第4章

ButtohimwhoacceptstheLordJesusChristtoruleinthesanctuaryofhissoul，theeternalyearsaregranted，inlifeundimmedbythoughtofdeath，injoyunsulliedbyhintofparting，inhealthuntouchedbytheblightandmildewofdisease，inhappinessthatisneverdulledbythethoughtofanother\'ssorrow，——alife，inshort，wheretearsshallneverfall，wherehatredorenvyordistrustorevil-surmisingwillfindnosoilandnofruitage，andthehappinessofthatfairland\'sinhabitantswillincreaseinthegladthoughtthatthejoyofothersisequaltotheirown。 Therehavebeenshowninthischaptersomeofthedangersthatlurkinthepathwayofthosewho，believingthatthedeadstilllive，permitthemselvestodabbleinanydegreeinanyofthebranchesorpracticesofSpiritism。Thedangershavenotbeenoverdrawn。Theyareveryreal，andhewhodisregardsthemdoessoatacostineternalconsequenceswhichitisimpossibletocompute。 OnTheThroneofSin:SpiritismIdentifiesItselfPage111Chapter11SpiritismIdentifiesItselfSPIRITISM，asoneofthemanifestationsoftheworkingsoftheprinceofruin，hasunwittinglyidentifieditselfinnumerousways。TheBible，whichistheWordofGod，hasgivenussomeofthecharacteristicsbywhichwemayknowSpiritismasoneofthemodesofoperationinthecampaignofthefallenangels。Wefindoneofthosecharacteristicsinthefollowingscripture:“Whentheyshallsayuntoyou，Seekuntothemthathavefamiliarspirits[spiritmediums]，anduntowizardsthatpeepandthatmutter:shouldnotapeopleseekuntotheirGod?forthelivingtothedead?[or，“onbehalfofthelivingshouldtheyseekuntothedead?“R。V。]“Isa。8:19。SomeofthepeopleatacertaintimewouldbeseekingtothedeadbymeansofSpiritism，ornecromancy，tolearnabouttheliving；andGodsaysthatwhentheyaredoingthat，itistimemenshouldbeseekingHim。Thewarningisparticularlyemphatic，becausewhensuchmanifestationsarestrikinglyprevalentintheworld，theLordHimselfisdoingHisclosingworkformanpriortotheculminationofthecontroversywithsinandthecomingoftheRedeemer。Thisfactisplainlysetforthinverses15，16，and17 ofthechapterfromwhichthelastscripturewastaken。Letusconsiderthem:“Manyamongthemshallstumble，andfall，andbebroken，andbesnared，andbetaken。Bindupthetestimony，sealthelawamongMydisciples。 AndIwillwaitupontheLord，thathidethHisfacefromthehouseofJacob，andIwilllookforHim。”Itisatimeofgreatdanger——atimewheneternaldestiniesarebeingdecided——thatisbroughttoviewinthatscripture。ItisatimewhenGod\'slawneedstohaveitsseal，thewholeSabbath-observancecommand，restoredtoit；atimewhen“thetestimony，“God\'swholeBookoftruth，whichhasbeenbrokenandmutilatedinthehandsofthe“highercritics，“ needstobeboundup；itisatimewhensomewillbewaitingfortheirPage112LordandlookingforHisreturn；andatimewhensomewillbeurgingothers，intheirperplexityanddistressandanxiety，toseektothedeadforknowledgeanddirection。Thatistheculminatingdeception，andwearewarnedagainstitinthesewords:“Woetotheinhabitersoftheearthandofthesea！forthedeviliscomedownuntoyou，havinggreatwrath，becauseheknoweththathehathbutashorttime。”Rev。12:12。HeknowsthatatthecomingofChristhisactivitiesmustcease。Thereforehepoursdistressesanddeceptionsupontheworldinoverwhelmingtorrents，andSpiritismistheveritableneplusultraofhisevilingenuity。 NowastotheidentityofthethingagainstwhichtheLord\'sprophetwarnsus。Thatdelusivedemonstrationofsatanicactivitywouldbecharacterizedbycommunicationsfromthosewhorepresentthemselvestobethespiritsofthedeadthroughthosethathave“familiarspirits“(spiritmediums)，and“wizardsthatpeep，andthatmutter。”Dospiritmediumsintheircommunications“peep“(or“chirp，“R。V。)and“mutter“? Inthebook“Raymond，“onpage192，SirOliverLodgereportscommunicationsreceivedthroughMrs。Leonard，andaspiritcalledFedatakespossessionofthemediumtogetamessagethroughfromthespiritofthedeadboyRaymondtohisfather，SirOliver。Theopeningparagraphofthisreportreads:“Fedasoonarrived，saidgoodevening，jerkedaboutonthechair，andsqueakedorchuckled，afterhermannerwhenindicatingpleasure。 Then，withoutpreliminaries，shespoke。”Themedium，underpossessionofthisfamiliarspirit，“squeakedorchuckled。” Againinthereportofthesamesé；ance，SirOliverrecords:“HereFeda[thatis，themediumcontrolledbythespiritFeda] gaveanamusedchucklewithajumpandasqueak。”——“Raymond，“p。201。Page113“(Fedaheregaveajerk，anda\'good-by。\')Lovetoherwhat\'longstoyou，andtoLionel。Fedaknowswhatyournameis，\'Soliver，\' yes。(Anothersqueak。)“——Id。，p。204。Thisisnotveryilluminating，notveryelevating，andwewonderthatagreatscientistdoesnotturnawayfromitindisgust。Onethingitdoes，however，itidentifiesSpiritismasthemovementagainstwhichtheprophetofGodwarnstheworld。 Anotherwork，previouslyquotedfrom，furnishesuswithevidenceofthesamecharacter。ItisgiventoproveSpiritismtrue，butitprovesittobesomethingagainstwhichGodconsidersitveryimportanttowarnus。Thereportinquestionhasreferencetotheexperienceofthemedium，Dr。T。d\'AuteHooper，whowasatthetimeunderthecontrolof，or“possessed“ by，aspiritknownasthe“IndianFakir。”Itwasannouncedthatthefakir(throughthemedium，ofcourse)wouldperformfireworship，butthatthemediumwouldbesafeguarded。Thereportreads:“Theinterpreterretiredandthefakircontrolled。Therewasalotofwavingofhands[onthepartofthemedium]，shouting，twistingandturning，incantationsandsquealing。Thenhe[themedium] leftthecircleandsquattedinfrontofagoodfire。Hesaida\'prayer\' withalotofrapidtalk；infact，heneverceasedtochatterthewholetime。”——“TheProofsoftheTruthsofSpiritualism，“p。65。SirOliverLodge，inasittingwiththemediumMrs。Kennedy，onOct。10，1915，recordsthis:“Pleaselistencarefullynow。IwanttospeaktoyouaboutNorman。ThereisaspecialmeaningtothatbecausewealwayscalledmybrotherAlecNorman，the(muddle……)。 “K。K。[themedium]saidthatshecouldn\'tgettherestclearly。”——“Raymond，“p。147。Herewasmutteringagain。WhenGodhasamessagetogivetoman，thereisnomuddling，no“squealing，“no“chirping。”ThemouthpieceofGoddoesnothavetorecordthatthoughhehadsomethingtowhichhewishedustolistencarefully，hemustbreakoffinthemidstofhismessagebecausehe“couldn\'tgettherestclearly。”ThepitiabledrivelthatPage114“comesthrough“inspiritisticsé；ancesmakesonewonderwhetherthoseinattendancecanhaveanyrespectwhateverfortheirownintelligence，oranyappreciationofthevalueofthetime(worsethanwasted)whichsuchunprofitablegatheringsconsume。 SirOliverLodgegivesusanotherglanceattheself-accusingcharacteristicsofSpiritism。ThesittingthistimeiswiththemediumMrs。Clegg，March3，1916。Hedescribeshowthemediumwentoffintothetrance，andthencontinues:“Forsometime，however，nothingfurtherhappened，exceptcontortions，strugglingtogetspeech[probablypeepings，chirpings，andmutterings]，rubbingsofthebackasifinsomepainordiscomfortthere，andacertainamountofgaspingforbreath……Presentlytheutterancewasdistinguishedas，\'Helpme，where\'sthedoctor?\'Afteratime，withK。K。\'s[Mrs。Kennedy\'s] help，thecontrolseemedtogetalittleclearer，andthewords，\'Soglad，father；lovetomother；soglad，\'frequentlyrepeatedinanindistinctandmuffledtoneofvoice，wereheard…… “Themedium，however，wentthroughagooddealofpantomime，embracingme，strokingmyarm，pattingmyknees，andsometimesstrokingmyhead，sometimesalsothrowingherarmsroundmeandgivingtheimpressionofbeingoverjoyed，butunabletospeakplainly。 “Thenotherdumbshowwasbegun…… “Afteratime，utterancebeingsodifficult，Igavethemediumapadandpencil，andaskedforwriting。Thewritingwaslargeandsprawly，singlewords:\'Captain\'amongthem。”——Id。，pp。238，239。Notverysatisfactory，thesecommunicationswithintelligencesrepresentingthemselvestobespiritsofthedead——notmuchliketheclear，incisivecommunicationsthathavecometousfromthelivingGod。 SpiritismhasthusinadvertentlyadmitteditsownidentityasthatagencyagainstwhichGodhaswarnedHispeople。Itpaintsitsownpicturebeforeuswiththebrushofitsownmutteringsandsplutteringsandchirpingsandsqueakings。\'Doweneedfurtheridentification?Itisreadytohand。 