1853.) disclosures from interior. r - emma hardinge britten · 1853.) disclosures from the...

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1.) scsures fr t הIer. 479 DISCLOSURES FROM THE INTERIOR, AND SUPE- RIOR CE FOR MORTALS. Main Coe Joual, S/1ekinah, eat Harmiia, Patho- lo, Phisophy of Spiritual Intercrse. OP the great inllectual movements of mern ti mes, the first in order was the struggle of mind to emancipate itlf from the reign of the tanble, and soar into the ethereal realms of bodiless thought. Though wrest ling l ike an angel of dar k- ns ee itlf om the supremacy of the highest , it failed פrפtuate i ts reign. It ex p l ored heights hitherto untrden, and placed landmarks which may not be pasd with impunity. If it mystied that which bere was plain, it showed new - pabil ities in mind. If r a time it emanci pated man's thoughʦ om his Maker in order that it might with more eedom scru- ize the works· in which all are involved, it returned rich in exp,e,rience and knowledge to a higher and broader faith. he giant spirit aroused ! dtew a crowd of fol l owers and imirs afr it, until it became smothered beneath the shields of weak- ness and pusillanimity raised by its champi ons in iʦ dence. But the searching thought to which it gave birth left enduring traces on the history of mental progress. ciety next called r some one solve iʦ cial e nigma. To the neglect of the most palpable, in strivi ng r the theoretic and new, with thought less en nobli ng than that developed in the Kansi an theory, because less ee and untrammelled, the germs of ex pled G reek poli cies were ex pand into a mag- nificent system, which had r its ob j ect to do away with all cial evils by establishing one grand sysm of comity. But Fourier's system conined germs of popularity which uld not be easily withstood. To raise the beggar to an equality with the miionaire, to do away with the rival ry o f pride and prension, lꝏse the pri ners, and restore Eden in clusrs of nnd villages dotted over the owery plains, smiling in · e humble valleys, scatred at each mountain's ba, and along each river's margin , was a scheme to fill the eye of the philan- tropic statesman with tears of delight , and cause his heart overflow with graful thanksgiving. Though he solved not e riddle we bless him r the effort, and hail it as an advance which may result at some future day in a spping-stone e l he ught. Digitized by Google

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Page 1: 1853.) Disclosures from Interior. r - Emma Hardinge Britten · 1853.) Disclosures from the Interior. 479 DISCLOSURES FROM THE INTERIOR, AND SUPE RIOR CARE FOR MORTALS. Mountain Cot1e

1853.) Disclosures from the Interior. 479

DISCLOSURES FROM THE INTERIOR, AND SUPE­RIOR CARE FOR MORTALS.

Mountain Cot1e Journal, S/1ekinah, Gt'eat Harm.otiia, Patho­logy, Philosophy of Spiritual Intercourse.

OP the great intellectual movements of modern times, the first in order was the struggle of mind to emancipate itself from the reign of the tangible, and soar into the ethereal realms of bodiless thought. Though wrestling like an angel of dark­ness to free itself from the supremacy of the highest, it failed to perpetuate its reign. It explored heights hitherto untrodden , and placed landmarks which may not be passed with impunity. If it mystified that which before was plain, it showed new ca­pabilities in mind. If for a time it emancipated man's thoughts from his Maker in order that it might with more freedom scru­tinize the works· in which all are involved, it returned rich in exp,e,rience and knowledge to a higher and broader faith. 'fhe giant spirit aroused ! dtew a crowd of fol lowers and imitators after it, until it became smothered beneath the shields of weak­ness and pusillanimity raised by its champions in its defence. But the searching thought to which it gave birth left enduring traces on the history of mental progress.

Society next called for some one to solve its social enigma . To the neglect of the most palpable, in striving for the theoretic and new, with thought less ennobling than that developed in the Kantesian theory , because less free and untrammelled, the germs of exploded G reek policies were expanded into a mag­nificent system, which had for its object to do away with all social evils by establishing one grand system of com ity. But Fourier's system contained germs of popularity which could not be easily withstood. To raise the beggar to an equality with the millionaire, to do away with the rivalry of pride and pretension, loose the prisoners, and restore Eden in clusters of contented villages dotted over the flowery plains, smiling in

· the humble valleys, scattered at each mountain's base, and along each river's margin, was a scheme to fill the eye of the philan­tropic statesman with tears of delight, and cause his heart to overflow with grateful thanksgiving. Though he solved not the riddle we bless him for the effort, and hail it as an advance which may result at some future day in a stepping-stone to the portal he sought.

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480 Disclo1Ures from the Interior, [Jan., But France and Germany were not alone destined to share

the fame of immortality for their giant brooJ. Here in our own land amidst our hearth-stones without a leader, enshrining itself in the imagination, breathing with syren voice to those weird and silent corners of the heart which had been un­accustomed to be addressed, save from the vates shrine, and to listen with incredulous delight, save at still midnight when fearful sounds aroused its ghostly terrors, and thoughts of great sins were playing their awful tragedies in the brain, ad­dressing the wild, the terrible, the poetic in our natures, with a tone that scorned t.o be shaken off and which mocked at in­oredulit.y, supporting its oracles from without and from within, it first played fitfully without, enduring spite and deserving jeering in prelude to the grand prologue , to a gorgeous drama which was to rival all written tragedy in pathos, all former epics in sublimity ; not dealing with this life as principal, in the universe of existence, not repeating the twice-t.old tales of angel and seraphim , but transcending all former prophecy, outrunning all former revealings, rushing boldly and living continuously where the greatest visionaries of art had t.rod. cautiously, and echoed jointly their dim intimations, and the poets numbers faltering, had languished and died away in un­heard musio .

Fancy the earth haunted with disembodied spirits awaiting a release to some better sphere , or struggling terrifically to free themselves from the grasp of evil demons, lest they draw them to lower abodes of existence, yourself surrounded with spiritual forms who allure you frantically towards evil , or, calm and serene , impel you towards the good--each form of prayer waited on by messengers of good or evil, rendering life not only fearful, but death terrible, since the unguarded soul is liable at its approach to be hurried away to spheres unhar­monious-follow the spirit in its progression from sphere to sphere, still waiting for its celestial body; imagine all that the fancy can conjure up of beauty in planetary or spherical life, all the blossoming capa bilities of the spiritual man ; imagine yourself looking upon the glories of ethereal being, and hold­ing nearness of converse therewith ; all these, and whatever im'1gination can suggest, or fancy play among, and you will place yourself in the midst of this new drama , this marvellous spiritual philosophy .

For the promulgation of its tenets, and for the purposes of uninterrupted communication with spiritual existences, a col­ony has recently been established at Mountain Cove, Fayette

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1853.] and Stiperior care for Mortals. 481

County, Virginia. That our readers may have a clear view of the assumptions of the society, we here quote the prospectus :

This Publication is dictated by Spirits out of the fieM, and by them edited, 1uperintended and controlled.

lb! ol�ect is the disclosure of Truth from Heaven, guiding mankind into open vieion of Paradise; open communication with spirit.II redeemed; and proper and progresi>-ive understanding of the Holy Scriptures, and of the merits of J1:1ius CnaLST, from whom they originated in inspiration absolute, and of whom they teach, as the only Saviour of a dieeevered and bewildered race.

The circle of Apostles and Prophets are its e<>nductors from the IDterior ; hold· ing control over its columns, and permitting no article t-0 find place therein un­leM originated, dictated or admitted by them ;-they acting under direction of the Lord Supreme .

• Tames Congdon, Charles Coventry. Andrew L Wilson and Lonson Bush, are its Publishers and Proprietors ; they having become, in full confidence of mind, dis­ciples of the Lord; and being present external agente of the Circle Apostolic and Prophetic ; acting under their direction, while faithful, as instruments for the dis­tribution of truth.

How far abstraction and a certain !!tate or impression, ob· tained it may be in the most natural and therefore last to be guessed at way can produce imitations we might speculate about, but will be content with simply offerini:{ the suggestion. This we remark because the Journal abounds in poems pro­fessing to be communications from Wordsworth, Shelley, Poe, Southey, and others. One from Southey we would quote entire, provided our space would admit.

Having quoted the prospectus, we will next quote from the address to parents dictated from the Interior:

The spiritual elements of the child are as the ark of the covenant of God. Whosoever infuses corrupting sensations destroys the manna of diYine good tlow· ing therein. Whosoever instils the doctrine of the Fatalist, the Pantheiat, the Atheist, defaces those sncred tablets of intelligence which God has formed to bear record of llis Law; and whosoever inducts into the unsuspicious mind the habit of deteit, destroys the ever-blooming rod of power to con quer evil with the good, thus despoiling the child of heaven's most precious gift. The person of the child is as the Temple of the Lord in the holy Jerusalem. Its outer understanding is aa the courts of the sanctuary, and its inmost consciousnei'!I as the holy of holiee. God del'Cendeth there; and conscience ministers, being high priest, and in proe­trate attitude of homage listens to His holy oracles. Affections and Intelligencee of good, seven and seventy times seven, are as the Seers and Prophets and Scribes and sacerdotal Mesaengers of God. Outward faculties are as the Levitea, servants and minist�rs, encamping round about. WhosoeYer mars and wonnds the child defaces God's temple. Who�o dishonors and polutes the senses, corrupts the keepers of the sanctuary, and defiles its courts. Whoso binds and darkens the emotions of charity, the desires after holineBS, the perceptions of moral or spirit. ual good, the faith in God, the thirst for celestial immortality, kills the Prophete and the Seers, and the Priests, even at the altar.

Again, from Outlines of the Interior descriptive of the Ce­lestial Paradise :

Thus the superior hemisphere is glorious with eternal day, but the inferior is in endless eclipse. The hemisphere above is a world of beautiful order, but the

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482 Disclosures from the Interior, [Jan.,

oone below is cbaoe. The 1uperior '(>Ort.ion of this orb is known 11 t.he Spiritual Paradise. It is called alao by spirits who oommunioate at the preeent time to mortals the highest intermediate abode ; and by aome the seventh sphere. It ia viaible as one continent, subdivided into seven zones of glorioua beaut,r, and en­circled by an electric ocean. Its coasts are surrounded by cluatel'll of isles which ehine therein as gems in a circlet of transparent gold. The plane which forms ita centre, arises in a three-fold succession of terraces, and is crowned by a city which is called the Heavenly Jeru11alem. This is that city which Our Lord revealed in viaion to his servant and beloved disciple John, and this the archetypal form of the New Jerull&le1D which shall be viaible upon the earth, in the oonau1Dmation of His reign.

In the many 1D&nsions of this Spiritual Paradise, the multitudes of the redeemed out of all nations and all generations, find beatific rest. These are the twelve tribes of the Spiritual Israel, the ho'/ peoele of our God. Theee are clad in white raiment, and their girdles are o precious gems. Their forms are transpa­rent as the clear crystal, and their countenances shine 88 1he eun. Their epirita within are filled witb sweetneS8 of affection, 88 odor treasured in an alabaster vue. Their spirits without reftect the glory of Divine Intelligence, 88 the pure dew-drop reflects the solar beam. Jn all their movement& is revealed Divine form• of order, and the pu� of all their activitr is the increase of good. The prayer of each is that the Lord mar pOl!eei!ll them ID IOU}, and order their faculties for re­ception of good and truth mto the ineffable imnge of His own, and thus make them to love their neighbors better than themselves ; and the desire of all ia that sin and death may perish and holinese reign throughout all plaeea of His dominion to ever\88tiug life. They dwell in aeven circles, peopling the seven zones of Par­adise. Each circle is oompoeed of twelve tribes, and each tribe of one hundred and forty.four eocietie@, and in each circle, tribe and society, are three degrees; the first, the degree of beatific procedure of Ministration, the eecond, the degree of beatific interprocedure of wisdom, and the highest, the degree of ineffable com­munion of love.

The out ward movement of each eociety, and of Paradiee 88 one circle, reveal• the order of Divine Harmony. The inward melody of movement reveals the principle& of Divine Essence. The body of organization in each of the redeemed spirits, aud in all aa one ; and in each society, and in all 88 one, reveals the har­monious order of life in the Divine Peraon. The varieties of pure affection, and of sweetneee of delight of good, which make each heart a separate Paradise, in· aeparable from all, reveal the affections of Divine Love. The ever-increasing purity, and peace, and love, and light, and beauty, and harmony of each and all, reveal the infinite Divine Life, from whose Holy procedure is born perpetual in· crease of good. These all reveal the Divine perfections; as one bloeaom in ita beauty and fragrance reveals the Infinite Lovelineet1.

The River of water of life proceeds from the Throne of Redemption in the heavenly city, and flowing in eeven curves of one spiral course, it waters the seven Kingdoms of Paradiee. On either eide of the river is a street of comm uni· cation, adorned with immortal trees and beautified with flowers, and at intervals made glorious by temples of worahip and pavilions of repoee.

This begins in magnificent gateways at the limit of the outer expanse of Para· dise, and winding through all its zones, oonducta the redeemed to the City of Peace.

The outward forms of life in the lowest zone of this heavenly resting place are beautiful 88 wae Eden before the fall, and the lovelineee and glory arieee in seven octaves to its perfection in the midst of the city and before the Throne of God and of the Lamb. All forma external, in their varieties of beauty, of fragrance and of ueefulnees, are adapted to the condition of the societies in whoee abode they shine, and breathe, and bloom ; and are received 88 special works of Divine Grace, beheld 88 dieclosures of His intelligence, and poese81!ed aa gifta of His love. The greatest Societies of Paradise are established upon the three-fold plain that extends around about the City of the Lord. The first is the Patriarchal Circle, the aeoond the Prophetic, and the third the Apostolic. These all agree in one.

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1863.] and Superior care for Mortals. 483

Here dwell those who have esteemed the reproach of Christ as better than the riches of the world. In their beatitudes of heavenly love, and in their illumina­tion of heavenly wisdom, is fulfilled that which is written, "They that are wise shall shine as the firmament, and they that turn many to righteou11nel!8 as the stars forever and ever." These go up to min ister in the holy temple, and behold the vision of the Lord upon llis throne. Thus is fulfilled His promise "where I am there shall ye be also." These go down to minister in the name of the Lord in all trihes and circles of the holy people, being kings and priesta of God, Most High, and therein is that fulfilled which saith, "Well done good and faithful ser­vant, thou hast been faithful in n few thing.., I will make thee ruler over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."

The isles of peace which rest in the sen of Paradise, and the lands which are upon the coast, are peopled by tho e who haYe entered upon the earlier degrees of their heavenly life. Here also is the Paradise of Innocence, the abode of chil­dren maturing in purity of heart nnd excellence of stature. The members of the least of these societies, are innocent as is the undefiled infant. 1io spirit can enter Paradise unless his nature be found spotle&i in innocence. 1io spirit can be made white, �ave through the dying Mcrifice and living influence of Christ our Lord. Ile is the Lamb of God who taketh away the •in of the world. He is the Author of eternal Mlvation to those who belie,·e. Bright is llis Parndise, but its earliest beam is the glory of innocence, as its perfect noon is the holiness of love. He saith t-0 all men, "Except ye be converted, nnd become as little ch ildren, ye can in no �e enter into the Kingdom of Uenven."

Again, from Outlines of Creatipn, a portion expre!'.'sive of the method of teaching the science of anthropology, by cor­respondences :

A virgin clau in a shining vail stood on a pcde•tnl which was n.s the green stalk and white blossom of n lily of Eden. The odor of the lily was as a cloud of in­cense about her feet, and a triune f(lory sat as a coronet upon her brow. "Thi11," Mid the Jnstruetress, "is a symbol of the soul. The ohming robes signify that her form i8 ineffable; the incense about her foet, that i,he moveth in Bwcetneea of affection; the lily on which Ahe stnlll1", thnt she in holy innocence is lifted in purity above nil sensntions tcnestrinl, nucl the tr-iune coronet, that she exista through influx of Divine Jove, in glory of immortnl life."

Next nppeured a h nr/); its pede,,tnl wns a column of alnbnster; its frame was of the wood of the sanda tree inwrnugbt with u golden vine, und its seven strings were like seven three-fold Anmes of pure fire. Thi• hnrp wns �et before the virgin.

Then said the IustructreSl', "lioteu to the word:; of wi8dom; according to the number of the sounds of harmony are the affections of her whose name is celestial love; and according to the number of the vnriationsof harmony which shall flow in the unison of voice and instl'Ument, is the num her of the elements of ench affec­tion and of their heavenly qualities of delight: the harp is the mind of the spirit; its tones arc the conscious music of the soul ; thr lwde;tul bignifies it<! elevation above eurtbly thought; the frame of 8audal wood it• precious subotance; the gold­

en vine it� capacity of fruitfulness of 15ood, and the cords of fire its power to move re�ponsivc to the harmony of J,ove 111 utterances of adoration, wisdom and de­light."

In a weekly Journal (being a continuation of the Disclo­sures), we find the following conversation of a medium with an angel :

:lliEmuM.-Glorious being! overwhelmed with woruhr and nstonishment I gaze upon thee. For years I have delighted in tho"o r<'presentutions, both articulate and verbnl, which strive to shndow forth the rnaj�•ly of celestial intelligences. Thou art fairer than them all. If it be possil.ile, ullow me the :privilege of com­munication. My mind is impres8ed to convc:se upon a subject important to my spirit'� eternal welfare.

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484 Disclosures from the Interior, [Jan., Sl'IVf.-Mortal I for thif end I came. The effulgence thou beholdeat, the flow­

ing radiance which like a vesture surround.!' mP, the ideal beauty out-imaged upon thy i!pirit-lright,-these are glories not comprehensible perhaps by man ; but neverthelees, to be attained. Mao may become an angel. An angel is a man. Being, when pure, spontaneously unfolds perfection of external outline of pel'l!Oo and movement, 88 also of speech and intelligence. Mao seeks perfection. The modern architecture, the modern social constitutions, above all the modern music. are indicative of the desire for an ideal state that moves within thy race.

"Angel," I said, "here we are hopelessly contending about the realities of being, and fruitle881y endeavoring to elevate the condition of man. All light hitherto h88 emanated from the spirit world: I will go a pilgrim and seek light from that great realm that encompaeees the destiny of man, and overbends the zenith of existence."

I turned to the world of spirits. I saw it not with mine own eyee, but ob­tained the highest statement.a given through the clairvoyant faculties. Beautiful beyond the dream of mso arose the life beyond the world. My epirit said, the Interior State is reality. Meo can �in aecess thereunto. Only by opening of wide doors for the descent of spirit-hght can Earth be sanctified and aaved.

And in the same journal the following Outlines of the Solar System:

[TBS following description of tho planet Majeotica, known in terrHtrial utronomy u Jupiter, it aefeoted from the un'(ubliohed MS.i. of tho" Book of th e Ootlinea of the Cninrae." Thi• work, to­gether with othera o like origin, will be i11ued by the Pabli1hen of thia Journal, when the n­aary pr91'aration• for Bouk i'ublication ah&ll haore been made.]

There is no soil, as terrestrial mortals name soil, upon this orb. Its surface is composed of belts of mineral, varyiug in hue from silver, all transparent, to the m08t ioteoae and flamy diamond of golden red. At every point concentric, where the lines of latitude and longitude o'erpasa, is found a eea of amber-colored essence that corresponds to water. To mortal touch it feels like quicksilver, and is more weighty.

The terrace we behold h88 streams of this on every level All arouud U8 88 we move fall crimson snow-flakes, 88 they seem; and yet they

melt not in the hand, and to the touch are moist and warm. Their taste is that of bread, with wine commingled.

These fall upon the water. M they fall, they move to centres of bright spar· klee. Theee throw out filamented roots, and rapidly absorb the crimaon flakes, and each unfolds and glows, a living flower, blooming upon the water.

Now the V88t stream, a moment since all white as creamy snow, and scarce a moment since all flecked with crimson drops, iii all envailed with blo880ma. Some are trumpet-shaped, like the blue lotos some, and eome golden lily. Some are shaped like kingly crowns, and eome tiaras, with white drooping plumes, and some are wreath-shapad, blOBt10miog with flames.

