Chapter II - Imposition and Demonstration
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ship, dark seances, etc., for the science of Life. The
ship, dark seances, etc., for the science of Life. The
word spiritualism, is comically misapplied when made
to designate a sect supposed to hold commerce with
"spirits," not Spirit, but personality, in some instances,
"sensual and devilish." The true significance of spir-
itualism, is a reign of Spirit over matter, of Principle
over person, in which Soul, instead of sense governs
man. Any error is a belief of matter, and cannot pro-
ceed from Spirit, God; when the departed become
Spirit, those of earth who believe in substance-matter
can no more communicate with them than darkness
can enter- light, that would destroy it. When you reach
communion with Spirit, you will gain the utterances of
Truth only.
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What is called mediumship tends to destroy all reli-
What is called mediumship tends to destroy all reli-
ance on understanding and science. Admitting inter-
communion between evil, here and there, both in time
and eternity, we are afloat on the breakers of error, where
nothing can stop its flood-tides breaking perpetually on
the shores of time.
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We learn Truth from divine revelation and our own
We learn Truth from divine revelation and our own
demonstration; what we cannot understand and de-
monstrate with scientific certainty and harmony we had
better let alone, for it leaves us at the mercy of a belief.
The illustration of mediumship is a circle inside of
which waits a material body to be mesmerized by a
spiritual one, under the table, or perhaps in it, who
informs you he rotates eternally back to things of time,
and this is progress, through which he becomes Spirit,
God (?) while in glorious rapport with matter, sensual-
ity and sin!
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In contradistinction to the 'ism of Spiritualism, let it
In contradistinction to the 'ism of Spiritualism, let it
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be remembered other doctrines name the name of God
be remembered other doctrines name the name of God
with reverence; hold the Bible the book of books;
teach our infant lips the Lord's prayer; and bid man
obey the ten commandments, that are perfect in Wis-
dom. Its military drills on Sabbath, the aboriginal ver-
nacular of its oracles, its rites and ceremonies that
choose darkness rather than light, and above all its loose
morals, do not entitle spiritualism to the standing it has
gained in society; hence aside from these its worst
features, it has a humanitarianism and liberality that
should redeem it from under the infatuation of mediumship.
Spirit has neither Life, nor Intelligence in mat-
ter; and if our departed friends are Spirit, and we
believe ourselves in matter, we cannot commune to-
gether; or if they are yet in matter-beliefs, we have
shut them out of our consciousness by a belief of the
change death has wrought, making them no longer tan-
gible to personal sense.
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Again, if we would commune through the affections,
Again, if we would commune through the affections,
we must be on the same plane of belief, or understanding
with them, to make this possible; and if their body is
changed to us (as is manifest by its burial), so are their
affections changed; and we cannot commune on former
terms of personal sense and sympathy. We are separated
mentally according to our own views, and on our own
grounds, as effectually as distance here separates our
bodies. Mediumship is mind-reading on this plane, and
nothing more. Some one here knows all the mediums
tell; the imagery with which they clothe expression is
but futile conjecture and imagination, else thoughts let
loose from the limits of personal sense, and the regret
is that in this step they should not understand it.