SPIRITUALISM.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1534, 20 July 1886, Page 3

SPIRITUALISM.

Last Sunday the Rev. T. A Hamilton preached a sermon on the above eubiect, his text being: “Art thou Ho that should come T or look we for another!" etc., Luke vii., 19—23. John the Baptist’s question was answered by Jesus Christ “ib that same hour, ” for He manifested His divine power by healing many of their infirmities, and plagues, and of evil spirits, giving sight to Jhe blind, etc. Then Jesus, answering, said, “Go and tell John what things ye have seen and beard,” etc. All tilings in the natural world are natus i.e., born, produced or created, called into being by the creative fiat of God ; all things in the natural world, whether human or superhuman, art subject to natural law. None possess supernatural powers except God. Jesus Christ in exercising these supernatural powers proved His Divinity. “The works that I do in the Father’s name, bear witness of Me”—John x., 25. Tbs miracles which Be worked proved His Lordship over the elements, death, the grave, etc,, i.e., power over natural law. Til spirits are among created being*, and all they can accomplish may be colled merely superhuman. The ‘ popular ' misconception as regards spiritualism is that the phenomena produced are supernatural and that therefore they- are on the same basis as the miracles of Christ which authenticate the Christian revelation. / Spiritualistic revelations are the foundation of many false creeds, Mormooism, - etc. “By their fruits ye shall know them.” Spiritualism produced nothing but moral ruin, and was utterly untrustworthy as a source of religious knowledge. It, however, proved the existence of wonderful forces in nature, and also bore out the Biblical theory of the existence of good and evil angels, and a future life. Reference was mads to 1. John, iv., 1; ‘t Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they be of God, because many false prophets are gone out into the world and I. Timothy, iv.,l; “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,” ate. The preacher urged his bearers to place no reliance on spiritualistic phenomena as a source of religious knowledge • but knowing the presence of such; wonderful forces in nature, accept as much aa science has proved of them which corroborate the Bible view of geod and evil spirits ; the existence of apiritual faculties in man, etc,, and thankfully acknowledge the truth of the Bible when, if Home the physician could place hie bund into a grate of red hot coala, and bring it but uninjured, we can understand how three men once came out out of a furnace, nor was a hair of their heads injured, nor the smell of fire upon their garments. If hands appear in spiritualistic phenomena, we can understand how it was that tba fingers of a man’s hand wrote on the walla of Belshazzar’s palace ‘Mene mene tekel upharsin.'” Jf matter can pass through matter, we can understand, how One who was raised again passed through the doors that were shut,” (Tide Cook’s Boston Lectures, which the preacher advised all to read.) He urged all to seek communion with God;., not by consulting superhuman natural forces and revelation, but by prayer, seeking the aid of the Holy Spirit of God in dwelling in our hearts. The Communion of the Holy Spirit is “ open to all men on condition of total affectionate and irreversible self-surrender to God.” Do this ; yield to the influence of the Holy Spirit, and your heart will gladly make response. ‘' This is He -the Revealerof Holiness, the "Way, the Truth, apd the Life.”