第5章

101。 “Lookingatitfromthespiritualisticstandpoint，theinspiredBooksoundslikeaveritablerecordofmediumship。”——“AretheDeadAlive?“ page345。 “WewonderwhyitisthatthedenizensofearthwillreadandthinkcontrarytotheteachingintheirHolyWrit。Itisonlynecessarytoreadandcalmlycomparethephenomenaofolderdayschronicledthereinandmodernhappeningstoprovetheyareoneandthesame，onlygivenindifferenttimesoftheworld\'shistory。”——“TheProofsoftheTruthsofSpiritualism，“ p。203。WhethertheseclaimsaremadetoelevateSpiritismortodegradeprophecy，theclaimsareasfarfromthetruthastheeastisfromthewest。ThereisnomoresimilaritybetweenthepropheciesoftheBibleandtheproductionsofspiritmediumsthanthereisbetweenlightanddarkness。GoddoesnotteachusonethingthroughsomeofHisprophets，andcontradictitthroughotherprophets。Hehasdeclaredthroughonewhomweknowwasaprophet:“Inthelastdaysperiloustimesshallcome。Formenshallbeloversoftheirownselves，covetous，boasters，proud，blasphemers，disobedienttoparents，unthankful，unholy，withoutnaturalaffection，truce-breakers，falseaccusers，incontinent，fierce，despisersofthosethataregood，traitors，heady，high-minded，loversofpleasuresmorethanloversofGod；havingaformofgodliness，butdenyingthepowerthereof: fromsuchturnaway。”2Tim。3:1-5。Page145LetusseewhataSpiritist“prophet“predicts:“Wearewatching，andweareguidingaswemayandopportunityisgivenus。Ifmenrespondtoourprompting，thereisanagetocomemorefulloflightandthebeautyofloveandlifethanthatjustpassingaway。 AndIthinktheywillrespond，forthenewisbetterthantheold，andfrombehinduswefeelthepressingofthoseofhigherwisdomandpoweraswelookearthward。”——“TheLifeBeyondtheVeil，“book2。page84。God\'sprophetspeakspositivelyoftheperilsofthe“lastdays，“andoftheiraboundingwickedness；andtherecordsofourdayshowthosepropheciesinactualprocessoffulfillment。“Evilmenandseducersshallwaxworseandworse，deceivingandbeingdeceived。”2Tim。3:13。TheBibleprophetandtheSpiritistpredictorcontradicteachotherspecifically，andwecanbelieveonlyoneofthetwo。Ifwehadonlyoutward，tangible，present-dayevidencetoguideusinourchoice，wewouldchoosetheBibleprophet； forweseehispropheciesfulfillingeveryday，andtheSpiritistpredictionsarebythesameevidencedemonstratedtobefalse。 ProfessorHyslopreportsthisprediction:“March2，1887，Iwasaskedbymymothertoinquirethewhereaboutsoftwosilvercups，heirlooms，whichshehadmisplaced。SaidDr。Phinuit[thespiritcontrolofthemedium]，\'Theyareinyourhouse，inaroomhigherupthanyoursleeping-room，inwhatlookstomethebackpartofthehouse，butverylikelyIamturnedaround。You\'llfindtherealargechestfilledwithclothing，andattheverybottomofthechestarethecups。Annie[mymother\'sname]placedthemthere，andwillrememberit。\' Returninghome，Iwenttoaroomonthethirdflooratthefrontofthehouse，butremotestfromthestairway，foundthechest(ofwhichIknew)，andthecontents(ofwhichIwasignorant)，bothasdescribed，butnosilver。Reportingthemessagetomymother，Ilearnedthatshehadatonetimekeptthecupsinthatchest，butmorerecentlyhadremovedthem。”——“ScienceandaFutureLife，“p。168。InthedaysofancientIsrael，oneofthedescendantsofBenjamin，Kishbyname，foundthathisasseshadstrayedaway，andhesenthissonSaultofindthem。Inhisunsuccessfulsearch，SaulcametotheplacewheretheprophetofGoddwelt，mettheprophet，andmadehisquestknown，thathemightreceivehelptofindthestrayedasses。TheLord\'sprophettoldhim:Page146“Whenthouartdepartedfrommetoday，thenthoushaltfindtwomenbyRachel\'ssepulcherintheborderofBenjaminatZelzah；andtheywillsayuntothee，Theasseswhichthouwentesttoseekarefound: and，lo，thyfatherhathleftthecareoftheasses，andsorrowethforyou，saying，WhatshallIdoformyson?Thenshaltthougoonforwardfromthence，andthoushaltcometotheplainofTabor，andthereshallmeettheethreemengoinguptoGodtoBethel，onecarryingthreekids，andanothercarryingthreeloavesofbread，andanothercarryingabottleofwine:andtheywillsalutethee，andgivetheetwoloavesofbread； whichthoushaltreceiveoftheirhands。Afterthatthoushaltcometothehillof\'God，whichisthegarrisonofthePhilistines:anditshallcometopass，whenthouartcomethithertothecity，thatthoushaltmeetacompanyofprophetscomingdownfromthehighplacewithapsaltery，andatabret，andapipe，andaharp，beforethem；andtheyshallprophesy: andtheSpiritoftheLordwillcomeuponthee，andthoushaltprophesywiththem……Anditwasso，thatwhenhehadturnedhisbacktogofromSamuel，Godgavehimanotherheart:andallthosesignscametopassthatday。”ISam。10:2-9。Noticethewealthofdetailhere，whereinthereweresomanyopportunitiesfortheprophettomakeamistake；buttheyall“cametopassthatday。” HowdifferentitwouldseemtousiftherecordreadthatwhenSaulreachedZelzah，hefoundthatthetwomenhewastomeettherehadbeentherethedaybeforeandgone；orwewillsupposethatwhenhereachedtheplainofTabor，thethreemenwerenoteveninsight，andhemetthemthefollowingday，withonlyonekidandwithfourloavesofbread，andthewinebottleempty；orwewillsupposethatwhenhereachedthegarrisonofthePhilistines，hefoundthatthecompanyofprophetshadcomedownfromthehighplaceaweekbefore，andsohewasentirelydeprivedoftheopportunityofjoiningthemintheirprophesying。Butnothingofthekindtookplace。ThesignsallcametopassjustastheprophetofGoddeclaredtheywould。Whatadifferencebetweenthetwoclassesofpredictions！Saulfoundtheassesathomewhenhereachedhome。 OfDr。Phinuit，thespiritcontrolwhogavethefalseprophecyconcerningthelostcups，anotherpsychicinvestigatorreports:“Itwasnoticedthather[Mrs。Piper\'s]\'control，\'theso-called\'Dr。Phinuit，\'wasgiventoaskingleadingquestions，andtomakingglaringlyfalsestatements。\'——“RiddleofPersonality，“Bruce，pp。213-216。Page147WhatconfidencecouldonehaveinthepropheciesofthedivineBookifweweretoreadthereinthattheprophetSamuel，ortheprophetIsaiah，“wasgiventoaskingleadingquestions，andtomakingglaringlyfalsestatements“！ Thereisnosuchrecord。Thereisnosuchfact。“Foretellingsareoftengivenusbythespirits；buttheycannotbeimplicitlytrusted。Wehavehadseveralregardingsuccessestobeexpectedinthenextmorning\'spapers；sometimestheyareright，atothertimesthereisnothingexactlylikewhattheyhadforetold。”——“TheProofsoftheTruthsofSpiritualism，“p。39。 “Withregardtospiritsforeseeingevents，Dr。Hooperwritesmeasfollows: \'Myguideshavealwaysbeenhonestandstatedthattheycannotseeanythingdefinitesixmonthsahead。Thefartheritisoff，themorehazyitseems。\' “——Id。，p。109。 “Outofchaosandconfusiontherewillcomepeaceandordertoyourearth。Thewarsofthenationsarethebirth-pangsofanewera，theconsciousnessoftheracewillbeliftedbythepainandagonyoftherefiner\'sfire。”——Id。，p。110。Thestatementsmadeinthefirsttwooftheseparagraphsoughttoprepareusforthefalseprophecycontainedinthelastone。Therecordsofourdayproveittobefalse，andthepropheciesoftheBiblehaveforewarnedusagainstbelievinganysuchstatement。InthebookofRevelationtheprophetisgivenaviewofthedaysjustprecedingtheendoftheworldandthesecondcomingofChrist。Itisverydifferentfromthepredictioncontainedinparagraphthreeabove。Ittellsofthespiritsofdevilsgoingoutintoalltheworldtogatherthenations“tothebattleofthatgreatdayofGodAlmighty。”Rev。16:14。ThatisthebattleofArmageddon(verse16)，theendoftheworld；forverse15reads:“Behold，Icomeasathief。 Blessedishethatwatcheth，andkeepethhisgarments，lesthewalknaked，andtheyseehisshame。”Theremainderofthechaptertellsoftheterriblecataclysmsthatwillcloseearth\'shistory。 Thisprophecyandthespiritprophecyarediametricallyopposedtheonetotheother。Thespiritprophecyisfalse；theBibleprophecyistrue； andinallthenationspreparationsarenowgoingforwardthatwilleventuateinitscompletefulfillmentinthebattleofArmageddon。Page148ThepropheciesofGod\'sWordarehistorywritteninadvance。ThepropheciesofthebookofDanielandoftheRevelation(andothersaswell)arewonderfullyaccuratehistory，writtenbeforeittookplace，someofitthousandsofyearsbeforetheeventsoccurred。ItisoneofthesignsthatGodisGod，thatHeisablethustowriteearth\'shistory。HesaysofHimself:“Theformerthingsarecometopass，andnewthingsdoIdeclare: beforetheyspringforthItellyouofthem。”Isa。42:9。AndthisistherecordthattheenemiesofIsraelhaveleftconcerningtheprophetofGodinIsrael:“TheheartofthekingofSyriawassoretroubledforthisthing[becausehecouldnotentrapthekingofIsrael]；andhecalledhisservants，andsaiduntothem，WillyenotshowmewhichofusisforthekingofIsrael?Andoneofhisservantssaid，None，mylord，Oking: butElisha，theprophetthatisinIsrael，telleththekingofIsraelthewordsthatthouspeakestinthybedchamber。”