Another change I The blo!!lloma become fruits. Clusters of purple grapes in­jeweled: grapes of gold and silver: fruits like golden suns, with moving bnde like planets white around them: fruits like crescents, bright with starry images: fruits like clustered stare, in hue, in form luxuriant, rich with beauty I

Now the stream upon whose bre88t they ftoat uprises, sending ont on either side a wave that sweeps this floral wealth before it, till it strands upon the crys­tal msrgio. Then the stream subsides, and rests upon its former level.

Music sounds from the interior of the pyramid. Sun-sculptured dool"ll revolve. A stately train emerges. On their brows, that glow majestic, wreaths appear of sculptured �ems. Depending from each coronal a moving vail dCl!Cendeth to the feet. Their feet, blue veined, are wondrous to beholJ. The outer sub.1t11Dee seems like particles of stare, and the blue flowing inner form a firmsment o'er­vailed with onmberleae star-galaxies. Each form glows like a universe. Inward it shines like the blue heaven terrestrial, glowing through an outward, elemental form, whose every atom eeems a living star. And like some fleecy cloud that vaila with miet the blue skies crystalline, dimly obscuring yet revealing dim, tht>ir mantling raiment floats, and floating borrows luster from the form .

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1853] and Superior care for Mortals.

And yet theee lorma are human; delicate and tremuloua with life of holy. When earth waa in ita youth, a Grecian boy, fallen idolatrous, and yet wit.h

epirit drinking in the glorioua fire of nature's outlined majesty, beheld a vision: 'iwaa a phantom form, the shadow of a youth of this vast orb, flung pictured, on the image-dome of thought. Thence he conoeived, and thence out-wrought a atatue-form. That form, the wide world's wonder-named, waa worabiped aa a go<l. 'Twaa bot the shadow of a ehade, yet Greece bowed down before it.

Fairer in form, in splendor more august than the invisible image Phidiaa aought to recreate in ivory and gold; fairer than royal ehapes that Plato Paw in his iote· rior dream@, are tha@e we now behold. Yet they are children come to gather frni'­food for the morning banquet.

Each child bean forth au alabaater vase, an urn of ivory or golden ulver; tak­ing up the rich and royal food, 1111d then in ordered state aPCending.

As they aaeend, a green and golden dew,-fire-sparkles, flakes traneperent, floating gems,-f111ls from the aky, and as it falls, touches the Jiving magnets set within the terrace floor.

From every magnet-point a spiral rises, attracting and akorbing to itself tbeae living tire-flnkes, emerllld and gold.

Now everl. spiral stand& a atately tree, and statelier annues on either aide ol these fair children rise. On either hand appears a lol'dly ball, whoee columna are theae wondrous treea.

Hark I music .aounda agnin. That stream of aound harmonious gathera to itself the floating atom-gems that yet remain ; forming around �nch tree a couch, or ta· blet of blue diamond, inlnid with amethyst. The children now advance, and on these tablets place their precious burdens.

Hark I music, but more faint, ethereal more. An.J �ud.lenly a multitude of bird&, with ahining J?lumage, issuing from the pyramid, throng the high tree-lope, with harmonioua vo1ee lifting their song of jubilee.

Hark I music yet again I Music that bath a aoul. Mu�ic that melts upon the heart, like dew from the immortal paradise. And now the mighty gatea are open· ed wide. And now comes forth a bright, august proe�ion.

Firat come young men and maidens. Then in a glorious chariot, whose wheela revolve from life magnetic, come forth a kingly pair. And then a •hining compa· ny advance with instrument.a of mu@ic. Then appear majestic and venerable men, all clad in golden purple, crowned with wrenths that glow like silver, hold· ing in their hands aceptres electric. As they lift the �ceptres, they arise nod float in air. Their feet touch not the earth, but glide suprt>me above it. :\ow last of all, oomes forth a glorious car, formed like a sun. Abo\"e the orb on eagle stande, with burni•hed wings outapread. That car moves on from inner force. Within it site a venerable pair. Upon his breBl!t glows a resp!P.ndent vesture, on bis hand a signet.ring, and on hie bead a crown, surmounted by a croas, and hovering o'er the croBB a moving eagle, carved of aome pure gem that �hines like blo�omed fire. A woman eita beside. The light of heawn is in her dark, bright eye. The peace of God shines on her placid brow. Enrobed in moving light is that pore form; and on her brow a diadem that bears a cross, and on the erme a floating dove. Ineffable abe smiles. And now the etot .. Jy train makeii pause. They wait the morning ray.

Man's outer form, unfallen and immortal, i� one epitome of ftoral world&. Jn his form external, he epitomiees the plantt and nil harmonious familiea that dwell within ita cryatal sea, or its bright aky, or founded intermediate.

Man in hie outward form is more than this; ethereal flowen, ethereal lonn1 of animated life within bis nervous elements rombine, forming a �rhere ethereal. Yea, more than this is he. In his interior, spirit-form he moves, epitomizing para­dise. The groves of thought are moving spirals, atmoapheric orbta; the vehicle& where thought& abide are starry Edens, galaxies of light. Yet this is but the ou'­ward tenement of man, the immortal angel. This to thee is utterance unaecu. tomed, but most true.

And when the angelic man outbreathe11, bis breath is inward life of living flow. en, and when he thinks bia thoughts are living form!\ and when he apeaks thNe

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486 Di1clonwes from the Interior, [Jan., forma take outward birth, and live and move within the epirit air. :Each !ower that blOlll!Oma on our outward orb firet bloomed from the Creative Thought on eome pure, cerebral globe . Each winged ereature, in aerial filght. moving from zone to zone, dwelt firet, a thought, in mind 's interior dome. The eoul'a aft'ee. tiona born of Love Divine, ontbreathed in apaee, are germa of ftoral gardena; each attracta ethereal odors from the spirit air, and thro�h eleetric birth de&eenda, en­ten eome outward planet'a maternal breast, aLeorba lta vital element.a, and thence beoomoe an outward Beed germ.

Thl18 t.he external forms that beautify the planet's breast, spring from expand· ed. and embodied germs unfolded first in mind's interior life. Th118 outward beauty blooms from inward love, and outward majeety from inward truth, and outward wealth from energy of love, in wisdom, moving from the holy mind. Thnifore, tlu outward w.rf ace of an orb rejtect1 tlu natura of the inioard life of tlw# .Ao dfHll UJ'Ofl it and abotl�.

Mortal, inhabitant of earth ; upon our planet's broad expanse no poieonoua fonna of Bower, or tree, or moving creature of the air, or earth, or milk;r depth are found ; for in the minds of this obedient rnce, no error dwelle, and lD theee holy hearts is found no ain, no blind idolatry that worm-like crawls; no venomed appetite that feeds on life's decay ; but all i8 peace and peaceful quietude, and qwet joy and joys serene delight of love, in wisdom moving forth to harmony, anJ thence unfolding art, and poetry and &ong; clothing the orb in many a shining zone of royal habit.At ions, glorified with light perpetua l and eternal peace.

Far beneath, we hear triumphant music. 'Tie t.he noon-tide harmony. Far above we hear a loftier spirit strain. Between two heavens of harmony we rest. and all above and all below unite in one triumphant anthem.

Hark I its voice draws near, and still more near, and as two streams of light, that interfuae, the heaven I,- and terrestrial blend in on1i; and 88 the stream of bar· mony descends from 1pir1t homea above, a shower of pictured glori� eon-like �parkles, forms of grace unknown, that ravish thought and captivate the eoul, move from the bright ethereal.

AB they fall and rest upon the surface of the plain, the floral t>lain, another w onder dawns, like sunrise upon sunrise. Every ray of sound spnngs up a tr4oe of paradise, and every jewelled atom glow& thereon, unfolding, to a galaxy of bloom : and every diamond point of light becomes a spirit flower, and sends up sprays of ftoral colonnadee, and every form of grace becomes a dove, a swan, or It.range, bright bird with wings revolving like some living star; and every bla.­eom bath a separate voice, whose odor flows, a bright harmonic wave, and every bird folds out a shining robe or sphere of winged word�. and floats upon the floral inceU1e-wave, and mingles eong with eon�, and joy with joy. And all above 111 the bright dome melts like eome shining m1St benenth the aun, and a GllEAT SPOUT Hoxx, magnificent beyond all outward imagery, like Heaven breaks oo the eight.

0 land above the sun-rise I 0 thou land where morning dwells with noon, and noon with eve, and eve with spiritual morn, and midnight with celeatial noon I 0 land whose every fragrant atom lives an increated joy I 0 land whose inhabitants are hero angels, grand in sovereign strength of life, o'er evil high • heaven above earth, the eolar heaven above the .. nrth where fallen mortals dwell; how ehall we otter epeech concerning thee f

0 ye immortal habitants whose thoughts are garlands on your browe and shin· ing vails around your bright pavilions ; whose desires spring columnal and v•t, and stand fair , yea most fair beyond the pictured thought of mortals most inspired, give us to view 88 some swi� bird, some wanderin g bird of p� whatsoever ye deem adapted to the mind of those who struggle after light upon a world wrapped in tempestuol18 gloom.

An angel comes, responding to our call. Ilie form is white, his inward form ie pore with light of gold. Hie outward, moving, sphere-form, like a mist of azure whose each atom holds a star. The beams from this outshine and form a moving radiated sh ape that moveth like a winged eagle, veiled within a floating sun of oomwating splendor. In hie hand be holds a palm; and round the palm ia twined a wreath of olive. .

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1853.) and Superior care for Mortals. 487 Bark ! he speaks, hie word out-vibrates from hie heart, like love outmoviog.

" Pilgrims, .. he -begins, " I am your fellow-eervant ; one of those who wonhip God : who worehip Him who veiled Divinity io image form of man, and died fro111 form external, and aroee again for thee.

" Rise yet more high ; arise and plume the soul, and BCAle the amphitheatre." Aa he tbut speaks a sudden noontide shines, and lo ! on every side we see a pan· .

theon, an amphitheatre of oonetellated angels. .Above appears what seems a sun eculptured upon its di.Bk with moving forms in twel ve degreee of li�ht. On every side the radiant host outshines. Each face in all that hoot of myriads upon myr· iad ehinee distinct in glory personal, each weal'8 a look of beauteous majesty, and oonscious mind, and conscious life of love in sweet repose, yet flashing jeweled thoughts like galaxies. Every face in this great pantheon glows with a separaw l ight, and from each separate face distinctive rays outshine, and every spirit mind reveals ascending spheres of light, inset with galaxies of thought, and every spirit heart in rythmic beat poun utterance of perpetual joy, and forms an undulating sea of bleBBing, whose immortal bosom �Iowa retlect in its disk each separate thought, and everr separate thought is pictured there like palaces, and side@, an d vieions pure of animated shape• ouhreathing joy.

We have thus quoted at great length from the work before us, assured that the new sect wil l not accuse us of unfa irness, since we have passed over all which was to us unintelligible, li kewise all which loses it weight by being surpa11sed in beauty and s i m plicity in variou� other sources.

We have spoken of this philosophy, in connection with the other two, not because i ts dignity is acknowledged eq ual , but from its elevated range and novelty of subject, and from tho similar class of discontented or info.lei feelings which oach, more or less, in com mon addresses. Thoso who believe not :Moses and the prophets, in order to test the consistency of thei r i ncredulity are ever on the alert for the last cure of their ma­lady, one risen from the dead . Let but a false prophet pro­claim himself this one, and thay will find nothing too prepos­terous for belief. Error, to draw a<lmirers, has only to head its text with a q uotation. A nd to inspire the greater confidence, has only to envelop itself in an atmosphere of incomprehensi­bility-the air-drawn something which it might mean, i s freighted with a potent charm. Subtle fancy in tho human heart owns the ma stery of it.s brood of created things.

And besides the theory of spiritual communication as a means, not only of eradicating infidelity, but of enlarging our bound aries of belief by disclosing spirit existences, revealing new things in the present and i mpressing us anew with the things of tho future, does so breathe of " sanctified and pious bonds" as at least to claim attention. Many things taught and received by this new sect, are to be found scattered up and down the world's history from the earliest times to the present. It has appropriated many things as its pecul iar property, which every true Christian holds to as his sheet.anchor of faith.

VOL. 1 .-NO. IV. 32

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488 Di1clo1Urt1 from t/ae Interior, [Jan.,

Platonism, Swedenborgianism, Mesmerism, are pressed into its service. It has spun oat the threads of :Milton, amplified the Bib le , usurped new realms of fancy, invented a new termin­ology. It began in little, in whispers, obscure intimation, in by. corners. lt is now beginning to disown its origin, spea ks im· periously. And what avails disclaimer. On many subjects which it treats, the wisest can do no better than confess their ignorance whi le i t is armed with authorities from heaven. In the dread realms of Pluto, i n the climes of immaculate truth, it has its high priests who breath their oracles on the heart's adytum , reveal the height and depth of subtle spirit which we had looked in vain in this life to comprehend .

Say they " the spirit which Christ gave to descend through the sacred channels of the church, through all ti me, has become buried in the rubbish of ceremonies, and needs regenerating in the hearts of its members. The spirit is still abroad if we would but ally ourselves with it, which of old healed the sick, cleansed the leper, cast out devils. "

Degradation and spiritu al pride have taken the place o f meek· ness and humi lity. Priestcraft has crept into the church, and mam mon-worship and man-worship. She hath said to herself, " Beneath marble colonnades I walk a queen. In silken robes with tiaraed brow I sit with princes. Come not near me ye wicked and vile, I approach you not. Your pollution soils my robe of saintliness. .My seats are bought with gold. My alters are reared with gold. My livery are pensioned and sal· aried with gold. Ye vile and poor ye have no respectability, no gold. Our wine ye may not taste, it is with money and with price ; we believe in spiritual things, we have been blessed with that which is a guarantee to our lively faith in the realities of spiritual truths, visible and outward manifest­ations."

We have thus far spoken of the movement as it is confined more particularly to .Mountain Cove. We have spoken in­cidentally of the abnormal sciences being pressed into its service, and also hinted at its borrowing many beauties from various sources . 'fo illustrate this last, as well as to give some further view of their philo80phy , we will here quote from Sweden­borg :-

Sympathiea and antiphathie• are nothing ehe than ezluJlationa of aft'ectiona, from minds which affect one another, aooordiog to similitudee, and excite avemon according to diaeimilitudea. Theae, although they are innumerable, and are oo\ eeneibly perceived by anr senee of the body, are �et perceived by the lt1l� of tM -1, as one ; and, aceord1ng to them, all conjunctions and eonaociatione in the epi· ritual world are made.-T. O. R. 366.

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Spiritual spheres enoompue all spirit.a and eoeietiee of spirit.a .ft<lfDing forll& from the life of the aft'ectiona, and of the thought.a thence derived. Wherefore, ii the aft'eetiona be contrary, oollieion takes place, whence oomee anxiety. -A. a 10, 312. •

A tphere dift'naee ib!elf, not only from angels and epirita, bot al80 frorQ. all and each of the things which appear in that world, 1111 from the trees and Crom their fruits there, Crom shrube and from their flowers, Crom herbe and from grapee, "fe&, from earth, and from ever,rthing of them ;-this is univenial u we11 in thtogs living as dead, that everything ie surrounded by aomething limilar to that which ie teithin it, and that this is continually ezllaled from it ;- continual atream of tf!ltcfJia flows forth from a man, al80 from every animal, and likewise from treee, fruits, shrubs, flowers, yea, from metals and stonea.-D. L. ct D. W. 291-293.

There flo'WI forth, yea, overfiowe from every mM a 'J'iritMal tphert, derived from the affections of his love, which encomp1188e8 him, and infuses ib!elf into the ftatural tphere, deri;ed from the body, so that the two 1phere1 are conjoined. That a natural sphere ia continually flowing forth, not only from man, but aleo from beasts, yea, from trees, fruits, and flowers, and aTso from metala, is a thing generally known.-0. L. 1'11.

Every spirit, and still more eTery society of spirits, has its own sphere vroeeed­in� from the principles and persuasions imbibed, which is the sphere of thoee pnnciples and persuasions. The sphere of principles and persuasions ia eucb, that w hen it acts upon another, it causes truths to appear like false11, and calla forth all sorts of confirmatory arguments, so as to induce the belief that things false are true, and that things evil are good. Hence it may appear bow easily man may be confirmed in falses nnd evils, unleSB he believe the truths which are from the Lord.-A. 0. U, 10.

And while we absolve the disclosures, so far as we are ac­quainted with them , from i mparting infidel doctrine�, we have only to quote from a work entitled " Philosophy of Spiritual Intercourse," by the author of the " Great Harmonia," to show the tendency of his writings in this direction :-

While I do not strive to manufacture, so to speak, from out of all past �ycbo­logical wonders and spiritual revealmenta, a system of inspiration, which the world might or might not receive ae true ; neverthele&11, I feel deeply impreued with the conviction, that whatever principles will explain the phenomena of clairvoyance, (or spiritual insight,) and the modru operandi of spiritual communi­eations through sounds or otherwise, occurring in this era of human history, will also explain all events of a similar character which have occurred in all ages of the world. In taking a retrospective view of the religious history and experience of mankind, the contemplative mind can not but recognize a peculiar and almoet pnf_ut adaptation of all laws and revelations to the existing social and intellectual conditions and requirements of the race. Every so-called revealment of the Di­vine Will, and every code of social and political !awe that were in.tituted and supposed to be an expreseion of the methods of Divine Government, are regarded by mOl!t Christians lid undeniable evidence& of special nets and providential dia­penaations on the part of the Infinite God. Because, as it is alleged, those reveal­ments and codes were particularly adapted to the social and political want1, and to the spiritual or religious neceuitie& of the age in which they were obtained. Thue it 18 generally enpposed, that the " new dispenMtion" beginning with the preaching and miracles of Je�u11, was not begun with Moses in consequence of the etate of unpreparednese in which mankind were existing at the time when Moses lived ; and, therefore, that the " old dispensation" was especially and perfectly adapted to the government and spiritual well-being of man up to the birth of Christ, at which event, it is said, the Mosaic dispensation expired. This hypotheai.s has for it& foundation a belief in the special action and interference of God, as indi­cated in the eocial and epiritnal government of the human race. And here let

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490 Disclosures fro . .. tlte Interior, [Jan., me remark, that very many intelligent and h ighly aeoomplisbed individuaJ.-men who have diarovered the erroneous opinions and auperatttiona of past tim-.re uncoos<'iously glid ing into an opin ion or a belief "10 le11 ftl�ratiliou1 with regard

to the magnetic mirades and •pi ri tual communications of the preaent day. Surely it ia neither progreeeion nor w11!dom to exchange one form of religious superrtition for another I

It ia manifestly unrig.hteoua to impute the est.nbl ishment of " old" or " new" orderB and dispeneations to the 8J>ecial providen ce of God, beeauee it is abeolutely the result of an erroneous method of fhilosophieal reasoning. It is re11110ui� thus : when a tree is in the twig state 1t is not prepared for the bearing of fruit, and, therefore, God proc1-o.;tiuutes the bestowmcut of it until the tree bas ac­quired sufficient stren gth to sustain the weight thereof ; then he prepares and at­taches to the spread ing [email protected] fru it as in bia w isdom he may ordain the tree to bear. But true reason ing would be this : the tree does not bear fruit while in ita twig state, because it has not yet arrived at the culminating or fruit-bearing point in its development. 8o, likew ise, it is only proper to say, that mankind dia­play 8imply what tMy are capable of det•eloping. The " new dispensation" was not unfolded in the :M01111ie Pr&, because the 111ce could not have then developed it ; but l ike a tree, mankind put forth just those condition@. just that code of law� and system of political and Rpiritual government, which its stage of general develop­ment could in that age ll()CQmplish,-nd nothing more I If Muea had been as perfect in his physical and spiritual constitution as Je�us evidently was in hi!, then the political code and sacred commandments of the former would neeessaril; have resembled more closely the charming and refining revealmenta of the latt.-r. But as the two personages were organized iu their bodies and mind@, eo were their respective ditlelosure�. This truth is easily seen. " An eye for an eye," and blood for blood, is a jurisprudential enactment, which expreeees the revengeful feelings of Moses and of the rudimeutal age in which he lived ; whilst, " Love ye one another, " an d " fo11?ive your enemies," speaks sweetly from the eoul of Jesua at a more advan ced and progreAAed period. There is uo confounding the!e per­sonage•. l'llo"<••, heing ... d uet1tcd accord ing t-0 the methods and tendencies -0( his Rge, declared precise ly what his material and spiritual organization and etate of mental i l l um i nat ion would suggc•t ; auil so with Jesus I Tbe one tree put forth its twigs and branchc• ; wh ilst the other blot!SOmed, and by its rich perfume gan promi•e of fruit in st i l l riper ag�•. This was accompl iehed by no epecial action and interposition of the Divine Mind, but by the legitimate progreesive denlop­ment of their own re,pective constitutions. When t.he race is far advane.ed in social and intellectual culture, its government is no longer Jewish, neither is it monarch ical, hierarchirol. or autocratical, but it unfolds the sublimer and more holy elements of man's nature, and the government i@, or will be REPUBUC.\.'I, manifesting distributive Justice, Goodne&', Truth, Accord, Peace, and Vnity. In the lower stages of mental growth, " an eye for an eye" is the characterietic im­p ulee o f ind iv iduals and the mode t'f government, Action and reaction art na­tural to that phwe of inilivid ual development. But in the higher stageie of men­tal growth, the heavenly principles of " Love ye one another"-" forgive voar euern iPB, 0' arc the method9 adopted whereby to live, to govern, and to pui.i.'>b. And righteous action is the intui tive impulse consequent u pon a high state of physical and moral culture.

The bearin!{ of these remarks on the subject of spiritual communications, -..ill be more reail i ly percei ved by tho!'C m i n ds who regard the w-0uderful developmen� of moilern tiru�s as the particnlor mauifeetatioue of Di vin e "·ill and design. I have snid that this ngc tcaida miracle, llUd there is m iracle ; that it teaftt• a pal­pnhle and sensuous dc·moustratiou of the truths of immortal ity, and there i• �ueh •l<>monstrntion ; hut I do not m ean to im press any mind with the belief that tbeH fleYeloprn�uts are npcciall!/ een t by God to the earth'� i nhabitant& :-Jay ; it i5 t h• nppo•i te conviction, t he truth of which I dt>sire to establish, that the miracles nu<! spi ri t ual <l isdosu r•·• of this era flow t1alurallg aud �on�quen.tly from the elate of rnPntnl and morn) deYelopment to w hich the Anglo-Saxon portion of the hu­man race hM generally nttai n<>d. Jr this view of these things be not valid and

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entertained-if men do not consult Nature aod Reason, and " try the epirits" by the rigiJ r�hteo11811eee of theee immutable principles which control harmoniously everything m the vut domain of terreatrial and celestial existences-then there can not be any limits set to the wild fanaticism and superetitious abeurditiee into which the honeet seekers after truth and spiritual ity will not 888uredly plunge themeelvee, to the discredit and subvereion of all that is beautiful and saving (Crom discord and error) in the new nnd Harmonia! Philosophy I If Taum is our aim-our prayer and upiration-let us seek it for its own sake I " If man," .ays James Victor Wila<m, " hea too little truth, he is anxious-he is seeking ; and if truth is all he desiree, he finds it ; but should he seek truth not for truth's sake, but for the sake of establishi ng an opinion or hypothesis, then is he diacontented and unhappy." And be very impressively a.tds : " This perverted motive some ­times actuates the misdirected inhabitants of earth ; but it neHr moves the resi­dents of the celestial empire."

From the foregoing reflections it will be very readily infel'l'f!d that I am not impressed to regard ony manifestations, of a super-sensuoUB ch11racter, ea being ab<>ve, contrary to, or inconsistent with, Nature's immutable and univel'lllll prin­ciples ; that I do not believe in the existence of any miracles which are not re­ferable to natural causes, visible or invisible : nor in the poeeibility of any etrictly supernatural evente, ancient or modern ; because the Divi ne Mind can not act in opposition to the eternally establiahed laws of his own constitution, of which nil the visible universe is a transcript, or an outward manifestation.

Again, as terrific as t.he influence of evil s:-iirits has been re­presented on the one hand , the author of the Great Harmonia disclaims all belief in their existence in any part of creation.

But we need not have gone to this world-famed magician for any spiritualist doctrine lying between the lowest note of pantheism and the highest octave of infidelity .

In a communication , a year since, purporting to be from John Wesley , published and circulated in a pam phlet form, that celebrated divine is made to retract the sayi ngs of his whole life in favor of · the inspired word . But it is useless to spend longer ti me in searching out the variety of moods which this Proteus assumes. Now a Titan scaling the heavens, and re­turning to overwhelm us with a shower of magnificent confu. sions ; now a saint breathing meekness and submission , now hurling satanic defiance, now breathing the language of St . Paul and John the Divine, now revelling in the ecstatic trances of Swedenborg, now assuming the office of Wordsworth, and now soaring beyond our feeble comprehension in the cabalistic language of the Rpheres.

Since we shrink from binding the monster as a hopeless task , let us see if he be vulnerable in the stuff which he is made of. Let us invoke the subtle spirits of animal magnetism , clairvoyance , ecstacy, witchcraft, psychology , pathetism , im­pressibility. There are certain abnormal states into which in­divid uals of great impressibi lity may be thrown , and which quacks and pretenders take advantage of to abuse the credu-

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492 Di1t:l.osure1 fros the Interior, (Jan . ,

Ions. As we cannot better describe the former class, we will quote a description of them, wh ich we find ready at oar hand , from a little work entitled Book of Psychology :

Indeed, the more ignoram an o�rator, " Dr.," " Pro£," or " lecturer," happena to be, the more he will .&88UX& with regard to himeelf, and hie POWDll ; and the more he -umes (when the epectatol'll know no better than to believe all he aaya� of couree the greater hie euCOOlll in performing experimenu. And hence it ia, when a public lecturer poeeeases the happy faculty of 1nyliifying the subject, and makee a tlouriah 11.bout the " nervous fluid," " the normal and abnormal reeetiona of the nervou& system," " genel'lll and 1pecial pre-&ijplifications, .tc., .tc., .tc., &c.," it enhances his powers very much indeed. The h18tory of moat of the popular excitemente which have ever taken place, under the name of the " Crneadee, �

" Revivale," .tc., will show bow ""!! little it is neceM&rY for certam pel'llOne to 1-, in order to -ume �reat or supernatural po were, which the uninformed have alwaya been ready to admit. IndeeiJ, the more llTll.AVAGAllT the auumption in behalf of ".&khmiy," " Witchgraft," or "/n1piration," the greater the faith of the multitude ! Instance the cue of the ancient " Oracles" and " Sybils," Mohammed, the Anabeptiei Leadere, Matthiu and John of Leyden, the Fr<'D<'h Propheta, Joanna Southcote, Pope Joan, the Alchemist& of the Thirteenth Century, Peter the Hermit, George Fox, Ann Lee, Joe Smith, and id geniu omne.

The advantage of &88Umin� to be in1pired, for instance, by departed spirite, cou­ei.sts in this : If you have no mtluence or authority of your own, by profeuing to be a " medium" for " St. Paul," " Swedenborg," or " 'rom Paine," you will attract attention, and become of some consequence with all who believe in epirite, and who do not know any better than to receive what certain " mediWll8" aay about them I

There is a certain intu ition in some minds, weak in other respects, which catches at glimpses of truths, which are 80 much above the comprehension or control of their other facul­ties, that they fancy it an inspiration from ai rs or spheres un­known . Fancy to yourselves a circle of modern spiritualists catching the responses of their oracles, filled .with entranced. liked spirits , or spirits of exaltation . Compare their words and tone of mind with those which are often to be met with in Methodist revivals, and you will find one as easily explicable as the other. The arguing from particulars to universals gave rise to the perfectionists no less than to the spiritualists, mingled at the same time with ignorance of the real causes of the strange effects. " Conceit in weakest bod ies strongest works." We will next give tiome instances of strange occurrences, which are all explicab le on the principles of impressibility and sympathy :-

Mr. Powel'll* details the particulal'll of a family in Chelmsford, M&l!B., where one of the children was affected with cholera, and ti ve othel'll exercised themeelvee in imitatiog hia odd gestur8f1, until every one of them wu irreeiat.ibly atfected in the same way. And the epell wu not broken ant.ii the father, one day, bro�bt in a block and axe, and sternly threatened to take off the head of the tint ebild who ahould exhibit any more of thoee aingular gestures.

Dr. Baygarth givee a similar account of the etfeete of sympathy, which took

• Inllae11ce of lhe lmacin&tion on lhe Ne"o111 Syot.m.

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place in 1796, among eome peuanta in the Island of Angleeey. It eommeooed with one female, and in a abort time extended to eome twenty others. And a similar account ie given by Rev. Mr. Archibald, of U net. * He 1111y11, at fint the affection oommenced with a female ; but on her manifesting the affection at church, it wu immediately communicated to otbel'!I. And in another parish, eome lixty persona were seized in the same way ; and being carried out and laid in thl' yard, they would straggle and roar with all their might, for five or ten minutee, and then riAe up without remembering anything that bad happened to them.

Affections of the 1111me kind prevailed among the Anabaptieta in Germanv, and the French prophets in Daupbiny, and in En1dand ; and after them tJi,. Quakel'B, and aleo among the Puritans of New England; in 1746, and more recently among the Metbodiata, Baptista, Presbyterians, and especially among the Mormons. Nor are these affections confined to Protestant sects ; they have been e9.ually prevale-nt among the Papiete, and, indeed, among thoee who are not religiously (iiapoeed. I have been informed of llimilar affections among the MahometanL

We would give further exam ples of instances occurring in fanaticism ; instances which separate one mass of the commu­nity widely from the other, for the reason that the one is in many oases the innocent dupe , headed by princes of quackery, while the other from depending on mere heresay is profoundly ig­norant of what it is denouncing, and therefore fails to com­mand the ear of suffering ignorance .

But though our l imits are transgressed, we cannot leave the subject without adding a paragraph more . However high E manuel Kant soared into the regions of pure thought, or E manuel Swedenborg into the mystic heights of the philosophy of spirit ; whatever the world may have known in the whole range of thought, fancy, or feeling ; the student of all the philosophers, novelists, and poets, of the whole range of the mental, spiritual , and emotional world , in each or all of them, has seen nothing l ike that lone star which shines in and is itself the firmament of Christianity, that per­fect philosophy, that divine oneness, perfection of the moral philosophy of Jesus. The mystics have drawn eyes away from it, but never approached it, never breathed unhallowed breRth upon it. The followers of Kant, of Swedenborg, of Davis, the whole united sect of self-sustained philosophers, are infinitely less than ::3t. Paul, who, in all the profoundness of wisdom meekly spake in the name of his Lord . The noble-minded scholar may find food for mental growth in all the philot>ophies, but the heart, the morals, all that in him is most d ivine, mul4t be nourished, expanded, and improved by the gospel. He may go for culture to the realms of high art, sit at the feet of the sculptors and painters who have embod ied their visions of gran­deur and beauty in marble and on canvas, listen enwrapt to the works of the great composers, refine his sensibil ities by study of classic poetry, awaken and invigorate his fancy from

• Eclin 'b1111 llledioal uul Sursioal 1 Olll'llal.

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49-l Disclosures from the Interior. [Jan.,

pure works of fiction, but the heart should be true to the sweet 11implicity, the grace inimitable of the doctrines of Christ.

It was not our intention at the commencement of this essay to treat of the probability or possibility of 8piritual com muni­cation , or to give a scientific aonlysis of those states which are now gene rally recognized as having existence but as being a bnormal and therefore incapable of general appl ication, but to bring before ou r readers the exceedingly curious assu mptions of this new sect, and give specimens of its literature . The prospectus which we quoted gave a clue to the former, and our copious extracts which fol low give not only inti m ations of the latter, but also aid the ingenuous in unravel ing much that is mysterious in thi ngs whi ch are daily occurring around us. We have spoken of it. as a movem ent, and j ustly . For though we are told in sacred writ, " He shall give his angels charge over thee , " and in profane poetry that.

" .Mill ions of �pi ri tual <.'reatures walk the earth, Unseen both when we wake anJ. when w_e sleep,"

that all could so cultivate their spiritual natures as to hold com munion with them, and have an abiding consciousness of the i r presence, was reserved for the followers of Swedenborg. And since it has been our object more particularly to bring be­fore our readers the peculier literature which the spiritual phi­losophy has evolved , in concl usion we may say in its d efense , that to whatever source it owes its origin, in the gorgeous sky of i ts fancy " is world on world in lying,' ' wherein much that formerly existed as dreams is given " a local habitation and a name . " Accept it as an American growth-a product of the nineteenth century-its prose epic. Little does it matter whence it cometh. 'fhe poet's world of wonders is no less rea l fo r being fabricated . Descriptions of celestial parad ises and of spheric life enlarge our thoughts, whether they have existence in space or no. Could we be persuaded that the sunse t's glory is only an optical i llusion, it would be no lc�s a thing of beauty in the chambers of the mind . Look with despite as he may upon the j ugglery, pity as he may the moc kery of the most tender feelings of the heart-an undying love for the departed--d isbelieve as he may in spiritual pro­gression , the lover of such creations as enlarge our boundary of ex i:'<tencc by i n troducing us to new forms of l ife in innu­mera ble su rround i n g spheres which give renewed animation to t�c whole universe of existences, cannot fail to read the " Out­l ine� of C reation , " from which we quoted so largely, if not with profit , at least with delight.

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