We are receiving letters every week from Europe saying that the missionary work there is greatly hindered in its advancement from want of sufficient means. We would gladly send them the needed help ourselves; but we have become very much crippled for means, and find it beyond our power at present to do much for the relief of this branch of the cause. But there are many in the church who are amply able to answer this pressing need, and to them we would say, One dollar rightly invested now in the cause is worth many when times are better, and money is flowing into the treasury. Now is the time for our wealthy brethren to head the list with a liberal subscription, and then zealously circulate it, receiving pledges according to each one's ability. This will furnish means to meet the present emergency, without pressing too heavily upon any one. Much may be done by individual effort. Let our brethren make this a matter of personal interest.
Europe is stretching out her hands to us for help, and the way is opened to do a good work there if the press can be established, and publications go forth from it in the German, French, and Italian languages. Bro. Ribton says that Italy needs publications in her own language, in order for our ministry to be successful there. These repeated and urgent calls stir our inmost soul; yet we are unable to personally aid the European mission as we would like to do. Now is the time to invest the means which God has intrusted to his stewards for this very work. Time is short; hoarded wealth will soon be worthless. When the decree shall go forth that none shall buy or sell except they have the mark of the beast, very much means will be of no avail. God calls for us now to do all in our power to send forth the warning to the world.
We want the brethren to awake to the service of their Master in this missionary work. Let them not set their hearts upon their possessions, and hold them with a miserly grip; but invest their means and use their influence to promote the cause of God, thereby sending treasure to Heaven before them. Love of the world is a great hindrance to a Christian life. It strengthens its hold upon the heart almost imperceptibly, and eclipses the value of Heaven and the virtue of the atonement, in the mind. It supersedes the love of God and his truth, and becomes the very root of all evil.
There is danger among us of shirking our God-given responsibilities, and drifting into a state of indifference regarding the cause of God in all its various branches and departments. Many do not give the pecuniary support they are amply able to furnish to the home and foreign mission field. They have had warnings from God, but have neglected to profit by them. They made some impression upon them at first; but that influence soon wore away, and they bore little fruit to God's glory. They have cherished the love of money till it has become an all-absorbing passion, and Heaven does not seem as valuable to them as their present earthly treasure. How can they keep the commandments as God requires them to be kept, yet place two-thirds of their affections upon the world? Such a life dishonors our holy faith, and is contrary to the injunction of Christ, who said, “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven.”
Words and professions are of no value with God while the heart is corrupted by the inordinate love of gain. Christ said, “Ye are the salt of the earth; but and if the salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men.” If we would imitate the example of Christ we should be self-denying, and ready to sacrifice our own comfort and pleasure for the good of others. It was not pleasant for Christ to leave the purity and bliss of Heaven, and the society of holy angels, and come to a world all seared and marred by the curse of sin, and die to save fallen man from the consequences of his iniquity. Are we willing to imitate the life and character of Christ? Are we willing to suffer, if need be, for his sake, to forego some of the comforts of life in order to save our perishing fellow-creatures from eternal death? If so, we should be willing to give much from our abundance toward this purpose.
What a fearful mistake that young ruler made when he turned from the requirements of Christ, and decided to risk the consequence of being guided by his avaricious spirit. He chose to devote his life to gaining temporal wealth and power, rather than to follow Christ and resign his worldly possessions. Jesus pitied the young man; he saw in him precious material for a preacher of righteousness, if he would but overcome his selfish greed for gain. Said Jesus, “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in Heaven; and come and follow me.”
Jesus only required him to go where he led the way. The thorny path of duty becomes easier to follow when we trace his divine footsteps before us, pressing down the briers. Christ would have accepted this talented and noble ruler, if he had yielded to his requirements, as readily as he accepted the poor fishermen whom he bade to follow him. The young man's ability to acquire property was not against him, provided he loved his neighbor as himself, and had not wronged another in acquiring his riches. That very ability, had it been employed in the service of God in seeking to save souls from ruin, would have been acceptable to the divine Master, and he might have made a diligent and successful worker for Christ. But he refused the exalted privilege of co-operating with Christ in the salvation of souls; he turned away from the glorious treasure promised him in the kingdom of God, and clung to the fleeting treasures of earth.
We fear this is the case with many who profess to keep the commandments of God. Love of gain has taken possession of their souls, and they refuse to answer the demands of God in applying their wealth to the spreading abroad of his truth to all tongues and all nations. Jesus touched the plague spot in the young ruler's heart, which, if not healed, would destroy his soul. He showed him that he was not keeping the commandments of God, since he did not love God supremely, and his neighbor as himself. Jesus offered to make him his companion and a laborer in bringing souls into the kingdom of Heaven. The young man had wealth, education, position, and influence, and was therefore qualified to work intelligently and successfully for the Master. But his love of the world prevented him from accepting the invitation of Christ.
The humble fishermen obeyed the call of Jesus, and forsook all to follow him. It may appear to some that it required little self-denial for them to do this, as their business was neither elevated nor lucrative; but it should be remembered that these men owned boats and nets, and obtained a good livelihood by their occupation. Also their life upon the water had its attractions, and it was a great sacrifice for them to leave the employment in which they had thus far spent their lives.
The young ruler represents a large class who would be excellent Christians if there was no cross for them to lift, no humiliating burden for them to bear, no earthly advantages to resign, no sacrifice of property or feelings to make. Christ has intrusted to them capital of talents and means, and he expects corresponding returns. That which we possess is not our own, but is to be employed in serving Him from whom we have received all we have.
The barren fig-tree received the withering curse of God because it was a pretentious hypocrite, professing superiority over the other fig-trees by displaying its luxuriant foliage, while it was as destitute of fruit as the leafless trees. The barren fig-tree well represents those who profess to keep the commandments, as did the Jews, thus presenting the appearance of fruitfulness, yet whose religion, like that of the Pharisees, is a sham, bearing no fruit to the glory of God.
Redeem the time while you are spared to work. All your good works cannot save you; but it is nevertheless impossible for you to be saved without good works. Every sacrifice made for Christ will be for your eternal gain. What will you do to aid the mission in Europe? What will you do to relieve the present pressing need?
EVERLASTING PUNISHMENT.
By M. H. Brown
The words of the Saviour in Matt. 25:46, “These shall go away into everlasting punishment; but the righteous into life eternal,” are considered as strongly favoring the doctrine of endless misery; yet a careful comparison with other scriptures will aid us greatly in our researches for truth. It is urged that there can be no punishment without conscious existence; but it should be noticed that the passage in question does not tell us what the punishment will be. Paul, in Rom. 6:23, informs us that the wages of sin is death. Christ died for our sins; suffering of body and anguish of soul were attendant elements or ingredients in the bitter cup which our Saviour drank, yet those sufferings culminated in death. So with the wicked; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matt. 24:51), also indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish (Rom. 2:8) in their experience; but death, the essential element in the penalty, closes the scene; and no gleam of light or life ever comes to relieve the long night of death to which they are consigned.
If the wicked are always dying, yet never die, then they never receive the wages of sin, which Paul declares is death. If death is the wages of sin, or the punishment received for sin, then everlasting death is an everlasting punishment. Strange to say, some contend that death is no punishment; but the experience of the race, as found in its history and its laws, bears testimony that the death penalty is the most severe which can be inflicted. If a man is deprived of life and its blessings, it is considered that he suffers a great loss, a severe punishment; and yet the loss of eternal life, with its unceasing round of joy unmixed with sorrow, must be as much more severe, as eternal life is more desirable than this present mortal life, which we love so well.
It is evident that the wicked lose just what the righteous gain, viz., eternal life. If eternal death is no punishment, then eternal life is no reward. But reason, experience, and Scripture teach that death, or loss of life, is a great punishment, and therefore to die the second death—which is everlasting, because no one ever wakes from its strong embrace—will be an everlasting punishment. Eternal life on one hand, eternal death on the other.
The saints are to be preserved (Ps. 37:28), but the transgressors are to be destroyed. Verse 38. So Paul does not teach us that the wicked will be preserved from destruction in the flaming fire, but that they will be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord. 2 Thess. 1:9. But, says one, that means simply separation from God spiritually, loss of divine favor, &c. Sinners have this experience in this life, and they seem to enjoy absence from God’s presence. Is this the vengeance God will take on the ungodly when the Lord Jesus is revealed in flaming fire? Strange punishment this! But Malachi says the wicked will be burned up root and branch, becoming ashes (Mal. 4:1-3); and Obadiah says they shall be as though they had not been. Verse 16. We would like to have the advocates of endless misery tell us where the wicked are when “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,” are heard saying, “Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne.” Rev. 5:13. David says, “Thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.” Ps. 37:10. M. H. BROWN.
RISE! HE CALLETH THEE!
Hark! the winsome tones of Jesus
Ask for thee:
“In thy weary hours of sadness
Pray to me.
From this wild world’s strife and madness
Hither flee;
In thy times of joy and gladness
Sing to me.
“Come when weary, heavy laden,
Come to me;
Easy is my yoke, my burden
Light for thee.
I am meek of heart and lowly,
Learn of me;
Humbly meek and meekly holy
Shalt thou be.
“Listen to my voice of cheering,
It is I.
Banish, then, thy doubts and fearing,
I am nigh.
Haste thee, then, to my appearing
From the skies;
See thy full redemption nearing,
Lift thine eyes.
“Yet a little while the dawning,
Bright and clear,
Of thy resurrection morning
Shall appear.
If I will that thou shouldst tarry
Till I come,
Lo, I quickly come to carry
Safely home.
“From this life’s vain toil and dreaming
Born again;
From this earth’s unreal seeming
Born to reign;
Heavenly radiance round thee streaming,
Upward fly,
In a moment, in the beaming
Of an eye.”
—Sel.
THE BIBLE A HUMBUG!
By O. A. Johnson
There are many who pronounce the Bible a humbug; for they consider that its teachings are inconsistent with reason.
If that be true, then its principles must be a humbug. But who, except children, ever thought that it was a humbug for children to honor their parents? or who, except the lawless, ever thought it to be inconsistent to obey the just laws of a nation? Now if these laws are not a humbug, then they are true. This is an unavoidable conclusion.
Again: are the laws which protect our lives from the robber and assassin, and which protect our property from the thief, a humbug? Are the laws which protect the purity of the social relations, and which forbid our fellow-men to speak evil of us unjustly, a humbug? If all these principles are inconsistent, then all the fundamental laws of our civilized nations are a humbug. But man does not consider these laws an imposition. Then why reject the Bible, when, in fact, all laws of justice are founded upon its principles? If it is just that children should honor their parents, and that man should obey the just laws of a nation, is it not just that man should honor and obey his Creator? It certainly is just and consistent. If these principles are not a humbug, then the Bible cannot be a humbug; for its teachings are founded upon them. Those who despise and ridicule the Bible despise and ridicule principles which they, under other circumstances, uphold and defend. It would be well if such persons would consider this subject and be consistent. O. A. Johnson.
HOW TO KNOW THE WILL OF GOD.
By George Müller
1. To know the will of God, I must be sure to have no will of my own. This is of great importance. “The meek will he guide in judgment; the meek he will teach his way.”
2. God reveals his will through the Spirit, and this is in connection with the written Word. It is usually a revelation of principles, by which our way is guided. Some make a great deal of “impressions,” but there is great danger of error. The principles of scriptural truth are sure and safe.
3. Providential circumstances indicate God’s will. But these must be brought to the word of God, and not the word to the circumstances. If my lungs should be very weak, that circumstance, so far forth, would indicate that God did not wish me to use my voice in preaching, for I should be physically unfitted.
4. Add fervent prayer for guidance.
5. I am, then, to use my own best knowledge. Guided by these general principles, for forty-eight years I have never been obliged to retrace my steps. Sometimes I have lain on my face for hours in prayer to God, waiting for the revelation of his will. Sometimes I have waited six months before it seemed quite plain; but sometimes the way was clear in an hour, or less even. God is the same now as when Elijah lived. The great want of the church to-day is a realization of this fact.—Rev. George Müller.
A Lady Who Mastered Hebrew to Read Scripture
A LADY died lately in the neighborhood of New York, who studied and mastered the Hebrew language, in order that she might be able to read the Old Testament in the original. Her work was a private one. She was not known as a student. Hers was a lovely Christian character, and she was a thorough searcher into the word of God. She therefore became thoroughly conversant with the Hebrew, and has sometimes been heard to say, of the Old Testament thus studied, “I can give you no idea of the riches and fullness of meaning; it is untranslatable.”
Church of England Protest Against Dissenters' Burial Rights
The statement is made that fourteen thousand clergymen of the Church of England have signed a protest against the proposition to allow Dissenting ministers to bury the dead, with their own religious service, in the churchyards;—and Archbishop Tait says everything is lovely! And this is the nineteenth century!
Keep Good Company or None
KEEP good company or none.
REPORTS OF LABOR.
By Editor
Using our pencil as a gavel, we would rap loud enough to call the attention of all who are laboring in the field to a word we have to say to them in regard to their reports.
1. Please be careful to date your reports. It adds to the interest of the narrative to know when the work was done. We are happy to say that nearly all are faithful in this respect; but some complaints come in, apparently well-founded, that some do not provide their reports with the requisite dates. This is apt to leave the impression that if the date was given, the report would appear stale, or that the same report in different phraseology is in danger of appearing twice.
2. A very effectual safeguard against the evil above alluded to, will be found in keeping your reports right up to date. Don't let them run behind. A report which extends back three months, is in great danger of losing its way before it reaches the paper, and taking a path that leads into the waste-basket instead. Short and often, fresh and to the point, must be the rule. Our work is spreading out on every hand. The voice of the message has already reached no inconsiderable volume. Through the Progress Department one great feature of this work is presented. We have reason to believe that this department is perused with greater eagerness and interest than any other. Let the contributors to this portion of the paper, then, take special care to make it still more lively and interesting.
SUGGESTIONS ABOUT CONDUCTING A COURSE OF LECTURES.
By Dudley Marvin Canright
GET NEAR YOUR AUDIENCE.
The nearer you are to a man, the more readily you can affect him. Hence it is very important that you get near your audience. Suppose you have a house half full, and these sit in the back part of the house, and you stand in the pulpit. You may talk like an angel, and you can hardly affect them. You must be near enough to form a magnetic connection with them. I have resorted to every means, time and again, to get my audience near to me. In a tent, when I have a small interest, and the people are inclined to sit in the back seats, I take those seats all down, and leave only those in front. In a hall, if they sit in the back part, I take a table, go down the aisle, and stand among them. Every observing speaker will know that there is a good deal in this, that is, in being near your audience. Get as close to them as you can.
PERSONAL LABOR.
The real success of a meeting is to be gained largely by personal labor. It is one thing to convince a man—quite another to bring him to action. Go home with a man. Ride with him in his wagon, go with him to his field, sit with him in his shop, take him by the hand, look him in the face, talk directly to him for an hour; then you know where he stands. You know how to hit him in the next sermon, and he knows that you mean him. He knows that you care for him.
Learn the names of your audience just as soon as possible. It has a wonderful effect on a man to take him by the hand, on the street or in your meeting, and call him by name. If he has a familiar, family name, by which everybody calls him, use that. It goes home to him, and touches his heart when a more formal “good morning, sir,” would not reach him at all. I have made it a part of my business to memorize names. I have a little pass book. As soon as I speak with a man, I go away and write his name, and repeat it over and over. I look at him closely till I have fixed his countenance in my mind, and connected his name with it. The next time I meet him I can call him by name. I notice it always pleases people and gives me a great influence with them. It is lawful and right that we should take every advantage of these things, to get into the hearts of men and take the truth of God with us.
Visit from house to house. Oh, how important this is! Whole columns could be written upon this point without exhausting it. The minister who will not do this constantly and thoroughly will always have to put up with small fruits. Look over the entire field, examine the labors of all our ministers, and it will be found that those who are the most successful, who move the people, and raise up churches—it will be found that they are not our closest reasoners or deepest thinkers; but they are, all of them, sociable, pleasant, talkative, sympathetic persons. They go among the people. They get acquainted with everybody right off. If a minister is not naturally of this disposition, it is a terrible misfortune to him; for it is one-half of his power. If it is not natural, then we should study and practice until it will be easy for us to be social. If brethren think these little things do not amount to much, if they will not learn to take advantage of all these things, then they will have to be content with having little success, and being second-rate laborers.
QUOTING THE SCRIPTURES.
Another important thing to be noticed is that you should always read the scripture, and seldom, if ever, simply quote it. I know that some speakers pride themselves on quoting largely from the Bible without turning to read the text; but I think such make a grand mistake. I have tried both ways, and carefully observed the effect, particularly in private conversation. I have noticed that it never has half the effect to quote a text from memory, however familiar it may be, or however accurately you may give it, that it does to open the sacred book, put your finger upon the text, and read it deliberately. Do this, and they will know that it is there, and that you certainly have it just right. I seldom allow myself to quote a text without turning and reading it directly from the Bible. If one is familiar with his Bible it does not take any longer, and it is a great deal better.
THE HELP OF GOD.
All our study, and pains, and wisdom, will be of no avail unless with them we have the help of God; but as this part of the subject has been so often spoken upon through the testimonies and in every way, I do not design to repeat it here.
I hope the above suggestions may be of use to some one, as I believe they will be, if carefully followed. D. M. CANRIGHT.
THE PROGRESS OF SPIRITUALISM.
By Geo. I. Butler
Seventh-day Adventists have for many years taken the position that spiritualism will have a leading influence among men in the closing scenes of this world's history. The Scriptures plainly teach this in such texts as Isa. 8:16-20; Matt. 24:23-27; 1 Tim. 4:1-3; 2 Thess. 2:9-12; Rev. 16:13-15, and many others. If we are very near the end of time, we should reasonably expect the progress of this great delusion to show it, if our positions are correctly taken, and thus furnish proof which would be a strong link in our chain of evidence.
No doubt there are many who honestly think spiritualism is an exploded humbug, which has almost ceased to attract the attention of respectable people. We think such are shutting their eyes to many astounding facts with which they ought to be familiar. It is supposed by many that the communications through mediums are so puerile that sensible people give them no consideration. If so, how does it happen that such men as Mr. Ward, the millionaire of Detroit, Mich., who died a few years ago, and who was known as a keen, energetic business man, kept several mediums under pay, constantly consulting them as to the management of his business? This was shown after his death, when his affairs were settled in the courts.
Cornelius Vanderbilt, the “railroad king” of New York, who left one hundred millions of dollars to his heirs, pursued the same course. He was known throughout the world as one of the sharpest, shrewdest business men in America . In the attempt recently made through the courts to break his will this fact was relied upon, viz., that he was so under the influence of these mediums that he was not in a fit condition to make a will. And another circumstance which should not be forgotten in this connection is worth noticing: his funeral sermon was preached by a leading orthodox minister of New York, and though this fact must have been well known to him, as well as his corrupt life, yet he could give strong assurances that the great “stock gambler” had gone to his heavenly home. Spiritualism, according to this soundly orthodox minister, was no bar to Heaven.
About a year ago, Mr. Thomas, a leading Methodist minister, who formerly preached in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, afterward in Chicago, and then in Aurora, Ill., gave three discourses on spiritualism, in the latter place. These were published quite extensively in the papers. He talked at some length of the immortal-soul doctrine, and before he concluded strongly advocated the doctrine that the spirits of the dead return to communicate with men in this age, as claimed by spiritualists. He thought many of these were the spirits of the wicked, the low, and depraved; and while we might be injured by intercourse with these, and should avoid it, we could receive benefit by communicating with the higher order of spirits, the pure and the good. This would suit the strongest spiritualist in the land. These sermons were deemed of sufficient importance and influence to demand a lengthy review at the hands of Eld. Frank Evans, at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, both of them leading ministers of the same church. Mr. Evans opposed spiritualism. Spiritualism does not hinder Eld. Thomas from acting as a leading and influential Methodist minister, in one of the largest cities in Illinois.