2Kings6:11，12。Thisisunbiasedtestimony。Nowletusseewhatonespirit，seeminglymorehonestthantherest，hastosayconcerningthegiftofprophecyinSpiritism:“Nowastofutureeventswecannottellyouwhatwillhappen，but，judgingbycircumstancesthatarearoundyouatpresent，weshouldsaythatsuccessshallattendyourefforts。”——“TheProofsoftheTruthsofSpiritualism，“pp。157，158。 “TheDailyMail(London)recallsthefactthatMr。W。T。Stead，wheninConstantinoplelastOctober(1911)，madethefollowingprophecyregardinghisowndeath:\'IknowperfectlywellhowIshalldie。Ithasbeenrevealedtome。IshallgotoprisontwicemorebeforeIdie，andIshallendbybeingkickedtodeathinthestreetsofLondon。ThismakesmymindquiteeasywhenItravel，andIneverinsuremyselfagainstrisksofanykind“——SydneyDailyTelegraph，May25，1912。Itiswellknown，ofcourse，thatMr。Steaddidnotgotoprisontwicemorebeforehedied；thathedidnotdieinLondon；thathewasnotkickedtodeath；thathewasnotimmunefromdangersintraveling；butthathewentdownwithoverfifteenhundredothersintheAtlanticOceanoffthecoastofNewfoundland，whenthe“Titanic“crashedonanicebergandfoundered。 Thisshowstheintrinsicworthlessnessofspiritisticpredictions。Page149Mr。Steadhadhadotherexperienceswithspiritisticprophecy，whichshouldhavewarnedhimagainstputtinganyconfidenceinthepredictionconcerninghisdeath。“Inobediencetoaveryhighspirit\'control，\'he[Mr。Stead] embarkeduponacertainjournalisticenterprise，beingassuredthatthe\'workers\'ontheothersidewouldseehimthrough。Indeed，theypredictedforitanabsolutesuccess。Mr。Steadwentforward，onlytoencounteroneoftheworstdisastersofhislife……Certainmessageshavebeensenttomebyallegedinhabitantsofthebeyond。Inonlyonecasehaseventtalliedwiththeprediction。”——FrederickC。Spurr，inAustralianChristianWorld，Feb。20，1920。Astothevalueofspiritisticprophecy，incomparisonwiththeprophecyofthedivineWord，thefollowingispointedtestimony:“Supposethatwehavetwoclassesofpredictions，eachonehundredinnumber，andrelatingtoeventswhichlieequallybeyondthereachofmerehumanforesight。Ofoneclass，butoneinthewholehundredisfulfilledinanyform。Oftheother，notoneinthehundredfailsinanyparticular。Whathigherevidencecanwehavethattheintelligencewhichoriginatedthelatterclassdiffers，notindegree，butinkind，fromthatwhichoriginatedtheformer?theonebeingpossessedofthemostinfallible，andtheotherofthemosterring，foresight?Such，precisely，isthecharacterofthepredictionsrecordedintheBible，andthoseputforwardbySpiritualiststosustaintheclaimsoftheirsystem……InallrespectsthemiraclesofScripturestandinabsolutecontrasttotheso-calledmysteriessetforthbytheadvocatesofSpiritualism。”——“ModernMysteries，“Mahon，p。335。FromtheevidenceproduceditisabundantlydemonstratedthatSpiritismhasnovalidclaimtothepossessionofthegiftofprophecy；thatitspredictionsareworsethanvalueless，becausepersons，throughsuchpredictions，areledtoembarkuponenterpriseswhichbringthemdisappointmentanddisaster。Spiritismisthereforeasfalseinthisclaimasinotherswhichwehaveconsideredinthistreatise。 OnTheThroneofSin:SpiritismOutlawstheBiblePage150Chapter15SpiritismOutlawstheBibleTothetrueChristiantheBibleisGod\'sWordoftruth——God\'scommunicationtohim。Ithasguidedhimbyunerringprecepts；ithascomfortedhiminhishoursofsorrow；ithasgivenhimhopeinplaceofdespair； ithassetalightbeforehisfacewhichallthedarknessofthisworldcanneverdim。Hehasprovedittobeallthatitclaimstobe。Knowinghowithasproveditselftrueinitspowersofconsolation，hehascomfortingsatisfactioninknowinghecantrustitforallthefuture。 ButwiththeardentSpiritist，theBiblefadesoutofhislifeininverseratiototheholdthatSpiritismgainsuponhissoul。Andthencomespositivedenialofitsfundamentalprinciples，denialofJesusChristastheSaviourofmen，anddenialofGodHimself，exceptinaridiculouslyaccommodatedsense。 Asfrequentlystatedinthesepages，theBibleteachesunequivocallythatthedeadareasleep，andwillcontinueinthatconditionuntilthevoiceofGodshallcallthemfromtheirtombs。ItisproposedinthischaptertoshowhowSpiritismspecificallyattacksthatfundamentalprincipleofthedivineplan，contradictingtheBibleindeliberateanduncompromisingterms，andseeking，throughdemoniacalimpersonationofthedead，toproveitsassertionsandtodemonstratetheBiblefalse。 TheinvestigationsconductedbySirOliverLodgehaveconvincedhimthatthereareintelligencescommunicatingwithhimfrom“thespiritworld。” BycallingupincidentsinthelifeofhissonRaymond，theyhaveconvincedhimthattheyarewhattheyclaimtobe，——thediscarnatespiritofthatson。Itneverseemstohaveoccurredtothateminentphysicistthatfallenspiritsareacquaintedwiththedetailsofthelivesofhumanbeings，andthattheycouldcarryontheirpreparationforthoseimpersonationsthroughalifetime。IfSirOliverhadinvestigatedhisBibleascarefullyandsincerelyashehasinvestigatedthedoingsofbeingshecannotsee，hewouldhavebeenpreparedfortheirdeceptiveimpersonationsandwouldnothavePage151beenensnaredbythem。WhoeveracceptsSpiritismforwhatitclaimstobe，shouldknowthisfactattheoutset:hemustdiscardtheBibleforwhatitclaimstobe。Hecannothaveboth。Letusnoteanumberofquotationsfromthebook“Raymond“thattouchthispoint:“Thereisnorealbreachofcontinuitybetweenthedeadandtheliving……Methodsofintercommunionacrosswhathasseemedtobeagulfcanbesetgoinginresponsetotheurgentdemandofaffection。”——Page83。 “Hehasgone，……butheis——Iventuretosay——certainlynotdeadinthesamesenseasthebodyisdead。Itishisabsencewhichallowsthebodytodecay；hehimselfneedbesubjecttonodecaynoranydestructiveinfluence。Ratherheisemancipated。”——Page297。 “Itiswelltobeemphatic……inordertoindicateourdisagreementwiththepolicyofharpingonwormsandgravesandepitaphs，orontheaccompanyingideaofageneralresurrection，withreanimationofburiedbodies。Henceinstrenuouscontradictiontoallthissuperstitioncomestheuseofsuchphrasesas\'transition\'or\'passing，\'andtheoccasionalnotstrictlyjustifiableassertionthat\'thereisnodeath。\'…… “They[thosewhosaythereisnodeath]definitelymeantomaintainthattheprocesscalleddeathisamereseveranceofsoulandbody，andthatthesoulisfreedratherthaninjuredthereby。Thebodyalonediesanddecays；butthereisnoextinctionevenforit——onlyachange…… “Wechangeourstateatdeathandenteraregionof——what?Ofether，Ithink，andstillmoremyriadexistence。”——Page298。 “Thereisnoextinction，andthechangecalleddeathistheentrancetoanewconditionofexistence——whatmaybecalledanewlife。Yetlifeitselfiscontinuous，andtheconditionsofthewholeofexistenceremainpreciselyasbefore。”——Page306。 “Irecommendpeopleingeneraltolearnandrealizethattheirlovedonesarestillactiveandusefulandinterestedandhappy——morealivethaneverinonesense……Whatpeopleshouldnotdoistoclosetheirmindstothepossibilityofcontinuedexistence。”——Page342。 “Imustconfessthatwithsomeoftheecclesiasticalsuperstructurewhichhasdescendedtousfromabygoneday，apsychicinvestigatorcanhavebutlittlesympathy。Indeedheonlyrefrainsfromattackingitbecausehefeelsthat，lefttoitself，itwillbesupersededbyhigherandbetterknowledge，andwilldieanaturaldeath[heisspeakingofthedomainoffaith]。”——Page343。Onehasgonealongdistanceonthebacktracktowardheathenism(whichhasalwaysbelievedinSpiritism)andtowardinfidelity(whichhasalwaysdeniedandantagonizedtheBible)Page152whenhecandeliberatelyplacebeforethepublicsuchsentimentsasarecontainedintheabove。Iftheyaretrue，theBible，withallitstandsfor，mustbeflungaside，andwemustthenplaceallourhopeandallourconfidenceforthefutureinthefallible，uncertain，worthless，andcontradictoryemanationsfromthespiritsthatimpersonatethedead。WhenChristiansunderstandallthatmeans，therewillbenoquestionastotheirchoice。 TheValeOwenscriptsaresaturatedwiththesamecontradictionoftheBible\'steachingconcerningtheconditionofthedead。ThefollowingwillbefoundinMr。Owen\'sbooks:“Wewerewithyou，althoughyoudidnotseeus……Welovetocomeandjoinwithourfellowworshipersstillincarnate，andalsotogivewhatweareabletohelpintheirworship。”——“TheLifeBeyondtheVeil，“bookI，p。55。 “Many，asyouknow，donotrealizeforsometimethefactthattheyarewhattheywouldcalldead，becausetheyfindthemselvesaliveandwithabody，andtheirpreviousvaguenotionsoftheafter-deathstatearenot，byanymeans，lightlythrownaway。”——Id。，p。51。 “Howwouldyoubegintoexplaintoonewhohadlittleideaofaspiritworldabouthimthetruthofsurvivalbeyondthegraveandtherealityofthislifeandallitsloveandbeauty?Firstyouwouldprobablyendeavortobringhometohimthefactofhispresentactualexistenceasanimmortalbeing。”