,transcriber's ,notes    ,obvious       
typographical errors have been silently 
corrected4 ,variations  in hyphenation  
have been standardised but all other    
spelling and  punctuation remains       
unchanged4    ,italics are represented  
thus italic4          ,illustration3    
,publisher's ,device                    
,the ,astral ,world                     
,,higher ,,occult ,,powers              
,clairvoyance1 ,spiritism1 ,mediumship1 
and                                     
,spirit-,healing ,fully ,explained      
,,by                                    
,,joel ,,tiffany                        
,,introduction ,,by ,,phenix            
,third ,edition                         
de ,,laurence1 ,,scott  ,,company       
,,chicago1 ,,ill41 ,u4 ,s4 ,a4          
#aiaj                                   
,title ,page                            
,,copyright #aiaj                       
de ,,laurence1 ,,scott  ,,co4           
,,table ,,of ,,contents                 
,page    ,introduction                  

v      ,chapter      ,i4--,on the       
,determination of ,truth                
#ag      ,,ii4--,the ,sphere of ,lust   
#ch      ,,iii4--,the ,second1 or       
,relational ,sphere                     
#fa      ,,iv4--,communication          
#gf      ,v4--,philosophy of            
,progression                            
#ii      ,,vi4--,mediumship             
#aae                                    
,,vii4--,mediumship--,spiritual ,healing
                                  #acj  
,,viii4--,condition of the ,spirit in   
the ,spirit-,world                  #adf
                                        
,,ix4--,organization--,individualization
                                 #afj   
,x4--,what ,constitutes the ,spirit     
#aga      ,,xi4--,lust                  
#ahg      ,,xii4--,marriage--,free ,love
                                        
#bjf                                    
,,introduction      ,the relations of   
man to his ,god have occupied the first 
minds of every  age1 but without        

rendering those relations so            
understandable to the  mass of mankind  
as to be admitted as true4 ,it has been 
evident to many1  although not to all1  
that some minds so engaged have been    
inspired to  write beyond the current   
knowledge of their day1 indeed to       
foretell  truths which could only be    
recognized as such after centuries of   
progression4    ,the natural propensity 
of the human mind in the exercise of its
  ingenuity has been constantly         
developing in the endeavor to theorize  
upon the writings of these inspired     
authors1 so as to present an  entire    
system for the consideration of man4    
,each of these systems so  proposed has 
passed away1 from the fact that it      
carried with it the  elements of its own
 destruction1 itself not arising purely 
from the  absolute1 and therefore       
subject to the analysis of progressed   
mind1  and by such analysis found       
wanting4 ,those theories which might    
have  seemed compatible with the ability

 to adjudge truth in the middle  ages1  
were not truths to the more progressed  
minds of later times2  so that truth1   
except to absolute consciousness1 may be
 considered1  when subject to the test  
of human comprehension1 as not absolute 
even  to such comprehension1 except in  
degree1 and that varying with the       
continued progression of the recipient4 
,thus the best minds at this  time      
willingly admit that the writer of ,job 
was inspired--that he wrote  truths     
beyond the comprehension of more than a 
thousand years beyond  his time4 ,one   
instance of this may be thus stated3    
,to ,galileo and ,copernicus we have    
attributed the discovery of the fact    
that the world is round2 and yet the    
writer of the ,book of ,job1 who  wrote 
a thousand years before them1 tells us  
that the earth is round1  that its north
 is frigid1 that the waters are divided 
by the dry  land1 where the day becomes 
night1 and the night becomes            
day--clearly  indicating that the       

continents are twelve hours apart1 and  
that the  earth must revolve to enable  
the relative position of its parts to   
the  sun to give the phenomena now so   
well understood4    ,plato was an       
inspired man4 ,he wrote on the soul1 far
 in advance of  his day2 and it is only 
a progressed mind at this time that can 
read  and comprehend his views4 ,with   
,plato1 all admit that his normal       
progression might have been equal to the
 observance of the results of  his      
inspiration4 ,but the writer of the     
,book of ,job could never have  seen an 
ocean4 ,he could not have known of the  
existence of another  continent1 and the
 sciences collateral to his text could  
not have  rendered him the didactic aid 
which would have been necessary to have 
made him cognizant1 in his normal       
condition1 of the truths he uttered2    
and1 therefore1 it is at least possible1
 if not probable1 that these  truths    
were directly the result of inspiration1
 as much beyond his  own comprehension  

as beyond the comprehension of others4  
,indeed1 even  at the present day1      
thousands of students of theology have  
read ,job  without perceiving that he   
had fore-run ,galileo and ,copernicus in
  their supposed discoveries4    ,it is 
not to be wondered at1 then1 that modern
 ,spiritualism and its  truths1 if      
credited to the source from which they  
are supposed to be  derived1 should be  
found to present truths not understood  
as such by  every mind2 and1            
notwithstanding its million converts1 it
 seems to have  embraced but few minds  
capable of presenting in a didactic form
 these  truths4 ,the various writers on 
the subject have rather spoken of its   
curiosities than its use2 and we know of
 no book capable of instructing  and    
satisfying even a progressed mind on    
either the precise use or  exact        
advantages arising from a full belief in
 ,spiritualism4    ,this task has been  
most fearlessly performed by ,joel      
,tiffany1 ,esq4 ,he  brought to the work

 a vigorous and original mind4 ,a long  
course of  legal practice had peculiarly
 adapted him to the task1 particularly  
as  an investigator of truth4 ,his own  
progression was such as to enable him   
to advantage by his former practice1    
while his mediative power gave him      
intuitive advantage seldom combined in  
the same individual4 ,his course  of    
lectures seems to be suited to the      
precise wants of the day4 ,it is  true  
that they are not calculated for the use
 of the novice1 but they  are the only  
source we know of at this time by which 
those who have  passed through the      
curiosity-phase of the subject of       
,spiritualism are  enabled to review    
their observations and apply them       
usefully to their  own progression4 ,all
 those properties of the mind known as  
adjective  in common parlance1 requiring
 the assistance of the observation of   
others to render them substantive1 are  
clearly defined by ,mr4 ,tiffany4       
,his analysis of mind1 when properly    

understood1 enables all the truths  he  
has set forth to be read                
understandingly2 in other words he gives
  the modus by which we may determine   
truths at least equal to the  progressed
 condition of man at this time to       
comprehend4    ,the ,sphere of ,lust1   
that greatest bar to man's progression1 
both in  its analysis and synthesis1 is 
placed within his comprehension1 and    
hence his power of avoidance is         
materially increased4 ,the fabled       
terrors of ,hades1 ,sheol1 ,tartarus1   
and ,gehenna are defined so as to be    
comprehended by an ordinary individual1 
while the relational sphere of  man is  
so treated as to enable each reader to  
define his own position1  and those     
below him1 sufficiently well to assist  
in his aspirations for  higher exercise4
    ,communication and ,progression are 
fearlessly treated1 and the  master-mind
 is observable in all the collateral    
incidents of thought  consequent upon   
their investigation4    ,mediumship is  

rendered understandable to all1 and     
those phases which  have been           
unproductive of good results to minds   
not elevated beyond  the consideration  
consequent upon the morbid appetites of 
the curious1  are fairly depicted so as 
to enable the investigator to avoid     
their  recurrence1 and to progress      
beyond their painful influences4    ,mr4
 ,tiffany has judiciously failed to     
cater to the tastes of those who  but   
magnify ,kings to conceive of ,gods4 ,he
 has presented the ,deity1 or  the      
consideration of the ,deity1 to the     
minds of his audience1 in such  a manner
 as to call forth the highest feelings  
of the soul for the  comprehension of   
the highest truth4    ,the condition of 
the ,spirit in the ,spirit-world1 as    
portrayed by him1  is freed from the    
melo-dramatic condition in which it has 
been painted  by the fashionable and    
various theologians of the day4 ,the    
character  of those ,spirits is shown to
 be in accordance with the great law of 

,god--,progression4    ,while we freely 
admit the usefulness and beauty of many 
works written  on abstract phases of    
,spiritualism1 we can not but perceive a
 want  of continuity in their didactic  
character2 and from the point where  the
 mind admits a future state of existence
 to the supposed character  of that     
existence and the proper preparation of 
the ,spirit while in  the form for      
entering upon such a condition1 we can  
not but observe  that no work preceding 
these ,lectures by ,mr4 ,tiffany has met
 the  demand4 ,a careful reading of     
these ,lectures1 we are confident1 will 
elevate and instruct every              
,spiritualist4 ,it will enable him to   
review  his intuitions1 and to find     
their true value4 ,it will chasten his  
confidence in communications which are  
not self-evident as truths1 and  improve
 his power to comprehend these truths4  
,we ask the reader to peruse the        
following pages no more rapidly than  he
 can clearly comprehend them4 ,every    

proposition is worthy his best  thought 
and highest power of study2 and if he   
follows them with the  same pure        
aspiration that seems to imbue their    
author1 he will rise  from their        
consideration a wiser and a better man4 
,,phenix4                               
,,the ,,astral ,,world ,,higher ,,occult
 ,,powers                               
,,chapter ,i4                           
,,on ,,the ,,determination ,,of ,,truth4
      ,in commencing the investigation  
of ,spiritualism1 it becomes necessary  
in the outset that we find some point   
from which to start1 or to  commence our
 examination2 for1 in the inquiry after 
truth1 we must  find some standard by   
which we can determine truth--for unless
 we have  that to which we can appeal to
 determine infallibly what is truth1    
however much we may investigate1 we     
shall always be uncertain as to the     
accuracy of our conclusions4    ,man1 as
 a conscious being1 endowed with the    
faculty of perceiving  being and        

existence1 and also being susceptible to
 the influence  of that which he        
perceives1 himself becomes the center of
 all his  investigations in the         
universe2 and if there is any standard  
by which  to try truth1 he must find    
that standard within his own            
consciousness4  ,outside of man's       
consciousness there is no standard to   
him of truth4    ,i will illustrate     
briefly what ,i mean1 that you may      
perceive how ,i wish  to direct you in  
the investigation of the question1 ,what
 is ,truth8 and  how shall it be        
determined8 ,the science of mathematics 
is said to  be certain and              
demonstrative4 ,and why is the science  
of mathematics  any more demonstrable   
than is any other science8 ,why is it   
that the  truth which it affirms can be 
any more positively demonstrated than   
any other truth8 ,is it because number  
and quantity are more fixed and  certain
 than are qualities and attributes of   
being and existence8  ,why is it that   

the affirmations of mathematics are more
 demonstrable  than the truths of any   
other science8 ,i answer1 that it is    
simply  owing to the mode of proceeding 
in our investigations4 ,if we will      
adopt the same process that we do in    
mathematics1 we can have the  same      
certainty upon all other questions that 
come within the sphere  of man's        
perceptions and affections4 ,the        
mathematician comes down  into his own  
consciousness1 and finds certain        
conscious affirmations  pertaining to   
number and quantity4 ,he puts them down 
as truths not to  be disregarded1 and   
calls them self-evident truths or       
axioms4 ,they are  such affirmations of 
the consciousness as everybody must1 per
 force1  admit to be true2 and when he  
has obtained the affirmations of his    
consciousness pertaining to number and  
quantity1 he puts them down  as truths  
not to be disregarded4 ,they are always 
true everywhere1  and under all         
circumstances1 where number and quantity

 are to be  investigated4 ,he assumes   
nothing to be true which conflicts with 
these  conscious affirmations of the    
soul4 8,things equal to the same thing  
are equal to one another0 must be       
received as true throughout the wide    
universe1 so far as the mathematician   
investigates2 and he allows  nothing to 
controvert that self-evident truth2 and 
so of all other  affirmations4 ,he      
allows nothing1 in his investigations1  
to conflict  at all2 and whatever does  
conflict1 he affirms to be false4 ,then1
  before he takes another step1 he is   
very careful to fix upon accurate       
definitions1 so that we may know        
precisely what he means--may understand 
exactly the scope of what he says4 ,for 
instance1 speaking of geometry1  he will
 say that it pertains to the measurement
 of extent1 and extent  has three       
dimensions--length1 breadth1 and        
thickness4 ,he next goes on  to give    
definitions of that which is necessary  
to bound space--tells  you what is a    

straight line1 what a curved line1 what 
is a plain  surface1 what is a curved   
surface1 etc4 ,after having ascertained 
the  affirmations of the consciousness  
of the soul1 in respect to number  and  
quantity1 and having fixed accurately   
upon the definition of all  terms to be 
used1 he then commences by              
demonstration1 and will not go  one step
 faster than demonstration attends      
him--does not launch at all  into       
conjecture4 ,he makes the relation      
between premises and conclusion         
inevitable2 and if there be not an      
inevitable relation1 he does not        
establish his proposition               
mathematically4    ,now1 what is true in
 respect to mathematics1 is true in     
respect to  every other subject that may
 come before the mind4 ,there are       
conscious  affirmations of the soul     
lying at the basis of all investigation2
 and  in these conscious affirmations of
 the soul is to be found the standard   
by which to try the truth of whatever   

plane or sphere of thought4 ,the  first 
point to be taken is to ascertain what  
are the affirmations of  the soul upon  
these points to be investigated4 ,our   
next step is to fix  upon certain       
definitions1 so that we can always      
understand precisely  what we mean in   
our use of terms4 ,then we must see next
 that the  relation between premises and
 conclusion be always inevitable4 ,there
  must never be left any opportunity for
 the premises to be true and the        
conclusion false4 ,then we shall always 
be certain of having the truth4    ,in  
investigating the science of mind and   
spirit1 ,i propose to  pursue this      
mathematical course2 and not attempt to 
argue any point  that is not capable of 
demonstration--that is not based upon   
the  absolute affirmation of the soul1  
conducted with reference to strict      
definitions1 and making the relation of 
premises and conclusion  inevitable4    
,the reason of being thus particular is1
 that the greatest  confusion prevails1 

not only in respect to the subject of   
the ,new  ,philosophy1 or ,spiritualism1
 but in respect to all subjects         
pertaining  to spiritual life4 ,man does
 not know precisely where to begin his  
investigation4 ,he does not seem to know
 precisely where he is certain  of any  
thing pertaining to spiritual existence1
 and thinks that it must  be all        
conjectural4    ,now here is an         
affirmation which ,i believe every man  
in the audience  will agree to be an    
affirmation of every one's              
consciousness1 and  that it lies at the 
basis of all our investigation of this  
and every  other subject4 7,i will say  
further1 that1 if any individual in the 
audience disagrees with me1 he will     
confer a favor by manifesting that      
disagreement at any time2 because ,i    
wish to be exceedingly near to  you as a
 lecturer1 and wish you to be           
exceedingly near to me1 so that  there  
may be the most perfect freedom of      
intercourse of thought and  expression  

between us47    ,then the first         
affirmation of the consciousness is     
this3 ,that the mind  can perceive      
nothing but its own consciousness1 and  
that which is  inwrought into that      
consciousness4    ,now ,i wish you to   
try that in every possible way1 to see  
if be true4  ,we talk about getting     
information and forming ideas from      
subjects  outside of ourselves1 as      
though it were independent of our minds4
  ,my proposition is1 that the mind can 
perceive nothing but its own            
consciousness1 and that which is        
inwrought into that consciousness2  and1
 furthermore1 that its perception of    
being and existence will  be according  
as it is inwrought into its             
consciousness2 and by no  possibility   
can it be anything else to the          
individual2 and1 as a  matter of course1
 if there be any standard anywhere by   
which to try  truth1 and know that it is
 true1 that standard must be inwrought  
into  the consciousness of the          

individual who has to apply it2 and he  
will  apply it accordingly as it is     
inwrought into his consciousness4 ,now  
is there any one that does not perceive 
that this is absolutely true8  ,then    
receiving that as a truth which every   
mind affirms--it can not  suppose the   
contrary of it to be true--we must set  
down every thing  as false which        
conflicts with this proposition1 no     
matter whether it  overthrows authority 
or not4 ,whatever conflicts with this   
self-evident  truth1 or affirmation of  
universal consciousness1 must be false4 
,truth does not conflict with truth4    
,you may be assured that falsehood      
always exists where you find conflict   
and antagonism4 ,it follows then1  that 
all there is of being or of existence in
 the universe that will  ever be known  
to you or me will be that which is      
inwrought into our  consciousness4 ,it  
follows1 as a matter of course1 the     
universe can  be no larger and no more  
perfect1 than it can be inwrought into  

our  consciousness2 and it will be      
limited to us by our mental unfolding4  
,hence it will necessarily follow1 that 
different individuals who are           
differently unfolded in the different   
departments of their intellectual  and  
perceptional natures1 will perceive     
being and existence in very  different  
lights2 and yet each will suppose that  
each sees it in the  same lights1 until 
we begin to compare notes4 ,there will  
be as many  different ,new ,yorks as    
there are different minds to form images
 or  conceptions of ,new ,york4 ,so     
there will be as many different mental  
,earths or mental universes as there are
 minds to form conceptions  of our      
,earth and the universe2 and each mind  
will have the ,earth or  the universe   
fashioned into his own consciousness1   
and when it will  investigate1 it will  
investigate that which is then fashioned
 therein1  and study it as fashioned    
there4 ,it follows then1 as a matter of 
course1 that when the image of the      

existence within our consciousness      
corresponds to the actuality1 that is1  
when the ideal in man  corresponds to   
the real in ,god1 then man has the      
truth--not till then4  ,that is1 when my
 perception of being and existence      
corresponds with  the being and         
existence1 then ,i have the truth of    
being and existence4  ,but just so far  
as my idea or perception of being or    
existence  deviates from its actuality1 
just so far my impression is false4     
,these  conclusions follow as a matter  
of necessity4 ,hence you and ,i will    
learn at once1 that the first lesson for
 us to learn in commencing the  study of
 the universe1 is to learn ourselves4   
,the very first volume  that is opened  
before us1 is that which ,god has given 
us in giving  us a conscious being4     
,here we must commence our first lesson1
 because  every thing must be recorded  
in the pages of this volume4 ,god can   
never  manifest any part of the universe
 or himself to us beyond the capacity   

of the pages of this volume to receive  
that manifestation4 ,it follows  then1  
as a matter of course1 that truth can   
never be communicated by  authority2 and
 when a man tells me that a certain     
thing is true upon  his authority1 ,i   
can not receive it simply upon his      
statement4 ,you will  understand that ,i
 distinguish between stating a truth and
 narrating a  fact4 ,i may receive a    
statement of fact upon authority4    ,a 
man may tell me that there is such a    
place as ,london1 and ,i believe  it2   
and ,i may form an idea respecting it2  
but the ideal ,london ,i  have in my    
mind is very far from being the real    
,london--is very far  from being a      
representation of the real ,london4     
,that is1 the ideal  ,london which ,i   
have exists only in my mind1 has no     
representative  corresponding in the    
outward matter-of-fact ,london4 ,but    
when the  real ,london is brought into  
my consciousness1 ,i have the ,london4  
,before1 ,i had a sort of a ,london4    

,now you will understand what is  meant 
by a difference between forming a       
conception of a fact and a  truth4      
,suppose ,i should say to you that the  
sum of the squares of the  two sides of 
a right-angled triangle is equal to the 
square of its  hypotenuse1 you having   
faith in my capacity to determine truth 
will  say1 8,i will believe it as a     
fact2 but ,i have no perception of its  
truth--,i have only your word for it40  
,now your faith is not in the  truth of 
the proposition1 but in my word4 ,there 
is a truth there1 but  you can not      
receive it upon my authority4 ,the      
reception of it as a  truth depends upon
 your mind being unfolded to the plane  
of that truth4  ,the question then for  
us to settle is1 whether the conception 
in our  minds corresponds to the        
actuality4 ,if we have the means of     
determining  that it does correspond1   
then we have the means of determining   
that our  perception is true4 ,the truth
 is the perception by the mind of that  

which is4 ,you may apply this rule to   
any sphere of investigation that  you   
please4 ,then let us begin with man as a
 microcosm of the universe1  and who is 
destined in his spiritual unfolding to  
be a microcosm of  all that is in the   
universe2 in other words1 whose mind    
here is to  begin to translate the      
universe into its consciousness4 ,the   
universe  is a great book1 which it is  
man's business to read and translate    
into  his consciousness1 so that the    
image within shall correspond to the    
actuality without--so that he shall be a
 universe of himself--so that  the      
individual in his affection by that     
which is transferred also  becomes a    
divine1 a god4 8,is it not written in   
your law1 ,i said ye are  gods80 ,man is
 to become in his impulses and character
 like the divine  of the universe1 so   
that he has not only all the wisdom1    
fact1 and  principle1 but all the       
affection of the universe1 to wit1 the  
divine  translated into his affection1  

so that in his outward form and inward  
being he is a child of ,god1 created in 
his image4 ,thus1 so far as we  proceed 
day by day in translating the actual and
 real universe into the  perceptive and 
ideal in us1 so fast are we unfolding   
and growing up  into knowledge2 and when
 that knowledge is united with the truth
 and  affectional impulses converted    
into wisdom1 we are made temples for the
  in-dwelling of the divine spirit4 ,it 
becomes us1 then1 to make use of  all   
means within our power to perceive this 
great volume that ,god has  opened      
before us1 and given us the means of    
studying1 translating into  our minds1  
and making our own4 ,looking at man1    
then1 as a conscious  being1 one that   
possesses the faculty of perceiving     
existence in all  its various modes of  
manifestation1 and also of perceiving   
being  itself1 thus having within       
himself that whereon ,god can write not 
only  the phenomena1 but the law and    
science of being itself1 let us become  

free men1 lovers of the truth1          
determined to be honest with ourselves  
and the world1 determined to know what  
can be known1 and not to be  deceived   
either by our own appetites1 passions1  
or lusts1 or by the  influences that    
others may extend over us to turn away  
our minds from  earnestly and truthfully
 investigating all subjects4 ,the mind  
that is  afraid to look upon the wide   
universe1 to receive the image that ,god
  would impress upon it every day and   
moment of his life1 is denying the      
birthright of his soul4    ,man1 as a   
conscious being1 is the subject of three
 degrees of  conscious perception--he   
can be subject to no less and no more2  
and  being influenced by what he        
perceives--three degrees of affection4  
,in  other words1 there is laid the     
foundation for three spheres of thought 
and three spheres of affection4 ,he can 
possess no more--no less4 ,now  ,i am to
 demonstrate this to be true in such a  
way that every one of  you shall know   

its truth4 ,i begin first to prove that 
these spheres  of knowledge and         
affection exist in you1 because it is my
 business1  after having proved this--if
 ,i should succeed in proving it--to    
show  that in the wide universe there   
are but those same three spheres of     
knowledge and those same three spheres  
of affection and love--no less  and no  
more2 that man possesses within himself 
the elements of all  knowledge and      
affection that exist in the wide        
universe4 ,unless he did  possess these 
elements1 he could not investigate the  
universe2 for  he can only investigate  
that1 the elements of which exist within
 his  consciousness4 ,in the first      
place1 man has that faculty by which he 
perceives the mere phenomena of         
existence1 or1 in other words1 he has   
that department of conscious being which
 is addressed by what we call  the      
physical senses1 the scope of which is  
to reveal to him facts and  phenomena in
 the material plane of existence4 ,the  

physical senses can  only reveal to him 
the facts and phenomena4 ,in this       
respect man differs  not at all from the
 animal1 which possesses the same number
 of physical  senses1 and is impressed  
by the same light that impresses man's  
senses--is subject to the same          
conditions4 ,the law by which perception
  is awakened in the consciousness is   
the same in the animal as in the  man4  
,but man possesses also another element 
that is not content with  mere          
investigation1 or mere observation of   
forms and phenomena4 ,you see  this     
other nature is manifested in the little
 child1 after he begins to  walk about  
and observe the forms of things4 ,there 
are certain things he  can not ascertain
 by the use of the physical senses1 and 
he asks his  parents for further        
information4 ,if you will examine the   
philosophy  of asking questions1 you    
will perceive that it is a means of     
gaining  information by the exercise of 
some faculties higher than the physical 

senses4 ,it is seeking for information  
that shall be applied to the            
consciousness1 that shall be represented
 by ideas that exist in the  mind4 ,we  
may suppose that ,sir ,isaac ,newton and
 his dog were sitting  in the orchard1  
and that both saw an apple fall to the  
ground4 ,the  dog could observe the fact
 as well as ,sir ,isaac ,newton1 but    
,sir ,isaac  ,newton perceived that     
there was something involved in the fall
 of that  apple1 which the dog never    
thought of4 ,the dog confined his       
observation  to the mere fact2 but ,sir 
,isaac ,newton perceived1 by the aid of 
a  higher faculty1 that there existed a 
law which he wished to ascertain1  and  
therefore commenced investigation to    
discover it4 ,this department  of mind  
which led ,sir ,isaac ,newton to make   
this investigation was  not content with
 observing the mere facts or phenomena  
of existence1  but wished to investigate
 that which was concerned in the        
production  of the phenomenon4 ,that    

faculty gives rise in man to this second
  sphere1 which observes not the        
phenomena1 but investigates the law  or 
proximate causes of phenomena1 and opens
 the field of science and  philosophy4  
,hence the second sphere of thought is  
that sphere which  investigates the     
relation of things and determines the   
law of action  and manifestation through
 that relation4 ,it belongs to what we  
call  the relational1 the middle1 or    
mediatorial sphere2 because it embraces 
the means by which causes operate to    
produce effects4 ,for instance1  ,i     
speak and you hear4 ,i am a cause of    
producing a sound2 your ears  are       
affected by the sound produced4 ,the    
atmosphere is the medium by  which the  
action is transmitted from my organs of 
speech to those of  hearing4 ,the       
physical senses notice the fact in the  
physical sphere2  the intellectual      
perceptions notice the means by which   
the fact is  produced4 ,the next1 the   
highest1 the inmost1 absolute nature is 

that  which perceives the absolute cause
 of these effects4    ,there is a sphere
 of mind in you that observes the mere  
effect2 there  is a sphere that         
investigates the relation or law by     
which phenomena  are produced2 there is 
also a sphere of mind which searches    
after  and perceives the absolute cause 
of the phenomena4 ,now1 inasmuch as  all
 being or existence must come under one 
of these forms1 either  its phenomena1  
the means by which they are produced1 or
 the cause  which1 through the means1   
has produced the phenomena1 there can be
  but these three departments of        
conscious perception3 the physical or   
intellectual1 the moral or relational1  
and the divine or absolute1  which      
perceives the absolute of all being4 ,to
 illustrate the difference  between the 
relational and the absolute3 ,when ,sir 
,isaac ,newton  discovered the existence
 of the law of gravitation1 and found it
 the  same that caused the motion of the
 planetary bodies1 it was supposed  that

 he discovered the cause of their       
motion4 ,he named that law  attraction1 
or attraction of gravitation4 ,now we   
turn upon ,sir ,isaac  ,newton and ask1 
,what is attraction of gravitation8 ,the
 only reply  that can be made is to     
speak of its effects4 ,however          
intellectual the  mind may be1 it must  
be ignorant of the absolute1 because it 
belongs  to the sphere of relations4    
,you can not analyze the infinite4 ,you 
can  not compare the infinite4 ,it is   
only in the sphere of the finite that   
the intellectual faculties have power to
 pursue their investigations4  ,that    
which perceives the absolute must of    
itself be absolute2 that is1  the finite
 can not receive the infinite--the      
finite can not embrace the  infinite4   
,therefore1 if the infinite is ever to  
be represented to man1  there must be a 
department that is receptive of the     
infinite2 and that  department must be  
infinite1 or it can not receive the     
infinite4 ,when ,i  dwell more          

particularly upon this subject1 ,i will 
endeavor to make it  apparent to you so 
far as language is capable of making it4
    ,corresponding to the three spheres 
of perception there are three  spheres  
of affection4 ,the first sphere is      
called the sphere of  self-love1 or1 to 
use a word which would express it in    
every relation1  ,i would call it lust2 
that is1 the desire for                 
self-gratification4 ,this  is the lowest
 sphere pertaining to the finite1 and   
corresponding to  the sphere of fact or 
phenomena4 ,the second sphere is the    
sphere of  relational love1 and that    
divides naturally into two              
departments--the  love of unconscious   
nature1 the love of sciences1 etc41 and 
the love  of conscious being1 or moral  
love1 by which man loves his neighbor1  
some conscious being out of himself4    
,that is the second sphere of love1     
known as relational1 and it belongs to  
the sphere of relational truth1  or the 
sphere of intellectual and moral        

investigation4 ,there is a  third sphere
 of impulse or love1 known as the divine
 or absolute love1  called the love of  
,god1 the love of the infinite4 ,in one 
of these three  spheres is every man's  
ruling affection to be found--in the    
sphere of  self-love1 seeking           
self-gratification2 or in the sphere of 
moral love1  seeking the welfare of his 
neighbor2 or in the sphere of divine    
love1  loving as ,god loves1            
universally--not objectively1 but       
subjectively1  all the wide universe4   
,there can be but just these three      
spheres4  ,now if each of you will      
investigate1 you will readily recognize 
two  of the affections at least to which
 ,i have called your attention1         
self-love1 and social love1 but more    
particularly self-love1 desire  for     
self-gratification1 desiring that you   
may be first mad happy1 and  then       
leaving the world to be happy afterward4
 ,the love that goes out  of itself1 and
 loves some being out of yourself1 is   

exemplified in the  love of a true      
husband for his wife1 of a parent for   
his child1 of a  brother for a sister4  
,all these loves give indication of the 
second  sphere of love1 known as        
charity1 good-will to the neighbor4     
,this  love is the means by which       
self-love is first overcome or          
destroyed4  ,the individual is brought  
from self-love1 through charity1 to     
divine  love1 just as1 in his knowledge1
 he is brought from the sphere of  fact1
 through relation1 to the absolute of   
being2 and hence1 in the  spheres of    
unfolding1 the three degrees are        
necessarily absolute4 ,look  at society4
 ,what is it but the aggregate of       
individuals composing it8  ,society1    
separate from individuals1 is nothing4  
,the love of society is  only the love  
of the aggregate of individuals4 ,now1  
inasmuch as the  love will belong either
 to the sphere of self-love1 charity1 or
 divine  love1 you will find that       
society will always be expressive of one

 of  these three loves1 never the third1
 though4 ,we say of society1 when  we   
look to the principles that govern it in
 its administration1 it is  but the     
embodiment of the character and will of 
those constituting the  government --it 
is but an expression of the individuals 
composing it4  ,therefore there are     
three spheres of government             
corresponding to the  three spheres of  
the individual4 ,for individuals living 
in the selfish  nature1 the government  
will be a government of force4 ,the     
individual  who has come out of this    
obeys the truth because he loves the    
truth4 ,he  does not feel the restraints
 of law that says1 ,thou shalt not      
steal1  ,thou shalt not lie4 ,he does   
not know that there are any such laws in
  the ,state4 ,he never felt any        
restraints4 ,that individual is not in  
the  sphere of self-love2 and the       
government over him is not a government 
of  force4 ,the government over him is a
 moral government1 and has its place  in

 his affection4    ,coming out of the   
government of force1 man comes into the 
second1 the  ,christian1 or government  
of moral love1 the government of        
charity4 ,he  then comes under the 8new 
commandment ,i give unto you1 that ye   
love  one another40 ,this second1 or    
mediatorial sphere1 is a moral one2     
hence this dispensation has been called 
the mediatorial dispensation4  ,hence ,i
 say there will be a second sphere of   
government1 or second  dispensation1 as 
it was called2 but that dispensation is 
only the  magnification of the          
individual4 ,it is only the             
representation of  society as one great 
individual4 ,then there is a prophecy of
 the  third and perfect dispensation1   
which is called the millennial1  the    
divine dispensation4 ,when the second   
shall have performed its  mediatorial   
work1 when every individual will have   
been perfected in  his moral nature1 and
 shall be prepared to receive influx    
from the  divine1 then will arise the   

third dispensation of government1 known 
as the millennial4 ,if we refer to the  
forms of expression by which  it is     
designated1 we will find it spoken of as
 taking place at the  consummation of   
the age1 at the end of the world1 when  
that mediatorial  age is through1 when  
man is perfected in his moral nature1   
has put  down all rule and power2 then  
,christ himself becomes subject to the  
,father1 and ,god1 the ,divine1 becomes 
all in all4 ,that brings in the  third  
dispensation1 the third sphere of       
government4 ,these three spheres  of    
love in man lay the foundation for the  
spheres exhibited in the  ,spirit-world4
 ,the governments upon the earth1 as    
well as in heaven1  have their basis in 
man4 ,man is but the footings-up of all 
past ages2  and the ,spiritual worlds   
have their foundation in him4           
,therefore1 when  you and ,i wish to    
study the ,spirit-spheres1 to know what 
constitutes  a sphere and degree1 we are
 not obliged to go out of ourselves and 

look into space ten1 fifteen1 or a      
thousand miles away4 ,that is not  the  
way to study the ,spirit-world4 ,the way
 is to go within and study  the spheres 
of ,spiritual being and affection4      
,individuals who are in  either of these
 spheres are allied to one of the three 
spheres in the  ,spiritual world4 ,the  
first is called the lowest1 or dark     
sphere1 the  sphere of outer darkness1  
sometimes called the grave4 ,the grave  
was  called the place of darkness1 where
 there was neither knowledge1 or        
device1 or wisdom1 and was that to which
 allusion was made in saying1  that     
those in the graves shall hear the voice
 of ,god1 and shall live4  ,it is       
sometimes called 8,gehenna40 ,it        
corresponds to man's lustful  nature1   
and represents the darkness and impurity
 of man under the  influence of his     
lusts4 ,that is what characterizes the  
first or lowest  sphere of ,spiritual   
being4 ,the second sphere corresponds to
 man's  intellectual or moral nature4   

,it is called 8,paradise10 the place of 
happiness4 ,jesus said to the thief on  
the cross1 8,to-day shalt thou be  with 
me in ,paradise40 ,two days after1 when 
,mary met him at the tomb1  and offered 
to embrace him1 he said1 8,touch me not1
 for ,i have not yet  ascended to my    
,father40    ,he had been in            
,paradise--in the second sphere--and he 
told them that  when he ascended to his 
,father they should see him no more4    
,both  ,gehenna and ,paradise are       
spheres of ,spirit-manifestation4 ,those
 who are  charitable1 and who do possess
 truly spiritual natures or affections1 
are in alliance with ,paradise4 ,those  
in lust are in alliance with the  sphere
 of lust or ,gehenna4 ,those who have   
passed through1 and fulfilled  every    
impulse and every love in the second    
sphere1 are said then to  be brought    
into the divine presence4 ,they no      
longer need a middle man  between them  
and the ,divine1 because the ,father can
 then speak directly  to them4 ,but so  

long as man is in the sphere of outer   
darkness or in  ,paradise1 there is     
between him and the ,divine 7and he must
 approach  by a mediator7 something that
 can take the things of the ,father and 
make them manifest to him in the visible
 sense4 ,but when man has come  into the
 third sphere1 there is no longer a     
middle man2 ,christ himself  becomes    
subject to the ,father1 and ,god becomes
 all in all4 ,then comes  the ,new      
,dispensation1 or the ,consummation of  
the ,christian ,age4 ,the  point to     
which ,i wish to call your attention is1
 that the governments  in earth1 as well
 as in heaven1 all have their basis in  
man --man being  but the footings-up of 
all the ages of eternity4 ,all is summed
 up in  him2 and he is the footings-up  
of all that preceded him2 hence all the 
,spiritual spheres have their basis in  
man4 ,therefore1 when we wish to  study 
the ,spirit-spheres1 we are not obliged 
to go out of ourselves and  begin to    
look off into space ten1 fifteen1 or one

 thousand miles away4  ,the way is to   
come within1 and ascertain the sphere of
 ,spiritual being1  ,spiritual          
perception and affection2 for all there 
is of the ,spiritual  universe is what  
has its basis in the individual ,spirits
 who constitute  the spheres4    ,as the
 societies of earth are composed of the 
individuals of earth1  so are the       
spheres of the heavens composed of the  
individuals of the  heavens1 and the    
ruling nature of the different spheres  
is but the  aggregate of the ruling     
loves of those composing those spheres4 
,the  laws of the spheres are but the   
laws of those composing the spheres4 ,we
  are germinal universes4 ,we are to be 
developed and unfolded consciously  till
 the whole universe is translated into  
our consciousness4 ,there  is but one   
way to study the universe1 and that is  
to come down into  ourselves and study  
ourselves4 ,this idea of looking out of 
ourselves1  looking to any external     
method outside of our consciousness to  

find  out what constitutes a ,spiritual 
sphere or degree1 is all fallacious4    
,spirits may come and rap1 talk1 and    
preach till doomsday2 if they can  not  
find the elements within your           
consciousness out of which they can     
construct that ,spiritual sphere1 you   
can not perceive or get any true  idea  
of ,spirit-spheres4 ,it is as though ,i 
were born blind1 and had  never seen the
 light1 and of course knew nothing of   
light1 color1  and darkness1 and some   
individual should endeavor to make me   
believe  that ,i was living in total    
darkness1 when there would be no part of
 my  being to which he could appeal to  
make me believe4 ,there would be no     
possibility of conveying the thought to 
my mind1 because ,i should have  no     
conscious experience of light1 color1   
etc4 ,outward language could  not give  
me the idea4 ,unless ,i have had the    
conscious experience to  give me the    
idea out of which to construct the idea1
 the ,spirits from  the ,spirit-world   

may come from every sphere and degree1  
and they can  not convey to my mind an  
accurate idea of those spheres and      
degrees4  ,if they would make me        
understand who ,god is1 and what he is1 
they must  find in me the elements out  
of which to construct that ,god4 ,i say 
it  is useless to look for information  
out of yourselves until you know  what  
is in yourselves4 ,the first lesson is  
to learn who and what am  ,i4 ,i propose
 to commence my investigations in each  
individual's own  consciousness1        
starting with affirmations of that      
consciousness1 and  with definitions    
about which we can not disagree1 and    
then go forward  step by step1          
demonstrating every point1 and          
ascertaining the law of  manifestation  
as that law is revealed in us4 ,i do not
 ask ,spirits1  and do not wish them to 
come to tell me about the law that      
governs  in their sphere4 ,the truth is1
 we can not avoid the fact1 that all    
communications that come                

understandingly1 must come in the method
 that  ,god has ordained1 and that      
method is that it must be written by his
  law upon our consciousness2 and when  
it is written so1 ,spirits can  come and
 point out the writing to us2 and that  
is the best they can  do4 ,i desire you 
to understand distinctly what will be   
the basis of  my lectures1 what will be 
the points ,i shall attempt to          
establish4 ,i  shall endeavor to prove  
,spiritualism4 ,i shall not come to the 
raps  for a considerable time4 ,they are
 so far off1 ,i shall not attempt to    
prove ,spiritualism by rapping for some 
time yet4 ,people say we have got       
beyond the rapping4 ,the truth is1 a    
large portion of the world have  not yet
 got to the raps4 ,they are not yet able
 to appreciate the raps4  ,we must make 
considerable progress before we can get 
the philosophy  of the raps4 ,we have   
much to learn yet before we can get the 
full  benefit of a simple sound1 even   
though it be not accompanied by much    

intelligence4 ,the first lesson ,i shall
 attempt to teach--pardon me for        
assuming to be a teacher1 ,i will be a  
pupil at any time--is how to study  and 
know yourselves2 how to ascertain the   
laws of your being1 action1  and        
manifestation2 how to determine what is 
and what is not spiritual  in you2 how  
to determine whether you are under      
,spirit-influence or  not--for there are
 laws by which all these things can be  
determined4  ,in my investigation ,i    
shall perhaps be able to determine where
 that  terrible creature1 ,jack1 the    
,giant-killer1 the ,odylic force1       
resides1  and show what it can and what 
it can not do4 ,and ,i promise1 too1 in 
the face and eyes of all theorizers who 
believe that the ,spiritual             
manifestations are traceable to this    
force1 and to the satisfaction  of      
everybody else1 to demonstrate that it  
is not competent to produce  them4 ,i   
will demonstrate it according to        
,president ,mahan's hypothesis4  ,i will

 show by every known law of nature that 
the power exerted at  the brain's       
center1 in a single instance he has     
given1 was equal to  a thousand         
steam-engines of a million horse-power  
at the distance of  five feet from the  
brain4 ,but that will merely come in as 
collateral  when ,i consider the        
objections offered to our theory4 ,i    
will endeavor  to consider every        
objection which any objector has        
proposed to bring  forward4 ,i do not   
stand here to boast1 but what ,i speak  
is to me  absolute4 ,i stand here       
fearlessly1 and invite all classes of   
minds  to raise any objection they can  
to the ,spiritual theory2 and ,i bind   
myself to answer them instanter1 or     
confess my inability to do so4 ,the     
invitation commences now1 and extends to
 every moment ,i am in the city4    ,in 
my next lecture ,i shall begin with the 
question of ,spirit-spheres1  and       
endeavor to unfold to the consciousness 
of each of you the evidence  of the     

existence of a first sphere1 from which 
you will all do well to  escape2 and    
shall then proceed to prove the         
existence of other spheres1  namely1 the
 second1 or relational sphere1 and a    
third1 or divine  sphere4 ,i invite     
skeptics and atheists in particular to  
be particularly  captious4              
,,chapter ,,ii4                         
,,the ,,sphere ,,of ,,lust4      ,man   
possesses three natures--the animal or  
sensuous nature1 the  intellectual and  
moral nature1 and the divine nature4    
,mind1 in whatever  department it is    
manifested1 possesses two               
qualities--perception and  affection1   
and understanding and love2 or1 when    
understanding is united  with true      
affection1 wisdom and love4 ,i have     
heretofore said1 that  since man1 in the
 lowest department of his being1 is     
animal in his  character1 possessing the
 faculty of perceiving facts and        
phenomena1  that faculty was the        
perceptive part of his animal being     

which embraces  self-love1 or a desire  
after self-gratification4 ,that portion 
of the  mind which pertains to the      
second part of man's nature was         
described  as being that which          
investigates the laws and relation of   
things1  inquires into what relates to  
that department of nature called the    
scientific1 and studies that which      
relates to man and society4 ,what  is   
called the moral department of man's    
being is that which relates  to the     
affectional part of his nature1 and     
which is called moral love  or charity4 
,that which pertains to the divine or   
absolute of man's  being was said to    
embrace the religious element in him2   
through which  department the ,infinite1
 as the absolute of being and of        
affection1  is to be revealed to the    
mind4 ,the love characterizing this     
department  was described as divine     
love--the love of the ,divine ,being4   
,the first  love is objective in self1  
the second is objective in neighbor1 and

 the  third is subjective in ,god4      
,thus1 then1 was given the division of  
that  department of mind pertaining to  
man's perception and affection4    ,i am
 now to commence with the first--man in 
the lowest department of his  perception
 and affection1 to show you its nature1 
and its presence in  him1 in society1 in
 government1 and in the ,spirit-world4  
,if we would  learn the laws that govern
 in that sphere of the ,spirit-world    
called  outer darkness1 we need only    
learn the laws that govern in the sphere
  of outer darkness which is in man1 and
 which is caused by man to exist  in    
society4 ,a singular idea has obtained1 
that this lower animal nature  derives  
its quality from the physical body we   
carry about with us2 and  that when we  
come to be separated from it1 we shall  
no longer possess  any of that nature2  
as though this earthly body was the     
foundation of  perception or            
affection--as though the instrument were
 the cause--as  though this body1 which 

we temporarily inhabit1 exercised more  
control  over us than the mind6    ,i   
propose first1 then1 to inquire how much
 influence the body exercises  upon the 
mind1 and how much influence the mind   
exercises upon the  body1 so that we may
 arrive at something like an accurate   
conclusion  as to what our condition    
will be beyond the grave2 for if we know
 how  much is to be subtracted1 at      
death1 from our animal natures1 we can  
know how much of that nature remains    
after we have passed beyond the         
influence of these material bodies4 ,my 
first position is this3 ,the            
manifestation of impulse in finite      
beings rises out of the relation  which 
one finite being sustains to another4   
,there is no impulse that  does not grow
 out of this relation2 and the impulse  
is according to  the nature and         
character of that relation4 ,in the     
divine order1 if  my body1 as a physical
 and a finite existence1 did not sustain
 any  relation1 it would be subject to  

no impulse2 therefore1 whenever ,i      
perceive an impulse arising within me1  
,i am informed thereby that ,i  sustain 
a certain relation to something1 and    
that if ,i would become  truly wise in  
controlling that impulse1 ,i must learn 
what that relation  is4 ,i might begin  
back of mind or conscious being to show 
how uniform  this law is in the material
 or unconscious world1 as that the      
influence  between the earth and the sun
 arises out of a certain relation       
existing  between them1 and that if you 
change or destroy that relation1 you    
change or destroy that influence4 ,but  
,i will illustrate this truth  by       
reference to a conscious being4 ,if man 
could be isolated from all  laws1 he    
would be a very different being from    
what he now is1 although  he might      
retain the same constitution which he   
now possesses2 because  he could not    
then come into certain relations which  
are necessary1 in  order to have        
revealed within him certain affections4 

,i will take1 for  instance1 the        
conjugal relation4 ,it is the nearest   
the ,divine4 ,it is  the first-begotten 
relation below the ,infinite4 ,until a  
man and woman  come into the true       
conjugal relation1 they can not         
experience that love  known as conjugal 
love4 ,till then it can not be begotten 
in them4 ,they  may conjecture they know
 what it is1 but until that true        
relation is  established between them1  
they can never have an adequate         
conception of  it--can never know what  
it is to become so oblivious in another 
as the  true wife does in the husband1  
or the true husband does in the wife2   
nor can they1 like the true husband and 
wife1 experience that perfect  harmony  
of soul1 or listen to that sweet        
spiritual music within1 till  they have 
entered this relation1 which alone can  
fit them for a proper  conjugal union4  
,the law exists1 and the conditions     
exist2 but man must  place himself1 and 
woman must place herself1 within the    

sphere of the  law and the conditions1  
or they can not experience the benefit  
to be  derived from them4 ,so with the  
parental relation4 ,no woman can know   
what maternal love is till she becomes a
 mother4 ,is it not so1 mothers8        
,people may conjecture that they know   
what it is1 and suppose it to be  a pure
 and friendly love-feeling existing     
between mother and child2  but they can 
have no adequate conception of the deep 
tenderness and  holiness of maternal    
love--their idea of it does not begin to
 reach  down into the almost infinite   
depths of that holy love4 ,there is no  
possible way for an individual to know  
what maternal love is1 but to  come into
 the maternal relation4 ,that is the way
 ,god reveals it in  the soul4 ,the     
reason is1 that the true maternal       
impulse in the finite  is the           
manifestation of the ,divine in the     
finite sphere1 and this  manifestation  
can only be made in an individual when  
that individual  comes into the sphere  

where the ,infinite can confer that     
blessing4 ,the  same is true with       
reference to paternal1 fraternal1       
filial1 and social  love3 they all      
depend for their development upon those 
in whom they are  manifested coming into
 the true relation which gives birth to 
them4    ,the same law holds good when  
applied to the relations existing       
between  the body and the spirit4 ,my   
body can not be nourished so as to      
become  an instrument of individualizing
 in me an immortal spirit1 unless it be 
sustained by those things necessary to  
become a part of its organism4 ,i  have 
needs1 as an immortal being1 which must 
be supplied1 or ,i perish2  and since   
those needs exist1 they must have some  
means of manifesting  themselves to me2 
and one of the means employed for that  
purpose is the  feeling of hunger4 ,a   
desire for food proclaims a need of my  
wasting  body4 ,the needed material can 
then be taken into it to build it up and
  fit it for its holy mission of being  

an instrument in elaborating an         
immortal spirit4 ,so1 likewise1 thirst  
is the voice of ,god proclaiming a  need
 of my body1 and my spirit is induced to
 seek for that which shall  supply the  
demand of a divine impulse originating  
in that plane4 ,so it  is in regard to  
all other needs of the body calling upon
 the spirit for  gratification4 ,the    
impulses1 then1 pertaining to this body 
have not  their origin in this body1 but
 only in the relation which this body   
sustains to my spirit2 and when the     
spirit has fulfilled its duty of        
supplying the needs of the body1 the    
demand ceases4 ,when1 being hungry1  ,i 
have appropriated the proper quantity of
 food1 the desire for food  ceases4 ,it 
is so respecting every other need--when 
it is supplied1 the  demand ceases1 and 
the individual continues to be satisfied
 till the  demand is again created4 ,by 
studying the needs of the body1 and     
making  yourself acquainted with its    
condition as far as it relates to the   

spirit1 you may learn exactly how much  
influence1 truly and properly1  it      
exerts upon your spirit2 but when you   
look beyond the needs of the  body1 and 
find impulses asking for more1 you may  
be certain that you  are finding        
impulses which do not pertain to your   
body4 ,though they  may lay hold of your
 body and stimulate it to action and    
administer  to its gratification1 yet   
they do not arise out of it1 but out of 
some neglected need4 ,such impulses are 
the voice of ,god calling our  attention
 to some need which you have forgotten  
or neglected1 and they  will not permit 
you to rest till you discover what that 
need is and  supply it4 ,i will         
illustrate this point4    ,although man 
in the lower department of his nature is
 animal1 he is  nevertheless something  
more than an animal in the activities of
 his  nature4 ,the highest impulse of   
the animal is to provide for and protect
  its perishable mortal structure1 and  
he has no immortal spirit to  provide   

for in the future4 ,he is content when  
the needs of the body  are supplied4    
,did you never notice how content and   
unconcerned are the  horse and dog when 
their demand for food is supplied8      
,young animals  and young children1 in  
their play1 are supplying one of the    
needs of  their body4 ,but when the     
children have passed from childhood1    
desires  of that kind cease1 if they    
become properly developed men and women1
  and others take their place2 while the
 animal1 whenever the needs of  his     
animal nature are supplied1 is          
satisfied4 ,consequently1 you do not    
see dissipated animals4 ,did you ever   
think of that8 ,animals do not  get     
drunk1 nor seek for gratification in any
 such unnatural channel4  ,animals are  
true to nature and to ,god4 ,they can   
not have thoughts  and desires that     
pertain to the undying spirit1 their    
highest nature  being merely animal4    
,were man as true to all the needs of   
his being as  is the animal to the needs

 of his animal nature1 he would not be  
the  discontented1 unhappy1 and lustful 
being he now is4 ,but in consequence  of
 having to supply the needs of a higher 
nature1 he finds himself  far from being
 as contented as the brute1 whose animal
 wants are all  provided for4    ,there 
are spiritual needs pertaining to his   
understanding and  affections which are 
entirely overlooked or neglected by him1
 whose  demands are as imperative as are
 the demands of the animal nature4 ,the 
demands of his intellectual and moral   
nature cause him to feel the lack  of   
something within which destroys his rest
 and quiet4 ,he seeks to  satisfy this  
lack by gratifying his sensuous         
appetites and passions4  ,thus man runs 
into vice1 and becomes sinful4 ,were it 
not for his  immortal thirsting for the 
water of life1 he never would be a      
wicked1  lustful being2 or if he would  
supply the demands of that thirst1 he   
never would be discontented or lustful4 
,now let us make the distinction between

 the lustful and the divine  impulse1   
that you may better understand what ,i  
mean by the sphere to  which ,i am      
calling your attention4 ,we all can tell
 the difference by  appealing to our own
 consciousness4 ,the divine impulse     
informs us of a  need1 and leads us to  
seek to supply it4 ,the ,infinite only  
speaks of  needs1 and leads man to      
supply them1 that he may grow up into a 
perfect  being4 ,every impulse in man1  
from the lowest to the highest nature1  
must be attended to1 in order to render 
him perfect4 ,the true impulse  is one  
that promotes individual happiness and  
contentment4    ,when the infant1 in    
consequence of this impulse1 feels the  
sense  of hunger calling for food1 and  
such food as its infantile nature       
requires1 it cries2 but the supply of   
that demand is only necessary to  cause 
it to cease its crying4 ,this is because
 the child is free from  those lusts    
which attach to persons advanced in     
years4 8,of such is the  kingdom of     

heaven40 ,the child does not lust after 
things that shall  gratify or tickle its
 palate2 it only seeks for those things 
which it  needs2 and when they are      
supplied1 it ceases calling for more4   
,but with  the advance of age it learns 
of lustful parents1 or by being acted   
upon  by lustful influences1 to seek    
gratification through lust1 while in its
  original unperverted state it knows no
 impulses but those which are  natural1 
and1 consequently1 it obeys the true and
 divine law4    ,without stopping to    
inquire into the origin of lust1 ,i may 
say that  it originates in man's        
ignorance1 necessarily4 ,if you         
recollect the  figure in the parable of 
the ,garden of ,eden1 you remember that 
the  sin committed by ,eve was eating of
 the tree of knowledge of good and      
evil4 ,that is where we all eat4 ,but ,i
 do not propose to dwell upon the       
nature and origin of this lust in man1  
but merely to speak of it as  being that
 which characterizes him in his lowest  

sphere of being4 ,it  brings him into   
antagonism with his neighbor and ,god4  
,it is that which  begets in him so much
 crime1 and which brings ruin upon the  
world4 ,that  is lust which leads him to
 seek after self-gratification          
irrespective  of any need1 while the    
true impulse only leads him to seek to  
supply  those things which are really   
needed4 ,the impulse belonging to the   
lower sphere may be characterized as    
lust4 ,the idea which obtains so        
generally in society1 that lust belongs 
only to animal1 sensual1 or  sexual     
desires1 is1 therefore1 erroneous4      
,man may seek gratification in every    
plane of his being2 not only in  what he
 eats and drinks1 but also in the       
intellectual plane4 ,he may  seek to    
gratify a vain curiosity4 ,when he feels
 restless1 he goes off  searching after 
amusement4 ,time hangs heavy on his     
soul4 ,there is a  perishing need       
calling for action1 and he knows not    
whence it comes1  and he seeks to 8kill0

 this time by amusement or otherwise4   
,this is  lusting1 not in the animal    
sense1 but in the intellectual sense4   
,he  may also lust in the moral plane4  
,what are called friendships in the     
world1 are distinguished by lusts4 ,you 
know how the world selects  its friends3
 it selects them according to the       
pleasure it expects to  derive from     
them4 ,is it not so8 ,does not the      
selfish man and woman  select friends   
with reference to the enjoyment they    
expect to derive  from their association
 with them8 ,and are they not most      
constant in  their attention to those   
who are most successful in administering
 to  their enjoyment8 ,look at this1    
each of you4 ,look over the list of your
  friends1 and tell me really what is   
the basis of your friendship4  ,you love
 your friends1 you say4 ,why do you love
 them8 ,you love to be  with them4 ,why8
 ,you seek their society4 ,why8 ,some of
 your friends you  love best4 ,tell me  
why it is that you love them best4 ,you 

say they  are the most agreeable to you1
 and hence you love to be with them4    
,is that the highest basis8 ,if so1 when
 they cease to administer to  your      
gratification1 what relation will you   
hold to them then8 ,it is  said that    
8prosperity makes friends1 and adversity
 tries them40 ,they  can make it        
pleasant for us when they are with us1  
and in prosperity2  but when adversity  
comes1 their position is not quite high 
enough  for us2 and we prefer those     
differently conditioned4 ,this remark is
  in accordance with the statement1 that
 the friendship of the world  is based  
upon the principle of gratifying        
ourselves4 ,in making your  morning     
calls1 you sometimes visit your friends 
from a sense of duty2  and are          
influenced by the fear that they will   
find fault with you if  you follow your 
feelings in the matter1 and go where you
 will derive  the greatest amount of    
pleasure4    ,when you think these      
friends are laboring to your            

disadvantage1 then  your love for them  
soon cools off4 ,they don't answer your 
purpose4  ,thus1 trifling circumstances 
make foes of friends4 ,you may test the 
friendship you think you have for       
individuals4 ,if a person's friendship  
seems to be strong1 and he can not enjoy
 his friendship for another1  unless in 
that other's society1 and he desires to 
be in the presence  of that person1 so  
that he can hear his voice and feel his 
personal  influence1 and if1 when       
separated from that friend he is        
disquieted and  unhappy1 very much as is
 the person who uses strong drink or    
tobacco1  and is deprived of his beer1  
or rum1 or tobacco--his friendship has  
a low basis4 ,but if one has a true     
friendship1 which is high1 and  holy1   
and spiritual1 one where his whole      
confidence is merged in that  friend1 he
 trusts him with his heart and most     
secret thoughts1 and  knows without     
doubt that he can not be betrayed by    
that friend2 and  they hold constant    

spiritual communion with each other1 no 
matter how  far apart--there is a       
concord of spiritual communion between  
them that  enables them to enjoy each   
other's society when separated by       
hundreds  of miles4 ,true friendship is 
of the spiritual kind that does not     
regard  so gross and physical a         
friendship as the friendship of the     
world4 ,i  wish to call your attention  
to the presence of this impulse in you1 
because perhaps you have not looked at  
the subject in this light4    ,a word to
 husbands and wives4 ,a young man1 when 
he contemplates getting  married1 thinks
 he will get a wife that will make him  
very happy4 ,one  young man thinks he   
would like a wife who will be           
economical2 another1  one who would make
 a good housekeeper2 and another1 an    
intellectual  companion2 so they select 
not so much with reference to the wife1 
as  to the use of the wife4 ,and ladies1
 on the other hand1 select husbands  who
 they think will provide them a good    

home1 afford them protection1  etc42    
they want a husband for his use2 so the 
union between the man  and woman is     
often based upon the idea of use1 and   
not upon their  fitness for companions2 
and hence their love for each other     
continues  so long as the use continues1
 and no longer4 ,if a man who desires  a
 good housekeeper finds that his wife is
 not one1 or if a husband  finds his    
wife faulty in any other important      
particular1 just in  proportion as she  
proves faulty his love for her is       
abated2 and at the  end of twenty-eight 
days--the period denominated the        
8honey-moon0--he  finds he does not love
 her near as well as he supposed2 and   
that  what he supposed was love1 was1   
after all1 but a desire after           
gratification--that he was loving self  
instead of his wife4    ,man may be     
lustful in his religion as well as in   
his moral relations4  ,he may mistake   
what he supposes to be the love of ,god 
for the love of  the use of ,god4 ,he   

expects ,god is going to make him       
eternally happy1  and bestow upon him   
unending enjoyment1 and for this reason 
he shouts  and praises him1 and calls it
 loving ,god4 ,he does not see that ,god
 is  so much better than anybody else2  
but he has become satisfied that ,god   
means well1 and will bless him2 and he  
honors him for these things4  ,hence his
 seeking after religion that he may make
 himself happy and  save himself from   
suffering is as lustful and selfish as  
seeking after  something good to eat or 
drink1 making self-gratification the    
object of  his search4 ,the great       
difficulty1 my friends1 with popular    
religion is1  that it is only a         
religious expression of lust4 ,that it  
has not beaten  swords into plowshares  
and spears into pruning-hooks1 and      
taught people  to learn war no more1 is 
because it has failed to adopt the means
 by  which the world can be made pure   
and happy4 ,hence the religious man may 
be as selfish as the miserly man1 and   

yet think he is so much like ,god  that 
he is going to be saved4 ,but it is not 
religion that he loves2  it is only the 
use of religion4 ,satisfy him that ,god 
is not going to  benefit him1 but that  
he is going to damn him1 and he will    
curse him  bravely4 ,i ask everybody to 
look at this4    ,it is claimed1 as ,i  
have already remarked1 that the impulse 
of lust  belongs to the body1 and does  
not grow out of the relation which the  
mind sustains to the body4 ,what need1  
,i ask1 did ,alexander's body  feel1    
which demanded that he should have all  
the kings and potentates  of earth on   
their knees before him8 ,what did he    
want of the wealth of  the earth8 and   
what made him weep because there was not
 another world  to conquer8 ,was it his 
body8 ,i tell you1 ,nay2 there were     
perishing  needs within him that would  
not give him rest till they were        
supplied2  and1 ignorant of the nature  
of those needs1 he sought to supply them
  by the gratification of his selfish   

nature4 ,not heeding the voice of  ,god1
 he took his sword and rushed upon      
mankind1 and made that the balm  for the
 healing of his restless spirit2 and    
when he had conquered the  world1 and   
had it at his command1 he was more      
miserable than before2  simply because  
he had entered farther into the broad   
road leading to  destruction and death4 
,he felt the bitter agony of soul       
consequent  upon a departure from the   
straight and narrow path4 ,this lust was
 not  the lust of his body--it was the  
lust of the spirit4 ,it was a desire    
for self-gratification that arose1      
because the needs existing in           
consequence of neglecting the demands of
 the spirit were not supplied4  ,he     
sought gratification in a way in which  
he thought he could obtain  it2 but he  
was sadly disappointed in the result4   
,the miser1 in every age1 has been      
trying to obtain happiness by getting   
gold4 ,a ,french miser1 who1 like a     
great mass of mankind1 thought  wealth  

would make him happy1 sought for it1 and
 was so successful as  to obtain it4 ,he
 possessed his untold millions1 and yet 
desired more2  and he found that the    
more he possessed the more he desired4  
,he also  perceived that his wealth did 
not gratify his wants4 ,the moment he   
possessed it1 he found he could not take
 care of it to his liking4 ,he  could   
not trust it in banks1 for the banks    
might break2 and he did  not like to    
invest it in stocks1 for stocks were    
liable to depreciate  in value2 so he   
made up his mind that he would convert  
it into money1  and keep it continually 
in his sight2 and accordingly he had it 
placed  in heaps1 and stood and watched 
it4 ,but then he was unable to sleep    
because he feared burglars and          
assassins1 whose plottings for his life 
and money constantly rung in his ear4   
,as he stood and watched those  shining 
heaps1 he reflected that although he had
 obtained wealth he had  derived no     
satisfaction from it1 but that every    

dollar added to his  possessions added a
 new pang to his sorrows2 and he        
determined to kill  himself1 and        
accordingly proceeded to the banks of   
the river ,seine1  for the purpose of   
drowning himself4 ,upon arriving at the 
river's  bank1 happening to put his hand
 in his pocket1 he found four guineas4  
,thinking they would thereafter be of no
 use to him1 he concluded that  rather  
than have them lost1 he would1 before he
 sought his watery  grave1 go and find  
some needy person to whom he might give 
the money4  ,he accordingly went to a   
miserable hovel close by4 ,as he        
approached  it1 he heard cries of agony 
and distress within4 ,he entered1 when  
he  beheld a most heart-rending sight4  
,there lay a poor1 sick1 distressed     
widow on a pallet of straw1 with a few  
rags for covering2 and there  were four 
hungry1 dirty1 naked children crying for
 bread1 while the  sick mother had no   
bread for them1 or the means of         
obtaining any4  ,the miser stepped up to

 the bed1 and placed the four strayed   
guineas  in her hand1 and told her they 
were hers4 ,she looked wildly at the    
money1 and then at the giver1 and then  
at the guineas again4 ,she seized  his  
hand1 pressed it1 blessed him1 and      
called upon ,god to bless him2  and the 
children thanked him4 ,the thanks1 and  
blessings1 and tears  which were        
showered upon that miser's heart caused 
it to break1 and  for the first time in 
his life a pulsation of pleasure1       
delight1 and  satisfaction beat through 
his soul1 and as he stood and witnessed 
the  joy1 and thankfulness1 and hope of 
that family he exclaimed1 8,what6  is   
happiness so cheap8 then ,i will be     
happy40 ,then he went away1 not  to     
drown himself in the ,seine1 but to seek
 out other similar cases of  suffering2 
and after that he had no occasion to    
kill himself1 for he  had found what was
 the canker that had so long been       
gnawing upon his  heart4 ,he found that 
he possessed a moral nature that had    

needs1 and  that that nature was calling
 upon him to perform certain moral      
duties2  and that the moment he obeyed  
the demands of that nature1 he silenced 
that clamoring within1 which had all his
 life long rendered him unhappy  and    
discontented2 and at a good old age he  
testified that the way to be  happy was 
to be good and useful4    ,i think his  
experience will be yours and mine4 ,we  
talk about wanting  pleasure1 and we    
seek it in amusements and at theaters1  
routs1 and  balls2 and ,i tell you that 
this feeling arises from the same cause 
as  the miser's misery4 ,we have        
hungerings and thirstings of soul which 
we  are required to satisfy1 and except 
we comply with these requirements  we   
will be disquieted4 ,if those of you who
 love the opera1 the  theater1 etc41    
will go forth and tread these streets1  
and find out the  objects of need--those
 worthy of aid--and visit them1 and     
administer to  their comfort1 you will  
no longer feel the need of theaters1    

routs1 and  balls2 and you will find    
greater satisfaction in such a course   
than  these amusements can afford4 ,try 
the experiment1 and ,i will guarantee   
you will be successful4 ,that this city1
 like all great cities1 is  pursuing    
after pleasure1 as the paramount object 
to be attained1  is because their souls 
are hungering and thirsting after that  
food  necessary to build them up into   
the stature of perfect men and women4   
,this makes time seem cruel1 and hang   
heavy upon them2 and1 like the  victim  
who seeks to drown his sorrow in the    
cup1 they seek to fill up  the long     
hours in dissipation4 ,to return to my  
subject4    ,this sphere of lust1 ,i    
say1 then1 does not arise from the body1
 nor  from the influence of the body on 
the soul4 ,it arises from our neglect   
of our spiritual needs4 ,this lust1 this
 desire proclaims a divine life  within1
 which demands activity corresponding to
 our real natures2 and  we can never get
 peace and happiness until those real   

demands of our  natures are supplied4 ,i
 appeal to all pleasure-seekers whether 
this is  not true4 ,you have heard it   
argued whether there be more pleasure in
  anticipation than in participation4   
,the world's pleasures are always  in   
the future1 never in the present4 ,the  
man or the woman of the world  is never 
satisfied with present conditions or    
present attainments4 ,why  not8 ,because
 the man and the woman of the world are 
not attending to  the present needs of  
the spiritual nature4 ,the finite man   
ought to  understand that he lives only 
in the present4 ,god the ,infinite only 
belongs to the future4 ,man's needs     
pertain to to-day4 ,his physical1       
moral1 and intellectual needs are all   
bearing upon the present1 and  not the  
future4 ,the past is his schoolmaster1  
to teach him how to be  ready to enjoy  
the future4 ,it is to-day that we should
 take thought  for2 hence the divine    
saying of the man of ,nazareth--8,take  
no thought  for the morrow4 ,sufficient 

unto the day is the evil thereof40 ,if  
we  look to the present1 and supply the 
needs of the present1 the future  will  
take care of itself4 ,the man seeking   
for religion thinks he wants  it for the
 future1 in order that he may die right2
 but a man does not  want religion to   
die by4 ,there will be no trouble about 
his dying if  he only lives right4 ,i do
 not care for religion for the sake of  
having  it to die by4 ,only give me its 
living benefits1 and you are welcome to 
its dying benefits4 ,this shows the     
false estimate the world sets upon      
religion4    ,i desire to impress upon  
your minds this principle1 that when you
  look down to the real basis of        
selfishness and lust1 you will find     
that they do not originate in the body1 
but that they pertain to the  spiritual 
being4 ,there are certain needs1        
however1 which do grow out  of the      
physical body2 but when the spirit is   
separated from the body1  it no longer  
feels these physical demands2 for       

instance1 it will no  longer feel the   
need of food1 experience thirst1 or be  
susceptible to  the effects of the      
elements--heat and cold--as is the      
physical nature2  but that which        
administers to the demands of the mind1 
independent of  the body1 belongs to the
 mind4 ,and when you enter the ,spirit  
world1 if  you take truth with you1 you 
will also take falsehood--if you carry  
purity with you1 so you will            
impurity--if justice goes with you to   
that  sphere1 so will injustice4 ,now   
think of society in its individual      
action1 social1 governmental1 and       
religious action1 and tell me whether   
the world1 or the individuals of the    
world1 are governed by the true1  divine
 impulse8 ,are they searching after the 
true needs of the body and  mind1 or    
after pleasure and self-gratification8  
,and in your activity1  which           
controls8--a sense of need1 or a desire 
after gratification8 ,you  settle this  
question for yourselves1 and ,i will    

settle it for myself4  ,if you are under
 the rule1 and in the sphere1 of lust   
you belong to the  sphere of outer      
darkness2 and if you are under the rule 
of charity1 you  belong to the second   
sphere or ,spiritual ,paradise4 ,his    
servants you are  to whom you yield     
yourselves servants to obey4 ,it is for 
you to say  whom you will obey4    ,now 
this earthly sphere is the lowest and   
darkest sphere4 ,its  influences are    
dark and defiling4 ,in this sphere men  
are swallowed up  in worldly matters1   
and striving to gratify self4    ,but   
when a separation takes place between   
the mind and the body1 we  shall come   
into new relations1 although we shall   
not at once change  our thoughts1       
feelings1 and affections1 and shall     
recognize ourselves4  ,our lusts and    
self-love will follow us to the         
,spirit-world4 ,there is  not1 as many  
seem to suppose1 a miraculous process1  
by which man is  changed while passing  
through the dark valley of shadows4 ,if 

a change  takes place in him in the     
,spirit-world1 it must be in accordance 
with  the same divine law which governs 
him in this sphere of existence4 ,if    
you will but exercise your reasoning    
faculties on this point1 you  will see  
that it should and must be so4 ,when we 
come to understand  the ,spirit-world1  
we shall find that in our ,father's     
house there is  a mansion suited to     
those who seek after self-gratification1
 and  that that world1 like this1 is    
subdivided into many minor spheres1     
corresponding to the various grades of  
development in the different  spheres of
 mind4 ,there are physical spheres1     
intellectual spheres1  moral spheres1   
and religious spheres1 as there are in  
this world2 and  they are very much of  
the some description as those here1     
because they  proceed from the same     
basis4 ,individuals passing from this   
sphere to  that1 will fashion out of the
 materials which their own conscious    
elements furnish the same kind of a     

,deity there that they worshiped  here4 
,as in ,new ,york city there are many   
degrees of advancement in  these        
different departments--one man seeking  
to gratify his lusts  through appetite1 
and another man in some other way2 and  
as you can  find here every sphere1     
except the divine sphere 7,i doubt      
whether you  can find that71 so in the  
,spiritual world you will find all these
  different degrees of advancement1 each
 occupying its own appropriate  sphere4 
,here is one man who seeks              
gratification1 it may be1 in strong     
drink1  and he worships the bowl2       
another seeks it in food1 and hence     
becomes  an epicure1 and worships the   
stomach2 another1 it may be1 seeks      
gratification in practicing certain     
games or tricks1 or following  after    
some amusement2 while another seeks     
gratification in sexual  indulgences4   
,so you may go on and enumerate the     
endless variety of  channels in which   
men seek to gratify their selfish       

desires2 and it  will be found that     
those in the same pursuit affinitize    
with one  another--drunkards with       
drunkards1 etc4--every sphere delighting
 in that  which corresponds to the      
desires of those who compose it4 ,so in 
the  ,spirit-world2 the ,spirit who was 
a drunkard here seeks gratification in  
the same direction that he did on earth2
 the seeker of pleasure there  still has
 a love for the theater1 routs1 and     
balls2 the libertine still  delights in 
miserable songs he was accustomed to    
hear4    ,governments1 institutions1 and
 associations and relations1 whether    
social1 spiritual1 or otherwise1 are    
expressions of what are the loves  and  
delights of the soul of man4 ,therefore1
 in all institutions1 you  will find    
displayed the characters of those who   
founded them4 ,the  government of any   
country is but the child of the ruling  
mind or minds  of that country4 ,then1  
if we wish to understand the dark       
spheres in the  ,spiritual world1 we    

have only to drop the body and have our 
spiritual  eyes opened1 when we will see
 that there exist there all the phases  
of  society that we find here4 ,the     
cause of this arises from the sphere  of
 lust4 ,you have there your gambling    
,spirits1 your drinking ,spirits1  your 
lustful ,spirits1 etc4 ,and how do these
 poor creatures live there8  ,that is   
the next question4 ,what do they do to  
gratify their desires8  ,i will tell    
you4 ,you understand it to be a         
psychological principle1  that when two 
men are brought into sympathy1 or into  
rapport with  each other 7one being     
positive and the other negative71       
feelings1  sensations1 and desires can  
be communicated from one to the other4  
,to give an illustration3 ,you have     
seen1 in mesmerism1 an exhibition  of   
mind separated from the influences of   
the body4 ,when the mind is  thus       
separated1 and this mesmeric sympathy is
 established between the  subject and   
the operator1 any surgical operation can

 be performed upon  the subject without 
giving him pain1 because his being of   
sensation is  removed from his body2 but
 you can not pull the hair of the       
operator1  or hurt his finger1 or       
otherwise give him pain1 without giving 
pain  to the subject4 ,whatever the     
operator enjoys or suffers1 the subject 
also enjoys and suffers4 ,now it is in  
accordance with this principle  that    
,spirits of the other world gratify     
their desires4 ,spirits who  visit this 
world are obliged to make use of and    
come into rapport  with1 those who have 
appetites and desires similar to their  
own4 ,if the  mind is separated from its
 own body1 it can experience the        
sensations  of another body with which  
it may come into rapport4 ,on the same  
principle a good mind1 or1 if you       
please1 the ,divine ,mind1 can flow     
into the individual mind1 and impart    
thought and sensation to that  mind4 ,or
 a good ,spirit can flow into a medium1 
and awaken sensations  and thoughts in  

accordance with the law of action and   
re-action1  becoming negative or        
positive1 according as he wishes to     
impart or  receive influence4 ,here1    
then1 is the means by which the ,spirit 
is  enabled to gratify its desires by   
visiting earth4 ,those ,spirits who     
allow themselves to be influenced by    
their lusts are called tempting         
,spirits1 and they influence individuals
 on earth that they may make  use of    
them as a means of gratifying these     
lusts4 ,the same law is  manifested by  
individuals in the body4 ,it is not     
because ,spirits wish  to injure the    
bodies which they thus use1 but because 
they desire  self-gratification1 and    
know of no other means of obtaining it1 
except in this sphere of outer darkness4
 ,the lowest in this scale of  unfolding
 corresponds to this lustful nature in  
man4 ,every affection in  society that  
can affect societies of men has its     
representative in the  individual man2  
so that every subdivision of the sphere 

of lust has its  representative in each 
individual2 and the question is whether 
he lives  in one of these departments or
 another4 ,if ,i am developed in the    
moral  department1 there ,i live1 and   
love1 and worship2 and when ,i pass to  
the  ,spirit-world1 ,i go to a sphere   
corresponding to that ruling affection  
by which ,i am controlled4 ,so it is in 
regard to any other sphere of           
unfolding1 whether it be relational or  
absolute1 or otherwise4 ,hence  man     
himself determines his sphere4 ,take any
 man or woman you please1  and let them 
be developed to any sphere1 from the    
darkest sphere of  lust to the purest   
sphere of love1 and if there is any     
place in ,god's  universe where they can
 find that which corresponds to that    
lust or  love1 they will find it4 ,if   
there is any condition suited to make   
them  happy1 they will find it4 ,if this
 were not so1 the ,spirit-world would   
be the worst hell imaginable4 ,to compel
 a man to go where he has no  affinity  

would be to inflict upon him one of the 
greatest punishments  conceivable4      
,compel a lustful libertine to remain in
 a ,methodist  class-meeting1 and shout 
and sing with the enthusiastic          
,methodists1  and he would be extremely 
miserable--he could find many places    
where he  would be infinitely more      
happy2 and in order to be happy1 he     
would be  obliged to go where he could  
find that which would correspond to his 
cast of mind4 ,we can determine where a 
man's ,god is when we ascertain  what it
 is to which he will sacrifice every    
thing else4    ,after having thus given 
the law governing this lowest sphere of 
the  ,spirit-world1 which represents man
 in his undeveloped nature as an        
intellectual and moral being--we are    
qualified to comprehend that  sphere1   
and understand that the same spheres of 
mind which belong to  this belong also  
to the ,spiritual world1 and that       
undeveloped ,spirits  from that         
lust-sphere visit earth1 or societies of

 earth1 not for the  purpose of         
redeeming them1 but for the purpose of  
seeking their own  gratification4 ,i    
have presented to you my views of that  
sphere as ,i  understand it1 and ,i     
shall be prepared1 in my next lecture1  
to take  up the second sphere1 and tell 
you what constitutes it1 and how it is  
that it becomes a mediatorial           
sphere--middle sphere4 ,this second1 or 
,spiritual sphere1 is between the dark  
and light1 or divine sphere4 ,it  is the
 means through which the lustful are    
brought out of their lusts  to the      
divine4                                 
,,chapter ,,iii4                        
,,the ,,second1 ,,or ,,relational       
,,sphere4      ,the subject now to be   
considered is that of the second sphere 
of  mind1 both in its perceptions and   
affections4 ,our last discourse was     
upon what we denominated the first      
sphere1 which was characterized  as     
being a sphere of self-love or lusting  
after self-gratification4  ,the         

individual in this sphere was described 
as being in the lowest  department of   
his mind1 and as allied in his          
affinities with the lowest  pleasures of
 existence4 ,it was remarked that this  
plane of lust could  be manifested as   
well in the intellectual1 moral1 and    
religious plane1  as in the animal or   
physical plane4 ,the criterion by which 
we determine  whether it is selfishness 
is to inquire whether the motive        
prompting to  activity has for its      
object desire after gain4 ,if this is   
the ruling  impulse1 then the           
individual's love is the love of self4  
,though the  grossness of the lust may  
depend upon the direction given it1 yet 
it  is essentially the same whether     
exercised in the moral1 intellectual1   
or physical plane4 ,an individual who   
sought the happiness of another  without
 reference to his own interests was     
described as belonging to  the second   
sphere4 ,he would seek association by   
the affinity of his  moral or           

second-sphere nature4    ,we meet with  
individuals in society who affirm that  
man is essentially  selfish--that he can
 not conceive a wish which does not     
originate in a  desire for self-gain4 ,i
 have no doubt that the individuals     
making that  affirmation are very honest
 in it1 and speak from their own        
conscious  experience4 ,there are many  
such to be found in society1 who know no
  higher love than self-love1 and their 
highest benevolence is based  upon      
selfishness4 ,i doubt not that there are
 those who entertain such  sentiments1  
but ,i utterly protest when such men    
attempt to speak for  the ,race4 ,i will
 allow every person to speak for himself
 upon this  point1 and to ascertain if  
there are not some actions which have   
not  this lustful basis2 and when we    
find that there are such actions        
arising within ourselves which are not  
contaminated with this selfish  thought1
 and which go forth to seek expression  
out of ourselves1 we may  know that they

 do not belong to the first1 but to the 
second sphere of  action1 ,i mean the   
sphere of relation1 as separate from the
 individual  considered in his          
individual love or individual selfish   
impulse4 ,i will  give a few            
illustrations of this kind4    ,every   
individual coming under the divine      
impulses of the sphere  of relation--,i 
mean relation in its divine order--and  
living in  forgetfulness of separate    
self1 will experience some of the       
impulses  which belong to that sphere4  
,when the mother comes into the maternal
  relation and experiences the love of a
 mother for her child1 she is  ready to 
sacrifice the comforts and interests of 
self for the welfare  of that object    
that sustains that near and dear        
relation to her4  ,i speak of the       
maternal love as a representative of    
that love for  another which is divorced
 from its lustful or selfish            
character--not  based upon              
considerations of self-gain4 ,we may    

desire the salvation of  individuals on 
our own account1 for our own enjoyment1 
and also from a  love divorced from all 
considerations of self1 which stands out
 holy1  pure1 and undefiled for a being 
outside of itself4 ,the mother1 in      
loving her child1 experiences happiness2
 and as she presses it to her  bosom1   
and imprints upon its delicate cheek the
 maternal kiss1 there  is joy deep and  
unutterable awakened in that mother's   
bosom2 but she  does not kiss the child 
that she may have the joy4 ,it is not   
her joy  and happiness that she seeks1  
but the comfort1 happiness1 and welfare 
of the child2 and in thus supplying that
 demand of her maternal nature1  she    
feels the influx of the divine nature1  
saying1 8,well done1 good  and faithful 
servant2 thou hast been faithful over a 
few things1 ,i  will make thee ruler    
over many things3 enter into the joy of 
thy ,god40  ,that is what ,god says to  
every mother who loves her babe from the
 true  maternal feeling4 ,so is it in   

the true relation between husband and   
wife4 ,i mean now the union in heaven1  
and not the union fixed up by  society  
and its institutions--,i speak of such  
hearts as ,god has joined  together4    
,when the true husband meets the true   
wife and surrenders all  his manhood to 
the care and keeping of that wife1 in   
full confidence  and trust that she will
 receive it and not abuse it2 and when  
the wife  in return gives all her       
womanhood to the care and fidelity of   
the  trusting husband--when two such    
souls surrender each to each the other's
  self1 loving from an interior and     
divine harmony1 then the joys of        
conjugal love are awakened1 the true    
demands of each soul are supplied  in   
the experience of those joys which can  
be found alone in that  relation1 and   
,god speaks saying1 8,well done10 and   
breathes his divine  blessing upon them4
 ,so it is in the fraternal relation4   
,where from the  natural1 constitutional
 harmony of soul existing between       

brothers1 each  being individualized    
upon a common moral plane1 and loving   
the other  with a pure and undefiled    
love1 their love belongs to the second  
sphere4    ,where the individual loves  
his neighbor as himself1 he would as    
soon  sacrifice his own interest as that
 of his neighbor1 and would as soon  be 
unjust to himself1 nay1 sooner be unjust
 to himself1 than to his  neighbor4 ,he 
loves that neighbor with a pure heart1  
loves him as a  manifestation of his    
divine ,father's ,love1 ,will1 and      
,wisdom1 and seeks  to harmonize his own
 being with him in all his relations4   
,he can not  see a brother1 however     
weak1 crushed1 without seeing himself   
crushed  in that brother4 ,when he loves
 a brother with that pure1 unselfish    
love--when the common heart of humanity 
abides in his breast1 he comes  into the
 true plane of charity2 for charity is  
that which seeketh not  her own4 ,the   
motive that prompts him is not          
self-gain4 ,it is the desire  to do good

 unto others that actuates him4 ,the    
quality of charity is  to suffer long1  
not to be envious1 not to be easily     
provoked1 not to  be puffed up1 or      
behave itself unseemly2 but in all      
things to be true  and faithful1 and    
kind to everybody4 ,the man or woman    
possessed of  this love1 whose whole    
being and activity is directed in the   
sphere of  relation to man1 to society1 
to the world1 belongs to what ,i call   
the  second sphere1 and gives evidence  
that he or she has risen above the      
lustful plane which seeketh its own1 and
 which loves to gratify its  passion1   
desires1 and appetites1 in one form or  
another1 and that he  or she is loving  
in harmony with ,god1 and wills and acts
 in accordance  with the divine         
impulses4    ,look abroad into society1 
look at the love of the world1 and see  
how  many there are who love their      
neighbor with an unselfish love--how    
many  are so careful to be exactly just 
with their neighbor as they are  careful

 to have their neighbor be exactly just 
to them4 ,there are many  who watch the 
scale to see if it preponderates in     
their favor2 and if  the merchant gives 
good weight1 they speak well of him2 but
 if he does  not give good weight1 they 
are very ready to speak ill of him4     
,when  you come to see how much better  
they love to have justice done to them  
than they love to do justice to others1 
you have an indication that  the lustful
 nature is somewhat alive and active in 
their breast4 ,the  individual who is   
conscious that his desire is earnestly  
to be just1  will be as careful not to  
do an injustice to his neighbor as he   
would  be cautious to avoid an injury to
 himself--will no sooner circulate      
defamatory remarks against his neighbor 
than he would defame himself4  ,when you
 find an individual thus acting1 you may
 be certain that he has  risen from the 
first plane and is entering the second4 
,but ,i am sorry  to say that in the    
vast majority of cases you will find    

lust lamentably  present4 ,i called your
 attention to this in my last lecture1  
showing  you how it was manifested in   
almost every sphere of life1 even in    
performing the duties of a father1      
brother1 husband1 or wife4 ,in the      
majority of cases man and society are   
loved for their uses4    ,when it is    
desired to ascertain whether we belong  
to the first or the  second sphere--to  
the sphere of ,gehenna or ,paradise--we 
need only to  determine the quality of  
the affection that rules in us1 to see  
whether  it be looking mainly to our own
 gain1 or whether we rise above self and
  go out to seek the well-being of man4 
,we sometimes mistake1 thinking  that we
 love a man himself1 when we love his   
influence or society1  because by it we 
think we can be elevated in our social  
condition4 ,we  ought1 therefore1 to be 
careful in trying ourselves to know to  
which  plane of affection we belong1    
lest some of these considerations       
outside  of the individual influence us1

 lest that we mistake for love that     
which1 proved by the true standard1 will
 appear to be selfishness and  lust4    
,when one possesses a love for the      
well-being of all1 he is willing to     
contribute liberally and freely of his  
strength and talent for the  redemption 
of all1 and has an unwillingness to be  
found at any time as  the representative
 of that idea which would tend to       
degrade or crush  any human being4      
,there is no being so low in the scale  
of humanity as  to be beneath his       
efforts to raise him up2 and if the     
tyrant should  stand upon the neck of   
the weak1 his impulse is to push that   
tyrant  off and break away the captive's
 chains1 because he can not see his     
brother fettered without feeling        
fettered himself--can not see the       
humblest human being outlawed without   
seeing all humanity insulted4  ,the     
individual who has not seen enough of   
the dignity of the nature of  humanity  
to fulfill the duty he owes to universal

 humanity1 has not  yet come to the true
 plane of charity1 is not qualified to  
occupy a  high position in this second  
sphere4    ,i might illustrate in a     
variety of ways how it is that man      
apologizes  to himself for being        
selfish4 ,here is a constitution1 and   
there a law1  and there a public        
sentiment demanding that a human being  
should be  crushed2 and he turns his    
back to humanity and ,god and bows to   
the  ,constitution4 ,such a man has not 
the love of humanity in his bosom2 he   
loves that which is respectable and     
strong1 and which may be of service  to 
him under particular circumstances4 ,but
 the individual who can be a  ,judas and
 can sell the ,lord in the shape of his 
brother--can betray him  with a kiss and
 sell him for thirty pieces of silver1  
whatever may be  his profession--belongs
 to the lowest grade of humanity4 ,here 
is a truth  that every soul must affirm4
 ,it honors the man that honors         
humanity1  and despises the man that    

despises humanity4    ,when a man in his
 lustful nature will bring his whole    
soul to honor  that sentiment1 he is    
prepared to leave the first and enter   
the second  sphere1 which is expressive 
of the finite character of man as he    
comes into this charitable affection4   
,this character in man is that  which   
determines the second sphere in the     
world of ,spirits4 ,man is a  universe2 
and if there is a hell in the universe1 
it is because it is  in man2 and if     
there is a heaven1 it is because there  
is a heaven in  man4 ,those who are     
developed only in the sphere of outer   
darkness1 and  who from affinity love to
 associate together1 will be found      
composing  what is called the ,outward  
,sphere4 ,do not now1 by any means1     
associate  the idea of sphere with that 
of place4 ,the persons in this room are 
all together1 so far as space is        
concerned1 but so far as sentiment  or  
sphere is concerned you may be at       
heaven-wide distances4 ,while one  is in

 rapport with celestial affections1     
holding communion with the  ,divine     
,father1 the other may be in rapport    
with ,spiritual beings1  holding a      
communion with the angels2 and a third  
may be in rapport  with the infernal1   
holding communion with the spheres of   
lust4 ,it is  not a question of place1  
but simply a question of condition4 ,if 
you and  ,i are in the condition of lust
 in our affections and perceptions1 if  
we  associate with others in the same   
condition1 heart thrills to heart1  just
 as in the moral or divine sphere heart 
answers to heart4 ,each in  his own     
plane seeks that which is adapted to his
 own nature4 ,i say1  therefore1 do not 
connect the idea of place with that of  
sphere4    ,man is a little universe--a 
microcosm4 ,this sphere of lust is      
within  him1 from which the dark sphere 
of the ,spiritual world is developed4   
,those who are in the sphere of lust on 
the earth respond to the  inhabitants of
 this dark sphere of the ,spiritual     

world4 ,so also in the  ,spiritual      
spheres is the development of man's     
relational love4 ,man in  fulfilling his
 relational duties lays the foundation  
of the ,spiritual  ,paradise4 ,thus man 
rises and dwells in different spheres   
according to  the development of his    
affections4 ,if we love our neighbor as 
such1  and seek after the redemption of 
man on his own account1 we become       
allied to that band of guardian angels  
whose mission it is to watch  over him  
and to stimulate in him impulses to     
resist that which is evil  and impure4  
,we become guardian angels1 and every   
effort we put forth  for the redemption 
of our fellow-man elevates our own      
souls4 ,hence the  remark of the poet3  
8,heart thrills to heart                
,throughout the wide domain of heavenly 
life2      ,each angel forms a chain    
which in ,god's throne begins1      ,and
 winds down to the lowest plane of      
earthly minds2      ,and only as each   
lifts his lower friend      ,can each   

into superior joys ascend40    ,we are  
told that we must seek our salvation4   
,that is bad advice4 ,he  that seeketh  
to save his life shall lose it4 ,it is  
this very seeking  to save ourselves    
that damns us and the race4 ,it is the  
very selfish  desire for salvation which
 allies us to the sphere of lust4 ,the  
true  spirit is to seek to save our     
fellow-man2 and as we can not save him  
except by adapting our ideas to his     
needs1 we must1 as instruments  to his  
salvation1 put away our lust4 ,that     
effort will result in our  own          
salvation4 ,there is but one way to save
 ourselves1 and that is by  fitting     
ourselves as the instruments for the    
redemption of the world4  ,laboring to  
redeem our outcast and down-trodden     
brother and sister is  the very best    
kind of labor to elevate ourselves1     
since it exercises in  us the true love 
for our fellow-men4 ,thus it appears    
that it is more  blessed to give than to
 receive4    ,i may go out into the     

streets some cold morning1 and seeing a 
beggar1  stop and debate with myself    
whether he is worthy or not2 or for     
fear that ,i may refuse the right one1  
,i may drop a sixpence in his  hand4    
,from such an act ,i will not receive a 
blessing4 ,but if ,i 7in  forgetfulness 
of considerations of that kind1 from the
 overflowings  of a loving heart1 from a
 sincere desire to do good to a         
fellow-man  who is in need7 give him    
alms1 it is laying up treasure in       
heaven4 ,i  have placed it at my        
,father's disposal--have intrusted it to
 one of his  messengers4    ,we have a  
fashionable way of doing charities in   
this world4 ,we do  not like to be      
troubled with charities4 ,we are willing
 to be taxed  some--we are very generous
 to give sometimes2 but then we do not  
want  the trouble of finding the object1
 and bestowing it with that love1       
kindness1 and sympathy of soul which    
carries more joy to the stricken  heart 
than the poor pittance4 ,he needs it as 

much as he does your other  charities4  
,but instead of taking this trouble1 we 
raise contributions1  appoint a         
committee1 and go and drop our gifts by 
machinery here and  there4 ,if you will 
look up a poor sufferer some of these   
cold mornings1  and give but a dime1    
with a blessing1 you will not only carry
 joy into  the heart of the suffering   
poor1 but rejoicing into the            
,angel-spheres4  ,in that way you must  
cast your bread upon the water1 and you 
will find  it after many days--will     
hear1 eternally you will hear1 the music
 of  that poor sufferer's thankful      
heart4 ,if you once in purity of soul1  
in the pure affection of your heart1 go 
and bestow a kindness from a  pure and  
fervent spirit1 you will awaken a chord 
which will vibrate  harmoniously in your
 soul to all eternity4    ,as man       
develops in himself a love of his       
fellow-man irrespective of  exterior    
relation1 but as a child of ,god1 as    
possessing in his bosom  the germ of    

immortality1 and as endowed with a      
facility of eternal  unfolding in the   
eternal future1 he comes into the sphere
 of true  charity2 and when his work is 
faithfully done here1 he will enter upon
  that reward which he has been laying  
up in heaven1 where neither moth  nor   
rust corrupts1 and where thieves do not 
break through and steal4    ,there is   
between the first and second spheres1   
speaking of them in the  affectional    
sense1 another sphere1 called the       
intellectual sphere4  ,man as an        
intellectual being has loves or         
delights4 ,the quality of  the          
intellect1 you are aware1 is to         
investigate1 to think4 ,intellect  of   
itself has no affection1 no sympathy4   
,it can be allied with vice  or virtue4 
,it can attend the missionary in his    
labor or the pirate in  his murderous   
work4 ,it has of itself no conscience1  
no moral quality4  ,hence you will find 
that men may be highly intellectual and 
vicious or  virtuous4 ,intellect can    

join upon vice or crime1 and upon       
charity and  virtue1 and that1 too1     
without experiencing antagonism from    
such union4  ,man may be developed      
intellectually without affecting        
particularly  his moral character4      
,intellect's particular mission is to   
investigate  that which addresses the   
perception4 ,it can join upon the sphere
 of  lust or the sphere of charity4     
,were it not for this1 the selfish and  
charitable natures could not unite in   
man1 and there would be such  an        
antagonism in the individual1 he could  
not be possibly developed  from the     
plane of his lustful nature to the plane
 of his moral nature4  ,intellect is a  
sort of ,john ,baptist that goes between
 the ,moses and the  ,christ of man's   
nature4 ,it does not partake of the lust
 of ,moses nor of  the love of ,christ4 
,its delights are sometimes mistaken for
 love1 or  the joys of love4 ,people    
often say of things which are beautiful 
that  they love them4 ,they say that    

they love the study of mathematics4     
,that expression seems to me to be      
improper4 ,the heat of love is never    
known to the cold intellect4 ,the       
intellect can discourse eloquently      
respecting justice and right2 but1 so   
far as the heart is concerned1 it  may  
trample upon all justice4 ,you will see 
men who1 so far as theory  is concerned1
 will discourse eloquently concerning   
human justice and  morality1 yet they   
utterly disregard and ignore all moral  
restraints  in their private character  
and practices4 ,these men are babes in  
their  moral natures--they are less than
 babes4 ,intellect has to do with the   
relations of things--pertains to dead   
matter4 ,the difference between         
intellect and morals is the difference  
between the essence and spirit  of      
matter and the essences or spirit of the
 soul4 ,while science1 which  belongs to
 the province of intellect1 may         
harmoniously journey with the  moral    
affections1 it may also journey with the

 sensuous affections4 ,i  make these    
remarks so that you may not suppose that
 a man belongs to  the second sphere    
because of his having an intellectual   
character4    ,the second sphere is a   
finite one1 and depends entirely upon   
relation  for its development1 so that  
you can see at once that man could not  
love in the second sphere of his being  
without some object to call  that love  
forth4 ,the relational love1 in this    
respect1 is not like  the divine love   
which goes forth independent of any     
object4 ,the  first sphere is objective 
in self2 the second sphere is objective 
in  neighbor2 and the third sphere is   
subjective in ,god4    ,the difference  
between this second sphere or love of   
the neighbor and  the third sphere or   
the love of the absolute in this3 ,the  
second  sphere of love is objective1 is 
not self-existent and self-sufficient2  
it depends upon having an object to call
 it forth4 ,the constitution  of mind is
 such that1 in its consciousness1 it can

 not love an object  without having     
perceived it1 the perception being      
either an ideal  one or a real one4 ,the
 love in point of quality depends1 for  
its  perfectness1 upon the perfectness  
of the object4 ,not so with the         
infinite and divine love which is       
self-existent and self-sufficient4      
,wherever it acts1 it acts subjectively1
 not objectively1 though it  is         
objective in its manifestation4 ,said   
,jesus of ,nazareth1 who was  deeply    
learned in this love1 in speaking to the
 ,jew who was to become  his disciple3  
8,ye have heard it said by those of old 
time1 ,thou shalt  love thy neighbor and
 hate thine enemy2 but ,i say unto you1 
,love your  enemies1 bless them that    
curse you1 do good to them that hate    
you1 and  pray for them that            
despitefully use you2 that you may be   
the children  of your ,father which is  
in heaven2 for he causeth his sun to    
shine  upon the evil and the good1 and  
he sendeth his rain upon the just and   

unjust40 ,notice the figure4 ,the sun   
shines not objectively4 ,it shines  of  
its own nature4 ,if the earth were to be
 blotted out of existence1  the sun     
would shine on still2 and if every other
 planet in the solar  system should     
refuse to receive its light1 the sun    
would continue to  shine4 ,its light and
 heat go forth in their own plenitude4  
,therefore if  you and ,i wish the      
sunlight1 we have but to stand forth2   
but the sun  does not shine or send     
forth his heat because we are here4 ,it 
does not  shine objectively but         
subjectively upon us4 ,the sun1 as a    
type of the  divine wisdom1 continuously
 gives forth its light2 and as a type of
  divine love it constantly gives forth 
heat to build up finite forms4    ,the  
,divine ,father does not stop to        
inquire1 whether men love him or  not4  
,his love is self-existent1             
self-sufficient1 and goes forth of  its 
own divine plenitude1 of its own        
infinite fulness1 blessing every  being 

in every plane1 according as he comes   
into the condition to  receive that     
blessing4 ,god's sun shines upon the    
field of the wicked  man as quick as    
upon the field of the righteous4 ,this  
is bestowing  blessing upon a common    
plane4 ,man loves friend and curses foe1
 but  ,christ says you must not make any
 difference4 ,you must become like your 
,father4 ,you claim to be his children2 
therefore love your enemies1  seek good 
for all1 whatever may be their affection
 for you4 ,christ's  doctrine differed  
very much from what the world had heard 
before4 ,it  had generally been supposed
 that ,god loved objectively4 ,christ   
taught  that ,god blessed every man     
according to the plane he occupied4 ,god
 of  his infinite fulness will pour out 
all the blessings you are capable  of   
receiving4 ,if you want all the joys of 
the third heaven1 which are             
inexpressible1 bring your mind to love  
subjectively4 ,love ,god1 not for  his  
use1 not because he is going to bless   

you1 but because there is  interior     
harmony and oneness between your soul   
and his--because your  heart thrills and
 throbs to his divine heart4 ,then you  
will reap the  blessings belonging to   
the divine plane4 ,man can only love an 
object by  having an object to love2 but
 ,god is love2 it is his nature to love 
and  bless2 and whatever comes within   
the divine influence will be blessed    
according to its capacity to receive the
 blessing2 and every action1  every     
impulse1 and every going forth of the   
divine in every plane is  but a         
manifestation of that divine love2 so   
that when you and ,i have  perfected    
ourselves in loving our neighbor1 have  
fulfilled the entire  law of charity to 
all mankind1 we are yet to go into a    
higher and  holier love than that4 ,we  
are to arise above this                 
discrimination--we are  to come into a  
plane where1 having received the divine 
life and love1  they shall go forth by  
their own plentitude to bless all around

 us1 as  our ,father blesses all4 ,in   
other words1 he is to sit as a refiner  
and  purifier of silver1 and he is to   
purify us from all this dross1 until  he
 sees his own image perfectly reflected 
in us4 ,when we shall reflect  the      
divine image1 there will be an          
indication that all dross is burned     
away1 and we shall be swallowed up in   
the divine will1 though still  retaining
 our divine personality1 our hearts     
beating with the great  heart that beats
 throughout the universe4               
,,chapter ,,iv4                         
,,communication4      ,communication    
proper belongs to the sphere of         
manifestation1 and  signifies1 as ,i use
 the term1 the imparting by one1 and the
 receiving  by another1 of that which is
 imparted1 or that which represents that
  which is imparted4 ,when we look at   
man as a finite being1 born as  he is   
without conscious knowledge1 and without
 conscious affection1  and developed    
from that negative point by that which  

flows or enters  into his consciousness 
and daguerreotypes itself there1 we     
readily  see that he can only develop by
 being subject to the principles of     
communication3 that is1 he must receive 
that which is without into  his         
consciousness2 therefore it must be     
communicated to him4 ,hence  it becomes 
necessary for us to understand somewhat 
the laws of  communication4 ,as         
communication belongs to the sphere of  
manifestation1  or the sphere of the    
finite1 we must examine and see what are
 the means  by which man as a conscious 
being is addressed1 and the law by which
  the influence exerted upon him is     
governed4    ,the mind when looked at in
 its simplest nature consists of its    
perceptions and its affections3 that is1
 its knowledge1 if you please1  and its 
love2 but in the order of unfolding1    
perception1 as a conscious  principle1  
precedes affection4 ,that is1 an        
individual as a finite  being can not   
love till he perceives an object to call

 forth that  love or affection4 ,whether
 it pertain to unconscious or to        
conscious  nature1 he must perceive the 
object before the affection is known to 
exist in his consciousness4 ,for        
instance1 a husband can know nothing  of
 conjugal love1 neither can the wife1   
until the object calling it  forth      
exists in his or her perceptions4       
,neither can the mother love  her babe  
until the object exists in her          
perceptions4 ,neither can the  brother  
love brother or sister1 or the child    
love its parents1 until  they perceive  
the objects of their affection4 ,so you 
understand what  ,i mean when ,i say in 
all finite natures perception precedes  
affection  as a conscious principle2    
hence the law of communication pertains 
to  perception and affection4 ,as       
perception precedes affection1 it is    
more  external1 view it in what sphere  
you will4 ,i am now using perception in 
the sense of thought4 ,the individual1  
by the means of communication1  may be  

addressed externally by first addressing
 his perceptions1 and  thence through   
his perceptions addressing his          
affections2 or he may  be addressed by  
first addressing his affections1 and    
through them his  thoughts4 ,i shall use
 for the purpose of convenience the     
expression  thought and affection4      
,then the two methods by which          
individuals may be addressed are first  
the external1 and second the internal4  
,the external communication flows  first
 into the thought1 and the internal     
first into the affection4 ,the  external
 proceeds from thought to affection1 and
 the internal from  affection to        
thought4 ,the one is by an outward      
language1 by signs1 and  symbols1 and   
representatives of ideas2 the other is  
without external  language1 and is what 
is known as inspiration4    ,now1 as    
there are three planes of conscious     
being1 conscious  perception1 and       
conscious affection1 and as the thought 
or perception  precedes the affection in

 the first or lowest plane1 so it is in 
the  second2 and it is the perception   
and affection in the third that  begets 
the affection in the divine sphere4 ,but
 as ,i am speaking of  communication ,i 
am confining my remarks to the first two
 spheres--the  external physical sphere1
 and the spiritual or relational sphere2
  for they are spheres of manifestation 
and communication1 and have  reference  
to these finite spheres4 ,when ,i       
complete the consideration  of these1 ,i
 will make some remarks on the divine   
sphere1 to show the  difference between 
it and those spheres below the divine4  
,take man1  then1 as a mere animal      
being1 looking at his nature as being   
nervous1  where his perceptions and     
affections have respect to his physical 
being4 ,here the same law of order      
prevails--perception precedes           
affection1 and perception is external1  
while affection or love is  internal2   
but taken both together as constituting 
the animal nature1 it  becomes external 

to his spiritual nature2 but in his     
spiritual nature  perception precedes   
affection2 hence1 if we would           
communicate with him  spiritually1      
external language communicates first    
with thought1 and  thence with the      
affection2 while internal language      
communicates first  with the affection  
and thence with thought4 ,then external 
and internal  communication differ in   
this1 that the external is by means of  
outward  language1 and the internal is  
by means of a sort of inspiration4      
,there are inspirations pertaining to   
each of the three spheres--the          
nerve-sphere1 the spirit-sphere1 and the
 divine-sphere4 ,on coming into  rapport
 with this audience1 ,i through the     
nerve-medium by external  means perceive
 individuals about me--perceive their   
forms1 their faces1  and their relative 
positions to each other2 that is1 by an 
external  medium which represents the   
individual through the nerve-medium to  
my  consciousness4 ,but ,i may come     

internally into rapport with these      
individuals by bringing my nerve-system 
into harmony with their  nerve-system1  
and becoming negative to them4 ,to      
explain3 when ,i bring  my nerve-system 
into sympathy with you1 ,i take your    
sensations upon  myself4 ,if you have a 
pain in your head1 ,i have a pain in my 
head also1  corresponding in location   
and character to yours2 or if you       
experience  a pain in any other part of 
your body1 ,i feel that pain4 ,not a    
word has  passed between us concerning  
it1 but nevertheless it comes upon me1  
and affects me in precisely the same    
manner that it does you4 ,now this  ,i  
consider analogous to the inspiration   
which belongs to the higher  plane4     
,this is the inspiration of the         
nerve-sympathy4 ,permit me to  explain  
briefly what ,i understand by harmony2  
because the great law of  harmony is    
fundamental to a comprehension of the   
law of inspiration4    ,you are aware   
that if we take two strings of equal    

length and tension1  and vibrate one of 
them1 its vibration communicates its    
motion to  the atmosphere1 and through  
the atmosphere to the adjoining string1 
so that they at length vibrate together4
 ,this experiment may be  made by any   
one2 and it will be found that in this  
manner they can  be caused to give forth
 the same sound1 because the length of  
the  vibrations of each will be the     
same2 and when there is a difference in 
the tone1 it will be found that there is
 a difference in the length  of the     
vibrations4 ,this fact can be           
demonstrated by varying the             
vibrations--by tightening or loosening  
the strings1 and thus shortening  or    
lengthening the vibrations1 when it will
 be perceived that the  shorter the     
vibration the higher will be the pitch  
or tone4 ,the length  of vibration1     
then1 determines the question of        
harmony4 ,here appears  the great law of
 harmony in musical sound throughout the
 universe1  which is commensurability4  

,in mathematics1 things which will      
mutually  measure each other are said to
 be commensurable4 ,now these spheres of
  atmospheric vibration will always     
produce concord or harmony of sound4    
,the difference between a third and a   
fifth is in the difference in the  tone1
 and the difference in tone depends1 as 
already said1 upon the  length of       
vibration4 ,the sweetest harmony is the 
apparent discord1  where the vibrations 
do not chord1 but where every fifth     
coincides2  and in this way produces the
 harmony of the third and fifth4 ,the   
octave produces it by being repeated    
twice1 so that after all the real       
octave is as the square of the octave2  
that is1 the octave multiplied  into    
itself2 and you arrive mathematically at
 the law of harmony by  following out   
that principle4 ,the point to which ,i  
wish to call your  attention is1 that   
what constitutes harmony is simply      
commensurability  in the atmospheric    
undulations4    ,now my nerve-fluid     

moves by pulsatory movements1 as move   
all other  media1 and these movements   
sustain to those of your nerve-fluid    
commensurable or incommensurable        
relations2 and you will find that  the  
law of musical harmony1 by which one of 
two strings having  the same tension    
communicates its motion to the other1 is
 the law  which determines the harmony  
between my nerve-system and yours4 ,i   
am constituted to speak upon a certain  
key1 like an instrument4 ,my            
nerve-vibrations undulate to that key1  
and when ,i am in perfect  health1 there
 is perfect harmony in my system4 ,your 
nerve-undulations  are perhaps tuned on 
a different key1 and if you are positive
 to  me1 my nerve-undulation will not   
move yours1 nor yours mine1 but  they   
will resist each other like two strings 
unequally tuned4 ,so my  nerve-vibration
 will not communicate its undulations to
 you1 nor will  yours communicate its   
undulations to me1 unless we happen to  
be upon  the same key1 or in harmonic or

 commensurable relations with one       
another4 ,but in order to get our       
nerve-systems to undulate one upon the  
other1 ,i must either become negative to
 you or you must become negative  to me4
 ,if ,i relax the key of my             
nerve-vibration1 ,i shall change them   
until my nerve-system undulates in      
harmony with your nerve-system2  and ,i 
being negative and you positive1 you    
undulate to my key1 and  we get         
nerve-sensations between us without any 
sign4 ,the individual  in mesmerizing   
his subject becomes positive1 and he    
will succeed in  mesmerizing that       
subject just as soon as he brings about 
a harmony of  nerve-vibration1 so that  
the nerve-vibrations of both are alike4 
,the  condition is that the operator    
places himself in a positive position1  
while the subject must become negative1 
by allowing his nerves to  become       
relaxed2 then the operator commences by 
a strong effort to  undulate1 so to     
speak1 his nerve-influence or forces    

upon the medium1  until the medium      
sinking down comes to his key2 and then 
he by his  forces insulates the system1 
and the individual passes rapidly into  
the condition of mesmerism2 but do any  
thing to disturb that medium1  so as to 
make the points of nerve-tension        
unyielding1 and the operator  may work  
till doomsday in vain4 ,it is not till  
the points have yielded  and the        
vibrations harmonize with his that he   
can produce the effect  upon the medium4
 ,this is on the same principle with the
 phenomena  exhibited in experiments    
with the string1 which is a type of the 
law of  communication in every          
sphere--the vibration of the string     
represents  the entire law4    ,take one
 string whose points of tension are     
unyielding1 and another  whose points of
 tension are yielding2 then cause one of
 them to  undulate1 and it will impart  
its motion to the atmosphere1 when the  
atmosphere will strike upon the other2  
and if it have the same points  of      

tension that the other has1 it will     
undulate2 but if it have not  the same  
tension1 it will receive the influence  
of the atmosphere1  the tendency of     
which will be to depress it and bring it
 to its own  vibration2 thus eventually 
the two strings will be made to         
harmonize4  ,so when we sit down to     
mesmerize a person1 he may be so        
positive that  we do not at first       
succeed1 perhaps1 in producing the least
 impression  upon him4 ,we try again and
 again1 and at last succeed in          
controlling  the nerve-system1 and      
through that the mental system of the   
subject4 ,we  are each time we try      
reducing the nerve-system to our key or 
standard1  and the moment it is reduced 
to that point1 the subject is under the 
operator's control1 and not till then4  
,when ,i speak of the harmonic  action  
of one system upon another1 it will be  
perceived that ,i speak  of the relative
 measure or length of the               
nerve-undulation which passes  between  

one mind and another4 ,in the           
nerve-plane there is this method  of    
addressing the nervous perceptions by   
external means--by language1 by  signs1 
by pantomimic representations4 ,and     
there is the internal method            
corresponding to inspiration1 which     
consists in coming into nervous         
sympathy and receiving nervous          
sensations one from another4 ,a         
sensitive  person looking upon a wound  
shrinks from beholding the sight1 and   
there  are real sensations experienced  
in his nervous system which have been   
produced1 not because a nerve-influence 
has acted upon him1 but because  he has 
seen the wound4 ,the impression first   
fell upon his conscious  perceptions1   
and then went to his feelings1 which is 
analogous to  the principle that the    
idea first comes into the thought1 and  
thence  reaches the feelings4    ,in the
 second plane--the mental or ,spiritual 
plane--the same law  prevails4 ,there is
 the external method of addressing the  

mind1 and  there is also an internal    
method4 ,the external is the method by  
which  the mind is addressed first      
through the thought1 and the internal   
is that by which the mind is addressed  
through the feelings4 ,these  two       
methods obtain in the whole plane of    
manifestation4 ,if ,i wish to           
communicate with you1 ,i must adopt one 
of these two methods2 and if ,i  am not 
in spiritual or nervous rapport with    
you1 ,i must adopt one  of the methods  
of external communication1 and address  
you by signs or  outward                
representations--addressing first the   
thought or understanding1  and coming   
thence to the affection indirectly4 ,in 
all external  methods1 as well as in    
internal methods1 media of communication
 become  necessary4 ,in speaking to you 
it becomes necessary that there should  
be some external media between you and  
me1 and my communication must  be       
through that media4 ,in the present     
case1 my speaking to you is  performed  

through the physical atmosphere4 ,i     
undulate my organs of  speech to produce
 sound1 and the atmosphere connects them
 with your  organs of hearing1 so that  
my mind1 through my organs of speech1 is
  connected with your mind4 ,the method 
of communication is to transmit  the    
actions of my organs of speech to your  
organs of hearing4 ,without  this       
external medium ,i could not communicate
 with you by an external  language4     
,were ,i to address1 not the ear1 but   
the eye1 there must be between us  an   
external medium which addresses the eye2
 and that medium is the  light which    
takes up the image of that which ,i     
would represent1 and  transmits it to   
your consciousness through the eye4 ,so 
also in respect  to the nerve-medium4   
,if ,i would communicate an impression  
through  the nerve-medium1 there must be
 that medium external to me which       
corresponds to the action of the        
nerve-fluid in you and me--there must   
be a medium between us which takes up my

 action and transmits it to  you1 and   
makes it your action4 ,so with the      
mental medium4 ,if ,i am to  stand here1
 and you are to come into rapport with  
me1 and ,i am to  impress my thoughts   
upon you without external language1     
there must be  a medium corresponding to
 these thoughts1 and that medium must   
come  down from me to you2 and while ,i 
have power to awaken its vibration1  its
 vibration must have power to awaken the
 same impression in you4  ,hence1 then1 
in respect to all communication1 there  
must necessarily be  media connecting   
one with the other1 who are all         
concerned in making  and receiving the  
communication2 and the medium must be   
such that it  will extend from the one  
to the other4 ,it must be continuous    
also2 for  if there be any interruption 
in the media1 the communication can not 
be  transmitted4 ,for illustration1 if  
,i would address your consciousness     
through sound1 the atmosphere1 as the   
medium1 must be continuous  between you 

and me2 for if you interpose a vacuum1  
you can not transmit  the action through
 it1 the connection being destroyed4 ,so
 in regard  to light4 ,interpose any    
medium which will not allow the light to
 pass  through it1 and ,i can not       
transmit the image by means of light4   
,so also  the nerve-medium must be      
continuous1 in order to admit of        
transmitting  communication through it4 
,the mental medium must likewise be     
continuous1 or ,i can not represent my  
thought through it4 ,you perceive1      
then1 this universal law in respect to  
communication between one mind  and     
another1 that there must necessarily    
intervene a medium1 which must  be      
continuous between them1 and it must be 
such as to awaken action  in the one1   
and transmit and awaken the same action 
in the other4 ,it  matters not what the 
plane is4 ,they all come under the same 
law4    ,before ,i1 by my simple        
will-power1 can transmit a thought or   
idea or  impression of my mind to you1  

there must be something between us which
  can take up and repeat that idea1 or  
record it in your consciousness4  ,if   
there be anything to interrupt this     
medium1 ,i can not transmit  that       
thought2 so that any power whatever     
which can interrupt that  medium can    
interrupt the communication4 ,hence1    
again1 it appears  that in all          
communication between one being and     
another1 there must  necessarily        
interpose a medium1 which must be       
continuous from the  communicator to the
 one receiving the communication4 ,this 
brings us  to the consideration of other
 conditions necessary for communication 
between two minds--the difference       
between the thing1 the being1 or the    
existence itself1 and that by which it  
is made known to the mind4 ,i  stand    
here before you4 ,you can see me4 ,i am 
then present in each one  of your minds4
 ,i am present by my form1 as well as by
 the sound of my  voice4 ,how many of me
 are there here8 ,one1 of course4 ,how  

many do you  see8 ,how many of my mental
 images are here8 ,just as many as there
 are  eyes to look4 ,my image is that by
 which you see me4 ,my image is not  in 
your mind in reality2 it is represented 
in your mind by something  proceeding   
from me to you4 ,my form is multiplied  
and repeated wherever  there is an eye  
to see the image which proceeds from    
this form4 ,if  there are two or three  
hundred persons present1 ,i have two or 
three  hundred spiritual forms2 and if  
there were ten thousand present1 ,i     
should have ten thousand spiritual      
forms4 ,there is a difference1 then1    
between the form itself and that which  
represents the form1 and you  should    
make this distinction4 ,you may take as 
many positions as there  are            
mathematical points in this room1 and   
place an eye in each1 and  my form will 
be represented in all of these points4  
,the means1 then1  by which you1 through
 the eye1 become conscious of my        
presence here1  is omnipresent in this  

room4 ,i am not omnipresent1 but that   
which  represents me is omnipresent1 and
 that by which mind becomes conscious   
of me is omnipresent4    ,there is never
 any existence to the mind in the sphere
 of  manifestation1 except by           
representation4 ,we talk as though we   
saw the  sun1 moon1 and stars1 and not  
as though we saw their representations2 
but in regard to all things external or 
manifestational1 man in all  forms only 
perceives the representation2 and when  
the representation  corresponds to the  
reality1 he has the truth4 ,now in      
looking at these  lights1 the light is  
not in your mind1 but its representation
 is  there4 ,it is there by that which  
represents it4 ,then you must make  a   
distinction between the omnipresence of 
being and of that which  represents     
being4 ,in respect to all means by which
 the mind perceives  existence external 
to its consciousness1 it is true that it
 only  perceives it by representation1  
and not by its presence4 ,existence  in 

every department is represented to your 
mind1 and mind by its  representation1  
and not by its absolute presence1       
perceives it4  ,understand this         
distinction1 and it will explain a great
 many mysteries  you have had to contend
 with in times past4 ,as you perceive my
 form  by that which represents it to   
you1 and as that which represents  it is
 omnipresent in this room1 while my     
form1 from which these  representations 
flow1 has but one position1 so also1 if 
you should  remove these walls many     
feet1 or even miles1 making this room   
many  miles in extent1 my form would be 
omnipresent in all this space1 and  the 
mind that perceived me would perceive me
 by that representation of  form1 and   
not by my presence4    ,now then1       
understanding this law1 we will be very 
careful in all our  investigations of   
communication to distinguish between the
 presence  of the thing itself and the  
presence of that which represents it4   
,did ,i wish to communicate with a      

,spirit1 who has unfolded in him a      
,spirit-consciousness1 which can be     
addressed in another way than  through  
the physical eye or ear or touch1 and   
being so divested of  this physical form
 that my mind comes in absolute contact 
with this  ,spirit-medium which         
permeates all space1 and which          
internally and  spiritually corresponds 
to light external and physical1 and     
passes  freely through bodies opaque to 
light--then my ,spirit-form acts upon   
that ,spirit-medium which is not impeded
 by this wall1 but which passes  through
 it as light through transparent glass1 
carrying my image with  it4 ,we say that
 glass is transparent1 because light    
passes freely  through it1 and brings   
the image of that which it would        
represent4  ,we see an individual or    
tree coming freely through the glass    
into  the room4 ,now if we have a medium
 which will pass as freely through  a   
board1 then that board is as transparent
 to that medium as glass  is to light4  

,the magnetic medium1 by which the      
magnetic needle is  influenced1 passes  
freely through a board even2 therefore  
to that  medium the board is as         
transparent as glass is to light4 ,it is
 also  well to understand that this     
nerve-medium1 as well as the spiritual  
medium corresponding to the mind--which 
is to the mind what the medium  of light
 is to the eye--passes freely through   
these opaque bodies4  ,therefore the    
individual brought in contact with this 
medium will  see ,spirit-existences1 not
 by their presence in the consciousness1
  but by that which represents the      
presence there4 ,hence it is that the   
clairvoyant 7when you have proceeded    
with your manipulation until  you have  
insulated the mind1 or brought it into  
clear rapport with  this spiritual      
medium or atmosphere so that he sees by 
the spiritual  sight and hears with the 
spiritual ear1 and no longer sees with  
the  physical eye1 or hears with the    
physical ear7 comes in contact with     

this spiritual medium1 and can look out 
into another room1 and tell  what is    
transpiring1 who is there1 etc41 just as
 we can look through  glass and tell    
what we see4 ,the principle is precisely
 the same4 ,the  medium by which he     
perceives things in another room freely 
permeates  or passes through the        
intervening walls2 so that although my  
spiritual  form is still in this body1  
yet it is actually exerting its         
influence  on this spiritual medium     
throughout the world--throughout not    
only  this world1 but throughout the    
solar system4 ,wherever this spiritual  
medium extends1 this spiritual image of 
mine is taken and carried  out through  
that medium1 just as my physical image  
is carried out  through the medium of   
light2 and whoever comes into rapport   
with  that ,spirit-medium and influence1
 and undulates to the same motion1  will
 perceive that form4 ,hence coming into 
the clairvoyant condition  ,i may see a 
person in ,london1 if it so happen that 

the undulation  of my mind on this      
medium be such as to harmonize with that
 of the  individual in ,london--not that
 his spirit is personally here present1 
or my spirit personally present there   
7but ,i am here in my own               
spirit-consciousness1 and he there in   
his spirit-consciousness71 but  because 
his image as well as mine is here and   
there and everywhere  else4 ,the idea   
that my mind goes to ,london1 or his    
comes here1 is  altogether a            
misconception4 ,i perceive that         
individual in ,london1 not  by his      
absolute presence1 but by that which    
represents that presence  here2 just as 
,i see you1 not by your presence in my  
mind1 but by that  which represents your
 presence there4 ,it is in this way that
 persons in  the body are at times seen 
as though in distant places2 that is1   
they  are seen by that spiritual image  
which is present1 where the mind is     
unfolded so as to perceive by the       
spiritual medium1 and happens to be  in 

rapport so as to undulate to the same   
motion with that of the mind  of the    
individual it perceives4    ,standing   
here this evening1 ,i may be seen in    
,philadelphia1 because  my image is     
there1 as well as in every other place  
on earth2 and the  individual1 let him  
be where he may1 who happens to be in   
rapport  with me1 will perceive me as   
though ,i were present where he is1  and
 all the imagery by which ,i am         
surrounded4 ,i am looking on this       
congregation1 and therefore the person  
seeing me1 sees me surrounded by  this  
congregation4 ,he does not see you1 but 
since you are in my mind1  your image   
goes with mine4 ,the person coming into 
rapport with me1  sees you as your image
 exists in my mind4 ,the idea that      
persons whose  external forms are in    
different places1 communicate with each 
other  by being present one with the    
other1 is altogether a mistaken one4 ,so
  far as the external or relational is  
concerned--so far as the finite or      

manifestational is concerned--we        
communicate externally only by that     
medium which represents that which we   
investigate or perceive2 and that  is   
the peculiarity of arriving at knowledge
 through what is called the  sphere of  
manifestation4 ,the difference between  
being and manifestation  is seen in that
 law4    ,if any one doubts this law1 ,i
 am ready to be questioned4 ,bring up   
any case you please1 either from the    
natural or the ,spiritual world1  and ,i
 will show that that is the law4 ,i say 
it is altogether a  fallacious idea that
 ,spirits can not communicate without   
being actually  present--the idea that  
,spirits can not communicate in ,new    
,york1 ,london1  ,liverpool1 or any     
other place in the world at the same    
moment1 is  altogether a fallacious     
idea4 ,they can be present wherever     
there is a  mind in rapport with them to
 see that presence4 ,people talk about  
their being so rapid in their passage   
from here to ,boston or ,london1  and   

wonder how they can go over the ground  
so quick4 ,this is all  explained when  
you understand the law of manifestation4
 ,there is no  apparent difference of   
time between ,london and any other      
place--it is  only a relative           
difference--merely a question of        
relation4 ,this1 then1  being the law of
 communication and manifestation1 we    
will just notice  one thing further1    
which will explain why it is that       
individuals are  obliged to come into   
certain states to receive               
communications1 and  will answer many   
other questions1 among which are1 8,why 
are not all  mediums80 8,why can not all
 get communications80 8,why is it that  
one who  can get a communication at one 
time can not at another80 ,ten thousand 
such questions are pressed every day1   
when the law is just as simple as  that 
two and two make four4    ,if we wish to
 get a communication we must conform to 
the conditions  required by the law2 and
 if we do not conform to those          

conditions1  ,god himself could not give
 it to us4 ,the laws of manifestation   
and  communication are as fixed and     
immutable as ,god's own being4 ,our     
business is to comply with the          
conditions1 and then take what follows4 
,we need not stop to quarrel because it 
requires a wire rather than a           
tow-string to make a good telegraph4 ,it
 is enough for us to know that  it is   
so1 and conform to the conditions4      
,the great law by which all action      
producing result1 producing  development
 and communication1 is governed1 is the 
one to which  ,i first referred--the law
 of commensurability in form and motion4
  ,all development comes under that law4
 ,the law of triunes1 the law  of       
sevens1 and the law of twelves1 are all 
wrought out by that  simple law4 ,you   
can not develop in any key except you   
comply with  that law4 ,commensurability
 tends to produce harmonious results1   
while incommensurability tends to       
produce discord and death--the          

difference between concord and discord  
marks the difference between            
commensurability and incommensurability 
in form and motion4    ,we have several 
different departments of our systems1 ,i
 have a vital1  a nervous1 and a mental 
system1 each of which has actions       
peculiar to  itself--actions which      
sustain to each other certain relations1
 either  commensurable or               
incommensurable4 ,now1 when my spiritual
 and vital  systems act upon the same   
key1 there is harmony between my        
internal  and external forms2 but if    
they do not undulate to the same key--if
  there is not harmonious action between
 my mind and spirit1 ,i can not  be a   
medium for physical communication1 for  
the same reason that if  you graft a    
peach upon an apple1 you can not make it
 grow 7according  to my information74   
,it is because the vital action between 
them is an  incommensurable action4     
,now1 whenever my mental action is too  
intense  for my nerve or vital action1  

if you will by any means reduce my      
mental  action so that it may harmonize 
with my nervous action1 perhaps ,i will 
get physical manifestations peculiar to 
myself4 ,i was once one of those  things
 called mediums1 and am now1 perhaps1 to
 some extent4 ,when ,i was  partially   
asleep there would be very loud raps1   
and if you could come  in without waking
 me up you might get a communication1   
and it has ever  been so when ,i am     
peculiarly quiet mentally2 but the      
moment ,i rouse  up and ask questions ,i
 can get no reply4 ,there are others who
 require  exactly opposite conditions1  
whose bodies are too active for their   
minds1 in whose presence you can get    
rappings by reducing the action  of the 
body4 ,but you change them from that    
point1 the manifestation  ceases4 ,there
 are other individuals who in the normal
 state seem to  comply with all the     
conditions necessary2 that is1 whose    
vital and  nervous actions are the same2
 but you make them angry or stir up     

within  them feelings of dread or fear1 
and your manifestations cease1 simply   
because there is no harmonic action     
between the mental and physical         
systems4    ,persons boast1 at times1 of
 being able to destroy the power of     
mediums2 but nothing could be simpler1  
for a powerful battery may  have its    
action stopped by lifting out the       
connecting wire1 simply  by disarranging
 the conditions of its action4 ,it is   
often the case  that the entrance of a  
person into a circle where              
manifestations are  occurring1 causes   
their discontinuance1 and the person is 
perhaps  astonished to think the        
,spirits should be so contrary4 ,it was 
simply  because he had come in and      
violated the conditions by which they   
could manifest4 ,he had1 so to speak1   
disturbed one of the plates of  the     
battery4 ,the law to which your         
attention is called1 is this great  law 
of commensurability in form and motion2 
or1 in other words1 the  law of harmonic

 action1 which is manifested not only in
 the material  plane1 but unfolded in   
every degree upon the conscious plane4  
,in  consequence of this law the        
communication between spheres differing 
in  their characteristics must          
necessarily be external2 that is1 ,i can
 not  communicate with an individual by 
the internal method1 or the method  of  
inspiration1 except he is on the same   
plane with myself4 ,perhaps  there is   
not one individual here so exactly on   
the same nerve-plane  with myself1 that 
,i could communicate with him without   
signs2 yet ,i  can reveal my form so    
that you can all see me1 by an external 
method1  though we belong1 perhaps1 to  
very different planes4 ,we can all      
communicate by external language1       
provided in our communications1 we  take
 that plane of communication which will 
be familiar to all present4  ,this is   
the law existing between minds out of   
the physical body4 ,one  mind out of the
 physical body may communicate with     

another out of the  physical body1 by an
 external means1 when he can not by the 
internal4  ,the external means does not 
come directly to the affection4 ,the    
vulgar  and the profane man may speak to
 the refined mind by means of speech  so
 as to shock the feelings2 but he can   
not speak by his sympathy4    ,one class
 of individuals in the sphere of        
lust--in what we call the low  and      
polluted plane--can not come into       
rapport with those occupying a  higher  
plane4 ,there is an 8impassable gulf0   
between them4 ,nevertheless1  by the    
external language which addresses the   
external being1 the  thought or         
perception1 they may be able to         
communicate4 ,the same law of           
communication applies in the ,spiritual 
world4 ,if angels are employed  as      
messengers1 they communicate by an      
external language2 because their        
thoughts can not flow into the lower    
affection--the lower can not  respond to
 them4 ,if a ,spirit in ,paradise wishes

 to communicate with  one in the sphere 
of lust1 he must take upon himself the  
conditions  of lust1 or he can not      
communicate by the internal method4 ,he 
can  not communicate by the internal    
method1 because the conditions are      
dissimilar4 ,communications made to us  
from a higher plane must be  external1  
and must be addressed to our thought2   
and if they operate  upon our affection1
 must flow from the thought into the    
affection4 ,it  is for this reason that 
,god1 the ,divine1 can not communicate  
with man1  the imperfect and finite1    
except by means of those who can receive
  truth from the ,divine1 and who can   
externally communicate it to those      
below4    ,spirits under a higher and   
more perfect law can not come and       
inspire us  in our polluted condition1  
but they can1 by means of external      
language1  draw us from our low         
condition of lust1 and bring us to a    
plane where  a ,spirit nearer to our    
plane may by influx come into us and    

develop  within us the true affection2  
but the high spirit can not do it4      
,hence  it is that there is a gradation 
between the highest and lowest--that    
8,angels form a chain which in ,god's   
burning throne begins1 ,and winds  down 
to the lowest plane of earthly things40 
,i may possibly receive a communication 
from a higher plane by  abstracting     
myself from the lusts and evils of the  
world1 by sending  forth my highest1 and
 holiest1 and purest aspirations after  
all that is  pure and good--for a moment
 elevating my condition to a higher     
plane4  ,that is the condition of true  
prayer4 ,while in that condition a      
,spirit  of that higher plane may1 by   
influx1 raise me up and hold me in that 
condition4 ,that is1 the true effect of 
the condition known as prayer1  is to   
separate you from the lusts and passions
 of the world--every  thing which is    
tending to degrade you4 ,then by fixing 
your mind on  your highest perception1  
and that which is pure1 and true1 and   

holy1  you elevate yourself above the   
plane on which you naturally move--bring
  yourself where a higher angel can     
reach down and raise you up4            
,therefore1 though prayer does not      
change the state of the soul1 yet it  is
 one of the conditions by which we climb
 to the higher spheres4 ,you  know the  
direction in regard to prayer was1 8when
 you pray do not go  into the public    
places and talk a great deal1 thinking  
,god is going to  hear you for your much
 speaking40    ,the object of prayer is 
not to inform ,god--to change his       
mind--therefore  when you pray1 retire  
from the world and all outward          
influences1 and  if necessary go into a 
room1 and shut the world out with all   
its  influences2 and then1 in the secret
 aspirations of your soul1 raise  your  
thoughts and desires to the infinite1   
perfect1 and undying1 that  you may     
bring yourself within the plane of      
blessing--within the plane  of that     
influence which can elevate you4 ,if    

,god could come down to  our plane1 and 
by the influx of his ,spirit into our   
consciousness  could enlighten our      
understandings and purify our hearts1   
there is no  excuse for its not being   
done4 ,he is infinite1 and there is an  
infinite  fullness in him2 but the      
reason he does not1 is that he can not4 
,it is  impossible that ,god should lie1
 and it would be lying if he should do  
this4    ,conditions can not be at the  
same time unlike and like--at the same  
time  discordant and harmonious2 the    
plane of lust can not harmonize with the
  plane of love4 ,the plane of man in   
his low condition can not harmonize     
with the plane of the ,divine in his    
infinitely elevated1 pure1 and holy     
condition4 ,therefore if a man would    
receive ,god into his consciousness1  he
 must put himself into the condition to 
receive influx2 and if he  would have an
 influx from a pure ,spirit1 he must    
become pure and holy  himself4 ,if ,god 
did not teach ,moses so that he could   

understand all  truth1 as did the ,man  
of ,nazareth1 and understand the great  
principle1  8,thou shalt not resist evil
 by evil10 it was because he did not    
occupy  the plane of inspiration4 ,he   
occupied a plane where there could be   
external manifestations1 which he had1  
but he could not receive a great        
universal law1 because he was not on the
 plane of the internal and  divine4 ,the
 inspiration of ,paul1 ,peter1 ,luke1   
and ,john1 was not equal  to that of    
their ,teacher1 because they had not    
arisen to his elevated  condition2 had  
they occupied his plane1 ,god could have
 communicated as  well to them as to    
their ,teacher2 and it would not have   
been necessary  for them to have a      
middle-man to come between them and     
,god4    ,when you have risen to the    
plane of communication1 the             
communication  is internal4 ,you have no
 outward form of expression1 because you
 have  the thought itself by            
inspiration4 ,in the language of the    

,apostle1 ,god  writes his language in  
your understanding and in your          
affections4 ,all  communication with the
 spiritual world proceeding according to
 this  law1 each man's communication    
will be according to his plane2 if in   
the low plane of lust1 his              
communications will be of that          
character2  if in the plane of love1 his
 communications will be of that         
character4  ,but even the lowest1 by    
putting himself in the condition of     
prayer1 by  aspiring for the good and   
the holy1 by putting up earnest         
petitions for  aid1 will always find a  
,spirit near to sustain and elevate him4
                                        
,,chapter ,v4                           
,,philosophy ,,of ,,progression4        
,if we wish to arrive at an accurate    
knowledge of any subject1 we must       
endeavor to ascertain what is           
fundamental to that subject4 ,if we need
  to investigate accurately any science1
 we need to inform ourselves as  early  

as possible of the fundamental          
principles pertaining to that  science4 
,there is no better way to study the    
history of creation than  by studying it
 as revealed in the phenomena of        
,nature4 ,when ,i can  investigate      
,nature in her operations1 and ascertain
 the laws by which  she performs her    
work1 ,i then can arrive--at least      
approximately--at  the philosophy of    
,nature1 in attaining which ,i attain   
the philosophy  of divine manifestation4
 ,there can be no interpolation there4  
,the  ,divine ,artificer works alone in 
the fields of ,nature1 and where ,i  can
 discover the manifestation of wisdom   
and power1 there ,i come  directly into 
communication with the ,divine ,being in
 that plane of  action and              
manifestation2 and when ,i learn what   
the law of action and  manifestation is 
in that department1 ,i learn so much of 
the method  of the divine work1 or of   
the divine order4 ,i propose1 then1     
briefly  to call your attention to the  

teachings of ,god upon this subject of  
progression1 as manifested in the fields
 of ,nature2 and will then ask  you to  
accompany me in endeavoring to ascertain
 what are some of its  fundamental laws4
    ,were ,i to inquire what is the     
apparent design of everything we behold1
  we must see that it is pointing to the
 ultimating of an individualized1       
immortal1 intelligent being1 who should 
be capable of understanding  all truth1 
and being perfected in every true       
affection4 ,everything  tends to bring  
about that great result--the unfolding  
of an immortal  being4 ,god and the     
material universe seem to be laboring to
 beget an  individualized being in the  
image of both ,god and the              
universe--,god as  the absolute and     
infinite1 and matter as the finite1     
uniting1 produce a  being which partakes
 of both the absolute or infinite and   
the finite4  ,when viewed from one plane
 he is infinite2 when viewed from       
another  plane he is finite2 so that    

between ,god and matter man is mediate4 
,i  would say1 then1 in simple language1
 ,god is the father of the spirit1  and 
matter the mother of his form4 ,the     
first step in the path of  unfolding1 as
 taught by ,nature1 is that of          
individualizing form4 ,the  next step is
 that of individualizing life1 of       
producing individuality4  ,the last step
 is that of producing personality1      
making the individual a  personal being4
 ,the form is necessarily finite4 ,the  
mind can conceive  of it only as finite1
 and as composed of that which is the   
absolute1  finite matter1 which1        
separate from the divine being1 has no  
life or  power4 ,it is not              
self-sufficient nor conscious4    ,if we
 can suppose that matter shall be       
divested from all connection  with media
 which can impress upon it a condition1 
we speak of it as  being amorphous      
matter1 or matter without form4 ,if we  
unite it then  with one medium1 as      
electricity1 we find it tending to      

produce the  gaseous condition1 the     
nebular condition4 ,form is not yet     
attained4  ,if we unite with it still   
another medium which is a little        
different  from electricity1 forms of   
the mineral kingdom are produced4 ,we   
have here the first degree of form1 but 
as yet there is not life  or            
individuality4 ,now the next advance is 
to induce in that form a  condition     
which shall make it receptive of life1  
for that which is to  be individualized 
is life4 ,so1 then1 in passing through  
the elaborating  influences of the      
mineral kingdom1 it arrives at a certain
 point1 a  sort of culminating point1   
where it joins upon the vegetable       
kingdom2  and the line between these    
kingdoms is passed by such imperceptible
  gradations--so slow in the unfolding  
of forms--that it is impossible for  the
 naturalist to tell accurately where the
 one begins and where the  other ends2  
but the vegetable kingdom is manifestly 
begun when there is  found the          

incorporation of a new principle into a 
new form--a principle  looking to       
organization--giving matter an organic  
structure4 ,when the  principle known as
 the life-force is introduced1 then it  
is understood  that mineral has passed  
and the vegetable is commenced4 ,as soon
 as this  is unfolded1 we have a second 
advance of form--life in its first      
degree2  or1 in other words1            
individualization commences4 ,form has  
passed to its  second degree1 and goes  
on elaborating degree after degree1     
producing  diverse organic forms1 until 
it is prepared to receive another and a 
more interior                           
principle--consciousness--until by      
imperceptible degrees  we arrive at the 
animal kingdom4 ,we have then the animal
 form1 the  third or finishing degree of
 form1 and the second degree of life1   
and the first degree of consciousness4  
,man in his animal nature is  the       
completion2 of the highest form4 ,life  
has yet one more degree to  pass        

through2 consciousness has yet two more 
degrees to pass through  before it is   
complete4 ,the next advance is to a     
higher principle of  consciousness--to a
 more enduring principle of life1       
without changing  the material form1 and
 that is to the spiritual degree of     
unfolding4    ,looking to the highest   
types of the animal and the lowest types
 of men1  we will observe that they     
approach very near to each other4       
,naturalists  have been divided in      
opinion as to whether or not man was an 
animal  projected on a little higher    
plane1 and whether or not the difference
  is not merely one of degree4 ,i say   
that when man is developed1 we find  him
 developing or individualizing a higher 
principle4 ,individuality  was first    
started in the vegetable2 the principle 
of vitality in the  animal4 ,the second 
degree of individuality was where the   
animal became  individualized on a      
higher plane of life1 on a plane of     
consciousness  belonging to what we call

 the nerve-medium4 ,man individualizes  
upon the  second degree of consciousness
 and the third degree of life1          
completing  an individuality4 ,he       
becomes to us the highest type of form  
and life in  the finite2 and a large    
class of philosophers and theologians   
conceive  man as formed in the divine   
image1 and suppose the expression that  
,god  made man in his own image1 to     
refer to an external as well as internal
  likeness4    ,man as an individual    
occupies the highest plane2 he has      
attained to the  third degree of life as
 a ,spiritual being1 consequently he    
becomes  immortal4 ,if the third degree 
of life brings man into communion with  
the self-living and divine1 he becomes  
immortal2 if not1 then he is  not       
immortal2 for that only is immortal     
which receives into itself  that which  
is self-living1 self-sufficient1 and    
self-existent1 that  which can not be   
dissolved or disorganized4 ,if man has  
not attained  to that plane which joins 

upon that which is self-existent1 he is 
not  immortal4 ,the simple fact that man
 can think1 will1 and act1 proves       
nothing for his immortality4 ,the dog   
can act1 and think1 and will1 but  that 
does not make the animal immortal4      
,those who base immortality  upon that1 
do not perceive its real basis4 ,man    
becomes immortal by his  relation to    
that which is self-existent and         
self-sufficient1 and  has that          
self-sufficient condition brought into  
him by induction4 ,he  receives it by a 
sort of divine induction4 ,i have       
brought in a chart  to illustrate the   
principle of induction or the law of    
progression4  ,you observe that man     
stands at the head of form and life1    
though not  at the head of              
consciousness4 ,he is as a finite being 
produced only to  the second degree of  
consciousness4 ,that is the last step   
man took4  ,man has advanced to the     
second degree of consciousness1 which   
looks  to the relational and finite1    

hence man as a moral being1 as a finite 
being2 and that which he investigates in
 virtue of his faculties as a  moral    
being must be finite4 ,he can therefore 
only investigate in the  sphere of the  
finite4 ,the moment he attempts to      
embrace the infinite1  and translate    
that into the finite1 that moment he is 
pushing his  investigations beyond his  
development4    ,but there is not only  
this second degree of consciousness1    
which  notices the relation1 but there  
is a third degree1 which notices or     
perceives the absolute4 ,it perceives   
not only outward form and mediate       
relation1 but the absolute essence of   
all being4 ,man attains to that1  not   
because that third nature is            
individualized in him1 but because  by  
reason of its conjunction upon that     
condition which is known as  the        
absolute1 he has that condition in him  
by a sort of induction--a               
non-individualized condition1 a sort of 
resident divinity in him1 gives  him    

this third degree4    ,now permit me to 
illustrate the principle of induction4  
,you understand1  when electric         
conditions are produced1 that there is  
such a thing  as causing them by        
induction4 ,you understand that negative
 attracts  positive1 and that positive  
attracts negative--that where these     
opposite  conditions prevail there is a 
tendency to bring them together4        
,similar  conditions repel1 and opposite
 conditions attract1 each other4 ,we    
understand that all electrical currents 
are double--that there is  a primary and
 a secondary current4 ,in vitality1 in  
nerve-aura1 in  whatever acts as a      
medium1 there is a double current4 ,the 
second  current is within the primary1  
and runs in the opposite direction4  ,it
 is more interior than the primary4     
,now1 if ,i have a body charged         
positively1 and ,i bring it into a      
certain relation to another body1 it    
imparts its electricity to it4 ,this is 
called producing the condition  by      

induction4 ,i speak now of progression  
under this law of induction4            
,suppose1 now1 that we take the two     
great principles of  life--consciousness
 and action on the one hand1 and death1 
unconsciousness1 or inertia on the other
 hand--one being impartive and  the     
other negative and receptive4 ,god on   
the one hand and matter on  the other4  
7,pardon me for speaking of ,god as a   
principle1 the subject  requires it4    
,whatever is attempted to be explained  
in language must  necessarily be        
considered as finite47 ,now1 whatever   
pertains to the  divine and absolute on 
the one hand1 the very opposite pertains
 to  matter on the other hand2 hence we 
speak of the sufficiency of ,deity  and 
the inertia of matter4 ,this principle  
of inertia1 however1 is as  essential to
 the development of form and            
individuality in the finite  as the     
principle of consciousness is to the    
conscious being4 ,without  the two      
conditions1 that which is mediate could 

not be elaborated or  produced4 ,god's  
creative agency1 the positive current1  
passes out upon  matter1 from which     
there is a current returning to mind1 in
 which  negative current                
individualization takes place4 ,the     
returning current  first begins to      
elaborate form2 next1 with the progress 
of matter1  comes individuality2 next1  
personality4 ,the formative principle is
 in  the secondary current1 which       
produces induction2 but that which is   
interior to form and elaborates it is   
the induced or positive current1  which 
partakes of the positive or energetic   
action of the divine  current1 so to    
speak4 ,in this way1 by induction1 form 
after form is  elaborated and made to   
become the receptive of certain         
conditions4  ,matter has no power of    
itself1 but at the same time is         
receptive of  influences or conditions4 
,two theories have prevailed respecting 
the origin of man4 ,one is what  we call
 the theory of supernaturalism1 which   

supposes that the divine  being1 at a   
certain period of time1 when every other
 condition was  fulfilled1 came down1   
and by special power formed man in his  
present  shape1 and imparted to him his 
present spiritual life2 and that from   
that man thus formed1 and a woman formed
 for his companion1 sprang  all the rest
 of the human family4 ,others1 who      
adhere to this idea in  general1 suppose
 that there was a plurality of parents1 
from whom the  human race have          
proceeded4 ,the opposite theory is1 that
 man has been  developed from the animal
 kingdom--that he is a development of   
the  animal in a higher plane4 ,this    
theory was advocated by ,la ,marc4 ,now1
  ,i believe in neither theory4 ,the    
truth lies between the two4 ,in the     
outset ,i made this remark1 which ,i    
intended to be understood as meaning    
all that it implied3 that ,god is the   
,father of the spirit1 while matter  is 
the mother of the form4 ,matter is      
finite in all its attributes and        

qualities4 ,god is infinite in all his  
attributes and qualities4 ,man is  taken
 from the finite in his lower plane4    
,his form is nourished and fed  by its  
connection with the finite1 and when the
 spirit is separated  therefrom1 this   
portion of man goes to decay2 and so far
 as he is  concerned as an individual1  
he is no more4 ,on the other hand1 man  
comes  from the infinite1 in the higher 
department of his being1 so that man    
partakes of both the finite and the     
infinite4 ,he is in the image of his    
mother1 as well as of his father4 ,he is
 created in the image of ,god and  the  
image of matter4 ,he has both an        
individuality and a personality4  ,in   
his finity he is an individual2 in his  
divinity he is personal4  ,therefore man
 contains in himself all the germinal   
elements of the  universe1 and also the 
representative elements of the ,divine  
,being4    ,as a being of form man      
became receptive of conditions4 ,the    
mineral  eventually became receptive of 

the principle of life1 which developed  
the vegetable kingdom4 ,the moment this 
life-principle began to work in         
producing organic structure and         
multiplying relations and conditions1  a
 variety of forms succeeded1 until forms
 were brought to such a point  that they
 became receptive of a higher           
principle--the nerve principle  or      
consciousness1 and the animal kingdom   
was the result4 ,the vegetable  kingdom 
only produced the form4 ,the spirit came
 into it by induction  from the other   
direction4 ,the vegetable did not       
produce the animal2  it merely produced 
the conditions by which this conscious  
principle  could be induced into the    
individuality developed by the          
vegetable4  ,that individuality was     
raised out of the vegetable and placed  
upon the  animal plane1 and a new       
kingdom was born by the application of  
the  law of commensurability4           
,eventually form was elaborated through 
the  entire animal kingdom until the    

highest form the nerve-principle could  
produce1 was produced4    ,the human    
form was elaborated through the animal  
kingdom1 but the  spirit was not        
elaborated there4 ,when the             
nerve-principle had done its  best1 had 
fulfilled its highest possible          
condition1 and had brought  form to join
 upon spirit1 the condition of spirit   
was induced into  this form2 and the    
induction of that spirit raised the form
 of the  animal kingdom into the human  
kingdom2 and the first man thus stood   
forth1 produced by the divine breath    
breathing into him1 consequently  the   
difference between the lowest man and   
the highest animal was very  slight4    
,the man1 to be sure1 takes his animal  
body1 appetites1 senses1  and the laws  
which govern in the development of his  
body1 from the  animal1 but not that    
which pertained to his spiritual1       
nature4 ,it  received this from above by
 the induction of the divine principle  
which  took hold of the form and raised 

him out of the animal kingdom2 so  that 
man does not trace his parentage to the 
animal but to ,god4 ,he has  been       
begotten by the spirit and power of     
,god1 operating through every  plane of 
being and action from the crystal to the
 divine4 ,i detract  nothing from the   
divine wisdom and power when ,i say that
 ,god works in  an orderly and methodic 
manner4 ,forms are of the earth1 but the
 spirit  is from heaven4 ,the first man 
is of the earth1 earthy2 the second man 
is the lord from heaven4    ,every      
operation on the material side of the   
universe looks to the  ultimating of a  
form which shall be so perfect as to    
become receptive  of a spirit which     
shall be capable of living forever1 of  
being  conscious of all that is1 of     
being truly affected by that which it   
perceives4 ,there is not an operation in
 nature1 not even the progress  of the  
comet in its path1 which does not look  
to the production of  a human being1 the
 production of an immortal soul4 ,there 

is not a  manifestation of power or     
wisdom in the world which is not        
laboring and  conspiring to accomplish  
this great end of producing a son1 a    
child of  ,god1 which shall be          
capacitated to be receptive of its      
divine origin4  ,we shall eventually see
 that every law which we now think is   
working  for destruction1 is but the    
going forth of the divine power to      
produce  the being1 man4    ,i said that
 man was not immortal in consequence of 
his  spirit-individuality alone4 ,the   
reason that man is immortal is very     
manifest4 ,the highest principle in the 
animal individuality is the             
nerve-principle1 the principle of       
consciousness which can perceive        
material forms and material phenomena4  
,that interior principle is not         
unfolded in the animal4 ,the inmost     
principle of the animal1 ,i grant1  is  
spiritual1 but that principle is not    
individualized4 ,the animal has  only   
the nerve-principle1 but in the         

spirit-principle2 and joining  perceive 
facts and phenomena2 but he can not     
perceive relations--has  no desire after
 relations--and knows nothing of moral  
duties4 ,he can  not be active in that  
way1 because his highest individuality  
is his  mere nervous individuality4 ,god
 does not breathe into the animal that  
breath of life which makes him a living 
soul4 ,but man is individualized  not   
only in this nerve-principle1 but in the
 spirit-principle2 and  joining upon the
 infinite he does take the divine breath
 into him as  the inmost principle of   
his being4 ,man is immortal by his      
relation to  the self-sufficient and    
self-existent4 ,it is his relation to   
,god that  makes him immortal4 ,the     
animal is not immortal1 because he has  
not  this relation4 ,man having this    
higher principle individualized in him  
becomes a religious being4    ,in the   
example heretofore cited of ,sir ,isaac 
,newton and his dog  perceiving the     
falling of an apple1 the dog was seen as

 observing only  the fact1 while ,sir   
,isaac ,newton observed the law1 which  
he called  gravitation2 yet not being   
developed in his divine consciousness1  
which  perceives the absolute and       
divine1 he could not tell the absolute  
cause  of the phenomenon4 ,the dog is in
 the manifestational sphere1 while ,sir 
,isaac ,newton was developed in the     
manifestational and relational1  but not
 yet in the absolute1 but was capable of
 being developed in  that sphere by     
induction4 ,man is therefore a          
microcosm4 ,he has all  those conditions
 which pertain to the universe4 ,he is  
its fruit4 ,there  are three stages in  
the development of man3 first1 form2    
second1  individuality2 third1          
personality--to which ,jesus made       
allusion in  speaking of the development
 of fruit1 saying that there was first  
the  blade1 next the ear1 and after that
 the full corn4 ,man1 standing at the   
head of the development1 is the fruit of
 the universe4 ,he is the grand         

ultimate of all preceding action4 ,he is
 the footings-up of all that is  and all
 that has been4 ,there is no condition  
of being not a condition  of relation in
 the wide universe which man does not   
contain in some  department of his      
being2 and just as he unfolds in his    
conscious  nature1 does he represent    
different spheres in the ,spiritual     
world4 ,if  in self-lust1 he registers  
his name in that department of the      
,spiritual  universe called ,gehenna1 if
 in charity1 he records his name in the 
sphere ,paradise2 and if in divine      
love--if the divine is so developed in  
him that it is a ruling love--he is     
registered in heaven2 and then it  is he
 perceives ,god4 ,if he is developed    
like the ,man of ,nazareth1 so  that his
 ,father's will is his will1 so that he 
can bow submissively to  it1 whether it 
be to inflict pain and death or life and
 prosperity1 he  is born into the       
absolute or divine4 ,this1 then1 is the 
simple law of  unfolding4 ,man becomes  

in the ,spirit-world what he is in      
himself4 ,when  you determine where his 
ruling love is1 you have determined his 
sphere2  and if he is to manifest to    
this world1 he will manifest according  
to  the sphere he is in4 ,he advances by
 the same principle of induction as  is 
concerned in the development of his     
personality4 ,it is as the poet         
remarks3        8,all angels form a     
chain which in ,god's burning throne    
begins1      ,and winds down to the     
lowest plane of earthly things40        
,understand1 then1 each individual is a 
link in that chain1 all put  together in
 the various degrees of unfolding4 ,so  
that 8as each lifts  his lower friends1 
can each into superior joys ascend40 ,as
 you would  raise yourselves1 raise the 
man next below you4 ,as you would labor 
to  save yourself1 labor to save your   
neighbor4 ,your salvation consists in   
saving others4 ,there is no way in which
 a man so entirely defeats his  own     
happiness as when he attempts to make   

that happiness his highest  end4 ,the   
pleasure-seekers will bear me witness   
that the real happiness  is in          
performing some duty or fulfilling some 
end1 not with a view  to getting        
happiness4 ,if a man seeks after right1 
he can not avoid  happiness4    ,now you
 can understand that it depends upon you
 and me to determine our  plane--to     
determine our condition in the          
,spirit-world4    ,jesus said to his    
disciples that when he should go to his 
,father1 they  would see him no more1   
meaning that he should no longer appear 
in his  form--no longer appear in the   
spheres of manifestation--,gehenna and  
,paradise4 ,he can only be communed with
 by those in the same condition4  ,but  
previous to going to his ,father he told
 them1 8,a little while and  ye shall   
see me40 ,he was living then in his     
physical body1 talking with  his        
disciples through their natural         
understanding4 ,he told them he  was    
going to be gone a little while1 and    

would return2 but after that  he would  
go to their ,father1 and they would see 
him no more4 ,he first  went to         
,paradise1 from whence he could manifest
 himself4 ,during forty  days after his 
crucifixion he remained in ,paradise1   
which joins the  natural sphere1 and    
manifested himself from time to time1   
endeavoring  to open communication      
between the ,spiritual and natural      
sphere4 ,having  spent forty days       
developing his apostles as mediums1 he  
went to his  ,father1 into a sphere     
which is not one of manifestation1 and  
they saw  him no more4 ,i do not mean   
that he went to a particular place1 but 
that  he went into a more interior      
condition2 that is1 he retired from the 
external to the absolute and divine1 and
 of course could no longer be  made     
manifest2 and according to the          
description1 he was separated from  his 
disciples1 and a cloud received him out 
of sight--not a literal  cloud1 but that
 interior condition of divine           

personality which made  him invisible to
 them as a spiritual being1 where he has
 continued  from that time to the       
present4 ,the second sphere1 ,paradise1 
is that  in which angels are said to be 
,god's messengers4 ,god can not directly
  communicate his consciousness to us in
 this sphere4 ,he simply give his       
consciousness to his angels1 who        
translate it into the external sphere4  
,in speaking of the ,divine ,being as   
nearly as possible in external          
language1 ,i would say that ,he is a    
personality1 but not an  individuality4 
,individuality is finite necessarily2   
therefore all the  ideas originating    
from such an individuality are finite2  
hence if you  attempt to portray the    
,infinite in your imagination1 you make 
him  finite1 and just so sure as you    
attempt to make that finite image  or   
idea represent the ,infinite1 that      
moment you involve yourself in          
inextricable confusion4 ,you make an    
individual of ,god and make him  finite4

 ,by personality1 which is quite another
 thing1 ,i refer to this  principle of  
consciousness4 ,that being only has     
attained personality  where the subject 
arises and the object terminates within 
himself4  ,that being is a personality  
alone who possesses self-existence and  
self-sufficiency4 ,now ,i standing      
before you am liable to influences      
outside of myself4 ,an act arising from 
such influences is not strictly  mine1  
not depending entirely upon me for its  
existence4 ,if you  influence me1 and my
 act be a good one1 you are entitled to 
part of the  credit2 if it be bad1 you  
are chargeable with part of the censure4
 ,you  can see that under this law of   
motive1 which belongs to the first and  
second spheres of mind1 no action       
depending upon outward condition is     
perfect1 not being self-sufficient or   
self-existent4 ,it belongs to the       
individuality2 but when the act is of   
such a character that it can not        
receive outward influence arising from a

 sort of divine spontaneity1  it is     
self-existent and self-sufficient1 and  
the person capable of  such an act may  
be said to be a personality2 that is1 he
 is becoming  independent--attaining to 
a self-sufficiency and self-existence4  
,an individual is neither4 ,it is only  
that which receives4 ,hence  man1 who is
 said to be begotten the child of ,god1 
has another's  self-sufficiency4 ,all   
that he has he has received4 ,said      
,jesus1 speaking  from the natural      
plane1 8,i can of my own self do        
nothing4 ,as ,i hear ,i  judge4 ,it is  
not ,i that doeth the work1 but the     
,father that dwelleth  in me that doeth 
the work40 ,so you will understand what 
,i mean when ,i  say that man as a      
separate individual has a finite being1 
but in his  connection with the ,divine 
,being he becomes a personality1 not of 
his  own1 but as a personality in ,god4 
,the universal and eternal personality  
of ,god is in him4 ,this is the relation
 we sustain as finite beings to  the    

,infinite4    ,i expect not to convey my
 idea in a very clear manner4 ,i can    
only  point in the direction1 and say   
investigate in that direction and you   
will find the infinite4 ,i can only give
 a negative description of the  infinite
 by saying what it is not1 and ask you  
to pursue the positive  in your inmost  
consciousness2 and after a little while 
you will see  some glimmering of the    
instinct infinite4 ,then all your doubts
 about  the infinite will cease4 ,you   
will then be able to perceive1 although 
not able to describe1 how it is that    
there is an infinite ,father whose  love
 and wisdom is over all his works4      
,,chapter ,,vi4                         
,,mediumship4      ,my subject of       
discourse this evening is that of       
mediumship4 ,there are  two classes of  
mediumship1 and only two3 that which is 
external1 that  which reaches the       
consciousness through the region of     
thought2 and the  internal1 that which  
reaches it directly in the affections4  

,the most  imperfect as a means of      
communication is what is known as the   
external1  its imperfection being due to
 the fact of its having to employ in its
  communication certain signs or        
symbols1 which signs or symbols each    
individual must translate by his own    
standard--by his own understanding4     
,its perfection as a means of           
communication depends1 first1 upon the  
perfection of the communicator2         
secondly1 upon the perfection of the    
understanding of the individual to whom 
the communication is made4 ,if  the     
communication pertain to those things   
belonging to the common plane  of the   
understanding1 and the individual       
communicating and the one  to whom the  
communication is made understand alike  
the symbols used1  the method of        
communication is comparatively perfect4 
,i am obliged to  make use of certain   
natural words which are signs of ideas4 
,if you  understand these words         
precisely as ,i do1 ,i will succeed in  

conveying  my ideas4 ,but if the        
slightest difference exist between us in
 the use  of words1 a perfect           
communication can not take place4 ,you  
understand  how this is4 ,nothing is    
more common in an audience like this    
than for  different individuals to      
understand the speaker differently1     
though  each individual heard the same  
words4 ,but different conclusions are   
attained because each interprets by his 
own standard4    ,we can not be perfect 
in our external methods of communication
 any  further than we each occupy the   
same plane in our communication1 and    
understand alike the symbols used4 ,if  
,i were describing simple natural       
things1 and describing them by natural  
qualities1 there would be no            
difficulty1 perhaps1 in conveying a     
definite idea4 ,i may not fail in       
describing objects by using such terms  
as 8red1 white1 round1 square1          
angular10 because these terms are       
commonly well understood4 ,so in  regard

 to all the natural qualities of objects
 with which we are  familiar4 ,we have  
the correct elements out of which to    
construct a  correct idea4 ,therefore1  
while ,i am communicating on the natural
 plane  where we all possess the same   
consciousness1 external language answers
  very well as a means of communication4
    ,but suppose ,i attempt to go into a
 more interior truth--that which does   
not address each one's consciousness    
through the sense4 ,i am obliged1       
however1 to make use of external        
language2 but as the interior truth  is 
more interior than the natural plane1 ,i
 must employ that language              
figuratively--must speak by parables1   
similes1 and allegories4 ,but the       
moment we begin to use language in that 
manner we are very liable to  be        
misunderstood4 ,the individual inclined 
to understand all things on  the natural
 plane will very likely fail to get the 
spiritual idea which  is figuratively   
conveyed4 ,a truth expressed in         

figurative language1 the  figure being a
 natural one1 will be understood by the 
one who takes it  literally in one way1 
while he who takes it in a spiritual    
sense will  get a different idea4 ,so   
whenever we attempt to teach by         
parables1  there is a very great        
liability of diversity of               
understandings4 ,i  refer to this to    
show that in communicating by external  
language1 we  are very liable to be     
misunderstood1 unless we confine our    
subjects  to the natural plane1 and     
describe natural things by such         
properties  as are common to all1 and   
are accurate in putting them together1  
when  we may succeed tolerably well4    
,but if we omit any of these essential  
particulars1 there will be almost as    
great a diversity of opinions as  there 
are diversity of minds to hear the      
communications4    ,many persons have   
thought that if they become mediums1 and
 could  see disembodied ,spirits in the 
,spiritual world1 and see how they  are 

associated together there1 they would   
become wise4 ,as a mere  observation of 
the vegetable kingdom serves simply to  
acquaint one with  its various forms1   
but not with its uses1 so a view of the 
,spiritual  world might acquaint one    
with the fact that ,spirits existed1 of 
their  employments1 etc42 but the real  
interior truth1 which is necessary to   
enter into you and make you wise1 can   
not be acquired in this way4    ,the    
idea that we can get perfect            
communication externally1 when we  are  
imperfect ourselves1 is altogether a    
fallacious idea4 ,we depend  upon our   
understandings for the meanings of      
communications addressed  to us2 and    
just so far as you are developed to     
understand perfectly1  you may get a    
perfect impression4 ,but just so far as 
it is above  your comprehension1 you are
 liable to misunderstand1 and charge the
  fault upon your communicator4 ,the    
proposition is simply this3 ,you  and ,i
 can not understand infallibly what is  

truth1 unless we are  infallible        
ourselves in the determination of truth4
 ,that which1 of  itself1 is fallible   
and liable to err1 can not determine the
 quality  of infallibility2 and whenever
 an individual affirms1 upon some       
authority1 the truth of any thing which1
 by his acknowledgment1 lies  beyond the
 plane of his intellectual development1 
he asserts something  unphilosophical   
and false4 ,that is only truth which1 in
 our minds1  corresponds to the         
actuality4 ,it matters not who speaks1  
even though  it be ,god2 just so long as
 you must depend upon your understanding
  to interpret the meaning of what is   
said1 you are liable to get a  falsehood
 instead of truth4 ,the question of     
truth depends as much upon  you as the  
communicator4 ,there has been a great   
deal of discussion  about the           
infallibility of the ,koran1 of the     
,shasters1 of the ,vedas1  of the       
,bible1 and of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,it
 has all proceeded upon  an erroneous   

idea4 ,although the book may contain    
infallible truth1  yet since you have to
 depend upon your understanding to      
interpret  the language employed1 you   
may fail to get the truth4 ,you need to 
be  infallible before you can affirm    
that you have the truth4 ,you hand me   
the ,bible1 perhaps1 saying that it is  
the ,word of ,god1 that it was  given by
 inspiration of ,god1 and that every    
word it contains is true1  infallibly   
true4 ,very well4 ,do you wish me to    
receive the entire  book of paper1 ink1 
and calf-skin1 to take the book and read
 it1 and  believe what it says8 ,i must 
receive it as ,i understand it1 and     
faith1  therefore1 corresponds to my    
understanding of the book4 ,is my faith 
in the book1 or my understanding of the 
book8 ,when a man affirms  the          
infallibility of the ,bible1 he affirms 
the infallibility of his  understanding4
 ,it appears that your faith can not be 
in the ,bible1  whatever it may teach4  
,your faith is only in your             

understanding of the  ,bible2 and if    
your understanding happens to correspond
 exactly with the  truth1 you then have 
the truth4 ,but if your understanding   
happens to  be erroneous1 your faith is 
in a falsehood4 ,you affirm1 then1 that 
,god  teaches that which ,he does not   
teach2 and you make your falsehood      
,god's  truth4    ,i want to make this  
plain1 for here the law of outward      
communication  is abundantly manifest4  
,look the world over and see how many   
different sects there are in            
,christendom3 ,baptists1 ,universalists1
  ,presbyterians--,i could not begin to 
name them all over to-night4 ,they  all 
take the same book and learn from the   
same source2 and yet they  come to very 
different conclusions4 ,you may take any
 one doctrine  which you may think the  
,bible teaches--and ,i will immediately 
find you  a denomination who will deny  
it4 ,one says that it teaches universal 
salvation1 and another affirms that it  
teaches almost as universal  damnation4 

,each man translates it by his own      
understanding2 and each  affirms that he
 has infallible truth4 ,if they would   
just take this  simple proposition1 that
 that which is fallible can not         
determine the  quality of               
infallibility--that upon these subjects 
the human mind  is fallible1 and        
therefore can not determine what is the 
absolute  meaning of the                
communications--they would learn the    
source of all their  errors4 ,men may be
 ever so honest1 they will differ as a  
consequence of  their constitutional    
differences4 ,a man whose intellectual  
faculties  are strongly developed1 who  
will reason and demonstrate every thing 
rationally1 will be a ,presbyterian4    
,hence the expression 8long-faced       
,presbyterian40 ,it is very common for  
them to be long-faced4 ,they are  very  
actual1 never have much feeling1 and sit
 perfectly quiet4 ,the  minister must do
 all the talking1 and the singers must  
do all the  singing4 ,the round1        

full-faced1 emotional kind of man will  
not be a  ,presbyterian4 ,you could not 
force him to be1 because he judges by a 
different standard4 ,he would be a      
,methodist4 ,he would judge by the      
standard of feeling1 and must have a    
great deal of noise2 and a meeting  is  
not worth a fig to him unless he can    
have a dozen round him shouting         
8,glory60 ,the ,presbyterian1 all       
reason1 says ,god is omnipotent and     
omniscient2 therefore ,he foreknew what 
should come to pass1 and that1          
therefore1 ,god foreordains whatever    
comes to pass4 ,this is one of his      
cardinal doctrines4 ,the ,methodists    
says3 8,if that be true1 man is not  a  
free agent2 but ,i feel that he is40 ,he
 decides from feeling2 the              
,presbyterian from thought4 ,they can   
not read the same book and come  to the 
same conclusion4 ,there is a            
constitutional difference between  the  
two4 ,if they are to determine upon     
truth by outward communication  they can

 not arrive at it4 ,the man who feels   
pretty savage is ready to  accept the   
doctrine of damnation4 ,he feels that   
certain persons ought  to be punished1  
and he thinks ,god will punish them4    
,here is another  man who is all        
sympathy and love4 ,he can not see how  
one man should1  under any              
circumstances1 want to injure another   
man1 and he comes to  the conclusion    
that all men are going to be saved4 ,he 
thinks that  if ,god is as good as he   
is1 and he is sure ,he is1 ,he will     
contrive  some way to save all4 ,that   
man will preach the doctrine of         
universal  salvation4    ,so true is it1
 that phrenological differences point   
out different  religious beliefs1 that  
in almost any congregation you can sort 
out  the ,presbyterians from the        
,methodists1 etc4 ,this is a truth that 
,god1  nature1 experience--every thing  
teaches4 ,what is the use of quarreling 
about it1 as long as we know that       
individuals hearing a discourse come  to

 different conclusions4 ,they do1 they  
must1 they will1 and they can  not help 
it4 ,until they come to a more interior 
plane they can never  have one faith1   
one ,lord1 one baptism4    ,now you     
understand what ,i mean by what is      
called the external  communication4     
,suppose the ,spirits make a            
communication1 they make it  in words4  
,these words only address your          
consciousness through your              
understanding1 and you make them mean   
according to your understanding  of     
them4 ,if the ,spirit makes a           
communication by pantomime1 it still    
appeals to your understanding1 and      
depends upon your translation to  give  
it significance4 ,there may be error in 
the communication and in  yourself1 so  
that the error will be double4 ,it is in
 this way that very  many errors which  
have been charged upon the ,spiritual   
world1 after  all1 have their origin in 
the mistranslation and the              
misunderstanding  of those who hear the 

communication4 ,the teachings of ,jesus1
 ,i  think1 are straightforward enough1 
if you will come to the plane of        
understanding to which they were        
addressed4 ,being spiritual1 they  can  
not be truly represented by natural     
ideas and language4 ,for that  reason he
 was obliged to teach by the use of     
parables1 figures1 and  similes2 and    
when he had done the best he could1 the 
disciples1 being  educated in the       
natural plane1 interpreted his language 
naturally1 and1  consequently1          
misapplied what he said4 ,this is the   
fault to the present  day4 ,the truths  
he sought to communicate were peculiarly
 spiritual1  and natural language could 
only represent them when used           
figuratively2  hence he made choice of  
such similes or parables as would convey
 his  meaning approximately1 yet not    
without liability of material error4    
,hence he declared to his disciples1    
with whom he had been so long  familiar1
 that they did not understand him1 and  

could not1 until the  ,spirit of truth  
should come to lead them into the truth 
of what he had  taught4 ,language could 
not convey the truth1 else it would     
undoubtedly  have been so given4 ,he    
knew how to describe the things of the  
,spiritual  world so far as they could  
be described1 for the ,spirit had been  
poured  out upon him without measure2   
but natural language could not portray  
the truths1 scenery1 and events of the  
,spirit-world4    ,the only perfect mode
 of communication is the interior       
method1 or  communication by            
inspiration4 ,as a means of becoming    
wise1 it becomes  necessary for us to   
seek by some means to come into interior
 communion  with the ,spirit-world and  
,divine ,being1 since we can not by     
outward  means arrive absolutely at the 
truth4 ,if we will know that truth which
  is required to build us up into       
eternal life1 we must ascertain what    
conditions are necessary to be observed 
to bring us into interior  communion    

with the ,spirit1 so that without       
outward sign they can flow  directly    
into our consciousness1 and be written  
upon the thought or  heart1 as was said1
 8,i will put my law into their         
understandings1 and  ,i will write it   
upon their affections40 ,thus truth must
 come to us  without any recourse to    
,bibles or any other standard whatever4 
,it so  happens that the means by which 
we are to attain to interior communion  
are open to all4 ,it is possible for    
every person to come into rapport  with 
the interior spheres4 ,according to     
one's ruling love or desire  will be his
 affinity or communion with the spheres 
of the ,spirit-world4  ,if that be high1
 his communion will be high4 ,if low1   
his communion will  be low4    ,i will  
illustrate what ,i mean by interior     
communication4 ,suppose  that some of   
you have a pain in the head4 ,after your
 best attempts  to describe it to me by 
natural language1 ,i might not get of it
 a  correct idea4 ,but by putting myself

 in a negative condition to you1 ,i     
could receive the pain myself1 and be   
able to understand its character        
precisely4 ,you thus communicate through
 the nervous medium interiorly4  ,many  
persons in public assemblies are liable 
to receive headaches of  others by      
coming into rapport with them4    ,in   
each there is that which corresponds to 
all the media in the outward  universe4 
,there is a material earth1 and ,i      
possess a material body4  ,there is     
electricity1 and ,i have electricity in 
my system4 ,there is  magnetism1 and ,i 
have magnetism4 ,there is a             
life-principle expanding  all over the  
world1 and ,i am in communication with  
that vital medium1  and through it exert
 a vital influence upon others1 and they
 upon me4  ,this process of healing by  
mesmerizing is only coming into rapport1
  so that the vital forces of the       
healthy person enter in and strengthen  
the vital forces of the weak4 ,then     
there is a nerve-media existing  around 

and in the individual1 through which the
 pains of others  are communicated to   
him4 ,pain in another causes an action  
in this  nerve-medium which communicates
 the pain to me2 just as my voice causes
  a vibration of the physical           
atmosphere1 which action is communicated
  to your organs of hearing4 ,the sounds
 ,i produce have certain meanings       
attached to them4 ,if you understand    
them precisely as ,i do1 you get a      
perfect communication4 ,but any         
description in natural language of a    
pain would be inadequate4 ,but when ,i  
receive it myself1 ,i have in every     
respect an adequate idea of it4 ,very   
often1 standing near individuals1  ,i   
have told them what difficulties they   
were laboring under by  experiencing    
them in myself4 ,it is in this manner   
that clairvoyants  frequently tell what 
ails their patient4    ,if ,i go on and 
describe your pains1 there is nothing   
astonishing in  it4 ,i am simply in     
rapport with your nerve-medium4 ,i am   

sometimes  wondered at for this1 but ,i 
might be a fool and yet do it4 ,there is
 no  wisdom involved in such a power2   
and it is erroneous to suppose1 as  some
 do1 that because clairvoyants can tell 
them what ails them1 they  can tell them
 how to cure it4 ,these powers belong to
 very different  classes1 but they may  
be united in the same individual1 and he
 may  be competent to discover disease  
and to prescribe its remedy4 ,i refer   
to this simply to correct the false     
impression that clairvoyance is a       
wondrous power4 ,it is one of the       
simplest powers in nature4 ,it is one   
of the powers that may be made use of to
 bless2 but if not properly  understood1
 it may be made use of to curse4 ,what  
is true in regard to  this nervous      
medium is true also of thought4 ,you    
often witness cases  of this kind in    
mesmeric and magnetic experiments1 when 
the subject  and operator being brought 
into rapport1 whatever one thinks the   
other thinks--what one wills the other  

wills4 ,the idea is transmitted         
perfectly4    ,there is what is called  
thought-reading4 ,this is governed by   
the  same law precisely as that of which
 ,i have been speaking4 ,one mind       
communicates its motion to the other by 
means of a medium1 just as ,i           
communicate to your organs of hearing   
the vibrations of my organs of  speech1 
through the medium of the atmosphere4   
,when ,i have a thought  which is an    
active condition of the mind1 which may 
be denominated  mental action1 it is    
transmitted to the ,spirit-medium or    
,spiritual  atmosphere1 and undulates   
through that until it strikes upon that 
receptive mind where the same motion is 
communicated1 and the same  thought     
produced1 and the thought is impressed  
upon the consciousness4  ,the one       
receiving it perceives it precisely as  
its communicator4 ,such  a communication
 does not depend upon the ,understanding
 simply for its  perfection4 ,this is   
what we call interior communication4    

,according to  the elevation of our     
,spiritual sphere in the sphere of truth
 or love1  as we approach the infinite  
and absolute1 will be the perfection of 
this method of communication4 ,if we are
 very low1 it corresponds very  much to 
the external mode4 ,but as we raise1 it 
becomes more interior  and refined1     
until finally1 being unfolded to the    
plane of the absolute  in our           
consciousness1 perceptions1 and         
affections1 we shall come into  direct  
rapport with the infinite1 and receive  
communications directly  from the       
,divine--not by any outward sign or     
symbol1 but by the inflowing  of the    
,divine thought and affection4 ,this is 
the way and the only way  that          
,spiritual truths can be communicated4  
,the reason that ,jesus of  ,nazareth   
did not communicate sufficient truth to 
the world to enlighten  it1 was simply  
because the world was not prepared to   
receive it4 ,he  said that he had many  
things to communicate1 but they could   

not bear  them4 ,he also said that the  
man coming after him1 living the life he
  had lived1 should do greater things1  
because there would be a higher  and    
wider plane4 ,the world was too low1 too
 animal1 to receive his  doctrine4 ,for 
that reason he was obliged to go away1  
saying to his  disciples that they did  
not understand him1 and it was necessary
 that  the ,spirit of truth should come 
and illumine their understandings       
before they could understand him4    ,if
 ,i wish to understand ,spiritual truth1
 no man or medium can be a  medium for  
me1 and ,i can not be a medium for you4 
,jesus of ,nazareth can  not be a medium
 for one of you1 nor can ,god himself4  
,every individual  who would understand 
the truths of the ,spiritual world must 
be his or  her own medium4 ,god must    
write his law upon your understanding1  
and  put it in your affections4 ,if you 
want to become mediums for interior     
communications1 you must become         
absolutely true in every thought1       

feeling1 and affection--become          
absolutely pure in every desire and     
aspiration of your souls--become        
absolutely just in all your relations   
of life1 so that morning1 noon1 and     
night you shall be inquiring and        
thirsting after righteousness4 ,such an 
individual will not need any  outward   
signs to convey truth to him4 ,but the  
person disposed to live  in the outward 
world1 to live in the enjoyment of his  
appetites and  lustful affections1 will 
require representations1 if he ever     
believes  in ,spirits4 ,he has to be    
addressed as a physical or sensuous     
being4 ,if  he ever believes in a future
 life1 the ,spirits have got to come and
 rap  him over his head4 ,these outward 
manifestations are designed to say to   
the sordid atheist1 to the materialist1 
to the religious worldling1  8,you have 
a soul40 ,it is for this reason that    
there is speaking  with tongues1 and    
that all the wonderful works are wrought
 in your  midst4 ,that is what makes    

,mr4 ,davenport's circles necessary for 
the  vast majority of the citizens of   
,new ,york4 ,they are not sufficiently  
developed to understand ,spiritual      
truth4 ,these manifestations are        
necessary4 ,they are not calculated to  
make you wise1 but they can  startle    
you1 and prompt you to investigate2 and 
they can give you  such direction as    
will prepare you to enter into a higher 
and holier  investigation of your       
relation to the world and to the ,divine
 ,father4  ,it makes little difference  
whether they lie or tell the truth1     
provided  they satisfy you that you have
 souls4 ,if they were always to tell you
  the truth1 you would be too dependent 
upon them4 ,you have intellectual       
faculties--exercise them1 and you will  
never find yourself in a  position where
 you can not find all the light you     
need4 ,a great many  people who believe 
that ,spirits do communicate1 can hardly
 go to dinner  without the consent of   
the ,spirits4 ,they make babes of       

themselves1 and  afterward become fools4
 ,if the ,spirits tell me to do a thing 
which my  judgment says ,i should not   
do1 ,i tell them1 8,i won't4 ,i will do 
the  best ,i know how2 and ,i would     
rather trust myself than you40 ,i always
  get along a great deal better in this 
way than ,i would by getting  ,spirits  
to rap according to my expectations4    
,they are not designed  to become our   
governors4 ,sensible ,spirits do not ask
 any such thing4  ,there are ninnies in 
the ,spiritual world as in this1 who    
will be glad  to become governors1 if   
they can get dupes enough4 ,the object  
of this  external communication is to   
give outward evidence4 ,the ,corinthians
 had  terrible times4 ,some people      
coming in said they were drunkards4     
,some  said they were mad4 ,some spoke  
in tongues4 ,paul reproved them for this
  kind of talk4 ,he told them that it   
was well to speak with tongues1 but  he 
would endeavor to make some use of it1  
and would rather speak five  words with 

the understanding than ten thousand in  
tongues4 ,the tongues  are for a sign to
 those who are not believers4 ,the man  
or woman that is  not established in the
 faith that ,spirits can communicate1   
needs these  outward manifestations2 but
 when established1 it is all time thrown
  away to be chasing after these        
communications4 ,persons had better be  
in their closets1 throwing their        
aspirations for a higher and holier     
life1 and pray until1 by their earnest  
aspirations1 they call angels  of the   
brightest spheres to come and be with   
them4 ,they would find  themselves      
getting along much better1 and would    
give to ,spiritualism  a very different 
character from what it now bears in the 
wide world4  ,i talk plain4 ,i am in    
earnest4 ,we have had nonsense and folly
 enough4  ,it is time we become         
rational1 learn the use of our          
faculties1 and use  them aright4        
,everything has its true mission4 ,let1 
then1 every thing be done  decently and 

in order4 ,if ,spiritualism is that     
which is to redeem the  world1 we shall 
find it out by finding whether it makes 
us better2 and  if it will not make the 
world better1 we want nothing more of   
it4 ,we  need no more raps than will    
save humanity4 ,we need all we can get  
for  that purpose4 ,if ,spiritualism    
takes that direction1 it is a ,god-send 
to  the world2 and in whatever sphere   
the ,spirit can work1 let it work4 ,i   
bid it ,god-speed4 ,but ,i say to all1  
that if ,spiritualism1 in its faith  and
 effects1 does not tend to make you     
wiser1 better1 purer1 and holier  men   
and women1 it is good for nothing4 ,that
 ,spiritualism which will not  redeem   
you and me will not be sufficient to    
redeem the world4 ,therefore  let our   
faith be shown by our works--be         
exhibited by the influence it  shall    
exert upon our lives and characters in  
making us purer1 better  men and        
women--just men and women4              
,,chapter ,,vii4                        

,,mediumship--,,spiritual ,,healing4    
,when we make use of external language  
as a means of communication1  our       
reception of truth does not depend so   
much upon who speaks1 as  upon          
ourselves2 for it matters not who uses  
language1 before it  can awaken the idea
 in our minds1 it must first be         
communicated to  our understanding4     
,therefore though the communication may 
convey  established truth1 our          
understanding is quite liable to err as 
to the  meaning of the communication4   
,though the communication were made by  
,god himself1 it might not convey the   
truth1 because each man or woman  would 
understand it according to his or her   
plane of development4 ,the  character of
 a communication is determined by the   
plane from which it  is translated4 ,the
 caution is1 8,take heed how ye hear40  
,however credible and truthful an       
individual may be1 he may be mistaken1  
and falsify in respect to facts and     
principles communicated2 so that  unless

 we have an absolute perception of the  
truth of that which is  communicated1 we
 can not affirm that we have the truth  
upon the subject  in question4 ,in      
holding communication with our neighbor1
 we find that  ,a or ,b or ,c has always
 told the truth1 and therefore when he  
tells us  a particular event has taken  
place1 we rely upon his word4 ,yet we   
know  that he is liable to be mistaken1 
and to be under influences which  may   
lead him to falsify1 so that after all  
we can not know1 upon the  report of an 
individual1 that a thing is true4 ,it   
does not address  that department of our
 being by which we are made as certain  
of it as  we are that we exist4 ,hence  
we always make a difference between what
  we know and what we hear--between a   
report and our consciousness4 ,one  we  
say we know to be true1 and the other we
 say we believe to be  true4 ,the       
difference is that between knowledge and
 belief4 ,so if a  ,spirit should       
communicate to me ten thousand facts    

concerning my absent  friends1 every one
 of which ,i should find in every       
respect true on  investigation2 and if1 
again1 that ,spirit should come and     
communicate  still other facts1 ,i can  
not know that such other facts are true4
 ,the  fact that that ,spirit has before
 told the truth is not a positive proof 
that it will continue to do so4 ,i can  
believe the statement to be true1  but1 
nevertheless1 my belief can not amount  
to positive knowledge4 ,so  that the    
questions often arise when ,spirits     
communicate with external  language1    
,how are we to know that they tell the  
truth1 ,how are we to  know that they   
are the ones they purport to be8 ,when a
 ,spirit raps out  on the table1 or     
speaks or writes through a medium1 that 
he is such a  ,spirit1 and that such and
 such things are transpiring at some    
distant  place1 how are we to know that 
he tells the truth8 ,we are not to know 
it1 and can not know it4 ,if we are to  
be accurately informed on that  subject1

 that which is addressed to our         
understanding must come more  interiorly
 into our consciousness than it can come
 through the ear1  the eye1 or the sense
 of feeling4 ,it may be true2 and give  
me time  enough to investigate1 and ,i  
can determine whether it be true or not4
  ,but if ,i am to act upon it without  
investigation1 ,i can not know4 ,i do   
not care if all the ,spirits in         
,christendom testify to it1 still ,i can
  not know2 for that means of           
communication can not1 in the nature of 
things1 bring certainty--can not produce
 interior conviction in the mind4    ,i 
may be persuaded that a thing is so1 and
 shape my course as though it  were so2 
still ,i am liable to be mistaken4      
,therefore ,i affirm again1  that this  
outward method of communication can not 
be relied upon for  the communication of
 absolute or positive truth4 ,you can   
not make  it the basis of action as you 
can when you have clear and positive    
information2 and even if it should      

become as reliable as the ordinary      
communications passing between man and  
man1 still it will not bring  sufficient
 certainty to make it the basis of      
action4 ,i might give  many other       
reasons why this external means of      
communication can not  be relied upon as
 sufficient to give us the necessary    
information  respecting our connection  
with the ,spirit-world4 ,it may give    
facts or  tests which may prove to be   
sufficient to satisfy the mind of every 
inquirer that ,spirits do exist and     
communicate4 ,this is no unusual  thing2
 but the point is to make them the      
instruments of communicating  to us such
 information as from day to day we need1
 and upon which we  must rely4 ,those   
who do thus rely upon their             
communications1 and yield  implicit     
confidence to them1 nine times in ten   
show themselves to  be complete dupes1  
and make themselves the laughing-stock  
of every  sensible man and woman4       
,you will find in all parts of the      

country those who1 if they can get  a   
rap1 say 8,spirits1 is it so80 and act  
according to the responses  they        
receive4 ,nothing can be further from   
the true use and design of  these       
manifestations4 ,my position is simply  
this3 so far as these  outward means of 
communication are concerned1 they are   
designed for  those who can not get a   
more interior view of their relations   
with the  ,spirit-world4 ,if an         
individual is living in his exterior or 
sensuous  nature1 so that what comes to 
his understanding must come through his 
senses1 then these outward              
manifestations are useful and necessary 
to  satisfy him of the fact that        
,spiritual beings do exist1 and have the
  means of communicating with us4 ,but  
when he is fully satisfied on that      
point1 he has received about all the    
benefit he can from these exterior      
communications4    ,there is another    
important point to which ,i wish to call
 your  attention1 and one which1 if     

properly understood by those who        
investigate the ,spiritual phenomena1   
will save them a great deal of          
embarrassment4 ,it is this3 that that   
class of ,spirits who usually  manifest 
themselves through public mediums1      
either by sounds1 by moving  physical   
objects1 or by any other means before   
promiscuous objects1  or by any other   
means before promiscuous public         
assemblies1 can not  generally be relied
 upon2 and the reason is very obvious4  
,it is well  understood that an         
individual who is excessively sensitive 
to all moral  influences--whose         
sensibilities are such that they can not
 endure the  presence of that which is  
vulgar--are repelled by1 or driven from1
  promiscuous circles or society2 and1  
consequently1 those who can  endure the 
common influences of a public circle can
 not be of a very  sensitive class4     
,take a medium who is exceedingly       
sensitive to external  influences2 who  
must be in just such a condition in     

order that the  ,spirits may            
communicate1 and who requires that every
 mind in the circle  shall be in a      
peculiar condition2 and place that      
medium in a public  circle1 and you can 
get no manifestations at all1 for the   
required  conditions are foreclosed at  
once4 ,this kind of mediums will not    
answer  for the purposes of public      
circles2 but if you get one that will   
answer for such purposes1 that medium   
will be one who is excessively          
positive--one who can resist influences 
of ever so positive a character4  ,as   
that medium is required to sit for all  
classes1 as a matter of  course he must 
be in a condition to respond to the kind
 of influences  which are brought to    
bear upon him1 or manifestations can not
 occur  while such influences are       
present4    ,when communications are    
received through public mediums1 the    
probabilities are that the communicator 
belongs to a very low plane  of         
development1 and that the communications

 can not be relied upon1  whatever may  
be the professions of that communicator4
    ,there is almost always an influence
 which belongs peculiarly to each       
public medium--an influence which seems 
to be a presiding ,spirit1 which  that  
medium will usually recognize1 answering
 to the name of 8,jim0 or  8,john40 ,it 
is generally the case that this ,spirit 
will be found on hand  first1 and is the
 one to do whatever is to be done2 and  
he becomes the  father1 mother1 brother1
 sister1 or friend of everybody4 ,i     
speak from  experience on this subject4 
,if this ,spirit wants to be very       
accurate  in telling you a name1 he gets
 you to write down a list of names1 and 
as your finger runs down the list1 he   
raps when you come to the right  one4   
,if he knows the name1 why does he not  
spell it out8 ,this is a  very          
reasonable question4 ,permit me to      
explain how these questions are  often  
answered4 ,in mesmerism there is at     
times a certain relation of  the        

operator to the subject called rapport1 
in which condition the  operator can    
transmit his mental motions to the      
subject4 ,in case a  ,spirit comes into 
rapport with yourself1 he answers all   
the questions  you ask1 even mental     
questions1 and you come to the          
conclusion that  you are really         
conversing with the one who purports to 
answer4 ,if  you ask whether you have a 
father1 mother1 brother1 or sister in   
the  ,spirit-land1 he will answer       
according to your perceptions2 and the  
tests seem to be very good1 though the  
,spirit is constantly answering         
directly from your own mind4 ,this often
 occurs in public circles4  ,another    
individual1 sitting next to you1 who is 
very anxious to get  equally good tests 
from his ,spirit-friends1 gets no       
correct answers  unless he hands his    
written questions to one who has been   
found to be  in rapport with the        
,spirit4 ,i once knew an instance of    
this kind4 ,a  doctor came into a circle

 with about thirty mental questions1 to 
which  he desired to get responses2 but 
he could get no answers1 it seeming     
impossible for the ,spirits to get the  
questions from his mind2 but  upon his  
writing them out1 and handing them to a 
lady1 who shortly  before had succeeded 
in getting answers1 they were all       
replied to  without difficulty4 ,the    
simple explanation of this fact is1 that
 the  lady was in rapport with the      
,spirit1 and consequently her thoughts  
could be seen by the ,spirit1 while he  
could not perceive the thoughts  of the 
physician1 who was not in rapport with  
him4 ,if you ask  questions orally1 it  
may be that the ,spirit does not hear   
them1 except  through the medium's ears1
 so to speak4 ,i might go on thus to    
great  extent1 showing the liability    
there is to be deceived in these public 
communications4    ,the circumstances of
 a public circle are exceedingly        
unfavorable to  getting communications  
from ,spirits of a high degree of       

refinement4  ,the most that can be      
obtained under such conditions is some  
external  evidence of ,spiritual        
existence4 ,the point to which ,i wish  
to call  your attention is the almost   
universal fact that mediums devoted to  
external manifestations1 while under the
 influence of this presiding  ,spirit1  
are under an influences to deceive1 to  
cheat1 which is almost  irresistible4   
,it does not matter particularly how    
good manifestations  they get4 ,i have  
seen this deceptive disposition         
manifested in mediums  who could get    
very remarkable manifestations1 such as 
the movement in  the open light of a    
table with several men standing upon it4
 ,not that  they themselves wished to   
deceive1 but they were almost           
irresistibly  controlled by the         
influence surrounding them1 and which   
must generally  be present in a large   
circle4 ,i have seen this many times    
when ,i knew  the manifestations to be  
genuine4 ,a skeptic1 however1           

notwithstanding  their genuineness1     
would1 upon detecting the slightest     
thing like  cheating1 pronounce them all
 a humbug4 ,there are but few mediums   
who  could resist this influence which  
comes over them at times1 inciting  them
 to help the manifestations along a     
little1 or to give them a  little start1
 with the hope that they will thereafter
 get along without  assistance4 ,i refer
 to this to call attention to the       
influence to which  mediums are at times
 subjected1 not to condemn the mediums1 
nor to  convey the impression that all  
these public manifestations are cheats4 
,i have seen many which were not of this
 character4 ,this cheating  influence is
 attributable to the incongruous mental 
condition of a  large circle1 where no  
care is taken to secure harmony4    ,i  
offer these remarks as a caution not to 
get discouraged4 ,you will  meet with   
these things2 and if the enemy can once 
catch you cheating1  no matter how many 
good demonstrations you have given for  

months  before1 he has no hesitation in 
publishing to the world that it is all  
a cheat4 ,he requires the medium to be  
very truthful1 but he has no  hesitation
 in lying himself4 ,being judged out of 
his own mouth1 the  enemy who takes     
advantage of the least deception on the 
part of the  medium is as bad as the    
medium1 and if he gets communications he
 must  expect them to be marked by his  
character4    ,permit me now to call    
your attention to the subject of healing
  mediumship4 ,man1 as we have seen1    
possesses within himself the  elements  
of all prior existence--in fact1 of all 
existence1 from  dead matter to the     
self-living ,jehovah4 ,these elements   
exist in  him in an individualized      
condition4 ,he has composing his form   
individualized matter of various kinds1 
as electricity1 magnetism1  nerve-aura1 
which are connected with matter of a    
like character  which is                
unindividualized4 ,i need but say that  
all matter this side  the ,divine is of 

itself dead--that all life and          
consciousness flows  directly and       
indirectly from the ,divine ,being1 and 
that there can be  no manifestation     
except as connected with the ,divine    
,being4 ,the idea  that magnetism1      
electricity1 or nerve-force has power of
 itself1 is  altogether false4 ,they are
 only connecting parts in the universe1 
uniting the ,divine on one hand with    
matter on the other4 ,they are mere     
media of communication between the      
,fountain of all power on the one  hand1
 and the recipient of power on the      
other4 ,let us for illustration  observe
 a manufacturing establishment4 ,one    
part of the machinery is  perhaps       
concerned in scouring and cleansing     
wool2 another part cards  it into rolls2
 another part spins them into yarn2     
another part weaves  the yarn into      
cloth2 and another part dresses the     
cloth4 ,each of these  parts seems to be
 disconnected from the other parts1 and 
each seems to  be accomplishing a       

specific end2 but you will find that all
 parts are  connected one with the      
other1 and all connected with the       
primary power  in the basement4 ,in the 
water-wheel or steam-engine there is a  
power  which puts them all in motion4   
,the parts next to it are negative to   
it1  and receptive of its power2 and    
these parts1 though negative to the     
principal power1 are positive to those  
parts more remote4 ,all parts are  in   
motion1 all moving as the primary wheel 
moves4 ,break the connection  anywhere  
between the parts1 and those parts      
beyond the connection cease  to move4   
,but establish the connection1 and they 
will again commence  their motion4      
,every part is negative to the primary  
power1 but positive  to all more remote 
from it than itself4 ,no one of the     
parts has a  power to move itself1 and  
unless there is a connection maintained 
between the primary power and the       
several parts1 they will cease to  move4
 ,so with all media through which       

potential manifestations are  made4     
,electricity has no power of itself4 ,it
 is only by its connection  with that   
which is nearer to the great            
self-existent ,being that it  derives   
all its power to act4 ,next comes       
magnetism1 which derives all  the power 
it possesses from the power which       
precedes it4 ,next is the  life-force1  
which is negative to all nearer to ,god 
than itself1 and  receives its power    
from them1 but is positive to all       
others4 ,next comes  the nerve-force2   
and next the spirit1 which derives all  
its power  from the ,divine ,fountain4  
,it is the medium through which all     
power is  imparted to all that is more  
exterior than itself4 ,i have the power 
to  move my arm--by my will to make     
potential manifestations through this   
arm4 ,if1 however1 by any means1 you    
break any of the links out of the  chain
 which unites the divine in me1 through 
my spirit1 with the matter  of my       
arm--abstract the electricity1 the      

magnetism1 or nerve-force--,i  lose all 
power over my arm4 ,bisect the          
motor-nerve1 which connects my  arm with
 my brain1 and my arm will hang lifeless
 by my side4 ,there are  all of the     
media there1 but they are not           
continuously connected with  my brain1  
and through that with the ,divine       
,fountain4 ,but if you will  throw a    
current of electricity down the nerves  
of my arm1 you will  produce an         
extension of it4 ,so you may withdraw   
the nerve-force1 or the  vital force    
from my arm1 and it will cease to exist4
 ,my arm will be no  longer subject to  
sensation1 because you have broken the  
link between  sensation and matter4     
,we then1 as individuals1 possessing in 
ourselves all these different  media1   
which become receptive of influences1   
must come into connection  with the     
,divine ,fountain itself1 if we would   
receive power from it2 for  we can      
impart nothing which we do not receive4 
,as spiritual beings we become receptive

 of this influence through our          
spiritual nature1 but impart it through 
our lower nature4 ,to become  a medium  
of potential action or manifestation1 ,i
 must have the power  to impart to that 
medium through which the power is to be 
manifested4  ,to affect you nervously to
 relieve you from pain1 ,i must be able 
to  impart through my nervous system    
that power which ,i received through my 
spiritual nature4 ,to be able to operate
 psychologically1 ,i must receive       
through my interior being and impart    
through my outward being--must  first   
have the powers of receptivity1 and1    
secondly1 must possess the  powers of   
impartability4 ,it becomes just as      
necessary to have a good1  healthful    
physical development to be able to      
impart1 as to have a good  spiritual    
development to receive the power4 ,the  
individual becomes  stronger as a medium
 in proportion to his development in    
receptivity  and impartability4    ,that
 ,jesus was so much more powerful than  

others was owing to the  perfectly      
harmonic development of his different   
natures4 ,our power to  exert healing   
influences depends upon our development4
 ,the higher we  are developed--the     
nearer we come to the great absolute    
,fountain of all  power--the more       
largely will we be receptive of that    
power4    ,jesus being fully developed  
in his religious and spiritual being1   
was  in conscious communion with the    
,father and with ,spirits of the most   
exalted character1 and received largely 
of the ,divine power4 ,he was  always   
aware whether he had the necessary power
 to perform any work4  ,being so fully  
unfolded as to perceive the causes of   
the disease to  be cured1 he knew       
beforehand whether it was worth while to
 make the  experiment4 ,he knew what was
 to be done to bring the individual into
 a  condition to receive that which he  
needed to restore him4 ,therefore1  when
 called upon to perform a cure1 if the  
individual was not in the  right        

condition1 he commenced to bring him    
into it1 requiring them to  come into a 
certain condition called faith or       
belief4 ,that he might  perform the     
desired work1 he required the assistance
 of those around  him4 ,when he went to 
,nazareth1 where he had been brought up1
 and where  he was looked upon as an    
ordinary man1 his right to teach was    
called  in question1 and his learning   
doubted4 ,what was his success there8   
,mark says he did not succeed1 because  
of their unbelief4 ,he could not        
command the conditions which were       
necessary to impart his power1 and he   
could do no mighty work there1 except to
 lay his hands on a few sick  folks4    
,another writer referring to it1 says1  
8,he did not many mighty  works there1  
because of unbelief40 ,we all know that 
,jesus said1 8,a  prophet is not without
 honor save in his own country40 ,he had
 to keep  away from ,nazareth simply    
because the state of mind was such that 
he  could not control the conditions    

necessary to produce his mighty works4  
,within three weeks before his          
crucifixion1 when going to ,jerusalem to
  attend one of the feasts1 his brethren
 called upon him and said1 8,if  you do 
these things1 show yourself openly1 for 
no man doeth these  things in secret1   
and yet seeketh to be known openly2     
for10 says ,john1  8his brethren did not
 believe on him40 ,christ1 even with his
 high  degree of receptivity1 found it  
necessary at times to call to his aid   
surrounding minds2 and he could not     
always perform his work without  faith  
being reposed in him4 ,the question was 
very often asked by him1  8,believe ye  
that ,i am able to do this80 ,when he   
had performed the cure1  he immediately 
said 8,it is faith that did it40 ,they  
had no faith in him  as the ,son of     
,god1 as supposed by some1 but simply in
 his power to work  a cure4    ,i desire
 to enforce the idea1 that if we wish to
 be mediums of high and  exalted powers 
for the removal of diseases1 it becomes 

necessary that  we should be highly     
developed1 not only physically1 but     
spiritually  and religiously4 ,a high   
order of the absolute religious         
development is  very essential to great 
power as a healing medium1 because this 
highest  nature1 this absolute nature1  
in man1 much more than any other1 serves
  to unite him with the absolute        
,fountain of all power4 ,the highest    
development of this religious nature in 
man is necessary to give him  a clear   
perception of the nature of disease and 
the means for its  removal4 ,the man who
 has this religious faculty highly      
developed1 needs  not that any man      
should say anything to him of man1 for  
he knows what  is within him4           
,clairvoyant mediums know very well that
 that condition  which enables them to  
see most clearly the state of the       
individual is  that which is high and   
exalted2 for when their thoughts and    
aspirations  seem to be ascending--like 
the odor from the flower--there is a    

sort of  conscious exhalation going     
forth permeating every thing around the 
individual1 and he sees and feels       
clearly the condition of everything  by 
which he is surrounded4    ,there is    
nothing in the world which summons the  
human being to such a  degree of        
activity as that which we call the      
religious nature--there is  nothing     
which takes hold of him so deeply4 ,what
 other influence in the  world could    
cause a mother to destroy her babe1 but 
the stimulating  influence of this      
religious nature1 coming up as it does  
from the  deepest fountain of the soul8 
,make a man believe that his religious  
nature requires sacrifice1 and he will  
make that sacrifice1 cost what  it may1 
simply because his religious nature     
wells up so strong when it  is moved1   
that there is nothing outward which can 
resist it4 ,when the  individual's      
religious nature is highly developed1 it
 is more powerful  than all his other   
natures4    ,we will become healing     

mediums just in proportion as we are    
developed  in this religious nature1 so 
that we shall become more receptive  and
 perceptive1 and be enabled to exercise 
stronger mental power to  accomplish our
 results4 ,but a healthy physical       
development is quite  as essential to   
good mediumship as is a high and healthy
 spiritual  development4 ,good organs of
 impartability are required4 ,secure a  
good  harmonic physical with a good     
harmonic spiritual development1 knowing 
that you are receptive on the ,spiritual
 side1 and impartive on the  physical   
side4    ,there is much folly connected 
with mediumship4 ,that such should be   
the  case with people so profoundly     
ignorant as the majority of mankind are 
with reference even to their having     
souls1 is by no means surprising4  ,many
 people suppose that if their hands are 
touched1 a ,spirit has got  hold of     
them1 and is about to make something    
great of them1 and they  set themselves 
up as something wonderful4 ,if they can 

perceive any  influence coming upon     
them1 it is attributed to a ,spiritual  
agency4  ,it may be so and it may not1  
because there are other than ,spiritual 
agencies4 ,i once witnessed the curing  
in five minutes of an individual  who   
had been blind for three years4 ,this1  
told to the world as an  instance of    
,spiritual healing1 would appear        
marvelous2 and if ,i had  happened to do
 it on the platform1 before the people  
of ,new ,york1 they  would have thought 
,i had almost performed a miracle4 ,it  
is probable  that not a particle of     
,spiritual influence was exerted in the 
case4  ,the individual performing the   
cure did not suppose that he was a      
medium1 though some would not hesitate  
to publish it to the world as  a        
remarkable instance of healing by       
,spiritual aid4 ,the blindness was      
doubtless caused by a paralysis of the  
optic nerve1 and required only a  little
 action to restore the sight4 ,the      
individual proceeded according  to the  

usual modes of mesmerism4 ,the cure was 
not half as difficult as  it would be to
 get a sliver from under the nail1 nor  
was it half as  mysterious4    ,a case  
of the restoration of hearing1 by       
placing the fingers in the  ears and    
taking them out suddenly1 is also within
 my knowledge4 ,such  cases are         
frequently circulated as evidence that  
,spirits do cure4 ,the  cure in this    
case was doubtless effected by a strong 
mesmeric current  passing from the      
fingers of the operator over the nerve  
of the ear4  ,as honest men and women1  
we should be careful about publishing   
these  things as instances of           
,spirit-healing4 ,we have abundant      
genuine  evidence of what ,spirits do4  
,attributing to ,spirits that which is  
not produced by them1 tends to make us  
dishonest with ourselves and  our       
neighbors4 ,were due caution exercised  
in this matter1 we should  not need half
 the evidence which is now required to  
convince the  world that ,spirits do    

exist and communicate4 ,when it is      
observed that  everything is attributed 
to ,spirits1 the world will not believe 
us even  when we tell them facts4    ,i 
know that ,spirits do communicate--do   
exist4 ,it is not with me  a matter of  
conjecture at all--,i ,,know it2 but    
there is no occasion  to make persons   
believe that every thing comes from     
,spirits4 ,i  ask ,spiritualists to be  
more careful1 more dignified in their   
investigations in these matters1 and    
they will find that there  are facts    
enough before the world to convince it  
of the truths of  ,spiritualism1 when   
you can convince the world that you are 
duly  cautious and not easily misled4 ,i
 do not wish to lie for ,spirits1 nor   
do ,i wish them to lie for me4          
,,chapter ,,viii4                       
,,condition ,,of ,,the ,,spirit ,,in    
,,the ,,spirit-,,world4      ,in order  
that ,i may present the general         
condition of the ,spirit in the         
,spirit-world in the most intelligible  

form1 it will be necessary for us  to   
enter into a very close and accurate    
analysis of what constitutes  the       
,spirit1 because if we do not well      
understand what constitutes  the        
,spirit1 we shall only be able to       
conjecture of its condition of          
happiness in the ,spirit-world2 and if  
we are to have a close and rigid        
analysis of the ,spirit1 we1 can only   
have it by having a close and  rigid    
analysis of our own conscious being1    
because we can know nothing  but our own
 consciousness2 and if we are to learn  
of the condition of  ,spirits in the    
other world1 that condition must be     
translated into our  consciousness1 and 
we must find it therein recorded1 or we 
can only  conjecture of their condition4
    ,then the first point to which ,i   
wish to call your attention1 is that    
which distinguishes the condition of    
absolute consciousness from  that       
condition which goes to make up         
individuality--that which is  universal 

and applicable to all1 and that which is
 only individual  and applicable to each
 and every individual4 ,every individual
 has the  means of determining how much 
of this being--8,i1 myself0--belongs to 
the external and finite1 and how much to
 the internal and infinite2  because    
that which makes me to differ from you  
is finite2 but that  which makes myself 
or yourself one and the same with every 
other  individual being in the universe1
 is infinite4 ,therefore the first      
point of investigation is to ascertain  
what it is that makes you and me  differ
 from every other individual being in   
the universe--in what that  difference  
consists--because when ,i speak of you  
as a ,spiritual being1  ,i speak of you 
in view of that difference1 and not in  
view of that  sameness4    ,you         
understand that individuality makes the 
difference between us4  ,my             
individuality makes me to differ as an  
individual being from you4  ,the        
question now arises1 what constitutes my

 individuality1 this 8,i1  myself0--what
 enables me1 when speaking of the events
 ,of childhood1  to say1 8,when ,i was a
 child10 though every thing has changed 
that  pertained to my individuality as a
 child--thoughts1 feelings1 tastes1     
pleasures1 form8 ,what is it that       
connects the events of twenty or  thirty
 years ago with my present being8    ,i 
wish each one to go down into his own   
mind and solve that problem1  because if
 we are to talk about ,spirits we must  
learn about ourselves4  ,when each man  
understands thoroughly the ,spirit that 
is at present  speaking to him1 he will 
be able to form some correct ideas      
respecting  its condition in the        
,spiritual world4    ,upon examination1 
each will find that there is within     
himself  a principle of absolute        
consciousness--a principle which is     
self-conscious1 which represents itself 
to itself1 and is not  represented by   
any thing but itself4 ,it can not be    
analyzed4 ,it is  absolute in itself4   

,to prove to you that your consciousness
 of  identity has undergone no change1  
,i need but attempt to prove to  you    
that you are the same individual that   
you were when a child1 by  referring to 
scars made upon your fingers in         
childhood1 which still  remain1 by      
calling to mind traits of your childish 
character4 ,all  these proofs you would 
consider very much inferior to that     
proof  afforded by an affirmation within
 you1 which rises above all outward     
evidence4 ,it is that to which the ,book
 alludes when it says1 8,as he  could   
swear by no greater1 therefore he swore 
by himself40 ,although in  your         
physical1 intellectual1 and moral being 
you have changed in every  thing        
pertaining to your finite consciousness1
 yet there is that within  you which    
tells you you are the same4 ,let one    
change follow another to  eternity1 you 
will not lose your consciousness of     
identity4    ,that which makes you      
differ from others does not enter into  

this  absolute consciousness of         
identity4 ,in other words1 the thought1 
feeling1 and affection which            
characterized you at any particular time
  of life has nothing to do with this   
absolute identification of self4        
,nothing by which the world knows me1 or
 by which it knows you1 enters  in to   
form our inmost identity4 ,we have an   
identity which lies deeper  than        
everything external2 and it is this     
identity1 which admits of  no change1   
which says that we are the same1 and    
will forever remain  the same identical 
beings to all eternity4 ,no change of   
position1 no  change of character1 no   
destruction of reputation1 no conversion
 of  happiness into suffering1 presents 
the least difficulty in the way of      
identification4 ,the man who has fallen1
 been ruined in reputation1  and is     
steeped in suffering1 finds no          
difficulty in identifying  himself as   
the same being who was once good1       
respected1 and happy4  ,he does not say 

that there was once a being who was     
happy and good1  but who has changed and
 become another being1 but he says that 
the  character and position of this     
individual identity has changed1 while  
his identity has undergone no change4 ,i
 wish to call your attention to  that   
principle of absolute consciousness in  
you1 by means of which you  know        
yourself1 but by which nobody else knows
 you4 ,you know that that  principle in 
you does not constitute your            
individuality4 ,it constitutes  your    
personality2 but that in you which is   
undergoing change1 and  develops from a 
lower to a higher degree of knowledge1  
constitutes your  individuality4 ,this  
unchanging1 ever-present1 conscious     
identity is  the very divine life within
 you1 from which you derive all life4   
,this  outside identity1 which thinks   
and wills1 is no part of my immortal    
nature1 separate from this divine       
principle within me4 ,this outside      
consciousness can never be in any other 

state than the finite4 ,for  wherever   
you have succession and duration1 you   
have time4 ,where you  have succession  
in extent1 you have space4 ,in regard to
 this outward  finite nature1 one change
 follows another2 and if change follows 
change1 there must1 in respect to such  
change1 always be succession2  and where
 you get succession1 you must           
necessarily have time4 ,hence  the      
spirit1 in its finite nature1 must      
always be in time till it shall  cease  
to change2 when progress ends1 time will
 cease with the finite4  ,this is a     
proposition so plain that no mind can   
for a moment be lost in  considering it4
    ,we can form some definite idea of  
the ,spirit-world by first learning     
something of ourselves4 ,you know that  
this conscious principle within  me and 
you knows nothing about time or space4  
,suppose ,i instantly  become           
unconscious1 and remain so twenty-four  
hours1 and am then  suddenly restored to
 my consciousness4 ,during this         

twenty-four hours  there has been no    
additional record of events made within 
me2 therefore  that twenty-four hours is
 obliterated so far as my consciousness 
is  concerned4 ,i take up the time where
 ,i left it4 ,to the unconscious there  
is no time4 ,to the unchangeable there  
can be no time4 ,time is but  the       
marking of succession4 ,the inmost      
principle by means of which we  become  
acquainted with ourselves1 knows nothing
 about time4 ,when one  is restored from
 unconsciousness to consciousness1 he   
knows instantly  who he is1 but he can  
not say how much time elapsed to the    
outward  world4 ,clairvoyants who pass  
into a condition of unconsciousness to  
all  exterior things1 have no           
recollection of what occurs while they  
are in  that condition1 though they may 
have been in it for several hours4    ,i
 knew an individual once to be put into 
the mesmeric condition1  who was        
unconscious in his normal condition of  
what occurred in the  mesmeric state1   

though he was in it for five hours1 and 
during that  time performed many        
interesting experiments4 ,at the time of
 sitting  down to be mesmerized he was  
in so great hurry that he thought he    
could  spend but a very few minutes'    
time4 ,on being brought to              
consciousness1  he started off again in 
great haste1 supposing that he had      
sufficient  time to attend to his       
business1 showing clearly that he had   
not been  in a condition to mark        
succession of events4    ,the inmost    
principle of consciousness which        
identifies me of to-day  with what ,i   
was thirty years ago1 does not1 of      
itself1 notice time1  except as it is   
connected with this outward part of me4 
,it counts  time by changes2 but when   
you come into itself and separate it    
from  those changes1 it does not know   
time at all4 ,between my infancy and    
the present time it has been a constant 
now4 ,it is the presence of the         
infinite and eternal in man1 and the    

means by which he is connected  with the
 infinite and eternal4 ,it is by the    
presence of this infinite  and eternal  
consciousness that man knows that he    
possesses a finite and  changeable      
nature4 ,it is a lamp within1 which     
shines out and reveals to  him his      
finite consciousness1 and the changes   
transpiring there4 ,so man  has two     
selfhoods1 an inward1 and an outward    
which is changing from day  to day4     
,when ,i speak of you as an individual  
being who differs from me1 ,i speak  of 
your outward1 changing selfhood4 ,but   
when ,i speak of you in your  inmost    
consciousness1 ,i speak of you in your  
inmost selfhood1 in which  you do not   
differ from me4    ,it is by this inmost
 consciousness that ,i know that ,i am4 
,it reveals  myself to myself by just   
the same law by which you are revealed  
to  yourself4 ,there are two methods of 
addressing the outward selfhood--from   
without1 and from the infinite within4  
,where the individual  consciousness is 

addressed from within1 the communication
 is made  to the affections1 whence it  
flows into the understanding4 ,when it  
is addressed from without1 it is by     
representations of that which  addresses
 it4 ,but when ,i go to the ,spiritual  
world1 ,i go with this  divine          
consciousness1 this constant1 unchanging
 consciousness within1  but not as a    
principle which belongs to me1 which is 
individualized  within me4 ,it is just  
as universal as ,god4 ,it is the divine 
consciousness which is unindividualized 
within me1 and wherever that  is1 ,i    
must be1 because of the ubiquity of this
 divine principle4 ,if  there were any  
point from which this could be excluded1
 and into which  the individual could be
 thrust1 he would be annihilated4       
,what we need is to bring the external  
consciousness into unceasing  relation  
with this internal consciousness4 ,that 
which does not come  into such relation 
with this absolute consciousness does   
not become a  part of our finite        

selfhood--a part of our immortal        
selfhood4 ,standing  before you ,i      
perceive your countenances1 because your
 images are  brought into a certain     
relation to this absolute consciousness 
within  me4 ,now when they come into    
unceasing relation to this unchanging   
consciousness1 they become a part of my 
external1 finite selfhood4  ,memory is  
the result of bringing events into such 
relation with this  consciousness4      
,looking at man1 then1 as possessing an 
absolute consciousness which  never     
changes1 and an external consciousness  
which is constantly  changing1 and which
 alone causes one man to differ from his
 fellow1  it is apparent that if        
individuality is preserved upon entering
 the  ,spiritual world1 each must take  
with him so much as causes him to       
differ from others4 ,whenever this      
external nature would represent  itself 
to another1 not having a consciousness  
of its own separate  from the divine    
consciousness1 it comes under the law of

 exterior  communication and            
representation4 ,therefore it is never  
present in  the mind by itself1 but by  
that which represents it there4 ,if we  
would learn how it is that a ,spirit    
represents itself in different  places  
at the same time1 we must learn the law 
of representation4 ,i  see my audience1 
by which ,i mean ,i see that which      
represents you to  my consciousness4    
,you are presented to my consciousness  
by means of a  medium which comes       
between you and me2 and according to the
 accuracy of  my faculties to perceive1 
and according to the accuracy of this   
medium  to represent you to my          
consciousness1 will be the accuracy of  
your  representation in my mind4    ,i  
see you now by the medium of light2 and 
you all see me at the same  time4 ,i am 
here and only here1 but you all see me  
in your various  positions4 ,you see me 
by means of the light which takes my    
image into  every part of the room4     
,though actually present in but one     

place in  this room1 yet by that which  
represents me ,i am omnipresent in this 
room4 ,the great law of representation  
is that we perceive a thing1 not  by    
itself1 but by that which represents it 
in our consciousness4 ,hence  according 
to the ubiquity of the medium will be   
the ubiquity of the  representation4 ,in
 this room the medium light is          
ubiquitous1 and my  image is just as    
omnipresent as the medium4 ,the same is 
true of every  other medium by which    
presence is represented4    ,i1 as a    
finite spirit1 am conscious only by     
means of the divine  consciousness      
within me1 which imparts and reflects   
consciousness to  my outward nature4 ,my
 outward consciousness is like the light
 of the  moon1 which is the reflected   
light of the sun4 ,the real             
consciousness  within me is that from   
which ,i derive my external             
consciousness4  ,whenever ,i1 as a      
spirit in my external consciousness1    
would represent  myself to you1 ,i must 

come into some medium of                
representation--some  medium which will 
be to my spirit what the light is to my 
body4 ,the  medium of light will not    
represent me1 but there is a medium     
which  will4 ,this1 the ,spirit-medium1 
is vastly more refined and ubiquitous   
than light4 ,standing here as a         
spiritual form1 and giving off spiritual
  undulations1 just as my body reflects 
the undulations of light1  wherever the 
,spirit-medium extends1 there my image  
will extend4 ,and  whenever an          
individual comes into rapport with this 
spiritual medium  and sustains a certain
 relation to me1 he will be able to     
perceive my  presence1 because ,i am    
brought to his view by that which       
represents me4    ,many suppose that a  
person whose mind is separated from the 
sensuous  influences of the body1 or    
brought into the clairvoyant condition1 
can go to a distant place1 as to        
,london1 and see an individual to  whom 
his attention is directed4 ,he tells me 

what the individual in  ,london is      
thinking and saying1 yet hears what is  
said to him here4  ,if the individual in
 ,london were to be thrown into the     
clairvoyant  condition1 and have his    
attention directed to the clairvoyant   
here1  the two could readily converse   
together4 ,space is not noticed by them1
  though it might be by carefully going 
over the space and observing a          
succession of objects4 ,being brought   
into rapport with each other1  each can 
observe the thoughts and feelings of the
 other4 ,this is  done by virtue of a   
simple law2 and there is no mystery in  
it4 ,the  medium which unites my organs 
of speech with your organs of hearing1  
extends through the entire room1 and my 
voice is as ubiquitous as the  medium   
which communicates it4 ,so in regard to 
this ,spirit-medium1  which is the      
medium of communication between the     
clairvoyants4 ,by that  medium1 ,london1
 ,canton1 or any other part of the      
earth1 is present  here4 ,persons who   

mistakenly suppose that persons in the  
clairvoyant  condition leave their      
bodies and make journeys to distant     
places1 get  up many curious theories to
 account for the body and spirit being  
held  together4 ,their error arises from
 a mistaken conception of the actual    
condition of a ,spirit4 ,you see readily
 that a ,spirit can be addressed        
externally only by that which represents
 that which addresses it4 ,apply  to the
 case in hand the same law by which you 
see and hear me1 and  substitute for the
 media of light and atmosphere the      
,spirit-medium1 and  you will have no   
difficulty in understanding how it is   
that ,spirits can  be represented in    
different places4    ,persons sometimes 
meet with difficulty in explaining the  
apparent  fact1 that person in the form 
are sometimes seen as though they were  
out of it4 ,i recollect several cases   
where persons were said to have  been   
seen and conversed with at places very  
remote from each other2  and it was     

supposed that the spirits left their    
bodies and went to  these distant places
 and represented themselves4 ,it is very
 easy to  understand how my spirit can  
appear in real ,spirit-form and speak to
  one a hundred miles away from here4   
,it is done by what is called           
psychologic representation4 ,if ,i come 
into rapport with any mind  yet in the  
body1 which mind is in rapport with me1 
,i can create any  spiritual image in   
your mind that ,i may see fit to make2  
that is1 ,i can  cause the image in me  
to reproduce itself in you--so that that
 image  in my mind shall be reproduced  
in your consciousness1 as the object    
before the camera daguerreotypes its    
image on the prepared plates4  ,now     
suppose that between us one or more     
guardian ,spirits are passing4  ,the    
,spirit coming into rapport with me1 and
 having a full and  perfect perception  
of you1 can1 by the intensity of his    
mental action1  daguerreotype my image  
upon your consciousness4 ,you then      

perceive me  by the psychological action
 which that ,spirit exerts upon your    
mind4  ,it is in this way that we can   
apparently meet and see each the other's
  form1 just as though it were present4 
,but if we were more susceptible1  there
 would be no necessity of having the    
intervention of a guardian  ,spirit4 ,if
 we are both so developed as to         
clairvoyantly perceive one  another1 the
 conversation can go on1 though both are
 in the body1 and  you in ,london and ,i
 in ,new ,york4 ,we see each other as   
though we were  present one with the    
other4 ,it does not follow1 however1    
that my spirit  is present in two places
 at the same time2 but that which       
represents  it is universally present4  
,the question may arise1 why we can not1
  upon passing into the clairvoyant     
condition1 see all the ,spirits in  the 
universe--because they are all in       
rapport with this spiritual  atmosphere4
 ,i will explain4 ,suppose we have ten  
thousand strings  strung from the       

ceiling to the floor1 and they are made 
to give forth  certain sounds4 ,now all 
that have the same degree of tension    
will give  forth the same sound4 ,the   
vibration of one will cause all the     
others  to vibrate which have the same  
degree of tension4 ,take any stringed   
musical instrument1 and vibrate one of  
the strings4 ,if any other of the       
strings has the same point of tension1  
it will vibrate4 ,now when my  spirit   
comes in contact with the ,spiritual    
sphere and sustains the same  relation  
to any ,spirit that the strings sustain 
to each other1 ,i can  see that ,spirit4
 ,upon the same principle ,i may see all
 who are in the  condition to respond to
 my spirit4 ,when my consciousness will 
undulate  to their conscious vibrations1
 ,i perceive them1 and not till then4   
,if a ,spirit is not present1 except by 
that which represents it1 it will       
appear useless to open doors to permit  
,spirits to enter1 for a door is  as    
transparent to the medium by which they 

are represented1 as a pane  of glass is 
to the medium of light4 ,jesus appeared 
in the midst of his  disciples1 though  
they were shut up2 and when the time    
came for his  disappearance1 he ceased  
to be seen1 not by going out of the door
 or  window1 but by disturbing the      
conditions by which he was represented  
to  their consciousness4    ,in respect 
of ,spirit-mansions1 etc41 in the       
,spiritual world1 we are  very liable to
 mistake representation for actuality4  
,we are very liable  to mistake images  
of things--creations1 so to speak1      
proceeding from  the minds of the       
,spirits--for actualities4 ,we are very 
apt to perceive  animals4 ,some think   
that animals have a living form and     
exist in the  ,spiritual world2 but ,i  
pretend to say that it is not true4 ,i  
know very  well how they appear there4  
,i know very well how it is that persons
  suppose they do exist1 and why        
,spirits in the ,spiritual world appear 
to  have their dogs1 cats--their pet    

animals4 ,to them they are actualities4 
,nevertheless1 ,i understand that the   
idea that a cat or dog has an  immortal 
soul is not only inconsistent with any  
principle of philosophy  in the         
universe1 but is contradicted by every  
principle of philosophy4  ,to say that a
 cat or dog is immortal is to affirm    
that to be immortal  which ,god himself 
can not make so4 ,the condition of      
immortality can  not pertain to the mere
 animal being4 ,the representations of  
animals1  forests1 fields1 and things of
 this kind1 have no basis upon that     
which  has a material or actual         
existence in the universe4 ,they are    
only  developed under the law of        
representation4 ,man has a sort of      
creative  faculty1 by which he forms the
 images which are mistaken in the       
,spiritual world for actualities4 ,when 
,spirits are thinking of animals  they  
have seen in this world1 they throw out 
their images1 and the  individual who   
chances to be in rapport with these     

,spirits sees these  images1 and thinks 
they are actualities4    ,if you will   
only investigate the law of             
representation1 you will have  no       
difficulty in accounting for these      
things in the ,spiritual world4  ,man   
makes these--they are not real4 ,god    
makes all that is real in the  universe4
 ,man works in the sphere of            
representation1 but ,god works in  the  
sphere of actuality4    ,had ,i time1   
to-night1 ,i should be happy to go into 
a careful  investigation to justify the 
conclusion that dogs and cats1 etc41    
are not immortal4 ,there is no end to be
 subserved in their being  immortal4 ,if
 the animal were to go to the ,spiritual
 world1 there  being nothing to address 
his consciousness1 he would virtually   
have no being4 ,whenever a mind goes    
where its consciousness is not          
addressed1 it ceases to be mind4 ,if    
there is any place in the universe      
where consciousness ceases to be        
addressed1 there consciousness must     

cease to be4 ,what would there be in the
 ,spiritual world to address  the       
consciousness of the animal who has been
 developed only to the  perception of   
physical objects8    ,again1 between the
 nerve principle 7the highest principle 
developed in  the animal7 and the       
absolute or divine principle1 there     
intervenes the  ,spiritual principle1   
which1 being developed in man1 makes him
 receptive  of the highest or divine    
consciousness1 and makes him immortal4  
,the  animal lacking this principle can 
not be immortal4 ,according to          
aspirations the animal puts forth1      
according to its mental phenomena1      
according to every principle1 the animal
 is not immortal4 ,nevertheless  he has 
a representation in the ,spiritual      
world1 according to the law of          
representation4    ,every individual who
 is conscious of an existence as an     
individual1 has  that within him which  
constitutes him an individual2 and as he
 goes  into the ,spiritual world1 he    

takes with him that individuality4 ,this
  individuality in its inmost joins upon
 the absolute1 through which it         
perceives its own consciousness1 and by 
this connection is unfolded in  the     
facts1 truths1 and principles of the    
universe4                               
,,chapter ,,ix4                         
,,organization--,,individualization4    
,the experience of man has been such1 in
 respect to organization1 that  all     
prudent and careful men and women are   
beginning to have fears for  the welfare
 of a cause when it assumes the shape of
 an organization2  and they have just   
ground for fear2 for the experience of  
the past  has been such as to justify   
them in supposing that evils arise out  
of organizations4 ,their tendency       
usually has been to beget a party       
feeling1 or that which corresponds in   
the organization to selfishness  in the 
individual4 ,it is natural that every   
individual should love  himself better  
than others1 and when individuals       

associate together1  they acquire a     
spirit of individuality--a selfishness  
which pertains  to their particular     
society or organization4 ,individuals   
who unite in  religious organizations   
entertain a sort of selfishness in      
reference to  their particular          
denomination4 ,the ,presbyterian1 for   
instance1 likes  ,presbyterians a great 
deal better than ,methodists1 and the   
,methodists  likes ,methodists a great  
deal better than ,presbyterians1 and    
prefers  to bestow his favors upon      
,methodists4 ,in fine1 the general      
tendency of  this kind of organization  
is to lay in men and women the          
foundation of  a selfishness in addition
 to their natural or individual         
selfishness4    ,there are many reasons 
for the evil results of organization2   
and if we  continue to organize upon the
 principles observed in organizations of
  times past1 we may expect that the    
same evils will continue4 ,i propose  to
 inquire whether there is not a natural 

basis1 and endeavor to  discover the    
causes of evils for the past1 so that we
 may know how to  rectify them and guard
 against them in future4    ,every      
operation in nature tends to            
individualism4 ,from the moment  you    
begin to watch matter1 every process is 
found tending to  individualization4    
,the elements which now compose our     
bodies  originally existed in a general 
unindividualized state or condition4    
,the material elements of our bodies1   
and the media through which the         
material elements were controlled1 in   
bringing them to their present          
position1 existed originally in an      
unindividualized condition2 and  when   
each particle was brought under a       
certain process that it might  receive  
vital affinities1 it was with reference 
to the formation of an  individualism4  
,nature labors constantly to organize   
and individualize1  and you and ,i owe  
our individual existence to this        
tendency in nature2  and the same law   

operates in society4 ,the fact that     
there have been  so many organizations1 
shows that there is a natural tendency  
to  organize4 ,the great difficulty     
attending all organizations has been the
  departure from the law of nature--the 
law of affinity or attraction--for      
,nature works by the law of affinity1   
never by the law of repulsion or        
excretion4 ,the law of excretion is only
 applicable to those elements  which are
 to be rejected4 ,external force has    
never been applied by  ,nature to aid   
her4 ,she does not bring external force 
to hold the  elements of the tree or    
rock together1 nor to hold together the 
organs  of the animal4                  
,individualization is the result of an  
inward power which attracts one  part to
 cohere with its fellow4 ,nature is very
 careful to observe the  law of         
affinity2 and the moment you bring any  
element which should  not enter an      
organism1 repulsion immediately operates
 to prevent its  entrance4    ,hate is  

at times defined to be a less degree of 
love1 and love  sometimes is very       
negative4 ,repulsion is also defined to 
be a less  degree of attraction4 ,a     
stone thrown into the air is drawn to   
the  earth by the power of gravitation4 
,but the balloon which is subject  to   
the same law1 instead of coming toward  
the earth's center1 rises4  ,it does not
 rise because the earth does not attract
 it1 but because  the atmosphere1 for   
which the earth has a greater affinity  
than for  the balloon1 causes the       
balloon to recede and make room for it4 
,the  case of the balloon illustrates   
the law of excretion4 ,the position     
which each particle is to assume in the 
system is determined by the  vital      
affinities imparted to it in the        
stomach4 ,if any particle  loses its    
vital affinities1 it occupies the       
position needed by some  other particle2
 and the new particle accordingly       
displaces the old4  ,but ,i wish to     
impress upon the mind the fact1 that    

,nature's law of  individualizing is    
that of affinity1 and that ,nature does 
not apply  external force to build up   
her individuals4 ,however1 before any   
particle can be taken into an           
organization by the law of affinity1 it 
must receive a peculiar impress or      
affinity1 and an affinity suited to  the
 particular organization into which it  
is to enter4 ,it receives that  affinity
 by passing through a natural process4  
,if it enter without  a vital affinity1 
it will enter in as a stranger1 as a    
disturber of  harmony2 and the tendency 
of the organism will be to reject and   
throw  it off4 ,what we here learn from 
,nature1 we may apply to organizations1 
religious or otherwise4 ,each of us is a
 particle in society4 ,but before  we   
can be organized harmoniously1 so that  
each shall be found in his  specific    
place1 each must be prepared for that   
organism by receiving  the vital or     
spiritual affinity which is necessary   
for that organism4  ,you can not make   

,a1 ,b1 and ,c into a community unless  
they have the  true impulse1 any more   
than you could go into the field and    
gather  clay1 sand1 etc41 and mold them 
together1 and make a man or animal      
body4 ,you can not hold men together in 
an organization by outward  restraint1  
and have them fulfill the office of a   
genuine organization1  suited to the    
development of the spirit4 ,the method  
by which society  seeks to organize     
itself is like the method by which ,god 
created our  first parents4 ,each       
individual should be fitted to become a 
member of  an organization by being     
placed where he will receive the        
appropriate  vital affinity1 and leave  
the affection of his nature to point out
  his true position1 whether that of    
head1 hand1 or feet4 ,the great         
difficulty in all past organizations is 
that the natural law has not  been      
observed4 ,organizations have usually   
been formed with reference to  exerting 
force1 either moral or physical4 ,they  

have organized by that  which is        
external rather than internal4    ,the  
first requisite for an organization is a
 nucleus of the character  of the       
organization you wish1 which nucleus may
 consist of one1 two1  or half dozen    
individuals4 ,the individual who is     
seeking to establish  an organization   
must look for the nucleus in himself1   
not in his  neighbor4 ,the idea of      
looking out of yourself for an          
organization is  all false4 ,the idea   
that you must look to a distance for    
some being  out of yourselves as a      
representation or reflection of the     
perfect  attributes of ,deity1 is       
erroneous4 ,the individual who feels the
 need of  an organization must first    
understand that that organization must  
be  built up by the law of affinity2 and
 that as each individual becomes  a     
particle to be incorporated into the    
organism in his love and  affection1 he 
must grow to retain his position4 ,the  
vital principle  must be felt by        

himself4 ,if he wishes to redeem the    
world1 he must  commence by redeeming   
himself4 ,if he wishes help in redeeming
 the world  from its various evils1 he  
must first find in himself that spirit  
which  he wishes infused into the       
helping association4    ,if a principle 
has not succeeded in saving me1 ,i need 
not hope that  it will save the world4  
,therefore1 when we are about to        
organize a  society upon any principle1 
the first thing to be ascertained is    
whether this principle has saved us4 ,if
 not1 we may just as well drop  it4 ,if 
a person wishes to form an organization 
to make the world  ,christian in faith  
and practice1 you should ask him if he  
has been made  a ,christian in faith and
 practice4 ,if he wants fidelity to     
truth and  righteousness1 ask him if he 
is faithful to truth and righteousness4 
,let the individual be tried by that    
which he wishes to accomplish4 ,if  he  
can not stand the test1 he is not the   
proper person for a nucleus  for such an

 organization4 ,before one mourns over  
the lusts of the  world1 let him look   
after his own lusts4 ,so in respect to  
every thing  necessary to make a truly  
upright man1 a man who shall live in all
 good  conscience before ,god and the   
world1 and before the inmost of his own 
soul4 ,let him see to it that after he  
has made a perfect examination of  his  
own breast1 there is nothing found      
lacking4 ,let him be so satisfied  with 
his examination of his own character1   
that he will be content to  have mankind
 redeemed up to the plane he occupies4  
,then let his life be  the incarnation  
of the principle4 ,let the world1 when  
they look upon  him1 be constrained to  
say1 8,he has been with ,jesus10 if     
,jesus is to be  the model of the       
church4 ,let his life correspond exactly
 to the high  and beautiful ideal of the
 church he is wishing to have           
established2  and then an influence will
 go out from him which will become      
attractive  to all who1 like him1 are   

thirsting for that life4 ,he will find  
it  unnecessary to throw out catechisms1
 because there will be the true         
affinity which will come forth from the 
character1 and attract all  who1 like   
him1 are hungering and thirsting after  
righteousness4 ,form a  church by the   
application of external tests1 and there
 will be conflict  all the time2 while  
concord will characterize one formed in 
accordance  with the natural principle  
of organization4    ,spiritualists have 
become very numerous4 ,i doubt whether  
there is  any other class of believers  
so numerous as those now known as       
,spiritualists4 ,they now number        
millions1 and they are men and women    
who have come from under the restraints 
of authority--of external law--a  8thus 
saith the ,lord0--and have assumed the  
prerogative of acting for  themselves4  
,one article of their creed has attached
 to them the name  of 8,spiritualists04 
,they profess to believe that our       
disembodied  ,spirit-friends are near to

 us1 and hold converse with us2 and when
 any  one says that he believes in that1
 he is called a ,spiritualist4 ,that    
appears to be the only test4 ,but that  
external belief or assent is not  better
 as the basis of an organization than is
 the creed1 8,i believe  that ,god      
fore-ordained whatever comes to pass40  
,the idea that such an  assent could be 
made the basis of an external           
organization is entirely  unnatural and 
supremely ridiculous4 ,if you should    
attempt to organize  upon such a basis1 
you would be guilty of the error into   
which all  previous organizations have  
fallen4    ,many entertain the idea1    
that because we have overcome our  blind
 deference to authority1 refused to be  
ruled by the                            
8thus-saith-the-,lord0--because we have 
come to the conclusion to examine  all  
questions for ourselves--we have taken  
all the steps necessary  for our own    
reformation and that of the world4 ,but 
what has been the  influence exerted by 

this new faith--,new ,philosophy as it  
is sometimes  called--upon the lives and
 character of those who have accepted   
it4 ,you  say1 perhaps1 that when you   
drive all the church dogmas out of the  
way1 there will be nothing in the way of
 redeeming man4 ,so far as you  are     
concerned1 they are driven out of the   
way1 and what has been done  for you8   
,how much better are you morally1       
religiously1 than the man  you call a   
bigot8 ,you wish all the world to be    
converted to a belief  in the           
possibility and actuality of ,spiritual 
intercourse2 but suppose  that all the  
world are converted to this faith1 what 
are they to gain  if it produces no     
better fruits in them than in you8      
,while we are  trying to get the motes  
from our religious brother's eye1 is it 
not  possible that we have very         
extensive beams in our own8 ,we are     
calling  for organization to unite the  
moral power and energy of the millions  
of ,spiritualists2 but if the influence 

of ,spiritualism has not served  to     
redeem us1 how are we to expect that it 
is to redeem the world8  ,if            
,spiritualism does not save you1 how are
 you to reproach the  church for its    
inconsistency in sending its            
missionaries to convert the  heathen to 
what they themselves do not             
practice--when even slave-holders  are  
received to the bosom of the church1    
while the slave toils in the  rice and  
cotton swamps of the ,south1 while the  
babe is torn from its  mother's breast4 
,if the church were to turn round and   
point out similar  inconsistencies among
 ,spiritualists1 what would the         
,spiritualists of  ,new ,york reply8    
,spiritualists should see to it that the
 work which is wrought in  them by      
,spiritualism testifies what will be its
 work in others4 ,if  it does not touch 
their own character2 if it does not make
 the false  man true1 the corrupt man   
better1 what reason shall we give in    
favor  of its being received by the     

world8 ,we have ,spiritualists enough to
  convert the world if they were only   
spiritualized4 ,there is the            
difficulty4 ,it is one thing to be a    
,spiritualist1 and another thing  to be 
spiritualized4 ,what we want is         
something that shall take our           
,spiritualists and spiritualize them4   
,we want to find some key which  shall  
open up a fountain deeper in any man's  
soul than has yet been  opened by these 
manifestations--which shall call out    
higher1 holier1  and purer aspirations  
after eternal life than have yet been   
called  out4 ,we all know this4 ,we find
 every thing on the right hand and the  
left to admonish us that when the whole 
world shall have been converted  to our 
faith1 it will be a bad world still4    
,what then is needed is1  that you and  
,i set about a work which is peculiarly 
intrusted to us4 ,we  shall then redeem 
the world4    ,i must look for the      
coming of my ,lord in my own affection4 
,he must  come in the clouds of my      

spiritual heavens1 or he can not come   
for  any benefit to me4 ,i must place   
myself in that condition that shall     
invite him to come and reveal to me the 
way by which ,i am to be  redeemed2 and 
then ,i shall learn the way by which you
 and all mankind  must be redeemed4     
,when all my falsehood1 injustice1      
selfishness1 lust1  appetite1 and       
passion are dead1 and when the ,god of  
heaven shall live  and work in me1 then 
there will be laid in my soul the       
foundation of  that true spiritual      
affinity which shall go forth1 not      
seeking others  to unite with me1 but1  
of its own plentitude1 uniting with me  
those who  have the same                
affinity--uniting us stronger than any  
creed4 ,we shall  not then be obliged to
 ask permission to join or withdraw from
 such  a church as we should establish1 
but each man would join or withdraw     
according to affinity or repulsion4     
,each man will stand upon his own       
responsibility4 ,i shall not be         

responsible for you1 nor you for me4  ,i
 stand not here to give you ,christian  
character1 nor you to give me           
,christian character4 ,each man must    
have a communication for himself  with  
the ,fountain of all love and truth4 ,we
 must all draw our water  from the same 
well1 and it will become in us a        
fountain springing up  into eternal     
life4    ,each must prepare himself for 
the kind of church he needs4 ,let each  
seek to redeem himself4 ,the            
,spiritualists of ,new ,york and        
throughout  the ,united ,states will be 
ready to form a church just as soon as  
they  have prepared themselves to give  
forth the true affinity2 and you will   
find that it will not be necessary to   
have any creed or catechism1 any  thing 
external by which to try the faith of   
this or any other movement4  ,if you    
make up your mind to lead a true life1  
to speak the truth1 to be  pure and     
just--if you make up your mind that     
whoever comes within your  influence    

shall breathe in of your truth and      
righteousness--you will  find none will 
seek to come unto you unless they desire
 to breathe that  atmosphere4    ,the   
difficulty of the old organizations has 
been1 that no man or woman  supposed it 
was necessary to make themselves the    
representatives  of that which they     
believe to be necessary for the         
redemption of  the world4 ,their faith  
was not in their own righteousness1 but 
in  the righteousness to be wrought in  
somebody else4 ,they worked to  be      
righteous by proxy4 ,they hoped to be   
saved by the righteousness  of another4 
,consequently they organized upon an    
external basis1 as  their organizations 
were not based upon a true affinity of  
character4  ,they did not understand    
that they must possess the true         
character1  consequently they did not   
labor to attain it4 ,the individual     
seeking  to form a church only labored  
to form a creed4 ,he did not suppose it 
necessary to form a character which he  

wished to have infused into the  church4
 ,the world1 however1 can never be saved
 until the false opinion  that it can be
 saved by the righteousness of another  
is done away4 ,the  world would put away
 its lusts1 appetites1 and passions1    
were it not  that it loves them4        
,although they do not confer the        
happiness the soul  feels it needs1 they
 confer more happiness than they know   
how to obtain  from any other source4   
,therefore the world is not willing to  
put away  its lusts1 appetites1 and     
passions1 and to become absolutely pure 
and  just2 and if you will offer them a 
religion which offers to save them  from
 the consequences of sin1 and yet       
permits them to continue in their  sins1
 they will willingly pay for it1        
especially if its ceremonies  and the   
decorations of the church gratify the   
taste4 ,if they can have  nice things in
 their churches1 it is considered nearly
 as good as  to put them in their       
parlors4 ,but tell them these things    

will avail  them nothing1 that they must
 love their neighbors as themselves1    
that  they must put away lust1 appetite1
 and passion1 and you offer them a      
salvation they are unwilling to accept4 
,,chapter ,x4                           
,,what ,,constitutes ,,the ,,spirit4    
,the idea which has sometimes prevailed1
 that when the spirit enters  the       
,spirit-world it becomes divested of    
certain states of affection1  certain   
loves or delights1 and that it becomes  
so changed in its  character or station 
as to seek its delight in some other    
direction1  is very general among       
,spiritualists4 ,they believe that all  
our evil  passions and affections       
pertain to this body1 and that when the 
spirit  leaves it1 his disposition to do
 evil or to enjoy the fruits of his     
evil desires ceases4 ,now1 ,i wish to   
investigate this subject thoroughly     
upon principles which commend themselves
 to every individual's  consciousness4  
,that which constitutes me a conscious  

being does not differ from that  which  
constitutes you conscious beings4 ,so   
far as the element of  consciousness    
itself is concerned--so far as it enters
 into the mind--it  is the same in every
 individual4 ,your individuality or mine
 does not  consist in the fact that we  
are conscious1 and possess in ourselves 
a  consciousness1 but it consists in    
that of which we are conscious4 ,that   
which causes me to differ from you is   
that which comes into a certain         
relation to that consciousness4    ,this
 conscious principle within the spirit1 
whether in the body or  out of it1 is   
the ,divine principle4 ,it is to this   
spirit what the sun  is to the natural  
universe4 ,it is the light and the heat 
of the ,divine  sun shining within the  
individual1 revealing him to himself2 so
 that if  we become familiar with this  
first proposition1 so that we understand
  one another1 our deductions will flow 
naturally1 and we can understand        
perfectly whether we are on the side of 

truth or not4 ,understand1  then1 that  
it is not the fact that you possess a   
consciousness within  you1 which causes 
you to differ from me and every other   
being4 ,we  are all alike in that       
respect4 ,but when that consciousness   
begins to  shine out into your          
individuality1 and look after your      
thoughts and  affections which have     
arisen out of your individual           
development1 and  which have grown out  
of individual relations peculiar to     
yourself1 then  this conscious light and
 conscious heat1 this conscious         
understanding  and affection within you1
 begins to reveal to you your individual
  selfhood--that which constitutes you  
an individual being separate from  all  
other individual beings4 ,that which    
pertains to my character  pertains to my
 character as an individual being4      
,this individual affection which        
distinguishes me from you belongs to my 
exterior or outer consciousness4 ,so    
then1 when ,i speak of character1  ,i   

speak not of this inmost principle which
 has never changed1 and  never can      
change1 but will live on unchanged1     
because self-existent  and              
self-sufficient--not of the ,god        
within--the ,divine breath living  in   
the soul--but of that which is exterior 
of that which derives its  life1        
understanding1 and perception from the  
light which this absolute  consciousness
 throws out4 ,that which pertains to my 
character enters  into my individual and
 finite selfhood2 and it is by what is  
found  there that ,i am to judge myself1
 and the world is to judge me4 ,if  you 
were to come to my inmost character1 you
 would then come at the  absolute and   
infinite which exists in me and in every
 other individual1  without which man   
could not be a conscious being at all4  
,separate  man from this conscious      
consciousness1 and he would cease to    
exist4  ,it is by the harmonizing of his
 finite perception with the infinite    
perception that he lives in ,god and    

,god in him4 ,all there is of life1  of 
conscious being1 is but a reflection of 
this absolute consciousness2  just as   
the light of the moon is but the        
reflection of the light of  the sun4    
,extinguish your sun1 and your moon     
could give you no light4  ,separate man 
from this absolute consciousness1 and he
 would have no  finite consciousness4   
,then that which constitutes you and me 
conscious  beings here and hereafter is 
not this absolute conscious principle   
within1 but that which comes into       
unceasing relation to it1 by which we   
are made conscious of that which is4    
,i have thought1 feeling1 and affection1
 which pertain to me as a  finite       
physical being2 and ,i am made aware of 
that thought1 that  feeling1 and that   
affection by the presence of this       
absolute principle  within me2 but at   
the same time they do not take their    
character  from this absolute           
consciousness4 ,hence we hear persons   
talk about  forming characters4 ,but    

character is to be considered in a      
double  sense4 ,all possess this inmost 
character1 and hence it is said that    
every individual in his inmost is       
divine4 ,but that ,divinity1 that ,god  
within him by which he lives1 and       
without which he could not live1        
constitutes no part of his individual   
selfhood4 ,it is the ,jehovah in  the   
soul1 by which he is revealed to        
himself4 ,that character in man1 ,i     
grant1 never changes4    ,it is the     
external individual character to which  
,i wish to call  attention in a special 
manner4 ,now that character which makes 
me an  individual being1 and by which ,i
 become wise or foolish1 good or bad1   
true or false1 is constantly undergoing 
changes1 and is developed under  laws   
growing out of relations which ,i       
sustain to material and spiritual       
things and influences which operate upon
 me from both the natural and  spiritual
 plane4 ,this finite character is the   
one by which ,i am to be  judged4    ,i 

wish to examine man in his relations to 
the present and the future1  and        
ascertain1 if possible1 how much of this
 finite character will  continue with   
him after he enters the ,spirit-world1  
because upon this  point there is a     
great diversity of opinion4 ,it is      
really one of the  vital points of      
,spiritualism4 ,how1 then1 is this      
external individual  character unfolded8
 ,it depends upon the ruling love in the
 individual1  as well as upon his       
intelligence or perception4 ,we know    
that the  individual dwelling in selfish
 lust unfolds his selfish character  by 
doing that which he thinks will furnish 
him self-gratification1  and we         
determine his character by the character
 of the impulse which  governs him4 ,the
 individual who has known no higher     
impulse than this  desire for           
self-gratification1 finds it impossible 
to conceive that  a person can act from 
a higher impulse2 but one who has       
experienced  in himself a higher and    

purer impulse than that which looks     
after  self-gratification1 can easily   
understand how it is that men and  women
 can act from higher impulses2 but still
 he may not be able to  understand how  
they can act from an incorruptible      
,divine love--love  in its infinity1 in 
its spontaneity1 going forth of its own 
,divine  fullness1 and bestowing        
blessings upon all who come within its  
sphere4    ,if we look out into society1
 we see individuals living down in the  
lower departments of their nature4 ,we  
wish to reform them and mankind1  and   
talk about ,spiritualism doing wonderful
 things for the world1 by  way of       
breaking off the chains of superstition 
which have bound people  down in        
ignorance2 we talk about its removing   
that superstitious  bigotry which causes
 one man to persecute another for not   
thinking as  he does4 ,we expect it is  
going to diffuse a liberalizing         
influence1  and thus reform the world4  
,what do you mean when you speak of     

,spiritualism reforming the world8 ,you 
mean that it is going to change  the    
characters of those living in it4 ,you  
thus virtually affirm that  this        
external character that pertains to you1
 and me1 and all others1  is the subject
 of change4 ,we understand1 then1 that  
your hope for  the reformation of the   
world is based upon the expectation that
 the  individual character shall be     
changed4 ,and how are you to change that
  character8 ,you hope to change the    
character of the unfortunate female1    
and place her upon a higher and purer   
platform1 by changing her ruling  love1 
correcting her false opinions and false 
understandings--by having  a purer      
affection to govern her1 and a higher   
understanding to direct  her4 ,you hope 
to cause her to walk more in harmony    
with her highest  destiny4 ,to persuade 
the inebriate to give up his cups1 you  
desire to  create in him a love and     
respect for the welfare of mankind--to  
implant  in him a ruling influence which

 shall elevate his character4    ,when  
you look at yourselves even1 you see    
that your character is  undergoing a    
change4 ,when a boy1 there were certain 
kinds of amusements  in which ,i took   
delight4 ,moral and religious exercises 
were nothing  compared with my hoop1    
top1 etc42 but when ,i became a man1 and
 began  to be manly in my aspirations1  
my character had changed4 ,so it has    
been with us all4 ,that within us which 
we call character1 we suppose  must be  
forever subject to change4 ,each of us  
as we progress1 hopes  to change1 to    
become wiser1 better1 purer4 ,he who    
boasts that he has  never changed his   
opinion1 virtually says that he has not 
progressed4  ,he who claims that he     
feels as he did twenty years ago1 boasts
 of his  own shame4 ,our hope to        
progress implies our expectation of     
change from  that which is false to that
 which is more true--implies a change of
 this  external changing principle      
within us1 which constitutes our        

individual  character--our finite       
selfhood4    ,the question arises       
whether we shall take this              
distinguishing character  with us into  
the ,spiritual world4 ,we need not be   
left to conjecture  here1 if we will    
only enter into a philosophical         
examination of what  will constitute our
 character4 ,you see clearly1 that what 
constitutes  you an individual being    
here1 is that which is external to the  
absolute consciousness within1 and that 
when you lose this1 you lose  your      
individuality--that if it should be     
absorbed1 your individuality  would be  
gone1 and you would be taken up by the  
principle of general  absorption1 and   
would cease to be as an individual      
being4 ,but when  you understand that   
that which constitutes you a spiritual  
selfhood  pertains to your thoughts1    
your understandings1 and affections1 and
  that nothing outside of your          
understanding enters into that selfhood1
  in which you live1 and by which you   

know yourself1 you will perceive  that  
if you do not take that with you to the 
,spiritual world1 you will  take nothing
 with you that is yours4 ,if you leave  
that behind you1 or  so change it as to 
make it represent another and not       
yourself1 as a  matter of course1 when  
you go to the ,spiritual world1 you do  
not go  there4    ,the idea has obtained
 to a considerable extent1 that this    
material  body is the cause of our      
lusts1 passions1 and appetites1 and that
  these will die with it4 ,it is my     
opinion1 however1 that the body1 so  far
 as the matter itself is concerned1 does
 no more to degrade us or  injure us in 
any wise1 morally1 than does the matter 
composing any  other material substance4
 ,it has only become an instrument      
receptive  of certain conditions1 as the
 horse-shoe magnet has become receptive 
of certain magnetic conditions4 ,we talk
 about the attraction of the  magnet as 
though the attraction were in the iron4 
,but the attraction  is between the     

positive and negative conditions1 which 
are present  in the iron2 and when your 
bring the different parts of the iron   
together1 you bring the conditions which
 they contain into proximity1  between  
which the attraction exists4 ,so it is  
with this material body2  it is made    
receptive of conditions4 ,the matter    
entering into this  body needs to go    
through a certain process1 after it is  
taken from  the rock1 before it is fit  
to enter into the human system1 because 
the matter which enters into the mineral
 kingdom undergoes a certain  change by 
which it is fitted for the vegetable    
structure2 and is  then brought into a  
certain relation by another principle by
 which  it becomes receptive of another 
condition1 which other condition is     
essential to it if it would enter into  
or become receptive of the  essential   
condition4 ,so that the particle of     
matter passing through  the vegetable   
kingdom passes through it for the       
purpose of being made  receptive of a   

higher condition2 and when it passes    
into the animal  it has come into       
relation to another power1 called the   
nerve-power1  with which it was not in  
relation when in the vegetable kingdom4 
,it is  brought under the influence of  
this nerve-power1 and made receptive of 
another principle4 ,and thus one        
particle of matter1 in passing from  the
 mineral up to the animal kingdom1 goes 
through that elaborating  process1      
simply because by being brought into    
relation with certain  media it becomes 
receptive of certain higher conditions  
of which it  was not before receptive4  
,the conditions do not change the       
character  of the matter at all4 ,they  
pertain rather to the spiritual than the
  material department of this being2 so 
that when my body is brought to  a      
certain condition of development1 it    
becomes receptive by a sort  of         
induction of new conditions4 ,certain   
relations are established  between my   
body and spirit4 ,my body depends upon  

certain things for  nourishment1 and my 
spirit depends upon my body for certain 
assistance4  ,these relations make my   
body subject to a law of consciousness2 
but  that law of consciousness does not 
pertain to my body4 ,my body is  but the
 instrument by which that consciousness 
is acted upon from the  external world4 
,when ,i experience pain in my finger   
from placing it in  the fire1 it is not 
my finger that smarts1 but there is a   
consciousness  in my mind which         
experiences the pain1 from the report of
 nerves which  come to the surface in my
 finger4 ,separate these nerves1 and ,i 
may hold  my hand in the fire without   
feeling the least pain2 yet if the      
finger  were pained1 it should feel as  
much after the nerves were separated as 
before4 ,though the sensation appears to
 be at that point1 it is after  all in  
the mind4 ,the body is but an instrument
 by which sensations of a  peculiar     
character reach the mind4 ,those who    
have had arms amputated1  have          

experienced pain seemingly in the       
fingers at times in consequence  of the 
exposure and irritation of the nerves   
which go to the hand4 ,it  is sometimes 
conjectured that they have spiritual    
fingers1 but it is  not so4 ,there are  
instances of persons experiencing pain  
seemingly in  the toes1 after the leg   
has been amputated4 ,this is in         
consequence  of the exposure and        
irritation of the nerves which go to the
 foot4  ,furthermore1 the individual who
 has been mesmerized--who has had his   
mind separated from the sensuous        
influences of his body--may have his    
body dissected to pieces without        
experiencing any pain1 notwithstanding  
the least injury done to the person who 
is in rapport with him will  be         
instantaneously felt1 as though the     
sensation were in himself4 ,he  can not 
be reached through his nerve-system1 but
 you can reach him  through the         
nerve-system of the operator1 whose     
mental condition is  impressed upon him4

 ,the sensation1 however1 is in his     
mind1 not in  his body1 notwithstanding 
he locates it as though it were in his  
body4  ,numerous other proofs might be  
adduced to prove that though the body is
  the means through which the mind is   
reached1 yet the sensation is all  in   
the mind4 ,man makes use of his body for
 the gratification of all his  sensuous 
desires2 all of which originate in the  
mind4 ,i do not deny1  however1 that a  
sense of lack1 not pain and disease1 may
 be induced in  the body by certain     
courses of action--by disturbing the    
nervous system4  ,but that is a thing   
entirely of itself4 ,but there are other
 influences  originating in the mind1   
leading the individual to seek          
gratification  in horse-racing1 gaming1 
sexual indulgences1 etc4 ,in ten        
thousand  instances the stimulating     
influences to various acts arise in the 
mind1  and form a part of the mind4 ,in 
the majority of instances the body is   
simply made the instrument for the      

gratification of lustful desires4  ,did 
the usual habits of thought permit1 it  
might be demonstrated1 in  various ways1
 that lustful desires originate in the  
impure condition of  the spirit4        
,there are certain impulses pertaining  
to the body in its relation  to the     
body4 ,an instance of such is the       
sensation of hunger4 ,i do not  mean to 
say that the body has the sensation of  
hunger1 but that it is  awakened in the 
spirit by a demand which the body makes 
upon the spirit  for material to supply 
its need4 ,there are the sensations of  
thirst1  heat and cold--diverse         
sensations of this kind which come to   
the spirit  through the body4 ,but that 
impulse which leads the individual to   
seek  gratification at the horse-race1  
the brothel1 etc41 has its spiritual    
original1 and flows out of the depraved 
condition of the spirit2 and  the body  
is not responsible for it1 though the   
body may be destroyed by  such impulse4 
,when we enter the ,spiritual world1 if 

we recognize ourselves at all1  we must 
recognize ourselves by that which the   
absolute consciousness  reveals to us4  
,i do not recognize myself by the       
principle of absolute  consciousness    
within me1 but by that which it reveals 
to me4 ,when ,i  go to the              
,spirit-world1 ,i must take that with me
 of which ,i must be  conscious1 else ,i
 shall not take my individuality with   
me--else ,i become  annihilated4 ,just  
to the extent ,i leave my affections    
behind me1 shall  ,i be annihilated as a
 spiritual being4 ,when ,i go to the    
,spiritual  world1 ,i must take my      
character with me--that which is made an
 integral  part of my spiritual         
character by its development in me4 ,of 
course1  then1 wherever ,i go that must 
go4 ,the love which rules within me must
  go with me until that ruling love is  
changed1 or until some holier love      
shall call me to a higher plane of      
action4 ,i am prepared to maintain  that
 when we go to the ,spiritual world1 we 

shall take with us all the  love1       
affections1 thoughts1 feelings1 and     
sentiments which characterize  us as    
individual beings4 ,every thing which   
causes me to differ from  you here will 
cause me to differ from you when we     
enter the ,spiritual  world4 ,i will    
retain my spiritual selfhood by the same
 laws by which  we maintain our selfhood
 here4 ,i believe the testimony of all  
,spirits  who have spoken to us         
concerning it1 is that the difference   
between  the sensations here and there  
is so slight that it is difficult to    
tell when one has entered the ,spiritual
 world4 ,many times have ,spirits       
testified that they had to make many    
examinations after entering the         
,spiritual world1 to satisfy themselves 
that they had left the body4  ,that is1 
their sensations1 thoughts1 feelings1   
loves1 and affections  underwent so     
slight a change1 they did not recognize 
any change in  passing to the ,spiritual
 sphere4    ,if that individual ,spirit 

changes his character there1 it must    
evidently be by some law operating upon 
character4 ,we know perfectly  well that
 if you were to bring an individual into
 ,new ,york who has  been given to a    
certain kind of pleasure1 unless he can 
find the same  channel of pleasure here1
 he would feel miserable4 ,let any one  
of you  get in the habit of going night 
after night to the theater1 and you     
will by-and-by acquire such a habit that
 you will be perfectly wretched  unless 
you can go there4 ,you make resolutions 
to break up the habit2  but often break 
your resolutions1 and will feel         
miserable until some  other love takes  
the place of your love for theatrical   
amusements4 ,the  poor drunkard often1  
in the midst of his dissipation1        
resolves to put  away his cup2 but when 
again he comes in the presence of the   
bottles  and decanters1 his mouth begins
 to feel thus and so1 and he can not    
help drinking4 ,the habit is so fixed   
upon him that he can not break it  up1  

unless something can implant a stronger 
love within him4    ,as is our condition
 in this world1 so is our state in the  
,spiritual  world4 ,how often does an   
individual feel that there would be no  
source  of enjoyment for him in the     
,spiritual world if he could not find   
certain pleasures there4 ,the beef-eater
 will continue to have a desire  for    
beef1 unless some other gratification   
can come in to supply its  place4 ,so it
 is in reference to every means of      
gratification4 ,upon the  same law that 
the good desire the good and true1 would
 the individual  who has been a         
pleasure-seeker in this life seek in the
 ,spiritual world  for his accustomed   
gratification4    ,in the ,spiritual    
world the ,spirits have the means of    
gratifying their  desires4 ,beef-eaters 
have the means of gratifying their      
desires4 ,not  that they have any       
,spiritual beef4 ,they have a mode of   
getting beef  there different from      
ours--namely1 by representing it and    

growing it on  their own plantations4   
,spirits also enter into their former   
pleasures  by coming into rapport with  
those here who have tastes like their   
own4 ,if all their passions and lusts   
are to be dropped1 how are those  to    
know themselves in the ,spiritual world 
who1 during a whole life  here1 have    
been dead to every feeling and          
sentiment8 ,will they know  themselves  
by their truth and justice8 ,they never 
had any4 ,how are they  to know         
themselves1 except by that for which    
they were known here8  ,it is evident   
that they must carry their animal       
impulses with them4  ,gratification for 
these impulses are procured by the law  
of mental  sympathy--the ,spirits       
getting into rapport with those on the  
earth who  have desires similar to their
 own1 and taking thus the gratifications
  in which they delighted while in the  
body4 ,it is for this reason that  so   
many dark1 benighted ,spirits are found 
revealing themselves to  the world4 ,i  

am aware that1 in these latter days1 the
 idea has been  advanced that ,spirits1 
when they leave this body1 get rid of   
all this  filth4 ,the truth is1 the body
 was the cleanest part of them here4    
,the idea that when a ,spirit leaves the
 body he gets rid of all his  impurity1 
has caused many to greatly venerate     
,spiritual communications1  and attach  
to them much authority4 ,i remember that
 it was with much  deference that ,i    
listened to the first communications    
which came  from the ,spirit-world2 but 
,i very soon learned that a ,spirit was 
not  necessarily wiser because of his   
separation from the body1 and that  he  
required quite as much watching as one  
in the body4 ,not that they  are below  
the world2 for when you have taken an   
average of the justice  and wisdom of   
the world1 you will find that the       
standard it could set  up would not be  
very high4 ,when you look over the earth
 and witness  the very low state of     
character of the human race here1 why   

should you  wonder that ,spirits of a   
very low character should hover around  
us and  manifest themselves to the      
world4    ,there was some philosophy in 
,dr4 ,beecher's conclusion1 that the    
manifestations were ,spiritual1 but     
devilish2 for the majority of these     
manifestations come from the very lowest
 ,spirits4 ,there is no use in  denying 
it4 ,but the fault is all our own if a  
,spirit of an undeveloped  character    
comes in communication with us and      
controls us2 for ,i have  power1 which  
is superior to all their finite power1  
to prevent their  controlling me4 ,if ,i
 will live the life ,i should1 ,i can be
 protected  from all such influences4   
,if a ,spirit of a low character comes  
into  rapport with you to control you1  
it is your fault4 ,it is because  you   
are not in that true condition of soul  
by which you come into  rapport with    
,spirits of a pure and wise character4  
,it is nevertheless  unphilosophical for
 any individual to say that1 because    

there are low  ,spirits1 he will have   
nothing to do with ,spiritual           
communications4  ,it would be equally   
unphilosophical to say1 because there   
are good  ,spirits1 that all ,spiritual 
communications should be received4      
,in respect of developing mediums1 ,i   
wish to say1 that if they are to  be    
developed for curiosity's sake1 they had
 better remain undeveloped4  ,but if it 
is desired to bring them into conditions
 to redeem them1 it  is all very well4  
,but no person should permit himself to 
become passive  in his feelings and     
affections while waiting for ,spirits to
 come and  develop him as a medium2 for 
in that condition he will be liable to  
be  influenced by bad ,spirits4 ,he may 
become the instrument of one of the     
lowest and most debasing influences1 and
 may be influenced to commit  the most  
filthy and disgusting deeds4 ,while the 
body should be passive1  the affections 
should be ardent1 the soul must send    
forth its most  earnest aspirations4    

,you need not read from the ,bible or   
the ,koran4 ,what is needed is to  keep 
your hearts right4 ,let the aid for     
which you seek have strict  reference to
 keeping the affections right4 ,we need 
to guard against  being influenced by   
those low ,spirits who are waiting round
 us to seek  self-gratification4 ,if you
 wish to commune with ,spirits1 you     
yourself  must determine what shall be  
the class of ,spirits with whom you will
  commune4 ,if you would commune with   
,jesus1 you must come upon his plane4   
,if you would commune with the ,divine  
,father1 you must become like him4  ,you
 must assume the character of the class 
of ,spirits with which you  wish to     
commune4 ,by observing this law we need 
not have so much of  this low           
manifestation4 ,we need a higher class  
of communications to  convince the      
world4 ,the objections to ,spiritualism 
is not that there  are not enough facts1
 but that their character is such that  
the world  is not willing to accept     

them4                                   
,,chapter ,,xi4                         
,,lust4       8,every man is tempted    
when he is drawn away of his own        
lusts40--,james   ,letter1 chap4 i4 #ad4
    ,lust may be defined to be the      
desire for self-gratification4 ,the     
forbidden fruit is that which seems to  
be desired to make one happy1  and is   
sought after1 not for the purpose of    
supplying a need1 but to  gratify a     
desire4    ,man's constitution is such  
that there are needs pertaining to every
  part thereof2 and those needs are     
indicated by awakening desires2 and     
when the need is supplied1 a pleasure or
 gratification is experienced1  which is
 a sort of plaudit of 8,well done20 and 
all legitimate pleasure  or happiness   
which man is constitutionally fitted to 
enjoy arises from  complying with the   
proper demands of his being4 ,all       
constitutional  demands of the being man
 have strict reference to constitutional
 needs2  and the life and energy making 

that demand will not be disregarded4 ,it
  will not suffer the being to find rest
 until the demand is complied  with4 ,it
 will create restlessness and disquiet2 
and the individual will  give expression
 to that life and energy in some        
direction1 if he does  not in the true  
one4    ,man possesses within him       
immortal energies1 or he could not be   
immortal4 ,he has that which is         
essentially being and life1 and  which  
can not be destroyed4 ,hence his divine 
energies will act with  omnipotent power
 to him1 and he will be constrained to  
submit4    ,here1 then1 is to be found  
the fundamental distinction between true
  and false impulse--true and false     
action4 ,that impulse which arises      
within1 indicating a need of some       
department of our being1 is true and    
legitimate2 and all proper action which 
tends to supply that demand1  without   
conflicting with any other need1 is true
 action4 ,all other  action and impulse 
are illegitimate4 ,the distinction      

between the two  classes of impulse and 
action is easily made1 by an appeal to  
our own  consciousness4 ,by a careful   
examination1 we can tell at once whether
  the impulse to perform any act for    
ourselves arises from a sense of  need  
or from a desire of self-gratification2 
and whether the impulse  to perform any 
act for others arises from a near or    
remote prospect of  self-gain1 or from a
 sense of fitness1 justice1 or goodness 
of the act1  in forgetfulness of        
separate self4    ,in the very outset ,i
 postulate the following as undeniable  
truth3 ,all  true desire in man has     
respect to a need of some department of 
his  being1 which1 when truly supplied1 
will harmoniously develop him in        
respect to every other department of his
 being1 and also in respect  to all     
other beings necessarily connected with 
him4 ,that all true  happiness or       
enjoyment which he is capable of        
possessing must flow as a  consequence  
of truly supplying these needs2 and that

 while every need  of his being is fully
 supplied1 he will be in the enjoyment  
of all the  happiness he is capable of  
desiring1 and consequently will not     
desire  happiness on its own account4   
,i postulate further2 that until every  
need is supplied1 man will feel  a sense
 of lack1 a desire for something which  
he does not possess1  the tendency of   
which will be to stimulate him to       
activity in some  direction2 and unless 
his activity is directed to the proper  
supplying  of the need1 it will be      
misdirected1 and will tend to deprave   
rather  than to improve his being4      
,hence ,i postulate further1 that when  
man feels within himself a desire  for  
happiness1 he has demonstrable evidence 
that these are needs of  his being which
 have not been supplied2 and any attempt
 to fulfill  his desire1 short of       
finding out and supplying the true need1
 will be  derogatory to his highest good
 and destiny1 and will consequently fail
  of conferring that which he seeks1    

happiness4    ,i therefore postulate    
further1 that happiness or enjoyment is 
not to  be sought2 that if it come at   
all1 it must come unsought2 that it is a
  necessary and inseparable incident of 
the true life1 by which is meant  that  
life which in its activity fulfills its 
every need4 ,that happiness  which is   
sought after is never found1 simply     
because it is not an  end1 but only an  
incident of being2 and that while man is
 absorbed  in the pursuit of pleasure1  
he must necessarily be unmindful of his 
needs1 and thereby he will neglect their
 demands4    ,here we have the          
foundation laid for examining the       
distinction between  the true impulse1  
known as love in the various planes of  
unfolding1 and  that which is to be     
characterized as lust4 ,the true impulse
 is that  which indicates a need of some
 department of our being1 and which     
prompts to activity1 looking to the     
supply of that need1 independent  of any
 gratification which it may promise4    

,the false impulse is that  which       
prompts to activity1 not in respect to  
any specific need1 but in  respect to   
the gratification which it may afford4  
,this latter impulse  is known as lust4 
,for the purpose of distinction ,i shall
 denominate the true impulse1  love1 as 
being a manifestation of the ,divine    
,father's wisdom and  goodness1 in      
whatever plane it may be found2 and ,i  
shall denominate the  false impulse1    
lust1 as being a manifestation of that  
which tends to  lead to selfishness and 
antagonism1 and makes the interests of  
finite  self overrule those of infinite 
self1 or the selfhood of the divine4    
,in the scale of being there is every   
plane of unfolding1 from the            
unconscious to the divine consciousness2
 that is1 there is every sphere  of     
divine action and manifestation1 from   
the monad to the highest  angel1 and    
consequently there are many degrees of  
love as the true  impulse to action4 ,it
 has its sphere in the plane of physical

 need1 in  the plane of intellectual and
 moral need1 and in the plane of        
religious  need2 and it is exalted just 
in proportion as it approaches the      
absolute or divine4    ,as there is a   
true impulse belonging to every plane of
 unfolding1  begetting the proper       
enjoyment in the conscious plane when   
its demand  is properly complied with1  
so also is there every degree of lustful
  desire seeking gratification in every 
plane1 differing in grossness  according
 to the means by which it seeks its     
gratification4    ,reflection will      
satisfy every truth-seeking mind that   
desire for  self-gratification1 as an   
impulse to action1 has its basis in     
self2  and1 from its nature1 makes      
itself the center of attraction1 and    
becomes a sort of an absorbent1 seeking 
self-appropriation2 and  whenever it    
makes an expenditure1 it is with respect
 to that which is  to return4 ,and it   
never gives without the hope of         
receiving in return a  full equivalent4 

,this principle of action is from its   
nature finite and antagonistic1  upon   
the principle that that which it seeks  
to appropriate to its own  benefit and  
make its own1 can not at the same time  
be appropriated by  another2 and hence  
the desire of self-appropriation        
naturally leads the  individual into    
antagonism with others4    ,this finite 
and selfish impulse is the very opposite
 of the infinity  and unselfishness of  
the divine4 ,its imperfect and          
antagonistic rule  of action can not    
harmonize with the perfection and       
harmonic action of  the divine4 ,as the 
finite in every respect is the negative 
and opposite  of the infinite1 so this  
finite impulse in the individual is in  
every  respect the negative and opposite
 of the divine impulse4 ,it is for this 
cause that there is such an antagonism  
between the principle of love  and the  
principle of lust2 an antagonism which  
must continue until the  divine shall   
bring all into subjection--until the    

finite shall1 in its  principle of      
action1 harmonize in the infinite1 or   
until ,god shall  become all in all4    
,having already postulated that all true
 and legitimate desire in  the          
individual has strict reference to the  
needs of the individual1  independent of
 any promised gratification1 and that   
the gratification  incident to the      
supply of such needs was the measure of 
all true  finite happiness1 ,i now      
proceed to illustrate this truth by an  
appeal  to the experience of all who    
hear me4    ,happiness1 in its general  
sense1 is the fulfillment of desire4    
,and the  more complete is the          
fulfillment of every desire1 the more   
complete is  the happiness2 and         
happiness can not be perfect until every
 desire is  fulfilled4 ,if in fulfilling
 the desire of one department of our    
being  we neglect the needs and         
consequent demands of another1 we may   
obtain  temporary gratification1 but it 
does not answer the full demand of our  

being so as to confer happiness4 ,on the
 contrary1 while we gratify a  lust1 we 
resist a true demand1 and purchase      
gratification by disease  and suffering4
    ,the individual1 ignorant or        
unmindful of the true demands of his    
being1  and intent upon                 
self-gratification1 must forever fail of
 obtaining  happiness1 because in his   
lustful pursuit he does not heed the    
real  demands of his entire being1 and  
therefore he does not minister to  their
 needs2 and hence can not obtain ease   
and satisfaction4 ,all  pleasure-seekers
 can testify as they have testified1    
that their  pleasures are more in       
anticipation than participation4 ,their 
happiness  is in the future1 and seldom 
if ever in the present4 ,the time never 
comes when they find every desire       
gratified1 and consequently they are    
never quite contented1 therefore never  
quite happy4 ,the very desire  after    
happiness is that which defeats it4 ,the
 finite belongs to the  present2 the    

past is his schoolmaster1 teaching him  
in the present  how to receive the      
future4 ,his duties and needs are of    
to-day1 and  those which pertain to the 
morrow will come on the morrow1 not     
before4  8,sufficient unto the day are  
the evils thereof10 and sufficient  unto
 the day are the duties and pleasures   
thereof4 ,man can not  take being and   
existence by anticipation1 neither can  
he take their  true incidents in that   
way4 ,all anticipations of pleasure by  
which  the individual is made to live in
 the future1 to the neglect of the      
present1 are lustful and illegitimate1  
and antagonize with man's true  nature  
and destiny1 and consequently tend to   
defeat true happiness4  ,that this is   
so1 all human experience affirms4 ,that 
this must be so1  the philosophy of true
 happiness demonstrates4    ,there is no
 room for controversy upon this point4  
,it is most evident  that true happiness
 can only flow to the finite by         
fulfilling the true  desires of the     

finite1 and that complete satisfaction  
can only take  place when every true    
desire or demand is complied with4      
,now it must follow that every true     
desire is indicative of a real need  of 
the being in which it exists2 and       
consequently when every need is         
supplied1 every true desire must be     
gratified1 and true happiness must  be  
the result4 ,and as every need has      
respect to that which pertains  to the  
present1 every true desire belongs to   
the present1 and asks  present          
fulfillment4    ,from considerations of 
this kind it becomes evident that       
anticipated  pleasures are illegitimate1
 and belong to the school of lusts1 and 
do not tend to beget true happiness2 and
 that just in proportion as  the        
individual is absorbed in the           
anticipated pleasures or duties of  the 
morrow1 he is disregarding the true law 
of his being1 neglecting  present needs1
 and laying the foundation for defeating
 the very end  he seeks4 ,man1 as a     

physical1 intellectual1 moral1 and      
religious  being1 has needs pertaining  
to each and every department thereof1   
and consequently in supplying these     
needs he becomes receptive of  pleasure 
from every department of his being4     
,when he is truly and  harmoniously     
unfolded1 all his needs are orderly and 
harmoniously set  forth2 and when he    
truly complies with their demand1 his   
delights or  gratifications blend or    
flow together in one harmonious stream1 
and  his whole soul is filled with the  
divinest melody1 instinct with the      
present ,god4 ,but note1 the moment he  
neglects a single need1 or  misdirects  
the energies of his being1 there is not 
only a strain which  is not represented 
in the choral anthem of ,god1 but it is 
caused to  vibrate discordantly with    
those strains which are represented1 and
  instead of a soul pulsating with the  
divinest melody and joy1 you have  it   
harshly jarring to the discordant notes 
of antagonism and death4    ,the        

principles of this philosophy affirm    
that man must attend to  the needs of   
every department of his being1 if he    
would develop  harmoniously4 ,the       
,divine1 in the plenitude of his wisdom1
 has given  to man nothing superfluous4 
,his physical body1 with its needs1 is  
just as essential to the perfect man as 
is his spiritual being2 and  its demands
 are as imperative in their sphere4 ,and
 man is as really  obeying the ,divine  
in truly administering to his physical  
as to his  spiritual needs2 and the     
pleasures attending the true            
administration  are as true and just in 
their sphere as are those pertaining to 
more  exalted spheres of being and      
action4 ,he who despises and afflicts   
his body to benefit his soul mistakes   
the divine order and method1  and in    
afflicting his body wars with the true  
interests and destiny  of his immortal  
being4 ,the disposition to afflict the  
body for the  benefit of the soul is    
that higher manifestation of the selfish

 and  lustful principle turning its     
weapons purposely upon itself4 ,its aim 
is  self-gain1 and1 through that1       
self-gratification4 ,hence the          
cloistered  nun1 the solitary monk1 and 
the stern ascetic1 of whatever school1  
are  violating the divine method and law
 as much as is the pleasure-seeking     
worldling4 ,they are as really under the
 dominion of their lusts for            
self-gratification as any other class4  
,their expenditure of worldly  pleasure 
has respect to the spiritual1 which they
 hope thereby to  obtain2 and1 like any 
other selfish being1 they only act with 
respect  to some expected gain1 bringing
 with it enjoyment or gratification4    
,the great error of the world is that it
 does not distinguish between  the true 
and false impulse1 giving rise to true  
and false action1 out  of which grows   
true and false development1 bringing    
existence into  antagonism and false    
relation4    ,said the ,divine ,teacher1
 speaking of little children1 8,of such 

is the  kingdom of heaven40 ,the infant 
at birth instinctively obeys the law of 
its being1 and it continues to do so in 
every department of its being  which    
does not come under the rule of its     
conscious1 voluntary action4  ,when it  
feels the demand for food to nourish and
 develop its infantile  body1 it        
indicates that demand by its            
restlessness and complainings2  and when
 the demand is supplied1 its            
complainings cease4 ,it does not  ask   
for gratification beyond the supply of  
its needs2 that it does  ask for1 and   
must have to give it quiet4 ,during this
 early period  it eats to live1 and     
continues to do so until1 by its        
development1  another nature with its   
needs is brought into conscious         
existence1 and  neglected4 ,then the    
unsatisfied demands of that other nature
 impart  disquiet to the being1 and he  
begins to search after gratification4   
,it  is in this way that lust is        
begotten4 ,it is never felt until the   

demand  of some need is neglected1 and  
it is an immutable law that such neglect
  must beget lust2 and hence whoever    
feels the demand for gratification  of  
any sort hears the voice of ,god within 
proclaiming a neglected  demand1 a      
perishing need4 ,he sees the cherubim of
 ,god standing at  the gate of          
,paradise1 with a drawn sword of flame  
turning in every  direction1 guarding   
the tree of life4 ,thus man's lusts     
proclaim his  imperishable needs1 and1  
when truly understood1 they are but the 
echo  of ,god's voice calling upon him  
to return and live4    ,the child       
naturally comes under the dominion of   
its lusts through  ignorance4 ,it feels 
the disquieting influence of its        
neglected needs2  it feels discontented 
and unhappy1 and therefore it seeks     
gratification  in such direction as     
experience has taught it it might       
sometimes be  found4 ,he early learns   
the pleasures of sense4 ,he could not   
comply with  the demands of his physical

 nature without knowing them2 hence1    
when he  feels a demand for             
something--he does not know what--what  
more natural  than that he should seek  
sensual gratification4 ,thus it is      
according  to the figure1 that man      
partakes of the forbidden fruit before  
his  eyes are opened to know good and   
evil4 ,his first disobedience is in     
consequence of his ignorance of the     
nature and requirements of his  needs2  
and1 seeking to obtain gratification1 he
 violates the true  law of his being4   
,but as man has needs pertaining to his 
physical1  intellectual1 moral1 and     
religious natures1 and as there are     
pleasures  pertaining to the proper     
supplying of them1 man's lusts may lead 
him  to act in either the physical1     
intellectual1 or moral and religious    
departments2 and1 as already remarked1  
the grossness of the lust will  depend  
upon the plan and the means by which it 
seeks gratification4  ,reflection will  
demonstrate that the different lusts1 as

 they are  called1 differ not in the    
primary impulse1 but differ in the      
manner of  seeking gratification4 ,man1 
in the external and finite of his being1
  may be differently affected by the    
different modes of gratification  which 
his lust prompts him to seek4 ,thus the 
physical effect produced  upon him by   
seeking gratification through his       
appetite for strong  drink1 will be     
different from that produced upon him by
 seeking  gratification through his     
relish for food or social amusement4    
,seeking  gratification through the     
improper exercise of any of the         
faculties of  the body or mind tends to 
produce injury in two ways4    ,first1  
the tendency is to call off the         
attention from the actual  needs of the 
being1 so that the proper demands are   
neglected1 and  thereby lustful desires 
become intensified by the influx of an  
unnatural degree of energy in that false
 direction4 ,and second1 by  overtaxing 
the capacity of those organs which are  

used for lustful  gratification4 ,thus  
the inebriate and glutton who make use  
of their  appetites as a means of       
gratification1 often weaken and disease 
the  organs of digestion and            
assimilation1 and thereby disqualify    
them  for performing their proper       
functions4 ,man can not engage in       
lustful  exercises without subjecting   
himself to these twofold evils4 ,and    
their manifestation will be according to
 the plane of the lust and the  means   
adopted for its gratification4 ,but     
while lusts differ thus in  their modes 
of expression1 as well as in their      
primary and secondary  effects upon the 
individual1 they are all alike in their 
inception1  and in the end sought to be 
attained4 ,they all have their beginning
 in  the neglect of some need1 which    
creates a sense of lack1 and they all   
seek self-gratification irrespective of 
such need2 so that all lust1 in         
whatever plane found1 is alike in its   
origin and end4 ,all are fatal to  true 

happiness4    ,the general sameness of  
character of all lusts accounts for the 
singular compounds and apparent         
incongruities of character found in     
certain individuals4 ,that is1 it is not
 unfrequent to find individuals         
remarkable for their zeal in politics1  
morals1 and religion1 carried  away at  
times by the grossest lusts4 ,men1      
eminent for their piety1  sometimes have
 been notorious for their intemperance  
and lewdness2 and  the world have been  
astonished at it4 ,but a careful        
attention to the  distinction to be made
 between the true impulse and lust soon 
solves  the mystery4 ,such men are      
pre-eminently under the influence of    
lust in  every department of their      
being--in the moral and religious as    
well as  in the physical4 ,the piety of 
such men may be ever so deep and        
earnest1  yet its basis is in use4 ,they
 see nothing in the ,divine character or
  perfections which excites in them love
 or admiration any further than  it is  

to bear upon their own well-being and   
happiness4 ,their love of  ,god is a    
love of the instrument or means by which
 they are to become  supremely blessed4 
,and their love1 after all1 is a love of
 their own  happiness1 and of ,god as   
essential to their happiness4 ,if they  
should  discover that ,god stood in the 
way of their future enjoyment1 they     
would like him no better than any other 
enemy4    ,such minds mistake lust for  
love1 and in seeking their own happiness
  call it seeking ,god2 and in rejoicing
 in their anticipations1 call it        
rejoicing in ,god4 ,the man that seeks  
religion for the sake of securing  to   
himself salvation and endless delight1  
is just as lustful and  selfish as he   
who seeks gratification in any other    
way4 ,man may go a  whoring after       
strange gods as well as after strange   
women4    ,those who appeal to men to   
get religion in order that they may     
escape  misery and secure happiness1    
appeal to their lusts1 and so far as    

they influence them by their appeals to 
their hopes and fears1 they  stimulate  
them to lust4 ,the individual who seeks 
religion for the  purpose of saving his 
soul1 is exercising the very impulse    
which most  of all tends to defeat his  
salvation4 ,hence said ,jesus upon this 
very  point1 8,whosoever seeketh to save
 his life shall lose it10 etc4 ,the     
very impulse is as selfish and undivine 
as possible4 ,it is for this  very      
reason that the influence of the popular
 religions of the day is  not redemptive
 in its character4 ,to say to the world 
that when all  should be converted to   
the religion of these fashionable       
churches1 the  millennium would come1   
would provoke in the highest degree     
their sense  of the ludicrous4 ,their   
lustful seeking after self-gratification
 is so  apparent and gross1 that they   
can not even deceive themselves4    ,it 
will not be considered a false          
declaration when ,i say1 that there  is 
no possible resemblance of character or 

practice between these  modern          
fashionable ,christians and ,jesus of   
,nazareth4 ,the redemptive  principle of
 the religion of ,jesus can not be found
 in their religion4  ,the difference is1
 ,jesus was seeking the kingdom of      
heaven and its  righteousness1 while    
they are seeking self-gratification4    
,the impulse  in ,jesus was that of     
religious love2 theirs is a religious   
lust4 ,the  impulse in ,jesus led him to
 hunger and thirst after righteousness2 
theirs leads them to hunger and thirst  
after the things of sense4  ,jesus1 in  
the things pertaining to the world1 was 
the ,lazarus2 they are  the ,dives4     
,furthermore1 ,i must be permitted to   
say that the popular religions of  the  
day are manifestations of man's lustful 
character1 in the moral and  religious  
plane2 and that it is more difficult to 
reform a man in his  moral and religious
 lusts than it is in his animal lusts4  
,it was for  this reason that ,jesus    
pronounced his severest woes upon the   

