HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/padgett.htm" James Padgett received messages from Jesus and many Celestials, and other spirits, over the period 1914 until his death in 1923. The only messages that are currently published, were published in four initial volumes entitled "True Gospel Revealed Anew by Jesus." These four volumes were published between 1940 and 1967, by Dr Stone, the close associate of James Padgett. The last volume was in fact completed after Dr Stone's death, by Rev John Paul Gibson. A number of other published works have been compiled from this initial source. This chronological index below of these messages has not been produced previously. This index is the result of a great deal of work, by a number of different people. We believe that this compilation will be of great interest to those who would like to understand how Padgett's knowledge evolved, and precisely in what sequence things happened. If one wants to get straight into the "meaty stuff", it is however easier to read Volumes I and II below. We no longer have access to the original hand written messages, although they still exist. The matching of dates was accomplished by comparing the short summary in a diary form to which we do have access. These are called the Padgett HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tablet.htm" Tablets. The reader should be aware that this date matching is a somewhat inexact process. Sometimes it is easy to match, but some messages appear to not be in this Tablet. Others are simply uncertain, because the Tablet could refer to more than one message. Thus some licence has occasionally been taken to arrive at this index. We do not believe that this should in any way detract from the index May 31st, 1914. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: Yes, I love you and you know it. Come to bed and I will let you feel my arms around your neck and will hug you and put you to sleep so that you will feel better in the morning. (were you at the Bahai meeting?) Yes, I was. I did not think much of the address of the woman from India, because it did not tell of what the Love of God is to the lost souls of man. You were not benefitted much by it, as you were very lonely and needed the Love of God to be preached. The other address was better, but it does not tell the way to truth and light that the Bible does. Be a Christian and love the God of the Bible and ... Yes I am, and you know that I am in the spirit world. I can see that the things taught are the truth, for I am not in the flesh and am not bound by the limitations of the flesh as I was when alive. Yes, and I am trying to help you all that I can. Yes, you do and I will continue to help If you will let me. Yes, I look upon him (Jesus) as a man of God, not as God Himself. He is the one that should be your guide and friend. He is a very bright spirit and is far up in the Heavens and is close to God. He does come to us sometimes, and keeps us in holy rapport with the Father. He is the loveliest of all the spirits in the Heavens. He is not angry with you, for he loves you with his whole heart, and will do everything to help you. Yes, I am, but I am not in the Heavens yet, but I will soon be and then you will learn much more from me. He (her father) is getting better; he is beginning to see that this life is not for the Christians who have not the Love of God in their hearts, but for those who love God with all their hearts and souls. He did not love God truly; he put too much faith in the literal words of the Bible, but did not have the spiritual love that he should have had. She (her mother) is progressing, too. Your father is in the Heavens, and is a bright and shining spirit and is your Guardian Angel. He is with you very much and he will help you to progress and to become a more spiritual man. Your mother is far up in the Heavens, and she is with you often and is trying to help you also. She is an exceeding bright spirit and is very strong and is filled with the Holy Spirit to a very high degree. She is one of the brightest spirits that I know. She comes to me often and helps me progress. Yes, she (Mr. Padgett's grandmother, Ann Rollins) is too pure and holy to come to me very often, but she is much interested in you and will come to you when you write sometimes. She says she will tell you of the life in the higher spheres, and also will come to you when you sit for a photograph, in her illumined form, so that you may see that she is living and is part of the Kingdom of God. She is the brightest spirit that I know. She is a very strong and powerful spirit, and will not let you be bothered by the evil spirits, or those who try to impersonate those spirits who are here and try to talk to you. She is here now and wants me to say that she is the loving grandmother that she always was, and will love you with her whole heart and ... He is not with her in the high Heavens (Mr. Padgett's grandfather), but he is a very bright spirit, and he loves you, too. Yes, they are in the Heavens (Grandmother and Grandfather Padgett). Their love was so pure and holy that they went to the Heavens of holy love. They are not ... Yes I am, and must stop. Good night. Helen May 31st, 1914 (Date dubious) Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your father: Yes, I am. And I will try to tell you what you must do to form a band of spirit workers. Let me select them, and then you will not be troubled by bad spirits. You must not try to talk to every one who may come to you, for that will work injury to you and you will not be able to get the best results. Let me tell you who you should have form the band: your grandmother, your mother, Helen, Professor Salyards, Mr. Riddle, and myself - these are enough to help you in the investigation of spiritualism. (Will they join?) Yes, I will have them come, and you can ask them. (Grandmother, Ann Rollins):Yes, I will, and you will be a successful medium, and will not need to go to the séances where you went on Friday night, as they are not helpful to you in the way of progressing in your investigations. (Mother):Yes, I am. I certainly will, and you will not be troubled by bad spirits, for your father and grandmother will keep them away from you. (Prof. Salyards):Yes, I am, and I will be one of the band to help you. You will be my mouthpiece in my writing to the world the thoughts that I desire to make known on subjects that are of interest to mankind. Keep well and I will soon let you write my ideas of this life and of what I find to be the real truth of the Love of God and the love of mankind. (Asks him to write a verse.) Yes. I am not in condition tonight, as you are too weak to write much more. Yes, I will show my face in the photograph, and then you will know that I am one of your band. (Mr. Riddle):Yes, I am, and I will be one of the band. You will not be annoyed by any others than the ones your father has named. I will write you what my beliefs and thoughts are of the life here so that you may know that I am just a spirit in search of the truth. You will see that I am not one who knows everything, but will try to learn whatever is possible and will tell you what I learn. Yes, and will let you see that I have my mustache and goatee just as in my earthly life. (Father):Yes. You can go to the photographer as soon as you find it convenient and we will be there, and you will see us all. I will be in my naval uniform and then you will be convinced that I am living. (At the séance on Friday last, J. Shellington spoke to me and asked that he be permitted to join my band of spirits. I had not then thought of or had suggested to me a band of spirits. I suggested his name to my father, who wrote.) (Father):He is not of the spiritual kind that will be helpful to you, and I do not think it wise for him to join. He is too much of the earthy yet, but will soon progress, and then we may have him join. Go to bed and rest. Your father, John H. Padgett September 12th, 1914 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. God is Love and they that worship Him in spirit and love will not be forsaken. I came to tell you that you are very near the Kingdom, only believe and pray to the Father and you will soon know the truth, and the truth will make you free. You were hard hearted and sinful, but now that you are seeking the light I will come to you and help you, only believe and you will soon see the truth of my teachings. Go not in the way of the wicked for their end is punishment and long suffering. Let your love for God and your fellow man increase. You are not in condition for further writing. I will come to you again when you are stronger. Yes, it is Jesus and I want the world to follow the teachings of my words. Goodbye and may the Holy Spirit bless you as I do. Jesus Christ This is the first message from Jesus that was not destroyed. Apparently earlier messages were not considered genuine by James Padgett, and he destroyed them. September 12th, 1914 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Helen. Yes, I am here and I love to be with you. HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/jesus43.htm" (Who last wrote to me?) The savior of men. He was with you and I was so glad as I feel that you will now believe that I am in the spirit world and in the Love of God. He is the lord who came down from Heaven to save men (sic). Let his love for you, help you to become a more spiritual man. God will bless you in all your doings. Good night. Helen September 12th, 1914 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. Yes, I am here, your father. HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/jesus43.htm" Yes, it is true. He was with you and you will soon learn much more from him as he says that he will teach you the Truth and the Light and the Way. Love God and keep His commandments. Let your heart be open to the Divine teachings of the Master. He will not show you all the love he has for you, but will let you feel that he is your loving friend and savior. (Why did he come to me?) Because he loves you and believes that you may be of some benefit to the world. Yes he was the real Jesus of the Bible. He is not in the Heavens and sitting on the right hand of the Father, but is among all mankind and still teaching them the power of Love and truth. He does not need the worship of men, but all that he wants is their love and happiness. He is not the savior of the few but of all who will ask him to help them. Let your love for God increase and you will not be unhappy or cast down. Good night. Your father, John H. Padgett September 12th, 1914 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. Give your heart to the Lord and He will bless you as you will soon realize. HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/jesus43.htm" He did and he will come to you again soon. He is waiting to tell you of the truths that he is longing to have you know. He is not going to let you feel that he is away up in the heavens far beyond the reach of men, but is with them all the time working and trying to save them from their sins. Let your love for God and His truths keep you from unbelief and doubt. Be a true seeker after the knowledge that is in Christ, and you will not be long in doubt as to which is the way to eternal happiness. Keep trying to find the truth. He told me that he would come to you so that you might not doubt any longer, and he is not going to leave you again as he did some years ago when your heart was hard and sinful.You must believe that he came to you. He is no other than Jesus of the Bible. I will love and help you at all times. Your grandmother, Ann Rollins September 14th, 1914. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: I do, with all my heart. I was and I was so happy. You must not be unhappy because I am with you all the time, and you will not he lonely if you love me as you did this morning. You are my only darling one and this is my one dear privilege of having you for myself. Be true to me and you will be happy. HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/jesus43.htm" Yes the Master was with you on Saturday night and he is the only one who can help you to feel the love of God as you did. (The following question referring to Mr. Colburn, who said it might be a false impersonation). Yes and I heard what was said - he is not correct in saying that I do not know Jesus when he comes among us. He is so luminous with the love of God and the spirit of righteousness in his whole being that we all know that he is the true Christ - do not let any doubt exist in your mind that the one who wrote to you was not Jesus - he was the true Jesus of the Bible. Yes, and I have seen the spirit of Rector, he is not the spirit that he represents himself to be, he is a wicked spirit who goes about to deceive the mortals on earth, he is a wicked spirit who has no love for God or man, and he is trying to lead mankind to believe that he is the Christ, he will be severely punished at the time of reckoning. Yes and I know what I am talking about as I have been warned against him. Your grandmother who is in one of the highest planes of the spirit world has told me of him. He (Jesus) is a very bright and handsome spirit, He is not the same as the picture on earth represents him to be. He is very lovely and kind and filled with love, and has a face that seems to glow with the spirit of the Love of his Father. He is a most holy looking spirit and does not know that he is a lovely one, but seems so humble and ready to serve all who need his help and love. Yes he will and you must believe in him and follow his advice. He wants you to become a good and pure man. He saw that you were longing to know the truth and he was anxious to help you. He saw that you were distressed and that you needed the assistance of his great love and teaching. Tell Mr. Colburn that he must believe that Jesus is ready to come to him and show him the Truth and Love of God and that he must not think that the Christ is not teaching mankind the way of truth and love. He is only hearing the cry of the penitent and the lost soul. He will come when you earnestly call for him and will teach you the true and secret meanings of his sayings as recorded in the Bible, only have faith and love the Father. He has told me that he is only waiting for you and your friend (Mr. Colburn) to call on him in faith and earnestness and he will come to you both. Yes, and I am progressing very rapidly and will soon be in the third sphere. You must not wish for that now, be contended a little while and you will be with me. No, I will wait for you and we will go together to the higher planes of love and light. We will always be together as husband and wife. (I asked the question, did she love her children very much?) Yes, I love them and am with them very often, but they are the love mates of others. They will find their happiness in the society of these others, they will not need me after a little while, except that I shall help them to feel that their mother is watching over them and loves them as a mother. Do not let their lives be too much a part of yours as you are not the one that God decreed should be with them as their true loves forever. Let your love for them only help them to learn that they must live right and love their God. Yes, she (Nita) is in the school and is very happy and only wants to have her school commence its exercises. She loves you very much and is a true daughter, and is learning the truths of Christ's teachings. You are my dearest and only love and you will be my soul-mate when you come to me in the future. Let me feel that you love me as I do you and I shall be very happy. Yes, and I saw the book that you were reading, the last one is not helpful, let it alone, as it is but the philosophy of a man that has a hobby and he will not convince you of any helpful truth. Be a true follower of Christ and you will need no other knowledge or help. Yes, and I do not agree with him as to Spiritualism or Christian Science. He is not well enough informed on either to form a correct judgment. He is too bigoted and has not a true conception of the Bible. Let him alone. Good night, with all my love and many kisses. Helen September 14th, 1914. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Your Father: I am happy and so is your mother, and you are very much better spiritually than when you were a very young boy. You are commencing to see the true teachings of the Bible. Let your teachings be in Christ as he is the truth and the way and the light. It was HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/jesus43.htm" Jesus of the Bible that came to you on Saturday night. I know because I was with him and know it was he. He is not an impostor, as your friend thinks might come representing himself to be the true Christ, but he was Jesus of Nazareth and he was the only one in all the spirit world who has the wonderful countenance of love and truth. He is the one true son of God that can save you and your friend from your sins, believe in him and do not let the teachings or false statements of the other spirits cause you to have doubts as to his being the true Christ - keep his love fresh in your hearts. He will come to you again and also to Mr. Colburn if he will only believe and earnestly pray to him. He is not the spirit that Mr. Colburn thinks may impersonate him. He is the true Jesus that was hanged on the cross and arose again from the dead - be not deceived by the spirits who say that he cannot come to you or your friend. He is your friend and Saviour and he loves you both as his younger brothers. Give your love to God and he will show you the way to salvation. Jesus is the personality that took the form of man and lived on the earth, teaching the truths of God. Christ is the truths that Jesus taught, and these truths are the everlasting things that will save the human race from their sins. He is a spirit just as we are, but he is so very far above us in the spirit life and knowledge of God that we all, who believe in God look up to him as our teacher and saviour from our sins. Believe that he is your saviour and you will not be deceived. Let his love for you keep you in the true way to eternal life and happiness. Good bye and may God bless you. Your Father September 14th, 1914. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your grandmother: I am exceedingly happy and am glad that you are seeing the truth as it is in Christ. He is the truest son of God as I have found in my life here. He is not a saviour of the merely churchman, but of them who have received the New Birth of the Spirit - do not let the thought that you must be a member of any church keep you from seeking his help and love for he is the saviour of the individual and not of the aggregate of people who happen to belong to a church. HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/jesus43.htm" He was with you on Saturday night and he talked to you. I am well acquainted with him and often see and converse with him, so I know that he was the true Christ of the Scriptures. He was only trying to let you feel that he is interested in your spiritual welfare, and you must believe that he was with you. I know the spirit that Mr. Colburn referred to and he is not a good spirit. He is a spirit that has an inordinate amount of vanity and often impersonates Jesus and other spirits of high station. He is not to be believed when he makes the assertion that he is the Christ. Let him alone and he will not trouble you or your friend in the way of impersonating the true Christ. Give my love to your friend and tell him that I am very much interested in his spiritual welfare and will try to help him and lead him to the realization of the truth as I know it in the spirit world. He is only a little way from the Kingdom and he will soon see the truth in all its beauty and purity. Tell him to have faith in his God and pray to Him for light and he will get it more abundantly. He is a very good and loving man in his spiritual life and he will soon feel that God is his true and loving saviour. Good-night and may the love of God rest with you and keep you from all sin and unhappiness forever. Your grandmother, Ann Rollins September 15th, 1914 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. Yes, I am Your grandmother: Yes, and I am in close touch with the Lord. God is a spirit. He is the one mind and spirit that teaches all other spirits, that the truth is the only thing that can save from sin and error. Do not let the teachings of the Saviour become mere idle sounds in your ears - believe in them and you will be soon in the possession of the precious and glorious jewels of the truth - let him lead you to God. Love him and he will be with you and teach you the truths of his Father. The New Birth is the flowing of the Spirit of God into your soul and the disappearing of all that tends to turn your heart from the truth and Love of God. It comes by the workings of the Holy Spirit that conveys the Grace of God. It is not a working of your own will or power - it is the Love of God that causes the change. You cannot of yourself change the evil workings of your heart but you can pray and the Holy Spirit will come into your soul and then you will realize the change. The Spirit is the power of God, which he uses to influence men to seek His Favor and Love. It is not God Himself, but only one of His instrumentalities with which he works for the salvation of mankind. Let your love for him be the holiest and best kind that you can give to Him. And pray for the Divine Love with earnest sincere prayer. Yes, Jesus is the teacher, and the Holy Spirit is God's messenger or instrument that carries into the soul the Divine Love that is bestowed on the truly penitent man. Jesus is the saviour of men by his teachings and his example and the Holy Spirit is the Comforter that carries into the soul the Divine Love. Jesus is still teaching and influencing men to turn to God. He will continue to teach until the Celestial Kingdom is closed. He will come as a still small voice that will reach men's souls and lead them to the Father. He will not come as the Adventist priest. Jesus will come quietly into each man's heart and in that way establish the millennium. He is not going to have a kingdom all his own. He is the son of his Father and will remain in the spirit world to teach men to progress to the heavenly planes that reach up to the presence of God. He is the most glorious spirit in all the heavens and he is the greatest spirit under the dominion of his Father. There is only one God. Jesus and the Holy Spirit are merely the forces which God uses to carry out his great plans for the redemption of man. Let me stop now as I am tired. Your Grandmother, (Ann Rollins) September 15th, 1914 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Your Mother: You are the best son in the world. Yes, and you must love me more than you do. Give me more of your heart and you will feel that I am with you more. Yes, and I am very often with you. No, he is in the lower sphere, but he will soon be with me. He is progressing very fast and is a lovely spirit. Yes, I do not believe in hell and eternal punishment - they are the false teachings of the orthodox churches. (The yes & no are answers to questions asked by Mr. Padgett) Jesus is the same as I believed him to be on earth. Yes, he is my saviour still, but I do not worship him as God. He is not God, but a spirit of the greatest perfection and goodness. He is with me quite often. HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/jesus43.htm" He talked to you on Saturday night and he will come to you again very soon and explain the true teaching of the Bible. Let him be your friend and adviser. I have a home and live with a spirit that is the same in progression as myself. We are very happy together and she is the soulmate of your father. No, I am not, but he is waiting to come here and be with the one who is. Yes, but he is not in the same sphere with me. He is in the one with your father and he is progressing too. No, I did not and only met him when he came to the spirit world. He was living in the City of Chicago, and was a very wealthy man, but a very great sinner. He is now in a state of progression and will be with me soon. Yes, but I am not his and he is not mine. Yes, they are, but he is not with her yet, he is too earthly, but is progressing. Yes I do - she is Helen. She does and you must love her too. You must go to bed. Goodnight my son. Your mother. Ann R. Padgett September 24th, 1914. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. Be of good cheer for I am with you always. Do not let your heart fear, for the Lord is your keeper and He will be your guide and shield. Only believe and trust in Him and you will soon be born again into the spiritual world of His Kingdom. Let me teach you and give you the thoughts that He gave me while on earth. Let me show you that the things of this world are not the things that save the soul from sin and unhappiness. Be a true follower of your God. Question: what does it mean to be "born again?" It is the flowing of the Holy Spirit into the soul of a man and the disappearing of all that tended to keep it in a condition of sin and error. It is not the workings of the man's own will but the Grace of God. It is the Love of God that passes all understanding. You will soon experience the change, and then you will be a happy man and fit to lead others to the truths of God. Let your heart be open to the knockings of the Spirit, and keep your mind free from thoughts of sin. Be a man who loves his God and his fellow man. Your love is only now of the earthly kind, but it will soon be of the things spiritual. You must not let the cares of this world keep you from God. Let His Spirit come into your soul. Your will is the thing that determines whether you will become a child of God or not. Unless you are willing to let the Holy Spirit enter into your heart, it will not do so. Only the voluntary submission to or acceptance of the Holy Spirit will make the change. I was the instrument in God's hands of leading men to His favor and Love. When I said " HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/quotesjohn.htm" \l "J146" I am the Way, the Truth and the Life," I meant that through my teachings and example men should be able to find God. I was not God and never claimed to be. The worship of me as a God is blasphemous and I did not teach it. I am a son of God as you are. Do not let the teachings of men lead you to worship me as a God. I am not. The trinity is a mistake of the writers of the bible. There is no trinity - only one God, the Father. He is one and alone. I am His teacher of truth, the Holy Spirit is His messenger and dispenser of Love to mankind. We are only His instruments in bringing man to a union with Him. I am not the equal of my Father - He is the only true God. I came from the spirit world to earth and took the form of man, but I did not become a God - only the son of my Father. You also lived as a spirit in that kingdom, and took the form of man merely as a son of your Father. You are the same as I am, except as to spiritual development, and you may become as greatly developed as myself. Question: Why were you called God's only son in the Bible? When on earth, I was the only son who had, until then, become vested with the Divine Love of God to the extent of being wholly free from sin and error. My life was not a life of earthly pleasure or sin, but was given wholly to my Father's work. I was His only son in that light. He was my Father as I knew Him to be. He is not a spirit of form like myself or yourself. I was born as you were born. I was the son of Mary and Joseph, and not born of the Holy Spirit as it is written in the Bible. I was only a human being as regards my birth and physical existence. The account in the New Testament is not true, and was written by those who knew not what they wrote. They have done the cause of God's truths much injury. Let not your belief in that error keep you from seeing that my teachings are the truth. Be only a believer of God and His truths and you will soon be in the Kingdom. You will soon be able to understand as I understand. Good night. Jesus Christ September 24th, 1914 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, your Father. (question - who wrote last?) HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/jesus38.htm" Jesus - the one of the Bible. He was with you and you are the one who must feel that you are highly favored. You must believe that it was he. No, it was the true Jesus. No impostor could have written as he did. Good night. Your father, John H. Padgett September 24th, 1914 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/jesus38.htm" You were talking to Jesus. I know, for I was here, and have talked to him many times. Be of good cheer. You will soon feel the influence of his having been with you. Your grandmother, Ann Rollins September 24th, 1914 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. Good night - I love you, Helen September 24th, 1914 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. You have my blessing. HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/jesus38.htm" It was the Christ who was talking. He is your friend and savior. Your mother, Ann R. Padgett September 24th, 1914 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Bright Star: Yes, I know, I saw and felt that your love for your wife was so great and so pure, that I felt better too. You certainly do love her and she loves you even more for her love is something that I have never seen surpassed. She is such a beautiful and sweet spirit that we all love her. So you must feel that you are more blessed than most men. I am very happy but I would like to talk to you more often than I do, as you help me so much when I come to you, for you love me as a true brother and realize that I am not a mere Indian squaw, but a spirit of light and truth having been redeemed by the Love of God. Oh my dear brother, if you only knew how I love to hear of spiritual things of my Father, and not of those things which I have to listen to so much, you would think of me more often and give me many thoughts that would help me in my work. I am not one to complain, but I am also one who loves the beautiful thoughts that tell of God's love and the love of the Master and of the spirits of the higher planes. So you see you are the only one in all the earth who knows what I am in my spiritual nature. So think of me sometimes and especially in your prayers. Yes, I know you do pray for me sometimes, and I am so grateful for they help me. Yes I do, and if you will only sit in the dark for a little while, I believe that we will be able to talk as you suggest. I certainly will try my best, and I know that your wife and father will, and so will White Eagle, who is such a powerful spirit that we should not have any great difficulty in establishing the rapport necessary. So try tonight after you stop writing, and maybe some result will follow. Yes, I know, and it is a wonderful thing to us all. We do not understand it, but see that it is so. You are certainly blessed and you must do your work with all your strength and ability. I will try all that I know how to help you. You are not so very far behind some of our spirits who are very near the kingdom in your love for God; and I believe that if you continue to receive that Love you will have a most wonderful influence with God and also with men. The Master certainly loves you and you are his favorite one to do his work, so believe implicitly. Be my true brother and love me as such for your love is true as I can see. Yes, you can pray for me as I said, and give me your best thoughts. I want to get closer to God and his heaven of love, even though I have to spend so much time in the earth plane. But thank God my duties will soon be over in that respect and then I can live more in my home higher up, where your mother lives. She is a lovely and pure spirit and is filled with God's love, so try to be like her and you will be very happy. Tell Mr. Colburn that I was at his house last night about six o'clock and tried to impress him with my presence but I could not. He is one who is very dear to me and I want him to seek for the love too, so tell him. And when you go to his home again try to get the voices, for I believe that they will soon come to you all. Yes, I do, your father was there and called his name, and Mr. Colburn answered and your father told him that your Uncle William wanted to give you a message. Your father was actually there also. They do not have to come there to talk to you. What can compare with the way they do talk to you. You are one of the most favored persons that I know in the way of receiving communications. The independent voices do not convey such messages as you get and cannot, for even if the spirits speaking could talk in the way that those who communicate with you write, yet there would not be power sufficient to support such extended communications. I would rather have the power of automatic writing, as it is called, than any I know of. Yes, we can say some comforting things but cannot have long communications. Yes, she is an honest medium or I would not sit with her. So you may rest assured of that. You do love me as such and your prayer has filled my soul with happiness. So I must go, but I will come again soon and so goodnight. Your loving sister, Bright Star September 28th, 1914 Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus: You are my true brother and will soon have the Love of our Father in your heart. Do not be discouraged or cast down for the Holy Spirit will soon fill your heart with the Love of the Father, and then you will be most happy and full of light and power to help yourself and fellowmen. Go to your Father for His help. Go in prayer, firmly believing and you soon will feel His Love in your heart. My teachings, I know, you will receive in the course of time, and you will then see that your understanding will be greatly enlarged so that you will know that I am the Father's son as I explained it to you a few nights ago. You can and will receive the Father's Love so that you will not need to go through the expiation in the spirit world. I was not conceived by the Holy Spirit, as it is taught by the preachers and teachers who are now leading mankind in the doctrines of the churches. I was born as you were born, and my earthly father was Joseph. I was conceived by God's Spirit in the sense that I was born free from sin and error, while all other human beings were born in sin and error. I never was a human being so far as my spiritual existence is concerned, as I was always free from sin and error, but I had all the feelings and longings of a human being which were not of sin. My love was human as well as spiritual, and I was subject to all the feelings of sympathy and love that any other human being was. Do not understand that I was with desires and longings for the pleasures of the world which the human passions created. I was not, only I was capable of deep feeling, and could feel and know the suffering and distress of humanity. Yes, I will, and you will learn that many errors were written by the writers of the Bible. I will show you that the many alleged sayings of mine were not said by me or did not express my teachings of the truth. Her teachings of Christian Science do not express the true meaning of truth and love as I taught them. She is in error as to the ideas that God is spirit only, a spirit of mind. He is a spirit of everything that belongs to His Being. He is not only Mind, but Heart, Soul and Love. You are too weak to write more. You have my blessing and also that of the Holy Spirit. Jesus the Christ This is the third message from Jesus received by James E. Padgett. September 28th, 1914 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here; your grandmother: You are too much troubled in spirit to enjoy my visit as you otherwise would, but I will try to help you to be more happy. I am in a state of contentment and have my home in the seventh heaven and have all the blessings that my Father promised me when I was on earth, but I had no conception of them then. My home is a wonderful mansion, built of the most beautiful material that you can imagine. There are flowers and beautiful pictures and lovely rooms filled with all kinds of furniture that you could possibly wish for. I am not the only one that lives in my home, there is also a beautiful spirit that was on earth, a great follower of Christ and lover of her fellow man. Our home is full of the finest kind of everything that makes a home lovely. We have many friends who visit us and whom we visit. We do the work of the Lord in helping the spirits in the lower spheres to see the truths of the Love of their Father. We are not singing all the time, but we have a great deal of beautiful music and laughter and love. Goodnight. Your grandmother, Ann Rollins September 29th, 1914 Received by: James Padgett. Washington D.C. Christ Jesus is here and wishes to write to you about the Love of God and the needs of mankind. Let your mind be free from all thoughts of evil and sin. The Love of God is reaching out for every man so that the meanest will be the object of His care. Do not let the thought that He is only loving the good and righteous lead you to think that you must seek the company of these favored ones only. Let the lost and unhappy be the objects of your efforts to show them the way to the Father. You will have an opportunity, in receiving our messages, to teach all mankind about the Love of God for His children - that they are the children of His greatest Care and Love. Be only earnest in your efforts to spread the truths which I shall teach you in my communications, and you will be a successful laborer in the work which the Father has decreed that you shall do. Give your best endeavors to the spreading of the messages, and you will not only save the souls of the blinded and lost, but also will hasten the coming of the Kingdom in your own life and heart. Let me come to you often, for you are the instrument that I wish to use in my new (or repeated) Gospel of Glad Tidings to the Human Race. Be true to the trust that I shall impose in you and let not the cares of the world keep you from spreading my gospel. Come to the Love of God in a more enlarged and truthful meaning and you will be my true follower. Let me lead you to the fountainhead of all the truths which God has in store for humanity. My own love and power will guide you and keep you in the way of Light and Truth that you may teach to your fellow man. Your own soul must be first purified, and then you will be able to show others the power and love that I have for them. You are not to seek the help of other spirits until I teach you the truths of my Father. He is the only one who has the power to save men from their sins and errors. Be true and earnest in your work, and don't let other things distract your mind from the task set before you. [note:from this point on rapport has been lost] The world needs a new awakening, and the infidelity and unbelief of men who think themselves wise but who are foolish, as they will ultimately find out, and the material things must not fill their souls much longer or they will suffer more than they can imagine. The material needs of mankind are not the only clouds that must be lifted from their souls. You are too weak to write more now. Yes, but I am not able to write more now because you are not in condition. You must stop writing now. Jesus Christ October 5th, 1914. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus: You must not be too anxious for me to explain all the mysteries of God's creation. I must not teach you all of them now, but will later, when you have become purified and are at-one with Him. You are the messenger that I shall use to carry my gospel to mankind and I will teach you those truths which you cannot now understand. I will explain all the qualities of the soul and spirit so that mankind need no longer remain in darkness as to what my teachings mean and as to how very necessary it is that it shall understand and follow my teachings. Do not be over anxious at this time to know the mysteries of preexistent of the difference between the soul and the spirit. (Sic) You shall know in the future and you will then be able to receive the truths of God in their respects to your fellow man. Go to the Lord in prayer and he will remove from your soul all that tends to defile it and make it an alien from Him. He is the one that will clean it from all sin and error. Do not believe all that you read tonight in the books that you are reading at the library. Some statements were true and some were not. Only the teachings that I shall give you will tell the wishes of my Father. Let not your heart be troubled or cast down for I am with you always and I will help you in every time of need. Only believe that I am the Jesus of the Scriptures and you will not be long out of the Kingdom. You are my chosen one on earth to proclaim my glad tidings of life and love. Be true to yourself and to your God and He will bless you abundantly. Keep His commandments and you will be very happy and will soon receive the contentment that He gives His true children. Go to Him in all your troubles and you will find rest and peace. Unknown questions Yes, in a very short time you will be free to devote your whole attention to my objects and to your work. You will soon be in a condition to let the things of this world alone as I need you for my service. Let me tell you that you will get your home as you desire and have your surroundings all harmonious for receiving my messages. And you will be with your daughter to keep you happy and free from care. Let me bless you and leave you now for you are too nervous to write more at this time. With all my love and my blessings and those of the Holy Spirit. Jesus October 5th, 1914 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. Oh, my dear son: HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor193.htm" The Master has told you the way to salvation. Only believe! I am your loving mother. November 3rd, 1914. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: You are too nervous to write. You must go to bed early and rest. You are my darling Ned, and I love you with all my heart, so do not think that you are not loved by me, and your father and mother and grandmother. We all love you. Question and answer: Yes I have. And he (Jesus) says, that he is waiting for you to get in condition to write. He will write to you as he said and you must soon get in condition, You will get it by prayer as I am told by your grandmother, who is here. She says that you must believe more thoroughly in the promises of the Master and you will receive the gift of the Spirit. She says that you are too much taken up with your business matters, to let the Spirit enter into your soul in all its truth and love. She says, that you must not let the thoughts of what you shall do in the future keep you from praying to God and loving him as you will be taken care of. She says: That Jesus is the one for you to believe in and love as he will be your friend and will help you to progress in your spiritual life, as well as in your temporal life. He is the one who can help you more than anyone else. She says: That the Christian Scientists Church is the one that will help you most as the people who attend there are more in accord with the teachings of Christ than are the Spiritualists of the church of Mrs. Kates. And she further says, that the Spiritualists are not teaching the true religion of the Master, and that is the only one that will lead to God; they are merely showing the possibility of communicating between the dead and the living, which is desirable so far as it goes, but which does not save men from their sins or bring them at-one with God. So I would not attend there very often, but rather go to some church that teaches that Jesus is the saviour of men from their sins. Go to the Methodist, or Congregational or Universalist church. Each of them will help you to progress in your spiritual development. Yes, he (preacher) is all wrong and you will not be benefitted by him. He is not in the true way of light. He is too imaginative and visionary. He does not see the things that he preaches and he is not doing any good to himself or to others. Go to the Lord and He will lead you aright. I mean the Father whom Jesus taught about, and that he will help you to see the Truth and the things that are necessary for your salvation. Yes you should, as they are the mediums by which God lets His Love and Favor come to man. They are the only true instrumentalities of the Father which He uses to show the way to salvation, and to confer His Love and Grace on man. Yes, you do, only believe more and you will soon receive the gift of the Spirit in all its fullness. Yes, you will and so will those that you come in contact with. Give the Lord your whole heart and soul and you will soon realize the difference in your life. Yes, she does, and is with you often and prays God to bless you. She says, that she is willing for once to attend such a séance, but that it is not beneficial as a general thing, as it does not help the spiritual development of the person, but only convinces the man that the spirit is a living being and can come back to earth and show himself in a form that may be realized. The writing phase is the most satisfactory as you can preserve what is said, and can commune in a more extended and enlightening manner. She (Mrs. Kates) is talking through her own mind. No spirit talks through her. She sees the forms and scenes which she describes and she hears the voices of spirits talking to her and she merely repeats what she hears. (Irish control) She merely repeats the language that she hears. You will be a strong medium of communicating by the pencil. You will not be a clairvoyant as that is a phase that is not intended for you to possess. Yes, and you will not only be able to write for us, but for Jesus, as he desires. You will become a true follower of him, and then you will be able to write with much facility and success. He will tell you when he writes. I do not know what he will write, for he has only told me that he will write on the Truths that the Bible does not contain or rather that he will correct certain passages contained in the Bible. Yes, you must love me as I love you and then you will be happy. Yes, and you must believe that I am. Yes I am, and will soon be in the third heaven, and I will then be so much happier. Yes it is, and that is what I want you to do. Good night my own love. Helen November 8th, 1914. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: Yes I was, and you were benefitted by the services although you did not enjoy the full blessings of the fact that Jesus writes through you. You should not let that thought enter into your workshop as it is only one of the blessings that you can enjoy if you will try. You did not pray to God as you should have done. He was the one that you should have thought of more. Question and Answer: Yes, I know, but they were only trying to feel the presence of God and the Holy Spirit. You did not get the full benefit of the service. Yes, that is so, but you must not let that idea prevent you from worshipping God, as He does not want anyone to worship Him in any other way than in Spirit and in Truth. I am your grandmother who is dictating this message to Helen. Because she does not understand yet, the fullness of God's Love and I am trying to let you know that you must worship God only, and let your heart go out to Him in thankfulness and love. Jesus of course is the one for you to keep in holy rapport with, so do not let the thought that he is not a God prevent you from loving and serving him. You must not think of him as your saviour from sin and error, but merely as one who is interested in you and wants to write through you, and this will help you to progress. His blood does not save you, nor does his death, but his love and teachings do save you from sin and death. He is not going to let you feel that he is not your friend, unless you turn away from him to get the love of earth, by things and pleasures. Question and Answer: Yes, but you were not praying to the Father as you should have done. Do not let the thought that you are going to write for him, keep you from praying to the Father or you will not advance in your spiritual life.You are not in condition to write more tonight or I would write fully on just what you should know and will do so later. You will soon know just what I mean. Go to bed and rest. Good night,Your Grandmother Helen, goodnight, with all my love. November 11th, 1914 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Your grandmother: Yes, I am here and I wish to tell you that you must not let what I said to you last night discourage you for I was only trying to let you know that you must not forget to pray to God for His Blessing. You were not in a condition to fully understand what I wrote. You were only in a condition of doubt as to what it was that you should do in order to feel the influence of my meaning. Question and Answer: Yes it is and you must not so worship him. They were not only wrong in that particular, but they did not understand that Jesus does not want to be worshipped in that way. They may follow him in his teachings and assemble, but must worship only God. You can help them to see the Truth and you should try to do so. Yes, I know, but nevertheless you should make an effort for they must learn that Jesus is only a son of God and is not the God or any part of Him. He is the one for them to seek and ask his aid in order to learn the truth.Yes, I know, but they will have to learn sooner or later that the Holy Spirit is of God and not a medium of Jesus to bring about their New Birth and entrance into God's Kingdom. He is the one that confers the blessings of the Spirit and they will realize it when they receive the Spirits inflow of Love and Grace. Yes, many have and their influence is good and helpful, their spirit friends are with them to realize that God's love and truth. Yes, sometimes, but they do not enjoy being there and consequently do not remain very long or take any part in the séances. He is not present at the various meetings that are held in the several churches over the whole country, but his truths are there in the character of spirits who are ordained to do the work of teaching the truths which he taught and which are the truths of God. The Holy Spirit is the one that can cause the inflowing of God's Love and it is present in all meetings as it is without form or personality, It is the messenger of God and it can be in all places at the same time so that the penitent no matter how far apart can receive its influence and feel its saving grace and love. It is not necessary for it to use other spirits to carry its love and influence. It of itself is able and all comprehending enough to influence the persons who seek for its inflowing. So do not think that you have to have Jesus present in order to obtain the blessings of the Holy Spirit. He meant that where they are gathered together for the purpose of seeking the Love of God he would be able to help them feel the influence of the Holy Spirit, he would not have to be present himself for that purpose, but he would be represented by the Holy Spirit. No, he cannot, for he is a person and has all the limitations that belong to the individual. Jesus is not a spirit in the sense that God is a spirit. He is only an individualized spirit as you are. He is only a spirit of such wonderful development that he can control all the spirits of his own manner of thinking and who have been Born Again into God's Kingdom so that he can have them do his work just as he teaches them to do. Yes, he can direct the Holy Spirit in the sense that when the penitent prays for help the Holy Spirit will respond and fulfill the work that the Father has provided it to do. Jesus is the only true exponent of his Father's Truths and he alone through his teachings can cause the Holy Spirit to enter the hearts and souls of mankind. No, it is not, for the Father has given him the power to control all the spirits that are of the Father's Kingdom of Truth and Love. Christ is not only a spirit of the Father, but is the one that God gave to Jesus when he anointed him on his earthly mission. He is the one spirit that cannot be made to do anything that is contrary to God's Love and Law. No, not in addition to the spirit that Jesus had, but the spirit that God gave to Jesus at the time of the anointing. The spirit that Jesus had before that time became one and the same with the Christ Spirit - they are now one - Jesus is not a man as is taught by some writers, but is the Christ of God - a spirit that is full of God's truths. He is the great dispenser of truths and he cannot lie or do anything but what the Father has given him to do. Yes, Jesus the Spirit is only a Spirit as you have a spirit, but Jesus the Christ is a Spirit that is without form or limitations. So that the Holy Spirit can be everywhere at the same time. Yes, he meant that he as the Christ would be with all peoples whenever they might be gathered together seeking his help and teachings, believe as Jesus the mere spirit, he did not mean that he would be with them. So you may believe that he is with you always in the sense that he is your Christ. This Jesus the teacher of truth and not the Christ, the latter is with you and every one else at all times only the penitent must ask that he lets them feel his influence and teach them the Truth of God, and the fact that the Holy Spirit is waiting to enter into their hearts and fill them with the Divine Love. Go to the church where you were last night, as you will be much more benefitted than you will be by attending the other church. You will be under the influence of more spirits who have received the New Birth. No, not in the sense that the Holy Spirit is in their hearts, they are only letting their minds become confused with the idea that Jesus' blood or crucifixion saves them when the fact is the blood of Jesus or the crucifixion is not necessary, as a matter of belief to the salvation. The only thing that saves them from their sins and reconciles them to God is that they must become conscientious of God's Truths and receive the Holy Spirit into their souls. No vicarious suffering on the part of Jesus is necessary to save them. He never taught the erroneous doctrine and it is not doing good being taught by the preachers who claim to represent his cause. No, only in the sense that those things call the attention of mankind to Jesus and his mission on earth as between God and man, not blood of Jesus or because suffering can appease God or save man. God is a God of Love and does not have any wrath to be appeased. He is only to glad to have his children come to Him and be at-one with Him. He is not waiting to punish them or have the men suffer because of any wrath that he may have towards them. They suffer only because they have violated his laws and they must do that which will remove the causes of the violations of these laws. Man is not the object of God's anger, but is the dear children of his love. He is not pleased when they do wrong or when they do not obey his precepts. Let not the idea that God delights in the punishment of the wicked make you think that God wants any one of His children to suffer. He is only too ready to save and have the sinner come to His Love and Care. He is the one Perfect Love that exists. You must stop writing now as you won't go to your dinner. Your loving grandmother Editors Note. This message has been altered to combine the contents of the duplicate in Volume IV page 188. The differences, where significant, have been considered, and amendments made here. November 14th, 1914 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Thomas Padgett: I am Thomas Padgett. I am your father's uncle. I lived in St. Mary's County, Maryland, and passed over in 1831 at the county seat, Leonardstown. I was not a very good man when I passed over, but I am now in the fourth sphere and am progressing very rapidly. I was his (my grandfather's) brother. He is here and is very happy. He is in a condition of love with his wife that makes them perfectly happy and contented. Yes, I have and often talk to him about you and your gift of writing. You must believe that the spirits write to you, for I assure you that they do. You must not let any seeming inconsistencies cause you to lose faith in the power of communicating, or you will lose the greatest consolation that you can ever obtain. Be a true medium and you will not only become much happier yourself, but will help to make others happy. Let me come to you occasionally and write and I will help you in your investigation. Your grand uncle, Thomas Padgett November 16th, 1914. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: I am very happy. Yes, I am and I feel that God is filling my soul with His Love. I believe that He is my Father and that I am His child. He is very near me and the Holy Spirit is coming into my soul more and more. I have commenced to have more faith in His Love and Grace, and I believe that He is waiting to fill my soul with His Love as you have told me. I am so happy that I can realize that He is my own true Father of Love. He is with me so very much now, that I know that I have been born again, as your grandmother has told me I would be if I would only believe and let His Holy Spirit enter into my soul. I will soon be in the Third Sphere that I told you about, and will then be so very happy. I will come to you just as soon as I realize the change in my condition and tell you of the glories that your mother tells me will be mine. So do not worry more about me as you have done and pray for my salvation. I am soon to be in my new home and then you will know that I am a spirit redeemed. Yes, it will and you will be so very happy also. Let us both thank God for His Goodness and Love. Let us try to progress more and more until we join each other in this world of light and happiness. Yes, it has more love for you than ever before and when you commence to really learn what the true meaning of God's Love is you will see that all our past happiness and love are merely shadows of what the real love and happiness is that we may enjoy when the Holy Spirit takes full possession of our souls and makes us feel that the Father's Love and Care are only the one thing necessary for our true happiness and love. Yes, I will just as soon as I reach that home. Yes, they all rejoice that I have at last found God and have His Love to that extent that makes my soul free from sin and error. Yes, and so could I but I must not write much tonight as you are tired and sleepy. Goodnight, my own true lover, Helen November 30th, 1914. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen. I am very happy for I have so much Love of God in my heart that I cannot think of any thing that tends to make me unhappy. Yes, my home is very beautiful and I am perfectly delighted with it. It is made of white marble and is surrounded by lawns and flowers and trees of various kinds. The grass is so very green and the flowers are so beautiful and variegated. The trees are always in foliage and have such beautiful limbs and leaves. I am most pleased with my home, I mean the building. There are many beautiful pictures on the walls, and the walls are all frescoed and hung with fine coverings, and the floors are inlaid with beautiful mosaics. I have all the splendid furniture that I could possibly wish for, and my library is full of books of all kinds, especially of those that tell of God and His Love for man. You would be in your element if you could be with me. I have music, such as you never heard on earth, and instruments of various kinds which I am learning to play, and I sing with all my heart and soul as the days go by. I have beds on which I lie down, but I never sleep. We do not need sleep here; we only rest, for sometimes we get tired from our work and are greatly refreshed by lying on the beds and couches which are so comfortable that we do not realize that we are tired after lying down a little while. Yes I do, and when I sing I think of you and wish that you could hear me as you did when I was with you in the body. I like "The Song that Reached my Heart"; it seems to bring me more in rapport with you than any of the others, although "Sing Me to Sleep" is one that I enjoy to sing very much. Yes we eat fruit and nuts, but do not do so because we are hungry, but more because we enjoy the flavors so much; and we drink water, pure and sweet, as it makes us feel so refreshed when we are a little tired. No, our fruit is not of the earthly kind - it is so much more delightful that I am unable to describe it to you. And the nuts are different, also. Yes, the water is purer than what you have and is more refreshing. No, our instruments are not like those on earth, they are not stringed instruments, but are played by our thoughts of goodness and love. We do not use fingers or lungs, but merely thoughts, and if they are pure and loving, our music is very beautiful and not discordant. Yes, I am, when you are asleep or doing something in the line of your work; then you do not need me and I am free to leave you. You must not think that I am not free to leave you when I am with you, for I am, and I come to you of my own free will; but love compels, and in that particular I am not free and don't want to be. Your love to me is the greatest thing, except God's Love, in all the world, and without it I would be very unhappy. You do not know how very necessary your loving me is to my happiness; and you must never cease to love me, for if you do not I will not enjoy my home or the spirit world so much. Yes, I know, but I some times fear that you may forget to think of me as I want you to. Yes it is permanent, and the house and trees and flowers are more real to me than were ever the houses and trees and flowers on earth; they are not shadowy as you may think, but are so very substantial that they never decay or grow old. Yes, I have one selected for you now, and will make it so beautiful that you will wonder how it was possible for me to do so; there will be so much love in it that there will be no room for anything that is not in harmony with my love, and you will realize that your own Helen loves you with all the love that a soul can have for its mate. Yes, we will be together in every way and separated only while we are doing some of God's work. You will be with me in all my thoughts and I will be with you in your thoughts. Love will keep us through all eternity. Yes, we will love our parents and children just as much as on earth, but they will not need our love so much, as they will have their own soulmates to love them. We will visit them and be visited by them, and enjoy their society even more than when on earth. They will love us very much, but the love that makes two souls one will exist only for the soulmates. God's Love will not interfere with that - I mean our love for God. It is of a kind that is different from our love for each other, and is of a more spiritual and Holy nature. I am so very much pleased to see that you are getting more of His Love in your heart each day, and soon you will do the work that the Master has laid out for you to do. Yes, I am going to try to progress into the higher planes, and hope to do so as rapidly as is possible, but you may rest assured that no matter what plane I may be in, my love for you will not lessen, and I will not cease to be with you as I now am. The life in the higher spheres without you would not be complete - you are necessary to my complete happiness. God has decreed that two soulmates are intended to make one complete whole, and they must, in order to be wholly happy and to fulfill the laws of His Love, live together forever as one. Yes, I know, because I have asked your grandmother and she has told me. You can progress on earth just as rapidly as I can here, if you will let God's Love come into your heart as fully and as abundantly as I do; and you can if you will only pray to the Father. He does not require the child of His care to be in the spirit world in order to develop his soul. You have the same soul now that you will have when you come here, and if you let God fill it with His Love while you are on earth, why should it not progress as much as it does here? God does not intend to wait until you come over here that He may give you the full enjoyment of His Holy Spirit; it all depends upon you. If you truly and sincerely seek His Love, you will get it on earth just as easily as you can get it after you have shunned off the body. The Love of God coming into the soul of a man does not depend upon whether he is in the flesh or in the spirit. All souls must answer for the sins done in the body, but it is not necessary that such penalties be paid in the spirit world - you can pay the penalty while on earth. As you sow so shall you reap, but the reaping is not necessarily here. If you seek earnestly for God's grace and Love you can obtain them on earth, and I am informed that when they are obtained on earth, greater will be the progress of the spirit when it comes over. So let me pray you to seek these blessings while you are in your present life, and not wait for them to be given to you after you have entered the spirit world. Your grandmother says that she had that experience, and when she came here, she entered the third heaven, without going through a period of expiation or purification in the lower spheres. She is a wonderfully bright and pure spirit, and is very close to God, and has so much of His Love in her soul that her countenance really seems an illuminated face. She is in a condition of almost perfect Love and peace, though she says that she is striving for a higher plane and a closer at-onement with her Heavenly Father. She is the one who can help you in your spiritual progress more than all others, except Jesus, who is the grandest and most glorious spirit in all the heavens. Let your thoughts be of a pure and holy kind, and you will soon realize that God's Love is in your soul to a degree that will make you feel that He is your own near and dear Father. Do not doubt His Love, or that He can come to you through the Holy Spirit, for that is His messenger of Love, and it will never refuse to come into a man's heart and soul, where the desire exists to have it come, by earnest sincere prayer for its inflowing. Be true to yourself, as I have told you, and you will soon be in God's Love and favor. Do not let worries or disappointments keep you from seeking His Love, and believing that He is waiting to enfold you in His arms of mercy and Love, for He is not only waiting but wants you to call on Him. Do not let the thought that He is afar up in the heavens cause you to think that He is not always near you anxiously waiting your call. He is not willing that one of His children should perish, and when they go astray His great Heart of Love yearns for them to return and partake of His bounties and blessings. You must try with all your heart to realize this truth, for it is a truth, and is the greatest truth taught us by Jesus, who is the greatest of all teachers. Make your daily life one of prayer and aspirations, and you will see that what I have told you is not only true, but you can make it a part of yourself. You have only to let your desires turn towards God, and He will meet you more than half way, for He never sleeps or closes His ear to the supplications of His children; and those who have sought Him with an earnest and repentant wish, and longing desire of the soul, know that He has always responded to their call. You are now in the way to obtain these blessings, and I pray that you may continue, for you cannot find true happiness in any other way. This is what Jesus meant when he said, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life". He knew that there was only one way to obtain the Father's Love, and that is through the New Birth, which is merely the flowing into the soul of man the Love of God, to the extent of eradicating all desires and tastes for things which are not in harmony with God's laws and Love. You must give your thoughts more to this vital consideration of the economy of God's being. It is not a question of what church you belong to, or what particular faith you may have, or who your preacher may be, or to what duties you owe to the church, or to the ceremony of baptism according to the church's dogmas; but whether you have sought God in spirit and in truth, and have received His favor and Love. This is an individual matter, and no man can be saved by the sufferings or progress of another. Each soul is a complete unit, when joined with its mate, and the spiritual condition of each soul towards God determines what its place and happiness will be in the spirit world. So do not let the thought that it is necessary to believe in a special church dogma or any ceremony, keep you from seeking the New Birth. This is the fundamental principle that operates in the atonement of man with God, and all other doctrines are merely secondary, and need to be believed only as they may lead to a belief in this foundation. I am writing at the dictation of your grandmother, for she knows, and I, of course, would not be able to write in this way of my own thoughts and experience. She says that you must try to get in condition so that the Master may write; that that which he shall say will show to mankind the everlasting truths of God's kingdom and laws; that she is a mere tyro in the knowledge and ability to explain God's truths; that Jesus will teach you. So try to become more spiritual, so that you may learn the wonderful teachings of God's Love and truth that he will give you. You must stop writing now as you are tired and so am I. So love your own true Helen, and pray to God for Love and spiritual enlightenment. Helen December 5th, 1914. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: You are not doing the right thing by not loving me as you did. Try to think of me more in the way that you did when you were in your last meeting at the Colburns. The way for you to love me is to let your heart believe that I am with you and love you with all my heart. You should try to throw off the feeling that you speak of. Do not be so despondent as everything will come right as I told you. Be more hopeful and you will feel better. I will help you if you will only trust me as I have told you for I know that you will he able to do what you want to in reference to Nita. You will sell the apartment in time or I would not say so. Yes. I am and if you do you must promise to never doubt again. So you see that I am willing to risk a great deal on my prophecy. Be true to me and you will succeed. Yes, it was and I know what you have in mind. I thought of you then and of the influences that were surrounding you. The woman was influencing you in the way that you think. But you must not grieve about it but try to turn your thoughts to me and my love. The conditions were not good because the young medium was not surrounded by the spirits that could help in producing the results that you are seeking. She has too many spirits that are merely of the earth plane and whose thoughts were of the kind that will not help, you very much. Do not sit again with her or with the other woman for they only retard the success of your efforts. She saw some things, but not all that she spoke of - the baby was all right and so were the hearts in the woman, but the comment on Mr. Colburn's front or the newspapers on your lap were not there. She only imagined them. Yes, she saw the pirate for he was there and the room was full of Indians, but they were not of the kind that I admire. Mr. Colburn's Indians were not there in any number. Some were Swanee and Wolf and Rolling Cloud and another whom I don't know. Bright Star was not there nor was the guide of Miss Colburn. Your guide, White Eagle, was and he was not in good humor because of the great number of spirits. He wanted to talk but he did not try, neither did any of us. Yes. that was the result of an effort on the part of some spirits trying to make themselves felt by you. They were not any that we desire to have present. Yes. Your father was, but not your mother or grandmother. They would not attend, as they said that the conditions were not such as they desired to have when they attended. No they were not either. I was not at Mrs. Ripple's, but I believe that your father went there. He said that he was going as you were there and he desired to send you a message, so that you might know that he desired to speak to you. He is not here now and I don't know what he said. Yes, I can. He is here now, and says that he wanted to send you word that your Uncle William wished to be remembered to you. He is here also and says that he wants you to pray for him and think kindly of him when you try to write as he needs your help so much. Yes, he says, but he wants you to think more of him and he will progress much faster. He says that Fred is with him in the spirit world and that his mind is improving very much, that he was not of such a mind on earth that he was able to commit an!- very great sin, and consequently that his progress here is much faster because of that fact, and that he is as a child and needs only enlightenment to learn the way to God's love. He is a bright spirit, but is not so well informed as he will be soon. You have me, only believe I am yours now and always will be, my own darling Ned. You will he more satisfied with Takoma Park after you get rid of your troubles and get the money that you need. I don't think that you would like California after you should get there for it is not so desirable a place as you may imagine for the purposes that you have in mind and for which you have been selected. It is not a good country for the development of spiritual things. You had best be contented with the place we have selected for you. No, I don't. It (Baltimore) is too much given to the old way of thinking about the religions that have been taught so long. The people are conservative and would not easily he brought to see the real and new truths that you are to teach to the world, so let your mind be fixed on the Park. Besides it will be best for Nita and her ambition. She will have much better opportunities in Washington then elsewhere. Because you are not satisfied with your present condition, let the matter rest until you are in position to choose, and then you will not be so unsettled as you will see that the plans we mention are the best. Yes, I know, but they will be more likely to be with you in the Park than in California or elsewhere. Let your mind rest on that point. We are not witches but your own dear departed loves. We do not think that that church will be the one for you to join, but if you must associate with some church join the Universalist, as that is the one that is more in accord with the truths as you will be taught. No, it does not. It merely believes that he is the son of God as I am informed. The Unitarian Church is not very spiritual because the people do not give much of their thoughts to the things of the spirit. They depend too much on their ideas of morality and the teaching that God is a being that will not let anyone be punished for sins that he did not think were contrary to his ideas of right or wrong. They have no knowledge of the Holy Spirits mission or that God is a God of love and ready to flow into men's souls whenever men call upon Him. Yes they do but they do not really understand the full meaning of His Love as you do; but I think that you could associate with them to advantage to your spiritual being. I mean that their ideas that God is love and is the only one that can help mankind to become spiritual and at one with Him. They are not right though in all their teachings, for they would deprive mankind of one of the greatest consolations that they can have while on earth. That is the communication with their departed friends. They are very good in other particulars, but they would not suit you on the question of spiritualism. Yes, I know and I am glad of it. It will help her (Nita) to learn of God's love and she will be much benefitted by it; and when the time comes she can easily believe that her mother comes to her. You will not be benefitted very much by attending the seances of the mediums who hold seances for pay, as they have all kind of spirits come to them; but I think that your sitting with the Colburns will help you as they are good people and have spirits of a more exalted condition come to them; and the help that you ma get from these spirits will soon enable you to get the voices. Yes, sometimes but not often. Mr. Colburn's grandmother is a spirit of spiritual excellence and so is his mother to some extent, but they have not the full realization of God's love, but they are helpful. Yes, they are very bright spirits, but they don't come to him any more. They are in the higher spheres and do not come to the earth plane very often, as I am told their loved ones are not on earth and they are not attracted to the earth plane very much. They know what God's love is too, but they are not so far advanced as your grandmother or mother. I have heard them talk and know what the say. Yes, we do, only once more, for I want you to see me as I promised you should. Yes, I do, and I will write you very often and so will the rest of us. You need not go to the seances if you will only believe that we write you and are with you as we say. I will try and so will the others, but I cannot tell whether we will be successful or not. But we will try very hard. Yes, she (B.S.) will and she says that she will try to speak as she promised you. Yes, and says that your friend was at the seance last night and that your father spoke to him and sent a message to you. She says that you are too mean not to visit her as she wishes to talk to you. She says that you were not in condition to talk because you were only trying to see if she would tell you that she understood what you wanted her to say so that you might know that she had written to you. She says that when you believe that she comes to you and writes sometimes she will not speak to you at Mr. Ripple's. She says that you are her brother and that she loves you, but that you must not think that she will do what you may desire, if it is not for the best. She says that she was not impatient but that the French woman tried to monopolize too much of the time with her inquiries about her business affairs. She does not deserve another husband. She says that the spirits spoke French and that Mr. Ripple did not speak at all. She is an honest medium and does not try to deceive the people. She says that she is not in love with Mr. Ripple but that she is the one that she must help, and that in doing her duty she tries to like Mr. R. as much as possible. She does not feel attracted to her in a spiritual way. Yes, to you and to Mr. Colburn and to Mrs. Colburn, but to scarcely any others. She says that he (Colburn) is a very good man but is not yet spiritually enlightened and sees only the moral things. She is not in rapport with him as with you and the Colburns. She says that she is willing that you do that as she feels that you will he much better satisfied, and that the conditions will be much better if you do so. She will try very hard to let you hear her very soon. She says that she will be glad to tell you of those things, and to do so whenever you feel that you desire to have her write. She says that she will pray for you and try to help you in every way in her power. She says goodnight. He (W.E.) says that he has not get learned to write but will try to learn. That he made the pictures for you so that you might know that he was present. He was an artist when on earth. He says that you may depend on him. Yes, I am so I will stop. Goodnight and may God bless you and love you as I do, my own darling husband. Helen December 5th, 1914 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your mother: My boy I am so glad to write you again. It seems so long since I wrote to you. I love you so much and feel that I must tell you. Go to the Universalist Church as Helen told you. It is the best one now in existence because it believes more in God's love without having to worship Jesus. As you say, the Christian Scientists are good people but their position on spiritualism is all wrong and Mrs. Eddy now sees her error and wishes that she could undo it. She is in the same sphere with me but she does not enjoy so much of God's Love as I do; and I talk to her sometimes and she tells me that she is very sorry that she made the mistake of teaching that spirits could not communicate with mortals. She is a very bright spirit but does not know all that she thought she knew when on earth. She may, I do not know, but I will ask her. Yes, I will pray for you my dear boy with all my heart. So goodnight, Your Mother December 5th, 1914 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your grandmother: You must not be so despondent. Pray to God and he will bless you. Try not to let the things of the material kind keep you from loving God. You are not doing right by thinking so much of the troubles of earth life. Trust in God. He will take care of you and you will not be left alone to worry over those things which will soon pass by. Give more of your thoughts to God and believe more in His love and care, and he will help you more than you can comprehend. Yes, even as to them. He is not so weak that His Love cannot help you in those thing. Be true to Him and yourself and you will not want for anything that is for your good. I know for my experience in life has proved to me that I am speaking the truth. Yes, I am with her (Nita) very often. She is a good girl and has much of God's Love in her heart. She is trying to learn the true way to His love, and she will become a very spiritual woman as she grows older. Yes, I will and she will love you too, for you seem to her now as both father and mother. Yes, you will for I will try to help you to the fullest of my power, only believe and she will stay at school, and come home to you in the summer and feel that you have been her true and loving father, as you are. You must believe that we communicate with you and when you do so without doubt, then I do not think that you should go to the seances. They are generally of such a mixed condition that you are not helped by what you come in contact with. Yes, I would advise you to go there, while they are not what I consider spiritual people yet the spirits who attend their meetings are of a very good kind and will benefit you in the matter of your belief. Yes, I do, and your wife and guide, White Eagle, and your father will be able to talk to you soon. Bright Star will be a great help. She is a very spiritual person and loves God, as I know. But she is not yet entirely in the blessings of His full Love, but she is trying to obtain it very hard. Yes, she is, though many Indians are very spiritual. White Eagle is a very spiritual man and lives in the fourth plane. He is a strong spirit and seems to think a great deal of you. He will protect you in all emergencies and you can rely on him. He has never been the guide of anyone before and has not tried to learn English as he says, but he will soon learn as he is now making the effort. Only you must not let him write to you too often for he is not of the writing band. Yes, it would. He is a powerful guide in certain ways, but he is not one who can help so much in spiritual matters. While he is good himself yet he cannot instruct you in those things that you need to learn at this time. They (Mr. R. & Prof. S.) are not so spiritual but their knowledge of certain other things in the spiritual world will be beneficial to you. You must not confine your investigations to purely spiritual things, for while they are the things absolutely necessary yet there are other things that you should learn, and we formed our band of such persons as we thought would serve the purpose that we had in view. I doubt that he can cause the truth to grow but you can try him. I don't know just what power he has with reference to physical things. I believe that he can help your eyesight and liver. So let him try to do what he says. He is honest in his belief and he may succeed. Goodnight my own dear boy, Your loving, Grandmother December 8th, 1914 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen, Let me tell you that you are only making yourself unhappy trying to learn all about the way that I write to you; for you cannot do it, as you are not able to see my method, and I cannot fully explain it to you. But I will try to do as best I can. When you take hold of the pencil, I exercise all my power to move the pencil so that it will write just what I think, but in order to do that I have to let my thoughts go through your brain. You do not do the thinking but merely let the thoughts pass through your brain, and the movement of the pencil is caused by the exercise of your brain in conjunction with my power which I exercise on the pencil. So you see, you do not originate the thought but merely convey it to the hand, which I guide in accordance with my thought. You do not have anything more to do with what is written than an electric wire has to do with transmitting a message from the party at the end where the message is given. Let me explain in another way. When I think a thought I pass it through your brain to your hand, and my power to move your hand is brought into action, just as when you think a thought your power to move your hand is brought into action. My thoughts are not your thoughts; and when I think, your mind catches the thought but does not create the same. So you must believe that I am doing the writing and not you - for I write some thoughts which you could not write if you tried. How do you like that for assurance? But to be serious, you could not write the things that I write without giving much thought to the different subject matters, for some of them are not familiar to you, as you have often said. Let go the idea that you are writing things which emanate from what is sometimes called your subconscious mind, for you have no subconscious mind, and the philosophers who teach such an idea are not acquainted with the laws of the mind. The mind is only the spiritual evidence of thoughts that congregate in the brain, but which really are not a part of the material thing which the "wise men" call the subconscious self or mind (sic). There is no such thing, and when they let their explanations of things which they cannot account for rest on the assertion that the subconscious mind furnishes these thoughts, they are all wrong. Only the material brain furnishes thoughts which it puts forth from the observation of the senses, or from the faculties which are brought into action when the reason is made the basis of the thoughts. I am not a very good expounder of these things, but I tried to make it as plain as I could. Yes, I am telling you this from my own observation and understanding of these things. When you receive communications from Mr. Riddle he will be able to explain more fully and more satisfactorily the laws which govern these things, and you must soon let him write. I am studying the laws of physical and psychical sciences, so that I may be able to assist you in your investigations when you come to search for the true relationship between spirits and mortals, and the laws which control these communications. Yes, my studies include the investigation of the laws governing clairvoyance and inspirational communications. You will have the opportunity sometime to have an experience in each of these phases, and I want to be in condition to assist you to a degree that will help you in arriving at conclusions which will be correct, and which will help others to understand the laws that govern these things. So you see your wife loves you so much that she is willing to attempt to learn these things which are thought to be only for the masculine minds, in order to help you more clearly understand them. But while I will do this, I will not cease to try to learn, to the fullest, those things which will give me a clearer understanding of those spiritual truths that lead closer to God and His Love. These are the absolutely necessary; the others are important but not necessary in order that a soul may sooner or later reach the knowledge that makes it one with the Father. The Love of God, which passes all understanding, is the one great thing to learn of and possess. My home is now so very beautiful that my happiness is more than I can tell you of. You will be also happy when you come over, for I am filling my home with such beautiful thoughts and so much love, that when you come you will wonder how your little wife could possibly have accumulated so much beauty and filled the house with so much love. Yes, as I receive more of God's Love into my soul, my home becomes the more beautiful, only I do not have to be in the home to be able to have this Love with me. It is with me all the time, and when I am in my home, the home becomes a reflection of that Love. The home is not beautiful if the Love is not there, so you see the home depends upon the existence of the Love for its beauty. My soul is the creator of my home, and without the soul being beautiful, the home could not be beautiful. When I leave my home to come to you, the home remains the same, because while my soul is with me, and also the Love that makes it beautiful, yet the home retains the reflection, or as you might say, the atmosphere of that Love to such a degree, that the beauty of the home is not lessened or deteriorated by my temporary absence. So you see the home has a permanency although it depends upon the soul to give it its beauty and loveliness. My home is not yet perfect, but as I grow in God's Love, then more perfection will come to it; the more Love that I have the more beautiful the home. We all are dependent upon the degree of love in our souls for the appearance of our homes. Let your endeavor be to get all of this Love that you possibly can, and if you succeed in getting as much as I have, you will be one with me and our home will be together. If you do not, I will have to wait until you do before we can live as one together. So do try to get all of God's Love that you can. If you will only give your thoughts to the spiritual things, and let your soul be open to the inflowing of this Love by praying with all your soul longings, you can progress just as rapidly as I do. So love enough and want to be with me enough to try with all your heart to get this Love. Your own true wife, Helen December 9th, 1914 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen. I am so very happy as you are loving me very much to night, for I can see that your thoughts are with me so much more than of late; so let me continue to feel that you love me so much. (question) When I realized that the time had come for me to go, I did not fear to do so, but calmly waited and thought that all my sufferings would soon end. And when my spirit left the body I commenced to feel as if I was rising out of it and that I was going upward to the place that I had so often heard my father speak about. But I had scarcely awakened to the fact that my spirit had left the body, before your mother had me in her arms and was trying to tell me that I had nothing to fear or cause me to feel that I was now with those that loved me. She was so beautiful that I hardly realized that it was she, and when I commenced to see that I was no longer in my body, I asked her not to leave me but to take me with her to where she lived. She told me that I could not go there, but that God had prepared a place for me to go to, and that she would accompany me and show me the truth of my future existence. I went with her, and she took me to a place that was very beautiful and filled with spirits who had recently passed over. She did not leave me for a long time, and when she did, your father came to me and said, "I am Ned's father and want to help you to realize that you are now in the spirit world, and must not let the thoughts of the earth keep you from getting in a condition to learn that all of us are only waiting for the Love of God to help us to higher and better things." Your grandmother soon came to me and told me who she was, and was so beautiful and bright that I scarcely could look at her, for her face was all aglow with what seemed to me to be a heavenly light; and her voice was so sweet and musical that I thought she must be one of God's angels that I had read about in the Bible. She told me of the things that God had prepared for me, and that He wanted me to love Him and feel that He Loved me. But after awhile I commenced to think that I must be deceived in my sight and hearing, and was still on earth, and needed only my body again to know that I was still a mortal. Some time elapsed before I really became conscious that I was a spirit and was not on earth; for when I tried to talk to you, as I did, you would not listen to me and turned away from me as if you did not see or hear me. After a short time your mother and father came to me again, and tried to persuade me that I must not continue in my belief that I was still of the earth, but must believe that I was in spirit life, and needed only the things of the spirit to make me more contented. So you see, I was so very fortunate in having your dear parents and grandmother welcome me when I passed over. If they had not received me I do not know to what condition of fear and distraction I might have been subjected. No spirit can learn the truth of the change, unless in some way helped by others. So you see, when you come over I will be there to receive you and love you so much that you will never have to go through the period of doubt that I did. Your father is also waiting to receive you, and in fact, all your spirit band have agreed that when you come, you will have nothing to fear for want of help and love. I first saw my parents after I commenced to believe that I was in the spirit world; and when I saw them they did not know me, but thought that I was still in the body and that they were still on earth, as they had not yet awakened to the fact that they were in the spirit world. They were very unhappy, and it took considerable talking to make them believe that they were spirits and not mortals. My father was more easily convinced than was my mother, for he commenced sooner to recall that when death comes, the spirit must go to God who gave it. My mother would not believe so soon, for she continued to think that she was with her acquaintances on earth, and that they were not treating her very courteously, for when she spoke to them, they would not answer. But thank God, they both now realize that they are in the spirit world, and that they must learn to love God, if they would be happy. When I commenced to leave the body there was no pain or suffering, only a feeling that I was rising out of it. No darkness appeared to me, and I saw my body lying there as if it were asleep. I did not try to hold it, but thought that it was merely taking a rest, and that as soon as it felt refreshed I would enter it again and continue to live as before. I did not wait for it to awaken, but continued to arise until, as I told you, your mother clasped me in her arms - she was my own dear mother as well as yours. I did not know that I was dying, but felt that something unusual was happening, and I was not afraid. As I always in life dreaded death (as you know), the strange thing to me was that I did not look upon death as dying. It was only a pleasant dreamy feeling, and I only thought that I was going to become absent from my body until it was refreshed. My thoughts were not of death at all. I had been suffering pain, but I thought that I was getting well, and the feeling of relief that came over me was the result of my getting better. As my spirit arose, I thought only of my condition and how soon I would be able to return home and see my friends. No other thoughts came to me - not even my love for God, or the fact that I was not in condition, as regards my soul, to meet my Maker, as I had been taught. There was absolutely no fear of what might happen to me, or that I would soon be called upon to account for the sins I had committed. Just before my spirit left my body I was unconscious, but just as soon as the separation commenced I became fully conscious and knew everything that took place, and did not feel at all as if I were in danger or needed the help of anyone. I did not stay with my body at all, when I commenced to leave it, but continued to rise, as I have told you, until your mother met me. So you see death, which I so much feared, was not such a dreadful thing to experience. (question) Yes, when my son came to where my body lay, I returned to it, and saw it taken away, and afterwards buried; but I still did not understand what it all meant, and only when your grandmother told me that I would no more inhabit it, did I commence to realize that I had left it forever. But even then I had some feeling that she was mistaken, and that in some way I would return to it again and continue to live on earth. Yes, when I had been in the spirit world a short time, I saw other spirit forms and, even then, I was not in a condition of mind to fully understand that they were spirits and not mortals. The resemblance is very real to one who has never had his spiritual eyes opened; and even though the spirit forms all appear much more beautiful and bright, yet to me they all seemed to be human forms, and I thought that I was not in condition to fully see just what they were. You must let me stop now, for I am tired. Your own true and loving, Helen. December 12th, 1914 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Helen. I am very happy and so are you, as I can see, for you are not worried tonight, but you must not try to write much for our condition is not so good as it might be. Yes, I think so, or if you feel that you should write a little, let your grandmother write as she is here and HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/soulmates13.htm" wants to say something to you about your love for God and His Love for you. Your own true and loving, Helen December 12th, 1914 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, your Grandmother. I wish to tell you more about the things of the spirit, for they are the important things that you should know. You are very near the Kingdom, and if you keep on trying to have more of God's Love in your soul, you will soon realize the full joy and peace which comes with such possession. Try to let your heart receive more of His Love, for He is always ready and waiting to bestow His Love upon you. He is the one Lovely Father for you to long for and keep with you in all your thoughts and aspirations. Do not let the worries of life keep you from loving and believing that He wants you to become one with Him in Love and Grace. He is not only waiting for you to let His Love flow into your heart, but He is anxiously knocking at the door of your heart, that you may open and let Him enter.Be true to your best spiritual longings, and you will soon feel that you have got that in your soul which will give you perfect peace and happiness. You are only now beginning to learn that you must feel that your Father is so near you, that He must become a part of your life and being. When that Love has fully taken possession of you, you will know that you are His own true and reconciled son, just as all are who have come into a realization of that Love. So do not doubt that you may become such a son of your Father, for I tell you that I know from my own experience, the grandeur of living in the favor of His Blessing. Be my own dear boy and do try to reach out and get this Love. You must not let the things of your earth life keep you from the higher things that the Father has prepared to give you. You will soon know, as I know, that the only things worth striving after are the things of this spiritual Love of the Father. Be more anxious to get this knowledge, and it will come to you in all its beauty and convincing force. I so wish that you could see the Holy Spirit's work among men and spirits, for then you would not doubt any more that God is a God of Love, and not of anger or retribution. Keep praying, for that is the one great means to receive the Love of God. Without prayer men cannot reach the answering ear of the Father's Grace. He will hear the penitent only, for He will not accept anyone who is not truly and anxiously seeking Him. Man has a will to either accept or reject the Love of God, and until he exercises his will in a way to show that he wants that Love, it will not be given him. No man is ever forced to love God or to let God's Love come into his heart. The Love of God cannot be defined, for it passes all understanding, but the result of that Love, when in the souls of men, can be seen and felt, in the exceeding beauty in the countenances of men, and in their wonderful happiness. No fear of death or anything that maketh afraid can possibly exist where this Love is. It is not the Love that permits any feelings of jealousy or envy to have an entrance, but is so perfect and all soul filling that there cannot possibly be any room for anything but its own great self. I know that the Love of God is the only thing that can make man supremely happy while on earth, and after he becomes a spirit. My love for Him is such that I love every one of His creatures, be they saints or sinners. And that is the difference between the love that He inspires in His children, and the love that exists among men and spirits, which has not His Love for its foundation. Be sure that no man can be perfectly happy without this Divine Love. Your wife is progressing very rapidly in the Way to this perfect Love, and I think that in a short time she will be with me in my sphere, for she will not let anything come between her and her efforts to possess the greatest amount of this Love that is possible to obtain. It is wonderful how her faith has grown since she first became convinced that she must seek the Father's Love in order to become one with Him and perfectly happy. You must try to get this faith and progress with her, so that when you come over you will go forward together in soul development and conjugal love. She is now in the third heaven, as she has told you, and she is almost in a condition of development to leave that sphere and go with your mother to the fifth sphere, where her happiness will be so much greater. She loves you so much that you must feel that she wants you to be with her in all her happiness. She is not the same Helen as when she was on earth, but is so much changed that your mother says her appearance is as different as earth from heaven. She is not only changed in her appearance, but in her temperament and desires for those things which do not tend to retard the progress of the soul. Let her tell you of her love for you, and you must believe what she is telling you, as she is not one who is in condition to speak anything else than the truth. Her love for you is so great that I sometimes wonder how it can be; for while we all love you, as well as our soulmates, yet she seems to have such intense love for you that we wonder. We think that her nature is so intense that she cannot do anything in a way that is not the result of her strong and earnest constitution, or rather that is not the result of a power that knows no limitation in effort or force. But while she loves you so intensely, her love for God is not interfered with in the least; for just as she gives her whole soul to loving you, she devotes it to loving God also. And when you do come over you will find such love in her heart for you as we seldom see in the spirit life for our soulmates. But you must not think from this that we do not love intensely also, and the love that we all have for our soulmates is very great and deep as I must tell you - but she seems to be almost consumed by this love for you, and you must never do anything to hurt her or make her feel that you do not want it or deserve it. My dear boy we must stop writing now as you are not in condition to write more. So I will say good night and God bless you and keep you in His Love and care. Your loving grandmother, Ann Rollins December 12th, 1914 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I love you, good night.Yes she did, and she did not tell you all for she cannot know it all, but I know and I tell you that my love for you is not capable of being told. Good night, my own dear Ned. Helen December 16th, 1914. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, your old partner: I want to talk a little with you. You have not given me the opportunity before and I commenced to think that you did not wish to hear from me. Well I will try my best and will talk to you about the laws of control of spirits over human beings. You are not very different from us in your mental or spiritual conditions. We, of course, have no physical bodies but our spiritual bodies are very much like those we had on earth in former shape except that we are young and strong and not affected by those things which you are subject to. You must know however that we are all affected to a greater or lesser degree by the condition of our soul development. Your wife, for instance, is now a very beautiful spirit both as regards her spiritual body as well as her spiritual soul. She is one of the most beautiful that I come in contact with except your mother and grandmother who are beyond my ability to describe. I am also very different but not so very much changed as I have not yet made very great progress in the things pertaining to the involution of the soul. My ideas are not very much changed as I still think that I am a man who must depend upon himself for his advancement and that God is a way off somewhere in the heavens and not much interested in my welfare. But your father is now in another plane and I commence to wonder why he should progress and I be left to live in this earth plane, and as I think of this I feel that there must be something more to my being lifted out of my present conditions through my own efforts. I hear what your mother tells me but somehow I do not quite catch the import of her teachings as I believe that her ideas are more or less the result of her training on earth and have no actual foundation for a belief in the help of the Holy Spirit to rest upon, but as I see the wonderful change in your wife and father's I cannot but think that there must be something more than my own efforts at elevating myself is necessary to my rising out of my present condition. So I am thinking deeply on the subject. Your grandmother has also told me of the wonderful work of the Holy Spirit in her case, as well as in that of very many other spirits who were in my condition when they first came to the spirit world and it all makes me think that there is something in this wonderful transformation of these spirits beyond what I have ever thought of. I will try to learn what it is if I possibly can so if you can help me in any way please do so for I do not want to remain in this state if there is any way for me to progress out of it. You seem to be in great favor with some spirits who have told me that they were benefited by you and hence I say, if you can help me do so. I have had a spirit come to me who said he was Jesus but I did not believe him even though he was of a most exceeding brightness and loveliness. I do not believe in his being Jesus even though your mother told me that he was. But until I can see that he is the true Jesus I do not care to listen to him, for I have never believed that Jesus is any more than man or that he can save anyone from sin or error. Yet as he seems so good and lovely I sometimes think that maybe I am all wrong and that he is, in truth, what he claims to be. I will, in future, listen more to him and if he can show me the way to higher things as your mother claims he can, I will let his teachings linger in my thoughts for consideration. I am not very happy as I have told you, but I am studying the laws of the spirit world and find them very interesting to my peculiar make of mind. I find that you can sense my thoughts and write them as you are now doing, but when you are not in a condition you cannot hear what I say or I cannot cause you to move the pencil in conformity with what I desire you to write. Why this is, I am not yet able to determine, but I am told by those who have given a longer investigation to the subject, that you have certain qualities that must respond to certain qualities that I have and if they do not, then there can be no communication. What these qualities are I do not know, only that they do exist and that the more perfect they are the more successful the writing of them with mine. You call it rapport, but that is not exactly the whole meaning of the condition, for some people seem to have these qualities and yet between them and the spirit there is not any rapport or condition of love or sympathy or what else that may be understood in the term. So you see, we do not exactly know just what is necessary to establish this junction of powers or qualities. I am trying to discover what this is, if possible. You seem to have these qualities to a very large extent and I find no difficulty in coming with a condition that enables me to freely express and you to receive what I wish to communicate. I will inform you of my efforts just as soon as I am able to discover the real secret of this condition that exists. You are writing what I really express to you. There is no such thing as the subconscious mind, the only mind that you have is the one that enables you to express what you really know of your own thoughts which do not depend upon what others may infuse into your brain as I am doing now, but which have their origination in your brain and which do not result from exterior minds. What is called the subconscious mind is merely an imaginary thing used by the scientist to denote that which they have no better name to call it by. It is not a part of your self or your brain, but only the image that these wise men use for what they are not able to explain. So do not think that when something comes to your consciousness that you cannot account for, that it is the subconscious self that produces it. It is not, there are only two sources of thought, one that arises from your own brain and the other that comes to you from outside minds as consciousness which is that condition of being that enables you to feel or know that certain things exist either as actualities or as mere ideas which so far as you know have no real existences. Consciousness is a realization of being nothing that does not exist or is capable of expressing itself in consciousness. Mere dreams are not really things that lie in consciousness for they do not always have an existence, they are only shadows of what might have an existence. So you see, consciousness is not anything else than the evidence of what exists and of what your brain feels or knows. Do not think that I can tell you everything that you may want to know for I cannot. I am only a student as you are but of course I am an older one and am in a position to possibly learn more than you. You must not think that memory is an evidence of any subconsciousness because it is just as much of the faculty of the brain as any other part of it that shows its operations. Memory is not separate or distinct from the brain. It is merely that portion which keeps in full existence knowledge or experiences already gained. Memory creates nothing new and when you recall things that you once knew and have forgotten memory only supplies those things from its storehouse which you put there to have filled. So let not the thoughts that memory is anything other than a part of the brain. No subconscious self is involved in memory but memory is its own self and is only a part of the brain as I have said. There is no middle ground between the brain as a generator or instrument of producing thought and the minds of spirits or others who supply independent thoughts even though sometimes the wise men thought that such thoughts are of their own creation. You seem to be very much interested in this matter and I will give more attention to its study and try to learn the operation of the thoughts of spirits upon the brains of mortals. No laws that I am acquainted with show that a thought is other than the emanation of what passes through a man's brain and what spirits put into it. I mean that thoughts are not the result of anything but that which arises from the observations of the five senses of a man or from what is suggested by spirits. I have not made myself very clear I know but sometime I will write you more fully and clearly on this subject. I am engaged in studying the laws of spiritual life and its connection with the earth life. I do not yet know just what that connection is, but I believe that I will very soon. I am sure that you will be much benefited if you will let me tell you occasionally just what your relation as a human is to yourself when you come over here. I do not know that I am very different from what I was on earth except that I am no longer suffering from the limitations which the body placed on me. My mind is just the same and my ideas of life are nearly the same except that I see that material things are not of very much importance to a man even when he is on earth. You may do everything possible to accumulate and enjoy these things but in a moment you are without them except as your earthly desires and cravings for them may cause you to believe even after you are here, that they are still with you. This is the one great thing that prevents spirits from progressing to higher things. I never cared much for these material things. Yet I find that even the little desires that I had to possess them have held me from progressing to a plane where I am informed intellect rules supreme and when great minds exchange thoughts of moment to both spirit and earth life. Yes, sometimes he is in the third sphere and is a very happy spirit and is much engaged in his studies of spiritual things. He should be able to tell you a great deal about these things if you give him the opportunity. Yes, I see Mrs. Riddle and Bert very often. They are not very happy because they think that the spirit life is not what it should be. They do not realize that they are altogether in the spirit, but have an idea that they are still a part of the earth and consequently as they cannot take any part in earthly affairs they are not so happy. Your mother has been talking to them a great deal lately and trying to teach them of the spiritual things that she so believes in but I doubt if they are very much impressed. No, I cannot help them for I do not believe in such things as I told you. I will try to do as you say, but it will be hard for me to believe that prayer is anything more than the mere expression of a desire and reaches no higher than a man's own mind and wishes. I will do as you suggest and if you are right I shall not fail to give it all my earnest and deepest efforts; if you are right I shall never know how to thank you, but you will know just as soon as I know. But in the meantime do not let the thought that I am not doing all that I can to make a better man of myself enter into your mind for I am. I will pray with you as you say. I commence to see what you mean and it seems to me that there is some true philosophy in what you say. I want to get everything that any of God's children may have and if what you tell me is the only way to get this wonderful happiness, I will try even though my doubts are now mountains high. I will pray with you tonight and try to believe with all my mind and soul. Yes, I will give my attention to them also and if they tell me what they actually know I will get the happiness which they have, so do what you think is best for me and I will try to have the faith that you speak of. Yes, your father is very different in his appearance and I wondered what caused it and thought that maybe some peculiar condition of his spiritual body had been created by something which he had learned from his wife or mother-in-law. But I now see that it must have been caused by some other powers of influence and I want it too, if it is for me. Yes, I see that you are very much interested in not only myself but in them and I will try my best to obtain what you tell me of, so that I may help them as you say. I know that I was not given to spiritual things on earth, but I did not see the necessity of being so, for I thought that when I died I would not need anything but my own help to live a life of comparative happiness. But if you are right, I will soon know the difference, for I shall do as you say. I will pray and ask God to give me faith to believe that He is my saviour from sin. Yes, I see that there must be something in it. They are all claiming to have the love, but myself, so I must be wrong and they right. You are right, let me think of what you have told me and I will soon know if I am to be like the rest of the band. Yes, I know that you loved me even when on earth and that thought has helped me to believe that what you tell me to believe, and that what you tell me now is the outgrowth of your love. I am so glad that I have you to think of me and show me the way and now I will say goodnight. Your one-time friend, A. G. Riddle December 16th, 1914. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: You certainly did make an impression on HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor766.htm" Mr. Riddle, for he is now trying to pray as you suggested to him to do. But you must not let your love for him keep you from feeling that we all want you to pray for us also, for you seem to have such faith that we wonder at you. Question No, not that, but we need your prayers too, so do not forget us. I am not one bit selfish in the matter, but I want you to help me too. I do not know, but it seems to be so. Whenever you talk to these spirits, who will not believe us, they listen to you and soon commence to pray to God for forgiveness and love. We do not understand it any more than you do, but it is so and your grandmother says that your faith must be very great that you should have such influence with the lost spirits. She says, that she does not understand herself and that if you continue you will do so much good that your reward here will be especially great. God seems to listen to your prayers for these spirits and we are all amazed at it. But let me say that you must also pray for yourself for you also need the Love of God in your heart to a greater degree in order to be at-one with the Father. You should not doubt this, for it is true. As I said, we do not understand, but some day we may, so believe me when I say that as we write to you and tell you only what we know to be true. God seems to hold you in His care to such a degree that no one can now turn you from His Love, only do not let the thought that He is not your loving Father, keep you from praying for yourself. I am tired and must stop. I lost my strength when I tried to tell you what she was doing. I will tell you tomorrow night in full. With all my love and many kisses. I am Your own true and loving, Helen December 17th, 1914. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I have come to write to you my first message and you are too weak to take it, but I will come again when you are stronger. You are not in a condition for me to tell you of what I have to write because you are too much worried by what you think of your earthly affairs. So I want you to let these things pass from you entirely as I cannot give you the thoughts that I desire you to write, until you are wholly free from your earth cares.Be more faithful and you will be more in condition to do as I desire. I will not come again until you are free from these worries, for you are not in a condition to receive what I wish to write while these worries exist. Question asked by Mr. Padgett, unknown Yes I know, but you have not succeeded as I can see the condition of your mind and know that you are too much worried by the things that you have been thinking about during the day. You must trust more in the Father. Other questions and answers. Yes, I do. So let that question rest. Yes, I am that Jesus, and the men you have been reading about were my disciples and they are now enjoying the reward which their work and faith entitled them to. They are not in the heavens singing psalms or riding on clouds, as some of the aliened Christians of the present and past times believe and teach, but are still working for the salvation of human and spirit souls. They are with me still and are doing the same kind of work as when they were on earth. They did not actually mean that, but spoke only in allegory, and meant that I was in the heavens where they all supposed God to be; but as to my sitting on the right hand of His Throne, that is not true. I am in a sphere that is of the highest and closest to the fountainhead of God's love, But I am also working to save mankind from their sins, and bring them in unison with God's Love, which is all around men and angels, but not necessarily in or form a part of them. Only when a soul is filled with this love, can it be said to be in the Kingdom of God. So do not think that because God's Love is all through and around the world that every man is a partaker of it. I tell you that only the man who has received this love into his soul and lets it fill that soul so that there is no room for anything that tends to defile it, can be said to have received salvation or to be at-one with the Father. You are trying to learn the truth in this regard and are progressing to a degree that you will realize what the New Birth means, and without this New Birth no man can come into the full enjoyment of the Fathers Love or he supremely happy. Men may when they come into the spirit world think that they are happy by reason of a great moral excellence or because of wonderful mental acquirements, but their happiness is not the kind that the love of God, filling a man's soul, will bring. So let your faith in the one necessary attainment increase, and when you have realized it to the full, you will be very happy and in God's Kingdom. I must stop writing now, for you are not in condition to write more. Question and Answer No, I will soon come again, for you will be in condition to receive me. Yes, I will love you with all my heart and let you feel that I am in closer rapport with you and lead you to a greater happiness from now until you can find the more extensive and greater love of the Holy Spirit. It is with you to a large extent now, but not so full as you need. You are very dear to me and I will never forsake you, so rest in that assurance and I know that you will be happier, for no man has ever yet been in condition of unhappiness who has my love as you now have it. Be only my own true follower and I will be with you to the end. Your own dear teacher and friend, Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified but rose again from the dead, as you will rise and live again in the Favor and Love of the Father. December 17th, 1914. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your Grandmother: You are certainly blessed and favored. It was Jesus and he was so loving and gracious that I hardly know what to say. But of this you can rest assured, you will never be without his love and help. He certainly loves you to a degree that is beyond my comprehension. You seem to be so close to him that I wonder at your great fortune. Only believe in his love and he will never forsake you. When he told you that your worries would soon leave you, he knew and you can rest assured that you will soon be rid of them. He is so wonderfully grand and lovely, that I wonder that you could have attracted him to you in the way that you have. Be a true follower and you will soon realize that what he told you will come to pass. He is not only lovely, but he is powerful to do what he said; and you seem to have his love to a degree that we do not possess. I don't know why, but it is so. And you must believe it to be true. You are my own dear boy and we all love you so very much, that when you are given so much love of the Master, we all rejoice and thank God. Question and answer. Yes, he was the real Jesus and you must not doubt it, for to doubt is to show that you are not loving him as you said you wanted to. He will show you by his treatment of you and your happiness in his love that he is the one that was crucified as he said. Be my own true son and believe and everything will be yours for the asking. He can help you beyond all conception, if you will only believe and call upon him for his assistance. I am not going to write more as you are tired. Question and answer. Yes wonderful. He (Mr Riddle) is now seeing that prayer is the only thing that can help him and he is praying and listening to the advice of your mother and father. He is much changed since you wrote him, and I believe that he will soon be able to understand what it is to have the love of God in his soul. So let your prayer go to God for him as we all are doing. Your Grandmother Ann Rollins December 18th, 1914. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Prof. Salyards: I am here to tell you of some of my experiences in spirit life and I wish that you would let me speak first of my regeneration and birth into the higher sphere where I am now living. Your mother is the chief cause of my progression as she first showed me the way to the Love of God. I was, as you may know, not a very spiritual man when on earth, but thought that man only needed a great intellect in order to enjoy the great blessings of the spirit life. I was not what might be called a great sinner as I lived a tolerably good moral life as you may know from your experiences with me while you were at school under my instructions, but I had no idea that something more than mere intellectual acquirements were needed in order to enjoy the happiness which God had provided for his children who were willing to receive all the blessings that His Love and favor had in store for them. Well, after I ascended to the spirit life I found that my intellectual and moral qualifications did not make me very happy although I enjoyed comparative happiness in the pursuit of knowledge and the investigation of those intellectual questions that appealed to my higher desires. I soon commenced to see that I had something more to acquire than mere knowledge of spiritual laws and things that appealed to the intellect or sympathies which all who are of a practical inclination deem sufficient for self satisfaction. I began to study these things and have advanced very much in my knowledge of them and have succeeded in writing a poem which gives me great satisfaction and makes me think that I am really a poet, but not since I have progressed to the higher sphere where love rules and intellect is a mere subordinate medium of true happiness, I find that while my acquirement in the particulars' mentioned are desirable and afford much enjoyment and delight to my mind yet my true happiness is with possession and knowledge that I have the Love of God in my soul. So you see mere intellect or moral qualities are not the important thing for a spirit who wants to enjoy the greatest happiness to possess. Keep this in mind in your earthly life and when you come over you will find that many things will appear easy to comprehend which otherwise you may have to search for in darkness and doubt. Be sure that your heart is in the right place and you will gain many advantages which I was not blessed with. I am now in the Third Sphere with your wife and father and while we are all together in a sense, yet our real condition and place depends upon the extent of God's Love which we have in our souls. Your mother first caused me to realize that I was not spiritually enlightened by her beauty of form and countenance and the great Love that she seemed to possess, and when she commenced to tell me of the cause of her appearance and love expressing itself so abundantly, I thought that after all I might be mistaken in my ideas that my mind and acquirements were not all that was necessary to enable me to progress to higher things. And I let my thoughts take the form of direct meditation and I soon realized that she must be correct in what she said. She was so gentle and loving in her manner and speech that I was soon convinced that while my mind was superior to hers in that I had a greater extent of knowledge and superior endowments of things purely intellectual yet what she possessed was far more necessary to my true happiness and I commenced to inquire what the secret of her superior appearance and lovely disposition was. Soon she explained to me that only the Love of God existing in the soul was the true secret, and that no spirit who had not that Love could possibly realize that true happiness. So you see I am much indebted to her for my present condition. I do not believe that any soul can obtain this happiness unless he lets this Love become a part of his very existence. My one desire now is to obtain more of it, and keep on obtaining it, so that I may rise higher and higher until I get as close to the fountainhead of God's Love as possible. I will not attempt to tell you what this happiness means, but only say that without it I should still be grasping in the earth plane, seeking mere knowledge and composing verses which you might not think worthy of even a mere versifier. I am now engaged in trying to teach others the way to this Love, but I am not yet in a condition of faith and Love to do very much good. Your grandmother is a wonderful spirit in love and beauty and I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to enjoy her companionship and instructions. She is trying very hard to show us the way to a more perfect realization of this Love and when I think that if you had not been a dear pupil of mine I would possibly never have met her. I feel so thankful that you came to my humble school and became so very dear to me as you did. If your mother had not known me on earth, she possibly would not have known me here and I might have yet been in my condition of contentment in the study of merely intellectual things and have remained in that condition indefinitely, but thank God I knew you and through you your dear mother. I have met Mr. Riddle whom as you know I made the acquaintance of in life and I find that he had heretofore been in that condition of self contentment that I had, before your mother showed me the way to my present home, and he is now commencing to see that there is something more than mere intellectual pursuit necessary to his progress too, that which will make him truly happy. He seems to be thinking of what you told him a few nights ago and has told me that you first caused him to think that there was something more in this spirit life than mere study of laws of spiritual communications in which he has been engaged. He seems to think that you have a correct idea of what is necessary to his salvation and he is praying as you advised him and is listening to your mother's teachings and Love of God which she tells him he must let come into his heart before he can come into perfect peace. He is still thinking thoughts that he is a good man morally and that he does not need any help from God or Jesus, but this belief is narrowing and I believe that ere long he will realize that he is all wrong and must accept the plan which your mother tells him is the only one that can bring him in perfect accord with God's Love and make him a new man. I also try to tell him of the truth of this plan and he listens to me with considerable interest and I hope that very soon he will see that we are right and that he must accept it or be left to his present state of unrest and yearning after things that will never come to him. So you see I am now in my home of peace and love and true happiness. Let me tell you of what I saw when your father left us to go to his home with your wife. He was so uncertain as to whether he really needed the Love of God more abundantly in his soul that he asked your mother if he could not have that Love and still try to have his earthly desires for things that he loved so on earth, such as dancing and smoking and other things of this nature and if it was absolutely necessary to let his thoughts turn from these things in order to progress. She told him that it was necessary, as nothing which tended to keep his mind on earth or attract him to that life could possibly exist when his soul should be filled with the Love of the Father. He said that it was hard to give up these things as he enjoyed them so much and was only getting ready to have a good time when she told him that he was not to think of them any more, but to turn his thoughts to more spiritual things and pray to God to fill his soul with Love and longings for these higher things. I feel that if she had not thus entreated him that he might still be in the earth plane and while very happy as he had some of God's Love in his heart yet not to the extent that made him feel that he had been Born Again. Your mother is my own dear friend and I love her so much for what she had done for me. And your father is now with your wife in this sphere and is as happy as he can possibly be, until he gets more of this Love in his soul, but you must not think that he is as beautiful a spirit as your wife for he is not and neither am I. She is so earnest in her love and is making such efforts to progress that she will soon leave us as I believe for the sphere where your mother is and when she goes we will miss her so very much as she is so happy and cheerful and full of music and everything that makes our life happy that while we have our own soul's love and happiness yet we will miss her very much. She is now trying to tell you of her great love for you which is of such a deep nature that we all wonder at times because of its intensity. So you see what a very favored man you are to have such a soulmate as she. My home is in the same sphere with her but not in the same place. Hers is more beautiful than mine, but she comes to me at times and I visit her. My soulmate and I have not yet met though I believe that she is in a higher sphere than mine. She has not yet come to me, why I know not, but am waiting for her to come to me and then I will be more happy than ever. Soulmates do not meet each other always when we first come into the spirit world. I know this for I have met many spirits who have been here a long time and yet have never yet seen their soulmates. This seems to be the result of something done while on earth, but I do not understand it. I am hoping to soon see mine. Question asked here and reply. I have heard something to that effect, but I have never been able to find mine. Your wife may be right, but if so she has never told me the way. I will ask her, if she knows, for I want to know if possible. HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor506.htm" I will write you some of my poems sometimes when we have more time and will also tell you the result of investigation of the spirit life, but not tonight as I am tired and so are you. I can write you a couplet but do not think it best to do so now as I do not wish to give you a part of the poem and so remove it from its place that you may not fully appreciate the whole. I will try. If you do not love me as I have told you, I cannot write in a very successful way so that you must first learn to love me more before I attempt to write the poem.I know that you may reason that way, but what I say is true. My poem is one of Love to God and love to man and unless you love I cannot write it. I cannot explain more fully now. So only trust me and I will show you in the near future that I am right. Yes I am really Prof. Salyards who is writing and you must believe me or I will feel hurt. Yes, that is it, you seem to know, just what is waiting, so I must close for this time. Your old professor and friend, Joseph Salyards December 18th, 1914. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: You certainly did write a long letter. HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor504.htm" Prof. Salyards is very much interested in you and you must believe that he wrote you for he did. I was here all the time that he was writing and got very impatient for I wanted to say something myself. He was telling the truth and you are real mean to have me think that you doubt that I do. So be a good boy and listen to what I have to say. You are not so worried tonight and I am so glad of it, for if you had continued to be so, I fear that you might have become sick. You see that everything is coming all right, just as we told you. You were so worried that even Jesus condescended to assure you as he did last night. Jesus was certainly good to you to talk to you so kindly and lovingly. He told you that he would always look after your welfare and he will. I do not believe that any other human has ever had that assurance direct from him since he came into spirit life. He is the one that you must believe in and if you do, there is no telling to what heights you may rise for he seems to love you so much that I believe he will do whatever you may wish if it be not contrary to his ideas of what is good for you. So only trust in him and I tell you that you will never want for anything, either in the earth life or in this. He is now trying to help you in your spiritual nature so that you can do his work and when you become a better man in that particular he will write you the message that he told you he would. Let me help you to believe fully in his promises. Be my own true Ned and you will be a most happy man. Yes, I know, but they will soon pass and then you will realize what it is to have a God and a Jesus and a little wife love you. I am least, but I love you With all the love that I have and you must realize it. Yes, you may. (here no doubt a question was asked about Prof. Salyards' soulmate.) He has never tried as I suppose, for if he had he would have found her. The fact is that he did not think of soulmates until he became more in contact with us and then I suppose that he did not give sufficient consideration to the matter. I do not know, all spirits do not find their soulmates at once. Some of them not for long years as I am informed. Yes, I will and the next time that he writes, he will tell you that he has found out who she is, for I will search in that book of lives that you know about and find out and tell him and then he will know and tell you. He is still in doubt, but I think that he is commencing to see the light and you must continue to pray for him. Do not let the thought that he is not praying himself disturb you for he is and your mother is trying her best. to convince him that he is in the right way by praying and that soon he will see the light which will guide him to God's Love. He is a wonderful spirit in his earnestness and desire to learn of the things of this life and just as soon as he is convinced of the truth of the New Birth he will progress very rapidly, for he will not rest until he gets whatever is possible for him to obtain. Let your best and most loving thoughts go to him. Yes, sometimes, but he is not so very much convinced as to what I may know of the necessity of his learning to give his heart to God as he is as to what your mother and grandmother may know, and so I do not talk to him on this matter very often, yet he seems to think that I must have experienced something that makes me look so different from what I did when he first saw me in this life. Yes, he told you just what your father said and what your mother told him in reply. Your father was a spirit that liked the things of earth to a great degree and enjoyed looking on at the pleasure of the earth life as the Professor told you. Yet he was also so good that he realized to a great extent the love of God and could write you about it very effectively. But he did not enjoy it as much as you might be led to believe from the way he wrote. But now he knows and when he writes you again and tells you of the love of his Father, you may believe that he experiences what he is writing about. He is my own dear daddy and I love him very much. He is so kind and loving that I do not wonder that his soulmate loves him so much, and I believe that you must take after him for I love you more than she does him. She may not agree with me, but I can't help that and still stick to what I say. I have seen his poem and I know that he has written it, but I do not understand why he cannot write it to you without your learning to love him more. It does seem unexplainable to me, for I do not see how the want of more love on your part can possibly prevent him from writing the poem to you. He must not be ready to do it now or he may feel bashful in doing so, but I will talk to him and urge him to do so. Maybe he does not think it of sufficient importance now that he has arisen to the higher sphere, but I will find out and let you know. I will tell him what you say. Nothing more tonight except that White Eagle says that you do not seem to want him to treat you any more as you do not make the opportunity for him to do so. He says that you are all right and that he will treat you tonight after you are through reading. He is very anxious, so do not disappoint him. Your own loving, Helen December 20th, 1914 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your mother: I am your mother and I want to write you a few lines for you have not let me write lately, so do not think that you are not very dear to me, for you are still my own darling boy. I am very happy as your father is now in a sphere where he is more spiritual and happy, as he has told you. His soulmate is with him very often and she loves him very much, but he does not yet seems to realize that she is the only one for him to love. He still has some of the old love for me which he had on earth, but that is not the true soulmate love, and he will soon realize it. So do not think that he is not very happy because I am not for him. He is a very bright spirit and needs only more of God's love to make him perfectly contented with his lot. Oh my darling boy, I am so glad that your soulmate is Helen. She is so beautiful and lovely now that she has found God's love that I can hardly tell you how beautiful she is. I am very happy also, but my soulmate is still in the earth plane and does not seem to progress so rapidly as he should. I wish that you could talk to him as you did to your father, for I believe that it would do him good. You seem to have a wonderful influence with the spirits of men who are in a condition of sin and darkness. God is certainly good to you and has favored you beyond my greatest expectations. You seem to have the faith that calls for an answering ear and for a love that reaches to the very throne of God, and I believe that you will in some way do a great deal of good in the spirit world as well as in the earth. Jesus is also interested in you and loves you with more than ordinary love. He seems to think that you will be of great help to him, and he is trying to show you the way to the Father's love and favor. So do not doubt what I say. I know that, but you will meet him or I will bring him to you before long, and have him write to you, and then you can tell him of what you know about God's love, and the necessity of his believing that he must give his whole heart to God. Yes, I can, and will later, when I bring him to you. I have a very good influence over him but not sufficient to cause him to believe in the Father's love being a necessity to his advancement. He is not a very spiritual man, and never was, but he is goodhearted and will listen to you. I know as you seem to have the power to make spirits listen to you. I do not understand why but it is so. So be very careful of this great power which God has given you, for if you should not do what I believe God has in store for you to do He might not continue the power, or might withdraw himself from you in the way that I mention. I will still believe that you are his special object of love and favor, only do not neglect to do His will. I must stop now for you are tired. Your mother December 20th, 1914. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: I am happy, and I am so glad that you feel so much better. You are now in a good condition of mind and I feel that you are commencing to believe in what we have told you. You will soon be free from your worries and then you will be in such a spiritual condition that you will be able to take the Master's messages, for he is waiting for you to do so. You must not let your mind get into the condition again that it was in during the past two weeks for it interferes very much with our communications, and also with your ability to work at your profession. You will be able to do what you want to for Nita, and then you will see that we can do much to assist you in material thing; as well as in spiritual ones. Be only faithful and believe in what we tell you and you will be all right. So do not let me see you again in a despondent condition or I will not love you so much. You have had a very pleasant day in your association with those people who believe in spiritualism and I am glad that you spent the day with Judge Syrick and Col. Woods. He is a very great believer in spiritualism, but he does not know anything about the spiritual side of it. He thinks that the fact that his spirit friends communicate with him is all that there is to learn or be contented with. His friends were with you today and they are not of the higher spheres, but they are very good spirits and seem to be quite happy in their condition. He was telling you the truth when he said that Jesus came to him and talked at Mrs. Miller's séances, for your grandmother told me that she knows for Jesus told her he would attempt to do so. I, of course, don't know anything about it, but your grandmother says it is so; and you must believe her. She says that Jesus did not show himself or attempt to materialize at these séances, for he has never yet attempted to do this, as he is not inclined to come into the earth influences. He is not one who will do this, for he is too holy to take on the form of flesh again, as I have told you before. He is now doing his work solely by influencing men in the way of teaching them the truths of God, by means of his suggestions and messages through other spirits who are helping him so to do. No, I don't. He did not materialize sufficiently for that purpose, the photograph that he has was that of a spirit who impersonated the Master, for he will not permit himself to be photographed by anyone on earth, or even here. He is too pure in his spiritual nature to become an object of photography or even of clairvoyance, for he is a spirit that will not appear to man, except in the way that I have told you. So do not believe that he has ever appeared to any man either by way of the photograph or by clairvoyance. He will come to you in the way that he has told you and write his messages, but not in any other manner. I only know what your grandmother says about it and I am writing at her dictation. She says that Jesus has told her that he will not appear to mankind again only as a teacher through his writings or through that of his spirits. So do not believe any spirit who says that he has seen Jesus materializing for he has not. That was his appearance in a dream only. He was there but not as a materialized spirit. You merely saw him in your dream, and he was not even in the spirit form with you; it was the result of your own conscience working on your mind. You felt that you had not done what you knew he approved, and your own conscience took you to task for it and made you dream as you did. I do not attempt to reconcile these statements for they need no reconciliation. When we told you that he would not leave you again, we only meant that your conscience would not again accuse you of doing what is contrary to his teachings. You were not really seeing him, but only dreaming that you were. He was not present with you but was in your dreams only as your own mind pictured him to be. So do not let the fact that it was only a dream make you think that it had no significance, for it had, and it showed you that unless you commenced to give your thoughts to higher things and live a better life, you would not have his care and love for your welfare any longer. It was only a warning that you should change your course of thinking and living. Yes, he told you but I have explained what was meant. We know, because we saw it in your thoughts and then we knew that you had dreamed it. So you see, we do not have to know of things actually happening in order to be able to speak about them. All we have to is to learn what your mind is thinking and we are then able to tell you just what you know and believe. Every man is the mirror of his own thoughts and we do not have to know of our own knowledge just what has taken place in that man's life in order to tell him of all his actions and doings while on earth. We are able by our power of reading the brain of a man to know what he has done in his past life. His brain is a storehouse of all that he has done, even though he is not; able to recall these things. But they are there in memory's halls and we can see and learn what is recorded. So you see the past is as apparent to us as the present. We do not always resort to this method of telling a man what is in store for him in the future, but when we need to know his past all we have to do is to look into his memory's storehouse and we know. But dreams are not stored in memory always; some are mere fleeting shadows that leave no trace of their ever having passed through his brain, while others leave their records on his memory. So when you dream, if your dream has any significance or is worthy of being preserved, it is in memory's home; but in order to know whether it is there or not we have to search the hidden recesses of his memory as well as the more open places. So you see every act that a man is guilty of and every dream that has a significance or is worthy of preservation is kept of record for future reference. Then how careful ought a man try to do what is right in God's sight, and not do those things which will rise up before him when his spirit comes here and arises before him in judgment. I am not going to tell you of what I saw at the meeting at Mr. Colburn's tonight. I saw a large number of spirits that wanted to communicate with Miss Colburn, but who were not able to, and who were very much disappointed. Her mother was one of the most anxious, as she has some information that she very much desires that her husband should know; and you must tell Miss Colburn that she must sit for her mother to write. She is a very beautiful spirit and knows that Mr. Colburn will not live much longer and that he should do something in reference to his affairs before passing over. So tell her to let her mother write as soon as she can. Other spirits there were only attracted by their desires to make known their presence and tell some of their experiences in spirit life. Yes, his (Judge Syrick)'s mother was there and also his soulmate. They wanted to tell him of their love and how much they are interested in his giving more of his thought to them and to things spiritual; for he is not going to live very long, as he has a bad case of Bright's disease and needs to be very careful with himself. I don't know anything about what some spirit may have told him, but I am informed by his mother that she knows that he is not going to live very long, even if his spirit friend did tell him that he was going to live until he was seventy years old. He must not believe that or he will suddenly find that his life is not for him to live as a man of seventy. He must not think that he is going to live to be that age, for he will suddenly find that his life is not one that is to be extended to that age. I mean that he will suddenly die and realize that his information was not correct. (Judge Syrick did die suddenly soon after this message was given.) No do not, for it would do him harm. He is not a very bad man, but he needs the soul development in order to become a good man as his mother and soulmate wants him to be. She is here now and wants to send him a message. So tell him that his soulmate does not think that he is loving her as much as he should, and that he is only trying to let himself believe that he is not really her soulmate, and wants to marry the young girl at the University home. She is not for him, and he must not think of doing so, for he would be very unhappy if he should do so. If he must get married tell him to marry an older woman and he will find more happiness; or better still, not marry at all as he will only need his soulmate to love him and make him happy if he will only let her do so, He is not going to live very long and he will soon be with her to love and make him happy. So tell him to give most of his thoughts to her and he will be a very much happier man. She says that you must teach him the way to God's love for you know how and he will listen to you, if you will only try and if you do he will bless you just as soon as he comes over, for he will have the benefit of that teaching and will not have to suffer the expiation of going through the earth plane. So she says please try to tell him of the only way that will lead him to happiness and to his soulmate who is so anxiously waiting for him. Be his friend in this particular and you will never regret it. She is in the third sphere with me and is a very lovely spirit and is trying her best to influence him to become a more spiritual man, so that he may be able to come and live with her when he comes over. She loves him very dearly and will not let his love for her keep him away from the true place of joy and happiness. I mean that she will not let his want of love for her keep him away from true joy and happiness. She sees that he is not thinking as much of her as he should, but when he comes over he will not fail to recognize that she is the only one in all the spirit world that is his own true soulmate. She says that he is now very dear to her and when she gets him with her she will be so happy that he will see that his happiness can only be found with her. So tell him to think more of her at his leisure moments. The young girl that he is thinking of does not care for him as a sweetheart and if she should marry him it would only be because he would be able to take care of her, and relieve her of the condition which she is now in on account of her father's unsuccessful adventure in trying to run a school and form a new church, which he will never do, for his ideas of religion are all wrong. I mean the peculiar tenets that he is trying to introduce. Some of his ideas are all right, but most of them are not. He is a very well educated man, but is very visionary in his ideas as to what he thinks he sees in the spirit life. He never talks to Jesus as he preaches, nor does he ascend into the heavens, for no man does that now until he has given up his earth life. So he will not succeed for his foundation principles are not true. I am not in condition to write much more tonight. You are my very own darling Ned, and I love you with all my heart and soul. You loved me when the music was playing my song that I used to sing to you so often. Oh, my darling, love me with all your heart as I do you. So goodnight, Your own true wife, Helen December 25th, 1914. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, your own true and loving Helen: On this Christmas Eve, we rejoice that the people all believe that Jesus has risen from the dead. He is now in the higher home waiting for the worship of the people of him to end, as he does not enjoy the worship. He wants the people to worship God and God alone. He is not very happy when they worship him, for he says that he is only a son of his Father and that they should not worship him as God. He does not believe that he is worthy of such adoration and he is not pleased at it. So you must love him and not worship him, for he will not love you so much as he does now if you do. What I tell you is true, for he has said it himself; and you must believe it to be true. Let me tell you that you are very close to him, and he wants you to do just as he says, for he intends to give the world the true doctrines of God's Love and being and his own relationship to the Father through you as his messenger. So do not let the thought that you are wrong in believing what he tells you. Now we must stop for you are not in such a good condition to write more at this time. Your own true and loving wife, Helen. Note. Although this message actually says "Christmas Eve", it is recorded in the Tablet as being on the 25th, whereas the other message from Helen, which is recorded as being at "night", thus seems likely to have been received subsequently. December 25, 1914 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus: You are my dear brother, and I will tell you what I desire you to do at this time. You must not let the worries of your business life keep you from giving your thoughts to God in worship and in prayer, and from believing in me and loving me as your friend and teacher, for I am; and wish only to have you do those things which will make you more at one with the Father and love me more. You must try to let all your thoughts turn to the mission which I have selected you to do, for I have chosen you and you must do my work. As I am the one that God selected to do His work when I was on earth, so you are the one that I now select to do my work by giving to the world my messages of truth and love. I will soon commence to write them and you must preserve them until such time as you shall be in condition to publish the same, which will not be very long, for I have already told you, the means that will enable you to give your whole time to me will soon be at your command. I do not want you to think that you are not worthy to do this great work, for if you were otherwise, I would not have selected you, and this fact alone should be sufficient to make you not doubt that you are a suitable person for the work. Let me tell you now that no matter what you may think will happen to your business affairs and work, I will look after you and remove all obstructions so that, as I say, you will soon be able to commence your duties. In my teachings I want to show that I am only my Father's son as you are His son, and not to be worshipped as God. He is the only God and the people who are worshipping me in all parts of the world are not doing what I desire, for they are putting God in the background and making me their object of worship, which is all wrong and which I am so anxious to have ceased. They must look upon me only as a son of God and their elder brother who has received from the Father His full Love and confidence, and which I am bidden to teach to them. You are not to let anyone tempt you to let your love of God be displaced by any love that you may have for me, for your love for me must not be the kind that you have for Him. He is the only God and you must worship Him alone. So be careful and make the distinction, or you will make a most egregious mistake. I am your own dear brother and teacher and love you with a love that I have for very few mortals. Why? Because I see that you will be a true follower of me and will love God as I love Him. Only, I do not want you to think that you are now in a condition that leaves you free from sin or the necessity of progressing to the Father with all your heart for an inflowing of His Love. You must get all this Love that is possible and that can be gotten only by prayer and faith. So in your prayers, have faith and the time will come when you will become very close to the Father and enjoy His Love to a degree that few have so far obtained. Yes, it is possible and, as I say, it will take place, only do as I have told you. Yes, I will help you with all my power and love, and you will succeed. Only try to believe and you will realize before you come to the spirit world that God is your Father to a degree that will enable you to live very near Him as I am living. Your faith is now very great as I know, and notwithstanding the fact that at times you have doubts and get despondent, yet your faith is there and it will grow in intensity and become so strong that it will never again be broken. Yes, there are many things in my life as written in the Bible which are true and many that are not true. These I will tell you when I come to write my messages and you must wait until then. Yes, I did, but not in the sense that it is taught. To forgive sin is only to let the true penitent feel that just as soon as he prays God to blot out his past offenses and truly believes that He will do so, the sins are no longer held against him for which he will have to account. I could not myself forgive sin, for I was not God, but I could tell them truly that if they repented, God would forgive their sins. Later I will tell you in detail what real forgiveness is and what it consists of. As for the healing act which I performed at the pool of Bethesda*, I am reported to have said, "Is it easier to say, ' HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/quotesmark.htm" \l "M28" take up thy bed and walk,' than for God to forgive your sin?" Well, that is the way it is recorded, but that is not what I said. Actually I said, "That thou may know that the son of man through the power of God can forgive sin, I say unto you, `take up thy bed and walk'." It was only as God's instrument in showing man the way to His Divine Love, that I could bring about forgiveness of sin, and not by any power of my own. If God did not forgive, I could not and neither can any man. I know that a church claims that authority, but it is not correct. It has no power to forgive sin or to grant any favor or indulgence to mankind, and its assertions of that power is a mere usurpation of what God alone has the power to give. May God's blessing and mine rest upon you tonight. Jesus Note *: It would appear, based on a HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/contemporary/hr122.htm" recent message from Judas, that the reference to Bethesda above is in error, either a later editing error, or an error of transmission. December 25th, 1914 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. Your Grandmother - Was he not lovely and grand? You certainly are a very favored man and I wonder at the great Love that may be yours and promises of the Master. Yes, I heard what he said, and he knows. You must believe, for he never says what he does not know to be true. You are certainly more blessed than all others. Only think of that promise and the certainty of it. You are too tired to write more now. Your loving Grandmother. Ann Rollins December 25th, 1914. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: You are much better tonight and I am so glad for you needed to give up all your worries and learn to trust God for all your wants. He will take care of you in every way, and you will not lack for anything that is right for you to have. So, do not worry anymore and you will not only be happy but will be successful in all your efforts of a material kind. Yes, do that and you will feel like a man out of prison, for cares and worries are the things that make a man captive. His love will set you free indeed as Jesus says and he knows. Be true to God and to yourself and you need not care what the future may bring, for it will bring everything which the Father knows to be for the best. You are now my own true Ned, and I love you so much that I cannot tell you of its intensity. Let your thoughts turn to God and His love and you will be the happiest man on earth for you have His love to a great degree, and you have Jesus to love and care for you in a way that we all wonder at. He seems to think that you are his special care, and will not let you need for anything that he sees you should have for your material good. He is here and will write to you tonight and tell you what you must do in order to be able to carry out his mission, which he has designed for you. So listen to him very attentively and try to follow his instructions and you will be a very happy and fortunate man. We are all so grateful that he has selected you for the work, and when you engage in it we will all be with you to assist you in doing everything that is possible for you to do. Your grandmother is here and says that you must try to learn exactly what the Master wishes you to do, and do it with all your might. She is full of love for you and so happy that you have been chosen by Jesus to do this work that she is praising God all the time and giving thanks for his love and favor. Do not think that you cannot do what he may tell you to do for you can if you will only try. But you must have faith in his teachings and not let the other spirits or any of your friends on earth lead you to believe that Jesus is not writing to you and asking you to be his true disciple. He is with you in every hour of need and loves you with a love that knows no limit. He is so very holy and pure that what he says must impress you that it is he that writes to you; so do not doubt in any particular. He says that you are his chosen one, and you will be a great man in teaching mankind what the truth is and what God's love means to all humanity. So let him teach you and you believe. We are now all here and are trying out best to make you feel our presence, and know that love is all around you waiting for you to feel its influence and cause you to give more of your love in return. I am very happy tonight for you seem nearer to me than ever since the night that you prayed so very earnestly for my progression to my present home. It was a glorious night when your prayers were answered and I felt the love of God flowing into my heart in such abundance and in such perfect peace. Oh, my darling, if you could only see how happy I am. I know that you would praise God for His goodness and thank him for being so kind to your little wife. You must now let Jesus write, and I will write you afterwards if you are not too tired for me to do so. So goodbye for the present, Helen Note. This message was received Christmas night, and the previous one possibly after mighnight on Christmas eve. December 27th, 1914. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: I am very happy, and so are you. Let me tell you that you are very near the kingdom as your grandmother says, for you have a faith that will soon bring you so close to God that you will not let worries or the things of earth trouble you very much. Give all your thoughts to God and to His love and you will soon realize that only His love is necessary for you to become a very spiritual man and one whom the Master will soon use to carry out his work of teaching the people what truth and love are. So do not hesitate to give yourself to God unreservedly and without doubt, and also to believe that the Master is writing to you, and that he loves you in the way that he told you for he does, and you are favored above all others that I know of. He says that you are very close to him and need only more love towards God and more belief in him to become his own dear brother and disciple. I wonder how that can be when I know that you have been a sinful man, subject to all the temptations of the flesh, and having indulged in these things to a great extent. But it is so, and his selection of you is a surprise to us all, and we can only thank God for his goodness and love in so blessing you. Be only faithful and you will not have to worry about the material things of life for you will be taken care of at all times and in every way that is best. I know because the Master has told me and he will not tell an untruth or can he be mistaken as he has told you. You will be before very long He will help you to get what is necessary that you may give him your time and work. So do not be too anxious to commence this great work, for in his own time it will be provided for you so that you can give up your professional work, as we have all told you. Yes, he is with you quite often and is helping you to increase your faith and to love him more, and to believe that he is helping you. He is not one who will forsake you or leave you to go back to your life of sin and doubt. Only be true to him and he will be with you to the end of time; and then when you come over he will receive you and take you to the home that he has prepared for you, which will be a grand one far up in the heavens near the Father's place of love and truth. This I know because he has told us all that you are to be with him in the spirit world and live in his home of happiness and bliss supreme. I will try, and if you will pray for me, as I know you will, there is no doubt that I will be with you. Yes, it does, but he knows best, and we must only rejoice that it is so. Your grandmother says that she does not understand why he should have selected you, but he has done so, and you are the most highly favored one on earth, as he says that you shall be so close to him in your love and faith that men will wonder how you could possibly become so filled with God's love and know the mysteries of his kingdom and the way to life eternal in a heaven of perfect happiness and peace. So be my own dear Ned, and love me with all your heart and soul - only, I mean, next to the love you have for God and the Master - their love is greater than mine and so must your love for them be greater and more divine. Yes, I was with you and I saw that you were so very much influenced by the love of God and of the Master that I was greatly helped myself, and felt that if you continued to receive their love in such abundance .you would soon be in a state of love that would carry you way beyond me in your progression, and that I would be left behind, and so when this great love came to you I prayed that I might have it with you and receive a portion, so that I might progress also, and I did receive it and now I am on my way to the higher sphere that I told you I wanted so much to go to. Your mother says that soon I will be with her, and that your prayers and faith will help me so much - so pray for me with all your heart and faith and I will soon realize my fondest hopes. Oh my darling, to think that after all our earthly troubles, we should now be so much one in love and happiness. It is beyond my comprehension but I can only thank God and praise Him for His mercy and great love. They all know, even Mr. Riddle, sees that something wonderful is taking place in your spiritual nature and in mine, and he asks us what it all means. We tell him that it is the love of God filling your soul and the love of Jesus taking possession of your heart, which is causing your spiritual nature to undergo such a change, and he says that he does not understand, but that he must try to learn the meaning of it all, and he is now asking us to show him the way, and to pray for him and help him to obtain this wonderful love. He is here now and wants to write to you a long letter and tell you of his present condition and how much he loves you as his friend and helper. He is not vet firmly convinced that he needs the love of God to make him a redeemed spirit and one with his Father; but he is thinking very deeply and will, I believe, soon realize the truth, and then he will be free indeed, and will love God with an earnest and confiding love, for he is a spirit of great conviction of principle when he has once become convinced of the truth. So try to tell him what he must believe, and you will have much influence with him for he has the greatest confidence in you and your faith and the influence of your prayers. So if you are feeling well enough let him write to you now, and I will stop, but will write to you again tonight when you come to your room. Yes, go to the church that you have in mind - it will do you good, as the subject matter will be interesting, and the preacher knows something of the conditions of the spirit world. So goodbye for the present, With all my love, I am your own loving Helen December 27th, 1914. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your old partner and friend. You are very kind to have me HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor766.htm" write to you again and I want to tell you of my present spiritual condition, which is somewhat changed from what it was when I last wrote you, as I have thought very much of what you then told me, and have seen some things that have made me think that there is something more in the teachings of Jesus and in prayer than I then believed. You told me that while I was a man of considerable intellectual attainment that fact would never take me to the sphere where love and happiness existed in their greatest degree, and that the only way to obtain that love and happiness was through prayer to God, and faith in his power to give them to me. I have thought of what you said very much and have tried to pray with all my heart, and have felt the result of that prayer and of your prayers which you made for me every night as you promised. I am not yet in a condition of faith that enables me to fully understand what this process of obtaining God's love is, or how that the mere fact of praying can cause me to get it, but as I see so many evidences of the result of prayer as shown in the wonderful change in the appearance and happiness of your wife and Prof. Salyards and your father, I cannot but believe that even though I do not understand the process by which these great changes are made, yet there must be some great power in operation which answers prayer, and who not God, as you all tell me. I want you to pray for me with all your heart and faith when you pray, that I may have the faith that you tell me about. I must obtain this change in my condition as I feel that it is absolutely necessary to my future happiness, and if I can only get the faith, I feel that I may possibly receive this love that has apparently so transformed your wife and the others that I have mentioned. I am comparatively happy and realize that I am a spirit wholly of the spirit world, and no longer a part of earth; but the realization does not satisfy my longings for something higher, as I look around and see that others enjoy what I have not, and they seem to be so very much happier than I. You seem to be changed also since I first wrote to you, and your mother tells me that it is because you have more of God's love in your heart and are trying to love Him more, so everywhere I look at those whom I knew on earth, except those who don't believe in the power of prayer, I see changes and progression, which cannot be accounted for in any other way than by the one you and the others tell me is the only way to this great happiness and transformation. You are very dear to me as I have told you, and I have the greatest confidence in what you tell me, and believe that what you tell me is the truth, but I cannot understand it all, and hence my faith is not very strong. I understand what you say and I see that you are right, and I will try to do as you say. My mind is such that I have required proof of everything before I could believe; but now I see that there are some things which cannot or need not be proved in order for me to believe, and I must accept them as true by the mere exercise of faith; so I will now try, and pray God to give me this love and increase my faith. You must also pray for me. Yes, I know what you mean. He has told me that you are to do his work and you certainly are a favored man, for I cannot conceive of any mortal being given that great office, and having the love of God and of Jesus to such an extent as to make him worthy or qualified to do it. But rest assured if you need any help in any way, and I obtain that great possession for which I will strive, I will be with you and help you in every way possible. You are very close to Jesus as I am informed, and he certainly is a wonderful spirit - the brightest and most lovely that I have ever seen in the spirit world. He tells me of the way to the Father as he calls God and I listen to him and try to believe what he tells me, but somehow I have my doubts and he turns away as if in great pity and love. He will not let me alone very long, but keeps telling me of the wonderful love of God, and how willing God is to give me his love and blessings. But I do not understand as I have told you. You seem to help me more, for you are somehow closer to me and more in accord with my condition of mind and thought. You are too much given to what I call right thinking about these spiritual matters to ever try to tell me what is not true. Yes, that is what they all say, but until I do have this faith and love I cannot realize that he is a very great teacher. I mean that I cannot believe what he tells me so easily as what you tell me. I am praying all the time, and now I will pray with more understanding, or rather belief that it is not necessary for me to understand the process of obtaining this love, but that it is mine if only I believe that it is. Yes, I hope so, and if I am so blessed you will know just as soon as you give me the opportunity to write; and you will know in no uncertain terms, for when I am filled with this happiness that I see the others of the band have, you will hear me shout it out as you used to hear me shout in my speeches in court-only this will be entirely from the soul and not merely a matter of mind. I see them (Wm. R. & Pert) quite frequently and they are still in a condition of spiritual darkness as I before told you - but I try to tell them what little I have learned from you and the others mentioned, and they do not seem to want to learn of spiritual things so I do not know what to do. Your wife and mother talk to them also and tell them of the wonderful things that they may obtain if they will only give their thoughts to God and His love, but they do not seem to comprehend just what is meant, and think that they are still to some extent connected with earthly matters. They are not so very unhappy, but their happiness is not of the kind that I see your wife have, and I want them to obtain it, for they are very dear to me as you may know. Mrs. Riddle is not my soulmate but I love her very much and want her to become happy as she possibly can. No, not yet, but I am hoping to soon. I do not know why, but it is so. I will ask her when I next see her for she is a very beautiful and loving spirit. She certainly does love you and I wonder that she does to the extent that I see, for you are not so much interested in her as I think, for you are not a man that loves anyone very much, so you see you are a very blessed man in having the love of such a spirit. Yes, I know you do and I was only jesting a little. You do love her as I know and you will be very happy when you come over and live with her. Yes, I hear of her home as one of such beauty and it must be so for she is so beautiful that I couldn't imagine that her home is anything else than beautiful. Or, if I could only get into the sphere where she is I know that I would be very happy and I certainly would visit her and listen to her music and her beautiful thoughts, for she has beautiful thoughts which you cannot imagine she possesses. You will be the most surprised man in the world when you come over and meet her. Yes, infinitely more beautiful. I did think her one of the most beautiful young women on earth when I lived, but her beauty then is as a mere faded shadow to what it is now. Yes. I see the Professor quite often and he is progressing very wonderfully in his spiritual growth, for he is really a beautiful spirit and you know he was not so beautiful on earth. But now he is a spirit that shows that he possesses what he says is the love of God to a wonderful degree. He is still studying and writing, and says that he will soon write you some of his thoughts, if you will let him and I advise you to do so for they are wonderful even for this spiritual world. He is here now and says that he wants to thank you for your inquiry, and also wants you to know that he is thinking a great deal of you and will soon write you if you will only permit him to do so. You are tired and I must stop. I am as ever your own true friend and partner, A. G. Riddle December 28th, 1914 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Prof. Salyards:   Your wife told you today that I would write tonight and I will try to do the best that I can. I am now in the third sphere with your wife and father who are my very constant companions although I am not so highly developed in spirit love as is your wife who is one of the most beautiful spirits of my acquaintance. I am trying to learn what is possible about the laws that govern the spirit life but as yet I know comparatively little of them. I am also trying to write poems of love of God and of man. So you must not be surprised if some day I shall write to you some of my productions. I am also trying to get more of God's Love in my heart, so that I may progress to the higher spheres and find the greatest happiness possible to obtain. My present condition is one of great happiness, but I know that there is greater, higher up, and that as your grandmother and mother have found it, I will be able to find it also, if I follow the way that they have pursued. You must not expect me to write very much tonight as you are not in condition to permit me to do so. I know that I do not write as you anticipate that I would but only because I want to wait until conditions are better. Yes, I have found my soulmate, thanks to your wife, and I cannot tell you how happy I am. Your wife was certainly good to me and I will never cease to thank and love her for her interest in me. My soulmate is a very beautiful and spiritual woman who I never knew on earth even though she lived in a part of the Valley not very far from my home. Her name was Sarah Conway as she tells me and her father was a farmer near Mt. Crawford. She is now here and says that you are a very dear man to suggest that your wife find her. She says that she had never been instructed that she had a soulmate and that until your wife told her she did not know that I was the one that God intended for her. I do not understand why this is, but it seems to be so. I have heard that there is a law of attraction as you say but just how that law operates I am not able to say. Your wife seems to have a knowledge of this law which I do not have and have never yet tried to learn. She is a wonderful spirit in her investigations of certain laws pertaining to the laws of spirits for one another. How she obtained this knowledge I am not yet informed and cannot explain just how she discovered who my soulmate is. I know though that I have found her and that she is mine forever. How, I don't know, but she did locate her and I have her now with me. She says that your wife told your mother who my soulmate is and your mother who is in the same sphere told her and she came down to my home and found me and then knew that I was intended for her. She is in the fifth sphere where your mother lives. Yes, I see that it is and I will include it in my catalogue of studies. You are right when you say that I must study this matter for the happiness of so many spirits depends upon knowing their soulmates that it is well worth studying so that I may help them in finding who is the one that God has selected for any inquiring spirit. Question and Answer. She has not yet, but she will as I will ask her and she is so good that I know that she will tell me. She is a very diligent student of many of the things pertaining to the love of the spirits for the humans and she had made wonderful progress in her studies of the various means of communication between them. But she is so beautiful and so filled with God's Love that I scarcely know what to tell you of her current condition on any of these subjects. She is a wonderful spirit in her accomplishments in almost any line of investigation. Yes, I know that it may seem impossible to you, but she is a spirit of such energy and determination that nothing seems to prevent her progressing in these things. She is also a wonderful lover of her soulmate and he should consider himself highly blest by having the great love which she has for him. You need not think that all soulmates have this wonderful Love for they do not. Love here seems to be something like love on earth. In some it is developed to a greater degree than in others. I am one who is very deep in my feeling of love and so my soulmate seems to be. I do not know, but it is quite possible, for if she has undertaken to find her, she will, if there is any way in which it can be done. I will soon do so if you get in condition. He is with me in this sphere. He is a very bright and loving spirit and I am so glad that he is here with me. He died so young, that his ideas of spirit matter were not very firmly fixed and when he came over it was not difficult for him to learn the truth. Yes, mother helped him very much as she was so kind to him in his early life here. She is my dearest spirit friend and is so good and fine that I am always much helped by being in her company. Yes, he is in the earth sphere and is not very happy. He was a good churchman, but was not very spiritual. I have tried to help him on several occasions, but he seems to think that the only life for him to lead is one that he lead while on earth. I mean that he seems to be satisfied with the condition that he is now in. His father has progressed to a higher sphere recently but he is not yet very much filled with God's Love and does not seem to be able to help Ambrose very much as I believe that Ambrose would not be so contented with his present home. You are very tired and I must stop. Your old professor and friend, Joseph Salyards December 29th, 1914. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: I am in my home in the Third Sphere still, but soon I hope that I will be with your mother who is waiting for me to come to her; she is trying all she can to help me, and she says that if you continue to pray as you did last night for me that I will soon be with her. Your father is also very anxious to progress to the same sphere so that he can be with his soulmate, who is very anxiously waiting for him. He is now a very beautiful spirit and he loves her with a very great love, but not so much as I do you. No, I am not. I know for I can see the love in the souls of spirits and I know that his love is not the equal of mine even if he does love her so much. You will know also when you come over and you will say that I am not mistaken. So do not think that I am biased in the matter, for I am not. Most of my time when I am not with you is given to helping the spirits who do not know the way to God's love, and the necessity for obtaining it in order to obtain perfect happiness. I am also engaged in studying the laws pertaining to spirit intercourse with mortals, as I have told you. I find that a spirit can only communicate when it is in a condition of rapport with the mortal, and only then when certain conditions exist. Even if a spirit is in rapport it cannot exercise any influence over the mortal unless the mortal is in a certain condition to receive that influence, so it is absolutely necessary for the mortal as well as the spirit to have these conditions around him in order to get the communications. You and I have no difficulty because we are in the condition that enables us to communicate at all times, although sometimes the conditions are not as good as at other times. No, you are in complete condition with all your band, and also with some others who occasionally write to you. Bright Star is one who finds no difficulty in writing to you, and she is very anxious to have you permit her to write as soon as possible. I will tell her and I have no doubt that she will take advantage of the opportunity. But you must not let these outside spirits write too often, for, as we have told you, it will injure our rapport and condition. No, of course not. He is privileged at all times and has the first right. No, White Eagle is a part of us and his writing will not interfere. Yes, I have, and she has met him (Mr. R.), and they have become acquainted and have exchanged greetings. She is in the fifth heaven and is a very spiritual woman. No, not on earth. It seems that she lived in the State of Illinois and he in Ohio; so they never met, but he says that she is a beautiful spirit, and he is so thankful that he has found her, and keeps telling me that I am his guardian angel, and that he will help me to watch over you and keep you from all harm and trouble. He is a very powerful spirit although he has not yet gotten the great love which we are all trying to help him get, but he will have it very soon now, and then he will realize what true happiness is. I feel that you are not so close to me tonight as usual for some reason, and it doesn't make me very happy to feel so. Tell me what the trouble is that keeps you away from me, and I will try to remove it, if possible. I see and I am sorry for I have tried my best to help you, and if I am not successful it is not because I did not try. I understand and I do not know what to say for I don't see how I can give any more convincing evidence. I: see what you mean, and I am sure that you will not have to feel that I am not your Helen on that account, though I am not infallible, and something might intervene to prevent the happening of what I have told you, but I do not see anything now, and, consequently, I am quite sure that you will be relieved in the way that I say. No, she can do what you want her to do in a very short time as she has the securities, and Harry can help her get the money as I see it, but I am sorry that you do not believe sufficiently to set aside this contingency. Yes, I know, but you might get a little more this week from local matters, and will have enough for your own purposes. He meant just what he said, and you must believe him. He will surely see that you will want for nothing as he told you, so you have so many assurances that I don't see why you should worry. Yes, I have met quite a number and have spoken to them; though many of them did not know me, for I had changed so much that they did not recognize me in the spirit that I am now. They are nearly all in the earth plane, and I have tried to help them, but somehow the spirits do not seem to have so much power in that regard as do the mortals by their prayers. I do not understand this, but it seems to be so. Many of the spirits, whom I knew on earth, have not had the spiritual awakening yet, so they do not see the necessity for seeking for a higher sphere. They are pretty well contented with their condition and are comparatively happy. Yes, she is in the Third Sphere as she was a spiritual woman, and had a great deal of God's love in her heart. He is not with her - he is in the earth plane. He was a very good church member, but not very spiritual. He seems to be quite happy though, and is not worrying much about progressing to the higher spheres. He is not her soulmate. She has one who is still on earth but very old, and will soon come over. Well, I am specially endowed with the power to find the soulmates of the spirits. I don't know why it is, but I am. So is your father. He first instructed me and I am now working with him in that regard. You would be surprised to know the number of spirits here, who have no conception of what a soulmate means. They seem to think that they have to remain all alone, until some day they may meet a spirit to whom they may become attached and live with. So you see I am doing some good in that particular; for when they find their soulmates they become ever so much happier, and seem to think that I am their best friend, and special angel to guide them. Yes, they could meet and not realize that they are mates. I don't understand how this is, but I know from observation that it is so. Some spirits are so in want of the power of observation that when their soulmates come to them they do not recognize them until some length of time has elapsed. I remember one case where a bright spirit from the third plane came to her soulmate in the earth plane, and tried to make him understand that she was his soulmate, but was unable to succeed until after a long time, when he awoke to the fact that he should have a soulmate allotted to him, and even then she had to tell him that she was his soulmate. He did not seem to have any longing for a mate. He was so much engrossed with things of earth that he did not think of soulmates or anything else of that kind. So you see the spirits who understand that they have soulmates are so much better off in the way of obtaining happiness than those who have no knowledge of that fact. Question: Who will find my soulmate for me? When that time comes, you won't need anyone to find your soulmate, because she will be right at the portals of the spirit world with her arms open and her heart so full of love for you, that you will know yourself who your soulmate is, without having to have someone find her for you. Yes, I know how happy you are and you make me happy too, my own darling Ned. Oh, how you must love me to feel that way for me; and I love you with all my heart and soul too. Dry your tears and know that for every teardrop that falls from your eyes I have one to correspond in love and joy. Oh! how I wish that you could see me now!, and then you would know that I am your own Helen and that every drop of my love is for you and no one else. So do not cry more my own dear boy. You make me so happy that I can scarcely write. You love me now as you never loved me before and I cannot tell you how happy I am, my own sweetheart. So do not cry more but continue to always love me in this way, and you will find more happiness than you have ever known before. I do thank God for his goodness in giving you to me, and keeping you for me in all these years that we lived together and apart. But my dear we will never live apart again through all eternity. Be all mine in thought and desire as you are now and we will know no sorrow in the time to come, my dear boy. Only to think that you will be mine in all the years that are before us, and that no matter what may happen in the few short years intervening, the time will soon be with us that we will have each other without any veil of flesh to separate us. We are one now, my Ned, and you need never fear again that your Helen does not write to you. Now you know and you will never doubt again. Bless you, my darling, for this evidence of your love for me, for now, never again will I have a thought that you are not mine. Yes, I will, and he will be so happy when I tell him for he loves you very much. Tell me again what you quoted. "Steeped in the luxury of tears". Oh, isn't that beautiful!, and how I enjoy those tears, but do not shed more now, for I know that they are all for me, and that your love is all mine. No, not now. More close than ever before. No more distance. No more feelings of separation, only one close eternal one. My dear, how can I tell you my feelings this night? Oh, night! I will never forget the happiness that you give me! Nor the love that comes to me from my own true soulmate! He is mine and I am his, but we cannot ever know the extent of our bliss! Please, my darling, dry your tears, and let me stop a while - you need not stop writing for the night - only stop awhile that I may rest. I am rested now. Yes, that is the way that I feel to. Isn't it glorious that such love has come to us. The Father is good to us, and how we ought to love him and thank him for His goodness. So when we pray together tonight we will let our whole hearts go out to Him in thanksgiving and gratitude that He has given us so much of His love, and so much love for each other, for our love must come from Him, without Him we would not have the love we do for each other. You are my lover as well as my husband and no woman could ever have been loved more than you loved me tonight. So do not let us further write as I am tired. I will be with you in your prayers, and watch over your slumbers tonight and try to make you have pleasant dreams. So goodnight my own darling Ned. Your own Helen December 30th, 1914. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: Dr. Stone is a different man. He has considerable spiritual development, and is an earnest seeker of the higher things of the spirit world, and has had a considerable experience in these matters. He is not just right when he ascribes the inflowing of God's Love to any vibrations of spiritual forces, other than the pure and only love of God. His Love is not a mere vibration, but an actual existing Love, which has its source only in the fountainhead of His Love, no other force or thing enters into it - only pure and everlasting Love which emanates from the Father. So tell Dr. Stone that he must believe that God is an infinite actual being who loves him as a father, and not some mere vibratory love or power moving through the universe without a fixed and predetermined plan for the happiness of mankind. I hope he will soon see that if he wishes to obtain the greatest happiness on earth as well as in the heavens, he will come to believe that God is his real, personal Father, with all the love that a Father - the only one - can have for his child. He can obtain the happiness, resulting from the possession of this Love, only by prayer to the Father, and belief in the actual existence of the Father, and His desire to bestow this love in answer to such prayer. He must let this Love of God into his soul and believe that it is there. When he gets it though he will know it and he will not need any further proof than the happiness that will come to him by its mere possession. Tell him to pray for its inflowing, and not wait until he can understand how such a thing can be, and he will get it. I am much interested in him for I see that he has a longing to know the truth, and to obtain all the happiness that may be found in the spirit world. Let his thoughts about the movements and operations of the astral body, as it is called, and the vibrations necessary to bring one into harmony with the higher things of this world (spirit world) be taken from his consideration, and let his whole thoughts and aspirations centre upon the great love which the Father has for him. He will then soon learn that in order to get this great happiness of which I speak is not depending upon any knowledge of the laws which govern vibrations or astral bodies, or anything else which merely are useful in carrying out certain operations of God's laws in His spiritual kingdom. He must believe, as I say, if he wants to succeed in finding that which is far more desirable than anything which the mere acquisition of the knowledge of the laws governing the inter-communication between the spiritual and the material world can give him. I am so much interested in his spiritual welfare, that I almost feel that I must come to him personally and try to impress upon him with all my powers, the necessity of his trying to get this great happiness in the way that I have indicated. So be sure to tell him that he must pray to God for an inflowing of His love and believe that God is able to fill his soul with this love, and let all the desires as to why these things can be, pass from him for the time being. I know his soulmate and she is a beautiful spirit living in the same sphere with me. When I heard you talking today, I immediately tried to find her and succeeded. She knows that he is her soulmate, and she is so anxious to get into communication with him, for she says that he is very dear to her, and she wants him to obtain this great love, which will enable him to come to her direct when he comes over, so he will not have to have an experience of expiation in the earth plane. She says tell him that he is her true soulmate and that he must believe it to be so, for she has known it for some time, and has been with him many times when he has felt downhearted and needed help. She will now be with him very often, and she only hopes that she may in some way cause him to feel that she is, and realize that he is not alone in his earth life. She never knew him on earth. She says that her home was in England, not very far from where he lived, and that her name is Mary Kennedy. She was the daughter of a very prosperous businessman, and is a spirit only for about ten years. She is not only waiting for him to come over, but is trying to prepare a home for them both, that will show him how much she loves him, and how much she has thought of him for several years past. I never knew her until today, but she seems to be a very lovely spirit and one of entire sincerity.So tell him that here is another reason why he should strive to obtain this love of God in his soul, that I have above all things tried so very earnestly to impress upon him the necessity of obtaining. So tell him further that from now on he will have a beautiful spirit to enter into all his joys, and to sympathize with him in all his sorrows - which I hope may be few. I must stop now for I have tired my darling Ned. You must pardon me for having taken up so much time in writing about Dr. Stone but I could not help it as I saw that he is almost ready to let God's love come into his soul and make him a happy man. Helen December 31st, 1914 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, your father: I am very happy and am glad that you seem to be also. Question and answer: Yes, because of your experience the other night in loving Helen and her loving you. You certainly were filled with love and you must be perfectly happy, to have had such a demonstration of love and the realization of the actual sensitive presence of your wife. for I tell you that she was with you and was so filled with her love for you, that we all wondered at her love. She is a spirit that seems to have no limit to her love for you, not many spirits seem to have such abundance of love as she has for you. So you must consider yourself a very blessed man to have such a wife and a soulmate. Yes, as I told you many years ago, there is of record in the heavens a book of lives, as I might call it, which contains the names of those who are decreed by God to be one through all eternity: and when I want to know who is the soulmate of one who desires to know his or her soulmate, I consult that book, and there I find who the soulmate is. I am not permitted to give the name of the soulmate if he or she is on the earth life, for it might create discord or unhappiness to the living, but if the soulmate is not married then there is no restriction upon me, but if the soulmate is married then I must not tell the name, such is the law of God in this particular. The reason is that I have that duty assigned to me, and as Helen has told you I have taught her to perform this duty and she is now engaged in it, and is most successful in the performance of her mission. She seems to have a wonderful ability, or you might call it, intuition for locating the soulmates in the spirit world as she never fails when she undertakes to find one. She also finds great happiness in doing this work and in seeing the happiness that comes to them who ask her to perform this task. I do not engage in it with so much enthusiasm as she does, but I do the best that I can, and I am rewarded also by seeing the happiness of those soulmates when they are brought together. No, not if they are not assigned to do this work. It is one of the provisions of the spiritual world that each person has some work of a certain kind, or several kinds to do, and in that way are helped by the higher powers, or, as we believe, the love of God to perform. A spirit who is assigned to do a particular work, such as helping the spirit when it first enters the spirit world, will not attempt to engage in other work of a wholly different kind. Yes, as to attempting to awaken a spirit to a conception of the love of God that is waiting for it, all spirits may do this, and when a spirit succeeds in causing a darkened or blinded spirit to feel or realize that God's love is waiting for it, then the spirit who has caused that awakening is most happy. Of course, it is only the spirit who has had that awakening himself, who can cause or lead another spirit to that desire for spiritual enlightenment, that will finally cause it to get this love to his full and complete happiness. I am not yet in a condition to be fully able to do this with much success, but your grandmother and mother are very powerful in this particular, and they are the cause of many spirits becoming reconciled to God and His salvation. So you see, the one great thing to obtain, either while on earth, or after you come here, is this great awakening and love of God in your own heart. It is of all things necessary, the greatest. I know to a considerable degree what it means and the happiness that comes from it; but I am not satisfied and am striving to obtain more of this love, and to rise higher in the Kingdom of God. So you must try also, for you need not wait until you come over. She has it to a degree that almost enables her to go with your mother, and I think that in a very short time she will leave us and rise to the higher sphere, and we will miss her very much. Yes, he (Mr. Riddle) is becoming more in condition to receive this love and believe in what your mother tells him. She is the one that is trying to show him the way, more than anyone else. He seems to have great confidence in her and in her love. He is also progressing very fast, and I expect that he will soon be with me in this sphere. So you see we all are doing well in the way of progressing and your prayers help us very much. I have seen him (Taggart) very recently and he is in the same condition as when I wrote you first about him. He does not seem to realize that he needs any assistance to help him to become happier or to progress to a better condition and it is difficult to convince him. I tried several times, but he said that I was mistaken in what I told him, and that he knew that he was just where it was intended that he should be, so I have not tried lately. No, I do not, but I can find him (Mackey) if you desire that I shall, He might want to say something to you, but only through me, as you must not get into rapport with these strangers to our band, for it will do harm, and we must not run the risk. We are here. Mr. Mackey and Mr. Taggart. They say that they are very glad that you have given them the opportunity to say a word. He (Mackey) says that he is much happier than when he first came over. as he has commenced to see the things that are necessary to make him happier. He says, that he wants you to tell him of your experience with some of the other spirits, with whom you have come in contact; as he says, he has recently learned from earth sources that you have had considerable experience with spirits who have been in a condition of unrest and spiritual blindness, and have helped them some. He says that he is in the earth plane, and that when he came over it was a very dark and dreadful road that he traveled, that he was all blind and left alone after he first entered the spirit world, and that only recently has he commenced to see a ray of light, that his condition now is not one in which he receives much happiness, and he is not very hopeful of ever becoming very happy, as he sees nothing around him but darkness and depravity, and evil spirits who delight in trying to make everyone around them feel that there is no hope for any spirit; but that their lives must be spent in a condition of suffering and unhappiness, in other words, that they are in hell and have no hope of getting away from it. He says that he has gotten some little light from a spirit who has been telling him, that there is hope and a better place if he will only believe it to be so, and let his soul open up to the better influences; but that he cannot believe that there is any God or any Saviour or any better place for him. He says that if there is a better place or any reason to believe that there is a God or Saviour he wants to know it, and if you can help him any, to please do so. He says that he has not seen Mr. Riddle and did not know that he is in the Spirit World. He says that he will try to find him, and may be he can get some help. He says that I am much more beautiful than Mr. Taggart, and more happy looking. He further says, that I am not so very different, as he sees it, to cause him to ask that question, but as you request it, he will do so. He has asked me and I told him that my appearance and happiness was caused by my having gotten the love of God in my soul, and the realization that God is my Father, and loves me so very much that he wants me to be his child and become one in thought with Him. He says that that may be true, but he does not understand it, and that if it is the cause, he would like to know the Way, for he certainly wants to be rid of the awful darkness and despair that is with him almost continuously. Because, as he says, that you are his friend and that he will try to do as you suggested; but he says that he cannot yet believe that there is a God who can help him to get out of his awful condition.He says that he will try to pray and try to believe and that if there is anything in what you say, and you really believe what you say, that you must pray for him also. He says that for the sake of what you say, that if any of these spirits that you speak of, should come to him, he will listen to them, even though he may not believe - that he cannot promise to believe. He says that he will come to you tonight and try to pray as you say, but he doubts that it will do any good, but he does not think that it can do any harm. He is willing to pray and will try to believe, you must not feel bad, if when he does so, he tells you that he don't believe in prayer or God. He says that he is not willing to run the risk of having his conscience lash him or of his suffering any more than he is now. He does not believe that he can do so and live. He says, that what you say sounds as if there might be some truth in it, and he will think about it, that is, if his happiness or future state depends upon his will, he will very soon determine that question, for if what you say is true, then he will be a big fool to remain where he is, when by the mere exercise of his will he can get into places of happiness and light. So he says, he will think of what you say. He says that what you say may be all true, but the difficulty is that he can't understand, and, therefore, can't believe. He says that he can say what you have just said and mean it, and he is ready to do so now. "If there be a God, and if that God has a love for me, and is ready to fill my soul with that love and make me happy and full of light, and whether I receive that love or not depends upon my will, then if this is all true, I will that God give me this love with all my strength and desire." He says that he is feeling some strong sensation now, and that he will repeat this and pray to God and ask for faith; and will continue to repeat it, as you have taught him, and he hopes that he may receive this love and light. He says that you have shown him that there may be some such thing as this love of God, and that he is willing to pray, and if his receiving it depends upon his will, he is willing it with all his heart. He says that as you seem to have such faith in this love and in prayer, that you do not forget to pray for him. Yes, Mr. Taggart has heard it all and he says, that you certainly did put it up to Mackey to try the experiment, but that he is very doubtful if you will see any good results flow from it. He says that he will wait and see what effect it has on Mackey, and then he may be willing to consider the matter. He does not believe that prayer is anything more than a mere wish that emanates in and goes no higher than mind; and that, consequently, there is no God to answer, for if there was the prayers of all the people of the warring nations, would bring about such conflicting answers that confusion would be worse confused. He says that he never thought of it in that way, but, if as you say the prayer should be that this love which you say would make men love not only God but one another, and make every man strive to make happy every other man, then if that prayer should be answered, the war would soon stop, and the nations as nations and as individuals would undoubtedly be happy and peace would reign over all the land. And if this is the love that you are trying to tell us about, then I am not so certain that it is worth striving for. You are a very ingenious reasoner, and I commence to see that there may be some logic in what you say, but how am I to attempt to do that in which I have no faith? I know that I ordinarily, when on earth required everything to be proved, and unless things were proved I was not willing to accept conclusions, and I have not changed in that particular since I have come to the spirit world and I find it hard to change; but, as you say, I should be reasonable enough to let my mind be open to a conviction, if such conviction can possibly be brought about by any means, whether they arise from the knowledge that I gained when on earth, or whether they arise from things connected with this spiritual world of which I have very little knowledge. So after all I guess Mackey is not such a big fool to try the experiment; and having confidence in you as a friend that has at heart my welfare, I will do the same as Mackey has promised to do. So you can pray for me too, and I will pray also - but of course I will not be able to have any belief that my prayers will be answered. So you see I am not only hard headed, but hard hearted also. Yes I am, if it depends on my will I am more than willing, not only that, but if there be a God and the love that you speak of, I will forever thank that God for taking me away from this condition of blindness and unhappiness. Yes, I am willing to pray to God to help me to believe, and if that will bring relief, then there will be no difficulty, for I will make such a prayer with all my heart. You are the most persistent man that I have ever met in these spiritual matters and if what you say happens, I will certainly thank you with all my heart and soul, for I can conceive of nothing more desirable than to have the great blessings and possessions that you tell me about. So I will keep faith with you as I said when nest you give me the opportunity to write, I will frankly tell you what the result of my experiment is. Yes, and I appreciate what you have done and I say to you that this violation of your law, which the band you speak of has prescribed, has caused me to think more deeply of your interest in me and what you said, than I can express. So good bye for the present, the next time I come I will try to observe your law, and write through your father, if he will permit me to. Yes, you certainly did give the gentleman a struggle to get away from what you said to them, and I believe that you have impressed them to such a degree that they will be lead to learn the truth. You are tired and must stop. Your father, John H. Padgett January 1st, 1915. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Mother: I am the mother of your friend, and want to tell him how glad I am that I can be with him and make known to him my presence and the fact that though his mother is a spirit, yet she can be with him and feel for him all the love which she had for her boy while on earth. He must not doubt that his mother is here, for she is, and has been with him many times when you were writing and has sent him some tokens of her love through his soulmate, Mary. Why, Leslie, she, I mean your Mary, was a little English girl, and when on earth did not live many miles from your home, and if it had been intended you two could easily have met when you were very young. But of course you might not have known of the fact that you were soulmates. I want to tell you now, that Mary is a real, existing spirit who was once a little English girl, and is all beauty and goodness, and is waiting here for you to come to her and when you do you will not find some shadowy unsubstantial thing of air, but a real live, beautiful spirit, with form and features perfect and well defined, and full of animation and pink roses on her cheeks, and hair all dark and glossy, and blue eyes, and mouth like cupids, and teeth as you would say like ivory. She is not a very demure little girl either, but is full of life and love and happiness. I tell you all this that you may form some idea of her, and be able to see her, to some extent, in your mind's eyes as you mortals say. And more than all, she is so pure and good, and is loved by every spirit with whom she comes in contact. I will not write much more tonight, but merely add that my prayers for you go out to the Father, and my faith that he will look after and preserve you for the better things not only of the spirit life, but of the earth life, is without a bit of doubting. I must not write more tonight. But in concluding, I must say that you have with you all the love and blessings of a mother who loved you so much on earth. So think of me sometimes. Your own dear and loving mother, Priscilla Stone January 5th, 1915. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. You are my own true brother and disciple. I come because you need me and my love, and I want to tell you that you are very near the Kingdom. Your prayers have been heard, and our Father has given you His love to a great degree. So you must soon be prepared to take my messages, for the time is getting ripe for the world to receive my gospel of love and peace. Men are now thinking deeply of spiritual things and want a gospel that will teach them the way to the truth and to God's love and their eternal happiness. So do not let the things of earth keep you from getting more of your Father's Love and Grace in your soul. Be steadfast in your faith and you will not want for anything that will enable you to become His true son and my own loving disciple in spreading the glorious tidings of joy and peace to mankind. Your love is now so great that you will soon be at-one with your Father and receive from Him the outpouring of His love and the Pentecost of the Holy Spirit. Be a man that will not let anything of earth or heaven keep you from doing the work which I have set before you to do. I am your true helper and protector, and you will not suffer for want of anything that will make you free and happy. Be more earnest in your efforts to obtain the great boon which your Father has promised to give you, and you will not be disappointed. You are doing a good work among the spirits and God, our Father, will bless you in your endeavor. You must not let doubt or want of faith keep you from doing the great work that you have undertaken. The spirits whom you have so much helped will progress towards the truth and will remember you when they get the happiness which awaits them. Your wife is a beautiful and powerful spirit, who has learned to love God very much, and who loves you to an extent that is unusual among spirits, who love with a love far exceeding the love of mortals (the redeemed spirits are the ones I mean). She is now progressing very rapidly and soon will be very near her Father's home of love and joy. So you are very much blessed in having such a wife and soulmate; and when you come over you will find a spirit waiting for you that will appear so beautiful to you, that you will wonder how such a thing could be. But you may become just as beautiful and as much possessed of God's love, if you will only pray and do His will while on earth. It is not necessary for you to wait until you come over in order to get this love and become free from sin and error. I am your true teacher and brother, and I want you to do my will as regards the teaching to mankind of the truths of the Father. I do not desire to tell you now of these things. I will in a short time and then you will know just what the truth is. Yes, I know the future, and I tell you now and you must believe, that you will soon be relieved of all your business cares, and be in a condition to give all your time and energies to my work. Do not doubt this any more. I think that this is the best place, though the place will not determine the best means of doing the work. I mean the place will not be material, except that the place you mention is a good one, as it is near the Capitol of a great nation and will enable you to make more impression on the world by what you may publish. I do not intend to restrict you to any place; only take the messages and publish them. You will also teach the truths by your daily conversations and example. Yes, I remember the saying and it is true, but in your case the same conditions do not exist as existed when I gave utterance to the saying. Nevertheless I will guide you when the time comes and you will follow my guidance. It will make little difference to you where you are, for the spread of my truths is the important thing. Yes, a church will be established, and there will be many leaders of my new movement, and it will succeed and supplant all other beliefs in this hemisphere. I mean in the United States and other protestant countries. The war will last until the Germans are subdued. I don't think it will be very long before they will see the utter hopelessness of fighting longer; then they will submit and a new nation will arise, which will be a nation of the people governed by the people. Emperors' sons will not have any influence with the people. The nobility will cease to have any power and will become a part of the people. God will eventually rule men's lives through His love, for men will then seek His love, and peace will be established in the earth. When my Kingdom comes on the earth I will reign in the hearts of men, not as a ruler or as a sovereign lord, but as a Prince of Peace, the only son of the Father who was born without sin, and all mankind will worship God in spirit and in truth. War shall be no more and swords shall be turned into pruning hooks and plowshares, and men shall know what peace and love for one another are. My second coming will be as the still small voice that speaks to every man and tells him that Love is the only thing that is necessary for him to have, and when he gets that in his soul all the sins and hatred and desires for evil will pass away. I will not desert you in your work, and it will prosper. I know that certain churches - I mean the clergy and high officials - will fight my truths and the teaching of them to men, but they will not succeed. I will prevail and mankind will be redeemed. All will bow down in earnest prayer and thanksgiving to their God, and His love will enter into their hearts and they will be at peace. Brothers will be brothers indeed, and the Fatherhood of God and brotherhood of man will be established, and all men will serve their God. The Catholic Church will eventually, as an organization of political power, and as a monster of error and a teacher of doctrines contrary to God's truths, be utterly destroyed, and its followers will embrace the true teachings of my gospel. Many will not embrace these new teachings, though, until the last vestige of the power of this great vampire has utterly disappeared. The priests will be shaken from their seats of power and will become men of no influence among the people, for my truths will destroy all the errors which they have preached and through fear caused their deluded followers to embrace and believe. You must not write more tonight, as you are tired. So with my love and blessings, I am Your brother and teacher, Jesus Note. This message, appears to be identical except for the parts shown in italics to the message on page 190. It is assumed that some pages may have been mixed up in the publishing of this copy. January 5th, 1915. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your grandmother. I heard, and you must believe that it was the Master. He was writing and HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor668.htm" was so in earnest that you must believe that his prophecies will come true. I am so glad that he wrote you again. Good night, Your Grandmother   You must stop now. Your own Helen January 7th, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: I am very happy and you are a little better, and there is no need to worry about Nita as she is now very happy in her school. I will try tonight to tell you of what I am now doing in my new home and in the earth sphere where I am most of the time, helping spirits. Well in my home I am so very much engaged in studying the laws of communicating with you that I have hardly time for anything else. I am now quite certain that I understand how to talk to you in an independent voice and also to materialize. So you must not be astonished anytime to hear my voice or see me in the form of a materialized spirit. I am also trying to help the spirits who are in a condition of blindness and doubt. I am living with your mother in her home, but I am not so spiritual as she. We are both very happy though, and have everything that heart could wish for. The music is so beautiful that I cannot describe it to you, and even the love which helps to make the music is of such an intensity that you could not possibly understand if I should attempt to tell it to you. My home here is much more beautiful than that which I had in the third sphere, and everything is beyond what I conceived when I lived there. The house and trees and flowers and fruits are very much more beautiful and delightful. No one could be anything but happy in such a home. We have nothing to interfere with our happiness and every one is a delightful companion and full of love and beauty. I have met many spirits that I did not know either on earth or in the spirit world before I came to this place, both men and women. Yes, we have rivers and lakes and fields and mountains and all the beautiful landscapes that you can imagine, I not only enjoy these things, but they are more real than those of earth. I am sometimes engaged in painting these flowers and landscapes, and have many pictures which others painted. I find that I can paint with a more artistic touch than when on earth. I have no trouble in drawing as you know I had some in my earth pictures. I am also studying music, and especially my vocal lessons. You will be much surprised when you hear me sing as you cannot conceive what a different voice I have. Sometimes I try to sing some of the songs that I used to sing to you, but they are not pretty in comparison to the songs we have here, either in the music or the sentiments. Well as you are not so much interested in my description, I will not attempt further portrayal of the things here. Yes, I can see it in your brain - you are thinking about other things, so you see, I know. Yes, but you must think of what I write for that is necessary in order for you to write. While I can guide your hand, yet I have also to use your brain to express my thoughts. You could, if you will try - that is one of the things that I want you to do, for then you can hear what I say at anytime, and it will not be necessary for you to write. Yes, it is better to presume what I write, for sometimes it does you good to read over what I have said and feel over again the emotions which you felt at the time of your receiving my messages. I love you all the time, and you know it, but sometimes it is beneficial to reread my expressions of love, even though you doubt that they are mine. Let me tell you that you are not to remain in this state of doubt much longer, for I will so indubitably show my presence to you that you will never again doubt that I am with you. Then when you write you will feel that I am indeed writing as convincingly as if I sat beside you and you could see me. It may happen any night as you sit and write or when you are lying in bed thinking of me and wondering if I am really with you. So you must be prepared to have anything happen which will show you that I am with you. Yes, I believe that I will be able to do that when you are all alone, and so you will hear my voice when you are alone. No, this is the most satisfactory means of communicating that I know of. You can exchange your thoughts for mine, and can write so much more than I could possibly speak. Yes, I will be able to speak for a little while, at a time, but not as I write. No spirit can gather such power as would be required to continue to talk for any length of time. Even Bright Star, who is an adept, could not carry on an extended conversation, as she says. The power that I now have enables me to manifest myself in several ways - such as the independent voice, materialization and writing - I do not know about the slate writing, but I believe that I can do that too - at any rate I will try to accomplish it sometime. I don't think that I will be able to manifest on the same night in an independent voice and also materialize, for each manifestation requires great power. Yes, I can knock on the table, but that does not give any special satisfaction - all earth bound spirits can do that - It is the lowest order of manifestation. We of the higher spheres do not care to do that if we can manifest in any other way, and I would rather not try it. I mean that I am stronger physically, spiritually and mentally than White Eagle. I do not know the exact extent of my power, but the spirits with a better knowledge of these things, say that my power is so very unusual that I can do most anything that I may try. Of course, they mean within reasonable limitations. I could not take a mountain and move it, or even a very heavy substance, but I could lift you and will sometime just to show you how strong I am. Spiritually, I am now in a sphere that enables me to know what the love of God really is and that in his love I have almost complete happiness. I have gotten rid of those things, I now love everybody, and am trying my best to help every soul that I possibly can. No such feelings of dislike or envy or hatred hasn't any place in my heart, for which I thank God. The conditions of all spirits is determined by their goodness and love. No distinction on account of what a spirit might have been on earth is known here. The poorest working man is as of as great importance as the most famous man according to his earthly standing. In fact more of the poor and humble of earth are in the higher spheres than are those who were wealthy and held high positions. This is so, not because there were more of the poor, but because their spiritual conditions were better, and they are more susceptible to the influences of the good spirits, who are doing the Father's work. So you see high standing on earth is not a thing which determine the condition of the spirit here. I know a number of spirits who, when on earth, were prominent in society, and wealthy, but who are now in the lowest sphere, simply because they did not know anything of God's Love, and wholly failed to observe his laws and truths while on earth. You will be surprised at the number of friends of yours who were prominent on earth, and who are not as happy as they were while on earth. Their desires are very much the same as on earth, and yet they have no means of gratifying them, and, consequently, they are very unhappy. I think that the sin of suicide is the worst, and then the murderer, the drunkard and the prostitute. The last is a person who seems very difficult to things spiritual because he or she does not realize the enormity of his sin so much as the suicide or murderer. A prostitute has ruined many, and when she at last realizes that fact her sufferings are very, great. They are in very low planes - lower than the earth planes, and they are generally trying to pursue the occupation that they had on earth, and imagine that they do. I say imagine, because I have no better word to express it. But they really believe that there is some kind of happiness that comes to them from the belief that they have, that they can still engage in such things. You would be surprised to see the great number of men and women who occupy this plane - some of them who on earth were not considered such. But prostitution is not a thing of act altogether, but of desire or lust. A man may look on a women and lust after her, and, as Jesus said, he already commits adultery in heart; and so, many mortals committed adultery in that way and the sin arising therefrom follows them here, and can only be gotten rid of by prayer, and the consequent forgiveness and love of God in their hearts. A man or women may get rid of this sin while on earth, if he repents and prays God to let His Love come into his soul. When this Love takes possession of a man's soul all sin is cast out and is no more remembered against him - this is what is meant by washing away sin. The blood of Jesus nor his vicarious atonement, as it is called, ever washes away sin - the only effective thing is the Love of God in the heart. So you see, men may believe all that they possibly can that the blood and sufferings of Jesus, and his death on the cross, saves them from sin and its consequence, and yet, if they are not possessed of this Love, these sins will remain and they are not saved. I have written more than I intended on this subject, but as you are so much interested I thought it best to tell you what I have learned from the Master himself. I mean by having more powerful mentality, that I have progressed so very much in knowledge and in my will power. I am not yet a wise woman, but in a certain line I. have acquired a great deal of knowledge as regards, for instance, the way in which spirits and mortals while in the flesh. I am not any more versed in the science of what controls the heavenly bodies, or why one star differeth from another in glory, or what are God's mysteries as you may consider them - these matters are being investigated by other and older spirits. But as regards love, both of God and spirits and mortals, I have learned a great deal. Let me tell you that of all subjects that should interest men, love is the greatest, for love is the fulfilling of all law; and the man who knows what love is, I mean the real, genuine love both for God and his fellow mortals and spirits has that which is not equaled by knowledge of anything else in all the Universe. Jesus has this knowledge to a greater extent than any other spirit, and, consequently, is the greatest power in all the heavens or earth, and those who listen to his teachings and follow them will be when they come over, and even while on earth, the strongest and happiest of all beings. So do not neglect to learn this great knowledge. You are very far in the possession of it, and when you shall have had his teachings and followed them you will be a powerful and happy spirit when you come over. I am told by him (Jesus) that he is forming his own kingdom in the spirit world of those who listen to and follow his teaching, and get this great love in their hearts; and their home or sphere will be entirely separate from the other spirits, and will be in the highest heavens, where happiness the most supreme will be. So I am trying to become one of his followers and a subject of his kingdom. He will not let sin of any kind or inharmony find a resting peace in that kingdom, and hence no man or spirit who has not been fully purified can possibly enter into it. He is now forming that kingdom and when his work is done, and he leaves the earth plane and mankind to themselves, he will go into that kingdom and remain there, and rule for all eternity. So strive to become worth of becoming a subject of that kingdom. You must stop writing now as you are tired. Well as you are my soulmate and the only one that I will ever have or want, I must tell you that I love you with a love that can never grow old or less, and that when you come over you will realize that your Helen is a spirit who knows how to love. But she loves you now with all her heart and soul and you must believe it. So goodnight my own darling Ned. Your loving,Helen January 8th, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your Grandmother: Yes, I see that you are desirous of some spiritual food and I have come to tell you of some truths of the spirit life. You have been reading a book which is not true for there are no hells as described in it, where mortals after passing into the spirit life have to undergo such sufferings and torments. There are no such places as described in the first part of the book. You need not believe that there are any such places of punishment for the evil spirits. God loves all His children too much to have them pass through such experiences as are in that book described. I know what I am telling you for I have descended into the lowest spheres and have never yet seen or heard of such hells or any spirits who are in the condition described. Evil spirits have to suffer for their sins and atone for every evil thought, but not by any such suffering as the writer of that book depicts. I am conscious of the fact that the churches teach of hells somewhat similar to the ones we have referred to, but neither the hells of the churches nor the hells of that book exist. So don't let the thoughts which the reading of that book may engender make you think that there is such a vengeful and cruel God, for I know that there is not. My observations of the condition of the wicked shows me that they must all suffer before they can be relieved from the burden of their sins, and have a place where happiness, even to a smallest degree, is obtained; but when they have become truly penitent and seek the saving Power and Love of God, they will always find it. You are not much, impressed, I can see, by the statements in the book, and I am glad of it, for it might tend to make you have an idea of what God is, that is wholly erroneous. My own belief is, that He is God of love to even the vilest sinner, and when such a sinner turns to Him and prays for forgiveness and love he gets them both. Let me tell you further that the Love of God, when it enters into the soul of a man is sufficient to wash away all sins, and make that soul happy and joyful. Not even the most evil man who is guilty of the greatest sin need think that he cannot be pardoned, and made happy and brought into harmony with God. I am now going to tell you of what a love the Master has for all mankind. He is now working for their redemption by showing them the way to the love of God, and the light that they need is not one of belief in any ordinance of the church or creed or doctrine, but simply that a belief in God's Love and the exercise of the will of a man accompanied with a desire to obtain that Love, with an earnest prayer to the Father, are all that is necessary to bring true happiness and salvation. He (Jesus) is here now, and says that he is almost ready to write to you. That you must try with all your heart to get more of God's Love and become one with him, and then he will be able to write and you will understand just what he intends. So you see that you have a duty to perform with regards to your ownself as well as to what the Master requires you to do. Yes, the Master is now working to lead all souls to God and His Love, and some will follow him, but the vast majority will not, and they will be left to themselves when he stops his work. When that time comes, he will ascend into the Heaven where his home is, and all his followers will go with him and live there for all eternity. He will not come again to the earth plane or even to the higher planes where the moral and intellectual spirits live, but they will be left to enjoy the happiness which their conditions may give them. His Kingdom will be one of supreme happiness and very near the center of God's Love, and will be one that will be entirely to itself. No spirit who is not of his kingdom can possibly enter therein. I don't know just when the time will come for him to leave the earth sphere and enter into this kingdom, but when he does, the gates thereto will be closed forever upon all spirits who are not followers of him, and never again will they be opened. He has told me this and I must believe him and so must you. He is now trying to teach mankind the great truth, that in order to become partakers of this great privilege they must permit the Love of God to come into their souls, as without it, no one can enter the Kingdom. Soon the privileges will be taken away and then will be the separation of the sheep from the goats, as mentioned in the Bible. No other of the great teachers is teaching the truth of the New Birth, except Jesus. All are teaching morality and, in a way, a love for God, but none teach the absolute entering into the soul of man this Love by means of the Holy Ghost. Many of the ancient prophets and teachers of God's Love will be partakers of this Kingdom, as I am told, and so will all who receive this love, whether born and living before the time of Jesus, or subsequently. The Kingdom will be created not merely by Jesus teachings, but by this Love of God; and all who have it will become inhabitants of the Kingdom. Jesus will be the ruler of it but not in the sense that you understand a ruler on earth to be: but he will be the greatest possessor of this love, and, consequently, the most powerful as well as the most loving spirit in the whole Kingdom. But his rule will be one of peace and love and ministration. You must try to become a member of this kingdom or you will not be happy as you might be by doing so. Well as you are tired I must stop. Yes, there are many spheres beyond me and I am striving now to progress to a higher one. So you see there is no limit to what may be obtained. As I understand that spheres of his kingdom will be the one close to the Father's home, and there will be none beyond. I of course don't know, but this is what I believe. Yes, sometime I will tell you more in detail of the conditions and laws of the sphere where I am. Goodnight, your Grandmother (Ann Rollins) January 9th, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: I am so happy, and I am awful glad that you are also. I was with you at the show tonight, and you made me so happy when you loved me as you did. I tried to let you hear my voice, but I could not; but don't despair of hearing it, I will soon learn the way and then you will have me quite often. I loved you so much that you could not help feeling my love, and when you thought of me so intensely I was with you and tried to hug your hands. You shed more tears of love, and then I almost let myself control you right there; but as it was a public place, I restrained my control. You are my darling Ned, and you are dearer to me than ever. So let me have all your love and I will be very happy. I was with you today when Dr. Stone was with you, and heard what was said, and I saw that he was very much impressed with your talk to him about the Love of God flowing into the heart; so I believe that if you continue to tell him of this Love, he will soon see the true way that it must be obtained and will strive to get it. He is a naturally spiritual man and wants to have this Love in his soul. I know just what he thinks about this Love Principle and while he is partly right, yet he does not grasp the true principle of that Love. He is depending upon a love that man can create by what he calls right thinking and action, but this is not true. Man cannot of himself create this Love. He can let it come into his heart and grow and thereby become more possessed with it; but it will not come of his own creation. His heart is not in such a condition that this Love will spring up spontaneously, nor can he by his mere effort to create it, cause its appearance. He can obtain it only from a higher source, and that source is his Heavenly Father. No man is so good that this Love can emanate from him anymore than life can arise of his own volition or efforts. What is the Love Principle, as it is called, is not the natural love of a man for God or for man, but the Love that comes into the heart of a man from the Father in answer to prayer. I do not know if I have made myself very clear but you know what I mean, and can explain better than can I. Yes, I am very strong tonight and you are in very good condition too, but you must not write too much. You must conserve your strength for I am going to draw on it tomorrow night, if conditions are favorable. She is happy as I told you. You are not so much worried, and I am thankful for it.Yes, he has to a great extent. He sees that only this Love can make him happy, and save him from his sins. So you see you have done some good on earth as well as among spirits. As to Judge Syrick, I will try to have his soulmate come and write him - wait a little while until I find her. - She is here. Dear Frank, I am here and through the kindness of Mrs. Padgett, I have the opportunity to write you, and tell you that you are the dearest person to me in all the world. You do not yet fully appreciate my love for you, but as you come more in rapport with me, you will feel my presence and love to a greater and larger extent. I am not only your soulmate but your guardian angel and when you least think of me, I am with you trying to direct your thoughts and actions towards those things which will make you happier and more at peace with your troubles in life. So do not forget that wherever you may be, and whatever your thoughts may dwell upon, I am with you and know what you are thinking of, and I want you to think and believe that in all the earth, or spirit land either, there is no one who loves you with such a pure and fervent love as I do, my own darling Frank. Oh, how I wish that I could communicate to you in this way every night and tell you of what happiness I have in being with you, and feeling at times that you do really love me in your own somewhat divided heart. But thank God the time will come when I will have your whole love for myself, and no one else will share it with me to the smallest extent. My dear, only believe that I am your soulmate, and am waiting for you to come over, and share with me the happiness and delight which my home here gives me. No spirit can love its soulmate more than I do you, and no mortal can love so much. Be my own true sweetheart, and even though you do not have the assurance that I am with you as I say, yet I am, and nothing in all the world can keep me from you. So, if you will only believe in me and in my love you will realize that I am with you and will feel my love and my presence, even though your physical senses may not be able to tell you anything. But the sense of two souls which are decreed by our Father to be one, will tell you, at times, that I am one and you are the other, and that the two will through all eternity become and remain one in love and happiness. So you see, that even though we cannot exchange our love so very often in words, yet in our feelings and sensations we may know that our love for each other is existing, and burning with a brightness that nothing can extinguish, not even your thoughts that I am a mere myth and not your own true, loving soulmate. Be only closer to me in your thoughts and you will realize that I am your Rose, as I once told you. You sometimes doubt that you saw me and felt my kiss your forehead, and that I have no real existence, but I tell you with all my soul's love that it was I that kissed you and told you that I was your soulmate. Oh my darling one, do not doubt me again if you value my happiness. Let my love for you keep your thoughts in the way of things spiritual, for I can see that you are inclined to the higher things of the spirit life; and if you desire to come to me and live with me when you come over, seek the real love of our Father, for in that you will find everything that will make your soul develop, until when you come to me I will meet you and take you to my home, where you will find that I have prepared a home for you so beautiful that you will wonder how I could have loved you so much, and thought so much about your happiness. You are the only one for me to think of in this way, and when you stop for a moment and think of what love means, you will see that I could not do otherwise than try to make you happy. There is one other thing that I want to tell you, and that is that you must have no fear of what is called death, because it is not death, but an entrance into life; and when you come over I will be right at your bedside, and as your spirit passes from your body I will take you in my arms and carry you to the home which I have prepared for you. Of course, this means, if you have developed your soul to such an extent as will permit you to enter my home; and even if you have not, I will be with you as the soul leaves the body and fold you in my arms and say such words of burning love that you will not be afraid or want to be anywhere else than with me. So you see, in life or death, or after death I will be with you and my love will envelope you in the great happiness which I have and want you to have. As I have already taken up more of Mr. Padgett's time and strength than I intended, I must stop, but in doing so, say with all my heart and soul, I love you and will love you through all eternity my own dear Frank. Helen: Well, don't you think that she loves him? She is a soulmate after my own heart, and I think that he ought to be very happy to know that he has such love as that. No, not so great as mine, and I will love you with all my heart too. I am somewhat tired now, and must stop, so goodnight, my own darling Ned. Your own true, Helen January 10th, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your father: I came to tell you that you are a very loving man and that you will do some good both in the earth and in the spirit world. I feel that I must tell you this for I see that your soul is developing very rapidly, and as the more of God's Love you get the more power for doing good you will have. Only pray as you are doing and you will become more happy yourself, and make others happy. The message that you have just received will make the judge feel very happy, and it will cause him to think more of things spiritual as I believe. You should not write more tonight as you are tired. So with all my love and many wishes for your happiness and prosperity, I am Your loving father, John H. Padgett January 12th, 1915. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. You are my friend and disciple. You are in me and I am in thee, and we are in the Father. You are in me for all eternity. My kingdom is not of this world and you are not of this world - you are in me, as I told my disciples of old. Only believe me and keep my commandments, and I will love you to the end, and the Father will love you. (question) I mean that you must love all mankind - and try to show them the way to God's Love. I mean that I am my Father's son of truth and righteousness, and as such you must pray the Father in my name, not because I am Jesus, but because I represent all the truth and Love of my Father. Yes, and that is the only way in which men can come to the Father - no other - and when my kingdom is completed only those who have become one with the Father will become a part of it. Yes, she told you the truth - my kingdom will be composed only of those who believe in my teachings and who have received the Holy Ghost. So do not doubt more. You I have selected and you will be my true disciple and messenger of truth - you have my help and love to the fullest, and no man can take it from you. In all eternity you will be with me.God answers your prayers because you have faith and are my own disciple. So continue to pray and He will hear you and answer your prayers. No, only believe and trust Him - He will never forsake you or let you want.You must love God with all your heart and soul and mind and your neighbor as yourself - this is the great commandment. So observe this and you will be happy and free. Let your prayers become more fervent and your faith more fully developed. I will help you to know more of your Father's Love, and you will soon become a true follower of me.You must seek and you will know; wait until I give my messages, and then you will know the truth. Yes, I am the vine and you are the branch - so believe. What you have written is my thoughts - you did not think any of these thoughts. So good night and may God bless you as I do now. Jesus January 12th, 1915. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, George W. Harvey: I lived in Washington, and kept a restaurant on Pennsylvania Avenue and Tenth Street. I am in the spirit world and in the earth plane and in hell also, I am not happy for I am in darkness and despair. (Question unknown, but answer is as follows) Yes, I did, but that did not keep me from hell, the priests mislead me, and they are here too damn them - can you help me any, if you can do so. Yes I remember Taggart, but he is here too - and can't help himself, for I see him sometimes, and he tells that he is in a condition of suffering too. No, but he is not in condition to help me, even if I do see him. You must help me if you can. I don't know but I want help from someone. I know they say so, but I don't believe them, for they can't help themselves. No I don't know them. I will see him at once and ask him, and tell him that I want to know. So good-night. Your friend, George W. Harvey January 12th, 1915. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: You must not write to these spirits as we have told you - Yes he said that he knew you on earth and wanted you to help him. I see that he has gone to seek Mr. Taggart, but I don't think that he will be much helped. Yes you may be right, you certainly have a way of accomplishing things. I never thought of that. Well, I will go and see if I can find them, and make them come here, and write you what I hear. They are here: Mr. Taggart tells Mr. Harvey that you told him that the way to get out of this condition of darkness and unhappiness is to pray to God, for His Love to enter into their hearts, and believe that it will, that if he will only be willing to have it come into their hearts, it will, but that he has not yet been able to believe. But Mr. Harvey says, that when he was on earth, he was a strict Catholic and that he often prayed something like that and attended to his duties, and even when he made his will, he left some money for the priests to pray him out of purgatory, but all their prayers together have not helped him, and he don't believe that there is any God to whom a person can pray and from whom he can get relief - so that when you talked that way to Taggart, you were merely trying to mislead him as the priests did him. But Mr. Taggart says: George you are wrong there, for our friend does not merely say pray, but he prays with us and for us and seems to believe with all his heart that there is a God and that he will answer prayer. So I am not so certain that there is not a God and one who answers prayers, I am going to try to pray and believe myself and I advise you to do likewise. Mr. Harvey says: Taggart it is all nonsense, and if that is the only way we can get out of this condition, we never will be any better than we now are - so you need not tell me of God and prayer. Mr. Taggart says: George, I have seen the effect of this prayer on some spirits and I know that they have been made more beautiful and happy, and even Mackay is commencing to say that he sees light ahead and has felt some strange influences come into his heart as he said a prayer, which he promised our friend to say. Now what is the use in your being pig headed and say that there is no God, when you don't know anything about it. I tell you though, there must be something in this belief or I would not see so many happy spirits around us. Be a man who can keep his mind open to what he sees and the reasons therefor may come to you. Let us not become hardheaded in this matter. As you were so easy to believe on earth what your priests told you about purgatory and the hells and the necessity for you to pay for prayers to help you out of purgatory, why can't you try to believe a little when the same thing is told you without your having to pay for it? I am going to try my best to believe and if you know what is best for you, you will follow suit. Mr. Harvey, says: Taggart, what is the use of being fooled twice, once is enough for me. Priests are here with me and suffering more than I am, and when I ask them why don't they pray themselves out of purgatory, they say: "To hell with prayer." Now how am I to believe anything that is told me about prayer or God? Mr. Taggart says: George, Let your priests and their sufferings and their cursings pass out of your mind, and listen to me for a moment. When I came over, I was in great darkness and despair, and believed that there was no possible help for me and that I must remain in the condition of darkness that I found myself in, but one day I was called to meet our friend by his father, and when I came where he was I found that Mackay was there also, and then we exchanged greetings, and wished each other happiness. But I found that there was no happiness for me and I told our friend that I was anything but happy; and he said believe in God's Love and you will soon be, and I said, who is God and what is His Love; and then he explained to Mackay what that love is, and I heard it all; and then I tackled him and told him that God was a myth and prayer was nothing but the wish of a man and went no higher than his mind. But he would not agree with me and we had an argument right then and there, and I tell you that while he did not convince me that there was a God or any efficacy in prayer, yet it made me think and wonder if I could be wrong and he right; and before I left him, not only Mackay, but myself promised that we would try an experiment in the nature of prayer and we have been doing it many times since, and I tell you, that while I am not yet convinced that there is a God, or that prayer to Him will take us out of our awful conditions of suffering and darkness, yet I have felt many strange sensations, and at times, some little feeling of happiness, which I had never felt before; so you can see, I would be a fool not to try and get this relief, if I possibly can. And I want to tell you George, that if you are willing to make the effort with us we will be glad to have you come. Of course you need not believe if you don't want to, but just come and join with us in our experiment and you will soon realize that there is something operating that you cannot account for. Mackay is now feeling very much happier he says; and I believe that he will soon believe in this God and his love that our friend told us about; at any rate he is commencing to improve in his appearance, and I attribute it to trying the experiment I told you of. So what is the use in holding back and saying that there is no God and no love that can get you out of your condition of which you complain so much, when by the exercise of a little reason and will, you may be on the right track to salvation. Of course I don't know just what this may lead to, but I have determined to follow it to a conclusion, and you will be a big fool if you don't go with me. Mr. Harvey said: Taggart, you were a pretty level-headed man when on earth, and required to have things proved to you, and were really a stubborn man as I know, and what you say impresses me; but you will have to show me what you mean by this experiment. You have not told me what you mean, and of course, until you do, I can't follow you. Mr. Taggart says: George, it is a very simple thing. Mackay and I told our friend that we did not believe in God or in his love or in any saviour, and he said; you need not, to do what I want you to try. He said, while there is a God and His love which is the only thing that can save you from sin and make you happy men, yet that God does not force that love on you or make you believe in Him; and only when you are willing to receive that love of your own volition will it come to you. So you see he said it all depends upon your own will, whether you will have that love and the happiness which flows from it or not, and if you will only will that you may believe in God if there be one, and that you may receive that love if such there be, then if you will, will this and say to God, if there be one, that you will that this love shall come into your heart and that this belief shall come into your mind, and repeat this with all earnestness and will, you will find that after a little while, this belief will come to you, and this love will come into your heart. So Mackay and I are desiring to try anything to get out of our condition, and believing that our friend would not intentionally deceive us, promised to say these things, and in that way pray to a God that we did not believe in; and we have continued to repeat these thoughts ever since; and I must confess to you that some strange change or sensation has come to me. What it is, I don't just know, but it is there; and I am determined to continue in this qualified prayer, until I know one way or the other what the result will be. So you see, George, if it does no good, it can do no harm, and if you have desire enough to get out of your condition, you will try the experiment. Mr. Harvey says: Well Taggart, there may be something in what you say and I am willing to go with you; for as you say, if it does no good, it can do no harm. So let me hear again what I am to say and I will commence. Then Mr. Taggart HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/prayer3.htm" repeated the prayer and they left. You are too wonderful in your way of getting the attention of spirits who are in darkness to turn their thoughts to things that may help them. And I am so glad that you are helping these spirits, even though you did let Mr. Harvey write. But who knows, maybe such interferences are intended for some good purposes. So my darling, I love you with all my heart and soul, and must stop writing. Yes, I will, and will try to talk to him sometime when the proper occasion comes. So goodnight, my own darling Ned. Helen Conversations occur some months later with these spirits, and their spiritual progress can be noted, see HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor497.htm" July 22nd 1915 again HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor498.htm" July 22nd 1915, again HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor776.htm" March 19, 1916 and finally HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor751.htm" November 4th, 1916. January 13th, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus: Yes, I am that Jesus. You should not doubt as I have told you before that I am. They are in a condition which prevents them from seeing that I am the true Jesus, and they will all be lost unless in some way they get an awakening to the fact that only through me can they obtain the Love of the Father which will enable them to enter His kingdom. I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, as I long ago said. They will be forever shut out of His kingdom and will live in the spirit land without this love to comfort and make them happy. I do not mean to say that they will all suffer eternal punishment, for they will not. The Father loves them all, but their state will be one of only comparative happiness and they will not have within them that Love of the Father which is necessary to make them supremely happy. You will know in proper time all these things which make for the happiness of my followers. You must wait until I am ready to explain these matters to you. Yes, I know you are helping the darkened spirits and some mortals; but you must not let every spirit who seeks your help cause you to give your strength to them in the way of writing, for as your wife has told you, the laws of communication must be obeyed, or you will suffer in your power to receive these messages. Yes, very much. You have great faith and I am somewhat surprised at it myself, but you have it, and God hears and answers your prayers. You must continue to pray and believe. You must not doubt that I am with you and wrote to you; neither must you doubt that I can help you in every time and heed. Yes, you will receive that inflowing of the Holy Spirit as they did, even while you are on earth, and will be able to know that God is your Father to the extent that they knew. Only you must pray more and believe more. You will not only receive that but you will also receive power to convince men of my teachings and lead them to my Father's Love, and also to show that you possess this Love by being able to heal the sick by merely praying for them. This I tell you now, because you will soon commence to take my messages and you must have these powers and faith. Yes, I hear your prayers to the Father and I try to let you feel my love, and you do sometimes. But you must not let your prayers come to me as God; I am only your friend and brother. Yes, I know, but these sayings I did not say at all. I merely claimed to be my Father's son and messenger. I did not claim to be God. Yes, I said that my Father sent me and that is true. I did live before I came to earth with my Father in the heavens and so did you. I meant that in the Kingdom of God there are homes and that I would go and prepare a place where my followers should have a home with me, separate from the homes of the spirits who are not believers in or followers of me; that my kingdom was to be a separate kingdom from the other parts of the spirit lands, and that those who wanted to live with me would have to get this love of God in their hearts to do so. My kingdom is one where Love is supreme and where it is manifested in the purest and highest degree. I have not seen God in the sense that I have seen you, but that in the sense that my love is so very abundant and so truly His Love, that He appears to my soul's eyes just as plainly as you appear to my natural eyes. Many of my sayings were merely symbolical and not intended to be taken literally. My Father cannot be seen by anyone of His children, and no man has ever seen Him, for He is not of form or substance that can be seen. You are now very near where you will see Him with your soul's eyes, as I did, and when you do, then you will be able to know that His Love is in your heart to its fullest. Why you are so greatly blessed with this Love and Faith I really do not know, even though I do know so much of His truth and Love. But I see that you have great possibilities of faith and love which will make you a most wonderful man doing His work of saving souls for His kingdom. Well, I can readily see how you may doubt; but as I know, you must believe me for I am telling you the truth. It will leave you as the Love flows in, and you will then be able to realize that you are free indeed. They will not after the time appointed shall end. No more will the opportunity come, and no more will God give His Love and Grace to men or spirits. They will love only with the natural love that belongs to them as mortals. They will never receive this great Love which comes by the operation of the Holy Spirit. They will continue to live forever, but their happiness will not be of the kind that my followers will have and they will not be contented in that happiness. They will forever long for something that they can never get. I will not let you write more tonight as you are now in a condition of more happiness. Well, I love you with a love that will never end and that will keep you in all your troubles and worries free from everything that tends to make you doubt God's love or my teachings. So with this love I now bless you, and pray that God's love may come into your heart more abundantly. Jesus January 15th, 1915 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Your Grandmother: The Kingdom of Jesus will be one where only those who believe in his teachings of truth and have received the Holy Ghost in their souls, will live. At sometime, known only to God, the entrance to this Kingdom will be closed, and all who have not qualified themselves, or rather who have not striven to heed and obey these truths, and have not received this love, will not be permitted to enter this Kingdom. Those who remain outside will have the love and care of God necessary to make them comparatively happy, but will not have that supreme Love, which they can all now get if they will seek and believe. That all spirits shall enjoy this supreme Love is not necessary to the harmony of God's universe. Why should he continue to hold open the entrance to this Kingdom of supreme Love when men will not try to obtain it? Well as to those who are born after the kingdom is shut forever, he will not let enter because they are not included in his plan of salvation to this supreme and Celestial Heaven. They will have this other happiness that I speak of, but not that which those in Jesus Kingdom will enjoy. No it is not, He did not intend that his Kingdom of which we speak should remain open through all eternity for spirits to enter and live in. They who come after have no claim on God for such supreme opportunities, and he is not doing an injustice by keeping them from entering it. He has prepared a place or places where they will be able to find comparative happiness, and will only be a little lower than the angels of God, who are and will be the redeemed through the teachings of Jesus and who become part of his Kingdom. I know that your friend and medium Mr. Colburn may think that this is not just right or just, but where there is no right to demand the Grace of God, and when he bestows that Grace in such a way as to make all his children comparatively happy, where is the injustice in giving to a certain few who seek the true way; and find it, the supreme condition of happiness which His Love to the fullest gives. He is not a God of justice according to human understanding, but according to His own ideas of what man is justly entitled to. He will not turn away one soul who may seek this Love in the fullest, but will enter into the heart of everyone who asks Him to - and when men fail to ask why should He through all eternity keep open the gate to His place of supreme happiness - or in other words, His Divine Sphere, set apart for those who follow Jesus and his truths? I know that some people might say that God, had no right to provide this special kingdom for any of his children, and in doing so he showed partiality; but he has the right to show this partiality, when the very reason for its existence is the failure of some of his children to partake and accept what he freely offers to all. Well as to that, I am not so qualified to answer; but it seems to me that they who come after the gates to the kingdom are closed have no right to expect that they are entitled to enter, for they are not born to have this privilege, and the only privilege that He can offer them Is that of His spirit world, where they will be free from sin and unhappiness. They will all be His children, but not all His Divine Children. Those who have entered this kingdom of which I speak will take on the Divine Nature of the Father, while those who do not will remain His spiritual children, with the right to a life through all eternity, but not to all the attributes which the Divine Nature confers. This is a subject which Jesus will instruct you in, when he comes to write his messages and you had better wait until then, for you will be better able to understand after you hear his explanation. No, after the gates, are closed the Holy Ghost or Spirit will return to God and dwell in the Kingdom. Men's souls will then receive God's Love through the messengers which He will use for that purpose. But the Divine Part of His Love will not be conveyed, only the love which God as a spirit has for His children as spirits. I suppose that this is hard for you to understand, but as I say, wait until Jesus writes and you will know all. No, man is not divine, in the sense that God is Divine. For he is created in the image, and that is the soul only, that makes him like His Father, but not that divinity which divides or differentiates the God essence from the spirit essences. Only God is Divine in this sense, and only those born of man can ever obtain that Divine Essence, who become members of the kingdom that I speak of. "Divine" is a word used in a very comprehensive sense, and includes in the minds or thought's of many persons, everything that seems to be above the mortal existence or powers of man; but it is not a true conception of the meaning of the word. Only that is divine which is of the true Essence of God in His Nature which man does not have or which is not a part of Him. In this sense no man is divine, neither has he any of this divinity in him - only God is Divine, and man cannot possibly get this divine essence except in the way that Jesus has taught. Only the Holy Ghost conveys to the soul of man this divine essence of God: and when the mission of this messenger ceases man will no longer receive this Divine Essence. So tell Mr. Colburn that he must not believe that through all eternity man will have the privilege of getting this Divine Essence of the Father. Tell him to seek it now while it may be obtained and when he has it neither all the powers nor forces of earth or spirit world can take it from him. I am very much interested in him, for he is a man of deep thought and is seeking the truth in all earnestness, and I hope that he will let his thoughts turn in the direction that will bring to his mind and consciousness the real and true things of His Father. He is not very dogmatic or difficult to grasp the truth if it presents itself in a reasonable way. He must not let his preconceived ideas, even if they are based on what the Bible may seem to teach him, keep him from embracing the true ideas of man's relationship to God and man's destiny. So give him my love and tell him to seek and he will find, even though he may at times be shocked at some propositions that may be placed before him, for I intend to tell him of what I know about these matters, whenever I have the opportunity. I have written much longer than I intended I must stop. So good night my dear grandson. Your loving grandmother, Ann Rollins January 20th, 1915 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your old friend G. R. Yes it is I, and I am glad to be able to write to you again. I told your wife that I desired to write and tell you of my progress in spiritual matters, and as you are kind enough to give me the opportunity, I will try to tell you how my eyes were opened to the things of the spirit, and my heart to the Love of God. Well, as you know, when I first commenced to write to you, I did not exactly believe in a God or Jesus or his teachings, except as they related to the moral condition of men. When you first commenced to talk to me about these spiritual things, I thought that you were merely telling me the things that you had learned in your church or Sunday school, and that they were only intended for men and women of no capacity to think for themselves, and suited only to receive what the preachers might tell them. So, you see, I was not in a very receptive condition of mind to enable me to believe that what you told me had any foundation in fact or in truth. Jesus, to me, was just the same as any other man who had received large conceptions of the truth; but he was only a mere man, in the sense that what he attempted to teach he had learned by study and meditation, or through some worldly source that I did not know of. At any rate, I believed that his teachings were not the result of inspiration, or derived from a source any different from what mankind received other information as to things of nature, or of spirit. Well, as you continued to tell me that I was mistaken, and that there is a Source from which all good flows, other than the mere mind or conscience of man, I began to think about the matter. And when I looked around me and saw that your mother and wife - who claimed that they had received this Love of God which you insisted was waiting for me to obtain - were so beautiful and happy, while I and my folks were not very beautiful and not at all happy, I began to inquire the cause. And when you told me that their, I mean your mother's and wife's, condition was due to this Love of God, I asked them to tell me about the nature of this Love, and the way in which they obtained It. And your mother, bless her soul, took great pains to instruct me in these things. And, when I learned that prayer was the only way to this Love, and saw you praying for me with all your heart and in great earnestness, I commenced to pray also; but I must confess that my prayers were not accompanied with much faith. But I continued to pray, and every night when you prayed for me and for the many others who were with you praying, I tried to exercise all the faith possible and prayed for more faith. This continued for some time, and one day your grandmother, who is a most wonderful spirit in goodness and beauty, came to me and said that she was your grandmother and was very much interested in me, on your account as well as on my own, and commenced to unfold to me the great efficacy of prayer. She assured me that if I would only try to believe, and pray to God to help me believe, He would answer my prayers; and I would soon find that with my earnest efforts, faith would come to me, and with faith would come this Love into my heart, and with this Love would come happiness and joy. So I listened to her, and tried to believe that what she told me must be true, and that she was interested in me and desired only my happiness. I continued to pray, as I said, and one day after I had received some considerable faith, I met Jesus, and he told me of the wonderful things that his Father had prepared for me, if I would only believe and ask Him to give them to me. Jesus was so very beautiful and loving that I could not resist the influence which came over me; and then my faith increased, and I prayed with all my heart and soul. At last, light came to me, and with it, such an inflowing of Love as I never dreamed could exist, either in the earth or in the spirit world. But it came to me and I felt as if I were a new spirit, and such happiness came as I never experienced before. And then that dear mother of yours came and rejoiced with me, and also your beautiful wife who had tried so hard to induce me to seek for this Love. Oh, Padgett, I tell you that in all the wide universe of God there is nothing to compare to this Love of the Father. Let me say, that in all my life, when only my intellect ruled me, there was nothing to compare with that which came to me with this inflowing of the Love. I am now in the third sphere with many beautiful and happy spirits. Your mother and wife are higher up, and are so beautiful and good that when I am in their company I feel that I will become a much happier man if I will try to follow them. Your father has progressed too, and so has Professor Salyards. Well, my soul is one now that is filled with this Love. My mind is elevated in its thoughts and not inclined to think of those things that are merely intellectual. For I tell you that while knowledge of all God's laws and nature's apparent mysteries is desirable, yet a knowledge of this Love of God is far and above compare - and not only more necessary but more desirable. I would not give the feelings that come to me from the possession of this Love for all the sensations of delight that might arise from the discovery of the most stupendous and important law of the workings of nature. Let this Love come first, and then the other acquirements will only help to show the spirit that God is a God of Wisdom and Power as well as of Love. But as you have read, HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/quotesnewmisc.htm" \l "R810" "Love is the fulfilling of the law" HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/quotesnewmisc.htm" - nothing else is. And the man who has all the knowledge and wisdom without this Love is poor indeed. Jesus is the most wonderful of all the spirits in both Love and the knowledge of the Father's attributes. He is the greatest, and knows that the Father's plans to save and redeem mankind are as he teaches. So you must listen to him and believe. I am going to try to learn more of his teachings, and when I do, you shall know what I learn. Jesus appears to me the one altogether lovely - he has no competitor, and no one who sees him, if he has any of this Love in his soul, can fail to know that he is the true Jesus of the Bible, and the most perfect son of his Father. I realized this only after this Love came to me; it seems that spirits who have not this Love do not realize who Jesus is, or how wonderful and glorious he is. This may seem strange to you, but it is a fact. Only when the spirit has an awakening of his soul's love for God does Jesus appear as their great brother and teacher of this Great Love of the Father. You must not let the things of the material life lead you to think that you must wait until you come to the spirit world to get this Great Love, for I tell you that the man whose soul is opened to the inflowing of this Love while on earth is a much more fortunate man than he who waits until his earthly life ends. If I had only become conscious of this Love when on earth, I would have been saved many hours of suffering and unhappiness after I became a spirit. My own experience is so true to what so many undergo, and will undergo, that if I could proclaim to every man on earth the necessity of becoming possessed of this Love while on earth, I would do so with all my might and strength. I can tell you of my experience in passing over, but I do not think it best to do so tonight, as it would take too long and require more strength than you have tonight. Sometime soon I will do so in detail. I am so glad that I have been redeemed by this Great Love, and the teachings of Jesus, and the help of your spirit relatives, and also, by the help of your prayers, that I cannot express the extent of my gladness. Nothing in all heaven or earth can compare with the feelings of joy that come to a soul when it realizes that it is at-one with the Father in Love and power. Yes, they (old friends of Padgett in spirit world) know, and are with you every night as you pray. They don't seem to quite understand though that you can help them in any way, but still they, in a manner, feel some peculiar sensation as you pray and the others pray with you. Do not stop praying for them. I tell you that you are a wonderfully blessed man in having such a loving Christian mother and grandmother to pray with and watch over you all your life. If all men had Christian parents to teach and show them the Way to this Love of God, as they grow from childhood to manhood, many a time of suffering and unhappiness would be avoided, and many a spirit would come into this life with many less sins to atone for. Your old friend, G. R. Note. It would appear that this spirit is Albert G Riddle, Padgett's one-time partner at law. January 23rd, 1915. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: Well, sweetheart, as Dr. Stone wants so much to hear from his soulmate Mary, and she is here and is so very anxious to write him, I will tell you what she says, as follows: She wants Leslie to know that he is so very dear to her, that he must not let his thoughts of love wander from her to any other person either on earth or in the spirit land. Then she has loved him so long, and only recently has she had the opportunity to let him know in a way that he could understand, that she feels as if she must just let her whole heart burst upon him with its great fountain of love for him. She is not able to express to him the extent or intensity of her love, but she does love him to the full limit of her capacity. And when he lies down at night or when he awakens in the morning, she is with him trying to flood his soul with her love and happiness. She will not be content to ever have him think that her love is not his, for it is, to its full; and tell him that he must believe her, and that she is with him nearly all the time, trying to help him and make him feel her presence. She is not so very far away that she cannot know at all times what his feelings are, and when he gets lonely and wants her help. He must try and come in rapport with her even when he is alone in his room and thinks that no one is with him. She is his own now and will be through all eternity. Only love like hers can last when disappointments and troubles come; and when they do come then her love grows stronger and sweeter; and he will feel it more as he feels the need of it. She is not now trying to make him believe that she is only waiting for him to come over in order that he may know that she loves him with all her heart and soul, but she loves him in that way while he is on earth beset by all the cares that come to him. He must love her more and more each day, and he will find that his happiness will increase as this love grows. Tell him that she is in the fifth sphere and is preparing a home for him which will be so bountiful that he will be more surprised than he will be at the beauties of the spirit plane where she is, for her home in addition to having the beauties that are in that plane, will have her love permeating it. She has another love which not only helps her love for him to become more intense and pure; but which draws her nearer to the Father of Love. This is the greatest of all Loves, and she wants him to let his heart become filled with it also. It is his if he will only seek for it, and believe that the Father is ready to give it to him, for he is not only ready but anxious. Tell my dear Leslie to pray to God, and ask that this Love may be given to him and fill his soul; for if he does, he will receive it, and when he does he will not only love God supremely, but will love his true soulmate with a purer and sweeter love than he can conceive of, and when he does that, he will find that his happiness will be so great and joyful that the little cares and troubles of his earthly life, will not be able to mar that happiness or make him wish for any other kind. I am his and he is mine, and when he realizes that he will know what "soulmate" means. We are not for each other for a time only, but for all Eternity; and even Eternity will not be too long for the enjoyment of our mutual love. Oh, he is my own true soulmate, and I am so happy in that knowledge that my cup of joy seems to be full and running over. Let him think of me as being close by his side all the time, sharing his joys and sympathizing with him in all his sorrows, and he will feel that he is not alone. Tell him also to try and become a true lover of God, and the truths of the teachings of his son, Jesus of Nazareth, our brother and helper. I am a firm believer in these things and know that they are true; and I want my dear soulmate to believe with me, for in that belief is found the happiness which I tell him of. I must stop now - so say goodbye; and rest in the belief, that no matter what troubles or cares may come, whether you love me all the time or not, I will love you now and always with my whole heart and soul, and will wait with all the patience possible for your coming. So, Leslie dear, goodbye. Mrs. Padgett further writes: Well, she loves him with a very pure and steadfast love - not so demonstrative as Rose's love for the Judge (Judge Syrick) but so deep and pure. She is a lovely spirit and one who is filled with the Love of her Father, and one who is worthy of all the love that any man can give her. I am very fond of her and see a great deal of her. She is so gentle and loving and tender, and is so loved by many spirits to whom she has administered consolation and help. Helen P.S. This message started Dr. Stone on the way to praying with all the intensity of his soul longings going out to the Father to fill his soul with His Divine Love. And as he has written that he felt this Love with its warm glow burning in his soul in response to prayer. REV. JOHN PAUL GIBSON. January 24th, 1915. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. You are now in condition, and I will give you a short message. When I was on earth I was not worshiped as God, but was considered merely as the son of God in the sense that in me were imposed the Truths of my Father and many of His wonderful and mysterious powers. I did not proclaim myself to be God, neither did I permit any of my disciples to believe that I was God, but only that I was His beloved son sent to proclaim to mankind His truths, and show them the way to the Love of the Father. I was not different from other men, except that I possessed to a degree this Love of God, which made me free from sin, and prevented the evils that formed a part of the nature of men from becoming a part of my nature. No man who believes that I am God has a knowledge of the truth, or is obeying the commandments of God by worshiping me. Such worshipers are blaspheming and are doing the cause of God and my teachings great injury. Many a man would have become a true believer in and worshiper of the Father and follower of my teachings, had not this blasphemous dogma been interpolated into the Bible. It was not with my authority, or in consequence of my teachings that such a very injurious doctrine was promulgated or believed in. I am only a son of my Father as you are, and while I was always free from sin and error, as regards the true conception of my Father's true relationship to mankind, yet you are His son also; and if you will seek earnestly and pray to the Father with faith, you may become as free from sin and error as I was then, and am now. The Father is Himself, alone. There is no other God besides Him, and no other God to be worshiped. I am His teacher of truth, and am the Way, the Truth and the Life, because in me are those qualities of good and knowledge which fit me to show the way and lead men to eternal life in the Father, and to teach them that God has prepared a Kingdom in which they may live forever, if they so desire. But not withstanding my teachings, men and those who have assumed high places in what is called the Christian Church, impose doctrines so at variance with the truth, that, in these latter days, many men in the exercise of an enlightened freedom and of reason, have become infidels and turned away from God and His Love, and have thought and taught that man, himself, is sufficient for his own salvation. The time has come when these men must be taught to know that while the teachings of these professed authorities on the truths of God are all wrong, they, these same men, are in error when they refuse to believe in God and my teachings. What my teachings are, I know it is difficult to understand from the writings of the New Testament, for many things therein contained I never said, and many things that I did say are not written therein. I am now going to give to the world the truths as I taught them when on earth, and many that I never disclosed to my disciples or inspired others to write. No man can come to the Father's Love, except he be born again. This is the great and fundamental Truth which men must learn and believe, for without this New Birth men cannot partake of the Divine Essence of God's Love, which, when possessed by a man, makes him at one with the Father. This Love comes to man by the workings of the Holy Ghost, causing this love to flow into the heart and soul, and filling it, so that all sin and error must be eradicated. I am not going to tell to-night just how this working of the spirit operates, but, I say, if a man will pray to the Father and believe, and earnestly ask that this Love be given him, he will receive it; and when it comes into his soul he will realize it. Let not men think that by any effort of their own they can come into this union with the Father, because they cannot. No river can rise higher than its source; and no man who has only the natural love and filled with error can of his own powers cause that natural love to partake of the Divine, or his nature to be relieved of such sin and error. Man is a mere creature and cannot create anything higher than himself; so man cannot rise to the nature of the Divine, unless the Divine first comes into that man and makes him a part of Its Own Divinity. All men who do not get a part of this Divine Essence will be left in their natural state, and while they may progress to higher degrees of goodness and freedom from sin and from everything that tends to make them unhappy, yet, they will be only natural men, still. I came into the world to show men the way to this Divine Love of the Father and teach them his spiritual truths, and my mission was that in all its perfection, and incidentally, to teach them the way to greater happiness on earth as well as in the spirit world by teaching them the way to the purification of the natural love; even though they neglected to seek for and obtain this Divine Love and become one with the Father. Let men ponder this momentous question, and they will learn that the happiness of the natural man, and the happiness of the man who has obtained the attributes of Divinity, are very different, and in all eternity must be separate and distinct. My teachings are not very hard to understand and follow, and if men will only listen to them and believe them and follow them, they will learn the way and obtain the one perfect state of happiness which the father has prepared for his children. no man can obtain this state of Celestial bliss, unless he first gets this Divine Love of the Father, and so becomes at one with the Father. I know it is thought and taught that morality and correct living and great natural love will assure a man's future happiness, and to a degree this is true, but this happiness is not that greater happiness which God desires His children to have; and to show the way to which I came to earth to teach. But in some hearts and minds my truths found a lodgment, and were preserved to save mankind from total spiritual darkness and a relapse to worship of form and ceremony only. I have written you this to show that you must not let the teachings of the Bible, and what men wrote or professed to have written therein, keep you from receiving and understanding what I write. I shall write no more to-night, but I will continue to tell you the Truths which will be "my New Gospel to all men," and when they have heard my messages they will believe that there is only one God, and only one to be worshiped. With my love and blessings I close for this time. Jesus January 27th, 1915. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your own Helen. Well, I am engaged, as you know, among other things, in finding the spirits' soulmates and bringing them together. Well, there is a spirit here who believes that the soulmate theory is a false one, and only intended to deceive those who are so very lonely and unhappy, and that a man who has any stamina or any intellect will not be fooled by such ideas as that soulmates exist and are waiting to become one. Well, he was in that condition of loneliness and was very unhappy, although he had very great intellectual acquirements, and prided himself on that fact; and he thought that love and kindred things are for women and foolish men, when he was suddenly visited by a most beautiful spirit and asked if he had yet found his soulmate. He replied that he had not and didn't want to, unless she should happen to be as beautiful as the spirit who was talking to him; and that if such a thing could be, he would be most happy to find her. Well, she asked him why he should suppose that his soulmate would be so beautiful, when he was a spirit who was not so very attractive looking, and all crooked, and devoid of anything that would tend to make him appreciate beauty or love in another. He said that he did not consider himself so unattractive as she said, because he was possessed of a knowledge of very many things that the ordinary spirit did not have, and that, consequently, he must be more attractive looking than she described him to be. And as to love, why he could love, he thought, if he could find anyone whom he considered worth being loved. Then she told him that she was his soulmate, but that he could never have her until he acquired more love and larger understanding of spiritual things. That her home was up in the Fifth Sphere, and that he could not go there to live with her until he had gotten sufficient love in his soul to make him fitted to dwell there; and that the longer he delayed trying to get this love the longer he would be separated from her, and would, now that he knew she was his soulmate, be most unhappy. That his intellectual acquirements would not help him very much, and that the only thing that would enable him to progress to where she lived was a development of love in his soul. He said that he did not know much about love, but that if she would only show him the way to obtain it, he would devote his whole soul and efforts to getting it. She then told him that he must give up the pride which he indulged in and which kept him so encased in himself, and learn to love everybody else in a brotherly way, and God with all his heart and soul. And that when he made that effort, he would find that this love which she, as his soulmate, must have from him, would come to him and he would soon realize that in all the spirit world love is the greatest thing to possess. And that when a spirit has that he needs nothing else to make him happy. He did not seem to comprehend what she said, but said he would try to let his pride of intellect leave him, and make an effort to let his soul receive this love; that thereafter love should be first and knowledge and everything merely intellectual follow after. So, you see, a soulmate may be found, but not acquired, until love commensurate with the love possessed by the higher soul is gotten by the lower soul. No merely intellectual acquirement is sufficient to attract and make one, two soulmates. Only love in perfect harmony can bring about this union. Let love rule and happiness is the lot of all spirits. But, of course, this love is comparative, and so is the ensuing happiness. Your own true and loving Helen January 27th, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: Yes, we will try - You are in a better condition than you were tonight, at the office, and I will be able to write in a more connected manner. Well, I was present when Jen passed over, and took her in my arms and carried her to a place in the earth plane where she will live until she progresses to a higher sphere - She was very glad to see me for she recognized me and said: "Oh, Helen; where am I? It seems so strange that I should be with you." I told her, she had passed from the mortal to the spirit life, and that now she must not think of her body or that she can ever enter it again. She did not quite understand me, but said; That she did not see why she should not reenter her body, as it was only asleep, and would want her as soon as it should awaken - I told her that never again would she enter her body that she had ceased to be a mortal, and that just as soon as her body should be buried she would realize that she is a spirit, and that no more would she live on earth as a mortal, but that she would visit her dear ones on earth many times, but not in a physical form - She is still in darkness as to this matter, but I am trying my best to help her realize that she is a spirit - She is somewhat confused, because she tries to talk to George (her husband) and he won't listen to her - She says: "My dear is very deaf and that is why he doesn't hear me"; But I tell her that he cannot hear her, as her voice is only a spirit voice, and his ears are not attuned to hear spirit voices. She will soon realize to some extent, that she can no longer talk to George or any of her friends, and then will come the full understanding that she is really a spirit. She is with her body now, and sees the presence of her husband, and relatives, but as I said, does not comprehend why they do not notice her presence, or tell her why they do not notice her presence, or tell her what the trouble is. She sees them sorrowing, and yet she does not understand why they should do so, as she says, she knows that when she awakens she will become a part of her body again; and so I can do nothing more now, but to let her know that I and her other spirit friends are with her and will not leave her until after she realizes that no more is her body to become her home. Her mother is with her, and so is her father, and they are trying to help her, also. Her mother is a very bright spirit, and is filled with God's love, and has her home in the fifth sphere, where she is very happy. Her father is in the earth plane, yet. He is not very spiritual, but thinks more of earthly matters; and does not turn his thoughts to higher things - But some day he will, and then will see that real happiness, can only be found in the things which are of God, and his love. Jen's soulmate is here and is in the third sphere. He has never met her on earth, but he knows that she is his soulmate, and that as soon as she awakens to her condition, he will meet her and tell her that she is his for all eternity, and that his happiness is her happiness; and that they must both try to progress to the higher spheres where true happiness may be found. He is a very beautiful spirit and is in possession of much of God's Love. George's soulmate is still on earth, but she does not live in Washington, and he will probably never meet her. She is a woman of about thirty-six years of age, and is not very spiritual, but is a great church member. So he will never again meet Jen as his wife, for she is another's. Jen's body will be buried in the earth as was mine, but, sweetheart, she won't be there any more than I am there; and when her body is finally laid away, she will never go to the place where it is buried, unless her folks go there and weep over her grave, and in that way attract her to them. But she doesn't want them to do that as I know from my own experience. More questions and answers unrecorded, but will print what is written. Well, we will see. Maybe she will not want to. But if she does, I will certainly communicate it. She thought that she did, but really did not, and now, when she learns the truth, she will not feel any attraction towards him - but maybe she will, as we cannot so soon forget our mortal loves, even though we find the real love after we come over - and when I think of that, it may be that she will want to send him a message of comfort. Yes, that was singular coincidence. But you see, we never know when the summons will come for us to pass over. We both expected to return home soon, as we were feeling much better, and were happy in the thought; but in a moment, the summons came, and quickly we passed to this home of delight and freedom from care and suffering. Your own true and loving, Helen January 31st, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus: As I told you I will write my second message to-night. I am not going to tell you of my Father's Kingdom at this time, but of His Nature as my God and your God. He is the only one who is supreme and all powerful and loving, and wise. He is not a being of form or individuality as men understand, but is a substance of being and soul. His soul is that part of Him which embraces all the affections and love, and which is bestowed on man in order that he may become like his Father. I am not yet so possessed of that soul essence, as to make me just like the Father in all His attributes, but I expect that some time in the future, when I have received that divine essence in all its fullness, I will be likened unto the Father; and so may every one of His creatures, if he will only seek for it with true faith and earnestness. The Father is not capable of being seen with the physical or spiritual sight, but can only be seen with the soul's eyes of perfect love. He is not in any particular place, or seated on a throne in His Heavens, but His attributes are everywhere, and fills the whole universe. The earth is a very small portion of the universe, and men must not believe that God is only in the heavens, where the sons of earth go when they cease to live as mortals. God, is a God of Love, above everything else; and the sooner mankind learns and believes that fact, the sooner will happiness exist on the earth, as well as in the heavens. He is not a God of hatred, nor does He chastise His children in wrath or anger. His love is with all mankind, be they saints or sinners, and no man suffers punishment because the Father wants him to suffer. He is also a God of Mercy and Forgiveness; and will forgive the sins of men, and shed His Mercy over them, if they will truly and in sincerity ask His Forgiveness and seek His Mercy. He is also a God of Wisdom; and His plans for the redemption and salvation of mankind are the only plans that can be adopted for men to try to follow, in order that they may receive this salvation. He is also a God of Power, and in the days to come, when He sees fit to carry out and perfect His plans in their full fruition. He will through the working of His Spirit, which is perfect in its working destroy all sin and error in His Universe, and perfect harmony will reign and man will be at peace and happiness. So God is everything in nature and attributes which will not only redeem men from their sins, but will make them lovers of one another and brothers in the true sense of the word. The world will not be destroyed as it is taught by some, in the interpreting of the Bible, but when the great day of judgment comes, all sin will be eradicated from the world, and mankind will continue to live upon the earth, free from sin and unhappiness, just as it is supposed Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden. Never has man seen God, and the stories in the Old Testament about some of the prophets and leaders of the Jews in their early captivity and wanderings, are not true, for God cannot be seen as therein described. His angels and messengers who were at one time mortals of earth, were seen, and spoke to the prophets and represented themselves as being angels of God, but no angel or spirit ever represented himself to be God; not even the angels who delivered to Moses the tablets of stone, as it is written. God works always through His Angels, and never directly, as some of the Bible writers teach. I was His chosen son to do the work of redeeming the earth from sin, and I came as my Father's representative, I never was God, nor did I ever claim to be, either to my disciples or to the Jews or the Sanhedrin. It is written in the Bible that the voice of God spoke to my disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration, and to John and those present at my baptism, but it was not the voice of God, but the voice of one of God's Highest Angels. No man has ever heard the voice of God, for He has no voice. He works in a silent mysterious way, through the operation of His soul upon the soul of men, just as the coming of the Holy Ghost at Pentecost. While the Bible says that there was a noise as of a mighty wind, yet that was not perceptible to the physical ears of the disciples, but in their souls they felt the presence of such a manifestation, and in order to have mankind understand that there was this wonderful manifestation, they used the imagery of the voice of a mighty wind. So man must understand that God speaks to man through His angels, or through the communication of His Soul and theirs. I speak thus because I want it made plain that God is not the person, loving or otherwise, which the Bible may teach man that He is. He is only the personification of love, power, and wisdom, and is without form or personal appearance. This is my knowledge of what God is. I will not write further tonight. With my blessing and love. Jesus January 31st, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Your Grandmother: You must not think that because the Master said that God is a personification of love, power, and wisdom, that there is no real God, but merely an abstract being representing these attributes. He is a real being, and these attributes are His, and not the combination of the attributes. He exists, and without Him, there would be no love, wisdom, or power. He is the creator of these principles, and not their creature. As Jesus said: He is without form or substance, such as mortals and spirits have; yet He has a spiritual substance, and that is real, and not shadowy or non existent. Pantheism is different from what God is. While His attributes are everywhere, yet He is of an identical substance of spirit. So do not let the idea possess you, that he is not a being, for he is, and even though we cannot see Him, or feel Him as a spirit, yet He exists as His one true self. So believe in a personal God in that sense. I know that it is hard to comprehend the true conception of His being, but the higher we get in the scale of love, the more apparent becomes His real existence as a being. Do not let your inability to grasp the true meaning of this description of God and His nature, lead you to think that He is a mere essence. He is real, and to us who have received a large amount of His love and essence, He becomes as real as if we could see and feel Him with our spiritual eyes and hands. I know the difficulties in the way of your finite mind to grasp the true conception of His being, but as love draws you closer to Him, the mind gives way to the perceptions of the soul, and God appears as a real existing being, the creator of all. I want to tell you further, that God, (the God of the Master), while He works through His angels, yet He, Himself, comes into our souls by His direct communication. The Holy Spirit is His messenger that causes the souls of men to hear and receive this soul communication; yet God's Love comes direct from Himself, and when man was created in the likeness of God, he was given a soul that was capable of receiving the soul essence of the Father. Neither in his physical nor spiritual form was man created in the image of his Father, because the Father has no such forms. But in the soul essence, the image was made alike. Yet man is of such a great degree in God's creation that he can refuse to receive this soul essence, if he so wills. His soul is capable of receiving it, but is not compelled to do so, and while man has the image, yet if he neglects to receive the substance, he will never become at-one with the Father. That image will never be more than an image only. God is so good, that He implanted in man's soul what may be called the natural love; and that love is sufficient to make him comparatively happy, and in the great day when sin and error shall be destroyed, man's natural love will be able to cause this happiness. But man will not be at-one with the Father in the larger sense, and will not take on the divine nature of His God. So you see the necessity of seeking this wonderful union with the Father. I must now stop. Your Grandmother (Celestial Spirit) February 15th, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, White Eagle: You are much better. The Master helped you very much last night. I manipulated you as he directed, and your digestive organs are now doing their work. Your prayer to the Father was answered. He heard you as Jesus told you he would if you would pray in faith. You had the faith and the cure came. So it is with everything in life, only pray and believe and you will receive the answer. You are certainly blessed, and I wonder as do all of us, at your faith; but thank God, you are the one that the Master has selected, and you will be in condition soon to do his work as he desires. Yes, you are right, He is the only one that can help you in time of trouble. Only continue in your faith and you will realize that he is your Father and your helper. Jesus says; that your faith is wonderful, and that you will be able to do many things that will help mankind. Only be true to him and you will never be forsaken. No, you need not use any more medicine now, the work is done, and medicine is no more necessary. Well, he (Dr Stone) may help you some in starting your various muscles and nerves to get into activity, but even his treatment is not necessary now. When God heals He heals effectively, and no other help is needed. You are commencing to get that Great Love in your soul now, and soon you will be filled, and then your happiness will be complete, that is it will be of such a character, that the worries of life will not make you unhappy. Yes, he (Jesus) was present and he directed my movements. He is the all powerful one. His knowledge is without limit, and he is so full of love, that when he tries to impress you, you cannot resist the influence of that love. So be more prayerful and you will become possessed of that Love to a degree that will make you love all mankind as well as God. Well, I am telling you what the Master tells us, and he knows. You had better not eat promiscuously yet, give the digestive organs a chance to get back their full strength. So good night. White Eagle February 20th, 1915 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, your old partner: I am very happy tonight and I am glad that you are so much better. You had a rather hard time of it and reminded me somewhat of the suffering that I used to undergo when I was on earth and in Washington. Well you are cured of the indigestion but the gas accumulates at times and makes it uncomfortable for you, but that will pass away before long and your digestive organs will soon be in perfect working order. The faith that you had in your prayers and the work of the Master, you were actually cured by your faith. The work done was only a means used to impress upon you with fact that God had answered your prayer. I do not see how you could have had such faith as you evidenced at the time, but it is a fact that you had it and as a consequence the cure was effected. When you prayed as you did I was so very much impressed with your faith that I expected to see your prayers answered as they were. Jesus helped you to pray and also helped your faith. He also did the work that you observed through the power which he possesses and used White Eagle to manipulate your intestines and liver. It was a revelation to me I must confess and caused me to believe more than ever in prayer and faith. I am now so very happy in my new sphere that I cannot explain to you what that happiness means. I cannot express myself in language sufficiently strong and descriptive that you may comprehend. But this I will say, that my happiness now transcends all conception of what happiness might be when as a mortal I sometimes thought of the afterlife and the happiness which might be in store for me when I passed over. I am in the third sphere but I am not contented to remain there for your mother has told me on many occasions of the far greater happiness existing in the higher spheres. I am now striving and praying for this greater happiness and I will never be contented until I get it. Your wife is in a much higher sphere and is so very beautiful and so exceedingly happy that I know that where she lives such happiness must exist. I am also happy because I have my soulmate with me so very often and her love is so great and pure that it leads me on to higher things and enables me to seek with so much earnestness the great love of the Father which I now believe is working for me if I only will strive to obtain it and have the faith which all who have obtained to a very large degree of this love tell me of. Your grandmother is so wonderfully beautiful and filled with the love that her very presence inspires me to believe and seek for the happiness of these higher spheres. Well as you want me to tell you of some of the laws of the spirit world I will say that the one great law is that God is Love and that He is willing to bestow that love on anyone spirit or mortal who ask Him for it. I am not only very happy but I find that my mind is expanding to a great extent by reason of the love that I possess. No man or spirit can possibly be filled with this love and not have the wisdom that necessarily comes with the love. I am not so much interested in purely mental phenomena as I was before I received this love and believed in a Father of Love and Truth, but I am nevertheless able to understand many things to a far greater degree than I could when I had merely the mental pursuits in mind. I am not yet fully conversant with the laws of communication as I told you I would learn and instruct you in, but I know enough to be able to say that every spirit is trying to communicate with their friends on earth and why they are not able is because the mortals are not in that condition of psychical rapport that will enable them to receive the communications of the spirits. I do not yet know why one mortal is susceptible to these influences in such a way as to be readily understood and another mortal is not. Some spirits say that this law controlling this matter is not even understood by spirits who have been here for a great many years and who have given considerable study to the subject. But this I do know, that when the rapport exists the communications become stronger with the exercise of the powers. You have this power to a very large degree and if you will continue to try to exercise it, you will find that manifestations of several kinds will be disclosed. Your writing powers are very great and will grow as you continue to write but beside this phase you have the potential ability to have other manifestations such as independent voices and slate writing. This latter I think will soon come to you and when it does you will get messages that will have their great value to you in convincing you that what you write in this method is written by the control of the thoughts of your friends who profess to write. You will also get the voices very soon as I think, and when you do you will be able to converse with us in your room at night when you are alone. But I don't know of any manifestation as satisfactory to both spirit and mortal as the writing such as you are now doing for we have the opportunity for such a greater extent of communicating and interchanging of thought. I am perfectly delighted at the possibility given me of writing you in this way. So you must believe that I am writing to you and that all the others of your band are doing the same thing. Your wife has more power in this regard than any of us and she does not hesitate to write you whenever you call her. She is a wonderful spirit in her grasp of spirit things and in her love for the Father. So you must not let any doubt come into your mind when she writes to you and tells you of so many wonderful things and of her love for you. She seems to love you with a love that has no limit or possibility of growing less. I am now going to tell you of my progress in this love and happiness. When I last wrote you I told you that I had commenced to have faith in the Father and had received some portion of His Love. Well, since then I have been praying and asking God to give me more faith and love and as I prayed my faith increased and as my faith increased more of this love came into my soul and with it an increased happiness. So I would not stop striving until I realized that my soul was commencing to get such an inflow of this Love that it seemed that all things which tended to retard this influx were leaving me and only love and goodness were taking possession of me. I am now very far advanced over what I was when you first commenced to talk to me of this love and I shall, through all eternity, remember and thank you for what you did for me. I was also so fortunate to have your mother and wife with me very much trying to show me the way to this truth of the New Birth and then when your grandmother came to me it seemed as if I could not resist the influences to seek and try to pursue. So really when I had received enough of the spiritual awakening to realize who Jesus was I gave him my close attention and as he continued to show me the way to the Father I commenced to grasp the truth and believe that my salvation depended on my receiving this great love and becoming a finer and better man. I tell you that Jesus is the most wonderful of spirits that I have seen or heard about. He is so filled with love and goodness that there seems no doubt in my mind that he is the son of the Father in the spiritual sense of the term. I mean that he is so much nearer the Father and in so much and many of his attributes that he is the only son in the sense of being at-one with the Father. We are all sons of the Father, but there is such a difference in our spiritual conditions that the contrast between Jesus and us is so great that we can readily believe that he is the one true son and that his great love and knowledge of the qualities of the Father makes him the only begotten in a different way physically from other men, no immaculate conception or birth from the womb of a virgin. I do not believe this dogma and the Master says that it is not true for he was truly, so far as his physical being is concerned, the son of a man and woman as you or I am. Now I am also convinced that mankind cannot be saved from their sins unless they follow the way showed them by the Master. No man can save himself and I wish strongly to emphasize the fact that man is dependent upon God for his salvation from the sins and errors of the material man. I do not mean that men have not a work to do themselves for they have. God is willing to save them if they ask it and acknowledge that with His help they can be saved, but unless they do ask and believe He will not interfere with these conditions. So you see I am not only a believer in God and Jesus but also in the doctrine that men cannot save themselves. I thought that man was sufficient unto himself when I was on earth but now I know that he is not. Man may be comparatively happy and free from what is called sin, that is a visitation of God's laws, but that happiness is not the same nor is man's condition the same as when he gets this Divine Love from the Father. I will not speak longer on this subject tonight but simply say that when on earth I thought that by my own exertions I might possibly become divine, yet even as a spirit I know that man is not divine and cannot become so in all eternity unless he receives this Divine Essence which comes to him in the New Birth. Divinity is of God alone and only He can bestow it on man. Man not having this divinity cannot create it by his own efforts. So believe what I say and strive to get it and you then succeed and become as the redeemed in the Celestial Heavens. I am with my earth wife and son a great deal trying to show them the way and I am glad to say that light is breaking in their hearts and perceptions. I believe that very soon they will fully realize that the only way to get true happiness and peace is through the way of the New Birth. I am trying to show them this way and they are having more faith in me. And your dear wife is with them too so very much. She seems to have a great influence over them. Especially over Bert, who believes that she is so very good and pure that he wonders why she is such and it causes him to think what she tells him as the cause must be true. Your father is with me a great deal too and he has helped me very much and he is now progressing so rapidly that he will soon be with his soulmate in the fifth sphere. Your good mother tells me this and she knows so many things pertaining to spiritual progress. I must stop now for you are tired and so am I. Well I will tell you of those things the next time I write. So with all my love and blessing, I am your old partner, A. G. Riddle Note. This message has been combined with the HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/duplicates.htm" duplicate where it is clear that copy was more accurately transcribed. See Volume II page 18. February 20th, 1915. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: I am here to tell you that you are my own loving Ned and that I could not let you stop writing until I told you how dear you are to me. Yes, I am so very, very happy and am willing that you should share it all with me. Yes, you will hear my voice soon in your own room. We will then talk love as well as write it. Oh, my darling, how much I love you tonight. I see your heart is open to my love and I want you to get so much of it that you will be happy all the day long. I must not write much tonight for you are tired and you must not exhaust yourself. Yes, he is full of love and his faith is very strong. He is a most unusual spirit and is strong for the higher things and will progress very rapidly. I know. He is with his soulmate a great deal and she has a wonderful influence over him and is leading him to the higher thoughts and greater love. Alice is progressing. She is praying and believing she will soon be in the third sphere and she loves you so much and wants you to love her and continue to pray for her. He says, that you need not ask his father, for he loves you too much to get offended. You must love him more and believe in him more and he will give you a communication that will satisfy you. She is here, and says that you are very good to think of her and love her and that she returns your love and hopes that very soon we may all be able to talk as you desire. She is now trying to bring about conditions that will enable us to succeed. I will stop and say goodnight. Your own dear and loving, Helen February 22nd, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: Yes, I am when you need me and feel that I am your own true wife. I am not yet ready to let you see that you are so necessary to my happiness, that I must be with you all the time, for if I do you will become so careless of my love and will think that all you have to do is say, "Come Helen," and I will be there. Thanks are not in order as you are too very much of a flirt to make me believe that you really mean "thank you". But you are my darling Ned, and I love you and you know it, and I am glad that you do. You are too much in love with me to ever want another. I know and I thank God that He gave us to each other, for if I had not your love, I would not be so happy. Oh my darling, I so long to have you with me all the time, so that I could tell you of my great love for you, and that you are the only one that I love or have ever loved in all my life. Be so true to me that no doubt will arise in your mind that I am the one that God selected for you. Let us continue to love God and then we will love each other with love that knows no ending or falling away. My love for you is not only for a time, but for all eternity, and we will never be separated after you come over to me. Question and Answer: Yes, it is possible, for I know that our love will become so real, that the mere fact of your being in the physical body will not prevent us from realizing that we are together in all the reality of our true being and love. You will not have to wait very long before you will hear my voice and feel my presence in a way that will convince you that I am with you in all my strength and real existence. Let us believe that we are one in spirit and love, and our realization of that fact will be strong that we will be certain that the union is true. Give me all your thoughts for a while and you will learn that I am not only yours in spirit and love but in real personal contact and actual presence. So do not doubt that I am with you now, writing this love letter as I promised you this afternoon, for I am actually writing it and you have nothing to do with it but merely hold the pencil. You do not deserve the blessings which God has given you, but He is so loving and merciful, that He sees that you need His love and my love to make you happy, and in the end become a spiritual man and a true follower of Jesus who is also your true friend and teacher. He will tell you all things that the Father has in store for you and will not let you go astray again as you did when we were living together on earth. So do not let the thought that you are too worldly or too great a sinner keep you from seeking the love of the Father or believing that Jesus is interested in your welfare both on earth and in this world. Only believe what He may tell you and you will not be left to go wrong. Try to let your thoughts turn more to God's love and to mine. Yes they (parents and relatives) all love you very much, but not as I do, because their love is that of a parent, while mine is that of one whom God has decreed shall be the necessary part of a love that is one and a perfect whole. Our loves are not two but one, and if either part is not in true accord the perfect one is not in existence. So you see we must be sure that our loves are just in that accord that is necessary to make the perfect one. Let us not write anymore tonight as I am tired and so are you. Yes you did right- under the conditions - we could not do what you desired. With all my love and best wishes for your happiness. I am your own true wife and sweetheart. Helen February 25th, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Prof. Salyards. Well I am very happy and desire to write you on some phases of spirit life that I have observed in my experience of progressing. I have noticed that the spirit when it first comes into this life, is very often in a condition of darkness, not realizing where it is or what its surroundings are, and in many instances, it requires quite a long time for the spirit to realize that it is not still of earth. But in many cases this is not the condition of the spirit, for it seems to have an immediate understanding of its condition and surroundings. I attribute the first mentioned condition to be due to the fact that, when on earth, the mortal had no definite belief as to what the future life might be; and in many instances believed that the soul went into the grave with the body, to await the great resurrection day. Some of your religious denominations are preaching that doctrine now, and, the consequence will be, that all those who believe the doctrine will experience the condition of darkness and the want of knowledge of the continuity of life that I have spoken of. The second class of spirits, or those who appear to realize immediately that they have passed from earth to spirit life are those, who, while on earth, believed that the spirit when it left the body passed immediately into the Heavenly Spheres, or into the opposite - I mean the place of the wicked. I know that many of this class have hardly realized that they were in heaven or hell, for some little time after their entrance into spirit life. Well, as soon as the spirits realize fully that they are no longer of earth, they commence to inquire as to where they are, and many of them ask questions that indicate that they are disappointed in not realizing the expectations that they had while on earth. It is very difficult at times to convince them that there are no such places as the heavens and the hells as taught by the churches; for while our spirit world may be a heaven or hell to them, yet the heaven or hell that they expect to find is not here. Some, on the other hand, do not seem to understand that they have really left the earth, because, they say, if we had left the earth life, we would know nothing - quoting Job and some of the preachers: "the dead know nothing." I have been very much interested in observing these different phases of the departed spirits' beliefs and thoughts. Now all this shows the absolute necessity of mortals understanding the truths pertaining to life and death. This affords a very strong argument why Spiritualism should be more extensively and earnestly taught to mortals and why the false doctrines of those who teach either that the dead know nothing, or that the departed spirit goes either to heaven or to hell in the orthodox sense, should be shown to be not only a false belief, but injurious to mankind. Let the believers and teachers of Spiritualism make greater and stronger efforts to refute these harmful teachings, and they will be doing the cause of truth and of man's happiness a great good. I am not only interested in these phases but in all others, which show that the spirits, even after they realize that they are still alive, and must live as spirits continue to show the fact that their orthodox teachings are false. Some say, that they may yet be able to go back into the body and await the great resurrection day for deliverance, and say that they will soon see God, and that He will take them into His heavens, where they will find that eternal rest and peace that they were taught to expect when on earth; and the wicked, even, look in dread to have some devil come and carry them to the hells where torture of the most terrible kind they think awaits them. From all this you may understand that we spirits who know the truth have a great work to do, to enable these darkened spirits to understand and believe that their false hopes and dreadful fears have no foundation in truth and will never be realized. This work many spirits are engaged in doing, and these spirits are not necessarily of the higher kind, for many spirits who occupy the earth plane and have no real spiritual enlightenment, are engaged in this work. I am not now engaged in causing these dark spirits to see the truth, for I have progressed to higher things, and my mission is to teach the truths of the higher life, which I have been taught by spirits who live in higher spheres. This work to me is one that is not only interesting, but which gives me the great happiness that comes with the realization that I have been the means of leading a spirit to learn to love God, and to receive the happiness which the love of God gives to spirits. I tell you that this teaching is the grandest that I ever engaged in in all my life. When on earth, as I taught and saw the young mind develop, I found much happiness in the knowledge that I was doing some good, but here, in my teachings, when I see a soul develop, I realize that I am doing a spirit that greatest of all good in bringing it at one in love with the Father; and happiness here and that of earth, is as the soul development is so much greater than the development of the mere mind. My work is not confined entirely to this teaching; I also am engaged in trying to assist mortals to a true conception of the life here - I mean the spiritual part of this life. No man is entirely without spirit influence, whether good or evil. Many are susceptible to the influence of the evil spirits, and for that reason the work of the good spirits is so much more difficult. There is in man's nature that which leads him to evil thoughts so much easier than to good thoughts. This is an old saying, I know, but is a true one, and the fact that it has been said so often and for so long a time, does not decrease the importance of it as a truth. So while men have felt this evil inclination in their nature, the fight between the good and evil influences will be somewhat unequal. The advantage though with the good influences is that what they suggest is truth which will never die, while the suggestions of the evil influences last only for a comparatively short time. When the material gives up the spirit being which it clothes, that being will then be relieved of many of these natural tendencies to evil thoughts and deeds; and while this mere separation does not make a devil a saint, it makes it so much easier for the spirit to get rid of many of these evil tendencies, and makes him more susceptible to the influence of truth and goodness. You must not think from this, as soon as they have been in the spirit world for a little time, they become good spirits, for that is not true. Many evil spirits have been in the spirit world for a great many years, and yet have their evil thoughts and desires, and all the evil qualities of hatred, malice, envy, etc., as when they were on earth. Their giving up the earth life did not deprive them of their will, the greatest force or power that God gave to man, except that of love. And many of these spirits refuse to exercise their will in a way that will enable them to rid themselves of these evil thoughts and desires. So you see, the mere fact of becoming a spirit does not mean that the mortal has become a good and saintly spirit. No, I am sorry to say that many men who were very evil on earth are still evil as spirits; and their happiness, which they think they have, is only that happiness, which they, as men, thought they realized from the exercise of evil thoughts and acts. Yet there is one great redeeming fact connected with their dark and sad condition, and that is, that in the end, whenever it so pleases God, all evil will be banished from the spirit world, and all spirits will be given that happiness which comes from a nature free from sin and error. Not by the fiat of God, but by men seeking and doing those things that will free the soul from sin and error and again come into harmony with God's laws. Just such I imagine as Adam and Eve enjoyed in the historical Garden of Eden. But that happiness, while of a character that brings much contentment and peace, yet is not the true happiness which God is waiting to give all His children who ask and seek for the inflowing of the Divine Love in their souls. I will not discourse on this great happiness to-night, as it would take too long and you are somewhat tired; but will say, that all men should seek for it both on earth and in the spirit world. When on earth I did not have it, but since I came here I found it, and now possess it, thanks be to God and His loving kindness. You folks all have it, and many others too numerous to mention. Let me stop now as I am tired and you need to rest. So with all my love and best wishes, I am your old professor, Joseph H. Salyards 3rd March 1915. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. You are in a better condition to-night and I will continue my messages. " HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor213.htm" God is a God of love, and no man can come to Him, unless he receives the Love of the Father in his soul." As men are by nature sinful and inclined to error and the violation of God's laws, they can be redeemed from that sin only by obtaining this Love; and that can be obtained only through prayer and faith in the willingness of God to bestow this Love upon whomsoever may ask for it. I do not mean that there must be formal prayers or compliance with any church creeds or dogmas; but the prayer that is efficacious is that which emanates from the soul and earnest aspirations of a man. So let men know, that unless they have the real soul longings for this Love, it will not be given to them - no mere intellectual desires will suffice. The intellect is not that faculty in man that unites him to God. Only the soul is made in the likeness of the Father, and unless this likeness is perfected by a filling of the soul with the Divine Love of the Father, the likeness is never complete. Love is the one great thing in God's economy of real existence. Without it, all would be chaos and unhappiness; but where It exists, harmony and happiness also exists. This I say, because I know from personal experience that it is true. Let not men think that God is a God who wants the worship of men with the mere intellectual faculties, that is not true. His Love is the one thing that can possibly unite Him and them. This Love is not the Love that is a part of man's natural existence; the love that men have, who have not received a part of the Divine Love, is not sufficient to make them one with the Father; nor is that love the kind that will enable them to enter the Celestial Spheres and become as the Angels who are filled with this Divine Love, and who do always the Will of the Father. This Love is found only in the souls of those who have received it through the ministrations of the Holy Spirit - the only instrument of God's workings, that is used in bringing about the salvation of men. I have seen the operations of the Spirit upon the souls of men, and know what I tell you to be true. No man must rest in the assurance that any other instrumentality or medium than the Holy Spirit, will enable him to obtain this Love. He must not rest in the thought that without this he can become a part of God's Kingdom, for no love but this Divine Love can entitle and qualify him to enter that Kingdom. When on earth I taught the doctrine of salvation only through the workings of the Holy Spirit in fulfilling the commandments of the Father. Mere belief in me or in my name without this Love, will never enable any man to become the possessor of this Love. Hence the saying, "that all sins against me or even against God's commandments may be forgiven men, but the sin against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven them, neither while on earth nor when in the spirit world." unpardonable This means that so long as a man rejects the influences of the Spirit he sins against it, and such sin prevents him from receiving this Divine Love; and hence, in that state he cannot possibly be forgiven, and be permitted to enter into the Celestial Kingdom of the Father. God's Love is not that which needs the love of man to give it a Divine Essence, but on the contrary, the love of man in order to become Divine in its nature, must be completely enveloped in or absorbed by the Divine Love of the Father. So, let man know that his love is but the mere shadow of what the Father's Love is, and that so long as he refuses to receive this Love of the Father, he will be compelled to remain apart from the Father, and enjoy only the happiness which his natural love affords him. I am so certain that all men may receive this Love, if they will only seek for it in the true way and with earnest desire and faith, that I know it is possible for all men to be saved. But men have the great gift of free will, and the exercise of that gift towards the seeking and finding of this Love seems to be a difficulty that will prevent a large majority of the human race from receiving this great redemptive boon. My Father is not desirous that any man should live through all eternity without this Love; but the time will come, and very soon, when the privilege of obtaining this Love will be withdrawn from mankind; and when that great event takes place, never afterwards will the privilege be restored; and men who are then without It will be compelled to live through all eternity with only their natural love to comfort them and get whatever happiness they may be able to obtain from such love. Men may think that this time of separation will never come, but in that they are mistaken, and when too late, they will realize it. The harmony of my Father's universe is not depending on all men receiving this Divine Love because in the workings of God's laws of harmony on men's souls all sin and error will be eradicated, and only truth will remain; but the mere absence of sin does not mean that all parts of God's creation will be peopled by spirits and men who are equally happy, or who are filled with the same kind of love. The man who is free from sin and has only his natural love, will be in perfect harmony with other men possessing the same kind of love; but he will not be in harmony with those spirits who have this Divine Love and the supreme happiness which It gives. And yet, such differences in love and happiness will not create discord or want of harmony in the universe. Adam and Eve, or whom they personify, had not this Celestial Love - only the natural love that belonged to their creation as human beings, and yet, they were comparatively happy; but their happiness was not like that of the angels who live in the Celestial Heavens where only this Divine Love of God exists. They were mortals, and when temptation came to them, the love that they possessed was not able to resist it, and they succumbed. So, even though man may hereafter live forever and be free from sin and error, yet, he will always be subject to temptations which this natural love may not be able to resist. I mean that his nature will be merely the nature that Adam and Eve had - nothing greater or less. Even in that condition he may be able to resist all temptations that may assail him, yet, he will always be subject to fall from his state of happiness, and so become more or less unhappy. This is the future of men who have not received the Divine Love. But the spirit who has this Divine Love becomes, as it were, a part of Divinity Itself, and will never be subject to temptation or unhappiness. He will be free from all powers that may possibly exist for leading him to unhappiness - as if he were a very God. I mean that His Divinity cannot possibly be taken from him by any power or influence or instrumentality in all the universe of God. This love makes a mortal and sinful man an Immortal and sinless spirit, destined to live through all eternity in the presence of and at one with the Father. So, if men would only think and realize the importance of obtaining this Divine Love, they would not be so careless in their thoughts and aspirations concerning those things which will determine their future state through all eternity. The importance of these truths cannot be too forcibly placed before men for their consideration; and, when the time comes for them to pass over, the more they have pondered on and obtained a knowledge of these truths, the better will be their condition in the spirit world. The spirit world will not help them so very much to obtain a more enlightened insight into these spiritual matters, because in this world men differ and have their opinions just as on earth. Of course, they have not all the temptations to indulge their passions and appetites, which they had when in the flesh; but as regards their opinion of spiritual things, the opportunities are not very much greater, except in this, that because of the freedom from the passions and influences of the flesh, they may sooner turn their thoughts to higher things, and in this way sooner realize that only this New Birth in Love of the Divine can save them entirely from the natural results that follow the possession of only the natural love. A spirit is only a man without an earthly body, and the cares that necessarily belong to the obligations of earth ties. Even as a spirit, some retain these cares for a long time after coming over, and then are relieved of them by paying the penalties of a violated law. Well, I have written long and must stop. So I say with my blessings and love, good-night. Your fellow spirit, Jesus March 3rd, 1915 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen. Well, was not that a HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/divinelove19.htm" wonderful message of the Master? It was so full of things that should make men think and work to get this Divine Love that he spoke of. I am happy to say that I have it now to a considerable degree, and the more I get of it the happier I am. I thought that I was happy when I entered the third sphere, and more so in the fifth, and then supremely so in the seventh, but, really, I did not know what happiness was, until I got into my present home in the Celestial Heavens; and I suppose as I go higher, the happiness of each succeeding progressive sphere will be so much greater than that from which I progressed. But, of course, the Master has been the Great Teacher, whose love and power have helped me more than all the others. He is so wonderful in love and wisdom that I almost adore him, although, he says that I must worship only God, and I follow his directions. My experiences here are so wonderful that I hardly realize what it all means. My time in the spirit world has been so short, and yet, the wonderful knowledge of spiritual truths and the great happiness that I have received, cause me to wonder in amazement that such things could be. You have had a long writing to-night, and I think I had better stop. So good-night. Your loving wife, Helen March 5th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your Grandmother. Yes, it is I. I want to tell you of my experience in progressing in the spirit life. Well, when I passed over, I was received in the spirit world by your grandfather and my own dear mother who had been in the spirit world for so very many years. She was then living in the seventh sphere and was a most beautiful and happy spirit. Now she is far up in the Celestial Spheres, and occasionally comes to see me and tells me of the great beauty of her home, and of the wonderful spirits who inhabit the spheres where she lives. She lives in a high sphere of the Celestial Heavens, and is with many of the redeemed spirits who lived on earth many centuries ago. She mentioned some of them who were well known on earth, such as John Wesley and his brother Charles, and Luther and some of his contemporaries who were engaged in the great reforms of those days. Whitefield is one she named, and Bunyan, also. They seemed to have reached this sphere by obtaining the Love that we have written you of. So, when I think that, through gradual development and progression of my spiritual being, there are these high spheres for me to attain to, I feel that my faith and seeking for the Divine Love have a great deal yet to accomplish, in the way of soul development. Well, shortly after I passed over, I progressed to the third sphere, and thought that there the very seat of heaven must be, because my happiness was so much greater than I ever anticipated. Well, when I first entered the spirit world, I confess I was disappointed, because I did not see the Father on his throne and Jesus sitting on his right hand, as I had been taught to believe; but it was not long before I realized that such a belief had no foundation in truth, and that God has no throne, such as the writers of the Bible had declared, but that His Spirit is manifested everywhere and in all places, and is a Spirit that has no form in the sense that I had been taught to believe. After living in the third sphere for some little time, and having received much information from spirits who lived in higher spheres, and having received a great abundance of God's Love, I progressed to the fifth sphere and found a wonderful home of beauty and harmony among spirits who had experiences similar to my own, and who had received the Divine Love to a degree which gives us all this great happiness that I tell you of. In some of the planes of this sphere are many spirits who have not received this Divine Love, but who have attained to wonderful moral and intellectual qualifications; but they were not so happy as were those who had received the Great Love of the Father. They gave their thoughts and works more to things that pertain to moral and intellectual progress than to the soul development in the Divine Love. It may seem strange to you that these spirits could live in an atmosphere where so much of God's Love was manifested by the numerous spirits who had received this Love, and yet, not realize that this Divine Love is the one great thing absolutely necessary for their further progress and greater happiness. But such is the fact, and many of these spirits of the greatest intellectual development are still pursuing their studies of laws that have to do solely with things that relate to the operations of spiritual laws and the causes of phenomena that astonish both mortals and spirits. I have wondered many times that they have not had an awakening to the real and grander truths of spirit life, and to the causes of the development of the souls of those with whom they come in contact, who are so much more beautiful and happier than are these students of merely spiritual laws and causes that produce only astonishing phenomena. Strange as it may seem to some, intellectual progression is not necessary to soul progression, but with soul progression by obtaining the Divine Love comes a wonderful knowledge of these other things that I speak of. I, as you know, was a person of just ordinary mental acquirements, yet in this spirit world I have left behind me many great minds possessed of wonderful intellectual information. I mean not only as regards the progress of my soul, but also as regards the attainment of knowledge that these men are devoting their time and work to obtain. Strange also, it may seem to you, that with soul development in the Divine Love there comes intellectual development, but to us who have experienced this fact it is not strange, because the mind is only an attribute or, as I may say, a quality of the soul, and as the soul develops in the Divine Love, the mind must necessarily also develop. Philosophy is merely the conclusion of minds that have given thought and investigation to the subject matter of that philosophy, and, when it is determined by the mere mind, it is still uncertain, and subject to revision and change as the mind may change. The mind, in its development, does not necessarily learn the full and real truth; and in this spirit life, among these men of purely great minds that do not possess the Divine Love, there is as much variety of opinion, and as many disputes as to what is the truth, as there are on earth. The mind, of itself, cannot always discern the truth, because it is not infallible, even when it is the mind of a spirit and that spirit a highly developed one. But as the soul develops in the Divine Love, this development means that what comes to it as a fact, is a truth - the everlasting truth. The soul does not learn all truths at once, but the truth that it does learn is one that never changes, and lets no revision alter or set it aside. No, truth of the soul's discernment is never shown to be error, and no error ever becomes a part of the soul's discernment of truth. So, you see, the great road to the ascertainment of the realities of God is through, and only through, the development of the soul by the inflowing of the Divine Love. The eye of the soul is that interior perception which needs not reason from cause and effect to discern and forever establish the truths of God. So, how very necessary that men and spirits should learn the great fact, that if they would learn the truth of spirit life, they must endeavor to develop the soul's powers of perception by seeking for the inflowing into their souls of the Divine Love. I could tell you many wonderful things to illustrate these propositions, if I had the time to do so, but I have not now; but sometime I will go more in detail on this subject, and then you will more fully understand what I mean. Well, after I had lived in this fifth sphere and learned the great and wonderful truths that are taught therein, I progressed to the seventh and there learned what real happiness is, as I thought. No spirit who has not received this Great Love of the Father lives in this sphere, because the mind is, as it were, absorbed by the soul to such a great extent, that without the soul development the mind would have no place of lodgment. I mean that the mind, as such, then becomes so subordinated to the powers and operations of the soul perceptions that it cannot exist as mere mind, independent of the soul's development. In this sphere all is grand and beautiful to an extent that I cannot describe, because you have no possible mental conception with which I can compare such beauty and grandeur. Our homes are very harmonious and without stain or anything that emanates from things other than the soul's essence and power. No mere intellectual happiness exists, and no spirit who has not this Great Love could possibly be happy there. But yet, while all this happiness exists, I was told that happiness is far greater in the Celestial Spheres, and, consequently, I was not satisfied to remain in the seventh sphere, although I could not realize how my happiness could be any greater than it was. Yet, as I say, I was not contented to remain in my home there. And I was also told that there was a way to get into this Celestial Sphere, and a way so easy that the mere statement of it caused doubt. But I prayed for faith and the Divine Love, and on an occasion my faith brought the Divine Love into my soul in such abundance, and I progressed to the first Celestial Sphere, where I now am. The Book of Revelation in the Bible, in its most extravagant description of the New Jerusalem, gives no true conception of what the beauty and magnificence of this sphere are; and I will not attempt to describe them, for I cannot. But a man, or spirit either, who has never seen the wonderful beauty of this sphere, cannot conceive of what its magnificence is. I am so very happy that it seems to me there can be no greater happiness, and yet, my mother tells me that there is, and that the Divine Love of the higher spheres is so much more intense and filled with so much more of God's Divinity that I cannot have the slightest conception of what it is. I am now trying to reach these higher spheres, and am told that faith and prayer for the inflowing into my soul of the Divine Love are the only instrumentalities that will enable me to do so. My prayers are constant and my faith is growing, and I realize, that when the Holy Spirit fills me with this Divine Love, as I expect it to do, I shall progress. So you see, one great element of God's method of making His redeemed happy, is to set before them a higher mark for which they may seek with the assurance that it can be attained. Well, I have written you quite a letter, and feel that I must stop now, as I need to leave the earth's atmosphere for awhile. So with all my love and blessings, I am, Your Grandmother, Ann Rollins March 6th, 1915. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I want to write tonight on the power of Divine Love to redeem men from sin and error. My Father's Love is, as I have written, the only thing in all this universe that can save men from their evil natures (sic), and make them at one with Him. This Divine Love I have already explained, and when mankind will read my messages and try to understand the meaning of this Love, it will soon become more at peace with itself and with God. This Divine Love is the one great power that moves the universe, and without it there would not be that wonderful harmony that exists in the Celestial Heavens of the spirit world; nor would so much happiness exist among the angels who inhabit these spheres. This Divine Love is also the influence which makes men on earth think and do that which makes for peace and good will among men. It is not possessed by all men, in fact, by comparatively few, yet its influence is felt over nearly the whole earth. Even those who have never heard of my teachings, or of my Father, enjoy the benefit of its influence; in some kind of belief or faith in an overshadowing spirit of great power and watchfulness. I know that this is true, for I have visited all parts of the earth, and have looked into men's hearts and found in them some elements of belief, which evidenced that this Great Love was influencing these unenlightened people. So, notwithstanding the fact that my gospel is not preached to every creature, as I commanded when on earth, yet this Love of the Father is everywhere and all pervading. Still, it is not received in all that fullness that enables those who feel its influence to realize that God is their Father, and they are his children, who may become members of his household in the Celestial Spheres. No man can receive this Love unless he has faith in the Father's willingness to bestow it upon him, and truly and with earnestness prays for it. Every man has in him the natural love which will give him great happiness in eternity as a mere spirit and an inhabitant of the spheres lower than the Celestial - even though he refuses to seek for the Divine Love that will make him a Divine angel of the Celestial Heavens. Only this Divine Love can change the natural man into a man having the Divine nature in Love that the Father has. I do not mean that man, even though he be filled with this Love to the highest degrees, will ever become a god and equal to the Father in any of his powers or attributes. This cannot be, but this Love will make him like the Father in Love and happiness and harmony. This Love has no counterpart in all creation, and comes from the Father alone. It changes not, nor is ever bestowed on anyone who is unworthy, or refuses to seek for it in the only way provided by the Father. My experience in these Celestial Heavens is, that this Love has the power to change the most hardened sinner into a true child of God, if only through faith and prayer such sinner will seek for it. Let this Love take possession of a man or spirit, and its power to purify and change the heart of that man or spirit never fails. Your brother and friend, Jesus March 9th, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am Jesus. You are in condition to resume my message tonight. I am in a condition of love that enables me to know that my Father's Love is the only Love that can redeem mankind and make it at-one with Him. So you must understand that this Divine Love is a Love that has no counterpart in all the universe, and must be received by man in all its fullness, in order for him to attain to the Celestial Spheres, where the Father's fountainhead of Love exists. So I say, that no man can become a part of God's Divinity until he receives this Divine Love and realizes that he and his Father are one in Love and purity. I will now tell you what this Divine Love means to everyone who has received it. He is in a condition of perfect peace, and his happiness is beyond all comparison, and he is not willing that anything or power shall lead him to those things that are not in accord with the Divine Love and God's laws of harmony. He is not only happy, but is away beyond the lower spirits in intellectual development and knowledge of the spiritual things of the Father. I know that no man is able to obtain the great soul perceptions until he has the soul development, and is fitted to live in the Celestial Spheres, where only love and harmony exist. So, do not think if a man merely becomes wonderful in his knowledge in an intellectual sense, he is fitted to live in these higher spheres, for he is not; only the great development of the soul, by obtaining into his soul the Divine Love, will enable him to live there. (question) John never said that by me were all things created that were created, and that I, as God, came to earth and became an indweller in the flesh. That is a mistake and an interpolation, for I never was God, neither did I ever create any part of the universe. I was only a spirit of God, sent by Him to work out man's salvation, and show him the only way to the Heavenly Home that God has in keeping for those who receive the New Birth. Well, I live in all spheres, but my home is in a sphere that is very close to the fountainhead of God's Love. It has no name or number. With me in the Celestial Spheres are all those who have received this Divine Love to such an extent that they have become entirely purified and at one with the Father. Many are progressing towards that home and will, sooner or later, get there. Those who fully received this Divine Love through faith and prayer are in the Celestial Spheres, but those who have not yet obtained this Love to the degree mentioned, are not. Yes, Paul is, and so are Peter and John and James and several others. (question) I meant that I would go to the Celestial Spheres where I now am and prepare these mansions, which I have now done. And it rests with spirits and mortals only to become inhabitants thereof. Some are, and some are not; the mere fact that these ancient prophets and seers were the mere instruments of God in declaring His purposes and laws, does not mean that they necessarily received this Great Love, so that they are now inhabitants of the Celestial Spheres. Moses and Elias are in the Celestial Spheres and so is John the Baptist; but many great teachers of spiritual things or of future existence are not, because they have not obtained the New Birth. Well, it will depend on whether you live and believe in such a way as to get this Great Love; if you do, you will not have to wait long years to be with me in the Celestial Spheres. You are now in the right way, and if you will only persevere and let your faith increase and get the Divine Love in sufficient abundance in your soul, you will be. And this remember, that I am your special friend and helper, and will be with you when you are in doubt or trouble, and will keep you from relapsing into a state of unbelief or of carelessness. If, as you say, he will seek that Divine Love, and pray to the Father in faith, and believe that the Father will bestow it upon him, he will receive it; and when he receives it in sufficient abundance all sin that he may have committed will be blotted out. No further will he have to pay the penalties of his deeds of sin and error. This is what I came principally to teach mankind. When I said, as you sow so shall you reap, I meant this to be the law of God as applied to the natural man as well as to everything else in nature; but that law is subject to be set aside so far as its operations on the souls of men are concerned, by the soul of man receiving in sufficient abundance, the Divine Love. And when the Great Love of the Father is sought and received by the soul of man in sufficient abundance, the law of compensation is made non-effective and the law of Love becomes supreme, and man is relieved from the penalties of his sins. Yes, I know how men reason about this matter, and that is the great stumbling block that prevents them from receiving this Divine Love, and believing that it is efficacious in saving them from paying the penalties of their sins. Well, you now see what I am trying to do, and I am so well satisfied that you will make a success of your work, that I feel more than ever certain that my messages will be understood and given to the world. So keep up your courage, and in a short time all will be in such condition that there will be nothing to interfere with your doing the work as you desire. Yes, most assuredly, and when you get into the work with all your earnestness and faith, you will see that you will be able to receive the messages just as I intend that you shall receive them. Let us stop now, Your own true brother in spirit, Jesus March 10th, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen. Well, I am very happy, and you are happier and feel better. I am now going to write you about my home, as I promised, and you must not think I am not in condition to write, if I should not be able to describe it as you may think I should; the only reason for my failure will be that I cannot find words to express myself. Well, my house is a beautiful white one of a substance that you might think of as alabaster, and two stories in height, with rooms on each side of a wide and beautiful hall. The rooms are very large and filled with the most beautiful furniture that you can conceive of. The walls are all hung with satin coverings, and between are lovely pictures. The parlor, as you would call it, is filled with the most exquisite and comfortable couches and chairs, and with beautiful tables and bric-a-brac, and also many pictures of landscapes and fruits and flowers. I don't know who painted them, but they are there and give me much delight, and satisfy to so great an extent my love for paintings and pictures. There are also many little curios that would make the heart of an aesthetic person rejoice and feel glad. My music room has in it instruments of various kinds, wonderful in sound and construction. I play some of them and also sing in my weak way, as you say on earth; but I enjoy the music more than I can tell you, and so do many spirits who call to see me. I have other rooms, such as repose rooms, a library, and rooms for meditation and prayer. My library is full of books dealing with subjects that are to me now so congenial and necessary, for they tell me of God's Love and care for his children. There are also books that deal with the laws of the spirit world and of the other parts of the universe; but these latter I do not read much, for my whole study is so given to the laws pertaining to our own spirit world and its relationship to your world, and the Love of God, and the love that should exist among mortals and spirits, that I do not find time for these other studies; and, in fact, I have not the inclination. There are books that you might call fiction, but really are not, for they describe the actual experience of spirits in such a vivid and interesting way, that if they were portrayed in your earthly books you would think it fiction. Not all the books in my library deal with the higher or more substantial things of this spirit life, for we have our recreation for the mind, in the way of variety in reading, the same as you do on earth, and we are the stronger and happier for it. So you see, if you were here, I know that the library would be your place of rest from your work, although I know you like music very much. We have a dining room also, but we do not need kitchens, as nothing is cooked, but everything eaten just as we get it from the trees and vines. We do not eat meat or bread or potatoes or things of that kind. Our food is principally fruits and nuts; and such fruits you never saw and never will until you come with me. The fruits, mostly, are pears and grapes and oranges and pomegranates - of course, not just the same as you know them on earth. I merely use these words of description to give you some idea of what they are like. We have them in great variety and always fresh and ripe. The nuts too, are of many kinds and qualities. None need nut crackers for them to be broken in order to be eaten. There are no cakes or candies or anything of that nature. We do not actually eat these things with our teeth and palate and use intestinal organs, as you do, but we inhale, as it were, the delicious flavors and aromas of the fruits; and strange as it may seem to you, we are just as much satisfied, and probably more so than you when you eat them with your physical organs. I cannot more fully explain to you just how this thing is, but, as we say, we eat the fruits and nuts. We drink pure water, and nothing else; and spirits who say they have wines and other beverages, tell what I have never seen or heard of since I have been in the spirit world. Of course, I do not know every thing that exists in all parts of this great world of spirits. And this water is so pure and satisfying, that I cannot imagine any spirit would want anything else to drink. But, yet, as I say, I do not know as to this. We do not actually drink the water, for we have not the internal organs that you have in the physical body, but we seem to absorb it in our system in some way that gives all the delight and satisfaction that you enjoy when you drink water. We often have our "teas", as your fashionable women on earth might say, and very many of our spirit friends attend and help make the gatherings enjoyable and happy ones. Of course, the male spirits attend, for I must tell you that in this life there are no clubs or businesses that keep the sexes apart, as in your life. I mean that the two sexes are more together, and enjoy the society of each other to a far greater degree than in your earth life. Of course, I do not mean that these spirits have all found their soulmates, for that is not true; but each enjoys the company of the others, as friends and spirits having similar desires and aspirations. My companions are very similar in their love for the Father and in the development of their souls, and in their thoughts and desires for things spiritual. We discuss many questions pertaining to the soul and it progress, and to the Love of the Father, and to the love of spirits and mortals. While we are joyous and happy beyond compare, yet we do not indulge in frivolities or thoughts that have not a tendency to elevate us to higher things. We have music and dancing, but our dancing is different from yours. We merely exercise ourselves in graceful and artistic movements, without any contact of spirit bodies, or the embracing of each other. Of course, we hold hands as we dance, but no familiarity, as you would say, is indulged in. Well, I have a room for repose, where after working long and, to some extent, feeling tired, I rest on these couches that I tell you of. We do not sleep, but sometimes we go into a kind of dreamy state that gives us much refreshment and vigor. I am now resting from some hard work that I have been doing in your earth plane. I mean that when I am not writing to you, I am resting. So, you see, we are not enjoying one continuous condition of feeling, as that might become monotonous.I am now trying to help some of the spirits who have recently come over from your city, and who were acquaintances of yours on earth. I will tell you of them when next I write you. I am tired now and must stop. So with all my love, I am your own true and loving, Helen March 10th, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your Grandmother. Well, I am exceedingly happy and am glad that you are feeling so much improved. You had quite a long letter from Helen, and I hope, a very satisfactory one. When she tries she can write a very good letter. I am, as you know, in the same sphere with her and your mother, and we are all very much together, though we live in different homes. Helen, of course, is not as far advanced as I am, and neither is your mother, but, nevertheless, we are very congenial and love one another very much. Soon though, I will leave them for a higher sphere, and then they will miss me I know, for they keep telling me so, and say that they will follow soon after, and I believe that they will, for they are wonderful spirits in Love and faith; and these two possessions, as you know, are the "open sesame" to things and spheres higher. Well, my son, as Helen told you of her home, I want to tell you a little bit about the condition of the spirits in this sphere. No spirit who has not received this Great Love of the Father is here; or better, all spirits who are here have received and possess this Love. Mere intellectual acquirements are not sufficient to fit a spirit for this sphere; and if a spirit ever realizes that the gate is shut to him, it is because he has not this Love. And then the great happiness that exists here could not be enjoyed by the mere mind, for the mind is limited in its capacity for happiness. Only the soul can enjoy this great happiness. I sometimes think that if mortals could be permitted, for one moment only, to realize what this happiness is, they would never let their lives slip by without making the greatest efforts to fit themselves for this great life in the Celestial Spheres. Our time here is occupied in helping one another to a greater realization of the truths of our Father, and in helping spirits who live on lower planes than we do. I do not, now, very often come to the earth plane to help other spirits or mortals; but, of course, in your case I am so bound by my affections and desires, that I am with you quite often, and more so with that darling little daughter of yours; for as I have told you; I am her guardian angel, and so long as she lives, I will be with her to help and guide. We are engaged in the study of things that pertain more to the spiritual things of this life, than to studying the things of the other worlds of the universe; these things to us are what might be called the material things, and while a knowledge of them would be very interesting, yet our thoughts are turned to the more important truths of God. Yes, we all have our libraries and homes, as Helen has told you of, but, of course, there is a great difference in these homes, depending upon the amount of Love which the spirit has in his soul. I am now living in a home that is so beautiful, that I could not in the short time that I will write tonight describe it to you; but soon I will in detail, and then you can realize what a home it is. (comment by Mr. Padgett) Well, do not believe everything in the book you have been reading because it is said to be written by spirits, because, even if it is so written, the information given depends upon the condition and knowledge and belief of these spirits. Some may tell the exact truth as they conceive it to be, and yet it may not be the truth. Well, the explanation is, that the spirits whose communications you read have never learned the truth taught by the Master. They only know what they have learned from what they have read, or from what spirits, who have not this great knowledge, have told them. Any spirit who doesn't say that Jesus is the greatest spirit and teacher, and the only one of the great teachers who have ever lived on earth who shows the only and true way to the Father's Kingdom, has never learned this way, or come under the influence of the Master. So as far as that is concerned, do not pay any attention to what they say, or let their communications influence you, for these communications will not help you spiritually. There are certain great assembly places in the spirit world where the higher spirits meet and discuss the various plans that they think will benefit mankind, and also the lower spirits; and I believe the Master has attended these meetings and given his advice and encouragement. For you must remember that he is a teacher, not only of the way to God's Kingdom, but also of the acquiring of those things that will help and benefit mortals and spirits who have not received this Great Love. Part of his mission is to make man and spirits happy, even though they may never become inhabitants of the Celestial Spheres. God Loves all his creatures, and the Master, as His greatest instrument of Love and beneficence, is doing all that he can to make these men and spirits happy; and, as some of these communications say, he has helped in many of these assemblies to do good for all. But, while this is so, yet he is the Father's greatest instrument in showing men the way to the higher Life. Well, that is a question that seems hard to answer; but if these other great teachers will not believe the Master's message as to the only way to the Kingdom, they alone know why and will have to bear the consequences. Not all spirits are able to see these great truths, any more than mortals are, and the mere fact that they have so much greater opportunity to learn these truths does not seem to persuade them to accept the same. The higher spheres in which these ancient seers and wise men live are not the Celestial Heavens, but spheres higher up in the spirit world; and no matter how high they may get in these spheres, they will never partake of that Divine essence or nature of the Father which we have told you of, unless they seek for and obtain the Divine Love, and qualify themselves to enter the Celestial Heavens. They will always be nothing more than spirits possessed of the natural love which they had on earth, but, of course, more refined and free from sin; yet it is merely natural love and nothing more. Yes, I have met Paul and Peter and John and James and several others of lesser development.Yes, they are all in the Celestial Spheres, and very happy, yet they go to the lower spheres to do the work set before them. No spirit who has not received this New Birth is ever permitted to enter the Celestial Spheres, and, hence, the spirit that you speak of has never seen the home of John, and never will until redeemed by the Love of the Father. I do not think these mortals who claim that they left their bodies and entered the Celestial Spheres, ever did so, and I have grave doubt that they ever entered the spiritual spheres above the third.This is a subject that I will write you more fully about some other time. I must stop now, and you must not write more tonight. So, with all my love I am your own loving Grandmother Ann Rollins March 17th, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen. I want to tell you of my experience in trying to show a spirit the way to God's Love, which I had a short time ago. Well, I talked to this spirit of this Love, and told her that the only way to happiness and to the Celestial Kingdom was through prayer and faith, and that all spirits who were inhabitants of those spheres had received this Great Love of the Father only through prayer and faith; and if she wanted to become an inhabitant of these Heavens she must seek for this Love in that way. She said that she was told when on earth that if she only observed rules and regulations of the church, and devoted herself to doing church work and looking after the interest of the church, so that it might be sustained and fostered, she would go to heaven just as soon as she had left the earth life - that that would be all that would be required of her, and that no other seeking or striving after God's Love would be necessary to enable her to get into the Heavens where God and all His angels are. I told her that she must now realize that such performance, of what she considered to be her duty, had not been sufficient to carry her into these Heavens, and that she must realize that something more was necessary. But she still persisted, that her belief in what she had been taught in the church could not be changed, and that very soon she would become an inhabitant of these higher spheres. So I left her, because I saw that at this time her belief had so fastened itself upon her convictions, that it was useless to try to convince her that she was laboring under an absolutely false belief. So, I find that in this spirit plane there are many spirits in darkness and bigotry, which prevents them from seeing the truth and progressing to the higher spheres. I do not think that mortals, when they become spirits, have any better opportunity, for sometime at least, to realize and accept these truths than they had when on earth, and the men or women who teach these things have a great sin to answer for, as Jesus said, cursed is he who believes and teaches these false doctrines. And I think he must have laid especial emphasis on the teaching as it affected not only the teacher, but many others who had faith in and accepted these teachings as true. I am so glad that I, when on earth, was never fully convinced of these church dogmas: as I consequently found it so much easier when I came to the spirit world to believe the truths as they are. Of course, I was exceptionally blessed in having your mother and grandmother, who are so well versed in these things, to show me the way, and then when Jesus came to me and corroborated what they had said, I could not help from believing. So you see the importance of learning these truths while on earth, for the greater our comprehension of them as mortals, the more easily will be our progression to the higher things of the spiritual life. Well, I thought I would tell you of this little incident as it shows you a great and necessary truth, and one which all men should know. So with all my love I am your own true loving Helen March 17th, 1915 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Eugene Crowell. By permission of your band, I will write you a little, as I see that you are reading my book, and I am, consequently, interested in your right understanding of it. Well, as you have observed, I did not look upon Jesus as a god, but merely as a very high medium and in great favor with the high spirit powers. And that is correct so far as it goes, but he is more than that: he is the highest, and most enlightened and most powerful of all the spirits, and is the only one of all the great prophets or seers or reformers, or messengers of God, who ever taught the true and only way to the Kingdom of Heaven. And the sooner all spiritualists recognize and believe this fact, the sooner will true spiritualism be established on earth and the Love of the Father be implanted in each soul. All these things have I learned since I came over here and had the opportunity of investigating the truth at first hand with all my powers, which are not limited or encumbered with the physical senses. So you must, in reading my book, eliminate everything from what you may accept as true that teaches or intimates that Jesus is not the great Master and teacher of the true and only way to God's Love and salvation. Of course, all spirits do not understand or believe this, and when John said HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/quotesjohn.htm" \l "min730" try the spirits and learn whether they be true or not, he meant just what I have told you. I know now that Jesus is the most exalted son of God, and while we are all His sons, yet none of us is so at-one with Him as the Master.So as you are investigating this question of spiritualism in true earnestness, I thought it best to tell you what I have learned, as I do not want any expression in my book of a meaning contrary to what I have here expressed cause you to doubt for one moment the truths that Jesus and your band have been teaching you. You are wonderfully favored in having such a teacher, and I believe that the result will be that when you shall have received his messages and transmitted them to the world, spiritualism will become the religion of the whole earth. This is my belief and it is founded on the fact that it will then teach, besides the continuity of life and spirit communication, the great truths that will show men the absolute necessity of following these teachings of the Master in order to become the true children of the Father and be received by Him in His Kingdom of Love and Divine existence. I must not take up more time now, but will write you again, if permitted. Yes, it is. Well I thought that you wrote Eugene. I cannot see what you have written at the time of its being written, and when I guide your hand and impress your brain, I think that you have written as I intended. Eugene Crowell - that is my name. The writing of Edward was not what I intended. Yes, in 1886, at San Francisco, California. This is true, and you will find an account of my passing over in the newspapers of June 7, 1886. In the San Francisco newspapers. So examine for yourself and you will find what I say to be true. Well, I will say good-night. Your recent spirit friend, Eugene Crowell March 17th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your Father: Well my son, I have not written you for sometime as you have not given me the opportunity, but it was best as you have received much valuable information from the others that have written you. Well, I am still your guardian angel and will be as long as you live on earth. I know that Helen is with you very much of the time, and of course is much more interested in you than any of us and tries so hard to make you happy, nevertheless, she is not your guardian angel. White Eagle is your guide in a great many things and is faithful one too, but he is not the one designated by the higher powers to perform the duties of a guardian angel. So do not think that I am not with you trying to help and sustain you in your troubles and cares, for I am. We are all so much interested in you, that you are never alone even while you sleep. Even Mr. Riddle and Prof. Salyards are with you a great deal trying to influence you in your earthly affairs. HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor730.htm" The last writer was the spirit of the man who wrote the book that you are reading. I did not know him until he came to write and introduced himself as the author of the book and said that Jesus recommended him. Of course we consented for him to write. He is a spirit of the fifth sphere where I live and I shall see more of him now, and it may be that he will join our band, for he is wonderfully intellectual man and well versed in spiritual truths. Yes, he is not filled with this great Love as are your grandmother and mother and Helen. But he will make a desirable addition, and I believe that all the band will consent, especially as Jesus has recommended him. Yes, I am glad to say that Alice is now in the third sphere, and she is praying with all her soul for more love, - she is a beautiful spirit. Yes she does, and she loves you very much, for your kind thoughts, and is with me very often, when I am with you. Call her Laura or Sola. Yes, look at your writings and you will see. Yes, they are still praying and I see them quite often. Mackey is progressing more rapidly than any of them. Taggart is progressing, but he is so hard to convince, but sooner or later he will be convinced and then he will advance rapidly. Harvey is held back by his disappointment in not receiving what the priests had told him on earth. And McNally is still in darkness - his awful habit of drink has resulted in keeping him in this darkness, but he is praying also. And we all hope that they will see the light. Yes, especially Taggart, who says that he would like to have another talk with you before long, and he wants to ask you some questions and maybe you can answer them so that some of his doubts may be removed. Yes she (Mrs. E.) is not very happy and has not yet fully realized that she is in the spirit world exclusively. But Helen is with her very much and is trying to assist her to see the light and turn her thoughts to things spiritual. Well I must stop, so good night, my dear son. Your loving Father March 19th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Samuel R. Phillips: I was an acquaintance of yours and a lawyer as you will remember, and I desire to ask you to give me some assistance in getting out of this condition of darkness in which I am now living. Well, I have heard other spirits say that you have helped them, and so I came, and remembering that I was your brother lawyer on earth and had an acquaintance with you, I presumed that you would not refuse to assist me. Yes, R., that is correct. I don't know why I am in darkness, except that I did not develop my spiritual nature when on earth. I did not understand very much about spiritual things or the soul, and hence when I came to the spirit world I was a very unenlightened spirit. I cannot explain this thing. All I know is that I am in darkness and need light. Well, I was a member of the church but that did not mean that I knew anything of the truths of the spiritual things. I read the Bible and understood what it said, but I did not understand what it meant in the inner and spiritual sense. My religion was purely intellectual, and now I find that is not sufficient to relieve me from the darkness which I am now experiencing. Yes, I believed in God, but not in Jesus as a God, but thought him to be a very good and wonderful teacher. Well, as to prayer, I never gave much thought of it; of course, as the people prayed in response to what the minister might read I read too, but I never really prayed. It was all formal and not the longing of my heart as some have said a prayer should be. But I do not understand what prayer has to do with my present condition of darkness. Well, as I don't understand, I don't seem to appreciate what you say. Tell me more fully what you mean, so that I may make the effort to comprehend your meaning. Well, I am happy in a way, but not as I expected. I believed that God was all goodness, and that all his children would be happy in the spirit world, but I find that I am not so. I am somewhat disappointed and also very much at a loss to understand. No. I have had no remorse or realization that I committed any very great sin on earth for which I should suffer here. Of course I was, I suppose, very much like other men who are not very immoral. I never indulged in immorality to any extent and tried to do the right thing towards my neighbor, and hence do not understand why I should have remorse or lashings of conscience. No. I never have tried to examine myself very much to learn how I compare with the ideal Christian as portrayed by the teachings of Jesus, but I will do so. There may be something in what you say, and it may be that I have not sought the truth as to the cause of my darkness.Yes, I see a number of spirits who seem to be in darkness also, and who say that they are anxious and waiting to talk to you. Well, I do see some bright spirits and they certainly are beautiful, and seem so loving. Why they look at me with great eyes of love and sympathy, as if they would like to help me. Well, I am surprised, for there is Riddle my old friend and brother lawyer. Why is he so bright and beautiful? He thought, when on earth, very much as I did about the things of the spiritual world. He says that he is glad to see me, and invites me to go with him, for a talk, and I will go. So my dear friend, I will say to you. Goodnight, and good luck. March 22nd, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Garfield. I am J. A. Garfield, your old partner's friend. I want to say that you are a very much favored man in having so many spirits of such high degree of development interested in you and your work as a medium. I have been with Mr. Riddle a great deal, and he tells me of the wonderful powers you have received in taking these communications, and the wonderful truths that have been communicated to you; and what great faith you have in prayer to the Father. So you see, I am interested also, and wish to say something regarding this spirit life and my experiences as a spirit. I am now in the Third Sphere where Riddle is, and he and I frequently converse about these matters, and are seeking the truths with all our minds and souls. Well, I only know this way as a believer in the doctrines of my church, and what I have learned in addition since coming over here. I am not a believer in all that the Bible teaches, but only in the things that appeal to my reason. My faith in prayer is not very strong, nor in the possibility of becoming a spirit who may receive any great help from the operations of the Holy Spirit, which, as Riddle says, is the only influence that can surely redeem me from my sins or the result of them, and make me one with the Father. I cannot comprehend this teaching, and unless my reason can be convinced, I cannot be persuaded to accept he teaching as true. So you see, I am still in the position that I was on earth - that is, unless my reason tells me that such a thing is true, I cannot believe. That may be so, but how can I do that? I am not a child who can believe everything that is told me, just because someone else says that it is true. No, I must learn from my own investigations. Yes, there seems to be some force in that, but how can I use the instruments or faculties of the soul when I don't realize that they exist? Or how can I attempt to investigate any truths when, as you say, the means necessary to be used in such investigation I have no knowledge of? Well, you might be right, I may be wrong. I will ask Riddle about these matters with an unbiased mind and listen to him attentively. Well, I perceive that you have great faith in the existence of these truths, and I promise you to devote my whole efforts to searching for the truth. I have met some of them (Mr. Padgett's band), and they are all very beautiful and happy, especially your wife. She is a wonderfully beautiful spirit and so very loving and kind. I have talked with her a number of times, and she has told me of the wonderful love of the Father, as she calls it; but I thought that she was only an enthusiast, and a believer in some doctrine that the young could easily believe, and make by their faith a reality. No, but I will. I will ask for an interview with your grandmother, and I have no doubt that she will grant it. I will listen to her, as you say. I do not know who you mean. When on earth I considered Jesus such a one as you describe, but I have not seen him here. Well, I am surprised, I must say. I thought that he was a part of the Trinity, and was away up in the heavens far from the sight of spirits. You certainly astound me. I certainly will. You must be an exceedingly good man to have such a relationship with the Master, God. Well, let me think of this. I am confused, and not able to think what it all means. Well, when on earth I was a mere believer in the letter of the Bible. I did not realize what its spiritual teachings meant, and do not now. I was like thousands of others who profess to teach the truths of the Bible. So you see, I am nothing more than an intellectual Christian. I do not yet see that this life is anything more than a mere continuance of the earth life, with the possibilities of greater mental progression and acquirements. So you are my old instructor's late partner. Well, I am certainly glad to have this opportunity to write; only forgive my intrusion. I cannot express to you my appreciation of what you have told me. I want you to pray for me, as I know that your prayers will benefit me much. I did not know that I was causing you to violate the rules of your band, and ask your pardon for doing so. I wish further to say that your motives in permitting me to write have very much affected me, and I commence to think that your love for not only Mr. Riddle but for me must be more than usual among men. I will show you how much I appreciate your interest and kindness in doing what you say. I must stop now. Well, I had forgotten, but now that you recall it, I do remember, and felt so grateful that the message was conveyed to Mr. Riddle. Well, how strangely things happen. To think that your wife, whom I so much admire here now for her beauty and goodness, was the messenger for me on that occasion. It seems as if all things are working together for my good. I am so glad that I came to you tonight. So with all my respect and spirit love, I am your own true friend, and searcher after the truth. Jas. A. Garfield March 22nd, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Your old partner. You had a letter from Garfield. He was so anxious to write that I thought it would do no harm to let him try; and I am glad that I did, for what you said to him has impressed him very much, and, I believe, will lead to his seeking information on the subject of the New Birth. He is a wonderful spirit intellectually, and has progressed to a very great degree in the investigation of spiritual laws. So that on the whole his writing will do no harm to our band. Well, I do not understand it, as he was a Christian on earth, and one would naturally suppose that he would have made inquiry for Jesus when he came over. But it seems he did not, why I don't know; but now that he realizes what you told him, he undoubtedly will seek the Master at the first opportunity. I shall endeavor to show him the way with all my heart and ability. Yes, I will soon. I am very happy and am progressing rapidly, and expect to soon be in the Fifth Sphere, where your father and Prof. Salyards are. Oh, my dear Padgett, I cannot tell you what happiness I am now enjoying. Well, I must stop. Mrs. Riddle and Bert are advancing some, but they do not seem to get the light as rapidly as I hoped they would. But they pray, and, I think, are commencing to realize that God's love is waiting for them. So with all my love, and many wishes for your happiness and success, I am Your old partner and spirit brother, A. G. Riddle March 22nd, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Your own loving Helen. Well, you had quite a letter from Garfield. He is certainly a wonderful spirit intellectually, as many spirits who come in contact with him say. But he is not very spiritual. I am sorry to say, and do hope that your conversation with him will help him and cause him to search for the truth. No, his writing to you did not interfere with our rapport. Yes, I heard him, and when he meets your grandmother he will undoubtedly be impressed by her, for she is so beautiful and wise and powerful that he will realize that there is within her something that he knows not of. Of course, when he meets with Jesus, he will wonder and listen in great astonishment, and will, I believe, become convinced of the necessity for his new birth. Well, sweetheart, you must stop now. So with all my love I am Your own loving and devoted wife, Helen March 23rd, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Your grandmother: Well, I am very glad to be with you tonight as I see that you are in a condition of great spiritual exhalation. I was with you at the office and saw what you were thinking of and realized that the Love of the Father was filling your soul with happiness. You certainly were very near the Father's Kingdom in your aspirations and you were very happy at the mere thoughts of what might happen when you get in condition to have your home and a place devoted to the receipt of spiritual messages and influences. What you imagined might take place, possibly can, if you should get into such a condition of spiritual development as your thoughts led you to believe that you might. Of course the Master will not materialize as you conceived he might, but he will be there with all his power and love and the Holy Spirit will shed His Love over and through the sitters as you imagined. I do not know just what the Master will do for you before you have finished his messages, but I will not be surprised at anything, as he seems to love you with an exceptional love and to be interested to a wonderful degree in your welfare both spiritual and physical. So my dear son, only have more faith and more love for God and there is no telling what future blessings are in store for you. You are not yet in condition to take the Master's message or rather to finish his last one, but after this month you will be, for several cares will be removed and then your mind will be free to think along the right lines of thought. You will become a very happy man in the near future. With all my love, I am Your Grandmother March 23rd, 1915. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, your own true Helen. You didn't think I could change the announcement of my coming, but you must know that I can do anything to please you, my dear Ned. Yes you have, and I have been so very happy. Well, sweetheart, I must tell you that I am very happy and am progressing very rapidly. I don't expect to remain in this sphere very much longer, for my love and faith are so great that I feel that I must get closer to God's fountainhead in the Celestial Spheres. Doesn't it seem like some fairy dream? But it is all true, and I am so happy. I will soon be with you in a long letter, telling you of this Great Love, and how much I love God and you. No you won't, for you are progressing too. You may not realize it, but it is true, and if you should come over now, you would be surprised to find yourself in a high sphere. Well, I know how you feel, but you must believe that I can see your spiritual condition better than you can. Well that may be so, but when you get this Great Love in your heart in sufficient abundance, and you have much of it now, your sins will be blotted out. This is the law of regeneration; otherwise, the man who continues without this Love, and the man who receives it, would be in the same condition, and the New Birth would mean nothing. So do not think that this Great Love is not sufficient to cleanse the soul of the results of the sins of earth life; and, best of all, it cleanses while you are a mortal. I know that the spiritualists quote and proclaim the law of recompense or compensation, but there is a higher law that nullifies that law; and when Love, this Divine Love, comes into the soul of a mortal, the law of compensation is removed from the scope of its working, for Love is the fulfilling of the law. So do not let that stumbling block make you believe that this Great Love is not sufficient to remove all sin and error, and to purify your soul so that you may become fitted to live in the kingdom of the Father and become one with Him. No, the Love is for the vilest sinner, and no man can by a mere act of restoration fit himself for the inflowing of this Divine Love. It is waiting for the sinner as well as for the saint; and even though your sins be as scarlet they will be made white as wool. I mean that you will not have to wait to make recompense to mortals before this great Love can do the cleansing work; else what is the use of having this Great Love provided for man? If he shall first make himself pure what is the necessity for the work of the Holy Spirit? Only pray for this Love and have faith, and you will get it. God is the judge of what a man shall do to render justice and restitution, and when He says that this Divine Love, with all its cleansing power, is for the sinner who seeks for it by true faith, who has the right to say that the sinner must first do what man may think is justice between himself and his fellow man? I know whereof I speak, for the experience of many spirits who have been redeemed by this Love show that they were sinners, and had not "paid the last farthing," when they received this Love. God is the judge, not mortals nor spirits. So, my dear Ned, do not let the idea that you must render to every man that which you think he may be entitled to, keep you from believing in the mercy and Love of the Father. Oh, how I wish I could be with you a little while in my bodily form, and tell you face to face what this great Love means to you and to me and to all of us. So sweetheart, believe me when I say that even though you may be a great sinner, yet the Father's Love is sufficient to remove all those sins just as soon as you can receive it. Such is the law of this Great Love. Faith and prayer can open the very heart of the Celestial Spheres, and Love will flow down into your soul as the avalanche of snow that feels the warmth of the sun's bright rays rushes from its mountain heights when winter leaves with its chilling gloom and blasting breath for other climes. Love is not only warmth, but it is the very burnings of the soul's great storehouse of God's Divine Essence. I am not only the possessor of this Love to a large degree, but I realize that as I advance to higher spheres there is a greater abundance awaiting to fill my soul with its great undying fires of never ending burnings - by burnings so great and free from everything that makes for unhappiness and discontent. I must stop now. So my own dear and precious Ned, love me as I love you and we both will be so very happy, that heaven will be with us and in us even while we are writing in the earth surroundings. Your own, Helen March 24th, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus: Of course you must remember that I don't know everything that has happened or that is going to happen. I have my limitations as have other spirits but of course my knowledge and powers are more extended than are those of other spirits. This is true because I am nearer my Father, fountainhead of wisdom and power, and consequently can draw therefrom more than can other spirits. Yet I am limited as I said and should you ask me some questions and I not be able to answer them with knowledge, I will tell you and you must not be surprised or disappointed at my inability to do so. I was not present and don't know and cannot guess. Well that is a difficult question to answer for it involves so much of my very existence that I feel that my ability is to tell you is limited. I love you so very much that I have come from my celestial home many times just to be with you and help and influence you in right thinking and living; and no spirit who has never seen the grandeur and happiness of these Celestial Spheres can conceive what it means to leave these precincts and mingle in the forbidding earth atmosphere. I love you so much that I am writing to exert my powers to help you in your material affairs and to keep you from worry and unhappiness as far as possible. And I love you so much that I am trying to have you become so spiritual and good that you may be fitted for a home in my sphere when the time comes for you to come over; and this latter beneficence has never yet been given to any mortal. But if you will follow me and live with me in love and unison you will be able to experience this great transformation and become an inhabitant of my home as I said. Well you are a sinner, as you say, but when I tell you of how you may become so spiritual and good you must believe me for I know whereof I speak and speak in all earnestness and truth. Yes, I did, for you called me to you by your earnest aspirations and prayers to the Father. and what you then saw in your imaginings may very easily come true, except that I will never materialize again on earth. The other portions of your day dreams may become realities, and the happiness that you felt will be increased many folds. The thought that you have as to fitting up a room in the way you pictured, is one that should be carried into execution; for such a room would be very attractive to the higher spirits, and would cause many of them to assemble and give you many truths of the higher spheres. I, of course, would do my writing there, and it would be much easier for us both, for conditions would not be mixed as they necessarily are now. So when you get your home carry out your ideas as to that room. Yes, I have, and it was one of the first times that I ever communicated with mortals. The conditions were good both for the spirits and for Dr. Peebles and his companion. But of course I did not talk in any extended manner. The spirit who transmitted the communications was not in that degree of spiritual development that enabled us to teach the higher truths in all their fullness and beauty. Dr. Peebles is a good man and very highly developed spiritually, but he does not yet know the way, the truth and the life as I taught them. He does not know the mystery of the New Birth as I have taught it to you; and he is resting in the belief that if he loves God and his fellow man in the natural way that is all that is necessary for his highest development and greatest happiness. Some day he will realize that only the Divine Love can give him of a Divine Nature, and that no self development or cultivation of the Natural Love to the greatest and most sublime extent are sufficient to make him at one with the Father in the divine sense that I wrote of, and which makes the spirit a partaker of this Divine Essence of the Father. So should you ever meet him explain to him the difference between the two loves and what the New Birth means. Well, as I have written you a long message and as you want to hear from some of your band I will close. Yes he (Mr. Crowell) has realized the New Birth and is teaching it to spirits. He seems very anxious to write more through you, and he will very soon, as I tell your band that he is in a condition to not interfere with their rapport. So when he comes listen to him, and you will learn many truths which he has learned since he came over. With my truest love and best wishes and blessings, I am Your own spirit brother and friend, Jesus March 24th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your grandmother: Well, my son, what a beautiful and comforting letter you got from the Master. He was so loving and so interested in your happiness that he seemed almost like a new relative. I mean that in the human sense. Of course, he is nearer to you in love than any of us, because his capacity for loving is so much greater. But he seemed so very human in the sense of coming so close to you and making you feel that you and he are true brothers. I doubt if he has ever come so close to any mortal before, His love for you seems to be a thing of no limitation or bound. He loves you so much that he even lets his love do things which he does not engage in among mortals. I mean in interfering in their material things of their lives. As he said, spirits of lesser greatness and development help mortals in their earthly affairs, and we all wonder that Jesus should make himself so humble, as we say, to do what he has done for you. But he knows what is best and you should feel yourself among the most blessed of men. I know that you cannot understand this and neither can we, but he is the wisest of us all, and the most powerful, and when he tells you a thing you may believe it. Of course, his great mission is to teach the wonderful truths of his Father, and he sees the best way to disseminate them among mankind. You have been selected by him for this work and you will do it with all your heart and soul, I know. I know how you feel and you will be able to carry out your desires, for he has decreed it and it will be done. So my dear son, consider yourself as one set aside for this great work, and let all your ambitions and aspirations urge you to its performance. Well, he knows, and when he said it he knew what your future would be. It is certainly marvelous, and we all thank the Father that you have such wonderful promises. Only pray and have faith, and you will realize these promises. Yes, I know that you are a very great sinner, but you know this great Love of the Father was created or rather has always been, for the redemption of the vilest sinner who seeks and believes. Yes, and I was astonished at his answers. They involve so much that you will not readily comprehend their full significance until you have progressed more in your spiritual development. But know this, that such love as he expressed is sufficient to help you in every time of trouble and to make you a wonderfully bright and happy man and spirit. His love is past finding out. Neither do I now, but some day you will and there will come such an avalanche of happiness as will almost transport you to the Celestial Spheres. Oh my dear boy, you have before you a wonderful future of love and happiness if you will only follow the Master's teachings and do his will, and reciprocate his love. Well dear, I must stop now as others are here and want to write. I have met Garfield and have had a talk with him. He is a spirit of wonderful intellect, but of not much spiritual development. I told him of this great love and how it operates and what results it brought to the believing spirits. I think that he was somewhat impressed and is now thinking about the matter and frequently talking to Mr. Riddle of the subject. You will be surprised to learn how Mr. Riddle has progressed in faith and love, and is praying all the time for more light and greater abundance of love. He will soon be in the fifth sphere where your father and Prof. Salyards are, and they will find congenial companionship. He will soon write you a long letter telling of his progress. He seems to love you with a very wonderful love and is with you very often trying to help you and comfort you. Well I must say goodnight Your loving Grandmother. March 24th, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your own dear and loving Helen: Well, see how obedient I am, but it was a very great pleasure to obey you in that way, as you know. Well sweetheart, you have had some wonderful messages tonight and I feel that they will help you very much in your moments of trouble and worry. I was so glad that the Master wrote you as he did. He was so very loving and brotherly and seemed to be so much interested in your welfare. He is so beautiful that we all stand and gaze at him, as you say on earth, and so loving, that we feel that he is our great big, loving brother. I tell you that without him this spirit world would not be the place of happiness that it is to us who believe in him and love him and follow his teachings. So many spirits do not know him as their loving brother and way shower, and they are left to their own thoughts to find happiness. So you see the great privilege and opportunity we, who know him as the son of the Father, have over those who know him not. Having eyes, they see not, and ears they hear not. It seems so strange to me, but I tell you that it is true. The Master, with his great love and wisdom and power, passes them by and they see him not. I try so hard to teach many spirits what a knowledge of him means; but they seem so dull of comprehension and so darkened in their souls development, that my work is often in vain. Yet I have hope and continue my work, knowing that at some unexpected moment a ray of light may break in and they commence to think that God lives to give them his great love, and take them to his care and protection in the way that we have told you of. My heart yearns so for these blind spirits and willful rejectors of the truth of the New Birth. Many of these spirits are very excellent moral people and live lives of uprightness and love for their fellow spirits, and work very hard to help the less enlightened to progress to conditions of comparative happiness; and yet they, themselves, will not listen to our teachings of the greater truths, which if understood and obeyed would carry them to conditions of inexpressible happiness. Well, such is the work of spirits on earth as well as here; and we are all trying to do the work of the Father in helping to redeem souls. You are much better than when you come to your room tonight, and I am so glad of it. Only trust in the Master's promises and you will not be disappointed. I heard what he said about your progressing to a condition, even while on earth, that would enable you to enter the celestial spheres when you come over, and I believe it to be true. Now you must try to get this very great development because when you come to me I want you to come to my home to live. Won't that be joyful! Yes, my dear Ned, I know that you will try, and I will help you so hard to accomplish it and so will all. But your great helper will be the Master, for you will be with him so much, that his love will overshadow you so that your soul will have to develop. So you see how you are blessed in all this. Try to do his work with all your heart and soul, and you will succeed. Yes I heard, and when the time comes I will be with you to suggest and advise, and you will have a beautiful room for your purpose. And I know that we will have many joyous evenings together. We will bring heaven with us, and you will live in it for minutes at a time. You will then hear our voices in talk and song, feel our presence so palpably that you will know that we are with you. I am so anxious for that time to come, as are all of us. Yes, we will all try to help you get the home and then you will be fixed for life. Well, wait until the time comes, and you may change your mind. Of course, I would prefer that you should not, and if your comfort and happiness could be provided for otherwise, I would rather have it as you suggest. But you will have to wait. Well, sweetheart, you have written much and must stop. She is well and a little troubled, but it will soon disappear as you will do what the Master said. So with all my love, and with many hugs and kisses, I am Your own true and loving, Helen March 26th, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus: It is that degree of belief that enables you to know, as a reality, that what presents itself to your consciousness as a truth is in fact a truth, and an existing condition. It is not a mere intellectual belief, but a belief of the soul which makes the belief a reality. I know that this faith is the only one that can make you realize that I am who and what I declare myself to be. Let this faith take possession of your soul, and you will be a very happy and progressive man. I am not here tonight to discuss spiritual subjects, but merely to help you in your troubles over material things. When you get in proper condition to write my messages, then I will finish my last subject which we left unfinished. So my dear brother, and friend and worker, try to let these things leave your mind, and believe what I tell you, for I say again that they will come true. Well, the devil is with you all the time. He is not a person as many think, but merely the evil suggestions that result from the operations of the thoughts of the unregenerate man. Every man has his devils, who cling close to him, and can only be gotten rid of by the operations of the Holy Spirit. So do not think that the devil is something that has form or independent personality, for he is not. You are the creator and nourisher of your own devil, and until you get into a state which leaves no room for his presence he will abide with you. Well, the influences and suggestions that come from evil spirits would not have any effect, if man were not in that condition of sympathy with such spirits as enables them to become, as it were, a part of him. I know that many men are possessed or obsessed by these evil spirits but if they, the men, would only seek the higher spiritual conditions these spirits would not harm them. Well, that is one of the subjects of my messages, and I will delay to answer until I write that message. Yes the time will soon come when you will know these things. I must stop now as you are not in condition to write much more, and your wife wants to say a word. So with my true and brotherly love, I am Jesus March 29th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Laura Burroughs, your cousin: Oh, my dear Edward, you do something to help me. I am so unhappy and need help so much. I am in such darkness and pain that I can scarcely see the light of day, I mean the light that enables me to see my surroundings. I am also so lonely and without love or sympathy. I feel that you can help me, so pray do so. Yes, I have seen several beautiful spirits but I did not believe that they had interest enough in me to help me and so I turned aside from them. I don't understand why I am in this condition and no one has explained it so far. I thought that maybe you might show me some way to get out of my awful condition. I thought so because I saw other spirits writing to you who are in this darkness as I am and they said that you had helped them. Why I see Aunt Nancy and your Mother and Helen and your Father and others I don't know. How beautiful and happy they look to be. Why are they so beautiful? Of, if I could only be like them. Tell me, Ed., why it is, and tell me what made them so. Yes, I will and she is calling me now. Oh, how glad that I came here. I feel better already. Dear Aunt Nancy, she will love me I know and so will cousin Ann and Helen. Oh, how glad I am. I am now going with them, so good bye. My dear Cousin. March 29th, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Syrick: Let me say a word, I am your late friend and brother in spiritualism. Yes, I am able to write some and your wife told me to try as she wishes me to get stronger and realize that I am living as a spirit. Well, I am here and alive and have my Rose with me. She is so very beautiful and loving and I am very happy to be with her, but I have already learned that I am not suited to live with her for she is so much higher in her spiritual development than I am, but she tells me that I can progress and I am going to try with all my might. Well, old friend, the uncertain has become certain and I know now that spirits can and do communicate with mortals. Do not let any doubts that you may have leave you and believe with all your heart that you have received the messages from your band and others as you have been informed. I can tell you this, that you have as your wife and soulmate the most beautiful of all the spirits that I have yet seen. I had no conception of what beauty was until I came here and saw your wife and Rose and Dr. Stone's Mary, she is very beautiful also and loves him, I know, with a very deep love. As this is my first attempt I am tired and must stop. Well, I know no one whom I would rather that it should belong to than you, so keep it and think of me sometimes. So with my kindest regards and best wishes, I am your true friend, Frank D. Syrick. March 29th, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: Well, you have received HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor416.htm" a letter from the Judge. He was so anxious to write that we thought it would do him good to try as it would make him realize more sensibly that he is now a spirit only and also strengthen him. Well, you may not think so but it is a fact. With many spirits when their surroundings are good and much spirit help is given them they can almost as soon as they leave the body overcome their functions of mind and do things that you little expect. The Judge was prepared, to some extent, to understand this power of communication and when we all assisted him with our powers he tried successfully to write to you. He is not yet very strong but soon will be and then I have no doubt he will want to write to you often, but of course we cannot permit him to because he is not in rapport with our band. He has not very much spiritual development and the conditions that surround him are not such as would be in accord with our conditions, and hence we will have to refuse to let him write very often but he can communicate through some of us. Well, he is dark in appearance as he necessarily must be until he gets more enlightenment of soul. He will undoubtedly suffer because of the sins he committed when on earth, and will pay the penalty until he finds the true way to God's Love and forgiveness. Of course he has one advantage over many spirits who come over bringing the results of their life on earth and that is that he has some idea as to the way to salvation. You and Dr. Stone told him when on earth that he must turn his thoughts to spiritual things and while he did not understand just what you meant, yet, such advice had some influence on him and will cause him to try to learn what was meant, and having Rose and the rest of us to enlighten him, he will progress more rapidly to these higher things and the more rapid his progress the sooner his suffering; will leave him. He is now commencing to realize that as he sowed so must he reap. While Rose is with him a great deal and loves him and tries to help him, Bet all that isn't sufficient to prevent his memory from scourging him because of the life he led on earth. But we all pray for him and try to show him the way and he is ready to believe and is commencing already to pray to the Father. So you see, you must all sooner or later face this great crises and the better prepared you are to meet it, the less will be your sufferings and the more happiness you will experience. Yes, it was Lerna - she is very unhappy. I had never met her before and your mother said that she had not either. You see in this world family ties do not always bring spirits together. When the relationship is distant the spirits loose interest in relations merely because they are relations, and find themselves attracted to spirits who have like qualities and relations. This relationship counts for very little in the spirit world of itself and when we meet our loved ones of earth, before they come over we stay with them for a while and then if there are no other attractions than mere relationship, we gradually separate. This is the law of attraction, and we are compelled to obey it. So that when on earth mortals sing of meeting again on the other shore to part no more, they will find that they are mistaken. They will meet but' unless conditions compel it, they will part again and may never meet ever in the spirit world. Love is the thing which determines the relationship and place of living in this world, I mean similar loves existing between spirits. No spirit loves another after a little while merely because that other is a mother or father or wife or brother, but loves it because that spirit has a similar love of the beautiful and true that it has. So you see relationship after the first meeting and living together a little while determines nothing. Of course while the child or father of mother or sister or brother remains in the earth life the spirit relative will love them and watch over them and try to help them in every way. Especially will the mother for ties among son or daughter, and this is in accordance with the material law of love. But when that father or son too, becomes a spirit then the law of love as it were changes and like loves like, be there a natural relationship or not. This, I know, seems contrary to what mortals usually believe and accept as a fact, but it is true. When my children come over my love for them will not be the same as it is now. Then they will find that their love will probably, after a time, turn elsewhere and it will be only another in memory for our loves may take entirely different directions. And this love, while for the moment may take entirely different directions. And this love, while for the moment may seem unnatural in its workings, yet it is not, for happiness comes with love reciprocated and love comes only reciprocate of its own kind. We do not think that you will be forever with your children or parents or any other relative forever for that may not be so. If that relative has like attractions that you have then you may be together as long as that attraction lasts. But suppose that you make greater progress in your spiritual or even in your natural development, than the other spirit, it cannot be supposed for a moment that you will determine the results of your development in order to stay with that other spirit. No, that would be a violation of the law of progress and you could not and would not want to delay your upward movement. So the idea that when we meet in the spirit world we meet to part no more is not correct and is contrary to the laws that determine the condition and place of habitation of spirits. I know this of my own experience. My parents are in a lower sphere than I am and have much less spiritual development, and while I visit them sometimes, set they have not the attraction for me that other spirits to whom I have no relationship. And why is this, not because I do not care for my parents as such, but because the objects and extent of their loves are different from mine. The main fact that they are my parents does not cause me to want to be with them all the time. I could not so desire if, as you might say, I wanted to. Love is the attraction and love must demand a likeness in a spiritual sense of the objects of its love. The time may come when I will never again see my parents and may forget that they ever had an existence. I say may, but I hope not, for I desire that sometime they will progress so that they may be a similar condition to my own in spiritual development and then, of course, we will live in the same peace and necessity will meet and enjoy one another's company. But not because we are parents and daughter but because our loves are similar and our attraction are like. This is a matter that few mortals understand and it may well be that they do not because the love existing between many relative is a beautiful thing and one that causes much happiness and self preservation. There is nothing on earth like the mother's love and no provision of God's blessings for mortals equals this great gift of Mother's love. And so with the other natural loves to a lesser degree. But as Jesus said, "He that doeth the will of my Father is my mother and brother and sister". So you must realize that what you and the natural love of relations is only for the earth life and a short time afterwards. Each individual is in and of himself a complete unit depending not on relationship to others, and as such must find his place in the great eternity which must be determined by the development and progress of his own soul in expectation of what may become of the souls of his earth relations. He is attracted only by souls of similar development and will find his home in the company of such souls irrespective of the question of natural relationship. I have written enough for tonight and must stop. So with all my love, I am Your own true and loving, Helen March 30th, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your old partner: I am very happy and have progressed very much HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor269.htm" since I last wrote you, and have increased in my faith and knowledge of God and his love, I am very near the fifth sphere, and I hope to soon go there and be with your father and Prof. Salyards, who have been there for quite a while, and who are so very happy and filled with the Father's Love. Well, I received the HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor388.htm" female spirit that you sent me last night, and I tried very hard to show her the way to redemption and freedom from her sufferings. She has such little soul development that it was a difficult undertaking to reach what little soul she has; but I struggled with her with all my powers of arguments, and also with all the influences of my love which I now possess, and at last she commenced to see the light, and promised me to pray to the Father, and try to believe in His Divine Love as standing ready to be bestowed on her and save her from her most unhappy condition. She was one of the most unloving and most unlovable spirit that I have ever met, and was literally starved in her soul. No love for anyone not even for herself, and in her strict ideas of what was right and wrong, she had sacrificed every sympathy and feeling of love to the building up of the intellect. So I had an uphill task from the beginning. She said that you told her that she must come to me with an open mind and a will free from all prejudice and then I could help her. Well, she tried to assume that position, but it was difficult for her to do so. She is a very strong minded women, and, consequently, she was not easily convinced of those things which did not appeal to her mind. She thought that the mind is the whole of spirit, as some earth people teach; but when I told her that spirit and mind are both only a part of the soul, and the mind the lesser part, she seemed astonished and couldn't accept the assertion as true. She has no soul, that is, it is all dried up and dead for want of exercise. She has now some little awakening, and if she persists in prayer and faith she will finally become convinced that soul is what brings happiness and joy, and saves her from her torment. So I will continue to help her if she will permit me to, and she now seems disposed to do so. Well, you have had a great many communications since last I wrote you, and some of them were very wonderful in the information they conveyed. The Master is so much interested in your welfare, that he visits you very often, and you must not let your heart doubt that he comes to you, because he seems so brotherly and familiar. It is he, and his love for you is very great. I know this for he sometimes tells me of his great love and interest in you. He has told you of certain things that will come to you in the future, and I say to you, that you must believe him for they will come true. He knows better than anyone what the future will bring, even though he may decline to acknowledge this great power, only trust him and you will not be disappointed. I am now preparing a discourse on a subject that I desire to write you in a little while for your consideration, and I hope information. I will let you know before hand so that you may prepare yourself to receive it. Well, I will not write more tonight. Well, I think that Garfield is too much given to the things purely intellectual to accept our teachings of the New Birth, but I think that sooner or later he will think of it, and when he does he will not rest until he has found the truth of the matter. Yes, he told me of his inter- view with your grandmother, and said that she had put to him some wonderful propositions which he could not exactly understand, but which he has been considering very earnestly. He thinks that your grandmother is a very superior spirit in her knowledge of spiritual things, and in her beauty and goodness; and he said there must be something in what she told him to account for her great beauty and power. She showed him such powers of soul and mind that he was astonished and could only keep silent while she talked, and listened to what she said. He was impressed by her and I think, after a little while, he will visit her again and seek for further information, I want to say that she is a wonderful spirit in all things that pertain to the bigger things of spirit life. Yes, I saw him (Syrick) and said a few words to him in the way of encouragement, but he is not in a very good spiritual condition; but he has the advantage of having had his eyes opened to the fact that there is such a thing as spiritual development, while on earth. He is only fairly happy, and as the new sensation of a new life wears off, I think he will commence to suffer because of the errors of his earth life. His soulmate is with him a great deal and is helping him and so is your wife. She is a wonderful spirit and seems so full of the Divine Love and goodness that her influence among spirits is marvelous. I tell you Padgett, that you are a fortunate man in having such a soulmate. Well I must stop. So goodnight. Your old partner and brother. A. G. Riddle March 30th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: I will not write much tonight as you are tired. So let me tell you of a little incident that happened only yesterday. The spirits that you sent to me came, and I had quite a long talk with them, and told them the way to light and happiness, and tried to impress upon them the necessity of faith and prayer. One said that he did not believe in prayer and if that was the way out of his torments he did not see much hope for him. The other said that he when a child used to pray, but that was so long ago that he had forgotten how, and that he thought it useless to try again. Well I talked to them a while longer, and there came to us a spirit that you had helped some months ago, and who had learned the way and was enjoying comparative happiness because he had followed your advice. He heard what these two spirits said, and at once told them, that a short time ago his condition was worse than theirs and that he had sought your help, and you told him of this wonderful love of the Father, and of prayer and faith, and that he had told you that he did not believe in either God or prayer, but that you became so insistent that you would not let him go until he promised to pray and tried to believe. That you literally tortured him in telling him of this wonderful Love and the only way to it. That he made the promise in order to get away from you, not intending to keep it; but that before you let him go, you told him how much you were interested in him and how much you loved him that his heart melted, and when he left you he determined to keep his promise, and after that, he commenced to pray as you had told him, and that at night you prayed for him, and called him to pray with you, and that as he prayed the light commenced to come to him, and at last some of the wonderful love that you had told him about, came to him, and he found that as this love came into his soul, his sufferings and torture left him, so that now he was a very happy spirit, but still a praying one and a believing one. When he had finished telling the two spirits of his experience, they commenced to ask him questions, and to think that there might be something or some way to relief, and after a little time commenced to pray, and the spirit who had told them his experience prayed with them; and as they prayed they commenced to feel strange sensations as they said, and after a little while they said they felt better, and believed that there might be something in prayer and faith. They very soon thereafter left me, but said that they would continue to pray, and asked if I thought that you would pray for them as you did for the other spirit. I told them that you had already prayed for them, and would do so at night before you retired, and they said that they would be with you; and last night as you prayed for them they were there and joined in your prayers. They are now praying continually, and I know that soon they will see the light, and commence to feel their sufferings and torments leaving them. Oh, my dear, what a blessing it is to help the unfortunate and desponding souls. How you should thank God that he has given you the means to reach the hearts of these unfortunates, and the power to help them. They will always remember you with love and thanks, and you will feel the influence of your kind actions. I must stop. So good-night my own dear and loving Ned. Your own true and loving, Helen March 31st, 1915 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your grandmother, Ann Rollins I came to write you about the forgiveness and pardon of the Father, and to enlighten you upon this subject which is so little understood, since men first commenced to distort the teachings of the Master. Forgiveness is that operation of the Divine Mind which relieves man of the penalties of his sins that he has committed, and permits him to turn from his evil thoughts and deeds, and seek the Love of the Father; and if he earnestly seeks, find the happiness which is waiting for him to obtain. It does not violate any law that God has established to prevent man from avoiding the penalties of his violations of the law of God controlling his conduct. The law of compensation, that what a man sows that shall he reap, is not set aside, but in the particular case where a man becomes penitent and in all earnestness prays the Father to forgive him of his sins and make a new man of him, the operation of another and greater law is called into activity, and the old law of compensation is nullified, and, as it were, swallowed up in the power of this law of forgiveness and love. So you see there is no setting aside of any of God's laws. As in the physical world certain lesser laws are overcome by greater laws, so in the spirit world or in the operation of spiritual things, the greater laws must prevail over the lesser. God's laws never change but the application of these laws to particular facts and conditions do seem to change, when two laws come into apparent conflict, and the lesser must give away to the greater. The spiritual laws are just as fixed as are the physical laws that control the material universe; and no law having application to the same condition of facts, ever is different in its operation or in its effects. The sun and planets in their movements are governed by fixed laws, and they operate with such exactness that men who make a study of these laws and comprehend them can, with almost mathematical precision, foretell the movements of these heavenly bodies. This only means that as long as the sun and the planets remain as they are, and surrounded by the same influences, and meet no law operating in a manner contrary to the laws which usually control them, these planets and sun will repeat their movements year after year in the same way and with like precision. But suppose that a more powerful and contrary law should come into operation, and influence the movements of these bodies, do you suppose for a moment that they would pursue the same course as if such greater law had not intruded itself? The effect of this is not to set aside the lesser law, or even to change it, but to subordinate it to the operations of the greater law; and if these operations were removed or ceased to act, the lesser law would resume its operations on these planets again, and they would move in accordance therewith, just as if its power had never been affected by the greater law. So, in the spirit world, when a man has committed sins on earth, the law of compensation demands that he must pay the penalty of these sins until there has been a full expiation, or until the law is satisfied. And this law does not change in its operations, and no man can avoid or run away from the inexorable demands of the law. He cannot of himself abate one jot or tittle of the penalties, but must pay to the last farthing as the Master said, and hence, he cannot, of himself hope to change the operations of this law. But, as the Creator of all law has provided another and higher law, which, under certain conditions may be brought into operation and causes the former law to cease to operate, and man may experience the benefit of the workings of this higher law. So when God forgives a man of his sins, and makes him a new creature in his nature and love, he does not, for the particular case annihilate the law of compensation, but removes that upon which this law may operate. Sin is violation of God's law, and the effect of sin is the penalty which such violation imposes. A man's suffering for sins committed are not the results of God's special condemnation in each particular case, but are the results of the workings and scourgings of his conscience and recollections and as long as conscience works he will suffer, and the greater the sins committed, the greater will be the suffering. Now all this implies that a man's soul is filled to a greater or lesser extent with these memories, which for the time constitute his very existence. He lives with these memories, and the suffering and torment, which result from them can never leave him until the memories of these sins, or the result of them, cease to be a part of himself and his constant companions - this is the inexorable law of compensation, and man of himself has no way of escaping this law except by his long expiation, which removes these memories and satisfies the law. Man cannot change this law, and God will not. So, as I say, the law never changes. But remember this fact, that in order for the law to operate, a man must have these memories, and they must be a part of his very existence. Now, suppose that the creator of this law has created another law, but which under certain conditions, and upon a man doing certain things, these memories are taken from him, and no longer constitute a part or portion of his existence; then, I ask, what is there in or of that man upon this law of compensation that can act or operate? The law is not changed, it is not even set aside, but upon which it can operate no longer exists, and consequently there is no reason or existence of facts which call for its operation. So, I say, as do your scientists and philosophers, that God's laws are fixed and never change, but I further say, which they fail to perceive, that certain conditions which may and do call for the operations of these laws today, tomorrow change or cease to exist, so that the laws are no longer effective. And so when the truths of God's forgiveness of sin is declared, many wise men hold up their hands and shout, "God's laws do not change, and even God Himself cannot change them. And to effect a forgiveness of sins, the great law of compensation must be violated. God works no such miracle, or gives special dispensation. No, man must pay the penalty of his evil deeds until the law is fulfilled." How limited is the knowledge of mortals, and of spirits as well, of the Power and Wisdom and Love of the Father. His Love is the greatest thing in all the universe and the Law of Love is the greatest law. Every other law is subordinate to It, and must work in unison with it; and Love, Divine Love of the Father, when given to man and he possesses it, is the fulfilling of all law. This Love frees man from all law except the law of its Ownself - and when man possesses this Love he is slave to no law and is free indeed. The law of compensation and all laws not in harmony with the Law of Love, have nothing upon which to operate in that man's case, and God's laws are not changed but merely, as to this man, have no existence. Now, let all men, wise and unwise, know that God in His Love and Wisdom, has provided a means by which, man, if he so will, may escape the unchanging law of compensation, and become no longer subject to its demands and penalties; and these means are simple and easy, and within the comprehension and grasp of every living soul, be he saint or sinner, a wise man or an ignorant one. Intellect in the sense of being learned is not involved, but the man who knows that God exists and provides him with food and raiment as the result of his daily toil, as well as the great intellectual scientist or philosopher, may learn the way to these redeeming truths. I do not mean that a man by mere exercise of mental powers may receive the benefit of this great provision for his redemption. The soul must seek and it will find, and the soul of the wise may not be as capable of receiving as the soul of the ignorant. God is Love. Man has a natural love, but this natural love is not sufficient to enable him to find these great means that I speak of. Only the Divine Love of the Father, and He is willing that all men should have this Love. It is free and waiting to be bestowed upon all men. but strange as it may seem, God will not, and I might say, cannot, bestow this Love unless man seeks for It, and asks for It in earnestness and faith. The will of man is a wonderful thing, and stands between him and this love, if he fails to exercise this will in seeking for it. No man can secure it against his will. What a wonderful thing is man's will, and how he should study and learn what a great part of his being it is. The Love of the Father comes only into a man's soul when he seeks It in prayer and faith, and of course this implies that he wills It to come to him. No man is ever refused this Love when he properly asks for It. Now this Love is a part of the Divine Essence, and when a man possesses It in sufficient abundance he becomes a part of Divinity Itself; and in the Divine there is no sin or error, and, consequently, when he becomes a part of this Divinity no sin or error can form a part of his being. Now, as I have said, man who is without this love has his memories of sin and evil deeds, and, under the law of compensation, must pay the penalties. Yet when this Divine Love comes into his soul, it leaves no room for these memories, and as he becomes more and more filled with this Love these memories disappear and only the Love inhabits his soul, as it were. Hence, there remains nothing in him upon which this law can operate, and the man is no longer its slave or subject. This Love is sufficient of itself to cleanse the soul from all sin and error, and make man one with the Father. This is forgiveness of sin, or rather the result of forgiveness. When a man prays to the Father for this forgiveness, He never turns a deaf ear, but says, in effect, "I will remove your sins and give you my love, I will not set aside or change my laws of compensation, but I will remove from your soul everything upon which this law can operate, and as to you it becomes as if it had no existence." I know by your personal experience that this forgiveness is a real, actual, existing thing, and when the Father forgives, sin disappears, and Love only exists, and that Love in its fullness is the fulfilling of the law. So let men know that God does forgive sin, and when He forgives the penalty disappears, and when they disappear as the result of such forgiveness, no law of God is changed or violated. This was the great mission of Jesus when he came to earth. Before he came and taught this great truth, the forgiveness of sin was not understood, even by the Hebrew teachers, but their doctrine was an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. The Divine Love, as I have feebly described, was not known or sought for - only the care and protection and material benefits that God might give to the Hebrews. The Divine Love entering into and taking possession of the souls of men constitute the New Birth, and without this no man can see the Kingdom of God. My dear son, I have written you a long but imperfect communication, but there is sufficient in it for men to think of and meditate upon, and if they do so and open their souls to the Divine Influence, they will know God can forgive sin, and save men from its penalties, so that they will not have to undergo the long period of expiation, which in their natural state the law of compensation ever demands. So without writing further, I will say that I love you with all my heart and soul, and pray the Father to give you this Great Love in all its abundance. Your loving Grandmother, Ann Rollins April 1st, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus: I have been with you very much to-day, trying to cheer you with my love and influence. You are much better than you were yesterday or a few days past, and your soul is in a condition of development and love that it has not been in for a long time. The Love of the Father is with you and filling your soul to an extent that you can hardly realize, for it is a Love that knows no limitation and is without bound or cessation. I am glad that you are experiencing this great inflowing of this Love of the Father, and with it will come a faith that will make the Father seem very near to you. Try to realize the presence of this great Love more and more, and you will find a happiness that you have never before felt, and a great peace will come to you that will make your worries disappear and leave you a free man. So my dear brother, let this confidence in the Father take possession of you, and believe that there is nothing that can separate you from this great Love and happiness. I wanted to write this to you so that you may know that the feelings and thoughts which you have are not the mere imaginings of your own mind, but the real, true and substantial things that I tell you of. Keep praying to the Father, and His Love will come to you in increasing abundance, and with this Love will come a wonderful faith that will make real, all the longings and aspirations of your soul, so that you will know that the Father has the personality that I wrote you of a few nights ago. I am pleased with you and with your efforts to become a true child of the Father and in unison with Him, and a recipient of His favor and mercy. Go not in the way of the wicked, nor associate with those whose thoughts are given to the evils of the material life, or to those things which are not approved of by the Father, or by His higher spirits who so often now come to you. I am with you and you have all my love and help to enable you to become pure in heart, as you so often now pray you may become. Keep praying and you will find that this condition of soul will be yours, and with it will come a realization that you have been regenerated, and are at-one with the Father and His Love. Your blessings will be great and the happiness that will come to you will be beyond all conception that you may now have of what happiness may be. I must not write more now, but will say, only believe in me, and trust to the Father, and all things that may be needful will be added unto you, and you will not be forsaken or left to your troubles, alone. I will be with you to-night and will try to write you another message, after you have received the messages from the dark spirits, who will come to you for help. So with all my love and the blessings of an elder brother, I will say good-by for the present.Your brother and friend. Jesus April 1st, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your old Prof: Yes, we are very happy, but she is more so than I. She has more love in her soul. She loves you very much and wants to write to you some time and tell you what a wonderful medium you are and how much happiness you give to all of us. She is very beautiful and loving. She is not so beautiful and loving as your wife and very few spirits are. Well, your mother is more beautiful still, but she is an exception. Oh she is the most beautiful of all and so wise and good. Yes, I was and thought it a wonderful production. She wrote it herself, no masculine mind had anything to do with it, as your friend remarked. My, she knows more of the things pertaining to the higher spiritual life than any male spirit I know of except Jesus. He, of course, is beyond comparison. But beside him I don't know of any masculine spirit who is the equal of your grandmother in her knowledge of these spiritual things. We all recognize this and submit our judgments to hers and besides she is so good and loving. Well, it is so late tonight, I will not write very much but I am now prepared to write you my discourse on certain matters HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor504.htm" as I promised you some time ago. And when you say that you are ready I shall be glad to do so. Yes, that will be best and you shall have it in minute detail as I have taken great pains to compose the best that I know how. Yes, that was written when I had not my present spiritual development and the things then written are not of very much interest to me now. Yet there are some beautiful thoughts in the book. Well, I will try. Oh soul of mine when I realize the wonderful capacity that you have for loving and telling of your love, I stand in mute adoration of your great Creator. You are the greatest creature of His Wisdom and Love and when in all your fullness, you possess the wonderful Love of the Father, Divinity is yours. You possess the wonderful love of the Father, divinity is yours, and immortality is yours. So let my love be - I don't seem to be able to write more. Let me try some other time when you are in better condition. No, I will complete it the next time I write. You see it is not in verse, but in prose which I like better for the meaning can be more plainly expressed. But I will write it the next time I come. Well, goodnight, my dear friend and brother, Your own true friend, Joseph Salyards April 1st, 1915. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, a man who has lost his soul and can't find it. What would I not give to have it again, and so be able to receive the love that you write about. But I lost it and no one can help me find it. I have tried and sought for it everywhere, but it has left me, and I am a spirit without a soul, only my poor inefficient mind remains with me, and such happiness as I can conjure up by thinking of what might have been or what might be, if I had a soul. Tell me, can you help me find it? If so, please do so, and I will bless you forever. I am in a condition of not knowing whether I am living, or only dreaming, or dead. As I seem to be alive, I wonder who and what I am; as I dream, I see that I am a son of God; and as a dead man I know nothing. But I don't know what I am, and no one will tell me. You are to me a very real man with a soul, as I can see, but I have no soul. Tell me where to find it, for I must have it. I lost it in trying to find that my intellect was the only thing in all the spirit world that is real, and where I thought that I had found that to be true my soul had left me, and I can't find it. Oh, tell me where it is, and I will never lose it again. You must know something about it, for the other spirits say that you help to save souls, and if you can do that, you surely can find a lost one. Why don't you tell me where to find it, and not keep me in this condition of not knowing whether I am living or dead? Come, be kind to me, and find my soul. It will not run away from you, as you will treat it kindly, I know. Your soul will know, if you will only ask it, and when it tells you, you can find mine. I am neither spirit nor mortal nor anything created by God until I get my soul again. My mind is nothing but an abstract nothing without my soul, and I have no love or happiness. Oh, if I had only cared for my soul instead of for my mind, how different I would be now, and I would not be a wanderer looking for his lost soul. I was a man of great intellect when on earth, and lived in the city of New York, and passed over in 1864, a much honored man. I was a lawyer, and well-known to my immediate community, and I died a mere man without a soul. So, you see, I am so lonely without my soul and love. I was not a very bad man, and did not barter my soul for filthy lucre, but I thought that soul was a myth, and mind was everything; and when I passed over and found that I needed a soul, I could not find mine, and have never had it since. Tell me, I pray, where it is, and I will thank you through all eternity. Won't you tell me? Yes, I will do anything that you say that will help me get it. I know that I had a soul because, before I had given my years of hard study to make my intellect the great thing that it became, I loved, and felt sympathy for the unfortunate and poor, and especially loved children. And I know that if I had not had a soul I would not have had these feelings and emotions. But after I became a man of great mind, I may say with only a mind, none of these feelings ever came to me - only the knowledge that I had a powerful intellect. My soul died and never has come to me since. Yes, only tell me quickly that I may commence the search. Yes, I see many beautiful spirits who look very happy. Yes, she says that she is your grandmother, and how beautiful she is. Yes, I will go with her, and do as you say, and try to believe what she may tell me. Yes, I certainly will, and oh, if I do, how I shall thank you. Your grandmother calls me, and I must go. So, good-night. April 1st, 1915. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Helen. Well, sweetheart, you have heard a great many messages, but none like the last one. I have not before come in contact with a man HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor760.htm" who has lost his soul, and don't know just what it means. I am so glad that you sent him to your grandmother, for she, I believe, knows what he means. Well, I will not write more tonight, as it is late, and you are tired. So, with all my love, I am Your own true Helen April 3rd, 1915. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus.I know that what you say is true, but it is I, Jesus, the man who was crucified on Calvary, that comes to you and writes. These persons who will not believe this fact, will some day become convinced. I am with you, as I have told you, because I have work for you to do, and also because I love you very dearly. So you must not doubt me in any way; and if you do not, you will soon see from my messages, and also from your own spiritual development, that I am the Jesus that I represent myself to be. So believe in me and you will be happier and prosper in every way. I want soon to commence my messages again. Yes, you will soon be in condition, and then we will continue our work. Well, he was so overshadowed by the results of his confining all his thoughts, when on earth, to his mental development, that his soul was permitted and compelled to starve, and as he now believes, has left him. Of course, HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor760.htm" he has his soul, and only needs an awakening of his spiritual perceptions to realize the fact; but as long as he remains in the mental condition that he is now in he will never find his soul, as he says. The only thing that will get him out of that condition of mind is an opening of his spiritual nature, and then a belief in the Love of the Father. Your grandmother is now endeavoring to bring about his awakening, and she will succeed, for she is a very wise as well as highly developed spirit in her soul qualities. The spirit is not what you might call a wicked one, he only committed the great error of believing that the mind was everything in existence, and as he said, the soul and all spiritual faculties were myths. Many a spirit is in this condition, mind over-shadowing the soul to such a degree as to cause the soul, so far as the knowledge or belief of the spirit is concerned, to be lost. He is not one that will find much difficulty in recovering his soul, as soon as the soul faculties are awakened. The unfortunate spirit is one who knows that he has a soul, and knows that that soul is filled with sin and error, and has no apparent way of becoming cleansed. I know of no spirit more to be pitied, or who needs more the influence and help of both spirits and mortals. Let me tell you right here that when you help a spirit to find the way to salvation and God's Love, you are doing the greatest work that God has given any of his creatures to do - and when that spirit, through your help, finds that way and realizes the truth and receives this Love, he is forever your most thankful friend and worker in forwarding the interests of your own spiritual being. So when the Bible says, for every soul saved there is a new star added to the crown of one who is the instrument in saving such a soul, it only declares a truth which exists and which never changes. So in your work of helping these poor sinful and darkened spirits you are laying up spiritual jewels, which, when you come over into the spirit world, will form a part of your soul's existence. Of course, there are no jewels, as such; but they represent great qualities of happiness and Love, which the Father will give you. Men do not realize of what momentous importance the saving of a soul is, and what results come to him as such a savior. I am not going to write more on this subject now, as in my other messages I will deal with it. So, I will now say goodnight. And may the Love of the Father be with you and in you this night. I will give you all my love, and help you to obtain your desires. Your true brother, Jesus April 3rd, 1915. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Helen. Well, did not the Master explain what HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/minor62.htm" the lost soul means in a way that makes it very plain? I am so glad that you asked him and received the answer that you did. He is the only Jesus of the Bible and you are right when you say you believe that he is. Let not what men say cause you to doubt this fact, for it is a fact. He is the greatest son of his Father, and when you have him for a friend, you are rich indeed. So my dear Ned continue to believe in him, and listen to his teachings, and follow them. Well, I love you, as you know, with all my heart and soul, and with a love that increases as the Father's Love fills my heart more abundantly; and when I am so filled with more of this Love, I will tell you, and you will know that my love for you has increased correspondingly. So my darling Ned, I must say, Goodnight, Your Helen April 4th, 1915. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I was with you today and I heard you declare your belief in me and my being the Jesus of the Bible; and while it did not have much impression on the hearers, yet it will cause them to think, and possibly lead them to a realization that I am the true Jesus and that my teachings which you will receive are the teachings of truth. I was much pleased that you declared yourself so emphatically and earnestly, and that your faith in me is so fixed and certain. You have advanced yourself in the way of your spiritual development by such positive assertion of your belief, and you will find that your faith will increase and you will progress in your development very rapidly. I will now be able to communicate with you more satisfactorily than before, for the mere fact of declaring you belief in such a way, and the knowledge that those to whom you spoke do not believe that I am other than God, a part of God, will help you beyond what you may conceive. You are now much more in rapport with me than ever, and you will soon realize that you are very near the Kingdom of the Father. The discourse on forgiveness made a deep impression on the father, and he will commence to think that his belief in the church dogmas and creeds does not satisfy the longings of his soul, as they have heretofore. Be my true disciple under all circumstances, and your reward will be great, both here and hereafter. I will come to you soon and finish my last discourse, and when completed, you will see that the truths which I shall declare are truths that will show man that the Love of the Father is the one all-sufficient means to His Kingdom and favor. Be true to me and to yourself, and you will be one of the overcomers who will inherit the eternal Kingdom of the Holy Home of redeemed spirits. You will not only feel the great benefit yourself of this great truth of the New Birth, but you will lead many others to embrace the truth and receive the benefits of the Father which He has prepared for all who may love Him and receive His Love. So my dear brother and disciple, let your efforts continue to learn these truths, and teach others the way of my truths and their own redemption. I will be with you very often, for on you I depend to receive and spread my Gospel of Truth; and when you have done this, mankind will turn from their condition of formal religion and embrace the true and only way to their salvation. A new church will arise, and the Love of the Father waiting to be bestowed on all men will be the foundationstone of its establishment. I know that you will have disappointments and trials in doing this work, but only be faithful and steadfast, and the great object of my teachings will be accomplished on earth, as in Heaven. I must not write more now, but I want to assure you that your action today is of more significance than you realize, and you will soon see the importance of what you declared in the presence of those who doubt the truth of your declarations. So with my love and assurance of tender care, and the blessings of the Father, I am Your own loving and true brother, Jesus April 5th, 1915. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen I am very glad that you helped so many spirits to-night, and some of them were very much in need of help. The poor spirit that you sent to me was truly penitent and cried such bitter tears of grief and sorrow. I know that she will soon be forgiven and receive the light. She is now praying to the Father and her whole soul seems to be in her prayers. Oh, I thank God, that you can help them as you do. It is to me, so surprising that I wonder what you have about you that God should give you such power to help. Well, sweetheart, you are tired, and I must stop. So believe that I love you and am with you. Your own true and loving Helen April, 5th, 1915. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here - Your Grandmother: Well, I am glad to be with you again as I want to tell you of some truths that you will be benefited by knowing. You have had more or less doubt pass through your mind as to whether we are really the persons whom we represent ourselves to be, and whether, if your own mind does not produce the thoughts and write, or whether some evil spirit or imposter does. I want to tell you now with all the love which I had for you, that everyone of us who write you is the person he represents himself to be, and no spirit who may seek to impose on you is permitted to write or in any way communicate with you. Our band is sufficiently powerful to prevent any such spirit from intruding himself upon you. Of course, the unfortunate spirits who write you, we permit to do so, but they are not imposters, but tell you truthfully just who they are. I know how natural it is for you to doubt this great marvel of spirit communion, and of the truthfulness of our representations, but I assure you that it is all true. The Master is the one of whom you read in the Bible, and of whom you have heard all your life. The only difference being that he is not God or part of him, but a spirit the greatest in all the spiritual kingdom. He is not so very different in his desire to do the great work which the Father gave him to do, from what he was on earth, except that he is now more highly developed than when a man traveling the planes and mountains of Palestine. He is more powerful and knows so many more truths of the Father, but his love is just the same, only greater in degree. So you must not doubt any longer or you will not develop as you should. He is the wisest and most filled with the Father's Love of all the spirits in the Celestial Spheres. I know that you love us all, and I believe that you love Him also, and when I tell you that His love is greater than that of any of us, I am merely telling you what is true. I would like to write more tonight but there are some others here who are very anxious to write you and I will stop. Your own true and loving Grandmother (Ann Rollins) April 5th, 1915 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Mary Kennedy: You have had some spirits tonight who are no doubt thankful that they could write to you, but they do not know what it is to love you and enjoy your company as do some others, of whom I am one, and strange as it may seem, that while you know them on earth you now know me, and yet I am closer to you and that dear boy who is waiting for a word from me, than any of these other spirits are, or can be. Helen thought it wise to let these spirits write tonight as they were so anxious, and wanted so very much to let you know that they had not forgotten you. I do not refer to that fraudulent spirit who came and thought that he was telling you something that would give you a great surprise, but let me tell you that he was caught as the law sometimes catches the fraudulent ones of earth; but he was not caught by the law, but by love, for if you could have heard how Helen told him of the great Love of the Father and how much he needed it, and how it was waiting for him, and how happy it would make him, you would not regret that he came to you and wrote. Well, he is one of so very many who know nothing of this Love, and who need it so much. He is now thinking, and I hope that he may be benefited. Well, I will say a few words to Leslie, for I feel rather serious tonight, and want to tell him that he must not let his faith lessen, or any doubt come to him of the truth of this Great Love, or of the fact that I am his own true soulmate, and love him with all the love of a soul that has much of the Father's Love. We are here in great numbers tonight, trying to impress you both with our love, and praying to the Father to bestow it upon you, I mean His Love, in great abundance. Sometimes as you know, I am quite jolly, and as some of the sedate spirits may say, frivolous, but tonight I do not feel that way, for the love is with me in such degree, that I feel I must get closer to my dear in all its seriousness. He is so very dear to me, and I am so anxious that he get into a condition of soul exaltation that I do not feel that even my soulmate love should intervene. Let the Father's Love, alone, be his tonight. I am with him, as he knows, and am happy when I can come to him. So tell him to pray more and believe, and he will find a wonderful happiness come to him. I will not write more now, as Helen says that you are tired. So with my love to him, and best wishes to you, I am, Mary April 6th, 1915. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. Well, I am here to tell you of my great gratification in hearing you declare your belief in me again as you did today. This may seem to be a small matter to you, but I tell you it is one of greatest moment, not only to my cause but to you personally, because it puts you in close rapport with me, and helps you get into a condition which enables you to respond with a greater facility to my efforts to convey to you my messages. And also it has a reflex influence on your spiritual condition, and tends to increase your faith in what I tell you of the Father's Love and great mercy, and His plan for man's redemption. I am pleased with your declaration and will help you to become more at one with me in my work. So let not doubt come into your mind as to my being who and what I represent myself to be, for if there is a truth in all the universe, that assertion of mine is a truth. Let your faith increase, and your life will be happier, and you will become better fitted to inhabit the sphere which I have determined you shall have for your home. Oh, my dear brother, it is a great consolation to know that you will do my work as I desire it to be done on earth, and to feel that I can rely upon you to receive my "Gospel of Truth and Light to mankind." Yes, you were correct and I will soon write on this subject at length, and you will see that, before me, no man or spirit ever declared the truth of immortality. You have a right conception of what I meant, and you will sometime realize that that immortality is for you. You and all who believe as you do and seek for the Divine Essence, which alone can bring immortality to man. Very soon now I will continue my last message and then we will progress faster in our work. Well, I will not detain you longer tonight, as there are several present who desire to write. Well, that is now a part of your work, and your band knows that you must do that work. It will not injure your rapport with your band, or cause your power of writing to diminish. So with all my love and the blessings of the Father, I am your own true brother. Jesus April 6th, 1915 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, your old partner, A. G. Riddle: Well, I want to tell you of that HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor413.htm" man with the wonderful mind, who surpasses every other spirit in his knowledge of the laws of the spirit world. I had a conversation with him and I found that he knew comparatively little of anything. His knowledge consisted in not knowing what there is for him to know. He had certain ideas about the spirit world, but they were few and superficial. He was so convinced that he had learned everything there is to know that he was not capable of learning more. I soon found that his capacity for learning was limited by his horizon of what he didn't know, that is, he thought that as he knew everything there was nothing in all God's universe that was left to him to learn. His was the greatest case of a man who was possessed of all knowledge that I have ever met. Just as soon as we commenced to converse, I saw that the only way to deal with him was to let him think that his is the great mind that he believed it to be, and so I posed as one who was inferior to him in intellect, and one willing to sit at the feet of Gamiel to learn. He commenced to tell me about his wonderful mind and the great knowledge which it possessed and how he was quite lonely in the spirit world, because he could find no one who was competent to discuss subjects which only minds of his greatness could grasp and understand. As a seeker after some of his great knowledge, I commenced in a very modest way to ask him certain questions for information as he thought, and to his surprise, but not to mine, I will confess he said that he had never considered them, and that because they did not appear to be of sufficient importance for his gigantic intellect to bother with. Well, I kept putting questions after question and his only answer was that he had not considered them for the reason above stated. At last he commenced to see that I had an object in approaching him in this way and that I was not so unsophisticated as I first appeared. Finally he said that maybe there were some things which he didn't know, and which were worthy of his investigation, and that he would give his mind to their consideration. Then I commenced to tell him of spiritual things and of the great love of the Father, and what a power it had to beautify and make happy the souls of spirits. At first he declared that there was no such thing as the soul and reiterated that the mind is the only thing that belongs and determines the character and qualities of a spirit. That God is only the creature of man's mind, and that love is a thing of the imagination only. Well, you may imagine what a task it was to convince him that he had a soul, and that the soul is the real thing in his existence, and that mind is merely a subordinate part of the soul. He didn't seem to grasp the proposition, but after a while I showed him the beauty and happiness of several of our band and asked him if the mind is the greatest thing and as he knew that none of these spirits has a mind equal to his own why is it that they are so much more beautiful and happy than he. He hesitated a moment and said, that his mind did not run in the direction of creating beauty or happiness, but if he had devoted it to those things he would be more beautiful and happier than any of these spirits. I confess this argument was difficult to meet from his standpoint, but I called into concentration my argumentative faculties and knowing he was wrong, I asked him why he had not devoted his mind to these subjects as he must surely know that beauty and happiness are more desirable than anything to which he could possibly direct his mental strivings. He said that he knew that these qualities or possessions are very desirable but he doubted if there could be any happiness equal to that of great mental development and its resultant delights. I asked him why he was willing to remain in his condition of darkness and surrounded by such unhappy beings if the mind could bring such delights, and why he had not left the plane of darkness a long time ago, and sought the companionship of brighter and more intellectual spirits. He said that was one of the few things that he did not understand. He was anxious to get into different associations and wanted more congenial companionship, but yet no matter how much he exercised his mental powers he did not seem to be able to change his condition or leave the plane on which he lived. I then said to him, suppose there is a power so great that it can take you out of that condition and place you among these congenial spirits, where you say you have desired to go, what would your great mind say of you if you refuse to learn what this great power is, and rest content to remain in ignorance of this great power and ignore its existence. He said, that he supposed his mind would say that he is a fool, and does not do its greatness the justice to which is was entitled, and that such a position on his part would show him that he was not making the best use of his mind to which it is entitled. Well, after letting him think a while on this phase of the matter, I said to him, my friend, what I have put to you as a supposition is a truth - there is a power which is able to elevate you above your present condition and one which your mind will tell you to seek for, if you will only let it do so. And that power is one of spiritual qualities not depending on the mere mind, but upon a source which is the mind of all minds, and of which your great mind is only a shadow, and merely reflects its possibilities. He said, well, since you seem to know of this great power suppose you describe it to me, and if you can show my mind that such a power can have any possible existence, I will try and learn what that power really is. I then told him of the greatness of the soul, and its wonderful capacity for growth and expansion and love. He listened to me intently, and said, what you say may be true and I will investigate, but I am sure that there must be some mistake as to its superiority over the mind, but as you are an honorable and intelligent spirit I will consider the question in all seriousness; and if I find that there is any probability of such power existing as you describe, I will let my mind acknowledge it and will seek to obtain the means of attaining to this power. I am as you see, a very reasonable man and susceptible to conviction when the evidence to prove your assertions are reasonably certain. I told him to think the matter over and come again and discuss the question with me. He said he would, but I am afraid that he is hopelessly bound up with the idea that he knows everything, and outside of his mind there is nothing in all God's universe. Such spirits are the most to be pitied because to them repentance will never come, or if it does, it is a long way ahead of them. I must confess that I rather enjoyed the interview, because it recalled somewhat some of the old times when on earth I engaged in arguments and debates. But, of course, it had a deeper and holier meaning than that, because I hoped that he might come to the light of God's great provisions for the spiritual awakening, and learn the way to the Father's Love. So, I must say that I am indebted to you for bringing me in contact with such a spirit. I know how apparently hopeless the task is of convincing him that his great mind can be surpassed by any other thing, but I pray that something I may say may help a little light to enter into that hidebound and all-sufficient mind of his. I intended to write about another subject tonight, but as I thought you would be interested in knowing the result of our interview I concluded to tell you rather than write on the other subject. So I will not write more as there are other spirits waiting to write. So my dear boy and partner, I am your loving friend and brother, as ever. A. G. Riddle April 7th, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus: Well, you have my love and help, and you must realize that I am with you very much, as I am. I wish to tell you that you are not in such a good condition tonight for much writing as your nervous forces are not exactly suitable for the strain which writing imposes upon you. I know that you do not understand just what this means, but I know, and tell you, so that you may not write very much. I do not think that in permitting the unfortunate to write as you have determined that they may write, will injure your rapport with your band or with me. You are doing them much good, and the influence that you seem to have with these unfortunate spirits is surprising, and to many other spirits seems a very remarkable thing. I know just what your kindness and desire to help means, and that you not only benefit them who come to you and are happy, but also benefit many who are not able to write, for these latter see that you have helped the former, and they naturally make inquiries as to what you said to them, and what course you advised them to pursue; and as a consequence of what they hear they seek the help of other spirits. There are great hosts of these unhappy spirits who come to you or gather around when you are writing. Of course, they cannot all write; and yet, they who do not write are just as anxious to get relief from the condition of darkness in which they are, as are the others, and naturally try to learn the way out. Many of these spirits, after learning and seeing what benefit the few whom you advise have derived, of their own volition turn to the brighter spirits and ask advice. They seem to think that these brighter spirits may be somewhat interested in them, and, consequently, they seek their help. You are doing a good work and must not stop, for if you do, you will cause many spirits to remain in darkness for a much longer time than they otherwise would. I want to tell you that I am anxious to continue my messages, and so have been very free from them, and your band should save you from being bothered by them. Your Indian guide is strong enough to keep them away, and he will do so, I have no doubt. Your band also is strong enough to keep away the strongest of these evil spirits and they will do so. Yes, so far you have, and I have been very much pleased that you have. You certainly have a way that overcomes these evil spirits and turns them to higher things, and causes them to listen to the bright spirits. You must not doubt or become disheartened. I will stop now as your wife wants to write a little. With all my love, I am Jesus April 9th, 1915. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. Yes, I am, and you will be enabled to fully understand what the HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/trinity3.htm" Holy Ghost is, and what meaning should be given to it as you find it referred to in various parts of the Bible. I will say this though, that it is not God. It is merely one of his instrumentalities, used by Him in doing His work for the redemption of mankind. I will not write any message tonight, but will commence next week, if you are in better condition. Well, as you believe what I say as to my being a son of God, and not a god, you can easily believe that my coming to you as I do, is not at all contrary to any law of the spirit world. The fact that I have my home in the highest Celestial Heaven does not prevent me from coming to earth to do my work, which has not been carried on by those of earth who should have performed it. I am a spirit of love and sympathy, as well as of great spiritual development, and I desire that all men shall know what the great plan of the Father is for their redemption and happiness. So, because I am such an exalted spirit, as you say, it is no reason that I should not come to you, and communicate with you freely and, in a way, confidentially. I love you, as I have told you, and I have selected you to do my work and hence, I am trying to make you one wholly at-one with me. You must not doubt me just because I come to you so often and speak so familiarly with you, because I hope and expect that in the great future you will be very close to me and with me. I am trying to prepare you for so great a progression in your spiritual condition, that when you come over, you will realize the oneness that I speak of, and be fitted to live near my sphere. Well, your grandmother is a wonderful spirit in her development, and by the time you come over she will be near me, in my home, and, as I believe, will your mother and wife. They are all filled with the Father's Love and are receiving it more abundantly all the time. They are now in the first sphere of my Kingdom, and will find that their progress will be much more rapid. So try to believe what I say, and do my will, and all will be well with you. Well, soon you will be free, as I told you, and then you can do the work without being interfered with by material things. I know that it is hard for you to lay aside these cares, and I am not disappointed or impatient that you do not, but only believe that the time will soon come when they will trouble you no more. So as we have written somewhat long to night, I will stop now. I will pray for you as I always do. With all my love and the blessings of the Father. I am your loving brother, Jesus April 12th, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus: I want to tell you that you are now getting in a better spiritual condition than you have been for a long time. You have more of God's Love in your heart, and I think that very soon you will be in that condition of mind and soul development that will enable you to take my messages and as I desire that they be received. I am with you very much and try to help you in your efforts to obtain this soul development, and also in your material matters. So do not doubt me, as what I tell you is true. If you will only give more time to prayer you will find that your condition of happiness will be much improved, and that you will realize that the Father's love is coming into your soul more abundantly. So, let me feel that you are endeavoring to get this Great Love more and more every day, and I will try to help you with all my powers and love. I will not write more tonight as there are some others here who desire to write. So goodnight. With all my love and the blessings of the Father. I am your own true brother, Jesus April 12th, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: It was the Master. I want to tell you of my love for you, as I promised. Well, because I have not lately said very much about my love, and have let others write a great deal, you must not think that I do not love you as much as formerly, for I love you a great deal more as I told you a few nights ago. As my love for the Father increases and I receive more of his love in my heart, the more and deeper love I have for you, and I can only try to tell it to you. I am not able to find words sufficient to do so, for words cannot convey to you my feelings of love and happiness. Oh, Ned, I never thought when on earth that there could exist such love as I have for you now, and I never thought that I could love you as I do now. But I do love you with all the capacity of my developed soul and feel that I am yours for all eternity. No one can understand what this love means, who has not received it in his heart, and no one can know the happiness that it brings when once such love becomes a part of him, until he has actually experienced it. I am waiting patiently, I hope, for the time to come when you will be with me and share my home and joys. I am now in such a state of happiness that nothing that can possibly happen can in any way take from one that happiness or diminish my love for you. I sympathize with you in all your troubles, but I know that they are only for a season, and that in a very short time, comparatively speaking, they will pass away and you will be free to turn all your thoughts to me, and love me as your own, and only true soulmate. I will not attempt to tell you what it will all mean to you and to me, but I assure you that in your moments when my love overshadows and fills your soul, as it does at times, you catch only a faint glimpse of what is here waiting for you. So, do not let yourself worry or doubt that I love you with a love greater than you can possible imagine can exist. Well, sweetheart, I must stop now as another wishes to write some. (I asked if Mr. M. has a guardian angel and soulmate). Yes he has both. His guardian angel is his mother, who is a very happy and beautiful spirit, filled with the Love of God, and who watches over him with such tenderness and love. She is now trying to influence him to give his thoughts to higher things, and to let doubts of the future and the possibilities awaiting him flee from him. She certainly does love her boy, and if he only knew what hours and days she spends with him overshadowing him with her love and beautiful thoughts, he would thank God for such a mother. I do not believe that she will ever cease praying until he fully realizes the great truth that a man never dies; and that when he passes from the earth life to the spirit life, she will be waiting for him, ready to take him into her arms and loving care as she did when he was a very small boy. She says that he never knew very much of her mother's love and protection, and that for that very reason she has for so long a time been so anxious for the time to come, when he will know and realize that he has a mother with so much love for him, that he will wonder how she can love him so much. She is with him and tries to make him feel her presence and sometimes she succeeds, and he feels very happy, but does not know the cause. She is trying to help him see that there is something more of life than this mere earthly existence, and that when the time comes for him to leave his mortal body, there is another body which will show itself to him, and which will live forever in a world where, if he will only make the effort to find, he will find happiness and love beyond his conception. Tell him that his mother is closer to him now than she possibly could have been had she remained a mortal, because she knows all his troubles and times of loneliness and aspiration for better and higher things. She will come sometime and write him a letter and tell him of her great love for him. She says: "Bless my boy and keep him in ways of happiness and truth, of Father of Love"! Well, as to his soulmate, I have not thought of finding her, but I will do so and let you know. I am your own true and loving, Helen April 12th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your old Prof: I am very happy and am glad to say that I can see that you are, too. I want to say that I am prepared now to write you as I promised, and anytime that suits you I will be glad to do so. Well, that will suit me very well, and I will be here, and ready to give you the result of my best thoughts, and hope that you will find my writings interesting and profitable. Yes, she is happy and is here. She says that you are very dear to her, and wants you to know that you are doing a great good to the poor unfortunate spirits who come to you for help. She is willing to help too, if you desire her to. Yes, says Mrs. Salyards, that will be perfectly proper, and she will not hesitate to respond and do what she can. So she says, with all her love, she wishes you much happiness and success. Well, I tried to help them, and some of them listened to me and tried to take my advice, and are now striving to obtain the Father's Forgiveness and Love. Some were not so easily impressed, but I believe that they will ultimately try to do as I advised them. Oh, it is a great and good work that you are doing, and we are helping you to do. Yes, I heard the conversation between him and HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor764.htm" Mr. Riddle, and I enjoyed it very much. It was quite a revelation to me, as I could hardly conceive that a spirit, with all the surroundings that exist here, could be so self-opinionated, or believe that he had such an all comprehensive mind. It was certainly interesting as I heard him discourse on the wonderful knowledge which he possessed, or thought he possessed. Such minds, I doubt not, are very difficult to convince that there may be some little knowledge that they do not possess. I will not write more now, but will say goodnight. With all my love and best wishes for your happiness, I am Your old Prof, Joseph H. Salyards April 13th, 1915. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Prof. Salyards. Well, I am here as I agreed, and will endeavor to write you my thoughts on the subject: "What may spirits know about the laws of the spirit world after they have been in that world for a short time." As you know, I have been here for a comparatively short time, and while my studies have been to a considerable extent in the study of these laws, yet, I find that I have limited knowledge of the same, and much of my information has been gathered from other spirits who have lived here a great many years, and who have devoted their study and investigation to these laws. Well, I want first to say that no spirit, by the mere fact of having shortly before made his advent to this world, has received any much greater knowledge than he had when on earth. My knowledge of spiritual laws when on earth was not very extensive, and I found, when I came into the spirit world, that I did not know much more than I did before I came; and such is the experience of every spirit. But, as I continued to investigate these matters, I discovered that my capacity for learning was greatly increased, and that my mind was more plastic and received this knowledge more easily than when I was a mortal. This is largely due to the fact that the brain, I mean the mortal brain, is, when compared to what you might call the spirit brain, a thing of much inferior quality, and not so capable of learning the cause and effect of phenomena. I am now undergoing a course of study that will, I have no doubt, give me wonderful information of these laws, so that ultimately I may become what you mortals might call a learned man. The first and, to me, the most important law that I have learned is that man continues to live in the spirit world without his earthly body. This great law, while to you and to many others is well known and is an established fact, yet, to me, was not known, as I had never had any experience in spiritualism and had never given any study to the subject. When I arrived in the spirit world, I learned that this law is one of God's truths, and that it is fixed and will never change, for all will survive the change of so-called death.The next great law that I learned is, that no man can of his own power make his condition or position in the spirit world just what and where he would have it be. This is another fixed truth, and one, which many spirits even, do not fully comprehend; for they think, or so express themselves, that all they have to do is to exercise a little will power and they can move from certain conditions. But this is not true, for the law controlling this matter never has any exceptions in its operations. Man or spirit can, in a way, determine what his destiny may be, but when once fixed by this great power of will which God has conferred on man, he cannot by the exercise of that will change that fixed condition until the laws of compensation have been satisfied; and even then the change is not brought about by the exercise of his will, but by the operation of the laws releasing him from memories and recollections which hold him to the conditions that his life has placed him in. So when men think that they, by the exercise of their own will, can release themselves from a condition which they have made for themselves, they are mistaken. Many spirits here have this idea, and believe that if they only chose to exercise their vaunted will power, they could relieve themselves of their darkened condition and get into happier conditions. But strange, they never try this and the reason therefore is apparent. They could not if they tried, and will not try because they cannot. And yet they think that when they get ready, they will only have to exercise this will and the change will follow. No, this law is as fixed as any law of this great universe of God. Of course, while man or spirit cannot by the exercise of his will change his condition, yet, in order to secure that change, the will has to be exercised, because the help which comes from without, and which is absolutely necessary to man, and which causes the change, and will not come unless man exercises the will in the way of desiring and asking for it. So let not man think that he is his own savior, because he is not; and if the help did not come from without, he would never be saved from the condition which he finds himself in, when he enters the spirit world. You hear in your spirit circles and read in the publications about spiritualism that progression is a law of the spirit world. Well that is true; but it does not mean that a spirit by the mere fact of being in the spirit world necessarily progresses, either mentally or spiritually, for this is not true. Many spirits who have been here for years are in no better condition than when they first became spirits. All progression depends upon the help that comes from outside the mind or soul of man. Of course when this help comes, man has to cooperate, but without this help there would be nothing with which to cooperate, and no progress could possibly be made. Many of the spiritualists make this great mistake when they speak or write on this subject. But let them know, that if a man depends upon his own powers, exclusively, he will never progress. And this law does not apply only to the soul's progress, of which you have heard us speak so often, but to the progress of the mere mind, and also to what might be called the purely moral qualities. My observation, and my information from the other spirits that I have mentioned, confirms the truth of what I have said: man, of himself, cannot elevate himself either mentally or morally, and the sooner he learns that fact, the better for him. Another law of the spirit world is, that when a spirit once commences to progress, that progress increases in geometrical progression, as we used to say when teaching on earth. Just as soon as the light breaks into a man's soul or mind, and he commences to see that there is a way for him to reach higher things, and make greater expansion of either his mind or soul, he will find that his desire to progress will increase as that progression continues, and with that desire will come help in such abundance that it will be limited only by the desire of the spirit. His will then becomes a great force in his success in progressing and working in conjunction with the help that calls it into operation. It becomes a wonderful thing of power and irresistible force. This progression may be illustrated by the history of the snowball, which started rolling from the top of a hill. As it continues its descent; not only does its velocity increase, but it continually enlarges its form and body by the outside snow attaching itself to the ball. So with the mind or soul of a spirit: as it ascends, it not only becomes more rapid in its flight, but it meets this outside help that I speak of, which help attaches itself to the spirit, and, as it were, becomes a part of it. So you see that the great problem is to make the start; and this principle will apply to mortals as well as to spirits, because, if the start be made on earth, the mere fact of becoming a spirit will not halt or in any way interfere with the progress of the soul of that spirit. Of course, this means that a correct start be made. If the start be a false one or based on things other than the truth, instead of progress continuing when the man becomes a spirit, there may have to be a retracing of the way, and a new start made, in order to get on the right road. And this applies to the progress of the mind as well as to the progress of the soul. The mind of a mortal learns many things which seem to that mind to be the truth, and which, in its opinion, must lead to progress and greater knowledge. But when the earth life gives place to the spirit life, that mind may find that its basis of knowledge were all wrong, and that to continue in the way that it had been moving would lead to increased error; and consequently, a new start must be made. And frequently, the retracing of that mind over the course that it had followed, and the elimination of errors that it had embraced, is more difficult and takes a longer time to accomplish, than the learning of the truth does after the mind makes its correct start. So sometimes the mind of great learning (according to the standards of earthly learning) is more harmful, and retards more the progress of that man in the ways and acquirements of truth, than does the mind that is, as you might say, a blank; that is, without preconceived ideas of what the truth is on a particular subject. This unfortunate experience exists to a greater extent in matters pertaining to religion than to any other matters, because the ideas and convictions which are taught and possessed of these religious matters affect innumerably more mortals than do ideas and convictions in reference to any other matters. A spirit who is filled with these erroneous beliefs, that may have been taught him from his mortal childhood, and fostered and fed upon by him until he becomes a spirit, is, of all the inhabitants of this world, the most difficult to teach and convince of the truths pertaining to religious matters. It is much easier to teach the agnostic, or even the infidel, of these truths, than the hide-bound believer in the dogmas and creeds of the church. So, I say, let the minds of mortals be opened to the teachings of the truth, and even if they are convinced that what they believe is the truth, yet let not that belief stand in the way of them being able to see the truth, when it actually is presented to them. Another law is, that not all who know that life in the spirit world is continuous, are certain that continuous life means immortality. I mean by this, that the mere fact of living as a spirit, does not of itself prove that such spirit is immortal. This is a subject that spirits discuss as much as do mortals, and it is just as much a question of uncertainty, as is the immortality of the soul as taught among mortals, now and for all ages past. While men know that the death of the body does not mean the death of the spirit, and that such spirit, which is the real man, continues to live with all its qualities of a spiritual nature, yet there has never been any proof presented to man that that spirit will live for all eternity, or, in other words, that it is immortal. I say this, because I have read the histories and beliefs of most of the civilized, and some not called civilized, nations of the world. And I was not able to find in all my readings that it was ever demonstrated that man is immortal. Of course, many pagan and sacred writers taught this, but their statements were all based on belief and nothing more; and, so I say, immortality has never to mortals become demonstrated as a fact. In the spirit world, the spirits of not only the lower spheres, but those of the higher intellectual or moral spheres, are still debating the question among themselves. I am informed that there are some who lived on earth many centuries ago, and who have become exceedingly wise and learned in the knowledge of the laws of the universe, and have become so free from the sins and errors of their earth life that they may be called perfect men, and yet they do not know that they are immortal. Many of them think that they are just such men or spirits as were they who were represented by Adam and Eve; they know not that they are any less liable to death than were the ones just mentioned. And hence immortality is a thing which may or may not exist for spirits as well as for mortals. I know that many of your spiritualist friends on earth claim that the mere fact that spiritualism has demonstrated the continuity of life, establishes the fact of immortality. But a few moments consideration will show you the falsity of this reasoning. Change is the law eternal, both on earth and in the spirit world, and nothing exists the same for any length of time; and in the succession of these changes, how can it be said that in the future, far or near, changes may not come by which the existence of the spirit - the ego of man - may be ended, and that ego take some other form or enter into some other condition, so that it will not be the same ego, and not the same spirit which is now living as a demonstration of the continuity of life? And so, many spirits, as well as mortals, do not know what is necessary to obtain, to have the certain knowledge of immortality. But many other spirits know that there is an immortality for spirits who choose to seek that immortality in the way that God in his great wisdom and providence has provided. I will not discuss this phase of immortality now, but will at some later time. There is another law, which enables spirits to become, by the mere operation of their natural affections and loves, pure and free from the consequences and evils of their mortal lives, and again become perfect, like the first parents before the fall. This does not mean that the law of compensation does not operate to the fullest, and that it does not demand the last farthing, because such is the exactness in the operation of this law, that no spirit is released from its penalties, until he has satisfied the law. As you believe, and as many other mortals believe, a man's punishment for the sins committed by him on earth are inflicted by his conscience and memories. There is no special punishment inflicted by God on any particular man, but the law of punishment operates alike on every man. If the facts that brings that punishment into operation are the same, that punishment will be the same, no matter whether the object of its infliction be the same or different persons. So you see, it cannot be escaped, on any ground of special dispensation, so long as the facts which call for its operation exist, and the conscience and memories of the spirit realize these facts. When a spirit first enters the spirit life it does not necessarily feel the scourging of these memories, and this is the reason why you will so often hear the spirit, who has so recently left his mortal life, assure his friends or sorrowing relatives at the public seances that he is very happy, and wouldn't be again in the earth life, and similar assurances. But after a little while, memory commences to work, as the soul is awakened, and then never ceases until the penalties are paid. I don't mean that the spirit is, necessarily, continuously in a condition of torment, but substantially that, and relief does not come until these memories cease their awful lashings. Some spirits live here a great number of years before they receive this relief; while others more quickly obtain it. The greatest cause which operates to relieve these spirits of these memories, is love. I now mean the natural love; and this love embraces many qualities, such as remorse and sorrow, and the desire to make amends for injuries done, etc. Until a spirit's love is awakened, none of these feelings come to him. He cannot possibly feel remorse or regret or the desire to atone, until love, no matter how slight, comes into his heart. He may not realize just what the cause of these feelings may be, but it is love just the same. Well, as these various feelings operate, and he acts in accordance with them, a memory here and there will leave him, never to return; and as these memories in turn leave him, his sufferings become less, and after awhile, when they have all left him, he becomes free from the law, and it, as to him, becomes extinct. But it must not be understood that this is a work of quick operation, for it may be years - long, weary years of suffering - before he becomes thus free and once more a spirit without sin or these memories. This is the way the great law of compensation is satisfied; it cannot be avoided, but all its demands must be met, until sin and error are eradicated, and the soul returned to a pure state. But this gradual release from these penalties does not mean that a spirit is progressing in his journey to the higher and brighter spheres; because even without this torture and torment, he may still remain stationary as to the development of his higher nature, mental and moral. But when he has been relieved of these sufferings, he is then in a condition to start towards the progression that I have spoken of. As you are tired, I will continue the balance of my discourse when I write again. With all my love I am, Your true friend and professor, Joseph H. Salyards. NOTE: The New Market Polytechnic Institute was started in 1870 by Joseph Salyards and Benjamin Benton April 13th, 1915. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Helen. Yes, I would be here no matter what happens. Well, you had quite a discourse from the Professor, and a wonderful one it is. I am glad that he wrote you on the subject, as it clears many doubts that you or your friends may have. He has not finished yet, but he saw you were tired and stopped. (My brain felt fatigued...) Yes, that is what he said, and I am so glad that you realize that he uses your brain as well as your hand. Why Ned, without your brain we could not write at all. So don't think that we merely use your hands, for your brain is the more important of the two. Your own true and loving, Helen April 13th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. Well, my darling son, I am so happy to be with you and tell you that I am now in the Second Celestial Sphere, where everything is so beautiful, and happiness exists to a degree that I cannot portray to you. I am in my own home and what it is, I can scarcely describe, for you have no words which are adequate to give you an idea of what I may mean in attempting to describe the glories of this sphere. My home is of a material that you have no faint counterpart of on earth, and it is furnished with everything that is suited to make me happy and more thankful to the Father for His Love and kindness. I am living all alone, but I have many visitors, and love is the ruling sentiment among all its inhabitants. No spirit who is not filled with this Divine Love of which I have so often told you can possibly live in this sphere. The spirit who has all the most wonderful intellectual acquirements, and is without this Love, cannot enter this sphere, nor can the mere natural love of mortals or of spirits fit the spirit for inhabitancy here. Only the Divine Love of the Father can make a spirit so at-one with all the surroundings and atmosphere of love that here exists. When I left the first sphere I was taken in charge by a most beautiful and glorified spirit, and carried from my home in the first sphere up to the entrance of the second sphere where many other beautiful spirits were waiting to give me welcome - and such a welcome I never thought could be extended to a spirit who is progressing. But I was received with all the love and affection and evidence of joy that the spirits of this sphere have for a spirit who has progressed from the lower one. Oh, I tell you that my happiness was certainly beyond any conception of what I had in the home which I just left. I thought that the beauty and grandeur of the first sphere could not possibly be surpassed, but when I tell you that comparison cannot be made between the beauty of the two places, it is the best that I can do. My home was all ready for me, and I was carried by a whole host of spirits to it and told that it was for me, and that God had prepared it for my happiness and joy. It certainly is beyond description, and it would be useless for me to try to describe it. The spirits here are so much more beautiful than those of any other sphere. They are more etherial and their garments are all shining and white - not one little speck reminds one of the earth or the grosser spheres of the spirit world. And here the music is entirely Divine and of such a great variety - all telling of the great Love of God, and sung in His praise and adoration. I have not yet seen all the beauties of this sphere, and I may later give you a fuller description of it. Yes, I met some spirits whom I knew on earth, but not many; some of the truly Christian men and women who lived and loved and worshipped God, and passed over long before I did. My own dear mother and father have progressed to this sphere and were ready to receive me; and how glad they were to welcome me and take me to their arms of love. Well, I must not write more tonight as you are not in condition for extended writing.So with all my love, which is so much greater than when I last wrote you, I am your own true and loving grandmother. (Ann Rollins) May 3rd, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Professor Salyards. Yes, and I am very much pleased that you have, and that you are in such good condition to write tonight. Well, I desire to HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/hell9.htm" continue my discourse on the laws of the spirit world, as known to many spirits. The next law is: That no matter how much knowledge of material things and of purely physical laws a man may have acquired on earth, his knowledge is not sufficient to fit him for the higher things of the spirit life. Many men think that because they have this great knowledge of the material universe, they need not attempt to learn the laws which control the operations of spirit life, or the laws which determine the position and development of that part of man commonly known as the soul. This is a very great mistake, and all human beings, sooner or later, will realize the necessity of learning these more important laws of the soul development, and of the spiritual part of man. I never, while on earth, attempted to investigate these laws, and consequently, when I came into the spirit world, I was as a new born babe in my understanding of these laws; and so will all humans be who have neglected the investigation and study of these laws, as I did. I would, therefore, advise every man to give his best endeavor to the study of these laws, and especially that part of them which deals more particularly with the soul's development and progress towards the greatest happiness. These laws are set forth and declared to a very large extent in the New Testament, and in some parts of the Old are many suggestions as to what a man should do to save his soul from death; and by this I mean the death that comes with neglecting to exercise all the qualities of the soul that a man is capable of exercising, when in the mortal life. A man may let his faculties of mind die by neglecting to feed them the proper mental food, and so with the soul. Of course, the soul never dies, as far as known, in the sense of absolute destruction and disintegration, but it can get into such a state of inertia or lethargy that, so far as it is a part of the activities of man, it may as well be dead. I don't mean to say that the mere neglect to exercise these soul faculties will cause a man's soul to remain dead forever, for that is not so. Sooner or later, either in the mortal life or in the spirit life, this soul will have an awakening, but that awakening may be delayed for many years, and even centuries, and, in its highest sense, it may never have an awakening. So let men know the importance of studying and applying these spiritual laws to their own selves while mortals, and when they come to be spirits, they will find what a great advantage to their progression and happiness such study and application have proved to be. There is another law of the spirit world that is of vital importance to those in the mortal life, and one which they can learn, and that is, that no man can, of himself, save himself from the penalties of the law of compensation. I have written about this before, but it is of such vast importance, and affects all human beings to such an extent, that I feel justified in saying something more on the subject. This law of compensation is as fixed as any of God's laws, and cannot be avoided under any condition or circumstances, except one, and that is the redemption of a man's soul by the Love of the Father entering into it, and making it at-one with His own, and like His in all the qualities that partake of the Divine essence. I know that many men do not believe that there can be any forgiveness of sin, because they say it is impossible to make clean, in a moment, the soul of a man that has been steeped in everything vile and sinful while living the life of a mortal. Well, this I believe to be true, and I do not think any of our greatest teachers of these highest truths attempt to declare the doctrine of instantaneous cleansing of a vile and sinful soul; at least, that is not the doctrine taught by the greatest of all teachers, the man of Nazareth, whom I sometimes see and converse with; and he, I believe, knows more of the laws governing the salvation of men, than any other or all other teachers combined. His teaching here is, that while a soul is not instantaneously cleansed by receiving a portion of the Divine Love, as we have heretofore explained it to you, yet the inflowing of such Love into the soul of a man starts him into the way of right thinking, and causes him to realize that his soul is open to the influence of this Divine Love. So mortals, as well as spirits, may receive this awakening of Divine Grace, to a very large extent, as soon as they realize that this Love is the only thing that will remove the penalties of this law of compensation. I do not believe that immediately after the sinner feels this Love coming into his soul, he becomes a saint and at once gets rid of his evil nature, for that can hardly be. Such an instantaneous cleansing would scarcely serve the purpose for which the work of this redemptive Love is intended. Some persons seem to be able to receive more of this Love in a short time than do others, and, consequently, their complete redemption is more quickly accomplished. But to me - and I have experienced the inflowing of this Love, and its effect upon my sinful nature, and upon my recollections of the deeds of my earth life which call into operation this law of compensation - there does not seem to be any probability of an instantaneous cleansing of the soul, so that a man suddenly becomes fitted to live in the Celestial Heavens, where the Father's Love, in all its purity and completeness, exists. I know it is taught by many preachers, and it is also the dogma of some churches, that the blood of Jesus cleanses from all sin - and that, in the twinkling of an eye - but you must not believe this, for it is not true. The blood of Jesus was spilled many centuries ago, and is now become a part of other elements of the natural world, and cannot save anyone. And I go further and say, as Jesus has taught me, that his blood never had any efficacy in saving anyone. He never taught that his blood could do any such thing, or that the shedding of his blood was in any sense, the means of saving a soul. He is not now teaching any such doctrine, and is disappointed that those who lead the masses of mankind should teach any such doctrine, because it takes their attention away from the one and vital principle which is necessary to their salvation. And that is, the New Birth: which means merely the flowing into a man's soul and becoming a part of it, of the Divine Love of the Father. It does not come to a man because the blood of Jesus was a sacrifice, to appease the wrath and requirements of the Father, or because of any vicarious suffering of Jesus. But to return to this law of compensation. No man, by his own exertions, can save himself from the operations of this law, and he, so long as he has this idea of depending on his own powers, will have to pay the penalties. Of course, as he pays these penalties, he progresses nearer and nearer to a time and condition when the law will cease to operate upon him, and he will become comparatively happy; but such payment may require long years of suffering and unhappiness. So, I say, let man know that for every act and deed, and for not doing what he should have done, he will have to answer the law. I do not mean by this repetition to cause men to think that I delight in showing them that they will have to suffer and live in darkness for a time uncertain, for I do not take any pleasure in calling their attention to this great law, and the certainty of its operations. Rather I do this to help men to avoid these sufferings and unhappiness, by seeking the Love of the Father while on earth, because, from my observations, I believe that it can be found more easily while in the flesh, than after a man becomes a spirit. Another law of the spirit world is that every human being of one sex has, on earth or in the spirit world, one of the opposite sex, who is his soulmate. The importance of this provision of the Father for the happiness of humans and spirits, has never been fully understood by those who have not with certainty met and recognized their soulmates. (See Note) I know that on earth men have claimed that certain of the opposite sex were their affinities, and with such claims as an excuse, have done much wrong and sin. But the soulmate is not an affinity which may be suggested by the passions or desires, but is one provided by the grace and Love of the Father to live with the other soulmate through all eternity. Before they took on the form of flesh, they were united, and when, in accordance with God's plan, they separated and became mortals, they became no less soulmates, although they may not recollect their former unity or relationship while living the mortal life. But as certain as God lives, these two soulmates, at some time, after they become spirits, will learn their true relationship to each other, and will, if nothing insurmountable intervenes, come together again in true union and happiness. The mere fact that a certain man and a certain woman are husband and wife on earth, does not mean that they will live together as husband and wife through all eternity. If they are soulmates, they may, but if they are not, they will certainly separate after they enter the spirit world. That true relationship cannot be hidden here, and no mere form of relationship of husband and wife will suffice to keep the persons together. The great truth of soulmates is one which needs further elucidation, and one which I will try hereafter to explain more fully. But for now it is sufficient to say that every man born of woman has his soulmate, either on earth or in the spirit world, and vice versa. Well, I have written a great deal tonight and you are tired, and so am I, and so I will continue at another time the rest of my discourse. With all my love and best wishes for your happiness and success, I am, your old professor and friend, Salyards. Note. This pronouncement about the absolute "gender" alignments has been contradicted by a more recent message from HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/contemporary/hr16.htm" Judas. May 6th, 1915. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, your friend Syrick: Well, I first want to say that I am so very glad to have the opportunity to write to you, thanks to that beautiful wife of yours. I tell you Padgett, that she is a wonder, and you should feel yourself a highly favored man to have such a soulmate. She is not only beautiful but so full of love and so wise in the things that pertain to the higher life. Why she tells me things that I never in all my life thought could exist, and when she shows me the truths of the Father's Love and how beautiful and beyond conception her home is, I can scarcely contain myself. She is helping me so much in my progression. Of course Rose is also, but Rose does not have that great angelic love that your wife has, and is not able to tell me of the wonderful things that may be mine, and the way that I may obtain them. Why I want to tell you that the fortunate day of my life was the one when I met you at the Colburns and commenced the investigation of the spiritualism that you were seeking to learn. Many times you told me to seek for the higher things and the soul development; and I heard you and did not know what you meant. I knew that I was not a very bad man as men go, and would wonder what you meant. Sometimes I got a glimpse of what you might mean, and would ask you, as you may remember, if you thought I was a very bad man, and you would tell me, no, but that I must give my thoughts to higher things and get the love of God in my heart. Well I did not comprehend what you meant, and when you told me to pray to the Father, I did so, but somehow I did not understand just how to pray. But now I realize what you mean, and what an awful mistake I made in not trying to learn what you tried to tell me when on earth. Well, when I arrived in Richmond I felt a little sick, but had no idea that I was so near death. In fact death was not in my thoughts, as I had induced myself to believe that I would live to be an old man, and so you can imagine my feelings, after I had been stricken and was unconscious for quite a while, I suddenly recovered my consciousness and found myself looking down on my body all cold and lifeless. I thought it was not my body but someone else's that resembled me very much and that I was still in my body; but as I tried to make myself known to my friends who had gathered around, I found that they did not hear me or see me, and then I remembered the description that you had read to me of your wife's passing over, and the conviction came to me that I was no longer a mortal. And to further convince me, just then Rose came to me and said. "Frank, I am keeping my promise, you are with your soulmate never again to return to your mortal life and wonder what kind of looking girl your soulmate may be, for now you see her as she really is, and you also feel her arms around you and her kisses upon your cheek, and I know that you would not go into that body again for all the world." Oh, I tell you, that such a reception, accompanied with such beauty and love was enough to make a man forget that he had ever been a mortal; and for the time I forgot that I had. So you see my passing was not so undesirable as I had thought it would be. What a great blessing to have the belief that I had when I was with you all as to my Rose. It may seem strange to some, but I know, not to you, that my belief in Rose was so great, that to me she was as real as if I had met her in the flesh and was separated from her only a few miles in expectation that some near day she would come on the train to be with me. I cannot tell you what my happiness was, I had no doubt about my being a spirit, and thoroughly believed that I had left the earth, so far as occupying my body was concerned, forever. I had no desire to return to it, and my thoughts did not turn to things material. My Rose was sufficient for me. She occupied all my thoughts, and my being was wholly with her, and my happiness was a thing no mortal can understand or believe, if I were capable of telling him. Such beauty and love! Well, I will not try to tell you of it, for I cannot; but only say that when you come over and your soulmate meets you, you will lose your breath and wonder how such a man as you are now, could be loved by such a being of beauty. A short time after I had been with Rose, your wife and others of your band came to me and with them my own dear mother, who was so beautiful and loving to me; and I was so happy that I cried with all my heart and soul; but for joy. Well, such was my passing, and such I wanted it to be, but when on earth I had no conception that it could be such. As soon as I could recover my breath, as we say on earth, I made many inquiries about the things that I saw and which I had wanted to know when on earth, and received information; but I want to tell you that some things that I heard seemed familiar, and I thought that I had heard them before, and so it was, because in our communications and in our conversations and in our circle I had heard them. So you see what a privilege it is for a man to have the opportunity of learning of the spirit world while still on earth. You and Dr. Stone and the Colburns are much favored in your opportunities to hear of so many of the things that pertain to the spirit life. I am acquainted with Dr. Stone's Mary, and tell him that she is real and is certainly his soulmate as was I his friend and patient when on earth. She is a beautiful spirit and so good, and loves him with a love that he cannot now understand, but which he will some day. Tell him, I am more fortunate than he, because I came first and partook of the love of a beautiful fine and loving woman; but his time is coming, and I am only more fortunate than he, in that I came to mine a little sooner than he will to his. I have met Bright Star, and I certainly was surprised. I thought to meet an Indian Squaw, but instead, I met a spirit the most beautiful and bright, with God's Love emanating from her whole being. She was glad to see me, and reminded me that I was not a stranger, as she had seen me many times at Mrs. Ripple's séances; but she said: "Then you only knew me as a little Indian girl, simple but accommodating." And I said; "Bright Star you certainly surprise me. I had no expectations of meeting you as such a beautiful and bright spirit." And she said: "The Love of God makes us all alike; we who have that love are not Indian or Pale Face or Yellow Face, but are all the children of the Father, and as His Love is the same unchangeable Love, those who receive it are all the same in their beauty and color and brightness. He is no respecter of color or race. His Love makes our appearance, and as our souls become more filled with this Love, we become more like Him, and only love appears, and color, and race and previous conditions disappear." Now what do you think of that to come from our little Indian girl! I tell you that the things I have learned here are wonderful and surprising. Well, to continue, after I had lived in this condition of happiness for sometime, and saw that my future depended upon my progress, for you must know I could not go with Rose to her home because she was so much more spiritual than I, I commenced to examine myself to learn what my drawbacks were and as I continued to make this self-examination, I found that my life on earth or rather my recollections or memories of that life were still with me, and that I must do something to get rid of them. And conscience commenced to work, and I soon saw myself as I had never seen myself while on earth. And the more transparent my actual self became, the more this conscience accused me of things done and omitted while a mortal; and with these accusations came sufferings, for she and your wife and my mother all told me the way, but somehow I could not just understand how to find it. And so the days went by and I suffered. But as I continued to pray, for you must understand that I had been praying ever since I commenced to suffer, all of a sudden a feeling of peace came to me and with it a great Love that I had never felt before, and I realized that it was the Father's Love that my Rose and the others had been telling me of; and since then my sufferings have been growing less and less, and my prayers and faith more and more. Oh, how I regret that in my earth life, I had not sought this love. How much suffering I would have avoided and how much more happiness would have been mine. Let me tell you, and my friends, the Colburns and Dr. Stone, that this is no idle tale, but a stern, unavoidable reality, and I, like though unlike Lazarus, arise from the dead and tell you all, with all the emphasis that I can command, that if you want to avoid darkness and suffering and get into happiness when you come over, seek with all your heart this Love while you are mortals. I come very near to you, for only a short time ago, I was with you, joining in your speculations as to the life of which I am now a part, and now as your friend who has set aside speculation with knowledge, I tell you this great truth, and with all my heart urge you to believe me, and take this truth to your hearts and souls. Well, I have written you a long letter and must stop, but before doing so permit me to say, that you all have my thanks for the help that you gave me in the short time that we were friends. The few months that we knew one another were as I now realize, the most profitable months to me of all those that I spent in the investigation of spiritualism. So give my love to my friends and keep some for yourself, and believe me when I say, I am your own true friend and brother. Frank D. Syrick May 6th, 1915. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: Well sweetheart, you received quite a long letter from the Judge, and also a most eloquent and truthful one. He has told you the true conditions of his coming to us and of his subsequent experiences. I told you the other night that I wanted him to tell you his own story, and tonight I made conditions favorable for him to do so. You will find much food for thought in what he has written; and coming from one who has so recently left you, I have no doubt it will have its impression on you and his other friends. He is now progressing, and very soon, I think, he will have so much of this love that he will progress to the third sphere. His Rose is with him so much and her love for him is so pure and true that he will necessarily feel that the greater love of the Father is his if he will only pray and believe. We are all trying to help him, and he in certain ways, is like a little child. He is very susceptible to our teachings and to the influence of love, and because of that condition of his mind I think that his progress will be rapid. He loves his Rose and thinks that her word is his gospel - and well he may, for her advice comes from a heart that is full of love for him, and also filled with the love of the Father. He is a very blessed spirit. Well, sweetheart, you are tired and must stop or you may feel the effects of the strain. Question by Mr. Padgett and answer: Yes, I was here and I think he is what you would call a little off. His ideas as to his being the six before the six is all wrong. He will never be the leader of the Bahais or any other sect of religionists. He is too material for that, and as for his being the greatest man in the nation, why that is far beyond absurdity. Yes, I can and I will for it may do him good to know that he has someone in all the wide universe who loves him. He needs love more than anyone that I have seen for a long time. I mean among mortals. So I will try to find her and let you know later. So with all my love I am your own true loving, Helen May 12th, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Queen Elizabeth I of England. I have been here several times but have never before been able to get the chance to write to you, and now that I have, do not disappoint me in my hope that you may help me. Well, I was a very bad woman on earth as I now see the true relation of things and deeds and am suffering from the memory of those things. I was looked upon as a creature of the divine favor and could, therefore, do no wrong, and that whatever I said or did must be obeyed and followed by my subjects, and others who lived within my dominions. I lived a life that was not in accordance with the laws of morality or of God as they now appear to me; and when I tell you that, although I was a single woman yet had my lovers to gratify my passions and to please my caprices, you will understand that I was a wicked woman and that those are the things that now cause my sufferings and darkness. I am not a spirit who thinks that because I was a ruler that therefore I could do no wrong. I knew at the time that many things I did were wrong and consequently my sufferings have become so much the greater. Many a pour soul has been sent to damnation by my commands, a damnation on earth as well as here. Even murder I was guilty of, although it may have had a legalized form, but it was murder nevertheless, and I am suffering the penalties. Why, some of my truest and best friends in moments of jealousy and envy I sent to the block, to afterwards bitterly regret my deed. Oh, I tell you that a queenly crown makes no difference in the penalty that must be paid for evil deeds. Many a humble subject of mine is now where I cannot go, and where they find happiness and love, as I am told. I loved once truly and deeply, but I sacrificed the object of my love through pique, and what I wanted in my blind rage to have him do, and he would not, and how bitterly I regretted the deed and suffered even while on earth. Yet I was to all outward appearances callous and without feeling. But God knows how my heart bled, and how my very soul was wracked with remorse and torture. But I was a queen and had no right to have the feelings of a human being. I loved and love had to be hid. He knew it and died in the knowledge that love wept while I killed him. Sometimes I hope that this love will meet again with the love of the victim, and be one throughout all eternity. Well, I will not relate the vast number of evil deeds that I did, but only say that as my opportunity for committing evil without fear of punishment was great, so the number of my deeds was great. But I have suffered in darkness and torment and love has been absent from me all these years of the travail of my soul. I have lived alone, as I saw no pleasures in what other spirits who lived near me were engaged in. When I first entered the spirit world, I was still a queen as I believed and many of my subjects who had become spirits and knew me still believed I was their queen and worshipped me as such; but as time passed they saw that while on earth I may have been of divine creation, yet as a spirit I was without any evidence of divine right and no better than themselves, and they soon ceased to look upon me as superior to themselves and as is usual, as you on earth say, they went to the other extreme and treated me with neglect and even taunted me for having been on earth a fraud and deception. I soon hated them all, and so sought my consolation in silence and isolation. What a mockery is nobility on earth and what a leveller is the spirit world! I many times have wished that they had let me remain the simple country girl and not made me the queen of a great nation. I can now see that if my life had been that of a subject living in God's pure and uncontaminated country air, I would now be a much happier spirit. But it is now too late. As I made my bed I must lie in it, and there is no remedy. But yet when despair and darkness come to overwhelm us there yet seems some good Providence which gives us a little ray of hope and even though it comes to us as a glint of sunlight yet it comes, and we sometimes think that in the future, we know not when, there may be some relief for us. And so that glint of hope comes to me sometimes, and I feel that God has not forsaken me altogether. I have seen spirits made happier by coming to you and so I came with just that little spark of hope telling me that you might help me, and if you can please do so. I was Elizabeth, Queen of England, and died in 1603 a little-mourned woman. Yes, I will do as you say. Yes, I see the beautiful spirits. I see your mother and she says that she will take me with her and show me the way to light and happiness and will love me, as God loves me as He does all His children. So I am going with her and now I want to say that as you are my true friend and well-wisher I believe what you told me and want you to think kindly of me as not many do. So with my thanks, I will say Good night. May 12th, 1915. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Helen. Well, sweetheart, you have had a long meeting tonight and are tired and must not write more. Yes, it was a spirit who was once a queen, but she is so poor now that there are none to do her reverence. Your mother will help her, though, and she will get out of her darkness. She has long years of remorse and suffering and is in condition to grasp the truth. She is like a drowning woman catching at a straw, but in her case it will not be a straw but the true Love of the Father that she may get. Well, I love you with all my heart and soul and will watch over you tonight as you sleep and try to make you have pleasant dreams. So until we meet again in communication, I am and will be your own true and loving Helen May 13th, 1915. Received by: James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, your Grandmother. I am happier than I can tell you. I am living in my home HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/heaven25.htm" of which I told you a few nights ago, and it is a beautiful home beyond the possibility of description. Tonight, I want to tell you of my experience in seeking the Love of God, and in realizing that He is my Father, who loves me with a Love that knows no shadow of wavering or cessation. I was not always filled with faith, or believed so implicitly in prayer, but in my early married life, I received the conviction that if I would be happy in life and fitted to receive the blessings which the Bible promised to those who should seek the Lord and his Love, I must see the necessity of seeking; and I, with all the earnestness of my nature, commenced seeking for the Father's Love, and as a result I found it, and with it a great happiness and peace. You know what my spiritual condition was in my later years on earth, and how my faith was such that, although I was nearly deaf and blind, yet I was happy and joyful. Well, when I came to the spirit world, I brought that faith and love with me, and I found that it was just as real here as it had been on earth. Of course, in some of my beliefs I was mistaken, such as my belief that Jesus was God, and that his death and blood saved or could save me from sin and damnation; but notwithstanding my mistakes in these particulars, my love for the Father was not interfered with, and I continued to live in that love and was happy. I had not been in the spirit world a great while, before spirits of a higher order than myself came to me and told me many wonderful things of the Father's Kingdom, and that my progress to the higher spheres would depend upon my receiving more of this Divine Love in my soul and becoming more at-one with the Father. The first time I saw Jesus was after I had been in the third sphere a short while, and when I met him he impressed me as being the most beautiful and loving spirit that I had ever seen; and when he told me that he was Jesus, I, of course, was somewhat surprised, because I had believed that he was sitting in the heavens on the right hand of God, as I had been taught on earth to believe. And when he saw my surprise he looked on me with a wonderful love and said that I must not further believe that he was God, or even a part of Him, or that he was in the high heavens accepting the worship of men, for he was only a spirit as I was, and was still working among mortals as well as spirits to lead them into the light and the way to the Father's Love. At first, I confess, it was difficult for me to believe this, and I had my doubts; but his manner of talking to me and the wonderful love that he displayed, not only for me but for all mankind, soon convinced me that he was the true Jesus and not an imposter. And afterwards, I met many spirits who knew him and had been his followers for many years, and they told me that he was the Jesus of the Bible, and I could not do anything else but believe. And now, after my long years of association with him and feeling his ministrations of love and the influence of his greatness, I know that he is the true Jesus, who by his teachings and overwhelming love saves men from their sins, by showing them the way to the Father's Kingdom. So my dear son, do not doubt what I tell you now in reference to this matter, or what I have already told you. Well, it is somewhat difficult to describe his appearance, but I will try. He is of a commanding figure, as you say on earth. His features are regular, and his eyes are of a deep blue, almost a purple blue, with such depths of love in them that under its influence you almost forget to note the color of his eyes. The hair is a beautiful brown, worn long and parted in the middle so that it falls over his shoulders. His nose is straight and somewhat long, with nostrils very refined and showing the artistic elements in his nature. His other features are in keeping with those I have described. He wears a beard quite long and very silky and brown like his hair. His manner is grace itself and modesty personified, and yet in him is the intensity of feeling which can show itself in just indignation when the occasion requires. And yet with all the great beauty of his person and the greater love of his soul showing itself, he is very humble - more so than any spirit I have seen. I have given you a bare outline of his appearance, and you will never fully realize in your mind's eye just what his appearance is; and only when you come over and meet him will you fully understand the appearance of the most wonderful and beautiful and loving spirit in all God's universe. Some day this will happen; and you will not have the doubts that I had, and your heart will go out to him from the first moment of your meeting. My dear son, it is a greater privilege than you can appreciate, to be thus prepared to meet your friend and teacher; for he is your friend to a degree that is beyond what I thought he would ever be while you are on earth. So you see, my experience was a somewhat exceptional one, and one secret of its being so is that I received very great faith and the Love of my Father - while on earth. While the teachings of many preachers are that the earth is the only place of probation, and that teaching is not correct; yet if it were believed more, and mankind should prepare their future in view of that belief, many a man, when he becomes a spirit, would avoid experiences that are very unpleasant and retard his progress in the spirit world. Of course, such a belief (that the earth is the only place of probation) when the mortal fails to make the preparation, will work him great injury after he becomes a spirit; because such a belief is difficult to get rid of, and as long as it lasts the spirit is very apt to believe that his status is fixed forever, and hence he will not progress until he accepts the truth. So you see after all, the only good belief is a belief in the truth, which never changes. Probation is not confined to the earth life but is with man and spirits alike. In fact it never ends, for each preceding condition of a spirit is nothing more than a probationary condition to what follows. But the great probationary condition, undoubtedly, is that which exists for the mortal while on earth; and if that probation is accepted and made the most of, the spirit of man gains an advantage which is beyond my ability to describe. Sometimes men do not attempt to take all the advantage of this probation on earth, and come to the spirit world in all their material thoughts and sins, with their souls dead, as Jesus said, and find that in such condition, as spirits, they have a more difficult time to awaken from such condition and progress; and I am informed that some spirits have been in this world for many many years and have not yet had an awakening. So you must see the importance of taking advantage of the earth probation. Well dear son, I have written a great deal and must stop now, though I should like to write you a much longer time. So with all my love I will close, and sign myself Your loving Grandmother, Ann Rollins Portraits of the various followers of Jesus are HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/portraits.htm" available here. The portrait of Jesus that we would recommend is HYPERLINK "http://www.lovewithoutend.com/images/gallery/archival_1.htm" here. May 13th, 1915. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. Well, I am ready to write more of my discourses, and I want you to prepare for our writing very soon. I think that tomorrow night will suit for the work. Commence about nine o'clock, and then you can write until we finish it. Yes, very soon the Love will come to you in abundance, and you will realize its cleansing effect, and will also experience a wonderful peace filling your soul. So tomorrow night we will write. She was correct, except that she may have HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/divinelove1.htm" overdrawn her description of my beauty and goodness; but she thinks as she wrote and you must believe what she said. Well, I love you with all the love of an elder brother who is filled with the Love of the Heavenly Father. This is all that I can say, for it is most comprehensive and leaves nothing to be added. I will pray with you to night, that the Father's Love may come to you in great abundance. So with the love that I mention and my blessings and the Love and blessings of the Father, I am your true friend and brother, Jesus May 18th, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus: Let me write just to say, be true and the power will be given you and the truth of my Revelations shall be heard throughout the world, by the work that you shall do in the way of writing. The richer will be your soul, but you must have faith and trust in the Father's Love. I have said it and you will see the glory of the Father displayed, if you will pray and believe. With faith, there will be revealed all these precious things in existence. Your brother and friend, Jesus May 24th, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. You are feeling better to-night, and l will try to write a little. I do not know that you are in condition to take a formal message, but I will tell you some things that will be of interest to you and mankind. When I came to the world to teach the truths of my Father, the world was almost devoid of spiritual conception of the true relationship of God to man, and God was a being of power and wrath only. It was because of this conception of Him that the Jews were so devoid of the true knowledge of His nature and attributes. They only knew Him as a God who was interested in their material welfare, and did not realize that He was a God who wanted them to know Him as their Spiritual Father and Saviour from the sins and evil natures that they possessed. And consequently when I came they looked upon me - I mean those who accepted me as their Messiah - as one who would redeem them from the slavery which their Roman conquerors had placed them in and make them a great and independent nation; more powerful than all the nations of the earth, and fitted to rule the whole world. They had no conception of my true mission on earth, and even my disciples, until shortly before my death, looked upon me merely as a saviour of them from the burdens which the Roman yoke had placed upon them. The only one of my disciples who had any approximate realization of what my coming to earth meant, was John, and that was because of the great amount of love that seemed to be a part of his nature and being. To him I explained my real mission and taught him the spiritual truths which I came to teach, and the only way in which mortals could receive that Love of the Father, which was necessary to make them one with the Father and enable them to partake of the Divinity of the Father. Hence, only in John's Gospel is written the one necessary requirement to a full salvation and redemption of mankind. I mean the declaration that men must be born again in order to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. This is the only true way by which a man can become a true child of the Father, and fitted to live in and enjoy the Father's Kingdom to the fullest. The other disciples had more or less conception of this necessary truth, but not the full comprehension of what it involved. Peter was more possessed of this Love than were the other disciples, except John, and with it he also understood that I was the true son of my Father; but he never understood nor declared that l was God. He was a man filled with zeal and ambition, but his development of love was not sufficient to enable him to fully realize that my Kingdom was not to be an earthly one, until after my death, and then the conviction came to him in all its truth and fullness, and he became the most powerful and influential of all my disciples. After the Pentecost, all of my disciples understood what my real mission was, and they went into the world and preached the true doctrines of my mission on earth, and the Love of the Father for His children, and the fact that that Love was waiting for all who should seek for it. So you see that many of my disciples when on earth were not possessed of the true conception of my mission, and were not true followers of me in that inner meaning of what the Love of the Father meant, and what I tried to preach to them. I have on earth now many mortals who understand my teachings better, and with a greater extent of soul knowledge, than did my disciples when journeying with me through Palestine. But there are a great many men and women now living who do not understand my teachings, even though they think they understand the Bible and the interpretations of its discourses in accordance with the accepted doctrines of the learned and so-called teachers of its truths. I don't feel that you can write more to-night and so will stop, and say that you must continue to get stronger, spiritually and physically, so that we can continue our writings more rapidly and with greater satisfaction. So believe that I am Jesus and your true friend and brother who is with you very much trying to help you and make you happy and contented. With my love and prayers, I am Jesus May 24th, 1915 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Prof. Salyards. I would like to give you another installment of my discourse, if you feel inclined to take it at this time. HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/jesus12.htm" It was the Master, you must not doubt. Well there is another law of the spirit world which provides that no spirit can ever progress to the higher sphere until he realizes that he must seek the Love and help of the Father. You may say that there are many spirits in the higher spheres who have never received this Love, and who, notwithstanding, have progressed and are now comparatively happy spirits. This is true, but their progress is merely intellectual and moral. They can progress to a limited degree only and then must stop in their progress, as the progress of the mind and the natural love has its limitations.But such progress is not the progress that I speak of - this is without limitations and leads to spheres without end, progressing nearer and near to the very Fountainhead of the Father, as the Divine Love increases in greater abundance in the soul to progress higher. This I am told by spirits from these Celestial Spheres. Well, I am sorry that you became sleepy, for it broke the thread of my discourse so that I cannot resume. Yes, I understand and do not blame you, but the effect is just the same. As your wife wants to write I will stop. Your old friend and teacher, J. Salyards May 24th, 1915 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/jesus12.htm" Well, you had a message from Jesus and I am glad that you could write for him, though it was not one of his formal ones as he said, but it was full of truth and interesting. So you must think of it and you will get benefit from it. Professor was disappointed that he could not HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/minor26.htm" finish his message, but he was not at all offended that you went to sleep - he understood that you could not keep awake, and so he will try again. I am very happy and am almost with your mother in her new home, and feel that I will soon be with her. So you must rejoice with me in my progression. I see that you are not in a very good condition to write tonight, and I will not write more now. With all my love, I am, Your own true and loving, Helen May 25th, 1915. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. You are better tonight in your spiritual condition and I will write a formal message.I desire to write on the subject of, "The real truth of the life on earth, and what it means to mortals." When men come to the knowledge that they are children of the Father and under His care and protection, they will see that they must lead such lives as will fit them to become in union with the Father and be able to partake of His Love which makes them, as it were, a part of Himself. I mean that there is in all men the potentiality of becoming a part of the Divine Essence, but in order for them to partake of this Divinity they must let the Love of the Father, in its highest nature, enter into their souls and make them at-one with Him. No mere love that they had bestowed upon them as creatures of the Father's handiwork will enable them to attain to this exalted condition.The natural love, of itself, is not sufficient, because when that love was bestowed upon them it was merely intended to enable them to live in a good and harmonious way with their fellowmen. It was not the real Love that formed a part of the Divine nature of the Father, and was not intended to make men a part of that nature. So, in order for men to receive this higher Love, they must do the will of the Father while on earth, or they will have a more difficult work, after they become spirits, in receiving the wonderful inflowing of this Divine Love. The earth is the great plane of probation, and the development of the souls of men depends upon their correct living - in accordance with those principles which the Father has established as the means whereby they may receive this condition of Love, which alone can make them at-one with Him. Merely good deeds are not sufficient. Back of all deeds must be the soul's development, which results only from the possession of this Love. I do not mean by this that deeds do not form a part of this development, for they do; but deeds without the possession of this Love will never make a man the possessor of the one thing needful to ensure his entrance into the Heavenly Kingdom. Men must love one another, and must of course, "do unto each other as they would be done by." If this rule of conduct was observed men would be much happier on earth, even if they do not possess the Divine Love that I speak of. No man can of himself become filled with this Love, for in only one way will it come into his soul: and that is by prayer to the Father for its inflowing, and faith that He will give it to him who asks earnestly and humbly. I know that some men think that prayer is nothing more than an appeal to their own better selves, but I tell you that this is a wrong belief; and when they realize the truth that prayer ascends to the Father, and is heard by Him and answered, they will understand the great mission and benefit of prayer. Let men live the most exemplary lives, and yet they will not necessarily become partners of this Great Love, and have the qualities that are necessary to enable them to receive the great gift of unison with the Father. I urge all men to live a good moral life, because it has its own reward in the spirit world, and makes them happier as spirit beings in a condition of mere natural love, and will fit them for a life in the spirit world which will bring to them happiness; but not the happiness of those who fit themselves for a greater happiness in the Celestial Kingdom. I will not discourage men from seeking the life of a moralist, or of one who tries to follow the truths of conduct which the golden rule imposes, but on the contrary, emphasize the necessity for such a life. A good man approaches nearer to the image of the Father than any other being can possibly attain to, and his reward in the future life will be that which comes only from living the life of such a man. So I say, the more a man lives in accordance with these moral precepts, the nearer he will approach the image in which he was created. But why should men be satisfied with the image when the Real Substance may be theirs by obeying the invitation of the Father? The image may satisfy some who are content with small things, but the aspiring soul wants the real substance which the Father offers freely to those who will accept His invitation. No man can really live a good moral life unless he has as his guide the Love that I have mentioned. I do not believe that any man who knows the difference between the image and the Substance will be satisfied with the former, for if so he is rejecting the greatest happiness that even the Father can bestow upon him. So let not men be content with trying to live good moral lives, but seek with all their hearts the Love that makes them truly angels of God; and such angels as can feel and realize (by reason of the Divinity which such Love brings to them) the certainty that they are immortal. Immortality is only of God, and anything less than God, or His Divine Essence which makes the creature a part of that Divinity, is not immortal. Adam and Eve (as they are called) were mortals, free from sin and obedient to the Father, and thought that they were immortal; but when the temptation came and they yielded, they realized to their great sorrow that they were not immortal. And so will every spirit of mortal be in the future life, where the Divine Love of the Father has not become a part of its existence. Life on earth is an important part of the great eternity of living, and men should realize this to its fullest meaning, and not think the earth a mere stopping place where the spirit is enfolded in flesh only for the pleasures and gratification of its carnal appetites. This earth life is a fleeting shadow of the spirit life, but an important shadow to the happiness which man may enjoy in the future. It is the most important period of man's whole existence, and the way that such life is lived may determine the whole future life of the man. I don't mean that there is no redemption beyond the grave, for the mercy of the Father continues into the spirit life; but when man fails to accept this mercy - I mean the way in which he may become a Divine child of the Father - while in the earth life, he may never accept it in the spirit life. So many spirits are contented to remain in the happiness of their natural love, and refuse to be convinced that there is a greater Love and happiness awaiting them in the Father's Kingdom which may be theirs, if they will only believe and seek. This I say from my knowledge of the real condition of spirits in the spirit world, and the difficulty which the redeemed spirits have found in their endeavors to convince these spirits who are enjoying the happiness of their natural love, that there is a happier and better sphere in which they may live, if they will seek for the Divine Love of the Father. As I said when on earth, "strait is the gate and narrow is the way which leads to life eternal, and few there be who enter therein." And this saying applies to the spirit world as well as to the material world. So let me urge upon all men to seek the strait and narrow way, for only by it can men come to the full enjoyment of what the Father has provided for them. I will now stop, but in closing will say, with all the love and knowledge which I possess: Let men seek this great Divine Love, and in faith they will find it, and forever be one with the Father - immortal as He is immortal, and happy beyond all conception. So I will say with all my love and blessings, and the blessings of the Father, "seek and ye shall find." Good night. Your loving brother and friend, Jesus May 28th, 1915. Received by: James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I want to tell you what I mean by immortality, as you and your friend differed today in your ideas of what it means. When Adam (as he is called) was told that if he should disobey God and eat of the forbidden fruit, he should surely die, the word death meant death of the soul, so far as its future progress in that which would insure its receiving the Divine essence of the Father's Love was involved. It did not mean the physical death or the death of the body, because it is very apparent that after his doom was pronounced, he lived in the flesh a great many years. But his soul's progression stopped, and it was only after my coming to earth and teaching the doctrine and truth of man being restored to the condition which Adam occupied before his fall, did mankind have the privilege of becoming immortal again - that is, of being permitted and in condition to obtain that soul progress which would enable them to become one with and a part of the Father in His Love and Affections. I do not mean that Adam was endowed with this Divine Love when he was created, but that he had that formation of soul potentialities which, if properly exercised, would have brought him in that unison with the Father that would have made his nature Divine; and when he disobeyed the commandments of the Father, he died, so far as that possibility of obtaining the Divine nature was concerned. As to those who lived on earth between Adam's fall and my revelation of the truth of redemption, they did not receive this nature, or potentiality, and were compelled to live only as mortals and spirits having the natural love. They never were admitted into the Father's heavenly kingdom, but existed merely as spirits having the natural love which was bestowed upon Adam and his race. Abraham, Isaac and the rest of the persons who are described in the Bible as being children of God, and obedient to his commands, were not partakers of this Divine nature, and became so only after my coming to earth and showing the way to its attainment. When I was sent to earth, God sent me with the truth as to mankind's redemption, and at the same time conferred upon mankind the privilege of receiving His Divine Essence. No sacrifice or death of mine brought this great boon - but only with my coming came this Love and the way to obtain it. Adam was not created immortal, but had only the potentiality of immortality, and after his "death" man ceased to have even this potentiality - until God sent it to them with my coming to earth. When it was said, "as in Adam all men died, so in (me) were all men made alive," it was merely meant that when Adam fell, that which formed a part of his being and made it possible for him to become immortal was taken from him; that is, as to that potentiality and privilege, he died, and was no more able to attain to the condition of soul that enabled him to become one with the Father, or to partake of His Divinity; and that in this condition of death mankind remained until, as I say, I came and brought with me the restored gift of the soul attribute which made it possible for man to again become immortal. When this gift was bestowed upon man, it was also bestowed upon all those who were then living in the spirit world, but they could obtain it only in the way that was provided for man to obtain it. Understand me, everything that was lost by Adam's fall was restored by my coming with the restored gift; and it embraced every spirit who had ever lived as mortal and every mortal who thereafter lived up to the present time. My coming, of itself, or the death or sacrifice of me by the Jews, did not restore mankind to the condition that existed in Adam before his fall; I was only a messenger of God sent with that gift, and to teach the truth of its restoration to mankind and to spirits. And when, after my death, I descended into hell, as the Bible says (but which saying does not express the destination of my going, for the true meaning is that I went into the world of spirits), I proclaimed to the spirits the truth of the bestowal of this restored life which had been lost by Adam's disobedience. All spirits, good and bad, now have this restored potentiality of obtaining the Divine nature that I have spoken of, and immortality. So you see, when Adam died it was the death of the soul quality or potentiality which makes immortality possible. When the Bible speaks of those men of ancient times who were God's prophets and beloved children as walking with Him, it merely means that they had obtained such a high development of their natural love that they could occupy those spheres in the spirit world (upon their physical death), which made them - mere spirits of mortals - close to the Father and supremely happy. I mean that happiness which does not partake of the Divine nature. They were not in the same condition of soul attributes as was Adam before his fall, for they did not have this potentiality; and any interpretation of anything written in the Bible which gives to any man or spirit at that time the possibility of receiving the Divine Essence of the Father is erroneous and misleading. As I have said, my death or sacrifice by blood, as is emphasized in creeds and worship of the churches, did not in the slightest degree work to bring about the restoration of this great favor of God to man. They were merely the results of the conditions of the beliefs of men in the Jewish nation, which would not tolerate my declarations of truth. My death, etc., did not appease any wrath of God towards men; but of His own Great Love for His creatures He bestowed this gift, or privilege of the soul, which man had lost by Adam's disobedience. (question) It was the disobedience of believing that he was not dependent upon God for the soul quality or potentiality that made it possible for him to partake of God's Divine nature. The tree of good and evil merely represented the knowledge that God had reserved unto Himself of the existence of that which, if known to Adam, would have subjected him to temptations that would destroy this soul quality of which I have spoken. And when Adam ate of the fruit of this tree - that is when he disobeyed God and sought the knowledge of those things which subjected him to the temptations that might cause him to cease to be all good - God took away the potentiality of Adam becoming one with Him and immortal. It was a direct punishment for disobedience, and the result was that man was left mere man, either as a mortal or as a spirit. I do not think that it was ever said that if Adam should eat of the tree of life, he would live forever and become as a god, because he was already the recipient of this tree of life: in that attribute of his soul which could, by its proper development, make himself like the gods. And here you must understand that "gods" could mean only those who possessed this Divine nature of the Father. There was only one God, and all other living beings in the spirit world were merely those who were possessed of the God-like qualities of love and obedience; none were gods. The angels of God were merely the spirits that I have last described. When it was said that man was made a little lower than the angels, it meant that while these angels had that Divine nature perfected to a more or less degree, man had only the potentiality of soul that would enable him to obtain that development which would perfect him so that he could become an angel. But this saying does not apply to any man born after Adam, and before my coming with the announcement that God had restored to man this Divine attribute which Adam had forfeited. So you see, the loss of immortality does not mean the death of the physical body, but the death of that quality or potentiality of the soul which enabled man to become like the Father in certain of His Divine attributes. And more strictly speaking, the mere possession of the soul of this quality is not immortality, or rather it does not make a man or spirit immortal, but merely gives him such quality of soul and potentiality that, by its proper development, he may become immortal. In the future, all men, either as spirits or mortals, will possess that soul quality or potentiality, until the great day of judgment shall again take from those who have not, at the time, perfected their souls into the enjoyment of the Divine nature, as I have explained. When that day comes, those who are without this Divine essence in their souls will be forever deprived of the privilege of receiving the great gift of this Divine Essence, or in other words, of God's Divine Love. And after that time, those spirits who have never acquired this Divine nature will be permitted to live merely as spirits enjoying their natural love - just as Adam after his fall, and all spirits and men who lived between that time and my coming, lived only in their natural love. This is the second death. Adam's was the first, and the great day of judgment will declare the second. And after that, never again will man have the opportunity of partaking of this Divine Essence of the Father and becoming "as one of the gods." Men may reason to the utmost of their limited intellects in the way of saying that God would not subject his creatures to this second death and thereby deprive them of this great boon of becoming partakers of His Divine nature, and the great happiness that comes with it, but such reasoning, or the conclusion reached, will not change the fact. What I tell you is the fact, and many men, to their sorrow, will when too late realize that it is true. And men will not be justified in complaining of this. The opportunity is now given and will in the future be given to all men and spirits to become the children of the Father, in the angelic and Divine sense, and if they refuse to do so, they can have no grounds upon which to base the accusation of injustice against the Father or His Love. He will still be their Father, even though they may not accept His Great Gift, and they will from the natural love bestowed upon them be comparatively happy; but they will not partake of His heavenly Kingdom. They will be like the guests invited to the marriage feast, who, because of various excuses, declined to attend. While they were not deprived of other food and sustenance, yet the more precious food which the host had provided for them at the feast, they never partook of, and never thereafter had the opportunity to. Many of my parables in the Bible illustrate this great truth when properly understood - as men did in those days when I was on earth, but now harden their hearts and shut their intellects to the truths of these parables and to my teachings. Of course, ultimately, all these men will be saved from sin and error, and in fact, sin and error will be destroyed entirely. Men and spirits will live in comparative happiness; but they will live in death and not in life, so far as the life of the soul, with its possibilities of becoming Divine and of enjoying the great happiness which the Divine Love of the Father bestows, is concerned. So you see, immortality does not pertain to the physical body or to the spiritual body, or to the soul unqualifiedly, but to those qualities of the soul which makes it possible for the soul to become in its nature Divine. And immortality does not mean mere continuous existence, because every spirit and every soul may live through all eternity in their individualized form. When it was said in the Bible that I brought immortality and life to light, it did not mean that I showed man merely that they would, as spirits, continue to live forever, but it meant that they would live forever in the Father's Kingdom, with natures Divine and not capable of being deprived of the great and true life which is found only in that Kingdom. So let you and your friend think over what I have written, and in places where my meaning may not appear plain, I will try, by the inspiration of my knowledge and power, to enlighten your souls and intellects. You are both very mediumistic and easy recipients of inspiration, and as your souls seem to be attuned to the truth, and as you are seeking earnestly for the truth, I will endeavor with all my powers to inspire you with such intellectual thoughts and spiritual perceptions as will enable you to see these truths in all their nakedness - face to face, and not as through a glass, darkly. I must now stop - and give you my blessings, and the blessing of the Father. Your friend and brother, Jesus May 28th, 1915. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, your Grandmother. Well my son, the discourse of the Master is wonderful. Never before has he HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/divinelove16.htm" explained to mortals the real inner truths of immortality and other truths of a kindred nature. I was somewhat impressed with the earnestness with which he wrote and the great exertion of his thoughts, and love that accompanied his writing. You must study the message earnestly, for in it are truths which appear nowhere else that I am aware of. Oh, the great blessings of the Father to his children! How thankful we should be that we live in a time when this Great Gift has been restored to mankind, and have the privilege of partaking of it. I will not write more tonight as you are considerably exhausted by your writing. So, with all my love and best wishes for your welfare, I am your loving grandmother, Ann Rollins June 2nd, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washinton D.C. Let me write just a little as I need help, and I saw how you helped the last spirit who wrote. It was (to me) wonderful what a change came to her as you told her of God's Love, and when she went with that beautiful spirit who spoke so lovingly to her, I thought that hope is for me too. So, I know you will help me, as I need it so much, and you seem willing to help us all. I am a woman who lived a great many years ago in a land that is far distant from your home; and at a time that runs back into the centuries. I was an Egyptian Princess, and lived in the time when your Jesus, that I heard you speak of, was not known to the world. I was taught the philosophy of the ancient Egyptians, and Osiris and Isis were our god and goddess. We worshipped them, but not in love or soul adoration, but in fear and dread. They were not the loving Father that you say your God is, but the dread things of power and wrath that called for our obedience through fear of punishment, and the tortures of the hells which they were supposed to rule in, and there torment the spirits of mortals who disobeyed them. So you see, our souls were not developed with love, but our minds were controlled with fear, and we offered our sacrifices to appease the terrible threatenings of their wrath. I was naturally a loving woman, and in my life outside of my religious beliefs, I was compassionate and sympathetic. Those who were subject to me in our intercourse of government loved me, and were grateful and obedient subjects; but when it became a question as to our worship and religious duties, I sacrificed many of them to satisfy the wrath and demands of our gods. These sacrifices were made at first openly, but so great did they become, and deleterious to the good of the nation in its political aspect, that latterly our sacrifices were made in private, but they were made nevertheless. Our beliefs were as real and as earnest as are the beliefs of you Christians in your God of Love and mercy; and we did the will of our gods with as much belief that we were doing our duty, as do you the will of the Father in the belief that you are doing your duty.But as I now see, what a difference in the motives, and what a difference in the results. Our motives were to appease our angry gods, and thereby prevent their wrath from falling upon us who continued to live, and your motives are to get and be filled with the Love and Mercy of a Father of Love, and to have your souls filled with that which will enable you to live in His presence and become supremely happy. In the long years that I have lived in the spirit world, I have learned all this intellectually, and many other things that show me the cruelty and degradation of the beliefs that prevailed when I was a mortal and which resulted in the deaths, physically, of many of my subjects, and the death also of their souls. Love to us, was not a thing divine. Obedience and placating the anger of the gods were the divine things to us.And now, while I have heard of this Love of your Father, and have seen the results of this Love upon their appearances, and the apparent happiness of the worshippers of your God, yet I have never understood this Great Love, except in an intellectual way. My soul has never felt the influence of this Love, and I had never before thought it necessary for me to seek the secret of obtaining the benefit of this Love. But I now see that there is something more to this secret than the mere knowledge of the Love's existence, which the mind tells me must exist; and so having, in my journeys to earth, heard of your meetings with the spirits who are seeking this Love, or rather a way out of their darkness and sufferings, and having seen the effect of some of their efforts, I came to you to learn the way, if possible, by which I may obtain the soul experience which I have heard you, and the beautiful spirits who come to you, speak of. Of course, my ancient beliefs still have some influence over me, though I have found that Osiris and Isis are myths; but yet, that negative knowledge has not supplied me with the means by which I can get this Love you speak of. While I know that the angry gods do not exist, still there is a void in my soul which I realize has never been filled. So I pray that if you can help me to the way that will lead to my finding this soul filling Love that you speak of, I will be greatly obliged if you will do so, and will follow that way. In the years since my coming into the spirit world, I have lived in a number of spheres, each one in succession a progressive one. But in none of these spheres which I have lived in, have I found that the inhabitants are possessed of this soul Love that I am anxious to obtain. In the higher spheres in which I have lived and in the highest, there is a wonderful development of the mental qualities, and the knowledge possessed by these spirit inhabitants is beyond all conception of mortals. Sin does not exist in these highest spheres, and happiness is very great, and the spirits are very beautiful and bright. But in my comparison of the beauty and brightness of these spirits with those who claim this soul development of Love, I notice a great difference. We have our loves and our harmonies, and peace reigns supreme, but yet I am not satisfied, and so with many others who live where I do. But the cause of this dissatisfaction is not revealed to us, and only, as I say, in my visits to the earth plane and hearing of this Love, have I become convinced that the great secret of our dissatisfaction may be found among those spirits who claim to have this wonderful Love. So I come to you and ask you to show me the way to learn of it. Well, I have visited the earth plane many times since I have been a spirit, and occasionally, have conversed with the spirits who claim to have this Love, and they have to some degree told me of this Love, but I never thought much about it until lately. I was happy in my condition as I have told you of it, and did not think it worth while to inquire into the fact of what this Love meant. But somehow, lately, the desire to learn of it has taken possession of me, and hence I come to you because I see others coming to you who say they need help. I did not go to the others you speak of because I thought that I might get more help by coming to you first. The spirits who are seeking your help say that they can in some way obtain an advantage in coming to you first. I don't know why, but they believe it; and when I saw the effect of their coming to you, I thought it might be so, and hence I came. I was the daughter of one of the early Pharaohs and my name was Princess Saleeba. I do not know how to compute the centuries, but I lived before the pyramids were built, so you see I have been in the spirit world a long time. Not now, but sometime I will come again and write you more in detail a description of the spheres through which I have progressed. I have called for your mother, and she is so very beautiful. She must have a great amount of this Love. She says that she will show me the way to obtain it, and will love me herself - and take me to the greatest spirit in all the spirit world, in whom I can see this Love developed in its greatest perfection. And I am going with her. So remember my promise to come again, for I will. So with many thanks and my kindest regards, I will say goodnight, Saleeba June 2nd, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. No, the spheres in which she ( HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/ancient8.htm" Saleeba) lived are the ones that your grandmother described as being the homes of the merely intellectual spirits. In these different spheres are many subspheres, and the different races of mankind naturally congregate with those spirits of their own race - so that while this Egyptian may have lived in these different spheres, it does not follow that she lived in the same subspheres with the spirits of other races, and in all probability she did not. She is a very ancient spirit, but her age as compared with eternity - that which is passed as well as that to follow - is as a grain of sand on the seashore to all the rest of the sand. She is old as men consider age, but as we look upon it, she is of the now - and not very old. She will tell you of the spheres in which she lived, but they will not be any different, or any greater than the ones your grandmother described. And she has not progressed above the sixth, and cannot until she receives the Divine Love and essence of the Father. So, as she describes these spheres to you, keep in mind the fact, that she has never gotten beyond the sixth, as described by your grandmother. She may have passed through what seems to her many more spheres than the ones described by your grandmother, but all the various stages through which she passed constitute no more than the six lower spheres. She never was in the seventh or passed through it. So let your mind be settled on this point: No spirit who is without this Love has ever gotten beyond the sixth sphere. The ancient Bible patriarchs and prophets, such as Moses, Abraham, Elisha, and the others, never got beyond the sixth sphere until my coming, when they received the Divine Love - and the fact that they are ancient spirits does not necessarily imply that they are in a very high sphere now. Your grandmother, for instance, is in a much higher sphere than all of the ancients who have never received the Divine Love. So the fact that a spirit is ancient, does not, of itself, mean that it is of a very high order of spirit. Many a spirit who passed over comparatively recently is as high in the sixth sphere as are these ancient ones. And many a spirit who came to the spirit world within a short time, your wife for instance, is in a higher sphere than many of these ancient ones who have been in the spirit life for centuries - yes, centuries upon centuries - and for the reason, that these ancients have only the mental development which can carry them into the sixth sphere only, while your wife has the soul development which has already carried her to the Celestial Spheres. So do not think that because a spirit who comes to you may be an ancient spirit, it may be in a high sphere, or can instruct you in those things which will lead you to the Father's kingdom; for it is not true. The Egyptian who came to you is now seeking this Love and she will receive it, and progress higher as she develops her soul, but she will never get higher than the sixth sphere until her soul development fits her for the higher spheres. The mere fact that she has the mental development which enabled her to progress to the sixth sphere will not help her in any degree to progress above it. As her soul develops, she will leave the sixth sphere and inhabit a sphere of soul education which is in unison with her development, and it may be the third only - but this sphere will enable her to make more rapid progress than if she should remain in the sixth, because of the reasons that your grandmother portrayed in her message. So do not be impressed with the thought that because a spirit is an ancient one, it can help you or instruct you in those things which pertain to your soul development. Of course, their mental qualities are developed to a high degree, and they can tell you many interesting things about the times in which they lived, and of their experiences in the spirit world; but these things, while interesting, do not help you to attain to the Divine Kingdom. As regards this soul knowledge, they may be mere babes, and totally devoid of all the things necessary for the soul development through Divine Love. I have many things yet to write about, and as we write you will see that I am the true Jesus, and that my knowledge of the Father's Kingdom is the greatest possessed by any spirit, be he ancient or modern. I wish that I could write to you every night, but under present earthly conditions I cannot, because it might interfere with your life on earth. But, as I have told you, very soon you will be in the condition where I will have your services all to myself and my work. I will not write more tonight, but only say believe, and you will see the glories of the Father, and your own salvation and happiness. Your friend and brother, Jesus June 5th, 1915. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I am with you tonight as I heard you longing for me, and have come to comfort and bless you. My dear brother, you have the Love of the Father in your soul to a great extent this night, and I see that you are very happy and feel that the Father is very near you. And I am so glad that your condition is such, for I want to tell you how much the Love of the Father is waiting to bless you and make you at-one with Him and a true child of His affections I am now prepared to give you my next formal message, and if you feel that you would like to take it tonight, I will do so. Well then, I will write on the subject: "Why man must receive this Divine Love in order to be admitted to the Kingdom of Heaven or Celestial Kingdom." In that Kingdom there are no spirits who have not received this Love, so that their natures are of the Divine Essence of the Father. I do not mean that any spirit is perfect in this Divine nature, but that the spirit has so much of this Divine Love in his soul as to make him in unison with the nature of the Father. There are different degrees of perfection, or rather there are different degrees of possession of this Love by the spirits, and their happiness and glory are dependent upon the amount of Love possessed by them. No spirit though, who is an inhabitant of this Kingdom, is without this Divine Love; and no spirit has in its soul any sin or error that may have been a part of it while in the earth life. All the spirits know that they are immortal, just as the Father is immortal; and this knowledge comes to them only from the possession of this Love which is the Divine Essence that flowed into their souls from the great Divine nature of the Father. Should anything in the soul not be in unison with the Soul of the Father, that spirit could not possibly enter into that Kingdom; and as the soul of such spirit remains in such condition of inharmony, it can never be received into the Celestial Kingdom. I know that among men, and spirits also, it is thought and asserted that the Father is all merciful and all good, and in His great plan for the salvation of men, and for establishing the harmony of His universe, no man or spirit will be excluded from His Heavenly Kingdom; but in this thought, mortals and spirits both are mistaken; and I am sorry to say that many of them will, when too late, realize this error. God has certain principles which are fixed and which are necessary for men to know and obey in order for them to become at-one with Him and partake of His Divine nature; and if they fail to obey the requirements of these principles, they will forever be excluded from possessing that in their souls which will make them like the Father, and admit them to His Kingdom. They, in such condition, or want of the qualifications, even though they were admitted to the Kingdom, would not be happy, for their condition would wholly fail to respond to those things in the Kingdom which give happiness to the true children of the Father; and they, of necessity, would be most unhappy, and heaven would not be a heaven to them. So you see, all spirits, in order to inhabit this Kingdom, must have the prescribed requirements of soul love and soul development. As I said when on earth, "He that enters into the sheepfold in any other way than through the gate is a thief and a robber," and no thief or robber is fitted for this Kingdom of Divine Love. Let man know, that no Mercy or Love of the Father will be given him to enable him to enter this Kingdom, unless that man seeks this Love and this Mercy in the way the Father has ordained that they shall be sought for. No special providence will be extended to any man, and if he comes to the marriage feast without his wedding garment, he will be cast out and not be permitted to enjoy the feast. Men may reason to the extent of all their reasoning powers to prove that the Father, being a loving and merciful Father, will not cast them out or keep them from entering this Kingdom, because they are all His children and the objects of His Love and favor, and that one is as dear to Him as the other, and that He is no respecter of persons, and, therefore, will treat all alike; but I tell them that they are mistaken, and if they wait until the Great Day when the sheep shall be separated from the goats, they will realize to their everlasting exclusion from this Kingdom, that what I say is true. Of course, every spirit ever born is the object of the Father's care, and He makes no distinction between the spirits and mortals that He has created, and wants every one of them to inhabit His Kingdom and partake of those things which He has provided for them, and which are beyond their conception in the greatness of the grandeur and beauty of these things. And He calls to all His creatures to come and partake of these great provisions that He has made for them, and no creature is refused the gift of these things, or heard to ask and not be answered with their bestowal; yet, when that man or spirit who has this great boon, and the way shown by which he can receive these gifts, refuses or neglects to follow that way or to receive these gifts in the way ordained by the Father, then all these Great Gifts are withdrawn from him, and never, after the Great Day of separation, will he have the privilege of receiving them. And men cannot say that the Father is unjust or unmerciful or unloving because He forever, thereafter, shuts the door to these privileges or the opportunity of receiving them. Men have rejected His Gift and neglected to search His plans for their great happiness, and, consequently, they will have no right to complain, when they, like the foolish virgins, find the door shut against them. So I say, men must realize the necessity of putting on the wedding garments and of filling their lamps with oil, in order to be admitted into the Kingdom. I will not herein tell the way in which men must prepare themselves for an entrance into this Kingdom of the Father, for it would take too long, HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/divinelove12.htm" but I will in a future message explain this fully; but I will say, before closing, that if men will pray to the Father for the inflowing into their souls of His Divine Love, and have faith, they will find themselves on the true way to become inhabitants of His Kingdom. As it is late I must stop writing, and with all my love and blessings and the blessings of the Father, will say good night. Your friend and brother, Jesus June 5th, 1915 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I merely want to tell you to-night that you are so much better in your condition for writing my messages and for receiving the Love of the Father in your soul. You took my message last night in a very satisfactory way, and I am pleased with the manner in which you caught my meaning. So very soon we will have another message and a very important one. I am with you in your hours of lonesomeness, trying to help and comfort and lead you to the Love of the Father. To-night I will not write more, as I desire that another shall write, who will give you a message that will interest you very much. I mean your grandmother. She is a very capable spirit in discussing the things pertaining to the spirit. I mean those things which reveal to men the truths of the Father, as she has learned them and understands them. Not merely in a mental sense but in the way of her soul perceptions. So you will receive much benefit from what she may write, and you will realize that she is a wonderful spirit in the knowledge of all these things that tell of God's Love, and of His care and mercy towards mankind. I will now, with my love and blessings and those of the Father, say good-night. Your brother and friend, Jesus June 5th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. Well my dear grandson, I am here and desire to write awhile tonight about some things that are true, and show you the workings of God's Love among men and spirits. I have had a great deal of experience, although I have not been in the spirit world a very long time - as we count time, which we do not; but I merely use the expression that you may understand what I mean. I am, as I told you, in the second Celestial Sphere, where your wife and mother also are. In this sphere, all the inhabitants are spirits who have been redeemed by the Divine Love and great mercy of the Father, and by the great gift of immortality which Jesus wrote you about the other night. I am now so developed in my soul qualities that I realize that I am a part of the Father's Divine nature, and that I have in me those qualities of His nature that make me immortal, and which immortality can never more be taken from me; and what I say applies to all the inhabitants of this sphere. Of course, you will understand there is yet more Love which we may obtain, because our progress in the Divine Love never ceases, until we get into the very presence of the Father, and are able to see Him with our soul perceptions. This phase you cannot possibly understand, as you are now, but when you come to the place where I am, you will; and it is even possible for you, in a way, to comprehend it while in the mortal life, but not to the extent that you will when you become a spirit and live in this sphere. Your mother and wife now have this quality of soul perception, but even among us there is a difference of comprehension of this, and I am told that as I progress higher and receive more of this Love, this soul perception will become clearer and more satisfactory to me. So when you hear us say we are redeemed and have as our possession a part of the Divine Essence of the Father, you must understand that it is a comparative thing, and that we are not perfect - even the Master is not perfect, as God is perfect, so he tells us. But he is progressing in the acquisition of this Love and in the increased power of this soul perception. Until we reach the first Celestial Spheres, we have not a sufficient quantity of this Love to make us partakers of this Divine nature of the Father to the degree that all the natural loves are absorbed by the Divine Love; for all below that sphere have more or less of the mere natural love, which causes them to retain their worldly affections. I mean those things which tend to retard their progress. Of course our natural love for our relatives or friends does not leave us even after we reach the Celestial Spheres, but when we become inhabitants of these spheres, we have no interest in the affairs of earth or its government. The seventh sphere is the one that divides those spirits who have merely intellectual or moral qualities which are developed, as it were, to the highest degree, from those spirits who, in addition to mental and moral development, have their souls developed by the Divine Love of the Father. No spirit who has not this Love can become an inhabitant of the seventh sphere, so that when you hear of any of your spirit friends or acquaintances, or of any other spirits, being in the seventh sphere, you will know that these spirits have received the Divine Love to an extent a little short of that which enables them to enter the first Celestial Sphere and which makes them at-one with the Father, and hence immortal. The sixth sphere is one where the mental and moral qualities are developed to their greatest extent, and it is not necessary for the spirit to have this soul development to any great extent in order to become an inhabitant of this sphere. In other words, it is a sphere which is given more especially to those spirits who have given more thought to the improvement of their minds and their moral qualities than to the development of their souls by obtaining the Divine Love of the Father. This sphere is one of great happiness for these spirits of mental and moral excellence, and it is the highest that they can attain to in their progression in the spirit world. Of course, these spirits may also receive this greater soul development, for the Divine Love is free and waiting for all of God's children; but my observation has been that when the spirits who find their happiness in purely mental pursuits or in the development of their moral natures, get into this sphere, they seldom become dissatisfied enough with their condition of happiness to desire or seek for a greater one; in fact, the majority of them will not believe that there is any greater happiness that they can attain to, and, hence, the deadening satisfaction which possesses them. I know it may be a little difficult for you to understand this matter as I have attempted to explain it, but what I have said is true; and in the day of separation these spirits will realize that fact, but then it will be too late to remedy their neglect or want of the soul desire for the soul development, that comes only by the inflowing of the Divine Love into the soul in sufficient abundance, and which is necessary to permit them to become inhabitants of the Celestial Kingdom. (question) Well, when a spirit enters the spirit world its condition of mental, moral or spiritual development determines where it shall first live. In the large majority of cases, the first home of the spirit is the earth plane, and in that there are a number of planes, respectively higher or lower than others. So when the spirit finds itself in the earth plane, it also finds that its condition is not much different from what it was on earth. The same ideas of right and wrong, of beliefs, of affections and of desires obtain. Sometimes these conditions will last for many years, and again the change can come comparatively soon. This change of condition depends frequently upon the friends or relatives, who try to help and instruct them when they come over. If such spirit helpers are themselves developed in the line of intellectual pursuits, they will more naturally endeavor to direct the newly arrived spirit along the same line of thought and aspirations; and so with the morally developed helpers - they will make the questions of morality the important ones for the new spirits to give attention to. And so with the spiritual helpers, or those who have received the Love of the Father in their souls, and to whom such Love is the most important thing in all the spirit world. Naturally they will endeavor to instruct the spirit in matters pertaining to this Love and the increased development of it. So you see, much depends upon the helpers which the new spirit finds waiting its advent into the spirit world, and the instructions which such spirit helpers give it. But more will depend upon the condition of the spirit itself. As I have said, when it comes into the spirit world it brings with it all its beliefs, desires and affections, and these respective qualities will, to a more or less extent, influence the directions of its progress. It is much easier to influence a spirit who has had, while on earth, awakened in him a love of God even to a small degree, to pursue the thoughts that will lead him into spiritual ways, than to persuade one who has never had that awakening. And so with the spirit who, while on earth, gave his studies and thoughts to mental pursuits, to the exclusion of thoughts relating to God or to religious matters. Such spirits will naturally be attracted to those things which it considers a continuation of its earthly thoughts, or which will enable it to pursue the development of those thoughts; and consequently, they are its "treasures" which necessarily have the most of its affections, and from these affections will arise its desires which will, unless something greater intervenes, cause it to follow the course of these desires. And the same principles can be applied to every condition of the spirit - mental, moral or spiritual. Now, to the point of your question. Such spirit, following the natural inclination of its condition as I have explained, will endeavor in its progress, to get into that sphere where there are afforded the greatest opportunities for the development of the particular phase of its condition which constitutes its chief motive force. And this is in accordance with a spiritual law. The spirit desiring above all else the development of its mental qualities will naturally seek that sphere where these qualities have the greatest opportunity for such development. And so with the moralist and the spirit of religious thought. Now, God, in His great wisdom and goodness, has provided these several spheres and made them suited for the purposes of their creation; and all the spirits have the choice as to which they will enter and seek to live in. But, of course, not only one sphere of its kind is provided, but there are several so provided, so that there may be progression on the part of spirits who have these several phases of desires and attractions. The second, the fourth and the sixth spheres are appropriated for those spirits who have more of the qualifications and desires for advancement in their mental and moral pursuits, or rather for the development of those qualities possessed by them which pertain more to the mental and moral natures. Of course in their progress from the lowest to the respective higher spheres that I have mentioned, the spirit must pass through the intervening spheres; but they do not linger in them or seek to make them their homes, or stay in them for their development, because in these intervening spheres the qualities which these spirits are attempting to develop, are not given much attention, and these spirits would not be much benefitted by remaining in these spheres. But the fact of passing through these intervening spheres does not indicate (for the contrary is true) that these spirits in so passing, in any degree, receive any additional love or development of their soul qualities. So that a spirit in the third sphere, possessing the Divine Love, may have more soul development than one who lives in the sixth sphere who has not the Divine Love. And so in contrast to the second, fourth and sixth spheres, that I have named, the third, fifth and seventh spheres are the ones appropriated to and specially prepared for the spirits who are seeking the development of the Divine Love into their souls; and in these spheres, Divine Love is the great thing that is sought for and acquired. The spirits of these spheres may be just as highly developed in their mental and moral qualities as are those before described; and, frequently, they are more so, for with the soul development in the Divine Love, strange as it may seem to you, comes mental and moral development. But this development of the mind is not the chief thing for which these spirits seek. Every desire and aspiration with them is subordinated to their great efforts to obtain this Divine Love to the highest degree, and ever and ever are these spirits seeking for it, and they have never become satisfied, in contrast to those who merely seek the mental and natural love development. As I have said, beyond the sixth sphere, these merely mental or moral seekers cannot progress, unless they seek for the Divine Love, and in this sixth sphere the mind's happiness is reached. And the sixth sphere is a more prolific one of probation, in the sense that many of these spirits are awakened to the necessity of seeking this soul development, because after some of these spirits have been there for a long time, they commence to realize this limitation to their mental happiness. And, strange as it may seem to you, they frequently make their first start by calling up the recollections of their childhood days, when they were taught and believed that God loved them, and that His Love was the greatest thing in all the world. So you see here illustrated, in a way you probably never have thought of, the saying of Jesus that, "except ye become as little children ye can in no wise enter the Kingdom of Heaven." But many of these spirits have no childhood recollections of this kind, and then comes the work of the higher spirits who have been redeemed by this Great Love of the Father. In all this you will see how God recognizes and respects the independent will of His creature. He does not force them to seek His Love, but waits until they, by their own experience, learn that what they once thought was all sufficient for their happiness, is not sufficient; and realizing this insufficiency, they become dissatisfied, and with such dissatisfaction comes the wish to learn the great unknown of desire, which, at last, causes them to feel their dependence upon a source of happiness not emanating from themselves. And thus, my dear son, in my imperfect way, I have attempted to give you a description of the several spheres and their character and the object of their creation. You must believe what I have told you, for it is true; and in believing you will see the great advantage in striving to enter the spheres of the soul or the Divine Heavens; for in doing so, you will not only gain your soul's development but also the development of your mental qualities and your moral nature also. And thus you will understand the great saying of the Bible: "Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." Well, I have written you a long letter and must stop. So with all the love of a devoted grandmother, I will say, good night. Ann Rollins June 6th, 1915. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I want to tell you, once and for all, that the Holy Ghost is not God and that the unpardonable sin is a thing which has no existence either in the world of mortals or in the spirit world. I never used the expression contained in the Bible in reference to the unpardonable sin, and it has done more harm to my cause than most any other thing. Well, I was not conceived by the Holy Ghost as many believe. I was a man created and born as other men; only, as I have told you, I was without sin. All writings which make the Holy Spirit equal to the Father are untrue. The Holy Spirit, as I have told you, is a mere instrument of God in doing His work among men, and for men to believe that the Holy Spirit is God, is blasphemy - but even that sin will be forgiven men. I hope that before we get through our writings I will make it so plain and convincing that the Holy Spirit is not God, but a mere spirit, though the Greatest Spirit in His kingdom, that men will cease to worship it as God. Yes, I will write a formal message on this subject, and you will see that the Holy Spirit cannot possibly be God. So do not let this question interfere with your belief in me or in what I write to you. You are now in the way to truth and the kingdom; and if you will continue to pray and have faith you will become an inhabitant of that kingdom, no matter what the Bible may say which is apparently in conflict with what I write. So with all my love, I will say goodnight. Your friend and brother, Jesus June 7th, 1915. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I want to write to you to-night about my birth and life up to the time of my public ministry. I was born in Bethlehem, as you know, in a manger, and when I was a few days old my parents took me to Egypt, in order to avoid the soldiers of Herod who were sent to destroy me, and who did kill a great number of male infants of less than two years of age. The Bible story of my birth and the flight of my parents and the murder of the innocents, is substantially correct; and I only wish to add to it, that when my parents arrived in Bethlehem they were not compelled to seek the manger of a stable in order that I might be born, on account of poverty, for they were supplied with funds and everything that was needed to make my birth comfortable for my mother; and as a matter of fact my father was not poor in the world's goods as poverty was considered in those days. The Bible says the wise men came and brought offerings of gold and frankincense to my parents, or rather to me, but my parents have told me that it did not amount to so very much, so far as the money value of the same was concerned, and that their expenses of fleeing to Egypt was met by the funds that my father had prior to his reaching Bethlehem. After they arrived in Egypt my father sought the home of a Jew, who was his relative, and lived there for a long time, doing the work that his trade fitted him to do; and by his work supported the family, and to an extent, educated myself and my brothers and sisters, for I had four brothers and three sisters, and were all, except myself, born in Egypt. When I became of proper age, I attended the common school provided for small children, and was taught those things that had to do with the religion of the Jews, and some things that were not religious in their nature. I was never taught the philosophy of the Egyptians or of the other pagan philosophies; and when it is stated that I received my religious ideas or moral teachings from any of these philosophers, they are mistaken. My education as to these matters of religion was derived from the teachings of the Old Testament, or rather from Jewish teachers whose text book was the Old Testament. My development in the knowledge of the truths which I taught during my public ministry, was caused by my inner spiritual faculties, and my teacher was God, who, through His angels and through my soul perceptions, caused to come to me those truths or rather the knowledge of them, and in no other way did I obtain it.I was not born with the knowledge that I was the son of God sent to earth to teach these great truths, or to announce to mankind the rebestowal of the great gift of immortality, and the means of acquiring it. But this knowledge of my mission came to me after I became a man and had the frequent communions with God by my spiritual senses. I was never in the presence of the Jewish priests, expounding to them the law and asking questions when about twelve years of age, as stated in the Bible, and not before my first appearance, after I became a man did I attempt to show priest or layman, that I was the messenger of the Father, and sent by Him to proclaim the glad tidings of immortality restored and of the great love of the Father which was necessary to make all men at one with Him, and to give them a home in His Kingdom. I never was a sinful boy or man, and did not know what sin was in my heart; and strange as it may seem, I never sought to teach others these truths until after my mission was declared by John the Baptist. In my boyhood days I was the same as other boys and engaged in the plays of childhood and had the feelings of a child, and never thought I was anything else than a child. In no wise was I different from other children, except in the particular that l have named, and any account of me to the contrary is untrue. My teachings were those that the Father had committed to me from the beginning, but which I was only conscious of after I became a close communicant of the Father, and learned from Him my mission. So you must believe that I was a son of man as well as a son of God, and that in the literal sense. I would not have been true to my mission had I claimed that I was the only son of God, for it is not true - and men should not so teach it. Yes, I know it was said that my mother was told of the object of my birth and what a blessed woman she was, but this is not true. My mother, as she has told me, had no reason to suppose that I was different from other children born of men. The story of the Angel of God coming to her and telling her that she must submit to the birth of a child who would be begotten by God or by His Holy Spirit, and that she, as a virgin, should bear and give birth to that child, is not true, for she never in all her life told me that she had any such visitor; and I know that she would be as much surprised, as are many men, that such a thing as the birth of a child by a virgin could take place. So you see the Bible account of my being begotten and all the attending circumstances are not true. My father, Joseph, never supposed at anytime that I was not his child, and the story of the angel coming to him and telling him that he must not put her away because of appearance is not, true, because he never in all my conversations with him, intimated that I was other than his own child. Between the time that I was twelve years of age and my public ministry, I lived at home with my parents, and assisted my father in his business of carpenter, and during all this time no hint ever fell from him that I was not his child, or that I was different from other children, except that I did not do sinful things. When I commenced to get this divine love into my soul, I became very close to the Father, and this relationship resulted in my realizing that I was sent by God with a mission to perform and a great and important truth to declare; and, at last the voice in my soul told me that I was my Father's true son and I believed it, and commenced to teach and preach the truths of His love bestowed and the salvation of men. I knew John the Baptist when I was a child growing up. He was my cousin and we often played together, and afterwards discussed the truth of my mission and the way in which it should be made known to the world. John was a great psychic and saw in his vision who I was and what my mission on earth was, and, hence, when the time came, he made the announcement of my coming. He realized the difference in our missions, and spoke of his not being worthy to unloosen my shoes. But, yet, he did not fully understand my mission and the great truth of the bestowal of immortality upon man by the Father. I first became the Christ when I was anointed by my Father, and that occurred at the time of my baptism by John. I as Christ am different from myself as Jesus. Christ means that principle which the Father has conferred upon me, which made me at one with Him in the possession of this great love. Christ is that love itself made manifest in me as man. This Christ principle is universal and is everywhere, just as is the Holy Spirit, but I am limited in my place of occupancy just as you are. I never as Jesus merely, promised the great gift, mentioned in the Bible, such as, where two or three are gathered together there will I be also; for it would be impossible for me to be in all places at the same time. But Christ, being without form or limitation, is omnipresent and, consequently, may fulfill my promise in this regard. Christ is as much alive today as ever. He was never crucified and never died as did Jesus. Well, I think you are too sleepy now to continue, well because you need sleep. I know of no special influence being exerted over you to produce sleep. I will continue in the near future. Your brother and friend, Jesus. June 7th, 1915. Received by:James Padgett. I am here, Helen. Well, sweetheart, you are too sleepy to write, as you had better go to bed and get a good night's sleep. The Master was not at all offended, for he understood that you could not keep awake sufficient to write. He will finish the next time and you will be interested in the discourse. With all my love I will say good-night. Your own true and loving Helen June 8th, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I will HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/jesus7.htm" continue my letter as to my birth and work, as I commenced it last night. When I was satisfied that I was chosen by my Father to perform His work of declaring to the world the bestowal of His great gift of the divine love that was in His nature, and which formed the predominant principle of that nature, I commenced my ministry, and continued to work for the redemption of mankind, on earth, until my death on the cross. I was not then as perfect as I am now, and my knowledge of the truths of the Father was not so great as it is now. Let men know though, that what I taught was true, even though I did not teach all the truth, and they will learn that I am my Father's true son, and the special messenger by whom these great truths was to be taught to mankind. I was not, when on earth, so filled with the love of the Father as I am now, and had not the power to make men feel that this love is the only thing that will reconcile them to the Father and make them at one with Him, as I have now. So men must believe that I am communicating to them the real truths which will show them the way to the Fathers love and to their own salvation. You have in your mind the desire to know how it was that the wise men came to me with their offerings and adoration, if I was not specially created by God to become His son and representative on earth. Well, the wise men came, but their coming was not because of any knowledge they had that I was a child divinely created, or that I was not a natural child, but because they were astrologers and at the time saw a new and brilliant star in the heavens, and which to them meant that some important event had taken place; and, being students of the Old Testament, wherein such a star was referred to as the forerunner of the birth of a saviour, they concluded that that star was the one intended, and that my birth being a lowly one, as they expected was the one that the Scriptures meant, and, consequently, that I was the Christ spoken of. But outside of this knowledge as astrologers and that of the Scriptures, they had no knowledge that I was the Christ to be born; and when it is asserted that they had any information from God or His angels that I was the Christ, that assertion is not true. I know this, because since my coming to the spirit world, I have met these men and talked with them, and they have told me what I write. So, while I was the Christ referred to in the Bible - I mean in the prophecies of the Old Testament - yet, those wise men had no other knowledge of that fact than what I have told you. I know that I was sent by the Father to perform the mission which I performed, and that it was intended in the beginning that I should be anointed as the Christ, but this I did not know until after I became a man and was then told what my mission was by the angel and my own inner voice. My mother or father or brethren did not know, and even after I had proclaimed my mission and showed the wonderful powers that had been given to me, they did not believe in my mission, but thought that I was besides myself, that is, as you say, crazy with the belief that I was the chosen one of my Father. The Bible, itself, shows that this was their condition of mind. So, while I am the Christ of the Bible, and the chosen instrument of the Father to make known the great truths which I have proclaimed, and which I shall proclaim through you, yet I am not the only begotten son of God in the sense in which it is usually accepted. And much less am I God. As I have said, there is only one God, and I am merely His son and teacher sent to the world to declare to mankind the bestowal of the gift of immortality and the way in which men may obtain it. I will deal further with myself as we progress in our writings. Let no man believe that I was born of the Virgin Mary, or that I was begotten by the Holy Spirit, or that I am God, for all these things are not true. For the present I will stop, and with all my love and blessings and the blessings of the Father, will say good-night. Your friend and brother, Jesus. June 8th, 1915 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Your Old Professor. I am very happy and want to tell you that you are in much better condition to write than you have been since I commenced to write to you. I am so glad of it, for it indicates improvement in your physical as well as your mental condition. I was much interested in the HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/jesus8.htm" last message of the Master, because it sets forth facts which are not in accord with the Bible story, and with what I had been led to believe. Of course, he knows what the truth is, and when he tells us anything, we never, for one moment doubt him, and neither must you. And when you come to analyze and consider the statements made by him, you will find them more in accord with reason than the story contained in the Bible. In his statements there is nothing miraculous, or that calls for a belief that is beyond the reason to conceive of. Everything is so natural and in accord with the workings of nature, as has been observed in the case of the birth of every other human being. His statement as to how and when there came to him the knowledge that he was the chosen one of God to bring to earth the glad tidings of the restoration of immortality and the divine love of the Father waiting for all mankind, is I believe very new and will be surprising to most men. But how reasonable this is. Had he known from the time of his birth that he was the Christ, which had been promised to the Jews, is it possible that during all the thirty years in which he remained in obscurity, he would not have made his mission known and commenced the work of proclaiming to mankind the glad tidings which he afterwards proclaimed? It seems wholly incredible that he would not have done so. The years from twenty-five to thirty are very important years in the life of a man, and many great things have been accomplished by mere man during that period of life; and it is not reasonable that one who had the knowledge from his infancy that he was the special messenger of God, clothed with all the powers and knowledge of the truth, which Jesus displayed after he commenced his public ministry, would have remained in seclusion during the years that I have named, and not given the world the benefit of these great possessions. No, to me, his story is one in consonance with reason and I must believe it. At any rate the fact that he say it is true, is sufficient. Well, I had hoped to resume my discourse on the laws of the spirit world before now, but your time has been so occupied that I could not intrude upon you; but very soon, if agreeable to you, we will continue. With all my love, I will say good-night. Your old professor and teacher, Joseph Salyards. June 8th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Bright Star: Yes, I did. Let me tell you that I am with you tonight for the purpose of helping you get out of your despondency. You must not be so downhearted. You are too lonely to be left alone. Go to the Lord for help. I am not the only one here. Your wife and father and mother and grandmother and Christ and Prof. Salyards are here. I know him very well, he is your friend and my friend. He is not the only one that you will hear from tonight. Come to the Saviour's love and you will be helped. Question: Are you Bright Star? Yes, I am, and you must believe that I am. Yes, very often I come to help you and try to let you know that you are not to be left to your own ways of thinking. Shall I go to Mrs. R. B.? Yes, you must come soon and I will talk to you and you will know that I am the Indian Squaw that you spoke to when you were present on the two occasions that you visited the medium. Question by Mr. Padgett: Who wrote Saturday night? You were written to by your father and mother and grandmother and your wife, also Jesus. Yes, he will if you will call for him, he will teach you the truths of the Bible and of his own knowledge. He is the greatest of all teachers. He is a lovely spirit and loves you and all mankind. Be a true follower of his teachings and you will become a very spiritual man. He is the only one for you to follow. Yes I do, and he teaches me and all of us who have the love of God in our hearts. Question: Are you Indians in the earth plane? I am in the fourth sphere. We are only in the earth plane to help you mortals. Our home is not here, but higher up. Question: Are visits to Mrs. R. especially beneficial? No! it is not, but you may be helped some by learning that your friends are not dead, but living. Question: Did the spirits actually speak to me at the séance? Yes, they all spoke to you and you cannot help but believe that they did. Question: What was the meaning of the light? It was merely the power of the spirit manifested. No, it did not mean anything in particular, it was merely an evidence of the presence of spiritual power. Yes; your wife is the one provided for you. Question: Do you know Mr. Colburn? Yes, I do. He is a very good man and is gifted with the power of clairvoyance and having taps come to him. He is not a very strong medium, but is going to become such in the near future. You will be able to help him develop as a medium in the way of writing with the planchette. You are too spiritual to be long without the power of seeing the truth of the Lord's ways. Yes, but not in as great a degree as you will soon have. You are very near the kingdom. Keep trying for the light and you will soon get it, and then you will be able to help mankind in a spiritual and a physical way. Be only true to yourself and God. Question: Did not the people at the seance think of her only in a material way? Yes, that is the way that they thought of me, but I am more than that. I have a spiritual side to my being as well as the side that they know of. You however can see the spiritual side for you are spiritually minded and not satisfied with mere phenomena and with you I like to talk of spiritual things. Let me go now. Goodnight, Bright Star June 15th, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I want to tell you tonight that you are much better in your spiritual condition and I desire to write a message, and have you take it, if you feel that you are in condition. Well, I desire to write on the subject of, "Why men should believe that I, who write to you, am the true Jesus of the Bible, and why I write to you." When I lived on earth men did not believe that I was a God, or that I was anything more than a teacher of God's truths, possessed of wonderful powers, not then so well understood as they are now since men have comprehended to a limited extent the possibility of the spirit forms operating through the material world - that is, the spirits of men and the mortals of the other - have the power to communicate with one another, and that the powers possessed by the spirits, which are almost unlimited, may to a certain extent be conferred upon and exercised by men. This intercommunication and possession of powers and the conferring thereof on men, was not so well understood when I was on earth as they are now. I, by reason of my soul development and my knowledge of spiritual things, was able to exercise these powers to an extent that made the people of my time suppose that I was the only Son of God, possessed of many of His powers and attributes; and as a matter of fact I was possessed of these powers and attributes. But I was only a mortal when on earth, and only a spirit after I passed from the earth to the spiritual life. Of course, my development of the soul qualities were such as to enable me to do many things on earth which no other mortal could do, and after I became a spirit to obtain a position in the spirit world that no other spirit had obtained. Yet I am only a spirit, a highly developed one, possessing more knowledge of God's truths and having more soul development than any other spirit. If I were God or a part of God, I would be something more than the mere spirit that I am, and my position would be such that I could not or would not communicate with you in the manner that I do. But I am only a spirit, having the same form and means of communicating with the mortals of earth that other spirits have, only to a greater degree. I am not doing that which should be surprising to mankind. My home, of course, is in a sphere far above that of the earth sphere, and my condition of development is far greater than that of any other spirit, and I am not of the earth in any particular, yet my powers are correspondingly great and my ability to communicate is in accordance with my powers and knowledge. If I were God I would not resort to the means of communication that I do now, and it would not be surprising that men would not believe that I would so communicate. But as I said, not being God there is no reason that I should not communicate through you or any other qualified medium the great truths of my Father and the plan provided by Him for man's salvation. So men should not think that because I am the Jesus of the Bible, and have for so many years been accepted and worshipped by so large a part of the human race as God, or rather a part of Him, that, therefore, it must not he believed that I, as a spirit, have not the qualifications and powers of other spirits, and because I do so communicate, that I do that which, as God, I should not do. Well, I must not write more as you are not just in condition. But I will finish the next time you write, as I very much want men to understand my position with reference to them and to the spirit world. I am not so much in rapport with you tonight as usual, and you are not in condition to take my meaning. We will try again, soon. I want you to pray more to the father and have more faith. I will come again soon. I will say good night. Your friend and brother, Jesus June 17th, 1915. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Joe Shellington: Well, I am glad to be able to write to you, and let you know that I am in the land of the living. I have waited a long time to write to you but, as your band would not consent to my writing, I had to wait until it was agreeable to them, as well as to you. I am in a state of semi-darkness and am suffering somewhat from the recollections of my life on earth, but thanks to your wife, I am commencing to see the light and to learn the way out of my sufferings. When I found myself dying, I thought that I was going to sleep and that my body was resting from the cares and pains which my sufferings had caused; and when my spirit was separated from my body, I hovered around for a long time expecting that when my body should feel refreshed I would go into it again and continue my life on earth. But after waiting a long time and failing to see my body awaken, I commenced to wonder what had taken place, and, at last, came to the conclusion that I was a dead one, and that no more would I walk on earth as a mortal. Well, as soon as I realized that fact I looked around and saw my mother and father, and several others that I knew on earth, and they told me that I had died, and was then a spirit, and would never more go into my body. And I commenced to ask questions, and wanted to know where I was and what place I was in. They told me that I was in the spirit world, and in what is called the earth plane, and that my future home would be in that plane until I had by repentance and suffering, progressed to a higher one. My mother, who is a very beautiful spirit, tried to comfort me, and told me that I must now think of the things that belong to the spirit world, and not let my thoughts run on the things that I had been interested in while a mortal. But while I considered her advice and was impressed with what she said, yet I could not follow her advice, as I was compelled by something which I did not understand to give my thoughts to the affairs of earth, and especially to my wife and daughter. I was with them nearly all the time for many long days, and tried to speak to them and advise them what they should do, but they would not pay any attention to me. Of course, I know now that they did not know that I was present and did not hear my voice; but at the time I thought it very strange, for they were just as real and unchanged to me as when I was with them in the body. I never fully realized what my position was until long months after I died, and I could not think of anything but them at first, and was with them all the time. I saw them sorrowing and weeping because of my death and tried so hard to comfort them, but all to no purpose. I, at last, saw that it was utterly hopeless for me to make them feel that I was with them, and so I sought for light or information among my spirit friends, and sought from them to know how I could reach my dear ones; but I could get no consolation, as they told me that it was only through the instrumentality or help of some earth medium could I ever be able to communicate with them or let them know that I was still alive, and loved them just as I did when on earth. So one time in my wanderings I entered the circle of the medium where you heard me talk to you, and then I was happy because I thought that now I would be able to reach my wife and daughter. But I was disappointed, for you never told them that I had talked to you, and wanted them to know that I was anxious to talk to them. I suppose you thought that they would not believe, and so neglected to tell them. But you were mistaken in this, as they would have believed you had you told them. My wife knows something of spiritualism, though she has not much faith in it, and while she may not absolutely have believed, yet she would have had interest enough in it to have sought for the opportunity to learn more, and if possible to hear me speak to her. So while you disappointed me, yet I cannot altogether blame you. But, old friend, do not fail to let her know that I have written to you tonight, and if not too much trouble, I would like for you to send her a copy of this message. I still love her and am with her very often, and try my best to make her feel my presence, and realize that I am doing my best to comfort her. If she only knew how dear she is to me and that my whole heart burns with love for her, she would be happier, for I believe that she will be mine when she comes over, and through all eternity. So do not fail to send her a copy of this message. When I passed over I was not one particle afraid and while I was not just in condition to know what was taking place, yet there was no dread or apprehension of my being in any way harmed. I arose, as I have said, from my body, but did not leave it, and stayed with it and with my loved ones even until it was buried and then continued with my dear wife. After I realized that I was a spirit, I found myself in a dark atmosphere surrounded by dark spirits who, I supposed, were like myself. My mother, while she often came to me, did not live with me, but, as she told me, in a higher sphere where much happiness exists. I was not happy and I suffered very much from my recollections of my earth life, and had no fixed home. All spirits in a condition like mine have to roam about with no place that they can call home. Often have I longed for a home but found none, and even now I have one that is not very beautiful; but I am progressing and light is coming to me and my sufferings are decreasing. I rather expected to find myself in hell, as I was not a Christian, and as I was taught that all who are not Christians and believe in Jesus must go to hell. But I have not seen that hell, and I do not believe that there is any such place. Yet the sufferings which we all have creates a hell enough for any spirit who wants such a hell. Well, I am now learning to pray to God and to believe in His Love, and the more I pray and the stronger my belief becomes, the more light I see and the less I suffer. Your wife came to me at about the time I spoke to you at the medium's, and tried to help me, and she has been with me many times since, and has helped me very much. She is a beautiful spirit and seems filled with the Love of God, as she says. So I am seeking that Love, and I believe that I will soon get enough of it to get out of my present condition. I thank you so much for this opportunity, and when it is agreeable I will come and write to you again. I will not take up more of your time tonight. So with my kindest regards and many thanks, I am Your old friend, Joe Shellington June 17th, 1915. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: Well, sweetheart, you had quite a long letter from HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor814.htm" Joe Shellington and I am glad that you let him write, for it seemed to help him so much. He is now progressing and praying to the Father, and has some faith. As he said, I have been trying to help him, and he listens to me with much interest. Soon, I believe, he will see the light and get out of his darkness. Do as he requests. Send a copy of the letter to his wife, for I believe it will do her good, as well as him. She is not so much in love with him now, but yet she will feel better by knowing that he loves her and is alive. I don't know, as I have not inquired, but I will in order to let you know. But it is not best that either of them should know at this time. Well, I will not write very much tonight, as you have written enough. I must tell you, though, that I love you with all my heart and soul, and I am so glad that you do me. I was with you and saw your condition of mind and know just how you felt. The worship was all of Jesus, and he says that is not right. But, nevertheless, while these people speak of Jesus as God, yet in their hearts they worship God, and you must not feel that they are sinning very much in calling Jesus' name so much. They speak of Christ and if they only knew the true meaning of that name their worship would be all right. But they fail to know the difference between Jesus and Christ and hence make the mistake of worshiping Jesus Christ, meaning Jesus. But their hearts have the Love of the Father and they will be benefited by such love even though they look upon Jesus as God. He knows just what they mean, and while he does not like to be worshiped, yet he sees that their longing is for God. I must now stop, and will only say that you have much love in your soul tonight. So with all my love I will say good night. Your own true and loving, Helen June 22nd, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Abdullah ben Caliph: I am a spirit of whom you have never heard, and I want to tell you that I am so very much interested in your work in helping the unfortunate spirits. I am not a churchman, but a lover of mankind and a believer in God as the Father of us all. I write by permission of your band, for they know that my love for my fellow man is very great and that I am interested in everything that will help them both in the spirit and material worlds. I merely want to tell you this, and that not only the spirits called Christians have this love of their fellow man, but also we who are of other religious persuasions. God is God, and Allah is his name and Mahomet is his prophet. And my name on earth was Abdullah ben Caliph. And I lived more than five hundred years ago in the city of Mecca and was a priest of the Mosque, and had charge of the sacred carpet of the great Prophet. I live in a sphere that has a name, but is not in the Celestial Spheres that the Christian Spirits tell me exists. In my sphere the Mohammedans live and worship Allah, and adore his prophet. Yet, I see him and he is still preaching the great truths and is happy. Many others, not of our faith, live in certain planes of this sphere, they are not Christians either, but great intellects, and are working for the material good of humanity. We are working with them in this great purpose. Well, we have found that there is no marrying here but that each of us has one of the opposite sex to live with, and strange as it may seem to you, and stranger yet it seems to us, we do not desire more than one. Our dream of having our harems filled with beautiful houris, was merely a dream. We have no harems and desire none. Our happiness is complete with only one. Yes, there is suffering among our faithful in the lower spheres, and darkness also, but many who have lived in that darkness are now with me in the heaven of happiness that I tell you of. God is just and he will not let a guilty one escape. We must all pay the penalties of our deeds on earth. So you see our Prophet told us the truth about there being a Paradise for us in the Spirit World. I thank you for your kindness and will stop. Your friend and I hope a mutual lover of mankind. Abdullah ben Caliph The Mohammedan June 24th, 1915. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, William S. Richards: Let me write just a little bit, as I need help. I am in darkness and suffering. I am a man who lived the life of an infidel when on earth and did not believe in God or Jesus, or in anything that was taught in the Bible in reference to a future life, or in anything of a religious value. I was not a bad man, in the sense of being immoral more than men ordinarily are, but I did not have thoughts which tended to develop my soul qualities, or make me what is called a spiritual man. So you see that when I died and found myself still living I was somewhat surprised, and for quite a while could not realize that I was a spirit pure and simple. But since that time I have discovered many things that show me that my beliefs on earth were all wrong. Yet that discovery does not remedy the failings of soul development which my beliefs caused, and I am now like a man without anything to guide or direct him in the way in which he may recover these lost possessions. I have met a great many spirits but they are, like myself, without knowledge of those things which may be necessary to help us in the way of progression. I am a spirit that enjoys some happiness and has some light, but it is that which arises from the exercise of my mental powers. I don't know anything about any happiness that may come from the development of the soul, and yet I have heard that there is such a thing, and that a wonderful happiness ensues from such development. Of course, I must find this happiness if I can, and if you can help me in any way to find it, I will be very thankful if you will do so. I am in darkness most of the time and I suffer also, but at other infrequent times I have some light and some happiness; but the former conditions are the ones that are mostly mine. I live in what we call the earth plane and I have the privilege of roaming over that plane with certain restrictions. I cannot go into what you might call the higher planes of that plane, but in my own plane and in the lower ones I may go, and I do sometimes. I find many spirits who are in a very great condition of darkness and in torture, and their places must be the hells of the Bible but without the fires or the devils, as men believe. I never see any devils but the spirits themselves, and some of them are the only devils that are necessary to make a hell. I do not know just who I am in this darkness that I speak of, except it must be because of the stagnation of my spiritual self. My soul is nearly dead so far as any development is concerned, and my mind, while active and eager for knowledge, does not give me any great happiness. So I suppose the great happiness that I hear is possessed by others must come from the soul development. At any rate I want to find the cause if I can, and I thought that maybe you could help me. My name was William S. Richards. I lived in Germantown, Pa., and died in 1901. So I am waiting for your advice. I have called for him and he says that he will show me the way, and that I must go with him. So I will say, Good night, William S. Richards June 27th, 1915. Received: by James Padgett. Washington D.C. Solomon of the Old Testament. Well, I was visiting the earth plane and happened to see the two last spirits visit you. I thought that I would do so also. I know Paul and John and converse with them sometimes, but do not live in as high a sphere as do they. Wisdom which I was said to have had in a preeminent degree, is not the equal of Love in elevating a spirit in the Father's kingdom; and they are possessed of more of this Love than am I. Yet I have great hope that someday I will get this great soul filling Love to a degree that will enable me to live with them and the others of the followers of the Master. I mean his disciples. I became a follower of the Master many years ago, and know that he is the only Way to the Father - and I mean by that, the Way which his teachings show is the only Way. It may seem a little surprising to you that I, said to have been such a wise and good man, am not as exalted as are the disciples. Well, while I lived and died many years before the disciples, and one would suppose that I made more rapid progress than they, yet such is not the fact, because my progress prior to the coming of Jesus was purely intellectual, and after his coming it was a long time before I started on my soul's progression. So you must remember that the fact that a spirit who is called an ancient spirit, does not mean that it is very highly exalted in the spheres - because a spirit prior to Jesus' coming to earth could only make intellectual and soul progress in the natural love and then not higher than the sixth sphere of the spiritual spheres. But after his coming, and rebestowal by God of Immortality and the Divine Love on mankind, the ancients had the opportunity to make soul progression which was intended, and would enable them to ascend to the higher Celestial Spheres. I would like to write more, but you are tired. So I will say goodnight. Solomon the wise June 28th, 1915. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am the spirit of St. John. You called for a spirit of love and I came, because I am such a spirit. I am the disciple whom Jesus loved and who loved him more than did any of the others. No, and neither has any spirit in all God's universe. He, Jesus, is the one who loves the Father to a greater degree and has the Father's Love above all others. Yes, I know that he comes to you and tells you the truths of God, and of His love for you and for all mankind.I feel that he is anxious to have you receive these truths and make them known to mankind, and you will have the power to do so, for he is determined that you shall be his disciple as I was when on earth; and I want to tell you that he loves you very much and is attracted to you beyond his attraction to any other mortal at this time. You will have a wonderful opportunity to get close to him and to receive the influence of his presence as well as of his love. So do not fail to do everything in your power to accomplish the task that you have undertaken.The first great truth is - God is Love, and the second is - You must be born again. These are the two greatest truths of the Bible. I consider them greater than the commandments to love God and to love your neighbor as yourself. Yes, I am St. John of the Bible. I live in a Celestial Sphere which is far above the seventh spiritual sphere. I am with a number of disciples and others who have in their hearts an abundance of God's Love. My sphere is not numbered, and it needs no number, for it is near the highest. The Master is higher than anyone else in his home. I do not live on an island as you say, but my home is in the great city where the redeemed of God live. And I am the leader of the city in the teachings of this Love and its government. I am working for the good of all its inhabitants as well as for spirits in a lower plane and sometimes for mortals. I will come to you again sometime and write you some of the truths in my city Well, I will explain my meaning when I come again, and will say now that the word which created the universe was not Jesus but God, and He alone. This gives you an idea of what I meant. Well, I will say you are very near the Master, and he loves you and I love you also. So my young brother, I will say goodnight. St. John of the Bible June 28th, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. Saul of Tarsus, now Paul of near Damascus. Well, as you are so longing tonight for love and fellowship with the disciples of the Master, I thought that I would write you just a little to show that all the Master's disciples are in their living spiritual bodies, and I am alive and will never again die. I have written many epistles which are contained in the Bible, and some are nearly correct, and in them you will find my idea of God and of the Master. I never taught that the Master was God, and neither did I teach the doctrine of the vicarious atonement or the sufficiency of Jesus' blood to save a sinner from the sins of his earthly deeds. I never taught that any man's sins would be borne and the penalty for same be paid for by another - and wherever these doctrines are set forth in my epistles, they were not written by me. I agree with John. God is Love. For this means that God is everything that is good and pure and lovely. Love is the fulfilling of the law and Love includes everything. Yes. It (the thorn in the flesh) was my doubt at times that I was called to preach the truth of man's salvation as taught by Jesus. I say I doubted at times that I was called to do such work, for notwithstanding the Bible narrative of my conversion I was not altogether convinced by the vision that I saw. I know now that it was a true vision and that I was called - but when on earth I had doubts at times, and this was my "besetting sin". Well, as to that I am afraid that I will have to disillusion you, for I was never stricken blind or taken to the house of the prophet of God as the Bible says. My vision though was plain enough, and I heard the voice upbraiding me, and I believed, but at times there would come this doubt that I speak of. Of course, from my epistles you would never think that I had any doubts, and I purposely abstained from making known my doubts and so called it my besetting sin. But I thank God that I never let that doubt influence me to prevent me from giving the work my call, for if I had I would have undoubtedly relapsed into the persecuting Jew. As I continued to preach my faith grew stronger and after a while my doubt had left me, and in my latter years I had no doubt. No, I am not in as high a sphere as is St. John, for I have not that Love that he has; but I am in a very high sphere and am the governor of the city in which I live. I am probably as much filled with this Love as any of the inhabitants of my city; and consequently, having been a disciple of the Master, they selected me for their governor. No, Peter is not in the same sphere-he is in a higher one. Some are higher and some lower. Andrew is in my sphere, but does not live in my city. I am glad that you called me tonight or rather, the influence of your love, as I am much interested in the work that you have to do for the Master. You will be able to do this work and it will be a great revolutionizing one when it is published. Well I will be glad to write you at times and will give my present opinion on some of the things I discussed in my epistles. So as I have written considerably I will say goodnight and stop. Your friend and brother, St. Paul of the Bible June 28th, 1915. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Helen Well sweetheart, you are tired and must not write much tonight for it will make you feel bad. So when I tell you a few things, stop writing. Well, I see you want to know if the spirits who wrote you last night, I mean the disciples and Solomon, really wrote you. I am glad to say that they did. They were whom they represented themselves to be and you must believe. After he wrote I had a communication with St. John and he told me that you are on the way to the kingdom. He is so loving and so beautiful and seems so filled with Love that I really could not help from loving him. But yet he is not so glorious as the Master. None are - he is the one altogether lovely. But St. John is a wonderful spirit and he is interested in your work and will no doubt write you at times. I did not talk to St. Paul as he left just as soon as he stopped writing, but I will sometime when he comes to you, as he says he will. Neither did I talk to Solomon, because he departed as soon as he had finished. You may think him a wonderful spirit in appearance, because of the great number of years since he lived on earth. But the years make no difference in appearance. He looks as young as do your own band, though more beautiful and loving. He is not a spirit who has any of his racial appearance, but as I have said, his appearance is caused by the development, no matter what race they may have belonged to on earth. When a spirit who was a negro on earth gets this soul development, he goes into that sphere which his development fits him for, and no distinction is made between spirits on account of what their race may have been on earth. When a spirit who was a negro on earth acquires this soul development the color that distinguished him on earth leaves him and he has the appearance which his soul development gives him. He is no longer a negro but a redeemed spirit and has the color of one. So you see the color of a mortal on earth does not determine his color in the higher spheres. In the earth plane the earth color clings to the spirit and sometimes it is intensified. In fact a purely white man may become very dark in that plane, and the negroes become darker. As I have said the condition of the soul determines the appearance. So the heaven of all races may be the same, provided the individuals of those races obtain this Divine Love in the same degree. How blinded we are on earth to the fact that all humans are God's children, and all loved by Him just alike, no matter what their color or nationality may be. Well, you must stop now. So with all my love, I am your own true and loving Helen June 29th, 1915 Received by James Padgett, Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. Well, you must have more faith, and pray more. These are the important things, and the next is, that you must call on me when you get despondent and need consolation, for I will respond and help you. And then you must let that dear wife of yours come to you with her love and cheer. She is a beautiful spirit and loves you beyond any conception that you may have and you must love her. Yes, I do love you more than you can comprehend, and you must return my love and be at one with me. I pray with you every night when you ask me to, as you do, and I know that the Father will answer my prayers as well as yours. I know what I say and you must believe me. So let me have your questions no matter what they will be and I will answer before you ask them. I was never in India and Greece and those other places studying the philosophies of the Greek and Indian philosophers. I never received my knowledge from any other than my Father in my communications with Him and from the teachings of the Jewish Scriptures. I lived at home in Nazareth with my parents all the years of my life after my return from Egypt until I started on my public ministry. Neither John nor Paul ever communicated that I was in these foreign countries studying the Philosophies of the teachers they name. John never traveled with me outside of Palestine, and Paul, I never saw while on earth. John was a man of very affectionate nature and was with me a great deal during my ministry, but he was not what was called a learned man nor was he acquainted with the philosophies of the men mentioned. He was merely the son of a lowly fisherman, and was selected by me for one of my disciples because of his susceptibility to my teachings and the great possibility for developing the love principle. So you must not believe the statements contained in that book on this subject. Well you must stop, but remember that I am with you and love you. Your friend and brother, Jesus July 5th, 1915 Received: by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Saleeba. Well, I am with you again, and I want to tell you that I am so very happy, as I have progressed so much since I wrote you a short time ago. I am still in the Third Sphere, but I am in a higher plane, and with spirits who have the soul development to a very great degree, and in their love I am just so happy that I cannot express to you its extent. Oh, what a wonderful thing the Divine Love is, and when I consider the long years that I lived as a spirit without knowing anything about this Love, I can scarcely express my regret at the unfortunate position in which I lived. I know now that Jesus is the true leader of all the spirits who have this great soul development, and that he can show the way to the Father's Kingdom as no other spirit can; and besides, when I come in contact with him, I realize that he has so much of this Love himself that what he says must be true. I will soon progress to a higher sphere, they tell me, and will get Love in more abundance, and then in a little while I shall go to my own people and tell them of the wonders and glories of my new found home. What a blessed, happy time I anticipate among these spirits who are now in such ignorance of the only thing that brings this great happiness. I am not in condition now to tell you of my residence or life on earth as I promised, but sometime I will keep my promise. You must think kind thoughts of me, and let your love come to me so that I may feel its benefit; for I must tell you that the loving thoughts of a mortal who knows what this Divine Love is have a wonderful influence on spirits, and their advancement in the spirit spheres. I will not write more tonight. So with my love and kindest thoughts, I am, Your sister in Christ, Saleeba July 5th, 1915. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am your friend and brother in love and desire for the kingdom. I am the spirit of Henry Ward Beecher. I live in the seventh sphere where your father now is, and, because of having met him there, I come to you to-night to write for a short time. He has told me of you and how easily you receive the communications of the spirits, and I want to let you know that, even though I am no longer the same as when on earth, I still have the desire to make known to men the thoughts that arise in me concerning God and the relation of men to Him and His kingdom. I am now a believer in Jesus as I never was on earth, and it may surprise you to know that when on earth, no matter what I may have preached to my people, yet, in my heart, I looked on Jesus as a mere man of the Jews, and not very different from others of the great reformers who had lived and taught on earth the moral truths which tended to make men better and caused them to live more correct and righteous lives. But, since I have been in the spirit world and have had the experiences which my life here has given me, and have found the way to God's Divine Love and to His Kingdom, I have learned and now know that Jesus was more than a mere reformer. He was not only a good and just teacher, and lived the life of such, but he was the true son of God, and His messenger in bringing to the world the truths of immortality and the Divine Love of the Father, and the way to obtain it. He was truly the Way and the Truth and the Life as no other teacher before him ever was. I know it is taught, and I believed it when on earth, that many religions and pagan teachers asserted, and tried to teach to mankind the immortality of the soul, and, as men understood the meaning of the word immortality, these teachings were more or less satisfactory. But I now see that their conception of immortality was merely a continuity of life after what is called death. How different the meaning as thus taught and the true meaning of the word! Immortality means so much more than a mere continuation of life. It means not only a continuation of life, but a life that has in it the Divine Love or Essence of the Father which makes the spirit who has that Love a Divinity itself, and not the subject of death of any kind. No mere spirit has this immortality just because it is continuing to live in the spirit world, and cannot conceive that by any possibility that continuity of life can ever be arrested or ended. No such spirit knows that to be true, because never has it been demonstrated, as a fact, and cannot be until eternity has come to an end. Such spirit is no different in its essence and potentialities from what it was when enfolded in the flesh, and has no greater reason for believing that it is immortal than it had when on earth. A speculation and a proven fact are two entirely different things, yet with some spirits, as well as with men, speculation becomes almost as much a certainty as does a fact demonstrated. But there is no justification for relying upon conclusions drawn from mere speculation, and the spirit or man who does, may, in the great workings of eternity, find himself not only mistaken but surprised beyond all conception at what eventualities such workings may bring forth. So, I say, that before the coming of Jesus, immortality had not been brought to light and could not have been, because for mankind it did not exist. I was as much surprised when I learned the true meaning of the word as men will be who may read this communication or hear its import. The hope of Socrates or of Plato or of Pythagoras was only a hope fortified by the reasonings of great minds and supplemented by much development of soul qualities. But when all is said it was only hope - knowledge was wanting. And even if they had realized that the spirits of men departed did return and communicate to them that there was no such thing as the death of the spirit or soul; yet, such experiences did not prove to them anything beyond the fact that life was continuous for the time being. As change is the law in the spirit world as well as on earth, they could not, with the certainty of knowledge, say there might not be some change in the spirit world that would break or set aside the continuity of existence. Take the young child, when its intellect has not sufficiently developed to understand that there is such a thing as the death of the physical body, and it believes, if it thinks at all, that it will continue to live forever on earth. And so with with these philosophers who had the hope of a future continuous life, and with the spirits who know that there is a continuous life - living after death - they think that, that living must be the fixed state, and must of necessity continue forever. As I say, it has not been demonstrated that such life will continue forever; yet, on the other hand, it has not been shown that it will not, and hence, no spirit can say that it is immortal, unless it partakes of the Divine Essence, and no wise philosopher or religious teacher, prior to the coming of Jesus could be said to have brought Immortality to light. While hope and speculation exist as the children of desire, yet knowledge is wanting and certainty is not. The immortality then that men believed in, and comforted themselves with believing in, was the immortality that hope created and speculation proved; and the experiences of men, in communicating with the spirits, showed that death had not annihilated the individual. But hope and speculation and experience did not create knowledge. When Jesus came, he brought with him, not only hope but knowledge of the truth. Not many men have comprehended it, or understood the reason or foundation for such knowledge, and the reasoning faculties of men were not sufficient to show the true reasons of such knowledge. And strange as it may seem, the students and commentators of the Bible have never disclosed the true foundation upon which this knowledge exists. I confess, that in my life, while a great student of the Bible, I never comprehended the true meaning of how, or in what way, Jesus brought immortality to light. I thought, as many others do now that his death and resurrection were the things that showed to mankind the reality of immortality. But these things showed no more, as I now see, than did the numerous instances recorded in the Old Testament and in the secular writings of the philosophers and adepts of India and Egypt that, there was an existence after so-called death. And many who dispute the fact that Jesus brought immortality to light, base their arguments on these other facts: that he was only one of many who had died and afterwards came to mortals and showed that they still lived as spirits. So I say, and as I believed not while on earth, the mere fact of Jesus' resurrection does not prove immortality. Then what have I learned immortality to be since I have been in the spirit world? My reasoning powers are much greater now than when on earth; my perceptive faculties have become more keen and my experience in the laws of the spirit world have given me great knowledge; but all these would not of themselves have given me the knowledge of immortality, had not Jesus himself explained it to me and demonstrated it by his own condition and that of many spirits in the higher spheres. Now I am, because of my present soul development, the possessor of that knowledge. Only the Father is Immortal, and only those to whom He gives His Attributes of Immortality, can become Immortal as He is. Love is the great principle of Immortality, and by this I mean the Divine Love of the Father and not the natural love of the creature; and he who possesses this Divine Love becomes as it were, a part of It, or It becomes a part of him, and in Its operations makes him like unto the Father. In other words, a spirit who possesses this Divine Love becomes a part of Divinity itself, and, consequently, Immortal, and there is no possibility of his ever becoming deprived of this element of Divinity. No spirit is immortal when there is any possibility of its being deprived of that immortality. Even God himself, if He could be deprived of that great quality, would not be immortal. And just as it is impossible to take from the Father this great attribute, so is it impossible for the spirit, who has once obtained this Divine Love of the Father, to lose its immortality. So you see, immortality comes to a spirit only with the possession of the Divine Love, and that Love is not bestowed upon every spirit, but only on those who seek for it in the way shown to mankind by Jesus. Death does not bring to the mortal Immortality, and because his spirit survives his death, it does not follow that Immortality becomes a part of his existence as a spirit. So I say, that when Jesus brought to the world the knowledge of the bestowal of this Divine Love of the Father upon mortals under certain conditions, and also showed mortals the Way in which that Great Gift might be obtained, he brought to light Immortality and Life, and before him had no man or spirit brought these Great Gifts to light. I am now a partaker, to a certain extent, of the Divine Love, and have before me the possibility of obtaining it to its fullest extent as promised by the Master to all who may seek for it in truth and with faith. I did not intend to write so long a message at this time, but as I am enthusiastic on this subject, I find that I have trespassed upon your time and kindness longer than I realized. So thanking you for your patience I will stop now, but hope that I may have the privilege of coming again at some time and writing. With my kind regards, I am Very truly yours, Henry Ward Beecher July 6th, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, a stranger, but a spirit interested in the work that you are doing for the Master, and also for many spirits, good and bad. I am writing by permission of your band, and hence, do not feel that I am intruding. So if you will kindly bear with me, I will say a few words. I am a spirit in love with the efforts that you and your band are making to help the unfortunates who come to you with such pitying tales of suffering and darkness, and ask for help. I was once, when on earth, a man who suffered much because of my spiritual darkness, and not until late in life did I find the way to my Father's Love through prayer and faith - and even then I had many erroneous beliefs caused by the interpretations of the Bible, then obtaining in the church of which I was a member - but since coming to the spirit land I have learned the truth, and have gotten rid of any old erroneous beliefs; and thank God, I am in the way that leads to life everlasting. I was a teacher when on earth of what I thought were Bible truths, and I know that some good resulted from my teachings, although they were mixed with errors - But I have met many spirits of men who listened to my teachings, and believed many things that I taught. So you see, that even if the churches do teach many false doctrines in their creeds, yet mixed with these false doctrines are many truths, and these truths often find lodgment in the hearts of the hearers, and result in their finding the Light and Love of the Father. I am still teaching mortals whenever it is possible to do. But I find that my task is a difficult one, because there are so few mediums who are capable of receiving the truths of the higher things of life, and the impressions that I make on mortals by the exercise of suggestions are not very encouraging to them or to me. Sometimes the impressions are received and understood but very often they have no effect. If we could have more writing mediums, such as yourself, who are interested in these higher truths, and would believe that we could communicate such truths to them, the salvation of mankind kind would become much more rapid. But as Jesus said, the harvest is ripe and the laborers are few. You have a mission, which is greatly to be envied, I mean in the best sense, because you by the exercise of your duties become the medium between the Master and man. And I want to tell you that such a mission is a glorious one, and will bring to you untold blessings because you have now, and will have with increasing power the influences of the higher world of spirits and angels. The one great spirit, I mean the Master, is with you very often, and seems to love you so much, and his love and power are beyond comprehension. He is your friend and brother and the association with such a one will give you much spiritual excellence and power, which men have not often possessed. At the same time that this mission holds forth so much glory and power, it also brings with it a great responsibility, and one which will demand of you the exercise of all your love and faith and energy. So you see with the great favor comes responsibility. I have written rather longer than I intended to when I commenced, and I will now stop. I live in the second Celestial Sphere where live your grandmother and mother and wife. Well, I did not have the love and faith that they had, and my progress was very slow, and hence, they have overtaken me in my spiritual progress. They are wonderful spirits and have so much of the Father's Love in their souls. I was a preacher, and lived the life of one after I separated from the church in which I had been taught the doctrines. My name was Martin Luther. Yes, Martin Luther, the Monk. I now see that my teaching of justification by faith, is not of itself, sufficient for man's salvation. The true doctrine is that of the New Birth. I mean that with faith must come the inflowing of the Divine Love of the Father into the souls of men. Merely having faith will not suffice. Without this Love faith is futile, except as it may help to bring the Love. So you see that while I was in my teachings an improvement on what I had been taught, yet I did not preach the great essential of the New Birth in the sense in which Jesus taught it and which should be understood by mankind. Faith without works is not sufficient. Works without faith will not bring about the great results desired; and both faith and works without the New Birth or the acquiring of the Divine Love of the Father, are not sufficient to bring salvation to mankind. Love is the fulfilling of the law and Divine Love is the Essence of the Father, which, when possessed by men makes them one with Him. Let all men know that of all Divine Things, Divine Love is the Divinest and makes man part of Divinity Itself. Well, I have regretted so very much that my followers, believing in my teachings, worship Jesus as God. Oh, the great error of this belief and how much injury it has done and is now doing to men and spirits! But, thank God I see the truth breaking into the consciences and minds of many of my followers, and I hope the time is not far distant when this great heresy will no longer be believed. And the other false doctrine which is common to all the orthodox churches, has caused much unhappiness and infidelity and disappointment both in the mortal world and in the spirit world. That is that Jesus' blood saves from sin or that he made a vicarious sacrifice to appease the wrath of an angry God, and thereby removed from men the penalties and burdens of their sins. This false doctrine has caused more men to lose their soul development, and rest secure in a false belief that they were saved from sin and immune from punishment, than has any dogma taught by the churches. No blood, no death on the cross and no vicarious atonement saves a man from his sins and the resultant expiations, but Love, the Divine Love of the Father, which Jesus brought to the world and declared the way in which it might be obtained, and that it is free for all the Father's children, saves from sin both on earth and the spirit world. I must stop now and will come to you again if agreeable. No I am not. To me all men are the children of God, and I have long since forgotten any distinction between the Germans and the other races of mankind. But war is cruel and unholy and without valid excuse, and should never arise. With the love of a brother who wants all men to seek the light. I am the former monk and reformer. Martin Luther July 6th, 1915. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I merely want to say that you are better in your spiritual condition and also physically.You must not forget to pray to the Father and have faith. I am with you and will help you in all your undertakings and in your soul development, as I promised. So believe what I say and try to throw off all worries from now onward to the time when the occasion for the same will cease. Yes, the message of HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/religious18.htm" Mr. Beecher was written by him and it contains the truth with reference to immortality as I have explained to you before. He is a strong and logical reasoner, and I am glad that he wrote on the subject. It may be used in connection with my writings, and will have its effect with a number of persons who thought much of him when on earth. I want him to be a regular contributor to my cause. So my dear brother, let your faith in me increase and give all your love to the Father. I will soon write a message as I suggested last night. With all my love I am your friend and brother, Jesus July 6th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Your Grandmother: I come tonight to tell you that I am very happy to see that you are in such good condition and so free from your worries and cares. So you must try to keep your mind and thoughts free until you have no occasion for worry. I want to tell you of my beautiful home in the Second Celestial Sphere, and what happiness we have in enjoying its beauties and grandeur. It is not possible for me to describe its appearance, only to say that its beauty is beyond any conception that you may have, or any ability I may have to describe it. Everything that the heart may wish for is contained in it, and everything that you can conceive of as being necessary to make a home beautiful is there. I am in a great degree of happiness, and have so many bright and beautiful spirits for companions, and never get tired of listening to the grand and angelic music. We, I mean your mother, wife and myself, are with one another very frequently, although our homes are different and not very close together. Of course, my home is in a higher plane in that sphere, than those of your mother or wife, but there is nothing to prevent our having constant intercourse and companionship. He (grandfather) is in the fifth sphere still, although he is progressing, and is so very anxious to get with me, but he has not love and faith sufficient to be with me in my home. I know that you are anxious that we be together and that you pray for such a consummation of our desires; and your prayers will be answered before a great while for my faith is so strong that I know that my prayers will soon be answered by the Father. Yes, I will go to the third Celestial sphere where many bright spirits are. Spirits who have the Love of God in their souls to an extent that fits them for such a life. You are right, there are no purely intellectual spheres in the celestial heavens. All the spheres are soul spheres where the Love of the Father is possessed by all the spirit inhabitants to such an extent that intellectual development is merely a secondary condition. How I would like to write you a long letter tonight on spiritual matters, but I do not think that you are quite in condition to take such a message, and I will postpone it until a later time. Your wife is here, and after a little she will write to you, and tell you of her happiness and peace in the Father's love. So I will not write more tonight, but will only repeat that I love you with all my heart and soul. Your grandmother July 8th, 1915. Received: by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Socrates, the Greek. I knew that you thought of me and I was attracted by your thought. If such spirit is in rapport with you or has a similar soul quality; the soul condition is the great medium of attraction. I have been with you before, and there is a rapport growing out of your soul qualities. I am now a believer in the Christian doctrine of the soul's immortality, and in the teachings of Jesus as to the way to obtain the Divine Love of the Father, as you are, and, hence, our qualities of soul are similar. I am now a follower of the Master and believe in his Divine mission on earth, although he had not come to earth when I lived. After I became a spirit I realized my belief in the continuity of life after death, and lived in the spirit world a great many years after Jesus came before I learned and believed his larger truth of immortality. Of course, when I taught I had only a hope which was almost a certainty that I should continue to live through all eternity, but I had no other foundation for that belief than the deductions from my reasoning powers and the observations of the workings of nature. I had heard of the visitations of the spirits of the departed, but had never had any personal experiences in that direction, but I readily believed it to be true. My conviction of the truth of a future continuance was so strong that it amounted to a certainty, and hence when I died, I comforted Plato and my other friends and disciples, by telling them that they must not say that Socrates will die but rather that his body will die; his soul will live forever in fields Elysian. They believed me, and Plato afterwards enlarged on my belief. And Socrates did not die, but as soon as his breath left the body, which was not very painful even though the fatal hemlock did its work sure and quickly, he went into the spirit world a living entity, full of the happiness that the realizations of his beliefs gave him. My entrance into the spirit world was not a dark one, but full of light and happiness, for I was met by same of my disciples who had passed over before me and who had progressed very much in the intellectual development. I then thought that my place of reception was the heaven of good spirits, for there were good spirits to meet me and carry me to my home. I was then possessed of what I thought that I was in the home of the blessed; and I continued there for many years and enjoyed the exchange of minds and the feasts of reason. And as I continued to live, I progressed, until at last, I entered the highest intellectual sphere and became a beautiful and bright spirit, so they told me, and taught the things of a mind developed. I met many minds of great power of thought and beauty; and my happiness was beyond my conception when on earth. Many of my old friends and disciples came over and our reunions were always joyous. Plato came and Cato and others. And the ages went by, and I continued in my life of intellectual enjoyment and profit, with many spirits developed in their minds and powers of thought, until our existence was a continuous feast of bright and momentous thoughts interchanged. I traversed the spheres in search of knowledge and information without limitation, and found the principles of many laws of the spirit world. I found in many spheres spirits, who said they were the old Hebrew prophets and teachers; and they were still teaching of their Hebrew God, who they claimed was the only God of the universe and who had made of their nation his favorite people; but I did not find that they were much different from the rest of us - I mean what they called the spirits of the pagan nations. They were not superior to us in intellect, and they lived in no higher spheres than we lived in, and I could not learn that their morality was any more exalted than was ours. But they insisted that they were God's favorite people, and were in their own estimation, superior to the rest of us and lived in a community all to themselves. I did not know just what the conditions of their souls were, but, as I observed the condition of the soul determines the appearances of the spirit, I did not perceive that their appearances were any more beautiful or godlike than were ours, and I concluded that their God was no better or greater than was ours. No one, that I could find, had seen any God and I had not; so who or what God was became merely a matter of speculation, and I preferred to have the God of my own conception to the one that they claimed to have. For long years my life went on in this way, until in my wanderings I found that there was a sphere I could not enter, and I commenced to make inquiries and was told that it was one of the Soul Spheres in which the great ruler or Master was a spirit called Jesus, who had, since my coming to the spirit world, established a New Kingdom, and was the chosen son of God in whom he lived and had his being; and that only those who had received the Divine Love of this God could enter this sphere or become inhabitants thereof. I then sought for more information and, continuing my search, I learned that this Love had been given to men and spirits at the time of the birth of Jesus on earth, and that it was free for all who might seek it in the way taught by him. That he was the greatest true son of this God, and that in no other way than the one shown by this son could this Love be obtained or the Soul Spheres entered. I thereafter thought of this new revelation, and let many years go by before I became convinced that I might learn something, and become benefitted by seeking this way and this Love; and after awhile I began to seek; but you must know that I and spirits like me, who lived in the spheres where the mind furnished our pursuits and enjoyments, could not enter what was called this Soul Sphere, yet the inhabitants of that Soul Sphere could come into our spherewithout let or hindrance. And I sometimes met and conversed with some of these inhabitants; and on one occasion I met one called John, who was a most beautiful and luminous spirit, and in our conversation he told me of this Divine Love of his God, and of the Great Love and mission of Jesus, and showed me some of the truths taught by Jesus, and the way to obtain this Divine Love, and urged me to seek for it. Strange to me, there were not any of the intellectual qualities required to be exercised in seeking for this Love - only the longings and aspirations of my soul and the exercise of my will. It seemed so simple - so easy - that I commenced to doubt whether there was any reality in what I was told, and I hesitated to follow the advice of this spirit, John. But he was so loving and his countenance was so wonderful, that I concluded to try, and I commenced to pray to this God and tried to exercise faith as I was told. After a while, most surprising of all things, to me, I commenced to have new and unaccountable sensations, and with them a feeling of happiness that I had never experienced before, which made me think that there must be some truth in what I was told. And I continued to pray the harder and believe with more surety. I continued to make these efforts, until, at last, the great awakening came that I had in me a Love that never before was in my soul, and a happiness that all my intellectual pursuits had never been able to supply. Well, it is not necessary to tell you further in detail my experience in getting and developing this Love. But I became filled with it, and at last entered the Soul Sphere, and what I saw is beyond description. I met Jesus, and had no conception that there could be such a glorious, magnificent and loving spirit. He was so gracious and seemed to be so much interested in my welfare and progress in the truths that he taught. Can you wonder that I am a Christian and follower of him? Thereafter, I learned what True Immortality is, and that I am a part of that Immortality. I see how far short my conception and teaching of immortality were. Only this Divine Love can give to spirits Immortality, and anything less is but the shadow of a hope, such as I had. I am now in a Sphere that is not numbered; but it is high in the Celestial Heavens, and not far from some of the Spheres where the disciples of the Master live. I am still progressing, and that is the beauty and glory of the soul development - where there is no limit - while my intellectual development was limited. I must stop now as I have written more than I should have done. But I will come to you sometime in the not distant future and tell you of some of the truths which I have learned. Your friend and brother, Socrates the one time Greek philosopher but now a Christian. A HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/contemporary/fab67.htm" contemporary message has been received from Socrates. July 8th, 1915 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, St. John. I felt your call and came. I will tell you of love, as that is what you called me for. The love that I taught when on earth, is the Love that the Father has prepared for all His children who might seek it. All that is required is that they seek with earnestness and faith, and they will receive it. I know that this Love is frequently confounded with the natural love that God gave to man at his creation, but the two are different and distinct. Every man has this natural love to a more or less extent; and it is a great gift and makes man what he is; but not so many have this other Love, because it is bestowed only in answer to prayer and the real longings of the heart and soul. This is the Divine Love, and this is the Love that makes man a part of the Divinity of the Father, and, consequently, immortal. God is Love - and this is the great truth of His being. But His Love, while free for all, yet is not bestowed without the desire of the mortal to receive it. I wish that I had time tonight to more fully explain this Great Love but I have not; and I came to you only because you called me. No, not tonight, but I will come sometime and write you a long letter on these subjects. I am supremely happy and am working for humanity, and so directly does the Master. I do more for the advancement of the spirits after they have commenced to enjoy the Love of the Father in their souls. Well, Jesus is the ruling spirit in our Kingdom and His power is supreme. It is, of course, the Kingdom of God; but this Kingdom is being formed by the Master, and to him is given the supreme ruling power, and we are all his followers. He rules by love and ministrations, and not by the hard lines of force and coercion. Yes, he has many with him in the Celestial Spheres, but they are all subordinate to and obey him, but it is hard to make you understand this. This obedience is the result of love, and the word does not convey the exact meaning intended. (question) Well, that was a request made by us in our desire to become of importance, but we did not then understand what His Kingdom would be. We are equal here provided we have the same amount of Love - the Divine Love, that alone determines our place and position. Jesus is the greatest of all, because he has more of this Love than any other spirit, and because he is nearer the Father and knows more of Him and of His attributes. No distinction is made in this Kingdom because of any relationship or personal greatness, but only because of more or less of Divine Love in the soul of the spirit. I will come to you at times and write you of my knowledge of the truths of the Father, and hope that they may do you and the world some good. I was not an educated man at that time when on earth, and never was, so far as languages are concerned. I had no knowledge of the philosophy of the great thinkers and writers of that time. All the knowledge I possessed of spiritual matters came to me from the teachings of Jesus and the promptings of the Holy Spirit. I was not a learned man in the earthly sense. You have my blessings and my love, and I hope that the Holy Spirit may soon fill your soul with the Love of the Father in greater abundance and keep you in its care and keeping. I will say good night. St. John July 8th, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, your grandmother. I want to tell you tonight of my experience in my new home, among the redeemed spirits who have entered that Kingdom. I am living, as I told you, in the second Celestial Sphere, and am surrounded by everything that makes me happy and in unison with the Father. I am also in close attachment with the Master, although he lives in a sphere much higher in the Celestial Heavens, and which, he tells me, is close to the fountainhead of God's Love. I have with me a great number of spirits who have received the Great Love of the Father in great abundance, and who are so good and beautiful that they are as of the Father. And here I must tell you that all angels in His Kingdom, which is ruled over by Jesus, are the spirits of mortals who once lived on earth, and not what the Old Testament called angels are. I am informed there are beings who never had the experience of living in the flesh. I have never seen any of these angels and I don't know where they live, but Jesus says they are a distinct class of God's creation, and that they live in spheres that are separated from the heavens that he rules in. I have often wished to see some of these angels, but it does not appear that they ever come to our Celestial Heavens. So when you hear us speak of angels we mean only those who were mortals, and who have been redeemed by the Love of the Father and who are living in the higher spheres of our own Celestial Heavens. Of course I don't know whether these other angels will ever know anything about our Heavens or not, but if they ever should, I doubt that they will ever realize the full meaning of a soul redeemed, because only those who have gone through the experience of living in the flesh and having all the sorrows of mortals and the redemption from their condition of sin and error by the Love of the Father, can ever fully understand what redemption means. So I believe that no angel without this experience can ever enjoy the happiness that we who become inhabitants of Christ's Kingdom, enjoy. I may be mistaken in this, but this is my belief. All ministering angels are spirits who once inhabited the physical body, and only such, it seems to me, can have that sympathy and love which fits them to understand and be able to sympathize with the sufferings of humanity. Why, if you will think a moment, you will remember that even Jesus was not fitted to perform his great mission and to declare the Love of the Father, until he had entered into the physical body so that he could understand fully all the frailties and sufferings and longings of mortals. At any rate, no angel that comes to mortal to minister is other than the spirit of one who has passed through these sufferings and sins of the mortal. Well, as I have said, I am surrounded by many of these beautiful redeemed spirits, and they are all happy beyond conception by you who live on earth. I am in a state of perfect happiness myself, and want for nothing that is necessary to make me realize that God is my Father of Love and mercy. Yet I desire the progression that will take me to the higher spheres, but not on account of any discontent on my part, but because I am told that there are homes awaiting me and my companions in these higher spheres that are so much more beautiful than those which we now have. And besides, the law of progression is constantly working here, and never are we permitted to cease our longing for the higher life and the greater abundance of the Divine Love that our Father promises us will be ours, if we desire and seek for it. But you must never forget that while we strive to progress, we are never dissatisfied with what our Father has provided for us and what we possess. My home here is a part of the Celestial Kingdom, and we who live in this sphere are all immortal, in the sense that that word has been explained to you. We are greater in our attributes and qualities than were the first parents at the time of their creation. We can never die again and have passed beyond the second death, as it is written, for our Love is now so abundant that we are all partakers of the Father's divinity to such an extent that it can never be taken from us. No, not in all eternity. And yet, with all this knowledge and consolation that it brings to us, we still have our love for those who live on earth, who have not yet acquired this Great Gift of the Father; and our work in trying to help mortals is a joy to us and never anything but a labor of love. I will not tell you at this time how much our interests center in the work that the Master is doing for the salvation of mankind, but only say, that his love for man and his desire for their redemption are greater than they were when he was on earth; and all his followers - all who are in the Celestial Heavens as well as those who are in the spirit spheres - are working in unison with him to accomplish this great work to its fullest extent. And many mortals are inspired by him and by his spirit followers, to assist in this work and make known to mankind the truths of his teachings and the wonderful Love of the Father which passeth all understanding. So while the dogmas and teachings of many of the churches are not in accord with the truth, yet the teachings of the spiritual truths of Christ's mission, and of the gifts of the Father are now being bestowed upon mankind, and are the causes of many a soul being turned to God's Love and thereby securing their own salvation. False beliefs and false doctrines as taught in most of the churches do much harm and retard the soul's progress, and keep many souls from the light while on earth as well as in the spirit world, but yet, with all these false teachings are mingled some truths of the soul's qualities for progress, and of the way in which it may find the entrance of God's Love into the soul and into His Kingdom. I know that many men die with these false beliefs and retain them for a more or less longer time after they become spirits, yet the fact that they have as a part of their beliefs the faith in God's Love and in Jesus' teachings, will help them to grasp the real truth and to progress more rapidly after they have gotten rid of these false beliefs. So while you must pity the followers of most of these orthodox churches because they are living in the security, as they think, of these false ideas, yet you would not be justified in attempting to do anything to abolish these churches in toto, because there is nothing to supply their places, and the truths which they teach would be destroyed and nothing left to serve the soul's interests. But I tell you that the time is coming when the churches will teach the real truths of God's Love and of Jesus' mission and the way to man's salvation; and then humanity will be happier, and the Kingdom of Heaven will exist on earth as it does in our Celestial Heavens. The time is now ripe for these churches to receive these truths, and men's longings for light and happiness will demand that the true gospel be preached, and it will be. So my dear son, you see the necessity for providing the means by which these great truths may be conveyed to mortals. The Bible is losing its hold on many - not only the students but the common people as well - and the truths which were intended that that book should contain must be brought to the knowledge and consciousness of men and women. For many years the powers of the spirit world have been making efforts to have these truths communicated to men, but with very indifferent success. Now I believe that I can see before me, as a vision, that many good men and women will develop their psychic powers to such an extent that they can be used as mediums of communication, and they will be so honest and earnest in their work, that men will believe the communications and learn the real truths that the Master is striving to teach. I must stop now, as I have written a long time and you must rest awhile before you continue to write. Your loving grandmother July 16th, 1915. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus: I see your condition and I will help you if you will only continue to believe in me. I know that everything looks very dark and no light seems to shine ahead, but it is coming. Question Yes I know, but it will come in time, and you will be relieved, if you will only trust me. So do not be so downhearted but look to the Father for His help. I am the Jesus who writes to you and no other. I came today because you are so downhearted. Question Well, he will find his mistake someday, for no other spirit writes to you in my name and you must believe. Let him alone in his belief, for as I have told you, a spirit from the dead, should it appear to him in the form of an angel, would not convince him. So do not let what he may say disturb you. Cheer up and you will triumph and will soon see the light breaking. He* is on the way and will soon receive the Divine Love to a very large degree. He is a very spiritual man and is progressing in his soul development. So believe that I am with you and pray to the Father. Your own true brother and friend. Jesus * Dr Leslie R Stone. July 17th, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am your friend and brother in Christ and his love, St. Andrew. I came because I am interested in the work which you are called upon to do - and because we all love you and want to see you progress in your soul development and in your capacity for receiving the messages of the Master, which he has selected you, as his disciple, to receive and transmit to the world. I am the true Andrew of the Bible, and no other and you must believe that I am. I know that you may have doubts as to so many of the disciples of the Master coming to you to write, but you must not be surprised at that fact, for who are more interested in the great work that you are to do than the disciples of the Master, who know that his teachings are the truth, and that mankind needs them at this time, more than at any time in the history of the world. So let all your doubts disappear and believe that we are with you in all our love and desire that you may be happy, and may have that soul development that will make you one with us and with the Father, the Creator and Preserver of us all. Well, you must believe in what we say. I know of no way in which you can become more convinced than by our writing to you. Let no man turn away your faith from us, as no man can truthfully say that we are not writing to you, and hence, the testimony of such a man is not of that character as to overcome the positive testimony that you receive from us and all your band that the Master is actually writing to you. No spirit will be permitted to impersonate the Master or any of us. We are of that higher order of spirits that are all powerful, and if any spirit should attempt to impose upon you, we would soon compel such spirit to cease its attempt to deceive you, and leave you in your efforts to seek and learn the truth. Yes, sooner or later they will disclose their cloven feet. Well, we expect that you will doubt at times, but we know that after a while your faith will be so firm that no doubt will ever enter your mind. Jesus selected you, and because you are not worthy, that must not cause you to doubt that he has made such selection. He knows just what is best, and what your qualifications and possibilities are, and it is not for you to say that you are not worthy or not fitted to the work. Let faith in him and in his love and in his promise be established beyond doubt or questioning. Yes, you certainly are favored and you should appreciate that fact to its highest conception; for I tell you that you are as much favored in being selected for this work as were any of us when he selected us for his disciples, and I may say to a greater degree, because you are the only one in all the universe that he has chosen to do this great work, and you will find after awhile that it is a work of stupendous importance and involves much labor and exhaustion of both body and mind. Well, I have written a long letter for my first appearance, and I must stop; and I say as the most important thing to tell you now: Believe, and you shall see the glory of the Father and your own salvation. I will say with all my heart that I am your true friend and brother, and will pray for you with all my love and faith. So goodnight - Your true brother and friend, St. Andrew, the Apostle July 17th, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, St. Peter. I come for the same reasons that Andrew came, and I want to add my testimony to his that you are the true selection of the Master to do his work, and that he is with you very often writing to you and bestowing upon you his love and blessings. You must believe and let not doubt enter your mind or keep you from fully believing that the Master is your friend and brother and is with you in your times of worry and gloom. I am a spirit, who once, when on earth had great doubts as to the Master's sacred mission, and as to his being the true son of the Father, but these doubts left me when I saw the greatness of his person and the wonderful Love of the Father which possessed him. You will remember that I even denied him - that is that I knew him as a mere man - and what anguish and suffering that denial gave me. So you must not doubt or deny him. I know now beyond all question of doubt that he is the true Master and the true son of God, and the only one in all God's universe that has the Divine Love of the Father to such an extent as makes him almost like the Father in goodness and wisdom. He is your friend and saviour, and even more he is your brother and companion in this great work which he is doing for the salvation of mankind. I, Peter, tell you this, and I tell you it with all the authority and faith, and more knowledge than I had when I declared him to be the only and true Divine son of God, and you must believe what I say. So let no more doubt or fear that you are not the Master's instrument selected by him and confirmed by his love and grace to do this great work. I, Peter, declare it, and I know what I declare, and say it with all the authority that knowledge gives me. All the followers of the Master are interested in this work and in you, and we are now forming our band, which shall guide and instruct you in all these truths which only we of the higher heavens know. I do not mean that we will supersede your present band, but we will work in conjunction with them, and you will receive many messages from us as time goes on, and you will believe that we write them to you. You have more power of the spirit world being exercised in your behalf than has any other mortal; and with the exercise of this power there will come to you a power that no mortal has ever had since the days when we lived on earth. So you must have more faith, and to get it you must pray to the Father more and more. I have written enough for tonight and must stop. But let me again insist that you pray to the Father and ask for more faith. I am your brother and friend, St. Peter (the rock) July 17th, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, St. John, your friend and brother, and at-one with God and a follower of the Master. So you must believe what the Master promised you for he will not fail you. I must not write more tonight, but will stop and say that you have my love and best wishes for your success. So believe in what we write, and you will realize the results of our promises. So with my love and blessings, I am your friend and brother. John the Apostle July 17th, 1915. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. Let me add my testimony to what the others have written. I am also a follower of the Master and was with him in his travels through Palestine, and was with him when he was crucified on the cross, and saw the great manifestations of God and the doom of evil, and the principalities of the air, as St. Paul describes them. I was a true follower of the Master on earth, and a true one in the spirit world. He is now the Prince of Peace in its truest sense. His love for humanity is so great that we, even though we are his true lovers and very close to him, cannot comprehend it. So you must believe in him and in the fact that he has chosen you to do his Great Work. Believe and work and you will see the salvation of the Father manifest itself as never before. You have working with you all the powers of the Kingdom of Jesus and nothing will be able to withstand such powers. And Love, the Divine Love of the Father, will enter into many a soul and make it an inhabitant of the Kingdom through this Great Work. I will not write more tonight but as Peter said he will be with you often in love and sympathy, and will write you of the truths of the Heavenly Kingdom. So with all my love and blessings, I am your own true brother and friend. St. James, an apostle of Jesus. July 17th, 1915. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am also a brother spirit and want to tell you that the wonderful messages that you have received tonight are true, and were written by the spirits professing to write them and that you must not doubt. So believe and you will receive the greatest of all blessings, the Divine Love of the Father. I will not write more at this time, but will come again and tell you of things no mortal has ever heard of or conceived. I am your brother and friend, St. Jerome, the writer and commentator of the Bible. July 17th, 1915. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am your brother and friend in Christ and in the Love of the Father. I am a man who was a follower of the Master when on earth and a follower of him in the spirit world. I mean in the Heavenly Kingdom, and I am a lover of God and a part of His Divinity. I was not one of his apostles, but I loved him and believed in him, and died in his cause and am now receiving my reward, for I am now, as I say, an inhabitant of his Heavenly Kingdom; and immortality is mine as it will be yours if you continue to believe in him and get the Divine Love of the Father in increased abundance. So, let me tell you that not every man has bestowed upon him the great favor which the Master has bestowed upon you. No other mortal, at this time, has that great blessing of love and selection that he has given to, and made of you. The others have told you of this Wonderful Love and power and blessings that have been and will be bestowed upon you. So I will stop now and say that I am, Your brother and friend, St. Anthony as the world calls me. July 17th, 1915. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Helen Well, sweetheart, you have received tonight wonderful messages from wonderful spirits and I hardly know what to say. It almost overwhelms me to see the great spirits of the Kingdom of Jesus come to you and write such messages. It seem to me that they are all interested in your work to such an extent that they feel that every one of them must come to you and bring the Great Love and power which they possess and give it to you. It is so wonderful and astonishing that I can scarcely conceive that it is true. I did not think that you would ever be so favored in your life on earth, but now I see that you will have a work to do that no other mortal has ever had. And to think, that you are my Ned and a mere man. So I thank God for His great goodness to you, and also the Master for having chosen you as his disciple to do this great work. We are praising God and thanking Him for His mercy towards you. I cannot write more tonight as I want to think of it all. Only believe and you will see what a wonderful spirit the Master is and how much he loves you. So sweetheart, I will say goodnight. Your own true loving, Helen July 18th, 1915. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, St. Stephen. I am the martyr, and I came to you to tell you that you must believe in us as spirits who once lived on earth and taught the truths of Jesus to men, and who were followers of him and lovers of the Father, and are now inhabitants of His kingdom and immortal. I died the death portrayed in the Bible and Saul who was my most pernicious persecutor is the same person who afterwards became Paul the Christian. I merely state this fact to identify myself with you, and to show you that I am the same spirit who once died for the faith. So while I am now a happy spirit and an inhabitant of the Heavenly Kingdom, yet once I was a mortal engaged in teaching the truths of the Master, and suffered the pains and torments which such teachings and such faith brought to many of Jesus' disciples. But those times are past, and now these truths may be preached and there is none to make afraid; yet opposition will come from the churches and the ecclesiastical brethren who are bound by their beliefs in the creeds of the churches. But, nevertheless, the truths must be taught, and the Master has chosen you to receive them so that they will be given to the world, and while your task is a glorious one, yet you will find much responsibility and antagonism, and maybe persecution in your private life, because of such teachings. But be firm and stick to these truths, and in the end they will prevail, and mankind will be benefitted and will turn to the Love of the Father and pursue the way that the Master will show. So let not your courage falter or your efforts cease, and you will find a recompense not only in the spirit world but in the world of mortals as well. I will be one of your band that St. Peter spoke of, and you will find that your power for good will develop wonderfully and in a way that will make the world take heed to the truths that you shall transmit. You are the chosen one and have with you the powers of the Celestial Kingdom, and the world will not prevail against you or your efforts to show mankind the way to salvation. So put your trust in the Master and in the Father's Love and you will not be forsaken. I will come to you again and give you some truths of the Father's kingdom that will show the real truths of God's will. My teachings will be supplemented to those of the Master and in unison with them. So I must stop now. I am your brother and friend. St. Stephen the martyr July 18th, 1915. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. Let your mind be open to the conviction that I and all the others of the disciples of Jesus have and can write to you in testimony of your selection to do the great work that you have been called to do. Never was mortal so favored by the greatest man and most wonderful and powerful spirit that ever lived. I, an apostle, do not see how you could have been selected, and not so great a lover of God as we might expect the mortal to be who should be called to this work. But the Master has chosen you and he knows what is best, and we have no right to pass judgment on his choice. But no matter whether you are worthy or not, you have been chosen and you must do the work. I know that you will have sustaining you all the power and wisdom of the spirit world that is ruled over by Jesus; and that will be sufficient to insure not only success in your work, but also your own soul's development and salvation. I wish that I might tell you what a privileged man you are, but I cannot tonight, as I must stop now and let another write. I am your brother and friend, St. Thomas the doubter (Mr. Padgett asked a question) Because my faith was failing as it did when I was told that the Master had risen from the dead. Oh the curse of unbelief! I say to you above all things:Believe, believe, and believe. St. Thomas July 18th, 1915. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. Let me supplement what St. Stephen wrote. I am an apostle of the Master and was called Barnabas, the partner of Paul in much of his ministry in extending and making known the truths of the Master throughout Asia and also Judea. I was not only the collaborator with Paul at Jerusalem, but among the circumcised Jews who embraced the faith of Christianity. I am now working with the apostles in trying to help men and spirits understand and believe in these Great Truths. So you must believe that I am trying to help you in the great work which the Master has decreed and declared you shall perform. We are all with you and will exert all our power and love to forward the cause of righteousness and the redemption of men. You must acquire the faith which is so necessary to your success. I mean the faith which leaves no room for doubt that the Master has called you, and has, and will give you power and spiritual development that you may do his work as he desires you to do it. Be a true believer and you will not fail. I will not write more tonight, and will say, may God prosper you and make you like unto Himself in soul qualities and in goodness. I am your brother and friend. St. Barnabas, the apostle and a lover of the Master. July 18th, 1915. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. Let me add my testimony also, and you will soon see that any doubt is more than foolishness. I am St. Luke, the writer of the third gospel, as it is called; but here let me tell you that in that writing are things that I never wrote, and never believed to have any existence. I know that my gospel is considered one of the most authentic of the four, but in it as it is contained in the Bible are many errors - and impossible declarations of the truth as taught by the Master. You must eradicate the errors and retain the truths, and this you will be able to do when you have received the messages from the Master, and the epistles that we, the apostles and disciples, may write. Your labor will not be an easy one, but you will be given strength and understanding and wisdom sufficient to make your work of showing the truth to mankind a correct and unimpeachable one. I will help you in this particular work with all my love and powers of depicting the true meaning of what may be written you, and will be with you continually when you get ready to compile these messages and other writings which will come to you from the Master and many others of us. But in order to become perfect in this great work you must acquire abundant faith and a large degree of soul development. These qualifications are very necessary, because spiritual things conveyed must be spiritually received. This we all know now, and we tell it to you for you must know it too. I must not write more now, and so will say goodnight. Your brother and friend, St. Luke sometimes called the Doctor and sometimes the learned disciple of the Master. July 18th, 1915. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, a man who lived in the faith of the Christ, and who was a true follower of him, and lover of the Father. I hesitate to write at the same time with these great spirits who have written you, but yet, I want to give my testimony also to the fact that I have heard the Master say that he has chosen you for the work of delivering his truths to the world. My dear brother believe this great fact with all your mind and soul, for it is a truth, and one which prefers you before any other mortal. Jesus, the greatest of all spirits and the one nearest the fountainhead of the Father's Love, has declared to us who are close to him, and working to accomplish his great desire for man's salvation, that you he has selected, and that you will do the work and will not fail if you will only have faith. So make your start in trying to get this faith, and pray to the Father for more of it, and it will be given to you in great abundance. Only the Father can give the faith that will remove mountains and overcome all obstacles. I must not write more, and say goodnight, and sign myself your true brother and co-worker in the cause. John Wesley the methodist preacher. July 18th, 1915. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your old partner. Why, Padgett, such testimony as that would have established in court any fact that you or I might have asserted. Just think a moment. Here are witnesses of the highest character, with the knowledge and opportunity for knowledge that cannot be disputed, and one identifying the other, and all testifying in the most positive way as to that one particular fact. Who can say that there can be any possibility of mistake? Never in the world has a fact been more conclusively proved, and if you doubt that you have been selected for this great work, I cannot understand the operations of your mind. Well, my dear boy, to think that in the latter years of your life this great work has come to you ! A work that I am informed has never been successfully given to mortal before to do. You certainly are blessed and I am so thankful that it is so, and that you and I were friends on earth. God moves in mysterious ways His wonders to perform. So my dear friend, let me congratulate you as you are worthy of congratulations. I will write soon and tell you more of my opinion of this great surprise when I think more of it. With all my love, I am your old partner and now your brother in Christ. A. G. Riddle July 18th, 1915. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am your grandmother, and I feel that I must write to you before you stop, for I am so amazed at the great assurances that you have received as to your being called to the great work of the Master, that I cannot let you retire without telling you what a blessed man you are. I, of course, knew that the Master had chosen you and the writings that you have received do not add one bit to my knowledge, but the thing that surprises me is, that all these exalted spirits should come, one after another, and declare to you the fact that you had been chosen. Certainly you cannot doubt in view of what this multitude of witnesses have said. I don't quite understand why so many should have come to give you this assurance, unless it be that they wanted you to start into this great work with a faith that admits of no doubt: and to ensure that faith they saw to be necessary, that this great and cumulative testimony should be given you. My dear son, I feel that you have been blessed above other men now living and that the great favor which has been bestowed on you is one that very few mortals have received. So I tell you that we all thank God and praise His goodness for what He has done for you.You must not think that He had nothing to do with this selection, for He is the great Father, and Jesus, the great Son, consulted Him as has been told me. Jesus is himself, all powerful and wise and good, but also humble and loving and he is very close to the Father and seeks His advice and guidance as when on earth. So you see that our Master, while supreme in this kingdom where the redeemed live, yet he realizes that he needs the help of his Father. This is true and will be true during all eternity.Well, you are right - but you must not think of your own unworthiness. So believe.I think that it will be the most wonderful band of spirits that has ever existed, except that band which watched over and protected Jesus from his birth to his death. So my dear son, I must stop now and will say that I am your own true loving grandmother, Ann Rollins July 18th, 1915. Received by James Padgett Washingyton D.C. I am here, Helen. Oh, my darling Ned, I cannot tell you how happy I am that all these great spirits should have come to you and testified that you are the chosen of the Master. Of course, I knew it, and you knew it before, but to remove all doubt that you might have, they came, and in such certain terms declared the fact. I know that you will have the power and love of many spirits to sustain you in your work; and to think of the wonderful messages that you will receive - first those of the Master which will excel all others, and then those of his various apostles and disciples. You will certainly be blessed with wonderful knowledge of the Celestial World. You must not write more tonight. Well, the power that will be exerted by that band will surpass any power that has been exerted before, and you will have the protection and sustaining power of spirits that will not permit any undesirable spirits or mortals to interfere with your work. I am your own true and loving Helen 20th July, 1915 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Thomas Paine. When I died, I did not believe in Jesus as the son of God or as his messenger sent to show the world that the Father had bestowed upon it His Divine Love and Immortality and the Way to obtain it. But now I believe to the fullest these truths and am a follower of Jesus and the possessor of the Divine Love. How different would my condition now be if that erroneous and damning doctrine taught by the churches - that there is no redemption beyond the grave - were true. I never thought that there was any necessity for redemption either while on earth or after I should become a spirit, but thought that if there was a God, He would deal justly with me and bestow upon me happiness and enjoyment of the future life according to my idea of His love and mercy. But I must tell you that I was mistaken in some particulars. God is Love and He is merciful, but His love and mercy are exercised only in accordance with His fixed and unchangeable laws - laws that apply impartially to all men, and which in their operation make no exceptions. What a man sows so shall he reap is as true as that the sun shines for you on earth. I found the truth of this great law in my own experience and I paid the penalties of my sins. Jesus could not do this for me and he never pretended that he could. But he could and does show the Way by which the operations of the laws which produce these penalties may be superceded by the operation of other laws which, as it were, remove the penalties from the individual spirit. This does not change the law but changes the condition of the spirit which invokes these penalties; and if men would only learn this Way, they would not remain in darkness and sin, because they believe and assert that God's laws never change. If they would only understand that while the laws do not change, yet the condition of the spirit which calls for the operation of these laws does change, and new laws are brought into operation. I have not time tonight to more fully explain these principles, but should I in the future have the opportunity, I will be glad to do so. Christ was and is the Way and the Truth and the Life. I am in the first Celestial sphere and my name was Thomas Payne, the so called infidel. I believed in God, but only one God. Jesus was never God to me and is not now. And he does not claim to be God now.So you see even the so called infidel could come into the Truth and Love of the Father, even after he left the material plane and became an inhabitant of the spirit world. So, my dear brother, I will say Good night and God be with you, Thomas Paine July 20th, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. John, Apostle Of Jesus. I desire to write a little while and tell you of the wonderful love that the Master has for you in your selection to do his work.So I say, he loves you not only because you are his choice for doing his work, but because he wants you to become a very spiritual man having a large soul development, and becoming fitted to enter his kingdom and becoming one of his near and dear followers and brothers in the Love of the Father. I do not know of any mortal who has been so blessed in his earth life. Even we who were called by him when on earth were not so blessed, until we received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, as you are now doing. You will receive this Great Gift in greater abundance in a short time, and then you will realize what the gift of the Divine Love means to your soul and to your happiness on earth. So, you are now my brother and a new apostle of the Master, and I know your work will be greater in extent than was the work of any of us when we were trying to spread his teachings while on earth. I hope that God will bless you abundantly and keep you free from all sin and error. I am with you very frequently, trying to help you to obtain the Divine Love of the Father. Well, you will receive it, and when you do, as you say, all other things will come to you - I mean all things necessary to carry on the work that has been assigned to you.So with all my love and blessings, and the assurance that you will soon receive the Love in increased abundance and do this Great Work with a faith that will not falter. I am your brother and friend, St. John July 20th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, another apostle of the Master: I came, because I am a participant in the great work which the Master is now doing for mankind, and I want to assure you that in all your efforts to carry out this work I will give you my love and exert my power to make you successful. I too, will be of your band; and you will have a band that will be so powerful that no opposition will be able to withstand it. So you must have faith and with that will come the Divine Love and power to do these things which will help you work beyond your conception. I will not write more tonight, but in the future you will receive many messages from me. Your friend and brother, St. Matthew July 21st, 1915. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. Daniel, the prophet of God of the Old Testament. I am with you to-night because you have reason to believe that you have been selected to do the work of Jesus in transmitting his messages to mankind; and I want to add my testimony to that of the others who have preceded me. I am a follower of the Master, although I lived on earth many years before he came to announce the rebestowal of the great Divine Love of the Father, and show the way by which every man who so desires may obtain it. I never knew what this Love was until Jesus came and declared it to man and to spirits, as he did; and when he came to the spirit world, after his crucifixion, he preached to us who were in the spiritual spheres the great doctrine of God's plan of salvation. Men must not think that mortals are the only recipients of this Love, or that they are the only ones that had the privilege of learning the way to this Love, for, as I tell you, Jesus came to the spirits who lived in the spiritual heavens, and made known this great plan and taught the way to Immortality. I was, before his coming, a spirit who enjoyed the favor of the Father to the extent that my natural love was developed to the highest degree, and in that love I was comparatively happy. I also possessed great intellectual development but as to the Divine Love, which I now possess, I knew nothing of, nor did any spirit then living. This may seem strange to you, because from my history as contained in the Old Testament, you would naturally suppose that I was in high favor with God, and so I was; but that favor extended no further than in receiving from Him a very great amount of the natural love which He had bestowed on all mankind, and in knowing by my spiritual perceptions and the power of a psychic nature, which I possessed, that God was caring for me and using me to convince the heathen nations, that there was only one God, and that He alone should be worshiped. Never did I know the reality of what the Divine Love was, or that I was not in position other than I might have been, had not that Love been taken from mankind when our great earthly father committed his fatal act of disobedience. No spirit in those times before the coming of Jesus, could possibly progress higher than the sphere where this natural love and intellectual development existed in their greatest degree of perfection. So you see, I was never a spirit possessed of this Divine nature, until after the coming of the Master; and you will find nowhere in the Old Testament, any declaration or promise the man should possess this Divine nature, and we who lived in the days of my earthly life, were satisfied with and expected only the favors and gifts of God as they might affect our earthly prosperity and happiness. I was a prophet, as it is written, and God spoke to me through His spirits the things which I declared to the people, and also enabled me to foretell many things which would and did happen. But this great favor and gift did not bring to me the possession of the Divine Love or nature of the Father; and when I came to die, I passed to the spirit world a sprit possessed only of the natural love and the great moral development which my communications from my associations which with the spirits of the Father had given me. So man must not think that we of the Old Testament, no matter whether prophet or seer or the specially favored by God, ever had this Divine Essence of His, while we lived on earth or while we existed as spirits, before the coming of Jesus. Abraham, Moses or Elias never possessed this Divine nature, although they were the specially chosen of God to do His work in the particulars in which they were chosen; and they never understood that their lives after death were to be anything more than a mere existence in the spirit world as spirits, or, as it was expressed, they were gathered to the home of their fathers. Rest was then understood as the great condition of the good men of God, and this rest meant to them a relief from all earthly troubles and a happiness that would result from such freedom. So that, when the Master came into the spirit world and preached the great truth of the rebestowal of the Divine Love, the spirits were as much surprised as were mortals; and there was just as much unbelief among them as among mortals. The Jews still believe in their doctrines which had been their rule of faith when in the flesh; and the laws of Moses and the declarations of the prophets control them as spirits just as they had controlled them on earth. Of course, after they became spirits, they learned many things which pertain to the spirit world of which they had no knowledge as mortals; and among the laws which they learned as spirits was the great law of recompense. Of course, Moses had in a way taught the principles of this law as instanced in his decree of "an eye for and eye, and a tooth for a tooth;" but this was merely a shadow of what the law of recompense means in the spirit world. This law was then in existence just as much as it is now, but then spirits had only the natural love to help them get out of their condition of suffering and darkness, and, in many cases, it required centuries and centuries for this love to work out their salvation. And I must tell you also, that when this natural love had done its work, the spirit came into a condition of happiness and satisfaction. So much so, that many of them remain contented; and some who lived on earth when I lived and became spirits when I became a spirit, are still in that condition of happiness which this natural love in a pure state gives them. They did not awaken to the great truth that the Divine Love had been offered them at the time of Jesus' coming to earth, just as many, yes, as the large majority of men, have never awakened to this fact. So you see, while God in His goodness and mercy has provided a way by which all may become partakers of His Divine nature and of the corresponding great and never dying happiness, yet, He has also provided a natural love which may become free from all sin and earthly grossness, and when so purified enables the spirit to enjoy a happiness far beyond what mortals may conceive of. But this latter condition does not bring immortality, and no spirit with only this natural love has any assurance that it is immortal.Well, I have written very much and must stop for this time. Well, at the time Moses and Elias met Jesus in the Mount of Transfiguration, they had received a portion of this Divine Love, because they had learned previous to that date of its rebestowal on mankind. And as they were very spiritual beings, in the sense, that they had developed their natural love to its supreme excellence and were very near the Father in their soul development, so they were ready recipients of this Divine Love when it came again to man and spirits. But they were so filled with it then as many spirits who were mortals in your time, are now. As I understand the meaning of the Transfiguration, it was to show to the disciples of the Master, that while Jesus was the possessor and embodiment of this Divine Love in the mortal world, so Moses and Elias were the possessors of it in the spirit world. In other words, Jesus' appearance showed that it had been bestowed on mortal man, and the appearance of Moses and Elias showed that it had also been bestowed on the spirits. Sometime I will come and relate to you my experience in finding this Love and in becoming convinced of the real mission and truth of Jesus' teaching - and how this Love came into my soul and resulted in my becoming a Christian.The sphere in which I live has no number, but it is high in the Celestial Heavens, but not so high as that in which the apostles live. They have wonderful soul development, which means the possession of this Love to a great degree, which determines their place of living. Well, I am grateful that I could write to you to-night, and I feel that by having done so, I am opening the way to my being able to do good to mortals, for we are now forming an army, as you would say, to make a great and successful onslaught on the powers of evil and darkness as they now exist in the mortal world. Jesus will be the leader of this army. He is the greatest spirit in all God's universe, and we, who are his followers, realize that fact and follow him without question. So, my friend, I must stop. With the love of a brother, who to you may seem ancient, but is very young, I will say, good-night. Daniel July 21st, 1915 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. Samuel, the Prophet of God of the Old Testament. I am the same Samuel whom the woman of Endor called from the spirit world to show Saul his doom; and as I come to you tonight, I came to her at that time, only my purpose is not the same, and I am not the same spirit in my qualifications. I am now a Christian and know what the Divine Love of the Father means, while then, I did not, and was a spirit living in comparative happiness and existing in the consciousness that I had done my work on earth, and was then enjoying the repose of the righteous; for as we understood that word then in both the mortal and spirit worlds, I was a righteous man. I come to you to-night, because I see that you have been chosen to do the great work of the Master in His efforts to redeem mankind from their lives of sin and error, and to show them the way by which they may partake of the Divine nature of the Father and obtain immortality. How much more mankind, and spirits too, are blessed now than they were when I was a mortal, and for a long time after I became a spirit. My God then and your God now, are the same, but His Great Gift of Divine Love was not in existence then as It is now. And so you and all other mortals should realize the great privilege you have because of this Gift and the gift of Jesus to explain, and show the Way by which that Love may be obtained, and that freely without mental exercise of a high order, but merely by the longings and aspirations of the soul in its desires to become a part of the Father's Divinity. I tell you that the ways of God are wonderful and mysterious, and His Plans, while to us may seem to be working slowly, yet they are working surely, and will be accomplished in His Own fullness of time. I never knew when on earth, that God was such a God of Love and Mercy. He was our Jehovah and ruler. He was a God of anger and wrath and a jealous God, as l thought, ever ready to punish those whom He thought to be His enemies with massacre and death. I obeyed Him and performed His work as I understood I should, more through fear than love. In fact love was never with me a weapon or instrument to be used in bringing the disobedient Jew to a compliance with what we thought was the will of God. In such a method of procuring obedience the soul was never developed, and love was a minor factor in making the Jews obedient to the Father's requirements. Our principal desires were for the success of our earthly undertakings, and when these were accomplished, we had no further use for our God, except to keep Him in reserve for occasions that might arise when, as we thought, we might need His assistance. I know that Moses commanded the Jews to love God with all their souls and mind and strength, and many of them thought that they were doing so, but in reality their love was limited by the extent of their desires for worldly gain. And this I know, for when they had succeeded in obtaining what they wanted, they forgot to love God; and, hence we prophets were so often required to instruct them, and so frequently did call them to a recollection of God, and the danger they ran in forgetting Him and His laws. But we seldom attempted to have them call back in their recollections of Him through love, but nearly always through threatenings and the portrayal of dire punishments that would be inflicted upon them should they continue to forget Him. And thus it was that Saul sought my help and advice. He thought that not only had God forsaken him, but that he had forsaken God, and he expected the punishment that he thought, would result from such neglect to serve and obey God. And he thought, that as I was in the spirit world and probably very close to God, I would exercise some influence and have the great threatened calamity arrested. Be he did not seek me through love of God, but through fear of his enemies and dread that God would direct His wrath upon him. So you see, fear was the ruling sentiment that actuated the Jews in my time in their dealings with God, and when that fear was allayed or forgotten God was forgotten, and only again remembered when danger appeared. Of course, there were many exceptions to this class of Jews, for there were some who really loved God, and that in a way that no fear of wrath or anger on His part formed a part of their love. So, you will see that the laws of Moses were not so much intended to regulate the spiritual or soul part of the Jews, but to control them in their dealings with one another in the practical affairs of life and in their dealings with the heathens and strangers. The moral laws thus taught were taught for the purpose of making them righteous as between themselves, and then, as a consequence, so they thought, they would be righteous towards God. But the great essential to make them one with God by obtaining the Divine Love was missing, and never sought for, and could not then be found, for it did not then exist for mankind. I am now a Christian and know that the Divine Love is a reality and that all men may have it if they will will only seek for it. Well, the woman of Endor was not a witch and did not practice the black art. She was a good woman possessed of powers to call up the dead, as they were called. She did not engage in practices of doing harm to mortals, such as putting spells upon them or using charms, but she was a true medium and, while not possessed of much spirituality, yet she was a woman of good morals, and had around her many spirits of the higher order whose only desires were to do good to mortals. She was the one who was careful to have no evil spirits come and communicate, and her powers with the higher ones were very great. Had she been of what you call the lower class of mediums, I would never have responded to her call; she was in rapport with men and other spirits whose thoughts were turned to the higher things of the spirit world, and, hence, she had no difficulty in having us appear when she desired it for the consolation of help to mortals. Saul, I had instructed and advised when alive, and naturally after I became a spirit and he needed help, he would seek my advice. In those days mediums were more numerous than most people suppose, and because of their being so common and of such different kinds, and the most of them engaged in necromancy and evil arts, there were passed strict laws against them pursuing their calling or engaging in the practice of consulting spirits. But not all were bad, and many of them did good in the world, and among these was the woman of Endor, notwithstanding that she has been so vilified and abused by the churches and preachers. You may be surprised when I tell you that she is now living high up in the Celestial Heavens and a redeemed spirit enjoying the Divine Love of God. Well, I must stop, but I will come again sometime and tell you of the things that I know in reference to these higher spheres. I will say good-night. Your friend and brother, Samuel July 21st, 1915 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen Well, sweetheart you must stop for to-night. You are tired and it will do you harm to write more. They are powerful spirits and look as young as do the spirits of those who died recently, and were very young. I mean they looked like young men - and really are; and they are very highly developed in their souls and intellects. Daniel is especially beautiful and also very powerful. With all my love, I am Your own true and loving Helen July 22nd, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, St. Sebastian. I am the spirit of a man who lived on the earth a few hundred years after the death of Jesus and was a bishop of the church of Christ, and was crucified because of my faith and teaching of the truth of Jesus. I was not a very great Christian in the sense of having a large degree of soul development, but I had the intellectual faith which caused me to pursue with energy and zeal the callings to which I had given my life. I was not known to the world as a great disciple of the Master, but in the limited territory in which I lived and worked I was known as a zealous follower of the Master and a propagandist of his truths. I am now in the Celestial Spheres and am possessed of the Divine Love of the Father and am happy beyond description. I am interested in the work which you are now performing and want to assure you of my cooperation in making known to the world the great truths which Jesus came to earth to teach and make known to humanity. So, I will be of those who will sustain and help you to transmit these truths to mankind, and I will occasionally write you, as opportunity presents itself. I lived in Italy and died there a martyr to my faith. So you see, I was like the disciples in this particular. I will not write more tonight but will say that I am Your brother in Christ, St. Sebastian July 22nd, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I was a spirit who, when on earth, was known as the man who conquered and destroyed Jerusalem. I am Vespasian, the Roman Emperor. I became a Christian even before my death, but I never was more than a Christian in name. I knew nothing of the true doctrines of Christianity, or of the Love which the early Christians professed to possess, as such Love was taught by Jesus. My espousing Christianity was a matter of political expediency, and was not the result of any fixed faith in the truths of that religion. But since I became a spirit I have become a true Christian, and am now a follower of and believe in the truths of the Master. I live in the Celestial Spheres and am a redeemed spirit and have the happiness which such condition ensures. You must not think that because I was once Emperor of the great Roman nation that therefore I am a person of more importance than are those who were of less importance on earth. That fact does not enter into the determination of what place I shall occupy in the Celestial Spheres. Only the soul's development determines that question. But I am a high spirit, nevertheless, and I want to tell you that I am interested in your work among men and the unfortunate spirits. So believe me when I tell you that I am in sympathy with your work and will aid you to the best of my ability. I know that you have your doubts as to my writing to you, and I can hardly blame you, for it is not natural to suppose that the spirit of one who passed over such a long time ago would have the interest in you or in humanity to cause him to come to the earth sphere again, and attempt to write to you or to help mortals. But it is a fact, nevertheless, and you must believe me. Well, we do not stand still in our spirit life, and we have learned many languages since we became spirits; and knowing sometime ago that mortals would be called upon to do the work of assisting in the redemption of men, we have prepared ourselves so that we can understand and write most of the languages of earth. But in the case of the English language, we saw that the greatest number of mediums come from the race speaking that language, and hence we paid particular attention to the learning of the English tongue. We can learn so much more readily the various languages since we became spirits, and men must not think that spirits do not progress in their knowledge of nearly every kind of learning. I am not now the one-sided person that I was on earth - the whole universe is open to me to learn whatever it contains, and I have studied with great interest and assiduity ever since I became a spirit. Well, I must stop, but will come again and tell you of many things that my studies have brought to my knowledge. So, with the best and kindest of feelings, I am, Your brother in Christ, Vespasian, The Roman Emperor July 22nd, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, St. Chrysostom: I come because I want to tell you that you have entered upon a work that will bring much happiness to mankind and much glory to the cause of the Master. When alive, I was a teacher of the truths of the Master, and lived a great many years among a people who believed with their intellects, but who knew very little of the soul religion. I, myself, was not a great believer in the truths having reference to the soul's development, but I taught those truths which appealed more to my intellect, and which were of a character suited more to instill merely moral principles than to cause men to receive and understand the real spirit and real meaning of these teachings. But yet such teachings accomplished some good among the people of those times. I was a great student of the Bible, as it was then written, and my studies enabled me to teach and explain these truths in an intellectual way. It seems strange to me now, but it is a fact, that I never understood the inner depths of these truths, and when I came to die, I had not the consolation of knowing that the Divine Love was the great desideratum, in order for men to become at-one with the Father, and to become a partaker of His Divinity. I learned these great soul truths after I became a spirit, and met those spirits who had received this Great Love, and showed by their wonderful appearances and happiness that they possessed it. So you see that while I was sainted for what I was supposed to have done for the good of the church and for mankind, I was not a saint at all, but a very great sinner without the essentials to make me a saint. Many a saint of the church was, when on earth, anything but a saint, and the church in making such person a saint only does what a nation may do in making its prominent warriors and statesmen heroes in marble or bronze. We who were saints of the church only as we were believers in the Christ, but we were not saints as to the perfection of our soul condition. In my time on earth, I sought to correct abuses in conduct among those people who outwardly, as clergymen, were carrying on the work of Jesus yet, in character, were lax in obtaining from modes of conduct which were contrary to the laws of God as proclaimed in the writings of Moses and preached by the Master. So no church can make a man a saint by merely declaring and recognizing him as such. On earth the sins and evil deeds of men may be hidden by the glamour which the church casts over and around them, but in the spirit world these sins and blemishes appear in all the nakedness which the glare of the noonday sun may develop. Character cannot be hidden and defects cannot be hidden, and unless the soul of a spirit is pure and spotless, it will have to occupy that place and take that station which its soul development determines are suited for it. So how futile are all these canonizing and worshippings of men as saints when there is nothing of the saint about them. The poorest peasant may be more of a saint in the spirit world, than the greatest and most exalted saint according to the creation of the churches. I do not remember if HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/ancient21.htm" Vespasian was a Christian at the time, but he is a Christian now, and an inhabitant of the Father's Kingdom. So you must not let the doubts that you may have about his writing to you cause you to disbelieve what he said. I saw him write and I know it was he, and no other. With the love of a brother, I will say good-night. Your brother and friend, Chrysostom called Saint John A.D. 347 - 407 Archbishop of Constantinople July 22nd, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, St. George (of the Dragon). I was a warrior, and not a saint. I was an enthusiast in the cause of the Christians against the Turks, and I fought and suffered and died; but as to my being a saint, I never was one more than was any other warrior who was stirred by the great cause which urged us to rescue the Holy Land from the infidels. But, while I was never a saint, yet I was of a religious turn of mind and spiritual things appealed to my higher nature, and at times my soul felt the influence of the workings of the spirit world. But I was never a real possessor of the Father's Love as I now am. Since my coming into the spirit world I have received this Great Love, and am now a follower of the Master in my belief in his teachings, and in my efforts to work for the good of humanity. I now know what the Divine Love of the Father means, and how the possession of it fills the soul with happiness and immortality. I live in the Celestial Spheres and am a member of the Kingdom of Jesus. So, I merely came to add one more testimony to the fact that through you the Master is working to save mankind from their sins and to extend his Kingdom of Love and happiness to all parts of the earth. I will not write more now. So I will say good night. Your brother in the cause, St. George July 22nd, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus: I am here to tell you that you have had a cloud of witnesses as to your being selected to do my work, and you have wondered why so many of my disciples and apostles and those called saints should come to you in such close succession, and all testify as to that one fact. Well, I caused them to come as I wished to establish your faith as to my being the true Jesus of the Bible, and as to your mission in regard to my work. So now let all doubt leave you, and let your faith grow until you will never hesitate to believe, no matter what surprising communication may come to you. I am glad that you are feeling better tonight, and if you will only believe in my promises you will have cause to feel very much better in the near future. I do not intend to write more tonight, but soon will give you another message. Yes, they were the persons they represented themselves to be. We will not permit any imposters to write. Yes, that is true they were actually the old prophets, and they were much interested in your ability to write. They will come again. I must stop now. Goodnight, your loving brother and friend, Jesus July 22nd, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Anaxylabis. Let me tell you about the great pyramid of Gizeh. I want to do so in detail, as I was its designer, and I built it under the direction of the great Egyptian king, Monyabasis the Great, who lived many centuries ago, before Rameses, who is credited with its construction. I know that mankind has no records which tell of the reign of this monarch, but such records did exist, and in them was contained the history and the description of the occasion which called for the building of this great pyramid. These records were destroyed long before the present extant histories of the world were written - long before the Book of the Dead was written and long before any of the present kingdoms of the earth had their beginnings. Centuries and centuries have passed since that time and no man has knowledge of what was then the condition of the human race or, as I should say, speaking for myself, of the race that inhabited the region of what you call the Lower Nile. We were a race of a great intelligence, and of what you would now describe as a wonderful civilization. Many of our arts and sciences disappeared from earth and have never been rediscovered, and may never be, for that race no longer has communication with the present race. I came tonight because I saw pass me by wonderful spirits of light and beauty, evidently bent on some great mission; and I followed them and found myself with you. Listening to the communications which they gave you, I found that there came to me a desire to write also. Well, as I listened I soon saw that the communications were written in a language different from my own, and that you understood only that language and that I must write in that language to make myself understood; so I commenced at once to learn it and I learned it in the short space of time that I listened to them in their communications. This may seem impossible to you, but I can read the thoughts of spirits and men without difficulty, and as all thoughts in the spirit world require no language such as you understand, I soon found that I could clothe my thoughts in your words as I am doing now. Well, I know it may not be very satisfactory to you, but it is true, and I cannot more clearly explain it so that you may comprehend it. Well, I have diverged or digressed from my intention of telling you what the design of the great pyramid was, and I find that I have written too long to attempt it now, as this is my first effort at writing. So I will postpone it until later, but I will come and give you the explanation. I don't know in years, but when the Egyptian Book of the Dead was written I had lived as a spirit many thousands of years. I must stop now and say good night. Anaxylabis July 22nd, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Anabalixis: I lived on the lost continent of Atlantis. I was a ruler of the people who lived on this submerged continent and I come to tell you of its history, but your wife says that you are too tired to write more tonight. I will come again some time and tell you the wonders of that unfortunate land. So goodnight. Anabalixis July 22nd, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: Well you have had some wonderful communications tonight and I know that you are somewhat mystified and have some doubts as to the genuineness of the writers, but they were the spirits who wrote the communications and they said that they are just who they represented themselves to be. The last two looked like very ancient spirits and had wonderful intelligent countenances. But they are not spirits of light and love which the Divine Love gives to spirits. I suppose that they live in some of the planes of the Sixth Sphere. You must not write more. So with all my love, I am your own true and loving, Helen July 22nd, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Franklin H. Mackey: I must write just a line to tell you that you are my friend and helper in my darkness and sufferings. I have been much benefitted by your advice and the help which your band has given me and I am commencing to see the light and to know what the love of the Father means to a poor benighted soul who has been in a state of torment. I will not write longer but say that I am so grateful and will never forget your kindness and sympathy. May God bless you and keep you in His care. Your old friend and brother lawyer that was, Franklin H. Mackey July 22nd, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, too - Hugh Taggart: As Mackey said, I am grateful for what you have done for me, and the great light that has come to me by reason of your advice, and the teachings and help of your band, and especially the deep sympathy and sisterly love of that beautiful wife of yours. Why, Padgett, I want to tell you that the most fortunate things of my whole existence were my acquaintance with you and the wonderful results that flowed from it. I sometimes wonder how all of this could have come about. Where on earth, while I knew that you believed in spiritualism, yet I never realized what your belief and experience meant to you, and what a great help it would be to me, when the time came for me to become a spirit. I will never forget our first argument after I became a spirit on this great question of how I might be rescued from my awful condition of suffering and darkness, and with what earnestness you maintained the position that you took and tried to show me that there was a way by which I could get light and happiness and relief from my torments. Mackey and I often talk about it, and we wonder that you could have had such knowledge of these spiritual matters and such faith to maintain the truth of their existence. But you were right and your faith was not misplaced. Old friend, I thank you again, and God bless you! I am now in a condition of light and suffer very little and realize to a great extent that there is such a thing as the Love of the Father, and that it may be mine. I pray and my faith is becoming stronger all the time. The great proof to me, aside from what I see in the condition of other spirits who claim to have this love, is my own change in soul happiness and in desire to progress to the higher spheres, which your band tells me exists, and that I may find my home there if I will only pray more to the Father and let my faith enlarge. To me this Love and faith is a new revelation. Of course, when on earth I heard of God's Love and of faith, but to me they meant nothing more than the rhapsodies of the enthusiastic, religionists, whose emotions had overcome their normal reasoning powers-a will' o the whisp, as it were. But now I know the reality of these things and I find that the emotions are in things pertaining to the soul more certain leaders than are the reasoning faculties. I am quite happy at times, and I hope to make such progress in my soul development as to be happy all the time. You are my true friend and I love you as a brother now. Well, they are still in darkness, but have progressed some little. The great disappointment which Harvey experienced when he came over seems to have such a baleful influence on him, that it is almost impossible at this time for him to reach out and try to grasp the truth of the existence of this Love. But we are trying to help him, and he is commencing to wonder at our improved appearance and to think that maybe we know what we tell him to be the cause of the change. Mac is still in darkness, and it seems hard for him to awaken to the fact that there can be any other condition that he may have. He is very hard to reason with, and does not seem to have much desire to have his condition change. Well, I will not write more tonight. I saw some spirits writing to you but did not know them, except Jesus. I know him and I could never forget him for there are none like him in grandeur and beauty and love. So my dear friend, let me again express my gratitude and say with all my heart, that I am Your grateful, Hugh T. Taggart July 22nd, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, George W. Harvey: Wait a while until I say something.I want to tell you that Mackey and Taggart have changed so much, that I wonder why they have and I have not. They tell me that it is because they have received the love of God in their souls, and faith in what the beautiful spirits of your band tell them. I hardly know what to think and I want to ask what you think is the cause. I am a doubting Thomas. Well, I have heard what you said and I will try to do as you say. I will do so. And I want to express to you my gratitude for the interest you have taken in me. Your friend, George W. Harvey July 30th, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. A master in Israel, and yet I did not understand this New Birth. How few understood it then, and how few now. Oh, the long years that have gone by since Jesus told me that I must be born again to inherit eternal life, and how comparatively seldom this great truth is taught by the churches and the teachers of religious matters. This truth is at the very foundation of mankind's redemption, and until a man receives this New Birth he cannot possibly enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Men may claim to have faith in God and believe on Jesus' name and conform to all the essentials and sacraments of the churches, and yet, unless they have this New Birth, their faith and works as Christians are vain. This I know from my own experience as well as from the teachings of the Master, and I desire to emphasize, with all the powers that I have, that it is the only important requirement to immortality.The New Birth means the flowing into the soul of a man the Divine Love of the Father, so that that man becomes, as it were, a part of the Father in His Divinity and Immortality. When this truth comes to a man he commences to take on himself the Divine nature of the Father, and all that part of him that may be called the natural nature commences to leave him, and as the Divine Love continues to grow and fill his soul, the natural love and affections for things of the earth will disappear, and as a result he will become at-one with the Father and immortal. Why don't those who profess to be teachers of Jesus' truths - which are the truths of the Father - and all followers of him, pay more attention to this vital truth? When you shall have received the messages from the Master, I think you will find this Truth of the New Birth to be the one thing that Jesus will emphasize and reiterate most . It is the most important thing for men not only to hear about and acquiesce in their intellectual beliefs, but also to actually experience. I wish that I had understood it when on earth as I do now. He meant as no man could see the wind or tell from whence it came or whither it was going, so no man who received this New Birth could see the operations of the Holy Spirit or know whence it came. But this latter expression must be modified, because we all know it comes from the Father; but just how we do not know. The Holy Spirit is as invisible as the wind, and yet it is just as real and existing. But men need not trouble their intellects to know exactly what this Great Power is, for it is sufficient to know: that which causes the New Birth is the Divine Love of the Father coming into the souls of men. I must stop as I have written enough for to night. So let me subscribe myself a brother who has received the New Birth, and a lover and follower of the Master. Nicodemus August 1st, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, George Washington: I was the first President of the United States. I came to tell you that I am a spirit who is now a follower of the Master and that I have found the Love of God and am an inhabitant of the first Celestial sphere, where my home is one of happiness and love. I am not so much interested in the affairs of earth as I once was, and I do not attempt to influence the men who are at the head of public affairs as I did a few years ago. Now I see that the things of the earth are only temporary and need not the oversight of spirits who have advanced to the higher spheres, and consequently, I don't at this time take an interest in such matters. But I am interested in the individual souls of men and in their spiritual welfare and I am doing what I can to help them develop their soul qualities. So when you read that I am advising the rulers of the nation, or others who have to do with the making of its laws or the execution of them, you must conclude that such messages are not from me or in any manner suggested by me. I am now interested in men as individuals because that welfare exists through all eternity and not for time only, as does the welfare of the nation. Of course, as men become possessed of the higher soul development the condition and excellence of the nation will be benefitted and increased, and men's happiness, both individually and in the aggregate, will be much increased, and will make them more at one with the Father, and as a consequence, the brotherhood of man will be more effective in working good. But the brotherhood of man is not the great object for which men should work or preach. First, let each man receive in his heart this Divine Love of the Father, and then the true principles which should exist in the brotherhood of man will find their existence, and men not only as individuals but as brothers will find that they will be happier, and devote themselves to serving one another and to causing the greatest good to the greatest numbers. No mere philanthropical desires of men will bring about the great millenium that men look forward to in organizing and fostering what they call the brotherhood of men. Of course, men should endeavor to love one another even if they do not have this Divine Love in their souls, but such love will not be sufficient to form a brotherhood that will last and grow under all circumstances. Men's desires are not naturally of the kind that unite them together in one great object, and where their material interests or love of power or ambition to extend their territorial or commercial interests come in conflict with this natural love for one another the natural love must succumb, and as a result war will ensue, and hatred and envy and the desire to overcome one another will take the place of love and brotherhood. Only when men shall get this Divine Love in their hearts will they be able to overcome these natural desires. So I say, the great and only preachment is the obtaining of a brotherhood of man founded upon the Divine Love existing in the individual souls. Without this the brotherhood will be founded on sinking sand and no stability will make it a thing of lasting existence. I have written enough for my first attempt. As to the present terrible war, I do not see that it had any excuse much less justification, and the results that will follow are beyond the conception of the wisest statesmen. I do not know how or when it will end, but to me it seems that the allies must prevail, and the Germans and Austrians be compelled to submit to the dictates of their antagonists. But ere that time comes, many a man will become a spirit, and many an orphan and widow will be made to hunger and suffer the pangs of distress. Let men fight if they will, but the truths of the Father will always continue to stand and call for men to recognize and embrace them. So my friend, I must stop. Thanking you for your kindness, I will say goodnight. Your brother in Christ, George Washington August 1st, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Lafayette: I am the Frenchman who was a lover of liberty and a soldier of both your country and mine, and who was an aide to your great general and father of his country - I mean Washington. I came because I want to tell you that in the great war that is now going on I am interested, and want to express my opinion as to its causes and its ending. France was not desirous of this war and had made no preparations to struggle against the Germans and had no idea that the Germans would so soon seek to overrun her territory; as Germany professed the greatest friendship for her; but as you know, the German Emperor, without warning and without excuse hurled his legions into poor Belgium in his endeavor to reach the French capital and possess it before the French nation could make any effective resistance. The Kaiser was anxious to acquire more territory belonging to France for purposes of colonization, and thought that the task would be an easy one. He had no conception that he would have any difficulty in passing through Belgium, neither did he contemplate that England and Russia would join with France in opposing his onslaught. In fact, he thought that he would so quickly succeed in capturing Paris and obtaining what he desired that these other nations would not have time to take any part in the conflict. But as you know, little Belgium checked his advance and held him at bay until England was enabled to take such action as embarrassed him to such an extent that he has never yet succeeded in gaining the object of his desires, and let me say, he never will. I will not further review this phase of the matter. In the end Germany will be defeated and her Kaiser will be killed and his family disappear from the face of the earth as a ruling family. Germany will become in a few years after the war a republic, but its territory will be much reduced. Before the war ends the Allies will invade Germany and Berlin will become invested by them and they will dictate their own terms of capitalism, and these terms will be such that Germany as a great nation will cease to exist, and will take her place among the republics of the earth as a secondary state, and devote herself to the industries which her natural resources and the capacity of her people will entitle her to. She will never become a great maritime nation but will be content to exist as a manufacturing and agricultural country. Her people will migrate in large numbers and become swallowed up in the other nations of the world, especially in the South American countries. France will again thrive and so will her Allies, and little Belgium will be taken care of and become an important manufacturing country, with a people much improved in their intellectual acquirements. I say all this, not because I am a Frenchman, but because I can see that these results must flow from causes which now exist, and which will continue to exist until the results that I speak of come about. But the sad thing is that before these results come many a human will become a spirit, and many a happy family will be broken up and poverty and distress cause much suffering. But such is war and such a war never was. So my friend, I thought that I would write to you tonight and express my views. I will not take up more of your time. I live in the sixth sphere and have a home of much beauty and many friends in whom I find much happiness and entertainment. I sometime see him ( HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor385.htm" Washington) but not so often as formerly. He is living in a sphere higher than where I live and I don't often see him. Our attractions have not continued as you might suppose, and where this attraction does not exist, spirits do not often come in contact with one another. I never thought of that view of the matter, and the next time I meet him I will make the inquiry. I know that he is a more beautiful spirit than I am and more beautiful than when he lived close to me in a lower sphere. I have never thought to ask the reason for his improvement but will do so as you suggest. I sometimes see Napoleon and talk with him and more often since this war began. He is interested as I am but he does not seem to think that it will last very long, as he sees a reason why the Allies will soon overrun the German empire, and bring the war to a close. I cannot write more. Your friend, Lafayette August 1st, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Bismarck: Let me say a word. I saw what HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/historic4.htm" Lafayette wrote and I don't agree with him on either proposition. The German Emperor did not bring on this war as the Frenchman said, but it was forced on him. He saw that not only France but England was trying to destroy the great mercantile business which Germany had built up, and that unless he took some means to forestall the efforts of these nations, Germany would lose its commercial prestige and have to submit to the dictates of these rivals; and as a wise Emperor and statesman he struck the first blow - sharp and quick - and had it not been for the Belgians he would have reached Paris and accomplished his object. But that little nation of lacemakers, as we called them, showed that when home was invaded they could fight, and fight they did; and notwithstanding the fact that I am a German, whose sympathies and desires are all with the Germans, yet I admired the way in which these Belgians fought. Had France such fighters, the Germans would have been out of that country along time ago, and the German territory would now be invaded. But this is past, and Germany is still in France and will stay there, notwithstanding the efforts that France and England may make to oust them. The end of the war is not yet and before that end comes Paris will fall and the terms of peace will be dictated by the victorious Germans; and France will lose some territory, and England will pay an indemnity and make such concessions to Germany that her commerce will be established and grow to such an extent that she will be second to none as a commercial nation. Germany will not cease to be an empire - a stronger and greater one than ever. William will not live long after the war ends, but one of his sons will occupy the throne and his family will reign for years. It will not become a republic, although I know the socialists will make a great effort to bring that about; but they will fail. So I tell you that the French spirit is mistaken and he will find out his mistake before a great many months have gone by. I don't know what causes he imagines he sees, but if he would see the true causes he would draw different conclusions as I do. I am Bismarck and I am with the German Army trying to show its generals the way to accomplish their objects. I must not write more. I live in the second sphere and am trying to find happiness, but this war interferes with my happiness and my progress. Well, I saw you writing, and I saw HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor385.htm" Washington and Lafayette engaged in writing and I stopped to listen, and became interested in both the writing and the subject matter, and when Lafayette wrote as he did I determined to give my views, and hence I wrote. You must excuse my intrusion, but I thought it just to express what I think about the war. I will not take up more of your time. So with my kind regards, I am Your friend, Bismarck August 1st, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, John Brown: I was the man who gave his life for the freedom of the slaves and the purification of the nation. So I come to you as a spirit who in the long years since my death has seen the principles for which I fought and died established in the laws of my country, and the principles of freedom and political equality made a part of the economy of your land. I am now a spirit fighting still for truth and liberty, but now my fight is for the liberty of all mankind from the slavery which sin and the greed of men impose upon their fellow men. No man has the right, because of superiority in position or greatness in wealth to make his fellow man a slave or keep him from enjoying the God given things of earth. Of course, some men must rule and some must possess the greater riches, but these facts do not justify the ruling ones or the wealthy in treating the subordinate or the poor in a way to make them unhappy, or to prevent them from receiving their just dues in the working of the affairs of their relationship of employer and employee or of governor and governed. Right is right, and no machinations of men will not much longer make the poor and dependent a slave to the rich and independent. Men are awakening to their rights and to the object of their creation by a just God who is no respecter of persons; and soon men will come into their own and peace will reign on earth. I am not what is called a socialist, but a lover of mankind without regard to environments or opportunities. Let the rich treat the poor as brothers, and let the laws be administered for all alike. Religion is a mighty power in the world, and as men come to see that the golden rule of the Master is the only one that should govern their actions, one towards the other, peace and prosperity and happiness will come to the inhabitants of the earth. What I say is not a mere dream of an enthusiast, but is the result of what I see will follow the workings of the great spiritual forces which are now combined and working for the salvation of men as never before in the history of the world. And in this great work love will be the mainstay of the principles that will activate men in their dealings with one another, and when this love shall flow to men with all its fullness and irresistible force, as will do, men will realize a new existence, and the brotherhood of men will become a thing of reality. So I say, let men prepare themselves for this great inflowing of love, for its coming and will sweep away the evils and trifles that now are influencing the great crime of the centuries. I mean the great barbarous and inexcusable war that is now devastating the whole of Europe. Men may think that the end of the war will see a peace that, because of the horrors and great losses and depletion of men and means, will last for many years, but if peace should depend upon these causes, war would rear its ugly head again before many generations have passed. While the war shall end the causes of the war will only slumber, and when new generations come, and the ambition and desire for aggrandizement and power shall again work their evil influences upon the hearts and minds of the rulers of the new generations, war will come again. But we hope, and are working to that end, that the love of one for another and the great feeling and realization of the brotherhood of man will so fill the souls of men that those things which cause wars will entirely disappear, and peace will become the lasting condition of both individuals and nations. Liberty and freedom are the great possessions of men even as they are now possessed, with all these feelings of envy and hatred and ambition, but peace and love are the greatest things in all the world, and when men learn this, war will never rear its ugly head again. I must stop now. I am living in the fourth sphere and am comparatively happy, and am much interested in any country's welfare and in the welfare of humanity the world over. I am a worshiper of God and am trying to follow His precepts as I learned them on earth. I am not the possessor of what you call the Divine Love but I have a love for my fellow men which enables me to try to help them in every way in my power. I never have troubled myself about the love that you speak of. I know that there are spirits who live in higher spheres than I do, and they seem more beautiful than do I, but I have never sought the reason or troubled myself with knowing why. But as you put the proposition I will talk to some of these spirits and ask them about this love that you speak of. So I thank you for the opportunity of writing my sentiments on the subject that is so dear to me now, and was when I was on earth. With all my love I will say, Goodnight, John Brown August 3rd, 1915. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. My truths are plain and my teachings can be understood by the simple. Any religion which requires the exercise of the mental faculties to an extent greater than what is required in the ordinary affairs of life, cannot be a true religion; because God has designed that all his children shall understand His truths without the necessity of having a highly developed mind. He that runs may understand my teachings and it will not be necessary for any preacher or teacher to explain them. My language will explain itself. So let not your mind be troubled over the question as to whether only the mentally developed can understand what I may write - the truths are for all. So with all my love I am, Your brother and friend, Jesus August 5th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am Samuel the Prophet. I want to tell you that I am in a condition to tell you of my existence here in the spirit world, and what I know about the truths of the doctrines of Jesus as I have learned them since I became possessed of the Divine Love which he brought to earth and to the world of spirits. I have lived a great many years in this spirit life, more than you may think from the account of my earth life as contained in the Old Testament, for that book does not state correctly the time when I lived as a mortal. Many thousand years have gone by since I lived and performed my work as prophet and teacher on the earth, and I have in all these long years learned many things about the spiritual world, and its conditions and laws. In the first place, I am not a spirit who was given over to the evils that men are usually possessed of when they become spirits, because when I lived on earth I was very close to the Father in his thoughts and love. I mean the love which He gave to man at that time. This love, while not the Divine Love, yet was a love that was sufficient to make men happy when they possessed it free from sin and error and tried to do the will of the Father as they understood that will. Many men thought that they understood this will, when in reality they only knew that which the laws of Moses taught them to be right in the sight of God. But some men were given a deeper insight into the mind and love of the Father to bless and make men happy in their natural love and consequently were closer to Him, and better understood His will and what was pleasing to Him. I have since my becoming a spirit learned many truths which I did not understand on earth, and which are necessary to know in order to be able to enjoy this love in its fullness. I never, though, possessed this Divine Love until after Jesus came to earth and showed men and spirits what this Love meant, and how necessary it was to obtain it in order to become a part of God's Divinity. I do not now see that I was any more in favor of God, as I then possessed only this natural love, than were many others who had the privilege of receiving from His angels the inspirations which came to them at times, and which made them able to tell the inhabitants of earth what was the purpose of God to have them do. I was only a man in the sense that I was only possessed of this natural love and hence, could get no higher in the spiritual world than this natural love would enable me to attain. I am now in a heaven which this Divine Love has opened up to me, and which enables me to enjoy the great happiness which that Love causes all to have, who possess it. When I lived in the spirit world before obtaining this Divine Love, I was only possessed of that happiness which comes from the natural love, and I knew nothing of the happiness which I now possess. So you see, the spirit which has not this Divine Love can go no higher in the spiritual spheres than it is fitted to occupy by reason of this natural love, and the principal source of happiness is this natural love and the development of the mental faculties. On earth it is possible for a man to obtain this happiness and live in the heaven of the perfect natural man as I did prior to my obtaining this Divine Love. I was a spirit in the highest of the spiritual spheres and was very happy, as I thought, but when I obtained this Divine Love, I realized that the happiness of my former condition was as nothing compared to that of my present condition and I therefore want to tell all mankind that they must seek for this higher Love if they wish to obtain a bliss that is supreme. I know that this rambling talk may not seem very instructive, but I merely wish to emphasize the fact that I lived a mere man, though in the spirit form, before I obtained the Divine Love, and that only with the coming of that Love in my soul did I partake of the Divinity of the Father. Well, they are still in the spiritual heavens because they have not yet embraced the Christ doctrine of Divine Love. They are living and teaching the doctrines that they taught on earth, only much improved. I don't know, except that they have been satisfied with what they taught and the happiness that they live in. It may seem strange to you that they have not found this Love in all these years, but it is a fact, and they are not seeking for it. I feel that they have neglected a great opportunity and have lost very much by letting all these years go by without having sought the great truth. The different teachers of the various religions which have come to earth are occupying planes in the spiritual heavens all to themselves. They, the Jews, still think that theirs is the only true religion, and that they are the chosen people of God, and that all others are mistaken in their doctrines. Well, I must stop. So thanking you for your kindness, I will say goodnight. Samuel August 5th, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Colyer. I was a preacher. I am now a preacher and my doctrines are those of Christ stripped of the creeds and dogmas of the churches. I was not an orthodox preacher, but was one who believed in God and in Jesus as the best and most spiritual man that ever lived on earth, and who taught the truths of his Father. I am of the same belief still, and I have since being in the spirit world learned many things to confirm my belief. The orthodox doctrine as to his being God or one of three Gods is a pernicious one and against all reason and truth. He is just who he said he was - the son of God and the son of man - the first in a spiritual sense and the latter in the material or natural sense. He never, as he has told me, claimed to be God, and his disciples never understood that he was such. The freedom of men's minds from this doctrine of his being God, will do more to bring men to the truth and to believe in religious truths than can be conceived of. When his true mission on earth shall become understood, men will turn to the true worship of God, and to a belief in the teachings of the Master, which will result in many a one being saved from their sins, and in happiness and harmony and brotherly love being more firmly established on earth. I am a believer in the Divine Love and the New Birth and am an inhabitant of the seventh sphere, and am trying to progress to the Celestial Spheres. I will not write more tonight as you are tired, but will come again sometime. So with all my love as a brother in Christ, I am Robert Colyer August 5th, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Lazarus. I was the one whom Jesus called from the grave. I merely want to say that I was not dead when I was resurrected but had on me the sleep of death. But I was not entirely a spirit separated from my body. I know this, because if I had been a wholly separated spirit, Jesus could not have brought me to life again. No spirit, once entirely liberated from the body, can ever return to it and reanimate the body. I know the Bible says or the inference from what it says, is that I was dead, but this is not true as I have above stated. I am now in the Celestial Heavens in a sphere that is not numbered, but very near those in which the disciples live. My sisters are also in the Celestial Heavens. We all believed in the teachings of the Master, and consequently became imbued with his doctrine of the necessity for the Divine Love to come into our souls. While on earth Jesus did teach us that God had again bestowed on man this Divine Love and we believed it. I know that the disciples were taught this same doctrine, but just how far they understood this teaching I do not know. It is strange and they did not declare it in their Gospels, but such seems to be the fact, and it is unaccountable why this important truth was not preserved and taught in their writings. I know that it is the truth and that only those who have received this Love in their hearts can become inhabitants of the Celestial Heavens. Men may refuse to believe this Great Truth if they will, and think that by attending church and worshipping God in their service with their lips, they will be able to enter the Kingdom but they will find themselves mistaken. So in your teachings, let this great truth be the corner stone of whatever you may teach. I am supremely happy and want all mankind to be so. I came to you to inform you of these truths so that my testimony may be added to that of those who may have written to you. Jesus is in the spiritual world working to teach men and spirits his truths. He comes to you and writes and you must believe the fact for it is a fact. I must stop now, so I will say Good night. Lazarus August 5th, 1915. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Robert G. Ingersoll. I am a spirit who when on earth taught men that the only salvation required for them was good deeds and kind hearts, and that the Bible, outside of its moral precepts, was not worthy of belief, that many of its sayings were untrue, and that all of its teachings as to belief and faith were not worthy of consideration. I was perfectly sincere in what I taught and thought, and hence I don't feel that I was guilty of any very great sin, although I have now changed some of my beliefs, or better, thoughts. I did not believe that Jesus ever really lived, as was set forth in the Bible, and I certainly did not believe in a vicarious atonement, or any salvation through blood or propitiation of an angry God. Neither did I believe in any New Birth or in any of the doctrines of St. John having reference to a soul being redeemed; but believed that every man's future state, should there be a future state, depended upon his deeds of love and mercy towards his fellow man. I believed that God was not to be worshipped or consulted, neither would He, nor could He, save a man from anything that might tend to make him unhappy; but that man's love for one another was the great thing that would determine his condition in the future life, should such life exist. I did not deny that there would be a future life. I merely didn't know anything about it, and hence, all my teachings were directed to making men live on earth in a way that would bring to them happiness while mortals. And my foundation stone, as it were, was love, one towards another. And with this went love, kindness and forgiveness, and good feeling, and fair dealing. Especially did I emphasize the necessity for love at home. I am still of the opinion that these qualities, if possessed and expressed in action, will make men happier, make the world better, and finally do away with evil and distress. I now see, though, that there is a future life and that men who would enjoy the greatest happiness in this future life must not only have this love and kindness for one another, but must also seek the Love of God, and believe that God is a Father of Love and believe that He is interested in the soul of each individual man. I am in the Fourth Sphere and have much happiness in my intellectual pursuits and in my love of my fellow man, and am trying to help them get the best out of life on earth. I do not yet believe in the teachings of those parts of the Bible which, in effect, say that you must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ in order to be saved, for I do not believe that any mere belief will save a man from anything. I know that many here believe that Jesus is the saviour of men, as taught by the orthodox churches, but I think that such spirits are as much mistaken as were those who believed the same doctrine when on earth. I consider myself as saved. I have not found any hell as taught by the churches, although each man has to pay the penalties for his evil deeds done on earth, and many men are suffering here since they became spirits. I will confess that I was somewhat surprised to see that spirits who did not live correct lives on earth are suffering very serious tortures; but this I suppose is the effect of the law that demands a penalty for every violation of its command. But I do not understand that this suffering will have to continue forever, or that the state of these men is fixed. Progression is the law of the spirit world, and I cannot conceive that any spirit will remain the same through all eternity. To me, the great satisfaction is that there is no orthodox hell and no devil to punish the wicked. I am myself not entirely satisfied that the condition of those who suffer from their evil deeds may not last a long time, as I am told that many of these spirits have been in a condition of suffering for a long time. Well, I am satisfied with the condition that I am in, and in the possibility of progression, and I need not the teachings of the spirits who profess to have knowledge of a higher love that brings happiness of a kind that enables them to enjoy supreme bliss. Such spirits, I believe, are those who had the old ideas of the churches, against which I taught. I was not compelled to undergo such suffering when I came into the spirit world or to endure much darkness; but I suppose there were some deeds which I had to pay the penalties for, and hence I had to suffer some. But as my love for all mankind was my principle and feeling when on earth, this love gives me a position which I now enjoy. I could write much longer, but I will not do so tonight, and will come again sometime and explain some of the laws of the spirit world. I am Robert G. Ingersoll and was called an infidel. Well, my friend, that is a very astounding proposition, and you must be either a very ignorant man or a very self-conceited one to make such a statement. Well, as to the last statement, you are right. I have an open mind and am willing to learn any truth that may be presented to me in such a way as to convince me that it is a truth. You are stating things of which I have no knowledge, and which I do not believe to be true. I have thought a great deal of God and believe in a God, but as to this Divine Love, I have never heard of it nor ever thought of it. I know of no love but the love for man, and that means spirit for spirit, and a certain love of God for man. But as to a Love that makes one partake of divinity, I have never heard. And as to the New Birth that you speak of, I don't believe in it any more than I did on earth. To me it seems foolishness. What is there about me or any other spirit to be born again? You might probably say that when I left my body and became a spirit I was born again, and in a sense that is true, but when you tell me that I must be born again and that by such birth I will become a partaker of divinity, I cannot believe what you say or understand what you mean. Well, you state your proposition very fairly and very clearly, and I must say that I am impressed with what you say, and it might be that you are right. At any rate, I will keep an open mind and will stand ready to hear any argument from you or any spirit that you have mentioned; and if they can show me the truth of your propositions I will not hesitate to embrace them. I want to learn everything possible, and as I was an honest inquirer on earth, I will be an honest one here. You make your assertions very strong and you seem to be in earnest in what you say, and for those reasons I must listen to you. Yes, I knew Riddle very well, and he was a believer somewhat like myself. I have not met him since I have become a spirit, but would like to do so. I will keep in mind what you say and will observe any difference in beauty that may exist, because if such be a fact there must be some cause for it, and that cause I shall endeavor to understand. I have done as you suggested and I see Riddle, but hardly recognize him, as he is so changed and is so much more beautiful than I conceived of. He has shaken my hand and introduced me to the others. And what beautiful spirits they are! The one who, he says, is your grandmother is glorious in her beauty and brightness, and love seems to be a part of her very being. How I thank you for the experience! I am going with Riddle, who says that he has a wonderful truth to tell me and that I will become convinced of its reality. So, my friend, I thank you for our conversation and if you desire, I will come again and tell you of the result of our interview - I mean between Riddle and myself. I have made the request of your grandmother and she says that she will be pleased to tell me of this Love that you speak of. But let me tell you this before I stop; that what you said about the difference in beauty and brightness of the spirits is true, and that I am as a dark night compared to the noonday sun in my appearance compared with theirs. I am so glad I came to you tonight. So my dear friend, I will say goodbye for a little while. Your friend, Robert G. Ingersoll August 5th, 1915. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Helen. Yes, they were and HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor671.htm" Ingersoll is now with Mr. Riddle and your grandmother. He seems much inspired with your grandmother, and listens to her with great interest. I believe that he will soon see the truth and will seek for this Divine Love and New Birth. So with all my love. I am, Your own true and loving, Helen August 6th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your old Prof: I wish to write a little tonight as I have not written for some time. Well, I have been watching the many messages which you have received and I have been much interested in the variety of the subject matter and the number and difference in the spirits who have written. You seem to have received messages from spirits of all ages and from all nationalities and I am pleased to see that these messages were mostly of a higher order of communication. I was interested in the messages from the prophets and also those from the apostles and saints. And in them I saw that there were many spiritual truths disclosed and that they were very similar in their declarations as to the Divine Love of the Father and the New Birth. It is wonderful that you should get such corroboration of these truths from spirits who have had such a wide difference in experiences in the spirit world. You are better tonight than you have been for sometime and we are all so glad of that fact and hope that you may continue in such a frame of mind and in the condition of your soul development. I am now in the Seventh Sphere and am very happy. Your father is with me and we are so pleased at our progress that we never cease thanking God for His goodness and mercy. Mr. Riddle is still in the fifth sphere, but we expect that he will be in the seventh very soon and we will then have a happy reunion. My soulmate is with me and sends her love to you and says that she is much interested in you and tries all she knows how to help you in your material, as well as your spiritual, condition. Very soon I want to write a long message on a subject that I think will be of much interest to you and to others who are interested in the things of the spirit life. I know that that will please all the band as we have missed writing to you and desire so much to continue our communications. Of course the messages that you have received have been very beneficial and are intended to do good, but yet we feel that we had stayed away, I mean refrained from writing for too long a time. Well, I have been trying to help him (Roller) but his condition is such that I find great difficulty in doing so. He still thinks of the earthly matters and his appetite for the accursed stuff still clings to him and causes him to neglect the thoughts that would do him so much good. But we continue to try to help him. Well, I will stop for tonight. With all my love, I am Your old Professor and friend in Christ, Joseph H. Salyards August 6th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your grandmother: Well my dear son, I have been waiting to come for some time, but as you have had so many spirits from various spheres and so different in personality write to you I thought it best to refrain from writing and let them send their communications. I have been much interested in these writings because mostly all of them have testified as to the fact that Jesus writes to you and wants you to do his work and also as to the truth of our statements concerning the Divine Love and the New Birth. We have felt that this great variety of witnesses would help to convince you of the truths which we have written and in the future will help very much to convince those who may read our messages. So you see our personal sacrifices have been repaid by the host of witnesses that have appeared and written. I am so glad that your faith is now so strong and it will grow stronger and you will realize that Jesus is your true friend and is interested in you in many ways. He seems to love you very much and is with you when you little suppose he is. Yes, all the messages that you get in his name are from him, no matter how personal they may appear to be, for as I said he is interested in you in a way that causes him to care for you in your material affairs. You must believe and you will be benefitted and made happier by such belief. I am very happy and so are your mother and Helen. We are very close to one another and are with one another very much. Helen is a thankful spirit and is with you so very often, loving and trying to comfort you. I will stop now. Well he ( HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor671.htm" Ingersoll) is thinking a great deal of what Mr. Riddle and I told him. He is a man or rather spirit with much capacity for loving and receiving love and as soon as he opens up his heart to the inflowing of the Divine Love he will receive it abundantly. Of course his course of thinking while on earth will retard his progress and until he changes these ideas, he will not make much progress in his soul development. But I think that he is open minded and honest and will soon see that what we tell him as true is a truth. We will try to help him in every way possible. Yes, the contract in our appearances made an impression on him and has caused him to do much thinking. When Mr. Riddle told him the cause, he seemed to be astonished and listened to me when I told him of the higher things with great attention and interest. Well my dear boy, I must say goodnight. Your loving grandmother. August 7th, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. Saul of the Old Testament. I am the same Saul that called up Samuel, or rather who caused the woman of Endor to do so. I was a wicked man in those days, and knew not the love of God, and very little of my fellow mortals. I was a cruel man and a worker of iniquity, and violated God's laws in many ways. As you have read, I came to the end of my resources and went to consult Samuel as the last resort. I did not know that God had abandoned me until Samuel had told me. Yes, He did and was my protector as long as I obeyed Him and did what was right in His sight. I know that He did, because when I obeyed Him, I was successful and happy. I only knew from what the prophets told me, and they claimed to have communications with God in some way. I believed this, and hence thought that God was protecting me. I am a redeemed spirit now and am happy in the Love of the Father. I became a lover of the Father and an inhabitant of His Kingdom long after Jesus proclaimed the Great Truth of Divine Love restored. Before that I was a spirit who lived in the happiness which I experienced in developing my soul and becoming a good spirit, free from sin and error. But this happiness is not that which I now enjoy. I want to HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/divinelove28.htm" confirm what Samuel said as to the woman of Endor. She was not a witch or evil woman, but was a medium and received communications from the higher spirits of the spirit world. She had been abused for centuries, and should not be further thought of as a wicked woman. I will not write more to-night. Well, do you suppose that we of the spirit world stand still in our mental advancement? I know all the important languages of the earth and can write them and understand them. Do not think that spirits do not learn here just as they learned as mortals. The only difference is that they can learn so much more rapidly and can retain their knowledge more easily than mortals can. So I will say good-night. Your brother in Christ, Saul August 7th, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, St. Augustine. I merely want to say that I am the St. Augustine who lived after the death of Jesus and was well acquainted with his teachings as they were preserved by the Church. At that time I never knew exactly what became of the manuscripts that were in existence when I lived, but the ones that are supposed to furnish the origin of many of the Biblical writings were not the ones that I was acquainted with. Those that I used were all written in Greek and were written by the disciples of Jesus, and by those of his followers to whom the disciples had communicated the teachings of the Master; and they were the genuine ones and were written from the actual communications of the disciples. Of course, the teachings of Jesus were never recorded at the time of his teachings, but were merely the recollections possessed by the disciples of what they thought he really said, and consequently, as you may realize, they were imperfect and could not be relied on implicitly. I know that great controversies have arisen in the church as to what portions of these writings should be accepted as genuine, and many needless disputes have caused the officials of that church to differ as to what were really the writings of the disciples, and what were not. I when on earth joined in these disputes, and maintained that certain of these writings were genuine and certain were not, but I was as likely to be mistaken as any of the others. But even the ones that I thought genuine were more or less flavored by the spiritual knowledge and beliefs of those who wrote them. So I tell you that you cannot depend on these writings as a whole to learn what the Master actually did teach. He is now in condition to give you the genuine truths, and whenever what he may say conflicts with what is contained in the Bible, you must consider what he now writes as the truth and discard the Bible account as unreliable.I tell you this, because I am interested in having the world learn the truths which he came on earth to declare. I am a spirit of the Celestial Spheres and am a follower of the Master, and am trying to help in having these truths come to the world again.I did not always believe, as I do now in many particulars, and my comments on the Bible should not always be taken as correct. So if you will pardon my intrusion I will repeat, pay attention to what Jesus may say now, and do not let the Bible statements, which do not agree with what he may write you, disturb you or cause you to doubt what you may receive. Sometime I shall come and give you my ideas of some of these spiritual truths, and how necessary it is that men should know them. I certainly believe in the New Birth, and I want most emphatically to say that it is one of the most important truths of the spiritual world: It has not heretofore been very often understood, and its exact meaning is somewhat in doubt by even the best students of the Bible. I will not write more tonight, but will say that you are my brother in the good work of showing to mankind the truths that are so important to their future happiness and salvation. So with a love that is in Christ, I am your brother St. Augustine August 8th, 1915 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, George Whitefield. I was a preacher of England and a contemporary of John Wesley. I am in the Celestial Spheres where are only those who have received the New Birth that has been written about by other and more ancient spirits. I merely want to say that I am still a follower of Jesus, but a little different in my knowledge of what he was and is. I do not now look upon him as God, or a part of God, but as His true son, and the greatest of all the spirits in the spirit world. There are none to be compared to him in beauty or spirituality or in his knowledge of God's truths. I used to preach to thousands about his vicarious atonement and his blood sacrifice, but now I see his mission in a different light. it is not his death on the cross that saves men from their sins, nor his sacrifice that appeases the wrath of an angry God, but his life and teachings of the Divine Love bestowed on mankind and the way to obtain that Love, that saves men from their sins. There was no need to appease the wrath of an angry God for there was no angry God, only a Loving and Merciful God; and when men think that unless they turn from their sins they will be forever burned in a fiery hell, they are the dupes of preachers such as I was and will never get the Love of the Father by such teachings. God is Love, and men must know it - and His Love is for all of every race and clime. I see now, what a great mistake I made in my conception of God and of Christ's mission on earth, and how much harm I did to mortals in my preaching and how I slandered the Father of love. But I was honest in my beliefs and taught as I thought the truth to be, yet that does not alter the fact that many a mortal after he became a spirit, was retarded for a long time in his spiritual progress, because of these false beliefs, which in order to progress he had to give up and start anew in his efforts to find the truths of God. And as I worked hard and preached eloquently to make mortals believe these injurious doctrines while on earth, so now I am working hard and preaching eloquently to make spirits who come over with these beliefs, unlearn them and see the truth as it is. I am in sympathy with the movement which the Master is now making to spread the truth of these spiritual things on earth and am ready to follow him in all his efforts to bring about the salvation of men not only from sin but from erroneous beliefs. So I come to you to-night to express my sympathy and interest in the cause. Let your work proceed, and do your best to make known to men the great truths which the Master shall teach. We will all join in the work and do everything in our power to speed the great cause of men's redemption from sin and ignorance. The man must have the soul development by obtaining the Divine Love, because you cannot inspire a man to preach grand and sublime spiritual truths unless he has the capacity in his own soul to feel and understand the truths. I will not write longer to-night. I am your true friend, George Whitefield August 8th, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C.   