——Id。，pp。88，89。 “Lastweekwereceivedawomanwhohadleftahusbandandthreesmallchildren，andshebeggedtobeallowedtogoandseehowtheyweremanagingathome。Shewassoanxiousthatatlastwetookherandarrivedateveningtimejustastheywereallsittingdowntosupper。”——Id。，pp。146，147。 “Inbirththechildcomesforthoutofdarknessintothelightofthesun。IndeaththechildisbornintothegreaterlightoftheheavensofGod——nomore，noless……Bydeathhegoesforthonwiderservice……Deaththereforeendsnothing，butcarriesforwardwhathasbeenbegun。”——Id。，book3，p。101。 “Sowesaythatdeathisasacrament，andindeeditisaveryholything。”——Id。，p。103。EveryassertionmadeintheabovequotationsisadistinctcontradictionofspecificBibleteaching。Ifthosestatementsarecorrect，thentheBibleiswrongandmisleading，andneverwastrue。Take，forinstance，theoneinthethirdprecedingparagraph。Itistheredefinitelyassertedthatthedeadmotherreturnedtoherhome。Buttheinspiredwriterdeclares: “He[thedead]shallreturnnomoretohishouse，neithershallhisPage153placeknowhimanymore。”Theissueissharpanddecisive，andthereisnoavoidingit。 FremontRider，aSpiritistauthor，bearsthistestimony:“TheSocietyofPsychicalResearch……haspracticallydemonstratedtheexistenceofthesoulasanentity，distinctfromthebody。”——“AretheDeadAlive?“p。59。 “Ourrecords[saysFredericW。H。Myers]……provesurvival，pureandsimple；thepersistenceofthespirit\'slifeasastructurallawoftheuniverse；theinalienableheritageofeachseveralsoul……Theyprovethatthesurvivingspiritretains，atleastinsomemeasure，thememoriesandthelovesofearth。”——Id。，p。147。 “\'Dothedeadreturn?\'isbestanswered[saysWilliamT。Stead]byaskinganotherquestion:\'Dothedeaddepart?\'Idonotbelievethedeaddepart。 Theyarestillwithus，closerandnearerthantheyeverwerebeforetheylaidasidethisearthlyvestureofdecay。”——Id。，page171。 “Duringthelastsixtyyears[saysAlfredRusselWallace]evidencehasbeenaccumulatingineverypartoftheworldwhichaffordsdemonstrationthattheso-calleddeadhaveneverreallydiedatall，buthavepassedintoanewandhigherstageofexistence。Manyoftheseareabletocommunicatewithus，andmostofthemassureusthatwhentheywakefromthesleepwecalldeath，theyfindthemselvesmuchmorealivethanevertheywerebefore。”——Id。，p。221。 “Howlovegrowsanddeepensonthisside。”——“TheProofsoftheTruthsofSpiritualism，“p。3。TheBiblesays:“Theirlove，andtheirhatred，andtheirenvy，isnowperished。” EccI。9:6。“Deathbynomeansendsalldesires……Herewestillloveallweleftonearth。”——Id。，p。58。 “Children，beingimmortal，begintoliveinthenextstateofexistencejustastheyleaveofflivinghere……Theybecomehappylittlesoulsfulloffun，joy，andlaughter。”——Id。，p。140。Itcanthusbeseenthatwhateverinconsistenciesandcontradictionsandabsoluteblundersandfalsestatementsshowthemselvesinthecommunicationsreceivedfromspirits，theyareallinharmonyindenyingtheBibledeclarationsregardingthestateofthedead。Theyall——andscoresofpagesofsuchtestimoniescouldbegiven——flatlycontradictGod\'sWorduponthisquestion。 Oneistrue；theotherisfalse:andthetrueChristianwillhavenohesitancyindecidingwhichistobethemanofhiscounsel。Page154TherearemanyquestionsuponwhichSpiritismcontradictstheBible。Onlyafewwillbecitedhere。JesusChrist\'swordsconcerningourattitudetowardfriendsandenemiesisexpressedinthesewords:“Yehaveheardthatithathbeensaid，Thoushaltlovethyneighbor，andhatethineenemy。ButIsayuntoyou，Loveyourenemies，blessthemthatcurseyou，dogoodtothemthathateyou，andprayforthemwhichdespitefullyuseyou，andpersecuteyou；thatyemaybethechildrenofyourFatherwhichisinheaven:forHemakethHissuntoriseontheevilandonthegood，andsendethrainonthejustandontheunjust。 Forifyelovethemwhichloveyou，whatrewardhaveye?donoteventhepublicansthesame?“Matt。5:43-46。WhatsaysSpiritism?“Don\'tbotheryourselfabouttryingtolikepeopleyou\'vegotanantipathyfor，it\'sawasteofyou。Keeploveforthosewhowantit，don\'tthrowitawayonthosewhodon\'t。”——“Raymond，“p。234。Thefirstofthesetwoisgodlike。ThesecondissteepedintheselfishnessofSatan。Infact，itemanatesfromhim，andnotfromthepoorladwhomheimpersonatesandmisrepresents。 TheChristiantakesgreatjoyandcomfortinthethoughtthatonedayhewillseehisLordandRedeemer。Job，writingunderdivineinspiration，declares:“IknowthatmyRedeemerliveth，andthatHeshallstandatthelatterdayupontheearth:andthoughaftermyskinwormsdestroythisbody，yetinmyfleshshallIseeGod:whomIshallseeformyself，andmineeyesshallbehold，andnotanother。”Job19:25-27。TheprophetIsaiahtestifies:“ThineeyesshallseetheKinginHisbeauty:theyshallbeholdthelandthatisveryfaroff。”Isa。33:17。JesusHimselfdeclared:“Blessedarethepureinheart:fortheyshallseeGod。”Matt。 5:8。Theprophet-apostleJohnwasinspiredtodeclare:“ThethroneofGodandoftheLambshallbeinit[theearth]； andHisservantsshallserveHim:andtheyshallseeHisface；andHisnameshallbeintheirforeheads。”Rev。22:3，4。ThetestimonyofScriptureisthusveryplainandconclusive，thatwhentheworkofredemptionisfinished，theransomedonesPage155willbewiththeirGodandSaviour，andwillseethemandrejoiceintheirpresence。LetusseewhatSpiritismsaysonthesamequestion:“Oneoftheelementarytruthswhichitisnecessarytoassimilateinordertoprogress，isthatGodisnomorevisiblypresentherethanHeisintheearthlife。TheyexpecttoseeHimbodily，andaremuchdisappointedwhentheyaretoldthatthatisquiteamistakenideaofthewayofHisdealingwithus。”——“TheLifeBeyondtheVeil，“bookI，page123。 “HaveyouseenHimthen，Leader? “Inthatform[apresenceform，orvision]yes；butnotinHisnakedloveliness，asIhavelastlytold。”——Id。，book3，p。123。 “Sowepassedbeforethealtar，andatsomedistanceaway，andthenwetookneltdownandadoredthefountofBeing，theOnesupreme，whobecomesmanifesttousonlybyPresenceForm，andthatrarely。”——Id。，p。232。 “Twocommunicatorssentmessages，thefirstofwhomspeltoutasanameDorothyPothlewaite，\'anameunknowntoanyofus……ShehadbeenaCatholicandwasstillaCatholic，buthadnotfaredbetterthantheProtestants； therewereBuddhistsandMohammedansinhersphere，butallfaredalike； shehadneverseenChristandknewnomoreaboutHimthanonearth，butbelievedinHisinfluence。”——SirArthurConanDoyle，quotedfromAmericanSignsoftheTimes，June22，1920。 “JesusChrist，weareinformedintheworkconnectedwiththenameofJudgeEdmonds，issofaradvanced，thatsuchspiritsasthoseofSwedenborgandBacon，thoughtheyhavebeenoneortwocenturiesinthespiritland，havenotyetgotevenasightofHim。”——“ModernMysteries，“p。36。 “OliverJ。Lodge:Beforeyougo，Raymond，Iwanttoaskyouaseriousquestion。HaveyoubeenlettoseeChrist?[Raymond\'sallegedspiritreplies] Father，IshallseeHimpresently。Itisnottimeyet。Iamnotready。 ButIknowHelives，andIknowHecomeshere。AllthesadonesseeHimifnooneelsecanhelpthem。”——“Raymond，“page207。SomespiritsadmitseeingChrist，usingtheterminanaccommodatedsense，anddifferentfromwhatweunderstandbytheScripturelanguagewhichspeaksofthatprivilegeoftheredeemed。OthershaveneverseenHim；andstillothers，sofarfromseeingHim，havenotlearnedanythingmoreaboutHimthantheyknewuponearth——whichevidentlywasnotagreatdeal。 ThereseemstobeanunbridgeabledifferencebetweenSpiritismandtheBibleonthisscoreaswell。OnePage156Spiritist，readingthisscriptureaccordingtotheincorrectpunctuation，“Isayuntothee，TodayshaltthoubewithMeinParadise，“rejoicesintheprospectofbeingwithChristimmediatelyatdeath；whilethevoicesfromspiritlandseemtobeunanimousthatnooneseesHimimmediatelyatdeath，andsomeseemnevertobeabletoreachHisrealm。(See“TheProofsoftheTruthsofSpiritualism，“p。19。) Thattext，whencorrectlypunctuated——andthepunctuationwasdonebymen，andnotbyInspiration——doesnotteachthatthesoulgoesimmediatelytoheaven。Ifittaughtthat，theScripturewouldcontradictitself。Itsteachingisthis:“Itellyoutrulytoday，inspiteoftheseseeminglycontradictoryandapparentlyimpossiblecircumstances，youshallbewithMeinParadise。”Theadverb“today“modifiestheverb“tell“ratherthantheverb“shaltbe。”Asimilaruseoftheword“today，“accompaniedbyapromiseforthefuture，isfoundinZechariah9:12。 So，whileourSaviourhasnotpromisedusadmissiontoheavenatthehourofdeath，HehaspromisedusverydefinitelythatweshallbewithHimwhereHeis。TothesorrowingdisciplesHegavethiscomfortingassurance:“InMyFather\'shousearemanymansions:ifitwerenotso，Iwouldhavetoldyou。Igotoprepareaplaceforyou。AndifIgoandprepareaplaceforyou，Iwillcomeagain，andreceiveyouuntoMyself； thatwhereIam，thereyemaybealso。”John14:2，3。Whentheadventintothosemansionstakesplace，isalsoclearlyrevealedinthisscripture:“Iwouldnothaveyoutobeignorant，brethren，concerningthemwhichareasleep，thatyesorrownot，evenasotherswhichhavenohope。ForifwebelievethatJesusdiedandroseagain，evensothemalsowhichsleepinJesuswillGodbringwithHim。ForthiswesayuntoyoubythewordoftheLord，thatwewhicharealiveandremainuntothecomingoftheLordshallnotprevent[“precede，“R。V。]themwhichareasleep。 FortheLordHimselfshalldescendfromheavenwithashout，withthevoiceoftheArchangel，andwiththetrumpofGod:andthedeadinChristshallrisefirst:thenwewhicharealiveandremainshallbecaughtuptogetherwiththemintheclouds，tomeettheLordintheair:andsoshallweeverbewiththeLord。”1Thess。4:13-17。Page157Thereisnothinguncertainaboutthis。Itisallplainandeasytobeunderstood。 TheyseeHimcoming；theymeetHimintheair；theygowithHimtobealwayswithHimwhereHeis。TheyliftuptheireyeswhentheyseeHimcoming，andexclaimingladecstasy:“Lo，thisisourGod；wehavewaitedforHim，andHewillsaveus:thisistheLord；wehavewaitedforHim，wewillbegladandrejoiceinHissalvation。”Isa。25:9。Theinspiredpsalmistexclaims:“Asforme，IwillbeholdThyfaceinrighteousness:Ishallbesatisfied，whenIawake，withThylikeness。”Ps。17:15。“TheyshallseeHisface；andHisnameshallbeintheirforeheads。”Rev。22:4。 Satanhassoughttoblindoureyestotheseblessedandcomfortingassurances，thathemightturnusawayfromtheLightoftheworldandtheSaviourofmankind，andsendourfeetdowntheslipperypathtotheabodeofeternaldeath。ButtherisenChriststillholdsouttheseblessedassurances，beckoninguswithnail-piercedhandsofloveintothewayoffaithandhopeandrighteousness，andintothelightthatshinesfromtheopendoorofthesanctuaryonhigh。 IcouldardentlywishthatIhadexhaustedthecontradictionsofSpiritismagainsttheBible；but，likethefallenspiritsthemselves，theyarelegion。 Itisimpossibletoexhaustthem，fortheyarecontinuallybeingaddedtoasthedaysgoby。 TheBibleteachesthatafirehasbeen“preparedforthedevilandhisangels“(Matt。25:41)，whichwilldestroythemandallthewicked，rootandbranch。Mal。4:1-3。Itwillbeadayofvengeanceandofcompletedestructionofalltheworkersofiniquity。2Thess。1:7-9；2:7-12。Spiritismhasnoplaceforthis，anddeniesitbyitsteaching。“Thereare，asweknow，many\'angelsofdarkness\'whoareinthedarknessbecauseofsometwistintheirnatures，someobstinatetraitwhichpreventsthegoodinthemhavingitseffect。Andtheseonedaymaypassusontheroadoftheages，andbecomegreaterinthekingdomoftheheavensthanwewhonowaremoreblessedthanthey。”——“LifeBeyondtheVeil，“bookI，p。32。Thereisnoroominsuchaprogramforthedestructionofsinandsinnersoutoftheworld，asspecificallypronouncedinseveralscriptures。Page158GodhastoldusverypointedlyoftheculminationofHiscontroversywithsin，andhasgivenusnohopethatafterthislifetherewillbeopportunitytoreformandtorisefromspheretospherethrougheffortsofourown。 TheScripturedeclares: Intheplacewherethetreefalleth，thereitshallbe。”Eccl。11:3。 Wheredeathleavesus，thejudgmentwillfindus。WhentheChristcomes，bringingHisrewardwithHim，thoserewardsareapportionedouttoeachone“accordingashisworkshallbe。”Rev。22:12。Thebasisonwhichthoserewardsaremadewillneverbechanged。Beforetheyaregiven，thisdecreewillhavegoneforth:“Hethatisunjust，lethimbeunjuststill:andhewhichisfilthy，lethimbefilthystill:andhethatisrighteous，lethimberighteousstill:andhethatisholy，lethimbeholystill。And，behold，Icomequickly；andMyrewardiswithMe，togiveeverymanaccordingashisworkshallbe。”Rev。22:11，12。Thatmeansajudgment，foritisadecree，asentence，handeddownfromtheSupremeCourtoftheuniverse。Itisbaseduponhumanconduct。Theevidenceisfoundintherecordsthathavebeenkeptbythehandsofangelwitnesses。Johnhadavisionofthatjudgmentscene。Itisrecordedinthesewords:“Isawagreatwhitethrone，andHimthatsatonit，fromwhosefacetheearthandtheheavenfledaway；andtherewasfoundnoplaceforthem。AndIsawthedead，smallandgreat，standbeforeGod；andthebookswereopened:andanotherbookwasopened，whichisthebookoflife:andthedeadwerejudgedoutofthosethingswhichwerewritteninthebooks，accordingtotheirworks。Andtheseagaveupthedeadwhichwereinit； anddeathandhelldeliveredupthedeadwhichwereinthem:andtheywerejudgedeverymanaccordingtotheirworks。Anddeathandhellwerecastintothelakeoffire。Thisistheseconddeath。Andwhosoeverwasnotfoundwritteninthebookoflifewascastintothelakeoffire。”Rev。 20:11:15。Agesagomenwerewarnedofthis。SaysthewriterofEcclesiastes:“Godshallbringeveryworkintojudgment，witheverysecretthing，whetheritbegood，orwhetheritbeevil。”Eccl。12:14。Thespirit，throughPaul，declaresthat“wemustallappearbeforethejudgmentseatofChrist；thateveryonemayreceivethethingsdoneinhisbody，accordingtothathehathdone，whetheritbegoodorbad。”2Cor。5:10。WhenPage159Paul，standingbeforetheRomangovernorofIsrael，“reasonedofrighteousness，temperance，andjudgmenttocome，Felixtrembled。”Acts24:25。 ThereisnomoredefinitelyestablisheddoctrineintheWordofGodthanthatofthejudgmenttocome，whichsettlestheeternaldestinyofsouls。ButSpiritismwillhavenoneofit。TheideaofajudgmentisentirelyruledoutofSpiritism\'sprogram，thusprovingitsantipathytoanotherfundamentalprincipleofHeaven\'sprogram。TheBiblespecificallydeclaresthatthereshallbeajudgment。Spiritismdenies。“\'WhereistheJudge?\'[onewhohadjust“passedoverisallegedtohaveinquired。Tothisanotherisallegedtohavereplied，]\'Mychild，yourjudgmentwilltakeplacewheneveryoudesire，……foryouyourselfarejudge，andwillmeteouttoyourselfyourpunishment。\'“——“TheLifeBeyondtheVeil，“bookI，p。135。 “Wenolongerthinkof\'rewards\'and\'punishments，\'butinevitableresultsofconduct。Thisiswhythe\'judge\'doesnotreally\'judge，\'butonlyselectsorseparatesthe\'goats\'fromthe\'sheep；\'theonlyjudgeisconscience。”——“TheProofsoftheTruthsofSpiritualism，“ page14。Moreevidencecouldeasilybegiven，butthiswillsuffice。Spiritismwillnotdenythatithasruledoutthejudgment。IthasalsoruledouttheJudge，ruledouttheSaviour，ruledoutthecleansingofthisworldbyfire，ruledoutthedestructionofthefinallyimpenitentwicked。Spiritismspeaksofagod，butheisnotabeing，andexistsnowhereinparticular。 ItadmitsabeingcalledChrist；butHeismanyspheresremovedfromthosewho“passover，“andseemstobestillmovingon。Infact，everyessentialprincipleofthegospelasoutlinedintheBibleisdeniedbySpiritism，orsointerpretedastobeemasculatedanddestroyed。 ItisthereforeplainlyapparentthatinthatsystemwehaveapropagandathatisdiametricallyopposedtoChristianity，andhassetouttoundermineeverypillarofthefaithoncedeliveredtothesaints。ThesoonerChristiansrealizethenatureoftheenemywehavetodealwith，andthesubtlemethodsofhisattack，thebetteritwillbeforboththechurchandtheindividualChristian。TobeasleepwhensuchanattackisinprogressisacriminaloffenseagainstthecauseofChrist。 OnTheThroneofSin:NoCompromiseandNoQuarterPage160Chapter16NoCompromiseandNoQuarterITisrealizedbySpiritism，asitmustsoonerorlaterberealizedbyChristianity，thattherecanbenocompromiseinthisconflict，andnoquartercanbegiven。Spiritismisouttowreckthechurch；andtheBibleplainlydeclaresthedestructionofallforcesandsystemsofevilexistingintheworldatthecomingofChrist。Oneofthesepowerswilltriumph；andthattriumphmeanstheoverthrowanddestructionoftheother。 WhileweknowthatthefaithfulfollowersofChristwillwinthevictoryatlast，weknowthatmanywillgodowntoeternalruinintheconflictbetweenthepowersoftheeviloneandthePrinceofrighteousness。 EveryingeniousdevicewhichthemalignantanddeceptivepowersofSatanhaveenabledhimtoperfectinhissixthousandyearsofthepursuitofevil，willbebroughtintoplayagainstthelastgenerationofmankindandtheremnantchurch。Itisacontestthatwilltrythemetalofthebravestandtruestandmostloyalsoulsthisworldhaseverknown；andtheywhocomethroughvictoriousoverthemercenaryforcesofsinwillstandforthindeedasgoldtriedintherefiner\'sfire，purifiedbytheexactingexperiencesofthefray。Suchindividuals，inthesightofthegreatJudge，willbemorepreciousthanthegoldenwedgeofOphir。NowonderGodcanspeakofthemasHisjewels。 Thosewhowininthatconflicthavetowinnotonlyagainstattacksfromwithoutthechurch，butfromwithinaswell；forSpiritismhasinvadedthechurch，andspeakstodayoverthepulpitofmanyachurchdedicatedtotheserviceoftheGodwhomSpiritismwoulddethrone，andtheSaviourwhomSpiritismspurnsandtramplesunderitsfeet。 SaystheeditoroftheHarbingerofLightinitsissueofNov。 1，1921:“Enlightenedviewsofthischaracter[theunorthodoxviewsofDeanInge]arenowpermeatingtheChurchofEnglandinGreatBritain，andSpiritualismpureandsimpleisbeingpreachedfrommanyofitspulpitswitheachrecurringSunday。”