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But if a man had Spiritualism alone as his guide, he would not find
himself in a position which was opposed to essential Christianity, but
rather in one which was explanatory. Both systems preach life after
death. Both recognize that the after-life is influenced in its progress
and happiness by conduct here. Both profess to believe in the existence
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of a world of spirits, good and evil, whom the Christian calls angels and
devils, and the Spiritualist guides, controls, and undeveloped spirits.
Both believe in the main that the same virtues, unselfishness, kindness,
purity, and honesty, are necessary for a high character. Bigotry,
however, is looked upon as a serious offence by Spiritualists, while it
is commended by most Christian sects. To Spiritualists every path upwards
is commendable, and they fully recognize that in all creeds there are
sainted, highly developed souls who have received by intuition all that
the Spiritualist can give by special knowledge. The mission of the
Spiritualist does not lie with these. His mission lies with those who
openly declare themselves to be agnostic, or those more dangerous ones
who profess some form of creed and yet are either thoughtless or agnostic
at heart.
From the author's point of view the man who has received the full benefit
of the new revelation is the man who has earnestly tried the gamut of the
creeds and has found them all equally wanting. He then finds himself in a
valley of gloom with Death waiting at the end, and nothing but plain,
obvious duty as his acting religion. Such a condition produces many fine
men of the Stoic breed, but it is not conducive to personal happiness.
Then comes the positive proof of independent existence, sometimes
suddenly, sometimes by slow conviction. The cloud has gone from the end
of his prospect. He is no longer in a valley but upon the ridge beyond,
with a vista of successive ridges each more beautiful than the last in
front of him. All is brightness where once gloom girt him round. The day
of this revelation has become the crowning day of his life.
Looking up at the lofty hierarchy of spiritual beings above him, the
Spiritualist realizes that one or another great archangel may from time
to time visit mankind with some mission of teaching and hope. Even humble
Katie King, with her message of immortality given to a great scientist,
was an angel from on high. Francis d'Assisi, Joan of Arc, Luther,
Mahomet, Bab-ed-Din, and every real religious leader of history are among
these evangels. But above all, according to our Western judgment, was
Jesus the son of a Jewish artisan, Whom we call "The Christ." It is not
for our mosquito brains to say what degree of divinity was in Him, but we
can truly say that He was certainly nearer the Divine than we are, and
that His teaching, upon which the world has not yet acted, is the most
unselfish, merciful, and beautiful of which we have any cognizance,
unless it be that of his fellow saint Buddha, who also was a messenger
from God, but whose creed was rather for the Oriental than for the
European mind.
When, however, we hark back to the message of our inspired Teacher, we
find that there is little relation between His precepts and the dogmas or
actions of His present-day disciples. We see also that a great deal of
what He taught has obviously been lost, and that to find this lost
portion, which was unexpressed in the Gospels, we have to examine the
practice of the early Church who were guided by those who had been in
immediate touch with Him. Such an examination shows that all which we
call Modern Spiritualism seems to have been familiar to the Christ
circle, that the gifts of the spirit extolled by St. Paul are exactly
those gifts which our mediums exhibit, and that those wonders which
brought a conviction of other-world reality to the folk of those days can
now be exhibited and should have a similar effect now, when men once
again ask for assurance upon this vital matter. This subject is treated
at large in other books, and can here be simply summed up by saying that,
far from having wandered from orthodoxy, there is good reason to believe
that the humble, undogmatic Spiritualist, with his direct spirit message,
his communion of saints, and his association with that high teaching
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which has been called the Holy Ghost, is nearer to primitive Christianity
than any other existing sect.
It is quite amazing when we read the early documents of the Church, and
especially the writings of the so-called "Fathers," to find out the
psychic knowledge and the psychic practice which were in vogue in those
days. The early Christians lived in close and familiar touch with the
unseen, and their absolute faith and constancy were founded upon the
positive personal knowledge which each of them had acquired. They were
aware, not as a speculation but as an absolute fact, that death meant no
more than a translation to a wider life, and might more properly be
called birth. Therefore they feared it not at all, and regarded it rather
as Dr. Hodgson did when he cried, "Oh, I can hardly bear to wait!" Such
an attitude did not affect their industry and value in this world, which
have been attested even by their enemies. If converts in far-off lands
have in these days been shown to deteriorate when they become Christians,
it is because the Christianity which they have embraced has lost all the [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]