfiguration ; would open the window s of ou r souls to th e con stan t reception of highertruths w ould b e char itable to all fresh thoughts

,from

whatever source,to all n ew ly con ceived ideas

,for they may

have traveled as bless ings dow n from sunn ier zon es.Behind even th e fain test corrus cat ion of some w ierd

,half

expressed truth,there m ay gleam a star s ilver-shrouded

,or

a celestial sun awaiting earthly recogn ition .

God is in the presen t. The books of in spiration are not

closed and sealed . Ideas,pr in ciples

,the law s of pure intel

l igence, require no crutches . American s can stan d erectw ithout spinal stiffen ings from A s ian monuments . P rayerneed not float to heaven on the breath of an cien t memor ies ;nor assume orien tal attitudes to secure a hearing.

Where’er there’s a l ife to b e kindled by love,Wherever a sou l to inspir e,

Strike th is key-n ote of God that trembl es above,Night’s silver-tongu ed voices of fi r e.

”

Ou r gran ite-hills and highlands, are sacred as Israel’smoun tains ; our rivers holy as the Jordan s ofAs ia, and ou r

DOCTR INES OF SPI RITUALI STS .

forests beautiful as the olives and cedars that shadedLeban on . God did not speak h is first word to Moses in th eOld Testamen t nor pron oun ce his last to John on

Patmos . The aspiration s of true men cann ot b e held inslavish subj ection to the letter of past revelation s . Soulsmust have living bread . They must bathe in living streams

,

bran ching from the R iver of L ife . They must b e free as

God’s w inds— free as the loves of the angels .

In spiration s can n ever kn ow a fin ality,being man ifest in

all forms of life in the progressive movemen ts of th e ages ;in religion

,art and scien ce ; in th e moral heroism of

reformers ; in the tender affections of woman ; in the

min istry of spir its in the sin cere devotion s of th e prayerfu l ,and in the sweet trust of a pure and holy life .

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286 DOCTR INES or SPIRITUALI STS .

moral scien ce. Faith , differing essentially from mere belief,is graded upward from the more external to the divine

,

corresponding relationally to the outer and inn er con sciousness . The latter is closely allied to in tuition . It is a glimmering from th e star of destiny. Faith is essen tial to su ccessful commun ication w ith min istering spir its . Th e adjustmen t of th e spir it batter ies , under this law ,

is most delicateand beautiful. The spir it h as to employ ou r magnetic sphere

-en ters in to rappor t w ith u s sympathetically— and if we are

any ways deceptive and tr icky,gloomy and unbelieving

,ou r

very men tal and moral condition defeats the object ; for thena pure an d truthful spir it, who wou ld commun icate, finds itverv difli cu l t to reach ou r sphere

,it being so magnetical ly

repellan t. H ones t doubt does not imply un-faith ; in fact, itis faith in embryo. The candid in quirer always gets light ;for such a sphere attracts th e angel who comes to bless “ the

poor in spir it.” Faith, then , is rooted in innocen cy. Thy

faith hath made thee whole .

” How beautiful it is under theeffulgen ce of this spiritual light ! When ou r purpose iss in cere

,Faith-angels come

,admin ister ing good tidings of

good to those who seek immortality— eternal lifeLouis Napoleon l an ded upon th e Fren ch coast w ith a few

adherents , shouting Long liveNapoleon . The thoughtlesscalled h im a madman but to-day h e guides th e destin ies ofan empire . Gar ibaldi put h is foot down firmly in S icily

,

raised the cry of revolution ,drove out a ruling tyran t

,and

offered a kingdom to Victor Eman uel— a kingdom that shallyet call R ome its capital, and send sun shine into every Italianheart. Joan D’

Arc,fired w ith en thusiasm and in spired by

avenging angels , led the Fren ch army again st the English tovictory— a sample of faith and w ill-force. Columbus

,dreamy

and visionary, con ceived of con tinen ts and islands in th eWest.W e see him drafting h is course ; now a w eary pilgr im at the

king ’ s gate,and now at royal courts pleading for ships . At

length , the w ish attain ed , the sails are hois ted and the prowsturned ; he puts out in to the great deep , under the loftiestin spiration of faith . The n eedle trembling , turn ed from its

EXEGETICAL S PIR ITUALI SM— BEAUTY OF FAITH . 287

accustomed position ; strange sea-birds whirled by ; stormsdan ced their demon -dan ces in the rigg ing ; but a divinecurren t, seemingly

,swept them on

,till a n ew world glad

dened their vis ion . Such a faith is the foun tain-head,the

mighty, propelling force we see man ifest in the field,the

shop,the academy

,the commercial mart

,the studio of the

artist,th e observatory of the astron omer

,and th e l iterary

altitudes attain ed in American and English un ivers ities .

Beautiful,tru ly

,is a calm

,abiding faith— faith In th e

measureless possibilities of human ity— faith in th e govern ingguidan ce of the spir itual heaven s— faith in th e u n changeability of the divin e laws , and fa ith in th e ceaseless , ou tflowing love of th e Infin i te. Th is k ind of faith has more to dow ith the moral n ature than the intellect. S cien ce

,if touch

ing the in tellect on ly,is cold and chilling

,though clear as

crystal . An d philosophy alon e,without the warming rel i

gion s influen ces of love and sympathy,faith and trust

,is

comparable to a glisten ing iceberg,hugging the human soul

in to a resu rrection less death .

How sweet and perfect the little child ’ s faith in the paren t ;and how fi rm should b e ours in the innate goodness of everyhuman being ! Un der the ice the water runs ; above theclouds the su n shines ; upon the moldering piles of India andthe marbled ruins of Greece

,mosses are green ; and wi ld

vines,clinging

,climb sunward . So, n estling under the

roughest exter ior,and grow ing out from every con scious

soul,there is something fair and heaven ly. Aye, an angel is

hidden there,awaiting th e better

,higher con dition s to pro

duce the Eden -blooms of good w orks . In every fain ting,struggling Magdalen are all th e divin e elemen ts of a Virg inMary ; and in every denying

,weeping P eter are all the soul

prophecies of angelic life— a s tructural pillar in the presen tto b e hewn , polished and fitted into the living church ofhuman ity .

Cherishing this deep faith in the divin i ty of human ity, inthe good, the beautiful and th e true, Spir itualists should

288 DOCTR INES or SPI RITUALI STS .

cultivate the ten derest char ities,en courage the widest sym

pathics,and

,despising n on e

,despair ing of n on e

,should

strive everywhere to br ing out and build up the pure and

th e holy.Where’er we go in weal or woe, whatever fate befal l ,In sunny glade or forest shade, a Heaven is over all .”

Thinkers,ign or ing th e forms of faith and theologic dogmas

of churchmen , con s ider the creeds fashion ed in the last century hardly fitted for spittoon s in the presen t. A sserting a

true manhood,they stamp them un der their feet

,and clasp

ing the hands of the immortalized, walk up daily on to somemoun t of ascen sion

,to commun e w ith nature and talk w ith

th e gods . But faith in man and woman,in law and God,

and faith in an endless progress ive existen ce,involving its

demon stration ever approximating the divin e perfection s,

‘

are n ecessities cf the soul and beau t iful as holy.Th ith er ou r weak and weary steps are tending ;Loved angel fr iends I with each frail ch il d ab ide !Gu ide u s towards Home, wh er e, al l our wander ings ending,We shall s ee ye, and, shal l b e satisfied I ’

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290 DOCTR INES or SPIRITUALI STS .

Vicarious aton emen ts,cradled in ign oran ce , belong origi

n ally to the lower social strata of Egyptian l ife , Jew ish ceremon ies and Chr istian supers tition s— all mere devices to evadej ust penalties . Pythagoras

,P lato

,Jesus , and other intuitive

thinkers of th e eldest ages, avoided in troducing aton ing substitu tion s into their relig ious in struction s . Not from Jesus ,but from the policy-in spired Paulin e w ritings of the New

Testamen t,do churchmen gather their dogmas of aton emen t

and imputed righteousn ess .

Th e soul keen ly alive to justice— a j ustice that wouldpun ish the guilty on ly— repudiates such popular churchdoctr in es as these

,expressed in verse

“ Ju st as I am, withou t one pl ea,B u t that thy blood was sh ed for me.

at ec ec at at at

Ju st as I am and waiting not

To r id my sou l of on e dark blot,To th ee, whose blood can clean se each spot,0 Lamb of God, I come, I come !

”

No cr imson sacr ifices of s lain goats and kids,n o sacred

waters of Gunga, in India, n o Grecian draughts of hemlock ,nor streaming blood from Calvar ies

,can avail anything

,

even j udicial ly, in saving from th e con sequen ces of thosejust penalties , threading Nature ’

s law s,as cause and effect.

The in ebr iate ’s repen tan ce does n ot save him from th e

past shame,debility

,degradation and tormen t, resulting from

years of phys ical tran sgress ion . The poison ed libation sdaily con sumed

,impregnating every bon e

,muscle

,sin ew ,

n erve,deaden ing th e fin er emotion s and benumbing th e

mind,leave their stings and scars upon the vital organ ism ,

while memory— th e undying worm — lives to torture themen tal w ith humiliation an d remorse . These cann ot b eforg iven in th e sen se of blotting them in to a forgetless

oblivion . The un iverse kn ows n o loss . But repentan ce inth e sen se of reformation

,lifting the drunkard from th e cpn

dition an d fu rther practice of the h abit,w ill

,by destroying

the cause, save him from further disciplinary pun ishmen t.

EXEGETICAL SPIR ITUALI SM REPENTENCE. 291

Effects , however , linger long after the operating causes haveceased to act , as r ills con tinue to flow after th e storm-cloudshave settled away in th e distan ce .

While accepting repen tan ce upon a philosophical bas is,

Spir itualism h as n o forgiven ess in the sen se of n egating j u stice— n on e in th e sen se of warding off j ust and deservedpun ishmen t. The or iginal Greek word for forgiven ess isAp hiemi in the verbal , and Ap hes is in the substantive form

,

literally implying “ putting or sending away,removal

, or

deliveran ce from . It is sometimes tran s lated by the English words (Luke iv : deliveran ce ” and “ liberty ”thus : “ to preach deliveran ce to the captives

,and to set at

liberty them that are boun d .

”P un ishmen t, repen tan ce and

forg iven ess , are al l clear ly illustrated in the wan der ings,

suffer ings and return to a father ’s embrace of the P rodigalSon .

R epen tan ce , implying sorrow and reformation,Jesus

taught that there was “ j oy in heaven over on e s inn er thatrepen teth .

” This work con tinues in the future life . The

republic of th e ang els span s all wor lds . A ccording to theApostles ’ creed , Jesus , “ crucified

,dead an d bu r ied

,

descended into hell”— th e invis ible s tate— the un der-world of

departed spir its . Speaking of this descen t in to hell,the cele

b rated Dr . Campbell con fesses that “ Jesus ’ descr iption sof th e abodes of departed souls, w ere n ot drawn from the

w riting s of the Old Testamen t, but have a remarkableaffin ity to the description s which th e Grecian poets havegiven of them .

” En riched by th e scholarship and compan ionship of th e evangelist John ,

and conversan t w ith the Indian,

Egyptian and Grecian philosophies,this would b e perfectly

natural in Jesus ’ parabolic descr iption s of the futureexisten ce.

Admitting, as the Apostles ’ creed afli rm s— th e descen tin to hell— what th e purpose ? That promin en t disciple

,

P eter,an swers : “ Jesus put to death in the flesh

, t u t quicken ed by th e spir it b y which he also wen t and preached un tothe sp ir its in pr ison , which were sometimes disobedien t

292 DOCTR INES or S PIR ITUALI STS .

in th e days of Noah . For this cause also was thegoSpel preached to them that are dead, that they might b ej udged according to m en in th e flesh

,but live according to

God in th e spir it. P eter ii i : 1 8, and iv : Beautifulthis miss ion of Jesus preaching to th e “ dead ”— preachingthe gospel to darken ed “

spir its in pr ison .

”Th e fact of

such preaching implies that those listen ing,could

,an d would

,

b e ben efited an d perman en tly reformed by practically actualizing th e divine teaching s . Jesus ’ sermon on the moun twas n ot his last. R eformers con tinue their redemptiveefl’orts in th e wor ld of spir its . This is n atural . Teachingand being taught is to b e th e work of etern ity. That “ cloudof w itn esses

,

”summerin g in th e magn etic strata that envel

ope the earth in con cen tric circles,thus testify .

Marked individualities,n ationalities an d con dition s pertain

to al l low er realms of progress ive life .

“ In my Father ’shouse

,said Jesus

,

“are many mansions . There are palatial

homes for th e angelic,and pr ison -houses for “ pr ison ers of

hope .

” These pr ison -spheres are th e temporary res iden cesof ign oran t and angular spir its . Their psychological con trolis n ot to b e courted . It produces disorder . Th e Apostleshad power to cast out

,or dispossess such . By their “ fruits

ye Shall kn ow them .

”Their eman ation s

,r ising like vapory

flames,correspon d to their moral states . To angel eyes these

aural clouds appear dull , hazy, dark . Light from th e celestialheaven s streams in divin e radian ce al l through these aromalstratifi cation s . The divin e P resen ce— the heaven ly arab u lafiis everywhere man ifest. L ove en circles al l . God and heaventr iumph . P receded

,therefore

,by repen tan ce and r econ cil

iation,holin ess and happiness w ill b e the certain destiny of a

un iverse of con scious and reason ing in telligen ces . Al l w illfi nd this heaven— th is paradise of bliss— when they are

spiritually imparadised in God .

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294 DOCTR INES or SPIR ITUALI STS .

I am the Lord which exerciseth loving kindness , j udgmen t,and

righ teousness in the earth .— P s . 96 : 1 0—1 3 .

The Father judgeth no man ; bu t hath committed all judgment tothe Sen .

— J ohn v. 22 .

“ For j udgmen t I am come into this world.—J ohn ix . 39 .

As I hear— (clairau diantly)— I j udge ; and my judgmen t is just ;because I seek not mine own will— (medium—like)— bu t the will of theFather .

’ — J ohn v . 30.

Judgmen t an d j ustice are requis ites in all moral governmen ts . Especial ly is this true dur ing the g rowth of souls :

through exper ien ces in to high spir itual states of being .

Divin e penalties , as effects , are n e ither postpon ed, nor evadedby aton emen ts .

W hen th e immoral and oppress ive Felix swayed a sceptreof power over a Ju dean provin ce, th e in spired Paul “ reason ed w ith him of r ighteousn ess , temperan ce and j udgmen tto come

,till h e trembled . It was n ot

,however , suffer ing

to b e endured in an etern ity to which h e was hasten ing thatcaused th e trembling, but rather of a j udgmen t to come— tocome to him

,to a ll

,as the natural con sequen ces of plung ing

in to false relation s w ith divin e laws . M an,a moral actor , is

a subj ect of law ,a respon sib le being

,reaping anguish from

vice,an d enj oymen t from virtue.

Orig inally the dogma of a future gen eral j udgment was an

Egyptian myth . It has traveled down to u s through a Judaiz ed Christian ity. Where volcan ic fires con cen trate

,there

they burst ; where storms gather,there they spend their

fury ; where and what m en sow,there and tha t they reap .

Jesus said expressly, Now is th e j udgmen t of this w orld .

Whoever did a base deed,whoever defrauded his brother

,and

slept sweetly through the shades of n ight ? Every man has

a j udgmen t-seat in h is own soul . Th e recording angel isth ere also . Con scien ce is j udge ; reason is j udge ; truth isj udge . Before this august tr ibun al mortals stan d each day ,each hour, approved or con demn ed.M emory is the undying worm . Thoughts

,affection s

,plan s

,

accompany souls in to the future world . Each there gravitates

EXEGETI CAL S PI RITUALI SM— LAW or JUDGMENT. 295

to h is own plan e . This life determin es the commen cemen tof the n ext stage of existen ce.

The divin e law by which individuals are j udged is n ot

penn ed in Vedas or Upan ishads , in Old or New Testamen ts,but

,mapping the u n iverse

,is wr itten in inefi

‘

aceb le lin es oflight by th e breath of th e Etern al upon man ’

s men tal andmoral con stitution . The highest, the only supreme author ity,is the voice of God in th e soul . Al l are not equally amen ableto even human law s . If anything has been demon strated inmen tal scien ce, i t is that hereditary tain t m ay so pen etratethe subs tan ce of an in dividual ’s being, as to w eaken h is w illforce and put h is ten den cies in to th e pathway of pervertedrelation s tow ard that which tends to the highest good . The

in compatibility of social relation ships,an te-n atal condition s

,

early education and phys ical comforts,exercise such an

influen ce over individuals as in many respects to absolutelycon trol their motives . Such are more the subj ects of pityand compass ion than obj ects of blame . In stead of pen itent iaries , hospitals and houses of correction shou ld b e erected

,

and reform-schools opened for these un fortun ates, w ith w ise

and loving teachers and pleasan t surroun ding s . Said th egen tle Jesus

,

“ I come n ot to con demn,but save th e w or ld .

”

A l l being divin e in the in n ermost, th e lowest have a dimcon sciousn ess of th e good

,the j ust

,the right. In th e infin ite

admin istration ,th e scales of justice balan ce . Vice and emen

datory penalties shoot up from the same soil. The thief s ees,

after a time,h e has stolen from himself. The deceiver that

he has deceived himself— not nature,angels

,God . The slan

derer discovers that h is poison ed javelin s all return topierce h is own heart. All learn that what they throw outreturn s w ith in crease, an d that it is imposs ible to hide awayfrom on e ’ s con sciou s selfhood

,or escape th e legitimate result

of volun tary acts . Feelings,thoughts, deeds are from th e

inn er life , and , chang ing the relat ion of thing s , are, in one

sen se,eternal in their effect. Each sweet hepe cherished is

an immortal flower . Every ill-purpose con ceived is a poisouene breath that lives to blight. Ou r thoughts , a ims , p lan s

296 DOCTR INES or SPI RITUALI STS .

are carved upon our spiritual n atures . A s the woven webhere

,so the garmen t over there . Wh at respons ibilities !

Heaven help u s to weave l ife ’s web well !R ocks , trees , flowers

,m en have radiating eman ation s

atmospheres pecul iarly their own . The n ature of this electr ic sphere surrounding mor tals corresponds to the sou l ’ sun foldmen t. Jesus

,ever s eeing this magnetic efflu en ce

through his clairvoyan ce, “ kn ew what was in man .

”This

electr i c envelope aroun d the gross and depraved is hazy andmurky. Aroun d the merely in tellectual it appears clear

,cold

an d pos itive, w ith b luish shadings . Aroun d th e gen ial , spi ritu al and harmon ial , it is br ight an d s ilvery

,mellow ing in to

the golden . This idea is elaborated in th e S criptures w ithreferen ce to spir it-clothing. Matthew w r ites , “ Th e ange lof the L ord descen ded from heaven ,

rolled back the ston efrom the door, and h is raimen t was white as sn ow .

