Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1858-07-01
Spiritualism 2.
BY j. A. SPEAR.

His Son, Jesus Christ, and the apostles, but al
50 by the prophets Hebrew | =" God,
who at sundry times and in divers manners,
spake in times past unto the fathers by the
prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto
us by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir
of all things, by whom also He made the
worlds" Luke |; TO-" As He spake by
the mouth of his holy prophets, which have
been since the world began" 2 Peter l 81 u
{" For the prophecy came not in old time by the
will of man; but holy men of God spake as
they ,oere moued by the Holy Ghost"
If holy men of God spake as they were
moved by the Holy Ghost, and God spake by
the mouth of his holy prophets, which have
been since the world began, and by them spake
unto the fathers at sundry times and in divers
manners, and hath also spoken unto us by His
Son. and God is spirit, it is very certain that
a spirit is capable Of influencing those in the
flesh, and speaking through them, even by their
mouth. 1t is also certain that the Bible was
written by spirit nluence-what we understand
by Spiritualism. We understand that God isa
spirit, and hath all power, though invisible,
yet infinite; therefore we worship Him as such,
not as person The prophets spako by i'm
pressions, but did not see the God by whom
they were impressed. ''No man hath seen God
at any time; "3that is, with the natura eye;
still Moses was influenced so positively by the
Infinite Spirit, that it seemed to him as though
h. saw God, and talked with him "lace to
face The people saw the cloudy pillar and
worshipped. This shows the reality and posi-
bility of spirit power and spirit manifestations.
Dan. 5 ; s." In the same hour came forth fin
gers of mans hand and wrote over against
the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of
the kings palace; and the king saw the part
Of the hand that wrote
Incredible as it may be to some, it seems very
plain to US, that the writing which the king
saw was written by spirit power exclusively,
and the hand that wrote was q spirit hand I;
and we have evidence that the same power still
exists, for with other recent spirit manifesto
tions the spirit has been repeatedly felt and
seen, and communications have been written
when it was positive that no feshly hand was
near and by what we suppose to be spirit
power, musical Instruments have been played
upon, and even what we call physical power
has been employed in moving material bodies
and we learn that that power has long existed,
for by it the three worthless were preserved in
the fiery furnace, and by it the lions mouths
were shut, and Daniel was not harmed by them
and by the same power the stone was rolled
away from the door of the scpulcher wherein
the body of Jesus was lain and on a certain
occasion, after Paul and Silas had been beaten
with many stripes, and thrust into the inner
prison, and their feet made fast in the stocks
by spirit power, and at midnight, suddenly
every mans bands were loosed, the prison doors
were all opened, and, by an earthquake, the
foundations of the prison were shaken. 1t was
by spirit power that Christ was enabled to walk
on the water, for he had no power except wha
he received from his spirit Father (God) Ger
tain persons have been taken up by invisibl,
power, and suspended in mid-air, and another
has been carried lengthwise of large hall, ovel
the heads of those in it. We believe what the
Bible teaches concerning this power, and believe
it still exists, and why should it not, if God il
interchangeable?
After Christ had been tempted, angels min
istered unto him. Now it seems to us that i
angels ministered unto Christ, he was conscious
of their presence, and affected by them; other.
wise the fact coule not have been known AnC
if he was affected or influenced by them, wat
he not a susceptible medium? Thus it seems
that Christ was influenced by God and angels
and if others are influenced by the same, and
especially by angels, which are spirits, e. fol
God maketh His angels spirits,'') we do not
considerit strange Or new.
The apostles believed in spirit influence anG
believed in the influence of both high and low
spirits, for John said "Beloved, believe moi
every spirit, but try the spirits whether they
are of God; because many false prophets are
gone out into the world"
1t is contended by many, that God is the only
spirit on one hand, and the devil on the other
that can influence mortals. But John says try
the spirits, (meanng more than one,) whether
they are Of God; because many false prophet
are gone out into the world as much as though
he had said, there are many false or low spirits
And the idea is conveyed very clearly by him
that those spirits which We're of God could in
fluence mortals; otherwise, there would hav,
been no necessity Of trying them. The SAINT
prccaution is also urged in these latter days BY
spirits, saying, "beleye not every communica
ton of spirits, for there are many low spirits
but believe only such as are in harmony witt
the teachings of Christ"
Paul conveyed the idea that men could exs
and retain their identity out of the body
Corinthians Il; e. knew man in Chris
about fourteen years ago, whether in the bod
| cannot tell or whether out of the body
cannot tell God knoweth J such a one caugh
up W Tue thlIu Hc"fVH. Anu kHeW SUCH
man, (whether in the body, OF out of the body
: [ cannot tell; God knoweth } how that h
was caught up into paradise, and heard an
speakablc words which is not lawful for
man to utter
If Paul had not believed that man could re
tain his identity out of the body, there coulC
have been no doubts in his mind whether tina
man was ont of the body, or an the body bu
he would have felt certain that that man wa
caught up in the body, even to the third hea
ven. Thus it is plain that Paul believed in
real existence beyond the confines of the body
and that those who once lived on earth can re
turn and converse, is proved by the fact tho