                            On the Throne of Sin

                      Spiritism and the Nature of Man
                               as Related to
               Demonism, Witchcraft, and Modern Spiritualism

                                     by

                              Charles M. Snow

     Electronically Published with Permission of the Review and Herald
                           Publishing Association

 "When they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits,
 and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto
            their God? for the living to the dead?" Isaiah 8:19

Chapter Title                                                    Page #

    Preface......................................................     6
1.  The Setting of the Contest...................................     9
2.  Satan's Climax in Deception..................................    14
3.  Are the Dead Conscious?......................................    24
4.  A Deep-Laid Satanic Scheme...................................    31
5.  "Ye Shall Be As Gods"........................................    40
6.  The Church Challenged by Spiritism...........................    47
7.  Spiritism Anti-Christian.....................................    62
8.  Spiritism Encourages Suicide.................................    77
9.  Insanity and Spiritism.......................................    85
10. A Dangerous Delusion.........................................    89
11. Spiritism Identifies Itself..................................   111
12. Spiritism Fosters the First Falsehood........................   124
13. Unprofitable Communications..................................   128
14. Spiritism's False Prophecies.................................   144
15. Spiritism Outlaws the Bible..................................   150
16. No Compromise and No Quarter.................................   160
17. The Spirits Are Real.........................................   169
18. Two Systems Face Each Other..................................   179
19. Let Us Hear the Conclusion of the Whole Matter...............   198

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On the Throne of Sin: Spiritism and the Nature of Man as Related to
Demonism, Witchcraft, and Modern Spiritualism by Charles M. Snow (Copyright
1927) is owned by the Review and Herald Publishing Association (55 West Oak
Ridge Drive, Hagerstown, Maryland, 21740, United States of America; Telex:
"Randh," Hagerstown, Maryland ; WWW: http://www.rhpa.org), a wholly owned and
operated Seventh-day Adventist publishing house. This book is out-of-print and
printed copies are not available from the publisher.

The electronic text for this edition of On the Throne of Sin: Spiritism and
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Please report any errors in the electronic text to Clarence L. Thomas IV:

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Last updated on November 12, 1998 by Clarence L. Thomas IV (clt4@csi.com)
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Page 620

                             Charles Miles Snow

Snow, Charles Miles (1868-1933). Editor. Educated at South Lancaster
Academy, he became private secretary to the president of the California
Conference in 1892. He later joined the editorial staff of the Signs of the
Times, continuing in that office until 1906, when he became an associate
editor of the Review and Herald. In 1909 he assumed the editorship of
Liberty magazine.

He was called to Australia in 1915 to take the editorship of the Australian
Signs of the Times and also of Life and Health. Besides numerous articles
and poems, he wrote two books, Religious Liberty in America and On the
Throne of Sin.

Source: Seventh-day Adventist Encyclopedia, Vol. II, page 620, second
revised edition, 1996. Review and Herald Publishing Association, Hagerstown
Maryland, 21740, United States of America.
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Page 1355

                                Uriah Smith

Smith, Uriah (1832-1903). Editor and author, who gave 50 years of service
to the SDA [Seventh-day Adventist] cause. He was born in West Wilton, New
Hampshire, and was impressed in childhood by the Advent Movement of
1843-1844. When about 13 years of age, because of an infection, his left
leg was amputated above the knee.

From 1848 to 1851 he attended Phillips Exeter Academy, then declined an
attractive invitation to teach in Mount Vernon Academy, New Hampshire. In
the hope of earning money to attend college, he worked briefly in a
business that soon failed. In 1857 he married Harriet Newall Stevens. About
the end of 1852 he became a Sabbathkeeping Adventist. His first
contribution to SDA literature was a 35,000 word poem entitled, "The
Warning Voice of Time and Prophecy." It was being published as a serial in
the Review and Herald in 1853 when he joined his sister, Annie, as a worker
at the office of The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald in Rochester, New
York. He maintained an almost unbroken connection with the institution
until the time of his death.

In 1855 the Review and Herald moved to Battle Creek, Michigan, and that
same year, when Smith was 23 years of age, his name appeared for the first
time as editor. In the first number printed in Battle Creek he wrote: "I do
not enter upon this position for ease, comfort, or worldly profit; for I
have seen by my connection with the Review thus far, that neither of these
is to be found here." The primitive equipment in use would have daunted a
lesser spirit. In helping prepare the first tracts he used a straight-edge
and a pocketknife to trim the edges. "We blistered our hands in the
operation, and often the tracts in form were not half so true and square as
the doctrines they taught."

In the early years severe financial problems faced the youthful editor, but
he managed so well that the Review and Herald flourished and grew. Since
for a time Smith was editor, proofreader, business manager, and bookkeeper,
he found his physical resources taxed to the limit. As a result, in 1869 he
was given a year's leave to recuperate, and J. N. Andrews edited the paper
during his absence. The next year James White was elected editor with Smith
as associate, but 12 months later Smith was again editor. In 1873,
following a disagreement with White over administrative policies, he was
relieved of his editorship. He left Battle Creek and worked at his trade as
an engraver, but in six months was recalled to his former office, and a
cordial relation-

Page 1356

ship between the two men was re-established and maintained from then on.

Smith had considerable mechanical aptitude. Because his artificial leg gave
him insufficient freedom of movement, he patented in 1863 an improved model
with fully flexible knee and ankle joints. In 1874 he patented a school
desk with an improved folding seat. For this he received $3,000, which
enabled him to build a new home. He served as treasurer of the General
Conference in 1876-1877.

By 1890, with competent editorial help, he was able to devote more time to
writing. He traveled extensively, speaking frequently at camp meetings, in
1894 he visited many European countries and the Near East. Alonzo T. Jones
was made editor of the Review and Herald in 1897, with Smith as an
associate; but once again Smith returned as editor in 1901.

In addition to his editorial duties he assumed other responsibilities. He
was the first secretary of the General Conference (organized 1863) and held
that position on five different occasions. He was also an instructor in
Bible at Battle Creek College for many years. It is understandable that
during the formative period of the SDA Church a man of Smith's firm
convictions should become involved in some sharp controversies. He taught
the semi-Arian view held by Joseph Bates, James White, and certain others,
and denied the personality of the Holy Spirit. His views on certain aspects
of the law placed him in opposition to E. J. Waggoner, A. T. Jones, and
others in 1888. At times his relations with Ellen G. White were strained to
the point where he questioned the nature of her visions and made a
distinction between her "testimonies" and her "visions." After 1888, when
she supported the new emphasis on righteousness by faith, he even declined
to accept some of her counsels to him. Smith opposed the new trend during
this period, thinking that the sanctity of the law of God was being
imperiled by the place given to faith and grace. In 1891 Smith admitted his
wrong attitude, and complete harmony was restored. Never at any time had he
considered giving up his beliefs, nor had Mrs. White at any time thought of
him as unfit for his office. She always held him and his work in high
esteem. It is of interest that while the discussion was in progress, he
reported impartially the views of Waggoner, Jones, and Ellen G. White. Some
of his editorials, however, were sharply pointed.

Smith was one of the most fluent writers the denomination has had. In
debate his pen could be incisive. His talent for satire often found
expression when he dealt with fanaticism, faultfinding, and extremes in
health and dress reform. In his later years his writing became more mellow
and meditative, with a fine sense of form and words. Although a creative
writer, he also borrowed from contemporary and early expositors for his
materials, especially in his interpretations of prophecy. He is best
remembered for his book generally known by the short title Daniel and the
Revelation. It received the warm endorsement of Ellen G. White and had an
unrivaled influence on SDA prophetic teaching. Thoughts, Critical and
Practical, on the Book of Revelation was published in 1867, and Thoughts,
Critical and Practical, on the Book of Daniel, in 1873. These books,
combined in one volume, were first sold by George King, thus marking the
beginning of the sale of doctrinal subscription books in the colporteur
work of the SDA Church. This work, now entitled The Prophecies of Daniel
and the Revelation, was revised several times, during Smith's lifetime and
later, and it still has a wide circulation. Among his other works are The
United States in Prophecy (later rewritten as Marvel of the Nations), Here
and Hereafter, and Looking Unto Jesus.

Smith strongly urged the separation of church and state, advocated
noncombatancy, vigorously opposed slavery, did not approve of SDA's seeking
political office, and campaigned tirelessly against Sunday laws.

Smith was a handsome man of charming manner, more powerful in pen than in
speech. The last words he ever wrote, directed to the General Conference in
1903, epitomize his lifelong purpose: "I am with you in the endeavor to
send forth in this generation this gospel of the kingdom, for a witness to
all nations. And when this is completed, it will be the signal for the
coronation of our coming King."

(Seventh-day Adventist Encyclopedia, pp. 1355-1356. Revised Edition. Review
                and Herald Publishing Association, 1976.)

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Page 6

                                  Preface

THE sternest conflict this world has ever known is now nearing its climax.
The powers of light and the powers of darkness have been in this contest
since before the dawn of human history, and now the opposing forces are
marshaling for the final struggle. It will be sharp and decisive.

Satan has used various agencies for the past six thousand years in his
campaign for the conquest and destruction of the human race and the defeat
of Heaven's purpose for mankind. The agencies that he will use in this
generation will be most seductive and deceptive; none are safe from the
ruin he is planning for all, save those who walk in close companionship
with the Man Christ Jesus.

While scientists study the occult demonstrations of the sance room and
classify them under scientific terms, the multitude are being led into a
delusion that is setting their feet in the pathway of eternal ruin. What
the evil one could not accomplish in medieval times by fire and sword, by
rack and dungeon, he is bent on doing now by a deception the cleverest his
evil ingenuity has been able to conceive. It is the purpose of this work to
unmask that deception so thoroughly that none who read shall ever stumble
into that pitfall.

With a prayer for divine guidance in the accomplishment of that purpose,
the preparation of this book was undertaken, and it is now submitted to the
reading public in the hope that God may richly bless its humble
contribution to the defense of the truth as it is in Christ Jesus.

Charles M. Snow

Warburton, Australia.
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Page 9

                                 Chapter 1

                         The Setting of the Contest

THERE sits today on the throne of sin one who has grown old in evil,
cunning in subtlety, and cruel in deceit. He has waged war in heaven and on
earth. He filled heaven with discord and earth with death, and both with
sorrow. He challenged every purpose of God, and coveted the throne of the
Eternal, planning to rule the universe or plunge it into chaos and ruin.

That conflict, older than man, explains the presence of every conflict that
disturbs our race today, every pestilence that afflicts humanity, every
sorrow and pain and death that tortures the children of earth. Lucifer, the
one-time covering cherub of heaven, is the Satan of our smitten world, the
demon leader of the hosts of darkness that oppose, in this world, every
purpose of God and the Saviour of men.

The throne of sin is no figure of speech, and the occupant of that throne
is no figment of the imagination. Jesus Christ called him "the prince of
this world." John 14: 30. The apostle Paul describes him as "the prince of
the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of
disobedience." Eph. 2: 2. John the revelator designated him as "the great
dragon," "that old serpent, called the devil, and Satan." Rev. 12:9.

When the leader of revolt against the Creator was expelled from heaven, he
left with many followers,-- angels who had yielded to his cunning sophistry
and joined in his rebellion; and this world is now their abode. Of that
tremendous event, which rid heaven of the fallen hosts and filled earth
with legions bent on the ruin of God's handiwork, the inspired writer says:

     "There was war in heaven: Michael [that is, Christ] and His
     angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his
     angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more
     in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent,
     called the devil, and

Page 10

     Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the
     earth, and his angels were cast out with him. . . . Therefore
     rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the
     inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come
     down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he
     hath but a short time." Rev. 12: 7-12.

The apostle Jude speaks of this fallen host as "the angels which kept not
their first estate, but left their own habitation," whom God "hath reserved
in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day."
Jude 6.

Both the predictions of Holy Writ and the great world events of today
declare in unmistakable language that the conflict between "the prince of
this world" and the Ruler of the universe is nearing its culmination. In
the conspiracy of sin against righteousness, of Satan against Christ, of
the cohorts of darkness against the hosts of the King eternal, the occupant
of the throne of sin has enlisted multitudes of the human race. Just now
these human adjuncts of the dark Conspiracy against the purposes of the
Most High are making their attack chiefly from three directions. When their
assault has reached its culmination, God Himself will sound the death knell
of sin and the overthrow of its king and kingdom.

The forces of good and evil have met in stern struggle through all the ages
of the history of humanity. In every such contest Satan has assaulted the
principles of the kingdom eternal, but he has always found some faithful
ones whose loyalty he could not contaminate and whose faith he could not
overthrow. There was Enoch, so faithful that God would not permit him to
taste of death. There was Noah, who escaped across the waters of the flood
with eight souls only from among the millions who peopled the earth at that
time. There was Elijah, faithful when he supposed every other soul in
Israel had apostatized. There were Daniel and his fellows, braving the
wrath of the kings of the whole earth that they might not be unfaithful to
the King of kings. And then came the Contest between Divinity incarnate and
the demons and their human dupes when the child Jesus made His appearance
among men.

From the day when Satan plotted the death of the infant Jesus until the Man
Christ Jesus hung upon the cross between

Page 11

earth and heaven, there was no let-up in the cruel malignity of the
archconspirator. The last stage of the conflict began at our Saviour's
birth, and the forces that will clash in its consummation are now preparing
for action, marshaling for the last acts in the long and bitter campaign.
There is more involved in this struggle than in any other that has ever
taken place upon this planet. When this war is finished, all war will be
finished forever throughout the universe of God. The question will then
have been decided for all eternity as to the rulership of this world. It
means the end of sin and all its by-products of sorrow, disappointment,
dissatisfaction, broken hopes and blighted lives, misery, desolation, and
death.

When Jesus Christ, as God's agent for the eradication of sin from this
world, met the fallen Lucifer in the dreary wilderness of temptation in
Palestine, the representatives of righteousness and iniquity were face to
face, and the destiny of the whole human race hung in the balance. Had
Jesus Christ yielded to one of Satan's temptations there, or anywhere else,
the eternal doom of the human family would have been sealed. Jesus Christ
Himself would have perished, and God's only possible remedy for sin would
have failed. The destiny of the universe hung upon the loyalty of Him who
had given up heaven and His own life to bring peace and righteousness to
this sin-smitten world. What the loyalty of Christ meant to the world then,
and means to us now, the mind of man is utterly incapable of estimating.

But He did not fail us nor disappoint the onlooking hosts of heaven. He met
sin personified in the person of that one who had been in heaven, one of
the two covering cherubs standing by the throne of the universe. All that
evil was and could be and could do was centered in that smooth-speaking
being who posed as an angel of light while the poison of death was hid in
his every seductive word.

"Get thee behind Me, Satan," was Christ's open repudiation of every subtle
suggestion of the father of sin. It was a decisive challenge to all the
hosts of the ruler of the darkness of this world. The contest was on. That
Michael who thrust Lucifer and his fallen angels out of heaven was meeting
now in

Page 12

mortal combat the leader of the evicted hosts of sin. It was Lucifer's
settled purpose to force the very Son of God into unforgivable sin or blot
out His life and wreck the universe. When he saw the Son of God at last
spiked to the cross of Calvary, he saw the completion of his age-old
object; but he was only bruising the heel of that promised Seed of the
woman that was finally to bruise his head. (See Gen. 3:15.) Satan seemed to
have forgotten that while the Christ died for the sins of the world,-- the
Just for the unjust,-- to save man from the second death, the slain One's
own personal righteousness made it impossible that His death should be
eternal. The grave holds Him for a little moment of time, and then the bars
of death's prison house are broken, and the Redeemer comes forth to receive
the approbation of the Father and to sit down beside Him on the throne of
righteousness, the throne of the universe--that throne which Satan had
coveted through unnumbered years.

But the baffled Lucifer would not admit defeat. He was determined to slay
the infant Jesus, and now he was equally determined to slay the infant
church. Through Rome pagan and then through Rome papal he had one cruel and
relentless purpose,-- to "wear out the saints of the Most High," and blot
out the church of the living God from the face of the earth. And he very
nearly succeeded. Force to secure uniformity in religion was the policy
pursued, and a church-ruled state was the relentless instrumentality
employed to that end. How many millions paid with their lives for the
practice of their faith, will never be known until the books of God are
laid open before the eyes of the redeemed.

It is not the writer's design to dwell upon the heartbreaking cruelties of
the "holy office," or the sufferings endured by the martyrs who "loved not
their lives unto the death." The record of that work has long been written,
and is easy of access to those who wish to read. The centuries of the Dark
Ages have been literally strewn with the shattered bodies and ruined hopes
of men and women who knew the worth of a pure faith and considered no price
too high to pay for it. But that work is in the past, though the principles
that made it possible are held even

Page 13

today by the organization that practised them through those dark and bitter
times. The church responsible for that cruel work still expects that "the
secular power shall swear to exterminate all heretics condemned by the
church; and if they do not, they shall be anathema."--" Church History,"
Schaff, Vol. II, sec. 27.

"A heretic," says Pope Marcellus, "merits the pains of fire. By the gospel,
the canons, civil law, and custom, heretics must be burned."-- Pope
Marcellus' Decrees, Corpus Juris Canonici, part 2, chap. 18.

That attitude has never been repudiated, and whenever and wherever that
organization has the power to oppress the consciences of men as in days
gone by, it will do so. But it has not yet been able to blot out the true
disciples of the Lord. The blood of the martyrs has always insured the
perpetuation of that virile and loyal race. While that oppressive policy
has never been abandoned, save where circumstances made it impossible, and
while we shall see it revivified in the actual climax of the great
struggle, another plan has been adopted by the enemy of souls, for this
generation, that is today sweeping millions into a snare, the most
deceptive and fatal that Satan has ever employed against mankind.

So long as Satan sits upon the throne of sin, so long as he continues as
"the prince of this world" and the ruler of the dark forces that fell with
him, the earth will continue to be the home of sorrow, discord, deceit,
pestilence, famine, war, and death; and his age-long campaign of
persecution against the true followers of the Christ will continue unabated
while he spreads his net of subtle deception over the whole world. The
several chapters of this book will show what that deception is, and how it
is operating today among the nations of men.
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Page 14

                                 Chapter 2

                        Satan's Climax in Deception

WE have seen in the previous chapter how the fallen Lucifer has sought by
subtle deception and by cunning devices to oppose the Christ, the
principles of His kingdom, and those who desire to become true subjects of
His realm. But his culminating deception, which is sweeping more souls into
his net of destruction than any other of his ingenious devices, has been
reserved in its full flower for the generation in which we live. In its
germ it is as old as the fall of man; it has plagued the race to some
extent in all generations; but in its subtlety of sophistry and perfection
of deceit, no generation has seen it as we see it now. It has not
superseded all or any of his other devices; but it is the climax of his six
thousand years of practice in the art of deception and destruction.

The seed thought of that delusion was planted in the minds of Adam and Eve
on the day when they forgot their duty and their divine warning, and
yielded to the enticing blandishments of Satan. God had said to them, when
He uttered His prohibition against eating the fruit of a certain tree, "In
the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die."

Aside from God, we cannot live; "for in Him we live, and move, and have our
being." Since the day when man sinned, man has lived alone by virtue of the
gift of Christ as his life. The lamb offered on Abel's altar outside the
closed gates of Paradise pointed forward to the actual sacrifice of the Son
of God on Calvary. "Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and
unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin
["apart from sin," R. V.; or not as a sin offering] unto salvation." Heb.
9: 28. And He declared of Himself: " I lay down My life for the sheep." " I
am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by
Me." John 10:15; 14: 6. Inspiration says of Him, "As many as received Him,
to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe
on His name." John

Page 15

1:12. Peter, when forbidden by the Jewish rulers to preach Jesus, boldly
avowed, "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other
name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Acts 4:12.

Man has never been guaranteed life apart from Christ. Nowhere does the
divine Word indicate that beyond the gates of death there is an eternity of
conscious existence for all mankind, the wicked as well as the righteous.
It does promise life to all who accept and follow Christ. But as God said
in Eden, "In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Gen.
2:17),. so He says again in His infallible Word, "The soul that sinneth, it
shall die." Eze. 18: 4, 20. The death here referred to is not the natural
death which all die from old age or disease; for the righteous as well as
the wicked die that death. It refers to the "second death," from which
there will be no resurrection. Rev. 20: 6, 14, 15.

Satan declared to Eve, "Ye shall not surely die; . . . ye shall be as
gods." Gen. 3: 4, 5. "Mortal" means "subject to death." God had taught man
that he was liable to die, that he was certain to die if he entered upon a
course of disobedience; that he was not immortal. Satan contradicted God,
teaching man that he was then immortal, not liable to die; that
disobedience could not entail death. God had put man on probation, a
candidate for immortality. Satan taught man that he was not a candidate for
immortality, but the actual possessor of it; that God could not end man's
existence even for disobedience, for once he had partaken of that fruit he
had been forbidden to touch, he would himself possess divine attributes.

Adam and Eve took the tempting bait, and the earth has been filled with
death and mourning ever since. Through all the ages following man's sin,
Satan has continued to whisper into the willing ears of millions of earth's
inhabitants, "There is no death; what seems so is transition."

It will startle many a pious reader to see the statement or hear the
declaration that Satan was the. first exponent of the idea of man's
inherent immortality; but this is the fact, as recorded for our learning in
the inspired Book of God; and he promulgated the idea in flat contradiction
of one of the plain-

Page 16

est and most emphatic declarations of the Author of our being. The Spirit
of inspiration asked the question of one of Job's friends, and it is
recorded for our consideration: "Shall mortal man be more just than God?"
Job 4:17. He puts the wisdom and justice of God, the eternal one, in
opposition to that of man, the transient one; His immortality in opposition
to our mortality. He tells us further, in the plainest language which
Inspiration can use, that God "only hath immortality, dwelling in the light
which no man can approach unto." 1 Tim. 6:16. If God only has immortality,
certainly we do not possess it, all the sophistries and deceits of Satan to
the contrary notwithstanding. Says the apostle Paul to Timothy and to us,
"Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be
honor and glory forever and ever. Amen." 1 Tim. 1:17.

Paul is very explicit on the question of man's mortality, in his letter to
the Corinthian believers -- and to us. He says:

     "Behold, I show you a mystery: We shall not all sleep [die], but
     we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,
     at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead
     shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this
     corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on
     immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on
     incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then
     shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is
     swallowed up in victory." Cor. 15: 51-54.

So long as there is death in the world there will be mortality. Whatever or
whoever may die or is liable to die, is mortal, not immortal. Christ came
into the world that He might bring "life and immortality to light through
the gospel." 2 Tim. 1:10. Without Christ and the gospel no human being
would ever see immortality. He is our life, and only through Him can man
have life and be crowned with immortality at His coming.

But now in the desperate endeavor to clinch his deception upon the race,
Satan claims that the dead are still alive, that they have merely passed
through the veil between the two worlds, and are now living on a fuller and
grander scale than ever before. He seeks to demonstrate the continued
existence of the departed by personating the dead, by placing before

Page 17

relatives of the deceased, communications which it is supposed none but the
dead could give, detailing incidents with which none but the dead were
familiar. Thus he "proves" that the lie he told in Eden is the truth,--
that men do not die, and that God fabricated a falsehood when He warned man
that he would die if he transgressed!

Many a reader will wonder at Satan's purpose in seeking to prove that the
dead are not dead in reality, only missing from this world, and gloriously
alive in the other world. What has he to gain? Jesus Christ, the upholder
of God's government, the upholder of righteousness, has given Himself for
the redemption of man; Satan, the deceiver, has set out to convince man
that he needs no Redeemer. Christ died that we, who were condemned to death
because of sin, might have, through Him, eternal life. Satan, in
perpetuation of his lie in Eden, wishes us to believe we have life without
the interposition of Christ. The Prince of the Restoration said, " I am
come that ye might have life." The word of the prince of ruin is, "You have
life -- eternal life -- already, and you need no Christ to give it to you."

Paul, writing to the Romans, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit,
declared, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of
God unto salvation to every one that believeth." Rom. 1:16. In the
counterfeit "gospel," every soul works out his own destiny in the land
beyond the tomb. It being true -- and Satan knowing that it is true -- that
outside of Christ there is no hope for man, every soul whom Satan can
deceive into accepting the idea that Christ is unnecessary and the gospel
nothing, is eternally lost; and every soul lost helps to postpone the day
of the consummation of the gospel plan; helps to postpone the day when
Satan will pay with his life the penalty for his long career of deceit and
rebellion.

Satan said to Eve in Eden, "Ye shall not surely die;" he says to her
descendants today: "The dead have not died; they are living in happiness in
a land of light; they are all about you; they witness your grief at their
absence." The old falsehood and the new were spoken by the same lips, and
spoken for the same purpose,-- to oppose the establishment and main-

Page 18

tenance of righteousness in the world, and to fling defiance and insult at
the powers that thrust him and his rebellious hosts out of heaven.

All through the ages men have sought communion with the dead. Jehovah
forbade it; but in spite of His warnings and admonitions and pleadings, the
cult of necromancy has persisted, and witches and wizards have practised
upon the credulity of mankind. Every country has experienced to a greater
or less extent the pernicious activities of those go-betweens from the
nether world to the world of sentient human beings.

God took a people out of bondage in Egypt in fulfillment of His promise to
Abraham, and established them in the land of Canaan. They had been
surrounded by idolatry, Spiritism, and devil worship in the land of their
thralldom. They traveled through countries peopled by nations that knew no
other religion than that which cursed the land of the Pharaohs. They
settled in a land surrounded by peoples who worshiped and served the
creature more than the Creator, and talked with demons who impersonated
their dead. Therefore Jehovah's decree to Israel in the Land of Promise
was: "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live." Ex. 22:18. Again:

     "There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son
     or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth
     divination, or an observer of the times, or an enchanter, or a
     witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a
     wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an
     abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the
     Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee." Deut. 18:
     10-12.

Whatever Spiritualism (more properly, Spiritism) practises today is
condemned in toto in the above prohibitions. The practice of mediums today
includes what in olden times was known as necromancy, witchcraft
(wizardry), divination, and consulting with familiar spirits. As surely as
Jehovah condemned these things in ancient Israel, so surely does He condemn
them in spirit mediumship today. He had not one standard in righteousness
then and another today. What He condemned in the nations surrounding
Israel, He will neither approve nor condone in the days in which we live.

Page 19

Jehovah pronounced a curse upon Egypt for her practice of Spiritism. He
declared through the prophet Isaiah:

     "The spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will
     destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols,
     and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits
     [spirit mediums], and to the wizards. And the Egyptians will I
     give over into the hand of a cruel lord; and a fierce king shall
     rule over them, saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts." Isa. 19: 3,
     4.

This prophecy has been literally fulfilled.

In his warning to the Israelites concerning these deceptive and wicked
practices, Jehovah gives the reason for the warning:

     "Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after
     wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God." Lev. 19:
     31.

The practice of these abominations was defiling to His people, and God was
seeking to perfect a pure people, a clean people, a godly people. This they
never could be so long as they permitted themselves to hold communications
with the spokesmen of Satan in the persons of necromancers, wizards,
witches, and consulters with familiar spirits.

In Leviticus another command is given concerning these classes of persons:

     "A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a
     wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with
     stones: their blood shall be upon them." Lev. 20: 27.

God does not propose to take halfway measures with those who neglect or
defy His wish in these matters. It was a capital crime in the judgment of
Jehovah, and a capital penalty was meted out for it.

And His warning touched not alone those who had familiar spirits, but it
reached those also who had dealings with such persons. We read:

     "The soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and
     after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set My
     face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his
     people. Sanctify yourselves therefore, and he ye holy: for I am
     the Lord your God." Lev. 20:6, 7.

The command is plain as to what our duty is in this matter; and the
teaching is also plain, that if we are to be

Page 20

sanctified and holy, we can have no part in the practices of Spiritism.

Jehovah has given us many warnings in reference to these things; and He has
also indicated to us that when Spiritism grows rampant in the earth, the
time of Christ's coming is near. This is found in the writings of the
prophet Isaiah. The Lord's spokesman in the eighth of Isaiah is giving
instruction to God's people concerning what they are to do in the time when
they are looking for the Lord to come. They are to have no part in the
confederacies of this world; they are not to fear what the world fears;
they are to sanctify the Lord of hosts, and let Him be their fear and their
dread; they are to bind up the testimony (stand for the integrity and
immutability of God's whole Book); they are to seal God's law among His
disciples (or restore the broken seal of the ten commandments, which is the
fourth commandment); they are to wait upon the Lord, whose face is hidden
from His formal and professed church; and finally, they are to look for
Him.

In the time when God expects His church to be doing that, however, he
informs us that a different movement will be on foot in the world, a
spiritistic movement; for in the same chapter is this significant warning:

     "When they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar
     spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not
     a people seek unto their 'God? for the living to the dead?" Isa.
     8: 19.

The Revised Version reads: "On behalf of the living should they seek unto
the dead?" That is what Spiritists are doing all over the world,-- seeking
to the dead on behalf of the living. The question which Jehovah asks
through His prophet indicates that such a time is most serious. The
question really means, "When you see the multitudes seeking to the dead on
behalf of the living, is it not high time that those who would be God's
faithful children should be found seeking Him?" And the answer which the
form of the question demands is, "It is indeed high time."

One who has given much earnest consideration to the theme we are studying,
makes this striking comment upon the subject:

     "The facts of history concur with the statements of revelation in
     forcing upon us the unwelcome conviction that the human race is

Page 21

     subject to the malevolent influence of an organized and
     all-pervading demonism. Alike in the career of nations and in the
     phenomena of personal destiny, the presence of demoniacal skill
     and power is often prominent, frequently dominant, always
     evil."--" Footprints of Angels in Fields of Revelation," E. A.
     Stockman, p. 2.

The writer of this extract has spoken only what Inspiration long ago warned
us concerning:

     "We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against
     principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the
     darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness ["wicked
     spirits," margin] in high places [" heavenly places," margin]."
     Eph. 6: 12.

In every heathen country which the heralds of the gospel have sought to
open up to evangelical missionary effort, they have found the malevolent
forces of Satan intrenched, fortified, and battling with all their might
against every effort of the missionary.

Among practically every heathen people the missionary has found devil
worship in some form and often in many forms. He has found the native
island peoples consulting with the spirits -- the professed spirits of the
dead; and these have manifested intense dislike to the missionary and his
work. The natives themselves who have manifested a disposition to follow
the teachings of the missionary, have on numerous occasions been annoyed
and not a little frightened by the violent demonstrations of invisible
visitors, who professed to be the spirits of their dead.

For generations these natives have been in virtual slavery to their pondas
(spirits of the dead); they have consulted these spirits on every important
occasion, summoning them by their own methods, knowing instantly when their
summons was answered, and acting in harmony with the answers received. They
need no one to tell them that there are invisible intelligences abroad in
the world; but their experience with them has been limited to necromancy
and wizardry. Of the loving ministry of good angels they have had no
knowledge. Of the love-inspired watchcare of a heavenly Father they have
lived through the dark centuries in pitiable ignorance.

In his second epistle the apostle Peter states that "God spared not the
angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell

Page 22

[Greek, Tartarus, a place of darkness], and delivered them into chains of
darkness, to be reserved unto judgment." 2 Peter 2: 4. Their habitation of
darkness is in this world. Their leader is spoken of in the Bible as "the
god of this world" (2 Cor. 4: 4); "the prince of this world" (John 14: 30);
and "the prince of the power of the air." Eph. 2: 2. He is not alone; for
one of his followers, when Christ demanded his name, replied, "My name is
Legion: for we are many." Mark 5: 9. The apostle Peter has told what is the
occupation of the leader of that fallen host: "Be sober, be vigilant;
because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking
whom he may devour." 1 Peter 5: 8.

Concerning the activity of these hosts, another author has said:

     "In undiminished possession of their intelligence and strength,
     they constantly assault us in every weakness, through every
     avenue, by every means, by methods foul or fair. . . . When they
     cannot destroy, they cease not to worry, torment. They inspire
     evil tempers; arouse dark passions; instill ill will; beget
     malice, envy; impose care, fear, distrust; suggest deceit, fraud,
     and all the forms of crime." " Supremely do they revel in the
     criminal domain. They foster falsehood, incite revenge, fan
     jealousy, beget quarrels, help on thefts, robbery, and arson,
     further divorces, plan defalcations, instigate murders."--"
     Footprints of Angels in Fields of Revelation," pp. 9, 10, 22.

The evil work of these spirits who personate the dead is not confined to
any country or continent or race of mankind. It has been a frequent
experience of missionaries in China and Korea to find persons as truly
demon possessed as any with whom the Christ and His apostles were
confronted in the days of the ministry of Jesus. Now as well as then those
under demoniacal possession are the sport and the plaything of the evil
spirits that possess and control them.

No cult has swept the world with such marvelous rapidity as Spiritism.
While it has existed in all ages, it has never before made such sweeping
conquests among the people who profess to be the servants of Jehovah. This
development is peculiar to our day. More than that, the demonstration of
Spiritism which we see today is one of the most striking signs of these
times, and a direct fulfillment of the prophetic word.

Page 23

The apostle Paul, in his letter to Timothy, uttered this prediction:

     "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some
     shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and
     doctrines of devils." 1 Tim. 4: 1

It is to be noted here that this demonstration of spiritistic deception and
demonistic doctrines was to be a characteristic of "the latter times," or
the time of the end. This is the age of spiritistic propaganda. Nearly
every church in the world has, as a portion of its membership, persons who
believe in the idea that the dead come back to communicate with the living.
Almost every denomination has among the tenets of its faith the idea that
the soul lives on as a conscious entity after the body has been given to
the tomb. Believing that, they can give no logical reason why a living,
conscious entity should not return to the place of its former abode, to
mingle with its living loved ones left behind. Believing that, they are on
common ground with the Spiritist, and every wall of their citadel has been
thrown down to make Satan's conquest a certainty.

It will be asked, "Are there not many in all the churches who believe in
the immortality of the soul, and yet repudiate Spiritism?" There are. They
remember the admonitions and solemn warnings of Scripture against wizards,
witches, necromancers, and consulters with the dead generally, and so
repudiate the thing, while admitting the whole foundation upon which the
thing itself rests. It is so logical, however, to believe that, if the dead
are still conscious, still capable of loving those whom they loved when
here in bodily form, they should want to mingle with their loved ones, that
the majority can see no reason why they should refuse to believe they do
come back. The evil one has prepared this trap, and they who step into it
may expect him to spring it.
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                                 Chapter 3

                          Are the Dead Conscious?

IF the dead are conscious, Spiritism has a logical and consistent working
hypothesis. If the dead are not conscious, Spiritism has no ground to stand
upon; it has no standing in court; it is an absolutely false hypothesis,
and must be abandoned. To whom shall we go for evidence that will settle
the matter? Why not ask God to answer through His inspired Word? It should
be the man of our counsel, if we are Christians and consistent in our
profession.

God has told us plainly and very emphatically that He alone has
immortality. The apostle Peter gives us this information concerning the
angels:

     "God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to
     hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved
     unto judgment." 2 Peter 2: 4.

In Revelation 20 the apostle John is given a view of the binding of the
leader of the fallen hosts:

     "I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the
     bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on
     the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil, and Satan, and
     bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit,
     and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive
     the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled:
     and after that he must be loosed a little season. . . And when
     the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his
     prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations [who have been
     raised in the second resurrection, the resurrection of the
     wicked] which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and
     Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is
     as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the
     earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the
     beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and
     devoured them." Rev. 20: 1-9

The word here used for "devoured" is [GREEK CHARACTERS IN PRINTED TEXT]
(katesthio), which means to be actually consumed, or eaten up, so as

Page 25

     "I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the
     stones of fire. . . . I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth
     in the sight of all them that behold thee. All they that know
     thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be
     a terror, and never shalt thou be any more ."Eze. 28: 16-19.

If Satan, the leader of the fallen angels, is mortal, subject to death, it
is certain that his followers are also mortal. And if the angels who fell
were mortal, liable to die, then the angels who did not fall were also
mortal. It must be so; otherwise God had one class of angels who were
liable to die, and they all sinned; and another class who were not liable
to die, and none of them sinned. But nowhere in the divine Book are we
given warrant for believing that God made such a distinction between two
classes of angels. Furthermore, to put the matter beyond dispute, we quote
again the inspired declaration:

     "The blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of
     lords; who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no
     man can approach unto." 1 Tim. 6: 15, 16.

With the question settled as to the mortality of the angels, let us inquire
concerning man, Is he mortal or immortal? The psalmist answers: "Thou hast
made him a little lower than the angels." Ps. 8: 5. Then God most assuredly
did not make man immortal.

It may be objected that this is only an inference. It is an inference, but
a logical and necessary one. Job declares of the one upon whom the gates of
the grave are closed:

     "He shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place
     know him any more." Job 7: 10.

The psalmist bears similar testimony:

     "Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom
     there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his
     earth; in that very day his thoughts perish." Ps. 146: 3, 4.

Those who cling to the idea that man is immortal, when confronted with
texts of Scripture which indicate that the dead are really in the embrace
of death, skillfully advance the

Page 26

idea that it is only the perishable part of man that is spoken of -- his
flesh and bones. But even a cursory reading of the text ought to show to an
earnest seeker after truth that such is not the meaning of the Scripture
teaching. The Spirit is not speaking merely of limb and trunk and muscle
and bone in the words above quoted from the psalmist; He is speaking of the
conscious, thinking, loving, and reasoning part of man. When one's body
ceases to function and "his thoughts perish," there is nothing left to
enjoy existence.

The Spirit does not bear this testimony through the psalmist only. In
Ecclesiastes also the same testimony is given:

     "The living know that they shall die: but the dead 'know not
     anything. . . . Also their love, and their hatred, and their
     envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion
     forever in anything that is done under the sun." "Whatsoever thy
     hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work,
     nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou
     goest." Eccl. 9: 5, 6, 10.

These texts are in perfect harmony with scriptures already quoted from the
New Testament (1 Tim. 6:16 and 1 Cor. 15: 5 1-54) which prove the mortality
of man. When, therefore, Inspiration declares of the dead man that he shall
return to his house no more, it is speaking of the whole man, the
functioning mechanism of thought as well as the ponderable framework of his
physical organism. The "soul" of man comprehends his whole being; and the
Word declares, "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." Eze. 18: 4. The same
words are used again in the 20th verse of the same chapter. If it be
objected that this refers to the death which all die from sickness,
accident, or old age, it will be seen that the argument is self-consuming;
for the righteous, as well as sinners, die that death. The prophet Ezekiel
is speaking of the death which is the eternal punishment for sin, the death
which the revelator calls "the second death," which is visited upon the
wicked alone. (See Rev. 2: 11 ; 20: 6 , 9, 14, 15 ; 21:8.)

When God will confer immortality upon angels, He has not told us; but He
has told us when that blessed condition will be bestowed upon man. Paul was
given a vision of the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ:

Page 27

     "Behold, I show you a mystery: We shall not all sleep [die], but
     we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,
     at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead
     shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. . . . So
     when this corruptible [or mortal] shall have put on incorruption,
     and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be
     brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up
     in victory." 1 Cor. 15: 51-54.

In this scripture are associated two series of words: (1) "corruptible,"
"mortal," "death," all referring to man's condition before the
resurrection; and (2) "incorruptible," "immortal," "victory," all referring
to man after the resurrection. The resurrection has not yet taken place;
man is therefore corruptible, mortal, subject to death, unconscious after
death, awaiting the resurrection call of the Redeemer and Life-giver.
Moreover, we have this divine assurance: "God hath given to us eternal
life, and this life is in His Son." 1 John 5:11. Outside of Him there is no
life, and therefore no immortality possible to man.

If the reader questions now as to when this metamorphosis from mortal to
immortal, from the sleep of death to the glad awakening to eternal day,
takes place, the same prophet-apostle answers the question. He told us in
the above scripture that it would take place "at the last trump," when "the
trumpet shall sound." Let us therefore place alongside this scripture the
following:

     "This we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are
     alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent
     [go before] them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall
     descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the
     Archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ
     shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be
     caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in
     the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort
     one another with these words." 1 Thess. 4: 15-18.

These scriptures leave us without excuse for not knowing when the Prince of
the Restoration will confer the blessed gift of immortality upon those whom
He accounts worthy of the bestowal of such a heritage.

Page 28

Let it be noted in this connection that it is only "the dead in Christ" who
have a part in this resurrection, and only "the dead in Christ" who then
receive the gift of immortality. Of these the revelator says: "Blessed and
holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second
death hath no power." Rev. 20: 6. It follows, therefore, that those who
come up out of their graves in the second resurrection are not blessed and
holy, and that upon them the second death does have power. It is they who
go "up on the breadth of the earth" and surround "the camp of the saints"
and "the beloved city," and upon whom fire comes "down from God out of
heaven," and consumes them. Rev. 20: 9. That fire tries "every man's work
of what sort it is." 1 Cor. 3:13. Of the one class Jesus says, "They shall
walk with Me in white: for they are worthy." Rev. 3: 4. Of the other the
angel says, "Thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy."
Rev. 16: 6. To the one class the invitation is given: "Come, ye blessed of
My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the
world." Matt. 25: 34. To the other class this terrible command is given:
"Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil
and his angels." Verse 41. The one class has come up in the first
resurrection; the other, in the second.

Some may feel that the words "everlasting fire" in the above command imply
that the wicked will be eternally conscious and eternally suffering the
torments of hell. It does not follow that because the fire which devours
the wicked is spoken of as eternal, those who perish in it are immortal.
The Bible says they are mortal, which means subject to death. If they were
immortal, then they might live forever in torment, if God saw fit so to
ordain it; but as they cannot be mortal and immortal at the same time,
cannot be subject to death and beyond the possibility of death at the same
time, and as the Word plainly declares that all men are mortal, we are
forced to the conclusion that the wicked receive the punishment God says
they will,-- they perish.

Some who have been taught to believe in the eternal torment of the wicked,
and have been confronted with the plain and un-

Page 29

equivocal statements of the Bible to the effect that the wicked do
certainly perish, have, in their endeavor to escape from what seems a
dilemma, invented the expression, "the death that never dies." It is not
found in the Bible; it is a contradiction of terms; it is not warranted
from any teachings of the Bible. It is as consistent to say that there is a
life that never lives as to say there is a death that never dies. Both are
impossible.

What, then, is the meaning of eternal fire? It is fire which cannot be
extinguished; fire that will continue to burn until it consumes all that it
has been feeding upon. The same word is used in Jude 7, where the cities of
Sodom and Gomorrah, because of their wickedness, "are set forth for an
example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire." Those cities perished
utterly, and the Dead Sea sleeps above their ashes. They are not burning
now; and yet they suffered the vengeance of eternal fire. They are out of
existence, and the fire has gone out, even though it was eternal fire.
Human hands could not quench it; it would burn on and on till there was
nothing left for it to consume. Even so will it be with the wicked and with
the prince of ruin. The prophet Malachi makes this unmistakable:

     "Behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the
     proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the
     day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that
     it shall leave them neither root nor branch. . . . And ye shall
     tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of
     your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of
     hosts." Mal. 4: 1-3.

When the root of sin (Satan) and the branches (his deluded followers) are
consumed, and all that is left of sin and sinners is ashes under the soles
of the feet of the righteous, their destruction is certainly complete. The
Spirit of Inspiration, speaking through the psalmist, hears the same
testimony: "The wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be
as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume
away. Ps. 37: 20. This destruction involves all there is of man. Said our
Saviour, "Fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."
Matt. 10: 28. Inspiration has put this fact in the plainest possible
language, and has left us absolutely without excuse for believing in the
immortality of

Page 30

the soul of man. Says the prophet Obadiah, in speaking of those outside of
Christ, "They shall be as though they had not been." Obadiah 16. And the
psalmist adds, "Yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou
shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be." Ps. 37:10.

That rids the entire universe of sin; and when this has been accomplished,
it will be impossible to find anything in the whole realm of creation, save
the wounds upon our Saviour's person, to remind the redeemed or any
heavenly intelligences of the sorrowful tragedy of sin. A clean, righteous,
happy universe is the purpose of the sacrifice of Christ, and it will be
accomplished. Then will be true this declaration of Holy Writ:

     "Every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under
     the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them,
     heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be
     unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever
     and ever." Rev. 5: 13.

It is difficult for us today, with sin and misery and disappointment all
around us, to conceive of a world, and beyond that, a whole universe, in
which there is neither complaint nor ground of complaint, no faultfinding,
no dissatisfaction, no overreaching, no selfishness, no misery, no sorrow,
no sickness, no pain, no death; but on every lip praise, thanksgiving,
adoration, satisfaction, and glad approval, and every heart filled with
rejoicing and happiness inexpressible. But such is this world to be, and
this universe, when God has finished with sin and ushered His faithful
people into their long-promised inheritance.
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Page 31

                                 Chapter 4

                         A Deep-laid Satanic Scheme

IN the previous chapter we saw with what patient explicitness Inspiration
has told us of man's mortality and his condition in death. Over and over
the thought has been emphasized, that man in death is unconscious, awaiting
the resurrection. If righteous, he will be ushered into his reward at the
time of the first resurrection; or if adjudged unrighteous, he will come
forth from the grave at the time of the second resurrection, and go down
again into death -- the second death, which is death eternal.

But the instigator of sin is not content to let man believe this
contradiction of his ancient falsehood, "Ye shall not surely die;" and he
has elaborated a deep-laid scheme to unsettle the minds of men, and induce
them, as he induced Adam and Eve, to believe and trust him rather than God;
to cause them to look to themselves for salvation rather than to "the Lamb
of God, which taketh away the sin of the world."

All through heathenism, practically, the belief in the immortality of the
soul has persisted for untold generations; and in the days of the church's
apostasy that belief came into the Christian fold -- a child of paganism.
Unknown to the gospel, unknown to psalmist or prophet, and contrary to the
whole plan of redemption, that belief has won its way until nearly the
whole Christian church is impregnated with it as thoroughly as was paganism
of old. It is one of the most peculiar anomalies of our day that with
civilized lands so full of Bibles, the majority of Christendom should take
for granted a tenet of faith so definitely condemned as is this of man's
inherent immortality. Says C. E. Luthardt, doctor and professor of
theology:

     "There is no inquiry which awakens so much interest as that
     concerning the state of the soul after death; and it is
     remarkable that

Page 32

     there is scarcely any inquiry concerning which Holy Scripture
     makes so few disclosures."--" Saving Truths of Christianity," p.
     298.

Now the fact of the matter is, that Holy Scripture has made very explicit
disclosures concerning the state of the soul after death. The difficulty is
that so few are willing to take these "disclosures" at their face value and
believe them. Something which the Scriptures do not teach seems to be more
pleasing to their fancy. The Bible teaches, and teaches it with wondrous
plainness, that man is mortal; that God alone has immortality; and that
"the soul that sinneth, it shall die."

Paganism, on the other hand, has taught for generations uncounted that man
possesses a never-dying spirit. While Professor Luthardt cannot find much
in the Holy Scriptures to support the immortality tenet, he finds plenty in
pagan lore and custom. Concerning belief in immortality among pagan
peoples, he says:

     "To defend the graves of ancestors was as pressing an interest as
     to defend hearths and altars. They seemed to be the tie which
     bound the people and their country together, and progenitors were
     ever regarded as those guardian spirits of their descendants,
     whom it was considered not merely a domestic but a patriotic duty
     to honor by sacrifice. . . . The dead have never been looked upon
     as having ceased to exist, but as living in another world. . . .
     The very custom of having resting places of the dead in such near
     vicinity to the homes of the living, and thus keeping up, as it
     were, a tie of connection between them, is a memorial of the
     ancient belief that the deceased were not the dead, but the
     living.

     "This belief is universal; it was this belief which in Egypt
     built the pyramids, and to which the mummies bear testimony; it
     was this which bestowed upon the Germanic nations the joyful
     courage with which they met death in the field of battle; it was
     this which gathered the noblest of Greeks about those sacred
     doctrines of the Eleusinian mysteries, which sought to give them
     that consolation in death which their religion did not give.

     "The very existence of the idea of immortality is a proof of its
     truth. . . We call ourselves mortals. Why? Why else than because
     we know ourselves to be immortal? This is the very reason that we
     are constantly reminding ourselves that we are mortal.
     Consciousness of our immortality is itself a proof of its
     truth."-- Ibid.

This is a marvelous method of reasoning. We know we are immortal, and
therefore we keep reminding ourselves that we

Page 33

are not immortal. We know that we cannot die, and therefore keep impressing
ourselves with the fact that we can and do die. We know that we are white,
and therefore declare we are brown or yellow or black. We know that we are
poor, and therefore habitually protest that we are rich. We know that we
are sick, and prove that we are by professing that we are well. But why
continue the illustration of the peculiar method by which the immortality
of the soul is demonstrated? If such an argument proves the immortality of
the soul, then anything can be proved true by first proving that it is
false; and whatever we declare we do not have is the thing we have.

But can we demonstrate to a Christian that he is immortal by simply showing
that the pagan world has always believed in immortality? The Christian
looks to his Bible for guidance in such matters, and his Bible tells him in
language most plain and unequivocal that God "only hath immortality." The
heathen world always believed in communication with the dead; but the true
Christian does not draw his inspiration or his guidance from heathenism,
but from the Bible; and the Bible declares in language as plain as can be
used:

     "The living know that they shall die: but the dead know not
     anything. . . . Also their love, and their hatred, and their
     envy, is now perished.. . . Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do
     it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor
     knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest." Eccl.
     9: 5-10.

The heathen world in all ages communicated with their dead -- as they
supposed -- and sacrificed to their dead. But Paul declares that "the
things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils [demons, and
not to God: and I would, not that ye should have fellowship with devils." 1
Cor. 10: 20. The same Word that warns us against following the practice of
the heathen in sacrificing to the dead, warns us also against communicating
with the dead -- or seeking to:

     "When they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar
     spirits, and unto wizards that peep and that mutter: should not a
     people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead? [" on
     behalf of the living should they seek unto the dead?" R. V.]"
     Isa. 8: 19.

Page 34

Again, this positive command was given to God's people Israel:

     "Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after
     wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God." Lev. 19:
     31.

So long as God's people anciently sought after wizards, witches, and
necromancers (all practisers of Spiritism), God considered them defiled;
and He tells them in immediate connection with that prohibition, "I am the
Lord' your God." There are the two ways in which they can go,-- after
wizards and Spiritists (those who have familiar spirits), and be reckoned
as defiled in His eyes; or follow Him, walking in the ways of
righteousness, doing His will, and be reckoned by Him as worthy subjects of
His everlasting kingdom. They cannot do both. Into His kingdom nothing of
that nature can enter. The revelator has declared this in the following
words, which are spoken concerning the capital city of the kingdom of God:

     "There shall in nowise enter into it anything that defileth,
     neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they
     which are written in the Lamb's book of life." Rev. 21: 37.

He has explained to us in the words previously quoted what it is that
defiles. Therefore, in the practice of Spiritism men and women are doing
that which defiles them; and being defiled, their entrance into the eternal
kingdom of God is made impossible. It is, then, a most serious offense to
practise Spiritism.

How serious God considered it is shown by the punishment to be meted out to
those who indulged in the practice of Spiritism in the days of Israel, and
meted out, too, by divine command:

     "A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a
     wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with
     stones: their blood shall be upon them." Lev. 20: 27.

"Whatsoever worketh abomination" is excluded from the kingdom, as
explicitly declared in the words above quoted from the Revelation. What God
considers an abomination He has told us in the following scripture:

     "When thou [Israel] art come into the land which the Lord thy God
     giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of

Page 35

     those nations. There shall not be found among you any one that
     maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that
     useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a
     witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a
     wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an
     abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the
     Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee." Deut. 18:
     9-12.

What Jehovah would not permit to enter the typical Promised Land, He will
not permit to enter the antitypical Promised Land, the inheritance of the
saints.

If the question is asked why consulting with familiar spirits (Spiritism)
is an abomination to Jehovah, the answer is found in the fact that this
practice is based upon a belief in Satan's falsehood told to Eve in the
garden of Eden, "Ye shall not surely die." For believing that lie and
acting upon it, God drove the first pair out of Eden; for believing that
same lie and practising communication with those who represented themselves
as being the spirits of the departed, God drove the heathen inhabitants out
of the land of Palestine, and in their place settled Israel. Then He warned
Israel not to follow after those abominations; and now He warns us that if
we practise the same abominations, we shall be excluded from the heavenly
kingdom.

It is certainly worth our while to study the immortal-soul question and the
Spiritism question (that is based upon it) from the Bible standpoint,
rather than depend for our information and our attitude toward these
questions upon the practices and teachings of heathen ism and spirit
messages purporting to come from the dead.

He who contradicts the Bible -- the Word of God -- upon any point, is
doing, either wittingly or unwittingly, what Satan did in his conversation
with Eve in the garden of Eden. God had warned man that if he disobeyed, he
would surely die. Satan said, "Ye shall not surely die;" and the
immortality hypothesis and the Spiritism hypothesis have both grown out of
that satanic contradiction of God's declaration.

Heathenism through all its history has followed Satan in contradicting God,
by claiming that man never dies, but passes on to a higher plane of life.
That doctrine has permeated the

Page 36

church since the days of the great apostasy, and is now almost universally
believed throughout Christendom in the tenet of immortality. Nevertheless,
it is a perpetuation of Satan's denial of God's declaration, though made
unwittingly. That it should still be made, however, in view of the
plainness of Bible teaching upon the point, is one of the most
unexplainable anomalies of our times. We may expect it from Spiritists; for
they have thrown the Bible aside in practice, quoting from it only texts
which do not condemn their hypothesis and their practices, and discounting
every scripture that shows the fallacy of their claims, and the iniquity of
seeking to the dead on behalf of the living. When doctors of divinity do
the same, it is then that the kingdom of evil is doubly strengthened, and
the Lord that bought them doubly humiliated.

I have quoted from a doctor of divinity concerning the survival of man
after death, and will now turn to the writings of those who openly carry
the immortality hypothesis to its logical conclusion,-- communication with
those whom they call "the spirits of the dead." If the "dead" are really
alive, there would seemingly be no logical reason, from a human standpoint,
why those who still live in the flesh should not communicate with them. God
has forbidden it, to be sure, and for the very good reason that He knows
that they who indulge in it are playing into the hands of Satan, falling
into his trap, permitting him to deceive them through his impersonation of
their dead, and through that deception finally accomplishing their
destruction.

In a work entitled, "The Truth About Our Dead," by Lida A. Churchill, many
statements are made which bear directly upon the points in question. The
opening sentence asks:

"Does any one know the truth about our dead?" Yes; the Author of our
existence knows, and He has told us very plainly; and they who believe what
He says will also know what is the truth in this matter. What He has told
us concerning this matter has already been set forth in these pages. It is
an emphatic contradiction, however, of every definite position taken in the
book mentioned. "The truth about our dead," says the author in question,
"has now been sought and found;

Page 37

not guesses or deductions, but the real truth; not theories about the dead,
but experiences among them; not faith about their world, but observances of
it" (italics hers).

What has that author found? This: "That our dead are far more vividly alive
in their new state than they were in the old." Some one is mistaken. It is
either the author in question, or it is the Book which we have so long
considered to be the living word of the living God. We have demonstrated
the Book of God to be true, to be what it purports to be. Shall we discard
it now because some "spirits," rapping out wooden messages on a wooden
table, contradict the Book? Shall we disbelieve the Book because some power
we cannot see and cannot control is able to make a table skip about a room
on one leg, or lifts that table into the air and rends it in pieces? Shall
we disbelieve the Book because some power that cannot be seen grips the
hand of a willing individual, and writes vapid, inane, and sometimes
obscene messages, that the person himself would never think of writing if
left to himself? Either Spiritism is true, or the Bible is true. They
cannot both be true, for they are diametrically opposed each to the other.

But what does the author of "The Truth About Our Dead" really know about
"experiences among them"? She has not been dead and returned from the grave
to mingle with the living. What she thinks she knows, she knows only from
messages received through spirit mediums. These messages purport to come
from the dead; but they come only from those who falsely represent
themselves so to be. The dead are not speaking, and she has not had
experiences among them.

The declaration of Inspiration through the prophet Job (Job 7:10) to the
effect that the dead man returns no more to his house, has 'already been
given. Now let there be placed alongside that scripture a quotation from
the book referred to:

     "It is as absurd to assert that the so-called dead do not
     sometimes return as it would be to declare that they were never
     born and have never passed on from this life."
     --"The Truth About Our Dead," p. 20.

This not only contradicts the Bible point-blank, but declares that this
declaration of the Bible is an absurdity. Think of the presumption of a
poor fallible mortal in using such language

Page 38

against the word of the Creator! Who should know best? Who does know best?

Already there have been presented in these pages scriptures declaring in
the plainest language that all the functions of man's mental powers cease
at death. Ps. 146: 3, 4; EccI. 9:5, 6, 10.

But the author in question declares:

     "Our so-called dead really live. They live as their own natural
     selves in natural bodies. They keep their natural love for and
     interest in their families and friends."-- Id., p. 21.

There is a conflict here, a flat contradiction. If the author of the book
mentioned is right, then the devil was right in Eden when he declared, "Ye
shall not surely die;" and if that be so, God is the deceiver, and Satan
the author of truth. If that be so, the Bible is not only worthless, but
false, and Spiritists themselves, who profess to reverence it, are without
excuse for so doing. But is it false or worthless? Nay, verily. We have
proved the Bible true and dependable on too many counts to accept the
adverse testimony of witnesses who speak always out of the darkness to
defend the declarations of the fallen Lucifer.

The Bible speaks of death as an enemy of man. It is God's pronounced
penalty for sin. It was not on God's program, and will not be in His
universe when He has finished with sin. Note these scriptures:

     "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death." 1 Cor. 15: 26.

     "The soul that sinneth, it shall die [referring to the second
     death]." Eze. 18: 4, 20.

     "Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the
     Lord God: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?"
     Verse 23.

     "I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the
     Lord God: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye." Verse 32.

     "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes [the eyes of His
     redeemed people] and there shall be no more death, neither
     sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the
     former things are passed away." Rev. 21: 4.

These scriptures show that death is something that was entirely outside of
God's original purpose; that it is not natural in God's program for man;
and that when the gospel work is

Page 39

finished, death will be thrust out of His universe forever. With these
scriptures in mind, we turn again to the pages of "The Truth About Our
Dead," and find this:

     "Death, so-called, is just as natural as birth, and is simply a
     transition to another plane and somewhat changed mode of
     existence.

     "To those who are on it, that plane is as real and substantial
     and fitted to their needs as is the earth substantial and fitted
     to the needs of those who dwell upon it."-- Page 35.

The contradiction here is as decided and clear-cut as any of the others
which we have pointed out. God's Word says death is an enemy, a punishment
for sin, a process of extinction. The writings of one who professes to have
been among the dead, and to be speaking of their occupations, teach that
death is as natural as life, a necessary step in passing from one state of
existence to another, as much in the plan of the overruling Power as that
we should have any existence at all. Both cannot be true; and again we have
to make choice of whom we shall believe and whom we shall follow,-- God, or
His enemy who has contradicted God's declarations from the early morning of
the race, and who is now throwing the black pall of his deadly deception
over a war-weary and grief-stricken world. We should have no question as to
whose leadership we shall choose.

While God is declaring that "there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge,
nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest," the author of "The Truth
About Our Dead" declares, "Death is another and more advanced phase of
life, and one is as natural as the other."-- Page 41. With what marvelous
tenacity does Satan cling to his ancient falsehood!
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Page 40

                                 Chapter 5

                           "Ye Shall Be as Gods"

GOD recognized the sinful condition of man, and provided a remedy which
would obviate the necessity of man's perishing. "God so loved the world,
that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should
not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16. And again Inspiration
declares, "When we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for
the ungodly." Rom. 5: 6. God considers that there are ungodly people in the
world, and that their case is desperate; and outside of the provision He
has made, there is no hope for man. But the Spiritist does not so look upon
it. We read:

     "As a matter of fact there are, at the stage of evolution which
     we know, no really ungodly nor godly. . . . The declaration that
     each one of us is a god in the making, is as literally true as
     that the caterpillar is a butterfly in the making."--" The Truth
     About Our Dead," page 69.

Here are two declarations of Spiritism, one denying the Word of God, and
the other supporting the words of Satan. Both are therefore opposed to God
and in favor of Satan. Are there no ungodly in the world? If there are not,
then the life of Christ on earth, His sacrifice on our behalf, and His
resurrection, were all equally unnecessary and equally worthless. If there
are no ungodly now, then there never have been any in the world, and
Christianity and all that pertains to it is a worthless shell, husks,
chaff, and there never was any necessity for Christ to come to this world.
Furthermore, if that be true, He is not only useless and worthless, but He
is an absolute impostor; for He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the
life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." John 14: 6. Again He said,
"I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more
abundantly." John 10:10. If those words mean anything, they mean not only
that outside and apart from Him there is no abundance of life, but that
there is no life at all. Peter stated it very plainly in just that way:
"Neither is there

Page 41

salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given
among men, whereby we must be saved." Acts 4:12.

The Word declares, "All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."
Rom. 3: 23. None certainly can deny that to be ungodly (or ungodlike) is to
come short of God's purpose, to come short of His aim for us. And in the
judgment of God, all mankind are in that state. It is not a hopeless state,
however; for says the Word again, "In due time Christ died for the
ungodly." Rom. 5: 6. Because Christ died for the ungodly, the ungodly may
be saved. "Thou shalt call His name Jesus: for He shall save His people
from their sins." Matt. 1: 21. Whoever is counted a sinner in the sight of
heaven is ungodly, and is in need of a Saviour; and there is only one
provided,-- Jesus Christ the righteous, the one and the only one who "did
no sin; " for says the apostle, "What things soever the law saith, it saith
to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the
world may become guilty before God." Rom. 3:19. Then all the world is in
need of a Saviour, and in need of one who can "save to the uttermost" them
"that come unto God by Him." Heb. 7: 25.

Having died for the ungodly, we may know that Jesus Christ has made it His
chief concern to bring the ungodly to repentance, and to restore in them
the image of the divine character, so bringing to them eternal salvation.
He finds them ungodly, invites them to set their feet in the way of life,
to turn away from iniquity and seek after righteousness, and creates within
them a clean heart. Then their iniquity and ungodliness are forgiven, and
we read of the man who has passed through that experience, "Blessed is the
man to whom the Lord will not impute sin." Rom. 4: 8.

Spiritism may continue to deny the existence of the ungodly; but all that
heaven has done for man's redemption is done upon the basis that there are
ungodly people in the world. 'Heaven affirms this fact, and Spiritism
denies it. Jesus Christ gave Himself for the one purpose of bringing the
ungodly to repentance and salvation. Spiritism, in denying the existence of
the ungodly, denies the necessity of Christ's sacrifice and the necessity
of redemption; and in denying of Christ what Christ

Page 42

affirms of Himself, Spiritism sets itself against the most fundamental and
most vital principles of Christianity. It may, and does, use the language
of the sacred Book; but the voice is the voice of him who denied the
declarations of the Deity in the garden of Eden, and spread the black pall
of sin over the whole habitable world.

Satan declared to Eve, "Ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil," and
Spiritism says (in the last quotation from "The Truth About Our Dead ")'
"Each one of us is a god in the making." Thus we see that the declarations
of Spiritism are either a denial of the Bible and the words of Jesus
Christ, or an affirmation of some declaration of the spirit of evil.
However we take it, what Spiritism denies is what Satan denies, and what
Spiritism affirms is what Satan affirms. Again, what Spiritism denies,
God's Word affirms; and what Spiritism affirms, God's Word denies. The
issue is clear-cut, and no one who desires to be a true and sincere
follower of Jesus Christ ought to be for a moment in doubt as to what
attitude he should assume toward Spiritism.

The declarations of Holy Writ are very clear to the effect that outside of
Christ there is absolutely no hope of eternal life for any of these "gods
in the making." "In Him was life; and the life was the light of men." John
1: 4. Again: "Ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life." John 5: 40.
"I am the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall he saved, and shall go
in and out, and find pasture." John 10: 9. "He that believeth on the Son
hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see
life; but the wrath of God abideth on Him." John 3:36.

Thus all who are outside of Christ, all who do not believe on Him as the
all-sufficient and all-needful Saviour of the world, even though they
consider themselves "gods in the making," are doomed to eternal extinction.
They "shall not see life;" and this on the emphatic declaration of the One
whom even Spiritists claim to honor as the great Teacher. Again He said, "I
am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were
dead, yet shall he live." John 11: 25. He recognizes death and life as two
opposite conditions. Spiritists, on the

Page 43

other hand, while professing to honor Him, deny His teaching, and claim
that death is merely a continuation of life. He recognizes death as the
cessation of life, and the resurrection as the cessation of death. In this
He is in perfect harmony with the declarations of Inspiration through the
prophet Isaiah: "Thy dead men shall live, together with My dead body shall
they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the
dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead." Isa. 26:19.

It is hardly conceivable that gods, even in the making, should go down into
death. Neither God nor Christ has anywhere told man that men are "gods in
the making." Satan taught man that lesson in unholy ambition; and the first
step man took after that lesson sent him to the grave, there to remain
until the hand of the Life-giver shall sunder the rusty bars of the prison
house of death, speak life to the long-silent prisoners, and bid them go
forth again into the sunlight of their Father's love. They are dead,
waiting through the sorrow-sodden centuries for the summons of the great
Redeemer. Their pillow is the dust, their dew the dew of herbs; but their
hope is knit into the unbreakable cable of divine love; and when the voice
of the Archangel rolls around a reeling, waiting world, and the trump of
the eternal God bursts out of the sundered sky, there is no power of man or
earth or demon that can hold the manumitted prisoners of hope. They are not
gods, but they are God's own.

That is the hope of those whose lives are hid with Christ in God; but it is
the hope of only such -- so far as God gives us hope. Spiritism says: "No
soul can be forever lost." (" The Truth About Our Dead," p. 70.) But the
Word declares of those outside of Christ, that to them "is reserved the
blackness of darkness forever." Jude 13. Those who are in that condition
are certainly "lost." The psalmist says: " Yet a little while, and the
wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it
shall not be." "The wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall
be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume
away. Ps. 37:10, 20. Malachi speaks of the wicked as "ashes" under the feet
of the righteous, in the day when the Lord of

Page 44

hosts shall punish the wickedness of the wicked. Mal. 4:1-3. They were not
"gods in the making," in spite of Satan's promises and Spiritism's
assurances. They were men and women placed in this world on probation, and
chose to use their time and opportunities to advance their own selfish
interests, and went to their graves or came up to the great and final day
with no shield between their souls and divine justice. Says the apostle
Paul, "The fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is." 1 Cor.
3:13. If we have crucified self, if our lives are hid with Christ in God,
the fires of that day will not harm us; for we shall be "caught up" out of
the fiery welter of ruin to "meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever
be with the Lord." 1 Thess. 4:17.

The inspired apostle gives one more very positive declaration as to whether
men are undying and imperishable and gods in the making." He says:

     "To you that are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall
     be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire
     taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the
     gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with
     everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from
     the glory of His power; when He shall come to be glorified in His
     saints, and to be admired in all them that believe . . . in that
     day." 2 Thess. 1: 7-10.

While the Book of God plainly declares the utter destruction finally of all
the impenitent, and that, too, by literal fire, Spiritism denies the whole
idea of destruction, and makes this affirmation:

     "The lower and lowest types of mankind will unquestionably
     suffer, not from literal flames, but from cravings for drink,
     clamorings of lust, the clutchings of greed for gold, and many
     other insistent demands which can never be satisfied, and from
     the remorse which crime and cruelty and tyranny entail."--" The
     Truth About Our Dead," p. 72.

According to Spiritism, therefore, the hell of the lowest and most
incorrigible spirits is no worse than a gaol for sinners and criminals in
the flesh. How different is this from the simple Bible statement of the
fate of the wicked! The Spiritist declares:

Page 45

     "'The way of the ungodly shall perish.' This statement of the
     psalmist is literally true. Not the ungodly, but his way shall
     perish." --Id., p. 75.

But the psalmist also says: "The wicked shall perish: . they shall consume;
into smoke shall they consume away. Ps. 37: 20. This is plain; but it
unhorses Spiritism.

The divine Word positively contradicts the idea that "no soul can be
forever lost." Satan said, "Ye shall not surely die;" Spiritism says, "No
soul can be forever lost." These two agree. But the Bible says, "The wicked
shall perish: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.
"They shall be as though they had not been." Obadiah 16.

Where, then, does Spiritism stand -- with God, or against Him? with Satan,
or against him? It has rejected God, and chosen His enemy. The prince of
ruin is thus found to be the originator of the basic idea of Spiritism. The
Prince of the Restoration has given us the truth of these weighty matters
through prophets and apostles inspired by Him. The prince of ruin has given
his willfully wicked perversion of these truths and his contradiction of
them through spirit mediums inspired by him.

In this controversy between the prince of ruin and the Prince of the
Restoration, Spiritism upholds the former and contradicts the latter, and
in doing so, is, in turn, upheld by heathenism. Through ages past
heathenism has held to the continuity of life after "the change called
death." In a book entitled, "The Song Celestial" (book 2, pages 8, 9),
translated from the Sanskrit by Sir Edwin Arnold, occur the following
expressions of Brahman philosophy concerning the idea of man's inherent
immortality:

                               "That which is
                  Can never cease to be; that which is not
                              Will not exist."

                  "Nor I, nor thou, nor any one of these,
                    Ever was not, nor ever will not be,
                       Forever and forever afterwards
                     All that doth live, lives always."

Page 46

      "Never the spirit was born; the spirit shall cease to be never;
          Never was time it was not; End and Beginning are dreams!
        Birthless and deathless and changeless remaineth the spirit
                                  forever;
       Death hath not touched it at all, dead though the house of it
                                  seems."

These expressions occur in the exhortation of the god Krishna (Brahma) to
the prince Arjuna to go on with the battle which he had planned, and slay
his enemies. The slaying of one's fellow men is permissible, he teaches,
because, though he slays men, they do not die, and he has done no wrong.

It can readily be seen how this philosophy cheapens one's respect for life,
and makes the taking of human life seem a harmless thing to those holding
such a belief. And this teaching comes, too, from the lips of Krishna, the
Brahman's god of all gods. Thus does heathenism support Spiritism, and
Spiritism support the doctrine of Satan, which robbed the world of
righteousness and innocency, and turned the earth itself into a charnel
house of disease and dead men's bones.
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                                 Chapter 6

                     The Church Challenged by Spiritism

THE Christian church today is challenged by Spiritism -- not merely by the
fact that Spiritism is sweeping around the globe like a spiritual influenza
epidemic; but an actual challenge is thrown out by Spiritism, demanding
that the church show a reason for the continuation of its existence. Until
the church accepts Spiritism, the Spiritist claims that she is standing
still and refusing to progress.

Mr. W. Britton Harvey, editor of the Harbinger of Light, speaks thus of the
church's refusal to progress -- along the lines of Spiritism:

     "It is a great drawback to the spiritual enlightenment of the
     people of Australia that there is no outstanding representative
     of the Christian church who 'will boldly declare that, inasmuch
     as the revelation of truth is a progressive process, it is
     possible that we have reached an age in which the outpouring is
     being accentuated, and that what is known as Spiritualism may be
     the channel divinely selected for the manifestation of the
     purposes of the Most High. We do not suggest that this should be
     definitely asserted as a fact, but that the possibility should be
     admitted ; and that, consequently, the varied phenomena
     associated with Spiritualism should be closely examined, and in
     every respect approached with an open mind.

     "This does not appear to be a very unreasonable proposition, and
     if applied to any other department of inquiry -- a new scientific
     theory, for instance -- would be readily assented to. Otherwise
     there could be no progress in knowledge. We should be at an
     intellectual standstill. But when we ask that the same principle
     be applied to religion, we are usually met with a flat refusal,
     and assured that the truth has been revealed once and for all,
     and that there can be no revision. We, therefore, reach
     stagnation, and declare, in effect, that progressive revelation
     is nothing but a myth. The words of the Christ, that there were
     many things yet to be revealed, thus become meaningless. In other
     words, puny man presumes to limit the operations of the Almighty,
     and make Him indifferent to the growing spiritual needs of a
     seeking and progressive generation."-- Harbinger of Light, June
     1, 1921.

What Mr. Harvey is pleading for, professedly in the interests of the church
itself, is that influential ministers of the gospel

Page 48

should take a bold stand in encouraging their parishioners to investigate
Spiritism, upon the possibility that Spiritism may be the channel through
which the Most High will pour out the Holy Spirit upon the churches. Can we
grant that there is such a possibility? Can we logically presume that what
Jehovah cursed and absolutely prohibited under the patriarchal and
Levitical dispensations, He will sanction and bless and use under the
Christian dispensation? He says, "I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye
sons of Jacob are not consumed." Mal. 3: 6. Again ; "Jesus Christ the same
yesterday, and today, and forever." Heb. 13: 8.

Truth is eternal, rather than progressive, or in need of revision, because
it is of the nature of God. We speak of things or individuals as
progressive that are not yet perfect. We cannot speak thus of the
omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, and eternal God as progressive. We may
progress from truth to truth, and thus come nearer and nearer to the divine
likeness; but God and truth are eternally the same; and His truth is in no
more need of revision than He is in need of change.

Through the eternal ages it will continue true that salvation from sin was
provided of God in Jesus Christ, and that there was no other provision
made, no other through whom salvation could come to man. But Spiritism,
upon the assumption that revealed truth needs revision, discards the
principle of life through Christ and through Him alone, and teaches mankind
to believe that life is continuous; that we do not need Jesus Christ to
make eternal life possible; rather, that it is impossible to cause life to
cease. That is not truth progressive or revised; it is truth contradicted;
it is truth made to appear a lie. The Christ Himself declared, "I am come
that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."
John 10:10. According to this declaration of our Lord, what would have been
the result had Christ not come?-- The absence of life. So He is called the
Life- giver. "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye
also appear with Him in glory." Col. 3:4.

These are fundamental truths of the gospel, as declared by the Son of God
Himself, and by Inspiration through the apostle

Page 49

Paul. This apostle found some among the Galatians who were preaching a
different gospel from that revealed to him by the Lord Jesus Christ; and of
them and their "progressive revelation" or "revised truth" he says:

     "Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto
     you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be
     accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man
     preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let
     him be accursed." Gal. 1: 8, 9.

Spiritism is certainly a different gospel from that taught by Jesus Christ
or His apostle Paul. Whereas the true gospel teaches salvation through
Jesus Christ alone, Spiritism teaches salvation as a progressive process,
going on in a life beyond the tomb; and in the assertion of that life, it
denies the explicit teaching of Holy Writ that the dead sleep until the
resurrection.

Mr. Harvey pleads that the churches should investigate Spiritism as we do
any other scientific theory; but Spiritism is not on the same basis as
scientific theories. Spiritism is a denial of the most fundamental
principles of the gospel, and seeks to prove itself true and the things it
denies untrue by psychical demonstrations, spirit photography,
table-rapping and table-moving, levitation, automatic writing, planchette
and ouija-board messages, trance-medium speaking, etc. When we investigate
these manifestations to see whether or not Spiritism's claims are true,
admitting at the same time the possibility that they may be true, then by
that same token and in that same investigation we are seeking to determine
whether the fundamental principles of the gospel are true or not, and we
are admitting the possibility that they may not be true; because Spiritism
denies the gospel's very foundation; and if Spiritism be true, Christianity
with all it stands for is a fabrication of the mind founded upon the
shifting sand of human fancy.

Shall we, then, admit the possibility that the gospel as outlined in Holy
Writ is untrue? that Jesus was mistaken in His teachings and gave His life
for naught? that the disciples were hoodwinked into the acceptance of a
system of religion founded upon misrepresentation and falsehood, and
deluded in placing

Page 50

their hope and trust in One who was mistaken in His mission? that Paul was
indeed beating the air when he was contending for the faith once delivered
to the saints? We admit the possibility of all that when we investigate the
phenomena of Spiritism to determine whether that or the gospel is the
truth; whether that or Jesus Christ is false.

Mr. Harvey considers it necessary to make this investigation and to follow
the leadings of Spiritism, else we shall "be at an intellectual
standstill." Until we have learned and exhausted all the treasures of
divine truth revealed in the Word of God, it is not necessary to look
elsewhere for spiritual leadership. God has left us a mine of intellectual
and spiritual wealth as inexhaustible as Deity itself, in the Book given to
us through inspired prophets and apostles and the teachings of the Christ
Himself. Are these empty now and exhausted? If this were possible, it were
better for us to wait until the Deity Himself had filled them again, rather
than accept a system of intellectual progress that denies them and leads
away from them into the hopeless abyss of oblivion. Even though that way
were studded with myriads of scintillating diamonds, if it leads away from
the gospel, it leads to the pit of doom.

Mr. Harvey complains that Spiritism's plea for an investigation of spirit
phenomena is met by the church "with a flat refusal." Well would it be for
the church if this were as true as it ought to be and as he says it is. He
is "assured [by the church] that the truth has been revealed once and for
all, and that there can be no revision." Very well; truth that needs
revision is not truth. Who will revise the truth of God? Are the peeping
and muttering and table-breaking spirits fit workmen for that task which
even Divinity will not attempt? We deny both their capacity and their
authority.

It is indeed true that Jesus said, "I have yet many things to say unto you,
but ye cannot bear them now" (John 16:12); but nowhere did He declare that
when He should tell them, they would contradict or be a revision of the
things already told. Those things which His disciples could not bear then,
He told them later, or revealed through Peter and Paul and James and Jude
and John in their epistles, and through John again in the

Page 51

Revelation. In none of these do we find a denial of the basic principles of
the gospel.

Spiritism comes to us now, claiming to have those other revelations; but it
bears the earmarks of the counterfeit, for it denies the very foundations
upon which the others builded, and denies the necessity for the sacrifice
of Christ. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews declares: "Christ was
once offered to bear the sins of' many; and unto them that look for Him
shall He appear the second time without sin [or not as a sin offering] unto
salvation." Heb. 9: 28. "But this Man [Christ], after He had offered one
sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God; from
henceforth expecting till His enemies be made His footstool." Heb. 10: 12,
13.

In Spiritism's creed, salvation does not depend upon the sacrificial
offering of Christ. From a work written by Rev.) G. Vale Owen at the
dictation of a spirit who called himself Zabdiel, I take this significant
statement:

     "I have heard, moreover, and believe it true, that those who
     worship the Father God by other rules than the Christian are
     likewise tended at their great festivals by their own special
     guiding, watching angels."--"The Life Beyond the Veil," book 2,
     p. 157.

What are we to infer from this, except that those who follow Confucius,
Buddha, and Mohammed are as certain of eternal life as those who trust in
the sacrifice offered for man on Calvary? Each seems equally acceptable to
God, according to this teaching of Spiritism, in spite of the plain and
very positive declaration of God's Word that "there is none other name
under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Acts 4:12. And yet
Spiritism uses the very language of Scripture, and some of the very words
of our Saviour Himself, in which to conceal the subtle poison of its deadly
doctrine.

The pure gospel of Jesus Christ does not "limit the operations of the
Almighty," nor "make Him indifferent to the growing spiritual needs of a
seeking and progressive generation." A seeking and progressive generation
must be saved through exactly the same sacrifice and by exactly the same
process that men are saved by who lived in the days of Christ and of Paul,
of Luther and the Wesleys. There is no respect

Page 52

of persons and no partiality with God. The "operations of the Almighty"
cannot be limited by humanity, nor can they be revised or extended by
mutterings from the spirit world which deny the need for Calvary's offering
and contradict the plan of God by teaching salvation through one's own
efforts in a continuation of life beyond the tomb. God is not necessarily
limited in His revelations to prophets and apostles; but all further
revelations from Him will be in harmony with those already given.
Revelations which purport to come from Him, but which contradict those
already given, bear their own stamp of fraud and deceit. "To the law and to
the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because
there is no light in them." Isa. 8: 20. That is the divine touchstone, the
divine acid test; and the verse immediately preceding the one quoted shows
that it is to be applied to Spiritism primarily.

Mr. Harvey, continuing his plea that the church investigate Spiritism,
says:

     "This is the only way of adding to our store of spiritual
     knowledge. And it is knowledge -- knowledge that shall buttress a
     wavering faith in the only things that really matter -- that
     thoughtful men and women are seeking today. Above all else they
     want to know: 'If a man die, shall he live again?' They put that
     question to the church, and the church replies: 'Yes.' Then they
     ask for proof. 'We have none,' is the reply, 'apart from the
     statements contained in the Scriptures.' But 'statements' are not
     'proofs,' and as no further advance can be made, the hungry are
     sent empty away. The church, in short, has no proof that there is
     a spiritual world at all. As Canon Adderley admits: 'The church
     can only assume that there is another world. It does not know. It
     has remained for science to provide the proof, and yet,
     notwithstanding all the evidence adduced, the church still
     prefers to cling to mere assumption.' "--Harbinger of Light, June
     1, 1921.

But let us look into these most astonishing statements. Here is Spiritism
professing to be setting forth the revised truth of God for "the growing '
spiritual needs of a seeking and progressive generation," and what is its
attitude toward the truth of God already revealed, as we have it in the
Bible? The statements found in that Book of truth, spoken by the Christ
Himself, or written by His inspired penmen, are not "proof" to them; they
are only "statements," "assumption." And when we give them to persons
hungry for the truth,-- and that is

Page 53

all we have to give,-- these hungry seekers "are sent empty away." After
such statements as these, it is incomprehensible to the writer how
Spiritism can make any claim at all to a belief in the God of the Bible, or
in Jesus Christ as even a great teacher.

Jesus Christ answered the question, "If a man die, shall he live again?" in
these plain words:

     "Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all
     that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come
     forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life;
     and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of
     damnation." John: 28, 29.

Does that not answer the question? or is it only assumption, and not proof?
If that is only a "statement," only "assumption," and not "proof," then we
can put no dependence in any of the teachings of the Man of Nazareth, and
He is not what He said He was,--" the way, the truth, and the life."

It was Job who asked the question, "If a man die, shall he live again? "and
under the spell of inspiration he answered it:

     "All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change
     come. Thou shalt call, and I will answer Thee: Thou wilt have a
     desire to the work of Thine hands." Job 14: 14, 15.

He says that he will wait till his change shall come. But where will you
wait, Job? Job answers: "If I wait, the grave is mine house: I have made my
bed in the darkness." Job 17:13. Therefore in the grave Job would wait; he
would be in the grave during all his "appointed time," until God should
call; and when God does call, Job will stand up and answer. He will be
among those of whom the prophet Isaiah speaks, who will "awake and sing." I
have already quoted Isaiah's wonderful words; but inasmuch as they also
answer the question of a future life, I will quote them again:

     "Thy dead men shall live, together with My dead body shall they
     arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew
     is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead."
     Isa. 26: 19.

The psalmist also expresses the assurance of eternal life when he says, "I
will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Ps. 23: 6. In that assurance
he could "walk through the

Page 54

valley of the shadow of death" and "fear no evil." He it was also who
declared: "I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Thy likeness." Ps.
17:15. Job, in spite of his misery, had the same glad assurance and hope
when he declared:

     "I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the
     latter day upon the earth: and though after my skin worms destroy
     this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: whom I shall see for
     myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another [or not as a
     stranger]; though my reins be consumed within me." Job 19: 25-27.

The apostle Paul, whose writings were indited by the Spirit of Inspiration,
and who tells us that the gospel which he preached be did not receive from
man, but from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself (Gal. 1: 12-19), has given his
testimony concerning the prospect of man's living again. Let us hear him:

     "Behold, I show you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we
     shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at
     the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall
     be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this
     corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on
     immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on
     incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then
     shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is
     swallowed up in victory. . . . Thanks be to God, which giveth us
     the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Cor. 15: 51-57.

Paul speaks as the veritable mouthpiece of the Lord Jesus Christ. He
declares, as our Lord declares with His own lips, that man shall live
again. The dead will leave their graves at the summons of the Life-giver.

     "I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books
     were opened: and another book was opened, which is the hook of
     life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were
     written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave
     up the dead which were in it; and death and hell [" the grave,"
     margin ] delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were
     judged every man according to their works. And death and hell
     were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And
     whosoever was not found written in the hook of life was cast into
     the lake of fire." Rev. 20: 12-15.

Upon such testimony as the foregoing the Christian church bases its belief
in the affirmative answer to Job's question, "If

Page 55

a man die, shall he live again?" Are these positive testimonies of
prophets, apostles, and of Jesus Christ Himself, to be tossed aside as mere
"statements" unproved, assumptions founded upon nothing tangible, while we
place our confidence and hope and trust in the inane mumblings of those
who, through "familiar spirits," seek to the dead on behalf of the living?
Woe betide those who do; for they are casting away every possibility of
immortality while they follow the ignis fatuus of satanic falsehood into
the quicksands of eternal death.

Nor is it easy to understand the position of Canon Adderley, that "the
church can only assume that there is another world;" that "it does not
know;" and that "notwithstanding all the evidence adduced [by Spiritism],
the church still prefers to cling to mere assumption." The church does
know, if it believes the Christ who founded it, and the apostles through
whom He spoke to it, and who sealed their testimony with their blood.
Surely a canon of the church will not say that such positive declarations
as we have read from our Saviour are only "statements" and "assumption,"
unless he has accepted the destructive philosophy of the "higher
criticism," which is Ingersollism in a clerical collar and stole; or unless
the wanderings of a planchette over a sheet of paper have convinced him
that he ought to deny the Lord who bought him. Only under such
circumstances can we understand the "assumptions of the canon; for the
authorship of all such messages has to be assumed. They purport to come
from the dead; he assumes that they tell the truth, because they speak of
things which only he and the departed friend or relative knew about,
forgetting that invisible watchers are intimately acquainted with every
detail of one's life, and that some of these invisible watchers are of the
fallen hosts of heaven, against whom heaven warns the inhabiters of earth.

Another doctor of divinity (Rev. Dr. Nixon) who seems to have left the sure
foundation for one of shifting sand, is quoted by Mr. Harvey as saying:

     "The attitude of the church seems to me to be strange, since we
     would naturally suppose every churchman to be in the way of
     becoming a Spiritualist, if not one already."

Page 56

The churchman who places the Scriptures simply on a par with other
literature, who feels at liberty to discard whatever portions do not agree
with his own ideas, and who has imbibed the doctrine that immediately at
death the soul enters upon its eternal reward or punishment, really has no
logical reason to give as to why he should not believe in Spiritism. The
phenomena of Spiritism, when the fraud, which even Spiritists admit, has
been eliminated from them, do demonstrate that there is an intelligence and
a power connected with Spiritism which are entirely outside of and beyond
the human. Why, then, if these are spirits of the dead, as they affirm they
are, should not their earthly friends communicate with them? To be sure,
certain portions of the Bible forbid witchcraft, wizardry, necromancy, and
consulting with "familiar spirits." But what of that? It is the fashion now
among many theologians, who have been educated in the schools of the
"higher critics," to discard portions of the Bible which do not appeal to
them as essential, and why should not the would-be Spiritist do the same?

We are living in a generation that is taking all kinds of liberties with
the hidden forces of nature, and why not take liberties also with the
records of revealed religion? Surely if the theologians can condense the
ten commandments, which were spoken by the lips of Jehovah and written by
their Author's own finger, eliminating the "nonessential"(!) portions; and
if doctors of divinity can condense the Bible itself into a Shorter Bible,"
eliminating all "nonessentials"( !), such as all texts referring to the
second coming of Christ, and even eliminating the divine prohibition
against tampering with Holy Writ (Rev. 22: 18, 19), surely the would-be
Spiritist may be excused for eliminating such texts as do not comport with
his ideas and wishes. And he does it, and then takes to his bosom the
practices of Spiritism, which the unmutilated Book forbids.

It might be logical, as Dr. Nixon feels, for churchmen who believe in the
inherent immortality of man, to adopt Spiritism; and yet it is a fact that
many of them, while holding to beliefs that make the doctrines and the
practice of Spiritism logical, refuse to be, for the present at least,
ensnared in it. They

Page 57

realize that when their belief in the inherent immortality of mankind is
carried to the logical extent of communicating with the supposed spirits of
the dead, they are entering upon dangerous ground. Across the pathway
leading thitherward Jehovah has set a danger signal and a warning, "Thou
shalt not; that way lies madness and the wreck of human hopes."

One professed representative of the Christian church, the Rev. F.
Fielding-Ould, M. A., vicar of Christ Church, Albany Street, London, who
has published a work entitled, "The Wonders of the Saints in the Light of
Spiritualism," is quoted by Mr. Harvey as saying:

     "The leaders of thought, enlightened by divine inspiration and
     afire with living intuitions, speak as prophets and seers, and
     march in the forefront of the moving hosts of mankind, while the
     priests are too often searching the musty authorities of the past
     until compelled for their very life, and with a very great loss
     of prestige, to accept what has become self-evident."-- Harbinger
     of Light, June 1 , 1921.

This clergyman speaks as one who is thoroughly convinced that the claims of
Spiritism are true, and has therefore left the "musty authorities of the
past" (the Word of God) for what Spiritism has to give; for none but
"higher critics" and Spiritists can speak of Holy Writ as a "musty"
authority. How far such leadings beguile away from the divine channel of
truth and blessing, is seen in this very declaration of a clerical convert
to Spiritism. He deprecates dependence for the essentials of religious
faith and practice upon the authoritative, heaven-inspired Book, the Bible.
But God expects us to depend upon that Book for those essentials. He has
revealed His will; He has never authorized any man or men to amend it, and
has never intimated that anything else would ever take its place. Here is
His admonition concerning just such suggestions as the aforementioned
clergymen have thrown out:

     "Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for
     the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye
     shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk
     therein. Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the
     sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken.
     Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, O congregation, what is
     among them. Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this
     people, even the fruit of their thoughts, be-

Page 58

     cause they have not hearkened unto My words, nor to My law, but
     rejected it." Jer. 6: 56-59.

They had turned away from the "musty authorities of the past," even as Rev.
Fielding-Ould advises this generation to do. The principles of the gospel
are eternal. The gospel is indeed "the power of God unto salvation," and is
capable of exercising its divine functions equally in every age. This
"progressive age" does not require a revision of the divine plan of human
redemption in order that it may find the way to the Author of salvation.
God was displeased with the majority of His church in Jeremiah's day
because they deserted Him and His Word for the "progressive religious ideas
found in other systems, and He declared His displeasure in these words:

     "Therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will lay
     stumblingblocks before this people, and the fathers and the sons
     together shall fall upon them; the neighbor and his friend shall
     perish." Jer. 6: 21.

That destruction which God said would come upon the people because they
turned away from His authoritative plans and requirements, did come, swift
and certain. Now this generation is being led in the same way that
Jeremiah's generation was led,-- away from the authoritative teachings of
Jehovah, after the new, the mysterious, and the "progressive." Has Jehovah
warned us of a similar result?

     "Then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume
     with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the
     brightness of His coming: even Him, whose coming is after the
     working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and
     with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish;
     because they received not the love of the truth, that they might
     be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong
     delusions, that they should believe a lie: that they might be
     damned who believe not the truth, but had pleasure in
     unrighteousness." 2 Thess. 2: 8-12.

God did not take halfway measures with His people anciently when they
turned away from Him and were turned unto fables. He instructed them,
pleaded with them, and warned them. They persisted in their stiff-necked
attitude, and would have none of His authority; and then came the judgment
which He had in love warned them of and had pleaded with

Page 59

them to escape. His warning to us is even more emphatic than to them; and
as certainly as night follows day, so certainly will the divine judgments
fall upon the people of this generation who sneer at the "musty authorities
of the past," turn a deaf ear to God's warnings, and follow as a religion
the system of satanic deception which Jehovah denounced through His
prophets of old; viz., seeking to the dead on behalf of the living.

God called that practice "abomination," and outlawed it among His people;
and concerning His people's refusal to be bound by His authoritative Word,
He speaks thus through the prophet Isaiah:

     "Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth
     in their abominations. I also will choose their delusions, and
     will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did
     answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before
     Mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not." Isa. 66: 3,
     4.

This is the exact course which the above-named clerical Spiritist advises
this generation to pursue,-- to turn away from the musty authorities of the
past." But Isaiah tells us also what the result will be of following that
advice:

     "Behold, the Lord will come with fire, and with His chariots like
     a whirlwind, to render His anger with fury, and His rebuke with
     flames of fire. For by fire and by His sword will the Lord plead
     with all flesh: and the slain of the Lord shall be many." Isa.
     66: 15, 16.

Leaders of heathen systems challenged the church in those ancient days even
as they do today, and sneered at her respect for the ancient authorities.
The church failed then as she seems to be failing today; and the swift
retribution which followed those apostasies is an unmistakable prototype of
the destruction which Paul says awaits the church of this last generation
when she follows those examples of apostasy from the truth of God.

One of the most dangerous developments of our day is the re-enforcement of
the ranks of Spiritism from the clergy. Clergyman after clergyman has gone
over to it, and written books and preached

sermons in favor of the practice of necromancy. A Spiritist journal says:

Page 60

     "A great many of the clergy of Great Britain -- particularly in
     the Church of England -- have unquestionably arrived at a similar
     conclusion [to that of the bishop of Southwark], and it may be
     only a matter of time when they will obtain that convincing
     personal experience which, in most cases, is absolutely necessary
     for the removal of "the. remaining vestiges of doubt."--
     Harbinger of Light, June 1, 1921.

The bishop of Southwark, Dr. C. F. Garbett, had 'said he "was bound to say
that, when all that could be said against Spiritism had been said, there
remained a residue which could only be accounted for at the present time by
the hypothesis that there was some communication with those who were not of
this world. That was only a hypothesis which might be disproved. There was,
however, a strong case for investigation, but it must be an investigation
by competent people."

Thus do some of the leading clergy answer the challenge of the prince of
ruin. They answer it either by denying the fundamentals of their own faith
and accepting his delusions, or by weakly admitting that he has presented a
good case, worthy of serious consideration. So did Eve; so did Adam; and so
we have death and ruin in the world today; and so will come, as God has so
plainly declared, the judgments of the great Judge upon a generation that
stops its ears to the word of God speaking to us from the past. This
generation, that ought to be standing fast and asking for "the old paths"
surveyed by our own Saviour through this wilderness of sin, is setting its
face into that wilderness on a path of its own choosing, but which the
cunning deceiver has surveyed for it,-- a path which leads straight down
into the pit of everlasting ruin. Says the wise man:

     "When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant
     unto thy soul; discretion shall preserve thee, understanding
     shall keep thee: to deliver thee from the way of the evil man,
     from the man that speaketh froward things; who leave the paths of
     uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness." Prov. 2: 10-13.

They who counsel us to fling aside the "musty authorities of the past," are
enticing us to "leave the paths of uprightness;" and, doing so, we shall
indeed "walk in the ways of darkness," in the path that leads to the
precipice of destruction. If it is our firm intention to be humble
followers of the Lord

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Jesus Christ, and to share in the eternal inheritance which He has
promised, we will follow the divine admonition to "ask for the old paths,
where is the good way, and walk therein;" then we shall indeed find rest
for our souls.

When the prince of ruin challenges us, to desert the infallible standard of
divine truth, and sneers at that standard as the "musty authorities of the
past," it is time for us to answer that challenge as did our Saviour in the
wilderness of temptation: "Get thee behind me, Satan." It is as necessary
for us in the wilderness of our temptation to be true to the Father as it
was for Him; and the power to enable us to do it "awaits our demand and
reception."
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                                 Chapter 7

                          Spiritism Anti-Christian

ONE of the leading Spiritist journals of the world[1] openly declares
itself as opposed to the idea of trying to appear in the guise of
Christianity while maintaining the doctrines (or philosophies) of
Spiritism. It has made the declaration of its position so plain and
emphatic that there is no question about its attitude, and cannot be. This
is a much more consistent thing to do than to take the attitude of some
Spiritists who try to wear the garb of Christianity and sail under its flag
while maintaining beliefs and publishing teachings that are so
fundamentally opposed to true Christianity as Spiritism is. Says the
editorial in question:

     "Let us be Spiritualists at all times -- just plain, straight,
     out-and-out Spiritualists.

     "We refuse to be called by the name of Christian Spiritualists,
     because the word 'Christian' stands for the dogma of salvation by
     a man's death -- a blood atonement.

     "We honor the man Christ, but we repudiate the theological system
     that has been built up around His name.

     "And while we gladly accept many beautiful things as taught by
     Christ, we cannot afford to call ourselves Christians, for that
     would imply that we believe His blood really cleanses from sin,
     and we deny that."-- The Progressive Thinker, Aug. 28, 1920.

This is frank, open, and aboveboard. It declares in a straightforward way
what the teachings of so-called "Christian "Spiritists declare by
deduction, by inference, and by logical conclusion. Both classes of
Spiritists are equally anti-Christian in fact; but the class who call
themselves "Christian" are less frank in admitting the real facts in the
case.

It is perfectly true that the word "Christian" stands for the dogma of
salvation by a blood atonement. The Bible clearly declares:

     "Without shedding of blood is no remission." "Now once in the end
     of the world hath He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of

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     Himself." "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many;
     and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time
     without sin unto salvation." Heb. 9: 22, 26, 28.

This is the teaching of the Book -- it is Christian teaching; it is in
harmony with the name of the One upon whom Christianity is founded. Said
the angel to Joseph, the reputed father of Jesus: "Thou shalt call His name
Jesus: for He shall save His people from their sins." Matt. 1: 21.

To be a true Christian means to accept that doctrine. Spiritists do not
accept it, neither the so-called "Christian" Spiritists nor those who stand
with the Progressive Thinker. To the Spiritist the beautiful scripture
which is always first brought to the minds of heathen peoples, and is a
glad consolation to the hearts of all Christian peoples, means nothing:

     "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that
     whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting
     life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world;
     but that the world through Him might be saved." John 3: 16, 17.

That and the other scriptures quoted in this chapter prove that eternal
life is conditional upon our acceptance of Jesus Christ as both the Son of
God and the necessary sacrifice for our sins -- the Lamb of God "slain from
the foundation of the world." In that hope we trust, and are positive that
our confidence rests upon a foundation which neither time nor philosophy
nor test of any kind can ever prove unsound.

Spiritism denies this foundation; it denies the entire basis of the gospel.
Upon the work and the sacrifice of Christ for man Christianity rests.
Without that, it is nothing. It declares of itself that it does rest upon
that basis. Whatever denies the basis, denies all that is built thereon;
and if Spiritism's denial be the truth, then the whole gospel structure is
a fraud from corner-stone to pinnacle. From the testimony of Spiritism as
expressed through the Progressive Thinker, the two systems are
diametrically opposed to each other.

Spiritism says, "We honor the man Christ, but we repudiate the theological
system that has been built up around His name. Let us see if this
declaration is sincere. The word "Christ" means the anointed of God,
anointed to preach deliverance to

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the captives of sin, to open the prison house of Satan and liberate souls
perishing in his cruel thralldom, and to give His life an offering for
many. To honor the Christ, the Anointed, is to honor that which He was
anointed to do. We cannot honor the Anointed One while we deny the thing He
was anointed to accomplish,-- the salvation of man through His teachings
and His sacrifice. Spiritism, in making its denial of those things for
which Christianity stands, denies the plainest and most explicit utterances
of the Christ concerning His mission. Let us hear Him speaking with His own
lips to the learned Nicodemus:

     "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must
     the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in Him
     should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the
     world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever
     believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
     For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but
     that the world through Him might be saved." John 3: 14-1 7.

This is the foundation of Christianity. It is not merely a "theological
system that has been built up around His name." It is His own declaration
of the object for which He came into this world. It predicts His being
lifted up on the cross for the salvation of the soul eternally, even as the
brazen serpent in the wilderness was lifted up for the salvation of men's
bodies temporarily. It predicts the shedding of His blood -- His sacrifice
-- for souls who, without it, would eternally perish. But Spiritists say:
"We cannot afford to call ourselves Christians, for that would imply that
we believe His blood really cleanses from sin, and we deny that." They
declare that they honor the Christ, and in the same breath deny what He
asserts concerning His mission. To be honored thus is to be disparaged and
defamed.

At the last supper -- the institution of the Lord's supper -- Jesus made
this declaration: "This cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed
for you." Luke 22: 20. Mark records it: "This is My blood of the new
testament, which is shed for many." Mark 14: 24. Matthew puts it in these
words: "This is My blood of the new testament, which is shed

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for many for the remission of sins." Matt. 26: 28. With such a very
definite statement from the Christ Himself, whom Spiritists profess to
honor, Christians may certainly be pardoned for believing that the Christ
Himself put into the minds of men the idea that through the shedding of His
blood we may have remission of sins, and enter finally into eternal life.
We do not depend upon theologians for this, but upon the most emphatic
declaration of the Christ Himself, whom Spiritists profess to honor.

With these declarations of the Christ in mind, let us notice another
statement from the spokesman of Spiritism:

     "Spiritualism is a religion; but it is a religion free from the
     absurd and superstitious features that mar the system known as
     Christianity. Among these objectionable features I denounce the
     following: the vicarious atonement, the doctrine of eternal
     punishment, the literal resurrection of the body, the virgin
     birth of Jesus, the infallibility of the Bible, and the doctrine
     of salvation by faith only. Some of these doctrines are merely
     foolish, but some of them, like the blood atonement theory, are
     absolutely vicious, and lead to wicked and immoral living. . . .
     The orthodox theory of the atonement, together with the doctrine
     of justification from sin by faith only, are doctrines that
     inevitably encourage sin and immoral conduct."-- The Progressive
     Thinker, Aug. 28, 1920.

It is impossible to conceive of such statements being made by one who had
the faintest conception of what constitute the vital principles of
godliness, or had ever experienced the joy of sins forgiven, or had an
experimental knowledge of the result in his own soul of an acceptance of
Christ for what He says He is. The language used is a most biting insult to
heaven, and to the Christ Himself -- whom the Spiritist professes to honor.
Its horrible insinuation that Jesus Christ, through the system He
established, encourages immorality, is the most cruel blasphemy that could
be crowded into so few words. In that awful accusation the Christ is
charged with promulgating the very thing which He gave up His glory in
heaven and His life on earth to eradicate from the universe. Only the
spirit of him who inspired the leaders of the Jews to crucify the Christ
could have inspired that accusation. And none other did. If any evidence
were needed to prove that Spiritism is Satanism,

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it is furnished in the extract I have just quoted; for, be it noted, the
purpose which the Christ Himself gave for His coming into the world -- to
shed His blood for the remission of sins -- is declared by this apologist
for Spiritism to be "absolutely vicious" and to "lead to wicked and immoral
living."

Satan is determined, on the one hand, to represent God as a tyrant, who
will not forgive sin; and, on the other hand, as one who in forgiving
sinners is encouraging sin. The dishonesty of such a position is so evident
that it needs only to be stated to be instantly apparent. Says the divine
Book: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our
sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1: 9. The
confession of sins, to be acceptable to God, must be accompanied by sincere
repentance for the sins committed. Nowhere in the Scripture is any hint
given that men can go on in a life of sin, and enjoy the blessings of God's
gracious forgiveness. He who truly confesses his sins to God, expecting
forgiveness, must confess them with a heart of penitence, sorrowing for the
sins committed, and sincerely purposing, with God's help, to abandon his
sinful course and live in harmony with God's will. That kind of confession
brings the forgiveness of God, and it does not encourage sin.

After His resurrection, in explaining the meaning of certain scriptures to
His disciples, Jesus made this declaration: "Thus it is written, and thus
it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: and
that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among
all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." Luke 24: 46, 47. It is repentance
first, then confession, and then comes remission of sins; and when that
mighty transformation has taken place in the heart of an individual, he
knows that God's plan for the eradication of sin from his soul has not
encouraged him to deeper sin or to continue in the sins he had repented of
and confessed and been forgiven for. It is those only who have never
experienced this work of divine grace in their hearts who cannot understand
how God can do it without encouraging sin. But that is God's plan of
operation, and Spiritism denounces the plan, denies its efficacy, and
insults its Author.

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As for the doctrine of "eternal punishment "-- by which the writer means
"eternal torment "-- that is not in God's plan. That is an outgrowth of
heathen religions and of pagan philosophies, and was introduced into the
church in the days of the church's apostasy. In denying that, Spiritism is
not contradicting God; it is only contradicting a tenet of the Roman Church
and some Protestant churches, which they never ought to have adopted, since
its source is pagan and not Christian. In flinging its denial of that
doctrine at Christianity, Spiritism is therefore only beating the air.

As for the resurrection of the body of Jesus, it is enough for us that they
who had been three and a half years with Him recognized the resurrected
Jesus as the same Jesus who had called them, taught them,, journeyed with
them, performed miracles in their presence, had submitted to an unjust and
illegal trial, had expired upon the cross, and had been buried in Joseph's
tomb under the Roman government's official seal. One of their number, who
had not yet seen Him since His resurrection, doubted whether the one who
had been seen was the same that he had known, risen with the same body; but
when Jesus showed the gaping wounds in His hands and His feet and His side,
this doubter exclaimed in his glad astonishment, "My Lord and my God!" John
20: 28. Jesus said unto him, "Thomas, because thou hast seen Me, thou hast
believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed."
Verse 29. But nowhere is any blessing pronounced upon those who refuse to
believe, who deny and denounce the foundation principles of His gospel.

As for the Bible's infallibility, it has demonstrated itself so completely
in its divine righteousness, in its minute foretelling of events that were
long future when they were written of, and in its prediction of the
Redeemer who was to come and the work He was to do, that it is not
necessary to enter into any elaborate defense of the Bible here. However,
of Jesus when He was entering upon His ministry, the record says:

     "He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up: and, as His
     custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and
     stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto Him the book
     of

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     the prophet Esaias [Isaiah]. And when He had opened the book, He
     found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is
     upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the
     poor; He hath sent Me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach
     deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the
     blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the
     acceptable year of the Lord. And He closed the book, and He gave
     it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all that
     were in the synagogue were fastened on Him. And He began to say
     unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears."
     Luke 4: 16-21.

The fulfillment of that prophecy had come to pass in the person of Jesus,
the anointed of God. But this was not the only prophecy of Isaiah that was
fulfilled in the person and works of Jesus the anointed. These wonderful
words also were such a prophecy, and in every letter met their fulfillment
in the man Christ Jesus:

     "Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord
     revealed? For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and
     as a root out of a dry ground: He hath no form nor comeliness;
     and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should
     desire Him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows,
     and acquainted with 'grief: and we hid as it were our faces from
     Him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. Surely He hath
     borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him
     stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for
     our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the
     chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we
     are healed.

     "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to
     his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us
     all. He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not
     His mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a
     sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth.
     He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare
     His generation? for He was cut off out of the land of the living:
     for the transgression of my people was He stricken. And He made
     His grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death;
     because He had done no violence, neither was any deceit in His
     mouth.

     "Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief:
     when Thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see
     His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord
     shall prosper in His hand. He shall see of the travail of His
     soul, and shall be satisfied: by His knowledge shall My righteous
     servant justify many; for He shall bear their iniquities.
     Therefore will I divide Him a portion with the great, and He
     shall divide the spoil with the strong; be-

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     cause He hath poured out His soul unto death: and He was numbered
     with the transgressors; and He bare the sin of many, and made
     intercession for the transgressors." Isaiah 53.

That is a prophecy of the Christ 'who was to come, of the work that He was
to do, of the way He would be received by those He had come to save, and
finally of the actual shedding of His blood for the redemption of His
people. The whole gospel is in that prophecy of Isaiah. He came, and they
called His name Jesus (Saviour), because He was to save His people from
their sins; He was indeed despised and rejected, insulted and spat upon; He
was in the deepest sense a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; He was
smitten, and rebuked not the smiters; He was crucified because of the
insistent demand of those He came to save from sin and from the results of
sin. John's record reads, "He came unto His own, and His own received Him
not." John 1: 11. And yet of Him John the Baptist could say: "Behold the
Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." John 1: 29. "And John
bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove,
and it abode upon Him." Verse 32.

How fully and completely has Isaiah's prophecy of Him been fulfilled! Every
detail of His ministry and His sacrifice is depicted by the prophet, and
the life fits the prophecy in all its particulars. Who can deny the
infallibility of a Book which speaks with such inerrant wisdom and
foreknowledge?

Concerning that same gracious Gift of God, that love-moved Prince of the
Restoration, the prophet-psalmist wrote centuries before the birth of
Christ:

     "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me? . . . But I am a
     worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.
     All they that see Me laugh Me to scorn: they shoot out the lip,
     they shake the head, saying, He trusted on the Lord that He would
     deliver Him: let Him deliver Him, seeing He delighted in Him. . .
     . Be not far from Me; for trouble is near; for there is none to
     help. . . . I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out
     of joint. . . . My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and My
     tongue cleaveth to My jaws; and Thou hast brought Me into the
     dust of death. For dogs have compassed Me: the assembly of the
     wicked have inclosed Me: they pierced My hands and My feet. I may
     tell all My bones: they look and stare upon Me.

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     They part My garments among them, and cast lots upon My vesture."
     Ps. 22: 1-18.

The writer of those words had a vision of Christ on the cross, surrounded
by a motley throng composed of angry Jewish rulers, of scoffing
blasphemers, of Roman officers and soldiers, and a few of His nearest
friends and relatives. The psalmist foretells the conditions, and the
disciples have written down the fulfillment. He did cry out on the cross,
"My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" Matt. 27: 46; Mark 15: 34.
They did laugh Him to scorn, and shake the head, tauntingly jeering Him for
His trust in God. Matt. 27: 39-43; Mark 15: 29-32. He did thirst, as the
psalmist predicted. John 20: 24-28. They used the very words in their
insults which the psalmist wrote down generations before. Matt. 27: 43.
They (the soldiers) did part His. garments among them, and because His
outer garment was a seamless one, they cast lots for it to see whose it
should be. John 19: 23, 24.

Each of the four evangelists mentions this striking fulfillment of
predictions made so many centuries previous concerning the crucifixion of
our Redeemer. If these are only coincidences, they are the most striking
chain of coincidences history has ever recorded.

But we shall not be content with these. More than seven hundred and fifty
years before the birth of Christ, the prophet Isaiah had written:

     "Hear ye now, O house of David: Is it a small thing for you to
     weary men, but will ye weary my God also? Therefore the Lord
     Himself shall give you a sign: Behold, a virgin shall conceive,
     and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel." Isa. 7: 13,
     14.

Matthew and Luke give the details of the fulfillment of this prediction.
Matt 1: 18-25; Luke 1: 26-35. They called Him Jesus (Saviour) and Emmanuel
(God with us). Matt. 1: 21-23.

The prophet Daniel predicted the time of the Messiah's birth and death
(Dan. 9: 25-27), and those events took place exactly on time. The Christ
was born at just the time when Daniel's prophecy said the One so long
waited for should come;

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the crucifixion of Jesus occurred at just the time when Daniel's prophecy
said the Messiah should be cut off. We cannot here enter into an exposition
of this day-for-a-year time prophecy, which reached from 457 B.C. to three
and one-half years this side of our Lord's crucifixion. For a detailed and
satisfactory exposition of this prophecy, the reader is referred to such
works as "Thoughts on Daniel and the Revelation," by Uriah Smith[2]; and
"History Unveiling Prophecy" and "A Key to the Apocalypse," by H. Grattan
Guinness.

There can be no reasonable doubt that the prophecy of Daniel met its
fulfillment in the birth, ministry, and crucifixion of Jesus; and this ex
plains the reluctance on the part of many learned Jews to discuss with
Christians today the prophecy of Daniel relating to the birth of the
Messiah.

The prophet Micah gives one specification concerning the birth of the
Prince of the Restoration which later writers confirm. He was writing about
750 years before the birth of Christ, and these are his words:

     "Thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the
     thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto Me
     that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from
     of old, from everlasting [or, "the days of eternity," margin]."
     Micah 5:2.

That all Israel knew who was meant in that prophecy is shown by the answer
of the Jewish leaders to Herod when "he demanded of them where Christ
should be born:"

     "In Bethlehem of Judea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
     And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among
     the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that
     shall rule My people Israel." Matt. 2: 5, 6.

Jesus Christ fulfilled that specification; and Bethlehem (the house of
bread) became the birthplace of Him who was and is the bread of life. This
is another striking link in this remarkable chain of -- shall we call them
coincidences? Shall we not rather call them what they prove themselves to
be, fulfillments of divine prophecy?

The prophet Hosea adds his link to the chain of evidence, and in the record
of the fulfillment of his prediction, history

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puts the name of Christ: "When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and
called My Son out of Egypt." Hosea 11:1. This, says one, referred to the
deliverance of the Israelites from Egyptian bondage. It had one fulfillment
then, but it had another when the angel of the Lord came to Joseph in
Egypt, whither he had fled with Mary and the Child, and called them back
again to the Land of Promise. (See Matt. 2:13-34.) He did call Israel out,
and they came with a vast mixed multitude who were out of sympathy with
God's purpose, and never could truly be called His children; but when He
called the Christ out of Egypt, He called one who was His Son in very deed.

The prophet Isaiah, in the chapter previously quoted (Isaiah 53), foretold
the nature of Christ's work among the poor and afflicted: " Surely He hath
borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken,
smitten of God, and afflicted." Again the same prophet speaks of Him:

     "The Spirit of the Lord 'God is upon Me; because the Lord hath
     anointed Me to preach good tidings unto the meek; He hath sent
     Me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the
     captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
     to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of
     vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto
     them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the
     oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of
     heaviness." Isa. 61: 1-3.

The Christ, when He came, did all that, and declared, furthermore, that it
was His set purpose and His appointed work so to do. Luke 4:16-21.

The prophet Zechariah also adds a link to this wonderful chain of
prediction and fulfillment, recording it in these words:

     "I said unto them, If ye think good, give Me My price; and if
     not, forbear. So they weighed for My price thirty pieces of
     silver. And the Lord said unto Me, Cast it unto the potter: a
     goodly price that I was prized at of them. And I took the thirty
     pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the
     Lord." Zech. 11: 12, 13.

Who can question, when he reads this prophecy, that it found its
fulfillment in the traitorous conniving of Judas with the rulers of the
Jews, when he bargained with them to sell his

Page 73

Lord into their hands for thirty pieces of silver -- the price of a slave?
Said Jesus to His sorrow-stricken disciples:

     "The Son of man goeth as it is written of Him [or in fulfillment
     of the predictions of the prophets]: but woe unto that man by
     whom the Son of man is betrayed! It had been good for that man if
     he had not been born. Then Judas, which betrayed Him, answered and
     said, Master, is it I? He said unto Him, Thou hast said."
     Matt. 26: 24, 25.

Mark speaks thus of the transaction:

     "Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests,
     to betray Him unto them. And when they heard it, they were glad,
     and promised to give him money. And he sought how he might
     conveniently betray Him." Mark 14: 10, 11.

Matthew has left this record:

     "Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the
     chief priests, and said unto them, What will ye give me, and I
     will deliver Him unto you? And they covenanted with him for
     thirty pieces of silver. And from that time he sought opportunity
     to betray Him." Matt. 26: 54-56.

Now comes the remarkable part of the transaction, which fulfills the
prophecy to the letter:

     "Then Judas, which had betrayed Him, when he saw that He was
     condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces
     of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, I have sinned
     in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What
     is that to us? see thou to that. And he cast down the pieces of
     silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.
     And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not
     lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price
     of blood. And they took counsel, and bought with them the
     potter's field, to bury strangers in. Wherefore that field was
     called, The field of blood." Matt. 27: 3-8.

Let it not escape the reader's notice that even the place where this
remarkable transaction was to be accomplished had been specified hundreds
of years before it occurred. Zechariah says it was to be "in the house of
the Lord." Zech. 11:13. Matthew says "he cast down the pieces of silver in
the temple." Matt. 27:5. Zechariah says the price was to be cast "unto the
potter." Matthew says they "bought with them the potter's field, to bury
strangers in.

Page 74

The marvelous accuracy with which these predictions met their fulfillment
demonstrates that the hands which penned them were moved by inspiration of
the Holy Ghost, and not by human impulse or inclination. Spiritism, in
denying the truth of the inspiration of the Bible, flies in the face of
most patent facts, and denies the God through whom we live and move and
have our being; and in denying the fundamentals of the only religion ever
given to the people of this world by the only true God, it places itself on
the side of God's enemy, leading away from the eternal light of heaven to
the gloom and the darkness of eternal death.

Spiritism is at war with Christianity, and is thus at war with the best
interests of the whole human race. Spiritism being thus at war with the
gospel, with Christianity, the spirit behind it proves himself at war with
the Author of the gospel, the Founder of Christianity, the Christ of God.
It denies the infallibility of the Bible, which has proved itself true by
its own irrefutable evidence , and supplies its place with the productions
of automatic writers whose testimonials deal only in ethereal fancies,
whose prophecies are merely guesses, and seldom if ever come true, and
whose witnesses are as unable to agree as were the accusers of Christ on
the night of His trial. Spiritism would take away the bread of life -- the
word of God -- and give us a stone.

Spiritism denounces also "the doctrine of salvation by faith only." In so
doing, it again dishonors and denies the One whom it professes to honor.
Our Saviour said to the unbelieving Jews, "Ye will not come to Me, that ye
might have life." John 5: 40. This verse teaches that if we do not come to
Him, if we do not depend upon Him for life, we shall not have it. The same
teaching, again from our Saviour's own lips, is found in John 3:16, 17:

          "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten
          Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish,
          but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son
          into the world to condemn the world; but that the world
          through Him might be saved."

Is not this scripture a plain declaration that if we do not believe on Him
and trust in Him for our salvation, we shall

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perish and shall not have everlasting life? That this is the only possible
meaning of the verses, there can be no question.

Strong as these scriptures are in the indirect method of teaching positive
truth, we are not left to deductions, even though they be ever so plain.
The Master said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto
the Father, but by Me." John 14: 6. Here is the man Jesus, whom Spiritists
claim to honor, showing us the way into the kingdom of God, and declaring
that there is no other way. He opens a door to us through which He says we
may enter into everlasting life, and He declares that there is no other
door. Peter, after three and a half years' instruction under Jesus' own
teaching, declared to the rulers of the Jews:

     "This is the stone which was set at naught of you builders, which
     is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in
     any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among
     men, whereby we must be saved." Acts 4: 11, 12.

The apostle Paul, against whose teaching in this matter the disciples
uttered no protest, made this very definite statement:

     "He [God the Father] hath made Him [Christ] to be sin for us, who
     knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in
     Him." 2 Cor. 5: 21.

If we, then, refuse Him as the "propitiation for our sins," and depend upon
ourselves -- our own efforts, our own goodness -- to see us through to the
kingdom and guarantee us an entrance there, we shall fail utterly, or the
teachings of the prophets and apostles and of Christ Himself are all wrong.
The only righteousness that will be recognized by the great Judge is the
righteousness we receive as the gift of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
If we are depending upon our own righteousness, we are leaning on a
worthless and broken reed. The prophet Isaiah expresses this truth of man's
utter helplessness in these words :

     "We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are
     as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities,
     like the wind, have taken us away." Isa. 64: 6.

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Therefore he who depends upon his own righteousness to save him will find
himself taken away by his iniquities, and perishing in them.

The apostle Paul, in harmony with the teachings of Jesus already set forth,
speaking of God's plan for pronouncing men righteous, uses these words:

     "The righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being
     witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of
     God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them
     that believe: for there is no difference: for all have sinned,
     and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by His
     grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom 'God
     hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood,
     to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are
     past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this
     time His righteousness: that He might be just, and the justifier
     of him which believeth in Jesus." Rom. 3: 21-26.

That is justification by faith; it is not something invented by the apostle
Paul. It is the same great truth, in other words, that was taught by Jesus
Himself. The faith, moreover, which takes effectual hold of these things is
a faith that manifests itself in a life that harmonizes with the righteous
life of Jesus, who is our life and hope. That faith does not lead to
careless, loose, or immoral living. A person with such a faith cannot lead
a life of sin. Good works spring from his hands as truly and as naturally
as good fruit appears on the boughs of a healthy and well-pruned tree.

In Him we trust, therefore, "who was delivered for our offenses, and was
raised again for our justification." Rom. 4: 25. The righteousness,
therefore, in which lies our hope as our passport into "the kingdom of His
dear Son," is not our "own righteousness, . . . but that which is through
the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith." Phil. 3:
9. We do not reject it, as Spiritism does, but accept it, rejoice in it,
and shall triumph through it.

                                   Notes

[1] The Progressive Thinker.

[2] The book's current title is The Prophecies of Daniel and the Revelation
by Uriah Smith. It is published by the Review and Herald Publishing
Association (55 West Oak Ridge Drive, Hagerstown, Maryland, 21740, United
States of America; Telex: "Randh," Hagerstown, Maryland ;
WWW: http://www.rhpa.org).

The complete text is also freely available on the Internet:

WWW:
     http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/clt4/
     http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/clt4/dr-html.zip
     http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/clt4/dr-txt.zip
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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                                 Chapter 8

                        Spiritism Encourages Suicide

AS Spiritism has set itself to improve man's religious outlook and uplook
in this world,-- even to supersede Christianity as the religion of the
future,-- we have a right to put it upon trial and ascertain whether it has
done so or is likely to do so. We have found in its teachings and in the
fruitage of its teachings that which indicates a failure in that matter all
along the line. Having taught individuals to believe that when a person
dies, he passes immediately into another sphere of life and activity, and
that only a thin veil hides the departed loved one from those left behind,
it has placed in their souls an urgent longing to pierce that veil and join
that loved one. Some have that longing appeased in a measure by
communications which purport to come from the departed; but others are not
satisfied with this, and messages often come calling them or enticing them
to join the departed one "on the other side." Some resist the temptations
to suicide which Spiritism holds before their minds. Others do not. The
following will illustrate:

In the much-advertised book by Sir Oliver J. Lodge, entitled, "Raymond, or
Life and Death," are given many reports of communications purporting to
come from Sir Oliver's dead son, Raymond, who lost his life in the Great
War. These words are addressed by the "spirit" to the father, Sir Oliver:

     "You know that I am longing and dying for the day when you come
     over to me. It will be a splendid day for me. But I mustn't be
     selfish. I have got to work to keep you away from us, and that's
     not easy for me."--"Raymond," p. 248, ed. 1916, Doran.

Notice in this the thinly veiled enticement to hasten the day when father
and son will be together again. And this is not the only occasion when such
a suggestion was made through the spirit medium to England's distinguished
scientist. The "spirit" Feda, pretending to speak for Raymond through the
medium, Mrs. Leonard, says this:

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     "He does wish you would come over. He will be as proud as a cat
     with something tails -- two tails, he said. Proud as a cat with
     two tails showing you round the places. He says, Father will have
     a fine time, poking into everything, and turning everything
     inside out."-- Id., page 269.

There is no disguising the enticement here. The "spirit uttering those
words is putting into the minds of those who consult the spirits the
thought of hastening by their own hands the time when they shall rend the
veil and speak (as they suppose) face to face with the loved ones gone
before. If the loved ones gone before are dearer to them than the loved
ones who would be left behind, the temptation, through frequent repetition,
preys upon the mind until, in many cases, the mind yields, and the victim
of the delusion snaps the brittle thread of life, and breaks the unchanging
law of God at the same time. That soul will stand unshriven before his
Maker in the great judgment day. Satan has accomplished that soul's ruin
through the deceptive teachings of Spiritism.

The idea that we have been considering,-- spirit suggestions to suicide,--
is directly taught in the work put out by the Rev. G. Vale Owen, vicar of
Orford, Lancashire, under the title of "The Life Beyond the Veil," Book 3
(" The Ministry of Heaven"). Mr. Owen, whose hand is taken charge of by the
spirits at a certain time in the day, is writing of the experience of Judas
Iscariot at the time of the crucifixion of Christ. These are the words thus
written under spirit control:

     "As the betrayer [Judas Iscariot] looked upon the face and form
     of Him [Christ], there came into his soul a voice which mocked
     and said: 'As you would have gone with Him into His kingdom, and
     there have taken high place of power, go now into the kingdom of
     His adversary: there you may have power for the asking. He has
     failed you. Go now where He will not be at hand to reward you as
     you have served Him.'

     "So voices came about him, and he strove to believe them, and to
     look into the face of the One on the cross. He was eager, and yet
     in fear of those eyes into which he had never been able to look
     with comfort at any time. But the sight of the dying Christ was
     all too dim, and He did not see Judah [Judas Iscariot] there. And
     still the voices hummed on and taunted him and cajoled him more
     gently, and at length, in the gloom about the place, he rushed
     away, and let out his life in a

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     place where he found solitude and a tree. He took off his girdle
     and hung himself to death on a tree."--" The Life Beyond the
     Veil," book 3, p. 144.

The voices that taunted and cajoled Judas Iscariot, and induced him finally
to take his own life, as this spirit-controlled writer says, were voices
from the same class of beings that subtly insinuated to Sir Oliver Lodge to
speed the time of his departure.

The spirit-guided hand of the same writer, Rev. G. Vale Owen, records this
sentiment, which we can but regard as an encouragement to the same end:

     "Thus you will see how little it matters that, when the time
     comes for you to cast off the body of earth, you stand
     discarnate. Your earth body was a body of vibrations and no more.
     Very well, you now have a body of vibrations more substantial and
     enduring, because of a higher quality, and nearer to the
     energizing Will which brought it into existence, and so sustains
     it."-- Id., book 2, p. 126.

This teaches one to place a very slight valuation upon this present life,
and to look forward with longing to the time when, snapping the brittle
cord of life, one is to step full-fledged into the life of higher
"vibrations," where he will be nearer to God. There can be no question in
the mind of right-thinking human beings but that such teaching encourages
suicide. There are specific instances on record of its having done so. The
following will be to the point:

On June 5, 1919, an inquest was held in Whangarei, New Zealand, over the
death of a woman who went by the name of Jessie West. The woman's body was
found on June 3 floating in the water, she having drowned herself in the
Whangarei River on the previous night. The following quotation is taken
from the report of the inquest as published in the Auckland (New Zealand)
Star of June 5, 1919:

     "Deceased had said she was married to an elderly gentleman; that
     she had married him for his money, not for love. Deceased used to
     hold Spiritual meetings every night in the deceased's room. They
     held a meeting on the Monday evening. 'We used to sing, say a
     little prayer, the spirits would come, and we received spiritual
     messages. Her spirit would say, "Love Freddie."' Freddie was a
     friend of the deceased's. Witness did not know his other name.

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     "Witness, who was visibly affected, and evidently gave evidence
     with difficulty, continued: 'We left the hotel at half past
     eight, walked down to the town wharf together. She said she was
     going to a friend that wanted her. I told her not to go -- not to
     be foolish. She said: "My Freddie is calling me."'

     "THE CORONER: 'Where was Freddie?'

     "WITNESS: 'He is dead. It was his spirit calling.'

     "Continuing, witness said: 'We walked down to the wharf. When we
     got there, deceased took off her costume and other clothes, gave
     them to me, and deceased kept only her nightdress on. I then
     left, as deceased told me to go.'

     "Witness said she knew what deceased was going to do; she had
     told witness a week ago that she was going to drown herself.

     "In answer to Sergeant Moore, witness said deceased told her not
     to tell any one. She realized now that she was foolish to go away
     or leave deceased, who had said, 'Let me go; I have nothing to
     live for;' that her loved one was gone, and he was calling her.

     "THE CORONER: 'At this meeting of Spiritualists did you hear
     anybody in the room?'

     "WITNESS: 'No; but I heard a sound in the room. It was not the
     deceased speaking. I heard a voice say to "love Freddie." They
     had been carrying on this alleged Spiritualism about a month, or
     three weeks.

     "THE CORONER: 'Did you not try to persuade her not to do it?'

     "WITNESS: 'Yes, I said to her, "Don't go, Jessie; you are young
     yet ; you have a lot to live for."' Deceased replied, 'No, I have
     nothing to live for. My Freddie has gone; I must go, too.'

     "William Thomas Simons, licensee of the Whangarei Hotel, said
     deceased never complained, but always seemed cheerful. Her
     conduct was never such as to lead any one to suppose she was
     likely to commit suicide."

But she did commit suicide, and she was urged on to the committing of that
deed because of her belief in the teachings of Spiritism -- that the dead
are still living, still conscious, still able to love, and still yearning
for the association of their former friends and loved ones.

Had she believed the Scriptures, which plainly declare that "the dead know
not anything; " that "their love, and their hatred, and their envy is now
perished;" that "there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom,
in the grave, whither thou goest" (Eccl. 9: 5, 6, 10) ; that "his breath
goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts
perish" (Ps. 146: 4) -- had she believed these teach-

Page 81

ings, she would have known that the voices which she heard calling her and
urging her to destroy herself were the voices of demons, doing the work of
him who "as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." 1
Peter. 5: 8. Or had that poor, deluded soul understood and believed this
scripture, "He shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place
know him any more" (Job 7:10), she would have detected the impostor, and
been able to say, as did our Lord, "Get thee behind me, Satan." That Job
there referred to things temporal rather than eternal, is seen by this
additional testimony from that afflicted but faithful patriarch:

     "I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the
     latter day upon the earth: and though after my skin worms destroy
     this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: whom I shall see for
     myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another [or "not a
     stranger," margin]." Job 19: 25-27.

There is in that utterance a demonstration of strong faith, saving faith,--
faith in the power and love of God, faith in the redemptive work of Christ,
faith in the resurrection, and faith that he himself would have a part in
the resurrection, through our Saviour's work on his behalf. That faith is
further emphasized in these words:

     "So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more,
     they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep. O that
     Thou wouldst hide me in the grave, that Thou wouldst keep me
     secret, until Thy wrath be past, that Thou wouldst appoint me a
     set time, and remember me! If a man die, shall he live again? all
     the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.
     Thou shalt call, and I will answer Thee: Thou wilt have a desire
     to the work of Thine hands." Job 14: 12: 15.

Job, an inspired prophet of God, had no instruction from Divinity to the
effect that when he died he would pass at once into a higher sphere of
life. He had never been informed that when the door of the tomb closed upon
him, he would pass at once into the presence of other living, sentient
beings, mingling with them in the busy activities of a higher and grander
and more glorious existence. No; he said, "If I wait, the grave is mine
house: I have made my bed in the darkness."

Page 82

Job 17:13. Speaking again of the dead, he says: "His sons come to honor
[that is, to honorable positions], and he knoweth it not; and they are
brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them." Job 14: 21. In other words,
he believed and he wrote what the writer of the book of Ecclesiastes
believed and wrote, and also what the writer of the Psalms believed and
wrote. Here is a triumvirate of witnesses, all speaking by inspiration of
the Holy Ghost, all testifying to the same thing, and all teaching that the
dead are unconscious. They are quietly awaiting that appointed time when
the Creator shall call, and they shall stand up in their place to answer
Him.

They who believe the testimony of these inspired witnesses will never be
caught in the deceptive snare which Satan lays for the feet of the unwary
in the doctrine that the dead are conscious and actively interested in the
affairs of those they loved in life. They who believe those prophetic
penmen of the divine will can never be driven to suicide through the belief
that their departed friends are calling to them to destroy themselves in
order that they may join in happy association "on the other side."

Those spirits that speak out of the darkness, urging individuals to break
God's law (" Thou shalt not kill ")' convict themselves, by that very
suggestion, of being the enemies of God, and therefore the enemies of
mankind. They know that he who breaks that divine command goes to his grave
with no mediator, nothing to shield him from the just penalty of that law
-- death.

Spiritism teaches doctrines that are plainly opposed to the divine
precepts; doctrines that make it possible for the cunning sophistries of
Satan to lure men and women to their doom. Therefore it cannot escape the
charge of joint responsibility with the great deceiver for the death of
those who, through the enticing words of spirit voices, are urged on in a
course that can end only in their eternal destruction.

On May 27, 1909, a famous psychic of Flinders Street, Adelaide, Australia,
Mrs. Adderson Miller, granted an interview to Pastor E. S. Butz, who wrote
out a report of the interview and submitted it to her for authentication.
In that

Page 83

interview, which was a lengthy one, occurs this question with its answer:

     "Question.-- Are suicides led to the deed by evil spirits?

     "Answer.-- Yes, all of them."

This spirit medium speaks without hesitation, and affirms the proposition
we have put forward. Spiritists will doubtless contend that it is only evil
spirits who encourage suicide, and that good spirits would teach and urge
the contrary. But we contend that any spirit that comes to any individual
claiming to be the discarnate spirit of any deceased human being, is an
evil spirit. It purports to be what it is not. It is a deceiver, and is
deceiving for a wicked purpose; for by the declarations of God's own
spokesmen, the righteous dead are quietly resting in their graves, awaiting
the command of God that will speak them into life again at the second
coming of our Lord; and the wicked dead are awaiting their summons also, at
a later time, to stand upon their feet and receive the reward which a just
God considers meet for their evil course.

Frederick C. Spurr well says concerning King Saul's experience with
Spiritism:

     "The story of the first sance recorded in the Bible is very
     suggestive. Saul had lost his hold on the living God. The door of
     heaven was closed against him by reason of his own moral
     unfitness. He was a degenerate in more than one sense; and he
     tried to find in the sance what he had missed in his soul. What
     he found was not the gate to heaven, but the doorway to the
     abyss. The spirit told him no good news about the beyond. What it
     did tell him led to Saul's suicide. When men are living in the
     joy of communion with the living God, they do not need nor desire
     the questionable revelations of the sance. It is, generally
     speaking, people who are bankrupt of faith who seek to force the
     door of the great mystery."-- Australian Christian World, Feb.
     20, 1920.

In the Melbourne Argus, of Feb. 8, 1921, was published the report of a
coroner's inquest upon the death of the "veteran actor and playwright,
George Darrell." The inquest was held at Sydney, the body having been
washed ashore at Dee Why, near Manly, New South Wales. Mr. Darrell left a
note to Mrs. Barnet, his landlady, telling that he was "going on a

Page 84

journey," and directing her what disposition to make of certain of his
belongings.

Mr. Nathaniel Barnet gave evidence at the inquest that Darrell had been
despondent for some time; that he was worried at not having heard from his
son; and that he was a great believer in Spiritualism. This, witness
believed, made him regard life in this world as not being of much
consequence -- as a "mere detail."

A verdict of suicide was rendered. There was no evidence given as to
whether the deceased had been hearing voices from the darkness calling him
to the other side; but the teachings of Spiritism themselves lead exactly
where the witness intimated that they did,-- to a cheapening of one's
estimate of the value of this present life, and a desire to cut adrift and
launch out into the" higher life."

Dr. Otto G. Freyermouth, famous neurologist and psychologist of America,
has thought it necessary 'to issue a warning against the ouija board , the
use of which has become so prevalent throughout the world . He calls
attention to three cases of insanity that had occurred at Oakland, Calif.
From his warning I quote:

     "The three cases were women who had become victims to their own
     devotion to the occult. One, fully clothed, was walking calmly
     into a lake when rescued with difficulty. Another constantly
     'heard mysterious voices.' The brilliant mind of the third had
     become shattered."-- Washington (D.C.) Herald, Nov. 7, 1919.

A tree which bears such fruit needs to be uprooted rather than cultivated;
for when one has listened for months or years to these "mysterious voices,"
and sincerely believes them to come from loved ones who have gone before,
he will be very likely to heed the suggestion of suicide when such voices
bring it to him.
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Page 85

                                 Chapter 9

                           Insanity and Spiritism

THE claim has frequently been made by medical men that a belief in and
adherence to Spiritism conduce to mental unbalance. The assertion has been
most strenuously denied by leaders in the spiritistic cult, and yet those
who make it, apparently do so in the utmost good faith. Mr. T. Massie, M.
B., says:

     "I have had twenty years' experience in investigating the mental
     condition of some 2,500 alleged lunatics. From such persons I
     have heard many statements assuring me of the presence of spirit
     forms. I have never had any hesitation in certifying such persons
     to be fit for an asylum treatment." -- Sunday Times, Sept. 9,
     1917.

A Spiritist writer hopes "Mr. Massie discovered something more in each of
his patients which justified their being incarcerated in a lunatic asylum
than their gift of clairvoyance. -- "The Proofs of the Truths of
Spiritualism," by Henslow, p. 140. It is very evident that he did, and that
he found the one thing leading into the other, and considered that asylum
treatment might save the individual from complete loss of reason. We
personally know of such results following a continuance of such
experiences.

Rev. Dr. Hastings, in a powerful sermon against Spiritism, delivered in
Holburn United Free Church, Aberdeen, Scotland, "quoted from an eminent
superintendent of a Royal Lunatic Asylum to show that many people were
prejudicially affected, and insanity ensued, through dabbling in
Spiritism."-- Christian Herald, April 15, 1920. He declared that Spiritism
was unavailing in the work of establishing communion between man and God,
"because it had no message to the heart and the life from Christ or from
God." It does not even claim that it has any such message, but only
messages from the dead, who, according to the Word, are utterly unable to
give any mess ages to anybody.

Page 86

More than this, Spiritism teaches that men themselves are gods, puts God
Himself beyond the reach of, and entirely out of communion with, the
spiritually hungry souls who need Him, and repudiates the entire redemptive
work of Jesus Christ. No message that has ever come through those who claim
to be the spirits of the dead, has ever helped any soul to come into
communion with the heavenly Father, or strengthened faith in the gospel, or
upheld the Lord Jesus as the propitiation for the sins of the people. On
the other hand, these messages, while claiming Jesus as a great teacher,
have disputed every claim to Deity on His part, thus setting Him forth as
an impostor, and denouncing the idea that His sacrifice on Calvary was or
ever will be efficacious in washing the guilt of sin from any human being.
Furthermore, some at least of the messages that have come from these
alleged spirits of the dead have driven men and women into asylums for the
insane or spurred them on to self-murder.

Dr. A. Maxwell Williamson, medical officer of health for the city of
Edinburgh, published the following statement in a Scottish newspaper:

     "The overwhelming majority of those who dabble in Spiritualism
     are neurotic. I had a man here in my room recently who had
     visions. I had to tell him quite frankly, as a medical man, that
     if he encouraged these, he would find himself very seriously ill,
     and in danger of mental disturbance. Those who suffer from these
     practices are really on the same plane as victims of shell shock.

     "Unless Spiritualism is checked, it will mean social suicide. We
     must put our heel on this contamination. Clean minds and healthy
     thinking will give us A-1 men: this thing will breed weaklings.
     It is un-Christian, unscientific, and from a national point of
     view its spread means a mental and physical
     deterioration."--Southern Cross, Dec. 3, 1920.

Spiritists will denounce this testimony as that of one who is biased and
bigoted; but those who are fair minded and are not wholly captivated by the
Spiritist propaganda, must give Dr. Williamson credit for giving sincere
testimony, based on experience with the results of the teachings and
practices of Spiritism. He has found the results pernicious.

The Rev. S. H. Anderson, of the Paris City Mission, writes in the
Christian:

Page 87

     "Recently, after celebrating a marriage service, I asked the
     bridegroom news of his uncle, who had been a leader of
     necromancers in Mauritius. The young man answered: 'He lost his
     reason, and died in a lunatic asylum.' Some time ago, preaching
     in a McAIl Mission Hall, at 8 Boulevarde Bonne Nouvelle in Paris,
     against Spiritism (as 'Spiritualism' is styled in France), I
     showed how the Word of God condemns it. Thereafter, a gentlemen
     came and thanked me for my address, and said: 'We were seven
     friends who used to consult the spirits of the dead. Six became
     insane and were interned in a lunatic asylum. Seeing that, I gave
     up Spiritism, and providentially came to hear the pure gospel of
     Jesus Christ, and am now a believer."

Says Elliot O'Donnell, in his book, "Spiritualism Explained:

     "It is an indisputable fact that the lunatic asylums at this very
     moment are full of people who have become insane simply through
     attending spiritualist sances."

The editor of the Harbinger of Light (July 1, 1921) refers to this
statement as "the lunacy myth," and dismisses it thus:

     "If it [the statement referred to] contained a modicum of truth,
     we should begin to feel alarmed at being associated with a cause
     that could possibly produce such direful results."

He declares it to be "based either upon whirling imagination or deliberate
falsehood." In our opinion it is based upon neither, but upon the
observation of the results of the belief in, and the practice of,
Spiritism. There is much more than a modicum of truth in the statement, and
it would be well if all -- Spiritists as well as those not yet fully
ensnared -- would become alarmed at being associated with a cause that
produces such direful results."

Spiritism, denying both the Christ and the God of the Bible, and declaring
the Bible itself to be only a compilation of myths and legends, has flung
down a challenge to Christianity, and sends us for wisdom and consolation
and guidance to the gibbering, muttering, incoherent testimonies of spirit
mediums, who, professing to speak for the dead, are voicing the sentiments
of fallen angels.

With our Bible gone, we would turn for a cheerless "comfort" to the cold
and dumb lips of the tomb. With our Sav-

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iour gone, we would turn for salvation to the contradictory and whimsical
mouthings of spirit mediums, that throw us back upon our own sin-smeared
record for a passport to the habitation of immaculate Divinity. With God
where Spiritism puts Him, He is beyond our utmost reach, and we are left
without hope and without God in a world sodden in sin and speeding to its
doom. With such a cheerless outlook, and with voices whispering suggestions
of suicide, is it any wonder that many minds break under the strain, and
insanity or self-destruction ensues? It would be almost a miracle if there
were no such results.
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                                 Chapter 10

                            A Dangerous Delusion

SPIRITISM is one of the most dangerous delusions that has ever been
introduced to the human family. In fact, the writer knows of no delusion
more dangerous than Spiritism. As already shown, the Book of God contains
many warnings and denunciations against it, and the results of its
acceptance have abundantly proved that every one of those inspired warnings
was needed. It was specifically pointed out to the Israelites when they
entered Canaan, that the inhabitants of that land were dispossessed and
evicted because of their practice of the very things that Spiritism
practises today. Said Jehovah:

     "When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth
     thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those
     nations. There shall not be found among you any one that maketh
     his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth
     divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,
     or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard,
     or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination
     unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God
     doth drive them out from before thee." Deut. 18: 9-12.

What the Bible denominates "a consulter with familiar spirits," we now call
a spirit medium, a psychic. A necromancer is one who pretends to hold
converse with the dead. Wizards and witches are those who have dealings
with evil spirits -- sorcerers. An enchanter is also one who pretends to
use some supernatural or secret powers to work a spell upon another. All
those things the ancient Palestinians did, and all those things are done
today -- most of them in the ordinary practice of Spiritism. In short, that
is what Spiritism is.

To such an extent had those inhabitants of Canaan carried Spiritism, and so
dishonoring to God had their practices become, that their eviction, and in'
some cases their extinction, was commanded. Because of the execution of
that judgment, infidels have railed against God in indignation for many
decades. And

Page 90

yet God had waited with infinite patience through centuries for those
wicked peoples to depart from their debasing and God-dishonoring practices.
In fact, He held Israel back because "the iniquity of the Amorites" was "
not yet full." Gen. 15:16. When they had filled up the cup of their
iniquity, God finished with them. In Leviticus 18: 25 He says:

     "The land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof
     upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants."

