The Foundation of Spiritualism.
By Ellet Joseph Waggoner
MR. SAVAGE, a Unitarian minister of Boston, preached a sermon a short time ago on "Immortality from the Stand-point of the Modern World," in which he took occasion to speak of Spiritualism as follows:— "There is nothing in it out of accord with the faith of those who already believe in continued existence. That our friends, if they still live and love us, should want us to know it, is only what we should expect." That this statement is true, we do not see how anybody can deny. And this is why we do not regard it as a matter of indifference how we believe concerning the state of the dead. We say that no one who believes that man is conscious in death—that his thoughts instead of perishing when his breath goes forth (Ps. 146:4), are more clear and active than ever, has any warrant whatever that he will not become a Spiritualist. Let us see: Spiritualism, pure and simple, is a belief that the spirits of the departed may communicate with their living friends, and may even appear to them. The mass of mankind believe that the essential part of man never dies, but that what is called death simply releases it from its prison house. They believe that it is in Heaven, and conscious of what is passing in this world. Indeed, we have heard more than one "orthodox" minister preach that the spirits of our departed friends hover around us and protect and comfort us by their influence. Now we ask, What is lacking to make such ones real Spiritualists? Nothing, but to see and converse with one bearing every feature of a departed friend, having the same tone of voice, and who can recall incidents known only to that dead friend. This has been done to a certain extent, and will be done on a vastly more extended scale. "But how would you account for such a thing?" We read that Satan is able to transform himself into an angel of light, and this being so, it does not surprise us to hear of his personating a human being. The Bible warns us against wonders that will deceive, if it were possible, the very elect, pointing out that which we have said, that a large portion of the world is in danger of being drawn into Spiritualism. The "elect" will not be deceived simply because they are grounded on Bible truth. So long as a man takes the Bible as it reads on the subject of the state of the dead, he cannot become a Spiritualist. When he holds to the popular theory, he has no safeguard against that terrible delusion. E. J. W.