To the Editor of the "Spiritual Magazine." SIR-My attention has been called to Spiritualism, by the discussion in the Morning Star. In addition to a careful perusal of the letters on both sides of the question, I have also purchased and read all the back numbers, in print, of the Spiritual Magazine. The result has been that my views on the subject have undergone considerable modification, if not, a complete change. Many prejudices and erroneous impressions have been removed; and a strong desire to test, to know, and to enjoy its realities, has been created in my mind. Can such a desire be gratified? Totally ignorant of the conditions of failure or success, with friends too incredulous or too timid to give the slightest sympathy or assistance, it seems that all that any anxious enquirer can do, in circumstances similar to mine, is to stand afar off in wondering amazement; unless, indeed, we could obtain advice or assistance from qualified parties. I know, however, of no one to whom I should think of going for advice, or upon whom I could have the slightest claim, except yourself, as Editor of the Spiritual Magazine; and as Your avowed object is "to extend the knowledge of Spiritualism," I have every nfidence that my application for advice will be favourably received. My wish is simply this: 1. To assure myself of the truth of Spiritualism; and 2. To benefit by its teaching. If you favour me with a reply, be good enough to remember that I need "milk for babes." I remain, Sir, yours truly, Nov. 6th, 1850. A READER. Notices of New Books. Spirit Rapping and Spirit Manifestations. By a MEMBER OF THE CATHOLIC APOSTOLIC CHURCH.* The battle which we are fighting for the cause of truth is certainly a very lively and requires not only good generalship, but the most versatile powers and activity. Our soldiers must be well drilled, and be able to deploy into line, to march in single file, to form into square, or to charge the enemy in front; and at a moment's notice to wheel to either flank, or to face about to drive back a new enemy in the rear. For several months the Magazine has been full of answers to attacks from the general press, who deny the whole range of the phenomena of Spiritualism as an utter imposture, and spiritualists, they say, are poor deluded dupes, who know nothing of the methods of scientific investigation." Well, we have brought our forces to the front to repel this attack, and have charged the enemy horse and foot, and have succeeded in breaking his centre and putting him to the rout. While we are in full pursuit, the alarm is sounded-there is a trumpet-call to meet a new enemy in the rear. We face about, and find him, still at some distance opening his fire upon us. We advance, and are surpised on coming nearer to find that this new attack is from a set who should have been fighting on our side, and would have been with us had they understood the real grounds of the fight. They are as satisfied as we are of the reality of the phenomena. They help us by their free admission of the facts, in fighting the press, and then they attack us in the rear, by attributing them to the devil-that poor old gentleman whom we sincerely pity, for having to take charge, without any power of remonstrance on his part, of whatever the ignorance of the age may cast upon him. One can hardly conceive a greater punishment for him than this. With his immense intellect, and wish to please his subjects, and powers of ruling them, to have all the effete stupidities of every age put upon him in succession! As my uncle Toby says, "It is a shame to use even the devil so." * London: Bosworth and Harrison, 215, Regent Street. Reader, do you know who this "Member of the Catholic Apostolic Church" is, who consigns all spirit manifestations to the devil? Who recognizes in them the mark of antichrist, and the sign of the last days? Who sees, now, at last that "the end of all things is at hand?" Who is it who says, in large type, "It is known and established by evidence beyond contradiction, that there are, now abroad, in the earth SPIRITS OF DEVILS WORKING MIRACLES-Spirits making known their presence by visible signs, and powers, and lying wonders, such as we have no previous example of in the recorded history of the world?" We have met him before. His history is well known to us. It is, itself, one of the most curious chapters in Spiritualism. We have frequently had occasion to refer to it, and to observe the light it sheds on our general subject. It is full of the most wonderful phenomena of the gifts of healing, of the illumination of the Scripture, of prophecy and interpretation, of marvellous psychical phenomena, of the unknown tongue. In a word, we have now to meet in conflict one of our old friends, the Irvingites, as they are conventionally called! Only think of this phenomenon, reader, that we have to repel an attack from that side, and that this body should still be so blind and ignorant of their own position as Spiritualists! It is the old history of sects, that in whatever great truth they may originate, they soon, like the caterpillar, weave a shroud round it, and become a chrysalis almost immovable and lifeless inside. At last, when life comes again, it has to eat its way through the old truth, and emerge with new powers into a larger world. The unknown tongue, the healing power, the prophetic gifts, and illumination on which this sect was founded were all nothing but the ordinary developments of mediumship, of which hundreds of instances are known to us. These gifts or developments were much more common in the early days of Irvingism than they are now, though on the information of one of their present ministers, or ange as they term him, the unknown tongue is still spoken in their weekly meetings but they are now so respectable, that it is kept private from all but the initiated. They have also healing mediums among them, and prophetic speaking. Did they but know the general laws of Spiritualism, they would not be quite so sure, as they seem to be, that all their manifestations are by the direct power of the Holy Ghost, and all manifestations outside themselves, by the direct power of the devil. This is the old sectarian principle. This is the old ignorance in its oldest form, and with all its depressing effects. This it is which drove out of the Irvingite body one of its very best men, Mr. Baxter, who, struck by the marvellous supernatural manifestations through himself and through others, thought with these sectaries in the early days, that this supernaturalism, instead of being a normal power of the soul, was a special manifestation of the Holy Ghost attesting the truth of Irvingism. He would have remained a convert to this faith till his latest hour, had it not been for some of the as common manifestations which don't come out quite true, and then, as he had made the original mistake of attributing them all to the Holy Ghost, he now made the equally foolish one of attributing them all to the devil. There is an universe however, namely the human soul, between these two, and through that human soul all these manifestations have to pass, partaking of its various states. This is what these persons annot see for want of reviewing the whole ground of Spiritualism. That great good man, Irving, himself, had he lived to this time would not have been so narrow as his followers, and would have been one of our best philosophical and religious enquirers. When Mr. Baxter put out his well-known pamphlet giving his confession, and accounting for his secession, by attributing the manifestations of the Irving Church to the devil, poor Mr. Irving, in the fullness of his heart could only say, "that if the wondrous illumination thrown by Mr. Baxter in his ecstatic states, upon the Scripture, was from the devil, then the devil might have equally written all the oracles of God." This is an instructive commentary on the present pamphlet of "The Member of the Catholic Apostolic Church," which is the name in which our Irvingite friends now recognize each other. They should be our best friends; but, alas, poor human nature! PRINTED BY THOMAS SCOTT, WARWICK COURT, HOLBORN. THE SPIRITUAL MAGAZINE. SPIRITUALISM is based on the cardinal fact of spirit communion and influx; it is the effort to discover all truth relating to man's spiritual nature, capacities, relations, duties, welfare, and destiny; and its application to a regenerate life. It recognises a continuous Divine inspiration in man; it aims through a careful reverent study of facts, at a knowledge of the laws and principles which govern the occult forces of the universe; of the relations of spirit matter, and of man to God and the spiritual world. It is thus catholic and progressive, hading to true religion as at one with the highest philosophy. VOL. II. LONDON: F. PITMAN, 20, PATERNOSTER ROW. 1861. |