The practice of Spiritism, as previously shown, was one of the things that
defiled the land. God bore with it till there was no remedy or hope, and
faithfully warned those whom He gave possession in place of the defilers of
His land, that they must not follow the evil ways of the evicted
inhabitants. Today Spiritism is filling the earth, not a portion only; and
the work which God did in ridding the land of Palestine of Spiritism and
its fruits He is preparing now to do for the whole world. God has borne
long and patiently with earth's inhabitants; but the majority of them have
spurned His warnings and despised and even persecuted those whom He used in
making those warnings known.

Against the possibility of swift and certain judgment for these things the
multitude scoff, and against its justice infidelity will vehemently
contend; but God has declared His purpose, and scoffings and railings will
not avail. The apostle Peter has left this inspired warning:

     "Be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy
     prophets, and of the commandments of us the apostles of the Lord
     and Saviour: knowing this first, that there shall come in the
     last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying,
     Where is the promise of His coming? for since the fathers fell
     asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of
     the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by
     the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing
     out of the water and in the water: whereby the world that then
     was, being overflowed with water, perished: but the heavens and
     the earth, which' are now, by the same word are kept in store,
     reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of
     ungodly men.

     "But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is
     with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one
     day.

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     The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count
     slackness; but is long-suffering to usward, not willing that any
     should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

     "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in
     the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the
     elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the
     works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all
     these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye
     to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and
     hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens
     being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt
     with fervent heat?" 2 Peter 3: 2-12.

God destroyed the inhabitants of the earth once for their wickedness; the
cities of the plain of Sodom perished in fire for the iniquity of their
ways; He drove out or destroyed the inhabitants of Palestine, and put
another people in their place for the same reason; but now, in the end of
His controversy with sin, He tells earth's inhabitants that he will bring
an all-consuming and universal judgment upon the world. And the reason for
this destruction is the same reason that led Him to punish the world, or
cities, or peoples, in the past. Their cities or nations were defiled; but
today, as before the flood, the whole world is undergoing defilement; and
one of the defiling agencies leading to that catastrophic climax is the
very same thing that caused Jehovah to drive out the Palestinians before
the armies of Israel -- Spiritism.

That seductive delusion, which would drive God out of His universe,
dispense with Jesus Christ as the Saviour of men, and make a race of gods
out of a race of sinful, selfish, dying human beings, is establishing its
soul-withering propaganda in all the nations of earth. We are not surprised
at that; for Inspiration nearly two thousand years ago warned the world
that thus it would be in the last days. Says the revelator:

     "I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of
     the dragon [Satan], and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of
     the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of
     devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the
     earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of
     that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come as a thief.
     Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he
     walk naked, and they see his shame. And he [" they." R. V.]
     gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue
     Armageddon." Rev. 16: 13-16.

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The prophet saw those unclean spirits -- the same spirits that God warned
His people against in the days of Israel, the same spirits that had caused
the heathen peoples of Canaan to defile the land -- going out into all
parts of the earth to work with all manner of lying wonders and all
deceivableness of unrighteousness (2 Thess. 2: 9, 10), for the purpose of
nullifying the gospel work and stamping out all true religion. Says the
revelator in another place:

     "Rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the
     inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come
     down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he
     hath but a short time." Rev. 12: 12.

Spiritism, which is one of the most pronounced workings of Satan in these
days, is the most dangerous delusion with which humanity now has to deal.
It is not a new delusion. Satan has propagated it through all the
generations of the past; but he has given it a dress in our day that
captivates the minds of millions, even the minds of great scientists, and
these he uses to make his snare of ruin the more inviting. To those who are
captivated by Spiritism and surrendered to it, the gospel of Jesus Christ,
which alone can save men, seems a superfluity and has no charms. Then when
probation closes, when the curtain falls on the last act in the blood-red
tragedy of sin, such captivated souls, having spurned the only way to
eternal life, find themselves in that company that must go down into
eternal death. It is Satan's purpose to carry down with him into
everlasting ruin as many of earth's inhabitants as he can sweep into his
net; and Spiritism has proved his most effective means to that end.

But men do not reach such a dangerous climax at one bound. Prof. Frederic
W. H. Myers tells us, in speaking of telepathy:

     "If we have once got a man's thought operating apart from his
     body, . . . there is no obvious halting place on his side till we
     come to 'possession' by a departed spirit, and there is no
     obvious halting place on my side till we come to 'traveling
     clairvoyance,' with a corresponding visibility of my own phantasm
     to other persons in the scenes which I spiritually visit."--"
     Human Personality," Vol. I, p. 250, ed. 1920.

Page 93

This scientist sees clearly the issue involved in that first step toward
Spiritism, which men term telepathy. He states the issue clearly. The
practice of telepathy leads on into "possession" by a "departed spirit."
Those dishuman intelligences who represent themselves as "departed spirits"
are demons and nothing else. The ones whom they claim to represent are
quietly sleeping in their dusty beds, awaiting "the voice of the Archangel
and the trump of God" to wake them from their long sleep. If, then, demon
possession is the goal toward which the first step in Spiritism leads, how
important it is that we avoid that first step!

Mesmerism (or hypnotism) and telepathy are both branches of Spiritism. The
dangers involved in the practice of hypnotism are only too well known, and
those who are adepts in telepathy have demonstrated their ability to bring
about hypnosis by the exercise of their telepathic powers. In the
experiment which follows, the subject, a woman, was completely brought
under the control of the experimenter, though at a considerable distance
from his home, and brought to him through the exercise of telepathic
hypnosis:

     "The subject of these experiments . . . was Prof. Pierre Janet's
     well-known subject, Madam B. The first experiments were carried
     out with her at Havre, by Professor Janet and Dr. Gibert, a
     leading physician there. . . .

     "In the evening (22d) we all dined at M. Gibert's, and in the
     evening M. Gibert made another attempt to put her to sleep at a
     distance from his house in the Rue Sry,-- she being at the
     PavilIon, Rue de la Ferme,-- and to bring her to his house by an
     effort of will. At 8: 55 he retired to his study, and MM.
     Ochorowicz, Marillier, Janet, and A. T. Myers went to the
     PavilIon, and waited outside in the street, out of sight of the
     house.

     "At 9:22 Dr. Myers observed Madam B. coming halfway out of the
     garden gate, and again retreating. Those who saw her more closely
     observed that she was plainly in the somnambulic state, and was
     wandering about and muttering. At 9: 25 she came out (with eyes
     persistently closed, so far as could be seen), walked quickly
     past MM. Janet and Marillier without noticing them, and made for
     M. Gibert's house, though not by the usual or shortest route. . .
     . She avoided lamp-posts, vehicles, etc., but crossed and
     recrossed the street repeatedly. No one went in front of her or
     spoke to her. After eight or ten minutes she grew much more
     uncertain in gait, and paused as though

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     she would fall. Dr. Myers noted the moment in the Rue Faure; it
     was 9:35. At about 9:40 she grew bolder, and at 9:45 reached the
     street in front of M. Gibert's house. There she met him, but did
     not notice him, and walked into his house, where she rushed
     hurriedly from room to room on the ground floor. M. Gibert had to
     take her hand before she recognized him. She then grew calm.

     "M. Gibert said that from 8:55 to 9:20 he thought intently about
     her; from 9:20 to 9:35 he thought more feebly; at 9:35 he gave
     the experiment up, and began to play billiards; but in a few
     minutes began to will her again. It appeared that his visit to
     the billiard room had coincided with her hesitation and stumbling
     in the street."-- Id., pp. 525-527.

The person who submits to such experiments as this deliberately places
himself in mental subjection to the will of another. That other is
practising one of the branches of Spiritism, and the goal at which that
practice aims is "possession" by some spirit representing himself to be the
spirit of one who is dead. Such "possession" leads the "possessed" one a
captive at the chariot wheels of Satan. God holds each individual
accountable to Himself direct, and he who surrenders his soul to the
dictation and direction of another, sins against his own soul, and puts
another person in the place of his God. It is an insult to our Creator thus
to play fast and loose with our duty and responsibility to Him. There is no
more dangerous course for a human being to adopt.

The question arises in many minds, What really happens when a person
becomes a spirit medium? That question is answered in the following
quotation:

     "Let us suppose we are 'spirits,' whatever that means, in a
     future existence, wherever that may be, and try to imagine what
     we would do.

     "In the first place, we assume that we would want to communicate,
     if possible, with those we left behind on earth.

     "But how should we communicate? . . . Speaking necessitates
     material organs of speech; writing involves a bodily hand to
     grasp a pencil. The spirit is immaterial; has no body; needs none
     to communicate in its own world.

     "Immediately comes the answer: The spirit may temporarily use
     some living person's body! Exactly: and that is just what it
     seems to do. Really, when you think about it, is not that the
     natural and simple thing for a disembodied spirit to do? Myers
     says he considers the main objection usually raised to
     mediumistic communications really

Page 95

     a confirmatory point. He says [National Review for 1898, p. 232]:
     'I should have expected knowledge of a future world to come, if
     at all, through some use made by disembodied spirits of living
     organisms.' --"Are the Dead Alive?" by Fremont Rider, pp. 261,
     262.

This is "spirit possession," and "spirit possession is in reality "demon
possession," the very condition from which Jesus released certain persons
when He was here. It can thus be seen how different was the attitude of
Jesus toward such a course from the attitude of those who in this day
invite such "possession." Jesus said, "Come out of him, and enter no more
into him." Mark 9: 25. But Spiritists invite the very demons whom Jesus
cast out of men and women, to come to them and enter into them and take
possession. They are reversing His work, and surrendering their souls to
ruin. And all this is involved when one sets out upon the path of
Spiritism. Those who have done so, and then sought for freedom from satanic
control, have found their path a thorny and difficult one.

I will give the experience of one woman who had been a spirit medium, and
who, upon learning what Spiritism really is, determined to cut loose from
it, and give herself entirely to God. Pastor E. S. Butz, of Cooranbong, N.
S. W., knowing personally of the experience of this person in breaking away
from Spiritism, interviewed her, and the following is a verbatim report of
the interview:

     "Question.-- Will you please tell me how this began?

     "Answer.-- It began in the bush, hundreds of miles away. My
     children, who were all dead, came and sang most heavenly songs to
     me. My first experience as a fortune teller was for church
     benefits -- English and Methodist. The first night I cleared 25.
     This led me to the conclusion that I could as easily make money
     for myself as any one else, and hence I began to practise in
     Tasmania, Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane.

     "Ques.-- What were the spirits that controlled you?

     "Ans.-- There were two: one, the spirit (purported) of a departed
     clergyman, and under the spell of this spirit my sermons were
     wonderful, so they tell me, my mind being vacant; the other, an
     evil spirit, of a departed red Indian.

     "Ques.-- How were you affected on entering our meeting?

     "Ans.-- The spirits clutched at my throat and made it quite sore,
     and tried to drag me out. Since then they have tried to drown me
     many times.

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     "Ques.-- Will you relate your experience on your journey from
     Cairns to Brisbane?

     "Ans.-- Yes. Several times I was violently thrown out of my berth,
     the result being internal hemorrhage, causing me to vomit large
     clots of blood. I had given my heart to God, and determined that I
     would pray and study my Bible, and on one occasion they snatched
     the Bible three times out of my hands, throwing it upon the floor;
     but I determined to have the victory, and appealed to 'God for help.

     "Ques.-- How long did these things continue?

     "Ans.-- Right up to the hour of my baptism.

     "Ques.-- Please give a description of the happenings.

     "Ans.-- At four o'clock in the morning the spirits took me by the
     right arm and threw me out of bed onto the floor between the bed and
     the wall. [I was called into her room, and helped to lay her on the
     bed, and prayed for her at this time. E. S. BUTZ.]

     "Ques.-- Is that what made the deep bruise on the muscle of your
     right arm?

     "Ans.-- Yes. It is very painful, the size of a large hen's egg. I
     was surrounded by many demons, who clamored for my life, saying,
     'She is no more use to us; let us kill her.' The darkness that
     enveloped me was very dense, and I asked God to help me; and as
     soon as I cried to Him for help, Jesus was by my side, and I was
     rescued from their power. My only hope I knew was in Jesus. Since
     my baptism the spell of the spirits over me has been broken, and
     I am very grateful to God for His goodness and mercy to me.

                 "Signed in the presence of two witnesses,
                              "MRS. WHIRLAND."

Many another has had equally terrifying experiences in trying to break away
from such demon possession. Mrs. Whirland did not understand that, when she
began telling fortunes for money, she was entering upon Satan's ground,
that she was taking the first step toward the goal of spirit, or demon,
possession. When that innocent-appearing trap was sprung, the victim found
that she was dealing with forces against which, in her own strength, she
was powerless to contend successfully. How true it is that in such contests
"we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against
spiritual wickedness in high places." Eph. 6:12. It is dangerous,
therefore, even to dabble in Spiritism.

Spiritist leaders themselves are conscious of the dangers involved in the
practice of Spiritism. The editor of the Spiritist

Page 97

journal Light, published in London, has himself thought it necessary to
issue a warning in this connection, and that warning was republished in the
Harbinger of Light (Spiritist), of Melbourne, Australia, in its issue of
December, 1921. The article was entitled, "Exploring the Borderland; Some
Needed Cautions," and was based on an extract from what is known as "The
Dowding Script." The writer of this article (W. T. P.) says, among other
things:

     "I would hazard the guess that fully seventy per cent of what are
     believed to be messages from disembodied human souls now being
     received, are nothing of the kind. Let it be stated at once that
     I am expressing my own belief, based upon careful research
     extending over many years, but that my opinion carries no special
     authority with it. It is natural that the war should have
     enormously stimulated interest in the possibility of
     communicating with the wider world. Because of this very fact, I
     think that the warning quoted at the heading of this article is
     timely, and should be heeded. . . . The actual source of the
     ideas received is not to be fathomed easily. . . .

     "There are good reasons for believing that large numbers of
     untrained people are 'tearing at the veils' from Borderland in
     the attempt to reach our world. For this reason the need for
     warning at this juncture is, in my opinion, far greater than is
     realized even by the leaders of the Spiritualistic movement.

     "Forces are being unchained at the present time about which we
     know very little. It is dangerous to a degree for untrained
     people to attempt to harness or to become channels for these
     forces. Advanced students themselves are only dimly aware of
     their origin, use, potency, and characteristics. The amateur who
     attempts to pierce the veil taps such forces unconsciously, and
     has no conception of what he is doing. If I stress this point, it
     is because I believe that the dangers are too little understood
     at present."

It is very evident that the woman whose experience we have referred to
tapped forces that she did not understand -- until she sought release from
them. Then their uncanny, cruel, and satanic nature was revealed. Mr. W. T.
P. does not trust the forces that are "tearing at the veil;" and if he, a
confirmed Spiritist, cannot and dare not trust them, why should any one
else?

But the question arises, How is one to become a past master in that cult
without practising it? One must go into the water in order to learn to
swim. If Spiritism is dangerous for

Page 98

"amateurs," no one can ever become a Spiritist without subjecting himself
to that danger. True it is, as W. T. P. declares, "the dangers are too
little understood." No one who believes that any of the messages coming
from "spirits" are from the spirits of the dead, understands the forces he
is dealing with. He may have been a Spiritist for a generation; but if he
believes the spirits are what they represent themselves to be, he has
stepped into the devil's trap and sprung it with himself inside.

W. T. P. is an experienced Spiritist, having carefully investigated the
cult for many years, and yet he has no definite statement to make regarding
Spiritism, except to warn amateurs to beware of it. He hazards a "guess"
that seventy per cent of Spiritist messages are fraudulent. He does not
seem to be sure that any of them are what they purport to be -- and this
after many years' investigation.

The writer is very certain that none of them are what they purport to be.
They purport to be messages from the spirits of the dead; and we know, from
the most dependable and trustworthy source in the world, that the dead are
in no position to communicate with the living, and have neither the
permission nor the power to do so. Whenever the temptation comes to one to
"seek to the dead" through one who has "a familiar spirit," let that
temptation be met with the unshakable and ever-constant word of God: "The
dead know not anything;" "their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is
now perished;" "in that very day his thoughts perish." That is a shield
that will quench all the fiery darts of the satanic forces that are filling
the earth today with the doctrines and the practices of Spiritism.

The perils attendant upon accepting the cult of Spiritism were well set
forth recently by the Rev. A. V. Magee, son of the late Archbishop Magee,
in a sermon in St. Mary's, Soho (Charing Cross Road). He said, inter alia:

     "There is the peril of the fraud. All Spiritualists would agree
     that the spirits beyond had the power of personating various
     personalities. With their knowledge and low moral cunning and
     cruelty, they had the power of infinite fraud, for they could
     represent themselves to be some one else. They not only
     represented themselves to be superior intelligences, but to be
     the departed friends of those who sought the aid of

Page 99

     spirits. When people thought they were getting messages from one
     of their loved ones in the Unseen, they were getting a message
     from an immoral personality. That was the tragedy and the cruelty
     of the whole thing.

     "Not only insanity, but immoral influences were associated with
     Spiritism. He had received statements which he could implicitly
     trust concerning undergraduates who had originally done
     brilliantly in the colleges. His friend, who related the
     circumstance, told him of an undergraduate, whom he knew
     intimately, rushing one night into his room at college, and
     asking in great distress for brandy. He ministered it to him, and
     got his story. This young man and two friends had been playing
     with the planchette, and in the course of the process he had felt
     a force pressing himself against the wall. He looked afterward
     into a saucer on the table, and saw the reflection of a most
     horrible face, and fled in terror from the room. That young man,
     who had previously done so brilliantly, took only a third class,
     and fell later into dissipated habits."-- The Wellington (New
     Zealand) Dominion, Dec. 31, 1919.

The forces which that young man tapped succeeded in ruining his career and
destroying his soul -- unless some day he shall come to himself, understand
what the power is that enthralls him, and through complete surrender to
God, lay hold upon the only power that can bring him deliverance. Surely
the warning issued by W. T. P. is a warning which ought not to fall upon
deaf ears.

Here is another case attended by most distressing results. I give the
incident just as published in the Melbourne Argus, of April 10, 1922, and
dated London, April 9:

     "M. Cou. of Nancy. who is described as an authority on
     autosuggestion, is on a visit to London. where he has held a
     remarkable series of sances, in which apparently a number of
     cures have been effected. Lady Beatty, who had benefited by
     autosuggestion, induced M. Cou to visit the Tooting Neurological
     Hospital, where soldiers suffering from shell shock are under
     treatment. One hundred patients attended a demonstration. After
     half an hour a soldier suffering from bodily tremors went on the
     platform. M. Cou made passes, and suggested to the patient that
     the tremors were unreasonable. Suddenly the soldier gave a
     piercing shriek, contorted his face and body, and writhed on the
     floor. The effect of this frenzy upon the spectators was
     horrible. Man after man shrieked and flung himself on the floor
     in uncontrollable hysteria. The doctors and nursing sisters were
     unable to calm them. Lady Beatty ran out of the hall in distress,
     and M. Cou abruptly terminated the demonstration."

Page 100

The restorative work of months was undone in a moment, because M. Cou had
tapped forces he did not understand and could not control; and it cannot be
charged against him that he was an amateur, for he was advertised as an
authority on autosuggestion, and had been conducting a remarkable series of
sances. M. Cou could not protect even these pitiable victims of shell
shock from the merciless forces he professed to be able to bring to their
help.

It is recognized that when one yields himself unreservedly to the control
of a friend whom he has long known, he is placing himself in a very
dangerous position. But when he yields himself to forces and personalities
concerning which even experienced Spiritists are doubtful and wary, his
position is all the more dangerous. It is the very acme of folly so to do.
But that is exactly what one does when he yields himself to Spiritism. This
is admitted in the following paragraph:

     "In the light trance, which is the typical condition for
     communication, the medium may either speak or write the messages
     which come to her. In the more common examples she merely repeats
     messages given her by persons 'on the other side.' In its most
     developed form, however--that is motor automatism (as in Mrs.
     Piper's case)--the spirit claims to take entire control of the
     medium's body (in other words, to be an example of 'possession,'
     like the 'Watseka Wonder' already noticed). The medium then
     speaks, not in her own voice, but in the voice -- so far as she
     can do so -- of the alleged spirit; her handwriting is not her
     own, but changes with that of each spirit who uses her body; her
     gestures are not her normal ones, but may be characteristic of
     the discarnate spirit who claims to be present. In other words,
     the medium speaks and acts in every way as the spirit who claims
     to be in control of her body would do. 'The influence of the
     subject's mind,' says Dr. Hyslop, 'conscious and unconscious, is
     completely suppressed, and the nervous system becomes a delicate
     machine for the intromission of messages from without, affecting
     it as an automatic piece of machinery.' "-- "Are the Dead Alive?"
     pp. 268, 269.

Concerning this same matter Prof. Frederic Myers says:

     "In 'possession' the automatist's [the medium's] own personality
     does for the time altogether disappear, while there is a more or
     less complete substitution of personality. . . . These phenomena
     of 'possession are now the most amply attested, as well as
     intrinsically the most advanced, in our whole repertory. . . . It
     [the person's spirit] so

Page 101

     far ceases to occupy the organism as to leave room for an
     invading spirit to use it in somewhat the same fashion as its
     owner is accustomed to use it.

     "The brain being thus left temporarily and partially
     uncontrolled, a disembodied spirit sometimes, but not always,
     succeeds in occupying it, and occupies it with varying degrees of
     control."--" Human Personality," Vol. II, pp. 189, 190.

When one thus consents to abdicate the throne of his being, he virtually
tempts the devil to come in and rule his being for him. Against such
"possession" our Saviour, whom Spiritists profess to honor as a great
teacher, warned His followers in these striking words:

     "When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through
     dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will
     return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come,
     he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he, and
     taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself,
     and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man
     is worse than the first." Matt. 12: 43-45.

That is what one does who, having become converted from the evil of his
ways and been cleansed from his sin, but refusing to take advantage of the
fullness of the Christian life, leaves his soul empty as an invitation to
demon possession. Jesus declared, "The last state of that man is worse than
the first."

But even with this warning before them, there are some -- yea, many -- who
deliberately invite, or tempt, these wicked spirits to come in and sit upon
the throne of their being. Who can expect, under such conditions, to escape
the unhappy end which our Saviour's words imply?

An illustration of the advantage taken of persons who thus deliberately
yield their being to the control of another, is given by Rev. Prof. G.
Henslow, M. A.:

     "I have seen a letter sent by a lady to Mr. Stead's office when
     he was issuing Borderland; as far as I know it was never
     published, but she stated that as regarding her own musical
     powers they were of a quite ordinary character, but when at the
     piano she seemed to be obsessed by some great musician, who was
     intolerably exigeant [exacting], making her play marvelous pieces
     of music till she was practically exhausted."-- "The Proofs of
     the Truths of Spiritualism," p. 177.

Page 102

She had lost the control of her own person, and was being performed upon by
another, intolerably exacting. She was no longer a free moral agent; but
some other personality -- and in no sense a beneficent one -- was using her
as he pleased, and not as she pleased.

In the report of a lecture given by Archdeacon Colley (Spiritist) at
Weymouth, England, Oct. 6, 1903, we are given a view of the physical and
mental condition of one who had surrendered himself up to the work of a
spirit medium. The lecturer had been outlining the process whereby spirit
forms were materialized through the person of the medium, and incidentally
mentioned this striking peculiarity:

     "Cautiously, therefore, had they to awaken him [from his trance
     state], for he was rather of a nervous sort. Often when I have
     been sleeping in the same bedroom with him, for the near
     observation of casual phenomena during the night, and especially
     when he was naturally asleep, for conversation with the direct
     voices that came through the dark, I, on such occasions, would
     hold my hand over his mouth, and he would now and again be
     startled into wakefulness not unmixed with fear. For he could see
     the phantoms which I could not when I had quietly put out the
     night light -- for he would not sleep in the dark, which made him
     apprehensive of phenomena, physically powerful to an
     extraordinary degree."

Here is a full-grown man who is afraid to sleep in the dark -- the very
best time for sleeping -- and must have a light to sleep by. He sees
phantasms, "physically powerful to an extraordinary degree." How had he
learned of their extraordinary power? Evidently he had been made aware of
it in some such manner as had the lady previously referred to in this
chapter. If Spiritism is good, beneficent, healing, strengthening,
elevating, health-producing, truly spiritual, and life-giving, why is one
at least of its most submissive exponents and practitioners afraid to sleep
in the dark, annoyed by phantasms that rob him of his rest in sleep? Let
Spiritists answer. Of our Lord it is said: "He giveth His beloved sleep."
Ps. 127: 2. Nowhere is it declared of Him that He annoys His beloved with
phantasms or frightens them with terrifying dreams. What God gives to
mankind as a boon and blessing these spirits of evil seek to rob them of.

Page 103

Mr. Coulson Kernahan, who has given much painstaking study to the doctrines
and phenomena of Spiritism, has published a book entitled, "Black Objects,"
which is a very distinct and very emphatic warning against Spiritism. The
title of the book was suggested by the "nondescript black objects" which
issued from the cabinet at the sances of Eusapia Palladino. In all his
experience Mr. Kernahan can recall no sance "where anything which threw
spiritual light upon the things of eternity, or imparted teaching, or even
information of worth, was said." He declares that the present aim of
Spiritism is, by hint, by implication, by innuendo, and even by outward
"annexation," to destroy Christianity; to "destroy belief in the atonement,
and to show our Lord as a psychic, not as a Redeemer." It seems to him as
"another and new world for a form of necromancy." In pointing out the
dangers of Spiritism, he especially urges all to keep the foul hand of
so-called experiment off the young.

Mr. Frederick C. Spurr, who has had some experience in dealing with spirit
mediums, sounds this note of warning:

     "Some are likely to lose their sanity unless they are very
     careful. A well-known doctor told me the other day that quite a
     number of men and women -- more women than men -- of his
     acquaintance are betraying signs of cerebral excitement due to
     'spiritual' investigations. Two mediums known to me are certainly
     degenerates as a result of their dabbling with the occult. The
     extraordinary appearance of their eyes suggests incipient
     madness. . . . The mediums have given us little enough, thus far,
     to satisfy our curiosity. They have given us much to awaken
     suspicion."-- Southern Cross (Melbourne, Australia), July 18,
     1919.

The writer has noticed the same striking peculiarity in one at least who
practised as a spirit medium.

While Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is advising women generally to try their
powers of automatic writing and thus begin to dabble in the dangerous
delusion of Spiritism, others have uttered urgent warnings against it. The
late Dr. Alfred Russel Wallace strongly deprecated such attempts by
amateurs. In private conversation he used to tell of a man who, having
practised automatic writing, became absolutely incapable of writing the
simplest note without his hand's being used by other agencies. He was not
able to hinder this by his own will, and

Page 104

in order to effect a cure, he was obliged to abstain for years from using a
pencil at all. Sir W. F. Barrett, in a very grave passage, discourages
"young persons and those who have little to interest their time and
thoughts," from "making any experiments in this perplexing region." Dr.
Wallace had "a strong belief in the existence and activity of malignant
low-grade spirits who seek to gain control over men." While Sir Arthur
Conan Doyle has never known "a blasphemous, an unkind, or an obscene
message" to be transmitted' from the other side, Sir W. F. Barrett has been
less fortunate in his experience. This great authority writes:

     "It not infrequently happens, as some friends of mine found, that
     after some interesting and veridical messages and answers to
     questions had been given, mischievous and deceptive
     communications took place, interspersed with profane and
     occasionally obscene language. The sitters threw up the whole
     matter in disgust."-- Southern Cross, July 10, 1919.

It may be well to give here, in her own words, the experience of a young
woman who, well on her way to becoming a spirit medium, prayed for light
concerning the mysterious communications she was receiving, and had
revealed to her, through the spirits themselves, their true identity. The
lady is well known to the editor of the African Sentinel, and her
experience was published in the issue of that magazine for September, 1921.
She is now an earnest Christian and a member of an evangelical church. What
she passed through as a result of dabbling in Spiritism should serve as a
warning to any one who is now leaning toward Spiritism or is even tempted
to accept its teachings. Would it be too much to hop e that those already
ensnared in its cruel meshes might take this warning seriously? Some will
not, we know; but for those who do there is still hope. The lady does not
wish her name disclosed; but we can vouch for the authenticity of the
report she has given of her experience. This is the account:

     "Early in the year 1906, while we were living in San Francisco,
     Calif., my husband was stricken with rheumatism. He was still in
     bed when the great earthquake came in April. We had one child, a
     daughter, then only four years old.

     "Just a few days before the quake, I wanted to find out if my
     husband would get well, and I went for a private sitting to a Dr.
     How-

Page 105

     land, a noted medium, known as the singing evangelist. I do not
     know what he said about him, but I remember as if it were
     yesterday that he said to me, 'You will have your eyes and ears
     opened.' I asked him what he meant, and he said that I would find
     out about the first of July. I thought so little of this then
     that when I went home I told the folks about it, and we laughed
     about it, thinking it a great joke.

     "At that time I was acquainted with some of the phenomena of
     Spiritualism, but did not take it seriously. We used to sit about
     a table and talk to the spirits, who would tip the table for us,
     and knock. In that way we would amuse ourselves, and thought we
     were having a good time.

     "Then the great quake came, followed by the fire. I found myself
     without a home, with a sick husband to care for, and a
     four-year-old child. As soon as we could, we went across the Bay
     to Fruitvale, where we found temporary quarters in a refugee
     camp. While there, I met a little French woman, who seemed to
     think that I could tell fortunes, and she begged me to tell hers.
     She was a total stranger to me, so far as her past was concerned,
     but by some mysterious influence I was led to tell her that her
     father had killed himself, and how he did it. I described the man
     correctly, and told her that he was standing right by her. She
     was frightened, and asked if he was in the tent. She said that
     all I had told her was absolutely true.

     "Not long after this we left the camp, and took a large house'
     that was given over to refugees of the fire. My husband was still
     on crutches, but able to get about. One morning, he and the baby
     were downstairs. I was doing the little work of cleaning up the
     room, when suddenly an unseen power that I could not resist
     pushed me over to the table. Something said to me, 'Get paper and
     pencil.' This I did, and sat down at the table. Immediately my
     hand began to move, and I received a long message, purporting to
     be from my father. The handwriting was just like his. I called my
     husband upstairs to read it, and he shared my astonishment. Then
     I remembered what Dr. Howland had said about getting my eyes
     opened about the first of July. This was early in that month.

     "From that day on, it seemed that I possessed some wonderful
     power. I would hear knocks, and frequently at night was disturbed
     by something pulling at my pillow and blowing out the lights.

     "I was in the habit of keeping the light burning all night. One
     night I left the lamp burning on a chair near the bed. In the
     morning I found it out, but thought that the wind must have
     extinguished it. That forenoon a lady friend of mine came and
     asked me for a sitting. I took a pencil in my hand, and this is
     what it wrote on a piece of paper:

     "'Anna, you must not go to sleep with the lamp burning. If you
     must have a light, take a candle and put it in a can. There was
     another big quake last night, and I came and put out your lamp.'

Page 106

     "I laughed, for I did not believe the message . Suddenly a hand
     seemed to grip my arm, as though in terrible anger, and I cried
     out with the pain of it. The spirit wrote again, 'Get up, and
     look at the lamp. And next time, do not laugh.' Then we all
     looked closely at the lamp, and to our astonishment saw that the
     wick was turned down as far as it could be.

     "At first I seemed frozen with horror. And then the thought came
     to me that it must be that some of our departed friends were
     watching in a loving and tender way; for at that time I believed
     that at death one went immediately either to heaven or hell.

     "My occult powers were developing rapidly, and at the suggestion
     of a friend I went to Oakland and consulted a Mr. Earl, a noted
     medium, whom I had seen do some wonderful things, and asked his
     counsel about my qualifying for independent slate writing. When I
     told him my experience, he looked at me in astonishment, and
     said, 'You have accomplished in a few weeks what many have been
     able to accomplish only in months or even years of patient
     sitting in a dark room day after day for an hour at a time.' He
     told me to come back, and for $20 offered to 'develop' me. This
     seemed promising, but where could I get $20? My friend generously
     offered to lend it to me. I thanked her, and told her I would let
     her know when I might be ready to go.

     "It was then, while considering whether or not to go back to this
     medium, that I remembered my early training. I had been brought
     up a strict Methodist. I began earnestly to pray. I asked God
     that if this power was good, to help me to use it to His glory,
     but if not, to show me clearly that it was evil.

     "One morning I was alone, sitting at the table, waiting for a
     message, when a very peculiar feeling came over me. I could
     hardly get my breath. I felt cold and clammy, and thought that I
     might be dying. Suddenly I realized that I was being thrown into
     a trance. I was horribly afraid, and struggled with all the
     strength I had against the influence, sometimes mentioning the
     name of the Lord. When it seemed that I was just about gone, my
     little girl came in the door, and rushed up to me crying,
     'Mother! Mother!' That seemed to bring me to. I cannot describe
     this feeling; only those who have passed through similar
     experiences know what it is like.

     "After a few weeks, I decided that I would not go to Mr. Earl to
     be developed, for I thought I could do it myself. I am no artist,
     but while under the influence of the spirits, I could draw almost
     anything, mostly flowers. In addition to my writing powers, I
     became able to answer sealed questions. Every morning I would go
     into a room, pull down the blinds, and sit and wait, trying to
     develop independent slate writing. And yet I was praying all the
     time, too. It meant much to me, for I knew that as a medium I
     could make an easy living, even though my husband might not get
     well.

     "One day I was sitting at the table, pencil in hand, when it
     began to draw instead of write. When the picture was finished, it
     looked like

Page 107

     nothing I had ever seen. I looked at it for some time before I
     spoke, then I asked what it was. My hand moved again, and this is
     in substance what it wrote:

     "'This represents the devil. I am not one of your departed
     friends, as you have thought. You are praying for light. If you
     stick to this, you will become a wonderful medium, one of the
     world's best. If you give it up and stick to the Bible and serve
     God, you will have misery untold. You will get along nicely for a
     time, then you will begin to go down, until everything you have
     is taken from you. Then if you still persist, your little girl
     will be taken from you. But if you will give up prayer and your
     Bible, you may become a noted medium, and will have wonderful
     power and great wealth.'

     "You cannot appreciate my feelings as I sat there that morning
     facing these ominous words, the spirit still holding my wrist in
     a viselike grip, as though awaiting my decision. I do not know
     how long I sat thus, without speaking a word. Then I laughed as I
     thought, 'How foolish! How could that be the devil? Why should he
     thus reveal himself?' The spirit gave my arm such an awful twist
     that I soon stopped laughing, and this is what I was led to
     write:

     I have told you the truth. Now is the time for you to decide. You
     must choose either to worship God, or to become a medium. And you
     had better not laugh. You will see in time that what I have said
     is true.'

     "I was horrified, as it began to dawn on me what I had been
     doing. I realized then that I must make up my mind right there,
     one way or the other. As I hesitated, I saw on the one hand only
     hardship and an awful struggle, not knowing what was in store for
     me. But I could not thus boldly deny my God, and I said, 'If I
     must choose, I will choose God; He will take care of me.'

     "When my husband came in, I showed him the drawing and what was
     written. He looked rather curious, and asked me what reply I had
     made. He was glad when I told him, but said that he did not
     believe a word of it anyway. I continued to pray earnestly for
     light and guidance.

     "About two weeks after this a new family moved in next door. I
     became very friendly with the lady, and her son used to come over
     frequently and visit my husband. I soon found out that they were
     Spiritualists. She was a woman of culture and education, and
     there was something about her that was very congenial. The son
     had hypnotic powers, and told me that he was trying to hypnotize
     me. I told him that I would not let him, but he said he would get
     me off my guard some day. Those were fearful, trying days. I had
     seen the evils of Spiritualism by this time, and was diligently
     studying the Bible for all the light I could get. This son would
     try to get my mind confused regarding the Bible.

     "One evening, after I had put my little one to bed, my husband
     was reading the newspaper and I the Bible, when suddenly the
     Bible,

Page 108

     slipped from my hands. I became cold, and could not speak above a
     whisper. My husband saw me and put down his paper and asked me
     what was the matter. I put 'my hand over my heart, pointing to
     the bed, and whispered that I wanted him to read to me from the
     Bible. He did what he could, but he saw I was going fast, so he
     went for the doctor. It was late at night when the doctor came,
     and then I could answer his questions only by shaking my head. He
     gave me a sleeping powder and left.

     "The next morning I went to see the doctor, and he said that I
     seemed in perfect condition, and he could not tell what was the
     matter. That evening the young man from next door came over and
     said to my husband, 'It's too bad that you did not let your wife
     go last night, she was going into a trance. We should have heard
     some wonderful things.' Then I realized that he had kept his
     word, and had taken me off my guard.

     "As soon as I could I moved away from the influence of this
     family, and I have never seen them since. Soon my mind cleared
     up, and I felt natural again. I felt to praise the Lord for
     deliverance from what I now saw to be from the great enemy of
     souls.

     "Two or three years after this, I was relating my experience to a
     Christian lady. She was inclined to doubt, and begged me to sit
     at the table with her and see if I could get some writing. I was
     reluctant at first, but at length consented, and took the pencil.
     I had to wait quite a little time, but finally my hand began to
     move. I told my friend to ask a question to herself. This she
     did, and it was answered correctly. Then the spirit wrote and
     said, 'You have been warned. You had better have nothing to do
     with this.'

     "I had a similar experience some time later in Napa, when a Mrs.
     Burton persuaded me to give a demonstration of writing. I was
     again warned in a similar way.

     "In conclusion, I will say that I have gone through hell itself.
     You cannot imagine the horrible things that I have gone through,
     much of which I must keep to myself. All I know is that every
     word that I have put down is true. If some do not believe it, I
     cannot help it. But as God, whom I must one day meet, is my
     judge, I have written down everything faithfully."-- African
     Sentinal, September, 1921.

Dr. Bernard Bosanquet, formerly professor of moral philosophy in the
University of St. Andrews, makes this positive declaration in reference to
Spiritism:

     "The present 'psychical renewal' seems to me a dangerous and
     wholly irreligious craze."-- Quoted in the World's News, Sept.
     25, 1920.

And General Booth, of the Salvation Army, says:

     The present psychic revival is bad and dangerous."--Ibid.

Page 109

In the work entitled, "China's Millions," Miss Harrison, of Sisiang,
Shensi, China, warns those who are dabbling in Spiritist practices that
missionary experience in China justifies a darker interpretation of these
phenomena than is commonly prevalent. She states in that work that if
Christians who know the power of the cross would go and challenge the
mediums, or rather the power speaking through the mediums, commanding them
in the name of the Lord to declare themselves, they would confess, though
much against their will, that they are demons. Then she gives a typical
case from her own experience, which recalls the accounts of Dr. Nevious,
which made so profound an impression upon the late Prof. William James. She
says:

     "We have recently been helping a young woman, who for many years
     has been tormented by demons, to fight through to freedom. When
     it began speaking through her, attempting to deceive us into
     thinking it was the young woman herself speaking, we demanded of
     it an answer to the question, 'Who are you?' It tried evasion;
     but held to it, replied, 'I am, I am,' several times, and then
     changed to, 'We are, we are,' and finally, 'We are demons.'
     Asked, 'How many?' we got the answer, 'Five.'"

Many of the cases of spirit, or demon, possession spoken of in the Bible
have their duplicates in our day, especially in China and Korea. It is a
cause of no little wonderment that with such examples before us, there are
still so many in civilized lands who will play with this satanic device for
soul ruin. Many, no doubt, do not understand that in practising mesmerism
(hypnotism), or submitting to it when practised by another, they are really
dabbling in Spiritism, but such is the case. Says the Rev. A. Mahan:

     "Mesmeric subjects, and those who have become clairvoyants
     through mesmeric influence, have, to a very great extent, become
     mediums, and of all other persons, most readily become such. This
     is a fact which no one will deny.

     "Mesmerizing and pathetizing are among the common means
     proclaimed by Spiritualists of developing mediums. . . . To enter
     the mesmeric state, on the one hand, and to become mediums, on
     the other, one and the same condition is requisite in both
     instances, namely, a state of mental passivity."-- " Modern
     Mysteries," pp. 107, 108.

Page 110

That is the crux of the matter. God will not permit Satan to take
possession of any soul that is determined to serve God and be His and His
only. This state of mental passivity is a deliberate invitation to the
wandering hosts of fallen angels to take possession of the abdicated throne
of the individual, and reign there. And such reigning sets the feet of the
one who accepts it always on the broad highway to eternal ruin. The prince
of ruin and the Prince of the Restoration meet at the sanctuary door of
every soul, and every individual must decide for himself which of these
shall enter his holy of holies to dwell there as God. If the deceiver is
welcomed, then the One who is the way, the truth, and the life must turn in
sorrow away, and that life which means so much to him who possesses it, is
blighted in its morning and withers when the night of sin's doom shuts
down.

But to him who accepts the Lord Jesus Christ to rule in the sanctuary of
his soul, the eternal years are granted, in life undimmed by thought of
death, in joy unsullied by hint of parting, in health untouched by the
blight and mildew of disease, in happiness that is never dulled by the
thought of another's sorrow,-- a life, in short, where tears shall never
fall, where hatred or envy or distrust or evil-surmising will find no soil
and no fruitage, and the happiness of that fair land's inhabitants will
increase in the glad thought that the joy of others is equal to their own.

There have been shown in this chapter some of the dangers that lurk in the
pathway of those who, believing that the dead still live, permit themselves
to dabble in any degree in any of the branches or practices of Spiritism.
The dangers have not been overdrawn. They are very real, and he who
disregards them does so at a cost in eternal consequences which it is
impossible to compute.
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Page 111

                                 Chapter 11

                        Spiritism Identifies Itself

SPIRITISM, as one of the manifestations of the workings of the prince of
ruin, has unwittingly identified itself in numerous ways. The Bible, which
is the Word of God, has given us some of the characteristics by which we
may know Spiritism as one of the modes of operation in the campaign of the
fallen angels. We find one of those characteristics in the following
scripture:

     "When they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar
     spirits [spirit mediums], and unto wizards that peep and that
     mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living
     to the dead? [or, "on behalf of the living should they seek unto
     the dead?" R. V.] " Isa. 8:19.

Some of the people at a certain time would be seeking to the dead by means
of Spiritism, or necromancy, to learn about the living; and God says that
when they are doing that, it is time men should be seeking Him. The warning
is particularly emphatic, because when such manifestations are strikingly
prevalent in the world, the Lord Himself is doing His closing work for man
prior to the culmination of the controversy with sin and the coming of the
Redeemer. This fact is plainly set forth in verses 15, 16, and 17 of the
chapter from which the last scripture was taken. Let us consider them:

     "Many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be
     snared, and be taken. Bind up the testimony, seal the law among
     My disciples. And I will wait upon the Lord, that hideth His face
     from the house of Jacob, and I will look for Him."

It is a time of great danger -- a time when eternal destinies are being
decided -- that is brought to view in that scripture. It is a time when
God's law needs to have its seal, the whole Sabbath-observance command,
restored to it; a time when "the testimony ," God's whole Book of truth,
which has been broken and mutilated in the hands of the "higher critics,"
needs to be bound up; it is a time when some will be waiting for their

Page 112

Lord and looking for His return; and a time when some will be urging
others, in their perplexity and distress and anxiety, to seek to the dead
for knowledge and direction. That is the culminating deception, and we are
warned against it in these words:

     "Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil
     is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth
     that he hath but a short time." Rev. 12: 12.

He knows that at the coming of Christ his activities must cease. Therefore
he pours distresses and deceptions upon the world in overwhelming torrents,
and Spiritism is the veritable ne plus ultra of his evil ingenuity.

Now as to the identity of the thing against which the Lord's prophet warns
us. That delusive demonstration of satanic activity would be characterized
by communications from those who represent themselves to be the spirits of
the dead through those that have "familiar spirits" (spirit mediums), and
"wizards that peep, and that mutter." Do spirit mediums in their
communications "peep" (or "chirp," R. V.) and "mutter"?

In the book "Raymond," on page 192, Sir Oliver Lodge reports communications
received through Mrs. Leonard, and a spirit called Feda takes possession of
the medium to get a message through from the spirit of the dead boy Raymond
to his father, Sir Oliver. The opening paragraph of this report reads:

     "Feda soon arrived, said good evening, jerked about on the chair,
     and squeaked or chuckled, after her manner when indicating
     pleasure. Then, without preliminaries, she spoke."

The medium, under possession of this familiar spirit, "squeaked or
chuckled."

Again in the report of the same sance, Sir Oliver records:

     "Here Feda [that is, the medium controlled by the spirit Feda]
     gave an amused chuckle with a jump and a squeak."-- "Raymond," p.
     201.

Page 113

     "(Feda here gave a jerk, and a 'good-by.') Love to her what
     'longs to you, and to Lionel. Feda knows what your name is,
     'Soliver,' yes. (Another squeak.)"-- Id., p. 204.

This is not very illuminating, not very elevating, and we wonder that a
great scientist does not turn away from it in disgust. One thing it does,
however, it identifies Spiritism as the movement against which the prophet
of God warns the world.

Another work, previously quoted from, furnishes us with evidence of the
same character. It is given to prove Spiritism true, but it proves it to be
something against which God considers it very important to warn us. The
report in question has reference to the experience of the medium, Dr. T.
d'Aute Hooper, who was at the time under the control of, or "possessed" by,
a spirit known as the "Indian Fakir." It was announced that the fakir
(through the medium, of course) would perform fire worship, but that the
medium would be safeguarded. The report reads:

     "The interpreter retired and the fakir controlled. There was a
     lot of waving of hands [on the part of the medium], shouting,
     twisting and turning, incantations and squealing. Then he [the
     medium] left the circle and squatted in front of a good fire. He
     said a 'prayer' with a lot of rapid talk; in fact, he never
     ceased to chatter the whole time."-- "The Proofs of the Truths of
     Spiritualism," p. 65.

Sir Oliver Lodge, in a sitting with the medium Mrs. Kennedy, on Oct. 10,
1915, records this:

     "Please listen carefully now. I want to speak to you about
     Norman. There is a special meaning to that because we always
     called my brother Alec Norman, the (muddle . . . ).

     "K. K. [the medium] said that she couldn't get the rest clearly."
     -- "Raymond," p. 147.

Here was muttering again. When God has a message to give to man, there is
no muddling, no "squealing," no "chirping." The mouthpiece of God does not
have to record that though he had something to which he wished us to listen
carefully, he must break off in the midst of his message because he
"couldn't get the rest clearly." The pitiable drivel that

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"comes through" in spiritistic sances makes one wonder whether those in
attendance can have any respect whatever for their own intelligence, or any
appreciation of the value of the time (worse than wasted) which such
unprofitable gatherings consume.

Sir Oliver Lodge gives us another glance at the self-accusing
characteristics of Spiritism. The sitting this time is with the medium Mrs.
Clegg, March 3, 1916. He describes how the medium went off into the trance,
and then continues:

     "For some time, however, nothing further happened, except
     contortions, struggling to get speech [probably peepings,
     chirpings, and mutterings], rubbings of the back as if in some
     pain or discomfort there, and a certain amount of gasping for
     breath. . . . Presently the utterance was distinguished as, 'Help
     me, where's the doctor?' After a time, with K. K.'s [Mrs.
     Kennedy's] help, the control seemed to get a little clearer, and
     the words, 'So glad, father; love to mother; so glad,' frequently
     repeated in an indistinct and muffled tone of voice, were heard.
     . . .

     "The medium, however, went through a good deal of pantomime,
     embracing me, stroking my arm, patting my knees, and sometimes
     stroking my head, sometimes also throwing her arms round me and
     giving the impression of being overjoyed, but unable to speak
     plainly.

     "Then other dumb show was begun. . . .

     "After a time, utterance being so difficult, I gave the medium a
     pad and pencil, and asked for writing. The writing was large and
     sprawly, single words: 'Captain' among them."-- Id., pp. 238,
     239.

Not very satisfactory, these communications with intelligences representing
themselves to be spirits of the dead -- not much like the clear, incisive
communications that have come to us from the living God.

Spiritism has thus inadvertently admitted its own identity as that agency
against which God has warned His people. It paints its own picture before
us with the brush of its own mutterings and splutterings and chirpings and
squeakings.' Do we need further identification? It is ready to hand.

