So spake the Christ. I am his sacrifice: His fire 'came down,' is burning in my soul, "Nay, do not shout. Ye shall not drown my voice. Ye shall not do it now that Christ says, 'Speak!' He's stronger than the devil everywhere! He bade me speak; he'll give me words to say; I'll tell the people what God wrought for me, SPIRITUALISM, ITS MISTAKES AND DANGERS. [The following report of a lecture on this subject, by the Rev. John Hyde of Manchester, has been forwarded to us for the Miscellaneous Department of the Magazine. Although much condensed by the reporter, it is too long for that portion of the Intellectual Repository. The interest which attaches to the subject therein treated induces as to give it space in the pages which it now occupies. — ED.] ENCOURAGED by the success which attended the lecture on Swedenborg in the Schoolroom, Peter Street, and there being several special reasons calling for a public notice of "Spiritualism" just now, the Junior Members' Society in connection with Peter Street Church, arranged for the delivery on January 18th of a lecture on "Spiritualism, its Mistakes and Dangers," by the Rev. John Hyde. Notwithstanding the inclemency of the weather, the schoolroom was crowded with intelligent and attentive auditors. As it was designed that questions should be permitted at the close of the lecture, Mr. Hughes was elected to the chair. In his introduction, the lecturer discussed the questions, New Church 66 Why the subject should be noticed," and "Why the should specially notice the subject?" The reasons assigned, under the first topic, were the fact that "spiritualism" was spreading and topic, the fact that so many doctrines concerning the other life had been adopted by spiritualists from Swedenborg; the circumstance that creating a literature of its own; and under the last many persons associated the New Church with spiritualism; and the claim of the spiritualists in this locality, that two of the recently deceased ministers of the New Church frequently spoke through mediums, at the public meetings of spiritualists. The lecturer was most careful to guard against committing any other person to the opinions he should express, and claimed for his opinions only the value arising from personal inquiry, and such attention as might seem justified by the weight of the arguments he might adduce. He then proceeded to examine, "What is Spiritualism?" He showed that in almost every country and age some persons have claimed to receive supernatural communications, and to successfully practise occult arts. He traced the similarities and differences between the magicians of Egypt, the soothsayers of Chaldea, the wizards and witches, and those having familiar spirits in Israel, the pythonic oracles of Greece, the augurs of Rome, the fetishmen of Africa, the medicine-men of North American Indians, the fakeers of East India, the dervishes of Mohammedan countries, the second sight of Scotland, the ascetic contemplation and visions of monachism, the clairvoyance of more modern times, and the cases of "ecstacy" among the French soldiers in Algeria. He held that "spiritualism" best explained the results, and indicated the nature, of the sacred mysteries of Egypt, India, and Greece; and that by fasts, ablutions, incense, and long-wakefulness, the adepts stimulated impressionability in the noviciates, and strove to develop in them what is now known as "mediumship." He summarized the novel forms of the modern developments of spiritualism, as best indicated by the one word " necromancy,”—having communication with the spirits of deceased persons. He described the various modes comprehended under hat-turning, table-turning, tipping and tilting and raps; the use of the "planchet;" writing produced by invisible agencies, and also music; writing, music, drawing, acting, and speaking mediumship; the production of audible voices; the seeing of hands, faces, fruits and flowers, which afterwards melt out of sight; the feeling of touches, smart blows, and pressure by persons at séances; the bringing into a room, where they were not previous to the séances, of natural fruits, flowers, ice, snow, and even of living animals, such as a cat or dog; and the astounding phenomena, called "levitation" and "elongation," which are chiefly connected with the name of Mr. Home. He also described the "poetry," said to be produced by deceased celebrities through writing mediums; the "sermons" said to be preached through speaking mediums; the "philo sophy" said to be taught by deceased sages through writing and “inspirational" mediums; the "medical prescriptions" said to be given by deceased practitioners; and then proceeded to discuss whether these statements could possibly be true? He held that the Scriptures implicitly asserted the possibility of some such communications, and particularly dwelt on Ex. xxii. 18; Lev. xix. 26; xx. 27; 1 Sam. xxviii. ; Isa. viii. 19; xix. 3; the demoniacs of the Gospels; and Acts xvi. 16-18; xix. 13, as establishing such a possibility. The real danger was not deception and imposture on the part of so-called mediums; but it consisted in the possibility of such communications, and in the mental and moral consequences of encouraging them. The evidence as to the facts was, in many cases, altogether too strong to be gainsaid; although it is true that many, if not all, of the test séances had been failures; that most of the phenomena were produced in the dark; that many of the witnesses to the so-called phenomena were at the time of their occurrence in an excited state of mind, quite unsuited to scientific investigation; that feats precisely similar to some of the phenomena had been produced by natural means; that puerility and inanity characterize much, if not all, of the sentimentality, poetry, and philosophy which are said to have been "communicated." The strongest ground of objection, however, can alone be found in admitting that communication with the spiritual world is possible; and therefore, the lecturer held "that by certain courses of training, men and women of certain temperaments can develop mediumship, and really become instruments for phenomena produced by spirits from the other world." This being premised, what are the mistakes of spiritualism? One is that attending séances, or