Delivered from Spiritualism
By Fanny Rogers
BRO. SMITH : I am a stranger to you in person, but I trust not in spirit, for I do love the principles you advocate in the Review. Although I have been a reader of its pages but a short time, I can truly say its weekly visits are very welcome indeed. I feel encouraged and strengthened while reading the cheering communications from those of like precious faith, scattered up and down through the land. I desire to add my mite and to testify to the goodness of God to me. My companion and myself have for several years past kept aloof from sectarianism. We found nothing in the religion of the popular churches of the day to feed the hungry soul, and at last left them entirely. There was such confusion among them, one sect spiritualizing the Bible one way, and another sect another way, that they formed a perfect Babel. They made the Bible contradict itself, so that we laid it aside almost entirely. God forgive me, for I scarcely perused its sacred pages from one month to another. When the first loud cry went forth, "Fear God and give glory to him, for the hour of his judgment is come," I heeded the cry, and rejoiced in a coming Saviour until the time went by. Then I suffered the cares of this world to draw me from God and heavenly things. When Spiritualism came up in this vicinity I encouraged it. It came into my family; two of my children were mediums. I had dear friends that were dead, beloved parents, and dear children, who pretended to converse with me. I was honest and sincere, hoping I had found something to guide me through this unfriendly world and arouse me from the lethargy into which I had fallen. Having laid aside my Bible, the only sure guide, I did not know they were the spirits of devils; but after a while we began to detect them in various ways, and bade them depart. My dear husband and myself were like a storm-tossed vessel, without chart or compass to guide us over the sea of life, when God in his infinite mercy sent a dear brother this way to open to us the Scriptures. Yes, blessed be God, Bro. Stewart came here last Winter, and his preaching was meat in due season to us. His labors were abundantly blessed in this place. With shame and deep contrition of heart would I confess my lukewarmness and backsliding from God. I do bless his great name that I have hope in his mercy. Yes, blessed be my Rock, and let the God of my salvation be praised, he has healed all my backslidings. I have taken my neglected Bible from the shelf, and cannot open it without seeing a beautiful harmony running through the whole of it. I can truly say, the darkness is passed, and the true light now shineth. O I praise God that I have heard the Third Angel's Message. I do desire to buy gold tried in the fire, that I may be rich; white raiment, that I may be clothed; and eye-salve that I may see. O Jesus has appeared to me of late the chiefest among ten thousand, the one altogether lovely. I long for the time to come when I shall see the King in his beauty. Dear brethren and sisters, shall we be able to stand in that great day, when Jesus comes with ten thousand of his saints to take vengeance on the ungodly? O let us put on the whole armor of God, that we may be able to stand. O let us earnestly seek the needed preparation, humble ourselves before God, seek to be clothed with the righteousness of Christ, that we may be hid in the day of his fierce anger. Yours in hope of a glorious immortality.
FANNY ROGERS.
Lendina, Wis., Aug. 19th, 1857.