heart fail, you shall find that "the word of the Lord endureth for ever.'

[In writing this discourse for the press, some parts of it have been. amplified.-ED.]

MODERN SPIRITUALISM.

A LECTURE DELIVERED TO THE YOUNG MEN'S LITERARY ASSOCIATION IN SALEM, BELFAST, APRIL, 1865.

WHAT is spiritualism? Spiritualism is not spirituality, and must never be confounded with it. The two things essentially differ. Spirituality is a precious word, used to indicate a certain state of mind—a mind given to the study of spiritual truth—a mind imbued with the Spirit of God. "They that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. To be carnally minded is death; to be spiritually minded is life and peace."

Spiritualism is a term which is now used to mean "the doctrine that departed spirits hold communion with men; that a direct intercourse can be maintained with departed spirits through the agency called mediums." The scriptural name for spiritualism is necromancy. That, no doubt, is the right name; for what was necromancy then is now spiritualism. The name is changed, but the art is the same. A necromancer is one who attempts to hold intercourse with the spirits of the departed. It is well known that multitudes of intelligent persons in England, in the States of America, and in all parts of the continent of Europe, are now doing all they can to obtain communion with spirits, and acting under the belief that they succeed. Whether or not such persons are under the influence of delusion, whether or not spiritualism is altogether a fraud and imposition, the moral tendency and the guilt of this necromancy are precisely the same. The criminality is in the desire and in the attempt to hold forbidden intercourse with the dead.

The spiritualism now practised is not the development of the nineteenth century; it is rather the resurrection in intensity and boldness of old pagan demonism and Jewish witchery. In olden times we read of consulters with familiar spirits, enchanters, wizards, witches, magicians, soothsayers, and necromancers, who, I am simple enough to believe, were no impostors, but genuine dealers with familiar spirits, and were regarded as criminals of the deepest dye. What is a consulter with familiar spirits but one who seeks information from a demon with whom he is in compact, and who attends at his call? What is an enchanter, but a person who practises incantation to call up spirits by magic formularies, and brings into action the power of demons? What is a witch or wizard, but a woman or a man who practises divination by the aid of evil spirits, or does supernatural things by the medium of demons? What is a magician but one who experiments in the same black arts-a sorcerer, a diviner, an enchanter? What is a soothsayer but a demoniacal prophet who foretells events, or undertakes to guide by divination

and by the impressions derived from some foul afflatus produced by the invocations of spiritual agencies? And what is a necromancer but a consulter of the dead-one who reveals secrets by the assistance of the departed-one who resorts to demons for aid and information? It is useless to say that these were all false pretenders, and that all ascribed to them was mere trickery and deceit. The Bible says in so many words that the 400 lying prophets whom Ahab followed to his ruin were really inspired by wicked spiritual beings. The changing of rods into serpents, water into blood, and the bringing up of frogs over the land of Egypt, by the sorcerers and magicians who withstood Moses, were not delusions of the senses, but realities so given in the holy record. And all the expressions which the Bible contains on the subject proceed upon the assumption that the intercourse with and aid from demons is something more than imaginary. When we read of man consulting familiar spirits, it is necessarily implied that spirits may be consulted. The case of Saul and the Witch of Endor clearly shows that the alleged communication from the dead was regarded as a substantial fact. And from the thunders and smoke of Sinai, Jehovah said, "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. A man or a woman that hath "-not in pretence, but reality-"a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death." Here was a statute given by the great King himself; and has God legislated against a nonentity? The reason for denouncing death on such offenders is explicit-" For all that do these things are an abomination to the Lord and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them [Canaanites] out before thee" (Deut. xviii. 12). From these passages I am led to the conclusion that men did commune with demons, and by them did many supernatural things.

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But spirit-communion was not confined to the Old Testament period of the world. In reading the New Testament, no one can fail to notice the prevalence of demon-possession in the Saviour's day; as if the demons had come out from behind the scenes to confront the woman's seed in person. The gospels abound with such cases. The Lord Jesus met with crowds of human beings possessed of unclean spirits, and variously affected by them. Some were epileptics, some were deaf and dumb, some were corporeally deformed, some were furious madmen, some were supernaturally prophetic, some were so disabled as to be incompetent for the common duties of life, some were so extraordinarily aided as to be able to do and to say what no man could say; but in whatever form the possession was manifested, it was always evil, debasing, and injurious. The Holy One of God encountered these demons, and showed his superiority to them by expelling them from the souls of men. From passages of Scripture in the Acts of the Apostles, I gather that as of old deceiving spirits were abroad misleading men to their ruin. It is recorded that at Paphos St. Paul found Elymas the Jew, who was "a sorcerer” and “a false prophet" (Acts xiii. 6), and at Philippi he met with a soothsaying damsel, of whom we are expressly informed that she owed her art to an unclean spirit by whom she was possessed (xvi. 1.) From these references, I infer that necromancy was prevalent in the apostolic times, and that such persons as Simon Magus, Elymas, and

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the Philippian damsel, were "mediums" for the accomplishment of Satan's infamous designs.

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Demonism is now reproducing itself under the name of spiritualism. We have, in this enlightened age, under the scientific name of “ diums," thousands of veritable necromancers and soothsayers-men who professedly have communion with departed spirits. Nor are the Scriptures silent respecting this feature of the last days. The prophecies of the New Testament on this subject demand our serious attention. There is one prophetic utterance in Paul's Epistle to Timothy so significant, that I cannot overlook it. Paul, in reminding Timothy of the marks of apostacy from the faith, says, "Now, the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron." So we read in our English version; and this language, as we all know, taken in connection with that of the third verse, has usually been supposed to refer to the doctrines and practices of the apostate Church of Rome. That a partial and incipient fulfilment may be found in that antichristian system, we have no intention of denying; but it has been proposed, on sound critical grounds, to read the passage somewhat differently. "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and teachings of demons, speaking of lies in hypocrisy." The word demons is the proper translation of the word rendered devils in our version of the Bible. Evil spirits are called demons, as any one may see by comparing Matt. x. 1, 8, with xii. 28-42. But we may add, the word demon was used always in classic literature and by classic writers to denote the spirit of a dead man, particularly the spirit of a wicked dead man. The Greeks sometimes applied it to what they considered good spirits; thus, Plato says, "When good men die they obtain honour, and become demons; and, according to Hesiod, when the men of the Golden Age died, and became demons, the change was deemed an honourable promotion. The Scriptures, however, seem to confine the designation to evil beings, as also the Jewish and early Christian writers. "Demons," says Josephus, "are no other than the spirits of the wicked, that enter into men." Philo says, "The souls of the dead are called demons." The Christian Fathers regarded demons as evil spirits. Tertullian says, "When commanded by a Christian to speak, that spirit shall as truly confess itself a demon as elsewhere falsely a god. . . . . If, on the other hand, they be truly gods, why feign themselves demons?" Ignatius says to Trajan, "From the servants of God demons have departed." And again, And again, "Thou erroneously callest the demons of the Gentiles by the name of gods." Origen says, "The name demon is always used of wicked powers devoid of a tangible body, who deceive and inveigle men, and lead them away from God and heavenly things." Justin Martyr, Eusebius, with other of the Fathers, have spoken to the same effect. So that scriptural references to this subject, as well as quotations from the Fathers, authorize the conclusion, that demons are the spirits, and especially the wicked and unclean spirits, of dead men.

Now, the Holy Ghost, in portraying spiritualism in these times,

says very distinctly, that men will give heed to seducing spirits and to the doctrine of demons. To give heed to the doctrine of demons does not mean, as a certain writer has observed, to give heed to doctrines concerning demons. No. When Paul speaks in Colossians "of the doctrines of men," he means doctrines taught by men. When he writes to Timothy and says, "Thou hast fully known my doctrine," he means, "Thou hast fully known the doctrines taught by me," not "doctrines concerning me." So when it is said that men will give heed to the doctrine of demons, it means the teachings that are received from demons, and will turn in consequence away from the Christian faith.

An able critic, Dean Alford, says the doctrine of demons means the teachings that are received from demons.

We are told, in the next place, the character of their teachings. They are said to be speakers of lies in hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is the pretending to better principles than we really and inwardly maintain. Now these demons are evil, and love sin, and rejoice to lead men into it. Their aim is to bewilder men amidst falsehoods, and to lead them away into deadly error. But they know naked evil set before those who have the truth presented to them, would shock and repel them. Therefore, their device will be to suggest to men the desire for something holier, purer, and more self-denying than Christianity, and will affirm that their principles are the only ones capable of producing true holiness-knowing all the while that they will lead to blasphemy against God, and the most unbounded licentiousness and violence among men.

Now, in order to prove that these demon teachers, according to this prophecy, are misleading and deceiving men who are seeking communion with them, I must ask your serious attention to the kind of fruit which spiritualism bears. The advocates of spiritualism have much to say in its support and defence, and it must be admitted that many of them are gentlemen of literary eminence-aye, and some professed ministers of the Gospel. Listen, then, for a moment to the great and glorious things advanced in favour of spiritualism. One writer, Mr. Clark, tells us, that ". spiritualism (is) the great theologic and philosophic reformer of the age-the great re-quickener of religious life, the great consoler and establisher of hearts, the great herald to the wanderers of earth-starved upon the husks of mere college dogmas, and loaded with a sore pilgrim's pack of materialism (and) is marching calmly onward amid the nations, and on all sides rejoicing souls are flowing towards it. The stone cut out of the mountain without hands is rolling on its way, and promising ere long to fill the whole earth.”

Mr. William Howitt, one of its most distinguished advocates, says (in the Spiritual Magazine for November, 1863), "The true mission of spiritualism-and it is a great and magnificent mission-is to recall to the knowledge, and to restore to the consciousness of mankind, the Christian faith with all its Divine and supernatural power." Mr. S. C. Hall, in a letter written by him, on the use of spiritualism, and printed for private circulation, says, "I believe that spiritualism as it now exists, has mainly but one purpose, to confute and destroy materialism, by supplying sure and certain, and palpable evidence, that to

every human being God gives a soul, which he ordains shall not perish when the body dies." "As to the use of spiritualism, he says, it has made me a Christian. I humbly and fervently thank God, it has removed all my doubts!" "I could," he adds, 66 quote abundant instances of conversion to belief from unbelief, of some to perfect faith from total infidelity. I am permitted to give one name-it is that of Dr. Elliotson (a name well known throughout Europe)-who in a letter to Dr. Knatchbull, thus writes: 'You ask me if I believe in spiritualism. I believe all that you as a Christian minister believe, and perhaps more,'" and proceeds to record his deep gratitude to Almighty God for the blessed change that has been wrought in his heart and mind by spiritualism.

These quotations are given from the writings of distinguished spiritualists in favour of spiritualism. They may be somewhat startling to some of you, who are not very conversant with the writings of spiritualists. It becomes us to pause, and ponder these statements, before we receive them as true. We claim the right to judge of spiritualism by its fruits. The caution of the inspired John should put us on our guard: "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world." Let us, then, try some of the arguments advanced in favour of spiritualism. Take the three following

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1st.—It is argued that spiritualism serves to convince the unbeliever of the existence of the spiritual world, and, in point of fact, has done so in many instances. The spiritualist says that great numbers who doubted or denied the future state have found, as they believe in the phenomena of spiritualism, incontrovertible proofs of its reality. He therefore argues, that as the tendency of the present time is to deny Satanic agency and Biblical supernaturalism, the effect of spiritualism is to check this tendency to scepticism. This is very plausible reasoning, and must be highly satisfactory to every spiritualist. Well, be it so: and suppose we admit, for the sake of argument, that spiritualism tends to convince the sceptic that the soul lives when the body dies, the question remains to be considered, what is the value of this conviction? In other words, what is a man the better for believing that there is a future state, if his belief extends no further, or if it be coupled with intimations which effectually neutralize its moral influence? Does spiritualism afford any evidence that the future state which it professes to reveal to us is one of moral retribution? Does it tend to deepen our sense of the evil of sin, and the necessity of holiness? These questions are suggested-and, thank God, they are inferentially answered-by a most solemn parable recorded in Luke xvi. In that parable we read of a certain rich man, who finding himself, after death, in a state of most grievous suffering, of which all alleviation was declared to be impossible, urges the following remarkable petition :-"Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father Abraham, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: for I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent." Mark! "If one