GodwarnedHispeopleancientlyagainstnecromancy——communicationwiththedeadbycallingupthedeadtoinquireofthem。OneclericalSpiritist，Rev。H。H。B。Yerburgh，rectorofBreedon，England，hasbeenpublishingaseriesofapologiesforSpiritismintheChurchFamilyNewspaper，aChurchofEnglandpublication，extractsfromwhicharepublishedandPage115commentedonintheHarbingerofLightforOctober，1921。Speakingofnecromancy，therectorsays:“Necromancyiscallingupthedead。Informerdaysithadcertainhorridritesconnectedwiththedeadbody。InthepracticeofSpiritualiststhedeadarenotcalledup；theyappearreadyandeagertogetthrough，tomakethemselvesknown，andcrowdin。Theydothisquiteindependentlyofthesé；anceroom。”Thisisoneofthemoststrikingexamplesof“adistinctionwithoutadifference“ thatoneislikelyevertosee。Inancientdaysnecromancywascommunicationwiththedead，thelivingtakingtheinitiativebyhavingwitchesandwizards\'\'bringup“or“callup“thespiritofthedepartedindividual。Nowthosewhowishtoholdcommunicationwiththedeadgotoamodernwitchorwizard(spiritmedium)，andtheyfindthesupposedspiritofthedepartedfriendorrelativealreadythereandwaitingtogetintocommunicationwiththem。 Whatisthedifference?Twopartiesaregettingintocommunication:oneisalivingperson；theotherissupposedtobethespiritofadeadperson。 Theytwogetintocommunicationthroughthesameagency，amedium(witchorwizard)。Theytalktoeachother，evenasthelivingandthesupposeddeaddidinthedaysofSaulandthe“womanofEndor。”Allthisisadmitted。 Theonlydifferenceisthatmorefrom“theotherside“areseekingto“getthrough，“anddonothavetobecalledup，butarealreadyupandwaitingforcommunication。Itisnecromancyjustthesame——justasmuchopposedtothecommandsandpurposeofGod，andjustasruinoustothesoulsthatpermitthemselvestobeensnaredinitsdeceptivemeshes。 Yetthisevilthing，forbiddenofGod，isSpiritism\'ssubstituteforwhatisknownamongChristiansasthe“communionofsaints。”SaystheeditoroftheHarbinger:“WehaveoftenstatedinthesecolumnsthatitistotheChurchofEnglandwelooktotaketheleadinindorsingthefundamentalclaimsofSpiritualism，andinproclaiming，inparticular，thatamuchmoreliteralinterpretationmustbegiventothedoctrineofcommunionofsaintsthanhashithertobeenallowed“——HarbingerofLight，October，1921。Whoarethese“saints“thatarecommunicatingfromtheotherside?EveryleadingSpiritistofexperienceknowsthatPage116onlyaportionofthosewhospeakasthespiritsofthedeadappearintheslightestdegree“saintly。”IhavealreadyquotedthewarningsofsomeSpiritistsagainstbelievingallthat“comesthrough，“andagainstinexperiencedpersons\'takingupthepracticeofcommunicatingwiththedead。Surelyweoughtnottobeafraidtocommunicatewithsaints。ItisamostinexcusabletravestyontherealthingsofthegospeltoclaimthatthismodernnecromancyiswhatChristiansunderstandasthe“communionofsaints。” TheLord，throughtheapostlePaul，hasgivenawarningtoallChristendomthatisperfectlyapplicableinthiscase:“Beyenotunequallyyokedtogetherwithunbelievers:forwhatfellowshiphathrighteousnesswithunrighteousness?andwhatcommunionhathlightwithdarkness?“2Cor。6:14。Spiritismisofthedarkness。Themost，andthemoststriking，ofitsmanifestationsareproducedinthedarkness。AndtheinspiredtestimonyoftheapostleJohndeclaresthatmenloveddarknessratherthanlight，becausetheirdeedswereevil。”John3:19。JesusChristwasandisthelightoftheworld。 Hisgospelistheperpetuationofthatlight。NeitherHenoritcanhavefellowshipwiththatwhichworksindarknessandfindsdarknessnecessarytoitssuccess。HisfollowerscanbetermedsuchonlywhentheyfollowHim。Moreover，Spiritismisunbelief。Itdeniestheatonement；deniessalvationthroughChrist；deniesthedivinesonshipofJesusChrist；denieseveryclaimthatHemadeforHimselftoDeity。Spiritism，asalreadyshown，temptsindividuals——andleadsindividuals——tosuicide。LeadingSpiritistshaveoftenadmittedthatthespiritsaresometimesconsciencelessliars。 Itisimpossible，therefore，thatthepracticeofmodernnecromancyshouldbeinanydegreewhatsoeverentitledtotheappellation，“thecommunionofsaints。”Byrepresentingitselftobewhatitisnot，Spiritismidentifiesitselfasoneoftheworksofdarkness。 GodhaswarnedmankindagainstaddingtoortakingfromthewordsoftheSacredVolume。Rev。22:18，19。Whoeverdoesthat，despiteGod\'swarning，identifieshimselfasonewhoPage117isdisobedienttoGod——inrebellionagainstHim。HowdoesSpiritismstandrelatedtotheintegrityandtheinviolability-oftheBook?IntheintroductiontoBook1，pagexxxv，of“TheLifeBeyondtheVeil，“wefindthisparagraph:“Andisit[Spiritism]subversiveofoldbeliefs?AthousandtimesNo。Itbroadensthem，itdefinesthem，itbeautifiesthem，itfillsintheemptyvoidswhichhavebewilderedus，butsavetonarrowpedantsoftheexactwordwhohavelosttouchwiththespirit，itisinfinitelyreassuringandilluminating。“Narrowpedantsoftheexactword“arethosewhodonotfeelatlibertytoaddtoortakefromwhatGodhasgiventhroughHisinspiredpenmen。 Spiritism，inthatdeclarationfrom“beyondtheveil，“labelswiththeunkindepithet，“narrowpedants，“thosewhoreverenceandholdtotheBible。 ThereforeSpiritismdeprecatesadherencetotheexactWord。ItwouldaddtotheBibleandwouldtakefromit，andthusshowsitselfanenemyofthatWord，denouncedbythatWord，andrestingunderthecurseofthedivineAuthorofthatWord。OneleadingSpiritistdeclaresoftheBiblethat“itisabsolutelyworthlessintheteachingofspiritualityasrecognizedbySpiritualism；“that“Spiritualismshouldrecognizeitasasloughinwhichman\'sspiritualityhasbeenmiredandswampedforthesethousandsofyears； “thattheBible“hasbroughtabouttheveryconditionsthatweasSpiritualistsaresodeterminedlyfightingagainst；“andthen，inthemostshamelesscrueltyofwickedness，accusestheBibleofbeingthefountandoriginofcrime。(SeeC。F。Evans，intheProgressiveThinker，Jan。22，1921。) TheBiblehasbeengivenusasalamptolightourpathoutofsinandintorighteousness；outofawickedworldandintotheeternalhomeofhappinessandpeace；outfromunderSatan\'sdominanceandthralldomandbackintothefreedomofourFather\'shomeoflove。ToaccusethatWordofbeingwhatSpiritismsaysitis，istheacmeofblasphemousfalsehood，thebitterestrefinementofunjustaccusation。 ButsuchaccusationsasthistellusinlanguagemostplainandemphaticwhatSpiritismisandwhoisitsauthor。Page118EvenSpiritiststhemselvesadmitthatSpiritismasweknowitisonlyamodernizationofpracticeswhichwerecommonamongancientheathenpeoples。 GodhasstrictlyenjoineduponmankindthattheremustbenoworshipingofanybeingorthingbutGodHimself。Buttheancientsworshipedmanythings，amongwhichwasfire。TheParseeswere，andarestill，fireworshipers，asweresomeofthenationsthatsurroundedIsrael。ItwasevidentlysomespeciesoffireworshipinwhichtheancientCanaanitesindulgedwhentheymadetheirchildrentopassthroughthefiretoMoloch。Certainislanderspractiseaspeciesoffireworshipwhen，afterincantations，theywalkbarefootoverglowinghotstones。 InDr。T。d\'AuteHooper\'sexperienceasaspiritmedium，hewasfrequentlytakenpossessionofbyaspiritcalledthe“IndianFakir，“andaspeciesoffireworshipwasperformed。 SaysLordLindsay，inspeakingofthefirephenomenaperformedbyD。 D。Home:“IhavefrequentlyseenHomegotothefireandtakeoutlargered-hotcoalsandcarrythemaboutinhishandsandputtheminsidehisshirt。EighttimesImyselfhaveheldared-hotcoalinmyhandswithoutinjury。”——“Man\'sSurvivalAfterDeath，“p。217。SirWilliamCrookestestifiestothefirefeatsofD。D。Homewhenunderspiritcontrol:“AtMr。Home\'srequest，whilsthewasentranced，Iwentwithhimtothefireplaceinthebackdrawing-room。He[theinfluencecontrollingHome]said:\'WewantyoutonoticeparticularlywhatDan[i。e。，Home] isdoing。\'AccordinglyIstoodclosetothefire，andstoopeddowntoitwhenheputhishandsin……Mr。Homethenwavedthehandkerchiefaboutintheairtwoorthreetimes，helditabovehishead，andthenfoldeditupandlaiditonhishandlikeacushion。Puttingtheotherhandintothefire，hetookoutalargelumpofcinder，red-hotinthelowerpart，andplacedtheredpartonthehandkerchief。Underordinarycircumstancesitwouldhavebeeninablaze。Inabouthalfaminutehetookitoffthehandkerchiefwithhishand，saying，\'Asthepowerisnotstrong，ifweleavethecoallonger，itwillburn。\'Hethenputitonhishand，andbroughtittothetableinthefrontroom，whereallbutmyselfhadremainedseated。”——“TheProofsoftheTruthsof\'Spiritualism，“p。66。Weneednotquestionthesestatementsasrecordsofactualhappenings。 Theydoubtlessweresuch；buttheydonotprovePage119thatthedeadarealive。Suchthingsdonotprovethatthespiritscontrollingthemediumandcausinghimtoperformtheseactswerethespiritsofthedead。Theyclaimtobe；butastheyhavebeenprovedfalsifiersinnumerouscases，whichSpiritiststhemselvesadmit，itismorethanprobablefromtheirownshowingthattheyarelyingwhentheymaketheclaimthattheyarespiritsofthedead；andwhenwebringtheWordofGodintothewitnessbox，theprobabilityresolvesitselfintoanabsolutecertainty。Moreover，Spiritism，insuchdemonstrations，isclearlydisobedienttothelawofGod，whichforbidstheworshipofanythingotherthanGodHimself。Inpractisingandencouragingfireworship，Spiritismprovesitselfanexponentofidolatry，abreakerofGod\'slaw，andthusarebelagainstHisgovernment。ThusagaindoesitidentifyitselfastheenemyofGodandthedeceiveranddestroyerofman。 SpiritistsadmitwiththeutmostunconcerntheidentityoftheSpiritismoftodaywiththepracticesofancientdaysthatareforbiddenintheSacredVolume。Notethisparagraph:“Dr。LombrosoreferstothewitchofEndor，andquotesfromvariouswritersprovingthatnecromancy，orwhatwenowcallSpiritualism，wascommoninGreece，notonlyasabeliefamongthelowerclasses，butheldbyphilosophers，especiallybythePlatonistsandPythagoreans，\'whoexpressedawonderifanyonesaidhehadneverseenadaimon；\'i。e。，thespiritofadeceasedperson。”——Id。，p。73。Concerningthis，theauthorofthebookmakesthefollowingobservationinafootnote:“Wheneverdevilsarementionedinthe\'Gospelsas\'possessing\' humanbeings，daimonordaemonistherightterm。”——Ibid。Spiritismthereforeadmits，seeminglywithperfectsangfroid，thatthespiritswithwhichitisgettingintotoucharereallythedevilswhomJesuscastoutoftheafflictedpersonswhowerebeingtormentedbythem； thatthespiritswhocontrolmediumsarethedevilswhomJesuscommandedto“comeout“ofcertain“possessed“ones，andenternomoreintothem。 Theadmissionisasweepingone，andleaveseveryChristianwithoutexcuseforhavinganythingtodowithSpiritismPage120Again，onthesamepageofthesamework，appearsthisstatement:“ThestoryofthewitchofEndorwillberecognizedasidenticalinallthefeaturesmentionedascharacteristicofamodernsé；ance。”SoSpiritismlinksitselfupwiththewitchofEndor，andsowithallwitchcraftpractisedinthosedays。Itidentifiesitselfasthesamething。 Letusseenowhowthatancientpracticewas，andthereforethismodernpracticeis，regardedbytheGodofIsrael，theGodwhomChristiansserve:“WhenthouartcomeintothelandwhichtheLordthyGodgiveththee，thoushaltnotlearntodoaftertheabominationsofthosenations。 Thereshallnotbefoundamongyouanyonethatmakethhissonorhisdaughtertopassthroughthefire，orthatusethdivination，oranobserveroftimes，oranenchanter，orawitch，oracharmer，oraconsulterwithfamiliarspirits，orawizard，oranecromancer。ForallthatdothesethingsareanabominationuntotheLord:andbecauseoftheseabominationstheLordthyGoddothdrivethemoutfrombeforethee。”Deut。18:9-12。SpiritismsaysthatitisthesamethingasthatwhichthewomanofEndorrepresentedandpractised。Itmustthereforerestunderthesamecondemnation。 Godcalleditan“abomination“then，droveitoutoftheland，andmadeitspracticepunishablebydeath。HesaysthatbecauseofthoseabominationsHedroveouttheoriginalpossessorsofCanaan。Hetellsus，furthermore，thatHeisthe“sameyesterday，today，andforever。”WhatwasanabominationtheninHiseyesisanabominationstill；andthepersonwhopractisesit，whetherhecallhimselfChristianorunbeliever，placeshimselfunderthefrownandthecurseofAlmightyGod。IsraelcouldnotpractisethatabominationandbeGod\'schosenpeopleandinheritthetemporalPromisedLand。Likewise，theChristiancannotpractisethatabomination，andbeanacceptedchildofGodandaninheritoroftheeternalpossession。 Fromwhatiscalleda“psychograph，“aphotographofspiritwriting，presentedbyArchdeaconColleytotheauthorof“TheProofsoftheTruthsofSpiritualism，“Iquotethesestate-Page121mentsasfurtherproofthatSpiritismidentifiesitselfasthenecromancyanddemonpossessionofancienttimes:“ItisonlynecessarytoreadhistoryandthesacredworksofancientpeoplesandnationstoknowthatwhatistermedmodernSpiritualismisasoldastheworld。Sacredhistoryteemswithabundantevidenceofthefact。ThemediawereprizedbytheMedesandPersians。TheDelphicOracles，theCyprianpriestesseswhowerebroughtforwardatcertainfeastdaysthatthepopulacecouldcommunicatewiththeirAdPatres！……WewonderwhyitisthatthedenizensofearthwillreadandthinkcontrarytotheteachingintheirHolyWrit。Itisonlynecessarytoreadandcalmlycomparethephenomenaofolderdayschronicledthereinandmodernhappeningstoprovetheyareoneandthesame，onlygivenindifferenttimesoftheworld\'shistory。”——“TheProofsoftheTruthsofSpiritualism，“ pp。202，203。Thispurportstohavebeenwrittenbyaspirit，andthereforeSpiritismmustadmitthatitspeaksauthoritatively。ItleavesnoloopholefordoubtingthatSpiritismisidenticalwiththewitchcraft，thenecromancy，thefirefeats，andtheheathenpracticesgenerallywhichwereso-specificallydenouncedbyJehovahinthedaysofIsrael。 TheauthorofthepsychographwouldleadustothinkthatbecausethosethingsarementionedinHolyWrit，wearepermittedandexpectedtopractisethem。Butnotso。Theyarementionedonlytocondemn，todenounce，andtowarnusagainsthavingaughttodowiththem。 TheauthorofthepsychographthendirectsattentiontoanumberofpassagesofScripture，amongwhichis1Samuel28:6。Thatversereads:“WhenSaulinquiredoftheLord，theLordansweredhimnot，neitherbydreams，norbyUrim，norbyprophets。”SoSaulturnedtoasourcefromwhichhehopedhemightgetananswer。 Certainly，ifGodwouldnotanswerhim，hecouldnotexpecttoreceiveareplyfromanyagencyunderGod\'sdirectionorcontrol。HeknewthathemustgotoanagencywhichwasinoppositiontoGod，anoutlaw。Hesoughtoutaspiritmedium；andhemusthimselfpractisedeceptioninordertoaccomplishhispurpose。Sohedisguisedhimselfandwentinthenight。 Itwasadeedofdarknessanddeceit，anditreceivedtherewardwhichwasmeetforsuchdeeds。Page122TheresultofthatactionwefindrecordedinwordsofHolyWrit:“SoSauldiedforhistransgressionwhichhecommittedagainsttheLord，evenagainstthewordoftheLord，whichhekeptnot，andalsoforaskingcounselofonethathadafamiliarspirit，toinquireofit。” IChron。10:13。Saullosthislifeforhissins，andoneofthosesinsspecificallymentionedwasthatofattendingaSpiritistsé；ancetoinquireofthedead。 Itisstrangethattheauthorofthepsychographinquestionshouldreferustothisscripture，whichsospecificallycondemnsthewholeSpiritistmovement。 Saulwasnottheonlyoffenderinthisparticularwhoserecordhascomedowntous。OfManassehitissaid:“Hemadehissonpassthroughthefire，andobservedtimes，andusedenchantments，anddealtwithfamiliarspiritsandwizards:hewroughtmuchwickednessinthesightoftheLord，toprovokeHimtoanger。” 2Kings21:6。Asimilarstatementconcerninghimisrecordedin2Chronicles33:6。Itwillbeinteresting，therefore，toreadwhatissaidofoneofIsrael\'skingswhotookanoppositecoursetothattakenbySaulandManasseh。ThisistherecordofthegoodkingJosiah:“Moreovertheworkerswithfamiliarspirits，andthewizards，andtheimages，andtheidols，andalltheabominationsthatwerespiedinthelandofJudahandinJerusalem，didJosiahputaway，thathemightperformthewordsofthelawwhichwerewritteninthebookthatHilkiahthepriestfoundinthehouseoftheLord。”2Kings23:24。ThequestionwillnaturallyariseastowhetherJosiahoffendedGodinputtingastoptothepracticeofspiritmedium-shipthroughouthisrealm。 Theabovescripturedeclaresthathediditinorder“thathemightperformthewordsofthelaw；“andtheversefollowingreads:“Likeuntohimwastherenokingbeforehim，thatturnedtotheLordwithallhisheart，andwithallhissoul，andwithallhismight。”