The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1919-09-06
SPIRITUALISM TREATED
IN VARIOUS PHASES
Writer Declares 1t Is Not Always Re-
sponsible for That With Which 1t
Is Charged.
USES SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

USES SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
About two weeks ago l listened to {
discourse on S%piritualism by Mr.. Hol
man, Evangelist, at the tent on SeconC
street. OF course he quoted from the
Scriptures, but made a point of pick
ing mostly out of the Old Testament
certain passages that suited his dis
course, but failed to read some of the
beautiful truths that lie hidden there
To condemn Spiritualism and theiI
beliefs or the beliefs of any other sects
or creed, is not becoming of any man,
He has all he can do to take care OF
his own. Spiritualism is no more re
sponsible for the vagaries of the fanat-
ic, who on the hOuse-tOp proclaims his
absurd conception of Sp~iritualism,
than the church is for the old-fashion-
ed camp-meeting antics of this fanat-
les grandfather, from whom perhaps
he has inherited his disordered mind.
If Sp~iritualism is a religion, its our
duty to harmonic all religions. 1t
was my pleasure at the last Union
Meetings of the Several Pleasantyille
Churches to hear several of our es-
teemed ministers make the assertion
that our loved ones are not far away,
and oftentimes by their unseen pres
ence shed a loving influence around
and about us. He made a statement
that they ignored the Bible. He had
no right to. He ought not to class true
Sp~iritualism with fortune telling,
sooth-saying, mi~nd-reading, ETC., etc.,
just because he happened to be ac-
quainted with that kind. Let me quote
a few of the beautiful passages the
Rev. Gentleman failed to quote, and
there are hundreds of others in the
same Book. 1t seems strange to me,
that if evil spirits or devils Gas he
says) a excite and allure our
thoughts to evil by making use of u
indwelling %depravity, why cannot good
angels incite the Christian mind to
useful and holy thoughts, by making
use of indwelling grace. That evil
spirits do in this way operate on wick
ed hearts, why should not the other be
equally creditable? Our souls are also
susceptible of being operated upon by
human spirits: why not by angels?
Joseph was warned by an angel in a
dream to flee to Egypt with Mary and
the Holy child, because Herod was
seeking to destroy it. When Herod
was dead he was invited by the angel
to return again into the land of Israel.
So also did an angel go before Peter
when he brought him out of prison and
delivered him out of the hand Of Her
cd, and from all the expectations of
the people of the Jews. When Abra-
ham stood before the altar with uplift-
ed hand to offer his only son, the
child Of promise, God delivered him
by the voice of an angel; so he bids
angels to minister unto us, under sim
liar circumstances. 1t was an angel
that delivered the three faithful wit
nesses out of the fiery furnace. 1t
was an angel that shut the lions
mouths, hat they should not hurt
Daniel when he was cast among them.
Don't you remember the beautiful Wis
ion of Jacob in the wilderness, how he
dreamed and what he saw and beheld
the ANGELS of God descending and as
cending, ami behold the Lord stood
above it; and what delightful promises
he spake to the lonely sleeper, not to
him alone, but to all his posterity.
God made known to Jacob that there
was a communication open between
heaven and earth, that the angels of
Cod assembled and descended continu-
ally, and this should continue until
through his seed all the families of
the earth had received heavenly bless
ing. The Saviour declared, in evident
allusion to the vision of Jacob, Here
after shall ye see heaven open and the
angels of God ascend and descend
upon the son of man."-John /: 81.
Paul practically understood and
foT,nhf tho doctrine of tho ministry nf
angels or spirits as is evident from
Heb. /: IA, when he asks Are they
not all ministering spirits sent forth
to minister for them who shall be
heirs of salvation?" He also had a
clear understanding of their active
agency in assisting mortals with their
prayers to God. Likewise the Spirit
also helpeth our infrmities, for we
know not what we should pray for as
we ought: but the Spirit itself, max
eth i~ntercession for us with groanings
which cannot be uttered, and he that
searcheth the hearts knoweth what is
in the mind Of the Spirit, because he
maketh intercession for the saints,
according to the will of God."-Ro-
mans 8: 26, q. That here the term
(spirit) relates only to a disembodied
human spirit, is clear, if you reflect
upon the a%bsurdity of supposing God,
or either of the others in the Trinity
to make intercessions with himself
with groanings, and this view is con.
f1rmed in the 9th verse, which reads:
"He that searcheth the heart, knoweth
what is in the mind of the Spirit,
If you assume the word spirit" as
here used to mean God, it would be
equivalent to saying that God knoweth
what is in His own mind, which would
be idle talk. But assuming the word
to signify a human spirit or angel
you have a clear and forcible statement
of the truth that your spirit friends
join in your intercessions; they from
their more elevated planes, often know
ing better than MORALS what mOrtals