Page161Rev。R。W。RussellisquotedinthesameissueofthatjournalasupholdingthetenetsofSpiritism。InviewoftheheadwaywhichSpiritismismakinginScotland，theChurchofScotlandhasappointedaspecialcommitteeoflearnedmentoinvestigatethematterforitself。APsychicalResearchSocietyhasrecentlybeenformedthere，withtheRt。Hon。(nowEarl)A。 J。Balfouraspresident，andlecturesarebeingdeliveredbeforeitbycertaingreatmenofthescientificworld。 InthegatheringoftheCongregationalUnionatLeedsin1915，oneoftheprincipalitemsdiscussedwasSpiritism，andeveryonewhospokeuponthequestion，sofarasthereportindicates，spokeasaconvincedbelieverinthefundamentaltenetofthatcult。(SeeAustralianChristianWorld，Dec。31，1915。) IntheHarbingerofLightforOctober，1921，isgiventhesummaryofanaddressbytheLordBishopofLincolnattheunveilingofawarmemorial，whichisaperfectreplicaofthecreedofSpiritism。Thesamejournal，ofthesamedate，givesthesummaryofanaddressattheUnitarianchurch，Wellington，NewZealand，byRev。WyndhamHeathcote，whichwouldhavebeenmuchmoreappropriatelygiveninaspiritistictemplethaninanykindofchurch。Coupledwithitsadvocacyofspiritisticpracticesanditsassertionsthatthedemonstrationsofspiritualpowerintheprophetsofoldwerespiritisticintheirnature，theaddressmakesasubtleattackupontheBibleitself，inthiscoursealsofollowingtheleadofSpiritism。 Spaceforbidsthatwegofartherintothisparticulardevelopment。ButthesubtlepoisonoftheteachingofSpiritismispermeatingeveryrankofsocietyandnearlyeverydenominationinChristendom。Thislamentablefactstareseveryinvestigatorintheface。Hemustadmitthefact，and，havingdoneso，heisboundtoinquireastowhattheresultwillbeuponchurchandworld。RealizingwhattheteachingsofSpiritismareinreferencetothejudgment，weareboundtoconcludethattheresultwillbetoincreasethesumoftheworld\'simmorality。Ifthereisnojudgebutourselves，andtheonlyjudgmentmetedouttousforoursinfulcourseissuchasweourselvesarepleasedtometeouttoourselves，thensurelywehavenotmuchPage162tofearasaconsequenceofanyiniquitouscoursewemaytakehere。Sowemightsay，“Letuseatanddrink，andcarouse，andcommitanycrimeinthecatalogueifwewish，fortomorrowwedie，andhavenoonetometeoutjudgmenttousbutourselves。” WeweretaughtthisbynolessapersonagethanSirArthurConanDoylehimself，inhissecondlecturedeliveredinMelbourneinOctober，1920。 Hedeclared:“Werealize，fromtheinformationwehaveobtainedfromthedead，thatmanhasbeenoverharshwithhimself；thatthe\'GreatPoweroftheuniverseisnotsoimplacableaswehaveimagined……Wehaveeverythingtohopeforandverylittletofear。Thisworldisamereworkshop，andthenextistherestcure。”Beyondquestionsuchamessageasthatfromsonotedamanwilltemptmanyamanandwomantothinkthereisnodayofjudgmentforsinscommittedinthislife。Ifthatbeliefshouldbecomegeneral，thisworldinafewyearswouldhardlyhaveenoughlaw-abidingcitizensleftinittokeeptherestinjail。Themoralstandardoftheworldwouldsinklikeatorpedo-smittensteamer。“Ifgoodandbadmeetthesamefate，thereisnojusticeintheworld；andifnojustice，noreason……Theuniverse，onsuchatheory，wouldbeagiganticpracticaljoke，ofthecruelestandmostmaliciousdescription。”ThatiswhatSatanistryingtomakeofGod\'suniverseandgovernment，thewhilehedragsthosewhomightbesubjectsofGod\'seternalkingdomofpeaceandloveoutofthepaththatleadstothatkingdomandintothepaththatends，withhim，inthelakeoffireanddestruction。 GodhasdenominatedthebodyofHisfaithfulfollowerstheecclesia，thecalledout；andHisinvitation-commandis:“Comeoutfromamongthem，andbeyeseparate，saiththeLord，andtouchnottheuncleanthing；andIwillreceiveyou，andwillbeaFatheruntoyou，andyeshallbeMysonsanddaughters，saiththeLordAlmighty。”2Cor。6:17，18。 “Thatnomangobeyondanddefraudhisbrotherinanymatter:becausethattheLordistheavengerofallsuch，aswealsohaveforewarnedyouandtestified。ForGodhathnotcalledusuntouncleanness，butuntoholiness。” 1Thess。4:6，7。Page163Itdoesmakeadifference，then，atremendousdifference，whetherwearecarefulinourconductorrecklessinourbehavior；whetherwe，tothebestofourability，andlookingtoGodforthehelpnecessary，walkinharmonywithGod\'srequirements，orfollowthebaserinclinationsofourownunregeneratenature。ThosewhosewayspleaseGod，andwhowillbecalledHissonsanddaughters，andwhowillbereceivedbyHim，willbethosewhorespondtoHiscallto“comeout“andbeseparatefromthebaserelementsofthisworld。Andthosewhorefuseto“comeout，“whotrusttothemselvestodeallenientlywiththemselvesastheirownjudges“beyondtheveil，“ andsowalkinharmonywiththeirownlustsandambitionshere，willneverbecalledHissonsanddaughters，willneverhearthewords，“Come，yeblessedofMyFather，inheritthekingdompreparedforyoufromthefoundationoftheworld；“buttheywillhearthewords，“DepartfromMe，yecursed，intoeverlastingfire，[1]preparedforthedevilandhisangels。”Matt。25:41。 God\'s“calledout“companyarecalledoutfromsomethingandcalledinto\'something。Theyarecalledoutfrom“theworld“andworldlyassociationsandthedemoralizinginfluencesoftheworld，andcalledintothefellowshipofthe“body“ofChrist，Hisparticularpossession，Hisownparticularhousehold。AndyetSpiritismteachesthatonesuffersnoinjurywhopaysnoattentiontothatcall。Hemaygohisownwayinthisworld，joinanysociety，anyorganization，anyformofreligionornoformofreligion，andhesuffersnoinjuryinconsequenceofthecoursehechooses。 Thespiritwhichcalleditself“DorothyPothlewaite“affirmed，accordingtoSirA。ConanDoyle，that“shehadbeenaCatholicandwasstillaCatholic，buthadnotfaredbetterthantheProtestants；therewereBuddhistsandMohammedansinhersphere，butallfaredalike。”AndthespiritofamemberoftheDongoleseexpedition，whohaddiedwhileonthewayuptheNile，andwhomSirArthurcalledDodd，statedthathewashappy，thathedidnotwishtoreturntotheearth。Page164Hehadbeenafreethinker，buthadnotsufferedinthenextlifeforthatreason。” Suchaccountsasthesepersonsgiveofthe“lifebeyondtheveil“aresoopposedtotheBibleaccountofman\'sconditionindeathastoconstituteacompleteandflatdenialoftheteachingsofJesusandtheapostles。 IfSpiritism\'saccountbetrue，Jesusandtheapostleshavespokenandtaughtthatwhichisabsolutelyuntrue:andyetallSpiritistsprofesstheutmostdegreeofadmirationfortheGreatTeacher。PerhapsinnothingaretheinconsistenciesofSpiritistsmoreapparentthanintheirprofessedadmirationforJesusasateacher，whiletheyseektoprovefalseeveryfundamentalpreceptofHisteaching。 The“revelations“thatcomethroughspiritmediums，throughtablerappingsandtheplanchette，wouldleadonetobelievethatitisawasteoftimetosacrificeforthecauseofChrist，ortostrivetobuildanexemplaryandnoblecharacterhere。Theloose-moraledfreethinkerleadinghisprayerlessandmayhapimmorallifewillenterthesameplaceofhappinessasthegodlysaintwhohasspenthislifeintheserviceofGodandhisfellowmen。 Whatadangertothemoralsofanycommunityaresuchteachings！ The“revelations“fromthatsourcearedesignedtoconvincemankindthat，nomatterhowwickedlyonemayhavelivedinthislife，nomatterwhathorribledeedsonemayhavecommitted，heisascertainlyassuredofeternallifeastheywhohavedonetheirutmostinself-sacrificingserviceofhumanity，andwhohavestrivenwithallthepowersoftheirbeingtoliveinharmonywiththeprinciplesofjusticeandrighteousness。 Itisasardonictravestyonthewisdom，justice，benevolence，andloveofGod。ItisanefforttoconvincemanthatGodspokefalselywhenHewarnedourfirstparentsthatcondemnationanddeathwouldfollowdisobedience。 InEden，SatanmadeitappeartoEvethatignoranceofevilwasadisabilityandahandicapthatonlydisobediencewouldremove；andsohetellsustodaythat“evilissimplyignorance。”——“TheProofsoftheTruthsofSpiritualism，“p。149。Thatisasoothingbalmtoconscienceforanyevilthatmaybecommitted。Itwouldexplainawaysin，andindoingsowouldmakePage165Christ\'satonementforsinnotonlyunnecessarybutabsolutelyuntrue。 Forinstance:“Thepresentwriter……cannotsaymorethanthat\'Imperator\'s\' teachingisidenticalwiththatofJesusChrist；butnotthatofecclesiasticismorcertainformsofmoderntheology。 “The\'NewRevelation\'isareversiontotheNewTestament，andtothatalone；whenitserrorsofinterpretationfromtheoriginalGreekareperceived；forexample，\'Imperator\'pointsoutthattherewasnoatonement，butat-one-ment，i。e。，\'reconciliation\'[Italicshis]。”——Id。，page45。This，whilepurportingtobeinharmonywithScripture，isapositivedenialofScripture。