God warned His people anciently against necromancy -- communication with
the dead by calling up the dead to inquire of them. One clerical Spiritist,
Rev. H. H. B. Yerburgh, rector of Breedon, England, has been publishing a
series of apologies for Spiritism in the Church Family Newspaper, a Church
of England publication, extracts from which are published and

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commented on in the Harbinger of Light for October, 1921. Speaking of
necromancy, the rector says:

     " Necromancy is calling up the dead. In former days it had
     certain horrid rites connected with the dead body. In the
     practice of Spiritualists the dead are not called up; they appear
     ready and eager to get through, to make themselves known, and
     crowd in. They do this quite independently of the sance room."

This is one of the most striking examples of "a distinction without a
difference" that one is likely ever to see. In ancient days necromancy was
communication with the dead, the living taking the initiative by having
witches and wizards ''bring up" or "call up" the spirit of the departed
individual. Now those who wish to hold communication with the dead go to a
modern witch or wizard (spirit medium), and they find the supposed spirit
of the departed friend or relative already there and waiting to get into
communication with them. What is the difference? Two parties are getting
into communication: one is a living person; the other is supposed to be the
spirit of a dead person. They two get into communication through the same
agency, a medium (witch or wizard). They talk to each other, even as the
living and the supposed dead did in the days of Saul and the "woman of
Endor." All this is admitted. The only difference is that more from "the
other side" are seeking to "get through," and do not have to be called up,
but are already up and waiting for communication. It is necromancy just the
same -- just as much opposed to the commands and purpose of God, and just
as ruinous to the souls that permit themselves to be ensnared in its
deceptive meshes.

Yet this evil thing, forbidden of God, is Spiritism's substitute for what
is known among Christians as the "communion of saints." Says the editor of
the Harbinger:

     "We have often stated in these columns that it is to the Church
     of England we look to take the lead in indorsing the fundamental
     claims of Spiritualism, and in proclaiming, in particular, that a
     much more literal interpretation must be given to the doctrine of
     communion of saints than has hitherto been allowed"-- Harbinger
     of Light, October, 1921.

Who are these "saints" that are communicating from the other side? Every
leading Spiritist of experience knows that

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only a portion of those who speak as the spirits of the dead appear in the
slightest degree "saintly." I have already quoted the warnings of some
Spiritists against believing all that "comes through," and against
inexperienced persons' taking up the practice of communicating with the
dead. Surely we ought not to be afraid to communicate with saints. It is a
most inexcusable travesty on the real things of the gospel to claim that
this modern necromancy is what Christians understand as the "communion of
saints."

The Lord, through the apostle Paul, has given a warning to all Christendom
that is perfectly applicable in this case:

     "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what
     fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what
     communion hath light with darkness?" 2 Cor. 6: 14.

Spiritism is of the darkness. The most, and the most striking, of its
manifestations are produced in the darkness. And the inspired testimony of
the apostle John declares that men loved darkness rather than light,
because their deeds were evil." John 3:19. Jesus Christ was and is the
light of the world. His gospel is the perpetuation of that light. Neither
He nor it can have fellowship with that which works in darkness and finds
darkness necessary to its success. His followers can be termed such only
when they follow Him. Moreover, Spiritism is unbelief. It denies the
atonement; denies salvation through Christ; denies the divine sonship of
Jesus Christ; denies every claim that He made for Himself to Deity.
Spiritism, as already shown, tempts individuals -- and leads individuals --
to suicide. Leading Spiritists have often admitted that the spirits are
sometimes conscienceless liars. It is impossible, therefore, that the
practice of modern necromancy should be in any degree whatsoever entitled
to the appellation, "the communion of saints." By representing itself to be
what it is not, Spiritism identifies itself as one of the works of
darkness.

God has warned mankind against adding to or taking from the words of the
Sacred Volume. Rev. 22:18, 19. Whoever does that, despite God's warning,
identifies himself as one who

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is disobedient to God -- in rebellion against Him. How does Spiritism stand
related to the integrity and the inviolability -of the Book? In the
introduction to Book 1, page xxxv, of "The Life Beyond the Veil," we find
this paragraph:

     "And is it [Spiritism] subversive of old beliefs? A thousand
     times No. It broadens them, it defines them, it beautifies them,
     it fills in the empty voids which have bewildered us, but save to
     narrow pedants of the exact word who have lost touch with the
     spirit, it is infinitely reassuring and illuminating.

"Narrow pedants of the exact word" are those who do not feel at liberty to
add to or take from what God has given through His inspired penmen.
Spiritism, in that declaration from "beyond the veil," labels with the
unkind epithet, "narrow pedants," those who reverence and hold to the
Bible. Therefore Spiritism deprecates adherence to the exact Word. It would
add to the Bible and would take from it, and thus shows itself an enemy of
that Word, denounced by that Word, and resting under the curse of the
divine Author of that Word. One leading Spiritist declares of the Bible
that "it is absolutely worthless in the teaching of spirituality as
recognized by Spiritualism;" that "Spiritualism should recognize it as a
slough in which man's spirituality has been mired and swamped for these
thousands of years; "that the Bible "has brought about the very conditions
that we as Spiritualists are so determinedly fighting against;" and then,
in the most shameless cruelty of wickedness, accuses the Bible of being the
fount and origin of crime. (See C. F. Evans, in the Progressive Thinker,
Jan. 22, 1921.)

The Bible has been given us as a lamp to light our path out of sin and into
righteousness; out of a wicked world and into the eternal home of happiness
and peace; out from under Satan's dominance and thralldom and back into the
freedom of our Father's home of love. To accuse that Word of being what
Spiritism says it is, is the acme of blasphemous falsehood, the bitterest
refinement of unjust accusation.

But such accusations as this tell us in language most plain and emphatic
what Spiritism is and who is its author.

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Even Spiritists themselves admit that Spiritism as we know it is only a
modernization of practices which were common among ancient heathen peoples.
God has strictly enjoined upon mankind that there must be no worshiping of
any being or thing but God Himself. But the ancients worshiped many things,
among which was fire. The Parsees were, and are still, fire worshipers, as
were some of the nations that surrounded Israel. It was evidently some
species of fire worship in which the ancient Canaanites indulged when they
made their children to pass through the fire to Moloch. Certain islanders
practise a species of fire worship when, after incantations, they walk
barefoot over glowing hot stones.

In Dr. T. d'Aute Hooper's experience as a spirit medium, he was frequently
taken possession of by a spirit called the "Indian Fakir," and a species of
fire worship was performed.

Says Lord Lindsay, in speaking of the fire phenomena performed by D. D.
Home:

     "I have frequently seen Home go to the fire and take out large
     red-hot coals and carry them about in his hands and put them
     inside his shirt. Eight times I myself have held a red-hot coal
     in my hands without injury."-- "Man's Survival After Death," p.
     217.

Sir William Crookes testifies to the fire feats of D. D. Home when under
spirit control:

     "At Mr. Home's request, whilst he was entranced, I went with him
     to the fireplace in the back drawing-room. He [the influence
     controlling Home] said: 'We want you to notice particularly what
     Dan [i. e., Home] is doing.' Accordingly I stood close to the
     fire, and stooped down to it when he put his hands in. . . . Mr.
     Home then waved the handkerchief about in the air two or three
     times, held it above his head, and then folded it up and laid it
     on his hand like a cushion. Putting the other hand into the fire,
     he took out a large lump of cinder, red-hot in the lower part,
     and placed the red part on the handkerchief. Under ordinary
     circumstances it would have been in a blaze. In about half a
     minute he took it off the handkerchief with his hand, saying, 'As
     the power is not strong, if we leave the coal longer, it will
     burn.' He then put it on his hand, and brought it to the table in
     the front room, where all but myself had remained seated."-- "The
     Proofs of the Truths of' Spiritualism," p. 66.

We need not question these statements as records of actual happenings. They
doubtless were such; but they do not prove

Page 119

that the dead are alive. Such things do not prove that the spirits
controlling the medium and causing him to perform these acts were the
spirits of the dead. They claim to be; but as they have been proved
falsifiers in numerous cases, which Spiritists themselves admit, it is more
than probable from their own showing that they are lying when they make the
claim that they are spirits of the dead; and when we bring the Word of God
into the witness box, the probability resolves itself into an absolute
certainty. Moreover, Spiritism, in such demonstrations, is clearly
disobedient to the law of God, which forbids the worship of anything other
than God Himself. In practising and encouraging fire worship, Spiritism
proves itself an exponent of idolatry, a breaker of God's law, and thus a
rebel against His government. Thus again does it identify itself as the
enemy of God and the deceiver and destroyer of man.

Spiritists admit with the utmost unconcern the identity of the Spiritism of
today with the practices of ancient days that are forbidden in the Sacred
Volume. Note this paragraph:

     "Dr. Lombroso refers to the witch of Endor, and quotes from
     various writers proving that necromancy, or what we now call
     Spiritualism, was common in Greece, not only as a belief among
     the lower classes, but held by philosophers, especially by the
     Platonists and Pythagoreans, 'who expressed a wonder if any one
     said he had never seen a daimon;' i. e., the spirit of a deceased
     person."-- Id., p. 73.

Concerning this, the author of the book makes the following observation in
a footnote:

     "Whenever devils are mentioned in the 'Gospels as 'possessing'
     human beings, daimon or daemon is the right term."-- Ibid.

Spiritism therefore admits, seemingly with perfect sangfroid, that the
spirits with which it is getting into touch are really the devils whom
Jesus cast out of the afflicted persons who were being tormented by them;
that the spirits who control mediums are the devils whom Jesus commanded to
"come out" of certain "possessed" ones, and enter no more into them. The
admission is a sweeping one, and leaves every Christian without excuse for
having anything to do with Spiritism

Page 120

Again, on the same page of the same work, appears this statement:

     "The story of the witch of Endor will be recognized as identical
     in all the features mentioned as characteristic of a modern
     sance."

So Spiritism links itself up with the witch of Endor, and so with all
witchcraft practised in those days. It identifies itself as the same thing.

Let us see now how that ancient practice was, and therefore this modern
practice is, regarded by the God of Israel, the God whom Christians serve:

     "When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth
     thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those
     nations. There shall not be found among you any one that maketh
     his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth
     divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,
     or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard,
     or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination
     unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God
     doth drive them out from before thee." Deut. 18: 9-12.

Spiritism says that it is the same thing as that which the woman of Endor
represented and practised. It must therefore rest under the same
condemnation. God called it an "abomination" then, drove it out of the
land, and made its practice punishable by death. He says that because of
those abominations He drove out the original possessors of Canaan. He tells
us, furthermore, that He is the "same yesterday, today, and forever." What
was an abomination then in His eyes is an abomination still; and the person
who practises it, whether he call himself Christian or unbeliever, places
himself under the frown and the curse of Almighty God. Israel could not
practise that abomination and be God's chosen people and inherit the
temporal Promised Land. Likewise, the Christian cannot practise that
abomination, and be an accepted child of God and an inheritor of the
eternal possession.

From what is called a "psychograph," a photograph of spirit writing,
presented by Archdeacon Colley to the author of "The Proofs of the Truths
of Spiritualism," I quote these state-

Page 121

ments as further proof that Spiritism identifies itself as the necromancy
and demon possession of ancient times:

     "It is only necessary to read history and the sacred works of
     ancient peoples and nations to know that what is termed modern
     Spiritualism is as old as the world. Sacred history teems with
     abundant evidence of the fact. The media were prized by the
     Medes and Persians. The Delphic Oracles, the Cyprian priestesses
     who were brought forward at certain feast days that the populace
     could communicate with their Ad Patres! . . . We wonder why it is
     that the denizens of earth will read and think contrary to the
     teaching in their Holy Writ. It is only necessary to read and
     calmly compare the phenomena of older days chronicled therein and
     modern happenings to prove they are one and the same, only given
     in different times of the world's history."--
     "The Proofs of the Truths of Spiritualism," pp . 202, 203.

This purports to have been written by a spirit, and therefore Spiritism
must admit that it speaks authoritatively. It leaves no loophole for
doubting that Spiritism is identical with the witchcraft, the necromancy,
the fire feats, and the heathen practices generally which were so
-specifically denounced by Jehovah in the days of Israel.

The author of the psychograph would lead us to think that because those
things are mentioned in Holy Writ, we are permitted and expected to
practise them. But not so. They are mentioned only to condemn, to denounce,
and to warn us against having aught to do with them.

The author of the psychograph then directs attention to a number of
passages of Scripture, among which is 1 Samuel 28: 6. That verse reads:

     "When Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not,
     neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets."

So Saul turned to a source from which he hoped he might get an answer.
Certainly, if God would not answer him, he could not expect to receive a
reply from any agency under God's direction or control. He knew that he
must go to an agency which was in opposition to God, an outlaw. He sought
out a spirit medium; and he must himself practise deception in order to
accomplish his purpose. So he disguised himself and went in the night. It
was a deed of darkness and deceit, and it received the reward which was
meet for such deeds.

Page 122

The result of that action we find recorded in words of Holy Writ:

     "So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against
     the Lord, even against the word of the Lord, which he kept not,
     and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to
     inquire of it." I Chron. 10:13.

Saul lost his life for his sins, and one of those sins specifically
mentioned was that of attending a Spiritist sance to inquire of the dead.
It is strange that the author of the psychograph in question should refer
us to this scripture, which so specifically condemns the whole Spiritist
movement.

Saul was not the only offender in this particular whose record has come
down to us. Of Manasseh it is said:

     "He made his son pass through the fire, and observed times, and
     used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards:
     he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the Lord, to provoke
     Him to anger." 2 Kings 21: 6.

A similar statement concerning him is recorded in 2 Chronicles 33: 6. It
will be interesting, therefore, to read what is said of one of Israel's
kings who took an opposite course to that taken by Saul and Manasseh. This
is the record of the good king Josiah:

     "Moreover the workers with familiar spirits, and the wizards, and
     the images, and the idols, and all the abominations that were
     spied in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, did Josiah put away,
     that he might perform the words of the law which were written in
     the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the
     Lord." 2 Kings 23: 24.

The question will naturally arise as to whether Josiah offended God in
putting a stop to the practice of spirit medium-ship throughout his realm.
The above scripture declares that he did it in order "that he might perform
the words of the law;" and the verse following reads:

     "Like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the
     Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his
     might."

Page 123

for doing so; the other class put away that abomination, and received
heaven's approbation. And what the one practised and the other prohibited
was that which today is known as Spiritism or Spiritualism. It has, beyond
question, identified itself as that thing which Jehovah abominated and
prohibited, the fire-worshiping necromancy of the ancients, the cult of
witchcraft, the perpetuation of the falsehood first uttered by Satan in
Eden, the most subtle of all the deadly deceptions invented by the prince
of ruin for the destruction of our race.

How different, then, is the record left us concerning the two classes of
kings! The one class practised that which was an abomination in the sight
of God, and was condemned by Him

Page 123

for doing so; the other class put away that abomination, and received
heaven's approbation. And what the one practised and the other prohibited
was that which today is known as Spiritism or Spiritualism. It has, beyond
question, identified itself as that thing which Jehovah abominated and
prohibited, the fire-worshiping necromancy of the ancients, the cult of
witchcraft, the perpetuation of the falsehood first uttered by Satan in
Eden, the most subtle of all the deadly deceptions invented by the prince
of ruin for the destruction of our race.
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                                 Chapter 12

                   Spiritism Fosters the First Falsehood

THE first falsehood ever told in this world was told in Eden by the prince
of ruin. In that falsehood he promised the mother of the human race that if
she would disobey God, so far from dying as a penalty, mankind would
advance in glory and honor. These are his words:

     "Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye
     eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as
     gods, knowing good and evil." Gen. 3: 4, 5.

By disobeying God he said they would become like gods themselves. God had
warned them that the penalty for disobedience would be death. Satan
contradicted God, and promised them immunity from the execution of that
decree, with tremendous advantages besides.

Spiritism is using all its powers of eloquence and deceit to prove to the
race that God told the falsehood and Satan told the truth. The chief burden
of Spiritism is to prove that the dead are not really dead, but have simply
entered upon another sphere of existence, and are able to communicate with
us (though this is plainly contradicted by the Bible); and the next great
burden is to bolster up the satanic idea that men are becoming gods through
processes following death.

God is the Creator of all things. If men are to be like gods, they must be
able to demonstrate their ability in the work of creating. The Rev. G. Vale
Owen, writing under spirit control concerning the occupations of those who
have passed "beyond the veil," presents the following:

     "We all sat round the open space, and concentrated our wills on
     the object to be produced. Very quickly it appeared and stood there
     before us. We were much surprised at the quickness of the result.
     But from our point of view there were two defects. It was much too
     large; for we had failed to regulate the combination of our wills
     in due proportion. . . . The result was a mixture between stone and
     flesh. Also many points were disproportionate -- the head too large
     and the

Page 125

     body too small, and so on. . . . We experiment, and then examine the
     result, and try again. We did so now."--
     "The Life Beyond the Veil," book 1, p. 63.

If this were a true record of actual happenings, how ridiculous it would
appear when compared with the true record of Jehovah's work during creation
week! "He spake, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast." Ps. 33:
9. Again: "God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very
good." Gen. 1: 31. Nothing too large or too small, and no mixtures of stone
and flesh.

But this spirit reporter teaches that creation is taken up as a science in
the spheres to which the dead go, and they have scientific instruments to
help the unskilled students in their first attempts at doing the work of
gods. One who was instructing a class in this science actually created a
landscape (so the spirit states), including fields and forests, with
bright-plumaged birds flying from tree to tree. The spirit continues:

     "Our guide was somewhat advanced in the science, and had
     contrived the forest scene by means of this same skill. As the
     learners progress, they are able gradually to achieve the result
     they wish without the scientific apparatus which at first is
     necessary. One instrument after another is left out until at
     length they are able to depend solely on their will. . . . We
     cannot all be creators of cosmoi, I suppose, and there are other
     things as necessary, great and glorious, no doubt. . . . While
     the men students mostly looked after the purely creative part,
     they [the women] were permitted to add to and round off the work
     with their genius of motherhood."-- Id., pp. 82-85.

The same writer attempts to prove that the living and the spirits of the
dead stand in the same relation to the Father of all that Jesus, the Son of
God, did and does. He asks:

     "Is it meant that He is the Father in manifestation as man? So,
     then, are you and so am I His servants. For the Father is in all
     of us. Or is it that in Him was the fullness of the Father,
     undivided? So in you and in me also dwells the Father."-- Id.,
     book 2, p. 69.

Therefore, if Christ is God, according to this teaching, man also must be a
god; for they claim for man the same relation to God that Jesus Christ
sustains. It is a bold and blasphemous assumption put forward by the prince
of ruin to take away

Page 126

from the glory and the position and the honor of the Lord Christ, and exalt
the disobedient sons of earth to an equality with the sinless Sacrifice
that on Calvary paid the debt for man's sin.

Again, God styles Himself a "prayer hearing and a prayer answering God."
From the Vale Owen script I quote again:

     "We reach the earth also and sense your doings there, and send
     you words of instruction, or help in other forms, in answer to
     the prayers which come to us for us to deal with."-- Id., p. 76.

God has taught us that it is He who hears our prayers and who answers our
prayers. But Spiritism would usurp this prerogative of Deity also. Some
Spiritists would even rob God of the title of Author of our lives and
Creator of our bodies. Says Dr. V. Maxwell, a French Spiritist:

     "We have a soul which is making and perfecting its own body." --
     "Are the Dead Alive?" p. 258.

So according to this teaching we become the creators of ourselves; so do we
eliminate God from His position in the universe, through the doctrine of
Spiritism! Some of these doctrines would make us gods; some would usurp the
prerogatives of God; some would quietly drop God out of existence entirely.

The author of the Vale Owen script presents in metrical language the idea
that these discarnate spirits are the agents of creation. Thus:

                    "Diverse and lovely, at their urge,
                       A myriad living forms emerge,
                     As they on bird and beast and tree
      Impress their personality." -- "The Life Beyond the Veil," book
                                 3, p. 12.

The same spirit author attributes the ability to create even to evil
powers. He was questioned as to what certain animals were doing in a
certain place where unruly spirits were being held in durance vile. His
reply was:

     "These animals have never been in the flesh. Those go into
     brighter places. these are the creations of evil powers who are
     able to bring

Page 127

     them forth so far, but not to project them further in advance
     toward incarnation on earth."-- Id., p. 225.

Then one of the distinguishing characteristics of Jehovah -- His creative
power -- according to this teaching, is possessed by devils also! and all
for the purpose of belittling the Godhead and causing men to believe that
Satan's falsehood in Eden was truth,-- that through disobedience we acquire
divinity.

A noted psychic (or spirit medium) of Adelaide, South Australia, Mrs.
Adderson Miller, in an interview granted to Pastor E. S. Butz, of
Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia, was asked, among others, the
following questions, the answers to which were set down just as she gave
them:

     "Do Spiritualists believe in a personal God?"

     "No, God is universal in you; to be developed. God is simply love
     one for another."

     "Then are we each God?"

     "Yes, you are God; I am God."

This is what Satan said men would become through disobedience. This is what
Spiritists say men have become -- and have become gods so literally and
comprehensively that God Himself, through whom even they live and move and
have their being, is ruled out of existence. Surely, in view of all that is
comprehended in accepting the tenets of Spiritism, it is worth while
studying the consequences before taking the step.
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                                 Chapter 13

                        Unprofitable Communications

THERE is one verdict that can be truthfully rendered concerning all
communications that "come through" from the so-called spirits of the dead.
It is this: "Empty and unprofitable." No great thoughts, no new truths,
have ever come to the knowledge of mankind through spirit intercourse.
Spiritists, of course, take the position that such is not necessary -- that
the important thing is that communications do "come through," thus proving
the continuity of life -- and, of course, incidentally proving the Bible
untrue in its statements concerning the condition of man in death.

'But the fact that something does "come through" from somebody does not
necessarily prove the continuity of human life, nor the Bible untrue. The
first thing which must be established is that that which "comes through"
comes from the one from whom it purports to come. No proof for that has
ever been given, nor will it ever be given. The dead still sleep, awaiting
the call of the Life-giver. Those who profess to speak for the dead are the
same beings whom our Saviour cast out of "possessed" individuals when He
was upon earth. They misrepresent God, and Jesus Christ, and the de ad, and
themselves.

Now as to the communications received. Let us see whether they are helpful,
elevating, ennobling, or in any sense worth while. On Sept. 27, 1915, Sir
Oliver Lodge and Mrs. Lodge had a sitting with A. V. Peters, at the home of
Mrs. Kennedy. In the record of that sitting as prepared by Mrs. Kennedy are
the following statements directed to Mrs. Lodge:

     "What a useful life you have led, and will lead! You have always
     been the prop of things. You have always been associated with men
     a lot. You are the mother and house prop. You are not
     unacquainted with Spiritualism. You have been associated with it
     more or less for some time. I sense you are living away from
     London -- in the North or Northwest. You are much associated with
     men, and you are the

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     house prop -- the mother. You have no word in the language that
     quite gives it -- there are always four walls, but something more
     is needed -- you are the house prop.

     "You have had a tremendous lot of' sadness recently, from a death
     that has come suddenly. You never thought it was to be like this.
     . . .

     "There is a gentleman here who is on the other side -- he went
     very suddenly. Fairly tall, rather broad, upright, . . . rather
     long face, fairly long nose, lips full, moustache, nice teeth,
     quick and active, strong sense of humor -- he could always laugh,
     keen sense of affection. He went over into the spirit world very
     quickly. There is no idea of death because it was so sudden, with
     no illness. . . .

     "Before you came, you were very down in the dumps. Was he ill
     three weeks after he was hurt? [Sir Oliver Lodge interposes here,
     "More like three hours, probably less."] . . .

     "When he was young, he was very strongly associated with football
     and outdoor sports. You have in your house prizes that he won, I
     can't tell you what. [Sir Oliver interposes again: "Incorrect;
     possibly some confusion in record here; or else wrong."] . . .

     "Before he went away he came home for a little while. Didn't he
     come for three days? ["There is a little unimportant confusion in
     the record about 'days,'" interposes Mrs. Kennedy.] . . .

     "And he wanted me to tell you of a kiss on the forehead.

     "[Mrs. Lodge interposes, "He did not kiss me on the forehead when
     he said good-by."]

     "Well, he is taller than you, isn't he?

     " [Yes.]

     "Not very demonstrative before strangers. But when alone with
     you, like a little boy again.

     "[Mrs. Lodge interposes, "I don't think he was undemonstrative
     before strangers."]

     "Oh, yes, all you English are like that."-- "Raymond," pp.
     130-135.

Now, all this, and much more of a similar character "came through" from
some kind of intelligence to demonstrate to Sir Oliver and Lady Lodge that
Raymond was still alive and able to use his intellect, though through
another. How it can do what it is supposed to do is beyond the
comprehension of the writer, and surely the reader must agree that it is
beyond his comprehension as well.

On Oct. 22, 1915, Sir Oliver and Lady Lodge had a sitting with Mrs.
Leonard. They were seeking to get some "evidential" matter through the
medium, and the idea of cross-correspondence was suggested. Sir Oliver
makes this observation:

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     "I rather doubt if cross-correspondence of this kind can be got
     through Mrs. Kennedy, though she knows we are going to try for
     them. The boys are quite willing to take down any jumble, but she
     herself likes to understand what she gets, and automatically
     rejects gibberish." -- Id., pp. 160, 161.

Then evidently a good deal that "comes through" from the spirits is
recognized by both mediums and sitters as "gibberish." This is one of the
rewards of disregarding the Scripture warning against seeking to the dead.

On Oct. 23, 1915, Mrs. Lodge and others were having a sitting in Mrs.
Kennedy's home with the medium A. V. Peters. While the sitting was in
progress, the controlling spirit known as "Madam" relinquished control of
the medium, and Sir Oliver makes this observation:

     "Then an impersonation of my uncle Jerry was represented, with
     the statement, 'Your husband will know who he is;' but this part
     of the record is omitted as comparatively unimportant. It was
     unintelligible to the sitter."-- Id., p. 166.

Then there was a change of control, and this "came through:"

     "I want to come. Call mother to help me. Because you know. You
     understand. It wasn't so bad. Not so bad. I knew you knew the
     possibility of communicating, so when I went out as I did, I was
     in a better condition than others on the other side.

     "But no, wait. Because they tell me. I am not ashamed. I am glad.
     I tell you, I would do it again. I realize things differently to
     what one saw here. And, oh, thank God, I can speak! But . . . the
     boys help me. You don't know what he has done. Who could help?
     But I must keep quiet, I promised them to keep calm. The time is
     so short. Tell father that I am happy. That I am happy that he
     has not come. [On page 248 of "Raymond" the same spirit,
     purporting to represent Raymond, says, "You know that I am
     longing and dying for the day when you come over to me. It will
     be a splendid day for me."] If he had come here, I couldn't have
     spoken. I find it difficult to express what I want. Every time I
     come back it is easier. The only thing that was hard was just
     before. The 15th, do you understand? And the 12th. [Sir Oliver
     interposes, "We do not clearly understand these dates."] But
     every time I come it is better. 'Grandma helped or I couldn't.
     Now I must go Broken. . . . But I have done it, thank God."--
     Id., pp. 167, 168.

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Then another spirit takes control of the medium, and this is what "comes
through:"

     "I am an old Irishwoman. [To Mrs. Kennedy] You don't realize that
     the world is governed by chains, and that you are one of the links.
     I was a washerwoman and lived next a church, and they say
     cleanliness comes next to godliness! One of my chains is to help
     mothers. Well, I am going. But for comfort, the boy is glad he is
     come. [To Mrs. Kennedy] Your husband is a fine man. I love him.
     His heart's as big as his body, and it is not only medicine, but
     love that he dispenses." -- Id., pp. 168, 169.

Thus page after page of this kind of matter could be given, but who could
be helped by it? What inspiration or uplift could humanity receive from it?
Empty, unprofitable, and foolish; yet the system that is being built upon
it is sweeping the world like a prairie fire, and proposes to supplant
Christianity. Sir A. Conan Doyle, at the beginning of his lecture tour in
America, had the assurance to declare that within fifty years "Spiritualism
will replace present-day religion," and that "the churches in England are
quietly adopting the tenets of Spiritualism." When Spiritism fulfils that
prediction, it will be indeed "woe to the inhabiters of the earth." When
men leave the sure foundation of the gospel to flounder in the swamps of
spirit revelation, they will have turned their faces toward ruin, certain
and absolute.

In spite of the senseless jargon that Sir Oliver Lodge has recorded in his
book "Raymond" as the utterances of disembodied spirits, he makes this
astonishing declaration:

     "If departed human beings can communicate with us, can advise us
     and help us, can have any influence on our actions, then clearly
     the doors are open to a wealth of spiritual intercourse beyond
     what we have yet imagined."-- Id., p. 390.

One is compelled to ask in blank amazement, "In what does the wealth
consist?" Inexperienced miners frequently " pan out " ounces or pounds of a
substance which they think is real gold. They think they have struck
wealth. But it turns out to be "fool's gold." They are poorer than they
were before, for they have spent time and money for naught. The wealth
which Sir Oliver imagines lies just at the point of his

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pick, is "fool's gold" only; and time and money invested in its
exploitation are worse than wasted. He who sinks his shaft there must first
turn his back upon the real gold, the real truth of God, and every step in
that direction is a step away from God and eternal life.

Probably most of those who read these pages have some knowledge of the
uplifting and sublime utterances of the Bible, and have learned to revere
its sacred pages because of the intrinsic value of their divinely inspired
utterances. Compare them for a moment with the spirit communications
recorded on preceding pages, and then read the following:

     "Why should God have sealed up the founts of inspiration two
     thousand years ago? What warrant have we anywhere for so
     unnatural a belief?

     "Is it not infinitely more reasonable that a living God should
     continue to show living force, and that fresh help and knowledge
     should be poured out from Him to meet the evolution and increased
     power of comprehension of a more receptive human nature, now
     purified by suffering?"--" The Life Beyond the Veil," book I,
     Introduction, p. xxxiv.

And when we ask Spiritists for a sample of what God is pouring out now for
the benefit of this "more receptive human nature," we get such material as
that previously quoted in this chapter from spirit mediums. How can we call
it anything but brazen effrontery even to infer that such "gibberish" is
the modern manifestation of divine inspiration in the gift of prophecy? The
wonderful messages that have come to us from God through Moses, David,
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, and John, did not come as incoherent mutterings
from a squirming, squeaking medium, nor by means of a tattoo beat out on a
wooden table, nor through the staggering wanderings of a planchette over a
sheet of paper. God's messages are clear, majestic, commanding, uplifting.

The Rev. G. Vale Owen, whose hand was used by a spirit to write of the
"life beyond the veil," adds this note after the conclusion of one message:

     "While writing the first part of this message, I could not see
     the drift of the argument, which seemed to me to be rather thin
     and mud-

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     dled. On reading it over, however, I am by no means sure of my
     estimate."-- Id., p. 16, note.

If the one who has written it does not know what it means and its purpose,
and whether it is really "thin and muddled" or something that is worth
while, and is not sure about it even after reading it a second time, the
rest of us may be excused if we decide that Mr. Owen's first estimate was
the correct one. In fact, a careful perusal of the first three books of the
Vale Owen scripts leaves the writer with the most decided opinion that the
whole script is thin and muddled, empty, unprofitable, false. A lying
spirit, a member of the host that fell with Satan from the courts of glory,
has taken possession of the hand of a minister of the gospel, and is using
that hand to foster the cunning falsehood of the leader of that fallen
host,-- to teach that the dead continue to live and love and exercise every
prerogative of sentient beings in ever-ascending spheres from the lowest
hell up to "summerland" and beyond. A perusal of such books makes one feel
as if he had been dragged through a succession of madhouses.

Communications that deal in uncertainties, where the inspiring spirit
himself is uncertain, can never make one feel that he is grounded in
certainty when he has finished with them. The author of the Vale Owen
script, in speaking of certain laws which seemed complex, says:

     "But if we could trace them up-stream and arrive at the origin,
     we should find, I think, that they were few and simple."-- Id.,
     book 2, page 45.

Again he says:

     "All the diversity you 'see around you is due, as it seems to
     us," etc.-- Id., p. 46.

Here is another illustration:

     "Were it not for faculties we possess other than that of sight,
     we should, as I suppose, have difficulty in finding our way
     about."-- Id., page 53.

In another place he gives us this astonishing bit of uncertainty:

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     "So there are here, also, many who say that Christ is not God,
     and so saying think they have made an end of the matter."-- Id.,
     p. 68.

I have italicized the words which show the uncertainty, and therefore
emphasize the worthlessness, of these communications.

On one occasion Mr. Vale Owen requested his controlling spirit to give an
illustration of what he meant in asserting that fairy tales and such like
were the surviving descendants of the science of the past. These are the
illustrations given:

     "There is the story of Jack and the beanstalk. In the first
     place, look at the name. Jack is colloquial for John, and the
     original John was he who wrote the book of the Revelation. The
     beanstalk is an adaptation of Jacob's ladder, by which the upper,
     or spiritual, spheres were reached. . . . Punch and Judy might
     represent the transactions in which the two who stood out most
     reprobate were Pilate and Iscariot."-- Id., pp. 82, 83.

Is not this an attempt to make the sublimity of the Scripture record appear
ridiculous? It unveils itself as the emanations of an enemy mind. The
emptiness and cheapness of these spirit communications have already been
mentioned; but note this statement:

     "Yes, my inquiring friend, it is I who am writing. But you did
     not suppose I imagined for a moment that you would be satisfied
     with my own small talk, did you? "-- Id., p. 22.

At the next sitting this "came through:

     "When we find difficulty in speaking so that we be heard of you,
     or make mistakes in our wording or even in the matter of the
     message, then be patient," etc.-- Id., p. 24.

With what astonishment and dismay would we view such guessings and such
uncertainties and such admissions of error in the Book of God! We do not
find them there. On page 96, book 3, of the Vale Owen script, occurs this
expression:

     "So far as we can penetrate, the reason for this decision," etc.

Such expressions as these are frank admissions that God is not speaking
through these spirit authors; that they are left in the darkness to grope
their unguided way in the faint glimmer of their own guessing. But the
wonder of wonders is that human beings will leave the white light of God's
Word to flounder through the slough of despond!

Page 135

Prof. William F. Barrett, F. R. S., who is an ardent Spiritist, says:

     "It is sometimes urged that the manifestations of life in the
     unseen are so paltry as to excite contempt."-- "Are the Dead
     Alive?" p. 289.

So they would be even if they were what they purport to be,-- evidences of
survival after death. But they are not even that. They are evidences only
that there are intelligences which we cannot see, and that these
intelligences are really able to make their own existence manifest. But no
shred of evidence has ever appeared anywhere, at any time, through any
method, to prove that they are the spirits of the departed. They represent
themselves so to be; but as they have demonstrated themselves, even on the
admission of ardent Spiritists, to be conscienceless fabricators of
falsehood, we are not warranted in believing any "revelation" that comes
through or from them.

Spiritists have taken it for granted that the communications that come
through spirit mediums purporting to come from their dead friends are
genuine. The point to be proved is right there; and it never is proved. An
unseen and cunning impostor, personating a dead friend, with every act of
whose life that impostor is familiar, picks out incidents in that dead
friend's life with which only that friend and one or two others are
familiar, and uses his knowledge of those incidents to demonstrate that he
is the spirit of that dead friend. Because he knows of that incident, it is
reasoned that he must be that friend's spirit; and that therefore that
friend, though dead, still lives and moves and has his being.

But not so. It is a cruel imposition, a truly fiendish misrepresentation.
The departed one is still sleeping. Says Job: "If I wait, the grave is mine
house." Job 17:13. Again he testifies:

     "As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and
     drieth up: so man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be
     no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.
     O that Thou wouldst hide me in the grave, that Thou wouldst keep
     me secret, until Thy wrath be passed, that Thou wouldst appoint
     me a set time, and remember me! If a man die, shall he live
     again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my
     change come. Thou shalt call, and

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     I will answer Thee: Thou wilt have a desire to the work of Thine
     hands." Job 14: 11-15.

Until the day of our Lord's return, when the heavens depart "as a scroll
when it is rolled together" (Rev. 6:14), and the mountains and islands are
moved out of their places; until the trumpet of God sounds, and the dead
are called forth from their graves, Job expected to sleep in the tomb. Then
he, with all who are judged worthy of eternal life, will awake and sing in
the glad morning of the resurrection. (See Isa. 26: 19.)

Job further tells us, in refutation of the idea that the dead still live:
"He shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place know him any
more." Job 7:10.

Every one of Spiritism's "demonstrations" is made for the purpose of
proving that statement false, with all similar statements made throughout
the Book of God. Both cannot be true. We must depend either upon the Bible
or upon the statements of spirits who tell the truth only when it pleases
them, and lie without scruple when it pleases them better.

As an illustration of this, I quote the following from records made
concerning sances held with the famous medium, Mrs. Leonora Piper, in
England:

     "Sances, often two a day, were held for several weeks; and
     though some were almost complete failures, others were marked
     with conspicuous success. True incidents were often given in such
     a mass of error as to make it necessary to discount their value.
     Some sittings have all the appearance of the ordinary medium's
     talk and associational reproductions. Names were often given in a
     manner to suggest guessing and 'fishing,' and even though they
     were strikingly right, their significance had to be skeptically
     received or wholly rejected."-- "Science and a Future Life," by
     Hyslop, p. 163.

Prof. Frederic C. Myers, a member of the Society for Psychical Research,
who attended the same sances, speaks thus of them:

     "Phinuit -- to use his own appellation, for brevity's sake [one
     of Mrs. Piper's spirit controls]-- is by no means above 'fishing.'
     . . . There were some interviews throughout which Phinuit hardly
     asked any questions, and hardly stated anything which was not true.
     There were others throughout which his utterances showed not one
     glimpse of real knowledge , but consisted wholly of 'fishing'
     questions and random assertions."-- Quoted in "The Widow's Mite,"
     by Funk, p. 250.

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Another spirit calling himself "Pelham" frequently took control of Mrs.
Piper; and in speaking of the difference between the two "controls,"
Fremont Rider, himself a Spiritist, makes this observation:

     "With Pelham's advent, Mrs. Piper's mediumship took on a newer
     and improved stage. Phinuit was always a bit of a rascal, and
     something of a faker."--" Are the Dead Alive?" p. 305.

So through fakers and rascals, through admitted mistakes, errors, and
falsifications, the newer and broader revelation is to come to humanity,
the richer wealth of spiritual truth! We are neither enamored of the
prospect nor anxious for its realization.

The writer last quoted tells us in the preface to his work, when speaking
of spirit rappings, materializations, table levitations, trance speaking
and writing, telepathy, and clairvoyance, that --

     "Every one of these subjects has been, and is, so permeated with
     fraud that with most of them there is the gravest doubt if so
     much as one genuine example ever occurred. Yet a few keen-eyed
     and clearheaded investigators have braved ridicule and
     indifference, and assert that they have found beneath a
     tremendous accretion of error a nucleus of truth. . . . He [the
     author] has endeavored to give an impartial presentation of a
     subject, tangled perhaps more than any other, with conflicting
     theories and obscured with the grossest fraud."-- Id., Preface,
     page ix.

And then the author admits that when asked, as he had been by many, whether
he could "recommend a thoroughly reliable medium," through whom they could
communicate with their dead, he had had to reply:

     "No, alas! he could do none of these things; and the wisest
     researcher in psychical science will tell you, if he be honest,
     that he cannot."-- Id., pp. ix, x.

If the leading exponents of Christianity could make such sweeping
denunciatory statements concerning the Bible, the work of evangelists, and
the fruit of the gospel generally, as Fremont Rider and other Spiritists
have made concerning Spiritism and spirit mediums, they would be asked to
give their attention to something more worth while, and it would

Page 138

be expected of them that they would. If such things could truthfully be
said of Christianity, it would go down to defeat and ruin, and would well
deserve its fate.

Fremont Rider admits that there is much rubbish in the matter given out by
spirit mediums, but yet holds to his belief in Spiritism. He says:

     "If I have made you believe that there is there, among a great
     deal of rubbish, a little very much worth while, I shall have
     achieved my purpose."-- Id., p. 340.

Whatever there may be that he considers worth while among that "great deal
of rubbish," is put there by the deceiver of souls only as bait to lure men
and women away from all that is truly worth while, and so bind the cords of
his deadly deception more firmly about them. If they could find nothing at
all that they considered worth while, they would drop Spiritism in disgust,
and turn to safer and saner things.

The authors quoted are not the only ones who admit the trivialities of the
" revelations "from" spirit land." Prof. G. Henslow, M. A., in an effort to
excuse the worthlessness of such "revelations," says:

     "It is forgotten that they are human beings just as we are, and
     are on earth still, only deprived of their bodies. Their
     characteristics remain the same. If one he frivolous here, he or
     she is still so on the other side. If serious here, they remain
     the same there; but it must also be understood that as earth is a
     training ground for the spiritual education of the same, still
     more it is so on the other side."-- "The Proofs of the Truths of
     Spiritualism," p. 26.

But the trouble with this hypothesis is that it refuses to operate. They
never advance. Their last communications are as senseless and frivolous as
their first. Even the best of them are mere generalizing platitudes that
lead nowhere save away from the Bible, away from the Christ of God as the
Bible reveals Him, and away from the gospel conception of sin and
salvation. And when the truth is realized that these spirits are only the
deceptive impersonators of the dead, the wickedness of their deceptive work
and the ridiculousness of the whole psychical program are all the more
strikingly emphasized.

Page 139

Professor Henslow gives the following incident from his own experience:

     "A member of the family was appointed to go to India. A spirit
     reiterated that he would not go. At last he went; still the spirits
     asserted that he would not go. On being informed that he had gone,
     they remarked: 'Oh! we did not know!'"--Id., p. 39.

With such results, why continue to seek to the dead on behalf of the
living?

The prophets of God were never afraid to tell their names. God had given
them messages of importance; and they were not ashamed to let it be known
that they had been thus used and honored. Not so with spirit revelators.
Professor Henslow says of them:

     "In spite of their frequently expressed desire to enter into
     communication with us, many spirits show a strange aversion to
     revealing their names. They give fake names or refuse to give
     their exact appellations. Some always assume pseudonyms."--Id.,
     p. 72.

There are some people still living on this earth who specialize in writing
anonymous letters. They are not generally considered the pillars of society
here; nor need we expect that any beings who thus write to us from "beyond
the veil" are worthy of our society or friendship or trust. Emanuel
Swedenborg, who will hardly be accused of being an opponent of Spiritism,
issued the following statement concerning spirit communications:

     "When the spirits begin to talk to man, he must beware that he
     believes nothing they say; for nearly everything they say is
     fabricated by them, and they lie; for if they are permitted to
     narrate anything as to what heaven is, and how things in heaven
     are understood, they will tell so many lies that a man would be
     astonished."-- The Banner of Light, March 20, 1869.

Here is one more testimony as to the value of spirit intercourse, this time
from Mr. Frederick C. Spurr. The article from which the following is taken
appeared in the Australian Christian World, and was republished in the
Southern Cross, of July 18, 1919:

     "After having heard many of these trance addresses, I am bound to
     confess that they leave me entirely unconvinced regarding their value

Page 140

     as a revelation of the beyond. They are often weak, windy, and so
     vague as to he entirely worthless."

The revelations made and the testimonies given in this chapter ought to
convince any really candid mind that the messages received through spirit
mediums, whatever their source may be, are empty and unprofitable. And he
who understands their real origin must also admit that such communications
are deceptive, dangerous, and bear in their fangs the veritable poison of
death.

The dangers of holding intercourse with the alleged spirits of the dead
have been faithfully pointed out in preceding pages, together with the
profitlessness of investigations into that realm. The opposition of
Spiritism to the work of the gospel and to the true spirit of Christianity,
has also been set forth. But the writer feels certain that if all his
readers could get even a glimpse of the foolishness displayed and practised
by the spirits and the mediums they control, no temptation to indulge in it
would ever succeed with them.

In Sir Oliver Lodge's book" Raymond," there are scores -- I might even say
hundreds -- of pages that are utterly senseless, devoid of any possible
value to any human being. Much of it is not only without sense or value,
but is literally foolish. Not wishing to weary my readers with a tedious
recitation of such folly, even to convince them of the foolishness of
Spiritism, I will give but a few samples of the material that makes up this
now famous book.

     "Mrs. Leonard went into a sort of trance, I suppose, and came
     back as a little Indian girl called 'Freda,' or 'Feda,' rubbing
     her hands and talking in the silly way they do."--"Raymond," p.
     120.

     "Then Feda murmured, as if to herself, 'Try and give me another
     letter.' . . . It is a funny name, not Robert or Richard. He is
     not giving the rest of it, but says 'R' again; it is from him. He
     wants to know where his mother is; he is looking for her; he does
     not understand why she is not here."-- Id., p. 126.

     "I am aware that some of the records may appear absurd.
     Especially absurd will appear the free-and-easy statements quoted
     later, about the nature of things 'on the other side '--the kind
     of assertions which are not only unevidential but unverifiable,
     and which usually either discourage or suppress."-- Id., p. 171.

Page 141

If the matter suppressed is more valueless, more absurd, and more
ridiculous than the larger portion of that published, one cannot wonder at
Sir Oliver's reluctance to bring it out into the light of day. But to
continue the exhibition:

     "He [Raymond] thinks he could get through in his own home
     sometime. . . . He really is going to get through. He really has
     got through at home; but silly spirits wanted to have a game."--
     Id.. p. 194.

     "A chap came over the other day, would have a cigar. 'That's
     finished them,' he thought. He means he thought they would never
     be 'able to provide that. But there are laboratories over here,
     and they manufacture all sorts of things in them. Not like you
     do, out of solid matter, but out of essences, and ethers, and
     gases. It's not the same as on the earth plane, but they were
     able to manufacture what looked like a cigar. He didn't try one
     himself, because he didn't care to; you know he wouldn't want to.
     But the other chap jumped at it. But when he began to smoke it,
     he didn't think so much of it; he had four altogether, and now he
     doesn't look at one."-- Id., p. 197.

     "Everything dead has a smell, if you notice; and I know now that
     the smell is of actual use, because it is from that smell that we
     are able to produce duplicates of whatever form it had been
     before it became a smell. . . . Apparently, as far as I can
     gather, the rotting wool appears to be used for making things
     like tweeds on our side. But I know I am jumping, I'm guessing at
     it. My suit I expect was made from decayed worsted on your side.
     . . . You know flowers, how they decay. We have got flowers here;
     your decayed flowers flower again with us -- beautiful flowers
     ."-- Id., pp. 198, 199.

     "Love to her what 'longs to you, and to Lionel. Feda knows what
     your name is, 'Soliver,' yes. (Another squeak.)"-- Id., p. 204.

     "Paul's worried 'cos medium talk like book. Paul calls Feda
     'Imp.' Raymond sometimes calls Feda 'Illustrious One.' I think
     Yaymond laughing! Always pretending Feda very little, and that
     they've lost Feda, afraid of walking on her, but Feda pinches
     them sometimes, pretend they've trodden on Feda. But Feda just as
     tall as lots of Englishes."-- Id.. pp. 2 35, 236.

     "He [Raymond] does wish you would come over. He will be as proud
     as a cat with something tails -- two tails, he said. Proud as a
     cat with two tails showing you round the places. He says, Father
     will have a fine time, poking into everything, and turning
     everything inside out. . . . Feda's not fair; she's not brown,
     but olive colored; her hair is dark. All people that's any good
     has black hair."--Id., p. 269.

The only way to demonstrate to my readers the emptiness and the
worthlessness of the matter that is "coming through" from such sources, is
to let them see a few out of thousands of samples that might be given. It
does not impress the writer

Page 142

that the nonsense and trivialities and the foolishness which are pouring
out upon the world today from the mouths of thousands of spirit mediums are
blessings in disguise, that they have any tendency whatever to uplift or
better humanity; and when it is understood that the real purpose of the
whole spirit campaign is to blind the eyes of human beings to the truths of
God's Word, and to their need of a Saviour, and to their responsibility to
their God, one can but look with dread and abhorrence and dismay upon
Spiritism's far-flung propaganda. That it should succeed at all among
thinking human beings, when it has only falsehood and folly to offer, would
seem to demonstrate the truthfulness of the old saying that "mankind loves
to be fooled." It is the acme of inconsistency, the crowning paradox of our
day. are It may be suggested that other spirits and other mediums producing
higher grade and more helpful matter. We will submit a few samples from the
works of other authors than Sir Oliver Lodge:

     "Jacolliot, in his 'Occult Science in India,' tells of a Hindu
     fakir, on the former's [Jacolliot's] own veranda, who extended
     both hands toward an immense bronze vase full of water. Within
     five minutes the vase commenced to rock to and fro on its base,
     and approach the fakir gently with a regular motion. As the
     distance diminished, metallic sounds escaped from it, as if some
     one had struck it with a steel rod. . . . The immaterial drummer
     obeyed the request of M. Joncires; but Sir William Crookes notes
     that the raps are 'frequently in direct opposition to the wishes
     of the medium,' and in Dr. Maxwell's case the noises displayed a
     most waggish perversity."--" Are the Dead Alive?" p. 46.

     "The first thing it [the disembodied spirit] is called to do, on
     entering the spirit land, is to erect its own habitation, and
     make provisions for its own sustenance, by a careful cultivation
     of the soil there [in the empty space, five thousand miles from
     the surface of the earth]."-- "Modern Mysteries," p. 37.

     "Upon his breast the man bears the twin insignia of his erstwhile
     womanhood, and physiologists will tell you that a like
     correspondence is not wanting in the other half which, with
     himself, makes one whole unit of humanity."--" The Life Beyond
     The Veil," book 3, p. 98.

     "Earth and the whole cosmos of matter is the body of Christ."--
     Id., p. 130.

     "What may originate [in spirit land] as a book, may, before it
     reaches you, have been so much transfigured as to become an act
     of Parliament, or a play, or even a commercial enterprise."--
     Id., pp. 32, 33.

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     "They [the spirits] are sometimes amusingly exigent; one will
     suddenly say when we are out of doors, 'We want some music!'

     "As another example, I had 'been playing a long piece by
     Moskowski; and I asked what they would like next. The reply came,
     'We think we should like a "Rag;"' so I played a 'Cakewalk,' of
     which they highly approved. We suspected that the listeners were
     not our usual musical audience. . . . I asked, 'What denomination
     do you belong to?' They replied: 'We are freethinkers and are
     very strict as to Sunday.' I asked again, 'Who directed you to be
     so strict?' 'We direct ourselves,' came the reply. Soon after
     they had gone, our usual friends spoke: 'We are sorry we asked
     those freethinkers to come and hear the music; but will not do so
     again.' "--" The Proofs of the Truths of Spiritualism," pp. 29,
     30.

     "Our friends [the spirits] often suddenly come out with quaint
     remarks, quite disconnected with anything gone before. Thus the
     hand wrote: 'We think our Little Man is very well, but not so
     glib as he used to be in his walking.' As I was then eighty-two,
     there is some truth in this very appropriate remark! On another
     occasion, the lady 'sensed' that some one wished to write, and
     the remark came: 'We think the Little Man will make good old
     bones.' "--Id., p. 34.

     "I told the spirits beforehand [before a certain lecture], and
     they promised to be present. . . . Their 'report' was as follows:
     'We thought it was a splendid lecture' and enjoyed it very much.
     We wish we could remember it, but we can't.' "-- Id., p. 38.

     "Foretellings are often given us by the spirits; but they cannot
     be implicitly trusted."-- Id., p. 39.

Page after page might be filled with these empty and worthless vaporings;
but sufficient, yes, more than sufficient, has been given to show the utter
folly of looking to communications from the spirits for anything
substantial or helpful or dependable. Spiritism is but an ignis fatuus.
whose shifty glimmerings only intensify the darkness and lead one's
footsteps into the dismal bogs of despair and eternal loss.
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                                 Chapter 14

                        Spiritism's False Prophecies

A REAL effort is now being made to convince mankind that in Spiritism,
especially in the utterances and automatic writings of spirit mediums, we
have a remanifestation of the gift of prophecy as possessed and exercised
by the prophets of olden time. Says the author of the Vale Owen script:

     "Inspiration, therefore, is of wide meaning and extent in
     practice. The prophets of old time -- and those of today --
     received our instruction according to the 'quickening of their
     faculties. Some were able to hear our words, some to see
     us."--"The Life Beyond the Veil," book 2, p. 101.

     "Looking at it from the spiritualistic standpoint, the inspired
     Book sounds like a veritable record of mediumship."--"Are the
     Dead Alive?" page 345.

     "We wonder why it is that the denizens of earth will read and
     think contrary to the teaching in their Holy Writ. It is only
     necessary to read and calmly compare the phenomena of older days
     chronicled therein and modern happenings to prove they are one
     and the same, only given in different times of the world's
     history."--"The Proofs of the Truths of Spiritualism," p. 203.

Whether these claims are made to elevate Spiritism or to degrade prophecy,
the claims are as far from the truth as the east is from the west. There is
no more similarity between the prophecies of the Bible and the productions
of spirit mediums than there is between light and darkness. God does not
teach us one thing through some of His prophets, and contradict it through
other prophets. He has declared through one whom we know was a prophet:

     "In the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be
     lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud,
     blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without
     natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent,
     fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady,
     high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having
     a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such
     turn away." 2 Tim. 3: 1-5.

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Let us see what a Spiritist "prophet" predicts:

     "We are watching, and we are guiding as we may and opportunity is
     given us. If men respond to our prompting, there is an age to
     come more full of light and the beauty of love and life than that
     just passing away. And I think they will respond, for the new is
     better than the old, and from behind us we feel the pressing of
     those of higher wisdom and power as we look earthward."--"The
     Life Beyond the Veil," book 2. page 84.

God's prophet speaks positively of the perils of the "last days," and of
their abounding wickedness; and the records of our day show those
prophecies in actual process of fulfillment. "Evil men and seducers shall
wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived." 2 Tim. 3:13. The Bible
prophet and the Spiritist predictor contradict each other specifically, and
we can believe only one of the two. If we had only outward, tangible,
present-day evidence to guide us in our choice, we would choose the Bible
prophet; for we see his prophecies fulfilling every day, and the Spiritist
predictions are by the same evidence demonstrated to be false.

Professor Hyslop reports this prediction:

     "March 2, 1887, I was asked by my mother to inquire the
     whereabouts of two silver cups, heirlooms , which she had
     misplaced. Said Dr. Phinuit [the spirit control of the medium],
     'They are in your house, in a room higher up than your
     sleeping-room, in what looks to me the back part of the house,
     but very likely I am turned around. You'll find there a large
     chest filled with clothing, and at the very bottom of the chest
     are the cups. Annie [my mother's name] placed them there, and
     will remember it.' Returning home, I went to a room on the third
     floor at the front of the house, but remotest from the stairway,
     found the chest (of which I knew), and the contents (of which I
     was ignorant), both as described, but no silver. Reporting the
     message to my mother, I learned that she had at one time kept the
     cups in that chest, but more recently had removed
     them."--"Science and a Future Life," p. 168.

In the days of ancient Israel, one of the descendants of Benjamin, Kish by
name, found that his asses had strayed away, and he sent his son Saul to
find them. In his unsuccessful search, Saul came to the place where the
prophet of God dwelt, met the prophet, and made his quest known, that he
might receive help to find the strayed asses. The Lord's prophet told him:

Page 146

     "When thou art departed from me today, then thou shalt find two
     men by Rachel's sepulcher in the border of Benjamin at Zelzah;
     and they will say unto thee, The asses which thou wentest to
     seek are found: and, lo, thy father hath left the care of the
     asses, and sorroweth for you, saying, What shall I do for my son?
     Then shalt thou go on forward from thence, and thou shalt come to
     the plain of Tabor, and there shall meet thee three men going up
     to God to Bethel, one carrying three kids, and another carrying three
     loaves of bread, and another carrying a bottle of wine: and they will
     salute thee, and give thee two loaves of bread; which thou shalt
     receive of their hands. After that thou shalt come to the hill of
     'God, which is the garrison of the Philistines: and it shall come
     to pass, when thou art come thither to the city, that thou shalt
     meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with a
     psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp, before them; and
     they shall prophesy: and the Spirit of the Lord will come upon
     thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them. . . . And it was so,
     that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him
     another heart: and all those signs came to pass that day."
     I Sam. 10: 2-9.

Notice the wealth of detail here, wherein there were so many opportunities
for the prophet to make a mistake; but they all "came to pass that day."
How different it would seem to us if the record read that when Saul reached
Zelzah, he found that the two men he was to meet there had been there the
day before and gone; or we will suppose that when he reached the plain of
Tabor, the three men were not even in sight, and he met them the following
day, with only one kid and with four loaves of bread, and the wine bottle
empty; or we will suppose that when he reached the garrison of the
Philistines, he found that the company of prophets had come down from the
high place a week before, and so he was entirely deprived of the
opportunity of joining them in their prophesying. But nothing of the kind
took place. The signs all came to pass just as the prophet of God declared
they would. What a difference between the two classes of predictions! Saul
found the asses at home when he reached home.

Of Dr. Phinuit, the spirit control who gave the false prophecy concerning
the lost cups, another psychic investigator reports:

     "It was noticed that her [Mrs. Piper's] 'control,' the so-called
     'Dr. Phinuit,' was given to asking leading questions, and to
     making glaringly false statements. '-- "Riddle of Personality,"
     Bruce, pp. 213-216.

Page 147

What confidence could one have in the prophecies of the divine Book if we
were to read therein that the prophet Samuel, or the prophet Isaiah, "was
given to asking leading questions, and to making glaringly false
statements"! There is no such record. There is no such fact.

     "Foretellings are often given us by the spirits; but they cannot
     be implicitly trusted. We have had several regarding successes to
     be expected in the next morning's papers; sometimes they are
     right, at other times there is nothing exactly like what they had
     foretold."-- "The Proofs of the Truths of Spiritualism," p. 39.

     "With regard to spirits foreseeing events, Dr. Hooper writes me
     as follows: 'My guides have always been honest and stated that
     they cannot see anything definite six months ahead. The farther
     it is off, the more hazy it seems.'"--Id., p. 109.

     "Out of chaos and confusion there will come peace and order to
     your earth. The wars of the nations are the birth-pangs of a new
     era, the consciousness of the race will be lifted by the pain and
     agony of the refiner's fire."--Id., p. 110.

The statements made in the first two of these paragraphs ought to prepare
us for the false prophecy contained in the last one. The records of our day
prove it to be false, and the prophecies of the Bible have forewarned us
against believing any such statement. In the book of Revelation the prophet
is given a view of the days just preceding the end of the world and the
second coming of Christ. It is very different from the prediction contained
in paragraph three above. It tells of the spirits of devils going out into
all the world to gather the nations "to the battle of that great day of God
Almighty." Rev. 16:14. That is the battle of Armageddon (verse 16), the end
of the world; for verse 15 reads: "Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he
that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see
his shame." The remainder of the chapter tells of the terrible cataclysms
that will close earth's history.

This prophecy and the spirit prophecy are diametrically opposed the one to
the other. The spirit prophecy is false; the Bible prophecy is true; and in
all the nations preparations are now going forward that will eventuate in
its complete fulfillment in the battle of Armageddon.

Page 148

The prophecies of God's Word are history written in advance. The prophecies
of the book of Daniel and of the Revelation (and others as well) are
wonderfully accurate history, written before it took place, some of it
thousands of years before the events occurred. It is one of the signs that
God is God, that He is able thus to write earth's history. He says of
Himself:

     "The former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare:
     before they spring forth I tell you of them." Isa. 42: 9.

And this is the record that the enemies of Israel have left concerning the
prophet of God in Israel:

     "The heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing
     [because he could not entrap the king of Israel] ; and he called
     his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not show me which of us
     is for the king of Israel? And one of his servants said, None, my
     lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth
     the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy
     bedchamber." 2 Kings 6: 11, 12.

This is unbiased testimony. Now let us see what one spirit, seemingly more
honest than the rest, has to say concerning the gift of prophecy in
Spiritism:

     "Now as to future events we cannot tell you what will happen,
     but, judging by circumstances that are around you at present, we
     should say that success shall attend your efforts."-- "The Proofs
     of the Truths of Spiritualism," pp. 157, 158.

     "The Daily Mail (London) recalls the fact that Mr. W. T. Stead,
     when in Constantinople last October (1911), made the following
     prophecy regarding his own death: 'I know perfectly well how I
     shall die. It has been revealed to me. I shall go to prison twice
     more before I die, and I shall end by being kicked to death in
     the streets of London. This makes my mind quite easy when I
     travel, and I never insure myself against risks of any kind"--
     Sydney Daily Telegraph, May 25, 1912.

It is well known, of course, that Mr. Stead did not go to prison twice more
before he died; that he did not die in London; that he was not kicked to
death; that he was not immune from dangers in traveling; but that he went
down with over fifteen hundred others in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast
of Newfoundland, when the "Titanic" crashed on an iceberg and foundered.
This shows the intrinsic worthlessness of spiritistic predictions.

Page 149

Mr. Stead had had other experiences with spiritistic prophecy, which should
have warned him against putting any confidence in the prediction concerning
his death.

     "In obedience to a very high spirit 'control,' he [Mr. Stead]
     embarked upon a certain journalistic enterprise, being assured
     that the 'workers' on the other side would see him through.
     Indeed, they predicted for it an absolute success. Mr. Stead went
     forward, only to encounter one of the worst disasters of his
     life. . . . Certain messages have been sent to me by alleged
     inhabitants of the beyond. In only one case has event tallied
     with the prediction."-- Frederick C. Spurr, in Australian
     Christian World, Feb. 20, 1920.

As to the value of spiritistic prophecy, in comparison with the prophecy of
the divine Word, the following is pointed testimony:

     "Suppose that we have two classes of predictions, each one
     hundred in number, and relating to events which lie equally
     beyond the reach of mere human foresight. Of one class, but one
     in the whole hundred is fulfilled in any form. Of the other, not
     one in the hundred fails in any particular. What higher evidence
     can we have that the intelligence which originated the latter
     class differs, not in degree, but in kind, from that which
     originated the former? the one being possessed of the most
     infallible, and the other of the most erring, foresight? Such,
     precisely, is the character of the predictions recorded in the
     Bible, and those put forward by Spiritualists to sustain the
     claims of their system. . . . In all respects the miracles of
     Scripture stand in absolute contrast to the so-called mysteries
     set forth by the advocates of Spiritualism."--"Modern Mysteries,"
     Mahon, p. 335.

From the evidence produced it is abundantly demonstrated that Spiritism has
no valid claim to the possession of the gift of prophecy; that its
predictions are worse than valueless, because persons, through such
predictions, are led to embark upon enterprises which bring them
disappointment and disaster. Spiritism is therefore as false in this claim
as in others which we have considered in this treatise.
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                                 Chapter 15

                        Spiritism Outlaws the Bible

To the true Christian the Bible is God's Word of truth -- God's
communication to him. It has guided him by unerring precepts; it has
comforted him in his hours of sorrow; it has given him hope in place of
despair; it has set a light before his face which all the darkness of this
world can never dim. He has proved it to be all that it claims to be.
Knowing how it has proved itself true in its powers of consolation, he has
comforting satisfaction in knowing he can trust it for all the future.

But with the ardent Spiritist, the Bible fades out of his life in inverse
ratio to the hold that Spiritism gains upon his soul. And then comes
positive denial of its fundamental principles, denial of Jesus Christ as
the Saviour of men, and denial of God Himself, except in a ridiculously
accommodated sense.

As frequently stated in these pages, the Bible teaches unequivocally that
the dead are asleep, and will continue in that condition until the voice of
God shall call them from their tombs. It is proposed in this chapter to
show how Spiritism specifically attacks that fundamental principle of the
divine plan, contradicting the Bible in deliberate and uncompromising
terms, and seeking, through demoniacal impersonation of the dead, to prove
its assertions and to demonstrate the Bible false.

The investigations conducted by Sir Oliver Lodge have convinced him that
there are intelligences communicating with him from "the spirit world." By
calling up incidents in the life of his son Raymond, they have convinced
him that they are what they claim to be,-- the discarnate spirit of that
son. It never seems to have occurred to that eminent physicist that fallen
spirits are acquainted with the details of the lives of human beings, and
that they could carry on their preparation for those impersonations through
a lifetime. If Sir Oliver had investigated his Bible as carefully and
sincerely as he has investigated the doings of beings he cannot see, he
would have been prepared for their deceptive impersonations and would not
have

Page 151

been ensnared by them. Whoever accepts Spiritism for what it claims to be,
should know this fact at the outset: he must discard the Bible for what it
claims to be. He cannot have both. Let us note a number of quotations from
the book "Raymond" that touch this point:

     "There is no real breach of continuity between the dead and the
     living. . . . Methods of intercommunion across what has seemed to
     be a gulf can be set going in response to the urgent demand of
     affection."--Page 83.

     "He has gone, . . . but he is -- I venture to say -- certainly
     not dead in the same sense as the body is dead. It is his absence
     which allows the body to decay; he himself need be subject to no
     decay nor any destructive influence. Rather he is emancipated."--
     Page 297.

     "It is well to be emphatic . . . in order to indicate our
     disagreement with the policy of harping on worms and graves and
     epitaphs, or on the accompanying idea of a general resurrection,
     with reanimation of buried bodies. Hence in strenuous
     contradiction to all this superstition comes the use of such
     phrases as 'transition' or 'passing,' and the occasional not
     strictly justifiable assertion that 'there is no death.' . . .

     "They [those who say there is no death] definitely mean to
     maintain that the process called death is a mere severance of
     soul and body, and that the soul is freed rather than injured
     thereby. The body alone dies and decays; but there is no
     extinction even for it -- only a change. . . .

     "We change our state at death and enter a region of--what? Of
     ether, I think, and still more myriad existence."-- Page 298.

     "There is no extinction, and the change called death is the
     entrance to a new condition of existence -- what may be called a
     new life. Yet life itself is continuous, and the conditions of
     the whole of existence remain precisely as before."-- Page 306.

     "I recommend people in general to learn and realize that their
     loved ones are still active and useful and interested and
     happy--more alive than ever in one sense. . . . What people
     should not do is to close their minds to the possibility of
     continued existence."-- Page 342.

     "I must confess that with some of the ecclesiastical
     superstructure which has descended to us from a bygone day, a
     psychic investigator can have but little sympathy. Indeed he only
     refrains from attacking it because he feels that, left to itself,
     it will be superseded by higher and better knowledge, and will
     die a natural death [he is speaking of the domain of
     faith]."--Page 343.

One has gone a long distance on the back track toward heathenism (which has
always believed in Spiritism) and toward infidelity (which has always
denied and antagonized the Bible)

Page 152

when he can deliberately place before the public such sentiments as are
contained in the above. If they are true, the Bible, with all it stands
for, must be flung aside, and we must then place all our hope and all our
confidence for the future in the fallible, uncertain, worthless, and
contradictory emanations from the spirits that impersonate the dead. When
Christians understand all that means, there will be no question as to their
choice.

The Vale Owen scripts are saturated with the same contradiction of the
Bible's teaching concerning the condition of the dead. The following will
be found in Mr. Owen's books:

     "We were with you, although you did not see us. . . . We love to
     come and join with our fellow worshipers still incarnate, and
     also to give what we are able to help in their worship."--" The
     Life Beyond the Veil," book I, p. 55.

     "Many, as you know, do not realize for some time the fact that
     they are what they would call dead, because they find themselves
     alive and with a body, and their previous vague notions of the
     after-death state are not, by any means, lightly thrown
     away."--Id., p. 51.

     "How would you begin to explain to one who had little idea of a
     spirit world about him the truth of survival beyond the grave and
     the reality of this life and all its love and beauty? First you
     would probably endeavor to bring home to him the fact of his
     present actual existence as an immortal being."-- Id., pp. 88,
     89.

     "Last week we received a woman who had left a husband and three
     small children, and she begged to be allowed to go and see how
     they were managing at home. She was so anxious that at last we
     took her and arrived at evening time just as they were all
     sitting down to supper."-- Id., pp. 146, 147.

     "In birth the child comes forth out of darkness into the light of
     the sun. In death the child is born into the greater light of the
     heavens of God -- no more, no less. . . . By death he goes forth
     on wider service. . . . Death therefore ends nothing, but carries
     forward what has been begun."-- Id., book 3, p. 101.

     "So we say that death is a sacrament, and indeed it is a very
     holy thing."-- Id., p. 103.

Every assertion made in the above quotations is a distinct contradiction of
specific Bible teaching. If those statements are correct, then the Bible is
wrong and misleading, and never was true. Take, for instance, the one in
the third preceding paragraph. It is there definitely asserted that the
dead mother returned to her home. But the inspired writer declares: "He
[the dead] shall return no more to his house, neither shall his

Page 153

place know him any more." The issue is sharp and decisive, and there is no
avoiding it.

Fremont Rider, a Spiritist author, bears this testimony:

     "The Society of Psychical Research . . . has practically
     demonstrated the existence of the soul as an entity, distinct
     from the body." --"Are the Dead Alive?" p. 59.

     "Our records [says Frederic W. H. Myers] . . . prove survival,
     pure and simple; the persistence of the spirit's life as a
     structural law of the universe; the inalienable heritage of each
     several soul. . . . They prove that the surviving spirit retains,
     at least in some measure, the memories and the loves of earth."--
     Id., p. 147.

     "'Do the dead return?' is best answered [says William T. Stead]
     by asking another question: 'Do the dead depart?' I do not
     believe the dead depart. They are still with us, closer and
     nearer than they ever were before they laid aside this earthly
     vesture of decay."-- Id., page 171.

     "During the last sixty years [says Alfred Russel Wallace]
     evidence has been accumulating in every part of the world which
     affords demonstration that the so-called dead have never really
     died at all, but have passed into a new and higher stage of
     existence. Many of these are able to communicate with us, and
     most of them assure us that when they wake from the sleep we call
     death, they find themselves much more alive than ever they were
     before."-- Id., p. 221.

     "How love grows and deepens on this side."--"The Proofs of the
     Truths of Spiritualism," p. 3.

The Bible says: "Their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now
perished." EccI. 9: 6.

     "Death by no means ends all desires. . . . Here we still love all
     we left on earth."-- Id., p. 58.

     "Children, being immortal, begin to live in the next state of
     existence just as they leave off living here. . . . They become
     happy little souls full of fun, joy, and laughter."-- Id., p.
     140.

It can thus be seen that whatever inconsistencies and contradictions and
absolute blunders and false statements show themselves in the
communications received from spirits, they are all in harmony in denying
the Bible declarations regarding the state of the dead. They all -- and
scores of pages of such testimonies could be given -- flatly contradict
God's Word upon this question. One is true; the other is false: and the
true Christian will have no hesitancy in deciding which is to be the man of
his counsel.

Page 154

There are many questions upon which Spiritism contradicts the Bible. Only a
few will be cited here. Jesus Christ's words concerning our attitude toward
friends and enemies is expressed in these words:

     "Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy
     neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your
     enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate
     you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute
     you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in
     heaven: for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the
     good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye
     love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the
     publicans the same?" Matt. 5: 43-46.

What says Spiritism?

     "Don't bother yourself about trying to like people you've got an
     antipathy for, it's a waste of you. Keep love for those who want
     it, don't throw it away on those who don't."--"Raymond," p. 234.

The first of these two is godlike. The second is steeped in the selfishness
of Satan. In fact, it emanates from him, and not from the poor lad whom he
impersonates and misrepresents.

The Christian takes great joy and comfort in the thought that one day he
will see his Lord and Redeemer. Job, writing under divine inspiration,
declares:

     "I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the
     latter day upon the earth: and though after my skin worms destroy
     this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: whom I shall see for
     myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another." Job 19:
     25-27.

The prophet Isaiah testifies:

     "Thine eyes shall see the King in His beauty: they shall behold
     the land that is very far off." Isa. 33: 17.

Jesus Himself declared:

     "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God." Matt. 5:
     8.

The prophet-apostle John was inspired to declare:

     "The throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it [the earth];
     and His servants shall serve Him: and they shall see His face;
     and His name shall be in their foreheads." Rev. 22: 3, 4.

The testimony of Scripture is thus very plain and conclusive, that when the
work of redemption is finished, the ransomed ones

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will be with their God and Saviour, and will see them and rejoice in their
presence. Let us see what Spiritism says on the same question:

     "One of the elementary truths which it is necessary to assimilate
     in order to progress, is that God is no more visibly present here
     than He is in the earth life. They expect to see Him bodily, and
     are much disappointed when they are told that that is quite a
     mistaken idea of the way of His dealing with us."--"The Life
     Beyond the Veil," book I, page 123.

     "Have you seen Him then, Leader?

     "In that form [a presence form, or vision] yes; but not in His
     naked loveliness, as I have lastly told."-- Id., book 3, p. 123.

     "So we passed before the altar, and at some distance away, and
     then we too knelt down and adored the fount of Being, the One
     supreme, who becomes manifest to us only by Presence Form, and
     that rarely."--Id., p. 232.

     "Two communicators sent messages, the first of whom spelt out as
     a name Dorothy Pothlewaite,' a name unknown to any of us. . . .
     She had been a Catholic and was still a Catholic, but had not
     fared better than the Protestants; there were Buddhists and
     Mohammedans in her sphere, but all fared alike; she had never
     seen Christ and knew no more about Him than on earth, but
     believed in His influence."-- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, quoted from
     American Signs of the Times, June 22, 1920.

     "Jesus Christ, we are informed in the work connected with the
     name of Judge Edmonds, is so far advanced, that such spirits as
     those of Swedenborg and Bacon, though they have been one or two
     centuries in the spirit land, have not yet got even a sight of
     Him."--"Modern Mysteries," p. 36.

     "Oliver J. Lodge: Before you go, Raymond, I want to ask you a
     serious question. Have you been let to see Christ? [Raymond's
     alleged spirit replies] Father, I shall see Him presently. It is
     not time yet. I am not ready. But I know He lives, and I know He
     comes here. All the sad ones see Him if no one else can help
     them."-- "Raymond," page 207.

Some spirits admit seeing Christ, using the term in an accommodated sense,
and different from what we understand by the Scripture language which
speaks of that privilege of the redeemed. Others have never seen Him; and
still others, so far from seeing Him, have not learned anything more about
Him than they knew upon earth -- which evidently was not a great deal.
There seems to be an unbridgeable difference between Spiritism and the
Bible on this score as well. One

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Spiritist, reading this scripture according to the incorrect punctuation,
"I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with Me in Paradise," rejoices in the
prospect of being with Christ immediately at death; while the voices from
spiritland seem to be unanimous that no one sees Him immediately at death,
and some seem never to be able to reach His realm. (See " The Proofs of the
Truths of Spiritualism," p. 19.)

That text, when correctly punctuated -- and the punctuation was done by
men, and not by Inspiration -- does not teach that the soul goes
immediately to heaven. If it taught that, the Scripture would contradict
itself. Its teaching is this: "I tell you truly today, in spite of these
seemingly contradictory and apparently impossible circumstances, you shall
be with Me in Paradise." The adverb "today" modifies the verb "tell" rather
than the verb "shalt be." A similar use of the word "today," accompanied by
a promise for the future, is found in Zechariah 9:12.

So, while our Saviour has not promised us admission to heaven at the hour
of death, He has promised us very definitely that we shall be with Him
where He is. To the sorrowing disciples He gave this comforting assurance:

     "In My Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I
     would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go
     and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you
     unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." John 14: 2,
     3.

When the advent into those mansions takes place, is also clearly revealed
in this scripture:

     "I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them
     which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have
     no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even
     so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. For
     this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are
     alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent ["
     precede," R. V.] them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself
     shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the
     Archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ
     shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be
     caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in
     the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." 1 Thess. 4:
     13-17.

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There is nothing uncertain about this. It is all plain and easy to be
understood. They see Him coming; they meet Him in the air; they go with Him
to be always with Him where He is. They lift up their eyes when they see
Him coming, and exclaim in glad ecstasy: "Lo, this is our God; we have
waited for Him, and He will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for
Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation." Isa. 25: 9. The
inspired psalmist exclaims: "As for me, I will behold Thy face in
righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Thy likeness." Ps.
17:15. "They shall see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads."
Rev. 22: 4.

Satan has sought to blind our eyes to these blessed and comforting
assurances, that he might turn us away from the Light of the world and the
Saviour of mankind, and send our feet down the slippery path to the abode
of eternal death. But the risen Christ still holds out these blessed
assurances, beckoning us with nail-pierced hands of love into the way of
faith and hope and righteousness, and into the light that shines from the
open door of the sanctuary on high.

I could ardently wish that I had exhausted the contradictions of Spiritism
against the Bible; but, like the fallen spirits themselves, they are
legion. It is impossible to exhaust them, for they are continually being
added to as the days go by.

The Bible teaches that a fire has been "prepared for the devil and his
angels" (Matt. 25: 41), which will destroy them and all the wicked, root
and branch. Mal. 4: 1-3. It will be a day of vengeance and of complete
destruction of all the workers of iniquity. 2 Thess. 1: 7-9; 2: 7-12.
Spiritism has no place for this, and denies it by its teaching.

     "There are, as we know, many 'angels of darkness' who are in
     the darkness because of some twist in their natures, some obstinate
     trait which prevents the good in them having its effect. And
     these one day may pass us on the road of the ages, and become
     greater in the kingdom of the heavens than we who now are more
     blessed than they."--"Life Beyond the Veil," book I, p. 32.

There is no room in such a program for the destruction of sin and sinners
out of the world, as specifically pronounced in several scriptures.

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God has told us very pointedly of the culmination of His controversy with
sin, and has given us no hope that after this life there will be
opportunity to reform and to rise from sphere to sphere through efforts of
our own. The Scripture declares:

In the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be." Eccl. 11: 3. Where
death leaves us, the judgment will find us. When the Christ comes, bringing
His reward with Him, those rewards are apportioned out to each one
"according as his work shall be." Rev. 22:12. The basis on which those
rewards are made will never be changed. Before they are given, this decree
will have gone forth:

     "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is
     filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let
     him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy
     still. And, behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to
     give every man according as his work shall be." Rev. 22: 11, 12.

That means a judgment, for it is a decree, a sentence, handed down from the
Supreme Court of the universe. It is based upon human conduct. The evidence
is found in the records that have been kept by the hands of angel
witnesses. John had a vision of that judgment scene. It is recorded in
these words:

     "I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose
     face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no
     place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before
     God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened,
     which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those
     things which were written in the books, according to their works.
     And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell
     delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged
     every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast
     into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever
     was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake
     of fire." Rev. 20: 11:15.

Ages ago men were warned of this. Says the writer of Ecclesiastes: "God
shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it
be good, or whether it be evil." Eccl. 12:14. The spirit, through Paul,
declares that "we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that
every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he
hath done, whether it be good or bad." 2 Cor. 5:10. When

Page 159

Paul, standing before the Roman governor of Israel, "reasoned of
righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled." Acts 24:
25.

There is no more definitely established doctrine in the Word of God than
that of the judgment to come, which settles the eternal destiny of souls.
But Spiritism will have none of it. The idea of a judgment is entirely
ruled out of Spiritism's program, thus proving its antipathy to another
fundamental principle of Heaven's program. The Bible specifically declares
that there shall be a judgment. Spiritism denies.

     "'Where is the Judge?' [one who had just "passed over is alleged
     to have inquired. To this another is alleged to have replied,]
     'My child, your judgment will take place whenever you desire, . .
     . for you yourself are judge, and will mete out to yourself your
     punishment.' "--"The Life Beyond the Veil," book I, p. 135.

     "We no longer think of 'rewards' and 'punishments,' but
     inevitable results of conduct. This is why the 'judge' does not
     really 'judge,' but only selects or separates the 'goats' from
     the 'sheep;' the only judge is conscience."--"The Proofs of the
     Truths of Spiritualism," page 14.

More evidence could easily be given, but this will suffice. Spiritism will
not deny that it has ruled out the judgment. It has also ruled out the
Judge, ruled out the Saviour, ruled out the cleansing of this world by
fire, ruled out the destruction of the finally impenitent wicked. Spiritism
speaks of a god, but he is not a being, and exists nowhere in particular.
It admits a being called Christ; but He is many spheres removed from those
who "pass over," and seems to be still moving on. In fact, every essential
principle of the gospel as outlined in the Bible is denied by Spiritism, or
so interpreted as to be emasculated and destroyed.

It is therefore plainly apparent that in that system we have a propaganda
that is diametrically opposed to Christianity, and has set out to undermine
every pillar of the faith once delivered to the saints. The sooner
Christians realize the nature of the enemy we have to deal with, and the
subtle methods of his attack, the better it will be for both the church and
the individual Christian. To be asleep when such an attack is in progress
is a criminal offense against the cause of Christ.
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                                 Chapter 16

                        No Compromise and No Quarter

IT is realized by Spiritism, as it must sooner or later be realized by
Christianity, that there can be no compromise in this conflict, and no
quarter can be given. Spiritism is out to wreck the church; and the Bible
plainly declares the destruction of all forces and systems of evil existing
in the world at the coming of Christ. One of these powers will triumph; and
that triumph means the overthrow and destruction of the other. While we
know that the faithful followers of Christ will win the victory at last, we
know that many will go down to eternal ruin in the conflict between the
powers of the evil one and the Prince of righteousness.

Every ingenious device which the malignant and deceptive powers of Satan
have enabled him to perfect in his six thousand years of the pursuit of
evil, will be brought into play against the last generation of mankind and
the remnant church. It is a contest that will try the metal of the bravest
and truest and most loyal souls this world has ever known; and they who
come through victorious over the mercenary forces of sin will stand forth
indeed as gold tried in the refiner's fire, purified by the exacting
experiences of the fray. Such individuals, in the sight of the great Judge,
will be more precious than the golden wedge of Ophir. No wonder God can
speak of them as His jewels.

Those who win in that conflict have to win not only against attacks from
without the church, but from within as well; for Spiritism has invaded the
church, and speaks today over the pulpit of many a church dedicated to the
service of the God whom Spiritism would dethrone, and the Saviour whom
Spiritism spurns and tramples under its feet.

Says the editor of the Harbinger of Light in its issue of Nov. 1, 1921:

     "Enlightened views of this character [the unorthodox views of
     Dean Inge] are now permeating the Church of England in Great
     Britain, and Spiritualism pure and simple is being preached from
     many of its pulpits with each recurring Sunday."

Page 161

Rev. R. W. Russell is quoted in the same issue of that journal as upholding
the tenets of Spiritism. In view of the headway which Spiritism is making
in Scotland, the Church of Scotland has appointed a special committee of
learned men to investigate the matter for itself. A Psychical Research
Society has recently been formed there, with the Rt. Hon. (now Earl) A. J .
Balfour as president, and lectures are being delivered before it by certain
great men of the scientific world.

In the gathering of the Congregational Union at Leeds in 1915, one of the
principal items discussed was Spiritism, and every one who spoke upon the
question, so far as the report indicates, spoke as a convinced believer in
the fundamental tenet of that cult. (See Australian Christian World, Dec.
31, 1915.)

In the Harbinger of Light for October, 1921, is given the summary of an
address by the Lord Bishop of Lincoln at the unveiling of a war memorial,
which is a perfect replica of the creed of Spiritism. The same journal, of
the same date, gives the summary of an address at the Unitarian church,
Wellington, New Zealand, by Rev. Wyndham Heathcote, which would have been
much more appropriately given in a spiritistic temple than in any kind of
church. Coupled with its advocacy of spiritistic practices and its
assertions that the demonstrations of spiritual power in the prophets of
old were spiritistic in their nature, the address makes a subtle attack
upon the Bible itself, in this course also following the lead of Spiritism.

Space forbids that we go farther into this particular development. But the
subtle poison of the teaching of Spiritism is permeating every rank of
society and nearly every denomination in Christendom. This lamentable fact
stares every investigator in the face. He must admit the fact, and, having
done so, he is bound to inquire as to what the result will be upon church
and world. Realizing what the teachings of Spiritism are in reference to
the judgment, we are bound to conclude that the result will be to increase
the sum of the world's immorality. If there is no judge but ourselves, and
the only judgment meted out to us for our sinful course is such as we
ourselves are pleased to mete out to ourselves, then surely we have not
much

Page 162

to fear as a consequence of any iniquitous course we may take here. So we
might say, "Let us eat and drink, and carouse, and commit any crime in the
catalogue if we wish, for tomorrow we die, and have no one to mete out
judgment to us but ourselves."

We were taught this by no less a personage than Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
himself, in his second lecture delivered in Melbourne in October, 1920. He
declared:

     "We realize, from the information we have obtained from the dead,
     that man has been overharsh with himself; that the 'Great Power
     of the universe is not so implacable as we have imagined. . . .
     We have everything to hope for and very little to fear. This
     world is a mere workshop, and the next is the rest cure."

Beyond question such a message as that from so noted a man will tempt many
a man and woman to think there is no day of judgment for sins committed in
this life. If that belief should become general, this world in a few years
would hardly have enough law-abiding citizens left in it to keep the rest
in jail. The moral standard of the world would sink like a torpedo-smitten
steamer.

     "If good and bad meet the same fate, there is no justice in the
     world; and if no justice, no reason. . . . The universe, on such
     a theory, would be a gigantic practical joke, of the cruelest and
     most malicious description."

That is what Satan is trying to make of God's universe and government, the
while he drags those who might be subjects of God's eternal kingdom of
peace and love out of the path that leads to that kingdom and into the path
that ends, with him, in the lake of fire and destruction.

God has denominated the body of His faithful followers the ecclesia, the
called out; and His invitation-command is:

     "Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord,
     and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will
     be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters,
     saith the Lord Almighty." 2 Cor. 6: 17, 18.

     "That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter:
     because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have
     forewarned you and testified. For God hath not called us unto
     uncleanness, but unto holiness." 1 Thess. 4: 6, 7.

Page 163

It does make a difference, then, a tremendous difference, whether we are
careful in our conduct or reckless in our behavior; whether we, to the best
of our ability, and looking to God for the help necessary, walk in harmony
with God's requirements, or follow the baser inclinations of our own
unregenerate nature. Those whose ways please God, and who will be called
His sons and daughters, and who will be received by Him, will be those who
respond to His call to "come out" and be separate from the baser elements
of this world. And those who refuse to "come out," who trust to themselves
to deal leniently with themselves as their own judges "beyond the veil,"
and so walk in harmony with their own lusts and ambitions here, will never
be called His sons and daughters, will never hear the words, "Come, ye
blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world;" but they will hear the words, "Depart from Me, ye
cursed, into everlasting fire,[1] prepared for the devil and his angels."
Matt. 25: 41.

God's "called out" company are called out from something and called into
'something. They are called out from "the world" and worldly associations
and the demoralizing influences of the world, and called into the
fellowship of the "body" of Christ, His particular possession, His own
particular household. And yet Spiritism teaches that one suffers no injury
who pays no attention to that call. He may go his own way in this world,
join any society, any organization, any form of religion or no form of
religion, and he suffers no injury in consequence of the course he chooses.

The spirit which called itself "Dorothy Pothlewaite" affirmed, according to
Sir A. Conan Doyle, that "she had been a Catholic and was still a Catholic,
but had not fared better than the Protestants; there were Buddhists and
Mohammedans in her sphere, but all fared alike." And the spirit of a member
of the Dongolese expedition, who had died while on the way up the Nile, and
whom Sir Arthur called Dodd, stated that he was happy, that he did not wish
to return to the earth.

Page 164

He had been a freethinker, but had not suffered in the next life for that
reason."

Such accounts as these persons give of the "life beyond the veil" are so
opposed to the Bible account of man's condition in death as to constitute a
complete and flat denial of the teachings of Jesus and the apostles. If
Spiritism's account be true, Jesus and the apostles have spoken and taught
that which is absolutely untrue: and yet all Spiritists profess the utmost
degree of admiration for the Great Teacher. Perhaps in nothing are the
inconsistencies of Spiritists more apparent than in their professed
admiration for Jesus as a teacher, while they seek to prove false every
fundamental precept of His teaching.

The "revelations" that come through spirit mediums, through table rappings
and the planchette, would lead one to believe that it is a waste of time to
sacrifice for the cause of Christ, or to strive to build an exemplary and
noble character here. The loose-moraled freethinker leading his prayerless
and mayhap immoral life will enter the same place of happiness as the godly
saint who has spent his life in the service of God and his fellow men. What
a danger to the morals of any community are such teachings!

The "revelations" from that source are designed to convince mankind that,
no matter how wickedly one may have lived in this life, no matter what
horrible deeds one may have committed, he is as certainly assured of
eternal life as they who have done their utmost in self-sacrificing service
of humanity, and who have striven with all the powers of their being to
live in harmony with the principles of justice and righteousness. It is a
sardonic travesty on the wisdom, justice, benevolence, and love of God. It
is an effort to convince man that God spoke falsely when He warned our
first parents that condemnation and death would follow disobedience.

In Eden, Satan made it appear to Eve that ignorance of evil was a
disability and a handicap that only disobedience would remove; and so he
tells us today that "evil is simply ignorance." --"The Proofs of the Truths
of Spiritualism," p. 149. That is a soothing balm to conscience for any
evil that may be committed. It would explain away sin, and in doing so
would make

Page 165

Christ's atonement for sin not only unnecessary but absolutely untrue. For
instance:

     "The present writer . . . cannot say more than that 'Imperator's'
     teaching is identical with that of Jesus Christ; but not that of
     ecclesiasticism or certain forms of modern theology.

     "The 'New Revelation' is a reversion to the New Testament, and to
     that alone; when its errors of interpretation from the original
     Greek are perceived; for example, 'Imperator' points out that
     there was no atonement, but at-one-ment, i. e., 'reconciliation'
     [Italics his]."--Id., page 45.

This, while purporting to be in harmony with Scripture, is a positive
denial of Scripture. It would make utterly meaningless, also, the whole
sanctuary service, from the day when Israel set up the tabernacle in the
wilderness under divine direction, down to the last service held in the
temple at Jerusalem before the crucifixion of Jesus. It would go back
beyond that to the first lamb slain as a sacrifice outside the gates of
Eden lost, and stigmatize that and all succeeding sacrifices as worthless,
unnecessary, and false in their typical implication, and make impossible of
explanation the reference of John the Baptist to Jesus as "the Lamb of God,
which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1: 29), as well as the
revelator's reference to Him as "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the
world." Rev. 13:8.

Then, too, what would mean our Saviour's own declaration: "I am the good
shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep, . . . and I lay
down My life for the sheep"? John 10: 11-15. He also declared: "Therefore
doth My Father love Me, because I lay down My life, that I might take it
again." Verse 17. There is the "atonement," taught as plainly as words can
teach anything, and taught by the One who was to make the atonement. The
divine Redeemer, whom Spiritists profess to honor, has thus made a pointed
denial of Spiritism's assertions concerning Him. The same truth is taught
by the pen of Inspiration in the hand of the writer of the letter to the
Hebrews:

     "Christ being come a high priest of good things to come, by a
     greater and more perfect tabernacle [than the one built in the
     wilderness by the Israelites], not made with hands, that is to
     say, not of this build-

Page 166

     ing; neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own
     blood He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained
     eternal redemption for us: . . . how much more shall the blood of
     Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without
     spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the
     living God? And for this cause He is the mediator of the new
     testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the
     transgressions that were under the first testament, they which
     are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For
     where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death
     of the testator. . . .

     "Moreover he [Moses] sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle,
     and all the vessels of the ministry. And almost all things are by
     the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no
     remission. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things
     in the heavens [the earthly sanctuary and its vessels. Ex. 25:
     40; Heb. 8: 12] should be purified with these [the blood of
     animals]; but the heavenly things themselves with better
     sacrifices than these. For Christ is not entered into the holy
     places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but
     into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
     nor yet that He should offer Himself of ten, as the high priest
     [of the earthly sanctuary] entereth into the holy place every
     year with the blood of others; for then must He often have
     suffered since the foundation of the world: hut now once in the
     end of the world hath He appeared to put away sin by the
     sacrifice of Himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to
     die, but after this the judgment: so Christ was once offered to
     bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He
     appear the second time without sin unto salvation." Heb. 9: 11-28

Spiritism has appealed to Christ and to the New Testament to prove itself
true; and both of them have shown it to be false. Moreover, the very name
"Jesus" proves Spiritism's declarations concerning this matter to be
untrue. "Thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from
their sins." Matt. 1: 21. The word "Jesus" means "Saviour." Therefore He
could truthfully say: "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh
unto the Father, but by Me." John 14: 6. And so Peter could say of Him:
"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name
under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Acts 4: 12.

Yet, in spite of these so plain declarations of the Christ Himself and of
those who wrote by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Spiritism can
unblushingly affirm that neither Christ nor the New Testament teaches the
atonement. One stands

Page 167

amazed at such untrue accusations against the Word of God, such
misinterpretation, such open contradiction, when the evidence is so plain
that answers their challenge and flatly denies their assertions. One
voluminous Spiritist writer is very definite and very positive in his
assertions upon this point. He says, in speaking of faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ:

     "The hardest part for one who has believed in Christianity as
     taught in any orthodox church, when he is at last forced to let
     go his beliefs, is to give up his faith in 'the Lord and
     Saviour.' No Spiritist, however, can believe in Him in an
     orthodox sense. We can and do recognize the wonderful teacher,
     the evolved soul, the saintly life. We know that His death cannot
     save us from any consequence of our own acts, that we must work
     out our own salvation, and that, beautiful and glorious as was
     the character of the Master, we shall also attain that perfection
     some day. We cannot argue with our friend on this point. We have
     passed through many bitter waters, still holding to the belief in
     the divine Redeemer , until light came and we understood."--
     Tolerance, July 1, 1918.

The light which revealed that to the editor of Tolerance was of the
character of the light spoken of in this scripture: "If therefore the light
that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!" Matt. 6: 23.

It is a fearful thing to mistake darkness for light. The writer above
quoted has done so, as the foregoing quotations abundantly testify. Having
mistaken darkness for light, such persons, in their fancied security, are
preparing to step into eternity without hope and without help; and all that
eternity might have brought them of life and joy and satisfaction and
association has been thrown to the winds, never to be experienced by them.
They, having spurned what God had planned, and having substituted their own
plans in place of His, are compelled to join the hosts that step down into
eternal night and oblivion when the redeemed enter upon their eternal
reward. But there can be no compromise then. Each party has made its
choice, and the rewards are apportioned according to the choice made.

No doubt Spiritists will assert that one who states these things is harshly
judging them. But no; there is one way mapped out by Divinity itself by
which man may attain unto

Page 168

the eternal inheritance. We must choose God's way, or we can have no part
in what He has planned for His redeemed. Said Jesus, "Ye will not come to
Me, that ye might have life." John 5: 40. He declared again: "He that
believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the
Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on Him." John 3: 36.

The issue is therefore very plain, and the Lord Jesus Christ Himself has
made it so. He says He is the way, and the only way; that He gave His life
for man's redemption; that those who accept Him for what He claims to be
are assured of eternal life; and that those who reject Him will not see
life, but will suffer the wrath of God.

Now Spiritists profess to honor the Great Teacher; what have they to say to
that divine declaration? He has either told the truth, or He has not. If He
has, then there is absolutely no hope for the atonement-denying and
Saviour-spurning Spiritist. He has most certainly told the truth, and it
leaves Spiritists on the horns of a most embarrassing and most serious
dilemma. He for whom they express so great admiration, and whom they claim
so highly to honor, has plainly told them they are doomed, so surely as
they persist in that course.

