The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-03-09

that Christians are idolaters. Spiritu-
aism calls pack Tom Paine, and he
testifes hat he Is stopping in the same
house in heaven with John Bunyau.
They call back John Wesley. and he
testifies against the Christian religion.
which he all his life gioriously preach
ed Andrew Jackson Davis, the treat
est of all the sp~iritualists. comes to
the front and declares hat the New
Testament is but the dismal echo Of
a barbaric age" and the Bible only
"one of the pen and ink relics OF
Christianity"
/ have in my house a book used in
s~piritualistic service. 1t contains a cat
echism n a hymn book. The cate
chism has these question and an
swers:
Frequent ablution in water.
Q. What is ~ inspiration? 4. Flesh
air and sunshine.
Q. What is our love feast? A. Clear
conscience and sound sleep.
Q. What is our prayer? A Physical
exercise.
And then il goes on to show that a
great proportion of their religious SER
vice is a system of c~alisthenics. Then
when they want to arouse the devotion
OF the people to the highest pitch, they
give out the hymn on the fifty-siXth
page
The night hath gathered up her silken
fringes.
Or. on the fifteenth page:
Come to the woods, heigh no,
But" says some one. wouldn't il be
of advantage 10 hear from the future
world? Don't you think it would
strengthen Christians? There are a
great many materialists who do not
H.
from the future world should knock
and talk over to us they woul be per-
suaded." To that l answer in the ring
ing words Of the Son of God, IF they
believe not Moses and the prophets.
neither will they be persuaded though
one rose from the dead"
THE SEDUCING SPIRITS.
I believe these are the days of which
the apostle spake when he said, In
the latter times some shall depart from
the faith, giving need to seducing spir-
it's" Audiences in this day need to
have reiterated in their hearing the
passages 1 quoted some minutes ago,
There shall not be among you a con-
suffer of familiar spirits, or wizard, or
necromancer, for they that do these
things are an abomination unto the
Lord" and, The sould that turneth
after such as have familiar spirits ]
will set myself against them, and they
shall be cut off from their people,"
But l invite you now to a Christian
seance, a monday seance. This congre-
cation is only n great family. Here
is the church table. Come around the
church table; take your seats for this
great Christian n put your Bible
on the table, put your hands on top
of the Bible and then listen and hear
if there are any voices coming from
the eternal world. I think there are.
Listen, Secret things belong unto the
Lord, our God, but things that are
revealed belong unto us n to u
children" Surely that is a voice from
the spirit world. But before o rise
from this Christian seance 1 want you
to promise me you will be satisfied
with the divine revelation until the
light of the eternal throne breaks
upon you vision. Do not go after the
witch of En-dor. Do not sit down at
table rappings either in sport or in
earnest.
Teach your children there are no
ghosts to be seen or heard in this
world save those which walk on two
feet or ~four-human or bestial. Remem-
Der that spiritualism at the best is a
useless thing, for if it tells what the
Bible reveals it is a superfluity, and
if it tells what the Bible does not reveal
it is a lie. Instead of going out to get
other people to tell your fortune tell
your own fortune by putting your trust
in God and doing the best you can. l
will tell your fortune "All things work
together for good to them that love
God" Insult not your departed friends
by asking them to come down and
scrabble under an extension table. Re-
member that there is only n spirit
whose dictation you have a right to
invoke, and that is the holy, blessed
and omnipOtent spirit OF God. Hark!
He is rapping now, but on a table or
the floor, but rapping on the door Of
your heart, and every rap is an invita-
ton to Christ and a warning of judg-
ment to come. Oh, grieve him not
away! Quench him not. He has been
all around you this morning. He was
all around you last night. He has been
around you all our lives. Hark, There
comes a voice with tender, overmas-
tering intonation, saying, My spirit
shall not always strive"