Howdifferent，then，istherecordleftusconcerningthetwoclassesofkings！TheoneclasspractisedthatwhichwasanabominationinthesightofGod，andwascondemnedbyHimPage123fordoingso；theotherclassputawaythatabomination，andreceivedheaven\'sapprobation。AndwhattheonepractisedandtheotherprohibitedwasthatwhichtodayisknownasSpiritismorSpiritualism。Ithas，beyondquestion，identifieditselfasthatthingwhichJehovahabominatedandprohibited，thefire-worshipingnecromancyoftheancients，thecultofwitchcraft，theperpetuationofthefalsehoodfirstutteredbySataninEden，themostsubtleofallthedeadlydeceptionsinventedbytheprinceofruinforthedestructionofourrace。 OnTheThroneofSin:SpiritismFosterstheFirstFalsehoodPage124Chapter12SpiritismFosterstheFirstFalsehoodTHEfirstfalsehoodevertoldinthisworldwastoldinEdenbytheprinceofruin。InthatfalsehoodhepromisedthemotherofthehumanracethatifshewoulddisobeyGod，sofarfromdyingasapenalty，mankindwouldadvanceingloryandhonor。Thesearehiswords:“Yeshallnotsurelydie:forGoddothknowthatinthedayyeeatthereof，thenyoureyesshallbeopened，andyeshallbeasgods，knowinggoodandevil。”Gen。3:4，5。BydisobeyingGodhesaidtheywouldbecomelikegodsthemselves。Godhadwarnedthemthatthepenaltyfordisobediencewouldbedeath。SatancontradictedGod，andpromisedthemimmunityfromtheexecutionofthatdecree，withtremendousadvantagesbesides。 SpiritismisusingallitspowersofeloquenceanddeceittoprovetotheracethatGodtoldthefalsehoodandSatantoldthetruth。ThechiefburdenofSpiritismistoprovethatthedeadarenotreallydead，buthavesimplyentereduponanothersphereofexistence，andareabletocommunicatewithus(thoughthisisplainlycontradictedbytheBible)；andthenextgreatburdenistobolsterupthesatanicideathatmenarebecominggodsthroughprocessesfollowingdeath。 GodistheCreatorofallthings。Ifmenaretobelikegods，theymustbeabletodemonstratetheirabilityintheworkofcreating。TheRev。 G。ValeOwen，writingunderspiritcontrolconcerningtheoccupationsofthosewhohavepassed“beyondtheveil，“presentsthefollowing:“Weallsatroundtheopenspace，andconcentratedourwillsontheobjecttobeproduced。Veryquicklyitappearedandstoodtherebeforeus。Weweremuchsurprisedatthequicknessoftheresult。Butfromourpointofviewthereweretwodefects。Itwasmuchtoolarge；forwehadfailedtoregulatethecombinationofourwillsindueproportion……Theresultwasamixturebetweenstoneandflesh。Alsomanypointsweredisproportionate——theheadtoolargeandthePage125bodytoosmall，andsoon……Weexperiment，andthenexaminetheresult，andtryagain。Wedidsonow。”——“TheLifeBeyondtheVeil，“ book1，p。63。Ifthiswereatruerecordofactualhappenings，howridiculousitwouldappearwhencomparedwiththetruerecordofJehovah\'sworkduringcreationweek！“Hespake，anditwasdone；Hecommanded，anditstoodfast。”Ps。 33:9。Again:“GodsaweverythingthatHehadmade，and，behold，itwasverygood。”Gen。1:31。Nothingtoolargeortoosmall，andnomixturesofstoneandflesh。 Butthisspiritreporterteachesthatcreationistakenupasascienceinthespherestowhichthedeadgo，andtheyhavescientificinstrumentstohelptheunskilledstudentsintheirfirstattemptsatdoingtheworkofgods。Onewhowasinstructingaclassinthisscienceactuallycreatedalandscape(sothespiritstates)，includingfieldsandforests，withbright-plumagedbirdsflyingfromtreetotree。Thespiritcontinues:“Ourguidewassomewhatadvancedinthescience，andhadcontrivedtheforestscenebymeansofthissameskill。Asthelearnersprogress，theyareablegraduallytoachievetheresulttheywishwithoutthescientificapparatuswhichatfirstisnecessary。Oneinstrumentafteranotherisleftoutuntilatlengththeyareabletodependsolelyontheirwill……Wecannotallbecreatorsofcosmoi，Isuppose，andthereareotherthingsasnecessary，greatandglorious，nodoubt……Whilethemenstudentsmostlylookedafterthepurelycreativepart，they[thewomen] werepermittedtoaddtoandroundofftheworkwiththeirgeniusofmotherhood。”——Id。，pp。82-85。ThesamewriterattemptstoprovethatthelivingandthespiritsofthedeadstandinthesamerelationtotheFatherofallthatJesus，theSonofGod，didanddoes。Heasks:“IsitmeantthatHeistheFatherinmanifestationasman? So，then，areyouandsoamIHisservants。FortheFatherisinallofus。OrisitthatinHimwasthefullnessoftheFather，undivided?SoinyouandinmealsodwellstheFather。”——Id。，book2，p。69。Therefore，ifChristisGod，accordingtothisteaching，manalsomustbeagod；fortheyclaimformanthesamerelationtoGodthatJesusChristsustains。ItisaboldandblasphemousassumptionputforwardbytheprinceofruintotakeawayPage126fromthegloryandthepositionandthehonoroftheLordChrist，andexaltthedisobedientsonsofearthtoanequalitywiththesinlessSacrificethatonCalvarypaidthedebtforman\'ssin。 Again，GodstylesHimselfa“prayerhearingandaprayeransweringGod。” FromtheValeOwenscriptIquoteagain:“Wereachtheearthalsoandsenseyourdoingsthere，andsendyouwordsofinstruction，orhelpinotherforms，inanswertotheprayerswhichcometousforustodealwith。”——Id。，p。76。GodhastaughtusthatitisHewhohearsourprayersandwhoanswersourprayers。ButSpiritismwouldusurpthisprerogativeofDeityalso。SomeSpiritistswouldevenrobGodofthetitleofAuthorofourlivesandCreatorofourbodies。SaysDr。V。Maxwell，aFrenchSpiritist:“Wehaveasoulwhichismakingandperfectingitsownbody。”—— “AretheDeadAlive?“p。258。Soaccordingtothisteachingwebecomethecreatorsofourselves；sodoweeliminateGodfromHispositionintheuniverse，throughthedoctrineofSpiritism！Someofthesedoctrineswouldmakeusgods；somewouldusurptheprerogativesofGod；somewouldquietlydropGodoutofexistenceentirely。 TheauthoroftheValeOwenscriptpresentsinmetricallanguagetheideathatthesediscarnatespiritsaretheagentsofcreation。Thus:“Diverseandlovely，attheirurge，Amyriadlivingformsemerge，AstheyonbirdandbeastandtreeImpresstheirpersonality。”——“TheLifeBeyondtheVeil，“book3，p。12。Thesamespiritauthorattributestheabilitytocreateeventoevilpowers。 Hewasquestionedastowhatcertainanimalsweredoinginacertainplacewhereunrulyspiritswerebeingheldindurancevile。Hisreplywas:“Theseanimalshaveneverbeenintheflesh。Thosegointobrighterplaces。thesearethecreationsofevilpowerswhoareabletobringPage127themforthsofar，butnottoprojectthemfurtherinadvancetowardincarnationonearth。”——Id。，p。225。ThenoneofthedistinguishingcharacteristicsofJehovah——Hiscreativepower——accordingtothisteaching，ispossessedbydevilsalso！andallforthepurposeofbelittlingtheGodheadandcausingmentobelievethatSatan\'sfalsehoodinEdenwastruth，——thatthroughdisobedienceweacquiredivinity。 Anotedpsychic(orspiritmedium)ofAdelaide，SouthAustralia，Mrs。 AddersonMiller，inaninterviewgrantedtoPastorE。S。Butz，ofCooranbong，NewSouthWales，Australia，wasasked，amongothers，thefollowingquestions，theanswerstowhichweresetdownjustasshegavethem:“DoSpiritualistsbelieveinapersonalGod?“ “No，Godisuniversalinyou；tobedeveloped。Godissimplyloveoneforanother。” “ThenareweeachGod?“ “Yes，youareGod；IamGod。”ThisiswhatSatansaidmenwouldbecomethroughdisobedience。ThisiswhatSpiritistssaymenhavebecome——andhavebecomegodssoliterallyandcomprehensivelythatGodHimself，throughwhomeventheyliveandmoveandhavetheirbeing，isruledoutofexistence。Surely，inviewofallthatiscomprehendedinacceptingthetenetsofSpiritism，itisworthwhilestudyingtheconsequencesbeforetakingthestep。 OnTheThroneofSin:UnprofitableCommunicationsPage128Chapter13UnprofitableCommunicationsTHEREisoneverdictthatcanbetruthfullyrenderedconcerningallcommunicationsthat“comethrough“fromtheso-calledspiritsofthedead。Itisthis:“Emptyandunprofitable。”Nogreatthoughts，nonewtruths，haveevercometotheknowledgeofmankindthroughspiritintercourse。 Spiritists，ofcourse，takethepositionthatsuchisnotnecessary—— thattheimportantthingisthatcommunicationsdo“comethrough，“thusprovingthecontinuityoflife——and，ofcourse，incidentallyprovingtheBibleuntrueinitsstatementsconcerningtheconditionofmanindeath。 \'Butthefactthatsomethingdoes“comethrough“fromsomebodydoesnotnecessarilyprovethecontinuityofhumanlife，northeBibleuntrue。Thefirstthingwhichmustbeestablishedisthatthatwhich“comesthrough“comesfromtheonefromwhomitpurportstocome。Noproofforthathaseverbeengiven，norwilliteverbegiven。Thedeadstillsleep，awaitingthecalloftheLife-giver。ThosewhoprofesstospeakforthedeadarethesamebeingswhomourSaviourcastoutof“possessed“ individualswhenHewasuponearth。TheymisrepresentGod，andJesusChrist，andthedead，andthemselves。 Nowastothecommunicationsreceived。Letusseewhethertheyarehelpful，elevating，ennobling，orinanysenseworthwhile。OnSept。27，1915，SirOliverLodgeandMrs。LodgehadasittingwithA。V。Peters，atthehomeofMrs。Kennedy。IntherecordofthatsittingaspreparedbyMrs。KennedyarethefollowingstatementsdirectedtoMrs。Lodge:“Whatausefullifeyouhaveled，andwilllead！Youhavealwaysbeenthepropofthings。Youhavealwaysbeenassociatedwithmenalot。 Youarethemotherandhouseprop。YouarenotunacquaintedwithSpiritualism。 Youhavebeenassociatedwithitmoreorlessforsometime。IsenseyouarelivingawayfromLondon——intheNorthorNorthwest。Youaremuchassociatedwithmen，andyouarethePage129houseprop——themother。Youhavenowordinthelanguagethatquitegivesit——therearealwaysfourwalls，butsomethingmoreisneeded——youarethehouseprop。 “Youhavehadatremendouslotof\'sadnessrecently，fromadeaththathascomesuddenly。Youneverthoughtitwastobelikethis…… “Thereisagentlemanherewhoisontheotherside——hewentverysuddenly。Fairlytall，ratherbroad，upright，……ratherlongface，fairlylongnose，lipsfull，moustache，niceteeth，quickandactive，strongsenseofhumor——hecouldalwayslaugh，keensenseofaffection。Hewentoverintothespiritworldveryquickly。Thereisnoideaofdeathbecauseitwassosudden，withnoillness…… “Beforeyoucame，youwereverydowninthedumps。Washeillthreeweeksafterhewashurt?[SirOliverLodgeinterposeshere，“Morelikethreehours，probablyless。”]…… “Whenhewasyoung，hewasverystronglyassociatedwithfootballandoutdoorsports。Youhaveinyourhouseprizesthathewon，Ican\'ttellyouwhat。[SirOliverinterposesagain:“Incorrect；possiblysomeconfusioninrecordhere；orelsewrong。”]…… “Beforehewentawayhecamehomeforalittlewhile。Didn\'thecomeforthreedays?[“Thereisalittleunimportantconfusionintherecordabout\'days，\'“interposesMrs。Kennedy。]…… “Andhewantedmetotellyouofakissontheforehead。 “[Mrs。Lodgeinterposes，“Hedidnotkissmeontheforeheadwhenhesaidgood-by。”] “Well，heistallerthanyou，isn\'the? “[Yes。] “Notverydemonstrativebeforestrangers。Butwhenalonewithyou，likealittleboyagain。 “[Mrs。Lodgeinterposes，“Idon\'tthinkhewasundemonstrativebeforestrangers。”] “Oh，yes，allyouEnglisharelikethat。”——“Raymond，“pp。130-135。Now，allthis，andmuchmoreofasimilarcharacter“camethrough“fromsomekindofintelligencetodemonstratetoSirOliverandLadyLodgethatRaymondwasstillaliveandabletousehisintellect，thoughthroughanother。 Howitcandowhatitissupposedtodoisbeyondthecomprehensionofthewriter，andsurelythereadermustagreethatitisbeyondhiscomprehensionaswell。 OnOct。22，1915，SirOliverandLadyLodgehadasittingwithMrs。 Leonard。Theywereseekingtogetsome“evidential“matterthroughthemedium，andtheideaofcross-correspondencewassuggested。SirOlivermakesthisobservation:Page130“Iratherdoubtifcross-correspondenceofthiskindcanbegotthroughMrs。Kennedy，thoughsheknowswearegoingtotryforthem。 Theboysarequitewillingtotakedownanyjumble，butsheherselflikestounderstandwhatshegets，andautomaticallyrejectsgibberish。”——Id。，pp。160，161。Thenevidentlyagooddealthat“comesthrough“fromthespiritsisrecognizedbybothmediumsandsittersas“gibberish。”ThisisoneoftherewardsofdisregardingtheScripturewarningagainstseekingtothedead。 OnOct。23，1915，Mrs。LodgeandotherswerehavingasittinginMrs。 Kennedy\'shomewiththemediumA。V。Peters。Whilethesittingwasinprogress，thecontrollingspiritknownas“Madam“relinquishedcontrolofthemedium，andSirOlivermakesthisobservation:“ThenanimpersonationofmyuncleJerrywasrepresented，withthestatement，\'Yourhusbandwillknowwhoheis；\'butthispartoftherecordisomittedascomparativelyunimportant。Itwasunintelligibletothesitter。”——Id。，p。166。Thentherewasachangeofcontrol，andthis“camethrough:““Iwanttocome。Callmothertohelpme。Becauseyouknow。 Youunderstand。Itwasn\'tsobad。Notsobad。Iknewyouknewthepossibilityofcommunicating，sowhenIwentoutasIdid，Iwasinabetterconditionthanothersontheotherside。 “Butno，wait。Becausetheytellme。Iamnotashamed。Iamglad。I tellyou，Iwoulddoitagain。Irealizethingsdifferentlytowhatonesawhere。And，oh，thankGod，Icanspeak！But……theboyshelpme。 Youdon\'tknowwhathehasdone。Whocouldhelp?ButImustkeepquiet，Ipromisedthemtokeepcalm。Thetimeissoshort。TellfatherthatI amhappy。ThatIamhappythathehasnotcome。[Onpage248of“Raymond“ thesamespirit，purportingtorepresentRaymond，says，“YouknowthatIamlonginganddyingforthedaywhenyoucomeovertome。Itwillbeasplendiddayforme。”]Ifhehadcomehere，Icouldn\'thavespoken。I finditdifficulttoexpresswhatIwant。EverytimeIcomebackitiseasier。Theonlythingthatwashardwasjustbefore。The15th，doyouunderstand?Andthe12th。[SirOliverinterposes，“Wedonotclearlyunderstandthesedates。”]ButeverytimeIcomeitisbetter。\'GrandmahelpedorI couldn\'t。NowImustgoBroken……ButIhavedoneit，thankGod。”——Id。，pp。167，168。Page131Thenanotherspirittakescontrolofthemedium，andthisiswhat“comesthrough:““IamanoldIrishwoman。[ToMrs。Kennedy]Youdon\'trealizethattheworldisgovernedbychains，andthatyouareoneofthelinks。 Iwasawasherwomanandlivednextachurch，andtheysaycleanlinesscomesnexttogodliness！Oneofmychainsistohelpmothers。Well，Iamgoing。 Butforcomfort，theboyisgladheiscome。[ToMrs。Kennedy]Yourhusbandisafineman。Ilovehim。Hisheart\'sasbigashisbody，anditisnotonlymedicine，butlovethathedispenses。”——Id。，pp。168，169。Thuspageafterpageofthiskindofmattercouldbegiven，butwhocouldbehelpedbyit?Whatinspirationorupliftcouldhumanityreceivefromit?Empty，unprofitable，andfoolish；yetthesystemthatisbeingbuiltuponitissweepingtheworldlikeaprairiefire，andproposestosupplantChristianity。SirA。ConanDoyle，atthebeginningofhislecturetourinAmerica，hadtheassurancetodeclarethatwithinfiftyyears“Spiritualismwillreplacepresent-dayreligion，“andthat“thechurchesinEnglandarequietlyadoptingthetenetsofSpiritualism。”WhenSpiritismfulfilsthatprediction，itwillbeindeed“woetotheinhabitersoftheearth。”Whenmenleavethesurefoundationofthegospeltoflounderintheswampsofspiritrevelation，theywillhaveturnedtheirfacestowardruin，certainandabsolute。 InspiteofthesenselessjargonthatSirOliverLodgehasrecordedinhisbook“Raymond“astheutterancesofdisembodiedspirits，hemakesthisastonishingdeclaration:“Ifdepartedhumanbeingscancommunicatewithus，canadviseusandhelpus，canhaveanyinfluenceonouractions，thenclearlythedoorsareopentoawealthofspiritualintercoursebeyondwhatwehaveyetimagined。”——Id。，p。390。Oneiscompelledtoaskinblankamazement，“Inwhatdoesthewealthconsist?“ Inexperiencedminersfrequently“panout“ouncesorpoundsofasubstancewhichtheythinkisrealgold。Theythinktheyhavestruckwealth。Butitturnsouttobe“fool\'sgold。”Theyarepoorerthantheywerebefore，fortheyhavespenttimeandmoneyfornaught。ThewealthwhichSirOliverimaginesliesjustatthepointofhisPage132pick，is“fool\'sgold“only；andtimeandmoneyinvestedinitsexploitationareworsethanwasted。Hewhosinkshisshafttheremustfirstturnhisbackupontherealgold，therealtruthofGod，andeverystepinthatdirectionisastepawayfromGodandeternallife。 ProbablymostofthosewhoreadthesepageshavesomeknowledgeoftheupliftingandsublimeutterancesoftheBible，andhavelearnedtorevereitssacredpagesbecauseoftheintrinsicvalueoftheirdivinelyinspiredutterances。