Luke says,

“ They foun d the ston e rolled away,

and

two m en stood by them in shining garments .

” It is said thaton the moun t

,J esu s

’

s face did shin e as th e su n,

and

h is raimen t w as wh ite as th e light.” When Corn elius w as

praying,h e says “ A m an stood before him in br ight cloth

ing .

”The light that shon e roun d ab out P aul was

“above

th e br ightn ess of th e su n ; and John,en tran ced u pon the

Is le of P atmos,perceived that those who had overcome were

clothed in white robes .

”Overcome what ? The ir pervers ion s

,

pas s ion s an d earthly appetites . As the flower imbibes thedew or sun light, so

,revealed before the heaven s

,are ou r

spheres b oth seen an d felt by min istering angels by whomw e are thus w eighed as in a balan ce an d credited exactly forwhat w e are w or th in th e “ Book of L ife ” —even ou r own

soul . Appropr iately Paul afli rm ed,

“ The sain ts shall judg eth e wor ld .

”Th e chan cery angel— j udgmen t and justice

is a daily atten dan t of each through the vicissitudes of ou retern al p ilgr image . What an in cen tive to live a pure

,divine

l ife.

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298 DOCTR INES or SPI RITUALI STS .

ground that men are moral actors and capable of good andevil . The reason why moral precepts are addressed to m en

and women rather than to the lower orders of creation,is

because they have a ration al an d spir itual n ature ; becaus ethey can understand moral obligation , and are con scious of adivin e con sciousn ess w ithin them . Moral ability measuresthe exten t of moral respon sibility. A ccording to th e

or ig in al g ift, so is the expected measure of th e talen t.That there are educated and ign oran t, good and b ad m en on

earth,are n ot debatable propos ition s . Death , being more

chemical than psychical , a mere musical r ipple upon the

ocean of life,and n either a spasmodic educator or savio r,

there n ecessar ily must b e educated and un educated, good andevil spir its

,of higher or lower con dition s in the summer and

w in ter lands of the fu ture,so con stan tly peopled from this

earth . A nd yet, as on earth , they all con stitute a bandedb rotherhood and s isterhood of in terests , an d are the subj ectsof etern al progress ion .

P rof. Wm . Den ton,in a lectu re delivered in Mus ic Hall

Boston en titled,

“ Spir itualism Superior to Chr istian ity,

said : No won der that those wh o believe in this Orthodex religion

,believe also

,that w e shall b e miraculously

changed at death . B u t Spir itualism teaches u s that spir itswhen they pass from the body to th e future life, take w iththem everything which is n ecessary for their in dividuality.Take out of any on e the good or b ad ten den cies that distingu ish him ,

an d he w ill become somebody e lse imm edi

ately .

”

A dmitting an in tercommun ion between this and the spir itwor ld— a con scious presen ce of spir itual being s , and ofminds influen cing minds

,as among the facts con n ected w ith

th e Spir itual Philosophy,i t is as n atural as eviden t that all

classes of spirits may , un der con dition s adapted to theirmagn etic and spir itual states

,impress

,in spire

,en tran ce

,and

at times par tially,an d then again completely, con trol mortals.

The”

higher operating influen ces are usually denominated

EXEGETICAL SPIR ITUALI SM— EVI L S PI RITS . 299

en tran cemen ts and in spiration s ; the low er , possess ion s and

obsess ion s .

Threading the histor ic testimony of India, Egypt , China,P ers ia , Syr ia , Greece , R ome, the medieval ages , down toAmer ican Indian s , we have the same chain of g en eral statemen ts— by w illing or unw illing w itn esses— of the exis ten ceand power of demon iacal spir its .

W e have previously shown by valid authors that the termdemon is used indiscr iminately w ithout referen ce to themoral status of the spirit. I n further confirmat ion

,as

eviden ce in poin t, we subj oin th e follow ingDemon

,in th e Greek, is da imon , to know,

a god, used likeTheos and Thea of individual“ gods It is defined and usedby scholars , lexicographers and class ical wr iters thusJon es— Demon

,the spir it of a dead man .

Cudworth— Demon,

a spirit,either angel or fien d .

Grote , th e celebrated Grecian historian , declares thatdemon s and gods w ere con s idered th e same in Greece.

Lucianus , a Greek w r i ter , born at Samosata,in Syr ia

,

used demon in the sen se of departed souls .

”

ArchbishopW hateley says : Th e heathen author s alludeto possess ion by a demon (or by a god , for they employ thetwo w ords w ith little or no distin ction) as a thing of no

un common occurren ce.

”

The P salmist David speaks of the Operation of evilangels .

’

P lato, speaking of a certain class of demons , says

They are demons becau se prudent and learned .

Hence, poets say when a good man shall have reached h is end , he

receives a mighty destiny and honor , and b ecomes a demon accordingto the appellation of prudence .

W orcester , in h is syn onyms , says

Demon is sometimes u sed in a good sense ; as,

‘ The demon of

Socrates, or the demon of Tasso’— and then

,to illustrate

,qu otes from

that fine author,Addison : My good demon , who sat at my r ighthand during the course of this whole vision ,’ &c.

300 DOCTR INES or S PIR ITUALI STS .

That learn ed savant, Cardan , hon ored w ith the fr iendship

of Gregory X III,says

N0 man was ever great in any art or action,that did not have a

demon to aid h im .

”

RALPH WALDO EMER SON wr itesClose, close above ou r h eadsTh e potent plain of demons spreads ;S tands to each h uman sou l h is own ,

For watch , and ward , and fu r th erance.

DR . LARDNER w r i tesThe notion Of demons

,or the sou ls of the dead

,having power over

living men , was u niversa l ly prevalent among the heathen of thosetimes , and believed by many Christians .

“ The demons of Paganism,Judaism and Chr istianity were spirits of

dead men .

”

EUR I PIDES,Hipp . v

,1 41 ) makes the chorus address

Phedra0 young girl , a god (demon) possesses thee ; it is either Pan , or

Hecate,or the venerable Coryban tes

,or Cybele, that agitates thee .

”

DR . CAMPBELL saysAll Pagan antiqu ity sflirms that from Titan and Saturn ,

the poeticprogeny of Coslu s and Terra, down to fEscu lapiu s , Proteu s , and Mines ,all their divin i ties were ghos ts of dead men

,and were so regarded by

themost erudite of the Pagans themselves .

”

B I SHOP W HATELY ably argues for the “reality of demon iac

pos session,

”as related in the New Testamen t, again s t those

ration alizing critics who would explain away th e n arrativesand the language of Christ himself as s imply an accommo

dation” to a vulgar superstition . He show s that the beliefin spiritual possess ion was held , n ot on ly by th e Jew s and

pr imitive Chr istians,but generally by heathen an tiquity ;

that th e heathen authors allude to possession by a demon

(or by a god, for they u sed th e tw o w ords w ith little or n o

distin ction), as a thing of no un common occurren ce .

” He

tells u s that they represen t the pr iests and priestesses of

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302 DOCTR INES OF S PI RITUALISTS .

lingu al organs to convey h is ideas . Others stop the v. ice,and make the possessed person in all respects like one that is dead .

’

No on e can fail to see the resemblan ce between theseparagraphs an d statements , and certain disorderly “

spiri tman ifestations” of th e New Testamen t. Take an in stan cefrom the gospels

And one of the mu ltitude said : Master , I have brought u ntothee my son , which hath a dumb Sp iri t and wheresoever he takethh im he teareth h im,

and he foameth and gnasheth with h is teeth , and

pineth away. And the Spirit cr ied and ren t him sore and

came ou t Of h im ; and he was as one dead ; insomu ch that manysaid, He is dead.

”

Th e learned Marcus , writing of ,'

an other kind Of demonundeveloped spir it— says

And becau se it is irrational, void of all intellectu al con templation ,

and is gu ided by irrational phantasy, it stands not in awe of menaces,

and for that reason most persons aptly call it dumb and deaf , nor can

they who are possessed with it by any other means b e freed from it,

bu t by the divine favor obtained by fasting and prayer .

”

S ee a s imilar accoun t in th e n in th chapter of Mark, where

a J ew brought h is son to Jesus , possessed w ith a dumbspir itAnd Jesu s asked h is father , How long is it Since this came un to

h im And he said,Of a ch ild. If thou canst do anything,have compassion on u s and help u s .

J esus said u n to him,If thou canst believe a ll th ings are possible

to h im that believeth .

And straigh tway the father of the ch ild cried ou t and said withtears , Lord, I believe ; help then m ine u nbelief.When Jesu s saw the people come ru nning together , he rebuked the

fou l spirit, saying u nto h im,Then deaf and dumb spirit, I charge thee

come ou t of h im and enter no more into h im . And the Spirit criedand ren t him sore and came ou t of h im

,and he was as one dead .

B u t Jesu s took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.

Then J esu s said to the disciples , This kind can come forth bynoth ing bu t by prayer and fasting .

”

Aware that these demon iacal possession s of the New Testamen t have been th e subj ect of much discussion for centur iesby the learn ed, we presen t certain logical facts for candid

EXEGETICAL SPIRITUALI SM— EVIL SPI R ITS . 303

con s ideration . The Chr istian Fathers,several Neo-P laton i c

w r iters of emin en ce,and the mos t distinguished biblical

commen tators , w ith g reat unan imity agree that theseobsess ion s literally occurred . The pos ition of R ationalists”and Un iversal ists” that these demon s were n othing morethan lunacy

,epilepsy and sundry diseases

,must seem to

every sound thinker exceedingly w eak and illogical .I. The demon iacs of th e gospel records and cotemporaryliterature are represen ted as differ ing w idely from morein san e an d epileptic individuals . I n M att. iv 24

,the Greek

terms show this con tra st in a marked mann er . S ee alsoLuke iv : 33—86 . And verse 41 , as compared w ith the 40th ,presents the con tras t still more direct. Dr . Clarke

,com

m en ting upon the 24th verse of the 4th of Matt,says

,

“ P ossessed w ith devils— demoniacs . P erson s possessed byevil spir its . This is certain ly th e plain

,Obvious mean ing of

demoniac in the Gospels .

”

(Com .,Vol. V

,p .

II. If demons were s imply n atural,phys i cal diseases

,was

it n ot a matter of th e highest importan ce that Jesus shouldhave un deceived h is cotemporar ies , Jews and Greeks , uponthis vital poin t, thus correcting th e erron eous and pern iciousphilosophy of th e age ? But h e did n ot in a single in stan ce.

To say , as some have , h e accommodated himself to th e prevailing n otion s of the times , is s imply to say , in the languageof an other

,

“ H e who came to bear w itn ess to th e truth,

accommodated himself to a lie.

”Suppose we w ere to sub

stitu te diseases for demons, in th e scr iptural accoun ts . Take,

as an illustration ,Mark xvi 9, reading, Now when Jesus

was r isen ,he appeared first to Mary Magdalen

,

out of whom h e had cast seven devils —daimonia,demon s .

Who, w ith any scholar ly reputation at stake,would assume

th e respon s ibility of giving u s such a render ing and exeges isas th e following Out ofwhom h e had cast seven devilsthat is

,seven diseases , lunacy lumbag o , dyspeps ia, rheuma

tiem,colic

,pn eumon ia and th e measles

III . These obsess ing demons could n ot have been diseasesand lunatics alone, because they conversed in telligen tly w ith

304 DOCTRINES or SPIR ITUALI STS .

Jesus , I ttering propos ition s un den iably correct, and su ch aswere happily adapted to the occas ion . On th e other hand,Jesus addressed these demons— spir its— as thinking

,conscious

individualities, and commanded them,

as beings distin ctfrom the obsessed or psych ologized parties

,to leave . Th e

Rev . Dr . W olff, who labored so long as a missionary inAs ia

,informs u s

,in h is “ L ife and Travels

,

” that obsessionis common to this day in th e East.In th e w r iting s of th e ear ly Church Fathers

,— Ignatius ,

Clemen s , Origen ,Bas i l

,Gregory of Nyssa

,Chrysostom

,

Ambrose,Augustin e

,&c. ,— are frequen t references to

demon iacal obsess ion s.Judge Edmon ds in h is Spir itualism as Demon stratedfrom An cien t and M odern History

,

”says : Jesus of

Nazareth , the founder of th e Christian relig ion , found thisbelief in devils (demons) fast rooted in the Jew ish faith at hisadven t to earth ! It h ad n ot its or ig in with him . He foundit there

,and recogn ized it as a tru th.

”

P orphyry, dwelling largely “ upon the folly of in vokingth e gods in making bargain s , marriages and such liketrifles ,

”stren uously con demn ed th e lower phases of

soothsaying and divination ,as ten ding to obsess ion .

Jamb l ichu s , the Coelo-Syr ian who passed to spir it-life in thereign of Con stan tin e th e Great, wrote largely of the power ofdemon s to influen ce an d obsess mortals .

In Copelan d’ s M edical Diction ary it is stated thatPhoen ecian s and Chaldees con s idered in san ity a species of“ obsess ion produced by demon s or evil Spir its .

’

It w i ll b e remembered that th e famous phys icist,and

English phys ician ,Dr . Grath W ilkin son ,

published an ablepamphlet a few years s in ce upon this subj ect, asking such ofthe medical fratern ity especially as were conn ected w ith

' * A. E . Carpenter , the energetic agen t of the Massachu s etts State Missionary Society, of Spir itu al ists , and gifted with a clear d iscr iminat ion , pub

l ish ed an abl e paper bas ed upon facts , (in th e B anner of L ight, Ju ly 25,r elating to obsessions and r emarkable Spir itual man ifestations .

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306 DOCTR INES OF SPIRITUALISTS .

bu t the triumph over wrong. Virtue is n ot vice, but thedestruction of vice by the supremacy of virtue. To driveaway darkn ess from a room

,in troduce light. Good is

primal,eternal— evil is in ciden tal. A ll endings are like

beg inn ings . In spite of evil God govern s .

L ike attracts like . Every door must have a hinge toswing upon . No evil spirit can approach u s un less— morallyweak— we possess a magn et w ithin , attracting corresponding influen ces . This

,so painfu l to en dure

,is the lesson of

ou r frailty, teaching the moral n ecess ity of foster ing betterconditions for more heaven ly relation s .

Sen sitiven ess to psychological influx, susceptibili ty tomediumistic con trol

,implies higher and lower u se

,and abuse .

Will n ot the tender flower b e touched by the frost as well asby the sunbeam ? The greater th e capacity to rise involvesa s imilar capacity to fall. The charm of a darken ed demonis as poten t as an angel ’s , where a poin t of ingress isposs ib le . Then ,

according to the apostolic inj un ction ofJohn

,trust not believe n ot every spirit

,but try the

spir its 7”If spir its un cultured an d evil, impress, and, at times, com

pletely obsess mortals , is not the practical of phen omenalSpir itualism dangerous ? Y es

,dangerous as the sun shine

,

that, falling alike on flowers and thorn s,the j ust and the

unj ust,produces an occas ional su n-stroke ; dangerous as the

spr ing rain s that, sweeping away old r ickety br idges , carr iesr ich alluvial to the valley below ; dangerous as steamers , thatnow and then send bodies down to fi nd graves under greensea-weeds

,whilst on their .b enefi cent miss ion s of in ter

nation al commerce ; dangerous as min ing,railroading

,

telegraphing, which develop the hidden wealth of a nation .

Shall we therefore dispen se with them ? Shall n on e pursuegeological pursuits because Hugh M iller committed suicide ?Briars aboun d where berr ies grow . It is on e of the ofli ces ofguardian angels to protect their mediums from the inharmon ions magnetisms of unwise, perverse spi rits

,and the

psychological attraction s of depraved mor tals .

EX EGE'I‘I CAL SPIR ITUALI SM— EVIL SPIRITS . 307

Obsess ion s being adverse,inauspicious

,psychological influ

snees,cast upon the organ ism— being the thoughts and feelings of individuals con trolled by such spir its as are n ecessi

tated in accordan ce w ith the immutable law s of compen sationto range for a season the lower plain s of life— th e preven tivelies in good health

,good nature and a good life : in the

cultivation of broad , loving , aspirational aims— a firmn ess ofmoral prin ciple— a determined purpose to do

,dare

,live the

right—a calm trust in the overshadow ing presen ce of theInfin ite

,and the holy watch-care of those beautiful angels

that delight to do the w ill of heaven . Ill-health,n ervous

affection s , dej ection , despair , suspicion , jealous ies , expose thesubject to obsess ion s

,or they offer suitab le con dition s for

demon s in clined to fun,mischief or base schemings

,to carry

out their selfish plans . Truth attracts the true, Wisdom the

w ise,love the lovely

,char ity the char itable

,and pur ity th e

pure of all worlds .

Kindn ess and fi rmn ess,

aspiration and self-relian ce,

pleasan t phys ical , social and men tal surroundings,w ith

gentle , harmon izing, magn etic influen ces from circles ofspir it-electr ician s through n oble, pure-minded media— theseare th e remedies . Speak to the obsess ing pow ers as m en

,

brother s,frien d ‘

s— reason w ith them as members of a comm on Father ’s family, and , at th e same time

,demagnetizing

the subj ect,br ing a healthier

,purer magn etism

,and calmer

,

higher and more elevating influen ces to th e patien t ’s relief.Jesus ’ wonderful power con s isted in this H e was the

child of love— sweet in h is n ature— harmon ial in organ ization— in tuitive and in spirational— con secrated and attendedby a “ legion of angels” ; al l of which peculiar ly fitted himto “ cast out demon s ”— that is

,to dissever by w ill-power

,

voice and touch,aided by h is angels

,the magnetic relation s

woven by low spir its around th e un fortunatemedia of h istime. He cast seven demon s” out of Mary Magdalenthat is

,h e cut the electr ic chain s

,or demagnetizing

,diss i

pated the aural emanation s thrown about this woman,thus

destroying the sympathetic relation s and psycholog ica l

308 DOCTRINES or SPI R ITUALISTS .

influen ces thrust upon and into the very tissues of her beingby those seven demons— spirits .