This ought to set the complacent Spiritist thinking most seriously. The
time to make choice is now, while choosing is possible. The day of
probation will not be postponed forever; and when it closes, the hand that
hung nail-pierced on Calvary's cross will mete out rewards to the human
race, to "every man according as his work shall be." There will be neither
quarter nor compromise with His rejecters when that day arrives. How much
better to accept Him now, and travel with Him to the end of the journey
here, and then with Him through a journey hereafter that will never end,
than to build a tottering philosophy by the flickering candle of our own
fancy, and go down without light or life or hope into the black abyss of
eternal death!

                                   Notes

[1] For an explanation of the words "everlasting fire," see page 28.
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Page 169

                                 Chapter 17

                            The Spirits Are Real

THERE are some who seek to explain all spirit manifestations on the basis
of trickery or fraud, or on the principle of some yet undiscovered law of
nature which they are industriously seeking to discover. They refuse to
admit that the raps, tilting of tables, playing of instruments, voices
through the mouths of mediums personating different persons who have passed
away, automatic writing, levitation, apports, and materializations are
produced by the spirits of the dead, or are produced by any other
intelligences independent of the medium. They cannot explain how any of
these things are done; they contravene every law of natural physics; they
admit that the inexplicable happenings take place, but still hold to the
opinion that there must be some law which, when discovered, will yield an
explanation. And yet, after years of the most painstaking scientific
investigation, they are no nearer a solution than when they began. Such men
are pure materialists, and have chained themselves to a hypothesis from
which they will not permit themselves to be liberated, though they perish
with it.

There are multitudes of spiritistic manifestations which can never be
accounted for except upon the basis that they are performed by
intelligences or entities entirely separate from and independent of the
medium or any other person present. References to a few of these will not
be out of place in this chapter. From the "Annals of Psychical Science,"
Volume VII, pages 175, 176, I take the following:

     "One day Eusapia [Palladino] said to M. R., 'This phantom comes
     for you.' She then fell at once into a profound trance. A woman
     of great beauty appeared, who had died two years before; her arm
     and shoulders were covered by the edge of the curtain, in such a
     way, however, as to indicate the form. Her head was covered with
     a very fine veil; she breathed a warm breath against the back of
     M. R.'s hand, carried his hand up to her hair, and gently bit his
     fingers. Meanwhile Eusapia was heard uttering prolonged groans,
     showing painful effort, which ceased when the phantom
     disappeared. The apparition was perceived by two others, and
     returned several times. An attempt

Page 170

     was made to photograph it. Eusapia and John [the medium's
     controlling spirit] consented, but the phantom by a sign with the
     head and hands, indicated to us that she objected, and twice
     broke the photographic plate.

     "The request was then made that a mold of her hands might be
     obtained, and though Eusapia and John both promised to make her
     comply with our desire, they did not succeed. In the last sance
     Eusapia gave a more formal promise; the three usual raps on the
     table indorsed the consent, and we indeed heard a hand plunged
     in the liquid in the cabinet. After some seconds R. had in his
     hands a block of paraffin with a complete mold, but an etheric
     hand advanced from the curtain and dashed it to pieces. . . .

     "It is evident, therefore, . . . that a third will can intervene
     in spiritistic phenomena, which is neither that of 'John,' nor of
     Eusapia , nor of those present at the sance, but is opposed to
     all of them."

At many of Eusapia Palladino's sances, hands seemingly composed of flesh
and bones appeared near the medium while her own hands were held by other
members of the circle, remained in evidence for a time, and gradually
dissolved while grasped by some of the sitters. Concerning one of many such
experiences the following is related:

     "At a later sitting this same great black hand came out from the
     curtain, and gently grasped Bottazzi by the nape of the neck. At
     this sance Dr. Porro, the astronomer, was present. 'Letting go
     Professor Porro's hand,' says Bottazzi (Porro was next him in the
     circle), 'I felt for this ghostly hand and clasped it. It was a
     left hand, neither hot nor cold, with rough, bony fingers, which
     dissolved under pressure. It did not retire by producing a
     sensation of withdrawal; it dissolved, dematerialized, melted.'
     "--"Are the Dead Alive?" p. 107.

     "At another time [says Bottazzi], later on, the same hand was
     placed on my right forearm -- I saw a human hand, this time of
     natural color, and I felt with mine the back of a lukewarm hand,
     rough and nervous. The hand dissolved (I saw it with my own eyes)
     and retreated as if into Mine. Palladino's body, describing a
     curve."--"Annals of Psychical Science," Vol. VI, p. 413.

Concerning another sance we have this record:

     "A cold wind came from behind the curtain, which suddenly opened
     as if it had been opened by two hands. A human head came out,
     with a pale, haggard face, of sinister evil aspect. It lingered a
     moment and then disappeared."-- Id., Vol. V, p. 305.

At a later sitting Dr. Mucchi became involved in a weird struggle with the
invisible entities that seemed to be at work

Page 171

producing these uncanny phenomena. A lump of clay had been placed within
the cabinet in the hope that Eusapia might be able to produce impressions
of spirit hands in the clay. After a short wait, rappings on the table
indicated that the impressions had been made. Dr. Mucchi was eager to
observe the result, and arose and went toward the cabinet. He says:

     "I was about to enter, . . . but was repelled by two hands made
     of nothing. I felt them; they were agile and prompt; they seized
     me and pushed me back. The struggle lasted for some time; the
     hands seemed to take pleasure in resisting me; they pushed me
     back if I tried to enter, and pulled me forward if I retired. I
     ended by seizing the lump of clay," whereupon "they thrust me out
     with a violent shove that nearly upset everything. There were
     observable on the clay two or three impressions such as might be
     made by a closed fist."--Id., p. 309.

What folly to hold that there must be some law of nature, not yet
discovered, that will explain such a transaction as this! Here was a strong
and active man, a skilled observer of psychic phenomena, repeatedly pushed
toward and pulled away from a pair of curtains, and finally hurled out of
the cabinet with violence -- by what? A law of nature that had actual
invisible hands, and could toss a strong man about as some boisterous giant
would do! And this was done, not in the darkness, but in the light.

Some of these scientifically unexplainable phenomena have occurred under
most exacting test conditions and before scientists of world-wide repute.
For instance, Sir William Crookes mentioned some striking phenomena in his
presidential address before the British Association for the Advancement of
Science, in 1898. He called his address a" Report on the Investigation of
Phenomena Called Spiritual." In that report he stated frankly that the
phenomena he had witnessed were so extraordinary that, on recalling the
details, he finds an antagonism between his reason, which pronounces them
scientifically impossible, and his senses, which he is certain were not
playing him false.

He states, for instance, that he had observed the movement of heavy bodies,
without mechanical exertion; that he had heard during his experiments raps
and other noises varying

Page 172

from "delicate ticks as with the point of a pin," to "a cascade of sharp
sounds as from an induction coil in full work" and "detonations in the
air;" that he had seen "movements of heavy bodies when at a distance from
the medium; "that he had watched "a chair move slowly up to a table from a
far corner when all were watching it;" that he had repeatedly witnessed
"the rising of tables and chairs off the ground without contact with any
person;" and even "the levitation of human beings;" that he had seen
"luminous appearances," not once, but many times, and under the most varied
forms; that once, "in the light," he had seen "a luminous cloud hover over
a heliotrope on a side table, break a sprig off, and carry the sprig to a
lady;" and "on some occasions a similar luminous cloud visibly condense to
the form of a hand, and carry small objects about." He adds:

     "I have more than once seen, first, an object move, then a
     luminous cloud appear to form about it, and, lastly, the cloud
     condense into shape and become a perfectly formed hand. At this
     stage the hand is visible to all present. It is not always a mere
     form, but sometimes appears perfectly lifelike and graceful, the
     fingers moving and the flesh apparently as human as that of any
     in the room. . . . I have retained one of these hands in my own,
     firmly resolved not to let it escape. There was no struggle or
     effort made to get it loose, but it gradually seemed to resolve
     itself into vapor, and faded in that manner from my grasp."

These occurrences took place in Sir William's "own house, in the light, and
with only private friends present besides the medium," and they happened
scores and hundreds of times, observed by many different witnesses, under
every test condition that expert scientific knowledge and trained detective
ingenuity could devise.

During one sance, with Mr. D. D. Home as the medium, Sir William states
that a lath lying on the table moved across the table without human touch,
and rapped out a telegraphic message in the Morse code on his hand, making
the dots and dashes so rapidly that he could make out a word only now and
then. He said:

          "I heard sufficient to convince me that there was a
          good Morse operator on the other end of the line,
          wherever that might be. "

Page 173

It must be admitted, even by Spiritists, that there is a tremendous amount
of fraud practised by spirit mediums; and yet, knowing all that, Dr.
Elliotson, after long and determined opposition to Spiritism, was finally
compelled to make the admission:

     "I am now quite satisfied of the reality of the
     phenomena."--"Miracles and Modern Spiritualism," Dr. Alfred
     Russel Wallace, p. 99.

To admit the reality of the phenomena, and to admit that they are produced
by the spirits of the dead, are two vastly different things. Many of the
phenomena are indeed real, but they are not produced by the spirits of the
dead. The spirits who produce them never lived in human form.

     "No hypothesis of prestidigitation, no matter how cleverly worked
     out, can, for instance, explain the table-tipping incident
     mentioned by Professor Morgan. A skeptical friend present at a
     sance was loudly scoffing at the so-called spirits, and daring
     them to display their powers. Spontaneously, without contact, the
     heavy table around which the experimenters were standing broke
     away from them and pinned the skeptic against the wall with such
     force that he cried for mercy."--"Are the Dead Alive?" pp. 25,
     26.

In 1870 a committee appointed by the London Dialectical Society made an
investigation of "alleged spiritual manifestations." The furniture of the
rooms in which the experiments were conducted was in every case the
ordinary furniture of those rooms, and the experiments were generally
conducted under gas light. "There was a minimum chance," the committee
stated, "for self-delusion or inadequate observation." The authors of the
report say:

     "At times we sat under the table when the motions and sounds were
     most vigorous. We held the hands and feet of the psychic. Our
     ingenuity was exercised in the invention and application of
     tests. After trials often repeated we were compelled to confess
     that imposture was out of the question."-- Report of the
     Committee on Spiritualism, of the Dialectical Society.

Mr. Edward Cox, F. R. G. S., in the report of the subcommittee, says:

     "The smaller furniture of the room is frequently attracted to the
     place where the psychic sits. Chairs far out of reach and
     untouched

Page 174

     may be seen moving along the floor in a manner singularly
     resembling the motion that may be observed in pieces of steel
     attracted by a magnet, which rise a little, fall, move on, stop,
     until fully within the influence of the magnetic force, and then
     jump to the magnet with a sudden spring. . . . Nor is this
     phenomenon at all dubious to the spectator. However it may be
     done, the fact is indisputable that it is done."-- Ibid.

Then the committee summarizes its report:

     "The motions were witnessed simultaneously by all present. They
     were matters of measurement, and not of opinion or fancy . And
     they occurred so often, under so many and such various
     conditions, with such safeguards against error or deception, and
     with such invariable results, as to satisfy the members of your
     subcommittee by whom the experiments were tried, wholly skeptical
     as most of them were when they entered upon the investigation ,
     that there is a force capable of moving bodies without material
     contact, and which force is in some unknown manner dependent upon
     the presence of human beings."--Ibid.

The noted astronomer and scientist, Camille Flammarion, gives this
testimony concerning the physical phenomena of Spiritism:

     "For me, the levitation of objects is no more doubtful than that
     of a pair of scissors lifted by the aid of a
     magnet."--"Mysterious Psychic Forces," Flammarion, pp. 5, 6.

Dr. Marion, in his attack, "The Philosophy of Spiritualism," says
concerning spiritistic manifestations:

     "The phenomena are genuine. The hypothesis which Spiritualists
     endeavor to build on these phenomena is altogether another
     thing."

And so it is. Our admission of the genuineness of the phenomena must not be
interpreted as indicating in the slightest degree that we consider it even
possible that the phenomena of Spiritism prove that the dead have anything
to do with these manifestations, or that the dead are conscious, or that
they are even alive. These demonstrations are produced by agencies that
were never human, and are in this world for a limited time only, while they
await the execution of the decree of the Almighty against the fallen
Lucifer and his fallen hosts.

But to return to the manifestations themselves. Sir William Crookes made an
exhaustive study of spiritistic phenomena, and has left this testimony:

Page 175

     "On five separate occasions a heavy dining-table rose between a
     few inches and one and one-half feet off the floor, under special
     circumstances which rendered trickery impossible. On another
     occasion a heavy table rose from the floor in full light, while I
     was holding the medium's hands and feet. On another occasion the
     table rose from the floor, not only when no person was touching
     it, but under conditions which I had prearranged so as to assure
     unquestionable proof of the fact."-- Notes, Quarterly Journal of
     Science, January, 1874, pages 84, 85.

Count Agnor de Gasparin, a Swiss investigator, has left a record of his
investigations of the phenomena of levitation, in which he declares that
the energy sometimes displayed in the levitation of furniture was
"well-nigh terrifying."[1]

The Rev. A. Mahan, first president of Cleveland University, who has stood
as stoutly against the deductions of Spiritism as, perhaps, even the
redoubtable Frank Podmore himself, makes this admission concerning the
genuineness of the phenomena:

     "We admit the facts for the all-adequate reason that, after
     careful inquiry, we have been led to conclude that they are real.
     We think that no candid inquirer, who carefully investigates the
     subject, can come to any other conclusion. . . . We have
     ourselves witnessed physical manifestations which, in our
     judgment, can be accounted for by no reference to mere muscular
     action. "--"Modern Mysteries Explained and Exposed," p. 42.

Rev. Mahan further states:

     "Our fathers were as familiar with the rapping sounds, the
     movement of articles of furniture, etc., as we are. They, in
     their ignorance attributed the manifestations to satanic agency
     [and they were right]. We, in our wisdom, have attributed them to
     the interposition of departed spirits. . . . Nothing can be more
     unphilosophical than to attribute such phenomena to the
     interposition of disembodied spirits."--Id., p. 98.

Mr. Mahan, in his wisdom, attributes these mysterious manifestations to
some hitherto undiscovered or unanalyzed and unnamed force, which he
proceeds to name "the odylic force;" and having named it, he has, of
course, settled the vexed question as to what it is.

Levitation and rapping are not by any means the only spiritistic phenomena
put forth to prove the genuineness of Spiritism.

Page 176

It frequently happens that at sances articles that have been brought from
a distance are suddenly dropped on the table, almost as soon as asked for
by some member of the circle. On one occasion a fish was asked for, and
within a few minutes it was dropped upon the table, still alive and wet
from the sea. On another occasion a considerable quantity of flowers,
consisting of anemones, tulips, chrysanthemums, Chinese primroses, and
ferns, all absolutely fresh and covered with a fine cold dew, were dropped
upon the table. Dr. Alfred Russel Wallace says:

     "A friend of mine asked for a sunflower, and one six feet high
     fell upon the table, having a large mass of earth about its
     roots."--"The Proofs of the Truths of Spiritualism," p. 93.

At one of Dr. Hooper's seances, the spirit control was asked for a shamrock
with roots. In a few minutes it was placed on the table, "all wet and
glistening, also black mud-like earth with several live worms crawling on
the table, and where the clump fell was a dirty patch on the table
cover."-- Id., pp. 90. 91. The root was divided among the sitters, and
planted.

Dr. Maxwell, another observer, makes this statement:

     "At certain times, we felt ourselves touched by hands having all
     the characteristics of those of a living being. We felt the skin,
     the warmth, the movable fingers. On grasping them, we experienced
     the sensation of hands dissolving away as though composed of a
     semifluid substance. They appear of a whitish color, almost
     transparent, with elongated fingers."-- Quoted in Tweedale's
     "Man's Survival After Death," page 231.

Prof. E. L. Larkin records the following:

     "A hand and forearm appeared above the screen Sometimes an arm
     appeared, with a sleeve and then without, up to near the
     shoulder. All were given a handshake. To me the arm seemed to
     issue from the back or shoulder blade of the girl [the medium].
     After shaking hands, the arm and hand vanished each
     time."--"Science and the Soul," p. 53.

Mr. Frank Podmore, who has opposed the deductions of Spiritists from every
material standpoint, makes this frank acknowledgment concerning the
phenomena themselves:

     "I should, perhaps, state at the outset, as emphatically as
     possible, that it seems to me incredible that fraud should be the
     sole explanation of the revelations made in trance and automatic
     writing. No one who

Page 177

     has made a careful study of the records, and is sufficiently free
     from prepossession to enable him to form an honest opinion, will
     believe that any imaginable exercise of fraudulent ingenuity,
     supplemented by whatever opportuneness of coincidence and laxness
     on the part of investigators, could conceivably explain the whole
     of the [spirit] communications. And the more intimately they are
     studied, the more the .conviction grows that we must assume
     supernormal agency of one kind or another. In what follows, then,
     I shall take it for granted that fraud is not the complete
     explanation."--"The Newer Spiritualism," p. 146.

And concerning the Spiritistic operations of one C. B. Sanders, Mr. Podmore
says:

     'There are some marvelous occurrences recorded which cannot be
     explained either by telepathy, or by any extension of the known
     senses."-- Id., p. 151.

The quotations and references given herein to prove that spiritistic
phenomena are real, could be added to at an interminable length; but the
evidence already given should be sufficient. Of course, all must admit that
a tremendous amount of fraud has been connected with Spiritism from the
beginning of its revival in America in 1847-48. Unscrupulous persons, for
financial reasons, have imitated the phenomena, and have, in many
instances, deceived the public for years. Shameless frauds have been
perpetrated repeatedly; and yet, mingled with it all, there have been the
genuine spirit phenomena which human ingenuity cannot produce and which the
brightest human intellect cannot explain except on the hypothesis that
these phenomena are produced by supernormal or superhuman agencies.

While Spiritist leaders know well enough that much fraud and trickery are
practised, yet they know also that fraud and trickery will not explain more
than a portion of these mysterious demonstrations. And knowing that, they
accept the claims of the spirits that they are the spirits of the dead. No
such conclusion is necessary or warranted. To the Christian who believes
his Bible it is absolutely indefensible. But it does this: it helps to
bolster up the notion, borrowed from ancient paganism, that the soul is
immortal, deathless. If that hypothesis were true, it would follow at once
that man is not dependent upon Jesus Christ for eternal life, nor helped in
his attainments "beyond the veil" by anything that Jesus Christ has done
for

Page 178

him or will do. It rules out our Lord as the Saviour of men. It belies the
very name He bears, as previously shown.

If Satan can convince the world that mankind has no need of a Saviour, that
Jesus Christ is nothing to us but a great teacher, that He was no more the
Son of God than we ourselves are, he will have captured the world in his
snare of death. It is the great deception, by which Lucifer hopes to sweep
away the prospects of the race he has duped and degraded and despoiled, lo,
these many generations.

But ever there stands with wounded hands, with nail-pierced feet, with
riven side and thorn-scarred brow, one who is described as the "Man of
sorrows, and acquainted with grief," whose heart, bowed down with the
weight of this world's sin, was broken for you and for me. That Man,
persecuted by His own people, insulted by those who could win life only
through His death, whose peace could be purchased only by His pain,-- that
Man stands today as He stood then, the only link between earth and heaven,
Son of God and Son of man, the purchase price of man's redemption , the
Prince of the Restoration, your Saviour and mine, if we will have Him; your
Judge and mine, if we trample the sacrifice of His life under proud and
thankless feet.

                                   Notes

[1] Des Tables tournantes, du Surnaturel en general, et des Esprits, Paris,
Dentu, 1854.
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Page 179

                                 Chapter 18

                        Two Systems Face Each Other

As the originator of Spiritism has set himself to undermine the Word of
God, to thwart the beneficent purpose of God, and to make the world believe
that Jesus Christ is nothing to us, so far as our future eternal
inheritance is concerned, it may be well here to place the outstanding
features of the two systems facing each other, that our choice may be mad e
in the broad light of open day.

The Bible gives us the comforting assurance of a blessed and substantial
hope, based upon the unfailing word of Him in whom we live and move and
have our being; and we find in it no uncertainty, no ambiguity, no
contradiction. "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is
able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day." 2 Tim.
1:12.

Spiritism conveys to us no such certain hope. Its mutterings and chirpings
leave us in a cloud of mysticism and fog. Note the following examples:

     "Why should some communicators be clear, correct, and rational,
     and others be confused, lying, and incoherent? "--"Are the Dead
     Alive?" page 339.

     "Dr. Hyslop . . . once asked [the spirits] for information
     regarding an old neighbor named Samuel Cooper. The information
     given by the 'communicator' (Dr. Hyslop's father [or the spirit
     calling itself such]) was entirely wrong; but was afterward found
     to be right concerning a Dr. Joseph Cooper. . . . On one occasion
     [says Dr. Hyslop] I had asked what my uncle had died with, and it
     was two years before I received the correct answer. But the
     immediate answer involved the statement first that Robert had
     gotten his foot injured on the railroad, and then it was
     afterward ascribed to Frank, both Robert and Frank being names of
     my brothers. With reference to them, however , the statements
     were false. My brother Frank had had an injured leg, but it was
     not caused in any connection with a railway. My brother Robert
     never had any such injury. But my uncle, about whom I had asked
     the question, had had his leg cut off, or nearly cut off, at the
     ankle, by a railway car, and died from the effects of the
     operation a few hours later."--"Are the Dead Alive?" p. 337.

Page 180

     "If I have made you believe that there is there, among a great
     deal of rubbish, a little very much worth while, I shall have
     achieved my purpose."-- Id., p. 340.

     "We ride in darkness at the haven's mouth."-- Myers, "The Drift
     of Psychical Research," in National Review, Vol. XXIV, p. 190.

     "Where did you die, and where was your body buried? The reply
     was, 'Durham.' . . . The spirit was asked to name the State
     herself. 'Pennsylvania' was rapped out. The wife of our friend
     died in Buffalo, N. Y., and her body was there
     interred."--"Modern Mysteries," p. 46.

Says Mr. Frederick C. Spurr :

     "Spiritualism is hostile to the Christian idea of sin, and more
     hostile to Christ as the sole Redeemer of mankind. . . . Why
     should there be an apparent 'conspiracy,' as Colonel Forster
     calls it, on 'the other side' to make little of Jesus Christ and
     His redemptive work? Why is it that the 'prayers' offered by
     'controls' nearly always omit the Holy Name? And what is the
     meaning of the inhibition placed upon me in earlier sittings --'
     not to introduce the name of Jesus' ? All this, I repeat, is
     supremely suspicious. In Jesus we have whom we know. His Spirit
     has been at work in the lives of men during the centuries. And we
     are now asked to repudiate our spiritual history in the name of
     wandering ghosts, many of whom have, according to Sir Arthur
     Conan Doyle himself, and in my own experience of them, proved
     themselves to be unconscionable liars."--Australian Christian
     World, Feb. 20, 1920.

The Bible speaks plainly of angels and of the mission of angels, but
Spiritism knows little of them. In a work previously quoted from occurs
this:

     "'There are no angels here [lower sphere?] that we know of. We do
     not know anything about angels.' In another spirit communication
     it was stated that the angels were at first babes that died far
     too early to know anything of temptation and sin."--"The Proofs
     of the Truths of Spiritualism," p. 142.

The Bible gives no warrant for such a belief. If the angels were once human
babes, whence came the "sons of God" who shouted for joy "when the morning
stars sang together" at the creation of our world? Job 38: 7. Whence came,
then, the cherubim who with flaming swords guarded the gates of Eden lost,
that disobedient humanity should not invade its sacred precincts? There
were no human babes at that time; but God had His angels, and they had
their office work.

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The Word of God gives us a faith and hope and trust built on the solid
rock. There is a glad and satisfying certainty there which the pale fogs of
Spiritism can never obscure. We shall not leave the fireside of our
Father's home to wander in the dreary fens of spiritistic doubts and
uncertainties, and to mingle with gibbering ghosts and chirping wizards
that repudiate the Man of Calvary and try to delude us into thinking we are
gods.

The Word of God teaches us plainly of two classes who stand forth in the
time of final awards,-- the righteous and the wicked: those who have
accepted God's plan, worked in harmony with it, and been sealed to
everlasting life; and those who have rejected His plan, followed their own
course, and been appointed to the "second death," from which there will be
no awaking. (See Matt. 25: 41, 46; Rev. 22: 11, 12, 14; Mal. 4: 1-3; Rev.
20: 9-15.)

That is God's plan to insure a clean and righteous universe. But Spiritism
refuses to accept it. Says Prof. Alfred Russel Wallace:

     "During, the last sixty years evidence has been accumulating in
     every part of the world which affords demonstration that the
     so-called dead have never really died at all, but have passed
     into a new and higher stage of existence. . . . Whatever germs of
     good are in them are ultimately developed through the kind
     ministrations of spirit helpers, and thenceforth progress toward
     a higher and happier state depends mainly on themselves."--"Are
     the Dead Alive?" p. 221.

According to this, whatever help one receives comes not from our Elder
Brother and Redeemer, but from spirits who have been longer in the land of
shades than those who are needing help. And concerning this point the
well-known psychic medium, Mrs. Adderson Miller, in answer to the question,
"Will all wicked and all good be finally saved, or progress to the higher
spheres?" replied: "Yes; there is no death. We are immortal."-- From an
interview granted E. S. Butz in Adelaide, South Australia, May 27, 1909.

The script automatically written by Rev. G. Vale Owen teaches most
positively that the wicked, even out of hell itself, are finally re formed
and saved. (See "Life Beyond the Veil," book 3, pp. 188-191, 216.)

Page 182

In the same book we are assured that even Judas Iscariot enters into
eternal life; for we read:

     "His [Christ's] first captive was the one who pleaded with Him
     upon the tree, and another was he who for thirty pieces gave his
     Lord to die. . . . The betrayer had not found that kingdom until
     he had passed through the gate into the darkness without and
     beheld the King in the budding beauty of His native
     comeliness."--"The Life Beyond the Veil," pp. 166, 167.

Thus Spiritism, with all its uncertainties and contradictions, is positive
in its denial of the truth of Scripture concerning the mortality of man and
the destiny of the wicked.

We find that the Bible teaches the value and importance of life; but
Spiritism on many an occasion has encouraged men and women to throw away
their lives, to break God's law by self-murder, and thus come under His
just condemnation.

The Bible is filled with most encouraging admonitions, most helpful
instruction, most uplifting sentiments, and always holds before our eyes
the ultimate goal of the perfection there is in Christ Jesus, and the hope
of final association with the One whose sacrifice purchased our redemption.
But the communications that have "come through" from shadow land are
incoherent, contradictory, valueless; they hold before us no goal for a
consecrated life, deal in senseless mental meanderings, and agree only in
that they oppose and contradict the verities of God's Word and God's
purpose for man here and hereafter.

God's Word teaches us that he that controls his own spirit is greater "than
he that taketh a city." Prov. 16: 32. But Spiritism admits that it cannot
control itself. In Sir Oliver Lodge's report of certain sances occurs the
following:

     "He [Raymond] has been trying to come to you at home, but there
     has been some horrible mix-ups; not really horrible, but a
     muddle. He really got through to you, but other conditions get
     through there, and mixes him up. . . .

     "'How can we improve it?' [asked the sitter.]

     "He does not understand it sufficiently himself yet. Other
     spirits get in, not bad spirits, but ones that like to feel they
     are helping. The peculiar manifestations are not him, and it only
     confuses him terribly. Part of it was him, but when the table was
     careering about, it was not him at all. He started it, but
     something comes along stronger than himself, and he loses the
     control."--"Raymond," pp. 182, 183.

Page 183

     "Occasionally the table got rather rampageous and had to be
     quieted down. Sometimes, indeed, both the table and things like
     flower-pots got broken. After these more violent occasions,
     Raymond volunteered the explanation, through mediums in London,
     that he couldn't always control it, and that there was a certain
     amount of skylarking, not on our side, which he tried to
     prevent."-- Id., p. 217.

     "After this table and another one had got broken during the more
     exuberant period of these domestic sittings, before the power had
     got under control, a stronger and heavier round table with four
     legs was obtained, and employed only for this purpose."-- Id., p.
     222.

Such demonstrations do not speak to us of really spiritual things nor of
helpful things. They speak of demon possession, such as was manifest in the
time when our Saviour was on earth, and is openly manifest even today in
such countries as China and Korea. To make a religion of it is the last
step in mockery of the true things of God.

The Word of God teaches us to trust in God and worship Him alone. It
teaches also that our Saviour is a personal Saviour -- a person Himself.
Spiritism teaches us that "the whole cosmos of matter is the body of
Christ" (" Life Beyond the Veil," book 3, p. 130), and that we can obtain
protection by perpetuating that heathen superstition, making "the sign of
the cross."-- Id., p. 66. If the earth is the body of Christ, everything
that springs out of it must be a part of His body; and there we have the
excuse for pantheism -- the worship of all that is. While Spiritism tells
us that the earth is the body of Christ, the Word of God tells us that it
is God's footstool. Isa. 66: 1; Matt. 5: 35.

While the Bible rings true in all its parts, we find Spiritism
self-contradictory, and thus self-destructive. On one page the Vale Owen
script teaches us that Christ Himself is the whole cosmos and that the
earth is Christ; and on the preceding page (p. 129), it solemnly informs us
that "the Creator of all, working through the Christ, produced, after ages
of continuous urge, the cosmos." Thus do we have God working through Christ
to produce Christ; or Christ the active agent in His own creation,
struggling through ages of continuous urge to develop Himself into being.
Surely this is the capsheaf in absurdity of contradiction.

Page 184

While some Spiritists assert that Spiritism is a religion, and the only
true religion, others deny. Camille Flammarion declares that "the thing
dubbed 'Spiritualism' is a science and not a religion."--"Are the Dead
Alive?" pp. 57, 58. The truth of the matter is that it is neither a science
nor a religion, but a caricature of both, perpetrated by a cunning deceiver
who keeps his own identity hidden behind the convenient cloak of
invisibility.

The Bible gives as one proof of its divine inspiration, the revelation
within its pages of future events.

     "Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I
     declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them." Isa. 42:
     9.

But of Spiritism, which is set forth to take the place of Christianity,
this cannot be said.

     "Now as to future events we cannot tell you what will happen,
     but, judging by circumstances that are around you at present, we
     should say that success shall attend your efforts."--"The Proofs
     of the Truths of Spiritualism," pp. 157, 158.

Spiritism's prophecies are guesses only, and have proved very costly to
some who have placed reliance in them. The financial disaster that befell
Mr. W. T. Stead has already been cited. It has been frequently stated
concerning the late czar of Russia that during the Russo-Japanese War he
spent most of his time consulting his medium, and that he directed Russia's
course in that war according to that medium's instructions. The result is
known to the world.

     "They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion, which cannot
     be removed, but abideth forever." Ps. 121: 1.

They that trust to the leadings of Spiritism are trusting to blind
leadership; they are leaning upon a broken and treacherous reed, that can
but pierce the hand that trusts to its support.

The Bible teaches us in most explicit language that. sin is a very real and
a very dangerous thing. Says the inspired apostle James: "When lust hath
conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth
forth death." James 1:15. That refers to the second death, from which there
is no resurrection; for the righteous as well as the wicked die the

Page 185

first death. To redeem man from destruction -- the consequence of sin --
the Son of God expired on the cross. So they called His name Jesus,
Saviour. Sin is therefore a reality -- a horrible thing in the sight of a
just and righteous God. The whole purpose of the gospel is to get sin out
of the universe.

Spiritism teaches that there is no sin. In this it travels as the boon
companion of Christian Science, which dwells much upon the nonexistence of
sin; and both contradict the fundamental truth of the gospel. Says Andrew
Jackson Davis, who called himself "the Poughkeepsie [New York] Seer and
Clairvoyant:"

     "Sin indeed, in the common acceptation of the term, does not
     really exist; but what is called sin is merely a misdirection of
     man's physical or spiritual powers which generates unhappy
     consequences. . . . The innate divineness of the spirit of man
     prohibits the possibility of spiritual wickedness, or unrighteousness."
     --"The Principles of Nature, Her Divine Revelations, and a Voice to
     Mankind," quoted in "Modern Mysteries," pp. 28, 29.

Such false teaching nullifies the gospel, and makes the Bible a falsehood
in sixty-six sections. If there is no sin, there is no need of a Saviour,
and Christ becomes an impostor; while the entire Bible record of God's
purpose and of our need becomes, through this iniquitous teaching, a fabric
of fancy, fable, and folly. There can be no compromise. Either Spiritism is
false, deceptive, and deadly, or all that we have learned of God through
the Word of God is a heartless forgery, uttered against the Author of our
being. But the Word of God has repeatedly demonstrated its own truth, and
in doing so has demonstrated the unreliability and falsity of whatever
contradicts it.

In the divine Word, Jesus the Saviour is set forth as "the propitiation for
our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."
1 John 2: 2. Again:

     "All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being
     justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in
     Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation
     through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the
     remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
     to declare, I say, at this time His righteousness: that He might
     be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus." Rom.
     3: 23-26.

Page 186

Many other scriptures might be given which testify to the same
all-important fact, that redemption is in Christ Jesus alone, and that
outside of Him there is no salvation. The life which He laid down for us
when He hung between earth and sky on Calvary, was a propitiation indeed, a
redemption price, a sacrifice which made the eternal reward and everlasting
life sure to those who accept it.

But Spiritism has set itself directly across that path to the eternal city.
A spirit control who calls himself "Imperator" points out there was no
atonement, but at-one-ment, i. e., 'reconciliation.' "--"The Proofs of the
Truths of Spiritualism," p. 45.

Any person can make an at-one-ment when he brings two persons together who
have been estranged, and helps them to settle their differences, and be
friends again. There is more than this involved in the atonement. The
broken law demanded the life of the transgressor. Jesus volunteered His
life to satisfy the claims of the law for all who would accept Him, and
through the love and condescension manifested in that act, to win back the
disobedient race to loyalty and obedience again.

As the Son of man, He was smitten for the race of mankind. As Son of God
and mouthpiece for the Most High in giving that law, He could make that
offer, and He alone could. If Spiritism succeeds in convincing us that
nothing of the kind was done, then our sinful lives, with no cloak to hide
them from the searching gaze of the eternal Judge, will wither and sear and
perish in the glance of His all-seeing eye when the day of final awards
shall come.

There are millions making this sad and terrible choice today. It is the
fallen Lucifer's one object now to induce human beings, for whom Christ
died, to trample Heaven's offer under their feet, and go down with him to
eternal ruin. The dogmas of Spiritism are his most seductive allurement for
the making of that fearful and fatal choice. He leaves no stone unturned to
bring it about, even aping Bible miracles, adopting the language of the
sanctuary, and donning the habiliments of an angel of light.

Page 187

God has always set before man the aim of a purposeful and righteous life,
and has taught us explicitly His abhorrence of sin, and His purpose to
purge it from His universe. "Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am
holy." Lev. 19: 2. The Bible contains a multitude of such admonitions to
holiness.

But in the shadow land of Spiritism (if the communications from the spirits
be given full credit) it seems to make little difference how one has lived.
All attain to eternal life (the spirits say), and progress upward toward
the heights by their own efforts, even out of the nether regions. Spirit
helpers assist them to develop "whatever germs of good" they may possess.
(See "Are the Dead Alive?" p. 221.)

One of the greatest mediums of the age, Eusapia Palladino, who was chosen
by Spiritism to reveal its mysteries and truths to humanity, is admitted to
have been turned out of her first place of employment for her ignorance and
laziness, and that "in temperament she is often peevish, sometimes
malicious -- sometimes exhibiting a certain pride and dignity."-- Id., pp.
73, 74.

Through such an instrumentality we are asked to believe that there is to
come to us the revelation of a religion that is to dispense with
Christianity, a religion without a Redeemer, a religion that needs not
holiness as a key to the enjoyment of its Paradise. So are we to expect
that a holy God sends to us His new revelation through an instrumentality
that is ignorant, lazy, peevish, malicious, and frequently perpetrating
fraud and deception! Not so has Jehovah given us His revelations in the
past. The keynote of acceptance with Him is holiness, obedience, the
forsaking of sin. Our great Exemplar was holy, harmless, undefiled, and
separate from sinners, the embodiment of holiness, "without which no man
shall see the Lord." Heb. 12:14.

Spiritism itself is often nonplused by the wicked perversity of its leading
exponents. One Spiritist author asks in querulous astonishment:

     "Why should she [Eusapia Palladino] attempt to do these things
     fraudulently when she has apparently proved again and again her
     ability to do them genuinely? Why, indeed? "--"Are the Dead
     Alive?" p. 90.

Page 188

It is very apparent that the spirits are nothing averse to the practice of
deceit and fraud on the part of their human understudies. If they were not
parties to it, they would not use the human instruments that practise it.
Says Mr. J. N. Maskelyne, who was thoroughly familiar with all phases of
mediumship:

     "There does not exist, and there never has existed, a
     professional medium of any note who has not been convicted of
     trickery or fraud."--Id., p. 15

     "The net result of the investigations conducted by the Society
     for Psychical Research [says another writer] was to produce the
     conviction that no results obtained through professional mediums
     were to be trusted, so long as the conditions rendered fraud
     possible; and further, that practically all professional mediums
     are frauds."-- Quoted in "Are the Dead Alive?" p. 15.

So Mr. Fremont Rider concludes:

     "In short, the history of mediumship is one continuous
     disheartening record of fraud."--Ibid.

We have found that Spiritism was truly conceived in iniquity and brought
forth in sin, and that it has been propagated through trickery, deceit, and
fraud. It has shown itself, by many infallible demonstrations, to be an
unholy vessel dedicated to an unholy use. It has set itself, through means
foul and unfair, to uproot faith in the unfailing Word of God, and to
establish in its place messages and mutterings that come to us through the
unsanctified lips of persons demon-possessed. It has, through its
teachings, convinced myriads of judgment-bound souls that Jesus Christ, in
so far as He represents Himself to be their Saviour, is an impostor; that
the blood shed on Calvary makes no atonement for the sins of any soul; and
thus does the author of Spiritism press another crown of thorns upon Jesus'
sinless brow. Whatever God has taught us as an essential of salvation,
Spiritism has sought to blow away on the breath of falsehood.

Spiritism stands before the world today as Satan's masterpiece of
deception, fortifying its declarations with the voices of demons who claim
to be the spirits of our dead. The chief aim of the spiritistic propaganda
is to destroy faith in the true God, in Jesus Christ as the real and only
Saviour of man, and

Page 189

in the Bible as the inspired revelation of the divine will and purpose.
Every energy of its originator's being and every tenet of its creed is
directed to that end.

To make that end more certain, Satan, the originator of Spiritism, has
another campaign in full blast today. That is the campaign of the "higher
criticism." It is industriously plowing the field and sowing the seed for
the reaping of doubt and infidelity and the harvest of soul ruin that must
follow its acceptance. These two agencies work hand in hand, though at
first they might seem to have no connection. Each prepares the field' for
the other in that both destroy faith in the Bible as God's infallible Word.
When that has been accomplished for any individual, the way has been opened
for the acceptance of any unbiblical doctrine that may appeal to the human
intellect. As they both attack the same great Book of truth, it is a safe
conclusion that the same mind conceived them both. And running through the
basic principles of both, we find the same subtle insinuations against
Jesus Christ as the one and only Saviour of men. Both hold to the
immortality of the soul, that doctrine without which Spiritism could not
exist.

The "higher critic "endeavors to present us a gospel without a Saviour (so
does Spiritism); to give us a Christ in human flesh alone (so does
Spiritism) ; to give us a Bible bereft of the living breath of Inspiration
(so does Spiritism) ; to show us a heaven to be reached by our own unaided
efforts (so does Spiritism); to prove to us that there is no real atonement
in the sacrifice made on Calvary (so does Spiritism). Thus we see that both
systems have the same aim,-- to belittle the Christ of God; to discount and
disparage the Bible that reveals Him; and to oppose and thwart the
fundamental principle of the gospel,-- salvation through Christ alone.
Their chief attack is upon the Bible, and all the rest follows as a matter
of course.

While the "higher critics" do not agree among themselves as to what is the
proper attitude to assume toward the gospel, they are quite agreed in this,
that they must not accept the Bible for all that Christians have held it to
be through the generations of the past. One has tersely put it thus: "The
'higher critics,' it is clear, can unsettle many things, but they can
settle nothing."

Page 190

The Bible, however, must be overthrown; and they are set to accomplish
that, even though they overturn their own edifice in the process.

In Roman Catholicism also we have a system that refuses to recognize the
Bible as the one great revelation of the divine will. Tradition, which in
our Saviour's day "made the commandment of God of none effect" (Matt. 15:
6), is exalted by the Roman Church to a position above the Bible. From a
Roman Catholic work issued under the authority of Cardinal McCloskey of New
York, I take the following two striking paragraphs:

     "Like two sacred rivers flowing from Paradise, the Bible and
     divine tradition contain the Word of God, the precious germs of
     revealed truths.

     "Though these two divine streams are in themselves, on account of
     their divine origin, of equal sacredness, and are both full of
     revealed truths, still, of the two, tradition is to us more clear
     and safe. Tradition, without Holy Scripture, Old or New, sufficed
     for many years, and could still suffice. But Holy Scripture has
     never sufficed by itself." -- "Catholic Belief," by the Very Rev.
     Joseph Fa di Bruno, D. D., American edition, Benziger Brothers,
     New York, pp. 45, 46.

In an authorized Catholic catechism are found these two questions and
answers:

     "17. Is it enough to believe that only which is contained in the
     Holy Scripture?

     "No; we must also believe tradition.

     "20. Is it true that the Bible alone is the only rule of faith?

     "No; for not the Bible alone, but the Bible and tradition, both
     infallibly interpreted by the church, are the right rule of faith."
     --" A Catechism of the Christian Doctrine for the Use of Catholic
     Schools," J. H. Slinger, O. P., "Permission Superiorum," printed by
     the New York Catholic Protectory, West Chester, N. Y., U. S. A.,
     pp. 26, 27.

Concerning these marvelous assumptions, Holy Writ itself declares, in an
admonition to Timothy:

     "From a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able
     to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ
     Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is
     profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction
     in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly
     furnished unto all good works." 2 Tim. 3: 15-17.

Page 191

Here are two witnesses, both testifying concerning the Holy Scriptures. The
one says the Holy Scriptures are not sufficient, but must have tradition to
!make them sufficient. The other declares that the Holy Scriptures are able
to make thee wise unto salvation through faith in Christ Jesus; that they
are given by God Himself to meet every human need, even to make us perfect
and thoroughly furnish us to the accomplishment of "all good works." There
is a very plain contradiction here. Both cannot be true. Whom shall we
choose -- man or God, the Bible or its disparager? The Bible reveals one
God, one Saviour, one faith, one hope, one baptism. By its divine precepts
the saints of God have lived; in it they have believed; and assured by its
unfailing promises, they rest in hope.

Not satisfied with placing the Bible below tradition, and declaring Holy
Scripture less safe than tradition, and less efficient, the Roman Church
has set itself determinedly to oppose the circulation and the reading of
the Bible; and in pursuit of this end has laid the reading of the
Scriptures under interdict, and through its priests has destroyed, by fire,
thousands of copies of the Sacred Volume, and many individuals who
persisted in reading it.

The inspiration to this sacrilege has come from the head of that church.
Said Pope Pius VII:

     "We have been truly shocked at this most crafty device [the
     establishment and work of Bible societies], by which the very
     foundations of religion are undermined. . . . We have deliberated
     upon the measures proper to be adopted by our pontifical
     authority, in order to remedy and abolish this pestilence, as far
     as possible, this defilement of the faith, so imminently
     dangerous to souls. It is evident from experience that the Holy
     Scriptures, when circulated in the vulgar tongue, have through
     the temerity of men, produced more harm than benefit. Warn the
     people intrusted to your care, that they fall not into the snares
     prepared for their everlasting ruin. Several of our predecessors
     have made laws to turn aside this scourge."-- Warning Against
     Bible Societies, issued from Rome, June 29, 1816, by Pope Pius
     VII, to the Archbishop of Gnezn, Primate of Poland.

How strange that a pope should be "shocked" by the circulation of the Word
of God among the common people, and by the establishment of societies to
see that it is systematically and

Page 192

thoroughly done! Marvel of marvels that the Bible, which is the literary
fount of religion, should, by its circulation, undermine the foundations of
religion! Wonder of wonders that this treasure house of the precepts of
righteousness should, by its circulation among the people, prove to be a
pestilence and a defilement of the faith! But such is Rome's estimate of
the Book that comes to us inspired by God and freighted with the love of
Christ and the blessed promises of His grace.

Cardinal Wiseman has given his testimony upon this matter in these words:

     "We must deny to Protestantism any right to use the Bible, much
     more to interpret it." "We answer, therefore, boldly, that we
     give not the Word of God indiscriminately to all." "Though the
     Scriptures may be here [in Great Britain, with notes] permitted,
     we do not urge them on our people; we do not encourage them to
     read them; we do not spread them to the utmost among them.
     Certainly not."--"The Catholic Doctrine on the Use of the Bible,"
     Cardinal Wiseman, pp. 11, 20, 26.

That great standard work on Roman Catholic affairs, the Catholic
Encyclopedia, contains this very explicit statement as to that church's
attitude toward the circulation of the Bible:

     "The attitude of the church toward the Bible societies is one of
     unmistakable opposition. Believing herself to be the divinely
     appointed custodian and interpreter of Holy Writ, she cannot,
     without turning traitor to herself, approve the distribution of
     Scripture 'without note or comment. The fundamental fallacy of
     private interpretation of the Scriptures is presupposed by the
     Bible societies. It is the impelling motive of their work. But it
     would be likewise the violation of one of the first principles of
     the Catholic faith, . . . the insufficiency of the Scriptures
     alone to convey to the general reader a sure knowledge of faith
     and morals. . . . It may be well to give the most striking words
     on the subject from Leo XII and Pius IX. To quote from the former
     (loc. cit.):

     "'You are aware, venerable brothers, that a certain Bible Society
     is impudently spreading throughout the world, which, despising
     the traditions of the holy Fathers and the decree of the Council
     of Trent, is endeavoring to translate, or rather to pervert the
     Scriptures into the vernacular of all nations. . . . It is to be
     feared that by false interpretation, the gospel of Christ will
     become the gospel of men, or still worse, the gospel of the
     devil.'

     "The Pope then urges the bishops to admonish their flocks that
     owing to human temerity, more harm than good may come from
     indiscriminate Bible reading.

Page 193

     "Pope Pius IX says (loc. cit.): 'These crafty Bible societies,
     which renew the ancient guile of heretics, cease not to thrust
     their Bibles upon all men, even the unlearned,-- their Bibles,
     which have been translated against the laws of the church. . . .
     Thus the divine traditions, the teaching of the Fathers, and the
     authority of the Catholic Church are rejected.' "-- The Catholic
     Encyclopedia, Vol. II, art. "Bible Societies," page 545.

Strange, is it not? that the pope should fear such dire consequences, when
even Catholics are forced to admit that in lands where the Bible is
unchained and most freely read, there crime and immorality are least, and
where the Bible is most securely bound and most seldom seen, there crime
and immorality flourish and increase! Father Elliott, in the Catholic World
(September, 1890), made this honest confession:

     "The horrible truth is, that in many cities, big and little, we
     have something like a monopoly of selling liquor, and in not a
     few something equivalent to a monopoly of getting drunk. I hate
     to acknowledge it, yet from Catholic domiciles -- miscalled homes
     -- in those cities and towns three fourths of the public paupers
     creep annually to the alms-house, and more than half the
     criminals snatched away by police to prison, are, by baptism and
     training, members of our church. Can any one deny this, or can
     any one deny that the identity of nominal Catholics and pauperism
     existing in our chief centers of population is owing to the
     drunkenness of Roman Catholics? For twenty years the clergy of
     this parish have had a hard and uneven fight to keep saloons from
     the very church doors, because the neighborhood of the Roman
     Catholic Church is a good stand for the saloon business; and this
     equally so in nearly every city in America. Who has not burned
     with shame to run the gauntlet of the saloons lining the way to
     the Roman Catholic cemetery?"