Itwouldmakeutterlymeaningless，also，thewholesanctuaryservice，fromthedaywhenIsraelsetupthetabernacleinthewildernessunderdivinedirection，downtothelastserviceheldinthetempleatJerusalembeforethecrucifixionofJesus。ItwouldgobackbeyondthattothefirstlambslainasasacrificeoutsidethegatesofEdenlost，andstigmatizethatandallsucceedingsacrificesasworthless，unnecessary，andfalseintheirtypicalimplication，andmakeimpossibleofexplanationthereferenceofJohntheBaptisttoJesusas“theLambofGod，whichtakethawaythesinoftheworld“(John1:29)，aswellastherevelator\'sreferencetoHimas“theLambslainfromthefoundationoftheworld。”Rev。13:8。 Then，too，whatwouldmeanourSaviour\'sowndeclaration:“Iamthegoodshepherd:thegoodshepherdgivethhislifeforthesheep，……andIlaydownMylifeforthesheep“?John10:11-15。Healsodeclared:“ThereforedothMyFatherloveMe，becauseIlaydownMylife，thatImighttakeitagain。”Verse17。Thereisthe“atonement，“taughtasplainlyaswordscanteachanything，andtaughtbytheOnewhowastomaketheatonement。 ThedivineRedeemer，whomSpiritistsprofesstohonor，hasthusmadeapointeddenialofSpiritism\'sassertionsconcerningHim。ThesametruthistaughtbythepenofInspirationinthehandofthewriterofthelettertotheHebrews:“Christbeingcomeahighpriestofgoodthingstocome，byagreaterandmoreperfecttabernacle[thantheonebuiltinthewildernessbytheIsraelites]，notmadewithhands，thatistosay，notofthisbuild-Page166ing；neitherbythebloodofgoatsandcalves，butbyHisownbloodHeenteredinonceintotheholyplace，havingobtainedeternalredemptionforus:……howmuchmoreshallthebloodofChrist，whothroughtheeternalSpiritofferedHimselfwithoutspottoGod，purgeyourconsciencefromdeadworkstoservethelivingGod?AndforthiscauseHeisthemediatorofthenewtestament，thatbymeansofdeath，fortheredemptionofthetransgressionsthatwereunderthefirsttestament，theywhicharecalledmightreceivethepromiseofeternalinheritance。Forwhereatestamentis，theremustalsoofnecessitybethedeathofthetestator…… “Moreoverhe[Moses]sprinkledwithbloodboththetabernacle，andallthevesselsoftheministry。Andalmostallthingsarebythelawpurgedwithblood；andwithoutsheddingofbloodisnoremission。Itwasthereforenecessarythatthepatternsofthingsintheheavens[theearthlysanctuaryanditsvessels。Ex。25:40；Heb。8:12]shouldbepurifiedwiththese[thebloodofanimals]；buttheheavenlythingsthemselveswithbettersacrificesthanthese。ForChristisnotenteredintotheholyplacesmadewithhands，whicharethefiguresofthetrue；butintoheavenitself，nowtoappearinthepresenceofGodforus:noryetthatHeshouldofferHimselfoften，asthehighpriest[oftheearthlysanctuary]enterethintotheholyplaceeveryyearwiththebloodofothers；forthenmustHeoftenhavesufferedsincethefoundationoftheworld:hutnowonceintheendoftheworldhathHeappearedtoputawaysinbythesacrificeofHimself。Andasitisappointeduntomenoncetodie，butafterthisthejudgment:soChristwasonceofferedtobearthesinsofmany；anduntothemthatlookforHimshallHeappearthesecondtimewithoutsinuntosalvation。”Heb。9:11-28SpiritismhasappealedtoChristandtotheNewTestamenttoproveitselftrue；andbothofthemhaveshownittobefalse。Moreover，theveryname“Jesus“provesSpiritism\'sdeclarationsconcerningthismattertobeuntrue。 “ThoushaltcallHisnameJESUS:forHeshallsaveHispeoplefromtheirsins。”Matt。1:21。Theword“Jesus“means“Saviour。”ThereforeHecouldtruthfullysay:“Iamtheway，thetruth，andthelife:nomancomethuntotheFather，butbyMe。”John14:6。AndsoPetercouldsayofHim:“Neitheristheresalvationinanyother:forthereisnoneothernameunderheavengivenamongmen，wherebywemustbesaved。”Acts4:12。 Yet，inspiteofthesesoplaindeclarationsoftheChristHimselfandofthosewhowrotebyinspirationoftheHolySpirit，SpiritismcanunblushinglyaffirmthatneitherChristnortheNewTestamentteachestheatonement。 OnestandsPage167amazedatsuchuntrueaccusationsagainsttheWordofGod，suchmisinterpretation，suchopencontradiction，whentheevidenceissoplainthatanswerstheirchallengeandflatlydeniestheirassertions。OnevoluminousSpiritistwriterisverydefiniteandverypositiveinhisassertionsuponthispoint。 Hesays，inspeakingoffaithintheLordJesusChrist:“ThehardestpartforonewhohasbelievedinChristianityastaughtinanyorthodoxchurch，whenheisatlastforcedtoletgohisbeliefs，istogiveuphisfaithin\'theLordandSaviour。\'NoSpiritist，however，canbelieveinHiminanorthodoxsense。Wecananddorecognizethewonderfulteacher，theevolvedsoul，thesaintlylife。WeknowthatHisdeathcannotsaveusfromanyconsequenceofourownacts，thatwemustworkoutourownsalvation，andthat，beautifulandgloriousaswasthecharacteroftheMaster，weshallalsoattainthatperfectionsomeday。Wecannotarguewithourfriendonthispoint。Wehavepassedthroughmanybitterwaters，stillholdingtothebeliefinthedivineRedeemer，untillightcameandweunderstood。”——Tolerance，July1，1918。ThelightwhichrevealedthattotheeditorofTolerancewasofthecharacterofthelightspokenofinthisscripture:“Ifthereforethelightthatisintheebedarkness，howgreatisthatdarkness！“Matt。6: 23。 Itisafearfulthingtomistakedarknessforlight。Thewriterabovequotedhasdoneso，astheforegoingquotationsabundantlytestify。Havingmistakendarknessforlight，suchpersons，intheirfanciedsecurity，arepreparingtostepintoeternitywithouthopeandwithouthelp；andallthateternitymighthavebroughtthemoflifeandjoyandsatisfactionandassociationhasbeenthrowntothewinds，nevertobeexperiencedbythem。They，havingspurnedwhatGodhadplanned，andhavingsubstitutedtheirownplansinplaceofHis，arecompelledtojointhehoststhatstepdownintoeternalnightandoblivionwhentheredeemedenterupontheireternalreward。Buttherecanbenocompromisethen。Eachpartyhasmadeitschoice，andtherewardsareapportionedaccordingtothechoicemade。 NodoubtSpiritistswillassertthatonewhostatesthesethingsisharshlyjudgingthem。Butno；thereisonewaymappedoutbyDivinityitselfbywhichmanmayattainuntoPage168theeternalinheritance。WemustchooseGod\'sway，orwecanhavenopartinwhatHehasplannedforHisredeemed。SaidJesus，“YewillnotcometoMe，thatyemighthavelife。”John5:40。Hedeclaredagain:“HethatbelievethontheSonhatheverlastinglife:andhethatbelievethnottheSonshallnotseelife；butthewrathofGodabidethonHim。”John3:36。 Theissueisthereforeveryplain，andtheLordJesusChristHimselfhasmadeitso。HesaysHeistheway，andtheonlyway；thatHegaveHislifeforman\'sredemption；thatthosewhoacceptHimforwhatHeclaimstobeareassuredofeternallife；andthatthosewhorejectHimwillnotseelife，butwillsufferthewrathofGod。 NowSpiritistsprofesstohonortheGreatTeacher；whathavetheytosaytothatdivinedeclaration?Hehaseithertoldthetruth，orHehasnot。IfHehas，thenthereisabsolutelynohopefortheatonement-denyingandSaviour-spurningSpiritist。Hehasmostcertainlytoldthetruth，anditleavesSpiritistsonthehornsofamostembarrassingandmostseriousdilemma。Heforwhomtheyexpresssogreatadmiration，andwhomtheyclaimsohighlytohonor，hasplainlytoldthemtheyaredoomed，sosurelyastheypersistinthatcourse。 ThisoughttosetthecomplacentSpiritistthinkingmostseriously。 Thetimetomakechoiceisnow，whilechoosingispossible。Thedayofprobationwillnotbepostponedforever；andwhenitcloses，thehandthathungnail-piercedonCalvary\'scrosswillmeteoutrewardstothehumanrace，to“everymanaccordingashisworkshallbe。”TherewillbeneitherquarternorcompromisewithHisrejecterswhenthatdayarrives。HowmuchbettertoacceptHimnow，andtravelwithHimtotheendofthejourneyhere，andthenwithHimthroughajourneyhereafterthatwillneverend，thantobuildatotteringphilosophybytheflickeringcandleofourownfancy，andgodownwithoutlightorlifeorhopeintotheblackabyssofeternaldeath！Notes[1]Foranexplanationofthewords“everlastingfire，“ seepage28。 OnTheThroneofSin:TheSpiritsAreRealPage169Chapter17TheSpiritsAreRealTHEREaresomewhoseektoexplainallspiritmanifestationsonthebasisoftrickeryorfraud，orontheprincipleofsomeyetundiscoveredlawofnaturewhichtheyareindustriouslyseekingtodiscover。Theyrefusetoadmitthattheraps，tiltingoftables，playingofinstruments，voicesthroughthemouthsofmediumspersonatingdifferentpersonswhohavepassedaway，automaticwriting，levitation，apports，andmaterializationsareproducedbythespiritsofthedead，orareproducedbyanyotherintelligencesindependentofthemedium。Theycannotexplainhowanyofthesethingsaredone；theycontraveneeverylawofnaturalphysics；theyadmitthattheinexplicablehappeningstakeplace，butstillholdtotheopinionthattheremustbesomelawwhich，whendiscovered，willyieldanexplanation。 Andyet，afteryearsofthemostpainstakingscientificinvestigation，theyarenonearerasolutionthanwhentheybegan。