Those who lack in organ i c balan ce and symmetry ofmen tal express ion , being negative , and hen ce sen s itive an d

psychologically mediumistic, are the more often subj ects ofdisorderly con trol

,dur ing th e changes in cident to develop

ment. Such excite ou r sympathy . W e would brush awayevery tear— relieve them of every thorn -thrust ; but in no

poss ible way would we convey the thought of their n on

respon sibility. Al l mortals,as con scious reason ing beings ,

are th e subj ects of individual respon s ibility. Of those mostg ifted, the more is required. It is enough to make goodmen sad and angels weep to see the efforts in given direction s

,to fasten all the shortcomings of media upon the

spirits ; thus virtually making the spir it-w orld a scape-g oatfor all the ills of this Influen ce is not absolute con trol .Socrates and Jesus put forth every possible power to perfeet themselves in the highest kn ow ledg e an d freshestmen tal philosophy of their time. The million s of Ameri canSpir itualists , when more cr itically studying the pr in ciples oflife

,th e n ecess ity of temperamen tal adaptation

,th e poten cy

of psychologic for ce,the attractive and repellan t relation s of

mind to mind, (whether in or out of human bodies), and

th e special con dition s as w ell as the g en eral law s conn ectedwith and govern ing mediumship

,w ill see the indispen sability

of investigating and comprehending science,th e importan ce

of system ,order

,pur ity of purpose

,religious association

,

con secration to the best w ork of the age , and of living livesso beautiful and heaven ly, that angels w ill del ight to daily putou r han ds in to the shin ing palms of theirs , and lead u s up tomoun tain s of hourly beatitude.

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31 0 DOCTRINES or SPI R ITUALI STS .

outcries of the damned in flames,the nostrils shall be smothered, as it

were,with br imstone ; the tongue, the hand, the foot, and every part,

shall fry in flames .

”

Rev. M r. Emmon s wrote in h is series of sermon s

The happiness of the elect in heaven will, in part , consist in witnessing the torments of the damned in hell. And among these it mayb e their own ch ildren , parents , husbands , wives , and friends on earth .

One part of the bu siness of the blessed is to celebrate the doctrine of

reprobation . Wh ile the decree of reprobation is eternally execu ting on

the vessels of wrath , the smoke of their tormen t will be eternally ascending in view of the vessels of mercy, who, instead of taking the part ofthose miserable obj ects ,will say , ‘Amen

,hallelujah , praise the Lord !

’

Emmons’s S ermon s

,xvi.

When they (the sain ts) shall see how great the misery is from whichGod hath saved them ,

and how great a difference he hath made betweentheir state and the state of others who were by nature

,and perhaps by

practice, no more sinfu l and ill-deserving than they, it will give themmore a sense of the wonderfu lness of God

’

s grace to them . Every timethey look upon the damned

,it will excite in them a lively and admiring

sen se of the grace of God in making them so to differ . The sight of

hell tormen ts will exalt the happiness of the saints forever .

”— I b .

,

S ermo n xi .

R ev . Mr . Edwards penn ed these sen timen ts in h is Fractica l S ermon s

‘ The saints in glory will be far more sensible how dreadfu l the wrathof God is, and will better u nderstand how terrible the su fferings of the

damned are, yet th is will be no occasion of grief to them ,

bu t rejoicing .

They will not be sorry for the damned it will cau se no u neasiness or

dissatisfaction to them, bu t on the contrary,when they see th is sight, it

will occasion rejoicing, and excite them to joyfu l praises .

”

R ev . Thomas Boston,in his Four-fold State

,Informs u s

thatThe godly wife shall applaud the ju stice of the ju dge in the con

demnation of her ungodly hu sband . The godly hu sband Shall say amen

to the damnation of her who lay in h is bosom ! The godly parent shallsay ha llelu iah .

’ at the passing of the sentence of their u ngodly child .

And the godly ch ild shall from the heart approve the damna tion of h is

wicked parents who beget him ,and the mother who bore h im .

”—p. 336 .

EXEGETICAL SPIR ITUALI SM HELL. 31 1

Rev. Thomas Vin cen t, a Calvin istic clergyman of the past,indulges in th e follow ing strain :

This will fi ll them (the saints) with astonish ing admira tion and

wondering joy, when they see some of their near relatives going tohell ;their fathers

,their mothers , their children

,their hu sbands , their wives ,

their intimate friends and compan ions , while they themselves are saved !Those affections they now have for relatives ou t of Christ

will cease and they will not have the least trou ble to see them sentencedto hell

,and thrust into the fi ery fu rnace ! ”

Rev . James Smith , of the Amer ican Tract S ociety, Cincinnati

,published the follow ing

The fi re of hell is su ch that mu ltitudes of tears will not quench it,and length of time will not burn it ou t .

‘ The wrath of God abideth ;on the rejecter of Christ — J ohn iii : 36 .

Oh , eternity ! etern ity Who can fathom it ? Mariners have theirplummet to measure the depths of the sea ; bu t what l ine or plummetshall we u se to fathom the depth of etern ity ? The breath of the Lordkindles the flames of the pit, (I sa . xxx : and where shall we find

waters to quench those flames ? OH,ETERNITY ! If all the body of

the earth and the sea were tu rned to sand,and all the Space up to the

starry heaven were nothing bu t sand, and if a little bird shou ld come

once every thou sand years and take away in her bill bu t a single grainfrom all that heap of sand

,what numberless years and ages mu st be

spent before the whole of that vast quantity wou ld be carried away.Yet if even at the end of all that time the sinner might, come ou t of

hell,there wou ld be some hope. B u t that word FOREV ER breaks the

heart . ‘ The smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever .

’

The Rev . Mr . W alworth , son of the formerly distinguishedChan cellor Walworth

,of New Y ork, in a discourse describ

ing the locality and in ten sity of hell, saidThe Scriptures had invariably spoken of hell as beneath us

,not

above or far removed. As heaven was above, and the sou ls of the

righteou s were said to ascend to heaven , so the damned descendedwen t down into hell .

“ The rich man , tormen ted in hell , ‘ lifted up his eyes ’ and saw

Lazaru s in Abraham’s bosom

,and to his en treaties for succor and inter

cession, Abraham had replied, between u s and you there is a great gu lffixed.

’So

, too, Christ, in the parable of the marriage feast, said,

‘ Take him and bind h im hand and foot,and cas t him into ou ter

darkness .

’

f‘ He cited many other texts from S cripture to fix th is locality, and

dedu ced,as a conclu s ion therefrom

,that hell mu st necessar ily b e in the

31 2 DOCTR INES or SPIRITUALISTS .

centre of this earth,as in no other way cou ld ou r conception s of its

position beneath u s , as defined in the Scr iptures , be adequ ately real ized ;our ideas of what is above u s might be infinite as space itself, bu t therecou ld b e bu t one ‘ beneath

,

’and that was subterranean .

“ He then inqu ired into the deg ree -of in ten sity of th is heat,wh ich

almost passed the bou nds of human conception . As a means of approximat ing to a resu lt

,however

,he referred to experiments which had been

made with a thermometer in -Artesian wells and f deep mines . Here it

had been observed that with every fifty feet of depth one degree of

Fahrenheit had been gained ; con sequ ently,at th is ratio of increase

,it

wou ld on ly b e necessary to penetrate the cru st of the earth twenty-onemiles

,in order to reach a state of heat

,in wh ich the gran ite wou ld be

molten . Water boils at two hu ndred and twelve degrees Fahrenheit.bu t it requ ires two thou sand and S ix hu ndred degrees to melt rocksThis

,therefore

, was the min imum of the heat of hell,whose fron tiers

therefore,lie twenty-one m iles below the su rface of the ear th .

What wou ld be the duration of the pu n ishment and of these terrib le fires ? Here there was no room left for doubt ! The Church

,ii .

concurrence with the awfu l testimony of the Scriptu res , had pronou ncedthem eternal ; Christ himself had said

,

‘ It is better for thee to en ter

l ife maimed than,having two hands

,to go in to hell , into the fi re that

Shall never be qu enched .

’ It wou ld be vain to attempt to conceive the

du ration of that etern ity ; the boldest intellects shran k appalled on the

very th reshold of the ir inqu iry. To illustrate the fu tility of any such

attempt, he begged his hearers to pictu re to themselves one of thoseinfinitely small an imals

,of wh ich m illions dwell in a sing le drop of

water,and which on ly the most powerfu l m icroscope can reveal to ou r

gaze.

“ Let them suppose one of these infinitesimal creatures to consume thewhole earth , to eat all the leaves of the trees

,the fru its of the grou nd,

and sand of the seashore,the mou ntains and the plains , to drink up the

oceans, lakes and r ivers,taking one mou thfu l in a thou sand years

,and

then to devour in turn the su n and the planets and al l the visible creatu resofa

'

the J u niverSe,and , after the incalcu lable lapse of time, consider how

mu ch nearer they wou ld be to the solu tion of this great mystery Not

one step ; etern ity wou ld be as far beyond their contemplation as ever .

“ In these eternal fires every limb and member of ou r bodies , everynerve and mu scle and . tendon ,

every part of u s,in fire

,over which the

sense ' of feeling zpredominated, wou ld be forever racked and tortu redand yet never consumed. And to these exqu isite tormen ts of the bodywou ld be added the pangs of remorse and stings of conscience .

”

This is locating and preaching hell to some purpose . It isadmirable Such s quare sermon iz ing is in no way allied tothis delectable

,dodging indefi n iten ess that characterizes the

evangelical discourses of. the present . P erh aps the mitigation , soften ing and bridg ing.

over of that liquid s tream of fi re

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314 DOCTR INES or SPIR ITUALI STS .

Here are several passages from the Old Testament whereSheol —hell— is ren dered grave . Gen . xxxvii . 35

I will go down into the grave ( S heol or hell) unto my son mourn

ing .

“ Oh , that thou wou ldst h ide me in the grave ( S heol or hell).

Hosea xiii : 1 4 : “ I will ransom them from the power of the grave ; Iwill redeem them from death ; 0 death , I will be thy plagues ; O

grave ( S heol or hell) I will B E THY DESTRUCTION .

These passages show that Jacob expected to go to Sheolhell -to meet his son , and that Job actually prayed to b e b idin hell.Sheol is found in the Old Testamen t sixty-four times . It

is trans lated three times pit, twen ty-n in e times grave, thirtytwo times hell. Hades occurs eleven times in the New Tes

tamen t,tran s lated on ce grave, ten times hell. Th e learn ed

Parkhurst saysOur English , or rather S axon word hell, in its original s ign ification ,

exactly answers to the Greek word Hades,and denotes a concea led or

unseen p lace and this sense of the word is still retained in the eastern,

and especially in the western counties of England. To hele over a thingis to cover it.

Mr . Sabin e says“ It appears to me that in the time of this translation

,hell

, pit and

grave, were synonymous .

”

Tartarus,frequen tly used by the Grecian poets , is descr ibed

in th e Iliad as a place far below Hades . It occurs in the Biblebut on ce

,and is used in the participle form Tartarosas . It

literally implies a portion of Hades— hidden region s .

There is but one opin ion among the erudite con cern ingGehenna, found twelve times in the Bible . Dr. Campbell

“ It is originally a compound of two Hebrew words, ge hinnom ,

the

valley of H innom , a p la ce n ear J eru sa lem, of which we hear first in thebook of Joshu a

,xv : 8

R osenmuller saysGehenna is a Hebrew word

,denoting a p la ce near J eru salem.

EXEGETICAL SPIR ITUALISM— HELL. 31 5

Clark says, respecting the passage of Matt. v : 23

Our Lord here alludes to the valley of the son of Hinnom. This

place was near J eru sa lem ,

”etc.

These Orthodox scholars were correct is saying Gehennahell— was a place n ear Jerusalem ,

and not in the centre ofthe earth

,

”nor the future immortal wor ld. The Roman

Catholics , seemingly more hon est, and certain ly more profound in research than P rotestants , translate Shoel and Hades

candidly in giving to the English word hell its or iginal andproper mean ing, viz : secret, covered— the state of the deadw ithout referen ce to their condition . In the Douay Bible

,

first published in Douay in 1 609, among others we fi nd thistext and sen s ible n ote thereon

1 Sam. 1 1 : 6 : ‘ The Lord bringeth down to hell (sheol) and bringethback again .

’J ob xiv : 1 3 : ‘ That thou mayest protect me in hell ( Sheol)

and hide me till thy wrath pass .

”Note . Protect me in hell

,that is

,

in the state of the dead, and in the place where the sou ls are kept

waiting for their Redeemer .

’

R ev . B . H. W ilson ,in an essay relating to the “ National

English Church , alluding to the L imbus Infantum of theCatholic Church , says

There may be mansions hereafter for those who are infants in spiritual development —nu rseries ; or seed grounds , where the u ndevelopedmay grow up u nder new conditions , the stun ted become strong , and theperverted restored.

”

L iberal sen timen ts of this character indicate the b enev

olence of the heart and the rapidity of relig iou s progress .

That j udicious author of the S eriou s Cal l, Wm . Law

,in

on e of h is best in spirational momen ts , writes

N0 hell in any remote place no devil that is separate from you ; no

darkness or pain that is not within you no an ti-Christ, either at Romeor England no fu rious beast ; no fiery dragon , withou t or apart fromyou rself, can do you any hur t. It is your own hell

,you r own devil

,you r own beast , you r own anti-Ch rist, you r own dragon that lives inyour own heart’s blood, that alone can hu rt you .

”

31 6 DOCTRINES or S PIRITUALISTS.

Heaven is harmony ; hell is discord. Heaven is love and

pur ity ; hell is hate .

“ The kingdom of heaven is w ithinyou

,said the Galilean teacher . If heaven is within the

good and pure , hell is w ithin the Impure and depraved. I t

implies sorrow ,

’ darkn ess,trouble

,regret and remorse . The

P salmis t, David,because of tran sgress ion s

,was forced to

exclaim I foun d sorrow and trouble ; the pains of hell gothold of me .

”This is the exper ien ce of all wrong-doers.

The un iverse is vocal w ith warn ings . In the sen se of anescape from just pun ishmen t

,there is no forgiveness . Com

pen sation is certain . The “u ttermost farthing ” must b e

paid. A S reaping to sow ing,so is misery to vice

,or happi

n ess to virtue. They are as indissolubly conn ected as the

pillars that support the un iverse.

The comparative darkn ess atten ding certain spir its for along per iod in the lan d of souls , is on ly the reflex actionof their own spir itual states . They gen erate th e mist thatdims their vis ion . L ife is on e lengthen ed chain . Volun taryacts are the links . A s to-day is related to to-morrow,

and

as th e con duct of youth afl‘

ects manhood ; so this life ’

s

thoughts,purposes

,deeds

,determin e the immediate condi

tion and pos ition of those en ter ing th e immortal world . No

death-miracle tran sforms sordid,scheming, w icked m en in

the “ tw inkling of an eye” to angels . True growth is a

s tranger to abrupt leaps . A l l progress is gradual . Ci ne

malicious and depraved of this,carrying their hells w ith

them,en ter the b ells or lower spheres of th e spir it-life.

They are in pr ison s of mora l darkness . They lived base,

and selfi sh lives . Their affection s cen tered upon earth and

earthly things , and by an in exorable law of their being theyare men tally and psychologically impr ison ed for a time n ear

the surface of this plan et. As fi sh to water,bird to air

,so

th e earthly-minded to the grosser strata and aural circlesbelting th e earth , till through aspiration

,unfoldment

,and

refinemen t,they become p repared to traverse the starry

spaces of the higher ‘ heavens .

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HAF T ER XXX il l .

HEAVEN.

I saw a new h eaven and a n ew earth . He that overcometh s hal l

inh er it al l things .

”

Sweet land ! I have dreamed of thee.

There,al l being is eternal ; things that cease have ceased to be

All corruption ther e has per ish ed , th ere th ey flou r ish , strong and free

This mortal ity is swal lowed up of l ife eter nal ly .

”

Brimming w ith hallowed association s is th e delightfu lthought of Heaven . All have fr ien ds there whose memor iesare sacred . Trustingly they await ou r arr ival for holyre-un ion .

Paradise, writes Dr . Hales , “ is the region appropr iatedto good souls .

Some of the Church Fathers con sidered paradise on e

divis ion of th e under-world ; others thought it high in the

atmosphere,but below th e dwelling-place of God . Chr istian s

gen erally con s ider it a located place— a city celestial,in

distan t,undefined region s . A ll fai l to discern the obvious

differen ce between paradise and heaven . To him thatovercometh

,

” declared the ascen ded Jesus to th e mediumSt. John , “ I w ill give to eat of the tree of life that gr owethin the midst of the paradise of God .

The terms paradise, heaven, sp irit-wor ld, sp ir itual world , sp ir itland, summer-land, ge ,

used interchangeably, con stitute, literally

,a“ confus ion of tongues .

” Un l ike in the orig inal, and31 8

EXEGETICAL S PIR ITUALI SM HEAVEN. 31 9

having different shades of mean ing, they should b e employedw ith the n icest discr imination . Angry discuss ion s wouldoft en b e avoided

,if words and terms symbolizing ideas ,

were r ightly understood and applied .

Spir it-world, in the best acceptation of the phrase, s ign ifies ,al l space. Each individual is in the spir it world now ,

thoughencofiined in a mortal body . Vast multitudes people theworld of nnfleshed spir its

,who are not in the spiritual wor ld .

Those on ly are in the spir itual world,who

,through disciplin e

and progress,have outgrown the depress ing condition s of

organ ization w ith all earthly pass ion s and tenden cies. The

harmon ial and blissfu l graduate from the Spir itual world intothe celestial heaven s . Here dwell the pure and holy . Clothedin white

,an d w ear ing golden girdles

,they rush w ith the

melodies of star-orbits to other plan ets and systems,the

teachers of love an d holin ess .

The spir it, or summer- lan d,is real and substan tial— more

substan tial to spir its than this earth to mortals . It is beautifu l ly descr ibed by A . J. Davis

,in h is “ S tellar Key .

”The

spir itual is th e real . As John,en tran ced on Patmos

,saw

throngs of angels,

” harpers,

” thron es,

” “rainbow s

,

”

crown s ,” “ lamps of fi re,

”seas of glass

,

” char iots,

vials of odors ,” “ golden harps,

” trumpets — as S tephenand Pau l “ looked up in to heaven

,beholding spirits and

angels ,”and hearing un speakable words ; so the en tran ced

and clairvoyan t of this age behold delightful fields , landscapes ,garden s

,flowers

,fruits, r ivers , lakes , foun tain s , vast assem

b lages of spirits , musical bands, lyceum gather ings , spor tivechildren

,schools of des ign

,art galler ies , magn ificen t man

s ion s,and architectural abodes of beauty

,where loving hearts

beat and throb as on e .

All spir its were on ce mortals . Al l angels were on ce spir its .

The child, the man,th e spirit

,th e angel, the arch-angel, is the

divin e order,corresponding w ith the mus ical scale of the

overarching spirit spheres . Those in the celestial heaven sare termed angels

,because they have advan ced beyon d the

tain ts and selfish loves of their mortal existen ce .

320 DOCTRINES OF S PIR ITUALI STS .

It is diflicu lt to en tirely disconn ect heaven from surround!ing , substan tial scen ery. It is self-eviden t that whateverexists in the realms of the relative

,must exist somewhere .