In a paper read at the Catholic Congress, Columbian Exposition, Chicago, U.
S. A., in 1893, Miss M. T. Elder, of New Orleans, made the following
statements:

     "Why is it that the greatest men of our nation are non-Catholic?
     It is because the vast majority of these great men are from
     sturdy rural stock, and the rural stock of the United States is
     solidly, stanchly Protestant. . . . The great men of this nation
     have been, are, and will continue to be, Protestant. I speak not
     of wealth, but of brain, of energy, of action, of heart. The
     great philanthropists, the great orators, the great writers,
     thinkers, leaders, scientists, inventors, teachers of our land,
     have been Protestants. . . . When I see how largely Catholicity
     is represented in our hoodlum element, I feel in no
     'spread-eagle' mood. When I see how few Catholics are engaged
     honestly in tilling the hon-

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     est soil, and how many Catholics are engaged in the liquor
     traffic, I cannot talk buncombe to anybody."-- Quoted in "Facing
     the Twentieth Century," pp. 508, 509.

When individual Catholics have to make such embarrassing admissions as to
the failure of their system of religion, one would suppose that they would
begin to inquire as to the cause. They would find it more than merely in
the name Protestant and the fact that so large a proportion of Protestants
get their living from the soil. They would find it in the fact that
Protestantism encourages the reading and the study of the Bible. In that
Word, God speaks to the soul of man. He who denies himself that divine
instruction and that source of inspiration, cannot expect to win in the
race for all that is highest and best and most worth while.

William Tyndale (1484-1536), eminent Reformer and translator of the Bible,
in speaking of the attitude of the priests toward the Holy Book, uses these
piercing words:

     "Scourge of states, devastators of kingdoms, the priests take
     away not only the Holy Scripture, but also prosperity and peace."
     "The priests, when they had slain Christ, set poleaxes to keep
     Him in His sepulcher, that He should not rise again; even so have
     our priests buried the Testament of God, and all their study is
     to keep it down, that it rise not again."-- Tyndale, "Doctrinal
     Tracts," pp. 191, 251.

We have seen, thus, how a triumvirate of opposition has been created in
this world to ruin the influence of the Bible and thwart the vital purpose
of the gospel as revealed therein. It may be objected that the last-named
organization is not set to do all this . Let us see. Spiritism presents
Jesus as a great teacher only, whose sacrifice can save no one. The "higher
criticism" assumes practically the same position. Roman Catholicism
presents Him as one who can be reached only through priests, saints, and
the virgin Mary, who receives her requests as commands. It represents Him
as giving to her His place as the only refuge for sinners, the only way of
salvation, so that He who came to this earth as the Redeemer of man is to
be put as far away from man as the human imagination can place Him.

In a work entitled, "The Glories of Mary," by St. Alphonso M. Liguori, Mary
is made all that the Lord Christ claimed that

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He came to earth to be for man. A few extracts only will be given from that
work, in which this claim is repeatedly made:

     "The devout Blosius, addressing the Virgin, says: 'O lady, to
     thee are intrusted the keys and treasures of heaven.' "--Page
     338.

     "Open to us, O Mary, the gates of heaven, since thou hast the
     keys; nay, thou thyself art, as the holy church calls thee, 'the
     gate of heaven.'"--Ibid.

     "Says St. Thomas, as mariners are directed to the port by the
     polestar, so Christians are guided to paradise by Mary."-- Ibid.

     "This Mary herself declares: 'By me kings reign.' "-- Page 340.

     In a word, Mary,' says Richard of St. Lawrence, 'is mistress of
     paradise; for there she commands as she pleases, and introduces
     whom she pleases.' "-- Ibid.

     "He who serves Mary, and for whom Mary intercedes, is as secure
     of heaven as if he were in that blessed kingdom."--Page 341.

     "On the other hand, he says that they who do not serve Mary shall
     not be saved."-- Ibid.

     "Eternal praise to the infinite goodness of our God who has
     decreed to appoint Mary our advocate in heaven, that, as mother
     of the Judge, and as mother of mercy, she may by her intercession
     efficaciously and successfully negotiate the great business of
     our eternal salvation."-- Ibid.

     "Since God wishes to dispense all His graces through the prayers
     of Mary, when these are wanting, there is no hope of
     mercy."--Page 353.

     "St. Peter Chrysologus says that Mary alone, having lodged in her
     womb the Son of God, demands in return peace for the world,
     salvation for the lost, and life for the dead."-- Page 359.

     "Let us always have recourse to this great mother of mercy, and
     let us confidently hope to be saved through intercession; for,
     according to Bernadine da Busto, she is our salvation, our life,
     our hope, counsel, refuge, succor."-- Page 360.

     "At the mention of thy [Mary's] name, every knee should bend, in
     heaven, on earth, and in hell."-- Page 364.

     "St. Bernardine of Sienna says . . . that he has no doubt but God
     granted all the mercies and all the pardons received by sinners
     in the old law in consideration of this blessed Virgin."-- Page
     135.

It can readily be seen from the quotations given that Mary is credited by
the Roman Church with what are really the attributes of Deity. As mother of
Jesus, her requests are received by Him as commands. She is declared to be
the queen of heaven, and is placed on an equality with God the Father in
the giving of Jesus as a sacrifice for sin. At the Nicaene Council held in
325 to condemn the heresy of Anus, who denied

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the true deity of Christ, there was a strong tendency to put the creature,
Mary, on a level with her Creator.

     "The Melchite section held that there were three persons in the
     Trinity -- the Father, the virgin Mary, and Messiah, their
     Son."--" Nimrod," 3, p. 329, quoted in Quarterly Journal of
     Prophecy, July, 1852, p. 244.

She, in the program of Romanism, usurps the prerogatives of Jesus as the
way and guide to heaven and the refuge of sinners who seek for divine
grace. Through the position given her by the Roman Church, Mary is made the
real ruler of heaven, and thus of the universe.

                                   Notes

"Sedet super universam,"[1] is the only appellation which expresses the
position to which the virgin Mary has been elevated by such doctors and
saints of the Roman Church as have expressed Catholic belief in the
foregoing extracts. In that program, the Lord Jesus Christ seems to be
fading out of sight, and the human mother is exalted to the highest place
in the universe. The Saviour, who came to give His life as a ransom for
repentant sinners, and to be the one Mediator between God and mankind, is
mercilessly pushed one side, and a mediator whom the gospel never knew and
the Bible never declared or recognized, is thrust into His place.

We see thus a triumvirate of conspiracy against the Bible and the Christ of
the Bible. Romanism, Spiritism, and apostate Protestantism (represented in
the "higher criticism ") form that triumvirate. The prince of this world,
through that triumvirate of disloyalty, has determined to destroy from the
earth every vestige of faith in Christ as the real Saviour of the world, in
the Bible as the mouthpiece of God and the only revelation of God's will,
and in the gospel it reveals as the only method of salvation. Will he
succeed?

Our Saviour foresaw the struggle that was to come, and asked the question,
"When the Son of man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?" Luke 18:8.
The form of the question indicates the violence of the struggle the enemy
of souls

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would make to destroy faith. Nevertheless, we shall not lose hope; for our
Redeemer, looking through and beyond that struggle, saw a small company
whose fealty had not faltered, and He said of them, "Here is the patience
of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the
faith of Jesus." Rev. 14: 12.

Satan's campaign of treason against High Heaven will not triumph, though
supported by the mightiest organizations the minds of men have ever
conceived. There is indeed something to be overcome; but "be thou faithful
unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." "Him that overcometh
will I make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go no more out."
"To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I
also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne." Rev. 2:10;
3:12,21.

                                   Notes

[1] "Sedet super usversam" (she is placed over all, meaning, she rules all
there is to be ruled), is the Inscription on the reverse side of a medal
struck by Pope Leo XII in 1735. On that medal appears the figure of a woman
with a cup in one hand and a cross in the other, and with sun rays
streaming from her head. This figure is intended, no doubt, to represent
the church.
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                                 Chapter 19

               Let Us Hear the Conclusion of the Whole Matter

THE last book of the Bible brings to view the close of God's controversy
with sin. It is strong in condemnation, in admonition, in warning, in
assurance, in promises, in hope for the loyal Christian. In that book the
prince of evil and the Lord our Righteousness face each other for the last
time,-- the one as the defeated enemy of truth and righteousness, the
exposed deceiver of mankind, the calumniator and accuser of creation's
Lord, the agency through whom "death reigned from Adam to Moses "and from
Moses to our day; the other as the conqueror of death, the accepted
substitute and sacrifice for repentant man, heaven's Exemplar of the rule
of love, the restorer of harmony and peace to the disturbed universe of
God, the banisher of death and sin from all the infinite jurisdiction of
the great Jehovah.

They have met before. Far back in the cycles of the dim ages they stood
face to face at the throne of God. For Lucifer was one of the covering
cherubs; and the covering cherubs were the right- and left-hand supporters
of the throne of God. It was their duty to protect the foundation of that
throne and government, which is the eternal law of God.

Lucifer was a created being of dazzling splendor, and came forth in
infinite perfection from the hand of God. "Thou wast perfect in thy ways
from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee." Eze.
28:15. As iniquity is sin, and sin is the breaking of the law, Lucifier had
committed high treason against the government of the universe. He broke the
law he was commissioned to defend; in rebellion against the Most High, he
led a multitude to attack the throne he was pledged to support; he aspired
to dethrone the Creator, overturn the government of God, and rule in His
place; for he said:

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     "I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also
     upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I
     will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the
     Most High." Isa. 14: 13, 14.

In that spirit of egotism and selfishness Lucifer carried on a propaganda
of malicious misrepresentation and deceit among the angels of heaven, and
won a multitude to his unworthy cause. Finally "there was war in heaven:
Michael [Christ] and His angels fought against the dragon [Lucifer]; and
the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their
place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old
serpent, called the devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he
was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." Rev.
12: 7-9.

The Son of God and the first rebel against the government of God met there
in a conflict that shook the universe. Lucifer was defeated, but the
conflict was not finished; they will meet again. A dark and gloomy vista of
sin and suffering and death stretched out before the eye of Prince Emmanuel
between that day and the day when these two princes should meet for the
last time, one within and one without the jeweled walls of the New
Jerusalem.

Lucifer with his discomfited hosts sought asylum in the home of the newly
created race. Creation's Lord had not left the inhabitants of Eden without
warning and instruction. They knew their duty to their God. They had been
warned that disobedience meant death. They, too, came perfect from the hand
of their Creator. But he who sowed discord in heaven, he who was jealous of
God and the Son of God, he who resented the fact that he had not been
consulted in the creation of man, invaded the sanctuary of innocence and
peace, the home of love and trust, to unlock the, floodgates of tears, to
unleash the tempests of ruin, to open the fountains of hatred and blood, to
plant poison and to harvest death, through the cruel centuries of sin.

They met in Eden, the tempter and the One whose soul must bear the weight
of the sins of repentant sinners. Face to face they stand; but, oh, what a
gulf between them! -- purity and

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impurity, loyalty and treason, love and hatred, righteousness and iniquity,
the Prince of love and life and restoration, and the prince of hatred and
death and ruin! It was the mightiest contrast the universe of God had ever
seen.

And the destiny of man was not the only issue. What a horror of anxiety
thrilled through the universe when the heartless, fallen Lucifer stood
before Eve to stamp the mother of the race with the brand of treason that
would entail the death of the Son of God in the restoration of the race!
They met, the Son of God and the rebel angel, and the record of that
meeting has been written in the tears of the human race and the blood of
the Son of God.

They met again when the race had become so sodden in sin that only one man
could be found to preach of righteousness. Finding no response outside his
own household after one hundred twenty years of protest against sin,
righteous Noah with his family went inside the ark to await the execution
of God's decree against rebellion and unrighteousness. Over that swirling
waste of waters the Prince of Righteousness and the god of selfishness
faced each other. A wicked world lay buried under the slimy debris of
earth's ruin, with towering mountains for tombstones; while the soughing
winds moaned over the murky waves that surged above the weltering grave of
a ruined race.

Sin had swept the world with a besom of destruction, and Satan's plan had
almost triumphed. But God had eight jewels floating in a wooden casket over
the grave of sin.

They met again when Israel, through disloyalty and sin, had become captives
to a pagan king. Babylon, the mother of idolatry, was the agency in the
hand of Lucifer to crush out and stamp out all worship of the true God
throughout the whole reach of Nebuchadnezzar's realm, and then throughout
the world . The fiery furnace glowed with threat of death; the monarch's
orchestra called every representative of his vast domain to fall down and
worship the god of gold that human hands had fashioned on the plain of
Dura. And the human race, through their appointed representatives, bowed
down in worship that day at the call of its king -- a worship that hurled
defiance at the law of God and the Most High who had given it.

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But look again: the race has not all bent the knee and bowed the head to
fling defiance at the God of heaven, in obedience to the mandate of the
great anarchist. We see three -- only three -- in all that mumbling
multitude standing straight and looking away into the bright heavens where
the true God eternal reigns, and reigns by love.

The multitude look on in wonder and alarm -- and some no doubt with unholy
joy. The face of the king grows dark with anger; the furnace is heated
hotter than before. The decree rings out again; the race falls down again
-- no, not all; the same three, with eyes turned heavenward and hearts
trusting in the God they love and reverence, still stand in the midst of
that cringing and idolatrous host. They are men -- God's men -- every inch
of them, from the sun-kissed turbans on their heads to the dew-sprinkled
sandals on their feet, they are His and His alone.

The strong men, the strongest in that host, with stout cords bind them;
they are thrust into the glowing mouth of that sevenfold heated furnace.
The strong men are smitten by the superheated blast, and fall dead at the
furnace mouth. But the king sees four, not three, standing unbound in the
midst of the raging heat; and "the form of the fourth is like the Son of
God." He has faced the rebel prince once more, and thrown His arms of love
and protection around the forms of His loyal sons. What a contrast is here!
Love has met jealousy; truth has met deceit; loyalty has met treason.

The king summons them forth, and the three stand in his presence. But the
now invisible One is by their side still, and the cruel decree is revoked.

These two meet again at the pit of the den of lions, when the mouths of
hungry beasts are shut by unseen hands; and Daniel, the faithful servant of
the unseen God, comes forth from that den unhurt, a victor in the cause of
truth and righteousness.

So through the centuries the eye of love and compassion has met the eye of
hate and malevolence, looking across the table of man's destiny, and
looking toward the day when the contest will be finished.

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In a stable in Bethlehem they met again when the time was ripe for the
self-surrendered Sacrifice to enter upon that period of experience which
would end on the bald old hill of Calvary. His mother and His reputed
father were without wealth or position; He was born in a stable and cradled
in a manger, as weak in physical strength as any babe in the realm; yet He
was here to battle "against principalities, against powers, against the
rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness ["wicked
spirits," margin] in high places." Eph. 6:12. It was to be the most unique
contest in the history of the universe. In His days of prattling babyhood,
of innocent childhood, of virile young manhood, an angel guard shielded His
hallowed head from the blows of satanic wrath. In a very literal sense "the
dragon stood before the woman, . . . to devour her child as soon as it was
born." Rev. 12: 4. God turned aside the malicious design of the Roman
prince against the infant Jesus; but the baffled Lucifer must vent his
wrath somewhere. So the blow aimed at the young Prince Emmanuel fell upon
the quivering flesh of Bethlehem's babyhood, while an angel guided the
weary feet of the chosen family to a shelter in the shadow of the pyramids.
The land of the Sphinx keeps the holy secret from the wicked agent of the
fallen Lucifer.

Through those waiting years there was pressed upon the soul of the chosen
Child the mighty thought that He must be about His Father's business: He
submits finally to that typical burial in the waters of Jordan, looking
forward to the day when the rock-hewn tomb shall shut upon Him its stony
mouth, sealed with the signet of the Roman realm.

From that watery grave He came forth -- typifying His resurrection -- to
walk into the wilderness and meet the rebellious Lucifer. They met -- the
fasting Saviour and His furious adversary -- while heaven looked on in
admiration and concern. Foiled on the temptation of appetite, foiled on the
temptation to presumption, foiled on the temptation of ambition, Satan
slunk away in shame, confusion, and alarm, to rally later his evil hosts
for a final onslaught.

For three and a half years they bent their wicked wills to one purpose, the
overthrow of the Son of man. They met Him

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in demon-possessed men and women, and He cast them out. They stirred up
priests and rulers to take His life, but He passed through their midst
without hurt. They thrust the temptation of an earthly kingship continually
before His face, but He kept His eye fixed on that fairer goal, acceptance
in His Father's sight. He fed the multitude with temporal bread and with
the bread of life. He gave them health for sickness, eased their pain, set
helpless paralytics on their feet, and straightened backs long bent beneath
the load of pain and woe. He showed by His miracles that God would reverse
the very order of nature itself if necessary to save men from the
consequences of their sins -- if they would have Him for their Lord. He
unchained souls long shackled in the slavery of Satan, and set them free to
learn and love and labor in the cause of righteousness.

Thus He made war on the kingdom of darkness, while its murky clouds were
folding around His sorrow-smitten soul, and the rude cross of His
crucifixion loomed up at the end of His journey.

He is sold; He is taken; He is illegally tried; He is unlawfully condemned;
He is made the butt of brutal jests, the laughingstock of pagan soldiers.
He is spit upon and scourged; and a crown of thorns, symbol of the curse of
God upon the world, is pressed upon His devoted head, in malicious,
taunting irony. He had come to win back the kingdom of this world from the
usurping Lucifer. So they will wreathe the curse of the world into a crown
for His coronation, and send Him to His death with the marks of wrath upon
His bloodstained brow. Was there ever such a tragedy in the annals of time!

Up that bitter way He bears the burden of the instrument of His death, till
His weary limbs falter, and He falls beneath His load. Then on and on till
the hilltop is reached, and the pierced and smitten form of the kindest and
most loving soul this world had ever known hangs bare and bleeding on the
symbol of shame. The weight of the sins of mankind roll over His soul, and
as man's substitute He feels .the frown of His Father's displeasure with
sin. So that awful cry goes forth, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken
Me?" In the

Page 204

bitterness of that anguish the heart of the Son of the almighty God is
broken. Then the whetted spear of a Roman soldier makes sure to the eyes of
that gazing multitude that Jesus of Nazareth no longer lives.

The sun hides his face from that awful scene, and earth draws a cloak of
darkness over her face. The terror-stricken multitude go stumbling down the
hill, and on the cross still hangs the bruised and bloodstained body of Him
who, in that sacrifice, takes our place and pays the penalty for our sins.

Satan, in his cruel wrath, had overshot the mark. Every temptation designed
by him to overthrow the Christ had been met and overcome. The grim visage
of death itself had not frightened Him or caused Him to deviate one hair's
breadth from the course He must take as man's all-sufficient substitute and
sacrifice. The prince of ruin had accomplished the death of the Prince of
the Restoration. But that death sealed the salvation of man.

                              Christ Is Risen

                The sound of shouting and the tumult ceased
                    And pitying night a melancholy pall
                 Let down o'er Palestine. The Christ of God
                   Was sleeping in the tomb of Joseph now
                A dreamless sleep; and angry hosts had slunk
                   Away to reason with their consciences,
                  Or drown them in the flow of ruddy wine.
                 Earth slumbered with her Maker sacrificed,
                     And held Him to her bosom -- dead.

                                 The crown
                 By mocking jesters pressed upon His brow,
                  Had left its cruel impress in the flesh
              Condemned. The hands whose office work had been
                   To pour upon the head of youth and age
                  The kindliest blessings of a loving God;
                    The feet so often weary with the way
                 O'er mountain steep or by the rocky shore;
             The lips that once had launched the moving spheres
                  And spoke to life the Adam of the race,
                Were lifeless all, and man in type was dead.

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   The night of sin -- a dreary, cheerless night -- Had here fulfillment
                             manifest, and sin
                 Itself, in type, triumphant sat enthroned.
                    Old earth was tottering on the verge
                    Of ruin absolute, while in the tomb,
                    In bonds of death to satisfy the law
                   By mortals broken, lay the Gift of God
                 Enwrapped in Death's habiliments, that He
                 Might work the purpose of Jehovah's mind,
                  To conquer all that triumphed over man.

              The ear of Heaven was bowed to earth, but earth
               Was slumbering still, unconscious of the scale
                     Jehovah held to weigh her destiny.
                 The book of God was fair, the pages clean,
                And 'gainst the name of Jesus there appeared
                  No sign of sin committed, or of thought
                    To show that aught but fealty to God
                   Inhabited the heart now held of Death.

               "O Christ, come forth; the keepers of the dead
                   Hold not dominion over you!" The stone
                    By Roman order sealed, is powerless
                     To hold whom God does not condemn.

                                 Roll back,
                Frail figment of the Roman realm, nor think
                 To stifle with the hand of stone the life
                 That paid sin's penalties from Adam down.
                Roll back, ye somber, silent gates of death;
           The conquering King comes through. Roll back, ye dark
            And threatening clouds of gloom; the Sun comes forth
                To lighten with His gleam from pole to pole
                 The sorrowing regions of a stricken world.
             Roll back, roll back, ye hosts from heaven flung;
                  For man in type has conquered every foe,
               And stands triumphant with the keys of death.
                    O grand, O glorious liberty is that
             Which stepped with Christ from Joseph's open tomb,
                 And trimmed anew the fading, dimming flame
                 Of hope, and set a star to guide the race
             From earth's long night to heaven's glorious day!
                 That tomb a cradle was; and pillowed there
                 Our freedom lay in natal robes, and harked
                  The velvet footfalls of the angel guard.

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Now Christ is risen, and our souls are free -- Free in the liberty His life
                                 has given;
               Free from the death that knows no waking hour;
             Free from the sins that long have pressed us down;
                  And free to worship, and obey His will.

                 We turn no tearful eyes to Joseph's tomb;
                   We bend no knee in mosque Mohammedan;
                 Nor slay in strife to win the vacant place
                 Where rested once the Saviour of mankind.
                Go forth, go forth, and tell a waiting world
                   The Son of God is in His tomb no more.

             Say not the hand, the head, the heart, must yield
                     A servile homage to a human creed.
                The life that burst the shackles of the tomb
                Will burst this prison, too. The mind of God
                  Is broader, deeper than the wisest mind
               His hand has fashioned from the clay of earth.
                The strongest cord your puny hand may weave
                 Is rope of sand, and ne'er will anchor you
                  Within the veil. Ye cannot build a tower
                More stable than the pile that crumbles now
                On Shinar's plain; and such is every creed.
                 But hollow tombs are all these instruments
                  By human mind conceived, and empty all;
                They are but shells, and all are tenantless;
             For Christ is risen -- you'll not find Him there.

                    Nor is the presence of that Holy One
                Enlinked with laws that seek by finite force
                 To scourge to God th' unwilling wanderer.
                 The Son of God leans not on reed so frail
                    As human law, to work His holy will.
                His law who made the spheres is not so weak
                 That laws of men must prop it or it fall.
                  We may not place against the ark of God,
                Wherein His law abides, a steadying hand.[1]
                  The lesson writ is ours to learn, and we
                  Are wiser when we heed. The fearful one
                Who flees from laws oppressive to the shield
                 He finds in legal creeds, has buried deep
                The love that would have won him to his God.

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              From such a tomb the Spirit flies. Our strength
               Is weakness while we think to hold Him there.
                 Proclaim this truth in glorious ministry:
                 Our Christ is risen, and the soul is free.

When the evil one could no longer tempt and buffet and afflict the Saviour
of men in person, he turned upon the humble followers of the Christ; and
through paganism and through the nominal church itself, when it had gone
into apostasy , he persecuted the woman [the true church] which brought
forth the man Child." Rev. 12:13. The divinely inspired penman has given us
this record:

     "The dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with
     the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and
     have the testimony of Jesus Christ." Rev. 12: 17.

The prophet Daniel, when speaking of the same cruel and oppressive work,
says:

     "I beheld, and the same horn [or power] made war with the saints,
     and prevailed against them; until the Ancient of days came, and
     judgment was given to the saints of the Most High. . . . And he
     [the same power] shall speak great words against the Most High,
     and shall wear out the saints of the Most High." Dan. 7: 21-25.

In the cruel persecutions by paganism and the papacy against the followers
of Christ, Satan was pouring out his indignation and wrath against the
person and kingdom of the Redeemer. Through the Dark Ages and the Middle
Ages the servants of the realms of darkness sought to hound true
Christianity out of the world. They reveled in slaughter; they were
fiendishly ingenious in the invention of implements of pain. The groans of
their tortured victims seemed to be music in their ears. Professing to
honor Him who healed disease and relieved pain and distress, they gloried
in the suffering they were able to produce. Millions of the most
conscientious, most earnest, and most humble citizens ended their lives in
the dreary pens of the Inquisition, or were burned alive or drowned for the
fearful offense of reading the Bible and following its righteous
leadership. And when a servile king bowed to the dictates of the Vatican
and permitted the St. Bartholomew massacre, the

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church bells of Rome rang jubilant praise, a te deum was sung, and the head
of that church that had turned its back upon the merciful principles of the
gospel of Christ, had a medal struck in honor of the crimson and cruel
deed.[2]

When Peter, seeking to defend his Master, drew a sword and smote off the
ear of the high priest's servant, his Lord healed the wound, and commanded
Peter to put up the sword, warning him that they who take the sword shall
perish with the sword. (See Matt. 26: 52.) Peter obeyed; but his professed
successors, forgetting the command and the warning, have drenched the earth
with the blood, not of the Lord's enemies, but of His most faithful
friends. However, the Almighty shortened the period of intense persecution,
and now in most lands, save where Rome is in sole control, there is freedom
to worship God.

But it will not always be so. The revelator has given faithful warning of
the recrudescence of the spirit and the practice of persecution. That
revival of persecution comes at the climax of the conflict. Two decrees go
forth that are diametrically opposed the one to the other. That power that
spoke great words against the Most High will resume its persecuting
practices in the last days. That power, the revelator declares, will again
"make war with the saints," and "all that dwell upon the earth shall
worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb
slain from the foundation of the world." Rev. 13: 6-8. Again he says:

     "He exerciseth all the power of the first beast [or power] before
     him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to
     worship the first beast [or power], whose deadly wound was
     healed." Rev. 13: 12.

It is a compulsory, persecuting power that does this; for we read that he
will "cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should
be killed." Verse 15.

That is the challenge of an apostate church against the very God of heaven
Himself, who will have all men to worship Him and Him alone. That decree,
inspired by the powers of evil, flings defiance at the law of God, which
says: "Thou

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shalt have no other gods before Me. . . . Thou shalt not bow down thyself
to them, nor serve them." Ex. 20: 3-6.

Heaven accepts the challenge, and issues its decree to the inhabitants of
all the earth. The revelator says:

     "I saw another angel [or messenger] fly in the midst of heaven, .
     . . saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to Him;
     for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him that made
     heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. And
     there followed another angel. . . . And the third angel followed
     them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and
     his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
     the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is
     poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation; and
     he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of
     the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb." Rev. 14:6-10.

The rebellious leader of the fallen hosts pronounces the death sentence
upon all who will not worship the beast and his image; and God pronounces
sentence of death upon all who do. The issue is joined for the final
contest. Will the people of this world, through fear of temporal death,
obey the decree of the rebel angel, and worship "the beast and his image"?
If they do, then the penalty of eternal death will fall upon them. Around
this issue will be waged the last battles between truth and righteousness
on the one side, and falsehood and unrighteousness on the other. No doubt
the majority will go "the broad way that leadeth to destruction," as the
majority did in Noah's day, and have from that day to this. But God will
have His own who will prove true to Him in spite of fire and flood.

As the revelator looked down through time to that last period of conflict,
he saw a little company whose fealty was still unshaken. To them He calls
the attention of the whole world in these words: "Here is the patience of
the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith
of Jesus." Rev. 14:12. As keepers of God's commandments, they could not
possibly be numbered among the worshipers of "the beast and his image."

While that war of the powers of darkness is being waged against the
faithful followers of the Lamb, Lucifer will be

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marshaling the armed hosts of every nation to the battle of "that great day
of God Almighty." Says the revelator again:

     "I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of
     the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the
     mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils,
     working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and
     of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great
     day of God Almighty. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he
     that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and
     they see his shame. And he [Satan] gathered them [the armies of
     the world] together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue
     Armageddon." Rev. 16: 13-16.

They are gathered there for battle; and it is the last time the kings of
the world will ever summon the forces of the nations to meet in the arena
of death to settle differences with the argument of blood; for God comes
down to take part in that fray.

     "I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies,
     gathered together to make war against Him that sat on the horse,
     and against His army. And the beast was taken, and with him the
     false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he
     deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them
     that worshiped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake
     of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with
     the sword of Him that sat upon the horse." Rev. 19: 19- 21.

Concerning that same event -- the climax of the history of the world -- the
prophet Joel was caused to pen these words:

     "Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles: Prepare war, wake up the
     mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up:
     beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into
     spears: let the weak say, I am strong. Assemble yourselves, and
     come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about:
     thither cause Thy mighty ones to come down, O Lord. Let the
     heathen be awakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat:
     for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. Put ye
     in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for
     the press is full, the fats [vats] overflow; for their wickedness
     is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for
     the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The sun
     and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw
     their shining. The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter
     His voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall
     shake: but the Lord will be the hope of His people." Joel 3:
     9-16.

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Men have spoken and written of other wars as Armageddon; but there is only
one such war, and that is the war which Inspiration has told us of in the
foregoing scriptures. Moreover, it is the agency of Satan that marshals the
nations to that fateful conflict. "The spirits of devils working miracles,"
stir up the kings of the world and hurry the hosts of heathenism and of
Christendom to that prophetic and age-old trystingplace, where Youth and
Death meet in mad revel for the world's last night of carnage and fury.
When that battle is fully staged, the curtain is rung down on the tragedy
of sin -- for one thousand years.

That day, the prophet Joel says, is the day of the harvest of the earth,
whose "wickedness is great." It is the day of judgment for all the world.
It is the day of the Lord,-- the day when He shall utter His voice and
summon the human race to the judgment bar of eternity; the day when the
heavens and the earth shall be shaken. It is the day when "that wicked"
shall "be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His
mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming." 2 Thess. 2: 8.
It is the day when the Saviour of mankind fulfills His promise to His
disciples to come again and receive them to Himself, that where He is, all
His faithful followers may be. John 14:1-3. It is the day when the angel's
promise to the disciples will find a glad realization: "This same Jesus,
which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye
have seen Him go into heaven." Acts 1:11.

It is the day when the heavens will depart "as a scroll when it is rolled
together," and "every mountain and island" shall be "moved out of their
places;" a day when "the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the
rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman,
and every free man" shall hide themselves "in the dens and in the rocks of
the mountains;" when they shall call "to the mountains and rocks, Fall on
us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from
the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of His wrath is come; and who
shall be able to stand?" Rev. 6: 14-17.

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The Lord has promised in that day to be the hope and the shelter of His
people; but there is no promise, no hope, no shelter, for those who are
found outside the ark of God's purpose on that day. The wild terror of
hopeless despair will sweep over the souls of the unsaved when they realize
that their last opportunity is gone, and they are numbered among the
followers of Satan. They seek to hide, but there is no hiding place; the
eye of the eternal Judge will find all. The righteous are caught up out of
the tumult and the terror to meet their Redeemer in the cloud, evermore to
be with Him. But a tempest of death will sweep over the globe; the
whirlwind of judgment will do its work; and the earth will once more, as in
the days before Adam's fall, be free from human sin and human sinners.

     "I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth,
     saith the Lord of hosts.... The Lord shall roar from on high, and
     utter His voice from His holy habitation; He shall give a shout,
     as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the
     earth. A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the
     Lord hath a controversy with the nations, He will plead with all
     flesh; He will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the
     Lord. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth
     from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up
     from the coasts of the earth. And the slain of the Lord shall be
     at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of
     the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor
     buried." Jer. 25: 29-33.

The weeping prophet speaks again of the same event in these words:

     "Behold, the whirlwind of the Lord goeth forth with fury, a
     continuing whirlwind: it shall fall with pain upon the head of
     the wicked. The fierce anger of the Lord shall not return, until
     He have done it, and until He have performed the intents of His
     heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it [or "understand
     it," R. V.]." Jer. 30: 23, 24.

In that day God's hand does not fall upon the human wicked only. The
instigator of sin also feels the hand of Omnipotence laid upon him. The
revelator was given a view of that event which shackles the originator of
sin to the ruined home of the human race. He says:

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     "I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the
     bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on
     the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil, and Satan, and
     bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit,
     and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive
     the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled:
     and after that he must be loosed a little season." Rev. 20: 1-3.

The father of ruin, shut up in the prison house of a ruined world, will
have a thousand dreary years of cheerless incarceration in which to study
with his unholy coadjutors the fruit-age of sin. While they are doing that,
the rest of the universe has held before it a tragic object lesson as to
what disloyalty and disobedience mean in the household of our Father.

But that is not all; for they who were at the coming of Christ accounted
worthy to obtain the eternal inheritance, who, at the beginning of that
period, were caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, ever to
be with Him, are with Him where He is. Theirs is the satisfying joy of
salvation realized. The Eden of God is theirs again to enjoy to the full.
No cherubim with flaming swords now threaten the lives of those who would
enter there. That holy home of joy and love, once denied the race, they
find now restored to them 'in the heavenly home of their Lord and Redeemer.
No death is there, no sin, no sickness, no sorrow, no pain; for "the former
things are passed away." Rev. 21:1-4.

Through that period of a thousand years the redeemed of earth have
opportunity, from the records of the heavenly court, to study the love, the
mercy, and the justice of God in His dealings with sin and sinners. He will
make certain that every redeemed soul is fully satisfied that He has dealt
justly and mercifully with His wayward creatures. In no other way can He
make sure that "affliction shall not rise up the second time." Nahum 1: 9.

Moreover, a real work of judgment will occupy the saints during their
thousand-year sojourn in the capital of the universe. Says Inspiration,
through the apostle Paul:

     "Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the
     world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the
     smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels?"
     I Cor. 6: 2, 3.

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It is evident from these scriptures that God appoints the redeemed of this
world to sit with Him in judgment upon the cases of Lucifer and the fallen
angels, and those who have followed their leadings into sin and the
rejection of salvation and its Author. God judges them worthy of
extinction. That judgment passes under the scrutiny of a reviewing court --
not that God considers Himself unable to arrive at a just and righteous
decision, but that every creature in His universe may be so completely
satisfied that no question can ever arise through all the long cycles of
eternity.

How else the redeemed will occupy themselves during that thousand years we
are not informed; but we know this, that "eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,
neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath
prepared for them that love Him." 1 Cor. 2: 9.

We cannot even imagine, in the present state of our existence, what it will
be to dwell with beings out of whose hearts has been purged everything that
could give rise to distrust, envy, jealousy, hatred, covetousness,
willfulness, malevolence, impurity, disobedience, and disloyalty. These
cause sorrow and suffering and death. They will not be there. In that abode
of righteousness and love there will be joy unspeakable, love
unadulterated, companionship unquestionable, while the centuries roll on.

But there is one more scene in the dark tragedy of sin. The rebel angel is
still a prisoner with his fallen spirits in the dreary, storm-swept desert
of this ruined world. The court of last resort finishes its findings, and
hands down its final decision concerning the wicked dead and the agencies
responsible for their ruin. Of Satan and his host in that time of waiting
the apostle Jude says:

     "The angels which kept not their first estate, hut left their own
     habitation, He hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness
     unto the judgment of the great day." Jude 6.

Thus they wait during what are for them a thousand dreary and hateful
years. Every skeleton of man or animal, every ruined building, every
devastated plain and frowning mountain,

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every torn and twisted tree and rotting stump, will be a trumpet-tongued
accuser. Not one thing left will speak of joy or peace or satisfaction or
happiness. Who would be a companion of the author of Spiritism then?

But even a thousand years of such an experience as that must come to its
dreary end at last. It terminates when the voice of the great Judge rings
through the world again, and calls the sleeping hosts of sin from their
dusty beds. It is a motley throng, scarred and marred, disfigured and
distorted by sin. With the same characteristics that they possessed when
death overtook them, they come forth. !The redeemed, during those thousand
years, have been partaking of the fruit of the tree of life and drinking of
the water of the river of life, and the leaves of the tree of life have
been applied to their healing from all the marrings and blemishes that sin
had made. Rev. 22: 1-3. Eternal youth and beauty show in every lineament of
form and face. And what a contrast when those two companies shall stand in
each other's presence on the day when God finishes with sin!

The wicked dead, when called to life by the voice of the Almighty, face
once more the cause of their ruin; for we read:

     "When the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out
     of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are
     in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them
     together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the
     sea." Rev. 20: 7, 8.

Just how long God permits the resurrected wicked to live after their
resurrection, we are not told; but it is long enough for them to form
themselves into nations and prepare implements of war; and we read also
concerning Satan's period of release, that it is for a " little season."
Rev. 20: 3.

In that "little season" Satan spurs the nations on in war preparations. He
will claim to have raised them from the dead; he will claim to be the
divine king of this world, and that they are his lawful subjects. With all
their propensities to sin unaltered, with no power of righteousness to hold
them in check, with evil spirits for their guides and counselors, and with
the Spirit of God withdrawn from the earth, to what lengths will they not
go in the practice of wickedness! Looking

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forward from this day to that day, who could wish to be numbered among that
evil and doomed throng?

Whatever the length of that "little season," it also comes to its
termination. Some eye looks up into the sky one day, and far away a
dazzling object appears. Then the eyes of the multitude are fastened upon a
glorious spectacle. It draws nearer and still nearer. What does it mean?
The usurping "king" of this world doubtless suggests that it is an invasion
from another world. Multitudes on multitudes of glorious beings seem to
fill the sky; their ranks stretch away farther than the eye can distinguish
forms.

In the center of the glorious host a Being sits enthroned upon a dazzling
cloud. Such glory as this world has never seen flashes forth from form and
face and crown and scepter of that majestic Personage. It is the Prince
Emmanuel, coming as He said He would come to establish His loyal followers
in the heritage once wrested from man by the rebellious leader of the
fallen angels. Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of this glorious
event, saying, "Behold , the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints,
to execute judgment upon all." Jude 14, 15. Paul also speaks of "the coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints." 1 Thess. 3:13. The prophet
Zechariah declares: "The Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with
Thee." Zech. 14: 5. The prophet Daniel tells why they come back to this
earth:

     "The saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom, and possess
     the kingdom forever, even forever and ever." "And the kingdom and
     dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole
     heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most
     High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions
     shall serve and obey Him." Dan. 7: 18, 27.

The Saviour Himself declares: "The meek shall inherit the earth." Matt. 5:
5. The psalmist writes: "The meek shall inherit the earth; and shall
delight themselves in the abundance of peace." Ps. 37: 11.

The Man who carried His cross up Calvary amid the jeers and insults of the
priests and the rabble, who bore the agony of that most cruel death as our
substitute, and who through

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death broke the bands of death for every soul that will accept His
proffered grace,-- that Man is the star-crowned center of that joyous host
of saints and angels. And His shining cohorts are not come as visitants;
they are come as eternal tenants, that righteousness and love and peace may
reign forever here where sin and hate and war have tenanted so long.

The first foot of all that multitude to touch this earth is the foot that
felt the cruel nail that spiked Him to the cross. Says the prophet
Zechariah:

     "His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which
     is before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall
     cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west,
     and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain
     shall remove toward the north , and half of it toward the south."
     Zech. 14: 4.

Then, says the revelator:

     "I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God
     out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I
     heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle
     of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall
     be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their
     God." Rev. 21: 2, 3.

The sight of that glorious city with its twelve foundations of precious
stones, studded with jewels, its beauteous mansions, its streets of gold,
and its gates of pearl, no human writer could describe though he were
permitted to view it in vision. The realization of its glories must be left
to the eyes of those who behold it in righteousness, and inhabit it as
"joint heirs with Christ." Rom. 8:17.

That is the eternal city, the capital of the kingdom of saints. Satan knows
what the descent of that company and that city means, and his rallying call
goes ringing through the world, summoning his hosts together for the
destruction of the "intruders," and the capture of their city. "And they
went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints
about, and the beloved city." Rev. 20: 9.

But no sinful soul will ever enter those gates of pearl or tread those
streets of gold. "There shall in no wise enter into it anything that
defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomina-

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tion, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of
life." Rev. 21: 27.

The serried multitudes of that enveloping host will be marshaled for the
attack under the leadership of Satan himself, who will call to his
assistance the mightiest and most skillful generals this world has ever
known. All the skill of war experience that six thousand years of hatred
and strife have accumulated will be requisitioned for that assault. Guns of
ingenious construction and inconceivable power will be prepared, and
engines and weapons of which we know nothing now will be made ready for the
attack. Every faculty of human hatred and greed and ambition and
covetousness and lust will be fanned into intensest activity by the
conscienceless soul of the great deceiver. Have they spent money for
jewels?-- There are scintillating jewels by the millions in the very walls
of the city, and such jewels as human eyes have never seen before. Have
they sold chastity for strings of pearls? -- In that city's walls are
massive, flashing gates of solid pearl. (See Rev. 21: 21.) Have they
worshiped and slaved for gold, and sold their very souls for that insensate
god? -- There is a mighty city three hundred and seventy-five miles square,
every street of which is paved with that polished metal. Have they
purchased and polished and admired beautiful stones? -- There are no more
beautiful stones in the world than the twelve polished foundations of that
city of the saints. Have they longed for and labored for beautiful and
comfortable homes?-- There is a vast accumulation of them, more beautiful
than human mind has ever conceived.

Through those transparent walls the envious legions of the lost gaze with
admiring and covetous eyes upon the happy, animated throngs within, and
upon the form and face of that One whom they have scorned and spurned and
rejected. He is not thorn-crowned now; but a crown of lustrous glory rests
upon His benignant brow. He does not now wear the purple robe of mock
majesty which earthly persecutors placed about His grief-bent form. He was
man's bruised sacrifice then; He is the Lord of glory now, and His robe is
a robe of light. He is not hanging upon a cross of wood; but He is seated
upon a

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throne high and lifted up, with saints and angels to do Him glad homage.
The King of kings, the King of the world, joint Ruler of the universe,
Emmanuel, Redeemer, our Elder Brother, has come to earth to establish His
eternally enduring kingdom. His loyal subjects are there; but surrounding

them and their capital is a surging, numberless throng who would "not have
this Man to rule over" them, and who are determined to crush this kingdom
of the meek and righteous out of existence. They swarm about the walls,
waiting for the signal to attack.

There, and for the last time, Lucifer and the Son of God face each other.
From the face of the one glowers black malice and cruel hatred, haughty
selfishness and heartless ambition, malevolence and murder; from the face
of the other shines forth love, beneficence, humility glorified, and
service deified. There are the two poles of a contrast with infinity
between them.

As these two look upon each other, the rebel angel realizes what he has
lost, and in the mad agony of despair he shouts the order for the assault.
There is intense activity throughout that numberless host. Realizing the
futility of further efforts against the eternal city, and sensing their
incalculable loss, they turn in rage upon the cause of their ruin. But the
Judge of the universe pronounces the final sentence upon them, and the
command of God rallies the elements to the execution of His decree. The
skies grow black, and out of those clouds of God's long-delayed and
consuming wrath the fiery rain of death falls upon that terrified,
awe-stricken multitude. They rage and curse and trample one another
underfoot in their efforts to escape the roaring, flaming missiles of death
hurled down from the angry clouds. The very earth is on fire and there is
no escape. God's pent-up wrath has finally burst forth to cleanse His
universe from the last remains of sin. Though the who le earth is wrapped
in flame, the capital of the universe is not consumed, and the shield of
Omnipotence is thrown about the ransomed hosts within the city of the
saved.

And now the scripture is fulfilled: "Fire came down from God out of heaven,
and devoured them." Rev. 20: 9. That fire cleanses the world from every
trace of sin. It literally burns sin out of the earth. When that sad work
is done, it is

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done forever. The universe will never have and never need another
demonstration of the fearful results of the transgression of God's law.

When that fiery tempest has done its work, the inhabitants of the city of
God go forth, as the prophet Malachi says, and everywhere beneath their
feet are the ashes of sin.

     "All the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble:
     and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of
     hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. But unto
     you that fear 'My name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with
     healing in His wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as
     calves of the stall. And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they
     shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I
     shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts." Mal. 4: 5-3.

The evil one himself meets his doom in that rain of divine wrath; for he is
the root of sin. Of him the prophet Ezekiel declares:

     "I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all
     them that behold thee. All they that know thee among the people
     shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never
     shalt thou be any more." Eze. 28: 18, 19.

That rids a universe of sin, but it leaves a world in ashes. It will not
remain so for long. Truer and more glorious than pagan mythology is this
transformation -- out of ashes spring forth life and beauty. "We, according
to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth
righteousness." 2 Peter 3:13. The God who filled the world with life and
clothed it with beauty will clothe it with beauty again, and the life that
fills it when that work is complete will be life that will never cease. The
beauty of its garnishment will never be dimmed with the sad results of sin,
as we see earth's beauty now. Earth's pestilential swamps and barren wastes
will be crowded out with delightsome scenes and pleasant, fruitful fields.
Of the earth when that work is done the prophet says:

"The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the
desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly,
and rejoice even with joy and singing. . . The eyes of the blind shall be
opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall

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the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the
wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. . . . And a
highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called, The way of
holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those:
the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. No lion shall be
there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found
there; but the redeemed shall walk there: and the ransomed of the Lord
shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their
heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall
flee away." Isa. 35: 1-10.

Ah, what will it mean,-- a land that knows no sorrow, no pain, no woe, no
fears, no sad partings, no death! No sod of that land will ever be turned
to lay a loved one away. No cold shaft of stone will ever rear its head to
tell that death has triumphed over life. One who holds the keys of death
and the grave has gone through the cheerless tomb to close its hungry mouth
-- and it is closed forever.

All things in this world will then be subject to the Lord Jesus Christ, the
great Restorer.

     "Then cometh the end, when He shall have delivered up the kingdom
     to God, even the Father; when He shall have put down all rule and
     all authority and power. For He must reign, till He hath put all
     enemies under His feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is
     death. For He hath put all things under His feet. But when He
     saith all things are put under Him, it is manifest that He is
     excepted, which did put all things under Him. And when all things
     shall be subdued unto Him, then shall the Son also Himself be
     subject unto Him that put all things under Him, that God may be
     all in all." I Cor. 15: 24-28.

Through the power of love and the conquests of sacrifice, the Son of God
has won the mightiest and most enduring victory the universe has ever
known. Love has proved stronger than hate, and life has triumphed over
death. The heritage of man, wrenched from him by the great deceiver, has
come back to him again through Him who is the way, the truth, and the life.
The life forfeited by sin has been ransomed by the currency of love and
righteousness. Who would not serve such a King?

And that is the end of the conflict, but it is not the end of its
consequences; for as long as eternity itself will be the lives of happiness
and joy and love in which the redeemed of God

Page 222

participate, while they unite in glad hosannas to the King of kings. No
longer are there two princes in conflict with each other; but God is all
and in all, and the universe is one again, through the sacrifice and
service of the Prince of the Restoration, who has overturned and destroyed
the throne of sin, and established righteousness and peace and love to the
uttermost reaches of the jurisdiction of the Almighty.

                                   Notes

[1] 2 Sam. 6: 6-8.

[2] The author has seen one of these medals in the United States mint at
Philadelphia, Pa., U. S. A.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On the Throne of Sin: Spiritism and the Nature of Man as Related to
Demonism, Witchcraft, and Modern Spiritualism by Charles M. Snow (Copyright
1927) is owned by the Review and Herald Publishing Association (55 West Oak
Ridge Drive, Hagerstown, Maryland, 21740, United States of America; Telex:
"Randh," Hagerstown, Maryland ; WWW: http://www.rhpa.org), a wholly owned and
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