The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1889-08-15
REV. THos. DIXON ON GHOSTS.
His Solution of the Problem of Supposed
Supernatural Visions.

Supernatural Visions.
Aew York Herald
"Spooks and Costs" formed the sub
ject of the Rev. Thomas Dixon's third
sermon on The Supernatural, in the
Twenty third street Baptist Church,
yesterday morning. He took for his
text. "But when Herod heard thereof
he said, 1T is John whom I beheaded.
He is risen from the dead Mark,
H., IS.
Il believe in ghosts said the
preacher. q do not believe in all
ghosts that hear of, but / believe in
some 1t has become my duty to
champion the supernatural, for I be-
lieve in the immaterial This Is not
credulous to the Christian. No
class of men are as credulous as athe-
lists, for to be an atheist is to swallow
propositions beyond human intelli-
gence. Childlike credulity is not
faith.
cit is beyond Ii question that out
side Of religion the force which has
had the greatest influence on mankind
is that of signs and wonders-super-
natural things.
"Those who see visions always see
them in harmony with their previous
beliefs or traditions People who were
not Christians have ssen visions of an
gels, and the most Christian of be-
levers have been tormented with Wis
ions of hell Angels seen in visions
are always Of the same shape, and the
same is true of devils. The Roman
Catholics give great Importance to the
Virgin Mary and pray to her. Ro-
man Catholic visions almost invaria-
ably include the Virgin, while there
are but two instances of Protestants
seeing her, and in each case they had
been educated when children as Ro-
man Catholics.
'These facts prove the subjective
nature of visions The realm of spir-
itualism, spookology or spookism is
beneath contempt. The residium,
after eliminating the foolishness, is
easily explained by the subjective
view I do not believe there is a
scintilla of truth left in the whole pile
| of rubbish.
"But it may be asked. Does not
this subjective view attack the mira
| cles of Christi" l can say here that
did the miracles stand alone there
would not be enough evidence 10 sup
| port them But the miracles are
woven in With the body IF Christian
doctrine, they are part of Christ's
-teaching. They were never performed
for show, they had IA high moral pur-
pose and were part Of Christ's per-
sonality. Christ's doctrine has been
proved true by centuries Of human
experience His miracles are true
because they cannot be separated from
His doctrine. When Spiritualism will
set forth doctrine that will revolution
ize the world, will overturn Kingdoms
and make men and women lift up
themselves, then we can pause to ser.
iously consider its marvels
But when we make visions subiec
tive have we destroyed their terrors?
| No! They are none the less real to the
person who sees them. This ego that
has power to conjure shapes from the
air must live on with its power undi-
minished. This is the reason that
there are real ghosts.
John was "a real ghost to Herod;
the spectre created by the guilty con-
science was horrible, awfully real
Herod could not escape. His belief
had nothing to do with terror; he
knew the ghost was there. The fact
that man does not believe in ghosts
| makes the terror all the more real
when it comes.
The assurances oi those around us
have nothing to do with the question
1t does not do to tell man suffering
from this terror that it is imaginary
for if he becomes convinced that he
has created this thing, which is so ieal
to him and yet is not real, he will 60
mad. Think of it: think of the aw.
fulness of it! You realize by your rea
son that the horror is not there; you
realize that your friends do not see it
you realize that your own brain ha:
created it, yet you know it is there
you see it, feel it, hear it. Yet it is
nothing except imagination, but fol
you it is most awful, horrible reality
Along side Of this real ghost would b.
nothing. You might get away from
that, but from this creation of yon
own you can never be separated
There is then ghost which ma,
come to every human soul, the ghos
of conscience Its reality il none tn
less awful because subjective; for t.
the horror with which it fills the sui
ferer is added the thought that he
suffering as the result Of his own sin.