A l l substan ce has form. If there are organ ized spiritualbeings— spir its— there must be exten t and l imit

,bear ing

upon them relationally,and whatever is in exten t

,must b e

in space,and have some kin d of location . Nature kn ows no

vacuum . If there is anything not in space, it can haven either form n or figure, for figure is defin ed by logicians tob e the limit of exten t ; and the human mind cann ot conceive of form w ithout limit, of limit w ithout exten t, or exten tw ithout space .

Spir itual beings , then ,have location

,and

,in a subordinate

sen se,heaven may b e conn ected w ith locality ; that is , there

must b e a harmony between the obj ective and subjective— a

correspon den ce,or divin e adaptation between spheral strata

,

scen ery,surroundings , and those heaven ly societies .

Exalted spir its often speak of their beautifu l homes,where

life is love, and love is law ; of mus ic , and foun tain s castingtheir s ilvery spray ; of ever-green garden s , isles of en tran cinglovelin ess

,flow ing streams w ith jeweled banks

,harmon ial

congresses of angels and heaven ly un ivers ities ofw isdom .

When pass ive and prayerful, our spirit-guide descendingand descr ibing to u s , in voice lute-like and loving

,the mag

n ifi cen ce of h is celestial res iden ce, ever closes in these thrillingly searching words— “ A ll these shall be thine

,child

,when

thou art wor thy . To him that overcometh is the promise of the

blessed inher itance.

“ I s thi s the way, sweet angel ? ’

Tis, my chil d !

Thou mu st pas s throu gh the tangled, dreary wild,If thou wou ldst r each th e city u ndefi led,

Thy peaceful home above.

Angel , I’m weary ! Child, then lean thy head

Upon my breast ; it was my love that spreadThy rugged path hope on , till I h ave said

,

Res t, r est for aye, above !

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DOCTR INES OF SPIRITUALI STS .

and maker is God .

” I ts inhabita n ts ar e earnes t and un tir ingin their activities . Apostles , martyrs , reformers , con tinuetheir holy mission s . New ton pursu es h is investigation s .

Fulton ’s inven tive gen ius fin ds broader scope for action .

Mozart sweeps golden harp-str ing s , ton ing to harmony thediscords of th e spheres . Philosophers pursue their studies .

Garden ers con tinue their pleasing vocation s .-Geologists

probe n ew ly-formed earths , and astron omer s become enth u

siastic in measur ing the mighty orbs of space . Spir it life,then

,is an active life

,a social life

,a retr ibutive life, a con

st ructive life , a progres s ive life . R eason ,affection ,

con

scien ce and memory, go w ith u s in to that world of con scious

souls . Individu alities are etern alities .

A change of clothing, or a change of place , does not

change character . En tran ce in to the future wor ld of spirits ,w ill n o more affect th e moral ten den cies of th e soul, or

miraculously g ive it n ew direction s , des ires and aims,than a

voyage acros s th e P acific to Californ ia , w ould tran sform a

thief in to a sain t . A l l gr ow to b e angels by deg rees . Th e

process of death , w ith th e improved surroun ding s an d condition s inciden t thereto, w il l better each and all on ly in th e

sen se of helping them to more clear ly see th e true relationof things .

In an in spirational discourse, H . W . Beecher saidWe shall en ter upon another life divested of many of the hindrances

and incumbran ces of th is .

If you take a seed that has r ipened in Nova Z emb la,and bring it

into the tropics , and plant it, it will not be what it wou ld have been inNova Z emb la

,with a Short growing season

,and the scantiest supply of

food . It will have, with a long summer,and an abu ndant supply, a

growth to wh ich no one wou ld su spect that it cou ld attain,who had

on ly seen it grow in the frigid zones . Many things that are Shrubs inthe frigid zones

,are h igh, waving cen tu ry oaks in the tropics . And so

men in th is life are in conditions wh ich , thou gh fitted to develop the

earlier stages of human growth , are not fitted to develop the fu ll estateof that idea wh ich God has expressed in the creation of man . And we

may hope that when we b id adieu to ou r mortal life, we Shall leave

behind some th ings wh ich are necessary to the ex igencies of ou r condi

tion here, b u t which will not be necessary to ou r state there. Our

imagination, ou r reason,ou r aflect ions

,and ou r moral sentiments

, we

EXEGETICAL SPIR ITUALI SM HEAVEN . 323

shall doubtless carry with u s ; bu t the condition s of ou r life will be so

different that we Shall be like men taken from poverty into abu ndancefrom win ter in to summer ; from a cold climate and a frozen soil

,into

a soil never locked by ice,and Skies that never know frost . Our life

there shall be ampler , fu ller , nobler than it is here .

”

A man cann ot b ecome scien tific and holy as a garmen t isclean sed by washing. Volition an d effort are involved inmoral purity. Salvation is the result of soul-growth

,not

phys ical chemistry .

When a drown ing mortal heavily en cumbered w ith thickgarm en ts

,

'

su cceeds in throw ing them off,h e is n ot saved

,n or

do his tremulou s feet press the Shore ; but h e is in a far bettercondition for reaching it. So

z'

th e circum stan ce termed death,

“on e step up higher ,” puts all the con scious human ity ofGod in to better condition s to attain kn ow ledge , w isdom ,

pur ity,heaven . S alvation then is n ot mechan ical

,chemical

nor cataclysmic ; but a gradual in terior un foldmen t— a comingin to harmony w ith divin e law— a blissful sequen ce achievedthrough th e exercise of the w ill , w isdom and love of a moralactor .

There is no such law in the un iverse as absolute retrogra

dation . Spir it is n ever less than essen tial spir it. Downwardtenden cies are more in seeming than the real . Th e prodigalson departing for that far-off coun try

,

”was spir itu al ly

approaching the Father . H e required the terr ib le experi

en ce. A rresting him in h is course,th e pun ishm en t w as

disciplinary . It brought him to himself. It helped th e

Christ tr iumph over th e A dam .

The pr imary mean ing of th e Greek word,Kolas is— pun ishm en t —is prun ing or trimming, as of a tree ; severing diseasedlimb s

,and cutting away distorted bran ches to restore it to a

healthy condition and symmetry of form .

Th e growth of plan ts is in ten sified and has ten ed by r ichsoil

,clear light and an increased supply of electr icity. A l l

this may b e don e in harmony w ith n atural law . Such s tim u

lan ts are adapted to the structure of the plan ts . S o the

DOCTRINES OF SPIR ITUALI STS .

influen ces,in cen tives

,spir itual light and presen ce of angel

guides extending the ir Shin ing b ands,w i ll exer t a mighty

moral influen ce in turn ing spir its , dis en thralled from theirflesh ly bodies, towards the more pure and heaven ly altitudesof perfection .

God is a worker . He has thickly str ewnInfini ty with gr andeur . God i s love.

He y et shal l wipe away Creation ’s tear s ,And all the wor lds shal l summer in h is smile.

One God, on e l aw,one element,

And one far-ofi‘

,divine event,

To which the whole creation moves.

!Thu s heavenward all th ings tend . For all were once perfect, and

a ll mu st be a t length r estored .

”

“ Each is born for a higher destiny than that of earth ; there is a

realm where rainbows never fade ; where the stars will be ou t beforeu s like islets that Slumber on the ocean ; and where the loved beingsthat pass before u s like shadows , now will stay in ou r presence forever ! ”

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326 DOCTRINES or SPIRITUALI STS .

Those sublime,old Hindoo Hymn s , the Vedas , r ichly

abound in the doctrin es of life and immor tality.

The wiseman , to whom pain and pleasu re are the same,is formed

for immortality. The Spir it is not a th ing of which a man

may say, it hath been , it is abou t to b e, or is to be hereafter ; for it iswithou t birth, ancient, constan t and eternal

,and is not to be destroyed

in this i ts mortal frame . As a man throweth away old garments andpu tteth on new, even so the sou l

,having qu itted its old mortal frames

,

entereth into others which are new.

”— B hagava t Geeta .

“May I arrive at that abode of V ishnu (God) where dwell in bliss themen who have been devoted toH im. He who has honored V ishnu withlibations , becomes his friend in the world above . Go

, give to thewaters and to the plants thy body which belongs to them bu t there isan immortal portion ; 0 Djatavedas, transport it to the wor ld of the

holy.

”— R ig Veda .

Generation is not a creation of life,bu t a production of things to

sense and making them man ifest . Neither is change death,bu t a

h iding of that which was .—Hermes Tr ismegistus .

He who Speaks wisely, moderately, kindly goes (after death) tothose worlds wh ich are the inexhau stible sou rces of happiness . He who

is intelligen t, modest, devou t, who reverences wisdom,and respects his

superiors and the aged, goes to the highest heaven . S in less amongthe Sinfu l

,speaking friendly words to all men

,his whole sou l melting

with benevolence,final happiness is with in his grasp .

”Vishnu

P u rana .

There is another invisible,eternal existence superior to this visible

one,wh ich does not perish when all th ings per ish . Those who attain

th is never retu rn . This is my supreme abode .

”— B hagava t Geeta .

“ The sou l is immortal again ,it is incorruptible, it never dieth .

B u t wh en a man who has lived j u stly dieth ,h is sou l ascend

eth to the pu re heaven , and lives in the happy eevum with the blessed.

— Py thagoras .

One of this Grecian ’s golden verses is thisWh en then shal l have laid aside thy body,

Th ou sh al l r ise freed fr om mortal ity,And become a god (angel) of th e kindly skies .

Dying, she shall be welcomed by her father, hermother , and her brother in that other world.

”— S op hocles .

An honorab le and virtu ou s man,may res t assu red as to his fu tu re

fate. The sou ls of the lawless departing th is life snfi er pun ishmen t .B u t the good lead a life withou t a tear

,among those honored by th e

gods f:r having always deligh ted in virtu e.

”— P indar .

EXEGETI CAL SPI R ITUALI SM— HI STOR IC IMMORTALITY . 327

As they who ru n a race are not crowned till they have conquered,

so good men believe that the reward of virtu e is not given till afterdeath . Not by lamentations and mournfu l chantsough t we to celebrate the fu nerals of the good, bu t by hymns ;for in ceas ing to be numbered with mortals

,they enter upon the

heritage of a diviner life .

”— P lu ta rch .

I f my body be overpressed, it mu st descend to the destined placenevertheless , my sou l Shall not descend

, b u t , being a thing immortal,shall fly up to h igh heaven .

’ —Hera clitu s .

When,therefore

,death approaches a man , the mortal part of him

l ies ; bu t the immortal departs safe and u ncorruptible , having withdrawn itself from death . The sou l

,t herefore

,is most certain ly

immortal and imperishable, and ou r sou ls really exist in the world of

Spirits . Those who shall have suffi ciently pu r ified themselves byphilosophy [rel igion ] , shall live withou t their bodies received in tomore beau tifu l man sions . For the sake of thesethings , we shou ld u se every endeavor to acqu ire virtue and wisdom in

th is life ; for the reward is noble and the hope is great . A man

ought then to have confidence abou t his sou l,if du ring th is life he has

made it beau tifu l with temperance, ju stice, fortitude, freedom,and

tru th he waits for his entran ce in to the wor ld of spirits , is one who isready to depart when destiny calls . I shall not remain

,I Shall

depart . Do not say then that S ocra tes is buried ; say that you bu rymy body .

— S ocr a tes .

Th is was the end of the best,the wisest

,and most just of men

,—a

story wh ich Cicero professed he never read withou t tears .

”- P la to .

“ The origin of sou ls cannot be fou nd upon earth,for there is

noth ing earthly in them . They have facu lties which claim to b e called

divine,and which can never b e Shown to have come to man from any

sou rce bu t God . That natu re in u s wh ich th inks,which knows

,wh ich

lives,is celestial

,and for that reason necessar ily eternal . God h imself

can be represented on ly as a free Spirit separate from matter,seeing all

things , and moving all th ings , h imself ceaselessly working . Of thiskind

,from th is natu re

,is the human sou l . It cannot be

destroyed .

”H e represents the aged Cato as exclaiming, 0 happy

day when I Shall remove from this crowd of mortals,to go and join the

divine assemb ly of great sou ls . Not on ly Shall I meet again there themen who have lived godlike on earth ; I Shall fi nd again my son

,to

whom these aged hands have performed the du ties wh ich in the order

of natu re he shou ld have rendered to me . His Spirit has never qu ittedme . He departed, turning h is eyes upon me and calling on me

,for that

place where he knew I shou ld soon come. I f I have borne h is losswith cou rage, it is not that my heart was u nfeeling , bu t I consoled

myself with the though t that our separation wou ld not be long .

”

Cicero

328 DOCTR INES or SPIR ITD ll LI STS .

These citation s , taken as selected pebbles from an im

measurable ocean of eviden ce, prove that the doctrin e of

future, immortal existen ce is as n atural to the soul as a heartbeat ln its casemen t ; that, like sun light

,it has flowed i .rto

an d bubbled from the spir itual affection s of al l seers in al l

ages , and become there a prophecy, yea, a positive kn ow l

edge . Even th e ruder tr ibes of earth,less favored w ith

th e supports of civilization,in stin ctively en tertain this

truth . The poor Indian of Amer ica ’

s w ilds,child of fate

falling before the more savage mon opoly of his pale brother ,is fn atu re

’

s diorama of immortal lights an d shades from the

spir it hun ting -groun ds . When a b rave chief dies , th e su r

vivors, bending down a sapling pin e till the roots j ut out

,

place under it the ten an tless form,letting th e tree spring

back to its or ig in al pos ition ,where

,spiring up a symbol of

tow er ing spir ituality , it is n our ished w ith the r ich dust todust” and becomes green er an d stronger

, r is ing highertowards the w ierd lan ds of the hereafter .

Death strikes no class of person s w ith such terror as pro

fessed Chr istian s . The ir sighs , groan ings , moan ings and

mourn ing apparel— black fitting their condition— a churchmen ager ie of sable Show an d brooding despair— absolutelyshock the seers and sag es of India , Greece

,R ome

,the mil

lion s of presen t Spiritualis ts,and even the North American

Indian s .

W hat con summate bigotry , then , or learn ed ma lign ityculpable in that they k n ow n o better — for clergymen ,

sn eer ing at the man ifestations of angel presen ce, to in s is t, asthey do

,that th e on ly reliable eviden ce of immortality is

revealed in the Bible, or“ brought to light” in th e his

toric resurrection of Jesus ! Even the Hindoo Menu can

teach “them ; “ Un iversal in stin ct is tran scen den t law .

”

The human soul W ill b urst al l fetters,and

,child-like

,fi nd

n ature a perpetual paradise of immortal fore-gleams , an d

its own inn er spr ings of love th e future r iver of lifeflow ing in to th e estuary of etern ity.

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HAP T E IK XXXV III .

RESURRECTION.

“ The grave itself is b u t a cover ed br idge,Leading from l ight to l igh t, through a br ief darkness .

The eye that shuts in a dying h ou rWil l open n ext in bl is s

Th e wel come will sou n d in th e h eaven ly worldEre th e farewel l is hu shed in th is .

Th ere shal l b e no more death,neith er sorrow n or crying , n ei ther shal l

th ere b e any more pain for th e former thing s ar e passed away .

”

Death,th e shade-s ide of con sciou s life

,is comparable to a

star,that, fading from telescopic vis ion ,

s ets to illumin eother s in th e siderial heaven s to a rose that

,on a morn ing

in Jun e,climbs up the garden wall to bloom th e other s ide .

The Greek,anas iasis

,gen erally tran s lated by th e English

w ord, resurrection , does n ot n ecessar ily s ign ify, that thos e to

whom it refers Should b e phys ically dead . In th e s cr ipturesan d th e class ics

,it is often applied to th e l iving. I ts best

defin ition implies a r is ing , an exalta tion,a being lifted up

higher in regard to con dition or cir cumstan ce . The learn edDr . Campbell says “ It den otes S imply being raised frominactivity to action

, or from obscur ity to emin en ce .

”

Anis terni, the verb form,has a sign ification equ ally w ide , as

used by Grecian wr iters,both before and after th e Chris tian

era . Therefore,in th e or ig inal , r is ing from a seat, awaken

ing out of s leep, or being promoted to a higher condition ,

may b e legitimately, termed an anas tasis— a r esurrection .

330

EXEGETI CAL SPIR ITUALI SM RESURRECTION . 331

P ers ian s,Mahommedan s , Jew s,and Chr istian s

,w ith very

few exception s , believe in the literal resu rrection of thesephys ical bodies— soma ia— while th e g reat army of Spir itu al ists

,in con stan t converse w ith the spir it-w orld

,utter ly

repudiates the theory.M in eral matter to matter in accordan ce w ith gravitation

and adaptation— dus t w ith its pr imitive dust— and Spir itheavenw ard towards the perfection s of Infin ite spir it— isth e immutable law as seen from the spiritual s ide of thisqu estion .

In that Chr istian w r iter ’s w ork— Dr . Y oung’s —en titledThe Last Day ,” th e dogma of the resurrection of th emortal body is carr ied to the ultimate Augustin e, hardpressed upon the point, of cann ibalism ,

said,

The fleshshall b e restored to th e man in whom it first becamehuman flesh

,regardless of th e changes i t may have passed

through ; for it is to b e con s idered as borrowed,and

,l ike

borrowed mon ey, must b e return ed to th e on e from Whomit was taken .

”

Among th e mos t importan t w ords of th e Episcopalcreed , are these I believe in the resu rrec

tion of th e body and the life ever lasting.

Brigham Y oung,th e M ormon leader

,preaching the

funeral discourse of elder Heber C. Kimball,said

He has fallen as leep for a certain pu rpose , to be prepared for a

gloriou s resu rrection ; and the same Heber C. Kimball,every compo

nen t particle of his body, from the crown of his head to the soles of h is

feet,will b e resu rrected , and he , in the flesh , will see God and converse

with H im and see his brethren and associate with them,and they will

enjoy a happy etern ity together .

”

Th e b odies that on ce walked the New Atlan tis Is le— the

mummied forms of Egypt’s cemeter ies tran sferred to fu el,

or to medicin es upon apothecaries shelves—t he crumblings cattered remain s that on ce peopled those old catacombs

,in

the V ia Appia— th e organ ized particles pass ing in to invis ib le gases

,freed by the process of combustion ,

in cidentto ere/ia tion

,as practiced by some of th e or ien tals— where

332 DOCTR INES or SPI R ITUALI STS .

are they —are they to b e raised , and recon structed tocon stitute the future temples of souls ? If so

,

“ flesh and

blood will inher it the kingdom of God ; though P aul,in

one of his more highly illuminated momen ts taught thecon trary ; and fu rther

,we sow— bury the ver itab le body

which shall b e ; though this same apost le said : W e sow not

that body that shall b e.

” “ There is a natural body, and

there is a spir itual body.” These n atural,earthly bodies cor

respond to th e chaff of the wheat— the husks of th e corn .

Harvest-time separates them forever ; b ecause the end for

which they were un ited has been subserved . So w ith the

earthly an d spir itu al bodies . The death-angel divides themforever.

An d j ust as well expect the blade of wheat to return and

re-en ter the kern el ; th e oak , th e acorn , th e butterfly, th echrysalis— or

,as reasonably expect songfu l b irds to seek

their dilapidated n ests , taking on,an d re-living in their old

shells,as immortal spir its to return g rave-ward in some

future per iod , to seek and re-inhabit the ir earthly bodies .

Nature kn ow s n o retrog ression . Ou r mortal bodies are

raised on ly in grasses and g rain s , forests and fruits ; but ourcon scious souls move on in the lin e of progress towards thegreat infin ite S oul of al l things .

R oger W i lliams , too lib eral for the P ur itan ic Christian ityof his time

, was ban ished by Chr istian s afar off among theheathen In dian s— the Narraghanseits , who, in the gen tletoleran ce of Jesus

,received him in to their weird,W igwam

homes . The R ev. J. H . McCar ty , wr iting recen tly relativeto th e importan ce of erecting a suitable monument over theplace Where h is body was in terred

,says

Ou digging down into the ‘charnel hou se

’

it was fou nd thateveryth ing had passed into oblivion . The Shapes of the coflins cou ld

on ly be traced by a black line of carbonaceou s matter the th ickness ofthe edges of the Sides of the coflins

,with their ends distinctly defined.

The ru sted remains of the h inges and nails,with a few fragmen ts of

wood and a single rou nd knot, was all that cou ld b e gath ered from h is

grave . In the grave of his wife there was not a trace of anything savea Single look of braided hair which had survived the lapse of more

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334 DOCTRINES OF SPI R ITUALI STS .

in those angel garden s to spir itual manhood a nd womanhood . Must their beautiful well-roun ded forms return at

the sounding of a resu rrection trumpet and,re-en ter ing

,b e

compelled to dwell in their infan tile bodies ? A ll thesephysical and moral impossibilities are legitimately connectedw ith the resurrection of the body.

It is often asked,W as n ot Jesne’ s physical body raised ?

These passages give the an swer

And their eyes were opened, and they knew h im ; and he VAN

I SHED ou t of their sight.”

“ Then the same day at even i ng , when the door s were shu t, where

the disciples were assembled,

came Jesu s and stood in th emidst

,and saith , Peace b e u n to you .

” “ After that,he appeared

in another form u nto two of them,as they walked

,and wen t in to the

country.

”

These passages affirming that he stood in their midst,

th e doors being shut that after h is crucifixion h e drew n ear

and wen t w ith them towards Emmaus , their eyes beingholden

,

” that “ they kn ew him n ot,

” that h e appeared inan other form

,that h e “

vanished out of their s ight,

”&c.

,

clearly Show that it was th e sp ir itua l Jesus , clothed w iththe spir itual body that pertain s to the resurrection stateof immortality . The disciples saw him

,because clairvoy

an t . The condition s destroyed,

“ he van ished from theirs ight.” They

“ van ished,

”not he. In th e “ tw inkling of

an eye a clairvoyan t of n ormal mediumship can passfrom th e in ternal to th e external . In this sen se the

disciple w ithdrew from Jesus .

Again it is asked,If th e phys ical body of Jesus was not

raised, what became of it ? ” W e can easily con ceive thatth e friends might have removed it before the watch was

set,or that the same angel

, who rolled the ston e from the

door of th e tomb,might have tran sported away “ th e body

of their L ord.” Th e dispos ition of that body is of no morein terest to u s than that of Zen o

,P lato

,or Con fucius . The

importan t question is—Did the man ofNazareth live ? did he

EXEGETICAL SPIRITUALI SM RESURRECTION . 335

walk ag ain in their company clothed w ith h is glor ified body ?This w e b elieve

,as h is repu ted biography demon strates .

Death is th e disengagemen t of the spir itual from th e

flesh ly— the severan ce of the sympathetic copartn ership

between the spiritu al and ear thly bodies . The thinker w illnote the distin ction between the ‘

sou l and spir it. The old

philosophers clear ly perceived this d is tin ction . P lato con

s idered th e soul to b e “ th e image of the spirit.” Paulprayed God to “ preserve body

,soul and spir it.” P rofessor

Bush , of th e New Y ork Un ivers ity,Said :

As it is th rough the gross material body that the sou l manifestsitself in the present wor ld, so are we warran ted in believing that it isth rough the sou l that the Spir it manifests itself in the other world ; inother words

,it performs for the spirit the office of a body

,and is

consequ en tly so termed.

”

S oul and spir itual body,often con foun ded w ith spirit

,are

syn onymous . W e employ the terms,soul and spir itual body

reciprocally ; an d,as con stituting th e man

,u se this formula

— Physical body, Spiritual body, Spir it ; or , body, soul andspir it.As th e b u tterfly

’s folded w ing, in its rudimen tary state ,

can b e traced under the shell of the ch rysalis,so th e whole

fu ture, resurrectional body is con tain ed , or wrapped up , in th emater ial form ,

dur ing mortal life. Its release,termed death

,

is really birth . A modern seeress,wr iting upon th e “ Phi

losophy of L ife, well says,

“ A s th e physical birth of thefoetus is death to its placen ta envelope

,so a spir itual b irth is

death to its physical casket, the body ; or,as th e destruction

of th e casket in which th e child is developed , implies th ebirth of th e phys ical system ,

so th e destruction or death ofth e physical body implies the birth of its spiritual system .

Death , as a divin e appoin tmen t in harmony w ith n atural law ,

and in its time beautiful,is equivalen t to spiritual b irth ,

giving en larged freedom to the soul,and in creased facilities

to the spir it for man ifestation and perfection . The budsswell in to flowers wooed by the sun light ; the b irdlings burst

336 DOCTRINES or SPIR ITUALI STS .

from their shells for fl ight on j oyous w ing ; the child , maternally developed , gain s its individual freedom in outer lifethrough pain ,

effort and crying ; so th e spasms , throes and

pan tings , sometimes beheld w ith sympathizing sorrow ,are

b u t the struggling s of th e soul to release its elf from the

eoffi n ed walls of its ear thly tabernacle . What seems ag onyto u s may b e pleasure to th e eman cipated .The process of death does not involve th e disorgan izationof th e spir itual body . If it is thu s absolutely disin tegratedinto scattered particles , by what law is it reorgan ized ? May

not more pos itive in dividualities , sustain ed by such elemen ts ,selfishly appropr iate what belongs to an other, thus virtuallyinvolving the destruction of individual identity ? In no

departmen t of nature does structural disorgan ization precede birth . H ere

,disorgan ization is retrog ress ion to th e

individuality thus subj ected to the unn atural process ofunmaking The grain does n ot resolve itself in to its or iginalelemen ts when ready to ber ipen ed ; th e b ird does n ot r eturnto its indefi nab le difl'

usen ess in its shell when plumed for an

exit ; th e an imal does n ot cease to b e, for a moment, whennature casts it forth for a higher being .

The spir itual body , composed of the ultimates of all thepr imates, con stitutes a symmetr ical wholen ess of s tructure

,

and is un itively unfolded from its earthly casket as the rosefrom th e rose-bud . The God-pr in ciple

,pivotal and cen tral

in man,con tinually acts , as a divine magnet by th e law of

n ecessity,holding the spir itu al body to itself in a con tinu ou s

organ ized un ity. The law of attraction,as in a magnet to

steel,is an infinite law

,and as such is equally active during

phys ical life,during the process of death

,and forever

thereafter .

That unformed , cloud-shapen , magnetic mass, seen by

clairvoyan ts , hover ing over the corpse, is not the scatteredfragmen tary substan ces of the spir itual body thrown aroundloosely, but th e electr ic emanation s an d radiations envelopingit as aural atmospheres around the ear th . Clairvoyan ts ,subj ect to the law of con dition s, and, con sequen tly, not

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338 DOCTRINES or SPIR ITUALI STS .

Iden tity is cognate w ith existen ce itself. It is the n aturalattr ibute of Spirit— its very impressib ility . It depends not

on form for recogn ition , but th e form on it. Every part ofth e grain we sow is represen ted in th e harvest. Es sen tialspir it being in separable substan ce

,and ever reporting itself

magn etically, we recogn ize it by sympathy,th e same as a

child in the darkn ess kn ows its mother w ithou t the aid of

sight or hearing. Ou r spheres are ourselves extended— ou r

very loves and thoughts in telegraphic commun ication .

When,therefore

,Spirits from the mortal lands meet the

gon e b efore,in stan tly

,by sympathy

,they recogn ize each

other,and the past

,w ith al l its checkered pilgrimages , indel

lib ly engraved on the tablet of memory,rolls in upon the

con sciousn ess w ith light and shadow , al l in order of relation sand even ts

,in sweet

,un speakable j oy and full of glory.

The king w ill know his subjects there— they the morekingly n ow th e Indian chief w ill kn ow h is tr ibe there ; theteacher , th e pupil ; th e paren t, the cherub child ; congen ialsou ls w ill blen d in sw eetes t fellowship ; harmon ial spir its w illming le in holiest ten dern ess ; and w eary

,thorn -crown ed pil

gr ims of earth , finding rest,w ill meet their redeemers

,face

to face “ Blessed are the dead that die in th e Lord ; thatis,die in the sphere of the Chr ist-life they rest from their

labors,and their works do follow them . The works of th e

good both follow an d precede them into the heaven ly courtsof blessedn ess . Courage

,s ister ! Every pure thought

breathed,every gen erous word uttered

,every char itable

deed wrought,every heart-beat for virtue and peace, w ill

live forever !“ Bes ide th e toilsome way ,

Lon ely and dark, by fru its and flowers u nblest,

Which thy worn feet tr ead sadly, day by day ,Long ing in vain for r est,An angel softly walks ,

With pale, sweet face, and eyes cast meekly down ,Th e wh ile fr om wi th ered l eaves and flowerless stalks

Sh e'

weaves thy fitting crown .

”

EXEGETICAL SPI R ITUALI SM RESURRECTI ON . 339

Courage, bro ther ! Martyrs have trodden the paths ofper il— saints have paced the cold cells— heart s have achedsouls have hungered— fi res have burned around the forms ofthe faithful— storms and adversities have pelted the prophets— eyes have wept tears of blood

,and brows platted w ith

coronals of persecution,ere the world kn ew them

,or they

reaped the harvests of their diligen t sowing. Courage,

s ister,brother

,speaker , medium ,

worker— courage !A beautiful

,guardian angel on ce said to h er mate on earth

M ind echoes to min d ; heart throbs w ith heart. Togetherwe w ill read beauties— together S ing on e melody of lovetogether tw in e garlan ds to deck the brow of sorrow— togethertread eternal pathways, and bathe in life’ s foun tain of light.Y es

,together we w ill S ing the song of life— together and

forever . W e Shall b e there together ; n o partings ever there ;the hands on ce j oin ed at g reeting, shall n ever b e un loosed ;two buds blossom in on e flower . I am ever n ear thee. Ask

me not to come. Shal l the rose say , I wait for fragran ce ?Does it invite sweetness ? Thus are we un ited

“ I shal l know her there ! I shall know her ther e,By th e sh ining folds of her wavy h air ,By h er fau ltless form with its airy graceThat an angel

’s pen might fail to trace

B y the holy smile her lips will wear ,

When we meet above, I shal l know h er ther e !

I shall know her th ere, and her calm, dark eyesWill l ook in min e with glad su rpri se,

When my bark , wild-test o’er l ife’s rough main ,

The far-off port of h eaven shal l gain

Though an angel’s robe an d a cr own she wear ,

By the song she sings I shal l know her there.

”

Existen ce is un itive— eternal . This life is a hotel in wh ichmortals tarry but a little season for rudimen tal exper ien cesEarthly furn iture is not tran sferable . R ipen ing through toi land suffer ing

,the soul emerges from this chrysalis state,

through a sweet death-tran ce, to form n ew conn ection s and

go up one s tep higher in the graduated ascen t of creation .

340 DOCTR INES or SPIR ITUALI STS .

Not the drooping w illow,nor dark cypress ; but myrtle,

laurel,rose-buds and immortelles are fitting fun eral emblems .

Mourn ing apparel belongs to the superstition s of the past.P leasan t words— cheerful music, should b e voiced in the

calm hour of bur ial, and cemeteries should b e made as

beautiful as the groves of tropical climes .

No gloomy vau lt, no eharnel cel l,

No emblem of decay,No solemn

‘

sound of passing-bell ,

To echo gone away ;B u t angel s whisper soft and clear

The loved, now r isen , is standing near .

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342 DOCTR INES or SPIR ITUALI STS .

The immutable and unalterable I AM is in no way affectedby th e in stabilities of m en . Ne ither smiles n or tears— vicesnor virtues

,n or prayers , change that d ivine En ergy, who is

“ the same yesterday and forever .

” P rayer expands th e soulthat breathes i t, and open s to clearer vis ion the portals of thespirit-world

,in which al l have the r ight of citizenship . I t

in tromits the petition er in to clos er fellow ship w ith, heaven lyhosts

,and

,imparting a holier baptism, raises him above the

worthless things of earth . The soul in self-commun ion feelsits immen s ity, its relation to the un iverse

,and its illimitable

future .

'

And through prayer and meditation , the externalun iverse partially reveals its inmost self

,and an other u n i

vers e w i thin— the subj ective— open s in grandeur,seemingly

limitless before the Spir it vis ion .

On e of ou r most philosophical writers on Spir itualism ,

purely appreciating the law of prayer, says

When man comes into that departmen t of being where all that is eviland false ceases

,when every impu re and u nj u st desire and impu lse is

ban ished,and when the sou l

,in its yearnings after the divine, pu ts forth

all i ts life and power in humble, submiss ive prayer— then is su ch sou l

elevated to the summit of its being ,and there is infi lled with the living

presen ce of Div in ity,which makes the Whole being radiant with Spir

itu al ligh t . Su ch a degree of elevation is com ing in to the ‘ Mount of

Transfigu ration ,’ and all who have really been there,have felt its

blessedness and desired to establish his tabernacle thereon .

”

Jesu s , speaking from the inn er life, said

When thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are ; forthey love to pray standing in the synagogu e and at the corners of thestreets to be seen of men . B u t when thou prayest, enterinto thy closet, and when thou hast Shu t thy door, pray to thy Fatherwh ich is in secret, and thy Father which seeth in secret Shall rewardthee open ly .

”

James the apostle,in an inspired momen t

,asked

Is any sick among you ? let him call for the elders of the .zhurch ;

and let them pray over him , anointing h im with oil,

tnd the

prayer of faith shall save the sick .

”

EXEGETICAL SPIRITUALI SM PRAYER . 843

To plead w ith God for this or that,for Chr ist’s sake

,is

chu rchal , but not philosophical. P rayer moves u s,and a ll

in sympathy with u s,as one chord in a mus ical in strumen t

tones an other,br inging u s more and more in to harmony

w ith heaven ly order . It is devoid of all virtue w ithoutpractice. The sectar ist prays God to send rain in the dryseason

,whi le the philosopher prays by irr igating h is fields

and garden s . The bigot prays God to feed the poor,whilst

the philan thropist prays by carrying supplies to their verydoors . The churchman

,partaking of a r ich repast

,prays

God to clothe an d comfort the w idow and the father less,and

expects by these soulless ceremon ies to w in the special favorof heaven . Up from your kn ees , O R itualist ! and bestowthe blessings which you ask God to confer . Golden th e age

when m en w ill do, rather than say their prayers . The Greciandrayman received no help from Hercules

,though calling in

prayer,un til he put his shoulder to the wheel .

Invocati on s to spirits,angels

,God Jehovah

,Jove

,or

Lord ”— when bubbling up spon tan eous ly from the inn erdepths

,are vitalizing and strengthen ing to the divin e forces

of th e soul . W hether most efli caciou s,voiced

,or breathed

in calm s ilen ce,each .must determin e . No mortal is inde

penden t. Sympathies and destin ies blend like the tremulousb ran ches of forest trees . Man

,depen den t as stream upon

foun tain,is fed from the ever-flowing r ivers of in spiration .

I S it not express ive of gratitude,as well as w isdom ,

then ,for

man to look to God,as drop

, r ill , stream ,lake

,all

, to th eimmeasurable ocean ic fountain of waters Thus

,aspiring to

the good and lofty,to angels and arch-angels , we approx

imate their states of recipien t love and become illuminedwith th e P romethean fires of God s etern al sun shin e, ou rsouls invited up and standing upon high mountains of hol in ess

,under the arching rainbow s of Infin ite Mercy .

A spiration kn ow s no bounds ; ideally it measures all

spaces over which the soul treads ; it is the highest form ofprayer. The immediate object of prayer, then ,

is to in citecalmn es s of spir it. I t puts u s in to an in spirational condition ,

344 DOCTRINES or SPI RITUALI STS .

en abling u s to come into rapport w ith heaven ly presen ces,

association w ith whom tran sforms u s in to th eir own moralliken ess . Compan ion ship w ith poets makes u s poetical ;with mus ician s , mus ical ; w ith obj ects of beauty, beautifulin . character ; w ith th e good , divinely spir itual. Foldedunder the w ing of immortal hope, embosomed on the heartof the Infin ite, thr illed w ith the pulsation s of angel faith , wethus ascend higher , higher in thought and purpose— th e

children of God gathered home in the heaven of Love .

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346 DOCTR INES or SPI RITUALISTS .

The in imitable Emerson ,determin ed to preserve his whole

n ess,and recogn izing no on e being as ab solutely n ecessary to

his happiness,says of those early selfish loves

I know how deliciou s is this cup of love— I existing for you , you

existing for me ; b u t it is a ch ild clinging to h is toy, an attempt toeternize the fireside and nu ptial chamber ; to keep the pictu re alphabetthrough which ou r first lessons were prettily conveyed. Once

abroad, we pity those who can forego the magnificen ce of Nature’s Edenfor candle light and cards . This early dream of love

,

though beau tifu l, is only one scene in ou r life-play. In the process ion

of the sou l from with in ou tward,it enlarges its circles , like ligh t pro

ceeding from an orb . It passes from loving one to loving all ; and so,

this one beau tifu l sou l open s the divine door through which he enters tothe society of all true and pu re sou ls . Thu s in ou r first years are wepu t in train ing for a love which knows neither sex

, p er son . nor p ar ti

a lity b u t which seeks virtu e and wisdom everywhere,to the end of

increasing virtu e and wisdom .

”

Say not that Emerson ’

s n ature is cold an d i cy,reflecting

on ly the crystallin e s ide of life . To those sufli cien tly exaltedr ightly to tran s late him ,

he is warm,fresh , and golden . H is

s oul feeds ou r s . Abiding in such love,w e dr ink at h is living

foun t of ideas,thr ive upon h is in spirational truths , bathe in

his dreamy mysticisms , and feel th e influx of etern al youth .