Comparethemforamomentwiththespiritcommunicationsrecordedonprecedingpages，andthenreadthefollowing:“WhyshouldGodhavesealedupthefountsofinspirationtwothousandyearsago?Whatwarranthaveweanywhereforsounnaturalabelief? “IsitnotinfinitelymorereasonablethatalivingGodshouldcontinuetoshowlivingforce，andthatfreshhelpandknowledgeshouldbepouredoutfromHimtomeettheevolutionandincreasedpowerofcomprehensionofamorereceptivehumannature，nowpurifiedbysuffering?“——“TheLifeBeyondtheVeil，“bookI，Introduction，p。xxxiv。AndwhenweaskSpiritistsforasampleofwhatGodispouringoutnowforthebenefitofthis“morereceptivehumannature，“wegetsuchmaterialasthatpreviouslyquotedinthischapterfromspiritmediums。Howcanwecallitanythingbutbrazeneffronteryeventoinferthatsuch“gibberish“ isthemodernmanifestationofdivineinspirationinthegiftofprophecy? ThewonderfulmessagesthathavecometousfromGodthroughMoses，David，Isaiah，Jeremiah，Daniel，andJohn，didnotcomeasincoherentmutteringsfromasquirming，squeakingmedium，norbymeansofatattoobeatoutonawoodentable，northroughthestaggeringwanderingsofaplanchetteoverasheetofpaper。God\'smessagesareclear，majestic，commanding，uplifting。 TheRev。G。ValeOwen，whosehandwasusedbyaspirittowriteofthe“lifebeyondtheveil，“addsthisnoteaftertheconclusionofonemessage:“Whilewritingthefirstpartofthismessage，Icouldnotseethedriftoftheargument，whichseemedtometoberatherthinandmud-Page133dled。Onreadingitover，however，Iambynomeanssureofmyestimate。”——Id。，p。16，note。Iftheonewhohaswrittenitdoesnotknowwhatitmeansanditspurpose，andwhetheritisreally“thinandmuddled“orsomethingthatisworthwhile，andisnotsureaboutitevenafterreadingitasecondtime，therestofusmaybeexcusedifwedecidethatMr。Owen\'sfirstestimatewasthecorrectone。Infact，acarefulperusalofthefirstthreebooksoftheValeOwenscriptsleavesthewriterwiththemostdecidedopinionthatthewholescriptisthinandmuddled，empty，unprofitable，false。Alyingspirit，amemberofthehostthatfellwithSatanfromthecourtsofglory，hastakenpossessionofthehandofaministerofthegospel，andisusingthathandtofosterthecunningfalsehoodoftheleaderofthatfallenhost，——toteachthatthedeadcontinuetoliveandloveandexerciseeveryprerogativeofsentientbeingsinever-ascendingspheresfromthelowesthellupto“summerland“andbeyond。Aperusalofsuchbooksmakesonefeelasifhehadbeendraggedthroughasuccessionofmadhouses。 Communicationsthatdealinuncertainties，wheretheinspiringspirithimselfisuncertain，cannevermakeonefeelthatheisgroundedincertaintywhenhehasfinishedwiththem。TheauthoroftheValeOwenscript，inspeakingofcertainlawswhichseemedcomplex，says:“Butifwecouldtracethemup-streamandarriveattheorigin，weshouldfind，Ithink，thattheywerefewandsimple。”——Id。，book2，page45。Againhesays:“Allthediversityyou\'seearoundyouisdue，asitseemstous，“etc——Id。，p。46。Hereisanotherillustration:“Wereitnotforfacultieswepossessotherthanthatofsight，weshould，asIsuppose，havedifficultyinfindingourwayabout。”——Id。，page53。Inanotherplacehegivesusthisastonishingbitofuncertainty:Page134“Sotherearehere，also，manywhosaythatChristisnotGod，andsosayingthinktheyhavemadeanendofthematter。”——Id。，p。68。Ihaveitalicizedthewordswhichshowtheuncertainty，andthereforeemphasizetheworthlessness，ofthesecommunications。 OnoneoccasionMr。ValeOwenrequestedhiscontrollingspirittogiveanillustrationofwhathemeantinassertingthatfairytalesandsuchlikewerethesurvivingdescendantsofthescienceofthepast。Thesearetheillustrationsgiven:“ThereisthestoryofJackandthebeanstalk。Inthefirstplace，lookatthename。JackiscolloquialforJohn，andtheoriginalJohnwashewhowrotethebookoftheRevelation。ThebeanstalkisanadaptationofJacob\'sladder，bywhichtheupper，orspiritual，sphereswerereached……PunchandJudymightrepresentthetransactionsinwhichthetwowhostoodoutmostreprobatewerePilateandIscariot。”——Id。，pp。82，83。IsnotthisanattempttomakethesublimityoftheScripturerecordappearridiculous?Itunveilsitselfastheemanationsofanenemymind。Theemptinessandcheapnessofthesespiritcommunicationshavealreadybeenmentioned； butnotethisstatement:“Yes，myinquiringfriend，itisIwhoamwriting。ButyoudidnotsupposeIimaginedforamomentthatyouwouldbesatisfiedwithmyownsmalltalk，didyou?“——Id。，p。22。Atthenextsittingthis“camethrough:“Whenwefinddifficultyinspeakingsothatwebeheardofyou，ormakemistakesinourwordingoreveninthematterofthemessage，thenbepatient，“etc——Id。，p。24。WithwhatastonishmentanddismaywouldweviewsuchguessingsandsuchuncertaintiesandsuchadmissionsoferrorintheBookofGod！Wedonotfindthemthere。Onpage96，book3，oftheValeOwenscript，occursthisexpression:“Sofaraswecanpenetrate，thereasonforthisdecision，“ etc。SuchexpressionsasthesearefrankadmissionsthatGodisnotspeakingthroughthesespiritauthors；thattheyareleftinthedarknesstogropetheirunguidedwayinthefaintglimmeroftheirownguessing。ButthewonderofwondersisthathumanbeingswillleavethewhitelightofGod\'sWordtoflounderthroughthesloughofdespond！Page135Prof。WilliamF。Barrett，F。R。S。，whoisanardentSpiritist，says:“Itissometimesurgedthatthemanifestationsoflifeintheunseenaresopaltryastoexcitecontempt。”——“AretheDeadAlive?“ p。289。Sotheywouldbeeveniftheywerewhattheypurporttobe，——evidencesofsurvivalafterdeath。Buttheyarenoteventhat。Theyareevidencesonlythatthereareintelligenceswhichwecannotsee，andthattheseintelligencesarereallyabletomaketheirownexistencemanifest。Butnoshredofevidencehaseverappearedanywhere，atanytime，throughanymethod，toprovethattheyarethespiritsofthedeparted。Theyrepresentthemselvessotobe； butastheyhavedemonstratedthemselves，evenontheadmissionofardentSpiritists，tobeconsciencelessfabricatorsoffalsehood，wearenotwarrantedinbelievingany“revelation“thatcomesthroughorfromthem。 Spiritistshavetakenitforgrantedthatthecommunicationsthatcomethroughspiritmediumspurportingtocomefromtheirdeadfriendsaregenuine。 Thepointtobeprovedisrightthere；anditneverisproved。Anunseenandcunningimpostor，personatingadeadfriend，witheveryactofwhoselifethatimpostorisfamiliar，picksoutincidentsinthatdeadfriend\'slifewithwhichonlythatfriendandoneortwoothersarefamiliar，anduseshisknowledgeofthoseincidentstodemonstratethatheisthespiritofthatdeadfriend。Becauseheknowsofthatincident，itisreasonedthathemustbethatfriend\'sspirit；andthatthereforethatfriend，thoughdead，stilllivesandmovesandhashisbeing。 Butnotso。Itisacruelimposition，atrulyfiendishmisrepresentation。 Thedepartedoneisstillsleeping。SaysJob:“IfIwait，thegraveisminehouse。”Job17:13。Againhetestifies:“Asthewatersfailfromthesea，andtheflooddecayethanddriethup:somanliethdown，andrisethnot:tilltheheavensbenomore，theyshallnotawake，norberaisedoutoftheirsleep。OthatThouwouldsthidemeinthegrave，thatThouwouldstkeepmesecret，untilThywrathbepassed，thatThouwouldstappointmeasettime，andrememberme！Ifamandie，shallheliveagain?allthedaysofmyappointedtimewillIwait，tillmychangecome。Thoushaltcall，andPage136IwillanswerThee:ThouwilthaveadesiretotheworkofThinehands。”Job14:11-15。UntilthedayofourLord\'sreturn，whentheheavensdepart“asascrollwhenitisrolledtogether“(Rev。6:14)，andthemountainsandislandsaremovedoutoftheirplaces；untilthetrumpetofGodsounds，andthedeadarecalledforthfromtheirgraves，Jobexpectedtosleepinthetomb。 Thenhe，withallwhoarejudgedworthyofeternallife，willawakeandsinginthegladmorningoftheresurrection。(SeeIsa。26:19。) Jobfurthertellsus，inrefutationoftheideathatthedeadstilllive:“Heshallreturnnomoretohishouse，neithershallhisplaceknowhimanymore。”Job7:10。 EveryoneofSpiritism\'s“demonstrations“ismadeforthepurposeofprovingthatstatementfalse，withallsimilarstatementsmadethroughouttheBookofGod。Bothcannotbetrue。WemustdependeitherupontheBibleoruponthestatementsofspiritswhotellthetruthonlywhenitpleasesthem，andliewithoutscruplewhenitpleasesthembetter。 Asanillustrationofthis，Iquotethefollowingfromrecordsmadeconcerningsé；ancesheldwiththefamousmedium，Mrs。LeonoraPiper，inEngland:“Sé；ances，oftentwoaday，wereheldforseveralweeks； andthoughsomewerealmostcompletefailures，othersweremarkedwithconspicuoussuccess。