Suchmenarepurematerialists，andhavechainedthemselvestoahypothesisfromwhichtheywillnotpermitthemselvestobeliberated，thoughtheyperishwithit。 Therearemultitudesofspiritisticmanifestationswhichcanneverbeaccountedforexceptuponthebasisthattheyareperformedbyintelligencesorentitiesentirelyseparatefromandindependentofthemediumoranyotherpersonpresent。Referencestoafewofthesewillnotbeoutofplaceinthischapter。Fromthe“AnnalsofPsychicalScience，“VolumeVII，pages175，176，Itakethefollowing:“OnedayEusapia[Palladino]saidtoM。R。，\'Thisphantomcomesforyou。\'Shethenfellatonceintoaprofoundtrance。Awomanofgreatbeautyappeared，whohaddiedtwoyearsbefore；herarmandshoulderswerecoveredbytheedgeofthecurtain，insuchaway，however，astoindicatetheform。Herheadwascoveredwithaveryfineveil；shebreathedawarmbreathagainstthebackofM。R。\'shand，carriedhishanduptoherhair，andgentlybithisfingers。MeanwhileEusapiawasheardutteringprolongedgroans，showingpainfuleffort，whichceasedwhenthephantomdisappeared。 Theapparitionwasperceivedbytwoothers，andreturnedseveraltimes。 AnattemptPage170wasmadetophotographit。EusapiaandJohn[themedium\'scontrollingspirit]consented，butthephantombyasignwiththeheadandhands，indicatedtousthatsheobjected，andtwicebrokethephotographicplate。 “Therequestwasthenmadethatamoldofherhandsmightbeobtained，andthoughEusapiaandJohnbothpromisedtomakehercomplywithourdesire，theydidnotsucceed。Inthelastsé；anceEusapiagaveamoreformalpromise；thethreeusualrapsonthetableindorsedtheconsent，andweindeedheardahandplungedintheliquidinthecabinet。AftersomesecondsR。hadinhishandsablockofparaffinwithacompletemold，butanetherichandadvancedfromthecurtainanddashedittopieces…… “Itisevident，therefore，……thatathirdwillcaninterveneinspiritisticphenomena，whichisneitherthatof\'John，\'norofEusapia，norofthosepresentatthesé；ance，butisopposedtoallofthem。”AtmanyofEusapiaPalladino\'ssé；ances，handsseeminglycomposedoffleshandbonesappearednearthemediumwhileherownhandswereheldbyothermembersofthecircle，remainedinevidenceforatime，andgraduallydissolvedwhilegraspedbysomeofthesitters。Concerningoneofmanysuchexperiencesthefollowingisrelated:“Atalatersittingthissamegreatblackhandcameoutfromthecurtain，andgentlygraspedBottazzibythenapeoftheneck。Atthissé；anceDr。Porro，theastronomer，waspresent。\'LettinggoProfessorPorro\'shand，\'saysBottazzi(Porrowasnexthiminthecircle)，\'Ifeltforthisghostlyhandandclaspedit。Itwasalefthand，neitherhotnorcold，withrough，bonyfingers，whichdissolvedunderpressure。Itdidnotretirebyproducingasensationofwithdrawal；itdissolved，dematerialized，melted。\'“——“AretheDeadAlive?“p。107。 “Atanothertime[saysBottazzi]，lateron，thesamehandwasplacedonmyrightforearm——Isawahumanhand，thistimeofnaturalcolor，andIfeltwithminethebackofalukewarmhand，roughandnervous。Thehanddissolved(Isawitwithmyowneyes)andretreatedasifintoMine。Palladino\'sbody，describingacurve。”——“AnnalsofPsychicalScience，“ Vol。VI，p。413。Concerninganothersé；ancewehavethisrecord:“Acoldwindcamefrombehindthecurtain，whichsuddenlyopenedasifithadbeenopenedbytwohands。Ahumanheadcameout，withapale，haggardface，ofsinisterevilaspect。Itlingeredamomentandthendisappeared。”——Id。，Vol。V，p。305。AtalatersittingDr。MucchibecameinvolvedinaweirdstrugglewiththeinvisibleentitiesthatseemedtobeatworkPage171producingtheseuncannyphenomena。AlumpofclayhadbeenplacedwithinthecabinetinthehopethatEusapiamightbeabletoproduceimpressionsofspirithandsintheclay。Afterashortwait，rappingsonthetableindicatedthattheimpressionshadbeenmade。Dr。Mucchiwaseagertoobservetheresult，andaroseandwenttowardthecabinet。Hesays:“Iwasabouttoenter，……butwasrepelledbytwohandsmadeofnothing。Ifeltthem；theywereagileandprompt；theyseizedmeandpushedmeback。Thestrugglelastedforsometime；thehandsseemedtotakepleasureinresistingme；theypushedmebackifItriedtoenter，andpulledmeforwardifIretired。Iendedbyseizingthelumpofclay，“whereupon“theythrustmeoutwithaviolentshovethatnearlyupseteverything。Therewereobservableontheclaytwoorthreeimpressionssuchasmightbemadebyaclosedfist。”——Id。，p。309。Whatfollytoholdthattheremustbesomelawofnature，notyetdiscovered，thatwillexplainsuchatransactionasthis！Herewasastrongandactiveman，askilledobserverofpsychicphenomena，repeatedlypushedtowardandpulledawayfromapairofcurtains，andfinallyhurledoutofthecabinetwithviolence——bywhat?Alawofnaturethathadactualinvisiblehands，andcouldtossastrongmanaboutassomeboisterousgiantwoulddo！Andthiswasdone，notinthedarkness，butinthelight。 Someofthesescientificallyunexplainablephenomenahaveoccurredundermostexactingtestconditionsandbeforescientistsofworld-widerepute。 Forinstance，SirWilliamCrookesmentionedsomestrikingphenomenainhispresidentialaddressbeforetheBritishAssociationfortheAdvancementofScience，in1898。Hecalledhisaddressa“ReportontheInvestigationofPhenomenaCalledSpiritual。”Inthatreporthestatedfranklythatthephenomenahehadwitnessedweresoextraordinarythat，onrecallingthedetails，hefindsanantagonismbetweenhisreason，whichpronouncesthemscientificallyimpossible，andhissenses，whichheiscertainwerenotplayinghimfalse。 Hestates，forinstance，thathehadobservedthemovementofheavybodies，withoutmechanicalexertion；thathehadheardduringhisexperimentsrapsandothernoisesvaryingPage172from“delicateticksaswiththepointofapin，“to“acascadeofsharpsoundsasfromaninductioncoilinfullwork“and“detonationsintheair；“thathehadseen“movementsofheavybodieswhenatadistancefromthemedium；“thathehadwatched“achairmoveslowlyuptoatablefromafarcornerwhenallwerewatchingit；“thathehadrepeatedlywitnessed“therisingoftablesandchairsoffthegroundwithoutcontactwithanyperson；“andeven“thelevitationofhumanbeings；“thathehadseen“luminousappearances，“notonce，butmanytimes，andunderthemostvariedforms； thatonce，“inthelight，“hehadseen“aluminouscloudhoveroveraheliotropeonasidetable，breakasprigoff，andcarrythesprigtoalady；“and“onsomeoccasionsasimilarluminouscloudvisiblycondensetotheformofahand，andcarrysmallobjectsabout。”Headds:“Ihavemorethanonceseen，first，anobjectmove，thenaluminouscloudappeartoformaboutit，and，lastly，thecloudcondenseintoshapeandbecomeaperfectlyformedhand。Atthisstagethehandisvisibletoallpresent。Itisnotalwaysamereform，butsometimesappearsperfectlylifelikeandgraceful，thefingersmovingandthefleshapparentlyashumanasthatofanyintheroom……Ihaveretainedoneofthesehandsinmyown，firmlyresolvednottoletitescape。Therewasnostruggleoreffortmadetogetitloose，butitgraduallyseemedtoresolveitselfintovapor，andfadedinthatmannerfrommygrasp。”TheseoccurrencestookplaceinSirWilliam\'s“ownhouse，inthelight，andwithonlyprivatefriendspresentbesidesthemedium，“andtheyhappenedscoresandhundredsoftimes，observedbymanydifferentwitnesses，undereverytestconditionthatexpertscientificknowledgeandtraineddetectiveingenuitycoulddevise。 Duringonesé；ance，withMr。D。D。Homeasthemedium，SirWilliamstatesthatalathlyingonthetablemovedacrossthetablewithouthumantouch，andrappedoutatelegraphicmessageintheMorsecodeonhishand，makingthedotsanddashessorapidlythathecouldmakeoutawordonlynowandthen。Hesaid:“IheardsufficienttoconvincemethattherewasagoodMorseoperatorontheotherendoftheline，whereverthatmightbe。“Page173Itmustbeadmitted，evenbySpiritists，thatthereisatremendousamountoffraudpractisedbyspiritmediums；andyet，knowingallthat，Dr。Elliotson，afterlonganddeterminedoppositiontoSpiritism，wasfinallycompelledtomaketheadmission:“Iamnowquitesatisfiedoftherealityofthephenomena。”——“MiraclesandModernSpiritualism，“Dr。AlfredRusselWallace，p。99。Toadmittherealityofthephenomena，andtoadmitthattheyareproducedbythespiritsofthedead，aretwovastlydifferentthings。Manyofthephenomenaareindeedreal，buttheyarenotproducedbythespiritsofthedead。Thespiritswhoproducethemneverlivedinhumanform。“Nohypothesisofprestidigitation，nomatterhowcleverlyworkedout，can，forinstance，explainthetable-tippingincidentmentionedbyProfessorMorgan。Askepticalfriendpresentatasé；ancewasloudlyscoffingattheso-calledspirits，anddaringthemtodisplaytheirpowers。Spontaneously，withoutcontact，theheavytablearoundwhichtheexperimenterswerestandingbrokeawayfromthemandpinnedtheskepticagainstthewallwithsuchforcethathecriedformercy。”——“AretheDeadAlive?“pp。25，26。In1870acommitteeappointedbytheLondonDialecticalSocietymadeaninvestigationof“allegedspiritualmanifestations。”Thefurnitureoftheroomsinwhichtheexperimentswereconductedwasineverycasetheordinaryfurnitureofthoserooms，andtheexperimentsweregenerallyconductedundergaslight。“Therewasaminimumchance，“thecommitteestated，“forself-delusionorinadequateobservation。”Theauthorsofthereportsay:“Attimeswesatunderthetablewhenthemotionsandsoundsweremostvigorous。Weheldthehandsandfeetofthepsychic。Ouringenuitywasexercisedintheinventionandapplicationoftests。Aftertrialsoftenrepeatedwewerecompelledtoconfessthatimposturewasoutofthequestion。”——ReportoftheCommitteeonSpiritualism，oftheDialecticalSociety。Mr。EdwardCox，F。R。G。S。，inthereportofthesubcommittee，says:“Thesmallerfurnitureoftheroomisfrequentlyattractedtotheplacewherethepsychicsits。ChairsfaroutofreachanduntouchedPage174maybeseenmovingalongthefloorinamannersingularlyresemblingthemotionthatmaybeobservedinpiecesofsteelattractedbyamagnet，whichrisealittle，fall，moveon，stop，untilfullywithintheinfluenceofthemagneticforce，andthenjumptothemagnetwithasuddenspring……Noristhisphenomenonatalldubioustothespectator。Howeveritmaybedone，thefactisindisputablethatitisdone。”——Ibid。Thenthecommitteesummarizesitsreport:“Themotionswerewitnessedsimultaneouslybyallpresent。 Theyweremattersofmeasurement，andnotofopinionorfancy。Andtheyoccurredsooften，undersomanyandsuchvariousconditions，withsuchsafeguardsagainsterrorordeception，andwithsuchinvariableresults，astosatisfythemembersofyoursubcommitteebywhomtheexperimentsweretried，whollyskepticalasmostofthemwerewhentheyenteredupontheinvestigation，thatthereisaforcecapableofmovingbodieswithoutmaterialcontact，andwhichforceisinsomeunknownmannerdependentuponthepresenceofhumanbeings。”——Ibid。Thenotedastronomerandscientist，CamilleFlammarion，givesthistestimonyconcerningthephysicalphenomenaofSpiritism:“Forme，thelevitationofobjectsisnomoredoubtfulthanthatofapairofscissorsliftedbytheaidofamagnet。”——“MysteriousPsychicForces，“Flammarion，pp。5，6。Dr。Marion，inhisattack，“ThePhilosophyofSpiritualism，“saysconcerningspiritisticmanifestations:“Thephenomenaaregenuine。ThehypothesiswhichSpiritualistsendeavortobuildonthesephenomenaisaltogetheranotherthing。”Andsoitis。OuradmissionofthegenuinenessofthephenomenamustnotbeinterpretedasindicatingintheslightestdegreethatweconsideritevenpossiblethatthephenomenaofSpiritismprovethatthedeadhaveanythingtodowiththesemanifestations，orthatthedeadareconscious，orthattheyareevenalive。Thesedemonstrationsareproducedbyagenciesthatwereneverhuman，andareinthisworldforalimitedtimeonly，whiletheyawaittheexecutionofthedecreeoftheAlmightyagainstthefallenLuciferandhisfallenhosts。 Buttoreturntothemanifestationsthemselves。SirWilliamCrookesmadeanexhaustivestudyofspiritisticphenomena，andhasleftthistestimony:Page175“Onfiveseparateoccasionsaheavydining-tablerosebetweenafewinchesandoneandone-halffeetoffthefloor，underspecialcircumstanceswhichrenderedtrickeryimpossible。Onanotheroccasionaheavytablerosefromthefloorinfulllight，whileIwasholdingthemedium\'shandsandfeet。Onanotheroccasionthetablerosefromthefloor，notonlywhennopersonwastouchingit，butunderconditionswhichIhadprearrangedsoastoassureunquestionableproofofthefact。”——Notes，QuarterlyJournalofScience，January，1874，pages84，85。CountAgé；nordeGasparin，aSwissinvestigator，hasleftarecordofhisinvestigationsofthephenomenaoflevitation，inwhichhedeclaresthattheenergysometimesdisplayedinthelevitationoffurniturewas“well-nighterrifying。”[1] TheRev。A。Mahan，firstpresidentofClevelandUniversity，whohasstoodasstoutlyagainstthedeductionsofSpiritismas，perhaps，eventheredoubtableFrankPodmorehimself，makesthisadmissionconcerningthegenuinenessofthephenomena:“Weadmitthefactsfortheall-adequatereasonthat，aftercarefulinquiry，wehavebeenledtoconcludethattheyarereal。Wethinkthatnocandidinquirer，whocarefullyinvestigatesthesubject，cancometoanyotherconclusion……Wehaveourselveswitnessedphysicalmanifestationswhich，inourjudgment，canbeaccountedforbynoreferencetomeremuscularaction。“——“ModernMysteriesExplainedandExposed，“p。42。Rev。Mahanfurtherstates:“Ourfatherswereasfamiliarwiththerappingsounds，themovementofarticlesoffurniture，etc。，asweare。They，intheirignoranceattributedthemanifestationstosatanicagency[andtheywereright]。 We，inourwisdom，haveattributedthemtotheinterpositionofdepartedspirits……Nothingcanbemoreunphilosophicalthantoattributesuchphenomenatotheinterpositionofdisembodiedspirits。”——Id。，p。98。Mr。Mahan，inhiswisdom，attributesthesemysteriousmanifestationstosomehithertoundiscoveredorunanalyzedandunnamedforce，whichheproceedstoname“theodylicforce；“andhavingnamedit，hehas，ofcourse，settledthevexedquestionastowhatitis。 LevitationandrappingarenotbyanymeanstheonlyspiritisticphenomenaputforthtoprovethegenuinenessofSpiritism。Page176Itfrequentlyhappensthatatsé；ancesarticlesthathavebeenbroughtfromadistancearesuddenlydroppedonthetable，almostassoonasaskedforbysomememberofthecircle。Ononeoccasionafishwasaskedfor，andwithinafewminutesitwasdroppeduponthetable，stillaliveandwetfromthesea。Onanotheroccasionaconsiderablequantityofflowers，consistingofanemones，tulips，chrysanthemums，Chineseprimroses，andferns，allabsolutelyfreshandcoveredwithafinecolddew，weredroppeduponthetable。Dr。AlfredRusselWallacesays:“Afriendofmineaskedforasunflower，andonesixfeethighfelluponthetable，havingalargemassofearthaboutitsroots。”——“TheProofsoftheTruthsofSpiritualism，“p。93。AtoneofDr。Hooper\'sseances，thespiritcontrolwasaskedforashamrockwithroots。Inafewminutesitwasplacedonthetable，“allwetandglistening，alsoblackmud-likeearthwithseverallivewormscrawlingonthetable，andwheretheclumpfellwasadirtypatchonthetablecover。”——Id。，pp。90。91。Therootwasdividedamongthesitters，andplanted。 Dr。Maxwell，anotherobserver，makesthisstatement:“Atcertaintimes，wefeltourselvestouchedbyhandshavingallthecharacteristicsofthoseofalivingbeing。Wefelttheskin，thewarmth，themovablefingers。Ongraspingthem，weexperiencedthesensationofhandsdissolvingawayasthoughcomposedofasemifluidsubstance。Theyappearofawhitishcolor，almosttransparent，withelongatedfingers。”——QuotedinTweedale\'s“Man\'sSurvivalAfterDeath，“page231。Prof。E。L。Larkinrecordsthefollowing:“AhandandforearmappearedabovethescreenSometimesanarmappeared，withasleeveandthenwithout，uptoneartheshoulder。 Allweregivenahandshake。Tomethearmseemedtoissuefromthebackorshoulderbladeofthegirl[themedium]。Aftershakinghands，thearmandhandvanishedeachtime。”——“ScienceandtheSoul，“p。53。Mr。FrankPodmore，whohasopposedthedeductionsofSpiritistsfromeverymaterialstandpoint，makesthisfrankacknowledgmentconcerningthephenomenathemselves:“Ishould，perhaps，stateattheoutset，asemphaticallyaspossible，thatitseemstomeincrediblethatfraudshouldbethesoleexplanationoftherevelationsmadeintranceandautomaticwriting。NoonewhoPage177hasmadeacarefulstudyoftherecords，andissufficientlyfreefromprepossessiontoenablehimtoformanhonestopinion，willbelievethatanyimaginableexerciseoffraudulentingenuity，supplementedbywhateveropportunenessofcoincidenceandlaxnessonthepartofinvestigators，couldconceivablyexplainthewholeofthe[spirit]communications。Andthemoreintimatelytheyarestudied，themorethe。convictiongrowsthatwemustassumesupernormalagencyofonekindoranother。Inwhatfollows，then，Ishalltakeitforgrantedthatfraudisnotthecompleteexplanation。”——“TheNewerSpiritualism，“p。146。AndconcerningtheSpiritisticoperationsofoneC。B。Sanders，Mr。Podmoresays:\'Therearesomemarvelousoccurrencesrecordedwhichcannotbeexplainedeitherbytelepathy，orbyanyextensionoftheknownsenses。”——Id。，p。151。Thequotationsandreferencesgivenhereintoprovethatspiritisticphenomenaarereal，couldbeaddedtoataninterminablelength；buttheevidencealreadygivenshouldbesufficient。Ofcourse，allmustadmitthatatremendousamountoffraudhasbeenconnectedwithSpiritismfromthebeginningofitsrevivalinAmericain1847-48。Unscrupulouspersons，forfinancialreasons，haveimitatedthephenomena，andhave，inmanyinstances，deceivedthepublicforyears。Shamelessfraudshavebeenperpetratedrepeatedly； andyet，mingledwithitall，therehavebeenthegenuinespiritphenomenawhichhumaningenuitycannotproduceandwhichthebrightesthumanintellectcannotexplainexceptonthehypothesisthatthesephenomenaareproducedbysupernormalorsuperhumanagencies。