Souls r equire n o in troduction . The recogn ition is in tuitional . Meeting a n oble soul that kn ows ou r soul , w e

indulge th e pleas ing truth to u s , that w e kn ew th e loved on ein a pre

-existen t state,an d delicious were those delicate

exper ien ces in th e sweet realms of blessedn ess . Too ether ialwere th e workings of that inn er con sciousn ess , the n, to b enow proj ected in to the external memory of earth ’s sordidmasses

,cloyed w ith the cares of this mater ial life.

Tis somewhere told in Eastern story,That those wh o loved once bloomed as flower sOn th e same stem, amid th e gloryOf Eden

’s gr een and fragr ant bower s ;

And that, th ou gh parted oft by fate,Yet when th e glow of life is en ded,

Each sou l again Sh al l fi nd its mate,And in on e bloom again b e bl en ded .

EXEGETICAL SPIR ITUALI SM LOVE . 347

Wh i le Thomas Carlyle worships force— a king being to

him th e man that can an d does— while John Stuart M illcon tinues to scatter in cen se upon the altar of or ig inal ideas ,b e it ours to do homage at th e sacred shr in e of love— a lovepure

,P laton ian and un iversal . Such germinating from the

soul ’s cen ter,summer ing eternal in the brain ’

s crystal dome,and looking tenderly towards the Infin ite

,in carn ated in all

human ity,is n ot pass ional

,selfish

,nor exacting. It does not

demand attention,talks not of duty

,lusts not after virtue,

but trusts in pr in ciple— law— liberty— G0 d !Beautiful in effect is th e medicin e of love to the morallydiseased. It works by an infi nitu de of methods , but alwaysto redemptive ends . W hen fires

,faggots

,clanking chain s

,

and gloomy pen iten tiar ies had all failed to reform,

the stillsmall voice of love touched th e heart-str ings

,open ed a n ew

fountain and redeemed th e err ing. This pr in ciple w ieldedbyW illiam P enn ,

tamed the Indian soul and ton ed it to throbin kindness . W ielded by the ben ign an t Howard

,it made

dingy pr ison s,in Europe

,schools of reform . Breathed by

the great-hear ted Ob erlin,it tran sformed many by-corn ers

of pollution,in th e old wor ld

,in to blooming garden s . W h is

pered by the woman lyElizabeth Fry , it filled those du ngeon edin houses of refuge and asylum s of outcasts w ith higherthoughts and purer ideals— as sure to produce high

,elevating

influen ces,as are shiver ing lightn ings to do their mission ed

work. Moral power is th e on ly force ever employed by God,

or angels,in the divin e order of subjugation . It is the

deepest and mightiest prin ciple in the u n iverse— the s ilverysea over which mortals sail to th e heaven they seek. Oh , itis sweet—it is life evermore to breathe the beauty of love !

“ For love is the theme that the seraph choirs

Ar e n ow hymning th rou gh th e s tar s ,And we catch th e strain from th eir golden lyres ,When our sou ls let down their bar s .

Love bears'

no more relation to lust, than Chr ist to theAdam , than heaven to the hells . Lust is pervers ity

,and is

348 DOCTR INES or SPIR ITUALI STS .

no more love than light is darkn ess , or good is evil. How

importan t clearly to comprehen d the occu lt forces of life , todistinguish between u se an d abuse ! The legit imate purposeof Comb ativen ess is not pugilism ,

b u t a force-power actingin conjun ction w ith ben evolen ce and j ustice . So the pr imalpu rpose of Amativeness is not gratification ,

n or pleasurablein toxication ,

but “ the replen ishing of the earth .

”A l l more

than this is wasted expenditure,and n ature hurls terr ible

pen alties at those who thus destroy their vital forces . The

legitimacy of the gen erative plan e,under the guidan ce of

the wi sdom pr in ciple, is admiss ible .

On the earthly plan es of life,reproduction s are earthly ; in

th e spir it realms , spi r itual ; in th e celestial, celestial . Angelsgen erate thoughts

,ideas

,r edemptive reforms . It is beau

tifu l to become angelic on earth. There Should b e a moun tof ascen sion ,

a spiritual birth to each brain organ,a heaven ly

polarity,

-before phys ical death . Said Jesus,

“ Y e must b eborn again ! ” Each faculty Should b e developed on the

ascending lin e of divine u se . Des ire should b e gratifiedon ly when pure

,n ormal and subj ected to the highest reason .

Through an te-n atal pervers ion s and in dividual excesses,

human ity stands arraign ed to-day , degen erate and in complete.

The r emedy is not in mu ltiplying the cau ses . G od’s law sare not to b e trifled w ith . P erverted pass ion s that blotchth e face an d cloud the moral nature

,are not to b e permitted

to run their course,but to be curbed

,controlled

,directed and

lifted to higher fields of action . Nothing could b e moredangerous than railroad-riding

, w ith th e steam-forces n eitherman aged nor gu ided by the engineer .

To let the “p assions flow as r iver s from lands to seas

,is

equivalen t to saying— let the drunkard drink— dr inkingdeeper draughts of liquid poison , w ill cure in eb r iation and

usher in the millen ium morn of temperan ce ! In ten s ifyingth e darkness of a dark apartmen t

,would b e con s idered by a

scien tist a very s ingular method for producing light. True,

the passion s are not to b e utterly eradicated ; b u t to b e sub

ordinated to holy uses . Tl ey are n ot,as a loose

,slipshod

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350 DOCTR INES OF S PIR ITUALI STS .

-dying for love— for heart-love— for divine love— the solarlove of angels .

Hidden deep under soils and sloughs are the nuclei,the

types and buds of unblown flowers,struggling to rise from

their sedimental graves in to the free, fresh light of heaven .

So are there mortals who,from pre

-natal condition s and

debasing association s , live and seemingly luxur iate down in

the lower , back-brain departmen t of their being. Their condition is deplorable ; their suffering must b e in ten se— theirstruggles long and tearful . Far b e it from u s to condemnthem . Jesus did not condemn the woman caught in sin ;

but h e did say ,“ Go AND SIN NO MORE !

” W hite-robedangels

,standing upon the moun tains of the pure and beau

tiful,are saying to those— to al l Come up higher ! ”

A ll th e germinal forces of the soul are divin e ; the wrongcomes from their misdirection s through mater ial forms ; thetran sgress ion from the ignoran t or the w ilful abuse of thegood . Amativen ess disrobed of earthlin ess

,turn ed into

higher chan n els , resurrected an d actualized,as in ang elic

life,m ay not on ly or ig inate, but may b e con s idered the

syn onym of emotional love— a love pure,free and divin e

,

working w ith an d in spiring the moral excellen ce of theimmortalized in heaven . This love

,so spon tan eous and

holy,flow ing out in gushing foun tain s of pur ity from regen

crate souls to al l human ity,should b e cramped by no chain s

,

crushed by no“ law-corpse

,

”appropr iated by no selfish

paras ite,n or hedged about by the cage-wires and conven

tionalities of custom .

9t

“ On e n ight I watch ed tb c Shapel ess cloudsThat o’er my mind wer e r ol ling,

Till the clock’s slow and measu red tonesThe hou r of twelve were tel l ing.

Th en o’er the loved disciples

’

page

Was I my vigil keepingI r ead and mu sed and r ead again,Wh ile al l the wor ld was sleeping

EXEGETICAL SPIRITUALI SM LOVE. 35 ]

And as I mu sed, I felt a fi r eWithin me gently glowing ;

P ass ion sunk low,as drooping gales

At hu sh of eve stop blowing .

The clou ds that o’er my spirit h ungGave sweet and gen tle war n ing

Th ey changed to whi te and pu rpl ing flakesAs at th e dawn of morn ing ;

And then looked th r ou gh the countenance,

Clothed in i ts sun -br ight spl endor ,Th e ‘ loved who with the saints of oldKept h oly watch , and ten der .

His r obe was wh ite as flakes of sn ow

Wh en th rou gh th e air descending

I saw th e clou ds ben eath h im melt,An d rainbows o’er him bending

And th en a voice,— no,not a voice,

A deep and calm r eveal ingCame to me l ike a vesper -strainO

’er tran qu il water s steal ing .

And ever Since, that coun tenanceIs on my pathway shin ing

A sun from ou t a h igh er Sky

Wh ose l ight knows n o decl in ing.

All day i t fal l s upon my r ead,

And keeps my feet from straying ;And wh en at n ight I lay me downI fall asl eep while praying .

Th e tenden cy of the spir itually min ded is from grossn essto refi nem en t— from promiscuity to chastity— from chas tityto holin ess— from holin ess to divin ity . The higher the moralambition , the more complete and victorious the virtue !This Adamic battle groun d cleared, th e kingdom of God hascome w ith its n ewn ess of life Not according to the flesh

,

but according to th e spir it.” The Apostle John declaredthat h e h ad passed from death un to life ; because he lovedth e brethren . This love can n ever degen erate in to licen se

,

nor its liberty into anarchy ; for it is a pr in ciple,disrobed

of earthly pass ion— a holy resurrection .

352 DOCTR INES or SPI RITUALI STS .

All m en a re my brothers ; all women,my s isters ; al l

children,my children and I am every mortal ’ s child . Deep

is ou r in terest in every in fan t b orn in to earth-life. I ts des

tiny is linked w ith ours,and ou r love flows to it free

,to a ll

human ity free as God ’ s sun light.Let

,then

,ou r coun try b e the un iverse ; ou r home the

w orld ; ou r religion to do g ood ; ou r rest wherever a humanheart beats in harmony w ith ours ; an d ou r des ire b e toenkindle in th e breasts of earth ’ s million s the fires of aspiration

,aiding them in their progress up the acclivities of life

,

even to the very gate of heaven . L et all the love that canb e attracted from ou r inmost being

,b e appropr iated by the

poor,and the crushed

,and the n eedy

,an d the fallen— by you ,

the world,the angels . Then w ill be actualized th e words of

Jcsus All mine are thin e,and thin e are min e.

Dur ing that precious pen tecostal hour , when th e divineafflatu s streamed dow n in rivers of light from angel ic abodesnot on ly “ many believed

,bu t they were .

So baptized in tothose un selfish loves of the spiritual world

,that they resolved

to have all things in common . When these un iversallove-pr in ciples are made practical

,the soil w ill b e as free to

al l to cultivate as the air they breathe ; garden s w ill blossomand bear fruitage for the poor

,and orphan s fi nd homes in all

houses,there drawn by the mus ic of tenderest sympathy ; the

brows of toiling million s b e wreathed w ith white rosessymbols of perpetual peace.

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354 DOCTRINES or SPI R ITUALISTS .

Waging a war of ideas , th e n ew again st th e old— kn owledge again st creedal faith— scien ce against sectarian ism— freedom again s t dogmatic formulas , and th e broadest liberalityagain st an efl

'

ete theology— denying an arrogant pr iesthoodand a cater ing public press— reckless of popish bulls and

judicial decis ion s-w h eedles s of th e long-established authorities of Church and S tate— facing fashion w ith the religiousrespon s ibility common ly ascr ibed to the popular w or shipSpir itualism ,

heaven -born and angel-guarded, has movedforward to a promin en t and enviable pos ition , and now

shouts in trumpet ton es“ S ects mu st unmask to man ’

s divin er n eeds,

Kings from th eir mocking thrones mu st topple downGod in thy n ame, Humanity yet bl eeds ,B u t Truth hath r isen, and marcheth to renown .

Spir itualism,a divin e eclecticism

,is based upon presen t

tangible facts,upon past histor ic testimon ies and th e soul’s

highest in tuition s . In addition to a n ational organ ization ,den ominated

,

“ The American Association of Sp iritualis ts ,”

Spir itual ism has already several en ergetic S tate Conventions ; thousan ds of local societies and circles

,sustain ing

lecturers an d media ; a larg e n umber of flour ishing Children ’

s P rogress ive Lyceum s ; S tate M issionary organ ization s ,sen ding out efficien t worker s thoroughly imbued w ith th eelemen ts of reform and the heaven ly in spiration s of the age ;

and not men tion ing those kn own to fame, i t has ten s ofthousan ds of media in pr ivate families

,who purposely hide

themselves from th e wan ton g lare of public life . It pub:lishes n in e periodicals in th e Un ited States— w eeklies and

mon thlies— and its publishing and yearly book-trade is

rapidly in creasing.

Notw ithstan ding th e gathered lore and historic records ofthe ag es , demon strating the min istry of Spir its , in conn ectionwith th e phen omena of th e presen t

,th e groping , un thinking

multitudes rej ect Spir itualism— r ej ect it precisely as did m en,

in high reputed places , th e teleg raph ic discovery of P rof

EXEGETICAL SPIR ITUALI SM— GENIUS OF S PIR ITUALI SM . 355

Morse. A t a ban quet in h is hon or,recen tly given in New

Y ork, P rof. Mor se saidA brief narrative of certain events in the ear ly h istory of the inven

tion,when it was a suppliant for aid in the halls of Congress , will give

the answer to many qu estion s . I mu st not detain you with too mu ch

detail, bu t the contrast of then and now cannot fail at least to amu se

you . As the narrative is very short,allow me to quote it :

‘ HOUSE or REPRESENTATIVES,

February 2 1,1 843 .

‘ELECTRO AND ANIMAL MAGNETI SM .

On motion of Mr . Kennedy,of Maryland

,the committee took up the

bill to au thorize a series of experiin en ts to be made in order to test themerits of Morse

’

s electro magnetic telegraph . The b ill appropr iatesto be expended u nder the direction of the Postmaster General .

Mr . Cave Johnson wished to have a word to say upon the bill . As

the presen t Congress had done mu ch to encou rage science, he did not

wish to see the science of mesmerism neglected and overlooked . He

therefore proposed that one-half of the appropriation b e given to Mr .

Fisk (a gentleman at that time lecturing in Washington on mesmerism),to enable him to carry on experimen ts as well as Professor Morse .

‘Mr . Hou ston thou gh t that Millerism Shou ld also be included in thebenefits of the appropriation .

‘Mr . S tan ley said he Shou ld have no obj ections to the appropriationfor mesmeric experimm ts , provided the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr .

J ohnson) was the subject. (A laugh .)‘Mr . Cave Johnson said he shou ld have no obj ection s

, provided the

gentleman from North Carolina (Mr . S tan ley) was the operator . (Greatlaughter .)

‘ Several gentlemen called for the reading of the amendmen t,and it

was read by the clerk,as follows

‘ Provided that one-half of the said sum shall be appropr iated fortrying mesmeric experimen ts u nder the direction of the Secretary of theTreasu ry.

’

‘ Mr . Mason (of Ohio) rose to a qu estion of order‘

. He maintainedthat the amendment was not bona fi de, and that su ch amendments werecalcu lated to inj ure the character of the Hou se. He appealed to the

chair to ru le the amendment ou t of order .

‘ The Chairman said it was not for h im to judge of the motives of

members in offering amendmen ts , and he cou ld not therefore u ndertaketo pronounce the amendment bona fi de. Obj ections m igh t be raised to

it on the grou nd that it was not su ffi cien tly analogou s in character tothe bill u nder consideration ; bu t , in th e opin ion of the chair , it wou ld

requ ire a scien tific analys is to determine how far the magnetism of mes

merism was analogou s to that to be employed in telegraphs ( laugh ter)he therefore ru led the amendment in order . On taking the vote the

356 DOCTR INES OF SPIR ITUALI STS .

amendmen t was rej ected— ayes 22,noes not counted. The bill was

then laid as ide to be reported .

’

“ The temper of the Hou se, says Prof. Morse

,is easily inferred from

th is narrative . To those who thu s r idicu led the telegraph it was a

chimera,a visionary dream like mesmerism

,rather to be a matter of

merriment than ser iou s ly en tertained. Men of character,men of erudi

tion,men who

,in ordinary affairs

,had foresigh t, were wholly unable to

forecast the fu ture of the telegraph .

”

S ectarists and political partisan s , at their Belshazzar feasts ,make mer ry over modern Spiritualism in much the samestyle that those clergy an d sen ators in Congress spit theirven om

,in th e form of dead j okes and w itticisms

,upon mes

mer ism and P rof. M orse ’s telegraphic discover ies . Thesen ew stand upon th e Congress ional records , living and “

swiftw itn esses again st th e short-sightedn ess of their perpetrators .

S tarved,hu n ted

,persecuted of on e gen eration , to b e b an

qu eted an d hon ored w ith hero-w orship in th e succeeding,is

th e w or ld’ s method of express ing gratitude .

To-day abhorred to-morrow ador ed ,

So r ou nd and round we run .

”

When this youth of twen ty year s— Spir itualism— puts onth e fu ll strength of ster ling manhood— when it expands in toth e proportion s of a moral g ian t— when its theor ies an d

prophecies have become estab lished facts— when its vis ionshave taken th e forms of tang ible realities— when

,as in th e

Nazarene ’ s time,the “ Rulers of th e Phar isees ” Open ly

con fess th e gospel of spirit commun i cation ,then w i ll th e

weak,mimicking masses begin to ban quet ” those whom

tod ay it den ominates dreamers an d en thus iasts .

A s a g en eral defin ition of Spir itualism ,the follow ing is

submitted :I ts fun damen tal idea is

,God

,the infin ite spir it-presen ce

,

imman en t in all thing s .

I ts fun damen tal thought is , j oyou s commun ion w ith spir itsan d angels , and th e practical demon stration s of the samethrou gh the instrumen tality of media .

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358 DOCTRINES or SPI RITUALI STS .

revolution of a religious cycle has been completed . The

New Jerusalem is descending ; the hope of Israe l, and

the promised “ kingdom Of heaven ,” that must b e preachedto all nation s .

The prophecy is now fulfilling. It is waking to higherlife th e inhabitan ts of In dia an d Chin a ; shedding its kindling glories upon the hills of Hin dostan ; beaming in splendor along th e vine-clad foot-hills of S outh Amer ica ; crossing blue ocean s , it is u nfurling stan dards of progress in thepeopled isles of the deep , and looking down in its mightfrom the thron es of Englan d, Fran ce and Russ ia.