We notice the following item from a recent number of the Springfield (Mass.) Republican: “Newburyport is in a sad way, according to a local paper. Rev. Charles Beecher, following the example of his Brooklyn brother, has ‘gone back on hell’ and taken to preaching Universalist sermons, while other clergymen and ‘church pillars’ are being spiritualistically deluded, one of the former expressing the belief that he talked with the shade of his daughter at a recent séance, and another that twenty ‘materialized forms’ which appeared to him were real spirits.”
Such facts as these are meeting one at every turn. What candid man can consider them without admitting that spiritualism is making great progress among the churches and in the world? We do not read that the churches turn out such ministers either. They would not tolerate “Adventism,” but they can spiritualism. This points plainly to the time when Babylon shall become “the hold of every foul spirit.”
In a recent number of the Chicago Times, under the head of “Psychic Phenomena,” a special correspondent writes from London, under the date of Dec. 10, concerning the discussion and progress of spiritualism in England, giving some astonishing facts. He states that the prominent periodical, The Nineteenth Century, opened its pages for several months to the discussion of the question of “Soul or no Soul,” and that thinkers of all shades of opinion participated. The great question now is, “Can the existence of soul in man be proved scientifically?” the great scientists dividing on each side of this question. “Prof. Tyndall does not deny that there may be something more in man than physiology reveals. He only says that science has found no proof of it.”
The Psychological Society of Great Britain is discussing this question vigorously. Mr. Sergeant Cox, perhaps the leading lawyer of England, is president of the society. Many think it is the “province of psychology to restore by science the belief in soul which science has shattered.” Mr. Cox says in his opening speech: “Already we have found an ever-widening field for research in the world that is about us—facts full of interest, vast in number and variety, observed by hundreds of those with whom we are dwelling and in daily intercourse, but which have remained unreported and unknown because there has been no center to which they might be contributed, and no machinery for their collection, preservation, and collation for the advancement of science. Ere long it will be seen how plentiful is the supply of information, and what overwhelming evidence there is that psychology is a true science, based upon as broad and secure a foundation of facts as are any of the physical sciences.”
Perhaps there has never been a time when the immortal-soul theory was being investigated more than the present. Many of the scientists being infidels, and thinking the Bible teaches this doctrine, are leveling their shafts at it, hoping93thus to destroy faith in the Bible. The tendency among the learned at the present time is to bring everything to the test of science. Those who hold to this doctrine and the old-fashioned orthodox view cannot meet this scientific test, for the facts are against them. Right here spiritualism comes in and claims, by its astonishing phenomena, to furnish the necessary facts. Many eminent scientists, like Profs. Crookes and Wallace, embrace it, and support it on this scientific basis. As those holding the orthodox view see the materialists knocking the props from under their structure, and come to realize that the phenomena of spiritualism furnishes by far the best proofs they have for their darling theory, rather than to give it up the mass of them will accept this new ally, just as many have already. Can the spiritualists furnish facts that will stand the tests of science?
This correspondent says: “There is certainly a stronger and more wide-spread movement in England to-day in regard to the investigation and development of modern phenomena than ever before, and the drift is to account for most of the manifestations in some other way than the return of departed human beings.” Materializations, or the appearance of supposed spirit forms, have now become so common, that as Mr. Stainton-Moses says, “No doubt can exist in the mind of any informed man.” “The thing itself is there; but by what method it has been formed, what its source or object, whether it be of our race or not, and, most important of all, what is the power that lies behind it?—these are questions which remain for a solution.”
The correspondent continues: “The most astounding phenomena that have yet appeared in England are those given through Dr. Menck. He is entranced in the lamp-light, under the inspection of good observers. ‘A mist seems to emanate from his body near the region of the heart. The first appearance is nebulous, as though vapor was in a state of agitation, and was being condensed into a solid form. The motion is as if a vortex was created within the figure. The rotary motion goes on, until the vaporous mass is condensed into a figure. It is then apparently united to the medium by a cord of the same nebulous substance as that of which itself is formed. By-and-by this is cut by a motion of the medium’s hand, and the figure stands apparently alone and independent. I saw one of these forms moving about, lifting a chair, talking and writing, while the table and myself were between it and the medium. It was to all intents and purposes a distinct entity!’ This is the Stainton-Moses evidence.”
The mode of its absorption is similar to its evolution. The Rev. Thomas Colby says: “When the form at last retired I was permitted to accompany it until I was close to the medium, as he was in full view of all. As I neared him the gossamer filament which unites the form to the medium again came into view, the vanishing point being toward the heart. By means of this cord I saw how the figure seemed to be sucked back into the body of the medium. I was enabled to watch the process, for leaning against and holding the medium, with my left ear and cheek to his breast, and my left arm at his back, his heart beating in a most violent and alarming way, I saw him receive back into his person the form before distinct from him.”
The Times continues: “It would amaze you to learn to what extent it has become the fashion in families in every class of society to hold investigating séances. Society ladies in the upper and middle classes especially, who have their usual weekly receptions to which friends and acquaintances are invited, at the beginning of the winter season, for the season, have now a separate evening in the week which they call ‘séance evening,’ and to which no one can come who does not receive a special card for the special evening. So fashionable and interesting, and so generally established are these ‘evenings’ by being first introduced by noble families, and followed by others who have the luxury of well-established homes, that it is considered a privilege and a great personal compliment to be invited. Mediums to-day are an expensive luxury,” &c. He states that the “cabinet is now generally abolished,” a black cambric curtain being strung across the corner of the room, while the medium takes his place behind it on a chair or lounge.
He recently attended a séance in which Prof. Alfred R. Wallace, Mr. Thomas Shorter, former editor of an English magazine, William Clark, F. R. S., and other celebrities, were present. The corner of the room was carefully examined, the medium’s coat removed and his pockets searched, so that nothing bulky could be hid, and the room carefully bolted. The gaslight burned sufficiently that the features of all could be seen. The medium soon came out, apparently entranced, and with him several figures appeared, one after another, “draped in pure white robes.” Their features could be seen distinctly. One of these “talked and chattered like a delighted magpie,” “and shook out with his hands that which looked like delicate white muslin, which appeared to grow as we gazed, and vanished into nothing.” “Two small slates were produced, examined, and tied together with a bit of pencil inside. Mr. Wallace held one corner, this white figure came forward and held the other. Mr. Wallace kept the slate in his hands to open after the séance closed. On each side of the slate was found writing personal to Mr. Wallace.” After the disappearance of this figure, they looked behind the curtain, and the medium was found in his chair, clothed as usual, but still entranced. After this he was examined closely by the removal of all his clothing, to his very shirt, and nothing was found but his usual clothes. They inquire, “What is this?” “This comes, and melts away! there is the rub.” Prof. Wallace says, “All further discussion on the inner nature of man and his relation to the universe is a mere beating of the air so long as these marvelous phenomena, opening up as they do a whole world of new interactions between mind and matter, are disregarded and ignored.”
I might give many more interesting extracts; but surely these are sufficient to show the marvelous interest now being taken in spiritualism in England. As these wonders continue to increase in power and frequency, as the sure word of prophecy teaches they will, who can doubt but that millions will fall under their influence, till it will be thought blasphemous to give their true origin, as being the “spirits of devils working miracles,” which go forth to the kings of the earth preparatory to the battle of the great day?
Truly we are living in an age of wonders, and in times of great peril. In spite of the “Katy King” exposures and that of the Eddys in New England, the “materializations” go on in all parts of the world. Ministers and leading scientists are believing in the reality of these spirits, and thousands of intelligent people believe they see, and converse with, their dead friends. These things transpire in the great centers of intelligence, fashion, and wealth, where they are sure to produce the greatest effect. Those who flatter themselves that spiritualism is dying out only show they are not informed. It probably never made greater progress than now, when it is winning its way among the rich and noble, ministers and infidel scientists, the church and the world. Surely Satan is at work developing his great masterpiece. How important that we should be at work, exposing his devices, and preparing for the coming of Christ, which is very near, yea, which hasteth greatly. Geo. I. Butler.