Читать книгу Experimental Investigation of the Spirit Manifestations - Robert Hare - Страница 45

528. My present home, in point of beauty, far excels any scene ever witnessed by mortal eye. The interior of nature is laid open to the spirit’s perception, and the hidden treasures of earth are exposed to its view. When we desire to be with our friends on earth, we have only to will it, and our desire is instantly gratified. We can visit the spheres below, but not those above us until we are prepared for admission into them by a gradual process of development.

529. The first spiritual sphere is the abode of those spirits whose desires are low and sensuous; they pursue those pleasures which are most congenial to their unrefined and grovelling natures; but as their moral faculties become strengthened, they lose their taste for debasing pursuits, and rise in the scale of being. The brightness of the halo which envelopes the spirit is increased in proportion to its increase of moral and intellectual greatness.

530. Dear Robert, I have looked forward with great pleasure to the time when I might be enabled to commune with you.

531. All knowledge gained by mortals will be of advantage to them in the spheres.

532. Each individual in the spirit world is judged and suffers according to the deeds done in the body. There is no possible escape from the legitimate consequences of evil actions. The book of God’s judgment is the record made on the tablets of the mind, and it may be read by all. The hypocrite can remain hypocrite no longer, as he will inevitably appear in his true colours; and in this fact, in part, shall his punishment consist.

533. I would say a few words to you concerning the condition of infants. The infant spirit ascends directly to the seventh sphere, and is given in charge of a guardian spirit, by whom it is cared for and instructed in those things which most serve to develop its intellectual powers. It is permitted occasionally to visit its parents who may be in lower spheres, and to descend even to earth with its guardian angel, who often communicates for it.

534. Every individual, at death, is waited on by a congenial spirit, who escorts him to his home in that sphere to which his merit entitles him.

535. The object of our present mission to the inhabitants of the earth is to convince millions of doubting mortals of the fact of their immortality, and of the glorious destiny which awaits them beyond the limits of the tomb.

536. It is thought by many of our brothers in the flesh that we will impart to them all the knowledge that we possess respecting the mysteries of the spheres; but on this point let them be undeceived, for it is utterly impossible for them to comprehend all in their present rudimental state. Our chief object is to assure them, by unmistakable signs, of the soul’s immortality, and the conditions necessary to be observed by them in order to obtain a happy future existence.

537. Notwithstanding the truth of spirit manifestations and spirit teachings, there are many persons who will not readily perceive it; their minds are so much cramped and distorted by false teachings, that many years shall have elapsed before there can be much improvement in them; of such it hath been said, “They would not believe though one should arise from the dead.”

538. My brother, I would say a word to you touching your duty in regard to the present dispensation. You occupy a prominent and important place in the dissemination of this most glorious gospel; your mind has ever been desirous of the truth; a uniform consistency of conduct has marked your course through life: pursue, then, the even tenor of your way, and let love be the controlling principle of your motives and actions, and if reviled, revile not again, but bear all things nobly for the truth’s sake, and great will be your reward. I would say, moreover, let your reason determine the value of our teachings. You are engrossed to some extent by the cares and perplexities of earth life; therefore you cannot so fully realize the wondrous joys which await you in yonder peaceful heaven!

539. My brother, when the lamp of your earthly existence shall begin to burn dimly, and the objects of earth recede from your view, your spirit father and sister will be at hand to conduct you into the presence of those loved friends who are bound to you by the ties of consanguinity and sympathy.

Martha.

My Brother’s account of his Spiritual Birth.

540. Dear brother Robert: How long I remained in a state of unconsciousness, previous to my spiritual birth, is unknown to me; suffice it to say, when the vital cord which bound me to the physical body was parted, I experienced a full consciousness of my personality. I enjoyed perfect freedom from pain and sickness, and an unwonted degree of strength and buoyancy of spirit; sensations of the most exalted character took possession of me, and a holy calm pervaded the sanctuary of my soul. It was not, however, until I saw my body lying upon the bed, that the true nature of my situation flashed across my mind. I shall never forget that moment of ecstatic bliss. I felt a sudden and indescribable consciousness of increased mental and physical power, and my body was most beautifully and symmetrically formed; in fact, I beheld myself a perfect and immortal man! I perceived, too, that my step was lighter, freer, and more elastic than usual, and my whole system was singularly rejuvenated. I knew that I was in eternity, yet I saw that I was upon the earth. As my mind became clear, and my vision less obstructed, a radiant spirit, whom I had not before noticed, addressed me in these words: “Brother! welcome, welcome, to the bright and joyous spirit land, to this blest habitation for the children of men, to this land of ceaseless progression.” The spirit having spoken thus, beckoned me away.

541. Having passed beyond the sphere of earth, we entered the regions of perpetual day, where the foot of mortal never trod; where the brilliant flowers were never culled by mortal hands; where beautiful spirits, angelic beings, float in mid air, and sport beside the sparkling fountains; where harmonious voices mingle with the rich tones of golden harps, and silver flute-notes ascend to the arching heavens. On our way thither we saw many companies of ministering angels passing to and fro on their respective missions. Some, who were assembled in groups, talked earnestly together upon congenial subjects; while others blended their voices in anthems of praise, whose echoes were prolonged far up through the realms of space to blend with still more glorious harmonies in spheres above. Those celestial beings, though beautiful beyond the conception of finite man, were not of the highest order of angels. They belong to that class whose mission is to visit the dwellings of men, and to minister unto the bereaved and afflicted of earth; to tend the beds of the dying, and to whisper rest to the weary and hope to the desponding.

542. My brother, I might speak to you of the past, but I prefer to open the door of the bright and glorious future. Solon said that no one should call himself happy before death; now, although I do not sanction this advice of the distinguished sage, I know that there is, comparatively speaking, no happiness in the rudimentary state; no pleasure equal to that which awaits the resurrected spirit in those beautiful mansions where it shall forever bathe in the eternal sunlight of its Father’s love. I cannot find words to describe to you the magnificent creations of Him from whom all order, beauty, and harmony proceed.

543. I am surrounded by every thing that can delight the eye, please the ear, and gratify the taste. I have every facility for studying all the principles in the vast universe of matter.

544. In the higher spiritual states perfect peace and tranquillity reign: no strife mars the harmony of the celestial abodes.

545. My mission is to instruct spirits in the lower circles, and to raise them from their degraded condition.

546. Every spirit follows those pursuits that are most congenial to him.

547. Every spirit has a sphere of utility, and finds his true position on entering the spheres.

Brother, the years of your external life are drawing to a close. When your initial term is finished, you will enter upon an unending series of moral and intellectual developments; then you will be fully compensated for all that you have endured in the cause of truth on earth. Your present life, remember, is but the prelude to ineffable joys in the world beyond the grave. Thank God, your barque is not drifting rudderless and pilotless on the great ocean of time. No! she is well-manned and equipped, and pursues her direct course, fearing neither Scylla nor Charybdis.

Robert, you have acted nobly and fearlessly in defending the great cause of humanity. We are watching your movements with great interest. Continue to devote your mental energies to the development of spiritual facts, and we will aid you when conditions favour. Farewell.

C. W. H.