Who Will Stand the Trial? by John Norton Loughborough

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Sep 10, 1872

Who Will Stand the Trial?

By John Norton Loughborough

We read, in Rev. 3:10, of an “hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” By examining the connection of this text we learn the time of its application: “Behold, I come as a thief.” Just before the coming of Christ, which will overtake the world as a thief, a fearful hour of temptation is to come. Of the same, we read, in Isa. 59:19, 20. “When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him. And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord.”

Paul states it, speaking of the coming of Christ, thus: “Whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders.” 2 Thess. 2:9. In Revelation it is said: “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.” Rev. 16:14, 15.

Through the miracle, wonder-working of spirits, just before the great and final day, an hour of temptation is to come upon all the world. Spirits are already working, and the temptation will be to accept their teachings and lay aside those of the Bible. The manifestations are assuming a phase that none can resist except those who are rooted and grounded in the truth of man’s nature, the state of the dead, and the Bible doctrine of devils and their deceptive work.

I will make a few extracts from an account recently published by a minister in the St. Louis Democrat of July 10, 1872, concerning what he saw in the course of a three weeks’ investigation at Moravia, N. Y. After excusing himself for reporting his investigations he says:

“Now for the facts. Kind reader, imagine yourself at a country house, and in a plain room, about large enough to seat comfortably twenty-five or thirty persons. As it happens, there are now just seven persons present to form a circle. Only three of these are strangers to me; the rest my relatives, who accompany me hither. We form a semi-circle and join hands. The medium, Mrs. Andrews, sits facing us. I can easily touch her with my cane. My right arm rests on a piano-forte. A lamp is burning brightly. It is after 9 o’clock in the morning, but we need the lamp, because the only window of the apartment is darkened, and the only door bolted.

“The medium now remarks: ‘We first sit in the dark, and continue till the spirits call for a light. The light is now extinguished. The piano begins to play. It is not the medium, for I am conversing with her. Passing my cane along the keys I feel no one; still the playing goes on, and is directly assisted by voices, seemingly in the air above us, that join in with great power and sweetness. Mysterious lights are beginning to dance before us, describing curve lines and circles, and playing around each other in a way that makes it clear they are guided by intelligence. While this beautiful display is going on, soft voices whisper startling things in our ears, and delicate hands thrill us by gentle touches and affectionate caresses. A familiar voice, long silent in death, as I had thought, said to me: “Dear brother, I come to greet you! believe me, this is your own sister Nancy. A fortnight ago you visited my grave; I stood by your side, though you saw me not, my spirit body being invisible as the viewless air. How I wanted to speak to you! Thanks to Heaven for the present opportunity!” Tender lips now kissed mine. I sat speechless, my heart swelling and throbbing, but directly found relief in gushing tears.

“During the dark séance, white and purple clouds gathered above our heads and seemed in commotion. Their crimson edges now and then shed such light as enabled us to see one another, and every object in the room. Out of the clouds came, at one time, a little dash of fine rain, accompanied by wind and the rich perfume of flowers. Immediately after this, a white figure that seemed a column of cloud, snowy, yet tinged with something bright and luminous, came down and stood before me. While I gazed, wondering what it might be, the figure bent towards me, and out came a luminous hand, which was gently laid upon my forehead. It remained but for a moment, touching my temple and cheek affectionately. It disappeared in the fleecy folds enveloping the mysterious figure, which now ascended and was lost to my view amid the moving clouds overhead.

“After about thirty-five minutes of darkness, a voice in the air said, ‘Please strike a light.’ Being nearest the lamp, I complied with the request. The medium, now rising from her chair, went into the cabinet, which is a thing looking not unlike a common wardrobe. It is made of plain, thin boards, and has folding doors about three feet and a half high. Above the door hangs a black velvet curtain reaching down to the top of the shutters when closed.

