A CORRECTION | AdventAI

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · May 12, 1859

A CORRECTION.

In the United Presbyterian dated Feb. 23, present year, we find the following, it being a portion of an article under the heading, "Our Western Correspondence." The writer after denouncing Spiritualism as it no doubt justly deserves, remarking upon the "elopements, seductions and divorces" which everywhere attest the character of that doctrine, proceeds as follows:

"A new phase of doctrines has, however, been lately hatched for the North-west. It is found that these gross sentiments have had their run, and having enlisted almost all the Infidels and Universalists, they cannot rationally expect many professors of Christianity to join them. Moreover, the universalism which they teach is suicidal to any organization; for if we are all going to heaven at any rate, why trouble ourselves with expensive churches and missionary operations. Decent women also shunned the mediums in consequence of their infidelity and lewdness. So Satan thinks it is time for him to amend his ways if he means to extend his teaching among the American people. Having tried us with the Ethiopian Minstrels, he is now hard at work washing them so as to give us a new entertainment by new characters, The Angels of Light.

"Battle Creek, Michigan, is the place honored by the first advent of these worthies. There they give revelations, print pamphlets, and ordain and send forth elders two and two, to proclaim the new gospel, to preach, to pray, to proclaim the coming of the millennium, the destruction of the ungodly by the fires of the last day—their entire annihilation soul and body—and to command all men and women to be immersed and receive the Spirit. They charge no fees, take no collections, sell their pamphlets at a moderate price, preach in plain, popular style, court no controversies, use abundance of Scripture language, and affect all the style of men who bear a divine commission. Though but a few months since they began their operations they have already sowed their seeds of error in many places, and have in almost every place visited, beguiled some unstable souls; principally from Baptist and Methodist churches, but not excluding Congregationalists and Presbyterians also. They will doubtless visit localities inhabited by the people of the Reformed Churches. They have in fact been prophesying alongside the Reformed Presbyterian Church in Mount Vernon, Iowa.

"We have no desire nor need to enter into any discussion of the truth of their claims to inspiration. They are all quite anxious to make this notion prominent, namely, that they have intercourse with spirits. One wretch near Dundee, Ill., affirms that he is en rapport with the spirits of Isaiah, Bonaparte, and Jesus Christ. It is said they perform wonderful tricks and undergo strange convulsions while receiving the spirits. It is not of any consequence whether or not. If they tell truth when they say they are under the influence of the spirits, they are lying spirits. The spirits of God's people departed are with Christ in heaven, and are not sent wandering over the earth at the bidding of necromancers. If they lie when they make such pretences, they are under the influence of lying spirits still—of the Devil, the father of lies. We know that God has before now given men who believed not the truth over to the influences of lying spirits—and we know most certainly that the great apostasy is to be introduced by giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines—teachings—of demons. Whether these be the unclean spirits which go out of the mouth of the dragon and the beast and the false prophet to deceive the nations and gather them to the great decisive battle, time will tell. It is quite certain that they are of the same character and have the same purpose in view.

"By one infallible work they are known, and may be condemned by any Sabbath School child—they profess to teach religious truth not contained in the Bible, and to derive authority for their prophesying other than the warrant of God's word. Therefore

they are false prophets. It is written, Rev. xxii, 18, "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add to these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book." Let no christian man or woman, boy or girl, assist them, or countenance them in any way. It is a sinful curiosity which would lead any man to hear them. Cease my son to hear the instruction which causeth thee to err. Remember what Eve got by listening to a medium. If any man come unto you and bring not gospel doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed. For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds."

From the locality mentioned above, and a few other items, we conclude the remarks are designed as a description of ourselves. If so, we must protest against such a mixing up of things as is here presented. If the writer based his opinion on heresay, he was grossly misinformed. If he judged of us from personal observation, we must believe that that observation was lacking in extent and discrimination or he could not have failed to notice the distinction which exists between us and Spiritualists. A greater libel could hardly be put upon us than to be confounded with the Spiritualists of the present day. We believe that work emanated directly from, and is carried on by the direct agency of, the Devil; and if we, as another division of his army are marching under the same banner, certain it is that his kingdom is divided against itself: then the Presbyterian and all its correspondents can afford to watch with complacency and satisfaction the progress of the contest; for the Saviour assures us that a kingdom under such circumstances cannot stand.

Some of the inaccuracies of the above we will point out: 1. Battle Creek, Michigan, is not the place honored by the first advent of us, "worthies;" publications in defense of our faith having been issued within the last eleven years in the States of Maine, Connecticut and New York. 2. We do not here ordain elders and send them forth two and two. In fact, calls for labor are so numerous that our elders cannot half supply them by going out singly. 3. We are not engaged in proclaiming a new gospel, but the same which was promulgated by Christ and his apostles: "This gospel of the kingdom." We believe that whoever preaches another gospel than this (contradictory to this) he should be accursed. Gal. i, 8, 9. 4. We do not claim to be inspired men. 5. So far from being anxious to make it prominent that we have intercourse with spirits, we are anxious to impress upon all just the opposite of this; namely, that we do not hold intercourse with spirits, and that every intelligence that makes its appearance upon earth professing to be the spirit of a dead man comes to us with a lie in its mouth, and thus proves itself to be of the synagogue of Satan. The condition in which the dead are, is stated in Eccl. ix, 5, 6, 10. 6. As to the wretch near Dundee, Ills., he truly is a wretch if he is in the condition above set forth. The world may be assured he is not of us; nor have we any such diabolical term as "en rapport" (diabolical in the sense in which it is used) in our vocabulary. 7. And lastly, "the infallible work by which they are known," is not a characteristic of us; for we do not profess to teach religious truth not contained in the Bible," but believe on the contrary that whatever is not contained in the Bible nor may be proved thereby, is not binding upon the consciences of men.

The particular portion of our faith through which our enemies, either through ignorance or intentional misrepresentation, endeavor to fix upon us the stigma of Spiritualism, is a belief in the perpetuity of the gifts of the Spirit as brought to view in the New Testament. That our Lord when he ascended gave gifts unto men, [Eph. iv]; that he sent them the Comforter [John xv, 26]; that the Holy Spirit was designed to continue with the church [Matt. xxviii, 20]; that it would thus have continued, being manifested in its various operations [1 Cor. xii], had the church maintained that standard of purity and holiness which Christ and his apostles erected; that all

who now claim to be pastors and teachers for the work of the ministry, derive the authority of their mission, if they have any, from this very source [Eph. iv, 11, 12; 1 Cor. xii, 28]; and that we cannot divide this catalogue of gifts thus placed in the church, but that one has as good a claim to existence and acknowledgement as another, we have no doubt: notwithstanding, we are not Spiritualists. There is as much difference between us, as between the operation of the Spirit of God on the heart, and a fallen angel's coming and whispering into the ear malicious and blasphemous infidelity.

The writer says "that the spirits of God's people departed are with Christ in heaven." Perhaps he would not deny the prevailing and popular theology that they may sometimes be hovering over their mourning friends. Let us then suggest to him that here is the grand foundation of Spiritualism. The very track is laid for them upon which they are running their car of Juggernaut. And we must hold this doctrine now entertained by the mass of Protestant churches, as accountable for Spiritualism, until it can be shown that such is not its legitimate offspring. But when we lay the axe at the root of the tree, or apply the Bible truth that the dead sleep—that the grave is their unconscious resting-place until the resurrection, Spiritualism appears at once in its true character.

We presume the Presbyterian would not knowingly place a person or any class of persons in a wrong light before its readers. It will no doubt therefore be ready to correct the impression which the above extract must convey, that we are whitewashed Spiritualists.