Trueincidentswereoftengiveninsuchamassoferrorastomakeitnecessarytodiscounttheirvalue。Somesittingshavealltheappearanceoftheordinarymedium\'stalkandassociationalreproductions。 Nameswereoftengiveninamannertosuggestguessingand\'fishing，\'andeventhoughtheywerestrikinglyright，theirsignificancehadtobeskepticallyreceivedorwhollyrejected。”——“ScienceandaFutureLife，“byHyslop，p。163。Prof。FredericC。Myers，amemberoftheSocietyforPsychicalResearch，whoattendedthesamesé；ances，speaksthusofthem:“Phinuit——tousehisownappellation，forbrevity\'ssake[oneofMrs。Piper\'sspiritcontrols]——isbynomeansabove\'fishing。\'……ThereweresomeinterviewsthroughoutwhichPhinuithardlyaskedanyquestions，andhardlystatedanythingwhichwasnottrue。Therewereothersthroughoutwhichhisutterancesshowednotoneglimpseofrealknowledge，butconsistedwhollyof\'fishing\'questionsandrandomassertions。”——Quotedin“TheWidow\'sMite，“byFunk，p。250。Page137Anotherspiritcallinghimself“Pelham“frequentlytookcontrolofMrs。 Piper；andinspeakingofthedifferencebetweenthetwo“controls，“FremontRider，himselfaSpiritist，makesthisobservation:“WithPelham\'sadvent，Mrs。Piper\'smediumshiptookonanewerandimprovedstage。Phinuitwasalwaysabitofarascal，andsomethingofafaker。”——“AretheDeadAlive?“p。305。Sothroughfakersandrascals，throughadmittedmistakes，errors，andfalsifications，thenewerandbroaderrevelationistocometohumanity，thericherwealthofspiritualtruth！Weareneitherenamoredoftheprospectnoranxiousforitsrealization。 Thewriterlastquotedtellsusintheprefacetohiswork，whenspeakingofspiritrappings，materializations，tablelevitations，trancespeakingandwriting，telepathy，andclairvoyance，that——“Everyoneofthesesubjectshasbeen，andis，sopermeatedwithfraudthatwithmostofthemthereisthegravestdoubtifsomuchasonegenuineexampleeveroccurred。Yetafewkeen-eyedandclearheadedinvestigatorshavebravedridiculeandindifference，andassertthattheyhavefoundbeneathatremendousaccretionoferroranucleusoftruth……He[theauthor]hasendeavoredtogiveanimpartialpresentationofasubject，tangledperhapsmorethananyother，withconflictingtheoriesandobscuredwiththegrossestfraud。”——Id。，Preface，pageix。Andthentheauthoradmitsthatwhenasked，ashehadbeenbymany，whetherhecould“recommendathoroughlyreliablemedium，“throughwhomtheycouldcommunicatewiththeirdead，hehadhadtoreply:“No，alas！hecoulddononeofthesethings；andthewisestresearcherinpsychicalsciencewilltellyou，ifhebehonest，thathecannot。”——Id。，pp。ix，x。IftheleadingexponentsofChristianitycouldmakesuchsweepingdenunciatorystatementsconcerningtheBible，theworkofevangelists，andthefruitofthegospelgenerally，asFremontRiderandotherSpiritistshavemadeconcerningSpiritismandspiritmediums，theywouldbeaskedtogivetheirattentiontosomethingmoreworthwhile，anditwouldPage138beexpectedofthemthattheywould。IfsuchthingscouldtruthfullybesaidofChristianity，itwouldgodowntodefeatandruin，andwouldwelldeserveitsfate。 FremontRideradmitsthatthereismuchrubbishinthemattergivenoutbyspiritmediums，butyetholdstohisbeliefinSpiritism。Hesays:“IfIhavemadeyoubelievethatthereisthere，amongagreatdealofrubbish，alittleverymuchworthwhile，Ishallhaveachievedmypurpose。”——Id。，p。340。Whatevertheremaybethatheconsidersworthwhileamongthat“greatdealofrubbish，“isputtherebythedeceiverofsoulsonlyasbaittoluremenandwomenawayfromallthatistrulyworthwhile，andsobindthecordsofhisdeadlydeceptionmorefirmlyaboutthem。Iftheycouldfindnothingatallthattheyconsideredworthwhile，theywoulddropSpiritismindisgust，andturntosaferandsanerthings。 Theauthorsquotedarenottheonlyoneswhoadmitthetrivialitiesofthe“revelations“from“spiritland。”Prof。G。Henslow，M。A。，inanefforttoexcusetheworthlessnessofsuch“revelations，“says:“Itisforgottenthattheyarehumanbeingsjustasweare，andareonearthstill，onlydeprivedoftheirbodies。Theircharacteristicsremainthesame。Ifonehefrivoloushere，heorsheisstillsoontheotherside。Ifserioushere，theyremainthesamethere；butitmustalsobeunderstoodthatasearthisatraininggroundforthespiritualeducationofthesame，stillmoreitissoontheotherside。”——“TheProofsoftheTruthsofSpiritualism，“p。26。Butthetroublewiththishypothesisisthatitrefusestooperate。Theyneveradvance。Theirlastcommunicationsareassenselessandfrivolousastheirfirst。EventhebestofthemaremeregeneralizingplatitudesthatleadnowheresaveawayfromtheBible，awayfromtheChristofGodastheBiblerevealsHim，andawayfromthegospelconceptionofsinandsalvation。Andwhenthetruthisrealizedthatthesespiritsareonlythedeceptiveimpersonatorsofthedead，thewickednessoftheirdeceptiveworkandtheridiculousnessofthewholepsychicalprogramareallthemorestrikinglyemphasized。Page139ProfessorHenslowgivesthefollowingincidentfromhisownexperience:“AmemberofthefamilywasappointedtogotoIndia。Aspiritreiteratedthathewouldnotgo。Atlasthewent；stillthespiritsassertedthathewouldnotgo。Onbeinginformedthathehadgone，theyremarked:\'Oh！wedidnotknow！\'“——Id。，p。39。Withsuchresults，whycontinuetoseektothedeadonbehalfoftheliving? TheprophetsofGodwereneverafraidtotelltheirnames。Godhadgiventhemmessagesofimportance；andtheywerenotashamedtoletitbeknownthattheyhadbeenthususedandhonored。Notsowithspiritrevelators。 ProfessorHenslowsaysofthem:“Inspiteoftheirfrequentlyexpresseddesiretoenterintocommunicationwithus，manyspiritsshowastrangeaversiontorevealingtheirnames。Theygivefakenamesorrefusetogivetheirexactappellations。 Somealwaysassumepseudonyms。”——Id。，p。72。Therearesomepeoplestilllivingonthisearthwhospecializeinwritinganonymousletters。Theyarenotgenerallyconsideredthepillarsofsocietyhere；norneedweexpectthatanybeingswhothuswritetousfrom“beyondtheveil“areworthyofoursocietyorfriendshiportrust。EmanuelSwedenborg，whowillhardlybeaccusedofbeinganopponentofSpiritism，issuedthefollowingstatementconcerningspiritcommunications:“Whenthespiritsbegintotalktoman，hemustbewarethathebelievesnothingtheysay；fornearlyeverythingtheysayisfabricatedbythem，andtheylie；foriftheyarepermittedtonarrateanythingastowhatheavenis，andhowthingsinheavenareunderstood，theywilltellsomanyliesthatamanwouldbeastonished。”——TheBannerofLight，March20，1869。Hereisonemoretestimonyastothevalueofspiritintercourse，thistimefromMr。FrederickC。Spurr。ThearticlefromwhichthefollowingistakenappearedintheAustralianChristianWorld，andwasrepublishedintheSouthernCross，ofJuly18，1919:“Afterhavingheardmanyofthesetranceaddresses，IamboundtoconfessthattheyleavemeentirelyunconvincedregardingtheirvaluePage140asarevelationofthebeyond。Theyareoftenweak，windy，andsovagueastoheentirelyworthless。”Therevelationsmadeandthetestimoniesgiveninthischapteroughttoconvinceanyreallycandidmindthatthemessagesreceivedthroughspiritmediums，whatevertheirsourcemaybe，areemptyandunprofitable。Andhewhounderstandstheirrealoriginmustalsoadmitthatsuchcommunicationsaredeceptive，dangerous，andbearintheirfangstheveritablepoisonofdeath。 Thedangersofholdingintercoursewiththeallegedspiritsofthedeadhavebeenfaithfullypointedoutinprecedingpages，togetherwiththeprofitlessnessofinvestigationsintothatrealm。TheoppositionofSpiritismtotheworkofthegospelandtothetruespiritofChristianity，hasalsobeensetforth。Butthewriterfeelscertainthatifallhisreaderscouldgetevenaglimpseofthefoolishnessdisplayedandpractisedbythespiritsandthemediumstheycontrol，notemptationtoindulgeinitwouldeversucceedwiththem。 InSirOliverLodge\'sbook“Raymond，“therearescores——Imightevensayhundreds——ofpagesthatareutterlysenseless，devoidofanypossiblevaluetoanyhumanbeing。Muchofitisnotonlywithoutsenseorvalue，butisliterallyfoolish。Notwishingtowearymyreaderswithatediousrecitationofsuchfolly，eventoconvincethemofthefoolishnessofSpiritism，Iwillgivebutafewsamplesofthematerialthatmakesupthisnowfamousbook。“Mrs。Leonardwentintoasortoftrance，Isuppose，andcamebackasalittleIndiangirlcalled\'Freda，\'or\'Feda，\'rubbingherhandsandtalkinginthesillywaytheydo。”——“Raymond，“p。120。 “ThenFedamurmured，asiftoherself，\'Tryandgivemeanotherletter。\'……Itisafunnyname，notRobertorRichard。Heisnotgivingtherestofit，butsays\'R\'again；itisfromhim。Hewantstoknowwherehismotheris；heislookingforher；hedoesnotunderstandwhysheisnothere。”——Id。，p。126。 “Iamawarethatsomeoftherecordsmayappearabsurd。Especiallyabsurdwillappearthefree-and-easystatementsquotedlater，aboutthenatureofthings\'ontheotherside\'——thekindofassertionswhicharenotonlyunevidentialbutunverifiable，andwhichusuallyeitherdiscourageorsuppress。”——Id。，p。171。Page141Ifthemattersuppressedismorevalueless，moreabsurd，andmoreridiculousthanthelargerportionofthatpublished，onecannotwonderatSirOliver\'sreluctancetobringitoutintothelightofday。Buttocontinuetheexhibition:“He[Raymond]thinkshecouldgetthroughinhisownhomesometime……Hereallyisgoingtogetthrough。Hereallyhasgotthroughathome； butsillyspiritswantedtohaveagame。”——Id……p。194。 “Achapcameovertheotherday，wouldhaveacigar。\'That\'sfinishedthem，\'hethought。Hemeanshethoughttheywouldneverbe\'abletoprovidethat。Buttherearelaboratoriesoverhere，andtheymanufactureallsortsofthingsinthem。Notlikeyoudo，outofsolidmatter，butoutofessences，andethers，andgases。It\'snotthesameasontheearthplane，buttheywereabletomanufacturewhatlookedlikeacigar。Hedidn\'ttryonehimself，becausehedidn\'tcareto；youknowhewouldn\'twantto。 Buttheotherchapjumpedatit。Butwhenhebegantosmokeit，hedidn\'tthinksomuchofit；hehadfouraltogether，andnowhedoesn\'tlookatone。”——Id。，p。197。 “Everythingdeadhasasmell，ifyounotice；andIknownowthatthesmellisofactualuse，becauseitisfromthatsmellthatweareabletoproduceduplicatesofwhateverformithadbeenbeforeitbecameasmell……Apparently，asfarasIcangather，therottingwoolappearstobeusedformakingthingsliketweedsonourside。ButIknowIamjumping，I\'mguessingatit。MysuitIexpectwasmadefromdecayedworstedonyourside……Youknowflowers，howtheydecay。Wehavegotflowershere； yourdecayedflowersfloweragainwithus——beautifulflowers。”——Id。，pp。198，199。 “Lovetoherwhat\'longstoyou，andtoLionel。Fedaknowswhatyournameis，\'Soliver，\'yes。(Anothersqueak。)“——Id。，p。204。 “Paul\'sworried\'cosmediumtalklikebook。PaulcallsFeda\'Imp。\'RaymondsometimescallsFeda\'IllustriousOne。\'IthinkYaymondlaughing！AlwayspretendingFedaverylittle，andthatthey\'velostFeda，afraidofwalkingonher，butFedapinchesthemsometimes，pretendthey\'vetroddenonFeda。 ButFedajustastallaslotsofEnglishes。”——Id……pp。235，236。 “He[Raymond]doeswishyouwouldcomeover。Hewillbeasproudasacatwithsomethingtails——twotails，hesaid。Proudasacatwithtwotailsshowingyouroundtheplaces。Hesays，Fatherwillhaveafinetime，pokingintoeverything，andturningeverythinginsideout……Feda\'snotfair；she\'snotbrown，butolivecolored；herhairisdark。Allpeoplethat\'sanygoodhasblackhair。”——Id。，p。269。Theonlywaytodemonstratetomyreaderstheemptinessandtheworthlessnessofthematterthatis“comingthrough“fromsuchsources，istoletthemseeafewoutofthousandsofsamplesthatmightbegiven。ItdoesnotimpressthewriterPage142thatthenonsenseandtrivialitiesandthefoolishnesswhicharepouringoutupontheworldtodayfromthemouthsofthousandsofspiritmediumsareblessingsindisguise，thattheyhaveanytendencywhatevertoupliftorbetterhumanity；andwhenitisunderstoodthattherealpurposeofthewholespiritcampaignistoblindtheeyesofhumanbeingstothetruthsofGod\'sWord，andtotheirneedofaSaviour，andtotheirresponsibilitytotheirGod，onecanbutlookwithdreadandabhorrenceanddismayuponSpiritism\'sfar-flungpropaganda。Thatitshouldsucceedatallamongthinkinghumanbeings，whenithasonlyfalsehoodandfollytooffer，wouldseemtodemonstratethetruthfulnessoftheoldsayingthat“mankindlovestobefooled。”Itistheacmeofinconsistency，thecrowningparadoxofourday。areItmaybesuggestedthatotherspiritsandothermediumsproducinghighergradeandmorehelpfulmatter。WewillsubmitafewsamplesfromtheworksofotherauthorsthanSirOliverLodge:“Jacolliot，inhis\'OccultScienceinIndia，\'tellsofaHindufakir，ontheformer\'s[Jacolliot\'s]ownveranda，whoextendedbothhandstowardanimmensebronzevasefullofwater。Withinfiveminutesthevasecommencedtorocktoandfroonitsbase，andapproachthefakirgentlywitharegularmotion。Asthedistancediminished，metallicsoundsescapedfromit，asifsomeonehadstruckitwithasteelrod……TheimmaterialdrummerobeyedtherequestofM。Joncié；res；butSirWilliamCrookesnotesthattherapsare\'frequentlyindirectoppositiontothewishesofthemedium，\'andinDr。Maxwell\'scasethenoisesdisplayedamostwaggishperversity。”——“AretheDeadAlive?“p。46。 “Thefirstthingit[thedisembodiedspirit]iscalledtodo，onenteringthespiritland，istoerectitsownhabitation，andmakeprovisionsforitsownsustenance，byacarefulcultivationofthesoilthere[intheemptyspace，fivethousandmilesfromthesurfaceoftheearth]。”——“ModernMysteries，“p。37。 “Uponhisbreastthemanbearsthetwininsigniaofhiserstwhilewomanhood，andphysiologistswilltellyouthatalikecorrespondenceisnotwantingintheotherhalfwhich，withhimself，makesonewholeunitofhumanity。”——“TheLifeBeyondTheVeil，“book3，p。98。 “EarthandthewholecosmosofmatteristhebodyofChrist。”——Id。，p。130。 “Whatmayoriginate[inspiritland]asabook，may，beforeitreachesyou，havebeensomuchtransfiguredastobecomeanactofParliament，oraplay，orevenacommercialenterprise。”——Id。，pp。32，33。Page143“They[thespirits]aresometimesamusinglyexigent；onewillsuddenlysaywhenweareoutofdoors，\'Wewantsomemusic！\' “Asanotherexample，Ihad\'beenplayingalongpiecebyMoskowski； andIaskedwhattheywouldlikenext。Thereplycame，\'Wethinkweshouldlikea“Rag；“\'soIplayeda\'Cakewalk，\'ofwhichtheyhighlyapproved。 Wesuspectedthatthelistenerswerenotourusualmusicalaudience……Iasked，\'Whatdenominationdoyoubelongto?\'Theyreplied:\'WearefreethinkersandareverystrictastoSunday。\'Iaskedagain，\'Whodirectedyoutobesostrict?\'\'Wedirectourselves，\'camethereply。Soonaftertheyhadgone，ourusualfriendsspoke:\'Wearesorryweaskedthosefreethinkerstocomeandhearthemusic；butwillnotdosoagain。\'“——“TheProofsoftheTruthsofSpiritualism，“pp。29，30。 “Ourfriends[thespirits]oftensuddenlycomeoutwithquaintremarks，quitedisconnectedwithanythinggonebefore。Thusthehandwrote:\'WethinkourLittleManisverywell，butnotsoglibasheusedtobeinhiswalking。\'AsIwastheneighty-two，thereissometruthinthisveryappropriateremark！Onanotheroccasion，thelady\'sensed\'thatsomeonewishedtowrite，andtheremarkcame:\'WethinktheLittleManwillmakegoodoldbones。\'“——Id。，p。34。 “Itoldthespiritsbeforehand[beforeacertainlecture]，andtheypromisedtobepresent……Their\'report\'wasasfollows:\'Wethoughtitwasasplendidlecture\'andenjoyeditverymuch。Wewishwecouldrememberit，butwecan\'t。\'“——Id。，p。38。 “Foretellingsareoftengivenusbythespirits；buttheycannotbeimplicitlytrusted。”——Id。，p。39。Pageafterpagemightbefilledwiththeseemptyandworthlessvaporings； butsufficient，yes，morethansufficient，hasbeengiventoshowtheutterfollyoflookingtocommunicationsfromthespiritsforanythingsubstantialorhelpfulordependable。Spiritismisbutanignisfatuus。whoseshiftyglimmeringsonlyintensifythedarknessandleadone\'sfootstepsintothedismalbogsofdespairandeternalloss。 OnTheThroneofSin:Spiritism\'sFalsePropheciesPage144Chapter14Spiritism\'sFalsePropheciesAREALeffortisnowbeingmadetoconvincemankindthatinSpiritism，especiallyintheutterancesandautomaticwritingsofspiritmediums，wehavearemanifestationofthegiftofprophecyaspossessedandexercisedbytheprophetsofoldentime。SaystheauthoroftheValeOwenscript:“Inspiration，therefore，isofwidemeaningandextentinpractice。 Theprophetsofoldtime——andthoseoftoday——receivedourinstructionaccordingtothe\'quickeningoftheirfaculties。Somewereabletohearourwords，sometoseeus。”——“TheLifeBeyondtheVeil，“book2，p。