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2 THE SPIRITUAL CLARION. Common courtesy would • lead to this, and friendship grieve without it. Still the first inquiry of this nature is yet to be made.— A las! for professions found in company with such practices ! An article in the Ambassa dor some time last Spring stated in substance “ there were two preachers in the Otsego As sociation that must be attended to, if they lacked the manliness to withdraw from the denomination,” and more .than intimating “ they* were above the Bible.” Rumor with its many tongues, shaped and fashioned the statement; nay, enlarged the imaginary evil to a giant’s size. In consequence of the opin ions of others thus formed, I consider it due to^nyself and the public to be rightly appre hended in my position, and especially is this required, when grave men turn from the true sources of knowledge, and seem satisfied with the vapory speculations that ignorance and prejudice beget and cherish. I have no dis position to shrink from the avowal of my I faith, and least of all to hide my light, how ever dim, under a bushel. Neither am I dis- , posed to father the views attributed to me, j whatever may be the honesty of friends while I ignorant of their true parentage I will not I trespass on your space by offering arguments in support of the opinions and faith which I chorish. There will be time enough for that when they are called in question by the c a n - 1 did inquirer after truth and heaven. In b rief but plain language the result of my investigations of the new phenomena here follow. I believe in spiritual intercourse with my whole soul—believe that departed mor tal (now immortalized) beings come to us— are around us and influence us day by day That when our condition is favorable, an in- ; flux of celestial knowledge may reach the mind—the hand may be moved to write, and the tongue to speak the intelligence of higher spheres' Every individual, when born to im mortality, or a-s men express it, when he dies, enters at once upon that range of being, for which he is prepared, and enters with a spir- itual form corresponding in its outlines to the material body left with mother earth. Death, so called, changes none of the attributes of mind, nor alters in the least, the moral con dition of the individual soul. Ignorance and moral obliquity still attend it, until it grows in grace and in a knowledge of our Lord Je sus Christ. Surrounding conditions may no longer feed the sinful desires, still there re mains before it new channels of thought and duty yet to be opened and passed, leading on to higher scenes of joy. Immortal, like mor tal, beings are subjectto that order, ordained by the great Creator and adapted to the va ried range of being, in the successive ad vances and developments of man, from his | low estate up to an angel of light in celestial worlds. The law of affinity sways man and ! angel, and holds congenial beings in groups and series by its subtle power. All beings find their proper associates in harmony with it. As there are the high and low on earth, so in the spirit world. Not, however, as men judge of high and low, but as man and spirit are perfected in a true life. Holiness of life, not according to man’s standard, but ac cording to the eternal laws of the Creator, alone adapts man and spirit to high spheres of harmony and joy. I Below these, imperfection dwells in each | state of existence, and undeveloped and ig- Thousands of years seem to have hallowed the teachings of spirits recorded in the Bi ble, and men pretend to believe on the evi dence furnished therein, in its sacred truths, but the same teachings repeated now, in the norant spirits in the body and out of the same \’a.V a’»o»g neighbors and friends even, body, mingle in spontaneous companionship, are unworthy nf fnitb „r n t w i n n A lBBt As these know not the truth, beyond the range of their experience, so they cannot tell it, though often the attempt may be made.— W hat man expects a truthful answer from of faith or attention. Alas ! for man, when the far reaching shadows of the past, shut out the rising dawn of the liv ing present! Faith that leans so heavily on the distant and old, that the glowing present his ignorant, undeveloped fellow, on any sub- has no claims upon it, may lean to its fall.— ject beyond the sphere of his observation ?— If living testimony which is all around us, In ignorance o£his true condition (fndkuowl- eveq at our doors, is iwiworthy a f credence, edge, man might ask, and feel disappointed at 'ffho shall rest his faith»oh the records of the the answer Ignorant spirits. like ignorant pant7 Consistency will receive or reject mortals, will ever impart according to what j both, The bible and spirits are my guides to they have, and not according to what they | duty and heaven. The latter bring the truths have not. Spirits in their attempts to com- j of the former, in living nearness to my soul. municate with mortals, do the best they can under the circumstances, and men in trying to profit by such communications, do the best they can; and by the imperfections common to each, misunderstandings and contradictions often occur. These are not chargeable to spirits, nor mortals, but a hybrid from both, varying at all times by the altered conditions of their production. A careful and continued investigation of this great subject for the past ten months, has led me to believe fully in the views above set forth. Daily, in my own family and elsewhere during that time, I have calmly looked the facts of spiritual in tercourse in the face, and given an attentive ear to the varied teachings of the spirit-world. Facts have multiplied around me, and dem onstrations of such a character been given, that not one doubt remains. I have seen them, h eard them, felt them and have knowl edge of their intercourse with mortals. Here then, is my position on Spiritualism. I have knowledge of spiritual nearness and, inter course—I have a living faith in their teach ings and philosophy, and am a constant in quirer and laborer for their higher life. And I aspire to the plane of life where their teach ings converge to immortal glory. If for these things I am thought worthy of condemna tion by the denomination, I shall not parry the blow. “ W hether I ought to hearken unto men more than unto God, judge ye.”— Pardon me this one claim upon your columns, and believe me your brother in the light of a higher life. T h o m a s J. S m i t h . Morris, N. Y. To this the Ambassador made the follow ing rep ly : In another column will be found a letter from Br. T. J. Smith. We can have no ob jection that he should define his position, and cheerfully yield the opportunity for that p u r pose. His letter abounds with sentiments which suggest criticism : but we have little time or space to devote to the subject. Br. Smith is very confident he has seen spirits, and also heard and felt them. But he speaks with no more assurance, and we think with no more reason, in regard to this seeing and feeling spirits, than scores of people in the Asylums a t Utica and Worcester. There is one thing in Br. Smith’s letter which should not be overlooked. He takes the ground that the Prophets, Evangelists and Apostles wrote the Scriptures by the in- yet I believe no less in the Bible, but more, strumentality of spirits, in the same way and Spirits have enlightened me in regard to its mauucr that \ mediums” now write, and teachings, and made many dark passages sPea^ an<^ knock; and that in the fact that , A - , , T . ; some of the Prophets and Apostles were not clear and instructive to my mind. In tho as perfect - mediums ” as others may be light that has shone around me, I am satisfied j found the reason for the discrepancies between that Sage and Prophet, Evangelist and A p o s-! thejr different testimonies. W h at seeming tie wrote by influx or influence from the spir- !' discrepancies/’ or contradictions Br. S. finds it-world, as mortals now write, and then as m desires to smqoth , ixto , UW men as o v e r ’ m this manner, we have no means of now, some were more perfect media than i surmising. Moreover he expresses his sur- othors, and hence the seeming discrepancy I prise that people can believe the Scriptures, between them. The same chain that ancient- wriHen thousands of years ago, and refuse to ly bound the two worlds together, remains ^eliev? the utterances that come through the v , n -x x , , rappm g s” and “mediums” of the present unbroken, albeit rust may have gathered on day. He thinks there is no consistency in re- its links; and the same channels of inter- jecting belief in the “ spiritual manifesta- course are yet open, though the cold formal-1 lions,” which are made through “ Tom, Dick ism of profession, has held the pilgrim away ^ aIry now-a-days, and still receive as . , . , • ■ ,, , , , , , divine the sublime truths declared bv Isaiah from that shining that leadeth up to celestial Christ and P a u l! And finally, placing the realms; and angel voices freighted with ! “ knockings” and “ other spiritual manifes- heavenly wisdom flowing down these chan- tations,” on the same footing as the word of nels awakened no response from the lower ^ oc*’ aud attacb*ng an equal value to them, world. Priest, and older, and l . j n t e . „liko l ' tanrnredthom .elre. -in the letter that kill- W . oenf.s. M s jo k in g ,h e Bible with the eth, and hastoth away from the spirit that jargon which comes through \ mediums,” and givcth life.” attaching equal value to them, is rather a higher or lower reach than we are capable of making. We are dubious of its propriety.— Nay, more, we utterly reject and denounce “ Oh ! backward looking sons o f time. The new is old, the old is new. The cycle of a change Bubtiine Still sweeping through.\ j it as unworthy any one who has proper re-