,scribes  and ,pharisees1 who thought   
they were righteous and who despised    
others4  ,hence he said to them1 8,ye   
shut up the kingdom of heaven against   
yourselves40 ,also1 8,the publicans and 
harlots do pass into the kingdom  of    
heaven before you40    ,the proposition 
reduced to its simplest form is this3   
,true religion  can not dwell with lust4
 8,ye can not serve ,god and mammon40   
,but the  religion of the ,pharisee of  
every age is lust in its highest and    
most  impregnable plane4 ,hence the more
 of such proposed religion they have1   
the farther are they from true religion4
 ,jesus was condemning lust in  the     
moral or charitable plane when he       
directed that alms should be done  in   
secret4 ,the impulse to charitable deeds
 which looks to self-gain or            
self-gratification1 brings no reward to 
the soul of the giver4 ,if he is        
prompted by a desire after fame1 or from
 a hope of inward satisfaction1  he does
 not act from the true impulse4 ,he who 

sounds the trumpet in  the world or in  
his soul1 to call attention to his      
charities1 can have  no reward of his   
,father in heaven4 ,he who acts from the
 true divine  impulse acts              
spontaneously1 acts as it were          
involuntarily2 that is1 he  is not aware
 that he wills4 ,his left hand knows not
 what his right hand  doeth4 ,he meets  
with a case of need4 ,he stops not to   
argue the question  and determine       
probabilities and uses4 ,the steel and  
the flint are in  contact1 and the      
spark1 comes forth4    ,in the domestic 
relation of husband and wife1 parent and
 child1 brother  and sister1 there is   
much of this moral lust which is        
mistaken for  love4 ,many professing to 
be husbands1 and really thinking        
themselves to  be so1 love the use of   
their wives better than the wife1 just  
as the  lustful in religion love the use
 of ,god better than ,god4    ,it is    
this mistaking lust for love which      
begets so many unhappy  marriages4 ,the 

considerations leading to the union are 
not unfrequently  of a lustful character
 altogether4 ,thus the young man seeking
 a wife  is constantly trying the       
question of use4 ,she will administer to
 his  comfort in this way and that1 and 
upon the whole she will be the  means of
 making him very happy4 ,it will not be 
denied that in a vast  majority of cases
 the man1 in seeking a wife1 is seeking 
after his own  happiness1 and he will   
cherish her while she conduces to that  
end4  ,but if he finds himself          
disappointed--finds that she fails to   
fulfill  his expectation--the ardor of  
his love begins to abate2 and just in   
proportion as he is disappointed in his 
expectations will he grow cold  and     
neglectful4 ,so common is this that it  
has arrested the attention  of universal
 man4 ,the difference between the       
fondness manifested  while yet the      
newly-wedded pair have met with no      
disappointments1  and that which is     
manifested a few weeks or months later1 

has given  rise to the expression 8the  
honey-moon10 meaning that the age of a  
single moon is usually sufficient to    
reveal the imperfections of the  loving 
pair1 and consequently to cause the     
ardor of their love to  abate4 ,the     
husband does not find in the wife all   
that he anticipated4  ,she is not so    
perfectly adapted to making him happy as
 he had hoped4  ,consequently he is     
disappointed4 ,and as his happiness was 
the object of  his pursuit when he was  
seeking a wife1 and he mistook that lust
 for  self-gratification for love for   
the wife1 being disappointed in his     
lust1 he finds little or nothing of love
 left4    ,it is thus1 by mistaking lust
 for love1 that so many disappointments 
take place1 and so many unhappy unions  
are formed2 and while the  individuals  
are under this lust for                 
self-gratification1 there is little     
hope of their doing better a second     
time4 ,it was in reference to this      
lustful and selfish love that ,jesus    

said unless a man loved him or his      
doctrines with a better and purer love  
than that with which he loved  wife1    
children1 parents1 etc41 he could not   
become his disciple4 ,the  simple truth 
of the expression was1 that man's love1 
or the love of the  world1 was lustful2 
and unless man loved ,god and truth with
 a purer  love than that lustful love1  
he could not be a true disciple4    ,the
 same lustful impulse is found in the   
parental and fraternal  relation4 ,man  
is so naturally selfish and lustful1    
that it is found in  every relation1    
leading him into the broad road to      
disobedience and  sin4 ,and herein is   
manifested the deep excellence of the   
morality of  ,jesus1 that it aimed a    
fatal blow at the lust itself1 and thus 
8laid  the axe at the root of the tree40
 8,his fan was in his hand1 and he      
thoroughly purged his floor10 8gathering
 the wheat into the garner1 and  burning
 the chaff with unquenchable fire40     
,in man's social relations the same lust

 after self-gratification is  found4    
,the friendships of the world have this 
lustful basis1 and herein  are they     
distinguished from true friendship4 ,the
 selfish man or woman  seeks social and 
friendly intercourse for the pleasure or
 gratification  it affords4 ,they       
cultivate social and friendly relations 
solely with  respect to the pleasures   
thereof4 ,consequently their love of    
friends  is only in their use to them4  
,they love their own gratification      
supremely1 and they love the use of that
 which will administer                  
thereto--consequently their attachments 
turn upon the question of               
gratification4 ,they do nothing1 they   
love nothing in forgetfulness of        
separate self4    ,this distinction     
between true love and lust is to be made
 in every  plane4 ,the true impulse in  
every plane is the manifestation of the 
present ,god in that plane4 ,the obeying
 that impulse is obeying ,god4  ,the    
harmonizing with it is harmonizing with 

,god2 and the individual  who in all    
things walks in accordance with its     
principles is walking  with ,god1 and is
 in the straight and narrow path which  
leadeth unto  life2 while he who1 on the
 contrary1 is led by his desire after   
self-gratification1 in whatever plane1  
is in the broad road which  leads to    
antagonism and death4 8,his lusts1 when 
they conceive1 bring  forth sin2 and    
sin1 when it is finished1 bringeth forth
 death40    ,there is no middle ground  
between love and lust2 and unless the   
distinction be taken where ,i have taken
 it1 it can not be taken at all4        
,excuse the principle of seeking after  
gratification as a true incentive  to   
action1 and you have destroyed the      
distinction between purity and          
impurity--between truth and             
falsehood--between holiness and sin4 ,if
  action in respect to use and the      
gratification of self be the highest1   
then1 indeed1 there is no ,god--no      
virtue--no right4 ,such is the ultimate 

conclusion of those who know of no      
higher rule of action than pertains  to 
the sphere of use and gratification4    
,they know of no intrinsic  virtue1     
goodness1 purity1 etc4 ,they affirm of  
existence the qualities  of good or bad 
from results4 ,they say that a thing is 
right or wrong  because the result is   
wrong1 and not that the result was wrong
 because  the thing itself was          
intrinsically bad4    ,this is a very   
common error with the world4 ,they are  
apt to trace  the evil in the result and
 overlook it in the cause4 ,the reason  
that  lustful action is pernicious is   
not because its results are bad1 but    
because the condition itself is         
intrinsically false1 and can not        
produce other than false fruit4    ,we  
sum up in this4 ,man will never feel the
 need of that which he does  not lack4  
,he will never feel the need of         
happiness or gratification so  long as  
every demand of his nature is gratified2
 because the compliance  with every     

demand of his being will of itself      
confer all that he can  desire1 and he  
will be satisfied4 ,hence the desire for
 that which he  does not possess        
demonstrates that there are true and    
just demands of  his being which are not
 complied with4    ,therefore any       
attempt to satisfy that desire1 short of
 complying with  the true demand1 will  
result in begetting false action1 which 
will tend  to overtax and disease some  
part of his organism1 creating an       
unnatural  demand in that department1   
which1 instead of bringing satisfaction 
and content1 will bring restlessness and
 disquiet1 calling for still  further   
gratification4 ,thus lust1 when it is   
conceived1 bringeth forth  a violation  
of the normal or healthy condition1     
which is sin2 and that  sin in its work1
 when finished1 bringeth forth death4   
,,chapter ,,xii4                        
,,marriage--,,free ,,love4       8,think
 not that ,i am come to destroy the law 
or the prophets4 ,i am not   come to    

destroy1 but to fulfill40--,,jesus'     
,sermon4    ,,man1 as a finite and      
relational being1 is the subject of     
government4  ,being produced and        
developed by laws acting to certain     
ends1 he is the  subject of such laws4  
,being receptive of influences out of   
himself1 he  is subject to such external
 influences1 through their action upon  
his  conscious perceptions and          
affections4    ,man1 as a conscious     
being1 is the subject of two classes of 
impulses4  ,one is a sense of affinity1 
the other of restraint4 ,the first is   
the  natural impulse proceeding from    
certain relations1 and is a spontaneous 
proceeding from such relation without   
considering consequences4 ,the  other is
 a reflex impulse proceeding from       
supposed consequences which  will follow
 certain conditions and actions1 and has
 respect to ends or  uses4    ,this     
latter class of impulses makes him the  
subject of outward motions1  and bring  
him under the dominion of laws external 

to his being4 ,as such  he becomes the  
subject of an external government4 ,as a
 conscious being1  man is the subject of
 two classes of external government1 the
 one which  appeals to his selfish and  
lustful nature1 and the other which     
appeals  to his moral and relational    
nature--and he is the proper subject of 
the  one or the other government1       
according to the character of his ruling
  affection or love4    ,man1 as a      
conscious being1 can be governed only   
through some department  of his         
consciousness4 ,that which induces in   
him volition must address  his          
perceptions1 and proceed thence to his  
affections4 ,for man's  affections can  
not be approached externally except     
through his  perception4 ,this is most  
manifest to the reflecting mind4 ,before
 an  individual can love or hate an     
object1 he must be able to perceive it4 
,and his love or hatred thereof will be 
according to his perceptions4  ,hence it
 will be perceived that the individual  

who is in the ruling  love of self1 if  
governed at all as a conscious being1   
must be governed  by an appeal to his   
selfish nature2 that is1 by an appeal to
 his hopes  and fears4 ,for so long as  
he is not under the rule of his moral   
nature1  he can not be governed by its  
influence4 ,if man is to be controlled1 
he  must be controlled by controlling   
that which controls him4    ,the selfish
 and lustful man is under the dominion  
of his selfish  nature1 and whatever    
controls that nature governs him4 ,and  
he can  be governed1 as a lustful being1
 only by controlling his selfish        
nature4 ,the same is true in principle  
of the moral man1 or he who is  under   
the dominion of his moral nature4       
,whatever controls the moral  nature    
governs him2 and so long as he is under 
the dominion of his  moral nature he    
must be so governed4 ,thus it will be   
perceived that  our proposition is true1
 that man1 as a conscious being1 must be
  governed through that department      

thereof which rules in him4 ,if it be   
the selfish1 he must be governed by an  
appeal to selfishness2 if it be  charity
 or moral love1 then that nature must be
 appealed to4    ,since1 then1 man must 
be governed by an appeal to that impulse
 which  rules in him1 and since mankind 
are naturally under the selfish         
impulse1 the first government to which  
man becomes subject naturally is  that  
of force2 and it appeals to his hopes   
and fears--that is1 to his  selfish     
desire for gain or happiness1 and his   
dread of suffering and  loss4 ,hence    
selfishness is the basis of the first   
dispensation of  government4 ,this      
dispensation of government is not       
calculated1 nor is  it designed1 to make
 the comer thereunto perfect4 ,its end  
and use is  to protect the individual   
from external or outward evils1 and not 
from  that which comes from within4 ,it 
can not extend beyond the cleansing of  
the outside of the cup and platter4     
,the most this kind of government can do

 is to restrain man from  depredating   
upon the rights of his neighbor1 by an  
appeal to his  selfishness4 ,hence the  
language of the law pertaining to this  
kind of  government is1 8eye for an     
eye10 8tooth for a tooth10 8life for    
life10  etc4 ,it does not propose to    
govern man by appealing to his sense of 
justice and his love for right4 ,on the 
contrary its language is1 man  has no   
sense of justice or love of right4 ,he  
is selfish and sensual1  and therefore  
the law appeals to his selfishness and  
sensualism4 ,it  says1 ,your love of    
your neighbor is not sufficiently strong
 to prevent  you from injuring him1 but 
your love of self is sufficiently strong
  to prevent your injuring yourself4    
,therefore says the law1 if you  injure 
your neighbor1 we will injure you2 if   
you kill your neighbor1  we will kill   
you2 and the same blow which you aim at 
your neighbor1 we  will cause to fall   
upon your own head4 ,in this way this   
first kind of  government takes         

advantage of man's selfishness to       
restrain him4 ,it  does not cause him to
 love his neighbor4 ,it does not cause  
him1 from  his heart1 to respect his    
neighbor's rights4 ,it does not tend to 
lesson  his selfishness or lust4 ,it    
does not in any manner tend to make him 
more true1 just1 and pure at heart4 ,it 
only restrains him from giving          
expression to his selfish and lustful   
desires4    ,so far as his motions to   
action are concerned1 he is under the   
same  impulse1 whether he keep or break 
the law4 ,he is as righteous at  heart  
in violating its commandments as in     
observing its requirements4  ,in either 
case he is governed by his judgment     
respecting that which  pertains to his  
self-interest1 and in keeping the law he
 is consulting  his own gratification1  
and in violating it he is doing the     
same4    ,so far is this kind of        
government from tending to make the     
individual  better at heart1 that it not
 unfrequently makes him more selfish by 

intensifying his selfish feelings4 ,the 
individual who is restrained  from      
stealing through fear of punishment1 and
 not from a love of  justice1 is a thief
 at heart1 and will continue so         
notwithstanding the  law says1 8,thou   
shalt not steal10 and by its penalties  
deters him from  stealing4 ,his         
neighbors may thank the law for its     
protection4 ,but that  is the end of its
 use4 ,it will not improve the moral    
condition of its  subject4    ,such1    
then1 is the nature and use of this just
 dispensation1 sometimes  called the    
first covenant4 ,it is absolutely       
indispensable for the  protection and   
preservation of individuals and society4
 ,man left to the  unrestrained exercise
 of his lustful and selfish nature1     
would not only  destroy his neighbor1   
but he would ultimately destroy himself4
 ,and thus  the very principle of       
self-protection compels individuals to  
associate  together under these         
governmental forms1 by means of which   

the weak are  to be protected against   
the encroachments of the strong1 the    
simple  against the machinations of the 
cunning4    ,this necessity gives rise  
to institutions among men which are     
designed  to direct the manner of       
applying this power to the protection of
  those who institute them4 ,the laws of
 these institutions are but the         
expressions of the intellectual and     
moral character of those who make  them4
 ,their wisdom is displayed in adapting 
the means by which their  united force  
shall be directed to the execution of   
the governmental  will1 whether that be 
just or unjust4    ,the uses of these   
external governments are most apparent2 
by which ,i  mean their uses as a means 
of protection4 ,the highest possible use
 of  governmental institutions is that  
of uniting and directing its force  to  
prevent the weak from becoming the prey 
of the strong1 and the  simple the dupes
 of the cunning4 ,if every man or human 
being had the  means of self-protection 

always at hand1 or if none were disposed
 to  encroach upon the rights of others1
 but were disposed to do good to  all   
rather than evil1 then there would be no
 occasion for governmental              
institutions4 ,so we see that the uses  
of institutions1 as means of            
government1 have respect to the         
concentration and direction of force4   
,but as the selfish man can be governed 
only by an appeal to his selfish        
nature1 and that must be addressed      
through the motives of hope and  fear1  
these institutions of government1       
addressing man's hopes and  fears1 are  
indispensable for the well-being of     
society1 and can never  be dispensed    
with until man is elevated to a higher  
plane1 and made the  subject of a higher
 government4 ,in other words1 this kind 
of government  must never be taken from 
man1 but man must be elevated above1 and
 thus  be taken from the government4    
,there have been two opposite errors    
respecting this kind of government3 one 

declaring it to be ordained  by ,god1   
and therefore to be observed and obeyed 
as an exponent of the  ,divine will and 
character2 the other holding that all   
governments  of force and blood are     
contrary to ,divine appointment--both of
 which  doctrines are true when viewed  
in a proper direction1 and false when   
viewed in the opposite one4    ,in the  
first place1 it is according to ,divine 
appointment that man1  as well as every 
other finite being1 shall be governed   
according to  the law of the plane in   
which he exists and acts2 because every 
thing  existing in a finite and         
relational sphere must become the       
subject  of some law1 or it could       
perform no mission in respect to itself 
or  any other existence4 ,without law it
 could not be saved from utter          
destruction4 ,and being the subject of  
law1 it must be the law of the  plane in
 which it exists and acts2 hence        
whatever may be the law of  that plane1 
it is one of ,divine appointment4       

,man living in the plane of selfishness 
and lust must be governed by the  laws  
of that plane2 he can be governed by no 
other4 ,hence the law of  that plane of 
sensualism requiring 8eye for eye10     
8tooth for tooth10  8life for life10    
etc41 is a law of ,divine appointment   
for that plane2  and whoever descends   
into that plane of impulse1 and lives   
there1  becomes subject to its law4     
,having yielded himself servant to obey 
his  selfishness and lust1 he has become
 the subject of its laws4 ,having  taken
 the sword1 he is subject to its use4   
,having appealed to force1 he  must be  
sure to be on the strongest side1 or he 
will be likely to be  crushed4    ,but  
while the law of selfishness and force  
is one of ,divine  appointment1 in the  
sensual plane1 it must not be understood
 as giving  law to any other plane4 ,if 
the law of 8eye for eye10 8tooth for    
tooth10  etc41 was applicable to the    
dispensation of sensualism1 which the   
,mosaic represents1 it does not follow  

that it is the true law of the          
,christian or ,spiritual dispensation2  
and he who appeals to such laws  of the 
,mosaic can have the benefit of them by 
containing under that  kind of          
government4 ,but he must remember1 if he
 wishes to obtain the  benefits of the  
,christian dispensation1 he must 8put   
away the old man  with his deeds40      
,hence1 according to the teachings of   
,jesus1 he who would become  his        
disciple must rise above the plane of   
sensualism4 ,the new law  under which he
 was to come demanded that the law of   
force should be  discontinued4 ,if he   
would have the benefits of the kingdom  
of heaven1  that is1 of the government  
pertaining to the moral and spiritual   
plane1 he must not resist evil by force2
 he must not smite back when  smitten2  
he must not indulge in feelings of      
hatred or unkindness  toward any one2 he
 must love his enemies2 bless them in   
the midst of  their cursings4 ,he must  
be pure in heart2 he must hunger and    

thirst  after righteousness2 he must1 in
 all things1 be under the dominion of  a
 love1 pure1 holy1 and unselfish4 ,such 
a one would be freed from the  law of   
sin and death2 such a one would cease to
 be a debtor to the law  of the first   
dispensation1 and would be born into    
liberty1 not into a  liberty to do      
wrong1 but a liberty which had respects 
to his purified  affections4    ,this   
will be understood by contrasting the   
principles of the two  dispensations4   
,the first governed by a force external 
to the subject1  constraining him as a  
selfish being to do things not agreeable
 to  him1 thus bringing his will into   
subjection4 ,the second governed by     
implanting the true affection within the
 subject1 so that his delight  was in   
the law1 according to the inward man4   
,hence the new kingdom was  to be       
8within40 ,the first was over man with  
force and fear2 the second  was to be   
within man with charity and love4       
,from this it will be seen1 that the    

first government1 or covenant1 as  it is
 called1 necessarily required external  
institutions to beget and  direct its   
force to compel obedience to its        
enactments and edicts4  ,and these      
institutions were necessarily           
authoritative2 and persons  belonging to
 their plane of administration were     
compelled to submit to  them1 as to the 
authority of ,god4    ,the second       
government or covenant which ignored    
force1 and governed by  love1 had no use
 for such institutions1 and hence       
returned the sword  to its sheath4      
,under its administration1 swords were  
to be beaten into  plowshares and spears
 into pruning-hooks4 ,men were to 8call 
no man  master40 ,but it must be noticed
 that this second government pertained  
only to those who had come under the    
rule of charity and love1 and  thus had 
put off the old man and his deeds4 ,so  
long as the individual1  in his         
affections and lusts1 continued in      
bondage to the impulses of  his animal  

nature1 he belonged to the first        
dispensation1 and must  be continued    
under tutors and governors until the    
coming into him of  ,christ4    ,here1  
then1 we see the two classes of errors  
into which mankind have  fallen1 the    
first by supposing that the laws of     
selfishness and force  were applicable  
to all planes1 and that the ,christian  
could find  authority under ,moses4 ,the
 second1 by supposing that the laws of  
selfishness and force were to be        
abolished in every plane1 not thinking  
that such law is just as necessary at   
one time as another1 so long as  man    
continues under that plane of impulse4  
,herein we can see the wisdom  of ,jesus
 in his teachings4 ,he came not to      
destroy the law1 or take it  away from  
man1 but his mission was to take man    
away from the law1 and  thus to fulfill 
or consummate the uses of the law4 ,he  
condemned not  the law of force as      
applicable to those who1 in their       
selfishness and  lusts1 were under its  

dominion4 ,and he did not propose to    
emancipate  them by destroying the law4 
,but he did propose to redeem them from 
under it1 by calling them to a higher   
plane of impulse and action4 ,he        
proposed to lead them out of ,egypt1 not
 take ,egypt away from them4    ,herein 
is to be found one of the fundamental   
errors of ,christendom1 in  not         
perceiving the true meaning of the first
 and second covenants2  that is1 in not 
perceiving the true sphere of the       
,mosaic and ,christian  governments4    
,each are of divine appointment in their
 respective  spheres2 and neither have  
respect to time or place of             
administration1  but to condition4 ,the 
,mosaic1 which is a figure representing 
the  governments of force addressed to  
man as a selfish being1 will never be   
at an end so long as society is in a    
condition to require that kind of       
administration4 ,it will not be at an   
end in the individual until his  moral  
nature is in the ascendant1 until he    

keeps that new commandment  of 8,love   
one another40 ,and the ,mosaic          
dispensation will not be at an  end in  
society until the kingdom of heaven is  
established in the hearts  of the       
members thereof4    ,the theologian has 
committed a great error in making the   
kingdom of  heaven a historic affair1   
supposing that the death of ,jesus      
terminated  the first1 and introduced   
the second dispensation1 not seeming to 
understand that the character of the    
government determined to which          
dispensation it belonged irrespective of
 time or place4 ,that government  which 
is instituted with respect to1 and is   
administered upon the  principles of    
selfishness and force1 is ,mosaic1 no   
matter in what age  or by whom          
administered4 ,all civil and            
ecclesiastical governments which  are   
external and forceful belong to the     
,mosaic1 no matter by what  names they  
may be called4 ,a moment's reflection   
will demonstrate to a  mind of ordinary 

intelligence and information1 that all  
external human  governments are of this 
character4 ,we have no ,christian       
governments  exercising power and       
compelling external obedience to law4   
,the very  supposition is an absurdity4 
,the very moment a government is        
organized1  and clothes itself with     
external force1 its ,christian character
 is  destroyed4    ,christianity1 in its
 true spiritual and saving character1   
acts only  from within the individual4  
,it is not a government over men or     
among men4 ,it is a government in man4  
,it cleanses the inside of the  cup and 
the platter1 and thence makes clean the 
outside4 ,christians  have no need of   
governments to keep them in the right   
way4 ,understand  me--real ,christians1 
not professing ones4 ,they have no uses 
for  institutions1 for each obeys the   
right1 and takes upon himself the  labor
 of all needful charities4    ,thus it  
will be found to be a truth of universal
 applicability1 that  wherever          

institutions1 and especially legal      
institutions1 are found  necessary1 the 
people are not ,christians1 no matter   
what creed they  profess4 ,christianity 
pertains to character1 not creed4       
,external  institutions are incompatible
 with true ,christianity4 ,both can not 
live and act together in the same       
individual4 ,men have been conscious  of
 this1 and hence have been involved in  
doubt and difficulty as to  their       
duties4 ,but there need be no difficulty
 on this point4 ,let it  be understood1 
that the man who feels the needs of     
outward restraint  belongs to the       
,mosaic government1 and by it he must be
 governed2 that  all men who are under  
the dominion of their selfish natures   
have not  put on ,christ1 and hence are 
under ,moses4 ,such are under the law1  
and  must be continued under 8tutors and
 governors40    ,external institutions1 
then1 belong to the first dispensation1 
and will  continue to be necessary so   
long as man continues to live under the 

dominion of his selfishness and lusts4  
,when he shall be redeemed from  such   
nature in himself1 he will be redeemed  
from bondage to external  institutions1 
and he can not properly be before4 ,the 
evil1 then1 is  not in the institution1 
but in that condition of the individual 
and  society which makes the institution
 necessary2 and the remedy is not  in   
destroying the institution1 but in      
elevating man1 and thereby  dispensing  
with its need2 and until that is done1  
the law and the  prophets must continue4
    ,this brings me directly to the     
institution of ,marriage1 respecting    
which so much has been said of late4    
,like all other institutions1 it        
belongs to the external and ,mosaic1 and
 looks to the external relations  of the
 parties4 ,its necessity is based upon  
the same selfish and  lustful principle 
in man1 as is the necessity of all other
 external  institutions4    ,its office 
is protection1 not purification4 ,hence 
all its laws  look to legal security1   

but do not attempt to elevate and purify
 the  affections4 ,those who have       
written and spoken against the external 
marriage institution have acted very    
unphilosophically in supposing  that the
 fault of which they complain was in the
 institution and not in  themselves4 ,i 
will endeavor to make this apparent4    
,in the first place1 ,i will do them the
 justice to say1 that the  external     
institution is in character but little1 
if any1 better than  they affirm of it2 
that it is made the means of rendering  
respectable  the grossest lusts2 that   
there is no ,christian difference       
between lust  within and lust without   
the forms of wedlock2 that the          
individual  who looks upon another with 
a lustful desire1 when tried by the     
standard of ,jesus1 is an adulterer1    
whether sustaining the external  marital
 relation or not4    ,in speaking of the
 abuses of this institution1 ,i would   
not have them  abate their zeal by      
ceasing to proclaim its infidelity to   

that inward  purity of soul so essential
 to the true ,christian union2 but ,i   
would  have them make a very different  
use of the fact4    ,the use which many1
 and perhaps most of those who oppose   
the external  institution of marriage   
make of its lustful abuses1 is rather to
  palliate the conduct of those who are 
lustful outside of its license1  by     
showing that1 at heart1 they do not     
differ from those who indulge  in the   
same lustful desires and exercises under
 its licentious  permission2 thus very  
naturally taking license1 and1 when     
censured by  others1 pleading the       
respectable guilt of others as their    
excuse4    ,in speaking of the abuses of
 the marriage institution1 ,i would not 
plead them in mitigation of lust2 nor   
would ,i make them the occasion  of     
license4 ,i would refer to them for the 
purpose of condemning more  strongly the
 foul practice of seeking gratification 
in that direction4    ,it is not to be  
objected to the external institution of 

marriage that  under its sanction the   
grossest of lusts are practiced in the  
name of  virtue1 and that the weightiest
 evils are the result4 ,such is not the 
fault of the institution1 but of those  
who use it for that purpose2 and  were  
it not for the institution1 under the   
present lustful condition  of society1  
the same practice would become          
universal1 and would be  as respectable 
as it now is under the sanctions of     
wedlock4 ,if the  external institution  
does not restrain the exercise of lust  
between  the parties thereof1 it does   
render disreputable its exercise beyond1
  and thus exerts an influence for good 
to that extent4 ,it does not make  the  
comer thereunto perfect in his          
character2 but it tends to restrain  him
 in the exercise of his lust toward     
others1 and thus confines its  evils to 
a narrower sphere4 ,one of the greatest 
moral benefits of the  legal institution
 of marriage is that it tends to        
restrict the lustful  practices of the  

parties to themselves2 and1 in reality1 
this is the  bondage of which the       
objector complains4    ,the advocate of 
that which is called 8free love0        
complains that under  the legal         
institution of marriage the parties are 
prohibited from  following their        
attractions or passional affinities2    
that although they  might have been     
suited to each other at the time of the 
union1 that  circumstances and tastes   
have changed2 that love requires        
variety1  and that in matters of love   
each ought to be at liberty to follow   
its  leadings4 ,the first great error   
into which the advocate of free love    
falls is in mistaking lust for love4    
,the doctrine that love changes  is a   
fundamental error1 and of itself        
demonstrates that the objector  has     
mistaken lust for love4 ,the true       
impulse known as love has an  immutable 
basis1 and will be as constant as the   
relation and need  through which and for
 which it became manifest4    ,the      

nature of hunger and thirst1 as         
expressive of the needs of the  body for
 food and drink1 never changes2 and the 
gratification incident  to the proper   
supply of those needs never changes     
until abuse and  disease have wrought   
their work4 ,man's desire for particular
 kinds of  food may change2 but that has
 respect to lustful gratification rather
  than the supply of a real need4       
,remembering our definition of lust to  
be a desire for  self-gratification1 we 
shall find that this change and variety 
in  food and drink looks more to the    
gratification of desires than to the    
fulfilling of needs1 and therefore      
belongs to the class of lusts4    ,true 
love never changes4 ,from its nature it 
can not4 ,it being that  impulse which  
indicates an affectional need1 it must  
be as unchanging  as the soul and ,god4 
,take that known as maternal love1 and  
who that  has known a mother's love will
 say that it demands for its life and   
continuance variety and change8 ,tell   

the mother1 as she presses her          
first-born to her bosom1 that she will  
soon demand change and variety  to keep 
alive her maternal affection1 and she   
would reply in the  language of         
,macduff1 8,he has no children40 ,no1 of
 all things else1 true  love will admit 
of no change1 no variety4    ,in no     
affectional relation1 save that of      
husband and wife1 would the  free lover 
admit that love required change or      
variety4 ,in the parental1  fraternal1  
filial1 and social relations that       
doctrine does not apply4  ,the parent   
loves his child1 and feels no demand for
 variety4    ,what would be thought of  
that mother who should tire of loving   
her  child1 and give as an excuse that  
her tastes had changed2 that once  her  
child was suited to her maternal        
affection2 but that now her  maternal   
love had changed its character and      
quality1 and demanded a  corresponding  
change on the part of the object of its 
affection8 ,it  requires no argument to 

show that such can never be the         
requirements  of maternal love4 ,the    
same is true of every other             
manifestation of  the affectional       
principle4 ,fraternal1 filial1 and      
social love will  admit of no change2   
demand no variety4 ,the brother and     
sister can  love on and love forever2   
the parent and child can do the same2   
and  true friendship abides in constancy
 of affection4 ,but lust demands        
variety1 and consequently change4 ,when 
the true impulse is overlooked1  and    
self-gratification becomes the end in   
pursuit1 then comes with it  the demand 
for variety4 ,this is seen in eating and
 drinking4 ,hunger  and thirst only call
 for simple food and drink4 ,they will  
supply the  demand4 ,but the moment     
gratification is consulted1 then great  
must be  the change and large the       
variety4 ,and by far the largest amount 
of  labor and expense is bestowed upon  
gratification4    ,the same is seen in  
the social department4 ,those who1 in   

their social  intercourse1 are seeking  
selfish gratification instead of the    
happiness  and well-being of their      
associates1 are those who demand        
variety2 who  themselves are cloying of 
one kind of amusement1 and then         
demanding  another4 ,this principle of  
demanding change in food1 in society1 in
  amusement1 etc41 depends upon that    
condition known as cloyed2 and it  does 
not take place in respect to any need4  
,the thirsty soul is never  cloyed with 
drink until it ceases to be thirsty2 the
 hungry soul with  food until hunger    
ceases4 ,but it is not thus with lust2  
it ceases to  enjoy one means of        
gratification after another1 while yet  
the demand  mand for gratification      
continues4 ,the same principles apply to
 the  marriage relation4 ,true conjugal 
love never changes4 ,it can never       
change1 because it must rest upon an    
unchangeable basis4 ,the mode  of       
begetting offspring must be as enduring 
as the race4 ,the demand1  therefore1   

will be as imperative as the necessity1 
and hence the desire  for offspring must
 be as deep and fundamental as the soul 
itself4    ,the law of procreation      
demands that in view of the great end to
 be  accomplished1 those who unite in   
the procreative art should unite  upon  
the highest and purest plane4 ,hence the
 conjugal affection or  love has its    
basis in this deepest and most immutable
 necessity of  the soul4 ,understand    
me--man1 in his present condition1 is   
the grand  ultimate of all past being   
and action4 ,and that which took all    
past  ages to accomplish is committed to
 man in the command to be fruitful  and 
multiply4 ,the future is committed to   
him4 ,that which comes into  conscious  
being must do so through him1 and the   
true foundation for the  fulfillment of 
the great command is laid in the        
conjugal union of the  male and female  
souls4 ,to say of the impulse calling   
for such union1  that it demands change 
and consequent variety1 is blasphemously

 false  and absurd4 ,the basis of       
conjugal love is as deep and immutable  
as are  the foundations of immortality  
and eternal life4    ,but let this union
 be a mere external and lustful one1    
that is1 one  looking for               
self-gratification1 and it becomes      
subject to the law  of lust1 and        
consequently1 like every other lustful  
affection1 will  demand variety4 ,the   
very nature of lust is to disease and   
destroy and  to defeat the end sought4  
,it therefore brings with itself        
ultimate  cloying and disgust2 and to   
remedy that1 it must have change4       
,that this is the nature of that impulse
 which free lovers mistake  for love1 is
 further evident from its associations4 
,the plea they set  up is1 that every   
one is free to seek happiness2 and      
consequently when  one relation or      
pursuit fails to conduce to that end1   
they should be  permitted to change the 
relation or the pursuit1 and seek       
happiness in  another4 ,they make the   

seeking after happiness the great end of
 life2  hence they have adopted very    
appropriate language1 such as 8passional
  attraction10 8passional affinity10    
etc4    ,for this reason1 in their      
assemblies they aim at                  
self-gratification4  ,each is striving  
to beget pleasure4 ,their assembly-rooms
 are full  of amusements and 8innocent  
recreations10 singing1 dancing1 playing 
at different games1 chatting1 etc41 all 
pursued in respect to the  pleasures    
they promise1 and not in respect to the 
good irrespective  of the pleasure4 ,the
 plea is1 the people demand cheap       
amusements1 or  rather need them4 ,cheap
 amusements are the very things they    
ought not  to have4 ,it is but another  
name for cheap dissipation4 ,but the    
advocate  for free love complains that  
the law and public sentiment hold him to
  his choice1 when he has made a bad    
one4 ,the uses and benefits of the  law 
are seen in this1 that they do hold all 
such to their choice1 and  by so doing  

avoid a multiplicity of bad matches4    
,the individual who is out seeking      
passional affinities is under the       
influence of lust1 and the sooner he or 
she is caught and caged the  better2    
such can gain nothing by being permitted
 to experiment4 ,until  they can rise   
above their selfish and lustful natures 
in other things1  they will not be very 
likely to do it in matrimonial affairs4 
,,end4