P os itive scien ce con sists in th e discovery, co-ordinationan d practical appli cation of n atural law s . A ll phen omenasubject to th e natural laws are for th e same reason susceptible Of becoming the subj ects of real scien ce . When on ceadmitted that all phen omena

,in cluding those of human

existen ce,phys ical, men tal , spir itual

,are th e subj ects of

un changing n atural laws,th e circle of s cien tific research and

re l ig ious aspiration is complete, whether geometr ized by th ein ductive or deductive method of reason ing. Spir itualism ,

toleran t as divin e , clasps and con secrates to human good th etrue an d the beautiful in both scien ce and religion . S eeingmore to love in the Jove of th e Greek than th e grim Jehovah of the J ew— more to admire in the smiling Olympusthan thun der ing S in ai— more truth in th e teachings of theold P laton ists than th e creeds of “ liberal ” Chr istian s

,and

more true worshipers, after the pattern Of th e meditativeNazaren e, in the living Temple of Nature Open ing as the

Pan theon of truth for all races,than in th e ren ted pews of

b igoted sectarists, it comes to the thinking million s of th e

n in eteeth cen tury , j oyous w ith immortality demons trated, j ubilan t w ith proofs of th e future iden tity an d recogn ition of th e“ loved g on e before, and br illian t w ith precious propheciesof the ceaseless mar ch of all con s cious in telligen ces towardthe higher and purer , even th e Infinite.

“ If a man die,shall he live again ? ” was the question of

old . W i th the masses it has b een the problem of al l the

EXEGETICAL SPIR ITUALI SM— GENIUS or SPIRITUALI SM . 359

centur ies . Th e mourn er , blinded by tears, propounds it tothe preacher still. In sepulchral tones h e breathes on ly th eword Hope

,

”and that trembling ly . But Spiritualism

,born

Of heaven and pour ing its celestial tides of divin e life in tohuman souls till they become clear as th e crystal waters ofParadise, an swers th e in quiry in th e afli rmative

,and sustain s

it by tangible demon stration s and the testimony of livingWitnesses .

On th e grave of Orthodoxy it is the green couch , archedw ith flowers

,for the weary pilgr im . In th e worshiping

temples of “L iberal Chr istian s ,” wherever an automaticRationalism is br illian tly cold '

and clammy in heart,or a fierce

icon oclasm destroys but builds not, it prophesies “ change,

speedy change ! ” and invites the bew ildered devotees tolisten to what The Spir it saith un to th e chu rches — whatthe angel with the seven seals of destiny in han d, saith Iw ould that thou wert cold or hot, but becau se thou art

lukewarm,I w ill spue thee out of my mouth .

”

Spir itualism, the blossom now of all religion s

,the sou l of

the body which the past has developed,is adapted to the

gen ius of the age and the entire human con stitution . Itaddresses h is reason and h is aspiration s . It en larges theun derstanding

,and gives vigorous activity to the in tellect.

Its ben efits are not exclus ively for th e r ich or poor,virtuous

or vicious,happy or u nhappy

,civilized or savage

,but for the

race of human ity in all its var iety of endowmen ts, culture,character

,n eeds and circumstan ces .

Author itative,so far as it expresses truth to individual

con sciousn ess,it s timulates all in stin ctive aspiration s , awa

kens the d i vin est emotion s,enkindles th e most magn ificen t

aims,and

,pur ifying the imagination

,str ives to perfect the

whole being. Show ing the naturaln ess of th e conver se w iththe spir it-world by sympathy

,vis ion

,tran ce , clairaudien ce,

impression and in spiration,its tenden cies are to elevate and

spiritualize th e affections . Bear ing the Olive-bran ch of peace,it comes w ith man ifestation s and inspiration s from heaven lyworlds , and strives to maintain the republi c of God in every

360 DOCTR INES OF SPI R I‘

I‘UALI S

'

I

heart. It is not.

destructive alon e,but con structive. I t

bring s from the chrysalis of old forms,r isen m en and women

“ clothed in their r ight minds .

” It invites the children Of

earth to da ily w alk the moun t Of Beatitude, and communew ith the tran sfigu red who softly g lide along th e summer landslopes of eternal progress . It extends the Shin ing han ds ofangels who talk of love and s ing of the high birth . It w ipesth e tears of sorrow from weeping eyes

,breathes the sweet

breath of ten dern ess in to starving souls , an d, sweeping awayth e linger ing clouds of death , bids al l God ’ s dear human itytread the pear l-paved paths traversed by th e tr iumphal armiesof heaven . Oh

,how re

' freshing, burden ed w ith cares and

crosses , to catch occas ional breezes from Eden -lands,and

songs Of en couragemen t from immortalized hosts Of reformers , martyrs , apostles , prophets ! L ifting the glass ofmemory and reverting backward , it reveals the eternal pu rpose of good from seeming evil— of sorrow b lossoming in toj oys

,of thorn s tran sformed in to roses , and tears crystalizing

in to pear ls of matchless br illian cy . Mus ical w ith th e lovemin istr ies of angels , it is a perpetual baptism from on high,a con tin u al regen eration ,

a success ion Of higher births and

endless privileges , -

a g en tle dispen sation Of divin e love guidedby w isdom ,

the streng th of th e weary, the balm of healing forthe sick, th e con solation of th e dying , the comfort Of th emourn er , an’d the sweetest an sw er to prayer ! A s a moralpower in th e world, its influen ce is exal ting

,its purpose

upl ifting, its w ork apostolic, its in spiration con tinuous , and,w ith improved implemen ts suitable for all redemptive pu rposes

,its g reat des ign is to lift human ity

,through angel

min istry, into higher phys ical , men tal and Spir itual condition s

,preparatory to that future

,progress ive existen ce that

stretches in in creas ing love-lin es along the measureless eras

of etern ity .

Spir itualism ,the desi re of al l nation s

,symbolized by

“ light,” beautifully expresses the out-flow ing love of God

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362 DOCTR INES or SPI RITUALI STS .

to the poor, the unfortunate the s ick, the dying— live to lift

up others,to brighten th e chain of friendship , to educate

mind and heart for a heaven on earth . Enflcwer th e pathway of human ity w ith the beautiful in life ; plan t gardens oflove in unhappy bosoms ; w elcome the angels to angelize theshades of ou r pilgrimage

,and b e welcomed in to light, the

sweet light, the music light of Immortality !

O NT E NT S .

FE N E R A L pIV IS IO N S .

PREFATORY .

l .—GREETINe To AAR ON NITE

2.—THE Honosc . PE

I. SPIRIT OF THE PRESENT AGE.

CHAP . I .—SP I R I T or THE

I I .—SPI R I TUAL RATIOS

II. ANCIENT HISTORIC SPIRITUALISM .

CHAP . III .— INDIAN

IV .— EGYPTIAN

V .—CHINE SE

VI .— PER S IAN

VII .—HEB RAIO

VIII .—GRECIAN

III.’

CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALISM.

CHAP . X .-THE FORESHADOW ING

X L

X II .— TII E0 Loe I c

XI II .—THE NAZARENE

IV . MEDIZEVAL SPIRITUALISM .

CIIAP . X IV .—TR ANS I TIONAL .

X V .— APOSTOLI c

X VI — Posr -APOS T0LIc

XVII .— NEo-PLATON1 0

XVII I .—CHUROHIANIO

364 CONTENTS .

V . MODERN SPIRITUALISM.

‘

CHAP . X IX .— THE

XX .— SPI R I T PHENOMENA

X X I .

XXII .—WI TNE S S ES

XXIII .— CLER I CAL AND

'

LITERAR YXXIV .

— POETI C TES TIMONYV I . EXEGETICAL SPIRITUALISM .

CRAP . X XV .-ExI STENcE or GOD .

XXVI .— THE DIVI NE IMAGE

XXVII .— MORAL STATUS or JE SUS

XXVII I .-THE HOLY

XXIX .— BAPTI SM

XXX .— INS PI RATI ON . .

XX XI .— BEAUTY or FAI TH .

XXXI I .—R EPENTANCE

XXXII I .— LAW or JUDGMENT

XXXIV .—EVIL S PIR ITS

XXXV .— HELL

XXXVI .— HEAVEN . .

XXXVII .— HI S T0 R Ic IMMOR TALI TY

XXXVI II .— RE SUR R ECTI ON

XXX IX .—PRAYER

X L0_ FREED0M AMD FUNCTI ON OF

KLI o_ —GENIUS OF SPIR ITUALI SM e

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366

PAGE .

CH INESEMeasu r e of 26

Chronology of 26

Bibl e of. 36

CHINAMental 36

By Bu r l ingame. 38

CHR I STTh eologic

CHALDA in IndiaCHR I STIANITYPr im itiveCHR I SHNA

Identical withChr ist 81 83 85

Incarn ation 82

Edu cation 82

Miracl es 83

Birth 83

Descen t to 83

An tiqu ity of 84

Wor sh ip of 85

CIRCLE S

Spir itu alWh en n eedl ess

Law of

PentecostalSymbol of Indi a

Waves of

Eth er ealCIVI L I ZATI ONWestern movemen ts

.266

CICER O . . 1 48

CLAR KE , ADAM

TestimonyCLAI RVOYANCEHigh lander sAn imal s

Thomas S ayJohn Mu r rayIn As ia .

CLAI RVOYANTSM istakes of

CLERGYMENR efu s ing l ight 200

Cowardice of. 243

Incon sisten cy of.

Inju stice 61

Deception s 85COLER IDGE

TestimonyCONI C SECTI ONS

CONGR ES S I ONAL B I G

OTRY .355CONS TANTINIAN ER A 1 89

INDEX .

PAGE . PACE.

CONFUS ION or TONGUES

0 0 0 0 0 0

CONEUCIUS

Spir itu al char acter 39CR ANMER

CR EATI ON

Du al ity of

CREEDS

Ath anas ianP lan of salvation

CR OS S

Spir itu al S ignCYPR IAN 1 25

DANNECKER 1 59

DAVENPOR T BROTHER S209

90

91

1 40

DEE ES

An gel h eal ingDEMON S

Clas s ical and s cr iptu r alWor sh iped

Good and b ad .

M iss ion of

Miracl esDEMON

Of Socr atesDEATHNot r edemptive 322—3

Profess ed Ch r i st ian s

’

328

Birth 335

Dis solves n ot Spir i t336

Wh enAscen s ion 67

Incarnation 66DELUGE 46

DIVI NE IMAGE 26 1

Un ity of 264

DIVI NATI ON 69

EDMUND S, JUDGE

TestimonyEGYPTPsych ological ch aracter i stics 9

Wisdom of 31

Colon ized by India '

. 45

EGYPTI AN J UR I SP RU

DENCE

ELKIN,R EV . H .

Testimony.

EPIMENIDE SFr an cePoetical

ES S ENI ANS

Mystic science

ES S ENI AN S

Phys ician s 98—9

Pyth agor ic 98

Lin eage 98

Moral ity 1 00

S ocial system 1 00

1 00

EVI L 297

R elative 297 306

In spir it l ife 2 98

Us es of 305

EVI L S PI R I TSM in istr ants

EX OR CI SM

Law of 1 23, 1 63

Meth od of Fath er s . 1 25

By Apol l in ar is .1 1 9

By Jesu s 302

FAI TH 297

Defin ed 285

Spir itu al cor r ela

tion 286

Pr actical 286—7Funeral embl em s 340

FI SK, R EV . DR .

TestimonyFLETCHER , REV

TestimonyFox , GEORGEFREEDOM AND FUNCTI ON OF LOVEFR I END S or GODGAR R I S ON, WM . L

TestimonyGAS SNER , DR .

Proph ecyGHOS TTr an sl ation

GENIUS or S P I R I TUALI SM

GNOSTI CI SM

Or ig in of

Indu ction alGNOS TICS

Concern ing Jehoveh

Spir its ascended

R epr esen tatives , 1 30

GOWDY, R EV . G S .

TestimonyGOLDEN RULE

GOD

Absolu te an d r ela

t iveInn er sou l

Defined

PAGE .

GOD

Con sciou sn es s

Unprogr es s ive .257

Fath er and Moth er .259

Order ofman ifestaVoice of th e pr es

en t

Pythagor icTestimony of an

ciente 1 02

Du al ity 1 1 4

R eveal ed by an gel s . 1 22

GREELY, HOR ACETestimony

GREECEPsych ological53

Oracu lar 54

Mythology and th eology 62

GREGORY 1 27

GREGORY 1 43

GROS SETETE , B I SHOP 1 45GYMNOSOPHI S TSWisdomHAUNTED HOUSESBaxter ’s statement. 1 63Homes of spir its

HADES

Of th e 66

HALL, .1 54

HEPWOR TH , REV . G. H .

TestimonyKn owl edge of gods

'

_

56

HELLDescr iption of.309—3 1 2Bibl ical Exeges isSpir itu al ViewHEAVENNames 31 8

Local 320

Promise 338—9

On 32 1

Con dition al 32 1

Employments 322

HEBR EWI SMFromOr igin of Scr ip

Civil ization Egyp

INDEX. 367

PAGE . PAGE .

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 -0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0

o o o o o o o o o 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

JUDGMENT0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 I3i151ic‘tl 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0

HEATHENScholar sh ip of

HERMA SH I S TOR IC IMMOR TAL

ITY

HIEROMB ALUS

Pr iest of IaoH I STORYP sych ological 6

H INDoos

Or igin al ly not idol

ator e

HOW I TT, WM .

TestimonyHOR OSCOPEHOMERGu ardian s

'

of

I l iad and R amayan a

HOOKER,JUDI CI OUS

Testimony 1 54

HUMAN BROTHER HOOD1 03

1 03

1 24

HUGO, VI CTORTestimonyHUMES ean ces

IGNATIUS

IMMOR TALITYBa sis ofPlaton ian .

Socrates ’ view of 59

An imal s 262

Un iver salAn cien t testimony . .326

262 264

57

N. A. Indian s 328

IMAGINATION

Effects of 1 57

Foun ded inIND IANS

In fan tAbu se —7

INDIA

Histor ic greatn essPh ilosophyMoth er of tr ibes

INSANI TYObsession sCu r e for

INPIDEL S

Hon esty of

INPANTICIDE

INSCR IPTIONSH in dooGolden ages

INSPI RATI ON

25

27

29

INS PIR ATIONS ign s/of.

PoeticalVar ied to condi

t ion s 281

Gen eral and special 282Perpetu al 283

Sacr ed everywh er e 284IRENE US 1 2 1

IRVING, WASHINGTONTestimony

I SLAND

Ancient,tinct .I SRAEL

Mental stru ctu r eJAMB LI CHUSJESUSMoral statu sNat ion al cu lmina

n ow 0X

44

1 33

tion 265

R eal per son age 266

Br oth er man 268

Faithfu l 269

Progr essScholar sh ip 60

Proph ecy of 78

Ante-natal 79, 94

As sociation s 95

In Egypt 96, 97

Ess en ian 97 99

Inter ior l ife 1 01

Doctr in es der ived 1 03

Pr eceptsCharacter of 1 07

Mediumsh ip 1 07

Cotemporar ies 1 1 3

JEHOVAHPr iestly or igin 34

Jeu d 4

An 1 1 5, 1 1 7JEW SInfer ior to Class ics 46

JEROME 1 27

JOAN D’AR C 1 57

JOS EPHINE 1 69

JOHN 268

S ch olar sh ip of 81

JONE S , S IR WI LLI AM “ 26

JUSTIN, MAR TYR 1 22

JUDAI SM PAGAN I ZED 1 39

JULI AN, THE APCS TATE.1 4 l

368

PAGE .

JUDGMENTInward 295

Spir itu al 296

KAR RALA 41

KER ,R EV . W

Testimony 232

KERNER 305

KNox, 1 64

Secret Spir itu al is t. l 65LANGUAGE

Hebr ew 26

Sancr it 26,38

Sh emitic 27

LAO-TSE 39

LATIMER 1 53

LEE , ANN 1 82

LE CAN 36

LINCOLN,LIVERMORE, MR S . M . A.

Testimony 250

LI TER ATUR E

Homer ic

HindooLOUI S X VI

LONDON TIME S

TestimonyLONGYELLOW

Testimony 249—9

LOWELL

TestimonyLOVES elfi sh 346

Not lu st 348

Pu r ely fr ee 350Progr ess ive 350

Un iver sal . 352

LUTHER , MAR TIN 1 45

Roar in g Devil 1 46

Heal ing power 1 47

MAN AND WOMAN 261

MARR IAGE 349

MAGNETI C TELEGRAPH355

MATHER , COTTON 1 65

MAR IA

MADAME

MAYO, R EV . A. D 227

MATTER AND

MAGIC STAFF 33

MAGICIANSPer s ian

MAGICR ival sh ipWisdom

MANETHOOn Hebrews

INDEX .

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0

0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .

0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 . 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

MAGNETI SM

MATER IALI SM

MEDIUM S I-II P

Disor der ly 1 73

Order ly 1 74

Un iver sal 203

Gen eral ph ases 205

Ch il dr en 234

Truth in fa ilu r es 235

Pyth ian 70

METHODI STS 1 80

MELANCTHON 1 47

Saved by Spir its 1 47

MIRACLE S

Fa ith -pr inciple 271

M ILTON

TestimonyMORAL RES P ONS I B I L

I TY 298 308

MOZAR T 1 70

Beau tifu l death 1 71

MOSE SS eein g God 51

Egypt Ian m edium 34

Per s ian r ites 45

MONTANUS 1 24

MOURAV IEFF

TestimonyMUR RAY, JOHNMUMMI ESHeb raieah eads

MUS I CPh il osophy of

MYTHSBr ahm in ic

MYTHIC JE SUSNEo-PLATON I CNI TE, AAR ON

Gr eeting toNI CENE COUNCI L

OB SES S IONSBy cu r iosityBy influ en ceBy n egl ect of r ea

son 1 22

Deaf an d dumb 302

Tu tel ary 1 26

Gen eral bel ief in 303—4Supposed dis eases 303

Law of ingr es s 306

Cu r es for 307

OR ACLE S

Tower of Bel u sGolden sh ipIn articu l ateDelph ian , etc

ORACLES

Ch r ist and Ch r istn a 85OR IGIN 1 25

ORTHODoxY 1 6PARKER , THEOTestimonyGr ave of

PARACEL SUSLaw of h eal ingPAS S ION S

PASTOPHORA

PALE STINEP sych ological 9

Jewish character 9

PASTR el igiou s u ses

R epr esen tativesVir tu es of

PER SECUTIONSOf chu r ch 1 42 1 44—5

Of Cath ol ics 1 49

Again st Tasso 1 51

Of in qu isition 1 57

Of Pu r itan s 1 65

Of Engl ish 1 58

For h er esy 1 59

Of Meth odists 1 80

PETER D’APONO 1 44

PER S IAP sych ological

stru ctu reComm er ce

Myth ol ogyPENTATEUCHBr ahm in icalPHAR I SEE SPHILO JUDE USCosmogony 1 1 4

PH <E NEC IANs ~

H istory of

Comm er ce

In Am er ica

CosmogonyP I CTUR E SOf Gr ecian saints 1 42

PLATODial ogu e 57PLANCHETTE 208

S cien tificAmer ican2 1 4PLINYOr acu l ar

PLOTI NUs

Th eology of

POS T-APOSTOLI CPOTTER , JOHNBu ilding chu rch 1 85

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370

PAGE .

S PI R I TSR etu rn of 32

, 1 1 0 2 1 2

Of Jesu s ’ discipl es 50

Host of 5 1

Abodes of 6 1

Bands of 204

SPIR I T or THE AGE 1 3

S PI R IT WOR LD

Cau sationDescr ibed

1 75 1 76, 1 78R atios of l ife 322

Pr ogr ess iveDegr ees of

S P IR I TUAL BODYA u n itSpher e

IdentitySP I R I TUAL DREAMSOf Car acal l a 72

Attil a ’ s b ow 72

For Scu l ptu r e 1 59

SPI R I TUAL DEL IVER ANCEFrom dr own ing 1 80

Fr om 1 49

From fi r eWalden s es 1 49

Fr om robber s 1 54

SP IR I TUAL FORM SOpin ion of Bever

edge .

Tu l ly th r o’ Agr ippa 1 49Appear as 46

S een by Ta ssoOld 52

SPI R ITUAL FOR CE (Mov

in g bodies)R emovingBrahmin s in 30

An cient media in

air 35

By h air of 48

S imonMagu s in a ir 1 1 6

Clash of arms 66

Commotion s of

th inJamb l ichu s l ifted

u p 1 33

Gu idin g a sh ip 1 85

Spir itu al dan cing . .1 82

S PIR I TUAL GALLER I ESFor pa in t ings 6 1

SP IR I TUAL GI FTSTr an smis s ibl e 1 07Post-Apostol ic 1 23

Ch r istian proof of..1 55

INDEX .

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0

0

0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

S P I R ITUAL GIFTSDecl in e of

Of 3d centu ry 1 25

Of ear ly Ch r is t ian s 1 27S PI R I TUAL HEALINGHeal in g templesR estor ingVespasian ’

s mira

cl es

Wesl ey ’ s laying on

of h an ds , . 1 79

S ecr et by an gel s 1 55

By S t . Bern ard 1 43

Dir ect by angel s

By Lu th er 1 47

By vis ion 1 54

By s ign of cr oss 1 20

By Thomas

Egyptian meth od 34

Of the 5th centu ry . 1 27

SPI R I TUAL INVENTIONSBy R oger Bacon 1 44

S P I R I TUAL INFLUXCondition s of 1 75

S PI R ITUAL LEADER SH IPOf Josh u a 1 49

Hou s e of wor sh ip . . 1 85

Con stan tin e’s cross 1 40Jerome Cardamu s 1 57

S PI R ITUAL MUS I CB y an gel ch oir s 1 1 9

For Mozar t 1 70. 1 71

At death of Boehm en 1 59

In th e sky 225

In spir ation al 61 1 67

In r ocks 33

By staves 201

By bel l s 63—65

For Beeth oven 1 71

Pr odu cing trance 1 35

For Mah omet 65

El egan t sou nds 35

SP I R I TUAL PAINTINGSpir its s een by ar

ti s t

SPI R I TUAL POETRYIn spir ing Tasso

Impr ovis ed , Sch ill er 1 61

Modern 247—253

S PI R I TUAL RAPPINGSSweetn es s ofMar ch 1 848

In 1 849

1 50

PAGE .

SPIR ITUAL RAP P INGSThrou gh Bodin 1 50

In Wes leyFor war n ing 1 63

S PI R I TUAL SECTS 97, 98

S PI R I TUAL S PEAKINGFrom h eaven 1 1 9

ToColumbu s 1 48

Spir i t of Tu l ly 1 49

By ancient media 35

SPI R ITUAL SCULPTUR EImpr ess ed bydr eams .

SPI R I TUAL SEER SH IPBy 1 55

Of Gr egory VII 1 43

Of Plotinu s 1 31

S PI R I TUAL TABLE TI P

P INGCh in ese

S P I R ITUAL V I S IONSBy Lou is X VI 1 68

By Syl l a 72

By Hermas 1 24

By Ambr ose 1 27

Moth er of Hall 1 54

SPI R I TUAL WAR R I OR S

Joan d ’ArcS PI R I TUAL WR I TING

In 1 849 21 1 2 1 3

Alphabet 201

Spir it Pendu lum 201

S PI R I TUAL I SMUn iver sal 2 07

En gl ish bel iever s208 9Cath ol ic idea 208

Su ccess of 2 1 0

In Per u 2 1 0

Perman en cy 2 1 5

Grandeu r of .

Aggr ess iveFu tu r e of

Syn opsis ofPr opagativeR el igion of th e

world 359

Beau ties of 360

Heaven ly influ en ce 1 84Per il s of i ts for ces 306Virtu es of 276

Effects of infidel ity 1 67Of th e 5th centu ry . 1 27

S PI R I TUALI STSCh ar ge to 36 1

I l lu stration s 239 240

Independent 255

PAGE .

S PHER ES.204

Emanat ion 274

Of pl ants , blood etc275

S TOI CI SM

Broth er lyS TOWE , H . B .

TestimonySWEDENBORGI ANSEstim ate of Spir i tu al ists

SYMPATHYBetween th e two

wor lds

Harmon ial .

Mu s ical

SYMBOL SOf Tr in ityOf

Of EgyptOf

TAYLOR , BAYARD“ Myster iou s in ci ~

dentsI‘As so

Spir itu al poems ,etcl 50TEMPLE SOf Jove .

Of S er apis

Of Memnon .

For man ifes ta tion s 34

TERTULL I AN . 1 23

On

Character

INDEX . 371

PAGE . 1 AGE.

0 0 0241

0 0 c c c c c c c c c ca 36o 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 o n

o o o o o o o o o O o o o o o o—l 0 0 “

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 H O2

oo o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

c o o

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

M

0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 n

0 0 0

TENNYS ONAn gel gu ardian s

THACKER AYTestimony

THEURGYCondition s of

THER APUTE S

Of EgyptTI LLO'

r SON

TIME

Spir itu als ion s

TI TUS

Addr es s to s oldier s . 51

TI BER IUSWarn ed by spir its

TOWN SEND,REV . DR

251

impr es

71

TestimonyTOWNE, REV . E . C

At P ierpont’ s fu

n er al

TOWER OF BELUSFor or acl es

TRANS FIGURATIONOf br ain organ s

TRANCE

Of Meth odists! u ak er , S ayEar ly Ch r i s tian sOf boysS acr ed S l eep

TR IANGLE

Horoscopic

348

1 80

1 76

1 2 3

TR INITYH in doo

TR ITHEM IUS

Mental tel egraphin g

TUTTLE , REV . J HTestimony

UNIVER SAL I SMCrystal izin g

VEsPAS IAN

VI CESpir itu al 69

VI SHNUIn car n ation

WALTON

WALDENS ES

Spir it gu idedWES LEY, JOHNWII ITTIER

TestimonyWI TCHCRAFTOf New England 1 65

WOMEN

Spir i tu a l

WOR SHI PHeaven ly 1 9

Angel ic l itu rgy 1 1 9

YONGEOn th e godsZEND AVE S TAAngel ic or ig in

ZOR OAS TER

Spir itu al istic

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374 NAMES OF THE PRINCIPAL AUTHOR S CONSULTED.

Wilson ’s Veda

Haughton , S ir . J . G m : In stitutes of Manu .

Wilkins,Charles B hagavat Gita.

Roer,Dr . B rihad Aranyaka .

Colebrook,H . T Is . Vara Chrishna .

Wilson,H . H . V ishnu Pu rana .

Ward,William Mythology of India.

Mu ller,Max Languages .

Gu tzlafi, Chas B uddh ism in China .

Gu ignes, M . de Confuciu s .

Collie,David Chinese-Sse-shu .

Legge, James Chinese Classics

J ortin, Dissertations .

Whewell,DD. Wm Plato

Olympiodoru s .

.P lotinu s .

B ellows,J. N Cicero’s Immortality.

Warbu rton,William Legation of Moses .

Tillard,J ohn B eliefs of the Ancients .

B u tler,W . A Lect. on Ancient Ph ilosophy.

Denn is,J Hist . of Theories and Morals .

Kenrick,J . l i om . Sep. In scription s .

Hampden , R . D Fathers of Greek Philosophy .

Calmet,Augu stu s Dissertation s .

Priestly,J oseph Knowledge of Ancien t Hebrews .

Wette,W . M . L . de B ib . Doctrines .

Chubb,Thomas Dis . on Miracles .

Philo,Judaeus De Infern is .

Josephu s , Flaviu s Hist . of J ews .

Taylor,W . C H ist. Mohammedan ism .

Renan,J. Ernest Life of Jesu s .

Tholu ck,F. A . G Theos . Per . Pantheism .

Olshau sen, An t . of Immortality .

Friedlich , Leipz Sibylline Oracles .

Child,L . Maria Prog . Rel . Ideas .

Lactantiu s,by J. B . Le . B ru n Immortality of the Sou l .

Savonarola, Girolamo Dialogu es

— Fu tu re Life .

Ambrose,I.

Clarke, Samu el Lee. and Discu ssions .

B enson,Joseph

NAMES OF THE PR INCI PA L AUTHOR S CONSULTED.

Newton,Thomas

Dick,Thomas

Taylor,Isaac

Alger , W . R

Stuart, Moses

B ush, George

Ballou,Hosea

Dewey,Orville

Davis,A . J

Campbell , Arch ibaldRobinson

,W

Miles,J. B rown ing

Lu ther,Mar tin .

Usher,J ames Abp

Cudworth,Ralph

Locke,J ohn

Mosheim,J ohn L . Von

Wigglesworth , MichaelNeander

,Michael

Boston,Thomas

Swedenborg, EmanuelB alfou r

,Walter

B axter,R ichard

Chalmers,Thomas

Newton,Andrews

Chann ing ,W . E

Horne,Robert

Campbell, GeoB rownson , O. A

Tillotson,John Abp

Whiston,Wm

Law,William

Emmons,Nathan ial

Winchester,Elhanan

Edwards,Jonathan

Foster,John

Mau rice,J. F . D

Crowe,Mrs . C. ( Stevens)

Owen,R . D

Howitt,William

375

Diss . I n t . State .

Ph il . Fu tu re State .

N. Hist. of Enthu siasm .

H ist. of Fu tu re Life .

Doub . Sen se of Scriptu re .

Script . Psychology.

Atonement .V iews of Death .

Natu re ’s Divine R evelation s .

Death and R esu r rection .

Invisible World.

Spirits in Prison .

.Doc. Sermons .

Prayers for the Dead.

Intellectu al System .

Immortality of the Sou l .Ecol . H istory.

Des . of Last J udgment .Heaven and Hell .

Fou rfold State .

Heaven and Hell .

Int . State of the Dead.

Saints Rest.New Heavens and Earth .

Fu ture Life of the Good .

The Fu tu re Life.

Sermon s .

Dissertation s .

Pun . of Reprobates .

Etern ity of Hell Tormen ts .

Sermons and Essays .

Address to the Clergy.

General Judgment .Un iversal Restoration .

Theo. Controversy.

Letter on Fu tu re Pu n ishment .Theo. Essays .

Night Side of Natu re .

Footfalls— B ound. of Another World.

H ist . of the Supernatural.

376 NAMES OF THE PRINCI PAL AUTHOR S CONSULTED.

Atkinson,J . C

Zschokke,

'

J oh . D

Dubois,B

Denon M

Mau rice , Rev .

Jones,S ir Wm

Reason and Instin ct .Med. on Death and Etern ity.

Doc. of N . Testament.H ist. Anet . Religions .

Ind . Antiqu ities .

AS“

)at . Researches .

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THE S P IRITUAL HARP,

THENEWMUSIOBOOKFORTHECHOIR, GONGREGATION. ANDSOCIALGIRGLE.

B y J . M . P E E B L E S a n d J . O . B A R R E T T .

E . H . B A I L E Y , M u s i c a l E d i t o r .

TH I S work has been prepared for th e press at great expen se and much mental

labou r, in order to meet th e wan ts of Spiritu al ist Societies in every portion of the

cou ntry. It n eed on ly to b e examin ed to merit commendation .

The growing in terests of Spiritu al ism demanded an original S ingi ng book .

Everywh ere th e cal l was lou d and earn est. The au thors have endeavoured to

meet th is demand in th e beau t ifu l gift of th e S PI R ITUAL HARP .

Cu l led from a wide fiel d of l iteratu re w ith th e most critical care, free from al l

theological tain t, th robbing with the sou l of inspiration ,embodying the principles

and virtu es of th e Spiritual Ph ilosophy, s et to th e most cheerfu l and popu lar

mu s ic,it is doubtless th e most att ractive work of th e kind ever publ ish ed .

The Harp con tain s mu s ic for al l occasion s, particu larly for th e social relationsof l ife, both religiou s and domestic. Its beau tifu l songs, duets, and qu artettes

,

with piano, organ or melodeon accompan imen t,if pu rchased in sh eet form , wou ld

cost many t imes the price of the book . These are very ch oice, sweet, an d aspiring .

Among th em may b e men t ion ed “ Sparkling Waters,

” “ Dreaming To-n igh t,

“ Nothing b u t Water to Drink ,

” “ Heart Song, ” “ Th e Heart and the Hearth,

Make Home Pleasant , ” “ Sail On,

” “ Angel Watcher’

s Serenade,” “ Th e Song

th at I Love, " “ Matern ity, ” “ Tran slation ,

” “ Bu ild H im a Monument,

” “Wh ereth e Roses n e

’

er shal l Wither, ” “ Gentle Spirits, ” “ I Stand on Memory’s GoldenShore

,

”&c. The Harp, therefore, wil l b e sough t by every fam ily of l iberal

thought, irrespective of rel igiou s association ,as a choice compilation of origin al

and eclectic songs for th e social circl e.

Although not special ly prepared for th e Lyceum, yet its mu sical claims havebeen heartily supplied with a rich variety of mu sic appropriate for ch ildren . Let

its heaven ly h armon ies b e su ng in al l ou r Lycemn s throughou t the coun try.

The au thors h ave also arranged an ALL-S INGING SYSTEM for th e congregation .

Hence,every spiritu al fam ily, every speaker, medium , and friend of Spiritu al ism,

shou l d h ave th e Harp, n ot on ly for th e h ome circle,b u t for publ ic meetings,

that all may partake togeth er of the feast of sou l . It becomes th e more n eedfu l

becau se of th e “ Silver Chain Recitation s introdu ced in an improved form,

under th e title of “ Spirit Echoes, ” contain ing s tatemen ts of principles u ttered bythe wise and good of different ages , arranged in classified order

, with choru ses

and chan ts in terspersed , thu s blending mu sic with reading in most in spiringeffect upon speaker and congregation .

Over one-th ird of it s poetry and three-qu arters of its mu sic are original . Some

of America’

s most gifted and popu lar mu sicians h ave written expressly for it .

P rice or for 1 0 OOp ies , £ 3 .

When it is taken in to con sideration that th e SP IR ITUAL HARP is a work of

over th ree h u ndred pages , same size as th is , compris ing some of the choicestmu sic and poetry ever pu t in prin t— su ch as SONGS

,DUETS

,and ! UARTETTES ,

with PIANO, ORGAN or MELODEON accompan iment— none, we ventu re tosay, will demu r at th e price.

T H E LYC EUM G U IDE .

ThePoetica l Department under the direction of EMMA TUTTLE . The genera l L iteraryDep artment by J . M . PEEBLES and J . O. BARRETT . Mu s ic by J . G . CLARK .

Th is popu lar an d practical work for th e u se of Children’

s Ly ceums,is original

and compreh en sive in its con ten ts and arrangemen ts . I t con tain s Plan s and

Diagrams of numerou s,varied

,and original March es ; Il lu s tration s of Gymnastic

Exercises ; Series of ! uestion s with ou t An swers, to draw ou t, l iberate, and developeth e m inds of Children ; original and selected Songs, set to su itable Mu sic, mu ch

ofwh ich is original ; many S ilver-Chain Recitat ion s , and al l information n ecessary

to establ ish and condu ct th ese u sefu l In s titu t ions for th e Young . I n the Press .

LONDON : J . BURNS , PROGRES S IVE LIBRARY, 1 5 SOUTHAMPTON Row,W .C .

ON SPIRITUALISM AND PROGRESS . 3

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MODERN AMER ICAN SP IRITUAL ISM A TWENTY YEARS’

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One large 8vo volume of 600 pages , superbly bou nd in cloth , bevel led edges ,

profu sely il lu s trated w ith fin e portraits on steel , wood in t in t, l ithography, d'

c.Price 1 55 . The Tab le of Conten ts g ives a synops is of the forty-n in e Chapterscomprising th is g reat work . It gives a H istoryof Porte' ntou s Eventsju stpreceding the advent ofSpiritu alism . Avivid descript i on of al l th e varieties of Phenom ena wh ich have occu rred in America, and th e circumstances u nder wh ichth ese wonders were Observed . Sketch es of leading Spiritu al is ts and Mediums .

Th e acts and tactics of the Oppos ition ,and other m atters of in terest. This

noble work is a perfect repertory of ins tru ctive facts . The teach ings and legi

t imate deduction s of Spiritu al ism are clearly stated . Sectarian lean ings and

dogmatic hypoth eses are carefu l ly avoided .

Th e great sale wh ich th is book is having speaks u nm istakeably of theuniversal acceptan ce w ith wh ich it is received . The il lu stration s alone are

worth th e price of th e whol e work . A Prospectu s on appl ication .

S IX LECTURES ON THEOLOGY AND NATURE , w ithPortrait . 55 .

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ONE a Sunbeam in Spirit -Life, th e oth er a Rosebud on Earth . A

narrative of their COMMUN ION before they were FOUR YEARS OF AGE.Photograph s of theSpirit -Pictu re of LILY,taken byWELLA and PET ANDERSON ,

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ARCANA OF NATURE or , The H istory and Laws of Creation .

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Th e Reading-room is open daily.

In the Conversation -room some interesting company is generally to b e fou nd,wh ere mu ch information may b e gath ered .

The Thursday Even ing Reception s are free to th e members .

Country Spiritual ists are invited to subscribe for a large parcel of books at a

time, and u se them amongst th eir friends and inqu irers . Annu al Subscription s,£ 5 53, £ 3 1 0s, and £ 1 l s .

J . BURNS u ndertakes th e publ icat ion ofAmerican works in Britain and Europe.

Au thors are invited to apply for Estimates for th e making of Plates and Printingof works in England, after which th ey may b e exported to America . Th is cou rsehas been adopted in some in stances with great su ccess and satisfaction .

J . BURNS is Agen t for al l works on Spiritual ism and Reform publ ish ed inAmerica or Eu rope, an d keeps in stock the publ ications of W . White 65 Co.

Adams & Co. ; S . R . Wel ls ; Wood Holbrook, &c. , &c. J . BURNS u ndertakesCommissions of variou s kinds for American s on travel , or whomay requ ire services