witnessing the phenomena therein displayed, or even becoming mediums, is having "open communication with the other life." In the Most Ancient Church communication was open; those who saw were seers, their spiritual sight and hearing were open. Because of the increasing evil in this world, the increasing number of wicked spirits in the world of spirits, and the increasing danger of such open communication, seership, the possibility of all, became the actual possession of but few, and gradually ceased, or, with a few exceptions, entirely ceased. Whatever might be the advantages of “ open communication," modern spiritualism has not this to offer. Seeing tables tilt, or hearing raps; witnessing writing, music, drawing, levitation, elongation, the production of fruits, flowers, &c., were not "open communication." It was only by a process of reasoning that the spectators could be convinced that these things were not produced by natural means. So with mediumship. To be the involuntary instrument of some invisible power in the doing or saying of something was certainly not open communication with the other world. Nor was the seeing of " spirit hands," faces, &c. The spirits themselves taught that they rendered themselves visible to natural sight, by absorbing from the medium and the circle a subtle natural substance with which they invested the limb, or face, which was thus made visible; and that, so far from the spectators beholding a spiritual being, they only saw a luminous kind of natural substance, -matter, and not spirit. To see this is not "seership:" seeing this is certainly not having "open communication with the spiritual world." So with the intellectual phenomena-such as hearing talk, said to be inspirational. A man speaks; it is his spirit speaking by means of his body. After making some contortions, another man speaks; he tells us that it is the spirit of another and deceased person speaking through his organs. If we believe it, we only believe his testimony; there is in any case no open communication with the spiritual world. The liability to deception is immense, firstly, of self-deception in the case of medium, and then of imposture. Another mistake is that "thought reading," the true explanation of many of the answers to "test questions," is any sufficient test of the spirit who communicates being the person whom he pretends to be. Another mistake is that giving up one's self as a medium to be used by spirits, is not partial or complete obsession. The greatest mistake of all is that the real progress of man in spiritual things can be promoted by his relinquishing his rational freedom, to be compelled to write, play, draw, sing, act, or speak by, he knows not who. In prostrating the rational freedom of the mediums, spiritualism degrades them; the sufficient proof of its being essentially disorderly can herein be found. The "dangers" of spiritualism were great and real. Spiritualists admit Swedenborg to be an authority. In Ap. Ex. 1182, Sp. Diary 325, and other places, he solemnly warns men against seeking such communications with spirits. The dangers of imposture were twofold, -that of the mediums being cheats; that of the spirits being liars. Some spirits love to personate any one of whom another is thinking, and they can deceive "almost the very elect." There is no guard or guarantee as to the character of the spirits who communicate. Many a séance begins with prayer, and yet has to be broken up in boisterous confusion by the unmistakeable "diablerie" of the spirits who com municate. Every spiritualist admits that all sorts of devilish spirits do communicate, that some of them have taught the most pernicious ideas, prompted to the worst sins, been the instigating cause of breaking up families by adulterous crimes, bred hatreds, jealousies, and very, very frequently occasioned insanity. There is no safeguard. All sorts of doctrines have, at different times, been taught by different spirits through the same medium. At the worst, the mediums are obsessed by fiends; and even at the best, they are at the mercy of unknown beings who may be bad, whose pretended goodness may be only hypocrisy, but of whose real character the mediums can know nothing till after the spirit has made them write the blasphemy, declare the lie, or urge the sin; that is, until after the mischief has been done! Swedenborg has much that is terrible to say of the magical acts of the infernals; and mediums really lay themselves open to the liability of being their dupes, sport, and tools. We associate with spirits who are like ourselves, and who would confirm our states, if they could know that they were in communication with us: the Divinely appointed safeguard is the ignorance of the spirits that they are with men; but by developing mediumship, we teach the spirits the fatal secret, we break down the safeguard, and there is none other. Not only does mediumship destroy human liberty, it strikes at the root of individual responsibility. Many speaking mediums declare that they do not know, in their normal state, what has been said in their states of obsession. They are not responsible for the errors they may have uttered, or for the evils they may have confirmed! This is to uproot the very bases of society. Mediumship is slavery: it begins in self-resignation, to be acted upon by any and all kinds of spirits; it entails weakness and weariness by the abstraction of vital force from the mediums; too often it excites and stimulates the sexual instincts; it often brings confirmed ill health on the strongest; it is nothing less than partial or complete possession. Arthur's story of "Agnes the Possessed" illustrates the admitted fact, how hard it is to break the chains of the mental and spiritual slavery which mediumship involves. Nor are the dangers confined to the mediums: the forming of promiscuous circles is being abandoned by many spiritualists themselyes; because of the irruption of boisterous, wicked, and diabolical spirits, which may be in harmony with the internal states of some person forming the circle. If there were many mediums, the irruption of such forces into our daily life would produce the most terrible disorders. In his autobiography, Mr. Home tells us of the fantastic annoyances which followed him about K |