“Upon entering the cabinet the medium requested me to close and latch the door after her. As I did so, I was surprised to see an armless hand, white as snow, come out from under the curtain and tap me on the arm and hand, which it did quickly and several times, then darted back into the cabinet. Resuming my seat in the circle, we waited a few minutes, and the curtain of the aperture slowly moved aside while the face of an aged man appeared. There was nothing ghostly in the look or action of the apparition. Countenance, feature, complexion, and every movement of muscle, and motion of head, hand and lip were perfectly natural. He bent his gaze steadfastly upon a middle-aged man in the circle, who was a stranger to me, and evidently made an effort to speak, but failing, waved his hand and drew back from the light, letting the curtain drop. The gentleman at whom the apparition had looked so earnestly, now exclaimed, ‘That’s my father! Oh, will he not speak to me?’ Immediately the curtain went aside again and the same face presented itself, and another effort, I thought a painful one, was made to speak; the mouth opened, the lips moved, but no sound of voice was heard. With a slight shade of disappointment on his countenance, the old man bowed his head twice, and putting forth his hand, waved an adieu in a most feeling manner. In a few seconds after, the curtain was put back by a hand resembling very much the armless one which had caressed me at the aperture. And now a familiar face, fac-simile of one I had seen coffined years ago, made its appearance. Without speaking, I turned a glance upon my sister in the flesh, sitting by my side; she was trembling and weeping, so I felt sure she was not behind me in the recognition of the face at the aperture. It was our dear departed sister, the same who had spoken to us in the dark a few minutes before. She now uttered her own name in her own clear, familiar tone. How the blood tingled in my veins as her well-remembered gray eyes met mine! Nor seemed she less moved than I. I could not keep my seat, but glided up to the aperture, when she, with manifest emotion, threw her arms around my neck. It was but for a moment. Releasing me, she quickly disappeared behind the curtain.

“But I must crowd the facts and incidents I propose to give more closely. Of course I cannot set down all, nor even half, in an article like this, intended to be brief, which was elicited during an investigation kept up day after day for three weeks.

“I saw many strange faces at the aperture; some days from ten to fifteen or twenty, the most of whom were recognized by some one or more present in the circle. It was nearly a week after the appearance of the sister just alluded to,

before I recognized another face, yet a number of apparitions professed to recognize me. At length two other sisters succeeded in materializing themselves, and appeared side by side at the aperture. The recognition was undoubted, my sister at my side recognized them at the same moment I did. And strangers present remarked upon the family resemblance. But the certainty was made doubly certain when the apparitions mentioned incidents in their earth-life and ours which we readily and vividly remembered.

“A few days subsequent, our mother appeared, threw open the door of the cabinet, and showed herself to us from head to foot.

“Six times during the three weeks an old acquaintance, who died a materialist, appeared to me, looked and talked naturally; referred repeatedly to his materialistic notions, and how unhappy they made him. Said much about his present condition, and its advantages over the former; tried to give me an idea of spirit life, the pursuits, pleasures and amusements of spirits, as well as their institutions for doing good, educating the ignorant, and lifting higher the low and debased.

“I must give one more instance of recognition, and close my story, already, perhaps, too long.

“A few days before I left the place a gentleman came there, bringing with him two little girls—his own daughters—the elder perhaps eight years old, the younger about six. Before going into the séance-room he said to me: ‘When about leaving home my wife observed, “I would go too if I thought mother would show herself there; but, as she was always opposed to spiritualism, I’m sure she’ll have no desire to make any manifestation.” ’ ‘The last one I should look for,’ he rejoined: ‘she was so bitter against everything of the kind.’ But lo! after the light séance began, who should appear first at the aperture but this same old grandmother. She bent her eyes affectionately upon the children. The little girls gazed a moment in mute astonishment—then both at once clapping their hands in ecstasy, exclaimed: ‘Grandma! Grandma!’

“ ‘Keep still,’ said the father, in a low tone of voice, and evidently much moved—then to the apparition said, ‘You didn’t believe in this a few weeks ago.’

“ ‘No,’ replied the spirit, ‘but thank God it is true!’ These words were uttered very distinctly and with a peculiar stress of voice, indicating earnestness and deep feeling. The old lady had been dead but three weeks.

“I could give many more remarkable tests through recognition, but must close here.”

But, such manifestations are not confined to the Davenport boys, in the dark, nor to Moravia in the light. Here comes another case with its results, which I copy from the San Francisco Daily Post of Aug. 14, 1872.

A METHODIST CLERGYMAN SEES THE SPIRIT OF HIS WIFE

“The Rev. R. W. Bingham, a Methodist clergyman of Newman, Ga., lost his wife some weeks since. Grief nearly killed him. Suddenly his wonted cheerfulness returned. The change caused much comment, which was increased a hundred-fold by the sermon he preached on a recent Sunday. He spoke of spiritual manifestations, avowed his belief in them, and gave the reason why. Twice his dead wife had come to him. He had seen her, and heard and understood her words. ‘I know that I am neither insane nor superstitious,’ he said, in conclusion, ‘yet I would as soon doubt my own existence as the truth and reality of what I have told you.’ ”

How can those who believe the soul is immortal, that the dead are conscious, that there is no devil, and that our friends who have died are guardian angels all around us, stand against the fascination of such manifestations?

Let us arouse to greater earnestness in presenting these truths to the people, which warn them against Satan’s deceptions, that they may, if they will, receive them in the love of them, and escape. Let us live still nearer to God that we may be kept by his power through faith. 1 Pet. 1:5. J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH.