The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1870-05-19
Spiritualisn.

EDITOR CoURIER: It seems that
the simple relation of the remark
ablo experience Of Major G. 3. Full
ton in his very last expiring moments,
has called forth considerable criti-
cism on the question Of spiritual dis
cernment and manifestations. The
first criticism that came to my notice
is that Of Modestus, who seems to
have felt it necessary for him to write
in terrorum. First, l will say that
his nomme de garre is uniting; TOR,
while he processes to conccde to all
the right to entertain their respect
i've views, yet before he gets half
through he declares that to hold
contrary to his statements is "repug-
nant to sense and reason" Still we
risk word or two. He says ''it Is
an unquestionable fact resting on the
foundation of reason, that all human
views are drawn from objects of
material and substantial nature" In
proof of this he quotes DR.. Dick, as
saying, cit is quite evident from the
nature of things, and from the very
constitution of man, that we can
have no ideas without the interven-
tion of sensible objects" At the
outset he inquiries, "can the mind
which is immaterial, take cognizance
of substance through any other
agency than the senses, while associ.
ated with tho body?" But after.
wards he gives Locke's definition Of
q spirit as o Substance in which
subsisted the power of thinking,
knowing. doubling and moving"
Now, if by substance he only meant
tangible material objects, it would
hold true that the mind can only
take cognizance of physical objects
by means of the physical scnses; but
it does not follow as a consequence
that it must necessarily depend on
the physical senses to take cogni-
zance of Spiritual substances, that
like itself are invested with the
spowers of thinking, knowing,
doubling, and moving" To assert
this would be to contradict the plain
teaching of the scriptures, and this l
apprehend he would not wish to do,
as he quotes them for proof Of some
of his assumptions. Still he does
contradict Christ, who taught Nico-
demus that the physical senses are
affected by physical objects, but
spiritual natures are discorned by
spiritual senses, "That which is born
of the flesh is flesh, and that which
Is born of the spirit is spirit. John
iii.-6. NJ. says, call human views are
drawn from material and substantial
objects" Jesus says, "The Comfor-
ter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom
the Father will send in my name; He
shall teach you all things" Then
those "human views" produced by
tho Holy Ghost, are received without
the Intervention of material and
substantial objects" and are ''purely
spiritual" or else NJ. must prove that
the holy Ghost is q material sub
stantial object" Paups representa-
tions of spiritual views produced by
the Holy Ghost, are without the Sin
tervention ofmaterial substantial OBJ
jects." In1 Cor. ii. 9 to Il, inclusive
he says, "Eye hath not seen (the
physical sight) nor ear heard (the
bodily organ) neither have entered
into the heart of man (by deduction
from tangible material objects) the
things which God hath prepared for
them that love him. But God hath
revealed them unto US by his Spirit,
for the Spirit searcheth all things;
yea even the deep things of God.
For what man knoweth the things
of man save the spirit of man
which is in Him, even SO the things
of God knoweth no man, but the
spirit of God. Now we have re.
ceived not the spirit of the world,
but the spirit which is of God; that
we might know the things that are
freely given to US Of God. Which
things also we speak, not in the
words which mans wisdom teacheth.
but which the Holy Ghost teacheth;
comparing spiritual things ,oith spirit
,lal (not material substantial Objects
But the natural man receiveth not
the things of the spirit of God; for
they are foolishness unto him; neith-
er can he know them, (by reasonable
u0UuCtlOu 1rOul tu0 luhtcrlol duu
tangible "objects" OF sense) because
they are spiritually discerned." This
much we have quoted. that NJ. may
see that all human views are not
necessarily drawn from material OBJ
jects, even while the mind is "asso-
ciated with the body" but that
human views Of spiritual things are
drawn from sources of .purely spirit
uaIp teaching "by the Holy Ghost"
Medestus assumes that as it is true
that tho mind while in the "body
pent' can not stake cognizance of i'm.
material and spiritual essences"
therefor il must await "dissolu-
ton of the body and spirit in order
to let tho latter into the spiritual
realm and visible glory of the celes-
tial world" In this he contradicts
both the teaching and experience Of
some of the most eminent servants
of God. Stephen being full of the
Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly in