The Camden weekly journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1853-1861, 1853-04-05


Simillma cygno."-OvD.
T. "a rare bird on the earth, and very
Like black swan"
! CONCLUDED.
The seeking of the dead, then, is nothing
new; and we are disposed to think that if it
can be done, it is no more lawful and right
now, than it was in the days of King Saul.
We have heard and read many statements of
facts, made by witnesses, competent and credi-
bic, who had often taken part in, or been pre-.
sent at these strange revelations, but with all
the information which we have been able to
collect upon this subject, we are forced to con.
cludc the communications given by the SO called
spiritual rappings, can establish no facts to
prove any truth. The modern seekers of the
deid amongst us, are known honestly aud free
ly to admit, that the revelations thus given, are
often false in part-and sometimes in the
whole; and in fact, that the same spirit, in the
course of a short interview about the well
known affairs of this world, will contradict its
own declarations.
Does not this, to every candid, sound and
rejecting mind, bring kind and degree of
confusion much worse than that which grew
out Of the most ambiguous responses made by
the ancient Heather oracles! And where arc
those boasted oraclcs, and the superstitious
faith which rested upon them? They are gone
from the world, and the places which knew
them, shall, we trust, know them no more for
ever. But to return to our own Northern
Lights, the feeting corruscations from the
spirit world. 1t is attempted to explain errors
Of falsehood and contradiction, partly upon the
ground that the media, (who are represented
generally as ladies of fra and apparently fee
bic constitution the necessary media, without
whose agency, without the presence of whose
familiar spirits the souls of the dead will not
confer with the living, are not all perfect and
equal, but differ in degrees of intensity or pow
er, I'VE presume like the common eye glasses
through medium of the right kind one sees
more clearly, and another produces confusion
or blindness,) hence, it is said uncertainty and
fllsehood sometimes arise. The question put,
although the most simple, is not always per.
fectly understood. But this does not cover all
the facts of the case before US. These intelli-
gent beings answer questions which are only
mentally propounded, that is such as are
thought, without being spoken or written in
a WORD, they profess to know our ideas as soon
as they are conceived, and before they can be
telegraphed by the mind into the world where
material bodies live. Yet, the questions to
which they make false responses are very often
50 plain as to admit of no doubt or ambiguity
-fos example, whether the person thought Of
at this moment is victorious general or an
absent lady love9 Does not this explanation
increase our uncertainty? 1t calls in question
the soundness of the unseen oracle, and leaves
man to speculate and to Judge the degree of
its power-and iu such case let each person
decide which Is superior, the spirit or the man
Does the oracle know (and if it does) can it
reveal to man, ue-third two thirds or the whole
truth? When one set fact conflicts with
another which is to be received-or shall nei
thera Hence, each new revelation may be in.
volved in accumulating doubt and fail to es.
tablish any reasonable faith. 1t may be justly
argued therefore, that these are blind leaders
of the blind, and are not able to speak with
authority upon any subjects, but especially
upon those which concern themselves and the
unknown spirit world and, surely, then they
are not safe and proper witnesses to prove the
real nature of their own form and character,
nor their own agency with its object, duties
and powers. And hence, We conclude, their
own declaration, that it is spiritual or car.
nal body, an angel of light, or an evil demon
who speaks, or raps, proves nothing. The
voice of God has proclaimed divine truth, and
with us nothing less than the same authority
shall subvert it. Should an angel from heaven
teach anything against it we would not believe.
And vet these unknown intelligences, called
spirits come to revisit their native earth, not
by the command of Jehovah but at the call
Of man, to give him fruit from the tree of
knowledge unrevealed, to present new ideas of
the nature of Deity, and of the future state of
being. This whole system seems to US to con-
Act in many ways with the. only revelation
which we receive as attested fully to be true
and divine by miracle and prophecy. If the
| holy Bible is received as true, we know not
how to avoid the belief that in any way, or for
any purpose, to seek the dead is either to fall
into mad delusiou, or an actual sin. 1t is
with pity and wonder, therefore, that the wri-
| ter of this article, very recently heard OF a
minister, in America, so far renouncing his
reasonable, religious, and holy faith, as to re-
sign his sacred office, and sacrifice himself
upon this altar of superstition In conclusion,
we must state, that as to the competency OF
the so.calIcd spirits to act the part of witness
es for the inhabitants of earth, there is nothing
which we know to prove it, and, with the facts
before us, we grave doubt and boldly chal-
leuee their credibility. The false statements
which they often make result from ignorance,
or from wful design to deceive, and in Ell
tber case they are not credible witnesses.
Their selCcontradicting testimony cannot be
received as evidence, it proves nothing but
their own falsehood.
90 blindness to the future! kindly given,
That each may fill the circle marked by heaven;
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