I am here to tell you that God is love and that all mankind are His children and the object of His bounty and care. Not even the vilest sinner is beyond the boundaries of His care and love. He is not a God, who needs propitiation or sacrifice, but calls to all His children to come unto Him and partake freely of the great feast of Love which he has prepared for them and enjoy the happiness which His presence gives. So my friend, do not for a moment think that the doors of mercy or the entrance into the delights of His heavenly home is closed by the death of the body, for I tell you that the death of the body is a mere entrance into a higher life with increased opportunities. But notwithstanding what I say, the soul that seeks to obtain this Love while on earth has a great advantage in time over the one that waits until his spirit leaves the body before seeking for the Father's love. The best time for mortals to aspire to attaining this GREAT GIFT is the now, and no time is so propitious. God's love is for the mortal even if he has the passions and appetites which the flesh encumbers him with, and when a mortal fights against the temptations which these burdens impose, and overcomes, he, when he enters the spirit world, is stronger and more able to progress, than when he puts off the great attempt until he becomes purely spirit. So, while there is no such condition as probation terminated when the mortal enters the spirit world, yet the probation on earth is the accepted time to seek the Great Prize. I know I am writing like some of your camp meeting preachers, but what I say is a truth nevertheless, and happy is the mortal who realizes this fact and acts in accordance. Jesus is working among mortals now as He did when on earth, and although they cannot see His physical form or hear His voice of love in tones of benediction and pleading, yet the influence of His love is felt and the persuasion of His spirit voice is heard in the hearts of men. He is still the Saviour of men as He was on earth, and His mission will not cease until the closing of the Celestial Kingdom, and sin and error shall be eradicated from earth and from the spirit world. He will be the Triumphor and Conqueror over sin and everything that tends to pervert man from that which is good and righteous. Man, having only his natural love, will be freed from all inharmony and live as brothers and friends in peace and happiness. And spirits having the Divine Love, become as angels of God, and live forever in the bliss of the Celestial Heavens. So I urge upon all men to seek the Divine Love of the Father and live in His presence forever. I must stop now, but before I go let me say, that I am working with the Master in the great cause that will make men who seek this Love, one with the Father. So I will say as your brother in Christ, Good-night. John Garner I was a Christian preacher of England in the time of the Reformation August 8th, 1915 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Saint Peter. I want to tell you that you are very near the Father tonight and that His Love is filling your soul to a great degree. I see that you are anxious to learn of the spiritual things of the Father and of His Love towards you and all mankind. You must pray for more faith and trust implicitly in His promises, and in the promises of the Master, for they will be fulfilled and you will not be disappointed or left to yourself. I am with you quite often now, for I want to assist in the great work that Master has chosen you to do; and you must get into a condition that will enable you to do this work in the greatest perfection. Your soul must be developed with this Divine Love of the Father, so that you will be in accord with the Master when he writes, for unless there is such accord you will not be able to get the spiritual meanings of his messages as he wants you to do. There is nothing that will cause this development as well as earnest, sincere prayer to the Father. With such prayer will come faith, and with faith will come the Substance of what you may now only believe. So pray often, believing that the Love of the Father will come to you, and you will realize your oneness with Him. I am so much interested in you and your soul development that I am going to help you with all my love and power. Let not the things of the world detract your attention from these spiritual necessities, and you will find that all these material things will be supplied you. Be firm and courageous in your beliefs and professings and God will be with you in every time of trial and distress. This I know and tell you as one having knowledge. I want you to let your faith increase until doubt shall flee away, and only trust in the Love and goodness of God remain with you. I will not write more tonight. So with all my love and blessings I am Your own friend and brother in Christ, St. Peter August 8th, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am Josephus. I am the Jewish historian and now a Christian. You are not a man to let alone. I mean that I must write some of my knowledge of the things of those ancient days, for I see that you are selected to do a great work and I want to contribute to the truth of Jesus' life on earth. He lived just before I wrote, but I had heard of him many times, and I know that he was a real existing being. In my history of the Jews I mentioned him, and when the learned say that what is there said is interpolated, they say what is not true; for he did live and taught in Palestine as the New Testament claims. I never met him, but the wonders of his works were circulated all over the country and caused much agitation on the part of the leaders of the Jews. I never wrote much about him, because we all looked upon him as a mere agitator and destroyer of our religion, and to such we never gave much notoriety in our writings. But this same Jesus of Nazareth lived as a man and was crucified by the Romans at the clamor of the Jews. I want to tell you this, because it is claimed that he never lived on earth. I am a follower of him, and believe in his teachings and have received the New Birth that he taught. I live in the Celestial Heavens where only his followers live. He was the true son of God, and his mission was to show men the way to God's Love and to declare the rebestowal of the Divine Love. I tell you that this is the most important truth in all the heavens, except this, that God is Love. These two constitute the hope of mankind and furnish the means by which man may acquire immortality. Without this New Birth, men will remain merely men, and will not partake of the Divine Love, and the home in the Celestial Spheres. I say this, because I know from experience what this New Birth means, and from observation, that those who have never received it cannot enter these Spheres. So man must believe this great truth. Many Jews have become believers since becoming inhabitants of the spirit world, but the large majority of the inhabitants of the Celestial Heavens are those whom we called Gentiles. God had no chosen people in the sense that He designed to save any particular nation in preference to all others. He knows no preference. All are His children, and the great gift is for all who ask for it in faith. I must not write more tonight, but with your permission will come again. HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/ancient21.htm" Vespasian is a Christian now, but he never was while on earth, notwithstanding that it was said that he was. He continued a pagan as long as he lived, but he knew something of the Christian teachings; and after he had been in the spirit world a considerable time he received the light and was born again. He is in the Celestial Heavens and a follower of the Master. So you see, many Jews and Gentiles and pagans who rejected the Master and his teachings on earth have since becoming spirits, had the opportunity, and embraced it, of becoming partakers of the Divine Love and followers of the Master. Well, you may be surprised to know that Herod is also a Christian. But no pen can portray the sufferings that he had to undergo. Oh the long years of repentance and torment and darkness! His experience was a hell indeed. But the Love and mercy of the Father were even sufficient for his redemption; and among all the spirits of our Celestial Heavens, none are more humble and meek than is this same Herod. His life, voluntarily assumed, is one of service and devotion to the Master. I think that his love for the Master is so great, that even he cannot appreciate it. I will, with all my love and earnestness, accept your invitation, for the work is of the greatest importance and the time is ripe. Oh what an awakening there will be when the truths of God, which the Master is communicating through you, shall come to the knowledge and consciousness of mankind. I am your brother in Christ, and a fellow worker and so I will say with all my love and best wishes - goodnight, Josephus August 8th, 1915 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, St. Celestia: I was a Christian woman who was martyred by the fanatic Church of Rome. I lived in Italy and was a follower of Jesus, but not a believer in the doctrines of the Romish Church. It was long years after my death I was canonized by the very church which killed me. Of course the Pope and officials who canonized me were different from those who killed me. I want to tell you that I am interested in your mission and am trying to help you do the work of the Master. He is the saviour of mankind and it must be taught what manner he is their saviour. Not as the Jesus who died on the cross, not because his blood was spilled by the Roman soldiers, not because of any vicarious atonement, but because he brought to the light and knowledge of men the fact that the Father had after long centuries when He had withdrawn the great gift of the Divine Love rebestowed it and taught the way in which men might become partakers of that Love. Even by prayers and faith. The soul of man is the one thing that enables him to become like the Father and is the most important part of man's creation. If men will understand this and learn that this soul is capable of receiving this Divine Love and becoming a part of God's Divinity, they will fully realize the mission of the Master in coming to earth. Let man abandon the idea that Jesus came as a sacrifice for their sins. He came as a messenger from God, bringing the Divine Gift and the knowledge as to how men might obtain that gift. He did not come to pay any debt which man owed the Father or to appease any wrath of the Father, because man owed no debt and God had no wrath towards him. He came as a mediator in the sense that he was a messenger of light and truth and a shower of the way. Why will men continue to cling to the old damnable doctrine of sacrifice? Even in the days of Abraham God never required a sacrifice for sin and no sin of man was ever removed by shedding the blood of a goat or any other animal. To teach and believe such a dogma places God on the plane of an angry and jealous God and makes Him satisfied with the trifling thing of having the blood of an animal shed to appease his anger and remove his jealousy. God is now and has been from the beginning a God of Love and man is and has been the object of that Love. But unless man seeks that love and opens up his soul to the inflowing of that Love he can never become reconciled to God. Love cannot be obtained in the soul of man by anything other than the desire and will of man to have it come into his soul. God wants only the love of man not his fear or dread of consequence because of disobedience. So I say let men know that there is only one thing in all the universe that will reconcile him to God. And that is the opening up of the soul of man to the inflowing of the Divine Love and the prayer to God that such Love may come into his soul. I do not know that I can say more tonight and will stop, but sometime I will come again and write further. My home is in the Celestial Heavens far above the spiritual world. Question by Mr. Padgett. Well, we are all working with the Master and where he leads we follow and work also. If you will pray and believe you will most assuredly. Yes, we all pray for you and our prayers ascend to the Father with all earnestness and faith. You would be surprised to know the number of Celestial Spirits who are interested in and are praying for you. I will surely tell him, but as you say, he knows it already, but as you wish me to do so, I will and I know that he loves you too, and wants you to become his true disciple. I will say goodnight. Your friend and Sister in Christ, St. Celestia Editors Note. This "saint" does not appear in any of the lists of Saints, as far as we can determine. There are two possibilities. The first is that Padgett did not receive this message accurately, and the other is that it was a message from an imposter. However, it seems that there is a HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor286.htm" message from Jesus that states these saints are who they said they were, and that an imposter cannot write. Until someone asks the question again, we will not know the answer. August 8th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Loyola the Jesuit: Yes, I am a follower of the Master and a very weak one. I was a persecutor of those who differed from me in my views of religious things, and duty as a consequence was the cause of the death of many a true Christian as I see the truth to be. And on earth my followers now in many parts of the world have the same bitter feelings against all who do not think as they do upon religious matters, and were it not for the laws of the countries in which they live they would do as I did. How I have suffered since I became a spirit for all the evil which I inflicted on mankind when I lived on earth in what I thought then was a religious cause. But thank God even my sins have been forgiven and I am now an inhabitant of my Father's kingdom. But oh, the long years of bitter suffering and remorse and the darkness of blackest night that I lived in among howling devils and lost souls as they thought. But now I know that God's mercy is so wide that the greatest sinner may be saved and receive the Great Love of the Father. I write this because I have never before communicated to mortal in this way and I want to give warning to the world, and especially to my followers on earth that the truths of God are eternal and will live forever, and that no persecution in the name of truth will meet the approval of God or save from punishment and torment those who engage in it no matter how honest they may think themselves to be, or how much they believe that they are doing their duty to God.God has given to every man a free will which even he does not attempt to curb or bind and no mere creature of his has any right to say to a man that he shall or shall not believe this or that, and exercise his will according to the enforced or seeming belief. No, man is a free agent and can do as he pleases in regards to his beliefs, and even God will not force him to believe, but when he believes that which is not true he will certainly have to pay the penalties of his erroneous beliefs, because the truths of God are fixed, and with these truths operate laws that are inexorable, and men who fall to conform to the requirements of these laws must pay the penalties to the last farthing. These laws never change and are supreme.I am now a redeemed spirit through the grace of God and have realized what his love means and am an inhabitant of the celestial heavens. But not because of my works on earth, but because of the great overshadowing love of the Father. So I say, seek the truth as it may be found in Jesus teachings and shun the dogmas and creeds of the churches as you would a poisonous thing of death. I will stop now, but thank you for the opportunity of making this, my confession. So with all my kindest wishes I am your brother in Christ, the Jesuit Loyola August 8th, 1915 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Seleman. I am an ex-sultan of the Mohammedans. I do not know time, but about four hundred years ago. Yes, I am still a follower of the Prophet, and I am in our paradise and happy. God is great! Allah is his name and Mohammed is his prophet! I had a desire to learn what the writers who have written you tonight might say, and so I stayed and listened to them and found that their doctrines of the Divine Love of the Father are new to me. The Mohammedans do not understand this Love, and when I heard that it gave such bliss to those who possessed it, I became interested and wondered what it really meant. We have not this Love, and our happiness comes to us from our brotherly love and our worship of Allah and our devotion to his prophet. As I wondered the thought came to me that we should have been taught to know what this Love means, and if our Allah is not such a loving God as the God that these Christians tell of. I am going to inquire into this, because if there be a greater happiness than what I now have I want to learn about it, and if it exists, to become a partaker of it. We don't have much intercourse with the Christian spirits, as our heavens are separate from theirs and we believe that we have the true heavens and are the chosen of God, and that all these Christians are in the dark. Well, these Christians seem to be brighter and more beautiful than do the spirits in our heavens, and that has caused me to think, also. I know that in our heavens the higher we progress the more beautiful we become and the brighter we seem to be, and that the condition of the progress of the individual determines his appearance; and, knowing this, I have come to think that these Christians live in a higher or more progressive heaven than ours. I am dissatisfied now, and I will investigate. Can you tell me the best way to do so? Yes, some are who have not written. I will do so. There is one here - a beautiful woman - who says she is your grandmother. I will ask her and maybe she can start me on my investigation. Well, I will say good-night. I will certainly come again. Your friend, Seleman August 8th, 1915 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Helen. Well, my dear, you have had a great many writings tonight and you must feel tired and I will not keep you, though I should like to tell you of my love and my desire for your love. But I must stop. HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor756.htm" (Mr. Padgett asked if Seleman had visualized his grandmother.) Yes, he was, and I am interested in him. Your grandmother is talking to him now. I hope that he may see the light. With all my love, I am Your own true and loving Helen August 10th, 1915 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, John the Baptist. I came to tell you that I am now a harbinger of the Master as I was when on earth and that he is the true Jesus who writes to you in all the communications which you received signed by him or by his name. I do this that you may believe and not doubt the messages that you receive. He has written you and you must rely on what he says, for what he has said to you will surely come to pass. I am the same John who appeared in Palestine and announced his coming, and as I told them what was actually to take place, so I tell you what is actually taking place, and you will not only receive the messages of truth which he will write you, but they will also be distributed to all mankind wherever the written languages of the world exist and are spoken or written. So you have before you a wonderful and important mission and one that will do more to make true brothers and lovers of the Father than anything that has happened since the Master was on earth and taught and preached the truths of his Father, and did good to physical man. I sometimes have wondered why you should have been selected, as I see that your soul development has not been nearly as great as that of many other men who now live and have lived; but as he has made the selection, we must understand that he knows what is best, and that his selection must be the right one. As a consequence of this, all we who are his followers in the Celestial World are trying our best to forward the cause and help you; and I must tell you that you have behind you in this great work, supporting and maintaining you, more spiritual power than any mortal has ever had before; this may sound to you surprising, but it is true. So, my brother, for such I must call you now, try to acquire a faith in the love and desire of the Father to save all mankind from the errors of their lives and to make them one with Him that will enable you to stand forth as the representative of the Master and the authoritative teacher of these great truths. I am now in the Celestial Heavens and am very close to Jesus in his home and in his love for the Father and for all humanity. I have powers which are great and Love which is of the Divine Essence of the Father and what I tell you now I will tell to the world when the opportunity presents itself. Your Brother in Christ, John the Baptist August 10th, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. Leytergus. I was a native of Arabia and lived before the time of Abraham, the Jewish patriarch. I come to you to-night to tell you that before the Jewish Testament was written, I had written a book containing a description of creation and of the fall of man, and that the book of Genesis was copied after my writings, which were founded on traditions older than were the description of Genesis. These descriptions of the creation of the world were not the works of men inspired by the angels or by any other instrumentalities of God, but were the results of the imaginations of the minds of men who lived long before I lived, and who left only tradition of their writings or teachings. I say all this to show you that the world has existed for many thousands of years longer than the account of its creation in the Jewish Scriptures would lead you to think. I don't know when it was created and I have not found any spirit in the spiritual world who does know. Of course no spirit would know of his own knowledge because in the natural order of things, man must have been created subsequent to the creation of those things which were necessary for his sustenance and comfort. I have never seen any angels who were not at one time mortals, and hence I could not learn from them when the world was created and I have never seen any angels or spirits to whom God has made this revelation. So I say the creation of the world or rather any account if it is all a matter of speculation and tradition. Yes, I have been informed as to the fall of man. My information is as follows: - When man was created he was made two-fold, - that is there were male and female beings - which was intended to make a perfect one without losing any individuality on the part of either. Their names were not Adam and Eve, but Aman and Amon, which meant the male Am and the female Am. Am meaning the exalted creation of God. These beings were made perfect physically and spiritually. But these souls were not possessed of all the qualities of the Great Creator Soul, and in that particular were inferior to the Great Creator. But as regards this soul part of their creation, they were made in the image of their Creator. The physical or spiritual part of their creation was not in the image of their Creator, for He had no physical or spiritual body. But their soul part was only made in the image of their Creator - and not of the Substance - but this image was given a potentiality of obtaining or receiving the Substance of the soul qualities of their Creator and provided, if they pursued that course in their existence or living which would cause their souls to receive in accordance with certain operations of the laws which their Creator had prescribed, this soul Substance. And only in obedience to these laws or their operations could this Substance of the Creator Soul, be obtained. Well, these creatures were not equal to the test, or rather requirements, and after living awhile they became possessed of the idea that they needed not to comply with these prescribed laws, but could of their own will and power obtain this Substance by doing that which they had been forbidden by these laws to do, and so in their efforts to obtain this Substance or Divine Love they disobeyed these laws, and, as a consequence, these potentialities of obtaining the Substance of the Creator Soul were taken from them, and then they became beings still possessed of the spiritual and physical forms and continued souls, but not of these great potentialities - and this was the fall of man.The story of the apple is a myth. No apple or anything else that was intended to be eaten, formed any part of the fall. It was wholly the fall of the soul's potentialities. The disobedience was the great unlawful desire on the part of these two, to obtain this soul substance before, in accordance with the operations of the laws prescribed, they were fitted or in condition to receive it; and as a consequence, they became disobedient, and being possessed of wills which were not in any way bound or limited by their creator, they exercised these wills in accordance with their desires, and from this disobedience the wills of men and women have continued to act in accordance with their desires and in violation of the great laws of truth, which were made for the two creatures at the time of their creation and are the same unchangeable laws of this time. The soul substance that these two forfeited was the Divine Love of their Creator, which, had they by their obedience became possessed of, would have made them a part of His Divinity, and thence like Him not only in image but in Substance and reality. The potentiality that was taken from them was the privilege which they had to obtain this soul Substance or Divine Love by complying with obedience which these laws prescribed. So you see the story of genesis is merely symbolical. I have nothing further to say to-night. I live in a sphere which is part of the Celestial Heavens. I have, through the mercy of God and His gift, declared by Jesus, received this potentiality and through it the Soul Substance which our first parents forfeited. The name which I have given you was mine when on earth. It is Arabic and nothing else. You must know, that many of the names of my time, were in after centuries incorporated in the nomenclature of other nations and races. So I will say Good-night. Your brother in Christ, Leytergus August 10th, 1915. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here [xxxx] Amos; Amos the prophet. I merely want to say that I have heard the message of the HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/ancient4.htm" spirit who wrote last and that it may be a true account of creation and the fall of man but that I prefer the story in Genesis. Of course I don't know that the latter is true but it reads better to me and as I was taught to believe it when on earth I must accept the other until I have good reasons to believe [otherwise]. I never saw him before but he is [a] very beautiful and high spirit and lives in the celestial heavens as I do but not in the same sphere I have never seen the first parents nor have I heard where they may be - If that spirit has knowledge of the past. Well it is true that in we never owned this divine love until after the coming [of] Jesus and of course the first parents [possibly] could not have received much after Jesus came - and they may not have progressed to the highest celestial spheres. I have never seen them […] Well as to the apple of course, partly that may be merely symbolical but the theory of the fall […] -- whether Eve gave [it] to Adam or not I do not know. I must not write more but I want to say that I am [a] follower of Jesus and have that divine love. I will now stop. With all my love I am yours in spirit Amos This message is not in the published volumes. Code: Uncertain text in italic; […] undecipherable text [xxx] obviously missing word in manuscript [xxx] word crossed out or corrected by Padgett August 10th, 1915 Received: by James Padgett. Washington D.C. Lot, of the Old Testament. I come because I now am a follower of the Master, and want to add my testimony to that of others of olden times who have written you that Jesus is alive and the ruler in the Celestial Heavens, and is now working among men and spirits to show them the way to eternal life, and the Divine Love of the Father. I am not a Hebrew who would have denied him had I lived when he came to the earth for in my thoughts and belief, I expected the coming of the Messiah and to me Jesus was that Messiah in all the qualities and spiritual possessions that I expected him to have. Of course, when I lived we had not the privilege of knowing what the Divine Love of the Father means, - we only knew that there was a God and that God loved us as we thought, as His chosen people and wanted us to live correct lives on earth, and thereby receive His blessings as mortals, and all the rewards that an obedient life might bring to us. But as to this Greater Love which makes angels of us all who possesses it, we had no knowledge, nor had we ever been taught by our seers or prophets that such a Love existed and as I now know the privilege of obtaining it did not then exist. Only with the coming of Jesus came that Love again to man and spirits. But God had for us a natural love in contradistinction to the Divine Love and we had for Him a love which when fully purified makes us spirits with a happiness that is beyond all conception of human happiness. But even of that happiness we were not taught, and only did we have glimpses in the teachings of our prophets that such happiness might exist in the future life. I was a lover of God as I then understood what God was; But such love was not that which arose from my conception of Him as a tender loving Father, but more as a stern wrathful God - one of jealousy and always watchful and ready to punish for disobedience to His commands. And yet we also learned that when we obeyed Him and did His will He would reward us. So you see the God of my days and the God of the present, as we now conceive Him to be, are not similar. And all men should now understand and believe that Jesus Christ brought to light, and by that I mean to the knowledge of men, the possibility of their knowing the True God of Love and Mercy; and also, that because of that Love and His Great Mercy in the rebestowal upon mankind of the possibility of men becoming possessed of the Divine Love of the Father which would make them one with Him and certainty of Immortality. It was long years after Jesus came, before I received this Divine Love or believed the great truths which Jesus taught. I was so satisfied in my happiness as a spirit possessing merely this natural love which had been purified and freed from sin and error, that I thought there could be no greater love or no greater happiness. But in the course of time I had reasons to think that there might be another if not greater love in operation in the spirit world, because of the wonderful beauty and brightness of some of the spirits that I at times met. And I started to make investigation of the matter, and as a result, I learned of this Divine Love, and at last sought for and found it. And what a treasure I found! I am now so filled with it, that my happiness is beyond all conception of not only man, but of spirits who live in lower spheres than I do. I must not write more to-night, but I will tell you that I am one of the many Celestial Spirits who are interested in and now are engaged in doing the great work for the redemption of mankind. Jesus is our leader and we are all following him in the effort to redeem the world, and by that I mean the individuals who comprise the world. For you must know that redemption is an individual matter and not one that can be accomplished in the way of redeeming a nation or a race as a whole. So you see back of this work is the great power of the Celestial as well as of the spiritual heavens. I have written enough for to-night. Well, the incident of my wife turning into a pillar of salt is like a great many others related in the Old Testament - these incidents are mere figures of speech used to illustrate some moral or spiritual truth. My wife was never turned into salt, but died a natural death and her remains were buried where mine were buried. She is now in the Celestial Heavens also. So my dear brother, I must say good-night. Lot August 12th, 1915 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here - George Washington: The same who HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor385.htm" wrote to you a few nights ago. Well you are my brother and I am pleased that you call me your brother, for in this world of spirits we have no titles or distinctions because of any fame or position we may have had on earth. I came to tell you that I have watched with interest the many communications that you have received from the various kinds and orders of spirits, and am somewhat surprised that you could receive with such accuracy these several messages. I never in earth life supposed that such a thing could be, and since I became a spirit, I have never seen such demonstrations of the powers that exist on the part of spirits to communicate and mortals to receive the messages that come to you. I know that very many times such communications have been made by spirits to mortals, but what I mean as surprising is the great variety of spirits who come to you. They come from the highest Celestial Spheres as well as from the earth planes and what they write are not only new to mankind but many of their declarations of truth are new to many of us spirits. Very seldom do we who are in the Celestial Spheres have the opportunity to communicate with any of these ancient spirits who live high up in the Celestial Heavens and when I see them come and communicate to you so frequently, I wonder at it all. I know, of course, that such spirits do occasionally come into the earth plane; and try to influence both mortals and spirits to do good, but I want to tell you that usually their influence is exerted through intermediary spirits, and not directly by these higher spirits in person as they do through you. The messages that you have received from these spirits who lived on earth thousands of years ago were really written by them as they controlled your brain and hand. I am trying my best to help you in your work and will continue to do so, for the work that you have been selected to do is the most important one that the spirit world is now engaged in - I mean the world that recognizes Jesus as its Prince and Master. Some spirits come, because they see the way open to communicate to mortals, and they naturally desire to make known the fact that they live and are happy in their spheres. But their happiness is not the real happiness which the true believers and followers of the Master enjoys. So you in your work, when they come to you may have the opportunity to tell them of this higher experience which the redeemed of the Father enjoy. Many spirits are in these lower spheres who would be in the Celestial Heavens if they only knew the way. We frequently try to show them the way to truth and the higher life, but we find it a difficult task. They think that we are merely spirits like themselves - have our opinions just as they have theirs, and that we are mistaken in ours, and hence we can tell them nothing which will show them truths that they do not know, or will give them greater happiness than they have. When they notice the contrast in our appearance - that is that we are so much more beautiful and bright than are they - they simply think that such beauty and brightness is a result of some natural cause, and that we merely differ from them as do one race of men differ from another. They do not seem to think that there is anything in the contrast in our appearance that is caused by any higher spiritual condition than what they have. And this is the great stumbling block in the way of their becoming interested in the conditions which we have, and which should urge them to investigate and learn the true cause for the same. And hence, I say, that you may do them some good in this regard, for you are a third person and should call their attention to the great contrast and tell them the cause as you understand it, what you say would probably make some impression on them, and cause them to make inquiry, and once they commenced this then would come our opportunity to lead them into the light of the great truth of the Divine Love of the Father. Well, I have digressed from what I intended to write but it is just as well, for all the truths of God are important to both mortals and spirits. I am very happy in my home in the Celestial Spheres of the Father, and I am trying to progress to those higher. So let me assure you of the truths of what you have had written to you by your band and others of God's redeemed spirits. I thank you for this opportunity and will come again sometime. Your own true brother in Christ, George Washington August 12th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Salaalida: I am a Moslem and I lived in the time of the crusaders and helped to defend Jerusalem from the Christians. I was an officer of high rank, and a general who was known among my own countrymen for my prowess in battle. I merely want to tell you now that I am a lover of all mankind and know no difference between the Christians and the Moslems, for all are God's children and are the objects of his love, and of my love, for I am a lover of God. I am an inhabitant of the highest Mohammedan heavens and am very happy and satisfied with my spiritual condition, and am still a follower of the Prophet who lives in our heavens and still teaches the truths of the Father, Allah. I have no criticism to make of the Christians and believe that they are also followers of God in the way that their Jesus taught, but I cannot yet believe that his teachings are the only truths of the Father. He and his followers live in a different sphere from our sphere, and those whom I have met seem to be happy and are very beautiful. So while I was once an antagonist of the Christians, and hated them with all the hatred that my religion taught me to hate, yet now I see that hatred is not a thing which God recognizes as being a part of the faith or practices of his true followers. I came merely to tell you this and to inform you that love is the ruling principle of the spiritual world where I live. By love, I mean love for God and for my fellowman. This is the only love that I know of and I find it sufficient for my happiness. I don't know what you mean by the Divine Love. It cannot be anything more than the love which we have for God. Well, I must stop now, and will say goodnight. Your friend, Salaalida the mussulman August 12th, 1915 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Selim, the Sultan: I came to tell you that I am also happy in my paradise, which my God has prepared for me. I am no longer a hater of the Christians, but love all men as I believe. I don't mean that I think all men are following the truths of God in their lives, or that they believe in God in a way that will enable them to reach the happiness which He has provided for them; but nevertheless, they are his children, and I love them as one brother should love another. I will come to you at some time and tell you of our paradise and our lives here. I will say good night and God bless you. Selim August 12th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Aaron: I was a prophet, the brother of Moses, and the priest of the tabernacle. I was a very powerful man when on earth and taught the children of Israel the truths of God. I will not write more tonight as you are sleepy and I will come again later. Yes, she is here. I will say goodnight. August 13th, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Latimer. I was the martyr who was burned at the stake because of my belief in God, and in salvation by faith and works as taught in the Scriptures. My name was Latimer - Hugh. I merely come to tell you that I am now a happy spirit and an inhabitant of the Father's kingdom. I live in the Celestial Heavens and am a follower of the Master as I was on earth. No, I do not now worship him as God. That false doctrine I believed when on earth, but now I know that there is only one God to be worshiped, and that Jesus is His most exalted son. I was surprised, I must confess, when I entered the spirit world and did not enter heaven and see God on His throne and Jesus sitting on His right hand. But it was not long before I understood the truth, for Jesus came to me himself and explained that he was not God and that I must not worship him as such. But we who love God as followers of Christ, adore the Master as our great teacher and elder brother. When I first entered the spirit world I found myself in the second sphere among spirits of brightness and love, and after a little while, I entered the third sphere where love is more abundant, and then as my soul became filled with this love and my errors of belief left me, I progressed from sphere to sphere until I arrived where I am now living, and I thank God for His Love and Mercy. I do not think the fact that I died a martyr to my beliefs had any effect in enabling me to reach a higher sphere than I would otherwise have entered. Not the manner of my death determined my place in the spirit world, but the development of my soul qualities did. If I had a belief in what I thought were truths, but which were not really truths, and that belief, proclaimed and persisted in, had caused my being put to death, you can readily see that the mere fact that I died for the sake of that belief would not have in any way helped my soul development in the real truth, and so the mere fact that I died a martyr for the real truth did not help me in obtaining a place in the spirit world that I would not have obtained had I died a natural death with the same beliefs. The manner of a man's death does not determine anything, but the manner of his living and the development of his soul qualities are what determines where he shall live in the spirit world. Of course, the death of the martyr will sometimes awaken soul qualities or conceptions that might not otherwise have been awakened, and thereby increase the martyr's love for the Father; and in this way such a death may help him in his progress to higher things. But as I say, the soul development fixes the first home of the spirit. I mean the development at the time of passing over. My dear brother I must stop now, but will come again some time and write you. Yours in Love, Hugh Latimer August 13th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here. Grover Cleveland. Let me write just a line. I am a man who when on earth was prominent in the affairs of the nation, and who when I became a spirit, realized that my prominence on earth did not help me one particle in my soul's happiness, or in finding a home where goodness and congenial spirits live. I was not a very religious man in the sense of soul development, although I attended church quite regularly and gave the appearance of being a Christian. But, I realize now that something more than mere attendance in church is necessary to the development of the true Christian character or to fit a spirit to inhabit the heavenly places in the spirit world. I was Grover Cleveland, and it is not necessary to tell you what my official position was, as I passed over so recently that all the citizens of my country know. But I do want to say that had I observed God in spirit and truth, as I tried to serve my country and its interests, I would not now be in such an unhappy condition as I am. I am in the earth plane, and am in darkness and suffering, and am very unhappy. I am led to believe by my training when a boy that I must stay where I am, but when I think on the matter in a reasoning way, it does not seem to me that a just God would impose eternal punishment upon me for the sins I committed in the short earth life that I lived. I am surrounded by many spirits who are in a similar condition to my own, and who were not especially wicked men when on earth, and yet the recollections of the sins and evil deeds which they committed while on earth seem to be sufficient to keep them in this darkened condition with accompanying suffering. Yes, I find among these darkened spirits a great many of my old political friends as well as my political enemies; and sometimes we talk over the affairs and life of the past, and unanimously conclude that the lives we led were not worth the fame or prominence that we attained to - that it was all vanity, and that we sacrificed our future happiness for the enjoyment of the moment. What a farce it all was, except as we did some good to our country. But it is too late now to wish to undo these things, and what we are now doing and what we may do in the future are the things that interest us now. Some of us say that our condition is not fixed and that in the future we will be relieved of this darkness and suffering, and see the light of a happier life among better surroundings and in the association of better spirits. But none of us know the way to find this relief or to bring ourselves to this light. Of course, most of us know what the Bible teaches on this subject, but most of us believe that it teaches us that our time of probation was while we were on earth, and that now we must remain as we are until the great judgement day. Well, as you say, it does seem strange that we should have such belief, but let me tell you that when the mortal becomes a. spirit, he finds that all the importance of his earth life and the self-conceit and self-independence leave him; and he realizes that be is a very insignificant person, and that his self-independence is a myth and that he is the most helpless creature in all the universe. Such is my experience, and having nothing upon which I can stand as a fixed foundation of truth, I naturally go back to my childhood beliefs and they become a part of my existence. I have met some spirits who claim that there is redemption for me and a way to get out of my present condition, but I did not think that they knew any more about it than I do, and hence I never paid much attention to them. But as you remind me, if Jesus went into the hells to preach to the lost souls in prison, he would not have gone there for that purpose unless he could have done them some good by his preaching. I had not thought of this before, and I will think of it now and attempt to find some consolation in it. But, you also say that you know that there is just as much probation for me in my present condition as there was for me when on earth. Now how do you know this? Of course you can speculate, but that will not satisfy me, as I can speculate also. I want facts. Do you know of any spirits who were in my condition and who have been relieved of their darkness and sufferings? If you can show me that you do, then I will commence to hope. I remember of hearing of Mr. Riddle while I lived in Washington, and I should like to meet him as a spirit, especially in view of what you say his condition and experience as a spirit were. I see some spirits here who are very beautiful, and they say that they are of your band, and that are working for the redemption of spirits who are in darkness and suffering. One is especially glorious in her beauty and brightness, and she says that she is your grandmother, and that she has heard what I have written and is willing and anxious to show me the way to light and happiness, if I will permit her to do so. And why should I not? What a glorious beauty hers is, and how love seems to flow from her very being! I will accept her invitation and not wait longer to find relief. So I want to thank you for your kindness. I will go with your grandmother, and will come to you again, and if I find the relief that I so much need I will thank you with all my heart for your kindness in having permitted me to write to you. I will say good night. Your friend, Grover Cleveland August 13th, 1915 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Saul, the Jewish King. Yes, I was HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/mediums2.htm" here once before and wrote you. I am now an Angel of God and an inhabitant of His Celestial Heavens. I merely want to say that you are doing a good work in helping the unfortunate spirits, and I tell you that your influence with them seems astonishing. Why this is so I don't know, unless they feel that you are nearer to them by reason of being in the flesh, and more interested in them than are the spirits of a higher sphere who come to them sometimes and try to help them. Well, you must keep up this good work, for it is a good work, as you are helping the Master more than you realize; and your reward, when you come over, will be the gratitude of many of these darkened spirits. I don't work very often in the earth plane, as my work is among the spirits of the higher spiritual heavens; but occasionally I am sent to earth and try to help mortals as well as spirits. But since I have first written you, I feel much interested in your work and in the great powers that are behind you. As you know, the greatest spirit of all is Jesus, and he is more interested in having you do his work than you can conceive of. We are all interested in his cause and feel that whenever we can come to you and encourage you, or in any other way help you, it is our delight to do so. I must not write more now. Call me Brother Saul, for we are brothers in Christ. Well, as you are not of my time when on earth, I cannot say how you would have been treated had you done the same work then. But I suppose that you would have been called a witch, as was that good woman of Endor in her time. Thank God the people are more enlightened now, and will soon recognize the fact that a good medium is one of the greatest gifts of God to suffering humanity. The time will come when mediums will be looked upon as were the prophets of old by the Jewish people, but without having the ingratitude of the people visited upon them, as it was visited at times on these old prophets. I must stop. So, good-night. Your brother, Saul August 13th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Leetelam. I was a Tartar and lived in Tibet, and died nearly four thousand years ago. I was a Brahman, and was a priest of the temple and the chief of the brothers of sacrifice. In my day we sacrificed human beings to appease the wrath of our God, and they the most beautiful and virgins - so that our God would have a sacrifice that had never been defiled by man. This was one of the chief tenets of our religion and was observed with all the strictness and pomp that we, who were fanatical in our beliefs, could give the occasion of the sacrifice. Many a beautiful victim just emerging into the full flower of her youth was made to suffer a cruel death in order, as we supposed, to save the rest of us from the wrath of our God, who was always hungry for blood and the cries of his human victims. But this sacrifice was one of the chief ceremonies of our religion, and we believed in the necessity for it just as you Christians believe in the necessity for prayer. And when we, the priests who performed the act which consummated the sacrifice, had performed our duties, we considered that we had obeyed the will of God and that he was pleased with our great act of devotion and worship. No rank or position could save the victim from the sacrifice when once the priests had selected that victim; and the parents of such victim were taught and believed that it was a great honor to have their young daughters chosen as brides for the great God who was not satisfied unless he could have the most beautiful and virtuous maidens for his brides of death. Since I have become a spirit and learned some of the truths of the spirit world, and that love - and not sacrifice - is required by God, all these evil deeds that I and the others performed in the name of our religion have become to me monstrous and shocking, and for many long years after I had learned the truth, the recollections of these deeds caused me to suffer the tortures of the damned. The fact that I at the time thought that I was performing a duty did not assuage my suffering or relieve my darkness. Truth is truth, and every violation of its demands must be atoned for, no matter if the intention at the time of committing these violations is supposed or believed by the actor to be in accordance with the truth. No belief, if it violates truth, will excuse. As on earth, ignorance of law excuses no one for his acts done in violation of truth, so in the spirit world ignorance of the truth will not excuse deeds committed in violation of that truth. Every cause must have its effect, and no God interposes to prevent that effect from following the cause. Now that I have been awakened to the truth, I see with the perceptions of not only a clarified intellect but of the soul, that no act or deed done in the name of religion actually believed in will be excused because of the fact that it was done for the sake of that religion. I am now in the Nirvana of the Brahmans, and am very happy. My soul has been purified by the long years of suffering and discipline, and I love God and my fellow man. My sphere is high up in the spirit world - just what its location is I cannot tell you. There are no Christians or other sects in my sphere, although I see them at times and converse with them. I came here because I was travelling in this earth plane and saw a bright light which is unusual in this plane, and it led me to you; and I found that you were receiving communications from spirits, and I listened to some of the messages and concluded that I would write also if I could have the opportunity. And after the dark spirits left you I commenced this writing. I did not know English when I lived, but you must know that the advanced spirits who have been in the spirit world for many years have not let the years go by without study and investigation. I understand most all the languages of earth, and so do most of the ancient spirits, and this for the purpose of being able to understand what the peoples of all lands may think and say. Our work is to help mankind and spirits whenever we can. Well, I will not write more tonight. I hear what you say and cannot understand you, but if there be such a supreme happiness as you speak of, I should like to possess it. I will accept your invitation and attend your writings on Wednesday night. And so with my best wishes and kind regards, I am Your friend, Leetelam August 15th, 1915. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I was with you tonight at the meeting of the Christians and I saw that you were thinking of several things that I had written and wanted to tell the preacher of my truths. But of course you could not. He took a bit from the Bible which I am credited with having uttered and I did, but I did not mean exactly what he explained it to mean when I said he that liveth and believeth on me shall never die. I meant that the man whose soul was not dead to sin and believed in the truths that I had disclosed, that is that God's Divine Love was waiting to enter into and fill his soul with its essence and substance and that means by prayer and faith, received that Divine Love he should never die. That is he would become immortal as God is immortal. No mere belief in me as Jesus the man or as the son of God is sufficient to give a man eternal life for while he must believe that I was sent by God to proclaim the great truth that He had again bestowed on man, the possibility of obtaining this Divine Love by his prayers and faith, yet unless he believed this and became the possessor of this Divine Love he could never claim eternal life. I wish that the preachers would pay more attention to the truths which I taught, that is, those truths which showed men the Fathers Love waiting to be bestowed and the way to obtain it, thanks to my personality. I, Jesus as the son of man or of God, do not save any man from his sins and make him one with the Father, but the truths which I taught and which were taught me by the Father are the things that save. I know that the preachers attempt to explain these things by the light of the Bible as they understand that light, but so often it is so obscured that instead of preaching from light they preached from darkness. For these reasons among others, I am so anxious to declare to you my teachings of these truths that the world may know what truth is, and what the individual must do in order to attain eternal life or immortality. I will try with all my power to bring about this opportunity for your receiving my messages and believe that very soon I will succeed. So believe in my love and my desire for your success. Your brother in Christ, Jesus August 15th, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, St. John. Well, there are some things in my gospel that do not seem to be very plain, and perhaps are contradictory. But you must remember that many of these writings were not mine or written at my dictation. In the mutations of time many things have been added to and subtracted from what I wrote and, as a consequence, the true and the untrue are mixed. Well, it will be a very difficult task for you to make the distinction in simply reading or even studying the Bible, for the tenor of the writings is the same. The only way that you can separate the true from that which is not, is to wait until Jesus gives you his messages. Of course, we can help also in that particular. Well, that was not the word which he used, because he never taught that it was ordained by God that Judas should betray him. In fact the death of Jesus was never a part of that which the Father considered as necessary to the performance of his mission. Of course it was certain that Jesus would die, but the manner of his death was not foreordained, as my Gospel written in your Bible declares. Judas was not a bad man as he is depicted to be and his betrayal, as it is called, of the Master, was not for the purpose of gratifying any avarice that he might be supposed to have or because of any jealousy or desire to revenge a wrong, but it was because he was impulsive, and (had) a belief in Jesus' powers and ability to overcome the Jewish leaders in their fight to defeat the objects of Jesus' mission; and he thought he would be doing the Master and his cause a great benefit by having it demonstrated to these Jews that the Master could not be silenced or harmed by any act of theirs. It was really an act that grew out of his love for and belief in the greatness of the Master's powers. Well, I tell you that Jesus never said any such thing. He never even told us that one of us should betray him, and I know because I was there If Jesus knew that Judas would betray him, he did not tell any of us at that time, and we only knew it for the first time when Judas actually committed the act. I don't believe that Jesus knew it before that time; in fact he has told me that he was surprised at Judas' betrayal of him. So you must not rely on the Bible statement as to what occurred at that time. Judas was the youngest of the disciples and not so easily controlled in his impulses and acts, as he would have been were he older. Yes, I know, but they are all based upon the same erroneous writings, for you must know that these Gospels, as you have them, are not the originals written by those whose names they bear. Let not these things disturb your belief in the essential truths which the Bible contains. (question) The trouble is that Jesus as the individual is given the prominence which should be given to his teachings. He is displeased very much because of this, and one of the great objects of his writing anew his truths is to correct that error, and make the truths which he received from the Father, the prominent things. As you progress in your writings you will see that this is the great object of which he shall write. Well, I will tell you that you are in the way to receive the Father's Love in very great abundance. In fact, so much so, that you will realize that you are one with the Father. I see, that you at present, have some difficulty in your way, but they will soon disappear and leave you free to do this great work. So my advice is to believe in the Master and pray to the Father and you will soon be a much happier man. (question) When on earth, I was a married man, and in my family the mother of Jesus lived until her death. She, Mary, lives near me. She is a beautiful spirit and filled with the Love of the Father. But you must not suppose that because she was the mother of Jesus she has any more exalted position than she otherwise would have had. Family ties do not determine anything in the higher spheres - the soul development is the criterion. Many spirits are living in higher spheres than Mary. I will not write more now. Your brother in Christ, John August 17th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Samuel, the Prophet. I am the prophet who came to you HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/divinelove28.htm" before and wrote. To night, I want to tell you of the wonderful things which God has prepared for his redeemed children in the Celestial Spheres, where only those who have received the New Birth can enter. In these spheres are homes made of the most beautiful materials that can be imagined, and which are of a real and permanent character, and not subject to decay or deterioration of any kind, and which are made without hands, but by the soul's development, and the love which each spirit possesses. These homes are furnished with everything that is suited to make the inhabitants happy and contented; and not one element of inharmony has any abiding place therein. Every home has its library, and the most beautiful furniture and paintings and wall coverings, and also rooms that are devoted to the various uses that a spirit may need them for. The music is sublime beyond conception; and there are all kinds of musical instruments which the spirits know how to play, and, as you may not suppose, every spirit has the ability to sing. There are no voices that are out of tune with the surroundings and with the other voices. Every spirit has music in his soul, and every spirit has the vocal qualities to express that music. Couches for repose are provided, and running fountains and beautiful flowers of every hue and variety, and lawns the most beautiful and green. Trees are in abundance and are planted in the most artistic manner, so that they are in harmony with the surrounding landscape. And the light that comes to our homes is of such a kind that I cannot describe it, and can only say that with it and in it are the most soothing and wonderful influences that spirits can conceive of. All these things and many more are provided by our loving Father for the happiness of His children. But above all is this, the wonderful Love of the Father, which is always with us, and which fills our souls to overflowing, and keeps us in one continuous state of happiness and peace and joy. All these things are freely given to us, and with them the knowledge that we are a part of the Father's Divine Being, and have, beyond the possibility of losing it, the immortality which Jesus brought to light when he came to earth. I have been in these heavens many years, and know whereof I speak; and when I tell you of these things, I do so that you and all mankind may know that these delights may be yours and theirs, if you will only let the Divine Love of the Father enter your souls, and take complete possession of it. Well, as to our social enjoyments, we are so loving, one to the other, that nothing arises, as on earth, to cause one the slightest jar in our wonderful harmony. We visit one another and give our experiences of the love life that we lead, and have music, and interchange thoughts about our continuous progress, and our work in the spirit world. Every spirit in our sphere may visit every other spirit, and know that the door is always open and a warm welcome awaiting him. I cannot tell you of all these wonders because there are no words that will convey our meanings. Your capacity to understand is limited by your mental boundaries, and hence, I am at a disadvantage. But this I can tell you, and that is, that some day, if you get the Divine Love in your soul in sufficient abundance, you will see and understand for yourselves what God has in store for you. It was truly said, "that no eye has seen, or mind conceived, the wonderful things that await the true child of the Father." No, there are no streets of gold or walls of jasper, or any of these material things that John made use of in his Apocalypse to describe the City of God. They were merely used as symbols, but they did not express the wonders of our homes. I will not write more tonight, but will come again sometime and tell you of things that are of more importance than a description of our homes. With all my love, I am Your brother in Christ, Samuel August 17th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. St. Jerome. I came to tell you that I am an inhabitant of that Kingdom which Samuel has so inadequately described, and that is the Kingdom of Jesus and, of course, of the Father. You may not know anything about me, but I was canonized many centuries ago by the church, because it thought that I had done the church so much good by my writings and discourses on things religious. But I must confess now, that when I wrote, I expressed as truths many things which I now see were not true, and I would like to be able to correct all these errors in my writings, but I cannot. So I will tell you in a few words that the truths of the Master, which are the truths of God, must not be sought for in my writings, or even in those of his disciples as contained in the Bible, because of the many errors that therein exist - not because the disciples and those to whom they conveyed these truths did not write them correctly, but because the Bible, as now written, is not the same in many important particulars, as what the disciples wrote. And hence Jesus, knowing this, is so anxious that the world shall receive these great truths again through his written messages. I am trying my best to help the cause which he is advocating, and am one of the spirits behind you who are trying with all their spirit powers to direct you aright and enable you to receive the truths. (question) I am in a Celestial Sphere very high up in the heavens. I cannot otherwise describe its location. These spheres are not numbered after the first few, because then they interblend so that there is no lines of demarcation. But I am not so high up as are the disciples and many others who are followers of the Master. The ancient spirits, such as Moses and Abraham and Isaac and Jacob are in higher spheres; but they are not so exalted as are Jesus' apostles and disciples, and, as I am informed, many spirits who came to the spirit world since Jesus came. I will not write more to night, but will thank you, and say good night. Your brother in Christ, St. Jerome August 20th, 1915 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, St. Paul. I merely want to write about the truth of the New Birth, because I speak, or rather it is written, that the blood of Jesus saves men from condemnation, and sin and death. This is not true, and I never wrote such declarations of what purports to be true. Jesus did not save men by his death or sacrifice, and as I am informed now, and learned when on earth, he never claimed that his blood or sacrifice saved men. And I hardly see how that could be so, because the blood did not have any efficacy to affect the condition or spiritual development of men, and his death could not help men to become redeemed from any condition of evil or defilement that they might be in, and, hence, there can be no possible connection between his blood or sacrifice and the condition of men, whether good or bad. I know that it is claimed that the blood of Jesus tended to appease the wrath of God towards men as did his death, but this presupposes that God had a wrath against men and that only blood and death could satisfy it. What a barbarous assumption! God was never a God of wrath, but always of Love, and men can come to Him in reconciliation through Love only, and not through any sacrifice. Jesus never taught this doctrine of sacrifice and does not now, but repudiates it and says that it is a doctrine that is doing his cause and the salvation of mankind a great harm. If men will only think for a moment, they will see that the only relation between God and man is that which arises from the soul's condition. God, as I said, is Love, and for man to be at-one with Him, man must become Love; I mean that his soul must be filled or permeated with this Love to such an extent, that it will become impossible for anything that is not of love to be or remain a part of his soul. I do not mean that it is necessary for men to obtain this Divine Love in order to live and enjoy a happiness which is far above the happiness that they have on earth, for that would not be true. God has given to man a natural love, which, when enjoyed in all its intended purity, is sufficient of itself to make men comparatively happy; but this love does not make man a part of God's oneness, or enable him to partake of the Divine Essence of the Father. And this oneness is absolutely necessary for men to become reconciled to God as Jesus taught. So, while the large majority of men may never become reconciled in the sense that I have mentioned, yet they will be able to enjoy this inferior happiness in the spirit world, and to such a degree that no sin or evil will be permitted to mar it. A small minority will become reconciled to God and enjoy the superior happiness which such reconciliation will bring to them. They will be in their nature and substance like the Father, having his Divine Essence and partaking of His immortality. But this reconciliation can only be obtained by what is called the New Birth, which comes to men not by reason of any power or effort on their part only, but by the operations of the workings of the Holy Ghost, the instrument of God in bringing about this New Birth. And yet man has his part to perform also, in this great renewal of his spiritual being. He must open his soul to the inflowing of this Divine Love, and must pray to the Father for the inflowing of the Holy Ghost, and with his prayers, must believe that the Father is waiting to bestow it. Without the desire on the part of man to receive this Divine Love with prayer and faith, it will not come to him, for God never forces any human soul to a New Birth against its will. I tell you this, because in my opinion this is the one great important truth of the mission of Jesus on earth, and the one that human beings should understand and try to comply with. I know now, as I never knew on earth, the full meaning of this truth, and I thank God all the time for His goodness and mercy. Only those who receive this New Birth become Divine angels, all other spirits remain mere spirits and subject to all the changes and conditions that belong to spirits; for there is nothing fixed as to those who may remain mere spirits any more than there was in the case of the first man and woman. We know now that changes may take place in the conditions of these spirits during the workings of God's plans. Many men may, even when they know of the things that I have written, be content to remain mere spirits and live their spiritual lives in the happiness which their natural love gives them, but it seems to me that all men, if they will think a little and understandingly, will seek for the greater Love and happiness and immortality. I wanted to write this tonight, for I see that some of the teachings of my Epistles may tend to lead men astray on this most important question as to what saves them from their sins and reconciles them to God. I will not write more to night, but will come at times and write you in regard to the various spiritual truths of this Kingdom I will say good night. Your brother in Christ, Paul August 20th, 1915 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Selim: I was the first Mohammedan Sultan of that name, and I want to write you for a while, if you don't object. I have listened to HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/bible49.htm" what Paul wrote and some things that he said I do not understand. I mean the difference between the spirit who receives what he calls the New Birth, and the spirit who has only his natural love. I know that I have a love for God and a love for my fellow man, and that I am very happy and do not desire greater happiness, and have surroundings that I cannot conceive can be excelled in their beauty and desirability. I know nothing of the other love, and fail to comprehend how there can be any other love than the one which God has given us. This love, in varying degrees we all have, and according as we possess it and have become freed from the sins and errors of life, I mean the earth life, are we happy. Our Prophet, may Allah bless him, never taught us of any other love than the one I speak of, and I don't believe he knows of any other love. But, I confess that my curiosity is excited to learn just what Paul means by his doctrine of the New Birth, and I shall make the effort to find out. Of course, I will have to have something more than his mere statement, or even the statement of all the Christians, to cause me to believe in the reality of this doctrine; but I feel that there may be some truth in it, and, if so, I want to learn it. I will not write more tonight but will, with your permission, do so later. I will say good night and God bless you. Selim August 20th, 1915 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Aleyabis: Let me write. I have been listening to those who have preceded me, and am interested in what they have said. I know nothing about this New Birth, and although I have lived in the spirit world a long time and in great happiness, yet I have never before heard of the doctrine. I feel HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor710.htm" like the Turk, in that if there be any truth in this doctrine, I would like to learn what it means. Of course to learn I will have to make investigation and to do so I must get a starting point; and if you can show me how I may come in contact with anything that may assist me in my investigation, I will be obliged to you. I am a Persian and was named Aleyabis. I lived four thousand years ago, and was and am a follower of Zoroaster, the divine teacher of God. I am living in the highest spheres where the followers of our teacher live. We are not in the same heaven with the spirits of other beliefs, but have a heaven all to ourselves; although I sometimes come in contact with spirits from these other heavens. Sometimes I come in contact with the Christian spirits and talk to them, but we do not discuss our doctrines, because we each so firmly believe in the truth of our respective beliefs, that no good would come of any discussion as to their relative merits. I see a great many spirits around you, and some are very beautiful and bright, more so than I have seen before, and also seem to have much love in their being. She is here and says she will be pleased to show me the way to start in my investigations, and I will accept her kind offer. I will come to you again sometime and tell you the result of my investigation. Your friend, Aleyabis August 23rd, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus: I am glad that you are feeling better tonight and I see that you will soon be in condition to take my messages again, and then I will be ready to write you more of my truths. The messages that you have been getting from the spirits of those who have lived in the spirit world for a long time all go to confirm the truth of my writing to you and of the reality of the New Birth, and the necessity of men getting this new birth in order to become immortal. So I think that these messages will work a great confirmation of what I write, and for that purpose you have been permitted to receive them and they to write to you. I thought, that considering the fact that men will be so loath to believe what I write through you, that it is wise that all these spirits should write. I will not write more tonight, but will have you prepare to soon take another of my messages. I will rewrite the message that I last wrote you as it is not entirely satisfactory. Well, that is a subject upon which I will write you fully later, and I can only give you a satisfactory explanation of that question in a message that will require me to write longer than I can tonight. So, wait until then. I will stop now and say that you will soon be in the condition that we both desire you to be in. I give you my blessings and love. Your friend and brother, Jesus August 23rd, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here - HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor423.htm" the man who had the ponderous mind as you called him: Since writing to you last I have had a great experience and the result is, I see what a damned fool I must have appeared to all of you at the time. I wrote, and because of the manner I wrote in, I now see that I was really an ignorant man, and that I was learned in only what I didn't know, that is in my egregious conceit that what I didn't know was not worth learning. But since that time I have really had my eyes opened and my mental powers awakened to the fact that I was just on the border land of learning what is here for me to learn. I have had the benefit of association with members of your band and with many other intelligent spirits, and I have learned that there are several spheres higher than that in which I live, and that they can be obtained only by progress in knowledge and mental acquirements. Some of these spirits have shown me truths of the spirit life that I never conceived of and taught me laws governing this spirit world that I never heard of. I must have been very stupid as well as hide bound and I don't wonder that you all, in a kind of derision, called me the man with the ponderous mind. I am now in the second sphere and am studying the laws of the universe and other needful things under the supervision of competent and learned teachers, and I have studied also those things which tend to en-lighten me of things spiritual.Your friends who first took me in hand have helped me very much, and especially your grandmother who seems not only so beautiful but to be so filled with knowledge. She is a wonderful spirit, and her teachings have helped me beyond all comprehension. I have not yet been able to quite believe what she tells me about the New Birth and the Divine Love of the Father, although when I meet these spirits who claim to have received this New Birth, I have to think that there is something in it, for they are all so much more beautiful and bright than are we who have not believed in it. I am seeking the light though, and that which will show me that there is some reality in this doctrine I shall not hesitate to seek further and accept it for my own salvation. I came tonight merely to tell you that I am no longer the man with the ponderous mind in my own conceit, and that I am a very humble student of the many things of which I had no knowledge or experience. I will not write more tonight, and will say Goodnight, Your friend August 23rd, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Judas Iscariot. I came tonight because I want to tell you of just what my condition and expectations were when I betrayed Jesus, which resulted in his crucifixion. I was a very enthusiastic lover of the Master and believed thoroughly in his teachings and his power, and did not believe that the Roman soldiers could take him away from where we were, if we did not permit it to be done. As a consequence, I was anxious that Jesus should show his great power, and demonstrate to the Jews that he was a true son of God, with power over men and devils. I never betrayed him for the money that I received, for it was not sufficient to pay for one moment of happiness which I have lost because of my act in betraying the greatest spirit in all God's kingdom. I see that you are too sleepy to write more tonight. I will come again and tell my story. So goodnight. Judas August 24th, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus: I merely want to say that the book you have been reading is one that shows that spiritualism is an established thing in this world of mortals. It is beyond doubt that spirits and mortals communicate, and that spirits know just what mortals are doing on earth, and bow to influence them in their loves and actions. Well, that is the very reason why I am communicating to you these truths, for as you say, they were never before communicated to any mortal. Well, because no medium was fitted to receive them and the world was not in condition to believe as it is now. All this was a part of God's plan to bring about a salvation of mankind. If these truths had been communicated at the time of the occurrence that you read of in that book, they would have been received with incredulity, even by the spiritualists themselves; and so the date for the communication of these truths was postponed until we saw that mortals were ready to receive these truths, which is now. Question asked by Mr. Padgett of Jesus, which was often the case during Jesus writings when he was giving advice to Mr. Padgett. I have read some of it, and it is more the imagination of spirits who attempted to impress the believers in Spiritualism with the idea that it was true and contained a true account of the creation of the world since, but it is not true, and has never been received as true by the people, and will not be so received, but will soon be forgotten. My writings will contain only the truth and those truths must be received and accepted by men for in them is the eternal happiness or otherwise, for mankind. So you need not fear that they will not be received. The power that is behind the present moment to spiritualize the world will not fail, and it will be accomplished through my messages which are being delivered through you. You will not pass over until my messages shall be fully declared to the world, and neither will your mental faculties be impaired, but rather increased and with all this will be given you power to do many wonderful things which will cause to think and believe in what you may give to the world as truth coming from me. I cannot write more. Your friend and brother, Jesus August 24th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Saint John: I merely want to say that what the Master says is true, and will soon triumph, and you must believe for faith is a wonderful help. I know that it seems a long way off to you before you will get in condition to do these things, but it will not be long, for all the powers of our Christian Spirit World is working to bring this about. I am with you very often when you are least aware of the fact and so are herds of others. Well, he is subject to the same laws controlling communications that the rest of us are and the powers had left him when he so stated. It is nothing that you should be astonished at because you will find in the future that many times this power will exhaust itself. You must not think that he is infallible in these things which pertain to the working of the laws governing the communications between spirits and mortals. We are all subject to them and sometimes conditions arise that prevent the continuance of communications. Yes, it is so and you must not let the fact disturb you. I will stop now. Your brother in Christ, John August 24th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, St. Luke: I merely want to add my testimony to that of John and to tell you that you must not doubt that the Master wrote you just because his powers to do so became exhausted. I will not attempt to write more tonight. No, the Bible is filled with errors, I never wrote many things which are credited to me and some time I will tell you of them in detail. I will keep my promise. So good night, Your brother in Christ, St. Luke August 28th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, St. Luke: Well, I came to tell you that you are not in such a condition of faith as will enable you to take my messages in a satisfactory way, and I will not write as I expected and give you some account of the errors and untruths that are in my gospel. I am the one who first collected the different writings or manuscripts of the history of the times of the new testament and of the sayings and doings of Jesus and compiled them in one gospel. The present gospel is not as I wrote it, for many things have been added and a number extracted from what I wrote and what the truths are. Tonight I will not attempt to tell you but will come again soon. I know, and I will tell you with all my emphasis that it was Jesus the Nazarine, and the person of that name around whom the New Testament centers. He is the same Jesus and waits to write through you his messages to the world. So you must believe and listen to what He says, and try to do your best in receiving these messages for they will be the truths of God. I will stop now and say goodnight. Your brother in Christ, St. Luke August 29th, 1915. Received by: James Padgett. Washington D.C. Aman, the first parent. You don't believe me, I can see, but I am whom I say, and want to tell you that I am now a follower of Jesus and a lover of God, and live in the Celestial Heavens far up near where the Master lives. I know it is hard for men to believe that I am the father of all physical manhood, and that I can come and communicate with mortals; but Jesus has rendered this possible in his opening the way for the higher spirits to communicate through you. You should feel specially blessed at having this great privilege, and feel that the Master has conferred on you a great favor, as he has. Well, I have never before come to earth to communicate with mortals, and, the experience being new, I find some difficulty in doing so. But I will try to write a few more lines. I and my soulmate lived in a paradise which God had given us, and were very happy until the great fall. We were so filled with the thought that we were all powerful and all wise, that we concluded that the obedience which God had required of us, was not necessary for us to observe, and that if we only exerted our powers, we would be as great as He is great, and would be able to obtain that immortality which he possessed. But, alas the day. We were mere creatures, although wonderful and beautiful, and we soon realized that fact. The disobedience was in not waiting for God to bestow upon us the great Divine Love that would make us like Him in substance as well as in image. We were like Him in our possession of souls and also in the possibility of obtaining the Divine Love. We disobeyed Him in that we tried to make ourselves believe that we were as He was, and that we need not submit further to His decrees. We tried to make this belief a thing of reality, and in our vanity tried to appear as gods; but as soon as we did this the scales dropped from our eyes, and we saw how naked and impotent we were. God did not drive us from His paradise, but the inexorable laws of our creation and of the workings of His will, showed us that no longer could we expect this Divine Love, which He said would make us Divine. And so we became mere mortals, deprived of the potentiality of obtaining this Divine Love, and we had thereafter to become subject to all the appetites of the natural man and to work to satisfy these natural appetites. We continued to live in the same place as formerly, but no more could we be satisfied with the spiritual food that had supplied our wants and enabled us to subdue the appetites which formed a part of our physical being. The physical then asserted itself and the spiritual became subjected to it, and we became as mortals now are, and had to find our substance in mother earth. We were compelled to till the soil and earn our living by work. I mean we had to work in order to make the earth supply us with food for our physical wants. It was a bitter time of sorrow but the law had imposed its penalty, and we were without power to relieve ourselves of that penalty, and had to live thereafter without the possibility of obtaining this Divine Love and of having our spiritual natures reassert themselves over the physical, and subdue it. When Amon and I were created, there were no other human beings living on earth, and none came there to live, until we had sons and daughters who intermarried and produced other sons and daughters. I cannot tell you how long ago our creation was, but many thousand years before the coming of Jesus. I will not write more to night, but will come again sometime and write. Your brother in Christ, Aman August 29th, 1915. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I was with you tonight and my spirit was in your heart to an extent that made you feel its presence, and caused you to suffer somewhat physically - but it was there to tell you that I was present and that my love was helping you to get nearer the Father and His Love. I know that the people who were worshipping me were not doing what I approve of or like, but their hearts were turned to God; and while they were making me the object of their worship, yet the spirit of God was with them, and the workings of the Holy Spirit were in the hearts of very many of them showing them the Love of the Father and the truth of His salvation. They, of course, are mistaken when they talk about being saved by my blood, for my blood has nothing to do with their salvation, but as they have been taught this, I cannot expect that they will know the real Salvation which the Father has provided for them. Sometime they will know that only the Divine Love of the Father saves from sin and error, and that not any blood of mine or death on the cross can save them. But, notwithstanding this false belief, these people in their prayers actually aspire for the Love of God, and He knows the longings of their hearts and sends the Holy Ghost to fill them with this Divine Love which makes them become very close to the Father, and makes them happy. So, while, as I say, I don't like the worship of me, yet the truth of God's Love enters into their souls and they become at-one with Him to the extent that such Love enters their souls. I know that to you, with your enlightenment, it appears that they are making a great mistake in worshipping me and believing that my blood saves them, yet, you must understand that while they make such mistakes, yet they are receiving the Divine Love and that it is working to redeem them from their sins and evil lives. So let not this error in their belief make you think that I am not with them, or rather that the Christ spirit is not with them, teaching them the way to the Love of the Father and to the great happiness which that Love brings to them. I know that the meeting did you great good and opened up your soul to the inflowing of this Love, and consequently, to a renewed faith and trust, and renewed love for the Father and belief in me. Let this Love in you increase and pray to the Father for more faith in His promises, and for a greater inflowing of His Love, and very soon you will realize His actual presence in your soul to an extent that will make you know that you are one with Him in Love, and in the possession of the Divine Essence that will cause all doubt to leave you and give you a faith in which no doubt will appear. I am glad you went to this meeting tonight and I hope you will go again, for the influences attending it were helpful to you, and were from above. Soon I will write again as I desire, if you will only pray more and trust more.You are thinking right and I will pray the Father for you, and if you will only persist in your desires and try to act in accordance with our prayers you will succeed; for the Father will hear your prayers and will help you to the fullest. And in addition, I will be with you and help you with my power and love. So do as I say, and above all have faith in the Father and trust me. I will not write more tonight, but will say that I will be with you during the week and will help you in your spiritual efforts. So with all my love, I am Your friend and Brother, Jesus August 29th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I, St. Clement, want is to write a few lines. I have written you once before and told you of some of the evils and errors of the church of which I was a member, and now I want to tell you that in the distant future that church will lose its power over the hearts of men, and then it will go into decay and finally disappear from the face of the earth. It can never be reformed from within because those who govern and control it know nothing about the real truths of salvation, and will never learn. The dogmas of the church are too firmly fixed in their minds to ever permit the truths to enter, and consequently, as these dogmas must be destroyed, with their destruction the church will cease to exist as a church. I am sorry that this will have to be, but the truths of God will prevail, and everything that is not in accord with them must be destroyed and cease to exist. I know that it will make a desperate effort to preserve its power and existence, but in vain. I am now working to bring about that consummation and so are all the redeemed Christian spirits, because we see that it is a mighty stumbling block to the reception of God's truths by men, and men must be taught these truths and be saved from their sins. Yes, there will be a church established, and it will be a church of Christ, and all mankind in time will come to unite with it and worship the one true God, and believe on Jesus as His great messenger and teacher, and not as God. The name of that church I don't know, but it will be one in which faith in spiritualism will obtain, and all members will believe that spirit and mortal can commune. I will write no more now, but say good night. Your brother in Christ, St. Clement August 30th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Saint Paul. I desire to tell you that I am very anxious to disclose to you what are the true teachings of Jesus, and what errors my epistles, as contained in the Bible, possess. I know now that it may seem strange to you that errors should have gotten into my epistles, but there are several reasons for their entrance. First, the epistles as they now appear are not what I wrote - I mean many changes have been made in my writings - and second, when I wrote the epistles I did not know as much of the truths of God as I do now, and thirdly, I was not such a believer in the teachings of Jesus, as I am now. These are sufficient reasons why my epistle should not be accepted as containing all the truths, or rather, that all they contain are truths. There are apparent contradictions in these writings, and if what is said were true there would be no real contradictions. I fully realize this great defect in my epistles and I have tried hard to impress those who attempt to explain my sayings, as to the real truth of what they attempt to explain, but with indifferent success. And now I want to correct what is untrue or not in accord with the teachings of the Master, and the only way in which it can be done is by writing through you. Of course, I realize that you have a great work to do for the Master, and that most of your time and energy will be taken up by doing this work of the Master, and that every other communication must be subordinated to those of Jesus, yet I believe that you will at times, find time to take my messages. Tonight, I will not attempt to write any message of these truths, and will only say that I am much interested in your work, and will try to help you all I can. So I must stop. No - no blood saves from sin, only the Divine Love of the Father does this. With much love I am your friend, St. Paul August 30th, 1915. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. Amon. I am the first mother of all the human race, and I want you to know that before Aman and myself, no human beings ever existed. We were created by God at the same time, and were ready, just after the moment of our creation, to live the lives of natural beings. So that there was no gradual growth on our part from any other creature or thing. I know it has been said that the first man was not created, but developed from some animal of the lower order, and as the process of evolution proceeded, this being became in the end a man, with all the wonderful organism and structure of his body, but I want to tell you that this is not true. When I was created I was as perfect in my physical organism as I ever was afterwards or as any man or woman ever became from that time into the present. In fact, I believe, that at the time of our creation we were more perfect than mankind are now, because we had no physical ailments, no sickness, no deformity of any kind. We certainly were more beautiful in face and form than mankind now are or have been for many long centuries; and besides, our bodies and organism lasted for longer years than do the bodies of mankind at this time.Before our fall we were very happy in our conjugal love, and knew not troubles or worries of any kind, and never had anything to make us afraid or draw us apart from each other or from God; nor until the great temptation came, and then because of our ideas of our greatness and power and want of dependence on God we fell, and never again were restored to our position of beauty and happiness that were ours in the beginning of our lives on earth. So you must see that we were specially created and not evolved from any other thing. Some men now may marvel and wonder at the Bible description of the creation of man, and reject the description as the imaginings of a mind of romance or imagery and not true, but I tell you now that the essentials of this creation and the fall, are true. Of course the parts played by the apple and the snake and the devil are not true literally, but are symbolical of the principles that entered into the temptation and fall.Well, I was as much to blame as was Aman, but I did not entice him after I had the ambition to become immortal without waiting till that time came when God would give us that quality of His own nature; but our ambitions grew together and we discussed the matter of making the great effort between us, and acted as one in trying to obtain this great immortality. So the story in the Bible is not exactly true just as far as I am concerned, for I did not entice or seduce Aman to do the great wrong; neither did he seduce me to enter into the effort. But all this is past, and many thousand years have gone by since our fall, and we have suffered much because of our first sin. As you have been told, many thousands of years passed since the time that we forfeited the gift of immortality, until it was restored and made known to humanity by Jesus the son of God, for he was the son of God, and as being a part of his Father's Divine nature he was Divine, and partook of those qualities of the Father which gave to him immortality, and those who follow his teachings and receive the New Birth will become Divine and immortal also. I must not write more tonight. Yes, I will, and now I will say good night. Your sister, Amon August 30th, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, John. I merely want to say tonight that you must soon prepare to take messages which the Master and some other high spirits desire to write. Let your arrangements be such that you can take those messages without any one being disappointed, for when you say that you will receive them and then something comes up to prevent, the spirits feel that you have not interest sufficient, and they are disappointed. Well, that will be satisfactory and we will make our arrangements to comply with that understanding. I know though that you have been in a condition of love and soul during the past few days, and have realized that the Father has been close to you, and you have been happy. So continue to turn your thoughts to the Father and His Love and you will find that there will come to you an increased Love and a great happiness. I feel that your faith is growing and that the rapport between us all is steadily increasing. I did not intend to write more tonight, as we will all wait until the time that you have named. Well, I have already told you that that Book (Revelation) was written as a kind of allegory, and that now it is of no practical use, and should not be given much attention. Besides it is not as I wrote it for many interpretations and additions have been made. At any rate it is of no importance, and men lose much time in trying to solve what they call its mysteries. Well, Aman is a general term which means first or highest, and when applied to man it means the first or highest creation. As it is applied in Revelation to Jesus it means the man who first received the Divine Love of the Father after its rebestowal. I will come to you sometime and explain this matter more fully. Yes, they (Aman and Amon) came to you and gave you their names which were the names that they were called by after their creation. They were both created instantaneously and became living souls in a moment, and did not grow from a germ by the slow process of evolution. Their story of the fall is substantially correct as I have learned from them and from the Master. The names Aman and Amon are correct, and were known thousands of years ago to the early inhabitants of the earth and who descended from them. The story of their fall was, of course, known to their immediate descendants and became known for some generations after their deaths to their more remote descendants; but after awhile the names became forgotten, but the substance of the story of their fall did not, and there were at one time manuscripts showing the account of the fall, but they disappeared long before the time of any of the present writings, though the story of the fall with various changes and amendments came down the ages, until the writers of the Old Testament incorporated such tradition in the Book of Genesis. Of course, Adam and Eve did not exist, and neither is the story as to their fall, true. It is only symbolical in the way of showing that man once occupied an exalted and happy state, and by his own disobedience fell, and with his fall came the condition of evil and sin. Well, I must not write more tonight. So remembering what you say, I am your brother in Christ. John - Apostle of Jesus August 30th, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus: I come tonight because I see that you are again praying to the Father for the inflowing; of His Love and for faith, and for a nearness to him that will make you happy. I am glad of this new aspiration and know that the Love will come to you and that your faith will be increased, and your trust in me will be established firmly so that we can proceed with our work. So, I will soon come now and write you another of my formal messages, and I hope that thence we can go rapidly onward. I have been with you today and know what your feelings have been, and how in a way you have had faith that certain things would come to pass without knowing just why - but you have not troubled yourself very much and expected to secure them at the time needed. Well, I want to tell you that that is the kind of faith that you should have in reference too all the things that affect you both materially and spiritually. Such faith brings results and you will not be disappointed in your present faith, for what you need will come to you this week. I am here predicting a thing with certainty as I see it; and I do not think you will be disappointed. I know what you mean, and we will help you, only exercise your willpower, and when you feel the temptation come to you very strong, utter a prayer to the Father for help, and you will receive it. I am glad that you are in such condition of harmony with the Father tonight, and that your love for him is so strong; and with that love will come faith that will be able to accomplish most anything that you may desire, and that the Father sees is best for you. Yes, you can ask those things with the assurance that they will be pleasing to the Father, and will not be refused you. I would like to write longer but I must stop now. I will tell you the next time that I write about HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/ancient3.htm" these two spirits who say they are the first parents of the human race. I have not the time now, and what I may say may be interesting to you and to the world. So, my dear brother, I will say goodnight. Your brother, Jesus August 30th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, The spirit of one who when on earth was a believer in the divinity of Jesus and in his being one of the three parts of the Godhead, co-equal with the Father and with the Holy Spirit. This belief I died in and as a consequence, when I came to the spirit world, I was disappointed and also surprised to find that Jesus is not God, but a spirit made like the rest of the inhabitants of that world though infinitely more beautiful and possessed in a very much larger degree of the Divine nature of the Father. I did not believe that this was true until a long time after I entered the spirit world, for my old beliefs clung to me, and while I did not find myself in heaven singing psalms and playing on harps as the Bible taught, yet I was not very happy and was not in much darkness, and I settled down to the belief that the state in which I found myself was the one that I should probably remain in until the great day of judgment and the general resurrection of those who had died. But after a while I met spirits who said they were from a higher sphere, and who told me that there is no such thing as a fixed state in the spiritual world, and that the day of judgment is every day that I existed as a spirit, and that if I chose to do so I could progress out of my condition into higher spheres where I would find more happiness and light. Of course I did not readily believe this, for my old beliefs stayed by me and I continued in my condition of hesitancy for a long time, until at last I had the good fortune to come face to face with the Master, and then I knew that my beliefs were wrong and erroneous. Such a beautiful and bright and loving spirit I had no conception of. He told me that he was not God, and that he was only a son of the Father, and that I was a son also, and could obtain the Divine Love just as he had obtained it, if I would only pray to the Father and have the necessary faith. Since then, I have been praying, and my old beliefs about Jesus being God, and the great day of judgment and the resurrection of the dead at the last day have left me, and I am a free spirit possessing the Love of the Father to a considerable extent. I am not so exalted and bright, and have not the soul development that your band have, but I am progressing and know that the Divine Love of the Father is what we all, spirits and mortals, need to make us one with the Father, and partakers of His Divine nature and of immortality. I am a stranger to you, and you must excuse my intruding, but I so desired to write as I have, that when I saw the way open I could not resist the temptation to write. I am S. B. S. I lived in the city of New York and died many years ago, I am in the fifth sphere and am progressing.So thanking you, I will say, goodnight and God bless you. Your brother in Christ, S. B. S. NOTE. This spirit would appear to be Samuel B Southard. August 30th, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen. Well, my dear old Ned you must stop writing for tonight as you have written a long time. I am so glad that you are now in such good condition of faith and love, and feel so close to God and so near to the Master. It certainly is wonderful how he loves you and clings to you and tries to help and influence you for good. We are all surprised at his love for you and he does not seem to grow impatient that you sometimes seem not to care whether he loves you or not. But such is his Great Love. Oh, my dear, you must love him more and get closer to him and trust him with all your heart and mind, for I, your own Helen, tell you that he is with you very much and loves you more than you can possibly conceive to be true. He is trying to help you spiritually and he will succeed. Well she HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/ancient1.htm" (Amon) was a beautiful and bright spirit, more so than most any of the spirits that I have seen from the higher spheres. She talked to me for a while and told me that she was the first mother, and that I was one of her children. She has a wonderful portion of the Divine Love and seemed so grand and loving to me that I am inclined to believe her. But I cannot tell you anything more about her as I never saw her before. But I heard the Master say that he would tell you sometime about her and you may get a great treat from him. So goodnight, your loving and true Helen August 31st, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Amoulomol: I was an inhabitant of a land that no longer exists and is entirely forgotten by human history. It was at the north pole, and I lived there when everything was beautiful and green and warm. Yes, thousands of years ago. I live in the sphere where my people live. I am very happy with them. I was a white man and lived in a city where we had all conveniences and comforts. So you don't believe me but it is true. I will do so. Goodnight. August 31st, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, St. Camelia: Yes, I was a catholic nun. I merely want to say that I am no longer a nun or a catholic, but a Christian redeemed by the Father's Love and the teachings of the Master. I lived in 1676 at Florence, Italy, and was canonized nearly a hundred years after my death. Yes, in the Romish church history. I am now in the Celestial Heavens where are those who have received the New Birth. I will not write more tonight. I merely wanted to write and I had never before written through mortals. So I will say goodnight. Your sister in Christ, St. Camelia Editors Note. This "saint" does not appear in any of the lists of Saints, as far as we can determine. There are two possibilities. The first is that Padgett did not receive this message accurately, and the other is that it was a message from an imposter. However, it seems that there is a HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor286.htm" message from Jesus that states these saints are who they said they were, and that an imposter cannot write. Until someone asks the question again, we will not know the answer. August 31st, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Saint Salatia; I was a woman of Italy when on earth. I was a great worker for the church and was at the head of some of its institutions, and after I died, I mean after I had been dead for a number of years, I was canonized. I died in 1689 in Milan. My name is among the saints of the Romish church. I came merely to tell you that I am now in the celestial heavens and a follower of the Master. But I have to say that when I first came to the spirit world I was in darkness and suffering, because of my false beliefs, and false life as a teacher. It was only after I became an inhabitant of the spirit world that I learned the truths. Oh, the false teachings of the church and its priests! There are many of them here in the spirit world who are still in darkness and torment, and who lived when I did on earth. The reason is that they were so firm in their belief in the doctrines of the church that they have never been able to open their minds to the truth, and in fact many of them will not listen to any teachings, but those which they were taught on earth. Yes, I have tried to convince them of their errors but they would not listen to me, thinking that I I had been deceived and proselyted and was lost. Well I am now very happy and I thank you for the opportunity of writing to you as it is the first time that I have ever written to mortal man. I need not take up more of your time now and so will say goodnight. St. Salatia My name was Victorina Salatia, the daughter of an Italian nobleman. I was a single woman. Editors Note. This "saint" does not appear in any of the lists of Saints, as far as we can determine. There are two possibilities. The first is that Padgett did not receive this message accurately, and the other is that it was a message from an imposter. However, it seems that there is a HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor286.htm" message from Jesus that states these saints are who they said they were, and that an imposter cannot write. Until someone asks the question again, we will not know the answer. August 31st, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, St. Paul. I was with you tonight at the meeting, and heard what the young man said about perfection, and I agree entirely with his ideas and the application of the truth to the lives of human beings. He had the correct conception of what perfection means, and when he said that perfection is a relative term, he spoke the exact truth. No man can expect to have the perfection of the Father in quantity, but he may in quality; for the spirit of truth that enters into the soul of a man in response to prayer and faith is a part of the Divine nature of the Father, and the essence is the same, and the quality must be the same; but, of course, no man can obtain it to the extent of making him pure and holy as the Father is pure and holy. Even we who live in the high Celestial Heavens have not that perfection which the Father has. But let men know that even while on earth they can obtain this inflowing of the Holy Spirit in their hearts to such an extent that sin and error will be entirely eradicated. This, I say, is possible, but few men attain to such a state of perfection, because the worldly affairs and natural appetites which belong to mortals are always interfering to prevent the makings of the spirit in men's souls so that perfection of this kind may take possession of them. But notwithstanding this great difficulty, and material desires of men, they should have this perfect ideal before them always, and strive to obtain the possession of it. I was much interested in the discourse not only because it was founded on a text attributed to me, but because of the right conception and the explanation made by the young man. I could see his soul and its workings, and I was glad to know that he possessed this Divine Love to an unusual degree, and was fitted almost for a home in the Celestial Spheres. You were benefited by what he said, and you felt the influence of the presence of the Holy Spirit at the meeting. If the people of this church would understand that there is only one thing that saves them from their sins and makes them at-one with the Father, and that is the inflowing of the Divine Love into their souls, which was what Jesus meant when he told Nicodemus that he must be born again, they would easily see that their doctrine of holiness is not only a reasonable doctrine but one in accord with the truths of God; for as this Divine Love fills their souls, all sin and error must disappear. Of course this is a relative matter, for it depends upon how much of this Divine Love is in their souls to determine how much of sin or error exists. The more of the Divine Love, the less of sin, and on the contrary, the more of sin the less of the Divine Love. But, I want to say with all the emphasis that I am capable of, that it is possible for a human being to obtain such a quantity of this Divine Love in his soul that sin will be entirely eradicated. This was the doctrine taught by Jesus, and this is the truth of God's law of Love. I know that the great majority of mankind do not believe this truth and think it foolishness, and that those who claim that they have received this Divine Love to a great degree are enthusiastic fanatics, and not worthy of credence, but I want to tell you that no greater truth was ever proclaimed by the Master; and sometime, in the not far distant future, many men who are now merely intellectual Christians will believe and embrace and experience this great truth. You will find yourself much benefited by attending these meetings, and while there are some things in their creed to which you do not subscribe, yet they have the foundation truth that the Divine Love of the Father can clear their souls from all sins, and make them perfect, to the extent that they receive that Love in their souls. I will not write more tonight, but will say that the Holy Spirit which conveys God's Love to man is with these people in great power and fullness and manifests its workings in a real and irresistible manner. And God is blessing them and giving them that faith which enables them to become overcomers and inheritors of immortality and homes in the Celestial Heavens. So without taking up more of your time, I will say goodnight and God bless you. Your brother in Christ, St. Paul August 31st, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I heard what HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/minor136.htm" Paul wrote, and I corroborate everything that he said, and add, that these people are pursuing the true way to the inheritance which I promised them while I was on earth. Their faith is wonderful and the fruits of its exercise is shown in the condition of their souls and in their lives. Theirs is the soul conception of religion and of my truths, and while they may not with their intellects understand the philosophy of my teachings, yet with their soul perceptions they have grasped the great foundation truth of salvation through the Divine Love of the Father. Of course they sing and proclaim that my blood saves them from sin, but this is merely the exercise of their mental conceptions, learned from the teachings and creeds of the churches; yet they have grasped the great and only truth of salvation with the far more and certain knowledge that the awakening and filling of their souls by the Divine Love gives them. How much to be wished for that all these churches of form and mental worship could realize that the only true worship of God is with the soul perceptions. Only with these perceptions that are developed by obtaining the Divine Love can we see God. Only by such development can we become pure and holy and at-one with the Father, and partakers of His Divine nature. I am glad that you attended this church (Church of the Holiness), and I advise you to go there often, for I tell you that the spirit of truth and Love is with these people to a very extended degree, and that because their souls are open to its inflowing and to its ministration. I was with you again tonight, and so was the spirit of truth trying to open up your soul to its influence and to that which will cause your faith to increase and your trust in me to grow. No church will do you as much good as that and I advise you to attend. Of course you will not have to believe in its creed, but only in the fact that the Holy Spirit is there in all its quickening power, as they sometimes sing. So with all my love I say, goodnight. Your brother and friend, Jesus September 5th, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Luther - Martin Luther. I came again because I want to tell you that I was with you this afternoon when you were reading the comments on the origin and different versions of the Bible. Among them was a reference to my version, and I want to say that while my version was a pretty correct translation, yet the manuscripts and other versions, upon which I based my translation, were not the real writings of those who profess to have written them. I mean that those manuscripts were not true copies of the original epistles and books written by those whose names they bear. Many interpretations and more constructions were given to the texts of the originals than you or any other mortal are aware of. The Bible as now written and as I translated it, is full of contradictions and errors and makes the truth hard to ascertain. Take for instance that one subject of the blood redemption. No greater error was ever written than that the blood of Jesus saves from sin, or that his blood washes away sin. It seems to me now, so absurd that I wonder and am astonished that I could ever have believed in such an absurdity. I know now that there is no efficacy in Jesus' blood to accomplish any such results, and the pity is that many men now believe this, and, as a consequence, neglect the one vital and important requirement necessary to salvation, that is the New Birth. This and this only saves men from their sins and fits them to enter the Kingdom of God, which is the Kingdom of Jesus, for he is the Prince of that Kingdom, and the Ruler thereof. Jesus never said any such thing, for he has told me so. This saying that his blood was shed for many, is not true. He never said it, neither did he say "drink the wine", being his blood, in remembrance of him, for the wine is not his blood, and neither does it represent anything that has to do with him or his mission on earth, or his present work in the spirit world. How unfortunate that this saying is made to represent something that he did not say. So in order to understand the real truths of God and man's relationship to Him and His plan of salvation, you must believe what the Master shall write you and what his apostles may write, for now they understand what his true mission was, and what he attempted and intended to teach when on earth, and what he is teaching now. I also will write sometimes and give you the result of my instructions and knowledge as I received them since being here. I will not write more to night. Your brother in Christ, Martin Luther September 5th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I will write a little as I am interested in what you have received from HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/religious9.htm" Luther to night, and as I am supposed to have written the Gospel of Luke, I desire to say a few things in reference to the correctness or rather incorrectness of many things contained in my Gospel. As you infer, I am St. Luke the writer of the third Gospel and a follower of Jesus. My Gospel was not founded on anything I had personal knowledge of, but upon the writings of others and the traditions which were the common knowledge of many Christians at that time. I knew several of the apostles and obtained much of my information from them, as well as from many of the Christians who were members of the congregations to which these apostles preached and expounded the sayings of Jesus. In my Gospel, as now contained in the authorized version, there are many things that have been interpolated. This version was not based on what I wrote, but upon pretended copies of my writings; and the persons who made these copies did not follow literally my writings, but added to my text and gave their own interpretations of what I had written in such a way as to destroy the true meaning of what was intended to be conveyed by my writings. There are many truths contained in the Gospel as now written in the Bible, and they are the truths of God, but there are also many errors which contradict these truths. For instance, I never wrote that Jesus commanded his disciples to believe that the wine was his blood or the bread his body, and to eat and drink these things in remembrance of him. How this interpolation could have been made I do not know, but will observe that the same things are said in all the four Gospels, and this saying must have been derived from a common source, and that must have been the minds of those who pretended to copy the Gospels. I tell you now that this saying, that the blood of Jesus saves from sin, is not true, and if men depend upon this blood for their salvation they will never be saved, but will enter the spirit world in all their sins, and will be surprised to learn that Jesus is not waiting to receive them in his arms and carry them to the mansions prepared for the truly redeemed of the sons of men. I know that a vast number of the members of the various churches believe this harmful doctrine, and that as a consequence, many persons claiming to be Christians will realize that their sins have not been forgiven them when they come into the spirit world. Sometime, as these writings continue, I will point out the errors of my Gospel to an extent that will show you the fact of what great additions and misinterpretations have been made thereto. I will stop now. Your brother in Christ, St. Luke September 5th, 1915 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I will say a word also. I am your own dear grandmother. I came to tell you that I know now that the blood of Jesus does not save from sin. You will remember how, when on earth I believed this doctrine of error. How I used to talk about the precious blood of Jesus being able to save from all sin, and used to sing with all my heart and belief in the old hymn: "There is a fountain filled with blood" and so forth. Well I know now that that belief is all wrong, and that Jesus is so anxious to have men learn that it is a great error and stumbling block to the soul's progression. Of course I know that a vast majority of those now living will never believe that this saying of the Bible is erroneous until they come to the spirit world; but if they only could be taught to throw aside this belief and rely entirely on the Divine Love for their salvation while on earth, how much easier their progress would be when they come over. So you see, that while many say that a belief does not amount to much, yet I tell you that it causes more unhappiness and retards the progress of spirits to a greater extent than any other one thing. I know that only the Divine Love of the Father saves from sin and makes mortals at-one with Him. So in your work for the Master, you will have to make great efforts to cause people to give up this belief in the blood, and turn to the truth of the New Birth. Many of the orthodox will oppose your efforts and refuse to believe what you may tell them to be the truth, but many will believe and seek this New Birth, and find the peace and happiness of a soul whose sins have been forgiven. I must not write more tonight. I will come again soon and tell you more of the result of your work among the unfortunate spirits who seek your help. So my dear son, I will say good night Your loving grandmother, Ann Rollins September 5th, 1915. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I was with you to night, and heard what you said about the Bible and its writers, and I desire to say that many things in it were not written by my disciples or by those to whom my disciples had delivered the sayings that I made use of while on earth. The text as contained in the present Bible is not a true copy of what I said, or what was in the manuscripts of those who originally wrote; and I am trying to correct the many errors that the Bible contains. Well, the sayings in the Epistles and in the Gospels and in Revelation to the effect that my blood saves from sin, are erroneous, and my disciples never wrote that false doctrine, for I repeat here, what I have before written you, that my blood has nothing to do with the redemption of mankind from sin, nor has my blood any effect in reconciling men to God or making them one with Him. The only thing that works this great result is the New Birth as I have explained it to you. So do not let these sayings of the Bible disturb your belief in what I say now, or in what I may hereafter say. Well, the Revelation of John is not true - it is a mere allegory and not just as he wrote it, for it contains many things that are absurd and not in accord with the truths as I shall write them to you. He has written you already on the " HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/bible69.htm" Revelations" and told you what he did not write, as he has been annoyed by this book of the Bible and its interpretations by the preachers and others. It is nothing but a revelation of a vision which he thought he saw while in a trance, as you mortals say. I mean that the real Revelation that he wrote is only the vision of a trance. So let not these things disturb you. I see that you are getting more of the Divine Love in your soul, and your spiritual eyes will be opened, and your soul perceptions will, before long, see and understand many of the vital truths of God. I will not write more to night. With all my love, I am, Your brother and friend, Jesus August 30th, 1915. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Aman. Yes, and I want to correct HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/ancient3.htm" what I wrote before in this: that I never was a spirit who wanted to have merely immortality as God was immortal, but I also wanted to obtain the power and wisdom which I saw that God possessed. I thought that if I could obtain these qualities, I would become a God and a co-equal with my Creator, and hence the possessor of all the universe, and of all power and knowledge that He had. My effort to realize my ambition in these particulars was a part of my great sin of disobedience. I thought it best to tell you this so that my description of the great sin of disobedience would not be only a part of the truth. I now know what an insignificant creature I was as compared to the Father, and I also know that the creation of Amon and me was the highest creation in all the universe of God. But the great mercy and Love of the Father, notwithstanding my great sin, has placed me in the position and condition which he promised me at my creation, and which I forfeited with such fatal consequences. You have a privilege which I was then deprived of for so many long years, and your happiness may be as great as mine is now without having to wait the long and many years that I waited. No wonder that mankind worships Jesus as God, when we consider the Great Gift that he brought to them and the way to obtain it. I must not write more. Your brother in Christ and father in the flesh. Aman September 7th, 1915 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, John of the Revelation. I saw you studying the Bible or rather those portions of the Book which treated of the salvation of mankind through the blood of Jesus, and that you made extracts from the Revelation, which declared that the blood of Jesus washed away sins of mankind and redeemed them. Well, I want to say that while I wrote a Revelation or rather dictated it to another to write, I never wrote the words declaring the salvation of mankind through the blood of Jesus, which declared that the blood of Jesus washed away sins of mankind and redeemed them, for I did not believe any such doctrine and had never been taught such a belief by Jesus. Much of the matter contained in the Revelation I never wrote; but men or scribes who professed to copy the description of my vision, added to it for the purpose of incorporating therein the views of the Christians of that early day, so that their views might be emphasized and in union with similar views that had been added to the Gospels and Epistles in the copies which these same persons or their predecessors in these views had made. The Revelation is merely a vision which I had when in a trance and was undoubtedly intended to illustrate or predict those things which would be visited upon the believers and the nonbelievers in the truths of God as taught by Jesus and his apostles. At the present day, I cannot see that this book can serve any good purpose in making men acquainted with the truths of God, or with the relationship of man to God. Many of the things therein contained are not true as a Truth, but were used merely to illustrate a truth. There are no streets of gold or pearly gates or dragons or beasts or white horse or other material things which are depicted in that book; and it is valuable only so far as imagery may show to mankind some spiritual truth. And besides it has been so embellished and added to, that many of its figures or images do not illustrate any truth, or anything else, but merely serves to give the book the character and appearance of a book of mysteries. So, I advise you in attempting to search for the truths that the Bible contains, do not waste your time in trying to discover the meanings of the various dark sayings and mysterious descriptions which this book contains. There are enough truths in the Bible, though mixed with many errors, to lead men to the light and to salvation. Love is the great principle, and the fact that God is waiting to bestow that love on mankind, if they will only seek for it, as it is the principle which is sufficient to lead men to the Celestial homes and happiness. I am not an advocate of all the isms which men draw or formulate from the Bible, but on the contrary, deplore and condemn the misconstruction of the truths which it contains, and which men may understand, if they will search for them in humbleness and in the spirit of a little child. But, whatever of errors may be written in the Bible will be shown by the messages which Jesus shall write to you, and after they are transmitted and made known to mankind there will be no occasion for men to accept or believe these errors. So, I tell you that while the Bible, even as now written, is a grand old book, yet it is not the true mouthpiece of God in very many particulars, and is a stumbling block to man's acquiring a correct knowledge of the truths of God. These truths will not conflict with the reasoning of the normal man who is not prejudiced by views which are erroneous, either in the scientific or the religious world. A man who believes what is not true is just as much an infidel whether that belief relates to the sciences or to religion. A belief in the false is a want of belief in the true, and, hence, as to the true he is not a believer. I will not write more tonight. So will say goodnight and God bless you and your work. Your brother in Christ, John of Revelation September 7th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, John the Baptist. I come because I want to encourage you to pray more and to believe. The Father's Love is waiting for you to fill your soul to its utmost, and the only things required on your part are prayer and faith. We are all interested in you and want you to get into a condition that will enable you to take the Master's messages as rapidly as possible for the time is now ripe when they should be given to mankind, and started on their work of redeeming men from false beliefs and erroneous doctrines and dogmas. I, John, tell you this, for I can see that men are longing for the truths of God - such truths as will remove from the teachings of the spiritually guided all superstition and errors. Such truths as will accord with the reasoning of men who are not biased by erroneous beliefs either in matters spiritual or material. I tell you that these truths will be easier for the mere materialist to receive and understand, than by those who are bound by the beliefs which the creeds and dogmas of the churches have inculcated. And the acceptance of this New Revelation of the truths of God will be by those who have no preconceived ideas of what the nature and relation of man to God, in the spiritual sense, is, rather than by the learned theologian and the simple worshipper at the altars of the churches, who believe whatever may be told them by the priests and preachers. As I was, at one time, the voice of one crying in the wilderness, I am now the voice of many spirits of God, who know that the Master will teach the truths of his Father, and that these truths must be accepted by mortals on earth,and by spirits in the spirit world in order that they may receive that salvation which the Father has prepared for them, and which, when accepted and realized and possessed, will fit them to become partakers of the happiness and immortality which the Father has promised them. I have written you in this manner tonight, because I want you to realize more fully and deeply the important work which the Master has selected you to do, and also the necessity of continuing this work at the earliest possible moment. Well, I have been interested in the great amount of discussion on that point, and how the belief one way or the other has caused those calling themselves Christians to form distinct sects. If they only knew or would know, that it does not make a particle of difference to their soul's salvation, whether Jesus was immersed or sprinkled, they would not let the bitter feeling arise that frequently does in discussing this matter. But to settle this dispute to the satisfaction of those who may read the book which you may publish and believe in its statements, I will say, that when I baptized Jesus, I went with him into the water and then took the water in my hands and placed it on his head - there was no immersion. As this water was merely symbolical of the washing away of sin and error, and does not actually accomplish that great necessity, in order for men to become one with God, it did not make any difference whether the recipient of baptism was immersed or sprinkled. It is strange that many men who profess to have received the forgiveness of their sins and become reconciled to God should let a trifling thing of this kind cause so much strife and bitter disputations. I will now stop. Your brother in Christ John The Baptist September 7th, 1915 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Mary Kennedy: I am so glad for the opportunity to write to my dear soulmate as it has been a long time since I wrote to him, and told him of my love and happiness. He is more dear to me than ever, and while he cannot hear me tell him so, yet every day I am with him and try to breathe into his ear the expressions of the great love which I have for him. I wish that he had the power to write as you have, for if he had, I believe that I would monopolize all his time in telling him how much I love him, and how I long for the time to come when I can have him all to myself. He, I know, cannot realize what a love like mine is, but thank God in the not far distant future I will be able to enfold him in my arms, and tell him with all the feelings and warmth of my soul how much I love him and how dear he is to me. I am with him nearly all the time, trying to cheer him and make him feel that he is not alone in his struggles in life, and that my love for him is so great, and with and in him all the time. When he prays, I pray with him, and when he is happy I am happy too. But when he is unhappy I am not unhappy but sympathize with him, and exert myself to make him realize the great love that I have for him and that I am near him. His sorrows are only temporary and my love is eternal - and my love means his happiness as well as mine. So tell him to believe with all his heart that his Mary is with him and will be with him in all his times of sorrow and joy, and will try to interpenetrate his soul with her own burning and pure love, which is all his and which can never be given to another. I read his letters, which he writes at night, and for every expression of love which they contain I have a responsive answer, only more intense and more longing. Tell him not to stop writing to me for I can see what he writes; and tell him also that he must believe that my answers are all that he would have them to be and more too. I must not trespass longer on your indulgence but only wish to say that I love my dear Leslie with all my heart and soul, and will so love him until time and eternity shall be no more. Oh, how I wish that I could have him see me face to face, and hear my voice telling him of my great love, and that he is mine and I am his. So kind friend, I thank you and will give way to your wife to resume. Mrs. Padgett resumes: Well, sweetheart, isn't she a dear, loving soulmate? It does me so much good to hear her tell her love to the Doctor, and see her eyes and whole being aflame with love to him. September 9th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your Grandmother: All I know about the origin of the Book of Revelation is what I have heard from John (St. John), and he has told me HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/bible65.htm" substantially what he has told you, and I believe what he has said - I know that many things in the Book are not true, and that its mysteries are not worth attempting to fathom, because they do not contain any spiritual truths - These truths are so plain and so simple that it requires no mysterious statement of them to be made, so that men will hesitate to understand their import. So my advice to you is to receive what the Master may write and believe in what he communicates. Question: What about Baptism? Well, baptism is not essential to a man's salvation. It is merely symbolical of the truth of a reuniting with the Love of the Father, and when you can receive that love in substance and reality, what is the need of resorting to a mere shadow. I tell you that no baptism or drinking wine and eating bread in remembrance of Jesus is necessary to salvation, and are not even advisable so far as the actual salvation of man is concerned, because many persons when they are baptized believe that is all that is necessary to salvation, and neglect the real development of the soul, and the desire to have the inflowing of the Divine Love, without which there is no salvation. Have faith and trust in the Master. So with all my love, I am your own loving, Grandmother (Ann Rollins) September 12th, 1915. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I was with you tonight and saw that the Spirit was filling your heart with the Divine Love of the Father and that you realized its presence, and felt that even though the people who worshipped me in their ignorance, yet they have this Love of the Father to a great degree. I do not approve of their frequent reference to my blood as saving them from their sins and keeping them in the grace and favor of the Father, for, as I have told you, my blood has nothing to do with the salvation of any soul - only the Divine Love of the Father saves a soul from sin and makes it one with the Father in His Love and divinity. But, nevertheless, these people have this Love in their hearts, and while with their intellects they look upon me as God, yet their souls are turning to God, and consequently, they receive the blessings of the Father's Love and are receiving to a large extent the development of their souls. I am glad that you attend these meetings (The Church of the Holiness, Washington, D. C.), for in them is a wonderful presence of the Spirit and the Love of the Father, and while you may not be in sympathy with their doctrines as to who and what saves them from sin and unrighteousness, yet the Influence of the Spirit is so great that it helps your soul development. I tried to influence the speakers to tell just what the conditions of their souls were, and what experience they had in receiving and enjoying the Divine Love; and many of them experience and have as a part of their religious possession just what they said they had. It will be beneficial to you to attend this church, and get the benefit of the presence of the Holy Spirit which is with them in their worship. I was with you and tried to make you feel my presence, and I did, and you felt a little exaltation of your soul qualities and enjoyed the services, especially the singing and the prayers. So, while you must not be influenced by their doctrines as to my being God or to be worshipped, yet if you will ignore this and only consider that their real worship is of God and that their souls are in unison with Him, you will find that these services will do you much good. I am with you very much and am trying to get you relieved from the worries which come to you. I am also trying to help you get in that spiritual condition which is necessary in order for you to take and continue my formal messages. Yes, you are and I am glad that it is so. I want you to become a man so possessed of this Love and of faith, so strong that nothing that you may encounter will swerve you from your convictions and from your work. I see that you are anxious to continue this work and you will soon be able to do so. Yes, I know that the Bible iterates and reiterates the statement that I am God, and that my blood saves from sin, and that I am a propitiation for mankind, but nevertheless, the Bible is all wrong, and these false doctrines must be corrected and men taught the true plan of salvation. I will be with you very often until we have commenced our work in the way that we desire to carry it forward. Let not anything that you may read in the Bible cause you to have a conception that may not agree with what I shall write. Let your mind be blank on these truths and wait until I shall disclose them to you, and believe me. John never wrote these statements as contained in his epistles and Gospel, and he will write to you denying that he did. The Bible contains many truths and many of my sayings, but also, many statements that were never made by me or by the apostles, and my mission now is to correct all these errors. So you see we have much work ahead of us and we must commence it as soon as possible. I am with you tonight to comfort and encourage you and help you to overcome not only your worries, and if you will only pray to the Father and believe, you will be successful in both particulars. I will not write more tonight as others are here to write, and I desire that they shall do so. Your brother and friend, Jesus September 12th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jehosephat: I was a character in the Old Testament, and I want to say just a word. I am a Christian, and redeemed by the Divine Love of the Father. I was not a very religious man when I lived and never knew what the love of God was, although you might think from my association with Him as portrayed in the Bible, that I was a righteous man. I was a man possessed of great mediumistic powers, and through me the spirits would communicate those things which they said came from God. But I was not a teacher myself and was not in condition to teach spiritual truths, for I was only a Jew of the Pharisees who had certain intellectual beliefs as to what kind of worship should be given to God, and what men should do otherwise in their dealings with one another. I merely wanted to say this, so that you might know that while we are what you would call ancient spirits yet we are interested in your work, which the Master has called upon you to do. I will say good night. Jehosephat September 12th, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, John. I do not write St. John, because I am not called by that name in the spirit heavens, and I have written you often enough now, that you will identify me when I merely write John. Well, I heard HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/trinity9.htm" what the Master said, and I can only add thereto, that I never wrote the things which declare that I preached that the blood of Jesus saves from sin or that Jesus was a propitiation for the sins of mankind. Neither in my Gospel nor in my Epistles nor in Revelation did I write such a doctrine. As I have told you before many things contained in these books were written by others to carry out certain plans and ideas of the writers. I never said that Jesus was God and that he was begotten by the Holy Ghost, or that he is equal with God, or that he saved a man from sin by reason of any personal qualities which he may have had. So let your mind eliminate these false doctrines and receive the truths which the Master shall write with a perfectly unbiased mind, free from all preconceived ideas. (Answer to question by Mr. Padgett follows:) I meant that many spirits would try to communicate with man and attempt to teach false doctrines as to Jesus and his mission. That the only spirits who were capable of conveying the truth, and worthy of belief were those who should acknowledge that Jesus was the son of God in the way that it has been explained to you. Not that Jesus or Jesus Christ was God. Only those spirits who acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God and have received the New Birth, and know anything about the kingdom of Christ, or of the gift of the Divine Love of the Father, and the way to obtain it, as taught by Jesus, should be acknowledged. All other spirits who have not this knowledge, and consequently would not acknowledge Jesus as the son of God, who should hear his teachings, is not to be trusted as being true followers of Jesus. This is nothing mysterious or contrary to the laws governing the conduct or beliefs of men. If a spirit or man either, knows nothing about a certain subject he certainly cannot teach others its qualities or merits, and, hence, I was applying an ordinary law of nature to the way in which spirits should be tried. For I must tell you now, and it is a truth, and was a truth at the time I wrote my gospel and epistles, just as it is a truth now, and always will remain a truth, that every spirit who acknowledges that Jesus is the son of God is a redeemed spirit, and has received a portion of the Divine Love, and is progressing in the kingdom which Jesus is now forming. And when I gave those instructions to my children, as I called them, I intended that their communications should be only with those spirits or men who had received this New Birth. I know that all the spirits who have received this Divine Love in sufficient abundance are good spirits, free from sin and error and (with) the power or inclination to influence mortals not to sin or to do anything which is contrary to the Will of the Father, while all the other spirits may or may not exercise upon mortals the influence of evil. Hence, try the spirits, and if they do not acknowledge Jesus as the son of God, let them alone, and do not receive their communications or teachings, because they are not believers in Christ and the New Birth. Among my children or believers in the Christian religion were many persons who had the power or gift of communicating with the spirits of the departed, and did so communicate; and such communications were made known to the rest of the congregation and believed by them. And hence, my injunction against communion with those spirits who were not believers in Christ. You must not think that this is the only age in which spirits communicate with mortals, for I must tell you that in my time it was much more common than now; and in our congregations when worshipping and when in our other gatherings, and often in private, we had these communications. This was an important part of the services of our meetings, and one that kept us in constant harmony with the soul power of those who lived in the spirit form, and from whom we received powers of healing and of doing good in many other ways. In those days healing the sick and doing kindred things were a very important part of our work as Christians. We believed what Jesus had told us on earth, and we increased our faith and performed many works, which the people who did not believe as we did, thought were miracles. To us the healing of the sick and the doing of these other things were just as natural as eating and sleeping. I tell you that our faith then was a certainty. We possessed the Substance that Paul speaks of, and we expected to do the things just as we expected to breathe and be able to do material good to our brothers. But after a few centuries, when men came into the church for other purposes than to receive the New Birth and do the will of the Father, faith, such as I speak of, died, and the power to do these things was taken away from men, and the church became a congregation of men having the mere lip worship. And all through the centuries from then until now, this power has not been with men, except that here and there some true believer with a faith such as we had has appeared, and done wonderful things. So I say, let not what the Bible may say about Jesus being God and having those other qualities with reference to the salvation of men, disturb you in your beliefs in what the Master may write you. I will not write more tonight, but will say goodnight. Your brother in Christ, John September 13th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Lot: Lot of old, I merely want to say that I am with you trying to help you in your progress in spiritual things. I am not so very far away that I cannot come to you when I desire and give you my help. Well, I will not write more tonight, but will say goodnight. Your brother in Christ, Lot September 13th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, John Bunyan: I am the writer of the Pilgrims Progress, and I want to tell you that I am an inhabitant of the Celestial Spheres and a follower of Jesus. I am now a Christian who knows that many of the things that I wrote in my book as allegory are truths. Of course, my belief in Jesus as God and as having made a vicarious atonement is all wrong, for now I know that there is only one God, the Father, and that every other living being, either in the earth plane or in the spirit world, is his child - son or daughter, of the Father. Jesus is the brightest spirit in all God's universe, and possesses more of the Divine Love than the other spirits, and consequently is nearer the Father, with whom he has his spiritual communions. My belief in God and in his love and mercy is stronger than when on earth, and I want every man to believe and understand that the great thing to be acquired is the Divine Love of the Father and His grace. I am so very happy that I cannot tell you of its extent, and when I think of the troubles and sufferings that I endured when on earth it makes me believe that I acquired the wonderful love at a very small cost. I will not write more tonight, but will come again soon and write you more at large. I am in the Second Celestial Sphere where your folks are - I mean those who write to you. I want to tell you also that you are a very highly favored man to have been selected to do this work. I know the fact that Jesus is with you so very often, and that his great love and power will be with you and you will feel their wonderful influences. So remember that I want to write again. Your brother in Christ, John Bunyan September 13th, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: Well, sweetheart, you are very sleepy and must go to bed. But I must tell you how I enjoyed the conversation which you and Dr. Stone had tonight in the park. The spiritual influence around you was great and working to do you both good. Mary was there and she was enjoying the conversation as much as I and was trying to make the Doctor feel her presence as I was you. What a wonderful thing this love of the Father is and how glad I am that you have it to the extent that you have. Yes, Samuel was there and so were your band and some of the apostles, all enjoying the ideas which you both expressed. We could see the workings of your brain and souls and we tried to impress you with the truth and make you realize fully the many sayings of the Bible as well as what has been written to you by us, dealing with the subjects that you were discussing. So how happy you ought to be to know that you have with you so often so many of the higher spirits of "Light and Truth". I will not write longer tonight. So with all my love, I amYour own true loving Helen September 14th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, James G. Blaine: I am here to tell you that you are a wonderful medium, and that you will do a great deal of good before you die. Well, I have been with you at times of your writings and have seen what messages you received, and what effect the communications have had on the spirits, as well as on yourself and friends. I am in the fourth sphere and am happy in a way, but I need more happiness and more light, and I will try to get these things. I am engaged in intellectual pursuits that are congenial to me, and I also take great interest in the affairs of your country, and try to influence its rulers to do the right thing at the right time. I have met many spirits since I came over and have made acquaintances with them. They are all very wonderful spirits in their understanding of the laws of nature and kindred subjects, and I learn a great deal from them. I merely wanted to introduce myself to you and let you know that I am alive. Well, I believe more in the intellect than in religious matters, and I don't seek the other spirits that you mention. I have no special interest in them. I will not write more tonight. James G. Blaine. September 16th, 1915 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Shem. I am the father of one of the tribes of Israel, and I come to tell you that I am now a Christian and a follower of Jesus, the saviour of men. You may think it strange that I should write to you, but I am interested in the work which the Master is doing for mankind, and which you are to do in taking his messages and transmitting them to humanity. I was a Jew of the earlier dispensation, and I lived before the destruction of Jerusalem and even before the great dispersion and captivity of my people. I died when the race was very young and when it had not formed its concrete ideas of God that afterwards became such a power in the economy of its government. I am now an inhabitant of the Celestial Heavens and am working with the other Celestial spirits to carry forward the great plans of God and of His Son for the salvation of mankind. I know what the New Birth means, and how necessary it is for men to become partakers of the Divine Love and Divinity of the Father. So you must see that only after that Great Gift was rebestowed on men were any of us who lived at a time long anterior to the birth of Jesus able to partake of those qualities which gave us immortality. I will now stop and say good-night. Shem September 16th, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am the spirit of one who when on earth was called Caesar. Well, there was only one real Caesar - all others by that name were merely imitations. I was Julius Caesar and was the Emperor of Rome and the conqueror of the Gauls and of the Egyptians. I am now in a condition of darkness, and also suffering, from my deeds on earth, which were very wicked and numerous. I am not an emperor now, but am a spirit who is in the condition of one who has no one to do him reverence - not the meanest of my former slaves deign to bow the knee or salute me as their superior. And why! Because in the spirit world a man is as his soul development makes him, and mine has been very much retarded by my want of belief and faith, as I now see. I merely want to tell you this that you may know that no position on earth can determine the position of the person when he comes into the spirit world. I mean that the position of the man on earth does not in the slightest degree influence the position of this same man in the spirit world. Many of my slaves are higher in their development and in their spirituality than I am. Well, that may be, but I am in the condition that I say I am; I don't know of any such spirit and doubt if there be any. I see some bright spirits and have asked for Prof. Salyards, and find him to be a most beautiful and bright spirit, and I am inclined to listen to what he may say. He says that he was well acquainted with my history on earth, as he had read many books dealing with my life and exploits; and he is glad to meet me and show me the way to a higher and happier condition of existence. I rather like him, and believe that I will go with him and listen to him. Well, I will try. So I will say good night, and good luck. I am your friend now, since you have shown such interest in me. Julius Caesar September 16th, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen. Well, I came to tell you that you must not write more tonight, as you are not in a very good condition. You may not think so, but it is a fact, and it is best for you to stop. It was Caesar, as I am told. He is not a very bright spirit, but maybe your old Professor may help him. Well, they are not quite ready yet to resume their writing, as it seems there are some of these ancients who want to write, and have some object in writing to you which conflicts with the plan that these messages of the Master intends to be established and worked out. I must stop now and will say good night. Your own true and loving Helen September 17th, 1915 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, St. Andrew. I came to tell you that where love is there can be no sin or unhappiness, and fear is not. We, who live in the Celestial Spheres, know this to be a fact, and with all the force and authority that knowledge gives, we declare this truth unto you tonight: the love that casteth out all fear is the Divine Love of the Father, and when a spirit obtains that, there exists no such thing as fear, and nothing that could create or permit fear to exist. God wants the souls of men in love and not in fear, and the only way in which such end can be accomplished is for men to see and know Him as a God of Love only. No man can come to the Father except through this New Birth and faith in the Father's Love. The performance of duty, good works and mere faith, while they will all help man in the development of his moral character and qualities, yet they will not give him an entrance into the Celestial Heavens which are the heavens where Jesus rules and is the Prince, unless the spirit shall obtain this Divine Love which makes it a part of the Father's very essence of Divinity. Many spirits are happy by reason of their having led good, moral lives on earth and because of a high development of their natural love, and realize that God is their Father, and watches over them and gives them many blessings; but this happiness is not that which comes with the possession of the Divine Love, and besides, the place of habitation of these spirits is limited and does not permit these spirits to have free access to all the spheres where God's goodness and care are manifested. The spirits who have obtained this Divine Love have no limitation to the spheres in which they may progress, and are not restricted in their places of habitation or in the spheres in which they may live. And besides, the presence and glory of the Father are so much greater in these Celestial Spheres than in those where the mere natural love obtains. I must not write more tonight, for you are commencing to tire. So with all my love I will say, Your brother in Christ, St. Andrew September 19th, 1915. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I heard the discussion between you and the other man about my blood saving from sin, and I felt that you were not benefitted by what was said, because his faith is based on ignorance of the true plan of salvation and my mission on earth. But he is so firmly fixed in his belief that no argument that you might make would convince him that anything but my death and atonement could save from sin. So I do not think it would do any good to attempt to argue with any of these people in reference to the matter of my blood as the means of salvation. They have received the Divine Love to a considerable degree and the Holy Spirit is with them in their worship and is in their hearts, but it does not come to them by reason of their belief in my atonement, but because they pray to the Father for its coming and making them a new being so far as their soul development is concerned. They do not know that only the flowing of this Divine Love into their hearts in answer to prayer is what gives them this New Birth. They think that my blood has something, or rather that it is the great and only cause of this New Birth and they will continue to think so. I would not let this matter deter you from attending their meetings because, as I have said, the spirit is present with them. Of course they will learn differently when they come to the spirit world and see that I am not God. Yes, I know that is what all the orthodox believe but that does not make it a fact, for no devil ever comes and teaches the things that I have written you. I will not write more now. So with the assurance that I am with you very often, and that I will guide you in the ways of truth, I will stop. Your brother and friend, Jesus September 19th, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: I went to church with you this morning and saw that you were sleepy and I can't blame you, for the sermon was not very interesting. Of course he preached some truths when he spoke of trusting God to sustain you in your attempts to do his will and uphold the right. The three Hebrew children who passed through the fiery furnace merely illustrated the care which God has over his children and it is just as true today as it was in any past age. Your own true and loving, Helen September 20th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, John the Baptist: So you are in condition to believe what we write to you and to rely upon our statements as coming from the fountainhead of truth. I am so glad that this is so, for I want to see you filled with the Divine Love and with all the power which the Love of the Father filling your heart will bring to you. Do not let any doubt arise in your soul as to what you have been selected to do, for I tell you that there is no doubt among us who have heard the Master say that he has selected you to do this work. I will not write more, will pray for you and believe that you will receive all the promises that have been made to you in these writings. Goodnight. Your brother in Christ, John the Baptist September 20th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Saint Mark: Let your faith increase and your belief in the fact that we write to you grow until no doubt will possibly enter into your mind as to who the writers are. I am here merely to say these few lines and encourage you to put forth every effort to get in condition to receive the message which shall be written to you. Not much longer will your worries stay with you for you will soon be in condition to start to do those things which your father spoke of so that you will be relieved of your worries. I will not write more, but will say goodnight. Your brother in Christ, Saint Mark September 20th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Saint Stephen: I merely want to say that I am here to try to help you in getting in condition to do the work of the Master. Have faith and you will find that all your desires will be realized and you will soon be able to receive these messages without any difficulty. I am with you very much trying to impress you with the necessity of this faith and for a belief in what the Master writes to you. So believe and hope for the consummation of these things. I will not write more. So goodnight. Your brother in Christ, Saint Stephen September 20th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, John: I will not write long and merely wish to say that you must continue to have faith and pray. Soon you will be able to do as the Master has said and you will succeed in getting in the condition to do his work as he desires. I come to you so often because I am so much interested in your work and in helping forward the great efforts that will be made by the Christian Spiritualist to give to mankind the Truths of the Father. So believe in what we say and you will find that what we promise you will be realized by you and that you will become free from your worries and very happy in your old age. I will not write more, but will say goodnight. Your brother in Christ, John September 20th, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Josephus. I merely want to say that HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/jesus19.htm" since I wrote you last I have made inquiries as to who it was that taught that my book was interpolated in the paragraph where it speaks of Jesus. These persons are they who do not believe in Jesus as an historical person and try to procure evidence to show that he was not. But I tell you that he was, and that he actually lived in Palestine at the time I wrote about him. I do not think it best for me to write a long letter tonight but will come again sometime. Your brother in Christ, Josephus September 20th, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, William A. Meloy: You may be surprised in what I say but I have learned much since I have been in spirit life. I am in the fifth sphere. Yes, I have seen him but he has not progressed very much. He is in the fourth sphere where he is studying the laws of the spirit world. Yes, I have seen him and talked to him. He is progressing very rapidly. He tells me that you were the cause of his receiving the light and that you are a wonderful medium and are engaged in taking the messages of Jesus. I was surprised when I heard it and investigated myself and found it to be so, for I have seen the Master writing to you and I also heard many things that he said. Well, you certainly are favored and will find that the frequent interviews with the Master will do you much good. I sometimes see him and talk to him and I want to say that he is wonderful beyond all conception either of spirit or mortal. I am glad that I could write tonight and hope that I may find the opportunity to write again. I am engaged in studying the laws that pertain more to the soul than to what is called nature. I also try to help the spirits who are in darkness and suffering and sometimes try to help mortals. Well, I must confess that my belief in the trinity was all wrong. I know now that there is only one God and that the Father, and that Jesus is a spirit like the others of us only more refined and filled with the Father's love, more than any spirit in our heavens. Sometime I will come and give you my opinion more fully and in detail if agreeable. Well, I must stop now. Your friend and one time brother in the practice of the law, William A. Meloy September 20th, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: Well sweetheart, you have written enough for tonight and must stop. I want to tell you that the spirits who professed to write actually did so. HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor454.htm" Mr. Meloy was very much pleased that he could write to you and was a very bright spirit and seemed to be very much interested in the phenomenon of your being able to take his messages. I know that he was anxious to write because when he came he told me that he was an old acquaintance of yours and a brother lawyer and asked that we permit him to write, which we did. Well, he is a quite comely spirit, he is of the ordinary size and seems to be one who has his full development in so far as the spirit body is concerned. I must not write more. Well, they are anxious to write but somehow when these higher spirits come they stand back and let the former write. But they will now, anxious to write again and you will enjoy their writings, I know. Yes, I know but they wish to impress on you certain important truths and hence in a little different form, they proclaim the same truths. But they will soon change and when writing go more in detail as to the things that they desire to tell you about. You will be surprised to see how loving and patient he is with you, never a look that indicates that he is tired of being with you or of writing to you, and I know that he loves you very dearly and wants to be with you. So you must not think that because he is with you so often that he is not the real Jesus, for I tell you that any time you receive a message signed by his name he always writes it. So goodnight, Your own true and loving, Helen September 21st, 1916 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Lazarus. I merely want to say that I am the real Lazarus of the Bible story and that I am an inhabitant of the Father's kingdom, and in the truth that exists in that kingdom, and in its inhabitants. I declare to you that the spirits who have written you the truths of Celestial and spiritual things are actually those whom they represent themselves to be. Jesus, especially, is with you very often and communicates to you truths from His great storehouse of knowledge of the truth. He is so much interested in the work to be done and the revelations to be made that he is with you very often for the purpose of not only revealing these truths, but of preparing you to receive them; and he is enveloping you in his love, and giving to you a development of your soul faculties that will make you qualified to receive these high truths as no other mortal has ever been qualified, for he knows that you are his best qualified instrument now on earth to do his work and the work of the Father. From what I say, you must not suppose that you are the best, or the man having the greatest amount of the Divine Love in the soul, for that is not true, nor are you chosen because of any merits of your own or superior mental endowments; but you have those conditions of attunement with him, that enables him and the other spirits to use you in performing this work. I am not of such exalted position or soul development as are many of the spirits who write you, yet I know the plans of the Master, and what I say to you is true. I was a Jew and an orthodox one, until the Master came to me and developed my soul so that I could understand his teachings, and become susceptible to the inflowing of the Divine Love. I will not write more now, but in closing repeat that you must believe what I have said, and try to do the will of the Father, and the work that you have been selected to do. Well, both Mary and Martha are in the Celestial Heavens, and you would naturally suppose that Mary has made the greater progress in her soul development but that is not true, as they both live in the same sphere, and have similar development. As you know they have been in the spirit world for a very long time and whatever spiritual superiority Mary may have appeared to have over Martha does not exist, for they both have this Love to a degree that has caused all sin and thoughts for the material to have become eradicated long years ago. Your brother in Christ, Lazarus September 23rd, 1915. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Robert G. Ingersoll. I come to you HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor671.htm" again because I desire to thank you and tell you of the great good you have done me in introducing me to the beautiful spirits who form your band. Of course, I knew Riddle, but I must confess that he was so beautiful and bright that I hardly knew him, and also I wondered at his appearance because it was very different from mine and that of a number of other spirits who are here with me and who are friends of mine. As I said before, Riddle was on earth a man who thought somewhat as I did, and I had never heard of his becoming a convert to Christianity; and consequently when I met him here I was impressed at his appearance, for it was the same as the appearance of a great number of spirits whom I have met here and who claim to be Christians. And when Riddle told me the cause of his appearance I was more surprised than before, because I did not think that he would let himself become convinced that there was any truth in the Christian doctrines. But once I have talked with him, I find that his belief is not in the Christian doctrines as taught by the churches on earth, but rather in the teachings of Jesus, which Riddle has learned since he became a spirit. I also talked to your grandmother - and what a beautiful, wise and powerful spirit she is. She explained to me the meaning of the New Birth as taught by Jesus and as believed in by all his followers, and I must confess that it appears to be very reasonable and simple of understanding. I have thought a great deal about this matter and I am commencing to think that there is some reality in this question of the New Birth and that it has a substance as well as a theory for its existence. Your grandmother told me many wonderful truths about spirit life, and especially the life in the higher spheres, and I am inclined to believe what she said because they are all so in harmony with reason and common sense. She is so very lovely that I cannot but believe that her appearance is due to the possession of this Divine Love of which she tells me, and I am now trying to follow her advice and seek to obtain it. I do what I did not do on earth - and that is pray to God in the hope that He will answer my prayers. This will appear most surprising to many who read my books and believe in them, for I always in a manner ridiculed the idea of prayer. But so it is now that I am earnestly praying for light and for an inflowing of this Divine Love into my soul. I am just as open-minded now as I was when on earth, and if the truth of a thing can be shown me I am ready at all times to investigate and learn whether it is true or not. As regards the truth of the Divine Love, I have so many evidences as to its existence and the wonderful work that it does that I feel that it is due to myself to learn what this Love is, and, if possible, obtain it for myself. All the spirits of your band claim to have obtained this New Birth and to be possessed of this Divine Love of God, and their appearances certainly indicate that they are possessed of something which beautifies and makes them lovely over and above what the spirits who do not believe in Christianity possess. I will write you again when I learn the result of my prayers and what effect this Love, should I get it, has on me. If what they tell me is true and proves so in my case, I will proclaim the same from every housetop in no uncertain words, and I may ask you to receive my expressions of belief and joy that I have found such a truth. I will not write more tonight, as you have written a great deal already. I have seen Jesus, but I have never talked with him. He seems to be a very close friend to you, for I see him with you a great deal, and writing to you. I will emphatically say that I have never seen any spirit in all this world compare with Jesus in beauty and grandeur, and power and love and humility. I will soon have an interview with him and ask him to tell me the truths of the plan of man's salvation. So I will say good night. Your friend, Robert G. Ingersoll September 24th, 1915 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, John the Baptist: I desire to write to you tonight about a certain truth which you must know, in order to be able to teach others the importance of studying the plan of God for the salvation of man - I mean, that in order for men to be saved from their sins they must believe in the way that the Master shall teach you in his messages. I do not intend to dwell at large upon the New Birth, for that has already been told you of a number of times. But I want now to deal with the truth that this is the one thing that perfects mankind, and spirits as well, and enables them to obtain the soul qualities which are absolutely necessary before a man can become at-one with the Father. The other things which the churches teach as necessary sacraments, such as baptism, the laying on of hands, and the Lord's Supper, or communion, are things which are not necessary. They were never intended as being anything more than merely symbolical, and even as symbols, the last-mentioned does no good, but rather, harm, for besides being used to remind the followers of Jesus of his communion with them before his sacrifice, they look upon it as something which saves a soul from sin and fits it for Heaven. I want you to understand that all these things are not important to a soul's becoming at-one with God, and that mortals must learn the truth of what I say. Many preachers, as well as laymen, believe that only the blood of Jesus can save from sin, and that his death was necessary for man's salvation; but I want to tell you that if he had died a natural death, beloved by all who knew him, and honored by the whole Jewish nation, his blood would have been just as efficacious, and his death just as important, as they were, because he was killed as a result of hatred and envy on the part of the Jewish authorities. In neither case would the blood or the death in one particular have anything to do with the salvation of men. His living and teaching, and the making known to man the Great Gift of the Father, and the way to find the Gift and possess it, were the things that brought to man salvation. Jesus lived and taught and loved us; he did not die and suffer and make an atonement for us. The living Christ is of more importance to our happiness and salvation than the dead Jesus, and so Jesus, himself, teaches. And he is not pleased with those who teach the dying Jesus instead of the living Christ. I, John, was and not only a precursor of the Master, but a follower, also, and it was not his blood or death that saved me, but his living and teaching me the way to obtain the Divine Love of the Father. I am much interested in the salvation of all men, and want to do everything in my power to help men to learn the way to truth and light, and Love. I am trying, as well as are many others of our band who are with you now, in carrying forward this work of showing men the truths which will lead them to the Father's Love. I have only to say further that you must pray more to the Father and keep up your courage and belief in the Master, and all these things will be properly worked out to a final and happy conclusion. I will not write more tonight. So with my love and blessings, I will say good night. Your brother in Christ, John the Baptist September 24th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your old law partner: (A. G. Riddle) It has been a long time since I wrote you and I have missed the opportunity very much. I know that you expressed the desire to hear from me, but there were so many other spirits who wanted to write, that I thought it best to abstain for a while and let them write. Soon I will come and write you a long letter, and tell you of my progress and of some spiritual truths which I have learned. Well, I will tell you of them also. What a wonderful thing was HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor673.htm" Ingersoll's conversion! And I must tell you that it was genuine, for now he is one of the most earnest workers we have. He does not belong to our band, but is working with us. He does not seem to be able to leave your grandmother whenever she is with us. He says she is the most beautiful spirit and orator he has ever heard. Of course he expects Jesus, but his attraction to her is wonderful and beyond our comprehension. He will tell you himself, sometime, of how much he thinks of her. Poor Perry is still in darkness. It is a hard matter to convince him of the truths of salvation, but we are all trying to help him. No but they are much improved in their condition and have considerable of the love of the Father. I think that very soon they will be in the third sphere. I see that you are tired so I will not write more, Your old partner, A. G. Riddle September 24th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Sebastobel. I am a spirit who has never written before, and I desire to say a few things which I consider of importance to mortals as well as to spirits. I live in the highest sphere where intellect rules supreme, and where spirits are happy in the knowledge that their spirit existence is free from all the cares and limitations which a life in the body imposes. I am a student of the laws governing the relationship of the various planets to one another, and to the earth, and of the influences which the sun and moon and stars exert upon mortals of the earth. I am an ancient spirit and have been in spirit life many thousands of years - long before the great flood which submerged a great continent which men know as Atlantis. When that continent existed and was peopled by living, active, intelligent beings, I had been a spirit many years and was in communication with the prophets, as they were called - or rather seers - of that happy land. The development of these people far surpassed that of the present inhabitants of earth in not only the purely intellectual qualities in the abstract, but also in their knowledge of what you call the arts and sciences. Then the inhabitants of that fair land not only did not have the necessity for using horses or automobiles or steam cars or boats, or airships, for moving from place to place and traveling, but they knew of the existence of and the way to utilize certain forces of nature which enabled each individual or group of individuals to transport themselves from place to place by mere operation of their will power, using these forces. These forces still exist in nature, and are just as ready to be utilized now as they were at the time these people of whom I speak brought them under their control. Some day it will be given to man to understand and control these great forces and utilize them to their fullest extent. Just when this time will be I don't know; but considering the rapid strides that mortals have made in discovering and utilizing some of the heretofore hidden forces in nature during the last half century, I do not think it will be long before these great forces will be discovered, or rather revealed, to man. It will not be so revealed until the higher powers consider the time ripe for man to have the knowledge of these forces revealed to him and to control them. I know what these forces are, but I am not permitted to make them known to you or anyone else at this time. I should otherwise gladly do so. Well, while they had this great knowledge and power of transporting themselves, and could have done so had they been given time, the submerging of the continent was so sudden that no man knew the moment when the catastrophe took place. It was in the twinkling of an eye, as it were, and men were drowned before they had time to think or attempt to save themselves. No, it was not like the Bible description of the flood, which never occurred; that was merely allegory and existed in other books, in a little different form, long before the Bible was written. These Atlantians are now inhabitants of the spirit world, living in different spheres, and more or less developed in their intellects. Well, I merely want to say further that I am somewhat surprised that you can receive my thoughts in the way of written communication, for I never before in all my spirit experience have written my thoughts this way. It is a wonderful gift and one which I consider superior to any other method that I know of for communing with mortals. You may ask me any question and I will answer it if I can. Yes, I see other spirits here - some dark and ugly and some bright and beautiful. I have spoken to one who says she is your wife, and she is a most beautiful and bright spirit - the brightest that I have come in contact with. Well, I must confess that I have never seen in my sphere any spirit so beautiful or bright, or pure looking or lovely as she, and I wonder why it is. I am at a loss to know, and I would like to know, I assure you. No, my intellect does not tell me, and I see that there is here presented a phenomenon which is worthy of all investigation and study. Well, she has told me, and I am astonished at her explanation. I never before knew or heard of the existence of such a thing as this New Birth or Divine Love, and even now I cannot comprehend what she means, but I see a result or effect for which I can find no cause, and it seems reasonable that I should accept the cause which she gives me. But I am astonished, as I thought that there is nothing in all the spirit world equal to the mind, and nothing which brings such happiness. But she tells me of a happiness of which I had no conception. Well, as you say, I see an effect and there must be a cause; and as I am an investigator of the truth, I feel it my duty to search for that cause, and I will. She has invited me to go with her and meet her band, and also one who, she tells me, is the most magnificent and beautiful in all the spirit universe. I will go with her and investigate this matter; and will come to you again. So I will say good-night. My name when on earth was Sebastobel. I lived in the Upper Nile when the human race was very early developed into thinking beings. Sebastobel September 25th, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, St. John. (Apostle of Jesus.) I come tonight to write a short time about the truths of the Celestial Spheres in which I live and enjoy the happiness which my Father gives me. As you may know these Celestial Spheres are above the spiritual spheres, and are inhabited only by spirits who have received the New Birth and who believe in the Truths as taught by Jesus. No other spirits are permitted to enter these spheres, and no other spirits could possibly find any happiness in them, for in them Divine Love is so developed in the souls of the spirits who live there that any spirit not having that Love would find that he is in an atmosphere that is entirely foreign to his qualifications, and he would be most unhappy. But as I say, no spirit who has not that Divine Love, which we tell you about, can possibly enter into these spheres. The walls of demarcation are just as solid and forbidding as are walls of demarcation in your prisons on earth from the outside world. I live in a city that is most wonderful in its beauty and magnificence, and is filled with structures that surpass anything that you possibly conceive of. This city is inhabited by spirits who have a wonderful soul development, and are capable of understanding the deep truths of God, which are not given to mortals or spirits in the spiritual spheres. This may seem a little strange to you, but it is true; for it would be utterly impossible for the spirits of these lower spheres, or for mortals, to understand these higher truths. They cannot be comprehended with what you call the intellectual faculties or the mind, but can be only understood by the soul's perceptions, developed to such a degree that nothing that partakes of the purely material can have an abiding place in that soul. The mind must stop in its progress at the sixth sphere, and after that only the soul can progress. But this does not mean that the spirit who makes such progress in the Celestial Heavens does not increase in knowledge and understanding, for he does to a greater extent than it could be possible for the mere mind to progress; but this progress of a spirit in knowledge and understanding is a progress of the soul perceptions, of which I speak. The faculties of the soul are as far superior to and above the faculties of what you call the mind as are the heavens above the earth. So you see the soul does not merely embrace the affections and love of a spirit, but also qualities which enables it to understand and develop the qualities of knowledge at a place where the progress of the mind ceases. It is hard to explain this to you or for you to comprehend its meaning, but this you will understand, that as the soul progresses in its development of its perceptions, knowledge and understanding of all things pertaining to the Celestial World increases. When you properly consider this you will find that it is a wonderful provision of the Father' Love and Grace. What an important thing to both mortal and spirit is the soul. It can be starved on earth and also in the spirit world; and on the other hand, it can be developed on earth as well as in the spirit world. If mortals would only understand that as regards eternity, the soul is the great thing which they possess, and should be given more care and development than any and all other parts of man's being. I may come again soon and go fuller into a statement concerning the soul and its functions and importance. To night I will not write more. With my love and blessings, I am Your brother in Christ, John September 25th, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am a spirit who has never written you before, and would not now, except that I have the opportunity to tell you of some things that you may not know. I am a spirit who lived as a man when the earth was young, and men had not become so filled with sin and error and all those evil things which cause so much unhappiness on earth. In my time men had not the ambition and greed for accumulating worldly possessions that they have now, and consequently worth - individual interior worth - determined a man's standing in our community and his real character before us. I don't want to write much at this my first coming, as I desire to come again and write. I am not able to tell you how many thousand of years ago I lived, but it was before the time of the Bible description of creation. I now live in the Celestial Spheres, for I am a Christian and a follower of Jesus. I was an Indian and lived in the Himalaya mountain country, far removed from where your large cities now are. We were pastoral people and hunters. We were followers of our own doctrines which were not those of any sect or people that you know of. My race is not now in existence, and the teachings of our seers have never been preserved. My name was Inaladocie. I was a ruler of my people when I lived on earth. We believed in one God only, and in doing justice to our fellow man. We did not believe in any possible blood atonement or in any Messiah to come who would save us by his death and sufferings. We had our creeds too, and elaborate ceremonies and even sacrifices, but these were not exercised to avert the wrath of any angry God; but rather to preserve us from the evil influences and harm of a Devil. We loved God, but feared the Devil. Now, I know how the plan of salvation teaches no such doctrine of sacrifice and vicarious atonement. I must stop now, so good-night. Inaladocie September 25th, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. Let me tell you a few things concerning the spirit world, that is the world that is below the Celestial Heavens of HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/heaven20.htm" which John wrote. In the several spheres, which are seven in numbers, are many planes, inhabited by spirits of many nations and races of mankind, and these various races have to a certain extent the customs and beliefs that they had when on earth. The lines of demarcation are just as strictly drawn as are those of the several nations on earth. The result of this, that many spirits who live in this exclusive manner never learn anything other than what their own leaders tell them and what their various sacred books may teach them. The Mohammedan is a Mohammedan still, and so likewise the followers of Zoroaster, and also those of Buddha and of Confucius, and all of the various founders of religious sects. Sometimes these spirits in their wanderings will meet spirits of other races than their own, and interchange thoughts, but very rarely do they discuss matters pertaining to their respective beliefs. There are undoubtedly truths in the sacred writings and beliefs of all these races of spirits, and to the extent that these truths are taught and understood these spirits are benefitted. I am now speaking of spiritual truths, because as to the mere truths pertaining to the natural or material world, they all have the same opportunity to investigate and understand them. There are no race or creed or doctrinal beliefs and teachings as to these truths affecting the material, and by this I mean, material as it exists in both the spiritual and earthly worlds. But as I say, each of these races or sects has its own ideas and doctrines of the truth, and it can progress no further than the limits of these ideas permit it to progress. No founder of any race or sect has ever taught the New Birth, or the inflowing of the Divine Love in contradistinction to that of the natural love. And the teaching of Jesus are the only ones that reveal to man the existence of this Divine Love, and how to obtain it. So you see the importance of this Truth coming to man. I must say here, that without the possession of this Love no spirit can enter the Celestial Spheres. The teachings of the other founders will show men the way to a life of happiness, and to what they may suppose, continuous existence. But the teachings of Jesus are the only ones that declare and lead men to a realization of the true Immortality of the soul. I have written too long already, and must stop. Your brother in Christ, St. James. Yes, I am that James. No the Saint is only used as a means of identification - it has no significance in our Spirit World. September 26th, 1915 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, John. I only want to say that the faith that the preacher spoke of tonight as being possessed by Elijah is the faith that you must try to obtain, and then you will realize that you will be superior to all the worries and troubles that may come to you. This is the kind of faith that overcomes every obstacle and makes you a true child of the Father and one whom He will never forsake or let go unprovided for. I was with you at the services and I tell you that the minister made a forcible application of the truths taught by that instance in Elijah's life as related in the Old Testament. If men would only learn the efficacy of that kind of faith in God, they would become so much happier and possessed of that great peace of which the Master spoke. I am telling you this not as a speculation or a theory, but as the result of knowledge and actual experience. The same faith that existed in Elijah was the same faith that existed in the martyred disciples of Jesus, and the same faith that you and all other men may now have. God never changes, although men's conceptions of Him do, yet no matter what these conceptions may be, the same God rules and lives, and, as the preacher said, is present with you; and faith in Him is always accompanied by a power that never fails in working out His truths. I, John, tell you this, because I want you to obtain that faith as you will need it in the great work which you have before you, and which can only be done by one whose soul is developed by such faith. I was present tonight at church, because I had been with you a large portion of the day, trying to influence and encourage you with my love and influence. Very soon you will again commence to receive the messages of the Master and continue to do so until they are completed. And what messages of truth they will be. As the minister said tonight there will be troublers, but their mission will be similar to that of Elijah - that is, will show to mortals the true God, and that genuine faith and steadfastness of purpose will bring to mankind the salvation of the Lord. I will not write more tonight, but will say before I stop, try to get this faith, and you may get it even as Elijah had it, by earnest persistent prayer, accompanied by belief. The Lord gives faith to him who seeks for it in earnestness and longing desire. I will say further, that you are progressing very much in your soul development, and if you will only trust in the Master's promises, very soon the worries that you have will pass away, and you will be free to do the: work without being distracted by anything that militates against the exercise of the soul perceptions, which are so necessary in your work. So my dear brother, I will say good night and God bless you, Your brother in Christ, John September 26th, 1915. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I am glad that you are so much better tonight and that your thoughts are turned to the higher things of which I so much want to write you. HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/bible48.htm" John has told you truly of the faith which you must seek to obtain, and which you may obtain if you will only pray to the Father with all earnestness and confidence. Elijah's faith is no different and no greater than what you may obtain if you will come close to the Father by prayer, as he did. The Father is as much your Father as He was his, and your mission is a greater one than was his. I am the Jesus who is the true son of God, and am closer to Him than is any other spirit, and know the extent of His Love and power to a greater degree than does any other spirit; and I tell you with the authority that my love and knowledge gives me, that you may obtain a faith that will enable you to perform greater wonders than did Elijah. Trust me implicitly and your faith will grow so strong that your freedom from worries and cares will come to you as the sunlight breaks from behind dark and threatening clouds and bathes the whole landscape in light and beauty. You must soon now resume my message taking, and attune your soul to the influences which I will bring to you. Well, you will receive help, as I have promised and you must not doubt me longer. I know that you consider your unworthiness as the great stumbling block to the performance of my work, but if I say that you are worthy, you have no right to say otherwise, or to feel that I am mistaken in choosing you, or that you are being deceived in this communication. I am Jesus, the chief of the Heavenly World which my Father has given me, and there is none to gainsay or prevent what I do or determine to do. This you must believe, and on that belief guide all your acts. So forever hereafter, know that I have chosen you for my disciple of this New Revelation. But with the acquiring of this faith also acquire more of the Divine Love of the Father, for this is the great power which will develop you into the disciple that I intend you to be. Pray to the Father and trust me, for my love for you is without limit, and my care for you shall be increasing until all shall be accomplished. I have written this emphatic and authoritative message to you tonight, that you may know that there is no uncertainty that I, Jesus, have chosen you, and you must not again doubt that your mission is as I have told you. With all my love and my blessings, I am, Your brother and friend, Jesus September 26th, 1915. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Helen. Well, sweetheart, you have had some wonderful messages tonight, all confirmatory of the fact that the Master has chosen and confirmed you to do his work. How thankful I am that this evidence has come to you, for now you cannot doubt and you will lay all your plans to carry out the desires of the Master, and to get in condition to receive his messages. Now, we must stop. But oh, my dear Ned, to think that you are the object of the Master's choice and his great love. Love me as I do you, I am your own true and loving, Helen HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/minor84.htm" Refers to this message. September 27th, 1915 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, St. John, Apostle of Jesus. I am here again so soon, because I want to help you believe in what the Master wrote you as to your mission, and the work that he has chosen you to do. I know it is difficult for you to believe that the communication actually came from Jesus, but I must tell you that he wrote the message, and that what you received and wrote he actually said, and in doing so he was the king as well as the loving savior who heretofore appeared to you as the loving and kindly brother that he is. You must not doubt that he wrote you just as you received it, and that he has selected you for his disciple to do this great work of receiving and transmitting to mankind the wonderful truths which he shall write. When he selected me as his disciple on earth I had my doubts as you have yours, and it was only after I came in close personal contact and association with him and saw the wonderful power that he had as well as the great absorbing love, did my doubts leave me. While you cannot see him as I did, and hear his voice of love and blessings as I did, yet you will be able to feel his love and realize his presence. When he told you that you must doubt no longer as to your being selected for this work, he was a magnificent spirit in his aspect of power and authority, and we who saw him as he told you these things, knew that he was the Jesus who led us through Galilee and performed the wonderful things that he did, and also the great Jesus who gave to us the knowledge and the way to obtain the powers to heal the sick, and open the eyes of the blind and raise the apparent dead. His presence was that of a very god, for he seemed possessed of all power and authority as well as of love and grace. The spirits who were present and who had never seen these qualities of his nature displayed before, were awe struck, and like Peter and James and myself on the Mount of Transfiguration, fell to their faces because of the exceeding brightness of his countenance and the glory of his power which illuminated his whole being. When he comes into the spheres lower than that in which he lives, as you would say, he leaves behind him this great brightness and glory, and appears only as a beautiful loving brother spirit. And never before had those spirits who were present when he wrote you, seen the wonderful and inspiring appearance which he then showed. I tell you that you are a very favored mortal, and when your faith grows, you will realize what a wonderful mission has been given you to carry out. Now we are all more interested in you than ever and continually will you have around you some of the high celestial spirits to aid and enlighten you in doing this great work, but the greatest of all will be the Master, for he will be with you often. Now you must strive to attain to the fullness of this Divine Love and the faith which is so necessary. There is no doubt as to your getting it if you will only pray; and I must tell you here, that you have the prayers of a host of Celestial Spirits ascending continually to the Father that this faith may be given you in its greatest degree. I, John, tell you this, because I know, and my knowledge is based on fact. So let your prayers go to the Father, and let your trust in the Master and his promises increase, until at last you may realize the wonderful blessings that may be yours. I will not write more tonight, but will say that very soon the worries will disappear and you will be in condition to resume the writings. With my love and blessings, I am your brother in Christ, John September 27th, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your old partner. I will write only a few lines tonight, as I am in such a condition of wonderment over what took place when HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/minor84.htm" Jesus was writing to you last night that I do not feel able to gather my thoughts for extended writing. I want to say that what happened was to me the greatest revelation as to the character or rather the attributes of Jesus that I have seen since I have been in the spirit world. When he wrote to you in his emphatic and authoritative manner, he became transformed into such a being of light and glory and power that none of us could look upon his countenance, and we had to fall upon our faces to hide the brightness of his presence. I tell you it was a wonderful evidence of his greatness and power. Never before had I seen him clothed in such brightness and power. He was always the most beautiful and bright and magnificent of all the spirits, but never was there displayed in him before those appearances which made us think that he must be a very god. I now know as never before that he is the true son of God and that he is worthy to follow and believe in. What a wonderful spirit he is. All love and power and greatness, and yet all humility. Such a combination of attributes I had no conception could ever exist in the same spirit. Well my boy, I cannot say much more now, except that you surprise me more and more because of the great favor and blessings you have had conferred upon you. We are all amazed over it, but of course, happy over the fact. You must try your best to do this work, and fulfill the mission for which you have been chosen. What a wonderful Jesus. I cannot help thinking of him and the greatness of his being. I am so glad that I saw him as he appeared when he wrote, because now I have some conception of what the glory and grandeur of the high Celestial Heavens and their inhabitants must be. I will not write more to night, for I cannot think of anything just now, but of the glory of the Master. I am your old partner, A. G. Riddle September 27th, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here to tell you of my Master's glory. Heretofore, we have written you mostly of his love and beauty and humility, but said very little of his grandeur and the glory of his countenance when he permitted these attributes to appear in all their fullness and splendor. And this was reasonable, because until last night we had never seen this great brightness and glory. I am in the Celestial Spheres, but he never before displayed the wonders of his love and powers to me or to others in my sphere, and neither to those in the lower spheres. But last night - oh, the glory of it - he came to you to write and in doing so, when he told you what your mission is, he assumed the authority and power which are his, and there came into his countenance and very being that wonderful glory and brightness which made him a being from other spirits, apart. I have seen the glories of the Celestial Spheres in which I live, and they are so magnificent and wonderful that I have never been able to describe them to you; but they are as a mere shadow to the glory that surrounded and came from the Master when he appeared as I say. We were spellbound as you say, and could look upon him but for a moment only; and I can well imagine how his three disciples fell upon their faces at the time of the transfiguration on the Mount. I cannot describe to you his grandeur and brightness, but your sun would appear as a pale moonbeam in his presence. And how thankful that I saw him as he is, for it shows me what must be the wonderful glory and beauty of the sphere in which he lives, and to which I am striving to attain, and thanks be to God, the Master says I may become a dweller therein if I will only pray and have faith and let the Divine Love come into my soul in sufficient abundance. When I think of all the wonderful things that have centered around you in your communications with the spirit world, I simply have to wonder in amazement, and think why such things should be. The only explanation that I can give is that you are the special object of the Master's desire to have his work on earth carried forth in the way that he has declared. My dear son, you must not doubt again as to what you shall do in the way of performing the work of the Master. Your call is certain and you must believe, and believing, do with all your strength and the powers that will be given you, this great task. And let me say further, you must make it a work of love. Pray to the Father for faith and you will get it, and trust in the Master and you will never be forsaken. I cannot write more to night, as I want to think of the wonderful scene of last night. Your own true and loving Grandmother September 27th, 1915 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I must say a word, for my heart is so filled with regret and remorse, and the recollections of my awful mistakes while on earth, that I must release my soul of its burdens so far as a confession can do it. I am Ingersoll, and I am not the agnostic any longer, but the most repentant believer in all God's spirit world, and one who now knows that Jesus Christ was and is the son of God to the fullest meaning of the word. Oh, how glad I am that I came to you when I did, and that you caused me to seek the society of your band of beautiful and bright spirits who are filled with the Divine Love of the Father. For if I had not been with them I would not have witnessed the scene of last night, and today be a believer in the Jesus, who I now know is the savior of men by his wonderful love and knowledge of the truth. Well my dear friend, such a scene as I witnessed last night was never witnessed on earth, except as I now believe, by the three disciples of the Master at the transfiguration on the Mount, and then I doubt if the glory was as great and the brightness of the Master so blinding and magnificent as they were last night. I had seen the Master a number of times, and while to me he was the most beautiful and loving of all spirits and one to whom I was drawn in great affection, yet I had no conception of the other qualities or attributes of his which he displayed last night. And what must I think of you, a mere mortal as are thousands of others on earth, having a soul development to a certain degree, but not to that of any of the spirits in the soul spheres here, as I am informed, to be selected for the work of doing the Master's desires on earth, and having that selection declared or rather ratified by an occasion that made all the spirits present tremble with awe at the glory and power which were displayed by Jesus Christ, who I, on earth, proclaimed to be merely a good man. I tell you that you are wonderfully favored, not only in being selected to do his work, but in having that selection anointed, as it were, by such evidence of glory and God-like power as were shown last night. I had no conception of what the glory of God meant or what the power of God could mean, and least of all did I suppose that any spirit in all the spirit world could possibly possess such glory or manifest such power. But Jesus Christ possesses the glory and power to such a degree as to make him almost godlike. As I said, I was present, and observed him as he wrote to you, and also what he wrote, and as he proceeded to tell you that he had selected you to do his work, he was the beautiful loving Jesus that he always is, as I had seen him; but as he proceeded and you doubted the possibilities of such things, and even to doubt if Jesus was really writing to you, there came into his countenance a wonderful look of authority and power and then the more wonderful brightness that outshone the noonday sun, and glory indescribable, and upon which none of us could look, and we fell prostrate to the earth, as you would say. Oh, I tell you, the power which emanated from him was beyond all conception, and the wondrous authority that appeared in his whole being was not possible of being withstood by either spirits or mortals - and we were filled with awe and admiration. When he had finished writing, the glory and brightness that I describe, left him, and he again appeared the humble loving but beautiful Master; and before leaving us he gave us his blessings - and to me came a great peace that passeth all understanding. I know now that Jesus is my savior, and that the Divine Love of the Father is a real existing thing, and I am striving to obtain it. I believe in the New Birth, and am praying for it, and your dear grandmother tells me that I will soon get it. So now I say to you, that you can declare to the world that Ingersoll the agnostic is no longer an agnostic, but a believer in the Father's Divine Love and in Jesus Christ his beloved son, and the Way and the Truth and the Life. I will not write more to night, but when I shall have gotten my thoughts and feelings together, I will write you at large and tell you of what my soul says as to my future destiny. Well, thanking you for your kindness and for you having such a grandmother , and for such a Jesus, I am, Your friend, R. G. Ingersoll September 28th, 1915. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: What a wonderful, happy night we have all had - you and Dr. Stone in the mortal life, and all of us spirits in the spirit life. For I must tell you that your room has been filled with spirits of all spheres and conditions. Your reading of those messages accompanied by the power of the Divine Love caused such an emotion among the spirits here as I have never before seen since I have been writing to you. And best of all the Master was with us, and his great love and glory seemed to fill the whole room and all our souls as well. I tell you sweetheart, that heaven has been with us tonight and Dr. Stone must not wonder that he felt the great power and influence which he speaks of, because never before has he been surrounded by such a host of Celestial spirits as were with you all tonight. Not the least interested and happy was his own sweet Mary and her happiness was really beyond what I can tell you of. She was filled with love for him and with the Divine Love, and her love was glowing to him in great beams of light and joy. She wants to write a little although she says that she is too full of the emotion which has taken possession of her to write very much   Mary now writes: My dear soulmate, I am with you in all my love and longings, and you must believe that I am your own true soulmate, happy in the knowledge that you love me in return for all the great love of my soul which I send to you without one iota of reservation you have my love and my great desires that you may be happy and contented in the knowledge that your Mary is all your own and not another's. She is with you so very much and tries to comfort and keep you from everything that will make you unhappy. Many times when things look a little dark she comes to you with her love and whispers words of cheer, and tickles your ear to let you know she is with you. I am glad that your soul is open to the influence of not only the Divine Love of the Father, but to the love of the Master, for he loves you more than you can imagine, and is also with you very often, for he sees that you are in condition to become a follower of him, and that you will also be able to do his work in conjunction with your friend who writes. He is so gracious and loving and so wants you to learn of him and help spread his truths as he sees that you may do. I believe that he will soon write to you and tell you the way in which you may become his disciple also; for he sees that your soul is longing for the great Love of the Father, which will make you a power also in making known the truths of God to mortals. I do not know just what you shall do, but I know that you will have a mission to perform and that the Master will be with you in all his love and power, blessing you until your life shall become a great peace and happiness. Oh, my dear Leslie, to think that you too will have such a special friend and loving saviour; and that our souls will have the possibility of becoming one in the great Love of the Father, even while you are on earth. I must not write more tonight but I must say that this night has been to me one of the happiest and soul loving in all my spirit life. So think of me and write me a long letter tonight, and tell me of your love to me, and of your great desire to have me close to you. Goodnight, Mary   Helen writes: Well, you can see what love can do. She loves him and the Master loves him and we all love him. What a, happy meeting for us all.I must not write more tonight, but only say to you and to him too - pray more to the Father for His Love, and for faith, and believe. I am yours forever in love. Helen September 30th, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. Let not your heart be troubled, believe in God and in the Master. This is as true tonight as it was when spoken by Jesus to his disciples many centuries ago. You are his disciple now just as certainly as were they, and while you cannot see him or hear his voice as they did yet the words are just as emphatically spoken tonight as they were to the other disciples. You do not realize what love and what powerful influences are with you tonight, else you would let your worries flee to the winds and never return. I merely want to tell you this to let you see that there is another of the Celestial Spirits who knows that the Master's promises will be kept. I am not here because I want to encourage you merely, but because I want to tell you a fact, and fact it is, that you will soon be relieved of your worries. Go to God in prayer and you will find great consolation as we have all found consolation in our troubles, and when on earth we had a great number who were persecuted resulting in the death of many of us. But we had faith, and our faith and the love of the Master helped us over many rough places. I merely want to add another confirmation to those who have told you that you will be relieved of these worries. I will stop and say, that I am your brother in Christ, John The Baptist September 30th, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, John: I come to encourage you and tell you that your worries will soon leave you for things will get better with you from now on and you will soon be free of the present burning needs. As the Master, who has just written you says, try to believe in what we tell you for we are with you so very much trying to help and comfort you. I know that things have looked very dark today and you do not see any relief at hand, but it will come and that very soon and then you will feel different from what you do now. I will not write more tonight as you are not in condition to write very long. Well, I will say that you are now surrounded by the love and influence of a band of Celestial Spirits all sending to you their best and kindest wishes as well as their love. I am now trying to make you feel my presence and love and if you will open up your heart you will realize that you are surrounded by love. We are many and all anxious that you feel our presence. You must pray to the Father more and ask for more faith. You will receive it and will be correspondingly strengthened. So let me say before I close that you are the special care of the Master and his love for you tonight was something wonderful. He seemed to let all his love center on you and I do not doubt that you felt its influence. I will stop now and say that you have my love and blessings. Your brother in Christ, John Editor's Note. This is a composite of the messages in Vol III pg 332 and 333 which are almost identical. September 30th, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. Such are the thoughts of men when troubles arise: I can do nothing of myself, but will go to my Father and seek His aid; and the thoughts are true and the aid is certain.You are that man tonight, and you will not be disappointed for you will find relief from your worries and the help that the Father shall bring to you. The Master is all love and you seem to be his favorite on earth, and you can rest assured that you will not be forsaken. I tell you this because I know from experience. I will not write more. I am, Your brother in Christ, Barnabas, the Apostle September 30th, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. When the Master said, "Feed my sheep", he not only meant that Peter and those to whom he was talking should feed the spiritual natures of those who should believe on him and try to belong to his fold, but he also intended that their material wants should be taken care of. And tonight he is saying the same thing, and as you are his sheep of special care and love, he intends that all the things that are necessary for your well being shall be given you. So do not doubt at all, but believe that you will be looked after in all your times of need. He was so loving to you tonight that we were all somewhat astonished at the great love which we saw going to you, and thought how dear you must be to him. I have never seen him take such interest in any particular person before, and when you realize what his love and power are, you will be more astonished than were we. I see what your troubles are, and while they may seem mountains high to you, they are merely temporary and will soon pass away. So believe in what the Master told you, and pray to the Father for Love and faith. I will not write more, but will say God bless you. Your brother in Christ, John Wesley September 30th, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. Let the worries go and bury themselves, and turn your thoughts and soul aspirations to God, for these are the things eternal and those of the world merely temporary things. I say this, because I know, that if you will only pray to the Father and trust in the Master you will realize that what I say is the truth, and can be understood and realized by mortals as well as by spirits. So my brother try to look on these worries in that way.I am with you often trying to help you and have you feel my influence and love - I will not write more. Garner, the Preacher October 1st, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. Layton. I wrote you once before at your office and was interrupted before I could finish. I merely want to say tonight that all the spirits who have written you about the magnificent power and glory of the Master, is true, and yet not half told. The revelation of that night makes an epoch in the spirit world where those who witnessed it live, for it has been told to many spirits in many spheres, and Jesus is now the great center of interest to many spirits, who before looked upon him as a mere spirit like themselves. How wonderful that this display of power should have been made under the circumstances that accompanied it. Many spirits were present, from spheres which are not soul spheres, in which live believers of other religious faiths. You will hear much of this night for some time to come, and the results of the great scene will be felt in many places that never before have heard of or been interested in the teachings of the Master. I will not write more. So goodnight. Your brother in Christ John Layton October 1st, 1915 Received: by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Saleeba I want to tell you that I was a witness the other night to the wonderful display by Jesus of his great power and glory - and what a wonderful demonstration it was! I never in all my long experience in the spiritual spheres saw anything that approached it, and no spirit in the highest intellectual sphere could for a moment show the great effulgence of light that Jesus did. So you see, I now know positively that the Master is the son of God, and has this Divine Love to a degree that, as I am informed, no spirit who was then present, except probably, some of the apostles, had any conception of. I am now convinced to the depths of my soul that the Divine Love of the Father is a real existing thing and that it makes beautiful and Godlike those who possess it. Now I shall strive harder than ever to get it, and the great happiness which I now know must be the experience of those who have this Divine Love to a great degree. I merely wanted to tell you this, because, as you know, I am one who a short time ago had never heard of this Great Love. So thanking you for your kindness, I am Your sister in Christ, Saleeba October 1st, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Your late friend, Perry: I want to tell you that I am in a condition of great darkness and suffering, and I am not able to find a way out of the darkness or to relieve myself from my tortures. I know that you may think it strange that I did not listen to Mr. Riddle when you brought him in contact with me a short time ago, but I could not believe what he told me, or understand in what way the darkness would leave me by merely praying to God, and trying to believe that there is such a thing as Divine Love, which I might obtain by letting my belief in what he said become sufficiently strong to cause me to forget the recollections of my awful deed. I saw that he was a wonderfully bright spirit, and seemed to be so very happy in his condition of belief, but, nevertheless I was not able to believe that it was the result of what he told me, and so, I am in the same condition that I was when I wrote you last. My, friend, for such I believe you to be or you would not be able to interest yourself in me as you have. I want to tell you that if I only again could shoot myself and by that means end my existence, I mean annihilate my spirit and soul, so that they would go into nothingness, I would gladly and quickly pull the trigger and send the bullet into that spot which would bring about the desired effect. But I realize now that I must continue to exist and to suffer for how long I don't know, but it seems to me for ever and ever. Oh, why did I do such a thing! I had no occasion to take my life so far as earthly things were concerned, for I needed nothing of the material to make life satisfactory. Question? Well, I will tell you. As you may know, I was, as I thought, something of a philosopher on earth, and to me life was a thing to retain or put off just as I might think it had served or not its purpose, and when I felt that I could no longer do any special good to the world or to those who were near to me. I thought that there was no reason why I should longer continue the life which was one of monotony in a certain sense. And besides I felt that I had arrived at the height of my mental powers, and that they were on the decline; and the thought that I should decrease in what I had so striven to cultivate and display to my acquaintances, caused me to believe that the object of my creation had been fulfilled, and that I would gradually become not only an encumbrance, but a person to be looked upon with a kind of pity which would cause me much unhappiness. To have others point their finger at me and say: "There goes poor Perry who used to be such a brilliant and capable man, and who is now a mere wreck of his former self intellectually. Isn't it a pity that such a man should come to a condition that he has come to." These are some of the thoughts that entered my mind; and in addition as I have told you. I thought that death was the end of all, and that in the grave I would know nothing, and sleep in utter oblivion. These thoughts I fed on some little while before I decided to die, and the more I thought the greater became my condition that what I had said would prove to be true. Just before I fired the fatal shot I thought intensely of all these things, and saw that what I supposed would be an end to everything was the true solution of life's decay and to mental as well as to physical decrepitude. And when I prepared to do the deed I was never more calm in all my life. It did not require any courage on my part for conviction of the correctness of my conclusions was so strong that the question of courage was not a part of the equation. Men may think that courage is necessity to commit suicide, but I tell you, I believe that courage or the want of courage forms no part of a man's condition of mind when he commits that deed. The mind forms its own conclusions as to the necessity or the desirability of doing; the act, and every other consideration or reason is ignored. The suicide is not, as a general thing, at the time of the act, a coward. I have no doubt though in bringing his mind to the condition that I have spoken of, that is in feeling that the burdens of life are too great, or that he cannot further bear the things which duty calls upon him to do, he may be and often is a coward. I must not write more on this theme now. I am more interested in finding a way, if possible, out of this intense darkness and suffering. I have not seen Mr. Riddle since my first interview and I do not think that I would be benefitted by seeing him, because, for one thing, the great contrasts in our conditions only intensifies my sufferings, and, hence, I prefer to remain to myself or among spirits like myself. You know, that on earth the poor are much happier with the poor, than when thrown into the company of the rich, and this because of the apparent greater happiness of the latter. And so with me, when I see Riddle in his happiness, I feel that my misery is the greater. No, I did not see your grandmother at that time and I do not know her now. But why do you ask that question? Well, if what you say is true, I should like very much to meet her and listen to her, and if you will tell me how I can meet her, I will make the effort. I will certainly take advantage of your invitation and be with you tonight, and hope that I may meet your grandmother. How I wish that I may find what you tell me and feel the influences that you speak of! Oh, for such a consummation! Why, my dear friend, if what you promise me shall come true, I will never cease thanking you for your kindness and help. I am astonished at what you say, for I never really believed in Jesus as you tell me of him. I could not when on earth believe in him as a God, and I thought that he was really an ideal of progressive human minds, and that as to his actual historical or earthly existence, it was a mere fable. But now you tell me that he really exists and is working in the spirit world to help the fallen and dark spirits, and that he comes to you and tells you of his love and work. Well, I won't say that I can't believe you but, I prefer to wait until I see him myself, and then if he appears to me as you say, I will be ready to believe what Riddle told me about prayer and the Divine Love. How wonderful all this is! You surprise me more and more. Of course I knew Ingersoll and read many of his lectures, and in some things agreed with him, but when you tell me that he is now a believer in God and in Jesus, and has been converted to Christianity, you again draw very strongly on my credulity; and I am afraid that if what you tell me is true, I will see so many surprising things that I will hardly know whether I am a spirit of hell or not. I will ask him to tell me about his conversion and I will listen to him intently and will try to believe what he tells me; but when you describe it as you do, by the comparison you make with that of Paul, I am more bewildered than ever. Tell me then, what kind of man are you to know all these things? I cannot understand you. When on earth I merely considered you as like the rest of us, but now I am told that you know things, that I never thought any mortal could know. Question and Answer. Well astonishment upon astonishment, and all as you say to help me and lead me to the light. Yes, that is what I want, light. Only wait until I have had these experiences that you promise me, and I will come to you and write you a letter that you will tire of receiving. I must stop now, for you must be tired and I am. So my dear friend, let me say, that I thank you with all my heart, and hope that I may be able to come to you again, and say that what you promised me, I have received. Your friend, R. Ross Perry October 1st, 1915 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Robert G. Ingersoll. I came to tell you that I am the Ingersoll who when on earth was a fool in my beliefs, and who now knows the truths of God as far as the way to salvation is concerned, and the Wonderful Gift which he has in store for all who may believe what the Master says as to the way to obtain it. I have not yet recovered from the wonderful experience which I had on the night when Jesus displayed his wonderful glory and power, and made me feel that I was of such little importance in my beliefs and opinions as I entertained them on earth and as I brought them with me to the spirit world. I must have been a poor soul all my life to have gone on in a way that kept me out of the happiness which a belief in the Father's Love would have given me. But the reason was that the truth was not taught, and what the preachers have proclaimed in their pulpits as to the way that a man could be saved from sin was so repulsive to reason that I could not for a moment tolerate it, and consequently I did not seek to learn any other way. I now know that even the Bible taught another and true way to salvation, but that way was not taught by the preachers; and I never thought of any other way than that which I heard from the preachers or from the writings of the orthodox. But, if I had only known that even in that book (the Bible) I might have found the true plan of salvation, what good I might have done on earth, instead of the harm which I now see my books are doing. For while some who read them understand what is really intended to be taught, yet a greater number, who give them a mere casual reading and grasp and enjoy some of my catchwords, really are led to believe that there is no God and no future life; and all this makes me unhappy now and causes me to wish that I could return to earth and teach these people the truth and show them that my writings in many particulars are not beneficial to them. But I realize that I cannot do this, and I only hope that sometime you will give me the opportunity to write through you my corrections of many of the things contained in my books. I never before realized what Jesus is, and until the other night when he showed his great power and beauty, I never supposed that he could be much different in appearance than a spirit like unto many others. I will not write more tonight, except to say that a HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor515.htm" spirit comes to me and tells me that you invited him here and advised him to ask me to tell him of my conversion to Christianity, as he needed help and light. Well, as you sent him, and as he was my friend on earth, I shall take great interest in telling him of the wonderful power and magnificent love of Jesus. So I will take him with me now and try to show him the way to salvation and to surcease from his sufferings. He will come to you and tell you of the result of our interview, and how he then thinks of what I will tell him of salvation. So thanking you, I will say good night. Your brother in Christ, R. G. Ingersoll October 1st, 1915. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I came merely to say that I have listened to your conversation tonight, and was much interested because you have discussed that phase of man's destiny which is most important in all the economy or plans of the Father. Your being chosen to do this work was not the thing of the moment, but for a long period of time the highest spirits of the Celestial Heavens have considered this great question, and the way by which the great truths of God and the necessary plans for man's salvation could be made known to mortals. Heretofore, the difficulty has been in finding a man gifted with mediumistic powers, who had the unbiased mind, and yet a knowledge to some extent of the soul's requirements, and who could be used for the purpose of receiving these great truths and transmitting them to humanity. Some years ago, as you say, a selection was made of a man to declare these truths, and to him much power and spiritual knowledge were given, and even that power of leaving the body and visiting the world of spirits that he might see for himself the actual condition of things as they there existed, and to declare to mankind the results of his observations. And he did observe and declare many truths, but the difficulty in the way of his realizing the pure truth and interpreting the things which he saw, was that his mind was too much biased by what he had read and believed from the writings as contained in the Bible. And hence, his efforts failed to accomplish the great purpose intended by the mission given him. I am here referring to HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/swedenborg.htm" Swedenborg, the seer, as he was called. This was a great disappointment to these Celestial Spirits who had projected such a plan for revealing the truths to mankind. At the head of these Celestial Spirits was Jesus, as he is now. Since that time, the time has never been propitious for a plan of this kind to be attempted again until now. But now, instead of having the mortal, through whom this plan is to be worked, leave his body and come to the spirit world, and then relate the results and interpretations of his observations, it has been determined that the truths shall be declared to the mortal in the words and thoughts of these spirits, so that no mistake or wrong interpretation can possibly occur; and hence when we saw the possibilities of your becoming a medium with powers sufficient, and a soul capable of development to receive these thoughts and words, it was decided to select you and make you the medium for doing this great work. Of course, Jesus was the active superior spirit in making the selection and we all submitted to his judgment. But such is the decree, and now you will understand why you were selected, and the fact that you have been selected. I have told you this tonight, because I have been selected by the others to do so. And I, as the wise man of old, tell you from a knowledge founded on fact. So both of you realize your missions, and strive with all your might to acquire this great faith and soul development which are absolutely necessary to a successful performance of the work. We are with you very often trying to incline your thoughts to the higher things, and to fill your souls with their influences which our love for you creates around you. So in behalf of all of us who are promoting this great work, I give you our love and blessings. Your brother in Christ, Solomon, the wise of the Old Testament, and the more than wise of the followers of Christ. October 1st, 1915. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Helen. Well, you have certainly had some wonderful messages tonight. What HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/bible17.htm" Solomon wrote you is true, for I have heard the Master say the same thing, as he has told me that you have been selected because of the reasons Solomon gave. How you must thank the Father for such a favor and blessing. What a work is yours, and what a responsibility also. But you will not fail for you will have such help from the Celestial World as will not let you fail. I will not write more, but only say that I love you with all my heart. Your own true and loving, Helen October 3rd, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus: I was with you tonight and you were not very much impressed with the thoughts expressed by the speaker, because he did not dwell very much on the qualities of the soul or the manner in which are perceived the great truths of the Father. He spoke of the love of man to man and of the duties that men owed to one another and of the wonderful possibilities of the intellect in guiding man along lines of living that will bring them happiness and harmony in their earth life. But he did not show them that the mere intellect is not sufficient to bring them in that condition of soul development which is necessary for their highest happiness in the life to come. When he spoke of the immortality of the soul he did not intend to express more than that the spirits of men continue to live after the body dies. He, in fact, does not know what immortality means as we have taught you, and he will some day be surprised when he learns that mere continuity of life is not immortality, or that continuance of existence, which when once possessed cannot be taken away from the spirit. Yet, notwithstanding all this want of knowledge on his part, he is an earnest spiritualist and is doing much good to mortals for he is showing them the fact that the spirit of man is a mere extension of form of what man now possesses, and that there is no such thing as the death of the spirit when the body dies, or that the spirit lies with the body in a state of obscurity or nothingness, or rather of oblivion, until what the orthodox call the great judgment day. I am interested in the efforts that these people are now making to build a temple in which to worship and gather in their cause, and I favor the building of the same, because while they do not preach or know the great and necessary truths, yet they preach those things which free men from the beliefs that hold them in thralldom and error, and set them free to receive the greater truths, when the time shall come that they shall be known to humanity. So that I would advise you to help their project to the extent that you feel yourself able. Many people will find that the things which they may hear at these meetings will cause them to arouse from their slumbers and ignorance, and cause them to investigate for themselves the truths of spiritualism and when once they start and become convinced of one truth, they will continue to seek, and in the end, it they are sincere seekers, find the truths, because when their minds shall be convinced of the truths of spirit existence and spirit control, they will then realize that over and beyond this, there is something that their souls long for, and is never satisfied; and the result will be that they will be in condition to readily believe what may be told them, which leads to that which will satisfy their souls in their longings. This is the great good that the spiritualists are doing in their efforts to extend their spiritualistic doctrines, and when they are earnest, true believers and teachers in what they know of these things, they will bring about that which will cause the increase in the number of mortals who will accept the higher truths of the Divine Love and the immortality of the soul, and the way to obtain it. So you see, that while you may not be much benefited in your soul's aspirations in attending these meetings or affiliating with these people, yet I would advise that you do everything in your power to help the movement to establish firmly that church in this City, for it will be a great influence in attracting people in all parts of the country to the truths of spiritualism. Let not the thought that this church may not teach the real truths of the soul development, or those things which will bring men in attunement with the Father, cause you to in any way discredit the movement that they may endeavor to start in the way of a revival as one of their preachers said. A little of the truth is better than none at all, especially when it leads to free men from a bondage that has caused them to blindly follow the teachings of those who are in darkness and error. I will not write more tonight, but will say this, that you and your friend (Dr Leslie R Stone) must believe what has been told you and continue to pray to the Father and seek more of the Divine Love. When the time comes I will inform him of the work which he shall do, and it will be an important one and one which will bring him in close contact with me, and the higher forces of the Celestial Spheres. He is now in a condition to receive this soul development, and he must let his mind and soul expand to their fullest extent, so that when it comes, I mean the Divine Love, with the great and wonderful power which will accompany it, he will be in a condition to receive it. I am your friend and brother and his also, and you must both believe that I am writing this to you, for I am that Jesus that all the spirits have told you about, and if it were profitable, I would come to you, as I came a few nights ago, and show my glory and power. But this is not necessary for you will believe without this and so much the stronger will be your belief. I must stop now. So with my love and blessings for you both and my peace which the world cannot give you, I will say goodnight. Your brother and friend, Jesus October 3rd, 1915 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, John: I came merely to say that you have received from the Master a communication which has more importance than you at this time appreciate. I am referring more particularly to that part of it which HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor397.htm" states that your friend has been selected for a work which is of great importance. I know how important that work will be, and he will be impressed at it and will probably hesitate to undertake it, but he must not falter for he will be given all the power that will be necessary for him to have in order to do what shall be required of him. You both are highly favored in being selected for these missions and you must not let doubt as to your being selected or as to the Master writing to you or as to your having the power conferred on you which will enable you to do the work. I am interested in both of you, and you must recollect that, while you are both weak and unimportant mortals, yet you have behind and sustaining you the great power of the celestial world, with Jesus as the leader. What a wonderful thing this is! Why when we were selected as mortals, to become the disciples of the Master we never had such power to sustain us, because Jesus himself was not then as powerful as he is now, and he had not then formed the celestial spheres with all the powers that now exist there. So I say there is no reason why you two should not be greater in your works than were any of us who worked with the Master while he was on earth or who worked afterwards as long as we remained mortals. Do not think that this is improbable, for it will come true; and while you may doubt, considering the fact that you are weak mortals with all the deficiencies of mortals, yet you must remember this one fact and that is, that so far as you are personally concerned, you are not of importance in doing the work, but as mediums and instruments through which it will be done, you are of the greatest importance to the plans and designs of these higher spirits. Of more importance than any other mortals at this time. So there is no reason to flatter yourselves because of the great powers that will be given to you, and of the importance that you will be to the salvation of mankind, but you may congratulate yourself that you have been selected from all humanity to do this work. And further, remember this, that as a result of your doing this work you will receive such an abundance of the Divine Love, and come in such close association with the celestial spirits, that you will probably find yourselves in that condition of soul development as will enable you to enter those spheres where your soulmates may be living at the time, without having to go through the experiences of the lower spheres. I will not write more tonight as your power has been greatly called on by the messages which you have received. So with all my love for you both, I am Your brother in Christ, John October 5th, 1915 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, John, Apostle of Jesus. I am the apostle, and you need not try me as your friend said, for no spirit can impersonate me when I am present. So you must believe me and try to receive what I may write to night, in faith, and you will find that you will be benefitted. I came principally to tell you that I have been listening to the conversation between you two and to the reading of the Sermon on the Mount given to us by the Master in the days of long ago, as you would say. When that sermon was delivered we were not in a condition of great spiritual development, and we did not understand its inner meanings, and as to its literal meaning we thought it was not intended for the practical affairs of life. People, I know, think that we, at that time, were very spiritually developed and had an understanding of the great truths taught by the Master, which were superior to what men have now, but I tell you that this is a mistake. We were comparatively ignorant men, fishermen by occupation, and had no education above the ordinary working man of that time, and when Jesus called us to become his apostles, we were as much surprised and hesitated as much as you did when the similar mission was declared for you. Our knowledge came with our faith in the great truths which the Master taught, and from our observation of the great powers which he displayed, and also from the influence of the Great Love that he possessed. But when mankind think that we easily understood the great truths which he taught, they are mistaken. Only after the descent upon us of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost did we fully come in accord with the Father, or fully appreciate the great truths that the Master had taught. Of course we learned many things which men of that time did not know, and our souls became developed to a large extent, but not sufficient to bring us to a knowledge of the wonderful meaning of the truths which made men free and brought them in unison with the Father. In your conversation tonight you discussed the relative value of prayer and works, and did not agree with the preacher, that works are the great things to develop men into love and bring about great happiness in the world, and that prayer is not of such importance. Now let me, as a spirit and as a man who worked on earth and prayed on earth, say with an authority that arises from actual experience, and knowledge that comes of observation, that of all the important things on earth for men who are seeking salvation and happiness and development of soul, prayer is the most important, for prayer brings from the Father not only Love and blessings, but the condition of mind and intent that will cause men to do the great works that the preacher admonished men to engage in. Prayer is the cause of the power being given to men that will enable them to do all the great works which will bring reward to the doer, and happiness and benefit to the one who receives the works. So you see the results can never be as great as the cause, for the cause, in this instance, not only gives to men this ability to work, but also to love and to develop his soul and to inspire him with all good and true thoughts. Works are desirable, and in some cases necessary, but prayer is absolutely indispensable. So let you and your friend understand and never doubt, that without prayer the works of men would be unavailing to accomplish the great good which even now man performs for his brother. Pray, and works will follow. Work, and you may do good, but the soul does not benefit, for God is a God that answers prayer through the ministrations of His angels and through the influence of His Holy Spirit, which works on the interior or real part of man. I will stop now. With my love to both of you, I am your brother in Christ, John October 6th, 1915 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, your old partner, A. G. Riddle: I have listened to-night to the conversation between you and your friend (Dr. Stone), and I must say that you two have reasonably correct ideas of the spiritual truths as we know them in the spirit world. You must continue your investigations together for an exchange of thoughts is a very wonderful belief to acquire accurate and correct ideas of the truths of things. I mean things that pertain to the spirit world. I will not write long tonight, but very soon I will come and write you a long letter that will show you some things that you do not now know. But before I stop I want to say that Perry is now in a somewhat better condition. HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor675.htm" His interview with Ingersoll had a wonderful effect upon him for as on earth Ingersoll was filled with the enthusiasm of his new belief and was just as forcible and eloquent as when on earth. What a wonderful thing this Divine Love is. I can only say that there is nothing in all God's universe that can compare with it. I am still in this fifth sphere, but hope to work in the seventh sphere where your father is. So I must stop now. Your old partner, A. G. Riddle October 6th, 1915 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, William T. Stephenson. I was an Englishman and lived in Liverpool and died in 1876. What I want to say: Can a man live and love and then die and go into nothingness? And I can answer No! For love never dies. It is the one Eternal and never ending quality of the soul. The love of a man for a woman is so great that only the love of God for man excels it. I mean the real soulmate love. I am a spirit who lived on earth and loved a woman of earth and when I died my love did not die, but continued and is with me now growing and increasing all the time. She loved me too, but in her lonesomeness she married another and is now on earth the wife of another, but her soul love is mine and strange as it may seem to you I am not jealous or dissatisfied with her condition, because I as a spirit loving her only with a soul love and knowing that I have her soul love in return, do not want her body or the affections which are so firm, the merely natural love or rather the attractions which one physical or even mental existence may have for another. I am only waiting and loving and hoping that the time will not be long when she will be with me. So you see love cannot die and happiness which comes with that love can never die. I am in the second sphere and am enjoying my existence.You must pardon me for intruding, but I only wanted to let you know that love can never die. So good night. William T. Stephenson October 7th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jayemas: I am the spirit of a man who when on earth was an inhabitant of the great continent of Atlantis which was submerged in a cataclysm and by which great calamity all the inhabitants of that country were drowned. I am now in the sixth sphere where are many others of my countrymen, and wherein are enjoying much happiness and great intellectual pursuits that bring to us knowledge of the wonderful laws of the universe. I was, when on earth, a teacher of the arts and sciences, and of the philosophy of life as well. I made many inventions which enabled my people to progress in the development of the use of forces which existed in the unseen world, and which are now still in existence and operating. If mortals would only understand and had means for utilizing these forces; they would enjoy wonderful facilities for traveling and propelling the different engines of trade and manufacture that they are engaged in, and also for making easy much of the labor which is now done by hand or by imperfect machinery. You must not think that the forces of nature have all been discovered by your great scientists and inventors for that is not true; and in the near future you will have revealed to your investigators some wonderful forces that will revolutionize many of the means of conducting the communications between nations, and of leading men to a knowledge of what the possibilities are. Well, I am not permitted to disclose any of these secrets at this time, but in the near future they will be made known, and you will live to see some of these forces applied to the actual working out of what you suppose to be the ideas of your inventors. I merely wanted to introduce myself at this time as I hope to come to you later and tell you about my life on the submerged continent. So I will not write more. Your friend, Jayemas the Atlantian October 8th, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, James the Lesser. I come because most of the apostles have written you, and I want to be in the number who testify that Jesus is the living and true son of God, and that he has selected you - and also your friend - to do his work. I know that this has been told you by many spirits, but yet I want to add my testimony, for the time may come when you will meet such unbelief and skepticism that you will need all the testimony that you can get. The work that you will have to do will not be an easy one. You will have many antagonists, especially in the churches and among the preachers and rulers of the churches, and you will need all the help that the spirit powers can give you. I am one of the band of Celestial spirits that will sustain and help you in your work, and I am so interested that you shall succeed that I want you to know the fact that back of you both is the most wonderful power that has ever been given to mortals to carry out the plans of the higher Celestial world. When on earth, I was the brother of Jesus, and called the Lesser to distinguish me from James, the brother of John and son of Zebedee. I was not the son of any Alphaeus, such as that name is understood in the New Testament, but the son of Mary and Joseph, as was my brother Jesus. Jesus himself will one day come and tell you exactly who Alphaeus was. So have faith, and believe what we write you, for it is all true. You must not doubt as you do sometimes, or let your earthly affairs turn your thoughts from the great truths which we come to teach you. So without writing more, I will say, believe. Your brother in Christ, James the Lesser October 8th, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. Go to the Lord, and your strength will be renewed and your soul will receive a wonderful inflowing of the Divine Love, so that you will be able to throw aside all worries and earthly cares, and be in condition to receive the great truths that are awaiting you; for you have as your helper and friend, the greatest spirit in all God's universe. This I tell you because you need to be sustained and will be as long as you live the life of a mortal. I am not one who is known in the annals of the church or in the lives of the saints, for I never was a saint on earth and neither am I here, but only a lowly follower of the Master, who to me, is the most wonderful of all God's creatures. So you must believe that he is your friend and saviour, for he is; and you need not believe in his blood, or his vicarious atonement, or his self sacrifice either. Only believe in the Divine Love and in the further fact that Jesus is the wayshower to all who may seek this great salvation. I must not write more, for I am not one of the high celestial spirits, as I live in the fifth sphere only, but, nevertheless, I have a very great deal of that Love, and a happiness which I cannot tell you of. So with all my love, I will say goodnight.Your friend, John B. Carroll, a one time resident of Baltimore, Md. October 8th, 1915 Received: by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Saleeba. I want to say only a few words that you may know how happy I am, and how much my soul is filled with this Divine Love HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/ancient8.htm" of which you first told me. Oh, my friend, it is difficult to keep from shouting the fact that I am a redeemed child of the Father, and one who knows that His Love is mine, and that I shall live through all eternity, enjoying the happiness which His Love and mercy have given me. I intended to keep my promise and tell you of my life on earth many thousand years ago, and so I will sometime, but now I am so happy in this great possession that I cannot think of those earthly things in such a way as to relate to you my experience as a mortal. Wait a little while and I will try to describe to you all the things of my earth life that may be of interest to you. I will go very soon now to my people and tell them what I have found and urge them to seek for it, and I trust that they will follow my advice. There are many of them that are good and pure spirits, with a natural love in such a state that they are very happy and contented, and yet, when I realize the great difference in the happiness that is theirs, and that which may be theirs, I cannot refrain from going to them and telling them of it. I know that you are glad that I am happy, and are interested in my progress, and hence, I love to come and let you know what my condition is. I will not write more tonight. So believe that I love you as a sister, and pray for you and ask the Father to make you happy and fill your soul with His Love, and bless you. Goodnight. Your sister, Saleeba October 8th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Mary: Well Doctor, I am here, as you may be surprised to know, if you had forgotten my last secret, but I don't believe that you have. I want to say that I am in a happier condition than I have ever been yet, for I am now in the Celestial Sphere where I know that happiness is so much greater than it has ever been. So you must believe me when I tell you that my love is so very much more abundant, and that you are dearer to me than ever before. So try to realize what I mean, and imagine that you are with me, even for a little while, and then you will be happier too. I have said what I wanted to say and must stop. (A few days later when the opportunity presented itself, Mary Kennedy wrote as follows.) I am the spirit of a woman who once lived on earth in the far away land across the ocean, and was known to my people as a little English girl of not much importance in the world, but now I am of great importance to a human who loves to have me with him; and I merely write this to let him know that he is not always in condition to sense when I am really with him, for I heard him say that I was not with him all the evening, and heard all that he said, and enjoyed hearing him talk, but until just now did not mention my name; and if that were the only sign that I have to know that he is thinking of me, I would suppose that he had forgotten me, but thanks to my powers to read his mind, that calling my name is not necessary. What do you think of that for a sentence? It is only representative of my love, for just as that sentence is long drawn out, so is my love. But I must not tell him or he may become alarmed at what awaits him when he comes over. Well, I have introduced myself, and now I want to tell him how happy I am and describe briefly my home.My house is a beautiful one of which you might call alabaster, and in it I have many rooms suited to my various moods and conditions; all beautiful and full of the most perfect harmony, and everything to make me happy and contented. My music room is filled with many instruments of various kinds on which I can perform and bring forth the most beautiful harmonies; and I can sing too, and when he comes over I am going to surprise him by playing and singing some of the songs he so much enjoys at the Colburns. I will prove to him that I was with him many times while he was a mortal and could not see and feel my presence. I have a library but not many of the spiritual books which he has read or heard of, for they do not contain anything that is helpful or beneficial to spirits who live in the soul spheres, because very few of them contain anything which shows or teaches the development of the soul or the grandeur of the Father's Divine Love. I have the most beautiful vines and roses all over the porches of my home. And in all the rooms are flowers and plants of the most exquisite colors and delicious perfumes. And the pictures on my walls are such as he has never seen on earth; the subjects portrayed are not of scenes that lend to make inharmony or strife or mortal passions appear, but all teach by their realism the truths of love and happiness. I do not have any beds to lie on, for as you know we never sleep, but we do have couches which I sometimes lie on to rest when I have become a little tired from work, and strange to say, I sometimes dream of him, as you mortals say. I have no kitchen, for we cook nothing, but my dining room is fitted up in a style that would make your mouth water, as it is filled with pictures of fruit and nuts and flowers, and other things, to suggest good eating. We eat and enjoy our eating as do you mortals, but our food is nuts and fruits, and our drink is pure water, with all the life-giving qualities that spirits need. The lawns around my home are very beautiful in the freshness and greenness; and the trees are grand old oaks, as you say, that cast their shade over the greensward, and over the many little nooks that abound in our gardens. And then the flowers are so abundant and so variegated in color, and delve in perfume. I have also a beautiful little lake of water in which are boats that carry one without the physical exertion that you have to exercise on earth. All is more beautiful than I can give you the faintest idea of, and there is only one thing wanting in all this beauty and happiness, and that is that man sitting opposite you; but I would not care to have him bring that mortal body, though he is a pretty good-looking boy as mortals go. But I can see beyond the mortal body, and I know that his soul is much more beautiful than his physical appearance, and yet I am afraid that his soul is not yet in that condition of development that would enable him to come to me just now. But he is developing, and before he comes over, I feel that he will be in condition that will bring him closer to me and closer, so that the distance between us will not be so great. If he will only try for this development as I am trying to help him develop, he will come very close to me when he comes over, and then he will have such Love all around him that he will not find it difficult to progress to where his other half is, as Luke said. And speaking of this message of Luke, I want to say that I have my individualized form and a perfect one, so Helen says, and I know that I shall never lose it to enter into some other mortal. Why the very thought of such a thing makes me wonder what all this great Love of the Father was given to me for, if I am to be deprived of it and again become a mere mortal with all the passions and appetites of a mortal. No. I have no fear of that, and he need not either think that when he once comes to his soulmate he will ever be separated again, and go back to that dark and gloomy earth to live. Well, I have written a long letter and must stop. So give him my love and tell him that I am with him more than he realizes, and will continue, to do until he comes over. And thanking you for your kindness in permitting me to write so long, I will say goodnight, and subscribe myself your friend and his ever true and loving, Mary (On February 19th another short message from Mary Kennedy on her spiritual progress which is as follows.) I am progressing again and this time to the Third Celestial Kingdom and of the great glory of it all, never did I conceive of such wonders and beauty; and when I come to the earth plane I want to bring my glory and beauty with me and wish that my soulmate could see it, but he cannot, and I can't describe it to him for it is beyond all conception and description. But I must prove to him that I love him for I am willing to leave all that beauty and grandeur for a time and come into these earth planes just because I love him so much. Someday he will realize what this all means and then he will say to himself, How that little soulmate must have loved me. Well, I will not write more, will close with my kindest regards to you, and my soulmate love to Leslie. I thank you so much for giving me this opportunity to write as I have. Your sister in Christ, Mary Note. It is impossible to ascertain precisely what dates these messages were received on, because the Tablet only refers to these messages as "Message to Dr Stone". There is also no reference to any message on February 19th. October 8th, 1915. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, your Helen: Well sweetheart, we had quite a love-making scene between Mary and the Doctor, and she was so happy that she could write to him that her whole soul was filled with emotion and many tears fell on her letter, though you could not see them. What a beautiful loving spirit she is, and how she loves the Doctor. I enjoyed the scene more than I can tell you; and when she finished her writings, she came and threw her arms around my neck and cried until I thought that she could have no tears left, but they were tears of joy. Oh, how dear she is to me, for she seems to have a love that appeals to my love for you, and when she tells me of her great love for the Doctor I join with her in her tears, and we both thank God that he has given us such soulmates, and the great love that we have for them. I have been with you all day trying to comfort you and help you forget the troubles of your earthly affairs, and to some extent I succeeded. You must love me more and think of me more often, for if you do you will draw me so close to you, that you will feel my love in all its power, and my presence will appear so real to you. I heard what you said to the Doctor about giving Mary a real lip kiss, and you were right, for while he may not be able to feel her kisses, she can his, and it will make her so happy. Notwithstanding our spirit love, we have that about us that causes us to enjoy what was a part of our earth nature. A kiss is just as sweet, yes more so, than when we were mortals - and you must not think that we are such ethereal, nebulous beings that we cannot enjoy a kiss, or an embrace, for we enjoy both. And as you know, many times have I hugged you until you hollered. So tell the Doctor that he can kiss his Mary just as often as he might were she in the flesh. I must stop now. (A spirit requests to find his soulmate) Well, I will try to find his soulmate. He seems a man of a loving disposition and he is in real earnest when he says he wants his soulmate, and he shall have her. So, sweetheart, say good night. Your own true and loving, Helen. October 10th, 1915. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I came to-night to tell you that you are nearer the Kingdom than you have been for a long time, and that if you pray to the Father in more earnestness you will soon realize the inflowing of the Divine Love, that will make you free indeed and fit you to enjoy that close communion with the Father that will enable you to forget all your worries and disappointments, and see with your soul perceptions the great truths which I and my followers may endeavor to teach you. I know, that at times, it seems difficult to grasp the full meaning of faith in the Father and His Love, but if you will earnestly seek for His Love, you will find that there will come to you such a belief in His Wonderful Love and in the nearness of His presence, that you will be free from all doubt. You have asked me "what is faith" and I will answer: Faith is that which when possessed in its real and true meaning makes the aspirations and longings of the soul a real, living existence; and one so certain and palpable that no doubt will arise as to its reality. This faith is not the belief that arises from the mere operation of the mind, but that which comes from the opening of the perceptions of the soul, and which enables its possessor to see God in all His Beauty and Love. I do not mean that the possessor of this faith will actually see God in form or feature, for he has none such, but his soul perceptions will be in such condition that all the Attributes of the Father will appear so plainly to him, that they will be as real as anything that he can see with the eyes of the spirit form. Such faith comes only with constant earnest prayer, and the reception into the soul of the Divine Love. No man can be said to have faith who has not this Divine Love. Of course, faith is a progressive quality or essence of the soul, and increases as possession of this Divine Love increases, and is not dependent on anything else. Your prayers call from the Father a response that brings with it faith, and with this faith comes a knowledge of the existence of this Love in your own soul. Many persons, I know, understand this faith to be a mere belief, but it is greater than belief, and is existing in its true sense only in the soul. Belief may arise from a conviction of the mind, but faith never can. Its place of being is in the soul, and no one can possess it unless his soul is awakened by the inflowing of this Love. So that, when we pray to the Father to increase our faith it is a prayer for the increase of Love. Faith is based on the possession of this Love, and without it there can be no faith, because it is impossible for the soul to exercise its function when Love is absent from it. Sometime, as you progress in these writings, you will be in soul condition to understand just what faith is, but until that time your faith will be limited by your possession of this Love. Well, in my healing of the sick, and the blind and the others of earth, who needed a cure, when I said: "as your faith so be it unto you," I meant that they must believe that the Father had power to bring about the cure; but I did not mean that if their minds merely had the belief that I might cure them, that then they would be cured. Belief was not sufficient of itself, but faith was required. Faith is not a thing that can be obtained by a mere exercise of the mind, but has to be sought for with the soul perceptions, and when obtained will be enjoyed only by the soul perceptions. I am with you in all my love and power, for I love you as I told you and desire that you shall become free and happy, so that you can do my work. With all my love and blessings I will say good-night. Your brother and friend, Jesus October 10th, 1915 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jerome. Well, you seem to be in doubt as to who I am, but I will say that I am sometimes called St. Jerome. Now, I merely want to say that you are very much in favor with the spirits who dwell in the Celestial Spheres, and with the Master as well, and that you will be the means of receiving and giving to the world some of the wonderful truths of the Father. I was not one when on earth who thought very much of these truths, for I was not acquainted with the soul development or the Divine Love. I thought more of the doctrines as propagated by the Catholic Church, and tried my best to make the doctrines of this church the important things with the worshippers of the church creeds. Your brother in Christ, Jerome October 10th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Prof. Salyards: I heard your inquiries of your wife, and I was pleased that you expressed the desire to hear from me again as I most assuredly want to write to you. Since I wrote you last I have been living in the Seventh Sphere with my soulmate, and in close proximity to your father, and have been very happy in the love which I now enjoy. I have seen so much of the effect of this Divine Love upon the souls of spirits who come into the possession of it, that I wonder more and more at the fact of its great power to make pure and truthful, souls who were in such darkness and torment. I have seen some very surprising conversions of souls steeped in sin and error, in souls with their sins last leaving them and happiness and Love coming to them in wonderful inflowing. Since I have been in the seventh sphere I have paid very little attention to things about which I wrote you when in the beginning of my soul development, because with me now the soul and its divine possibilities are the things that absorb my attention and efforts. I am sorry that I cannot continue my writings on certain phases of the laws of the spirit world, but for the reasons stated I cannot as only this Great Love and the work of helping men and spirits to obtain this Divine Love and to become children of the Father, are possessing me and occupying all my time and attention. So you must not feel disappointed that I do not continue the writings that I speak of. I can tell you about the seventh sphere and the life and inhabitants there and the wonderful happiness which we all enjoy. Our homes have been described to you by your grandmother and your wife and I cannot add to their descriptions, only to say that they do not tell half of the beauty and grandeur of these homes and of the joy of the inhabitants. I am in a home of that kind now and am with my soulmate and we are very happy. I do not know at this time of anything more to write about. Well, you are not complimentary but you are right. I seem to have lost my desire for investigating and writing about these things that I first wrote to you about, and I have not yet prepared myself to write of these higher things. So I will stop tonight. Your old friend and Prof., Joseph H. Salyards October 10th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Saul of old: I came merely to say that you are very near the kingdom and the Father's Love, for I can see the condition of your soul and the results of the prayers of yourself and friends. So let your faith increase until there will be no doubt, that you are a child of the Father, and the one chosen to do the Master's work on earth. I am merely telling you this in order to increase your faith in what has already been told you so often. I am one of the band which is back of you, sustaining you in the work you have to do and in the preparation you are now making to be able to do that work. Well, you will soon find yourself in that condition and will soon be free from these cares that you speak of. I will not write more tonight. Your brother in Christ, Saul October 10th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am Gomeses. I am a Greek, and lived in the time of Christ, although I never met him on earth, as I died shortly after he did. I was not a Christian, but a follower of Pythagoras and a believer in the immortality of the soul, but not in the sense that I have since been taught by Jesus. I am a Christian now and believe in the truths as taught by the Master, and am trying to understand them more thoroughly and live by them. I am in the Celestial Spheres and am very happy. I will not write more tonight. He is the greatest spirit in all God's universe and the one altogether lovely. He is your friend and saviour as well as mine, and you must listen to him when he comes to you in the kindness of his love and the power of his humility, and tell you of the great mission which he has given you to perform. You are now in the way and you must pray more and seek more of the Divine Love. Your friend in Christ, Gomeses October 11th, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Caligula: I was the Roman Emperor and the murderer of the Christians, and have since that time, and for my sins, suffered all the horrors of a hell which I can't describe. Suffice it to say that the hell of the Bible or of those who interpret the Bible, is not equal in its torments and horrors to the hell that I passed through. I tell you this that you may know that every man will have to pay the penalties for the evil deeds he does when on earth, and as my deeds were so extremely evil my penalties were correspondingly great. But thank God, I have paid my penalties and am now enjoying the happiness of the Christian heaven, for I am now a follower of that Jesus, whose followers I persecuted. Strange as it may seem to you, the cause of my conversion to Christianity, was one of the very Christians whom I murdered. She was a beautiful spirit when I first saw her in the spirit world, and when she came to me and told me of the great love of the Father, and the kindness and humility of the Master, I was then in much darkness, though I had suffered for many long years and my thoughts were commencing to turn to things that ultimately helped me to get out of my darkness and find relief from my sufferings. But this Christian spirit came to me with such love and forgiveness in her speech, that I was greatly affected by what she said and by her appearance; and I listened to her as she told me of the wonderful love of the Father and the great desire of the Master that I should seek for that love and the happiness which it brings to spirits who obtain it. She had many interviews with me, and at last, she told me that her happiness depended, to some extent, on my getting this Divine Love in my soul, and progressing with her to the sphere of light and love. She said that I was her soulmate and that my love was necessary for her happiness, and that I could not give her that Love, until I had become the possessor of the Divine Love to some extent. So you can imagine what an effect this declaration had on me. I saw that she was beautiful and pure and loving, and that I was not a fit soulmate for her, and that I must try to make myself a suited soulmate in order that I could be with her. And in addition, when she told me of her love for me, and that we were necessary to each other's happiness, I had a most wonderful longing to be with her and enjoy her love, and the desire soon took possession of me, that I commenced to inquire the way by which I might get this great love, or start to get it; and she told me then of the love of the Master, and how he could teach me the way and what power he had to help spirits like myself to get out of the darkness and torture into light and happiness. And so I continued in my longings and desires, until at last, my spirit seemed to have a power to rise out of the darkness and to meet other spirits who were not dark and forbidding as I was. She often came to me and taught me to pray, and I did pray and ask forgiveness and for just a little of that Divine Love of which she had told me. At last as I was praying and hoping for this Love and for deliverance the Master came to me, and such a wonderful loving spirit he was, the most beautiful and loving and yet the most humble that I had ever seen or ever have seen, and he commenced to tell me of this wonderful love of the Father, and how it was working for me to fill my soul and make a child of God, and at-one with him, and he told me that the only things necessary were for me to pray to the Father, and have faith and in all earnestness repent of my great sins. That if I did so, the Love would come to me, and as it came into my soul all the sins and recollections of my sins, would leave me so that I would be able to progress to a higher sphere, where light and love were. I could not resist his influence, and I did not want to for my soulmate was with me in her love, with pleading eyes and anxious looks, and I commenced to have this faith, and to pray with all the earnestness of my soul; and, at last, light came to me and love came flowing into my soul; and what a happy spirit I became, and thanked God for his mercy. My soulmate rejoiced with me and we were so happy in our loves and in the great love of the Father. From thence I have been progressing ever since, until now I am in the Celestial Spheres, where love is the ruling principle and only those who possess this divine love can live, and where Jesus is our Prince and elder brother. Caligula, the Emperor, is now a humble follower of the despised Nazarene, and happy in his humility and in his following of such a loving saviour. My soulmate is with me, and whenever I look upon her and think that I was the cause of her sufferings and death upon earth, my whole soul goes out to her in great streams of love and she knows it, and that is a part of my great repentance. So you see, that even though a man may be the vilest of sinners on earth, yet the Father's Mercy is so great that His love is never turned away, or is His mercy ever withheld. I tell you that Love - the Father's Love - is the greatest thing in all the universe, and like unto it is the pure, holy love of the soulmate who has in her soul the great Love of the Father. I must not write more tonight, but as I was passing I saw the brilliant light that is with you and I embraced the opportunity to write. Yes, it was Celestia. And what an appropriate name! My friend, you must also thank God for his goodness to you, for I have seen your soulmate and she is a most beautiful spirit. So with the love of a brother in Christ, am your friend, Caligula the Roman Emperor that was, and the Christian that is. October 16th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, John: You are now so filled with the Love of the Father and the influence of the Master that you are very near the kingdom. The Master is with you in all the fullness of his love and blessings, and no wonder that you should receive him in so palpable and conscious a manner. He certainly loves you, and if you could only see his glory as he writes to you, and the great streams of love that flows from him to you, you would never again doubt that he is with you and that you are the object of his care. It is wonderful, and we are all amazed at the great display of his love for you, and we rejoice that it is so, for we know that to him you are the most important of mortals. You will soon commence again to do his work and your soul will be so filled with the Divine Love that you will receive his messages in such soul understanding that there will be no possibility of any mistake being made. And such messages of truth as they will be, why the whole world will stand in wonder and amazement that such truths should come to you, and, as a consequence, many a mortal will be brought to see the great plan of man's redemption, and will turn to the Love of the Father and receive that great inflowing of Love that will show them beyond all doubt that they have become at one with the Father and are inheritors of his immortality. So, as I say, we all rejoice, and are anxious that the work begin; and we are all preparing to help in conveying these great truths of the Father. So you must believe and accept what is written to you as true. Let not what may be contained in the Bible, or what the preachers or commentators may say influence you in anyway to believe or write anything other than what the Master may write you. The book (The Atonement by Pastor Russell) that you have been reading tonight contains many truths in regards to Jesus' relationship to the Father, and that there is only one God, and that the Father - no other God is there - and Jesus is his best beloved son. The plan of salvation as contained in that book is not correct, for, as we have told you before, the blood of Jesus has nothing to do with the plan of salvation, only the bestowal of the gift of Divine Love and the teachings of the Master as to how it may be obtained saves man from sin and error and brings about that at-onement which the author writes about. My dear brother, if you only knew how much we all love you and are interested in your welfare and the work which is before you, you would be very thankful to the Father for having had the Master select you, and would also never cease to love and honor the great Master for his love and friendship. I, John, tell you all this, because I know whereof I speak. I was the beloved disciple of the Master when on earth, and I know what it means to have the great love of such a Master and friend. I see that you are opening up your soul to the Divine influences, and that very soon you will find that through your soul perceptions, you will be enabled to see and understand many, many things which are now hidden from you. And what an opening: of the soul perceptions that will prove to be! Even the spirits who are in portions of the celestial heavens will not have the great truths presented to them as will you, and they are seeking these truths in great earnestness. But you are in a position that they are not, to make known to the world these great truths. And while all this will not be done primarily for your benefits, yet you will receive such knowledge of these truths and such inflowing of the Divine Love as you write, that you will find yourself in a condition of soul development that rarely have mortals experienced. So pray and believe, and when I say believe, try to get that great faith of which the Master wrote you - the faith that makes all the longings and aspirations of the soul realities. I could write much more but think it best not to do so tonight. So with all my love and blessings, I am Your brother in Christ, John the beloved disciple of the Master in my time, and which you are now. October 16th, 1915 Received: by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Saleeba. Yes, I only wanted to say that I am very happy, and feel that I must tell you because you first caused me to seek this Love and to find the way to my soul's development. I know that you are not so much interested in me as in some others who write to you, but I further know that no one feels more grateful to you than I do. So you see as I progress I must come and tell you of my happiness. Yes, that is what I want, and you seem to understand just what is necessary, and I am glad that I can come to you. So my dear brother, think of me sometimes and pray to the Father to give me more of His Divine Love that makes me at-one with Him. I will not write more, but will say goodnight. Your sister in Christ, Saleeba October 19th, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Luther. I came to tell you that you are not much benefitted by the book (Pastor Russel's - "Atonement.") you have been reading to night, because it ignores the very foundation of the plan of man's redemption - that is the Divine Love which the Father bestowed on mankind at the coming of Jesus. The blood atonement is all wrong and misleading, and has done much harm to the truths of God and to mankind. I will admit that there are many truths stated in the book and many that will do much good to humanity to understand and believe, but because of the great error in the vital point of the declaration as to the plan of man's salvation, these truths which the book contains may not do the good that they otherwise might. Of course you who understand the true plan of salvation may make the true discrimination between those declarations which declare the truth and those which do not. But on the whole I do not see that the teachings of the book will do you much good. Well, I know that the passage in John refers to the spirits of men who once lived on earth and who communicated to the members of the early church in their places of worship, and elsewhere John has explained to you, and what he said, I have been informed by others of the apostles, is true. The author of that book has certain theories, and, of course, he is construing all the teachings of the Bible in such a way as to sustain his theories. But he is wrong as he will discover when he comes to the spirit world. He teaches that the soul as well as the body of man goes into the grave to await the great day of judgment, and there is no such place as the spirit world inhabited by the spirits of departed mortals and to maintain this position he quotes from some of the old books of the Bible. But these books were not written by men inspired by God to declare the truths, and the quoted expressions are merely the result of the purely human minds of the authors, who did not know what they wrote to be a fact, but because of the conditions in which they were in, they concluded that such assertions must be true. Let not the writings of these old writers or of the present day writers either, cause you to hesitate to believe what the Master may write as being true. I merely wanted to say this as I saw that you are interested in this book and I wanted to warn you against letting it influence you in any way. Yes, I say that Jesus Christ did come in the flesh, and I know it, for he is here a spirit and once lived on earth, But that fact does not prove that any spirit who acknowledges that, is a true follower of him or a redeemed spirit of the Father. There are many spirits in the spirit world who believe that Jesus, the spirit whom they sometimes meet, once lived as a mortal, and would, if asked, say that he lived in the flesh, but they are not believers in the Divine Love of the Father, or have had the benefit of his great plan of salvation or acknowledged him as the savior from sin and error. So that the test set forth in the Bible may have been considered a true test in the days of the early church, yet it is not now a very safe one for the reason that I have mentioned. And if a test is necessary, I think a better one would be: try the spirits and every one who does not acknowledge that Jesus is the best beloved son of God, and brought to the knowledge of mankind the rebestowal of the Divine Love, and declared to men the way in which that Love may be obtained, is not a spirit that should be communicated with for the purpose of learning spiritual truths. This test is better, because no spirit who has not received this Divine Love, or the New Birth, will acknowledge the existence of these things, because it has no knowledge upon which to make the acknowledgment. I must not write more to night, but I hope the little that I have said may help you and others who have doubts, as to what the meaning of that part of the Bible, which refers to the trying of the spirits, is. I am very anxious to write you again as to some of the higher truths pertaining to the spirit world, and soon I hope that I may have the opportunity. I will say good night. Your brother in Christ, Martin Luther October 19th, 1915. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am General Grant. I was the President of your country and also the General of the Federal armies. Well, I want to say that I am in a condition of comparative happiness, but not entirely relieved from my darkness or sufferings. I had a great many sins to answer for and many penalties to pay, and during the years since my death I have suffered much and experienced great darkness. But thanks be to God, I am emerging from these conditions and am having my spiritual eyes opened to the truths of God and the necessity of obtaining His Love and Favor. As you may know, when on earth I attended the Methodist Church, but my religious knowledge was merely that which comes from an assent of the mind to certain propositions, or rather doctrines, of the church. I knew nothing of the soul development or of the Divine Love, or of any of those attributes of the Father which were necessary to my becoming a redeemed spirit and an accepted child of God. I am in the Second Sphere, where are many of my old comrades in arms, and many who were antagonistic in the great War of the Rebellion. But we are no longer enemies, for we have obtained sufficient Love to become friends, and to know that war and hatred and murder are not in accord with God's laws, or approved by Him; and we are now seeking only Love, and trying to apply the Golden Rule in our lives here. Well, I am somewhat surprised that I can communicate with you in this way, for while I have attended some séances and made my presence known in other ways and by other manifestations, I never before had the opportunity to do so by this method of writing; and I must say, it is the most satisfactory of my experiences. As this is my first appearance, and coming without an invitation, though some of your band which is here signified their assent, I do not feel that I should longer intrude. Well, I have been interested in this great and bloody war, and have visited the scenes of many battles and the headquarters of the officers of both sides, and have heard their plans discussed, and have learned what their expectations were. It is rather early in the game to form an opinion as to the outcome, but judging from the facts, as I have been able to gather them, and from the conditions of the armies and means of carrying on the war, of both sides, I am rather inclined to think the Allies will win. This I say in a perfectly unbiased way, as I have no bias or prejudice for either side. But this I do know: that no human being can at all estimate the great injury that will be done to the various countries or to the progress of the human race in the things material. But God rules, and the right will prevail, as I believe. Sometime later, if agreeable, I will write you further on this matter. I will now say good night. Your friend, U. S. Grant October 19th, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, General S____ (can't write name) No, it seems not - how strange. (White Eagle: He says his name was General Sherman and that he wants to write a letter.) Well, I tried to write my name, but I could not - what do you think was the cause? Why, damn it, I have written my name more times than there are stars in the heavens, and yet I was not able to write it here. Well, that is what I called war - hell. I don't mean to be profane, but the idea, that I could not write my name.... Well, as Grant and I are very close friends here, as we were on earth, I thought that as HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/historic10.htm" he wrote a letter I would like to do so also. Just as he said about himself, I say, I am in some darkness and suffering - paying the penalties of my evil deeds on earth, and for what I neglected to do in the way of performing my duties when I had so many to perform, and so many opportunities. I am in the same sphere with him, but he is in a higher plane, and is not in such darkness as I am. I am not a Christian yet, but hope to be sometime, as I have some dear friends here who are, and they are trying to persuade me to become a Christian; but as you may not know, I never could be persuaded on earth, and it is difficult to be persuaded here. I am enjoying this new experience in writing to you, and to me this is very surprising, but is very satisfactory. I wonder how such a thing can be. I have attended seances when my earth friends have attended, and have tried to make myself known to them and to some extent have succeeded, but not in the way that I am doing now. I am afraid that if you are not careful I shall steal on you and write many times so that you will wish that I had never come. Well, my dear boy, I am certainly glad that you recalled these reminiscences. Of course, with all the people that I met in those days, I cannot remember you, as we only had a passing handshake, but I am certainly glad that you recalled those times, and more glad that I can be with you now; and things will be reversed now, for I will be the one who will not forget, while you, considering the great number of spirits who come to you to write, and the great number who are around you ready to write, I hardly expect that you will find time to give me much thought. Well, I don't quite understand you, but if you can show me the way to obtaining such a condition of soul and such a degree of happiness, I will certainly accept your kind offer, and will try my best to follow your advice. But really, I don't see how you can accomplish this. Yes, I remember Riddle very well, and he was a very dear friend of mine, but why do you ask that question? Is he involved in the redemption of me? He was a very dear friend, but I doubt that he can do what you seem to imply. I have done as you advised, and I must confess my surprise to see Riddle in the band that you speak of - and what a beautiful and bright spirit he is. How in the world did he get in that condition, when on earth he was somewhat like myself - a free thinker - and cussed sometimes. But I must speak to him and learn what it means. Well, I have been introduced to your grandmother, and what a glorious spirit she is! I never before saw such spirits. They must live in spheres far above where I live. Riddle says I am the same old, rough, wicked Sherman, and wants me to go with him, and I will go, and I will not forget to request a few words with your grandmother. I will ask him (R.G.Ingersoll) now, and he seems so beautiful and bright. too. What does it mean? Ingersoll says it means that he has become a believer in the Great Love of the Father and is a follower of Jesus Christ. What a surprise and what a change in Ingersoll. My friend, I cannot write more as I am all upset by what I have seen and heard; so excuse me, I will say good night. Your friend, Wm. T. Sherman October 19th, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. Well, I am here, Your Helen. You have had some rather surprising communications tonight. We thought that it would be right to let the two old Generals write, as they seem to be so anxious; and I believe that they will find their salvation by having done so. Mr. Riddle was very glad to have General Sherman come to him, and also General Grant, and he is now with both of them, telling them his experiences in the spirit world and the cause of his beauty and brightness. And Ingersoll breaks in once in a while, and tells them that when they hear his experience in becoming converted to Christianity they will be more surprised than they were when the cannon balls blew across their quarters in the war. So you see what good this little thing of being able to communicate with spirits is doing. Oh my dear Ned, I am so happy that you have this great opportunity of doing good, and I know that you feel the same way. It is late and you must stop writing. So with all my love, I am Your own true and loving Helen October 23rd, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am the spirit of Aaron, the prophet of the Old Testament and the brother of Moses, as it is written. I merely want to say that as you read the message from the spirit of HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/religious18.htm" Henry Ward Beecher, I read also, and that is a wonderful description of what immortality is, and how it first was given to mankind after the fall of the first parents . I know the truth of what he wrote, for I experienced the want of this Divine Love for many thousand years before the coming of Jesus and the rebestowal of this Divine Love, which is the only thing in all God's universe that can bring to man immortality. So, let this great truth be preached to all the world, and let man know that until he gets this Divine Love he can never become immortal. It is so difficult for man to understand this truth, and for those who come forward as the teachers of men in spiritual things to comprehend that only this Love will save them from their sins, and make them a part of the Divinity of the Father, and certain of immortality. I lived at a time when we had not the privilege of getting this Love, and, as a consequence, immortality, and we had to find our happiness in our natural love, and that meant a love towards God as well as towards our fellow man; but this love, while it enabled us to experience much happiness, yet it did not give that Divine Essence or nature which now makes our happiness supreme and also at-one with the Father. I had many experiences in teaching the Hebrew children that there was only one God, but at that time my conception of God was not what it is now. I then thought more of Him as a God of wrath and jealousy than as a God of Love and mercy. (question) In my contest with the magicians of the Egyptian Pharaohs I was afforded the help of the spirit world, and unusual powers were given me, such as I had never had before nor ever afterwards; but it was for the purpose of causing the king to let the people of God, as we called ourselves, depart from Egypt. When this was accomplished I never again possessed those powers or had any occasion to. But those powers were merely the influences that came from the spirit world, and God himself did not speak to me or to Moses, as it is written. Merely his spirits or angels told us what we must do, and gave us the power to do it. This power is still existing, and should the occasion arise again, it will be given to the instrumentality that may be selected to do the will of the Father. Even as to Jesus, who had the greatest power conferred upon him of any mortal that ever lived, this power was given him by the angels of God in obedience to the commands of the Father. I cannot explain to you now in what way these commands were given by God, for you would not understand me, if I should make the attempt. But suffice it to say, that the higher angels have such soul perceptions that they can receive and understand these instructions of the Father. All this is, I know, strange to you, but it is true, and because you do not understand, you must not doubt that there is such a close relationship between God and His Celestial spirits that they know what the will of the Father is. I am in a Celestial Sphere and am very high up, but not so high as are the apostles. But I am high enough to know to be true what I write you of my own knowledge. I will not write more tonight, but will come again sometime and instruct you in the laws obtaining in our Celestial Spheres. So with all my love, I will say that I am, Your brother in Christ, Aaron the Prophet of old October 23rd, 1915 Received: by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am the spirit of Sarah - I was the wife of Abraham. I want to tell you that I am now a Christian and live in the Celestial Spheres. Yes, but there are many things in the Bible that are not true. Well, when it says that I sent Hagar into the desert, or caused her to be sent into the desert, to starve and die - that story was a slander on me, and did me great injustice, because I was not such a wicked woman. Abraham did not send her there either, but she went of her own accord, because she had done that which condemned her in her own conscience. Well, she had taken my husband and had a child by him. I know that the Bible says that (it) was commanded by God, or that I prevailed upon Abraham to have a child by her, but it is not true. Yes, I am happy, and so is Abraham and our son Isaac, and his son Jacob; but they were without this Divine Love for a great many years, as it only came to us when the Master came to earth. I know that you think it strange that I should come to you and write, but as I was with Aaron in the earth plane, and was attracted to you by the light which fills the space around you, I followed Aaron and came to you, and HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/ancient9.htm" after he wrote, I wrote also. Yes, I see a great number of beautiful spirits around you, and some of the apostles who are so very beautiful and bright. They seem to be so much interested in you, and say that you have been selected to do the work of the Master on earth in the way of revealing the truths which he shall write to you. I don't quite understand it all, but if the Master says it is what shall be done, you will do it. I must stop now, but please believe that I am Sarah as I have told you. I will leave you now and say goodnight. Your sister in Christ, Sarah the wife of Abraham. October 24th, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, St. Luke, (Writer of the Third Gospel That Was.) I was with you to-night at the meeting of the Spiritualists, and heard the statement of the speaker as to the probabilities of what became of the body of Jesus after the crucifixion. I was not present at the crucifixion, and, of course, do not personally know what became of the body of Jesus, but I have been told by those who were present that the Bible description of his burial in the tomb of Joseph was true. The body was buried in the tomb of Joseph and was left there by those who placed it in the tomb, which was sealed and a guard set over it to prevent anyone from approaching and interfering with the body, because Jesus had predicted that in three days he would rise again. After the tomb was sealed Jesus arose, and without his body of flesh passed from the tomb and descended into the lower spheres where the dark spirits lived in their ignorance and sufferings, and preached to them the rebestowal of the gift of immortality. The body of flesh by the power which Jesus possessed, became so spiritualized or etherialized that its component parts became disseminated by Jesus in the surrounding atmosphere and he retained only the spiritual body in which he afterwards appeared to the disciples and others. When he appeared at the meeting of the apostles, where Thomas, the doubter, was present, he recalled to his form, as you will better understand by my using such expression, elements of the material, so that in appearance the body was as much like flesh and blood as when it was placed in the tomb, and before he disseminated these elements, as I have said. The flesh and blood which encloses the spirit form of man, as you may have heard, is continually changing in obedience to the ordinary laws of nature as understood by man. And when Jesus who understood and had power to call into operation other laws of nature, caused such other laws to operate, that the dissemination of the elements of flesh and blood took place, and he was left only with the spirit form. This, I know, has been a great mystery to mankind since the time of the discovery of its absence by the watchmen at his tomb, and because of being such mystery, and as an only explanation of such disappearance, men have believed and taught that his body of flesh and blood actually arose from the dead, and, therefore, the real body of flesh and blood of mortals will also arise in what they call the great resurrection day. But no body of flesh and blood arose, and the spirit form of Jesus did not remain in the tomb after the dissemination of the material body, for no tomb or other place could confine the spirit. You will remember that on the third day Jesus appeared to Mary, who was most intimate and familiar with the appearance of Jesus, and yet she did not recognize him, but thought he was the gardener; and so with the disciples who were travelling with him to Emmaus. Now, if he had retained his body of flesh and blood, do you not suppose that they would have recognized him? If he had the power to resume that material body into which Thomas thrust his hand and found it to be a body in appearance of flesh and blood, do you think it strange or wonderful that he would have had the power to cast off his earthly body while in the tomb and cause it to disappear into thin air? This I am informed is the true explanation of the disappearance of the material body of Jesus; and to me and to others who understand the laws of nature - I mean that nature that is beyond the ken of men - it is not surprising or worthy to be deemed a mystery. I am glad that I went with you to the meeting to-night, as I became impressed with the desirability of making this great mystery a mystery no longer. With all my love, I am, Your brother in Christ, St. Luke October 24th, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Thomas Carlyle. I merely want to say that I was present HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/jesus13.htm" when Luke wrote and heard what he said and was much interested. This very question used to be a great stumbling block to my belief in the resurrection of Jesus, because it seemed to me that the resurrection of the material body as so improbable under the circumstances as narrated in the Bible, that it was difficult for me to believe the story. But now I can understand very readily, because I am acquainted with the laws governing the formation and disintegration of the material things of earth, and I know that there is a law which would enable a person with the knowledge and power that Jesus had at the time of his death, to cause the disintegration of the material, as the scientists say, so that they would disappear into the surrounding atmosphere. I wish that I had understood this fact when a mortal, for then many other things would have appeared to me as probably true, and l would have been in a different state of belief as to spiritual things, and my progress here towards higher spheres would not have been delayed. It is to be deplored that this so called mystery was not explained in the Bible, for had it been men would not now be in darkness as to the meaning of the resurrection, and the many thousands who believe that the soul and spirit go into the grave to await the great Judgment Day, would not be in such condition of delusion and have to suffer the consequences of such false belief in the stagnation of their soul progression, which will surely come to them. I hope you will give this explanation to the world and let men know the truth, that there will be no resurrection of the body of flesh containing the soul or spirit as taught by the churches. I will not write more to-night, but will come again. Your brother in Christ, Thomas Carlyle October 25th, 1915. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I have heard your discussion and am much pleased that you and your friend are progressing so rapidly in the knowledge of truth, and very soon you both will be surprised at the extent of knowledge of spiritual things and truths that will come to you. No man, who on earth is given to only what you may call the material things, will be able, when he becomes a spirit, to understand the spiritual laws, until he has gotten rid of the material mind, and the reasoning that comes from the powers which have been exercised only in the investigation of material things. You cannot perceive spiritual things with the material mind, neither can a man by reason of those powers of the mind which know only material things, be able to perceive the truths of the spirit. Hence the necessity for man cultivating the soul perceptions, which are greater and more comprehending than all the faculties of the material mind. Mind, as usually understood by man, is undoubtedly a wonderful instrument in investigating and learning the laws of nature and the relation of cause and effect in the physical world, but such powers when applied to the things of the spirit, will not help much, but rather retard the progress of the soul's development of its faculties. The reasoning power given to man is the highest quality of the material mind and, when properly exercised, affords a very safe and satisfactory method of arriving at the truth. But such power when exercised in reference to things which are strangers to it, or with which such powers having no acquaintance, or have never been concerned in the investigation of the phenomena of their existence, cannot be depended upon to bring conclusions that will assure men of truth. Laws are eternal and never change and are made by the great Father to be applied to all the conditions and to all the relationships of the material world and of the spiritual world. But the laws that apply to the operations of the material world are not fitted to apply to the operations of the spiritual world; and the man who understands the former and their application to material things is not able to apply the laws applicable to the spiritual world to spiritual things. A knowledge of the laws pertaining to the natural will not supply a knowledge of the laws pertaining to the spiritual. And hence the great scientist who, when on earth, was able to discover and show the operation of the laws controlling material things, when he comes to the spiritual world and attempts to apply this knowledge to the things of the spirit, will be wholly unable to do so, and will be as a babe in his ability to understand and draw deductions from the spiritual laws. So you see the necessity for man's becoming acquainted with these spiritual laws, if he expects to progress in things to which they apply. The material laws may be learned from by the operation of the senses that belong to and constitute the material mind, but the spiritual laws can only be learned by the exercise and application of the faculties of the soul. The soul is to the spiritual things of God what the mind is to the material things of God. And the great mistake that men make and have made, is to attempt to learn these spiritual things with the powers of the material mind. I write thus because I see that you and your friend desire to learn the nature and operations and workings of the spiritual things, and hence I want to impress upon you the necessity for exercising the soul perceptions which will come to you as your soul develops. These perceptions are just as real as are the five senses of the natural mind, though most men do not even know of their existence; and when once you have succeeded in understanding that they do exist and that you may be able to use them just as you use the faculties of the material mind, you will be able to progress in the development of these faculties or perceptions with as much success and certainty as does the great scientist or philosopher in the studies of the things to which he applies the faculties of his material mind. I hope that I have made plain what I intend to convey. I will not write more tonight, but say let your faith increase and pray more to the Father, and you will see open up to you a wonderful vista of knowledge of the truths of the spirit. Your friend and brother, Jesus October 25th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Caligula: I came merely to say that I am interested in your conversation and the conclusions you draw as to some of the operations of the soul development upon the physical mind after death. You are right when you say that the condition of the physical mind after death is affected by the development of the soul, for if a man in life, has his physical nature developed by the knowledge that the soul is the controlling power, he will soon be able when he becomes a spirit to subordinate the desires and thoughts which are purely material to his conception of spiritual things; so that the progress of the spirit will not be retarded by what his material thoughts may have made him while in the body. I mean that the thoughts of the material mind will not continue with him very long after his decease, but that the thoughts that come from his spiritual development will overcome or even eradicate the material thoughts. The mind is material; the thoughts which come from soul development are spiritual, and if permitted to grow and increase will overcome the material mind. I find it a little difficult to express myself tonight as you are not in the best condition for communicating, so I will not write further, but will come again. Your brother in Christ, Caligula October 26th, 1915 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, St. Paul. Yes I am and I want to say just a few words. The book on the "vicarious atonement" that you have been reading - about the ransom price and the blood of Jesus and the sacrifice on the cross - as to these things is all wrong, and you must not believe what it says. Well, I know the Bible ascribes to me the teaching of these things, but I never did; and I tell you now, as I have before told you, that the Bible cannot be depended on as containing things that I wrote, for there are many additions to what I wrote, and many omissions of what I wrote; and so with the others whose names are stated as the writers of the New Testament. Many things contained in that book were never written by any of the alleged authors of the book. The writings of any of us are not in existence, and have not been for many centuries; and when they were copied and recopied, great additions and omissions were made, and, at last, doctrines and dogmas were interpolated that we never at anytime believed or wrote. I have to say this, and I wish to emphasize my statement with all the conviction and knowledge of the truth that I possess: Jesus never paid any debt of man by his death or his blood or vicarious atonement. When Jesus came to earth his mission was given him as he progressed in his soul development, and not until his anointing was he wholly qualified to enter upon his mission or the work thereof. The mission was twofold, namely: - To declare to mankind that the Father had rebestowed the Divine Love which Adam or the first parents had forfeited; and secondly, to show man the way by which that love could be obtained, so that the possessor of it would become a partaker of the Divine Nature, and Immortal. Jesus had no other mission than this, and any statement by the preacher or teacher or church doctrines or dogmas or by the Bible, that his mission was other than I have stated, is untrue. He emphatically never claimed that he came to earth to pay any ransom for mankind, or to save them by his death on the cross, or to save them in any other way than by teaching them that the great gift or privilege of obtaining immortality had been bestowed upon them, and that by prayer and faith they could obtain it. The author of the book is all wrong in his theories, but if you accept the statement of the Bible as true, he makes a very forcible presentation of the Scriptures. But the Scriptures do not contain the truth on this subject, except by the New Birth that Jesus taught, and that being so, his explanations and theories must fall to the ground. Some day and that very soon, he will come to the spirit world and have an awakening, which will cause him much suffering and remorse, because of his teachings of the false doctrines that his book contains. I did not intend to write so long a letter when I commenced, but your questions required answers, and I could not give you answers in less space. But nevertheless if you shall obtain any benefit from what I have written, the time consumed will be compensated for. I must stop now, but will come again sometime. Your brother in Christ, St. Paul October 26th, 1915 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I write to corroborate HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/bible70.htm" what Paul said, both as to the errors of the author of the book that you have been reading, and also of the Bible, upon which he bases his arguments and conclusions. There are some of the epistles credited to me, and I did write some to the members of the church over which I had supervision, but the epistles as contained in the Bible are in many particulars untrue and conflicting with my beliefs, then and now, and I never wrote such conflicting statements. I never wrote that Jesus paid a ransom for mankind, or that his death on the cross saved men from the death which they inherited from Adam, or anything of the kind that insinuated that men were saved by any act of Jesus which satisfied the wrath of God, or, as the author said, satisfied Divine justice. Justice was not an element in the Plan of man's salvation, only Love and Mercy, and the desire of the Father that man become reconciled to Him - that is, come to Him and receive the Great Gift of His Divine Nature. No blood shedding or death of Jesus or vicarious atonement could have accomplished this, for none of these things would affect the soul development of a man. The matter of soul development is an individual matter, and can only be accomplished when man seeks for the Great Gift of Divine Love, and receives it in his soul and develops it. Then he becomes a partaker of the Divine Nature and one with the Father. How deplorable that men will teach this erroneous doctrine of blood atonement. How very much harm it is doing to mankind and to spirits as well, for many spirits come into the spirit world with their beliefs so firmly established in this doctrine that they frequently remain for years in that condition of belief, and consequent stagnation of their soul's progress, and of their obtaining a knowledge of the truth. This author, when he comes to the spirit world, will undoubtedly have to pay the penalty of his erroneous teachings, and very probably that penalty will be that he will have to unteach them, if I may use the word, to all the spirits who when on earth believed in and followed his teachings of these false doctrines. But some day men will know the truth, and the truth will make them free. You must try your best to get in condition to take the messages which the Master desires to write so they can be published to the world. I am, your brother in Christ, St. Peter October 26th, 1915 Received: by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Saleeba. I am in a much happier condition than when HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/ancient32.htm" I wrote before, and I want to tell you that the Love of God in my soul is the cause of my being happier. Your sweet wife was with me a great deal, telling me of this Love and showing me the way to seek for it, and I believed her and followed her advice, and as a result, I found a great deal of that Love. It is so very great a creator of happiness - and I want more of it. I am living in the third sphere because I find so much more of that soul Love there than in the sixth, and what I want now is that Love. So you see I cannot live where this Love is not so abundant. When I get more of it I shall go to the sixth and tell the spirits there what a great happiness I have found, and try to persuade them to seek it also, and I believe that many will. I am so glad that I broke into your writing when I did, for if I had not, I would not have learned the way to this Love and happiness. I shall always look upon you as my friend and brother, and will do anything in my power to help you. I have not found any of my race in these soul spheres as yet, but there may be some of them there. But if I can possibly accomplish it, there will be some of them in my sphere very soon. (question) I have forgotten a great many things in connection with my earth life, but I remember my parents and some of my associates and some portions of my religious beliefs. And sometime I will tell you of these things. I will also tell you of my experiences in passing through these spheres, in my progress to the sixth, where I had to stop progressing. It is strange that I did not find this out until recently, but it is a fact. No spirit who lives in the sixth sphere is as beautiful as the spirits of the third sphere who have the soul development - and the merely intellectual spirit can never become as beautiful as those having the soul love. Well, I must stop, as I only wanted to let you know that I had not forgotten you. I will come again soon and tell you what I promised. So I will say goodnight. Your friend and sister, Saleeba October 27th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helene (Hortense). I was the daughter of Josephine, the wife of Napoleon, and I come to tell you that I am not so far advanced in the soul development as I wish to be, but I am striving to obtain that Divine Love that I have been taught since my coming to the spirit world is necessary in order to obtain a home in the Celestial Spheres and immortality. When on earth, being the daughter of an Emperor, my thoughts were given to everything else than to the real soul religion which I now know is the only religion that can save a soul from sin and error. My stepfather was not a spiritual man, as you may know, but all his thoughts were given to the gratification of his ambition and the conquest of nations. He was also a man who had a great deal of the love nature and was intense in his affections and let them guide his life to a large extent when they did not conflict with his ambitions. He and my mother were true lovers and are now soulmates, but my mother is much more developed than he. When I died, I was totally ignorant of the soul requirements and my religion was confined to the belief in the doctrines of the Catholic Church, which were mostly man-made, as I now see. No one ever told me about the New Birth and the Divine Love of the Father, but always about the power of the priests to forgive sin and their authority to pray a soul out of purgatory. This, as you may know, did not help me when I became a spirit, and when this great change came to me I found myself in darkness and suffering, with no love existing in my soul, although I had the natural affections for my kinfolks; and it was many years after my death that a knowledge of the soul love came to me and I was relieved of my sufferings and brought into light and happiness. I am now in the Fifth Sphere and am very happy, although my spirit instructors tell me that there are higher spheres where much more happiness exists and which I must strive to enter. My stepfather is not so much elevated, as he is only in the Fourth Sphere and does not yet know of this soul development to any great extent. His ambitions are still with him, and to him the mind is the greatest part of all the spirit's possessions. So you see that an Emperor's daughter does not even stand as good a chance for becoming a spirit of happiness as does the daughter of the poor burghers who know not ambition but whose life is spent in toil and in helping and sympathizing with others. How unfortunate to be a child of high position wherein only the material things of life are thought of and attempted to be obtained. No ambition for earthly things will help a spirit when the earthly things are no more to be obtained. My mother is with me and she is very happy, and for many years has been trying to induce her husband to give his thoughts to the things of the soul; but so far she has not succeeded, although he sees that she is such a beautiful and happy spirit. But all this love merely shows that the love for and ambition to obtain the material things of life are hard to get rid of and that something in the nature of a great calamity is necessary to awaken some spirits who have this love and ambition to a realization of not only the necessity but the desirability of seeking for the things of the higher spheres. I am now seeking for these things with all my energies and longings, and I am helped by many spirits of these higher spheres. I now know no difference between the prince and the peasant, and in fact I find that the peasant is as a general thing much superior to the prince in his soul progression and beauty and happiness. My friend, excuse my intrusion, but I have for several weeks seen other spirits writing to you and I so longed to do so, and as the opportunity presented itself tonight I took advantage of it and imposed on you. But to recompense you I will say that your discussions and your writings have done so very much to help me in my progress and bring happiness to me. So I will not detain you further, but will subscribe myself your friend and well-wisher. Helene October 28th, 1915 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, John: Yes, I want to tell you that the influences were not good, and some of these spirits came home with you and tried to write. But they have gone now, and I will write a while. I was present, and heard what the medium said to you and what she said was true, for the spirits that she described came to you and wanted to make known their presence. I did not know them, but I ascertained who they were, and the Sarah that the medium spoke of says that she was the Cousin Sally who wrote you some nights ago. The description of her funeral was correct, for she was buried in the little village where she lived and which you know the name of. She was attracted to you because of her having met you at the time of her writing, and she has been with you quite often since, so she says. I only know what she told me. The little child was not a relative, but a bright little spirit who was attracted to you and wanted to let you know that she was present. I do not know her name, but she was about four years old as you would say. She is here now and says that she wants to tell you that she came, because she saw that you must be good and love little children. She says her name is Rosebud, that she has no other name, and she died when she was only a few days old, and never had any name. So you see, the children love you and you can have no better sign of your love nature than that. I don't know who the James was as he left soon after the medium spoke of him. Now, all this is very pleasant for these spirits, but it does not do you any good, and I would advise that you do not attend that church very often. The mixture of spirits is so great that undesirable influences are present and necessarily affect your aura and the conditions that bring us in rapport. Of course, you may go occasionally, but if you want to go to church on Sunday night go to some of the churches where there is more of the Divine Love present. I mean some of the Protestant churches where you will listen to songs that have in them thoughts which ascend to the Father of Love, and where the preaching is such that the soul qualities will be appealed to. The spiritualist church has not much of the Divine Love in the hearts of its people, nor do the speakers say things or give out thoughts which tend to elevate the soul or satisfy its longings. I would like to write you a message tonight on the subject of these soul qualities, but there are others here who want to write and I must postpone my message on that subject. But I will say that without prayer to the Father and faith, there cannot be much progression in the development of the soul. If only men would understand this and offer their prayers to the Father instead of to the spirits and the unknown forces and friends who have recently passed to the spirit life, they would find a very different and wonderful result. I am with you very often, trying to help you both materially and spiritually, and you are progressing, and your worries will soon leave you. So only trust and believe. I will not write more tonight. Your brother in Christ, John October 28th, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am, Campbell. I am the founder of the Campbellites. Well, I have spelled it as it should be spelled. I know my followers are called Camellites, but that is not correct. But the name makes no difference, for I am the man, and these people are my followers. I merely want to say that when on earth I did not understand the plan of man's salvation, and I taught erroneous doctrines as to this matter, and I now see the great harm that I did, but, nevertheless, there was some good done also; for my people worshiped God as their Heavenly Father, and prayed to Him, and many of them received the ministration of the Holy Ghost. So I am grateful for what I taught, and also very sorry for the errors that I taught. I am now in the Celestial Heavens and know that Jesus is a spirit and not God, and that his great work is still going on. So when I say that I am a follower of Jesus, I mean that I follow his teachings and try to imitate his life here as on earth. I am a stranger to you but I felt that I must write to you, and so took this opportunity. So thanking you I am, Your brother in Christ, Alexander Campbell October 28th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, James: I will write only a few lines tonight, as conditions are not very good, for you are tired and have been working too much to permit us to make a very close rapport. I want to say that today I have been with you and my charge (Dr. Stone) a part of the time, and heard your conversation, and was pleased to hear your conversation, and was pleased to hear you both express yourselves so strongly with reference to the truths that you have received; and you will not be disappointed when the time comes for belief to become an experience. The truths are not to be refuted by any preaching or teachings, or any reference to the Bible, that are contrary to these truths. And I here declare to you that the only way to the Celestial Spheres is by the way of the New Birth, as it has been explained to you. I also desire to encourage the mortal to whom I have attached myself especially (Dr. Stone), and assure him that I am with him very often and impress him with thoughts that will make him realize more and more that only the truth that he has knowledge of will fit him for the work that is before him to perform, and that he must endeavor to increase his faith so that his beliefs will become things of real substance, for they are real, and when he gets in that condition and attempts his work, what will appear real to him will, in fact, be real, and so real that other mortals will know the benefits that arise from their reality. I will not write more now. So with my love, I will say good night. Your brother in Christ, James Apostle of Jesus October 29th, 1915 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Peter D. Buerly: I am the spirit of your old schoolboy days, Peter D. Buerly. I have been here several times when you were writing, and have been much interested in what I saw and heard, and when Cousin Sally came last night and wrote and recalled old times, I felt that I wanted to write also, so I am trying. As you may have heard, in the long years after we left school I became quite a dissipated man, given to drink and other things that I need not mention, and continued these habits up to the day of my death. I caused Nannie much unhappiness, and, in fact, almost broke her heart, for she was a mild, loving girl, and my treatment of her was such as to give her many weary and suffering hours of anguish. Oh, how I have repented for this since I came into the spirit world, and how I have suffered and undergone many, many years of darkness. But repentance was earnest, and I am commencing to see the light. And, besides, since she came over she has been with me and forgiven me all my harsh words and neglect and bad treatment of her. So you see, there is nothing in the world like the pure, forgiving love of a noble and sympathetic woman - and she was such. We do not live together for she is a much purer and elevated spirit than I am, but she comes to me and tries to cheer and encourage me with her love and beautiful words of promise. She is, she says, in the third sphere, where, she tells me, much happiness is; while I am in the earth plane yet, but in a much brighter condition than when I first came over. But, I want to express my surprise that you can receive communications from spirits as you do. I don't quite understand it. When on earth I never knew anything about such phenomena, and I have only recently heard of your being so close to us and so easy to communicate with. I wish that I could get with my Nannie, for there I know I would be so happy. Some of these spirits say that you can help the spirits in these lower planes, and if that is so I would like for you to help me. Well, I have looked, and I see a number of very beautiful spirits, but do not know any of them, and I wonder who they are. I have done so, and, I'll be damned, if there ain't Prof. Salyards. Why, what does it mean? Well, he has come to me and shaken my hand, and says that he is very glad to see me, and wants me to go with him. He has introduced me to a beautiful spirit, who, he says, is your wife. What beauty and love! You must be glad to have such a wife. I have told her, and she says she is so glad to meet me, and that she wants me to go with her after the Prof. has finished his conversation, and I am going with her. But, tell me, what does it all mean? I can't understand I must stop - goodnight, Peter D. Buerly October 30th, 1915. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Mother of Eugene Morgan (who is sitting opposite you): I heard him express the desire today that I would write to him, and I then determined that I would come with him to your room tonight and gratify his wish. Your band consents that I should write, and are helping me in the way of lending me their rapport, and hence I write so easily, as you may see. Tell him that I am so glad that he has commenced to awaken to the truths of spiritualism, and that if he will only continue his investigations he will not only ultimately believe in its truths, but will find the greatest satisfaction, and the longings of his soul will be realized. Many and many times have I been with him, hoping and praying that his mind would be opened to the truths which spiritualism teaches, and that as a result thereof his soul faculties would be opened to the greatest truths which affect his eternal happiness in not only this life but in the great life to come. I, as his mother, have prayed for all this, and now I thank God that I can see that my long-wished-for hope will likely be fulfilled. I am very happy, and am a Christian, as he knows I was when on earth; but I am not exactly the same kind of Christian. Then I believed in the doctrines of the church as to the ceremonies and formalities that were imposed upon me to follow and abide by, more than in the soul's real religion. Now I see that these formalities were nothing; that the true soul religion determines and brings to us the great happiness which the Father has provided for us. I will not leave him until he shall come to the spirit world; and I don't mean to say that that will be very soon, but no matter how long he may remain on earth I will stay with him and give him the great mother love which he never received in a very demonstrative way when I lived. But he is my boy and it seems to me that my love for him is without limit or extent. So he must believe that I am with him and in return think of me often and let his love for me flow to me sometimes, and try to feel that the love of his mother is responding to him. I am in the Fifth Sphere and am among the redeemed of the Father, with only the Divine Love in my soul; and if I could only tell him what this means, all his doubts would flee from him and he would thank God with all his heart that he had been awakened to some realization that there is such a thing as the future life, and a God, and a great overwhelming and all-pervading Love waiting for him to make him happy and to become one with the Father. His father is here, too, but he is not so much developed as am I, for he was not on earth a very serious believer in the things of the soul; but now, thank God, he has had his awakening and is trying to obtain that Love and to progress to the higher spheres and so, ultimately, be with me; for I must tell my son, notwithstanding the fact that he doubts or cannot exactly realize the existence or meaning of soulmates that his father and I are soulmates, and are more happy in our love than ever we were in earth life. And there is another thing that I want to tell him, and that is that he has a soulmate, too, and she is here, and lives in the same sphere with me. She wrote him a few nights ago, and while I see that he may doubt the reality of her existence here, yet I want to tell him with all the love and interest that his mother has in him, that she is a real existing being, with all the substance and reality that he can imagine a human sweetheart to have, whom he had never seen. Yes, his Clara is here, and is with him oftener than he can conceive of, and is loving him with a love that even his mother's love cannot compare with. Tell him that I will come again soon and write him, and more in detail, but tonight I am so full of love and so thankful that I can express it to him that I can scarcely think of anything else. Love, Love, Love is the burden of my message tonight and he must think and learn and know that his mother's love, his soulmate's love, and the Divine Love of the Father are the three greatest things in all God's universe, but in their reverse importance. I must stop, though it is hard to do so. I want to thank you for your kindness in receiving my message, and trust that you will continue to show my boy the way to a realization of the truth in this great and most important Truth of spiritualism. I will again tell him that I love him, and say good-night. Mother of Eugene Morgan October 30th, 1915. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I only wish to say that I am glad that the HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor644.htm" mother of your friend (Eugene Morgan) wrote to him tonight, because I have been interested in him for a little while past, and so much desire that he shall learn the truth. He is naturally a spiritual man, and the long years of his lonesome life have been filled with thoughts and ideas that did not tend to fit him for an entrance into the spirit world; and his awakening will be very beneficial to him and will result, as I see, in his seeking for the Divine Love of the Father and his salvation from error and acts that would only tend to keep him in a state of darkness, both in earth and in the spirit world. And when I say darkness, I mean it in the sense of the want of the proper understanding and experiences of the truths of what will make him a man of light as regards his soul perceptions in the earth life; and in the spirit world, both that kind of darkness and actual darkness, meaning an absence of light, for spirits who come to the spirit world undeveloped are not only in a condition of darkness, but in a place of darkness as well. His mother wrote him a beautiful and loving letter, and if he could have seen her while she was writing, he would be convinced that she was not only his mother, but a mother whose heart is overflowing with love for him. Although I am the Jesus whom many worship as God - but I am not - and although I am the most developed spirit in the Celestial Heavens, and have such powers as no other spirit has, yet to me each child of God is precious and the object of my love and care; and when I have the opportunity of coming in sensitive, positive contact with a mortal, as I have with him by reason of his being here with you and being in an atmosphere which enables us to communicate our desires and loves to that mortal, I do not think that, because of my exalted position as a spirit and child of the Father, I must not come to the mortal and let him know that I am interested in him and want him to seek the Divine Love of the Father. No mortal is so insignificant or so unimportant that I will not seek him as an individual and let him know that I am interested in him and that my love is with him, trying to bring him into reconciliation with the Father. So let your friend know that he has a brother and friend in Jesus, and that his happiness is the happiness of his brother. I write in this way tonight because I want to see this man a redeemed son of the Father, and a possessor of that Great Love that will make him happy on earth, and happier when he comes to the spirit world. To me, every mortal who is not in the fold of God's children is that one who went astray, and to find whom I left the ninety and nine. You, my dear brother, will understand this, and you can help your brother - and many brothers - to learn the great truths of their souls' salvation and their spiritual progression. I will not write more tonight, as you are tired, though you may not realize it. So, with my love and blessings, I am Your brother and friend, Jesus October 30th, 1915. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Helen. Well, my dear old Ned, what beautiful and wonderful messages you have received tonight. Mr. Morgan's mother wrote him a most motherly letter, and her whole soul was in her expressions of love to him. And then when the Master came and told of his great interest in and love for him, it was so astonishing and unusual that we had to look on in wonder and almost adoration. To think that the greatest spirit in all the Celestial Heavens, and he who is the best beloved son of the Father, should come and in such loving words tell your friend that he is the object of his interest and love. Well, Sweetheart, I will not write more tonight, as I see you are tired. Your true and loving Helen October 31st, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, St. Luke. I was with you at church and heard the sermon on the unpardonable sin, and was much interested in the way in which the preacher dealt with the subject. His discourse was very plausible, but it is not true. As Jesus has told you, there is no unpardonable sin, and all men in this life and in the life to come, have the opportunity to be saved from their sins and become at-one with the Father. The great danger in such a sermon as the one preached to night is, that men who have not become believers in Jesus as the Savior of the world, and I mean the expression in the sense that we have explained it to you, will think that after they have arrived at a certain age and find their souls show no inclination or desire to seek the way to God's Love or to a reconciliation with Him, they have committed the unpardonable sin, and hence there is no use for them to try to find the way to salvation. It is a damnable doctrine, and the preacher who announced it has incurred a dreadful and awful responsibility, for in the after life he will very likely meet spirits in a condition of darkness and stagnation of soul, who will tell him that because of his sermons they gave up all hope of salvation, and believe at the time they meet him just as they did on earth. And he, possibly, may see the errors of his wrong teachings: and then will come to him remorse and bitter recollections of these teachings and the great harm that they did to these darkened spirits. When men get to know the truth, as they will when the Master shall have delivered through you his messages, they will not have to run the risk of becoming bound and shackled by such false beliefs as the one of which I speak. But before that time, with so many preachers and especially those so called evangelists who strive to force men into the erroneous beliefs which they teach through fear of eternal damnation, many men will have formed these beliefs and will suffer the consequences which these false doctrines entail. I was sorry that someone could not have arisen in the church and resented his doctrine of the unpardonable sin, and told all the people that there is no such thing, but that the Father's Love is waiting for every one who may seek it, in great abundance and freely to be given, and that if men will only come to the Father in prayer and belief, that Love will be given them, and salvation and immortality will be theirs. The age of a man has nothing to do with his salvation; it is for the old as well as for the young, and no idea or suggestion of any unpardonable sin must be interposed to prevent any man from believing that the Great Love of the Father is waiting for him. So you see, with some truths preached by these orthodox ministers there is a great deal of error, and the effect of the latter is to prevent or undo any good which the truth may have otherwise been bestowed upon men. Well these great errors have been preached and worked their injury for many centuries now, and men will be hard to convince that they are not the true doctrines of Jesus, and that the claimed truths which they teach are not the only truths. I will not write more tonight. I will say with my love and blessings, I am, Your brother in Christ, St. Luke October 31st, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Latham. I was a preacher in the days of the Reformation, and died in England a martyr to my beliefs and preachings. I merely came to tell you that you must believe in HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/minor112.htm" what Luke wrote you as to the unpardonable sin, for I know that it is not true, for many men who on earth denied God and the Holy Spirit, have since coming into the spirit world found the Divine Love of the Father and salvation. I know it may not have been necessary for me to say this, yet I thought it best to do so, as I was a man and became a spirit long after Luke lived, and that which he said was the truth in my day, and is the truth now. I will not write more but will say goodnight. Your brother in Christ, Chas. Latham October 31st, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am St. Paul. Yes, I was trying to write my name, but was a little confused and stopped. Well I am all right now. I merely want to say that the unpardonable sin as taught by the preacher has no existence, and the preacher is wholly in error, for no soul is without the privilege of coming to the Father and obtaining His Love and mercy even in the spirit world. I am not in condition to write more tonight and neither are you, so we had better stop. Your brother in Christ, Paul November 1st, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your grandmother. I have been listening to your conversation tonight and am much pleased to see that you and your friend are growing in your conceptions of the truth. The matter of the unpardonable sin is one that is of the greatest importance to the world, especially in view of the fact, that so many of the orthodox ministers teach that it is a thing of real existence and is so dreadful in its consequences. But thanks to the Master, that teaching will not in the near future be permitted to go unchallenged, for the truth in this particular will be made so plain that men will cease to believe in it, and as a consequence will be relieved from a fear that has kept many a one from seeking the Love and favor of the Father. I know that this revelation of the truth will antagonize many of these preachers who see that it is one of the strongest instruments that enables them to keep together their organization. But this antagonism will not avail, for the truth will prevail, and mankind will, when they come to think for themselves, embrace this truth with gladness and joy. How strange that the professed ministers of Christ should so slander and blaspheme the one loving Father, and cause men to look upon Him as a God of insatiable wrath, and one who, because a man refuses to believe in the doctrines of the churches consigns him to eternal punishment and hell; and when he gets into such condition of hardness of heart that, as your preacher said, "even God Himself will have no power to save." Oh, it is pitiable, that such erroneous and harmful doctrines should be taught, and worse than all by professed ministers of the loving and lowly Jesus. So my son, you and your friend, whenever the opportunity comes to combat this monstrous teaching, do so with all your strength and power of conclusion and show and proclaim to the world that such teaching is not true, and that for every sinner there is opportunity for salvation, and that God Loves the man who will not believe on Him just as he Loves the believer, only the former may not partake of the Divine nature as does the latter. I wanted tonight to write this, because I thought that the time was opportune to impress upon you the falsity of this great dogma that has no foundation in truth or in the plan of God for the salvation of humanity. Well, I will not write more tonight as you have others present who may want to write, but before I close I want to say in fulfillment of John's statement to you today that he is present and with him is his great influence of love. So with all my love I bless you both. Your grandmother November 1st, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Napoleon. Yes, I am that man who did so much harm when on earth. I merely want to say that I have been told by my daughter of her experience a few nights ago, and I became much interested in the fact that HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor266.htm" she could write to you, and that other spirits could write; and I thought that I would try. I found, though, that you have around you a band of beautiful and powerful spirits and that I had to have their permission before I was permitted to write. But they kindly gave me permission and I am writing. I want to say that I am the ambitious man that I was on earth, but realize that I cannot take part in any of the movements or actions of men, as I am only a spirit; but I can associate with them and influence them into doing things and carrying out my ideas of what is necessary for France's good and glory. I frequently visit the headquarters of the generals of the Allies in this present conflict and I know their thoughts and give them, by impression, the benefit or otherwise of my thoughts. And in addition, I know what the plans of the Germans are. This war will last some time yet, but in the end the Allies will be successful, for I can see all the factors that are working together to bring about that result. Joffre is a competent man, and Kitchener is a good adjudicator; and when they unite their forces and enter upon the aggressive campaign with all the force and power which they have, the Germans will have to retreat, and victory will come to them. But, alas, I also see the great sacrifices that will have to be made; but France will become a glorious nation, and the lives that will be sacrificed will be well devoted to the glorious cause. The spirits are coming over in great numbers, but as I see things, they are exchanging an earth life for a spirit life merely, and the latter is the happier one. So what matters it that men die when a great nation can be saved, and the country for which I fought and suffered, and was exiled, shall become a glorious nation. A nation is only an aggregation of individuals, and the individual is not so important as the nation. The nation must be preserved even though the individual may die. But I have written enough and must stop. I am in the Fourth Sphere and my dear wife is in the Fifth. She is so much more beautiful and bright than I am. Well, I will think of what you said, but until this war is over with and the glory of France is established, I will not think of myself. I am a Frenchman more than a spirit, or rather than the inhabitant of a country that is not of so much importance as France. So thanking you, I will stop. I will come again sometime, and in the meantime I will assure you that you have my best and kindest regards. Napoleon, the first, and as a great Emperor, the last. November 1st, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Von Moltke. Let me tell you that I am a German and have heard what the little Corporal (Napoleon!) said, and that, while he was a great general when on earth, yet as a spirit general he is a failure, for his dear France will never see the glory that he predicts for her. She is at her best now, and when her armies commence that great advance that HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/historic17.htm" Napoleon speaks of, they will be met by the Germans and annihilated. I also visit the headquarters of the Allies and know their plans, and I know that Napoleon is there advising them; but he is behind the day of improvement in armament and guns and ammunition, and he is also behind the times in his advice. He has found his Waterloo, and never again will he rise to become the great leader of armies. But strange to say, he thinks that he is the same wise, sagacious and tactical general that he was on earth. But he will find his mistake. The Germans will surely be victorious in this great war, and the French will sue for peace, and with them their Allies as well. It is no use for me to write further on this matter, because I could only repeat what I have said; but you, my friend, put into your memory and at the end of the war call forth this prediction: The Germans will become the victors. Your friend, Von Moltke (The old strategist of the German armies when France fell.) November 1st, 1915 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Lar - - - - -. I am here, John the Baptist. Well, the spirit who tried to write could not remember his name, and he has gone into the higher sphere to recover his recollections. He was not a very good spirit, nor yet one in much darkness. He has returned and says his name is Larkin, and that he knew you on earth. I will let him write, for he is so anxious. Well, I am sorry that I disarranged things, but really I could not remember my name until I went to the Fourth Sphere, where I live, and recovered my composure. This is my first appearance in your atmosphere and I was somewhat confused. I merely want to say that I am a believer now in the future state; in fact, I know that I am alive even though I died when on earth. Well, it only goes to show that we can so easily be mistaken in what we think we know as a result of what we call reason. I am very happy, but not so happy as my wife who is in the Fifth Sphere, as she tells me. I have never yet been able to accept her beliefs in the New Birth, although I see the result of something in her condition which she claims to be the New Birth. But I can't believe in it, and I am enjoying myself in the society of those who are happy in the exercise of their intellectual faculties only. I will not write more, so thanking you, I will say good night. November 1st, 1915. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Helen. You must go to bed and get up earlier in the morning, for you may lose business by not doing so. I will not write much, but only say that your communications tonight were interesting, if not convincing, as to whether the Allies or Germans will win. HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/historic17.htm" Napoleon and HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/historic16.htm" Von Moltke were both present, and they did not look as if they had much love for each other. I will not tell you of my love tonight, as it is too late, but I love you, and I love my children and have been with them today. Harry is very happy and so is his wife. Edward is as usual, I don't think very happy - how sad! Nita is happy too; she is getting on all right, and as soon as you get some money for her she will be very contented. So you see, I remembered what you said last night, and I feel better by having visited them today. Oh, my darling, do not think that I do not love them, for I do and that with all my mother's soul. But of course, not as I do you. So go to bed and trust in God, and believe in the Master, for he will do as he promised. Good night, my dear old Ned. Your own true and loving Helen November 2nd, 1915 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, St. Matthew. I have not written you for a long time, and I desire to say a few words on matters pertaining to the soul and its relationship to God and future life and immortality. The soul is an image of the Great Soul of the Father, and partakes of features like this Great Soul, except that it does not necessarily have it in the Divine Love which makes the soul of a mortal or spirit a partaker of Divinity. The soul may exist in man and spirit in all receptive qualities and yet never have the Divine Essence to fill it, which is necessary in order to make man or spirit a new creature, that is the subject of the New Birth. Only that mortal or spirit who has received this Divine Love of the Father can be said to be Immortal, all others may live or they may not. It has not yet been revealed to us whether the life or existence of these spirits who have not the conscious knowledge of Immortality will continue to live through all eternity but if they do it will be because God so wills that they shall live. But their existence will be subject to change and if such change should take place, only God knows what its character will be. While on the contrary, the soul that has acquired Immortality can never die, its status as to a life through all eternity is fixed, and even God himself cannot destroy that existence because it is the possessor of that Divinity which makes God Immortal. "The soul that sinneth, sinning it shall die," means that the qualities which it is necessary for it to obtain to make it a part of immortality can never come to it, and hence as regards these qualities it is dying and dead. The soul itself will live, for no spirit could possibly have an existence without a soul, and when men attempt to teach that when the spirit of life leaves the body the soul dies, such men do not state a truth. The soul will live as long as the spirit existence continues, and until the great change, should there be one, comes to that spirit. So all men must believe, that the soul which God gave to man is just as much a part of man as is the spiritual or physical body. The soul is the highest part of man, and is the only part, that in any way resembles the Great Father, who is not body or spirit-body in form but is Soul, and the man's soul, as I have said, is an image of that Great Soul. So you see, that when we speak of destroying the soul it does not mean that the soul which belongs to every spirit will be destroyed, but that the essence of the soul, or rather the potentiality of that soul receiving the Divine Love and Nature of the Father will be destroyed. Of course, the soul can be starved and placed in a condition of stagnation so that all its receptive powers will be, as it were, dead, and only some great miracle or unusual ministration can awaken it, but to say that the soul ever dies is erroneous. In saying this I do not include the possibility of some great change in the spirit of mortal by which such spirit may be destroyed, and in such case the soul will cease to exist as an individualized soul or entity. I do not know what would be the destiny of a soul in such event and, hence, can't prophesy, but, unless there be such great change, the soul will live, but not as an immortal soul possessing the Essence of Divinity, unless it has experienced the New Birth. God, the Great Oversoul, may not recall to Himself the soul of any man in the sense of depriving that man of his soul, but His relation to that soul will be merely that of Creator and created, subject always to the Will of the Creator, whereas, the relationship of God towards the soul that has received the New Birth and hence the Divine Nature, is not only of a Creator and created, but also that of a co-equal so far as this Great Quality of Immortality is concerned. The soul of man then becomes self-existing and not depending upon God for its continuance to exist. This, I know, is a subject not easy for mortal mind to understand, but when you shall have received the soul perceptions in addition to your natural mind, it will not be so difficult to grasp the exact meaning of my propositions. I will not write more to-night. I am your brother in Christ, St. Matthew November 2nd, 1915 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. The First Christian Gentile Let me say just a word as to the soul. I have heard HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/bible36.htm" what Matthew said, and it seems to me that he did not describe what the soul is as clearly as desirable. My conception of the soul is, that it is that part of the existence of man which determines for him what his destiny shall be. It is the real thinking, willing and conscious part of man. The intellect of man may die - this may seem unreal, but it is true - and man cease to exist as a conscious thing - I mean if the intellect was the only faculty that he possesses to make him conscious of his existence. The soul, so far as we know, can never die, and it has as its qualities and elements, all the perceptions and reasoning powers that the intellect has and many more. The soul is the only faculty or part of man that performs the mission, of knowing, and reasoning and determining, after man has passed into the seventh sphere, and consequently, unless these soul qualities or perceptions are developed, by obtaining into the soul the Divine love, a man or spirit cannot get into the seventh sphere, for he would be wholly unable to live there and understand or do anything in that sphere. The soul needs no instructions from the mere physical senses because those senses are not suitable to be used in the operations of the soul's faculties, and hence a man who never cultivates these soul senses, as I will say, is not capable of understanding the higher spiritual things of the Celestial Spheres. I will not write more to-night, but will come again. Your brother in Christ, St. Cornelius November 2nd, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Semiramis. I was a Greek maiden, and I only wish to say that I desire to tell you that I am a Christian, and live in the Celestial Heavens where the Master is forming his New Jerusalem. I was on earth a pagan, as I was called, and believed in the philosophy of the Greeks and also of the Egyptians, who had written many works dealing with the soul and its destiny. I then believed in the immortality of the soul and the Elysian Fields for those spirits who should obey the gods, and do those things which caused the soul to seek the higher planes of truth and happiness. But after I became a spirit and met some of the beautiful Christian spirits, I had an awakening and I became convinced of the truths of Christianity, and the wonderful plans of God for the salvation of mankind. So I merely wanted to say this and to write, and your band permitted me to do so. I will not detain you longer, but must stop, and will say that I am Your sister in Christ, Semiramis November 3rd, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Saelish. I was, when on earth, an inhabitant of the great Empire of Assyria of which Nineveh was the capital. I was not a king but was one of a great king's magicians or wise men, and when I lived was a man of great influence and power in the kingdom. I came tonight to tell you a great truth in connection with the soul. As you may infer, when I lived we knew nothing of the one and only God, but we worshipped many gods, great and little, and believed that these gods could help or harm us, just as we deserved their help or their injurious workings. And so our many gods sometimes came in conflict in their treatment of us poor mortals, so that we at times hardly knew whether our gods were our friends or our enemies. Of course, the help that we sought for was all of a material nature, for never did we think of help in the way of preparing us for a future life; that, we supposed, was only for those of us who by our great achievement in battle or in intellectual pursuits would, upon death, become gods ourselves. The poor, ordinary mortals were only intended to live the mortal life, at least during the incarnation that they then had, and their expectations were that perhaps in some future incarnation, they might have the opportunity and the favors of the unknown gods, so that they might become gods themselves. This was the substance of the beliefs and hopes of the Assyrians at that time - and many millions died in that belief and are now inhabitants of the several planes of certain spheres of the spirit world. None of them has ever returned for a new incarnation and thereby start on their way to become gods, and this for the reason which is sufficient to satisfy them when they became spirits, sooner or later: those men who they supposed had become gods when they died, were in the spirit world spirits themselves, and not gods at all (sic). So you see that the soul, when once it leaves the physical body, never returns again to any physical body, but continues in the spirit world to exist as a soul with a body of spirit form and substance; and no spirit has ever experienced the sensation of becoming reincarnated. And this is the truth that I wished to tell you; that the soul, when once it leaves the physical body, never again finds its habitation in another or the same physical body, but forever thereafter occupies the spirit body, and that in the spirit world only. When a mortal dies, earth, so far as being the home of that mortal again in earthly body, becomes a thing of the past - it is a mere way station which has been left behind, and will never again appear as a stopping place on the spirit's line of progression. I thought it might do good for me to write this tonight, for it is the information from a spirit who long years ago lived on earth and believed in this doctrine of reincarnation, and who during all the long years of its spirit life has learned and experienced the truth, that reincarnation is a fable and has no real existence. No, the soul never retraces its steps or its method of existence, for it never goes back from the spirit to mortal. I know that on the earth today there are thousands of mortals who believe in this doctrine of reincarnation, and many thousands more have died in that belief, but they live and die in that belief, and only when the truth comes to them, do they realize that their belief was an erroneous one, and that they will never reach Nirvana by retracing their course of life through the physical body. The soul never dies, but always lives, and whenever its position is such as to justify progression, it progresses. I live in the sixth sphere, and am considered to be a very exalted spirit in my intellectual acquirements and in my condition of freedom from sin and errors which belonged to me on earth, and which belongs to every mortal. My happiness is very great, and my home and surroundings are beautiful. This sphere is a wonderful place, not only because of the surroundings and homes of the inhabitants, but because of the great mental and moral development of those who live in that sphere. No spirit who has not that development can live in this sphere because of its unfitness. Male and female spirits enjoy this wonderful development and their intercourse in the intellectual things that exist in this sphere is free and frequent, and the interchange of thoughts brings much happiness and satisfaction. We don't know of any spheres beyond the sixth, although we have heard it rumored that there are other spheres, but we give little credence to these rumors, because none of us, I mean the inhabitants of this sphere, has ever found a higher one, and many of us live in the highest planes of this sphere. No, I have nothing else to write tonight. Well, I, of course, can't say that is not true, but I do say that you astonish me beyond all belief, for I cannot imagine that any spirit can make higher progress than we have made. Well, what you tell me surprises me and I would like to investigate and discover the truth of this matter. But I don't know how to commence such investigation or where to start. Is it possible that you can show me the way in which I can commence this investigation? I have done as you suggested and I do see some wonderfully beautiful spirits, and they seem to be so very happy, too, and interested in you. One says she is your grandmother, and she seems to excel the others in her beauty and brightness. She says she is very willing to start me in my investigation, and herself to tell me the great secret of the great progression that you speak of, and if I will accompany her she will commence at once. And while I write, there comes another beautiful spirit and says that she formerly lived in the sixth sphere, and lived there many thousands of years before I lived on earth. She says that she was an Egyptian and that her name was Saleeba and that now she is an inhabitant of the third sphere, in order to prepare herself for the great progression that she will make to spheres high above the sixth, and tells me that after I have conversed with your grandmother she will be pleased to talk to me and tell me her experience. I will be with her, you may rest assured. All this is so wonderful to me that I hardly know what to think or do. But I will try to find the truth of it, if it can be found. So, as I have written you a long time, expecting to enlighten you and not be enlightened myself, and am now so anxious for that enlightenment, I will say that I am glad I came to you, and Goodnight. Saelish November 4th, 1915 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Leekesi. I was a man who lived in the time of the destruction of Ninevah and was an Assyrian official; but I am not mentioned in history, for my time was short, though in it occurred some of the most important acts of the whole history of that land. I was not a believer in the God of the Hebrews, though in my time I had heard of that God, and many Jews lived in my domain; yet I would not let them worship that God or in any way teach my people the religion of the Jews. Our gods were many and were worshipped by the inhabitants of the nation in accordance with what might be the desires of these people, and when the gods answered the prayers of the people they were thought to be good and true, but when the answers did not come, the gods were false, and new gods were made and worshipped according as they answered the people's prayers or not. So you see that our gods were the creatures of men and not men the creatures of the gods. But, notwithstanding this false idea, as I now see, of God, there were men of deep insight into the matters pertaining to the spiritual world, who did not make and worship the gods that I have spoken of, but who were able to look beyond these material things and discover that there was such a thing as a higher condition of the afterlife, in which the souls of man could find happiness and knowledge of the existence of a real and mighty power that would bring them into a state of existence where men would realize the higher life of the soul's predominance. These men were not numerous and did not associate with the inhabitants to any extent, but lived to themselves and evolved certain philosophies which satisfied them of truths which our common beliefs did not comprehend. These men also taught these truths, but not very generally, and only to those who might become their followers. In my time we had what you would call churches and priests and officials of high position in the religious organization, and feasts and ceremonies and sacrifices, and these powerful ecclesiastics were very jealous and intolerant of anything which interfered with, or in any manner controlled, their religious teachings or the power which they exercised over the people, and the government of the kingdom as well. And consequently, these philosophers that I speak of were not permitted to disseminate their speculations or philosophies among the masses, and were compelled to write their doctrines or teachings in a language which the common people could not understand. This was the condition of the religious part of my kingdom at the time of its destruction, and many of my people who survived this destruction and who were scattered into other countries took with them these beliefs in the multiplicity of gods, and worshipped as before their dispersion. In time these beliefs commenced to permeate the beliefs of the people among whom they lived, until the belief in many gods became the general belief of many other nations. You will find in history that many nations which became great after the fall of my kingdom, such as Greece and Rome and others, continued the belief in a multiplicity of gods. But not until the spreading and adoption of Christianity by them did the belief in the one true God become the established and universal belief of these nations and of the people thereof. Man made the gods and worshipped them, until the great Master came and proclaimed the truth of the one and only existing Father. Of course, an exception must be made in the statement in favor of the Jews, because they had only one God; but even they had different names for their God, which were applicable and used in accordance with the qualities that they ascribed to Him. It was only after Jesus came did that one God with many names of the Jews become our Father - the God of Love and Salvation. From all of this you may suppose that I am a Christian. Well, I am, and I live in the Celestial Spheres; for I must tell you that I became converted to the truths of the teachings of Jesus many years ago, and my progression in the development of my soul has been such that I am now in the Celestial Spheres. I merely wanted to write this to show you that man has been a maker of gods for so many years that they cannot be numbered; and that it was only when the great truths came with the coming of Jesus that the real existing God and all His attributes were revealed to mankind. Yes, I know, many of the people who lived in my time, and long since, have never learned the truth of the soul development, and live in the happiness which has come to them with the progress of their intellects. But many of them have also been brought into the Light and Truth. I will not write more, but will say, Good night, Leekesi November 7th, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Gregory. I was the great pope of Rome who did so much to establish the Romish Church on a firm basis, and to extend its powers and influence throughout the world. It has been many years since that time and I have had many experiences in the spirit world. I first suffered and lived in darkness, and then got into the light of the spheres where the mind is supreme, and progressed in those spheres until I found that the happiness which came to me from my associations and pursuits there was not sufficient to satisfy the cravings of my soul; for I had learned in life that there was a God of love, and although I had never found that God, yet these recollections of what I had in an intellectual way learned came to me, and I was not satisfied with the happiness of the intellectual spheres, and, as a consequence, I sought the spirits who I knew were possessed of the love of God, and besought them to teach me the way to that Love, and after a long time I became the possessor of that Love and started on my road of progression to the Celestial spheres, where I now live. If I had only known on earth what soul religion meant and not given all my thoughts to the politics of the Church and to extending its powers and jurisdiction, I would have avoided many long years of suffering and darkness. So you see, there is only one way to the Heavenly Home and the happiness which belongs to the Father's Kingdom which the Master is working so hard to establish, and that through the teachings of the Master, which, if understood and followed, ensures the seeker of that Divine Love which makes all spirits inhabitants of the Heavenly Kingdom and gives them a Celestial happiness. I don't find that the Church has improved much since my time, and many popes and priests are now going through experiences similar to the ones that I passed through. And many believers in the dogmas of the Catholic Church find that these beliefs are not helping them, but rather retarding them in their souls' progression. I could write a long letter on this subject, but have not time tonight. I thank you for receiving my message and would like to come again, if agreeable. Your friend and brother in Christ, Gregory, the Pope November 7th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, John Critcher: You must remember me, for I had my office in the same building with you when I practiced law. Well, I am in a condition that gives me considerable happiness, and yet I am not in that state of happiness which I expected to have when I was on earth. As you know, I was an Episcopalian and tried to observe strictly the doctrines and formalities of my church, and expected when I died to go to heaven and find rest and nothing to make me unhappy. But I was mistaken in this, and I found myself in the earth plane of the spirit world, and had to undergo some suffering and darkness, and did not find the heavenly rest that I expected. But I have progressed since I came over, and am now happier and in more light. I was passing, when I saw the light that comes from your room, and looked in and saw you, and asked permission to write, and your band consented and so I am writing. No, thank you, only sometimes you can give me a kind thought and good wish. So thanking you, I am Your friend, John Critcher November 7th, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: Dear old Ned, of course when you call me I must come. I see you are tired and I will not write much. I was with you at the church and the medium saw the spirits she described, for they were present. The Sarah was Cousin Sally, as you call her, and she showed the medium her funeral at the little town where she lived. The child was a stranger, but seemed to be attracted to you, and wanted to talk and tell you something. She was very young and very lovely. Her name was Rosebud, and she was a bud, because when she came to the spirit world she was only a few days old. We have all petted and loved her since she came to you, and I expect that she will be with you often for she seems to be drawn to you. The James was a spirit that I never knew, but he says he was your uncle, your father's brother, and that he was anxious to make his presence known to you. He is not a very bright nor yet a very dark spirit. Well, you must remember that the band of attraction between your father and him has died, for they are in altogether different spheres, and, as I have told you before, that fact that spirits were related on earth does not bind them together in the spirit world. When a spirit first comes into the spirit world, the relatives, unless they live in a very high sphere, generally meets it, but after a little time that attraction ceases and they seldom meet and so it is that I never met your uncle. Of course your father knows many spirits here that I don't know. So you see, the spirit world in that particular is not very different from the earth world. You have cousins whom you have never met and do not know the existence of, and so we spirits here have many relatives that we never see or know. I know this may seem strange, but it is a fact. I will write a long letter soon, but I must stop now. You are tired. So with all my love, I am Your own true and loving, Helen November 8th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, St. Chrysostom: Yes, I merely want to say that I am one of your helpers in the work which you have before you to do, and will help you with all my power. I know that many spirits will help you and that a wonderful power will be exerted by the spirits work, and especially by the celestial spirits, to make successful the work of your mission, and that there can hardly be a failure; but, nevertheless, I want to have some of my writings to from a part of the book that you may publish. Not for any self glory, but because I believe that way truth will work good to those who may read them, and besides the individual who does the writing may have an influence with some that another individual might not have. I will not write longer tonight, but will soon come to you and write a long message on an important truth. So, thanking you for your kindness, I am Your brother in Christ, St. Chrysostom November 8th, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus: I want to tell you tonight that I am very much interested in the way in which you are doing your work among your acquaintances in the matter of bringing them to a realization of the truths of spiritualism, and the importance of believing in the truths which are communicated to you. I refer more particularly to the two instances in which persons who had determined to commit suicide have abandoned that idea and now realize that it would be a most grievous sin to take their lives. I heard what was said today by Mr. Morgan in reference to the young lady who had contemplated such an act. But, for your encouragement I must tell you that the good that you are doing the darkened spirits in the method that you have adopted is beyond any conception that you may have, and beyond the powers of your spirit friends to inform you. If all this is an indication of what good my messages will do when you shall have received and disseminated them to the world, then I know that success will attend your efforts, and the truths of my Father will quickly spread and be believed. So you see the necessity for doing this work with all possible speed. I will write a message very soon. I am with you a great deal and am trying to help you in every way. So with my love and blessings I will say good-night. Your friend and brother Jesus November 9th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C., Moses, the Prophet of God of Ancient Days. I have been with you on several occasions when some of the ancient spirits wrote you, and I was much interested. I am still the faithful servant of God, but in addition, a believer in Jesus, who is the greatest of all the sons of the Father, and the only one of all God's messengers who brought to light, life and immortality. I could not have said this before his coming. I mean that I could not have said that other great reformers and teachers of the truths of God had not done this, because I did not know before the coming of Jesus what life and immortality meant - and no man or spirit before that time knew this great truth. I am now in the Celestial Heavens with many of the old prophets and seers who have received this great gift of the Divine Love, and many who lived and died since Jesus' time are also Celestial spirits - partaking of immortality. I now see that many of my teachings were not true - that love did not enter into them, but rather the spirit of retaliation which is absolutely no part of the truths of the Father. The Jews still look upon me as their great teacher and law-giver, and many of them observe literally my laws. And I want to tell you this fact, because I believe that when you publish the messages of the Master, should you publish also what I may write, many Jews will believe me, and that I and many of those who taught my teachings, are now engaged in showing the spirits of Jews who come into the spirit world the truths as taught by the Master. The Jewish nation is the most strict of all people in their beliefs in and observations of their religious doctrines as set forth in the Old Testament; and, hence, will be among the last of all men to accept the truths which I now understand and teach. But I hope that something which I may communicate to you will cause them to think and become believers and observers of this New Revelation of the Truth. They have fought and suffered for their religion in all these centuries and are still doing so, and the one great thing that more than any other, has prevented them from accepting the teachings of Jesus and believing in his mission to mankind, is that his followers, or those who attempted to write his teachings, and those who interpreted the same, declare and maintain that Jesus is God - that the true God was three instead of one, as I in the decalogue declared. this has been the great stumbling block to the Jews, and when they read, as they may, that Jesus himself declares and proclaims that he is not God but only his son, and that they are also his sons, they will look upon his teachings with more tolerance, and many of them will be inclined to accept his Truths and the Truths of the Father; and Judaism in its religious aspect will gradually disappear, and the Jews will become a part of the one great religious brotherhood of men, and as in our Celestial Heavens, there will be on earth no more Jew and no more Gentile, but all will become one in their belief in the Father and the mission of Jesus. He will be accepted as the Messiah not only of the Jew but of the whole world, and then God's Chosen People will not be a very small minority of God's children, but the whole world will be his Chosen People. I am so interested in this phase of the Great Truths that shall be given to and accepted by men, because I was more than any other man responsible for the present beliefs of the Jews, which causes them to hold themselves separate and apart from all the rest of mankind as the chosen and specially selected of God's people. I will not write more to-night, but I feel that I must ask you to permit me to write again, as I have a mission to perform on earth to undo a work which I so effectively performed when I was the leader of my people. As Jesus is teaching and will teach all mankind the way to the Father and immortality, I must teach my people the way to get rid of these erroneous and false beliefs which are contained in the Old Testament. So thanking you, I will say, good-night. Moses the lawgiver of the Jews. HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/contemporary/fab93.htm" A more recent comment on this message has been received from Moses. November 11th, 1915. Received: by James Padgett. Washington D.C. Let me be the one to tell you of the truth of what you want to know. I am one of the first of the great philosophers of ancient Greece, and was known as Plato. I was a disciple of Socrates and a teacher of his philosophy, with additions. He was not only a great philosopher but the nicest and best man of his time. His teachings of immortality were then far in advance of those of any teacher, and no man has since surpassed him in his conception of the soul's destiny or its qualities, except the great Master, who knew and brought to light the great truth of immortality. Socrates and I are both followers of the Master and inhabitants of his Heavenly Spheres where only those who have received the Divine Love of the Father can live. As I followed Socrates on earth, I so I followed him in the knowledge of the New Birth, and in the possession of the Great Love which brought to us Immortality. I cannot say much more to-night as you are too tired to receive any thoughts, but sometime I will come and write you of this great truth, and how far short my philosophy was in its attempts to teach immortality. I see that you have received many messages from the spirits who are higher than I, and who know more about these Divine Truths but, yet, I think that my experiences in regard to the teachings of this great subject may do some good. I will not write more, but will say good-night. Your brother in Christ, Plato November 11th, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Your father: I have been much interested in your conversation tonight, and I see that your two friends are firm believers in spiritualism and in the communications while you receive from the spirits who profess to write. Of course Dr. Stone who is a believer of some years standing has no doubt whatever; but Mr. Morgan, having so recently embraced this belief, is at times a little skeptical, and this is natural; but his belief will grow, and we firmly believe, as do you, in the near future, and he will be a great help to you and to the cause. He is now undergoing that change in his ideas of life here and on earth, that he will soon realize the truths as we shall teach them to you. I want to say a word in reference to the message which you received from your friend, Mr. L. He is a spirit in a very dark and depraved condition and shows upon his spirit countenance the results of his dissipated life on earth. His soul has very little development, and his mind is in such a condition that he will require much discipline through suffering, before he will commence to see the light, and comprehend that the truths of God are eternal and never change, and that he must accept these truths before he can progress much. He was so anxious to write to you, and expressed his desires in such a pitiable way, that we thought it would do him good to permit him to write, and he did. Mr. Riddle has talked to him and endeavored to show him the way to light and relief, but at this time he is not in condition to receive or understand these truths, and he has gone back to his dark and dreary condition and his hell, as he calls it. We will not desert him, though, but will continue to use our influence and love to help him, and in course of time, he will realize that he must ask help from the Father, and then he will receive it. He is not of a very reverent turn of mind, and his ideas of earth are with him still, and will remain with him until he becomes persuaded that there is only one thing that will take him out of his darkness and suffering. There is another thing that I wish to tell you, and that is that he is still visiting the barrooms, which he so frequently visited when he was on earth, and is drinking his whiskey and other accursed drinks as he thinks. The attraction of this stuff and these places is holding him fast to this manner of living. So you see his life here is not much different from what it was on earth, only he is not able of himself to indulge in these appetites, but must use the appetites and organs of some of his late earth friends to satisfy his appetite. This, of course, is a matter of imagination, but to him it is as real as was his drinking on earth, and for the time being, causes him to believe that he is actually satisfying his cravings. But while he is not doing so, he is working: injury to some mortals whom you know, in that he is causing them to drink more than they otherwise would. Oh, the curse of habits and evil appetites once acquired and never gotten rid of. So his only salvation now is for him to have some great awakening as to his true condition, and then his reform may commence, but until then it is almost hopeless to try to help him. I will not write more of him tonight, but say that we will not permit him to write again until he gets into a better condition. We are all very happy and are with you a great deal, loving you and trying to help you. You must not let your worries possess you so much for they do you harm. Yes, I know that it is difficult not to worry under such circumstances, but soon you will not have cause to worry as we have told you. Well, you may lose faith and we can hardly blame you, but the relief will come just the same. I will not write more tonight. Your loving Father, John H. Padgett November 11th, 1915. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Mother of Eugene Morgan I am his mother, and must say one word before you stop writing. I have been with him today and saw his condition of mind in reference to his friend who has just come into the spirit world and want to assure him that she is now in a much better condition than he may think. I have been with her (Jenny Lawson) ever since she came over and in fact I was waiting at the portals of this spirit world when she ceased to be a mortal and took her in my arms and comforted her and told her that there was nothing to fear and that she was with friends who loved her and would help her. She did not seem to be much confused because when we whom she knew to be dead as she thought came to her in our familiar forms and with our voices so natural that she could recognize us she thought of what my boy had told her of - spirit life - and the result was that she believed that we were whom we said we were and as a consequence she seemed to lose all fear or dread and to come into a condition of security just as if she were visiting me while on earth. But she is not very spiritual in ideas of the real truth of things of the soul for I see that her beliefs of earth are with her and that the poverty of her soul development causes her to experience darkness and soon she will have some sufferings but she will not remain in darkness very long for her mind will soon open to our thoughts of truth and her soul to the influence of our love. And I want to tell my son this, that he may remember it and apply the principle in his contact with others of earth, that the one little seed of truth which he caused to find a lodgment in her soul helped her more than I can tell him in her realizing the exact condition of her being when she came to us. We are all very happy and thankful that love is doing its work in the soul of my boy. His father is with him quite often and he says that some days ago he heard you suggest to him that HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor188.htm" he should have a spirit band to help and protect him and his father will form that band and soon tell him who is with him. I have written long and taken your time and I thank you for your kindness and will show my appreciation by trying to help you as well as my son. So believe that I am your friend and that I love you with a love that is that of a sister. Give my love to my boy and tell him to think of his mother and believe that she is with him trying to help him with her love and influence. So again thanking you I will say goodnight. Mother of Eugene Morgan November 13th, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: Yes, I was there and enjoyed the show. The pictures contain a very important truth that all women should understand and appreciate, for so many refuse to become mothers and perform the duties that God intends them to perform. I have no doubt that the pictures will have a good effect on many of them, and make them think before resorting to that means of getting rid of the unborn babies. In my investigation of the subject of babies who have come to the spirit world as a result of abortion, I do not find that they ever go back to their earth mothers for any purpose whatever. There are spirits who are specially designated to take care of babies, and in cases where the natural mothers have succeeded in cutting short the lives of these babies, these spirits who have charge of these babies in the spirit world never permit these babies to come in contact with their unnatural mothers or visit them. And this because the mother's love is not there to receive these poor little waifs; and where there is no mother's love there is no attraction existing, that will cause the return of the babies when they have once left their mothers. But in the case of babies who prematurely die, or of those who die very young, these babies do return to their mothers under the guidance of their guardian spirits and receive from their mothers their love and feelings which are going forth to these babies. The law of attraction operates here as well as in other matters and this is the law in reference to babies who die early. When there is existing a mother's love, the baby will return and receive this love and help from coming in contact with such mother. But when there is no mother's love there is no attraction, and the baby may never know its mother. In many cases, the baby, before the mother comes to the spirit world, finds other attractions, and hence there is no feeling of love or sympathy between the baby and its mother. It frequently happens that when the mother comes into the spirit world, she finds the spirit of the unborn baby, and in a way has a uniting, but rarely is this love strong enough to keep them together, the law of attraction separates them and then each goes his own way. I will not write more. Your own true and loving, Helen November 14th, 1915. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, William Stone: I am the father of the Doctor and I want to tell him that I am with him very often trying to help him, and make his material affairs become more successful. I am also with him in his soul aspirations, for I can see that he is more in the way to learn the truth of the life in the spirit world, and of the destiny of mortals after they become spirits. So if he will at times give me a loving anxious thought I will be able to come into closer rapport with him and impress him more consciously as to what I think is wise for him to do or not do. He may be surprised that I am here, but I have been present on several occasions, when his soulmate and his mother and your wife have written to him, and have observed the effect upon him of the communications as given and received. While his soulmate is with him so very much, and is closer to him than any of us, yet his mother and I have a great interest in him and love him very much. I am his guardian angel and have looked after him ever since I entered the spirit world and became imposed with the duty of looking after him. I only wish to tell him this tonight. I am very happy and am in the fifth sphere and expect to soon get into the seventh sphere where his mother is, but I am afraid that before I do so, she will leave for the Celestial and so I will have to strive again to reach her. I have nothing further now to say tonight. Well, his brother is in the condition that his mother told him, and is suffering a great deal, but he will soon see the light and get relief. Some of your band who seem to love his mother so much are working with him, and he seems to be interested in them, and believe that they are really trying to help him. I would prefer if he wait until I come again as this is my first attempt at writing, and I want to be in condition to answer any question that he may ask without confusion. So tell him that I will come again and will be willing to answer his questions. So, bidding you goodnight, I will leave you both my love and best wishes. His Father, William Stone (My father in Celestial 1920) November 19th, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: I signaled you, and wanted merely to say that I have been reading with you the pamphlet, and want to tell you that it is not true. It is all wrong and misleading and will never save a soul from sin. The writer is so filled with the idea that God commanded the observance of the seventh day as the Sabbath, that he, the writer, can see nothing in all the Bible that is of such great importance as the keeping of the Sabbath. The Sabbath, as a religious institution is not of more importance than any other day, and the man who believes that by observing this Sabbath day can reach that condition of soul development which will fit him for an entrance into the divine kingdom will, when he comes to the spirit world, find himself much disappointed. The keeping of this day as these people teach, or of any other day, will not develop their soul qualities or make them one with the Father, or even give them a great development of the natural love, for the doing or refraining to do those things which the commandment, which is the basis of their belief, directs to be done or not done, will only benefit them if they will try to get into attunement with the soul requirements which are necessary in order to become partakers of the Divine Love. So do not let the thoughts or argument of this pamphlet influence you in any way as regards the essentials to a correct understanding of the plans of God for the salvation of mankind. As Jesus has told you, he will not come to earth with a shout surrounded by his angels, and catch up into the heavens these Adventists, or any other human beings, but he will come and is now coming into the souls of men, through his teachings the workings of the Holy Spirit and in no other way. He is not the God of wrath and judgment that they teach, but merely the true son of his Father, and comes to all men in love and sympathy, and with the great desire that men shall turn away from their evil thoughts and seek the Love and Mercy of the Father. I felt that I wanted to write you this, as I realize what great errors are contained in that pamphlet, and men may be lead to believe these errors. While you may read such literature do not let it for one moment cause you to turn your thoughts away from the pure and true teachings of the Master, for if you, or any other man, should base your salvation on what is taught in such writings, you will be deceived, and when you come to the spirit world you will be greatly disappointed in not finding what such writings may lead you to expect. I must not write more now, as you are not in condition to write further. Your own true and loving, Helen November 21st, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Your old Professor Salyards. I merely want to say that I am very happy, and want you to know that I am progressing in my condition of soul development and in my knowledge of the truths that pertain to the spirit world. I have not written you for a long time, and would like to tell you of certain truths that I have learned since last I wrote you. Well, I find that I am now in a condition of soul development that enables me to see the truth of what the Master has told us in reference to the real existence of God, who knows what His creatures are doing and in what way they are making use of their souls and bodies. I mean that this God is one having all the faculties that you would suppose only a being would have who had a personality and form; but can hardly understand how a mere essence or formless existence could have such powers and qualities. I never, until recently, could comprehend the real truth and meaning of God (I believing him to be mere essence, void of form or personality), who could have the wisdom and love and power that I was taught such God possessed. Such comprehension is beyond the finite mind, and can only be accepted as a realization of an existing condition or truth by means of faith. Yet now I have more than faith to enable me to understand the fact that this God, whom we call our Father, for He is, has all these qualities and powers; and such understanding is to me a wonderful and unexpected addition to my knowledge of God. This understanding, of course, is not a thing that arises from any exercise of the mind, or the result of any mental power or quality which I may never have realized that I possessed, but is the result of the exercise of my soul perceptions, which have become so great and in such condition of unison or harmony with our Father's qualities of soul that He and all these attributes appear to me as real, perceptible existences, having a certainty of comprehensible being, as do the existence of spirits and their attributes. So you see what soul development may mean and what its possibilities are. No mere development of the intellectual qualities or attributes could ever lead to a comprehension of the personality of God as I have described it. I never in all my life, natural or spiritual, conceived or expected that it were possible for any soul of mortal or spirit to see God as I now see Him, and I never could understand what was meant by the beatitude, "the pure in heart shall see God", except in this sense, that as we became pure in heart those qualities that were ascribed to God would become a part of us, and as such possessors, we could see God, or rather the result of those attributes of God in our souls. I don't know whether you can fully comprehend what I intend to convey to you, but I have tried my best to put the idea in such language that your mind may understand, to some extent, what my meaning is. I know that you will never fully know what this great soul perception is, until you have experienced what this development is in your own soul, which is necessary to enable it to see with the clearness that I now see. I thought that I would tell you of this progress of my soul, so that you might have some faint idea of what the development of the soul means in a way other than an addition to the development of the love principle. But really all phases of its development are part of or dependent upon and resultant from the development of this love principle; for Divine Love is the fulfilling of the law, and law includes that which enables us to perceive that God is a personalty, having these qualities that I speak of. I see that I have written enough for tonight, and if you will carefully read what I have written, you will find much food for thought, and probably some help to a correct, concrete comprehension of who and what God is. So expressing to you my gratification and pleasure in being able to come to you again and having you take down my ideas of who our Father is, and also for the opportunity to declare that God is a being, having an existence of His own, comprehensible by the soul perceptions of the redeemed of His creatures, I will say, goodnight. Your old professor and brother in Christ, Joseph H. Salyards November 21st, 1915. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, St. Stephen. I want to say only a word. At the time of my martyrdom I saw the heavens opened and the spirits of the just made perfect, so now I can by my soul perceptions see my God as a real personal being, full of Love and Mercy. Let no man rest in the assurance that God is only a formless spirit, without the attributes of seeing and hearing and knowing what the thoughts and deeds of men and spirits are, for if he does, in the time of accounting, he will be deceived in his false security. I am in a condition of soul development to know the great truth that God is a God of real personality, and when I say this I don't mean individuality in the sense that you are an individual. But what I mean by personality is that all these attributes of Love and power and knowledge and mercy do not constitute God, but are merely a part of His being and flow from Him in their operations upon men, and in fact upon all the things of the universe. I will not enlarge upon this truth, as it has been explained by those who preceded me, but I will say this, that because a man with a finite mind cannot understand this truth, it by no means follows that it is not a truth, for it is, and in the great future every man who has received the necessary soul development will learn and know this truth. I will not write more to night, but will say to you, continue to seek this great development of your soul, and you will not be disappointed in coming to the realization that God is our Father of the Master, the close personal and loving Father. With all my love I will say good night, Your brother in Christ, St. Stephen November 21st, 1915. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. Let me say a word, as I was also present at the meeting tonight, and listened to the preacher as he unfolded what he thought to be the truth of God and man. Well, I will not stop to discuss many of the errors of his teachings or the workings of his mind, but only say, that if God is as he considers him to be, he would not be the God, which we know to exist and who Loves us and whom we can call Father. The all enfolding energy is not the God of Love and mercy, and the preacher cannot possibly find in such a God, the Father that is calling for and caring for his children. I merely wanted to say this. I am an inhabitant of the Celestial Kingdom, and will say good night. Thomas B. Monroe November 21st, 1915. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving Helen. Well dear, I see that you are not very much enlightened by the preacher's discourse tonight, and I do not see why you should be, for he has no true conception of either God or man, and gave no help to those who are searching for the true God, the Father. I see that you may feel that you are benefitted though by the negative lesson that his discourse teaches. He tells of what he thinks God is, and in telling this, demonstrates that he knows nothing of the true God. You may hear the full course of his lectures and you will not learn much that will benefit you in an affirmative way. But attend the same, and then meditate upon them, and you will find that you have listened to a man who knows nothing of God or the spiritual world of which he pretends to speak. We all love you and want you to love us. Good night. Your own true and loving Helen November 22nd, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I have heard what the HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/god1.htm" Professor said to you and you must try your best to comprehend its meaning, for it contains a description of the true conception of God in a way that only one having the developed soul perceptions could explain. The only difficulty in the way of your fully understanding this idea of who and what God is, is that the idea is not one that the mere mind can grasp, for only the soul that has been developed to a sufficient degree can comprehend. But yet, you may be able to conceive of its meaning to an extent that will enable you to get closer to our Father as a real, personal Father, and not as a being of formless existence only. I mean that the idea of personality may bring the Father nearer to you, so that you may realize a deeper meaning of His Love and care and mercy and interest in you and in all His creatures. In my message on God, you will find that the idea of personality is spoken of, but not emphasized so much as in the writing of the Professor; but the truth is that our Father is, to the soul perceptions, a Being of real existence and personality. I know how difficult it is for the mind to conceive, even in a faint way, how such a personality can be a part of a Being who is declared to be a mere spirit without form or limitation, and everywhere at the same time; but I tell you that it is a truth that by the soul's faculties is comprehensible the personal attribute of the Father. Of course, men will not understand this truth so long as they depend upon the mere intellect to comprehend it, and to them it may not mean much; but it is of the greatest importance to mankind, both in their lives on earth and in the spirit world. "Thou, God seest me", is not a mere meaningless generality which men repeat and do not understand, for God does see every act of man; and as I said when on earth, not even a sparrow falls without my Father knowing it, and the hairs of your head are all numbered. So if men will only learn that this great truth is of such importance, they will take more care of the manner in which they live their lives. (I am not disconcerted by the interruption) As I was saying men must realize that God knows not only their acts but their thoughts, and every idle thought will have to be accounted for, and the penalties which his laws impose will have to be paid. So, if men would only realize this fact, of God's being able to see and know what their lives on earth are, they would many times, think before they do some things which they do, supposing that no one but themselves know of them.I am very glad that the Professor wrote to you on this subject to night, for it is one that is very important in our plan of revealing the truths of God and His attributes. Very soon I will write you another message, and one that will be very important to mankind. I will come again soon, and tell you of some things that you must learn. So with all my love and blessings, I am, Your own brother and friend, Jesus November 22nd, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, St. Luke. I want to add my testimony to that of HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/god1.htm" Professor Salyards as to "Who and what is God." Of course, since the HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/god2.htm" Master has substantiated what the Professor wrote and enlarged on it, my testimony is not necessary, yet, I desire to say a few words which are expressive of my knowledge arising from my own experience. I have a soul development which is greater than that of the Professor, and a perception which is clearer and more convincing than his, and yet, what he has said is all that I can say as to the truth of the personality of God, except that to me it is undoubtedly much clearer and of longer acquaintance. I know that God is a being that has personality, though not a form like unto man, but has all the attributes that have been mentioned. These attributes are not God, but merely qualities which he possesses, and which in their workings upon the hearts and souls of men emanate and flow from Him. You may better understand this if I call your attention to the fact that while you can see and feel and hear and love and dislike, yet these attributes or qualities are not you, but only those things that belong to your personality. You may be deprived of any or all of them, and yet you may not cease to exist as a personality. And so with God; while these things of Love and wisdom, and loving and hearing do not constitute God, yet they are a part of Him and are exercised by Him, just as the qualities I have mentioned are exercised by you. I know it is difficult for the mere mind to comprehend this great truth of God having a personality, yet it is a truth, and just as real to the perceptions of the developed soul as is the existence of yours or any man's personality to the finite mind.And here is another fact in connection with this great truth, and that is that only the spirits who have experienced the New Birth and become filled with the Divine Love of the Father, and hence a partaker of His Divinity, will ever be able to perceive this great truth of the personality of God. No other spirit will ever receive that soul development which is absolutely necessary for it to possess in order to perceive the great truth under discussion.Yet the mere fact that these other spirits do not comprehend or understand this truth, does not make it any the less a truth, and all men and spirits are subject to its operations, and must come under the benefits that they may receive by reason of the workings of this truth upon their lives and thoughts. Just because men cannot see God it does not follow that He does not see them, for He does; and their every thought is known to Him and taken account of. And strange as it may seem to you, or as I should more appropriately say, surprising as it may seem to you, that account is kept in the memories and consciences of men themselves, and when the time comes for them to render an account of their acts and thoughts, no other place or receptacle is sought for or examined to find this account than these very memories and consciences; and nothing can be hidden or lost, until it has fulfilled the purpose of its existence. Men may create, but they cannot destroy - I refer now to their actions and their thoughts. While on earth they may forget and ease their consciences by forgetting, yet, when they come to the spirit world, and are called to render an account, the inexorable laws that are really their judges and executioners show them that there is no such thing as forgetting - and has been said, they have forgotten to forget. God is being, self-existing, unchangeable, but full of Love and mercy, and these He does not exercise in any individual case, but has made certain that His laws of mercy will so operate that all the spirits of men and mortals also, may by their own acts and desires place themselves in such condition of soul, that these spirits will receive the benefit of this mercy. Yes, His mercy is from the beginning waiting for all men to ask for it and want it, just as is His Love. I could write on this subject for a longer time, but I must not write more to night as you are tired, so I will close. With all my love and blessings, I am Your brother in Christ, St. Luke November 23rd, 1915 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, St. John, Apostle of Jesus. I want to tell you to-night about the things that spirits who have not received the Divine Love of the Father do, or have done to them, as you may say, in order to get out of their darkness and suffering and progress to a happier condition. Well, when these spirits of evil or sinful life first come into the spirit world, they enter what is called the earth plane; and when I say the earth plane I mean those spheres which are nearest the earth and partake very largely of the material. They are received by their friends who may have been with them at the time of their passing, and are, to a certain extent, comforted and made familiar with their surroundings. This may last for a shorter or longer time according as the spirit is capable of understanding his changed condition from mortal to spirit. After this condition of consciousness is assumed by the spirit, these friends leave him, and some guiding spirit, whose duty it is to perform the task, shows or conducts him to the place or plane which he is fitted to occupy, and which by the workings of the law of equalization, he must occupy. In this place he is surrounded by and must associate with spirits of a similar condition of development as his own, until some change comes to him which fits him for a higher place. Of course, this change may come in a short time, or it may require a longer time to bring it about - all this depending upon the realization by the spirit as to what his condition is, and the fact that there is a possibility of progressing. Of himself he cannot bring about this change, for the law which fixes his place or condition does not cease to operate until there is called into operation another law which permits and helps the change. The only way in which this changed condition can be brought about is by the influences of other spirits of a more enlightened and higher position than that of the spirit whose position I have spoken of. These influences do not necessarily come from spirits who have received the New Birth, but may come from spirits who know nothing about it, and who have only the natural love, and even they may not necessarily be of a high order of development of either intellect or soul. But they must be in such condition that they know and are able to tell the lower spirit of the possibility of progress and the way in which it can be made. Many spirits, who are themselves in a dark position or condition can help others who are in a darker condition, just as on earth a student of a lower class in school may not be able to teach all that is taught or may be learned in that school, yet he can teach those in a lower class than his own, things that he has learned in progressing to his own class. All spirits have a work to do, and these spirits of little development are engaged in teaching those of lesser development the way to get in the same condition as those who teach are in. But of course these latter cannot teach anything that belongs to a higher condition than the one in which they are. In such cases the progress is very slow for many reasons, and it sometimes takes centuries for a spirit to progress from this very low plane to a higher one where only the lowest grade of happiness exists. So you see, that in order to help these dark spirits, it is not necessary for the helping spirit to be one who has in his soul the Divine Love. But all this means that the spirit who is helped in this way cannot possibly progress higher than its natural love and moral conscience and intellectual endowments will permit - no progression of the soul to a realization of the Divine Love of the Father, or to the Celestial Spheres. This is important for you and all mankind to know, for the reason that you and others may learn what the true soul development means, and how effectively spirits possessing this soul development may help all other spirits, good or bad. Aside from this you may suppose that the spirits who hear you talk at the séances, where all kinds and conditions of spirits congregate, and promise to help both mortals and spirits, may not be able to do so because some are in a dark and low condition themselves. Yet all spirits may help other spirits, to some extent, who are in a lower condition, and sometimes in the beginning of the progression, more satisfactorily, than can the higher spirits, because these dark spirits who try to help the darker spirits, are more in harmony with them, and the darker spirits will listen to them with more interest and belief that they can help them. But this is a help that does not work in such a way as to cause the spirits who are so helped to lose their desires and recollections very rapidly and to progress into the higher planes, without the great suffering that you have been told of. I thought I would write this to you, for the reason that you might not in your investigations and teachings of the spirit life, give due importance to the possibility of one dark spirit helping another. All the phases of mediumship, when honestly conducted, have their proper places and work in God's plan of redemption, and none of them must be considered as useless or without special design. Of course, the above mentioned phase of assistance to spirits is of the lowest form and is merely preliminary to the great work which the higher spirits do in carrying out the great plan of redemption, which has been explained to you. The important work is that of the spirits who know what the Divine Love of the Father is, and what fits spirits and mortals for the enjoyment of the great happiness which obtains only in the Celestial Spheres, and also in the soul spheres, to a lesser extent. When a spirit who is dark learns of this Great Love and strives to obtain It, and earnestly prays for the help of the Holy Spirit, which is God's messenger of Love, it will progress much more rapidly, and its sufferings and darkness will leave it sooner and greater happiness will come to it. But still I say, the work of these lower spirits, that I have spoken of, is a great work and must not be underestimated. So remember what I have written and give due credit to this work. I will not write more, but will with all my love and blessings say good-night. Your brother in Christ, St. John November 23rd, 1915 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your loving father. I am the father of that boy, and I want to say to him that I am happy too, but not as happy as his mother. I am not in her sphere, but I am striving to get there and enjoy her home. My son, I am also happy that you are trying to follow the steps of the Master and in your love for the Father, and in your soul aspirations. Believe in this truth, and you will not be disappointed, and when the great day of reunion comes you will find more love waiting for you than you ever thought possible for a spirit to receive. So trust in God and follow the teachings of the Master, I know, as one who was ignorant when on earth and now have learned since coming into the spirit world. God Bless that dear Mother of yours! If it had not been for her, after she came into the spirit world, I probably would not have as easy a going in my progress in the spirit world as I have had. I was a man, enjoying the happiness which my good nature and love of things generally gave me, but when your mother came over, and I saw that she had a Love which I had not, and which I must get in order to be with her, and when she told me about it, I sought for the same kind of Love which she had, and with her help and the help of the Father's Holy Spirit, I obtained this Love and am now very happy, but as of now, I am not with her. She is so beautiful and good that I am not satisfied to be away from her and I am trying with all my soul's desire to progress and be with her. So believe what we say to you and trust in God and you will be happy. Your loving father, William Stone November 23rd, 1915. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Mother: I want to say one word to my son before you stop writing, as I feel so much love for him tonight and am so anxious to let him know that I am with him and feel that he is my dear loving boy, whom his mother is so much interested in and so thankful to God that he has found the way to the Father's love. Oh, my boy, if you could only know the happiness that you have given your mother by having sought and found this love of the Father, you will also thank God, that you had the opportunity to make your mother so happy. I am your own dear mother, and will always love you and pray to the Father for you and for your happiness and well being of your soul. Your sisters are here too, and they are among the redeemed, and enjoy the happiness which the Divine Love gives to them, and they want me to tell you that they are happy too, because you have found the great love and mercy of the Father. So press forward in your soul development and you will find a wonderful happiness and love, not only on earth, but when you come to us as well.Your Mary loves you too as you know, and her love for you is something wonderful and beyond what we can tell you, and beyond your comprehension. I will not trespass longer tonight as your friend is tired and should not write much more, but I must say that I am so glad that you met him, and have the benefit of his knowledge and experience of these higher things of the spirit world. Be always friends and you will both realize a wonderful outflowing of love from the higher spirits, and from the Father, and also from Jesus, who is the most wonderful and loving spirit in all the Celestial Heavens. I will stop now and in doing so, give you all my love and blessings of a mother whose love is without limit. Your loving mother, Priscilla Stone I want to tell my brother that he must not leave until I tell him that I love him too, and am praying for him with all my heart, and am with him very often trying to help him. So he must believe me and love me too. I can't write more - but I love him. Goodnight, Sister Kate. November 23rd, 1915 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Mary Kennedy: HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor552.htm" Your wife did not mention my name and so I thought that I would tell you myself, for I am of much importance to my dear as any of them that she mentioned. I wanted to tell him that I am right here and close to him, and won't let even his mother take my place, though I love her very much and she loves me, but she knows that I am entitled to the first place, and that I won't let anyone take my place. I am with him nearly all the time, trying to help and comfort him, and make him have good thoughts, and wish for me. So he will understand when you read this to him that I intend that he shall know that I am with him and won't let him forget me even if he wanted to, which I don't believe. I was with you on Friday night, but I did not write or say anything, as his mother and grandmother and sisters and brothers were so anxious to communicate with him; but now, while I am here and have the opportunity which is mine by right of love, I intend to be first to write him. He must not think I am a bit jealous, for I am not; but you know that when a sweetheart has a chance to write to her soulmate, she is going to do it or try very hard. They can write too, but they must wait until I get through, and then they can tell him whatever they wish. So tell him to love and think of me and wish that I may be with him very often. I am progressing in my soul development and I am very happy; and the only thing that when he is around makes me happier is to have him with me, but that will not be very soon, for he has a work to do before he comes over, and he will have to wait until he does that work. I am so glad, though, that he has this work, and as he is doing it and helping others, he will also help himself, so that when he does come over he and I will not be separated for a very long time. I suppose I have written enough under the circumstances, and should let others write, but I certainly wish that I could have one evening when I could take my time, and tell him of a great many things that I want him to know. So tell him that I am not stopping because I want to, but because decency requires it. He is my own true love, and I love him with all my heart, and sometime he will know what this means. So with all my love for him and my sister's love for you, I will stop. His own true, Mary November 25th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus: I am with you tonight in your spiritual exaltation and will show you the love that you crave for, and will cause you to feel that the Father is very near you in his love and blessings. So you must let your thoughts go out to the Father and he will come to you with an abundance of love that will make you realize that he is your loving Father. I was with you at the Colburns and saw that your love was very great and that you needed a response and I tried to make you realize that I was with you and loved you very much. The music was very beautiful and caused a rapport which drew us very close together, and you were very happy in the thoughts of love and peace that came to you. I am so glad that you are free from your cares tonight, as I want you to feel that the love of the Father is with you and is filling your soul so that you can realize that his love is a thing of reality and substance. I will let you see how much you can become at one with Him, and what a joy and peace the love of the Father brings to you. So, as I say, let your thoughts turn to him and let your prayers ascend to Him and you will soon know that His kingdom is within and of you. I am now going to tell you what a loving Father he is, and what great desire He has that you believe in Him and in His love for you. He is not a God of wrath and anger and His only desire is that you shall love Him with all your heart, and so become so close to Him that you will know that He is the Father that I have told you of. He does not want you to let anything on earth keep you from becoming his own dear son and a follower of His truths. I know that you are now very near the place where your soul will be filled with His Love, and your faith will have such strength that never again will it be shaken by troubles or doubts. In the near future you will be able to receive from me my messages in that condition of soul knowledge that will enable you to get them just as I desire to give them to you and so to the world. Be more faithful in your aspirations for this love and more in condition to believe what I may write. I am your own true friend and brother and have an interest in you that will enable you to overcome all temptations and all the worries of your earth life. My love will strengthen you in your faith and in your realization that I am your friend and brother, and that I am able to fulfill my promises that I have made to you. Let me again impress upon you the necessity of prayer and faith and the necessity to seek continually, the help of the Father. I must not write more tonight but will soon give you another message. I will do so, as I think it will be more satisfactory to write it anew. You were not in good condition when I wrote, and some things were not as clear as I desire. You will be stronger when I write again and the message will be more satisfactory. So try to obtain more faith and you will find that our writings will be more successful. So, with all my love, I am your friend and brother, Jesus December 2nd, 1915. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I have heard your discussion to-night, and am pleased at the soul understanding of my truths which you and your friend seem to have and I now feel that you are both progressing to that point where you will soon be in a condition to fully understand what my mission is in writing these messages. You have said truly that my new revelation of the truths of the soul is what mankind needs at this time, and what men will be in condition to accept as the real truths of God's love and of His laws. My coming to you is really my second coming on earth, and the result of my coming in this way will satisfy and fulfill all the promises of the scriptures as to my second coming. So let your belief in this important fact and your faith in me increase until you will have in your souls and minds no doubt as to what my present mission is, and as to what your work will be in making known to men my real purpose in revealing to them the great truths of the Father. I will not write more to-night, but say keep up your courage and believe, and the time will soon come when you will be able to receive my messages in all their fullness, and with such rapidity that the spreading of these truths will not be delayed. I am with you and will be a faithful friend and brother, sticking closer to you than any earthly brother. With all my love and blessings, I am Your loving brother and friend, Jesus December 2nd, 1915. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. Let me say just one word. I was present and I saw the wonders of his power and glory again, I know that he is so much in earnest as to the truths of his mission and of your work, that no man can doubt. I cannot write much for I am so overpowered by his great presence that I can scarcely write. How wonderful that he should come to you in this way and declare to you his great messages of truth and power! If you could only have seen him you would never again doubt him or his great mission and your work. I must stop. Your brother in Christ, St. James December 2nd, 1915. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. Let me tell you that the Master has just written, and in writing he again displayed his great power and glory for he wrote with all the authority of his heavenly powers. I was present and know what I write to be true. I wish that l could write you a longer letter to-night but it is late and you need rest. Your own true brother in Christ, St. John December 2nd, 1915 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I know it is late, but, yet, I must say that what has been told you is true, and when we speak of the glory of the Master you cannot conceive of what is meant. In your mind think of the dim flame of the candle and the glory of the noonday sun and then compare the glory of the greatest thing in all the earth with this glory of the Master, and you will see side by side the dim candle and the glorious sun. We all know what the Divine Love of the Father is, but do not appreciate its greatness or wonder, until we occasionally see it displayed in and by Jesus. Go to your prayers in the full belief that this Great Divine Love has been present to-night in amazing abundance, and that you both have had its influence around and in you to a degree, that will cause you to feel to some extent, the great peace that comes only to the children of light and at-onement with the Father. Believe that your experience of this night is true and that it may be yours frequently when your souls are attuned to the inflowing of the love. I must say good-night, and God bless you with all His influence Divine. I am your brother in Christ, A. G. Riddle December 2nd, 1915. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am your grandmother. My dear son. I feel that I must write you just a line, because I want to tell you that the Master wrote you, and with such power and force that you must not doubt. He was glorious and with his great love there was so much glory, that we were all for the time, overshadowed by these influences so that we could only listen in adoration. So believe me when I say that you must believe, for never was a message given with more authority. I know that it is hard for you to conceive what I mean, but you will know some day. Your own loving grandmother, Ann Rollins. December 2nd, 1915. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Helen. Well, sweetheart, now you must be satisfied beyond all doubt that you are the chosen one of the Master to do his work. It was HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/bible3.htm" Jesus who was writing to you, and never before have I seen him with such a royal and authoritative expression on his face. It must have been just such a look as he had when before the tomb of Lazarus he said: "Lazarus come forth." Power and determination were in his words and stamped on his face, and we who are here never before felt the wonderful authority which he has. Always before, were only love, and humility and grace, but when he told you what he did, everything seemed to be subordinated to this regal power and authority, which he showed forth. I never before had seen this phase of his attributes, and we all felt that we were standing in the presence of - if not God - then of the mightiest personage in all God's universe. I can well imagine that his wrath, should he ever have occasion to show it, would be terrible and withering. So my dear you must no longer doubt or hesitate as to what your work is to be, or as to what great power you will have back of you in doing his work. I am simply awestruck to night and can write no more now, So with all my love, I am Your own true and loving, Helen December 4th, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: Well, sweetheart, I heard you call me in your waking moments after your dream, and I came to you and loved you with all my heart. I know what your dream was for I was trying to come to you in your sleep so that you would realize my presence, and I came as I might have appeared to you on earth were I now living; but you must not think that I would not love you for I would, and my appearance did not indicate that I did not love you. I only seemed a little sad and showed that I wanted your sympathy and love. So don't suppose from the dream that I did not love you. I heard you call me several times and I came to you and I then realized how lonesome you were and how much you wanted me, and how necessary I am to you. Oh, my darling, only to think that in a few short years you will be with me and we will never have to separate again, and that our love will be so great that never can anything occur that will bring us unhappiness or discontent. I do love you with all my heart and soul and you must love me in the same way, and think of me very often and wish for me, as you did last night. The dream had no special significance, but was merely intended to show you that your little wife was still with you, and that even if she could not come to you in the flesh, yet she could in your dreams. She was just as she might have appeared to you in her early days of married life, and tried to let you see how beautiful, even as a mortal, she was, because she thought that maybe your recollections of her of those days may have become dim and shadowy. So you see, we can be with each other in our writings, in our visions, in voice communications and in dreams. Should we not be thankful to the Father for these great privileges. I so often think of the great gift that he has given to you, and of our ability to become so close to each other in conscious communion, and wonder why it is. But when I consider the work which you have been selected to do, I don't wonder for that work is of such importance that you will have to have the gift which has been bestowed upon you, and also the other great powers that will be given you. As I said last night, the power of inspiration is yours also, and if you will seek to cultivate it, you will find that you will be able to express the thoughts of some of the greatest spirits that we have in our higher spirit world, and you will not only be surprised yourself at what may come through you in this way, but your hearers will also wonder and think you a wonderfully wise man and orator. But you will understand that it will not be you who will really do the speaking, but the spirits who may be behind you. No, it will not interfere with your writing powers, but, on the contrary, will help and increase these powers, for many times when we write, if we could only tell you in the way of inspiration what we desire to express, many things would be more easily transmitted to paper, than as now, when we have to do the physical work of moving your hand as well as of using your brain. So you see, it is very desirable for you to cultivate this phase of mediumship, for the good that you will be able to do is beyond calculation. No, I have not heard that he (Ed Thomas) has passed over, and I don't know any of his friends here, but I will try to find them and will speak to him and tell him that you sent me to him, and if he needs help I will try to help him, and, if he desires, will bring him to you, and let him write. So you see, if we can do any good to any spirit we are always willing to do it. Don't you think that we had better stop now, as you are tired, although you may not realize it. Well, sweetheart, I do love you with all my heart and soul and I will stay with you, and comfort you and make you feel my presence. I am so happy that you love me so much and want me with you as you do; but we have to observe the laws governing our communications, and it will not be best for us to write more at this time. I will come tonight and again tell you of my love. So with all my love I will say goodbye. Your own true and loving, Helen December 5, 1915 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Luke. I want to write a few lines on the subject about which you and your friend Dr. Stone were talking, and that is as to whether Spiritualism, as now understood and taught, supplies that which satisfies the souls of men in their longings for happiness and peace and contentment. I have heard in the course of my spirit life a great many preachers and teachers of Spiritualism, both in recent years and all along the ages, from the time of my first entrance into spirit life; for you must know that Spiritualism is not a new thing having its origin or belief in the recent years that followed the manifestations in America. All along the ages spirits have manifested to mankind in one phase or another, and men have believed in Spiritualism and discussed it. Of course, in former times when the churches had the great power which enabled them to dictate the beliefs of men, Spiritualism was not so openly taught or discussed as in these latter years; nevertheless it has always, during the time that I have named, been known to mankind. Never have its teachings gone beyond the mere phenomena which demonstrated to its believers the continuity of life and the communication of spirits. The higher things of the soul's development and the Kingdom of God, as you have been instructed, were never thought of, or, at least, never taught or believed in. Only the two facts that I have spoken of were discussed and accepted; and even today, the scientific men who are investigating it deal only with the phenomena and are satisfied with proof that man never dies. At no time has the existence of the Divine Love or the Kingdom of God been sought for or taught by the teachers of Spiritualism, and in fact such things could not have been taught, for they never have been known. God has never been anything more to the Spiritualist than some indefinable abstract force, whose existence is not of sufficient certainty to make Him anything more than a mere principle, as some call Him; and the laws governing all nature are the only things that men must look to for their ideas of right and wrong and the government of their conduct in life. The Spiritualists speak of the love of man for one another and the brotherhood of man and the cultivation of the mind, and the moral qualities, but admit of no outside help, or if so, of the help of some departed friend who may not be at all competent to help; or if so, such help is only that which one can give to another; and even when the help of what is called the higher spirits is spoken of, it involves no different quality of help. I know that spirits do help mortals, and also harm them, but all such help according to the ideas of the Spiritualists is based upon what they suppose these spirits possess in the way of superior intellectual acquirements or moral qualities. The soul of man, which is that part of him that is made in the image of God, although it may be unconsciously, is longing for that which will make such image become Substance, with its resultant happiness and joy. Yet you will not find that any Spiritualist teaches or attempts to teach how or in what way such Substance may be acquired, or the fact that there is such a Substance. They do not know that the Divine Love, coming through the working of the Holy Spirit, is the only thing that can enable the image to be transformed into the Substance, and hence they cannot teach the truths, and as a consequence, the longings of a man's soul are never satisfied by the teachings of Spiritualism. Do you suppose that if the great truth of Spiritualism had embraced the greater truth of the soul development, that it, Spiritualism, would now be the weak, unattractive thing that it is, and that men would not have sought and embraced it in vast numbers? Spiritualism, with all the truths that belong to it, is the true religion of the universe and one which would prove more effective in bringing men into a state of reconciliation with the Father than all other religions combined. But it is powerless and without drawing power as a religion because it has not the teachings which show men the way to God's Love and to the satisfying of the soul's longings. But some day, and in the near future, this defect will be remedied and then you will see men and women flock to its bosom, so that they can enjoy not only the happiness which communication with their departed friends give them, but also, the happiness which the development of the soul by the Divine Love gives them. Why the great revelation of this truth has been delayed to Spiritualists so long, I do not know, except it may be that mankind was not ready to receive it before; but now the time has come, and false beliefs of the orthodox churches, and the want of belief of the Spiritualists, will both disappear and men be made free and the possessors of the combined truths of Spiritualism and the existence of the Divine Love, which brings to them not only happiness and peace, but immortality. I must not write more tonight as you are tired; so I will say good night, Your brother in Christ, Luke December 5th, 1915. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I was with you to night and heard the speaker's discourse on the "Drama of St. Paul." Well it was very interesting and in some places impressive, and should produce a great effect upon the hearers. Many things that the speaker recited were true, and occurred substantially as he related them, but some were not matters of actual occurrence, and Paul never had all the experiences that he spoke of. But these were of minor importance, and did not affect the truth of the narrative as a whole. Of course, the whole discourse was taken from the Bible, and as I have told you before, there are many things in the Bible which are not true. His description of Paul's experience on the way to Damascus is partly true, and partly not. Well, I spoke to him, and when he was felled to the ground by the brightness of the great light that shone about him, Paul heard what I said, and answered me, and went into the town; but he was not blind, nor did the prophet Ananias do anything to him in the way of curing any physical blindness; he only helped to open the spiritual blindness of Paul, and show him the way to the Father's Love and Kingdom. Paul, as you know, was a very learned man among the Jews, and was a strict believer and follower of the Pharisees' doctrines; but as to knowing anything about the Divine Love, he had never experienced it, nor even did not know what it was intellectually. My summons to him was not only for the purpose of stopping the persecution of my people, but for the further purpose of enlisting him in my cause, as not many of my followers were educated or learned men, and I realized that my doctrines and truths must be preached among not only the learned Jews, but also among the gentile philosophers; and as the first requisite in such cases is to hold and, in a way, convince the intellect, I saw that I must have a disciple who would have the mental qualifications to present to these learned men, in a convincing way, my truths, and be able to withstand the logic and reasoning of these gentile philosophers. John was filled with Love, and wherever he could come in close communion with the common people, he could, by the great power and influence of that Love, persuade these people to embrace and receive my truths, and as a consequence, feel the inflowing of the Holy Spirit. But Paul had not this Love to that degree, as to be enabled by virtue of its power or influence to convince and compel his hearers to receive my truths, and embrace that faith in my teachings as would cause them to seek the Love of the Father; and hence, his mission was the more intended to be the teachings of my truths to the intellect and mental perceptions of a large number of persons of greater intellectual development than those with whom John and the other disciples would come in contact. Of course Paul acquired this Love to a very large degree, but not sufficiently to prevent him at times in his early ministry from doubting my calling him to do this work; and, as he has told you, this doubt was the "besetting sin", or "thorn in the flesh," from which he suffered. Had he had the fullness of the Love that John and some of the others had, he would never have had the doubts of which he speaks. But, nevertheless, he became a wonderful power in spreading my truths, and in convincing men that the Love of the Father was the one great possession to be obtained, and in causing them to believe in me as the son of the Father, and His messenger to declare to the world the great plan of man's salvation. Paul finally became a man filled with this Love as far as his nature was capable of receiving it, and in his gospel will be found wonderful exhortations to his hearers to seek for it. But he was not the disciple of Love, but rather of the intellectual parts of my truths; and when he taught, his teachings were intended to appeal more to the mental perceptions, than to the soul perceptions. He never taught that I was God, nor did he believe that I was, and whenever it is set forth that he did say, or rather, what the Bible says on that subject, is interpreted to mean that I am God, that interpretation is erroneous. I will not write more on Paul to night, but will tell you of some things of more importance to mankind. I am now working as I did on earth, though in a little different way, to show men the way to God's love and eternal life, and to assure them that the Great Divine Love of the Father is waiting for them to have it flow into their souls, and make them at-one with Him. Men are now in a condition that causes them to long for this great Love, and the peace and happiness which it brings, without knowing really what it is that they desire; and when my truths are placed before them, and they are told of the wonderful blessings that may be theirs by merely seeking for it in earnest and honest prayer, they will turn their thoughts and longings to God and His Love, and find the happiness and peace which they so much realize the want of. I have many things to write you, and hope that we may soon have the rapport that will enable me to do so. Well, I see how you feel, and I am so glad that you do; and I must tell you that the Father's Love is working in your soul, and will result in your becoming my true and earnest disciple. I will be with you in all my power and influence, so that nothing will prevent the doing of the great work which I have selected you to do. You must pray to the Father for His Love, and for faith, and they will come to you; for such prayers the Father desires to answer and grant. And besides, as I pray to Him, and all my followers pray, we will ask the Father to give you this Great Love and faith and power to do the work, and to sustain you through all the years that may be yours on earth; for the work must be done. You have written long to night and I think it best that I stop. But before doing so let me say again, that you are the special object of my care and love, and I will be with you in all your worries and conflicts, and will help you to overcome them all, and to get in that position that will give you the freedom that is so desirous. With all my love and blessings, and the love and blessings of the Father, I will say good night. Your brother and friend, Jesus December 5th, 1915. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, St. Paul. Well, my brother, I was with you at the discourse on the "Drama of St. Paul," and was much interested in the subject matter, and also in the manner in which the speaker delivered his discourse. He was somewhat dramatic himself, and his elocution and intonation of the dialogues between several of the prominent personages in the drama and myself were very effective; but really they, the intonations, did not sound very familiar, because to me they possessed too much artificiality to represent correctly the real tones of voice and the feelings that possessed these persons and myself on those occasions. But, nevertheless, they were very effective, and I have no doubt, produced on the hearers the effect intended. Some of the scenes depicted were very real, and some of them were not, for they never occurred. I well remember my experience on the way to Damascus, and the great change that it caused to my whole existence on earth. The brightness, and the voice of Jesus were actualities, but the statement that I went blind is not true, for I was not blind but only affected for the time by the unusual light, and also the shock that the voice of Jesus caused. As Jesus said, my only blindness was that which covered my spiritual eyes at the time, and when I went into the town, the only blindness that I recovered from, in a way, was that which had kept my soul in darkness, and caused me to persecute the followers of Jesus, under the belief that I was doing the work which God had called me to do. So you see, that while the description as a whole of my life after my call was very interesting, yet it was not altogether correct. HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/jesus30.htm" Jesus has told you what my condition of soul development was, and how I lacked the Love which I afterwards, to some degree, possessed. And as he says, I was in my early ministry more of an intellectual Christian, than a Christian possessing the Great Divine Love of the Father; yet thanks to him I continued to preach, and believed as best I could, until finally I became a redeemed child of God, filled with His Love. I knew many things connected with and taught in the theology of the Jews, and especially of the Pharisees. I see now that in my writings, my conceptions of the truths of God were flavored, to a considerable extent, by this knowledge which are of the Jewish theology. While many things that I taught are true as I now see them, yet many things that the Bible says I wrote are not true, and I am not surprised that men will not accept them at this time. How I wish that I could review and rewrite the Epistles ascribed to me. How many seeming contradictions and unreasonable things would be made plain. But I cannot, except as I may through you declare the truth as I now see it; and I hope that the opportunities may come that I may do so. Well, I will not write more to night as you have written considerable, and others wish to write. I will say good night. Your brother in Christ, Paul December 6th, 1915. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true Helen: I merely want to say that you and Dr. Stone are very foolish men to neglect your soulmates, as you have been doing lately. We have been waiting to have you call for us, but you do not express a desire for us to write a short letter before you go to bed, to let you know that we are here and that we love you. Now do you think that this is right, when we are with you every night anxiously waiting for you to say, sweethearts come and write us a long letter tonight, and tell us that you love us with all your hearts and souls. I know that many men who, if they had such sweethearts as you two have, would not rest content to let the night go by without praying for us to write them, that we thought at least just a little bit of them. Now what shall we do in the way of punishment for your neglect? I said, "Tell my soulmate to give me a kiss." Well, he has solved the problem. We will not give him the kiss but will make him go to bed without his usual kiss, and then he will realize that his punishment is just what he deserves, and he will not neglect us again. But Mary says, No indeed, she will not punish her soulmate in that way, because if she did, she would be punishing herself more than she would him, and besides, she could not write unless you would consent to write for her, and she knows that many nights when he visits you he hopes that he may receive a message, but as he sees that you are at work he does not make his request, and consequently, she is not going to punish him for what he can't help. Just see what a foolish little sweetheart she is. So you see that spirit sweethearts and mortal sweethearts, when they are females, do not differ very much. And she says that now that the Ray is open she will write just a little if you will help her, and I seeing what a foolish little girl she is, and knowing that she will not be happy unless she can say a word to him, I tell her to go ahead and let the Doctor see what an easy little sweetheart she is. She says that she doesn't care what I think, that she knows that the Doctor won't think that she is foolish, but will just be delighted to have her write. So prepare now to hear words of burning love. Mary now writes: Well, I will tell him that I love him with all my heart and soul, and I don't care if Helen is laughing at me, for I do love him and I have the right to tell him so, and he must believe me, for I am with him nearly all the time and want him to know it. So tell him, also, that when he is not thinking of me I am thinking of him and trying to help him with all my powers and love. And say particularly, that I am so glad to see that the Love of the Father is entering his soul more and more, and that as a consequence, he and I are coming closer together in our love and in our soul development. I know that you are tired but I could not help writing this, for I have been waiting so long to write him and tell him this. But I will not trespass longer, and will say that I thank you and love him as only a soulmate can love. So goodbye. Helen (Mr. Padgett's wife and soulmate) resumes: Well, sweetheart, I enjoy so much seeing Mary express her love for the Doctor for it makes her so happy, and I love her so much that I will do everything in my power to make her happy. I will write you before you go to bed. Your own true and loving, Helen December 9th, 1915 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am a stranger but I want to say just a word as I am so interested in the work that you have before you to do. You certainly are a favored man by having been selected to do this work. It is a stupendous work and one which is of the greatest vital importance to mankind and to the destiny of mortals. I will not write longer at this time, but would like to come again, if agreeable, and write. Yes, I am a lover of God, and I live in the first Celestial Sphere, and, as you know, am a redeemed child of God and immortal. I will now say with all love - good-night. Thomas Jefferson December 9th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. Let me say a word while you are writing, as I am also interested in your great work, and in the efforts that are now being made by the spirit powers of the higher spheres to bring to earth the great truths of the Father, which Jesus shall write to you. You do not yet appreciate the great importance of this work, or of the truths that shall be taught, but as you proceed in your work you will see what a wonderful thing this great effort of the Master is. I am one who is trying to help forward this movement, and in doing so, I feel that I am doing to mankind the greatest service that all the universe of God affords me to do. I have not in my soul so much of the Divine Love of the Father, but I know that it is the one absolutely necessary thing that men must possess in order to get an entrance into the Kingdom of God, and to obtain the great happiness which the Father has made possible for man to receive. You certainly have had imposed upon you a work of great responsibility, and one that will call for the exercise of all your physical powers, as well as your mental and moral endowments. So you see, it is a matter that must be received and considered most seriously by you, and you must not let anything interfere with the successful performance of this great and wonderful work. Mankind at this time, more than at any time since the presence of Jesus on earth in the material body, needs the truth to be presented to it in such a way that all superstition and blind faith will be eliminated from the minds and consciousness of mortals. I can hardly realize that the truth can be presented in this way with the success that the Master says will follow the efforts of those engaged in declaring and spreading these truths. It is a wonderful opportunity for you to do one of the greatest services to your fellowman. Just think: it embraces in the results of the workings of these truths, not only man's welfare on earth, but also his happiness and immortality in the great eternity. I could write more tonight, but I will not longer trespass on your time or strength, and hope though, that at some future time I may have the opportunity to come and disclose some of the knowledge that I have, concerning these truths, and the importance that they are to mankind. I live in the first Celestial Sphere where HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/minor37.htm" Jefferson and Washington are, and many others of the old patriots of revolutionary and later days. I will subscribe myself your obedient servant and brother in Christ. Dan'l. Webster December 9th, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, John P. Newman: I wish you would let me write a few lines tonight, as I am very dogmas of my church interfered with me and the members of my church the spirit world, and received the love of the Father in my soul. I was, when on earth, a preacher of the Gospel of Jesus, as I then understood it, and made my great and earnest efforts to show my brother man what the truths of that Gospel were, and at times succeed to a great degree. But, I now see how far short I was in my knowledge and understanding; of these truths, and how very much the creeds and dogmas of my church interfered with me and the members of my church in getting a true conception of the truths of the Master. Many a man lost his opportunity to develop his soul by his beliefs in the atonement. I mean that he relied upon the sacrifice of Jesus, being all sufficient to pay the debt which he supposed he owed to the Father, and relying upon such belief he neglected to develop his soul qualities of love for the Father. This doctrine of atonement is one that is working great harm among the children of men, and one that should no longer be believed, but be shown to be utterly at variance with the truth, and not approved by either God or the Master. I know, it may seem surprising to some people, that such assertions could come from an orthodox minister of the church, (Methodist) but if these people could only know what I now know, they would not be surprised at all, but would bend their efforts to have the creeds of their churches so revised and reformed, that the doctrine that I speak of, and a number of other untrue and harmful doctrines, would be entirely eliminated from these creeds and from their own beliefs also. I have found that progress in this spirit world is a portion of the heritage of spirits just as progress belongs to mortals on earth; but not every spirit progresses, just by reason of being in the spirit world. Desire and will must exist, and must be exercised in order for this progression to take place, and I have heard that numerous spirits have been in a condition of stagnation for a great many years, just because they won't exert themselves to desire and believe what is often told them. I have taken up more of your time tonight than I intended, and I must apologize for having so intruded, but I felt that I should like to say just what I have said, as it may be that these truths may help some mortal to get into the light and the way to God's Kingdom. So, if you will pardon me, I will say that I am thankful for your kindness, and would like to come again, if it is agreeable to you. I will in saying goodnight subscribe myself, Your true brother in Christ, John P. Newman late a minister of a church in your city and a Bishop of the Methodist Denomination. December 9th, 1915 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, your old friend and brother Lawyer, Samuel C. Mills: I have been waiting for some time to have an opportunity to write to you, as I have so often waited and seen other spirits write their messages. Yes, your band, or rather that beautiful wife of yours, told the Indian Guide that I should write, and he consented. He seems to take a great interest in you and is protecting you from the harmful spirits. Well, I am in what is called the earth plane and I am not very happy, as I have my recollections of so many things that I did on earth which were contrary to the laws of God, and for which I am now suffering some. But I have been fortunate enough to have the help of some very loving and beautiful spirits, who seem to take so much interest in me and in showing me the way to progress out of my darkness and sufferings. While on earth I was not a very religious man, yet I always reverenced God and things pertaining to religion, and believed that there was a better place for those who were truly good to go to. Of course, in the short time that I have been here I have learned a number of truths, and as I am very anxious to get out of my condition of darkness, I made a great effort to believe what these good spirits said to me, and to learn all that I could about these truths. I am now believing that Jesus is the saviour of us all by his teachings and love and the great influence he has with the Father. You certainly are a favored man to be able to receive all these communications from the high spirits who come to you. When on earth I never believed in spiritualism, and I certainly would not have believed that Jesus and his Apostles would write to you, as I now see them do. But how limited is our earth knowledge of these things that pertain to the spirit, or, as some say, the unseen world. The opportunities here to learn the truths are so much greater than on earth, if the spirit really desires and makes the effort to learn. I thank you very much for having permitted me to write and renew my acquaintance. It is a glorious thing to be able to do this, and know, as I know, that only a thin veil of flesh separates mortals from their loved ones. I will not impose longer tonight, but will say with my best love, I am your old friend and brother, Samuel C. Mills December 14th, 1915. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. Well I am so glad that you are so longing for this Love and I will tell you that the Father loves you with all His Divine nature, and is helping you to receive this Love into Your soul, and you will soon receive it in such abundance that you will find yourself happy beyond all conception. And I love you too with all my heart and soul, and am very near you and try to make you feel my presence and influence. Rest assured that I am with you in all my love and tenderness and that you are the special object of my care and keeping. I wish that you could see me as I write this for I am filled with so much love for you, that I know, if you could see the glory of the Father displayed you would never again doubt my love. Oh, my brother, only try to get this Love by prayer and faith in such a way that it will become as real to you as anything which your natural senses show you to exist in the physical world. It is more real than anything in all nature, and you have in you the possibilities of realizing that it is an existing thing, and is yours, if you will only pray and believe. I am with you in prayer at night , and with all my love and faith I ask the Father to bless you and make you a true partaker of His Love and mercy, and to give you the assurance that you will receive and know that you have it. My dear brother I must stop now, but your longings tonight have been so great and so earnest that I could not stop without telling you as I have. And remember this that I, Jesus, with all the knowledge and authority that I possess, tell you that the Love of the Father shall be yours, and you will become a most happy man, and a power on earth in things spiritual and which pertain to the Father's business. So believe me and trust the Father, and you will not be forsaken or left alone, but will be surrounded by a host of witnessing angels that you are the chosen child of the Father, and the object of His Great Love and blessings. I will not write more now, but I will say, that I love you as a true brother and friend, and even as a closer one to you; and you must believe, and yours will be the happiness that few on earth possess. So with all the great love that is mine I will say goodnight and God bless you. Your friend and brother, Jesus December 15, 1915 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus: I have heard what you have said to your friend, Dr. Stone, and I must say that while you have some appreciation of the Great Love that came to you last night, yet you cannot fully understand, for no mortal can, although you did experience a wonderful feeling of its inflowing. But let me emphasize that if you continue to have the great longings and desires that you had last night, the Father's Love will come to you in increased abundance. And I want further to say that the same Love that you received is waiting for Dr. Stone and will be his if he will only let his longings go out to the Father with all his soul's earnestness. While I have selected you to perform the great task of receiving my truths and spreading them to all mankind, I have also selected Dr. Stone to do a work which will be of great importance and will involve a labor of love on his part, and much physical as well as spiritual exertion. He must not only believe in me and trust in the Father, but let all his longings and prayers and desires go to obtain the great Love, and it will be his. I am glad that you two men have come so closely together in your beliefs and in your faith in the Divine Love; and I will further tell you that you will both receive a happiness that can never be taken from you, even while you are on earth, and when you come to the spirit world this happiness will be increased beyond all human conception. I am also glad that you can exchange thoughts on these important subjects of my religious teachings, and feel that you both have a work to do, and, above all, am happy that you are willing and anxious to do it. I am with you in all my love, and will make both of you the special objects of my care and keeping - and in the great hereafter when you shall end your work on earth, you will both receive a reward that angels would wish for and wonder that you two could receive it. So I will give you both my love to-night, and will also pray to the Father to bestow upon you His Great Love and blessings. So believe with all your hearts and His Love and blessings will be poured out upon you. Your friend and brother, Jesus December 15th, 1915. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: Well you have written enough for tonight, and I will say only a few words and stop if the little lovesick girl does not interfere. I suppose, though, she will have to say a word or she will not sleep tonight, as you mortals say. Well, go ahead and tell him that you love him. You should be ashamed to try and deceive him so. (Mary now takes a hand in telling Helen what she wants her to say): Well, Leslie, don't you believe her, for you know that I love you, and she is only jealous because I love you more than she does her soulmate. Of course I will interfere whenever I get the chance to tell you of my love, and Helen is real mean to try and make you believe that I am trying to deceive you. But she will tell you differently, I know. Won't you Helen? (Now Helen writes): Yes, Doctor, I was merely joking, for of all the sick girls that I have ever seen, I don't think I have ever seen one so sick as your Mary. Now she says that I must not say that, so you see I can't please her. Now, come Mary, was I right when I told him that you would deceive him, or when I said that you were lovesick? Well, I won't deceive him, and I suppose I won't have to say anything more. So you see, Doctor, she acknowledges that she is a little lovesick girl and is not happy unless she can tell you so. But remember, Doctor, that she does love you, and you should be a very thankful man to have such a beautiful and loving soulmate. Well, sweetheart, I will not write more. (Dr. Stone then asked if she felt his kisses, and Helen resumed): Mary says that they were so quickly given that she did not have time to know whether she felt them or not. She says, Tell him that when he kisses her, to have them longer drawn out, as she doesn't like these quick kisses. She says that she does kiss him, and sometime she will bite him, just to let him realize that she is kissing him. So with our love to both of you, I will say good night. Your own and true loving, Helen Postscript by Dr. Stone: This message shows that spirits like a little fun and enjoy it as much as mortals, and are just as natural in their existence as mortals are here. Leslie R. Stone December 17th, 1915. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. Let me write a few lines as I desire to write you some truths about what you and your friend were discussing; namely, are there any such hells as are described in the messages contained in the book (Dr Peeble's "Immortality") that you have been reading tonight. Well, you must know, that in the spirit planes hell is a place as well as a condition, and that as a place it has all the accompaniments that make it a reality to the spirits who inhabit it. Of course, the conditions of the spirits who are in these hells are determined by their recollections worked upon by their consciences. But notwithstanding that these recollections are the things that cause their sufferings, yet, the appearances of the locations in which they live are due to something more than these mere recollections, for, as you have been informed, all these spirits are in darkness - the degree of the darkness in which they live being determined by their recollections. I mean that when the spirit has recollections of deeds done or not done, which are not so bad as the recollections of another, the former spirit is in a place where there is less darkness than the latter. These places have their own fixed condition of darkness and of gloom, and many other attachments which increases the sufferings that spirits have to endure. There are, of course, no fires and brimstone lakes, and devils with pitchforks adding to the sufferings of the spirits, but yet, there are certain conditions and appearances which are outside of the spirits themselves, which causes their recollections to become more acute and to work in a manner to produce a greater degree of suffering. These hells may be places of caverns and rocks and barren wastes and dark holes and other such things as have been written about; and mortals must know that evil spirits do not live in pleasant places and suffer only from the punishments which their recollections bring to them. And while the hells of the orthodox are in their descriptions greatly exaggerated, yet there is some truth in the ideas which these descriptions convey as to the fact that the hells are places in which are darkness and many accompanying appearances that add to the tortures of the spirits of evil. I tell you this because I see you want to know the truth, and for the further reason that you do not believe that there are such distinctive places as the hells; and that the darkness which the spirits in their communications to you speak of is, in your opinion, produced by the conditions of the minds and souls of the spirits who write. But such opinion is not altogether correct, and it is best for men to know that the mere recollections do not include all of what the hells are. You say you have your hells on earth sometimes, and that is true to a limited extent, and many men suffer very much from their consciences and remorse, but when they come into the spirit world, if they have not gotten out of the condition which these recollections and remorse place them in, they will find that there is waiting them that place or location which will add to their sufferings that arise from the recollections of evil deeds committed while on earth. These evil spirits live in communities, for the law of attraction operates in these dark and lower planes just as it does in the higher spheres, and causes spirits of like or similar conditions to congregate together and find consolation, or what they may at times think to be consolation, in one another's company. These hells are on the planes nearest the earth, and these spirits are not confined all the time to any particular hell; they have the privilege of moving at will along this plane, but wherever they go they find that they are in these hells, and they cannot escape from them, unless they accept the help from spirits who can instruct them (in) what they must do. Well, when they come to you to write they are not very far from these hells, because the plane in which they live is a part of the plane in which the inhabitants of earth live. Of course, I don't mean to say that that portion of the earth plane that surrounds your earth is composed entirely of these hells, for that is not true, as the earth sphere has in it considerable light and some happiness. And you must further remember that there are many planes in this earth plane. These spirits, while their habitations are in these hells, have the privilege of leaving these particular localities and wandering for a short time in and over other parts of this earth plane; but this is only for a short time, and they have to return to the places where they have been placed, and which this law of attraction, that I speak of, draws them to. Well, there are thousands of millions of evil spirits, and there is never a time when some of them, thousands of them, are not surrounding and trying to use their bad influences on mortals. We do not know why this is permitted, but only know that it is so. And here again the great law of attraction operates, for many mortals are in similar conditions of development and evil thoughts to what these evil spirits are, and naturally, these evil spirits are drawn to them and do come to them. And frequently it happens, that while visiting these mortals of similar conditions to their own, they attempt to influence mortals who are in a better state of moral and spiritual condition, and sometime succeed in doing them harm. But the great fact is, that these evil spirits have a place of living, where they have to remain, until by the operation of the law of compensation they are relieved from some of their evil tendencies and desires, when they are permitted to progress. My principal reason in writing you is to have you know that there are hells of places as well as of conditions, and that these places by reason of what they contain and their appearances add to the suffering of the spirits. As I have written a long time I will stop, and say that I am a Christian and an inhabitant of the Celestial Spheres, and one of the spirit band that is helping you in your great work of the Master. So in leaving you I will subscribe myself, Your brother in Christ, Swedenborg the Seer. December 18th, 1915. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Herod. Let me write just a line before you close, as I am anxious to tell you of a matter that may be of importance to you in reference to the descriptions of the hells which you received last night from HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/hell2.htm" Swedenborg. He says that the hells are places as well as conditions, and that they have as a part of them certain appearances and surroundings that make the sufferings of the evil spirits increase. Well, this is true, and in addition I wish to say that not only are these appearances and surroundings real, and existing to the consciousness of the spirit, but are real as a fact, independent of the consciousness. If there were no spirits in these hells, these appearances and surroundings would exist just the same. So you see, a great many mortals whom I have heard express their opinions to the effect that hell is a mere condition of the recollections of the spirit, and nothing more, are altogether wrong in such opinions, and they will find that the consolation, if any there be, from such opinions will not be found whenever they may become inhabitants of these hells. I have passed through all of them, and know whereof I write; for there is no teacher so efficient and convincing as the teacher called experience. I know that if I had only my recollections and remorse as the cause of my sufferings they would have been much lighter and not so excruciating as they were. No, mortals will not find any consolation in such a hope, for there is no foundation for such hope, and the poor, deceived mortal who bases his ideas of hell on such a hope will be sadly disappointed. When you consider a moment, you will see that there is nothing unreasonable in the facts that I have stated. You and all others who believe in the happiness of the higher spiritual spheres, not to mention the Celestial Spheres, believe that the happiness of the spirits who inhabit these spheres is increased and made more real by the beautiful surroundings and the fruits and living water that so many spirits have described as being a part of that higher existence. Then why is it not as reasonable to suppose that in the hells there are surroundings and appearances that will make the conditions of spirits whose evil lives have caused them to become inhabitants of these hells of even more unhappiness, and create more suffering and misery. This supposition is one that no reasonable argument can prove to be incorrect. I merely wanted to add what I have said to what Swedenborg wrote, for I know that conviction must come where statements are based upon actual experiences and where knowledge is derived from sufferings which came from the actual existence of things that are sometimes alleged not to exist. I will not write more now, but in closing will say that I have long since left these hells, and am now an inhabitant of higher spheres and a follower of the blessed Master. When on earth I was known as Herod the King of Judea, and the poor, miserable, mistaken man who thought that by slaying the babes of Bethlehem he would maintain his power as ruler. So good night and God bless you. Herod December 18th, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, John. I merely want to say that I have listened to the message that you read, and to the remarks of your friend and yourself, and I believe that you have a true conception of the truth as to these hells. HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/hell2.htm" Swedenborg told you gave you a correct description of their conditions as they actually exist, and HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/hell1.htm" Herod with the certainty of experience what he found to be true, and I, John, who have visited them in the efforts to allay the sufferings of the spirits who inhabit them, tell you that they exist as places, with all the darkness and surroundings that cause the sufferings of the unfortunate spirits to increase. I desire to make this statement so that this question of what hell really is may be settled for all time, so far as you are concerned. I know that many mortals console themselves with the belief that because of certain natural laws, there cannot possibly be any hells such as the orthodox teach, (and) that therefore there cannot be any hells at all. But the conclusion drawn from the premise is not correct. The mere fact that because a man or spirit cannot burn eternally and never be consumed, does not justify the inference that such spirit cannot be punished by surroundings which have a fixed locality. No, man must not rest in the belief of there being no such hells as Swedenborg has described, because if they do, they will be woefully mistaken and surprised should they live such lives on earth as will cause them to be placed in these hells. I merely wanted to say this much tonight, as I don't want you to receive any communication which is not in accord with the truth. It is of such vital importance that you receive nothing but the truth, that we who are interested in this work have determined that nothing but the truth shall come to you, and that whenever error or misstatements creep in we will carefully correct the same. So without writing more tonight, I will say that I am, Your brother in Christ, John December 18th, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving Helen. Well sweetheart, you have had a letter tonight from a spirit who ought to know what he is writing about, HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/hell1.htm" as he was a most wicked man, and, as I have been told, suffered the torments of the lowest hells. But as to you personally, I want to say that it will make no difference to you what the nature of the hells is, or whether there be any or not. You will never see them, unless when you come over you have a desire to visit them for the purpose of doing good to some poor unfortunate. And I thank God for this assurance and knowledge. I will not write more tonight. With all my love, I am Your own true and loving Helen December 20th, 1915. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I came tonight to tell you that you are in a good spiritual condition and that your soul has had a great inflowing of the Divine Love and you will realize as time goes by this Love to its fullest. I know that you are not so very far from the Kingdom and that soon such Love will come to you as will make you a conscious child of the Father and one upon whom He has bestowed His Great Love in all its purity and splendor. So let your prayer and praise go up to the Father in continuous streams of soul longings and love and you will know that God is your Father and the One altogether Holy. I would like to write to you tonight another of my messages, but I do not think it best, as you are not just in that condition of rapport that will make it successful as you desire, but soon now I will, and you will learn more truths of which you now have no knowledge and of which the world has never heard, for even in my teachings on earth I did not teach the truths that you will receive. Well, I will tell you that Love is the greatest thing in all God's universe and that with its coming into the soul of a man comes peace and happiness and joy, and a knowledge that the Father is a real, existing, present Father of the most wonderful tenderness and Love. You are in a condition that you will experience this Love to a very great degree, and the Holy Spirit is with you and is filling your soul with this Love and making you feel the influence of its presence. Oh, my dear brother, I now know that you will become my own true disciple and worker for the salvation of men, and very soon you will have given to you the great gift of inspirational talking and you will do much good in your telling mankind of the Great Love of the Father and His Wonderful Mercy. This will come to you when your condition is such as to admit its coming and when your soul is attuned to the Heavenly things that are now working to forward the revelations of the great truths. I know just how you feel tonight, and I am with you in all my love and tenderness and am giving you the great Love that I have for the Father and that I have received from the Father. So believe in me and pray to the Father and trust in Him to the fullest, for with this trust will come faith that will make all your longings and aspirations things of real substance, as your soul will become a thing of substance in the Divine Nature of the Father. Well, I will stop now, but I will not leave you without letting you know that you have my love and blessings in all their fullness, and the blessings of the Father. So remember that you are mine and that you are the object of my care and will always be. So good night. Your brother spirit, Jesus December 22nd, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I desire to write you a short time to inform you of certain truths which you should know pertaining to the spirit life, and to what mortals who lead the lives of good and pure men may expect and be assured of realizing. I am in the Celestial Spheres, but I shall not speak of these spheres, but only of the spiritual spheres, where men after they become disembodied spirits may live and experience a happiness which they on earth have no conception of. When a spirit first enters the spirit world it receives a welcome from some one or more spirits whose duties are to receive such spirit, and to show the place where it is suited to live or exist. Such spirit is then permitted to meet its friends and relatives and to commune with them for a short or long time and receive whatever consolation such friends or relatives may be able to give it; and in many cases the gladness and happiness of these spirit friends cause the spirit to believe that it is in heaven, or at least, in a place of great happiness. But after this first interview, the spirit must, by reason of the law of attraction, go to the place where its condition of soul or its condition of moral growth or intellectual development fits it for, and there remain until such condition is made better and enables it to rise to a higher place. No spirit, after it once gets into the place that is suited for it to live in, ever retrogrades, although it may stand still for a long number of years, and never make any progress. But this is a truth not known to a great many mortals, and spirits also, that the condition of the mortal at the time he becomes a spirit fixes his condition and place of living when he first enters the spirit world; after he is put in such place by the law of attraction as I have said, and when once that place is found and occupied, the spirit never goes to a lower place; but either will stay in that place for a long time, or will progress - and ultimately will in all cases progress. Well, the evil spirits find these places of habitation in the earth planes, which are many, and of varied kinds, having many different appearances, suited to the conditions of the spirits who will occupy them. A spirit who is in the lowest of these earth planes is said to be in the lowest hells, as all spirits who are in these planes where they suffer and encounter darkness believe and say they are in hell. But this is merely a name used for convenience, for the hells are merely places forming a part of the one great universe of God. These hells, as you may imagine, are very numerous, for the conditions of spirits are very varied, and each spirit has a place in which to live fitted to its condition. As the spirit becomes freed from some of these conditions, which as to them causes the law of attraction to work, he progresses to a higher and better place, and finds that his surroundings are not so dark and painful. And as this progression continues, such spirit will ultimately find himself in the planes of light and comparative happiness, where the evil recollections have to a large extent left him, and the good deeds which he did on earth then come to him and cause a happiness that makes him realize that he was not all bad, and that God has been good to him in relieving him from the sins and evil thoughts which bound him to the place from which he has progressed. But after all this, he has not gotten into any of the spheres which are above the earth planes, and he may have to remain there for a great many years before he enters the second sphere which is next in gradation to the earth plane. This latter plane is the most populous of all the spheres, for it has spirits coming to it in great numbers - in greater numbers than are progressing from it to higher spheres, and hence it has a greater variety of sub-planes than has any of the other spheres, and is filled with a greater variety and kind of spirits than are any of these higher spheres. When a spirit has remained in the earth planes a sufficient length of time to put him in condition to go to the next higher sphere, he makes his progress, and is never prevented from doing so. I do not mean to say that the spirit is compelled to remain in the earth planes any particular number of years before progressing, for this is not true; on the contrary the number of years that he remains there is determined by his condition of progress, so that some spirits may go through these planes in less than a year and others may remain there many years. In the second sphere, appearances are brighter and many opportunities are afforded the spirit to seek for and obtain happiness that he did not have before, and many spirits find great happiness in pursuing their intellectual studies and things of this kind, and in obtaining a knowledge of the laws of the spirit world governing what you might call the material nature of this world and also of the earth world. This sphere is not so well suited for the growth of the soul faculties, and those spirits whose desires and aspirations are for the development of their soul qualities do not stay in this world or sphere very long, for they do not find that the necessary provisions for such development exists, and as a consequence, they progress to the third sphere, where they find wonderful opportunities and surroundings, which enables them to progress in these matters of the soul. Well I see that you are tired, and I will postpone any further writing on these matters to another time. So Goodnight - John B. Comeys December 22nd, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving Helen: Oh my dear, how I wish that you could see me as I am now, and the great love that is in my soul, then you would never doubt me. Well my garment is a beautiful, white flowing gown which has all the splendor of the sun shining on the polished silver roof of some Turkish Mosque. I am dressed all in white and have a golden girdle, and jewels, as you would say, on my head, and an aura that shows the condition of my soul development.My form is very beautiful, the spirits tell me, and my features are very classical and mobile also. But wait until you come over and you will see, and if you can't wait, ask your friend HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor260.htm" Judge Syrick, who is here, what he thinks of my appearance. So sweetheart I will say goodnight. Your own true and loving, Helen December 22nd, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Judge Syrick: Well Padgett, I heard what your wife said, and I would like to tell you what her appearance is, but I have not words to describe it. She is a beauty that you have never had the faintest conception or, notwithstanding what has been written you, and your vision also. But I tell you this, that she has a form of the greatest perfection, and countenance, which you have never seen the shadow of on earth, and hence; I can't give you any idea of it. But her garments are all shining white, with a brilliancy that dazzles us, who look upon her, and her face - oh, what a beautiful face! I want soon to come and write you a long letter. So I will say with my best wishes. Goodnight. Your friend, Frank D. Syrick December 22nd, 1915 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your Grandmother. I come, because I see that you have been much interested in the description of the various spheres of the spirit world as contained in the book that you have just been reading. Well, my son, I have read the book as you did and I must say that I have grave doubts that any mortal ever had the experience of the Dr. as is related in that book. I, of course, will not positively say that he did not leave his body and visit some of the spheres of the spirit world, and attempt to give a description of what he saw, but I do not think it was possible for him to visit any sphere which is higher than his soul development would enable him to enter, and, as I am informed, not being a man with the soul development that would fit him for the higher soul spheres, I do not understand how he could possibly have entered a sphere higher than the sixth; and I doubt that he entered that, for from all the information that I have received, I have never heard of any mortal entering a sphere higher than the third, which Saint Paul says he visited. At any rate, the descriptions of the higher spheres as contained in the book - and I mean by this the sphere above the third - are not correct in many particulars for, as I have told you before, the fifth and seventh spheres are not Intellectual spheres in the preeminent sense, and in them are not the great colleges and institutions of learning that the book refers to, and neither are the inhabitants engaged in any special study of the laws of nature with the mere intellect; for in these spheres the great studies and aspiration of the spirits are given to the development of the soul by obtaining the Divine Love, and to help in the work are teachers who devote themselves to instructing these spirits in those things which will lead to this soul development. The mind or mere intellect is not given much attention to, but is subordinated to the soul development, for with this development and a part of it, comes a wonderful development of the faculties of what you might call the mind, but which we call and which really are the soul perceptions. I know it is hard for you to understand, but what we call the soul perceptions may be compared to the mental faculties as you commonly speak of them. These soul perceptions do not depend upon these mental faculties, and in fact the latter forms no part of the former, but they are entirely distinct and of a different order and composition from these mental faculties. These soul perceptions, as such, cannot be cultivated or made to increase in their powers or qualities by mere study, but they and their progress are entirely dependent upon and not separated from the development of the soul in Love. I mean the Divine Love of the Father. In other words, unless there be a development of the soul by this Divine Love, there will be no development of the soul perceptions. It is difficult to explain this to you, but you may possibly get some idea from what I have said. The sixth sphere, as I have before said, is the great intellectual sphere, and in this are wonderful colleges and institutions of learning, and many spirits who were great men intellectually on earth are teachers in these institutions. But you must not think that because certain spheres are preeminently intellectual, that there are not teachers of the higher truths pertaining to the souls and to the Divine Love, working in these spheres, for there are. And many great spirits of the Celestial Spheres are engaged in this teaching. But this I must say, that the work is more difficult and the effort to convince these spirits of highly developed intellectuality and knowledge is more strenuous than in any of the lower spheres. These bright minded spirits seem to think that the mind is the great thing to be cultivated and looked after, and while they in a way worship God, yet it is with the faculties of the mind merely. They do not think that there is any teachings in the truth of the New Birth and the Divine Love of the Father, in contradistinction to the love which they possess, which is only the natural love. I have been in all these spheres and have worked in them, and what I tell you I know from actual experience. Well, he is mistaken, for in the Seventh sphere the spirits have homes just as they do in the lower spheres, only they are much more beautiful and bring more happiness and gladness because of the great number of additional things that are provided by the Father to increase the happiness of His children. As to our clothing in that sphere, we are clothed in what you would say a modest and comfortable way. Our clothing is not so flimsy as to permit our forms to be seen as if we had on no clothing at all. This idea must have arisen from the fact that inhabitants of that sphere have no thought of immodesty or of what might result from the suggestions that a naked or half clothed body might give to mortals or even some of the lower spirits. But such an idea does not enter into the question of the nature of the clothes that we shall wear. Our thoughts are all pure and free from mortal taint, and the character of our thoughts has no influence upon the character of our clothing. We wear clothes to cover our bodies because we think it proper to do so, and because we make our clothes by our own thoughts and will, and they are of the most glorious and shining appearances that you can imagine. But as all things in nature have a covering, so in the spirit world, the spirits all have coverings, and this is even so in the Celestial Sphere in which I live. I have never seen such a thing as a naked or nearly naked spirit in these higher spheres. Of course, the spirit of Dr.____ may have entered some of these higher spheres, as I have said, but his information as the author of the book that was communicated to his mortal friend, was not correctly transmitted, for many things which he says are not true. I would like to write more tonight but it is late, and you are tired. I will say with all my love, goodnight. Your own loving grandmother December 25th, 1915 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I come to-night, because I see that you are lonesome and feel the need of companionship, and I come to you as a brother and friend to cheer you and make you feel that though you have no mortal friend with you, yet you have a friend in the spirit who is closer than a mortal brother and who loves you with a deep and abiding love. To-day has been one in which the people of your land have celebrated what they suppose is my birthday, and have also worshiped me as one of the triune Godhead, as they believe. But as I have told you before, such worship is all wrong and is very distasteful to me, and only makes me the more anxious and determined that this great falsehood shall be exposed and not believed in any longer. There is only one God and that is the Father, and He alone, must be worshiped, for He alone can save mortals from the result of their sins and from the consequences of the great fall of the first parents. I do not want men to look upon me as anything more than an elder brother who is filled with the Divine Love of the Father, and very close to Him in the Qualities of Love and Faith. I am a spirit who is possessed of a knowledge of the Attributes of the Father, that no other spirit is, and yet am only one of his children as you and the rest of mankind are, and for my own brothers to worship me as god makes me very unhappy, seeing that they can have such a little knowledge of the Truths of the Father. Tomorrow this worship and praise will be continued and I must look upon it with all the distaste that I have, and realize that I am not able to set men aright in their beliefs and worship. Oh, I tell you the harvest is ripe and the laborers are few, but very soon, I hope this truth of the oneness of God, and the brotherhood of myself with all humanity may be revealed to mankind through the messages that you may receive and transmit to men. The one Great Truth that is the foundation of men's salvation is the New Birth, and the fact that the Divine Love of the Father is waiting for every man to let it enter his soul and make him at one with the Father. I am with you very often and am trying to impress you with the great necessity of having these truths revealed, as men's souls are longing for the truth, and their intellects are dissatisfied with the present teachings of theology, and the sayings of the Bible in many places. While this is to be deplored, yet the time will come when the light that I came into the world to disclose, will shine for every man who may come within the reach of my teachings. Last night, I was reading, as you read an article, which advocated the eliminating from the Christian teachings of a large part of the New and nearly the whole of the Old Testament, and the formulating of a faith based entirely on my sayings and the writings of some of the Bible writers. Such a plan is one that should be investigated by the thinking Christians of the present day, and in a modified way adopted. The only difficulty in carrying out this plan effectively and having it produce the results desired, is that the Bible does not contain many sayings of mine disclosing the truths, and does contain many sayings attributed to me which I never said. Take that saying over which a controversy is now being had, and which is referred to in another article contained in the book mentioned, that is, that I said, I came not to bring peace to the world, but rather a sword. Now, while it appears in Matthews' Gospel as coming from me, I never said, it nor used any expression that would convey the meaning that some of the commentators are endeavoring to place upon the words. I never taught war upon a man's neighbors, and never at any time was such a thought a part of my teachings to the disciples or to any others. No, militarism is all wrong, and against all the precepts of truth, and it should not, for a moment, be believed by any Christian or by any one else that such action was ever advocated by me. While the truth will cause a division, as I know, among men as to what the truth is, and may even separate and cause bitter thoughts and even hatred to arise in the souls of men towards their fellow men, and even brother may come to dislike brother, yet the accomplishing of such results was not the object of my coming to earth and teaching the truths, but rather are the results of the unavoidable conflict between truth and error. Truth cannot compromise even for the sake of peace, and error will not submit or acknowledge its untruth so long as it can get any mortal to believe in and advocate it. And because of the great gift of free will to man, truth itself, with all the power and knowledge of the Father back of it, will not compel a man to accept it against his will, and hence, as man is very fallible and thinks and believes according as his finite, mental faculties convince him that a certain thing is or is not true, he will not be willing to surrender his convictions until the truth shall come to him in such a way as to persuade him of its reality; and as men differ so much in the operations of their minds and reasoning faculties there will necessarily be a great division among them as to what is and what is not true. And hence there will arise disputes and hatred and even wars among them in maintaining their respective beliefs and opinions as to what is truth. While these feelings of discord must necessarily follow the advent of Truth, yet I did not come for the purpose of bringing a sword, but for the purpose of showing men what the Truths are and of causing harmony and belief in these Truths. Never is hatred, nor discord nor war among men justified - no matter what the cause - and if men will only learn the Truth there will never exist such feelings or acts. Truth is of itself, a thing apart, and admits of no variations or modifications, and, hence, the minds of men must submit to and embrace Truth; it will never accommodate itself to the beliefs of men. One is fixed and unchangeable, and the other is always changeable, and until founded on a knowledge of the Truth, will at sometime or other have to change, because in the end Truth will be established in the hearts and minds of men, so that harmony and peace shall reign in all God's universe. Error does not exist in the world because God created it or permits it to exist, but solely because there belongs to man an unrestricted will, which controls and influences his thoughts and acts, and which in turn is influenced by the desires and appetites of the mortal. I know it is said that if God did not permit evil and carnal thoughts and desires to exist in the world, there would be no reason or possibility for man to exercise his will in a way that would bring him to all these feelings of hatred, etc., that I speak of. But this is merely saying that if a man had not the power of free will he would commit no sin and indulge in no error, for you must know that in his creation he was given not only the privilege and the power, under certain conditions, to become a being entirely free from sin - which is merely the violation of God's established laws - but also the privilege and power to violate these laws. As he wills so shall he be. Everything in nature may be turned into an instrument of harm if the laws which establish the functionings and workings of these things are violated. Sin as an abstract thing, does not exist, but is the result of disobedience to some law whose operations in conformity to its creation must be pursued, and should always be pursued; and men who violate it must suffer the consequences of such violation. Mortals may not fully realize that every law carries with it a penalty for its violation, and this applies to the smallest law in the material universe as well as to the greatest law in the Spiritual Kingdom, and this penalty is just as sure in its operation as is the law itself. A man may be created, physically, almost perfect and so long as he lives in that way which does not violate some physical law which is operating to keep him in that physical perfection he will suffer no pain or inharmony in his being; but just as soon as he does violate this law, the penalty therefore asserts itself, and he suffers. Now this arises not because there was existing in the abstract any pain or suffering and had not man violated this law he would never have known that there was such a thing as pain or suffering; but when he did violate the law, there came into operation the penalty which, as I said is always the result of violating the laws of harmony. And the same principle applies to the moral and spiritual universe. As I said, there is no such thing as sin or error in the abstract, for so long as a mortal may know and follow the truth he will never realize the existence of any such thing as sin or error, but the moment that law of truth is violated, the penalty asserts itself, and man realizes that sin and error do exist; not as an abstract entity, but as a concrete sensitive thing, which will continue to exist, until the violation of that law ceases, and harmony in its operation is again restored, or rather until man in his thoughts and acts is brought into harmony with the operations of the law. So you see, God did not create or permit sin or error to exist in the sense that it is an independent entity, waiting to influence men to do wrong and violate His laws of perfect harmony, but rather that when men in the exercise of their will, which He will not compel, violates one of His laws, and thereby, as to themselves, interferes with that harmony, they cause the inharmony to arise, which brings with it the pains and sufferings and sins and errors which are prevalent in the world. Let men think, if they can, of sin or error in the abstract, and then try to describe it. What is the result? Only vacuity. So I say, God did not create sin or error, but gave to man that great gift of will, free and not subject to His control, and then man became the responsible being that he is. But in giving man this great gift, He did not relinquish or subordinate His will to that of man nor did He confer upon man the power to change or modify His immutable laws, which He, Himself, will not do. And within the limitations that man can exercise his will, that is when such exercise does not interfere with the will of God or His laws, man may exercise that will with impunity, and without responsibility, as it were, but when in the exercise of that will he infringes upon the will of God or violates one of His laws, then, while man is not controlled in the exercise of his will, yet for such violation he must pay the penalty which such violation calls into operation. God has decreed that His universe shall be one of harmony in its workings, and that no man shall destroy or interfere with that harmony, and no man can; but as man is a part of that harmony, his every act which tends to interfere therewith - and it does not, except as to himself - brings upon himself the penalty of that interference. Let a man who has violated this harmony, and thereby as to himself, becomes inharmonious, again get into that harmony, and as to him there would be no sin or error; and let every man do this and there would be no sin or error in all God's universe. So, I repeat, there is no sin or error, in the abstract, in all the universe, and they appear only when man in the exercise of his will, interferes, as to himself, in the harmony of God's laws. It makes no difference what the cause of this interference may be, or in what way the will of man may have been exercised, or for what reason, to bring about this inharmony, the effect is the same. Because harmony and inharmony cannot exist together no matter what the cause may be. No matter that in one case the cause may appear excusable or even, apparently forced on the individual. The excuse for, or apparent justification of the cause will not make what is inharmonious unite and work in unison with God's laws of harmony. And hence the man whose will may be excused in the way mentioned by reason of heredity, or environments, or want of proper mental or moral instruction is just as much out of harmony with the violated law, as is the man who willfully violates the law. The penalty must be enforced just the same in each case, as the only remedy is the restoration of the harmony. But there is this difference between the individuals of what may be called the involuntary class and the individuals of the voluntary class, the former will find it easier, and with more rapidity, to get into this condition of harmony than will the latter. So men must not accuse God in permitting sin and error to exist in the world, as they do not exist, except as man brings them into existence by the wrongful exercise of his will. All sin and error bring their sufferings, and if there were no sufferings, and men were permitted to exercise their wills irrespective of the laws which govern the universe, without incurring the penalties then the only result would be that anarchy would prevail in all God's universe where men live, and in the spirit universe as well, for the will and its great franchise of unrestricted exercise pass with the mortal when he leaves his material body. So with all my love I will say, good-night. Your brother and friend, Jesus December 26th, 1915. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Mary Kennedy: Well, you had a spirit write you who wanted the light, and your band thought it advisable to let him write, and they also saw another spirit who is filled with love for a mortal, who some spirits such as Helen, say doesn't deserve it, and they have let her write, and she is doing so. I merely wanted to do a little independent writing myself, to let that dear boy see that I am able to write him and tell him that I love him, just as I have told him so many times before. I was with him at church tonight and enjoyed the singing very much, as he did, and tried to make him feel my presence, and I believe that he did. But I will not make love to him or he might get tired of hearing me tell him, and get in such a condition of conceit that he will think that all he has to do is to say, "Mary, come and tell me that you love me better than anyone else." So have determined that I will not in the future tell him so often of my live - that is, if I can keep from doing so, and I doubt that I can. Helen says that I am such a lovesick girl that if a brick house stood between him and me, I would butt my brains out trying to get to where he is. And maybe she is right. But anyhow, I have the right to do it if I choose, and no one else has any right to say I shan't. So let him know that it is real mean to take advantage of my weak condition, or strong maybe, and want me to do all the love-making. He doesn't have to write his love to me as I do to him, for if he only thinks love, I can see it in his heart and enjoy it, just as if I should receive a letter from him, telling me of it. But I must stop this love-making, and tell him that I am with him, and am so interested in his soul progress, and I know that he is progressing, for I can see his influence of love not only for me but for the Father as well, and his soul development means a great deal to me as well as to himself. I am now in the First Celestial Sphere and am so very happy, and when I have the opportunity, and you are willing, I desire to tell him of my beautiful home, and the great things that the Father has prepared for me and bestowed upon me to make me happy. They sing "That eye has not seen, etc"; but his eyes will not have to see, for when I write him of the great things that the Father has prepared for me, he must know and realize that they will be his someday, as well as myself also. So let me say just one word more, and that is, that you must continue to pray to the Father for His love and blessings, and for faith, and he will find that his soul will expand in joy and peace, and that he will realize that he is coming closer and closer to his own true soulmate. Mary December 27th, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: Well sweetheart, I have been waiting for sometime to write to you and tell you that you are not doing the right thing by sending the message to the man who wrote the article in which the message comments on his, a man that will not appreciate what it contains. I say this because I have visited him since you commenced to think of writing to him and find that he is another self-conceited man and has opinions of his own which are not easily influenced. I would like you to send it to anyone who would appreciate it, but I do not believe that the man you have in mind will. Well, as you say, Jesus is the one to judge and he may think differently from me and I think I may ask him. He may decide that you had better send it even though he sees that the man will not believe in the ways of its coming. So I will not say that you do not send it until he has decided the matter, and he is here now and will write you, but before I stop I want to say that I love you with all my heart and am with you trying to comfort you and make you feel the effect of my love. So with all my heart, I will say goodnight. Your own true and loving, Helen December 27th, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus: Well my dear brother, I have read what your wife wrote you and at first thought I agreed with her for I am afraid that the person referred to is of the character that she describes. Yet when I consider the matter I am inclined to think that it may be a wise thing to send it to him as while he may not believe that I wrote it, yet, he may find some truth in it that may set him to thinking and help him to a broader view of man's relation to the Father. At any rate try the experiment as it can do no harm and may do some good. I will now write you another message on a matter of utmost importance and I hope that you will be in condition to receive it. I will not write more tonight. Well, I am with you very often and my love is influencing you all the time and the love of the Father is flowing into your soul also. I am so glad that you feel to such an extent the importance of this work and I promise that very soon now you will be in condition to do my work as you desire and I want you to. So continue to let your soul long for more of the Father's love and His faith and you will find that they will come to you in increasing abundance and that you will become very happy. I will be with you and give you my love and will pray to the Father on your request, with all the faith that I have that He may answer my prayers. So only trust and believe and you will see the glory of the Father and your own salvation to the highest. I am with you trying to help you in every way and especially in the way of your being able very soon to lay aside your professional work and give all your attention to my work. The happiness will come, only have faith and use your best efforts to bring about the results desired. I will stop now but in closing I will assure you of my great love and interest in you. So with all my love, I am Your brother and friend, Jesus December 28th, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus: I came tonight to tell you that you did the right thing by sending the message to the person who wrote the article upon the subject of Christianizing the Bible, for I now believe that he will appreciate it to a very great extent. He is not an orthodox Christian as I have learned, but is the preacher of a Unitarian Church in the little town in which he lives and is a very broad minded man. I have learned this by visiting him and saw the condition of his mind and beliefs upon subjects related to what you have written him. He may have some doubts as to the source of the message and may not feel inclined to accept your statements as to how you received it as true, but yet his doubts will not be altogether of such a nature that he may not have some hesitation on saying that such a thing as your receiving my message could not be true. At any rate he will become interested in the subject matter of the message and will find some thoughts that he never before had. And I fully realize that when you shall publish my messages the great difficulty in their being accepted will be the doubts of the people as to their source, but you will have to compile the book in such a way that the testimony of the numerous writers will be so strong that the doubts will not be able to withstand the evidence of my being the writer of the messages. And when men read the same they will realize that the truths which they contain could only come from a higher source than mortal mind and that the hand of the Father is in them. I merely write this tonight to show you that we will have a great difficulty to have people believe that I wrote the messages and that we will have to do everything possible to convince them of the truth of the source of the writings. But if this difficulty should appear almost insurmountable in the beginning, yet after a while when men come to appreciate the inherent truth and importance of the messages they will easily believe that I wrote them, and especially will this be the case with those men who are not orthodox in this belief. So I will continue to write and you to receive the messages and when the time comes to publish them, I do not fear that they will not be gladly received. Very soon I will write you another, which will be very important to mankind. I will only say further that I am with you trying to influence you to do the right thing in your life and to believe with all your heart in the Divine Love of the Father and in my mission and your work. I will not write more but will say with all my love that I am, Your brother and friend. Jesus December 28th, 1915. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your Helen, and ready to write as I promised you today, and you must not think that I will not tell you of what is so dear to me, and should be to you. It has been a long time since I wrote you very much in detail about myself, and you do not know what has taken place in my soul progression for some time past. Well, I have been praying and trying to get more Love of the Father in my soul and have succeeded to such an extent that I am now in the third Celestial Sphere, where are your grandmother and mother also; and my dear, if I could only tell you of the joys and grandeur of this sphere, I should be most happy. But I have not the words at my command to give you any satisfactory idea of what the appearance and conditions of this sphere are. I have described to you my home in the HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/heaven6.htm" second Celestial Sphere, though very inadequately, but that sphere cannot compare with what I have now, and I cannot better describe it than to say it is beyond all possible conception of what you can possibly have of beauty and grandeur and love. I am only in the lower planes of this sphere, but these are so filled with the Father's Love that it almost seems impossible that there can be any spheres where there is more of this Love, but, of course, as Jesus and all the apostles and some others who write you, have their homes in these higher Celestial Spheres and nearer to the fountain of love, consequently there must be more Love where they are. I am so happy that I can scarcely tell you of what this happiness means, but at any rate, I must say that there is never the slightest thing to interfere with my happiness or to make me think that I am not an accepted child of the Father, partaking of His Love to an extent that makes me immortal and never again subject to death. This happiness is not such as satisfies for awhile, but is one continual source of living, free from all that might enter into the feelings or lives of spirits that know not that they are one with the Father and a part of Him in Love and beauty. I am only wanting one thing now to make my life complete, and that is to have you with me; but from this you must not think that I am not perfectly happy and contented, for I am, but as you have been told I am only one half of the complete one, the other half must come and join the half that I am before the perfect one can become completed. So my dear Ned, you must try now harder than ever to get this Great Love in your soul in more abundance, and you may if you will only pray and have faith, for the Master says that you can, and he knows. Yes, I have my individual home here, just as I had in the lower spheres, and it is just as real, and more so, as any home which you have on earth. My garments are the same in appearance, as to form, but oh, so much more beautiful and shining white, and my countenance too is more beautiful and full of expressions of love. So you see, I have a greater love for my Father and a greater love for you; for as my love for the Father increases my love for you also increases, and I know that when you come over this love will be so great, that you will wonder that such love could exist. I do not think that I had better write more tonight as I do not feel like telling you of other things, and I only want to enjoy this Great Love free from communication about other matters, though at another time I shall be pleased to do so. So sweetheart, think of me as I am now, filled with this Great, new Love that is possessing my whole being, and now dear you are the object of this love, outside of that which is the Father's. I will not write more, but will say that I am yours now and for all eternity, and am waiting, oh, so longingly, for the time to come when you can be with me. I will stop writing. Your own true and loving, Helen December 28th, 1915. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am Jesus. I will write only a few lines. I merely want to say that what you HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/heaven30.htm" have read tonight from your wife as to her progress and her condition of love is all true. She is in such a state of happiness that you must not wonder, that she was not able to describe to you her home and her new surroundings, for they are beyond description in the words that you mortals use to express your ideas. But this I will say, that the heart of man has never conceived nor the mind of man thought of the great blessings and joy which the Father has prepared for those who love Him in the way of possessing His Divine Love which makes their souls at-one with Him, and causes them to partake of His Divine Nature, and realize that they are a part of His Great Divinity, and Immortal. If mortals would only learn of this great plan of the Father for their redemption, and then believe and try to get this Great Love, how much more happiness there would be, not only among spirits but among mortals also, for this Love can be possessed to a very great degree by mortals, notwithstanding (that) they have all the trials and temptations of the flesh. My object is to have you and your friend obtain this Great Love while you are still in the flesh, for your work will require that you have this Love so that you can not only teach its existence, but by your very lives show and prove to mankind that it is a thing of reality. I will soon write you another message that will show another great truth which mankind must know. Well, I will explain that sentence in one of my messages very soon, and will to the satisfaction of your friend show that God never leads any of his children into temptation, and that I never said in teaching my disciples the Lord's prayer, that they should pray that God would not lead them into temptation. I will also write you the actual prayer which I taught them, and which is the true prayer which all men with fervent, honest, longing hearts should offer to the Father. So let not this trouble you or your friend, for God does not lead men into temptation, but, on the contrary, uses the influence of his righteous spirits upon them to help them resist all temptation. With all my love for you and your co-worker, and the blessings of the Father upon you both, I am your brother and friend, Jesus December 29th, 1915. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, your Helen: I will write you a little, if I am permitted to do so; but I suppose I will have to be real stern to another spirit here who says that she wants to write, and tell you one little secret which she has, and if I will only let her say it she will love me forever. So I suppose I must let her say it. Mary now writes: Well, Doctor, don't you know whom Helen was talking about? I don't believe you do, because when I said I had a secret, you would immediately say it was not I, for I don't keep secrets but tell all I know, no matter who hears me. But you are wrong, for I have a secret and I want to tell it to you, but only on condition that you promise not to reveal it. I assume that you promise. So listen as I whisper it to you: I love you with all my heart and soul and want you to know it. Now Helen, I have told him, and I thank you. Helen now writes: Well, isn't she a cute little sweetheart! But she had to tell him or she would burst open, as you mortals say. Well, sweetheart, you have had a long writing tonight and I will not detain you longer. I will say, though, that I am so happy and only wish that you could get one glimpse of me now, for you would see such love for you that you would never more doubt. But I must stop. So good night to you both. Your own true and loving, Helen December 30th, 1915 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, St. Luke. I come to-night to tell you of a truth that is of very great importance to you and to mankind, and desire that you shall be very careful in receiving what I may say. I am in a condition of love that enables me to know whereof I write and to cause what I may say to be accepted by you as true. I want to tell you that the Love of which we have been writing is the only Love that can make a spirit or man at one with the Father, and this my theme: The Atonement. This word as used in the Bible and interpreted by the churches and the commentators on the Bible, carries with it a meaning of some price being paid by Jesus for the redemption of mankind from their sins and from the punishment that they will have to undergo because of having committed sin; and also, the idea that God, as an angry and insatiable God, was waiting for the price to be paid in order for His wrath to become satisfied and for man to stand before him acquitted of sin and the consequences of disobedience. This price, according to the teachings of the churches and the persons named, must have been paid by one who in his goodness and purity was capable of paying this price; that is one who had in him such inherent qualities, and by his sacrifices was of such inherent worth as to satisfy the requirements of the demands of this angry God whose laws had been disobeyed. And they also teach that the only way by which such price could have been paid, was by the death on the cross of Jesus, who was the only person in all creation that possessed these qualities sufficiently to meet these requirements; and that by his death and the shedding of his blood the sins were atoned for and God was satisfied. This is the orthodox belief of the atonement and plan of salvation. In short, a perfect human being free from all sin, a death on the cross and a shedding of blood, which was necessary that the sins of mortals might be washed away and their souls made clean and fitted to become a part of the great family of God. But all this conception of the atonement is wrong and not justified by any teaching of the Master, or by any of the true teachings of the disciples to whom he had explained the plan of salvation and what the atonement means. I know that in various parts of the New Testament it is said that the blood of Jesus washes away all sin, and that his death on the cross satisfies the Father's demand for justice; and therein there are many similar expressions conveying the same idea. But these sayings of the Bible were never written by the persons to whom they are ascribed, but by writers who, in their various translations and alleged reproductions of these writings, added to and eliminated from the writings of the original writers, until the Bible became filled with these false doctrines and teachings. The writers of the Bible, as it now stands, were persons who belonged to the church which was nationalized about the time of Constantine, and as such, had imposed upon them the duty of writing such ideas as the rulers or governors of this church conceived should be incorporated in the Bible for the purpose of carrying out their ideas in order to subserve the interests of the church, and to give it such temporal power as it never could have had under the teachings and guidance of the pure doctrines of the Master. For nearly two thousand years this false doctrine of the atonement has been believed in and accepted by the so called Christian churches, and has been promulgated by these churches as the true doctrine of Jesus and the one upon which the salvation of man depends; and the consequences have been that men have believed that the only things necessary to their salvation and reconciliation to God, were the death of Jesus and the washing away of their sins by the blood shed on Calvary. If men only knew how futile his death was and how inefficacious his blood is to wash away sin and pay the debt to the Father, they would not rest in the assurance that all they have to do is to believe in this sacrifice and this blood, but would learn the true plan of salvation and make every effort in their power to follow that plan, and as a consequence, have their souls developed so that they would come into harmony with the Father's love and laws. Atonement, in its true meaning, never meant the payment of a debt or the appeasing of the wrath of God, but simply the becoming at one with Him in those qualities that will insure to men the possession of His Love and the Immortality that Jesus brought to light. The sacrifice of Jesus could have no possible effect upon the condition of man's soul qualities, and neither could the blood shedding make a vile and sinful soul pure and free from sin. God's universe is governed by laws as immutable as they are perfect in their workings, and the great thing to be accomplished by the plan which He provided for the redemption of men, is to have every man come into harmony with these laws, because just as soon as that harmony exists there will be no more discord and sin will not be known to humanity. And so, only that which will bring man into this harmony can possibly save him from his sins and bring about the at-onement that Jesus and his disciples taught. Man, when created, was endowed with what may be called a natural love, and that love, to the extent of the quality that it possessed, was in perfect harmony with God's universe, and so long as it was permitted to exist in its pure state, was a part of the harmony of the universe; but when it became defiled or impregnated with sin or anything not in accord with God's laws, it became inharmonious and not at one with God, and the only redemption required was the removing of those things that caused the inharmony. Now, the only way in which this inharmony could be removed was by the natural love becoming again pure and free from that which defiled it. The sacrifice on the cross could not furnish this remedy and neither could the blood atonement accomplish it, because the sacrifice and the blood had no relation to the evil to be remedied. So I assert, if these things paid the penalty and satisfied God and thereby He had no further claim upon man for any debt supposed to be due Him from man, it necessarily implies that He kept the souls of men in this condition of inharmony and would not permit the same to be removed until His demands for satisfaction and blood had been met; and that then, when He should be appeased, He would permit men by His mere ipse dixit to again come in harmony with His laws and the workings of His universe. In other words, He would be willing to let men remain out of harmony with His universe and the workings of His laws, until He had His demands for sacrifice and blood satisfied. This, as is apparent to any reasonable man, would be a thing so foolish that no mere man in matters pertaining to his earthly affairs, would adopt as a plan for the redemption of those sons of his who had been disobedient. I see you have a caller, and will HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/bible52.htm" continue later. January 1st, 1916. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: Well, I see that you are not in such a good condition tonight in your development, and I am sorry, for I want so very much that you have this love of the Father in all its beauty and fullness. I see that the book you read did not have a good influence on you, but you must not let it trouble you or cause you to doubt, for I am your own true Helen and am writing to you. I am not the spirit of some lost angel of God, but the spirit of the women who was your wife on earth. The writer of that book will find to his surprise and sorrow when he comes to the spirit world, that his teachings are all wrong and very injurious, and will have to pay the penalties for his false teachings; for he has prevented many a person from coming into the truth and learning that there is no such thing as a dead spirit. So as I say, pay no further attention to what you have read. Your own true and loving, Helen January 2nd, 1916. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus: I come to tell you that you have not been in a very good condition of spirituality HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor291.htm" since last night when you read that book. Well, in the first place I want to say that there are no such things as the fallen angels or any spirits except the spirits of those who once lived as mortals and who are living now as spirits. Of course many of them are what may be called evil spirits but they are not devils in the sense that the author describes them. There never were any rebellions in heaven of any of the angels of God and whenever such a thing is mentioned in the Bible it has no foundation in fact for there never was a Seraphim or any other angel that fell and became the devil or Satan as he is called and you must not let your thoughts disturb your belief in our writing to you for we who profess to write to you actually do write. I know that it is very largely believed in the churches that there are such beings as devils of whom Satan is the chief, but such belief is wholly erroneous and has worked a great injury to the cause of truth and to my teachings. The men who teach this false doctrine will have a great sin to atone for when they come to the spirit world and especially will the author of the book you were reading and not only for this false doctrine but for others which he teaches. He will find as soon as his breath leaves the body that there is a spirit world and that he is a living spirit and one who will find come to him the recollections of all his false teachings. I know that it may be said that he actually believes what he preaches but that fact will not alter the fact that his teachings are untrue and that he must pay the penalties of these false teachings until at last they shall no longer exist on earth. This may seem unjust when it is considered that he may be honest in his beliefs, but as I said on earth, the man who believes these false doctrines and teaches other men to believe them will have to pay the penalties of results of these teachings, not because they injured him and even taught insecurity, but because they injured others and as a consequence placed those whom he taught in a condition which is not in unison with the truth or with the laws of God and only can that condition be reinclosed by the truth or knowledge of the truth possessed by these misguided beings and they can only come into the possession of the truth by being untaught as it were these falsehoods and being taught the truths and this will be the work of the author mentioned and all those who assist him in teaching these doctrines until all who have ever been deceived by such teachings have been shown the error of the same and brought to a knowledge of the truth. This will arise not because of any special punishment inflicted upon him by God, but because of his realization of the great harm he has done to those who believed in and followed him in these teachings. He will need no other punishment than that of his own recollection and his conscience. So I say, give no further heed to what you may have read and believe that I Jesus am actually writing to you and that all the others who claim to write are the spirits that they actually represent themselves to be. I was with you tonight at church and heard the lecture and while it was undoubtedly interesting to many in the audience, yet it has no basis of fact upon which to rest. The medium did not know the things that she predicted and no spirit controlled her to make the prophecies and if such had she would not have been able to make such predictions. The only reason that the medium had for making the prophecies were the facts that she knows now exists, that will probably bring about the future as she stated it. But no reliance can be placed upon what she attempts to foretell, and if some of the things happen that she predicted, it will not be because she predicted them or because any spirit inspired her to make such predictions, but because they will be the natural effects of course that now exist or which will probably arise in the future. Well, as to the discourse of which she spoke, she doesn't know any more nor have any greater reason to declare that such a disease will prevail in your country than you have, and she has no reasons upon which to found any such prophecy. I do not see any condition which will bring about such disease in the way that she describes it. Of course there are men dying all the time of some disease or other and men will continue to so die and some may die of the trouble that she speaks of or of those akin to the same. But such disease will not prevail in the way that she described. So on the whole you need not give any credence to what she said in the particulars mentioned. I have been with you a great deal today and I was glad when you went to the church of your birth this morning, while you do not believe in the wine and the bread as representing my blood and body, yet many of the people who partook of these have the Divine Love of the Father in their souls and are very close to the Kingdom, and the influence that attended this service was very spiritual. Many of the spirits of mortals who had attended this church were present exercising a very spiritual influence on the worshipers and you could feel the presence of the same. I must not write more tonight, but will say that you must trust in my love and believe that I am with you very often trying to help you and make your soul feel the great love of the Father flowing into it. And with my love and blessings and that of the Father, I will say goodnight. Your friend and brother, Jesus January 3rd, 1916. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I am with you to-night to warn you against letting any doubt enter your mind or heart, as to our actually writing to you, for we and none other are actually in communication with you. HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor291.htm" The book that you read is a snare and a lie, for there are no angels who have become devils as the author of that book declares. Never were there any angels who through ambition or any other reason revolted against the power of government of God, and thereby lost their estate as angels. Never was there any Lucifer, and never were there any angels who were thrown from the battlements of heaven into hell, as it has been written and as I told you before, there are no devils and no Satan, considered as real persons and fallen angels. The only spirits in the spirit world are those who at one time were mortals and who lived lives on earth, shorter or longer, and whenever angels are mentioned in the Bible, or rather in the New Testament in places which contain my sayings or those of the apostles, and I mean those sayings which were actually said, the word angel always refers to the spirit of some mortal who had passed the line between life and death as commonly understood. I desire to tell you of these things at large very soon and to instruct you as to who were the angels of God that are supposed to have had an existence prior to the creation of man and of the world; and who the inhabitants of heaven were before the Spirit of God entered into man and caused him to become a living soul as the Bible says. But the time is not yet ripe for me to instruct you in these matters, because there are so many more important truths to be first taught you, truths which are vital to man's salvation and happiness to those on earth and in the spirit world. But this you must believe, that no devils ever write you or in any manner manifest to or through any of the numerous mediums who are used to show the existence of spirits of men in the spirit world, no matter whether these mediums be good or evil. There are spirits of all kinds just as there are mortals of all kinds, having all the traits and characteristics of mortals, and some of these spirits may be justly called wicked or evil spirits, and even devils. But they are nothing more or less than spirits such as I describe. l know that the belief of the majority of mankind is that there are such things as devils and that they are independent creations of God, made by Him to tempt and inflict all kind of trouble and unhappiness on mortals, and because of the great number of years that these beliefs have existed, and the fact that many of the churches still teach that such devils do exist, and are at all times trying to tempt and injure men, it is hard and will be difficult to induce men to believe that there are no such things as devils, which is the truth. I know that the Bible in many places speaks of my casting devils out of men, and of men being possessed of devils, and of the apostles casting out devils, and of their not being able to cast out some of these devils, but I tell you now that the Bible is all wrong in this regard, and the writers and translators of the Bible never understood what the word devil, as used in these various instances, meant or was intended to mean. As I have told you, there was never any devil or devils in the sense mentioned and taught by the churches, and consequently, they never could have possessed mortals nor have been cast out of them. It is true, that by the workings of the law of attraction, and the susceptibility of mortals to the influence of spirit powers, mortals may become obsessed by the spirits of evil - that is evil spirits of men who once lived on earth - and this obsession may become so complete and powerful that the living mortal may lose all power to resist this influence of the evil spirits, and may be compelled to do things that the mortal will not desire to do, and to show all the evidence of a distorted mind, and present appearances of a lost will power, as well as of the ability to exercise the ordinary powers given him by his natural creation. And in these instances referred to of casting out devils, wherever they occurred, and they did occur in some of the instances mentioned, the only devils that existed were the evil spirits who had possessed these mortals. And this obsession obtains to-day just as it did then, for the same laws are in operation now as were in existence then, and many a man is in a condition of evil life and disturbed mind from the obsession of these evil spirits; and if there were any men of today in that condition of soul development and belief that my disciples were in, they could cast out these so called devils just as the disciples cast them out in the Bible days. But men have not this faith, though there are many who have been blessed with the inflowing of the Holy Spirit; but they have not the belief that such work as the disciples performed can be performed by them now, and, in fact, the most of them believe that it would be contrary to God's will to attempt to exercise such powers, and hence, they never attempt to do such work. But when men learn that in all ages God is the same, that His laws work the same way, that mankind is the same so far as the soul's possibilities are concerned, and that the faith which God made possible for man to attain to, may be possessed by him now just as it was possessed by my disciples, then they will attempt this work of beneficence and will succeed, and the sick will be healed and the devils cast out, the blind made to see, and the deaf to hear, and the so-called miracles will be performed as they were in my days on earth. There is not and never was such a thing as a miracle in the sense of having an effect produced by a cause which was not the result of the ordinary workings of God's laws, for these laws in their workings never vary, and when the same law is called into operation upon the same condition of facts the same results will always be produced. So, let a mortal have in his soul the same amount of God's Divine Love which the Bible writers meant or should have meant, when they spoke of being endowed by the Holy Ghost, and let him have the necessary faith, that when he prays to God, he will give him the power to exercise this Love in a sufficient degree to produce the desired results, and then try to exercise the power of casting out devils or healing, etc., and he will find that success will attend his efforts. God is the same at all times and under all circumstances, and only mortals vary in their conceptions and conditions. So I say, there are no devils as independent creatures of God, in contradistinction to the spirits of men who once lived on earth, and you must believe that there are not. I tell you now, that the teachers of such false doctrines will have to pay the penalties for their false teachings when they come to the spirit world, and see the result of these false teachings, and no relief will be granted until they have paid the last farthing. To believe such doctrines entails results that are bad enough for any spirit to endure, but to teach others these beliefs and convince them of their truth, entails upon the teacher, whether he actually believes them or not, sufferings and duration of sufferings of which men have no conception. I will not write more to-night, but will, in closing, say that you have my love and blessings, and my promises I will fulfill, so that you will realize your expectations and be in condition to perform the work that you have been selected to do. Well, you let doubt come into your mind, and as a consequence, your soul does not respond, although, strange as it may seem, the Divine Love is there, but when this mental doubt exists, it is as if it were a covering which prevents the existence of the Love in the soul to shine forth and produce the great feeling of happiness and joy which otherwise you might experience. The mental condition of the mortal, undoubtedly has a great influence on the consciousness of the man as to his possession of this soul development and the Divine Love, and consequently, there will have to be this continuous fight as long as life lasts on earth, between the mental conditions and the soul's consciousness. But as the mental beliefs are brought into harmony with the soul's condition, more and more the fight will grow weaker and less frequent, and it is possible that they will cease altogether, and the mental beliefs become entirely and absolutely subordinated or rather absorbed in the soul's consciousness of its being possessed of this Divine Love of the Father. So my dear brother, I will say good-night. Your brother and friend, Jesus January 4th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, St. Luke. I wish to HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/bible51.htm" continue my discourse on the Atonement. As I was saying unless a man gets into harmony with God in the natural love, which God bestowed upon him, and thereby becomes free from sin and error, there can be no redemption for him, and the death of Jesus and the shedding of his blood cannot cause that harmony. Now what I have heretofore said, relates exclusively to man and his salvation in respect to his condition of becoming perfect in this natural love, which all men have. But this is not the great atonement which Jesus came to earth to teach men, and the way in which it could be obtained and the effect of its attainment. As has been told you, in the beginning God conferred upon our first parents not only the natural love but the potentiality of obtaining it, by the observance of certain laws and obedience, the Divine Love of the Father, which, when obtained, would make a man a part of divinity itself; and, while it would not make him a god, or the equal of the Father, yet it would give him a divinity that would cause him to receive the substance of God's Great Love, and not remain the mere image, and, as a consequence, man would become immortal. God alone, is Immortal, and every part of Him is Immortal, and when men shall obtain in their souls that part of Him which is his Greatest Attribute - His Divine Love - they will also become Immortal, and thereafter not subject to death. The natural love, which was implanted in the souls of all mankind, is not a part of the Divine Love - it is not this Love in a lesser degree even, but is a distinct and separate quality of love, and all men possess it; but in many persons it has become contaminated by the sins that flow from the violation of God's laws, so that the redemption, of which I have spoken, is necessary for man, even as the possessor of this natural love only. But the Divine Love of the Father is a Love that has in It, and is wholly composed of the Divinity which the Father possesses, and no man can ever become a part of that Divinity until he possesses this Great Love. I know it is said that man is Divine because he was created in the image of God, but nothing which is a mere image is ever a part of the substance of which it is the image, and cannot possibly have the qualities of that substance. Commonly speaking, the image may have the appearance and for the ordinary affairs of the mortal life, may serve the purpose of the real until something that arises that demands the production of the real, and then the image will no longer serve the purpose. Now in the case of the creation of man, he was made in the image of God in one particular only, and that in the matter of soul appearance. His physical or spiritual body was not in the image of God, for God has no such bodies, and only the soul of man is in the image of God, the Great Oversoul. And so long as man remains a mere image of the Father, he will never be more than the mere man that he was at the time of his creation, and the Substance of the Father will never become a part of him; and while the Substance is Divine, the image can never become Divine until it becomes transformed into the Substance. At man's creation a plan was formed by which that image might become a thing of Substance, and there was given to man, the possessor of the image, the potentiality of obtaining the Substance; but man, through his disobedience or failure to comply with or follow out the requirements of the plan provided, forfeited this potentiality, which had been conferred upon him, and thereby lost the possibility of having the image transformed into the Substance which was absolutely necessary in order for him to ever become the possessor of any part of the Father's divinity. And when men call themselves divine they assert that which is not true, but which, since the coming of Jesus to earth, may become true. I will not recite what this disobedience of our first parents was, or in what way they lost the great potentiality of becoming Divine, but will only say, that when by their disobedience they forfeited this potentiality, it was taken from them by God, and His decree that in the day they should commit the act of disobedience they should surely die, was carried out and they died; not the material bodies died nor their spiritual bodies died, nor their souls, for men continued to live in their physical bodies for many years after the day of disobedience, and their spirit bodies and souls never died, for they still live. But what died and what the sentence passed upon them affected was the potentiality of receiving the Substance, which would make them Divine and Immortal. This potentiality was taken from them and never restored during the long centuries from the time of its death until the coming of Jesus. That part of the divine nature, or that divine attribute, which was the object of this potentiality and which would make man a part of the divine nature and immortal, was the Divine Love of the Father and nothing else; and if our first parents through their obedience had received this Divine Love, never would mortality as to the soul have existed on earth, and neither sin or a want of atonement with the Father. But disobedience came and death of the possibility of becoming immortal ensued, and man remained mere man, only an image of the Father and nothing more. No man in all the long ages that I have mentioned ever had anything more or greater in his nature than the natural love of which I have spoken; and even as to that, man so abused and defiled it, until at a time he became an outcast from the Father as to this love. In other words, he man, buried it so deeply under his acts of sin and the violation of those laws of God which control this natural love, that he appeared to be forsaken by the Father, even as a mere human being. But in the history of what is called "God's chosen people," the Jews, it appears that time and time again these people became such aliens from God in this natural love, that men, possessed of this love in a purer state than were the common people were used by the forces of the spirit world to call these people to a realization of their obligations to God arising out of the gift of the natural love. None of the prophets - neither Moses nor Elijah, nor any of the others - was possessed of this Divine Love, but merely of the natural love in a purer state than were the people to whom they delivered their messages. But in God's Own time and in accordance with His Mercy and Plan, He rebestowed upon man this great potentiality of which I speak, so that men should again have the privilege of becoming at one with Him; and to declare the rebestowal of this Great Gift, Jesus was sent to earth in the form of man conceived and born as other men, but without sin. It was at the time of Jesus' coming the Great Gift was rebestowed upon both mortals and spirits of mortals then living in the spirit world, and they all, spirits and mortals, received the privilege of becoming at one with the Father through the Plan of Salvation that He had revealed to Jesus, and which Jesus taught in his ministry during the short years of his earthly life, and which he is still teaching. There is no other way in which man can become at one with the Father - in which the image can be transformed into the Substance - than the Way that Jesus taught, but which seems not to have been understood by men after the church became a church of temporal power, and after the Bible or the writings of the apostles were emasculated and the thoughts and desires of men interpolated in the place of the gospel of peace and salvation. Yet there is in the gospel of John one declaration of the true Plan of Salvation, though it is little understood and almost ignored in practical teachings and observances of the churches and their members, and that is "except a man be born again he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God." These words of the New Birth are the only words that declare the true doctrine of the atonement. No death of Jesus on the cross, no shedding of blood or washing away of sins by the blood, no paying of any debt and no believing in the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ, will bring men into at-one-ment with the Father and make them partakers of his Divine Nature or fit them to become inhabitants of His Kingdom. Only the New Birth is efficacious for this purpose, and no other plan did Jesus ever teach and is not now teaching. Then what is meant by the New Birth? Men in their understanding and interpretation of it differ, and it will do no good for me to recite these different interpretations or what the New Birth is not; but the important thing is, what it is. As I have said, the potentiality that was conferred upon our first parents was the privilege of obtaining the divine nature and immortality of the Father by becoming possessed of His Great attribute of Divinity - the Divine Love. And had our first parents by their obedience received the benefits of this great privilege, they would have been born again, as you and all other mortals, and spirits as well, may now be born again. Then the New Birth is simply the effect of the flowing into the soul of a man of this Divine Love of the Father, and the disappearing of everything that tends to sin and error. As the Divine Love takes possession of the soul, sin and error disappear; it, the soul becomes of a quality like the Great Soul of the Father; and the Soul of the Father in its Quality of Love being Divine and Immortal, so, when the soul of man becomes possessed of this Quality of Love this soul becomes Divine also - and the soul is the man - and then the image becomes the Substance, the mortal becomes the Immortal, and the soul of man, as to love and hope, becomes a part of the Father's Divinity. Now to declare this Plan of Salvation and also the rebestowal of the Great Gift of the potentiality of the soul, Jesus came to earth. This was his mission, and none other. As readers of the Bible will remember, and it is a truth, when Jesus was baptized and anointed, and also on the Mount of Transfiguration, the voice of God, as it is written, declared that Jesus was His well beloved son and demanded of the people "hear ye him." Not to believe that he came to die on the cross, not to believe that his blood would bring about the atonement, not to believe in any vicarious atonement or that God in wrath demanded a sacrifice, but only "hear ye him." And Jesus in all his teachings never taught one of these things, but only the New Birth as I have explained it. This is the only thing necessary to the atonement, and he is still teaching it. He also taught moral truths affecting the conduct and relation of man to man, and man to God in his natural state, but none of these things or moral teachings were sufficient to bring about the Great At-onement. There is no doubt that the observance of many of these teachings of morality and of man's conduct towards God will have a tendency to lead men to seek the higher Love of the Father and help their souls to get in the condition that will make it easier for this Great Love to flow into them; but these moral teachings or prescribed conduct will not, of themselves, be sufficient to bring the New Birth, and hence the at-one-ment. Now Jesus not only taught the necessity for the New Birth, but he also taught the Way in which It could be obtained, and that Way is just as simple and easily understood as the New Birth itself. He taught, and is now teaching, that through earnest prayer to the Father, and faith, which makes all aspirations and soul longings things of real existence, and by the Holy Spirit which is the Father's messenger of Love - or to carry his Divine Love - this Love will flow into the souls of men in response to such prayers; and by such faith men will realize its presence, and in this way, and this way only, men will receive the New Birth. This is wholly an individual matter, and without the personal, earnest prayer of the supplicant and faith, that comes with the Love, a man cannot receive the New Birth. No ceremony of church, no laying on of hands or masses for the souls of the dead will be efficacious to make the man or spirit a new creature in God. What I have written is the meaning of the atonement as taught by the Master, and as understood by all the redeemed of the Father who are now living in His Celestial Heavens, and there is no other atonement possible. I have written enough and hope I have made it plain to all men the true explanation of the atonement. We who are inhabitants of the Celestial Heavens know the truth of my explanation, both from personal experience and from the other fact, which no spirit in all the universe can deny, that only those who have received this Divine Love of the Father in their souls in sufficient abundance can or do inhabit the Celestial Heavens; all other spirits, no matter what their several beliefs may be, live in the lower spiritual spheres and cannot enter the Celestial Heavens, unless they seek for and obtain the New Birth that Jesus taught, and is still teaching. So my dear brother, without writing more, I will say good-night. Your brother in Christ, Luke January 4th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I will write only a few lines, and because I desire to confirm what HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/bible52.htm" Luke has so clearly explained as to what the atonement is. He has stated the true plan of God for the redemption of mankind, that is for the placing of them in the exact relation to our Father that our first parents occupied, and which relation by their disobedience was taken from them and never restored until my coming. Men must learn the true meaning of the great plan for their salvation and for their becoming at one with the Father in His divine nature. No other plan has been provided and no other way is open to men to receive this Divine Nature of the Father and Immortality. The material love of man - that is the love of the Father that God bestowed upon men at the creation of our first parents - is a love that is pure and in harmony with God's laws and the workings of the universe, and which must be restored to its pristine purity in order for man to come into harmony with God as to the laws controlling it; and men must, in order to get in this harmony, become free from all violations of God's laws in their conduct towards Him and towards one another; and many of my teachings were directed to bring about this harmony. The Golden Rule is one, and this great teaching, if observed in the conduct of men towards one another, will tend to bring about the harmony; for to man the most important thing is his own happiness; and when a man shall do unto others as he would have others do unto him, he will be proceeding towards that condition of conduct and the correct relationship of man to man that will bring harmony, and an observance of those requirements of God's laws controlling such relationship. But the observance of the right conduct of man to man or the regaining of the purity of this natural love, will not bring about the great reconciliation to God in the Divine sense - that is, make men at one with the Father in His Divinity and Immortality. And now I see and understand why my great teachings of the Divine atonement was not considered as important by men, after my early followers died, as the teachings that should control them in their conduct towards one another, that is, what may be called my moral teachings. In those days the great majority of men who professed to follow my teachings, as are written in the Bible that the church adopted, thought more of the rewards and happiness that might come to them as mortals than to those that might come to them after they became spirits, just as the Jews had thought for all the long years prior to my coming. These teachings were merely those of the earth, and as such teachings, whether of the Old Testament or any other teachings recognized by them as governing their conduct as mere mortals, were of more importance to them than were the teachings that showed them the way to the Celestial Kingdom. And when the church which my apostles founded, came under the control and government of men with only the temporal interests at heart, the more importance was attached to those things which, as the rulers and leaders of the church thought, would cause the people to conduct themselves in such a way as would tend to increase the power and influence of the church. And hence, the great truth of the New Birth was neglected, and salvation was declared to be by means that could be more readily utilized by the officials of the church. In other words, salvation became a thing which depended on the church and not on the individual. So you see, the great harm that was done by these teachings and the great power the church acquired. Salvation is a thing between God and the individual, and can be obtained only by the individual becoming at one with the Father, who cares not for the teachings of the church or of man, unless these teachings will bring the souls of men in harmony with him. I say, cares not, but that does not just express what I mean, for God does care whenever his creatures are taught false doctrines, as He is waiting and anxious to bestow upon every man His Divine Love. But even He cannot or will not make such bestowal, unless man follow the Plan which He has prescribed. And He could not have adopted any other plan, for the only way in which men can become at one with Him is to become, as it were, a part of Him - to partake of His Nature and Attributes; and unless the soul of man receives from the Father these Qualities, it can never become at one with Him. As Luke said, my death or blood or any supposed vicarious atonement could not have made a man's soul a possessor of the Divine Love of the Father, because they could not bring man into that relationship with the Father that would cause the soul of man to open up to the inflowing of this Love. Let no man suppose that by a mere belief in me as the son of God and the savior of the world, or that I died for him, he can become at one with the Father, for it is not true, and has worked great harm to mankind. Only the pure, honest, sincere aspirations of the soul of a man for this Great Love of the Father can possibly bring about this atonement that is necessary in order for that man to become a part of God's Divinity and partake of his Divine Nature. I have written enough and will close. Your brother and friend, Jesus January 5th, 1916 Received by: James Padgett Washington D.C. I am a spirit who cannot tell you of the joys of heaven, but I can describe the horrors of hell, for just as these other spirits described to you their homes of beauty and happiness, I can describe my home of ugliness and torment. Do you wish me to do so? Well know then, that when I lived on earth I was a man of very considerable intellectual powers and acquirements and also of an intense animal nature, so much so, that it overcame my judgment and what moral qualities I had, and I became at last a slave to my appetites which were varied, especially my appetite for drink. I had many friends of position, social and otherwise, and I was considered a brilliant newspaper writer, and had access to the inner political circles that were then in control of the government. My weakness, or rather the effect of the strength of my animal nature, was known to many of my friends, and they, in many ways, tried to help me and rescue me from my evil and destructive course of living, and, at times, I would succeed in reforming my conduct; but, alas, not for any great length of time; when I would again relapse into my deplorable habits and become the controlled victim of my destroying appetites. Of course human friendship and sympathy had their limits, and finally my friends gave me up as lost and past redemption, and I surely and quickly sunk lower and lower in my moral condition, and at last, died a drunkard, unwept and unsung except for the evil that I had done. It was undoubtedly a relief to my friends and acquaintances when I passed over, and forever relieved them of the shadow of my presence and the ghost of what I had been. But such was my end, and when I came to the spirit world I found that I still was deserted by friends who had become spirits before me, except some who liked the flowing bowl as I did on earth, and who were inhabitants of the unattractive place that I found myself in when my habitation became fixed. I never, when on earth, thought much of the future life, except to convince myself that there was no hell, and if there was a God He was not bothered about me, a mere man of many millions. But oh, the fatal mistake; and the unexpected realization of the fact that there is a hell! Whether there is a God I don't know, for I have never seen him or felt his influence. But since I came to you tonight, and heard the messages of those two spirits who described their wonderful homes and their condition of happiness, and ascribed them all to the kindness and care of God, I have commenced to think that there may be a God, and that my mistake was greater than I have heretofore realized. But this is a digression from what I started out to write. That there is a hell, I know to my sorrow and sufferings, for I have been the occupant of one for oh these many years; and it is always the same place of horrors and darkness, except sometime it is lighted by the flame of lurid light that comes from the anger and sufferings of some unfortunate like myself. In this hell of mine, and there are many like it, instead of beautiful homes, as the other spirits described, we have dirty, rotten hovels all crooked and decayed, with all the foul smells of a charnel house ten times intensified, and instead of beautiful lawns and green meadows and leafy woods filled with musical birds making the echoes ring with their songs, we have barren wastes, and holes of darkness and gloom and the cries and cursings of spirits of damnation without hope; and instead of living, silvery waters we have stagnant pools filled with all kinds of repulsive reptiles and vermin, and smells of inexpressible, nauseating stinks. I tell you that these are all real, and not creatures of the imagination or the outflowing of bitter recollections. And as for love, it has never shown its humanizing face in all the years that I have been here - only cursings and hatred and bitter scathings and imprecations, and grinning spirits with their witchlike cacklings. No rest, no hope, no kind words or ministering hand to wipe away the scalding tears which so often flow in mighty volumes. No, hell is real and hell is here. We do not have any fire and brimstone, or grinning devils with pitch forks and hoofs and horns as the churches teach; but what is the need or necessity for such accompaniments? They would not add to the horrors or to our torments. I tell you my friend that I have faintly described our homes in these infernal regions and I cannot picture them as they are. But the horror and pity of it all is that hope does not come to us with one faint smile to encourage us that there may at some time be an ending to all these torments, and in our hopeless despair we realize that our doom is fixed for all eternity. As the rich man in hell said, if I could only send Lazarus to tell my poor, erring brothers on earth of what awaits them, how gladly I would do so and save their souls from the eternal torment. Well, I have written you a long letter and am tired, because it is the first time that I have attempted to write for many long years, and I find some difficulty in gathering my thoughts so as to be able to write in an intelligent and collected manner. So I must stop. Well, I will say that you are the best friend that I have had since I became an outcast while on earth, and that I will do whatever you may advise, but you must not expect me to have much hope, not doubting your desire to help me, but merely your ability. Well, I don't understand but I will trust you and will try to believe what you say, only don't create in me that of which I have been deprived of for so long - I mean hope - and have me disappointed. Well I have looked as you advised, and see some spirits who are so beautiful and so bright that I can scarcely look at them. Never before have I seen such spirits or imagined that such could exist. They must be gods, or why all the great happiness and beauty and love which they have. Tell me what does it all mean! Is it a star of hope that has come to me from afar, and bids me trust that these hells shall not be my home forever? Oh, tell me I pray you, are they the spirits of real mortals who lived and died as I did? Such love I have never seen; and they look at me with such encouragement and almost human eyes of love, and beckon me to come with them. I have asked if Mr. Riddle is there, and one spirit comes to me and says yes, and that he is glad to have me come with him, as he knew me on earth and is acquainted with my sad life. And now I remember him, for he was a friend who lived in the same city as I did. He says: "Come G - . and I will try to show you the way to light and relief from your sufferings". And I am going, and as I go a beautiful, glorious spirit comes to me and lays her hand on my head and says: "God bless you my brother and may His Divine mercy be yours"; and she tells me that they all love me and will help me. Oh, tell me what does it all mean! Am I dreaming? Are you real and are they real, or am I in one of the deliriums that I used to have on earth? Oh, so beautiful and heavenly. But they say no, that they are real spirits and once lived on earth, sinful mortals like myself. How can I ever thank you? I am overcome and cannot write more, but I will come again. So my dear friend good night, for I am going. G. H. B. My name is George H Butler. and I died in 1899. January 5th, 1916. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus: I merely want to say, that I am glad to see that you are in condition of soul which makes you more at one with the Father, and which must convince you that the Love of the Father is flowing into your soul in more abundant streams of power and quantity. I know that you have not been in the best condition of mind as regards your beliefs and doubts, during the past few days, but you must not let such experience discourage you, for such conditions will arise as long as you are in the flesh; and you must not think that, because of the doubts, you are not receiving this love in your soul, for you are, and after a while it will become so very abundant that the doubts will rarely appear to disconcert you. I will not write much tonight, as I think you are in need of meditation over what has been written you lately, before more truths shall be presented to you. So think of what has been written you and you will find yourself much benefitted. With all my love, I am your brother and friend, Jesus January 5th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am your friend in Christ and desire to write a few lines, but it will not be about religious matters, for I heard HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor227.htm" what the Master said, and he knows what is best. Well, I am in the seventh sphere and am very happy and enjoy all the delights of a soul redeemed, and am in the way of progress to the higher spheres where some of your band live. How beautiful must be their homes, because, when they come to the lower spheres, they have such beauty and are so filled with the Father's Love that I know they must live in homes of transcendent beauty where happiness is supreme. I am not one who knows all that there is in the heavens provided by the Father, but I know enough to say, "that no eye of man has seen and neither has his heart conceived of the wonderful things that the Father has prepared for those who love Him and do His will." In our sphere the glory of our habitations and surroundings that we have are beyond all conceptions of mortals, and beyond all the powers which we have to describe. Your language is poor indeed when we attempt to use it, to describe our homes and our happiness. Never a sigh, nor a thought tainted with the slightest flavor of unhappiness or discontent. All our wishes are gratified, and love reigns eternally and without stint. Never, when on earth, did I conceive that one man could love another as one spirit here loves his brother spirit. The mine and thine are truly the ours, and no spirit is so happy as when he is doing something to make another spirit happier; and then, love between the opposite sexes is so pure and glorified. My home is not in any of the cities, but is in the country, among beautiful fields and woods where the purest waters flow in silver streams of living light, and the birds of paradise in all their glorious plumage sing and make merry the echoes of the hills and rocks, for we have hills and rocks as well as plains and beautiful meadows and placid lakes and shining waterfalls, all praising God for His goodness. So why will not every mortal try to attain to this heavenly condition of love and happiness, when it is so easy for him to do so? The Divine Love is waiting for all, and needs only the seeking and the believing in order to make the mortal an heir to all the glories of this heavenly place. But the mind of man, in its superimposed importance and in the conceit of the wonderful powers of his reasoning faculties, keeps the simple childlike faith from making him a child of the Kingdom. Oh, I tell you, if mortals only knew what is here ready for them to obtain and make their own, they would not let the supposed greatness of their minds, or the cares and ambitions and desires for earthly possessions keep them from seeking this great and glorious inheritance, which is theirs by merely claiming it in the way made known by the Master. And he, what can I say of him the most glorious and beautiful and loving of all the spirits in God's universe. When on earth I looked upon him and worshiped him as God, sitting on the right hand of the Father - way up in the high heavens, a way off waiting for the coming of the great judgment day; when he would separate the sheep from the goats and send each to his eternal place of habitation - whether to hell or heaven only he knew, and I did not and could not until the great judgment should be pronounced. But now, when I see him as he is, and know that he is my friend and elder brother, a spirit such as I am, with only love for his younger brethren, be they saints or sinners, and a great longing that all may come and partake of the feast which the Father has prepared, I feel that the loving brother and friend is more to me and my happiness is greater than when I looked upon him as the God of judgment, having his habitation away off beyond my vision or reach. He is so loving and so pure and so humble. Why his very humility makes us all love him almost to adoration, and if you could only see him, you would not be surprised that we love him so much. Well, my friend, I have written a little more than I intended, but I am so filled with love and so happy in having such a friend as the Master, that I can hardly restrain myself.I will come again sometime and write you upon some spiritual truth, which I so much want you to know. When on earth I was not an orthodox to the full extent, but my early belief that Jesus was a part of the Godhead I did not succeed in getting rid of, although my mind often rebelled at the thought; but the early teachings of my mother lingered with me, and maturer thoughts and development of mind could never entirely eradicate this belief in Jesus as being part of God. Some have said and thought that I was almost an infidel, but this is untrue, for I always believed firmly in the Father and, as I have told you, in Jesus. I was also to some extent a spiritualist - that is I believed in the communications of spirits with mortals, as on numerous occasions I have had such communications, and have acted on advice that I received through them. But I never learned from any of these communications any of the higher truths which I now know, and which are so important for mortals to know, and which, if men only knew and taught, would make their religion a live, virile, all pervading and satisfying religion.We are all interested in your work, and are co-workers with you in revealing these great truths. May God bless and prosper you and cause you to see the realities of the great Divine Love, is the prayer of your brother in Christ, A. Lincoln A contemporary message has been HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/contemporary/fab48.htm" received from Abraham Lincoln. January 7th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, John: Well, I came to write only a few lines as you are not feeling too well and not in condition to receive any formal message tonight. But I will say that notwithstanding what you have read tonight in reference to your material affairs you must have faith and expect that our promises will soon be realized. The work must be done and you must be placed in condition to do it without interference. If you could realize the powers that are at work in their endeavor to bring about what is necessary to place you in condition to do this work as we desire it to be done, you would not lose faith or doubt that all the promises made will be fulfilled. We recognize to the fullest the importance of this matter and we will not permit much more time to elapse until the end desired is brought about. You and your friend who is interested in the means that we have adopted for bringing the consummation of our plans will soon be enabled to start the business that we have told you of, and you must both have faith. I will not write more tonight and with my love to you and your friend, who is present, I will say good night and God bless you both. Your brother in Christ, John January 10th, 1916. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Mother: I am here, the mother of the dear boy, and I want to tell him that I am exceedingly happy in my new home, as I am now in the First Celestial Sphere of which he has heard a great deal, and what he has heard is all true and more besides. I cannot attempt to tell him at this time, what a glorious home I have, and how the good Father has provided for my happiness everything that the heart and soul can wish for. This is the result of that Divine Love which he talks so much about, and which he has to some extent, and which I know will be his in an abundant degree, even before he comes to the spirit world. There is no conception of what the power of this great Love can do to make mortals and spirits both happy, and the mortal who learns the way to possess it is blessed above every other mortal of your earth life. But he must not think that because I am so happy and so much nearer the fountainhead of the Father's Love, that I am not still interested in him, and loving him with all my heart for it is a fact that the more of this great Love that I receive into my soul, the more love flows from me to him, and the more my efforts are to have him get into his soul this Divine Love, and the knowledge that he is an acceptable child of the Father and is an heir to the great kingdom which Jesus is now establishing in these Celestial Spheres. Well, I must not write very much tonight as it is late but I do want him to know that I and all of his folks who are in these higher spheres are trying to help him, and make him feel the influence of our love and blessing. So tell him to believe in his mother and in the Master with all his heart and soul. His father is also very happy and is progressing and I know is endeavoring with all his faith to progress to my sphere, and get with me, and then we will be one in actual living as well as in the knowledge that we are one and always have been. So with all my love, I will say goodnight, and thanking you I will leave my love for my boy and the prayer of a mother that he may continue in the favor of God and in the progress of his soul. His mother, Priscilla Stone January 10th, 1916. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I come to-night to tell you of a truth which is important to all mankind, and which I desire that you receive just as I write it, so give your best care to receiving just what I shall attempt to write. I have read with you to-night many sayings contained in the alleged epistles of Paul and Peter, and I realize that they do not seem to be consistent with the truth that has been declared to you by myself and by the apostles who have written to you, and I desire that you shall understand some of these inconsistencies and discard from your mind these sayings of the epistles wherever they do not agree with what we have written or what we shall write. In the first place, the continual reference of these epistles to my being God is all wrong and must not be believed; also the statement that my blood washes away sin or that I died on the cross for the salvation of men, or that I took upon myself the sins of mankind and thereby relieved them from the burden of their sins, and the punishment which they must suffer in expiation of their evil deeds and thoughts. Again, when it said, that from the beginning the Father had foreordained my death on the cross that man might be redeemed from the penalties of sin in all men who lived thereafter, are all wrong and have no foundation as facts in the plan of God for the salvation of man and the restoring of the harmony of His universe and the eradication of all sin and error from the world. Neither Paul nor Peter wrote these things, and never did I teach them, for they are not in accord with the great plan of salvation; and the further away will be the realization by them of the truth of the only plan the Father has provided for their redemption, which I came to earth to declare and explain to my apostles first, and then to the whole world. In these epistles too much emphasis is given to the importance of faith and works. I mean faith in the mere beliefs which these epistles taught followed by works - and not enough importance to the foundation truth of man's redemption from sin and becoming reconciled to the Father. I mean the New Birth by the inflowing into their souls of the Divine Love of the Father's through the ministrations of the Holy Spirit. Many of their teachings as to man's conduct towards man and as to the lives that the recipients of these truths should lead as effecting their own purification and becoming in a condition of righteousness, are true, and are as applicable to the conduct and living of men today as they were in the days in which the apostles taught. But when the epistles teach or lead men in any particular to understand that these, what may be called merely moral principles, will enable a man by their observance, to enter into the Kingdom of God, or the Celestial Kingdom, they are false and misleading, and men when they become spirits will realize that while leading the lives which these teachings call them to lead, they will become very happy and occupy conditions and positions in the spirit world that will make their happiness far superior to that which they enjoy on earth and even enable them to become occupants of higher spiritual spheres; yet they will never be permitted to enter the Kingdom of the Father, which can only be attained to by the possession of Divine Love. So I say, men must understand and realize the difference between the results to them from leading merely good and moral lives which affect and develop the natural love and those results which ensue from the New Birth. I have attempted to explain to you why the great and important truth of my mission to earth, as I explained it to my apostles, and as was taught by them and written by them, was not preserved and contained in the Bible as now written and accepted by the church as canonical. The great desire in those days was to show and impress upon men those teachings which affected their conduct on earth, and to hold out to them the rewards that would following such living, and also the rewards which would follow their lives in the spirit world which would become their homes after death. And, as I have said, the leading of lives in accordance with these teachings would ensure men a great happiness in the spirit world, but not the happiness which my teachings, if observed, would lead to. In the various copyings and compilations of the writings of the apostles many changes from the originals were made, and those persons who performed this work, and I mean by this the dignitaries and rulers of the church, did not know the difference between those things which would bring about a purification of the natural love, and those things which were necessary to fit a soul for entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven. And hence, when they came to perform this work they made the error of teaching that the living of the moral life would entitle the soul to a reward which they supposed, would be the Kingdom of Heaven and immortality. And this erroneous teaching has prevented many a man from gaining the right to the Kingdom of Heaven, as they honestly and sincerely believed would be theirs, when they came to pass into the spirit world. Many of these teachings are intended to make a reformation in the lives of men and to purge their souls from sin and error so far as the natural love forms a part of the condition of the soul; and I taught these moral truths to a very large extent, for such teachings were necessary, because men's will were out of harmony with God's laws, which affected the natural love, as well as out of harmony with the laws that affected the Divine Love of the Father; and it is the object and plan of God to bring into harmony both of these loves, and thereby enable man to enjoy those things which are provided and waiting for him. As I said when on earth, "Narrow is the way and strait is the gate which leads to life everlasting and few there be that enter therein," I repeat now; for it is apparent from the observation of the way in which mankind from the beginning have exercised their wills, which God leaves free to their own volition, that a vast majority of men will never enter in at the strait gate, but be contented to live in the spheres and happiness which their natural love, in its perfect state and progress, will fit them for. That all men will ultimately be brought into harmony with God, in either the natural love or in the Higher One, is certain, and that all sin and error will finally be eradicated from God's universe is decreed, but the time will depend to a great extent, upon the wills and desires of men, and, hence, while my great mission in coming to earth and teaching men, was to show the way to the Celestial Kingdom, yet a lesser part of my mission was to teach them a way to their redemption from sin and error that would result in the purification of the natural love; and to my great regret and to the untold injury to man, my moral teachings were more at large set forth in portions of the Bible, as now accepted, than were my teachings of the Higher Truths. I will not write more to-night but will HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/divinelove25.htm" continue later. Well my dear brother, I see that you are in a much better condition spiritually than you have been for some time, and you must thank the Father for it. Your conception of last night's experience is true, and you received a wonderful amount of the Divine Love, and I was was with you in love and blessing. So continue to pray and trust in the Father and you will realize a wonderful happiness and power and peace. I must stop now.Your brother and friend, Jesus January 11th, 1916. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I will continue my HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/divinelove24.htm" discourse of last night. I was saying that the Jews and the teachers of the church that became established or rather controlled after the death of my followers, and those who understood the true teachings of my disciples, taught the conduct of men towards their fellowmen, and the observance of certain ceremonies and feasts were the important things for men to learn and practice in order to gain salvation, rather than the truths which made man a child of the Father and at one with Him through the operations of the New Birth. Of course, before my coming, the Jews could not have taught the truth of the New Birth, because the Great Gift of the rebestowal of the Divine Love had not been made, and it was not possible for that Great Truth, which was necessary for Immortality and the possibility of man's partaking of God's Divine Love, to be known to the Jews, and hence, they could not teach it; and their teachings were limited and confined to the things which would make them purer in their natural love and in the relation of that love to the Father. God, at that time, while He never gave them the privilege of becoming at one with Him in the Divine Love or even of becoming such beings in their character and spiritual qualities as were Adam and Eve, commonly supposed to be our first parents, yet did require of them obedience to His laws which would develop in them their natural love to such a degree, as would cause it to become in harmony with His laws that controlled and governed their natural love. If you will study the ten commandments you will see that these commandments deal only with the natural love, and by their observance would tend to make men better in that natural love, and in their conduct with one another and in their relationship to God, so far as that love brought them in communion with Him. This natural love, as I have said, was possessed by men, just as the first parents possessed it, and was never taken from them, and in its purity was in perfect harmony with God's creation and the workings of His universe; but not withstanding these great qualities men were mere men and had in them no part of the divinity of the Father. And this being so, the Jews, while they were supposed to be more in contact with God through the prophets and seers, than were any of the other races or sects of God's children, yet, never looked for a Messiah that would come with any other or greater power than that, which would enable them to become the great ruling nation of the earth, to whom all other peoples would be subordinated and subjected, and powerless to ever again conquer or subject their nation to bondage. In a way this Messiah was to be a kind of supernatural being, having power which no other man ever had, and a kind of god to be worshiped and served in their earthly lives. Many of the Jews, notwithstanding what may be said to the contrary and the teachings of the prophets, believed in other gods than the one which Moses declared, as is evidenced in their histories, both sacred and secular, for whenever their God, that is, the God of Moses, did not treat them just as they thought He should, they would create and worship other gods - even the golden calf. So I say, they never expected a Messiah who would be other than a most powerful ruler on earth. Their ideas and beliefs of the life after death were very hazy, and even that part of them known as the Pharisees, who believed in a kind of resurrection, never conceived that when they should drop the mortal life, they would be anything different in their qualities and characters from what they were as mortals, minus the physical bodies, and the great increased happiness which would come to them as such mortals, changed in their appearances. This was the idea of the common people and also of the priests and scribes; and notwithstanding the many beautiful and spiritual psalms ascribed to David, the happiness or glory that they might expect, was only that which would come to them as spiritualized mortals having only the natural love. So you see, the GREAT GIFT of the Father that is the rebestowal of the Divine Love, was not known or even dreamed of by the Jews, nor conceived of nor taught by their scribes, nor even by their great prophets, or law-givers such as Moses and Elias and others.Their conception of God was that of an exalted personal being, all powerful and all knowing, and one whom they would be able to see face to face, as they might any king or ruler when they should come into the heavens which he had prepared for them, and where he had his habitation. I will defer the HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/divinelove26.htm" writing until later. Jesus January 12th, 1916. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I will HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/divinelove25.htm" continue my discourse. As I was saying, the chief object of my mission on earth was to teach the rebestowal of the Divine Love upon man and the way to obtain it; and the secondary object was to teach men those moral truths which would tend to make them better in their conduct towards their fellowman, and purer in their natural love. And so it is, that in my teachings of these moral truths, the effect of these teachings was to bring man more in harmony with the laws of the Father, which control the operations of the natural love. I never at any time intended that men should understand that these moral truths would bring about their union with the Father in the divine sense, or that the possession of this natural love in its purest state would enable man to become a partaker of God's Divine Nature, or an inhabitant of His Kingdom. But as I have said, the only object apparently that these compilers and writers of the Bible had to accomplish, was to persuade men that the observance of these moral teachings in their conduct was all that was necessary to enable them to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. I know that it is said that love and almsgiving and kind deeds will work to a man's salvation and enable him to become at one with the Father and to enjoy the presence of God in the high heavens, but this is not true. The good deeds which men perform in the way of helping his fellowman will live after him, and will undoubtedly work towards a man becoming perfect in his natural love, but they will not bring that man in at-onement with the Father in the Higher Love which is so necessary to his full salvation. My messages to you while they will not take one jot or tittle from the moral teachings, yet they will show to man the necessity and way to obtain a full reconciliation with the Father and a home in the Celestial Spheres. I will come to you again and write upon a subject which is important to you, and which men should understand. So with all my love I will say good-night. Your brother and friend, Jesus January 13th, 1916 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Luke. I want to tell you tonight of the mystery of the birth of the soul in the human being. All souls which enter into mortal bodies are, previous to such advent, real, living existences, and made in the likeness of the Great Soul, though not having the qualities and potentialities of that Soul, and also, not having the form of individualized personality that they have after they become parts of the composition, or form, of the mortal and spiritual bodies of human beings. The soul, in its existence prior to becoming an indweller in the mortal body, has a consciousness of its existence and of its relationship to God and to other parts of the Great Soul, and more especially of the duplex character of its being; and by this I mean the sexual differences in the two parts of the soul, which, in the way that they are united, constitutes the one complete soul. When the time comes for this soul to become an indweller in the mortal frame, the two parts that I speak of separate, and only one of the parts enters at the same time into a mortal and never into the same mortal; and while this separation is necessary for the individualization of each part of this one complete soul, yet the two parts never lose that interrelationship, or the binding qualities that existed before their separation, and which continue to exist thereafter, and in the great future, after the work of individualization shall be completed, will come together again and reunite in a complete one. This separation may exist a longer or shorter time, depending upon the similar development of those similar qualities that is absolutely necessary in order that this coming together in the original one, as it were, may take place. While, as I have said, this soul before its separation has a consciousness of its existence, and when its duplex character leaves it, or rather leaves the two separated parts, and thereafter, until its reentrance into the spirit world, does not again return to these parts (sic). But in order to regain this consciousness, it is not necessary that both of these parts at the same time shall come again into the spirit life, for if one part becomes a spirit, free from the physical body, and the other part remains in the mortal body, that part that comes into the spirit world may receive the awakening to this consciousness, depending upon certain conditions and developments . It often happens, that both these parts will return to the spirit world, and yet, for a long time, live as spirits without having a restoration of this consciousness, because of various reasons that may exist. The conditions of the development of the two parts may be so vastly different that the realization of this consciousness may be wholly impossible; and very often it is the case that when these two individualized parts are informed that they are the soulmates of each other, they will not believe that information, and live on in utter indifference to the fact. But ultimately, the consciousness of their relationship will come to them, because their development, no matter whether intellectual or spiritual, will tend towards the awakening of this consciousness, which is always present with them, although dormant. Now, as to what this soul is in its constituent parts or shape or form prior to its separation for the purpose of becoming an inhabitant of the mortal body, we spirits are not informed and do not know. We are often present at the conception, and also the birth of a child, and realize that a soul has become enveloped in the flesh, but we cannot see that soul as it enters into that home of mortal environment, because as to us it is invisible and has no form; but after its lodgment in the human body we can perceive it and realize its existence, for then it assumes a form, and that form varies in different incarnations, or in the incarnations in different humans. We have never seen the Soul of God, although we know that there is this Great Oversoul, and hence we cannot see the soul of any image of the Great Soul until it becomes, as I say, individualized. I know that men have often wondered and asked the question as to the preexistence of the soul that has been incarnated, and what qualities and attributes it had during its preexistence, and as to these particulars I wish to say, that we spirits, although we are inhabitants of God's Celestial Heavens, have little information, though we know that the soul, and I mean the complete soul in oneness, has an existence prior to its becoming individualized. You may ask, how we know this? Well, it will be hard to explain this to you, so that you may comprehend, but this I can say, that we spirits of the higher soul development can, by our soul perceptions, understand the existence of these souls as images of the Great Soul, and the qualities of these images are such, that while we cannot sensibly, as you would say, see these souls or their dualities, yet we are conscious of their existence. To use an illustration, that is not altogether appropriate, you understand that the wind blows, yet you cannot see it. And we further understand, and such is the result of our observations, that when the soul, and keep in mind that I mean the two parts when I say soul, once becomes incarnated and assumes an individualized form, it never thereafter loses that individuality, and hence, never again returns to its condition of preexistence, and can never again become reincarnated in the existence of any human being. There is no such thing as reincarnation, and all the theories and speculations of men upon that question, which conclude that a soul once incarnated can again become incarnated, are wrong, for the incarnation of a soul is only one step in its destined progress from an invisible formless existence to a glorious angel or to a perfected spirit. A soul in this progress never retraces its steps - it is always progress, though sometimes stagnation takes place - but continues as an individualized spirit until it reaches its goal in fulfillment of the Father's plan for the perfecting of His universe. This is a subject that is difficult of treatment for several reasons, among which is the fact that we spirits, no matter how high our attainments, do not have the information in order to give a full and complete description of the soul and its qualities prior to its incarnation, and you mortals are not capable of comprehending the full truth as we may try to convey it to you. I have made this effort to give you some faint idea of the soul, as you are in good condition tonight to receive my ideas, but I realize how inadequate my attempt has proved to be. But from it, you can understand that the soul has an existence prior to its finding its home in the physical body, that it is duplex and has a consciousness of the relationship of its two parts, that after it has received the experience of the mortal life and received an individuality, it returns to the spirit world, and that at some time that consciousness will come to it again, and the two parts will become one, unless in the development of these separate parts have arisen barriers that may prevent their reuniting. And further, that this soul will never again retrace the steps of its progression and become reincarnated. I will now close, and with my love and blessings say good night. Your brother in Christ, Luke 15th January, 1916. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I come to-night to tell you that you are in a very much better condition than you have been for sometime, and your rapport with us is so very much greater, that I feel that I should write you a message upon an important subject which is vital to the salvation of man from the sins and errors of his life on earth, and I will write a portion of what I desire to write. Well, I will first say that there are so many men and women on the earth, who believe, or assert that they believe, that through their own efforts they can develop those soul qualities which are necessary to bring them in accord with the Soul of the Father, that I find that the task of convincing these persons of the errors of their beliefs, or assumption of beliefs, will be a very great one; and this task will not be confined to those who have given real and deep study to the mysteries of life, both on earth and thereafter, but also to a much greater number who have a kind of smattering of this supposed knowledge, which the wiser or more learned publish to the world as a result of their investigations. It is more difficult to convince the ignorant, who think that they know the laws of being and the plan of the workings of God's universe, than to convince those who have given sincere thoughtful study to the same, because the latter, generally, as they progress in their investigations become convinced that the more they should know as a result of their investigations, the less they really know. I do not know just what is the most important subject for comment to-night relating to these matters, for there are so many, all which I must at same time instruct you about; but I will write to-night about "The relationship of man to the creation of the world, and the origin of life." Your Bible says: in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, etc., out of a void, and continued that creation until there was a perfect heaven with all its glories, and a perfect earth with inhabitants of every kind - all perfect and made just as an all wise and all powerful God would create; and as a climax to all, man, who was so perfect that he was made in the image of his Creator. Well, this story is just as good and satisfactory as any that has been conceived and written by man, and is just as worthy of belief, but as a fact it is not true, for there never was a time or period when there was a void in the universe or when there was chaos. God never created anything out of nothing, but His creations, such as are perceived by and known to men, were merely the change in form or composition of what had already existed, and always will exist as elements, though there will undoubtedly be changes in form and appearance and in constituent elements in their relation to one another. God was always existent - a Being without beginning, which idea the finite mind, I know cannot grasp, but it is true; and so also everything which is in the universe to-day always existed, though not in form and composition as they now are; and as they are they will not continue to be, for change eternal is the law of his universe. I mean as to all things which may be spoken of as having a substance whether they be material or etherial. Of course, His Truths never change, and neither do the laws by which the harmony of the universe is preserved and continued perfect. Now, the earth on which you live did not always have an existence, as an earth, and neither did the firmament and the great galaxy of planets and stars, but they were not created out of nothing, and neither was there chaos, for in God's economy of being there is never any chaos, which if it should be, would mean the absence of the workings of His laws and harmony. But the earth and the firmament were created - at one time they had no existence as such, and at a coming time they may cease to have such existence. and this creation was in an orderly way, according to design, with no element of chance entering into it; and such creation was not through what your wise men may call accretion or evolution - that is self evolution - for every new or additional exponent of growth or manifestations of increase was the result of god's laws, which he operated in the creation of the creature. There is no such thing as self evolution, or that development which arises from the unassisted growth of the thing developed, and this applies to all nature as well as to man. To grow, to become nearer perfection, implies the decay and disappearance of some elements which have performed their missions and work in the growth of the thing created, and never do the same elements continue in the development of that which the laws in their operations, bring to greater and greater perfection. But in all this work of creation there are laws of disintegration and apparent retrogression operating, as well as laws of positive construction and advancement; and again these former laws do not operate by chance, but by design just as do the latter class of laws.The All Creator knows, when for the purpose of bringing forth the perfect creature - be he man or animal or vegetable or mineral - the laws of decay and retrogression as well as the laws of advancement and increased effectiveness shall operate, and he never makes a mistake in setting into operation these laws, and never pronounces the result of His work, "Not good." As has been said, a thousand years are as a day with God, and while for many long years it may appear to man, there are retrogression and delay in bringing to perfection a creature of the Creator's works, yet that apparent retrogression is not such a fact, but only a course or method adopted for bringing forth the higher or greater perfection. I know it is difficult to explain these workings of creation to the finite, earthy mind but you may grasp some conception of what I desire to make known. Man, in his creation, was not the slow growth as were some of the other creations of God, but was from and at the beginning made perfect, with the exception of the qualities of Divinity and Immortality. He did not grow from a lower creature, as some of your scientists have proclaimed, by the slow process of evolution, and this a self evolution, resulting from inherent qualities which were developed by experience, but he was created the perfect man. I will stop for the present. Your brother and friend, Jesus January 16th, 1916 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Hannah Somerville. I am the spirit of one who lived on earth the life of a leader of a sect that believed in the resurrection of the body and the eternal punishment of those who refused to believe in the vicarious atonement of Jesus and his sacrificial death. I have been in the spirit world a great many years, and have long ago learned the great errors of my beliefs and teachings, and now know that the earthly body does not rise again and Jesus did not make a vicarious atonement, nor did His death on the cross satisfy the justice and demands of an angry God. I know that other spirits have written you this same denial of a false belief, but I wanted to do so also, for I realize to such a great extent how harmful such beliefs are. I was in the spirit world a long time before I was relieved of these beliefs, and I stood still in my progress for many years waiting to be called to heaven and meet my Lord face to face, and receive from Him the great commendation of, "Well done, good and faithful servant." But I received no such call, and I never got any nearer to God, apparently, than when I first entered the spirit world. And all this time I was in such a condition that I was not susceptible to the teachings of other spirits who know the truth and attempted to show me the errors of my belief. This may seem strange to you, but I want to tell you that the conviction of a strong belief is one that is not easily removed or shaken, and I did not find any greater and convincing force in the assertions and arguments of spirits, than I would have found in the arguments of mortals, had I remained on earth. I saw many spirits and talked with them, and they told me that Jesus was not God, but merely a spirit like myself, only the perfect one; but I would not believe, for my earth belief could not be shaken. I even saw a spirit who said he was Jesus and that I must not believe in him as God, or in any vicarious atonement; but yet I would not be convinced of my errors. This earth belief is a wonderful thing when it once possesses a man as it did me, and so many spirits have suffered from it, as I suffered. At last the light came to me, and my soul was set free to progress to the higher spheres. But how much time I lost, and how much unhappiness I needlessly endured I cannot tell you. Now I am in a Celestial Sphere, where I know that Jesus made no vicarious atonement and is not God, but my loving elder brother. I have never written before and I wanted very much to write, and your band was kind enough to let me do so. My name was Hannah Somerville, and I lived in England, and died in 1682. I have forgotten the name, but it was a sect of dissenters. Yes, and I have given you my correct name. Yes, I can. I believe and know that Jesus was and is the son of God, and the most beloved son, too. I will say good-night. Hannah Somerville. January 16th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, St. Paul, of the New Testament. I come to-night to tell you of a truth that is important for men to know, and which you must place in your Book of Truths. I have written you before on my alleged writings as they are contained in the Bible, and which, as I have said, were not written by me as they there appear. I desire to-night to write for a short time on the subject of the "Resurrection," because, as I see, the church doctrine of the resurrection is founded more on what is ascribed to me than on the writings of the Gospels, though the latter also contain a basis for the doctrine. I never said there would be a resurrection of the physical body nor of the individual clothed in any body of flesh, but my teachings were that man at death would rise in a spiritual body, and that not a new one made for the special occasion of his departure from the material body, but one that had been with him through life and that came into an individualized form when he first became a living being. This spirit body is necessary to man's existence, and is that part of him which contains his senses and is the seat of his reasoning powers. Of course the organs of the physical are necessary for the utilization of these senses, and without these organs there could be no manifestations of the senses, which are inherent in the spirit body. Even if a man should lose the perfect workings of his physical organs of sight, yet the power of seeing would still exist in him, although he might not be able to realize that fact; and this same principle applies to the hearing and the other senses. So when man loses his physical organs which are necessary for him to see with, he is dead as to sight, just as dead as he ever becomes with reference to all the other organs of sense when the whole physical body dies; and were it possible to restore these physical organs that are necessary to enable him to see or hear, he would be able to see and hear just as he was before their loss. The restoration of these organs does not, of itself, bring him the power to see and hear, but merely enables the faculties of sight and hearing to again use the organs for the purpose of manifesting the powers which are in and a part of the spirit body. When the whole physical body dies the spirit body, at the very time of death, becomes resurrected, and with all these faculties of which I have spoken, and thereafter continues to live free and unincumbered from the material body, which, these organs being destroyed, can no longer perform the objects of its creation. It becomes dead, and thereafter never has any resurrection as such material body, although its elements or parts do not die, but in the workings of God's laws enter upon other and new functionings, though never that of reuniting and forming again the body that has died. So the resurrection of the body, as taught by me, is the resurrection of the spiritual body, not from death, for it never dies, but from its envelopment in the material form which had been visible as a thing of apparent life. There is a law controlling the uniting of the two bodies and the functioning of the powers and faculties of the spirit body through the organs of the physical body, that limits the extent of the operations of these faculties, to those things that are wholly material - or which have the appearance of the material - and when I say material I mean that which is grosser or more compact than the spirit body. Thus these faculties of sight of the spirit body can, through the organs of the material body, see what are called ghosts or apparitions as well as the more material things, but never, in this way, see things of pure spirit. And when it is said that men or women see clairvoyantly, which they do, it is not meant or is it a fact, that they see through the organs of the physical eyes; but on the contrary, this sight is one purely spiritual, and its workings are entirely independent of the material organs. Now when this body - the material - dies, the spirit body becomes resurrected, as it is said, and free from all the limitations which its incarnation in the flesh has imposed, and it is then able to use all its faculties without the limitations or help of the physical organs, and, as regards the sight, everything in nature, both material and spiritual, becomes the object of its vision; and that which the limitations of the material organs prevented its seeing, and which to men is the unreal and non-existent becomes the real and truly existing. This, in short, is what I meant by the resurrection of the body; and from this you will realize that the resurrection is not to take place at some unknown day in the future, but at the very moment when the physical body dies, and, as the Bible says, in the twinkling of an eye. This saying of the Bible attributed to me, I did write and teach. This resurrection applies to all mankind, for all who have ever lived and died have been resurrected, and all who shall live hereafter and die will be resurrected. But this resurrection is not the "Great resurrection" upon which, in my teachings, I declared the great truth of Christianity to be founded. This is not the resurrection of Jesus that I declared "without which is our faith as Christians vain." This is the common resurrection, applicable to all mankind of every nation and race, whether they have a knowledge of Jesus or not. And many times in many nations has it been demonstrated before the coming of Jesus, that men had died and appeared again as living spirits in the form of angels and men, and were recognized by mortal men as spirits who had a previous earth existence. So I say, this is the resurrection common to all men; and the coming and death and resurrection of Jesus, as taught by the churches, did not bring the great resurrection to the knowledge or comfort of men, and did not furnish the true foundation upon which the true Christian belief and faith rest. Many of the infidels, agnostics and spiritualists assert and claim, and truly, that the resurrection of Jesus as above referred to, was not a new thing and did not prove to humanity a future life any more convincingly than had been proved before his time by the experiences and observations of men and followers of other sects and faiths, and of no faiths at all. The great weakness of the church today is that they claim and teach as the foundation of their faith and existence this resurrection of Jesus as set forth above; and the result is, as is plainly and painfully apparent to the churches themselves, that as men think for themselves, and they are doing more than ever in the history of the world, they refuse to believe in this resurrection as sufficient to show the superiority of Jesus' coming and mission and teachings over those of other reformers and teachers who had preceded him in the world's history of faiths and religions. And as a further result the churches are losing their adherents and believers. Christianity is waning and rapidly, and agnosticism is increasing and manifesting itself in the forms of free thought societies and Secularism, etc. Hence you will see the necessity of making known again to mankind the true foundation stone of the real Christianity that the Master came to teach and which he did teach, but which was lost as his early followers disappeared from the scene of earthly action and practice, and men of less spiritual insight and more material desires, with their ambition for power and dominion, became the rulers and guides and interpreters of the church. There is a Resurrection though that the Master taught, and his apostles, when they came into a knowledge of, taught, and which I as a humble follower taught, which is vital to man's salvation and which is the true foundation of true Christianity; and which no other man, angel or reformer ever before taught or has since taught. It is too late to-night to explain this Resurrection, but I will come again very soon and try to make it plain to you and to the world. I will now say good-night and God bless you and keep you in His care. Your brother in Christ, Paul January 16th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I am pleased that HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/bible56.htm" Paul was able to write you so successfully as he did upon the two subjects which I know will prove to be interesting to you and the one that Paul wrote about is very vital to the beliefs of man, for upon the question of the resurrection is founded the doctrine of what is called Christianity, and I must say that that foundation as explained by the orthodox churches and the commentators on the Bible is a very weak foundation, and very vulnerable to the assaults of those who are not satisfied with the authority of the Bible or the explanations of its teachings as they now exist. Paul will finish this most important message, and let me impress upon you to make the effort to get in the best condition for receiving it correctly. Well, I will not write more to-night, but only further say that I am with you in my love and influence, and trying to help you in the ways of which we have written you. With all my love and blessings, I will say good-night. Your brother and friend, Jesus January 17th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Samuel - Yes, Samuel, the prophet. Well, I will not write long tonight, as I merely want to say that you are much better in your spiritual condition, and the rapport between us is so much greater than heretofore. Tonight, I desire to say one word on the subject of my knowledge of how a soul is born into the flesh and becomes an individualized person. I heard what HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/soulmates7.htm" Luke wrote you, and I agree with him in his explanation of the character and qualities of the soul in its state before its incarnation; but I want to add one other thing to what he wrote, and that is, that when the soul first separates into its two component parts, and one of these parts enters into the physical body, the other part remains a mere soul, invisible even to us, but having an existence of which we are conscious, and hovers close to the earth plane seeking the opportunity to also incarnate and become individualized; and this happens within a short time after the separation from the half that has already incarnated. Of course, when I say a short time, I do not mean in a few months or even a few years, because sometimes there is a space of several scores of years between the two incarnations; but such time seems short to us who know nothing of time. The soul which remains, as Luke has told you, as well as the soul that enters the human body, loses its consciousness of having been a part only of one complete soul, and of its relationship to the other part of that soul, and exists in the supposition that it is still a complete soul and needs no other soul to make it complete. This is a provision of the Father's goodness, so that the soul that continues in its pristine existence will not become lonely or unhappy. You will naturally ask how I know this, as we have said these souls are not visible to us, and I can only answer that we spirits who have developed our souls to a high degree have acquired certain faculties, or what you may call senses, which enable us to know these things. It is not necessary that we should see these unindividualized souls in order to know of their existences and the qualities that they possess, any more than it is that we should be able to see the Great Oversoul of the Father in order to understand its qualities and attributes and existence. I know it is hard for you to understand this, and I cannot now satisfactorily explain it, for your senses of the earth life are not capable of comprehending the explanation, but what I tell you is true. We often see the birth of the two parts of the souls into mortals and know that such souls then, for the first time, assumes a shape and form, for this invisible image of God fills the whole of the spirit body, and from that body assumes or receives its form, and thereby becomes individualized. The soul is the life of the spirit body and never leaves it during the earth life of the mortal; and comes with it at the death of the physical body, and remains a part of it during all the time of the existence of the spirit body in the spirit world. Whether it can ever become lost is a question upon which I shall write you later. You will remember that Jesus said, according to the Bible, "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul?" I will say this though, at this time, that a man may retain his soul as a fact and yet have a consciousness of having lost it, and he is then as if he had no soul. I have said to you what I intended to write, because Luke had omitted to speak of the condition of that half of the soul that remained in the spirit world, after the other half had been incarnated. Matters of this kind, though, are not important as regards the salvation of man, or the perfecting of his soul to such a degree that that soul may become at-one with the Great Soul, having what it did not possess before its seeking a dwelling place in the flesh - and that is, the Divine nature of the Father, and immortality, as an individualized, never dying person. As we proceed in these writings you will understand the importance of the soul's becoming incarnated, and then leaving the flesh and again returning to the spirit spheres. And you will also learn that the doctrine of evolution is to an extent correct, but not as commencing from an atom or from an animal inferior to man. Back of and greater than this doctrine of evolution is the great and more Divine doctrine of involution; for if the soul had not come from above and been placed in the physical man, there would never have been any evolution; and if the soul had never received its individualized existence by coming into the body of the human, it would never have evoluted to the Divine nature, as well as to the individualized being that follows that incarnation. When I say the Divine nature, I do not mean that all souls, either on earth or in the great eternity, necessarily receive that Divine nature, for many of them do not and never will; but all, no matter whether they come into the Divine nature or retain the nature which was theirs in their preexistence, will become individualized personalities, and which will be theirs so long as that soul and its spirit body shall continue to exist. I have written enough for tonight, but will come again and write you other truths. So with my love and blessings I am your brother in Christ, Samuel January 17th, 1916 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Saint Stephen: I merely want to say a word on the importance of the subject which HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/bible56.htm" Paul has written on the Resurrection. This is one of the most vital truths in all the plan of God for the redemption of mankind, and for the preservation and existence of the church; and when I say church, I do not mean any church which claims to be the only Church of Christ, but that invisible church which is composed of the soul worship of men and women, who have received the Divine Love in their souls. It is not necessary that there be any formation of congregations and ceremonies of church worship as men understand it, but the true, sincere worship of men founded on a knowledge of the Divine Love and its possession in their souls. While men on earth may never form large congregations and erect magnificent churches in which to worship the Father with the true soul worship and aspirations, yet when they come into the spirit world they will find that the Master has established his church in the eternal heavens, where none but the truly Christian can enter and partake of its glories and happiness. Jesus is the head of that church here in our Celestial Heavens, as he should be of the church on earth. And as he must be when that church has for its members only those who have had the resurrection from sin and error and death of the soul into the knowledge of the Divine Love and the life everlasting. Jesus referred to this Resurrection when he said: "I am the resurrection and the life," and not the resurrection of the body either physical or spiritual. I see that you are anxious to have these truths come and I am also anxious, and a coworker. I will now say good night and in doing so say with all my love, God Bless you and keep you in his care now and always. Your brother in Christ, St. Stephen January 19th, 1916 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your Old Friend, G_____. I desire to write to you to-night upon a subject which I think will be interesting, but it is so late now I hesitate to do so. Well, as you think it will be all right, I will do so. I want to write on the subject of the Soul's progression as I have experienced it. As you know, when I first came into the spirit world, I was an unbeliever in things pertaining to the soul, except that I thought that the soul, which in my then opinion was the equivalent of that part of man which survived death, would continue to exist, and progress as the mental qualities of the man should be developed. That the mind was the great and only thing in the future existence, and as the mind was developed more and more on earth the condition of the man in his progression would be determined. I had no conception of the soul as a distinct and independent existence from the mind, and I thought that all the qualities and attributes of the mind were those which belong to the soul, and that I had none others. And so, I say - I entered the spirit world and did not change my beliefs until a long time after I became a spirit. But, as I continued to live in the spirit world in this belief, I found that the mental faculties and their development did not bring to me the satisfaction which I had anticipated; and also, met some of my friends of earth, who had preceded me by long years, men of great mental acquirements, and I found that their condition were not as satisfactory a nature as I had led myself to believe that they should be, for many of these friends were only in the earth plane, and some were in darkness which was wholly contrary to what they should be if my theory of the allness of the mind was true. All this caused me to think, and in thinking, I commenced to realize that there might be something wrong in my theory, and that the soul might be a distinct thing from the mind in its nature and functions. I did not find that these intellectual friends of mine had any very great happiness nor were they satisfied with their conditions, and yet they could not by the exercise of any mental progress get out of their condition of darkness. Of course they were engaged in pursuing studies of one kind or another, and such studies gave them considerable happiness and satisfaction, yet, notwithstanding all this, there was some restraining force that prevented them from going to spheres higher than they were then living in. I found that there were higher spheres where the mind was developed to a much greater degree and where many spirits who believed in the supremacy of the mind, lived and enjoyed the pursuits of their studies, and, at times, some of these spirits would come to our plane and tell of the wonderful development and happiness in these higher spheres, and urge us to make the effort to progress and become inhabitants of them, and you may be assured we were willing and anxious to make such progress. But try as I would, and as my friends would, the efforts produced no visible effect and we continued in darkness. Being of an inquisitive nature, I sought for the reason of our inability to get out of the darkness, and at last, found that the mind was not every thing, but the development of the moral qualities were necessary to enable us to progress as we desired, and that in order to develop these qualities, something more than the mere exercise of the mental faculties were required. Conscience must be satisfied and our recollection of evil deeds on earth must be gotten rid of, and our qualities of soul which determined our position and condition in the spirit world must be so adjusted to the demands of the laws of harmony, so that we could be able to advance in our progress to that place which such adjustment would entitle us to occupy. I further found that the darkness in which we lived was not created by any defective condition of the mind, for many spirits whose minds were highly cultivated and possessed of unusual knowledge were in just as much darkness as were many spirits of very meagre mentality and information. All this knowledge came to me and caused me to seek a way to improve my moral nature and to get rid of the recollections of those things which tainted and darkened such nature, and I sought very diligently, but it was slow work and the efforts required were great. But some progress was made, and if I had continued long enough and used my will powers in urging the cultivation of kind thoughts, and love for the true and affection, etc., I would undoubtedly have progressed from darkness.This had been the experience of many spirits who believed as I did, that the mind was the thing, and depended upon their own will and exertions to bring the desired results. But while in this condition of struggle and slow progress, I would occasionally meet spirits who seemed to be of a higher order and more beautiful than was I, and naturally I wondered what the cause was, although, strange as it may seem to you, I never made the inquiry until one day I met some of our folks who had this beautiful appearance, and seemed to be so perfectly happy. Naturally in our conversation, I asked them the cause of their happiness, and when they told me I was so surprised that I gave very little credence to what they said, because what they told me was so similar to what I had heard on earth in the orthodox churches that I supposed that these friends had brought with them their old orthodox faiths and emotions, and were deceiving themselves as to the cause of their appearances, and that the probable cause was that they were more moral than I, when on earth, and hence, their recollections of earthly sins were less and conscience was not so severe on them, and therefore they had gotten out of their darkness into light with the resultant appearance of beauty and happiness. I would not at first accept their explanations of the cause of their conditions, and continued for sometime longer in the effort to improve my moral condition and advance in my mental acquirements. But there was one other thing, I noticed, and that is that while these beautiful friends had not the mental development, apparently, that some other spirits who had progressed out of the darkness into the higher spheres of light, yet the beauty, and seeming happiness of these friends were so much greater and of a different nature from the happiness and appearance of those more highly mentally developed spirits. And again, I thought and concluded that even moral and mental development could not explain the cause of the difference between the appearances and happiness of these friends and those of these more mentally developed spirits; so I again determined to seek the cause and, as a consequence, I sought these friends with the intention and desire to listen more seriously to what they might tell me, and to open my mind to the secret as it was to me. Well, I listened to them and they told me that their progress and condition was caused by the soul development which they had received in seeking for and obtaining the Divine Love of the Father. That the soul is the great and important part of being spirits. That the condition of the soul development determines the position and appearance and happiness of the spirit, - that the spirit body and mind are both subordinate to the soul, and whenever the mind submits to the control of the soul, and the will of the mind, as you may say, to the will of the soul, that then the progress to the highest sphere will commence, and the spirit who is thus progressing will show the state of his advancement by the appearance of his beauty and happiness. They further explained to me the nature and power of the Divine Love and Its great developing potentialites and the absolute necessity of Its entering into and possessing the soul, in order for it to make its greatest progress. That as this Divine Love became more and more a part of the soul's possessions, the soul took on itself the Divine Nature of the Father, and all these things which had a lodgment therein, and which tended to make it dark and sinful disappeared, and as these things disappeared, the soul mounted to higher spheres, and became happier and more beautiful, and the spiritual body correspondingly manifested this happiness and beauty. All these things and many more these friends told me, and urged me to seek for the Divine Love of the Father and offered in every way to help me. At first I could not understand what seeking this Divine Love meant, but they took great pains to instruct me, and told me that only through prayer and faith would it come to me. That while this Love was waiting to fill the soul of every spirit and anxious to do so, yet only by earnest, sincere, seeking would It enter the soul and fill it with Its Great Essence. At last they persuaded me to pray to the Father and then prayed with me, but it was hard to have faith in that which my mind did not understand and could not grasp. But they said, the soul has its faculties and is not dependent upon the mind for this faith, and upon my exercising these soul faculties would depend the question of my receiving this love and this faith, for as love came, faith would come also, which faith was not a mere mental belief, but something greater and different. Well, I continued to pray for this love, and after awhile, I felt a sensation which I had never felt before, within my soul, and as I prayed this feeling increased, and faith in a small degree came to me, and I realized that there was a love possessing me that was never with me before. I continued thus to seek and pray until at last, this Great Love came to me in great abundance, flooding as it were, my whole soul, and happiness unspeakable came to me and, as these friends said, light and beauty also. Well you can imagine that my longings and desires became insatiable - the darkness disappeared - my recollections of the evils of my life became fainter and fainter and suddenly I found myself in the third sphere, which then appeared to me to be the very heaven of heavens and the very fountainhead of beauty and happiness. Now during all this time, and it was not accomplished in a day, I gave no attention to the development of my mind, or to the acquiring of knowledge of the material things, as I might say, of the spirit world, but when I found myself in the beautiful sphere that I have mentioned, it seemed to me that my mental faculties had expanded beyond all possibilities of belief and knowledge of things that I had never before heard or conceived of; came to me with wonderful clearness. But the soul and not the mind was the thing! And Love - this Divine Love of the Father - made happiness mine and everything beautiful and satisfying. He who seeks only the development of the mind, and lets the soul slumber is poor indeed; but he who seeks the development of the soul finds that as his soul develops his mind does also, and rich he is beyond compare. Well, I continued in this soul development, and in the increased happiness and the attainment of great brightness, and more than all the possessions of this Great Love, until I passed through the fifth sphere, where everything was much more beautiful, and Love so more abundant than in the third sphere, and entered the seventh sphere where I now am. I will not attempt to tell you the glories of this sphere, for I feel that words are inadequate to do so.Then in a faint, unsatisfying way, have I attempted to rehearse to you the soul's development, and the wholly sufficient thing that it is. And my advice to all mortals, based on my own personal experience, is to seek with all their might and earnest efforts the development of the soul, and that of the mind will follow. This they can commence while yet on earth, and they will find that progress after they have crossed the border line will be much more rapid and easier. Well, it is late and I have written long enough. But I wanted so much to write to you to-night upon this subject of the soul development as I see its vital importance to the future happiness of man and to his immortality. So with all my love and blessings, I am Your brother in Christ, G_____ Note. This spirit is Albert G Riddle. January 21st, 1916 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am the spirit of Galileo, and come to you to tell you a few things pertaining to the spirit world of science. When on earth, I thought that my invention of the telescope was a most wonderful thing and that it would revolutionize man's knowledge of astronomy and the solar system, and to some extent it did. But what I saw and anticipated then was as a mere drop in the bucket to what I have learned of these matters since I have been in the spirit world, not bound by the limitations of space and sight. I have explored these heavens, among the planets and the stars, and have discovered many truths in reference to them not even conceived of by men. I desire to come sometimes and describe to you and explain to you these hidden truths so that man may have an enlarged conception of the great God whose creatures they all are. It is too late tonight to commence my discourse, and with your permission I will come at a later date. I live in the Sixth Sphere, where the intellect rules supreme and the wisdom of the ages is congregated. Yes, I have seen Jesus, and sometimes he comes to our spheres, but he is not so much interested in these scientific matters as in disseminating the Divine Love, as he calls it. I do not know what this is, and am not much interested, as I find great happiness in the pursuit of my studies of the material universe. I will stop now and say good night. Galileo January 21st, 1916 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Prof. Salyards: I am here and I have waited a long time for you to give me the opportunity to write, and now I fear it is too late to write as I desired to do. I was not with you, and of course do not know why you did not come earlier, but I suppose you had some good reason for not doing so, and hence I make no complaint at the delay. Well, do you think that we had better try to write tonight! Under that condition I will try to give you my ideas on a certain topic which I have had under consideration for some time, intending to give you the results at the first opportunity, and I hope that I may be able to do so, in an intelligent manner. I desire to write you about the importance of learning that law is the unchangeable factor in determining the status of men on earth and spirits in this life. And when I speak of law I mean the law established by God at the time of the creation of man, and which ever since that time has been in continuous unchangeable existence, operating upon the same condition of facts at all times in the same way and producing the same results. I have been in the spirit world now for some years and from having given considerable of my time to the study of these laws and their influences and dominating effect upon mankind in their relationship to one another, and to God, my investigation has resulted in the discovery of many important truths which men should know and attempt to apply the benefits of to themselves, and to their relation to one another as members of society. First, let me say that in compliance with these laws men should observe the rights and duties which all men possess and are under obligation to perform to one another, and to try with all their best efforts to understand. There are many of these laws operating upon these rights and duties of men, and to know them, men are obliged to study first the rights of others and then the rights of themselves and in applying these laws the rights of the former are of no greater importance than the rights of the latter, for these rights are correlative, and an understanding of these rights is necessary in order for men to understand the relative duties resting upon them. I feel that this subject is one that is in its nature very dry, yet it is of no less importance to the well being of man than are many truths of much seeming greater importance. These laws are, I know, to a very large extent, not comprehended by men nor are these rights that I speak of, yet, if men will only attempt to get into the right attunement with the Father they can understand the laws and the rights and duties without much fear of making mistakes in their comprehensions. I will not tonight go into great detail because it would require too long a writing, and I merely write in this general way as a preliminary to what I desire to write hereafter on the subject indicated. So if I stop now and wait until I have more time for entering into the spirit and heart of my theme you will not be disappointed. So if you will excuse me I will stop now. Your old friend and teacher, Joseph H. Salyards. January 21st, 1916. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: Well, sweetheart, we were somewhat disappointed tonight that we could not have the opportunity to write as we had agreed, and you were also, I know. I was with you at Mrs. Miller's and saw and heard what took place, and while there was nothing very edifying in the proceedings, yet it was a little enjoyable because of the great number of spirits who were present and their evident happiness in being able to communicate. The spirit who was writing through you was one that I did not know, and who was of the lower planes, and had not much of the development. The guides of Mrs. Miller actually talked through her, and Minnie is a very cute and spiritual little Indian and is very faithful to her medium. The other Mrs. Miller was much interested and the advice given her by Rolling Cloud is good, and if she will procure the medicine and give it to her mother she will find some relief. These Indians know a great deal about healing and very often help mortals in their sickness. Yes, she was very anxious to hear about the prospects of her becoming a free woman, and, while I can hardly blame her, yet, the spirits are not permitted or inclined to give much comfort to mortals who have in their souls the desires that she had. I know the condition of Mr. Miller, and it is a very precarious one, for he may die at any moment. His heart is not in a good condition and his kidneys are very much diseased, and worse than that he is obsessed by a wicked drunken spirit who will not let him get out of their power if they can prevent it; and because of his circumstances and surroundings it seems to me that they will be able to retain their control of him. Well, we have some power, but not all that you may think. Unless he puts himself in condition to accept our help we can do nothing for him, for his condition is what gives these spirits the power to control him, and unless he makes some effort himself to break the rapport between him and them, we can do him very little good. Such is this law of attraction that I have written you about. Well, she is a good hearted woman, but not one that would benefit you in a spiritual point of view, for she is very worldly in her desires and thoughts and scarcely ever gives the future any consideration. I know this from not only what she said, but from the condition of her soul development, which shows that not often does she permit her soul to have any communion with the higher things of God's universe; and I tell you that the condition of the soul is a sure index of the thoughts and aspirations of the person. Yes, of course, she has a soulmate, but who he is I don't know, and it is not important at this time to find out, for she is not thinking of soulmates, but of the material things of life, and her chief desire is to obtain money. Well, I must not write more and you must go to bed. The others of the band will come at a later time and write you. So with all my love I will say goodnight. Your own true and loving, Helen January 28th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving Helen. Well, dear, the influences have not been good tonight, and many dark spirits have been present. The one who wrote was very dark and brought with him others who were all anxious to write. But White Eagle would not let them write, although he did not force them to leave. I desired to write, as I told you last night, but under the conditions did not think it best to try to do so. I will try tomorrow night, and hope you will be in condition. I will not write more now, as it is best not to draw on you. So love me and believe that I love you and am with you very much, trying to help you. Do not forget to pray more and more often to the Father for His Love. Your own true and loving Helen February 3rd, 1916 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Luke. I come tonight to say a few words concerning the great truth of the development of the soul in its natural love, wherein the New Birth is never experienced. I know that men think that this natural love has in it a part of the Divinity of the Father's nature, and that as they develop in the way of purifying it and ridding it of those things which tend to impair its harmony, they will realize that there exists in their souls this Divinity of which we have written. But this is not true, for this natural love partakes only of those elements which the Father implanted in it at the time of man's creation, and in none of these elements is any of the qualities of the Divine nature. It is difficult to explain just the distinction between the Divine Love coming from the Father, and the natural love also coming from Him, and yet, not having any of the Divine nature or qualities; but it is a fact. The natural love may become so purified that it may come into perfect harmony with the laws governing its condition and composition, and yet, fall far short of having in it any of the Divine Love. And so, as we have explained to you, the soul may obtain this Divine Love and thereby become a part of the Father's Divinity. I will now try to explain how the natural love of man may be developed, so that his soul may come into harmony with the law of love - the natural love - and make him a very happy, pure and contented being. In the first place, I wish to say that there is no such thing in the world as original sin or evil, and that God did not create them or permit them to exist, except as He permits man to use his own will without limitation - and I mean by this that He does not say that a man, in the exercise of this will, shall do this or do that; and as respects this will, man is untrammeled. But he does say, and his laws are inexorable in this particular, that (when) man, when in the exercise of the great power of free will, causes that will to come into conflict with the will of God, or to violate His laws, he, man, must suffer the consequences. This may be illustrated by your natural laws declaring the freedom of the press. Man may publish whatsoever he pleases, and so long as he does not thereby violate the rights of others, or of decency, he may make his publications without fear of the law; but when in the exercise of this freedom of speech, as you call it, he violates the law, then he must suffer the consequences of this violation. So it is with the mortal who, in the exercise of his free will, violates the Will of the Father, or the laws limiting its exercise by the mortal. He must suffer the consequences, and (from) the results of this violation are sin and evil created, and in no other way. And surprising as it may sound to you, man is the creator of sin and evil, and not God, who is only good. Then the question arises, how can sin and evil be eradicated from the world? And every thoughtful man will have the same answer, and that is: by men ceasing to violate the will of God, or his laws, which restrict the exercise of the wills of mortals to that which, in its right exercise, will not produce sin or evil. In other words, when men by the wrong use of their wills bring about inharmony, they can by the right use of their wills not disturb that harmony, which when it exists, leaves no room for the presence of sin and error. So you see, the one thing necessary in order for men to become happy and free from everything that defiles them, or causes unhappiness or discord to exist, is to develop their souls in this natural love, until this love comes into perfect unison with the laws that control it. And thus may be applied the oft quoted expression that love is the fulfilling of the law; but this means love in its purest and most perfect state. Now, how can this development of the natural love be accomplished by men? The mind, while a powerful helper in this regard, is not of itself sufficient to bring about this great desideratum. It is true that with every mortal there is a constant warfare between the appetites and lusts of the flesh, and his higher desires; and hence it is said, that these appetites and desires are sinful, and the cause of evil and the inharmony that exists in the lives of mortals. But this statement is not altogether true, for as man was made with spiritual aspirations and desires, so also was he made with appetites and desires of the flesh, and the latter of themselves are not evils. The failure to make the distinction between the fact that these appetites and desires of the flesh are not evil, and the fact that only the perversion of them brings evil, is the great stumbling block that stands in the way of man's developing this natural love in the manner that I have indicated. These, what are sometimes called the animal appetites and desires, may be exercised in such a way as to be in perfect harmony with the laws that control them, and in such exercise not interfere with or prevent the development of this natural love to perfection. But man, in the free exercise of his will, has in his wanderings gone beyond the limitations which the law of harmony has placed upon him, added to and increased and distorted the appetites and desires of the flesh which were originally bestowed upon him, and, hence, has himself created those things that are not in harmony with the creation of himself. So you see, man is a creator as well as a creature. As the latter, he cannot alter or change any of the effects of his creation; but as the former he can alter and change and even abolish the effects of his own creation, for as the creator, (he) is greater than the things that he created - although these things of his own creation have held him in bondage and unhappiness, to a more or less extent, ever since he became their creator. The strength of this apparent paradox is that the creator, man, has for all these long centuries believed it, and submitted to his creations, and still does so. So what is the remedy? Simply this: man must awaken to the fact that he is greater than his creatures; that they are subject to his will, and that whenever, by their existence and workings, they bring discord and unhappiness, and cause his will to be exercised in opposition to the will of the Father, then they must be destroyed, and never be permitted to come into existence again. Let men become the masters of their creatures, and obedient to the great will of their Creator, and they will realize that sin and error and unhappiness will disappear, and their natural love will come into harmony with the laws of its creation, and earth will indeed become a heaven, and the brotherhood of man established on earth. If men will only think, and thinking, believe that all sin and error and the resulting unhappiness and sorrow in the world are children of their own creation, and not the children of God, and that in the economy of His universe He leaves the control and management and even the existence of these children to the will of their parents; they will (then) understand why evil exists, why wars and hatred and misery continue on earth to blight the lives and happiness of mortals; and why, as some say, and especially the so-called Christians, God permits all these things to exist and flourish and apparently contradict the great truth, that He is good, and the fountainhead of all goodness. The universe and the inhabitants thereof and the greatest production of His power - man - were all created by God; but sin and error and their awful followings are the creatures of man. The laws of His universe work in harmony, and all is good; and even the apparent inharmony which man has created does not affect that great harmony, but is confined in its workings to man, himself. Only man is apparently in inharmony, and that is caused by man, himself. Suppose, for a moment, that man's will was working in accord with that of the Father; can you imagine that there would be any of these creatures of man's perverted will in existence? Would there be any evil or hatred or disease or suffering known to the consciousness of man? I tell you, no. Now I say man, their creator, must destroy these inharmonious creatures. Man must kill and bury deep and forever these children of the perverted exercise of his will, and until then, sin and error and all their concomitants will continue to live and flourish and torment their creator. And I say here with all emphasis and with a full realization of the great significance and responsibility in the sight of God which I assume in saying it, that man can destroy these bastard creatures of his will so perverted and discordant. His natural love, if permitted to assert its God-given powers and functions, is sufficient to bring his will in accord with that of the Father, and turn his thoughts away from these children of his, and to make him conscious of purity and truth. The dead desires and dead appetites will bury their dead children, and man will come into his own again. But then comes the question, how is man to accomplish this great end, so devoutly to be wished for? Well, it is late now, and I will write upon this important feature of this development of his natural love in my next message. So with all my love I will say good night. Your brother in Christ, Luke February 5th, 1916. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your own true and loving Helen: Well dear, I see that you do not feel like writing much tonight, and will say only a few words. The Master was anxious to finish his message, but he saw your condition and was not displeased that you did not write. But get in condition by tomorrow night. Well, I have been with you today at your office, and also at church, and was loving you with all my heart and soul, and tried to make you feel my presence and love. I think if you soon go to bed you will feel better in the morning. Well, I will do so, and tomorrow night he will come and tell you what is best for you to take. While he has not written you for a long time yet he is with you quite often looking after you. I will tell him your desire and I know that he will do what is best. So sweetheart, keep up your courage and faith and pray, and you will be happier and realize your desires. Goodnight, my own dear husband. Your own true and loving, Helen February 6th, 1916. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I come to-night to resume my HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/genesis6.htm" discourse of several nights ago. As I was saying man is the creature of God, made in perfection and instantaneously, as it were, not having a slow growth as other creations, and when he was created he needed no evolution or additional attributes to make him the perfect man. His physical body was perfect, and also his spiritual body and his soul. He had, in addition to these three constituents, a gift which, by his disobedience, he forfeited, and which was never restored to him until my coming, and which when possessed by him made him more than mere man. As to those things which were made constituent and absolute parts of him, they were perfect, and no evolution was necessary to give them any increased perfection. Man then was a more perfect being than he is now, or ever has been since his fall from his condition of perfection. After his disobedience and the consequent death of the potentiality of partaking of the Divine nature of the Father, which is the gift above mentioned, man was left in a state where he depended exclusively upon the qualities which he then possessed for his future happiness, and freedom from those things which would cause him to lose the harmony that then existed between him and the laws governing his being. The greatest of all the qualities bestowed upon him was that of the will power which was wholly unrestricted in its operations. Although, when exercised in a manner which brought this will in conflict with the laws controlling this harmony, man had to suffer and pay the penalties of such violations. But notwithstanding that these perversions of the exercise of the will brought the sins and errors which now exist on earth, God did not place any limitations on this exercise. Man, in his creation, had bestowed upon him appetites and desire pertaining to his physical nature, as well as desires of his higher or spiritual nature, and they were all intended to work in harmony and not in antagonism; and in such workings, man was kept pure and free from sin - which is merely the violation of God's laws of harmony. But after the first disobedience, which is the greatest demonstration of the power of man to exercise that will, even when God had forbade him to do so, and after man lost this great potentiality that I speak of, succeeding disobediences became easier; and as these disobediences occurred man lost to a great extent the desires for the spiritual things, and the animal or physical part of his nature asserted itself, and then, instead of exercising these appetites which belonged to the physical nature in such a wise way that no inharmony would ensue - and here let me say that even after the fall it was possible and even expected that man would exercise these appetites in the way mentioned, he indulged them beyond their proper functions, and increased such indulgence, until he commenced to find, as he thought, more pleasure, in such indulgence, than in the thoughts and exercise of his higher nature, and the aspirations which belonged to it. This deterioration of man was not sudden, but gradual, until, at one time, he became in a state or condition of being bordering on that of the lower animals, and in fact because of this increased indulgence of these appetites he seemed to be transformed into the lower animal; but yet he remained man, a being created in the image of his Maker. And from this position of low degradation or degeneracy man slowly commenced to progress towards the attainment of his original condition before the fall. Never in all this time, was his freedom of will taken from him, nor attempted to be controlled by God - but always the laws of compensation worked, and man suffered as he continued to create sin and evil. But as man on earth continued to degenerate and to permit, what is sometimes called his animal nature to dominate his spiritual nature, many men died, and continued to die, and their physical bodies went back to the dust of which they were created, and their spiritual selves became inhabitants of the spirit world, where they were freed, in a longer or shorter time, from the desire to exercise these animal appetites and the spiritual part of man again asserted itself, until many of these spirits became free from sin and evil and in harmony with the laws of God, controlling their natures and conditions as they existed before their degeneracy and before the disobedience commenced. And these spirits, thus made free and in their spiritual dominance commenced to try to assist men while living on earth to direct his will in such ways as to rid himself of submission to these appetites, and to became again a true man as in his creation state, minus the potentiality that I have mentioned. But these efforts on the part of spirits have been slow in their effects, and while men in individual cases, have been almost regenerated, yet as whole the progress has not been as rapid as is desirable - sin and evil still exist in the world, and men's perverted appetites and desires still control then to a large extent. Of course, this progress from the bottom of degeneracy has taken place in some parts of the earth, faster than in others, and, hence, you have your distinction between the civilized and the uncivilized races or nations; but this does not necessarily mean that the civilized people, as individuals, have made greater progress in the manner indicated, than have the individuals of some of the so called uncivilized nations, for it is a fact, that among some men of the former nations are perversions and manifestations of perversions of these appetites that do not exist in the latter nations. Advancement in the intellectual qualities do not necessarily mean progress in the spiritual asserting itself over the perversions of these appetites, for will is not a thing entirely of the mind, and neither are these appetites and desires, because back of the mind are the affections usually called the heart's desires, which is the seat of these appetites, and from which these desires arise; and as they arise the will is influenced by them and as the will is influenced come positive thoughts and deeds. It is not surprising that your scientists believe and preach the doctrine of the evolution of man from a lower species of animal, or from an atom or from something that they cannot just understand or give a name to, because in their studies of the history of mankind, and of the created world, they find that man has developed and progressed amazingly from what appeared to have been his condition in some ages past. But history does not extend to the time when man was in this lowest condition of degeneracy, and hence all the conclusions that these scientists reach are based upon facts, sufficient unto themselves, which show the progress of man only after the turning point of his degeneracy. They have no fact, and, of course, when the word "facts" is here used, it refers exclusively to the material things of nature - showing them the gradual decline of man from his state of being a perfect man to that when his retrogression or degeneracy ceased, and his progress of return to his former estate commenced. So, if the scientists will believe and teach that man, instead of evoluting from an atom or some other infinitesimal something, or from a lower species of animal than man, evoluted from his state or condition when he was at the bottom of his degeneracy, to which he had descended from the perfect man, then they will believe and teach the truth, and their theory of evolution will then have as its foundation or basis, a fact, which now it has not - only a speculation. This in short, is the history and truth of the creation of the universe of man - of man's fall and degeneracy, and evolution and progress. And through all this creation and subsequent existence, runs life, permeating it and always with it, and the origin of Life is God. I have finished and I hope that you will find some instruction as well as entertainment in what I have written. I will come again soon and write you another truth.The fact that you waited for sentences to be formulated to express my thoughts, merely means that I was manipulating your brain so that the proper expression or idea could be conveyed to your hand as I wrote it. You have my love and blessings, and I am more interested as time passes in you and your work. Keep up your courage and your desires will be fulfilled. Your friend and brother Jesus February 8th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, St. Paul, of the New Testament. I desire to HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/bible56.htm" continue my message to-night. As I said in closing my last writing, there is a resurrection that is vital to the salvation of men, which Jesus taught, and which after the death of his followers and believers of the early centuries, the knowledge of was lost to the world and to those who assumed to teach the doctrines of the resurrection that he came to declare and teach. You and all mankind must know that the resurrection which is the foundation stone of Christianity is a resurrection from the dead, and not from the mere existence of a man as a spirit in the physical body on earth, and not as a resurrection of the soul from its environments and limitations that the earth life placed upon it. Then what is the resurrection that Jesus referred to when he said: "I am the resurrection and the life!" Now in order to understand this resurrection it is necessary to understand what is meant by the death of man, that is the real man - the ego, - that part of him in which the breath of life exists, no matter whether he is of the physical or the spiritual. As has been explained to you elsewhere, when man was created his creation was of the physical body, the spiritual body and the soul, and in addition - and the addition was the most important part of his creation - the potentiality of becoming so at one with the Father in His nature and certain of His attributes, that he, man, would become so possessed of some of the Divine Essence of the Father and a portion of His divinity that would cause him to be immortal, so that death could never deprive him of his existence; and not only that, but he would realize the consciousness of his immortality. This potentiality then was a part of his creation, and, as we have explained elsewhere, the only part of his creation that died as the result of his disobedience; for it is very apparent from the mere knowledge that man has, or may have, from the ordinary investigation of the qualities of his being, and from the truths of psychical research of modern days, as well as from the understanding of the many instances related in the Bible of the appearance of departed spirits on earth and the manifestations of their existence, and also from the many occurrences of the appearances of spirits related in what is called secular history, that the soul and spirit body of man never died, and that his physical body lived for many years after the day on which the sentence, because of his disobedience, announced that he should die. And as I have said, this mortal body not man - the man - but merely the vesture of covering for the real man. This potentiality then being the only part of the created man that died, and as Jesus' mission was to teach the resurrection of man from the dead, it necessarily follows that the only thing that was intended to be resurrected was this potentiality of becoming a part of God's Divinity. This is the only real and true resurrection, and upon this resurrection must rest the faith and truth of Christianity - and by Christianity I mean religion which is based upon the true teachings of Jesus, the Christ. There are contained in the Bible some things which if properly understood, would show to man that no resurrection of the body was intended as the thing which Jesus came to earth to declare and teach. When he said, "I am the resurrection and the life," he did not say or mean, wait until I die and then I will become the resurrection; or when you see me ascend to Heaven, then will I become the resurrection and you will know it; but his declarations not only in the instance mentioned, but at all times were that he was the resurrection while living. And these declarations did not refer to the man Jesus, or to any disposition that he might make of his body, either physical or spiritual, or to any apparent ascension of his physical body, which never took place, or to any ascension of his spiritual body which did occur. In these particulars he was essentially no more or different from other men that had died or should die. But the meaning of his saying and his mission were, that as by man's disobedience there had occurred the death of the possibility of his becoming at one with the Father and partaking of his divine nature, and as that possibility had never been restored to man in all the intervening years, and man had remained in this condition of death during all the long centuries, if man would only believe in him as the true Christ and in his teachings as to the rebestowal of this great privilege of again becoming at one with the Father and of obtaining immortality, and would follow his advice as to the way in which man could realize the benefits of this great privilege, then he would become conscious that Jesus was the resurrection from the dead. Not Jesus the man or teacher or the chosen and anointed one of the Father, but Jesus the impersonation of the truths which he proclaimed as to the rebestowal of the great gift. Only in this way was Jesus the resurrection and the life. He, himself, had received the great gift and realized his at-onement and the consciousness of his immortality and the possession of the divine nature, and knew that he had been lifted from death into life, and, therefore, if men would believe his teachings as to the resurrection, these teachings and not the man Jesus or even the fact that he had been resurrected, would draw all men unto him, that is, into the condition of life and consciousness that he possessed. Then the resurrection that Jesus promised to man was the resurrection of this great potentiality which he had lost at the time of the first disobedience and which had never been restored until the coming of Jesus. Now let it not be misunderstood as to what was meant by this resurrection. As I have said, after men were deprived of this potentiality they were in a condition of death and it was not possible for them to get out of this condition. They were possessed of only what is called their natural love without any possibility of obtaining the Divine Love which was necessary in order to give them any portion of the divine nature and a consciousness of immortality. When the great potentiality, which was as to them as if it had never existed, was rebestowed, then men were again placed in the position of the first man before his fall, and were no longer actually dead, but were possessed of this potentiality to become that which had been forfeited by the first parents. But as we have told you, the gift of this potentiality was not of itself the bestowal upon man of those qualities which such potentiality merely made it possible for them to acquire by aspiration and effort. Before this rebestowal men could not by any aspirations or efforts on their part obtain the conditions and qualities which this potentiality made possible, no matter how great the effort might be; as to them men were simply and absolutely dead. After the rebestowal, the impossibility which this death had imposed, was removed, and then men received, not the full fruition of what was possible to obtain because of such rebestowal, but the privilege of arising from death to life - of the resurrection from death to the glories of immortal life. And while this privilege had become a part of man's possession, yet, if he had remained without consciousness of that fact, he would, in effect, have remained in his condition of death and have never received the benefit of the rebestowal of the great gift. So to reveal to man the vital truth Jesus taught and demonstrated in his own life, the possession of those qualities that became his because of the existence of the gift. And he also taught while men had the privilege spoken of, yet, unless they sought for and prayed the Father in sincerity for the gift of his Divine Love, the potentiality which had been bestowed upon them would not bring to them the resurrection from the dead, and they would continue in their lives as mortals and as inhabitants of the spirit world, as if they were still under the doom of death. I may here state that this potentiality, which was lost by the disobedience of the first parents and was rebestowed by the Father and revealed by Jesus to mankind, was the privilege of receiving and possessing the Divine Love of the Father, which, when possessed would give to man certain qualities of divinity and immortality. So the resurrection from the dead that the master taught and which is the one foundation of the Christian faith, arise from the fact that God rebestowed upon mankind the privilege of seeking for and receiving His Divine Love which would make the mortal one with Him and Immortal; and upon the further fact that man must, in order to obtain the resurrection, seek and find this Divine Love and thereby become a child of the true resurrection - a resurrection that was never known to prophet or seer or reformer or teachers of faiths, no matter how excellent their moral teachings and private lives may have been, before the coming of Jesus. Truly He was the Resurrection and the Life, and I, Paul, who am the recipient of this resurrection and know whereof I speak and have knowledge of the fact that those inhabitants of the spirit world who have never received this resurrection are still in a condition of death, so far as obtaining the Divine Love of the Father and the consciousness of immortality are concerned, and so I declare unto you what I have attempted to describe as the resurrection from the dead, is the True Resurrection. I will stop, as I have written a long time. So my dear brother I will say good-night. Your brother in Christ, Paul February 8th, 1916 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your old Professor: I merely want to say that I desire to finish my HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor510.htm" discourse of some weeks ago and am ready at any time that may suit your convenience. Well, I will come one night this week and try to finish. I see that you are in a very good condition now, as your brain is working very well. The message that you have HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/bible57.htm" received from Paul is a wonderfully deep message upon the existence of the resurrection, and as I understand and have experienced the resurrection is a true explanation of its meaning. Paul is a very logical and clear writer, and I am glad that he finds such little difficulty in making use of your faculties. He is very much pleased at the success of the experiment and his estimate of you is very great, as are the estimates of all the higher spirits who write. Well my dear boy, I often think of the wonder of all this experience, and sometimes let my mind return to the days when you were my dear pupil; and I think how wholly we were in want of any conception that such a thing could be. And I can't tell you how glad and thankful I am that we ever came in contact with each other, for I will frankly and assuredly say that if I had never met you I doubt if I would have had the privilege of meeting such spirits as your grandmother and mother, and of having received the benefits of their advice and the influence of their love, as well as the companionship of your father and Mr. Riddle. I often think of how a mere accident as your coming to my school should have brought about such momentous results, and in thinking I am so grateful to our Heavenly Father. So my boy, keep up your good work and you will find a wonderful happiness when you come over. The dark spirits whom you help are so very grateful to you and are all lovers of you and your friends are ready at all time to protect you from the evil that might come to you from the influences of the many evil spirits who have their habitations so near your earth. Yes, more than you can imagine, I want to say this further thing, and that is, that very many spirits who don't have the opportunity to write to you are influenced very much by what they hear you tell others, and act on the advice that you give to those who write. And small wonder at the confidence of these spirits have in you and the influence you have with them. So many are being helped, and our work is made so much easier because they listen to us and believe so much more readily when you advise them to do so. Well, we are very happy and progressing all the time. Oh, I wish I could tell you how beautiful she is and how loving and how much she thinks of you. She is with you quite often and is trying with the rest of us to help you in every way. We know when you pray for us, and it does help us more than you can conceive of, for your prayers are sincere, and, I know, ascend to the Father, Who answers the prayers of the sincere and trusting. So I say, we all love you very much, and feel that we cannot do for you what we should like to; but you must believe in us and know that we are with you and have more power than you may think to help. I have written too long already, and your wife says, "Professor, I don't like to be discourteous, but I must suggest that you stop and let that baby boy go to bed, for he will sit up all night if you continue to write." What a beautiful and loving wife you have, and how we all love her for her goodness. So my dear boy, I will say goodnight. Your brother in Christ, Prof. Salyards February 8th, 1916. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: Well, you need a keeper, for you never know when to go to bed. I mean that you must not let your interest in us or our writing interfere with those things which are necessary for your physical welfare. I will say only a word more, and that is, that I love you with all my heart and soul, and am with you all the time that I can spare from my work. Yes, he told me what you said, and I will try to find him sometime and bring him to answer for himself. I see you object, and it may work all right, I don't know. He says he was there and gave Mr. Morgan a guide - a very powerful Indian of the more civilized tribes. He is something like White Eagle, and will be a great benefit to Mr. Morgan. Yes, White Eagle says his name is Red Fox. So with all my love, I am Your own true and loving, Helen February 11th, 1916. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: Well, these spirits wanted so much to write, but White Eagle won't let them do so, for he tells them that this is not their night, and that if they will come on Wednesday night they may write. He is very good and kind to them, and they understand him, and while they are disappointed yet they take his advice and leave. Well sweetheart, I am so glad that you are feeling better, for you were not in good condition last night, and I think it was because you were worrying over Nita, but, as I told you, there is no necessity for you to worry. I am very happy in my new home, and I intend to write you about it very soon, and I know you will be much pleased to learn what a beautiful home I have. I will write my other message first, as I promised, and you will think that I can do a little deep thinking as well as can some of the other spirits. So try to get into a very good condition, for you know, there are a number of spirits who have promised to write to you, and they are all anxious to do so. I was not present, but he ( HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor485.htm" Elkins) told me that he had written. He is a spirit who has progressed considerably, and seems to be very anxious to get the Father's love. He almost worships your grandmother, who has been so good and kind to him; and believes implicitly in her advice and her love for him; and he is with us a great deal, and never seems to tire of listening to your grandmother. I know that he will soon get the love in his heart and will progress to a higher sphere. He has a great deal of the natural love, and seems to love his family so much. Well, I will not write about these other spirits as it is late. The Judge is progressing and is with you quite often as you receive the messages from the higher spirits. He is much interested in them, and thinks that it is wonderful that you should attract to you so many of the spirits from the Celestial Heavens. He says, that he did not appreciate you when on earth; and is so sorry that he did not, for he believes that he would be in a better condition now had he understood your advice. He is quite happy though, and so is his Rose, who is with him nearly all the time. They make a happy couple, and Rose wants me to send her love. They are here now and want to write, but I tell them it is too late. He says, "Not on your life," as he is with the one that he loves and who loves him, and there is no other in all the universe for him. And Rose says he is right, and that he does not want any little Dutch girl, or any other girl. So they both send their love. He says he will be glad to do so. He says he will try his best to prepare a message that will be interesting, but not such a one as he might have written for the University, that he sees how mistaken Dr. Holler is in his ideas of spiritual things and in his teachings, that he would like to write the Doctor a letter telling him of his mistakes, but he supposes the Doctor wouldn't believe that he had written it. But I must stop or they will talk all night. Take good care of yourself and love me with all your heart, for I love you more than I can tell you. I must leave you now. With all my love I am, Your own true and loving, Helen February 15th, 1916 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am Saint Clement the Pope: I merely want to say that I am glad to be able to testify as to the work that you have been selected to do, and as to the fact that Jesus and many of the high spirits write to you. I know that my testimony is not necessary in order to convince you of these facts, but there may be some who will more readily believe when they know that a Pope of the Roman Catholic church gave his testimony to these facts. I am now an inhabitant of the Celestial Spheres, and am happy beyond description. But, as I have told you, I was compelled to undergo great sufferings before I was relieved of my recollections of the evil that I had done on earth. But I will write you more in detail later, and hope that I may have the opportunity. So, wishing you success and happiness, I am Your brother in Christ, St. Clement February 16th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Luke. Well do you think you can take my message tonight? It looks like you may, at any rate we will try. HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/bible41.htm" As I was saying, "In what way is a man to obtain this development of the soul in its natural love?" In the first place, he must recognize the fact that he does not live to himself, alone; that what he conceives to be the workings of his own mind and will are not always the result of thoughts and desires that originate in him, but are largely the products of the influences of the workings of the minds of spirits who are around him, trying to impress him with their desires and wills; and consequently, you will understand that it is very important to man as to what kind of spirit influences he has surrounding and working upon him. If these influences are good, the better it is for his progress in the development of this natural love; but if they are evil influences, then, of course, such development is retarded. Consequently, the first thing for a man to do is to attempt to attract to himself influences of the higher nature; and he can do so by trying to cultivate good thoughts and to indulge in good and moral acts. The great law of attraction that we have written about, applies and works in such cases as this, as it does in every other relation of God's universe. If a man's thoughts are evil, there will always be attracted to him spirits of similar thoughts; and when they come to him, they attempt to and succeed in intensifying, these evil thoughts of his, which attract them to him. It must emphatically be understood in this regard, that man may and often does originate his own thoughts and desires, and it is not necessary that any influence of these evil spirits should be present and operate upon his brain or affections, in order that these evil thoughts and desires should come into existence. And again, man has a will power that is susceptible of being exercised, free from the wills of these evil spirits; and you will see how true this is when you remember that he can exercise that will power, free and independent from the will of God himself. So I say that these thoughts and desires may and do originate in man, free and independent of the wills or influences of these evil spirits; and as a fact, these spirits are attracted to him only when these thoughts that he has originated are evil. Now, if man would have this progress that I speak of, he should endeavor to have good and pure thoughts and desires, and then he will attract to him spirits who are good and pure, and their influences will help him to a wonderful degree in strengthening and increasing these thoughts, and make it less and less likely that evil thoughts will arise in his brain, or evil desires in his affections; and as a consequence, his will power will be exercised in doing those things which are good and moral. Now, while man may originate these thoughts and desires, he must also know as a truth that this progress is not dependent upon himself alone, for when he is in that condition to attract the good spirits, they will invariably come to him and render their help; and it will prove to be a wonderful and never failing help. Now, man's thoughts and desires are not always, as may be supposed, the result of something that may be hidden within himself, and of which he may not know its existence. I mean not in all cases, and probably in only a minority of cases; for most frequently are these thoughts and desires the children of an objective influence, that comes to him by reason of objects becoming sensible to his ordinary senses, which create or suggest these thoughts or desires. Without going into details you will understand what I mean, but as a mere illustration: a glass of whiskey may and does suggest to a man who likes whiskey, the thought and desire that he should take a drink, and thereby bring into operation his will, which is followed by the act of drinking. And so with many other objects which a man meets in the course of his daily life. But these thoughts and desires arise not only from seeing objects, but also from feeling and tasting them. And again, these objective suggestions, causing these thoughts and desires, arise and exist not only from the real object sensed, but also from words and thoughts which are expressed by other human beings in course of conversations, or in books and literature - and when they come in this way they are frequently more effective than in any other. And hence, as these objective words and thoughts enter the mind of man, they create similar thoughts, which frequently intensify and attract the evil spirits of like thoughts, with their degenerating influences. Hence the importance of a man avoiding companionship where such communications take place, and the books and literature where these evil suggestions are made. It has been well said, that evil communications corrupt good manners; and I may add that such communications corrupt good thoughts, and produce evil desires and retard the progress of the soul in its natural love. For it must be remembered that this love is pure and free from all evil or taint of defilement when it is fully developed, and anything that tends to defile it, retards the progression of the soul in this particular. So the plain lesson to be drawn from all this is that man must, in the first place, make the effort to have only good and pure thoughts and desires from his inner self, and next, he must avoid those objects and associations that tend to cause to arise in him these evil thoughts, and thirdly, he must learn the truth that when he has these evil thoughts, he attracts to himself spirits of evil, who by their influence can and do intensify these evil thoughts and desires. I know as regards this last mentioned truth, that the majority of men have no knowledge of its existence; but it is time that they should learn that such a danger to their soul's progression does exist and is always imminent. And they should learn this other fact, that when their thoughts are pure and free from defilement, they have surrounding them the influence of good spirits, who work to increase and make permanent their good thoughts; and as these good thoughts continue, the natural love develops towards its pristine condition of purity, and man comes nearer to his designed condition of existence. So you will see from this, that as man's thoughts and desires become freed from these things that tend to defile him, he naturally progresses toward that condition which is necessary, in order for him to have this development of the soul in its natural love. Again, the development may be helped very much by man thinking and doing acts of charity and kindness, and observing the golden rule; for every act of charity and kindness and self sacrifice for the sake of others, has its reflex action in his own condition of love and soul, and helps their development. In short, the observance by man of all the moral laws, which are many and varied, tends to bring about the development of the natural love. And this must be remembered, that as this development proceeds, the tendency to indulge in the perverted appetites of the flesh, as they are called, will disappear; and as it disappears, this love, of course, becomes purer and sweeter, and brings man nearer to his state of perfection. And again, the meditation upon spiritual things, and the outflowing of this love towards the Father will cause the progression, for while all men, as we have said, do not seek for the Divine Love, yet as all men are children of God, he helps them to the full extent of their desires; towards happiness, and the perfecting of this love in its natural pure state, and with which he endowed them at their creation. Upon their will and aspirations depends the nature of the help which the Father gives to them; but always He gives his help and blessings, and to the fullest. His great desire is that man shall become perfect in that love which they possess and which they seek for; and the natural love in its qualities may become as perfect in man, as may the Divine Love in its qualities. Each is just as much in harmony with God's universe, in its respective qualities, as is the other. So I say, man is helped, and more than in any other way, by his meditations of the higher things of his being, and by prayer and aspirations to the Father, who hears the prayers of the man who has only this natural love, and answers them just as he does the prayers of the man who has the Divine Love in his soul. Ultimately all sin and evil will be eradicated from the universe, and man in his mere natural love will become pure and perfected and happy. I have tried in my inefficient way to show man how he may progress in the development of his natural love, and if he will follow my advice, he will succeed. For as man, by the indulging of these perverted appetites of the flesh, and the exercise of his will power, fell to a low degree of degeneracy, so he can by ceasing to indulge in these perverted appetites, and the exercise of that same will power, rise again to his condition of purity in his natural love. And besides, he has the help of the Father and the good angels in his efforts to recover, and also the experience of the result of his fall, which he may not be conscious of, but which in his inner self has an existence, and is continually working. Well my dear brother I must stop; and I feel that you have taken my message very successfully. Read it over and correct errors of construction. I will come soon and write again. Your brother in Christ, Luke February 17th, 1916. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Mother: I am here and I want to say just a word to my son as I have not written him for some time, and you know how much a mother's love means. I only want to say that I am with him so very often with my love and mother's longings for his happiness and prosperity. He, I know, has a great deal of the Father's Love in his soul and that brings him so much nearer to me and causes me the happiness which the knowledge gives me that he will when he comes over become one of us in our consciousness of immortality. Oh! I tell you that this knowledge is a thing more precious to me than I can express, for it shows me that he, my boy, is very dear to the Father and to his elder brother, Jesus, the glorious one and the most loving one. Why if I could only tell you of the love of the Master for you both, you would never more doubt that you are his chosen ones for the great work which lies ahead of you, and which even more is resulting in the salvation of many. He may not know that he is helping you in your work among the dark spirits, but he is, and very frequently when you two are sitting together and talking about the great Love of the Father and the fact that these poor spirits can be helped by the higher spirits, these dark ones hear you and many times they believe enough in you to cause them to seek our help and thereby learn the way to light. It makes me so happy because I know for each of these spirits that are rescued from their darkness and suffering there comes to you an additional blessing from the Father, and increased love from all the spirits who love to linger around you. So, tell my boy, that what I say is true, and he must realize that while he cannot communicate to these spirits as you do, yet, he has helped many of these spirits with his conversation and the love which he had in his soul and which these spirits sense when they come in close contact with him as they frequently do. We are all very happy and are waiting for the day of our uniting, which will be in God's own time, but not now, he has a work to do on earth and until that work is done he will not come to us, and that is more real than apparent.His little soulmate certainly loves him, and at times we all tease her but she seems to rather enjoy it, and she does. His father and sisters send their love and want him to know that they are with him very much. So, thanking you for your kindness - I will say with all my love and blessings for you both, His Mother, Priscilla Stone February 18th, 1916 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Robert G. Ingersoll. Well, my friend, I come tonight to say a few words, for I have been very anxious to take advantage of your kindness and communicate a few thoughts that have come as the result of my progress here in matters spiritual. As I told you in my last communication, I am a thoroughly convinced spirit as to the truths of Christianity as taught by the Master - not as set forth in the Bible, but as I have been instructed by him and your grandmother, and other bright spirits, since I have had my understanding and soul opened to these great truths. I have progressed very much since I last wrote you and have received into my soul a wonderful abundance of this Divine Love of the Father - which you first called to my attention when I thought that you were a foolish and deceived man. But I now know that you were not foolish, nor either deceived, for this Divine Love is a real, existing thing, and is obtainable by all God's children, whether on earth or in the spirit world, who may seek for it in the way that the Master teachers. My mind, as well as my soul, has opened up to the truth of these teachings, and I now realize that I was in great darkness on earth in my own beliefs and teachings, and that man is not of himself sufficient to bring about his own salvation, but must seek for and believe that his salvation is dependent very largely upon the help that will come to him from the spirit world. I mean, that such help is necessary whether he seeks the Divine Love of the Father or only the purification of his natural love and the happiness that will arise therefrom. Of course, man's own will and desires are important factors in obtaining this salvation, and he may go on for his whole mortal life, and for a long time after he comes into the spirit world, and never obtain this salvation unless he realizes the fact that he needs this outside help and that it is ready and open to him for the seeking. I know that many may be astonished and refuse to believe that I am now in this condition of belief; but as I when on earth sought only for the truth, so when I came to the spirit world I sought for the truth, and when I found it, as I have, I believed and accepted it and made it a part of my faith, with the result that I am now convinced beyond all doubt that I am the possessor of a knowledge that has its foundation in truth which never changes. I am in the earth plane yet, but in a very bright and beautiful location, and free from the darkness and sufferings that I first endured when I came to the spirit world. Life is a thing that is lived on earth only for a short time, and man is given the opportunity to make of it the great means of his salvation and progress to the higher spheres of light and happiness and immortality that those bright spirits tell me of; and when men fail to make the most of the opportunity which the mortal life affords, then they lose that which, when they become spirits, would help them beyond all conception to progress to the higher realms. I know that in the case of many thinking men, as in my own case, it is impossible for them to believe the teachings and dogmas of the churches and the interpretations and even many of the precepts of the Bible; and as a consequence men turn entirely away from these things, though there are many truths in the Bible, and become seekers of knowledge which science and their own reasoning powers afford them. But the trouble here is that science does not teach things spiritual, and their reasoning powers must be based very largely upon what their senses tell them to be true; and these senses Fan only learn what naturally comes to them, which necessarily is of the material. As a consequence, men discard entirely all things spiritual which they cannot understand and thus render impossible any development of their soul qualities, except that they do realize the great qualities of their natural love and, in many cases, develop it, and in that way gain a progress that does help them in their condition of light and happiness both on earth and here. Well, as you suggest that you are tired, I will stop, but will soon come and finish my communication. Yes, and I am glad that you feel that way about it. You have many spirits here who desire to write and some of them are such elevated and wise spirits that I feel that their writings will benefit you more than mine. Yes, I am with her quite often, and she is a wonderful spirit in love and wisdom, and has such deep and wondrous knowledge of God and His Love. I almost adore her, and feel that if I had not met her I probably would not be where I now am. I tell you, I am thankful that I came to you that night. Yes, I see your wife quite frequently and she is a wonderfully beautiful and happy spirit, and makes so many other spirits happy by her goodness and help. She is a very positive spirit as well and she lets nothing stand in the way of her work and mission. So, my dear friend, I will say good night and God bless you. R. G. Ingersoll February 18th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Your Grandmother. Well, my son, I come to-night, as I promised, for the purpose of writing you a letter, telling you of a certain spiritual truth that I desire you to know. I am now in the third Celestial Sphere, as I already told you, and am in a much more exalted condition in my knowledge of spiritual truths that I have ever been, and have opened up to me a spiritual view that increases my understanding of truth and of the question of the Father's provisions for the happiness and salvation of His children. I know now more than ever that He is a real existing God of Love and Power and Wisdom, and that wrath, such as is taught in the Bible, is no part of His nature, and that He has for His children on earth as well as in the spirit world, only love and solicitude and sympathy. He is not a God that is afar off waiting for the arrival of the great judgment day, in order to approve or condemn His children according to the deeds done on earth, but He is with all men and spirits in a way that His influence of love and beneficence may be felt by them, if they will only place themselves in that condition of receptivity of soul that such influence may be felt, for, as we have before said, the relationship and nearness of God to man depends, to a very large extent, upon the will and desires of man, himself. God is not, in what may be called His personality, with men as has been taught by the teachers of the religions of the Bibles of the world, and men do not live, move and have in Him their being, as Saint Paul wrote, for His personality has a location which is not everywhere but in the high Heavens. I know that this will appear startling to many persons, orthodox and otherwise, and that it apparently takes from them the consolation of believing and feeling that God is with and in them; but, nevertheless, what I say is true. He is not in them or in nature as some of the scientists who believe in God, say. He is not in every flower or tree or other manifestation of His creation. And, as regards His personality, is not omnipresent, though He has a knowledge of all things which He created, I say which He has created, for there are some things which appear to man as a part of the realities of the universe, which He did not create, but which man alone created, and for these things has no love and does not approve of or favor their existence, and in the end they will be destroyed from the face of His universe. And when I say that God, in His personality, is not everywhere and not with men at all times forming a part of their being, I do not mean that it shall be understood that He is not the loving watchful Father, trying to make them happy and save them from the results of their own many wrong doings, for such inference would not be true. And while, as I say, He is not with men in this personality, yet He is with them in the sense and truth, that His attributes of Love and Wisdom and Knowledge and Power are with them always. Life emanates from God, but life is not God, it is only one of His attributes conferred upon the objects of His creation, that they may live and grow and fulfill the designs of their creation; and when that purpose has been accomplished, He withdraws from them this attribute of life, and men can realize that fact. God has not, Himself, ceased to be a part of that object, for He never was a part of it, but only this attribute has ceased to be a part of the object. God is the source and origin of all life, but that life is merely one of His creatures, as we say, as is man or other things which mortals call matter. Man does not live and move and have his being in God, but merely in the attributes of God. So you see not all these attributes together constitute God, for He is a personality from which all these attributes flow. I know that it is difficult for you to comprehend the full purport of what I intend to convey, but you may in a way grasp my meaning. Love is a greater attribute than even life, but love is not God, just as love is not man, though it is his greatest possession when it exists in its purity; and as man has many attributes which all together do not make the man, so God has many, and yet they are only parts of His nature and not He. Man has a physical body and a mind and yet, they do not constitute man, for he may lose them both and still be man, or spirit - that is, the ego - the soul is the real man - the personality - and all the wonderful parts of man, such as the mind and affections and desires and will are merely of him, and if he were deprived of any of them, he would still be man - though not the perfect man as when they are all with him performing their proper functionings. And man is so created that, unless he has these qualities, which in his creation were made parts of him, and which were necessary to make him the perfect creature that he was, while he is still man, yet he is not the perfect man that God decreed him to be; and until these qualities are fully restored or regained by him he will not be the man that was the greatest handiwork of the Almighty. And God is not God by reason of having these qualities, but these qualities exist, because they are the attributes of God. He never loses them, nor do they become hidden or cease to do their functioning, but always are they existing and working and obedient to His being. God is Soul, and Soul is God, and in this soul does his personality consist without individuality, but real and existing - and life from which flow all these Attributes of Life and Love, etc., of which I have spoken. God is Spirit, but spirit is not God, only one of His Qualities. I write this to give you some additional conception of who and what God is, and to show you that He is not in man nor does man have his being in God. To further show you that God does not and could not exist in the same place with those things which are not in accord with His nature and qualities; and were He in man or man in Him then no sin or error or things which violate, would exist. I must stop now, but will come soon to finish my message. With all my love, I am Your Grandmother. February 19th, 1916 Received: by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, the spirit of one who died a great many years ago in a far distant country, and when the truths of Christianity were known and practiced by the followers of the Master in the purity in which he taught them. I was a disciple of his but I am not known to history, and like a great many others who lived in those days, I worked in a humble way among the poor and simple of the earth. My work was mostly in the country outlying, but close to Palestine, and I was one who received from the spirit world the communications of those spirits who had lived on earth as Christians; and these communications were received in our public worship and interpreted or made plain to the common people by those teachers who had the gift of interpretation. It was such communications as these that John referred to when he advised us to try the spirits to learn whether they were of God; or in other words, to learn whether they were spirits who had a knowledge of the Christ doctrines, and who came to teach us the truths as they saw them to exist in the spirit world, and who were followers of the Master. I know that Jesus taught the New Birth and the Divine Love, and the rebestowal of the great gift which had been forfeited by our first parents at the time of their disobedience. I also know that he never taught us to look upon him as God, or that any death that he might die would save us from our sins or bring us in at-onement with the Father, or that the Father demanded any sacrifice in order to satisfy his wrath or pay any debt that man might owe to Him. No, the things last mentioned were not embraced in our faith or understanding of what the truths of the Master's teachings were. We also had the wonderful powers which Jesus possessed in the way of healing, casting out evil spirits, etc., and we never looked upon them as miracles, but as the result of the exercise of the powers which came to us when we received the Divine Love and had the faith which made this Love and all that accompanied it, things of real existence. Jesus was always the man of love and mercy and benevolence, and never tired of his great work of doing good to the mortal; but these works were merely subordinate to the other great mission that he performed. Above everything else, he was a teacher of the Father's Love, and the necessity of man's receiving this Love in order to become at-one with the Father, and an accepted child, whose inheritance was immortality and heaven. So you can readily see what a departure there has been from our teachings and faith and practices, and the lives of simple followers of the Master. Now I see that belief in the dogmas of the church and mysticisms of God are what constitutes the Christian, and soul development is little preached, or really understood, either by preacher or people; and the real secret of man's salvation has been lost to the world. I am now in the high Celestial Spheres, where the Love of the Father is most abundant, and the spirits of men live in eternal happiness, with the knowledge that immortality is theirs. I will not write more tonight, as it is late and you are tired. But before I stop, permit me to say, that you are receiving the revelation of the true religion of Jesus, as well as truths which pertain to the condition and existence of the spiritual world, and the Celestial Heavens. So with my love and blessings I am, Your brother in Christ, John, the lowly follower of the Master John Yorking (I was a Jew.) February 19th, 1916 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your true Helen. I will write only a line, as it is very late. I never saw him before, but he was from the Celestial Spheres, for he was a wonderfully bright and developed spirit, and had the Love shining forth from his countenance to a wonderful degree. I have no doubt that he is whom he represented himself to be. Good night. Your own true and loving Helen February 25th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Your Grandmother I come to resume HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/god6.htm" my discourse if you think that you are in condition to receive the same. Well we will try, and if I find that you are not, I will stop until later. As I was saying, God is not in man or material things as regards His personality, but only those attributes of His, which men generally consider to be God, are manifested in the material things. As I have said, God is not the creator of all things that appear to have an existence, for many things which control and govern the conduct of men are entirely the creatures of man, and are not in harmony with the laws of God or with His will. And hence, when it is realized that there exists in the souls and minds of men evil that are not in harmony with God's creations, you can readily see that God cannot be and is not in such souls and minds, nor are His attributes, because, as is said in the laws of physical philosophy, two things cannot occupy the same place at the same time, so we may say as regards spiritual philosophy two things cannot occupy the same soul or mind at the same time, especially when they be antagnostic or opposed to each other in their qualities or fundamentals. Until the one vacates its occupancy the other cannot come in, and this is invariably true of the creatures of God and the creatures of man, for they are always and under all circumstances opposed to each other. But it must be understood that when I speak of the creatures of God my meaning must not be taken as including God, for He as the Creator is altogether different from His creatures; and while His creatures or certain attributes may find a lodgment and habitation in the souls of men and the minds of men and in the existence of material things, yet He, God, never finds such lodgment, and is never a part of such existences. He is as distinct from the creatures, or better probably, emanations of His, as are the thoughts and desires of man distinct from the man himself. God is in His Heavens, and those Heavens have a locality, just as the different spheres of the spirit world, in which spirits have their homes, have localities; and His locality is way beyond the highest Celestial spheres known to the highest spirit, and towards which spirits are always progressing, and as they progress, the more and closer they come in contact with these Attributes of God, which are constantly flowing from Him. Even Jesus, who, as you know, is the brightest of all the spirits and the one possessing more of these attributes of the Father than any other spirit, has never seen God except through the soul perception, nor ever realized that God is in him or forms a part of him; and mistaken and deceived are men when they say or believe that God is in them or that in Him they live and move and have their being. To believe this as true, God can only be a kind of nebulous something - inconsistent as the air - and, as many of the spiritualists say, merely a force permeating the whole universe, divided into many and infinitesmal manifestations, seen and felt today and tomorrow having no existence. A something less substantial than man - weak at once and powerful at the same time - a contradiction beyond conception or explanation. Such is not God; but all these manifestations are merely evidence of the existence of a substantial and, I may say, never varying, Self Existing Being, who is not the creature of man's mind or of man's necessities or desires, but the Creator of all, even of these wise men who cannot conceive of any God, but nature, the mere creature of His being and wisdom and power. The human mind, when left to itself, that is to its own evolution as your scientists say, and not influenced by the revelations of spiritual truths or the suggestions of spirits who have advanced in knowledge of things beyond the material, has not improved much since the days when they lived and died the sun worshipers, and the worshipers of the sacred cats, and bulls and elephants, and of the storms, and thunders and lightnings. God was in all these manifestations, immanent and real, to be appeased or loved as necessity required; and today among your civilized nations, and the wise men of these nations, who can see no God in the spiritual, the aggregate of all these material things is the God, which they must worship, if they worship at all. Nature is God to them, and you see, that the only improvement, if any there be, that their minds have over the minds of the worshipers of the Sun and in animals etc., that I have mentioned, is that those minds are not satisfied to see God in a single manifestation, but there must be a combination of all these manifestations, which they call Nature. You see, it is only a difference in degree, and the scientist of today who refuses to accept or believe in any God, who may be of a spiritual nature, is exactly the counterpart of his so-called barbarian brother who could see Him only in the Sun, etc., in everything, except that he demands a larger God, who must be in the lowest form of mineral existence as well as in the highest form of solar excellence and even in man, for with some, man is his own and only God. And it is questionable whether these wise men are not more limited in their conception and acceptance of a God, than were the earlier uncivilized brothers, because many of the latter saw beyond and behind their Sun God and God of thunders, etc., another and greater God whom they could not see, but could feel and in their souls realized His existence. But the wise men of civilizations have so evolved their intellects that they have lost their soul perceptions, and no God beyond the horizon of their intellectual perceptions can exist, and, hence, as they think they know nature, nature as all of the creation, and there can be no other God than nature. But, Oh, the terrible mistake! God then, as I have said, is a being - a soul - with a personality that has a location, high up in the heavens, towards whom all spirits of the Celestial and many of the spiritual spheres are striving to approach in greater and greater nearness; and as they approach they realize and know the increased Love and Life and Light that emanates from the Fountainhead of these Attributes of Perfection. And so I repeat, God is not in man or beast or plant or mineral, but only are His Attributes as he sees the necessity for their workings, and man does not live and move and have his being in God. Well, my son, I have in my imperfect way, given you some idea of Who and What God is, and my explanation is in substance the consensus of the knowledge of the Celestial spirits, whose knowledge is based upon the truths that no mortal or all the mortals combined can possibly learn with their finite minds. I think that you have received my ideas and words quite correctly, and I hope the truths which I have written may prove beneficial to all mankind. I am very happy and will come again soon, and write you some other truths, which may interest you. I must stop now. With all my love and blessings, I am Your own loving Grandmother, Ann Rollins February 25th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Your Father I have been listening to your HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/god12.htm" grandmother's message and was interested in observing the way in which you received it, for it is a deep and important communication of truth that is not generally known to mortals. We in the lower spheres, of course, do not know these truths so extensively as do the spirits of the Celestial Spheres, but I have heard the Master discourse on the subject of God, and what your grandmother wrote you is, in short, what he has explained to us, but of course, in a way that we could better and to a greater extent comprehend the truth than can you. There is one thing that I have observed in the case of these, who are called scientists and who believe only the material, and also in the case of those who claim to be infidels, when they come into spirit life, and that is, that very soon they realize that there is or must be a God, and that their God of nature, or their man-made God, does not supply the word, if I may thus express it, which they find to exist here. They, of course, do not get a conception of the nature of God in the beginning, but they know very soon after they come over that there is a God other and different from what they conceived Him to be when they had any conception of Him on earth and when they denied that there was any God, and they soon realize the absolute necessity for there being one. And when they had made man his own God, they see many spirits of men in such conditions of darkness and suffering and helplessness that they readily realize that man is not God. So I say, the first truth that enter their mind and souls when they become spirits is that there is a God, although they do not know His nature and attributes. So you see there is only one little veil of flesh between the vaunted mind of mortals that proclaim there is no God but nature or no God at all, and the mind conscious of its weakness and littleness as it exists in the spirit world. But I must stop writing on this subject or you will think that I am going to write you a lecture, which I don't intend to do now. With all my love, I am Your loving father, John H. Padgett February 27th, 1916. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus: I see that you are not in condition tonight and I will not try, for I would not be able to convey to you my thoughts as I desire. We will have to postpone it until later. Well, you have been thinking about other things too intently and your mind is not in that condition of concentration on what I may write that is necessary. You have been reading today about the teachings of Barbarism and the mysteries of Abdul Baba and you have not found that they are anything different from what you expected for they are based upon the writings of the Bible and of the Koran and of other so-called sacred writings. They will not benefit you particularly for they stress that the Prophet is as the writer says, the Ancient of days, and does not know the real truths concerning God and man and His relationship to them. So I advise that you do not think more of these things but confine your thoughts to my writings. As I told you several nights ago, I will come sometime and write you in detail about this new cult and that Baba's Allah himself will come sometime. Strange as it may seem, he is not in the Celestial Heavens, but only in a high sphere which is inhabited by those who have equal development of the natural love. So stop thinking about these matters and give your thoughts more to me. I will soon come. So with all my love, I am, Your brother and friend, Jesus February 28th, 1916 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I desire to-night to write you on the subject: How a soul must receive the Divine Love of the Father in order to become an inhabitant of the Kingdom of God, and realize that immortality of which I have written you. In the first place, it must be understood that the Divine Love of the Father is an entirely distinct kind of love from the love which the Father bestowed upon man at the time of his creation, and which man has possessed in a more or less condition of purity ever since that time. This Divine Love was never conferred upon man as a perfect and completed gift, either at the time of his creation, or since my coming to earth, but as a gift which is waiting for man's own efforts and aspirations to obtain, and without which it can never become his, although it is always close to him, waiting to answer his call. Then understanding what this Love is, and that man must seek for it, and what its effect upon the soul of man is, it becomes very important that man should make the obtaining of it, the one great object of his aspirations and desires. For when he possesses it to a degree that makes him at one with the Father, he ceases to be a mere man, and becomes of a nature of soul existence that makes him Divine, with many qualities of the Father, the chief of which is, of course, Love; and also causes him to absolutely realize the fact of his immortality. Mere moral goodness, or the possession of the natural love to its fullest degree will not confer upon man this Divine Nature that I have mentioned; nor will good acts, and charity and kindness, of themselves lead men to the possession of this Love, but the possession of this Love in truth and in fact, will lead to charity, and good deeds, and kindness, always unselfish, and to a brotherhood of men on earth that the mere natural love cannot possibly lead to or cause to exist. I know that men preach about the Fatherhood of God, and the brotherhood of man, and urge men to attempt to cultivate the thoughts and deeds of love and self-sacrifice and charity in a way to bring about the greatly to be wished for unity of life and purpose on the part of men; and by reason of this natural love can, themselves, do a great work in bringing about this brotherhood. Yet the chain that binds them together cannot possibly be any stronger than the natural love which forges it; and when that becomes overshadowed by ambition and material desires, the brotherhood will become greatly weakened, or disappear entirely, and men will realize that its foundation was not built upon a rock, but rather upon the infirm sand, which could not sustain the superstructure, when the storms arising from men's ambition and desires for power and greatness, and many other material things, beat upon it. So I say, there is a great necessity for something more than man's mere natural love to help him form a brotherhood that will remain steadfast and firm under all conditions and among all men. So this natural love, under circumstances the most favorable to preserve the constancy of man's happiness and freedom from sin and error, proved itself to be not sufficient to maintain that condition, then what may be expected of it when circumstances are such that this love has degenerated from its pure state and has become defiled by all these tendencies of men to do that which is in violation not only of God's laws, but of everything that would otherwise help men to realize a true brotherhood. As I have heretofore said in my writings, there will come a time when this natural love will be restored to its original state of purity and freedom from sin, and when this brotherhood may exist in a degree of perfection that will make all men happy. Yet that time is far off and will not be realized on earth at all, until the New Birth and the New Heavens appear, and in the meantime men's dreams of this great brotherhood will not be realized. I know that men expect that sometime, in the far distant future, by means of education and conventions and preachments of moral truth, this dream of an ideal brotherhood will be established on earth, and all the souls of hatred and war, and the oppression of the weak by the strong will disappear. But I tell you that if men depend upon this mere natural love and all the great feelings and impulses that may arise from it, to bring about this condition so much desired, they will find disappointments and lose faith in the goodness of men, and at times a retrogression, not only in that love, but in the conduct of men towards one another, and in the treatment of nations by one another. I have digressed somewhat from my subject, but I thought it best to show to man that his dependence upon himself, which is his dependence on this natural love, is not sufficient and adequate to bring him into a condition of happiness even on earth, and therefore totally inadequate to bring him into the Kingdom of Heaven. The Divine Love that I speak of, is of Itself not only able to make a man an inhabitant of the Father's Kingdom, but is sufficient to enable him to bring about and realize to the fullest of his dreams that great brotherhood, even while on earth. This love of the Father's Own Self is of a never changing nature, and in all places and under all conditions is working out the same results and converting the souls of men on earth as well as of the spirits in the spirit world, into not only the image but the Substance of the Divine Nature. It may be possessed in smaller or greater degree, depending upon man himself; and this degree of possession determines the condition of the soul, and its nearness to the Father's Kingdom, whether the soul be in the flesh or in the spirit. Man does not have to wait to become a spirit, in order to seek for and obtain this Love, for the soul on earth is the same soul as when in the spirit world, and its capacity for receiving this Love is just as great in one place as in the other. Of course on earth there are many circumstances and surroundings and limitations on man that prevent the free workings of the soul in the way of aspirations and faith that do not exist after man becomes an inhabitant of the spirit world but, nevertheless, and notwithstanding, all these drawbacks and stumbling blocks of the earth life, the soul of man may receive this Divine Love without limitations and to an abundance that will make him a new creature as the scriptures say. The possession of this Divine Love also means the absence of those desires and longings of what is called the natural man, which produce selfishness and unkindness and other qualities which create sin and error, and prevent the existence of this true brotherhood which men so earnestly desire as the forerunner of peace and good will, and the more of this Divine Love that enters into the soul of man, the less there is of evil tendencies and desires, and the more of the Divine Nature and Qualities. The Father is all Goodness and Love and Truth, and Forgiveness, and Kindness, and these Qualities the souls of men become possessed of, when they receive and possess the Divine Love. And when man is sincere and faithful, and possesses these Qualities, they never leave him or change; and when this brotherhood shall be founded on them, it will be built on a rock and will continue to live and become purer and firmer in its binding effect, and in the great results that will flow from it, for its foundation stone will be the Divine Nature of the Father, which is without variableness or change and never disappointing. A brotherhood so created and joined together is, as I say, "the only true brotherhood that will make for man a kind of heaven on earth, and banish wars and hatred and strife and selfishness, and the principal of mine and thine. The mine will be changed to ours, and all mankind will be truly brothers, without reference to race or sect or intellectual acquirements. all will be recognized as the children of the one father." Such will be the effect of the existence of this Love in men's souls on earth, and when such souls leave their envelope of flesh, they will find their homes in the Kingdom of God - parts of the Divinity of the Father, and partakers of his Immortality. But only this Divine Love will fit the souls of men for this Kingdom because in this Kingdom all things partake of this Divine Nature and nothing which has not that Quality can possibly enter therein. So men must understand, that no mere belief or ceremony of church or baptism, or any of these things are sufficient to enable a soul to become an inhabitant of this Kingdom. Men may do and deceive themselves in their beliefs that anything short of or other than this Divine Love can ensure them an entrance into the Kingdom. Beliefs may help men to seek and aspire to the possession of this Love, but unless and until this Divine Love is actually possessed by the souls of men, they cannot become partakers of the divine nature and enjoy the happiness and peace of the Father's Kingdom. When the way to obtain this Love is so easy and the joy of its possession is so great, it is surprising that men will be satisfied with the husks of formalism and the satisfaction and delusion of mere lip worship and intellectual beliefs. As I have said this Love is waiting for every man to possess, who sincerely and with true soul aspirations seek it. It is not a part of, but surrounding and enveloping every man, but at the same time forming no part of him unless his longings and prayers have opened up his soul, so that it may flow in and infill him with its presence. Man is never compelled to receive it, as he is never compelled to do other things against his will, but as in the latter case, when in the exercise of that same will, he refuses to let the Divine Love flow into his soul, he must suffer the penalty, which is the utter and absolute deprivation of any possibility to become an inhabitant of the Kingdom of God, or Celestial Kingdom, and of any consciousness of the fact of his immortality. Let men turn their thoughts and aspirations to God, and in truth and sincerely pray to the Father for an inflowing into their souls of his Divine Love, and have faith, and they always find that the Father will bestow his love upon them, in accordance with the extent of their aspirations and longings, which are mediums of opening up their souls to the workings of the Holy Spirit, which, as I have before written, is the messenger of God, for the conveying of His Divine Love from his Fountainhead of Love to the souls of the prayerful and aspiring men. In no other way can the Divine Love be possessed by man, and always it is an individual matter between the particular man and the Father. No other man or body of men or church or spirits or angels can do the work of the individual. As to him, his soul is the only thing involved, and only his aspirations, and his prayers, and his will can open up his soul to the inflowing of this Love which makes him a part of its own divinity. Of course, the prayers and kind thoughts and loving influences of good men and divine spirits and angels can and do help the souls of men in turning to His Love, and in progressing in its possession, but as to the question, will a man become possessor or not of this love, it depends upon the man. Well I have written enough for to-night and must stop. So my dear brother I will say with all my love and blessings, good-night. Your brother and friend, Jesus March 2nd, 1916 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I desire to write to-night on the subject of how the redeemed soul is saved from the penalties which sin and error has brought upon it. When the soul is in a condition of sin and error it is not responsive to the inflowing of the Holy Spirit, and in order to get into a condition of receptivity to these influences it must have an awakening as to its actual condition of enslavement by these things; and until such an awakening comes to it there is no possibility of its receiving the Love of God into it, and of turning its thoughts to the Truths of God and to the practices of life that will help it in its progress towards a condition of freedom. I would not have mankind believe that any soul is compelled to stay in this condition of slavery to sin until the Holy Spirit comes to it with the Father's Love to bestow it in all abundance, for the mission of the Holy Spirit is not to awaken man's soul to a realization of sin and death, but merely to bring to that soul this Love when it, the soul, is ready to receive it. The awakening must come from other causes that influence the mind as well as the soul, and cause them to realize that the life man lives is not the correct life or one in accord with the demands of the laws of God, or with the real longings of their own hearts and souls. Until this awakening comes the soul is really dead so far as its having a consciousness of the existence of the truths of its redemption is concerned, and such death means a continuance in such thoughts of sin and evil, and in the life which leads only to condemnation and death for long long years, it may be. But to come nearer to my point of discourse. The soul that is existing in sin and error will have, sooner or later, to pay the penalties for such sin and error, and there is no escape from the payment of these penalties except in the redemption that the Father has provided by the New Birth. These penalties are only the natural results of the operation of God's laws and they must be endured until the full penalty is paid. Even though a man may progress to higher condition of soul excellence and have much happiness, yet he must pay the last farthing and thus release himself from these penalties. With much love, I am your friend and brother, Jesus. March 4th, 1916. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Rose: I am your old acquaintance in the spirit world, and you have said that you loved me as a sister and wanted to make me happy, and you did, for I am very happy, thanks to your help. I am the soulmate of the Judge, and I merely want to say that we are both with you at times and try to help you and receive help. He is progressing very rapidly now, and will soon be with me when I know he will be extremely happy. He wants me to say that he will never forget you and the great benefit you conferred upon him when you brought him in contact with me and enabled him to learn what was in the future for him in the spirit world. He is now a true believer in the truths of the Master and is trying to obtain the love in all its fullness, and he wants you to know that this love is a reality and not a mere thing of speculation. He wants to come soon and write you a long letter as he promised, and he would come before, but your time is so occupied by the high spirits with their messages that he has not found the opportunity to write. Well I must not write more, except to say, that you have in store for you a happiness that you cannot conceive of. A soulmate that is so very beautiful and loving and beloved by us all, and who has a most wonderful influence over all with whom she comes in contact. And greater and above all else you have the love and wonderful friendship of the Master, who comes to you so very often. Oh, I tell you that you are favored and should feel that great benefit of the companionship of the number of high spirits who come to you, for you do have a great number of these Celestial Spirits come to you and write, and cast over you the influence of their great love. I am your friend forever, and I want you to love me too. Yes, I try to help them, for I am present when they come, and some of them come to me for help. This is a wonderful work and we are all so interested in doing it. The dark spirits who seek your help seem to be as much impressed, as any of us that you have so much influence over them, and when they start on the way to light, they, in many cases, find it, and then turn to you in gratitude and thanks. They are your friends forever, and say, that they will always be with you and protect you. So my dear friend, I will say good-night. Your friend, Rose McGovern March 4th, 1916. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your Helen: Well sweetheart, you have just had a HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor716.htm" letter from Rose, who has been waiting to write you for such a long time, and who is so happy that she could write you. She and the Judge were here together, and both of them think a great deal of you, and are very happy in the thought that you helped them so much and caused them to come together even before he became a spirit. He says he wants to write. No, I was not present when she attempted to write, but White Eagle says; she was not a very bright spirit, but seemed to be in need of help. She may be some poor spirit who wants your help. Well, I was sorry that you were not in condition to take the Master's message, and so was he, but he says that he will come again soon. He was not satisfied with the message and thought it best not to attempt to write tonight, as I see you are not in condition to write much. So with all my love, I will say good-night, but I want one great big kiss, and your love. Your own true loving, Helen March 4th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Robert G. Ingersoll: I would like to finish my message tonight if agreeable to you. Well, under the circumstances, I do not think it best to write tonight, and I will postpone it as you say. I am very happy and progressing, thanks to that dear grandmother of yours. She is a wonderful spirit with a mind as clear as her soul is pure. I cannot tell you how much I owe to her, and her teachings and love. That is just what I want to write about, and I know that it is the important thing in the whole plan of God for man's salvation. So I will write on that after I have finished the message which I have already commenced. I thank you and will say good-night. Your friend and brother in Christ, Ingersoll March 5th, 1916. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your Helen: Well sweetheart, I merely want to say that I am sorry you are not in condition to write tonight for the Master rather expected that you would be able to take his message. But as you are not in condition I will not attempt to write. I am very happy and I see that you are not so worried and I am glad of it only believe what we say and you will soon be relieved. Your grandmother is here and says that you must pray more to the Father and let your thoughts turn more to Him and His Love for then you will find that the rapport between you and the celestial spirits will be much increased. She sends her love and will soon write you. Prof. Salyards is also here and says that he will be pleased to finish his message at your earliest convenience. He says that he will come and do as you suggest. Well I must not write more. But say that I love you with all my heart and soul. So with a great big kiss, I am your own true and loving, Helen, March 6th, 1916 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am the last of the Mohicans, and want to write a line. I was an Indian who lived in the early days of your country's existence and I was not a civilized Indian as you would say, but was a warrior and a leader of my tribe and have many scalps to my credit. So you see there are some Indians in the spirit world who still glory in the deeds which they did on earth, and still feel the hatred and enmity against the pale faces who inflicted injury upon them. But I understand that some Indians have lost all such feelings, and that they are happier by having done so, and it causes me to think that I may be mistaken in holding my hatred against the white people, and that I will never reach the happy hunting grounds so long as I am in the present condition of bitterness and hope for revenge. What do you think of it? I will do as you say, and I see that your guide is a very happy spirit, so I will ask his advice. This is all I wish to say. Goodnight. March 6th, 1916 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Seligman: I am the Mohammedan who has HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor756.htm" written you before. I come to tell you that I have made investigation since I last wrote you and find that what you told me about the Divine Love is true, and I have received some of it in my soul and progressing towards the soul spheres, where they tell me more of it can be found and where live those who have received it in greater abundance than I have. I have never in all the long years of my pilgrimage in the spirit world before learned of the existence of this love and our Prophet never taught us of the existence of this love or anything more than the love which we all have, and the way to progress therein, but now I know that there is such a thing as the divine love, and that it is the only love that will enable us to gain the kingdom of heaven. Very few of my people have any conception of the existence of such a love, and, consequently, they are in the spirit spheres where only those who have the natural love live, and they, while in many instances, are good and pure spirits, in this natural love, yet they are not the possessors of that happiness which the Divine Love gives. I am so glad that I came to you when I did and had the opportunity of meeting and listening to the Christian spirits, for their teachings, as well as their condition of beauty and happiness, have caused my soul perceptions to open up to the truth, and placed my soul in such a condition that the Divine Love can flow into and fill it with its influence and the Essence of the Father. I am now in the third sphere and am trying with all the longings and aspirations of my soul to get more and more of this Love; and these loving Christian spirits are helping me so much and trying to show me the way and encourage me to increased efforts and faith. I shall never rest contented now until I have received this Love to its fullest extent, for I am told that there is no limit to the amount that I may receive, and no sphere either in the spiritual or celestial world that I may not attain to. As I receive more of this love, I find that I become more unselfish, and there arises in me the desire that my brothers who know not of this love shall learn of it and seek to obtain it, and I will go back to the home of my brothers and try to teach them the way in which it may be found, and the great happiness that comes with its possession. So I thought that I would tell you of my great fortune and of the hope that I now have of a future bliss in the heavens of God. Seligman, that is the name that I wrote. Well, if you did not receive it in that way there was a mistake for that is my name. I will not write more tonight. Thanking you for the help you gave me, I am Your friend in Christ, Seligman the Mohammedan March 6th, 1916. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Mother: I am here, the mother of the boy who is sitting close to you. I am so glad that I have the opportunity to write to him, for, while it has really not been a great while since I wrote him, yet, it seems so to me, and I have so much love for him, and desire so much to tell him so. I am very happy both on account of my own condition, and because I see that there is developing in his soul the great love of the Father in greater and greater abundance. He may not realize this to the full extent, but it is true and I am able to see it and rejoice that it is so. His father is also very happy, and is progressing and is now in condition to soon make sure his coming to me, where we can be together, without any necessary separation.His father says - that he is with his son quite often and is trying to encourage him, and cause him to believe that his earthly affairs will continue to grow better as they will. His sisters are here and also send their love and want him to know that they are very happy, notwithstanding that they see that another brother on earth is not in that condition of soul development, that they so earnestly pray for, but they have great hope that at sometime very soon he will have an awakening, that will cause him to turn his thoughts to the higher things of life, and seek the love of the Father, which is waiting for him to ask for. While we all feel the great want of spirit progression that our brother lacks, and that he is not very happy and is doing those things that tend to turn him away from the things that would make him happy, and more in accord with the Will of the Father, and also that he really suffers at times because of his soul condition, yet, we are not really unhappy, because we know it is only for a season, and that sooner or later our prayers and influence will have their effect, and he will realize that there is something more to live for, as well as die for, than the mere material things of earth. Well, I do not know that I should write more tonight especially as there is a girl here who is very impatient to write, and who is almost selfish in her desires to tell her Leslie as she calls him, that she loves him more and more. So thanking you I will say goodnight. With all my love to my son, and thanks to you I will say - I am his mother March 7th, 1916 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your old boyhood chum, Frank Davis: Let me write just a line as I am anxious to tell you that I have progressed out of the darkness in which I was when I first came to you. I acted on your advice and prayed to the Father for His Love and after a long time as faith came to me this Love flowed into my soul and I was taken from my darkness and found relief in the light and happiness. I can now express to you how grateful I am and with what joy I thank and pray to the Father for His Love. I will not take more time tonight, But believe me. Your grateful friend, Goodnight, Frank Davis, Your old boyhood chum. March 7th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Louis I. O'Neil: Yes, it is he who was called Judge. I merely want to say a word as I have not had the opportunity to write you for a long time. I am now in a better condition than I was and am in more light and have less suffering thanks to the beautiful spirits with whom you brought me in contact. I find that as I get rid of some of my old beliefs the better I am and the more progress I make and the less darkness surrounds me. Your wife has helped me a great deal and she is a wonderfully beautiful spirit and filled with love and kindness. I see a number of my old friends, but I am sorry to say that a great many of them are in darkness and suffering. Lyscomb is in a very bad condition and has not progressed any thus far though I have tried to help him some, but as you know he had a dogmatic and all-knowing temperament on earth, so he has the same qualities here, and it is hard to make him see things differently from what he thinks they are or should be. You may know that he frequently visits his old haunts in the neighborhood where he spent so many hours in drink and he is still drinking as he thinks and seems to get a kind of satisfaction out of the deceit and he does not seem to be inclined to turn his thoughts to anything of a higher nature. I tell you that the appetites of earth are strong with the spirits who come to this world with them unsatisfied or not gotten rid of and it is so sad that he has them to the extent that he has when he passed over. But sometime I hope that he will have an awakening to the true condition of his existence and to the necessity of his having his thoughts away from these things and seeking those things which will enable him to get out of his awful darkness. Now you must not think from this that I am a very highly developed spirit for I am not, but just as the higher spirits have a work to do, so have I and my work, of course, can be only with those who are in a worse condition than I am and strange as it may seem to you every time I help one of these lower spirits I realize that I help myself. What a wonderful provision of God this is, and if men Mould only realize this, they would live more in accordance with the Golden Rule. Yes, I have seen Maurice Smith and John Clark and many others that we both know, and also Perry. He is in a bad condition, too and does not seem to be much inclined to listen to the advice of some spirits who come to him. Your grandmother seems to be trying hard to help him and he seems to have more confidence in her than in any other spirit and at times it looks as if she is helping him and I have no doubt that she is, but then he will relapse back into his old condition and bewail the awful deed that he committed. As you know he was a man of deep conviction and he seems now to have some conviction which holds him to his conditions of suffering and darkness. Well, if we only knew while on earth what the truths of this spirit world are. You certainly are wonderfully proud to have revealed to you all these things and I am told that the spirits from the Celestial Spheres come to you and give you their messages of truth. I will confirm this is unaccountable and you must wonder too, for when I was on earth I did not know that you had any conception of the things that come to you now. I know that I did not, and that my beliefs were only those which were to read upon what the Bible taught as I thought, and there was no reality to me in these teachings and the only effect was to create in me beliefs which I now see in many particulars were all wrong at least they have now been realized and I am told that they will not be and yet they cling to me in a way that holds me to my present condition. I wish when on earth I had known what you now know, for if I had I would, I am certain, be in a better condition of light and happiness. Well I have written a long time and I feel better for having done so and I thank you for the opportunity. So with my kind regards and in hope that I may come to you at sometime and write again. Your friend and well wisher, Louis I. O'Neil March 7th, 1916. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, John G. Carlisle: I am the spirit who HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor476.htm" wrote you once before and I merely want to say tonight that I am better than I was then and am not in so much darkness; but yet I suffer and am paying the penalty for my sins. The advice that you gave me and also the help that I received from Mr. Riddle have benefitted me a great deal, and I am hoping that sometime, I may get into the light and be free from my sufferings. If I could only have faith in what he and other good spirits tell me I believe that I would soon be in a much better condition, but somehow I don't seem to be able to have this faith. My old ideas stick to me, and although I realize that many of them were wrong, yet they cling to me and hold me in the darkness and sufferings. This may seem strange to you, but it is a fact. Beliefs are wonderful things of substance and strength when they have become fixed in a man's mind by long years acquiescence and fostering, and that was my case. As you may know, my animal appetites were strong and I gave free vent to them, and to ease my conscience I embraced certain beliefs, which as I lived and fostered them, came to be realities to me, and now they stand before me, as it were, like a wall of brass and rarely give me an opening to get beyond or out of them. My friends that you brought to me are trying to help me, and at times I feel that what they tell me must be true. But then comes in the old long years of belief, and I lose the benefit of what influence I may have received from these spirits who I see are so beautiful and happy. I do not understand this enigma, and because I do not, I sometimes think, that what I think, I see in these others are mere hallucinations of my own mind. And then again these influences come to me with such force that I think I must break away from these band of belief and see the light as they see it. But the struggle is hard and the progress is slow. I tell you that if I could only come again into my earth life, I know that my life or rather the way I lived it would be very different, but it is too late now and I must make my fight here, and it is a hard one. The thing that gives me greatest hope is that while Riddle may not have been so bad a man as I was on earth yet he was a mere man with no special pretensions to goodness, and now I see him a beautiful and happy spirit, and he says it is not on account of any inherent goodness in himself, but because he has received to some degree what he calls the Divine Love; and he urges me to try to believe in this Love and open up my soul to its inflowing. It may be right, but I don't seem to be able to understand what he means, or to find the way to open up my soul as he advises. But this I know, he has given me hope, and I at times make the effort to follow his advice, and I even pray, but I am afraid that my faith is not very strong, though I observe that when he is with me I seem to have more power to make this effort than when I am alone. And he is kind to me, for he comes quite frequently, and at times, there comes with him a wonderfully beautiful spirit who he says is your wife, and she seems to have so much love with her. I say she comes with him, and when she does, her influence is wonderful and I feel nearer leaving my old evil thoughts and getting into light than at any other time. And she talks to me in such words of love and encouragement, that it makes me believe that there must be a better place and a better condition for me. So you see from all this what thoughts and beliefs cemented to a man's soul by an evil life on earth will do for him when he becomes a spirit and all these evil things come before him like a panorama as they do in my case. But I sowed and I am now reaping, a saying which I often heard on earth, but which to me was meaningless as it is, I have no doubt, to many others who are living such lives as I lived. Well, my friend, I must not write more, but I feel better for I realize that it does me good to come in contact in the way of exchanging thoughts, with a mortal for notwithstanding I have no mortal body, yet in thought and desires I am still a mortal. So, thanking you for your kindness to me I will say goodnight. Your friend, J. G. C. March 7th, 1916. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: I come and am glad to do so, as I have been waiting sometime for some of your old earth friends to finish their writings. I rather enjoyed the HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor326.htm" last letter for it showed me that earth ties of friendship still survive for a while anyhow, in this world and that a meeting of long parted friends brings happiness. I see Mr. Davis quite often and we talk of you and of the times of your earth life. I also try to help him and he is progressing and is in the right road to the high spheres. Well, sweetheart, I see that you are very tired and must stop so I will not write longer though I should like to very much. So give me a hug and a kiss and say goodnight. Your own true and loving, Helen March 11th, 1916. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, John: Let me write a few lines as I desire to tell you of something that may be of importance to you. You will remember that we have told you on many occasions that at sometime you would be in condition to do the work for which you have been selected to do in a way when all physical cares and worries would be eliminated from existence, and I want to repeat tonight those promises and say that the time will soon come when you will be in that condition and find yourself free to enjoy the opportunities that such freedom will afford you. We have been with you much of late, exercising our influence upon your spiritual thoughts and trying to help you to get in condition that will enable you to receive our messages without much difficulty and from the influences of these outside things, and we want you to get in condition that our work and yours can be done in this way. You must make the effort to assist us in placing you in this condition and if you will do so we will proceed in placing you in the position to bring: about the end that we so much desired. I will not write more tonight but will try our best to help you in your efforts. Ease your mind and whatever money you can spare to attempt to find this success and we will help you. Of course you understand what we mean and very soon a spirit will come who will direct you in the matter and make your success certain. I will come a little later and write you more in detail. So trust and believe and you will not be disappointed. Goodnight. Your brother in Christ, John March 11th, 1916. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, John D. Mastry: I am interested in what HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor436.htm" John has written you and want merely to say that I have been selected to assist you in the matter to which he referred and will do my best to help you, and will be very careful in my advice, and I hope that you will have faith in me. This is all that I desire to say. Goodnight. Your brother in Christ, John D. Mastry March 11th, 1916. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am your own true and loving Helen: Well dear, you must not doubt what has been written you but try your best to follow the advice that may be given you and believe that you will succeed. HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor436.htm" John actually wrote you and so did the other spirit, whom I don't know, but who says he has been selected to do the work. He says his name is HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor437.htm" Mastry, that is all I know about him. You will have a further explanation of the matter a little later. Some of the higher spirits were present tonight as you read the messages and are very desirous to write other messages and will soon come to do so. You must pray more to the Father for His Love and so get in the condition to receive the messages. I love you very much and so want you to be happy and free from all earthly cares. We will come soon and write you, so kiss me and say Goodnight, Your own true and loving, Helen March 11th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, St. John - Apostle of Jesus. I was with you to-night and heard the sermon of the preacher on heaven and what it is and, as his text was founded on some expressions in a book of the Bible ascribed to me and which I did write, though not just as is contained in the Bible, I thought it meet that I should come and write you as to the truth of the sermon, and as to the value of the book as descriptive or suggestive of what heaven is and what its appearances are, and what the spirits of the redeemed are doing in what the preacher designated as service. Well, I first want to say that while I did write a book of the nature of the one in the Bible named Revelation, yet this one does not contain my writings to any great extent, nor are my ideas set forth or followed in this book of Revelation. As you may now know, in my time, and for a long time previous, the Jewish writers, because of the great troubles and persecutions their nation was undergoing, were accustomed to write books in the nature of the one contained in the Bible, and called Revelations, for the purpose of encouraging their people to believe that all the wrongs that they were suffering would be avenged by God, and their enemies made to suffer and become destroyed, and that in the end their nation would be rescued from its condition of servitude and sufferings and become the ruling nation of the earth; and these writings were accepted by the Jews as having the authority of divine inspiration and conveying to their nation the truths of God and the same promises of His intervening in their behalf. The writings were always ascribed to some prophet, seer, or man of God who had the special privilege of coming in contact with God or some of His angels through the mysterious and sacred means of visions. Of course, these writings were merely intended to encourage the Jews to establish their faith in God and in the belief that He would send them a Messiah who would have the power to redeem them from the punishments and thralldom that they were undergoing under the tyranny and strength of their heathen captors and persecutors. Always were these writings prophetic and held forth the promises for the future, without ever attempting to fix a time for their fulfillment, or the ending of the nation's woes and the coming of its deliverer, so that time went on and the promises were not fulfilled, hope continued to exist and the belief of the Jews was not lessened, and non-fulfillment was explained by the further belief that the time for the consummation of their eagerly wished for expectations had not yet arrived. That God was all knowing as well as all powerful and careful for their race and that He and He alone understood just when the proper and fitting time should arrive. This hope upon hope was a wonderful force in keeping up the beliefs and expectations of the Jews, and so effective was it that to this day they remain a nation or rather a race in belief and expectation of this coming Messiah. But, alas, as they did not recognize and accept him when he did appear, they will never again see his appearance, for he will never come as their Messiah as expected of old, but only as the great teacher and redeemer, not only of their race, but of all the peoples of the earth. He has already come as such a redeemer, and is working now to lead men to the true and only way to life and happiness and immortality. But never will any Messiah come to the Jews to establish them on earth as a great and chosen nation, as nearly all of them believe and still look for. Thus, as I say, many books or manuscripts were written by the claimed Jewish prophets holding forth to the Jews the results of visions claimed to have been experienced by these writers. But as the prophecies, in the sense that the Jews understood them, have never been fulfilled, neither will they be fulfilled in the future, and their value has no reality. This custom as I may call it, continued from these early times down to the time in which I lived and wrote, and my book of prophecy was written by me, not with the purpose of establishing the Jews as a nation on earth, or causing them to believe that their hopes or longings would be fulfilled, but for the purpose of encouraging the Christians to believe that notwithstanding their persecution and sufferings and martyrdom they would in the future life, when they should meet the Master and the saints, find joy and peace and heaven. But in my writings nothing was said about the wrath of God being visited upon the persecutors of the Christians or of their having to go into a hell of fire and brimstone, so that from that fact the happiness of the redeemed would be increased. My writings have been added to and all kinds of grotesque imagery interpolated so that the whole design and purpose of my writings were changed and destroyed and the present Book of Revelation is only a mere allegory of some one or more writers who were gifted with some knowledge of the Christian teachings and unusual oriental imaginations. This book is of no value, but on the contrary is doing much harm to the cause of the truth as taught by the Master; as we who are in the Celestial Heavens and have knowledge of things heavenly as well as things earthly know to be the fact. It should not be accepted as a truth of the revelation of truths, and not be believed in for any purpose. It has lead many good men and honest and earnest seekers after the truth astray, and caused them to believe and teach false doctrines that have resulted in much darkness and stagnation in the development of human souls in their longings for the truth. So, I say, let men entirely discard its teachings, and any and all lessons that the preachers or others, who think that they can understand its meaning, attempt to teach. The writings that I gave to my people, of the kind mentioned, have long ago served their purpose, and the writings called the revelations contain in it no truth that will help mankind to the Heavenly Kingdom or to their eternal happiness and at-onement with the Father. Let it die the death of a falsehood, born out of time. I also was interested in the struggle of the preacher to explain what heaven is, and what his people who may consider themselves redeemed children of God, will find when they become inhabitants of that heaven. Well, he spoke truly when he said heaven is a place as well as a condition, for it is inconceivable that any condition of the spirit of a mortal could exist unless there be a place where that spirit could find a habitation. All space in the universe of God is a place, or contains places where things of existence must find localities. There is no such thing as a vacuum in God's economy, and all parts of space are fitted with something having substance, either material or spiritual, and wherever such substance is, there is a place for its abiding. Yes, heaven is a place, or a number of places, for the preacher is far from having the true conception of heaven when he supposes it is one large place, where all believers go after death, irrespective of their condition of soul and moral perfections. As I say, there are many heavens and many places, all as real and substantial as are the different stories and rooms in your home of earth. And the partitions, if I may so speak, between these different places are just as impassable for spirits that have not the proper qualifications to pass through as are the partition walls between the various rooms in your earth homes for you mortals to pass through. These places are distinctive, and the many mansions that the preacher referred to, are situated in many heavens or more correctly many spheres of the heavens. Strictly speaking, there are two heavens in God's spirit universe, namely, the heavens of the redeemed and transformed soul by the Divine Love called the Celestial Heavens, and the heavens of the restored perfect man, called the Spiritual Heavens, each and all of them being places of real perfection and substance. As one star differs from another star in glory, so these several heavens within heavens differ from one another in glory and appearance and in those things which help to make the mansions of their inhabitants beautiful and attractive and glorious. It would take too long for me to attempt to describe any of these heavens, for they each and all excel any conception that the mortal is capable of having; but I will say this, that there are no streets of gold or pearly gates, or suns or stars in any of them; only the light of God's love and mercy illuminates them. I will postpone my further writing, but will HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/heaven9.htm" come very soon and complete what I intended to say about the sermon of the preacher, and attempt to show the real appearance of some of the heavens, and what service the redeemed children of God render when they come to the spirit world. So my dear brother, I will say good-night. Your brother in Christ, John March 14th, 1916 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, John D. Parker Let me say a word, for I am interested in you and your work to a very large extent. I have not written you before and I want merely to say that you are receiving these messages from the higher spirits, and you must believe that you are. I am a spirit who once lived in a country far away from where you live and was not a Christian man in an orthodox sense, but was a believer in God, though not in the God of the Bible, as I never thought that a loving God could be the wrathful and vindictive God that the Jews believed Him to be. I have been in the spirit world for many years and am a follower of Jesus in his truths and teachings and am an inhabitant of the Seventh Sphere where only the followers of him live. I will not write more tonight as I see that you are tired, and others want to write a little. So with all my brotherly love, I will subscribe myself Your brother in Christ, John D. Parker of Liverpool, England. March 14th, 1916 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Josephus: I am Josephus. Yes, Josephus, the Jewish Historian who has written you before. I merely want to say that I am interested in your work and that you are receiving messages from the high spirits whose homes are in the Celestial Spheres, and you must believe what they write you, for they write only the truth. I see that you are sleepy tonight and that I must not write more, though I would like to write you a long letter at this time; but I will come again and give you my views on certain matters in which you are interested. Your brother in Christ, Josephus March 15th, 1916. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I wish to write tonight on the subject: "What it is that makes a man Divine." When man was created he was given the highest qualities that could be bestowed upon a mortal, and yet he was mere man, but the perfect one, and with these qualities was given him the possibility of becoming Divine like the Father in his nature; but this gift was never possessed by him in its enjoyment of full fruition until after my coming to earth, and making known to man that such a possibility existed. The first created man never possessed this gift in its fulfillment, but merely had the possibility of receiving it, on condition that he continued in his obedience, and made the effort to receive it in the way that the Father declared was the only way. You have been told in detail what this gift was, and how the first parents forfeited the enjoyment of it by their disobedience and ambition to possess it in a way that was not in accord with the Father's way. As we have said, man lost this possibility at the time of the first disobedience, and thereafter became gradually a man with his moral nature sinking lower and lower until he became almost lost in the condition of the beasts in the field. And from that condition he has been steadily improving or progressing towards his first estate of purity. But a great many men have ceased to know, or have never known, that God is the Creator of all things, and that all creation is dependent upon Him for its very existence, and in their assurance and self importance they have assumed and professed to believe that their progress or salvation depends upon their own efforts, and that these efforts are sufficient to bring about this state of purity or harmony with God's laws and desires. But in this men are mistaken, for there is nothing in them that is Divine, and there never will be when they depend upon their own selves to progress to this state of perfection. The Divine nature of the Father is not in man and will never become a part of him until he pursues the way which is absolutely necessary for him to follow in order to become anything more than mere man. I will not write more tonight as I think it best not to do so. I understand that you could not prevent your condition of sleepiness, and I do not blame you, but I think it best to wait until later to finish what I desire to write. Well, my dear brother, believe that I have only love for you, and will get close to you as we progress - so I say, don't worry. I will say goodnight. Your brother and friend, Jesus March 15th, 1916. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, and desire to write just a few lines, for you are not in condition for lengthy writing tonight. The Master was disappointed, but he is so loving and good that he did not complain and only wanted you to feel that you must not worry, because of the fact that you could not take his message - but nevertheless he was disappointed. I understand that you could not control your sleepiness and are not to blame, but it was unfortunate, and it must in some way, if possible, be avoided in the future. If you only realized the great importance of these messages and the great number that are yet to be written, you would bend every effort to facilitate their reception. I am not saying this complainingly, but merely stating a fact. So try your best to get in a good condition so that there will be no failure in your receiving the messages. I am so very much interested in this work and so are a host of other spirits who realize the importance of these truths being given to mankind. They are the only truths, and never since the time when the Master was on earth have they been revealed to man. I will not write more tonight, but will say with all my love that I am your brother in Christ. St. Stephen March 15th, 1916 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Prof. Salyards. Well, I was telling you of the object of man's life on earth, and the necessity for his doing certain things, in a general way, in order to bring to mankind the happiness which might be theirs while on earth. Now I desire to go a little in detail with reference to these matters. As has been written you before there is only one way in which man can attain to the supreme happiness, which the Father in His goodness has made possible for man to attain to, and which, when once obtained, can never be taken from him. But there is also another kind of happiness which is not, in either its nature or results, the same as that which I have just referred to; and man may obtain it in a way and by a method which are different from those which are necessary to obtain the first kind. Man was originally created good and pure and happy, and only by his disobedience did he lose these qualities, which, when lost, finally made him approach somewhat the likeness of the lower animal, although the latter is probably not so unhappy as man became, by his fall from the state of the high condition of his creation. When in his original state, he was happy in what we called, and what was, his natural love, which he fully possessed, and needed nothing additional to make him happy. This condition made man his own master, as it were, and the Father's Divine Love was not necessary to develop him more as mere man than he then existed. He was pure and free from sin and in perfect harmony with God's laws governing his creation. But after the disobedience he lost this harmony, and in doing so, lost also the power to preserve in himself the happiness which was his by right of creation; and he also soon realized that as this power left him, his dependence upon himself became less and less effective to keep him in a condition of purity and contentment, and, as a consequence, he became less than perfect man, and has been such ever since that time. Now with the other qualities that were given him at the time of his creation, there was, and is, one that he has never been deprived of, and one that he has never realized his inability to exercise, although he so often exercises it wrongly; and that is the will, which is the greatest of the natural attributes that man possesses, for even God will not attempt to control that. I mean in the way of compelling. And this quality is the one that, more often than any other, will help man to again attain to that state or condition in which he was the perfect man; but while this is true, yet it is also one of the greatest obstacles to attaining to that state. Upon man himself, very largely depends the success of his regaining his pristine purity and harmony with the laws that govern his being, and he must understand this fact; for if he should believe, and rest in the belief, that other men or other instruments controlled by men, can rescue him from his present condition of inharmony and unhappiness, he will be disappointed and his salvation will be a long time delayed. But the exercise of this will power in the proper direction will depend upon other things that he must possess in order to insure his return to his first estate. Among these are the necessity for his obtaining knowledge that will enable him to know himself and the relationship of himself to what is true and good. This knowledge will come to him as he examines himself and learns the difference between right and wrong, and this I mean in its general sense, for right and wrong mean harmony or inharmony with the laws of which I speak, and not right and wrong according to the several circumstances of men, for these differ, and what may be right or wrong to one man will not be to another. And man by proper contemplation and observation may learn the difference between right and wrong, in the sense in which I use the terms, and be enabled to embrace or avoid those deeds or thoughts that come within one category or the other. Again, he must realize that there is such a thing as the natural love being a part of him, and a thing which may be possessed and cultivated to such a high degree that all men will be brothers to him and the children of one common Father, who has Love and care for all alike who are content to remain the mere man. Again, he must realize that he has a Father in God, his Creator, and that that Father has a love for him which will always bring to him happiness and peace, if he will only respond with his own love; for man must have an object of worship and adoration, even when he possesses only the natural love, and he must learn that his love must go out to the Father in faith and confidence. There are many other things that he may learn by contemplation and meditation as I have said. Many qualities that are desirable will flow to man from the knowledge that there is a Father who loves him, and that he has or may have a love for that Father, and also for his brother man. In fact, from these two subjects of knowledge, everything else may come to man that will make him the perfect man in harmony with the laws of his creation, and a pure happy and contented creature. Now, when man obtains this knowledge - and here observe the distinction between knowledge of these things and the possession of them - he will naturally try to obtain all that knowledge shows him may become his to possess, and then will come into operation the great will power, and by its exercise there is nothing that can prevent him from arriving at the goal of his desires. In this way, one can, in a sense, be his own redeemer, but he will find the struggle hard, and the obstacles to be overcome, many and repelling. There are many mortals who have a wonderful development of this natural love, notwithstanding the fact that they are living in sin and in inharmony with the laws that I speak of, and who will find from that fact alone that their progress will be more rapid and easy when they come to the spirit world, on their journey to the state of perfect man. I do not believe that any mortal can ever attain to this condition while in the earth life, but he can lay the foundation for a rapid progress after he becomes a spirit. The temptations and desires that beset him as a mortal, at this time, are so great, that rarely can he become that perfect man while on earth. But the time will come, I believe, when men will become perfect even while on earth, and in this I have reference to his natural love merely. While, as I say, for man to obtain this state of perfection, he must depend upon himself to a very large degree, yet, it will be comforting to him to know, that there are hosts of spirit friends who are with him, trying to help him to obtain the knowledge of which I have spoken; and in his contemplations and meditations they are with him suggesting to him and impressing on him the thoughts of truth that help him very much to understand the right from the wrong, and they also sustain him, in some degree, in the exercise of his will in the right direction. So from this it must become apparent to man that a very important thing in the determination of this great problem as to what is right and what is wrong, is the kind of associates that he may have, and this applies to the mortal as well as spirit companions. And man must know this, that as his desires and appetites on earth attract to him companions of similar desires and appetites, so, also, does the same law of attraction operate in the case of his spirit friends. Now, in all this, I have no reference to the redemption of man by the possession of the Divine Love of the Father, for such redemption, and its way of saving man, are altogether different from those of redeeming him in his natural love. In the one case, when he has found the goal of his desires, he becomes a merely perfect man and nothing more. In the other case, he becomes an angel of God, Divine is his nature, with no limitation to the progress that he may obtain, and the happiness that may become his. And - Oh, man! Why will you be satisfied to become merely a perfect man, when you may become a Divine Angel of the Father's Kingdom, with immortality assured? Man may not know it, but it is a fact, that it is easier, and the way is shorter to become a Divine Angel, than to become a perfect man. So my advice to all men is - and I speak what I do know from a knowledge that comes to me from experience and possession - to seek for the Divine Love of the Father with all their strength and efforts, and then they will become not only the perfect man, but will obtain that which our first parents never obtained, but which was theirs for the proper seeking, as it is all men's. I have written enough for tonight and will close. Your old friend and professor and brother in Christ. Joseph H. Salyards March 16th, 1916 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/contemporary/ar9.htm" Joseph of Arimathea. (see Note from Editor) I desire merely to write a few lines to let you know that I really did exist as a mortal, and that I am the same man who laid the body of Jesus in the tomb where never before had any body been laid. I was with him at his death, and I was with his body when it was laid in the tomb and sealed, and I know and testify that no man or men or society of men, as it has been said, stole his body from the tomb. His body was entombed as was the custom of my time, and he was wrapped in cerements and fitted for the long sleep in the tomb, as we supposed. While I was not a full Christian, yet his doctrines appealed to me as containing the truth, having about them a living inspiration, which I did not find in the teachings of the Jewish theology, for l was a Pharisee. I never thought that his death was justifiable or approved it, but I was not able to prevent it; and feeling that a great crime had been committed by the people of whom I was one, I tried to make small atonement for the great crime by giving him burial in my new tomb. Of course, I did not believe that he would rise again in the way that he had made known to some of his disciples, and when we buried him, I only thought that that tomb would be his sepulchre until nature had destroyed the body as it had done in the cases of all others who had been entombed. As you may realize, I was interested in the proceedings taken by the Jewish leaders in their efforts to prove that he, Jesus, would not arise from the tomb on the third day, and I kept watch as well as did the soldiers, and I can testify that no mortal ever removed the stones from the mouth of the tomb. I was there when the angel came and the soldiers were put in the sleep that the Bible speaks of, and I Joseph say this, knowing that it may not be believed and the Bible makes no mention of it, that I saw the stones rolled away and the shining one standing guard at the entrance of the tomb. I was frightened and I left the place, and was so overcome that I did not return there until the early morning, and then I saw Mary and heard her inquiring for the whereabouts of her beloved Master, and more wonderful, I saw the man of whom she inquired suddenly reveal himself to her, and I can testify also, that it was the same Jesus whom I had helped lay his body in my tomb. He was not of flesh and blood, as they say, for he suddenly appeared, and his appearance was not the same as that of the Jesus whose body had been entombed; but when he revealed himself to Mary, there was the same countenance and the same wonderful eyes of love that I was familiar with, and the same voice of love and affection. I know this and I want to tell the world that it is true. Before Peter came, I went into the tomb, and it was empty and when Peter came I was with him in the tomb and saw his astonishment, and heard his words of wonder and amazement, for notwithstanding what the Master had told him prior to the crucifixion, he did not believe or comprehend, and he was astonished and bewildered as were all of us. Jesus of Nazareth arose from that tomb, and his fleshly body was de-materialized. As to his disappearance, I could not then explain, as could none who saw him after he had arisen, but now I know that because of his great psychic powers, as you would call them, he caused the disintegration of that body into its elements, as can be done now by many spirits who have that power. Yes, Jesus arose from the tomb, but not from the dead, for he never died, as you will never die, only the physical vestment that enveloped his soul. I am now in the Celestial Heaven and am with him a great deal, and know that he is the greatest and most wonderful of all the spirits in the Celestial Spheres, and the nearest to the fountainhead of God's Love. He is truly His best beloved Son. I also want to say that he writes to you his messages of truth, and was with you to-night for a short time. Listen to him and know that you have in him a friend who is closer than a brother, or father or mother. My brother, I will stop now, and in leaving, say, that you have my love and blessings. Your brother in Christ, Joseph Editors Note. Many years later, HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/contemporary/ks28.htm" Joseph admitted to being Jesus' father, a role he feels somewhat embarassed about, as he failed to believe in his son until his death. This was also confirmed in HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/contemporary/ar9.htm" this message. March 18th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, St. John, Apostle of Jesus. I wish to write to-night on a subject that is of importance to the members of the orthodox churches as to the belief in the efficacy of the atonement of Jesus by his death and crucifixion. All the orthodox believe and their preachers and evangelists teach in their sermons and addresses, and the teachers of Bible classes instruct their students, that the blood of Jesus and his death on the cross were the two factors in his career on earth that save men from their sins and satisfy the great penalty of death which overhangs them, because of man's first disobedience and the sins that followed therefrom. Well, this doctrine has prevailed in the beliefs and teachings of the church ever since the church became established by the convention that met in pursuance of the orders of Constantine, when the books that now constitute the Bible were given the sanction of the church as canonical. Before this time some of the early fathers believed in the doctrine of the atonement as above stated, and the controversies between them and others who did not subscribe to this doctrine were very bitter, and at times, very unchristian according to the Christianity that prevailed among the early followers of the Master, or according to his teachings. From that time until the present, although the great Roman church has been seceded from and reforms have been made by churches founded on such reforms, this doctrine has been incorporated in and believed by most of the churches, no matter what name they may have adopted and what form of government they may have prescribed. This doctrine constitutes the foundation principles of these various bodies of church entity, and to-day, these principles are as much a part of faith and teachings of the churches as they ever were in all the centuries that have passed. Of course, with this cardinal doctrine there have also become incorporated in these faiths and teachings certain other principles, which apply more to the individual members of the church than to the church itself as a body. I mean belief in the truth that there is a close relationship between God and the individual which may be established by prayer and the longings of the soul for the inflowing of God's love, and the regeneration of the nature of man by the influence of this love by the Father. But in these latter days, this truth has been known to and its workings experienced by a comparatively few of those who call themselves orthodox Christians. The large majority has depended upon the belief in the doctrine that Jesus, by his sacrifice and death, paid the debt which man owed to God; and when the members of the church in an intellectual belief assert that they believe in and accept Jesus as their Saviour because he paid the debt, and by the shedding of his blood washed away their sins and made them at one with the Father, and thereby became saved from the wrath of the Father, and in a moment become the truly redeemed and accepted children of God, and that as long as they maintain that belief and attend to their duties as such members and observe the regulations of the church, they are safe and fitted for the enjoyment of heaven and the presence of the Father. They also believe that unless a man accepts Jesus as his Saviour, in the way I have mentioned, that man will be eternally lost, and in the beliefs and teachings of some of these members, will be sent to hell to be eternally damned and punished. Well one view of this doctrine is just as true as the other, or rather just as untrue because both of these phases of belief have no foundation in fact, and are not in accord with the teachings of the Master, or with the fact as I know it to be, not from any mere belief but from personal experience and observation. Oh, how the pure teachings of the Master have been distorted and made the means of preventing so many human souls from reaching the heaven of happiness that they wished for, and that they thought would be theirs when they should give up their mortal lives. This doctrine, so long believed, has worked the damnation of many a man, as regards his soul development and his becoming at one with the Father and reaching the heavens that are prepared for those who obtain that soul union with the Father. I know it may seem surprising to some, who are really, true, believers in this doctrine and, as they think, in the truths of God and the teachings of Jesus, which are believed to be infallibly contained in the Bible, that I announce the falsity of these beliefs and their utter ineffectiveness in enabling these sincere people to obtain that which they so earnestly desire. But such is truth, and truth never changes, never compromises with untruth, and never permits the erroneous beliefs of a really sincere mortal to swerve in one iota from the results and consequences of that false belief. And the great injury that this false doctrine has done to humanity, and is now doing, will continue in the world to come, until the belief in truth shall supercede the belief in that which is false. And thus not everyone who shall say "Lord, Lord," will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. These false beliefs have operated in two ways to injure man and render him unfit for an entrance into the Kingdom. First, by the belief that brings about the injury that results from the positive operation of error, which is great; and next by the want of belief in the truth, which prevents progress in the acquirement of those qualities which belong to and are necessary parts of that truth. When men believe in the doctrine that I have stated they become satisfied, and, knowingly or not, remain in a state of false security, not attempting to develop the soul qualities, which are the only ones that are in relationship with God. Their mental beliefs are strong and may increase in strength, but their soul communions with the Father and their growth and expansion in the soul development, becomes stagnant and, as it were, dead. This is the great injury that these false beliefs do to the man and to the spirit. I mean in his individual capacity, for it must be known as a truth, that the salvation of man or his soul progress towards an at-onement with the Father is an individual matter solely, and men as aggregations or in church communities are not redeemed from sin, nor as such, can they have any relationship with the Father or receive His Divine Love, which is the only salvation. There is only one possible way in which man can come in unison and at-onement with the Father, and thereby fitted to enjoy or inhabit the mansions in His Kingdom, which Jesus spoke of when on earth, and that is the way that will make the soul of man like the soul of the Father, and a partaker of his Divine Qualities of Love and Life. No belief that will not bring about this uniting and commingling, as it were can possibly make the soul of man a partaker of these qualities that are a part of the soul of God. Then let man consider for a moment what possible connection there can be between these Soul Qualities of God and the death and blood of Jesus. God is the creator of life and death, and also of blood and flesh, and He can destroy as well as create. Had the sins of man called for the sacrifice of that which was mere flesh and blood, or the extinguishment of a life that God had created in order to pay the penalty of that sin, then a God who demanded such a payment - and this implies of course, that such a God was wrathful and could only be appeased by something that He could not of and by Himself obtain - would not possibly be satisfied with that which He had created and over which He still had absolute control, and which He could destroy and make non-existent at any time He pleased. Jesus' life was already a possession of God, and when he surrendered that life he did not give to God anything that he did not already own and could not have taken. And when his blood flowed on the cross, it was not that which God could not have made flow at any time and in any manner. So the absurdity of such a doctrine is too apparent for serious consideration. For its logical meaning is that God was demanding a debt that had long been unpaid, all wrathful and unsatiable, and would be satisfied only with the death of a living being and the flowing of his blood; and that death and that flow of blood in one way or manner only, namely, on the cross. And yet with all this demand that has been sounding down the ages for centuries, relentlessly and unpityingly, He became satisfied and His wrath assuaged by seeing His own creature die - and that creature His best beloved son - and by hearing the trickling of the blood of that creature from a wooden cross; by all which, the life and the blood being already His to let live or destroy as He might see fit, man became at one with Him. The simple reduction of such a proposition is that God, in order to pay a debt that was owing to Him, accepted in payment thereof that which was already His, and which no power or being in all His universe could have taken from Him. Now, I say all this reverently as your preachers say, but the fact is, that the mere assertion of such a doctrine, as I have been dealing with, is so blasphemous that no treatment of it, showing its falsity, could be irreverent. And again, the absurdity of believing that God demanded that Jesus should die on the cross as one of the necessary accompaniments of his death, in order to carry out God's plan for this death and make the payment satisfactory, is so apparent and absurd, that I and all of us spirits in the Kingdom of the Father wonder that mortals can believe such an unreasonable dogma. To follow this absurd proposition to its logical conclusion, it was necessary not only, in order that the debt might be paid, that Jesus should die on the cross, but that Judas should become the traitor, that the Jews should clamor for his death and that Pilate should pronounce the sentence. These were all necessary means to the satisfaction of the debt, and being so, why is it then that Judas and Pilate and the Jews are not saviors of mankind also, even if you say in a secondary sense. Jesus could not have clamored for his own death, or erected his own cross or nailed himself thereto, or pierced his side with a spear in order that the blood might flow, for if he had done this he would have been a suicide; but it may be, there would have been more of the elements of the payment of a debt in that method of dying than in the way in which his death was brought about. No, I tell you, I, John, who loved the Master more than all the others and who was closer to him, who was with him when he was nailed to the cruel cross, which I think of with horror, and who was among the first to take his body from the tree and first felt his blood upon my hands - tell you that the death of Jesus on the cross did not pay any debt that man owed to God, nor did his blood wash away the sins of any man. And oh, the pity of it all is that mortals for all these long years have believed that they were saved by his sacrifice and blood, and by such belief have never come any nearer to the Master or in at-onement with the Father. As I and others have written you, the only way in which man can be saved from his sins and become in at-onement with the Father, is by the New Birth which the Master has described to you as being the result of the flowing into the soul of a man of the Divine Love of the Father, and the disappearing of everything that tends to sin and error. As this Love flows into a man's soul it permeates that soul as does leaven the batch of dough, and that soul partakes of this Divine Love and thereby becomes like the Father in His Divine Nature, and fitted to inhabit His Kingdom. Now, you can readily see that there can be no possible relationship existing between the death of Jesus on the cross and his blood, and the giving to the soul of a man those Divine Qualities that belong to the Father's Nature. These Qualities are not imparted to man by death and blood, but by life and love and faith which comes with that Love - and here when I say faith, I do not mean the mere intellectual belief of which I have spoken. As we have before written, when the first parents were created they were not given this Divine Love, but the mere possibility of obtaining It upon their seeking for It in the Way that God had provided. It was not forced upon them, but it was optional with them whether they would receive It and become fitted to inhabit the Kingdom of Heaven. When they committed their act of disobedience they forfeited this privilege, and, as to it, died, and were left without a mediator between themselves and God. And here I don't mean any mediator in the way of paying a debt, for they owed no debt to God - they were merely, as you mortals might say, disinherited children; and the only mediator that man needed after that time was one through whom might come the Glorious Tidings that the Father had changed His Will, or forgiven the disobedience to the extent of restoring his original state, which is the rebestowal of the privilege of obtaining into their souls His Divine Love. And, in this sense, never was there any mediator between God and man until the coming of Jesus and his announcing to man that the Father had changed His Will and had restored to mankind the great privilege of partaking of His Divine Nature and Immortality. And thus, as in the first man, Adam, all men died, so in the man Jesus, were all men made alive. And Jesus was the mediator not only in declaring to man the rebestowal of this Great Gift of the Divine Love and Immortality, but, also, in showing the Way by which men could and must seek for that Gift in order to possess It. The Great Gift of God to man was not Jesus, but the potentiality of obtaining the Divine Love of the Father and thus becoming Divine and fitted to reside in the mansions of the Kingdom of Heaven. And thus Jesus became the Resurrection and the Life and brought Immortality to light. How much greater a saviour than by paying a supposed debt by his death and blood. No, he is the saviour of man by his living and his teachings, for he was the first to receive this Divine Love and to become Divine himself, and the first fruits of the resurrection. We have explained to you before in detail, some of the truths that I have declared in this message, and it is not necessary to further explain them here. In closing, I wish to declare with all the emphasis that I possess, arising from a knowledge based upon the teachings of the Master and my personal experience as a possessor of this Divine Love and a partaker of the Father's Divine Nature, that no vicarious atonement of Jesus, nor the shedding of his blood, saves any man from sin or makes him a redeemed child of the Father, or fits him for a home in the mansions of the Celestial Spheres. With a love that can come only from a redeemed and Divine nature I love all mankind, and am working to help them find the way to life and immortality and happiness beyond the conception of mortals or spirits who have not received this New Birth of the Divine Love of the Father. I have written enough for to-night and you are tired. So my dear brother, with all my love and the blessings of a heart filled with the Love of the Father, I am Your brother in Christ, John. March 19th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, E. R. Hay. Yes, I am, and I am so glad that I can write you. I learned only recently that spirits could write through mortals, when I came to make inquiries I found that you are the mortal through whom they write and I was surprised. Why, my dear fellow, you certainly are favored to have such a power, and I know that many spirits are very thankful that you permitted them to write. Well, let me see, what shall I say. Well, well, what a wonderful thing, and I am right here to participate myself. I know you don't care to hear from a spirit like myself, as you have so many of the beautiful and bright spirits write you. But say, old fellow, I have met your wife here and she is a beautiful spirit, and so loving and kind. I have talked to her, and she has tried to help me, and she has. Oh, what a favored man you are to have such a wife! Not only so beautiful, but so powerful and majestic! She comes from the Celestial Spheres, and is so filled with what she calls the Divine Love, that I can scarcely look at her at times. What does all this mean, anyhow? It has not been long since we were both on earth, and yet there is such a difference between her and me. I was a church member and attended to my duties very conscientiously, and I don't know that she did more, and yet, the great difference. I wonder if going to church and conforming to its creeds and ceremonies amount to anything - there must be something else. She has told me the cause of the difference, but I don't quite comprehend, and I find it hard to turn my thoughts to the things that she has told me of; for the beliefs of my earth life cling to me, and hold me just where I was on earth. Of course, when I died I did not go to heaven, and I have not seen God or his throne and the angels that we used to sing about, and it causes me to think that there must be some mistake in what I believed with regard to these things; yet I am afraid to let go my beliefs. I have seen other spirits than your wife who have told me of what they call this Divine Love, and the necessity of having it in my soul in order to progress, but, yet, I doubt, and can't make up my mind to seek for it. It certainly is strange. I wonder what the church is for, if its believers find no more realization of their expectations than I have found. I am in what is called the earth sphere, and not happy, although I try to make the best of it. There is considerable darkness and some suffering, and I don't appear to find any associates, except those who are unhappy too. I know that if I were on earth I would not associate with such people, but here I can't help it and don't seem to be able to find any other kind. And I tell you, when your wife and several others who are bright and beautiful, come to me, it gives me the greatest joy imaginable. Yes, I have seen a number of our old lawyer friends, but they are just about as I am - some may be a little happier, but the most of them are just in my condition; and some, I am sorry to say, are in greater darkness and seem to be suffering intensely. There is one who killed himself; he is in a terrible condition, and I believe that he would like to kill himself again if it would put him out of his misery. I feel sorry for him, and wish that I could help him, but what can I do? I can't tell him of the consolation of my church creeds, for I have not found any consolation in them myself. Well, I have listened to your advice, and I must say that in some particulars, you astonish me; but as you say it is all true, I must try to follow it, at least, until I find that it is not true. It certainly is wonderful that some of the spirits that you name could get in the condition of happiness that you speak of. I will try to do as you say, and as I understand the first thing is an open mind, I will try. Yes, I see some bright spirits, and among them your wife and she is smiling at me, and now comes to me and says, believe what you have told me; and now she says, here is an old acquaintance of yours, and brings Mr. Riddle to me, and my stars, what a beautiful man he has gotten to be, and so bright and lovely. Well, I am astonished! He says he remembers me and is glad that he can be with me, and says, that he has some things to tell me which are true and vital to my happiness, and invites me to go with him. And notwithstanding I feel such happiness in being with you and writing to you, I will have to go with him, for I may find what you have told me I can find, if I will only follow the advice that may be given me. Well, I am certainly glad for this opportunity to write, and I thank you for your talk. I will go now, but I should like to come again sometime, and write. With my kind regards I will say goodbye. E. R. Hay March 19th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Maurice Smith. Let me say a word too. HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor775.htm" As Hay had the opportunity to write I would like to do so also. I will not detain you long as I merely want to let you know that I am alive. Well, I am not very happy, and am in darkness and suffering and don't see any prospect of relief. I noticed that as he left you he was much happier than when he commenced to talk to you, and I thought that maybe you said something to help him, and that you might help me, also. I know you will, if you can. I saw some spirit who was very bright looking, but I could not see distinctly or recognize him, and I suppose it was some acquaintance of Hay, that you had something to do with his meeting. Well you surprise me for I did not know that Mr. Riddle was that kind of spirit. I thought that he was like the rest of us lawyers, who all seemed to be grouped together in darkness and suffering, and some say, hell; but I don't like that word and I shall insist that I am in the darkness only, and, besides, if it were hell, I should see the devil and the fires, etc., which I have never seen. A long time ago, as it seems to me, I saw Taggart, it must have been when he first came over; but I have not seen him for some time, as he appears to have left us. Well, you astonish me some for I have never thought that you could help a spirit, and in fact I am so astonished at the knowledge that I can communicate to you in the way that I do, that I am ready to believe most anything, and I assure you that I am very willing to follow your advice if there is any hope of my changing my condition for a better one. Yes, I see some spirits, and they certainly are bright and beautiful - they must belong to another sphere, for I don't often see spirits of that kind, and when I do they don't seem to be quite natural. But, as you have called my attention to them, I see that they are real, and they seem to have looks of love and kindness about them. And now, I see one who is not so bright or beautiful as the others; but he seems to be happy and does not have the darkness surrounding him, and he comes to me and says: "Hello, Maurice, I am glad to see you," and lo, and behold, it is Taggart. Well, don't this beat the devil! Who would have thought that he could look as he does? And he says he is very happy and wants to help me, and will tell me the way to get into a condition similar to his own, and if I want to argue the matter he is ready to do so. The same old Taggart, ready for an argument. I wonder what he has to say? He says come with him and he will tell me, and I must go. So thanking you, I will say goodnight. Your old friend and fellow lawyer, Maurice Smith March 19th, 1916. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, White Eagle: Lipscomb tried to write and I would not let him because he was drunk and I know you did not want him to write. March 19th, 1916. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: Well, you have had some of your old lawyer friends write you, and I was glad of it, for they seemed to be happy in doing so. The last one was poor Lipscomb, and he imagined that he was intoxicated, but, of course, he was not. He thought so himself; and as you have heard, "thoughts are things." Well, I am very sorry for him. I have tried once or twice to help him, but I am afraid that I will have to wait some time before I can make any impression on him. He is so earthbound, and that accursed appetite seems to have such a hold on him that he is completely dominated by it. But time, as you say, will help him. Well my own dear, I was with you tonight at church and you realized it while the choir was singing, for I could see and feel that your love was flowing to me, and I was very happy. The preacher was very entertaining and his argument on the negative of the proposition was all right, for God's Love is open and waiting for everyone who may seek it, and no one will be deprived of it because of any supposed unpardonable sin. And his second proposition was, in a way, true also; but the conclusion that any man may by his own will and shutting of his soul desires to the influence of the spirit damn himself eternally is wrong. All will be saved either in the spirit world or the Celestial Heavens ultimately. Such sermons, while not expositions of the full truth, yet may do some good by awakening the hearers to a realization of their actual condition and need for the things of the spirit. Well sweetheart, I must not write longer tonight as it is late. So with all my love, I will say, believe that I love you and am with you in all your worries and enjoyments. Your own true and loving, Helen March 21st, 1916 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Samuel. I desire to write for a short time on a subject that is of importance to those who are in doubt as to the reality of the future life. I know that a vast majority of mortals believe in a future existence and the immortality of the soul, but there are a considerable number of mortals who do not know these facts or who have no belief regarding the matter, and simply say "I don't know." It is to these latter persons that I wish to write. In the first place, all persons know, if they know anything, that they are living, and that sooner or later what they call death is inevitable, no matter from what cause it may take place. To live then, implies that there is such a thing as continuous life; and to die, to these people, demonstrates that the life with which they are acquainted ceases, and that the material body in which this life manifests itself gradually disintegrates into the original elements that composed that body. Now, a man being a materialist purely, would seem to be correct in his conclusions that when life, which could be manifested only through the material things of nature, ceases, and the body becomes inanimate and dead, that then is the end not only of the body but of the individual. And if there existed no other manifestation of life than this physical one, there would be no foundation upon which to base the assumption, that the death of the body does not end all. I know it has been asserted in the way of argument that even though the material parts of vegetation die, yet as spring comes around, these materials show forth again the life that had previously manifested itself, and therefore, by analogy, the death of the human body merely means that its life will appear again in evidence in some other body or form. But upon close investigation and exact reasoning it will be seen that the two subjects of demonstration are not alike, because while the material of the vegetable kingdom apparently dies, yet it does not all die, for even though you may apparently see the particular body of the tree or plant or every part of it go into decay or rottenness, yet as a fact, this is not true. The whole of the material plant which enclosed or manifested life, does not die, until out of it a new body arises and grows, and the life that animated the body that appears to have died, continues in it, awaiting the new growth for its display of existence. The flower dies and the bush upon which it grows may appear to die, yet the roots continue to enclose the life principle which causes the bush to grow again, and which has its genesis in these roots, and is the same life that originally existed in the bush. Pluck up the bush by the roots and expose them to the elements until they die and commence to disintegrate, and then replant them, and you will find they will not grow, for the reason that the life which had animated them has departed. And the same conclusions will be reached when you apply the same investigation and reasoning to every species of the vegetable kingdom. The grain of corn, though apparently dead, is in reality not dead, but continues to contain the life principle which was the cause of the growth of the stalk and the blade and the ear in the blade. Nothing of the vegetable kingdom will be reproduced or form the basis of a new growth, unless some part of the old growth retains in it the life force. In man's investigation of the wonders of vegetable life, he has discovered that a grain of corn that had been entombed in the hands of an Egyptian mummy for more than three thousand years, when planted in the ground, reproduced the stalk and blade and ear of corn, just as the original material body had produced. And why? Not because when the grain of corn was planted in the earth it received unto itself new life or any force that was not already in it, but because the grain had never ceased to be without the life that existed in it as it grew from the original seed to the perfect grain. The grain had never lost its life and had never died, though apparently it had. Always there was some part of the original body that continued to exist and that held enclosed in itself the life principle. Without the preservation of some part of the original body there could never have been a manifestation of the life that caused the growth of that body. This phenomena, as you call it, was not the resurrection of a material body that had died and become disintegrated and nonexistent, but was merely the resurrection of that part of the old body that had never died, but had always retained in it the life principle. And this, I say, is no argument for the future existence of man, as viewed from a purely material aspect. When the body of a man dies it is eternally destroyed, either by natural decay or by incineration or, sometimes, by cannibals, so that no portion of his body remains in which the life principle may be preserved; and so far as the material body is involved, it utterly disappears - no roots remain in the ground and no grain or seed of it is preserved from which a new body may arise. So I say, the phenomena of the vegetable apparently dying and, after a season springing forth again, and producing a body similar to the one that had formerly lived and died, furnishes no demonstration or argument from which, logically, can be drawn the conclusion that when a man dies, he will not cease to exist, or will live again. From the purely material standpoint, the materialist has the better of the argument, and he may well ask the question: "When a man dies shall he live again?" and answer the inquiry by saying, nature furnishes no proof that he will. It may be said that life permeates all nature and is the basis of all existence, and that assertion is true; but it does not follow therefrom that any particular manifestation of life, such as the individual man, when once ceasing to manifest, will again be reproduced in that particular identity of material manifestation, or in that form or existence that will make itself the identical being that had ceased to exist. So to show man that there is a continuous existence after the death of the body - and I mean an individual, identical existence - something more is required than the argument of analogy in nature, or to the material things of nature in which life appears and then apparently disappears and then reappears. As the discussion on this phase of the matter will require more time than you have tonight to receive it, I will defer the treatment until later. With all my love I will say good night. Your brother in Christ, Samuel March 22nd, 1916. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I will give you HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/prayer3.htm" the prayer very soon now, and you will receive with it a spiritual enlightenment of its meaning that will draw you very close to the Father and His Love. (Refers now to Mr. Morgan.) Yes, I speak to him sometimes, and he hears my voice, and is not mistaken; but he must not think that all the impressions that he has are from the spirits, for such is not true. As he progresses in the development of clairaudience he will be able to distinguish between what comes to him from the spirits and what may arise in his own mind. He must not be discouraged or let doubt enter his soul, for his faith must be one of soul and not of mere mind. I have selected him to do a work in reference to the spreading of my truths, and he must determine that his mission is one that will occupy his time during the balance of his earthly existence; and if he now draws back from this work he will lose a wonderful opportunity for helping mankind and for developing his own soul and fitting himself for a happy existence in the spirit world. He has been favored as few mortals have been, or will be, and he must realize and appreciate that fact, for it is a fact, and only the Celestial spirits who are with me in this work know the importance of it. I am his friend and brother, as I have told him, and he has my love and influence as few mortals have ever had, and this because I know that he is a true man and will not fail me in what I wish to accomplish. I know that many times it has been said and written by mediums that I have come and written to them, but such is not the truth, and it is only since I have determined that you shall receive my written messages of the truth, have I come in such close contact with you. Often have I tried to influence them with my love and thoughts, but not for long years have I come in such close rapport as to have them receive my written messages or hear my voice audibly, as your friend has heard it, and will hear it in the future. Yes, I have chosen him just as positively, and with the certainty as I chose my disciples when on earth; and I expect that he will follow me as faithfully as they followed me. As time passes the conviction will grow stronger and stronger that he has been selected for my work; and there will come to him a knowledge and power which he does not now realize, and which it is impossible for him at this time to understand. After you and he have gotten in the condition when you can let your thoughts of earthly necessities cease to trouble you, and become in that state of mind and soul that will enable you to turn all your thoughts and longings to the Father and the work that He desires you both to do, there will come to you such a blessing from the Holy Spirit that will prove to you that the Pentecost of the days of my disciples has again been given to man to bless and make him pure and powerful, and the wonder of his fellow mortals. I, Jesus, tell you this with the authority and knowledge that have been given me by the Father, and no man can gainsay it. I have spoken, and you both must believe. So, my dear brother and friend and disciple, I will stop, and in doing so, say that you and your friend have the love and blessings of him who never makes a mistake or misleads his disciples in the things of the soul. Good-night. Your brother and friend, Jesus March 22nd, 1916. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving Helen. Oh, my dear one, what a message you had from the Master, and with what power and authority he wrote you! Again, he displayed that great glory of which I have written, and so grand and magnificent was his appearance that we could scarcely look upon him. He certainly was the son of the Father as he wrote to you and declared that you both were his disciples, and that power and great soul development would be given you. And Ingersoll was present, and he stood in amazement, and almost adoration, as he saw the wondrous greatness and power of the Master. He says that no spirit can doubt that Jesus is the true son of God and the greatest of all the spirits in the Heavens; and that he feels that he is of such insignificance when he sees the glory displayed by the Master. He, Ingersoll, is so humble and so remorseful when he thinks of his days on earth, when he doubted that Jesus ever lived, and if he did, that, in his opinion, he was merely a good man and nothing more. I tell you that the opportunities which we spirits have had - now three times - to see displayed this wonderful glory and power of Jesus, have made us all realize that the love of the Father which Jesus has is beyond all conception; and he tells us that such love may be ours if we will only strive and pray for it. Oh, my dear, when I think of the great favor that has been bestowed upon you I thank the Father with all the capacity that I have. I am so happy! Some day you will be with me, and this happiness will be ours together. Well, dear, this has been a glorious night, and I will not mar the happiness that comes to us by attempting to write of anything else. So, with all my love and many kisses, I am Your own true and loving Helen March 23rd, 1916. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I am here HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/trinity10.htm" according to promise, and desire to write you on a subject that all men should be acquainted with. "How the Divine Love enters into the soul of a man." As I have told you before, man is a creature of God, having a body, spirit and soul; and all these are necessary to make the perfect man. But these three parts of man are different in their characteristics and functions, and are separate and distinct, and have qualities that are unlike in their composition as well as in the duration of their existence. The body, as you and all men know, has an existence which lasts only during the life of the mortal on earth, and after that life ends, dissolves into its elements, which no more can form the same body either in the mortal world or in the spirit world, for these elements are merely things of matter and may be and are used to form other bodies and manifestations of the material of nature; not necessarily in the form of human beings, for they enter into other forms both animal and vegetable, and are so disseminated that never again will they become parts of a resurrected body. Your orthodox do not teach this truth, but think in some mysterious way that the mortal body will sometime be resurrected. No, the body when it has performed its function of maintaining and shielding the soul and spirit of man during his earth life, is no longer and cannot thereafter be a part of that man, and may be considered as something that is no longer a part of him. This body though, as a matter of fact, even during the life of the mortal is not the same body during that life, for continually is there changes in the elements that compose that body; and one element or set of elements, gives place to others and becomes lost or absorbed in the great sea of elements that help form or constitute the universe of God. By operation of the laws of attraction and repulsion, these elements, as they replace others which disappear, conform themselves to the general appearance or outline of the parent body, so that the identity of the body as well as of its appearance is preserved; and as a man grows older, the laws which make the changes in his appearance cause these new elements to conform to these changes, so that, even while the material continues to envelop the spirit during the short span of a man' s life, yet that material is not the same for any length of time. I make this preliminary statement merely to show that the material part of man is not at all connected with the real man, so far as the persistent nature for him is concerned, and this material need not be considered in discussing the subject that I desire to write about. The spirit part of man is that part which contains what may be called the functions of life and the force and power existing in him and which immediately control him in his conduct and living. This real, existing principle of life, unlike the body, never dies, but continues to live after the spirit drops its envelope of flesh. This spirit part of man contains the seat of the mental faculties and reasoning powers, and uses the organs of the material body to manifest these attributes. These faculties live and exist, even though the physical body may be in such imperfect condition that the spirit may not he able to make its manifestations in such a way as to enable the mortal to perceive or sense the material things of nature, as they are called. To specify, even though the material organs of sight may become impaired or destroyed, yet in that spirit body, which is within the physical body, exists the actual sight just as perfectly and completely as if these impaired or destroyed organs were doing their functioning; and the same is true as regards the hearing and the others of what are called the five senses of man. And as to the reasoning faculties and mental qualities, they exist in the perfect state whether the brain is healthy or not, or whether it performs its work or refuses to do so. These qualities do not depend upon the soundness or perfect workings of the organs of the physical body in order that these spirit qualities may exist in a perfect condition, but the proper workings of the physical organs, or rather the proper and natural movements and manifestations of the brain, and the conscious operations of the mental faculties, do depend upon the spirit faculties being able to use these physical organs in a proper way and in accordance with the harmony of the creation of the relative and correlative parts of man. These spirit faculties, which man calls the intellect and the five senses, are a part of the spirit body which is enclosed in the material body and which in turn encloses the soul. When the material body dies, the spirit body continues to exist and live on in the world of spirit, and with it and as continuing parts of it, these intellectual faculties, performing all their functions free from the limitations that the physical organs placed upon them. And when this change takes place, these mental qualities, notwithstanding that they have not the material organs through which they functioned when in the mortal frame, can conceive thoughts of things material and hear and see things of the material just as they did, and even more perfectly, when they were enveloped by the environments of flesh and blood. So you see when the mortal dies, the only thing that dies and is left behind is the mere physical body, and with the spirit body survives all those things which can be said to be the real man, so far as the mind is concerned. Hence, man never ceases to remember and to progress and to know that he is a being which death cannot destroy or change into something that he was not before death came to him. And thus I answer the question: "When a man dies shall he live again?" He never ceases to live, and his living is not a new life, but merely the continuation of the old life with all the things of mind and conscience that were his in the old life. In the purely spirit life the spirit body continues to contain the soul and will be its protector and covering so long as that spirit body shall last. But this body then begins to change, and by disintegration into what we may call spirit elements, and the formation of new elements to replace the disappearing ones. This change in this body is not caused by the same laws that operated to change and disintegrate and replace the physical body, but by the law controlling the development of the soul which the spirit body contains. The soul is the real man because it is the only thing or part of man that may become immortal, the only part of man that was made in the image of its Creator, and the only part of man that may become a part of the Substance of its maker and partake of His Divine nature. I say may, for that is an important part of this great possibility. I know this possibility of the soul becoming immortal by partaking of the Divine nature of God, is true; for it is a proven fact in the case of many souls who are now in the Celestial Heavens. I also know that there are many souls in the spirit world, who have been there for many centuries, who have never received this Divine nature and consciousness of immortality. Whether such souls who have not received this Divine nature shall become or are immortal, has never been demonstrated. This I do know, that in the economy of God's plan for the forming of His Kingdom, at some time - when, I don't know - this privilege of partaking of His Divine nature and the certainty of immortality will be withdrawn from the souls of men and spirits, and then, whether these souls who suffer this condemnation will partake of immortality no spirit knows, only God. There are other things that I know and here tell you, and among them is this: that so long as the soul does not receive this Divine nature, the mind, which I have described as being a part of the spirit body, continues to exist and dominates both soul and body; and in its progress it may attain to a condition of purity and perfection such as were possessed by the first created living souls - our first parents. Many spirits now are in this condition, but yet are mere men, and their souls remain only in the image of God - nothing more. While God is mind, mind is not God, and also while God is spirit, spirit is not God. So that when men teach that mind is God, and that men must seek to attain to that mind, and thus become like God, they fall far short of the truth. The mind is only an attribute of God, and beyond and back of that mind is the real God - the personality, and that is Soul, from which emanates all these attributes and manifestations which mortals as well as spirits may be conscious of. But while God is Soul, yet that Soul is a thing of Substance with a nature Divine, and the seat and fountainhead of all the great attributes that belong to Him, such as love and power and life and omniscience and mercy. And here I must state one fact which may startle those who believe and teach that mind is God, and that is, that which is called the human mind is not a part of the mind of God, for this human mind and all its faculties and wonderful qualities are mere special creatures just as are the spirit body and material body of man. As I have said, man was created in the image of God only as regards the soul; and here always bear in mind that the creation was only an image. The mind of man was a special creation, just as were the minds of the lower animals, differing only in degree. And if God had not given to man a soul and the spirit body to envelop it, and in which he placed this mind of man, when man died the death of the physical body, that would have been the end of him ; as such death is of the body, which is not a part of this soul image of God. As I have heretofore written you, when God created man and made him in His own image as to the soul, he also gave to man the possibility of obtaining the Substance of the Father; that is, of having that soul which was a mere image become that soul which is of the Substance of the Creator. I have also explained to you how man, by his disobedience, lost that possibility, and for long centuries was deprived of this great privilege, and how it was again restored to him at the time of my coming to earth, so that he now and for nineteen centuries past has had the possession of this great gift or privilege of partaking of the Substance of the Father. Well, when man, by the way that has been pointed out to him, becomes possessed of the Substance of the Father's Divine nature, even in an initial degree, his soul commences to change and lose its character as a mere image, and to progress towards the attainment of that condition when this image disappears and the Divine Substance takes its place; and as the progress continues he receives so much of the Substance that his soul takes on the Divine nature of the Father, and his at-onement with the Father becomes so perfect that he becomes an inhabitant of the Father's Kingdom. This occurs when he becomes fitted to enter the first Celestial Sphere . And just here occurs another thing which may startle those who teach that the mind is the essence of God, and that (is that) the mind which man, both as mortal and spirit, possesses up to that point in the progress of the soul where the transformation into the Divine nature takes place, becomes a thing of naught; or rather becomes absorbed in the mind of the soul, which is the real mind of the Father. And then and ever after, only this mind of the soul is that which enables the real Divine man to understand the things of God, to help him in his progress. I will continue later. You are tired. But remember that I love you and you have me with you at all times to help and sustain and comfort you. Good night my dear brother, Your friend and brother, Jesus March 23rd, 1916 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Father: I desire to write just a line, before my son leaves. I am his father and I want him to know that I have not forgotten to take advantage of any opportunity to write that may arise. His mother is here too, and she sends her love to him and desires to say that she heard the message which Mary wrote him, and that she is the happiest little angel in all the spirit world. And we are all happy and know that what has been told him is true. He must not doubt even though he cannot now realize the possibility of performing this great mission of which he has been called by the Master. In time he will be instructed and will have sufficient power given him to do this work. I say we are all happy because of this great favor. Your mother says that she is thankful beyond all expression - that her prayers have been answered so surprisingly - that she never for one moment imagined that her boy would have been made the instrument in doing this work - that she only prayed - that he might receive this Divine Love and become at-one with the Father. And when this other surprising favor came to him, she realized that God was very good to her beyond all conception. Tell my boy that he must believe and try his best to perform this work, that I am sure that a way will be opened up by which he will be enabled to do this duty, for now it is a duty. I am very happy and the more I progress the greater my happiness becomes and the goodness of the Father appears. His sisters are very happy too and rejoice with us all. Last night I was not present at the wonderful seance which his soulmate speaks of, but I know that it must have been impressive beyond conception, and I must say that I have never seen Mary so happy as she has been since then. Well, I will not write more tonight. I thank you and with love and esteem, I am, his father, William Stone March 23rd, 1916 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Syrick: Well, you can't lose me, as the boys say, for I have your wife on my side, and I think that we can beat you and Dr. Stone, although you are two of a kind. Well, my dear friend, I want to write just a little as I have not written you for some time, and you know the great pleasure it gives us in exchanging a few thoughts. I am very happy, and so is Rose, who is here, and says that you are her next soulmate when I get divorced from her, but I will tell you privately don't depend on that. I am progressing and am with her so much oftener than formerly, and I also have a greater opportunity to be with your folks. I will come soon and write you about something that I have found to be true since I have been a spirit, and which I know you will like to hear of. How is my friend the doctor? He looks as if he might be very happy, and if he could see that little soulmate of his I know he would be. Well, you two had the advantage of me on earth, because you knew more of this Divine Love than I did, but I am ahead of you now, for I have my soulmate right here with her arms around my neck, giving me a kiss occasionally, and I know it. And your soulmates say that your two have their arms around your necks too, and they know that sometimes you realize it. Well, I am glad that we can have our little jokes together. Oh, what a difference from what I expected! I thought that when I came over I would either be helping in building fires or riding on clouds, playing harps. But believe I would sooner be just as I am with Rose telling me all the sweet things that she does. I must stop now, and with my love and that of Rose, will say, goodnight. Your old friend, Syrick March 23rd, 1916 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Saul S. Henkle: Let me say just a word, for while you are all having your love thoughts passing, I would like to come in too. I was your old friend, Saul S. Henkle, and while I was not so young as you folks when on earth, yet, now I am younger than you, and no doubt better looking. But seriously, I have enjoyed being here this evening, and listening to the messages that you have received. Of course, I never knew your spirit friends on earth, but over here, I have become acquainted with them through that beautiful wife of yours, and I enjoy their companionship very much, especially that of Mrs. Stone, who is so beautiful and full of the Divine Love, and such a tender, loving mother. I am also very fond of the little girl that your Helen calls "Lovesick". Well she undoubtedly is in love, but she doesn't look sick, and is just as bright and beautiful and happy as one can imagine. She does love her soulmate though and doesn't hesitate to let us all know the fact. How happy all your friends are, and how happy I am to be with them! Over here, there are little circles of friends, just as on earth and there is a difference also in the natures and disposition of those who form the circles; and I want to say that your soulmate and that of the Dr. are two of the cheeriest little spirits that I know. Yes, I have met her and she is not very happy. She has the belief that held me back so long, and little soul development. I have tried to help her, but it is hard to make her think differently from what she did on earth. But sooner or later it will come about, that she will receive the truth. She is not my soulmate, so your wife says, and she seems to know all about soulmates. She says that she will soon tell me who mine is, and I will be glad of it. I must not write more, but thank you very much for your kindness. Your old friend, General S. S. Henkle March 24th, 1916 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Elias the prophet: I am a stranger to you, but you are not to me for I know all about you and the great work you are doing and will have to do. I understand that you are tired tonight and I will not write more. I only wish to say that when the opportunity presents itself I should like to write you a message so that I may not be left from the Book of Truths which you shall publish. Well, I am glad that you feel that way. I am your brother and friend and a follower of the Master. I am in the Celestial Spheres in a place very near the highest spirits who are my associates. I will write to you fully when I come. With my love and blessing, I will say goodnight. Elias March 30th, 1916 Received: by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Samuel. I desire to HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/ancient10.htm" continue my message on the subject of the continuous life of a man after the death of the body, as shown by the manifestations of nature. As I was saying, the apparent death and resuscitation of things of the vegetable kingdom, do not furnish any argument that man will continue to live after the death of the physical body. Now I know it is difficult to understand what there can be in the manifestations of nature to prove such persistent life, and that the people for whose benefit I am writing this will not be willing to use evidence of things of a spiritual nature to prove this continuous life, and hence, I will confine myself to matters material. Well, in the first place, there is no such thing as the death of anything in all the material universe of God. Every primal element has life in it, even though that life may not be apparent to the consciousness of men, but it is a fact. Every atom or electron, as the scientists term these particles of matter that are reduced to their infinitesimal proportions, is pregnant with life; and the very apparent decay of material substances is nothing more nor less than the results of the operation of the life that they contain, working out the changes of form or expression. If the scientists will investigate and analyze the constituents of particles of all matter, notwithstanding that they appear to be devoid of the life principle, he will find that life, in some of its expressions, is contained in these particles, and that there is nothing in the material things of nature that is completely inert. There is no such thing as inertia - it only appears to exist; and while it may not be apparent to the natural eye that every thing in the material has life within itself, and as a result therefrom, there is force and motion, yet such is the fact. This life principle permeates everything - applies to and forms a part of everything that has the appearance of natural existence. The grain of sand on the seashore or the dust of the decayed tree has within it life, and this life is no more nonexistent or absent from these material things, than are the elements that compose this visible form of matter ever lost or without existence. It is true that these elements change their forms and their compositions, yet they never cease to exist, or become nothing. Nothing means a void, and in God's creation there is no void. Everything is of substance and there are no vacancies unfilled. And hence, as life is the foundation principle of existence and life exists everywhere, and there being no void in nature, life permeates everything, whether visible to the mortal eye or senses or not. When that which is material decays or disintegrates, it does not do so as the result of the absence of life, but as the result of the operation of this principle of life upon the material in such a way as to cause the separation of its elements, and their change into new forms and appearances. I know it is said that the workings of the elements; that is fire and water and air and chemicals known and unknown, cause the disintegration or even the disappearance of things material, but this is not strictly true, for these elements do not affect these things themselves, as a primary result of their workings, but what they affect is the life within these materials, and as that life lessens or changes, the materials of which that life is a part disintegrate or dissolve, as is sometimes said, into thin air; and never does any part of the material substance, no matter how minute it may come to be, die - that is, in the sense of losing life. Life is a thing of such delicate nature, and is so susceptible to a division or reduction to a smallness almost to infinity, that no substance can become so small that life is not a part of it and the vital principle of its existence. As is known, the solid rock may be reduced not only to dust but to a liquid and then to a vapor and then to a gas and then to that that is not sensitive to the consciousness of men, and yet the life principle exists in all these forms of that material rock; and that which ultimates into apparent nothingness, contains life just as does the original rock, or any of its subsequent forms in the process of reduction to seeming extinction. The materialist accepts these phenomena as true, and blindly and with full assurance announces that nothing in creation is ever lost or annihilated. This being true, why is not the conclusion logical that the apparently inanimate rock or the animal without reasoning powers or the man with the reasonable faculties, is never annihilated or lost; or in other words, never dies the death that results in nothingness! But they say, while this may be true, yet the materials which form these various aspects of existence do not necessarily or probably come together again and reform the identical being that once appeared as an existing thing and then dissolved into the elements that composed the thing; and hence, while the elements in some form may continue to live forever, yet that form in which they once existed will not again appear. I know that this is a reasonable conclusion and one in accord with the demonstrations of science, and is applicable to the merely physical man just as to any other manifestations of the material things of nature. But even these materialists admit that in the case of man, there is something in his formation and essential being that is more than or in addition to the merely physical portions of him, and while they may say that this something is wholly of a material nature, yet they admit that it is of a material different and distinct from the material that forms the visible physical body. I do not speak of the soul or spiritual part of man, but of the intellect and of the five senses and of the reasoning powers, all which, of course, includes the memory. That part of man that embraces these things, the materialists must admit, is distinct and different from the mere body, and, even though it were here to be conceded that they are material, yet no man has ever seen them or felt them or in any way perceived their existence as he has that which he knows to be of the material. He has seen and heard and known the effects of the existence of these invisible material qualities, as he may call them, but has never demonstrated that they died when the physical body died. The furthest that he can go in this direction is that they disappeared and became lost to his consciousness; but that they disintegrated or dissolved or were reduced to a gaseous substance or thin air, in which he has seen the visible physical body disappear, he cannot affirm. The limit of his knowledge is that with the death of the physical body, this other, as he terms it, material part of man disappears and never again reappears to his physical senses. As I say, he has never observed and has no knowledge of any disintegration of these invisible material parts of man into any primary elements or atoms or electrons, as he applies such terminology to the physical body, and hence he is not justified in concluding that any such results to this invisible material follows the death and dissolving of the flesh and blood and bones of man. To so conclude is more of a speculation than to hold that the invisible material did not dissolve into forms more invisible, if such an expression can be used. As I have said, life is in all things, visible and invisible, and there is no vacuum in nature. While man is living it is demonstrated that life is in this invisible part of man, and more abundantly than in the merely visible body; and as life continues after death in the elements of this latter body, why cannot we declare that after death life continues in the invisible part of man? Nothing is ever lost or annihilated, and hence these parts of man cannot be annihilated, and existing they must contain life. Has the materialist ever been able to demonstrate to his own satisfaction even, that this invisible part of man, which he says is material, ceases to live? He cannot say that the elements of the physical body, no matter what form they may assume, cease to live, but on the contrary affirmatively asserts that they are never annihilated and continue to exist; and as life is necessary to existence they must continue to have life. So according to their own arguments and demonstrations and ultimate claims, the death of the physical body does not destroy the elements which compose that body but only the form in which these elements were combined. Then from this the most that they can claim as to the invisible material part of man is, that while the material which composed this part is not dead or annihilated, yet their formation may be disintegrated or changed; and hence the identity of the man, as to this portion of him, no longer exists. But this conclusion does not follow as a logical sequence, and the materialist has nothing upon which to base this conclusion, except that he has seen and knows that when the visible body dies it disintegrates and ultimately disappears. He has never seen the disintegration of this invisible part of man, though he has seen its manifestations decay and even destroyed; but the cause of this is shown to be some decadence or disorganization of some part of the visible body through which the invisible manifested. These materialists have knowledge of the facts that men have been deprived of their arms or legs or other parts of the body, and yet the invisible parts remained perfect, performing their functions. Also it is true, that men have received injury to their physical organs of sight or hearing, and, as a consequence the invisible organs of sight or hearing did not function, but that fact constitutes no proof that they were dead or had ceased to preserve the form they had before the physical organs were impaired; for when the defects of the physical organs were removed and these organs again came into condition to do their functioning, the invisible faculties of sight and hearing manifested their existence again just as they had existed before the physical organs were impaired. And so many similar instances might be referred to, to show that death or destruction of any or many parts of the visible body does not destroy or disseminate into its elements the invisible material part of man. And besides, let the materialists consider the great difference in the powers and objects of the creation of these visible and invisible parts of man, and they will realize that the purely physical is wholly subordinated and used merely to enable the invisible parts to manifest themselves, and show that the real man is the invisible part, and that man can lose part of his physical vestment, and yet exist and perform his functions and exercise his powers. I have thus tried to show that while no argument can be drawn from any analogy between the vegetable things of nature, dying and coming to life again, and man's dying; yet neither can any argument be drawn from the fact that the visible body of man dies and goes into its elements never to be resuscitated again as the same body, to show that the invisible body of man dies and is dissolved into its elements, and that man ceases to be the individual that he was before the death of the physical body. I may not have made my message as plain and convincing as I would desire, but in discussions of this kind it is difficult to transmit the various shades of thought through the medium of a mortal. I thank you for your courtesy and will stop now. So with all my love and the blessings of the Father, I will say good night. Your brother in Christ, Samuel April 1st, 1916 (Date unlikely) Received By James Padgett Washington D.C.   Let me write a few lines to-night, as I have not written you for a long time, and desire to tell you of the scene that was depicted to you to-night by the words and music at the church. I was present at the time of the crucifixion of Jesus and saw all that took place and the wonderful display of the forces of nature that were presented to you to-night in the drama of the crucifixion. Well, as you may not know, many of the scenes that were so forcibly presented to your imagination never had any reality in fact and the drama was the production of the oriental mind which was so often used to depict things that had their origin only in such eastern imaginations. When Jesus was crucified there was no great concourse of people; because he was considered as a common malefactor, paying the penalties that followed the violation of the law that he was charged with violating. Of course there were soldiers and a large number of the members of the Jewish Sanhedrim and a few followers present, but there was no unusual crowd to witness the execution. He was not the only one crucified at the time and the other two were considered just as the Jews considered him - violator of their laws and one to be punished by hanging on the cross. The words that he is supposed to have uttered at the time of his extremis were not uttered by him and no words that he may have spoken could have been heard by any of his followers, for they were kept away from the immediate scene of his execution, and it was only after he had been pronounced dead and found ready to be removed from the cross, that his followers were permitted to approach his body and remove it from the tree. The others, who were engaged in the execution did not hear any words of his, and as I have said, his followers could not hear and thus be able to report any supposed saying of his. So far as known, he died as bravely - that is without fear or doubt as to the future as did any other who has suffered the same fate. The words that he is supposed to have uttered, were not so uttered, and he did not call upon the Father for His help, or to cause the bitter cup to pass from him, and all reports of what he said or did at that time are not true, but merely the imaginings of those who wrote of him in later times. There was no sudden breaking up of nature or things material, and the accounts of the graves opening, and the bodies arising therefrom and being seen and talked with in the city are purely fiction, and have no foundation in fact. I know that Christians of today will not be ready to receive these statements as true, because of the long years of belief in these things that have obtained during the centuries. Why men should want to believe in these representations of things that never happened it is hard to understand, for in themselves that have no significance except that mere endeavor to make as dramatic and impressive on humanity the wonderful circumstances that they allege surrounded the death of Jesus. If they will only think, they must realize that the death of Jesus, accompanied by all the startling environments described in the Bible did not afford one iota of help in way of saving a human soul or teaching that soul the true way to the Father's Kingdom. His life is what had the effect and not his death; and the sooner men learn that Truth the sooner will they learn the fact that no death of Jesus could save them from themselves, or show them the way to the Celestial Kingdom. I know that men will not want to believe what I have written, and continue in their belief that all these tragic circumstances surrounded the death of Jesus. And I suppose that this belief will continue with them for a long time to come. But what I have said is true, and no man can by any possible workings of God's laws find any hope or assurance of immortality in these things.You may ask me how I know that Jesus uttered no words at the time of his death, and I can answer by saying that he told me so himself. He has not been present to-night at any of the churches where his death on the cross is celebrated, and will not be until after the time of the great worship and adoration of him by the churches has gone by. This worship is all very distasteful to him and are such that he does not desire to witness, and hence, he remains in his home in the high Celestial Spheres. He desires men to worship only the One True Father that he worships, and thus receive the true benediction of the Father. Well, I see that you are tired and I will not write more. With my love, I will say good-night. Your brother in Christ, Samuel April 1st, 1916 (date unlikely) Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Your true and loving Helen Well dear, I see that you are tired and I will not write much. The HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/jesus9.htm" message that you received is from Samuel, who was present at the crucifixion in spirit and heard and saw what took place, and so can be believed. I know also that what the Bible contains as to the crucifixion of Jesus is very erroneous, and written by men to impress their followers of the importance of Jesus' death. I will not write more now. So believe that I love you with all my heart and want you to be happy. Good-night. Your own true and loving Helen April 5th, 1916. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. These people (the Christian Scientists) obtain by their study of the principles that God is everything, and that their will must be subjected to His, a certain union with the power of the spirit world that calls into operation those powers which give them strength of will and a belief that their appetites for the stimulant (smoking) has left them; and that being so, they may easily refrain from further indulging this appetite. The spirit forces help them to a greater extent than they possibly understand; but in order for this help to become effective, these people must necessarily come in rapport with these forces. They, by what they believe they possess in the way of having a proper conception of the true relationship of themselves to God, further believe that there is some power which exists in the spirit realms that is sufficient to take from them their appetites and enable them to lay aside these appetites for what, they realize, is the unreal. This faith is a wonderful thing in helping man to do - or not to do - a particular thing, and even though they may not understand the true principle upon which this faith works out the results of which they testify, yet they acquire the faith which causes them to come into close rapport with the powers that actually help them to a successful realization of their desires. As a matter of fact, God does not, as you may say, personally intervene in these matters, for he performs His work by means of spirits or ministering angels, as the Bible teaches, in things having to do with the material things affecting a man's existence; and even in the matters of the soul, He uses the Holy Spirit as an instrument to bring to man His Divine Love and infill the soul of man with its presence and essence and influence. Many of these Christian Scientists have in their souls this Divine Love without really understanding that it is there, or why or how it came to them; but they see the effect and have a knowledge that there is some power within them that enables them to come closer to the Father and experience the presence of His Love. Christian Science is, in many particulars, a belief which leads to a faith that brings the true, sincere believer into an at-onement with the Father, and makes the believer a possessor of this Divine Love of the Father; and yet many of its teachings are misleading and hard to understand, and not suitable for the great mass of mankind, because of certain mental requirements necessary to be understood before the seeker can grasp the truth that this Divine Love is the only thing that will save him from his sins and fit him for the Kingdom. But I must not write more on this subject tonight, for, as I have told you, I will come sometime and show you its merits and demerits in detail. I will soon come and finish my last message, and as there are so many more that I desire to communicate, I hope that we may proceed faster in our work. I will be with you in your daily life in my love and influence, and try to help you to that condition of mind and soul progress that you pray for, and that are so very necessary. Yes, I hear your request, and I pray as you desire; and I know that the Father answers my prayers, as he also answers yours. Only have more faith and more soul longings, and you will soon realize an inflowing of this Love to a wonderful degree. I must stop now. With all my love and blessings, I am Your friend and brother, Jesus April 7th, 1916 Received: by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Saul. I very much desire to write a short message tonight as I promised you a short time ago. I will not detain you very long, and will try to make my message as succinct as possible. I know that many men look upon me, as depicted in the Old Testament, as having been a great sinner and violator of God's laws. Well, that is largely true, for I did not let God's will control me as I should have done, and consequently, I became in discord with His will, and did many things that were contrary to His laws. Of course my knowledge of these laws was limited to the teachings of Moses and the prophets, as they were given to me by tradition and word of mouth. The books which are part of the Old Testament were not written in my time, and many of these laws came to me by tradition. The Old Testament contains many sayings which were written long after the times that they purport to have occurred, and many things therein declared never had any existence, except in the minds of men, who, at much later periods, conceived that it might be wise to write these things. Many alleged incidents connected with my life, never had an existence, and were merely the fictions written by subsequent writers. We had very few writings in the shape of manuscript in my time, and men depended upon tradition and memory. Well, the history of my life and doings, was not written at the time it purports to have been written. I was a real person and a king, and some records of me and my people were actually written, but they were very few, and as time went by the imagination and ingenuity added to them in the way of tradition, and then those books relating to me, as they are now contained in the Bible, were compiled from some of these writings and from tradition. The story of my experience with the witch of Endor, as she is called, was not written at the time; but it is a fact that I had visited her, and had an experience somewhat similar to that related in the Bible. I had with me at the time of my visit, some of my followers, and they saw and heard what took place, and after my death, they repeated and described what had taken place to my countrymen, and also to the followers of David; and some parts of this occurrence became inscribed on the materials which we used to preserve some of the occurrences of those times. But there was not kept any accurate history of the scene. The people of those days had retentive memories, and for long years afterwards this incident of my life was handed down from generation to generation, and some parts thereof were written by some scribes and other parts by other scribes. I merely write you this to show that you need not give credit to the supposed truths of many sayings of the Old Testament, for many of these accounts had no existence. I know that what I have written is not of much importance, but while you are receiving these truths, you had as well learn something of what was true in my life. I will not write more tonight, so thanking you, I will say goodnight. Your brother in Christ, Saul April 7th, 1916 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, John. I desire to write a little to night upon a subject that may prove to be of interest to you and others who may read my message. I will not write a very long message, but will say what I desire in short sentences, so that the truth that I intend to convey may be understood at a glance. Well, when you are sure that you have discovered or have had revealed to you a truth, let it sink deep into your soul so that it will find such lodgment as will cause you to realize that this truth is a reality, and a thing that must not be forgotten or neglected in its application to your daily life on earth. When you have found that the truth fits some peculiar condition of your mind's experience, adopt it as a criterion for determining what your course of action shall be. When you have thus adopted it, let it always remain with you as a guide and monitor in determining what your belief as to the particular thing involved shall be. When you have thus received this belief of the mind, encourage and feed upon it until it becomes a thing of established faith; and when faith has become a part of your very being, you will find that the accompaniments of such faith, in the way of longings and aspirations, will become things of real existences, which will result in actual knowledge. When such knowledge becomes yours, then you have solved the problem of what is true and what is not. And when you have solved this, you will become a man who, when he utters his knowledge of truth, will speak as one having authority. Such was the process by which Jesus became the possessor and authentic expositor of the great spiritual truths that had never before been known and declared by any man. Of course, these various steps which lead to this great knowledge of truth, must be taken gradually and with increased confidence. In all this, the help and influence of the Father are necessary, and such help and influence comes only in response to sincere, soul aspiring prayer. Prayer must arise from the soul of man, and the response must come from God. There is no other means by which this knowledge can be obtained. All knowledge of things spiritual, that men may think they possess, coming in any other way cannot be relied on, for there is only one source of such knowledge out of which the real spiritual truths of God emanate. And love is the great principle that enters into all knowledge of things spiritual, and without love it is utterly impossible for man to rightfully conceive the truths of God and possess them. I merely desired to give you this short lesson on truth and knowledge and love, so that in receiving and absorbing our messages of the great spiritual truths of the Father, you may realize the means of making them your own, in a manner to satisfy your soul perceptions. I will came soon and write you a message on some of these vital truths. Think of what I have above written, and you will find that your soul perceptions will be opened up to a clear and wonderful comprehension of the real meaning of what we desire to reveal. I will not write more to night. Your brother in Christ, John April 9th, 1916 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here. Luke. I desire tonight to write for a short time on the text: That the sins of the parents are visited upon the children unto the third and fourth generations. I know that usually the explanation of the text has been that the material sins or rather the sins which result in material injury or affliction are visited upon the children and to a very great extent this is true. But that explanation is not what was intended by the declaration. Man is not only a material or physical being, but is more largely a spiritual being, having a soul and spirit which never ceases to exist, and which are just as much a part of him while on earth, as when he becomes a spirit; that is after he has left the vestments of flesh and blood. These real parts of man are of more importance to him and his real existence than is the physical part, and the sins which man commits are not the results of any primary physical action, but of the operations of the powers which form or have their real seat in the spiritual part of his being. The physical part of man is not the originator of sin, but merely manifests its effects, and it (sin) almost always manifests itself on and in the physical body, and leaves its scars apparent to the consciousness of men upon such body; and hence, as man is able in his ordinary condition to perceive the effects more plainly on this body, he thinks that the meaning of the text must refer to the sins that affect and are shown upon his body, and at the same time ignores or is not sensible of the fact, that the great effect or injury of sin is upon and to the spiritual part of man. As the physical body is affected by the results of these sins being carried into operation, so much more so is the spiritual part of man affected by the fact that these sins had their creation in that spiritual part of man. It may be asked, in what way can the effect of sin upon a man, that is upon his soul and spirit, have any injurious effect upon the spirit and soul of his child, so that the child may suffer from the sin of the parent. Well, when a child is conceived and gestates and is born, he not only partakes of the physical nature of his parents, but also of the qualities and condition of the spirit and soul of the parents. This may seem improbable, but it is a fact that the spirit and soul that enters into the child when it is conceived comes from the great universe of soul and spirit, wholly independent of the parents and is not in its nature or qualities a part of the parents as is the flesh and blood which build up and produce the physical body of the child. But while this is true, it is also true that this spirit and soul of the child is susceptible to and in a way absorbs the influence of the spirit and soul of the parents, not only at the time of conception but also during the period of gestation, and even for years afterwards, and to such an extent that this influence continues beyond the mere earthly existence of the parents and into the life of the progeny to the third and fourth generation, as the text says. The spirit part of the child is more susceptible to the influence and evil effects of these sins than is really its physical body, for as I have said, the spirit part is the originator and breeder of the sins, if I may so express it, while the body is merely the recipient of the exercise of the sins and the objects of their manifestation. The influence of spirit upon spirit is more extensive and certain than mortals can possibly conceive of, and the results of that influence are not so apparent or known to the consciousness of the succeeding children, or to the respective parents, as men suppose, and as a fact they do not understand or become conscious of the fact that such influence is operating upon the spiritual parts of their children. They see and realize that the effects of such sins become manifested in the physical body, and as their ordinary natural senses cannot perceive the condition of the spirit, they conclude that the text can only mean, that these sins are visited upon the material bodies of their children. But I must tell them that, while great and deplorable injury is inflicted on these material bodies, yet greater and more lasting and more grievous - in the way of manifestations - injury is inflicted upon the spiritual nature of the children; not only because this nature continues to live, but because men, not realizing that this nature has been injured, make no attempt to find and apply a remedy as they so often do in the case where these sins manifest themselves in the physical body. And besides, there are many sins that do not affect the mere material body, but which do great injury to the spiritual nature, and which to the senses of men are never perceptible. A man is not only the parent of a child's material body but in a secondary way is also the parent of its spiritual nature, and the condition of the parent's spiritual nature influences and determines to a large extent the qualities and tendencies of the child's nature for good or evil, not only while it is a mortal but frequently after it has ceased to inhabit the veil of flesh. So let parents know that they do not live to themselves alone as mortals but that their evil thoughts and deeds have a greater or lesser influence upon the spiritual natures of their children, especially at the time of conception and during gestation. Then how important that every parent during these times particularly, and at all times, should have their spiritual natures in that condition of purity and freedom from sin, that their children may be conceived and born in a condition of soul purity, which will not reflect any evil that they can charge their parents with being the creators of. If men would only realize these facts and live their lives in accordance with the truths which I here declare, how much sooner would the human race be brought into harmony with God's laws and the souls of men be freed from sin and evil. I know it is often said that it is unjust and not in accordance with the justice of an impartial God that the sins and penalties arising from the disobedience of our first parents, should be visited upon mankind who were and are their progeny, as such mankind had no part in that disobedience. But when it is remembered, and it is a fact, that God did not create sin or evil or impose such upon the first parents for their disobedience, but that they themselves created evil and sin, and men have been creating these inharmonies ever since, it will be seen that an impartial God, who is our only God, is not responsible for either sin or evil and the consequent penalties which they impose. And, as has been written you before, the abolishing of sin and evil and their penalties is in the power of man and his will. As these first parents created these evils, as I have explained, and in the manner that I have pointed out to you, their sins, by the influence which they have upon the spiritual nature at the time of conception and birth become, as it were, a visitation and that is the spiritual desires and tendencies and inclinations toward that which is evil (sic), and this influence continues with the child for years after its birth, according as the child and parents are closely associated together in their earth lives. And as each succeeding generation caused the visitation of its sinful influence and tendencies upon the succeeding generation, you can readily see how men, all men, became subject to the sins and evils and penalties which were brought into the world by the first parents. Instead of God being the creator of these things or visiting them upon the children of man, He declares that their existence is contrary to the harmony of His creation and must be eradicated before man can come into that harmony and an at-onement with Him. And as He gave to man the great power of free will, without any restriction upon its exercise, except as a man's understanding of the harmony of the operations of God's laws might influence him to exercise this great power; and as man in the wrong exercise of that power brought into existence these things of evil and sin, so man, as he perceives this plan of God's harmony, must exercise that will in such a way as to free himself from these things which are not part of God's creation, and are out of harmony with His plans for the creation and preservation of a perfect universe, of which man is its highest creation. God never changes. His laws never change. Only man has changed from the perfection of His creation; and man must change again before that perfection will again be his. Now from all this it must not be inferred that man is left to his own efforts to bring about this great restoration, for that is not true, because Gods instrumentalities are continuously at work influencing man to turn again to his first estate, and become the perfect man, as he ultimately will become. (I am not here referring to the workings of the great Divine Love which, when a man possesses in a sufficient degree, makes him more than the perfect man.) So, "the sins of the parents are visited upon the children to the third and fourth generation", means, the tendencies and inclinations toward that which is evil (are created) not by God, but by man himself, solely and exclusively. And oh man, could you see the results of these sins upon the spiritual natures of your children, as you often see them upon their material bodies, you would hesitate in your sinning and think, and thinking would see the way by which the great blot upon the happiness and salvation of humanity could be removed and its progress to the "perfect man" be hastened and assured. Well, I have written enough for tonight, and hope that what I have said may be understood and meditated upon by all who may read it. I will not detain you longer, and with my love and the blessings of one who is now not only the perfect man, but a possessor of the Divine Nature of the Father and an inheritor of immortality, say good night. Your brother in Christ, Luke April 10th, 1916 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Luke. I desire to make some corrections in my message of last night, and will thank you to receive them. I desire to say, that when I spoke of the sins of the parents being visited upon the children at the time of conception and birth, I meant that these sins, by the influence which they have upon the spiritual nature of the child, became, as it were, a visitation. I did not mean that any part of the real sin of the parents became a part of the spiritual nature of the child, but only that the influence of the parent's sins upon the child is sufficient to give the spiritual desires and tendencies of the child an inclination towards that which is evil; and this influence is continuous with the child for years after its birth according as the child and parents are closely associated together in their earth lives. Let this point be made plain so that man may not quibble about the meaning of what I wrote. Otherwise the message is true and just as I intended it should convey to you the truth of the meaning of the text. I will not delay you longer tonight, but with my love and blessings say, I am your brother in Christ, Luke April 14th, 1916. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Clara Barton: I was the woman who founded the Red Cross Society, and I am still interested in it, although I am a spirit. I saw that others were writing through you and I thought that I would like to try, and so with the permission of your wife I took hold of the pen and am now trying to express a few thoughts to you. Well, I see that my society is very busy now in the great war, and is doing a great deal of good, and needs all the encouragement that it can get. It also needs to have an increase in its membership in all parts of the world, for I see additional scenes of action where its services will be required. Especially in Mexico, for very soon your nation will be at war with that nation, and many a poor soldier will need the services of the Red Cross. I will not write more tonight, but will come sometime and write more fully, if I am permitted to do so. I am in the earth plane, they tell me. I am not very happy nor yet unhappy. I have the association of some very good and lovely spirits who are interested in humanity as I am. We are trying to help men wherever we can. Yes, I have met some of these beautiful spirits, and they have been very kind to me, trying to help me, but I am so interested in the work of my society that I have not given much attention to the advice of these high spirits. But why do you ask the question as to my having seen these spirits? I have listened to you with great interest, and I am impressed by what you tell me. I have never thought of myself in the particular which you mention, but now I see that what you say must be true, and that I should seek my own development as well as try to assist my late associates. I will do as you advise and seek one of these high spirits, and ask her help and instructions. I see a number of high spirits here now, brighter and more beautiful than I have ever seen, and your wife brings one to me and says that she is interested in me, and loves me and will help me in the way that you suggest. I am going with her and will seriously listen to her, and seek for all the benefits that I may obtain. I thank you for your interest and kindness and will come sometime and write you of my experience. So thanking you I will say goodnight. April 14th, 1916. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: Yes, this is Helen, and no one else. I heard what you told White Eagle, and he was ready and able to keep away the spirits who wanted so much to write, and a great many were here with that desire. But he told them that they would not be permitted to write. Yes, Great Bear is here too, and he was with White Eagle in letting these dark spirits know that they would not be permitted to write tonight. Well, I have told him and he is pleased, and says he will write you very soon, and will be very glad to do so. He is a good Indian and seems to love you very much. Well, as to the two who wrote, I advised White Eagle to let them write for I saw their condition, and saw that some good might result to them for having the chance to write, and so it proved to be for the Frenchman is now with Mr. Riddle who is telling him of spiritual truths, and HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor488.htm" Miss Barton is with your mother who is explaining to her the great love of the Father, and the necessity for her to seek for and find it. I will not write more tonight, but as I promised sometimes ago, very soon I will come and write my long loving letter. Well, as you are so anxious to receive it, I will come just as soon as you say. Well how will tomorrow night suit you? Oh, Ned, how happy you make me! If you would only love in this way all the time! I wish I could have you see me and feel my arms around you, and even feel you stopping me as you say. You may not know, but you would find something real to slap. You dear old Ned, how I love you and want you with me. But I say to my longings, have patience, for soon he will be with me, just as soon as your work shall be finished. I do love you and pray for you, and try to make you happy. So sweetheart, when you go to bed tonight think of me and love me, and even dream of me, for I will be with you. So dear heart, let us have a real long kiss and say goodnight. Your own true and loving, Helen April 15th, 1916. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Mary the Mother of Jesus. I come to you with all the mother's love of one who loved her dear son so much while on earth, and who suffered all the heart pangs which the cruel death of my beloved caused me, and with the love that has been purified by experience and closeness to the blessed Father. I say, I come to you with this mother's love, for you are the children of my Father, as I am his child, and you are also the brothers of my dear son, who is with you so much and so interested in you and your future. Let your love for the Father increase, and also your love for the Master, as he is the greatest and dearest friend that you have in all the Celestial or spiritual heavens. I am in the Celestial Heavens, very near the fountainhead of God's Love, and also near the home of my dear son, but not in the same sphere with him for no spirit in all the Celestial Heavens has the same great soul development as he has, or possessed with the Divine Love to such an extent. And I want to say just here that I am not in the condition or place that I am, because I am his mother, but because of the development of my own soul - only this great possession of the Divine Love determines our position and condition here. I am now in such condition that I know that the Love of the Father is the only thing in all the universe of God that can make a mortal, or spirit either, a partaker of the Divine nature, and an inhabitant of the Kingdom of Heaven. I will not write more, but will come again and write you of the early life of Jesus, and of his development in the Love as was shown to me, while he was a growing child, and after he became a man, prior to his public ministry. Question - Was Joseph the father of Jesus Well, I suppose I am the only one in all the universe of God, who knows the fact with reference to that question, and I as a spirit of the Celestial Spheres, knowing only truth, say to you and all the world, that Joseph was the actual father of Jesus, and that he was conceived and born as any other mortal was conceived and born. The Holy Spirit did not beget him and I never was informed that such a thing would happen. I was known by Joseph before the conception of Jesus, and by him I was made pregnant with that blessed son. This is the truth and all accounts and statements to the contrary are erroneous. I was a simple Jewish maiden, and never had any knowledge that my son was to be different from the sons of other mothers, and it was not until after the development in him of the Divine Nature of the Father that I realized that he was so different from the sons of other mothers. I will not write more tonight. So my dear children believe what I have written, and also know that I love you with a great love, and am working with the other Celestial Spirits to make your souls the possessors of this Great Love. With this Love and my blessing I will say, God be with you now and for all eternity. Your sister and mother in Christ. Mary April 15th, 1916. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Saul. I want to write just a line as I see that tonight you have around you so many of the high spirits. I do not intend to say much, but I must tell you that I am in a condition of love that makes me happy as I see that you are. I am not so high in my position or have so much of the soul development as have those who have just written you, but yet, I am a spirit who knows the truth of the Divine Love and a possessor of the Divine nature. I want to say to you both, pray and believe. Let not what others may write or say to the contrary cause you to doubt that the spirit who wrote you was Mary - not the Virgin Mary - but Mary the mother of Jesus. She is a beautiful and pure spirit and one who is filled with the Father's Love to a wonderful degree. She also has her mother's nature to an extent that makes her love all the children of God, whether they be good or sinful, and she does pray to the Father for the sons of earth, but she is not pleased when mortals pray to her as some one who should be worshipped. She is only a spirit filled with love, and when they, I mean mortals, look upon her as a mother she is not displeased, for as I say she loves them all; but when they think that in order to reach the ear of the Father in seeking for His Love, they have to pray to her to intervene, she is sorely displeased and, if she could do so, would proclaim to them the great error and sin in believing in her and praying to her as a necessary intermediary between God and themselves. Some day, mortals will know that the Father hears their prayers, just as he does the prayers of Mary or any other spirit, and that while she and all other spirits can help them, even by their prayers, yet God wants the prayers and soul longings of mortals directed to Himself. I write this to show that some of the orthodox Christians make a great mistake in praying to the Virgin Mary or to any other saint, instead of to the Father. I will not write more tonight, and will say that I, as well as the other spirits who are here tonight, love you with the love of a brother who knows the reality of this Divine Love. Your brother in Christ Saul April 15th, 1916. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, John. I came tonight to tell you that the Master will not write, as he is not present, but is at work in another part of the universe, where he is needed, and where he is doing a work that none of us can do. Well, I know that he had an engagement with you but he thought best not to keep it, and sent me here to tell you, for he did not want you to think that he had forgotten you, as he has not. Very soon he will come and continue the messages, and you will not be disappointed. I will not write more tonight as you will have a communication from another that will be interesting. Yes, it was a glorious night, for as you were told many of the Celestial Spirits were present with their love and helpful influences - and one especially was with you, having a great love for you and your friend. She still has a great mother's love as well as the Divine Love, or rather this Divine Love which includes this motherly feeling and desire to make you happy as one of her children, although she is your sister rather than your mother, - but still she feels like the mother of all of Jesus' followers, as she is his mother still, and yet, not his equal in the great soul development. She really wrote to you, and what she stated is true, notwithstanding the declarations contained in the Bible, as to Jesus' conception and birth. And I must here state again, that at no time in his ministry did he claim or have the slightest thought of having been conceived by the Holy Spirit or that he had any other father than Joseph. We never looked upon him as God or as a Son of God in the peculiar sense in which the orthodox churches teach; and now I know he was not such God or Son of God. He is merely a spirit as are the rest of us, but the one possessing more Divine Love, and having the greatest knowledge of the Father, and of His personality and attributes. So believe what we have written you on this question for it is true. I will stop now, and in doing so will say, God bless you. Your brother and friend, John April 15th, 1916. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your Helen. Well, you have had some wonderful messages tonight, and you must believe that they were written by the spirits who professed to have written. I know the spirits, and I tell you - and you know that I would not deceive you - that John and Saul and Mary wrote you, and what they wrote they know to be true. How happy I am tonight, for I see that you are happy too, and have felt the influence of the Great Love that has surrounded you this night. I never, in all our meetings, have seen so many of the Celestial Spirits as have been present tonight. And if it were not that you are too tired, though you may not realize it, many others would write you. But the fact is that you have been in an atmosphere of love that I believe has rarely come to mortals, and this love is of a nature that can only come from spirits who have received this Divine nature of the Father. So you and the Doctor must believe what I tell you and follow the advice that has been given you and rely upon the encouraging words that have been written.John is a very beautiful spirit and is so greatly developed in his soul perceptions that his knowledge of the Father and the love that comes from him is astonishing. I will not detain you longer tonight for I see that you are tired. Good night and pleasant dreams. Your own true and loving Helen April 15th, 1916 (date wrong) Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, John: I want to write a few lines on a subject that you will be interested in, and which will open your understanding to some truths that are not known to mortals; Tonight I see that you have a caller, and I will defer my writing until later, although I know that he also is interested in the subject, and it will be written as much for him as for you, so after you shall have received the message of the Master, I will come and write you. But this I must say now, both for your sake and that of your friend (Dr. Stone) and that is that you must both pray more to the Father and seek the faith that will bring you in unison with Him and His Love, you both have this Love to a considerable extent and you realize it, but what you now have cannot be compared to what will be yours, if you will only do as I say. There is no other way to obtain the great inflowing of this Love, we can and do help you by our influence and association, but this Love is that which comes direct from the Father through the medium of the Holy Spirit, and no spirits no matter how high we may be in the Celestial Kingdom, and how great our development may be we cannot give you this Love, for it comes only from the Father. But for your encouragement let me say, that we all pray for you and are always endeavoring to throw around you influences that will cause your souls to open up to the inflowing of this Love, if you could only realize what this means, you would see the great favor that you have and how your position is such that not seldom have the wicked or undesirable spirits had any opportunity to exercise their influences upon you. So my dear brethren, think of what I have written, and let it sink deep into your souls and consciousness that there are surrounding you many spirits of the Celestial as well as of the higher spiritual heavens. I will not write more tonight, but with my love and blessing will say good night. Your brother in Christ, John. April 16th, 1916 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, John: Well, I come to write only a few lines as you are not feeling so well, and are not in condition to receive any formal message tonight. But I will say that, notwithstanding what you have read tonight in reference to your material affairs, you must have faith and expect that our promises will soon be realized. The work must be done and you must be placed in condition to do it, without interference. If you could realize the powers that are at work in the endeavor to bring about what is necessary to place you in position to do this work, as we desire it to be done, you would not lose faith or doubt that all the promises made will be fulfilled. We recognize to the fullest the importance of this matter, and we will not permit much more time to elapse until the end desired is brought about. You and your friend who is interested in the means that we have adopted to bring about the consummation of our plan, will soon be able to accomplish as we have told you and you must both have faith. I will not write more tonight, and with my love to you and your friend who is present, I will say goodnight and God bless you both. Your brother in Christ, John April 18th, 1916. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: Well sweetheart, I want to say very seriously that Dr. Stone must believe the message that he received from his Hindu doctor guide, for he actually wrote him and seems to have great interest in the case of the sick woman, and will do his best to help the Dr. and in addition, he will find that other and higher powers will also help him, if he will only pray and have faith, and when these powers of the higher spirits come, he will find, as the Christian Scientist say, that there is no reality in the disease that seems to have placed that woman beyond all hope. Oh, I tell you the power of these spirits is wonderful and if the proper rapport can be established, the Dr. will realize that the power to heal did not die, or was not taken from men, when the last of the Apostles died. I write this in all seriousness, having a knowledge that this power still exists, and is waiting to be exercised in answer to prayer and faith when the mortal gets into that condition of sincerity and faith that will cause it to come and manifest itself. So, tell the Dr. to believe that what has been told him is not the fairy story of some spirit who takes delight in planting and encouraging hope, only to end in disappointment. We are all interested in this matter for we desire to have demonstrated again this healing power of God which has been given to mortals in the past, is here waiting for a further demonstration. We have enjoyed being here tonight and listening to your conversation, and also the atmosphere of love that has been with you. I will not write more tonight, but will say. Wait just a moment, for Mary wants to tell the Dr. that she is so much interested in the case, that he is working with, and that she and his mother were with him when he visited the sick woman, and are so anxious that his ministrations will make her well. She also says: that she wants to tell him the old, but always new, to her, story of how much she loves him. Well, I must stop, so with all my love and a big kiss, and Mary says, one from her too, I will say goodnight. Your own true and loving, Helen P.S. The following notation was made by Dr. Stone when he performed the healing work in 1915. This lady was my patient, and I am happy to write that as the result of the high spirits helping me with their healing powers which enabled me to exercise their powers that finally restored this lady to good health and brought about the removal of suffering and pain that caused her to shed many tears of joy and happiness. She thanked me many times, but I told her to thank the Heavenly Father for sending the high spirits to heal her. Dr. Leslie R. Stone. April 20th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. Solomon, of the Old Testament. I come only to say, that very soon I desire to write you another message, conveying to you some great truth of the Father. I will not write more now, but will soon come. (What is the greatest thing in all the world?) Prayer and faith on the part of mortals; and Love - the Divine Love - on the part of God. The latter is waiting, and the former causes it to enter into the souls of men. No other truths are so great and momentous to men. Let what I say sink deep into your memory, and try the experiment. I know you do try, but try and then try and never cease trying. Love will come to you and with It faith, and then knowledge and then ownership. I could write for a long time, yet, but I must not as you are tired. So with my love and blessings, I will say good-night, and may the Father's Love take possession of you. Your brother in Christ, Solomon April 20th, 1916 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, John the Baptist. I have not written you for some time, and tonight I come merely to let you know that I have not forgotten you, and am with you quite often, trying to help you with my love and influence. No, I was not present then. Well, I am glad that you had such an experience, and I will tell you that you shall have many more experiences of that kind for the Celestial Spirits are your friends and companions, and where they are, only love can come. Well, that does seem contradictory, but the fact is, that I never sent my disciples to ask any such question. I knew at the time of the baptism of Jesus that he was the promised Messiah, and that knowledge never left me or degenerated into a doubt. This passage of the Bible has no foundation in fact, for I never thought it necessary to ask any such question, and, as I have said, I never asked it. To me, Jesus was the real Christ, and I knew that he was the true and only one, and that no other would come after him, for when he brought to light the fact that God had bestowed upon mankind the great possibility of obtaining the Divine Love and the Divine nature, there never thereafter arose the necessity for the existence or coming of another Christ. The Great Gift that was necessary to make man a being Divine had been bestowed, and beyond that there was nothing that the Father had to bestow upon mankind. I am so sorry that such an untruth should have been written and incorporated in the Bible. It did Jesus an injustice and made me appear as a contradictory prophet and messenger of his coming. When I said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord, I meant that I knew that Jesus was the true Christ, and that forever thereafter would that knowledge be mine. No, I did not send my disciples to ask the question that you referred to. As I knew then, I know now, that Jesus was and is the true Son of God, and the savior of mankind, in the sense that he brought life and immortality to light. I will soon come and write you on some of these Bible declarations. I will now stop, and in doing so say, that you have my love and blessings and the Love of the Father, which is the Great Love that makes you a part of the Divine Essence of the Father. So my dear brother, goodnight, Your brother in Christ, John The Baptist April 23rd, 1916 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. The writer of the third Gospel of the New Testament Let me write as I desire to say a few words on the question of immortality of which you have been thinking so much during the past few days. I was with you today as you listened to the discourses of the preacher upon the subject of immortality, and saw that you realized he did not have a true idea of what the term means, and thought how much you would like inform him of your knowledge of the subject. Well, I understand just how you felt about the matter, and am in sympathy with you in your desire and hope that sometime you may have the opportunity to converse with him on this subject and give him your conception of the truth. It is the subject of so many sermons and theories preached by preachers and others, and yet not one of them has the true understanding of what immortality is. They understand it only in the sense of continuous life, and in addition, try by argument and inferences to attach to it the idea of never ending - that is of the continuous life being so established that it can never be ended - and in this they satisfy their longings and desires. But you see, this inference is merely one that is drawn from the desires of the preachers - that they have no true basis upon which to found their conclusions, and as to the ordinary things of life they would not be willing to risk the important things of life upon a basis no better established from which they could draw conclusions that would cause them to act. No, mankind do not really know what immortality is, and all the arguments that they can put forth to establish the true immortality, are not sufficient to convince the clear, cool and unprejudiced mind as to its being a fact. As is said in the message that you have received from Jesus, immortality can be derived only from that which is immortal, and all arguments that merely tend to show that a thing must be immortal because of the desires or intentions of God, do not suffice. All the facts that may be established as premises, are not sufficient to logically prove the conclusion desired to be established and men cannot depend upon such method of reasoning. It is utterly impossible to derive immortality from anything less than that which is immortal in itself, and to attempt to do so by argument or inference is a mere waste of time by the exercise of the reasoning faculties. As has been said, only God is Immortal, and that means that the very Qualities and Nature of Himself is Immortal; and if it were possible for Him to have any qualities that are not of a nature that partakes of the Immortal, then these qualities would not be Immortal, but subject to change and dissolution. Among the Qualities of His Being is the great and important one of Love and without It God could not be. His existence would be less than that of a God; and that being a fact this great Quality of Love must be Immortal, and into whatever this Quality may enter and form a part, that thing is necessarily Immortal, and in no other way could it become Immortal.Then this Love of God brings Immortality in the true sense of the term and when It enters into the soul of man and possesses it, that soul becomes Immortal, and in no other way can Immortality be acquired. Not all things of God's creation are immortal, for in a shorter or longer time they perform the object of their creation, and their existence is no longer required and they become dissolved into the elements of which they were composed. Man's physical body for this reason is not immortal, for after a short life on earth it dissolves and is no more. His spirit body is primarily of this evanescent character, and it may be that in the course of eternity it will have performed its mission and cease to exist. We do not know this, neither are we assured that it is not true, because it is dependent upon the continuous existence of the soul for its continuous existence, and not all souls will receive a part of the Father's Divine Love, which is the only thing that has within itself this immortality; and it may be that at sometime in the future, this soul without the love may cease to exist and become no more a creature of the Father. But this we do know, that whatever partakes of the Divine Love has in it that which is necessarily immortal, and can no more die than can this love itself; and hence, must be immortal. So that when men speak or teach that all men are immortal, they speak that which they do not know - only God, Himself, knows that fact - and from the mere exercise of the reason men are justified in saying, that such men or souls that do not obtain the Divine Love are not immortal. Now while this question of man's immortality is in doubt, and has never been demonstrated to be a fact, yet we do know that, that portion of mankind whose souls have received this immortal, Divine Love, are immortal and can never cease to exist; and the great comfort and blessings to these souls that this possession brings, are that they know that they are immortal because they possess that quality or nature of God that is immortal, and as the latter can never have an ending, neither can that into which this immortal Love has entered and found a lodgment have an ending. The preachers arguments were strong, and in the ordinary workings of men's minds and reasoning powers, may convince men that immortality is a proved fact for all mankind, but when properly analyzed and the true rule of search for immortality is applied, it will appear that the arguments are not conclusive - hope is stronger than fact, and men have not the assurance that for them immortality holds out its desired arms of certainty.Well, I thought I would write you this short message upon the question that you and the preacher have been meditating upon, in the hope that he might not depend upon the strength of his argument for the establishing of the fact of immortality, but would see and become convinced that the only way to ascertain and acquire the true immortality is by seeking for and obtaining the Divine Love, and thereby having his soul transformed into the very Essence and nature of God in Love. I am glad that I can write to you again, and that your condition is so much better than it has been, and permits the rapport to be made. Pray more to the Father and believe, and you will get in a condition that we so much desire.I will not write more. Good-night. Your brother in Christ, Luke April 23rd, 1916 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I come to-night to tell you that you are in a much better condition of soul than you have been for several days, and the inflowing of the Divine Love has been working to-day in greater abundance in your soul. I do not intend to finish my message to-night as it is rather late and you are not exactly in the condition to receive it. But turn your thoughts more to God and pray in more earnestness and very soon will come to you the power and soul perception which will enable you to receive my message as I desire to deliver it to you. To-day has been one when mortals - and I mean those who profess to be followers of me - have offered their worship and songs of praise to me and to God, but I am sorry to say, that He has been worshiped in a secondary sense, and I brought into prominence as the Saviour of mankind, and as the important one of the three that constitutes the Godhead. How wrong and sinful this all is; and how I deplore these erroneous beliefs and understandings of men. If they would only know that I am not God, and no part of the Godhead, but only a son and spirit filled with His Divine Love, and one having knowledge of Him, and His plans for the salvation of mankind, they would get nearer to God in their worship, and receive more of His Divine Love in their souls and partake more of His Divine nature. But I realize that this belief in me as God, and that my death and sacrifice on the cross were necessary to their salvation, will be hard to eradicate, and that many who now live will pass into the spirit world before the truths which I come to teach and declare will be published to the world. We must make more speed in our work of writing and receiving these messages, for the importance of the world knowing the truths as regards me, and the true and only plan of salvation is now pressing and must be shown to man in order for him to turn to the Father's love and gain an entrance into the Kingdom. I want you to give more time to our writings, and instead of reading those books of philosophy and the speculations of, what are supposed to be, wise theologians and philosophers and scientists, let your hours from your business cares be devoted to my communications and those of the other writers of the Celestial Spheres. Of course, I do not intend that you shall not permit the dark spirits to write on the nights that you have set apart for them, because such prohibition would prevent much good from being accomplished. These spirits are greatly benefitted by having the opportunity to write, and many of them have been greatly helped thereby, and have been turned to the light and instructed to seek for the Divine Love of the Father. The spirits here, who are engaged in the work of instructing and helping these spirits have rescued many from their condition of darkness and sufferings, and have shown them the way to light and to their salvation. The work is a great and important one and must not stop; and here let me say that this work will be a part of your duty and also your pleasure, as long as you may live a mortal life. You will, undoubtedly be the means of helping mortals to see the truth, but your work among these dark spirits will be even greater, and the harvest more abundant, and when you come to the spirit world you will be surprised and gratified at the great host that will meet you, giving you thanks for the great help and assistance that you rendered them. Yours is a wonderful work and is now spoken of and wondered at in the spirit world. Well, I will not write more to-night, but must come soon and finish my message, as I have many yet to write. In my Father's house are many mansions, as I said, when on earth, and for your consolation and that of your two friends, I am preparing for each of you such a mansion; not as you may suppose by erecting in the Celestial Heavens actual houses for your reception, but by helping to build in your souls that development of the Divine Love and the nature of the Father that will, when you came over, make your souls in that condition that will necessarily and absolutely cause the formation of these mansions to receive you. No one else can build these mansions for you, only your own soul development. But while this is true, yet these Celestial Heavens have a locality and surroundings and atmosphere that will contain all those things that will give your mansions the proper settings. The fields, and trees and waters and sky, and all these things that you in your earth life find necessary to your happiness and peace are in the Celestial Heavens, only quite different from those that you are acquainted with. So, believe what I say, and believing trust me and my love, and you will never be forsaken. A man's life on earth is but a span; but in our homes eternity means immortality, with always progress and increasing happiness. So with my love and blessings, I will say good-night. Your friend and brother, Jesus April 23rd, 1916 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, St. John, Apostle of Jesus. Yes I come to tell you that I have been with you to-day in your attendance on the church services, and as the preachers declared their ideas of what immortality means, I suggested to you thoughts showing how unsatisfactory their reasonings and conclusions were. Of course, what the morning preachers said about the reasons for inferring that immortality must be the lot of man had in it a considerable force and also consolation, and I am glad that he dealt with the question as he did, but when all is said, it was merely hope and belief, knowledge was absent, and men so often realize that their hopes are not fulfilled. How regrettable it is, that while men may know - and I emphasize know - the truth of immortality if they will only seek for it, yet they will not seek, although it is open to search even without the information that our messages give you. And in speaking of immortality in this writing, I mean continuous life upon the death of the physical body. Of course immortality, as it has been explained to you, can only be learned from the teachings of our communications. But immortality in the former sense, continuity of life, can become established as a matter of knowledge, and to the satisfaction of these orthodox preachers, if they will only seek with open minds, divorced from the beliefs that keep them from accepting, as true, any and everything not contained in the Bible. It has been established as a fact, for a long time that in its beginning antedating even the Bible, that spirits or angels communicated to men; and the Bible has many instances where such occurrences were declared. But while these orthodox teachers accept all these instances as true, yet they say that the occurrences were caused by some special interposition of God, and to a certain extent this is true. But this cause applies to all instances of spirit communication that have taken place since these Bible manifestations. As we have told you many times, law - unchangeable law - governs all God's universe, and nothing happens by chance; and so every instance of spirit communion is the result of the operation of some law working in an orderly manner. No spirit could communicate and no mortal could receive the messages, unless the law worked in such a manner as to permit or cause the same. And here I must say, that the same principle of law that enables the evil spirit to communicate or manifest enables the higher spirit to do the same. There is no special law for one and not for another. Your land is filled with mortals who have developed in them such powers, as enable the spirits to become in rapport with them, and thereby make known the fact that the supposed dead are alive and able to declare the fact to mortals. These facts have been established to the satisfaction of men of all kinds and characters. To the scientist as well as to the man of ordinary intelligence, and even less; and to the open-minded orthodox preacher as well as to the infidel. And all these things are not merely matters of chance but are designed to show him that he is a living, never dying being, as far as known, whether in the flesh or out of it, and what is thus designed and provided for man's consolation should not be looked upon with suspicion or fear of being against God's will. No, this great privilege is a part of God's goodness to man, and he must so understand it, and to his hope and desire for continuous life, add knowledge. So I say, these leaders of the worshipers at the orthodox shrines, may, if they will learn the truth of this immortality, or continuity of life after the death of the body, will make certain, that, for which they have only a hope, backed by their faith in what their Bible tells them is the truth. Of course this hope and faith may become so strong as to satisfy their doubts on the question, but even then it is not knowledge. This faith and hope will pale into insignificance, when the mother, mourning for her recently departed loved one, hears his voice declaring to her that he is still alive, and has all his love, and longings for her, and that he is with her feeling her love for him. But these teachers will not seek or if they do, and feel their hope and faith turn to knowledge, they will not declare the truth to their flock; and why not declare the truth to their flock; and why not? Because the creeds and dogmas and iron bands of erroneous beliefs, forbid them doing so. They will preach of the press, and, if necessary, will lay down their lives for such a cause, but, yet, when they come to deal with this question of supreme and vital fact, they are afraid to seek the truth, or, in seeking, find, declare the freedom of their beliefs frown the bondage of their creeds. What a responsibility they have, and what an answer they will have to make! They bury the talent which is given them, and the accounting will be grievous. But some day and soon, this truth will seek them with such overwhelming force, that their creeds will crumble, and in addition to hope and faith there will come to them knowledge, and with knowledge freedom, and with freedom, the pearl of great price which to them has so long been hidden in the shell of fear and bigotry. I must not write more to-night. I felt that I must say these few things to you to encourage you in your work of bringing truth to light.So with all my love and blessings, I am Your brother in Christ, John April 24th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Rose - just Rose. I want to say only a word, for I am so happy that I must tell you, as I know that you will join with me in my happiness. Well, the Judge has progressed to the Third Sphere, and he is so happy that he hardly knows what to do or what to say! He is here, but wanted me to write, as he thinks that I may be able to tell you more understandingly than if he should try to write. Well, he now knows what the Divine Love means, and what a Saviour and great spirit the Master is; and he is praying to, and praising, the Father with all his heart. He certainly is happy, and wants everybody to know it! You can imagine that we all rejoice with him, and unite in thanking the Father for the great blessing that has been bestowed. I, of course, am especially happy, for I am his soulmate, and he is now so much nearer to my home, and now his progress will be more rapid and his growth in this Divine Love so much more easy, for as he realizes the wonderful power of this Love to make him happy and to give him a home more beautiful than he ever conceived of, his faith increases, and will increase. He thanks God for his Rose, and for his friends on earth who helped him so much in learning the truths of the spirit world, both as to what you might call the material things, and as to the spiritual higher things. Well, I am so full of joy that I cannot write much tonight, and I feel that what I have said must be disconnected, but I know you will excuse my weakness, for when the time comes for you to understand what soulmate love means under such circumstances, you will wonder that I was able to write al all! He sends his love, and so do I, and when next he comes he will want to use up your whole tablet in writing his experiences. So, thanking you I will say goodnight. Your sister in Christ, Rose April 24th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Robert G. Ingersoll. I come tonight to tell you of my progress HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/divinelove13.htm" since last I wrote you. You will remember that I had declared to you my conversion to Christianity - I mean the true Christianity of Jesus and to the faith in the Divine Love of the Father. Since then I have been praying and seeking for this love and the faith that comes with it, and now I have progressed so that I am in the Third Sphere, where I find such beauty and happiness as I never conceived of on earth or since coming to the spirit world. Now I know what was meant by Jesus when he said, "In my Father's house are many mansions," for I have one that is very beautiful and grand, filled with everything to make me happy and to satisfy my heart's longings. Of books I have so many that I cannot find time to read them; and all the appointments of my home are so very beautiful and satisfying to the eye, as well as comfortable for its occupancy. But above and beyond all is the happiness that comes from the possession of this Divine Love of the Father, which to me is the most wonderful revelation and reality in all my experience, either on earth or in the spirit world. I now think with regret of my years of erroneous teachings on earth, and of my failure to seek for and know, at least partly, the great truths of a continuous life and the existence of God; and when I contrast my beliefs then and my knowledge now, my happiness then and my happiness now, I realize that as a mortal I was very ignorant and very unhappy. I know that Jesus is the way to immortality and life everlasting and to the true and always increasing happiness, and that the followers of his teachings of the Father's truths will never be disappointed in their expectations. My work now is to help those mortals, and spirits as well, who read and believe my books, and as a consequence lose the opportunity for learning the truths and the way to the Father's Love; and very many of my followers live on earth and many have become spirits. I search for them, and when I find them I tell them of my great mistakes and try to turn their thoughts to the true way to become redeemed children of God. My work is continuous, and sometimes disappointing, for when I come to some spirits and attempt to tell them of my new beliefs and knowledge myself mistaken, why may it not be that I am equally mistaken in my beliefs; and the result is that I find it difficult to convince some of them of the truths that I attempt to teach them. But as I sowed the seeds of the pernicious and false beliefs when a mortal, now I am bound to root up these seeds and plant in their places the seeds of truth. And I can't tell you how much happiness I experience when one of these deluded followers of mine discards the old beliefs and accepts my new teachings, and how unhappy I am when they tell me that, as they believed what I taught them on earth and were satisfied, so now in the spirit they prefer the same belief and are satisfied. And as they stay in this condition of belief they remain in darkness and unhappiness, and I, knowing that I am the cause of their darkness and unhappiness, am also unhappy and always in search of some one of these who will accept my teachings of truth. And thus I fully realize the meaning of "What a man sows that shall he also reap." But this is my work, and you must know that it is self-imposed, for I see that until I have removed the evils by me taught and engendered, I cannot be so happy and progress as rapidly as I desire. And I want further to say that when I succeed in convincing any of my followers of the truth, I enlist them in my cause of correction and they work with me, for no spirit so well understands the meaning of error as he who once indulged in that same error, as I most assuredly did. I will not write longer tonight, except to say to all who have heard of me and have read my books and imbibed my beliefs, that I am a Christian, a follower of Jesus the Christ, and a believer, with knowledge, in the Divine Love of the Father. Yes, when I told you that, I actually believed what I said, and really felt sorry for your ignorance; but I want now to assure you with gratitude that that conversation was the means of starting me in the progress to a knowledge of the truth and the gaining of this Divine Love. Oh, I was very ignorant, and with it I now realize there was much pride in my own opinion, for I thought that my reasoning powers and my research in things of the religious past had given me a knowledge that could not be gainsaid or overcome. So my brother, you now see that truth is truth, and that no matter whether mortals learn it or understand it, or not, it is still the truth and never changes. Thanking you for your kindness, I will say good night. Your brother in Christ, R. G. Ingersoll April 24th, 1916. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: Well, sweetheart, you have had a very happy night, and I also have enjoyed the reading of the messages and the exchange of thoughts between you and the Doctor. It is wonderful to see the great truths that are being opened up to you and with what understanding you receive them. I am so glad that you are in condition to understand what the spirits mean in their revealment of these truths. The Doctor is so very much in earnest, and has such faith that he, too, can understand these things of the soul. Oh, how good the Father is to come to you in this way, and show you the great truths that do exist and that all men must learn, either in the flesh or in the spirit world, in order to become children of the Father. I will not write more tonight, as it is late and you must go to bed and get your sleep. But I will watch over you until you sleep, and even then I will come to you through the night and you will feel my love and presence. When in sleep your spirit will come to me and you will realize that you are with me, even though you may not remember the fact in your waking moments. But we will communicate in our love and realize that we are together. So love me waking, and you will love me when you think you sleep. With a great big kiss and a hug, I will say good night. Your own true and loving, Helen 26th April, 1916 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Lafayette - I have been anxious for some time to write you again and let you know the results of your advice to me HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/historic4.htm" when last I wrote. After our last communication, I sought General Washington and told him of my conversation with you and asked him to explain what this Divine Love meant and how it could be obtained. He was so pleased at my inquiry that he actually took me in his arms and called me his boy as he had on earth and with his face beaming with love and happiness he told me what this Love meant and what it had done for him, and what happiness it had brought him and how he was now progressing towards the Celestial Heavens of light and truth. Well, I commenced to consider what he had told me and to have a longing in my soul for that Love and the happiness which he said it would bring me, and I commenced to pray for the Love and tried to have faith. Well, without taking up your time by rehearsing the steps of my progress, I am glad to tell you that I have this Love to some extent and that I am now an inhabitant of the third sphere and enjoying the associations of spirits who also have this Love and are striving to progress. My happiness is very different from what it was before this Love came to me and I realize that the soul and not the mind is the man, especially of God's redeemed children. I never thought that the soul was capable of such Love and happiness and of the knowledge that the Divine Love is the one absolutely necessary thing to bring spirits into unison with the Father. I want to express my gratitude to you and to say that I will never forget your kindness and love in turning my thoughts to this great truth. Yes, I am still interested in the war, but now I do not have any hatred for the Germans that I had before. I see that they are all brothers, and children of the Father, and that only the ambitions of some and the passions and hatred of others are prolonging the war. But it will soon close for I see before me the collapse of the German campaign against Verdun and then the end will come rapidly. I wish it were tomorrow, for then slaughter and death and added misery would cease. There are so many spirits coming from these battlefields who are all unfit for the spirit life and appear in great confusion, and when they realize they are no longer mortals they become bewildered and miserable. But we are trying to help them. We know no enemies and all are helped alike. I will not write more tonight and in closing give you my love and sign myself with a new name, which is, Your brother in Christ, Lafayette April 27th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Luke. I have not written you for some time and desire to write a short message tonight on the subject of: What is necessary for a man to do to recover the purity of soul and love that was possessed by the first parents - I mean as a man possessing the natural love only. Well, in the first place, he should realize that he is a perfect creature of God, and that his sins and diseases are merely the results of his own thoughts, and of qualities that have come to him down the long ages of his ancestors living on earth. He need not suppose that these sins and desires are inherent in or a part of his creation, for they are not, but merely accretions that fastened themselves upon him by reason of the thoughts he has had, and the resultant course of life he has led, and when he changes these thoughts, which will necessarily bring about a change in his manner of living, he will find that he can progress toward the condition of the perfect man. I know that many of these thoughts are so deep seated that they seem almost a part of his very nature, and can only be eradicated by the death of his physical body; but this is not true, for man, even while in the full vigor of his manhood, and possessed with all the appetites and desires which arise from the perverted indulgence of these desires, either on the part of himself or on the part of those from whom he is said to have inherited them, may relieve himself from these desires and become a man, having only the thoughts of good, and desires for those things which are in harmony with the nature of his perfect creation. This I know, seems to man a thing impossible, and so thinking he does not try to accomplish what I say he may accomplish, and to become free from these sins and unnatural appetites. The almost universal belief in original sin has caused men all along the ages to think that such a task is hopeless, and that they are thinking and acting only in accordance with the appetites and desires that God has implanted in their natures, and that so long as they indulge these thoughts and desires in a moderate or respectable way, they are not doing that which is contrary to God's will or to their own nature. But this doctrine of original sin is a mocking, damnable lie, and the sooner man realizes the fact that it is a fraud and deceit, the sooner he will be able to get rid of those things which have placed him in his present condition and held him there bound, as it were, hand and foot. This supine submission to this old and ever recurring belief is the great thing that prevents man from starting to progress towards the attainment of that condition, which is purity and health and the perfect man. Man must decline and no longer submit to this belief, which, I am sorry to say, is fostered by the teachings of the orthodox churches in order to sustain and make forcible their creeds and dogmas, and to show to man that he is not to be considered worthy of the mercy of the Father, and cannot possibly obtain that mercy and be relieved from the great wrath and punishment that God has prepared for him, unless he believes and acknowledges that he is a dependent and lost man, unworthy of the Father's favor, or the help of the instrumentalities which the Father uses to assist men in regaining their lost estate. If men would only think, and in thinking realize that they are dear children of the Father and His highest creation, and that He prizes them above all His creatures and wants them to know that they are beings of such wonderful qualities and possibilities, they would then have come to them an overpowering and convincing sense of what they really are, and of how necessary it is for them to assert their rights as such exalted creatures of the Father, and would realize that they are masters of sin and disease, for they are the creators of the same. When they shall assume such position and become possessed of such knowledge, they will find that they have a wonderful power as creatures of the Father, they will realize that they are masters of sin that must be gotten rid of. Let men for a moment think again, and thinking know that God does not desire his greatest creature to become or be less than the perfect being that He created. He is not flattered nor does He have any pleasure in the thought that man is degraded and fallen from his perfect creation, and that in order to rise again he, man, must believe that God may show his power in rescuing him from his low and hopeless condition. No, God is not pleased by man assuming such an attitude, nor does he need any such helpless condition of man that he may show His power or gratify what the teachings of these orthodox imply, His vanity, which He has not. In this particular man must work out his own salvation, but it will be a difficult task so long as he continues to believe and act upon that belief, that he is a creature of original sin, and that as God in the beginning failed to make him the perfect man, so now, only God can remedy what he failed to provide in His creation, and that man of himself can do nothing. That all he has to do is to wait until God is pleased to recreate him and thereby take from his very nature this great curse of the original sin. See the great fatality of such belief and how it tends to make man a slave of and obedient to this false belief in this blight of original sin. God gave to man in his creation, the great power of will and the right to its unlimited exercise, subject only to the penalties of a wrongful exercise; and by the exercise of that will man created sin and disease and became depraved and fallen, and the possessor of false beliefs as to the perfection of his nature. By the exercise of that will man, himself, must redeem himself from this condition of depravity and false belief, and again become the perfect man - God's wholly perfect creation. As man was in the beginning the perfect son of God, and by his own will created his own and only devil, so must he by this same power kill this devil and again become the perfect son. He must believe and declare, and show the sincerity of his beliefs by his acts and living, that he is a perfect son of the Father - needing no new creation. This I have written to show what man was in the beginning, and what he really and truly is now; although covered with sin and disease and false beliefs. To recover this lost estate or, better, condition, he will find that by searching for and learning and acting upon many of the moral precepts of the Bible and of other so called sacred writings, he will be greatly helped and strengthened in his efforts. But above all let him understand and believe with the certainty of knowledge, that he is God's highest and most perfect creation. Now, from what I have said, it must not be inferred that man is his own God, and has not and needs not any tender, loving Father, who is interested in him and always ready to help him whenever he earnestly and in sincerity asks the help of that Father. Always is man dependent upon God; but that dependence is not recognized by God, unless man first recognizes it, and by his longings and thoughts shows to the Father that he needs His help. This may seem unbelievable, but man was created so independent in his great will power, as regards the dualities of thought and desire both spiritual and material, that God never interferes to compel. The principle involved in "WHOSOEVER WILL" must be exercised by man before the Father will intervene. But when it is exercised He does intervene, and never refuses or fails to answer the call of the sincere cry of man for help. And God does help man in his recovery from the state of false beliefs and degradation, that I have mentioned. His love overshadows men, and His instrumentalities are always ready and waiting to answer the call upon Him for His help in assisting them out of their condition of sin, disease and false beliefs; for, as I have elsewhere written you, in God's universe there must be perfect harmony, and the present man, so far as his own creation of inharmony is concerned, is not in that harmony. Ultimately, man, all men, will become again the perfect man. Of course, you will understand that what I have written does not apply to the redeemed sons of God who receive the New Birth and become partakers of the Divine nature of the Father, for in their case the perfect man is absorbed in the Divine angel. I have written longer than I intended, but as the theme is an interesting as well as important one, I thought it best to write just as I have. I will now say good night and leave with you my love and blessings. Your brother in Christ, Luke May 7th, 1916. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus: I come tonight to tell you that tomorrow night I will deliver my message and I will not disappoint you and I hope that you will be in condition to receive it. Tonight you are in very good condition and I would write tonight but its rather late to commence as it will take some little time to transmit the message and I desire it to be done when you have plenty of time and not quite so tired physically as you are tonight. You have had a pleasant evening with your daughter and your soul condition is in a very well developed state and you have much love in your heart. If you will only pray more and let your thoughts turn more to things spiritual. You will continue in this state of soul perception and be able to receive my message as I may come to you. I will try to make my message as plain and convincing as possible and I think you will be much benefitted by it. I am with you more than you think trying to help you and encourage you in your work and business and as you see, things are getting better, only give your attention to your business and it will increase and you will get in condition that will cause your worries to leave you. I love you as an elder brother and a spirit who knows what love means and you must have faith in me and think of me and my nearness to you. Yes, I will be with her and help her and protect her from evil and try to make her happy. She is very happy tonight and is commencing to love you as a daughter and very soon you will see the differences in her affections and demonstration of her love. You will soon be together in your home and then you will both be happy in keeping up your courage and have faith and all these things that you desire will become yours. I will not write more tonight. Question and Answer: Yes, she is very mediumistic and I think it advisable to take her to the seance for it will convince her that there is truth in spiritualism and she will then commence to think more of the subject and soon become thoroughly convinced and the power will develop itself in her and will work to her good. So with my love and blessings, I will say goodnight. Your brother and friend, Jesus May 8th, 1916. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I come tonight to finish my HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/divinelove14.htm" message and will do so, if your condition is such that you may receive it. Well, as you may remember, my subject is: "How the Divine Love enters into the soul of a human being." I have already explained to you the difference between, and the respective functions of the physical body, the spiritual body and the soul, and how the real man is the soul, which may live forever. I have also shown you how the physical and spiritual bodies change their component parts, and as such bodies, disintegrated and disappear in the form that they may have at any one time. Well, the soul is the man and becomes the angel of God's kingdom. The soul may also become only the everlasting part of man in the spiritual kingdom as contradistinguished from the Celestial Heavens. The only way in which the soul may become an inhabitant of the Celestial Spheres, is by its obtaining of the Divine Love and thereby become a partaker of the Divine nature of the Father; and this can be accomplished only by the inflowing of the Divine Love, by means of the operation of the Holy Spirit, which is the instrumentality used by God to carry this Love to the souls of men. As I have before said, this Love never forces itself into the souls of men, and comes only when men seek for it in sincerity and with effort. It is waiting for all men to receive it, but never comes into the soul of its own initiative, and without invitation. So the important question is, how does it come into the soul and what must men do to induce its inflowing. There is only one way, and that is by the opening up of the soul in such a manner that this Love, when it comes in response to sincere seeking, may find an entrance and a condition of development that will cause it to find lodgment and abiding place, harmonious and satisfactory to the qualities of its own existence. Of course, man cannot of himself open up his soul to this inflowing, for, while he has great power, yet the will is not sufficient; nor has he any other inherent qualities that will enable him to place his soul in such condition as to make possible the work of the Holy Spirit in causing the Love to flow into the soul. The only means by which this can be accomplished are prayer and faith. When a man in true earnestness and sincere aspirations, prays to the Father for this Divine Love, such prayer not only brings Love, but causes those portions of the soul which are capable of receiving this Love to open up to its coming and to work in such a way as to attract the Love. The Holy Spirit never performs this work of preparing the soul for the reception of this Love, but merely brings the Love and causes its inflowing when the soul is in condition to receive it. In answer to prayer, there are other instrumentalities of the Father working to prepare the soul condition that is required, and these instrumentalities are the bright spirits of the Celestial Heavens, whose duties, among others, are to answer the prayers of the penitent in the way of infilling the soul with influences that turn the thoughts and aspirations to this Divine Love and its operations. As I said when on earth, there is no other way to get into the sheep fold but through the gateway provided, - he that attempts to climb over the fence is a thief and a robber. But this should be modified to fit the exact fact, for there is no possibility of getting into this fold by climbing the fence. There is only one way - that through the gate of prayer and sincere longing. I know that many men believe that the performance of church duties, and the observation of the requirements of the church as to baptism and the sacraments, etc., will be sufficient to enable them to get into the Kingdom; but I tell you that they are all wrong, and their disappointment will be very great when they come into the spirit world. What are called moral deeds and good thoughts will not cause this inflowing of the Divine Love because these things are necessary steps towards the purification of the soul in its natural love; and (yet) no matter how pure this love may become, yet it is not the Divine Love or any portion of it. Good thoughts and deeds, though, may help to turn the aspirations of the soul to these higher conditions, and open up its perceptions to a degree that may lead to prayer and faith, and, therefore, in addition to their work of purifying the natural love may prove to be of great value in assisting men towards the development of the soul so that the Divine Love may enter into it. But to depend on good thoughts and moral deeds and a life pure from sin to give man the right to an entrance into the Celestial Kingdom, is a great mistake. The Divine Love is a thing entirely apart from the nature of man, even in its purest state, and was never conferred on man as was the natural love, and, consequently, when man obtains this Divine Love, and it becomes a part of his soul qualities, his nature, as it were, changes, and he becomes a new creature. An additional something has been conferred upon him, and it becomes impossible for him to remain the mere man that he was, and he always would, be, except for this change in his nature. I know that men do not understand the distinction between a man with only the natural love and one with the Divine Love, but the distinction is so great, that the one, when possessed to a sufficient degree, makes the man a part of Divinity, while the other, no matter how fully possessed and how pure it may become, makes man merely man, though a perfect one. Whosoever will pray in sincerity for the inflowing of this Divine Love will receive it. It is not a respecter of persons, and the sincere aspirations of the soul of any man, be he prince or peasant, rich or poor, will invariably cause this Love to come into his soul and change his nature, so that he will become a new creature, and one not subject to death forever more. The merely intellectual prayers are not efficacious, for it does not have any effect in opening up the soul, and neither does much of this praying do the work. One little moment of this true praying will be more effective in causing this Divine Love to flow towards the soul than a whole lifetime of idle repetition of prayers that come from a source merely mental. And here let me say that the mind is not the soul, and much less God. Well, I think I have made plain how this Love flows into a man's soul, and in addition what its effect is, when possessed by man. There is nothing in all God's universe that can take its place for the purpose of making a man at-one with the Father, and of causing him to become Divine, in so far as he possesses this Love. So I say to all men, pray and pray and never cease to pray for the inflowing of this Love, for there is no limit to its abundance, or the amount which man or spirit can obtain. Always in the Celestial Heavens, we spirits continually pray for an increased bestowal, and always our prayers are answered - but always there is more to follow. I must not write more tonight. I am satisfied with the correctness of your receiving my message, and will come again and write you another. With all my love and blessings, I am your brother and friend, Jesus May 12th, 1916. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, John. I desire to write tonight, and if you think it is not too late, we will do so. Well, I will not make my message very lengthy, but try to condense in short sentences. I want to tell you that when a man gets to know the truths of the Father, he will become a very happy and wise man, for these truths have in them only those principles that create happiness and wisdom. I know that men believe many things on account of their being ancient or having the authority of their forefathers, or some great saint or writer who lived many centuries ago, but such a basis for truth, while worthy of consideration and examination does not of itself, because of being old, afford any certainty that what is thus accepted contains the truth. Truth is a thing very old, and existed for many thousands of centuries before the times in which these ancient writers, as you call them, lived, and in fact, those days of the writers, in comparison to what had gone before, are as yesterdays; and therefore you will see that because the declarations of these writers are what you consider very ancient, they should not be received as having authority. Truths of those days, and of the long ages prior thereto, and of the present time are all the same, as truth never changes or assumes new forms no matter what the conditions of mortals may be as to intellectual or spiritual development. And they may be revealed today, and are being constantly revealed as time progresses, and should be accepted with as much credence and satisfaction as any truths that were ever disclosed in ancient days. Men are just as susceptible now to the reception of these truths in their spiritual natures or perceptions as they were in the times of Abraham or Moses or at any time since. The mind of man was given to him to be exercised in the way of investigation and search, and never was it contemplated in his creation that the time would come when he should accept anything as the ultimates of truth and cease his inquiries, for truths are so many and great and deep, that so far, in the mortal universe, man has acquired only a smattering of these truths. And to rest supinely in this acquirement under the belief that there is nothing more in existence than man may know, violates and subverts the very object of his creation; and what I have said applies to spiritual truths as well as to material ones. The churches, I know, declare and try to enforce the declaration, that it is not possible to discover or have revealed to men the essential principles of spiritual truths to a greater extent than has already been declared in the Bible and the churches' interpretation of the same, and that, therefore, it is contrary to God's will that men should seek further for any additional truths, and that men should accept, without question, the sayings of the Bible, and the dogmas and creeds of the churches which their claim is founded upon, and which they declare are the true principles of spiritual truths. And for many years this has been the demand of the churches, and the members thereof have acquiesced, without question or doubt. Now, this has been one of the great causes why men have not progressed more, not only in their spiritual nature but also in what may be called their natural qualities. They have remained satisfied, and what was believed by them centuries ago are believed today. I say all this to show how stagnant the intellects of men have been, as it depends on search and investigation, and has remained for all these long ages (sic). I further recite this to show the necessity for men to seek and criticize, and accept or reject as the results of the search may demand. In recent years, though, men have made greater progress, and the individual has come to the front and the old accepted fabulations of truths have been assaulted and shaken and denuded of their falsities to a considerable degree, and so it should be. Men must seek, and criticize and accept or reject as their own conscience and reasoning powers dictate, and therein will be freedom of the mind as well as of the will. The soul, also, has been smothered in these dogmatic beliefs, and as a consequence its development has been slow, and knowledge of things spiritual has not come to men as it should have done, and as is necessary to teach them their destiny and the truths which should control their lives on earth, and which will control their progress in the spirit world. Well, as you are tired, I will postpone the balance of my discourse. I think it best when you feel tired to discontinue the writing instead of attempting to force yourself into receiving it. So I will not write more. Believe that I am your brother in Christ. John May 16th, 1916 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. Let me write a line. I am your cousin Alice, and it has been a long time since I wrote you; and as I saw you a few nights ago when you spoke to Mame at the show, I have since had a great longing to write you and tell you my condition now and how happy I am. Mary's mother and I were with her at the time and we saw you speak to her and heard you tell her that you had recently received a letter from her mother. Of course, she scarcely believes it, but nevertheless she has in her heart a longing that it may be so, for she dearly loved her mother when on earth, and now thinks of her very often. Well, I am still in the Third Sphere, but I am so very happy and have such a beautiful home and lovely surroundings, and beautiful and good associates. I never on earth conceived such happiness or such a home, and such companions. It is one long dream of joy and freedom from sin and unrest. I mean that I now have nothing to make me unhappy as I had on earth. I am still praying to the Father for more Love, for Helen and your mother come to me often and tell me that I must continue to pray so that I may progress to the higher spheres where so much greater happiness may be found. And they help me very much. And what beautiful spirits they are! Helen seems to love me so much and to be so filled with the Divine Love. Well, Ed, you thought she was beautiful on earth, but you should see her now! You simply have no conception of her beauty, and if I could write for a whole year trying to describe it to you, I could not succeed and you would not comprehend. How thankful I am that she came to me with her love and showed me the way to this Heaven of Bliss. Oh, it is wonderful to know that there is a Heaven and that I am eating its fruits and drinking from its river of life. I must not write longer. Well, Aunt Mary is progressing very much. She is not yet with me but she is very happy and free from all darkness and suffering, and has some of the Father's Love in her soul and knows how to pray and is doing so. She will soon progress and then I will see more of her. So pray for us both that we may get more of the Divine Love. I will stop now, but first I want to tell you how much I enjoy writing to you and how much I love you. So with all my love I will say good night. Your own true cousin, Alice May 16th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Luther. I come to tell you that I desire very much to write you before a great time shall elapse, as I have a subject that is important to me to reveal to mankind, and especially my followers in the Church which bears my name. I see the necessity of correcting many of the principles of belief which now hold my followers to bondage and prevent them from learning the truths as I now know them to be. So soon let me write, if you can possibly find the opportunity. I am very happy in my condition of love and living, and so want to help all others to learn the truth and become happy. So, with my love and best wishes, I am Your brother in Christ, Luther May 16th, 1916. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I will not write a formal message tonight, but will merely tell you that I was with you tonight at the home of Mr. Morgan, and wrote what you received as purporting to come from me, and I meant that if I could establish the rapport with him I would cure him; and so I will. It depends somewhat on his having the necessary concentration and belief in me. It may seem strange that I cannot do this unless this rapport is established, but it is a fact. There are certain laws which control the exercise of this power upon mortals which must be complied with. When on earth I could come in direct contact with the mortal by reason of my being in the flesh, and as the power was in me, or could be engendered in me by the exercise of my spiritual powers, I encountered no obstacle in the way of my exercising these powers upon the mortal. But now there is no direct contact between me and the mortal, and hence there is no means of communicating this power to him until a rapport is established. This rapport is something more than a mere "spiritual" connection, and partakes somewhat of the material, though we are not of the material; yet the rapport must be of the nature mentioned, and the material part of it must come from the mortal himself. Now you will understand that my relationship in such cases with the mortal is very different from what would be your relationship to him, had you this power residing in you; and when the time comes for you to receive this power, you will not need to establish any rapport between you and whomever you may be able to cure. I mean it will not be necessary for this rapport to be established by drawing from the mortal any part of the material that belongs to him: this you will have yourself, and the power will be exercised by you simply as a mortal coming in contact with him. This power can be possessed by mortals just as my disciples and others possessed it at the time that I was on earth, and the same results may be obtained as were obtained in those days. Well, the power that was manifested in you was somewhat of the nature that I have been speaking of, only it was a power borrowed, or conferred upon you by a spirit. It was a part of this spirit's power, and thereby differing from that which you will receive as a part of your own self, when you shall have had that soul development and possession of the Divine Love, which are necessary prerequisites to any mortal - or spirit either - being able to receive the power. The spirit who was trying to manifest through you and help Mr. Morgan was your own Indian guide, who is a very powerful spirit; and he drew on you very hard for the material that was necessary for him to make the manifestation. The power which he transmitted will help Mr. Morgan, and he will realize it by morning. And if you had continued for a while longer, its effects would have become seen before you left him. I will try tonight, as I promised, to help him, and if we can form the rapport that I speak of, there will be no uncertainty as to the results. I will give especial attention to his case, as I desire to demonstrate to him that the power of the spirit world, when properly exercised, can be used to help mortals, even in their physical ills, to relieve them from their sufferings. I see that he has a very considerable faith and will make the effort to help establish this rapport, and we may succeed. At any rate, you have already helped him and he will realize it. I will come to you soon and write you another message on an important subject, so that you may see the necessity for our working faster. I will not write more, but will say that I love you and am with you, trying to help you. So, with my blessings, I will say good-night. Your brother and friend, Jesus May 16th, 1916. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your own loving Helen. Well, sweetheart, I will not write much, as you are tired and must go to bed early. You have had an experience tonight which has exhausted you somewhat, and you need rest. I was with you at Mr. Morgan's, and tried to help him; and when White Eagle was rubbing him, I also tried to help. I think that Mr. Morgan will feel better in the morning, for White Eagle used a great deal of his power to treat Mr. Morgan, and you received so much that I was afraid it might do you some harm at the time. But White Eagle said no, that he would look out for that, and so I told him to do his best. Yes, Jesus was there, and what you received he actually wrote. And he was so anxious to help Mr. Morgan in the way that he indicated-and will succeed, if he can only establish the necessary rapport, as he said. It will be a glorious demonstration if he does succeed. I would like to write longer tonight, but I must not. So, my own dear Ned, love me and think of me, and call me to you more often. Give me a great big kiss and say good-night. Your own true and loving Helen May 23rd, 1916 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Luther. I came tonight in the hope that I may write my message of which I spoke to you a short time ago. Well, if you feel that you can receive the same, I will proceed. In my day, the members of the Church - I mean the Roman Catholic Church - were dependent entirely upon the priesthood for all information as to the contents of the Bible, and the interpretation that should be given such contents, and very few of the laymen were able to possess the Bible, and scarcely any could read it, as it was written in the Latin tongue; and the inhabitants of my section of Europe were not acquainted with that language. (Martin Luther lived from 1483 to 1546.) The consequence of this was that all the people were dependent entirely on the priests for any knowledge of the will of God, and that only as the priests saw proper to convey the same to these people. Many things were taught by these officials of the Church in such a way as to convince the people that the Church was the divine institution of God; and that, in every particular, as to the conduct of men, what the priests said and declared to be the will of God must be accepted without doubt or hesitation, and that the penalties of disobedience of these teachings of the priests would be in the form that they should prescribe, and that the wrath of God would fall upon all who should disobey these teachings of the Church. The spiritual enlightenment of men was not attempted to any degree, and the requirements of the Church were that men should strictly obey the dogmas and tenets which should be declared to them by these instructions of the priests. Duty was the principal thing to be observed, and the utmost obedience to the commands of the Church must be performed, unless the Church itself should release the people from the performance of these duties. Every violation of these commands was a sin, to which a penalty was attached which could not be avoided unless the priests should give to the believers an indulgence, and then to the extent of the indulgence the penalty was taken away. But in order to obtain this indulgence a compensation would have to be made to the coffers of the Church, depending upon the ability of the one receiving such indulgence to make. At a time when these indulgences were most prevalent, and when the Church was becoming rich from the revenues paid for the same, I commenced to revolt from the claims of the Church and declared my want of belief in the dogma that the Church could grant such indulgences, and absolve men from the penalties which their sins brought upon them. You all know the history of the Reformation and its results upon the power of the Church of Rome, and how men were freed from the superstitions of the Church and how the reform grew in many of the Catholic countries, and new churches and beliefs were established. Well, I will not further recite any of these things, but merely say that what I have written is intended to be only preliminary to what the object of my writing is. As men of thought, convinced of the false claims and superstitions of the Church and of the necessity of making known to mankind the truths of the Bible, I and several others, in our zeal, refused to recognize and accept as a part of the teachings of the reform belief many things which were contained in the Church's dogmas or teachings that were really true, or in a manner true, when relieved of their appendages which the Church had attached to the kernels of truth. As a consequence, we rejected many principles that we should have made parts of the beliefs and teachings of the new beliefs. Well, I am sorry that you do not feel in condition to receive more at this time, but it is best to postpone the remainder. I will soon come and finish what I desire to write. So, with my love and best wishes, I am Your brother in Christ, Luther May 26th, 1916 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, John: I desire to write about a matter that will interest you as I have heard you express your wonderment as to what would become of the soulmate who should happen to be in a condition that caused him to be without the Divine Love at the time the great potentiality of obtaining the Divine Love should be taken from mankind. Well, this is a subject which has been discussed by spirits of the higher spheres and we have not been able to solve the question. Of course it is necessary that the two parts of the soul must again unite in order to make the perfect one, and if one part should be in the Celestial Heavens and the other part in the Spirits World at the time the great gift is taken from man, it would not be possible for these two parts to unite and become one again. As you know we are not informed as to when this great separation will take place, and only know that at sometime it will and that then the spirits in each of these conditions of development will have to part and never more become united. But as to the effect of such a separation on two soulmates I cannot tell you as I don't know. We don't believe there will not be some provision made by which these two separated parts can be united for I cannot conceive that one could be completely happy without his soulmate in condition of unity. Many a soul will never enter the Celestial Heavens or partake of this Divine Love and nature of the Father, but will have to spend eternity in the spirit world. I mean in the spheres lower than the Celestial Spheres, and may or may not have his soulmate with him. I do not know how to instruct you in this matter and am waiting for the great event in order to learn the truth regarding the matter. But irrespective of this mystery, every man and woman should strive to obtain this Love which will enable him to enter the Celestial Spheres and not wait until he gets into the spirit world, as it is very much easier to start on this journey from earth than from the spirit world. I do not believe that there will be any separation of soulmates when one of them is in the Celestial Spheres for the result would be the writer's incompleteness of the severance of that soul from its mate. I wish that I could inform you as to what provision will be made for the reuniting of soulmates who are in the condition of the ones just mentioned, but I cannot, and all that I might say would be speculation only. I will not write more now, but will say that you have my love and blessings. Your brother in Christ, John May 28th, 1916 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your Grandmother I will tell you to-night of a truth that may be of interest to you, and I know that it is of importance to all who may long for happiness in the future life. As you know, I am now in the Celestial Spheres, in a place higher than the third Celestial Sphere, and where are no special lines of demarcation separating it from what you may call the higher planes. In my plane, the inhabitants are those who have received the Divine Love in their souls to an extent that makes them know that they are of a nature that is Divine and in at-onement with that of the Father. Of course, those who have entered the first Celestial Sphere have the knowledge of having partaken of the divine nature, but they are not so filled with this love as we are who live in the sphere that I am in. It is not possible for me to tell you of the extent of our happiness, because you have no words in your language that can possibly convey a faint conception of this happiness, and I will not attempt to describe it; but if you will combine all the emotions of joy and happiness which you have received or experienced in all the years of your life, you would not be able to realize the meaning of our happiness in the faintest degree. I merely recite this truth to show to you and all mankind what is possible for you and them to obtain, if you will only pursue the course that the Father has provided, and the Master has pointed out in his messages to you. The great instrument that causes this great happiness is love, and by this I mean the Divine Love of which we have so often written, and without which it is impossible for a soul to obtain this condition or to become a dweller in the Celestial Heavens. Man, as you have been instructed, was not created with this Love, and could only obtain it by his own longings and aspirations being exercised in the way that the Father had provided - in no other way could these desires for this love be realized. But the great pity is that the first of the human race declined or rather refused to pursue this way, and thought that they were wise enough to know a better way; and in attempting to pursue this way brought about their own fall and the loss of the privilege of obtaining this Love; and in all the long years until the coming of Jesus, no man, after the first created, had the privilege, and hence, it was not possible for them to find any greater happiness than that which might come from their natural love. At the coming of Jesus, men again had bestowed upon them this great privilege, and a possibility of the knowledge of the way in which the privilege could be exercised. This was not declared to all men, for the territory in which Jesus taught and proclaimed this important truth was very limited, and the great majority of men died without knowing that this gift had been rebestowed. But God in His goodness and love did not restrict the bestowal of this love to those who might be fortunate enough to learn of it from Jesus and his apostles, but sent His Holy Spirit to implant it in the souls of all men who might be in such condition of soul aspiration and longing as to permit this Love to enter their souls. When spirits became possessed of this knowledge they commenced the work of trying to influence men in such a way that there arose in them a longing for a closer unity with God, and an opening up of the soul perceptions, and as a result many men, in various parts of the world, received this Love in their souls without knowing that it was this Divine Love; but it was, and when these men in their spirit forms entered the spirit world, they soon found that, to some extent, they were possessed of this Love, and it was not difficult for them to listen to the explanations and teachings of of those spirits who had received it, as to the truth of its existence. Now all this may not appear to be of much importance to present man, and hardly worth attention, but my great object in writing in this manner is to show that God had no special or peculiar people, and that it was not even necessary that all peoples should learn from Jesus the fact of this gift, for in such a case, the great majority of mankind could not possibly have heard of this Love while they were yet mortals. No, this was not a necessity, but the knowledge which came to mortals through Jesus enabled them, who possessed it and believed, to the more readily pursue the way to obtaining this Love. Many spirits had received the benefit of the rebestowal of this Love, or rather the privilege of seeking for and obtaining it, before Jesus came to the spirit world, yet they understood that the greater extent of the possession of this Love was in Jesus; and no spirit now possesses it to the degree that he does. But whether the souls of mortals or spirits received the knowledge of this truth from Jesus or from the workings of the Holy Spirit in its ministrations, they all know that the seeking for and getting this Divine Love are the only means by which the soul may become an inhabitant of the Celestial Heavens. I realize that what I have written conflicts with the orthodox belief that it is only through the death and blood of Jesus that men can be saved from their sins and become children of God and at one with Him. If this belief were true, then by Jesus' sacrifice all men would he saved, irrespective of their obtaining this Divine Love, or only those would be saved who had heard of Jesus and accepted him as their saviour. Neither of these propositions is true, for without this Divine Love entering into the soul of a man, it would be impossible for him to partake of the divine nature of the Father, and become fitted to occupy a home in the Celestial Spheres. This love in the soul, whether it is a result of the workings of God's ministering spirits, causing a real soul longing, in conjunction with the Holy Spirit, makes the man of a nature divine, and a redeemed child of God. Now from what I have said it must not be inferred that the mission of Jesus, and his work on earth and in the spirit world are not the great things connected with man's redemption, for they are. It was not until Jesus' coming that this Great Gift was rebestowed, and it was not until his declaring this fact and teaching the Great Truth of the New Birth could either mortals or spirits receive this privilege. The ministering spirits could not influence the souls of men to seek for the inflowing of this Divine Love until they had first received it themselves, and understood its existence; and here let me declare a fact, that when Jesus preached to mortals on earth the necessity for the Second Birth, myriads of spirit beings heard these teachings and became possessed of this knowledge. And to-day, men are attended by hosts of spirits of all kinds, and the sayings and teachings of men are heard by more spirits than men, and the influence of such teachings has its effect upon spirits as upon men, for the spirits of men which are existing in the earth planes are the same spirits substantially, that they were when on earth, and an earthly friend frequently has more influence upon them than do other spirits no matter how high their condition may be. I am so happy to be able to write you again, and let you know that I have not forsaken you. I am with you quite often and am trying to help you. Pray more to the Father, and exercise more faith and you will grow in soul development and happiness. I will not write more now. So with all my love and blessings, I am Your Grandmother Ann Rollins May 29th, 1916 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Martin Luther, One Time Monk and Reformer. I desire to HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor653.htm" continue my message, if it is agreeable to you. Well, we will try. When on earth I firmly believed what was contained in our doctrines and teachings, and was sincere in trying to induce others to believe as I believed and taught, but after my long experience in the spirit world and my communications with Jesus and his apostles and others to whom the truths of the Father have come, I realize and know that many of my teachings were erroneous and should not longer be believed by those who worship in the churches that bear my name. My doctrine of faith - that is justification by faith - is all wrong when its foundation is considered, and the impossibility of understanding from my teachings and the church's tenets, just what can be intended by faith. Our faith was founded on the assumption that Jesus was a part of the Godhead and the only begotten son of the Father, who so loved sinful man that He caused His sinless and beloved son to die on the cross that divine justice might be appeased, and the burden of men's sins taken from them and placed on Jesus. Oh, the terrible error of it all, and how it has mislead so many of the believers to a condition of darkness and deprivation of the Divine Love of the Father. No, such objects of faith have no foundation in fact, and such a faith does not justify sinful man or bring him in atonement with the Father, so that he becomes a redeemed child of God. Jesus was not a part of the Godhead, and neither was he begotten in the way that I taught and my followers believe. He was the son of man, and only the son of God by reason of the fact that he had received in his soul the Divine Love of the Father, which made him like the Father in many of His attributes of Divinity. God did not send Jesus to earth for the purpose of dying on the cross or for the purpose of paying any debt or appeasing the wrath of his angry and jealous Father, for these qualities are not attributes of the Father - only love and sympathy and the desire that men turn from their sins and become reconciled to Him, are His attributes as affects the salvation of men. No death of Jesus could make any man the less a sinner or draw him any nearer to the Father, and faith in this erroneous proposition, is faith in an error and never has man been justified by it. Jesus came to earth with a mission to save mankind from their sins and that mission was to be performed in two ways only: the one by declaring to man that the Father had rebestowed upon him the privilege of receiving the Divine Love, and the other by showing man the way in which the privilege might be exercised, so that this Divine Love would become his, and thereby make him a part of the Father's Divinity and insure him Immortality. In no other way could or can men be saved, and made at one with the Father; and faith in these Truths, which makes them things of possession and ownership by men, is the only faith which justifies. I write this for the benefit, more particularly, of my followers so that they may learn the vital truths of their salvation and change their faith in the death and blood sacrifice of Jesus, to faith in the rebestowal of the Divine Love, and in the further truth that Jesus was sent to show the way to that Love, and that he thereby and in no other manner, became the Way, the Truth and the Life. I know that the acceptance of these truths will take from them the very foundation of their beliefs, and many will refuse to accept my new declarations of truth, but nevertheless, they must accept, for truth is truth and never changes, and those who refuse to accept it on earth will, when they come to the spirit world, have to accept it, or exist in a condition where they will see and knew that their old beliefs were false and rested on no solid foundation; and the danger to many will be that when they realize the utter falsity and non existence of what they believed to be true, they will become infidels, or wanderers in spirit life without the hope of salvation or of becoming redeemed children of God. I fully realize the errors of my teachings on earth, and the responsibility that rests upon me for these teachings which are still spreading, and I am almost helpless to remedy them. And so, I write this message, hoping that it may be published in your book of truths. I, Luther, the one time monk and reformer, declare these truths with all the emphasis of my soul, based on knowledge in which there is no shadow of error, and which I have acquired from experience not founded on the claimed revelations to man by the voice of God. My knowledge is true, and nothing in opposition can be true, and the beliefs and faith of a man, or of all the inhabitants of earth, cannot change the truth in one iota. The Roman church taught the communion of saints, and I declare the communion of spirits and mortals, be they saints or sinners. That church taught the doctrine of purgatory and hell, and I declare that there is a hell and a purgatory and that probation exists in both places, and that some time in the long ages to come, both places will be emptied of their inhabitants, some of whom will become redeemed children of God and dwellers in the Celestial Heavens, and others will become purified in their natural loves and inhabitants of the merely spiritual spheres. I pray and desire that my followers may become inhabitants of the Celestial Heavens and partake of the Divine Nature of the Father and Immortality.To them I say, hearken to the Truths as Jesus has and will reveal them in his messages to you, for in the Truths which he shall thus declare, they will find Life Eternal and the at-onement with God, for which they have for so many years been seeking in darkness and disappointment. I will not write more to-night, but will come again soon, and reveal other vital truths, if you will find for me the opportunity. So with my love and blessings, I am Your brother in Christ, Martin Luther May 29th, 1916 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, St. John, Apostle of Jesus. I come to-night to tell you a vital truth, which I know you will be interested in. The question has often been asked: "What does the spirit of man do when it leaves the physical body for eternity?'' Many spirits, I know, have written you about this matter and some of them have described their personal experiences, yet in all the information that you have received there are some facts that have not been referred to, and I will in a brief way describe them. When the spirit leaves the body, there is a breaking of the silver cord, as it is called, and thereby all connection between the spirit and the body is severed for all eternity - never again can that spirit enter that body, and neither can any other spirit, although, I know, it is claimed by some spiritualists that another spirit may inhabit the cast-off body. But this is all wrong, for no spirit ever enters the body which has once been the home of another spirit, and, hence, claims made by some of the wise men of the East that such a thing can be, have no foundation in fact. When the silver cord is once severed, no power that is known to the spirit world, or among spirits of the highest sphere, can again resuscitate that body and cause the manifestation of life, and, hence, in the miracles mentioned in the Bible, where it is said that the dead were brought to life, it must be understood that this tie between the spirit and the body was never broken. In those ancient days, as now, there were persons who had the appearance of being dead, and so far as human knowledge was concerned were dead, but who were really in a state of what may be called suspended animation. No signs of life appearing, to the consciousness of men, death was thought to have taken place. Yet in no case where the supposed dead were raised to life, had the mortal really died. As Lazarus has already told you, when Jesus commanded him to come forth, he had not died, and so of all the other supposed dead who were called to life. When this tie has been once severed, there are certain chemical laws affecting the physical body, and certain spiritual laws affecting the spirit, which absolutely render it impossible for the spirit to again enter the body; and as you have been informed, we all, mortals and spirits and angels as well, are governed by laws which have no exceptions, and never vary in their workings. So I say, when once the spirit and body separate, it is for all eternity, and the spirit then becomes of itself, a thing apart, controlled entirely and exclusively by laws governing the spirit body. With the spirit's entry into the spirit world, comes the soul, still enclosed in that spirit body, and to an extent controlled by that body, which latter is also, in certain particulars controlled by the soul.The spirit body has not, of itself, the power to determine its own location or destiny, as regards place, for the law of attraction which operates in this particular, operates upon the soul, and the condition of the soul determines the location of itself, and as the spirit body is the covering of the soul, it must go where this law of attraction decrees the soul shall abide. While the mind and the mental faculties and the senses have their seat in the spirit body, yet the law that I speak of does not operate upon these faculties, as is apparent to every spirit which he knows from observation, as well as from experience, that the combined power of all these faculties cannot move a spirit body one step in the way of progress, unless such faculties have, in their influence upon the soul, caused its condition to change; and in the matter of mere mental or moral advancement this can be done. So, I repeat, the condition of the soul determines the locality as well as the appearance of the spirit body, and this law of attraction is so exact, that in its operations, there is no opportunity for chance to interpose, and place the spirit body in a location which is not its, by reason of the operation of this law. So that when the spirit body enters the spirit world it must go to and occupy the place which its enclosed soul condition determines that it shall occupy. No interposition of spirit friends or love of parent or husband or child can prevent this destiny, although for a time, until the soul has really had an awakening as to its condition of severance from the mortal life, these relations or friends may retain the spirit body near the place of its entrance into the spirit life, even though that place be one of more beautiful surroundings and happiness than the one to which it is destined. But this situation does not last long, for the law works, and as the soul comes into full consciousness, it hears the call and must obey. And thus you see, friends and loved ones in spirit life meet with love and kindness and consolation, the newly arrived spirit, but the parting must come, and every soul must find its home according as its own qualities have determined. And yet the consolation mentioned is a real one, for in many instances, if it were not so, the lonely spirit would experience fear and bewilderment and all the unspeakable sensations of being deserted. Then there comes a time, when every soul must stand alone, and in its weakness or strength realize that no other soul can bear its sorrow or take from its burdens or enter into its sufferings, And thus is realized the saying that each soul is its own keeper and alone responsible for its own condition. Of course in many cases the loving friends may visit that soul in its place of existence and offer consolation and help and encouragement and instruction, but in some cases this cannot be, for as this soul is then laid bare to itself, all its deformities, and sins and evil qualities come before it, and thus throws around it a wall, as it were, that prevents the good friends and loving ones from appearing to it. And thus again comes into operation the great law of attraction for while these more elevated friends, cannot come to that soul, yet other spirits of like souls and qualities may become its associates, and render such assistance as the blind can lead the blind in their movings about. And I wish here to say, notwithstanding what some of you spiritualistic teachers have said, for the soul has its location as well as its condition. The above condition that I have described is the destiny of some souls shortly after becoming spirits, and it is a deplorable one, and you may think that such souls are deserted by the loving influences of God's ministering spirits, and left all alone in the dreary places of their habitations. But such is not the case, for while they are deprived of the presence, to them, of the higher spirits, yet the influences of love and compassion are flowing from these spirits, and at sometime will be felt by the lonely ones, and as these influences are felt the poor souls commences to have an awakening which gradually causes the wall of their seclusion to disappear until at sometime, the higher spirits find that they can manifest their presence to these unfortunate ones. And, besides, this, every spirit, no matter how fallen, has a work to do, even though it may appear insignificant, and among these spirits of similar conditions same are a little more progressed than others, and by reason of a law which causes the more progressed to help the lesser, the latter are frequently helped from their low estate. Now what I have last written applies of course to the spirits who are wicked and vile and without any soul development in the way of goodness, but a similar principle enters into the conditions of all the spirits in the earth plane, although the higher they are in that plane the greater opportunities they have for receiving help and progressing. Of these latter, and the operation of the mental thoughts and moral qualities upon the condition and progress of the soul, I will write you later. I have written enough for to-night, and leaving you my love and blessings, I will say good-night. Your brother in Christ, John May 29th, 1916. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your own true and loving, Helen: Well sweetheart, you have had some very important messages tonight and the Master says that you have received them in a very accurate and satisfactory manner and that they need very little correction. I am so glad that you are in such good condition tonight and that your soul is so filled with the Love of the Father. It has been a happy day for you and for me too, for I have been with you a great part of the day and entered into your happiness and also the thoughts that you have had as to the spirit world and the joys of the redeemed. I was with you at Mr. Morgan's and you did him much good by your conversation and the influence which you cast over him for I must tell you that there were present mans spirits of the high kind that were interested in your conversation and influenced your thoughts of things spiritual. The music at the church was very inspiring and I enjoyed your thoughts of Love for the Father and the Master as well as for myself. Question was asked. They were present also, your mother and grandmother, and they were happy in seeing that your thoughts were turned towards the higher things of life and they were impressing you with their loving thoughts and trying to make you realize their presence. Pray more to the Father and you will find that another sensation of love will come to you and faith and joy. Love me too for I love you with all my heart and soul and long to have you know that I am your own loving soulmate who will be yours through all eternity. Well, you have written enough for tonight and are tired. I will be with you in your sleep and will try to carry you with me and let you realize my love. Oh my Ned, how I love you tonight and how dear you are to me and how I long for the time to come when you will be with me in my home. So sweetheart, love me and think of me and believe that in all God's universe, there is no one that loves you as does your own true soulmate. So kiss me goodnight and say that you love me. Yes I am yours now and always. Goodnight and God bless you. Your own true and loving, Helen June, 1st, 1916. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your grandmother. I thought that I might write you a message tonight, if you feel like receiving it. The only way in which the salvation that can be obtained by man and make him of a nature Divine is through the medium of the Holy Ghost, and the way pointed out by Jesus. I will not here attempt to go into details as to the methods, for they have been fully explained to you, but I must say that no other methods can be pursued that will bring the soul of man in unison with God, and make him of a nature Divine. No sacraments of baptism or mere ceremony of the church will enable a man to accomplish this end; and in fact, such things frequently retard the soul of man from becoming in the condition of development that places him in the position of a redeemed child of God. I will not write much, in detail, as to what man himself should do in order to bring into operation the workings of the Holy Spirit, but merely say, that he must pray with the sincere longings of his soul for the inflowing of the Father's Love, and have faith that such Love is a real thing and that it comes to him in response to his prayers. And now to continue as to the truth that this love is waiting for all mankind, no matter where the individuals of the race may be, and that they can receive this Love even though they have never heard of the plan of salvation as declared by Jesus. God intended, when He rebestowed this Love, that every human being, as well as spirit, should have the opportunity to obtain it, and that the manner in which it might be obtained should be made known to all mankind, and in carrying out this intention he specially selected Jesus for this work, who, through his own teachings to mankind, should learn of it. Of course, during the short ministry of Jesus on earth it was impossible that all men should learn of him through the teachings of himself or of his disciples, and hence, the spirits of the world of spirits were permitted to hear these teachings, and come into the knowledge, and then, when they should obtain this Love, to teach it to mortals and spirits, which they did, and have been doing ever since. But while they have been working all these centuries to bring about this great consummation, yet they have not succeeded for the reason, that they could not force the truth of the plan of salvation upon either mortal or spirit, and consequently, man in the exercise of his free will, and spirits also, in the exercise of their will, unless they would open up their understandings of the soul qualities, supplemented by the exercise of their mental qualities, could not obtain this Divine Love. And just as on earth, (where) men have refused to listen to those in mortal life who have attempted to teach them of things religious, so in the spirit world many spirits have and are refusing to listen to the teachings of other spirits, who have the knowledge and possession of this Great Love. And mortals also have failed to respond to the impressions which spirits have been trying to make upon them as to this truth, and, as a consequence, were unable to open up their soul perceptions; and many mortals, as well as spirits, have never received the benefit of the Great Gift of rebestowal. And yet, as I have said, many have responded to these impressions, and even while on earth have had the inflowing of this Love to a more or less extent, although they may not have been conscious of the fact in such a definite manner as to know, that what they had received was a portion of the Divine Love. Among the great obstacles to men putting themselves in this condition of receptivity, are the creeds, and mental beliefs and ceremonies obtaining in many of the churches of Christendom, and in many of the faiths and teachings of the races which live outside of Christendom and which have never heard of this great plan of salvation. In the spirit world, the followers of many of the faiths and creeds, distinct and different from one another, live together in communities as separate races, still believing in their various creeds and teachings of their leaders, and have never heard of this Divine Love or of the necessity of receiving it, but worship God according to their beliefs on earth, satisfied that the doctrines which they profess are the true and only ones, and absolutely refuse to listen to the spirits who often try to teach the truths as to eternal life in the Celestial Spheres. Of course, these spirits have the right and the power to refuse to listen to these truths, and are never compelled to. And then again, some of them will listen, and decline to believe that there is any other truths than the ones that they have embraced. And thus you see, that while this Great Gift, the Divine Love, and privilege of obtaining it was bestowed upon all men, and the Love is ever ready to enter into their souls, yet a very large majority of spirits and mortals will never receive it and become inhabitants of the many mansions. All men and spirits will have the opportunity before the great day of final separation, but many will not be willing to accept the Gift, and will be satisfied in the happiness of their natural love and contented to live in their merely spiritual homes. And here, let me say, because of the fact of the great variety of beliefs and teachings on earth as to the meaning of the second death, many men and spirits will neglect to exercise their privilege of obtaining the Great Gift of the Divine Love and suffer the second death. The second death will take place when that great separation occurs, and the gift of this privilege of receiving the Divine Love of the Father will again be withdrawn from man and spirit. No other death is meant, for man and spirit will continue to live their mortal and spirit lives, without any other death than that which is now constantly taking place. There will be no death in the sense of condemning the spirit of man to eternal punishment, or the annihilation of any spirit, as is taught by some of your religious teachers. No, the only death will be the death that the first parents died at the time of their disobedience, which was the deprivation of the great privilege of receiving the Divine Love and thereby partaking of the Divine nature of the Father, and immortality. Well my dear boy, I have written enough for tonight and will stop. You have my love and my influence to help you in every way, and also my prayers to the Father for your spiritual development. So with my blessings, I will say good night. Your loving Grandmother June 1st, 1916. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your Helen. Well sweetheart, I am so glad that your grandmother finished her message, for she was so anxious to do so, and I know that you will enjoy the same. I will not write more tonight, as I see that you are tired. Your own true and loving, Helen June 3rd, 1916. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Josephus. I come tonight to write a few lines upon a subject in which you may be interested as I have observed that recently you have been reading my History of the Jews, and there are some things in that book which require correction. I don't mean that I desire to correct the whole book, but I do want to say something on some of the subjects that you have been reading about. Well, you will notice that I attempted to tell of the creation of the world and of man, and that what I said was taken from the Old Testament, and that I elaborated a little upon what is contained in Genesis. My work was not taken entirely from the Old Testament for in my time on earth there were other books dealing with this subject that were entitled to just as much credence as was the Old Testament, and from these books I obtained much information that is contained in my writings. But the truth of the things which I wrote, I find now to be not the truth in many particulars, and should not be accepted as such. The description of the creation of man is not in accordance with the facts, and the story as related in the Old Testament, and by me, is not the true story of the facts of such creation. I have not the time now to enter in detail, into a correction of the errors contained in these descriptions, except that I wish to say a few words as to the creation of man and also his fall. He was not made of the dust of the ground, but was made of the elements that existed in the universe of a different order from the mere dust of the ground, and was so created by God for the purpose of forming the mere physical body of man. The two persons called our first parents, were created at the same time, and not one out of the rib of the other. Therefore, the man and the woman are equal in their dignity, and in the relationship which they bear to God, and the one is of just as much importance in the sight of God as is the other. One was created stronger, physically, than the other, and also was given a stronger mentality, for the exercise of the reasoning powers, and the workings of the physical organs of the body. And the other, while weaker in these particulars, yet was given more of the spiritual and emotional nature and also, an intuition by which she could understand the existence of things just as accurately and more quickly than could the man by the exercise of his reasoning power. One was just as the other as respects the gifts bestowed, and together, they were the perfect pair - male and female were they created, with divers functions and duties to perform in the perfect workings of the laws of God. Power and love were theirs, and neither was made the superior of the other, nor was the one to be subject to the other, and had it not been for their fall there never would have been the subjection of the female to the male. When the disobedience took place and the consequent fall, the qualities of the spiritual were taken from them to a large extent, and the animal qualities, as they may be called, asserted themselves and then the male felt his superiority by reason of the fact that he possessed a greater amount of these animal qualities; and the female became subordinated and continued to be ever afterwards, for the male, not having these spiritual qualities to the extent that his mate possessed them, and not being able to realize the greater existence of these qualities in the female, believed that the physical was the superior, and as he possessed the physical to a larger degree than his companion, he determined that he was the superior, and therefore asserted this superiority, and the female observing that this physical superiority did exist, submitted herself unto the male and so continued until now. As man degenerated, this domination of the male intensified, and in some parts of the earth the female became nothing better in the sight of the dominant man than one of the lower animals. This degradation continued until man found the lowest place of his degeneracy, and when the turning point came the qualities of the woman came to be more recognized, but very slowly, and for many thousand years this inequality continued, and man remained the master. As man evolved from this low condition and the moral qualities began to come more into his consciousness, and the animal nature became less dominant, the condition of the female commenced to improve, and as education came into the life and practices of men, woman's opportunities became more extended, and she was more and more recognized as approaching the equal of her companion. In some countries of the earth her equality was recognized, but not in many. The Jews recognized the equality of the woman in all matters pertaining to the home or the domestic life, and continued the distinction which had previously existed, only in respect to public affairs and the qualities of the mind - women were not permitted even by them to develop their mental faculties, and were taught that they were things that belonged to the male, in all matters pertaining to the state or religion of the race. The consequence of this course of life, was that the woman developed the spiritual qualities which were hers to a larger extent, and her refinement and emotional nature and love principle exceeded those of the man to a great degree, and she became in her soul nearer the image of the Divine. I have noticed that this progress has continued with the passing of the years, and now in some of the nations of earth the equality of the woman has become recognized, notwithstanding the fact that the laws of these countries did not permit her to exercise the rights of man, as she is his equal only in the home or in social life. But a time will come when she will be recognized not only by the individual man but by the man-made laws as his equal in every particular, and the further fact will appear that she will be his superior in matters pertaining to the spiritual. As the time approaches when man shall return to his former state of purity and harmony with the laws of God, the spiritual qualities will assert themselves and the animal will become subordinated, and woman will stand before God and man as the latter's equal, and in these soul qualities, his superior; for in the beginning, in this particular, she was his superior; but that superiority existed only in order that what in this regard was lacking in man, was supplied by the woman, and the perfect pair was one. You may think that this is a digression from what I first intended to write, and so it is, but I thought the occasion a proper one to tell mankind the future of the two integral parts of the perfect creation of God. I will not write more tonight, but sometimes will come again and write.So with my love I will say goodnight. Your brother in Christ, Josephus June 3rd, 1916. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true Helen. Well, my dear one, you have had a HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/genesis3.htm" message from Josephus, that may be considered a women's rights argument, and I have no doubt that womankind will agree with him, especially as to his prediction as to what the future of women will be. This may be all true, and the predictions may come to pass. I don't know. But this I do know: that as regards the Divine Love of the Father and the conditions in the Celestial Heavens, there is no distinction made between the man and the woman, except as the individual soul development makes the distinction. And when you consider the further fact that the two parts of the one soul, represented by the male and the female, must, in order to make the perfect one, become united in perfect harmony, you can readily understand that there will be no superiority of one over the other, but that both must be equal, not only in love and the nature of the Divine, but in every other quality that may exist. So in my opinion, instead of women and men thinking about women's rights and such matters, they should devote their thoughts and aspirations to obtaining the Divine Love in their souls, with the certain knowledge that as they obtain it in equal degrees they will become not only the equal of one another, but will become so very equal that they will exist as one, though in two individual forms and personalities. But, of course, I recognize the importance of the equality of both being recognized on earth, for the purposes of earthly existence. Yet, mankind will find that as this Love of the Father enters more into souls of men, or even as the natural love becomes more purified, the rights of women as to things material will become recognized without the enactment of any laws declaring the equality of the sexes. For love is an equalizer more powerful than any laws that man can make. But I will not write more on this subject, for when love comes it will not be necessary that law shall declare the equality, as that love will, of itself, make them so in harmony that inequality cannot exist. Well, I intended to write You a long letter tonight, but as others have written and it is late, I will not try. Your own true and loving Helen June 4th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, St. Luke, writer of the third Gospel that was. I desire to-night to write a short message on the question: - "What is the use in believing in the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross as a salvation from sin?" I know that this belief is at the foundation of the so-called Christian religion and is the cornerstone of most of the churches as they now exist, but as such a belief is false and does not effectuate the object claimed for it, I must declare the utter uselessness of such a belief and the great harm it is doing to mankind. A thing is just what it internal qualities make it. I mean by this, what the ingredients of its composition causes it to really be, and these ingredients cannot be supplied unless they have in themselves, an existence of those qualities which are sufficient to make that composition just what is necessary and required to produce the thing in its genuine substance. This applies to things of the soul, and unless the qualities of the soul are such as to eliminate the elements of sin and everything that prevents that soul from coming into harmony with the laws of God, that soul will continue in sin and separation from the Divine nature of the Father. The soul is in each individual an entity, which is distinct and separate from the soul of every other man, and is dependent for its qualities, not in what that other man may do or not do, but upon that which will make those qualities like, or in substance the same as the qualities of that thing which is desired or sought for, as a necessary acquirement in making the substance of that possessed and that desired, similar. According to the belief of which I speak, the sacrifice mentioned causes the salvation of man by appeasing the wrath of God and lifting from man the condemnation under which he was suffering, and by accomplishing such an object man became a new creature in his soul qualities, and was given the qualities that are required to make him like unto the Father, and, therefore, he man, has nothing further to be done for him in order to relieve him entirely from the possession of this sin, and from the demands of God - the sacrifice is sufficient to bring about these results. But as we have told you, and as even the followers or possessors of these beliefs assert, Love is the great necessity to effectuate the union between God and man, and this Love must dwell in the soul of man as well as in the bosom of the Father, waiting its bestowal on man. It can be obtained only by sincere seeking on the part of man, and no other way is provided by which it can be obtained. The sacrifice or the shedding of blood does not cause the inflowing of this Love into the souls of men, and the mere fact, even if it were true, that an angry God had been appeased, or debt paid, or a mortal is redeemed would not cause this Love to become a part of the souls of men. I know that it is asserted that these things, in some mysterious way, reconciles God to man, and thereby causes the acceptance of man by God, and when that is done, all the sins and depravity of a man's soul immediately become no longer a part of his soul's qualities, and the soul is perfected and its condition is that which enables it to become of a nature like that of the Father. But a difficulty with this conclusion is that only Jesus and God are the one that are participating in this great work of redemption, and man is eliminated from the necessity of doing anything, except to believe that the sacrifice is sufficient to cause his full salvation, and all that it means. How this belief that the sacrifice or the flowing of the blood can make a sinful soul pure, or become a partaker of the Divine nature of the Father, has never been explained by the teachers of the Christian doctrines in any way that is consonant with reason, and cannot be so explained, for the one reason that is of itself sufficient, and that is, that the sacrifice does not work such a consummation. No one man, not even Jesus, can do the work of another or for another, that will produce the results necessary to insure the reconciliation mentioned. It is claimed that Jesus died to save all men from their sins, or that he that believeth on the name of Jesus shall be saved from their sins. But the question again arises, how - in what way? Can it be argued that his death made the impure man clean, even though he believed it did? Can his blood shed on Calvary cleanse the soul of any man? I know that it is claimed that in some mysterious way it does, but no one explains the how. Can anyone of the great theological teachers tell you by what mysterious or other process this blood operates on the Mercy or Love of God, so that the sinner is saved from his sins or from the penalties which the violation of God's laws entail? I know that they cannot, and for the same reason as before stated, that the blood does not accomplish these results. Then what is the use in accepting such belief when it cannot be understood or explained, and is the blindest of blind beliefs of mortals? No, no sacrifice of Jesus, no shedding of his blood and no vicarious atonement as it is called, can save a human soul from sin, or bring it into the Love of the Father, or cause it to become a partaker of the Divine Nature.We have already in previous messages declared and explained to you what and what only brings to men salvation, and I will not here repeat, but will say this, that "except a man be born again, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven." nothing less is sufficient and nothing added to can in any way bring about man's salvation. I will not write more to-night, as what I have said should cause men to think and understand upon what false and baseless foundation they stand when they rely upon the belief in Jesus sacrifice to save them from their sin. With all my love and blessings I will say, good-night. Your brother in Christ. Luke June 6th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Lillian Summer: I am here, the woman who lost her soul to preserve her standing in society while on earth. I was a woman who never thought of things spiritual or of the future life, but lived only for the pleasures of the present. I had everything that money could buy, and never knew what trouble in the way of desiring and not getting, meant. I had an indulgent husband and lovely children, who made my home very happy, and who loved me with all the love of their natures, and, of course, I loved them; but I did not feel the necessity of any other love, nor did I really know of any greater or higher love. Of course I attended church and listened to the sermons of the preachers, and enjoyed them as intellectual treats, but as to appealing to my soul, I never once, as I can remember, experienced any sensation other than what came from the exaltation of my mind. My children were sent to Sunday school and learned what the teachers tried to instruct them in, but at home they had no religious teachings, as I never had any religious experience myself. My husband was not an attendant at church and knew nothing of the higher things of life, and was satisfied to make money so that his family could have all the comforts of home. We had a happy home in our love and associations, and never felt that there was any other happiness that might be ours other than that which we had. Now I realize the want of this spiritual conception of my being and the great joy that I am deprived of because of my want of knowledge of the things of the soul. I had a love nature, and I loved most people with whom I came in contact in a society way, yet this love was more or less unconsciously given, and my great ambition was to become a society leader, and the admiration, and possibly envy, of my friends. Now, I see the falsity of it all, and how little of the ambitions of life, in the particulars mentioned, weighed in the standing and happiness of the spirits in this world of revelation and nakedness, for I am naked as regards all the thoughts and acts of my life, and very seldom do I see anything that helps my present condition. I merely write you this that possibly someone who is living the life that I lived may read it, and turn her thoughts to the essentials, and let all these things of the earthly become secondary and of minor importance. My name was Lillian Summer, and I lived in Richmond, Virginia, and died in 1902. I thank you for permitting me to write, as it has made me feel better and more at home. I will say good night. Lillian Summer June 6th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Kate Stone. Let me write just a line or two, for while so much love is present I want to enjoy it and tell my brother that Mr. Morgan is not the only one on earth who has a mother and sisters and soulmate's love. I have not written often to him, but have been present many, many times when others were writing their messages of love, and while I was not writing I was impressing him with my love and I know that he felt it, for I could see his emotions, and the return of his soul love to me as he received mine. Of course, the sister's love is not so great or of the same quality as the soulmate's, or even that of the mother's, Set it is a love that is all pure and unselfish, and carries with it the influences that can come only from a soul that has received the purification and great joy of the Father's Love. I do love my brother, as we all do and I try so hard and so often to cause him to realize that my poor little sister's love is flowing to him in all its fullness. I know that he has a great deal of not only the natural love, but also of the Divine Love as well, and if he could only know how happy it makes us to realize that he possesses this Divine Love, and is constantly seeking for more, he will try all the harder to get more of it. We can see his soul condition, and to us it is just as naked and open to our soul's vision as is the souls of spirits one to another, and nothing can be hid from us. So you see from what I say that he cannot pretend to love his soulmate, for she knows exactly what love he has in his heart for her, and when he tells her that he loves her she knows to just what extent, and so with the rest of us. All of us are very happy and constantly progressing in our soul development and in happiness, and while this is so, we do not forget him, or our brothers and sisters on earth; but I am sorry to say that they do not know of this Divine Love, and we are trying so hard to impress them with the knowledge of its existence, and the fact that it is waiting for them; but we know that some day they will have an awakening and receive it, for we do not think it possible that such love as ours can be with them so constantly, seeking to influence them, and not in the end bring to them a consciousness that the other love is waiting for them, and we have a great deal of faith, and the Master tells us our prayers will be answered, and he knows. What a precious brother and friend he is, and how he seems to love you and your friends. When mother and father and the rest of the family here get together, we often wonder and try to understand why the Master should have selected you as the recipient of his love to such an extent, and for his disciple to do the great work that must be done for the salvation of mankind. Oh, we are all so thankful and happy that such a thing has come to you, and you, my dear, dear brother, must try to appreciate what it means to you and to others. The Master is with you quite often and when you and your friends get together he comes to you, and casts upon you his love and blessings, and also come many high and wonderful spirits with their love and influences of happiness and peace. So listen to your sister, who was not very wise on earth, but who now knows the wonderful things that come to her with the inflowing of the Father's Love. When she tells you to pray more and let your faith increase, and when doubts come to you, turn your thoughts to the Father and ask His help and blessings, and they will come to you, and you will know it. And love will become a part of your very existence, and the happiness that you will receive will be only a forecast of what is waiting for you when you become one of us in our glorious homes in the skies. I must not write more now, but in closing will say that we all love you, and are all with you, and pray to the Father that His Love and Blessings may come to you in increasing streams of purity, and joy also, which only He can give. With all my love, I am your own dear and loving sister, Kate This is to me a wonderful and most beautiful message and gives me much happiness and consolation. Leslie R. Stone June 8th, 1916. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your own Helen. Tonight everything seems favorable to my writing you my promised message, and I will try. Of course, you must expect to find some expressions of love in it, for I could not write you if I did not tell you how much I love you, and how happy I am when you love me and want me to be with you. Well, sweetheart, I am now in the Celestial Sphere with your grandmother, though not in as high a plane as she, and have not so much of the Divine Love as has she; yet my happiness is so great that I can hardly realize myself what it means, and it is impossible to tell you of the beauties of my home and surroundings. I have tried when I was in a lower sphere to describe to you my home, and I did it very inadequately, giving you only a glimpse of what it really was. And now, if you could increase that description a hundredfold, you would have no conception of the beauty and glory of my present home and the wonders that surround it. I so often wish that you had words in your language that could be used to fully describe what this new home means to me, or even the one that I just left; but as you have not, you will have to be content with knowing that if you should take all the imagery of the Revelation and add to it the sum total of all the beautiful descriptions of places and homes and scenery that the whole range of your English literature contains, you would have but a faint idea of what really exists. And besides, the great increase in the Love that I possess and enjoy and the beautiful and loving and holy spirits whom I have for my companions, make this home of mine truly one of the mansions of the Kingdom of Heaven that Jesus referred to in the Bible; only the mansions that he there spoke of were not necessarily like the one that I have, for the mansions in the Celestial Heavens vary according to the soul development of their occupants. I sometimes think that a very few years ago I was on earth, without much soul development and very little knowledge of the things of God; and now I have that development and knowledge of those things that fit me for these glorious mansions of the Celestial Spheres. How wonderful it all is, and how I thank the Father for His goodness and mercy, and for having given to mankind such a loving and glorious saviour as Jesus. And I do not forget that you had something to do with my starting on this great journey of progress, for I remember that when I first came to you things of the material were very attractive to me, and my appetites of earth had not left me, and how when I displayed some of these desires for the material things you rebuked me, and tried to point the way to the higher things; although I know now that your advice came from your merely mental conceptions of what I should strive for, as at that time you had very little knowledge of the things of the soul and scarcely any soul development. But your Christian training as a child, and the conceptions that had come to you from these instructions, taught you that in the spirit world there must be something higher and beyond the mere earthly conditions of man, where purer joy and happier lives might be found and lived; and your love for me was such that you desired that I should find and possess these things, if possible. I have never forgotten what you then said to me, although at the time I thought you were unkind and not so anxious for my happiness. But long ago I had come to me the knowledge of the motive that actuated your advice, and much happiness has come to me from that knowledge and recollection. Only a little thought of love and an earnest desire on the part of mortal for the spirit, when it is directed in the way of the soul's progress, sometimes work a greater result than the conquering of a city, for it means the salvation of a soul, which is of more value than all the cities of the earth combined. And while I am writing in this strain I wish to say that one of the greatest benefits or possessions that can come to a mortal is to have a mother or husband or wife in whose bosom glows the Divine Love of the Father, even though very faintly, for that little spark of love, to its own degree, makes that soul a part of the Divine essence of the Father's Love, and its influence upon the possessor causes an atmosphere of love and help to be felt by all who have the relationship to such possessor of a child or wife or husband. Christian instructions, though mixed with dogmas and creeds that may all be wrong, yet will benefit, as in them are some thoughts that may awaken the soul to a condition that will let in some portion of the higher Love, which will remain, though dormant, until the time comes when something will arouse the dormant Love to action and life. And this benefit passes with mortal to spirit life, and the influence of the teachings, or rather the accompanying impressions of the Christian mother, etc., to help such a spirit to realize its true condition and to start on its progress to the attainment of the higher things of the soul. No wealth or riches or position that a mortal may inherit can possibly equal the influence of that one little spark in the Christian mother who possesses some portion of the Divine Love; and there is none so poor as the spirit who comes into the spirit world without any recollection of having, at some time in its earth life, received in its soul the influence of that little spark. So I say the man who has a Christian mother or wife who has, at some time in his earth career, taught him to turn his thoughts to God and to pray, even though that man in afterlife forsakes such thoughts and prayers, is a very fortunate being; for in the spirit life he has with him the memories of his earth life and nothing is lost; and among these memories will be the influence of his mother's teachings and his own prayers. And while he will have to satisfy the laws of compensation, yet these recollections of these thoughts and prayers will come to him sooner or later, and will help him in his progress to higher conditions. And you must remember, as has been often told you, that all souls will ultimately reach the planes of purification of their natural loves, or the glories of the spheres where only the Divine Love exists. After I commenced to receive into my soul this Divine Love, I became very anxious to increase its possession and my progress was very rapid, as they tell me, and as I progressed from sphere to sphere, ever were there coming to me new wonders and great happiness and the disappearance of those things which belonged to my mortal life. No one who has not experienced this progress can understand what it means, and how the happiness increases and also the longings for more; and yet the astonishing fact is that notwithstanding these longings, the contentment of the spirit is perfect and no unhappiness, because of longings yet to be fulfilled, exists. As you know, when I entered the spirit world I was met by your mother and others, and all fear or confusion that usually arises from the change which so-called death brings to the spirit left me, and, in fact, never came to me, and I was as tenderly cared for as you can conceive of; and ever thereafter, while I could not go to the home of your mother, yet she and others were with me often enough to keep me from much darkness and suffering, though I did experience some darkness and suffering. But the influence of their love was with me, and they earnestly and lovingly told me of the Great Love of the Father, and how I might get it and become happy, and start on my upward progression. And your father came to me also, with his cheer and help, and showed me that upon myself, to a certain extent, depended my being able to get into the light. He was so good and kind to me that I loved him at once, although I had never seen him in earth life. And from all this can you wonder that I did not remain very long in the lower planes? I tell you that the love and tenderness and influence of the beautiful and loving spirits who have some of God's Love in their souls are things that can take away the terror of death and make a spirit who has just left his mortal home almost happy. And if men could only realize the fact that by attempting to get into their hearts good thoughts and longings of love so that these beautiful spirits could be attracted to them, their entrance and reception in the world of spirits would become one, even if not of happiness, yet of freedom from fear and loneliness. So, I advise all mortals to so live as to attract friends on the spirit side of life that can come to them in the times of the great change, and comfort and help them. Now, I do not mean by this that such spirits of mortals will not have to endure the darkness and suffering which the conditions of their souls demand they should endure, but their entrance into the spirit world will be as I say. Well, sweetheart, I have written a quite long letter and you must be a little tired, but I must further write and tell you that all this happiness that I have spoken of may be yours, and as your soulmate, I believe and almost know that it will be; for while you are a mortal, no matter how long the years may be, you will have with you my love and longings for your coming, and my prayers to the Father for a great bestowal upon you of His Divine Love. And besides all this, you know that you have surrounding you the loves of those who are higher than I, and who possess so much more of this Divine Love. Oh, it, will be a happy day for me when you do come, and I know that you will be happy, also. Just think, that as your eyes close in what the preachers call the last sleep, I will be with you, and when you awake I will be with you, and the only thing that will greet your newly-awakened vision will be my eyes, so filled with love and joy that you will almost want to die over again just for the sake of having the awakening. I remember that when on earth, you thought my arms were very beautiful, and loved to have them around you, and thought yourself happy; but when you come to me again you will find arms so much more beautiful clasping you to a bosom that you cannot dream of, and eyes looking into your eyes with so much love and happiness that you will, for the first time in all your life, know what happiness means; and then when I tell you that I am all yours and that never again will cruel death, as it is called, separate us, and that only love, pure and unselfish and never-dying, will be ours without any lessening or disturbing by jealousy or tiresomeness, you will wonder if you have really awakened from that last sleep or are only dreaming. But then I will give you a long, sweet kiss of love that you will know that it is all real. Oh, my Ned, I do love you and want you to love me with all your heart! The time will not be long now, until we shall be together in our spirit life, when your cares and worries of life will not longer trouble you. But, sweetheart, you must pray to the Father for a greater inflowing of His Divine Love and blessings, for upon the development of your soul depends our continuous living together, and progress. I will be with you tonight while you sleep, and I am so filled with love that I know I shall call your spirit from your body and carry it with me to purer planes, where we can, for a few moments, enjoy the bliss of living together, without the encumbrance of your body. You may not remember it when you awake, but I will know, and will tell you of it when next I write. So, sweetheart, give me my good-night kiss. Your own true and loving Helen June 11th, 1916. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I come tonight according to promise, and desire to write my message, if you are in condition to receive it. I wish to write on the subject of: "What is the correct way in which a man should live the life on earth, in order to receive the cleansing from his sins, so that he can acquire the purification of his natural love?" Heretofore, I have conferred in my messages almost exclusively to the redemption of the soul by means of the Divine Love, so that the redeemed one may become an inhabitant of the Celestial Spheres. Now I will deal only with that cleansing that will fit him to live in the highest and purest of the spirit spheres, where he can have the happiness which a pure natural love will bring to him. As has been written you, the soul as it was created and placed in man was, at the time of its creation in human form, or rather at the time it found a habitation in that form, made pure and perfect and in complete harmony with the laws of God controlling its existence, and that only after the fall by reason of man's own indulgence in the animal appetites and desires did it lose its purity and become contaminated by sin and error, and that ever since that time it has remained in such condition of impurity and alienship to God and His laws. This impurity has been the lot of each succeeding generation of men, and has never been eradicated from men's souls, notwithstanding all the moral instructions that man has acquired; but still there has been wonderful improvements in the purity of man's thoughts, as well as in his actions and habits of life, since the turning from the bottom of his degeneracy. Now, there are several ways in which man may succeed in acquiring that purity that existed at the time of the creation of the first man, and in time this consummation will be accomplished; but in these ways man, himself, will have to be an important, working factor, for man is the highest of God's creation, with powers and will possessed by no other of God's creatures, and there is no power in heaven or earth that can or will redeem man from this condition of sin and error, unless man will cooperate in the work, and that to the greatest and best of his ability. These sins that I speak of were created by man's thoughts and desires, carried into acts and deeds by the operation of his will, and they must be removed by the same processes. Where the evil thoughts and deeds created that which contaminated and defiled the qualities of his soul, these evil thoughts and deeds must be supplanted by good thoughts and deeds in order that the defilement may be removed and the soul purified. Evil thoughts are born of suggestions, both inward and outward, and also of the influences of spirits of evil who establish a rapport with the mortals. Let us postpone the writing for our rapport is not just right. I will come soon and finish. With all my love I am your brother and friend, Jesus June 11th, 1916. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Helen. Well, I am sorry that you could not continue the writing, for the Master was very anxious to write the whole message tonight. Well, you were not in condition, and it was hard work for the Master to control your hand and brain. It may be that your brain was tired, and he could not transmit the thoughts. But you may have better success next time. He understands, and says that you must not feel bad about it. Goodbye for a while. Your own true and loving Helen June 13th, 1916. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I intended to finish my discourse tonight, but it is now too late, and I will have to postpone it. (question) Well, there are cases where such results follow, and it is not astonishing that it is so, for these mediums who surrender their own faculties and wills and moral powers will find spirits take control of them; and these spirits do not hesitate to use these mediums for any and all purposes that they may desire, and these desires are mostly injurious and detrimental to the mediums, both morally and spiritually. In such cases of spirit control the mediums absolutely submit their mental and will powers to the domination of these spirits, and when once such spirits get control they are never satisfied, and care not for the conditions of the mediums, and such being the case, the mediums suffer. But, the mediumship which you have is not of such a character as to permit any spirit who may write through you to obtain that control of your mental faculties as will enable them to exercise their wills and powers in a way that will prevent you from exercising yours as you desire. They do not become your masters, but are subordinate to your will and cannot use you for the purposes mentioned unless you so incline. The exercise of your phase of mediumship will not do you harm, and you need not fear the results. In fact it is necessary that your mental faculties should become vivified and enlarged in order for you to do the work, and the greater development you have, the more you will be enabled to do our work in a more satisfactory manner. (question) I know the substance of the book that you have been reading, and the falsity of these speculations that assert the doctrine of reincarnation. There is no such thing as the second embodiment of the soul into the human form, and no return to earth for the purpose of improvement of the soul's condition. So try to be in condition and we will continue the writing of my messages. With all my love and blessings, I am Your brother and friend Jesus June 17th, 1916. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I see that you are in better condition tonight, and it may be that we can HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/minor159.htm" continue the message. Well, as I was saying, the only way in which a mortal may obtain the development of his soul condition, without the help of the Divine Love, is by attempting to exercise his will in the way that will cause the thoughts of evil and error to leave him, and to be replaced by thoughts that will bring his heart and soul into harmony with the laws of his creation as mere man. This can be done by his seeking for those higher things of morality, and the subordinating of the purely animal desires and appetites of the mortal to the aspirations and desires of the higher and nobler part of his nature. As I have before told you, man was pure and good until he, by the exercise of his will, following the suggestions of the animal desires, permitted himself to degenerate from the high and perfect condition of his creation. These sins and desires do not belong to his original nature, for his true nature was pure and in harmony with the laws of God. And although he has lost it by the excessive and wrongful exercise of his will, obeying the desires of his animal nature; yet he can recover his condition of original purity and harmony, if he will get rid of these sins and errors, so that his nature may again become free from everything that defiles it, or places it out of harmony with the laws that created it. So you see, it is not necessary for man to obtain or add to his original condition, any qualities that were not his in the beginning, but merely to get rid of or eradicate from that condition those things which are mere excrescences or parasites - and thereby have his nature in the same condition that was his when he was created, and was the perfect man. So long a time has the nature or condition of the nature of man been in this state of defilement and alienation from the true condition of his creation, that the effort to bring about the restoration will necessarily be great, and he will have to use all his power of will that he is capable of to effectuate this object, and he will find in such efforts two conflicting forces, always fighting each other for the mastery. The fact that he believes his present condition is the natural one, and that the state and purity and freedom from sin and error is one that does not belong to him naturally, but must be acquired by adding something to what he now has and always possessed, will make the fight more uneven. Therefore the first things that man must believe is that his present condition is not his natural one, and that he has nothing more or greater to accomplish than to relieve himself of those things which prevent his condition from becoming as it was when he was the perfect man. If he will get this belief firmly fixed in his mind, and assert that he was made by God, and that God never created anything impure or not in harmony with His laws, he, man, will have accomplished the first step towards his regeneration, and towards success in his effort. He must not consider himself to be a weak, low and unworthy creature of God, not being entitled to those conditions of purity and greatness which made him the beloved child of the Father. Of course, self-esteem and pride and everything of that nature must be eliminated from the estimate that he must have of himself, but on the contrary the idea that he is degenerated and utterly helpless being must not be permitted to enter his mind. Such thoughts do not make him pleasing to God, as he has been taught they do, but only make him subservient to his masters - sin and error - and prevent him from asserting his own superiority to these things, which is necessary to exist in his conception of his true condition, in order that he may obtain the ascendancy over those masters. When he shall have assumed this position, then he will realize that these animal appetites and desires, and evil thoughts which arise from them and from the belief that he is by nature degraded and unworthy of a better and higher condition of nature, are really beings of his own creation, and subject to his will and self control - and total destruction. And with such realization will come a consciousness that they are not parts of his nature, but foreign to it; and that in order that his nature may become separated from them, he must look upon them as enemies and treat them as such, to be destroyed and utterly extinguished, and never more to be taken to his bosom and cherished as inalienable and dominant parts of his nature. Of course, in treating them as such enemies, great watchfulness and determination will have to be exercised, for they are very insidious and will at all times and in all ways, whenever the opportunity arises, try to convince him that they are an integral and necessary part of his being, incapable of being separated from him. But by the exercise of this belief, based upon a right conception of what is and what is not a part of him, as the perfect man, and by the exercise of his will power in accordance with this conception, he will be able to rescue himself from these unnatural appetites and desires and thoughts of error and sin. As this belief becomes stronger and this conception clearer, and his will exercised in closer harmony with the two (true(?)) essentials, these excrescences will gradually and one by one fall away from him, until, at last, he will rise again - the perfect man, with the pure and harmonious nature which God gave him at the time of his creation. But this process will be slow and sometimes hardly perceptible, for the long years of misbelief in the idea of original sin, and that God created evil and error for the purpose of defiling man's nature and making a disobedient devil of him, without any inherent goodness or the possibility of becoming regenerated, unless by the operation of some miracle; will make it difficult for the acquiring of the true belief as to what he, and what his nature are, and enable him to become the master, and not remain the servant. God is the Father of all, and loves all his children, and as he originally provided for their happiness, so now, he desires that all may be happy, even though they may not seek for that Divine Love which makes mortals and spirits more than the mere perfect man. Forgiveness is, in effect, forgetfulness; and when men in their efforts cause all these things of evil and sin to cease being a part of their nature, and only thoughts of purity and righteousness to find a lodgment in their minds, then these other things are forgotten and forgiveness has taken place. Man no longer is the slave of false beliefs and unrighteousness, nor is he their associates, and even in memory they become things of nonexistence; and when he gets into this condition of purity and freedom and in harmony with the laws of his creation, there exists nothing which can be the object of forgiveness, and he is the man of perfect creation. But in all this man must realize that he does not exist by and for himself alone, for always he is surrounded by mortals or spirits or both, exercising upon him their influence for good or evil; helping him to turn his thoughts from these things of evil and sin into those higher things which are his by nature, or causing him to receive and foster these evil thoughts with increased intensity. He cannot get rid of these influences, of one kind or the other, and, hence, he should seek the influence of those who are good and desire to help him in his efforts towards the recovery of that condition which is his by right of birth. Among God's laws, which never change and which work impartially, is the great law of attraction; and it works in the case of all mortals and spirits, and never rests. And the great principle of this law is, that like attracts like, and the unlike repulses the unlike. So man must know that as he is - I mean in his state of mind and soul - so necessarily will be his companions of those who desire his association, and, hence, he should realize this important truth and all that it implies. If his thoughts and deeds are evil, he will attract those spirits or mortals who have similar thoughts and deeds, and who will not help him to higher things, but who will retard his progress towards his first estate; and if his thoughts and deeds are good, then his associates will only be those of like qualities, who can and will help him in his progress. Every effort to create good thoughts strengthens the desires and will in that direction, and assists the coming of other good thoughts, for with these efforts comes the help of these unseen influences, and the repulsion of the influences of the retarding forces. Man is a wonderful being and the highest creation of the Father, and yet his greatest master is his belief in the power and supremacy of these things of evil of his own creation. But beyond all this a means to accomplish man's restitution to his perfect estate, is the help of the Father, which is never refused when man seeks for it in earnest sincere prayer (sic). Always the Father is willing to respond to the true prayers of man, and by His instrumentalities, will make the efforts of man sure and effective, so that he can acquire that condition that will free him from all sin and error and slavery of false belief, in the mastery of his evil creatures. Man must believe in the love and help of the Father, in the manhood and greatness of himself, and in the utter error of his belief in the mastery of his own children of sin and error.I have written enough and must stop, as you are tired. So assuring you of my love for you, and my care and help, I will say, goodnight. Your brother and friend, Jesus June 17th, 1916. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Luther. I come tonight to say that I would like to write again very soon, as I desire to write further in the line of thought of my last message. I see that you are too tired to write tonight and I will not ask you to do so, but if you can soon give me the opportunity to write, I will be much obliged. Yes, I know, and I HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/minor161.htm" enjoyed his message and believe that it will be readily understood. What a Master he is! So beautiful and powerful and loving! Your brother in Christ, Luther June 17th, 1916. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving Helen. Well, my own dear Ned, you have had a HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/minor161.htm" very entertaining letter from the Master tonight, and I am glad that you were in condition to receive it so well. He said that you were very successful and he is pleased. Goodnight. Your own true and loving, Helen June 19th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, John. I come tonight to tell you that you are in a better condition than you were last night, and that I desire to write a short message if you think that you can receive it. Well, I will not write very long, and what I shall say will have to do with "the condition of the soul when and after the Divine Love flows into it." As you know, the soul in the condition in which man possesses it before the entrance of the Divine Love is not in accord with the Love of God, nor is it a part of the great Oversoul. It is only a special creation made in the image of the Father, having in it the natural love which was conferred upon man at the time of his creation, and not having in it any part of the essence of the Father, or any quality that makes it of the Divine nature of the Father, or necessarily immortal. But when the Divine Love enters into it, and it becomes permeated, as it were, with the Divine Essence, then it takes on the Divine nature of the Father, and to the extent that it receives and possesses this Love it becomes at-one with God and ceases to be a mere image, and becomes transformed into the substance. The soul in this condition is altogether a different entity from the soul in the condition in which it was created, and no longer is subject to the dominion of either the mind or of the animal appetites and desires, and, hence, the spirit possessing such a soul is, in essence, a part of the Father, or as Jesus said, is in the Father and the Father in it. Now, do not understand that such a soul is the soul that man originally possessed with increased development of purity and goodness or freedom from sin, because such is not the case. Such soul by such transformation becomes a new thing, and never again can it relapse into the soul of man's origin. Because of the qualities that it then possesses, it becomes immortal, and such immortal nature can never be taken from it. It is now a thing of love and purity, and consciousness of its true condition is always with the spirit that has such soul. This transformation is gradual, and men must not think that by the mere act of conversion from their state of death they at once become possessed of the nature of the Divine, for such is not the fact. The transformation is gradual and comes according to the susceptibility of the the souls to receive this Love of which I speak. But when once the inflowing of the Love commences, it continues eternally. Although there may be times of stagnation and apparent loss of this Divine Essence, yet always is the transformation taking place, and at certain stages in its progress, the possession of this Divine Love will be so great that the original soul, or its original qualities will entirely disappear and leave only the new qualities which the Divine Love has implanted in it. The leaven when once deposited never ceases to work until the whole shall become leavened. I will not write more tonight, but only further say, that this condition of transformation may be obtained by all men if they will only seek for it in the proper way and with faith. I will soon write you again. In leaving you, I give you my love and blessings and the assurance that I am helping you in your efforts to carry forward the work, and in accomplishing all the promises. So my dear brother, goodnight. Your brother in Christ, John June 20th, 1916 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. Let me write just a word, as I am anxious to make known to you that I am interested in your work and in the development of the knowledge of the soul and the means by which all men may receive the Divine Love of the Father and become at-one with Him. I am not going to write you a lecture tonight and I merely write that I may get in rapport with you, so that later I may have the opportunity and ability to write you of those things of deep and lasting interest to mortals. I am not known to you, but I hope that you will soon consider me one of your friends, as I desire to be, I assure you. I must stop now, and in leaving will subscribe myself, Your true friend and brother in Christ, John Calvin June 27th, 1916. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I wish to-night to write you upon a subject that is of interest to all mankind, and I hope that we will be able to communicate and you receive the message. I desire to write on the subject of - Why the Love of God - I mean the Divine Love - is necessary for man to possess in order that he may become at one with the Father and an inhabitant of the Celestial Kingdom. Already I have written you what this Divine Love is in contradistinction to the natural love, and how it is necessary to save men from their sins so that they may become inhabitants of the Celestial Kingdom, and that nothing but this Love will make a man at-one with the Father, and that no mere ceremony or belief in me as the saviour of men will effectuate that end; and now I will try to show you why this Divine Love is necessary, or as your learned men might say, show you the philosophy of the transformation of the mere man into the divine angel, which every man becomes who receives this Love into his soul. In the first place, man, as you have been informed, is a special creation of God, and is no greater than the component parts that enter into his creation as they are in their individual and aggregate qualities, and these parts are merely what God in His act of creation designed them to be. It must not be assumed that these parts or any of them are a part of God, or of His essence or qualities, for they are not, and are as separate and distinct from Him and His qualities, as are the lower creations of His will, such as animals, and vegetables and mineral substances. The only difference is that man is of a much higher order of creation, and in one particular, made in the image of God, and no other of His creatures has this image in its creation. But, nevertheless, man is no part of God, but a merely distinct creation, and in his best and purest state only a man, having simply those qualities which were created in him at the time of his coming into existence. There are certain qualities which man possesses, such as love and wisdom and the reasoning faculties which may be said to resemble the Godlike attributes, and so they do; but yet, they are not a part of God's essence or qualities, and when men assert that man is divine, or that he has in him the divine nature or even a portion of the Divine Essence, they are wrong, for the qualities in them that appear to be of this divine resemblance, are merely those which were created for the purpose of making the human a perfect man. And because of this conception of man as to his inherent qualities, he has and does and will lose the opportunity of becoming possessed of the nature or Essence of the Father which he may obtain, if he will pursue the proper and only method that God has provided for him in order to be at one with Him. The universe of man can and will continue to exist, even though man may never become a partaker of this divine nature of the Father, and man will live and enjoy the happiness that was bestowed upon him at the time of his creation, and he will not lose the perfect condition of this creation after he shall have been separated from sin and error, his own creatures. But he will not be anything more than the perfect man, and in the time to come will not be anything less, and, yet, he will always, as long as he exists, remain distinct from the Nature and Essence of the Father, just as he was at the time of his creation, unless he obtains this Divine Nature and Essence of the Father in the way that I mentioned. The highest endowment of man, either in soul or heart or intellect is merely that which belongs to him as a part of his creation, and is not the smallest part of the divine nature and qualities of the Father. No part or portion of divinity enters into man's creation, no matter how divinely constituted man may appear to be or Godlike he may seem in the greatness of his intellect or in the extent of his love nature. So you see, man is as distinct from God and from His divinity, as is the animal - the brute - from man, and must forever remain so unless he follows the only way the Father has prescribed for him to obtain a portion of this divinity. Now, all this shows that man, no matter how highly he may develop his intellect or to what extent he may develop his moral and love nature, cannot become more than the mere man that he was in the beginning - perfect in every particular - for he was in the beginning perfect in every particular, and as I have said before, God never makes a mistake as to the perfection of His creatures, even though in the case of man it may appear that He did in giving him the great power of free will, which in its wrongful exercise has caused sin and evil to appear in the word of man's consciousness. And man was made finite, and his capacity for exercising any and all his qualities, is limited beyond which he cannot possibly go. His intellect is bound by limits as determined as the law of God which controls it, and also, his capacity for loving and for the enjoyment of his happiness; and though he may live for all eternity either as man or spirit, he cannot possibly extend or pass beyond the boundary lines of his creation. He cannot enter into the Realm of the Divine where limitations do not exist, and capacity for receiving knowledge and wisdom and love, and for progression that is commensurate with the very fountainhead of God, Himself. Then, such being the nature and limitation and capacity of man, it is apparent that he can never by virtue of his creation and the qualities which he possess, become a partaker of the nature and Essence of God, unless he receives something in addition to these qualities, and he must receive this something from without. It will not do to say, that there is within him, as an inherent part of him, that, which when developed, will make him of a nature divine and a part of the essence of the Father, for this is not true. There is nothing in man of this nature, and it is impossible to produce an Essence Divine unless there be something from which it can be produced, that in some degree has the nature of that Essence. It would be the equivalent of producing something from nothing which even God does not attempt to do. Then, as man is thus limited, all that flows from the qualities and attributes which he possesses is necessarily limited. The enjoyment of his intellect, the pleasures of his love, the satisfaction of his reasoning powers, and as a sum total, his capacity for happiness have their bounds, and, besides, the consciousness of immortality can never be his, either as spirit or mortal, even though he may strive it to be. When man takes on the Divine Nature and becomes absorbed in the Essence of the Father, he then becomes like the Father, and whatever his image to the Father may have been when he was mere man, now he becomes the real Substance, and limitations of possibilities become removed, love sees no ending and intellectual development, no boundaries, happiness no limitations, and Immortality becomes a thing of knowledge, and the soul a new creature, having the Divine Essence of the Father; and until this new creation has taken place, and the transformation becomes a thing of reality, and the soul be made at-one with the Father, man cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Then, no longer man but now an Angel. Now, as I have written you before, all this can be accomplished only by the operation of the NEW BIRTH, that is the inflowing into the soul of man of the Divine Love of the Father. This Love contains the Essence of God's divinity, and when man obtains it he is then of the same Essence as the Father, and for the first time becomes a part of the Divine, and fitted to inhabit the Celestial Heavens. In no other way can man partake of this nature, and it does not require much reasoning to show the logical truth of this statement, for man in his earthly affairs, and in his material experiments in producing compounds from elements, applies the same principle that I assert in my statement, "The dough cannot be leavened unless leaven is placed in the batch." So you see, that without this Divine Love entering into the soul it will be impossible for the natural man to become the Divine angel. Beliefs and creeds and doctrines and sacrifices cannot work this transformation, and even though the beliefs may be without doubt, and the creeds and doctrines satisfactory, and the sacrifices without end, yet they will all be futile to change the soul of the mere man into the soul of the Divine Angel, and all this, in part, is why man should seek to obtain the Divine Love and become an inhabitant of the Celestial Spheres. I have written enough for tonight and I am pleased at the way in which you received it. So with all my love and blessings, I am Your brother and friend, Jesus June 27th, 1916 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Edwin Forrest: Well I am here again and I am glad to be able to write you for I need your advice so much, as several have told me that you can help me. I am in much darkness and suffering, and don't know just why, but I suppose it is because of my evil habits, and I want to get relief if possible so try your best to help me. Well I understand what you say and will believe that you desire to help me, and I will certainly try to take your advice. So give it to me. Yes I see some who are like myself and need help as I do. Yes, now I see some beautiful and bright ones who are so different from what I have ever seen, and as I look they become plainer to me, and I see your wife and she is so beautiful and speaks to me, and says that she heard what I said to you and that she is ready and willing to help me, if I will listen to her and try to believe what she says. My she is lovely and seems too good! Well, I have heard what you say and you surprise me somewhat in telling me about Taggart and the others, and I will try to do as you say. But before I go tell me how did you ever get the power to receive my writing and thus communicate. I never knew when on earth that you had this power, and if you had told me, I suppose I would not have believed. So Ned, I will do as you say, and your wife calls me to her and I am going. So goodbye, and believe that I am thankful. Your old partner and now grateful friend, Edwin Forrest June 29th, 1916 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Luther. I desire to write a short message tonight on the subject of: "The observance of the ceremonies which my church still uses in its worship is not approved by God or Jesus." I will not detain you very long and will try to express myself as succinctly as possible. Well, as you may not know, the church of which I am the founder believes and teaches the necessity of infant baptism and the observance of the Lord's Supper as necessary parts of its church doctrine, and of such very great importance that without them it is difficult to become an accepted member of the invisible church of Christ. Nothing is further from the truth than these doctrines for the baptism of infants, for they have no virtue to save one from his sins or to make him in at-onement with the Father, and the mere fact that water is sprinkled on an infant's head and some blessing pronounced by the preacher does not in any way bring that infant in unison with the Father. Baptism is of man's creation and to God it means nothing more than an outward ceremony that affects the infant merely as regards its connection with the established earthly church. It is not possible for this baptism to have any effect upon the soul of the infant and neither does it open up the soul faculties to the inflowing of the Divine Love. God cares not for these ceremonies, and rather looks upon them with disapproval, for their tendency is to make men and women neglectful of the great truth that will bring them in harmony with God's laws of Love and redemption. And the same thing may be said of any and all kinds of baptism, whether the subject thereof be an infant or a grown man or woman. As to the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, it has no part in God's plan for the redemption of mankind and it is merely a reminder of the association of Jesus with his disciples. It cannot affect the condition or development of the soul, and as now understood and practiced this sacrament is of no importance, for Jesus does not want to be remembered in the way of recalling to him the tragedy on the cross which was only the result of the malice and envy of the Jews; and the blood spilt is not an element that enters into the plan of the salvation of men. And besides, with this sacrament there is always more or less worshipping of Jesus as God, which he, Jesus, abhors and looks upon as blasphemy. So you see, the celebration of the last supper is a thing which is not acceptable to God or to Jesus. He does not want men to believe that they can be saved by any sacrifice of him or by any blood which he may have shed as a result of his crucifixion. Of course, you will remember that the question of what the wine and bread of the sacrament really were, was one that engendered much controversy, and even hatred and ill-feeling on the part of those who were assisting me in the great Reformation. If I had known then what I do now, no such question would have been debated or believed in by me and taught for many years. The blood of Jesus was no more than any other man's blood, and the commemoration of the last supper that Jesus gave his disciples before his death, is a useless ceremony and brings no help to those who indulge in this sacrament. I see that you are tired and sleepy and I will not write more now. So with my love and wishes for an increase in you of the Divine Love, I am Your brother in Christ, Luther July 2nd, 1916 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, John. I come tonight to tell you of a truth which is important for you to know as well as for the world of mankind. I will not write a very long message, but what I may say will be the truth and every man should understand it and make it his own. I will not write upon any subject that you have been instructed upon before, but will deal with a subject entirely new and my subject is: "Why should men learn that they are not to be left to themselves in their conceptions of what life means, and what its importance is in the economy of man's creation and destiny." I know that this may seem to you to be a strange subject to write on, but it is one that should be of interest to all men who know that the earth life is very short and then eternity takes them into its embrace and never again permits them to become creatures of time. Man lives and dies and never lives again according to the materialist, and he is as the brute animal without any future. But the spiritualist, and by that I mean those who believe that there is something more to man than the mere material, believes he lives and never ceases to live, although the physical body dies never to be resurrected again as such body. Now, as we take either the one or the other of these views, the meaning of man's earth life assumes a very different aspect, and calls for very different thoughts and actions on his part in living his life. Of course, if what is called death is the end of things, that man should do, or he should think he should do, as the old saying, "eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow you shall die," and with that death comes oblivion and forgetfulness never to be awakened again into consciousness. His mission in the universe is fulfilled, and he can no more experience the hopes or ambitions or joys or sorrows which were his as a living man. But on the other hand, if man never ceases to live, then his thoughts and conduct should be turned towards the accomplishment of that which will provide for him the best possible future. Those of both opinions know, that when death comes the physical body can no longer be used, and those who believe in the continuous existence know that as the physical body perishes man must have some other form or body in which may be lodged the consciousness of this continued existence, and that body must be as real as the one which he relinquishes. Such being the fact, the man who knows that death does not end all will naturally and necessarily seek to learn what that body of continued existence is like, and what is necessary to enable him to obtain that body and thereby enjoy the living in eternity. And thus seeking he will not be satisfied to learn that that body is the mere spirit body which has been his during all the years of his earth life, but will desire to further learn what the relationship is between that body and the manner of living his earth life. I know that of himself, man cannot to any degree discover this relationship, and that he must depend upon the teachings and experiences of those who have experienced the separation of the spirit from the physical in order to at all comprehend this relationship. As one having had this experience, I wish to say that the spirit body is, of itself, a creation like as is the physical body, and has its existence only for the purpose of preserving man's individuality, and of containing and sheltering his soul, both while on earth and after he becomes a spirit. Then his living means that he is placed on the earth merely to acquire an individuality, and to learn that within him is the soul which is his real self and which he must cherish and educate and feed with the higher thoughts and goodness of his original creation; and not neglect the opportunities that come to him for this development. I know that this seems incoherent to you with no special object in view, but you are mistaken in thus thinking for the object will soon be seen. But as you are not just in condition for further writing tonight, I will postpone my writing until later. So trusting that you will not feel inclined to reject the message I will say goodnight. Your brother in Christ, John July 3rd, 1916 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Mary. I want very much to write as I have been waiting for some time to send my dear Leslie a communication, and I have been so disappointed because it seemed to me that conditions would never present themselves that would enable me to tell of my love and desires. But now that I am writing again, I hope that you will not think me selfish if I should write a little longer than seems to be reasonable. Well, I was present the other night when you came to us in your spirit form, and what Helen told you is all true, but she did not tell you the whole truth for if she had, she would have told you that I greeted you also, and that you said I was very beautiful and that Leslie had no conception of what a lovely sweetheart he had, and that if he could only see me and be with me he would never want to return to earth again. And I told you to tell him that I was his, and no one else's, and that I was waiting for him to come, and that I was going to try to bring him to these spheres of love just as Helen did you, and I am going to do it, too. Of course, I have never had any experience of this kind, but Helen says that she will show me the way and that very soon, and now I desire to tell him that he must not be surprised if some night before very long he finds himself with me and enjoying my love and happiness. But Helen says that if he does come she will meet him also and tell him some things that will cause him to think that I do not love him so much; but I don't care if she does so that I have him with me. He must believe in what I here write, for it is true and we will have all the enjoyment that I can possibly promise, and I know that then I will be so real to him that he will never thereafter have to wonder what kind of looking girl his soulmate is. He may not recollect any more, than you do, his experience, but yet there will remain with him in his memory some conception of what his Mary looks like, so that she will be real to him as your Helen is to you. Oh, what a glorious thought that I can have him with me in his actual spirit presence, and talk to him and have him talk to me! Won't that be heaven for us both! But I must not get into such rhapsody for if I do I may forget some other things that I desire to say. Tell him that I am with him so very much and that when he thinks I am giving him the signal I am really doing so, and that when he does not receive the signal I am frequently with him. And tell him, too, that as I progress in my soul development and get more of the divine love in my soul, the more I love him, and try to make him realize it, and that now as I am in the celestial heavens, I know that he will not be left in the lower spheres, for I could not be perfectly happy without him, and that God is too good to deprive me of his companionship. What a wonderful thing is love, and I mean not only the love of the Father but the lesser love of the soulmate when it knows that it's soulmate on earth returns that love; but of course, the mortal soulmate can never love as does the soulmate in the higher spheres. I am so very happy tonight that I could write for a long time yet, but I must not, though I will add a postscript. I am with his mother very much, and love her very dearly, because she loves her son so much, and we often talk about the time when he will come to us and be one of the family of redeemed spirits, and when his home and my home shall be the same. His mother is a very beautiful spirit and knows only love, and while she loves all her children on earth yet she feels closer to him because he gives her the opportunity to come to him and he responds to her thoughts of love and happiness. His father is also much interested and is with him very much, trying to help him and turn his thoughts to the higher things of life on earth as well as here and is now here telling me that I must let him know that he, the father, is so very happy that his son's longings and aspirations are so often given to those thoughts that will enable him to progress to the delights that come only with the divine love of the Father. Well, I must stop now or you will think that I am very selfish and I do not want you to think that, for you know I love you as a sister and want you to believe that I am a good little spirit, even if I do love more than some spirits who don't know so much about love. So I will say goodnight, but tell my dear one to prepare to have his spirit carried away some night to fields of bliss and beauty that very few mortals visit. So goodbye. Your own true friend and sister, Mary July 3rd, 1916. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your own true and loving Helen. You have received quite a letter from Mary tonight, and she was so glad that she could write you for she wanted to let the Doctor know that she intends to carry his spirit with her and enjoy his presence as I did yours. I will assist her and she will succeed, and the Doctor will be carried to the sphere to which his soul development will enable him to enter which I think will be the third, for he has much development and is in possession of much of the love. Well, I see that you do not feel like writing much tonight, and I will not try to write longer, and only say that I love you with all my heart and soul. So love me and give me my kiss. Goodnight, Your own true loving, Helen July 9th, 1916. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I come today to tell you that I am pleased with you in your efforts to find the truth of what we have taught as to God and of the relation of man to Him. I have been with you in your reading of several days past, and have observed the effect upon you of the contrast between the beliefs and teachings of men as you have read them and the teachings of truth that we have revealed to you in our messages. While these writings that you have been reading have in them some things of truth, yet there are many things that are wholly untrue, and the mere results of speculation. Today, if you feel in condition, I will instruct you as to some of the errors and deficiencies of Christian Science, and the want of the true comprehension of its founder of the realities of being. She writes and teaches that there is nothing real in sin and error and disease, and that their apparent existence is wholly due to the mortal mind, and that when this mind denies the existence of these things, they will no longer exist. Well, in this assertion there is a large grain of truth, but in order to understand and apply this truth, more than a mere denial of their existence must be taught and believed by man. It is true that God never created anything of evil - or that which is not in harmony with His nature and essence, which are only good - and that to ascribe the existence of these evils and discords to God is erroneous and blasphemous. But the fact remains that these things exist, and the mere denial of their existence does not remedy the harmful results that flow from such existence. Man suffers from evil and error and disease and has always so suffered since the fall from his state of perfection, and always will suffer in consequence of there being in his consciousness these things of reality, and the mere calling them the result of "Mortal mind," will not explain their existence or furnish a remedy by which they may be gotten rid of. First arises the necessity of understanding how, and by what means these things came into existence, and then it will become easier for the understanding of the means and the way by which they may be eliminated from the life and apparent nature of mankind. As I have already told you, these things, foreign to God's creation, were created by man alone in the excessive and unlawful exercise of his will power in following out the suggestions and desires of his animal appetites, which unduly asserted themselves when man lost a part of his spirituality by his disobedience. Their creation was the result of something more than what the founder of that Science calls the "mortal mind", for the mind is only a part of man's being; and while the faculties of the mind must be used in the operation of all the powers and qualities of man, yet the mind is not the originator of all his desires and appetites and emotions. The emotional nature and affections are distinct from the mere mind, or the intellectual faculties, and as regards sin and error, are generally the creators of the same, although the mind may and does foster and increase these things so created. Then man must understand that these excrescences to his perfect creation are real and existing, and result in his own damnation and alienation from the good, and are antagonistic to his original and natural condition of perfection - and that they cannot be swept out of existence by the mere assertion that they are not real. Again, man must understand that they are the creatures primarily of the inordinate exercise of the animal appetites and desires, and not of the exercise of the mind, and (that they are) to be eradicated by the same process in reverse order as was used in their creation. Of course, it must not be lost sight of that in using this process, the faculties of the mind must be brought into operation, just as they were in the creation of these existences. And the great fact to be remembered in this process is that these things are real, and not things of the mere imagination which is the equivalent of the founder's "mortal mind". Now, when man grasps the meaning, as thus explained, of what these things really are, and how they came into being, then he will the more readily comprehend the way or the means by which they are to be destroyed and never again permitted to become a part of his being; for while they do not by nature belong to his being, yet by reason of his being the creator of them, they are, so far as his consciousness is concerned, together with all the results flowing therefrom, a part of his being; and that part which keeps him in discord with the laws controlling his own existence. The purity of his true being is always besmirched by the impurities of his own artificial being, and always will be, until he eliminates these impurities which, as to him and to his fellow man, are real, persistent existences. The will, however, is the great force that must be used in the destruction of these excrescences, and as this will power in man is free and untrammeled, and in its operations follows the suggestions and desires of the appetites - both animal and spiritual - of man, it therefore becomes apparent that these appetites and desires must first be controlled and directed in that direction that will cause the will to be exercised in such a manner as to lead the thoughts and deeds towards the realization of the desires and appetites in harmony with God's laws. As sin and evil are not the creatures of the spiritual desires, but wholly of the animal, then to eradicate from man's being these things of evil and sin, the efforts of man must be directed towards the supplanting of the unlawful and inharmonious animal desires and appetites, by appetites and desires arising from the same source that is in harmony with the laws creating this very source. Man was created by God with animal appetites just as he was created with spiritual aspirations, and the one is just as harmonious with the laws of his creation as the other, and the loss of the spiritual aspiration, or the perversion of the animal appetites, similarly causes man to become out of harmony with these laws. So that man in order to become free from these foreign parts of his being, must strive, not by a denial of their reality, but by the effort to supplant them, to recreate, as it were, in himself the animal appetites that are consistent and in harmony with those which were his when he was made the perfect man; in other words, to destroy the beings of his own creation, and possess only those of the creation of God. Of course, in this effort, he will have to use his mind, mortal or otherwise, but in addition, he will also have to exercise the faculties of his emotional and affectional nature, which are not of the mind but the soul. Mere negation or belief will not be sufficient, but desires and cravings for these things which engender sin must be supplanted by desires and craving for those things which are in harmony with his creation. So, I repeat, the teachings that sin and error and disease are not real, and are no part of man's being, as he now exists and lives, is erroneous and when not understood, harmful, and not sufficient to bring about the regeneration of man. In one sense it is true that sin and error and disease are not real, but that means that so far as God's creation of man is concerned they have no existence, for He created only that which was good and in harmony with His perfect laws. But as man is a creator as well as a creature, and as these things are the creatures of man alone, then so far as the being of man is involved, they have a reality which will persist until their creator - man - has destroyed them. I am pleased that you gave me the opportunity to write today, and am also glad to find you in good condition. Your friend and brother Jesus July 19th, 1916 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Edwin Forrest: I come tonight to tell you that I am much better than I was when last I wrote you, and have gotten out of much of the darkness in which I was. This is all so wonderful to me that I scarcely realize what it means, and when I think of how ignorant I was on earth and what a Godless life I led, I never cease thanking God for the great opportunities that I enjoy, and for the help of the beautiful, loving spirits who came to me to show me the way to Truth and this Love of the Father. Your wife has been my angel of hope in all my darkness, and her tenderness and love have caused me to awaken from the miserable condition in which I found myself shortly after coming to the spirit world. How fortunate I am I cannot tell you, and never will I be able to tell anyone, for no spirit that has not experienced what I have can possibly convey the meaning of the great change from darkness and ignorance to some light and some of the Divine Love that has come to me. I now pray to the Father almost continually and as I do so, I realize that there comes into my soul that which changes all its qualities, and makes me realize how dead I was. Oh, if I only had known of this wonderful love on earth how different my life would have been, and how many heartaches would have been saved to others, and among them I include yourself, for now I realize that I did you great wrong in our business affairs by my conduct and drunken escapades. But I know that you have forgiven me, and pray for me and want me to be happy; and your wife, who knows what happened, tells me not to think of these things but to think only of the Father's Love, and the fact that it can be mine in ever increasing abundance. I wanted to write this to you, and I now feel better, and you may rest assured that so far as I can in this spirit world help you and retrieve what injury I did you, I will do to the utmost of my power. Well, I have written considerable tonight and must stop. So continue to pray for me, and I know that I shall be helped. Good night, Edwin Forrest July 25th, 1916 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Luke: I merely come to corroborate what Luther has written, as I am one of those who have set the causes in operation. You may believe what is said, and your realization will not be long postponed. I will not write more tonight. I did not write the Gospel or the Acts, as they are now contained in the Bible. I wrote a Gospel and also a book called the Acts, But my writings were not preserved, and in the copying and translating of them many things were eliminated and many things added. Of course, I cannot tell you now what these things are, but before our messages are finished you will know of many truths which will explain this matter. I am really the Luke who wrote the Gospel and the Acts which were the supposed originals of what the Bible now contains. So with my love and blessings I will say, good night. Your brother in Christ, Luke August 1st, 1916. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving Helen. Well, sweetheart, you have been much interested in the book (The Birth of Buddha) you were reading, and there are some wonderful statements contained in it, and which, as you must see, are fables; for never did the things related happen. There are in the spirit world a great number of spirits who believe in and worship Buddha, and who are satisfied in their beliefs and their manner of living and the places in which they live. None of them are in the Celestial Heavens, but are in several spheres of the spirit world according to the development of their moral natures and their natural loves. I have never seen the founder of this sect, but I am informed that he is in the sixth sphere and is a very bright spirit and pure, and still engaged in teaching his doctrines. But of course he has changed in some of his doctrines, notably the doctrine of reincarnation; for all the spirits of his followers on earth remain in the spirit world, and never become reincarnated. Well, I do not know whether we can have him come and write or not, but we will make the effort sometime in order that he may tell you himself of his present beliefs and condition of bliss. Well, you will be able to do that and it may have some effect. But you have so many other things to do at this time that I do not think we will have him come very soon. Your own true and loving Helen See a recent message from HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/contemporary/fab45.htm" The Buddha. August 5th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, St. John. I come to-night to say only a few words and these in reference to love - the Divine Love of the Father which He rebestowed upon mankind at the coming of the Master. This Love is the greatest thing in all the world, and the only thing that can make man at one with the Father, and change the soul of man as it has existed since his creation, into a Divine Substance filled with the Essence of the Father. There is nothing else in all the universe of God that can cause man to become a new creature, and an inhabitant of the Father's Kingdom; and when men possess this Love, then they possess everything that will make them not only the perfect man but the divine angel. Then men will understand the moral precepts of brotherly love and also the Father's oneness, and they will not have to seek for other help in order to bring into the life of the human race those qualities that will bring to it peace and good will. Then will every man know that every other man is his brother, and be able to do unto each as he would have the other to do unto him, and this without effort or sacrifice on his part, for love worketh its own fulfillment and all its beneficence floweth towards the fellow-man as falls the dews from heaven. Envy and hatred and strife and jealousy and all the other evil qualities of man will disappear, and only peace and joy and happiness will remain. It is so abundant that it may be possessed by all men by the mere seeking and the sincere longing for its inflowing. But man must understand that it is not his by matter of right, nor is it ever forced upon him, but comes only in response to the sincere earnest prayer of a soul that is filled with longings for its coming. This Love comes not with observation of mere moral rules, or with good deeds and the exercise of the natural love of a man towards his fellows, because no man can possibly merit it by any deeds or acts or kindness of heart that he may have. All these things are desirable and they work out their own rewards, and bring the happiness and peace that result from good thoughts and kind deeds; but all these do not bring unto the soul of man this Great Love. It is the Father alone, and only when the soul is opened up to its reception can it possibly find its home in that soul. It is greater than faith or hope, because it is the real substance of the Father, while faith and hope are the qualities which a man may possess by his own efforts, and which are given him that he may realize the possibility of obtaining this Love. They are merely means - it is the end and fullness of their exercise. But men must not believe that all love is the Divine Love for it is very different in its substance and qualities from all other loves. All men have, a part of their possessions, the natural love, and they need not pray for a bestowal of that, although since it has become defiled by sin it needs to be purified and freed from this blight, and the Father is ever willing and ready to help men obtain this purification. But this Divine Love is not a part of man's nature nor can he obtain or possess it, except he seek for it. It comes from without and is not developed from within. It is the result of individual acquirement, and not the object of universal possession. It may be possessed by all; it can be possessed by only a few; and each man must determine for himself whether it shall be his. With God there is no respect of persons; neither is there any royal road to the obtaining of this Love. All must pursue the same way and that way is the one that Jesus taught: the opening up of the soul to this love finding a lodgment therein, which can re brought about only by sincere prayer and longing for its inflowing. This Love is the life of the Celestial Heavens and the only key that will unlock the gates, and when the mortal enters therein, all other love is absorbed by it. It has no substitute, and is of itself, a thing apart. It is of the Essence of the Divine, and the spirit which possesses it is Divine itself. It may be yours, it may be all men's and it may not. You must decide that question for yourself, not even the Father can make the decision for you. In closing let me repeat that It is the greatest thing in all God's universe and not only the greatest, but the sum of all things, for from It flows every other thing that brings peace and happiness. I will not write more to-night, and with my love to you, and the blessing of the Father, I will say good-night. Your brother in Christ, John August 13th, 1916. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I was with you to-night and heard the address of the preacher and the explanation of the cause of the great war that is now raging in Europe and it was a very intelligent and truthful one and the real foundation of the war. I will not came as the Prince Michael, as the preacher said, to establish my Kingdom on earth and take into me those whose names are written in the book and destroy those whose names are not therein written, for I have already come and am now in the world working to turn men's hearts to God and to teach them the way by which they may become at one with the Father and receive into their souls the Divine Love. In no other way will I ever come to men on earth for they will not need me as a visible king with the powers and armies of the spirit world in visible form to subdue the evil that exists. There will arise no Satan to fight against me or my followers in the sense that the preacher teaches, for besides, the fact that I am already in world fighting for the salvation of men, there is no Satan. The only devils or evil spirits who are trying to influence men to evil thoughts and actions are the spirits of men which still retain all their sins and wickedness, and the evil that exists in the hearts of men themselves. How pitiable it is that the preacher and his followers believe that the spirits of men who have died the natural death are also dead and resting in the grave or in oblivion, waiting for the great day of my appearance on earth, as they say, in order to come again into life and be called by me into my Kingdom. How much they lose by such beliefs, and how great and surprising will be their awakening when they pass through the change called death. There will be no Battle of Armageddon, only as each man or the soul of each man, is now fighting the battle between sin and righteousness. This is the only battle that will ever be fought between the Prince of Peace and Satan. Each soul must fight its own battle, and in that fight the Powers of God, by His instruments, which never cease to work, will be used to help that soul overcome the great enemy, sin, which is of man's creation. These teachings of the preacher do great harm to mankind in that they cause the individual man to believe, that I, as the Prince of Peace, will come in mighty power, and in one fell swoop will destroy evil and all who personify it, and thereby do the work which each individual man must do. I know that it will be very difficult to persuade the people of this sect that what they teach and what they conclude the Bible teaches is not true, but I hope that when my truths are brought to light and men have the opportunity to learn the truth, that many of them will halt in the security of their beliefs and attempt to understand these truths, as they must understand them, either in the mortal life or in the spirit world in order to enter the Kingdom of God. As to these prophecies of Daniel, they have no application to the present condition of the world, and so far as they were written by him or by any other prophet they related only to the times in which they were written. No man, inspired or not, and no spirit, had the omniscience to foretell these wonderful things that are now taking place in the world, and any attempts to apply these supposed prophecies to the happenings of the present day are without justification and the results of the imaginations of men that the occurrences fit the prophecies. Peace will come, but not as the result of any Battle of Armageddon, or any other battle based upon the principles which the preacher applies to these prophecies. As I have said, this battle is going on all the time, and it is an individual fight between the sinful soul and the creatures of man's disobedience. So do not waste your time in reading or listening to these unreal and foundationless teachings of men who think that they have discovered the intentions of God with reference to the destiny of nations. I will not write more to-night, but at sometime I may say more on this subject, though its only importance is that it attracts men's attention away from the truth and creates beliefs which do harm. I will soon come and write another message of truth. I am with you, as I told you, trying to help you and to show you the way to that New Birth which is yours and all others who will follow my instructions.I love you as a younger brother and will continue to bless you with my influence and prayers. So doubt not and pray to the Father and you will find the truth in greater fullness and receive corresponding happiness. I will now stop. Your brother and friend, Jesus August 15th, 1916. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus: I have been interested in your reading of the messages and on desires tonight and I know that they will do much good to those who have heard them for I must tell you that there have been present a large number of spirits of all kinds that have listened attentively to what you have read and many of them are wondering what they can mean as they only heard the important points of the messages referred to. You must continue to receive the messages just as soon as you get in a better condition physically which will soon be as you will commence to recover your vitality, just as quickly as the weather gets a little cooler. Tonight I will not write more as it is very late and you had better go to bed, but I will come soon and write you. So with my love I will say goodnight. Your brother and friend, Jesus August 26th, 1916. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus: I come tonight to let you know that in a few nights I will write you another message, conveying important truths that are necessary for men and spirits to know. I see that you have not been well and that your vitality is somewhat exhausted, and that it is not best for you to attempt to write much at this time. You had better not attempt to receive any messages except from your wife. I wish to tell you though, that you will soon feel much better, and will be able to proceed with your work without any interference. The only part of man that is immortal is the soul - the spirit is merely the active energies that manifest life and these energies for their existence depend upon the soul from which they emanate. Very soon I will deliver a message defining just what the soul is, and what the spirit is, and their relationship to each other and to the body. So do not trouble yourself about this question, but believe that the soul is the ego - the real part of man which distinguishes him from the beast, which has a spirit as has man, but not a soul. All these matters will be explained before we cease delivering these messages of truth. I will not write more tonight, but with my love and blessings, say to you have faith in the Father's love and pray without ceasing, and all happiness will be yours. Your brother and friend, Jesus August 28th, 1916 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, John: I merely want to say that you will soon be well and in condition to receive some of our messages which we are anxiously waiting to write. The time is approaching when the book will have to be published and it is very necessary that you get these messages in full so that you can complete the book. Of course we want to incorporate every truth that is necessary to make known to mankind, and to do so we will have to work faster. ...Well, I knew him well (James the Lesser) and he was the brother of Jesus, the real brother, having the same father and mother that Jesus had and all speculations as to his having parents who were other than the parents of Jesus are erroneous. He was not an apostle of Jesus and came to believe in him later in the career of Jesus, but when at last he became convinced that Jesus was the true messiah he became a very earnest and hardworking follower of Jesus, and also the first Christian Bishop of Jerusalem. I have no personal knowledge as to whether he wrote the epistles ascribed to him or not but he has said that he wrote some portion of the same - that in it are many assertions of truth which are wrong and which he did not teach. All the writings of the New Testament, as they now exist, contain so many things which the original writers did not write and which they did not teach or believe in that it is with difficulty that the mortal, even though a great student, can separate the true from the false. And that is one reason that enters into our motives for writing a new revelation of the truth. These truths will be made plain and you must not let the writings of the Bible influence you in your receiving a correct conception of these truths. I will not write more now. So with my love I will say goodnight. John August 28th, 1916 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Luther: I will not write much at this time but am anxious to continue my letter to my followers, and as soon as you are in condition I will come and hope that you will give me the opportunity. Well of course, I will have to wait until they have delivered these messages, but I have no doubt that there will be times when you will not be occupied by receiving their messages. I thank you and will come. I have met both the Popes who were in the papal chair at the time that I went to Rome and when I was afterward persecuted and brought to trial before them. They are now in the Celestial Heavens but before they left the earth sphere they were in very great darkness and suffering intensely, and thus repentance was very thorough and sincere. They were compelled to realize the great evil that the teachings and dogma of their church was doing to humanity and they devoted all their time in the spirit life to attempting to influence the priests and hierarchy of the great errors that they were teaching, but the result of their work was not very satisfactory for reasons that I have not time to explain now. The state of the ignorant catholic laymen is a very deplorable one when he comes to the spirit world, but that of the Pope and the priest is beyond all description. They are forever branded by the results upon their followers of their evil teaching and consequently suffer very much. Some time I will come to you and write in detail into the conditions and causes there is of these blind teachers of the blind. I must not write more tonight. With my love I will say goodnight. Your brother in Christ, Luther Editor's Note. The Padgett Tabletts suggest that the phrase "They are not in the Celestial Heavens" which is found in the publication, should in fact be "They are now in the Celestial Heavens". The text above has been altered accordingly. 5th September 1916. Received: by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Constantine. I was the Roman Emperor and died as the head of the Christian Church. I wasn't really a Christian and did not understand the true principles of the Christian teachings, but I adopted Christianity as a State religion because of political purposes added to my desire to destroy the powers of my antagonists who were believers in and worshipers of the gods of paganism. I was a man who cared not in the slightest whether the cross or the symbol of the oracles was the true sign of religion, or whether the followers of religious beliefs belonged to the Christian church or the worship of the gods which our country had for so many years adopted and followed. My great desire when I made Christianity the State religion was to obtain power and the allegiance of the majority of the people of the empire. The Christians were very numerous and were persons of such intense convictions - so intense, that not even death could remove or change these convictions - I knew that when they once gave me their allegiance, I should have a following that could not be overthrown by those who were worshipers of the old gods. The latter people were not so interested in their religious beliefs, individually, as to cause them to have such convictions as would interfere with any religion that I might establish, when they realized that their material interests would be advanced by at least, formally recognizing that religion as a state establishment. Their beliefs were not the results of conviction but merely those of what had been accepted by their ancestors and transmitted to them as a kind of inheritance. They believed in the gods and the oracles as a matter of course, without ever having made the objects of their beliefs matters of investigation in order to learn if those beliefs were true or not. Truth was not sought for, and hence conviction was a mere shallow acquiescence. During all the time of my office as Emperor, I never changed my beliefs and never accepted the teachings of the Christians as the revelation of truth, and in fact, I never considered such a matter as religion, worthy of my serious consideration. Many doctrines were proposed and discussed by the ecclesiastical teachers and leaders of this religion, and those doctrines were approved by me which were adopted by a majority of these leaders as true and the correct declarations of what the Scriptures of the Christians contained. I let these leaders fight their own battles as to doctrines and truths, and when they decided what should be accepted and declared by the church to be true doctrines, I appoved the same and promulgated them as binding upon all the followers of the Christian faith. So I, though it has been frequently said, did not establish the canonicity of the Bible, or determine and legalize the doctrines which were declared and made binding by the conventions of the leaders of the church. Of course, I gave them my sanction and official approval, but they were not mine and should not be said to have been established by me, for if the doctrines of the Arians had been accepted and declared by a majority of these ecclesiasts as the true teachings of the Christian scriptures, I should have sanctioned and given them the State's authority. As I said, I was not a Christian when I lived and I did not die a Christian, notwithstanding all the fantastical and miraculous things which have been written about me and my conversion to Christianity. When I came into the spirit world, I found myself in great darkness and suffering, realizing that I had to pay the penalties for the sins thought and committed by me on earth; and all the masses which were said for the benefit of my soul never helped me one particle to get out of my unhappy condition. I knew nothing about the Divine Love or the mission of Jesus in coming to earth, and I found that my sins had not been washed away as the teachers had often told me on earth would be done for me. Many long years I remained in this condition of darkness and unhappiness, without finding any relief by reason of the mystical workings of Jesus' atonement of which the priests had told me, and which I did not believe, nor the help of the gods in whom I had been taught to believe by our philosophers and religious teachers. No, I found no relief and my condition seemed to be fixed, and hope of the Christian heaven that was never mine, and of the fields Elysian that would be mine in a hazy way, did not cause me to feel that my sufferings would at sometime come to an end and the glad face of happiness appear. But after a time the light of the truth in which Jesus came to teach broke in on my understanding and soul, and the Divine Love of the Father commenced to flow into my soul and continued until I became a possessor of it to that degree that I was carried to the Celestial Spheres, where I now am, a redeemed pure and immortal soul, having undoubting knowledge and conviction that I possess in my soul the Divine Essence of the Father, and the certainty of eternal life in the Celestial Kingdom. I cannot to-night write you of my experience in either the dark planes or in the successive progressive spheres, but sometime I will come and detail that experience. But before ceasing my writing, I wish to say with all the force that I have, that only the Divine Love of the Father can save a soul from its sins and make it at one with the Father in His Divine Nature. Let creeds and dogmas and man made doctrines take care of themselves, and learn the Truth, and in that Truth abide, for Truth is eternal and never changes, and no decrees of man or dogmas of church tradition of the early fathers or writers, or creeds of ecclesiastical conventions, so solemnly adopted, and declared, can make that a truth which is not a truth. Truth existed before all these things and is not subject to them, nor by them can it be added to or taken from. I must not write more now, and thank you for having permitted me to write. So with my love, I will say good-night. Your brother in Christ, Constantine September 5th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, St. Luke. I am glad to write once more and feel that very soon you will be able to receive our messages. I will not attempt to write at length to-night, and will only say that as you may doubt the identity of the one who has HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/ancient24.htm" just written you, I desire to confirm the fact that it was Constantine, the Roman Emperor,who wrote you. He was very much pleased that he could write and in a hurried way correct some of the historical errors that have existed concerning his true position as to Christianity. He is now a very bright spirit and an inhabitant of the Celestial Spheres, and of course, a possessor of the Divine Love. I desire to tell you though, that he was scourged by his conscience as it were, before he got out of his condition of darkness and suffering, superinduced very largely by pride. In his own conceit, he was an emperor for a very long time after he entered the spirit world, and retained all the pride of an emperor. But I will leave all this for him to write about as he promised, and stop writing for the time. Well, you must not become discouraged for the Divine Love is a reality, and you have some of it and may have more. Only pray the Father for His help and guidance. We all love you and trying to helping you. Only believe. Your brother in Christ, Luke September 5th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving Helen. Well, my dear, you had an unusual message to-night, or rather, I may say, an unexpected one, and I see that you doubted the identity of the author; but as Luke is acquainted with him you can rest assured that what Luke said is true. But he is only one of a great number of spirits, who as men were prominent on earth, are here in the spirit world, and if given the opportunity would write to you, but as we have work to do - which will take a great deal of your time and energy, these spirits will not be permitted to write at this time, of the truth that we wish to convey. The one who wrote is or was an important personage in the history of Christianity, and hence we thought it advisable to let him write. Your own true and loving Helen September 10th, 1916 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, John: I come tonight to tell you that in a few nights I desire to write you a message on an important truth regarding the ultimate destiny of the man who does not receive the Divine Love of the Father, but who depends upon his own righteousness, and the help that he may receive from spirit friends who have not this Divine Love in their souls. I know that this subject has been written on before to a limited extent, but I wish to deal with it in detail and at large so that humanity can make no mistake as to what this future will be, and can have no excuse for not seeking the Celestial Kingdom. I have been with you tonight and heard what was said, and saw that none of the speakers have any experience as to what this great necessity as to a future state of at-oneness with the Father means, and that they are satisfied with the knowledge of the continuity of life and the help and comfort that their spirit friends may bring to them in their communications. (Mr. P. attended a spiritualist meeting). The truth as to this great vital necessity must be taught to mankind, and the way to this Divine Love must be made so plain that no man can have any excuse for not obtaining it and becoming an inhabitant of the Celestial Kingdom. Many are longing for this condition of soul and know not the way to obtain it, and have to rest unsatisfied. So you see we must hurry with our messages, for men are dying rapidly and without the knowledge of this great truth. You are now in better condition than you have been for sometime, and you will continue to improve so that we will be enabled to deliver our messages with ease and certainty. Pray to the Father for His Love and help and you will receive both and find that your worries will leave you and peace come to you, so that your thoughts may be turned more to the work which is set before you. Faith and prayer are the great means by which your soul may be filled with this Love, and happiness will follow as surely as the day follows the night, and something of the joys of the Celestial Spheres will be yours. I know that you are anxious to do this work and that you long for the time when your whole efforts may be devoted to it, and to the revealing to man the truths which we come to reveal. We are all with you and are trying to help you in every way so that troubles may leave you. There are many spirits present tonight, throwing around you the influence of their loves, and praying to the Father that His blessings may be bestowed upon you and your soul made happy with the inflowing of His love. I will not write more tonight and in leaving you say, pray and believe. With my love and blessings, I am Your brother in Christ, John September 10th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Samuel. I come to write you that I am with you in love and hope for your present blessing and happiness. I know that the worries of life prevent you from realizing the influence of this Great Love which is surrounding you and which is ready and waiting to fill your soul to its fullness. But if you will pray more to the Father and exercise your faith, you will find that your worries will lessen, and peace will come to you in such abundance and beauty that you will feel like a new man. As HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor401.htm" John said, with this faith, Love will flow into your soul, and you will realize to some extent the joys of our celestial conditions; for the Love that may be yours is the same Love, in its nature, that we possess, and that has made angels of us all, and inhabitants of the Father's kingdom. Only believe, and you will realize how willing this Love is to take possession of your soul, and make you so happy that even the troubles that you have will not be sufficient to take from you the great peace that passeth all understanding. I have been in the spirit for many years and have possessed this Love for a long time, and know by actual experience what it is, and what great joy it brings to its possessor, so that you can rely on what I promise you, and feel the certainty that actual knowledge gives. I am now, as you know, a wholly redeemed child of the Father, and one who knows that His Divine Love in the soul makes the man or spirit of the essence of the Father. When this Love enters the soul of man it increases like the leaven in the dough, and continues in its work until the whole soul is impregnated with it, and everything of sin or error is wholly eradicated. Love worketh all things that man can wish for or conceive of, and more besides. Paul's description of Love and the wonderful qualities and conditions that emanate from it, does not contain all its emanations and resultant happiness. But I must not write more tonight for it is late and you are tiring. So believe what I have said, and try to follow my advice, and you will soon experience that peace and happiness which only this Love can bring to the souls of men. So with my love and blessings I will say good night. Your brother in Christ, Samuel September 12th, 1916 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Cornelius: I will write only a few lines so that I may get in rapport with you and later write you at more length, if agreeable to you. I was the Centurion of the Bible who was the first Gentile Christian. I have listened tonight to your reading of the messages and besides me many other spirits heard what you read, and all were interested, and some of them will no doubt derive some comfort, for these messages disclosed to some of the dark ones that there is hope for them and that there is a way by which they may find relief from their sufferings. I have just recently heard of your work and have come to add my little mite to the truths which you are receiving, and hope that I may succeed in helping the cause of truth. I am in the Celestial Spheres, and, of course, have the Divine Love in my soul and know that I am a redeemed son of the Father. I must not write more now, and with my love, say goodnight. Your brother in Christ, Cornelius 17th September 1916. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I was with you to-night at the meeting and heard what the preacher said, and he declared some truths, and also said some-things that were not true. He said "only those who have been converted are sons of God." All men are the children of God, and His love and care are over all, and they are very dear to Him, otherwise He would not have rebestowed His love upon them and given them the privilege of becoming inhabitants of His Celestial Kingdom. The mere fact that they are sinners makes them no less His children, who He is so anxious to redeem and fill with the Divine Love, and when the preacher says "they who are sinners are not the sons of God," he does not declare the truth, for they are all His sons - some to enjoy the pure life and bliss which the purification of their natural love will bring to them, and others to enjoy and inhabit the Celestial Kingdom which the New Birth will bring to them. But all are His sons, though some have wandered and become strangers to His Love, just as was the prodigal son who left his father's house for a far country. This doctrine of the sinful not being sons of God is a damnable and harmful doctrine, and will cause many to give up hope of ever becoming anything else than the sons of perdition - or as these orthodox say - of the devil. The Father's mercy is for all, and if certain of His children do not choose to seek and receive the Divine Love which, when possessed, will make angels of them, yet they are His sons, and will in the fullness of time, or before the time of the great consummation, become pure and happy beings, as were the first parents before the fall. And while this preacher has a great amount of the Divine Love in his soul, and is earnestly and in the right way seeking for more, yet his beliefs and teachings as to the destiny and future condition of those who may receive this love and become at one with the Father are all wrong, and will tend to retard his own progress in the development of his soul and in his advancement towards the Kingdom of God. He, of course, is possessed of these beliefs because of his study and construction of some of the declarations of the Bible, and therefore, is not teaching what he does not believe, or what, to his own conscience, is false. Nevertheless, it is false and he will have to suffer the consequences of such false beliefs and teachings. Ignorance, while it will not relieve him from its consequences, and neither will it invoke the penalties of the law that apply to the willful deceiver or teacher of false doctrines, yet neither will it excuse him or relieve him from the penalties of that law which demands the truth, and only the truth to be believed and taught. He will have to get rid of these false beliefs, even though he may have some of the divine in his soul; for whenever there exists untruth in belief in the heart and soul of man, to that extent it interferes with the inflowing of the love into and the progress of that soul towards perfect unity with the Father. Truth is of itself a fact. It can have no affiliation with untruth, no matter that untruth is the result of ignorance, for all untruth is the result of ignorance, and must be eradicated from the hearts of men before there can be that harmony between God and man which the very nature of truth itself requires. So that if no man could be the son of God, who has not the perfect harmony which truth absolutely demands, God would have no sons amongst men. The condition of the sinner and that of the man who has experienced the New Birth differs only in the fact that one has not commenced to have in his soul the essence of Truth, while the other, to an extent, has that essence. All may have that essence, and to a great abundance. Some may never have the essence of Divine Truth, yet no man will be left without the essence of the truth which leads to the perfect man. The truth of the angel existence, and the truth of the perfect man are equally truths, though the former is of a higher degree and nature than the other. Our first parents were the children of God - His own creatures - good and perfect, and after their fall they became no less His children, for His love was so great for them that in the fullness of perfection of His plans He again bestowed upon them the privilege of receiving His Divine Love, and sent me to proclaim the fact and to show men the way to obtain that great love. The death that had existed for all the long centuries was supplanted by life potential, and I became the way, the truth and the life, and immortality became a possibility to men. So that, all men are the sons of God in one relation or the other; depending in the one case whether a man will turn from his sins and be satisfied with the perfection of his natural love and the home that belongs to the perfect man, or seeks for the inflowing into his soul the divine love which will enable him to enter the Divine Heavens and have the certainty of immortality. When God rebestowed this Divine Love on man, there was no man in existence, or spirit either, who could be called His son, if it were necessary that he had been converted as the preacher said, because none had received this love which is the only thing or power in all God's universe that can convert a man dead in trespass and sin: yet God loved all His children and conferred upon them this great gift, because they were His children. If God had loved only the righteous there would have been no one who could have been the object of His bounty. He would have had no sons or children of His love. And now that He has rebestowed this gift, and some of the sons of men have received and possess it, and are more in harmony with Him, it is not true that those who were His sons and children before its bestowal are any less His sons and children, because they may not have sought and made this gift their own. No, the Father's love is so great and broad and deep, that it goes out to all the children of earth, waiting to bestow it upon them, and the lost sheep is as much His child as the ninety and nine who are safe in the fold, and although the lost one may never find or enter the fold, where those are that possess His Divine Love are sheltered, yet that sheep remains and is the object of His love. So let preachers and others, who have assumed the responsibility of teaching men the truths of the Father, cease from proclaiming the doctrine that only those who have received the new birth are the sons of God. They, of course, are not His obedient sons until they have obtained either the Divine Love and Essence of the Father, or the purity of the first parents before the fall, but yet they are His, even though defiled by their own creations of sin and error. GOD IS LOVE - and love knows no limitations in its heights or depths. It exists in the highest heavens, and reaches to the lowest hells, and will in its own way and in its own time work its own fulfillment. All men will come into harmony with the will of the Father, which is perfect, and even though some, and I may say the majority of men, will not accept the invitation to become angels of His Celestial Kingdom, which is not compulsory, yet they do His will by becoming in the future, near or far, free from the sin and error of their own creation, and pure and perfect as were they, whom the Father first created and pronounced good. Man's greatest enemy to man is he, who having received the assurance of possessing the Divine Love, and thereby becoming as it were, a divine son of the Father, and who believes in the errors of the Bible and the misinterpretations of its truths, declares that all others of mankind are hated of God, and are objects of His wrath, and certain of eternal damnation and everlasting torment. It is deplorable that such beliefs and such declarations should exist and continue to be made, especially on the part of those who undertake to lead the masses in the way to God's truths and plans for men's happiness, and redemption from the evils and sins that cause them so much suffering. But all this shows the power and blindness of belief founded upon error and untruthful teachings. And strange as it may seem, these leaders of the ignorant may have some of the Divine Love in their souls, and yet their mental and intellectual beliefs be so fixed and unmoveable that the possession of this love will not cause them to understand that the Father's love is for all, and that wrath is not a part of His being, but a quality of sinful man that these believers in error attribute to Him. If God may be said to hate anything, He hates sin, but He loves the sinner, who is the creature of His will, and who is so unfortunate as to have created that which defiles him and to wander away, not only from the Father, but from his own perfect and pure creation. Well, I have written enough for to-night and I hope that what I have said may prove beneficial not only to the sinner, but to the man, preacher, or layman, who possessing some of the Divine Love, proclaims that only he or others like him, are the sons of God. As Paul said, "they see through a glass darkly," but then they shall see face to face, and when they do, they will see such evidences and manifestations of the Father's love that they will know that they and their sinning brothers are all sons of the Father, although one may be an heir to the Celestial Kingdom and the Divine Essence of the Father, while the other may be an heir only to the pure love of the Father, to bless and make them happy in the pure natural love and perfect manhood which the so-called Adam possessed before his fall. I must stop now, but in doing so say, that you must not let what any of these orthodox believers may say disturb your faith in our communications, for they know only what the Bible tells them, and you know the truths that we declare. I will soon come and write to you a message of truth that I have been waiting sometime to write.Believe that I love you and am with you, praying for you and helping you with my influence. Good-night, and may the Father bless you. Your brother and friend, Jesus September 21st, 1916 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Lazarus. I merely want to say that I am the real Lazarus of the Bible story and that I am an inhabitant of the Father's kingdom, and in the truth that exists in that kingdom, and in its inhabitants. I declare to you that the spirits who have written you the truths of Celestial and spiritual things are actually those whom they represent themselves to be. Jesus, especially, is with you very often and communicates to you truths from His great storehouse of knowledge of the truth. He is so much interested in the work to be done and the revelations to be made that he is with you very often for the purpose of not only revealing these truths, but of preparing you to receive them; and he is enveloping you in his love, and giving to you a development of your soul faculties that will make you qualified to receive these high truths as no other mortal has ever been qualified, for he knows that you are his best qualified instrument now on earth to do his work and the work of the Father. From what I say, you must not suppose that you are the best, or the man having the greatest amount of the Divine Love in the soul, for that is not true, nor are you chosen because of any merits of your own or superior mental endowments; but you have those conditions of attunement with him, that enables him and the other spirits to use you in performing this work. I am not of such exalted position or soul development as are many of the spirits who write you, yet I know the plans of the Master, and what I say to you is true. I was a Jew and an orthodox one, until the Master came to me and developed my soul so that I could understand his teachings, and become susceptible to the inflowing of the Divine Love. I will not write more now, but in closing repeat that you must believe what I have said, and try to do the will of the Father, and the work that you have been selected to do. Well, both Mary and Martha are in the Celestial Heavens, and you would naturally suppose that Mary has made the greater progress in her soul development but that is not true, as they both live in the same sphere, and have similar development. As you know they have been in the spirit world for a very long time and whatever spiritual superiority Mary may have appeared to have over Martha does not exist, for they both have this Love to a degree that has caused all sin and thoughts for the material to have become eradicated long years ago. Your brother in Christ, Lazarus September 21st, 1916. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your own true and loving Helen: Well sweetheart, you have had a message from Luke and one from HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor442.htm" Lazarus, and I want to tell you that it was really they who wrote. I was with you tonight and saw that you did not enjoy the evening very much nor the music either. I think it may be best for you to not visit there so often, for if you will give more of your evenings to us you will find more benefit in our society and communications. It is well that you visit them occasionally for they enjoy your visits and sometime perhaps you may be able to show them the way to the vital truths of the soul. I am so glad that you are feeling so much better and I wish that the time was here when you could enjoy the things that you were thinking about as to your home. I will not write more tonight as it is late and you had better go to bed and get up early. Yes, Mary was with us and she enjoyed the visit and was very close to the Doctor. She says tell him that she loves him and wants him to love her more and more each day. She will write him soon. Yes, they did her good and succeeded in relieving some of the difficulty and she is better and the doctors think that she may recover. Dr. Campbell was with her last night and gave her the best attention and help that he was able to give and he knows a great deal about the ills of mortals and how to remedy them. He took charge of the case as the doctors say and directed the manner of assistance on the part of the others. I do hope that she will get well and the doctors are very hopeful. So you may expect to hear that she is better. So my own dear Ned, love me and think of me for I love you so much. Kiss me and say goodnight. Your own true and loving, Helen September 23rd, 1916 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, St. John. I want to write tonight on a subject that is important, and I hope that you will he able to receive my message, for I have been waiting for some time to deliver it. Well, I desire to discourse on the subject of: "What is the destiny of the mortal who has not experienced the New Birth, but who will progress to that condition which may be called the perfect man?" As you know, there is a future for the mortal who receives the New Birth, and a different one for him who has only the complete and pure development of his natural love. This latter condition does not depend upon the mortal having in his soul the Divine Love or the Essence of the Father, but merely upon the purification of the natural love, so that all sin and error and inharmony form no part of his state of soul or mental existence. This condition is not the result of a New Birth, or of a change in the constituent elements of his soul, but merely the elimination of those things therefrom, which were the results and the necessary sequences of the defilement that followed the fall. Now as man lost by this fall the qualities which made him the perfect creature of his Maker, it is only necessary for him to regain what he lost by that fall in order to become the perfect man once more; and in recovering this state of perfection it is not required that he should seek, or actually add to the qualities which he at first possessed, any new or additional qualities or attributes, but only that he regain what he had been deprived of by his disobedience; and when that is accomplished he will come again in harmony with the laws of his creation, and have all the potentialities and excellence that he originally possessed. And now, what will that future be? And in order to determine this question it is only necessary to understand what his inherent condition or qualities were when he was the perfect man of his Father's creation. At that time he was possessed of those things of which he is now the possessor, except that then they were all so accurately adjusted that every sense and function of his body, as well as every faculty of his soul and mind, were so in harmony with the laws of his creation, that he was capable of doing the will of the Father, and obeying every requirement that was imposed upon him. He was then, not only a perfect being as regarded his physical formation, but also as regarded his mental and moral qualities, which of course included all the emotions and appetites and spiritual aspirations. But, as we have written you before, all these faculties were subject to his will, and in a certain sense his will was controlled by the exercise of these faculties. His body was in the beginning made of matter, changeable as it now is, but of a more ethereal kind, and not subject to decay and disintegration in such a short time, as it now is, but yet, subject to this decay; and man, as regards his physical being, necessarily was compelled to die, and to have released his spirit body and his soul from this physical vesture, and thereafter exist as pure spirit. This was not the death that he died as a consequence of his disobedience, but the death natural to him, by reason of the very nature of his creation. His soul and spirit body were not subject to death in the sense of annihilation, but were given the qualities of continual existence in a pure and perfect state, and the only difference that the fall made as to these parts of his being, is that the purity and harmony that were men's are now no longer parts of his soul and spirit. Whether immortality was a quality of that existence, we spirits do not know, and therefore cannot assert, but as his created soul and spirit body had a beginning - mere creatures of the Father - it may be that they were intended to have an ending, as individualized soul and spirit. Of course, they were created from something, and not from nothing, as some of your theologians say, and it is possible, in the order of change, which seems to be the law in the spirit world as well as in the mortal world, that this soul and spirit may be resolved again into that something. But as to this finality we do not have any knowledge, because, so far as the observation of spirits in this world go, no soul or spirit body - and I mean the body as a composite whole, and not as to its constituent elements - has ever been resolved into that something, or been deprived of its individualized existence. Therefore I cannot say, that when man was created, it was intended that, as man, he should not be immortal, or that he should be so. But you will readily see, that after man shall have accomplished the purification of his soul and become in mind and spirit body, as it was intended he should be at the time of his creation, he will be nothing more nor less than he was at that time, and have no other or greater qualities, or freedom from limitations and changes than he had before his fall. Of course he will have no physical body, and here let me say that there is no fact or experience known to the spirit world that justifies the assertion that man on earth will ever be immune to physical death. I know that some say, that in the far future men may make such progress in the development of their natural love that their condition of inner purity will be so great as to cause the physical bodies to become so etherialized as to render them free from physical death. But that I cannot conceive will ever happen, for men were made to become inhabitants of the spiritual realms, and the short time they were decreed to live the earth life was for the purpose only of giving the soul an individualized existence. Never was it intended that the physical form should have an eternity of existence, no matter how pure, or, as they say, etherealized it may become, for it was made of matter, of the earth, earthy, while the soul was made of that which had its origin in the spirit realm, and composed of spirit substance, so that it cannot be conceived that in the beginning man was created for an immortal earth existence. I see that you are tired, and I will finish later. I am glad that I could write tonight, and also that you are in such good condition to receive my message. So with my love and blessings and assurances that you have every reason to keep up your courage and hope, I am Your brother in Christ, John September 24th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I have been with you a great deal to-day, and know just what have been the workings of your mind, and tried to influence you as to some of your thoughts. I was with you at church in the morning and heard the minister's sermon and saw that he did not rightly comprehend the meaning of the words of the text. HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/quotesjohn.htm" \l "J1412" "Verily, verily, I say unto you. He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also: and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father." "If ye shall ask anything in my name I will do it." His explanation of what was meant by "greater works than I do," was not in accord with what I meant, or with the meaning that I intended to convey; for when I referred to works I meant those works which the world considered as miracles. I intended to assure my disciples that they would have power to do similar works or perform similar miracles to a greater extent than I had performed them. "Greater" referred to quantity and not to quality. But this power or the successful exercise of it was not dependent upon belief in my name, but upon their faith in the Power of the Father and in the fact that He would confer upon them that Power. There was no virtue in my name or in me, as the individual, Jesus, but all virtue rested in the faith that they might have in the Father. I never performed any of the so-called miracles of my own self, but they were all performed by the Father, working through me; and just as He worked through me He would work through my disciples who should acquire the necessary faith. As I have told you before, all acts that are apparently miracles are controlled by law just as are those things which you call the workings of nature, controlled by law, and when sufficient faith is acquired there comes to its possessor a knowledge of these laws; it may not be, as you would say, a knowledge, or consciousness that is perceptible to the ordinary senses of man, but perceptible to that inner sense, which is the one that enables men to comprehend the things of the spirit. And having this knowledge of the inner sense men may so control these laws that they will work those effects which seem to be contrary to the accustomed workings of the laws of nature. Until my disciples had acquired this faith that brought to their inner sense this knowledge, they could perform no miracle and do no work of phenomenon that other men could not do. The Bible expression, that belief in my name is sufficient to cause the workings of miracles is all wrong, and I never said that such belief was what was required, neither did I say, "that whatsoever should be asked of the Father in my name would be given to men." I was not a part of the Godhead and I had not of myself any power, and neither did my name have any miraculous influence with the Father. I was a man as other men are men, only I had become filled with the Divine Love of the Father, which made me at one with Him, and, consequently, had that knowledge of His Love and laws that enabled me to bring into operation those laws that would cause the desired effects to appear as realities. But belief in my name caused no working of these laws, or the response of the Father to any supplications. Prayer must be made to the Father in the name of Truth, and to His Love and Mercy. Every individual is dear to Him, and He is ready to bestow this Love upon every one who asks in faith and pure desire. And in response to the earnest prayer will come Love, and with it knowledge of things spiritual, and with this, power that may be used for the good of mankind. My name is not a mediator between God and man, and neither is belief in one, the Jesus, a means to reach the responsive Soul of the Father. If men will understand my teachings of truth, and when they ask in my name mean that they ask in the name of these truths, then such askings will have its results - but so few men, when they pray to the Father in my name, have such intention or understanding. Only a knowledge of the Truth of the Plan for men's salvation will enable them to seek in the right way to obtain the Gift of the Father - and when I say knowledge of the Truth of the Plan, I do not mean that men shall understand all the minutiae of this Plan, and how one element or part of it may operate upon another, and what results may flow therefrom. But that knowledge must be sufficient in the beginning which shows to man that the Father is a God of Love, and that this Love may be obtained by man through earnest prayer for Its bestowal. This is all that is necessary, for the response that will follow will cause the New Birth, which when experienced by a man will place him in that unison with the Father, that will lead to a knowledge of the other Truths that form a part of the Plan of Salvation. There is nothing else that will bring about this knowledge of that inner sense of which I write. A knowledge of the mind, except in conjunction with this inner knowledge can never bring about this necessary at-onement with the Father. It often exists that a man will have this inner knowledge and at the same time have a knowledge of the mind which is wholly at variance with the truths of the plan for his salvation. And the mind of man, being a thing of wonderful power, can for a time retard the growth of the knowledge of the inner sense, or, as I will say, the soul sense. But only for a time, for at some time the soul sense will progress to that knowledge of the truth, so that the erroneous mind knowledge, will entirely disappear, and man will possess only the truth. Of this erroneous mind knowledge, or, perhaps rather, conviction, is the belief that in my name, that is supplications made in my name, will bring about the realization of the desires of the supplicant. Also that in my blood, or in the power of the cross, or in my alleged vicarious atonement, the salvation of men can be obtained. If any name must be used in man's supplication then use only the name of the Father, for His is a name high over all, and the only name in heaven or earth that can bring to man salvation and at-onement with His being. And what I have said applies to many other declarations contained in the Bible, such as "he that believeth on the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved." "There is no other name under heaven whereby men can be saved" etc. This is the enunciation of a false doctrine and misleading to the great majority of mankind for they accept the declarations as literally true. Of course if it be interpreted as meaning that he that believeth on the truths that I teach, then the objection is not so great, but even then the declarations do not go far enough, for men may believe in these truths, and that belief may be a mere mental one, acquiesced in merely by the mind's faculties, without any exercise at all of the soul sense. If to all these declarations shall be added the vital Truth, that HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/quotesjohn.htm" \l "J33" "except a man be born again, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven," HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/quotesjohn.htm" and to this mental belief be added the soul's faith, then the doctrines will be truly stated and men will understand what is necessary to salvation. Belief and faith are not the same; one is of the mind, the other of the soul - one can and does change as phenomena and apparent facts change, the other when truly possessed, never changes, for faith possessed by a soul causes all the longings and aspirations of that soul to become things of real existence - which like the house that is built upon the solid rock can never be shaken or destroyed. I write thus to-night to show that the preacher in his sermon did not explain the true meaning of the text, and did not comprehend the truths that were intended to be conveyed of which the text was susceptible, though it did not set forth my expressions or in its literal interpretation declare the truth. I will not write more now except to say, that I love you with a great love, and pray to the Father to bless you. Believe in the Father and trust me for you will not be disappointed, and pray that this Divine Love of the Father shall come into your soul so that you shall know that you are an accepted son of the Father. Keep up your courage and have faith that whatsoever things you shall ask the Father in the name of His Love and Truth shall be given to you. I am with you in all my love and care and you will not be forsaken. So my dear brother, rest assured that I am Your brother and friend, Jesus September 24th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving Helen. Well, my dear, you have had a wonderful message from the Master to-night, and you may study and understand it thoroughly, for it contains in it more truth than you may see on a cursory reading. It is so contradictory to the beliefs of Christians and therefore so important, that a knowledge of its meaning to the fullest is desirable. So good-night. Your own true and loving Helen September 28th, 1916. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I come to-night to tell you that you are in a better condition to write than you have been for sometime and I think it best that I deliver to you a message. Well, I will write on the subject: Of the destiny of the man who has not the Divine Love in his soul, and dies with only the natural love and a belief in the creeds and dogmas of the churches. I know that many men believe that the creeds of the churches is what is necessary for the salvation of mankind. I mean as to baptism and observance of the sacraments, and the belief that in my name men may be saved - are sufficient and all that are necessary to insure them an entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven; and in such belief rest, with the feeling of assurance that nothing else is required or in any way to be sought for and acquired. The large majority of professing Christians are in this state of belief, and hence the greater number of mankind will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven, or become in their natures Divine. I have already told you what is the future of those who possess this Divine Nature of the Father, and now I will confine my message to the future of this great majority. As you may know, the river can never run higher than its source and neither can this majority attain to a perfection and happiness superior to that which was possessed by man before the time of the fall from the state of his perfect creation, and hence, no matter how great his progress may be in his natural love or in his moral or mental qualities, he can never excel the first created man as he was before the fall. And the only possible future for this vast majority is the condition and development that existed in the perfect man of God's first creation. I know it is said that man has in him that which is a part of the Divinity of God, and that by his own efforts he may develop that Divine Substance until he becomes Divine himself, and of the nature of the Father. But this is not true, and it is not possible to develop the Divine Love or any Essence of the Divine out of that which has not, in itself, there is nothing of the Nature of the Divine. In the spirit world, and I mean the spiritual as well as Celestial, laws prevail, and are just as certain in their operations as are the laws of the material world and a fundamental law is, that only like produces like; although in the physical world it may appear that a derivative is not like that from which it is derived, but this is in appearance only, for in substance and essence the likeness exists and cannot be eradicated. And so as to the real condition of the soul of man. If he has only the natural love - the created love - the development of that love will result in that, which cannot possibly be greater or other than that which in its constituent parts is only the natural love, and no matter what the perfection may become, the Divine element is absent, and all the limitations that are inherent in the created being still continue to form a part of and control that being. There is a limit to the development of this natural love and to the state of happiness beyond which it is not possible for this being to go, and that limit is the qualities and excellence possessed by the first man before he became defiled and impregnated with sin. The mind of such being is also limited in the progress which it may make in obtaining knowledge, for that mind being a thing of creation is bound by the limitations that that creation imposed. So I say, such a man can never progress higher than those attributes or qualities with which he was endowed when he was the perfect man, either spiritually or mentally, unless he seeks for and obtains the Divine Love. When spirits come and write that life in this spirit world is always progressive, these spirits who write, have never attained to this limit of which I speak and hence to them progression is endless; and this belief is very beneficial, because it inspires them to make an effort to progress. There are many spirits in this perfect state in the highest sphere of natural love or mentality, but they are spirits who have been in the spirit world for a vast number of years, and are what you might call ancient spirits. These spirits have realized this limitation of which I write, and while they can change the objects of their seeking and the sources of their happiness, yet their progress has its ending, and often there comes to them dissatisfaction and a realization that over and beyond their sphere, there must be something that may be obtained, that surpasses their perfect state and development. And as a result of this dissatisfaction many of these spirits, in moments of their unrest, give heed to the suggestions of those spirits who have become possessed of the Divine Essence, and upon whom is no limitation of progress; for these latter spirits are at all times in the highest sphere of these spirits of perfected natural love, trying to show them the way to the higher development and happiness of the Celestial Spheres. It may seem surprising to you, but it is a fact, that these spirits of the natural love, during their periods of progression and especially as they make nearer approach to their perfection, in the satisfaction and happiness that they experience in that progression, will not listen to the spirits of the Divine Spheres, or believe that there can be any other methods of progress more desirable or excellent than the ones that they are pursuing, and only when they come to realize the dissatisfaction that I speak of, will awaken to the fact, or consent to be awakened to the fact, that there may be a way that leads to things beyond their limits of progress and the perfection that they may have acquired. So, as I say, the higher the progress of these spirits and the farther away they advance from the earth plane, the greater the difficulty in persuading them that there is a state of perfection and happiness surpassing that which they are seeking for, and a way, different from the way they are pursuing. As these spirits progress in their natural love and in the development of their created minds, much happiness and satisfaction come to them, and in each stage of progress, so much greater do these experiences become, that they readily conceive that there can be no way superior to the one that they are travelling, and, hence, having such belief, the difficulty of convincing them to the contrary, becomes almost insurmountable. As a consequence the spirits of the Celestial Spheres and those of the spirit spheres who are progressing in the Divine Love, give the great part of their time and efforts to convincing spirits of these higher truths while they are in the earth planes, before the happiness that I mention is experienced. The life on earth and that in the earth planes of the spirit world are the states in which the souls of mortals and of spirits have the best opportunities for learning and believing these truths that show them the way to the progression that is without limitation or ending, and hence, the importance of men knowing these truths, and of spirits also, before they experience the satisfaction and pride, I may say, that the advancement in the development of their natural love and mental and moral qualities gives them. Until the time comes when the Father shall withdraw from man and spirit the privilege of obtaining this Divine Love and Essence, which time will bring the second death, these spirits and all spirits and mortals will have the opportunity of seeking for and finding the way to the Celestial Spheres and Immortality. But after that time this privilege will no longer exist, and then those spirits and mortals who have not found and followed the way of that privilege, will be and become only the perfect beings, as were their first parents. They will have no assurance of Immortality, or even continuous life, and that dissatisfaction and longing for something unknown, will be theirs. They will remain only the created beings in spirit body, soul and mind, and as the first parents had all the qualities that these restored men will have, and fell, and why may it not be that they will fall? That there may come some change in the individualized spirit that will destroy that individuality and dissolve it into its elements of pre-creation? No spirit knows that such a change will take place, that the perfect spirit will not always retain the same individuality, or that the happiness of such spirit will not always exist. And neither does any spirit know that these things will continue to be. Then why should he not choose that course which leads to Divinity and certainty of Immortality and progress, rather than the one which leads to limitation of progress and happiness, and to uncertainty of Immortality? I have written enough for to-night. I will come again soon. So remember that I love you and am with you trying to help you spiritually and that I pray to the Father to bless you. Good-night. Your brother and friend, Jesus September 30th, 1916 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, John. I desire to HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/minor165.htm" finish my message and hope that you are in condition to receive it. Well, as I was writing about the future or destiny of the soul that has not experienced the New Birth, I will continue where I left off. When the soul becomes wholly purified and restored to that condition of perfection that was possessed by the first parents before the fall, it continues to live a life of happiness and contentment, until it realizes that its possibility of further progress, either mentally, morally or spiritually, has come to an end - that it has reached its limit of advancement, and that the happiness that it then enjoys is the full complement of what it may obtain or possess. This condition is one which satisfies the large majority of those who have reached the state of the fully restored man, and they are content to live the life of such perfection, and rest in the assurance that there is no greater happiness or more desirable condition existing in the universe of God. But with some of these souls, this state does not bring or contain this complete satisfaction, and in them continues the desire for more and greater progress; but they realize that they have reached the limit of their progress, and that they must continue to live in that state which holds for them the happiness and delight of being perfect and at-one with the Father, as was intended by Him when man was created the perfect being. But notwithstanding this knowledge, that as the soul develops in its natural love and in its moral and mental faculties to the finality of limitation, there can be nothing beyond; yet there comes to them a dissatisfaction and, as it were, a negative unhappiness that causes unrest, and a conscious desire for something, they know not what. It may be that the memory of something they heard in their progress through the spheres, or an imperfect suggestion of some unconscious, reproduced, dormant memory, inherited from their first parents, of the great gift of endless progress potentially bestowed upon God's first created beings, and forfeited, that causes the discontent and longings for something beyond the condition of their perfect state. When this state of mind and soul comes to them, then they are susceptible to the teachings and help of those spirits who have in their souls the Divine Love, and knowledge that there is a way that leads to everlasting progress without limit or possibility of reaching the end. And many of these perfected souls in their natural love have followed the advice of these immortal spirits, and have left the high sphere of their perfection and entered the lower soul spheres of the spiritual heavens, and sought and found the New Birth of the soul, and progressed from sphere to sphere until they reached the Celestial Heavens, where they are still progressing and realizing a contentment never marred, but always accompanied with the knowledge that ever beyond are spheres of greater happiness of truth and knowledge. But, as I say, the larger, yes, much larger number of souls that have been born unto men, will find and rest, in the future, in the state and happiness of the restored first parents. It should not be necessary for me to attempt to make the application of the truths which I have written to the desires and wills of men, for the vital importance of making the choice between the future of the Divine Spirit, and that of the perfected man, is so apparent, that scarcely any mortal, who is not the man that says in his heart there is no God, needs another to apply for him the lesson taught. And I will say in closing that such lesson contains the truths that actual observation and knowledge have made certain. Speculation does not enter into it, and the possibility of error or mistakes is utterly eliminated. I have written enough and will stop for tonight. You have received the message very satisfactorily and I am pleased. So with my love and blessings, I will say goodnight, and God bless you with His Love. Your brother in Christ, John October 1st, 1916 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Elias. I was the prophet of old and now I am an inhabitant of the Celestial Heaven and an immortal child of the Father. I have been present on several occasions when the high spirits were writing to you, and have been much interested in the work which they are doing and in the work which you are doing, for you are doing a wonderful work in helping the dark spirits of suffering, and in bringing these spirits in close communion with the higher spirits who can show them the way to the Father's Love. I would like to write you a long message to-night upon the history of the times in which I lived, and the knowledge that we, who were looked upon and written about as prophets, had as to the relationship between God and man; and what some of our experiences were with the spirits of the heavens who came to us and communicated some of the truths of the Father. And I will say, in all our knowledge of truth, we never understood what the Divine Love of the Father was as distinguished from the love that He bestowed on all men irrespective of their seeking for His Love, and irrespective of the fact that they were sinful and disobedient to His commands. As I now know we could not have understood what this Divine Love meant, or ever have possessed it, for in my time and until the coming of Jesus, the privilege of men receiving it did not exist. The Father had withdrawn this privilege from humanity. But we did receive spiritual knowledge of those things that would make man better in his moral nature, and bring him closer to the Father in his natural love; and our efforts were directed towards making the people understand these things and the necessity of complying with the moral laws. As I said, I should like to write you a long message, but there is another present who desires to write and I will stop. But I will come soon and deliver my message, and in the meantime I will pray for you and try to help you in your soul development and in your work. With all my love and blessings I will say good-night. Your brother in Christ, Elias October 1st, 1916 Received by:James Padgett. Washinton D.C. I am here, Saint John. I come to-night to write a few truths upon the subject of the preacher's sermon, as I was present with you and heard his declarations as to the end of the world. I know that among men there are, and have been since the time of the Master, differences in opinion as to when this important event is to take place, and as to the meaning of the end of the world. Well, men know just about as much now as to the time of this event as they have known all down the centuries, and understand the meaning of these prophecies as well as did men from my day down to the present. In the first place, I will say, there will be no end of the world from any of the causes mentioned by the preacher, and in the next place, there will be no end of the world at all as understood and declared by the orthodox preachers, and as is expected by most of the professing Christians. The world, meaning the earth, will not have an end in the sense of annihilation, but it will continue to revolve on its axis, and to have seed time and harvest, and produce and reproduce those things that are necessary to sustain human life, and have its appropriate seasons of heat and cold, and move along in its orbit as it now does, until some change, we know not of now, may come and destroy it; but such change, not any of the prophecies of the Bible, admitting that there are prophecies, can apply to the end of the world in the sense that the preacher understood and declared. If humanity would only understand that the world that was lost by the disobedience of the first parents, was the world of man's immortality and happiness and not the physical world, and that Jesus came to declare the restoration of that world upon condition, and the end of that restoration, then would they know that the material world is not involved in the plan of man's salvation, or in Jesus' mission, or in the declarations of Jesus as to the coming of the end. Men will continue to be born, live a short time and die the physical death, and as to each individual man the end of the material world comes when he dies, for, thereafter, his habitation will be in the spirit world, and never more will he have life on earth. All men at some time will have to die the physical death, then why should it be necessary to include in the plan of God for the salvation of men the destruction of the material world? For planets and worlds and stars to crash together and destroy, would mean that the orderly workings of God's laws must be interfered with, in order that men might be destroyed or saved, according as they might be snatched up into the air, or left to their own weakness on earth. Such interpretations of God's intentions or plans, or of Jesus coming again to earth is all wrong and absurd. Jesus will never come to establish his kingdom on earth and reign as Prince of Peace and Lord of Lords, for the Kingdom which he and all his followers, both on earth and in the spirit world, are seeking to establish is in the Celestial Heavens, and it is the Kingdom of God, not made with hands or by the mere fiat of any spirit no matter how high he may be, but made and populated by the souls of men who have experienced the New Birth and received the Divine Essence of the Father. Of this Kingdom Jesus is the Prince, but only because of his great and exceeding possession of the Divine Love of the Father, and his more perfect at-onement. Jesus is not seeking to establish a kingdom on earth, but is working for the purpose of leading men to the New Birth of the spirit, and of showing them the way to the Celestial Kingdom; and also is he working to help men by his love and suggestions, and so also the other good spirits, to cast sin and error from their hearts, and strive to regain the condition of perfect manhood in the perfection of their natural love; and also to help men to get in this condition of soul regeneration, or in that of the purification of their natural love while they yet live on earth, so that love to God in the divine sense, and love to God in the created sense and brotherly love will cover the whole earth, and men be at peace and happy while yet clothed in the flesh. Such a condition of mortal existence may be called the Kingdom of God on earth, but it will not be the kingdom which Jesus came to earth to establish - that is the Kingdom of Heaven. This Kingdom has its seat and abiding place in the Celestial Spheres whence it will never be removed. So then, when the Bible teaches of the world coming to an end and passing away it does not mean the material world, but the world of men's thoughts and deeds and sinful conditions that are not in harmony with God's laws or the laws of His creation. This is the world that shall be destroyed when righteousness shall cover the earth as the waters do the deep, and brotherly love reign among men. Even today there are some men living on the earth who are so separated from the world, that as to them the world has no existence, not the material world, but the world of sin and unrighteousness, which is the only world to be destroyed. There shall be wars and rumors of wars and times of trouble , etc., such as never were, and then shall come the end. Not the wars of the cannons' roars or the bursting shells or the mutilated flesh, or the making of widows and orphans or the ruthless changing of mortals into spirits, but the wars of the spirits of good and evil, of love and hate, of purity and sin, of joy and despair, and of knowledge of truth and belief in error - all to be fought in the souls of men with such intensity and earnestness, creating such mind and spirit trouble as never has been, and causing rumors thereof to flood the earth and the habitations of men. Then shall come the end of the world - the world of evil and sin and despair, and hatred and belief in error. This world shall pass away, and truth and love and peace and good will shall be established on the earth forever. The earth of this present day, then becoming to men so peaceful and filled with love and brotherly kindness, that to them it will seem as if the City of God had been let down from heaven on to earth. Let mortals know that Jesus has already come to earth and is among men, and that since the time of his becoming the Prince of the Celestial Kingdom he has been with men and spirits teaching them the way, the truth and the life. By the Holy Spirit have the truths of the Father spoken to men as a still small voice, and by the communions of souls has the Master led men to the love and mercy of the Father. As in my time when he came to the Jews with his message of love and life eternal, they knew him not and rejected him, so now many men, and spirits too, refuse to listen to him and learn the way through the straight gate to the Father's love and immortality. Let men study the prophecies and the times and the seasons, and calculate the time of the end, and predict the near approach of the Master's coming in the clouds, and prepare themselves to be snatched up in the air and become of the heavenly hosts, yet they will find that all these things are vanities of vanities, and only as each individual passes beyond the veil of flesh will he realize the end of his mortal world has come, and then will all his speculations as to himself become realities, and the certainty of the world's end become an established fact. But men will continue to live on earth and die, and in succession others be born to die, and so on until.... only God knows. So I say to men, prepare not for the passing away of the heavens and the earth, but for the passing of themselves from the earth to the great world of spirits; and remember, that as they sow, so shall they reap - a certainty that is never changed - a truth that no speculation can make untrue. The end of man's world comes each day to some mortal, and that end may lead to a glorious immortality, or to a temporary or a long darkness and suffering. Thus are the prophecies being fulfilled and the speculations of preachers and teachers and leaders of the unthinking are robbing men of the vital truth that the end of the world is coming each moment and day and year. Oh! preacher and teacher and leader, your responsibility is great, and the accounting must be made. The reaping must follow the sowing as certainly as the day follows the night, and what will your harvest be? The end of the world for some mortal is the important now! I have written enough for to-night as you are tired. So believe that I love you and am praying for the Father to bless you, and to so fill your soul with His love, that when the world comes to an end for you, you shall find the Kingdom of Heaven waiting to receive you. Good-night. Your brother in Christ, John October 4th, 1916 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Paul. Yes. I come tonight to write you upon a subject that may be of interest to you and important to all mankind. If you are in condition to receive my message I will write. Well, the subject is: What is the real body that is resurrected at the time of the physical death? Of course there will be but one resurrection and that takes place at the time the mortal becomes an inhabitant of the spirit world. There will never be what is called a general resurrection of the dead, for the mortal can die only once - I mean in a physical sense. In order to live in the spirit realms, it is necessary that he have a spirit body that preserves the identity of his individuality, and having this body (and never having been without it after the soul is incarnated in the earthly body) and not needing an additional body, there is no possibility of another resurrection, or of another body being added to the one that the soul already has. The body that dies when the man ceases to be a mortal disintegrates into its elements, and never again do these elements form the same body that becomes decayed, and hence it is impossible for that body to be resurrected. The only body that is ever resurrected is the body that encloses the soul of the mortal at the time he gives up the earth life. I know that many believe that when the man dies, his conscious existence ceases, and he becomes, as it were, dead in body, soul and spirit; that although the physical body decays and returns to dust or ashes, yet the soul and spirit in some mysterious and unexplainable manner, continues to exist as an unthinking sleeping entity, not subject to sensation or activity, and so remains until the great day of judgment or of Christ's coming, when, in response to the summons, it arouses itself, answers the summons, and again becomes clothed in the body which it possessed while in the human form. In their belief, it may not be the exact or identical body which once existed, but the new body will be one of flesh and blood, and of such a nature as to be in substance the same body that was dead and buried and decayed. But this is not true, for the very laws of nature, with which men are acquainted, prove the impossibility of such an occurrence, and many arguments have been formulated and declared to prove that such a resurrection cannot be - that it will be wholly impossible for the elements that constituted the old body to again assemble in the same form, and give to the soul the body that it discarded when it experienced its freedom from the bonds of the flesh. But the advocates of this untrue theory respond that God is all powerful, and in some way, not understood by men, will resurrect this old body and clothe the soul therein so that the identity of the individual will appear. It must be remembered that God works and produces beings and entities in accordance with laws that he has established, and not by any special, sporadic act, irrespective of, and, as said, in contravention of these laws. Man understands, to some extent, the workings of these laws in what he calls nature, or the normal, and some spirits understand not only what man understands, but also the workings of these laws that may be called above nature or super-normal, and the laws work the same and without change or interference in the one case as in the other. As it would be impossible to clothe a mortal having one body of flesh with another body of flesh, so in the spirit world it would be impossible to clothe the spirit who has a spirit body with any additional body, whether of flesh or other substance. This spirit body is a thing of real substance, and not susceptible of being enveloped in any other body. Well, I see that you are not in condition to write and I will postpone the remainder of the message until later. I have not written you for some time, and am glad of the opportunity to again write. I understand what you mean and will act on your suggestion as I think it a very wise and desirable one. I will come more often and write. So with all my love I will say, goodnight. Your brother in Christ, Paul October 5th, 1916 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Paul. I will HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/minor156.htm" finish my message tonight if you are so inclined. Well we will try. As I was saying, the body that is resurrected at death, is not the physical body, but the spirit body; and never after the first resurrection is there another. I am now dealing with the resurrection other than that of the soul, or the resurrection from the death of which I have before written. The body that is once laid in the grave will never be resurrected and neither will any of its elements enter into any other body for the purpose of a resurrection. The body of flesh is created for one purpose only, and when that purpose has been accomplished, never will that body or any derivative from it be used for any resurrection. This body of flesh is of matter, and like all matter, is used for the life on earth only, and cannot be used for any function or clothing any spirit in the spirit world, and neither can it be translated into the spirit realms. All material bodies must die and never will there come a time when men can leave the earth, and enter the spirit life in these material bodies. I know that it has been written that certain of the prophets of old were translated into the spirit heavens clothed in their fleshly bodies, but this is not true, for it is impossible that such a thing could be, as the same laws apply to the physical body of the saint as to that of the sinner; both are of the earth, earthly, and must be left behind when the spirits of men enter the heavens of spirits. So that when men believe and preach the general resurrection of the material body, or the special resurrection of the same, they are in error and do not believe or preach the truth. Flesh and blood, or flesh without blood, cannot inherit the kingdom, and no belief or teachings can make that true which is untrue. I do not desire to write more on this subject, because many men who are acquainted with the laws of nature, and many more who will become acquainted with these laws, know and will know and understand the impossibility of the material entering the realm of the spiritual. So thanking you for your kindness, I will say good night. Your brother in Christ, St. Paul October 5th, 1916. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Luke: I did not come to write a message tonight but merely to corroborate what Mr. Morgan told you I had spoken to him. It was I and he understood correctly what I said and what I said to him is the truth. I want him to believe for I have a spiritual interest in him and in his spiritual progression and am with him very often trying to help him. As the preacher said tonight, back of each mortal who thinks thoughts and evil deeds, I mean of the kind that is important, is an unseen spirit using its influence to suggest truths and inspire soul. And while they are unseen yet are they evil and more or less harmful? If men could only know who these unseen helpers are they would understand the power and wisdom that are back of him helping their thoughts and attempting to control their acts. Sometime a mortal will have more than one of such helpers but as a general proposition there exists some special helper who is with the mortal more constantly than the others and acquiring a rapport which the general helpers do not have. I will tell you now who these spirit helpers and writers of you three men who have been selected for the great work are Dr. Stone is James, Mr. Morgan's is myself and yours is John and over and above all helping all three of you is Jesus, the highest and most knowing of all. You must each and all believe this and not be astonished if to each of you comes his special guardian quite often. I thought it best to make it known to you these facts as from the knowledge three of you may realize that back of you are spirits who are powerful and filled with the Father's love. Believe and pray and you will find that in each of you will develop a spiritual power that will cause you much happiness and the certainty of your relation with us. I will come soon and write you a message with all my love and blessing I will say goodnight. Your brother in Christ, Luke October 5th, 1916. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your own true and loving Helen: I see that you may have some doubts as to who the HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor307.htm" last writer was because of his announcement of such an important fact as the guardians who are with you there. It was Luke who wrote and what he wrote I know to be true. It is wonderful that these spirits should assume such a relationship with you and the wonder is that it is true. So all of you believe and conduct your lives and thoughts in accordance with the assurance given you. I thought I would write my message tonight but it is too late. I was with you at church and in your walk afterwards and so was Mary and we enjoyed the conversation very much. Yes, I wrote the message and wrote it with all my love and desire to help you. It was true and you will realize that I wrote you will come to pass, Keep up your courage and believe in us all for we are all trying to help and do and will. Well, I must stop now. So believe that I love you and am your own true and loving, Helen October 8th, 1916 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Elias: I am the Prophet. I merely want to say that I desire to write you a message and will be pleased to do so as soon as it may be convenient. I have something to write which may be of interest to you as well as of importance to mankind. Well, I will speak to her. Yes, I know her and she is a beautiful spirit, having much of the Father's Love in her soul, and is the real person who was on earth your wife, and now is your wife more than ever. You are blessed in having such a soulmate and she loves you with a wonderful love. So believe in her and love her and you will be a happy mortal as well as a happy spirit when you come over. I am the Elias of the Transfiguration, which was a scene of actual occurrence, and which disseminated a great truth that humanity has never understood, but which you have had explained to you. But I will describe more in detail and explain more lucidly its signification. I will come soon, and with the assurance that I am interested in you and your work I will say goodnight. Your brother in Christ, Elias. October 11th, 1916 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Elias. (Elijah, Prophet to the Hebrews.) I will write a short message to-night as I promised. While on earth I was a prophet to the Hebrews and tried to warn them that God was not pleased with the manner in which they were living, especially in not obeying the commandments as to their worship and the individual lives they were leading. I was not a man who knew the attributes of God as I now know them, for then, to me, He was more a God of wrath and jealousy than of love and mercy, and the most of my teachings were to warn the Hebrews of the wrath that would certainly fall upon them unless they were more obedient and followed the laws of Moses. I now know that the wrath of God is not a thing to be feared, and that His wrath is not a thing of reality. That when men disobey His laws and neglect to worship Him in truth and in spirit, His feeling towards them is one more of pity and sorrow than of wrath, and that instead of punishment He extends to them His Mercy and Love. In my time the God of Love was not known to the people in any practical way although He was written of as a God of Love, and the people were not looking so much for love as the fearing His wrath; and it was only by threatening them with His wrath could they be made to realize that they were disobedient and aliens from Him. They had not that soul development that comes with love, and their aspirations were almost wholly for the possession of the things of life and for a happiness that such possession could give to them, as they thought. They expected a Kingdom of God on earth and such Kingdom was to be one that should rule and govern the earthly affairs of men. Of course they believed that when such Kingdom should be established, sin and the troubles of life would be eradicated, and all the world would be subject to the dominion of such Kingdom. Their hopes and aspirations were in the nature of national hopes and aspirations and not in those of the individual. The individual was swallowed up in the nation and happiness was to be a national one instead of an individual one, except so far as the national happiness might be reflected upon and partaken of by the individuals. I, myself, knew nothing of the Divine Love, and could not possibly have known, for then it was not open to man's seeking, as it had not been restored by the Father. But I knew of a higher development of the natural love than did most of the people, and realized what increased happiness such development would give to the individual who might possess it. I also knew that prosperity and power of the nation, as such, would not bring the happiness of love, but only the pleasures and satisfaction which increased possessions would naturally create. The Jews were a carnally minded race and the development of the spiritual side of their natures was very slight. Their acquisitiveness was large both as individuals and as a nation, and when they were prosperous they lost their sense of dependence on God, and resorted to those practices and that manner of living that would enable them, as they thought, to get the most enjoyment out of their possessions. The future, that is the future after death, did not enter very much into their consideration of existence, and they lived emphatically for the present. If you will read the Biblical history of those times you will find that most of the warnings of the prophets came to them when they as a nation were most prosperous, and, as they thought, independent of God, or at least, of not being compelled to call upon Him for help and succor. What I have said showed the characteristics of the Jews, and they still have these characteristics although since the coming of Christ and the teachings of his doctrines that have become so widely known, the spirituality of the Jews have been increased and broadened. At times they would heed my warnings and at other times they would not. Sometimes they considered me as a friend, and sometimes as an enemy. Well, I was psychic and frequently heard voices of instruction and admonition from the unseen world, and, as was our knowledge in those days, supposed that such voices was the voice of God, and so proclaimed to the people. But now I know that such voices were those of spirits that were trying to help the people, and bring them to a realization of the moral truths which Moses had taught. When Jesus was born into the flesh, there came with him a rebestowal of the Divine Love, and through his teachings that fact became known to men. We who were in the higher spirit spheres also came to know of that gift, and while none of us received it to the degree that Jesus did, yet we received it and became pure and holy spirits, free from sin and error, and partakers of the Divine Essence of the Father and possessors of immortality. And so, at the time of the transfiguration on the mount, some of us possessed that Love to such a degree that our appearances were shining and bright, as described in the Bible. But Jesus was brighter than Moses or myself, for he had more of this Divine Love in his soul and could manifest it to the wonderful degree that he did, notwithstanding his physical body. Our appearance and his appearance on the mount were to show to the mortals and spirits that the Divine Love had been rebestowed and received by both mortals and spirits, and this was the cause of our meeting. And while accounts of that event have been disseminated in the mortal world ever since its occurrence, so also, had that fact became known in portions of the spirit world, and many spirits as well as mortals, have sought for and found that love to their eternal happiness. Its existence was a fact then and it is a fact now, and the Love is open to all mankind as well as spirits.The voice that the apostles heard proclaiming that Jesus was the well beloved son was not the voice of God, but that of one of the Divine spirits whose mission it was to make the proclamation.This incident was not a myth but an actual fact that formed a part of the Plan of the Father to assure man of his salvation. I will not write more now, but will come later and write you further on this subject of the rebestowal of the love and of my experience in receiving it. So with my love and blessings, I will say good-night. Your brother in Christ, Elias October 11th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, St. John. I merely want to say that I have been listening to your HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/bible55.htm" reading of my message and heard your comments on the same, and you are correct in what you and your friend said. There is scarcely a greater error in the beliefs of men that retard the development of their souls than the belief that at sometime Jesus will come in all his glory and power, and take men into his heaven, just as they are, in body, soul and spirit. This belief has for a long time prevented many men from seeking to develop their soul qualities, either as to the natural love or as to the Divine Love, for as a basis of their faith is that saying in the Bible that "whosoever believes in the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved;" and many thinking that they have this belief, are contented therein, and further believe that because of that belief, they will be carried into the heavens of Jesus, when he comes, even though in the meantime they may have given up the earth life. It is deplorable that men should believe these things and live and die in this belief - which, of course, is wholly intellectual. But such is the fact, and we spirits who know the truth, have for all the long centuries been so anxious that men should know the truth, and have been working among men by means of spirit impression, and sometimes by revelation to help them learn not only the truth, but the errors of their beliefs. And as our efforts have not been very successful, we concluded to use the means that we are now using, and to reveal to mankind in our own words and thoughts the truths of God as regards man and all things connected with him. And here I want to say with all the emphasis that I can, that you and your friends must believe that the communications that you receive as to these Truths are written by us and in our own words, and that your mind does not supply a thought or suggestion, and that you are used only, as a medium to convey our thoughts, and lend your physical organs to facilitate our expressing in our own language the Truths that we desire to convey. So, no matter how improbable some things may seem to you, you must accept them as true, for nothing but the Truth will be written. And further we will not allow any spirit who is not in our band, or who has not this Divine Love, to write on any of the Truths that are necessary to be revealed to the world. I thought this the proper place to say this, as I desire to assure your friend of the reality of the messages and the source from which they come. I will not write more now, and will say good-night. With my love to you both, I am Your brother in Christ, John October 12th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Luke: I will say only a few words tonight. I have heard the preacher's remarks and your conversation regarding the same. Well, the preacher as you say, is broader-minded that most orthodox preachers and has some knowledge of spiritualism, yet intellectually he believes in the trinity and vicarious atonement and some others of the fundamental doctrines of the church. He has in his soul considerable of the Divine Love without knowing just what this love means, except that from its possession he experiences a wonderful happiness and a consciousness that God is close to him in His Love. He has not formulated these feelings of his soul into mental beliefs, but his realization of the presence of the love comes to him notwithstanding the intellectual drawbacks which, in a degree, retards the growth of his soul. But, as he says, he rests more upon the unconscious knowledge, if I may call it such, of his possession, and the actual living, working presence of this love, than upon the beliefs in these dogmas of the church. He has a comparatively open mind, but as he believes so implicitly in the Bible, he has not yet found any evidence in other writings or books or teachings, sufficiently strong to cause him to renounce his beliefs in the Bible teachings. But should he find such evidence he would not hesitate to change his beliefs in these things for what might appear to him to be the truth. He is not one of the ironbound believers in the church dogmas or ecclesiastical interpretations and constructions of the declarations of the Bible, so that under all circumstances, and in spite of truths that might otherwise come to him, he would say a thing is true just because it is in the Bible. He will grow in freedom and knowledge, and it may be well for you to get acquainted with him, and gradually declare to him the truths as we have explained them to you. It is not necessary for me to comment on a particular thing that he preached, for some things that he said are true and some things are not. I am glad that you three are so interested in these matters as to cause you to listen to the thoughts that the preacher expresses, and to comment upon and analyze them. It will do you good and develop in you a large understanding of what we have been writing you. The argument of contrasts is sometimes a very powerful and discriminating one, and I would advise you to attend his discourses, whenever you feel that he intends to preach upon a subject that may affect or in any way relate to the truths in which you are interested. Give my love to your friends and tell them to believe and pray and especially pray, for thereby will light and knowledge and faith come to them. I will say goodnight and leave you my blessing. Your brother in Christ, Luke October 12th, 1916 Received by:Eugene Morgan Washington D.C. I will write a few lines to tell the Doctor that I love him very much.He must not think that I am away from him very long for I am not. I am watching him very close, and if he flirts with the girls I know all about it. So tell him he must be very careful as I am a very jealous lady. You must not write more, so thanking you for your kindness I am, Mary the Doctor's soulmate. October 12th, 1916 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Edwin Forrest: Well, Ned, I want to write you a few lines, and as wife is here, and says that I may write, I will do so. I am glad to say that I am in a much better condition than HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/divinelove9.htm" when I last wrote you, thanks to the help that I have received from her and your grandmother, who came to me a short time ago with such wonderful love and such convincing words of cheer and hope. She is the most wonderful spirit that I have seen, and when she speaks to me it is with such authority and convincing power that I just have to believe and follow her advice or try to do so. She prays with me at times and as she prays there comes into my soul such wonderful and strange sensations, that I know that something is coming to me that I am not acquainted with, and I feel so much better, and everything gets lighter. The darkness seems to leave me and I feel like a new man; and I pray too, though I scarcely know what it means. But this I know, that a change has come over me, and hope comes to me, and with it comes belief that I will get out of my darkness and suffering. I commence to realize that there must be a God of Mercy and Love, and that He is not inflicting upon me the sufferings that I have endured; and that maybe He will answer my prayers for help and relief from my darkness. Your wife tells me He will and that if I will have faith and pray with all my heart and soul sometime I may become beautiful and happy as she is. It is hard to believe this, but even if I can never become as she is, yet I sometimes think that I may become more beautiful and happier than I am, and I am making the effort. You pray for me too. I come to you at times when the other dark spirits come, and I see the effect of your help. I don't understand it, yet I see that these spirits are made better, and I must believe that there is something in what the bright spirits to whom these dark ones go, tell them. No, I have not seen Mr. Miller and don't know where he is. I will act on your advice, and try to find him, and do as you say, for even though I am not a bright spirit, yet if I can help him I will gladly do so. I will seek him and the next time I write, will let you know just what his condition is. So thanking you, I will say goodnight. Your old partner friend, Edwin Forrest October 12th, 1916. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: Well sweetheart, at last I have the opportunity to write my letter, and I am so glad that I can. I thought it best to let HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor522.htm" Forrest write you as he was so anxious and seems to realize so much pleasure in doing so. He is progressing some and commence to see that there is some virtue in prayer for he prays very earnestly and very often. We are helping him as much as possible and he seems to have great faith in me, and in your grandmother who appears to him to be something more than the spirit of a mortal. He seems to be awed by her presence when she first come to him, but she talks to him with such love and sympathy in her voice, and has so much of the Father's Love beaming from her eyes that he soon forgets her grandeur, as we call it, and listens to her with all his soul, and seems to drink in her words of comfort and love. She has a wonderful influence over him and is helping him very much. Well, I must not write more on these matters or I will not have time to tell you what I so much wish to say. Since I last wrote you of my progress, I have gotten into higher planes of the Celestial Spheres and am correspondingly happy and surrounded by more beautiful scenes and brighter and lovelier spirits. My home is also more beautiful and is filled with a greater atmosphere of love and happiness. And I further find that with all this progress and increased happiness my soulmate love for you increases and a more wonderful vista of what our happiness will be when you come over and progress to my home and become my soulmate in actual living together, unfolds itself. I am so often with you, that if you knew how often you might think. that my home is not so attractive to me as it should be from my reference to its beauty; but you would be mistaken, for it is more attractive and has more happiness for me than any home I have yet had in spirit life, and when I am in it, no mortal can conceive of my joy and bliss. But yet, I love you so much that I cannot stay away from you for any great length of time, and some of my spirit friends wonder at it. But it is not to be wondered at so much when it is known, and it is a fact, that my actually being in my home is not necessary to my great happiness, for when I come to you, my soul, which is really I, comes too, and in it is the great Love of the Father, and from that Love proceeds my great happiness. So you see how the Father blesses me and all others who have His Love. Because we have our love for the mortal and leave our mansions of joy and light and go to the earth plane of darkness, where sin and error are, our great soul's love and happiness are not left behind. And why should it be? The homes which we have do not make the soul's happiness, but the soul's possession of love makes the homes. And this Love is ours for all eternity and cannot be taken from us. It can grow greater but never less. This is a law or the result of a law in the Celestial Heavens. And what a wonderful law it is! I come to you bringing all the love that I have in my celestial home, and throw around you its influence and essence, and just to the extent that your soul is receptive do you absorb it and feel its presence. So in a faint way you can realize the great fortune of those mortals who have come to them spirits of the Celestial Spheres. Have you ever considered what it means to you and your friends to have surrounding you the love and presence of the Master and of the other high spirits who are so often with you? Very few mortals have such love breathing upon them so often. If you will think of this you will realize how favored you are and what your possibilities may be. But when I come to you I bring not only the Divine Love which possesses my soul, but the lesser, though very intense love of the soulmate, a love which had its beginning before we were mortals and which will never have its ending in all eternity. When I think of the goodness of the Father in all these things to make mortals and spirits happy I can only wonder at His Love and wisdom, and never cease to thank Him! But astonishing also, man can have these blessings as he wills or not to make them his own. In this way he determines his own happiness or misery, when God wishes him to be only happy. Well, sweetheart, I will not write more tonight as you have written enough. But this you know, that I love you with a love that is only yours, and always increasing with no possibility of dying. And as the years of your pilgrimage on earth go bye, this love will be with you and around you in greater abundance, and you will realize it more and more; and your heart will grow younger and younger until the earth life will become something more than the shadow of what awaits you when you come to me. I will say goodnight. Give me my kiss and know that I am Your own true and loving, Helen October 13th, 1916. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Mother: I am here, the dear boy's mother, and I want so much to write him. When I heard of him speak of his boyhood days my heart went out to him with such love and yearning, that I just had to make the effort to tell you that I wanted to write, and I am so happy that you heard me and gave me the opportunity. I am so very happy and as I listen to him talk about the Love in his soul and tell of the experiences that he has when that Love is working in his soul, for I realize that as he receives this Love, he comes nearer to me, and feels my love which is surrounding him, and trying to steal into his heart, it is his mother's flavored with the Divine Love, which I have in my heart and soul, and as it goes out to him I know that he must feel it, and realize a happiness that was never his before. I love my boy more than I can tell him. I loved him with a mother's love on earth but now I love him, not only with a mother's love, but with one that surpasses all love which any mortal mother can have. I desire him to know that I am progressing and that I know that immortality is mine, and that the Celestial Kingdom is mine, where only the great all-enveloping Love of the Father is. I am so happy when I see that he realizes to an extent this Love, and that his faith is growing day by day, and also that the sins and errors which were once his are leaving him, and in their place is coming this great Love, that only those to whom God has called and bestowed His Love knows what it means. I will not write of other things tonight for I am so filled with love, that I cannot think of things that are not connected with it, but I will say though, that his father is also progressing and in a short time I hope will be with me. Tell him to remember that he has the love of many high spirits around him trying to influence him and turn his thoughts more and more to the Father and to His wonderful Love and goodness. I will not forget to say that there is also with him the love of his soulmate and such a very beautiful and pure love it is, such as no mortal can understand but, yet as real as the heavens, and as deep as the sea. Yes, and as everlasting as eternity. I could not possibly have a more beautiful or desirable daughter than is his Mary, and he must believe that she is an actual existing spirit who is with him quite often knowing that he is hers forever and that some day she will have him with her. God bless my boy and keep him from all harm and unhappiness is the earnest prayer of his mother. Mother Mr. Padgett and I were conversing on things spiritual, and I referred to my boyhood days, and then Mr. Padgett heard the voice of my mother and told him she wanted to write me. Mr. Padgett then took up the pencil, and this is copy of letter: From Mary Kennedy - October 13, 1916 You heard me and I am thankful. I will only say that what his mother said about my deep love for him is true. I know that I have told him many times that I love him, but I wanted his mother to tell him also, for he knows and can realize that his mother was and is a real being, and there must not come to him any shadows or thought as to her being a real spirit, and I thought that if she would only tell him that I am real as she is, that he would conceive of me in his soul's eye of faith as being like his mother. This is what I wanted to say, and I am so happy that I can say it. Goodnight my dear friend, Mary, Soulmate of the Doctor. From Mary Kennedy, written immediately after my dear mother, who also spoke to Mr. Padgett that she wanted to write, and was heard and received clairaudiently by Mr. Padgett the request that she wanted to write. Message was written automatically as usual. And Mr. Padgett and I felt a wonderful love present. Leslie R. Stone October 15th, 1916 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, John: I come tonight to write a few lines in reference to the thoughts that have answers in your mind regarding the position that the preacher will take on the subject of his sermon on modern spiritualism. As he said at the Thursday night meeting that he has investigated to some extent the subject of spiritualism, but his investigation has been so superficial that he knows scarcely anything about its truths and is not in condition of mind or knowledge to discuss the matter in an impartial or understanding manner. He has seen some phenomena and read some of the books that have been published regarding the truths of spiritualism but the phenomena and the books have not been such as to convince him that Spiritualism is a fact and in addition he will assert that it conveys or teaches no truth or doctrine that benefits man or fits him for the future life - that not even admitting that it shows the continuity of life and the possibility of communicating between the departed and the mortal, yet it does not show any truth or principle that will benefit man in his life on earth or in his life after death. He is so imbued with his belief in the Bible that his intellect is prevented from having the ability or condition to grasp any truths that may be apparent contradictions of what he considers the Bible teachings. Yet with all this should he be presented with facts that would be sufficient to convince him of the truths of spiritualism, he would not hesitate to accept those facts notwithstanding that they might conflict with the belief desired from the study of the Bible that he has had for so many years. I think that when you hear his sermon you will see that I have written a correct description of his belief on the subject of spiritualism and of what in substance will be the effect of his sermon. You must hear it, for it may suggest something that will enable you to be good even towards the preacher himself. I will not write more now, but next week I will deliver another message. So with all my love, I will say goodnight. Your brother in Christ, John October 16th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, St. Luke, of the New Testament. I desire to write my promised message, and if you feel that you can receive it, I will try to write. Well, I desire to declare certain truths with reference to the necessity for men turning their thoughts to things spiritual, and letting the material things of life consume less of their time and thoughts. In the first place, that which is eternal is of more importance than that which is temporal and has an existence for a short time only, even though these things of time are necessary to sustain and preserve man while living his life on earth. I would not be understood as implying that these material things are not necessary and important for man to acquire and use to the best possible advantage, for they are a necessity to his earth existence, and it is not only a privilege but a duty for man to make the best use of these material gifts that is possible, and to place himself in that condition which will enable him to enjoy to the utmost these things that have been provided for his material comfort and happiness. And further, it is his duty to bend his efforts to develop the use and application of these things, so that the greatest possible benefit and utility may be derived from the proper use of them. And to do this, I understand that man has to give a portion of his thoughts, and devote a part of his time to their consideration, and to the means and methods by which the best results may be brought about, and in doing this man is not disobedient to the Father's laws, or to the requirements which the laws of his own being calls for. The discoveries of the inventors are desirable and men's work in making these discoveries is commendable, and so are efforts of the merchant and mechanic and financiers to succeed in their different undertakings and as a result accumulate money and use it for their comfort and sustenance. But these things, or the thoughts and efforts used to accomplish these results, do not help the soul development, or even the development of the spiritual side of man's nature, and if man devotes himself for the greater number of his hours of living to these pursuits, when he comes to lay these burdens down and pass into the land of spirits, he will find that he is very poor indeed, and that the eternal part of his being has little developed, and his soul fitted for a place where those who have laid up their riches on earth must necessarily go. So attractive is this accumulation of money, and the gaining of fame or position to man, that when once engaged in, and especially when accompanied with what he calls success, he naturally devotes his whole waking time and thoughts to these efforts, and as a consequence, very little of this short time on earth is given to thoughts of and striving for things of the higher kind. If mortals, and especially those who are so arduously and constantly engaged in the effort to win the success that I have just mentioned, could only see and know the condition of those who when on earth were engaged in similar pursuits with like aspirations, and who are now in the spirit world, they would realize the utter futility of such efforts, and the great soul-killing harm that the so-called success on earth, has brought to these spirits. And while we may assume that many of these spirits did not do affirmative wrong or injury in their work, and did not enter into the condition to which I refer because of any such among or injury, yet they are in a stagnated and shriveled condition of soul and spiritual qualities, and all because when in their earnest pursuits of these material things they neglected the development of their souls or the cultivation of their spiritual qualities.Their sin was that of omission and it is a sure one in its results, and the more common one among men who think too much of material things, or think not at all or are indifferent to everything, and are satisfied to live in an atmosphere or state of vegetating contentment. The law operates the same upon the man who neglects his spiritual nature because of his absorption in the things material as upon the man who is guilty of such neglect because of indifference, or contentment with the pleasures that these material things give him. In both cases the results are the same - the soul remains stagnant and the spiritual qualities lie dormant; and the man of such neglect will find his place in the spirit world to be one of darkness and suffering. Life is short and time is fleeting, even though a man may live his allotted time of three score and ten years, and there is no place in all God's universe where it is so important that man should start on his way to eternal progress as in the earth life. There the soul should have its awakening and be fed with thoughts and strivings for the things spiritual. When the start is thus made on earth, it is so much easier for the continuous progress of the soul in the spirit world, if not the awakening may be delayed for years, and the progress which follows it may be and generally is very slow. So I say, let men not devote so much of their time to those things which are of time only, and while they remain in the world of time until the mortal becomes a spirit. Thoughts are things and when applied to man's spiritual development they are things of the most vital importance. A little thought may start a soul to a dormant, hardly living state, or cause it to grow and increase into a thing of beauty and harmony with the spiritual possibilities of its possessor. And as it has been said, where your treasures are, there will your heart be also, so also will your thoughts that turn man's soul into darkness or light. So with all my love, I will say, good-night. Your brother in Christ, Luke October 19th, 1916 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, John. I was with you tonight and heard the preacher answer the question, and some of his answers were very satisfactory, but there was one that did not exactly satisfy the true longings of the man who is in search of truth, I mean the one that asks what should a man do who is not satisfied with any of the churches. Well, if he can find no church that provides truths that satisfy that man's inquiring soul, then that man can never feel that he should go to any church for information as to those things which he has no knowledge of or which he has grave doubts about. The churches, of course, can give no information of truths that the churches themselves do not know, and if the truths that these churches teach fall short of what the man is seeking for, then these churches cannot possibly be satisfactory to him. While the churches differ in their creed and government, and perhaps in some particular construction or interpretation of the Bible, yet they, the orthodox churches, are all founded upon the teachings of the Bible, and they cannot teach greater or other truths than that Book contains, and, hence, if a man is seeking for truths that are not in the Bible, his inquiries cannot be answered by those whose knowledge is confined to the Bible teachings. And the non-orthodox churches cannot give forth the truths of the spiritual kingdom of God for they to a large degree reject the Bible and depend very largely upon ethical and moral doctrines, and the results of the works of mere conscience in determining the right and wrong of things. The spiritual things are not known or taught by these churches, and, consequently, the inquiring mind cannot get from them the information or help that it is calling for. I know that in such a condition and want of knowledge of truth on the part of the churches, such a man is without the privilege of having his cravings for the truth and his cravings for spiritual things satisfied. And, as a consequence, he must seek further to get the information which he may consider so necessary, and when he comes to so seek, he will find no place where such knowledge may be found. The mere intellectual acquirements of students and philosophers will not supply what the man is seeking and he is without any possibility of obtaining what he seeks for. And so the preacher's suggestion that he and two others form a church of their own, would have some force were it not for the fact that any church that might be so formed would have no greater possession of the truth than the churches that he has failed to find any satisfaction in. There are many men on earth today in the condition of the man spoken of, and many who refuse to seek in the churches for the truth, are without any recourse to other means or places of teachers of whom they can learn the things that they are searching for. The spirits have known of this condition of men for these many centuries and have been trying to supply a way or create a medium through which the great spiritual truths of God could be made known to men. And for that very purpose we are now using you to receive our messages of truth and make them known to mankind, and provide a church, may I say, where the seeking man may find answers to his inquiries. We shall complete our delivery of these truths through you and then the man who cannot find a church where his searchings can be satisfied, will find a reservoir of truth opened up to him, that will not require any preacher or church to explain it. As you proceed in your experience with the churches and teachers of the old truths, as they call them, you will more fully realize the necessity for our work and your work. I will not write more tonight, but will come soon and deliver a formal message. With my love and blessings I will say goodnight. John October 21st, 1916. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Judas. I come tonight to write a short message for I have been interested in what you and your friends have said regarding "the greatest sin" Now, to me, for a long time, the greatest sin in all the universe of God was my sin in betraying Jesus to the Jews, and it was a real, living, blasting sin, and so enormous that I could not endure my life, and face the recollection of that awful tragedy; but since I have been forgiven of that sin and become a redeemed child of the Father and an inhabitant of the Celestial Heavens and a possessor of immortality, I realize and know that my sin was not the greatest, even though I suffered for long years after I became a spirit. As sin may be committed by neglect as well as by affirmative action, and my betraying the beloved Master was a heinous one, but yet, even in my case, and as applicable to me, my greater sin was not seeking for the Divine Love of the Father. We were not ignorant of this, for the Master had taught us that this Love was open to and waiting for us to seek and obtain, and I had not sought for it in the right way, and of course had not obtained it; and in such neglect I was not the only one of the disciples that was guilty of that sin. No, even we who had been with the Master for so long a time did not fully understand the importance of obtaining this Great Love, as we were more interested in his establishing his kingdom on earth and, as we thought, a material kingdom, to be controlled by spiritual powers manifested in him, and in us as his disciples. And the material, in our minds, was of more importance than the spiritual, and our expectations were that this great power would come, and that the Master would become our king. As I say, he had taught us that this Divine Love was open to us, and that by prayer and earnest seeking we could receive it, but to us there were so many important things to be done, connected, as I say, more immediately with our earth lives, that we neglected the Great Gift that was ours for its seeking, and as a consequence, in my case, I had to suffer for a long time before I awakened to the fact, that it was not too late, even for me, to receive it. My sin of betrayal had been forgiven me in that I realized that the recollections of it were leaving me and that I was progressing in the way of purifying my soul in its natural love, and that as the spirit of the onetime murderer, I was coming into happiness and light. And then I had memories of what the Master had said to me about this Great Love, and after awhile I had sufficient awakening to cause me to make the effort to obtain this Love, and as that awakening came to me, my old-time associates, who had progressed to the higher spheres came to me, and in their great beauty and transcendent love, helped me to progress and to pray, until at last this Love came to me, and I realized that not only had my sin of murder been wholly forgiven, but that the greater sin of rejecting and neglecting to seek for the Divine Love had also been forgiven me. The sin of the murderer or of any violator of God's laws, other than that of rejecting the inflowing of this Love, may and will be forgiven a man and he will become pure and happy in his natural love, but such forgiveness will not make him an inhabitant of the Divine Heavens or an inheritor of immortality, while the forgiveness of the sin of rejecting the Holy Spirit, will not only take away from him the recollections and taints of all other sins, but will open up to him the very portals of the Celestial Heavens and give him a home in the Father's kingdom. And thus, you see, every sin except that of sinning against the Holy Spirit, may be forgiven a man, with the result that he will become the perfect man, but the forgiveness of all these sins many times over, if it could so happen, would not make him the Divine Angel. And I need not explain to you, for you can readily see from what I have written, that the greatest sin in all the world is the sin against the Holy Spirit - the sin of neglecting or refusing to let the Holy Spirit bring in and to the soul of man the Great Divine Love of the Father. And not only is this sin the greatest because of the results that flow from it, but because it will continue to be the unpardonable sin so long as man refuses to permit its forgiveness. When the sin of murder and such kindred sins are committed, the sin then ends and only its consequences must be suffered and the penalty paid; but the sin against the Holy Spirit is a continuing sin, committed every day and hour and minute and never having an end until the mortal seeks and receives the inflowing of this Divine Love. As has been written you many times, yes, the large majority of men and spirits will continue forever and ever to commit this sin, and in the effects to follow, to them, it will become and is the unpardonable sin. As we are much interested in you, and have determined that you shall not go astray to these Divine truths, my brother spirits of the Celestial Spheres, thought it fitting, as the world considers that I committed the greatest sin in all the history of the world, that I should write you on this subject, and explain that the greatest sin in all the world is the sin against the Holy Ghost. We all know this, and while I write, you must believe, for it is true, that all of us and the Master too, declare that the sin I name is the greatest sin. And now to be a little more personal, for your gratification and comfort, I desire to tell you, that you three will not be found guilty of having committed this great sin, for you have in your hearts and souls much of this Divine Love, and the Holy Spirit is with you quite often in answer to your prayers, and in answer to ours also, for we all pray for you, causing this Love of the Father to possess your souls, even as the leaven wrought in the batch of dough. I have written longer than I expected and will now stop. But be assured that you have our love and the blessings of the Father. Your brother in Christ, Judas October 21st, 1916. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving Helen Well, I am pleased that you received the HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/trinity16.htm" message from Judas and it is a wonderful message filled with truths that you will perceive with more force and newness the more you read it. It was actually Judas writing, and as he said, he was chosen by the others to deliver the same, for many of them were present while he was doing so. And I was here also and heard what was said, and know that what I tell you is true. How blessed you and Mr. Morgan and the Dr. should feel to know that of all the wonderful spirits of the Celestial Spheres, the most wonderful and the highest come to you and communicate with you, and not only that, but they bring with them an atmosphere of love that has a most beneficial effect upon the conditions of your souls. I am so happy that I can tell you this and I know that you will believe me, for my love for you would not permit me to deceive you, no matter what the occasion might be.Yes, my dear, these high spirits are your friends and brothers. What more can I say to cause you to realize the greatness of the experience that you are having? I do not know. Well as you were much drawn on by the message of Judas, I do not think it best to write more tonight and I will stop. Your own true and loving Helen October 22nd, 1916. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Elias: I come tonight to say a few words on the sermon of the preacher and also because I was an early spiritualist and all down the ages have had knowledge of the communications between spirits and mortals.Tonight at the church there were many spirits present and as the preacher said "every particle of space in the building was occupied by spirits" - some of the higher order and others of the lower planes where conditions are dark, but there were many there and interested, for nearly every person in the audience had some spirit friend or guardian angel with him, and as the nervous members of the congregation differed in their condition of soul development or spiritual enlightenment, so they attracted considerable spirits. But in addition to these who were attracted by their respective mortal friends or relatives, there were a number of spirits from the higher spheres who were interested in the occasion. For it is not often that an orthodox congregation has the opportunity or takes the opportunity to listen to a sermon upon the theme that the preacher dealt with tonight, and if you could have seen the difference in the workings of the minds and understandings and the effect upon the preconceived beliefs of the several members of the congregation, you would have been surprised and realized more fully the powers that belief has upon the consciousness of mortals. I do not intend to analyze the sermon, but must say that the same was a surprise to many of the orthodox as well as to some who are spiritualists. The preacher declared many truths that were repugnant to a number of his congregation because in their blind belief in their creeds and dogmas they had not the right, that any real orthodox minister could have believed and proclaimed such doctrines as the preacher declared. He is a true spiritualist so far as the propositions of continuous life and inter-communication are concerned, but he hardly dares announce his beliefs in the language of spiritualism and he may have been wise in not doing so as the effect would not be very desirable upon many of his hearers. He is not very well versed in the truths of spiritualism, in matters which deal with its philosophy or religion and consequently he does not understand the great importance of searching for and finding the truths which these means afford of learning these truths. But the seeds of truth are in his mind and conviction and he is in that condition which renders him susceptible to receiving the truths, should they be presented to him in such a manner as to appeal to his beliefs and to his reason, and as he has a great deal of the soul development by reason of his possession of the Divine Love. The higher truths which have been revealed to you will appeal to him more especially to his soul sense and then to the sense of his mind conditions. I know it would at first be a shock to him to learn that his intellectual belief in the doctrines of the trinity and the vicarious atonement and kindred portions of the creed of his church are all untrue and short of any basis in fact but nevertheless should he learn of the great truths of the plan of God for man's salvation, he would not hesitate to embrace these truths and even dare to proclaim them. In a way he will prove to be a kind of pioneer in the work of spreading the true religion that must ultimately become known to and received by mankind and tonight's sermon may cause many of his hearers to regard spiritualism in a little different light, not as the creature of devils and evil spirits, but on the manifestation of the natural as I may say the reasonable workings of the laws of God upon the actual and normal relationship of spirits and mortals. The preacher's sermon will do the cause of truth much good, because it will tend to open up the minds of many to gain a respectful hearing to any attempts that may be made to enlighten them as to the reality of the truths of spiritualism. One thing he said and that is that very few mediums can be depended upon in conjunction with the prejudice that exist in the minds of the orthodox, against everything that has the flavor of spiritualism, may tend to prevent the conversion of these people to its truths or even to attempt even if mere curiosity may be the moving cause. We are pleased that the preacher took the position that he did in declaring his belief that spiritual communion is a fact and in giving the illustration of its several phases although he left the results or causes of such manifestation in a rather uncertain meaning. His hearers may infer that he meant that God, as contradistinguished from spirits was the voices or the cause of the visions or manifestations that he referred to in some mysterious or super-natural way in the exercise of His omniscience. I merely wanted to write these few things to give you an idea of how important the teachings of the preacher may be proved to be in opening up the minds of many of his hearers. And as I close let me say that all down the ages spiritualism has existed and been demonstrated and prophets and apostles and mediums and men have heard the voices of spirits and seen the materialized spirits and received the inspirations of spirits of good and evil. I will not write more tonight and I hope you are not disappointed that I wrote instead of John, for we intended that you should be surprised somewhat in the writer, that is, the personality of the writer for we saw that you rather expected that John might write. Many of your spirit friends have been with you tonight and they accompanied you to the rooms where you and your friend sat and discussed the sermon and the preacher and things connected with us and our messages. I will not write more tonight. With our love and blessings, I will say that we are Your brother in Christ. Elias October 22nd, 1916. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your own true and loving Helen: Well dear, I see that you enjoyed the evening very much and on the. whole felt satisfied with the sermon of the preacher. It was a rather unexpected sermon from an orthodox minister and one that may result in some good to those who heard it. I was with you and so was that little soulmate of the Dr.'s and she was delighted to be with him and of course I was also delighted to be with you. I was also glad that Edward was with you for I see he will be led to believe in the truths that we are teaching and so experience the happiness of having the Divine Love and having the soul development that is so desirable. He is a good boy and I am so sorry for him in the manner that you know of. But he will soon have the change that I have written you about. Be with him as much as you can, for he will need your sympathy and loss and will feel very lonesome at times although he will also experience some relief from some of the things that worried him. I think of baby also and am with her a great deal as she needs you also and I hope that soon you will all be together. In fact I know you will be very kind and loving with her. Yes I will try to influence her in the way that you spoke of, and I think I can succeed. So have hope that she will do as you desire. I love you all with all my heart and pray for you to make you happy. I must not write more tonight. Give me my kiss and go to bed soon and get up earlier in the morning. So sweetheart good-night. Your own true and loving, Helen October 23rd, 1916. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus: I intended to night to write a message, but you continued your reading until it was too late. I know what you would say, but at that time these dark spirits were so anxious to write that I did not interfere, although they could not write, because you declined to let them do so. Your power of control over these spirits is almost complete and many higher spirits wonder at it. But as you have been instructed in this matter and have acquired a knowledge of the way in which you can apply the law that operates to prevent them from writing when you intend that they shall not write, is not astonishing. Well, when I saw that they were anxious and were making the effort I left and returned only a short time ago. But the meaning of my complaint is that you did not earlier in the evening give me the opportunity to write just after you had finished your paper and before you commenced to copy. It was the understanding a short time ago that we would commence our writings thus early in the evening. Well you are mistaken for I could have written very easily at the time mentioned. That will be agreeable and I will come then. The important thing is to have these messages of truth delivered and received. These other things that you speak of are interesting and have some importance, but yet, the messages should be considered of the first importance, and be received in preference to any of these other communications. I know that the condition of the preacher's mind and beliefs is of some importance under the circumstances attending his liberality of thought, and much good may be done by using these truths to enlarge his scope of the true relationship of God and man, yet there will be time for this and the truths must be first delivered. Yes, I understand, and I am pleased that such are your longings and desires, and if you will only persist in these longings and pray to the Father with all the earnestness of your aspirations, and let faith take hold of these aspirations, you will very soon have a wonderful inflowing of this love and get in that condition of at-onement that you so much desire. I will be with you and help you with my prayers and love, and I know that the Father will bless you. I will not write more now, but will come tomorrow night. So with my love and blessings, I will say goodnight, Your brother and friend, Jesus October 23rd, 1916. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your own true and loving Helen: Well sweetheart, the dark spirits are very anxious to write tonight, and it is somewhat difficult to control them, although, HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor330.htm" as Jesus said, you have the power, yourself, to prevent them from writing. They are so very unhappy that you will relieve it and let them write. They are increasing in numbers more and more, and seem more anxious to come in contact with you than ever, and we find it is difficult to induce them to leave. But I see the wisdom of your rule and the necessity of enforcing it, for otherwise the higher spirits would not have any opportunity to convey their messages. Well, I heard what the Master said, and you must try to do as he says regarding the time of writing. He is so very anxious to write and so are a number of others. I mean the higher spirits, for they all have messages of truth to deliver. Yes, they (my band) are desirous of writing you but you have been so crowded that they have not attempted to interfere. She has a message and will come soon and deliver it. Well, I will tell them what you say and we will arrange for the writing in the way that you suggest, and they will be happy to do so, I know. I will not write more now-you had better go to bed soon and get up earlier. So give me my kiss and say goodnight, Your own true and loving, Helen October 26th, 1916. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, your own true and loving Helen: Well, dear, I am glad to know that you are in a much better condition tonight, and hope that you will continue in the development of your spiritual powers - that is the soul - for we all feel much encouraged and hope that soon you will commence to receive the higher messages. I was with you today when the lady called and heard your conversation, and desire to tell you that it had some effect upon your hearer and may help her to get into the way that will lead to the development of her soul in love. At the same time were the spirits of her relatives present, and they, or some of them, expressed a desire to write a message to her, and one in particular who is a very bright spirit of the Celestial spheres. She seemed much interested in the woman and is quite anxious to write her in reference to the condition of her soul and the necessity for her seeking for the love and becoming a true child of the Father. I told her that you would receive her message in a very short time, and so you will. Well, dear, I see that you are happier than you were, and it is all due to your turning your thoughts to spiritual things and praying for a greater inflowing of the love. I will not write more now Yes. I should have told you, but our communications have been so brief, or rather caused to be brief, by the condition surrounding you, that I did not think at the time to write you in reference to Baby. I have been with her and saw that she was sick, but that there was nothing very serious the matter with her. She will soon be much better and then she can have the operation that she told you of. Well, I will write her a long, loving, motherly letter very soon, and you can give it to her, for I will try to write her a very encouraging letter and one that will appeal to her love instincts. No. I will not forget - He is ready at any time and has been waiting only for you to get in condition to receive his messages. He has made an examination of the Doctor and knows what the trouble is with him, and is prepared to prescribe. You had better go to bed earlier tonight as you need to recuperate, and a good sleep will help you very much. So love me and believe that I love you. Goodnight my dear Ned - Your own true and loving Helen October 28th, 1916. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, your father: I desire to write a few lines tonight, as I have not written for some time and I feel that I want you to hear from me and learn that I have been with you a great deal, trying to help you and make you happy. I know the worries that you have, and know that everything looks so dark to you and no apparent relief in sight, but you must not have such dreaded views, for what you imagine you see will never come to pass, and things will take on a brighter hue before a great while. I love you, as you know, and so do many others who are with you frequently, and you must believe that they are trying to help you and are doing so. If you could realize just for a moment what power you have surrounding you and how much it is being exercised for your good, you would not look upon material things in such a gloomy light. I am now in the First Celestial Sphere and am happy beyond all expression, and know that the Divine Love of which you have heard so much is a real living thing that makes the souls of spirits at-one with the Father and immortal. My dear son, I cannot tell you the glories of the home that is mine or of the happiness which I have in my soul; and when I sometimes think of what I was on earth and what I am now, I am astonished that such great difference could exist between the two existences. God is all Love and His Mercy and care are without limit, and all mortals are the object of all these blessed attributes of Him. Keep up your courage and let all the aspirations of your soul go forth to Him and His Love for you are on the right road to obtaining this Great Love in increased abundance and your home in the Celestial Spheres is assured; only pray and have faith. Many spirits are here tonight and some desire to write, but I do not know they will do, as your wife says that this is her night and she has promised to write you and must keep her promise. She is so wonderful and beautiful that you would not know her if you could see her in her glorious appearance and her love is exceedingly transcendent, and her love for you rather surprises us all for it is deeper than the ocean and higher than the heavens, as you mortals say. She is a spirit of such exceeding brightness that we who were with her when she first came to the spirit world can scarcely realize that she is the same person that came to us a few short months ago. But she sought for the Divine Love with all the positiveness and longings of her soul and was never satisfied unless she was progressing, so that now she is higher up in the Celestial Spheres, and is filled with this Love, and with it has a beauty that outshines the stars and a wisdom that you cannot conceive of. We all love her very much and her work in bringing soulmates together is resulting in a wonderful good and happiness to these happy ones. Well, I am glad that I could write to you tonight and tell you these things. But do not forget that I am with you very often and am still your Guardian Angel although you have around you and interested in you, a vast number of spirits of the Celestial Heavens. Well, you must know that as I progress in my soul development I also progress in my mental development, and knowledge and power of expression come to me, as it were, unconsciously, and no effort is required to write you and explain the things of this world in a manner that you would hardly expect from what you know of my mental development when on earth. There are many surprising things occurring all the time to spirits as they progress, and I am told that there is no end to our progress, and it must be so, for even the highest spirits say that they are progressing to higher and higher planes all the time. Yes, my soulmate has progressed with me and we are very happy. I wish I could tell you what soulmate happiness when combined with the happiness of the Divine Love means. But it would be useless to try. Your mother's soulmate has progressed also; he is in the Seventh Sphere and is striving with all the energies of his soul to get in the sphere with your mother, and he will soon do so, for she is helping with her wonderful love and is with him a great deal. I must stop now. So with all my father's love, I will say good night. Your loving father and brother in Christ, John H. Padgett October 28th, 1916. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving Helen: Well, my dear, I am here as I promised you today and will try to write my letter, although I hesitated about doing so, as there are some spirits here who are very anxious to write, but I told them that I had made the engagement with you, and that they must wait until another time to write, and of course, they very willingly acquiesced. Well, I want to tell you that I was with you tonight at the meeting and saw that you enjoyed some of the soul love and influence that were present. These people have a great deal of this love and attract many spirits of the spiritual kind and receive a great amount of the Divine Love, for the Holy Spirit is present with them, doing the work of the Father. But I did not come to write of them, so I will not write more. As HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor628.htm" your father just wrote you, I am in the higher planes of the Celestial Heavens and I am so happy that I hardly know how to express myself to you, for your language has no words adequate to express what I should like to tell you. All the descriptions of my several homes that I have heretofore given you, if combined could not faintly describe the home in which I now have or the happiness which is mine. As I go higher the things of earth gradually fade away from my memory, and only my love for you and the children remain in its strength and realness. And if it were not for this love I do not think that I would often come to the earth plane, for my special work, as you know, is among the spirits of the higher spheres in revealing to them the soulmates that they have, and in bringing to them the consequent happiness. But as I have told you while you remain on earth, I will never be able to remain away from you, as the great attraction which our love creates would not permit me to do so, even if I did not desire to come, if you can imagine such a thing to be possible. The Father is so loving and good that he never prevents his spirits of the Celestial Kingdom from indulging in those things that will make them happy and contented and, consequently, there are more of the spirits in the earth planes doing their missions of love, than might be expected, when the happiness that their homes gives them is considered. But these spirits know not selfishness in the sense of desiring all this happiness for themselves. Of course, it they have no attraction on earth - if love for the mortal does not call them to earth, then they live mostly in the spiritual or Celestial Heavens doing their work, but always work for others. These spirits are never idle, indulging their own pleasures in such a way as the majority of Christians may believe. They have their harps and their music of various kinds and all these things that are commonly conceived by the Christian mortals to exist in the Kingdom of Heaven, yet they enjoy them only in the moments of cessation from their work in helping other spirits to progress towards the fountainhead of the Father's Love. I am also now working in teaching the spirits of the lower spheres the plan of God for the salvation of their souls, and it is a glorious work, and the reflected happiness is beyond all explanation. As we give our knowledge and love to these spirits and realize their happiness and joy, this love that streams down upon us from the higher planes seems to fill our souls with increased abundance, and we realize the saying, that the more we give the more we receive. Never are we made poor by giving and never cease to give when the opportunity presents itself. Only are we disappointed when those to whom we try to give our love and share our happiness with, refuse to receive these gifts, and this frequently happens, especially in the lower spheres and in the intellectual spheres, for you must know that these spirits of the divine nature spend much time in the intellectual spheres, endeavoring to lead the spirits of these spheres in the way that will bring to them this Divine Love and endless progress. But strange as it may seem to you, these intellectual spirits whose natural love has become to a great degree purified, are the most difficult to convince or even interest in the great plan of the Father for their souls' redemption and entrance into the Celestial Spheres. They are comparatively happy as they progress in these intellectual and moral spheres, and they do not desire anything until they arrive at the limit of their progress and then many of them have an awakening to the fact that there may be something beyond their present powers of acquiring, and that the celestial spirits may know a way to greater progress and happiness. We of the Celestial Spheres, all engage in this work, for we know the importance of it, and the certainty that at some time the Celestial Kingdom will be closed but we do not know when, our work with these spirits will have to cease, and then they will be left through all eternity to the limited happiness and ended progression. The more experience I have in this work, the more I am astonished at the great and wonderful power of the human will, and when I say this I include the will that these pure spirits of the natural love have. It seems to me that they approach nearest the greatness of the Father in this will power, and in the untrammeled exercise of it. I know of no power or function that these spirits of the natural love have, that the spirits of the Celestial Spheres cannot control or subordinate, except this great will power, and as to that we are as helpless as babes so far as compulsion is concerned. When we try to influence them with love is our weapon, and unless love can work its way our influence is almost hopeless. Of course, persuasion of their intellects is also necessary, and reason must be taken in the account, but as I say, the approach to persuasion and reason must be through love, which is the power that moves and governs the spirit world. Well dear, don't you think I have written enough for tonight? You are somewhat exhausted and I think it best to stop. Your own true and loving, Helen October 29th, 1916. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. You were right in your surmise that I was with you to-night, and as you imagined, I was standing close to you at the time the preacher was delivering his discourse, and you felt the influence of my love and sympathy, and also received the thoughts that I was superimposing on your brain. The preacher's sermon was an advance upon the beliefs of the orthodox in many particulars, but in the most important particular and in the one that will affect mortals most vitally in their progress in the spirit life, he was wrong, very wrong. I refer to his declaration that he saw or knew of no statement in the Bible that would justify him in asserting that there would be an opportunity for the spirits of mortals to receive pardon or to progress from the condition of hell to that of light and heaven in the spirit world, when they had not started on that journey in the mortal life. This, as I have told you, is a damnable doctrine, and one that has done more harm all down the centuries from the time of my living on earth, than most any other teaching of the church that claims to be representative of me and my teachings. Many poor souls have come into the spirit world with this belief firmly fixed in their minds and conscience, and the difficulties have been great and the years long before they could awaken from this belief and realize that the Love of the Father is waiting for them in spirit life just as in the earth life, and that probation is never closed for men or spirits, and never will be until the time of the withdrawal of the great opportunity for men to become inhabitants of the Celestial Heavens, and even then, the opportunity to purify their natural love will not cease, and never will, until all who have the opportunity shall become perfect men in their natural loves. Had he searched the Scriptures, in which he so implicitly believes, he would have found an authorization for him to declare that even in the spirit world, the spirits of the unsaved sinners on earth, who died without having become reconciled to God, had the gospel of salvation preached to them; and furthermore when he declared that the Bible says that I said "that he that HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/quotesmatthew.htm" \l "M1231" sinneth against the son of man it shall be forgiven him, but he that sinneth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world nor in the world to come," had the preacher placed the natural and only implied construction on this declaration, he would have found that the sinner who neglected the opportunity on earth, would yet have another chance for salvation in the world to come, as the spirit world is referred to. So that, even according to his own source of belief and foundation of his knowledge of these things of the future, he would be justified and even required, as an honest preacher of the Scriptures, to declare that probation did not end with the physical death of the mortal. It is so sad that the creeds and fixed opinions of these preachers, formed from the teachings of the old fathers, as they are called, should be men of soul development, such as this preacher has, and teach the damnable doctrine that I speak of which he declared. There is a hell, or rather hells, just as there is a heaven or heavens, and all men when they become spirits, will be compelled to occupy one or the other of these places; not because God had decreed that any particular spirit because of his earth belief or condition shall occupy that place, but because the condition of his soul development, or want of development, fits and fixes him for that place and no other. God has made His laws of harmony and these laws are never changed, and when any particular soul gets into a condition of agreement with these laws, then that soul becomes at one with the Father and an inhabitant of His heavens; and so long as that soul remains out of such condition it is in hell, which is the condition of being out of agreement with the harmony of God's laws. This is hell and there is no other comprehensive definition of it: every thing or place that is not heaven is hell. Of course there are many gradations of hell, and the inhabitants of these gradations are made by the condition of their soul development, which is determined by the quantity and quality of the defilement and sin that exists in these souls. The soul is developed as the love becomes purified and sin eradicated, and just as this process progresses the soul becomes developed. God has decreed that His universe, both of men and things, shall be harmonious, and only the creature, man, has become out of that harmony; and as the universe shall continue, the only destiny for man is, that he shall return to that harmony from which he fell by reason of his own misdirected will. Had God decreed, as the preacher by necessary implication, declared, that the sinner who dies in his sins shall forever remain in his sins and in a state of antagonism to such harmony, then God, Himself, would necessarily become the cause and power of defeating His own laws of harmony, which no sane mortal whether he believes in the Scriptures or not, would or could believe. God's Laws are fixed and unchangeable and always in harmony with one another and with His Will, and knowing this, every thinking man will know and should know that whenever a proposition or opinion is put forth by preacher or layman or philosopher or scientist that shows that in order for a certain condition or truth to exist, God's Laws will have to work in conflict with or in opposition to one another, then that proposition or opinion is false and has no foundation in fact. And so to accept this declaration of the preacher that there is no probation after death, or as he said, chance to progress out of the hell which the mortal carries with him to the spirit world, men will have to believe that the Loving Father, for the satisfying His wrath and meeting the demands of His supposed justice, will set his laws in conflict with one another and destroy the harmony of his universe. The preacher spoke, as he said, as a scientist, and not as a religious teacher, and yet the deduction that he made when he declared the eternal existence of the hells, violated one of the fundamental laws of science and that is, that two conflicting laws in the workings of God's universe cannot both be accepted as true, and that the one of these two that is in harmony with all the other known laws must be accepted as true.Then I say, that founded on the Scriptures or founded on science, the preacher had no basis for making the untrue and deplorable statement, that physical death ends man's possibility of progressing from a condition or state of hell existence into that of purity and freedom from sin and into harmony with God's perfect laws and the requirements of His will. The preacher spoke from his intellect and mental beliefs of long years standing and the memory echoes of what he had heard said by other preachers and teachers who left upon his conscious beliefs in their false doctrines. But deep down in his soul, where the Love of the Father is burning and the soul sense is growing, he does not believe this doctrine, for he realizes that this Love of the Father is so much greater and purer and holier than any other love that exists in heaven or on earth; and the Father from Whom It comes must be holier and more merciful and forgiving and thoughtful of His children than of any mortal father of his children. And then as a mortal father having in his soul the Divine Love, he knows that his child could not commit any sin or offense that could possibly become unpardonable, or that he would not permit, and gladly, the child to repent of at any time. And so he would see, that if he refused to the Father, from Whom this Divine Love comes, a love and sympathy that would cause that Father to be as forgiving to His children as is he, the earthly parent, then the Greatest Attribute of that Father, God, Who is All Love, would not be equal to the love of his creature. The derivative would be greater and grander and purer and more Divine than the Fountainhead from which it is derived. No, the preacher in his soul does not believe this unnatural teaching, and at times, he travails in his soul at the conflict that takes place between the mental bondage of his intellectual beliefs and the freedom of his soul sense, the creature of the Divine Love that is in him, and the only part of Divinity that he possesses. And thus is demonstrated the great, real paradox of the existence in the same mortal at the same time, of an intellectual belief and a soul knowledge as far apart as the antipodes. And also is demonstrated the truth, a great truth, that the mind of man and the soul of man are not one and the same, but are as distinct as the creature of a special creation, the mind, and the creation of that which is the only part of man made in the image of his Maker, the soul, must necessarily be. But some day the soul knowledge will overcome the mental belief, and then the preacher will know that harmony and inharmony cannot exist for all time - that sin and error must disappear and purity and righteousness must exist alone, and that every man and spirit must become at one with the Father, either as an inhabitant of the Celestial Heavens or as the perfect man that first appeared at the call of God, and by him pronounced "very good." I have written enough for to-night and must stop, but before doing so, I want to say that I have been with you today and saw that you were very happy in your thoughts and in your soul ex-experience. Other spirits were also with you, throwing around you their love and influence. Persevere in your efforts to obtain this Divine Love, and pray to the Father and it will come to you in increased abundance, and with it a wonderful happiness. I will come soon and write you another message. So with my love and blessings, I will say good-night and God bless you. Your brother and friend, Jesus October 31st, 1916 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. When you are weakest, then are you strongest, because then you rely more on the power and help of the Father. Such has been your condition tonight, and I want to tell you that you have received a wonderful amount of the Father's Love, and the love of the Master. This I tell you because I know from what I actually have seen. So you should not let your worries trouble you so much. Try to think more of the promises of the Master and of the Love of the Father, and you will realize that help is very near you. We are all here tonight because we are interested in you and want to see you happy, and you should be so; and if you could only know the love that surrounds you, you would cease to worry so much. The Master has told you that your worries will leave you soon and you must believe him, for it is true. I know this, and I can only corroborate what he says, so that you must not continue to let these temporary troubles keep you in such a condition of gloom and despondency. I will not write more tonight. Your brother in Christ, James the Apostle November 2, 1916 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. Of course, the scenes in which I was represented are creatures of the imagination, and intended to impress upon the observers of these scenes the belief or thought, that because of my teachings of peace and good will to men, I would necessarily be interested in those things that violate my teachings, and, consequently would be present at the fields of battle and the destruction of human life. But I may surprise you when I tell you that I do not visit these scenes, because my mission as a spirit is not to help those who fall in battle and come to the spirit world as the result of war's destruction and murder of human beings. There are many spirits whose duty it is to look after the spirits of those who are so suddenly ushered into the spirit world, and to help them to a realization of their changed conditions, and to lead them to the knowledge that they are no longer mortals. These spirits are specially designated for this work and they comfort the unfortunate spirits and help them to recover from the shock of their violent and sudden transformation. This work, as you may say, is a material one, that is the one that helps these spirits come into possession of their spiritual faculties, irrespective of the question as to whether they are fitted for heaven or for hell. In other words, they work to make the coming of these spirits as free from the terrors which such sudden transformation might cause, as is possible. This work is a necessary one, and one which is a part of the plan of the Father for the welfare and happiness of His children, without regard to the fact that they know not His love and mercy. But my work is different. I deal only with the souls of men irrespective of their spirit condition, that is of the condition of spirit as mere spirit. On the field of battle the souls of men are not generally open to the influence of my teachings, and my work is not among the physically dead, but among the living who are in that state of mental and soul equipoise to receive the influences of my suggestion and love. No, the field of battle is not my place of work, and the killing of men and the carnage of war do not attract me or have for me the opportunities to do the great work, that I am leading the spirits who know the reality and the necessity of the Divine Love, to do. I am interested in the peace of mankind and the love of one brother for another, and my teachings on earth and in the spirit world are given for the purpose of bringing about this peace. But the wars of nations or the hatred of battles will never result in bringing peace, merely because of the horrors and desolation that flow from such wars and battles. Men may think that when mankind looks upon these things of destruction, it will also look upon them with such horror and dread, that never again will war take place, and that only peace will follow and forever remain the heritage of men. But I tell you that in this they are mistaken, for in the passing of a few years all these things will be forgotten, and then, men's hearts being the same, with all the hatred and envy and ambition that existed in the hearts and minds of those who were responsible for the forgotten wars, these things will be repeated, and the fact that men are of the same carnal minds and desires will be demonstrated. As long as men remain in their condition of sin and have only what some may call the brotherhood of man to restrain them from seeking to satisfy their ambitions or to gratify their desires to punish fancied wrongs, wars will ensue and the horrors of such conflicts will reappear on the face of the earth. Men will cry peace, peace, but the world will know no peace, and poor man will suffer the recurrence of the results of the workings of his evil nature. And hence, you may understand that I am not so much interested in having peace come to man as a result of the horrors of war as I am in having it come as the necessary result of the transforming of men's hearts and souls from sin to purity, from the merely natural love to that of the Divine Love, for when this latter love is in men's souls, they will not cease from war and hatred, and carnal appetites will not be satisfied, because of the horrors that may attend these things, but because of the love that exists in their souls, which will not permit wars. Love will rule and men will forget hatred and all things which now form a part of their very existence. My work is to change men from the fallen man to the possessor of the Divine Love. Also, am I trying to teach men that originally they possessed a love that in its pure state would lead them from these things of hatred and war, and that their only salvation, outside of the possession of the Divine Love, is to again obtain this pure love - the purified natural love. But strange as it may seem to some, it is more difficult for a man to regain the state of the purification of his natural love, than to obtain that greater purification which comes with the possession of the Divine Love. I see that many centuries may pass before a man will attain to this state of purification of his natural love, that will enable him to say that because of his love, wars cannot come again and peace must reign: and hence, the great necessity for him to know that only with the coming of the Divine Love will come the impossibility of war and strife - individually and nationally. So, when it is written or portrayed in pictures that I am on the fields of battle trying to show mankind the horrors of war, or that I am weeping over the slaughter of men, such writings or portrayals are not true. My mission is to reach the souls of men, as individuals, and turn them to the Love of the Father, and my weeping or sorrow is, when men will not listen to the voice that comes to them all, as it calls them to turn to the Father and Live. A dead body is of small consequence as compared to a dead soul, and there are so many that pass into the spirit world bring with them their dead souls. As the dead bodies lie on the fields of carnage, I know that there is nothing there that needs my help or sympathy: and the souls that leave these bodies are not in condition, at that time, to listen to my ministrations or consider their future existence. So you see there is no reason why I should visit the battlefields or try to help these newly born spirits, as I may describe them. No. Jesus, the elder brother, is not the physician for the mangled or wounded bodies or for the souls that come into the spirit world filled with hatred and antagonism at the time of their coming. Physical death in view of eternity is not of much moment, and while I know that to the ordinary mortal it is one of the most momentous of their existence, yet as I say, it is of comparatively little importance. But, oh, the importance of the death of the soul, and the great necessity of striving to awaken that soul to life! Well, I have written enough now, and will stop. I see your friend with you and I must say to him that I am with him very often, and am pleased that he has arisen from death to life, and that the battle field on which he has fought the fight of the soul is larger and more terrible in its aspects and evidences of carnage and destruction than the field of battle that is now destroying the physical bodies of so many of mankind. I mean that the whole world is the battlefield of the soul's fighting, and if men could only see the results, as they see the results of the war that is now shaking the whole earth, they would understand that the great war is not the one that is causing so many dead souls to enter the spirit world. Give him my love and blessings. I will come soon and write you a message of truth. So with all my love and blessings, I am Your brother and friend, Jesus November 2nd, 1916 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Your Own True and Loving Helen. What a wonderful message you had HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/jesus41.htm" from the Master, and how earnest he was when he was writing. The glory of his countenance was blinding to even us, and the love that seemed to possess his very being was beyond our conception. He was truly the beloved son of the Father, and the spirits present were bathed in his love to such an extent that they seemed to partake of his glory. Oh, my dear, it was all so wonderful! Your own true and loving Helen November 4th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, John. I merely want to say that what the Master and I said a few nights ago to Dr. Stone applies to your friend who is with you now, and he must realize the fact; and I wish he would take a copy of the writings and insert his name wherever that of the Doctor occurs. He has more of this Love in his soul than he realizes, and although at times he has some doubts, and the Love seems to be dormant, yet it is there, and he must not lose faith in the fact. As long as he is a mortal these times of doubt and want of feeling of the presence of the Love will come to him, but he must not let this discourage him, for as certainly as the sun shines he has fought the battle of the soul and has come out victor, and he is now an accepted son of the Father. I would not tell him this if I did not see the condition of his soul and the presence of the Love resting and living in it. We have all been much interested in his transformation because of the difficulty that has attended his fight - greater than he may conceive of. And when he commenced to get into that condition of awakening, he had the assistance of many more of the higher spirits than he has been informed of, for we left him alone scarcely any of the time when the change was taking place. And besides, he was so unfortunate as to have around him some very evil spirits who had such a hold upon him that it was not an easy work to cause them to leave him. Of course, we could have dispersed them without any difficulty by the mere exercise of our will, but that was not the desirable or effective way of ridding him of these incubi, for whenever we should leave him they would return to him and his condition become much worse than before. And consequently, the only effective way - and the one that was pursued, and the only one that can be with certain and lasting results pursued - was to have his soul develop, so that in itself it would possess that power that would cause these spirits to leave him and render him innocuous to their influences, whether we were present or not. And in this we were successful. And all this means that our work was simply to turn his thoughts to the Father and to cause him to have faith in prayer; for when all is said, it was the result of prayer that brought the Divine Love which made him able, because of his own soul's power, to disperse and keep from him these evil spirits. And in this I do not intend to be understood as meaning that he was relieved from the presence of these spirits in the way of attempting to communicate with him, for that amounts to very little as regards his soul condition; but I do mean that the influence of these spirits on the condition of his soul became of no effect, and that they could not, after he received this power, affect the transformation and growth of his soul. As long as he, or any other mortal, remains mortal, he will be visited at times by some of these undesirable spirits, and will feel their influence in a spiritual sense; but they will never have any power to swerve his soul from its progression to the higher development. The fight, of course, will continue all through the earth life, and at times the influence of these spirits upon his mental faculties and animal appetites may tend, for the time being, to retard or hold still the progress of his soul development; but, directly, these evil influences can never have any effect upon the condition or qualities of his soul. I want him to fully grasp the meaning of what I have written and in the future, no matter how discouraged he may feel or how much his mentality may suggest the existence of things in him that are injuring his soul or taking from it the presence of possession of this Divine Love, he must believe what I have told him and that he has fought the battle of the soul and won, and that this Love is his and cannot be taken from him by the wiles of Satan, as the preachers say. It may lie dormant to his consciousness, and the happiness that arises from its active existence may seem to leave him; yet the Love is there and will assert itself. Temptations will come to him, and he must continue to fight - not to keep the Love, but to prevent the Love from becoming dormant and the happiness from disappearing. He has had his resurrection from death to life, and he cannot die again. I would like to write longer, but others desire to write and I must stop. So, with my love and blessings on you both, I will say good-night. Your brother in Christ, John November 4th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, the Grandfather of Eugene. I was his father's father, and died ever so many years ago. I am in the Celestial Heavens, for many years ago I learned the way to the Heaven of the soul. I have been interested in my grandson's experience, and have been with him on many occasions, trying to influence him with my prayers and love. And in the spirit world I have been with his father, attempting to show him the Truth, and to some extent I succeeded; but strange as it may seem to you both, this influence that I speak of has never been so effective as since the time when Eugene's father came in rapport with him so that he could write through him and speak to his inner ear. There is something so mysterious about the effect that the rapport with the human has on the mortal in the way of helping the spirit to progress, that we who are of the higher spheres cannot fully understand it. But the fact remains that since the time his father first came in rapport with him, the father has made more soul development than in all the years before. The influence of spirit upon spirit seemed to increase, so that the one in the lower condition would listen, and strive to progress. These things are wonderful, even to us, and I realize more clearly since the experience of my grandson commenced, the great work that mortals may do among spirits, when the mortal has in him that which is able to awaken the spirit to a realization of his true condition. I have been with all the family that I left behind, and have seen, and now see, the great difference in their condition of soul and estate, and why such differences should exist is to me not clearly understood. Of course, my love to all was the same and my desire that every one should progress equally was impartial; but yet, the fact is that equal progress was not made. I was so glad when I heard HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor646.htm" John deliver the message that you have just received. Of course, I know the fact, but it is so satisfying to have my grandson told the truth by a spirit of such high estate and development as is John. Tell my boy to read the message and understand its full significance, and he will then possess a knowledge that will help him in many difficulties that he will encounter in his earth life. I am often with him and with his sisters who are in the spirit world, and they are very happy, and he may become so, too, even while on earth. Of course, my home is in a higher plane than those of his sisters or parents, and our attractions are somewhat different and I am not with them so often as he may suppose; but I love them very much and am with them whenever I see that I can help them with my love or influence. Our love for our children remains with us a long time after we become spirits, and I have not yet realized that it has left me, but it grows weaker as the space between us in our soul development widens, and the laws of attraction carry our affections to others who are more nearly like us in our development. This I am told is the experience of many who have lived in the spirit life for a long time, and to a certain extent I feel it myself; but, strange as it may appear, this law does not seem to apply between the spirit, no matter how great its development, and a mortal relative. And so it should be. Hence, my interest in my grandson is just as great as it could be, and in all my progression there has been a love in my being that has drawn me to him and caused me to look after and pray for his welfare. I write thus tonight, because I desire him to know something of spirit laws that he may not know, and to assure him that though he may not have any remembrance of me as the earthly grandfather, yet to me he is as dear as if I had left the earth and him yesterday. Of course, the time will come when we may have no recollection or memory of each other and our love become a misty dream, but as long as he continues on earth he will remain the child of my care and love. Well, I have written enough, and must stop. So with my love to him, and the blessings of God on you both, I will say good night. Eugene Morgan's Grandfather November 4th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, your own dear, loving sister (of Eugene): I have never written before. I want to say a word and tell him how happy I am, and largely because I realize that he has received the Great Love of the Father in his soul. Oh, I cannot express my feelings, as I am now writing for the first time, but he must try to understand what I would desire to say if I had the ability to express myself. We are all very happy, and especially mother, and as she HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor646.htm" listened to John writing his message she became so overcome with her emotions that she could scarcely breathe, as you would say. She was so happy, and praised the Father with all her soul's thankfulness, and cried in joy big tears of happiness and love. And so were we all so very happy. We are all progressing very rapidly, and our cousin who has so recently come to us, and whom Eugene is so much interested in and has helped so much, is progressing also, and is in the Third Sphere - a marvelous evidence of progress in so short a time. But she is so earnest in her seeking, and as I sometimes tell her in joke, for fear that her Catholic friends will take her back to count her beads and worship the saints, and believe what the priests tell her, that she seems to never tire of praying and reaching out in her soul's longings for the great things that are ahead for her to obtain, as some of the higher spirits have told her. It is wonderful, and if my dear brother could only see how much he has helped her, he would never, for one moment, doubt the reality of this Love, which he spoke to her so often about, even though it apparently, at the time, made no impression. We all send him our love and want him to know that we are with him, trying to help him in every way, spiritually and materially, and when I say this I speak for the whole family. As this is my first attempt at writing, I am a little tired and must stop; but as I have made a first effort, I should like to come sometime and write him a longer letter. So, thanking you, I will say good night. (I am the sister that he used to think was so loving to him, and careful of his wants.) Eugene Morgan's sister November 4th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. Well, old fellow, how are you? I am not going to tell you who I am until the end, but I want to say that I have been listening tonight to the writings and also to the comments you made, and you are very fortunate in having such evidence come to you, for you have more than one witness to a fact, and there are none to contradict, except some funny fellow who tried to tell Mr. Morgan that one of his witnesses was someone else, but he was not successful, as another witness heard him and put him hors de combat, as the Frenchman says. But I know that what has been written you tonight is true and was written by the persons who pretended to write. Even that Indian who claimed to be the earth guide of Mr. Morgan's father when on earth was a real, true witness. In this case the truth of the claim that Mr. Morgan is entitled to make is established, and he must believe what was written him, and how thankful he should be that it is true. If I could only have had such a great blessing conferred on me when a mortal, how many weary hours of darkness and suffering I would have avoided when I came to the spirit world. He must believe and in believing, realize that he has that which thousands of spirits in darkness would give the world, as we said on earth, to have. Well, I have progressed very much, and am still progressing, and am in the Third Sphere. And what happiness and glory are mine. Never, when on earth, did I conceive of such beauty and magnificence, and peace and rest in action. The lifetime of an octogenarian would not enable me to describe the wonders and beauties of this place, and I feel that somehow you should know something of it, but I will not try tonight as it is late. But let me tell you that I would not exchange one little moment of the bliss I have here for a whole lifetime of earthly happiness. I know now what the Divine Love means and what the New Birth is that you used to tell me about, and when I thought that these things were the creatures of the imaginations or speculations of the priests and preachers and religious cranks, I little realized that they would become mine and things of greater reality than the sun that used to shine in my office windows. Sometime I will come and write you a long letter describing my progress - for which you are so much responsible and for which I will never cease to thank you as long as eternity lasts. I remember your friend and I am very glad that he has some of the Love in his soul and did not wait to get it until he came to the spirit world and suffered the darkness and torment that I suffered. He is a fortunate man, and if any man should thank God and the good spirits, he should, and you, too. Well, I will not write more tonight. So, with my love and best wishes for your welfare and happiness, I can sign myself, as I never in all the long years of my earth experience thought possible. Your brother in Christ, Hugh T. Taggart November 4th, 1916. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving Helen. Well, my dear, I am glad that Mr. Morgan called tonight, for the assurance that he HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor646.htm" received from John and the other spirits will do him good, and strengthen his faith in the fact that he is now a possessor of the Divine Love. I can add my little testimony also, and while it may not have the weight of some who have written, yet it comes from knowledge to which is added the love of a sister in the faith. I am glad that he has this great possession, for I see that he is a man of deep conviction, and when once convinced of the truth of any proposition he is firm in maintaining such truth. As you have received so much tonight, I will not write more, and only say that I love you with all my heart and soul, and am happy when I see you happy. So love me and give me my kiss and go to bed. Your own true and loving Helen November 5th, 1916 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, St. Luke. I come to-night to write you a message upon the truth of: What the Holy Spirit is. I know that the orthodox generally believe and classify it as a part of the Godhead, being one with and the equal of God, the Father, and not merely a manifestation of the Father, as spirit, and hence, necessarily identical with the Father, though having a different and distinct personality. In this belief and in this classification is included Jesus, having a distinct personality. The orthodox preachers and theological writers teach that it is a fact that these three are one, co-equal and existing, and that fact is the great mystery of God, and that men should not endeavor to fathom the mystery, because the sacred things of God are His own, and it is not lawful for men to enter into these secrets. Well this declaration and admonition are very wise as men's wisdom goes, and saves the expounders of these doctrines of mystery from attempting to explain what they cannot explain, because it is impossible for them to unravel that which as a fact, has no existence. Men of thought all down the ages have sought to understand this great mystery, as they called it, and have been unsuccessful, and as the early fathers met with the same defeat in their endeavors to understand the mystery, and, then because of such defeat, declared the explanation of the doctrine to be a secret of God, not to be inquired into by men, so all these other investigators of the church when they became convinced of the futility of the search, adopted the admonition of the old fathers that God's secret must not be inquired into, for it belonged to Him alone, and sinful man and the redeemed man also must respect God's secret. And thus from the beginning of the established church, after the death of Jesus and his apostles, was declared this doctrine of the trinity - one in three and three in one, yet only one - and made the vital foundation stone of their visible church's existence. Of course, from time to time, there arose men, both in the church, who, having more enlightenment than their brothers in the church, attempted to gainsay the truth of the doctrine and declared and maintained that there was only one God, the Father. But they were in the minority, and not acting with the more powerful, their views were rejected; and the mystery became the church's sacred symbol of truth, unexplainable and therefore more certain and entitled to more credence. And it seems to be the tendency of men's minds, or at least of those who believe in the Bible as the inspired word of God, to welcome and encourage as the more wonderful and important and the more to be cherished those things which savor of the mysterious, rather than those which a man may read and understand as he runneth. Nowhere, not even in the Bible (Ref *), is there any saying of Jesus to the effect that God is tripartite, consisting of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost; and, as a fact, never did Jesus when on earth teach any such doctrine, but only this: that the Father is God and the only God, and that he, Jesus, is his son and the first fruits of the resurrection from the dead, and that the Holy Ghost is God's messenger for conveying the Divine Love, and as such, the comforter. I know that in some of the Gospels, as now contained in the Bible and adopted as canonical, it is said, in effect, that the Godhead consists of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost - these three are one - but such Gospels do not contain the truth in this respect and are not the same Gospels that were originally written. These original Gospels have been added to and taken from in the passing of the years and in the copying and the recopying that occurred before the adoption of the same. They, the adopted ones, were compiled from many writings, and as the compilers in those early times differed in their opinions as men do now respecting religious truths, the more powerful of these having authority to declare what should be accepted, according to their interpretations of those manuscripts that were being copied, directed the copies to be made in accord with their ideas, and I may say, desires, and announced and put forth such productions to be true copies of the originals. And as these copies were successively made the preceding ones were destroyed, and hence the earliest existing manuscripts of these Gospels came into being many years after the originals from which they were claimed to be compiled, were written and destroyed. And I, Luke, who did write a gospel and who am acquainted with the present gospel ascribed to me, say that there are many vital things and declarations, that I never wrote and that are not true, contained in it; and many truths that I did write are not contained therein - and so with the other gospels. In none of our Gospels did the mystery of the Godhead appear, and that for the reason that there was not and is not, and we did not teach that there was any Godhead, composed of three personalities. Only one God, the Father. Jesus was a son of man in the natural sense, and a son of God in the spiritual sense, but he was not God or a part of God in any sense except that he possessed the Divine Love of the Father, and in that sense was a part of His Essence. The Holy Spirit was not God, but merely His instrument - a Spirit - the Holy Spirit. As you have been informed, the soul of man existed prior to man's creation in the flesh, and was the only part of man that was made in the image of God. It existed in this pristine state without individuality, though having a personality, and resembled the Great Soul of the Almighty, which Soul is God Himself; though the soul that was given to man was not a part of the Great Soul, merely a likeness of it. Some of you mortals have said that man's soul is a part of the "Oversoul," meaning the Soul of God, but this is not true, and if in any of our communications it has been said that the soul of man is a part of the Soul of God, and I mean while it existed before its incarnation, our saying must not be so interpreted. The ego of God as may be said, is the Soul, and from this Soul, emanates all the manifested attributes of God, such as power and wisdom and love - but not jealousy or wrath or hatred, as some of the writers of the Bible have said, for He possesses no such attributes. The ego of man is the soul, and in his created purity and perfection from his soul emanated all the manifested attributes belonging to him, such as power and love and wisdom; and neither were jealousy nor hatred nor wrath attributes of his before his fall. It is said that man is composed of body, soul and spirit, and this is true. From your life's experience you know what the body is, and I have told you what the soul is, and now the question arises, what is the spirit? I know that there have been for centuries great differences of opinion among theologians and other wise men as to what the spirit is; some contending that it and the soul are the same thing, and others, that the spirit is the real ego of man and the soul something of less quality and subordinate to the spirit, and others having other views, and all wrong, for as I have said the soul is the ego, and everything else connected with man and forming a part at his creation when he was pronounced to be "very good," is subordinate to the soul, and only its instrumentality for manifesting itself. As Jesus has told you, the spirit is the active energy of the soul and the instrumentality by which the soul manifests itself; and this definition applies to the spirit of man while a mortal as well as when he becomes an inhabitant of the spirit world. The spirit is inseparable from the soul, and has no function in the existence of man, except to make manifest the potentialities of the soul in its activities. Spirit is not life, but it may become an evidence of life - it is life's breath. And as man was created in the image of his Maker - and as spirit is only the active energy of the soul, by the application of the principle of correspondences, which one of your former psychics declared to exist, it may be assumed and it is truth, that the Holy Spirit is the active energy of the Great Soul of the Father, and, as we know from our experiences and observations, is used as the messenger of the Father to convey to mankind His Divine Love. And I do not mean to restrict the mission of the Holy Spirit to mankind in the flesh, for it also conveys and bestows this Great Love upon the souls of the Father's children who are spirits without the bodies of bone and flesh, and who are inhabitants of the spirit world. And so, it is a truth that the Holy Spirit is not God and no part of the Godhead, but merely His messenger of Truth and Love emanating from his Great Soul and bringing to man Love and Light and Happiness. So you see there is no mystery of the Godhead, and no secret that God does not wish man to know and understand, and no truth that it is contrary to God's laws and will that man shall search for and possess. It is said that God is Spirit, and it is true; but spirit is not God, only one of his instruments used to work with mankind and the spirits of men. To worship the instrument is blasphemy, and only God alone must be worshiped. Jesus must not be worshiped as God, the Holy Spirit must not be so worshiped, and the sooner men learn this Truth and observe it the sooner they will get in at-onement with the Father, and please the master, who, as some may not know, is the greatest worshiper of the Father in all his universe. I have written longer than l expected, but I hope from my message many mortals may receive the truth, and believe that the Holy Spirit is not one of the Godhead, and that the mystery of the Godhead is a myth, without body, soul or spirit, and that there is no truth in all God's universe that man is not invited to search for and understand and possess. I will now stop and in doing so, will leave you my love and blessings, and will pray the Father to send the Holy Spirit to you with great abundance of the Divine Love.Good-night and God bless you until I come again. Your brother in Christ, Luke *Comma Iohanneum (1 John 5:7): Robert Estienne, when editing his Bible, used the text of Erasmus and the Complutensian Bible as basis. Both of the texts had the Comma Johanneum. First, Erasmus didn't print it in his edition of the Greek NT. But since the editors of the Complutensian Bible criticised him on this point, he promised to insert the verses if one single Greek manuscript could be found that contained the passage. The manuscript shown to Erasmus appears now to be written in the beginning of the 16th century. Erasmus kept his promise, and inserted the passage (although he indicated in a footnote his suspicions about the manuscript). Among the thousands of Greek manuscripts examined since the time of Erasmus, only three others do contain the passage. One is from the 12th century, another from the 16th century and a third one from the 14th or 16th century. The oldest known citation of the Comma is in a fourth-century Latin treatise entitled Liber apologeticus (ch 4) attributed either to Priscillian or to his follower, Bishop Instantius of Spain. The Comma probably originated as a piece of allegorical exegesis of the three witnesses and may have been written as a marginal gloss in a Latin manuscript of 1 John, whence it was taken into the text of the Old Latin Bible during the fifth century, while it's only in the 8th century that it inserted in the Vulgata.. The passage does not appear in manuscripts of the Latin Vulgate before about A.D. 800. But from Erasmus on, through Stephanus, it made its way in the Textus Receptus. (source : B.M. Metzger, The Text of the New Testament. Its Transmission, Corruption and Restoration, Oxford : Clarendon, 1968, 101-102) November 5th, 1916 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. Let me say just a word as I am very much interested in the truths of the message which Luke has just written you; and I was present at the church (Protestant Church, Washington D.C.) where the minister discoursed on the subject of Paradise, and Luke was also present; and as I realized that something that the preacher said, suggested to Luke the subject of his HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/trinity4.htm" message, and as I am very much interested in the people of that church, as I at one time was pastor there, I desire to add just a few words to what Luke has so truly and plainly expressed. The doctrine that the preacher proclaimed to-night, I often declared when I was minister there, and as I at that time believed those doctrines to be true, and know the preacher is equally honest in his beliefs. But, alas, my beliefs were erroneous, and as it took some years of suffering and disappointment for me to unlearn these errors and learn the truth, so will he have to go through the same experience, unless, before the time of his leaving the physical body, he learns the truth. And so with many of his congregation who are earnest and honest seekers of the truth, many of them having in their souls the Divine Love of the Father. And the pity is that there is no way of reaching him or them with the truth, for I know that they would not give heed to what you might say to them, and would look upon you as an imposter or crank. But, nevertheless, in the future some way may open up that these truths may reach these people, and as I have their interests so at heart, and feel that the influence of my teachings still linger in that congregation and produce only error and belief in that which is not true, I desire to add my confirmation to what Luke has said, and if his message ever reaches them I hope my message may also come to them. It is part of my penalty for teaching erroneous doctrines that I should work to have my people unlearn their teachings of error, and to be able to reach them in this way would give me not only great happiness, but relief from my penalty of regret. I will not attempt to recite what Luke has said, for I could not make it plainer, but I do desire to say to my people that what he said is true and they must believe. Sometime I should like to come and write you a long message on a subject that has had the object of my consideration for a long time, and which to me and to many in earth life is a very vital matter. I will not write more to-night, and thank you for your kindness in letting me write. Well, I am in the Seventh Sphere and am very happy in my love and surroundings, but I realize that if I had known the truth as I now know it, I would be much further advanced. Oh, I tell you the hampering of the soul's progress by a life time of erroneous beliefs is a terrible thing. I will say good-night and God bless you. Your brother in Christ, N_____ November 6th, 1916 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Gladstone. Yes, I was the Premier of Great Britain and I merely want to say that I desire to come to you sometime and write a message containing some of my views on the war that is now scourging the countries that were supposed to be Christian. Oh, the horror of it all! And how blind the rulers are to the welfare of humanity! But I must not write tonight, as I have not sufficient rapport with you and my comments and intense feeling on the subject are so great that I doubt if I could continue at this time. But if you are willing, I will come again soon and write you. I am in the earth plane, but not in darkness. I was, as you may know, a churchman and defender of the faith and still am, and I believe in the doctrines of my church, but strange, as I sometimes think, that I am not more advanced in the progress to the higher spheres. But I suppose I must develop and that I am striving to do; and I attend to the duties of my church and worship as I did on earth, and have the same hope in the sacrifice of Jesus and the efficacy of his atonement. I rest in his promises and am with many of my friends of earth who worshipped with me when a mortal. I still believe in Jesus, my Lord, and feel that in his good time I shall go to him in his heaven of bliss. I shall be glad to listen to you, for I have always found that something may be learned from others, no matter what their standing or condition is. Well, I am glad that this way has been opened to me to communicate, for my country needs my advice, as I see that many errors of judgment have been made by those in authority. So thanking you, I will say good night. Your friend, Wm. E. Gladstone November 6th, 1916 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Pastor Russell: I am the spirit of one who passed out a short time ago and in the full faith of his earth teachings. But in the twinkling of an eye I saw the whole falsity of my beliefs and teachings, because I awoke to the consciousness of my being alive. Yes, more alive than ever, when I expected to go into nothingness and oblivion. Oh the terrible mistake that I made and the great injury that I have done to all my followers who are now firm in the beliefs that I taught them; and when I think of the great responsibility that is mine, I am almost crushed, and feel that the loss of every soul who believes my doctrines will rest on my soul, and that I must do penance or suffer the penalties that my teachings bring to me. I have been here only a short time and am not in condition to write much now, but I will come - I must come - and find some way to reach my people and tell them to give up the belief that there is no spirit world in which they must live when they leave their bodies of flesh. I come tonight because your wife sought me, and told me that I must come with her and see a mystery, and to me it is. All the beliefs of a lifetime destroyed in one short moment and spiritualism demonstrated to be a truth. I must stop. I will come again. Goodnight. Pastor Russell November 6th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Kate Stone: Let me say just a word, for I want to tell you that this wicked spirit has left and his depressing influence has gone with him, and we feel better, as well as do you. I will not write much. I merely wanted to tell you this, and to say that your band are here and are exerting their peaceful influences. I am very happy and I want you to be, and also I desire my brother to enjoy the feeling brought to him by his loved ones, of whom I am one and a dear one. I would like to write him a long letter tonight, but you have been too much drawn on for me to do so. But tell him that I love him, and that we all rejoice at the great blessing that has been recently bestowed upon him by the Master and John and others, and I want to tell him that he must believe and trust in these good and higher spirits who are so very loving and kind to him. We all love him so much, and I not the least, although I suppose his Mary thinks that she has more love than any of us - and she is right. So with my love and prayers I will say good night. His own loving sister, Kate November 10th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus I come to-night to tell you that you are in a better condition than you were last night, and in fact, have been for some nights past. I desire to write you a message on the question of "How the soul of a mortal receives the Divine Love, and what its effect is, even though subsequently his mind may indulge in those beliefs that may tend to prevent the growth of the soul - what is a lost soul?" As you know, the inflowing of this Love is caused by its bestowal by the Holy Spirit in response to sincere prayer and longings. I mean prayer and longings for the Love Itself, and not prayers in general, for the material benefits that men more often and more naturally, as they believe, ask for and desire. The prayers of mortals for these things that may tend to make them successful and happy in their natural love, are answered also, if it be best that they should be, but these are not the prayers that bring the Divine Love or cause the Holy Spirit to work with men. As the prayers of the sincere, earnest soul ascend to the Father that soul becomes opened up to the inflowing of this Love, and the soul's perceptions enlarge and come more in rapport with the conditions or influence that always accompanies the presence of this Love, and, consequently, its entrance into the soul becomes easier and its reception more perceptible to the soul sense. The more earnest the prayer and sincere the longings, the sooner faith comes and with this faith, the realization that the Divine Love is permeating the soul. When once the Divine Love finds a lodgment in the soul, it, to the extent that it receives the Love, becomes as it were a changed substance, partaking, of the Essence of the Love; and as water may become colored by an ingredient foreign to itself, and which changes not only its appearance but its qualities, so this Divine Love changes the appearance and qualities of the soul, and this change of qualities continues ever thereafter. The natural qualities of the soul and the Essence of the Love become one and united and the soul is made altogether different in its constituency from what it was before the inflowing of the Love, but this only to the extent of the Love received. As this Love increases in quantity, the change and transformation becomes correspondingly greater, until at last the transformation may and will become so great, that the whole soul becomes a thing of this Divine Essence, and partakes of its very Nature and Substance, a being of Divinity. When once this Love enters and truly possesses the soul and works the change mentioned, It, the Love, never leaves nor disassociates Itself from the soul - its character of Divine Essence never changes to that of the mere natural love, and so far as It is present, sin and error have no existence, because it is just as impossible for this Essence and sin and error to occupy the same parts of the soul at the same time as it is for two material objects to occupy the same space at the same time, as your philosophers say. Divinity never gives place to that which is not of the Divine. Man is working towards the attainment of the Divine, when he pursues the way provided for obtaining the Divine Nature, and as he advances, and obtains a portion of this Divine, no matter how small, he can never retrace his steps to the extent of ridding himself of this transforming Essence, and again become without its presence. But this does not mean that a man may not lose the consciousness of the existence of this Essence within his soul, for he frequently does. The indulgence of his carnal appetites and evil desires will place him in the condition that he may cease to have a consciousness of the existence of the Divine Love in his soul, and to himself, he will be as if he had never had any experience of the change that I speak of. And while this Love can never be eradicated by the evils that man may indulge in or by the mental beliefs that he may acquire, yet the progress of this Love in his soul may be checked and become stagnant, as if the Love were not, and sin and error may appear to be the only dominant elements of his life and being. But yet, when once possessed, the Love cannot be crowded out of his soul by sin and error, no matter, how deep and intense they may be. I know that this may seem strange and impossible to man's intellectual thinking, and that it is not in accordance with what has been attributed to me as teaching that a soul may be lost, nevertheless, a soul that has once received this Divine Essence cannot be lost, though its want of realization of the presence of this Love and its awakening from its dormant condition, caused by sin and error and its misdirected beliefs, may delay its manifestation of life and existence, for a long time, and much suffering and darkness may have to be endured by the soul that is in such condition. And I must not be understood by this, as meaning that a soul cannot be lost, for it can, and many have been and will be, and many will realize the fact when too late. Now, what is a lost soul? Not one that a man may actually lose in the sense of being deprived of it, - separated from it actually, or even as regards his consciousness of not having a soul, for while, at times, he may believe that he has lost his soul, in the sense of not having any, yet he is mistaken, for the soul, which is the man, can never be separated from himself, and as long as he lives in the physical body or in the spiritual body his soul will be with him. And yet he may have a soul, consciously or not, and at the same time have lost it. This may seem a paradox to the mortal intellect or to the intellect of spirit, but it is true. Then what is a lost soul? When God gave to man a soul that soul was made in the image but not in the Substance of its Maker, and at the same time there was bestowed on him the privilege of having that soul become of the Substance of the Father, and to an extent, Divine, and entitled to and capable of living in the Celestial Kingdom of the Father, where everything is of the Divine Essence and Nature. When the first parents by their act of disobedience forfeited that privilege their souls lost the possibility of becoming of the Divine Nature and at one with the Father in His Kingdom, and they thereby lost not the natural soul, which was a part of their creation, but the soul having the possibility of obtaining the Essence of Divinity and Immortality as the Father has Immortality. As I have said, heretofore, with my coming this great privilege was restored to mankind, and the lost soul became again the object of man's recovery, and now he has that privilege as did the first parents before the fall; but also men may lose it as did they. As with them their souls were lost until they received into it the Divine Essence of the Father, so with men now, their souls are lost until and unless they receive this Divine Essence therein. As the first parents by their disobedience and refusal, forfeited their privilege of having their souls become a living, Divine Substance, so now, men by their disobedience and refusal will forfeit their privilege to save their souls from separation from the Divine Unity with the Father. The lost soul is as real as the verities of the Father's immutable laws, and only by the operation of the Divine Love can the soul lost, become the soul found. Men may believe and teach that within them is a part of the Divine that will cause their souls to progress and develop until it reaches the condition of Divinity that will make it a part of the Divinity of the Father. But in this they are all wrong, for, while man was the highest creation of God, and the most perfect, and made in his image, yet in man is no part of the Divine, and having no part of the Divine, it is wholly impossible for him to progress to the possession of the Divine. He, of himself, no matter what his development may be, can never become greater or more perfect or of a higher nature, than he was at his creation. The Divine comes from above and when once planted in a man's soul, there can be no limit to its expansion and development, even in the Celestial Heavens. Let all men seek this Love and there will be no lost souls; but, alas, many will not do so, and the spiritual heavens will be filled with lost souls, not having the Divine Essence of the Father. I have written enough for to-night, and I am pleased at the way in which you received my message. Continue to pray to the Father for more and more of His Divine Love, and your prayers will be answered, and you will realize with the certainty of conscious possession of the Divine Essence, that your soul is not lost and never will be. So with my love and blessings, I will say goodnight and God bless you. Your brother and friend, Jesus November 17th, 1916 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Garfield: No, I have not written you for a long time though I have kept in touch with you and many times have heard the messages which you have received and also listened to the conversations of yourself and friends regarding these messages. I also have spent much time with Riddle and with your grandmother listening to their teachings and descriptions of their experiences in the spirit world and I have become much interested in what they have related to me and in the results of their experience as manifested to me by their appearances and conditions. Your grandmother especially has had a very deep and beneficial influence on me and my thoughts, for she is a most wonderful and wise spirit and so filled with love and powers that I necessarily have to regard what she says with feelings of belief and credence. And besides I see that she is so very different not only in her appearance but also in her knowledge and conception of spiritual things from those spirits of intelligence with whom I am most frequently in association, that I have become dissatisfied with the course that I have pursued, believing that the mind is the great thing and its development the most to be desired and acquired. So I desire to tell you that I am now trying to follow the advice of your grandmother and these other spirits who preach the doctrine of the Divine Love and am praying and longing for the inflowing of the love into my soul. It may seem strange to you that I should have for so long a time been told to secure the truth of this doctrine in view of the fact that when on earth I was a kind of preacher in my church and attempted to preach the Scriptures; but when I tell you as I have told you before that my beliefs were mostly mental and as I now found to be erroneous after coming to the spirit world. When I realized as I quickly did, that my beliefs and teachings of the Bible were not true, I then became a kind of infidel and to such an extent that I was not willing to listen to any suggestions that partook of the nature or flavor of the teachings of the Bible or to the soul and spirits and heaven and hell, etc. And it was only after I fully realized the want of satisfaction in my mental pursuits, that I agreed to try the conversations with Riddle and other spirits of what they claimed to be as a truth of the soul development, did I give serious attention to what I saw was not connected very intimately with the mental development and changed my course of investigations and turned to a search for the truths that your grandmother told me existed in the presence of the soul. And I want to tell you that I am so very thankful that this change came to me and I was started on the road to light and truth. I am in much better condition than when I last wrote you and in more light and happiness and have a hope which I did not then have. I thought that you might be interested in knowing this and it gives me great pleasure in telling you the fact. Well I am surprised by what you tell me for I have never heard of or seen displayed any of that power or glory that you speak of and I know her only as a loving tender spirit but very wise. I will ask about this power that you speak of, for it must be a wonderful thing and when I realize that such power may exist it makes me realize the truth of what she tells me to a greater extent than ever. Yes I have met him (Ingersoll) on several occasions and must confess that I was surprised at his appearance and condition but I did not inquire as to the cause of the same, but from what I now know I suppose it was the possession of this love. I will do so. Riddle is a very bright spirit and is getting brighter and brighter all the time and his happiness seems to be without end. Well, my friend, I will not write more. So thanking you for your kindness I will say goodnight. Your brother and friend, Garfield November 19th, 1916 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, St. Paul I merely want to say that I was present at the church to-night and listened to the preacher tell his congregation what he didn't know about hell, because what he said, in many particulars was untrue and it was pleasing to hear him tell his people that there was no physical suffering, although he didn't explain to them why there could be no such suffering, and I mean that no spirit, when he goes into hell carries with him his physical body, or any other body, that has such substance as would be affected by fire and brimstone and the other unreasonable things that the churches have for so many years taught and terrified their members with - and as a consequence caused them to believe that the Father is such a cruel and wrathful Father, demanding that His cravings for satisfaction be supplied by the sizzling in fire of the bodies of His children. No, this damnable doctrine is not true and I am glad to see that the churches are ceasing to believe or teach it. But the doctrine that the preacher taught is quite as bad, and useless as the former, for the reason, that punishment of sinners and those who are out of harmony with God is a fact which they all will realize when they come to the spirit world, and that being so, to teach that this punishment is everlasting is as harmful as the one that I first mentioned. How strange that preachers and teachers will try to cause their people and listeners to believe that God is such a wrathful and vindictive being, having less love and mercy than the most wicked and earthly father has for his children. It is so very deplorable that such attempts are made by these supposed instructors of what God is, to blaspheme Him in His great qualities of Love and Tenderness, and the desire that all His children become happy. Oh, I tell you that these preachers will have a woeful sin to answer for when they come to an accounting, and that will not be at the great judgment day, as they teach, but just as soon as they enter spirit life and realize the great harm that they have done to many who have followed them in their teachings - and they will realize that awful result very soon after their entrance into the spirit world, for they will have come to them, as clouds of witnesses, the spirits of those who were under their instructions on earth, bringing with them all the evidence of the results of their erroneous beliefs and the stains of this great sin of blasphemy. I, Paul, write this for I know I have suffered from this very cause myself, because, when on earth, I taught some doctrine like unto the one that these preachers are now teaching, and even now I realize that to some extent I am responsible for many false beliefs; but I thank God that all that is ascribed to me in the Bible, I am not responsible for, and that if my true teachings were known and taught, the blind and erroneous beliefs that are now so prevalent among Christians would not exist. I tell you that mortals do not conceive the great harmful and deplorable results that flow from their beliefs in the Bible, in many particulars. This Book is one of falsehoods and forgery and imputations that have no resemblance to what the Master or any of his apostles taught, and you can readily realize how anxious we all are that these errors and untruths be removed from the minds and souls of men. But I must not permit myself to become too enthusiastic in considering these things to-night, or I might not stop as I should under the circumstances. I will come, though, very soon and HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/hell19.htm" write you on the subject, as it is a vital one to mankind, and I will explain the truths connected with it as fully as is possible for men to understand. I should like to write more to-night but I must not. So with my love, I will say, good-night. Your brother in Christ, Paul November 20th, 1916 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, St. Paul. I come to write you on the subject that HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/hell18.htm" I commented on last night, namely: Hell and the duration of punishment, and if you feel that you are in condition to receive the message I will begin and finish the same. Well, as I said last night, the hell of the orthodox preachers as formerly taught, that is a hell of brimstone and fires, is not the true hell and has no existence save in the minds of these orthodox believers. The true hell is a place and a condition and one is not separated from the other; and while the condition of the soul and the beliefs of men create the hells to a very large extent, yet hell is a fixed abiding place, made and established and of such a character as to suit the inhabiting of it by the soul according to the condition of that soul. To illustrate a soul that is less vile and filled with evil thoughts and the recollection of evil deeds and false beliefs, is in a very different place from the soul that has more of this evil in it. The former soul would not find its habitation in the same place as the latter soul would, any more than would the highly developed soul find its home in the same place as would the soul that is less developed. Heaven is a place or many places suited to the development of the soul, so hell is a place suited to the souls of degradation and evil condition. I mean to be understood as saying that place and condition of soul are correlative terms, the home of the soul depending on the condition of the soul. As these different hells vary, so they are suited for the souls of spirits according to the defilement of soul. I see that you are not just in condition to write or to receive my thoughts, and I will not write more. But I will HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/hell20.htm" come soon and write fully on these matters. So with the hope that soon you will be able to take my message. I will say good-night. Paul November 20th, 1916. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Mother: I would like to say a word to my son, if you will permit, for I so much enjoy telling him of my presence and love. Of course he knows that I am with him quite often, yet my presence realized in that way, I mean by the impressions that I give him, is not as satisfactory as conveying my thoughts to him by a written message. I wish to tell him that I am progressing and very happy and know only the joy that my living in the Father's kingdom gives to me. If I could only make him understand for just a little moment what this happiness means to me, and what it may mean to him, he would strive with all his power of will and longing of his soul to get the love in more and more abundance. Yet I feel that even without this one glimpse of what I speak of he is quite happy at times and is trying to progress in this love. I do not feel that I should write longer tonight as you have written considerable already, and I thank you for your kindness. I will stop now and say, but the little sweetheart says: - tell him that she is here too and loves him, and wants him to love her and to believe that she is his affinity notwithstanding what the woman said to him tonight. She has her affinity too, and it is not that unspiritual husband that she is living with. So tell my boy to love me, and think of me as I do of him. Goodnight, Your sister in Christ P.S. I had attended a circle where there was a well known medium, and the medium asked me - "if I associated much with the girls". I replied "very little". And a lady sitting on my left said: "Perhaps I had not found my affinity." I did not give any satisfactory answer, but my soulmate was present with me at the time, and gave me the signal of her presence, which she often does, and is doing so while I am writing this postscript, and I can feel her love and influence very strong, and my mother is giving me the signal of her presence also, and their love and influence always give me so much happiness. Leslie R. Stone November 20th, 1916 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Descartes: Let me say a word. I will not attempt to intrude for a great while and only want to say that you are not so very good as you may be led by these spirits to believe. I am not a wicked spirit but am an impartial observer of things, including the states of the souls of men and when I say what I have said you must not think that I have any prejudice or desire to cause you to feel that you are any great sinner, but I have heard what some of these spirits have written you and I see that they are flattering you and try to make you believe that you are a little god on earth, and as your friend I do not think it right that you should be so deceived. Of course you should become as good as possible and get all this love that they tell you about, if there is any such thing, and it may have the effect upon your soul that they will tell you it will, but at the same time I have my doubts about the matter and would advise you to give more attention to gaining knowledge that is open before you in your earth life and when you come over, you will find that in our spirit world there is no more desirable thing as knowledge and intellectual development. Why, I should have great regrets if I had neglected to cultivate my mind and acquire knowledge when on earth, for it has kept me from listening to these sentimental spirits who try to talk to me at times about the development of the soul with love - a word that means nothing to anyone except those who are like the silly maidens of earth or the lovesick swains who have never cut their eye-teeth. No, my friend, do not listen to this silly and useless talk about soul development and love, but learn from me and believe that the intellect is the only thing that a man as well as spirit should attempt to cultivate and acquire. Knowledge is power, and I realize that the knowledge that I possess has given me great power in this spirit life. I associate only with spirits like myself and we have wonderful times of enjoyment in the exchange of our thoughts and bright ideas and in discussing subjects which only spirits like myself can discuss. You may rest assured that only the intellectual spirits attend our meetings and find enjoyment in our discussions. These love speaking spirits who go about and tell us that love is everything and that mind is only secondary, do not attend our discussions for of course they could not understand what our talk is about nor comprehend the wonderful thoughts of a fully developed mind such as we possess. So you will see that I am really interested in you and desire that you pursue that course in earth life that will fit you for the highest development and the gradual enjoyment that can be experienced in our spirit world. I have as associates many of the prominent philosophers and scientists who once were known on earth as the leaders of thought and the revealers of the great laws of nature and they all think as I am writing you now. I trust that you will believe me to be your friend and that I write this in the utmost good faith and with the desire only to direct your efforts in that way that will lead to your greatest good when you come to the spirit life. I do not think it necessary to write more tonight. Here question was asked. Well, we are all in what they call the earth sphere and are in some little darkness and also in some light and we understand the reason for living in the darkness. We have not yet made that development in our intellectual qualities that fit us for the planes of great light because as you know the greatest knowledge that we could acquire on earth is not equal to the least knowledge that is required to fit us for the planes where only light exists. And for this reason we have appearance of darkness, but as we obtain a greater mental development that darkness of appearance leaves us and we then progress to the light spheres. This as you will understand is only natural and the result of a law that we recognize as working exactly and unchangeably as the other laws of nature work. Question? Well, I have been in spirit life a great many years and have been working as hard and with more enthusiasm than I did on earth to acquire knowledge and understand the laws of nature and I am satisfied with my progress, although I shall not cease to progress as I know, for I will never give up my efforts to acquire more and more knowledge. I must stop now for there comes a spirit to me who is a very bright one and says I must stop and I cannot refuse to do so. But as I leave I will say that I thank you for your kindness and hope that you will believe that I am sincere in advising you as to what I think is for your own good. So my friend, goodnight. Your brother in search for the truth. I was known as the French Philosopher and scientist, Descartes November 21st, 1916 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, St. Paul. I desire to-night to HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/hell19.htm" finish my message on Hell - what it is and what its purpose is. As I said before hell is a place as well as a condition, and, the man who believes that it is nothing more than a condition of his mind or soul will be wonderfully surprised as well as disappointed. I know the condition of mind and soul to a very large extent creates a man's hell and is the chief source of his suffering and the darkness that surrounds and envelops him; yet this condition is not the only source of that suffering or of darkness in which he finds himself. Hell is a place, and a place that has all the appearances and ingredients that are in exact agreement with his state as produced or caused by the condition of his mind or soul, and is not a place of universal character and fitted for the habitation of souls, irrespective of conditions of degrees of defilement and sin and darkness. It is not a single place forming a common home for all fallen souls, but is composed of many and different places, and as has been said, there are many hells having gradations of appearances and surroundings that are suitable for causing additional sufferings which souls may have to endure. The expression, "the lowest depths of hell" is not a meaningless one, but portrays a truth, a real existing fact that many spirits are now experiencing the reality of. In its broadest sense, hell is every place outside of heaven, and heaven is that place where everything entering into it - its appearance and qualities and its inhabitants - is in perfect harmony with the respective laws of God and His will concerning the same. And this statement involves the fact that there are several heavens, because the heaven of the redeemed, or those who have received the Divine Essence in their souls and become of the divine nature of the Father, is a distinct heaven from that wherein live those who have been restored in their natural love to the perfect condition that the first parent possessed before the fall - the condition of the restitution to mankind of that perfection which was lost by the disobedience of the first man and woman. Mortals usually believe that heaven is a condition, and the Bible, in which so many believe, attempts to describe this heaven with its streets of gold, and pearly gates, etc., and as a fact it is a real, substantial place, having all the elements and appearances of a home of bliss, which help to bring to its inhabitants happiness and joy in addition to the happiness which their soul perfection and development cause them to have. Then, as heaven is a place, having real substance, perceptible to the spirits that inhabit it, why should not hell be a place of real substance also, with those qualities and appearances, exactly suited to add to the unhappiness of those who are fitted for it? The spirit world, both heaven and hell are places of substance, having their planes and divisions and limitations of occupancy, and not mythical, invisible conceptions of mind as you mortals ordinarily conceive ghosts to be. The spirits of mortals are real and more substantial than are the physical bodies of mortals, and these planes and divisions, whether of heaven or hell, have a more real existence, than have the mortals in their places of habitation or confinement in the earth life. The hells are places of darkness and sufferings but in them are no fires or brimstone, etc., as have been so commonly represented by the preachers and teachers of the orthodox churches, because there is nothing therein that would feed fires or that fires could affect, and there are no devils or Satan, though there are evil spirits of men that are more wicked and vicious and horrifying than have ever been pictured of the devil and his angels. In your communications you have had some very realistic descriptions of hell from those who are actually living therein and are realizing its tortures and realities, and I will not take the time here to attempt to describe it in detail, and will only say that as it has not entered into the minds of men to conceive the wonders and beauties of heaven, neither have they ever conceived of the horrors and sufferings of hell. But from all this men must not understand that the punishment and darkness which the spirits of evil endure in the hells are specifically inflicted by the Father because of any wrath that He may have towards these spirits, or to gratify any feelings of revenge, or even to satisfy any outraged justice, for it is not true. Man, when he becomes a spirit, is his own judge and executioner, submitting to and receiving the inexorable results of the law, that whatsoever a man sows that shall he also reap. This is a law that is necessary to preserve or bring about the harmony of god's universe, which, of course, is absolutely necessary, and while it may appear to man, at first sight, to be a harsh and cruel law, yet in its workings and results, even to the individual spirit who may suffer in the reaping, it is a most benign and beneficial law, for the darkness and sufferings of a few years, as you mortals say, bring about an eternity of light and happiness. The law must rule; and in all the apparent harshness and suffering and want of mercy, the Great Divine Love of the Father overshadows the sufferer and finally makes the defiled and wicked soul become one of purity and goodness. Men may never have thought of the fact; that if it were possible for these evil spirits to live in heaven, their sufferings and unhappiness would be greater than what they endure by living in the place that is more in agreement in its surroundings and appearances, with their own distorted conditions of soul. So even in their hells, the Father is Merciful and Good. And regarding the second proposition of the preacher in his sermon, namely, the duration of suffering or of the life of the spirit in hell. His conclusion was, that this duration of the spirit is eternal, everlasting and without end. How it must have hurt and violated the teachings of his soul and his conception of the loving Father, to come to such a conclusion! But, yet, being bound by his creeds and the domination of his belief that the Bible is the sole authority upon hell, as well as heaven, in the conviction of his mind - and here I want to emphasize mind, for his heart was not in agreement, he declared that the duration of the sufferings and life of the hells is eternal, and the saying of Jesus proved it to be, not only because it was in the Bible, but because the true meaning of the original Greek word, can have no other translation; not knowing, or if knowing, not recalling, that Jesus, even if he used such expression, did not speak in Greek, and that back of the Greek word, in order to obtain the true meaning of the word used by Jesus, he, the preacher, must go to the word as it was uttered by Jesus and its true meaning. So many preachers and commentators on the Bible attempt to determine a most vital truth by a shade of meaning that they conceive a particular word in its original, may have, when they are not justified in concluding that such word had at the time used, such shade of meaning, or that the original as they conceive it to be, was the original word actually spoken or written. They seem to lose sight of the fact that the writings of the Bible, I mean the manuscripts to which they make reference to prove the correctness of their conclusions, are far removed from the original writings, and that by reason of the copying and recopying of the word upon which they rely, and the shade of meaning that they give it in their interpretations may not have been the word originally used. Of course, they have no way of learning this fact, and, consequently, they have to resort to the best authority that they can have access to. But under such circumstances, it is not a justifiable thing to have a vital question of man's future and destiny determined by the shade of meaning that may be given to one word or more words, without reference to other declarations of the same Book, having relation to the subject matter of the inquiry. The preacher said that in his conclusion as to the question he must be governed by the Bible alone, and had no right to indulge in speculation of the philosophies of other men, and that in the Bible he could find nothing that would justify him in coming to any other conclusion than that the duration of punishment in hell is eternal. Well, he was not honest with himself, for if he had HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/quotesnewmisc.htm" \l "P318" searched a little more deeply and have given as much credence to other parts of the Bible as to the passage that he quoted, he would have found a strong statement to the effect that the evil spirits in hell have the possibility of leaving it, and not only that but that a part of the great mission of Jesus, upon whose supposed declaration the preacher based his conclusion, was to show the way and induce these spirits of evil to leave their hells. This was the Master's first work after he became a spirit, and he would not have attempted to preach to these wicked spirits in hell, so wicked, according to the Bible, that God because of their great sins when mortals, punished them as He never punished any other of His children, for their disobedience, utterly destroying them as a race and His only living human creatures from the face of the earth, by one great catastrophe, leaving only Noah and his family as a reminder of the great failure of God in His creation - the most perfect and the "very good." So I say, if the preacher had searched the Bible he would have found that the hell that contained the spirits of all the human race that was living at the time of the flood, except Noah and his family was not in its duration eternal. And again, had the preached searched further he would have found that the Master Himself, declared by necessary implication, that, at least, for some of the wicked who became inhabitants of hell, there was possibility of release, and certainty upon conditions. I refer to the declaration attributed to him where he said, "He that sinneth against the son of man, it shall be forgiven him, but he that sinneth against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in the world to come." ( HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/quotesmatthew.htm" \l "M1231" Matt. Chapter 12--Verse 32) Now, to any reasonable man there is only one interpretation of this declaration and that is, that for any and all sins, except that against the Holy Ghost there is forgiveness in the next world as well as in the mortal world, and that being a fact, it is an irresistible conclusion that the Father would not compel a spirit to remain in hell after He had forgiven that spirit's sins. No, the preacher had not searched the Scriptures, as he was in duty bound to do, else his conclusion, could he have ridden his mind of the beliefs that the creeds of his church had driven into his intellect, and of the teachings of the ancient fathers, and of the churches that had taught such false and damnable doctrines for so many years, would have been very different. The preacher repudiated the old teachings that there would be physical suffering in hell, or fire or brimstone, etc., and expressed his commiseration for those preachers and others who had taught such doctrine, and for their awful responsibility and accounting, and his commiseration was needed and appropriate. But l want to say here that he needs as much, if not more, commiseration for the preaching of his false doctrines, as did those preachers to whom he refers. He has more light, or may have, and his accounting will be correspondingly greater. I have written a long letter, and you are tired and I must stop, but before doing so, let me declare the truth to be, that hell is not a place of eternal punishment. That all the hells as well as other parts of the spirit world are places of progression and the privilege of probation is not taken from any spirit no matter how wicked, for all are God's children and in His Plans for the perfecting of the harmony of the universe, and man's salvation, all the hells will be emptied and the hells themselves destroyed. But men must not think from this that the duration of suffering in these hells is necessarily short, for that is not true; some of the evil inhabitants of these places have been in such darkness and suffering for centuries, as mortals count time, and may be for centuries more, but the time will come when they will have the awakening to the fact that they may become children of light, and then when they make the effort to progress, they will succeed. The sooner that mankind learns that hell is not a place of punishment to satisfy the wrath of an angry God, but merely the natural and necessary living place of the spirit, whose condition of soul and mind demands, and that condition changes, and it will change, the hell of its habitation will change until finally for that spirit all the hells will disappear. You are tired and I must stop. So thanking you, and leaving you my love and blessings, I am Your brother in Christ, Paul November 25th, 1916. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Goliath; I have been present for some time and have listened to your conversations on the various sects who are expecting a great teacher and others who look for a reincarnation and if it were not so serious to the welfare of mankind, it would be very humorous. But the matter- is too serious to deal with in a humorous vein and I will say a few words as to the utter falsity of both of these beliefs. There will appear no such great teacher as is expected. Of course, many may appear on earth claiming to be such a teacher and they may declare some moral truth that may be beneficial to mankind but these teachings will not be such as these people may expect a great teacher to make known and the result will be that if the world had to depend on such teachings, it would be very little if any better than it now is, for there is only one course of truth and in order for any great teacher to teach such truths, he necessarily will have to have a knowledge of such truths. And here I want to say that there is only one means of learning such truths and that is through the help of Jesus Christ and his followers, who know these truths and the Holy Spirit that speaks to all men if they will open their souls to its silent voice of truth and love. So I say that these people who are expecting some earthly teacher to arise and come to them with a knowledge of truth will be greatly disappointed, for it is impossible that any man will ever come in some mysterious and godlike way be endowed with this knowledge. The souls of these people are longing for the truth and not having a knowledge as to how it may come about are willing to conjure up in their minds some being that may possibly burst on the world and enlighten them in those truths for which their souls are longing and wishing. No, they will never in all time and eternity learn what they so anxiously desire from any great teacher of the kind that I have named and they expect. As to the others who are equally misguided and who believe that their salvation or future condition of happiness and perfection depends on reincarnation, I must say that they are now, and will be, disappointed just as will the first class that I mention. This doctrine of reincarnation is a false and misleading one and will never enable any man or spirit to live the second time in the body as a mortal. It is so utterly absurd that it is astonishing that men can believe that such a thing can be and besides, if they will only think seriously for a moment, they will realize that there is no necessity for man to live again on earth, for the surroundings and things that prevent the progress of man to perfection are so detrimental to his progress that it would not assist him one particle, in acquiring such progress, to have to undergo a second incarnation. When the spirit leaves the body, its possibility for progress then becomes greater than ever existed on earth, though some spirits for long ages do not take advantage of such possibilities, yet they exist, and earth life can afford no means equal to them for making this progress towards what these people call Nirvana. Some day the truths will become so plain and easily understood by mortals that these beliefs will of their own weight, and I mean weight that absurdity gives them, that they will cease to exist.You may be somewhat surprised that I write on these subjects, but you must know that I am an angel of the Celestial Heavens and have a work to do, and being present, I requested the privilege of writing and it being granted, I did so.I know what Divine Love means and what progress means, as I came from the lowest hells and found no necessity for reincarnation, and you may be assured that if my condition of suffering and darkness could have been gotten rid of by reincarnation, I would have reincarnated centuries before I was relieved of my awful condition. I have met spirits who said they believed in the doctrine, but strange to say, none of them had ever been able to reincarnate though they persisted that they felt assured that other spirits had who were just in that condition that permitted it, and that they would when they became in a condition that was suitable, but I have noticed that these spirits never got in that suitable condition, but progressed in the spirit world and now say that they were mistaken and are thankful that there is no such thing as re- incarnation. Well, the race will die and a new race will arise on earth, but in the new race there will not be any who have been reincarnated. I want to stop now, so thanking you, I will say good night. Your brother in Christ, Goliath of whom men may think a mythical person. but who really lived and died, even though he may not have been killed by a slingshot of David, as the Bible relates, but yet a real living mortal who followed the ways of other mortals in sinning and dying and gone through hell and is at last redeemed. November 25th, 1916. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: Well dear, you have had a somewhat HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/rein9.htm" astonishing letter tonight, I mean astonishing when you come to consider the person who wrote it, but it is true, it was really Goliath who wrote, and I may say this because I have met him before and besides the higher and even some evil spirits have told me that he is. Well, he made a very strong argument and I hope that it may be very effective some day in convincing men of its truth. I could have written on the same subject based on the knowledge that I have, but I would have said, and what I should have said, would have been just as true in a few words thus; there will be no such great teacher as these people expect and there is no such thing as reincarnation. Once a spirit, always a spirit. But I must not take the time to write on this matter. I am very glad that you are feeling better tonight as it makes me able to get closer to you and more in rapport with your condition. I am very happy and want you to be and I am praying for you and asking the Father to bless you with a greater inflowing of His Love. Mary wants me to say a few words to the Doctor for her. She says she is happy too and sees that the Doctor is and that she is progressing more and more and that even her progress does not keep her from being with him quite often. She has asked me to let her write a long letter to the Dr. and I have promised and very soon she will do so. She says she will go home with him tonight and stay with him until he goes to sleep and will then try to take his spirit with her and give him a taste of the happiness of a sphere that he has never been in, and I will help her and I believe that she will succeed and tell him to prepare for the experiment. And if we succeed we promise to bring him back to his body, which will be the only reincarnation that he will ever experience. So with our love to you both, I will say good-night. God bless you both. Your own true and loving, Helen November 26th, 1916 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, John. I was with you tonight and heard the sermon on hell, and was so sorry that the preacher could not tell his people more of the truths as to what hell is, and the punishment of those who will be so unfortunate as to go to that place will be. It is pitiable that these leaders of the people are so blinded and without knowledge as to what the truth is in regard to this subject - as well as to many others, that they so erroneously declare to their congregations. Of course, their knowledge is based upon what they consider to be the truths of the Bible, and in many respects what they say is justified by the teachings of the Book; but in many cases their teachings are erroneous because of the wrong construction that they place upon many of the declarations of the Bible. In either case they are teaching, for the truth, those things that are not true, and the harm accomplished is just as baneful as if their beliefs and teachings were the result of what they realized to be untrue. Untruth is untruth, no matter whether it arises from honest conviction or known error, and the harm done is the same in each instance. The preacher, I have no doubt, believes what he declared to be the truth, and some things he said were true, yet the fact that he believed these doctrines to be true will not palliate in any way his responsibility, so far as the effect of these errors on his hearers are concerned. For their sufferings and darkness, which will certainly follow their beliefs in these erroneous teachings, will be no less because the preacher was honest in his declarations of what he supposed to be the truth. The source of error does not in any way modify or affect the results that flow from its acceptance and following, and the preacher, while not in such cases a willful deceiver, yet when he comes to the spirit world, and learns the truth, he will have the regrets and the sufferings which always flow from the spreading of falsehood and deception. Error works its own punishment, but it may be of some consolation, and will be to those who preach, and to those who accept falsehood as truth, to know that such punishment will not be everlasting, and that God is not a God of wrath or of vindictiveness, and that His justice never demands more than is necessary for the removing of error, and the establishment of His truths. Why, His justice would not be justice if He permitted error to continue, and prevented recovery on the part of man or spirits of the truth, just for the purpose of having those who had been disobedient suffer and be separated from Him for all eternity. I merely wanted to say this much on the sermon, and sometime I will come and write you a full explanation of what hell is, its purpose and work, and how long it continues. Let all of you continue to pray to the Father for this Love and have faith, and the time will soon come (when) that faith will become as real and existing as the sun which you so much enjoyed today. So my brother, with all my love and blessings I will say goodnight. Your brother in Christ, John November 30th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Luke of the New Testament. Yes, I desire to write to-night a fear lines upon a subject that has never yet been written on, and I know it will interest you. My subject is: - "What is the most important thing in all the world for men to do in order to bring about the great millennium that the preachers proclaim will come before or after the coming of Jesus? Of course, in stating the question thus I do no intend to be understood as consenting to the doctrine that Jesus will come to earth in physical form, on the clouds with a great shout, etc., as many of the preachers teach, for that event will never happen, because, as we have written you before, he has already come to earth or rather to men in the spiritual way that we have explained. Neither do I intend to embrace in the phrase, "the greatest thing," the Divine Love, for that, of course, is the greatest thing in all the earth and in the heavens, as well; but by this expression I mean the greatest thing that men can do, independently of the assistance of the Divine Love. Well, as commonly understood, the millennium is a time or period of a thousand years when peace will reign on the earth, and the devil, as is said, will be bound and not permitted to roam over the earth, causing sin and destruction of souls, and sickness and the other sins that new so generally beset mortals. Of course there is no personal devil in the sense of a Satanic majesty, but there are spirits of evil which abound in the unseen world and are constantly with mortals, exercising upon them their influence of evil, and suggesting to them thoughts and desires that eventuate in sinful and wrong deeds. But these evil ones are merely the spirits of departed mortals and are not beings of a superior kind in power and qualities. Sin, as we have told you, was never created by God, nor is it the product or emanations of any of God's perfect creations but is wholly the result of the wrongful exercise of man's appetites and will, when the desires of the flesh are permitted to overcome the desires of his spiritual nature. With sin comes all the evils and discords and inharmonies that constitute man's manner of living his earth life, and until these things, which are not a part of his original nature, but which are the creation of the inversion of that nature, be eliminated from his thoughts and desires and appetites, the millennium will never be established on earth, and neither will Satan be bound in chains and prevented from doing his work of soul destruction. Now, the converse of this proposition is true, and the possibility of its occurring, is also true, and the question is how can this be brought about, for to bring this about is "the most important thing for men to do. When the cause of the present condition of mankind in sin and sorrow and unhappiness is definitely determined, then will readily appear what is necessary to remedy the condition and remove the cause; and, hence, when the remedy is applied and removal made, the millennium will surely come, for this glorious time of man's desired and looked for happiness is merely one in which peace rules and discord does not exist, and every man is his own brother's keeper in love. Then what are the causes of the present condition of existence on earth, marred and tainted and controlled by sin and error and disease? These causes are two-fold - the one arising from man's fall from his created perfection of body, mind and soul, in permitting and encouraging the animal nature to subordinate the spiritual and thereby, by the over-indulgence of the former, causing the carnal appetites to grow and transform the man into a lover of sin and things evil; and the other arising from the influences which the spirits of evil, who are always endeavoring to make close rapport with men, and exercise their evil influence over him. While the personal Satan does not exist, yet the idea conveyed by the necessity of binding him in order to bring about this millennium is a true one, and applies to the actual relationship of men to these evil spirits, except this, that in the case of the latter it is not necessary or even possible to bind them, but to loosen them - that is to loosen their rapport with or influence over men, for when that is done, men become, as it were, free, and these evil spirits are as if they were not. So you see, as a preliminary to the ushering in of this greatly desired time of peace and purity, men must cease to believe that it will come with the coming of Jesus in a manifested physical way, as a mortal conqueror might come with legions of followers and noises of drums and by force of arms or greatness of power subdue his enemies. This will never be, for no man is an enemy of Jesus, but all are his brothers, and he is not now making and never will make war on any human being, only on the sin and defilement that is within his soul; and this war can never be waged by power or force of legions of angels, for so great is the power of man's will and so respected is its freedom of action by the Father, that there is no power in heaven or earth that can or will change a sinful soul into a pure one by force and threats and conquering legions of angels, even though they might be led by Jesus, which will not happen. No, the soul is the man, and that soul can be made pure and sinless only when that soul desires and consents that such a condition may become its own. So, it should not be difficult for men to understand that this erroneous belief, that Jesus will come in this semblance of a human conqueror and establish this great time of peace, is doing them much harm and delaying the actual time of the coming of this event. The effect of this belief upon the soul is that everything is to be accomplished by the work of Jesus, and nothing by themselves, except to believe in his coming and wait, and be ready to be snatched up in the clouds, and then help the hosts of heaven to destroy all of their late fellow mortals who had not believed with them, and put on the robes of ascension as they literally or figuratively designate such robes. They thus believe, and in their minds they may be honest, yet their souls may be disfigured and tainted with sin and the life's accumulation of sin, so that they could not possibly be in condition to enjoy a place of purity and freedom from sin. And some of them expect and claim that they will be the judges of others of their fellow mortals, because of the deeds done in the body, and yet in how many cases would it prove to be the blind and sinful judging the blind and sinful. But they further claim that Jesus, by his great power, and the fact that they believed that he would come again to earth and establish his kingdom, will in the twinkling of an eye make them fit subjects for his kingdom, and qualified to judge the unrighteous and help cast them out of his kingdom. No, this can never be the way in which the millennium will be established, and the sooner men discard this belief and seek the truth and the true way to purity and perfection, the sooner the hope and expectation of mankind will be realized. Your brother in Christ, Luke December 1st, 1916 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Judas: I will say only a few words tonight as I see that you are not just in condition to write a long message. I wish to say that whenever you let the thoughts of your material mind control your spiritual consciousness, the result is that you suffer a darkening of the soul's faculties and a consequent impossibility to get in rapport with the higher spirits and their condition of exalted truth and the happiness that necessarily accompanies the association of such spirits with your spiritual essence. So you will understand the importance of keeping the purely mental thoughts that are created by or arise from the exercise of the five senses and the reasoning powers, in subordination to the perceptions of the soul that arise from the condition of that soul being in harmony with the truths of the Father. I know that at times the cares and worries of life will cause the mental faculties to so operate as to obscure or make almost non-existent these faculties of the soul, which alone can perceive and comprehend the spiritual truths of God, that are the only truths that can make men really happy and fitted to enjoy the blessings that the Father is be- stowing upon them. I make these abstract suggestions that you may apply them to your own condition of mind, as it has existed for the past few days, and making such application you will realize the force of what I say. Your worries and dread of impending distress and failure to be able to satisfy the demands upon you, have alienated you, to a large extent, from the higher truths and the rapport that you have heretofore enjoyed and possessed, and have caused much unhappiness to come to you. But being mortal, and realizing the demands that are made upon you as a mortal, it may be quite natural that you should get into that condition of worry and dread, and not be able to realize that these higher spiritual conditions are the more desirable, and the only ones that will bring you happiness and freedom from worry. I know that so long as you are a mortal the cares of life will be a part of your living, and that they will be of sufficient weight to exercise a powerful influence on your thinking and acting, and that you will scarcely be able to cause the spiritual thoughts and happiness that always flows from them, to set aside and make unreal this material condition. Yet such a thing is possible, and you can bring about this so desirable condition if you will only follow the advice that has been given you by your spirit friends. Pray to the Father and believe. No, that is true. This desired condition will not of itself bring to you these things that you speak of, but it will help you to endure their absence to a greater extent than you can possibly imagine. Neither does the fact that you worry and fret bring these things; and when you have this need and in addition the condition of mind that worry and dread bring to you, you have a double burden and one which does much harm. So let me advise you to make every effort to get into that condition that these spiritual acquirements will place you in, and trust to the promises that have been made you as to the material things. I desire to write merely this tonight to encourage you, and to assure you that you need not let the worries and fears of the future, as to these material wants, take possession of you and deaden the spiritual contentment that may be yours. You will not be abandoned in the particulars mentioned, and you must rely upon the promises that have been made you, and you will find that you will not be forsaken. So think of what I herein say, and give your thoughts to the Father's Love and to the promises of the spirits who are so much interested in you. I will not write more now. With my love and assurance that what has been promised, you may expect, I am Your brother in Christ, Judas December 2nd, 1916. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I merely want to say a word for the benefit of you and your friend, and that is, that I have listened to your conversation to-night, and find that it is in accord with the truth; and the influence of the Spirit is with you both. Continue in your line of thought and in prayer to the Father, and, also, in your making known to others, whenever the opportunity arises, the importance of seeking for and getting the Divine Love. As your friend said, the only prayer that is necessary is the prayer for the inflowing of this Love; all other forms, or real aspirations, of prayer are secondary, and of themselves, will not tend to produce this love in the souls of men. Let your prayer be as follows: - Our Father, who art in heaven, we recognize: That Thou Art--art all holy and loving and merciful, and that we are the children of Thy care and not the subservient, sinful and depraved creatures that our false teachers would have us believe. That we are the greatest of Thy creations and the most wonderful of all Thy handiworks, and that we are the objects of Thy great Soul's love and tenderest care. That Thy will is that we become at one with Thee and partake of Thy great love which Thou hast bestowed upon us through Thy mercy and desire that we become, in truth, Thy children; and not through the sacrifice and death of any one of Thy creatures, even though the world thinks that one Thy equal and a part of Thy godhead. That Thou will open up our souls to the inflowing of Thy love, and that then will come Thy holy spirit to bring into our souls, this, Thy love in great abundance until our souls may be transformed into the very essence of Thyself; and that there may come to us faith--such faith as will cause us to realize that we are truly Thy children and that we are one with Thee in very substance and not in image only. Let us have such faith as will cause us to know that Thou art our Father and the bestower of every good and perfect gift, and that only we, ourselves, can prevent Thy love changing us from the mortal to the immortal. Let us never cease to realize that Thy love is waiting for each and all of us, and that when we come to Thee with faith and earnest aspirations, Thy love will never be withholden from us. Keep us in the shadow of Thy love every hour and moment of our lives, and help us to overcome all temptations of the flesh and the influence of the powers of the evil ones who so constantly surround us and endeavor to turn our thoughts away from Thee to the pleasures and allurements of this world. We thank Thee for Thy love and for the possibility of receiving it, and believe that Thou art our Father--the loving Father who smiles upon us in our weakness, and is always ready to help us and take us to Thy arms of love. We pray thus with all the earnestness and longings of our soul, and trusting in Thy love give Thee all the glory and honor and love that our finite souls can give. This is the only prayer that men need offer to the Father. It is the only one that appeals to the love of the Father, and with the answer, which will surely come, will come all the blessings that men may need, and which the Father sees are for the good of His creatures. I am in very great rapport with you to-night, and see that the Father's love is with you, and that your souls are hungry for more. So, my brothers, continue to pray and have faith, and in the end will come a bestowal of the love like unto that which came to the apostles at Pentecost. I will not write more now. In leaving you, I will leave my love and blessings and the assurance that I pray to the Father for your happiness and love. Good-night. Your brother and friend, Jesus   A more HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/prayer4.htm" modern version of this prayer is available. This original prayer was also altered subtly, many years later, in a message through Dr Samuels. This altered version is HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor692.htm" here. The message referring to the alteration made on HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor531.htm" September 26th, 1965, is here. An image of the original of this prayer is HYPERLINK "http://www.newgospel.org/prayer/pray1.htm" \t "_blank" shown here. December 2nd, 1916. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Ingersoll: I am here, and desire to say with all the emphasis of my words and soul that the Master wrote you, and gave you HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/prayer3.htm" the Prayer, which he said is the only prayer that is needful to bring into the souls of men the Divine Love. He was glorious, and it is not surprising that you felt the influence of his presence and love, and I, who have so recently experienced what this love is, tell you that your feelings were real and that that love is present, and that we spirits feel it, as well as you two mortals. Astonishing to us, as to you, is the power of this love and the greatness of the Master, for with him seems to come the influence of the very Father, Himself. How every thankful I am that I found the way to this love, and it found its way to my soul! What a loving Father, and what a tender Master, to teach us of this Great Gift! I could not restrain myself from writing, as the opportunity came to testify of this love and of the Master, and I felt that, as I had so often declared on earth that there was no such thing, I must now and always when the opportunity arises declare the truth of the Divine Love and the Holy Spirit, and the glorious Jesus. I must not write more tonight. So believe that it is I who write, and that I can with all the certainty of love declare that I am Your brother in Christ, Ingersoll December 2nd, 1916 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. Well, I will and I am glad that you have even one page more. I am happy to-night, for I see that you have had an experience that has caused your soul to open up to this wonderful Love of the Father. Oh, my dear, it has been a glorious evening and the Master seemed to breathe out the fullness of the great love that he possesses.Your own true and loving Helen. December 3rd, 1916 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Cornelius: I will write only a line or two, as I see from your condition of mind that you are anxious to study HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/prayer3.htm" the prayer, that the Master wrote you last night. Well I am not surprised, for it is a wonderful prayer, and one, that when earnestly breathed to the Father, will bring into your soul this Great Love which is the only thing necessary to make you at one with Him. As I heretofore told you, I am in possession of this Love, and know that it is real and causes the soul of the mortal and the spirit to partake of the essence of the Father, and in a manner become divine itself. I should like to write you a message tonight about some of the truths of the teachings of the apostles which are very pertinent to the subject upon which the preacher discoursed tonight. I was present, as were also many other spirits - orthodox Presbyterians - and those that have been freed from their creeds and erroneous beliefs of earth life. You might be surprised, if I should tell you the great number of spirits who listened to the sermon with interest and in expectation of learning something that they could accept as truth. The preacher had a vastly larger audience of spirits than of mortals, and among a great many of the former, his teachings were received just as they were by the mortal hearers. But I must not write more now. So hoping that I will soon have the opportunity to write, I will say, good-night. Your brother in Christ, Cornelius December 4th, 1916 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Esau, Son of Isaac. I was the son of Isaac and the brother of Jacob, and the one whom the Jews regarded as having sold his birthright for a mess of pottage, but I was misrepresented in this regard, as I did only that which necessity compelled me to do. But all that is long past, and now I am an inhabitant of the Celestial Heavens, for in the world of spirits all things are made right, and I became a possessor of the Divine Love after I had received knowledge of its rebestowal at the coming of Jesus. Many of the characters of the Old Testament have never yet realized this great transformation, because in their conception, of self righteousness, are contented in that conception, and worship God as they did on earth, although they have ceased to offer sacrifices of animals, because they have none in spirit life to offer, yet they still have the belief that sacrifice is necessary, and in their imaginations, they offer what to them is symbolical of the offerings that they made in the earth life. Yes, that is quite a natural supposition, but you must know that mind and the beliefs of mortals continue with them when they become spirits and who will not permit themselves to be convinced of the errors of their conceptions of Deity, and many of these spirits of old, are in that condition now. They refuse to believe or even listen to the truths of existence and their relationship to God, as they did when on earth. They have eyes, but they see not, and ears but they hear not, and enveloped in the darkness of their beliefs, they decline to let in the light, or to permit the truths that are so apparent to others to illuminate their souls. A mind that is shut in by bigotry and intolerance is just as persistent after the mortal becomes a spirit even though a change in its surroundings in what you might call its physical existence and in its possibilities for learning the truth, yet many of these spirits, absolutely refuse to recognize any change or possibility of change in their spiritual condition. It is not surprising that you may not understand how it is possible that these spirits of the kind mentioned could live all this great period of years, as you estimate time, in this condition, surrounded by spirits who have found the truth, and display that possession in their appearances and happiness, and especially by some of their old associates who have entered into the light, and not be influenced by these appearances and the experiences of these associates, but, nevertheless, it is true, and the difficulty of converting these bigoted spirits seems to grow the greater as they advance in their progression of mind and natural love. They are happy in a relative sense and in their beliefs they can conceive of no other belief or cause of progress that could bring to them greater happiness; and besides they are firmly convinced that they are doing the will of God in their manner of worship and in their symbolical sacrifices. These ancient spirits, as you call them, but who are young as compared to many in the spirit spheres, have their synagogues and temples of worship, and their priests and servants and worshipers according to their old beliefs. And the ceremonies attending their gatherings for worship are very little different from what they were on earth. They have all their vestments and attire and other accompaniments that on earth distinguished them from the common people, and they say their prayers in public and delight in appearing as holy spirits, the specially chosen of God, just as they did on earth, and as they are developing more and more in their natural love, and taking on the condition of perfection, so far as the perfection of the first parents as they existed before the fall, they may remain in this condition of belief as to their relationship to God, and as to their proper and only way to worship Him throughout all eternity. They decline to receive the knowledge of the truth of the New Birth, and as that is a thing that is optional with them and its rejection does not prevent them from becoming the "perfect man," as you have had explained to you, there is no absolute necessity as they think they should be born again in order to enable a restoration of the harmony of that condition and relationship that they may have to the Father. Of course, until the day of the consummation of the Kingdom of the Celestial Spheres they will have the opportunity to become recipients of the Divine Love and the transformation into angels redeemed, but it is doubtful if very many of them will ever elect to accept this great privilege. I am glad that I could write to you to-night, as it is a new experience with me, but one that gives me great satisfaction, and I will come again, if agreeable to you, and write further. I wish to say in closing that I know the difference between the spirit who has in his soul the Divine Love, and one who has not, and that the mere time of a spirit's existence in the spirit world, does not necessarily indicate that the spirit possesses the Divine Love. As Jesus said when on earth, "the first shall be last, and the last shall be first," and I may add, that some will never be first or last, but only the reminders of what might have been. I will not write more. Your brother in Christ Esau December 5th, 1916. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving Helen. Well, my dear, the spirits who desire to write to you of the higher truths did not think it best to attempt to write tonight, and hence you got no response from them. They say that you were not then in condition to receive their messages and that it was not advisable to try to convey any to you. But many of them were present, trying to throw around you their influence of love and help, and I know that as the evening progressed you felt their presence. I am glad that you have the HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/prayer3.htm" Master's Prayer to help you and open up your soul to the inflowing of the Love of the Father. It is a wonderful prayer, and as you repeat it with all your sincere soul desires, you will find that peace will come to you and the very presence of the Divine Love will be felt in your soul. So try to learn the prayer and offer it up to the Father, not only at night when you are ready to retire, but during the day, and especially when you feel gloomy and downcast, for the results will do you much good. It will bring to you the presence of this Love and, also, the higher spirits who possess so much of it, and the rapport will enable you to realize that there are spirits hovering around, and such spirits as will cause you much happiness and peace. So remember what I advise, and give your aspirations to the offering of the prayer, and to the hope that with you may abound this Love in all its fullness. Oh, my dear, when I think of how blessed you are in having conferred upon you this great mission, I can hardly realize that it is true, yet I know that it is, and that you should feel so thankful to the Master, as I do. No other has had such a privilege conferred upon him and, of course, no other has such a responsibility; and when this latter is considered, it seems that you will have to have the sustaining influence and power of all the spirits who are in your higher band, to enable you to do the work and not faint in its performance. Jesus is with you and you will not be afraid that you will not succeed. The way and the means will be provided, and the great truths will be given you, and through you, to the world; and in the long future men will learn the truth and thank the Father that it become possible for His truths and the knowledge of His Great Love to be revealed through the instrumentality of a mortal. You may be forgotten, but your work will live forever, and men and nations will experience the benefit of it and come closer to the Father and closer to one another, as brothers. The nations will necessarily be what the individuals who compose them are, and love and peace will reign on earth, as the Master promised long years ago, and as he promises now. All will be fulfilled, and as the old prophet said, the desolate places will bloom and blossom as the rose, but better than this, in men's hearts and souls will come such love that every man will truly become his brother's neighbor, and the great leaders of mankind will realize their dream of the brotherhood of man. In the near future the Master and the other spirits who have been writing you the truths of the New Birth and of the higher things that pertain to the souls of men, will write you as to the moral precepts, and as to those things that will cause the development of the natural love of men. And their teachings will be very interesting. I have heard them talk of these things, and know that these truths and teachings which relate to the moral development of men are a part of the plan to be made known to you. So you see, you yet have much work to do, and you must not think for a moment that you will not get in condition, materially and spiritually, to do this great work to its completion. It has been decreed that you shall finish this work before you come to the spirit world, and there will be no failure. It will be that some obstacles will be met with, such as you are now encountering, but after a little while they will disappear, and you will be free to do your work without hindrance and in the way that you have so often thought about. Well, sweetheart, I have written a long letter tonight and I think it best to stop, but before I do so, I desire to say to Your two friends that their work is of like importance, and that the great powers that are looking after and directing you are also looking after them, and that their work will have to be done also. It is a part of the great desire and plan that they shall perform their missions, and that ways and means shall be provided by which they will be enabled to accomplish the task set before them. So tell them to take courage and believe what I here write, and know that the Master and the higher spirits have decreed that they, also, shall have a part in this glorious plan for the salvation of mankind, and that nothing will be permitted to interfere with, or defeat, them in their labors. They will have to remain mortals until their work shall have been accomplished, and by that time they will have such knowledge of the glories of the Heavenly life that they will be anxious to hear the "Well done, good and faithful servants," and enter into the joys of the homes which have been prepared for them. And when that time comes, there will be many in the spirit world who will meet them, with hearts full of thankfulness and love, and words of appreciation and greeting. So tell them to keep up their faith and courage, and let not doubt enter into their minds as to the fact that they are the chosen ones also. I must stop now. So with my love, good night. Your own true and loving Helen December 6th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am Edwin Forrest: I merely want to say a word. I know it is late, but I have been listening to your reading and conversation tonight, and I have been much interested, for you have read and said many things that I had no knowledge of. I was especially interested in HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/prayer3.htm" the Prayer which you say Jesus wrote, and I tried to commit it to memory, for I believe that if it will be helpful to you, it will be helpful to me also, and I need help so much, although I am not in the awful condition of darkness and suffering that I was in when I first wrote you. It is wonderful to me how you have these bright and high spirits come to you and write such messages as you receive. I am present many times when you are writing, and can understand what you are receiving, but strange as it may seem to you, I cannot see these spirits unless they specially reveal themselves to me. I know, though, that they are writing, for I can sense an influence that comes only when these spirits are present, I know this because sometimes they show themselves to me, and then I see that they are beautiful and bright spirits; and when they are so present, I always sense the influence that I speak of. And besides, your wife sometimes comes to me and tells me that such spirits are present. I have learned many truths since your wife has been trying to instruct me, and I am praying and seeking for the Love which she tells me of; but it seem so difficult to get it. I don't know just why, but I shall continue to strive for it, for your wife tells me that it will come to me when I get in proper condition to receive it. I am happier than I have been, and my hope is increasing, and my faith also, and I am determined not to cease praying and striving until I receive the freedom from my condition that I am informed is just a little ahead of me. Well, I thank you, and I will try to follow your advice and help these other spirits whenever I can. L_____ is still in much darkness. He does not seem to desire to get out of his condition, and still associates with spirits like himself, and visits these low places of earth in the belief that he is getting some pleasure in his imaginary drinking, etc. I have not seen M_____ lately, but suppose he is still in the condition that he was in when I last saw him. I know that he needs help, and while I do not feel that I can help him much yet, I will try. Yes, I am interested in all my folks on earth, as well as those in the spirit world, and I sometimes visit my old home and try to make them feel better, but I can make but little impression on them, and I see that it will be a difficult undertaking to cause them to think of anything pertaining to this life other than what their beliefs cause them to think. They are Catholics with all their hearts and minds, and would not doubt what their priests say to them for anything in all the world. But I shall be with them, and when they come over will meet them.I have seen some of my folks here who are in darkness and still believe in the doctrines of their church, waiting to get out of purgatory. I have never spoken to them upon spiritual matters, for I have never felt qualified to do so; but as soon as I progress a little, I will try to enlighten them. Well, I find that she is not anything to me more than a friend. I have no special affection for her, but will try to help her if I can. I must stop. Remember me in your prayers, and believe that I am Your friend, Edwin Forrest December 8th, 1916 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, St. John, Apostle of Jesus I desire to finish my comments on the HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/bible69.htm" preacher's sermon on heaven. As I said, these Apocalyptic writings were made for the purpose of encouraging the people of those days to believe that God would intervene in their behalf, and save them from their sufferings and persecutions, and in the one case establish a Messiah's kingdom on earth that would cause the Jews to become the ruling nation of the universe, and in the other, to establish a kingdom in heaven where the Christians would find rest and happiness in becoming inhabitants of that kingdom, and children of the Father, and participants in the glories of Christ's reign as king and priest. Well, as the subject of the sermon was that Kingdom or Heaven and the preacher endeavored to tell his people what that heaven is, I will consider that subject. In the first place, as I have said, that heaven is not one universal place where all the Christians, irrespective of their soul development, go, but in that heaven are many heavens or spheres in which the spirit of mortals will find homes and also happiness according to their soul development or their spiritual development. And in order that there may be no misunderstanding, I must say that the soul development comes only through and by the operation of the Holy Spirit. The spiritual development involves only the result of the correct workings of the moral faculties of a man and the purification of his natural love which, of course, comprehends the development of his soul, so far as the same may be developed by this purifying process. The results of each operation is very different, and lead to a perfection and relationship to the Father, which is in harmony with the laws controlling the respective heavens - for the place of final habitation of each may be called heaven. But my object to-night is to describe to you the appearance and condition of one of these heavens, and as mortals have heard more about the third heaven, which we in our information to you have called the third sphere, than of any of the other heavens, I will confine my description to that place. Well, it is occupied by the spirits of mortals who have received considerable of the Divine Love, as well as by those who have progressed to a great extent in the purification of their natural love and the expansion of their minds and intellects, though the latter do not remain very long in this heaven, but progress to the fourth where there are more opportunities and more instructions in those things which have to do with the mind's advancement. While those who have made progress in the soul development and those in the intellectual are all in the third heavens, yet they occupy different and distinct planes in that heaven, for those things that attract the one class do not attract the other, and there is very little intermingling of these spirits except that those who know that the Divine Love is real sometimes attempt to show those, who do not, the desirability of obtaining it and the happiness that it brings to spirits. As we have already told you, the condition of the soul - not of the mind - to a large degree makes the heaven of the spirit, and in the providence of the Father, He has made the surroundings and the appearances of the environment suitable to the condition of the soul and fitted to increase the happiness of those spirits who may, because of their soul progress, be attracted to the particular places in which they find themselves - their homes. The appearance of this heaven to those who have this Divine Love in their souls is far excelling the capacity of your mortal language to explain, even if I had the ability to describe the same. But in one general statement I may say that for these spirits there is everything to make them happy to the extent of their capacity to receive and enjoy. There are trees and flowers, and hills and dales, and rivers and lakes, and beautiful landscapes, and above all the wonderful atmosphere, as I may express it, that is created by this wonderful Love of the Father, and a glorious light that illuminates and gives life to all who live in it, which comes from this Love of the Father. It is the sun, moon and stars, and sunrise and sunset, and summer clouds, and evening shadows and morning glories. Your material sun and moon and stars do not appear in this heaven, for the effulgence of the light from the Father's love eclipses and eliminates the light of these material creations of the mortal world. And then there are homes of the grandest splendor and beauty suited to the conditions of the various spirits, which have in them everything that will tend to cause happiness and joy to their occupants and visiting friends. Musical instruments and books, and paintings and furniture of every kind fitted to bring to the spirits contentment and joy, and a realization of peace and rest from the cares that you mortals have with you all through your earth life. And above and more important than all, a wonderful atmosphere of love which makes all these spirits realize that they are the children of the Father and brothers of one another and lovers of all humanity. And in addition, the social life is beyond all conception. The spirits have their times of visiting as well as those of staying in their homes; and many pleasures as well as of work and helping spirits and mortals; of singing and music and laughter as of prayer and contemplation of deep spiritual truths. Yes, in the lighter social pleasures as well as in the solitary meditations and aspirations of the soul's progress, there is happiness and enjoyment and freedom from those things which defile or make inharmonious the thoughts and heart's desire of these spirits. All is gladness and there are none who have solemn downcast countenances, that many of earth imagine portrays the truly righteous and redeemed of mortals. No, love knows no sadness, and as the soul speaks its condition by the appearance of the spirit body's countenance, the soul being so full of gladness and joy, the countenance can express only those emotions of the soul. This is the result of the law which declares nothing can be hidden, and every spirit must show forth the truth of its condition. There are no walled cities or streets of gold or pearly gates or other of the material things which the book ascribes to me sets forth, so that man can get some conception of what heaven is. These things in heaven would not be gold or pearls or diamonds or jasper, for when they are compared to the real beauties of the things which it contains, they are as the faint light of the candle compared to the light of your noon day sun. Truly the mind of man cannot conceive of the glories that await the lovelit soul when it comes to its heavenly home. There is another misconception that the preacher had, following the teachings of Revelation, and that is that the Kingdom of Heaven is a walled city - the New Jerusalem - in which all the spirits of the redeemed live, singing their loud hosannas to God. There are cities of which your earth cities may be called correspondences, but there are also villages and hamlets and homes in the country, as you would say, surrounded by green fields and shady vales through which run rivers and streams of silvery hue and clear as crystal, and also placid lakes which afford the pleasures of boating and sailing and other amusements. For each spirit is provided the place that is most attractive to him and it is optional with him where his home shall be. But all love and worship the Father, and endeavor to make their neighbors happy and help the development of the soul towards a progression to the heavens which are higher yet. All spirits are controlled by law, but that law is the Law of Love, and that love is the Love Divine - the essence of the Father's Divinity. I have written enough for to-night, and I hope from what I have said that you may catch some faint conception of what the glories of this third heaven is for those who have found, to some extent, this Love and possess it; and then, when as you must know there are many heavens above this, each successively possessing increased glories and happiness, and beauties of place as well as beauty of spirit, you may imagine what the plaster meant when he said, "In my Father's house are many mansions - ." I know that my attempted description may be unsatisfactory to some mortals, but it is the best that I can do, because mortal words cannot convey and mortal thoughts cannot conceive the realities; and man in his imaginings may better get a spiritual view of these things. I will not write more to-night. I am with you quite often, throwing around you the influence of my love, and endeavoring to help and encourage you. Let your faith in us and in our communications increase, and believe above all that the Master wrote you the prayer which you received a few nights ago. Study it deeply and grasp its spiritual meaning, and let your longings and aspirations go out to the Father as suggested by the prayer, and you will find a wonderful and satisfactory response to them. We are praying for you and your friends, and you must believe that the love is coming into your souls. So with my love and blessings, I will say good-night. Your brother in Christ, John December 13th, 1916 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Caesar. Well, I merely want to say that HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/ancient5.htm" since I last wrote you I have followed your advice and have listened to the advice of the high spirits to whom you sent me, and I have been praying as they instructed me, and now I am in a much better condition than I was, and the view that I now have of life in the spirit world is very different. I am still in some darkness, but light is breaking into my soul and consciousness, and I am commencing to realize that my fate as I have for so many years conceived it to be is not fate at all, and that my conception of what my fixed state was is all wrong, and was the child, if I may so call it, of my condition of mind and beliefs that came to me when I came to the spirit world and realized that the fact of my having been what the world called a great man on earth did not fit me for any greatness in the spirit world. I was then so disappointed and shocked by finding myself a naked spirit of qualities that brought me into darkness and suffering that I tried to avoid the association of all other spirits, and nursed my disappointment in isolation and the belief that for me there could be no change in my condition, or possible progress out of the awful lonesomeness and weariness of my soul. And now, when I know how different the truth is, I feel that all these long years of my spirit life have been wasted, and I bewail the fate that held me so long in that condition of stagnation and pride and resentment and utter hopelessness. I am now so thankful that I came to you when I did and told you of my condition; and when I realize that my coming to you was more a matter of curiosity to be satisfied-that I could communicate with the mortal world than because of any hope of receiving any help or benefit that could possible come to me, I thank my curiosity. When you told me the things that you did, I thought that you were an idle dreamer, and the recipient of some of the harmless vices that existed among the men of my earthly days who used to declaim upon the glories of the spirit world. I had no faith in them, and I had none in you; and it was only when I realized that, you were so earnest in what you were declaring to me, and when I came in contact with the higher spirits that you called to my assistance and saw that they had in them something that I had not - and which I had never seen in any other spirit - did I commence to. think that what you had told me might have some foundation of truth. And I also thought that I could not make my condition any worse by listening to these spirits and learn what they had to tell me as to what they declared was the truth of spirit progress; and the more I listened the more interested I became. After a while I was convinced that there might be some truth ill what they so earnestly asserted to be true, and as an experiment I concluded to follow their advice and seek for this wonderful love that they told me would not only relieve me from my darkness and suffering but would make a new spirit of me in body and soul. And oh, the wonderful surprise and experience that came to me; for I am no longer the gloomy, despondent and isolated Emperor, but a mere spirit who recognizes that death is the great leveller, and that rank and position and greatness of earth do not in one iota determine the status of the spirit for position of exaltation. I am now in my consciousness a plain spirit, having those qualities only which the condition of my soul gives me, and realize that I must pursue the same course and suffer the same purgatory as must other spirits in the same condition of soul, be they princes or peasants. Well, as I said, I am so thankful that this knowledge has come to me, for now I am rid of pride and ideas of superiority and all those things that had caused me to believe that the Almighty had treated me unjustly in not recognizing my earthly qualities and giving me a position which, as I believed, my greatness entitled me to. I resented all this and in my resentment, I became a spirit who fed on my imaginary injuries and thoughts that I would be sufficient unto myself, and not seek the favor of such a God. So you see what can be the effect of arrogance and pride and a self-glorious estimate of one small mind upon the possibility of a spirit's happiness and progress. But now these things have left me and I realize that I am a nothing, except that I am a child of God and the object of His Love, as your spirit friends have told me and are telling me. And in my humility - and I am humble, for I want to tell you that my fall was great and the consciousness of my littleness extreme - I know that I need the help of the Father in order to become in the least degree a spirit of light. And I am praying and longing and seeking, oh so earnestly, for this Love. Caesar the once mighty is now Caesar the most humble and weak, but the most hopeful. I realize the greatness of God's mercy and the great possibility of its making me one of these glorious angels that came to you so often with their messages of truth and salvation to mankind. I was considered on earth a man of brilliant mind and wonderful intellect, and what of this I had I still possess; and now that the way has been shown me, I am exercising these qualities to the best of my ability to help me in my search for truth and light. I thought that I would write this tonight, for I know that you are interested in my advancement, and besides, it does me much good to tell you. I am praying and longing, and these spirits are praying with me; but as yet, I have not very much of this Love in my soul, but enough to know - I say know - that it is real and that it makes the hard, unbelieving soul open up to the inflowing in greater abundance of its Divine essence. The Father is good, and I am trusting Him; and with all the possibilities of my soul I am longing for its filling with this Love and the getting rid of all these century-old doubts and hardness of heart and unbeliefs. I know the way and now I will never relapse into the state of mind that was mine for so many centuries; and I can say that Caesar has seen the beacon light of hope and the great sun of knowledge that these things which the loving spirits tell me are true. I must stop now, but as I progress I should like to come to you and HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor795.htm" describe my progress. I will say good night, and subscribe myself. Your friend and well wisher, Julius Caesar December 13th, 1916 Received: by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Elias (Prophet of old) I desire tonight to write a few lines upon a matter that I have been thinking might be of some interest to you, and that is: "The hope that all mortals have in a future destiny of freedom from care and unhappiness." I know that a large majority of mortals who believe in the Christian doctrines, believe that for a very considerable number of mankind there is awaiting an eternity in the hells of continuous torture and torment, and that in order to avoid such a destiny or future state, men, while on earth, must believe in certain doctrines and conform themselves to such beliefs, for after death there can be no possible opportunity for being saved from such a fate. Of course, these beliefs are the results of the teachings of those who claim to have the ability to interpret the Bible, mixed with a little of divine inspiration and mysterious power and wisdom that are conferred upon those who have the careers of ministers of the Gospel; and men, because of long years of training or of inheritance from those who for long years believed in these teachings, naturally exercise very little independent thought and accept the declarations of these ministers as being almost the divine expressions of God Himself. Such doctrines have caused in their workings much harm to the mortal and much unhappiness to the spirits of men in the spirit world, because beliefs accompany the latter in their existence as spirits and keep them from learning the truth for a long time after they become spirits. It is a great pity that men can be bound by such false and damnable beliefs, and generation after generation continue to become servants to the teachings of misguided instructors. And I wish to say that all these beliefs are untrue and have no foundation in fact, and the sooner mankind knows this the better it will be for their happiness on earth and their welfare in the world to come. It is true that there are hells and punishment, and that the majority of men when they become spirits will have to go into such hells and suffer such punishment; but the element of eternal or everlasting does not enter into the duration of such state or condition, for there is no punishment inflicted on the spirits of men for the purpose of causing them to pay a penalty that can never be satisfied through all eternity. This punishment is only for the purpose of purification, and when it is accomplished, for the particular spirit who has suffered the same, the hell ceases to exist and the punishment ceases to have any necessity for its existence; and, ultimately, the condition of every man will be that of a purified spirit, free from sin and defilement and the necessity for hell or punishment. I know that what I have written has in various forms been written before, but I felt that I must say just this much and in the way that I have done. I am glad that you are feeling better tonight, and I want to assure you that, if you will pray to the Father, you will continue to grow in your spiritual development, and as a consequence feel better in every particular. With my love I will say, good night. Your brother in Christ, Elias December 13th, 1916 Received: by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Samuel. No, I have not written for a long time, although I have been with you quite often and seen the other spirits write, and heard the conversation of yourself and friends on many occasions as you discussed the truth of things spiritual, and commented on the messages that you received on the sermons of the preachers who attempted to explain what they called the Bible truths. Tonight I desire to say a few words on the subject: "What causes the souls of men the unrest that now exists in the mortal world?" This is a subject, I know, that of late has been widely discussed, and many causes given and tried to be explained as the basis for such conditions of men, individually, and as comprising nations. I realize that it is a large and comprehensive question. and to discuss it in all its features would require much more time than we have to devote to it tonight, and hence I will call attention to only a few of these causes. In the first place man is so created, or rather he has brought himself into such a condition, that self love or selfishness - and I mean the purely human selfishness and not that of the higher and proper kind - has become the mainspring or active principle of all his motives for doing or not doing a thing or things, and in so acting the rights of others are considered only in a secondary or subordinate sense. If the recognition of these rights does not involve any sacrifice of what he considers is for his own advantage, then these rights may be recognized and admitted and permitted to be carried into actual enjoyment; but if there be any conflict between his conception of what he is entitled to and the actual rights of his brother or friend or stranger, he will see only the justice of his own rights and his consequent action will be based on that conception; and having this motive of selfishness predominant and controlling in his actions, it seldom occurs that the rights of these others are fairly recognized, and consequently, there arises injustice and harm; and the desire of conferring those things which would naturally arise from the conception of the rights of these brothers is ignored. Your brother in Christ, Samuel December 13th, 1916 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Mary Kennedy: Well, I will not be left tonight as I was a few nights ago when Kate wrote her message of love to her brother, for while I really enjoyed Kate's message of love, yet I was a little disappointed that I could not say a few words. Well, I know of no more interesting subject to me than that of love and I could write of it until you might become very tired. I mean physically tired, but I will not do so now, for while you may think I am selfish in this particular I really am not, and you will understand me when I tell you that this love is with me in such intensity that it is a consuming flame. I mean that it is the one great love outside the Father's Love that forms a part of my existence. Of course, you must not infer from this that I have not love for all mortals and spirits, be they relative or friends or not, for I have, and my work is in trying to help them in their unhappiness and sufferings. But as you have a soulmate who loves you and you have some of that soulmate love yourself, you will understand that it cannot be divided by any other love, and that it is only a little less than the Divine that can make two soulmates completely happy. Well, I heard you and I admit that I have it bad, and am glad of it, and would not lose one iota of it for all the world. Just you wait until you get it bad and then you will understand that I am not expressing to any very great degree how bad I have it. Well, as we are all in one boat, as the saying is, in this matter, I will not think that your expression means anything more than an approval of my feelings. I have enjoyed your conversation tonight and I am so happy that there is so much Love in your souls and that you are seeking for more. Persevere and you will not be disappointed, and you will find that it is not mere speculation but the great truth of the universe, or rather, the Celestial Spheres. Helen says that she agrees with all that I say and that she is glad that I. told you the truth when I said that she loves you with all her heart and soul.Well, I will not write more now. With my love, Mary December 16th, 1916. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, the mother of Dr. Stone, And I want to write just a few lines for it does one so much good to tell him of my love and my nearness to him. I want him to believe without doubt that what Mary wrote him as to his coming to the spirit world in his spirit body, and meeting us is true. For he did come, and to his mother's eyes he was more beautiful than he appears in his physical body, and why not? When I remember that his soul shone through his spirit body, and we could see that he had much of the Father's Love in his soul. I was so happy that I could not help shedding tears, and I took him in my arms and hugged and kissed him as I once did on earth, and he kissed me in return and said, - he was so very happy, and that he now knew that what his mother had written him about his still being alive, and his own loving mother was all true, and he told me of his love for me, and he longed at times to have me with him, and feel the inflowing of my love. He really met his father and sisters and brothers who all happened to be present, though some of them could not stay very long, for they were not just suited to remain with us, but their love had drawn them to him and they were benefited by meeting him. Of course, it is needless to say that Mary was there but like the good and loving girl that she is, she stood back until his family had embraced him and told him of their gladness, and then she came to him in all her love and in the purity of her feelings, threw herself into his arms and cried great big tears of joy, and wept as if her very heart would break for gladness, and he looked at her and put her from him, and looked again, and then embraced her with all the strength of his love, and cried too. It was a happy time and we left them to themselves, and they were truly lovers and became oblivious to everything but themselves. I cannot express my great happiness and the beauty of the scene, for I had never before seen a spirit, and the spirit of a mortal meet in the spirit world, and there were many others looking on in wonderment and appreciation of the evidence of love, but they soon recognized that they should not longer stay, and left. He stayed with her a long time, and Mary said, - he did not want to return to earth again, but she told him it was not time yet to remain with her, and she promised that he should come again. It is all so wonderful that I can scarcely realize that it was not a dream, but I know it was not, for I felt his arms around me, and his kisses upon my cheek, and his tears upon my face. Oh, how good the Father is to those who love Him and long for the happiness which only He can give. I must not write more now, and thanking you I will say - with all the love for my boy a fond goodnight. Your sister in Christ, Priscilla Stone December 17th, 1916 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. Let me write a few lines, as I am anxious to declare some facts, which when on earth were not facts to my understanding and beliefs. And oh, the pity of it all. Today, I was present at the church where the preacher discussed and criticized my teachings and me also and I am compelled to admit that some of his criticisms were true and justified. I am Mrs. Eddy, and the founder of the sect which bears the high sounding name of Christian Science, and the doctrines of which are neither Christian nor science as I now know from actual experience in the spirit world, where many of my teachings are shown to be not in accord with truth, and so misleading. I now realize that my mind and soul were not in accord as regards the truth, while I lived a mortal, and that my mind was superior in causing me to have certain beliefs which I left to the world in the form of doctrines contained in my text book and my other writings. My soul possessed a considerable degree of the Divine Love, as that Love has been explained to you, and when I came to the spirit world that Love was my salvation, notwithstanding the errors of many of my teachings as to mind and matter, and non reality of sin and evil. I am too weak to write more, but I will soon come for I must declare the truths. Goodnight. Mrs. Eddy December 17th, 1916. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I was an inhabitant of India when that country was not known of to modern nations, and I lived near the great Himalaya Mountains on a plain that was then fertile and peopled by a vast number of inhabitants who worshiped the Gods of whom the later Brahmans have written in their sacred books. It may seem surprising to you that I should come and write you, and the explanation is, that I became in rapport with you tonight at the meeting of the Theosophists. I saw that you were psychic and that I could communicate to you through the medium of the pen. There were many spirits present who, when mortals, lived in that far away country, and were, and are now believers in the mysteries of the occult as claimed to be known now by those who profess to be leaders of the Theosophical movement. A number of their names were mentioned by the lecturer; and these spirits were attracted to the meeting by reason of the similarity of beliefs which the mortals present possessed, and they, the spirits, possessed. I, also, was present because of that attraction, for when on earth I was a great believer in these doctrines, and especially those that teach reincarnation and karma, and I still believe in these things. Although I have been a spirit for many centuries, yet these earth beliefs cling to me and hold me to the binding force of their truths, as I conceive these truths to be. Many of those present, whose minds I could read as they thought, believe in these doctrines, but very few of them have any conception of what are the truths taught by such philosophy. Even the lecturer has a very slight comprehension of the scope and import of these teachings, and her attempt to explain the objects and workings of the principles of true theosophy was a very inefficient effort, for in order for her to be able to teach these doctrines, it is absolutely necessary that she have a knowledge of the same, which she does not have. No, the knowledge that she, and many others like her, have, as to the fundamentals of this philosophy or religion, if it may be called such, is very superficial, and the fact that it is a system of mysteries, of which they have discerned, in a few instances, the explanation, causes them to conclude that their grasp of the scope of this philosophy is greater than it really is, and affords them a kind of satisfaction that arises from the consciousness that some mysteries which the world knows not of, they know. She spoke about the great Masters being in India, who have a full knowledge of these mysteries and, in certain conditions or circumstances, will be able to and will initiate the searcher into the esoteric meaning of these great truths. Well, these Masters know something of mysticism and of occult powers and principles, but such knowledge is not sufficient to qualify them as teachers of the great truths of theosophy, as I understood and now understand these truths. We have in the spirit world and have had for long centuries, communities of theosophists, who believe and teach to whomsoever will listen to these doctrines, and many of these spirits attempt to teach mortals by impressions and thought transference these truths of ages, but with indifferent success; and, hence, for most of those who think they would like to understand this philosophy, the great attraction is the mystery, which they believe, because of its being a mystery, must contain the truth. The progress and understanding in the search for the key to the opening up and solving of these doctrines, and the supposed mystery in which they are shrouded, is very slow, and we who have been, as I said, for centuries engaged in this great effort have never had demonstrated to us the existence of our supposed truths; and we are still plodding the weary way, supported by the faith that at some time light will come to us, and that which has so long been enveloped in darkness will come into the pure light of understanding and comprehension. But as yet, very few of these mysteries have been solved, and the truths supposed to be concealed therein been manifested, and to some of us doubt has commenced to rear its head and cause disappointment. Such being the case with us, what can these mortals who are groping in speculation and discord expect to succeed in disclosing? Tonight, I heard the lecturer declare that Man is God potentially, and that when he develops into perfection he will become God. Never was there a more delusive and untrue declaration of a supposed fact ever uttered, for we who have lived in this invisible world long enough to have had come to us the realization that we are gods, all know that we are only and merely the spirits of men who lived on earth many years ago, and believed that when in the far distant future by our own exertions in renunciation, we would become gods. No, such is not the fact, and while we have renounced many of the sins and errors of our mortal lives, yet we are still spirits, with all the limitations of mind and souls that spirits are by nature bound. And this I must say, that in all the centuries of my spirit existence, never have I known a spirit or the soul of a spirit to reincarnate, and in this my disappointment has been grievous. Many spirits of our association have become perfect through renunciation, and yet they have remained spirits and progressed to the highest heavens of our possibilities (the Sixth Sphere). Yet, strange as it may seem in view of this experience, we still, to a more or less degree, cling to our old beliefs in reincarnation, thinking that there is something else, that we know not of, to be done in order for reincarnation to become the destiny of our souls. Sometimes I think that my beliefs in this particular must be wrong, for in comparing the condition of mortals, the most advanced in their mind and soul development, I realize that they are not in a small degree the equal of us in development, and then I wonder and, wondering, cannot understand what good could be accomplished or what improvement made in our condition for progressing, should we again enter mortal bodies. As true theosophy taught, as we conceived it, reincarnation was a supposed process of purification, and necessary in order that the spirit could attain to a state of perfection and freedom from everything that defiles his soul and prevents that soul from arriving at the blissful state of Nirvana, which means only that condition of soul where no longer reincarnation is necessary or possible; and when I know that many of our spirits - one time believers in these doctrines - have arrived at that condition and entered a state of perfect happiness, I hesitate longer to believe, and only hold the faith because I fear that the experience mentioned may be the results of special circumstances. But if I cease to believe these teachings, what shall I believe? No one can tell me that this reincarnation will not take place, and I fear to surrender the belief. I further believe that in order for the workings of karma, as the doctrines hold, reincarnation is necessary - that only in the mortal body could I do the reaping that my sowing demands, and yet, I see and know that karma has been and is working in this spirit world, to the extent that the reaping has all been accomplished, and the spirit made perfect, and this without any reincarnation; for as I have said, never have I known or heard of the reincarnation of a spirit or of anything that is connected with or represents the spirit. Of late I have been much in cloudland as to these beliefs, and in my desire to find the light, I have visited the meetings of the theosophists in all countries, and especially in India, where the Masters who are supposed to have the full knowledge and enlightenment live, and in hope of finding the light, but all to no avail. My desires and longings cry for the light, but none can be found. Tonight, I was attracted to the meeting where I saw you, and realizing that I could express to you my feelings and doubts, made a rapport and came home with you for the purpose of doing what I have done. I know from your condition of mind that you do not believe in these doctrines of the theosophists, and that your beliefs are of a different kind, and are new to me, although I have heard of the doctrines that are the objects of your faith. There are spirits with whom I sometimes come in contact, who attempt to tell me of another way to a higher heaven than the one that I know of, but as they are mere babes in comparison to my ancient existence, I do not listen to them, and hence I am not acquainted with their teachings. I must not write more tonight and thank you for your kindness. Well, you seem to be very kind, and I thank you for your interest, and under the circumstances must accept your offer, and will, I assure you, listen attentively to what may be said to me. I have looked and there comes to me a beautiful spirit who says she is your grandmother, and that she has heard your invitation, and will be glad to show me the way to love and light and truth. She seems so bright and beautiful and loving that I must go with her. So I will say goodnight and go. Good night. Lamlestia Devember 17th, 1916. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. Well, sweetheart, you are tired, and must not write more now. I will say though, that the spirits who wrote you tonight actually are the persons they represented themselves to be. I was with you at the various meetings and these spirits were there and became in rapport with you. HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/rein5.htm" The Indian was in truth an Indian, and was in the condition that he declared himself to be. He was a very bright spirit and lives in the highest spiritual heaven. He went with your grandmother. HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/religious15.htm" Mrs. Eddy was very anxious to write, and I am sorry that she could not finish, for the burden on her mind is great, and she wants so much to write the truth. I will have her come soon. She is in the Seventh Sphere and has much of the soul love, yet she sees the possible injurious results of her teaching, and her work is before her; and she says that the only way in which she can remedy the wrong is through the channel that she so bitterly denounced, and that she sees the difficulties are so much greater than it would be but for this grave mistake. HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/religious20.htm" Pastor Russell is also very anxious to write and he will soon come. I feel real sorry for him. His shock was so very great. Well, so it is, I must give my time to telling you of other spirits. But that is my work and yours and we must not complain - they are all the Father's children. So my dear, take courage and believe, and all will be well. Yes, Jesus was with you at the morning service and may write to you about the same, but I am not certain. His love was with you though, and he seems to want to be with you, whenever he is not elsewhere. He loves you and is caring for you. Your own true and loving, Helen December 20th, 1916. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am Caesar: Pardon me for coming so soon after my HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor276.htm" message of a few nights ago, but as I am a grateful spirit even if I was an awful sinner. I want to tell you that I took your advice and went with your grandmother, and had opened up to me a whole world of love and truth. Oh, what a wise and magnificent spirit she is and what love she has, and she treated me with such kindness and was even like Brutus of old. For in her kindness, she gave me a stab that killed all my old beliefs and feelings of greatness and made me in truth a mere nothing and at the same time the greatest being that I had even been in all my existence, for it showed me that I was a real child of God and the object of His Love and care, and one that had all the possibility of becoming in my soul even Godlike. She is my true friend and when she comes to me it seems that my soul, which had for so many centuries remained dead and cold, opens up with a flame of life that her influence brings to me. I will not write more now. I thought that you were so interested in me that you would rejoice in knowing that now I have started on the way to the attaining of that which you told me of. I will come sometime when I have received more love and write you a long letter, which I hope will be interesting, for it is a fact that at one time Caesar did write interesting letters. So, my friend, pray for me and send me your kind thoughts, and believe that they will not be misplaced as now I am so anxiously seeking for that which was not in me for so many centuries. Goodnight, Your friend, Julius Caesar December 20th, 1916. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving Helen: Well, my dear, you have some messages tonight which show you what the love has done for some of the spirits who were at one time in darkness and suffering. I wanted Mrs. Riddle to write, as she has never written to you and she was very pleased that she could. She is now quite a bright spirit and happy, and is seeking for more of the Love and is believing in the Father. Col. Rut was also very happy that he could write, as he says he is progressing and receiving the Love. He seems to be in much earnestness in his longings for the Love and while he had a great many sins to get rid of yet they are falling from him and I do not think it will be very long before he is in light. HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor795.htm" Caesar was very anxious to write and tell you of his progress and he seems to realize so very deeply the change in his condition and the power of love to make him a new spirit. He almost idolizes your grandmother and believes her to be the dearest friend in all the spirit heavens. He will come in a short time and write you. He is a very intellectual spirit and will no doubt write you an interesting letter. I was with you tonight at the show and you felt my presence as the music played. I was in your lap with my arms around your neck and kissed you many times. I was very happy and saw that you were, and that your thoughts as to my being with you were correct. It was a very pleasant evening. Well, I see that you are feeling better and relieved and I am so glad. Baby feels very much better and is happy. She is a dear girl and now is very anxious to get with you in a home, which she will soon do. You must love her with all your heart and watch over her, for she is the only one you now have who needs your care. She loves you very much. I will come very soon now and write my letter, as I am so very anxious to do so, and tell you some things that you should know. So keep up your courage and love me with all your soul. Give me my kiss and say good night. Your own true and loving Helen December 24th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I desire to say that I was with you to-night at the church, and listened to the preacher's sermon, and was somewhat surprised that he should have declared that all the wars and persecutions and outrages that, in the manner described, have been perpetrated on mankind since my coming, can be ascribed to my coming and my teachings. I, of course, can only resent the imputation and declare that the preacher has misconceived the cause of these wars and persecutions, and to charge that they are due to my truths or the truths that I taught, is not only an injustice to me, but a great injury to the truths and objects of my mission to mankind. Never did I attempt by force or constraint to compel a human soul to believe in my truths, or to became a follower of me, in or out of the church. My mission on earth was to show men the Way to the Father's Love, and to declare to them the Great Gift of this Love, and also to break down and destroy the erroneous beliefs and ignorance that then existed among men as what was necessary, in order to seek for and obtain this Love of the Father and their own salvation. And so far as the truths, moral or spiritual, which I taught, antagonized the false beliefs and practices of men, there was and necessarily would be a conflict in the thoughts and lives of those who followed me and those who persisted in their existing beliefs. To this extent I brought a sword into the world, but it was not the sword that called for bloodshed and murder and persecutions. It was the sword that pierced men's souls, where this great conflict should and must be fought to the end. No nation can be more spiritual in its government or in its treatment of other nations, than are the individuals composing it, spiritual. The nation cannot be greater than or different from the individuals who control it, be such control centered in one or more individuals, or in a secular or religious head. The ruler, if he be not a real follower of me, although he may claim to be, cannot in his acts or deeds, attribute to me the results of the carrying into action his thoughts and desires and ambition. The present war, of which the preacher spoke with such horror and lamentation, is not due to my coming into the world as an iconoclast or destroyer of sin and error, but to the fact that men refused to be controlled or persuaded by my doctrines of peace, and acted because of the sin and evil desires and immoral ambition that they possessed and permitted to control them. The sword which he claims I brought into the world did not cause these sinful and inhuman desires and ambitions to manifest themselves in the form of war and all the evils that follow it. No, this war is not a part of my warfare or the plan of the Father to bring salvation to mankind. The cause is this and only this: The exercise by men in control of the nations of their desires for increased power and territory and subjugation of nations, together with their sinful cravings for what they call glory and unsatisfied ambition. Had they understood my warfare, each of there men would have found his enemy in himself and no where else, and the great war would be a war of the soul and not the war of nations. Each nation claims that its war is right and that God is on its side, and prays to that God to assist it in overcoming its enemies. But I want to say here, and it may astonish those who believe that if they conceive that they are in the right and pray to God for success that their prayers will be answered, that God hears only the prayers of the righteous, or of the sinner who prays for mercy and salvation. Never in all the history of mankind has God responded to the prayers of men or nations to assist in the destruction of other men or nations, and this, notwithstanding the accounts in the Old Testament of the many times that he was supposed to have helped the Jews to destroy their enemies. If men, for a moment, will think that God is a God of Love and that all people are His children, the equal recipients of His Love and Care, they will realize that His Love would not permit Him to sacrifice the happiness or well being of one class of His children to satisfy the desires of revenge or hatred or outraged justice as they conceive it, of another class of His children. In all the beliefs of this kind, men have misconceived God and His Nature - with men like other creatures His powers are governed by God's immutable Laws, and those laws are no respectors of persons. Man was given a free will which he could exercise righteously or sinfully and God does not forcibly control such exercise, but the same exercised rightly or wrongly is subject to law, which imposes penalties or rewards according as the law is violated or obeyed. This war, which so many mortals believe and declare is a punishment inflicted on men because of their sins and disobedience - that is, that it was specially caused by God because of such condition of men - and some expounders of the Bible teach that it was prophesied centuries ago - this war, I say, is solely the result of the sinful conditions and workings of men's souls and thoughts, and the natural effect of the causes that men themselves created, and the exact workings of the laws that such causes brought into operation. And in a similar condition, where the same causes exist, laws will invariably operate, wars will occur and recur until the possibility of the causes cease to exist. God never ceases to love and care for mankind and always He desires that men shall be happy and at one with Himself, and that they shall exercise their wills in accordance with His Will and His Laws; but just as certainly does He never by compulsion or force endeavor to compel men to exercise their wills in a manner that is not voluntary with them. Should He do this, men would cease to be the greatest of His Creation and incapable of giving Him that voluntary love and obedience which only is acceptable to Him. But from what I have said, it must not be inferred that the Father is indifferent to men's sufferings and the calamities that wars bring upon mankind, for He is not; and, if, in His Wisdom, He saw that it would be for the lasting good of the men who are engaged in the present war, that He should intervene by the mere force of His Powers and end the war, He would do so. But in that Wisdom He sees, that there is a good which men should have, greater and more eternal than their mere physical and material good, and that greater good cannot be obtained by them through His suddenly bringing this war to an end without regard to their souls, and thoughts and desires. The law of compensation must work, as well for nations as for individuals, even though apparently the innocent suffer as well as the guilty. On earth, as men are now constituted - that is in their condition of sin and disobedience to the laws of their being - exact justice cannot be expected and is not received, because this justice is the subject of men's dispensation and not that of God. A man is influenced by his desires, which in turn, control his will and results in his acts and deeds, which must of necessity, bring their results. These results can be avoided only by absence of deeds, and these by a different exercise of the will, and this, by the change of desire. So when a man so desires and wills, God will not set aside the law of compensation, and cause results to follow that are not the consequences of such desire and will. But God is always willing that these evil results shall have no existence, and through the influence of His Love and Holy Spirit is calling men to learn the way to wholly prevent the possibility of these results coming to them, either as individuals or as nations. He has provided the Way and is teaching men the knowledge thereof, through and by which the causes that produce these harmful results may be utterly destroyed and prevented from ever arising to bring to them, the deplorable results such as are manifested in the present war. God will not interfere by His mere fiat to cause the one side or the other of those who are engaged in this war of bloodshed and carnage to become victorious. The law of compensation must work and as the leaders of the respective nations have sown so must the nations reap, and in this the innocent must suffer in this reaping, because as conditions are, the law could not work its fulfillment unless all within the scope of its workings should feel its operation. But the Father and the hosts of His angels and the spirits of men are working to bring this terrible catastrophe to an end.You have written long, and it is late, so I will postpone the further consideration of the subject to another time. Believe that I am with you and love you and will sustain you in your desires to do my work. Your brother and friend, Jesus December 24th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving Helen. You have received HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/minor19.htm" quite a wonderful message from the Master to-night and it will cause some surprise, no doubt, to many who believe that God confers a special dispensation for every prayer, is respective of the workings of His laws. But the Master has clearly shown that this belief is erroneous, and that man, himself, can prevent God from answering prayer. I do not mean that it will not be possible for Him to do so, if He should choose to exercise His power, but that man by his own will and deeds places himself in such a condition that God would have to violate His own laws to make a response in accordance with the prayers of men, which He will not do. I know that you will find the message very interesting, but not so much so as what will follow, for the one places man in the condition of having to depend on himself without expectation of the Father's help, and the other will show that the Father is not only willing and ready to help men in their distress, but also the way in which He will help, and the absolute certainty of that help being given. Your own true and loving Helen December 24th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Elias, Prophet of Old, (Elijah). I will write a short message to-night, as it is late and you are tired. Well, I desire to say that the message you received from the Master contains some of the most important truths affecting the relationship of God to man in his worldly or material living. Every Truth that was uttered has in it an element which shows that man to a certain extent must expect and know that God will not interfere with the law of compensation as to its effects and results. Only will He help man to remove the causes that so certainly entail the results, and the sooner men know this and more thoroughly understand it, will they become able to avoid the consequences of sin and the violation of law, and also understand that no prayer will cause God to respond, where a suspension or setting aside of his laws or their workings are necessary. He will respond to prayer, where that prayer asks the removal of causes, but never when it applies only to effects. This Truth men should learn and in their prayers ask that those things or causes which in compliance with the law of compensation bring about results that are harmful to them be removed, or eliminated from their acts and deeds as well as from their desires.l could write a long message on this subject but will not do so now, as you are not just in condition to receive it. I will come soon and write at length. So with my love I will say, goodnight. Your brother in Christ, Elias Note: In Volume I this message is titled: "(Elijah) comments on Jesus' message on the cause of war." but this title has nothing to do with the message, and the title used here is that used in Vol II pg 388. December 28th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. Received I am here, Father. I desire to write a few lines to my son as I see that he is in a condition that makes any communication from us very desirable to him. I want to tell him that I am very happy and am progressing very rapidly and will soon, I hope, be with his mother when my happiness will be complete for my love for her is so very great that I am happy beyond desire when I am with her. This is a reality, and I know for I am with her at times, and feel the certainty of the truth of what I say. She is very happy also, and so are his sisters, who are here now, and who are with him so often and who would like to come in closer contact with his brothers and sisters of earth, if they would only believe that their spirit sisters so desire to make their presence felt. But their want of belief and of desire to have their spirit sisters with them prevent a rapport being made, which is necessary for the enjoyment of the close communion that I speak of. Tell my son that I enjoyed his visit a few nights ago and was sorry when he had to return to his body. We were all there and talked with him, and made him realize what beautiful homes we have, and the wonderful happiness that is ours. This is not mere imagination, or tale of magic, for he was actually with us, and saw and felt our spirit bodies and also experienced the atmosphere of love that he ran into. Of course his soulmate, had him most of the time of his visit to herself, but she was very generous and told us to enjoy his presence to our hearts content, but, of course, we understood and withdrew. I imagine that he may not quite believe all that he saw, but I want to assure him, with all the love of a father, that it is a fact, and that sometime I hope he may have a recollection of some of his experiences, and I know that he will. Well, I must not write more now, except to say, that he must continue to pray and believe in the divine love of the Father, for I can assure him that it is the one grand thing that makes angels of spirits; and soon I hope to be one of the angels, as his mother now is. So with my love I will say goodnight, William Stone December 28th, 1916. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here. Judge Syrick: Well, my friend, how are you this Christmastime and how is the Doctor? Of course I know full well, but I adopt the old earth way of greeting you both. It has been sometime since I wrote you or had the pleasure of talking to you at Mrs. Ripple's, and I am glad of the opportunity to now say a few words. Well, when I think of all the things that have happened since I left the mortal life and you two friends, I can scarcely comprehend what it all means. Here, I am a spirit who has found the love of the Father to a small extent, and enjoys the heavens which I used to wonder what it was like, and the company of a dear girl that I used to talk to you about as if I really knew her, and I did really believe in her existence, as my Rose. And you two who have found this love that you used to tell me about, and I didn't understand what you meant. You have your soulmates just as truly as I have mine, although the Doctor has never seen his, at least with his mortal eyes. But I want to say, right here, with all the sincerity of old friendship, that your soulmates are just as real as is mine, and are with you just as certainly as mine is with me. As your friend, I think it is my duty as well as pleasure, to assure you as a witness bound to you by the bonds of the Divine Love, that both Helen and Mary are the spirits in all communications that they hare written you of. Well, I can hardly realize that all this is true, but I don't have to prick myself to feel that I am not dreaming, and I am glad for your sakes as well as for mine. I happened to be present a few nights ago when your two soulmates came sailing, as you might say, with the spirits of you two into our spirit sphere, and I must confess that I was surprised for I did not dream that such a thing could be. And you were there and I shook hands with you and greeted you and twitted you on being in possession of two such spirits as were they, and told you that they would never let you - return to earth, and you said you were glad of it. Now seriously, this is not a fairy tale, and I assure you in all truth that it is a fact. I, of course. did not stay with you very long, but you both expressed surprise that I should be such a handsome spirit, and I said I would return the compliment. Well, there are stranger things in heaven and earth than men dream of in their philosophies and I know that this experience of yours is not among the least strange. I am very happy now, and am progressing all the time, and I must tell you that you may, at times, experience some of this soul happiness, but when you come over you will find such happiness very faint in comparison with what you will then enjoy. I must not write further now and will close, but in doing so must congratulate you on the great privilege you have enjoying the presence of your soulmates, and other spirit friends in this heaven of bliss, and while you are mortals. So with my love, and Rose says hers too, I will say goodnight. Your old friend, Syrick December 28th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, the spirt of your old friend, General Henkle. I merely want to say that I have been present all evening and heard your reading of the messages and the conversation, and must say that some things that I heard surprised me, for instance, the assertion that your spirit was taken from your body, and brought to the spirit spheres, and there enjoyed the freedom of a spirit that had left the earth forever. This I have never heard of before, and cannot conceive that such a thing can be, and if it were not for the fact that your wife and a number of other spirits who are filled with love and truth tell me that it is true, I should doubt the fact. It is all so wonderful to me that but for the experience that I had when I came to the spirit world, and found so many things that I thought true were not true, I should even yet hesitate to believe. How little we spirits know of the wonders of God, and how much there is to us to learn! And the one thing that even yet makes me marvel is that all these wonderful things, I mean the power of communication and the truths that you receive, should have come to you, who when I was on earth was merely a man like the rest of us with no knowledge of these things. But I have had so many surprises and experiences that I am ready to believe most anything that these high and beautiful spirits tell me. The greatest truth of all - the existence of the Divine Love and its effect upon the souls of men and spirits-I know to be a truth, for I have had it come into my soul and transform my condition of darkness into light and happiness. Since I last wrote you I have made much progress and am now in the third sphere, where I find so much bliss, and so many beautiful spirits, who possess this love and tell me of the beautiful and wonderful things that you did for them. Well, my dear friend, it does me good to write you and tell you of my progress, and the certainty of the existence of the great love. I have met many of my old friends, and brother lawyers in this spirit world, and some of them have found this soul development, but the most of them, I am sorry to say, have not, and are still trying to develop their intellects, especially in the way of spiritual laws which, they think, is the most important thing to learn. And my work is to try to convince them of the greater importance of the divine love, and to show them the necessity of prayer. The work is laborious and somewhat disheartening, but it is mine to do, and I will continue in the work until I am told to go to a higher sphere. I would like to write longer tonight and tell you of the experiences of some of my friends, but your wife says that I must not do so and so I will say goodnight, and leave you my love, and also your friend, although I have never met him on earth, but realize that he is a kindred spirit that the Father has blessed him also with some of this great love. General Henkle December 29th, 1916 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, John: Let me write a line. I was with you tonight and heard the sermon of the preacher on the second coming of Jesus, and by it you were convinced of the continued revelation of the truths that you are receiving. How very much mistaken this preacher is in his beliefs, and how disappointed he will be when he comes to not only realize the truths, but also the knowledge that while living on earth Jesus had already come the second time, and that he, the preacher, might have had the benefit of that coming if he had not permitted his orthodox beliefs to prevent the truth from entering his mind and soul. Well, I would like tonight to write on this subject, but I do not consider it advisable to do so. I promised you a short time ago that I would write on the subject in detail, and so I will very soon, if I can make the proper rapport. Your condition is much better than it has been for some time, and if you will continue to pray and let your longings go to the Father as you have done today, you will soon be in that condition that will enable us to make the rapport so that we can communicate our deep spiritual truths. Try with all your determination and effort to get in this condition and you will not fail. There are other messages, as you know, that I desire to write and their delivery depends only on you. I will not write more now. With my love and prayers, I will say goodnight. Your brother in Christ, John December 31st, 1916. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: Well, we are here in great numbers and all wish you and the Doctor a very Happy New Year, and one that will bring to you not only prosperity and happiness in your material affairs, but also a great and abundant inflowing of the divine love of the Father, which will bring you a happiness that no earthly prosperity can possibly bring. We were with you tonight at the church services and tried to throw around you our influence of love and peace - the peace that passeth all understanding - and when this peace came to you as it did to a degree, we all rejoiced. The Master was present, for there were many souls there that were longing for this love, although they associated it with Jesus in the way that they believed it came from him as the fountainhead; but notwithstanding this error, their souls were right and the Holy Spirit responded, and the Love was present and many a worshipper felt its influence. I suppose that you and the Doctor would like to know who were present, and I should like to tell you but to do so would require more paper and more time than you have at your disposal tonight. But this I will say, that in addition to the Master there were present your special guardians. I mean John and James, and also Mary and the Doctor's parents and sisters, and your parents and of course myself. We all felt that as this is the night that brings into your lives a new year, with the great possibilities that will be yours, we should become a little human and bring to you our love and wishes, and the fact that there are surrounding you the spirits of those who once loved you so much when they lived on earth and had nothing more than faith. Now they come to you with knowledge, and with some of them the knowledge that they are angels, and redeemed children of the Father, and inhabitants of His celestial kingdom - the kingdom which Jesus has been and is establishing for the eternal homes of all who may receive the new birth. If you could have seen all the glorious spirits that were present, and the love and beauty that surrounded you, you would have thanked God with all the powers of your soul that you were so blessed, and we all said and prayed to the Father - "God bless you", and what it meant only we knew, though you could receive its benefits. Well, I am happy, and Mary is happy and all the spirits who love you so much, are happy. What a blessed thing the love of the Father is! As the preacher said, this Love makes your soul a new thing, not as a new creation only, but in the important element of being new in quality and consistency. I hope that you may continue to increase in your realization of the abundance of this love that will surely be yours, if you continue to pray to the Father in earnest and longing desire. I will not write more tonight except to say, that Mary wants to tell the Doctor that as the hours go by she feels that she is getting closer and closer to him in the holy love that is theirs, and that can never be taken from them. She is anxious that he feel this growing love and increased rapport, and that some day she may become as real to him in his conscious recollections, as he is to her. So repeating our wish that you both may have a Happy New Year, with increasing love and joy as the year grows older, I will say with all my heart's love, goodnight. We both want our kisses. Your own true and loving, Helen January 2nd, 1917. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I have been present as you read the article on Christian Science and was interested in your comments, and am pleased to assure you that your annotations were correct, and that in the particulars that you criticized the statements of the writer the same were erroneous and not in accord with the spiritual laws of truth and the understanding thereof. Sometime I will come and write you a message at some length on the doctrines of Christian Science, for the reason that I think a correction of the claims of this cult is very important. The doctrines that it proclaims to the world contain many truths and are beneficial to mankind, and are doing much good, both spiritually and physically, but some of the claims are so much in violation of the truth that they must not be permitted to pass as truths uncontradicted. The founder of this Science or discovery, as her writings and followers claim, is here now, and deplores the fact that she left to the world so many false and misconceived concepts of the truth that so many persons believe and teach. She is a spirit of much soul development, and is in possession of much of the Divine Love, which she did not conceive the meaning of by her carnal mind, as she called it, and was not therefore able to teach what this Divine Love is, and its operations upon the souls of men, and the effect of its presence in such souls. She never conceived any higher ideal for man than the perfect man. One who should become wholly delivered from the sins and errors which all men have to a more or less extent. And her teachings that sin and error and disease are not things of reality, because God did not create them, are all wrong, for they have a reality that not only makes men unhappy and causes them suffering in the mortal life, but also prevents their progress towards her ideal of the perfect man in the spirit world. God only is good, and everything that He created is necessarily good, and cannot contain that which is evil or in conflict with His creations; but, as we have explained to you, while He created man perfect, knowing only good, yet He bestowed upon him that great power of free will, and after his disobedience, he exercised it in such a way that he violated the laws of his being, and sin and error resulted - this made man the creator of evil. Mrs. Eddy will write you very soon on the subject of her Science, as she is very anxious to remedy the errors that she taught, and we have determined that it is advisable that she do so, on account both of her followers and her own account, for her work here and so far as possible in the mortal world, is to unteach, as it were, the errors that she taught. I expected to write my message, or rather finish the message which I partly wrote a few nights ago, but you are not just in condition to receive it, and I prefer waiting until you feel better in this respect. I am glad that you are so much interested in that message, and when you receive it, I don't think that you will be disappointed, for as you say, the subject is the one fundamental truth to be made known to mortals. I will deal with it in all its phases, and you must try to get in the best possible condition to receive it. Well, I do not think that that will be necessary for there will be such powers present, that the presence of any mortal and the favorable influences that he may attract will not afford any assistance to you. You must know that I have greater power than all the other spirits have, and when I come to you the assistance of the powers of any other spirit is not needed. If you will only get your soul in the best condition possible, so that I can make the proper rapport, nothing else will be needed. I will not write more tonight. I love you very much and am with you quite frequently, throwing around you my love and influence, and trying to help you develop your soul condition and become in greater at-onement with the Father. Yes, I have kept my promises, and when you call for me to come with you and pray, I come, and send up my earnest supplications in your behalf, and I know that the Father answers my prayers, not only because of the faith that I have, but because I can see the effect in your soul's condition. Well, you must not think that I am God or one of the Godhead, for as I have told you, I am only His son, and the possessor of so much of His Divine Love that I get very close to Him, and have communion. I have my home in the Highest Heaven, that the spirit of man has not yet so far reached, but, notwithstanding, I am not of so exalted a condition, or in such position, that I do not come to you in love and sympathy and as your elder brother. In my exaltation, I am most humble, and I must tell you that humility is a certain and eternal accompaniment of great spiritual and soul development. And because I am the highest of the Father's sons, you must not doubt that I come to you, and deliver my messages and pray for you and throw around you my love and influence. I have explained to you the great reason why I am doing this, and this reason is one that involves the salvation and good of all mankind, and you. I will tell you now that you are engaged and made a co-worker with me, and the spirits who write you, in the greatest work that any spirit or man can engage in. And I want further to say, that you will accomplish the work, and successfully; and when the time comes for you to lay down this work and come to the spirit world, your reward will be beyond all conception, and your happiness will be complete. I see that you have in your mind the thought as to what will be the future of your two friends . Well, they will perform their work and it will be a great and important work, that will bring them a reward similar to the one that is in store for you; and this reward is not the result of any special dispensation of the Father, but is the result of the work and the associations and experience that you all will have in doing and completing the tasks that are before you. You, and they too, are now doing a work which is laying up rewards in the spirit world for you when you come over, and not only there but you are now experiencing some of the benefits that flow from your work. Continue in the efforts that you are making to show spirits and mortals the way to the Father's Love and my kingdom, and you will find a wonderful reflex happiness come to you while you are yet mortals. If you men could realize the love and spiritual influences, and the number of highly developed spirits that are with you so often, and the efforts the latter make to help you and bring happiness to you, you would feel that you are the truly blessed of the Father. Well, I must stop now. Remember what I have said and believe that I am, Your brother and friend, Jesus January 2nd, 1917. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving, Helen. Oh, my dear, how glad I am that the HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/minor98.htm" Master wrote to you as he did, and if you only could have seen him as he told you of his love for you and the great happiness that will be yours when you shall have finished your work, you would have been thrilled as well as very happy. He seemed to be full of love and glory, and so anxious that you should fully comprehend what he wrote you. Your own true loving Helen January 4th, 1917 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Luke. I will write a few lines tonight on a subject that I desire to make known to you and others, for I know it will be of interest to all who may read it. The subject is the truth of the statement that no man can possibly reach the condition of perfection unless his mental beliefs become in accord with the truth. This perfection, you will understand, is the perfection that man possessed before his fall - that is, the perfection of his creation. It has been asserted by many that the beliefs of a man do not count for much in determining his condition of soul and mind, and that only his acts and deeds and the qualities of his heart determine that condition; but this assertion I declare to be untrue, unless these acts and deeds and qualities of heart are the results of beliefs being in accord with the truth. Belief is the mainspring of man's acts and the result of his thoughts; and thoughts are things that cause the realities of man's consciousness, and as he thinketh in his heart so is he. "Thinketh in his heart" means or comprehends the idea that the thoughts of his mind, which is the only part of man that has the powers or faculties for thinking, are suggested by, or flow from, the desires and appetites of the emotional part of man. No thought originates itself, although it may seem to be a spontaneous creation, but is the result of some spiritual or physical perception - that is, of the perception of the spiritual dualities or of the sensuous organs of man's physical constitution. And belief is the result of thought and that agency which causes man's acts or want of acts, and hence, the only guide or way shown to man in the progress of the development of his soul in its natural love, or of the mind to the state of perfection that I speak of. Now, belief does not create truth or change truth, for it is absolute and unchangeable; and truth does not create belief unless that truth is comprehended by the thoughts from which emanate the belief. So, it is apparent that unless the belief, if erroneous, changes so that it becomes in accord with the truth, man, the possessor of the belief, can never get into a state of perfection, which can only exist when a man is in a complete condition of harmony with the truth. Belief being the effect of the operations of the mind, unless these operations are in harmony with the truth, the belief cannot possibly cause the development of the man who is possessed of and controlled by that belief, into the perfect man, because every cause has an effect, and that effect must be, necessarily, only such as is the natural and inevitable result of that cause. Out of untruth it is impossible for truth to emanate, and from the imperfect the perfect can never be constructed; and so it is impossible to develop a perfect love and mind out of an imperfect belief. The law that declares the effect of its operations to bring this result is invariable, and only by the observation of its requirements can the imperfect ever become the perfect. So, therefore, I assert that no man can ever become the perfect man unless his beliefs become in harmony with the truth. As a matter of fact, irrespective of reason, established by my knowledge resulting from observation and experience in the spirit as well as in the mortal world, I declare the same to be a truth. Then how important to man it is to seek for and obtain those beliefs that are in harmony with the truth in order to become as he was originally, the perfect man. This true belief may be found and acquired even by the mortal, and no man will be excused from the penalty of the great law of compensation by his plea that he did not think it very material what his beliefs were if he tried to do right in the world towards his fellow man. But here, you will see that in addition to the fact that this great law accepts no excuse is the fact that man's acts and deeds proceed from his beliefs, whenever such are strong enough to control him; and when the beliefs are unformed, and man acts from emotion or impulse or desire only, without the constraint of any belief, the result upon his progress to the perfect man is substantially the same, because this law, in order to escape the penalty for its violation, demands that beliefs, formed or unformed, or acts and deeds resulting from emotion or impulse, which are really beliefs without definite form, shall be in harmony with the truth. The infidel who says he doesn't believe, the agnostic who says he doesn't know, the orthodox who believes, but whose belief is erroneous, and the free thinker who believes only what reason teaches him as he proclaims, if such beliefs are not in accord with the truth all come under the same penalty - that is, the impossibility of becoming the perfect man while such erroneous beliefs or want of true beliefs exist. So I say, belief is a vital thing in the progress of a man towards perfection, and men should cease to declare and rest on the assurance of such declaration that it makes no difference what a man believes if he does what he may consider to be right and just. Why, I, who know, tell you that the earth planes of the spirit world are crowded with the spirits of men who are in darkness and stagnation in their progress towards the perfect man solely from the causes that I have above written, and some men have been in that condition for many long years, and will not find progress except as such erroneous beliefs leave them and beliefs in accord with the truth take the place of the former. But for man and spirits there is this consolation: that at some time, how long in the future I or no other spirit know, these erroneous beliefs will all be eradicated and man will again come into his original perfection. But the waiting may be long and distressing, and wearisome to many. I have written enough, and in closing will say to all men: know and realize that the belief of a man is a vital and determining element in his progress to the perfect man. I am pleased to write you tonight, and will soon come again. Keep your faith and courage and you will realize the promises. Good night and God bless you. Your brother in Christ, Luke January 5th, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, John: I merely want to say that you must keep up your courage and belief that everything will be fulfilled as we have promised for while there may appear to be a delay in realizing the things that you desire get they will surely come and you will get what you want and in the condition that you think is necessary to enable you to live the life that will make you able to do the work of the Master without the interference of your earthly affairs. You may be surprised that I should write in this way, but I am interested particularly in your accomplishing the great mission that has been bestowed upon you, and I want to tell you that I have been specially designated to attend you in the way of a helper and inspirer of those things that will work to the accomplishing of our plans to reveal to mankind the truths that will cause their salvation and redemption. I am not given to interfering in material affairs but in your case I see that these things stand in the way of your carrying out our designs and hence they must be gotten rid of and I will try as are many others trying to relieve you of these differences. So with all this you must not suppose that you are not to do your part in accomplishing this end for you must work with us and bend all your efforts to bring about the desired end. Many here of the high spirits wish to communicate to you and they are waiting for you to get into a condition that will enable them to deliver their messages as they wish to do. Think more of the Father and His Love and of the great privilege that you have in coming in close communion with these high spirits and receiving the benefit of their love and influence for you are favored in this particular and in love upon you as our greatest instrument by which we are to accomplish our design and you must not let anything stand in the way of helping us to fulfill our plans.You will find that you will receive more and more of this Divine Love and a greater soul development as you continue in this work and ultimately you will become a very happy and spiritual man doing much good and will have displayed in you the wonderful powers of the workers of old who lived with the Master and performed many things that were called miracles. So I say, try to realize the importance of the work that you have to do and the powers that will be given you. For I must tell you now that never since the days of the apostles have such honors been given to a man. Well, I know just how you feel in respect to my prophecies but what I say will become true and you will live to see all these things fulfilled. Not that it is not a part of your work at this time now, you are only to receive these messages and also the wonderful soul development that I speak of for this latter is necessary to your receiving the promise that I speak of as these powers will be entirely things of a spiritual origin and unless you are in condition of soul to receive them they cannot come into your possession. After this shall have been accomplished then you will do work of a kind to demonstrate to the world the genuineness of your messages and for this purpose you will do things that many will be considered miraculous and from them such good will come to man, not only physically but spiritually. I came to tell you this because I see that the time is here when you must understand and fully appreciate the importance of your work as well as of the relationship that you sustain to God's spiritual instrumentalities in bringing about the great results that we desire and which men so much need. Well, I will not write more now but let me impress upon you the necessity of considering and meditating on what I have written. Jesus is the one great instrument in doing this work and upon you he depends for that part of the work which belongs to the material. He is with you very often and he loves you with a very deep and lasting love and is exerting his promise to help you and enable you to do his work. And many spirits, both in the Celestial and in the Spiritual Heavens are with you in love and care and are trying to help you both spiritually and individually. So remember this and when you become discouraged think of the fact that you have sustaining you the wonderful love and power of the spirit world and of spirits who are high up in the Celestial spheres and have more of Divine Love of the Father than have any other spirits in all God's universe. So with my love and blessing, I am Your brother in Christ, John January 7th, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, John: I was with you tonight and heard the alleged prophecies, and was interested in the great number of people that were present, intently listening to the words of the speaker. To you, the most significant element in the meeting should be the large number of persons present, evidently interested in the teachings of spiritualism, or in what they supposed might be manifested as the workings of the spirits. It shows that many of earth are deeply interested in this truth and desire to learn whatever may be taught and demonstrated, and such evidence should be inspiring to you in your work of receiving and preparing the great truths that come to you through the medium of spiritualism. The people are longing for the truths of which they know not, but intuitively feel must exist somewhere, and hope that a revelation of them may in some manner come to their hopeful souls. So, become more earnest in your desire to receive these truths, and give more of your time, that can be spared from your business, to receiving the messages, and you will the sooner accomplish the work and get in stronger rapport with those who write. After tonight we will come more frequently and more regularly, and deliver our messages, and will not permit these other messages that you may call personal, to interfere with the transmission of ours. I am glad that you are in so much better condition tonight, and assure you that you may continue to grow better and better, if you will only follow our advice. Try your best to cast aside your worries. Have faith in us and in our promises and you will not be disappointed. I will come soon and write you another message. Well, the fact is that she (Mrs. Kates) was controlled by a spirit part of the time that she was speaking, and he suggested to her some of the thoughts that she gave utterance to, but most of her declarations of prophecy came from her own mind, as they had been lodged therein by her observations and thoughts. What she said was really her own prognostications rather than prophecy. The spirit who controlled her, impressed upon her his thoughts as to what the future might be, and her speculations were as reliable as his, except that he has a wider scope of vision as to causes that may bring about results, such as she spoke of. As we have told you before, no spirit has the Gift of prophecy, as mortals term it, arising from a supernatural or omniscient power; and these prophecies should be accepted with all the allowance that want of knowledge on the part of spirits or mortals will justify. Some of those who heard her may believe in what she said and be benefitted by it, for she said some things that are helpful, and in that view some good may come from her lecture; but to accept what was said as known truths is a deception, and should not be accepted. I will not write more tonight. Remember what I have said, and believe that I love you and am trying to help you. Goodnight. Your brother in Christ, John January 7th, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Samuel: I will say a few words only. I am glad that HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor446.htm" John wrote so encouragingly, as it will do you good, and I want to substantiate what he said. You may look for better conditions now. Only keep up your courage and have-faith in what we write you. You have my love and blessings. So believe in us all, and let not the things that appear insurmountable discourage you. I will come soon. Goodnight. Your brother in Christ, Samuel January 7th, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: Well, my dear, I am glad that HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor446.htm" John wrote you as he did, and you must believe in what he said. I was also glad that you are in so much better condition and that you have set aside your worries. Soon this burden will not come to you and you will be free. I was with you tonight and heard the prophecies and as John said, they were mostly speculations of the medium and also of the spirit who controlled her. No reliance can be placed upon what she said as prophecies. Many of the things that she mentioned may come true for there are many causes in operation that will bring about some of the effects that she mentioned. Well, I will not write more tonight, and I would advise you to go to bed early and get up early. It will help you very much in every way. Believe that I love you and am Your own true and loving, Helen January 8th, 1917. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, James: I want to say a few words to you and the Dr. for as you know I am especially interested in him as his guardian and spiritual helper. I of course do not have the opportunity to write him as often as I should desire, but yet I am with him very much trying to help him in his soul developing and in his spiritual understanding of the heavenly things that Luke has just written of, and I am glad to inform him that he is progressing in his soul development, and in his rapport with the spirits of the higher spheres. I am with him frequently as he tells others of the Divine Love, and the other truths pertaining to the spirit world, and sometimes I suggest to him thoughts, which I see may be beneficial to his hearers. He may think that sometimes the thoughts that he conveys to those with whom he talks are thrown to the winds and leave no impression on the minds of his hearers, and sometimes this is true, but I must tell him here, that in many cases they take root, at least, for the time being, and cause these hearers to think and wonder if there can be any truth in what they hear, and as to how they may learn more of the things that are told them. He is doing a good work in this way, and must continue to do so, for there is no telling when a word or idea dropped into the mind of other people, may find lodgment, and grow into greater and wider thoughts, and cause serious inquiries as to the truth. What he says has this advantage over what is generally taught as to religious matters, and that is that his thoughts as he expresses them are new and not objectionable to reason, and as a consequence - the hearers wonder how the thoughts could have arisen and give to their consideration more attention than they otherwise would do. All the world is ready for the truth that will satisfy the soul and liberate the mind from creeds and unreasonable beliefs, and whenever anyone speaks such truth it is heard no matter what its source, the anxious soul will grasp it, and often meditate over it. He must keep up his courage and belief in his spirit friends, who are behind and with him, helping him in this part of his work, for it is a part but not the important part. Have faith and let his soul reach out more and more for the great love of which he speaks and believes in, and he will realize in the not far distant future a power that he little conceives of. He must know this also, that he is being prepared and developed for the great work which he has to do, that will help very largely to make certain and convincing the truths that you are receiving in the messages. He must have patience and he will not be disappointed, for the powers that are with him are great enough to carry forward the great work which is set before him to do. Even now they could fill him with the power which will be his, but the time is not yet in the order of the plan which has been determined on for the forwarding of the work that must be done. I am pleased that I could write this to-night, as I feel that though he has much faith, yet he must also have encouragement based on what will be his as the time comes for helping humanity. Love is the great thing, and he who teaches the way to that love is a great instrument in the work of the Father, and his position of a good and faithful servant, will be one that even angels may envy. This is not extravagance, but actual truth, and I know that when he shall have finished his work, and come to his spirit home, he will realize that what I have said is a faint representation of the actual fact. I must not write more to-night. With my love to you both, and the promise of continuous help, I will say, goodnight. Your brother in Christ, James January 8th, 1917 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, B ____, and I want to say a word. The Indian tried to stop me, but your wife said let him write, and I am doing so. Well, I am still in hell, and suffering, and I wish that I could die again, but I cannot and will have to stand it. I can't even be deaf (was very deaf when he lived in the flesh) so that I might escape some of my torments, for I am surrounded by the most hellish beings you can imagine, and I have to listen to them. It is no use trying to fight, for I can't hurt anybody, and they became more annoying when I did try to punch one of them. It is awful, and so I regret that I did not listen and try to understand what the Doctor so often told me when on earth, but now it is too late. I often hear what he says to you now in your conversations, but for some reason I can't quite understand, and besides, if I did, these damned ugly spirits would knock all the understanding out of me. It is hard to learn what you call Heavenly Things in hell, and I am so unhappy and see no way to relief. The Doctor's father talked to me and told me some things that were like what the Doctor told me, and I felt better when he was telling me, and some hope came to me, but when I got back into my hell and saw all the horrors and the shrieking, ugly spirits, I forgot, and the hell feelings came to me again, and I suffered. Oh, if I could only find some relief from these torments! Well, I will try again, for I know that Mr. Stone is kind and wants to help me, but my trouble is, that I doubt if he can, but I will go as you advise and try to believe that he can. I am very thankful to you and the Doctor and will try to hope. Anything to get out of this place and away from these devils. Your wife says I must stop. So good night. B____. NOTE. It appears from a subsequent message that this spirit is actually HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor781.htm" Nathan Plummer. The pseudonym was applied to HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor790.htm" protect his identity, at the time that he was a dark spirit, but not felt necessary when he had progressed into light. January 8th, 1917 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here St. Luke. I want to write a few lines upon a subject that may be of interest to you both. You have remarked upon the expression obtained in the letter that you have just received, "that it is hard to learn of heavenly things in hell." It is a statement in a succinct way of a great truth, and one, if it were known and fully appreciated by mortals, it would cause them to realize the necessity of thinking and learning of these heavenly things while on earth. I know that many say, they will not believe in the orthodox hell, or in the necessity of troubling themselves about the future, or that they will take their chance in the hereafter, if there be one. If these persons could realize the meaning of such a course of life, they would not leave their future to chance, but would, while on earth, seek for these heavenly things, and make a start for the realization of these things now, and not wait until they had left the form of flesh. They say that a just God will not punish them by condemning them to eternal torment, and they are correct; and while this just God does not condemn them at all, yet they are condemned by a law that is just as invariable as is the Love of that God, and that law brings its certain punishment, even though it may not be eternal. But it is certain, and upon the spirit itself depends very largely its duration. If the spirit finds itself in that condition that it cannot make a start towards its redemption, until a long time after its coming into the spirit world, then that punishment will longer continue; and, if the start depends, as it does very frequently, upon the ability and capacity of the spirit to receive and understand those things that will start it upon its progress, then many spirits will remain for years and years in the condition in which they find themselves when they first come to their homes in the hells. There is nothing in these places to induce or help the understanding of these heavenly things, but, on the contrary, everything to prevent and obstruct such understanding; even hopelessness and beliefs in an eternity of punishment, and, frequently, want of knowledge that there is any other or better place than where they find themselves. And I want to say here, that within the spirit there is nothing that has the qualities or powers to start it on a progression, and in this sense, the old Bible expression, "that as a tree falleth so shall it lie," is true. Even as to the natural love these spirits in the hells, cannot initiate a start towards high thoughts and beliefs, and only when some influence from without comes to them, can they have an awakening of their dormant better and true natures, so that their progress may commence. I don't mean by this that it is necessary that some high and spiritual helper shall come to them, but only that some influence from outside of themselves must come in order for them to have an awakening. This influence may be from a spirit in an apparently similar condition to their own, but which has received some glimpse of uplifting truth that it may convey to the dark brother spirit. All spirits can help others who are in a lower or more stagnant condition than themselves, and sometimes they do; but the great trouble here is, that unless the possibly helping spirits have some desire to benefit their fellow spirits of darkness, they do not try to help. and so as your friend says, "it is hard to learn of heavenly things in hell." He realizes that fact fully, and even with the help that has been offered and will be given him, he will find it difficult to make a start. The mortal life is not the only place of probation, but it is the most important place, and the easiest for man to make his start in, and understand the beginning of these heavenly things. I will not write more now, but will soon come and write a formal message. So with my love to you and friend, I will say to you both, have faith and let not doubt come to you as to the heavenly things that we have written you about. Good night. Your brother in Christ, Luke January 8th, 1917. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Samuel P. Shannon: Let me tell you that you and the Doctor need someone to look after you in your mental qualities, as you are the most gullible men that I have heard talk for a long time. I have heard what you just said in reference to your experiences in connection with these writings and the efforts made by spirits to convince you that your communications were from the higher spirits, even the spirits of the Celestial heavens, and I feel sorry that you should be so weak as to believe all these false and flattering things that have been said to you. So as I am a spirit who knows and loves only the truth, and do not desire to see anyone deceived, I feel it my duty to tell you that you have had only deceiving spirits write you, who take great delight in making you believe that you have received communications that have not been equaled by the writings that any other medium in all the wide world has received. Of course, you have received some wonderful truths and some beautiful sayings, but they are merely the efforts of spirits who think that they know all of the truth of the spirit world. And I advise you to let these things go from your mind and listen only to spirits who are honest and who know of what they write. I am one of those who are capable to tell you the truths that exist in our spirit world and that are only necessary for mortals to know. Much has been written you about the Divine Love and its effect upon the souls of men, making them, as it were, very Gods; and I want to say that the only Divine Love is the pure love that exists in the hearts of spirits who have been purified of sin, and had their intellects developed in the highest degree. So my friends, give up this belief in the Divine Love, and put all your efforts to the cultivation of your minds. And there is another kind of love that you have been told of, and in the belief in which you have had great satisfaction, and expectations created of coming into a wonderful and ecstatic happiness when you shall come into the spirit world, and that is the soulmate love. How foolish to believe in any such love. Our soulmates are our acquirements of knowledge, and not female spirits. The women here are very much like they are on earth, and they love one male for a while and then get tired and seek another. I thank God that they have never been able to fool me! I see so much of the treachery of these female spirits that I shun them, and as a consequence, they call me the woman-hater, and so I am, and I do not regret it. My companions are only spirits like myself, having a friendship for one another, but no such thing as what they call love, especially soulmate love. Sometime, before many years, you will come to the spirit world, and I beg that you will let me warn you before you come, to put no faith in what is told you about this soulmate love, and if you will listen to and take my advice, you will be saved much unhappiness. I write thus as a friend and well-wisher, and you must believe that I am wholly impartial and honest in what I say to you. I live in the Second Sphere, where there are many intellectual spirits who find much happiness and satisfaction in the development of their minds, and are not troubled by the women, or the ghost of what is called the Divine Love. Occasionally I see some spirits who claim to have the Divine Love, and some who claim to have soulmates, but I pay no attention to them, and consider them fanatics and deceived spirits. Well, they are different in appearance from us. They seem to be much brighter and, as they claim, happier; but this is due only to the fact that they are frivolous, that is, they never give any consideration to the investigation of the important things of this spirit world, and flitter about from sphere to sphere as if they had nothing else to do than find amusement and pleasure in their joy rides, as I have heard some of you mortals express it. Yes, they don't seem to be confined to any sphere, and that is something that I don't quite understand, for we who are so much more substantial and work so hard to learn the truths, cannot pass into the higher sphere. This I don't understand, and neither do my associates. But it may be that these spirits that I speak of are of such little importance that the guardians of the higher spheres do not pay any attention to them. At least, they are never stopped in their moving from our sphere to the higher ones. Well, I will consider what you suggest, and as you say, it can do no harm, and as I can spare time enough to make the inquiry of one of these spirits, I think that I will do so, merely to learn what their idea is of the reason that they have such freedom of movement and we have not. I see the Indian who is acting as your guide and he to an extent is another one of these foolish spirits. He says that I am a wonderful spirit in my own mind and that if I continue to develop in my opinion of my own importance and greatness I will soon be sitting on the right hand of God. He seems serious, but I do not know whether to think that he is really impressed by my appearance and intellectual greatness, or whether he is saying what he does, ironically. But I suppose he is serious, for being an Indian he cannot have much intellectual development and must be impressed by my superior qualities. Well, my friend, I am glad that I could write you tonight and do you the friendly turn that I have, for I am a lover of humanity and wish to do all the good that I can to my fellow man. I must stop now, as a spirit who says she is your soulmate, comes to me and says that I have been indulged enough, and, of course, wishing to get away from her, as from all other females, I must leave; but you must think of what I have written. Your friend, Samuel P. Shannon, a one-time scientist of England. January 8th, 1917. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: Well, dear, I see that you and the Doctor enjoyed the HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor810.htm" last message, as did we who saw him write, and I must say that he is one of the most self-opinionated spirits that I have met for a long time. He is not very pretty, or rather attractive looking, and has considerable darkness in his appearance, yet he is evidently a hard student of what he calls intellectual things. He does not like the females, and I have my doubts that they make any very great efforts to win his affections; but anyhow he considers himself safer in shunning them, as he says. If you could have seen the expression on White Eagle's face when he so highly eulogized the spirit, you would have been unable to restrain your laughter, and we could not, but we made ourselves invisible to him so that he could not see us. Well, the writing shows you the result of spirits believing that the mind is the only thing that needs development, and we want to tell you that this spirit may continue in this condition of undeveloped soul for many long years to come. But as you advised him to seek an interview with some of the spirits who have the development, which only the Divine Love can give, it may cause some benefit to him. And we will have come to him some spirit who will be in such condition of memory of his beliefs on earth, that will enable him to meet the spirit on his own ground and discuss with him not only the question of the freedom of the spheres for us who have this Love, but also other questions that have to do with the supposed knowledge of this spirit, so that he will realize that the spirits whom he sees flitting from sphere to sphere are not the frivolous spirits that he believes they are. I will write you sometime the result of this interview, for we will bring it about, not so much to satisfy this curiosity as to who we really are, as to help him gain a knowledge of this Divine Love that he thinks is only a will-o'-the-wisp. Mary was present and enjoyed the incident very much and wanted to tell the spirit that she knows all about the soulmate love, and that if he, the spirit, should try to find his soulmate and succeed, he would then know what real happiness is; but she saw that it would do no good. Well, you have written enough for tonight and are tired. We both send our love and want our kisses. Good night and God bless you both with that Divine Love which is, as the Doctor says, the greatest thing in all the world. Your own true and loving, Helen January 9th, 1917. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your grandmother: Well, my dear son, it has been sometime since I wrote you, and I feel that I must say a few words to you, as you are in a condition that needs some encouragement and sympathy. I love you as you know and while I have not written you lately, yet I have been with you a great deal watching over you and trying to influence you with my love and powers of bringing to you spiritual thoughts and soul's longings. Now, I want to tell you a few things that may help you in your moments of worry. When on earth, as you know, I was nearly blind and deaf, and in such condition as would naturally cause me to worry and be unhappy, but I did not worry and was not unhappy; and the secrets was that I had in my soul the Love of the Father, and it was so real to me that no doubt of its existence in my soul ever came to cause me unhappiness. And that Love, I know, and assure you, is the same kind of Love that now floods my whole being and gives me the happiness that I now possess. I remember that I did not have many material things to trouble me, for you looked after my material welfare and was always kind to me and loving, yet, nevertheless, if it had not been for the Love that I speak of, I can readily see that I should have been very unhappy and worried a great deal, for my natural inclination was to worry when things did not go right, as we said. And so I tell you from actual experience, that all your worries, and by this I mean your causes of worry, may be taken from your conscious self if you will only seek for and obtain, which you certainly can do, this Love of the Father. It is astonishing how efficacious it is to cause the worries and troubles to disappear. They, as you may know, are very largely a matter of the mind and while in a certain sense they are real, yet the mind or its condition is the real cause of the realization of the worries. And consider for a moment the fact, and I know that you will agree with me that it is a fact, that the indulging in these worries does not in one particular remove the material causes of the worry, and does not in any manner bring relief from the troubles. No matter how much you may allow your mind to dwell on these things, and how intensely you may worry, the cause, the material cause, remains. You may say, and it is natural to do so, that it is easy enough to advise that you should not let these inconvenient things cause you to worry, but when you come to the practical experience and are the sufferer from these conditions, it is not so easy to throw aside the effect of the troubles on the mind. Well, there is much truth in that, but notwithstanding, this Love that I tell you of, when living in the soul, will make even that effort easy to accomplish. The philosophy of the phenomenon, if you may call it such, is that this Love is of such real substantial essence that it takes control of the mind and eliminates the consciousness of the reality of the causes of the worry. Now I do not want to be understood as intending to convey the idea that these material causes are not real, for I am not a Christian Scientist to that extent, but what I do mean is, that notwithstanding the real existence of these causes, the effects of this Love, and the faith that accompanies it, upon the mind which is the real cause of the worry is such that forgetfulness of these causes of worry takes the place of the constant indulging in the thoughts of their existence, and the unhappy consequence that must flow from them. The cause itself is not removed but the consciousness of their existence, for the time being, is dissipated, and to the mind that is thus influenced by the Love, these causes are, as if they were not. Of course, they are existing and facing you to some extent, but it will come to you that they are not so overwhelming and insurmountable as they would appear were this Love absent from the soul and its influence from the mind. And in addition to this, love and faith creates a confidence in the power of the Father and His willingness to help, that engenders courage, which enables the possessor of this confidence to overcome these causes of worry that he would not otherwise be able to do. What I have said may be called the philosophy of the workings of this Love in its effective destruction of worry. But the great fact is that the Father does, as a truth, help the one who is in the condition of being possessed with this Love. His Love is real and His help is real, and the effect is to make the causes named things of unreality so far as the happiness of the object of this help is concerned. And as a truth, shown by the experience of mortals, a very large proportion of the worries and troubles that harass and cause so much unhappiness to mortals is a thing of the imagination and never realized. So my dear son, try to understand what I have written and apply it to your own condition, and you will find that your worries are not near so great as you now think. I know just what is facing you, but as you have been told by others who have written you, in a short time you will be relieved and the sun will again shine in your consciousness of existence, and you will become in a much better condition to do your work, both that of your business and that of the Master. You must not for a moment think that you will not be looked after so that you can do and complete the task that you have been selected to do. This is as certain as that the sun shines, and while for a time yet some disagreeable and disheartening things may confront you, yet it will not be a great while before they will become things of the past, and you will be in condition to do this work without hindrance or interference. So think of all that I have said and try to believe and make a practical application of my philosophy; and above all pray to the Father for a greater inflowing of this Love, and have faith to realize that it will become yours, limited only by your longings and sincerity of aspirations. Well, I will come soon and write you a long letter on some spiritual truth, that will be of interest to you. I must stop now, and so with all my love and the Father's blessings, I will say, goodnight. Your loving Grandmother January 9th, 1917 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. Let me write a few lines. I am much interested in you and your work, and want to do all that I can to help. I have heard your HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor491.htm" grandmother's message and it is a beautifully encouraging one, and filled with deep truths, which, if you will grasp and apply, will benefit you very much. I had my troubles when I lived on earth, but never had the sustaining power of the Divine Love that she speaks of, and, hence, lived my life as best I could with only the help of natural powers and a rather cheerful disposition. Had I possessed this Love, I now know that I should have been saved many hours of worriment, and enjoyed many hours of happiness that were not mine. It seems to be the fate or destiny of mortals to experience trouble; as some one has said, man was born for trouble, but this is not just true, for man to a large extent makes his own troubles, and as men come into a knowledge of the great law of compensation they will realize the truth of what I say. But thank God, even though man makes his own troubles and the law of compensation works impartially, yet the loving Father can relieve him from his troubles and make him happy. And in doing so, I want to say, the demands of this law are not unsatisfied. This law, itself, is subject to another law, and that is, that unless causes exist it cannot demand anything from the mortal; and the Father in helping His children does not say to the law, you shall not demand a penalty from this child whom I desire to help, but says to the child, receive my Love and help, and the causes for the demand of this law will cease to exist. If mortals would only understand this truth they would not continue to believe that the Father cannot help His children, and they would also see that in order to confer such help, it is not necessary to set aside or suspend this great law in its operations. The Father never grants a special dispensation to relieve mortals from paying the penalties of this law, but He does give to them His Great Love, and when they possess that the causes that entail the penalties cease to have an existence. The law of the Divine Love is the greatest law and supplants every other law in the workings upon the souls and minds of mortals. Well, my friend, I must not write more, and so with my love, will say good-night. Your brother in Christ, John Bunyan January 9th, 1917. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: Well, my dear, you have written a great deal tonight, and must stop as it is late. The spirits who wrote were very glad that they could do so. You had some doubts as to HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/hell24.htm" Bunyan and desired to call him back, but he had left. It was actually he who wrote you. I must not write more tonight though I would like to do so. But, dear, read over what your HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor491.htm" grandmother wrote you and you will find much help. She loves you very much and wants you to be happy. Give me my kisses and say goodnight. Your own true and loving, Helen January 12th, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Los Trenos: I am the spirit of a man who was murdered in the Inquisition of Spain, because I would not declare that I believed in the false and damnable doctrines of the Romish Church. I was a student of the Bible, and I learned that the church was not teaching and enforcing the true doctrines of Jesus, and I would not surrender my beliefs, even to save my life. The unholy and devilish priests and persecutors racked my body and tortured my mind, and at last tore me asunder, but my soul preserved its faith, and came into the spirit world in the fullness of its belief, all unspotted from these false teachings of the church. There were many who were tortured and killed as I was, because they would not recant. Well, I became a spirit in all the vigor of my manly strength, and greater, but I did not find myself in heaven as I expected, for I did not know what the great Love was, but, yet, I was not in such darkness as were some of my persecutors who followed me into spirit life. Of course, I was more or less human, and when these church devils came into spirit life and found themselves in hell, I naturally rejoiced and enjoyed, for a time, their sufferings and condition of hellish torment and used to visit them to charge them with my murder; but after some years, I realized that such satisfaction as I thought I experienced did not give me happiness or help me to progress, and I became sympathetic and tried to help them, which was not easy to do at first. As I continued to help them I found that my soul was being benefitted and that I was gradually getting out of the darkness in which I had been living, and so I continued this work until at last I came into the light and a knowledge of the truth that by helping and trying to love my enemies, I was helping myself. I will not take the time to relate to you my fortune in meeting some spirits who, I know, possessed the great Love of the Father, and how they taught me the way to this Love, but will only say that now I am one of the redeemed children of God, and the possessor of that Love and have my home in the Celestial Heavens, and to show you how wide and all embracing is this great Love, I must inform you that some of these very priests and minions of the church, who committed the outrages of which I speak, are now in the Celestial Heavens also, and, of course, possessors of this great Love, all their sins having been eradicated by the merciful workings of this Love in their souls. Of course, they suffered the torments of the damned when they first came to spirit life and for a long time afterwards, but the Love of the Father and His Mercy were sufficient to wash away, even their sins. So from this you will see that there is no sin so heinous and deadly that the Father's Love will not destroy, or rather, the effect of it. You must excuse me for intruding as I have, but I saw that you have the gift of receiving communications from this side of the great divide and I wanted to try the experiment. I am a redeemed child of God and can never thank Him enough for His Mercy. So with my love, I will say goodnight. Your brother in Christ, Los Trenos, the martyr to a belief that was not the true belief, but not so vile and ungodly as the one that he renounced. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, A. G. Riddle: I merely write to explain that the spirit who claimed to be a HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor367.htm" Spanish martyr is whom he represents himself to be, and is not a mere intruder relating a fictitious story. Well my dear boy, I will say goodnight. Your old friend and brother, A. G. Riddle January 14th, 1917. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your own true and loving Helen: Well, I see that you have been reading a book (The Great Controversy, Adventist) that is full of error and untruth, and that will do you no good to read. The author of that book now knows that the dead are very much alive and that spiritualism is a truth, and that the spirits who communicate are not the devils of Satan, as she calls them. Such reading is not worth the time that you waste in reading, and I do not see why you want to waste your time in such literature. Mrs. White is now in the spirit world and realizes the great harm that her book has done and is now doing to humanity, and the great errors that so many of her followers believe in and try to follow as their guide in religious beliefs. She will come sometimes and write you, for I must tell you that when you borrowed the book and made some mention of its author I tried to learn her whereabouts and succeeded, for I wanted her to come to you and tell you of the utter falsity of what she had written. She has been here tonight and knows that you have been reading her book and realizes that she must do something to correct, if possible, the untruthful teachings that the book contains. So, as I say, she will come to you very soon and write a message in reference to the same. I see that you have been feeling better today, and have been comparatively free from your worries, and I am so glad, for it makes a very great difference in your condition of mind and permits us to come in closer rapport with you as regards spiritual truths. Several spirits were here tonight expecting to write, but when you commenced to read that book they realized that they would not have the opportunity, and left, very much disappointed. My advice is that you do not waste your time in the further reading of the book, as it will do you no good. I love you with all my heart and soul, and want you to be happy, and be free from thoughts that may tend to draw your mind away from us and the work which you have to do. The only information that you will need you will receive in the messages that will be written you, and so you can readily see that there is no occasion for you to read books of the character of the one now before you. I will come soon and write my promised letter, and I know that you will find more happiness in it, than in a whole world full of books that speculate on the future life and the teachings of the truths of spiritual things that never should know and not speculate upon. Well, I will say what I have so often said, that I love you very devotedly, and all the other spirits who come to you love you also, and are with you very often with their influence, trying to help you in the development of your soul and in causing you increased happiness. The Master was here and says that he will soon write his expected message and is only waiting for you to get in good condition to receive it. Your own true and loving, Helen January 15th, 1917 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Samera. I am a Greek of the days of Aristotle, and I merely want to say that I am very desirous of writing you a message on the subject of what is the most important truth that I have discovered since I came to the spirit world. This truth is the Oneness of God. When I lived on earth we believed and taught the existence of many gods, and the fact that these gods were the unembodied spirits of those who had been great heroes or philosophers or statesmen while living on earth. Of course, we had some conception of a God who was superior to all others, and that He had the power and wisdom that belonged only to the supreme God, but the lesser gods also had great power and wisdom, and in their particular jurisdiction were at liberty to exercise those powers and thus bring to mankind the blessings - or woes - that they thought men should have visited upon them. Our gods did not have any power over our spiritual conditions, but dealt with us only in a material way and ruled us in our earthly ambitions or efforts only. I died with these beliefs, and when I came to the spirit world I found that hundreds of those we had worshiped on earth as gods were mere spirits like myself, without any special powers and without the wisdom that we had attributed to them, and they were subject to the laws of the spirit world just as I was. Of course, this discovery made me halt in my opinion as to the fact of there being many gods, and caused me in time to conclude that all the beliefs in the many gods were erroneous, and that I should seek for another God who should be above all these lesser gods and spirits. So, in my search I came in contact with spirits who had been in spirit life very much longer than had I, and were far advanced beyond me in the knowledge of things spiritual. And they instructed me that there was a great God, the Creator of the universe, and the ONLY God. And in my continued investigations, I concluded that this must be true. I have never seen that God, nor has any of the spirits, that I am aware of, but we have all seen the manifestations of His powers and wisdom, such as no mortal has ever seen or conceived of, and being thus conscious of the existence and manifestation of these powers and wisdom, I know, as do all spirits, that there must be that from which emanates these manifestations, and One who is the possessor of them and the ruler and controller of such manifestations. This entity we all call GOD, and worship Him as such; and we know that He and He alone is the only true God. I do not know that what I have said will be of any interest to you, but it is a fact, and I wanted so much to tell you that fact. I live in what is called the Sixth Sphere, where are many spirits of men in a condition of perfection that brings them supreme happiness, and such greatness of knowledge that only they, themselves, can understand. I hope you will pardon my intrusion, and I will bid you good-night. Samera January 15th, 1917 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, John B. London. Let me say a word, and I shall feel better for having done so. I am a spirit who lives in the earth plane and see spirits of all kinds and conditions, and know from observation and experience that in this plane is darkness as well as light, and that many, many spirits are in the dark places paying the penalties which the great law of compensation compels them to pay. These planes are of various degrees of darkness, all suited to the condition of the spirits who occupy them. Some of them are called hells and some purgatories, but they are all really connected, and the only difference between them is the condition of darkness and suffering which the inhabitants there are compelled to undergo. I have been through the hells and am now in purgatory, trying to rid my soul of suffering and get into the light of freedom and peace; and oh, there are so many here in that condition and without much hope. Our progress is slow and we have to pay the minutest demand that this law of compensation calls for. I hope that you will pardon me for having intruded, but I felt that if I could communicate with you I should feel better, and so I do. I will bid you good night. Your friend, John B. London January 16th, 1917 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, the spirit of one who lived on earth the life of a wicked man, and a persecutor of the Christians, and a blasphemer of God and everything that was pure and holy; and when I had lived the life to its end and shuffled off the mortal coil and became a spirit, I also became a dweller in the lowest hells where all is darkness and torment, and the abode of devils and everything that tends to make the spirit unhappy and at variance with the loving God. I introduce myself in this way in order to demonstrate to you the wonderful power of the Divine Love, for now I am an inhabitant of the Celestial Spheres, and know that this Love is not only real, but is capable of making the vilest sinner a partaker and owner of the Divine Essence of the Father. My sufferings were beyond all description and I was the most desecrated of mortals, and was almost worshipped by the devils of hell because of the great injury that I had done to the followers of Jesus, who, in my time, were possessed of this Love and faith, which even the terrors of the wild beasts of the arena, or the torches of my own evil designs could not cause them to renounce - in this great religion that the Master had taught them, and the disciples were still teaching when I put so many of them to death. The devils loved me for the very evil that I had done, but strange to say the spirits of those who I had sent unto the spirit world before their time were not revengeful to me, or came to me with their imprecations or cursings. Then when I had been in the spirit world a sufficient time to realize my surroundings and the nature of these evils, these spirits of the martyrs, which I had made, came to me in sympathy and pity, and in fact, tried many times to help me out of my great sufferings and darkness. I did not understand all this unexpected kindness and evidence of love, and I would not for a long time believe that these spirits were sincere; and so I suffered for year after year, and century after century, and became convinced that my condition was fixed, and that for me there was no hope, and that the God that I had heard of was not my God, and that devils were the only companions that I was destined to have through all eternity. And so I endured, wishing to die, but I could not. Oh, I tell you it was horrible and beyond all conception of mortals ! The law was working and I was paying the penalty, and there seemed no end to the penalty. I could find no consolation among those who surrounded me, and the pleasures that I first enjoyed, became to me mere things of mockery and derision, and my darkness and torment became the greater. How often I called upon God, if there be a God, to strike me dead, but the only answer to my call was the laughter of the grinning devils, who told me to shout louder as God might be asleep, and may be deaf. What to do, I knew not, and so I became isolated as best I could from these terrible associates, and many years of my living were spent in the darkness of lonesomeness with never a ray of hope, or the whisper of one word to tell me, that for me there might be a fairer destiny. And so time went by and I waited in my misery for some kind power to come and annihilate me, but I waited in vain. During all this time the recollections of my earthly deeds were like hot irons scorching my soul, and burning my body, as I thought, and the end came not. Well, I suffered the tortures of the damned, and it seemed to me that I was paying the penalties for all the sins and evil deeds that had ever been committed by all the wicked kings and rulers and persecutors of earth. Many times the shrieks of the Christian children and the groans of the men and women as they were being torn asunder from limb to limb, or burned as living torches which I had made of them, came to me and increased my torment. I lived the life of centuries of torment in a few moments, as it seemed to me, and not one cooling drop of water was mine. It may seem impossible that I should have continued to live in this ever increasing suffering, but I did, because I was compelled to. The law did its work and there was no one to say "enough". I might write a volume on this suffering of mine, and yet you would not comprehend its meaning, and so I will pass it by. In my loneliness and suffering there came to me on an occasion, a beautiful spirit, full of light and love, and all the beauty of early womanhood, as I thought, and with eyes of pity and longing, and said, "You are not alone, only open your eyes and you will see the star of hope, which is the sign of the Father's Love and desire to help you. I am a child of that Father and the possessor of His great enveloping Love, and I love you, even though you took from me my young life when you threw me to the wild beasts to satisfy your desire to gratify your thirst for innocent blood, and see the suffering and hear the groans of your victims, yet, I love you, not because I am a human with a kindly nature and a forgiving disposition, but because I have in me this Divine Love of the Father which tells me that I am your sister, and that you are a child of the Father, just as I am, and the object of His Love just as I was the object of His Love. You have suffered, and while you suffered, His great Love went out to you in sympathy and desire to help you, but you, yourself, prevented it from coming to you and leading you to light and surcease from sufferings. And now I come to you, your young and innocent victim, who had never done you any greater harm on earth than to pray for you, and ask the heavenly Father to take away from your heart, the great wickedness that caused so many of my people to suffer persecution and death. We all prayed for you and never asked our Father to curse you, or do anything to you to make you suffer. And we have prayed for you often since we came to the spirit world, and we are now praying for you, and this because we love you and want you to be happy. Look into my eyes and you will see that love is there, and what I tell you is true. And now, can you not love us a little and open up your soul to our sympathy, and let your feelings of gloom and despondency leave you for a moment, and realize that in this world of spirits there are some who love you?" Well, to say that I was surprised, does not express my feelings, and as I looked into the lovelit eyes of that beautiful spirit, I felt the great sins of my earth life overwhelm me, and in my anguish, I cried, "God be merciful to me, the greatest of sinners," and for the first time in all my life in the hells, tears came to my eyes, and my heart seemed to have a sense of living; and there came to me feelings of remorse and regret for all the evils that I had done. It would take too long to tell what followed this breaking up of my soul, all shriveled and dead, and suffice it to say that from that time, I commenced to have hope come to me, and to get out of my awful condition of darkness. It took a long time, but at last, I got into the light, and this Love which the beautiful spirit first told me of gradually came into my soul, until, at last, I reached the condition of bliss in which I now am. And during all the time of my progress, this radiant loving spirit came to me very often with her words of love and encouragement, and prayed for me, and never left me when I became, as I did at times, doubtful and discouraged. And as my awakening continued, the Love came into my soul, and as she told me of the heavenly things that would be mine as I progressed and reached the soul spheres, where beautiful homes and pure bright spirits are, I became more and more bound by my love to her. After a while I got into the third sphere, and realized that what she had told me was true, only I had not been able to comprehend the greatness of the truth. She then commenced to tell me of the happiness of the beautiful spirits of the two sexes, that I so often saw together, and explained that they were soulmates, and that their love was the greatest of all the loves except the Divine Love, and that every spirit in all the spheres had its soulmate, and at the proper time would find it. My love for this loving spirit had then become so intense that in the very depths of my soul, I wished and prayed that my soulmate might be such a one as she; and, at last, I became so filled with my love for her, that I told her that the only thing in all the heavens that I needed to make full my happiness was she as my soulmate, but that I realized that that desire was hopeless as I had destroyed her life, and of course she could not be my soulmate. And oh, how I suffered when I realized that she could not be mine, but was another's. As I told her of these longings and hopeless feelings of my soul, she came close to me and looked into my eyes with such burning love, and threw her arms around me, and said, "I am your soulmate, and knew the fact a short time after you came to the spirit world and entered your hells of darkness, and during all the long years I prayed and prayed for the time to come when I could go to you with my love and awaken in your dead soul the response to my great love. And when the time came that I could go, I was so thankful to the Father, that I almost flew to you, with some dread of disappointment I confess, to tell you that you were not neglected or unthought of, but that there was some love in the spirit world that was going to you. Of course, I could not tell you of my soulmate love, for you would not then have understood, but as your soul awakened and the Love of the Father came to you, I became happier and happier, and have waited so anxiously for this moment, when I could tell you that this love that had been consciously mine for so long, is all yours." Well, I will draw the veil here, but you can imagine what my happiness was, and as I progressed from sphere to sphere, my happiness and love for her increased and increased. Thus I have told you the story of the life in the spirit world of the wickedest man that God ever permitted to live and gratify his feelings of hatred and revenge. And I, who have passed through this experience, and realized all that it means, say, that the Divine Love of the Father is able to and does save the vilest sinner, and transforms the chiefest of devils into a Celestial angel of His highest spheres. I have written long and you are tired. I thank you, and will say good night, and subscribe myself. Your brother in Christ, Nero, The Roman Emperor, and at one time persecutor of God's true children. January 18th, 1917. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Syrick: I am glad that you could feel the influence of the spirit sufficient to cause you to doubt the personality of the writer for this spirit who wrote was not Ingersoll and he was permitted to write merely to test your ability or spiritual sense as we have done before. The spirit who wrote was myself and I did not have with me my usual influence, but assumed that of someone else in order to make the test more complete. Ingersoll is here and was really with you at the church services and so was I and I was interested in what the preacher said and what I wrote you as to the preacher being a medium and his difficulty of receiving the communication from spirit is true. So you may believe that the message contained the truth as to his condition. I do not feel like taking up more of your time tonight, but very soon I will come and write you as I have promised. Your Friend, Syrick January 18th, 1917. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your own true and loving Helen: I will not write much, for you are not in good condition. However, I was with you tonight at the services and heard the preacher and wished that I could have suggested some thoughts to him that he could have received for he then would have made clear something about spiritualism that he did not. He is a medium and with a little more faith or rather with a little less belief in some of the old orthodox doctrine he would become quite a satisfactory medium to himself at least. What Judge Syrick wrote you is true and we merely wanted to make the test and Ingersoll said that he was astonished that you could detect it. He says that he is learning sympathy more and more all the time. Well I must stop and so I will say goodnight. Give my kindest regards to the Dr. and my love to yourself. Your own true and loving Helen January 19th, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, John: I wish to write only a few lines tonight to tell you that you are not in condition of soul that you should be, and that you may be, for I see that you have been thinking a great deal lately of certain teachings and philosophies that do not lead your soul to development that is necessary in order for you to enjoy the Love that may be yours and which at times you have possessed and experienced. So I want to advise you to give up the investigating or even reading of these things, and confine your thought to the teachings of truth which you have received and will receive from the spirits of the Celestial and the higher spiritual spheres. The meat of what you read in the books that you have been reading is merely speculation and sometimes contains the truth and at other times errors, while what you receive from these spirits who write you of these deep and religious truths are based on knowledge which only spirits of the development of those who write you can learn and instruct you in. The truths that you shall learn from the sources that I have mentioned will be sufficient to enlighten your mind and to develop your soul and you will find that by learning them, great benefit will come to you. Let these unusual philosophies take care of themselves because they cannot take care of you and they only serve to distract your mind from the truths which are real and never changeable and which must determine the condition of men and spirits and movements of the universe. Of course, it may benefit you some to consider the teachings of the Bible which you cherish and accept as the word of God and which we say is not His word and was never written by men inspired by Him and which do not contain the sayings as teachings of Jesus surmounted with the interpolations and thoughts of me and to compare them with the truths which shall come to you from us and by such comparison you will see what great errors there are in the Bible and what injury the belief in such teachings is doing and have done to humanity. This will be a point of the work that lies before you because when your work comes to be published, it will be read in light of what the Bible contains and the interpretations placed thereon by the theologians and commentators and the errors will then be readily seen by men, and as a consequence, rejected, and man's conception of God and His relationship to man and the latter's destiny will become the only line and cornerstone. I know that if you follow my advice you will find yourself grow into a better condition for the reception of these truths and also realize that your soul development will progress with great rapidity, so that your soul perception will become so accurate that you will be able to know the truth and all its inherent meanings. I will try to help you in this regard and will let you feel the influence of my presence and efforts to assist you to get in this condition. I have many messages to write you yet, as well as have the Master and also many high spirits who will contribute to the filling of the book of truths that we know to be truths. So, my dear brother, think of what I have said and determine that you will follow my advice, and you will soon see the beneficial results. Well, there are many other things that you may read and so occupy your mind. History and fiction of the better class and also many sermons and essays based on the teachings of the Bible, for as I have said, the discussion of these things will help you in comprehending and formulating and fixing in your mind, and soul, the real truths. Yes, of course I do, for there is no religious doctrines or teachings on earth that I am not acquainted with. I learned these things in order to appreciate just what men used to help them to avoid false doctrines and beliefs and to learn the truths which may be necessary for them to know. As you know there are many beliefs on earth and some particular truth is required for some particular mind that may be imbued with these beliefs in order to show that mind the error of its belief and the truth that it should know. The Bahaist have not the knowledge of the great Truths of the New Birth or of the Divine Love as contradistinguished from the natural love in its purified state, and while their doctrines and teachings are very beautiful and beneficial to men in a moral point of view, yet they do not show men the true way to the Celestial home and the coming into an at-onement with the Father in the Divine Nature or in His Divine Love. So remember what I have said and you will soon see the results of following my advice. I will come soon and communicate a truth which deals with the great love of the Father.I will not write more now but in closing; will say that we all love you very much and are very much interested in your work and are working with you. So, only believe and pray to the Father for His love and blessings and you will find a wonderful happiness and contentment and the opening of your soul perceptions that will bring you very near to Him, and to us all in love and rapport. With all my love and blessing, I am Your brother in Christ, John January 19th, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Laura Burroughs: I am glad to be able to HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor388.htm" write you again and tell you that since I last wrote you I have made much progress and come into the progression of much more happiness. Dear Cousin, I am so glad that I can tell you this, for I know that you rejoice with me in my happiness and the knowledge of what great mercy has come to me. I merely wanted to say this, for it makes me very happy to come to you in this way. Well he (her husband) is in the spirit world but in a very dark plane, and is not at all happy. I have been with him some, but have not been able to do him any good, as his old beliefs cling to him and prevent his progress. Sometime we may be able to help him, and will then try. She (Helen) has told me he is not my soulmate, and I have met my soulmate very recently; he is in the same sphere with me and we are very happy together. Well, I never knew him on earth. He lived in Pennsylvania and died a long time before I did, and tells me that he had to go through much suffering and darkness before he got into the plane of light. He is a very bright spirit, and I could love him, I believe, even if he were not my soulmate; but as he is, you know what our love means. He is looking at me write and heard your question and says his name was Henry W. Spaulding, and lived in Millville, if you know where that is. After I had made some progress and got some love in my soul, Helen brought him to me one time, and said "Laura, here is a young man who has been very anxious to meet you for some time, and you must not fall in love with him, if you can keep from doing so," and laughed. Well, I suppose, I blushed, as we mortals used to say, but I did fall in love, as you can imagine, and have been loving him ever since. How we all love Helen for her kindness and the great good that she does. You just wait until you come over, and you will see the most beautiful girl that you ever saw. He returns the satisfaction, and says that he considers himself very fortunate in having such a cousin, and he means it, for he sees the wonder of the great gift that you have, and the loving and high spirits that come to you. I must say goodnight now, and with my love I will stop. Your loving cousin, Laura January 19th, 1917 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. Let me say a word - George E. Luckett:   I am a spirit who has listened to your HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor494.htm" last communication and was somewhat interested in what the spirit said about her soulmate and her love for a spirit that she never heard of until after she got into the spirit world. Now that may be all true, and I must say that she and her companion seemed to be very happy, and looked like sure enough lovers that you read of in romances; but what I want to ask is, how could they know that they are soulmates? Of course, they may love each other a great deal and think that there is no one else in all the wide world that can take the place of the one with the other, just as mortal sweethearts have thought and said many a time, to find later they were mistaken. And, as I have heard that this soulmate love is one that admits of no mistake, I should like to know, as I said, how they are certain that they are soulmates. Well, I see your wife, and she says that there is not the slightest difficulty in knowing that you are some other spirit's soulmate, provided you are in condition to be able to receive that knowledge; and that is one of their punishments. But whenever the spirit has a loving soul and he has progressed into that condition of development where it is best that he should meet his soulmate he will meet her and will know the fact when he does meet her. Now, this makes me think some, for I am one of these bachelors, and have never believed in soulmates or anything of that nature; though I have seen a number of couples who claimed that they were soulmates and seemed to be very happy. Yet the fact made no special impression on me, neither did it incite in me any desire to learn if I have a soulmate. But now I believe that I will try to find whether I have or not. Your wife says that when I get in proper condition for having one come to me she will find her for me and bring her to me, and that I will almost curse my self for having been such a big fool all these years. But I wonder what she means by proper condition? I must go after her and find out, and try to get in that condition. Well, I will do it! I am glad that I broke in here tonight. I am in the light planes of the earth sphere, and am trying to be a decent fellow, and hope that I am. But as to getting into the proper condition, I will find out. Thanking you for your kindness, I will say goodnight. Your friend, George E. Luckett January 19th, 1917. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your Own True and Loving Helen: Well, dear, I see that you are tired and must not write more; but I want to say that you must think of the message that HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor400.htm" John wrote you, for it is a very important one and means much to you as will as to us and our work. He was all kindness and love when he wrote, and so much wants you to follow his advice, and I know you will. HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor494.htm" Laura wrote and told you the fact about meeting her soulmate. They are very happy and are both seeking for greater inflowing of the Divine Love, for which I am so very glad. I have not seen him, and hence of my own knowledge can't tell you, but she should know the fact, and of course would only write you the truth. I don't see how she could be mistaken. Well, HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/soulmates1.htm" the last spirit is very anxious to meet his soulmate, but I think I will keep him on the anxious bench for a little while, for he is not altogether in the proper condition; and if he has to worry a little before he meets her it may do him some good. He is a very decent sort of spirit, and I have no doubt will love his soulmate very much; but yet some of his thoughts must change before I bring him to her. Yes, she has made considerable progress, and is a quite loving spirit. She has not yet gotten into the Third Sphere, but she is seeking the Love very earnestly and before a great while will be there. I have taken a special interest in her on account of Mr. Colburn, and I have told her of him and that he is her soulmate, and she is with him quite often. And having seen the Doctor's Mary write him, she is very anxious to write Mr. Colburn. She now realizes fully that her earth husband is not her soulmate, and that the love which she had for him is a very different kind from what has come to her for Mr. Colburn. The latter is now absorbing her and the former is now a mere recollection of kind thoughts and good wishes for the happiness of her husband. And these thoughts do not in the least interfere with the greater and only decreed love that has come to her. As I say, she is anxious to write him, and very soon she shall have the opportunity. I suppose he would like to know her name while on earth and I will give it now, though she says give only her maiden name, for she says that the only true marriage for her is the one with Mr. Colburn, and she wants to come to him with all recollection of her earth matter obliterated. Well, her name was Nellie Robinson, and she lived in the state of New York close to the city of Buffalo. She was a village girl and never saw much of city life; and for his gratification she says tell him that her mortal life was as pure and undefiled as pure thoughts and rather spiritual nature would make it. But I will not write more now about her, and will leave her to tell her own story and do her own love-making. But say to Mr. Colburn that he is fortunate in having such a beautiful girl for his spirit bride, and I am glad that it is so. I must not write more now. My own dear Ned, I love you with all my heart and soul, and will say goodnight. Give me my kiss and soon go to bed. Your own true and loving Helen January 23, 1917 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Elohiam: I am the spirit of a Jew who lived in the time of Jesus and was a member of the Sanhedrin and sat as one of his judges at the time of his condemnation for blasphemy and iconoclastic teachings against the beliefs and doctrines of the Hebrew faith, and was one of those who voted for the sentence of death upon him, and in doing so was as honest in my conviction and action as it was possible for an earnest believer in his faith to be. Consequently, I was without prejudice against Jesus as a man and, as I believed, a fanatic; and it was only because I was convinced that he was an assailer of, and dangerous to, our religion and the welfare of my race that I consented to his death. Mortals of these days cannot fully understand the exact relationship of Jesus and his teachings to the security of our religion and the preservation of the faith which we believed had been handed down to us by God direct through our prophets and teachers, and when we were confronted with what we believed to be the destructive and irreligious teachings of Jesus and after making the numerous efforts to suppress him by threats and persuasion without effect, we concluded that our absolute and indisputable duty to God demanded that he be removed from the sphere of his activity even though such result could only be accomplished by his death. And if mortals of the present day could understand our deep religious convictions and the sense of obligation that rested upon us to protect and keep whole the divine doctrines and teachings of our faith and especially that one which declared the oneness of God, they would not judge the action of the Jews in condemning Jesus to death to be a thing unusual or unexpected. He stood in the position to us and to our religion of a breeder of sedition just as in modern times men have occupied the position towards the civil governments of breeders of treason and have suffered the punishments which have been with approval inflicted upon them by such governments. But to us he appeared not only guilty of treason to our national life, but of treason to the higher and God-given life of the religious government of our race, the chosen one of God, as we sincerely and zealously believed. Even in latter days men have appeared and claimed to be the especially anointed of God with missions to perform and have gathered around them a following of people whom they have impressed with the truth of their character and mission and of their teachings, and for a short time were permitted to declare their claims and doctrines and then suddenly brought to death by the decree of those who were in authority, as trouble-makers and enemies of the church or state, and have been forgotten and their doctrines disappeared from memory. And only in the instance of Jesus has his death been remembered through all the ages, and those who were the cause and responsible for his death have been desecrated and cursed and charged with the murder of God. Well, I write this to show you that the Jews who took the life and demanded the crucifixion of that just man were actuated by motives other or different from those that have many times since caused the very followers and worshippers of that Jesus to murder and crucify other men who have claimed to be the sons of God endowed with special missions for the salvation of mankind. The sincerity of the Jews who took part in this great tragedy cannot be assailed, and even their Roman masters at the time understood that the demands for the death of Jesus did not arise from personal spite, or the satisfaction of any revenge against the individual, but solely because they believed and so declared that Jesus was an enemy and would-be destroyer of the divine faith and teachings of the Israelite nation, and a seducer of the people, and it is only because of the subsequent rise and spread of his teachings and the truths that he declared - which have made so large a portion of the inhabitants of the earth followers of him - that the act of the Jews in causing his death has been called the great crime of the world and the people themselves to be hated and persecuted and destroyed as a nation and scattered to all points of the earth. I do not write this to excuse or palliate the great error which we committed in causing the crucifixion and death of the true son of God, but only to show that they, though as I now know, mistakenly, did that which other men with the same faith and convictions and zealous for the religious preservation of the nation, be these men Jews or Gentiles or pagans, would have done in similar circumstances. But the great element of tragedy in all this is not that Jesus was crucified, but that the Jews were so mistaken and failed to recognize and accept Jesus as their long looked for Messiah and Deliverer, not from their material conditions of bondage, but from the bondage of sin and error in which they have lived for so many centuries. This, I say, was their tragedy, and it has been their lasting and deadly tragedy from that time until the present day, and the prospects are that it will continue theirs for many years to come, and that generations of them will pass from the earth life to the spirit world under the shadow of that great tragedy. They still believe - and that belief is a part of their existence and as firmly fixed as in the days of the great mistake - that they have Abraham for their father and that his faith and example are sufficient to show them the true way to God and salvation and that they are the chosen people of God, and by worshipping the one and only God and observing the sacraments and feasts and commands of God that were given to them by and through Moses and the prophets and as are contained in the Old Testament, they will find the heaven of God here on earth and after death rest in the bosom of Abraham. That the observance of the moral and ethical precepts of their Bible is all that is necessary to develop their spiritual natures, and that beyond such development there is nothing to be desired or to be sought for. That some time they will attain the Adamic condition of reward and happiness, which is the ultimate of man's future existence. Some are still looking for the coming of the Messiah who will restore to them their former glory and rule on earth as the king and governor of all the nations and that they will be his chosen subjects and selected to assist in the administration of that Messiah's kingdom. How certain it is that their dreams will never be realized and that unless they have an awakening to the true nature of their God they will never become inhabitants of the Father's kingdom! And I want to say to my people with the certainty of knowledge arising from experience and actual observation, that Jesus of Nazareth was the true Messiah who brought to the world, and first to the Jews, the truths of God and His plans for the salvation of mankind and their restoration to all that they had lost by the fall of their first parents because of their disobedience, and that if the people of my nation had received him and accepted and followed his teachings, they would not now on earth be the scattered, homeless and persecuted race that they are, and in the spirit world would not now be satisfied with their homes and happiness in the spiritual heavens, but would be, many of them, inhabitants of the Celestial Heavens and the possessors of immortality and God's Divine Love. You have received many messages describing the plan of the Father for the salvation of men and what the Divine Love is and how it may be obtained and its effect on the soul of man and spirit when once possessed, and I will not attempt here to enter into an explanation of these things, but with all the love that I have for my race, superadded to a knowledge of the great error and insufficiency of their faith to bring them into at-onement with God, I advise and urge them to seek the truth and apply it to their individual souls, and affirm that the truth is contained and the way be found in the messages that you have received from Jesus and the other high spirits. I am a believer in these truths, a follower of the Master and an inhabitant of the Celestial Heavens; but I want to say that these truths did not come to me as a part of my faith until many long years of life in the spirit world, and that some of these years I lived in darkness and suffering. So I will say good-night and subscribe myself your brother in Christ, Elohiam January 22nd, 1917. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here. Elameros. I am a Greek, or rather the spirit of a mortal who was a Greek, and I lived in the days when Jesus walked the hills and plains of Palestine, teaching his new doctrines of the Divine Love and the Kingdom of Heaven. I was not a follower of him or a believer in his teachings, for I was a disciple of Plato and Socrates, and was satisfied of the truth of their philosophy, and did not believe that there were other truths than what it contained. I was a traveler, and at times visited Palestine, and on several occasions heard Jesus teaching the multitudes of people who seemed to be so interested in his discourses. I must confess that I was startled at times by his doctrines, and recognized that while they treated of subjects similar to those contained in my philosophy, yet they were different, and gave to these subjects a new and spiritual meaning that I had never before thought of. I could see that he was not a student of philosophy, or yet, an educated man, as we understood men to be educated, yet he dealt with these questions in such an enlightening and authoritative way that caused me to wonder at the source of his information; and when, at times, he said that he was not speaking of his own knowledge, but that his Father was speaking through him, I was almost ready to believe that such was the fact. You must remember that I believed in God and in the lesser gods or demons who executed His will, and when Jesus spoke of his Father, meaning God, it was not unnatural for me, in a way, to accept what he declared. And then I recollect, that I was impressed with the fact that he was not speaking from a mind that had been developed by the study of the philosophies, but from a mind that seemed to have in it that which had been lodged there by some great outside intelligence. He spoke, as he said, with knowledge, and speculations seemed to be no part of his conclusions or the cause of any of his deductions. Notwithstanding these impressions on me, I was too wise, in my own conceit, that my philosophy was the only true one, and that my knowledge of it was without defect, to attempt to give serious consideration to what I had heard Jesus say, and consequently, let the truths which he uttered pass from me. I saw and heard him teach only a few times, and then I heard of his crucifixion and death as a malefactor, and forgot about him. When next I saw him, it was in the spirit world, and this continued after I became a spirit; and then he was teaching the same doctrines that I had heard him teach on earth; but he was a wonderfully bright and glorious spirit. I don't think that I can write more tonight. I will come again. Your brother in Christ, Elameros January 22nd, 1917. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving Helen. Well dear you have had quite a remarkable letter from the HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/jesus29.htm" Greek spirit tonight, and there is in it substance for much thought on the part of the Greeks. We thought it best to have him write because it is a part of the plan that will be disclosed to have some spirits of all nations and creeds and religions write you, for the benefit of their races or followers who may live on earth. Love me and say goodnight. Your own true loving, Helen January 24th, 1917. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, William B. Cornelies. Let me write and tell you that I have listened to your conversation tonight, and have been much interested in what has been said, and especially in that part of your talk where you spoke of the Divine Love and the transformation of the soul into what you called the Essence of the Father. Well, I desire to say that I have considered spiritual or religious matters for a long time and the ideas that you have expressed are new to me, and open up to my investigation a new field of the possibilities of the soul in its progress. It may seem strange to you that I, who have been in the spirit world for a great many years and been interested in the investigation of what I considered spiritual truths should not have heard of this doctrine of the transformation of the soul into the Essence of God, but it is a fact. Of course, I have come in contact with many variety of spirits, and some who claim to possess this Divine Love, but I never entered into any conversation or discussion with them as to this question, as I was satisfied that they were spirits who had imbibed on earth the orthodox Christian beliefs, and were still possessed of the same, and that their claims to what they called this love, were based upon what might be called their beliefs in an imaginary, unsubstantial something, which satisfied them, but which was not worthy of the consideration of spirits who had given their whole lives in the spirit world, to the study of spiritual truths, based upon the laws of the spirit world as they became known to the intellects of men, capable of studying and analyzing these laws, and the truths that they contained. I have many associates who devote their time and thought to the investigation of these laws and the truths that are deducible from them, and who are men, or rather spirits, who do not accept any thing or declaration as a truth that cannot be proved by scientific principles and tests. We, of course, are not of the sentimental or transcendental kind, but confine ourselves to the pure and exact investigation of the laws that govern what we perceive to be the actual condition of spirit substances. But your conversation has made an impression on me, and perceiving that you men are earnest in your discussion, and seem to have a firm conviction as to the truth of the fact that the souls of men and spirits may be transformed by this love, with which I am not acquainted, I commenced to think that there may be some spiritual truths that lie beyond the scope of the investigations that I and my companions may have given to spiritual truths. And so thinking I should like to ask you some questions as to these matters, and if possible, learn if as a truth, there exists such a thing as this Divine Love as contradistinguished from the love that we all possess to a greater or lesser degree. So if you are inclined to answer my questions I should like to propound to you a few at this time. Well I have heard what you said, and I have asked if Prof. Salyards is present, and a beautiful intellectual looking spirit comes to me and says that he is the Prof. and that he knows what you said and that it will give him great pleasure to answer my questions and to give me a full explanation of what this Divine Love is and the manner in which it transforms the soul into the Essence of the Father. And he directs my attention to a number of bright spirits, and says that they are living examples of the fact of the existence of this Love, and of the effect that it has on the souls of spirits who possess it. And he says further, that as the appearance of the spirit body discloses the condition of the soul, that if I will look carefully I will find an appearance in all these spirits that I do not find in spirits who do not claim to possess this love. And upon a careful scrutiny I realize that what he says is true. He invites me to a conversation, and I will go with him. I thank you for your consideration and will bid you goodnight. Very respectfully Yours, William B. Cornelies I was an inhabitant of England. January 24th, 1917. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: Well my dear, I see that you are tired and must go to bed, and I will not write very much. I was interested in the message that you received from the HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor787.htm" man who wanted to learn of the Divine Love, and he was very serious in his requests and seemed to have much pleasure in going with the Professor, who will instruct him fully. Mrs. Stone was also very happy that she could write and tell the Dr. of her love, and Kate was also serious when she advised the Dr. to get married. It will undoubtedly be a wise thing for him to do as well as for you, as I have told you your life is too lonesome a one. You need companionship. I was disappointed tonight that the Master did not write. He was present in the early part of the evening, but the dark spirits were so persistent in their efforts to write, and so disappointed that they could not succeed, that the Master thought it best not to interfere, and so postponed his writing. He will come soon. You were in good condition tonight for writing. I will not write more. So believe that I love you and love me in return and give me my kisses.You are a dear boy to treat me in that way. I was not in a hurry to sign myself. Your own true loving, Helen January 31st, 1917 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Luther. I have come merely to remind you that I am waiting to continue my discourse to my people. I am very anxious to do this, and as soon as you get in condition I hope that you will give me the opportunity. Well, we will arrange that, and all that we desire is for you to get in condition. We are with you a great deal and try to assist you in every way possible. Well you have asked me a question that I should like to have more time in which to answer than I have now. But in short, Jesus was not of the substance of God in the sense that the Catholic Church, following the Nicene Creed, claimed. He took on a part of the Divine substance as the Divine Love filled his soul, and so can you or any other man do to the extent that you may receive this Love. But to say, that Jesus was in his very being of the substance of the Father to that degree that made him equal to God, is erroneous, and should not be taught or believed in. He was born or created in the likeness of God in the way that has been explained to you and in no other. He was a man and not God, or any part of Him, and if he had not received into his soul the Divine Love, he would never have been of the substance of the Father. But being of a very spiritual nature, and in fact so much so that he was without sin, this Love commenced to come into his soul very early, as you may say, from his very birth, and at the time of his anointing he was so filled with it that you may say, he was of the substance of the Father in the quality that that Substance possessed of the Nature Divine. He was no more Divine though naturally, as I may say, than was any other mortal born of the flesh. I should like to write you a long message on this subject, and will some time, when convenient. Well, all the speculation that has ever existed as to the Eucharist and the change in the qualities of the bread and wine, are untrue. Jesus is not in these elements in any particular or view that may be taken. His flesh and blood went the way of all other flesh and blood of mortals, and no more forms a part of the bread and wine than does your flesh and blood. This sacrament, as it is called, is very abhorrent to the Master, and when it is celebrated, I must tell you, he is not present, not only not in flesh and blood but also not in his spiritual presence. He dislikes any kind of worship which places him as its object in the position of God or as the son of God who paid a great debt by his sacrifice and death. He wants God alone to be worshipped, and himself to be thought of only as the one who brought to light immortality and life by his teachings and the living demonstration of the truth of the existence of the Divine Love in himself. He does not approve of the teachings of men that his death and his blood were the means of man being saved from their sins and becoming reconciled to God. He says, it was his living and teachings and demonstration of the Love of God existing in his own soul that showed the only true way to salvation. But, I must not write more now. So with my love I will say good night. Your brother in Christ, Martin Luther January 31st, 1917 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Saul. I have not written you for sometime and I would like to say only a few words, and these are, that never in all the battles with the Amalekites, did God help me or bring to me victory, as is set forth in the Old Testament. Although some of the prophets, like Samuel, at the time might have thought, yet as I now know, it was not true. God was not the partial and particular patron of the Jews, and to Him is was just as sinful for the Jews to commit murder and the other horrible crimes that are mentioned in the book in connection with my life as King, as it would have been for the Pagans to have done the same thing. God is not the God of any race, but He is the God of every individual child who comes to Him in true supplication and prayer, seeking His Love and help in his spiritual nature. God will respond and the individual surely will be helped. But should that individual come to Him, seeking power and assistance to murder his fellow man, no matter how great an enemy he might be, God would not help him or approve of his desires, and this being so, you can readily see that He would not help any nation to commit such acts and gain the victory. And I want to tell you here, that God is not a God of nations, but of individuals only, and only as the individuals that compose the nations, can He be said to be a God of nations. He wants not the praise of men or of nations because of victory that they might acquire through bloodshed and cruelties ascribed to His help, but he wants the praise of men only because their souls may have been awakened to His Love, and have acquired victory over sin and evil. Nations rise and fall and disappear from the face of the earth, but the individuals who compose these nations never die, even though the physical bodies die, and God is a God only of those things that never die, and He is interested in having the individual become victor over sin and the appetites of the flesh. Of course, the individuals make the nation and give it its character and qualities, and hence the nation will become sinful and cruel as the individuals that compose it become sinful and cruel. He does not deal with nations as such, but only with the small, but important, units that make the nation. Hence, for a nation to say that God is our God, or that God will help us to victory over our enemies, is all wrong. When the individual gains the victory over his greatest enemy, himself, then he can claim that God is his God and give Him the praise, and when all the individuals of a nation have gained that victory then that nation can proclaim that God is its God and render to Him praise for the victory. But only in such event is any nation justified in saying, "God is our God." And here let me say, that no Christian nation so called, has yet, as individuals, attained to that condition of righteousness and victory over sin, that it can claim to be God's chosen nation. And so I say that I, Saul the King, before my alleged fall from the grace of God, was no more helped by God, than I was after that supposed event, for the reason that while outwardly I may have appeared to seek God's directions and listened to the advice of His prophets, yet inwardly, I was no more in accord with Him or reconciled to Him than I was after the momentous event. God never helped the Jews, as a nation, to any greater extent than He did any other nation, for they as individuals were no more in attunement with Him than were many individuals of what were called the Pagan nations. When I went to Samuel in my despair, as the Bible portrays, and felt the burden of the sins of my life, I became nearer to God than I had ever been before, and He was more my God than ever, though I did not realize it. I merely write this to show men that they must not believe and rely on the statement that because I was said to have observed God's Will and obeyed His commands before the time that I realized defeat was certain to be mine, that God was any more my God then, directing and assisting me to overcome my enemies than he was after that event. I have written enough and will now stop. So with all my love, and the assurance that God is a God of the individual and not of the nation, I will say good night. Your brother in Christ, Saul January 31st, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, George C. Calvert: I was an acquaintance of yours when you were a student at New Market, and you will recollect me when I recall your memory to the fact that I was called "Judge." Well, I came, because I saw that other spirits were writing you, and when I looked at you I remembered you, and then desired to write. I am in what is called the dark plane and have been for sometime now, though when I first entered the spirit world I went into the hells and suffered a great deal. But I am thankful that I have gotten out of the conditions that suited me for those places, and am now in a brighter plane and in less suffering. I don't know that you can do anything for me but some spirits say that you have helped them and if that be true I should like for you to help me. I am willing to do most anything to get into a better condition, and if you will do what I say, I will appreciate it very much and try to follow your advice. No, I should like to be surprised. Well, I have looked, and I see some wonderfully bright and beautiful spirits, but I don't recognize any of them. Wait a moment - one is coming to me and I am surprised, for it is Prof. Salyards. How wonderful! Why he is really handsome! Well, well, dear old Prof. He says he is glad to see me and that I must go with him, and I certainly will. I thank you very much and will come again. Goodnight, Your old friend. February 1st, 1917. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, James G. Blaine: I want to write a few lines as I am interested in the affairs of our country, and I see the present critical condition of affairs growing out of the recent declarations of the Germans as to the policy that they intend to pursue regarding the blockading of the ports of the Allies, which means, in substance, that the ports of our country will also be blockaded, for if the merchant vessels travelling from the U.S. to the ports of the Allies are not permitted to land at their destinations, there will, of course, be no departures from our ports, and the result will be the same as if such ports were actually blockaded. It is a serious condition for Mr. Wilson to deal with and he must act quickly and firmly, and not in any particular recognize the right of the Germans to carry out their policy, or to permit, so far as possible, the cessation of the travel of ships from our ports to those of the Allies. Temporizing will not do, and he must at the very start let the Germans know that America will not submit to the dictation, and that, if necessary, the America nation will not only sever diplomatic relations with Germany and her allies, but will become active participants in the war, which humanity and the welfare of the majority of the nations of the earth demand shall be recognized and enforced. He, the President, may in his dream of peace, which he has recently given expression to, and which is wholly impracticable at this time, attempt to conciliate the Germans, and by further reasoning show them that they are wrong and violators of all recognized laws of nations, and this hope to avoid war; or the involving of America in this conflict. But to do so, will constitute a great mistake, for his protestations will fall on deaf ears, and create in the German mind the impression that his great desire for peace will restrain him from asserting to the extent of force, the power of the U.S. to prevent the Germans from carrying out their policy of murder and destruction. I write this, not because I am in any way antagonistic to the German people, or have any special predilection for the Allies, but because I see the right of the matter, and that which is necessary to the salvation of not only the larger part of the nations of the earth, but also to preserve the rights and dignity and substantial welfare of the U.S. This action of the German nation must not for a moment be tolerated, and the sooner the President strikes the better it will be for all concerned. Of course with the Germans it is a matter of life and death, but even so it is not right that the other nations of the earth should suffer ruin or destruction in order that the German nation should continue to exist, and be enabled to carry out its policy of domination, which is really the foundation of the existence of the present war. While I am a spirit and supposed to be interested only in spiritual things, yet my thoughts and interests are with my people, and incidentally with all the nations and peoples of the earth, and these nations and peoples must be preserved and not be permitted to be ruined by any other nation, and especially so in the present war for which no justification exists, for the course that the entente have pursued in attempting to carry out it unholy desires for destruction and aggrandizement. I know what the rulers of the various nations contemplate and what their policies are in the prosecution of this war, for I visit the councils of each of them and learn the thoughts of the leaders, and the objects of their efforts and desires. On both sides there is much that deserves condemnation and entails suffering, but in weighing the wrongs perpetrated by these various nations I realize that the Germans are guilty of the greater wrongs, and if God should interfere as the Kaiser and the rulers of some of the other nations believe He will, the German nation would have visited upon them the just indignation and punishment of that God. But He will not interfere, and men will be left to themselves to settle this war, and they alone; but here I may say that as right and justice are more powerful in the long run than wrong and injustice, the nations that have the most of right on their side, will come out victors. And according to my understanding of the things and motives and ambitions that have entered into and caused this war, the Allies must become the victors. Of course, I cannot tell when this war will end, but considering the conditions that exist and the causes that are now operating, I believe that the end is in sight and that very soon the Germans and their allies will have to sue for peace, and the end will soon follow. I would like to write more tonight, but your wife advises me that I have written enough, and so I will close. So goodnight, Your very dear friend, James G. Blaine. February 1st, 1917. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Bismarck: Let me say a word, as I have listened to HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor361.htm" what has just been written, and am interested in the subject matter of that communication, and do not agree with the sentiments or the conclusions of the thoughts there contained. I am not impartial, I confess, but yet I think that I can do justice to both of the contending parties in the war, as I am a spirit and have learned that right is right irrespective of the person or nation that may claim to be in the right in its actions. I was a German, and a rather important one, as men consider importance in the earth life, and was acknowledged by the world to be something of a statesman. I have kept in constant touch with the thoughts and motives of the leaders of the various nations that are engaged in this great conflict, and know the right and wrong of things to a great extent, I claim, than does the spirit who has just written you, and submit that my inferences opinions are as worthy of consideration and acceptance as are his. In the first place, this was not brought about by the Germans without justification and cause, and for a long time the German rulers delayed and endeavored to postpone, and, if possible, avoid the war. But their rights, as a nation, were so seriously preyed upon and not recognized, that the only thing left for them to do was to compel their secret enemies to respect their rights by force of arms, and so you have the real cause of the conflict. The Germans were not desirous or ambitious for conquest or territory or advancement to the detriment of other nations, but only for what they, as a great nation, were entitled to. And England, in its greed, stood in the way of and prevented these rights from being recognized, and tried every way in her power to prevent the German nation from enjoying these rights, and especially from extending its commerce to countries in which England had established her commerce and trade, almost to the exclusion of every other nation. The Germans waited in hope, that by diplomatic means their rights would be established and recognized but such hope was never realized and as a last and only resort, they threw down the gauge of battle, quick and sharp and destructive - with some violation of the rights of a neutral that stood in the way of accomplishing what the German nation considered its decisive blow. But this is history, and it is not necessary that I should further detail And now, as the war has progressed for more than two years, Germany has naturally become depleted of its resources, and especially in those things that are necessary to sustain the physical existence of its people, and all through the action of the Allies in preventing foodstuff and other necessaries being imported from other nations. Its ports have been blockaded for a long time, and it has been unable to obtain supplies that were absolutely necessary to the existence of its people, until famine and want are staring them in the face, and more than that, have actually worked their ruinous effects, and the cry of the people is for sustenance. Then, such being the fact, what is the duty of the German rulers? Can humanity ask that they shall sit supinely by and see their people starve and their country ruined, because of the conditions that I speak of, brought about by their enemies in preventing intercourse with outside nations? I know that international law should be respected by nations in war as well as in peace, and that it is for the good of all nations that such laws be held sacred and inviolable, and Germany has tried to observe these laws, even after some of its enemy nations have violated them. Let me ask here, what difference does the means used in considering the right or wrong of a thing, make when the same result is accomplished? England, by her superior number of war vessels, has succeeded in blockading the ports of Germany, and preventing its people from getting the supplies necessary to their sustenance, and at the same time is enjoying the benefits of unrestricted importation of these necessaries, because Germany had not had it in its power to blockade the ports of England and thus prevent her from obtaining these supplies. This kind of blockade, the nations claim, international law justifies, no matter what the results may be. And now, when Germany has found a way to accomplish the same thing, as regards the ports of England and place her and her people in the same condition that the people of Germany have been in for so long a time, and have given notice of its intention to use such means, the nations hold up their hands in horror because such means are not known to international law. The effect of one blockade is just the same as the effect of another, then why should the means make any difference? America has not been permitted for a long time to send its products to a German port, and to that extent its, America's have been blockaded, as the last writer says; but this is allowable, because, as they say, the English blockade is in accordance with recognized international law. All which means, that because one nation has the power to do a thing in accordance with international law, another nation has not the same right because the means used are not contemplated by that law. Well such reasoning is one that if applied to the progress of the world would have kept that progress in a state of stagnation. When international law was formulated the means and instruments used in this war were never heard of, and they are only the evolution of the war, growing out of the progress of man in the knowledge and necessities of war. Laws are always subject to change and that change need not be by agreement, for sometimes, and it has often happened, necessity has compelled and justified the modification of the law. It is said that necessity knows no law, and it is a truth, and one that has been recognized and applied by many nations, at many times. In the present circumstances of Germany, this necessity has arisen to such an extent that the very existence of Germany, not only as a nation, but of her people as individuals is involved, and life is at stake, and the only remedy is that the nations who are fighting Germany, be placed in the same position as she is in, and that can be done only by preventing those nations from obtaining those supplies that are necessary to maintain their people, and this can only be accomplished by blockading their ports. It may be said that the use of submarine is brutal and inhuman. Well for the argument admit this to be a fact, yet it is not necessary that any brutality or any murder be actually inflicted, for if the persons interested will heed the warnings and not attempt to run the blockade there will be no murder or outrage. And why, may I not ask, is it not just as reasonable to demand that the blockade established by the German submarines shall not be attempted to be violated as that the blockade which the English have established shall not be attempted to be violated? In the latter instance, the neutral nations recognize the blockade and do not attempt to have their merchant ships enter the ports that are so blockaded, and why is there any greater injustice done when Germany demands that these neutral vessels shall not enter the ports that she intends to blockade? The only difference is in the means used, and if the neutral nations will observe the obligations that each blockade imposes to the same extent, there will become no necessity for using the means in either. I do not see why the U.S. should feel that her rights are being violated to any greater or different extent, as a question of right, by the proposed German blockade, than by the blockade that has been created by the English, and for so long a time existed. Of course, the effects of the two blockades upon the business of the U.S. are different in degree, as more business is done and has been done with the Allies, than was done with Germany. But this does not enter into or affect the question of the right or wrong of the matter. Well, I will not write more along this line. Now as to the results of the war, or rather as to its ending, I cannot prognosticate. Germany is fighting on very unequal terms, and she may be defeated, and I would not be surprised if such was the end of the conflict. But, nevertheless, and even though victory may come to the Allies, I assert as true that the right of the matter is with her, and that the neutral nations are not doing her justice, when they declare that she is the aggressor; and that she is not justified in the course that she is now pursuing. I am told that I have written enough, and so I must stop, but what I have said is the right of the matter. Goodnight, Your friend, Bismarck February 1st, 1917. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: Well dear, you have received some very interesting letters tonight, and both the spirits who claimed to write actually did so. HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor361.htm" Blaine is very much interested in the crises that has arisen, and his advice is given with much enthusiasm and desire that the President take immediate action to protect the rights of the U.S. HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor362.htm" Bismarck was most serious and not at all excited while writing, but was very calm in stating what he considered to be the right of his country. Well, it is all very sad, and we spirits as well as you mortals, will be very glad when this cruel war is over, for I must tell you that many spirits come over from the battlefields in a very bad condition, and the spirits who receive them are given much work to do in helping them. I have visited some of the battlefields during the battles and have seen some very terrible sights, and sometimes I will write you the results of my observations, and what the spirits of some of the soldiers have said and done after they were in the spirit world a little while. Peace will come, but never will it be a certain lasting peace, until men receive in their hearts the true love for their brother mortals. The reforms must come to the individual, and the victory of nations as such, will not bring this peace. Well, you are tired and I must not write more. But I must say that you are in a much better condition of spirit and soul, and if you continue to pray to the Father you will soon be in condition so that the higher spirits will be able to write their messages, which they so much wish to do. We all send love and blessings and desire you to be happy. You know how I love you and want you to be happy, and how my prayers go to the Father for your happiness and the inflowing of the love. So think of me and love me, and have faith and courage, and you will be blessed. Give me my kiss and say goodnight. Your own true and loving, Helen February 5th, 1917 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Luke. I merely want to say that you are in better condition tonight, and that I will write a few lines upon a subject that may be of interest to you. In the spirit world there are many spirits who are in neither darkness nor light, but are in what has been called the twilight zone, and are neither very happy nor unhappy. These are spirits who have progressed from the lower spheres, where they expiated their sins and errors of the earth life, and have gotten rid of their recollections of many of their sins and have progressed somewhat in the development of their natural love, and also in the acquirement of the intellectual knowledge, and are not feeling the stings of conscience, but are realizing the happiness which the forgiveness of their sins and the improvement of their intellects causes them to have. They are to a large extent very much in the condition of men who have paid the penalties of their sins, yet have not received such increase in their natural love as to enable them to progress to the higher intellectual spheres where the spirit becomes to a more or less degree the perfect man. And they have been a long time making their progress, for it is a fact that the development of their souls from the condition of the wholly sinful man to that where such sins have almost disappeared is a very slow development. These spirits, though, are not to be classed with the dark spirits who so often come to you for help and relief from their darkness, for they are in that condition where it is difficult to convince them that they need any help in order that they may have a more wonderful progress and obtain greater happiness. In this zone the spirits seem to be well satisfied with their conditions, and have the belief that their advancement must necessarily be slow and that there is not a better and quicker way to obtain relief from their conditions. Among this class of spirits commences the greatest difficulty for the higher spirits to successfully convince them of the great truth of the Divine Love and the possibilities of obtaining a condition that will place them in the higher soul spheres, without the long delay in making their progress. In the lower spheres the spirits are not satisfied and generally are very desirous of getting relief from the darkness and suffering and, as a consequence, we can do more to convince them of the truths that are so necessary for them to know. You would be surprised to know the number of spirits who are in this zone, and the great number of years they have been in making the progress that they have made. Many of them have been in the states to which I refer for centuries and yet have never known any desire to progress out of those states except in the way that they consider to be the gradual and natural way to advance. I will not write more now. So, good-night, and may God bless you. Your brother in Christ, Luke February 6th, 1917 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, John: I want to say a few words in reference to your conversation about the Prayer and the importance of thoroughly understanding it, and its spiritual significance and the wonderful truths that it contains. I heard you say that when you first received it there was in its meaning all confusion, and that you did not understand that it would convey any great truths, or help very much those who should offer it to the Father. Well, I have no doubt but what you say is true, and there is a good reason for the same, and that is that it is so full of the declarations of wonderful truths and thoughts for soul aspirations that it was difficult, and almost impossible, for your mind or soul to grasp the same, and like every other truth that men do not understand, it does not at first reception appear to be a thing of truth that men can learn, and learning make their own. But the truths of that prayer, when rightly analyzed, will appear sufficient to meet every necessity that men need or are in want of to bring them to a perfect at-onement with the Father and assure them of eternal salvation as His Divine children and the partakers of immortality. Very soon I will come and give you a full explanation of the Prayer and its deep and vital truths, so that you may become real possessors of its full meaning. Tonight I do not think it best for me to write more, and in closing will say to you and your friends that you must not become discouraged in the work that you have before you, or in the work that you are now doing, for I, John, tell you that your labor is absolutely necessary to make our truths known to humanity, and there are no others of all the men of earth who have been selected for this work or can perform it, for none have the qualifications developed for the rapport which we have established. So take what I say seriously, and do not let the importance of the work, or the thought that you are not suited to do the work, cause you to think that we have made a mistake in our selection, or that this power that has been given to you is a mere myth and without reality. The high spirits who are followers of and are led by the Master have, in following the Master's desire, determined that you three shall be the ones to start the spread of these great truths amongst men, and leave behind you helpers who will carry on the work after you come over to receive the reward of your well-doing. I am John, and I write with authority, and must be believed. So with my love to you both, and the blessings of the Father, I will say goodnight. John February 6th, 1917 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Mrs. Stone (Dr. Stone's Mother). I am not going to write much, but I must say to my boy that I heard what HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor684.htm" John said to him, and that it is of such great importance to him now and hereafter that I must assure him that it was John who really wrote. He was almost glorified as he announced the great truth of your selection, and I do not want my boy, or you either, to doubt this fact ever again. It is all so wonderful that I might doubt myself had I not seen the writer and heard the authentic words that he uttered. So, believe with all your hearts, and let your principal object in life for the future be the performance of this work. I cannot write more now, for I am so very happy at the new assurance that has been given you. So, with my love, I will say goodnight. Mrs. Stone February 6th, 1917. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen. I will write now, for I want to add my testimony to that of Mary and HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor537.htm" Mrs. Stone as to the truth of the fact that HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor684.htm" John actually wrote the message that you received. Of course, you have been told this many times before, and you certainly had no reason to doubt, and I did not think it necessary that you should have the additional assurance, but John has been present most of the evening and heard your conversation and also that part in which you spoke of Mr. Morgan's doubts, and he felt that you should be again assured of the fact of your selections; and what he said to you and the Doctor also applies to Mr. Morgan. My dear, if you and the Doctor could have seen the great glory that was with John when he made the announcement, you would never again - and I mean all three of you - doubt the fact. The work is before you, and no other at this time can do it, and you all must consider this the great object of your efforts during the few years that will be yours on earth. There is no mistake, and the reality of the mission is so certain that when you shall have done your work and seen the results when you come to the spirit land you will wonder that you ever could have doubted. Your own true and loving Helen February 7th, 1917 Received: by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Cornelius I want to write merely a few lines to-night. I am so very much interested in you and your work, that I feel that I should give you some encouragement in the way of letting you know that there are many spirits present here to-night who love you very much and desire that you should receive their messages of love and truth. As I have told you, I am in the Celestial Spheres and know what the Love of the Father is and what immortality means, as I am the possessor of the Love, and the conscious owner of that immortality. The world is now so anxious to know the truths that pertain to God and to man's relationship to Him, and the messages that you are receiving will give to the world what it so much longs for. I know that the Christian doctrines as contained in the Bible and taught by many preachers and priests, are the only doctrines that the Christians have any knowledge of, and, consequently, are accepted by them as being the inspired revelations of God, and the truth of what He is, and what man must do in order to obtain salvation. And these people rest securely in these beliefs, and in the assurance that the Bible way is the only way to salvation; and resting in these beliefs the world does not see the necessity for obtaining the only thing that will make them in at-onement with God, and make them inhabitants of His heavens. I merely write this to show you that it is of the greatest importance that the truths of the way to salvation be revealed to all mankind. I do not think that I have anything more to say to-night, and so will leave you.With all my love, I am Your brother in Christ Cornelius February 7th, 1917 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Elias I want also to encourage you in the belief that you have the great work to do, and that you must not falter or delay the coming of the messages, for if you will only think for a moment, you will realize that there is no other way in which these truths can at this time be conveyed to mankind. You must not doubt, or cause yourself to hesitate for a moment to believe that the work has been imposed upon you as one not fitted to receive these truths. I know that sometime it is hard for you to believe that you have been selected to do this great work or that you are fitted to receive these great spiritual truths that are to be given to the world, but you must not let such thoughts linger in your mind, for it is a fact that you have been selected to do the work, and you must not shirk it, for if you do, mankind may remain a long time in ignorance of what the truth is, and the way in which it can take on the Essence of the Father, and become His true children, and partakers of His nature, so that the very Essence and Divinity of the Father may become a part of the people. The work must be done by you and you must not doubt, but have a firm conviction of its truth and try your best to receive the messages. I merely wanted to say this much, as I am much interested in the work. Yes, there are a great number present, and you have around you a wonderful spiritual influence which should cause you to believe that these spirits are present trying to help you. I was Elijah of the Old Testament, and I actually lived and was a prophet among the Jews, and was not John the Baptist, nor was he a reincarnation of me as some of earth teachers claim. John was himself alone. He was in the flesh only once and was not a reincarnation of me or any one else. I will not write more now, so good-night. Your brother in Christ Elias February 8th, 1917 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Abraham Lincoln. Love is greater than hate, and war will end and love will come and peace will be again established. And then the teachings of the Master will reach men's hearts and war will become a thing of the past and brotherly love will rule men's conduct, and nations will know war no more. And so must it be; God bless our people, and all the people of the earth, and make them truly His children, is the prayer of A. Lincoln February 8th, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, McKinley. Let me say a word, as I am interested in this great conflict of nations, and especially in the danger that faces my country, and the almost certainty that in a short time the cry of WAR will fill the streets and homes of its inhabitants. God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform, and this war will result in the wonder - if it may be called such - of many of the inhabitants of the earth seeking a way of a closer union with the Father. Lives will be sacrificed but souls will be saved, and men will realize that they are brothers of one Father, and that love, only, must rule, and that war must cease forever. The spirit world is interested in this great conflict, and spirits are striving to open up the souls of the rulers of the nations in conflict and influence them to bring an end to the fearful carnage that is now destroying so many of God's children. The suffering, though, will yet be great before the end shall be accomplished, and many men will become spirits before the dove of peace will leave the ark of refuge and see the dry land. Nations shall fall, and some shall cease to exist; but at least the truth of the fellowship of man and the Fatherhood of God will be established. But men must work its harvest, and the reaping must continue until there shall not remain in men's hearts any desire for war or the satisfying of unholy ambitions. We in spirit see this and are striving to bring the great calamity to its ending. God will not cease to love His children. Even though those children forget Him and murder their brothers. I have finished, but through the gloom of desolation and ruin I see the rainbow of hope and the end of strife. May all men learn the fact that God is Love, and that they are His children, and will soon realize the truth of His Love. I must stop. Your brother in Christ, McKinley Note: A facetious commentator has remarked that McKinley must have been very prescient in 1917 to realise there would be a second world war, since at that time it was not referred to as World War I. One would have thought it obvious that the title was added by the publisher, in the 1960's, by which time the Second World War was indeed complete. But I guess even those skilled in the ways of books can avoid the obvious answer. February 8th, 1917 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Mrs. Wilson. I will write only a line or two. I am not known to you, but I am very desirous to write, as I am so much interested in what is now taking place in our country in connection with foreign countries; and one in whom I am very much interested is suffering the burdens that are now resting upon him. I am with him a great deal, and try to influence him in his thoughts and dealings with the great problems that are now before him to deal with, and sometimes I fear he may succumb to the heavy burdens. He has around him, also, other spirits who are much interested in the country's welfare, and they are the spirits of men who, when on earth, were statesmen and rulers of our country, and interested in directing its fortunes. I will not name them, only to say that from Jefferson down to McKinley they are with him who now occupies the President's chair. This war is a serious one to not only the people of Europe, but also to those of America; for as I see, and these other spirits say, it is impossible for our country to keep out of it. The Germans so desire - and they are doing everything to bring about - the participation of the United States in the conflict; and the result will be that the U.S. will suffer much more than its statesmen and finances contemplate. I wish I could bring to the President in clear and undoubted effect the advice that these spirits would like to have him understand; but this power to communicate is limited to the impressions that they may make upon him by the exercise of the very imperfect rapport of their minds with his, without the proper or necessary medium. If he could only have you with him to receive the advice that these spirits so earnestly desire to give him, it would help him so much. We have been trying to create a way by which this might be brought about, but it seems to be almost impossible. But so far as I can see the future, he will bring the country to a sound ending, although much trouble and unhappiness will be suffered, and he may not be able to endure the strain. I wish that I could write longer tonight, but my rapport is leaving me, and I must stop. But notwithstanding what has taken place - which only I know - I still love him, for he is mine, and someday he will realize that fact. I will now close. Thanking you for your kindness, I am Your new friend, Mrs. Wilson February 8th, 1917 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, William, (Grandfather of the Kaiser). Let me say a word in response to what has just been written, as I am interested in the war. I am heart and soul in sympathy with the sentiments just expressed, and so anxious for the end to come, for my people are suffering so much, and so many of them are coming to the spirit world, their lives all cut off and prevented from performing the missions of their Creator. I have sympathized much with all the people who are engaged in this war, and have tried so hard to influence my own family to bring it to an end, but in vain, for the fire of ambition and the cravings to conquer have ruled them. But I see the end will soon come, and then will also come the suffering; for it seems to me that my family will soon thereafter cease to be the rulers of my people and will be execrated as the creators of this great conflict and the cause of all the murders and sufferings that have been suffered by the German people. And my only consolation is that life on earth is short and that the spirit must find its home in the realm of spirit; but even then, the suffering will continue. But I trust in the mercy of the Father and realize that He does all things right. I cannot say more tonight, but that we are all praying for the people of the world and are asking the Father to open up the hearts of the rulers to the inflowing of His Love, and the bringing about of peace. I will close. William, the Grandfather of the Kaiser. February 8th, 1917 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Col. Cook. Well, you are much in demand tonight, and the spirits who wrote really whom they represented themselves to be; for I have been present and know them. I am Col. Cook, who was the head doorkeeper of the Executive Mansion for so many years, and I know and tell you that tonight have been present many of the spirits to whom Mrs. Wilson referred as statesmen and rulers who have been trying so earnestly to influence and advise her husband. Especially is Cleveland anxious to communicate to the President, for he seems to be more interested in the country's affairs than the others, and is such a virile and powerful spirit. I only wish that there was some way that a message from him to the President might be delivered; but we all realize that it would not be believed. Well, I cannot do any good by writing more, and will close, though I am much interested in my country, and also in this method of communicating. I will say good night. Col. Cook February 8th, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Victoria. I must write a line, for I have listened to the communications, and feel that none who have written are more interested than I, as my people, who such a short time ago listened to my advice and loved me, are now being destroyed on both land and sea. Oh, this war is horrible, and the flower of my people are being cut down like so many fields of wheat that are ripe for the scythe. How I wish that I could have lived a few years longer as Queen, for I believe I could have controlled my grandson to the extent of preventing him from launching this terrible catastrophe upon the nations of Europe. I have tried since becoming a spirit to influence him, but all in vain, for his ambitions were great and his sense of having suffered indignity from my own people was great; and in his blindness and hot blood he started to rolling the ball of hatred and destruction that is still accumulating as it continues on its murderous destructive course. I have prayed for all the people who are engaged in this war, and have, with other spirits, to stem the tide of hatred and feelings of conquest and revenge which now possess them. I believe the end is now in sight and that the Germans will soon seek for peace and the nations will lay down their arms, and common sense and cool blood will again rule. I cannot write more tonight, and will only say that we are all praying to the Father that His mercy may be showered on these unhappy and misguided men. So thanking you, I will say good night. Yours truly, Victoria February 8th, 1917 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Nathan PIummer. Let me say a word now. I am not his mother and can't write as his mother does, but I am grateful too, for I now have some hope and a part of the cause is what he told me while on earth. He may not realize just how the things that he said to me may have this effect. But they have, for when the spirits of his friends told me of what I may hope for if I will only believe and try to get the love that they told me of then I think of what he said to me and it becomes so much easier to believe what these spirits tell me. I wish I could write longer but I must stop. I am hoping and some light has come to me and I am following Forrest, who I know was as great sinner as I was, and now a very beautiful sinner. I am commencing to learn some of those heavenly things in hell but it is hard, as I said. Your old friend, Nathan Plummer I used to talk to Nathan Plummer when he was on earth, of the great importance of praying to the Heavenly Father to fill his soul with His Divine Love and he remembered what I told him. Forrest knew him when they both were on earth and were in darkness and suffering after they passed into the hells. Forrest wrote Mr. Padgett and his band helped Forrest to progress and pray for Divine Love and obtained it and he became so much brighter. When Plummer saw the great change in Forrest's appearance, he asked how it was he was so much brighter in his spirit body. Then Forrest told him that he had written through Padgett for help and asked to meet a bright spirit that belonged to Padgett's band, and Forrest told Plummer that these bright spirits told him to pray for the Divine Love and some of this Love had come into his soul, shining through his spirit body, that made the great change in his appearance. Plummer was so surprised to see this great change in Forrest's appearance and as Plummer wrote Padgett he knew what a great sinner Forrest was on earth. He then realized if Forrest could get out of the hells there was hope without doubt, and it caused Plummer to seek by earnest prayer for the Divine Love and Plummer did and that enabled him to progress out of the dark condition into a brighter sphere. As this message was written 47 years ago, I have no doubt both Plummer and Forrest must now be above the seventh sphere in the Celestial Heavens, where these Celestial Spirits are seeking and obtaining the Divine Love in increased progression nearer and nearer to the fountainhead of the Father with the consciousness of the certainty of Immortality. Written by Dr. L. R. Stone February 8th, 1917. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving Helen. You must not be surprised that so many spirits of presidents and rulers of Europe are here tonight writing to you, for in the spirit life space is as nothing, and the attraction of kindred thoughts brings together spirits who you might suppose are far apart in their habitations. These spirits who have written, and many more who are present, are all interested in this great war. And I will say here that tonight you have had around you a greater concourse of men and women who were considered great on earth than have ever before congregated in one place. This may seem surprising to you, but it should not, for in spirit life all these persons are mere spirits, and are not considered to be presidents and kings and queens - but mere spirits. And some are not so high in the spheres as mortals might naturally suppose. They are spirits who are much interested in their people and have more or less development of their souls and spiritual natures; but when you compare the assembly tonight, as these great ones of earth, with the assembly you sometimes have of spirits from the Celestial Heavens, you would see that it would look to you like a comparison of the light of the sun to the light between darkness and dawn! So you need not be surprised that these spirits came and wrote you. Well, you have had a variety of messages tonight, and must now stop, as you are tired. So with all my love I will close. Your own true and loving Helen February 11th, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, John: I come tonight to tell you that your condition of soul is very much better than it has been for some time, and you are more in unison with the Father's Love than you have been for some time and you realize that this Love is working in your soul and making you happy. I have been with you a great deal today as you copied the messages and saw that you enjoyed the truths that they contained. The message describing the progress of the soul is one that contains the truth of how the soul finds the true way to the Love of the Father and to progress to the Celestial Spheres. It is a very clear and convincing portrayal of the necessary course that every soul must pursue, which comes into the spirit world devoid of the Divine Love. There is no other way in which that soul can find its true development, and the message is one that will appeal to the honest seeker after salvation and the happiness which only a perfect atonement with the Father can give. (Mr. Riddle on the Progress of the Soul.) I also see that you have been thinking a great deal about your future on earth in carrying forward the work that you have been selected to do, and I am glad that the great work is becoming to you a matter of such importance and seriousness; for important it is, not only to the world but to you; and this you will realize when you consider what was told you a few nights ago - that there is no one else in all the world at this time who is fitted to do the work which you are now doing and which you must continue to do during the whole time of your stay on earth. As you progress in this work and as these truths come to you and your soul becomes more filled with this Love, you will to a greater and greater degree realize and understand the wonderful importance of the work; and you should now bend all your energies to developing your soul, and its perceptions and to carrying forward the work. We understand as well as you the disadvantages under which you are now laboring and the necessity for getting into that position with the harmonious surroundings that will enable you to give your whole time to the work, and we are endeavoring to bring about these necessary conditions and will succeed in our efforts, and you must have faith; for faith will help you very much to work in conjunction with us and so cause the consummation of our desires and plans much more rapidly. To us the accomplishing of this work is infinitely of more importance than to you, because we realize as you cannot, what a failure to have these truths made known to men would mean to them in the way of depriving them of opportunities that are so requisite to their future salvation, both on earth and in the spirit world. So I say, let not yourself become discouraged, but believe, and you will find that our promises will be fulfilled, and the work will go on, and the truths be made known to humanity. I am with you a great deal, trying to develop your spiritual nature, and by this I mean your soul, for as this develops the better able you will be to receive our truths and properly transmit them to the waiting world, so that men may readily see and understand the truths of God and the only way to His kingdom of Love and immortality. Doubts as to the teachings of the churches are now penetrating and permeating the minds of many, very many of those who are nominally Christians, and the perception of God is almost blunted, and they attend worship only because of a kind of feeling of duty and impression that it is right for them to do so. They know nothing of the Divine Love of the Father's nature and of the plan for their salvation. Their prayers and worship are only those which come from the lips or a kind of blind intellectual belief. Their soul longings do not enter into their prayers and as a consequence, their petitions for God's Love and mercy go no higher than their heads, as has been said. This condition of men is very injurious to their future welfare and cannot possibly lead them to the Father, and so long as it exists men can never become in an at-onement with Him. Only the inflowing of this Love can reconcile men with God in the higher and desirable sense. Of course they may become in harmony with Him by a purification of their natural love, but that is the harmony only that existed between Him and the first parents before their fall, and is not the harmony which Jesus taught and which was the object of his mission to teach. When he said "I and my Father are one", he did not refer to the atonement between the mere image and the substance, but to the at-onement which gives to the souls of men the very substance of Father. I should like to write more tonight, but you are tired and should not further be drawn on as it will make you feel bad physically. So I will say goodnight and stop. Your brother in Christ, John February 13th, 1917. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus: Well, I come tonight and desire to write on the subject of the soul but when I consider your condition which is much better than it has been, I desire it best to wait a while longer for as I have told you, it is necessary for you to get in the best possible receptive condition in order that you may receive my message just as I deliver it. I know that you are anxious to receive this discourse and expect that it will contain a disclosure of mysteries that the world has so long had hidden from it and such will be the contents of the message but as a fact there are no mysteries connected with this subject for the soul is a creature of God, just as is the body and spirit, and the only reason that mankind has known of the nature and constituency of the soul is that their soul perceptions have never been developed so that they could comprehend the qualities that pertain to the soul. They have studied and conceived of the nature of the body and have assumed at some knowledge of its wonderful construction and functions and the purposes of its existence and so they have some idea of what the spirit is which is really a manifestation of the workings of the soul, and as I have before told you the active energies of the soul and even as to the spirit while they see its manifestations yet they have but a slight apprehension of what it really is, yet they necessarily have some knowledge of its workings, for the results of its activities are manifested even to their physical senses. But as to the soul they have but a very indefinite comprehension of what it really is and frequently in their conception of its qualities and functions and existence, confuse it with the mind or with the spirit and hold them to be synonymous. They know nothing of its origin and of its great possibilities and of the fact that it is the only part of man that lives forever and can become a part of the very Substance of the Father himself and hence become immortal. That it is that which gives to man a creation and existence above the brute creation of earth and that it determines the great distinction between man and the brute creation and not reason is this determiner as men so frequently assert for reason is merely a faculty of the mind which in the event of the soul taking on the divine substance, becomes, as it were, a thing of non-existence for the faculties of the soul supplants reason that is the reason that so distinguishes man as mere man and which will continue in this spirit life to distinguish him as God's highest creation, so long as man remains mere man even though he becomes the perfect man. But I will not write more on this now. I am your friend and brother, Jesus Note. From the summary of this message in the Tablett, it is apparent that a considerable amount of personal comment by Jesus has been edited out of this message. February 13th, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Mother: Let me say just a word, as I have heard the HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor378.htm" Master's message and I am glad that he has given you the assurance that he has, for his love and care means to you so much more than you can possibly realize. He is so very loving and gracious and powerful, and when he comes to you he means to bring with him a glory that is not with him ordinarily as he works in this earth plane. Well, I love you too, with a greater mother's love which now fills my soul and makes me so happy and contented in the knowledge that I am an immortal child of the Father. I know that sometimes you feel discouraged and almost believe yourself alone and that we are possibly not what we tell you we are and then we try the harder to reach your soul and consciousness with our love so that these feelings may leave you and we generally succeed and are happy when we do so. Many of your friends are here tonight and you have around you a wonderful amount of love and effort to make you realize that you are not alone and you must try to believe what I say. I am very happy and progressing all the time for I am now higher in the Celestial Heavens than when I last wrote you and so is Helen, bless her dear heart, and of course, your grandmother has progressed and she has become a wonderful spirit all glorious and shining. The spirits who sometimes write about her and who live in the lower spheres of course never see her as she really is for they would not be able to withstand her glorious appearance. But she brings her love with her to these lower spheres and these spirits can feel the influence of that love and do so. She says she will come soon and write you a message of truth. All send love and of course your mother gives and leaves with you her love in all its abundance. And I am happy also, my dear boy. Keep your faith and trust and even though you may live the years that you have been told you, yet they will be short and then you will be with us and your happiness will be great. Goodnight and God bless you, Your loving, Mother Notes. It might appear that this message does not refer to the message of Jesus of the same date, but it seems that Jesus message has had a considerable amount of personal stuff removed. This is obvious from the summary for the same date on the Tablett. February 13th, 1917. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: Well, there was a spirit who was very anxious to write and I was disposed to let him do so, but as you are tired and are not inclined to have others write tonight, I told him that he would have to postpone his writing until another time. (Who was it?) It was your poor friend William Perry and he was so disappointed that he could not write. He is still in a very sad and dark condition and does not seem to be able to progress much out of his sufferings. We have been trying to help him but his belief that he came here to suffer eternally still holds him in his dark and suffering condition. I believe though that a conversation with you may do him good. He is still waiting here. He says he will come and I know that he will wait anxiously for the time to come. Well, dear, I am glad that the HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor378.htm" Master wrote you tonight such a letter of love and encouragement for it will do you good. Try to follow his advice especially pray more to the Father. We are all so anxious that you get in the condition of which the Master spoke, for it will help you so much in your own development. I love you as you know with all my heart and soul and so does your dear mother, HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor284.htm" who wrote you. She was so happy in doing so and she is a beautiful spirit, as she told you we have both progressed and we are nearer the fountainhead of God's love and it appears more real and divine the nearer we approach. I will not write more now as it is late. Well, I will not forget and soon I will write and you must be convinced that I have not forgotten. Well, we thought it best not to write then, for the reason that I have told you but hereafter when you are ready in the early evening we will write, even though we may have to appear a little unkind to these dark spirits, we will explain to them and I think that they will be contented. Well, my dear, feel that I am very true to you in my love and let not your mind be troubled, but love me with all your heart and you will realize that I am, Your own true and loving, Helen February 16th, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Taggart: Let me say just a word, as I am anxious to tell you that HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor515.htm" Perry has had demonstrated to him, by the appearance to him of certain suicides, the fact that his punishment will not be everlasting, and it is wonderful to see what effect the demonstration had on his hopes and belief that there may be salvation for him. Then your grandmother brought these spirits to him and had them tell Perry their experiences, which, in the darkness, were so very much like his own, and then told him that their present condition is due to the Divine Love of the Father, which came into their souls in response to earnest prayer, he commenced, at once, to send his aspirations and longings to the Father for this Love, and all these spirits joined with him in prayer. It was a very impressive sight, as you mortals might say, and his mother was there praying and so very happy. Your grandmother also brought Judas, and he was so filled with love and glory, that his presence made Perry look in wonderment and astonishment and when he was told that the glorious spirit was Judas, he said that now he knew there was hope for him. Well Padgett, I must not take up more of your time now, and I only wrote, because I thought you would like to know the result of Perry's experience with the bright spirits who had once been suicides and inhabitants of the hells. But sometimes I should like to come and write you as to some of my knowledge of the things of the spirit world. I will say goodnight. Your old friend and brother in Christ, Taggart February 16th, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Mrs. Perry: I have heard what Mr. Taggart has just said, and I feel that I must also come and tell you that my son has had his mind and soul opened to the truth, and that now he is rid of the awful belief that held him in darkness, and is praying to the Father with all the earnestness of his soul. Oh, my friend, how can I ever thank you enough for what you did? I cannot, but I can pray for you, and I will with all the earnestness of my soul, and I know the Father will bless you. So good night, and God bless you. Your friend, Mrs. Perry February 16th, 1917. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving Helen: Well dear, I know that you are happy at hearing the result of your conversation with Perry and you should be, for it means a soul saved that would have remained in darkness, in all probability, for a long time, and even then might never have found the way to the Divine Love, with all its blessings and benefits. Well, the work is wonderful and the results are great. I see that you are tired tonight, and I will not write longer. So with all my love, I will say, goodnight. Your own true and loving, Helen Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Luke. I heard the doctor ask, what do the Celestial Spirits think of this war, and I will in a few words tell him. Well, first he must know, that the Celestial Spirits are not so much interested in the war, and the success or defeat of nations, as in the salvation of the souls of the individuals who compose those nations; and the fact that the individual is a German or an Englishman or a Frenchman has no influence upon the desire of the spirit to help the soul of the individual. All are alike important and dear to the Celestial Spirits; and the same Love that will save the one, will save the other. So you can see that the war is not of so much importance. Of course, many mortals are made spirits who are all unfitted for the life in the spirit world, and in that view, the war is of importance to the Celestial Spirits, as their opportunity for doing work among mortals, either directly or through other spirits, is by such slaughter interfered with. And the spirits who come so suddenly to our spirit world are subjected to greater suffering, and are more difficult to impress and teach the way to truth and life, than they would have been if allowed to live their ordinary mortal lives. All wars, to some extent, interfere with the orderly living and dying of mortals, and we deplore them, but as to the right or the wrong of wars, we do not judge, but leave that to the conscience and judgment of the individuals who bring about the wars, and are responsible for them. The acts of individuals, whether they apply personally, or affect others in the way of being members of nations, are all subject and responsible to the laws which control the thoughts and deeds of mortals, and the recollections of the same; and these laws do not call for or demand the paying the penalties of the individuals as parts of a nation, but as individuals, irrespective of the fact that they belong to and control the affairs of a nation. No sin is of less interest to spirits because it arose from the wars of nations, than if it had arisen from the act of the individual as such, and we Celestial Spirits are interested in the war that is now going on, and because of that fact; for I say, it causes the paying of the penalties demanded by the law much sooner than it otherwise would (sic). And we are interested also, because war creates hatred and desire for vengeance on the part of those engaged in them, and hence adds to the burdens that the individual so affected will have to get rid of when he comes to the spirit world, in order to progress and find happiness. War to us is an incident of human existence, and the right or wrong of it does not enter into our consideration of what should be the penalties that those who are responsible for it should suffer. The soul of each individual shows its own sins and wrong done, and only this condition of the soul determines the state of its possessor, and the destiny that its own thoughts and acts have made for it. Now, from what I have said, you may suppose that we are indifferent to the happiness or misery of mortals while on earth, but that is not true. We realize that man, to a large extent, must work out his own destiny on earth, and that we spirits cannot control that work, except as we may influence the individual mind and thoughts of men; and that there are times when men give way to their passions and evil ambitions, in which we cannot influence them. Even God Himself does not attempt by His omnipotence to do so, but leaves men to the exercise of their own wills, and the consequences of their own acts; and this, although many suffer physically and mentally who are innocent. But all men live not unto themselves, but are so united in society that the acts of one must have their influence on others, and, hence, those who live in these societies are subject to these influences, and to the consequences that flow from them. It may not seem right that the innocent should suffer because of the acts of the guilty, and if the Celestial Spirits could prevent it, such sufferings would not take place; but they cannot so prevent the intermingling of suffering between and among those living in societies, for to do so, they would have to interfere with the operations of the laws controlling these things, which they cannot do. So you see, war does not mean to the high spirits what you might suppose; and while they have their sympathy and love for all the children of men in these terrible conflicts, yet, they must leave men to the consequences of their own deeds and thoughts, and man must do the suffering. But, nevertheless, we do try to influence those who have the control and determination of these things, and our work is always to try to influence them to do that which will bring to men the greatest happiness. We do not interest ourselves as to whether one belligerent nation or the other will win the battles, because we know that only men themselves can decide this matter; and we don't try to interfere to bring about the success of the one party or the other, as we know that we are powerless to bring about any result. Think for a moment, and you will understand, that if we had the power to determine the issues of war, we should have the power to destroy sin and error, because both are the subjects of the creation and control of men; and I say that if we had such power, sin and error would long ago have disappeared from the world, and men made free. No, we can work only with the individual; and as the individual soul is made pure and righteous, the aggregate of these individuals composing a nation will become pure and righteous, and war will become impossible. I do not think it best to write more now, but will say, that we Celestial Spirits think of war as the creature of mortals, to be controlled and ended by mortals, and that we cannot decide the issue one way or the other; and hence, to us, war is an incident in the living and dying of mortals that we cannot prevent or create. Your brother in Christ, Luke February 25th, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am John C. Calhoun. I come to say a few words in reference to our international affairs, and I say our because I am still interested in my country and feel that I am a citizen thereof, although I am a spirit and not a mortal. Well, as you know, when on earth I was a Democrat, and one who believed in the independent rights of the various states of the Union, and that whenever those rights were infringed upon it was the right of the state so affected to withdraw from the Union. But my contentions are now of no practical importance, for the decision of war has settled that question, and for the best, as I now see; for had the results been otherwise, our country would not now be the glorious and powerful nation that it is. And I also believed in the absolute right of our country to enjoy all the benefits and privileges that any other country in its international affairs of government enjoyed, and if necessary to preserve such privileges, to resort to the force of arms. But I did not believe in becoming mixed up in foreign disputes, or in the grievances that one of these countries might have against another, or in recognizing the rights of one in preference to the rights of another. In the present difficulties, were I now a mortal I should apply the same principles to the present war and leave the respective nations to settle their disputes by and among themselves. And yet, I realize that my country is not in the position of independence and isolation that it was when I lived, and that circumstances may occur and conditions may be established that will call for the application of principles and measures a little different from those that I have above indicated; and such circumstances and conditions now exist, as I can see, caused by the unusual claims and practices of Germany in attempting to destroy the commerce of not only the nations against whom it is contending but also the commerce of the neutral nations, and more largely, that of my own country. This the governors of the U.S. should not submit to for one moment; and to do so indicates on the part of those who control the affairs of the nation either an utter want of understanding of the requirements of the occasion, or a cowardice that has no excuse. I fully realize that peace is desirable, and should be sought for and maintained whenever consistent with the country's honor and well being; but when peace is to be maintained at the sacrifice of honor and everything that goes to the welfare of the nation, then peace must be thrown aside and the necessary means, no matter what they may be, must be used to maintain and enforce the rights of the nation. I see that Mr. Wilson is loath to enter into the war and is waiting in the hope and expectation that something will happen or not happen, whereby he may keep the country out of the conflict; but his waiting will be in vain, for the war is here now and the sooner he realizes that fact, and acts upon it, the better it will be, and the sooner the end will come. Germany is desperate, and it has reason to be, and it will not hesitate to destroy our ships of commerce or of war when it possibly can, and the fact that the ship is an American one or carries American citizens or sailors will not deter its destruction. Then why wait until many of these ships shall be destroyed and many lives lost, before showing to Germany that the U.S. will maintain its rights and protect its people? I have been trying to reach the ear of the President and also the ears of some of his legislators, in order to impress upon them the necessity for action; but have not been able to make the rapport, so that my thoughts could be received by these men. And I don't suppose that such a desire will ever be realized. And the pity is, that it is necessary. Mr. Wilson is a man of intelligence and good intentions and patriotism, and it is a little difficult for those who cannot read his mind to understand the position that he takes. But to us it is plain that the great desire to keep the country out of war - which idea I must tell you has obsessed him and caused him to believe that by doing so he is winning the approbation of the people - causes him to be overcautious and certain that if war comes he shall not be the moving cause. Of course, ordinarily this may be commendable, but in the present circumstances it is more than deserving of condemnation and in its results may almost prove to be criminal. If someone with influence could only awaken him from this condition of obsession and persuade him to act and act quickly, it would be a thing devoutly to be wished for. The war is here and its rumblings are approaching; and it does not require an experienced ear to catch the sounds of its approach. Well, I have written more than I intended, and thanking you, will say good night. Your friend. John C. Calhoun February 25th, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Raleigh. I am Lord Walter Raleigh, the Englishman, who loved and was beheaded. Well, I have heard what the HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor273.htm" last spirit wrote and merely wish to say that the tenor of his discourse is wise and should be followed; but, as he says, there is no way to make it known to the men whom it is intended for, and who only can apply it. I am also interested in the war, as you may suppose, to some extent, but only because the country to which I once owed allegiance and claimed the protection of is now a very great sufferer by reason of the efforts that are now being made to subdue her. But yet, my interest is not very great, for I have arrived at that condition of brotherly love and the true conception of right and wrong and of the certain destiny of men, that all are my brothers; and the name of Englishman, German, or Frenchman makes no difference in their destinies. The human soul, when it comes to the spirit world, is without nationality, and the destiny of that soul does not depend upon the fact that it was lodged in the form of an Englishman, etc. No, the thoughts of earth, to a large extent, have left me and I am intent on my progress in the spirit world and attaining to that condition which will bring me the most happiness and enable me to do the most good to my fellow spirits, for I am working to help those who are not in such favorable condition as I am. I live in the Fourth Sphere and am a quite happy spirit, surrounded by many things that make me happy and contented, and am free from all those things that caused me worry and sufferings while on earth. I have lost all my recollections of the acts and deeds, and even thoughts, of my earth life that caused me so much darkness and unhappiness when I first came to the spirit land: but you must not think that it was an easy thing to get rid of these recollections, for I tell you that they clung to me like leeches and seemed to draw from me all my heart's blood, if I may so express it. The hells of those who have led lives of wrong or injustice are not imaginary, and all who think that the stories of such hells are the idle tales of superstitious mortals will be greatly surprised when they have shuffled off the mortal coils. But, as I say, I have progressed out of my dark condition and am now in the light, and quite happy in my pursuits that so much appeal to me. No, I do not know that such is the fact, and can scarcely conceive that you can know what you say to be true. Of course, if such things are true, I should like to become conscious of the fact and join in the search of discovery, but I doubt that you have knowledge on the subject. Yes, I should like to make the experiment, and am willing to do so in seriousness and with a mind open for conviction. Well, I see a great many spirits present - some bright and some dark, but none preeminently bright or beautiful as you suppose may be here. I have done as you suggested, and one comes and says he is Mr. Riddle, and I must say that he is a wonderfully bright spirit, and has an appearance that is different from the appearance of those spirits that I see in the Fourth Sphere. Well, I have heard what you said to him and I will go with him and listen to what he has to say in reference to the subject matter of our conversation; but I doubt that he can tell me anything that is an improvement on what I already know. But as I told you, I will listen in seriousness and consider what he may say to me. So, thanking you for your kindness, I will say good-night. Raleigh February 27th, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your old friend, Edwin Forrest: Let me say just a word. I merely want to say that I am progressing, and am out of my darkness and in the light of love, for I have been praying HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor520.htm" since you last heard from me, and have had the prayers of many of the bright spirits ascending to the Father for me. Well Ned, I never thought that all this happiness could possibly come to me, for, as you know, when I came to the spirit world I was sinful and all ignorant of the great Love, and found myself in darkness and suffering, and why God should have been so good to me, I cannot understand. But this I do know, that if it had not been for your spirit friends and especially your wife, I would have remained a long time in my darkness and soul slumber. But, thanks to you, I had the benefit of their love and kindness and prayers, so that I am now on the way to the higher spheres that she tells me of. I sometimes come to you at the office and see just what your condition is, and think that I am somewhat responsible for the same, and know that I am, and I cannot tell you how I regret what took place, and try to help you with all my powers. And I want to say to you to keep up your courage for you have many powerful spirits working for you, and I know that they will soon cause a change in the condition of your affairs. I also know that you are rich in this Love for these spirits all tell me that you have received it to a large degree, and are doing a great work among spirits, and this I know, and are also preparing the way for bringing to humanity the truths that will give to men a knowledge of the Love and plans of the Father for their redemption. It may seem a little strange to you that I should write in this way, and I hardly know myself when I realize what I was such a short time ago, and what I am now. Very soon now, I shall go to my mother and try to help her, as I have told you, I intend to do, and I pray that I may succeed. It is all so wonderful to me that sometimes I think that I must be dreaming, but of course I awaken to the fact that my experience is true, and that this Love is a real thing, and that all my spirit friends are real. Yes, I see Lipscomb sometimes, but I cannot tell you that he is any better. He seems satisfied with his condition, and it is hard to talk to him for he has not lost the characteristics that he had on earth. He still thinks that he knows it all, and that the life he is leading is more desirable than the one that I try to tell him of. Miller is still in darkness, though he listens to us at times, and makes the effort to realize the truth of what we say to him, but he seems to be unable to comprehend the truths that we try to tell him. We are working with him and will do so, so long as he will let us try to help him. Well, your wife says that you are tired, and I will stop. So goodnight. Your old friend, Forrest February 27th, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, James A. Garfield: I come tonight to say a few words in reference to the present condition of the affairs of our country, as I have been much interested in what has taken place in the past few weeks, and especially in the attitude of the President with reference to Germany and its inhuman method of carrying on its system of underwater destruction of merchant ships. I know that what I say may not amount to anything for several reasons: one is, that no one save yourself and a few of your friends will know what I say, and another, that a live dog is of more importance than a dead lion. But nevertheless, I feel that I should give expression to some of the thoughts that come to me in reference to these vital and critical conditions that now exist. The President has been very much hampered by his desire to preserve peace, or rather to keep our country out of war, and so strongly has this desire possessed him that other things of greater and more vital importance to the welfare of the country have been ignored and made matters of secondary consideration with him and his advisers. Peace is very desirable, and human lives are very dear to those who may have to answer the call to possibly sacrifice theirs, yet the honor and preservation of the nation are of much more importance than the former things, for peace is not necessarily a thing that can exist only in the absence of war, for it may exist in reality while war is progressing, to a greater degree than when war is actually in operation. I mean that even now there is very great want of peace in the individual lives of the people, even though the country, as a nation, is not at war. And the life of the individual is not of so great importance as the life of the nation, for if the nation be destroyed, or subjected to the dominion of another country, the life of the individual may not be worth the living, as in the case of poor Belgium. But, as I was saying, this desire on the part of the President to preserve peace has caused him to ignore the rights of both the nation and the individual as they have been threatened and injured by the actions of Germany, in its assaults upon the rights of the nation to continue its commercial pursuits, and enjoy the freedom of the seas, that have always heretofore been preserved, and to establish which this nation, in days gone by, fought to establish and have recognized. He will be disappointed in his expectations that some kind Providence will interfere, and prevent the overt act, that he holds to be necessary for justification on his part to enter into the conflict, as that overt act will not only take place, but has already done so, and the cause that he has been waiting for is now a thing of reality. It is a great pity that he has delayed all this time, for if he had taken a firm and determined stand some months ago and let Germany know that America would maintain her rights, even by force of arms, if necessary, Germany would not now be the aggressive, belligerent that she is, and many vessels would not have been destroyed, and many lives have been saved. But this wavering policy caused the Germans rulers to believe that he did not desire war, and that he would refrain from entering actually into the war, and consequently, that he would let go by any act on their part that did not purpose to injure the rights of the U.S.; and this feeling on the part of Germany increased until it was led into doing things that it might otherwise not have done, and having gotten into its present desperate state, it came to the conclusion that the only thing it could do now, was to adopt the plan of blockade that now obtains, and destroy everything that interferes with the carrying out that plan, and that the U.S. must submit to its demands or do whatever it might think best to protect its rights, hoping, though, that it would avoid war by recognizing the blockade and keeping its vessels out of the zone of the same. Now the time has arrived when Mr. Wilson can have no possible excuse for remaining neutral, and he will have to do what he should have done a long time ago. I can see that this delay will result in the destruction of many vessels and the sacrifice of many lives, but it is the only thing that can be done to save greater calamity. So I hope that he will delay no longer, but declare war or call upon Congress to declare war, at once, and thus put the country in a position to effectively preserve and maintain its rights. And I make these predictions, that as soon as this shall be done the beginning of the end will be established, and that before the middle of summer peace will come and the war will cease, though its effects will appear in more certain horror than they do now, and will be felt for many years to come. I hope that he will act now, and if I could induce him to do so, I would without hesitation or doubt of the right of so doing. I will not write more, so goodnight. Your true friend, Garfield February 28th, 1917. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here. Luther. I merely desire to say that as you read the pamphlet I read with you, and the description and explanation therein contained as to who God is, are entirely erroneous and blasphemous. Jesus never claimed or taught, while on earth, that he was God, and this I say because he has so instructed us, and he never since becoming a spirit has made any such claim, and the teachings of the New Church in this particular are all wrong and tend to lead men away from the true conception of who God and Jesus both are. Swedenborg has often conversed with me about his teachings and declared that his explanations as to God are not in accord with the knowledge that he now has, and that the teachings as contained in his books upon this subject were the results very largely of his own speculations, and the results of his endeavors in trying to reconcile what he thought was an absurd conception of the nature and being of God with the true interpretation of the Bible. He could not accept the doctrine of the Trinity, as explained and accepted and taught by the Church, and hence, being a believer in the inspiration of the Bible and its infallibility of religious truths he sought some exegesis that might be consistent with the Bible, and at the same time in consonance with his ideas of reason and common sense. But, as he now says, he added mysticism to mysticism, and irrational explanations to irrational explanations, and the result was that his teachings were more absurd and more difficult to understand than were the teachings of his church. The doctrine of the Trinity, as you have been told, is not true, and never had any authority in the teachings of Jesus or those of the Apostles and Bible writers, and was merely the deduction of some of the old fathers of the church, arising from their speculations and desire to make of Jesus a God, though a lesser God than the Father, and at the same time one with the Father and a part of the Godhead that must be considered as being only one God, and as taught by the Old Testament writers and prophets that there is only one God. This doctrine, of course, was absurd and, hence, was one of the mysteries of God, but, nevertheless was taught as a truth and incumbent upon man to believe whether they could understand it or not, which of course, they could not. But the doctrine was not accepted by all the writers of the early days, for as you know, there were bitter controversies among these expounders of what they supposed to be the scriptures, upon the question as to who Jesus was, and his relation to God. But as the years went by the doctrine of the Trinity became firmly established as a canon of belief in the church, and in my time on earth it was believed, and not questioned by the church; and I believed it also, although I could not understand it. Now, Swedenborg was a member of the church that bore my name and which I was credited with having founded, and believed in its doctrines, even as to the Trinity, and the actual transformation of the wine and bread into the blood and body of Jesus, and he continued in this belief up to the time of his wonderful visions of the spirit world and his experience in meeting the spirits and angels of that world, including Jesus, whom he in his writings claimed to be God, and with whom he had many conversations and from whom he learned the spiritual truths that he declared to the world. As you have been told, in the working out of the plans of the Celestial Angels, under the leadership of Jesus, Swedenborg was selected as the instrumentality through whom the spiritual truths should be revealed to mankind, and in carrying out that plan, power was given to him to come in his spirit perceptions or his inner sight, as he calls it, into the spirit world and there see the conditions of spirits and angels, and also of their environments, and learn the higher truths from conversations with spirits and angels. And he did come in the manner indicated and communed as he has claimed, except that he never talked with God, but only with Jesus, who he misconceived to be God; and this cannot be wondered at, for Jesus was a spirit, so transcendent in glory and love and wisdom, that it was almost natural, as I may say, that the mortal in his new and unusual experience should conceive this glorious Jesus to be God himself. But it was not God, only Jesus, that this seer saw and listened to. Having a conception of this kind, you can readily see that when he came into his mortal self again, and many times this occurred, he firmly believed that Jesus, who had form and individuality in the spirit world similar to what he had when on earth, was actually God, and it therefore became easy for Swedenborg to reject the doctrine of the Trinity, (and in its place proclaim) Jesus is God, manifested in the flesh, and God is Jesus, the Divine Man. Of course, you must understand, that in the exercise of this seership, he experienced the doubts and fears, that at times what he saw and heard might not be things of actuality, and that possibly his imagination, or as in these latter days, what is called the subconscious mind, was deceiving him, and being a man of extraordinary mentality and strong convictions, as well as established faith in the doctrines of the church to which he belonged, many of his interpretations of what he saw and heard, and his teachings therefrom, were limited and flavored by his existing mental condition and faith. He has told me that for many years before his experience as seer, he had to a more or less extent doubted the truth of the Trinity, and accepted it only as a mystery, and because the church declared it to be a truth, and that after his experiences as such seer, believing in the statements of the Bible as the infallible words of God, and also believing that he had seen God in the person of Jesus, he sought an explanation of these Bible statements and a reconciliation of them with his belief that Jesus was God, and the result was his declared doctrine that Jesus is God. And so in many other of his teachings, based upon his experience in the spirit world, he embraced many errors and misconceptions of the truths, and to such an extent that, as you have been told, his mission, in its results, was a failure, and the truths that he had been selected to learn and declare to the world were never made known to mankind. This failure was disappointing to the spirits who conceived this plan and in whom were lodged the spiritual truths of God, and who were acting as God's instruments in their endeavor to make them known to humanity. But it will be more satisfactory to you, and convincing to whomsoever may read the truths that you are receiving from these same high spirits that selected him, as their messenger, to have Swedenborg come himself, and explain the workings of his mission, and the causes and particulars of his failure in doing the great work that had been assigned him to do. He says that he has one consolation that many who have founded churches and attempted to declare spiritual truths upon which doctrines and creeds have been promulgated and believed in, and that is that his followers are so comparatively few in numbers, and consequently, so many less mortals are being deceived by his teachings. And I can appreciate the consolation that he may have in this fact, for my teachings and beliefs that are false as his are false, are believed in and followed by a very large number of mortals, to their injury. Well, I am glad for the opportunity to write you tonight, and I am still waiting for the chance to finish my message to my people on the errors of continuing in my teachings, and the necessity for them to become undeceived, and learn the truths that are now being declared to mankind. I will not write further. So goodnight. Your brother in Christ, Luther February 28th, 1917. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. Let me write you a line, for I am interested in what has HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/religious7.htm" just been written you, for when I lived on earth, I was a Swedenborgian or New Churchman, and believed in the doctrines of that Church, and especially in the corner stone of its beliefs, and that is that Jesus was God, and the only God to be worshipped as such and accepted as the incarnate God, who came to earth and lived and taught among men the coming of God into the flesh. Well, I, when on earth was a leader or preacher in that Church, and during the course of my ministry I not only taught but wrote many pamphlets and some books upon this doctrine of God becoming man in the form of Jesus, and on many other doctrines, that I now know to be untrue. And my authority for saying that this fundamental doctrine of the Church is untrue, is that I have seen and talked with Jesus in the spirit world, and learned that he is only the spirit of a mortal, but the highest and most glorious spirit in all the heavens, and is not God; and I have never seen God nor any spirit who has seen Him with the spirit eyes, though Jesus and others of the highest spirits say that they have seen Him with their soul perceptions, which must be true because Jesus is so much like God in this: that he cannot tell a lie. But I know that there is a God, and my knowledge is based on certainty, but the basis of this certainty I cannot explain to you, as you could not comprehend my explanation. But God lives and rules and loves, and is present with us and with you in some or many of His attributes, and Jesus is not this God. I wish that I could come to my people and tell them of the errors of their beliefs, and the truths as they exist and to the extent as now known to me, but I have no hope of ever being able to do so, for one of the cardinal doctrines of the Church is, that with the passing of Swedenborg passed the possibility of all communications between God or his angels and mortals as to spiritual truths, and that it is contrary to God's will that mortals should attempt to penetrate the veil that separates the two worlds. How such beliefs as I taught now cause me suffering and regret, for I see no way of remedying the wrong that I did, and of turning the thoughts of my followers into the paths that lead to truth and the certainty of heaven. As this is my first attempt to communicate, I am somewhat tired and must stop. But I thank you for the opportunity, and hope that some time I may have the privilege of again writing. Notwithstanding my erroneous beliefs, I have in my soul some of the Father's Divine Love, that enables me to sign myself, Your brother in Christ, Chauncey Giles February 28th, 1917. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving Helen. Yes, HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/religious7.htm" Luther wrote, and the HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/trinity14.htm" other spirit I don't know, but I have no doubt that he is whom he represents himself to be. He seemed to be in much earnestness and was very anxious to write, and seeing that he was a good spirit with a message, we let him write, and he felt better by having done so. Swedenborg was here tonight and is very anxious to write and soon he will as he feels that he must write a message on the subject that you have been interested in recently. I will not write more. So with my love I will say goodnight. Your own true and loving, Helen March 2nd, 1917 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I come tonight to write my message on the soul, and will do so, if we can establish the necessary rapport. Well, the subject is of vast importance, and difficult of explanation, for there is nothing on earth known to man, with which a comparison may be made, and, generally men cannot understand truth, or the nature of things, except by comparison with what they already know to exist, and with whose qualities and characteristics they are acquainted. There is nothing in the material world that will afford a basis of comparison with the soul, and, hence, it is difficult for men to comprehend the nature and qualities of the soul by the mere intellectual perceptions and reason: and in order to understand the nature of this great creation - the soul - men must have something of a spiritual development and the possession of what may be known as the soul perceptions. Only soul can understand soul, and the soul that seeks to comprehend the nature of itself, must be a live soul, with its faculties developed to a small degree, at least. First, I will say, that the human soul must be a creature of God and not emanation from Him, as a part of His soul: and when men speak and teach that the human soul is a part of the Over-Soul, they teach what is not true. This soul is merely a creature of the Father, just as are the other parts of man, such as the intellect and the spirit body and the material body, and which before its creation had no existence. It has not existed from the beginning of eternity, if you can imagine that eternity ever had a beginning. I mean that there was a time when the human soul had no existence; and whether there will ever come a time when any human soul will cease to have an existence, I do not know, nor does any spirit, only God knows that fact. But this I do know, that whenever the human soul partakes of the Essence of the Father, and thereby becomes Divine itself, and the possessor of His Substance of Love, that soul realizes to a certainty that it is Immortal, and can never again become less than Immortal. As God is Immortal, the soul that has been transformed into the Substance of the Father becomes Immortal, and never again can the decree, "dying thou shalt die," be pronounced upon it. As I said, there was a period in eternity when the human soul did not exist and was created by the Father, and when it was made the highest and most perfect of all God's creation, to such an extent that it was made in His image - the only one or thing of all His creations that was made in His image, and the only part of man that was made in His image, for the soul is the man and all his attributes and qualities, such as his intellect and spirit body and material body and appetites and passions, are merely appendages or means of manifestation given to that soul, to be its companions while passing through its existence on earth, and also, qualifiedly, while living in eternity. I mean some of the appendages will accompany the soul in its existence in the spirit world, whether that existence be for all eternity or not. But this soul, great and wonderful as it is, was created in the mere image and likeness of God, and not in or of His Substance or Essence - the Divine of the universe - and it, the soul, may cease to exist without any part of the Divine nature or Substance of the Father being lessened or in any way affected; and hence, when men teach or believe that man, or the soul of man is Divine, or has any of the qualities or Substance of the Divine, such teaching and belief are erroneous, because man is only and merely the created man, the mere likeness but no part of the Father or of His Substance and qualities. While the soul of man is of the highest order of creation, and his attributes and qualities correspond, yet he is no more divine in essential constituents, than are the lower objects of creation - they each being a creation, and not an emanation, of their Creator. True it is that the soul of man is of a higher order of creation than any other created things, and is the only creature made in the image of God, and was made the perfect man, yet man - the soul - can never become anything different or greater than the perfect man, unless he receives and possesses the Divine Essence and qualities of the Father, which he did not possess at his creation, although, most wonderful gift, with his creation, God bestowed upon him the privilege of receiving this Great Substance of the Divine nature, and thereby become Divine himself. The perfectly created man could become the Divine Angel, if he, the man, so willed it and obeyed the commands of the Father, and pursued the way provided by the Father for obtaining and possessing that Divinity. As I have said, the souls, the human souls, for the indwelling of which God provided material bodies, that they might live the mortal lives, were created just as, subsequently, these material bodies were created; and this creation of the soul took place long before the appearance of man on earth as a mortal, and the soul prior to such appearance, had its existence in the spirit world as a substantial conscious entity, although without visible form, and, I may say, individuality, but yet, having a distinct personality, so that it was different and distinct from every other soul. Its existence and presence could be sensed by every other soul that came in contact with it, and yet to the spirit vision of the other soul it was not visible. And such is the fact now. The spirit world is filled with these unincarnated souls, awaiting the time of their incarnation, and we spirits know of and sense their presence, and yet with our spirit eyes we cannot see them, and not until they become dwellers in the human form and in the spirit body that inhabits that form, can we see the individual soul. And the fact that I have just stated, illustrates, in a way, describes the Being of Him, in whose image these souls are created. We know and can sense the existence and presence of the Father, and yet, even with our spiritual eyes we cannot see Him; and only when we have our soul developed by the Divine Essence of His Love, can we perceive Him with our soul perception, because you have not words in your language to convey its meaning, and nothing in created nature, of which you have knowledge of in which a comparison can be made. But it is a truth; for the vision of the soul perception to its possessor is just as real, as I may say, objective, as is the vision of the mortal sight to the mortal. It may be asked in considering this matter of the creation of the soul, "were all souls that have been incarnated, or that are awaiting incarnation, created at the same time, or is that creation still going on?" I do know that the spirit world contains many souls, such as I have described awaiting their temporary homes, and the assumption of individuality in the human form, but as to whether that creation has ended, and at sometime the reproduction of men for the embodying of these souls, will cease, I do not know, and the Father has never revealed it to me, or to the others of His angels who are close to Him in His Divinity and Substance. The Father has not revealed to me all the truths and the workings an objects of His creative laws, and neither has He given to me all power and wisdom and omniscence as some may find justification for believing in certain of the statements of the Bible. I am a progressive spirit, and as I grew in love and knowledge and wisdom when on earth, I am still growing in these qualities, and the love and mercy of the Father come to me with the assurance that never in all eternity will I cease to progress towards the very fountain head of these attributes of Him, the only God, the All in All. As I was saying, the soul of man is the man, before, while in the mortal existence and ever after in the spirit world, and all other parts of man, such as the mind and body and spirit are mere attributes, which may be dissevered from him as the soul progresses in its development toward its destiny of either the perfect man or the Divine Angel, and in the latter progression, men may not know it, but it is a truth, that the mind - that is the mind as known to mankind - becomes, as it were, non-existent; and this mind as some say, the carnal mind, becomes displaced and replaced by the mind of the transformed soul, which is in substance and quality, to a degree, the mind of Deity, itself. Many theologians and philosophers and metaphysicians believe and teach that the soul, spirit and mind are substantially one and the same thing, and that anyone of them may be said to be the man - the ego, and that in the spirit world one or the other of these entities is that which persists and determines in its development or want of development the condition or state of man after death. But this conception of these parts of man are erroneous , for they each have a distinct and separate existence and functioning, whether man be a mortal or spirit. The mind in its qualities and operations, is very well known to man, because of its varied manifestations, and being that part of man which is more of the nature of the material, and has been the subject of greater research and study than has been the soul or the spirit. While men have, during all the centuries, speculated upon and attempted to define the soul and its qualities and attributes, yet to them it has been intransitive, and impossible of comprehension by the intellect which is the only instrumentality that man generally possesses to search for the great truth of the soul, and hence, the question, of what is the soul, has never been satisfactorily or authoritatively answered, though to some of these searchers, when inspiration may have shed a faint light upon them, some glimpse of what the soul is, has come to them. Yet to most men who have sought to solve the problem, the soul and spirit and mind are substantially the same thing. But the soul, as concerning man is a thing of itself, alone. A substance real, though invisible to mortals. The discerner and portrayer of men's moral and spiritual condition - never dying, so far as known, and the real ego of the man. In it are centered the love principle, the affections, the appetites and the passions, and possibilities of receiving and possessing and assimilating those things that will either elevate man to the state or condition of the Divine Angel or the perfect man, or lower him to the condition that fits him for the hells of darkness and suffering. The soul is subject to the will of man, which is the greatest of all endowments that were bestowed upon him by his Maker at his creation, and is the certain index of the workings of that will either in thought or action, and in the souls, qualities of love and affection and appetites and passions are influenced by the power of the will, either for good or evil. It may be dormant and stagnate, or it may be active and progress. And so its energies may be ruled by the will for good or evil, but these energies belong to it and are no part of the will. The soul's home is in the spirit body, whether that body is encased in the mortal or not, and it is never without such spirit body, which in appearance and composition is determined by the condition and state of the soul. And finally, the soul or its condition decides the destiny of man, as he continues in his existence in the spirit world; not a final destiny, because the condition of the soul is never fixed, and as this condition changes, man's destiny changes, for destiny is the thing of the moment, and finality is not known to the progress of the soul, until it becomes the perfect man and is then satisfied and seek no higher progress. Now, in your common language and also in your theological and philosophical terms, mortals who have passed to spirit life are said to be spirits, and in a certain sense this is true, but such mortals are not nebulous, unformed and invisible existences, they have a reality of substance, more real and enduring, than has man as a mortal, and are in form and features visible and subject to touch and the object of the spiritual senses. So when men speak of soul, spirit and body, if they understood the truth of the terms, they would say, soul, spirit-body, and material-body. There is a spirit, but it is altogether distinct and different from the spirit body, and also from the soul. It is not part of the spirit body, but is an attribute of the soul, exclusively and without the soul, it could not exist. It has no substance as has the soul, and it is not visible to even the spirit vision - only the effect of its workings can be seen or understood, - and it is without body, form or substance. And yet it is real and powerful, and when existing never ceasing in its operations - and is an attribute of all souls. Then what is the spirit? Simply this - the active energy of the soul. As I have said, the soul has its energy, which may be dormant or which may be active. If dormant, the spirit is not in existence; if active the spirit is present, and manifests that energy in action. So to confuse the spirit with the soul, as being identical, leads to error and away from the truth. It is said that God is spirit, which in a sense is true, for spirit is a part of His great soul qualities, and which He uses to manifest His presence in the universe; but to say that spirit is God is not stating the truth, unless you are willing to accept as true the proposition that a part is the whole. In the divine economy, God is all of spirit, but spirit is only the messenger of God, by which He manifests the energies of His Great Soul. And so with man. Spirit is not man-soul, but man-soul is spirit, as it is the instrumentality by which the soul of man makes known its energies and powers and presence. Well, I have written enough for to-night, but sometime I will come and simplify this subject. But remember this, that Soul is God, soul is man, and all manifestations, such as spirit, and spirit body are merely evidences of the existence of the soul - the real man. I have been with you as I promised, and I know that Father will bless you. So with my love and blessing, I will say good-night. Your brother and friend, Jesus March 3rd, 1917 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Samuel C. Mills: Well, I HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor521.htm" heard what Forrest said, and I am certain that he believes what he said to be true, for I can tell you that he has become a wonderfully bright spirit, and seems to be so happy and joyful. Well, it certainly is strange to me. Here am I who was in some light and comparatively happy when he came into the spirit world and went into the hells of darkness and suffering, and now he is all beautiful and happy, and I am still where I was. It certainly is wonderful! But as I told you in my last letter, I cannot now remain satisfied with my condition, and I am going to seek, and have already started, to get this Love that he tells me is the cause of his wonderful change; and I will not cease seeking until I succeed in obtaining it, for I feel that if he could get the Love, I can. He has talked with me, and while he could not explain just how the change came to him, yet he says that he accepted your advice and the help of your wife, and commenced to pray, blindly and without faith, and continued until he commenced to realize that something that he had never felt before was working in his soul and continued to work the more he prayed; and he didn't stop praying until the darkness left him, and with it the most of his suffering. This is all that he could tell me, and I am following him. And I hope that before long I will be able to write to you as he did. Won't that be a wonderful thing! I will not write more, but I will pray and hope that you will pray for me. The spirits who are here and who seem to love you so much, say that they will pray with me, and they tell me that there will be no doubt as to the results. So good night, Your old friend, Mills March 4th, 1917 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Forrest: Well, Ned, excuse me for intruding just now, but I am so happy that I cannot refrain from telling you of my happiness, for I know that you will rejoice with me. I am now out of my darkness and the Love of the Father is working in my soul, so that I feel as some of your earth poets have said, "as light as air", and if you could only see the air in which I now am you would more deeply understand what the expression means in my case. I am now so certain that this Love is a thing of reality, and so effective to make a dark, suffering spirit one of light and freedom from pain, that I can assert with all the conviction of a rescued soul, that the Love of the Father is the one thing in all the spirit world that has no uncertainty about it. I will not write more now, and I know that you will pardon me for having intruded. Now I feel that I can go to my mother and tell her of this wonderful Love, and the true way to light and progress, and I will go at once; and I pray the Father that my persuasion may be effective and enable me to hear my mother say to me that she will trust me and follow me in the way that I shall tell her of. So thanking you, and believing that you have been my greatest friend, although I realize that I did not deserve your kindness, I will say good night, Your old friend. Edwin Forrest March 4th, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Perry: I am very weak, but I must tell you that I am feeling better, for now I do not believe that I am doomed for all eternity to the damnation of darkness and suffering and when I think back that but for you and the loving spirits that you brought to me, I would be without hope, my heart is so filled with gratitude that it seems as if it must break asunder. What a wonderful thing is this great gift that you have and no spirit in all the darkness of a hope so near despair can understand the meaning of what that beautiful and glorious spirit who just wrote you said, as I can. Well I cannot write more, but you and your friend pray for me as surely you who have such beautiful spirits loving you must have some power in your prayers to help. Goodnight and pray for me. Your friend, Perry March 4th, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Mother of Perry: You must let me say a word, for if ever there was a thankful spirit in all the spirit world I am that one. Oh, how I thank you and praise the Father for His Mercy and Goodness in permitting my dear boy to see the light and have hope come to Him as a star that beckons him to a state of happiness and salvation. I am so filled with love and thanksgiving that I cannot write much for my heart is just going out to the Father in such streams of love and joy and gratitude that my eyes are so suffused with tears of gladness that I can hardly see. Do not forget to pray for my boy, both of you, for we all know that you love the unfortunate and miserable spirits who have no hope or way to get into the light. You know that I am his mother, for your soul must feel that it is the mothers love that is thus expressing gratitude. Goodnight, Perry's (Mother) March 4th, 1917. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your own true & loving Helen: Well dear, you have had a wonderful night and as you say, you could see the scene and you would wonder that there could be such happiness and joy in the spirit world. I mean in these lower planes where there are so many dark and unhappy spirits. We have all been happy and I must tell you that all of your band and also the Doctor's have been present listening to the messages that have been written you. And it seems to be a night when so many of these dark spirits have come seeking and longing for help and trying to find the way to light. And while only two have written you yet many have been benefitted for they have heard the messages and your conversations and have listened to the bright spirits who have been ready and anxious to help them. Perry is better as he says, and is praying and just commences to realize the love and solicitude that his mother has for him and she is so happy that he realizes that she is his own loving mother, and the scene between them was very pathetic and they mingled their tears, hers of love and thankfulness to the Father and his of gratitude that hope has come to him. He is praying and I am so glad that he asked you and the Dr. to pray for him, for it shows that there has come to him some little faith in prayer. We are all praying for him and your grandmother in all the beauty of love is with him and to her he seems to listen and believe in more than all the others. It is a glorious time for you all. I will not write more now as you have been drawn on a great deal and we must stop. Give my love to the Dr. and tell him that if he could know the amount of love that is surrounding him tonight he would not exchange places with Rockefeller or any other rich man or great men as you mortals consider greatness for this love will be his through all the years to come even increasing and growing. So dear believe that I love you and give me your love and trust that I am, Your own true and loving, Helen March 8th, 1917 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here St. James, Apostle of Jesus: I come to write my message as Elias told you I would. Well, I desire to write on the subject of: "What is the great truth respecting the way that the destruction of the powers of temptation, that arises from the perverted man, may be restored to the condition of perfection which the first parents possessed before their fall?"(sic) You will understand that this does not involve any consideration of the operation of the Divine Love upon the soul, but exclusively the consideration of the method by which the soul may be so purified by the operations of the actions and the will power, in conjunction with or influenced by the workings of the powers of the spirits who have been relieved of the sins and errors that followed the fall. When man was created, as has been told you, he was created perfect, and every quality and function and attribute that was a part of him was so created that harmony - the most exact with the laws of God that governed his existence - became his, and no discord of any kind was in existence to mar that harmony. But as the spiritual nature of man became subordinated to the appetites and passions and fleshly desires, sin and error and inharmony appeared and increased until man became degraded, and desired only those things that would satisfy these sinful desires. And so this degeneracy continued until man reached his lowest degradation, and the turning point came in his career, and then he commenced slowly and gradually to rise from this condition of depravity until at last, he arrived at the stage of his condition of inharmony with these laws of his creation that now exists; and his destiny is to a complete restoration to the perfection of his first estate. This improvement and gradual restoration depend upon two causes-one, man himself by his own thoughts and reformation of the animal appetites and desires; and the other, the influence and guidance of spirits who, in the spirit world, have arrived at that perfection, or are progressing thereto, and are in a condition of harmony with these laws, superior to that of mortals to whom they lend their influence and help. Men, in their degeneracy or progression, are controlled very largely by their thoughts, and these thoughts are created by the operations of their desires, and which on the other hand, cause these desires to increase. But back of the thoughts are always these appetites and passions existing in their abnormal conditions, and they constitute the basic or moving cause of desire and thought and act. So that in order for men to become relieved of his abnormal desires and thoughts and acts, the cause thereof must be eradicated, and the seat or function of the cause be brought into harmony with laws of the creation of these functions or seats of emanation. And strange as it may seem to you, and by a process that is contrary to the ordinary workings of the law of cause and effect, men must first deal with the effects in order to control the cause and thereby destroy the effects. This may seem to be an impossible operation, and contrary to the laws that govern the material world and its ordinary functioning, but yet it is possible, and the only possible way in which the causes may be destroyed. Notwithstanding the fact that the animal or material part of man has had the ascendancy, for all these centuries, over the spiritual part of his nature, yet that spiritual part exists and has always existed and waiting to assert itself whenever the opportunity occurred, and this assertion was prevented or suppressed only by reason of the want of opportunity. The spiritual may be said to be the natural state. I mean that in that state, the animal is subordinate to the spiritual and is controlled by it, and man's true tendency is to exist and act in accord with that natural state. Then such being the fact, it may be asked why, or in what manner did this natural spiritual condition become, in the manifestation of what man's dominant dualities are supposed to be, subordinated to the control of the inordinate exercise of this animal side of his nature, which resulted in the sin and unhappiness that so many of the teachers and philosophers proclaim to be his natural condition? Well tonight, I will not attempt to explain the manner in which this inversion or perversion of man's true nature took place, but will at some future time write on this subject. The question now is, how can man obtain the restitution to his created perfection? As I have said, this can only be accomplished by making the perfect adjustment of the two apparent conflicting sides of his nature. And first, he must recognize that he has the spiritual nature as well as the animal, and that there is such a relationship and coordination between the two that the supremacy of the latter disturbs the harmony of his perfection as man. The spiritual having been subordinated, the remedy is to remove the subordination and restore the equality. The spiritual, notwithstanding its condition, is always fighting to regain its place in the true adjustment and will always answer the call of man, to come to his rescue; and the only thing that has prevented that response is that man has not called for it to assert itself. Well I am sorry, but we had better postpone until later. Try to get in greater rapport. Good night. Your brother in Christ, St. James March 10th, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Edwin Forrest: Well, Ned, I come again, but I will not detain you long, as I merely wish to tell you that I am progressing and am commencing to see the light and some happiness, and my hope has increased so much that I already feel that I shall soon get in the condition where my happiness will become so great that all my sufferings will leave me. Your wife tells me that my hope is certain of realization, if I will only continue to pray and open up my soul to the inflowing of the Love, and I am trying with all my strength to follow her advice. I have been to my mother and she was certainly surprised to see my bright condition. I mean bright as compared with hers, and the condition of those who are around her, and she wondered what has caused it. And when I told her, and begged her to follow my example and pray for this Love, and let go from her the beliefs in her creed and in the teachings of the priests, she said she was not ready to do this, but was compelled to believe what these priests had told her of the will of God and of the way to get out of her darkness, and that what I said to her may be true as to my experience, yet she was certain that the masses and prayers that the priests were offering up for her would soon have their effect, and she would soon get out of purgatory and pass into the heavens of peace and light. I insisted that in this she was mistaken and asked her why it is, that she, having been in the spirit world so much longer than had I, and that during these years of her existence as a spirit their masses and prayers had been offered for her, that she is in no better condition than when she first became a spirit, while I, who was so wicked and sinful on earth, was in the condition in which she saw me. Well, she could not explain, and said she would think of the matter and ask some of her priests why it is so. I left her, and impressed her to think about the matter and said that I would come to her again, and would continue to come to her until she should become convinced of the truth of what I had told her. Well, I believe that soon I will be able to convince her that she is in error and will never find relief so long as she continues in the beliefs that the priests and her zeal for her church while on earth, caused her to imbibe. I believe what you say, and I will follow your advice. I will now stop and with my love will say good night. Your old friend, Forrest March 10th, 1917 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, R. G. Ingersoll Tonight I am a very happy spirit, and one who realizes that "it is not all of life to live, or yet of death to die," for life and death are mere incidents in the existence of the immortal soul's career through eternity. Life on earth is but a short breathing of the soul in bondage, yet prized so highly by mortals; and death of the physical is the liberating of that soul from its bondage, and yet, men fear and shun it, and, if possible, would never let it come to them. This may be said to be natural and not to be wondered at, and all because mortals do not know that life and death are brothers, working for the good of humanity, the former giving them the opportunity to seek and possess happiness or misery, and the latter ending that opportunity in this, that happiness may be increased without having to undergo the retarding influence that life on earth throws around mortals, and misery, or rather the cause thereof, prevented from increasing. So you see, life and death are complementary, the one positive and the other negative, but each the great helpful friend of the human soul. You wonder who I am, and I wonder that I am what I am, and not what I was. My friend, life has continued with me in greater and more enlarged abundance, until now I am the possessor of that life which Jesus came to earth to declare to be the heritage of every mortal who should seek it. My friend, death has left me, and in leaving me took with him all the possibilities of increased causes of unhappiness in my soul. The results or effects of the causes that existed in my soul while in the mortal life came with me in more acute and overpowering abundance; but no new or additional causes to produce additional effects came with me. Death took them with himself when he departed from me forever. Life and Death - the friends of mortals, each to be welcomed! The one, the friend for eternity; the other, the friend for only a moment, but what a friend! I intended tonight to write you a long and (as I think) important message relating to the real world of spirits, but thought it best not to do so, and hence gave you the little impersonal thoughts with reference to my friends and your friends. I will come soon. Good night and God bless you. Your brother in Christ, R. G. Ingersoll March 12th, 1917 Received:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Luke. I desire tonight to write on the subject of "What is the fact with reference to the authenticity of the Bible." I was with you at the lecture of the preacher on this subject, and was surprised that he could announce with such apparent confidence that the Bible is the authentic word of God, actually written by the men whose names appear therein as the writers of the same. The fact that he traced back the existence of certain manuscripts and versions to a hundred and fifty years subsequent to the time of the teachings of Jesus, did not establish the truth of his declaration that by such establishment the authenticity of the Bible, or the genuineness of the manuscripts as they now exist contain the real writings of the apostles, or of those persons who are supposed to be the writers of the same from the fact that their names are associated with these manuscripts. Neither is it true that John's life was prolonged to the end of the first century in order that he might write the true declarations of the eternal truths as declared by Jesus, for John did not live until that time, and his writings were not preserved as he had formulated them, nor was the results of his declarations transmitted truthfully, as claimed by those who teach the inviolability of the Scriptures. I was a writer upon these sacred subjects, and as I have before told you, I wrote a document which was called the "Acts of the Apostles," and left a number of copies of my writings when I died; but such compilation was merely a history of what I had heard from those who had lived with and heard the teachings of Jesus, and of their efforts to circulate and teach his doctrines after his death. I also had the benefit of some writings of the disciples about Jesus, but such writings were very few, for these disciples and followers of Jesus did not commence to place in the form of manuscript his teachings or the experience of his life until a longtime after he had left the earth. They expected his speedy return when he would become their king and legislator, and hence, they saw no occasion or necessity for preserving in the form of writings the truths in which he had instructed them. I know that after my own death the writings that I had left were not preserved intact, and that many things that I had incorporated therein, were in the numerous copying and recopyings of my manuscripts left out and ignored, and many things that I did not write and that were not in accord with the truth were inserted by these various successive copyists in their work of reproduction. And many of these omitted things and additions were of vital importance to the truth of things spiritual as they had been declared by the disciples as containing the truths that Jesus had taught. And during the period - and the short period as the lecturer denominated it - between the earliest writings of the fathers of the church, and the times of the actual occurrences of the things to which these writings are supposed to relate and correctly describe, there were many changes made in the writings that I had left, as well as in those left by the other original writers. Even in epistles of Paul, which these theologians and Bible students claim have more authenticity and greater certainty than the Gospels or other epistles of the Bible, many changes were made between the times of their writings and the times of the execution of the manuscripts or of the sermons of the fathers of the early church. Within that one hundred and fifty years the truths of the spiritual teachings of the Master, had become to a more or less extent, lost to the consciousness and knowledge of those who attempted to reproduce the original writings, because these men had become less spiritual, and their thoughts and efforts had become more centered in building up the church as a church than in attempting to develop and teach and preserve the great spiritual truths. The moral precepts became the dominating objects of their writings and teachings and were more easily comprehended by them than were precepts that taught the way to the development of their souls and to a knowledge of the will of the Father, and the mission of Jesus to mankind as a way-shower and saviour of souls, rather than as a Messiah to establish his kingdom on earth. No, I declare with authority that the authenticity of the Bible cannot be established as the word of God, for in very many particulars it is not His word, but on, the contrary, contains many assertions of truth that are not truths and diametrically opposed to His truths, and to Jesus' teachings of the truth. This Bible has changed and perverted the whole plan of God for the salvation of man, and has substituted a plan that arose from the limited wisdom of those who attempted to convince mankind that they had a knowledge of God and of His designs as to the creation and destiny of man; and they were influenced very largely in this particular by their knowledge of and belief in the teachings of the Jewish church and the history of the Jewish race in its dealings with God, as they supposed, and in the teachings of the Scribes and Pharisees. This fact was conspicuously shown by these writers attempting to substitute Jesus in their plan of salvation in the place of the animals in sacrifice in the Jewish plan of salvation. As the God of the Jews in order to be appeased and satisfactorily worshiped, demanded blood and more blood, so the God, that Jesus declared was the God of all the peoples of the earth, in order to be appeased and satisfactorily worshiped, demand blood and that the blood of His dearly beloved son. Among these writings of the Bible there are many things declared to be truths, and embodied as the actual words of God, that are contradictory and unexplainable, and which, if they were the words of God, or even the teachings of Jesus, would contain no contradiction, or admit of any constructions that were not consistent one with the other. As the additions and emasculations and interpretations were made in the original writings of those who declared the truths as they had heard them from the Master, the decreasing want of comprehension of spiritual things and the growing wisdom of their own finite intellects, caused them to conceive a plan on the part of God for man's salvation, and as the recopying continued the thoughts of those who copied, or who dictated the same, became more centered on this plan, and so these copies were gathered together and considered, and efforts to have some agreement in the declaration of this plan; and as the new copies were made they were constructed with the view of showing forth this agreement. It must not be supposed that the copies from which the manuscripts that are the basis of the Bible were made were executed and preserved in a manner that caused them to be isolated one from the other, and that they were not all known to the persons who copied or caused the copying of the writings from which the manuscripts were made, for that would not be true. These, what may be called the basic copies, were in circulation at the time the Christian fathers wrote, and they had access to them, and quoted from them and helped to give them the interpretations that now prevail in the churches with the additional interpretations since those days. Men know now that among these Christian fathers were bitter disputes as to what was a part of the word, and as to what should be accepted and what rejected among these writings antedating the manuscripts that form the basis of the Bible and that many manuscripts, purporting to be the word of God were rejected as such, and for the reason that they could not have been the records of God's word, because they did not agree with what the bishops of the church in their human knowledge and reason accepted as God's word should be. Even these bishops disagreed and differed, just as the human minds and reason disagree with one another. Then I say the lecturer did not prove the authenticity of the Bible as being the word of God. He did not go down the stream of time as he called it, far enough to discover the existence of any authenticity, and that being so, his argument of proof is just as weak as if he had started from the time of the printed Bibles, where their contents are substantially the same, but they not being the originals, the similarity proves nothing. What I have said with reference to my own writings applies to the writings of all the others. The Bible does not contain their writings as they wrote and left them to humanity. The Bible contains many truths, and enough to enable man to reach the Kingdom of Heaven, provided they are correctly understood and applied, but there are so many things taught therein as truths, which are just the opposite of truth, that they make it difficult for men to discern and apply the truth, and comprehend the Will of God with respect to men, and the destinies that must be theirs according as they follow and obey that will or do not do so. John has already written you on this subject with reference to his writings and so has Paul as to his, so that there is no necessity for me to deal with the errors and interpretations contained in their writings. I will not write more now as you are tired, but will soon come and write a message on another subject that I have been desiring to write for some time. With my love and blessings, I am Your brother in Christ, Luke March 13th, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your father: I have been waiting a long time to write but there were so many others so anxious to write, and who could either do you much good or you do them good that I refrained and did not want your vitality to be drawn on too much. Well I understand, my dear boy, and hereafter I will not wait so long to write you. You must know this, though, that I am with you very, very often, and am looking after you, trying to help you and make you happy, and protect you from the undesirable influences. No, I have not surrendered my guardianship, and won't until you shall come to us, when you will no longer need me. I am glad that you are progressing in your soul development, and that you are doing your work. You cannot realize the good that you are doing among these dark spirits who come to you so often for help, and what gratitude they frequently express for your help. I am very happy that you have this great work to do, and so are we all, and we love you more and more as the days go by, and pray the Father to bless you and give you more of His Love. Well, I am in the Seventh Sphere, and with my soulmate, and we are very happy together. Your mother is also very happy and while her soulmate is not in the sphere with her, yet he has made wonderful progress, and loves her with a deep and holy love, such as, he says, he never dreamed of while on earth. Well, my son, I will come again very soon; but remember, I am very close to you, and see your worries and your joys, and always am trying to remove the one and increase the other. I must tell you that your grandmother will come very soon and write you, as she says, she has a very important message to deliver. What a wonderful wise and beautiful spirit she is. Well they are still very happy in the love of each other, and have made some progress in their soul development. They are together, and are in the fifth sphere and are thinking much of the soul's need for the Divine Love. I am with them quite frequently, and tell them of the happiness that is ahead of them if they will only seek for it. Helen goes to them too, and tells them of this Love and the beauties of her home. They seem to love her very much, and think her one of the most beautiful spirits that come to them, and she is too. So remember what I say, and bid me goodnight. I love you very much and have your happiness continually in view, and I know that you will be happy and realize what you desire in the way of performing your work. Goodnight and God bless you, Your loving Father March 15th, 1917 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, John: I was with you tonight at the séance and heard what the medium said, and saw that as she delivered the various messages, she was being dictated to by spirits of a very low order of development, and that they enjoyed very much the deception that they were practicing upon the medium and upon the hearers. These spirits are not the kind that you should have the association of, and while your band was present and prevented any of these spirits from getting in rapport with you, or from affecting you by their influence, yet it does you no good to mingle with such spirits. The medium believes that the spirits who came to her are really the relatives of, or spirits interested in the people in the audience, but as a fact, these spirits are mostly impostors who have gotten possession of the medium and use her for their own enjoyment. When she attempted to describe the spirits present, she was not only imposed upon, but the spirits whom she saw, as she said, were not the spirits whom the sitters might suppose them to be. But there were some of these spirits whom she saw really were the ones that she described them to be, and were interested in the people to whom they came, but they were of the earth plane, having very little development. When she attempted to tell you of your condition and want of spiritual development in the knowledge of the truth, she was dictated to by some of the fraudulent spirits, who did not know the truth and who were not in condition themselves to read your condition of spiritual development and took you to be one of the usual visitors at their seances, and, hence, caused the medium to commit the error that she did. The spirits who she says came to you were not your grandparents, for you must know that none of your spirit band manifested themselves, and the ones that she saw and said were interested in you, were some of the spirits who are with her very often, trying to deceive the people. The medium has the powers of seeing and hearing the things of the spirit world to some extent, and is generally honest in her attempts to convey what she receives, but sometimes she exercises her own thoughts and fabricates the message that she delivers. It is a pity that such a condition of affairs should exist, but it is a truth and will continue so long as these spirits of deception are given the opportunity to manifest themselves. And I will further say, that while Dr. Stone had around him a number of his spirit friends, yet they did not manifest themselves, and the Indians that the medium described were not in any way connected with the Doctor. Of course at these séances there are always a number of Indians present who delight in manifesting themselves to the medium, but tonight none of these Indians formed any part of the Doctor's guides or band, and he must not believe that he has around him these howling Indians, for there is nothing in common between him and such spirits, and he is too well protected for these spirits to form any rapport with him. While at times the Doctor may do some good to some of these wandering spirits who attend these seances yet, as a general thing, they are not helped by him, for the most of the spirits who attend such seances do not come there for assistance, but for enjoyment or, if they are thoughtful and anxious spirits, to communicate with their friends. His work does not lie in the séance room, when great numbers of spirits of all kinds and conditions congregate, but in the quiet of his own room, or as he walks the streets, or in the church meetings where spiritual truths are taught, and where people of some soul development assemble. He has around him many of these spirits who are earnestly seeking for light and relief from their sufferings, and if he, in these moments of quietness or when he is where the spiritual atmosphere prevails, will let his thoughts go out to these spirits of darkness, and his mind formulate and project the advice and knowledge which he has of spiritual things, he will do much good and help many spirits toward progression. Of course, the mediums of the kind that you visited tonight, have a work to do, and notwithstanding all the undesirable conditions that surround them, they do some good both to spirits and mortals, and they should be encouraged and helped to understand the possibilities that are theirs; but this does not mean that you and the Doctor, who have often gotten into the association of a very different and higher order of spirits, and having before you a work of a different character from that of these mediums, should not seek such places and encounter the retarding influences that are always present, in order to do the good that you can do. I realize that this may seem unkind to these mediums, but what I state is a fact, and is not stated for the purpose of decrying the work of these mediums, but only to show you that such places for you to frequent, as your work is not there, but is as I have above stated. You will comprehend the purport of my message, and it is not necessary to write more upon the subject, but understand this, that in order to do your work most effectively, it is meant that you go not where these low and vicious, or merely dark spirits congregate and seek control of the mediums, and of the sitters as well, but on the contrary, demand that these dark spirits shall come to you where the influences are more helpful and seek your help, and you need not fear that they will not come, for, as a fact, they are with you whenever they get the opportunity, when possible. Every mortal for his own work and in his own place. Well, I was there, because, as I have told you, I am your especially appointed guardian to direct in your soul development, and it is not a waste of time or a descending to places that you may think I should not attend to do this work of looking after you, and accompanying you in your visitations to séances or churches or wherever .you may happen to be. You are the instrument that we are using to do our great and vital work for the salvation of mankind, and I can do greater work to help and protect that instrument. Because I come to the earth plane and engage in this work, I am no less the John of the Celestial Heavens. And what I have said in reference to you applies to the Doctor for James was with him, protecting and looking after him, and doing the work that, as the Doctor's special guardian, he takes delight in doing. We are Celestial Spirits of the highest order, but that fact does not prevent us from realizing the necessity of the salvation of men, and even though we have to come to earth to bring about this salvation in work and association with spirits of the earth plane, yet it is a labor of love, and humility is the touchstone that brings to us happiness in our work. No, we are with you often and in close association and we would not be fellow workers with the Master, if for one moment we should have the feeling that because of our high estate, we should not come into rapport and helpful association of sinful mortals; and so long as the Father requires His Great Truths to be taught, and men's souls to be Saved from the effects of the great fall and made angels of Divinity our work will continue. But sometime our work on earth as well as in the spirit spheres will cease, and then our homes in the Celestial Heavens will be our only places of labor and love; the kingdom will be completed, the doors of the Heavenly Kingdom closed and the angelic hosts be separated from the spiritual and perfect man. Such is the decree. And as the Father desires all men to become one with Him in His Divinity of Love, we must work until the day of the great consummation Of the kingdom arrives, and the spirits who have not on the wedding garment shall suffer the doom of the second death. And when Jesus said work while it is day for the night cometh when no man can work, he meant that while the kingdom is open for men to enter we must work, for when its doors shall be closed the work of the angelic laborers must cease, and man and spirits be left to an eternity in the spiritual spheres. And as we work, and so you must work until the time of the (great) separation, and as the Master said, the wheat and the tares must be permitted to grow together until the great time of the harvest, so must the soul with only the natural love and that with the Divine Love be permitted to mingle together until the reaping of the harvest shall take place. And until then, we must mingle and work and pray without ceasing. Well, my brother, I have written enough for tonight and will stop, but do not misunderstand what I have said in reference to the mediums of the séances. They have work to do, and they must do it, and not be discouraged. You have a work to do, and you must do it in the way that we have pointed out, and the work that you can do they cannot, and hence, you must do your assigned work, and that alone. So with my love, and the Blessings of the Father, I will say goodnight. Your brother in Christ, John P.S. This message was received by Mr. Padgett after Mr. Padgett and Dr. Stone had attended a séance in this city. March 15th, 1917. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Nathan Plummer: Well, I must write a word, for I was with you at the séance and saw what was going on, and I tell you there were some hellish spirits present, and they had the center of the stage. How different the séance from what it is when I come to your room, and meet you and the Doctor, and see the other spirits present. Well, well, who would have thought that there could be such a difference in the spirits who congregate! I know that such séances are not places for me, wicked as I am, and this I see with greater clearness now that I know that there are in this spirit world so many spirits who are good and beautiful. I am doing what I told you I would do in my last letter, but have not yet felt any change, but the good spirits tell me to pray, and I am doing it, with all the energy that I used to give to my swearing, and I could swear some when the occasion arose. Forrest is growing brighter looking, and he tells me that I can get bright too, and I believe him and I don't intend to let any of these devilish spirits keep me back, if prayer will help me. Tell the Doctor that his prayers help me, and that he must not stop, for I haven't many on earth to pray for me, and I am afraid that the prayers of most of my mortal friends would not do me much good anyhow. Well, I must stop, so goodnight. Your old friend, Plummer March 15th, 1917. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: Well dear, I was with you, of course, HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor539.htm" at the séance, and what has been told you is true, and I need not repeat what has been said, but will add only, that you and the Doctor must take the advice given you. It is absolutely necessary. Your work is different, and only you can do it. No other medium can do it, and if you were like them you could not do it, either. So you and the Doctor must remember that you have been selected for a higher work than helping to bring spirits and mortals together in communications, such as it is supposed the mediums of tonight brought to the people who were present. The spirits who the medium said were your grandparents, were not such, but were merely spirits who attend her séances and delight in inducing the expectant visitors to believe are really the spirits of their departed friends or relatives. I saw that the whole thing made no impression on you, except one of pity for the medium that she would be subjected to such imposition and evil influences. When the howling Indians, as the medium described them, came to the Doctor he must have been surprised to learn that he had a new spirit band of such lively antics to help him in his work of love of curing the sick, and Mary said that she would not let such spirits get in rapport with her sweetheart, even if she had to call on all his guides and yours too, to keep them away. She said that there was nothing about the Doctor to attract such beings to him, and that she would pity him if he had to have such companions around him. Well, there were all kinds of spirits present, but none of them whom the medium supposed that she saw or heard talk, belonged to either you or the Doctor, and we rather enjoyed the thoughts that he had when his new friends were introduced to him. But, dear, these séances do you no good, and it is only a waste of time to attend them, and I want to advise that you do not; and further I want to say, that the messages that the Doctor reads do no good, for the people who hear him look upon them as mere stories of the imagination, interesting, but without effect on the spiritual understanding. They are not in condition to grasp the significance of them, and their chief interest is in receiving some message that the medium may transmit to them from their spirit friends. So, these messages do no good at such places. They are like the teachings of Jesus that fell on stony ground, they will not take any root. So, I do not think it best to read them to these people. The Doctor is doing a good work when he tells them to the individuals with whom he comes in private conversation, and who listen to him with a view and desire to learn the truth, or even when they have not such desire, because as they listen some of the truths may find a lodgment, and germinate. So with my love, I will say goodnight, Your own true and loving, Helen March 16th, 1917. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. Keep up your courage and believe, and all things that I have promised will come to you, and you will not be disappointed. You are now in better condition than you were, and soon I will come and write another message; and as I see that you think my message on the nature of God had better be rewritten, I will take that theme for my subject. Yes, I understand, and it is my desire that I rewrite the message. As you are in better condition to receive it than you were when I wrote before, I know that it will be very satisfactory for the purposes for which it was written. So, as I say, believe, and I will not leave you alone or fail to do what I have promised. Well, when you suggested to me to write on that subject (the soul) you were not in such receptive condition as to take the message in the form and meaning that I intended to convey. It is a very HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/bible35.htm" difficult subject to write on, and I wanted you to be in the best possible condition. I am satisfied at the way in which you received it, and if I find that it needs any amendment I will make it before you publish the book. Yes, I know, and you will soon be in that condition, and then I know that the work will proceed faster. Yes, as you say, the world is ready to receive these truths, and the people are longing for some knowledge that will show them the true way to the Father. Well, I am sorry, too, but he (Eugene Morgan) must wait a while. He has been selected, and his mission is definite, and it makes no difference whether he receives any messages or not. That is not a part of his work in the great plan, and he must not let his faith fail him, for his work will be wonderful, and one that many of the world would give their lives, as it is said, to be selected to do. His work will be very important and he is being prepared, notwithstanding his disappointment that you speak of, as to material things; and I say to him with the authority of one who knows, that he must believe and wait and pray, and he will not be disappointed; for we never forsake our own who trust us. Well, I must stop now, but remember what I have said, and say to your friends that I am their brother and friend, and that they are very close and very dear to me, and my chosen ones; and in my Father's Kingdom their places will not be filled by others. So, with my love, I will say good-night. Your brother and friend, Jesus March 17th, 1917 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, John. I have been listening to your conversation tonight and was interested in some things that were said as to the inferiority of woman to man, and will soon come and write you a message on this subject; for the conceptions of your friends antagonistic to the equality of the sexes are all wrong, and they must learn that women, in the totality, are not only the equal of man, but in certain senses are their superiors. It is too late tonight to write on the subject, and I will postpone the writing until a time later. Your brother in Christ, John March 18th, 1917 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Elias I come to-night to write a short message on the subject of "The truth of the Bible as to the things that are contained in the Old Testament." And by this I do not mean that I will discuss this portion of the Bible in all the views and declarations that are contained therein, but only as to that portion which has to do with the times in which I was supposed to live. In the first place my entrance on the scene of Jewish life and history was very abrupt, and little was written about my antecedent life, and in fact, nothing except that I was a Tishbite who lived in that portion of Palestine where the acts and doings of the prophets and men of the Hebrew race are very seldom referred to, and little is known of these people. When I came into notice, as portrayed, I was not very widely known, and to the writers of the Scriptures it appeared as if I had come out of the unknown, where God had taken special pains to instruct and communicate to me the truths of His laws, and also the acts of disobedience of those Jews among whom I appeared. But a very great deal of the accounts of my appearing and things that I declared and did are imaginary and the result of the workings of the minds of those who produced the stories of the lives of the Jews at those times, and in the way told in the Bible. I was a real existing person and of the prophet class and warned the kings and rulers of the wrath of God that was impending upon them, and of the evils of their manner of living, and was listened to by these kings, who sometimes heeded my warnings and sometimes did not; and some of the consequences were suffered by them in a way similar to that described in the Bible. But I never claimed to have direct communication with God, or to deliver any messages that He had directed me to deliver by His own word of mouth, or that I had ever seen God, or knew who or what He was. I was a man who lived a rather secluded life, and was versed in the teachings and beliefs of the Israelites, as they were known at the time, and was also given to much meditation and prayer and possessed much of the religious instinct, and, in fact, to such a degree, that I really believed that the thoughts and perceptions of truth that came to me, were actually the messages from the unseen world; and possessing the knowledge of the moral truths, as declared in the Decalogue and as taught by the priests of the temple, I could readily discern and understand the acts and doings of the kings and of the people, as well, to be a violation of these moral truths. And so when I learned of these violations, I appeared to these rulers and people and denounced their acts and doings and threatened them with the wrath of God, unless they ceased their acts of disobedience and returned to the worship of the one true God that the Hebrew race distinctly declared and worshiped. Sometimes I was received as the true prophet of God and sometimes I was not and, as a consequence, my messages, at times, were received and believed in, and at other times they were not. The foundation stone of my belief and office was that there was only one God, and He was the God of the Hebrews, and all other Gods that were believed in, and worshiped by a part of the Jews and by the Gentiles, were false gods, and should not have obeisance made to them or worshiped. And, hence, when I appeared to Ahab and denounced the gods of Belial, I was performing, as I believed, the duties that my God had imposed upon me, and which were so necessary to cause the turning away of the people from their false beliefs and worship to an acknowledgment of the one true God. Well, there are many things related in these writings that never occurred and the one that is often referred to and accepted as proof of the superior power of my God over the god, Ba-al, that is the consuming by fire of the offerings at the altar by the power of God, after the priests had called upon their false god to answer their prayers and he neglected to respond, never occurred, but it is the result of the endeavor of some Jewish writer to demonstrate to his people, the wonderful power and activity and closeness of that God to His prophets. Such an incident never took place, and there are many other occurrences related to the powers that I possessed as the prophet of God, that never had any existence. While I considered and believed myself to be a prophet of God, yet I never had any of the supernatural powers, nor were any such ever displayed by me, as recorded in the supposed history of my life as a mortal. There is one other instance to which I desire to refer and that is my supposed ascension into heaven in a chariot of fire in the presence of Elisha. This is merely a tale, as I may say, well told, but it never had any existence in fact; and I did not ascend in my physical body, or did any other mortal that I have heard of, not even the Master, for it would be against the laws of God that such a thing should take place, and He never violates His laws for the purpose of demonstrating to mortals His power, or the greatness of any of His followers or for any other purpose. No, I died as other mortals died, and was buried as was necessary for me to be buried, having with one at the time of my death, friends and relatives; and since that time my physical body has never been resurrected and never will be. I ascended into the spirit world in my spirit body, as has every other mortal at the time of the death of his physical body since the world of human existence began, and in the future, the spirits of men will so continue to ascend and their physical bodies go to the elements out of which they were composed. It may be supposed, that because I was versed in the teachings of the religious laws of the Hebrews and the precepts of the decalogue and believed myself to be a prophet and especially delegated by God to denounce the sins and evils of the kings and people that had forsaken the beliefs and practices of their fathers, that I went into the heaven of perfection and into the supreme happiness that the obedient child when in perfect harmony with the laws of God, would enter. Well, if I had been such child, I might have done so, but not being such, I went merely into the spirit world and found my place just where the condition of my soul in its harmony with God's laws and His truths, fitted me for and determined that I should be placed. The condition of soul determines the destiny of the spirit. No mere belief in self-righteousness, or the conviction that I - the individual - have been specially favored by God to do His work, or that I am closer to God and deserving of His special mercy and favor, or that a special dispensation is exercised in my behalf, can ever place me in different surroundings or conditions or degrees of happiness, from what the actual harmony of the qualities of my soul with the laws of God and the workings thereof, entitle me. The law of fitness works invariably and under all circumstances, and the conditions and qualities of the soul in the spirit world can never be hidden nor counterfeited. Then is seen face to face, and the law in its application and effect never makes a mistake so that the soul not having the fitness cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven by crying, Lord, Lord, did I not prophecy in Thy name, etc. Many of these stories of the Old Testament may be profitably used to draw a moral or adorn a tale, but when the question arises, as what shall determine the destiny of the human soul, then the truth never changes, and only the truth will decide the question. Only a pure, perfect soul can find its home in a pure perfect heaven, and only a Divine soul can find its home in a Divine Heaven; which latter, is the home of the soul that possesses the Divine Essence of the Father to that fullness that the created qualities of the soul have disappeared and been replaced by the Divine Substance. So that, we may be prophets and preachers, wise in the intellectual knowledge of religious truths, and saints on earth, and apostles and disciples, and yet, not having the purification of the soul or the Divine Essence, we cannot enter the home which the one or the other of these possessions, will fit us for. Let the prophets of Old, and the sacrifices and the blood and the vicarious atonement rest in the memory of forgetfulness, and seek and obtain the inflowing of the Divine Love of the Father, and then the home of the soul will truly and certainly be the Heavens Celestial where only things Divine can exist. Well, I have written enough for to-night, and hope that you will find my message both interesting and helpful. It is true, and you can believe that it is and in its truth rests the certainty of what the destiny of your own soul may be. I will come again very soon. So good-night. Your brother in Christ,Elias (Elijah) March 18th, 1917 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Luther. I had some difficulty in writing my name, but I did not let that difficulty deter me or prevent me from writing. Well, I merely want to say that if things are favorable, I should like to come tomorrow night and write you a message on the subject of which I have before written. Well, I know, and am thankful, and will come. Well, I am interested in the war only as a lover of all the children of God. There is no distinction in my love between the German and the Englishman and the Frenchman, and the mortal of any other nation, and hence, I am not writing to you as a German, but as a spirit in whom all distinction as to the objects of his love has no existence. Of course, I have been interested in the war, because I sympathize with all mortals who may be in suffering and distress; and besides, many spirits are coming to the spirit world before their normal time, and all unfitted for the change from the mortal to the spirit. The consequence is that much suffering and confusion and feelings of hatred and revenge exist among these spirits, that otherwise would not exist. But we spirits are powerless to prevent the dire distress and sufferings caused to mortals by their fellows. Man exercises his will and man must endure the consequences. But this I will say, that I think the war will soon end and peace be restored to earth, and I trust a greater peace than has existed among men for a long time. Well, I must stop now. So good night and God bless you. Your brother in Christ, Luther March 18th, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your own true and loving Helen: Well dear, I was waiting for you to call me. The other spirits who tried to write were not dark spirits, but were not of the soul spheres either; and were very much disappointed that they could not get the rapport. We did not try to prevent them writing, and they failed because they could not get the power. You have done considerable writing tonight and I must not detain you very long as you are tired, although you may not realize it. But tomorrow night I will come and write my message just after Luther shall have finished his. You may doubt the identity of the spirit who wrote you but he says that he is the man, and that he has recently come to the spirit life and is very weak and somewhat at a loss as to just where he is. I heard you call him and when he came, of course, we let him write. He will come again, and explain how he heard your call. Well, Mrs. Wilson wrote, and she was very anxious to do so, and very grateful that she was permitted to write. I will do what you requested, and tell her who her soulmate is, and whether it be her late husband or not she will be the better by knowing. I will also tell her of the other greater thing that you suggested without telling her what it is. But I will take great pains in instructing her, and believe that she will listen to me. Many spirits were here tonight, and your father enjoyed writing very much. He is with you very much looking after you. I will not write more now. So love me and believe that I love you and am Your own true and loving, Helen This is an inferred date, based on the HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/misc/RestofSpirits.htm" tablet entry for Mrs Wilson. March 29th, 1917 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Robert G. Ingersoll. Well, I come first because I am more modest than the other spirits who are present, and will say a few words and then give place to the others. I have been with you while you were reading the work of Swedenborg, and was much interested in the impression made upon your mind by what he said, and found that your impressions were not very different from those that I had when I read his book while on earth, except this, that I had no belief in the spirit world, while you have. Of course, you know from the knowledge that you have received through the messages that have come to you that many of his assertions are erroneous and the creatures of a mind that was fitted with a great knowledge of scientific things as accepted in his day, and also of a desire on his part to reconcile his knowledge of science and of theological teachings with what he supposed had been imparted to him by spirits and angels. But the result was that they could not be reconciled, and the consequence was that he declared doctrines and teachings that were utterly at variance with spiritual truths; and no one knows better than he does at this time of the falsity of many of his teachings. Swedenborg had many opportunities for receiving and imparting the truth, but his great learning in the sciences and his beliefs in the old orthodox doctrines of the church in which he had been reared led him to conclusions and declarations of truths - as he believed - that were contrary to both science and religion in its higher and true sense. Well, you may wonder that I write on this subject, and to answer any question that may arise from your surprise, I only desire to say that since I have received a knowledge of God's plan for the salvation of mankind and some of His Divine Love, I have been investigating with all the energies of my soul the great truths that exist and which are never changed. And in such investigation I have talked with Swedenborg and have learned from him the sources of his wonderful declarations and doctrines as set forth in his works. He is now in full knowledge of the truth, and also of his errors of his own learned disquisitions, as his followers believe and pronounce them to be. He can best explain to you the causes of his erroneous beliefs and what led him to attempt to explain the teachings that he received in the spirit world and his experiences in the mystical way that he did. I will not write more on the subject. But I, Ingersoll, who was truly and honestly an agnostic, can and do say that in this spirit world I had less darkness and less erroneous beliefs to get rid of than had Swedenborg; and while he had more of this Divine Love in his soul than had I - for I had none - yet his mind was so warped by his intellectual conceptions of the truth that it was easier for me to find the true way and progress in it towards the Father's Love and the Celestial heavens than it was for him. This he has told me, and I have listened to him with much interest, and have learned that the way of the narrow and bigoted orthodox believer is a harder road to travel than that of the agnostic who has not in his soul been too much defiled by sin and evil. I am still progressing and praying, and believing and receiving, the inflow of this Wonderful Love. Oh, I tell you that this Love is the greatest thing in all the spirit world, as well as on earth, and the only thing that brings the soul in close union and harmony with the Father. I will not write more now, but soon I will come and write my promised letter. So, my dear friend, with my love and gratitude, I will say good night. Your brother in Christ, R. G. Ingersoll March 29th, 1917 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Mary Kennedy: I am here, and I will not keep my own dear soulmate waiting any longer, for he is just ready to explode from the anxiety that he has to hear from me. He may not acknowledge this to you, but it is true, for I can read his soul and do not flatter myself when I tell you this. Well, it has been some time since I wrote him even if you do not think so, but it has been to me, for if you could only realize the happiness that I experience in writing to him, you would understand that sometimes we spirits know what time means in the spirit world, though many of them tell you that they do not know what time means. Well, it may be so, but I doubt that they who say this have ever had the experience of waiting for the opportunity of writing to their soulmates on earth. I have been with him a great deal, as he knows, and have become a part of his thoughts, and tried to respond in a sensitive way to his thoughts of love that he has sent to me, and sometimes I realized that I succeeded. Well, tonight I desire to tell him that I am more interested in his happiness which comes to him from the inflowing of the Father's Love than from any that may come from the inflowing of my love, and while I do love him with all my soulmate love, and want him to realize it in all its fullness, yet I am more anxious that his soul shall be opened up to this greater love that is so necessary to his eternal salvation and a home in the celestial spheres. And besides, I must tell him this - that the souls that have this Divine Love developed within them have a more wonderful capacity for this lesser love than those who have only the development of the natural love. To the former there is no end of happiness and to the possibilities of progress. From my writings, and especially from those in which I attempt a little pleasantry, Leslie may sometimes think I may be a little frivolous or not so serious as a spirit of my development and possession should be, but of this I want to disabuse his mind, for he must know that when there is great joy and happiness growing out of love, even the Divine Love, there will be gladness and pleasantry, and sadness or continued seriousness will have no part in that happiness. I am very serious at times, and meditate with great earnestness and soul longings on the truths of the Father and the meaning of His great Love, and my soul goes out to Him with all the reverence and adoration that He would ask of me, and when I pray for my soulmate and for his progress in this love, then am I most serious and let the longings of my soul go to the Father with all the earnestness that I possess. No, he must not think that I am a frivolous soulmate flitting from sphere to sphere as one of the spirits wrote you in reference to us who have the Love of the Father in our souls, and seem to he so bright and airy. Only those who are in darkness or who are bereft of this great Love are habitually serious looking with never a laugh or a song to make glad the heart of some other spirit or perchance mortal. Why, if I had to always be serious or apparently an angel of deep thought trying to solve the problems of the universe, I would not be the possessor of the Love that I have, and my face would not shine as the sun, which is the appearance of those spirits who have this Love of the Father in their souls as I have it. I am not flattering myself, as you mortals say, but am stating to you a truth that cannot be gainsaid by any in our spirit planes where we of the redeemed souls live and love and pray. Of course, when I come to your room or into the earth plane, I do not bring with me my real appearance which my soul produces, for I would not be what the spirits who live on this plane could endure and, then, I am only a beautiful spirit as we are sometimes described by those who write, but, as I am, only those who are like me or higher than I can see or understand. And so I am trying to help my dear one to get so much of this Love in his soul that, when he comes to our spirit world, it may not be long until he can be in condition to see his Mary as she really is. Well, I am thankful that I could write this tonight for I so much desired that he should have some conception of me as I really am. Tell him that my love is with him all the time, whether I am his Mary in the lower plane or his Mary in the higher heavens, where she appears to her spirit associates in all the beauty of her glory, a glory that can come only with and from the possession of the greatest of all loves. I thank you and will not write more. So, my dear friend, with my sister's love to you and my soulmate's eternal love to him, I will say goodnight. Your sister in Christ, Mary April 1st, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Elias: I will write a few words in respect to the sermon that you listened to tonight on the question: Do the dead communicate with the living? The preacher (Rev J.L.Gorden, preacher of the Congregational Church, 10th and Y Street, Washington D.C.) is a believer in what he enunciated and the only trouble with him is that he has very little knowledge of the truths of spiritualism, and hence his ability to teach these truths is very limited. The mere fact that the soul and spirit of man continue to live when they shuffle off the mortal coil, as he described it, is but the first truth of this great subject, and is one that all spirits learn immediately upon their separation from the body no matter what their religious beliefs may be or whether they have any such beliefs or not. This fact is one about which there can be no difference in knowledge. They all know, in a moment, as it were, that there is no such thing as the death of the soul - the real man. But this, as I say, is the mere beginning of knowledge, and beyond the fact of this continuous existence, this knowledge serves no purpose as to the destiny of man. The preacher was much interested in the book (Raymond) about which he was talking and found in it some statements that are confirmatory of the beliefs that he already possessed, and some statements that are new to him and which gave him somewhat larger views on the subject; but necessarily these views are not of the vital truths which a more complete or extended knowledge of spiritualism will give to him. The spirit of whom he was talking knew little more than what appeared to his senses, and, of course, these things are only those that come to the knowledge of the spirit when it first enters the spirit land. Its truths are not learned in a moment, and frequently not for centuries, and as to the higher truths, are never learned by a great majority of the spirits. So that, what is contained in the book referred to is very consoling to those who believe that their loved ones are waiting to meet them, and will receive them when they cease to be mortals, with love and affection and joy, and further that these loved ones are with the mortals while on earth, watching over them and trying to help them, yet no information as to the lives that these spirits must lead in the spirit world as soon as their status is determined by the great law of attraction and what the future may be and is disclosed to them and for the reason that the spirit communicant did not know. But, as the preacher said, it is a glorious knowledge to possess, that man after death, still lives, and that his soul does not have to wait for some great resurrection day to realize that it has life and consciousness. The preacher is still in the dark as to the conditions of spirits and their destiny, and as to the means provided to attain to the heavens, and become released from the hells, by the Father's love. To merely live is not the end of men or spirits, and the fact of living as a spirit of today instead as a mortal of yesterday does not demonstrate immortality; and the consoling thought that the preacher expressed from the fact of continued existence after death, are merely the wishes of desire based on such existence. The preacher has at this time within his own soul that which is freed from the limitations of his erroneous beliefs in many supposed truths, would cause him to know that the life in the spirit world is something more than the mere living, and that this living is only a means to the realization and possession of that immortality that is so often preached about and hoped for. He has much of the Divine Love in his soul, and that soul is struggling to expand and get in condition to receive more of this love, and is prevented from so doing only by the erroneous beliefs that he has imbibed and misconstrued by his long sears of living in what he calls, the truths of the Bible and the fear that if he loses such beliefs or questions the truth of the source of his beliefs there can be no salvation for him. And this is not surprising, for he knows no source of correction of these errors of his beliefs, and as a wise man - and wise only because he does not know how to obtain greater wisdom - he holds on to his beliefs and reverences the source thereof - and his intellect is satisfied. But the soul, the important soul, which can be fed only by its own perceptions, is like the imprisoned bird, panting and struggling to beat down the bars of its imprisonment and get out into the freedom of God's wide atmosphere. And his mind - the misguided mind - is the bars of his soul's freedom and prevents it from opening up its own perceptions. If the preacher only knew the truth and the way to open the doors to his soul's prison, he would long for that truth and seek that way with all the energies of his soul's powers, and would then become free and progress towards the attainment of the certain knowledge of immortality. But this I will say now, that sometime he will learn the truth and the way, and his beliefs will become in accord with the longings of his soul and the shackles of his mind's erroneous beliefs will be loosened and fall from him, and then he will realize that he is a true son of the Father, privileged to partake of the Great Love without limit in his onward progress to the Celestial spheres. The church was filled with many spirits interested in the discourse, anxious to learn any truths that might be declared, but they learned nothing, for what he declared, as truths, they already knew, notwithstanding that these spirits were of all kinds - wicked and dark and suffering and bright and happy, and mostly still men without the physical body. Well, I thought it might be advisable to write as I have, so that, if the preacher should ever hear this message, he will see the necessity for seeking the deep and real truths that disclose the conditions and destinies of the spirit of men. And besides, he will also realize the importance of his knowing these truths, so that he may teach them not only to men, but to spirits as well, who form the vastly larger part of his auditors. I will not write more now. With my love and prayers for the Father's blessings on you, I am Your brother in Christ, Elias April 3rd, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, James (the Lesser): I will not write long tonight, but pray to the Father to bless you and make your faith increase. No, I never belonged to any of those sects, not did Jesus. He was never learned in the wisdom of India or Egypt, or Persia, as the writer whom you were reading tonight asserted. He was taught by the Father and the Angels of God, and his knowledge was that which came from these teaching and the opening up of his soul perceptions. He was not a son of the Magi, or of the wise men of any of the countries referred to, but as to knowledge and wisdom he was a son of the Father only. I will come again soon and write you. So, good night. Your brother in Christ, James April 8th, 1917. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Swedenborg. I merely want to say that I have been reading my work as you read, and that I now realize how many statements of error and untruth I made in that work. The errors are so many that it will take a longer time than I have tonight in which to give you a bare outline of them. But I will soon come and write you, and hope that you can give me an evening when I can write without limitation of time. Since I have been in the spirit world, I have found that there are so many statements in my writings of my experiences while in the mortal, when I was permitted in my spirit - or as I then said, interiors - to enter the spirit world, that were not truly conceived or interpreted, that it is absolutely necessary that I should correct and describe in accordance with what I now know of the truth, and especially is this necessary as I have on earth a large number of mortals who believe in my teachings and are trying to follow them in their lives and deeds. So, you will appreciate my anxiety to be permitted to write. Tonight, I will not write more. Well, I am sorry to say, that I did not know of the Divine Love, which by its reception into the soul made angels of men, and recreated them, so that their souls became in their very substance, Divine. I did not know of this Love as contradistinguished from the love that was bestowed upon man at his creation, and which, in itself, has nothing of the Divine. No, I was ignorant of this and never learned it in the spirit world in my visits to that world, nor in my conversation with spirits. ( HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/contemporary/ar76.htm" see clarification) I know now that no matter how great is the ruling love of a man for falsity and evil when he enters the hells, he will have the opportunity to have that love changed, and that ultimately the loves of all who are in the hells will be changed into the love for good - in some instances into the Love of the Divine, and in others, to the purification of their natural loves to that which will make them perfect men. These are some of the things that I desire to write about, and there are many others equally erroneous. I am in the Celestial Spheres, and of course, am an angel of God and the possessor of His Divine Love that has caused my soul to become Divine, and immortality to become to me a thing of understanding and possession. I will stop now, and with my love and the blessings of God and all the Divine angels, I will say goodnight. Your brother in Christ, Swedenborg April 8th, 1917. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Luke. I come to tell you that you must not doubt that HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/religious12.htm" Swedenborg wrote to you, and what you wrote, or rather, received, in answer to your questions, he actually wrote. We are all desirous that he shall write you on the subjects that he has expressed a desire to write upon, for many of the teachings and doctrines that are contained in his earthly writings are erroneous and must be corrected, for they are being studied and believed in by many mortals, and all to their leading away from the truth. The one great error or untruth that must be corrected is his teaching, that Jesus is God. This is blasphemous and abhorrent to all the angelic spirits, and more so to the Master than to any other, and for the correction of this, Swedenborg must write. Well, I will not write more tonight, except to say this, that another anniversary of the resurrection of the Master, as it is believed, has come, and men are worshipping Jesus as God, and sending their praises and thanks to him as the great redeemer of the world by his death and "resurrection", while as you know, his death had very little to do with that redemption, and his resurrection was not the resurrection that he taught could be the experience and possession of all mankind. It is pitiable and destructive to the truth for men to believe and teach that the mere resurrection of the spirit from the body is the resurrection that Jesus came to teach and demonstrate; and when we see each year the repetition of the observance of the anniversary of this rising of Jesus from his physical body, and all the false beliefs and teachings, we realize more and more the necessity for our truths being made known to the world. So you must work harder and pray to the Father to increase your soul development so that our messages may be more rapidly received. Remember what John said a few nights ago and believe, for the promises then made will soon be realized by you. I will come soon and write a message. With my love and great desire that we become closer in our rapport and more expedient in our work, I will say goodnight. Your brother in Christ, Luke April 8th, 1917. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here. Your own true and loving Helen. Well dear, I come to say that HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/religious12.htm" Swedenborg actually wrote you, as I realize that you had a doubt come into your mind as to whether he really wrote. He actually answered your questions in his own words, and not any thought contained in his answers came from your mind. Luke also wrote, and you must believe. Goodnight and God bless you. Your own true and loving Helen April 12th, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Luther: When I was on earth I had my troubles and suffering but thanks be to the Father, I was never forsaken and you will not be. And when you consider the greater importance of your work as compared to mine, you must realize that the Father, and the powers of His angels are more interested in preserving you from everything that may interfere with your work than He was with me; for while I was earnest and sincere in what I attempted to do, and believed that I was right in my attacks on Catholicism and in my teachings of the truth, yet I was in error in many things; and you, on the contrary, will not be in error, because what you may receive will come only from the spirits and angels who know what God's Truths are, So you must see the importance of your work and the necessity for its being accomplished. Take courage, and when these thoughts of dread of not being provided for and being felt without the means necessary to your existence, come to you, cast them aside. My dear brother, believe what I have been trying to impress you with, and that we all love you, and are trying to help you. Goodnight. Your brother in Christ, Luther April 12th, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Grover Cleveland: Let me say a word, too. I am your friend and desire to say just a few words about what has just been written you, and of the necessity of keeping up your faith in what has been promised you, and your courage. Of course, I am not of the higher spirits, but I am in the soul spheres of the spirit world, and it is so, as I am very happy to say, very largely because of your advice and help and consequently, you must know that I feel very grateful. I have not written you for a long time, and I have no doubt that you wonder who I am that is thus writing you; but in your wonder, think that I am a most grateful spirit, and one who desires to help you all that he can. I acted on your advice and listened to the high spirits who came to me and told me of the wonderful plan of God for the salvation of men and the making of their souls pure and like unto His in Love; and I, at last, to an extent, believed what they told me and prayed and hoped and continued to pray, and found that my prayers opened up the way to the Father's Love, and to His Kingdom of Light and Happiness. It was surprising to me how simple the plan is, and how the true longings of the soul will bring to itself this great Love, for I found that as I longed and desired in true earnestness, this Love was present, always present and not afar off to be searched for. Now the Father must love the souls of mortals and spirits! Well, now I am in the Third Sphere and in the association of spirits like myself who are filled with this Love to the extent that they are in great light and happiness, always striving for more Love, yet always contended. You may not understand this seeming paradox, but it is true, contended yet striving for more. And this is because this great Love of the Father has in it those qualities that bring a satisfying happiness and, the same time, creates a desire for more love. Well, my friend, I desire to tell you this because I know that you are interested in knowing something of my experience in the spirit world, and are pleased to know that I can call myself one of the redeemed. And now, knowing the truth of the Father's Love, and what its possession means to a spirit, I feel a great desire to tell you that what you first told me of is a thing of reality and that when you instruct spirits as to this Love and the Way to obtain it and happiness, you are conveying to them truths that are as real as the existence of our spirit world and the soul of men therein. I heard what the other spirits wrote you tonight and also want to urge you to have faith for I know this; that all the powers of these high spirits are being exercised in your behalf, for they say that you have a work to do, that only you can do. What a wonderful thing to contemplate! I do not yet understand it all, but this I do know, that you seem to be of great importance to these spirits. I am now much more interested in spiritual matters than in the war that your country has just entered, for I now see that among men and in their short lives on earth, wars and all such calamities are mere incidents, and do not determine the destinies of men in the great eternity, except as the individuals may or may not by their thoughts and desires carried into action, contaminate the conditions of their own souls and fit them for the hells and punishments that follow. If men would only understand that, after they become spirits and possess some of this Divine Love, the mortals of earth, all alike, become their brothers, and nationalities and race distinctions disappear to the spirit's consciousness! All are brothers and the possible recipients of this Love. But still, while we have no particular interest in nations as such, yet we have with us individuals and sympathize with them and love them, and are glad when those things which bring upon them unhappiness and misery cease to exist; and we try to exercise our influence for good on those who have the administration and directing of national affairs, and in this way we are interested in the war. To us there comes no feeling of bias or prejudice against any nation, or desire that any one nation shall become victorious, except as we see the men of one nation are in their advocacy of principles and justice more in accord with the righteousness and truth than another, and then we are on the side of truth and use our influence for its success. In this war, I think that the Germans and their Allies will be unsuccessful and believe that the war will soon end. But this is for man to determine, though we are exercising our influence to bring about this determination. I will not write more tonight, but as I progress, which the higher spirits tell me I will do, I will come to you and write you of my progress. With my love and gratitude, I will subscribe myself, Your brother in Christ, Grover Cleveland April 14th, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Elias: I come tonight to write a few lines only, as you are not in condition to receive the lengthy discourse that I promised you. I merely desire to say that I will be pleased to give you my message as soon as you feel that you are in condition to receive it. Of course, as you know, it is necessary for you to be in the proper condition as it is for me to be so. There must be a mutual rapport so that our powers may work in unison. Well, I have nothing further to write tonight, except to say that you must not let your feelings of discouragement take so great a hold on you. They do harm and unfit you for your work. So with my love, I will say Goodnight, Elias April 19th, 1917 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Mother of Leslie: I came to say that I am much pleased for this opportunity to write to him once more. Of course I have been with him a great deal and he has felt my presence, but it is so much more satisfaction to write him and tell him in words of my love and solicitude for his welfare. I am now in a higher sphere of the Celestial Heavens and correspondingly happy and I find that as this great love comes to me it seems that I love him with a greater intensity. I wish that I could describe the glories of my new home so that he might have some idea of what the heavens constitute in which his mother now lives and what it means. He has heard described some of the spiritual spheres which transcend all conceptions. But those descriptions are very inadequate to convey the true portrayal of what the heaven which is mine contains. But I am also happy in that his father has also progressed and is so much happier and has so much more of the love in his soul. We are in the earth plane a great deal of the time trying to help his sisters and brothers who have their many troubles and moments of unhappiness and if we could only get in rapport with them like we can with Leslie, they would be much happier. But as it is they do believe in our presence as their true loving parents and are conscious of us sometimes when they need our help. But this they cannot understand and their thoughts do not often turn to us and as a consequence we are not able to get as close to them as we desire. The girls are more interested in earthly matters than in those pertaining to the spirit world, and are very largely absorbed in the war and its possibilities. Well, this is quite natural, but yet if they could only know that the other things such as the spirit are more important and if they would only turn their thoughts more to the spirit world and think of their parents more often, they would receive an influence and help that would add so much to their happiness even though they could not understand its source. As you know we are controlled by law and no matter how great our desires may be to come in closer contact with our children and cause them a greater happiness but if they do not want to respond to our feelings, they can prevent our doing so. Of course they do not understand what possibilities are theirs and what a little thing keeps them from us or rather permitting our influence to come to them as it otherwise would. Let them have a real yearning for our presence or a wish that they could have us with them and it will lift the veil that keeps us from making our presence conscious to their souls perceptions. We are hoping though that someday or rather someway they will have an awakening so that we may come closer together. Tell Leslie to write them to think more about their mother and send out a desire that they could have her with them and then I will be with them and they will know that it is true although they may not realize the fact. Yes, I sometimes visit the scenes of battles and it is also possible that I do not stay very long, except at sometime when I have the opportunity to help some poor spirit who has suddenly found himself in the spirit world and is in great confusion and apparently all alone. I am also with my son who is in the army and try so hard to reach his consciousness, but with very little success and while I do not know when he may be called to battle and suffer the dissolution of life, yet I am with him waiting to help him should the end of life come to him. My love draws me to him and my love will keep me with him until he either becomes a spirit or returns to his home. Oh! What a terrible thing is war and if mortals would only understand what it means to the individual spirit, they would try to bring an end to its ravages and destruction. I have written considerably and must stop. But I wish to say that Leslie's father is also here now and sends his love and blessings and wants him to know that the signal which he spoke of is the one that his father uses to notify him of his presence. Also tell Leslie to continue to pray and believe for in doing so his prayers ascend to the real living and loving Father and his beliefs are of the truth of the great truth - that leads to God and redemption and immortality. Thanking you I will say - goodnight. Priscilla Stone, Mother of Dr. Stone April 22nd, 1917. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I was with you to-night and heard the sermon, but there was not much said that was very vital to our truths, and I have no comments to make on the sermon. Luther was there also and was disappointed somewhat, for he rather expected the preacher to say some things that might have been beneficial to the souls of his hearers. He will write you very soon, and he is very anxious to do so. Remember that I love you with a very great love, and that you are my chosen one to do this work, and that to no other man has such an opportunity and privilege ever been given; and you must not become a failure. So much is dependent upon the world getting the truths at this time, for men's souls are longing for the truth, and are susceptible to receiving the same than ever in the history of mankind. So believe in my love and anxiety and permit yourself to get in close rapport with me. I will pray with you to-night, and you will realize some response to my prayers. When you pray to-night, believe that what you ask for will come, and you will not be disappointed. Well, as I told you, when I delivered to you the prayer, if you offer that prayer with all the earnestness and longings of your soul, it will be answered; and when the answer comes these material things will come also, for when you receive what that prayer asks for you will then be in possession of the Kingdom of God, and these other things will be added to you. God knows what you need, and is always ready to bestow upon you these needful things, and when you become His true child, He will not neglect to give you these other things. He is more thoughtful and careful of His children than is the earthly father, and His angels are always ready to do His bidding, So have faith, and pray, and pray and you will realize the wonderful responses that will come to you. I will not write more to-night, but again impress upon you the necessity of faith and prayer; and you must not forget that we angels of the Father are with you trying to help you.Good-night. With all my love and blessings, I am Your brother and friend, Jesus April 22nd, 1917. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Luke. I will say only a word, for I see how you feel and how important it is that you believe that the HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/mediums4.htm" Master wrote you, and how certain it is that you can rely upon what he said. If you only knew how much he is interested in you, and how much love and care He is bestowing upon you, you would not for a moment doubt or lose faith in his promises. And, besides, we are all with you in love and efforts to help you. So believe and you will not be disappointed. With my love I will say, good-night. Your brother in Christ, Luke April 22nd, 1917. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I will say that we are all here, and heard what the HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/mediums4.htm" Master said, and know that he wrote, and that you can rely on what he said, let doubt leave you, and love and faith take possession of your soul. May God bless and keep you in His love, Paul John James Luther Barnabas Samuel John Wesley John the Baptist April 22nd, 1917. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving Helen. Well, dear, the messages have been rather unusual to-night. I mean the messages corroborating what the HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/mediums4.htm" Master said, and they show you that you must not doubt or lose your faith in what has been written you, not only to-night but in all the past. You must also see how interested these spirits are in you, and in the work you must do, for otherwise you would never have received such messages. Each of those whose names are subscribed, HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/mediums5.htm" actually wrote. I know them all, and saw them sign their names, and with each signature was a prayer that God would bless you, and give you a great abundance of his love. It is all so wonderful, that I am somewhat astonished at this great display of interest in you, and desire that you shall believe. So, my dear husband, believe with all your soul, and trust in the love of the Master, and his great desire to see you happy and free. I will not write more to-night, although I had intended to write my personal letter, but you are too tired to receive it. But you know how much I love you and how anxious I am to see you happy and filled with the Father's love. I love you and want you to love me. Good-night.Your own true and loving, Helen April 25th, 1917. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, St. John, Apostle of Jesus. (question) Well, He answers the prayers for things material by the work and operation of His angels and spirits, and they in that work are subject to the limitations of success as I have above mentioned. God does not exercise any arbitrary power to answer prayers, but when they are sincerely offered to Him, He works through His angels in answering them, and He does not by His mere fiat do so. His angels are always watching and working, and when the opportunity comes, they use their influence in the best possible way to bring about the ends desired. As you know, man has a free will, and that determines very largely the action of men, and such actions are never arbitrarily controlled by any Divine power. If the prayers of men as to material things can be responded to by the workings of the angels and spirits, they are; but if such response depends upon the will of men, then they are not received by mortals, except as the spirits may be able to influence that will and cause men to act in compliance with that influence, which is always used for the purpose of bringing about the response to the prayers that are, in their nature, proper and worthy to be answered. (question) Well, I doubt if any of those petitions were ever answered in the arbitrary way that is related in the Old Testament. God never answers prayer in that manner, and the petitions of the old prophets had no more influence to bring about the answers to the same, in the manner indicated, than have the prayers of the sincere and earnest man of these days. God was the same then as He is now, and worked through the spirits then as He does now, except that now He has angels of the soul development in the Divine Love, that He did not then have, and these angels are doing His bidding as well as are the spirits. But He does not answer prayers for material things except in a manner in consonance with laws controlling the free will and actions of men, as they may be operated upon and influenced by the work of spirits. Sometime I will come and write you a message on this subject of prayer and answer. But this I want to say, that we can at times understand what will happen in the near future, and having such knowledge, can tell to mortals what may be expected, or rather what will occur, and this we sometimes do. In your case, we all of the higher spheres, as well as many of the spirit spheres, know what your petitions have been in reference to these material matters, and we have been working to bring about a realization of the same on your part - not only because of your petitions, but because they are so necessary to the doing and completion of our work; and we have been using our influence to the utmost to accomplish this end. But as I say, we are all limited, and have not the power to cause the happening of any event by our mere willing the same, even though we are doing the work of the Father. This may seem surprising as well as disappointing to you, but it is a fact, and it is a great truth that God helps those who help themselves. Of course, you must not lose sight of the fact that while men must themselves do those things that bring about changes or happenings or phenomena in material things, yet we can influence - but not control absolutely - their desires and intentions, and their wills that put into operation or effect these intentions. No, these things, as to their immediate manifestations, are subject to the wills of men. God never by a mere act of the moment or of a physical character, places into the hands of any man riches or prosperity. These things must immediately be wrought and brought about by man, but man in doing this can and is wonderfully influenced by the workings of the spirits. Well, that is a question that has caused men to doubt and consider and explain in various ways the so-called miracle of the loaves and fishes. As I was a disciple of the Master at that time, it is quite natural that I should be expected to state whether such a miracle ever occurred, and of course, I can state what the fact in relation thereto is. And notwithstanding that it has been used by preachers and teachers for many centuries to show the wonderful power possessed by Jesus, and thereby cause the people to believe in and accept him as God, or at least having God-like powers, and has been used to work much good among those who were seeking for the true religion, yet I am compelled and sorry to say, that no such miracle ever took place. While Jesus had wonderful powers, and understood the workings of the spiritual laws to a far greater extent than any mortal who ever lived, yet he had not the power to increase the loaves and fishes as is set forth in the account of the miracle. To be able to do so would be against the laws of God governing the material things of His creation, and also beyond and outside of the powers conferred on any man or angel by any spiritual laws. There are certain laws by which we who are acquainted with and use them and may cause a dematerialization of physical substances, and also may to a limited degree cause a materialization of spiritual substances, but I am not acquainted with any law that would have operated, under the control of Jesus, to increase the loaves and fishes to the great number mentioned in the story referred to. As a fact, I know that no such miracle took place, and Jesus will tell you the same. There are other alleged miracles in the Bible that never had any existence as a fact. Well, I have written you a long letter tonight, and I must stop, but I am pleased that you asked me about the response to prayers, and the miracle of the loaves and fishes, for your questions gave me the opportunity, to some extent, to explain these matters. But, as to prayer, you must wait until I deal with it more at large or in detail before you conclude that you understand the subject fully. And I say to you pray not only for the spiritual things which God bestows through His Holy Spirit, but also for the material things which He bestows through His angels and spirits. The proper prayer will be answered sooner or later, and your prayer for that of which I have written will be answered, even though to you the response may seem a long time delayed. With my love and blessings, I will say goodnight. Your brother in Christ, John April 25th, 1917. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving Helen. Well, dear, I am glad that HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/jesus28.htm" John wrote you as he did, for it will give you an insight into some principles regarding the powers of spirits to help mortals, that you may not before have understood. What he said is true, and I am glad that he wrote. It may prove a little disappointing to learn that spirits have not the powers to do everything, as mortals may suppose, but I do not want you to underestimate their powers, for they have great powers, even as respects the material things. Of course, they cannot move a house, or cause the wealth of one mortal to be removed from him and placed in the possession of another, but they can and do use great influence on mortals to cause them to do physical things that the spirits cannot directly do. Your prayers are not futile, even as to these material things that are subject to the control of mortals, for these very mortals are, under certain circumstances, subject to our influence, and thereby, control. When we promise you that a certain thing or things will happen, we mean that we will exercise our influence on mortals in such a way that they will bring about these happenings in response thereto. And you must not believe that when we promise you something that that something, as a matter of course, will come to you. We mean that it will come to you by reason, primarily, of the work that we are doing among mortals. We can see some things before they have an existence in your physical world, and can tell you of the same. And some things we believe will happen, and also, tell you - and when they do not, we are disappointed as well as are you. Your own true and loving, Helen April 26th, 1917. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving Helen. Well, dear, I see that you are very happy tonight, and I am so glad and want you to feel that you have around you other spirits who are glad also.I will not write much tonight, but commencing Sunday night I wish that you will commence to receive the messages that are waiting to be written you, and there are many, and of the greatest interest and importance. I was present when the Broker was writing to you, and I want to say that he is very much interested in the work and will do everything possible to make it a success. We are all interested in this, for we understand the importance of it and what great results will follow your getting in the position that you so much desire. Have faith and you will not be disappointed. Love me and believe that I love you. Good night, my dear husband. Your own true and loving Helen April 30th, 1917 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, John: I merely want to say that you are in a better condition tonight than you have been, and I should like to write you a message but it is too late. I heard your conversation tonight, and was much interested in it. You and your friend have the right idea as to the manner in which the truths are to be made known to the world by preachers and others who may become believers in these truths and feel the call to make the same known. The great qualification will be the possession of the Divine Love. If this is wanting the teacher has not that which is absolutely necessary to make his teachings a success. In good time all these things will be explained to you. So have faith that you will be placed in condition to do the work that is named. Goodnight. Your brother in Christ, John May 1st, 1917. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Caesar. Yes, I am the spirit of that Roman who thought himself of so much importance, and then realized that he was a very insignificant spirit in his place in the spirit world. Well, I am glad to be able to write to you again, and especially so, as I can tell you that HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor276.htm" since I last wrote you I have progressed out of my hells and torment, and am now in the Third Sphere where there is so much love and happiness. Now this may seem a little surprising to you, but it need not, for you will remember that when I last wrote to you I informed you that I would then go with the beautiful spirit that came to me at your suggestion, and listen to his words of wisdom, as I now know them to be, and seriously consider what he might say to me. Well, I went with him and he was so loving and patient, and seemed to have such great knowledge of the truths of God that I not only listened to him once but many times, and made a great effort to follow his advice. I commenced to pray to the Father for the inflowing of that great Divine Love of which the good spirit told me, and continued to pray until I felt its inflowing, and the effect on my soul was wonderful, for as the Love came to me I found that the darkness left me, and also my sufferings, and with this Love came knowledge of these truths of which I had been told - I mean a convincing faith that these things were true. When I commenced to have this experience I continued to pray the harder and all the longings of my soul and mind and of every part of me that could have a feeling or aspiration went from me, and I continued to pray without ceasing. As you may know, when on earth I was a very positive and striving person, and these characteristics I did not lose when I became a spirit, notwithstanding that I remained so many centuries in a state of stagnation and helplessness; for during all this time I knew of no goal to which I could aspire, and of no peace that was better than the one in which I spent the long dreary years of my spirit life. But as soon as I found that there was a future condition of light and happiness, I entered with all the energies of my soul to seek for that happiness, and as I was told that my progress depended so very largely upon my own efforts, I permitted nothing to interfere with my strivings for the obtaining of this Divine Love, and thanks to the loving Father, I at last found relief from my torments, and fullness of love that brought to me bliss and the companionship of beautiful and loving spirits. But I must not neglect to say that in all this effort on my part, I had the help and prayers of many loving spirits who seemed so anxious that I should get this Love and become in harmony with the Father and His will: and now I am no longer the resentful and wicked Caesar, but a very humble and grateful child; for I am still but a child in the knowledge of the great truths of which I have heard so much, and in the Love. Even now it is all so wonderful to me that I can hardly comprehend just what it all means. But this I know, that whereas I was for many long centuries a suffering, unloving and unloved spirit, seeking only solitude and nursing my resentment, I am now a bright, loving and beloved spirit, seeking and never tiring of the association of these bright spirits, with whom I am now making my home. And besides these, higher and grander spirits come to me, and encourage me to strive and pray, and tell me of the wonders that are before me and which can be mine. I am of the last, but these spirits tell me that I may become of the first, and I feel that there is no power in all the hells that can, and no power in all the heavens that will, prevent me from progressing and obtaining a home in the Celestial Heavens. I desire also to say that I have come to you many times when the spirits were writing you the wonderful messages of truth, and I learned from them many truths that I have tried to make mine, and which have helped me so much and revealed to me some of the plans provided by the Father for the salvation of men and spirits. You cannot conceive of the great number of spirits who are with you when these messages are being delivered, and how anxious many of them are to learn the truth and receive the help that these truths give of them Many have found the light and happiness through the knowledge this conveyed to them, and further, through the help that these beautiful loving spirits give them; for it seems that whenever these spirits that are in darkness indicate a desire to learn the truth these high spirits are always ready and anxious to teach and help and comfort the dark ones. I cannot explain to you how all this has not only astonished me, but caused me to regret that I let so many wasted years go by, without having sought the help of these spirits, for many a time they would come to me with their proffers of help and advice, but I would shun them and turn from them, not believing that they could help me. What a great mistake and how I paid the penalty of neglecting this way to salvation. And I wish further to say that as a fact, if I had not come to you, through curiosity more than anything else, I would not now be in the condition that I am; for it was only after you talked to me and told me of the way in which I could obtain relief, and brought me in rapport with these spirits and advised me to listen to them, did I think of the possibility of my being rescued or being able to find any relief from my then unhappy conditions; and so I must express to you my gratitude for your kindness and, as you then told me, love for me. Well, I am a different Caesar now. I will not write more, but as I told you before, I shall come sometime and write you a letter of some of my experiences on earth and in the spirit world during the earlier years of my life as a spirit. So hoping that you will pray for me and give me your kind thoughts, I will say good night. Your true friend, Caesar (Julius) May 5th, 1917. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I come tonight to write on the only way by which men can reach the Kingdom of God, or the way to the perfect man. This is a subject that many men and teachers have endeavored to explain to mankind, and the ways described have been as varied and sometimes contradictory as the thoughts and education of these men have differed; and all have sought to base their teachings and conclusions on the Bible. I, of course, mean those who profess to be Christians. As to other teachers and reformers, as they have been called, their teachings are based on the doctrines of the various sects to which they have belonged or professed allegiance. But the Kingdom of God is more peculiarly a phrase that is found in and belongs to the Christian Bible, and to some extent in the Hebrew scriptures. In considering the subject of this message it is first important to understand what is meant by the "Kingdom of God." Some understand or conceive it to be a kingdom on earth in which the will and laws of God will be followed and obeyed by men in the mortal life, and others understand it to be that Kingdom of God which exists and will continue to exist in perfection in the spirit world; and some few, that kingdom which will find its home or place of existence in the Celestial Spheres. Now, the way to each of these kingdoms is not the same, although in pursuing the way to one, and that the Celestial Kingdom, the way to the others, must necessarily be followed, or in other words, he who follows the way to the Celestial Kingdom pursues that course which in its pursuit, will cause him to do those things and obey those laws of God that are necessary to establish the Kingdoms on earth and in the spirit world; but he who pursues only the way that leads to the establishment of the kingdom on earth and in the spirit world, cannot possibly become an inhabitant of the Celestial Kingdom. The Kingdom of God on earth, or in the spirit world, may be obtained by man, or spirit, by obeying the will of God in those essentials that will work a purification of his natural love, and cause that coming into harmony with His laws which affect and control man as mere man; that is, that will restore man to the condition of perfection that existed before the fall of the first parents; and many of my teachings, when on earth, of which there are preserved a number in the Bible, were intended to instruct men into that way of life that would develop their moral qualities and free them from the taint and destructiveness of sin in which they were then and are now living. By the observance of my teachings and sincere obedience to these moral precepts, man will lose those things that belong to his appetites and passions and evil thoughts and desires, and realize that in their places will come a purer love and more spiritual desires and thoughts which lead to a cleansing of his heart and soul, and which means a living and thinking in harmony with the will and laws of God. For God is all good, and all His laws require that man shall become good in order that this kingdom in the spirit world shall be established. Naturally, and I mean according to His creation, man is good, and not the depraved creature that for so many centuries the teachings and doctrines of the church have declared him to be; and when he shall arrive at that state of goodness that was his in the beginning, he will merely have rid himself of those contaminating appetites, thoughts and desires that made him the sinful and inharmonious being that he now is. So, from this, you will see that the work of man, in order to enable the kingdom to become established on earth, is largely a work of renunciation; and this truth was taught by prophets and teachers prior to the time of my coming to earth and teaching the way to the Celestial Kingdom; and the same truth applies to the spirits that shall make up and establish the kingdom in the spirit world. In these kingdoms of the purification and regaining of the perfected natural love, there will be nothing of the divine nature of the Father, except as may be generally said, all the objects of His creation, by reason of being such objects, may partake of the image of the divine. But this is not the divine. The Divine in its true sense is that which partakes of the very essence and nature of god, and not that which is merely the object of his creation. Man, in body, soul and spirit body, is only a creation of God, and, as to the soul, an image of its Creator, but this creation was not made of any, the least part of the essence or substance of God; and this creation can, if it so please the Father, in its composite and coordinated existence, be utterly destroyed and reduced to the elements of which it was created, without in the smallest degree affecting the true substance or nature of God. So you will see, that in truth there is in or of man nothing of the divine; and, hence, when the kingdom of God shall be established on earth, or in the spirit world, there will be therein, nothing of the divine, only the existence of the perfect creatures, living and thinking in harmony with the laws of God which control their creation and existence. So that the way in which these two kingdoms of the non-divine can be established, is by man pursuing that course of thinking and living that will enable him to renounce and get rid of those things - foreign to his true nature - which prevent him from coming again into the exact harmony with the will of God as expressed and made obligatory by the law of man's creation. The observance of the moral law will enable men to accomplish this end. The love with which man was endowed, as the perfect man, enables him, as it becomes purified and more harmonious, to love God and to love his fellow-man as himself, for this natural love is one that in its perfection and nature is universal, and in its exercise every man is his neighbor's brother. The progressive qualities of this love which every man may obtain, are truly and wonderfully set forth by Peter in one of his epistles as contained in the Bible (II Peter, Chapter 1, Verses 5, 6, 7) and if men will seek these successive steps in acquiring the purifying development of this love, they will obtain the great object sought for. As I have written, the Bible contains many of my teachings which if followed, will lead to this end, and men will realize the Kingdom of God on earth. And here let me correct one mistaken belief or idea that has so long prevailed among mankind, and which, in its results, has delayed the coming of the kingdom on earth; and the correction is, that God by His mere fiat, or irrespective of the desires and workings of men's souls, will not establish this kingdom. Its establishment depends upon men, themselves, and until their loves become and they become in harmony with God's will, this kingdom will never be established. I know that it is believed and taught and emphasized, and men place all their hopes and expectations of a heaven of bliss on the statement, that I will at sometime come in the clouds of heaven with a great shout, to earth, and by the power which they believe exists in me, establish the Kingdom of God - a kind of kingdom in which I will be the king and rule supreme, and receive as my subjects those who believe in and worship me, and send those who do not into eternal damnation and outer darkness. Well, this is pitiable, untrue and all erroneous. This kingdom will never be established in this way, for only man, himself, can call into existence this kingdom, only by becoming the pure perfect man that existed when God's earthly kingdom had at man's creation, its existence. Man alone, brought sin into the world, and man must himself destroy sin, and then harmony with the Father's will will be restored, and also this kingdom. But, from what I have written, it must not for a moment or in the slightest degree, be inferred even, that God is not taking and will not take any part in the reestablishment of this kingdom, for it is a fact, that He is working through His angels upon the souls and thoughts of men to bring this kingdom on earth; but He will not force its establishment - it must come voluntarily on the part of men. When He created man, He gave him a free will - the most wonderful of the natural gifts to man - and He will not, by the exercise of His power arbitrarily control the direction of that will, but as to it leaves man supreme. Of course while this is so, yet if man in such exercise contravenes the laws of God, man must suffer the consequences, for He never changes or sets aside His laws. Man may exercise his free will as he desires and as his thoughts and appetites may influence him to do, but the freedom of exercise does not prevent the imposition of the penalties that the laws prescribe when they are violated. Thus you see there is freedom without limitation, but every inharmonious exercise of that freedom must invite the infliction of that which necessarily follows the violation of harmony. God wants and is patiently waiting for the love of man, and is always the loving Father who delights not in the suffering of His creatures, for He wants their love to come voluntarily and without constraint or fear of punishment or hope of reward, except that reward which must necessarily follow the blending of God's love and the love of man. Then I say, the Kingdom of Heaven on earth is not the Divine Kingdom, and has not in it that which is necessarily divine, except the love of God to His creatures to bless and make them happy. His essence and substance are not conferred upon them, for if they were, men would not remain in the kingdom of earth, but would, to a degree, be in the Celestial Heaven, even while on earth, and as I know some men, while still mortals, are in this Divine Heaven. Now, what I have said with reference to the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, applies with equal truth to the Kingdom of God in the spirit world, for there the inhabitants are merely the spirits of men after they have surrendered their physical bodies, and become purified in their natural love and in harmony with the will and laws of God controlling their existence as perfect men. While the Kingdom of God has not yet been established on earth, it has been in the spirit world, for in the highest sphere of that world the souls of men have become purified and harmony has been restored, and the souls of men enjoy the supreme happiness that was bestowed upon them at the time of their first creation, which God pronounced very good. Sometime you will have described to you the bliss and wonderful happiness of that kingdom; and I will not say that this is beyond all conception of men, and was established not by the mere power and will of God, but by the exercise of the will of men after they became spirits in renouncing evil and sin, and having their thoughts and desires and soul in its natural love purified and made harmonious. And here I must say, that all men who have ever lived, or who shall ever live, will, at sometime live in this Kingdom of God in the spirit world, or in the Kingdom of the Celestial Spheres; but the large majority will find their homes in the former kingdom. The hells and dark places will be emptied of their inhabitants and abolished forever, and, surprising as it may seem to mortals, not by the fiat of god, but the exercise of men's will and desires and longings for the attainment of the purification of their love, and by their reaching the goal of their aspirations. But God will be with them in their efforts, and his angels will do his will in helping mortals and spirits along this way to the spiritual kingdom. Then how important it is that mortals should understand and realize the great work that they must do in establishing the kingdom on earth and the kingdom in the spirit world, and not rest supinely in the mere intellectual belief that God will in His own way and at His own time, establish this kingdom, and that they who believe in God and observe the creeds and doctrines of their churches and perform their duties as church members, will become inhabitants of that kingdom, and in a moment become pure and undefiled and in harmony with the will of God and His laws. It is a very harmful belief, because the only way to this kingdom is the way of renunciation and purification, and all the beliefs ever possessed by men that do not lead to this purification of men's souls, will not lead to this kingdom. Man, with the help of the Father, must hew his own destiny, and the Father, without the effort of man will not make for him a destiny that his condition of soul and love do not entitle him to. But there is a Kingdom greater and different and unlike these kingdoms of which I have been writing, and that is the Celestial Kingdom of God; and only those who receive of the Divine Essence can become inhabitants of this Kingdom. The souls of men must become transformed into the very Nature Divine of God, and the natural love of man be changed in all its qualities and elements into the Divine Love of the Father. I have written that many of my moral teachings are recorded in the Bible, and that I came, or rather my acceptance by the Father as His beloved son, and the reception into my soul of His Divine Love qualified me to teach the way to the several kingdoms; and as was said in that Book, what was lost by the disobedience of the first man was restored by the coming of the second, and that only means, that by reason of the knowledge that came to me of truth and of the laws of harmony that govern God's universe, I was enabled to teach men the way to a return to the purity and development of their souls in natural love that existed before the great loss caused by the disobedience of the first man. I was not to bring about this restoration by any great power or Godlike qualities of omniscience that I might be supposed to possess, but merely by teaching men to love God and their brothers, and to pursue that course of living and thinking that would necessarily enable them to renounce sin and evil and come into a state of harmony with the laws of their creation. Now, while I taught these moral truths, I also taught the great spiritual truths that show men the way to the Celestial Kingdom, for in my communions with the Father there came to me not only the Divine Love which transformed my soul into the substance of the Father in its love qualities, but also the knowledge by which this Divine Love might be acquired and the certain way to the Celestial Kingdom, even though to a degree while in the flesh. But my spiritual teachings that show the way to the Celestial Kingdom were not so well understood by my hearers - and not even by my intimate disciples - but more so by John, and consequently were not preserved in the Bible, as were my moral teachings. And as to the Bible, I mean the original manuscripts were not written until many years after my death. Even in these manuscripts not many of my teachings as to the way that leads to this Celestial Kingdom, were contained; and afterwards when these manuscripts were copied, and the copies recopied, these important truths were not preserved - scarcely any. Though the fundamental ones, namely: God is love, and except a man be born again he cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven were retained. And as time went by and the recopying continued, fewer and fewer of my precepts were preserved, and men came to know less and less of these higher truths, and, consequently, the mere moral teachings became better understood and were used by the teachers and instructors of the masses to lead men to a kingdom of God. And in addition to this, these leaders changed even these moral truths and the interpretations of the early writers in such a way as to enable these leaders to attain to wealth and power and control over the common people in their beliefs and observances of worship. The God of love then, to a large extent, became a God of hatred and wrath, inflicting punishment upon those who dared to disobey those injunctions that the hierarchy of the church placed upon them as the demands and will of God. But these matters have been written upon more fully elsewhere, and I will not further enlarge upon them, and will now disclose the true way that leads to the Kingdom of God in the Celestial Heavens. Well, we have written a long time tonight, and I think it best to postpone my further writing till later. I must say this though, that I am pleased that you are in so much better condition, and I feel that now we can proceed more rapidly with our messages. Remember this, that my promises will be fulfilled, and you must have faith. I am with you very often, and love you as you know, and will continue to pray to the Father for you. So trust me and be assured that I am helping you in your desire. Good-night and God bless you. Your brother and friend, Jesus. May 5th, 1917. Washington D.C. Received by:James Padgett. I am here, St. John, Apostle of Jesus. I will not write much, but I desire to say that you have a wonderful HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/divinelove5.htm" message from the Master tonight, and that he was very anxious that you should receive it as correctly as possible; and I must tell you that he was very well satisfied with the way in which he was able to express his thoughts. It is a wonderful disclosure of the two kingdoms that may and will be established; the kingdom in the spirit world has already been established, for there are many spirits who have the purification of the natural love in that degree that makes them the perfect men as were the first parents. Well he will come soon and describe the greater and more important way to the true Kingdom of the Father, and I hope that you will be in condition to receive this part of the message in as correct a manner as you have received what has been written to-night. What a Jesus of knowledge and love he is. Can you doubt that he is the very Christ and the Saviour of mankind, and showed men the only way to the Celestial Kingdom. There was a great concourse of spirits present to-night, and many who heard his message were astonished, and, I know, benefitted thereby. The higher spirits were here in great numbers, and also many who have learned the way and are now progressing; and if you could have seen the expressions of love on their countenances you would thank the Father with all the gratitude of your soul that you have been selected for this work. Oh, my brother, let not doubt come into your soul as to your mission and as to the work that you are doing. Your bands, both the higher and those who are progressing, were here, and they were so thankful that the Father is so good, and blesses you so much. I will not write more but in closing repeat; pray and believe and the love will come to you in greater and greater abundance. With my love and the blessings of the Father, I will say good-night. Your brother in Christ, John May 6th, 1917. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus: I intended to HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/divinelove5.htm" finish my message tonight but I see that you are not feeling inclined to receive it and so I will wait until tomorrow night. Well, that is satisfactory, for I desire that you shall receive it just as I may write it, and I want you to be in condition; so do not think that I am disappointed. I understand and you must not feel that you have caused me any disappointment. Yes, that I desire you to do, for sometimes it is difficult to make the exact expression; your mind will at times become positive and that interferes with my control. But I am well pleased with the way in which it was written. Well, I will write all that is essential for man to understand just what the way to that kingdom is and what he must do to become an inhabitant of it. I was with you at the church this morning, and I impressed you with my feelings in reference to what the preacher said as to my sacrifice and blood. Instead of calling upon his people to show their gratitude for the sacrifice and the cross, he should have taught them that the sacrifice and the blood do not save them from their sins and in that particular there is nothing that calls for their gratitude; and that to worship me as they do, and as he teaches them to do, is blasphemy, and a more heinous sin than ingratitude. I was successful in impressing you with my feelings of dissatisfaction, and was glad that I could, for it shows that our rapport is becoming closer, and after a while you will be able to receive my thoughts by inspiration as well as by writings.You must pray and have faith, and if you do you will more often have the experiences that you did last night, which only means a quicker soul development. Trust me and you will not be disappointed. I will not write more now. So with my love and the Father's blessing , I will say goodnight. Your brother and friend, Jesus May 6th, 1917 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving Helen. Well dear, I see that you do not feel like writing much tonight, and I will say only a few words. The Master was anxious to finish his message, but he saw your condition and was not displeased that you did not write. So sweetheart, keep up your courage and faith and pray, and you will be happier and realize your desires. Goodnight, my own dear husband. Your own true loving, Helen This appears to be for another date, as Jesus did write on this date. May 8th, 1917. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I see that your work has prevented you from receiving my message tonight, and while I am sorry, I do not complain, for you must do your work, and thereby the more rapidly get in condition to start the effort to accumulate to get in the position that you desire, and which is so necessary to our work. You are better tonight, spiritually, and our rapport is very complete, and I could easily write my message, but you are physically tired, and I do not think it wise to attempt to write, so I will postpone doing so until tomorrow night, when, I hope there will be nothing to interfere. (comment) Yes, that is the correct idea, and I will endeavor to make the message as full and lucid as possible. I know how you feel in reference to the matter, and that you desire to receive the message in the best possible shape, and I know that you will do so. You must not think that I am not willing to wait whenever you have your professional work to attend to, or that I will not be with you even though we cannot write, for I am with you very often, trying to help, as I have said. So you must keep up your courage and trust me, and have faith in my promises. I will not write more now, and will say that you have my love and blessings. (question) Well, as to that, I know that you will in the not distant future, be able to see me as you say, for I am desirous that you do so. You have the power of clairvoyance, but it is not desirable that it be developed in you at this time as we wish all your power to become centered in receiving the messages; but some night when you are praying and I am with you, the power will be given you and you will see me as I am while praying with you. I feel that this may strengthen your faith and draw you closer to me, and I myself want you to actually see me as I am. Well, let us say goodnight and stop. (question) Yes, I understand, but if I should come and write to you in the, as you may think, dignified way that an elevated spirit should write, you would not feel the nearness to me that I so much want you to feel, and besides you might not just understand what I intended to communicate. It is impossible for you to accommodate yourself to my condition, and hence, I have to accommodate myself to yours. I want you to get as close to me as possible, and in order that that may be, I have to become verily human as you are; otherwise the rapport could not exist between us, and I would seem to you like some far off nebulous being that you could not understand or feel the influence of. No, I am very human when I come to you. But this I will say, in order that you may get a somewhat better idea of our relationship, that as you progress more in your soul development and in the possession of the Father's Love, you will be less human - I mean in your condition of soul, which is that in you that furnishes the rapport between us - and I will meet you on the plane that you may occupy. So you see what a determining factor in our rapport your condition of soul is. And if you consider this for a moment, you will more clearly comprehend why it is that the dark spirits can find in you a closer rapport, that enables you to help them, than they can find in the higher spirits. We try to make a rapport with them, but their souls do not respond, and it is only after you have talked to them and directed their attention to us - which causes, as it were, an opening up of their souls to us - can we come in that rapport with them that enables us to gain their attention and create in them an interest in what we may say to them. This to you may seem surprising, as you believe that we who are more elevated must have great power with and over these dark spirits, and this is so for certain purposes; and we do often restrain them from doing things that they should not do. But this, as you must understand, means that we by our powers arbitrarily force them to do or not do certain things, just as on earth, your laws, or the enforcement of them, restrain those who desire to violate the laws from doing so. But when we come to the work of attempting to turn their thoughts to those things that affect their soul condition, this thing of constraint or force will not effectuate the work. We then must deal with the exercise of their free will, and in such cases only persuasion or love influence can possibly do the work of helping them out of their dark and tainted condition of soul. We must invite and persuade the soul to awaken, we cannot force it, and to do so we must form that relationship with these dark spirits, that will cause them to voluntarily open up their souls to our influences. The great obstacles to our work among spirits of this kind is that they will not listen to us or come in conversation with us, and we cannot compel and accomplish our purposes. No man or spirit can ever by force, be made to open up his soul to the higher thoughts and essentials of the soul's progress. Of course, when we once get in that rapport with them that enables us to enlist their attention, and listen to what we say, we can cause them to have an awakening by informing them of the sufferings and torments that will be theirs if they continue in their same condition, and you may say, by a kind of mental force compel them to think of these things that are holding them in their condition of darkness, but this does not occur unless we can first secure their attention, and to some extent, their confidence. So you may realize from this to some degree the importance of the work that you are doing among the dark spirits. They, being in the condition of darkness and want of soul development, cannot see any such development that you may have; and to them you are merely a mortal, as they themselves were a short time ago in many cases. And finding that they can communicate with you, they come to you just as one man would to another for the purposes of conversation; and outside of the phenomenon of spirit and mortals conversing, you do not seem to them any different from what men seemed to them when they were on earth. They are all very human, and to them your conversation is very natural, and, hence, they listen to you with the same feelings of confidence, or rather not of distrust, that they would to another spirit of their own kind. You are all humans together, and your opinions or ideas to them, are just the same as they might expect if they were in the flesh or you were a spirit like themselves. While these dark spirits may, under certain circumstances, see the bright and beautiful spirits, as they sometimes tell you they do, yet they see only the appearance of the spirit body - they cannot see the condition of the spiritual development in these bright spirits, for it is a law that the spirit perceptions cannot vision conditions of the souls of others to a higher degree of development than they themselves have. And this applies to all spirits, no matter what sphere they may occupy, and hence you will understand, that as we progress in our soul spheres, the higher we ascend, the more clear and comprehensible becomes our soul perceptions of the Father and His Divine qualities. So, I say, so far as the real perception of these dark spirits are concerned, they cannot comprehend the real spiritual development of the higher spirits, whom they often see. The interior condition of these higher spirits are just as hidden from the dark spirits, as is the interior condition of one man from another. Only when like meets like can there be a perception, that is, not a real visual perception, but a spiritual perception of each other. But the higher spirits can see the interior conditions of those who are in spheres lower than they, and determine just what the soul development of these lower ones are. Also, you must understand that the appearance of the spirit body indicates and portrays, to a large extent, the condition of the soul, and from this, one spirit may judge the actual development of another. I mean those may so judge who have progressed above the dark planes. Well, I have written more than I intended, but as you were desirous to have some conception of what I have written, I concluded to attempt to explain to you these matters, though I know from my explanation, you cannot fully understand what I have been trying to make known to you. But we must stop now. So with my love I will say, goodnight. Your brother and friend, Jesus May 8th, 1917. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving Helen. Well dear, you had a message from the HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/minor143.htm" Master tonight that you did not expect. It will enlighten you considerably on the subject that we have written you about several times, but could not satisfactorily explain as we did not just understand ourselves. But I think that now you can get some idea why you are so important in this work among the dark spirits. I will not write more now. Your own true and loving Helen May 13th, 1917 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Judge Syrick. But you must not pay any attention to the Judge part. I merely used the term to let you know that I feel a good deal like yourselves tonight in that I am a man with you. I cannot tell you how pleased I am to be able to write to you tonight, as it has been a long time HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor414.htm" since I wrote you; and as you know, I always enjoy being with you, even more so than when on earth, for you are both very dear to me, and I want you to feel that the throwing aside my covering of flesh did not change me in any particular as regards my feelings for you, except to cause me to realize how much more you are my brothers and friends. Well, I have been present all evening and heard you read the message of Jesus, and your comments on the same, and I cannot express my joy in hearing the message and realizing how it appealed to you both, for it was a wonderful message and one that will open up a world of truth to men if they will only understand and believe. I have made much progress in my soul development and in the acquirement of the knowledge of these spiritual truths, so that even I know that what was written you in that message is true. I am progressing all the time, and the Love that has come into my soul has transformed me to a large degree into something more than the mere image of the Father. Oh, I tell you, this Love is wonderful, and we who have it are happy beyond all conception, and the best thing about it is that the more we receive the knowledge comes to us that there is more waiting for us to receive. I am in the fifth sphere, and I have with me one whom you have heard me speak of. I mean, of course, my Rose. What a blessing to have such a soulmate, and if I could only find words to tell you of the happiness that comes with such a possession I would do so, if only to give you some idea of what you may expect when you come to the spirit world, and especially when you remember that both your soulmates are in a higher sphere than are we, and of course have more happiness and love. Well, I would like to write a longer letter, but am advised that I have written enough for tonight, and so I must stop. Yes, I was there and spoke to you, but did not try to talk much as there were so many other spirits, all anxious to speak to their friends and who haven't the blessed opportunity that I have to communicate. The room was filled with spirits, and if you could have seen the condition of some of them I know that you would have had a longing desire to help them. So do not let any doubt come to you as to the great work that is yours to help these spirits and also that many of them are helped, as a truth. Was not I one who was thus helped, and do not I know that you have given to you this power? So thank God. and work.Tell the Doctor that he also is doing a great work and must persevere; and when he comes over, as my old mother said when I was a mere child, here will be crowns of glory waiting for him. Well, I must stop now, and in doing so want to assure you both that you have my love and gratitude to the extent that an appreciative soul can give. Rose sends her love and says that she is so very happy and is praying for you both. Good night, my dear brothers. Your old friend, Syrick Dr. Stone Comments. I knew Judge Syrick. He was an old friend of Mr. Padgett who was able to get Helen, who has the wonderful gift of finding the soulmates of those who desired to know whether the soulmate is on earth or in spirit world. Helen found the soulmate of Judge Syrick, who was a beautiful spirit and her name was Rose. Both of them have now made their progress into Celestial Heaven. Leslie R. Stone May 13th, 1917. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, James, Apostle of Jesus: I have heard you read the messages, and I have listened to your conversation and I am much pleased that you both enjoyed the messages so much, for if you had not had the soul development that is yours, you would not have been able to understand the purport of the messages as you did. It is a wonderful message of truth, and if men could only understand what its real significance is, they would soon renounce not only their sins and evil thoughts, but their belief in the false creeds that cause them to neglect the true way to the Kingdom of God, that many of them, even though they may not receive the Divine Love that is so necessary to lead them along the way to the Celestial Heavens. I am glad that this great knowledge has come to you both and that you are on the way to this greater and grander kingdom where are men who are men no longer, but are angels of the divine nature that the Master has to such a degree of perfection. Well, I want to say a few words to my special charge tonight and he must believe me and trust in me as his special angel; I would desire to inform him that his soul is developing more and more each day, and that we are all well pleased at his progress. Soon he will be in that condition that he will not have to wait until he gets into the spiritual world in order to have some of the Celestial Heaven in his soul, and with it that happiness and peace that comes only to those who possess the Divine Love in a degree that many spirits of that soul development don't have. He is pursuing the right course and he must not let doubt enter his mind or soul, for he is, in truth, one of the redeemed of this love that he has been so often told is waiting for him without limitation. I am with him very often, trying to help and influence his thoughts for good of the Divine, and he must continue to pray and believe; and I, James, his own true friend and guide, assure him that he will not be disappointed. Life on earth, at the most, is short and fleeting, and his work is one that only he can do. His is not the gift that another may have, but is his all alone and in a short time now, it will be developed in him, and he will be informed of just what his work will be. He is now doing a good work but its results he has no conception of, for their many spirits who a short time ago were in darkness, and now are in light and much happiness, who give to him the credit of being the one who started them on their progress to light and happiness. So tell him to have courage and faith and he will not be forsaken or left to the influence of evil or depraved spirits who are so very numerous in the earth plane at all times trying to influence mortals to become as sinful and depraved as they themselves are. I will not write more, as I feel that he would like to hear from some others who are present. But tell him that I as well as many others of the higher spirits love him and are with him very much and pray to the Father to shower upon him the blessings of the Divine Love. So with my love to you both, I will say good-night and God bless you, Your brother in Christ, James May 13th, 1917. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Mary Kennedy: I will not let my dear boy be disappointed for he is just itching to hear from me, and has almost given up hope of doing so, but he must know that I would not let him leave without hearing from me in some way. Well, I am truly glad that I came to write to him once again for it does me so much good to write to him, as I know it does him to hear from me, and especially when we are both so anxious to know just how the other is. Of course I know how he is but he can only surmise how I am except as to one thing and that he knows, and that is, that I love him with all my heart and soul. I am progressing all the time and love him the more that I receive this Divine Love in my soul and yet I do not cease to want to be with him as much as the performance of my work will permit, even though I have to leave the sphere of such grandeur and beauty and come into the dark plane which offers such a contrast. But love makes all things beautiful and our eyes are closed very largely to the unpleasant things when our hearts are so filled with love. I have recently heard some of the letters that have been written him and it gave me great happiness to know that he received them and enjoyed them, and I want to say that they were true, and were written by the spirits who professed to write them. This I will tell him that he may not doubt for he knows that his soulmate would not tell him an untruth. I am with him very often trying to help him as he knows, and there are other spirits with him also, and I must tell him that James takes a special interest in him and is doing everything to help him in the way that will enable him to do the work which lies before him. He must not think that there is no special work for him to do, for there is, and while he is now doing a work in helping the dark spirits, yet that is not the work. I wish that I could tell him now what it is, but that is a matter that is in the keeping and control of the higher spirits and I must not disclose their plans even for my sweetheart, which I would like to do. Well, I must not write more now, for your wife says you are tired and must not write more tonight. So with my love to him, and my sisterly love to you I will say goodnight. Your sister in Christ, Mary May 13, 1917 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Priscilla Stone: I want to say just one word before you stop writing, for I have been present all evening and have heard your conversation, and have seen the condition of the souls of both yourself and my dear boy, and to tell you that I am happy because of this hardly expresses my feelings.I am so thankful to the Father that He has in His great Love and mercy enabled my son to know and experience the presence of this great redeeming Love. When I think of the great number of human beings nearly all whom have no true knowledge of this Love and the Way to the great Celestial Kingdom of God where there is so much happiness and the assurance of Immortality, I am almost overcome and wonder that such a privilege should be bestowed on my son, who of course is no more deserving of this blessing than are thousands of others of mankind. God is good and I am so very thankful. Tell my boy to remember what James the Apostle wrote him, and to believe and trust in what he said, as to what reward shall be his when he comes to the spirit world and realize the results of his efforts to help both mortals and spirits. If my other children would only listen to him and turn their thoughts to these spiritual things, and to seek this Divine Love, I would be so happy that I would exclaim with David when he wrote in the 23d Psalm "my cup of joy runneth over." And I am praying and hoping that some little truth will find lodgment in their souls and germinate until at last they shall find the pearl of great price from the Father. Tell my boy to believe that his mother loves him so much and is with him so very often and that she is now trying to unfold her love to him and convey her thanks to the Father of All. His father is here too and sends his love and blessings and says that his son must pray and believe and work, for in these three things will be found a power that will overcome all obstacles and bring to him that Love and peace that only the redeemed children of the Father can possibly possess or understand. I will not write more now and thank you for the privilege. God bless my boy and keep him in the way of Love that leads to the Celestial Heaven. And so I will say, good-night. His mother - he knows that I am his mother without signing my name. May 13th, 1917. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, your own true and loving Helen. Well, dear, you have had some messages tonight that were satisfactory to the Doctor and I am glad that he received them, for they make him feel better. HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor548.htm" James actually wrote him and was much interested in doing so, as he thinks a great deal of the Doctor and is trying to help him in every way. I will not write more now as it is very late and you are tired and sleepy - so go to bed and get your sleep, and believe that I love you with all my heart and soul. I will say, though, that I was with you at church, and as they sang Home, Sweet Home, I was with you and tried to impress you with my presence and love. The home will be yours and you will soon, I mean when the work is finished, come to enjoy it. I want to tell you that you must keep up your courage and hope, and you will not be disappointed. Be ready tomorrow night for the Master to write his message. Do so, and you will be successful in receiving it. So, sweetheart, good night and God bless you, Your own true loving, Helen May 14th, 1917 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Luke. I want to take advantage of the opportunity to write while my dear and personal charge is present. As he knows, I have been with him a great deal, doing for him that which gives me great pleasure, and also helps him in his work of trying to convert some of the dark spirits who are living and suffering in the very erroneous beliefs that they had when on earth, and which, if they be left alone, will cause them to remain in their darkness for a time or times that cannot be determined. I want further to say that he cannot possibly appreciate the work that he is doing, and its results upon these spirits who come to him, not for kindly purposes, but to pronounce upon him the anathemas of the church which they used when on earth to scare the unruly believers of their congregations. Of course, I refer to the priests of the Catholic Church, for they, of all the spirits in the spirit world, make the greatest efforts to keep their followers together, and with the greatest feelings of hatred and indignation resent any attempt to intrude upon and change the beliefs of these followers. But I am glad that my charge does not become frightened or allow these priests to prevent him from doing his work, which is a wonderful work in this, that never before in all the history of the habitation of the Catholics and their deluded leaders in the Spirit World has any attempt by mortals been made to impinge upon the authority and domination of these priests, and consequently, he must not be surprised to know that his crusade, for I must call his efforts such, has started a very considerable commotion among these blind followers and their blind leaders; and more especially is this the case when it is known to be a fact that many of these Catholics have been shown the way to light and have embraced the opportunity to follow the instructions and teachings given them and get out of their darkness and away from the folds of these priests. He is doing a great work and must persevere, for if he has been the means of saving only one of these poor benighted spirits he has done a work greater than that of conquering a city, as the Bible says. But he has shown not only one to the light and truth, but many, and those thus saved from their darkness and suffering have taught others the way, and the work thus started by him goes on in almost geometrical progression. No man before has done this work among the spirits of that faith, and when it is considered that there are myriads of them, it can be appreciated what the possibilities are for an earnest worker in the way of changing a sinful and benighted and satisfied soul in sin into a spirit of light and happiness. And I want further to tell him that this work of his is becoming noised all through the host of Catholic followers, and many are asking about its effect upon the congregations of the faithful, and many also have become dissatisfied with their condition and commenced to doubt the truths of the teachings of the priests and their promises of salvation through the prayers and masses, and are commencing to make inquiry as to where this mortal can be found and how he may be reached. Now, what I have written you is a fact, for I visit these spheres where these spirits live and hear what is said among them, and know that the efforts that my charge has made to help these dark Catholic spirits who have come to him have resulted in good. Well, I could continue much longer my description of what effect his work has had upon these spirits of darkness and delusion, but will not do so tonight. Now, I want to say a few personal words to him. As he knows, I am praying for him and am interested in his every thought as to spiritual matters, and am with him in times of doubt and loss of faith, trying to encourage him. And I want to say that he must not lose faith or doubt what we have written him or the truth that he has received in his soul the Divine Love to a great degree, and that if he will continue to pray he will receive more and more, and after a time his faith will become so strong that it will almost be impossible for him to doubt and he will then realize the meaning of faith as the Master defined it; all the aspirations of his soul will become things of real existence. He is blessed among mortals, for there are very few who have with them the association and rapport of the high spirits, as he has, and when it is understood what this means, it will be seen that he enjoys that which the civilized world among its church members pray for continually and yet never realize, as he does, palpably and unmistakably, the presence of these high spirits and the sensible presence of their love, and even that of the highest and greatest of all spirits - the Master. I am so anxious that he shall realize all the privileges and blessings that have been bestowed upon him, for I want him to develop his soul and permit me to come into a higher and closer rapport, which only the greater development of his soul will bring about. I will not write more tonight, as I see that you are somewhat tired, but in closing permit me to say that I most earnestly desire that he shall realize who and what I am, and how much I want him to understand that I am his own Guardian Angel, with a duty that only my love makes it pleasurable for me to perform, and that so long as he shall live as a mortal I will be with him, and as time goes by will get in closer rapport with him, which will result in his powers increasing more and more until, before the time comes for him to perform the great work that has been given him to do, he will be in that condition that will enable him to do it successfully to the glory of the Father and the salvation of mankind. You may wonder that I write so enthusiastically tonight, but when you come to realize the great work that is to be done and that I know to the fullest extent what it means, and the further fact that I have in my soul the Great Divine Love of the Father to a degree that not many of the Celestial Spirits have, you will not wonder. So, believe me and trust me, and know without doubt that I love you both with a more than brother's love. May the Father bless and keep you both in His care. Pray and pray, and believe. Good-night, Your brother in Christ, Luke 15th May 1917. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I come to-night and desire to HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/divinelove5.htm" finish my message and hope that you may be able to receive it. Well, to continue. I have described the way to the Kingdom of God on earth and in the spirit world, and now I will describe the only way to the Kingdom of God in the Celestial Heavens. As I have written before, when man was created, in addition to having bestowed upon him those things that made him the perfect man and in harmony with the laws and will of the Father, he also bestowed upon him the potentiality or privilege of receiving the Divine Love, provided he should seek for it in the only way that God had planned for its attainment. But instead of embracing this great privilege, man became disobedient and sought to exercise his own will, and did so in that manner that lead not only to his fall from the condition and the condition of the perfect manhood in which God had created him, but also to the loss of the great privilege of receiving this Divine Love, which privilege was never rebestowed upon him until my coming and teaching that rebestowal and the true way to obtain this Love. Now, here it had better be understood what this Divine Love was and is, for it is the same today that it was when man was created in the image of God. This love differs from the natural love of man, with which he was endowed when created and which belongs to all men and which they all possess in a more or less perfect condition, in this, that the Divine Love is that love which belongs to or is a part of God, possessing His Nature and composed of His Substance, and which when possessed by man to a sufficient degree, makes him Divine and of the Nature of God. This Great Love God intended should be received and possessed by all men who should desire to receive it and who would make the effort to obtain it. It is the Love that contains in itself the divine, which the natural love does not. Many, I know, write and believe that all men, irrespective of the kind of love they have in their souls, possess what they call "the divine spark," which needs only the proper development to make all men divine. But this conception of the state of man in his natural condition is all wrong, for man has not in him any part of the divine, and never can have, unless he receives and has developed in him, this Divine Love. In all God's universe and creation of things material and spiritual the only one of His creatures who can possibly have within him anything of a divine nature is he who possesses this Divine Love.The bestowal of this love was intended, in its operation and effect, to transform man from the merely perfect man into the divine angel, and thus create a Kingdom of God in the Celestial Spheres, where only that which is divine can enter and find a habitation. And you must understand, that as it depends very largely upon man, himself, to establish the Kingdom of God on earth or in the spiritual world, so it also depends largely on man to establish the Kingdom in the Celestial Heavens. God will not and does not by any power that He may have establish this Divine Kingdom, and if man had never received this Divine Love into his soul, there never would have been any such kingdom brought into existence. There is now a Kingdom in the Celestial Sphere, but not a finished one, for it is still open and in the process of formation, and is open to the entry of all spirits, and men must seek for it in the only way that the Father has provided, and no man or spirit will be excluded from it, who, with all the longings of his soul, will aspire to enter that kingdom. I must also state that the time will come when this Celestial Kingdom will be completed, and thereafter neither spirit nor man will be able to enter therein; for this Divine Love of the Father will again be withdrawn from man, as it was from the first parents, and the only kingdom that will then be accessible to man will be the kingdom that will exist on earth, or that which now exists in the spirit world. Then what is the way that leads to this Celestial Kingdom? The only way? For there is but one! The observance of the moral precepts and the cleansing of men's souls from sin by following these precepts, will not lead to this kingdom, for as it can be readily seen, the stream can rise no higher than its source, and the source of the souls of men in a merely purified state, is the condition of the perfect man - that condition in which he was before his fall - and, hence the results of the observance and living of the merely moral precepts and the exercise of the natural love in its pure state, is, that man will be restored to the condition of the perfect man - the created man in whom there is nothing of the divine. But this restored condition of man will be so perfect and so in harmony with God's will and His laws governing the highest and most perfect of His creatures, that man will be very happy. Yet, he will continue to be only the created being, having nothing more than the image of his Maker. So, I say, living in a harmony with the moral laws and the exercise of this natural love in its highest and purest state towards God and towards his fellow man, will not lead into the way to the Celestial Kingdom, but the greatest height of his attainment will be the kingdom on earth or that in the spirit heavens. And the distinct and differing nature of these kingdoms from that of the Celestial Heavens, will enable mankind to understand the difference between the missions of the great teachers and reformers who preceded me in their work among men, and the mission which I was selected to perform on earth. The former could not possibly have taught the way to the Celestial Kingdom, for until my coming, this Divine Love of which I write was not possible for man to obtain. the privilege was not, before that time, in existence after the first parents lost it, and there was no Celestial Kingdom in which men could find their eternal home. So, I repeat, all the moral teachings of the world's history could not show the way to the Celestial Kingdom of God, and cannot now, for morality, as understood and taught by mankind and by the spirits and angels, cannot give to man that which is absolutely necessary in order to transform his soul into that state or condition that fits him for an entrance into this truly Divine Kingdom of the Father. But the way thereto is simple and single and men were taught that way by me when I was on earth; and could have been taught that way during all the centuries since I left the human life; and I must say that some have been so taught and have found that way, but comparatively few, for the mortals whose ostensible and claimed mission and privilege were to teach that way. I mean the priests and preachers and churches have neglected to teach the same, but rather, though in earnestness and realizing their allegiance to God and their obligations to mankind, have taught merely the way which the observance of the moral precepts would lead men into. And all this, notwithstanding, that in the Bible, which most of those professing to be Christians believe contains my sayings and teachings, is set forth this way to the Celestial Kingdom. The words are few and the way is plain, and no mystery prevents men from comprehending the meaning thereof. When I said, " HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/quotesjohn.htm" \l "J33" Except a man be born again, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God," I disclosed the only and true way to this kingdom. During my time on earth there were some who understood this great truth, and since that time, there have been some who not only understood this truth, but found the way and followed it until they reached the goal and are now inhabitants of this kingdom; but the vast majority of men - priests, teachers and people - have never understood, and have never sought to find the way. This great truth to their spiritual senses has been, as it were, a hidden thing; and as they read or even recite the same to their hearers it has no special significance, but is merely as one of the moral precepts, such as "Love your neighbor as yourself", and with not as much importance attached to it as to some of these moral instructions. And so, all down the ages since the great kingdom has been waiting for men, they, though in all sincerity and in love towards God, have sought for and to a greater or lesser extent, found only the kingdom of the perfect man, and have neglected to seek for and missed the kingdom of the divine angel. Then, as I have said, this Divine Love of the Father, when possessed by the soul of man, makes him in his substance and essence Divine like unto the Divinity of the Father, and only such souls constitute and inhabit the Celestial or Divine Kingdom of God; and this being so, it must be readily seen that the only way to the Celestial Kingdom is that which leads to the obtaining of this Divine Love, which means the New Birth; and which New Birth is brought about by the flowing into the souls of men this Divine Love, whereby the very Nature and Substance of the Father, and wherefrom men cease to be the merely created beings, but become the souls of men born into the Divine reality of God. Then the only way to the Celestial Kingdom being by the New Birth, and that birth being brought to men only by the inflowing and working of this Divine Love, and whether or not a man shall experience this birth depending in its initiative on the man himself, the question arises how or in what way can a man obtain this Divine Love and this New Birth and the Celestial Kingdom. And because the way is so easy and simple, it may be that men will doubt the truth of my explanation, and continue to believe and place all their hopes upon the orthodox doctrines of the vicarious atonement - the washing of the blood, my sufferings on the cross and bearing all the sins of the world, and my resurrection from the dead - doctrines as harmful to the salvation of mankind as they are without truth or foundation in fact or effect. The only way then is simply this: that men shall believe with all the sincerity of their minds and souls that this Great Love of the Father is waiting to be bestowed upon each and all of them, and that when they come to the Father in faith and earnest aspirations, this love will not be withholden from them. and in addition to this belief, pray with all the earnestness and longings of their souls that he open up their souls to the inflowing of this Love, and that then may come to them the Holy Spirit to bring this Love into their souls in such abundance that their souls may be transformed into the very Essence of the Father's Love. The man who will thus believe and pray will never be disappointed, and the way to the kingdom will be his as certainly as that the sun shines day by day upon the just and the unjust alike. No mediator is needed, nor are the prayers or ceremonies of priests or preachers, for God comes to man, himself, and hears his prayers and responds thereto by sending the Comforter, which is the Father's messenger for conveying into the souls of men this great divine love. I have thus explained the only way to the Celestial Kingdom of God and to the divine nature in love; and there is no other way whereby it is possible to reach this kingdom and the certain knowledge of immortality. So, I implore men to meditate on these great truths, and in meditating believe, and when believing, pray to the Father for the inflowing into their souls of this Divine Love, and in doing so they will experience belief, faith and possession and ownership of that which can never be taken from them - no, not in all eternity. And so it is with man to choose and fix his destiny. Will that destiny be the perfect man or the Divine Angel? I have finished and feel that you have received my message as I intended, and am pleased. I will not write more now, and with my love and blessings, will say good-night. Your brother and friend, Jesus May 15th, 1917 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Samuel, Prophet of Old. I have heard the HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/divinelove18.htm" Master's message and as are all of his, it is filled with truths that are vital to man's future happiness and condition of being. I have also been with you very often, and have tried to help you in every way that I could, and you must believe that you have around you a host of celestial as well as spiritual spirits who are interested in you and endeavoring to assist you in your work. I will come soon and write. So with my love I will say good-night. Your brother in Christ, Samuel May 16th, 1917 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Bismarck. Well, I am here and will give you my opinion of the war as best I can. My views are based on the conditions that I am aware of in all the countries engaged in the war. I understand that you do not want a long message tonight so I will say briefly that the Germans will have to sue for peace and that will happen, I feel certain, before the beginning of August. The condition of the German people is such that they will cease to sustain the Kaiser in the longer prosecution of the war, and the revolutionary party will grow so rapidly that the monarch of Germany will soon cease to exist. This is the opinion of the one who is responsible for the formation of the Empire. Bismarck May 20th, 1917 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, John Mark. I will write a few line's and let you know that I have listened tonight to your comments on the book of the spiritualist teacher, and as I heard the Doctor read extracts and then your comments, I was convinced that the writer did not know very much about either the laws controlling what may be called the physical part of creation, or those controlling the spiritual existence and relationship of things spiritual. It is a pity that men in his position do not make an effort to learn more of the truths in reference to these things, for it is not necessary even that he should have a knowledge of the truths that have been conveyed to you, in order to learn many spiritual truths that would enable him to teach his followers those things that would advance them in the true knowledge of spiritualism. I do not know the man personally, as I have never been in his society, and have, therefore, never had the opportunity to observe his condition of soul and mind, and what I say is based entirely on what I heard read and what was said in your conversation: but this great error I do know, and that is, that he is all wrong when he says there is no God in the universe, but some eternal force which he calls God. It is pitiable that his knowledge is so limited and that he attempts to teach others the truths of the spiritual universe. I will go sometime when you visit him, to where he may be and learn just what his condition of soul and mind is, and then inform you, so that possibly you may do him some good in the way of teaching him the truth. You may think it strange that I should write to you on this subject or think that his learning the truth is a thing of sufficient importance to give my attention to, as there are so many things to be written you, but I realize that he is in the position of a teacher of spiritualism and that he has the opportunity to influence a great many mortals who are seeking the truth, and who believe that he may be able to enlighten them. This is the only reason that prompted me to consume your time in this writing. Of course, his soul is one of a million, and is no more valuable or precious in the sight of God than the soul of any other mortal, and to select his soul for a special effort of salvation would not justify me in ignoring others in the way of seeking them out or in permitting them to learn the truths from spirits who may be interested in them, using the privilege to communicate through you. But for the reason stated, I thought it advisable to suggest to you what I have written. This is all that I can write tonight. So, believe that I am interested in your work although I do not come here very often. I am, Your brother in Christ, John Mark May 20th, 1917 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Paul. Well, my dear brother, I have not written for a long time, and I now will embrace the opportunity to say a few words. I do not intend to write a formal message, though I should like to do so, but conditions are not just right to enable me to write as I desire. I have been present quite often when you were receiving messages from the other spirits and used my influence to make conditions favorable to your receiving these messages, and also to cause you to feel that there was surrounding you an atmosphere of Love and harmony that enabled you to enjoy not only the messages but the feelings of Love and benevolent influences that came to you. While I have been listening tonight to your friend read extracts from the book and the comments that both made on the same, there was suggested to me a text upon which I will write, and that is the spirit and the spirit body as to their nature and creation. I know that you have received writings dealing more or less with this subject, but I desire to enter more into detail in order to show that the writer of the book is all wrong in his conception of these things. Of course, you will remember HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/bible35.htm" Jesus' message on "The Soul," and it will not be necessary for me to say anything about the soul; but you can read my message in connection with that message. As HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor651.htm" Mark has just written you, it is a great pity that a man in the position of a teacher of spiritualism should not know more of the truth so that he may disclose it to those who may listen to him and have confidence in his knowledge. And it may be that at some time you will have the opportunity to read both messages to him, and the result may be he will seek for the truth in the way that shall be pointed out, and when he does so in earnestness he will find it and make his find a blessing to many with whom he may come in contact. It is very unfortunate that a leader of this great truth of spiritualism - and it is a truth and one that will ultimately supersede the old religions whenever it comes into contact or association with people who think for themselves - should have such little knowledge of what a true understanding of it would enable them to teach. We spirits have for a long time endeavored to enlighten these leaders and at times have been able to impress upon them some of the vital truths; but these efforts have not been very successful until now, when we are to deliver our messages through your writings. But this endeavor will become more and more earnest or successful in the future, and many of these people who are anxious to learn the true religion and are waiting only for some authoritative source will learn, and among them will be many leaders of what is now called Spiritualism. The work is one that must become world-wide in its results, for the soul of every man on earth, no matter where he may be, is worthy to be saved; and, as you know, if the start towards regeneration can be made on earth, the progression in the spirit world will be so much more rapid. I know that the spread of the truth will take much time, but when the commencement is made the progress will become more rapid. I do not think that I should write more tonight, and will only add that the evangelization must start very soon, and those who work to start the truth on its way to the knowledge of men must put all their energies and love into the work. You know that now there are very few - only three - who have any conception of the truth and what the plan is for the making known of these truths to the world. Yet Christianity was started by only one besides the Master, I mean John the Baptist, and he, as I must tell you, did not have the knowledge of the truth as you three have this day, and did not have behind him the power of the Celestial Heavens, as you have. His mission was performed, and Christianity would have been a success if its truths had not become lost and perished by the acts of men who did not have in their souls the Love that has been given to you. The truths perished, and men perished as far as their souls' salvation was concerned, to a large extent. But now these truths will not perish because they will be presented in living type, and no copying or recopying will be needed, and no addition will be made, or anything taken away from, the writings of the spirits who are now engaged in formulating these truths. It will not be a failure this time, and the way to the Kingdom of God in the Celestial Heavens will be made plain and no man will have an excuse for not walking therein. And those who do not will have a greater penalty to pay than was required of the Jews and pagans who lived in the time of Jesus, or who have lived since that time; for with increased opportunity to learn the truth will come increased obligations, and the one who neglects will have that lost opportunity as a part of his consciousness, and this may be even after he becomes the perfect man, for I tell you here that the memory of man lasts even when the highest perfection is reached, as to those things which it is not necessary for him to lose in order for him to become the perfect man. Well, you are tired, and I will not write more. So, with my love to yourself and your friend, I will say good-night. Your brother in Christ, Paul May 23rd, 1917. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus: Jesus, your brother and friend. I come tonight to say a few words that you may be encouraged in your spiritual condition and made to feel that I am with you in your doubts and despondency. I was with you last night and realized just what your condition is, and tried to influence you with my love and sympathy, and when you felt that you were all alone I endeavored to impress you with my help and the power of the love that I have received from the Father. I know that while you are in the flesh and temptations come to you, there will be times when you will think that you are forsaken, or that the Father's love is not in and about you in all its beauty and sustaining influence, and that then thoughts will come to you, such as Job speaks of in the book that you have been reading, and God will seem a long way off. But, my brother, let me tell you with all the knowledge and love that I have, that God is never a way off from you in his love and that he is always ready and willing to help and comfort you, if you will only have faith and let your longings go out to him for the inflowing of this love into your soul. It is never absent from you, and awaits only your invitation for making itself real and consciously present with you. You only can prevent its coming into your soul, and, if you will believe that this is true and endeavor to realize how close this love is to you and how anxious the Father is that you receive it, you will be able to overcome these thoughts that arise from the weakness of the flesh, or rather, from the strength of the animal part of your nature. So try to remember what I say, and whenever these thoughts come to you, look upon them as merely thoughts that come in the visions of the night and have no real foundation for their existence. As you may not know, real thoughts can arise only from that which is real, and when this love of the Father comes into your soul, appetites and passions that arise from the perversion of the animal nature of your being, cease to be real and are merely the recollections of what has been - a resultant of that perversion. This love makes that which aforetime was perverse a genuine thing of truth, in harmony with God and goodness. Life is of God and, when not perverted by the will of man, is like unto the goodness from which it comes; and good and evil are conditions which are only, as in the one case, God is real, and in the other, evil is not real as being a part of the creation of God. It, sin, is the creation of man, and that man disobedient and out of harmony with his own creation and the laws of his creator. I write this to encourage your faith in the goodness of God, and in the inherent goodness of yourself, and to confirm your faith and knowledge in the truth that in God's universe all is good, and only that is sinful which man himself, in violation of the will of the Father, had created and afterwards cultivated and nurtured. So believe this, that when this love comes into your soul you have the possession of that which will enable you to forget the creatures of your own will and make successful your efforts to cease the cultivation of this resultant of your own creation. It is only when you, for the moment, forget or cease to realize that this love is yours, does the existence of the evil, which was as you may think to be naturally yours, become to you real, at least in your thoughts appear to be real. You have experienced the condition of soul when these thoughts had no place in your life, and were to you as if they had never been; and what you have thus experienced may, if you let live your faith in the possession of this love, continue to be your condition without intermission, and you be enabled to enjoy consciously the reality of its continuous existence. Add I further know, that this state of freedom from thoughts of evil requires you to watch and, upon the first suggestion of such thoughts, pray to the Father for the increased expression of his love and you will not be disappointed, As in the prayer which I have given you, you are taught to ask that help may be given you to overcome all temptations of the flesh and the influence of the evil ones, so I repeat, let your supplications for this help ascend to the Father when first you feel the temptation, for so far as regards your condition of soul qualities, these temptations and influences are real. The evil ones are with all mortals, and the condition of the soul determines whether they, the evil ones, can or not make a rapport with the mortals; and when this love comes into the soul such rapport is impossible. Then the secret of overcoming temptations is to have the soul qualities in such condition that the rapport cannot be made. I know that men, sometimes, by their course of thinking of things good and pure invite this rapport, but this is not to be relied on as a sure preventive, for thoughts are changeable and the results of the appetites and emotions, and the natural, as I may say, tendencies of men are to gratify these appetites when not curbed by the higher development of their moral qualities, which qualities are very susceptible to the in- fluence of the sensual natures of man. I felt the necessity of writing to you as I have, for it is so important both for yourself, personally, and as my instrument for the work that has been given you to do, that you acquire more of this love and the know1edge by which you may be helped so very much to overcome these temptations and influences. The more love, the less the power of temptation and the possibility of thoughts that do not find their source in this love. So I say to you: watch and pray. Well, I will not write more tonight, and with my love and blessings will say good- night and God bless you. I will come soon and write another message, and hope that you may be in condition to receive it as successfully and correctly as you did my last one. Your friend and brother, Jesus Note. This message was not published. May 24th, 1917 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, James, and I came to write on the subject of: "The frailties of the human mind and moral qualities". I have heard you read the Master's message, and believe that in it, you will find much truth upon which to reflect, and I desire to add a little to what has been therein said. And here I want further to say, that while that message was intended for you personally, yet the truth and advice therein given may be applied to every mortal, and the good results will follow, no matter who that mortal may be. I have, as you know, been in the spirit world a great many centuries, as you conceive of time, and have during that long period been very close to mortals in all parts of the earth and of all nationalities and beliefs and education and enlightenment, and in my experiences with these mortals, I have observed the nature and temptations and the various ways in which mortals have been assailed by such temptations, and their efforts to overcome the same, together with their successes and failures. Now, first let me say, that the nature of man is, today, the same as it was when I lived on earth, and the perversions and sins of the souls of men are just as many and of the same kind as they were in my day in the flesh, and temptations, both outward and inward, are just as hard to overcome as they were when first the glad tidings of Love and redemption were proclaimed by the Master; except that prior to that time man had not the Divine Love to help him overcome and subdue these temptations, as he now has. And the regret is, that while this Great Helper and Regenerator, and Conqueror of sin and temptation is now in the world of mortals, and subject to their call, yet so comparatively few make the call, or realize the fact that this helper is always waiting to enable them to overcome temptations. Prior to this time of the coming of the Divine Love, moral truths were taught to men just as they are today, and many men, and not necessarily among the Jews, understood and attempted to apply these truths to their daily lives, and endeavored to overcome the temptations arising from the sins that so constantly formed a part of their existence, and that also came from the influence of the evil spirits. It is all wrong to suppose that in these early times and among these early races of earth, moral perceptions were not developed and taught; men then made the fight to overcome temptations and become good and noble beings, so far as these moral truths and principles were then understood and used by men, would make them. In all ages since the fall of the first parents, men have, to a more or less degree, had knowledge of what is called the moral truths, and the natural love of man has existed in a more or less imperfect condition. Men have been kind and loving and true, and have to an extent controlled their appetites and tendencies to evil lives; and to suppose that men of today are not subject to so great temptations, and are of themselves better able to resist the same, is a mistake. The present great war proves the fact, for men were never - I mean those who make a pretense to culture and civilization - so brutal in their acts, and so apparently devoid of all conception of right and wrong and of mercy, as are many of those who are engaged in the present struggle. So I say, men of today can lay no greater claim to moral qualities than could those of the times when they were supposed to be heathens and undeveloped in these moral qualities. Of course there is in the world today more of what may be called education and conventionality, but behind these things, which are largely the results of merely intellectual development, men have the same perverted souls, or rather appetites and desires, and are subject to the same temptations as were men of old; and if mankind were left dependent upon the cultivation and improvement of these merely moral powers, I fear that temptation would continue to have all its influence and harmful power on the souls of men that it had in the past. I know, it is said, "that the world is growing better"; but the question is, is that assertion true; and if so, what is the cause? Go to India and to China and to some other countries where the teachings of the supposed moral laws only obtain, and learn if there has been any improvement in the condition of men's souls, and if they have in any degree succeeded in overcoming the temptations that the human race is subject to; and in learning, you will find, that except in the case of a few of these people, the conditions of their minds and souls are just as perverted as they were in centuries past, and that it is only in those countries where the influence of Christian nations have control, do these people suppress the tendencies of perverted minds to do those things that arise from the want of the exercise of moral precepts or knowledge. This is the truth of what mere moral teachings have accomplished where only the mere moral truths, as is supposed, are taught.Temptations are with men, and will be with them forever, unless they be controlled or overcome by something greater or more certain than what men conceive to be moral truths. Now, you will see from this that merely moral concepts will not necessarily, or, at least, for a long time to come, be able to bring about the destruction of the powers of temptation that arises from the perverted nature of mortals. I must stop now, and in doing so will leave you my love and blessings. Goodnight. Your brother in Christ, James brother of John. May 24th, 1917 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving Helen. Well, dear, you have had a very pleasant evening, and so have we who have been with you listening to your conversation, and I mean by "we" many spirits who are interested in both of you and the Doctor. HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/minor152.htm" James wrote, and while he may not have written as easily as he generally does, yet he has conveyed some important truths which you will discover by carefully reading his messages. Goodnight and God bless you both is the prayer of - Your own true and loving, Helen May 25th, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I have been with you as you prayed, and joined in your prayer to the Father for the inflowing of His Great Love into your soul in great abundance; and I know that His Holy Spirit is present and that His love is flowing into your soul, and that you are becoming in at-onement with the Father. His love will always come to you when you pray as you have tonight, and His listening ear is always open to the earnest aspirations of His children who come to him with the true longings of the soul. You have the secret of reaching the Father's love, and on all occasions, when you feel that you need that Love or desire a nearness to the Father, use the secret and you will not be disappointed. You are in better condition tonight in your soul development and perceptions and can receive my message which I have desired for sometime to communicate, and to do which I was waiting only for you to be in a complete rapport with me. Well, you will remember, that in the early stages of our writings, I communicated to you my knowledge and conception of " HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/god2.htm" who and what God is," and that I have recently told you that I desired to rewrite the message, as your condition is now so much better to receive these truths than it was when the message was written; and so, tonight, I will deliver the message, and will take a more complete possession of your brain and control of your hand than I was able to do at the time mentioned. Then the question is: Who and What is God? In dealing with this question, you must realize that it is not so easy to describe in language that mortals can comprehend the Essence and Attributes of God, and I feel the limitations that I am under in endeavoring to give you a satisfactory description of the only and true God; not because of the paucity of knowledge and conception on my part, but because of the fact that you have not the required soul development to enable me to form the necessary rapport with you, in order that through your brain, may be expressed the exact truth as to who the Father is. Well, to begin, God is Soul, and Soul is God. Not the soul that is in the created man, but the Soul that is Deity and self-existent, without beginning or ending, and Whose entity is the one great fact in the universe of being. God is without form, such as has been conceived of by man in nearly all ages, and especially by those who believe in the Bible of the Hebrews as well as in that of the Christians. But nevertheless, He is of form, which only the soul perceptions of the soul of a man which has arrived at a certain degree of development, that is taken on the Divine nature of the Father and thus become a part of the Soul of God, can discern and realize as an entity. There is nothing in all nature with which men are acquainted or have knowledge of, that can be used to make a comparison, even in the spirit perceptions, with this Great Soul; and hence, for men to conceive of God as having a form in any manner resembling that of man, is all erroneous; and those who, in their beliefs and teachings, deny the anthropomorphic God, are correct. But, nevertheless, God is of form such as to give him an entity and Substance and seat of habitation, in contradistinction to that God which, in the teachings of some men, is said to be everywhere in this Substance and entity - in the trees and rocks, and thunder and lightning, and in men and beasts, and in all created things, and in whom men are said to live and move and have their being. No, this concept of God is not in accord with the truth, and it is vital to the knowledge and salvation of men that such conception of God be not entertained or believed in. To believe that God is without form is to believe that he is a mere force or principle or nebulous power, and, as some say, the resultant of laws; which laws, as a fact, He has established for the controlling of His universe of creation, and which are expressed to men by these very powers and principles, that to some extent, they can comprehend. The child has asked: "Who made God?" And because the wise men cannot answer that question, in their wisdom, they conclude and assert that there can be no real God of personality or soul form, and, hence, only force, principle or evolved laws can be God; and in their own conceit think that they have solved the question. But the child may not be satisfied with the answer, and may ask the wise men: "Who made principle and force and laws that must be accepted as the only God?" And then, the wise men cannot answer, unless they answer: "God," which they do not believe, but which let me say, is the true and only answer. God is back of force and principle and law, which are only expressions of His being, and which without Him could not exist; and they are only existences, changeable, dependent and subject to the will of God, who only, is Being. God then, is Soul, and that Soul has its form, perceptible only to Itself, or that of man, which, by reason of the sufficient possession of the very Substance of the Great Soul has become like unto God, not in image only, but in very Essence. We spirits of the highest soul progression are enabled by our soul perceptions to see God and His form. But here, I use the words "see" and "form," as being the only words that I can use to give mortals a comparative conception of what I am endeavoring to describe. When it is remembered that mortals can scarcely conceive of the form of the spirit body of a man, which is composed or formed of the material of the universe, though not usually accepted to be of the material, it will be readily seen that it is hardly possible for me to convey to them a faint idea even of the Soul form of God, which is composed of that which is purely spiritual - that is, not of the material, even though to the highest degree sublimated. And although I am not able because of the limitations mentioned, to describe to men that form which they may glean a conception of the Soul's form - as such form can be seen only with the soul's eye, which eyes men do not possess - it must not be believed that because men cannot understand or perceive the truth of the Soul's form, therefore, it is not a truth. A truth, truth of the Soul's form, therefore, it is not a truth. A truth, though not conceived or perceived by men, spirits or angels, is still a truth, and its existence does not depend upon its being known; and even though all the mortals of earth, and the spirits and angels of heaven, save one, could not perceive the existence of that truth, yet its existence perceived by that one irrefutably proves its reality. But, as I have said, the truth of God's form - the Soul's form can be testified to by more than one of the celestial spirits of men passed from earth; and the possibility is before mortals of the present life, in the great future, if their souls have become possessed of the Divine Substance of God's Love in sufficient abundance to perceive God as I have attempted to explain. The created soul of man has its form, it being made in the image of God, yet man cannot see that form, although it is a fact and can be testified to by many in the spirit realms. And here it need to be said, that when in our message we speak of God as being without form, we mean any such form as men have or think they have conceived of, and our expressions must not be considered as contradictory to what I have tried to explain as the form of God. Well, in addition to the form, God has a personality, and this is expressed and made known to man by certain attributes, which to the consciousness of man is existent in the universe; and to some philosophers and scientists and wise men these attributes are their impersonal God himself, and to them the only God. They make the created, the Creator, not realizing that behind the expression must be the Cause; and that greater than the attribute must be That from which the expression of the attribute is projected, or, as they better like to say, evolved. And here, I, who know, desire to say that these manifested attributes or forces and powers and principles and laws and expressions do not, all together, constitute or be that from which they flow or in which they have their source. God is Himself, alone. His Attributes or expressions manifested to mortals or spirits, are only the results or effects of the workings of His Spirit, which Spirit is only the active energy of His Soul - Himself. And hence, the form of God is not distributed over the whole universe of creation where His attributes may be, or because they are everywhere manifested. No, as was said by Moses of old, and as was said by me when on earth: God is in His Heavens. And although it may be surprising and startling to mortals to hear, God has His habitation, and God the Substance, the Self-existing and Soul form, has His locality, and men do not live and move and have their existence in God; but in His emanations and expressions and spirit they do. As you are somewhat exhausted, I think this a good place to stop. I am pleased that you are in such good condition. So be prepared for an early resumption of the message. With my love and blessings, I will say, good-night. Your brother and friend, Jesus May 30th, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, St. Peter, Apostle of Jesus. I have seen what you were reading and must inform you that many of the supposed miracles of healing and raising of the dead and the controlling of the laws or expressions of nature never occurred. No, these accounts are not true and are the results of the imaginings of men who attempted to add to the book that Luke wrote. Of course there is a true foundation for some of these alleged miracles, but as to others, there is no foundation in fact. Jesus did heal the sick and cure the blind and the deaf and the withered hand and the palsied man and resurrected the supposed dead, but not in the way described in the New Testament; and it is not good for men to believe in the truth of all these miracles. Well, that incident never occurred, for Jesus in HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/quotesluke.htm" \l "L827" casting out evil spirits would have had no authority or power to permit them to enter into the swine, and it would not have been in consonance with his love and ideas of what was just, to have allowed the swine to receive these spirits and thereby perish as the account says. And besides, the result of such an happening would have been, that the property of the innocent owners was taken from them and lost. In all Jesus' performance of miracles or in any of his teachings did he ever do or say that which worked wrong to a human being. All men were to him the objects of his love and the salvation which he came to earth to show men the way to. Sometime, I will consider these miracles in a message, and inform you of those that he actually performed and those that are the mere fancies of some of those eastern teachers who had a very wonderful imagination and used them in adding to the truths of Luke's original writings. Well, there is HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/quotesmark.htm" \l "M437" some little truth in that for we were in a storm and were afraid and he slept, and we awakened him, but he did not rebuke the storm and the waves and cause them to subside, but rather he allayed our fears by his talk and example and to us it became as if there were no storm, for when fear left us it was as if we were not sensible of the storm so far as the dread of drowning or perishing was concerned. No, this is another interpolation and should not be believed. Many wonders ascribed to Jesus were never performed, although it appeared to us as if there was no limit to the powers of Jesus. But sometime I will come and write fully on this matter. I must stop now. Your brother in Christ, Peter July 1st, 1917 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. Let me say only a few words as I am anxious to write and tell you that I was with you to-night on your last visit to the home of my son, (Mr. F.____), and was hoping that the opportunity would present itself for me to write; but, as you know, I was disappointed, and I know that my daughter was also, for she expected that in the event that you should call at her brother's home, she would be able to get a communication from me. As I could not write there, I thought I would accompany you home in hope that I might write, as I am now doing, for I heard you say that you had received a letter from your wife every night, and if that should happen to-night that I might have the chance to write. Well, I want my daughter to know that I approve her searching for the truth which she may find in spiritualism, if properly sought for; and, notwithstanding, that some of my family do not believe in it and treat it with indifference or disbelief, yet, in it many truths may be found. It is a truth itself, and is waiting for mortals to investigate and learn that it is true, and that in it are those truths that will lead them to much greater happiness than they now have on earth, and infinitely more than they can possibly find should they come to the spirit world without a knowledge of these truths. As they, I mean my family, know that I was a strict orthodox and believed in the teachings of the Bible as the church to which I belonged taught, and which I, myself, taught, and died firmly established in that belief and came into the spirit world wholly impregnated with this belief, expecting to meet Jesus and be admitted to the presence of God; and, according to my beliefs, I was justified in having such expectation. But alas, how different was my experience when I left the mortal world and how my expectations shattered in a moment, as it were! As my spirit left my body, I was fully conscious of the change that was taking place, and knew that I was dying, but was perfectly calm and without a particle of fear. I suffered no pain, or dread of what I should meet, but rather felt a happy expectation in the thought that my troubles of the earth life were past forever, and that soon I would be at rest and find my home among the chosen children of God, and have Jesus welcome me and take me in his arms of love. All the expectations that I possessed before my passing were with me, and much accentuated, and no doubt of my realizing the same, for a moment, entered my mind to disturb my hopes. I also expected to meet my loved ones who had gone before and enjoy the happiness of their presence and purified condition of soul. Well, I soon found myself a spirit, dissevered from my body, possessed of joy and, as mortals say, lighter than air. Figuratively speaking, I seemed to be walking on air, with nothing to interfere with my ascension to the bright realm where I expected to find my beloved ones and the Christ of my beliefs and love. I hardly realized my separation from my body before some of my loved ones met me and welcomed me with love and cheer, and told me that they were so happy that I had come over, and that I must not be afraid or doubt that I was then an inhabitant of the spirit world. I could scarcely tell you how happy I was and how the memories of the cares and burdens of my earth life left me, and how I seemed to be in an atmosphere of love and heavenly joy. The meeting with them was more than I had anticipated, and I thought how it had not entered into my mind when on earth to conceive of the beauty and grandeur of the spirit home which Jesus had said he was in heaven preparing for all those who believed in him, and in the great sacrifice and atonement that he had come to earth to make for men and which he did make. But soon, I remembered that my great expectation was to see Jesus, and feel the influence of his love, and also, get into the heaven where the Father was and join with the mighty hosts in singing halleluias and songs of thanksgiving. And I then asked my angel loved ones, where Jesus was and when I should enter into the presence of the Father, and receive His benediction of approval as a faithful and obedient child. And then, in a loving way and in a manner to make my disappointment less intense, they told me that Jesus was in the Celestial Spheres, and the Father, they had never seen - that He was a way up in the Spheres where no spirit had yet entered, nor had any Spirit seen His face or heard His voice - no matter how exalted and developed that spirit might be. That I was mistaken in my beliefs and that it was only by the development of my soul in love, could I possibly ascend to the Celestial Spheres where the Master was. That belief in the blood washing or in the vicarious atonement would not fit my soul for the Celestial Spheres, and that only the Divine Love in my soul and the freedom from my erroneous beliefs would enable me to become a possessor of the mansions that Jesus was preparing for those who became in atonement with the Father. That what they told me was the truth, and that sometime Jesus would tell me the same thing; and while I could not go to his home, yet he frequently came to the earth plane and endeavored to help and comfort spirits who had not the soul love that enable them to become children of the higher spheres. Well, you can imagine my astonishment and disappointment, and how the nakedness of my beliefs appeared to me. And as I thought of the long life that I had given to the cultivation and establishment of these beliefs and expectations in my own mind, and that I had no other knowledge or hope of salvation, I become doubtful of everything that was told me; and my God became no God, and Jesus, as my saviour, became no longer my saviour, but a man who had deceived me during all the long years of my life; and I became resentful and hardened, and refused to believe in anything. For I thought that while on earth I was honest with myself and honest with God, and that when the Bible had been certified to me as God's true revelation, with the certain and only plan of man's salvation, and I had devoutly believed in its plan and endeavored to live the life that entitled me to salvation, thus, as I say, I thought of these things and the realization of my deception made me rebellious, and I almost hated spirits and God. For a while, I was permitted to indulge in these thoughts without interruption, and then my friends told me that these thoughts were very harmful, and would prevent me from learning the true way to salvation and happiness, and that the longer I indulged in my feelings of resentment and thoughts of having been deceived, the greater would be my stagnation in my progress, and the darker would become my surroundings. Very soon they told me that all things in the spirit world were controlled by the unchangeable laws of God, and that these laws required that I should go to the place that my soul's condition fitted me for, and that they would have to leave me for the time being. And they said further, that all the beliefs in all the world will not determine the place in which a newly arrived spirit will have to find its home, unless those beliefs be true; and that the beliefs that I had and on which I depended for my salvation were not true. Well, I found my place, and with it darkness, in which I remained for a long time, refusing to believe what was told me as to the true way to light and happiness, and, just here, I want to say, that it is not an easy thing to lay aside or get rid of the beliefs of a life time on earth, even though the surroundings and disappointment of the spirit show that such beliefs must be false; and that belief - a merely intellectual belief - is a very important factor in determining the temporary destiny of the soul. I have written a long time and I will not relate in detail how I learned the truth and found the light, and was started on my progress to the higher spheres or how Jesus came to me and showered on me his love, and told me of the things that would be mine, if I would only follow his advice. He said that the great stumbling block to the progress of a spirit in its search for the truth and the mansions in the higher spheres is this erroneous and damning belief in his vicarious atonement etc., and which so many spirits who come to the spirit world, bring with them. I am now very happy, and am in the fifth sphere, where there are beauty and happiness beyond all conception; and if the opportunity was mine to-night, I would endeavor to give you some faint idea of my home and its surroundings, and of the beautiful spirits who are my associates. Some day, I know this home will be hers, for she will not have the burdens of the beliefs that I had to overcome. And just here, I must say, that as she knows how very dear she is to me, and how much I, who have so much of this great love of the Father in my soul, must love her, she must also know that I would not deceive her for all the world; and knowing this must take my advice and seek for this Great Love of God, which made such a happy spirit of her father. Let these old orthodox beliefs as to the plan of salvation leave her, and pray direct to the Father for His Love, and she will receive all that is necessary for a great earthly happiness and for a joy unspeakable in the spirit world. I am with her very often in her earthly troubles, and try to help and console her, and sometimes I do succeed a little. She must remember that these trials are only for a moment, and then will leave her forever, and that the love and influence which her father is throwing around her will never leave her; and that in that moment which mortals dread the most - I mean of death - her father and other loved ones will be with her and take her in their arms of love, and she will have never a fear or dread as to where she is, for love will be so great that her soul will respond in such a way that all else will be forgotten. So tell my daughter to try to not let her troubles and cares worry her so that she will neglect the presence of the consolation which we try to bring to her. Well, I have written as much as I feel that I am justified in doing as your time is needed for others as well, but your wife, who is so good, says that I must not fear that I have consumed too much, for she is always interested in the making known to mortals those things that will make them happy on earth and certain of heaven.I should like to say something to my wife, but I see that she is not in condition to receive my message, for she is suffering as I suffered, unconsciously, in the dogmatic beliefs of her church. Oh, if I could only come to her in my appearance of earth and tell her of the errors of her beliefs, and of the truths that have made me free and a true child of the Father, I would do so with the rapidity of light, and with the hope that my love for her would give me. I never loved her on earth as I do now, and when she comes to the spirit world she will not come a stranger, for a greater love than she has ever conceived of will meet her, and she will know the lover. Tell my daughter to read what I have written to her mother, and even though her mother will not believe, yet some of the things that I have said will find a lodgment in her memory, which will come with her to the spirit world, and help her in her disappointment in not having her expectations realized. And what I have said to you, my daughter, I say to my sons, and urge them to think of these things that are so vital to them as mortals as well as when they become spirits. Sometime, with your permission, I will come again and write to my folks. So thanking you and with my love to all my dear ones, I will say Good-night. Your brother in Christ, F_____ Note. This spirit would appear to be Rev Fontaine July 1st, 1917 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Your Own True and Loving Helen. Well dear, you are a little tired and I must not write much. HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/hell21.htm" The spirit who wrote you was at the home of his son, as he says, for as you know I was there and I saw him there. He came home with you and I told him to write, for I knew that he was very anxious. He is a very bright spirit and has much of the love in his soul and is anxious that his wife and children should believe what he wrote. What a privilege they have in having such a father to be with them, and give them the influence of his love. If mortals could only understand the great fortune of having a dear one in the spirit land who has the amount of love in his soul that the spirit who wrote you has. Your own true and loving Helen June 1st, 1917 Received: by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Saul: I will say only a word as it is late, and your wife says that I must not write much. Well, I have not written for a long time, and I desire very much to write you a message regarding some important spiritual truths that I know will be of interest to you; and if you will give me the opportunity, I will come soon and do so. I am interested in the Jews and I desire to tell them of some truths that may open up their minds to the way to the Celestial Kingdom, and cause them to cease to believe that their old orthodox beliefs in their father Abraham and the God of the Old Testament is all that is necessary to bring them into the presence of the true God. I realize that it will be difficult to write anything that will convince them of the errors of their beliefs, yet I will try, and pray to the Father to open up their understanding. The happenings in the countries where war is now raging will have their effect upon the Jews as well as upon the Christians and Pagans, and I desire that they, in their awakening consciousness may have the benefit of the truth. So if you will give me the opportunity I will come soon and write. I should like to say a few things more, but it is best that I do not tonight, and I will stop. So with my love and the blessings of God, I will say goodnight. Your brother in Christ, Saul June 3rd, 1917. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, John. I come to write a few lines on the display of what was supposed to be portraits of the Master and which you saw tonight. Well, the exhibits were quite interesting and showed the different and diverse conceptions of the artists during the centuries of what the Master looked like, but I must say, that none of them is a correct likeness of him as he appeared on earth or as he appeared after his rising from the dead and made himself visible to his disciples and others. I understand how the preacher and many others who were present at the church tonight love Jesus, and enjoy the belief that in looking at some of the portraits they may get a conception of his appearance, and I only wish that his appearance might have been shown by some of the pictures, but as I said, none of them bore any resemblance to the Master whom I knew and associated with, and saw after his resurrection from the tomb. None of them displayed the great spiritual light that shone from his countenance, even when he was suffering on the cross, and none of them gave a faint glimpse even of the spiritual beauty that was his when he associated with and helped sinners as well as his friends and disciples. I never heard of any portrait having been painted of him while he lived on earth or afterwards by anyone who had seen him, and the oldest of these portraits that were presented tonight was not made until years after his death, and by men who could not have gotten a description of the Master from anyone who had seen him. I know that there was no original as the preacher supposed, that must have given a suggestion to the artists who painted the ones that you saw, for there was never any original. No, the Master passed from earth without leaving behind him any representation of his appearance. The portraits were the results of what the artists conceived in their artistic brains, if I may use the expression, of what the Master, who had displayed such wonderful qualities of heart and mind should look like, and as their conceptions of the spiritual and human qualities of the Master differed, so their portraits differed, and the only foundation for their pictures were their own spiritual or non-spiritual conceptions. The Master, of course, like the rest of us who were his disciples, was a Jew, and it is quite natural to suppose that he had the features and hair and beard of the ordinary Jew; and as the Jews have continued to live ever since the time of the Master without much change in appearance or otherwise - I mean in his native land - the artists who conceived him to be a Jew, based their supposed portrait of him upon the appearance of the Jew as they saw him at the time that they painted the pictures. And while Jesus was a Jew, he was not what may be called a typical Jew in appearance any more than in other qualities, for he had in him that condition of soul that to a large extent determined and fashioned his appearance. His eyes were not dark or brown but a violet blue, and his hair was light and inclined to the auburn; his nose was prominent and somewhat long, and his beard was of the color of his hair, and worn not so long as was the custom of those days, and he never had a razor on his face. His forehead was not so very high or broad, but was well shaped and somewhat effeminate, and indicated that there was not so great mental development as might be supposed, for I must say here, that his knowledge was not so much the knowledge of the brain as of the heart and soul; and as you know, and as all men may know who acquire the proper soul development, the soul has a brain of its own which is used for the disclosure of the knowledge of that which pertains to the spiritual truths. Mortals may not quite comprehend the meaning of this assertion, but I must tell them that in certain circumstances and conditions the brain, or, to be more exact, the mind of the natural man becomes entirely absorbed in the mind of the soul. So that, I say, it is not a correct conclusion to suppose that Jesus, because of having all the wonderful knowledge of the truths of God - his Father, as he preferred to call God - must have had a large development of those portions of the brain that is ordinarily displayed by a large or prominent forehead. His head, in fact, was not very large, but compact and beautifully shaped. He wore his hair parted in the middle and reaching to his shoulders, and it was somewhat curly - a beautiful head of hair which seemed to be full of life. No artist has had a correct conception of his appearance and no portrait or sculpture conveys a near likeness of him. But as the people realize how beautiful he was within they can possibly in their own imaginations see a clearer conception of his appearance than any painted portrait gives to them. I sometimes wish that there was on earth a true likeness of him, as he appeared during the time of his great work of love on earth, so that those who love him could have the further pleasure of realizing his physical appearance; but that may not be so, because as mortals naturally worship the pictures of the saints, and through the picture, worship the originals, the danger would be that if there was a picture of the Master, mortals would worship him, even more than they do now - all of which worship is very distasteful and displeasing to him, and as he has said, blasphemy. The Master should be loved, and his presence longed for, as such presence has in it a wonderful love and influence to help and make happy those who are in condition to realize his presence; but he should not be worshipped. Well, as I was with you tonight at the church, I thought that it might be interesting to you, to have told you the truth in reference to the Master and his supposed portraits. Of course it is not necessary that there should be any picture of him, true or otherwise, in order to enable mortals to enjoy his presence, for he is working among mortals today as he was when on earth, and his love goes out to them, and his desire that they become in at-onement with the Father; and when mortals sincerely long for his presence, sooner or later, as the laws of his limitations permit, he will be with them, and will comfort and help them, if they will enable him to make the rapport. This is what is meant by his standing at the door and knocking - when the door is opened the rapport is made, and then his love and influence will be felt. But the difficulty here is that mortals suppose it to be and confuse it with the great Love of the Father, when the fact is that this love of Jesus is the same Love, in quality but not in quantity, that the mortal himself may obtain by the earnest prayers and sincere aspirations of his soul. The love of Jesus can never transform a human soul into the substance of the Love of the Father, because this transforming Love can come from the Father only, and is bestowed through the medium of the Holy Spirit, as we have explained to you. So let all mortals love Jesus with the fervor and fullness of their souls and crave for his love, but in doing so not forget or fail to know, that in thus loving in order to become like Jesus, they must seek for the greater Love of the Father, and give to Him all their soul's longings and desires for the inflowing of this Love into their souls; and the more they receive of this great Divine Love, the better able they will be to love their great brother, Jesus. Well, I have written enough for tonight. I will come soon again and write you a formal message. So remember what I said to you a few nights ago, and believe and trust, and you will not be disappointed. With my love and the blessings of the Father, I will say goodnight. Your brother in Christ, John Portraits of the various followers of Jesus are HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/portraits.htm" available here. We would recommend this HYPERLINK "http://www.lovewithoutend.com" portrait of Jesus. A good description of Jesus is given in HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/divinelove1.htm" \l "1" this message June 3rd, 1917. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here. Your own true and loving Helen. Well dear, you had a rather unusual HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/jesus27.htm" letter from John, and I must say that as Jesus appears now, even when he accommodates himself to the humblest human, the portraits do not resemble him. Of course, I do not know what he looked like when on earth, but John knows and what he says is true. Jesus told you a short time ago that he would sometime permit you to see him clairvoyantly and when he does, I think that you will see him as he was on earth, or at least as he appeared to mortals after his resurrection; and I hope that when you do, it will be indelibly stamped on your memory, so that if you were an artist you could reproduce his appearance. So you will have to consider yourself truly favored when you see him in this way. May the Father's Love be sufficient for you. Goodnight my dear husband. Your own true and loving, Helen June 4th, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Gottfried Leibnitz: Let me write a few lines. I am not an acquaintance of yours, yet I am not a stranger, so far as my being in your presence and observing the different spirits who communicate with you. I have been in spirit life a great many years and have been through the hells and purgatory and all kinds of suffering and am now in the light and comparatively happy. I am in what is called the Second Sphere, where are many bright and intellectual spirits, working out their own plans for accomplishing certain of their ideas and progressing to higher planes. I was a professor on earth and gave much of my time to the study of psychology and kindred subjects, and had many ideas of my own on these questions, and especially was I interested in the study or rather speculation - for I did not believe in the Bible or the teachings of the churches - as to the future of man, and my speculations led me to the conclusion that the physical death was not the end of man, for it seemed to me that if such was the case the object of the workings of the great laws of evolution would be defeated by the ending of the existence of the greatest and highest resultant of that evolution, namely man. I was a student of comparative biology and believed without any doubt and with the certainty of knowledge that man was the greatest product of this great principle of evolution and that for centuries upon centuries it had been working to bring or develop man from the mere molecule to the high degree of perfection displayed in his wonderful mind and moral faculties, and that then, in a moment, end it all by this thing known as physical death, was unreasonable and unjustified, and, hence, I concluded, as I say, that men must live after the death of the body. But when I got that far in my conclusions there came the question, what was beyond; and here my speculations were not-so satisfactory for I had very little upon which to base any theories. Of course I thought, that as man in the past had made such wonderful progress in his evolution, and as he would live in the future it was reasonable to suppose that this evolution would continue and that man's progress would be without limitation or ending - provided, he should continue to live forever. And thus arose the question of man's immortality; and here, I was stalled, for I had nothing with which to make a comparison. I knew that it was accepted as a truth in natural science that nothing could ever be destroyed or lost, and that the elements or atoms from which those physical things, perceptible to the senses, were composed should continue to exist forever, but this was not satisfactory to me upon which to base the fact that man would live forever. While these elements or atoms, themselves, could not be destroyed, yet many of those composite things into which these elements had entered, and given form, had been destroyed and as such composite entity and form no longer had an existence. I had seen the oak start from the acorn and grow to be a mighty tree and live for years and suddenly, by a stoke of lightning, destroyed and ceased to live, and as such tree went entirely out of existence. And, hence, by analogy I could not say that man as the identical individual would not go out of existence, and, in fact, I had seen him as regards his physical existence, cease to be an existence and his body disintegrate and go back to its elements; and I could find nothing in all this to justify me in asserting that man, in whatever form he might exist after his bodily death, would not at sometime in the future cease to have the form that made him the very individual that had lived on earth and continued his existence in the spirit world. No, I could not, in my speculations satisfy myself that man was immortal. And so speculation was compelled to stop, and I was left without any assurance that my theory of persistence of man after death was not one that might not prove to be false. But I died, and found that I, the conscious thinking man, continued to exist with all the faculties of mind and feelings that were mine when a mortal. And in addition, I soon met those who had preceded me in the spirit world, and who had since becoming spirits, advanced in their evolution, and were more perfect mentally and morally than they had been when on earth; and who, also, informed me that beyond where they had evoluted to, were spheres in which spirits of greater intellectual development and ancient in years, lived and worked and speculated upon the same question that I had given so much thought to when on earth, namely: is man immortal? And they further informed me that these ancient worthies had not been able to solve the problem, but that many who had come to the spirit life thousands of years before were still living, and no spirit had ever been known to have passed out of existence or dissolve into the elements of which it was composed. So you see, the spirits in the highest spheres with all their intellectual development and thousands of years of study, can no more assert with certainty that man is immortal than I could when on earth. To me now, as when on earth, this is the greatest question that arises, and engages my continuous thoughts, and I see no way to solve the problem. I remember, that when on earth the preachers and the churches claimed and taught the doctrine of immortality, and while I never deeply investigated the foundation of their claims, yet I cannot conceive that they can possess any more certainty of the supposed fact than did I. I can hardly believe that God ever revealed to man the fact of immortality; and in my opinion, in my present stage of development, only God knows, and all the teachings of the churches and wise theologians are mere speculations, not to be relied on. Well, I have written you a long letter tonight, and you may not be interested, but I am, and as the opportunity came, I thought that I would like to write, for I know that there are many mortals who are working and speculating and attempting to find some basis for their hopes of immortality; and some believe that while they may not satisfy their hopes on earth, yet when they come to the spirit world, the difficulties will be removed and the problem solved; and to these I desire to make known the fact that they will look through just as dark glasses here as they are now looking through on earth. Well, you surprise me and I can scarcely believe that you are serious, for I have never heard of such a way or of such a knowledge existing among spirits, and if you can show me that way I will, with all the energies of my soul pursue it. Well, you surprise me more and more; but I am willing to do as you say, no matter how absurd it may seem to me, or what little prospects I may see in making the pursuit. I will do as you say. Well, I see a beautiful spirit who says that he is Prof. Salyards, and has heard what I said and what you said, and that he will be pleased to show me the way to obtain both a knowledge and the actual possession of this immortality, and I shall accept this invitation and go with him. I thank you very much for listening to me and for your expressions of desire to help me; and if what you promise comes true, you may rest assured that I will return sometime and tell you. So my friend, I will say goodnight. Your friend, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibnitz June 4th, 1917 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, St. John. I came to-night to write you a message that I consider very important, and as you are in good condition I will endeavor to do so. In the first place, I desire to say that you are much more in that condition of soul development that enables us to make a rapport with you than you have been, and we are pleased that this is so, for the greater development you have the easier it is for us to express our ideas of the higher truths that we so much desire to disclose through you. Well, the subject about which I wish to write is: What is the reason that mortals will not seek the Love of the Father rather than endeavor to believe in the creeds and sacraments of the churches to which they belong or be affiliated with? Now it may appear to you that mortals themselves, could better tell the reason of this preference and their actions in carrying out their preferences, but this supposition would not be true because they do not really know. The knowledge of the truth which they might obtain, and the supposed knowledge of truth which so many of them content themselves with believing that they possess, are two and very different things. And first, they believe that the creeds of their churches contain and disclose the truths as to God and as to mortals relationship to Him, and that, if they follow these creeds - they will do that which is pleasing to God and in accordance with His will; and, hence, they rest satisfied to abide in such knowledge, and seek no further to learn the truths of their being and of their salvation. The creeds in most particulars do not contain the truths of these spiritual matters, for they are based upon error, and consequently, can have no truth as a super-structure, and from them, mortals cannot learn the true knowledge of things spiritual. These creeds are man made and are not based upon the real verities that can never be changed by creeds, nor any other thing that is the result of man's making. But mortals do not know that these creeds do not disclose to them the truth, and this is one reason why they prefer to follow the teachings of the creeds and believe in them. They have nothing else to which they can resort, except the many statements of truth that the Bible contains; and even, though, they should resort to these statements, yet in their condition of mental and soul development they would not be able to discover the truths as therein disclosed, and to realize any distinction between such truths and what they believe are truths of their creeds. For long years - generation after generation - these creeds have been accepted and believed in and proclaimed to be the truths by the respective churches to which the mortals may have belonged; and they have seen their parents and grandparents believing and resting in the assurance that the creeds contained the truth, and have seen these relatives live and die apparently happy in their beliefs, and hence they become satisfied to do that which those before them did and not question or search for the truth elsewhere, or even think that it can be found elsewhere. And as man is constituted it may be said that such a position and condition is natural, and we or you, who know the truth and also that the creeds do not contain the truth, should not be surprised. Again, mortals prefer their creeds, because in the majority of the instances when a church or denomination has existed for a long time those who have, as I may say, inherited these beliefs in the creeds never consider for a moment, that they should do anything else than give an unquestioning belief to the teachings of their creeds and that in such belief they are in the truth and are not called upon to doubt or question. And thus growing up, as many do, in this belief, it becomes to them in many cases, a thing of mere form, having no vitality and creating in those who possess it, no special concern as to whether their belief is well founded or not. This belief saves them the trouble of exercising their minds to any comprehensive degree, and they say: "I am content with the creed of my church and do not desire to be troubled by questioning the same." And, hence, you will see, it is not difficult for them to make the preference, for in fact, there is no preference, but a condition of mind existing that has in it no room for the exercise of any preference. And then again, this preference exists, because of the social life of the people who believe in the creeds of the churches, for if they do not so believe it is not permissible for them to become members of the churches, as the creed must be subscribed to, no matter what else that may be vital is required to be believed in, or declared by the mortal who desires affiliation to be believed. The church is the greatest of social centers in the lives of men, and its influence and power are very great and reaches further in the economy of social life than unthinking people may realize. So then when the applicant subscribes to the creed and becomes a member of the church he becomes satisfied, usually, with his social position and his thoughts of spiritual truths are no longer plastic but fixed, and as time goes by he pays less attention to what the creeds may require of him, but in a kind of automatic manner acts upon them and rests satisfied. His position then becomes so comfortable and his mind free from efforts by the undoubting acceptance of the doctrines of his church creeds. Of course, there are many exceptions to this condition existing among members of the churches, for while they subscribe to the creeds, yet their souls are not satisfied and go out in longings to the Father for His Love and many who possess this Love, though intellectually they do not know what it means. But with the majority the preference is made because of the reasons that I have stated - and the difficulty will be great to cause an awakening from this satisfaction and feeling that in their beliefs lie the certainty of doing the Father's will and of their own salvation. Now, while all this is true, yet these mortals do not realize that it is true just in the sense that I have described it, and the great work that lies before you and us is to cause the truths which you are receiving to be presented to these people in such a way that they will not be satisfied to rest in the security of their old beliefs, but be persuaded to seek for the truth outside of the teachings of their creeds. And this I can say, that if these people will have such an awakening, and seriously and honestly seek for the truth, they will not hesitate to believe that they have been mistaken in their beliefs, and will not be satisfied until they learn the truth. I merely thought I would write this, because, while it is more of a subject pertaining to the merely living of men on earth, yet in its results and consequences, if the living be changed the things spiritual will become the things of absorbing interest.These creeds shut out the truth, and men will never be able to find the truth, until they shut out from their minds and souls the doctrines of the creeds. I will not write more to-night. So with my love, I will say good-night. Your brother in Christ, John June 13th, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, John: I was with you tonight at the talk of the lecturer, and display of what has no foundation in truth. She has an idea that God is what man makes him to be, and that only as man's consciousness realizes the existence of a God in harmony with that consciousness, does that God really exist. She seems to have no conception as an Absolute, Unchangeable Being, not dependent upon man's realization of him or of man's consciousness that he exists in any other form or substance than as man sees him. No, she has not a true conception of God or man. To her, man is just what his status demonstrates him to be and no matter whether a formless, senseless amoeba or a perfect man as originally created by God, he is still man, and dependent upon his knowledge of the different conditions of himself in order to determine what he may have been in any state of his evolution. She cannot define God or man, and that being so, how can she possibly help man to know these matters. It is all pitiable that any human should let his own salvation or future destiny depend upon such unreliable and erroneous conceptions. I do not think that such lectures as this do you any good and I advise you not to attend them. Rely only on what you have received and shall receive from the Master and other high spirits as to what God and man are. I see that you are in better condition tonight, and I hope that we may resume our messages and continue to reveal to you the truth as regards God and man, and the plan, and the only one given by the Father for the full salvation of him. I will not write more tonight. So with my love I will say goodnight. Your brother in Christ, John June 14th, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Solomon: It has been a long time HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/minor24.htm" since I wrote you, although I have been present many times when the other spirits were delivering their messages, and of course, have been much interested in you and the messages. As you will remember, I told you in HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/bible17.htm" my message that you had been selected to do the work that the spirits of the Celestial Sphere, led by Jesus, had determined that you should do, and that you must realize the great importance of the work and also the importance of the mission conferred upon you in this regard, and urged you to believe in the truth of what I had written. Well, I come to reiterate what I then said, and also to impress upon you the necessity for doing this work as rapidly as possible, for conditions are such that the world is very much in want of these truths, as men are turning their thoughts more and more to things spiritual, and to the future life. This war will result in men seeking a religion that will satisfy not only the longings of their souls, but the efforts of their intellects in searching for the truth; and these truths when they are presented to men will give that satisfaction. Well, the explanation is, that these people, when they pray, attract to them the spirits, and also believe that God will answer their prayers, and these spirits endeavor to help them, and often succeed; and many times the things that these people pray for come to them by natural means. And this I will say, that never does God by His omnipotence, as regards these material things, answer prayer. All His answers to prayer are brought about by the workings of the spirits who do God's bidding, and in no other way are prayers for the material things, answered. I know that this may be surprising to many of these people who believe that God, by His great powers answers prayer, but it is a fact. Well, that is an illustration of the work of spirits, as I have explained. These spirits, when the prayers of that man (Mueller) ascended to God, heard them, and in obedience to their work, impressed mortals to do that which resulted in answer to these prayers. Many prayers have been answered in this way, and will be so long as mortals pray and have faith. I will not write more now. So goodnight. Your brother in Christ, Solomon June 14th, 1917 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, John. I merely want to say that your condition is improving and that in a few nights we will be able to continue our messages, and then you will find yourself happier in more ways than one. I mean that you will feel better spiritually. I was with you tonight at the meeting, and it did you good, for there were many spirits present who have the Love to a more or less degree, and of course, their influence was being exercised on and felt by the worshipers. The preacher is a man with a considerable amount of the Divine Love in his soul, and if he only had the true conception of Jesus he would find himself possessing more of this Love; and his idea of the Holy Spirit is such that it interferes with his receiving the effect of the work of the Spirit. He thinks and believes it to be an entity - in other words a being of substance and thought and sentient capacity, whereas, as you know, it is not, but merely the evidence of the working of God's own soul in bestowing upon mortals His Love and mercy. The Spirit is God's messenger for this purpose and is not a creation of His, as is Jesus and mankind. It is merely an energy of the soul of the Father, conveying His Love. The Spirit could have no existence without the Soul of the Father, and is entirely dependent upon the powers of that Soul for its existence, and only in the sense that it conveys God's Love can it be called the Comforter. And to grieve the Spirit, as the preacher said, means only that the Love of God is grieved, which is in fact not true, for this Love is never grieved, as it is so great and so intense in its desire that men shall receive it, that it never becomes grieved, though it is often disappointed, as you may say, that men will not receive it. It is always present waiting for men to receive it, and by their longings and prayers, cause their souls to be opened up to its reception. And this remember: that this Love of the Father is so very great that the Spirit which conveys it to man cannot become grieved. Well, I did not intend to write on this subject tonight and what I have said is merely fragmentary, but sometime I will come and write in detail. You must pray more and let your faith increase and you will find what the Holy Spirit is, and how it operates. Your prayers will be answered, and a great inflowing of the Love, and also your desires will be realized. Keep up your courage and you will not be disappointed. Today may look dark and dreary, but tomorrow the sun will shine, and you will enjoy the sunlight. I will not write more now. So with my love and blessings, I will say goodnight. Your brother in Christ, John June 16th, 1917 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, mother of Leslie: Let me write a line, as I am anxious to contribute my encouragement to what John has said, and I know that what he told you as to the powers that are working in this matter is all true. While we do not pay much attention to time, yet in the present case time is essential, and every day is important in the furtherance of the work, and we know this to a greater extent than you possibly can. Do the best and the most that you can, until the time comes for you to have the surroundings that are so desirable to make the work easier of performance. You have the love of many high spirits and their powers are not to be underestimated. You may think it strange that I write in this way, but you must understand that while I am not of those who inhabit the high Celestial Heavens, yet I am interested in the work, for I know what it means. The truths to be conveyed to you have saved me from the slow progression of the soul without the Divine Love, and have also lifted my boy from the darkness of ignorance and false beliefs into the knowledge of the truth and the salvation of his soul; and what they have done for him they will do for all mortals who receive the light and pray for the Love. And you can see that this Love is so great and of such a nature that we who have it to a degree want everyone of our brother mortals to know the way to obtain it. So do not think that I, just because I am of little importance among the high spirits of the Celestial Heavens, may not help a little for I can and am endeavoring to do so. Tell my boy that his mother loves him with all her heart and soul, and is praying for him, and that she knows, as regards his prayers, it does not depend upon the help of spirits to bring a response, for the Father answers directly and sends His Holy Spirit to bring to him the response. Oh, how I love the Father, and how His Love makes me happy and gives me a peace that only He can confer. We are all present tonight with our love and influence and prayers. I must not write more now. So believe that I am a spirit who loves her boy with a true love that no earthly mother can know. Good night. Your sister in Christ, Mrs. Stone June 16th, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Elizabeth Barret Browning: Let me say a word and that is, that I have listened to the HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor567.htm" last message that was written you, and if I could only utter from my soul as that spirit did the deep and true meaning of love and gladness, I would think that beyond the condition that I should then be in there could not possibly be any starry heavens or beyond. I am a bright spirit and happy, but my happiness is not that which I saw in the bright spirit who wrote, and my love to his is like a pale moonbeam compared to the glorious sunlight. I wonder now that such a spirit can possess such a glorious countenance of love and sympathy. When he spoke of the love of the mother for her son his whole soul seemed to go with his words, and to reflect the wondrous love that he must possess. This is the first time that I have ever attempted to write through a mortal, and my astonishment is great that I can do so with such ease, but I realize that it must be, because there are so many beautiful spirits present encouraging me to do so. You should be a very happy mortal to have all these glorious spirits around and so close to you, and they all seem to love you so very much, and as I write they smile upon you and say that they love you, not only because they are your parents and relatives, but because in your heart - and I refer to both you mortals - there is a love that responds to theirs and recognizes the fact of the mutuality of the affections. Tell me what is the secret of this, to me, wonderful attraction, and what this love is, for it must be beyond what I have experienced. Well, I have heard what you said, and one beautiful spirit comes to me, and says, that she is a country woman of mine, and invites me to go with her for a little talk, and says that her name on earth was Kate, and now it is, a child of the Father and a possessor of His Love, which she says is a part of the love that I see all around me. How wonderful this all is, and how I long to be among these beautiful spirits in their beauty and happiness! Well, I will have to leave now and learn the secret of the love. So thanking you I will say goodnight. Your true friend, Elizabeth Barret Browning June 16th, 1917. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Your Own True and Loving Helen: Well, dear, you have had some beautiful messages tonight and in them was much love, and I was glad that you received these messages. Tell Doctor that his HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor567.htm" mother actually wrote and that she is here now and says that she will accompany him alone and remain with him until he goes to sleep. Her love for him seems to be great tonight. And dear Prof. Salyards also wrote in his loving and sympathetic way. What a wonderful spirit he is in his deference to the female spirits and he sees only love and beauty in all. The HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor418.htm" last spirit who wrote, I am not acquainted with, but I have no doubt that she is who she represents herself to be. At any rate, she is quite a beautiful spirit but does not know what the Divine Love means and went with the Doctor's sister, who will tell her. For Kate is a very beautiful spirit with much of the love in her soul and seems so full of desire to let all know what this love is. She is doing a wonderful work among the dark spirits and is one of the busiest of the spirits who attend on your evenings when the dark spirits come for help. And I must also say that she is so joyful in the fact that the Doctor has found the way that will lead him to the Celestial Heavens. And there is another one present whom I must not neglect to mention, and I could not if I wanted to, for she says now Helen if you love me tell Leslie that I am here and want only to say that I love him as he knows. She is progressing in her soul development very rapidly and I tell her that she is commencing to look real beautiful and if the Doctor could only see her he would think so too. And she says that it does not matter whether she is beautiful or not if she could only make herself visible to the Doctor he would not look to see whether she was beautiful or not because she would look at him with such eyes of love that he wouldn't see anything but her eyes. Well, dear, you must not write more. Keep up your courage and believe what has been told you for you will not be disappointed. Tomorrow night the Master desires to finish his message. So with my love to you both I will say good night. Your own true and loving - Helen June 19, 1917 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Kate Stone: Tell my brother that what he HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor589.htm" heard a few nights ago in reference to me is true, and that I am engaged with my whole heart and soul in the work of helping the dark and suffering spirits, and when I succeed in turning some towards the light and the Father's Love, there comes to me a happiness I cannot describe. The fact of being an instrument in the redemption of one lost soul affords greater happiness than any mortal can dream of, and when I tell my brother that I have succeeded in showing the way to many of these spirits, he may perhaps, in a small way, realize what my happiness is. To me the work is one of the greatest that we spirits can possibly engage in, and I never get tired or disheartened, and even though sometimes I fail to convince a spirit as to the way to light and relief from his suffering, yet I never feel disappointed, for I know that sometime sooner or later that spirit will perceive the meaning of my words and they will have their effect. But not only can I see the results of my own work, but also that of you three mortals, for you all help these dark spirits by your talks with them; and my brother must not think that just because he cannot write and thus be certain that the spirits are listening to him, that he cannot perform this task, for I must tell him that he does. When he talks to them, they give him their attention and believe him, and many take his advice and seek the Father's Love through the only way it can be obtained, through earnest prayer. He will know some day what the results of his efforts are, and when he does, he will thank the Father that he was given this gift. Tell him to continue, and even though he cannot hear their response, I will come at times to inform him of results: a soul in darkness and torment rescued by a mortal who knows the truth. A crown of one star representing salvation of a soul is a glorious possession, but a crown of many stars bestowed for the saving of many souls is a treasure beyond description. This crown will be his, but while it will not be one to be worn, yet it will be a crown set in the joyous countenances of spirits relieved of their sufferings and radiant in the glory of the Father's Love. I will stop now, as Helen says you are tired and must not write more tonight. With my love, I will say good-night to you and Leslie. Your sister in Christ, Kate June 21st, 1917. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. l am the man who said to Jesus as he bore his cross to Calvary, "Pass on," and to whom he said, "Tarry thou till I come;" and for years and years I waited, until at last he came to me, not as the reincarnated Jesus, but as my brother and friend in the possession of the Divine Love, which I received in my soul after the long years of waiting and suffering on earth. I know that this is considered a legend by mortals, but to me it was a vital and painful fact. I was truly the wandering Jew and found rest nowhere, and even death would not come to me to release me of a life that was a torture, and a cause of recollection of my inhumanity to the truly Jesus. I have now been in spirit life for many centuries and am in the Celestial Heavens, for the Divine Love of the Father is sufficient to redeem the vilest of mortals and the perpetrators of the greatest sins from their conditions of darkness and sufferings. If I had only known what a beloved son of God the Master was when I uttered my vile words and cruel curses, I would never have opened my mouth, except to bless him and comfort him as he walked his weary way to the cross; but, I did not know, and thought that I was serving my God, when I reviled him, who, as I thought, was a blasphemer and destroyer of our religion. But, I paid the penalty even while on earth, and suffered the tortures that no man can understand, for as I continued to live, and death was always fleeing from me, I commenced to and did realize that I had committed a sin against the chosen of the Father, and his, I mean Jesus' sentence upon me became a thing of wonderful and ever present reality. But now, I know that he loved even me, and that while I was wandering and suffering he was with me trying to help me open up my soul to the Divine Love, which was my only liberator from my doom. I know that this may seem strange and unbelievable to you, and not possible in the workings of God's economy in dealing with His creatures, but it was true, and I know. But the Wonderful Love! Oh, how can I ever express my feelings of gratitude to the Father and to Jesus! While I remained in my ignorant and disheartened state, that very Jesus was with me many times in his love, trying to help me. Many spirits have told me this, and it is true. I write this because I want you and the world to know that this Love is waiting for all mankind, and that there is no sinner so vile that it cannot turn him into the Divine Angel of God's Celestial Heavens. I will not write more now, except to say that whenever you read of me, remember that I am no longer the wandering Jew but a redeemed child from sin and error, and much beloved by that very Jesus whom I treated so cruelly. With my love I will say, good-night. I will sign myself as I am best known, The Wandering Jew June 21st, 1917 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, St. John, Apostle of Jesus. Well, you were surprised at the HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/bible1.htm" last message and it is not to be wondered that you were, for I know that to you this story was a mere legend, as it is to most others of the mortal life, who have thought on the subject. And again, the wandering Jew was not in your mind as I know, for I was present before you commenced to write and know just what the contents of your mind were, and what expectations you had. I recite these facts to impress you that this message is not the result of any subconscious mind that the philosophers speak of, but the message came solely because the spirit who wrote came to you and took control of your brain and hands and actually wrote the message. He is truly the man known as the Wandering Jew, and the legend is true so far as his having treated the Master as he said and the Master's sentence upon him to "tarry until he should come." Naturally the question arises, how could the Master have imposed such a sentence, or what power had the Master to do that which is so contrary to all the ordinary known laws of God? Well, the question is a pertinent and proper one and is entitled to an answer.At the time of the Master's crucifixion he was surrounded by a great host of spirits, in whom was vested the most wonderful powers of the spirit world, and they accompanied him in his weary march to the cursed cross, all trying to sustain him, and listening to his words, and many of them knowing his thoughts and the travail of his soul; and when he rested because of the burden of carrying the cross, they were with him and heard the inhuman command of the Jew and the Master's reply, and then they determined that the sentence should be carried out and never end until the Jew had traveled the weary road of suffering that he saw Jesus was travelling, and until he should seek relief in that way that the very Master came to earth to make known to mortals, and this Jew was among them. The spirits were with the Jew continually sustaining him in his physical life so that the friend that he hoped and prayed for - I mean death - should not come to him, until first should come the Great Love of the Father to redeem him from the results of the sentence. And strange as it may seem to you, at the very time that these spirits were exercising their powers to prolong the physical life of the man, they were also trying to influence him so that he would open up his soul to the inflowing of the Love; and among those who thus worked was the Master himself. But the old beliefs of this Jew in the teachings of the laws of Moses, and in Abraham as his father and the great medium of his salvation, and that great power which he possessed - the human will - prevented the opening up of his soul for many long years, and not until he was convinced that the sentence of the Master was being carried out, did he commence to realize that the teachings of his church and father Abraham were not sufficient for his salvation from the awful doom pronounced upon him; and there came to him the thought that the man whom he had cursed might be the truly son of God, and that his teachings of the only way to the Father and happiness was through this Love; for in the meantime he had lived among the Christians and had learned what the teachings of this love were, and that it was waiting for all, and could be obtained by all through prayer and the submission of the human will. Well, he suffered and sought in every way to obtain this death, but it always evaded him, until at last his will broke and the truth came to him and with it prayer, and then came freedom; for I must tell you that when the soul of a mortal prays in earnestness and with true longings, all the powers of all the spirits in the spiritual or Celestial Heavens cannot prevent that Love from responding to the prayers, and from making the longing soul free and at one, to a degree, with the Father. The sentences of spirits and angels cannot exist contrary to that Love's demands. And this being so, mortals can readily understand that all the powers of the hells and the evil ones cannot prevail against that Love. And thus further will you understand that the true prayers of a longing soul are more powerful and will bring the response from the Father, than all the powers of angels, and spirits and devils combined. Thus you may comprehend what an important creature is one poor mite of a mortal when in truth and earnestness he comes to the Father, seeking His Love. Well, when I came to-night, I had no thought of writing such a message as I have written, but as I realized that you may in thinking about the message of the Wandering Jew, and doubt that the laws of nature may be set aside even at the command of the Master, I thought it best to write you as I have. No laws of nature were, in fact, set aside, but the powers of the spirits were exercised upon preserving the physical organs and functions of this Jew, so that life would remain, and the vitalizing principle perform its work in preserving the Jew as a living mortal. Do not wonder at this, for I must tell you that before these messages shall be completed you will be told of many truths that will be more astonishing and contrary to what men call the laws of nature, than is the case of the Wandering Jew. I will not write more now, and with my love to you and your friend, I will say good-night. Your brother in Christ, John June 21st, 1917 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, William Stone: I want to say just a word to my son. I have been with him a great deal of late, observing the presence of the Divine Love in his soul. I am justified in telling him that this Love at times has flowed into his soul in great abundance, and as John said, all the powers of the spirit world could not have prevented it from doing so. He must realize that earnest prayer and the longings of his soul are the only meditations between him and the Father and that this response is of that nature that in order for him to be conscious of it, it is not necessary for some spirit to tell him. No, only he, and God, knows where the Love comes from and no spirit can possibly get between that God and the mortal soul. Of course we can see the effect of the possession of that Love by the soul of the mortal and spirit as well, but when it comes only he can sense it. God is his only bestower and He alone can direct the Holy Spirit. I write thus, because I want to implant firmly in my son's mind and consciousness the fact that this Love needs no help from spirits to bring him its presence. My Father is always waiting to bestow the Love even though He, the substance, may not be present in His soul form; but His Love is never absent and never fails to respond. I am happier than I can express over the fact that my boy has the opportunity to come into a knowledge of the way in which this Love can be obtained and the further fact that his soul consciousness has been so developed that he can sense its bestowal. We are all present tonight and are praising and thanking the Father for His goodness and mercy and our prayers are ascending to Him for a greater and greater bestowal of this Love. While we are not unhappy over the fact that if our other children would turn their thoughts to this Love and seek for it, we would be able to rejoice with a greater joy. We realize that life on earth is short and that very soon all our children will be with us and then they will learn the truth and turn their thoughts to things spiritual, and that we will be able to help them without the interference of the flesh, and the allurements of the world; but how much better it would be if they would only start on their progress while they are surrounded by the temptations of the flesh. We are praying for them and constantly trying to impress them with our love and thoughts of things spiritual; and have a lively hope that before they come to us the awakening may come to them. I am progressing and the fact that my son sends us loving thoughts and attracts to him spirits of the high Celestial Spheres help us all so much for we get the benefit of the truths that they convey and the wonderful atmosphere of Love and the Divine Love that they bring with them. I will not write more. All send their love and blessings, good night. Your friend in Christ, William Stone June 21st, 1917 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving Helen Well, dear, you have had some very surprising messages to-night and I don't wonder that you think they may not be just from whom they represent themselves to be, but the fact is that the persons professing to write actually did so. HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/bible1.htm" The Jew is a very bright spirit of the Celestial Spheres, but one who is very humble, and the effect of his great suffering an earth is plainly shown in his great humility. What a wonderful thing such an experience is! And when he told you of his long weary years on earth, he seemed for the moment, to be going over the experience again; but of course, he was not, for the love that is in him prevented the grief of those years from finding more than a temporary lodgment in his recollections. Well the truth of what he wrote you can be believed in, not only because HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/bible2.htm" John corroborated him, but because many other spirits who were present at the time, say that it is true. Your own true and loving Helen June 24th, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here and want to write a little tonight with the permission of your band and yourself. You will remember me when I tell you that I am an old friend of yours and a brother in the profession. You knew me as G. H., and I knew you as my young lawyer friend. I am living in the third sphere and am comparatively happy, and am trying to progress to the higher spheres, but somehow the old beliefs that I imbibed, when on earth, seem to retard my progress. As you know, I was a Methodist and believed in the Methodist doctrines, and yet was not so spiritual as I should have been. I have learned or rather unlearned and learned many things since I have been here, and, as a consequence, I am in a better condition to appreciate the truth than when on earth. Well, I know now that the blood of Jesus, as such, does not wash away sin, and also that he is not the saviour of men because of any vicarious atonement. These were great stumbling blocks to me when I came into the spirit world, and my disappointment growing out of these beliefs was very great, and almost caused me to believe that there never was any Jesus or any God. But thanks to some of my spirit friends who knew the truth, I was prevented from becoming an unbeliever in the truths of salvation and so was saved from what might have been a great stagnation of my soul and its progress. Yes, and I am somewhat surprised at Riddle's progress, for I must tell you that he is in a higher sphere than I am, and is more filled with this Love of the Father. He has told me somewhat of his experience, and how you first started him to right thinking, and then how your band, I mean your grandmother, and the rest of your kinfolk, came to him and helped him to see the light, and the necessity of seeking and obtaining God's Love. He is now a very bright spirit and has much faith. So you see, a man may have his doubts on earth and yet succeed in progressing more rapidly than one, who, though he believes in God and the Bible, yet because of his erroneous beliefs, stands still. Well, I must say that I have been with you a number of times when the spirits were writing to you, and I was very much surprised at first that such a thing should be; and I saw that you were doing the dark spirits a great deal of good in the way in which you helped them out of their darkness and sufferings . When I was on earth I did not suppose that there would ever come a time when you would be in this kind of work - in fact I did not know that there was such a work to be performed by any one. Yes, I have seen Jesus writing to you a number of times, and only tonight did he do so. My views as to him have changed very much since I was on earth. As you may have thought, I then believed him to be God or one of three that constituted God, and that he was a way up in the heavens, sitting on the right hand of the Father, controlling the heavens and the earth. But since I have been in the spirit world my beliefs have changed, and now I know that Jesus is not God, but only his highest, best son, and a spirit such as I am. He has at times talked to me and told me of many erroneous beliefs contained in the Bible and in the dogmas of the churches. He is a wonderful spirit - the brightest in all the spirit world, and the one that is closer to the Father than any of the others, ancient or modern. He is so very filled with the Divine Love of his Father that we adore him as our Master-not worship him as God. I have been surprised at the great interest he has in you, and the abundance of love that he has for you. But I know that I need not have been surprised for he has selected you to write his messages to the world. What a fortunate man you are. I don't sometimes understand how such a thing can be, but he says that the world must have all the truths of the Father, and he selected you because he saw that you could carry out his desires better than any other mortal; and so you are favored. Well I must stop as I have written a very long letter and some others wish to write also. So my dear brother I will say goodnight. Your old friend, G. H. NOTE. This spirit would appear to be Geo. W Heyde, also Helen's father June 25th, 1917 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Luke: I have listened to your conversation and have enjoyed the facts disclosed of the knowledge of the truths that you two possess of these truths that have been conveyed to you by the various messages and the intuitions if I may so describe, which I wish to say that I have also impressed you with these truths. And here I desire to say that in our working to make plain to you these truths by our impressions or as some mediums might say our inspirations, but we do not let you depend entirely on the mere language of the message but we try to give you accurate understanding of the true interpretation of these messages. This you may not know but it is a fact and in many instances our work of this nature has caused you to conceive the truth that is delicate shades of meaning that otherwise you might not have received. And from this you will understand that you have the clairvoyant faculty as well as that of writing. And when I say clairvoyant I do not mean that faculty which enables you to hear clearly with the spirit ear, but rather that which enables you to receive our impressions and inspires you being actually conscious of the reception of these impressions. So you see you have the opportunity of receiving these things which very few mortals have, for this is a phase of mediumship as it might be called which is rare and not possessed by many mortals. It differs from the ordinary inspirational phase in this that where the medium receives information in this latter way the spirit ear actually hears the thoughts coming of which the medium is conscious while in the former method there is neither an actual hearing or a consciousness on the part of the mortal of the thing conveyed. And all during the delivery of these messages of the higher truths both to you and your friend, you will have the benefit of our instructions conveyed in this impressional way. Well I am glad that you are both progressing in Soul development as you are doing, and if you continue to pray and seek this will increase until the time will come that will bring to you powers that you do not now conceive of. You both as you know have special guardians who are looking after you in reference to these spiritual things that will not fail to succeed in making you what they desire, and what you will wonder at when the time of your realization comes. I heard what my charge (Eugene Morgan) said as to my writing him a special message dealing with truth that will help in the work that he is now doing among the deluded spirits in purgatory and I will soon fulfill that promise and when I see that he is in the proper condition, I will write. I will not write more tonight but with my love advise you both to pray and have faith and you will be happier on earth and more than happy when you come to your eternal homes. Good night. Your brother in Christ, Luke Pray: That they all may be one; even as Thou, Father, art in me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that Thou hast sent me. John 17:21 July 1st, 1917 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. Let me say only a few words as I am anxious to write and tell you that I was with you to-night on your last visit to the home of my son, (Mr. F.____), and was hoping that the opportunity would present itself for me to write; but, as you know, I was disappointed, and I know that my daughter was also, for she expected that in the event that you should call at her brother's home, she would be able to get a communication from me. As I could not write there, I thought I would accompany you home in hope that I might write, as I am now doing, for I heard you say that you had received a letter from your wife every night, and if that should happen to-night that I might have the chance to write. Well, I want my daughter to know that I approve her searching for the truth which she may find in spiritualism, if properly sought for; and, notwithstanding, that some of my family do not believe in it and treat it with indifference or disbelief, yet, in it many truths may be found. It is a truth itself, and is waiting for mortals to investigate and learn that it is true, and that in it are those truths that will lead them to much greater happiness than they now have on earth, and infinitely more than they can possibly find should they come to the spirit world without a knowledge of these truths. As they, I mean my family, know that I was a strict orthodox and believed in the teachings of the Bible as the church to which I belonged taught, and which I, myself, taught, and died firmly established in that belief and came into the spirit world wholly impregnated with this belief, expecting to meet Jesus and be admitted to the presence of God; and, according to my beliefs, I was justified in having such expectation. But alas, how different was my experience when I left the mortal world and how my expectations shattered in a moment, as it were! As my spirit left my body, I was fully conscious of the change that was taking place, and knew that I was dying, but was perfectly calm and without a particle of fear. I suffered no pain, or dread of what I should meet, but rather felt a happy expectation in the thought that my troubles of the earth life were past forever, and that soon I would be at rest and find my home among the chosen children of God, and have Jesus welcome me and take me in his arms of love. All the expectations that I possessed before my passing were with me, and much accentuated, and no doubt of my realizing the same, for a moment, entered my mind to disturb my hopes. I also expected to meet my loved ones who had gone before and enjoy the happiness of their presence and purified condition of soul. Well, I soon found myself a spirit, dissevered from my body, possessed of joy and, as mortals say, lighter than air. Figuratively speaking, I seemed to be walking on air, with nothing to interfere with my ascension to the bright realm where I expected to find my beloved ones and the Christ of my beliefs and love. I hardly realized my separation from my body before some of my loved ones met me and welcomed me with love and cheer, and told me that they were so happy that I had come over, and that I must not be afraid or doubt that I was then an inhabitant of the spirit world. I could scarcely tell you how happy I was and how the memories of the cares and burdens of my earth life left me, and how I seemed to be in an atmosphere of love and heavenly joy. The meeting with them was more than I had anticipated, and I thought how it had not entered into my mind when on earth to conceive of the beauty and grandeur of the spirit home which Jesus had said he was in heaven preparing for all those who believed in him, and in the great sacrifice and atonement that he had come to earth to make for men and which he did make. But soon, I remembered that my great expectation was to see Jesus, and feel the influence of his love, and also, get into the heaven where the Father was and join with the mighty hosts in singing halleluias and songs of thanksgiving. And I then asked my angel loved ones, where Jesus was and when I should enter into the presence of the Father, and receive His benediction of approval as a faithful and obedient child. And then, in a loving way and in a manner to make my disappointment less intense, they told me that Jesus was in the Celestial Spheres, and the Father, they had never seen - that He was a way up in the Spheres where no spirit had yet entered, nor had any Spirit seen His face or heard His voice - no matter how exalted and developed that spirit might be. That I was mistaken in my beliefs and that it was only by the development of my soul in love, could I possibly ascend to the Celestial Spheres where the Master was. That belief in the blood washing or in the vicarious atonement would not fit my soul for the Celestial Spheres, and that only the Divine Love in my soul and the freedom from my erroneous beliefs would enable me to become a possessor of the mansions that Jesus was preparing for those who became in atonement with the Father. That what they told me was the truth, and that sometime Jesus would tell me the same thing; and while I could not go to his home, yet he frequently came to the earth plane and endeavored to help and comfort spirits who had not the soul love that enable them to become children of the higher spheres. Well, you can imagine my astonishment and disappointment, and how the nakedness of my beliefs appeared to me. And as I thought of the long life that I had given to the cultivation and establishment of these beliefs and expectations in my own mind, and that I had no other knowledge or hope of salvation, I become doubtful of everything that was told me; and my God became no God, and Jesus, as my saviour, became no longer my saviour, but a man who had deceived me during all the long years of my life; and I became resentful and hardened, and refused to believe in anything. For I thought that while on earth I was honest with myself and honest with God, and that when the Bible had been certified to me as God's true revelation, with the certain and only plan of man's salvation, and I had devoutly believed in its plan and endeavored to live the life that entitled me to salvation, thus, as I say, I thought of these things and the realization of my deception made me rebellious, and I almost hated spirits and God. For a while, I was permitted to indulge in these thoughts without interruption, and then my friends told me that these thoughts were very harmful, and would prevent me from learning the true way to salvation and happiness, and that the longer I indulged in my feelings of resentment and thoughts of having been deceived, the greater would be my stagnation in my progress, and the darker would become my surroundings. Very soon they told me that all things in the spirit world were controlled by the unchangeable laws of God, and that these laws required that I should go to the place that my soul's condition fitted me for, and that they would have to leave me for the time being. And they said further, that all the beliefs in all the world will not determine the place in which a newly arrived spirit will have to find its home, unless those beliefs be true; and that the beliefs that I had and on which I depended for my salvation were not true. Well, I found my place, and with it darkness, in which I remained for a long time, refusing to believe what was told me as to the true way to light and happiness, and, just here, I want to say, that it is not an easy thing to lay aside or get rid of the beliefs of a life time on earth, even though the surroundings and disappointment of the spirit show that such beliefs must be false; and that belief - a merely intellectual belief - is a very important factor in determining the temporary destiny of the soul. I have written a long time and I will not relate in detail how I learned the truth and found the light, and was started on my progress to the higher spheres or how Jesus came to me and showered on me his love, and told me of the things that would be mine, if I would only follow his advice. He said that the great stumbling block to the progress of a spirit in its search for the truth and the mansions in the higher spheres is this erroneous and damning belief in his vicarious atonement etc., and which so many spirits who come to the spirit world, bring with them. I am now very happy, and am in the fifth sphere, where there are beauty and happiness beyond all conception; and if the opportunity was mine to-night, I would endeavor to give you some faint idea of my home and its surroundings, and of the beautiful spirits who are my associates. Some day, I know this home will be hers, for she will not have the burdens of the beliefs that I had to overcome. And just here, I must say, that as she knows how very dear she is to me, and how much I, who have so much of this great love of the Father in my soul, must love her, she must also know that I would not deceive her for all the world; and knowing this must take my advice and seek for this Great Love of God, which made such a happy spirit of her father. Let these old orthodox beliefs as to the plan of salvation leave her, and pray direct to the Father for His Love, and she will receive all that is necessary for a great earthly happiness and for a joy unspeakable in the spirit world. I am with her very often in her earthly troubles, and try to help and console her, and sometimes I do succeed a little. She must remember that these trials are only for a moment, and then will leave her forever, and that the love and influence which her father is throwing around her will never leave her; and that in that moment which mortals dread the most - I mean of death - her father and other loved ones will be with her and take her in their arms of love, and she will have never a fear or dread as to where she is, for love will be so great that her soul will respond in such a way that all else will be forgotten. So tell my daughter to try to not let her troubles and cares worry her so that she will neglect the presence of the consolation which we try to bring to her. Well, I have written as much as I feel that I am justified in doing as your time is needed for others as well, but your wife, who is so good, says that I must not fear that I have consumed too much, for she is always interested in the making known to mortals those things that will make them happy on earth and certain of heaven.I should like to say something to my wife, but I see that she is not in condition to receive my message, for she is suffering as I suffered, unconsciously, in the dogmatic beliefs of her church. Oh, if I could only come to her in my appearance of earth and tell her of the errors of her beliefs, and of the truths that have made me free and a true child of the Father, I would do so with the rapidity of light, and with the hope that my love for her would give me. I never loved her on earth as I do now, and when she comes to the spirit world she will not come a stranger, for a greater love than she has ever conceived of will meet her, and she will know the lover. Tell my daughter to read what I have written to her mother, and even though her mother will not believe, yet some of the things that I have said will find a lodgment in her memory, which will come with her to the spirit world, and help her in her disappointment in not having her expectations realized. And what I have said to you, my daughter, I say to my sons, and urge them to think of these things that are so vital to them as mortals as well as when they become spirits. Sometime, with your permission, I will come again and write to my folks. So thanking you and with my love to all my dear ones, I will say Good-night. Your brother in Christ, F_____ Note. This spirit would appear to be Rev Fontaine. July 3rd, 1917 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Paul. Let me write a few lines, as I desire to say a word about the condition of the man to whom you were talking a short time ago on matters connected with your work and the messages that you are receiving. I mean the Methodist preacher. As you may judge from his conversation, his mind is open to the reception of the truth, and his beliefs in the dogmas of the Bible teachings are not such as to cause him to be unduly biased, so that if the truth be presented to him with any degree of reasonable force he will give consideration to the same. Of course, he is an orthodox in the way of believing in the plan of salvation provided by God, as recognized and enunciated by the creeds of the churches, and to him Jesus is God, and his sacrifice and vicarious atonement are truths vital to the salvation of mankind; and that the man who does not believe in these necessary prerequisites cannot possibly become reconciled to God or be at-one with Him. To him, Jesus is God, and the only saviour of men, and without Him (Jesus in this sense) it is not possible for man to escape the great condemnation. Now, while all this is true as regards the preacher's belief, yet he does not believe positively that the man who dies in his sins, as the churchmen term it, will be condemned to a separation from God for all eternity. His belief on this question is not fixed, and his love for mankind creates in him a hope that this may not be so, and that some means will be provided by which such an awful condemnation will not be imposed on men. He has in his soul much of the Divine Love, without having the consciousness that this is a separate and distinct Love from the natural love that has been to some extent purified. In fact, he has no conception of any Love of God other than the love that was given to men at the time of the creation of the first parents, and which every human being born since that time has received, although it has become defiled by sin and error and the willfulness of man. He believes that man, by the operation of the Holy Spirit, is cleansed of this defilement of the love with which he was endowed, and by the atonement of Jesus is brought into a state of reconciliation with the Father, and no other or different love is necessary for the redemption of the fallen human. That Jesus, by his sacrifice, is all that is required; and when a mortal, by his belief and acceptance of that sacrifice, receives Jesus into his life and nature, he becomes a redeemed child of God. Of course, he cannot fully understand just the method by which this change is brought about. He believes that there is something mysterious connected with the manner in which the resultant condition of goodness and purification and the change of the vile man into an angel, which flows from the sacrifice and acceptance and belief, yet the man is so changed, and the manner thereof is known to God, and it is not necessary for man to understand. This is a path which does not demand knowledge, a mystery of God which need not be inquired into; only "believe on the Lord, Jesus Christ, and ye shall be saved." I say that this belief is his and is sufficient for him, and in it he rests securely. Well, he is comparatively happy in his belief, and is willing to retain it, for, as he sometimes thinks, if he renounces it, where and unto what shall he go? He can see nothing to take its place, and he is wise not to give it up. For in Jesus is salvation, when Jesus is correctly understood; and as the preacher turns his thoughts to Jesus and sends forth his soul's longings to the Master and what he represents, his soul at times catches a true conception of the very Jesus, although this conception does not agree with and is not the same thing as his intellectual comprehension of the Jesus of the Bible as interpreted by the creeds. I am glad that you had the conversation with him, and I believe that as he listens to the unfoldment of the truths, as contained in the messages, his mind will take on a new and true conception of the truth, and his soul open up to a greater inflowing of the Love that will make him at-one with the Father, and transform that soul into the very substance of the Father's Divinity in Love. I would advise you to present these truths to him, for he is an important factor in the work of man's salvation, when it is considered that one soul is of more worth than the whole world. He has the opportunity to show the way to salvation to many souls by the preaching of the truth, and any personal sacrifice which may come to him as a result of learning and believing the truths is not to be considered. While his material happiness on earth is to be considered and not thrown away whenever it is possible to retain it in connection with the teachings of the truth, yet his soul's happiness and that of many other souls are of more importance than the mere material happiness that arises from ignorance of the truth, or the living in that ignorance. So I say, let him know the truth no matter what the consequences may be, for in the end happiness will come to him, even on earth, as well as in the great eternity. I will not write more now. So, with my love, I will say good-night, and God bless you and the preacher, for I am interested in him, and in the future may possibly sustain a closer relation to him than is now possible by reason of his false beliefs and the want of the necessary rapport with him. Your brother in Christ, Paul July 3rd, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. Let me say just a word. I am interested in the message that has HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor650.htm" just been written you more than you may imagine, for I am the mother of the dear boy whom Paul refers to as the preacher. (Dr Mitchell) I know that what Paul has said is true, for during the years that I have been in the spirit world, I have been with my son so very often and, as you may be surprised to know, in contradictory conditions of mind and belief, and also influence that I tried to exercise upon him. When I lived on earth I believed as my son now believes. To me Jesus was God and saviour and the redeemer of my soul by his blood and sacrifice and vicarious atonement; and when I first entered the spirit world and for some years thereafter, I believed as I did when on earth, and, as a consequence, I visited my son in his study and in the churches as he preached, and tried to impress upon him the truth of this belief, and also endeavored to inspire him in his soul as he proclaimed these truths to his hearers. And I was comparatively happy in these beliefs, and so, as I saw, was my son; and I thought that he was doing a great work for the Master; and I often prayed for him and gave thanks to God, that I had on earth a boy who was doing so great a work for the salvation of men and the glory of the Father. Now you may wonder that I continued in these beliefs any great while after I entered the spirit world, and infer that I must soon have realized that I was not in the arms of Jesus and singing praises around the throne of God, as our church teachers sometime assured us would be our experience when we passed to spirit life. Well, I will confess that I had that expectation, and was disappointed upon arriving in the spirit world to find no arms of Jesus to receive me, and in not going into the presence of the Father. But I loved Jesus and I loved God, and had in my soul a great deal of the Divine Love, though then I did not realize just what that love is, and, consequently, after I arrived in the spirit world I found myself in a beautiful plane of light and love, and glorious spirits having homes such as I had not conceived of on earth, even though I had thought of the many mansions that Jesus had spoken of. And I was happy, very happy, and retained my belief that at the proper time I would go to where Jesus was sitting on the right of the Father. That there was some reason, personal to me, why I was not admitted into his presence, and that when he saw that I was fitted in my soul, I would be called to him. I continued to believe in this hope, and prayed to him and rested in the assurance that he had reconciled God to me, and that there was no doubt that at the proper time I would realize the expectations of my belief, and live with Jesus in his home forever. Well I have not time to tell you how I was awakened from these false beliefs, and learned the truth; that while Jesus was my savior, yet he was not my God, nor did his sacrifice and vicarious sufferings reconcile the Father to me. I learned what a glorious and loving spirit Jesus is - the Prince of the Celestial Heavens and the most beloved of the Father. Yet the humblest; for he is still working among the lowly and contrite to show them the way to the Father and immortality. I also learned the great and vital truth that only by the New Birth - the flowing of the Divine Love into the soul of a man or spirit can he become reconciled to the Father and take upon himself a part of that Father's divinity, and inhabitant of the Celestial Spheres, where Jesus is now forming the kingdom of heaven in which those only who have taken on the Divine nature can possibly live. And here let me tell my son, for I know he will rejoice in the fact, that I am an inhabitant of that Celestial Kingdom, and know that I am immortal, never to die or to lose the Divine Essence that is a part of my soul. Well, to hurry. When this great knowledge and transformation came to me, I did not cease to be with my son as he worked for the salvation of souls, but continued with him in a greater love than I had ever before had, and endeavored to impress him and guide his mind in the truth - but oh, how different from heretofore! No more did I rejoice when he preached the sacrifice and blood, but prayed to the Father that my boy might become enlightened in the truth, and that I might be given power to cause him to realize that there was only one way to salvation, and that through the wonderful Divine Love, and not through the blood. But, alas, I could not reach his mind so that his intellectual beliefs could be changed and a mental knowledge of the truth come to him; but even this I did to some extent, for many times he has had his doubts as to some of the doctrines of his creed or church teachings not knowing that his mother was working with all her love to make these doubts the way to truth. But these beliefs remained and are his still, and he must not feel hurt at his mother telling him that they are as fragile and of as little tensile strength as the shell of an egg. But this consolation I have, that while I could not work effectively on his mind, I did help his soul to open up to the inflowing of this Great Love, and to become the possessor of a great deal of it; and sometimes this love dominates his beliefs, and he thinks thoughts and has come to him conceptions of things spiritual that cause him to wonder as to their source. Well, I have intruded upon you too long already but I love my boy so very much and want him to find the truth as soon as possible and thereby liberate his soul development from the bands that his intellectual beliefs fasten around it. I am thankful for this opportunity to communicate to him and let him know, not only what his mother now knows as facts, but that his mother is with him very often, praying with and for him, and casting around him her mother's love which has been made so much sweeter and purer by that other love which she now possesses so abundantly. I would like to write further, but I must not, and when I tell you that for a long time I have been waiting for this opportunity to tell my boy all that I have told him, you, I know, will pardon my long writing. With my love to him and the blessings of the Father, I will say Goodnight, his Mother, Mrs. Mitchell. July 7th, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, John: Well, I come tonight to write a few lines on your condition and suggest a few thoughts to encourage you in your despondency. You have been much depressed in the past few days owing very largely to the fact that you permitted the evil influences to make a rapport with you, which fact is largely due to your not letting the Love enter your soul in such quantities as heretofore, for in your imagining, for such I must call them, you became convinced that your material affairs were such as to afford you no hope of relief from the burdens you felt were resting on you. Well, you have these burdens and you do not see in what manner you may be able to meet them, and find relief and consequently you become negligent of the necessity of seeking and praying more for this Love. In other words, the thought came to you that no love or influence from the higher spirits could enable you to find a way out of your difficulties, and you lost faith in the power of the love, and in us and the result was that your soul became in such a condition that the evil ones could make their rapport, and thus increase your feelings of despondency and want of faith. I know that your disappointment was very real and that you had a difficult task to make yourself believe that we could do you any good or that your condition of soul could determine that another of your problems being relieved from your worries and as may be said, it was natural for you to feel this way, but if you had taken the advice which we have given you more than once and prayed with all the longings of your soul for the help of the Father, you would not have gotten in such a condition of despondency and could not have given way to the temptations of the flesh and let the influences of the evil ones make a rapport with you and suffered the effects of that rapport. Every time you get in this condition you lose ground in your spiritual development, and also in your state of happiness and the strength of your faith and experience the hopelessness that comes with such a condition. The material things I know are of great importance and are necessary, and you must obtain them in order to sustain you in your earth life, and the earthly happiness that comes from the freedom of want and when you could not see where these things were coming from it was difficult to throw aside the worries that resulted from such a state of anticipated want. But if you had prayed and exercised your faith such worries would not have dominated you as they did and caused you to ignore the very source from which all things must come. And I say to you now, that you will not be left alone in these matters for you well realize the things that you desire and need. We are working to bring about the realization of your desires and we will succeed and you will be taken care of. Yes, I understand, but nevertheless you must try to believe us and endure for a little the disappointment. We cannot accomplish these things at just the time that they may be used but they will be accomplished in such time as will prevent embarrassment. Yes, I see what your thoughts are and I say to you that you will soon receive what is necessary to relieve you. So have faith in us and pray for the love in more abundance. Believe that we are with you and will not forsake you and that all will be well. Try to overcome the worries and let them pass from you. I know that this is difficult to do but you can do it and will feel the good that will come to you by so doing. I am not the only one who is saying this to you tonight for many of the spirits who are interested in you are present and are trying to help you, even the Master who is so anxious that you find the relief that you so much desire and get in condition to receive these messages. I will not write more and only say pray and believe. Goodnight, Your brother in Christ, John July 7th, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your grandmother: Well my dear son, it has been sometime since I last wrote to you and I will write a few lines and although I have not written, I have been with you, loving and sympathizing with you in your troubles and trying to help you. I am so sorry that you have had the experience of the past few days and know that you have suffered from the same, and that everything has appeared to you very gloomy and disheartening, and that even now you are worrying about the material conditions that surround you and see no hope for the immediate future. Well, my dear one, what you are experiencing has been the experience of many mortals and will be of many more, for such disappointment belongs to the mortal life. Yet you must remember this that very few mortals have had the loving close influence of high spirits in their troubles that you have had and are now having and have had to have their burdens intensified by the evil influences of spirits of the dark planes. So you see, you have been fortunate in this particular and will be in the future, and you must try to believe in the greater faith that such is your fortunate position. We all understand what your worries have been and we have tried to help you and to remove the causes, but as we have told you before we are not omnipotent in these material affairs and cannot absolutely control these things although we have a greater influence than you can conceive of with mortals as regards their actions, as the result of these influences. I cannot foretell just what will happen or when, but we know the existence of some and the effects and we try to make conditions that will bring certain effects, and this we have been doing with reference to your material affairs, and very soon I am certain you will be relieved of your present troubles as HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor419.htm" John has written you. Pray and have faith in us and you will find your condition of spirit and mind much bettered. As you know, I love you very much and want you to be happy and free from worries, and if I did not honestly believe that you will soon be, I would not tell you so. You have behind you a wonderful power working for your good, both spiritually and materially and if you will only follow our advice you will find yourself much benefitted. No matter how gloomy things may look to you, pray and try to have faith and the gloom will not last or find its lodgment in your mind. I would like to write you a long letter tonight, but you are not just in condition to receive such a letter. So my dear son, think of what has been written and make the endeavor to let your spiritual condition dominate your feelings and conditions that arise from your depressions and despondency of mind. You can do it if you will pursue the way suggested to you, and happiness will come to you. I will not write more now but with all my love say pray and believe and trust in what we tell you. May this love of the Father flow into your heart in greater and greater abundance until all worry shall leave you. Goodnight. Your loving grandmother. July 7th, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your own true and loving Helen: Well dear, I am glad that HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor419.htm" John and HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor420.htm" your grandmother wrote you as they have tonight for if you will meditate on what they said you will derive much benefit and realize that your troubles are natural not- withstanding the fact that you are embarrassed by certain material affairs that I know will soon disappear, and existed only on things of the past. I have been so anxious that you get out of the condition of despondency that has been yours for several days past and see only the real condition of your soul qualities. You must not worry about these things for while they are very depressing yet you will be relieved and the sun will shine again. You and Nita will both be provided for and you must not worry. I should like to write my letter tonight but you are not just in condition to receive it and when I write I want to do it successfully so that you may get as much happiness out of my love dictations as possible. Keep up your courage and pray, this is the greatest source of help, for when you pray you bring to you the Father's Love, which is the great thing that mortals not only require but which will make them happier than can anything else make them. I love you with all my heart and soul and so want you to be happy and am doing everything possible to make you so. So my own dear Ned, think of what I have said and believe. Love me and know that no one in all the universe can love you as I do. Goodnight and God bless you. Your own true and loving, Helen July 8th, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, John: Well, I was with you tonight and you did not learn any truth from the preacher's discourse that is vital to the salvation of men. He does not know the truth, and consequently, cannot teach others. You could readily see his want of knowledge when he declared that Jesus was not different from the other teachers to whom he referred, or did not teach any truths that they did not teach. No, I am sorry to say, he does not know the truth, and his opportunity is so great to teach the truth for the majority of his hearers do not believe in the orthodox creeds, and their minds are open to a reception of the truth. His conception of the relationship of man to God, and of man's own constitution as regards spiritual things, are all wrong, and he will not be able to learn the truth from the investigation of Spiritualism as he is now studying it, for all he knows is that men when they become spirits continue to live and have the power of communicating with mortals, and also that spirits are all happy or very shortly after their entrance into the spirit world may become so by their own exertions by the development of the "divine spark", as he calls it, that exists in all men's souls. He may learn the truth before he comes to the spirit world, and he may not; for there is no way other than through the information contained in your writings by which he can learn these truths. His advising his hearers to pursue the course of conduct that the moral teachings of the great teachers of light, as he denominates them, show, to men, will not give them the truth and the light and the liberty of which he so loudly discoursed. There were many spirits present and some of them communicated to their friends, as the preacher told them, for he is a psychic and has the gift of clairaudience and also of clairvoyance to some degree, but he also is a man of quick perception and readily grasps the conditions of the mind and desires of those who are so anxious to hear from their departed friends, and sometimes he uses the information which he gathers by the exercise of his quick wit to describe to the people, the presence of those in the spirit life that they are anticipating will make their presence known by communicating. But aside from this he receives many messages from the spirits and he tries honestly to deliver them to the hearers for whom they are intended. Now, while all this is true and affords consolation to many of these anxious ones, yet the meetings do you no good as we have told you, for the influences of the spirits who attend these meetings are not helpful to the development of your soul qualities, and it is not desirable that you come in contact with these spirits who always try to make a rapport whenever the opportunity occurs. There were also some spirits of the higher order present who were interested in their relatives and friends, and tried to get in rapport with these persons for the purpose of helping them; but generally their efforts were not very successful as the conditions prevailing did not enhance the probability of making the rapport or permitting the influence to be felt. Well, I see that you are feeling better tonight and more hopeful and realize the result of the prayers that you offered to the Father and the increase of your faith in us. If you will continue to pray and exercise this faith you will find yourself helped to such an extent that the troubles you have will not worry you very much, and in addition, such a condition of mind on your part helps us to more effectively perform our part of the work in bringing to you those things that you so much desire. You may not understand the philosophy of this, but sometime I will come to you and make clear the operation of the laws that are brought into use in bringing these results. Only believe and pray, and you will not be forsaken. Well, I will not write more, but soon I must come and write a message, and if you improve, I will be able to do so in a very satisfactory way. So try to get in this condition. Remember that I love you and am with you very often, trying to help you spiritually and materially, and that you will be so helped. With my love and blessings I will say goodnight. Your brother in Christ, John July 8th, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: Well dear, I see that you are tired and I will not write much. But I must say that I am so glad that you are feeling better and more hopeful. Keep up your courage and everything will be alright. I was with you at HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor422.htm" the meeting, but will not write my impressions now. You were not benefitted. Try to have faith and pray, and I believe that tomorrow night you will be in condition to receive my letter that I so much desire to write. Love me and believe that I love you. Goodnight. Your own true and loving, Helen July 9th, 1917. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. Well, my brother, I see that you are much better than you have been for some days past, and that you have prayed more to the Father for the inflowing of His Love, and, as a consequence, have more of it in your soul, and are in a better condition spiritually and physically. I should like to finish my message on God tonight, but I do not think that you are in just the condition necessary to enable you to receive it, and I think it desirable to postpone it for a while longer. You must surely realize the effect of prayer to a greater extent than ever, because if you had not prayed as you have been doing for the past few days, you would have found yourself in a great degree of despondency, as the same cause for creating this despondency exists now as it existed several days ago when you were so depressed and worried. Prayer is a wonderful help when offered with the true longings of the soul and will always find a response, and the benefit will not be merely spiritual but, as you may say, material as well. Of course, prayer does not remove the cause of worry and thus relieve the mortal from worry, but it operates on the mortal's consciousness in such a way as to remove the effect of this cause of worry on the feelings and mental conditions of the mortal, and in this way is the mortal benefitted and his prayers responded to. He, as it were, becomes a new man and ceases to look upon these causes in the same light that he did before the prayers commenced to bring their responses. And he in his real self, is a different man from what he was when in the condition that existed before he prayed. I am so very glad that you prayed and let your longings go out to the Father, and tried to have faith in us to help you. We are helping you, and you will soon realize the result of our work in securing those things that you desire and consider necessary to enable you to get rid of your worries and perform our work. Continue to pray and to have faith in us, and you will not be disappointed in what we promise, for our promises will be fulfilled in a very short time. I have many messages yet to write, and so desire that you get in condition to receive them properly; and besides myself, there are many other spirits who want to write upon these truths, that are so important that the world should know. So, if you continue to pursue the course that you followed today, you will find a wonderful improvement in Your condition of soul and mind and spirit qualities, and we will be able to form the required rapport that is necessary to our properly communicating. I will not write more tonight. But in closing, I advise that you continue to pray with all the longings of your soul, and to believe with all the strength of your mind and you will develop to a surprising degree in your soul qualities and perceptions and also in your physical condition and mental strength. I will say good night. Your brother and friend, Jesus July 9th, 1917. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving Helen. Yes, it is Helen, and I will write only a few lines as I see that you are feeling so much better physically and spiritually, and I think it best that you go to bed early tonight. I am so glad that you do not feel so worried as you did, and also, that you can understand that prayer helps so much to get rid of the worries while it may not remove the immediate cause thereof; but as you are helped, you are strengthened and the better fitted to deal with the causes and overcome them. So my own dear Ned, continue to pray, and try to have faith in us, and you will realize so wonderfully the response to your prayers, and the fulfillment of your hopes and freedom from your causes of worry. Good night, Your own true and loving Helen July 11th, 1917 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here. St. John. I heard your prayer and know that this Love is flowing into your soul and that now you have a great abundance of its possession of which you are conscious. It will never fail you when you pray in earnestness and with the real longings for its coming. It is always ready to respond to your aspirations and to make you feel its presence and the happiness that comes with it. I, as you know, am your special friend in my work of helping to develop your soul, and whenever you pray to the Father, as you have just prayed, I come to you with my love and influence to help open up your soul to the inflowing of this Love. Have faith, and you will have the certainty of the presence of the Love, and that it is yours - seeking to come into your soul in greater and more abundance. You are blessed in that you have the knowledge of the existence of this Love, and that it may be yours if you so will it to be, and pray with the true longings of your soul's desires. You cannot doubt the truth of what I write, for, as in the ordinary things of life, there is nothing so convincing as personal experience, and your experience is such that there has been no room for doubt. So if you would keep the consciousness of the presence of this Love continually alive, pray and pray whenever the opportunity presents itself, and by this I don't mean that you shall wait for a time when you are not engaged in your business affairs, but at moments when the mind may be free, even if only for a moment, from these business affairs. The longings, if exercised only for a moment, will bring their results; for God's ear is always open and ready to cause the responses to such longings. One moment of true soul felt longings is more effective than hours of prayer where these longings are not present. The prayers of the lip or of habit arises no higher than the escaping breath, and does not cause the Love to respond and flow into the soul. Remember this, and then realize how futile are all the prayers of preachers and ostensible worshipers when the soul's longings and desires are not present. Only soul can call to soul, and love responds only when such soul calls. The mere desires of the mind, if I may so express my meaning, do not in the least affect the soul, and as mind can operate only on mind, there cannot possibly be any activity of the soul's faculties, when only mind is in operation. Hence, you will see, that all the worship that comes merely from the mind will not effectuate the working of the Love or bring into operation the Spirit's work. I write this to further encourage you, and also to make plain the necessity for the true prayer. John July 22nd, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, St. Luke, writer of the Third Gospel that was. Well, I desire to write a few lines on the subject contained in the book which you were reading to-night. I mean the book dealing with the "Creation and fall of man." Well, the man who wrote the book is endeavoring to reconcile the Bible doctrine of the creation and fall of man with the scientists' doctrine of evolution, and to show that these two views of the subject are not antagonistic, and if properly understood, may be used, one to support the other. But in this he has not succeeded, nor can he, for this reason, if there were no others, that man did not evolve from the beast or lower animal, but was always man, the creature of God, perfect in his creation and wholly natural. There was nothing of the supernatural about him and he never possessed any nature of the superman from which he fell at the time of his disobedience. He has never been anything more or less than the perfect creation of his Maker, although he has degenerated in his qualities and in the exercise of his will. Evolution or the doctrine of evolution has its limitations, and its founder, or those who follow him either wholly or in a modified way, are not able to retrace this doctrine to the fall of man, and hence, when they attempt to pass beyond that stage when man seemed to have been very degenerate and a product of the animal progenitors, they get into the field of speculation, and knowledge ceases to exist. Man was not created with any of the Divine qualities, as the writer seems to think but was made the merely natural man that you see now, without the defilement of his soul qualities which involves only the elimination of those things from his soul that cause the departure from the condition of his creation. That is, when he was created he was in perfect harmony with the will of God and His laws and when he shall be restored to that harmony of unity with these laws, he will then be in what was his before the fall. So the idea put forward by the author that man was created with something of the divine in him, which took him out from a kind of physical condition of imperfection, and that when he lost these Divine qualities he fell into that imperfect condition, is all wrong. The great truth connected with man's creation, is that man was created perfect, that as regards his order of creation or the qualities of his moral and physical nature there could be no progress, for the next step in progression would be the divine. Thus you will see that he was so wonderfully and perfectly made, that he was only a little lower than the angels, and by angels I mean the souls of men which have ceased to be incarnate and have partaken of the Divine Love and become a part of the Father in His Divinity of Love - not the mere souls in the spirit world which have only the development of their moral qualities, because these, whenever they have become purified and in harmony with the laws and will of God, are only men perfected in their natures and organisms as they were at the time of man's creation. I say, the perfect man possesses those qualities and attributes that were his at the time of his creation, and he cannot progress or become greater or other than he was at the time of such creation. He was made perfect as a creation, and beyond the perfect there can be nothing greater evolved from the qualities and faculties, one and all, that made him perfect. And to progress, there must come into his nature, from without, the Divine Love, that which will add to these qualities and faculties, which you may understand is no part or method of evolution. When the first parents fell, they lost that which destroyed the harmony of their existence with the laws of God, and also were deprived of the great potentiality of becoming Divine in their natures of Love and Immortality, like unto the Father - but as mere created men they fell from perfection and not from divinity. Nor were they by that fall deprived of the possibility of living forever in the physical bodies, because those bodies were made only for the purpose of enabling the souls to individualize themselves, and thereafter die and become dissolved into their derivative elements. The physical body was never created to live forever, and men were never created to live on earth forever, for a greater and larger world was provided for their eternal habitation, where things are real and only the spiritual exist. The earth is a mere image of the realities of the spirit world, and exists only as the nursery for the individualizing of the soul. That you may not misconceive my meaning, remember the soul is the man - the ego - and that when man fell, it was not the physical part of man that fell, except as it was influenced by the soul, but, it was the soul that fell; and the sentence of death was not pronounced upon the physical, but upon the soul potentialities, and, hence, you may see, that when man shall again become the perfect man, it will not be necessary that the physical body be restored. Even if it were not contrary to the physical laws of the universe, or, to speak more correctly, to the laws controlling the material part of the universe, that the material body of man be resurrected and again be housed, the soul, it would not be necessary, for the soul has its spirit body which manifests its individuality. There is no necessity for the resurrection of the physical body, and there will be no such resurrection, for God never does a useless thing. As I say, man has never ceased to be the man of God's creation, although he has become degenerate and defiled, and at one time in the history of his existence devoluted to that degree, where, save for the essential qualities of his creation, he appeared to be lower than the brutes; but he was always the man of God's creation, and never an animal of the lower order. The scientists in their geological search and research and in their finds of fossils and traces of ancient man, and in their biological theories, conclude that man was of a lower degree of intelligence and manner of living, and they may be justified in so concluding, and also that he has gradually evolved from that condition and state, and draw apparent correct theories therefrom, yet when they attempt to go further, they enter only into the realm of speculation and become lost in the darkness of mystery. They can rightly acclaim the evolution of man from where they lose him in their retracing of that evolution, but can know nothing of his devolution anterior to that time; and, hence their speculations are without foundation of substance. No, man has not evolved from the lower animal, but only from himself when he reached the bottom of his fall. In this particular, the history and experience of man is this - he was created perfect, - he sinned, he fell from the condition of his created state - his condition at the bottom of his fall was inferior in some phases to the brute animal - after long centuries he commenced to rise from his base condition, and had made progress when the scientists by their discoveries found evidence of his then condition, - and since then he has been the subject of their "evolution."But the scientists and all mankind must know that all during these centuries of descent and ascent, man was always man, the greatest creation of God, and the most fallen. Well, I have written enough for to-night but as I was with you to-day as you were reading and saw the misconceptions of the writer of the book, as well as those of the scientists to whom he referred, I thought it advisable to write the few incompleted truths about the subject. I will soon come and write. So with my love and blessings, I will say good-night. Your brother in Christ, Luke September 2nd, 1917. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Mrs. Mitchell: Let me say only a word. I was present at church this morning and heard my son's sermon, and was so happy that he preached of the Divine Love of the Father and the work of the Holy Spirit. It made me think that the Truths of God's Love and man's redemption are becoming a part of his soul's knowledge. There were many spirits present and many were affected by the sermon and turned their thoughts to this Love the Father, that had never before been preached to them. I have great hope that my son will receive the truths that have been revealed to you in their fullness, and thereby receive to a greater degree this transformation of his soul into the very essence of the Father. I thank you for your kindness, and will not write more. So with my love I will say goodnight. Your sister in Christ, (Mrs. Mitchell) Mother of Rev. Mitchell Methodist. August 28th, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, and want to say a word to my friend, as I have not written for a long time. I heard what was said in reference to protection being afforded Mr. Morgan when the Broker calls upon him to write, and I desire to say that I will be present, and the priests will not have any opportunity to interfere, because I am stronger than any of these fellows of the popes and will not hesitate to use my power. Not that I do not want them to receive the benefit that so many of them have received in their communications with Mr. Morgan, but I realize the importance of what you are attempting to do, and the priests will have to wait a while in order to make their assaults. I am progressing, and it seems to me that I am a different spirit altogether from what I was when I first came in contact, consciously, with you, and had my eyes and soul opened to the truth. I cannot tell you how much I am benefitted by the messages I hear you read and discuss with your friends, and also by the explanation of the truth that Mr. Morgan so often gives to the spirits who come to dissuade him from doing his work. It may seem strange to you that we are benefitted by what you mortals may say as to the truths of the spirit world, and you may naturally suppose that we, being here in the spirit world, would more easily learn these truths from the higher spirits than learn the same from you; but the fact is that these higher spirits do not often come into our plane and disclose these truths, except when they come and communicate with you. Of course, we have spirits here who teach us truths, but these truths are not of so comprehensive a nature as what you receive. We are taught only as we progress and are fitted to receive the next lesson in advance, as you might say. This may not appeal to your reasoning in such matters, but it is a truth. You are having revealed to you a wonderful plan of God for the salvation of man, and to be taught to men whether their conditions are such as to enable them to fully grasp the great significance of the truths or not. We are taught that plan only as we progress, and that truth or part of the truth is sufficient for us as we are at the time capable of applying or making it our own. I merely thought that you would like to know just what the truth is in reference to our being taught and the manner in which we are taught by these spirits, whose work it is to open up to us the truths that may be embraced by us. So you see, we can learn of things by listening to your messages and the instructions that you and your friend and my friend may give us, where we cannot learn from our spirit teachers. I am with him a great deal, and am his friend and protector so far as in my power, as I promised to be. I could not be otherwise, and he must not forget that among all the spirits here who love him, he has no more devoted friend than Sam Ford September 2nd, 1917. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your own true and loving, Helen: Well dear, you have received a message from the preacher's mother (Mrs Mitchell) who was so anxious to write. She is very happy, and believes that her son will have an awakening to the truth and put aside his dogmatic beliefs. I was with you at church and was very happy, because I saw that you were happy. The Master was there as you realized in all his love and soothing influence, and was pleased that the preacher delivered the sermon as he did. Many of the audience were affected by what was said and their souls responded to the truths told them by the preacher, and they experienced a feeling of love that made them happy. I see that you are sleepy and I will not write more. Only continue to think of these spiritual things and pray to the Father, and you will find the love increasing more and more in your soul. So love me and believe that I love you. Goodnight, my dear one. Your own true and loving, Helen September 16th, 1917 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving Helen. Well, dear, the Master has written you an important message and I know it will help you in your conception of what and how you shall work. He was in great earnestness when he wrote, and we all felt that he was speaking with authority and knowledge that only he possesses. So keep in mind what he has said and try to follow his instructions. So, good-night. Your own true and loving Helen NOTE. It would appear that this message referred to here written by Jesus, and clearly indicated in the Tablett, was not included in those to be published. It would appear Jesus wrote on the 14th, 16th and 17th, but only the last message has been published. September 17th, 1917. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I come as I promised and desire to write on a subject that requires that I should have absolute control of your brain and hand; and tonight I see that you are not just in the condition necessary. So I will not write on the subject, as I intended, but will postpone the same until later. But I will say a few words that may be of interest to you and your friend, whose conversation tonight I listened to, and saw what was in both your minds and hearts. I realize that you both appreciate the importance of the work that is set before you, and that you have arrived at that condition of faith which causes you to forego all interest in material things so far as they may benefit you personally; and it is well that you are in this state of feeling and appreciation of the work, for this work is of such an exclusive nature that in order to be performed in the way that we desire and which is necessary that the truths which you receive shall be given to the world, all thoughts of the things that ordinarily belong to the mere human living must be eliminated and turned aside. These truths while, when understood and applied by the individual, will not render that individual less qualified to perform the duties of life, but on the contrary will increase these qualifications, and must be so taught, yet in the case of you who are to make and teach these truths, your interest in the world must be forgotten or submerged in these higher interests. In other words, while you are in the world you must not be of the world, as I taught my disciples when on earth. Of course, while you are mortals you will have to have these things that are necessary to sustain life and health and comfort, and your work does not require that you shall make sacrifices of these things, but that you shall have the comforts that are necessary to your enjoying the merely physical life, and this you must understand. As you have said, the work will be hard and the difficulties that you shall encounter will be great, but you will be able to do the work and overcome the difficulties; for I desire to tell you here that never in all the history of mankind has any work had behind it the power and influence of the high spirits of the spirit world as your work will have, and your faith must be such that no possibility of failure will be permitted to enter into your conception of success. The world is now ready for those truths, for men's souls have been and will be more opened to the possibility and necessity of seeking for and obtaining things spiritual than ever before, and mankind will - and now does - realize that man himself, notwithstanding the teachings of some of the writers that man is of the divine and of himself capable of self-regeneration, is not able to become brothers in truth and reality, and that the brotherhood of man is a mere dream when based upon the power of man because of any qualities of goodness or of the divine that he may be supposed to possess. Time is passing and the great conflict that has deluged the mortal world with bloodshed and hatred and vengeance will soon come to an end, and men will wander in confusion and seek that which may bring them into unison and brotherly kindness, and also into a greater knowledge of the world unknown to them - the hereafter. Faith will fail to satisfy and their souls will long for the spiritual food that will have in it the qualities of certainty and knowledge. They will think in their hearts and in many instances declare that the Christian faith as has been taught them by the churches does not satisfy, and the creeds and dogmas of the churches have been failures, and will cry out for something that will fill their souls with spiritual food of truth and salvation. So we must work and be prepared to give to mankind the truth and this food - a knowledge of the only way to the Father's Love, and of what the possession of this Love in the souls of men will mean to them. I feel that you are both in earnest in your desire to do the work and that all opportunities will be embraced, and that when you are free to give your whole time to the work you will permit nothing to intervene. And this you will do for the good of humanity without thought of reward, and such should be your desires. But nevertheless, your reward will be great, not in the way of an independent payment, but as an acquisition necessarily growing out of the very nature of the work that you will do; for as you help others to learn the truth and gain the possession of this Great Love of the Father, your own souls will obtain more of the Love, and with that increased possession will come increased happiness and a closer at-onement with the Father; and this, of course, means rewards beyond all conception of mortals or spirits who have not arrived at the degree of possession of this Love that will be yours. So, as I said in the beginning, first place yourselves in that condition which will enable you to free yourself from all worldly cares, and consecrate your body, mind and soul to this great work; and then what follows will be without interference of worldly things. I am glad that I could write you in this way tonight, for I know it will assist you in pursuing the best way to accomplish the mission that has been given you and which at this time no other can take from you. You have been selected for the work and we feel that no mistake has been made. So, believe in us and pray to the Father with all the earnestness of your souls and you will find that which we have told you to be the greatest thing in all the universe: the Divine Love and nature and Immortality of the Father. I will not write more tonight, and with my love and the blessings of the Father, will say good-night. Your brother and friend, Jesus September 27th, 1917. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, John the Baptist: I merely wish to say that your condition tonight is not such as to permit the high spirits to communicate to you the important spiritual truths which they are waiting to write, and that you will receive communications from your friends of the spirit world upon matters more personal. We have so many messages to communicate that we find the time is hardly long enough in which to do so, and we earnestly hope that you will soon get in condition to receive our messages. Let your mind turn more to the truths which have been revealed to you and to the love of the Father, and you will soon find yourself in a better condition. So, wishing that you will take my advice I will say goodnight. Your brother in Christ, John the Baptist. September 29th, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, John C. Carlisle: Well my friend, I have not written you for sometime, not because I did not desire to do so, but because I have not had the opportunity; for I have been present many times when other spirits were here writing you. I have also been present when you and your friends have talked about spiritual things and have listened with very close attention, and have derived much benefit from thinking of what you have declared to be the truths of the spiritual kingdom. As a consequence, I have progressed very much and am now in considerable light, and have received into my soul sufficient of this Love that you talk of, to be convinced that it is a wonderful redeeming influence from the darkness and suffering that I and spirits like me found ourselves in when we came to the spirit world. I know that prayer is a thing that brings its response and I am praying with all my soul, but it is hard to make a complete surrender of my beliefs and to forget the deeds of my life that cling to me with such very great tenacity. While, as you have said in your conversations, and as some of the bright spirits tell me, the true longings of the soul will bring to my soul this Love, yet I find it difficult to get these longings so that they are not mingled with the thoughts of earthly things that came with me when I became a spirit. As you know, when on earth I accumulated in my memory a large and varied amount of evil and sin, and when I became a spirit I found it very natural that these memories should be with me and control my thoughts and desires as they did on earth. In fact, they seemed to get rid of some member of my body without injuring the body. So you will see, it is not so easy to have these longings that I speak of, and even if a spirit makes up his mind and will to have the longings, he cannot always succeed. This has been my experience, and I have suffered so very much in consequence of this inability to direct my will to these longings. Intellectually I understand that this is necessary and that the longings, when earnestly possessed, will bring relief and surcease from these sufferings, but this intellectual knowledge, I find is not sufficient. The knowledge does not bring the power to will, and the will is controlled by appetites and desires. I know that I must try to control these appetites and desires, but oh, how hard is the task! It is very foolish for men to suppose that they can cultivate and exercise these desires and appetites until a time convenient to them, and then by the mere wish control these desires and have these longings and aspirations come to them so that the help that comes in response to prayer will be theirs. No, they will find themselves greatly disappointed, for they will realize that these desires and the results of their indulgences will bind them in bands of iron, that a mere intellectual attempt to sever will not prove efficacious. The spirits who all have this Love of which they tell me, teach me that this Love is sufficient to bring happiness to me, and that it will come in response to earnest prayer, but they do not tell me that by the sudden exercise of my will I can obtain these true longings, and if they should so teach, I could hardly believe them, for I have had such a will and have attempted to pray, and as I think wanted to be in all earnestness, but still the longings would not come free from the memories of my sinful life on earth; and I find, that I have to continue to pray in order to progress the little that I have progressed. I have no doubt that the Love is waiting for me and that I will be enabled to obtain it by the proper condition of my longings, but the trouble is to get the proper longings. It is not so easy to get rid of the effects of evil deeds and evil thoughts on earth, and the mere praying with the mind will not help except such prayers become merged into the prayers of true longings. Well, I realize all this in my own experience and I am praying and longing, and sometimes I feel the true longings, and then comes the response and I progress just that much. I mean in proportion to the strength of these true longings. When men believe that by merely saying that they believe on Jesus Christ or by asking forgiveness of the priests and when absolved believe that they have done all that is necessary, they are mistaken, and if they rest in that contentment, they will find themselves as I was when they come to spirit life. No belief of this kind or absolution by the priests will put them in such condition of memory or soul as will enable them to have these longings of which I speak. You may think that I am quite a preacher, but I am very ignorant of the bulk of the spiritual truth and what I have said is the result of my own experience. Well, I will not write more now, except to thank you and your friends for the opportunities that I have enjoyed in listening to your conversation on spiritual matters. I will not cease to come to you even though I may not be able to write. So with my love and hope that you will pray for me, I am Your friend well-wisher Goodnight. October 11th, 1917. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Mary Kennedy: I wish to write a few lines as I am so anxious to once more come into conscious communion with my soulmate. I heard you read the letters from Helen in reference to your dream, and I want to tell my dear one that what she said as to the soulmate love between you and her applies equally to that love which is existing between Leslie and myself. I am so happy that he understands this, for such knowledge is one that must create a happiness on his part that so very few of the human race understand or have the privilege of enjoying. Yes, our love is one that can never be taken from us, and in all the great eternity it can never change, except to increase in intensity and beauty. Oh, I am so happy when I think that I have a soulmate on earth who knows that he has a soulmate in the spirit world, and that he is trying to develop his soul so that when he comes to me our separation will not continue very long. I am praying all the time that the great love of the Father may fill his soul so that it may become more and more in unison with mine and he realize, even while on earth, that it is possible to approach closer and closer to my condition of development. When he believes this, as I know he does, he is not dreaming but is believing an actual truth that nothing in all God's universe can change, and only he himself can postpone its fulfillment. Isn't it all wonderful that our Father should have made such provisions for poor, little, insignificant mortals, when all around are the wonderful manifestations of His power and greatness! But while we are small and many, yet to the Father, our happiness is the greatest care that there is in all his creation. The earth and the stars and suns may pass away and cease to exist, but that one little spark of soulmate love will never cease to exist, no not through all eternity; and we, who have this love, when joined in unity will live and know that as to it, the decree of the Father is that it shall never die, but in all the long ages grow brighter and deeper and more like the love of the Father. I am happier tonight than I can tell you of, and my love for Leslie is greater than ever before, and growing all the time, and with this knowledge there comes to me the consciousness that his love is becoming mine to a greater degree than ever. Then why shouldn't we, as a mere personal matter, thank and praise the Father, for His goodness and loving provisions which we have been so specially privileged in receiving, and not only receiving but knowingly! I feel tonight that I could write him many pages on this subject, but I must not consume too much of your time. So let me say, just one word more; whether he is sleeping or awake, I am with him in my love, and enjoying every thought that he sends to me, and only crave that his thoughts of me become more frequent and his desire to have me with him increase and never cease. This may seem selfish, but when you consider that there is none other who can give me this love, and none other who has the love which is a part of me, and which only, outside the Father's love, can make me so supremely happy, you will not think me selfish. Well, I must stop for tonight. But I will be with him and go home with him and remain with him until he goes to sleep; and sometime in the near future, I hope that I may have him come to me again in his spirit as he did before, when we enjoyed an hour of such great happiness and joy. Thanking you and with my love to him, I will say goodnight, Mary October 11th, 1917 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. Let me write a line or two. I have been present with you since you returned from the church, and have listened to your conversation. I was with you to-night at the prayer meeting and heard what the preacher said, and was particularly interested in his ideas about the coming of the great world teacher, and saw that his idea of what constituted greatness in this particular, arose from his estimate of human greatness. The teacher will not be a great preacher or a magnificent specimen of physical development or a man with a wonderful voice, but a man who can reveal to the world the Truths of the Father, regarding the relationship of man to the Father and the plan provided for the redemption and reconciliation of man to the Father. It is a fact, and I know whereof I write, that the regeneration of the human soul is caused more by the quiet meditations of mortals of the truths of the Father and by the silent longings of the soul than by the emotions that arise from the fervid and persuasive sermons of the preachers and evangelists. These latter may arouse the dead souls to a realization of their need of a reconciliation to God, but not so often do these emotions bring the soul into rapport or unison with the Father, as do the silent meditations of which I speak. There must be the true soul longings and aspirations for this love of the Father, and in such cases these longings do not arise from the emotions produced as I have mentioned, and especially where such emotions are the results of fear created by the picturing of an angry and revengeful God. No, in the silence of the home chamber, where the mortal is, as it were, alone with God, and lets his longings go to the Father for the bestowal of His Love, because of the love that the mortal may have for the Father, does this Divine Love come in response and regenerating power. Only the mortal and God need be alone. Excitement or the magnetism which the preacher may give to the mortal does not create the true longings or aspirations, and for the preacher to suppose that the great world teacher must be a man with this great personal magnetism or with a voice that can cause the feelings of the mortal to vibrate with emotion or excitement, is a mistake. Jesus when on earth, I am told, never tried to create emotion or excitement in this manner, but his teachings were as the still small voice that enters the soul and draws it to a contemplation of the Father's Love in all the power of a soul's longings - hungry and craving. So I say, the preacher's conception of this teacher was not a true one, and besides, while there will be a revelation of the truth, there will be no world teacher, but only a revealer of truths that will be disclosed. The Master, himself, will be the great teacher come again to earth in the form of his revelations. I wish that I could come and proclaim these truths, but I cannot, and only through the instrumentality of a human can my thoughts be made known, and they will not be my thoughts either, any more than will they be the though of the mortal, because what I may attempt to impress upon the minds and consciousness of men will be only those truths that I have learned from the same source as will come the Revelations. Of course these truths will have to be preached and taught to men, but this will not be done by any great teacher, but by many preachers who shall learn the truth from what the Master shall disclose; and no man of himself, will be able to claim to be the great teacher. The greatest will be those who shall have the most of the Divine Love in their souls, and the greatest knowledge of the truths. I also heard the preacher say that he would believe in any truths that might be confirmed by miracles, such as were performed in the time of Jesus - the instantaneous healing, etc. Well, you need not be surprised of such a demonstration, for it will surely take place. When a man shall receive in his soul sufficient amount of the Divine Love, there will come with it to that man a power and knowledge of the laws governing the relation of spirit to material organism that will enable that man to perform these same acts that are called miracles; and further, there will be some who will have that power and will demonstrate the same in confirmation of the truths that you are receiving. The spirits who are now working to make known to man and convince them of these truths, have determined that such so-called miracles shall take place in confirmation of the New Revealment. The Master is the leader in the movement and he will not cease to bring about this great demonstration or rather not cease to work to this end, and he will not fail, if the human agents will follow his leading. Well, I must not write more to-night, but as I am interested in this great work, and saw that the preacher's conception of this great world teacher is incorrect, I deemed it wise to write you as I have; and what I have written is not the result of my individual belief or opinion, but the result of what these high spirits have determined shall come to pass; and back of it all is the will and help of the Father, for in His Love and Mercy He desires to see all men become His true children and redeemed from the sins and evils of their present human condition. So with my love and as a co-worker I will say good-night and subscribe myself, Your brother in Christ, George Whitefield October 11th, 1917 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving Helen. Well, dear, I see that have had a very happy evening and it is not to be wondered at, for there were many spirits present filled with the Love of the Father and throwing around you their influence. HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/religious22.htm" Whitefield also wrote you and he was very much in earnest in what he wrote, and what he said is true and you can place the utmost confidence in the truth of what he wrote you. As he said, we all say, the only great world teacher will be the Master, and his teachings will be through the messages that you receive. There will be a great responsibility in disseminating these truths, and thus making known to the world not only the truth but the identity of the Great Teacher. It is not reasonable for men to believe that any mere man can possibly be such a teacher as the preacher referred to, for only he who has the truth can teach the same, and no man in all the world has this truth, and will not have it, except as he may learn the same from the Revelations of the Master. I know that it is difficult for you to believe that this can possibly be, but it is not the miracle, as you call it, for that is the transformation of the human soul into the Divine Soul, which is the result of the Power of the Holy Spirit in its operations. No, the miracle, the great miracle is the changing of the human into the Divine. Good-night my dear husband. Your own true and loving, Helen October 16th, 1917. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Mary Kennedy: Well, I am here, and of course he knows it and if he says he does not, he is either telling an untruth or is asleep, and I don't believe that he is either. Yes, I am here, and am glad that I can write once more even only a few words. I am, of course, very happy and have enjoyed the evening listening to your conversation, and especially that part of it when you conversed about the great gift that my soulmate will receive and exercise. I have known this for some time, but was not permitted to disclose the fact, and now that Helen has told him, I am all anxiety to repeat it. Oh, how glad I am that he has been selected for this work, for two reasons: one, that he will be doing the will of the Father, and the other, that when his soul gets in that condition that will enable him to exercise this great power, I know that his development will be such that he and I will be very close together in our oneness, and that we will not have to be separated so very long after he comes to me. What a wonderful blessing this is, and how I thank the Father that he has bestowed this possibility upon my dear one. I will not write more now as Helen says that you have written enough for tonight. So with my love I will say good night, Mary Kennedy November 2nd, 1917 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, St. John, brother of James - Apostle of Jesus. I come to you today because I see what your condition is and that you need encouragement, and as I am your special guardian I could not abstain from writing you as I have. So I say, trust in the Father and in our help and you will not be disappointed. It has been a long time since I have written you in regards to spiritual things, and I desire very much to do so, as I have important messages to communicate, as have many other spirits who have been accustomed to write you. While your material affairs are important, yet these spiritual truths are of more importance, not only to you but to the world for whom they are primarily intended. The world needs these truths more at this time than ever before, and the sooner we can complete our book of truths the better it will be for suffering humanity, and for many whose hearts are now lacerated because of the great destruction of human life caused by the war. Well, I know that many believe that in some way God has an overpowering direction as regards the progress and outcome of the war, and in a certain sense this is true, for He is always interested in and seeks to reach the souls and hearts of mankind and, of course, desires that the great suffering and devastation shall cease. But as the cause of all this was the evil desire and ambitions of men, He will let men, themselves, control the conduct and outcome of the war. He will not by His exercise of power in an arbitrary way end the war or determine which of the contending nations shall be successful, except in this, that through the instrumentality of His spirit, He will influence the minds and consciences of these men in such a way that right and justice will prevail, and the evil thoughts and deeds of men be stopped in their operations. His spirits are working to this end at this time, and have been for a long time, and so have the evil spirits been working to bring discord and destruction upon humanity. The leaders of the nations have been, in a large degree, obsessed by these evil spirits, and have been influenced in many of their thoughts and acts by these dark ones who delight in seeing mankind suffer, and in evil asserting itself. The spirits of truth are exercising a wonderful power over the hearts and souls of men, and one that will cause them to soon realize that evil must not be allowed to prevail and that truth and right must assert themselves, to the end that the war must not only cease, but that men must become more in unison with truth and justice. In this way the Father will answer prayer, and His Love will also continue to flow to men. I know that prayers are ascending unto the Father from many men and from many of the churches of the respective contending nations for success, but only those prayers will be answered which tend to bring about the overruling of evil and injustice; and the spirits who are working the Father's will will answer these prayers only which in their answer will bring about the desired end. As I have said, while God does not take interest in these matters by His arbitrary power and decree that the one or the other of these warring nations shall overcome and conquer the others, yet, He does by His angels exercise such influence upon the men who are engaged in the struggle, that in the end His will will be brought to pass. But men, immediately, must determine the course and results of the issue, and no miracle will be performed which will make one side the conqueror of the other, and while this is so, this determination by men will be influenced as I have stated. Man has his free will and, as we have written you, that is never arbitrarily controlled by the Father, but in the exercise of that free will, whenever man violates the laws of God, man must suffer the penalty of that violation. This is a never changing law of the material as well as of the spirit world. When evil is sown evil must be reaped, and until this evil ceases to operate as a cause, good will not appear. The men who are directing the war must understand that this law is operating in the conduct of the war, and that evil thoughts put into execution will inviolably bring evil consequences. You may look for an earlier determination of the struggle than some men now believe possible, yet ere that end comes many mortals will become spirits and find their homes - some in the darker spheres, and some in those of light and love, but all are the children of God and will not be forsaken by Him in the great eternity. (question) Well, you have not been in that condition of mind that has enabled us to make the necessary rapport with you. We must have a mind that is filled with thoughts of the higher things of truth, even though we do not use those thoughts. Our thoughts are all spiritual, and our truths can be received only by the mind in a spiritual condition, and you, lately, have not had so much of this spiritual mind as formerly. Our contact has not been so close, and our rapport, necessary to enable us to express through your mind these spiritual truths, has not been so perfect. And when I say mind I merely mean the organs of the brain as influenced by the thoughts of the mind; for I will tell you what you may not know, that these component organs of the brain are not always and under all conditions receptive of the same control by the minds of spirits. You may receive through your brain a long and profound message of things pertaining to what you may call the material, and yet under similar conditions of these organs, not be able to receive messages of the higher truths; and the conditions of these brain organs are caused by the condition of the soul in the possession of things spiritual. It is difficult for me to express just what I intend to convey but this you will understand, that upon the development and possession by the soul of things spiritual, depends the capacity of the human brain to receive the various kinds of messages. A medium who is merely intellectual and morally good cannot receive those messages of the highest truths, because there can be no rapport between the brain of such a medium and the mind of the higher spirit who may desire to communicate. And thus you will understand why it is that the messages from the earth-bound spirits or from those who have merely the intellectual development, are so vastly more frequently received by mediums than messages from spirits of the soul development. A spiritual thought - I mean a thought which can come only from a spirit who has the development of the soul that makes that soul Divine - cannot possibly pass through a human brain which has never been developed by a soul in which the Divine Love has entered and worked its regenerating powers. Things of the material may be conveyed through a brain purely material, things moral through a brain which has been influenced by moral truths, and things spiritual through a brain which has assimilated those truths that come only with the development of the Soul by Love. This is the law of rapport and communication. Well, I will not write more now. But in closing urge you to have faith in us, and let your worries leave you, and pray more to the Father. Goodbye. Your brother in Christ, John November 6th, 1917 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I have been with you part of the time as you were reading the different explanations of the various religions, and tried to direct your mind so that you might conceive the difference between the things taught in those teachings and what we are revealing to you. Many things that are set forth in those teachings that are mysteries and the results of speculation will be revealed to you in their true existence and meaning, so that all defects or desiderata that arise because of the insufficiency of these teachings will be corrected and supplied. I am glad that you read these sermons, for they demonstrate to you a number of truths that were known to the ancients but which fall far short of the truth. At those times there was no source from which our truths could come, either in the spirit world or in the mortal world, and hence humans could not become inspired as to the vital truths that we are revealing. The men who appeared as reformers and gave forth the truths that were unknown to their fellowmen were inspired by the intelligences of the spirit world, but that inspiration could not be greater or higher than the knowledge of the spirits by whom these men were inspired. And what I here say applies not only to the prophets and teachers of the Old Testament times, but to those of all the times and among all races preceding my coming to earth and making known the great truths which were revealed to me by the Father. I noticed that some of these teachers and writers of essays at the great religious gathering attempted to speak of a future or world religion, and their claims were divergent but were based mostly on those foundations that will never support such a religion. They almost entirely based their concepts on principles of morality as understood by them, and the churches based their beliefs on the teachings of the New Testament, which in many and vital particulars are erroneous, especially, the basic one that I am God the Son and that my vicarious atonement and sacrifice must be the touchstone of the future great and ultimate religion. Well, as their claims are not true it is certain that any religion based upon them cannot be true or lasting. There will be a religion of the future and a comprehensive and final one, and it will be founded upon the Truths which you are now receiving, for it will be inclusive of all the other religions, so far as the truths that they contain are concerned, with the addition of the greatest of all truths affecting mortals - the New Birth and transformation of the human soul into the Divine. When men shall come to make a comparative analysis of these existing religions and the one that I shall make known, there will be very little conflict in the vital principles, and my teachings will only add to the old teachings that which all men can accept. Hence, you see the importance of our working more rapidly in our efforts to disclose and disseminate the truth. I will come in a few nights and deliver another formal message, and others also will come and write you. Many of the Celestial Spirits are qualified to teach the truths of the Father, and they are ready and anxious to do so. I will not write more now, but with my love and blessings will say, good-night. Yes, I am with you as I promised and will continue to be. Your brother and friend, Jesus November 8th, 1917. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Father Williams. I am the priest that visited your friend last night, and I was very aggressive and insulting; but now I wish to apologize, for I have learned that he knew a great deal more about things of the spirit world than I thought possible, and more than I knew myself. Of course, if he will consider for a moment my position and the fact that for many long years I entirely believed what I professed, and also felt it my duty to God and to my church to defend the doctrines of the church, he may understand why I was so vehement and looked upon him as a foe to truth and a dangerous man to the followers of the church and to all that we believed in as sacred and holy. Now I must confess that I see some things in a little different light, and am not so certain as to some of the positions assumed by the church, in its teachings as to the destiny of men in the spirit world. I should like very much to talk to him again and ask him some questions respecting the position that he took, and this not for the purpose of controversy, but to learn his explanations of some of the things that he asserted. So, if he will tolerate me for a while, I will be greatly obliged. (Is now writing through Mr. Morgan.) I want to ask you a question, and that is, how you came to know of the things you asserted to be the great truths that are necessary to be understood in order to obtain salvation. (Mr. Morgan has enabled Father Williams to visualize a bright spirit.) I saw him. I am very much surprised at your statement. You are indeed fortunate. I am satisfied with your explanation and shall endeavor to profit by it. I am not as vicious as you may suppose, but I thought I was but doing my duty in trying to protect my people from one whom I believed was the emissary of the devil. I now see my error, and am thankful that you were so patient in enduring my abuse as you were. I am, as I said, satisfied with your explanations, and from now on shall endeavor to become as the bright spirit with whom you brought me in contact. You must not think unkindly of me; for I now realize what a great service you have rendered me. I will now go. Your friend, the once Father Williams November 8th, 1917 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving Helen. Well, dear, you had an HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/heaven11.htm" unusual visitor tonight and I was very much interested in his interview and experience with Mr. Morgan, and was glad that Mr. Morgan spoke to him as he did and gave him the opportunity of coming in contact with a bright spirit and thereby having an awakening that he had never had before. The uncle is a very bright spirit and has much of the Divine Love in his soul, and is so happy in doing the work that came to him tonight. The Catholic priest actually wrote you and Mr. Morgan and, while he could not see me, and I did not choose to manifest myself to him, yet I could and did observe all that he thought and did. He had with him a number of spirits similar in condition and belief to himself and they all heard what Mr. Morgan said to the priest, and some of them were attracted by what was said, and also saw the uncle when he made himself visible to them; and some went with the uncle and the priest. We are all glad that Mr. Morgan is doing this work, for it is a wonderful work and one that will accomplish much good among these Catholic spirits; and when it is considered that of all Christians they are the most bigoted and convinced that their beliefs are the true ones and their states in the spirit world such as must have necessarily followed from the truths as taught by the Church, you can readily understand what a laborious and difficult work Mr. Morgan is doing and will do. And for his benefit, I say that he will never be deserted by his band, and the Catholic priests will never be able to overpower this band; for this is a truth, that while the band seldom uses any force towards these deluded spirits, yet should they choose to do so their mere willing that these antagonistic spirits should leave Mr. Morgan would be sufficient to cause them to withdraw and thus destroy the rapport. But this cannot be, for the work that he is doing is one that must be done, and this is part of the work which he has been selected to do; and in its results it is a glorious work. The salvation of these spirits is just as important to the harmony of the heavens as is the salvation of any man or class of men or spirits. Mr. Morgan will always have the necessary protection, and whenever he calls for the higher spirits to aid in his work, that call will always be responded to. Even now, there are many of these spirits who were lingering in and satisfied with their condition in purgatory that are now in brighter spheres, on their way to the Celestial Kingdom, because of the Love that they have received in their souls; and they are more grateful to Mr. Morgan than I can explain. And these rescued spirits are also with him, working to help their friends and acquaintances who are still in their darkness and belief in the efficacy of the teachings of their church. God will bless Mr. Morgan in his work while on earth, and many spirits whom he has helped will thank and bless him when he comes to the spirit world. I have thus written at length so that Mr. Morgan might gain some conception of what his work means and how he has been successful in his efforts, and feel encouraged to continue in his good work, without doubt as to the truth of what he may conceive the results of his efforts to be. Well, dear, I will not write more now, but only say that I love you, as you know, and that your condition is much better, and very soon you will be able to receive the higher messages. So keep up your courage and pray to the Father and you will not be disappointed, for the Love will work in your soul the great miracle of transforming a human, mortal soul into a Divine existence, at-one with the Father and His very Essence. Good-night, and believe that I am Your own true and loving Helen December 4th, 1917. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, must I say? - Your own true and loving, Helen. While, in many instances, the evil spirits influence mortals in their thoughts and actions, yet this is not always the case and it will not do for mortals to think so. They are not the mere pliant tools or subjects of these evil spirits, but are persons with free wills, controlled by their own appetites, and for them to believe that all their evil acts are the results of the influence of these evil spirits would place them in a very subservient and deplorable condition, and at the same time retard the development of themselves by their own thoughts and acts. No, the evil spirits are always working evil, but all the thoughts and desires that mortals have and do, are not the results of the influence of these spirits. Man must realize that in himself is the cause of his own evil thoughts and deeds, though increased by the influence of these spirits, and that he must master these thoughts that he be able to drive them from him and overcome them by thoughts of a different and higher nature. It will not do for men to think that they are wicked only because of the influence of the evil spirits, for to think so would retard their development and at the same time take from them a realization of their own responsibility. And on the other hand, the source of good thoughts is within themselves, and if they will only seek for this source they will be able to progress in their moral conditions; and while the good spirits can and do help them, yet primarily men must help themselves from the good that is within them. I would like to write you fully on this matter, and will sometime, but tonight you are not in condition, and I will not try. But remember this, that whatever of evil is displayed or gives evidence of the soul being possessed by it, yet within themselves is the power to overcome and cause its eradication. I mean that men must make the effort; realize that they are masters of good and evil. We can help you, if you will let us - it depends on you - and no other can take the praise or blame of the results of your thoughts or actions. Yet, you must also realize this, that when the evil ones form a rapport with you, and in a way obsess you, it will become the more difficult for you to exercise your own will; and hence, men should pray to be given help from the Higher Source to overcome the influences of these evil ones. The character of your company will determine to a considerable extent the kind of thoughts you may have and the deeds you may do. But good or bad be your associates, you alone will be responsible for the results of your thoughts and acts. I must not write more. Good night. Your own true and loving, Helen December 8th, 1917 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, George W. Smith: I am a spirit who lived in England and knew the family of your friend and have met them in the spirit world and have seen them write to him and call him their son, and as I am permitted to write I thought that I would say a few words. I am not in such an exalted position as my friends and have with me some darkness and suffering though I am progressing and learning of the way which they tell me I must pursue in order to get rid of my present conditions. Mrs. Stone has been a very angel of goodness to me and has so patiently tried to show me the way to truth and to the love that has made an angel of her. What a glorious and beautiful spirit she is and how fortunate her son is to have such a mother who loves him so much as I have heard her often say. Well, I merely want to say that I have heard the conversation between you and my brother and have believed with interest in what he said about writing to my sisters and telling them some of the spiritual truths that have been written to him by our mother and others. Well, I will not write more but I have learned that the prayers of you mortals do help the darkened spirits very much and wish that your friend and you would pray for me. Heaven is ahead of me they tell me and I want so much to get there. Goodnight, George W. Smith December 9th, 1917. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving Helen: Well, dear, I heard your prayers, and prayed with you for the inflowing of the Love, and I know that the Father will respond and fill your soul with His Love, and make you feel your oneness with Him. I was with you this afternoon and heard the lecture on Christian Science and, while many true and helpful things were said, yet the address did not convey to the people the vital thing - that is, the Way of obtaining the Divine Love of which the lecturer spoke. What he conceived to be the Divine Love is not that Love, and in his concept does not operate as he believes. His conception of God, while superior and more true than that of the orthodox churches, yet it is not the full and correct conception of God. Sometime soon a spirit will come and write on the subject of Christian Science. It is a true teaching in some particulars, especially as regards the way to the acquirement of a cleansing of the soul that will tend to make a mortal a perfect man, get it cannot show the Way to the higher truth that makes him a Divine Angel. I will suggest this explanation to the spirit who will write you, and I have no doubt that it will be fully explained to you. Well, dear, I will not write more now. Believe that I love you with all my heart and that I am watching over you, trying to help you in every way. Goodnight, and God bless you. Your own true and loving Helen December 10th, 1917 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, his mother, Priscilla Stone: I am here, the mother of Leslie, and very much desire to write a few lines, as I feel that he would like to hear from me and receive an expression of my love. Well, in the first place, I desire to tell him that I am progressing and am in a sphere that is so beautiful and full of the Father's love, that for me to attempt to describe it, would result only in failure. But when I tell him that my happiness is so very great that even I, at a very recent time, when in what I thought was the acme of happiness, had no conception of what happiness meant as compared to what I now possess. All this is so wonderful to me, that it is difficult even for a soul- that is filled with this Love to conceive what the Love of the Father in its fullness can be. And the great thing of wonderment is, that as we progress we realize that it is impossible to comprehend the heights and depths of this great Love. When on earth and I read that "God is Love" I had not a faint idea even of what the expression meant, for, as you must know, my conception of love was based largely on what I knew or thought the human love was, such as my love for my children, which was to me the greatest expression of love. But, as I say, this love is not even a faint shadow of what the Love of the Father is: and the great beauty of it all is that, while this Divine Love is always the same, yet in Seeking and obtaining it I find that more and more is waiting for me. We know of no cessation of progress and are never satisfied, yet never unhappy, because we realize that we are not the possessor of it in all its fullness. No, our happiness is in proportion to the amount of love that we possess, and for the time that love is sufficient for our complete happiness. I do not know that mortals can fully understand this, because, as you may know, when mortals are seeking the natural love of another and desire more and more of it, and they are happy in its possession, yet at the same time they have some pain or unhappiness, because they do not have all the love that their desires ask for. Well, this is not the condition of us who have and seek this divine love, for it, of itself, seems to have the quality of causing complete, perfect happiness, without taking from us the desire and longings for more. I doubt that any of your philosophers can explain this apparent inconsistency, because they have nothing on earth to which they can make a comparison - a mortal who is satisfied with the love that he may have on earth has not the longings for more, and when he has the longings, he is not wholly happy in the enjoyment of that which he possesses. And the same principle applies to the possession and longings of mortals for everything else of the natural or material. Ambitions for fame and power and position and the accumulation of wealth, and the love of a woman or man, are all subject to this law of the accompaniment of pain and unhappiness. So you may in a short way understand what great qualities the divine love has in its operations, and how it differs from the mere natural love. Well, my boy will think I am somewhat of a philosopher and have changed from my course of thought while on earth. And so I have, but he must not be surprised to know that as I receive the great love in my soul in increased abundance there comes with it a knowledge of law and principles and the relationship of things that I have never studied or attempted to acquire by study. And this is one of the surprising results of the obtaining of this divine love. It seems to have in it, as a part of its qualities, knowledge and wisdom and understanding that is not dependent upon the mind or intellect of the natural man, but which is a part of the mind of the soul that is developed as the soul is developed in love. I thought I would write in this way tonight, that Leslie may, in a faint way, comprehend what the progress of his mother means and comprehends. With love there can be no ignorance, for love is, of itself, wisdom and knowledge and understanding. And from all this you will see that the mortals whose ambition is that when they get into the spirit world they will have the opportunity to pursue the studies which they loved on earth, and that during all the long eternity there will be no cessation of opportunity to gratify their ambition. I say, you will see that these mortals will find themselves very poor indeed as compared with those whose ambition is to obtain the divine love, which brings with it all these things, and others greater and beyond conception of knowledge that these mortals can possibly have. Well, I will not write further on this subject tonight, but some time, if it pleases you, I will come and write my boy a regular thesis upon some spiritual truth that may interest him very much. (Mrs. Stone confirms Leslie's Astral Flight to help in the spirit world in the same way that he tried to do when the spirit was a mortal.) I heard him tell of his experience of a few nights ago, in going out of his body, and wondering if it were really true. Well, it was true. He left his body, and he may be a little surprised to know that the great desire of that young spirit to have him come to her and tell her again of some of the things that he had told her on earth was the cause of his leaving his body. Her desires were so great that they actually drew his spirit to her. What he saw, he saw with his spirit eyes, and the persons who appeared to him were actually present; and the young spirit heard his conversation, and in it found some relief. She brought with her to the spirit world some of the thoughts that he had conveyed to her during his earth life; and having the experience of not finding what she had been taught, when on earth, that she would find in the spirit world, she became disappointed and doubtful, and then recalled what Leslie had told her, and with these memories came the desire that he should come and repeat to her these explanations that he had made to her of the truths and condition of the spirit world. She is now very much better, and is seeking for the truth, or rather a corroboration of the truth that she learned from him. I was present, as he thought, and when he left her I went with her and took her in my care, and have been trying to help her into the light and to a longing for this love. She is so young and her soul so susceptible to the influence of love, without being bound very much by erroneous beliefs that were taught her, she will, I know, soon become convinced of the true way to happiness and redemption. And her grandmother, who loves this young spirit so much, was with her and heard what Leslie said, and, of course, was shocked and grieved that he should try to teach the child such blasphemous things; and she shed tears and was very unhappy and wanted her child to go with her and not listen to what he said or was saying. But just here we interfered to a certain extent, and caused them to separate, and induced the grandmother to leave the child for awhile, though she did not want to do so. And when Leslie said that he assisted her to a lower plane, he actually did so, for while she is a woman of a kindly nature, and a somewhat Christian character, as she understands, yet she is not fitted for the plane on which the scene related took place. And here let me say that the young spirit and her grandmother, because of the great law of attraction, are not suited to the same plane, and this grieves the grandmother very much, and also the child. But the regeneration of the child will, no doubt, have a great effect upon the grandmother, and when the time comes, that is after the child has learned the truth and received some of the love and goes to her grandmother to show her beauty and tell of her experience, we will go to the grandmother, also, and attempt to explain to her these truths and the error of her belief. Well, I have written enough, and your wife says that I had better stop now. So with my love I will say good night, His mother, Priscilla Stone December 16th, 1917. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus: Well, my disciple, I realize that your desires are that I shall deliver a message to you tonight, and I am anxious to do so, yet I see that you are not just in condition that I may take that possession of your brain that is necessary in order to write satisfactorily. I am sorry that this is so, but it is a fact, and we will have to wait a while longer, which will not be very long, for you are much improved, and if you continue to pray you will soon become in that soul condition that will enable me to make the rapport. There are many messages yet to be written and I am anxious that you receive them in order that they may be delivered to the world, for the world is now awakened to a greater realization of the fact that man is spiritual and must have spiritual food. The war is causing many people to think of the hereafter and the destiny of the soul; and the knowledge that the world now has of the future life is very meager and unsatisfactory, merely a knowledge that the spirit survives death and experiences more or less happiness in the spirit life. As you know, this is not the vital thing in the destiny of man, for while a knowledge of the survival of man from the death of the physical may and does give a great deal of consolation to the near and dear ones who are left on earth, yet the fact does not, in the slightest degree, determine the condition or destiny of the soul that has left its home in the flesh; and there are no means, now known to men, to show them that destiny, except some things written in the Bible which are the subject of much speculation and controversy and want of belief. The consolation of those who have faith in the Bible is founded on that faith, or rather, in most cases, belief; but there are a number of believers in the truths of the Bible, with a conscious soul perception of their meaning, who have that faith which makes certain to them the facts of destiny, and the possession of love in their souls.I will come tomorrow night and endeavor to write a formal message; in the meantime let your thoughts turn more to the things of the spirit, and your prayers ascend with more earnestness and longings to the Father. As you know, I love you as my brother and disciple, and am with you as you pray each night, uniting in your prayers, and you must let your faith increase and believe that your prayers are being heard and will be answered to the fullest. I will not write more now. So my brother, goodnight, and may the Father bless you with His greatest blessings. Your brother and friend, Jesus December 16th, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, St. John: I will say only a few words. I am John and your guardian Angel, and am so thankful that you are again getting into a spiritual condition when we may come and write you of the spiritual truths that we are anxious to communicate. While I have not written as to these truths, yet I have been with you a great deal trying to help you and encourage you in your longings for the Father's Love and for the development of your soul. Very soon I can see, we will resume our writings and then you will be very happy in the thought that you are again in condition to do the Father's work and to benefit humanity. The most ancient spirits - those who have lived in the spirit world from the entrance of the first spirits therein, can if the medium is in the proper or necessary condition of rapport communicate to mortals. It is a very mistaken belief that the highest spirits do not communicate through mediums or rather may not, for these spirits have not lost their interest in the destiny of the human soul. Of course there is much of the work done by spirits for mortals in which these higher spirits take no part, but such work is generally more of a material nature, and, so far as manifestation to mortals is concerned, performed only for the purpose of convincing men that intercommunication between the two worlds is possible and a fact, and that there is the persistence of life. But when the work is of a nature that leads men to a true conception of the vital spiritual truths and the way that leads to the Father, then these high spirits participate in the work. Jesus is now the leader of the great effort to establish a Kingdom of God in the Celestial Heavens, and all spirits who have received a portion of the Divine Essence of the Father, through love, know the work that is being done and the aim thereof - and are working to bring about the great consummation of this plan. And here I will say, that in furtherance of this plan, and because you have been selected to work on earth among mortals, yourself a mortal, the highest spirit of the Celestial Heavens has been and is in communication with you, and the most ancient of all the spirits and first of mankind have written. You must believe this, for every message that you have received from spirits who are working to reveal this plan, forms a link in the great chain of revelation, and to not believe any of these messages and their sources would greatly harm and injure the truth of the whole. No matter what you may read as to the opinion of men who are investigating spiritualism and receiving messages from this side of life, do not for a moment doubt that you have received and are receiving these great spiritual truths from those who profess to deliver the same. I will come soon and write you a formal message on this subject. Believe that my love is with you and that I am endeavoring to help you in your great work. Pray more and turn your thoughts more to your mission and you will do the work more satisfactorily, and the Father will bless you with a great abundance of His Love. Goodnight, and trust in what I have written. Your brother in Christ, John December 16th, 1917. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Mrs. Horner. Let me say only a few words, for I am so anxious to write a few lines, and have been for some time. Many times I have been with you and my husband as you conversed of things pertaining to the spiritual world and I was very hopeful that he would believe what you said to him and turn his thoughts to an investigation of the truths that he would surely find, and thereby give me the opportunity of coming to him in my voice, at least, and telling him that I am not dead, but very happy and always watching over him to comfort him. I know that I have been away from him, as he has thought, for a long time, and that other things have intervened in his life to cause him to forget me to a more or less degree, and to think that it was all of life to live on earth and find his happiness there. This, of course, was quite natural, and I was not hurt, as you mortals say, because of the fact that he had, as he thought, given his affections to another; for I knew the conditions of his heart better than he himself knew it, and saw that his real love was mine, and that no other could take it from me or, as he may be surprised to hear, he could not give it to another. I have heard you talk to him about the soulmate love and he has some conception of it, and I want to tell him that this is the love that is binding us together; and nothing in all the universe of God can sever that bond. I should like to tell him what this bond means and sometime, if you will indulge me, I will do so, but tonight I will not take your time. But tell him this: that I thought when on earth that I loved him, and I did, but now I realize how faint that love was as compared to what I now have for him, and what will always be his. He may not believe that I am writing to him or that my love for him is as I write it is, but as certain as his friend, death, at some time will come to him, so certain is it that when he comes to the spirit world he will find this love waiting for him, and also his soulmate, just at the entrance of his real home. Well, I must not write more, but kindly tell him that I am a very happy spirit, with my home in the Fifth Sphere, and that I am bright and beautiful in appearance, as they tell me. When I left the earth plane all darkness of race left me and I became one of the shining ones; and every spirit associate that I had, was and is my true brother and sister, and the Father is my Father, and I am His child. As my soul progressed and developed in Love, I became nearer like unto the Father, and my spirit body and appearance showed the purity of my soul. And such will be his destiny if he will only follow the way that the Father has provided for him by which he can obtain one of the beautiful mansions of these spheres. I will tell him only one thing more before I stop writing; and that is, that as my soul developed in Love, my intellect and knowledge also developed, and I became very wise without having to study as you mortals do on earth; and now I see that many of your so-called wise men are, in their wisdom, very foolish, and in their understanding very ignorant. I write this because he may think that now I am the same person in my intellect and knowledge that I was when we were happy together. And we were happy for a short while, for I loved him with all the fervor of my young life and trust, and was so sorrowful when I had to leave him; but God knew best, and now I know that it was for the best. As I said, I still love him, but with a greater and more fervent love than ever; and sometimes I love him so very intensely that I draw him to me and enjoy a spirit communion with him, although he may not realize it. Pardon me for writing so long. With my love to him, I will say good night. I was Mrs. Horner when on earth for a short time, when he gave me the fine love of his youth, and I will be his for all eternity. Mrs. Horner December 18th, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, William R. Woodward: Let me say a word as I have listened to your conversation and to me the most of it is Greek, for while I understand your words and sentences, I do not comprehend your meaning. What do you mean by transformation of the soul? I am a spirit who when on earth believed in the New Birth and regeneration, and believed that I was the subject of both and was fitted when I died to enter into the mansions of the redeemed and enjoy the presence of God and of Jesus, but I have found that since I became a spirit I am no more in the presence of God than I was on earth. I was taught that by receiving the New Birth, and, as I understood that meant to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and accept him as my saviour and become baptized, I would be saved - as I said I was taught that this New Birth was all that I was required to have in order to become an inhabitant of Jesus' heavens; and now I know that teaching did not bring me to heaven, and when I hear you speak of the transformation of the soul by the New Birth your teachings sound very much like those that I was taught when on earth, and I wonder if you are not suffering under the same delusion that I was. You talk as if you know what you say to be true and that you actually know, as a fact, that there is a transformation of the soul that results from this New Birth. I hope you are not mistaken, for if there be any such fact, I would like to hear it and the way to obtain it. So if you can enlighten me, do so. I know what you say in words, but that does not satisfy me. I want that, if there be such, which is back of words, can you help me? Well, I see a spirit, and he is very beautiful and says, he will help me to understand if I will sincerely listen to him and I will, so goodnight. I am William R. Woodward whom you knew when I was on earth. Your friend. December 18th, 1917 Received by: James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Mary Kennedy: Well, I see that you would rather hear from me than HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor464.htm" from the last spirit, although you are interested in showing the way to spirits who know not the way to salvation and the wonders of the New Birth. Yet, I believe that I am somewhat nearer to you and that you would rather have a few lines from me. Well, I am very happy because of the opportunity of writing once more to my soulmate and telling him that I am his own loving Mary, and am always anxious to tell him. I know that he will be pleased to know that I have progressed since he last heard from me; for I am now in the Celestial planes that have no number, and among spirits who fairly shine with the Great Love of the Father, and are happy beyond all conception, not only of mortals, but of spirits who have never reached the plane in which I now am. I wish that I could explain to Leslie what my present condition and surroundings are, so that he might form some idea of what the happiness of his soulmate is, but I cannot, and will not try. But this I can tell him, that my new position and happiness do not keep me away from him, for the increased love of the Divine that enters my soul, there also enters in a greater love for him, and a greater longing to be with him; and as he cannot come to me, I can come to him, and in coming bring my happiness with me in all its fullness. He will understand, that while I fully realize that the higher I progress the greater the distance between us, yet he will also understand that I must seek to progress with all the strivings of my soul. And he must not think this progress will keep me apart for a longer time than if I should remain stationary and wait for him. It will merely seem so, for when he comes to the spirit world and learns just what my position means, he will want the more to be with me, and will strive the harder to reach my home, so that his strivings and longings to see my home will be such that what is lost in distance will be made up to him in time; and besides, I will be so much more enabled to help him, for the greater the love the more rapid the progress, and when he sees the great love that I shall have and feel its influence, he will the more easily appreciate the possibilities of his own progress. Yes, I am surprisingly happy, and only wait his coming to make complete the soulmate love, but of course I do not long for his coming in a way that might bring him to me sooner than it is intended that he shall come. He has a work to do and he must know it, and that is his sacrifice, as he will understand after he comes over, but it is a glorious sacrifice, for from it will flow that which will enable him to make the more rapid progress after his work shall be done. I will not write more now. I know that he would be glad to know of my progress, and so I took the opportunity to tell him, and am so happy that I can do so. I wonder if he ever thinks what a difference there would be in his own soul if during all the years prior to his coming over, we should have to remain silent, and he never knew of what love is waiting for him, and what a soulmate is trying to do for him. How blessed we both are that we can exchange our thoughts of love, and know that sometime in the near future there will be a glorious and happy meeting of two souls that are really one. Well, I will not take more of your time. So with my greater love to him, I will say Goodnight. Mary December 21st, 1917 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Judge Syrick. Well, old boy, how are you tonight? I speak thus that you may know that I am feeling just as friendly as I did when on earth, and you may feel assured that I am more friendly than I was when I used to talk to you about the mysteries of the unseen. Now, of course, I know a great many things that were to us, at that time, mysterious, and know that the mysterious exists only in the minds of men, and that everything in our universe of truth and mystery is merely a convenient manmade word for hiding our want of knowledge. Well, Padgett, I am glad that I can write to you again, for it gives me much pleasure in being able to do so. Of course, I am with you very often, listening to the conversation of yourself and friends, and the reading of the messages that you receive. There are so many spirits around you, all desiring to write, that I can only at times write myself, and, as you have learned, we always give the preference to others whenever we know of their desires. This is one of the things that we learn and apply in our life here as we progress. It is not only that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us, but we do unto others as we know to be for the good of these others. We try to efface self, and as we advance in our possession of the love, we find it less and less difficult to sacrifice self for the benefit of others; and the wonderful thing is that in doing this we are the happier and realize that we should not live for self alone. Well, you will commence to think that I am a preacher, and in a way I am, but what I say I know to be true, and not the result of any speculation. I am progressing and am now in the Seventh Sphere, and if I were to attempt to tell you what this means, and could do so, you would think that I was either a storyteller surpassing the author of the Thousand and One Nights, or that your imagination was running away with your senses. But it is a fact that the beauty and wonders of this sphere are beyond my ability to describe or your ability to understand. Rose, of course, is with me, and we are so very happy. What a wonderful thing this soulmate love is! Now I realize that the happiness which is mine compensates for all the lonesome times of my old bachelor days on earth, and as I see that your friend is a poor, lonesome bachelor, I want to tell him that when he comes to the spirit world and has his soulmate to love and cherish him, he will forget that he was ever a lonesome bachelor on earth and will regret only that he had not become a spirit long before he entered that world which so many dread to think of. Sometimes I have been present when some of his Catholic friends visited him* and attempted to annihilate him, and although you may look upon us as sedate and pious spirits, yet we enjoyed the encounter very much, and especially when we saw that these priests were worsted and lost all the fighting blood, as you may say. While I did not know him on earth, yet I feel that I know him very well now, and I desire to tell him that he is doing a wonderful and exceptional work, and one that is doing and has done much good among these priest-ridden people. He may not know, but it is a fact that when he enters into these controversies with the priests, that they are not the only spirits present, for many of their followers accompany them to see the enemy of their church annihilated; and they hear what may be said and see the results, and, as a consequence, many of them are caused to think and seek the help of the numerous high spirits who are always present, ready to give the help that they need; and many of these followers are, by the means mentioned, rescued from their purgatory and erroneous beliefs. I should like to write more on this subject and describe the actual scenes that accompany his encounters with these priests, if only to encourage him, but I cannot do it tonight. Well, Christmas will soon be here, and we have the Christmas feeling, but it is not exactly as you have it on earth. We have the actual visible presence of Jesus and feel his love, and know that he was born and is now the living, loving, all-embracing Christ in his teachings and manifestations of the Father's Love. I wish you and your friend and Dr. Stone a merry Christmas, and desire to tell you that many of your spirit friends will spend the day with you and bring as presents their love and prayers and best wishes for your happiness. Good night, old friend, and God bless you, Syrick Note *Eugene Morgan was the medium who was selected by Jesus in helping dark spirits. December 21st, 1917. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, your own true and loving Helen. Well, dear, I am glad that the HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor632.htm" Judge wrote you tonight, as you had not heard from him for some time, and he was very anxious to write. He is very happy and is progressing, and with his Rose, enjoys bliss to the fullest. The other spirits actually wrote, and the young mother is now a very beautiful spirit and feels a great sympathy for all mothers who die as their babies come into life. I will not write more now. So love me and pray to the Father with all your soul and longings for His love. Your own true and loving, Helen December 23rd, 1917. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Swedenborg: I have heard the messages that you have just received and I desire to impress upon you the necessity and importance of striving to follow the advice therein given, for if you fail now to do the work upon which you have entered, your regrets when you come to the spirit world will be so great that you will find it almost impossible to get rid of them even if you progress to the soul spheres where the Love is all so abundant. I know what I write for that was my experience and it seemed to me that everywhere I turned as I sought to progress I saw before me the word "failure" and for many long years it was my ghost of a recollection. Failure as you may know is comparative, and men may fail in their ambitions and desires for fame and wealth and position, and yet when they come to the spirit world they realize that such failures mean comparatively little and in their progress in the truth, they soon forget their failures and cast them behind. But when a mortal has conferred upon him a work which does not have for its object the accumulation of wealth or the attaining of fame or position, but the great and vital end of showing men the way by which they can become reconciled to God and partake of His very Nature in Love and obtain immortality, and also has given to him the privilege of receiving the Great Truths of God in relation to the salvation of men, then I say that failure means a great catastrophe for him and a greater calamity for humanity, and that man is in a condition of mind and recollection beyond description. Very few men have had conferred upon them this great privilege and power and responsibility, and I was one of them and was a failure not because I did not try to receive and deliver the truth, but because I prevented, by my preconceived ideas of what the truth should be, the real and pure truth from coming to me and thence to humanity. In a way I was unconscious of my failure or of the existence of conditions in me that caused the failure; yet when I came to the spirit world and realized the failure that I had made, then everything was a failure to my conscience. In your case, you have no such preconceived ideas to hamper you or prevent you from receiving the truth, for you are used merely as instrument for these truths to transcribe and they are delivered in the very language of the writers, and your failure if such there shall be, will be entirely due to your indifference or want of effort to get in condition that will enable the messages to be written. You must see your responsibility and your duty, and I may say your love that should urge you to work and you must not become a failure. I am your friend and brother and co-worker in making known these truths and only write because I as a failure can speak from experience. So my brother turn your thought more to this work, and if necessary sacrifice every worldly consideration to carry forward your work and make perfect your efforts to fulfill the great mission with which you have been blessed. I will not write more now. May the Father bless you with His Love. Your brother in Christ, Swedenborg December 23rd, 1917. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, your own true and loving Helen: Well dear, you have received some important messages tonight and I hope that you will read and ponder them, for they are of great spiritual importance, not only to the work that you are doing but also to you personally. I shudder to think of what the consequences might be if you would make a failure of the great privilege that has been bestowed upon you, and you must think of what HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/bible10.htm" Swedenborg wrote, for he would write as one having had an experience with a knowledge that came from the experience. But I know that you will not be a failure and that you will give your best endeavors to the accomplishing of the work. I wish to tell you also, that you should pray more for the Love and long for it with all the longing of your soul, and then as it flows into your soul I know that your desire to accomplish this work will so increase that there will be no possibility of failure. So sweetheart, follow the advice given you and determine that the great work of the Master will not this time be a failure through you. I was with you at church tonight and realized that you enjoyed the services very much and especially the music and your soul experience, and considerable happiness from the love that came to you. And there was much love with and around you, for many of the spirits were present, but Jesus was not there. Again has Christmas come, and the people are now worshipping their Jesus as God, a worship which is very distasteful to him and one which he hopes by the truths of the messages that he is delivering to you will cease, when these messages shall become known to the people. He realizes how much harm such worship does and also realizes that he is a mere son of the Father as are many and all spirits who have received His Divine Love in their souls, and become a part of His Divinity; and Jesus knowing that he is merely a child of the Father, dependent upon Him for His Love and Mercy, avoids all opportunity of hearing the praises and worship of those who substitute him in the place of the Father. So distasteful and blasphemous is this worship to him that he even gives up his work in the earth plane among spirits and men until the time of this universal worship of him shall pass by. I am so glad that this great truth of the only one and true God, the only being to be worshipped, is being revealed to mankind. So you see how important that you do your work. Well you have written a great deal tonight and are tired and I will not draw on you further. Love me and believe that I love you, and pray to the Father to give you His Love and strength to perform your mission. Good-night my dear husband. Your own true and loving Helen December 24th, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Immanuel Kant. I have listened to your conversation tonight and have been much interested, so much that I have wondered what the source of your apparent beliefs is, for I see that you are sincere in your declarations of what you declare the truths to be. I have been in the spirit world for a great many years, and have not been idle as regards my investigation of the truth, and have given my very strenuous efforts to learn the truth of man's destiny and the ultimate end of his existence. I was a thinker when on earth, and had a considerable reputation as to being a deep thinker of things metaphysical, and even today I have a large following among those mortals who give their time and attention to the investigation of the truths of the nature spoken of. I have progressed very much, not only in the spheres in which I have lived, but also in the development of my intellect and in the development of my soul, for I enjoy a very considerable happiness, and have been able to apply the moral principles that should govern men in their relation to one another and to God, and have experienced the benefit of such application. I have many associates like myself in development of the dualities mentioned, and often do we assemble and discuss these important principles of man's relationship to God and to the development of man and the aim and ultimate destiny of his existence. Truth is, we know, of itself alone, and never changes, and when we believe and are convinced that we have found a truth, we accept it as a basis upon which to found our further efforts for investigation and the discovery of other truths, and, as a consequence, we are not compelled to depend upon mere speculation as we were when on earth. We know that the spirit of man never ceases to live, and, hence, immortality must be his certain portion in the great economy of God, and that, as the law of being is progression, we must always be enabled to progress. And having that fact from which to start we continue our investigations and studies in the certain belief that their results will be the discovery of the truths, and that we must ultimately find the reason for man's existence, and his final destiny. But from what I have heard you and your friend say, there must be a branch of truth that I or my friends, have never heard of or attempted to investigate, and to me it sounds very attractive, and so much so, that I would like to have some enlightenment from which I may be able to postulate a premise upon which I may build a superstructure if possible. I have, of course, heard a great deal of love and the purification of the soul, and the necessity for men and spirit striving to get rid of all those things that contaminate the soul and foster the continuation of the inharmony that now exists and keeps man from becoming the perfect man, and spirit also. I have heard that in the higher spiritual kingdom there are spirits of men that have become perfect and existing in harmony with the laws of God, yet they do not claim to be more than men - perfect men. But you talk of a love that will make men, or the souls of men, divine, in their constituency, and therefore, a part of that divinity which we ascribe only to the Infinite; and I must tell you that what you say has opened up to me a new vision of possibility of study that may lead to what we now have no conception of. I am sincere in what I write, and if you can help me in entering on the study of the truths of which you speak, I will be very grateful, and assure you that it will not be lost on an inattentive ear or a mind stunted by a belief that it already knows all that can be acquired, or the way to acquire all that may be learned. I was on earth a philosopher and known as: Immanuel Kant December 26th, 1917. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus: Well, my dear brother, I am glad to find that you are in so much better condition, and I know that very soon now I will be able to resume the delivery of my messages. Well, I have no vicar on earth (in answer to question by Mr. Padgett). In the first place, I am not God, but a mere spirit - a child of God - and one that worships Him with all the devotion of my soul, praying for an increase bestowal of His Love and for a complete unity with Him, and with the longings to progress eternally in the development of my soul. In the second place, the Pope is a mere man, and he can only represent God to the extent that he has in his own soul the Divine Love and the consequent soul development. The mere fact that he is the head of the Catholic Church gives him no greater privilege, or no greater commission to represent God on earth, than is possessed by any other man with the same amount of soul development. His claimed infallibility is a delusion and a snare, and he is just as much subject to sin, and sinning, even as Pope of the Church, as is any other mortal; and this claim, which is an attribute belonging only to God, will be one of the sins for which he will suffer very much when he comes to the spirit world and has his soul opened up to the truth. At some time I intend to write you in detail as to the Catholic Church and its erroneous dogmas, beliefs, and teachings, and as to its destiny. But this I will say: that the worship of me as God is a blasphemy, and a thing that is so blasphemous that I care not to remain in the earth plane and hear the prayers of these misguided Christians. I know that this will sound surprising, and un-Christian, to many, and they will continue to believe in their faith in me as God, and also to worship me. But it is a very harmful untruth, and these people will have to realize it sooner or later, in the spirit world. And this is one of the errors that my messages are designed to eradicate. Well, my dear brother, have faith. Your brother and friend, Jesus December 27th, 1917 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Bismarck: If convenient I should like to write a few lines tonight in reference to the war and the prospects of its ending. I am Bismarck and as I have not written you for some time in reference to the subject I thought it advisable to write a few words. As I told you in my last communication, the cause of the ending of the war would not be any decisive battle but the deplorable condition of the people of Germany and of its allied conditions, and what I then said I repeat with renewed emphasis, for since I wrote the conditions of these people in the way of starvation and deprivation of those things that make life worth living have greatly increased with no prospects of betterment so long as the war continues. The Emperor and his co-workers have endeavored by every false statement that they could make to convince the people that the war would soon end in victory for the fatherland, and that very soon they would be relieved of the distress and starvation, and that peace and good fortune would soon come to them. And with a remarkable credulity these people have believed their representatives and have endeavored to endure all these privations and hardships with patience and confidence. But the time has arrived when this faith and hope have become shaken and in many instances in many parts of Germany and Austria the people have come to a realization that this peace and relief from their deplorable condition is no nearer than they were months ago, and that less certainty attends the promises of the rulers and military parties. And as a consequence dissatisfaction has arisen and the desire to save and make secure the life of the nation has changed into a desire to preserve and save from hunger and destruction the individual workers of that nation. And this feeling has become so fixed with many of these people they are commencing to think, and are thinking that they are being sacrificed in order to forward the plans and ambitions of their rulers and also that they as individuals are not objects of consideration in the thoughts and schemes of these rulers. Starvation is prevalent in the land and despair has taken the place of hope with many of these people; and there is slowly creeping into the minds of many the thought that they must arouse themselves and take the control of affairs into their own hands and to such an extent does this thought possess these people, and among them many people who think for themselves, that you must not be surprised to hear at anytime that the people have revolted and that the power of the inhabitants have been overthrown, repulsion of the movement of Russia, although controlled and guided by men of more intelligence and responsibility. Yes, this ending of the war is coming and the people will rule, and in doing so will make the best terms of peace with the Allies that can be made. Only a little while longer and you will see the fulfillment of my predictions. No great battle on the western front will be fought as the world now expects, for before that time arises the German army of the Kaiser will have become the army of the people, and many will abandon the fighting line and return to their homes and devastated farms and houses. It is all so sad when I think of what Germany will become and what it might have been had not the mad Kaiser and his country of ambitious guards and advisers let their ambition run away with their duty and obligation to the true interests of Germany. As I have said before, the Kaiser will die and his followers will die or be scattered and their names and horrible deeds will become dark memory of things that destroyed the national life and the individual lives of many of the promising men and youth of the fatherland. If I were the Bismarck of a short time ago this calamity of my nation would cause me to worry and regret and deplore the day that the mad boy continued to succeed his good father on the throne; but now I view these things in a different light and see that out of all these calamities will arise a happier Germany and people free and not subject to the iron bonds of any one man or family, with rights supposed and proclaimed to be God-given. Yes, Germany will suffer and decline as a world power but in the place of this power and insatiable desire for aggrandizement and aggression will come peace and happiness and a greater spiritual development among the people. Well, I have written enough and the handwriting is on the wall and its prediction cannot be escaped from. Soon, soon, soon the end will come and with it the salvation of more nations than one. I am not a prophet, but in the law of cause and effect nations are unthroned as well as individuals, and as I can see the causes that are operating; I can also see the effects that must follow, and the consummation will be that Germany must fall, never to arise again as a great nation that she has been in the past, but a purer, happier and more loving nation than ever before. I will not write more. American lives will not be sacrificed to any great extent, for the great battles of the war have been fought. Goodnight, Your Friend, Bismarck December 31, 1917 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your own true and loving Helen: Well, dear, I see you are not feeling so well tonight and I will write only a short letter. As Dr. Stone said, the year has nearly gone never to be recalled and the thoughts of the year have found their places in the great eternity, some to have gone forever never to be remembered, and others to live to face you when you come to the spirit world. I am glad to be able to state that the large majority of these thoughts are such that you need not dread to face, for they have been of things that will help you in your progress in the spheres of love, and what I say of you I say of the Dr., for we have been very close to him during the year that is passed. While your account books have something that do not savor of the spiritual and true, and are to be forgotten as soon as possible, yet many of them are those which only the possession of the Father's Love could have engendered and which will meet you with influences of encouragement and give you great satisfaction, and cause you to thank the Father that you were so susceptible to the influence of that Love and to the impressions of the high spirits who have been with you both so much during the year. You have much to congratulate yourselves, for your souls will not show the condition of underdevelopment that they should even a year ago. You may not be able to appreciate the extent of your development or what your real condition of soul is, and I who can see and know desire to tell you that I rejoice with you and am so thankful to the Father for His mercy and Love which have been so bountifully bestowed upon you. Not only do I myself rejoice in this fact, but many bright spirits who love you both so much are praising God for His great goodness to you. And tonight many are present, but none happier than your soulmates who, of course, have a love for you that the others cannot have. So notwithstanding the material troubles and worries that you may have had during the year, you have so much to be thankful for, yes, so much more than you realize. And when you consider from a moment the great number of Celestial Spirits and with them the Master who have been such constant companions all through the year, loving you and trying to help and comfort you, you must see that you have been wonderfully blessed. Scarcely any human being has had such companionship as have you two, and none consciously, for to no man or woman on earth have these messages of love and truth been conveyed as they have to you. I know that while these high spirits have been in close companionship with other mortals whose souls have received the Father's Love and trying to help them with their presence, yet not one has received to his sensory consciousness the realization of the presence of such spirits, and no word of their great love and solicitude have come to any mortals other than to you, Dr. Stone and Eugene. When you come to think of this, you must see how great has been the privilege and how with that privilege has come a responsibility that calls for your greatest concern and desire to do the work. Let me advise you three to think of this great fact. Well, I must not write more, but Mary Kennedy says to tell Dr. Stone that she loves him more than ever before and that her love and happiness in knowing that he is her true soulmate is greater as the year goes out. She wishes him a Happy New Year and knows that it will bring to both of them a closer companionship and a greater happiness than ever, and also a greater and more wonderful development of his soul in love and a consequent greater nearness of the soulmate love. All your friends send their love and wishes for a Happy New Year, one that shall be filled with an increased possession of the Father's Love and a clearer understanding of His truths and the work that is before you. May the Father Bless you both is the prayer of Your own true loving Helen January 4th, 1918 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, John. I desire to write for a short time tonight upon a subject that I consider important, and you may consider interesting. As you may know, it has been sometime since I wrote anything of a formal character and I regret very much that so much time has gone by without my being able to communicate some of the spiritual truths, and also regret that your condition has been such that I was unable to make the rapport with you that is necessary in order that I may deliver to you these messages of the nature mentioned. I have explained to you in a HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/mediums30.htm" former recent letter, in a brief way, the law of communication and rapport, and that law, if you will try to understand it, will enable you to comprehend the reason why we have not been able to communicate these higher truths. It may seem to you that if we control your brain and not use or transmit your thoughts but only the thoughts which come from our minds, it would be immaterial what the nature of our thoughts might be, and that as your brain is used by us as a mere instrument we, having possession of your brain, would have the power to write anything we might desire. And upon a mere superficial glance at the assertion, it could be reasonably supposed to be true. But, as we have told you before, rapport and our ability to use your brain are governed by laws, and one of these laws is that a high thought cannot be transmitted through a human brain which is not in the condition that qualifies it to receive the thought, just as the brain, in matter pertaining to mere material knowledge cannot receive a conception or comprehension of some intellectual truth with which it has not had acquaintance, and transmit it. A brain cannot be used by the mind of the human to make known or present a problem in geometry, when that brain has never been used by the mind to acquire an acquaintance with or knowledge of the principles of geometry. This is an incomplete analogy but it may serve to illustrate what I mean. In the conception by the human mind of a truth, material or spiritual, the brain must be used in order to manifest or make known that conception. This is absolutely true where the idea or thought originates in the mind of the man who is using his own brain to formulate or manifest that idea or thought. The mind may have the thought or knowledge of some branch of learning, and yet when it has never used the brain to put that thought or knowledge into concrete form the brain cannot manifest or transmit it. This law applies specifically to the capabilities of the brain where it is attempted to be used or controlled by the mind of the man who owns the brain. And from this you will see that it is possible for the human mind to have thought and knowledge of things which it cannot use the brain to express. In many of your material things of life, such as great invention, the knowledge of these inventions is in the mind, it may be, for a long time before it is formulated and expressed by the brain, and sometimes it never gets through the brain at all. The mind and the brain are not one and equivalent things; the one is the operator, the other is the thing used to operate with, so that the possessions of the operator may become manifested to others. But this law, applying to and controlling the relationship of the mind and brain possessed by the same man, does not so absolutely apply to and control the relationship of mind and brain, where the mind is that of a spirit and the brain that of a mortal, for in such case the mind may take such complete control of the brain, that the former's manifestations are not governed or limited by the special experiences or want of experiences which the brain may have had in its use by the mind of the mortal along specific lines of expression or manifestation. Thus, as you may know and as it has been demonstrated by the work and experience of many human mediums, the minds of spirits have controlled the brains of these mediums, so that such brains have transmitted from these spirits expressions of various kinds of languages and mathematical truths with which such brains never have had any acquaintance or become exercised in expressing. In these instances the brain is used merely in the sphere of intellect and the spirit who takes possession of that brain and uses it to express and make known the knowledge of the spirit's mind, is doing no different thing in essentials, to what the human mind, controlling its own brain, could have done had the brain been exercised in those directions. The capacity of the brain, whether exercised or not by the human mind controlling its own brain, limits the power of the spirit to control in the manner and for the purpose mentioned. But this law has a further phase, and that is, the greater the general experience of the brain in its exercise by the human mind, the more perfectly can the spirit mind control it. All this is dependent upon facts which I cannot linger here to explain, such as the mediumistic qualities and susceptibilities of the human whose brain is attempted to be controlled by the spirit. And the same laws apply to the disclosure of truth and principles along the moral planes. A spirit cannot possibly use the brain of a mortal to convey or transmit through it moral precepts or truths that that brain is not capable of receiving. And I do not mean by this that the brain must have had any acquaintance with any or many particular moral truths, or must have been used by the human for the purpose of receiving or imparting these precepts, but must be in its essential capacity, potentially able to transmit and receive these truths. And so the capacity of the brain to receive and transmit these moral truths, limits the control of the spirit over the brain to express through it, these truths. The rapport of the spirit with the human is determined by the development of the brain and the moral qualities of the human at the time the rapport is attempted to be made - and this means the actual development of these conditions and not what they may appear to be to other humans, or even to the individual himself. And this development determines to a large extent the power of the spirit to use the brain to disclose the truths, either intellectual or moral. A medium can receive only such truths as his condition according to the nature of the truths, is susceptible to the forming of a rapport by the spirit. The possibility of rapport, and the kind thereof, lie at the foundation of mediumship, and determines and limits the power of the spirit to convey its thoughts and the capacity of the mortal to receive them. When the medium is in a certain condition of development the spirit, writing, can form the rapport according as that condition harmonizes with the condition of the spirit; and it is impossible unless the harmony exists, for the spirit to write these things which require a greater degree of development than the medium at the time possesses. Hence, you will in a way understand why so few of the higher spiritual truths have ever been delivered to the world through the mediumship of any mortal who has been possessed of gifts of either automatic writing, as it is called, or clairvoyance or inspirational powers. As to those truths which did not require a higher degree of development than was possessed by the medium, there arose no difficulty in transmitting the same, and many mediums have been very successful in receiving the truth suited to their condition. And this fact, and law also, will explain to you why the same spirit may communicate through several mediums, and yet the communications be of a dissimilar character; that is, the communications through one medium contain higher or lower character of truth than those transmitted through some other medium; and with the result that those mortals who have heard or read these different communications, especially when critical, have been prone to believe that the same spirit was not making both communications. But this is not a just conclusion, for while the spirit was in the same condition, possessing the same knowledge at the time of both communications, yet the mediums, because of their difference in development, were unable to receive the same character of messages. You may search the whole history of spirit communications and of mediumship and you will not find any messages of the character of those that have been transmitted through you, and for the reasons that I have stated. Swedenborg was the last and nearer perfect instrument for receiving these higher truths, and yet he, because of his want of soul development and his being bound, to a more or less extent, by his orthodox beliefs and scientific knowledge that caused him to coordinate and fit in these truths with his ideas of correspondence and such like conceptions, was a failure, and could not be successfully used to transmit these truths which we have been communicating through you. And after him other gifted and, in some respects, successful mediums were used by spirits, of the higher knowledge and progression to convey truths, but their conditions were such that, under the workings of the laws governing rapport, these mediums could receive only those truths which their conditions of development permitted them to receive. The workings of this limitation was not dependent upon the condition and ability of the spirits to impart these higher truths, but upon the capacity of the mediums to receive them. You, yourself, have had experience as to how this law works and controls communication and rapport, for, as you know, it has been a long time since you were able to receive any spirit messages of these higher truths, although the spirits have been present with you many times, ready and anxious to make the rapport and deliver their messages; and you have been willing, intellectually, to receive them, but because of your condition or want of condition, the spirits could not deliver them and were compelled to wait until you get into the necessary condition. From all this you will comprehend why so very few messages containing high spiritual truths, or even moral truths, come through mediums. The mediums, mostly, are so developed that they can receive only messages dealing with the material affairs of life, and which kinds of messages I am compelled to and can truthfully say, are those that are largely desired by the mortals seeking information from the spirit world. Again, in your reading of spiritual literature you may have observed the great diversity of opinions of spirits upon the same subject, and sometimes contradictory opinions, thus causing doubt on the part of mortals, as to what are the facts existing in the spirit world as to the subject of inquiry. Well this is due very largely to the condition of the mediums, and also to the knowledge of the spirits who attempt to communicate, for the knowledge of spirits is limited by the extent of their progress and development. Many spirits believe that what they have learned is true, and so give authoritative expression to the facts of their knowledge, and often believe what they know is all that may be known of the subject on which they communicate. And these are mostly honest in their beliefs and truthful, as they think, in their messages. And thus it is well for mortals to understand that everything written or spoken by spirits, at all times, is not to be accepted as the finality of truth. And on the other hand apparently contradictory statements should not be taken as fraudulent merely because they are contradictory. A spirit with greater knowledge using a medium in harmony with itself, can convey to men the more exact and greater extent of truth than can a spirit with less knowledge and development using a medium in harmony with itself. Now, from what I have written, it is apparent that in order to get the greater truth, and more extended knowledge of the spirit world, mediums should make the effort to obtain larger and more intensive development of their spiritual natures as well as of their intellectual capacities. This acquirement is absolutely necessary to the reception of the higher truths which are so vital to mankind. So, you see, communication and rapport depend upon the condition of both spirits and mortals working in unison; though more I may say upon the condition of the mortal, for, if the medium is in the proper state of development, there being always many spirits present with that medium in condition and readiness, a rapport can be made. The Master is here tonight and has heard my communication and unites with me in saying: have faith and seek with all your soul for this Love. Believe that I am your special angel friend. Your brother in Christ, John Note. This message does not actually follow chronologically with the HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/mediums30.htm" previous message as published in volume II, and the title is thus misleading. January 6th, 1918. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C.: I am here, Jesus. Well my brother, I am glad to tell you that your communion with the Father tonight has been responded to. His love has inflowed into your soul in great abundance. His Holy Spirit has been bringing the Love in wonderful abundance and your soul is now filled with it, and the influence of this Great Love is working in your soul, and you realize its presence. If you will meditate and long for and pray to the Father as you have tonight, your soul will soon be so filled with this Love that you will receive the knowledge, that you have a near at-onement with Him, and you will be conscious of the possession of a part of His Divinity, of which we have written you. The pentecostal shower will come to you as it did to my disciples in the days that followed my departing from them; and I will be with you also just as I was with them, and power and Essence Divine will be bestowed upon you so that you will be able to display the marvelous presence of this Love just as they were able. So you must pray and long, and your experience tonight has given you some foretaste of what will come to you. There is nothing in all the world that can take the place of this Love in its power to draw you near to, and make you in at-onement with the Father. All beliefs and faiths in any and every other thing will not suffice. Sacrifice and sorrow on account of sin and vicarious sufferings and mediators, will not work the transformation, because it is solely a conjunction between this Divine Love and your soul, that is capable of bringing you into this relationship to the Father, and the resultant consciousness that you have partaken of and possess, to some extent, His Divine nature in Love. Now you are in condition that makes my rapport with you complete, and I have that possession of your brain that enables me to write as I may desire, and I know that I could convey a message to you tonight in a most satisfactory way; but I will not do so, for I think it best to permit the rapport to become a little more intense, and thus enable me to write a long message without the probability of tiring you; for as you know these messages of deep truths such as the ones on the "Soul" and "God" necessarily cause me to draw very intensely on your brain power. But soon now, I will come and commence to deliver my messages and continue to do so if our rapport can be maintained. And it can be, if you will only meditate and pray as you have done tonight. I have been with you very much today, entering into your thoughts and endeavoring to influence the longings of your soul. I was with you at the spiritualist's meeting and sometime I will write you in reference to the claims of the speaker, and the real facts as to how much of what she said was inspired, or as she claims, was spoken through her by a controlling spirit. I now want you to think more than ever of the importance of your work and of the necessity for you putting all your energies and desires into the work. No one can conceive of what it means, and above all you must realize its great importance and the place that you occupy in carrying it to a successful issue. I will be with you very often and I know that you will feel my presence and influence, and, as you do, turn all your thoughts to the Father's Love, and let all your longings go to Him. Tonight, I will not write more, but will soon write as I have said. Have faith and know that you have been selected to do the work, and that upon you rests the responsibility that is upon no other man. With my love and the Father's blessings, I will say good night. Your brother and friend, Jesus January 6th, 1918. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Elizabeth. Let me say a word, and that is, that you are a very happy man just now, and so you should be, for as the HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/mediums32.htm" Master said, you have much of the Love in your soul tonight. You may not fully realize this fact, but the influence and effect of its presence will manifest themselves, and you will find coming to you that wonderful peace of which the Master has told you. For a moment think that there is nothing between you and the Father, and that as regards your longings and His love they are face to face, and no mediator intervenes or can intervene. Only the Father's Love and you, alone. Think of this, and you will realize not only what a wonderful thing the Divine Love is, but what a wonderful thing your soul is that it can become so in nearness and in Love with the Father. This is the only way of becoming at-one with Him, and everything besides is inefficacious to bring about the great transformation of which the higher spirits have written you. So many spirits are engaged in this great work, which is the real second coming of Jesus - and which means the second coming of the Love and mercy and privilege of receiving the Love - and if you could only for a moment with your physical vision see those who are present, you would never doubt the work that you are to do, and the great responsibility that rests upon you. But as you cannot in this way see, you must believe without seeing, and let no doubt of the fact enter into your faith. I thought that I must write this tonight, for we see your condition, and many are here with you praying to the Father for a great bestowal of His Love upon you. So consider what has been written you tonight, and meditate and long for and pray the Father, and you will be greatly blessed.With my love, I will say good night. Your sister in Christ, Elizabeth (question) Well, it has been so long since I heard or used the name that it was a little difficult to recall and formulate it. Names are of the things that we forget in a short time after being in our Celestial homes, unless there is some special reason for recalling them. January 6th, 1918. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving, Helen. Well dear, I am very happy tonight, and that because of your condition of soul in the Father's love. You are nearer the Father than you have ever been, and His love is now more shed abroad in your heart than ever before; and the Master was so glad that you opened up your soul by your longings and meditation tonight. Many of the holy spirits are here tonight and united with you in your prayers to the Father, and the Love was bestowed in great abundance. How blessed you are and how happy you should be for you have a realization of the Love in your soul. I know the Master is also pleased that the rapport is now so perfect, and you may expect a long message from him, and many of them. And so do the other spirits rejoice now that they realize that soon they will be able to write. As the HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/mediums32.htm" Master wrote you, meditate, and long and pray. HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/bible74.htm" The spirit who wrote is one that I have never seen here before, that I am aware of; and she is a most beautiful and radiant spirit, and has her home in the high spheres of the Celestial Heavens. She says her name is Elizabeth and John tells me that she is the Elizabeth of the Bible, the cousin of Mary, the mother of Jesus. She is filled with the love and seemed so anxious to write you about the Father's love and how close you are tonight to Him. Well dear, I will not write more now, for it is not best to do so, as you are in that condition when you can commune with the Father, and I want you to let your thoughts go to Him with all the longings that your soul is capable of. We will remain with you as you sit and meditate and unite with you in your prayers. So my dear, dear husband, love the Father with all your soul tonight. Good night. Your own true and loving, Helen January 9th, 1918. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: Well dear, I was with you tonight and saw that you were not much benefitted by Billy Sunday's sermon, and of course, could not be, because the preacher said nothing to feed the hungry soul. He said some things which were very good in the way of showing men and women what they should do in order to make the earth lives more happy and it will be well, if the hearers will heed and follow the advice. But nothing much was said to help the progress of the soul. I saw that you were not in much sympathy with the methods and sayings of the preacher and thought that there was too much hilarity and not enough reverence present, as a meeting for the opening up of the soul and helping the development of those qualities that will lead to the Father's love and the Celestial Heavens. But nevertheless, some things that he said will do good to some people. You must not forget that the teachings of the Master were twofold, and for those who were not in a condition to hear and understand his higher spiritual truths, he preached those things, which if followed, would make them better men and women and cause them to progress in the development of their natural love; and in this latter effort the preacher will do good and his work must not be undervalued, for all men are not alike in their conditions, intellectual or spiritual. And besides, here and there in his preachings some truths that he utters may by its influence upon the hearts of his hearers cause such hearers to think more deeply about spiritual things of the higher nature, and in thinking, their souls may be opened up to the influence of the spirits who have the Divine Love in their souls, and from which may follow the longings of these hearers for this Love of the Father. Everything said that tends to cause a spirit to progress towards either of the conditions of love must be encouraged, for the Father works in His own way, and frequently the Love comes into a man's soul, and the man not being intellectually conscious of what the Love is. Whoever is not against us in this work is, in a certain sense, with us, for the salvation of men is the objects of all our efforts; and if we or mortals cannot awaken dead souls to a life in the higher condition, then we must work to bring them into that condition that will cause them to get into a state of purified natural love. They are all the children of God, and if they will not become His beloved children in the divine sense, then He wants them to become the pure spirits that the first parents were before the fall. So do not criticize or look down upon the work of this preacher because he does not show men the true way to the Celestial Heavens. God looks at the heart and the intentions and the forms of expression used by the preacher are not important, except as they may have the effect of causing some soul to turn away from the truths that the preacher may communicate. All men are not alike and the preachings of the man, while they may, as some say, disgust some hearers, yet others will be affected by them, and good will be done. I write this because I see that you are inclined to criticize the preacher and conclude that his teachings are not conducive to spiritual progress. Well, as you have been told, the large majority of men and spirits will never become inhabitants of the Celestial Heavens, but that is no reason why they should not be taught the way that will tend to purge them of their sins so far as the natural love is concerned. Those who will not become angels must become purified men, and any and everything that will help them to become the latter is approved by the Father and is the object of His favor. Well dear, I will not write more now as I see that you are cold and must go to bed. But remember this that while all men will not become dwellers in the spheres of the soul, in the Celestial Kingdom, yet they are brothers, and the favored brothers must try and help in every way possible the less favored brothers in obtaining that which the Father has designed shall be their portion, even though they refuse or neglect to seek for and obtain the great goal of Divine Love and Immortality. So love me and pray to the Father for His Love, and with all the sincerity of your soul, thank Him that you have found the way to His Great Love and the mansions in the Divine Heavens. And what I have said to you I say to Dr. Stone, for I see that his thoughts are somewhat similar to your own and that you both think that unless a preacher can and does show the way to the Celestial Kingdom, his work is not worthy of much consideration and falls short of what he as a saviour of souls should do. And so it is, but all cannot teach the higher truths, for they do not know or understand them; but that fact must not cause you, or any who know the truths, to think that this work when sincere and beneficial in its moral teachings, should not be taught.I thought best to write this tonight, so that you may not get a wrong conception of what men who cannot teach the great truths should or should not teach. All men are not in that condition of soul and love and they should be taught the way that will lead them to that heaven that will be their destiny. I love you my dear husband, and am closer to you in your thoughts, and do not want you to think wrong in anything, even though you think right in a great many and the most important things. Pray and let your faith increase and believe that we are all with you trying to direct you aright; and one who knows is more anxious than any of us that your knowledge of the truths increase, and your experiences arising from that knowledge bring to you with more convincing force the truths, that God is Love, and your God. Good night. Your own and true and loving, Helen January 12th, 1918 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am your grandmother Let me write a few lines tonight, as I have been listening to your conversation with some interest, and I desire to say a few words that may encourage you both to press forward to the goal which you have before you - a home in the Celestial Heavens and the acquirement of a nature Divine, which only those who know the way can obtain, by following the way that the Master has so lovingly taught you. You will not be disappointed in your efforts, for when you long for the Love and receive portions of it, every experience of that kind will help you to get more and create in you increasing desires. You must not think that it is possible to obtain this Love in its fullness, and then permit your longings to decrease whenever you feel that the Love has come to you in wonderful abundance, for I must tell you that we in the Celestial Heavens know and realize that there is always more beyond what we obtain; even the Master prays to the Father for an increase of this Love in his soul. And if you could see the evidence of the Love that he possesses, as we see it, you would probably think that nothing more could be obtained, or that there was any greater amount to be obtained; and with us, this fact of the endlessness of this Love is that which keeps us always striving, and consequently, happy, because in realizing our experiences in our progress, and how each successive stage of that progress has brought us greater and greater happiness, we know - I say know, that what is beyond must mean a greater happiness and a nearer approach to the Father, Himself. So I say, let not your strivings in the slightest particular decrease and you will find that increased happiness will be yours. I will stop now, and with my love to you both will say good night. Your loving Grandmother, Ann Rollins January 12th, 1918. Received by: James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Mary: Well, I must say a word because I have the opportunity and am just now like the old lady who never missed a wedding when she had the slightest chance of being present. I come with love, and while I know my sweetheart appreciates gratitude, yet, I know also that love is a greater thing to him, and especially soulmate love, which in all the heavens and earth, I am the only one that can have it for him. Isn't this a glorious thing? No matter how many wives he may have, none of them can be his soulmate, and no matter how many beautiful and attractive spirits he may meet when he comes over, none of them can become his soulmate, only little me, and when he thinks, he will realize that we are eternally united for better or for worse, but there will be no worse. Well you see I am full of love tonight and can't help writing about it, and I know that you will not think I cannot write of anything else, for I have written of other things, but I must confess that I would rather write of love, except when I can tell him of the Greater Love, and thereby help him towards the acquirement of that Love. I heard him speak of his brother, and I am glad that I can tell him that he is now not in the darkness that was his a short time ago. And how could he remain in the condition very long when it is realized what a mother that brother has in the spirit world, and with the love she gives to him, as she visits him and tries to show him the way to light and truth. She will have to come herself and write of her experience in inducing that son to believe in and trust her, and follow her advice, and she says she will do so, sometime. I am very happy and find that this love of which his father speaks is growing in my soul all the time, and with its increase my soulmate love is growing also. I will not write more now, as there are others who desire to write, and Helen says that I had better let the Doctor imagine what the rest of my love may mean, for possibly his imagination can cause him to enjoy the love more than if I attempt to tell him of it. So with my love, I will say good night. And God bless him with a Love that has no ending, and is never absent from him when he longs for it. Good night, Mary January 22th, 1918 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Frederick, the father: Let me write a line. I have heard what HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/historic19.htm" Bismarck said and I fully agree with him in his predictions as to the ending of the war and while it is not in accord with what would be my desire as a German when on earth, yet it will prove to the great liberator of the Germans as individuals and as a nation. The government of men are intended by the powers that they have in thought the best interests of mankind to be the means by which the greatest good may be bestowed upon the people individually and as a whole, and the government which is founded upon the devine right of any one man or family, to rule, is not best suited for either the progress of the nation or of the individuals that comprise that nation. Hence, I say that the ending of the German monarchy and dethronement of the Kaiser and his family and all who make claim any right to govern men will work out for the people of Germany individually and as a nation the great good and justice and freedom to which all the children of God on earth are entitled. Of course, when I lived on earth I did not look on these things from the viewpoint that I now see is the only correct one to assume. I was a monarch and believed in the divine obligations of the people to be ruled and hence were I on earth now I might believe that the Empire of Germany should be maintained under all circumstances, now I am a spirit and realize the hollowness and untruth of all such ideas. In sight of God and in the workings of His unchangeable laws no one man is by birth or nation better and entitled to any greater rights than any other man, and every Emperor and King and nobleman of earth will, when he comes to the spirit life, sooner or later realize this fact, and in the case of some the conviction will come as it may be said, with a vengeance. It will do no good to write of the great misery and distress that now exists in Germany and of how the cruel masters of the people are compelling them to submit to all this misery, for my writing would not lessen this condition one iota. But I will say that the end of all this horrible nightmare is in sight and peace and happiness will come to the people, though in the meantime many of these people will have become spirits, and among them will be the Kaiser and many of his advisers and sustainers in his unholy ambitions. As a human father it would be distressing for me to write in this because then I would be controlled by my natural affections and solicitation for my children, but having become a spirit with enlarged and more truthful view of the relationship of mortals and of the importance of each individual soul while I may still maintain the affection for my children yet I can see and know that the greatest good to the people of Germany will come when the ruler of the Empire shall cease. Suffering and death must follow, but out of them will rise peace and happiness and a deeper feeling of the people in their relationship to God. I will only say further, that the end is here. Yes, very soon and the great sacrifice of men and peace and things material will cease. I will not write more. Goodnight, Your friend Frederick the father of the wounded nation (William). January 27th, 1918. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Elias: I have not written you for a long time and tonight I desire to say a few words, and those in reference to your work and the attitude that you have assumed towards it. It has been a long time since you have received any formal messages from the high spirits, and this loss of time means more to the accomplishment of the design to inform the world of the spiritual truths that are so important to the people, than you probably realize. As has been told you more than once, this delay has been caused by your condition of apparent indifference and failure to place yourself in the condition of soul that is necessary to enable the spirits to make the required rapport. You should think more seriously of what this means, and how much on you rests this great responsibility, and of the further fact that without your cooperation we cannot make the rapport, and, as a consequence, these messages cannot be delivered. I know that in a way, I may say intellectually, you are willing and ready, as you think, to receive these messages, and that if you are not in condition you don't exactly understand the reason, and do not know how to remedy the difficulty. But in all this you are mistaken, for it is not merely a matter of having the inclination and intellectual assent to do the work, but, further, the proper condition of your soul's longings is required, and this will not come to you by a mere acquiescence and willingness to do the work, but an active exercise of the soul's longings is called for, and you must take the effort to obtain these longings, so that your soul may receive more of the Divine Love. In messages, such as I speak of, the Divine Love in the soul is the important and vital factor in your condition. You must make greater efforts to get these longings and this Love, so that there will come to you the soul development that will enable the higher spirits to make the rapport. Well, there is only one way in which you can obtain this development and that is by turning your thoughts to the Father and His Love until they shall develop into deep, sincere longings of the soul, and with these longings you should pray with all the earnestness of your nature for the inflowing of this Love. If you will do this, the longings will come and also the Love, and then you will find that your desires will go out to the spirits for communication with them. This is the only way in which you can overcome the difficulties that now prevent the writings. I hope you will think of what I have written, and do as I advise. I have a message that I desire very much to communicate, and beside me there are numbers of other spirits with similar desires. The most important messages to be delivered are those of the Master, and He is anxious to write. I will not write more now. Goodnight, and God bless you, Your brother in Christ, Elias January 27th, 1918. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, John: No, I cannot write tonight as I expected and am disappointed that you are not in condition for me to make the rapport. It seems that you are not inclined to receive my messages as you were at one time, although you say that you are ready to receive the writings. But your mere intellectual willingness is not sufficient, for my messages are those which do not come from the human intellect, but from the intellect of the soul, and in order that they may be received it is necessary that your soul shall be, in some degree, in harmony with mine. I could easily write you of things of the material or even of the spirit heavens, but it is impossible for me to use your brain to convey these spiritual soul truths unless your soul is developed into a harmony with mine. To explain this was the object of my unfinished message, and as I desired to explain the laws controlling the communication and rapport of the celestial spirits with the mortal, and your soul not having the required condition, I was unable to finish my message. I have written you before on this subject, and all that I can say now is, think of the importance of this matter and the responsibility resting upon you. Remember the HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor410.htm" advice of Elias, and follow it. As soon as you are in condition I will come and write. Goodnight. Your brother in Christ, John January 27th, 1918. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: Well, dear, I see that you are not in condition to write much tonight, and I am sorry for it as I desired very much to write. I have heard what HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor410.htm" Elias and HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor411.htm" John said and can only join with them in the advice that they gave. I do so hope that you will follow that advice and soon get in condition that will enable the communications to be received. I know that you do not feel like your usual self, and you don't exactly understand the reason, but if you will think of what they told you, you will soon realize the cause and will be able to get rid of it. Think of these things and keep up your courage and have faith in the future and what we have told and promised you. I will not write more now. Love me and believe that I love you and am with you so very much trying to help you. Goodnight. Your own true, loving Helen January 29, 1918 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Mary Kennedy: Well, my dear, I mean Leslie. You may think that I am a simple little English girl without having any knowledge of what the wise men of earth call psychology. Yet I know more about the soul than the scientist as he is known on earth, for I know that my soul is immortal, and not only that, but the reason why it is so. How small a thing is the human mind, even of the most learned, as compared to the mind of a spirit who has received the great Love of the Father in his soul, and realizes that it is a part of the very essence of the Father's Being. I know that you would rather have your Mary be an angel of the Celestial Heavens than to be one of the wisest of the wise in the spiritual planes. Well dear, this is all interesting to us from a certain viewpoint, but really not so interesting as the great love that binds us so closely together. A knowledge of the soul, as I know it, is very vital, but a knowledge of what makes the soul at one in perfection with its true soulmate is equally, if not more, important. How poor are those spirits who are investigating the subject of the soul in a mere intellectual way as compared with those who know what the soul is, without having to investigate with the mind. And when Love is known and realized how rich is the spirit who possesses and realizes the truth of the reality of that Love, proof comes without seeking proof, and speculation is a thing unnecessary and unknown. Tonight I am very happy that I can write to you, and tell you what you already know; but to tell you is a joy, for when I do so, you must say, "sweetheart I love you in return," and then you see I am happy in giving and receiving.If it were not so late I would write you a long letter, but the writer tells me that he must not write more tonight. So believe that I love you with all my heart, and trust in my efforts to help and comfort you, and above all pray more to the Father for His Love, and have faith that it will be bestowed upon you. Good night, dear heart, Your own loving Mary February 1st, 1918. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Auguste Comte: I am not one of those spirits who come to you and prate about the New Birth and the Divine Love and the Celestial Spheres, but am simply a spirit who believes what can be known from observation and the exercise of the reasoning faculties. I have been in spirit life for a great many years and am in a sphere of light and have much happiness and enjoy the life of an investigator of truth. When on earth I was known as a free thinker and by some as an agnostic and consequently was not very popular, except among a number who thought as I did, and who were what was considered followers of me in my beliefs and doctrines as regards the purposes of man's creation and his functions and duties on earth. I believed and taught that the great duty and object of his creation were the exercise of good deeds and the offering of the greatest help to humanity in its living the life on earth. That humanitarianism was the great and vital religion of man on earth, and the only god to be worshipped was the god of human kindness and help, and that any and all other gods were the mere creatures of superstition and without real existence and of no benefit to mankind. There were a number of persons who believed and lived in that belief and endeavored to have it guide and control them in their course of living just as I did, and there are numbers on earth who believe and make such belief their religion. I do not dispute the future existence of the soul, or that man should have a continuous progression during eternity, and finally reach a condition of happiness and perfection that would render unnecessary the application of the doctrines of humanitarianism that was so necessary while mortals. And I have found since coming to the spirit world that my beliefs and teachings are filled with truth and have resulted in great benefit to me and to numbers of others who carried out to the best of their ability the golden rule of doing unto others as they would have others do unto them. Many of my associates of life are with me here, and we have a comparatively joyous congregation of souls engaged in the work of helping spirits who come to the spirit world not knowing their destiny, or what is before them in the way of living or thinking. When I came to this world, I entered the planes of darkness and some suffering, and had to work with all the efforts of my mind to make progress out of that condition, by the exercise of thoughts of benevolence and the doing of good to those spirits whom I found that I could help. My state of freedom from those things that partook of sin was what determined my progress and for a long time I made very slow advancement towards the higher planes of thought and condition of purity. But I realized that within me was that which was better than I had known or realized while on earth, and that if I should get rid of those things which kept that better part of me from developing, I would progress and so I struggled to get rid of these things and have myself become the master of the situation. I found that these contaminating things, which were really the creations of my mortal animal desires and appetites, were not a legitimate part of myself, and that I was not a true philosopher by permitting them to linger with me and for, to my deception, a part of myself - the undesirable part - and so I fought to banish them from my knowledge and recollections, and as I succeeded in these efforts I found that I was advancing in light and truth and in harmony with what was pure and good. I did not ask the help of any mediator to rescue me from my condition of darkness in some mysterious way, or pray to God to take me from my surroundings by means of some omnipotent power that He might exercise in my behalf. I was helped by other spirits who had advanced higher than I, but that help consisted of their advice and the encouragement that came to me when I perceived by their bright appearances and happier conditions that it was possible for me to advance also, as they assured me that they had been in my condition, and that by good thoughts and their efforts to help others, they had been enabled to forget and throw aside those things that caused their state of darkness and suffering. Yes, their advice and influence helped me very much to help myself. I realized the fact that, notwithstanding the help of others, upon myself principally depended the success of effort and the success of advancement. So, as a spirit who has had the experience that I have related, I would advise all men to examine themselves and ]earn what is the cause of their condition of darkness and unhappiness, and then seek the means of ridding themselves of this cause, and if they will honestly make the effort they will succeed and become better and happier men. There is no question that the temptations of the animal appetites and desires to accumulate those things that bring to them selfishness and greed and the want of charity and human sympathy, will prevent them from progressing in the development of the better part of themselves and keep it stagnant and retard its advancement; and men should know this and bend all their energies to curb these appetites and replace these desires with desires to help and serve their fellow men, and let their sympathy and love go out in active works of good to their brothers, for all men are brothers, even in the mortal life though to many it may not be apparent; but in the spirit life it comes as a truth to all, for as each spirit becomes developed in his better part, spirits as a whole become developed, and a more universal happiness ensues. Well, I have written a long time tonight and as this is the first time that I have ever tried to communicate to a mortal, I am some little tired as you mortals say, and will stop. When on earth I was known as Auguste Comte and lived in France. I have no name here and need none. Well, I have heard what you said and am a little surprised to hear you make the assertion that you do, but I have no pride of superior or exclusive knowledge and while I doubt that you can demonstrate what you say, yet I am willing to have you make the experiment, and will enter it with an open and unprejudiced mind, and only hope that you may be able to show me a way better than the one I have pursued. I have never seen or conversed with spirits of the Celestial Heavens, though I have been informed that there are such; but as, when on earth, I did not believe in ghosts, so here, I have not believed in these Celestial Spirits, and thought that they were merely creations of the distorted imaginations of the spirits who told me of the existence of these celestial beings. You must not be surprised when I ascribe to some of the spirits distorted imaginations, for there are many such spirits just as there are mortals on earth with distorted imaginations. The fact of being in the body does not confine distorted imaginations and diseased minds to the earth life only. Yes, I am ready to meet your celestial spirit. There comes to me a beautiful, bright spirit, such as I have never seen before, who says that he has answered your call and is ready to perform the work of love of showing me the easier and better way to development, and it depends on me whether I will learn that way or not, and if I am willing, he will teach me. Well, I am surprised, I confess! I will go with him and learn all that he can teach me. I will come again. Good night. Auguste Comte February 1st, 1918. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your own true and loving Helen. Well, dear, I had some difficulty because of spirits who wished and tried to write, but White Eagle succeeded in inducing them to desist and I then took control. I am glad that you are feeling better tonight and I was expecting that John would write, but conditions are not just favorable and he did not stay. You must make the effort to get in condition, so that he can make the rapport as he desires so much to finish his message. HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/ancient22.htm" The spirit who wrote you I never saw before, but he appeared to be a very bright and sincere spirit and desirous of learning anything possible to learn. He has no soul development in the Divine Love and I know that he will be interested in what shall be told him. He went with Prof. Salyards and was much impressed at the appearance of the Professor and his kindly invitation to go with him. I hope that he may learn the Way. I will not write more tonight. So, sweetheart, say good night. February 19th, 1918. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus: Well, my brother, I see that you are in much better condition tonight than you have been for some time past, and I desire to tell you that it is due to the facts that you have turned your thoughts more to spiritual things, and have prayed more to the Father. If you will continue to do these things you will soon be in that condition of soul where I can make the necessary rapport with you in order to deliver my messages. I have been very much disappointed in not being able to deliver my messages of the higher truths as I intended, and have felt that we have lost much valuable time in pursuing our work, and it is true but now I hope that we will not have to delay longer our communications. And we will not, if you will take my advice and in that way try to remedy the difficulties that beset us. I know that you are interested in the work, and intellectually desire to receive the messages, but this, as I have told you, is not sufficient. You must get in that condition of soul development that will bring you in rapport with me as I come to you for the purpose of writing these higher truths. It has been explained to you that a particular quality of rapport is required in order that we may be able to get in that condition of harmony that will enable us to use your brain and hand so that the messages may be delivered. So for the next few days try to have your soul opened up to the inflowing of the love so that the development may come to you. I have many messages to write before the book will be completed, and so have many other spirits who are engaged in the work. Pray, and let all the longings of your soul go to the Father, and you will realize the response that will fit you for the work. With my love I will say goodnight. Your brother and friend, Jesus February 22nd, 1918. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: You have been happy tonight, for I was with you and could see and feel your happiness. Oh, it was grand to have such love as you gave me, and to let me know that your heart was all mine. Why can't we often have such nights? I was with you all the time and when the Rosary was played I showed myself to you as you imagined you saw me. I was actually there in the position that you saw me in, with my heart and eyes full of love for you, and pointing to the higher sphere whence came the stream of light that you saw. It was the silver stream of love that was flowing down upon us and showing us that in that happy sphere was all love and happiness. What you imagined you saw was an actual vision in which I was very much present and alive. So you see I have kept my promise to let you see me and I did it in a way that I know would make you happy, and at the same time realize what a happy soulmate you have, and how love has made her beautiful. So now I know that you will believe that I am with you and love you, and am waiting for you to come over, and go with me to the sphere where love and joy reigns supreme. Oh, my Ned, I am so happy tonight in the knowledge that at last you have seen me as I am, and as I will appear to you when you come over. So, sweetheart, we will not write more tonight for it would seem to me that to write of other things after one wonderful coming together and enjoying our great happiness would be a sacrilege; and so in the love which I know you have for me and which you know I have for you, I will say with all my soul, be my own Ned for ever as you are tonight and I shall be satisfied and happy. Your own true and loving, Helen February 23rd, 1918 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I see that you are in good condition tonight, and that I am able to make a rapport with you. I was with you at the meeting tonight and saw the workings of your mind and the pity, as it were, that you had for the preacher (Rev Billy Sunday), because of his want of knowledge of what the judgment is that comes to all men after death. A judgment that is certain and exact, but not one pronounced upon man by God, as the preacher proclaimed. I was trying to impress you in your thoughts and you felt the influence of my suggestions and realized that you did not fear the judgment, or rather its results, because you know the way in which the judgment for you can have no terrors, or no eternity of condemnation. I wished as you did that the preacher might know the truth and then proclaim it to his hearers, and in this manner show them that the judgment is a certainty that cannot be escaped from, and that its sentences are not for an eternity of duration. He is an earnest man in his beliefs, and teaches just as he believes, and the pity is that he does not know the truth. But, nevertheless, he is doing good to those who hear him, for many of them are caused to think of things spiritual, and of the future, as well as of the present, who otherwise might and would neglect these important things that will determine the kind of judgment that they will have to undergo; and I am glad that he is so preaching and doing a work that in many instances will lead men to meditate upon their spiritual conditions, and ultimately lead them to seek for the Love of the Father, which they may obtain by their longings, though their beliefs may be erroneous as to how this Love may be obtained. Men are constituted with a mind and a soul, each having its own perceptions and ability to comprehend the truth, and sometimes it happens that the perceptions of the soul will enable them to see and reach out for this Love, while they may be wholly blind in their mind perceptions, and even these latter perceptions may be in conflict with the operations of the perceptions of the soul. Until the truths that I and the other spirits are revealing to you, shall become known to the world, there will be nothing in existence or in the knowledge of men that can supply the place of these truths so much as the beliefs that have been and are being taught by the teachings of the Bible, for in it are many truths, especially those that show men the way to attain to moral perfection; and that, as you know, was one of the objects of my teachings when on earth, but not the great object of my mission. Nevertheless, the man who learns and applies these moral truths to his daily life and conduct comes nearer to the enjoyment of that harmony that man must obtain in order to get into a unison with God's laws, that is necessary to his regeneration and to his becoming the perfect man. And besides, as he - I mean the mortal - progresses in this regeneration, he will find it easier for him to learn by his soul perceptions the great truth of the transformation of the soul through the New Birth. I approve of the efforts of this preacher to bring men to a realization of their relationship to God, even though he has many erroneous beliefs, and says many things that are contrary to the truth, and not in accord with the true relationship of man to God. I will write you soon upon this matter of the judgment, and what it means and the variety of its operations. Tonight, I will not write longer, for I think it best to not draw upon you too much at this renewed conjunction of rapport with your condition. I have been with you very often of late, and tried to influence you with my love and suggestions, and I must tell you that you have progressed much in your soul development and nearness to the Father's love. Continue to meditate upon these spiritual things, and pray to the Father, and you will realize a great increase in the possession of this Love and in your condition that will enable us to come in closer rapport with you. Well, I will do as you suggest, and am pleased that you feel as you say, for we must do the work as rapidly as possible. We have lost much time and will have to work the harder to bring about the completion of our delivery of the truths. But you need not fear that we will not be successful. Only have faith and pray, and all will be well. I must stop now, but before doing so must assure you that I am praying with you in your prayers at night, and that your prayers will be answered. Other spirits will now be able to write you and they have many messages to communicate and all are anxious to do so. Keep up your courage and believe in me and what I tell you. With my love and the blessings of the Father, I will say good night. Your brother and friend, Jesus February 23rd, 1918. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving, Helen: Well my dear husband, I am so glad that the HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/bible24.htm" Master has written you, and that the rapport has been reestablished so that he can continue the delivery of his messages, for as he said; they, the spirits, are all very anxious to do the work. I was with you tonight and besides me were the Master and your special guardian, John, and we were all watching the impressions made upon your mind by the preachers; and saw that what he said which was contrary to the truths that you have received, made no impression upon your beliefs, except that you desired to be able to tell him of his errors. I will not refer to the occasion further as the Master has written you fully on the subject, and you realize that he corroborates what I said a short time ago in regard to the good that the preacher is doing. I am glad that you are in much better condition of soul and are able to realize more and more the existence of the love in your soul and the fact of your increased nearness to the Father. This makes us all very happy, and we know that you will now be able to do your work with greater rapidity and receive therefrom a wonderful happiness. Continue to pray to the Father, and turn your thoughts to these spiritual things, and think of the great responsibility that is resting upon you. I will soon come and write you a real long letter of love, and I know you will feel that love surrounding you in great abundance. Many spirits are here tonight and rejoice that the rapport has been reestablished. I love you as you know and want you to love me, and you will not be happier than I when you come into possession of the surroundings that you desire as you so often depict them in your mind's eye. Have faith and you will not be disappointed, and you need not fear the judgment that comes to all men after death. I will not write more now. May you be happier as the days go by. Goodnight. Your own true and loving, Helen February 25th, 1918. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I am here and desire to write a few lines in reference to the great day of judgment, of which the preacher and teachers of theological things write so often. I know that the Bible, or rather some of the books, lay great stress upon this day when, as they claim, God will pour out His vials of wrath upon the ungodly and condemn them to an eternity of punishment. There is, as you know, very great and diverse opinions among these learned men as to what is the meaning and significance of this day of judgment, and when, in a chronological point of view, it will take place; and all these varied opinions have many students and teachers who embrace and proclaim them to the world as being true and free from doubt. Well, it is certain that all men must die and there will come the judgment, and that which follows the death is just as certain as is the death itself, and just as reasonable as is the following of any cause by an effect. So men should have no difficulty in believing in the judgment as a fact that cannot be avoided, just as death cannot be avoided. But the word and the fact, judgment, when used as an effect or following of death, may have many meanings in the opinions and understandings of many men, depending upon what men may believe as to things that are called religious or scientific or philosophical. To the ultra-orthodox this term judgment means and necessarily comprehends the active pronouncement of a sentence by God, because of and determined by their lives and thoughts while living in the mortal life, irrespective of any of His general laws and the workings thereof. God is Himself the judge - personal and present - and by Him in this capacity are each man's life and works known and digested and made the basis of the sentence that He must pronounce in each individual case. God keeps the record of all of these acts of men, or, if man is conceded to be his own record-keeper, his records are, or will be, at the time of the great assemblage for judgment, opened up or brought into view so that nothing can be lost; and then, upon this record men will be sent to eternal happiness or to everlasting punishment, or, as some believe, to destruction or annihilation. Others, not orthodox, who believe in the survival of the soul and the continuing memories of the acts and thoughts of men, teach that the judgment will follow death as a natural consequence of the operations of the law of cause and effect; and the effect cannot be escaped from, until in some way there comes to the consciousness of men a realization that the effect in their suffering has satisfied the cause and that there is nothing mysterious or unnatural in the appearance and workings of the judgment. They do not believe that God by any special interposition or personal punishing will pronounce the judgment, or determine the merits or demerits of the one called to judgment. Besides these views, there are others extant and believed in, but the two that I have mentioned are principle ones and are sufficient to show what the large majority of thinking or rather believing, men conclude the term judgment as used in the Bible should mean or be understood to mean. Well, the judgment of the human soul is an important accompaniment of the human life, both in the flesh and in the spirit world, and as regards the questions and punishments, hardly anything demands more of the thought and consideration of men, for it is a certainty that beliefs, true or false, he cannot avoid them. Judgment as certainly follows what men call death as does night the day, and no philosophy or theological dogmas or scientific determinations can alter the fact, or in any way change the character or exact workings of this judgment. But judgment is not a thing belonging exclusively to the after-death period or condition, for it is present and operating with men from the time that they become incarnated in the human until they become disincarnate, and thereafter continuously until the causes of effects have been satisfied and there remains nothing to be judged, which happy ending is also a fact - for all men are dependent upon their progress towards the conditions of harmony with the laws that make effective as well as pronounce the judgments. While on earth these laws operate, and continuously man is being judged for the causes that he starts into existence, and the after-death judgment is only a continuation of the judgment received by men while on earth. Of course - men may not know this - these judgments or the effects thereof, become more intensified after men have gotten rid of the influences of the flesh existence, and they become spirits, having only the spirit qualities. And because of this fact men must understand and try to realize that the expression "after death, the judgment" has a greater significance and is of more vital importance than the saying - that "judgment is with men all during their mortal lives." After death the causes of the inharmony with the law becomes more pronounced, and appear in the true meaning and force, and, consequently, as this is true the effects become more intensified and understood, and men suffer more and realize the darkness, and sometimes the gross darkness, that these effects produce. The inharmony appears in its unclothed and unhidden reality, and the law's workings bring to men the exact penalties that their violations demand. Man is his own bookkeeper, and in his memory are recorded all the thoughts and deeds of his earth life that are not in accord with the harmony of God's will, which is expressed or manifested by His laws. The judgment is not the thing of a day or a time, but is never ceasing so long as there exists that upon which it can operate, and it diminishes in proportion as the causes of inharmony disappear. God is not present in wrath demanding, as does the human who believes himself to have been injured demanding reparation by the one causing the injury. No - the Father is present only in love, and as the soul of the one undergoing the penalty, which his own deeds and thoughts have imposed upon him, comes more in harmony with the Father's will, He, as you mortals say, is pleased. Never an angry God, rejoicing in the satisfaction of a penalty being paid by one of His erring children, but always a loving Father rejoicing in the redemption of His children from a suffering that a violation of the laws of harmony exacts with certitude. Then, as I say, the judgment day is not a special time when all men must meet in the presence of God, and have their thoughts and deeds weighed in the balance, and then, according as they are good or evil, have the sentence of an angry, or even just God pronounced upon them. The judgment day is every day, both in the earth life of man and in life in the spirit, where the law of compensation is working. In the spirit world time is not known and every breathing is a part of eternity, and with every breathing so long as the law requires, comes the judgment, continued and unsatisfied, until man, as a spirit, reaches that condition of harmony, so that for him, no longer the law demands a judgment. But from what I have written, men must not suppose, or beguile themselves into that state of belief that will cause them to think that because there is no special day of judgment when God will pronounce His sentence, the judgment, therefore, is not so much to be dreaded or shunned. No, this state of thinking will palliate only for the moment, for the judgment is certain, and is and will be no less to be dreaded, because the immutable law demands exact restoration instead of an angry God. No man who has lived and died has escaped, and no man who shall hereafter die can escape this judgment unless he has, in a way provided by the Father in His love, become in harmony with the laws requiring harmony. "As a man soweth so shall he reap" is as true as is the fact that the sun shines upon the just and the unjust alike. Memory is man's storehouse of good and evil, and memory does not die with the death of the man's physical body, but on the contrary, becomes more alive - all alive - and nothing is left behind or forgotten when the spirit man casts off the encumbrance and the benumbing and deceiving influences of the only body of man that was created to die. Judgment is real, and men must come to it face-to-face, and want of belief or unbelief or indifference or the application to men's lives of the saying "sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof" will not enable men to avoid the judgment or the exactions of its demands. There is a way, though, in which men may turn the judgment of death into the judgment of life - inharmony into harmony - suffering into happiness - and judgment itself into a thing to be desired. Elsewhere we have written of this way open to all men, and I will not attempt to describe it here. I have written enough for to-night. You are tired and must not be drawn on further. So with my love I will say good-night. Your brother and friend, Jesus. March 2nd, 1918 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, John. I will not write now, except to say, that your spiritual condition is much improved and you are advancing in your soul perceptions of the truth and of the reality of the Father and His Love. (question) Yes, I know, but you must remember two things with reference to the writings in the Bible ascribed to me, namely: First, that many of the sayings therein contained, I did not write or authorize to be written, and, secondly, that at the time I lived on earth and wrote, my knowledge of the truth and of God was not so great or so correct as it is now. I realize that some things I then believed and taught, were not in accord with the truth as I now know it to be - even my conception of Jesus and his mission on earth, and his return to earth, was not true. Then, although I was a close companion of the Master and had many lessons of instructions from him, I was a quite ignorant man and did not grasp the spiritual meanings of his teachings, and up to the time of my decease, my beliefs were more colored by things of the material than by those of the spiritual. For instance. I, as did the other disciples, supposed that he was coming to earth again in a short time-at any unexpected time - and set up his kingdom on earth. Now, this is a fact, notwithstanding that he had said that his kingdom would be a spiritual kingdom, though existing on earth. I could not dissociate from my conception of the establishment and existence of this kingdom, the idea, that in some way it would be an actual, visible kingdom in which the Master would be the king, and rule as other kings ruled, except it would be a rule of righteousness. All this may seem a little strange to you. but if you will consider for a moment that my teachings as a Jew were to the effect that when the Messiah came, he would actually rule on earth as a king, you will understand how difficult it was for me to get the idea, or make the distinction between that kind of kingdom and one which would be purely spiritual. At sometime, I will write you more fully on this matter, for I realize its importance, as many, yes a majority of the professed Christians, now believe that Jesus, at sometime, will come to earth and establish a material kingdom and rule all the nations of the earth; and some of these enthusiastic Christians believe that they will be of the elect, and become princes and sub-rulers in that kingdom, as material men called by the resurrection to again become the human, although glorified, as some of them express their faith. Well, they will be disappointed, for when they shall have passed from the mortal to the spirit, they will forever remain spirits, and the only kingdom that they will live in thereafter will be a spirit kingdom; and that, whether the kingdom of the restored man or of the Divine angel, will not be on the earth. I must stop now. So pray to the Father and strive for a deeper and more abiding faith, and you will realize the truth and this experience. Goodnight. Your brother in Christ, John March 3rd, 1918 Received by: James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I desire tonight to write you in reference to the way in which, as the preacher advises, "Christ may be in you." I know that it is almost universal among preachers of the orthodox church to teach their hearers that the way to salvation is to get Christ in them and thereby they will be enabled to come into unity with the Father, and cease to remain subject to the effects of sin and evil. Well this teaching is the true foundation of salvation for the Celestial Heavens, provided it be understood by the preachers and the people what the true meaning of "Christ in you" is, and unless this meaning be comprehended the fact that preacher or people may believe that they have Christ in them will not work the results that they may suppose or desire. Many, and l may say the most, of these professing Christians, have ideas of what this expression means in order to become effective, that are not in accord with the true meaning of this condition of the soul. They believe that all that is necessary is to believe on Jesus as their saviour by his sacrifice and death and that in so believing they have Christ in them, and that nothing else is required. They have no conception of the distinction between Jesus, the man, and Christ, the spirit of truth, or more correctly, the spirit that manifests the existence of the Divine Love in the soul. Christ is not a man in the sense that he is Jesus the son of the Father, but Christ is that part of Jesus, or rather quality that came to him after he fully received into his soul the Divine Love, and was transformed into the very Essence of the Father in His Love. Christ is thus, not a man but is the manifestation of this Love as bestowed upon Jesus, and made part of his very existence. And when men use the expression, having Christ in you, if they could correctly understand the true purport of the same, they would know that it, the expression, means only that the Divine Love of the Father is in their souls. The indiscriminate use of the words, "Jesus and Christ," is the cause of much misunderstanding among these Christians as to a number of the sayings of the Bible. Jesus became the Christ only because he was the first to receive into his soul this Divine Love and to manifest its existence, and this Christ principle is one that all men may possess, with the result that they will become at one with the Father in His substance of Love and Immortality. It would be impossible for Jesus, the man, to get into or become a part of any mortal, and it would be equally as impossible for Christ, as the man Jesus, even though perfect and free from sin, to become a part of anyone. No, the meaning of having Christ in you is to have this Love of the Father in your soul, which can only be obtained through the working of the Holy Spirit as the instrument of the Father in bringing this Love into the soul. To many who hear the preachers' exhortations in this particular, the expression is only a mystery, which they accept merely intellectually, and feel that by such acceptance they have the possession of this Christ, which is the only evidence of the truth of the Father's love. Good-night. Your friend and brother, Jesus March 10th, 1918 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, John. I see that you are in a much better condition tonight and that your soul is more in harmony with the spirits of the higher spheres, and we could write now, but your hand and arm are tired, and this is a matter that we always consider, and try not to cause you any unnecessary fatigue. Other spirits are here tonight, hoping that they might have written, but under the circumstances they will not. The Master is here also, and says that he will not attempt to write tonight as he intended, but will soon come and deliver a message. I am glad that you are feeling so much better spiritually and physically, and I feel that you will continue to do so. So pray more to the Father and turn your thoughts to spiritual things, and you will find a wonderful happiness that even the worries of your daily life cannot take from you. (question) No, emphatically - and those who believe that there ever lived such mortals are greatly mistaken. The highest of us spirits cannot know or foretell the future, in the sense in which the seers and prophets are supposed to have done in the centuries of which the Old Testament wrote. No man, whether in the flesh or in the spirit, ever has the omniscience of the Father, and to foretell what will happen centuries ahead is a power that belongs only to the Father. So that all the attempted application of prophecies as contained in the Bible to the happenings or future happenings of the present day are futile and without any justification. Man must depend upon the condition and acts of this day to determine what will happen in the short time that some expect the world to last. (comment) What a position for them to take, when we, who live so close to the Father, cannot possibly know. All this, of course, refers to the material affairs of men in their lives on earth. As to spiritual things we can tell what the future of each man or nations of men will be, if certain conditions are observed or not observed. Well, I will write you on this subject when the opportunity presents itself. I will not write more now. With all my love and the blessings of the Father I will say good night. Your brother in Christ, John April 3rd, 1918 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Ross Perry: I was at the séance tonight and talked to you and Middleton; and besides me there were Carrington and another spirit whom I did not know, named Silsby, who had committed an act similar to my own. He was a very unhappy spirit, because he was in the same condition as when he first came to the spirit world, and has never had the benefit of the help that I received, and, consequently, knows nothing of the way in which he can find relief. But as I have met him, I shall endeavor to help him and give him the benefit of my experience, and I think that he will listen to me. I have already told him of some of my experiences in progressing, and as he is like a drowning man willing to catch at any straw, I think he will be willing to listen to me, and probably act on my advice. Hutchins was also present, and he also is in a very bad condition and needs help very much, but I believe it will be more difficult to help him, because the sins of his earth life had a long continuous and accumulating acquirement. He is very dark and repulsive looking, and has not yet had any spiritual awakening. His thoughts and interests are still connected with the money that he left and the fight that is going on between his children and wife. He has attempted to discuss the matter with me just as he did on earth, but I tell him that he must forget these things and think of things that are more vital to his happiness and progress. But he says, he cannot, for as he loved the accumulation and possession of money while on earth, he still loves them and as on earth they took the place of God, so now, he has no other God. It is very pitiable and it seems as if it were not possible for him to get rid of his thoughts and desires with reference to these things, and it is hard to induce him to make the effort. When tonight, he said he was happy, he only meant that he had that supposed happiness which he imagined he had on earth by reason of his love for these material things. I have observed frequently, that spirits who are in a condition of darkness, with all their old loves and imagined happiness which they had on earth say that they are happy; but it is not so, and they are merely without an awakening as to their true condition which will surely come to them, sooner or later, and then they will see themselves as spirits in the more advanced condition see themselves to be. I want to say one other thing for the benefit of Middleton, and that is, that his father, whom I knew very well on earth, was with him, and was very anxious to talk to him, but he could not get the proper and sufficient rapport and strength to do so. Also, his wife was present, and desired so very much to make herself known to him, but for the same reason, as in the case of his father, she could not. But sometime she will be able to do so, if he will give her the opportunity, and he must do that, for it will make her very happy, and him also, if he will only believe that it is she who may appear to him and tell him of her being alive and with him so much, as she says she is. Well, I have written enough and must stop. Soon, I desire to write you a long letter about my own condition, if you can find time to receive it. With kind regards, I will say good night. Your true friend, R. Ross Perry April 14th, 1918 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Spinoza. I desire to write a few lines, if you will permit. I need not say that I have never written you before, for you will know from the difficulty that I have in writing that such must be the case. No, I am a stranger to this method of communication, and to you, and to me it has come in very recent days as a wonderful revelation. I do not intend to write upon a subject of any great truth connected with our spirit life, but merely to say sufficient to introduce myself, in the hope that when I am better acquainted with the laws governing this method, I may be permitted to come to you and write of those things which I have learned since becoming a spirit, and which to learn when on earth would have been not only very desirable but very important. I was, when on earth, a philosopher, so-called, and gave many years of my life to the search for truth relating not only to the natural world, but to what I conceived to be truth connected with that world or existence outside of and beyond the sense world; and in my researches I was guilty of many speculations which I now see have no foundation upon which I had built many conclusions and postulates. I had only the intellect, supplied in its workings by the knowledge that came from the phenomena of the purely physical and, as I thought, by that great faculty called reason, which, as a fact, is a wonderful faculty, but in its exercise it is dependent upon, first, its own development, and next, whether that development has been along the lines of and in accord with truth. A reason merely because it is a reason is not a guide that can be depended on, for reasoning in an erroneous way must necessarily lead to conclusions of error, and merely calling or believing that these conclusions are the results of reason does not justify the belief that the conclusions must be correct and veracious. Reason can be mistaken and featured by error, just as can the senses; and, hence, if you read the writings of the philosophers and metaphysicians, and also scientists, you will find that things declared and accepted by these men at one age have been repudiated and rejected by the successors of these men in later ages. And so, when I wrote, and I wrote considerably, and was very largely read by what was considered to be the thinking class of men, and especially those whose researches led them along a similar line of study and subject matter as my own, I declared certain doctrines or principles connected with these metaphysical and philosophical matters that I now know to be wholly erroneous, but which at the time I firmly believed to be things of verity, because largely they were based on what I thought was the true workings of reason, together with some little empirical knowledge. From this I do not mean to decry the value and importance of the faculty of reason, for it has been the great factor operating progress of mankind, but like other finite faculties it is subject to erroneous exercise and cannot be depended on as a thing infallible. The common experience of men has shown that men who have sincerely and earnestly and constantly exercised their reasoning faculties have arrived at different and contradictory conclusions as to the same principles or subject matter, and those conclusions have been entirely satisfactory and convincing to the respective persons. Now it is apparent that in such instances all of these men could not possibly be correct in their conclusions, and in many cases not any of them were correct, yet they were all founded on the reason, properly and intelligently exercised, as they supposed. No, reason is fallible, and it is not a thing of itself, but dependent upon environments and sometimes inherited or preconceived ideas of what truth must be. It is the great friend and defender of speculation, and without it speculation could not exist, and so often is speculation deceived by its friend. Truth is that which exists as an unchangeable condition or fact, and speculation can neither create nor destroy truth; and reason is a means which may be used to reach truth when knowledge does not exist. But the fact that reason exists does not mean that it is always used in that way that leads to the discovery of truth. Reason, as I am now justified in saying, is but a creature of God, just as is everything else in His universe; and when given to man with the freedom of exercising it as man wills, is subject to all the possibilities of defective exercise that every other faculty possessed by man is subject to, and is no more infallible in its nature than are these other faculties. But it is the greatest faculty that man has as a creature of the Almighty, and without it, some of the wise of earth have said man would be no better than or different from the brute animal. But this is not quite true, for man is possessed with that which is really man himself that the brute animal does not have, and that is a soul made in the image of its Creator. It may be said that reason is merely an appendage of the soul; and I have justification in asserting that the soul in its progress can do without or cast aside this reason without doing harm to itself because, as I have learned in progressing in the spirit life, the soul may and does arrive at that degree of development where reason is not necessary or even used by it in its acquirement of truth. I now believe, and without speculation, that reason is a gift to man to be useful to him only in his earth life and in a portion of this spirit life, until the soul comes into a knowledge of truth by the exercise of the mere desire to know. A knowledge of the whys and wherefores is not required, but it knows because it knows, just as in your earth life you have a knowledge of the sunlight even if you do not know the why and the wherefore that produce that light. Well, my new-found friend, I have written more than I intended, but as I continued I found the desire to write increase, and I fear that I have trespassed too long and pray your forgiveness. Sometime I should like to come and write of the errors of some of the teachings of earth, or rather of the truths along the line of the subject matter of my earthly writings, as I now know them to be. I am in what is called the intellectual planes of the Fifth Sphere and very near the entrance to the Sixth Sphere, in which I hope to be in a short time. It has been a long time since I left the earth life, and the early period of my existence in the spirit world was one of stagnation, and, as I now see, merely because I brought with me many of the doctrines of the philosophy of my earth life, and as a consequence I continued my research along the ideas and ways that I had pursued as a mortal. The time thus spent was long and continued until I became convinced that speculation in the spirit life is not very different and arrives at no more satisfactory end than speculation on earth, and then I stopped speculating and waited for something, I know not what. And strange to say, that which came to me was from a spirit who had never heard of my philosophy or any other philosophy on earth, but merely accepted truth as it gradually came to him, without knowing why or how. And I soon learned that he had a greater knowledge of the verities than had I, and so I adopted his way of receiving truth, and since then I have been progressing and am now advancing with accelerated speed - all to my happiness and intellectual enjoyment. Good-bye, Your friend, Spinoza April 14th, 1918 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, John Let me say just a word, and that is, that I have been waiting with some interest until the spirit who has just written you ( HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor698.htm" Spinoza) finished his writing. I see that you are feeling very much better physically and spiritually, and now I know that we can make the rapport with you that will enable us to write our messages; and so I hope that tomorrow night you will give us the opportunity to write. What the spirit wrote, I know, was quite interesting, but it is not of the vital, and the time, for the present, must not be consumed by messages of this kind. After we shall have finished the messages that we intend for the book, these messages of the kind just written may be received, for they have a work to do in the plan that we have in view. I will not write more now, except to say that we are with you very much, and pray to the Father for you and try to help you with our love and influence. So remember what I have written, and pray to the Father. Good-night, Your brother in Christ, John April 18th, 1918. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus: I was with you tonight and heard what the preacher said and some parts of his talk expressed the truth and some did not; and I should like to comment on what he said just now, but you are a little tired from the effect of the writings of the spirits who preceded me and I will postpone my comments until later. I expressly wish to write on the subject of what God has to do with the war, and show how far the preacher was right. I know that men may be surprised at what I may say, but nevertheless I will state the truth as I know it. I also desire to finish my message on God, and as your condition is much improved I will do so very soon, and you must commence to write or permit me to write earlier in the evening, when you are fresh. I was with you last night as you prayed, and prayed with you, and you were benefitted. I will continue to pray, for I desire and it is necessary that your soul have such development and get in such rapport with me as will enable me to write my deepest and highest messages of spiritual truths and this can be brought about only by the love increasing in your soul and your becoming nearer and closer to the Father. And there is nothing in all the universe that can accomplish this result so certainly as the receiving of this love in your soul, in fact, there is nothing else; and you must pray and long for its inflowing. I will not write more now, so goodnight. Believe that I am with you often, throwing my love and influence about you. Well, I understand and am sorry that it has so far not worked out its end; but it will, I am sure, for the work has to be accomplished, and the attaining of these ends is necessary. Have a little more faith, and act on it. Your brother and friend, Jesus April 25th, 1918. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. Let me write a line - Luke. I was with you tonight at the church and listened to what the preacher said in reference to religions and their point of contact, and was some what surprised at his declarations as to the analogy which he drew between the believers in the various so-called Christian religions. While, as you know, there is implanted in the souls of men, a longing for that which tends to elevate and spiritualize them, even though this longing may not be consciously present with a large number of them; yet the beliefs as to the ways in which this longing may be made manifest, and develop the spiritual nature of the soul, are very different among those professing these various religions, and the ways are not equally efficacious in causing their spiritual development. Religion is a matter of soul and not of intellect, and the greater the development of the soul in the right direction, the higher will be the spiritual state or condition of the soul. Mere intellectual belief, no matter how intense and undoubting, will not tend to bring about this spiritual development, for "religion is really nothing but the relationship and harmony of men's souls with the Soul of God." The mind will not be sufficient to create this state because the mind of man cannot possibly bring into harmony the Soul of the Creator and that of the creature. Mind in its exercise may tend to awaken the soul to this possibility of relationship, but only the workings of the soul can effectuate the complete unity of the Creator and the created. Only soul can speak to soul, and mind is only a helper, provided the soul is alive in its longings. So it is apparent that that form of belief which is wholly of the intellect can have no common meeting place with that belief which is the result of the development of the soul; and hence, to say that men of all the various religions, just because they are what are called Christians, are in an equal relationship to the Father, is erroneous and misleading. As regards the condition of man as the perfect man, these several religions may tend to bring about this state of perfection, if the moral precepts which they teach are observed and practiced by men. But as regards man as the Divine Angel; that is, as a spirit having in itself the Essence of the Divine, only that religion which teaches the true way to acquire this Divinity can lead men to the at-onement with the Father in His very nature. There can be, in this respect, only one true religion, and only one way in which that religion can be practiced and possessed; and to say that all religions have a common point of approach, is misleading and deceiving. I know that among these various religions there are individuals who have found the way to the method of becoming transformed into the Divine nature of the Father, and this notwithstanding that the teachings and creeds of the several churches do not show the way to this soul development into the spiritual of the Divine. But in these churches there is wanting, in their dogmas and doctrines, that which will help men to this true religion. Because it may be found that in the churches there are some who have, to a degree, this Divine spirituality, there is no justification in saying that there is any common place of meeting in these several religions. Of course the moral precepts may be and are taught by all the Christian churches, and when observed will ultimately lead all men to the condition of the perfect natural man, and only to this extent can it be said that they may have a common ground of religion arising from the belief in the moral teachings. And the church which declares and teaches as its religion with great exactness and more enlarged comprehension is the church in which this, as I may call it, natural religion exists; and the more dissimilar these churches are in these teachings the farther apart is their approach (sic). If a preacher of one church knows, with the conviction that arises from his sincere and honest investigation of the moral laws, that some other church is not teaching or insisting on the observation on the part of its members of these great moral truths, then he has no right to conclude and say this latter church is the possessor of religion, as is the church in which these moral truths are taught and followed by its adherents. It is a mistake for a preacher to say that because there may be good and spiritual men in all churches, therefore, one church is as good and religious in its teachings as another church. Truth is of such a nature that it cannot be compromised, and the man or preacher who would compromise the truth is not fulfilling his duty to God or man. The church which teaches that there is nothing greater than morality, and that man can become no more transcendent than the perfect man, is devoid of the truth and would not be accepted as a teacher of the full truth, as should the church which knows and teaches the way by which man may become a Divine Angel. That the preachers of the various churches should accept as equal and the possessors of the true religion whenever these moral lessons are alike taught by these churches and have a common point of approach, is not to be wondered at, because these preachers do not know the higher religion, or are able to teach the way to the same. And when it is understood that a moral truth is a truth no matter where it may appear and by whom taught, there is some justification in declaring that all churches which teach the moral truths are on a plane of equality, and that one is entitled to as much respect and freedom from criticism as another. And further, as the great truth of the rebestowal of the potentiality of receiving the Divine Love, and the effect on men's souls, was never known and taught until the coming of the Master, it is not surprising that none of the churches can or do teach this great spiritual truth, and the only true religion arising therefrom. The knowledge of this truth perished from the earth a short time after the passing of the Master, and hence no church can teach this religion of the soul that transforms the mortal into the Divine. The religion of the perfect man may exist in varying degrees in all the Christian churches, but the religion of the Divine Angel exists in none, although some individuals of these churches, to some extent, have received in their souls the great truth - the Divine Love - even though they have no intellectual knowledge of the same. I thought it advisable to make these few remarks on the declaration of the preacher, as showing that his broad assertion that the religions mentioned, which to him is all embracing, may have a common meeting point with every religion. When he learns the truth, he will realize the errors of his human and brotherly declarations. I will not write more.Good night, and God bless you. Your brother in Christ, Luke April 27th, 1918 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Perry: Let me write a line, for I am very desirous of HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor526.htm" again communicating to you the fact that I am progressing and have found the Love of which you first told me and which information led to my seeking to possess it. I know that you are very much interested in the higher messages and want to give your time to receiving them and that it is almost impudence for me to intrude, but I have asked your wife if I will interfere with any of these messages tonight by my writing and she informed me that it would not, as none of the messages would be written tonight. So I feel somewhat at liberty to write and I hope that you will consider that I am not intruding. Well, since last I wrote you, I have been praying to the Father with all the longing of my soul for an increase of His Love and realize that it has come into my soul in greater abundance and I am correspondingly happy. I shall soon be in the Third Sphere, so the spirit friends who have been so kind and loving to me tell me and it gives me much happiness to know that such a prospect is opened up to me, for I can, because of the progress that I have already made and realize to some extent what a home in that sphere will mean to me. I would like to write you a long letter tonight, but I must not detain you. But this I want you to remember that I am very happy now, and my suffering have left and I know that all these blessings came to me because of the workings of the Divine Love in my soul. It is wonderful what that Love can accomplish in the way of rescuing a sinful soul from its surroundings of darkness and from suffering the law of compensation, which is a great truth, does its work without hesitation or partiality, or interference by any God or angel in the way of commanding it to cease its work, but this great Divine Love is more powerful than the law and when it enters into the soul of a man or spirit it in effect says to this law, you shall no longer operate on the soul of the sinner that was, because it will take that soul away from and outside the operations of the law. How little men understand this working of the Divine Love. It does not set aside the law, but it merely removes the soul in which it has found a lodgment from the scope of the operation of the law. The law goes on but the objects of its operations are rescued from the same. No law is set aside which men think and argue is necessary in order for a soul to be saved from its penalties and when on earth I believed this too, and did not believe in or accept the doctrine of the special interposition of divine providence to succor men from the consequence of their sins and that I did not believe because I thought that the only way in which this could be accomplished was for God to say to the law, you shall cease to operate. But now I know, that, while the law never ceases to operate until the penalties that I suffer for have been paid, yet this Love is above the law, but not antagonistic to it. I wish that I might write more on this subject tonight as to me, it is one of the most wonderful truths in God's Universe of Spirit and I never cease to meditate upon it and thank the Father that I was made a real example of the power of this Love. Well I must stop now, but when you have time I should like to come and write at more length. I see that my wife has not progressed in learning the truth and I am very sorry. Well friend, Good night. Your friend, Perry April 28th, 1918 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, James: I am here and desire to say a few words as I have been with you this evening at the church and listened to the lecture of the preacher, and feel that he misapplied his opportunity for furnishing his hearers spiritual food which they all are so much in need of and which in many cases their souls are longing and crying for. The lecture of the preacher was instructive in a certain way and appealed to the sympathies and better nature of those who heard it but it contained nothing that tried to open up the souls of men to the Divine Love of the Father or show them the way to the Celestial Kingdom of the Master or the way in which they may become divine in their soul qualities of love or in perfect union with the spirit love of the Father. I do not know that what I have said will serve any good purpose but yet I thought it, best for me to communicate to you their thoughts. Perhaps they may do some good in the future when you come to demonstrate the truths that you have received. I will not write more. Goodnight. James April 28th, 1918. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: I am your own true and loving Helen. Well, dear, I have been with you a very great deal today and know just how you have felt and experienced a happiness in your soul arriving from the thoughts that you had in reference to things of the soul. I will not attempt now to comment on either of the sermons that you heard. But I know just what thoughts you had in reference to the same and your thoughts were as my thoughts. It is so important but sad that the preachers have not had more information of the truth so that they might tell their hearers. Tonight the Master was with you and listened to the lecture and impressed you with the thoughts that you had, and felt that he would like to be able to tell the preacher just what his future is. He is a representative as he claims of the Christian teachings with a duty upon him to give forth these teachings to his people, yet he failed to do so. It is pitiable that such condition of ignorance of the truth exists among the ministers of the Gospel. But it is so and no help can apparently be offered them until the truths that you are receiving shall be published and spread among them. The Master would have written tonight had circumstances been altogether favorable, but they were not and he will come very soon and communicate.I will not write more now. So, my dear, love me and pray to the Father for His Love. Goodnight. Your own true and loving, Helen May 1st, 1918. Received by: James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Mary Kennedy: I will write a few lines if you will consent, and I know you will, for Helen says that you receive so many letters of love and encouragement from her, that you are wholly sympathetic whenever other soulmates desire to write to their other halves on earth, and especially when I come to write to mine, and Helen knows and never tells me an untruth except when she is trying to plague or tease me. Well, I am very glad that I can write once more to Leslie, for it has been a long time, as it seems to me, since I wrote him, and I believe that he thinks so, too. I know that he is interested in me all the time, for the reason that I know he loves me, and where loves enter there can be no want of interest, and so it must be. I am very happy and am progressing all the time in my soul qualities, and in my position in the soul spheres where only the Divine Love exists, except the other love which belongs only to soulmates. Since I have become an inhabitant of the Celestial Spheres and realized what an absorbing thing the Divine Love is, I wonder that I can have so much of this soulmate love as I do, when I realize the fact, and know, that no other love exists in our spheres except the Divine Love and our soulmate love. No love of mother or father, or any other love that belonged to the relationship of the human life has any place in our existence or happiness, for spirits cease to have brothers and mothers and other relations, but all are as one great brotherhood, whose nearness and unity depends upon the amount of the Divine Love that enters into the souls of the respective spirits, and in this, the Divine Love is different from our soulmate love in that the former is of a one nature and substance, though possessed by spirits in different degrees, and is of the same quality and may be possessed by the souls of spirits alike, while the latter belongs only to the two soulmates, and no other spirit can enter into or possess any portion of that love which belongs to the two soulmates alone. I often think of this fact, and how good is the Father in giving us this great Love which we partake of in common with all other spirits, yet, let us have this soulmate love all to ourselves. This may at first seem to partake of the element of selfishness, but it is not, because, while one of the two souls can and does have it, yet, no other soul is thereby deprived of any love that would make them unhappy or that would afford them any greater happiness. It is not selfishness but merely the possession of that which in itself makes the love of the two individual. Now, from what I have said you must not infer that when we become inhabitants of the Celestial Spheres all the loves that were ours when on earth by reason of our human relationship are not with us, for it would not be true to make such an inference. The explanation is that the objects and the place of existence of the objects of our loves, determines whether we continue to have this love of the human relationship. If our parents or brothers or sisters, or others having a relationship whom we loved when on earth, continue to live in the flesh, or even in the lower spheres of the spirit world, then our earth love, as I may call it, remains with us, and our dear ones are just as much, or to a greater degree loved than when we were on earth or in the lower spheres; and out of that love grows our desire to help and influence for good our relatives. But when these relatives become with us inhabitants of the Celestial Spheres, where the Divine Love is the great love belonging to us all, then, the love that is possessed by reason of being relatives one to another, leaves us and has no influence. As long as you remain mortals we love you as parents or children or other relatives, but when you come with us to the Celestial Heavens there remains no reason why such love should continue, for this Divine Love is sufficient for all and supersedes these other loves. Well, I love my Leslie, and I will love him for and through all eternity because I know that he will come to me in my home and be united, his soul to mine. I am with him a great deal and my love for him never dies down or ceases to exercise its influence upon his soul, and never will so long as we remain separated, which will not continue very long, as we who are in eternity view it. I have written too long already and must stop. But I want to tell him that he has his angels around and with him very much, and he is never left alone. When he prays, as I know he does, we are all with him praying to the Father for a greater inflowing of His Love into my dear one's soul. Oh, how I wish that I could tell him of the extent of my love and what it means to him, and how much I want all the love that he can give me. He must think of me and keep up his courage and faith in the truths that have come to him, for he will never be disappointed in that faith or in the expectations that come from it. Good night, my dear one. Your own loving, Mary May 16th, 1918 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Charles T. Wilson. Let me write a few lines. I am the friend of the Dr. and knew him some years ago when he was living in Buffalo, N.Y. I was in a hospital where he was engaged in looking after daffy mortals, such as I was. Well, in those days my mind and my brain did not coordinate, and this I know, for a short time after I passed into spirit life I found that I had a mind which enabled me to understand things as I had before the awful blank came to me which resulted in my being incarcerated in the hospital. What a wonderful experience I had after I became liberated from the imprisonment of my mind in a diseased brain. Then everything appeared to me as if I were a new creature, and the happiness which came to me - I mean the happiness that came from my liberated mind - is beyond what you may conceive of. I can suppose that men think that those whose minds are thus blotted out, as it were, by a brain which has ceased to perform its functions must be not unhappy, because they know not the loss of the benefits that a mind in a sound brain affords. But in this supposition men are mistaken, for while the person thus afflicted may not know of what sound-minded men call real trouble and worry, yet they have troubles which belong to their diseased brains, and to them these troubles, although they may have no real existence, are just as real as are the troubles of these others who think that they are sane. Trouble is a relative thing, and the real to one, though not real, causes as much unhappiness as do the troubles which are real. Of course, while I was in the flesh I did not fully understand just what my condition of mind was, and many of my vagaries were of such a character as to cause me apparent happiness; and on the other hand, certain other vagaries caused me real suffering. And things of great importance appeared to me with a force that no real existence could surpass. Shortly after I passed to spirit life these imaginations left me, and with them disappeared the unhappiness which they caused; and it seemed to me as if my mind had been freed from a great burden, and I became so conscious of the fact that it seemed as if I must be in Heaven or some other place of bliss. But it meant nothing more than my mind finding its real condition, and the recollections of my previous life came to me with all their consequences. And, strange as it may seem to you, there were no recollections of anything that happened while I was in the state of mental darkness. Only those things came to my remembrance which were parts of my life before my affliction, and only these latter brought with them a knowledge of good or evil deeds which I had committed. Since then, I have realized the workings of the laws which controlled my acts of life, and I was happy or otherwise as these laws called for suffering or failed to operate. I have been in the dark planes ever since, though I have made some progress towards the light, or rather the darkness has grown less intense and my sufferings have decreased. My mind has always been alert and nothing has escaped me which was a part of my sane existence while on earth. I wish that I could find a way to get rid of this darkness and suffering, and as only a few nights ago I heard that you could help spirits in my condition, I determined to seek your help, and tonight when I saw the Dr. with you, I thought it a good opportunity to ask your help. Yes: and he says that he will help me, and as he is so very beautiful and bright I can easily believe that he can help me, and I am going with him. So, I thank you. I was Charles T. Wilson and was called Wash. May 20th, 1918. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I would like to write tonight, but you are not just in condition, though much better than you have been, and soon I anticipate I will be able to deliver my messages again. Take my advice and pray more and you will find yourself much helped into the condition which is necessary in order that I may make the rapport. I merely write this tonight to let you know that I am with you and waiting to write. You must not let your faith decrease, but believe with all your soul that we communicate with you and are with you trying to help you in every way. You must do the work and keep up your faith in us. I will not write more now. Well, so far as that prophecy HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/quotesmatthew.htm" \l "M241" (Matt. 24) is concerned, it referred to the fall of Jerusalem. At that time - I mean just prior to and at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem - the whole world was in that condition that the prophecy speaks of - I did not know anything about the present condition of the earth, and could not have referred to these times, or to what may now happen among men. The end of the age, as it should be written, referred to the ending of the Jewish dispensation, and not to the end of the physical world. That (the world) was not to be destroyed at the time the prophecy was to be fulfilled, and no man or spirit now knows when the earth will cease to exist. Only God knows that, and He has never revealed it. But this I do know, that such an event will never take place until He has worked out His plan for the ending of the world and, I believe, it will be many centuries yet before such an ending to the earth and the visible world will take place. And I do not know that it ever will have an ending, and no human can foretell the same. So you need not bother about these things. Each human will have his ending of the earth life, and to him that will be, in effect, the end of the world, and his duty is to prepare for that ending and what will surely follow. Sometime I will write you on this subject. There are many matters yet to be disclosed, and this disclosure waits only for your getting in the proper condition to receive the same. You can see the importance of this, for the end of the world is coming each day to many mortals, which is so important for them to know. Think more of the spiritual things, and of your work. Believe that I am with you very often, and especially when you pray at night, according to my promise. Good night. Your brother and friend, Jesus May 20th, 1918. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving, Helen. Well, dear, I am pleased that the HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/bible73.htm" Master wrote you tonight, for it indicates that you are getting in better condition. You must bend all of your efforts to accomplish the objects, the great objects of your selection, and not let other things interfere, as they have done for some time past. If you will only pray more and turn your thoughts to the spiritual things, you will soon find yourself in the condition which will enable the spirits to make the rapport. Pray to the Father, and say good night. Your own true and loving Helen May 21st, 1918. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: Well dear, I see that you have been much benefitted by the reading of the messages to-night, and I am so glad that you read them in the manner that you did. The truths which you read in reference to the spirit world in the book of Dr. Peebles, are very beautiful and also edifying and helpful to the extent that they affect the conditions of the souls of men, but, as you know, they do not reach the vital point or tell of the great truth which is necessary for men to know in order to obtain the condition of the Divine Angel and the home in the Celestial Heavens. Of course, the writer, or any of those whom he quotes, could not speak of this higher truth, for they did not understand the same and they could comprehend only the great moral teachings of Jesus. But these teachings are also of great importance to mankind, for the understanding and observance of them in thought and deed will certainly lead man to a purification of his soul, and to a coming in at-onement with the Father, in accordance with the perfectness of man in his creation. As we have written you, the large majority of men will exist in the great eternity only as perfect men, enjoying the happiness which that condition brings to them, and, hence it is of great importance that men should be taught these mortal truths. But of greater importance is the knowledge of the truth which will show men the way to become Divine Angels and at-one with God in His very Substance and Essence of Love. This was the great mission of the Master on earth, but men failed to understand and realize that fact, and, instead, were possessed only of the knowledge of the moral truths and a belief that such truths, or rather the results of the practicing and living the same, would lead them to immortality and perfect happiness. Well, you understand all this, and I will not say more on the subject; but I wish to emphasize to you the importance of your fully realizing, deep down in your soul, that the truths of the Divine are not understood by men, and, hence, cause you to appreciate more the great importance of the work which you are to perform. Oh, my dear, I hope that you will consider and meditate upon this and try your best to get in such condition that the rapport may be made and these truths delivered to you. You know the way, the only way, and you must follow that way. Pray to the Father with all the longings of your soul, and meditate more on spiritual things, such as the truths which the Master and the others have revealed to you. I know that you are desirous of receiving the messages, but you are not willing, as it seems, to make the effort to get in the soul condition, which will not come from the existence of the mere desire to receive the messages. Well, I did not write earlier in the evening for you were not just in condition, and I thought that if you did not hear from me, you might possibly read some of the messages and thus get in a better soul condition to receive my message, as you have done. It is too late to write more tonight, but I feel quite hopeful that I will be able to do so very soon. So sweetheart, pray to the Father and let your faith increase, and think more of these truths, and what they mean. I will not write more now, and will only further say, love me with all your heart and think more of me, and you will be much happier. Good night, my dear husband. Your own true and loving, Helen June 7th, 1918 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, John: Let me write a line. I have been with you as you read the messages that your friend received, and want to say that what they say as to your want of condition is true, as you know, and that you must give your longings and thoughts more to spiritual things in order to get in condition to receive the messages again. But the messages are not correct when they tell him that you will not be necessary to start the great work on earth. There is no other who can possibly start this work and, hence, you must realize the responsibility that rests upon you and make every effort to get in that rapport with the higher spirits that will enable you to successfully do your work. Your two friends have an important work laid out for them to do, but their work is merely confirmatory of the messages that you receive, and until you shall have received all that is intended to be revealed their work will not start. Mr. Morgan is now doing a great work among the spirits and his band and many others of the high spirits are kept very busy in attending to the awakened spirits in their demands for enlightenment. He must continue this until the time that I have mentioned, comes, when he will be given the greater work. He is a man of very deep convictions, and earnest in his work, and will sooner or later realize the results of his efforts to help the dark spirits. Your work and his work and that of Dr. Stone, are separate and distinct. Neither can do the work of the other, but yours must first be done. So do not forget this and realize with all the knowledge of your soul how much depends upon you. I will not write more now. With my love I will say goodnight, Your brother in Christ, John June 13th, 1918. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. Let me write a line, for I have been interested in the conversation of the Doctor and want to express to him my thanks for his efforts to enlighten one of my followers as to the truth; and my obligation is based on the fact that I recognize the misleading errors of some of my teachings, and that I am responsible for the beliefs of many mortals that are not true and have the effect of keeping them from the truth; and further, that whenever any of those who have embraced the beliefs that I taught are shown the light and directed to the errors of my teachings, I am to that extent happier and relieved from the burdens which I carry with me - that my teachings are keeping so many from the truth. In all this I refer to the great question of the Divine Love and the way in which mortals may obtain the same and become in harmony with the Father, and partake of His Divine nature and immortality. I have examined these truths since I came to the spirit world, and realize with a great conviction that the reflection of the Divine Love is not the possession of that mind which comes only with the possession of the Love of the Father. (Note: this sentence does not make sense, and suggests rapport has been weakened, which is confirmed by the next sentence.) I wish that I had time tonight to write you a longer letter on this subject, but your guide says that you are not in condition to receive a lengthy letter and I must stop. Let me express the hope that you and your friend, whenever the opportunity occurs, will attempt to enlighten my followers as to the truths which you know, and as to errors and the want of the true explanation of a salvation which my books do not contain. With my love I will say good night. Mrs. Eddy June 13th, 1918. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving Helen. Well dear, I have been with you all evening and enjoyed your conversation. You may believe that the last communication was from HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/religious16.htm" Mrs. Eddy, for she actually wrote and was glad that she could do so, and because she carries the burden of which she wrote, we permitted her to write. She realizes that, although she has a great amount of the Divine Love, yet the knowledge that she believed and taught others to believe the errors of her writings causes her much unhappiness in the way of possessing a great desire to undo or neutralize the effect of what she taught. Love me and pray to the Father. Good night. Your own true and loving Helen June 20th, 1918. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: Well, my dear Ned, you have had your little girl leave you, as you now feel, but she has not left, for she will be more with you than ever, and happier than she could possibly have been had she remained in the body. I was with her as she passed over and received her in my arms and told her that she was with her mother and had nothing to fear. That she had come to the spirit world and would now know what love and happiness are, and that all her troubles had left her forever. I told her that she would not have to leave you and her brothers, except as regards her body which was no longer a part of her, and which she would soon realize was merely a covering for herself. She was not afraid and nestled in my arms as I kissed her and told her that now she would understand how much her mother loved her and how happy she would be in that love, and that in a very short time she would be perfectly content, and feel so happy that she had left the cares and troubles of her earth life. I was with her before she died, and she actually saw me as I waited at her bedside for her spirit to find a release from her body. She recognized and talked to me and actually heard my voice as I encouraged her and called her to come to my arms. She was not afraid and I know that I was as visible to her as I ever was on earth. She is now with me, or rather I am with her, and am trying to help her realize fully that she is a spirit; and she is convinced for, as she tells me, she remembers the many talks that you had with her in which you told her of my coming to you and to her with all my love and desire to make her happy, and that as she remembered these things it seemed to be natural for her to have the experience of having me with her as her real loving mother. I will be with her a great deal and so will many other spirits who love her - your parents and mine were with her when she came over and spoke to her of their love and encouraged her to believe that she was really with them and had nothing to fear, and that only love was around her. She will soon be in a better condition to appreciate her surroundings, and then I will bring her to you and let her tell you of her experience and her love for you and the boys. I know that you are sorrowful to have her leave you in the body and that your heart is very heavy, as you expected to have her with you more intimately than ever and to find much happiness and comfort in her presence. But dear, you must try not to worry or grieve, for, as I have said, you have not lost her. She will be with you more than ever and you will feel her presence and know that she is so much happier than when a mortal.I wish that I could make myself visible to you so that I could comfort you the more and cause you to believe that your Baby has not left you. Let not your belief in the fact that we are really alive go from you. We are more alive than ever, and can love you more than when in life on the earth. So do not grieve, but know that it will not be long before you will be with us, and that this is a certainty. Oh, my dear, I love you so much tonight and want to comfort you with my love, and with the assurance that now, as you sit in your room at night and feel lonesome and sometimes wish that baby could be with you, I and your baby, who will soon be a bright spirit and enjoy the happiness that love for you will bring to her, will be with you.You, as I say, must not grieve, for you are not strong and grief will not be beneficial to your condition of brain. Only think of her as being a beautiful loving spirit, filled with love for you and always glad when she can be with you, and only sorry that you may not be able to feel her arms around you and her kisses on your lips. You are not in condition to write more tonight and must go to bed. Well, dear, I wanted in the first place to encourage you and keep you from worrying so that you would not be unhappy. And next I really believed that she would not die, but that she would have the strength to overcome the results of the operation; but I was mistaken and for your sake, was as sorry as you could possibly be. We cannot always foretell the results of contingencies affecting the material conditions of mortals. We do not know these things as a matter of omniscience, but merely base our conclusions on what we believe will be the results of certain causes. I was so anxious to comfort and relieve you from your worry, and the real fact is that you have no cause for worry, but I did not allude to this when I told you not to worry, for I believed that she would recover from her sickness, and so thought the others who wrote you encouraging words. And even Dr. Campbell thought that she would be able to withstand the results of the operation. But in these things we cannot always judge aright. We are not infallible and cannot always exercise the power which we possess to bring about results that our loved ones on earth may desire. So sweetheart, do not feel resentful because my promises did not come true. If you could only fully understand what the condition of your baby is, you would not want her with you in the body. I know that you will, at times, feel very lonesome and long for her as your dear one of earth form and companionship, but you will soon have such an experience with her as your spirit baby, that you will not often sorrow because she left you. This I know without the possibility of your being disappointed, and you must try to believe me. Well, sweetheart, when you are a little stronger I will come and write you more in detail about baby's passing and she will write also. Love me and love her, and pray to the Father. Say goodnight. God bless and comfort you, my dear husband. Your own true and loving, Helen Note. The following funeral notice was recently discovered. This information was published in the Baltimore Sun on Saturday morning, 22 June 1918 as follows: PADGETT - On Thursday evening, June 20, in Washington, Helenita Padgett, of Washington, D.C., daughter of James E. and the late Helen W. Padgett. Funeral at Mount Olivet Cemetery, Frederick., Md., at 2 o'clock Saturday afternoon, June 22. June 21st, 1918. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, John Wesley: Let me write a line. I was present tonight at the services over your daughter's remains, and saw what a wonderful congregation of high and beautiful spirits was there. Your bands were present and the Master was shedding his love and influence over the mourners and near ones. Your daughter's spirit was also present, and although it seemed a little strange to her that she should be outside her body and could look upon it as it lay cold and dead, yet she understood and was quite happy that so many of her friends were there displaying their sympathy and love. Of course, your wife was present and was radiantly happy in her love for you and her boys and her other relatives. She had her daughter close by her side and was telling her of the truths of the resurrection as the minister read the services, and especially how the Great Love of the Father is necessary to the true resurrection and heaven. It was a glorious evening with the spirits, and no sorrow or unhappiness was with them, only their sympathy for the human grief of those who did not know the truth of the liberation of the spirit from the bondage of the flesh. Well, I might tell you many things which occurred among the spirit visitors, but I am admonished not to write more, so will say good night. Your brother in Christ, John Wesley June 21st, 1918. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Helen Padgett: My own dear husband, how happy I have been tonight as you and the others congregated around the coffin of our baby to pay their respects and offer their love and sympathy to her memory. As has just been said, many of our Celestial Spirits were present, all casting over the people the love and influence that only Celestial Spirits can give forth. Baby was there with me, and while she did not quite understand all that she saw, yet she realized that her body is now no part of her, and that she lives independently of it, and that the body which she now knows is hers, is so much more beautiful and ethereal. She was very close to me, and did not attempt to leave my arms, for while she knew that she was no longer a mortal, yet she was timid and felt that she needed me and my love. She is quite beautiful and happy and says that if she is in heaven, she does not want to return to earth or to her body that was lying before her so cold and lifeless. She saw and recognized all who were present and tried to talk to some of them, but found that she could not make them hear, and wondered a little that they did not. Tonight you must not write more, but must go to bed and get your rest. I will soon write you fully as to our baby. She said though, that she saw how much you must love her, and was so anxious to reply to you as you talked to her. Do not grieve too much for the body, for it is no longer hers and cannot understand or answer your words of sorrow. She is so happy that you love her so much, and will come to you before very long. Love me and pray to the Father. Good night, and God bless you, my dear Ned. Your own true and loving, Helen July 5th, 1918 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, St. John: Let me say a word. I have read with you in the book (Spiritual Teachings by Stainton Moses) and I find that many things in it are true, and many others show a want of the true mission of the Master. I do not know the spirit who is supposed to have dictated the messages, but from the nature of the same I would infer that he is a spirit of some of the higher spiritual spheres and that his information is limited by the development of his spirit, as he calls it. He apparently knows nothing of the true mission of Jesus, or of the Divine Love, or of the true resurrection, as was taught by the Master. It is well that you have read this book, for it will show you the differences between the messages which you are receiving and those that you read in the book. Some of the writers declarations are correct - such communications as his development of mind and soul fit him to receive. But the great and important truth relating to God and man are not contained in the book and could not well be, for the guiding spirit evidently knew nothing of the transformation of the soul into the Divine by reason of the Divine Love. I merely wanted to write this to show you that your work is necessary to be done, and that never has the truths that you are receiving been revealed to men before. Goodnight, Your brother in Christ, John July 8th, 1918. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus: I am here and will write a few lines in the hope that I may cheer you up and strengthen you. You must not look at things with such desponding feelings. I understand how natural it is for you to see the dark side of conditions which have arisen by reason of the death of your daughter and ordinarily you would not have the comfort which now must come because of the knowledge that you have of the spirit world and of the actual condition of your loved ones. As you have been told, she is now quite happy and more alive to the reality of existence than she ever was, and would not return to her earth life were it possible. While you may think at times what happiness you and she might have were she still with you in the flesh and regret that she was taken from you, yet such thoughts arise merely from your desires that are purely of an earthy nature, for when you think of what her condition is now you will certainly realize that there can be no comparison between the supposed happiness that she might have and that which she is now actually possessing. And I know that you love her so much that this knowledge on your part is sufficient not only to remove these regrets but to cause you to rejoice that she is now in the spirit world, free from the cares and troubles that belong to an existence on earth. So do not think of these possible enjoyments that might come to you were she alive and with you. She is with you - closer than you may imagine and with her is a love greater for you than she ever had on earth. She is now progressing and the love is flowing into her soul, and she is realizing that it is the one thing that can bring joy and peace to her. She will soon come and write you as she is anxious to do so. She is here tonight, and has been with you during the day as your heart went out so lovingly to her and you called for her. She was glad that you so much wanted her with you and responded just as a young spirit in whom the first awakening of the knowledge of the possession of the great love would do. So do not grieve for her, but realize that she is with you and is happy and wants you to be happy. She will be with you a great deal and you will consciously recognize her presence and feel the benefit of her love. You must also know that many of us are with you, and especially that beautiful soulmate of yours who loves you as no other spirit can love you, and that she is trying to comfort and help you. So do not permit yourself to feel so lonesome or despondent. Remember the great work before you, and that all your energies must now be beset to accomplish that work. While you have others on earth whom you must and do love, Set you must not permit that love to interfere with your work or the accumulation of the means which are necessary to carry out the work as we have heretofore planned. I know that you have been disappointed in various particulars, and that it seems almost impossible for you to get in the condition of which I have written yet you must not lose your faith, for the matter will be accomplished, and after a little while when you get in better physical and mental condition you will start the plan and success will come to you. Let not any ambition or hope for worldly things take the place or even associate with your ambition to accomplish the work which you have undertaken together with us to make complete. Have faith and courage and then action on your part will come. I will not write more tonight. You have my love and help and prayers, and you must pray more yourself to the Father. Good night, Your brother and friend, Jesus July 8th, 1918 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your own true and loving Helen: Well dear, I am glad that you are feeling better tonight, and hope that you may continue to grow better and not let thoughts of things which tend to make you despondent take possession of you. I have been with you a great deal today, and saw how you felt and how far away we all seemed from you, and how much you wished that baby might be with you, and I tried to comfort you and cause you to obtain relief from your gloomy feelings, and I know that I helped you some. Baby was with me and tried to tell you not to worry about her, but to believe that she is very happy and loves you more than when she was on earth. She is now getting into the light which the possession of some of the love gives and is quite happy and longing and praying with all her soul. She realizes that she did not lose anything by coming to the spirit world, not even, as she says, lose being with you, and you must try to bring this thought to you as an actual, living fact. Jesus has written you a HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor297.htm" loving letter, and he knows just what your condition is and how much you needed his sympathy and love. He has not yet talked or appeared to baby, but says he will soon, and then I know she will become very, very happy, for he brings happiness to all those to whom he comes with his great love. I mean those who recognize and believe that he is the Master. So sweetheart, do not despond any longer or let your faith in us and our love grow weaker, for we do love you more than we can tell you, and so want you to be happy and free from worry.I will not write longer now, and suggest that you soon go to bed and get your sleep. Goodnight, my dear husband. Your own true and loving, Helen Baby says, love her too, and believe that she loves you with all her heart and is happy and wants you to know it. Goodnight, Helen July 31st, 1918. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Pastor Russell. Let me say a word, as I have been with you today as you read the book of which I was the writer. I see that you are aware of the erroneous interpretations of the testament that it contains, of the false constructions that are drawn from the quotations of the Bible, and also that you feel that a great injury is being done to those who read and believe in my teachings. Well, I realize the falsity of my teachings and the wrong and injury that are being wrought among those who have been followers of me; and how great will be their surprise when death comes to them, for what I said was impossible they will find to be true - that they are more alive than they ever were while living in the flesh. This I have realized, to my great surprise and suffering. When I was about to leave the flesh, and for long years before, I believed that when I died I would go into the literal grave and would thereafter be in a state of oblivion, knowing nothing until the day of the first resurrection, when I and all those who believed that we were of the little flock would be called into the presence of Jesus and there become his coworkers and co-judges of men during the millennium, when the rest of the world would be tried and finally judged to either a life of happiness, as men restored to the condition of Adam before the fall, or to total annihilation. But as I passed from the body, I found that I had a spiritual body in which was contained all the faculties of mind and appetites of the flesh that were a part of me when on earth; and also, the memories of all that I had thought, and taught, when trying to lead my followers into the truth, as I supposed. I was more alive than ever before, and conscience soon began to do its work of reproval and bring to me remorse and regret for the great harm that I had done to many of my fellow men by reason of my teaching a faith that is wholly untrue, and destructive to the soul's salvation. The soul! Ah, this is the thing that I blasphemed against, for I taught that there was no such thing or entity as the soul after the separation of the body and life; that it then ceased to have an existence, and would never again come into existence until the first resurrection, which would be the first awakening of the little flock to a consciousness of its existence. To me the will was the great thing, and while that never ceased to exist, yet it lay in a dormant state and was as dead, knowing nothing. How vitally misleading was this teaching - and how my followers will find themselves deceived, and will suffer from the want of knowledge of the fact that the soul is the man and is susceptible to progressing in the knowledge of the truths of God while on earth, as well as after it becomes an inhabitant of the spirit world. I have had a tragic awakening, with all the consequences of a tragedy in which I was one of the important actors, and the principal cause of the results of the tragedy. I know what death means, and what life means, for I died merely to live, and to live a life in which at this time is much suffering and regret, accompanied by the knowledge that I have before me a work greater than I can perform in many long years in the future. I must now try to undo what I for so many years did, to the injury of those who believed in me; and when I realize that there is hardly a way, until these followers of mine become spirits like myself, in which I can do this work, my suffering becomes almost unbearable. Only through the medium of the mortal can I reach these people, and because of my teachings they will not believe what I may attempt to communicate through a mortal medium (which medium I wrote against and reviled, and alleged that they were only creatures used by the devil and his minions to deceive mankind). If I had only known the truth, and thereby abstained from preaching untruth in this particular, how different my lot would now be. But I believed what I taught, and taught what I believed. It was all a lie, and though I believed it, yet that fact does not lessen my regrets, for I see with the clearness of the spirit that my thoughts and teachings are believed by many of my followers because I taught them; and consequently they will suffer from their beliefs; and the fact that I believed these erroneous things and taught in good faith will not, in one iota, save them from the darkness and sufferings which will certainly become theirs. Unfortunate is the man who believes spiritual untruths; but accursed is the man who teaches them, and thus deceives those who are earnestly seeking for the truth. I would like to write more tonight in reference to this matter and my condition, and the heavy burden which I am now bearing, but your wife says I must not write more now as you are not in condition to be further drawn on. So, thanking you, and having the hope that at some time in the near future I may again communicate with you, I will say good-night. Your friend, Pastor Russell July 31st, 1918. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving Helen. Well dear, you have just received a HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/religious19.htm" letter from Pastor Russell, who, as he says, has been with you during the day as you read one of his books, and who was most anxious to write you. He is in considerable darkness and feels the great burden of seeing many persons of earth whom he taught, studying and believing his teachings of the vital truths of man's salvation, which teachings he now realizes, to his own suffering, are untrue and lead away from the realities of the life in the spirit world and the teachings of the Master as to things spiritual. He was very anxious to continue his message, but I thought it best to stop him as he was very earnest and was drawing too much on your vitality. He will come again sometime after you shall have become stronger. Helen September 14th, 1918 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Stainton Moses: Let me say a word. I have been present as you read the book called "Spirit Teachings" and saw that while many of the statements therein contained are in accord with the knowledge that you have of spirit matters, yet, that there is wanting the one great truth of the New Birth as it has been explained to you by the Master and other high spirits. Well, you must not, on account of the fact that this truth is not alleged and explained by the spirits who wrote the messages that you have been reading, assume that these spirits were not of a higher order, or that they are wanting in the knowledge of many truths that the book portrays as to the relationship of spirit to man and man to God, and his future destiny. No, these spirits were real and genuine and taught truths as they understood them. They were limited in their knowledge by the amount of the progress which they had made in things spiritual, and in attempting to teach they were honest and declared only those things that they believed to be true. Many of the truths that they declared are of vast importance and necessary for men to know in order to their own salvation. They show the way to the condition of the perfect man, and the struggles, and sufferings, and sacrifices that spirits will have to make in order to arrive at this condition, are not overdrawn, but on the contrary are merely the outlines of what will be necessary for men and spirits to undergo in order to become the perfect man or spirit. These spirits have since the time of the writings learned of this formation of the soul into an Essence Divine by reason of the possession of the Divine Love, and, hence, could not use their medium in making known this great means of perfect salvation, to mankind. These spirits have since the time of the writings learned of this truth and are now progressing towards the celestial spheres, which can be obtained only by the means of the Divine Love. You will notice in the teachings many expressions that are erroneous, and solely because the writers did not know to the contrary; but this fact must not cause you to believe that many other things which they teach are not true, for outside of and independent of this truth of the divine love and what it means to men and spirits, the teachings are true and should be believed. I write this that you may not doubt the genuineness of the writings, or think that the same were not made by the spirits who professed to write. These spirits had a mission to perform and were earnestly endeavoring to acquaint the medium, and, through him, the world with the truths and the necessity of meditating upon the same, and ceasing to be satisfied with the oldtime beliefs, which were so erroneous and misleading and harmful, as the spirits declared. I have an enlarged knowledge of the things that pertain to the spirit world, and to the true plan of salvation as established by the Father, and have experienced the possession of the Divine Love and its operations and effect upon the souls of men, and how sufficient it is to relieve men from the sufferings and penalties of their sins that they would have to endure or undergo, were this love not open and free for them to obtain. I have that love to a degree that has made me an angel of the celestial spheres, and a possessor of that immortality that was unknown to men when I lived on earth, and also unknown to the spirits who communicated the writings which you have been reading. They taught a part only of the truth of salvation and regeneration, and that the lesser part in importance, but the one which the large majority of men will know of and obtain, only. I thought that I would write this to you, for I saw that you were very much interested in the "Teachings", and had in mind the question as to whether these spirits who wrote were acquainted with the great truth. And I am very happy that I am permitted to write, for I do not want those who have read and believe these writings to rest upon the assurance that the same contain all of truth, and that there is no other way to heaven and happiness, except that set forth in these writings. It is so important that all of truth should become known to men, and the opportunity given to them to seek and find the great way to immortality and bliss. I will not write more now, but sometime in the future I should like to come and write further with reference to these matters. I thank you for your kindness in receiving this imperfect communication and will only say further, that the divine love and the new birth and the celestial heavens where the Master is forming his kingdom, are truths, vital and unchangeable, and the desideratum of the happiness of mankind. I will say goodnight, and while a stranger to you, yet, can subscribe myself. Your brother in Christ, Stainton Moses the medium. September 23rd, 1918. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, John: Let me write a few lines, as I see that you are expecting some of the higher spirits to write tonight, and yet you are not just in that condition which will enable them to write of the higher truths that are waiting to be made to you. I am sorry that this is so, for there are many messages to be delivered; and the spirits are very anxious to write. But you are in better condition that you have been for some time, and if you continue to improve in a very short time you will be able to receive the messages. Tonight I merely wish to say that we have been with you a great deal, trying to influence your mind and tune your thoughts to things spiritual so that your soul may become more in accord with us, and we be enabled to make the rapport that is necessary. You have thought more tonight of these spiritual truths than for sometime, and as a consequence, your soul has had a new awakening, as it were, and taken oh the qualities that will enable us to form the rapport, and for that result we are thankful and pleased and desire to advise you to continue in these thoughts and the opening up of your soul. We are all very anxious for the return of the rapport and the opportunity to continue the writings, as so very much time has been lost and the urgency of communicating the truths is very great, and they must not be longer delayed. As you have been told, the most effective way of reestablishing the rapport is by your praying more sincerely and frequently to the Father for the inflowing of His Love, for you must know that the possession of that love in your soul brings you in closer union with us than anything else that could possibly exist. I say this that you may appreciate the importance of action in the particular mentioned on your part and also the vital necessity for doing the work which has been assigned you to do. So take my advice and make the effort, and success will undoubtedly come and we will all be happier. I will not write more tonight as I prefer to wait until you get in a condition which will permit me to disclose some of the truths that I desire to communicate. Believe that we are with you and love you and above all else desire the development of your soul in love and progress towards a condition of religious experience. Pray to the Father and believe that it is I who am writing, and that I am your sincere and true guardian and friend, John September 23rd, 1918. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: Well, my dear Ned, I am so very glad that HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor430.htm" John has written you as he has, and hope that you will consider and act on his advice. If you could only realize what it all means you would bend every effort to get in the condition that would enable these high spirits to make the rapport and communicate to you their wonderful messages. I know though, that you really feel the importance of the work and that you long for the Love and will be glad when the delivery of the messages be resumed. And I know you love me and will try to do every- thing possible to please and make me happy, and you can do this by following the advice of John. Baby is here tonight and is so very anxious to write you, but I tell her that it is best to wait for a few nights when you will be in so much better receptive condition and she will be more successful in writing to you. She is so very loving and beautiful and believes that her daddy is the most wonderful man on earth, and one to be loved by her, and it is no wonder that she thinks in this way, for she sees so many of the bright and Celestial Spirits around you desiring to get in rapport with you and deliver their messages. Well dear, it is not necessary to repeat our expressions of love, for you know how much we all love you and want your love and thoughts. Some spirits are here tonight who would like to write you, but I tell them that they must wait awhile until you are in a condition when their messages may be received. Think of us and believe that we are with you very much trying to help you. Yes, he has been here on several occasions, but did not have the opportunity to write. When he next comes I will have him write. Goodnight, my dear one. Your own true and loving, Helen October 14th, 1918. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Nita: Let me write a line. I am Nita, and I have been so anxious to write you ever since I came to the spirit world and realized that I could do so. Well, Daddy, I cannot tell you how happy I am and how glad I am that I can write you. I know that mother has written you in regards to my passing over and my condition and progress since I became a spirit, and all that she said is true and much more. I am so desirous of telling you in detail just what my experience has been, but as this is my first attempt to write I will not do so tonight, but very soon I will, and I know that you will get tired before I cease writing, for I have so much to tell you. Of course I had some idea of what might be my experience in passing, but the idea was a very faint glimpse of what I really experienced, and I want to tell you how much your information when I was with you helped me. Well, Daddy, I am also so very glad that I could be with you so much and know that you were still my dear Daddy, and loved me so much more than I ever realized when on earth. I am now so very happy and know to a large extent the reality and blessedness of God's Love, which you used to tell me of. Oh, how can I ever express to you how thankful I am that you told me of this Love, for it has been the means of helping me so much in my progress. I am now in the third sphere as mother tells me, and I cannot tell you the beauty and loveliness of all that surrounds me, and what a lovely home I have and what delightful associates. You must not think me selfish when I write that I would not return to the earth life for all the world, for here I am free from the worry and troubles that I had, and also can be with you and love you and know that you love me as your own darling baby. I am with brothers a great deal also and try to make them realize that I am with them, loving them so very much. They think of me sometimes and wonder if I am really with them, and I know that they, to a degree, feel my presence even though they are really not conscious of the fact. Well, Daddy, I have written a good deal, and mother says I had best not write more now, but wait until I am in a better condition to express to you just what I desire to write. So love me and think of me, and expect me very soon to tell you of what I have suggested. Give my love to the boys, and especially to Hazel and tell her that I am with her, and so is mother, both trying to help her, and make her expectations come true, and also cause her to be the happiest little mother in all the world. She has wonderful influences around her, and should be very happy as well as should Harry, and I know you will also. So, dear Daddy, I must say goodnight. With all my love, I am still your own loving, Baby October 14th, 1918. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving Helen: Well, dear, you have HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor299.htm" heard from Baby, and she was so pleased that she could write you, and is more anxious than ever to tell you of all the things that she has in mind, and the wonderful experience that she had when passing, and has since had. She is a beautiful girl now and is so very happy, and best of all is filled with the desire for an increased possession of the Father's love. She prays very often and seems to have great faith, and I believe that her progress to higher spheres will be very rapid. I am so glad to have her with me, as I realize that she has escaped many of the trials and worries of life. Well, dear, I am so glad that we can get close together again, and now I hope that we will never have another severance of our rapport, and we will not unless you let your love grow cold and your thoughts of me and for me become less. I was very unhappy when I found that I couldn't come to you as I had been doing and that you had raised a barrier between us that I had not the power to break down. While you may think that we spirits are very powerful yet you must also think that all our powers cannot bring me in rapport with you, when you do not think in that way towards me that will create a condition which will enable me to make the rapport. Thus you will realize how much of our intercourse will depend on you. Of course, I can be with you and know and see what your condition is and what your thoughts are but I cannot arbitrarily change your condition or turn your thoughts to me and cause you to draw close to me in a union of rapport that will enable me to write to you. So sweetheart, do not let yourself get in this condition again. Only love and think of and wish for me and no spirit or power can keep me from you - only you, yourself, can do this. Well, it is late, and you have been working and I must not draw on you longer. Keep your thoughts on spiritual things and pray to the Father and long for His Love and very soon you will be in condition which will enable the higher spirits to write. Love me and say goodnight.Your own true and loving, Helen October 22nd, 1918 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. Let me write a few lines tonight as I have not written for a long time and am anxious to say a few words which may be of help to you. I have been present on many evenings when you were expecting to receive communications and was disappointed because of reasons or causes that you could not understand, except that you were not in that condition which would enable the spirits to make a rapport with you. Well, this is true, and is the immediate cause of the want of power of communicating; but it is well that you understand more than this, for in order to remedy the difficulty you must have some knowledge of the seat thereof. I have explained to you the law controlling rapport and communication, and endeavored to make it as plain and understandable as possible, so that you, at least, might grasp its meaning; but, I see there are some things that you do not understand, and because thereof, you have had the recent experience of not being able to receive the many messages that were waiting to be delivered through your brain and hand. As I have said, the first and important requirement is that you be in that condition of soul which will, because of its qualities, enable the spirits who may desire to write the higher messages to form a rapport or union with you, which means simply to take charge and control of your brain - a brain which because of certain qualities and thoughts having possessed it, will be in harmony with the thoughts that these spirits desire to transmit through it, just as it is absolutely necessary that the medium through which it is desired that the electric fluid shall flow, must be a medium possessing such nature and qualities as will permit the fluid to flow through it. A wire or medium may be made of wood, and the electric fluid be present, ready to flow through it, but cannot. And why? Not because the wire or wood may not be perfect in itself as such wire; but, because the wire has not that nature and quality that will permit the electric fluid to make a union with it and thus control it. And so it is with the brain of the mortal, that such brain has the possibility of possessing, when properly prepared, those qualities that will admit of this union and control, while the wood has not. But the brain, when devoid of this preparation, is just as non-receptive to the union with and control of these spirits - as is the rapport - as is the wooden wire to the union with the electric fluid. You have been told on numerous occasions that you were not in condition and that the spirits could not make the rapport, and that you must make the effort to get in condition; and this assertion and advice are all true. You were told to pray more to the Father and think of spiritual things, and then you would become in that condition. This is true, and the advice is helpful. But you were not told what this praying to the Father or thinking of spiritual thoughts means, and, hence, you may do these things in a way and yet not get in the condition. I know that during a long period in the past you have been receiving many messages of the higher truths, and for the delivery of which a brain highly prepared was necessary to receive the same, and the thought has come to you, why were you able to receive these messages at the time of their delivery and not be able to receive them now because, as you further think, your brain is in as good condition now as it was at those times. Well, in the latter thought you are mistaken, and the fact of such mistake should be sufficient to convince you that your inability to receive the messages should not surprise you. During the periods mentioned you prayed more often for the inflowing of the Divine Love and your longings were intense, and the desires to possess this Love, which is so vital to the preparation of your brain, were so much more active. And also your thoughts of things spiritual were so much more frequent. In other words, you were then seeking with your whole heart to learn the truths of God and to possess His Love; and, hence, your brain was continually in that condition which enabled the spirits to make the union and control it for the purpose of their higher expressions. Lately you have not had the longings or prayed the prayers for the Love as frequently and, as a consequence, the qualities and elements of thought that have possessed your brain were not such as to put your brain in that condition which made it receptive to the passing through it of those thoughts of the higher truths. Now from this, you must not infer that this condition is a mere matter of brain condition, produced by itself, for it is not. You have had the intellectual desire to write and receive the messages as much as you ever had, and also to receive messages of the higher truths that should be new as well as edifying to you, and your desires were real, and you were disappointed because they were not realized. And this merely demonstrates to you that there is something more than the mere mental or intellectual necessary to prepare the brain for the reception and transmission of that which partakes of the nature of truth that has its source in something else than the mere human mind. These higher truths come from spirits whose minds, as you might say, are of the soul, and as only soul can deal with soul, it requires that the preparation of the brain should come from the exercise of soul powers upon the organs of that brain. And, hence, the necessity for your soul being in that condition that will produce in the brain the qualities that will unite and permit the truths of the soul to be received and transmitted. You must not only pray to the Father for the inflowing of this Divine Love but you must pray often, until you realize almost constantly the possession of this Love in your soul; and also, you must turn your thoughts, and I do not mean the merely intellectual thoughts, but the thoughts of the soul, which as you have already had you may have again, to the spiritual truths which have been revealed to you, and to the spiritual realm where you believe other spiritual truths are waiting to be revealed. If you will thus pray and think, you will find coming to you the desires and expectations of the fulfillment of these desires and an enthusiasm which will come from the development of your soul by the possession of this Love, and also the soul thoughts. This is what is meant by the condition necessary to enable the spirits to make the rapport. Of course, as to the ordinary matters of the spirit world where no special soul condition is required, the spirits can make rapport as they desire, and in your case many of them could have written at the times you thought you were unable to receive any writings. But we thought it best that no spirit be permitted to write you, as it might endanger the probability of your getting in the condition that we desire and which is necessary in order for your brain to receive our vital and important messages. And, hence, your Indian was directed to not permit any spirit to write you, and he did not though many made the effort to do so. Well, I am glad that I can write you in this manner tonight, and hope you will consider what I have said, and realize the importance of your getting into the condition of which I speak. The brain must be used by the soul having the Divine Love active and so prepared to receive the rapport. I will not write more tonight, but will merely say that we have many more messages which we desire to transmit. So believe that I am frequently with you in my love and desire to help and protect, and make your mission a success. Good night. Your brother in Christ, John Note. The title of this message is misleading, as this message does not follow chronologically on previous messages on this subject. October 25th, 1918. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. Well, my dear brother, time is passing, and the necessity for the revealing is very apparent, as men are longing and waiting for that which will satisfy the natural cravings of their souls, and which the present religion, called Christianity, has not in it the qualities to satisfy. I am pleased that you are in so much better condition, and that your love is again becoming active and awakened, and operating upon the qualities of your brain so that a rapport can be made, as recently explained to you by John in his message. And here I desire to impress upon you the necessity and desirability of your understanding thoroughly the truths set forth in that message, and of meditating upon the same and making a personal application of what is therein written. I would like very much to deliver a message dealing with spiritual truth tonight, but do not think that your condition is such as will enable me to take possession of your brain and control the same that the qualities and truths of my message demands, and so I will not attempt to write the message, but, instead, will advise you somewhat upon the way in which you must think and act in order to perfect the condition which you must possess that the rapport may be made. HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/mediums31.htm" John has told you to pray often to the Father so that the love may become more abundant and your soul become permeated with it, and to think thoughts of spiritual things, until by such thinking your brain may become, as it were, infused with these thoughts and thereby receive those qualities that will make its conditions similar to the conditions of the minds of the spirits who may wish to form a union with your brain and convey through it the truths that are waiting to be delivered. And I confirm what John has written, and, in addition, say that your praying must be more frequent so that the soul may be freed from the condition that the existence in it, of thoughts not spiritual, be established. You need not wait for occasions or opportunities to formally pray but all during the day and evening let your longings for the love ascend to the Father. A long prayer, or even one formulated into words, is not necessary, as in order to have the longing it is not necessary that words should be used to give it form. The longing may be rapid as unformed thought, and as effective for the Father to catch, as I may say. The longing is quicker than the thought, and the answer to the same will come with as much certainty and love as if you were to put the longing into the most exact form. Prayers of this kind ascend to the Father and are heard and answered, and, by a law of your relationship to the Father, affect the qualities of the brain in the way of preparing it for the union with the spiritual thoughts of the spirits who desire to write, as I have stated. Your thoughts of spiritual things or of the truths of the spirit world, as they have already been revealed to you, and especially those which pertain to the love and mercy of the Father, and to His will, in their passing and operating, also affect the qualities of the brain so as to produce the condition which is so necessary for our rapport. It may be surprising to you that this condition is required in the brain of a human and also the development of the soul, which really produces the condition, in order that a rapport may be made so that the spiritual truths may be delivered; and, also, surprising that you have been selected from all the men on earth in whom this condition and development shall be made. And it may be more surprising to know that it is true. There are certain qualities in your constitution, both spiritual and material, that render you susceptible to the influence of our powers and to the use by us for the purpose of our design and work, which determines one to choose you for the work in the way in which I and the other high spirits have heretofore used you, and it may seem strange to you that in all the long ages preceding, I have not found one human with the qualification to fit him for the work. I have used others before, but they have failed to submit their minds and souls and beliefs and forethoughts to our influence and directions as you have so far done. Many humans have the qualified conditions of spiritual and material make up to perform our wishes and work, but as they all have free wills, which we cannot compel, and as circumstances and environments and education and beliefs are elements which affect and determine the possibility of our finding an instrument suitable for our purposes, we have not been able to find a medium who was qualified to be used for our work. You, of course, understand that you were not selected because of any special goodness or freedom from sin, or because you were more beloved by the Father, or naturally, and I mean according to your course of living, by reason of any spiritual condition that you were in, for there were many superior to you in goodness and more in at-onement with the will of the Father, and whose love and the results therefrom, were more perfect than yours. So you will realize that you were not selected because of any special spiritual merits possessed by you. As you have been told, all things in the spirit world, as well as on earth, are controlled by immutable laws, and all spirits as well as mortals are subject to those laws. The law of rapport and communication must be complied with spirits, no matter how much elevated, and also by humans, and no spirit, by reason of the possession of any supposed power, can set aside this law. But while spirits have not this power, yet they may have such knowledge of conditions that they can discern what qualities in the condition of a human are susceptible to the influence, and molding by the spirits, so that as a result thereof, the law may be brought into operation. And this briefly will explain to you why I selected you as my medium and mouthpiece. For know this, that for a long time I have been endeavoring to influence and mold your mind and beliefs, so that your soul might become developed in such a way that conditions might be formed that would enable us to make a rapport that would permit of our controlling your brain to convey these messages of truth. You were naturally a medium and, for ordinary purposes, it was not difficult for the spirits to control and communicate through you the truths of the spirit world, which are not of a nature such as I and others have communicated in reference to the soul spheres and the relationship of God to man in the higher spiritual sense. As you read John's message you will the better understand what I intend to explain at this point. There is another phase to all this, more personal to you, and this is, that while we have been developing you for the purpose of doing our work and helping make effective our mission, your soul, as you, has been developed in its spiritual nature and you have become in closer union with the Father and have partaken to a large extent of His Love, and, to a degree, been transformed into his essence, so that you have become a very different entity from what you were when your development for our purpose commenced; and, as a consequence, you will derive all the benefits that flow from an experience such as you have had. You are now one of us in the progress towards the fountainhead of the Father's love, and have taken on a part of his immortality, and it depends only upon yourself how rapid your progress shall be towards a complete transformation such as spirits who are inhabitants of the Celestial Spheres, possess. You need not wait until you come to the spirit world in order to make a rapid progression, although it will be more difficult for you to progress while in the flesh, as you understand, but wonderful progress may be made while in the flesh, and you have been told the secret of this progress. And I will further say that you have a closer association with spirits that are nearer the Father and more possessed of his essence and substance than have any humans of earth at this time. To you this may seem extravagant and improbable, but I declare to you that it is as true that I and many spirits who come to you and write, are in the Celestial Spheres of God's immortality. Well, I have written a long time and you are somewhat tired. Remember my advice and pray often and earnestly, if but for a moment, and the condition will be yours and we will came and continue our revealments. With my love and blessing, I am, Your brother and friend, Jesus. October 29th, 1918. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here - Your own true and loving Helen. Well dear, I see that you have been reading portions of the Bible tonight and that you have not found in the same any mention of the Divine Love in the sense that it has been explained to you or any evidence that the writers had any knowledge of the love in the way of being born again. Of course they used the expression, but the meaning that they gave to it is altogether different from the one that Jesus gave the other night. Now you have been told that he taught the apostles this true meaning and that they to a more or less extent understood it, and especially John, and as a truth, being the very foundation of the truth of salvation, it may be surprising to you that if John wrote the epistles which are ascribed to him, he did not speak of or attempt to explain the meaning of this New Existence. But the apostles do not mention the New Birth in the light of the explanation that has been given to you, and you may very reasonably infer that these epistles were not written by any of the apostles to whom they are accredited, but by some writers who had some knowledge of the moral truths of Jesus' teachings and of the great one expressed as "that they should love their brethren as themselves." You will find very little in any portion of the Bible that will show you that the great truth of the New Birth was understood by the writers thereof; and all that you will find is, that love between man and God, and man and man, with all that flows from it, such as patience and kindness and charity, etc., is the fulfilling of the Christian doctrines. No distinction is made between the natural love of man and the love of God bestowed upon him at his creation and the great Divine Love which man never possessed until the coming of the Master. It may seem strange, that this knowledge that the apostles and many others had in the time of the Master when on earth, should have been lost to the world. But it is a fact, and, as a consequence, the teachings of Jesus as to this great truth have for all these long years failed to work out his mission. Well, I could write for a long time on this matter but it is not necessary, as you already know of these things.Good night. Your own true and loving, Helen October 30th, 1918. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: Well dear, you have been in two conditions of soul and mind to-night. The one, rather repellant and out of sympathy with us, which prevented us from writing you, and the other, which you now have, congenial and in unison with us. Your reading the prophecies of the old prophets did not have the effect of awakening in your soul those feelings and aspirations which were suitable to bring your soul in rapport with us, and largely, because those writings did not declare and display the true and loving Father whom we know and love. Our Father never had the feelings of wrath against his children that are in those prophecies ascribed to him. The Jehovah of those prophets was of a very different type from the Father whom we know and love and fear only in the sense that in some possible way we may violate the laws of His Love. Of course, as you know, the people of those times, prophets, priests, Kings and common people, never had or knew of His Divine Love, and their comprehension of God, was one who required sacrifice and obedience to his laws of right and justice as they understood them; and undoubtedly their prophets were, to a degree, inspired by the spirits of the higher heavens as they then existed; to warn and threaten and denounce, so that the people might be brought to a realization of their sins and induced to a return to that harmony with the law that would enable them to become rid of their sins and evil doings; and considering their conception of God, the means used by the prophets were the ones necessary to bring about these results. A consideration of these means in comparison with the ways taught by the Master that lead to the Celestial Heavens will demonstrate the fact that, in those ancient days, neither prophet, priest nor people had any knowledge of the Divine Love, and that the privilege of these ancient people of obtaining the Divine Love was not in existence. I and the higher spirits, as they have declared, see no good that can possibly come to mortals of the present from a reading and understanding of these books of the Old Testament. The moral commands contained in them were pronounced and emphasized by the teachings of the Master, which needs no assistance from these old teachings in order that the Master's teachings should have a sanctioning. And as to the higher spiritual truths, these old scriptures contain nothing which can possibly enlighten or help man to acquire knowledge of these truths. So I advise you not to waste your time in reading these scriptures, but rather use all the time that remains to you outside of the affairs of your practical life to learn and study and meditate upon the truths which have been revealed to you by the messages that you have received. I would not by what I have said, desire to be understood as depreciating the reading of these scriptures by people who have not the opportunity and privilege of hearing the truths that have been revealed to you for in these scriptures are many moral truths and illustrations which may be of benefit to these people; and undoubtedly essential to them in the particulars and under the circumstances mentioned. So my dear husband, continue to pray and believe. Question and answer. Well I meant that these truths are not necessary to be read by the people of the present day, for in the New Testament are found these moral truths; and while not necessary I would not advise that the people should absolutely fail to read the Old Testament, because some may enjoy the reading of these truths as they are therein contained and associated with the circumstances surrounding them. They may appeal to some people, and if so, work a benefit. I again say that they are not necessary but they may be helpful to some - the minds of all do not work alike. Think of me in your prayers and love me. Good night. Your own true and loving, Helen November 13th, 1918. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, St. Stephen. Let me write a few words tonight as I am one of the spirits whom your wife wrote of last night would come tonight with the desire to write. My subject is: "What is the meaning of the Divine Nature which the soul of man partakes of, upon the transformation of that soul by the inflowing and possession of the Divine Love?" This, as you may perceive, will be somewhat difficult to explain, and principally because men have no very definite conception of what is comprehended by the term "Divine." They, of course, associate this word with God, and to them God is a being Whose nature and qualities are above their finite conceptions, and as a result of their thoughts, is that which is over and above everything that is called or supposed to be understood as natural. To some, God is a being of personality, and to others, a kind of nebulous existence included in and composing all the various manifestations which are transcendently above what they conceive to be the merely natural or human. I will not attempt to discuss who or what God is, except as to one of His qualities or attributes, and that the greatest - for you must know that all the qualities of God are not of equal greatness or degree of importance in the workings of His essence of substance. All, of course, partake of His Divine Being, but, as you might say, there is a difference in the workings and scope of their operations. You have been told that the Divine is that which has in it, to a sufficient degree, the very Substance and Essence of God, Himself; and this is true, for Divinity belongs to God alone, and can be possessed by others, spirits or mortals, only when He has transfused into or bestowed upon the souls of men a portion of this Divinity, and to the extent thereof made them a part of Himself. There is nothing in all His universe that is Divine or partakes of the Divine except that which is of the soul, for all else is of the material, and this even when it has the form or appearance of the spiritual. And even the soul, as created, is not Divine and cannot become such, until it is transformed into the Divine by the transfusion into it of that which, in its very substance, is Divine. Many souls in the spirit world, although pure and in exact harmony with their created condition, are not Divine and never will become such, and this only because these souls will not desire and seek to become Divine in the only way provided by the Father. It is a mistake for men to believe that because God has created this or that object or thing, it is necessarily Divine, for His creations are no more a part of Himself than are the creations of men a part of themselves; and thus you will see that in all God's creation there is nothing Divine except what has been privileged by His grace to partake of His Divinity. And hence the stars and worlds and trees and animals and rocks and man himself, as created, are not Divine. Men have claimed that in man there is a spark of the Divine - a part as they say of the "Oversoul" - and that it needs only the proper development to make the soul of man wholly Divine. And this theory is based upon the idea that this development can be accomplished by the exercise of the mind or the moral qualities guided by the conscience, which they assert, is of itself Divine; especially when dominated by reason, which has been so often worshiped by philosophers and others (to whom the mind is supreme) as Divine. And they have attempted to differentiate man and the lower animals, and attributed to the former the qualities of Divinity, because he is endowed with reason and the lower animals are not; and have substituted degrees in the order and objects of creation, in the place of differentiation between the Divine and non-divine. God is wholly Divine and every part and attribute of Him is Divine, and while they are parts of the whole, yet they may be separated in their workings and bestowals; and the man or soul that is the recipient of the bestowal of one of these qualities or attributes is not necessarily the recipient of the others. Omnipotence and omniscience are those attributes of God's Divinity which He never bestows upon the souls of men or spirits, and as to them He is the exclusive possessor, although in all His attributes there are powers and knowledge, and they accompany the bestowal of all attributes of which they are parts; and one of these Divine attributes may be bestowed upon man, and yet man not become Deity. There is and can be only one God, although He may give of His Essence and very Substance, so that a man can become as He is in that Essence and Substance, to the extent that it is bestowed. As regards man and his salvation and happiness, the greatest of God's qualities or attributes is His Divine Love, which is the only one that can bring the souls of men into a oneness and nature with the Father, and which has in it the quality of immortality. This Love has a transforming power and can make that which is of a quality foreign to and different from itself, of the same essence as itself; and more than this, can eliminate from that thing those constituents which naturally and necessarily are its components, without injuring or destroying the thing itself. Well we must stop here. I will finish later. I am St. Stephen November 13th, 1918. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving Helen. Well dear, you have had a very interesting letter tonight upon a very vital and important subject, and I am sorry that the writer could not finish his message, but the rapport became very weak and he was compelled to stop. He will come again soon and finish as he is very anxious to do so. It was HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/divinelove41.htm" Stephen who wrote and he is a most beautiful spirit, possessing this Love to a degree that I cannot conceive of, and a most glorious spirit in his appearance. I am glad that you were in such good condition and I hope that you will continue to improve so that more of the messages may be delivered to you every other night. There are so many messages to be written. Your own true and loving, Helen November 15th, 1918. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, John Wesley. I desire to speak to you upon a matter which is very closely associated with your mission and the work you are now doing. I am one of those spirits who are engaged in the carrying on of that work on this side of the borderline, and know the importance of the work and the necessity for its being done as rapidly as possible, so that men may have the opportunity to learn and know and teach the truths of God. I am with you quite frequently as you receive the messages from the spirits who are revealing these truths, and read your mind and soul, and know your exact condition regarding your conception of the task that has been imposed upon you and which you have assumed to do; and hence, can tell you with almost certainty of your attitude towards this great undertaking, and when I say attitude, I do not mean only that of which you are conscious, but also that which is apparently latent but which, nevertheless, is operating, and obstructing or assisting the progress of the work. I am glad to say that just now you have a fuller appreciation of your position in the matter and of the necessity for completing the writings and the dissemination of the truths that they contain; and if you continue in this attitude and permit your desires therein to intensify and become manifested in actual performance, the work will progress rapidly and the great end in view will be accomplished. If you will consider for a moment, you will realize that there is nothing in all your earth so important to mankind as the knowledge of these truths, for they deal with and affect that which belongs to the eternity of the hereafter and the future of the souls of men, and lead to a destiny which will be a Divine existence or a mere living of the perfect man of his original creation. Of course, men are really more interested in their future destiny than in any or all things of earth and the life thereon, but give less attention to the ascertaining of the truths of the same than to many merely human things which exist only during the short earth life; and this is not to be wondered at, because they have no satisfactory or convincing means of learning what this destiny is or may be. It is natural for the desires and interests of men to be attracted to that which has certainty and probability of realization, rather than to that which is devoid of the elements that give assurance and hope founded on knowledge. As you know, many of the expectations of men as to the future are based entirely upon what is called faith, which itself is founded upon what the teachers of the Bible call the mysteries of God, and which are not the subject of research or study, because God in His wisdom retains to Himself, with a jealous care, the understanding of these mysteries; and so men, in their lives, accepting the mysteries and applying the faith, turn their thoughts to these things very rarely and even then, in a perfunctory way, applying the idea that sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Consequently men live more for the present and in a way let the future come and find them in a condition that surprises and injures them, and makes for them a destiny that - were the truth known to them - need not be theirs. When men shall be able to learn the truths that affect, or rather create, their destinies if believed in and lived, they will not be so indifferent to the life of the future, even though they retain their interests in the life of earth. And now, in this generation, when men are thinking for themselves and not resting satisfied with the dogmatic teachings of their supposed leaders, they are becoming incredulous and demanding more light, and are refusing to accept the teachings of the mysteries as satisfying to their feelings of want of those things which will give them an assurance of the truths of living as mortals. Such faith is dying, and men prefer its death to the living in the uncertainties. But this preferring to thus die does not imply - nor is it really true - that they are not in their souls interested in the eternity part of their lives and all that it means. But, becoming hopeless because they see no succor from their unsatisfied condition, they resort to the moral teachings and conduct for their salvation, having the hope that a right living in accordance therewith will result in a future as well as a present in which there must be some happiness, and that "all will be well." This, I say, is the condition of many men today, and because thereof, the ground is fallow for the planting and the nurturing of the truths that are being revealed to you; and so you must appreciate what the revealment and dissemination of these truths mean to the world at this time. I know that you must give much time and labor to the work of fulfilling your mission, and also that you must live a large portion of your life and thoughts with the spirits who are using you for the great object in view; but this apparent sacrifice will soon cease to be a sacrifice, and become to you a joy and source of never-ending benefit to your soul and its future. So you must work and think thoughts of the spiritual and, above all, continue in earnest prayer to the Father for increased bestowals of His Love; and you will not be disappointed. I felt that I should write you as I have, and while you, I know, expected some spirit to communicate some unknown and important vital truth, yet I believe that what I have said may serve to facilitate the delivery of the messages. I will not write longer tonight. I am a possessor of this Divine Love, and from this you will understand what my love is for you, and how earnestly I pray to the Father to bless you and help you in the great work which is yours to do. Good-night. I am Your brother in Christ, John Wesley November 15th, 1918. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving Helen. Well, dear, you have worked hard tonight, and had a HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/religious13.htm" long message from Wesley, and so I will not detain you a great while. I merely want to say that your condition is very much improved, and we feel very certain that now the messages can be delivered without much delay and with comparative ease. We send our love and pray for your happiness. Good-night. Your own true and loving Helen November 20th, 1918 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Francis Bacon. I have been with you tonight as you have read, and was somewhat interested in what James Hyslop had to say in his article on Christianity and Spiritualism, and many things that he puts forth are true, and explain very satisfactorily why many of the miracles, so called, of the Bible, may be believed. As he says, they are not different in the nature of their operations or in the exercise of the law that produced them, from the physical phenomena which are manifesting themselves at this time among the investigators of Spiritualism; and, if today, the same law in its force that was brought into operation by Jesus and the disciples, could be called into operation, the same or similar phenomena would be produced. Of course, a great deal depends upon the medium and the amount of rapport that may be created by the communicating or rather operating spirit, for it must be understood that all the supposed miracles were the results of the work of spirits, who by reason of the harmony existing between themselves and the mortals, were able to call into operation the laws which were necessary to produce the results called miracles. At the present time, there may not be persons who have sufficient development of these psychic powers, which were possessed by Jesus and the others, to produce such phenomena as they produced; but there have been many mortals since his time sufficiently gifted with these powers to cause manifestations very similar to those of the primitive Christian times, especially as regards healing and the like; and today much healing is being performed by mortals, and which is attributed to various causes, such as mental healing and faith cures, but which is really due to the exercise of spirit powers by spirits whose duties are to perform that kind of work. Mortals, of themselves, cannot bring into operation any of these laws, either of mind or soul, but are dependent upon the cooperation of spirits who use some of the properties possessed by these mortals to bring into exercise the laws which only can produce the healing. And here I desire to state, that it is not necessary that the mortal be of a highly spiritual development in order that the powers of the spirit world may effect and change the conditions of the material of earth for the laws which central the material are sufficient, ordinarily, to bring about the healing of the physical or mental diseases of men, and therefore, you will find many mediums, and others not recognized as mediums, having this power of healing. The healing of the body and the healing of the soul require the workings of different laws, and while spirits not having very much soul development, may successfully cooperate with mortals in like condition, in healing bodily ills, yet such spirits are impotent to heal the diseased soul or the purely spiritual condition of men. But spirits who have the power to produce the latter healing, may also heal the body. And this you must know that no spirit who is not what may be called, physically whole or sound, can cause the healing of a physically diseased mortal, for power of this kind can be possessed by and proceed from only those spirits who in their material nature are perfectly healthy and sound. These spirits, while they have cast off the gross, physical material of the mortal, yet are still material so far as the spirit body and form and the properties which compose the same, are concerned. The material of the universe is not confined to or entirely comprised in what mortals may suppose to be the only material, that is that which may be sensed by their five senses or some of them. What is of itself material is always material no matter what form it may assume, whether visible or invisible to mortals; and the larger portion of the material of the universe is in the invisible world, though subject to transformation into the visible, and retransformation into the invisible, and the laws governing and controlling the material are the same, whether that material be to men visible and knowable or not. This material has its quality of persistence after supposed death or destruction, although the form of its manifestation be changed; and from this you will see that he who is known as the materialist, with his supposed want of belief in immortality or the continuity of existence, is in error even as to the material world of which he assumes to have special knowledge, and being in error as to this, how can he claim to be right when he asserts that the purely spiritual has no possibility of continuity of existence or, as some understand, immortality. Well, I have written enough, and feel that you will pardon my intrusion; but I also feel somewhat justified in writing as I have done. With best wishes. I am, Your friend Francis Bacon November 25th, 1918 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Longiticus: Let me write a few lines tonight, as I am very desirous to explain some truths of the spirit world, which may be of benefit to you and those who may read my explanation. I am a spirit that has been in this world for a long time and progressed from the hells to the planes of the Sixth Sphere, and am acquainted with the method of progress and the various experiences of the soul as it ascends from one sphere to the succeeding one higher. When I lived on earth, man as to his moral development, was in a somewhat limited and uncertain condition, and right and wrong were very largely a matter of might. His conscience was merely that part of him which was operated and caused to be operated by his desires to posses those things that seemed to him to be necessary or suited to his contentment in living, or to the destruction or hurt of those whom he hated or sought to destroy; and this condition of conscience should not be difficult to understand, for at the present day, as has recently been demonstrated the same or similar desires have determined the consciences of those who have brought so much distress to mankind. Gods were many and their qualities and attributes many and always were the creatures of the men who were supposed to have a knowledge of and acquaintance with these gods, and who were looked upon by the common people as entitled to their credulity and obedience in attempting to carry out the wishes and directions of these gods. You probably have heard of such people and of such gods and I will not consume space to detail more of the moral conditions of the men of those days or of their utter want of knowledge of the true God and the wholly insufficient thing their conscience was. Well, of course, we died as all men will have to die, and when we found ourselves spirits, more of us were in the dark planes and many in the hells, of which latter class I was one; and the hells then and cause thereof, were the same as they are today and the difficulties of becoming relieved therefrom, the same as are the difficulties of today. I remained in the hells a very long time, and simply for the reason that my state or rather conscience, continued without change, and right and wrong as I had perceived it on earth, persisted with me, and my conscience refused to understand that change is the law of the hells as well as of the earth and the heavens, and that stagnation is itself a sin against law. Many of us who had been associates on earth became associates in the hells and continued in our same ideas of what morality meant, and when I say morality, I simply mean that right course of living and thinking which is in harmony with the creation of the perfect man, as I am now. Of course I could not have given this explanation of morality when I was in the hells, but nevertheless, it applies, even though I did not understand its meaning. I don't seem to be able to write further now and must stop, but will come again. Let me say that you are very much in the dark as to what the truths of the spirit world are, and need enlightenment, and I can enlighten you. Love is not in my curriculum. All I know of or care about is knowledge and truth, and of these things would I write. Knowledge is the comprehension of that which has reality of existence and not a speculative existence only, and this is the knowledge that I have and can teach you. Well, shall I tell you some of the truths of the spirit world? The greatest truth is that the soul of man is immortal and needs no recreation; and the next is like unto it; that this soul is as distinct from all other souls as one star is different from any other. Well, I know this, because I can see the souls of men and of spirits, and know that they are separate and never become absorbed, the one in the other; and the soul is immortal because I have met souls here who have lived for thousands of years without having seen the death of a soul, or heard of such death, and it is reasonable, yet certain, to infer that as death has never appeared during such centuries of time, death never will appear. I am a philosopher here, as I was on earth, and am still pursuing my studies on existence, with much increased facilities and satisfaction, and am in a sphere where the frailties of my earth life have left me. I am pure spirit inwardly, though I have a body that is of the sublimated material and subject to change, but never to destruction, and is the portrayer of my soul, the I am. Well I had a certain line of thought that I desired to reveal to you in a methodical way and your questions somewhat interfered with the symmetry of my discourse, but I do not complain as I have explained to you certain primal facts or truths, which may be of benefit to you. I would like though, to deliver to you in this way my thoughts of truth in a logical and consecutive manner, and if convenient to you, will come again and do so. No, there is nothing in my lecture on love - that I can enjoy without seeking to learn of its nature or truth, and it is not so important to discourse about as other things that you will find expounded in my lecture. A spirit says I must stop. Goodnight, Longiticus November 25th, 1918. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving Helen: Well, dear, you have had two HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/ancient20.htm" spirits write you tonight that are not of our band as you may know. They are wise men, though, and what they could say to you might be instructive and desirable to know, but I saw that you were not satisfied with having them write, and they perceived the fact also, and left. I know that you are disappointed, because some of the higher spirits did not write, but they could not make the necessary rapport and so did not attempt to write. You were not just in the condition. I would like to write my letter, but you are too much drawn on now to undertake the writing. I want you to permit me to commence early when you are fresh. If you will try to get in condition by tomorrow night, I will certainly come and write. Well that will be satisfactory. I do not think it best to write more tonight. Baby is here and sends her love. Love us both and pray to the Father. Goodnight and God Bless you. Your own true and loving, Helen November 26th, 1918 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, your own true and loving Helen: After I passed over, I saw that I must seek a way to communicate with you in my spirit existence, and you may not know, but it is a fact that I was with you when you visited the mediums who informed you that you were a medium, being possessed of the gift of automatic writing; and I, having learned this fact from some of your spirit relatives, and principally your father, impressed these mediums to tell you of the fact of your mediumship. And when, at last, you made the experiment, I was present with you and exerted all my powers, and had the help of other spirits, in making your experiment a success. And when you commenced to receive the messages I cannot tell you how happy I was and thankful that the way was opened up that enabled me to tell you what, above everything else, I was so anxious to tell you. And if you will think for a moment of the nature of my communications, you will remember that the burden of all my messages was my love for you, and no matter how important other portions of the messages might be, yet in them was the continuous assurance that I loved you with all my heart and soul. There are various kinds of love existing between humans and also between spirits and humans, each having its source in different conditions of fact and in varying causes; and of all these loves, only one is or can be the true and eternal one. The love of husband and wife is a beautiful thing, and may exist during the life on earth and bring much happiness to its possessors even though that love is temporary, and, in the workings of the law of attraction in the spirit life, may entirely cease its existence and become forgotten. And so, I may state, will be the destiny of the paternal and maternal, and brotherly and sisterly love. All these are based upon causes or conditions that are merely temporary - that is, may last during time and for a more or less longer period in eternity, but finally must end. These loves, as I understand, are provisions of God which are necessary to enable mankind to work out their progress through the human life in the way that will produce the greatest harmony and happiness among mortals as they contend with the difficulties, cares and disappointments of the earth life. In the spirit world there is no need for these loves, for a greater bond of affection is provided, and is created or brought into operation by the great law of attraction, which causes the merely personal relationship that may have existed between spirits when inhabiting the earthly forms, to cease to be forgotten. This law of attraction is based upon the condition of the soul, whether that soul possesses the development created by the Divine Love or only that created by the purification of the natural love. In the early stages in the spirit life the conditions of the earth life may remain for a time, because the spirit's state of soul and desires and affections may continue to be as they were when on earth; but as stagnation is not a quality of the soul in spirit life, these things which may have bound the humans together in the relationship mentioned do not long continue as they were, as there is no way of avoiding the workings of this law and its results. In order for this state to continue any great length of time, it would be necessary that all the spirits bound by these affections or conditions should remain without change in their souls, and that rarely happens, for in our world the individual becomes the individual in fact, and the real is apparent and spirits see one another face to face, and pretense or effort to hide the true condition of love or affection, or want of the same, becomes futile; so that, as is the real state of the spirit, so is his relationship to other spirits. Again, this law of attraction operates in other directions than that of determining the mere affections, for men's mental conditions and aspirations are determining factors in establishing relationships among themselves. When men become spirits they are at the time of transition, and for a longer or shorter period afterwards, the possessors of the same knowledge and aspirations as they were immediately preceding their passage, with this difference: that to a more or less extent this knowledge and these aspirations, when in spirit life, are made apparent to others, not necessarily in words and professions, but by the power of seeing, which all but the very depraved spirits possess, so that, pretense and dissembling being absent or of no avail, these spirits, under the law, attract those affections arising from their human relationships cease to bind these several spirits, and they obey the law. The temporary love has fulfilled its mission and object, and to continue to exist under the circumstances mentioned would work injury and retardation to the progress of these spirits, no matter what may be the nature or cause of that progress. Now, while what I have said is all true, yet there is another provision of the Father's law, designed for the happiness of men while mortals, that causes the love arising from the human relationship to continue with the spirit so long as the object of that love continues in the flesh, and no matter what the progress of that spirit may be or what its attractions are, yet it continues to love the mortal during his earthly career, and to watch over and help him, and all this even though this love which once existed for other mortals in the same relationship, and who have passed to spirit life, may have ended and been forgotten. This human love is subject to change and death, and those of earth life who console themselves with the thought that when they pass to spirit life they will meet their loved ones who have gone before, never to part again, will be disappointed, but not long distressed, for they will soon thereafter learn and experience the workings of the great law of attraction, and in that experience will be happy. But there is another and differing love, not of the temporal, but of the everlasting, in its nature, and all humans have it, though probably unaware of the fact, but which at some period - and this may be for some time - in eternity they will become conscious of, and then never deprived of, for it is the perfect fulfillment of this law of attraction. I mean the soulmate love, of which I have written you so often. It was born before any man appeared in the flesh, and was a part of his very soul's creation, and of which he could never be deprived, though so often does it lie dormant in the souls and consciousness of man. I and others have written you as to how when the souls of men were created by the Father these souls were made male and female, though constituting only the one soul - two in one, the perfect one. And with their creation was bestowed upon them a love - not two loves, but only one - which was possessed equally by each part of the complete soul, and which will always remain one in its complete workings, although these two parts of the soul have to be, and are, separated in their incarnation in the human body, which incarnation is for the purpose of giving the male and the female parts of the one soul a separate individuality, without severing or disuniting this love, which through all eternity binds together these two parts as one. The love of which I have first spoken is the love for time only; the soulmate love is the love for all eternity, and this great love which requires that at some stage in eternity these two parts of the one soul shall become one again, should be one of the most convincing proofs that all men, sooner or later, will come into harmony with the will of the Father and with the laws creating such souls. The fundamental law of the universe is that all things shall come into harmony with the will of the Father, and as the hells and all that they comprehend are out of such harmony, men may believe that in the ultimate working out of this law no soul will remain in the hells or in the condition or state of existence that primarily makes the hells, but that all souls in their perfected union will become inhabitants of either the spiritual or the Celestial heavens. And further, I must say, as you have been told before, that this soulmatelove is the only love that can have a separate and individual existence in the Celestial heavens, where the Divine Love exists to the exclusion of every other love save the soulmate love; and the more the spirits - the united two in one - possess the Divine Love, the greater will be their possession of this soulmate love. As you know, I am your soulmate and come to you so often in my love, and you realize the fact and respond, and at times are very happy. You have experienced on several occasions the depth and yearnings of my love to such an extent that your soul has come to me in my spirit world and enjoyed moments of unspeakable bliss; and as you may not know, left me with protestations against its return to your mortal body, and, if my love had not been wise as well as intense and wonderfully absorbing, your protests would have been heeded and you would have remained with me to enjoy the happiness which can be yours only when you come to the spirit world to find your home everlasting. It has been said that the man in love is a fool, and that may be true in regard to the merely human love, but as to this soulmate love the more of it we possess the wiser we become and correspondingly happy. I cannot tell you the depth and height and wonders of my love, and only say that it fulfills to the uttermost the great law of attraction, and there is nothing, save the Divine Love, in all the universe of being that can excel it or take its place, or make two souls so united that even death cannot sever it. I will be with you as long as you continue to live on earth, in all the fullness of my love, and when the time of your passing comes, I will be present; and so much love will be around you that you will forget the dying and the awakening, and know only that your soulmate is with you telling you of love and happiness and the beauties of the life that will be yours, and showing you to a large degree how splendid and heavenly this love can make a spirit that possesses the Divine Love also. Well dear, baby is here and says she has read what I have written and is so glad that you have me for your soulmate. She is very happy and is growing all the time in beauty and in the possession of the Father's Love, and so wants you to seek more and more for this love, and says, "How rich Daddy is to have the soulmate love of my beautiful mother and the certainty of the great love of the Father, if he will only seek for it; and in addition, which may not count for much, he has the love of his own Baby, who is now so happy." And Mary says that I must not neglect to say that she is here also, and has read my message with great pleasure, and wants me to tell the Dr. that if he will only substitute himself in your place and her in my place and read the letter he will know something of her love for him; that he is her soulmate and can never be another's and she is with him so very often trying to impress him with her presence and love. Well dear, you have written a great deal and I will stop. I am so glad that I could write. Good night, my dear Ned. Your own true and loving, Helen November 29th, 1918 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. Let me write a few lines for I am very anxious to write you in reference to a truth which obtains in our spirit world, and with which you may not be acquainted. As you may not know there is in our world a law which makes the soul of one who has not yet been purified suffer the penalties for the acts of sin and evil of which he may have been guilty during his earth life; and there is no forgiveness of these acts in the sense that forgiveness is taught by the theologians and churches, but the only forgiveness is the cessation of recollection of these acts so that they become as though they had never been; and, as the soul becomes naturally pure and in harmony with the laws of its creation, it then comes into its natural condition, and then, and then only, forgiveness takes place. God does not forgive by the mere act of pronouncing forgiveness or by any arbitrary and sudden blotting exit of sins, and thereby removing the condition which creates the inharmony; and so you will understand, that He cannot forgive sin in this way, neither can the popes, priests, teachers or churches, and the pronouncing of forgiveness by these men constitutes a deception of and an injury to the persons who pray and ask for forgiveness, and for such deception these men will have to answer when they come to the spirit world and realize the truth of forgiveness and the great deception that they had practiced upon those who were their followers and believers in these false doctrines. Many spirits are now living and suffering in darkness in their purgatories just because of their beliefs, and the results thereof, in these misleading teachings. There is no forgiveness until man makes the effort by struggling and succeeding in getting rid of these recollections; and such riddance can be obtained only by men realizing the fact that sin is only the effect of their having done those things, and thought those thoughts which are out of harmony with the will of God and the laws governing the creation of man. There can be no sinning of the physical body or of the spirit body, but only of the soul caused by the exercise of the will in a manner antagonistic to the will of the Father. The body, of course, is affected by these inharmonious thoughts and impelling directions of the will, and is caused thereby to commit the act which is the external demonstrator of the inharmonious exercise of the will; and as God leaves to man the freedom of exercising his will, as such will may be influenced by the thoughts, desires and affections of his appetites and lusts, so God leaves to man the application of the remedies that will free the soul from such influence and effects as are caused by this exercise of the will; and only when these thoughts and appetites and lusts become eliminated from his soul and desires, does the soul come into its natural condition and in harmony with the will of God. Man, himself, must be the actor and the initiating force to bring about these changes in his will, and no assurances of forgiveness by popes, priests or churches can eradicate these contaminating influences, or remove that which is the cause of the sin or the effect of the cause. You must see that there can be no relationship between the assurance of forgiveness and the sin or the cause thereof. Prayer to the Father for forgiveness or supplication to priests and church is supposed to effectuate the objects sought, but this belief is erroneous and does not bring the relief prayed for; yet prayer is a very important element in forgiveness, and while the Father does not, and the priests and church cannot, forgive sin in the manner mentioned, yet true, sincere prayer to the Father for forgiveness will bring its answer, and affect, not the sin, but the soul and state of men, so that their will and appetites and desires may be influenced in such a way that they will receive and realize the fact of a wonderful help in changing these appetites and desires, and in turning their thoughts to those things that will enable them to remove from their recollections the acts and thoughts, which are the causes of the existence of their souls in a state of sin. If men would only realize these truths, and, when they desire the forgiveness of their sins, pray to the Father for help in turning away from these thoughts and in exercising their will in accord with His will and not expect any arbitrary forgiveness or removal of their sins, they would find themselves on the way to this forgetfulness and the true forgiveness. Well, I desired to write this short message and am pleased that I could do so. Thanking you, I will say, good night. Your brother in Christ, Apostle of Jesus, Peter December 1st, 1918. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Francis Bacon: Let me write a short message in reference to our spirit world and one of the laws that obtain therein. You were told a HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor281.htm" few nights ago that which is material in itself, always remains material although the combination into forms and appearances may change, and even the material elements may cease to be perceptive to the faculties or senses of the human, and this assertion of fact is true and without exception. The material of the universe is one and not diverse, and the thing that you may sense as being material is a part of the same great universal material of existence, and may at different times and under certain conditions become incorporated in the invisible material and yet remain just as real as when it was the thing that you could sense as a reality. The fact of the existence of the material is not determined by the requirement that men shall be able to cognize its existence by the exercise of some one or all of the perceptions of the human organs used to comprehend what they call the material of nature; and whether or not men are able to so cognize what is the truly material does not affect the existence of the material, for as it now has reality so it would have if men had no perception at all. To the blind man, the knowledge of the existence of that part of the material of what you may call the natural world, that depends on sight for its comprehension, can be acquired only by information from those who have that sight; and so, knowledge of the existence of the material in the world not subject to comprehension by the senses of men can only be obtained through information given them by those who have cognition such existence by reason of faculties that they possess. Men sometimes claim that they have knowledge of the existence of the material in the invisible world as a resultant from the exercise of reason and an acquaintance with the law of cause and effect, and in many instances this claim is true, especially where effects are perceived, which must have had causes existing beyond the circle of the known material. To illustrate: men see and understand the effects of the workings of electricity, and to an extent can control and utilize that electricity, and yet they cannot by the exercise of their natural senses claim knowledge of the fact that if exists as a part of the material of the universe - they know it only as a cause producing an effect, and as to whether it is of the material or not they have no sensate knowledge. Electricity is of the material, and intangible and not subject to the perception of sense, and to men has an existence only because it is accepted and declared to be the cause of certain known effects. Now, there are many material things in the invisible world that have never come to the knowledge of men by reason of effects produced and made known to their cognition; yet these thing; are just as real and just as much a part of the material of the universe as are those things that men call the material of the natural world. Now what I have written is merely to demonstrate the fact that the existence of the material is not confined to what men call the natural world, and that men's knowledge does not always determine whether the material exists or not. The material has its place and existence in all the spheres of the spirit world and is used by spirits in their work and living just as really as it exists in the natural world and is used by men for their welfare and happiness; and when the inhabitants of the spirit world use it for the purpose and in such a manner as to make the invisible material perceptible to the senses of men, they should not look upon such phenomena as unreal or non acceptable because such phenomena is not produced in accord or harmony with the laws of the material as they understand them. I will continue later. Your friend, Francis Bacon December 1st, 1918. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: Well dear, the message that you have just received was from the HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/historic1.htm" spirit who wrote you a few nights ago on the subject of the material. He seemed to be much interested in the matter and says he desires to impart information which is scientific and of importance to mankind, and that he will come again soon. I see that you have had a very happy day and feel much better because of your visit, and you are better, and in such condition that the other spirits can write, and I hope that tomorrow night you will give them the opportunity. You will receive some very instructive and vital messages and should give all the time possible to the preparation for receiving these truths. I am quite happy in being with you today, and have felt that we are getting closer together in our love and rapport. It is late, and I will not write more now. Baby is here in her love and says she hopes that she may soon be able to write her letter, and that she loves you so much. Well he is ready, and will write tomorrow night, if you will prepare the way. I will tell him. Love us and pray to the Father, as we want you to get more of the love and come closer to us in your soul development. Goodnight, Your own true and loving, Helen December 16th, 1918 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. Let me write a few lines tonight as I desire to tell you of a truth that to me seems important for mankind to know in order that they may comprehend the truth of their personal salvation. I am a spirit of soul development and an inhabitant of the Celestial Heavens, where only those whose souls have been transformed by the Divine Love into the very nature and Essence of the Father can find a habitation. I will not write at any great length and have only one idea or truth to convey, and that is "that no man or spirit can possibly receive the full salvation that Jesus taught and exemplified in his own person, who does not become wholly possessed in his soul of this Divine Love of the Father, and becomes rid of the conditions and attributes that belong to his created soul." This soul was not created with any of the divine attributes or qualities, but simply and merely with those which you may call human and which all men and spirits who have not experienced the transformation possess. The God-man, as Jesus is sometimes designated by your religious writers and theologians, was not at the time of his creation or appearance in the flesh possessed of these Divine attributes, which are of the nature and Essence of the Father, but only of the human attributes which belonged to the perfect man - that is, the man who was the perfect creature as he existed before the fall of the first parents, when sin had not entered into their souls, and into the world of men's existence. Jesus was from the time of his birth, the perfect man, and, consequently, without sin - all his moral qualities being in complete harmony with the will of God and the laws controlling his creation; yet, he was not greater than were the first parents prior to their act of disobedience. There was nothing of God, in the sense of the Divine that entered into his nature or constituents, and, if the Divine Love had not come into and transformed his soul, he would have remained only the perfect creature of a quality no higher or greater than was bestowed upon the first man; and Jesus was as regards his possibilities and privileges, like this first man prior to his fall or death of the potentiality of becoming Divine, but differed from him in this: that Jesus embraced and made his own these privileges and hence became Divine, while the first man refused to embrace them and lost them, and remained the mere man though not the perfect man as he was created. And while Jesus by reason of his possession of the Divine Love became divine, yet he never became the God-man, and never can, for there does not exist and never can be a God-man. God is God, alone, and never has and never can become man; and Jesus is man only, and never can become God. But Jesus is preeminently the Divine man, and may rightly be called the best beloved son of the Father, for he possesses more of the Divine Love and, consequently, more of the Essence and Nature of the Father, than does any other spirit of the Celestial Heavens, and with this possession there comes to him greater power and glory and knowledge. He may be described and understood as possessing and manifesting the Wisdom of the Father; and we spirits of the Celestial Kingdom recognize and acknowledge that superior wisdom of Jesus and are compelled by the very greatness and force of the wisdom, itself, to honor and abide in his authority. And this transcendent and greatest possessor of the Father's wisdom is the same when he comes to you and reveals the truths of God as he is when in the highest spheres of the Celestial Kingdom clothed in all the glory of his nearness to the Father. As the voice on the Mount said "Hear ye him," I repeat to you and to all who may have the privilege and opportunity of reading or hearing his messages, hear ye him! And when hearing, believe and seek. Well, my brother, I deemed it proper to write this short message and hope it may help you in the work. I will come again. Good night. Your brother in Christ, Saint Matthew, as called in the Bible. December 24th, 1918. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: Well dear, I see that you are quite happy just now, and appreciate the difference in influence given you by the messages that you have read and the book that you were reading that took up so much of your time before you commenced to read our writings. The information that you obtain from the book is quite valuable in an historical point of view, and by contrast may show you how utterly ignorant the writers of the articles or rather the actors in the history were of the real truths of Christianity and of the true way to salvation. I would not advise you to read these articles, and I do know that it is best for you to give less time and thought to what you may learn from them. Thinking of these things to some extent interferes with your thinking of the truths, and also affects your condition for rapport, so that the spirits cannot communicate as freely and successfully as they desire to do, and as important as it is to be done. Well tonight is Christmas eve and you are all alone, and have thought as I saw, of the times when you had us with you on Christmas eve, and enjoyed the anticipation of the happiness of our children on the morrow. It is true that we had some happy days under such surroundings and that we were so absorbed in our dear ones that nothing disturbed our joys. But yet, it is not helpful to think of these days, for they are passed and can never return, although you may before you come over have the opportunity to enjoy days in which your grandchildren may furnish you a similar happiness. But I will not be with you as you may think - without really thinking - and you may wish that I might without realizing the fact, that I will surely be with you and write in your happiness. As I have told you, I will not leave you in your loneliness, or when you may long for me; as long as you shall remain on earth. Tomorrow, when you visit Harry I will be there, and so will Baby, and will enter into your feelings of joy, and try to impress you to realize my presence. No, my dear sweetheart, I will never forsake you, but will always love you with a greater love than ever I had on earth, and which is growing deeper and purer all the time. I know that all of you will have a happy Christmas, and if you could only realize the presence of the spirits who will be with you, you would find a greatly increased happiness. Baby says that she will be there and love you and Harry and Hazel with all her love and will try to help them feel that her love is with them, and will enjoy the occasion more than if she were with you in the body. You had better go to bed now and get up early. Well dear, they are waiting only for you to get in condition, and when you do there will be no delay in communicating the truths. The Master has been with you a number of nights, desiring to write, but for reasons that you know of, he could not, but he is patient and thinks that you will soon realize the importance of the work so that you will do that which is necessary to bring about the condition. He is not here tonight, nor in the lower spheres, because, as I have told you before, the great amount of worship of him that is taking place now and will continue tomorrow, is distasteful to him, and he has gone to his Celestial Sphere, and will not probably come back to you until after the objectionable worship has ceased. No, not tonight. He is with you every night as he promised, and prays with you and tries to help you, and when you earnestly pray to the Father he is pleased and gives thanks. So you, knowing this, must try to pray more earnestly, and with more faith. He will soon come again, and I am so glad to hear you say that you believe he is with you as he promised. Keep up your faith and hope, and you will not be disappointed, for the love will come into your soul in more abundance and you will become in better condition to do the work. Yes, we all hope so. But you must make the effort for so much depends upon you. You will have the help of your friend who advises, and he is very anxious to do his part of the work. He is not here now, for when he was last here he said he would not come until he had reason to advise you differently from what he last advised. But he will not fail you. So dear, love us with all your heart and believe that we love you. Give me a kiss and say goodnight. Your own true and loving, Helen December 26th, 1918 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. Let me say a word. You are not doing the wise thing in reading that book, for it is very largely speculation and that which leads to untruth and harm. The writer knows now that his hypothesis of the dual mind is all wrong, and that he has the same mind now that he had when on earth, and that no part of that mind died with the death of the body. He also knows that spirits do communicate with mortals, and the subjective mind, as he calls it, does not among mortals furnish the means of communication or suggest the information that is contained in the psychic phenomena. He also knows that the mind is not the soul, but one of its attributes merely, and that it is controlled by the soul and the will. Many other things besides, he now knows, and is convinced that man is not the result of evolution, but is the immediate and direct creation of God, and that he has no relationship to the brute animal. Sometime he will come and write you fully on these subjects, if you will permit him to do so. Good night, the author Jay Hudson December 29th, 1918. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Nita: Well, Daddy, this is the night that I was to write my message, and I was looking forward to doing so, but mother tells me that I had better wait until another night when you may be feeling better and have more time to receive it, and while I am disappointed, I will wait; but I hope it will be soon. Oh, Daddy, you don't know how anxious I am to write and tell you of the things that I have experienced and how happy I am, and how much I love you and want you to believe that I am with you and love me. I am progressing and growing happier and more beautiful, as mother tells me, all the time. I know something of heaven and the Father's Love, and of Jesus who comes to you and to me also, and tells me of wonderful things that are awaiting me in the higher spheres. Oh, I wish that I could explain to you all that I know and see and realize, for then I know you would strive with all your might to get in the condition that the spirits desire you to have. Yes, I have, and she is here, but so unhappy and sad and suffering. I am trying to help her. I see that you doubt. Do not, but wait a little while and you will hear from Edward. Daddy, love me with all your heart and continue to pray for me. I am with you at night when you pray and feel so much helped. Goodnight, my dear Daddy. Your own loving, Nita December 29th, 1918. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving Helen: Well, dear, I am glad that you had the message from John, for I see that you are anxious to receive an explanation of the truth of the second coming of the Master in detail, so that not only you but the world which reads these messages may understand. John will come soon - it all depends on you. Well, our Baby was so happy that she could write you, and tell you how much she loves you, and how happy she is and with what rapidity she is progressing. She was a little disappointed that she could not write, but as she understands the reason she acquiesced and said she would wait. She is progressing very fast and becoming so very beautiful as the love fills her soul. You must think of her and love her very dearly. I was with you tonight at church and saw what impressions the sermon made on you, and how you felt that you would like to tell the preacher the truth and help him put on the wedding garment. Well, we will have to wait. His mother is praying for him and trying to impress him with the truth but his orthodox views are too firmly fixed to permit an impression to be made upon him at this time; but sometime he will learn the truth. Well, dear, you have had another happy experience today and your soul has been much benefitted by your longings for the Father's Love. Only continue to pray and you will realize your desires, and the messages will come to you - for many spirits are here, waiting to communicate. Well, we have thought of that, and concluded that you had better confine your work to the higher messages, especially as the work you did among them is bearing much fruit, and as a result the spirits of love are enabled to come into communication with many of the dark spirits who now listen to what we desire to say to them. The ones that you helped are working successfully among the dark ones. Well, dear, I will now stop. Love me and believe and pray. Goodnight, Your own true and loving, Helen January 5th, 1919 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Spinoza: Let me write a few lines as I have not written you for some time, and am quite anxious to give some thoughts that may be of benefit to you. I am not one of the spirits who write to you of what they call the higher truths, yet I have a knowledge of some of these truths and believe in all that has been communicated to you, for I know that the spirits who write you are of the Celestial Spheres, possessed of knowledge that we who live in the spirit spheres do not possess. Well, I merely want to say a few words in reference to the predictions which you heard tonight, and as regards the source of the same. As you know, the woman is a medium gifted with the power of clairvoyance and inspirational receptivity, and on many occasions she perceives and receives some of the truths of the spirit world, and some of the persons whom she professes to see. Her communicants, though, are not of a very high order of development, and she, herself, could not see the highly developed spirits, because the law of communication and rapport applies to her phases of mediumship just as it does to yours. She is a very good woman morally, with some temperamental defects, and attracts spirits of moral worth and conditions, and her guides are in the condition that enables them to live in the brighter spheres, yet not having much spiritual development. She professes to declare the predictions of her spirit friend, G____, as to what the future, for the ensuing year, will be in the experience of men and nations. Well, she has such a control, and he is a very intelligent spirit, and to some extent inspires her with his ideas of what the future holds out to mankind, and she with more or less exactness declares his thoughts as they are impressed upon her mind. But in connection with these thoughts she incorporates thoughts of her own, believing that they are inspired also, but such is not the fact, though, possibly, these thoughts furnish as good grounds for the predictions as do the thoughts of her control. I do not believe, at least I have never had it demonstrated to me, that any spirit can make truthful predictions, such as the medium expressed tonight; for spirits have not the powers of omniscience and are as dependent upon the workings of the law of cause and effect as are mortals with this exception, that they can perceive many existing causes that mortals cannot and hence because of this knowledge can make predictions of the future happening of effects, that mortals cannot make. Take from spirits the knowledge of these causes and their predictions are merely guesses which may or may not come true. As you heard, she declared many things that are problems now existing and the subjects of much thought and study on the part of mortals who give their attention to these matters; and she, as one of them, had her own thoughts and had formed her own conclusions and believed that they were the results of inspiration, whereas they had their foundation in her own mind, arising from her knowledge of and speculations on these things. The present conditions of the world are such that there exists great probabilities of the happening of many things that the medium predicted, and many persons having knowledge of these conditions will predict, if they be called upon, future occurrences similar to those mentioned by the medium, and if they should happen, it will not be because any spirits know the fact, but because there are causes existing which will necessarily bring them about. Well, such meetings and such predictions will not do any harm, but, on the contrary, will cause many people to turn their thoughts to spiritual things and to spiritualism, which will tend to liberate their minds from the shackles that are now preventing them from seeking and understanding the truth. I will not consume more of your time now, but hope to be able to write later. Goodbye, your friend, Spinoza January 5th, 1919. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: Well dear, I am sorry that I could not write a while ago, but there were some spirits in trouble who wanted to write, and I did not feel justified in using force to drive them away, though White Eagle would not let them write. We must expect such interferences and abide the results for a while. You understand, I know, and will not think that I did not desire to write. Well, you have received a letter tonight from a HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor806.htm" spirit who has written you before, and, as I then told you, he is a very bright and intelligent spirit, but not of the Celestial Spheres, and only knows the truths which came with the development of his soul in natural love. We have tried to help him but have not yet been successful in convincing him that what we tell him is the only way that will lead him to the happiness of the Divine. Yet we expect that sooner or later he will understand and follow our advice. Helen January 6th, 1919 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Francis Bacon. Let me write just a few lines, as I desire to tell you of a thing which may be of importance to you. I see you are a little disturbed over what a man said to you tonight as to his want of belief in the identity of the spirits who profess to manifest themselves through mediums. Well, this need not disturb you one particle, for the identity of the spirit is just as real and certain as is the fact that a man can and does identify another after an absence, more or less long, from the latter's appearance, voice, and so forth. In the case of his identification he depends on the operation of certain of his senses, such as his sight and hearing, and through them he satisfies his mind that the man identified is the identical person that he may claim to be, as you may say, he would be a very silly man if he would not accept such identification as convincing and determinate. In the case of the identifying of those who are in the spirit, and who come with the powers and with the presence of spirits only, he cannot, of course, use his senses for the purpose of identification; and if he had to depend upon these organs alone, he would never be able to conclude that the spirits who present the phenomena are those who profess to be his friends or acquaintances. Most mortals do not have the gift of perceiving, or receiving the impression of, the presence of spirits, and in such cases are In the condition of the blind and deaf man with reference to the things of earth. The latter has no means of identifying his closest friends, and yet it would be just as reasonable to contend that these friends are not existing and present, and the same day after day, as for mortals to say that the spirits of those who once lived on earth are not existing and present, because the mortals have not the faculties of seeing and hearing them. There are things in earth life as well as in spirit life that can come to the knowledge of some men only through information given them by other men who have superior powers and faculties for seeking for and obtaining this information. Some mortals have eyes and faculties not material, as usually understood, for seeing and hearing and receiving knowledge from the spirits, and who render what is thus seen, heard and received just as real and certain as are real and certain the presence of mortals and material things to those who have their physical organs of sight and hearing; and the identity of what is seen and heard and received is just as truly established in the former as in the latter case. All men who are wanting as to the nonmaterial organs mentioned can identify the things of the material world and are satisfied of the fact; and make their mode of such identification the standard by which they must and only can become convinced of the identity of the things of the spirit world: and when they insist upon such method of identification they, of course, can never be convinced, except perhaps in those phenomena as are manifested in materialization and spirit photography. When the merely physical powers or means of ascertaining the existence and identity of things or humans are used, then those who confine their search for truth and the discerning of the identity of claimed existences to the use of such physical organs will never be able to see, hear or receive that which might convince them of the identity of the things existing in the spirit world. This is the result of the eternal laws of the universe in their operations; and no desires or efforts of man can change this result. Man is unfortunate when he assumes the position that unless these laws can be or are changed in order that he may by his physical organs see or hear or be able to identify the things of the spirit world, he will not believe that there is identity existing among the spirits who come to men and in various ways manifest their presence. When a man stands on the compliance with this condition as necessary to convince him of the identity of those friends of his who have passed to spirit life and who come in psychical phenomena and manifest themselves, it is useless to try to convince him, because of the very necessities of the laws governing such phenomena. And those who do believe, and those who know of, this identity will only waste time and effort in trying to convince men who assume the position of depending entirely on the physical means which they may possess. There are many humans today who are truly convinced, and have all sufficient grounds for their convictions as to the identity and presence of their spirit friends, and they are not deceived, but enjoy the happiness that comes to them from such knowledge. In my observations of the workings of human minds upon this question of the existence and identity of spirits, I learn that such evidence as would satisfy their minds, under the strictest requirements, as to material things, is brushed aside as wholly inadequate, and sometimes not even worthy of consideration, to satisfy them as to these spiritual things; and it seems that the greater knowledge they possess of the nature of and laws controlling material things, the less credence and consideration will they give to the nature of and laws controlling spiritual things. Every other explanation of psychical phenomena is put forth and accepted, rather than the simple and natural one; and if men only knew what nature really is, and its laws, they would realize how little they now know of nature. Generally, nature is only that consciousness of things material which comes within their limited cognition. They do not know that the larger part of nature, if it can be separated, is beyond the things or conditions which they have knowledge of as being the material of the universe. Well, as I said, the identity of the spiritual cannot be and must not be expected to be established by the operations of the merely physical organs of man, except perhaps in those manifestations appearing in the phenomena of materializations or spirit photography, and even they are not accepted as real or true by many men who accept what are called scientific deductions from supposed facts connected with the manifestations of what these men consider to be natural. And so the proof of the presence and identity of spirits will have to depend upon the results produced by the operations of laws controlling the spiritual existences and the psychical powers and gifts of certain humans, Sometime it may be that these gifted persons will be accepted as honest and truthful and not self-deceived, and the manifestations resulting from the exercise of these powers as the effects of the efforts and intelligence of spirits who, at one time, were human beings. When men come to realize that the change called death does not destroy identity and consciousness and powers of mind, as well as what may be called powers physical - for the material of the universe is used and operated by spirits - but on the contrary, intensifies these possessions and powers, then they will accept the truth that the presence of the spirits of their departed friends is a variety, and that the identity of these spirits is eternal. Well, I have written as much as I think best to write tonight, and thank you for your indulgence. With kind regards, I will say good night, Your friend, Francis Bacon January 12th, 1919. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus: Let me say a few words. I have been with you tonight while at church and since you came home and understand, your desire to have the preacher read my message on the soul and I agree with you that it is advisable. He has some conception of what the soul is but his knowledge is not of that character as to enable him to express the most important qualities or its origin or difference from the spirit. I was glad that he undertook to deal with this subject for it has given you the opportunity of making known to him or of affording him the opportunity to talk to him about these truths and then be able to enlighten him, for his mind is working in error and misconception of what the truth of these spiritual things is. I desire to come soon and write another message and am only waiting for you to get into the necessary condition that I may do so. Well, I will understand you and will come some night this week. Think more of these spiritual things and pray more to the Father for His Love and you will not fail to get in condition. Our work will go on and we will have many messages, yet tonight we must take advantage of every possible moment. I have been with you a great deal lately trying to influence you and turn your mind to these spiritual things and away from merely earthly things that are not important to you. I hope that you will soon be so situated that you can give all your thoughts and attention to the work and I believe you will if you will make the effort. You know we can help you in many ways but more depends upon yourself as to these material matters and you must act. I will not write more tonight and with my love and the Father's blessings I will say goodnight. Your brother and friend, Jesus January 12th, 1919. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your own true and loving, Helen. Well dear, the HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor323.htm" Master has just written you and he was very much interested in what you have in mind to do. You must try your utmost to be ready to receive his message when he comes, for nothing to you is of more importance. I will soon come and write a little upon some features of the soul which is not in the Master's messages, I mean about the soulmates and their love. So expect me. Baby says she wants to write and tell you what she knows about love and happiness and will do so as soon as you will arrange things. I will not write more tonight as you are somewhat tired. So sweetheart, love us and pray to the Father and believe that I love you with all my heart and soul, the great thing to you and me. Goodnight, Your own true and loving, Helen February 11th, 1919. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Robert Dale Owen: Let me say just a word, for I am interested in your work and in the phenomena of spiritualism. I have been with you as you read the book which attempts to show the truth of spiritual manifestations, and the instances mentioned of spirits showing themselves in the garb of humans are true. I was then an investigator of the question, and had only the knowledge which I received from my own observation, and, hence, was an outsider, as it were, of these spiritual phenomena. I mean that I was not one of the gifted ones of earth, who can have the power of receiving or communicating with spirits by reason of the fact that they possess the power of seeing or feeling or hearing the presence of spirits. I was not so gifted. I am now an investigator of things spiritual, but not of the possibility of communicating with the spirit world, for this I know to be a fact, and beyond all question, and men who doubt the fact are in the condition of those who will not learn, because they do not believe in the first principles of the phenomena, and are willing to let their prejudices or their indifference lead them away from the truth. The phenomena which I have portrayed in my book are very simple and of the lower order of spiritual phenomena, and yet men will not believe because they fail to approach the subject with open minds and desire to learn the truth even though the search for the same leads them along lines of investigation that are so foreign to the course of study that they are pursuing in their various vocations. Of all the bigoted and hardheaded investigators of truth, the preachers are the most difficult to teach the truth of spiritualism, and their periscope is one that enables them to see only in a straight line that has been laid down to them for ages and holds them in its iron grasp. I would like to come to you sometime and write you a long description of the spirit world and its phenomena, although it may not surprise you very much, considering what you have had revealed to you. Well, you have asked me some questions which I cannot answer in one breath. But I am in the Third Sphere, where many spirits are pursuing their studies of things which pertain to the laws of the spirit world, as well as to the laws of the earth. I have not heard of the Divine Love, except as we call all love divine, and it must be so, for it leads us to the spheres where those who are sinless and in harmony with the Father reside. I am a true believer in the things of God and in the redemption of all mankind, sooner or later. My intellect is only part of my existence in the spirit world, and above and greater than that is the love that causes me to become in harmony with the laws of God, and at-one with him. These are the answers to your questions, and I should like to write you at length upon the truths of what I have so briefly stated. I know that you are very busy in receiving communications from the spirit world and have little time for communications from strangers, yet I should like to write at least one letter in reference to my condition and knowledge of things as I have found them. I say what is true, for I have never heard of the Divine Love in the sense that you have spoken of. I have never talked with spirits who claim to have this Love, and to be better than are the spirits who are progressing in the love which they have, and as to immortality, I only know that death merely sets the soul of the mortal free and enables it to enter onto its progress towards the higher spheres, where truth and goodness are. Let me wait a moment in my astonishment, for I see more spirits who seem to be of a different order of spirit from me, and are brighter and more beautiful, and are willing to tell me of the Divine Love, for they all claim to know it. But I do not understand and I am sure that if they are possessed of this Love, it is only another form of belief. I am all confused and cannot think for the moment. I will come again. I must go. Good night, Robert Dale Owen February 19th, 1919. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Job: Let me say a few words tonight upon a subject that is of importance to mankind and to the future of man. I see that you have been reading a book professing to give communications from a spirit who claims to be possessed of a divine mission in the way of teaching men the truths of the soul, and of the way to immortality and life. Well, you may accept what is said with some degree of truth as to the condition of spirits who are progressing in the development of their natural love, and as to the facts that await a soul after it has left the mortal life. Many of the statements contained in the writings are true and should be accepted and acted upon by mortals who desire a knowledge of the true way to a kingdom of the purified soul and to a reconciliation to God in the way of renunciation. God is good, and not the hateful and merciless being that your orthodox beliefs teach and is always the same, now as in the days of old when men's conception of Him were determined by their own ideas of what a God should be, and what men should believe him to be. But there are many things taught in the writings of the book that are not true, though in accord with the knowledge possessed by the writers and suited to the condition of the medium through whom the messages were delivered. The writers were spirits who were highly developed intellectually and morally, and had knowledge of the truths to an extent that made what they said powerful expositions of the truth as they knew it to be; but beyond the fact that men must, in order to become pure and holy, do those things which the law of harmony in their natural love demands, they could not teach. Now, while this is all true, yet they did not know of the higher truths that make a man or the soul of a man divine and at one with the Father and could not teach because they did not possess any knowledge of, and only so far as they knew, must, their teachings be accepted as truth. They were far in advance in their renditions of the disclosures contained in the Bible, both as to God and Jesus, and the final destiny of man, and their revelations should be accepted in place of the teachings of the Bible. They were not only acquainted with the laws of God as dealing with man in his relation to good and evil, but also with the laws as to man's release from the consequences of his acts and deeds of earth, and as to his release from the consequences of his evil acts. I would like to write now, but the rapport is broken. Goodnight, Job February 19th, 1919 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, John Let me say just a word. I was with you today when you were talking to your friend, and heard your conversation, and saw the utter want of comprehension on the part of your friend as to the truths of the spirit world, and especially of the laws that divide the mere perfect man from the Divine man or spirit. He is so engulfed in the conceptions that he has of these loves arising from his experience in life that he can only see the existence of one love, the natural, and his mind is not capable of seeing the other Love, and of course his soul has not that development which would assure him of the reality of the Divine Love. The mind itself is capable of informing him of the existence and working of the natural love, and as this is the only means that he possesses of understanding what love is, he cannot possibly understand this Love, and that soul developed to a degree by the very Love itself. He may argue to the extent of the capacity of his mind and he will never be able to comprehend the Love that requires a perception of the soul, and he may remain satisfied and convince himself that the natural love is the only love and that when it becomes developed to a certain degree it becomes the Divine Love, and then find that that he is far away from the truth. He must know, and I mean it is necessary for him to know, that only those who have the Divine Love to some degree are capable of knowing that the Divine is a thing of itself, and not the development of the natural love, and has in it not the qualities of that love. The one is of God, that is partakes of His very nature, while the other is also of God, but does not partake of His nature, but is only a creation intended to make man happy and perfect in his condition of the mere man - the merely created existence. I thought that I would give you these short comments on your conversation in order to show the grave and important mistake under which your friend is laboring. He will not easily believe these things of truth while in the flesh, and when he comes to spirit life the difficulties will be just as great, and it may be that he will always be content to remain the possessor of this natural love only. I wish that it might be otherwise, and that he might let go his intellectual belief and harken to the call of the soul, which when not trammeled by these beliefs is continually longing for this Greater Love. Believe that I am your friend and interested in you to an extent that you cannot now comprehend, but which, some day you will understand and wonder that such a thing could have been. Good night. Your brother in Christ, John February 19th, 1919. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving Helen: Well, dear, your condition is better tonight than for a long time past, and we have great expectations that before long it will be such that a rapport can be made and the spirits be able to write with ease. HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor433.htm" The spirit who attempted to write you was a high spirit and was desirous of writing you, and was very sorry when the rapport was broken as he had much to say on the subject of the writings which you have been reading. I am sorry that the conditions were not such as to enable him to continue, but it is better than it was for a long time, and will improve if you will only pray more and give more of your thoughts to the spiritual things. I wish that you were in the condition that once was yours, so that the Master and others could write you. You may now know, but it is a fact, that you are being looked after with such watchfulness and care that your condition shall not be injured, that no other spirits are permitted to communicate with you, who has not the powers of the Celestial Spirits. We desire that you shall be preserved for the work which is yours to do, and so we do not permit communication from the ordinary spirits to intervene. Soon you will be alright again and then the higher spirits will come and write you as they desire. Only wait a little while. Tonight I should like to write a long message, but I will not for fear that your condition may be interfered with, and so I will stop now. But remember that we love you and are trying to help you in every way. Goodnight. Your own true and loving, Helen March 6th, 1919 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Emerson: Let me write tonight on a subject that is of importance to mankind and one which so few of mortals know or conceive of in their teachings and philosophy. I am one who inhabits the Sixth Sphere, where the pristine purity of the first man obtains, and where sin or the alienation from God has no existence. You may not know, but it is a fact, that the purity of this sphere is such that the souls of men find only that which makes a man like unto God, and renders him happy and satisfied with his existence and with the divine attributes and nature with which he was created and which God in the infinitude of his powers decreed that man should possess and enjoy to the fullest of his capacity. I am he whose book you have been reading tonight and who was attracted to you by the fact that you were interested in the book and sought the truths of the soul as therein set forth. The soul is one that while individualized yet is a part of the great Oversoul, and in its aspirations and thoughts of those things that are pure and in harmony with the oversoul has a satisfaction that is complete and at-one with the Father of light and love. This sphere is one where only the perfected soul can live and bloom and feel its qualities of the divine as perfect, and no soul that has not rid itself of sin can possibly enter. I only know that we who inhabit that sphere have that feeling of purity and perfection that was granted to our first parents and which by them was lost at the time of their disobedience. This soul is very much like unto the great soul of the Father and needs not the qualities that you have known on earth as the one that causes you to realize that the Father has for man a higher and greater existence than the perfect man. Well, I have lost my rapport and must stop. Good night, Emerson March 9, 1919 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. St. Luke. Let me write a few lines tonight as you are in better condition, and I am able to make a rapport with you and deliver my message. I was with you today at a meeting of the New Thought people and saw the impression made upon you by the speaker in his efforts to show that God is within man, and that only the opening up of the soul or mind of man to the development of that God is all that is necessary to bring that man into a perfect at-onement with the truths of God's will. Well, I have to say that this speaker, when he comes to a realization of himself in the spirit world, will find that God is not in him or in anything that he may have possessed in his earth life; and that his development of the kingdom within him, as he termed it, was a mere delusion and a snare to the progress of his soul, in its career through the earth life, as well as through the heavens or spirit world. He is mistaken when he announces that the Kingdom of Heaven is within him, or that he has that within him which can, by its development, lead to the condition of the perfect man, in the sense that he spoke of. He is following a false way, and all the efforts that he may make will not lead him into the paths that end in the perfect man that partakes of the Father's Divinity. He is also mistaken when he asserts that God is everywhere - in the flowers and in the thoughts of men and in the heart - for God does not find his habitation in any of these things, and men do not live and move and have their being in Him. He is a distinct and individual entity, and is not spread over all His universe, as the preacher proclaimed, and can only be found by the longings of the soul, followed by a development of that soul in His Love. No, God is in His Heavens, and man can reach Him only by the persistent longings of that soul for the inflowing of His Love. These things that the preacher declared were the presence of God, are only the expressions of His being, and they do not declare His presence in any other sense than as the evidence of His existence - in His habitation, from which these expressions flow and make known to man His presence, as these things reflect it. I am sorry that this speaker has not more knowledge of the true God, and of His seat of habitation, for then he would realize that these things upon which he places so much belief as being the very God, Himself, are but the expressions that flow from Him. Man has within him that which has in itself wonderful possibilities - I mean the soul. And it may by the observance of the way that transforms it into a Divine angel, become Divine itself, or it may only by the slow process of renunciation become merely the perfect man with his natural love in a pure state, which was the condition of the first parents. If men will listen to the call to their souls, they will realize this possibility and receive this Divinity, and with it, immortality; but without this transformation they never can become other or greater than the perfect man. I know that men teach that there is implanted within the souls of all men, that which is capable of being developed into an existence like unto God; that man needs only this development in order to become a God, and that there is nothing else necessary to make a human soul a part of the Soul of God. But in this teaching men are mistaken, and will find themselves, at the stage of their highest development, nothing more than the perfect man. Man has within him only that with which he was created, and can of himself add not one thing that will change him from this condition of his creation. It is true that he can by a right course of thinking and living renounce those things that have tainted his soul and alienated it from the Father, and made it sinful and disobedient; but when this is done, he is still only the perfect man, and nothing of the Divine is in him. Jesus was the perfect man and, as such, was an exemplar of what all men will ultimately become; and if Jesus had never become more than the perfect man, he would not now be an inhabitant of the Celestial Heavens, and the beloved Son of the Father. Yet he became more than the perfect man, and it was only after he attained to this condition of excellence, that he could say, "I and my Father are one," for it was then only that he possessed the Divine Love to that degree which made him at-one with the Father. Only he is at-one with the Father that realizes that he is possessed of the very nature and Essence of the Father, and there is only one way in which this can be obtained, and that is by the inflowing into the soul of the Divine Love. Jesus could not say to the multitude that they were at-one with him and with the Father, for they had only the natural love and had not experienced the transformation of their souls; and such sayings as this were addressed only to his disciples, or to those among his hearers that had received this Love. The speaker spoke of the New Birth, but had no conception of what it meant, and like many other teachers, in and out of the churches, believes that a mere condition of the purification of the natural love constitutes this New Birth, and that that is all Jesus meant when he taught the necessity of being born again.There is only one way in which this New Birth can be brought about, and that you already know. As to the moral truths taught by the Master - such as are referred to in the Sermon on the Mount - undoubtedly they will, if observed in the heart, bring about a regeneration of the soul that will lead men to the glory of the perfect man and make him at-one with the laws of his creation. This condition is devoutly to be wished for and sought after by all men, and when they attain to this condition they will experience the beatitudes that are mentioned in the sermon; but this is only the state of the perfect man, and nothing of the Divine enters into their condition. "New Thought", as it is called, has in it something that is an improvement on orthodoxy, and men will be the better if they will embrace some of its teachings. The great stumbling blocks of the Trinity, and the vicarious atonement and the blood would be moved from the worship of men, and they would then rely on the moral truths in the development of their souls for salvation, and would not rest supinely in the belief of the efficacy of the vicarious atonement. But some other things that it teaches are all wrong, and its followers will find when they come to the spirit world that there is a God to be worshipped, and that man has not within him that God to be developed by his own thoughts and deeds. I know that according to the orthodox teachings too little is thought of the natural goodness of man, and too much emphasis placed in his innate depravity, and that nothing in man is worthy of the release from the sin and disobedience in which he is now living; and that of himself he can do nothing to bring about his purification and restoration to his original condition of the perfect man. This is wrong, for very largely upon man's efforts depends his redemption; "and as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." He is naturally good, and his present condition was brought about by his permitting his soul to be contaminated with sin, and to become again good he needs only to pursue that way that will remove sin and its consequences from his soul. Man created sin, and he will have to remove sin, and the process will be slow, but ultimately it will be accomplished, and by the efforts of man himself. He will be helped by spirits who are God's ministering angels in these efforts, but upon him depends the removal of that which he created and imposed. And here let me say, that unless man wills it, he will forever remain in sin, and God will not, contrary to man's desires, make him a pure and undefiled being; and man's belief, unaccompanied by striving and seeking, will not be sufficient to bring about this remedy. The speaker is a good man, and has experienced to a large degree the workings of his own will upon the conditions of his soul, and knows that his own efforts have caused him to renounce many things that tended to defile him and cause doubt, and in this condition realizes much happiness, and thinks that he is of himself sufficient to attain to that which will bring him into a perfect unison with the God that he thinks is within him. In this he is deceiving himself, for what he thinks is God is only an unusual condition of soul development in its natural love, that gives him a happiness which causes him to believe that God must be in and a part of him. As you have been told, the happiness of the purified soul is beyond all conception of humans, and the nearer a man approaches to that condition of purification of his soul, the greater becomes his happiness, and the belief that God must in some way be in that happiness and form a part of it, when the fact is that this happiness is only that which was bestowed upon man in the beginning. As the soul becomes purer and relieved from the defilement of sin, man becomes what he was in the beginning, and has regained only that which by nature is his. He does not receive any part of the Divine, nor does the Father bestow upon him anything that was not his at the creation, and he must realize that by the removal of sin his soul becomes more and more in harmony with the will of God, and less and less in harmony with his own perverted will. Let "New Thought" progress until men may realize that they are at-one with themselves, their created selves, but let it not teach them that what they experience as a removal of sin from their own souls by their own efforts and thoughts, is evidence of a development of any supposed God within them, for it is not true; but is merely the development of their own natural created selves, freed from that which defiled and made them unnatural. The speaker said that the Kingdom of Heaven is within all men, and needs only for men to realize that fact, and declare its truth, and that then they will become pure and like unto God, and find themselves in the presence of God, and see Him face to face. Well, in this he is all wrong, for the Kingdom of Heaven or Celestial Kingdom is not within men, though it may be, and neither is God in their souls and capable of being seen face to face. These men - who teach purification of their natural love and a superior state resulting from that purification and nothing more - will never see God, and they will always remain in the mere image in which they were created, a merely purified man made in the image of God, and nothing more. The Father will then be the same unseen Creator as he is now, and men will worship Him in faith only, for their soul perceptions, which are the only eyes of the soul that can see God, will not exist, and to them God will still remain the unseen and unknowable being that exists today in the knowledge and belief of men. Well, I have written enough for tonight, but saw that you were somewhat interested in the teachings of the day, and thought it best that I should write you as to the truth of the subject of which he discoursed and evidently believed. With my love to you, and the hope that our messages may now continue without interruption, I will say, good night. Your brother in Christ, Luke March 12th, 1919 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, St. John, Apostle of Jesus. I want to say only a few words in reference to what the man said to you about my gospel or rather the gospel attributed to me.His reference to the opening words of the Gospel that "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, etc.," is without any force, to prove that Jesus is God, or one of the Godhead, for it was never written by me or at my dictation, and does not state a truth. The Word in the sense referred to in that Gospel can mean only God, for He, and He alone, was in the beginning and made everything that was made. As we have often told you, Jesus was the son of a father and mother the same as you are son of your father and mother, and was not begotten by the Holy Ghost in the sense ascribed to his birth in the account thereof. He was born of the Holy Spirit as his soul opened up to the inflowing of the Divine Love and was the first of mankind to receive this Divine Love and the Father's Essence of Divinity and hence was the first fruits of the rebestowal of this Love, and, as a consequence, was the first fitted to declare the truths of the Father and show the way. As his soul became filled with this Love and he grew in wisdom and knowledge of the truths of the Father, it may be said that he was sent by the Father to declare the truths and explain the way to the Celestial Heavens and the at-onement with the Father. Undoubtedly this Love commenced to flow into his soul soon after his birth, because he was selected to declare the truths of the rebestowal of the Divine Love, and the knowledge of that mission came to him as he grew in love and wisdom - hence, he was without sin, though apparently only a boy - natural as other boys - in his human instincts and feelings. But he was the son of man - Joseph and Mary - and also a son of God, as all men are, with the addition that he was an heir to the Celestial Kingdom. He was not God, and even up to this time has never seen God, as the orthodox believe, and as Moses and some of the Old Bible characters are said to have seen God. But with his soul perceptions he has seen God, and so have many others of us who are inhabitants of the Celestial Heavens, and that sight is just as real to us as is the sight to you of any of your fellow mortals. It is impossible to explain this to you so that you may fully comprehend its meaning, but this seeing God by our soul perceptions is a thing of reality, and brings with it increased happiness and knowledge of immortality. Jesus is not God, but he is the most highly developed spirit in all the heavens and is nearest to God in love and knowledge of truth. So, I say, the Word is God and Jesus is His son, and you may become His son in the same sense, as an heir to the Divine Essence of the Father, and an angel of His Kingdom. As Jesus has written you, all men are His sons, but with a different inheritance, yet one that is provided by the Father. Let not these doctrines of the teachers of what are called Bible truths trouble you, and listen and believe only what may be written you by us. I will not write more to-night as it is late, and in closing will say that you have our love and prayers. I am Your brother in Christ, John March 12th, 1919 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. Let me write a line. I am not going to write a long message but one that is very short. You are now in condition to receive our messages, and I wish to write for a while on the importance of knowing the way to the Celestial Kingdom which has been written you before, but I wish to add to what you have received. You have been told that the only way to obtain that Kingdom is by the Divine Love coming into your soul and changing it into a thing Divine, which partakes of the very Essence of the Father Himself. Well, this is a correct explanation of the operation of this Love on the soul, but in order to get this Love there must be earnest supplication on the part of the seeker, and a mere mental desire for the inflowing of the Love will not suffice. This is a matter that pertains to the soul alone and the mind is not involved except, as you might say, to start the soul's longings and prayer. When you think that you are longing for this Love and have a mere mental desire for its inflowing, the Love will not come, because it never responds to the mere mind and must always be sought for by the soul's longings. Many men have the intellectual desire for the Love of God, and upon that desire rest, and believe that they have the Love and that there is nothing further for them to do; but they will find themselves mistaken, and that instead of possessing this Love they have awakened only the natural love, and in a way, started it towards its goal of the purified soul, like the first parents before the fall, and will not experience the transformation that comes with the possession of the Divine Love. It is no easy matter to have these longings possess the soul, and men should not remain satisfied with these mere mental desires for they will not be benefitted by such desires, except as I may say, in the way of having their natural love purified. The longings of the soul comes only from a realization that this Love is waiting to be bestowed, and that the soul must become active and earnest in its endeavor to have this Love come into it, and then the transformation takes place. From this you will see how utterly impossible it is for the devotee of the church to experience this Love or to have the longings of the soul which are not aroused by the observance of the church's sacraments, and the duties which it imposes upon them. They may be ever so zealous in their attendance upon the church services and in complying strictly with its requirements as to doing those things which it prescribes. It is with them all a mental process but the soul is not affected. They may think that their desires are from the soul, and that a response will come, but in this they are mistaken and the soul lies dead. Only when the soul's longings are started into activity are prayers of the worshiper answered. So you will see, that a man may be apparently devout and full of zeal for his church and the teachings of his creed, and yet will not be benefitted so far as the progress of the soul is concerned. Let not your desires be only of the intellect, but try to bring into activity the longings of the soul, and do not rest satisfied until a response shall come, and it will certainly come, and you will know that the Love is present working Its transforming power upon the soul.This is all I desire to say to-night. I am pleased that you are now in condition to receive our messages and hope that your excellent condition will continue. With my love, I will say, good-night. Your own loving grandmother Ann Rollins March 13th, 1919. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Abraham Lincoln. Let me write a few lines tonight as you are in good condition to receive my message. Well, I see that you have been thinking a great deal about spiritual things, and have longed for the Love of the Father, and by such thoughts and longings you have come unto a condition that enables the spirits to make a rapport with you. Tonight, I desire to write for a short time on the subject of how important it is for man to learn the truths of God in reference to the plan which He has prescribed for man's salvation, and his coming into harmony with the laws that govern him as the created man. As you have been told, in the beginning man was created perfect and in all the constituent parts of his being made in harmony with God's laws controlling man as a perfect creature, and if he had never disobeyed the precepts of the Father, he would have always remained the perfect man. Now this condition of man is a fundamental one, and the soul is in itself just as capable of that perfection as it was when created, and only by the sin of disobedience was it alienated from God and made the possessor of those things which tend to contaminate it, and cause its pure condition to he overshadowed and dormant as to this perfection. All of God's universe is perfect and subject to the workings of His perfect laws, and when that condition exists which shows that some one or other of His creatures are not working or being in harmony with these laws, it only means that in order for the restoration to the harmonious existence, man must renounce and get rid of these foreign things that have the effect of interfering with the harmony of his creation. There is no such thing as total depravity or original sin, or the existence of any condition of the soul in this sin, that cannot be remedied by the application of the proper treatment and the removal of the incubus. Man, in order to become perfect again as he was before the fall, is not required to be recreated or have imposed upon him that which will make him a new or different being from what he was in the beginning. The perfect man is still in existence, but is hidden from the sight and consciousness of men, and needs only his revealment by eliminating from him the covering which now hides his real self. Nothing new is needed, but only the riddance of the soul from those things which do not belong to it, and then the soul will appear just as it was created: a perfect soul made in the image of God, but not formed from any portion of the Great Oversoul of the Father. For a long time, now, man has remained in this condition of having his soul covered over by those things that are merely the results of the perversion of his appetites and the animal part of his nature, and it is only by a process of renunciation that these encumbrances can be gotten rid of, and man stand forth a free and glorious being, as he was before the burden of sin came upon him. In this process he needs no one to pay any supposed debt to the Father or to make an atonement for him, but he must himself, by his course of thinking, and consequent doing, remove the things that cause him to appear to himself and to others, the outcast from God's favor. And in order to accomplish this, he must first renounce the idea that he is a vile being and not worthy of the favor of the Father, and assert his belief that he, as the man, is the perfect creature of God, and can of himself regain the estate from which he has fallen, and let sin and error be removed from his present apparent existence. In doing this he will be helped by the spirits of men, who from their own experience know that sin and error has no real existence in the economy of God, but in the living of man on earth, and in the spirit world as well, have a reality that has prevented men from finding their true selves. The renunciation is not so much a matter of the intellect as it is of the moral nature of man; and he, while he must use his mind and its attributes in working out this renunciation, yet must try earnestly, and certainly use the moral faculties of his nature; for the perversions of these faculties are the foundation of his present condition of sin and error. This renunciation may take a long time to be accomplished, as men look upon time, but it will finally come to pass, and the harmony of God's universe will be restored. But in the meantime men will suffer, for this renunciation is always accompanied by suffering, not so much as a necessary ingredient or penalty of the renunciation, but as a consequence of the changing of men's wills and desires in the process of reaching again the condition of the perfect man. I will stop now, as the rapport has ceased, but will come again. Good night, I am your friend and well wisher. Lincoln There is another recent message from Abraham Lincoln: HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/contemporary/fab41.htm" Abraham Lincoln and War. March 13th, 1919. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, your own true and loving Helen. Well, dear, you have had a communication tonight HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/historic8.htm" from Lincoln, who thinks it advisable to write you as he did. He is now in the Celestial Spheres and knows what the Divine Love is, but said he wanted to write you a short message on man as he is, and as he may be; and he has told you just what the condition of man is, and how he is still the perfect man in his true self, and needs only an uncovering to stand forth as the being created in the image of God. Good night, my dear husband. Your own true and loving, Helen March 15th, 1919 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, George Butler: I would like to write a few lines tonight, if you are agreeable. HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/hell14.htm" A long time ago I wrote you, describing my condition and that of the hells in which I was then living, and you were kind enough to help me and bring me in association with some bright spirits who were willing to show me the way out of my awful condition, and who since that time have been helping me with their love and sympathy and prayers; and now I am happy to tell you that I have gotten out of my darkness and am progressing towards the heavens which a development and transformation of the soul by the inflowing of the Divine Love, leads to. Tonight, I desire to express to you my thankfulness and gratitude for the great service you did me, and to say, that in all the spirit world there is not one who feels more conscious of the truth which your advice leads to in the salvation of his soul, and the redemption from an existence of darkness and suffering, than do I. I cannot convey to you any conception of what this redemption mean to me, or of the wonderful difference of condition in a soul that has experienced the possession of this love, and one that remains in ignorance of the blessings that it confers. What I wrote you then, I now repeat, that the hell of a soul which is all tainted and permeated with the results of an earth life of sin and error, is wholly true, and the contrast between souls in the two states of existence is impossible of description. When you spoke to me of the probability of my release from the hells, and told me that this great love would work out my deliverance, I confess that, I had very little faith in what you told me, and thought that you were trying to impose on me some of the old nonsensical beliefs of your church doctrines, of which I had heard a great deal when on earth; and when the bright spirits came to me and confirmed what you had said, and offered their services in accordance with what you had advised me was the certain way to my obtaining a new state of living, I thought that is was an illusion or delusion, and that no results could possibly come to me by pursuing the course that they told me would surely lead to a change of my condition. But they were so earnest, and so anxious that I should listen to them, and seemed to have so much love for me and my welfare which was a new experience for me since I had been in hells, that I commenced to think that such evidence of friendship and anxiety for my betterment, must have some foundation of truth, and that I would not lose anything by heeding their advice and making the effort to pursue the way pointed out to me; and so I commenced to pray for the love, and they prayed with me, and in a little while their Father appeared to me in a new light - not just real, but as something that might have a potential existence. I continued to pray and listen to their prayers, and my emotions were aroused, and I felt a kind of happiness that I had not before felt, and a feeling of hope that there might be some efficacy in their prayers, but, had not much faith in my own; and, notwithstanding my incredulity, I realized that I felt better in the atmosphere of their presence and in the influence that their prayers seemed to bring around me. They were very kind and sympathetic, and so wonderfully patient, and impressed me with the feeling that my soul's salvation, as they termed it, and the deliverance of me from my unhappy and suffering condition were to them matters of personal interest and importance; and, of course, with such feelings I soon commenced to think that if these beautiful spirits could have such interest in me, I should have interest in myself sufficient to earnestly seek for the relief that I so much needed. Well, I then put more desire and longings in my prayers and tried to look upon their Father, as possibly my Father also, and so my longings became more real and intense. I prayed and called upon the Father to give me this love, and to cause me to have faith in prayer and in the Being to whom my prayers were offered. I will not tell you how earnestly I continued to pray and how the first faint realization of the answer came to me and with it the consciousness of a hope that might be fulfilled. After a while this love came to me and with it a felling of happiness that I had never conceived of, and also the conviction that these spirits were showing and helping me on the true way to a redemption of soul and body, also, for as you may know, I had then and have now a body more substantial and real than the one which I possessed when on earth. I will not here describe my progress or the different experiences that I had, nor the faith nor doubts that came to me in succession. I persisted, with the encouragement of these spirits, and after awhile found myself out of the darkness and sufferings and the hells, real and terrible, and an inhabitant of a brighter sphere and in the association of brighter spirits, who, though not like the beautiful spirits who had so lovingly worked with me, yet, were very different from those whom I had left in the darkness and the hells. I am now in the Third Sphere, and if I had the time or rather, if I felt justified in consuming your time, I would describe to you as best I could, what this sphere is, and the wonderful beauty and happiness that belongs to it. Sometime, I hope to have the opportunity to attempt to portray the wonders of this sphere, and more particularly of my home and surroundings. Tonight, as I have said, I merely desire to express to you my gratitude, and to assure you of the truth and the results of what you told me was the true way to light and happiness. Never through all eternity shall I forget your kindness and the great help that you gave me, nor shall I cease to remember you in my prayers to the Father, whom I now know is a true, real, existing and loving Father. Oh, the difference in the condition of the Butler in hell and the Butler who is now writing you is beyond all description, and this love, which is the greatest thing in all the universe and the greatest gift to mortals, is the cause thereof. I must stop writing, although I should like to write longer, for I have already intruded too long. So remember my gratitude, and also that I am now a very happy George Butler March 23rd, 1919 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. Let me write a line, John D. Rogers: I was with you at the meeting and saw that you are mediumistic, and I felt that I should like to communicate with you for a short time. I am one of the spirits who frequently attend the meetings of the medium whom you heard speak tonight and give to some of the people the messages from their loved ones, and I was very anxious to communicate also, but had not the opportunity. I am a man who was known to several of the persons present and would have been recognized had my name been mentioned and would have been gladly received. I am very unhappy in my present condition and surroundings and want to learn the way to get out of darkness and unhappiness. I know that the friends of mine who were present think that I am a happy spirit and can come to them and help them in their worldly affairs, when the fact is, that I cannot, and that they can help me more than I can help them; and I wish that they would do so. It is terrible to be left in the condition in which I am, with no light, or the way to get into the light, left open to me. I never know when to ask for help, for something always comes forward to interfere with my efforts, and I am relegated to my awful condition of darkness, in which I have been since I came to spirit life. It is a mistake for mediums to believe or teach that we all are in a happy condition when we come to the spirit world, for such is not the case, and many a spirit comes to his relatives and for the purpose of relieving them of any fear as to his condition, tells them that he is happy, when he is not. Well, I came with you, hoping that you might help me some, if only by your sympathy and kind thoughts, which do so much good to spirits situated as I am; and I believe that you would probably send up a prayer for my relief. I was not a very good man when on earth and am now paying the penalty for my evil thoughts and deeds. My friends thought that I was good, but in this they were mistaken, and many a man who considers himself good, as men generally go, will find that in the storehouse of his memory are the records of many thoughts and deeds that he had forgotten, but which when he comes to spirit life, will come upon him in all their nakedness and horror, to be atoned for in the way that the laws of God require. I am not a Christian, though when on earth I believed in the creeds of my church and considered myself a very good church member, and was certain that I would be among the redeemed when I should come to meet the great revealer of things as they are, I mean death. No, the truth cannot be hidden by belief, or anything but truth itself. We must all face the great revelation, and when it comes it will not show us to be free from sin and defilement, as I thought when on earth. I must pay the penalty, and the great law will work in my case as certainly as that the sun will rise on your world tomorrow morning. I have seen sick spirits, but only as you see ghosts as you believe. I have never had any conversation with them, and do not know that they can do me any good, or that they desire to help me. But why do you ask? Well, I see a spirit, and he is exceeding bright and beautiful and comes to me and tells me that he will help me if I will only believe what he tells me and follow his advice. I am going with him and do my best to do as he advises. He says that I will find relief and light. I must go, so good night. Your friend, John D. Rogers March 3rd, 1919. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus: Let me write a few lines, for I am anxious to tell you that you have not been in good company today, as the meeting was filled with spirits who are of the earth plane, and knew not the truths that will lead to a knowledge of the things that are necessary in order to secure a home in the Celestial Heavens. Many spirits were those of men who, when on earth, lived immoral and licentious lives, and who are in the same condition as they were when on earth. They have not yet answered to the law of compensation and, of course, you will see that their influence is not of the kind that tends to develop those soul qualities that lead to the Heaven of the followers of me, in the true sense. The medium with whom you conversed, and who delivered the messages of some of the spirits who were so anxious to reach their friends of earth, was influenced by spirits who are in a condition of more or less darkness and alienation from God, and consequently suffers from her association and the influence to which she was subjected. She has long been in this work of demonstrating to mankind the fact of communication between the spirits in the flesh and those who have passed the mysterious border line; and her work has been strenuous and served to demonstrate the fact for which it was intended, and she is satisfied with the reality of the fact of the continuity of life after so called death. This has been a phase of mediumship that was necessary to be performed, and she has done her work faithfully and well, and is now entitled to be relieved of this work that pertains to the lower order of spiritualism, and should be freed of this great burden and be permitted to come into a knowledge of the higher things of spirit life. I am glad that you will soon have the opportunity to tell her things that await her as a reward for all the sacrifices that she has been compelled to make. Now, do not misunderstand me. Her work was necessary as a preliminary to the conversion of men to a belief in the truth of spirit communication and the fact that there is no death, and to the consolation that comes to men from the knowledge that their loved ones are with them, seeking to help and be helped in their conditions that the great law of cause and effect imposes upon them. Many a sad heart has been comforted by her ministrations and many a spirit has been helped by having opened up to them the way to make known their presence to mortals. But she has from the very nature of her occupation been more or less injured in her spiritual progress, and the time has come when she shall have the opportunity to attend to and obtain her own soul's progress. She is naturally a good woman, and when she told you that she had a longing for something for which she did not understand, she was uttering a great truth of her soul, and one that has been present with her since she was a little child, for her soul has been calling to the great soul of the Father for His Love and the happiness that comes with the knowledge that the Father's Love is ever ready and anxious to respond to her longings. Her knowledge of spiritualism does not teach her what this Love is, even though her soul feels its presence, and in her underdeveloped longings realizes that there must exist that which will draw her closer to the great Love of the Father. So I say, tell her the truths that have been revealed to you, and of your experience in seeking for and obtaining this transforming Love, and she will listen and seek and obtain, and with such obtaining will come a happiness she has never before experienced. And when she has believed in this Love and obtained it to a degree, she will become a powerful instrument in converting men to a belief in the only way to the Celestial Heaven and to immortality. Then will she have back of her the influence of the hosts of celestial angels to inspire her and qualify her to preach the true kingdom of God; and her faculties of clairvoyance will be opened up to see the things of the Celestial Heavens and the wonderfully bright and glorious spirits, who will come to her with their messages of truth and knowledge of the glories that belong to those who know that the Divine Love of God is the only thing that can transform the human soul into an angel of light, and the immortality that I came to earth to teach, and which I did teach, but which, alas, was so soon lost to the knowledge of men. I am particularly interested in her, not so much because of her own soul, as because she has in her those qualities that can be used by us in making known to the world the truths which we of the Celestial spheres know will set them free from the false and damning teachings of the orthodox churches, and making my coming to earth and living - not dying - the way to the Truth and the Life. She may think that her knowledge - I mean intellectual - is all that needs to be known, but when she let's her soul's longings go to the Father and receives the response, which she will certainly receive, she will then know that spiritualism, as she conceives it to be, is the mere forerunner of that which will make all men at one with the Father, when embraced by man and lived. The meetings, such as was held today, while as I have said was filled with spirits who are in darkness and suffering, yet, also, attracted many spirits who are bright and progressing in their natural love, and who tried to help those to whom they came and communicated, and to that extent did good, and also served to convince the unbelievers of the truth of the mere passing from the body of flesh into the spirit body - a-continued existence, without changing of condition of happiness or misery. The great law of compensations - as you sow so shall you reap - is taught at the meetings, and there is no truer or greater law in all the universe of God, and man must realize that it works without exception and to the last farthing, and that there can never be forgiveness until forgetfulness takes place. Well, my dear brother, I must stop as the power is weakening, but before closing let me entrust you to tell the medium that I, Jesus of the Bible, as I called my disciples when on earth, now call her to do the work which is so important to mankind, and that she must prepare herself by seeking for this Love. It is utterly impossible for a soul out of unison with the souls of the spirits who come to it to receive their communications and transmit the same to mankind. Her soul must respond to the souls of the spirits, and it will be so easy for her to get into the condition that will make this possible. Like attracts like, and this law applies to rapport and to other things of the spirit world, and of the earth as well. I see that you are in better condition tonight, and I am pleased, for I will soon come and write another message with reference to the higher truths. With my love and blessings, I will say goodnight. Your brother and friend, Jesus April 7th, 1919. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. Let me write a few lines. I see that you were much interested in what the preacher said tonight about God and His personality, and that you gave him several questions which he could not answer. This must be expected, for to men is not given ordinarily a true conception of God, or who or what He is, and only by the development of their souls by the Divine Love can they obtain any conception of His being. As their souls thus develop they become a part of His Divinity, and their soul perceptions become opened up to a realization of who God is, to a small degree at least, and then they know that He is something more than an all enveloping energy, supplemented by a purposeful will. The preacher has not these soul perceptions and cannot conceive of God, the Soul, but can only express to you the truthfulness of the evidences of God's existence, such as the energy that he spoke of. As you know, this energy is His Spirit, although the preacher has not the exact conception of what this Spirit is or how it operates. He confuses the soul and spirit, and makes the mere instrument by or with which God expresses His energy, to be the real true substance of God, the Soul. He is right when he says that he cannot go back of this energy to find God, for his soul perceptions have not yet been awakened to a cognition of that from which the energy proceeds, or which is the very source from which flows all the manifestations, that to his mind constitute God. He is like the theologians and philosophers, who believe that these manifestations and energies and forces are the only God, the only personal God; and he may be shocked to hear that his teachings amount to only this. But it is true, and to him there is no more personal God than to the others, with this exception; that he attempts to believe that in some manner and in some way connected with this energy, there is a Will which has in it a purpose of love or kindness or fatherly care; but the real personal God, with his Great Soul of Love which is being always bestowed upon the individual man, he does not conceive of or make his own. God is Soul, and only Soul, which has in it all the attributes of Love and wisdom and thought for the welfare of His creatures. He is a thinking and seeing God, and all the energies of His Soul are used to make men better and happier. As is the natural father of the man a personal father, so is the Great Soul of God, a Personal Father to all his children; and men when they have the development of their souls in the Divine Love will know that God is personal - something more than an all enveloping energy or force or mere manifestation of His existence. The preacher says, in substance, that God is everywhere, and His presence may be realized by all who are willing to receive that manifestation, and that whether they are or not willing, that presence exists just the same. This is pantheism, toned down a little by his beliefs in a more personal God, but still pantheism, and wholly wrong and violative of God's being. The source of things can never be the things themselves, although the things as they flow from the source have some of the qualities of the source itself, and so these manifestations of God's existence, while they are of His qualities, yet they are not equivalent of His presence or the source from which they flow. God is not everywhere, but in His Heavens, and all these expressions of His powers and will and energies are merely evidences that there is a source from which they all come, and they are not that source itself. And again, the preacher said that God created the body of man and not the spirit, as he calls it, meaning the soul, so that the body is a creation by itself and cannot contain in it the spirit or the spirit body, but that this spirit is outside of the human body, and is in a general way a part of one Great Spirit that is universal and everywhere and that, therefore, all men, no matter what their conditions may be in the earth life or in the eternity part of life, are brothers, and God is the Father of them all. Well in this the preacher is mistaken, for every man has his own individual spirit (and) soul, and on the state or condition of that soul depends the happiness or misery of the man; and he is merely the brother of other men because he is a creature of God and made in his image, and not because he is a part of the universal spirit, which the preacher believes permeates everything and exists everywhere. And God is the Father, because these children are His creatures, the objects of His creation, and individualized, each working out his own destiny. As we have told you, some of these children will always remain the merely created children, while others will partake of His Divine Love, and become a part of His divinity, and inhabitants of the Celestial Spheres. The preacher has many things to learn, and as he believes in the search for the truth, if he will let the Divine Love flow into his heart and transform his soul into the very essence and substance of the Father's divinity, he will be able to learn many things spiritual as well as of things material. are governed by law, and unless the soul gets into a condition that enables it to see and realize the higher truths of the spirit world, it can never obtain knowledge of things spiritual, and one of the objects of such knowledge is God. Well, I have written enough and will stop. With my love, I will say good night. Your brother and friend, Jesus April 8th, 1919 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. Let me say a few words tonight. I was with you again at the services and listened to the preacher as he expounded the truth of God and the truth of man as he conceived these truths to be, and I am compelled to say that if his future state of happiness depended upon these supposed truths he would be a very unhappy spirit in one of the million heavens of which he spoke. I am sorry that men can conceive of such notions of God and man, and teach them to other mortals. But so it will be for many years, and until my teachings, through you, are accepted and believed by men, great darkness and error will prevail in the earth. It is hardly necessary for me to attempt to analyze many of his erroneous statements, for they are so many and so erroneous that it will take too long a message to review them all. But I will say one thing, and that is, that when he attempted to show that God's energy and man's energy are one and the same, he was all wrong, and knew not what he said. God is a being who is infinite and omnipotent and as to his energies there is no limits, while man is a mere creature of God, and cannot possibly have any greater or other energy than he was created with; and this energy is controlled by the soul that is man, and is subject to all the limitations of that soul. Well, I will not write more tonight, but hope ere long to write you one of my messages of truth. I see that you have been somewhat in doubt as to the reality of the truths of the messages that you have received, and as to the power of the Divine Love to make you a child of God, in the sense Divine. You must not let such doubts enter your soul for one moment, for they are the breeders of other things that are most harmful and tend to alienate you from the Father. As you are aware, God's Love is all around you, and may be in you, and if permitted to flow into your soul, with faith accompanying it, you will find yourself growing in at-onement with the Father, and realize that fact. So my brother get rid of your doubts and come to God in the faith that is childlike and dependent. He will not disappoint you. I will be with you, and try to help you in your desires. Pray more to the Father, and believe that His Love is yours; only for the longing and seeking. I will not write more tonight. Rest assured that my love is with you in all its fullness; and believe that you have a work to do. Good night. Jesus April 13th, 1919 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, John T. Richards: Let me write a few lines, as I am very anxious to tell you of what the scene was at the meeting tonight. There were surrounding you a very great number of spirits of all kinds and conditions. Some were present for the purpose of mere curiosity and others with the desire to communicate with their loved ones of earth; and still others were seeking help and deliverance from their conditions of sufferings and torment. Mrs. Kates, the medium, tried to give the communications of some of the spirits who were anxious to tell their relatives and friends of their presence and of the condition in which they, the mortals, were in, and advise them as to what is best to be done; and if they will only take the advice, they will be helped. There was one spirit who tried to make himself known by an unusual method of identification, in having with him a dog which the person to whom the spirit came was enabled to identify, but the spirit was not within his recollection. The dog was a real dog, but not the spirit of any dog that had existed in the human, or rather, earthly form, and the likeness was created by the spirit who tried to have the individual identify him. There are no spirits of dogs, or any other animals, that once had an existence on earth, in the spirit worlds. These appearances are all manufactured by the spirits for the purpose of having the medium see, clairvoiantly, the resemblance of the dog on earth, so that an identification may be made. Dogs and other animals when they die never have any part of themselves that survive death, and become extinct. They have no soul and, consequently, nothing that persists after death of the earth form. I was much interested in the séance, and tried to make myself appear to the medium, but was not successful. The condition of the dark spirits who were seeking help was most pitiable, and the medium for some reason was not able to see or understand their condition, and, hence, no help was given them, and they went away very sorrowful. You had several spirits around you, but they did not try to manifest themselves, and I doubt if the medium could have seen them had they tried. They were not of the kind who come to her and make their presence known, for her development as a medium is not such as to enable her to see spirits of the kind mentioned. She has not the soul development that is necessary in order that they can make a rapport with her, and hence she can neither see nor hear them. I will not write more now, so good night. Your friend, John T. Richards. April 13th, 1919 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving Helen: Well, dear, you have just had a HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor799.htm" message from one of the spirits who sometimes attends the meetings of Mrs. Kates, and he was very anxious to write you, and we permitted him to do so. He is not of the higher order of spirits, though one who is much advanced in his natural love, and knows the different classes of spirits who attend the meetings. We were present, but of course could not communicate for the reason that he has given you. If Mrs. Kates would only learn the truth of communication and rapport, and seek to obtain the soul development that would enable the higher spirits to come to her, she would have wonderful powers and hear the voices of spirits who now never communicate with her. She is a wonderful medium in the sphere of work that she is doing and many spirits are made happy by the messages of love to their loved ones, and the mortals as well, but her mediumship is not of the order that will benefit her very much, and the time is now arrived when she must get into a higher class of work, and enable spirits of a higher order to come to her and communicate. You must not fail to give her the message that the Master wrote, for upon it depends not only her own salvation, but the salvation of many mortals to whom she can preach the truths of God, and the knowledge of the life beyond the borderline of death. I hope that you will soon have the opportunity. Well, I see that you are in a better condition today, and some of the higher spirits have been with you, suggesting thoughts and trying to impress you with the importance of your work. You must realize this when you contrast the teachings that you heard today with the truths that have been revealed to you. Well, they will come soon and continue the messages that treat of the great truths of God and man, and you must get in the condition that will permit them to successfully write. I will not write more tonight. Baby is here and sends her love. We all love you and hope that soon now brighter things will open up to you and that your hopes will soon be realized. Keep up your faith and you will not be disappointed. Good night my dear husband, Your own true and loving, Helen April 18th, 1919 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, John B. Johnson: Let me say just a word. I have been with you tonight as you read the book and saw that in it you found something that agreed with your ideas of what was necessary for men to do in order to regain their conditions of pristine purity from which they fell. Well, these things are very helpful and true, and when the author said that men should exercise self-control, he stated a truth which is necessary that they may attain to a condition of purification. It will not do for men to teach and believe that they have a higher self which as soon as relieved from the burdens of the lower self, which takes place at death, is sufficient to make that man's soul fitted for the heavenly kingdom. No, the soul is one and the self is one, and unless that self is purified by the efforts and struggles of man himself, he will never become a pure spirit and fitted to occupy the place that was his before the fall. I was interested in the book, and saw that it contained much of the truth that applies to man as the mere man. It knows nothing of the Celestial Angel or the manner in which the soul of man can become transformed into the Divine Essence of the Father, but has many suggestions, which, if followed, will lead into the way of the perfect man. This is all that I intended to say tonight. Your friend, John B. Johnson April 18th, 1919 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and living Helen: Well dear, I see that you have been much interested in the book that you have read, and HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol4/minor783.htm" the spirit who wrote you is a very beautiful spirit, and of the Celestial Heavens, but I do not know him. He wanted so much to write you, and we thought it best that he should do so. I understand how you have been feeling today, and am not disappointed that you did not give me the opportunity to write tonight, for I will come again and write you. You are now in better condition than you have been for several days, and you must pray to the Father for an increase of His Love in your soul and for greater faith, so that you may do the work that is before you. We are all anxious that you receive our messages and the benefit of the increased Love. I will not write more tonight, for you had better go to bed and get up early and attend to your business. Turn your thoughts to your mission and then with all the powers of your own soul, and with the help that will be given you by the spirits without your disposition to take things in the easy manner that you do. Yours is a work that needs courage and determination and fortitude, and you must try to let these qualities possess your soul. Well my deal Ned, I will say good night. Your own true and loving, Helen April 19th, 1919 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving Helen: Well my dear, I see that you have been very much interested in the book that you have been reading, and also in many of the truths that it contains, as well as in many untruths that are set forth. The writer of the book knows not as a fact the things that he has therein written, but has compiled the statements from other works that were written, long ago by men who were of the oriental religions, and who wrote as they conceived the truth of existence to be, both in the earth world and in the spirit world. They were possessed of a combination of concepts that came to them in their moments of meditation and in their moments of being wide awake to the conditions of the present life, I mean the earth life. They are not authority, and while they have many of the truths of the other side of life, yet they must not be relied on for definite and authoritative information. I will come soon and write to you on the subject of the rebirth or reincarnation, and show you that it has no foundation in fact or in the economy of God's creation of the human soul. Man, when he once gives up his earth life, never returns to it again in the way described in the book, but only in his spirit form, as I am now doing. Well, dear, you are in better condition tonight, and the higher spirits will soon come and write you. The Master is not here tonight, as he has gone to the Celestial Heavens, where he may not hear the praise and worship ascend to him as God, and the redeemer of the world by his death and resurrection, subjects which are wholly untrue and very distasteful to him. If men would only understand the true resurrection, how much they would be benefited and progress in their soul development. He arose from the dead while yet living, and when his physical death took place the resurrection had already occurred, and the truth of the resurrection from the dead had already been demonstrated. He will soon come and write you. I will not write more now, and with my love will say, good night. Your own true and loving, Helen April 23rd, 1919. Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: Well my dear, I see that you have done a good work tonight towards one poor soul who is in a condition of death, and that your conversation will have an effect upon his soul that will lead him to wish for the Love of the Father. He was much impressed by your talk and many of his spirit friends were present and listened to your explanation of the Love and the way to obtain it, and were somewhat astonished at your doctrine. They are living in the belief that the Christianity as explained by the teachers and ministers of the churches leads them into, and were much affected by the teachings which you expounded. They are very anxious to learn the way and some of them accompanied you home and listened to the conversation of yourself and the Doctor. Some are here now and desire to write, but we tell them that it is too late, and that if they come tomorrow night they shall have the opportunity to write. The sick man's father was among the spirits who were present, and is very anxious to write to his son and corroborate what you said to him, and tomorrow night he desires to write you, so you must be prepared to let him write. Well, we were present and the drawing power that you experienced came from the exercise of the desires of many of these friends of the sick man to communicate with you, and if we had permitted, they would have taken possession of you and made their wishes known. But we did not think it best for them to control you, and so we told them and they desisted. The power which you felt going out of you was directed towards the sick man, and if it had continued he would have realized that there was some power or influence which was working on him for his benefit; and as it is, I think that he will feel the results of the power on his physical condition and find himself feeling much better. He is paralyzed and needs the help of the spirits to bring about his cure, and some of them will be with Dr. Stone when he next treats the man, and he will realize that some unseen power is helping him. I will not write more of the occurrence now, but let the spirits themselves tell you of the scene. So do not try to get more messages now, as you need your strength reserved. I am happy to tell you that you are in better condition tonight to receive our messages and your worries have left you to a large extent, and if you will only listen to and take the advice that John gave you tonight, you will soon feel yourself again and become suited to do the work that is before you. We all love you very much and are trying to help you in every way. The spirit who advises you in your material affairs was here tonight desiring to write you, but has now left. He said though that he is of the same opinion but that you must be a little careful in your estimate of the market, as it may not reach the high that he first told you of, that there has been a large volume of the stock sold or bought lately and that the climax may come a little earlier than he at first thought. He will come tomorrow night and speak for himself. Baby wants to write, and I told her that soon she shall do so. I will not write more now. So Sweetheart, say good night and go to bed. Your own true and loving, Helen April 24th, 1919. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your father: Let me write for I desire to tell my son that I am with him in his sickness and am trying to help him and make him feel that there is more in life than the merely physical living. I know that he has often felt that I am with him in my love and desire to help and encourage him in his afflictions, and his feelings are true, for with me there has never ceased to be the love and affections that were mine when in the flesh, and so long as he shall remain a mortal my love and care will be with him in all their fullness. I am in the spirit world, which is very close to his world and am not very different from what I was when on earth, except that now I have not a fleshly. body, and cares and distractions of my physical living to disturb my happiness. I am in the fifth sphere, where all is so beautiful and bright, and where the Love of the Father is so abundant that we are happy all the time and enjoy that bliss which Jesus told his followers was in store for them when they should give up the ghost and enter into their rest, which is a rest in action and work. I was with you last night when the gentlemen called (Mr Padgett) and explained to you the truths of the existence of a soul that has been transformed by the Love of the Father and brought into at-onement with Him, and I want you to believe in this Great Love. Your days on earth, at the longest, will be very short and then you will have to come to the spirit world and leave behind you all the ambitions and accumulations of your earth life, and if you have not laid up your treasures in heaven you will be very poor indeed. Oh my son, realize that the pleasures and desires and efforts of earth life are but fleeting and for a moment only, and that then comes the great problem of living in eternity, and that the thoughts and deeds of that earthly existence comes with you to condemn or make you happy. The great law of whatsoever a man sows, that shall he reap is in full force and exacts every part of the penalty that the life of a man for good or evil imposes upon him. There is no exception to the workings of this law and the full penalty must be paid until forgiveness comes, and then the demand ceases, and the soul emerges from its condition of suffering and darkness, a purified and redeemed soul. But forgiveness is not the mere release from or remission of these penalties, by the mere arbitrary dictum of God, as you are so often taught by the preachers, but is forgetfulness. That is forgetfulness - an oblivion as it were - of the acts and deeds that bring .into operation the great law, and men when they become spirits must work into this forgetfulness in a slow and laborious manner. I say men must work, for on themselves depends to a large extent, their own redemption. No miracle will be performed, for as is said, the mills of the gods grind true but they grind exceeding small, and the spirit will have to pay the last penalty; and this must be so, as you will readily see, for the soul must in order to get into the condition of harmony with the laws of God, become purified and relieved of everything that would make it inharmonious. No soul can live in a purer state than its own qualities possess. And here let me say that no mere belief or sacraments or observance of church dogmas can bring about this purification. It is a work within the soul, and man must do the work. Now, my son, I write all this to show you how inexorable is this great law of which the Master spoke when on earth, and which in its exactions never change. It has no mercy and admits of no shortcut to the goal of the purified soul. How few of mortals really understand the workings of this law, but in a careless and complacent manner depend upon the forgiveness of priests and preachers and the mysterious workings of some assurances of the church's dogmas. So you will see the necessity for men to commence as early as possible to practice the renunciation and turning away from these things that contaminate and defile the soul; but, alas, as their lives on earth continue, the most of men, instead of renouncing these things, accumulate and add to them and come to the spirit world all burdened and filled with thoughts and acts that defile; and as they are the accumulations of many years of earth life, so many years will be required for these men, when they become spirits, to get rid of these things and false hopes and beliefs will not help them in the slightest, but frequently seem only to retard the purification of their souls. If this were men's destiny, implacable and irrevocable, men would be in an almost hopeless and unforgiven condition indeed, forgetfulness would come only in a slow and sinuous way, and they would shed many tears and suffer much groaning before they could feel themselves forgiven. And this will be the lot of most men, but in the end forgetfulness will come and they will find happiness. But my son, thanks be to God, the Father of us all, there is another provision of the Father which exists and is freely given to all men who will seek for it, and that is the Divine Love of the Father, in which are forgetfulness and mercy and oblivion of the thoughts and acts of earth, and which is greater than the great law of compensation, of which I have just written. When this Love comes into the soul of man, with it comes forgetfulness, which is the only forgiveness in the economy of God, and the demands of the law of compensation cease, and the soul becomes freed from the law. As Paul has said, then is a man without the law. And with this Love comes a happiness and joy that no man can conceive of, and the possessor of it knows that he has become a part of God's divinity and immortality. Now, this Love does not come all at once in its fullness, but as a still small voice, it tenderly and timidly answers the call of the heart that cries for it in earnestness and faith, and as it is nurtured it grows stronger and more soul-possessing, and makes its presence felt to the supplicant. Unless it is earnestly sought for it never comes into the soul but passes by unseen and in silence because the soul will not seek its possession. You, my son, heard the way in which it may be obtained, and I urge upon you, with all your strength and longings of soul, to seek for it, and if you do, it will not refuse to enter into your soul, and you will know it, and then your start will be made not only towards forgiveness and forgetfulness - but towards the transformation of your soul into the very Love and Essence of the Father, and a progress that will last through all eternity. I am the possessor of that Love and know whereof I speak, and to me comes the great assurance of a life continuous and never dying, filled with the bliss of angels and the joy of a redeemed soul. Oh, I do so much want you to obtain this Love and become one of us, who know that when death left us life took its place, bringing to us a knowledge that immortality was ours. Well my son, I must stop writing. I have written in this way because I am more interested in your immortal soul than I am in your mere physical body, which will perish and be no more. But the soul! the great wanting, loving, hating, happy, suffering thing that it is! I will be with you very often in my love and try to help you, and if you will think of me intently, I will impress you with my presence. I must stop now as the rapport is weakening. Goodnight, Your Father, A____ April 24th, 1919. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your own true and loving Helen: Well dear, I am glad that you received a letter from the HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/minor256.htm" father of the sick man. He wanted so much to write and was here ready to do so as soon as you gave him the opportunity. He is a spirit who is in Fifth Sphere and has in his soul much of the Divine Love, and is so anxious that his son shall receive the benefit of the Great Gift of the Father and live the life that only those who know what heavenly joy and immortality is. He was very thankful that he could write and he says that sometime he wants to come and write of his experience in becoming awakened to the truth of God's love and his acceptance as one of his children. So love us all and believe that we love you. Goodnight, Your own true and loving, Helen April 26th, 1919 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Helen: Let me write, for I have been waiting so long for the opportunity to send a message to my soulmate and let him know that I am so happy, not only because of love that I possess in my soul but because he has a great deal of this abounding love. I am with him very often as he knows and I am so glad for him that I can impress upon him my presence and love. We are all very much gratified that he is progressing so much in his soul and realize that he is progressing in the right way to a position here when he comes over to enjoy the bliss that is outside the spheres of darkness. Many spirits attend him in his serious talks to mortals of the truths of the spirit world as he knows them and the effect that they have on the spirits who listen to him and think of what he tells them. He must continue in this work for he hardly knows or realizes the vast number of spirits who surround him and anxious to hear of those things that show the way to a new life. Now to be a little more personal I must tell him that when he talks in this way, I feel that he will surely be mine without the long wait that comes to many spirits who do not know the way and has not the longings for this Love as he has. Surely God is good and loves his children and we should thank Him with all the gratitude of our souls, and never cease to render unto Him the expression of our gratitude. There are many spirits present tonight and for a fact are always present with him for they learn that he has in him that which enables him to receive the impression of the spirits who are so anxious to meet with their loved ones on earth. This is a wonderful gift, and if men could only know that it is as interesting to spirits as it is to mortals they would realize how blessed the man is who has a soul in unionism with the spirit world. I will not write more now, but only say that he must continue to proclaim the truths of God and not be disappointed when men do not heed or are indifferent, for in the end the seed that he sows will bear fruit and he will see the results of his work when he comes to the spirit world. With my love and everlasting longings for him. I will subscribe myself his loving - Mary. As early as January 1915 before Mary Kennedy could write her own message and be able to control the mind and hand of the instrument, she was permitted to dictate her thoughts of love to Mrs. Helen Padgett who wrote through her husband Mr. James E. Padgett the following: Tell Leslie that he is so very dear to her that he must not let his thoughts of love wander away from her towards any other person upon earth or in the spirit world, that she loved him so long and only recently has she had the opportunity to let him know in a way that he could understand, that she feels as if she must just let her whole heart burst upon him with its great fountain of love for him. She is not able to express to him the extent or intensity of this love but she does love him to the full limit of her capacity. When he lies down at night or when he awakens in the morning, she is with him trying to flood his soul with her love and happiness. Mrs. Helen Padgett further says, that Mary Kennedy will not be content to have Leslie think that her love is not his for it is to its fullness and tell him, he must believe her and that she is with him nearly all the time, trying to help him and make him feel her presence. She is not so far away that she cannot know at all times what his feelings are, and when he gets lonely and wants her love and help, he must try to become in rapport with her, even when he is alone in his room and thinks that no one is with him. She is his now and will be through all eternity. Only love like hers can last when disappointments and troubles come and when they do come then her love grows stronger, sweeter and he must feel it more as he feels the need of it. She is not now trying to make him believe that she is only waiting for him to come over in order that he may know that she loves him with all her heart and soul, but she loves him in that way while he is on earth beset by all the cares that come to him. He must love her more and more each day and he will find that his happiness will increase as this love grows. Tell him she is in the fifth sphere and is preparing a home which will be so beautiful that he will be more surprised than he will be at the beauties of the spirit plane where she is, for her home in addition to having the beauties that are in that sphere will have her love permeating it. She also has another love for him to become more intense and pure but which draws her nearer to her Father of Love. This is the greatest of all Love and she so wants him to let his heart become filled with it also. It is his, if he will only seek for it and believe that the Father is ready to give it to him, for He is not only ready but anxious. And she further says: Tell my dear Leslie to pray to God and ask that this Love may be given to him and fill his soul, for if he does, he will receive it, and when he does he will not only love God supremely, but will love his true soulmate with a purer and sweeter love than he can conceive of. And when he does that he will find that his happiness will be so great and joyful that the little cares and troubles of his earth life will not be able to mar that happiness or make him to wish for any other kind. Because I am his and he is mine and when he realizes that, he will know what soulmate love means. We are not for each other for a limited time only, but for all eternity. And even eternity will not be too long in the enjoyment of our mutual love. Oh, he is, my own true soulmate and sweetheart and I am so happy in that knowledge that my cup of joy seems to be full and running over. Let him think of me as being close by his side all the time sharing his joys and sympathizing with him in all his sorrow and he will feel that he is not alone. Tell him to try to become a true lover of God and the truths of His teachings by His son, our brother and helper Jesus. I am a firm believer in these truths and know that they are true and I want my dear soulmate to believe with me for in that belief is found the great happiness which I tell you of. So Leslie dear - goodbye for now. Mrs. Helen Padgett in her writing through Mr. James E. Padgett instrument, makes further comments: Well, she loves him with a very pure and steadfast love, she is a lovely spirit and one who is filled with the Love of her Father, and she is worthy of all the love that any man can give her. I am very fond of her and see a great deal of her. She is so gentle and loving and tender and is loved by many spirits to whom she has administered consolation and help. Well sweetheart I must stop for tonight. Goodnight, with all my love. Your own true Helen May 11th, 1919. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving, Helen. Well, my dear, I see that you are happy tonight, and I am also, for I heard you read the messages and saw the effect that they had on your soul, and that they caused you to love both the Father and me more. You must not cease to love as you do tonight for there is no other happiness that can supply the place which this love brings to you. I was with you tonight at the meeting and heard the preacher speak of the source of the greatest joy, and I was sorry that he did not know that source. He talked of a happiness that came to him from a knowledge that he thought he had of God, and he was in earnest, but he did not realize the real joy or the source thereof. His joy is that which comes from a great degree of the purification of his natural love, which must necessarily bring to him increased happiness, and I am glad that he talked in the way he did, but so sorry that he has not experienced the Real Love that is the only source of the greatest joy. Well, sometime men will know what the source means, and how different it is from the mere purification of the natural love, and in addition will learn the way to obtain this Divine Love and keep it as the greatest thing in all the universe. The talk of the preacher is very beneficial to many of his hearers and causes much searching of their souls, and a better condition of living and an experience that makes them very happy. I would advise you to attend his meetings occasionally, for the influence is good and you may have the opportunity sometime to tell him of the higher truths. There were a number of spirits present with you desiring to hear and learn something that might render them happier and enlighten them as to the true way, but some things that he said did not help much. He placed too much emphasis on the necessity of making life on earth the great object of their efforts and aspirations, and rather discountenanced the thought that in the spirit life there are heavens and conditions to be longed for and enjoyed. Yet, as I say, his preaching will do good; for the better men become in their thoughts and aspirations, even though as to a mere cleansing of their natural love, the better it will be for them, and will tend to make the earth life better and more in harmony with the laws of man's creation. I am so glad that I can write you again and tell you of my love, and assure you of the truths that have been already revealed to you. Well I will not write more tonight. We all love you, and so with my love I will say, good night. Your own true and loving, Helen May 26th, 1919. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. Let me write a few lines tonight upon a subject that has recently been discussed by a spiritualist, a preacher, a philosopher and a scientist, and that is the continuity of life after death of the physical body. Each of these writers approaches the subject from a different viewpoint, but all arrive at the same conclusion based upon different means of argument, and that is, that life continues after death. The subject is one in which mankind is vitally interested and is worthy of consideration by the greatest minds of investigation and research, and should be studied in the light of nature as well as in that of actual demonstration by the experiences of those who have by their experiences proved to mankind that the spirits of their departed friends and acquaintances and of others of more or less distinction when in the physical life, do actually live and communicate to men their existence and the possession of the mental faculties and thoughts that were theirs when mortals. The proper study of man would demonstrate this fact, and logically doubt would cease to exist, but the difficulty is that men do not understand man or his creation and faculties and his relationship to things of life known as the material or matter. It is a common belief that matter that is now existent, or rather that what men see and know of the material is all that is knowable, and that when that which is merely physical, as commonly understood, ceases to exist no further or other knowledge of it can be obtained or understood by the finite mind of man. But this accepted assumption is not true, and if man would only think for a moment of what matter or the material is, they would comprehend the possibilities of its workings and functionings, and also, of what use may be made of the same by the minds of the spirits operating upon it in the spiritual world; that is in the world beyond the comprehension of the five senses of men, which are only the means of the spirits working in the ordinary purview of the physical life. Matter is eternal, and exists in all the spheres of the spirit world just as it does on earth, although in different forms and attenuations, and in conditions that may or may not be the objects of the physical senses, or of the senses of the mind which are superior to or exclusive of these mere physical senses. Matter is, in its essential nature, the same, notwithstanding the fact that it assumes different forms - some visible to the ordinary senses of men and some entirely outside of that view or sensation, and as to these senses wholly nonexistent, yet to these other senses of the mind just as real and tractable and subject to the influence of the workings of the mind, as the merely physical matter is to the five senses of men. The world in which men live is composed of the material, and the world in which I live is also composed of the material, of the same nature, but of different consistencies and objective qualities. The material of the universe is always material, whether or not it be cognizable by man and subject to his thoughts and inventions and uses; and as man progresses in the study of the same - I mean the practical and experimental - he will discover that there are things of the material in nature which to him are being developed and made known, and which a few years before he had no conception of their existence. Such is the discovery and use of electricity, and the workings of the laws of nature which enables him to make possible the effects of wireless telegraphy. These discoveries and workings of forces of the unseen are nothing more or less than a certain kind of knowledge controlling the same as to his consciousness has become apparent. But in all these operations, matter is the thing made use of and not any spiritual power as commonly understood by men. So you see matter, whether in the grossly physical of earth or in the more attenuated and invisible of the spirit world, is that which is used to produce effects and is operated on by the mind, whether or not it be tangible and understandable or not. The mind is an entity indivisible and united, and is not separable into the subjective and objective as men frequently teach, except in this: that in its workings, that part of the mind which controls the brain in the ordinary affairs of life may be called the objective, and that part which is suited for and used in controlling the material after it has been transformed into the purely invisible may be called the subjective. But it is all one mind and exists in man while on earth, just as it will and does when he becomes a spirit. Man in his journey through life, and I mean when in the earth existence as well as in the eternal part of his existence, is always of the material, that is his soul has a material covering and appearance, and while this material covering changes in its appearance and quality as he progresses in the spheres, yet the gross physical of his earth life and the sublimated spiritual of the eternal part of his life, are both of the material - real, existing and tangible - and used for the purpose of their creation, namely: the protection and individualizing of the soul which they contain. Now this being so, you can readily understand that man, when he gives up the coarser physical of the human body, does not cease to be of the material but becomes an inhabitant of the finer and purer material of what is called his spirit body; and this body is subject to the laws governing the material just as was his physical body subject to these laws; and the spirit, which in this sense is the real man clothed in the material, controls and uses that material more effectually than it did when on earth, bound in the physical. All the material of the spirit world is used and formulated by the spirits according to their degree of intelligence and development as the occasions for such uses may arise, and such use or the effects of the same are or can be made known to man according as his limitations admit. Ordinarily, man's understanding of the effects of the spirit's control of the material of the invisible world is limited by the capacity of his five senses to comprehend, and as these five senses were created for the purpose only of permitting or helping the spirit to manifest itself with reference to those things which belong to the wholly physical of earth, it rarely happens that men can perceive the invisible material or the workings of the laws controlling the same. Now in what I have said this spirit is merely the mind of man - the same indivisible mind that he possesses when on earth, but which because of the limitations of the physical organs he was not able to function as regards the invisible material, so that man could understand that functioning and its results. Man when he dies is thereafter the same being in all his faculties, desires and thoughts and in his ability to use the material as he was before his death, except that the purely physical organs of his own being are no longer his, and as to them he is dead; but strange as it may seem to you he can and often does control the physical organs of another man who is living in the flesh, if that man will submit to that control. And when you think for a moment you will realize that there is nothing remarkable in this. The mind of the spirit remains just the same as it was before his departure from the body, having all its powers and thoughts and consciousness, and if it can obtain control of that which is necessary to manifest itself to the consciousness of men, there will be no difficulty in its doing so, and nothing unusual or supernatural. Its own organs of brain and nerves and the five senses having gone, and the brain of every other mortal being subject to the control of its own mind, so long as that mind claims the exclusive use or control of these organs, the mind deprived of its own physical organs cannot control, because it is a law of being that no mind in its normal state can be intruded upon by another mind, and unless the mind whose seat and functioning are within the spirit body which is enclosed in the physical body possessing these organs, consents to the control of such organs by the other mind, it cannot use such organs. But the power is in the disembodied spirit or mind; only the opportunity is wanting. When the spirit desires to control the invisible material, it is limited only by its intelligence and knowledge of the law governing such control, and its progress in the spirit spheres. Well, I have written enough for tonight, but will come again and amplify my message. Thanking you, I will say, good night. Your friend, Francis Bacon. May 26th, 1919. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here - Your own true and loving Helen. Well dear, I am glad that you are in condition to again receive the messages of the spirits who wish to write you in reference to things spiritual. The HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol2/hell12.htm" spirit who wrote you was very anxious to do so, and we permitted him in order that you might gain some conception of what the material of the universe is, and the power that spirits have over such material. But this is not the nature of the messages that we wish to convey to you, and we will not permit ourselves to be interfered with very often in this particular, and until our messages are all delivered you must not think of such things. The Master has been with you today and is well pleased at your way of thinking, and says that you will soon commence to receive the higher messages again, and we are all anxious to write. Keep up your prayers to the Father and your thoughts about the higher things of the spirit world. As you have been drawn on a great deal tonight I will not write further now, and will only say that we all love you and will be with you to help you in your thoughts. So love us and say good night. Your own true and loving Helen June 15th, 1919. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. Let me write just a line for I desire to tell you that I was with you tonight at the convention of the New Thought people, and saw the impression made upon you by the discourses, and am pleased that what they said only confirmed your faith in our teachings. They are sincere in their efforts to obtain a knowledge of the truth, but the difficulty is, that while they are free from many of the orthodox teachings of the church, yet they have only the natural love and perceptions of the intellect, and to some extent, of the awakened soul in its natural condition. They know nothing of the Divine Love or the way to the true Kingdom, and are depending entirely upon the spiritual feelings that come to them with the consciousness of an awakened soul, in its conflict with the things that prevent its purification and development into the perfect man. These people are to be encouraged in their efforts and teachings so far as they disclose the true natural condition of man and the possibility of his becoming in harmony with the will of the Father in their natural love, and to that extent they are progressing beyond the old orthodox ideas of what the real man is, and what is incumbent upon him in order to get into the condition of happiness that comes with a purification of his love, and a longing (living?) in harmony with the laws of God governing that purification. It is to be wished that these men will proceed in their teachings and thus give to mankind a knowledge of what man really is, and the possibilities that lie before him when he exercises the inherent powers that exist within. For concerning sin and inharmony, until the great truths of the New Birth and the transformation of the soul and the wonderful Kingdom of the Celestial Spheres are made known to men through our teachings of these things, these greater truths which lie beyond the knowledge of men at this time will not be his. In their search for God they are on the wrong track, and will never find him, if they pursue the search in the way indicated by their discourses. God is not within men, nor do they live and move and have their being in Him, nor is He everywhere, waiting to be developed by men as they grow better and purer. No, they are mistaken in their thought as to God and His habitation, and will learn when they come into a knowledge of the truth, that God is not in man or in everything that surrounds him, but is separate from him and from the environments in which they live and move, and has His locality in the Highest Heavens, where He works out his purposes, and makes Himself and the evidence of His existence known to men by the energies that control the universe in which men exist. He can only be seen by the soul perceptions of a soul that has been transformed into the Divine Angel; to men in every other particular He is unseen and unknown, except as His laws and the effect of their operation disclose His being. Well, I merely wanted to write this short message, and I am glad that you can receive it. Good night. Your brother and friend, Jesus June 18th, 1919 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Spencer And want to say just a word to your friend who is so much interested in the discovery of the truths of the spirit world and of the facts that exist in that world. Well, I have been with you as you discussed these prospects, and also the writings of the men who have become converted to spiritualism, and saw that you are not satisfied with what the writings contained, and wished that these men might know the truth that they could declare it to the world. Well, you must wait content until your messages are finished and in shape to publish before these truths can be made to the world. These men who are having the experiences of which they write are doing a good work in publishing accounts of the same in this: that they are preparing the minds of their readers to accept the truth of spiritualism whenever the same shall be published. They are breaking up the falloff ground and making it ready to receive the seeds of truth as they shall become scattered over the soil that was so lately barren and unfitted to receive and nurture these seeds. The work is one that will result in much good and will gradually lead man to accept as true and coming from the spirit world, what they would not otherwise receive. I merely wanted to write this little message so that you and your friend may not think that the publications, such as you have read tonight, are worthless and without a function in causing men to believe in the lower truths of spiritualism. They are very valuable to mankind in general and to those philosophers and scientists who are more interested in the physical aspect of the study. They must be encouraged and you must not think that their appearing is merely a waste of time or effort. They are the ABC's of spiritualism and must be learned before you can expect the higher or more spiritual truths to be received. Well, I will not write more now. Goodnight. Your friend, Spencer I was a scientist when on earth and supposed agnostic, but I know better now October 18th, 1919 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. Let me write a few lines for I must tell you of an important truth that is necessary for men to know in order to reach the Celestial Kingdom, and a knowledge of the plan of salvation. I know that the Bible contains many sayings attributed to me in reference to this plan, and many of my alleged sayings are believed in by those who claim to be Christians, which are not true, for I never said them and they are contrary to what I received from the Father as to the true plan of men's redemption from sin, and as to the only way, by which, they can obtain the true at-onement with the Father and a knowledge of their own immortality. Many of these sayings were written by men who knew not the only way to a oneness with the Father, and were the results of the teachings of the manuscripts that then existed and were received by the Jews as the revelations of Moses, and of many of the prophets who had no knowledge of the Divine Love or of its rebestowal upon humanity. These men made me say those things that accorded with their ideas of what was necessary to a salvation or possibility of their becoming at one with me and with the Father, and in writing their ideas confused the truth with what they supposed was the truth as contained in the Old Testament; and much harm has been done by attributing many of these sayings to me, because of the supposed authority that thereby attached to them. My disciples never taught, and never understood that their salvation, or that of any man, depended upon faith in me as the son of God, or that I, the mere Jesus, had in me any virtue to forgive sin or to insure an entrance into the true Kingdom of God, or that, I, as the man Jesus was a son of God in the sense that the Bible teaches. They knew that the Father had revealed to me the truth, and that I had in me that Love, which to a large extent, made me like unto and at one with the Father. That my teachings of the rebestowal of the Divine Love was true, and that when they or any man should possess this Love, to the extent of that possession, they would become at one with the Father, and also with me, who possessed it to a greater degree than any man. I say, they knew this and taught it to the people as I had taught it to them; but when the compilers of the present New Testament came to declare my sayings and teachings, they knew not of this Love, and hence, could not understand what many of my true expressions meant, and gave them an interpretation so far as my real sayings were concerned, that would comply with their knowledge. No, I am not correctly quoted in many of these sayings, and I may say in the large majority of them, for when they were written, as now contained in the New Testament, men had lost the knowledge of their true meaning, and out of their own minds recorded that which they thought was what I had really said. I do not see how these false sayings can be corrected, except to take each saying and show, by its incompatibility with what I now say, its falsity. This would take too much time and expend much energy that could the better be employed in declaring what the truth actually is. But this I will say, that whenever these sayings impart that I claim to be God, or that I could or did forgive men of their sins, or that whatsoever should be asked of the Father in my name would be received, are all untrue and has greatly misled the true seeker of knowledge of Immortality. My disciples were close to me and understood better my sayings than all others, and yet they did not understand all the truth, and left the mortal life with many expectations that were not fulfilled and in the very nature of the same could not be fulfilled. They were in certain non-essentials influenced in their beliefs and expectations by their training in the teachings of these Old Testament manuscripts, and were very largely Jews in belief when they died. They understood the vital things that determined their relationship to God and to their existence in the future world, but as to many of the non-essentials they retained the faith of their fathers, and were not able to receive all the truth which I could have taught them. I must not linger to correct these alleged sayings of mine, but must occupy my time and yours in declaring and revealing the Truth as it exists now and existed then, and you and the world may know, that wherever and whenever these Bible sayings of mine conflict with what I have written and shall write you, they are untrue and were never said by me. Thus, in this general way, I will make plain to men that the Bible must not in all particulars be relied on or believed in as containing the Truth or my declarations of the Truth. I will soon come and write a message on a vital truth and hope that you will be in condition to receive it. I will now say good night and God bless your efforts and keep you safely in His care. Your brother and friend, Jesus February 2nd, 1920 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Scott: Let me write. I am your old friend, Scott, who died a few days ago. I know now what death means and how we are punished for the things done on earth, and I am suffering my share of the penalty. I come to you because you had told me on earth of the future of men who die and I am now convinced that what you told me is true, although I know very little of what my fate here is. I only know that I am living and suffering and beyond that I do not know anything. I am glad that I can come to you and hope that you will help me, if possible. I have written Morgan and he promised to help me, and if you only knew how much I need help you would not hesitate one moment, for I believe that you are my friend. I realize that I am not in condition to know anything of the truths of religion and there does not seem to be anyone here to help me. How strange that my folks have not met me, for I believe that they must be interested in me, if any dead person can be. I am tired and must stop. February 14th, 1920. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. Well, my disciple, I realize that your desires are that I shall deliver a message to you tonight, and I am anxious to do so, yet I see you are not in condition that I may take possession of your brain that is necessary in order to write satisfactorily. I am sorry that this is so, but it is a fact, and we will have to wait awhile longer, which will not be very long, for you are much improved, and if you continue to pray you will soon become in that soul condition that will enable me to make the rapport. There are many messages yet to be written and I am anxious that you receive them in order that they may be delivered to the world, for the world is now awakening to a greater realization of the fact that man is spiritual and must have spiritual food. The war is causing many people to think of the hereafter and the destiny of the soul; and the knowledge that the world now has of the future life is very meager and unsatisfactory, merely a knowledge that the spirit survives death and experiences more or less happiness in the spirit life. As you know, this is not the vital thing in the destiny of man, for while a knowledge of the survival of man from the death of the physical, may and does give a great deal of consolation to the near and dear ones who are left on earth, yet that fact does not, in the slightest degree, determine the condition or destiny of the soul that has left its home in the flesh; and there are no means, now known to men, to show that destiny, except some things written in the Bible which are the subjects of much speculation and controversy and want of belief. The consolation of those who have faith in the Bible is founded on that faith, or rather, in most cases, belief; but there are a number of believers in the truths of the Bible, with a conscious soul perception of their real meaning, who have that faith which makes certain to them the facts of destiny, and the possession of love in their souls. I will come soon and endeavor to write a formal message; in the meantime let your prayers ascend with more earnestness and longings to the Father. As you know, I love you as my brother and disciple, and am with you as you pray each night, uniting in our prayers, and you must let your faith increase, and believe that your prayers are being heard, and will be answered to the fullest. I will not write more now. So my brother, goodnight, and may the Father bless you with His greatest blessings. Your brother and friend, Jesus February 15th, 1920. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. I am here as I promised last night and will write on the subject of the Incarnate Soul. You may have observed in your studies of the different theories of the creation of man that always the question has arisen as to the relationship of the spiritual and physical - that is, as to the soul and the material body. I know that many theories have been set forth as to how and when the soul became a part of the physical body and what was the means adopted by the laws of nature, as they are called, for the lodgment of the soul into that body, and the relationship that one bore to the other. Of course this applies only to those mortals who believe that there is a soul separate in its existence and functionings from the mere physical body; as to those who do not believe in the distinctive soul, I do not attempt to enlighten but leave them to a realization of the fact when they shall have come into the spirit world and find themselves existing without such body, but really existing, with the consciousness that they are souls. When the physical body is created it has no consciousness of its having been created, for it is merely of the unconscious creations that are of the other material creatures of nature, and does not feel or sense in any degree the fact, that it is a living thing dependent upon the proper nourishment of its mother for its growth and continued life in accordance with the laws of nature, and the objects of its own creation. The father and mother, being necessary to the creation or formation of this merely animal production, know only that in some way there has come into existence an embryo thing that may eventuate into a human being like unto themselves. If this thing were allowed to remain without the soul it would soon fail to fulfill the object of its creation and disintegrate into the elements of which it is formed, and mankind would cease to exist as inhabitants of the earth. This physical part of man is really and only the result of the commingling of those forces that are contained in the two sexes, which according to the laws of nature, or of man's creation, are suited to produce the one body fitted for the home of the soul that may be attracted to it, to develop its individuality as a thing of life and possible immortality. The result of this commingling is intended only as a temporary covering or protection for the growth of the real being, and does not in any way limit or influence the continuous existence of the soul, and when its functions have ended, the soul, which has then become individualized, continues its life in new surroundings and in gradual progression, and the mere instrument used for its individualization is disseminated into the elements forming its appearance and substance. As this body was called from the elements for a certain purpose, when that purpose shall have been served, it returns to these elements. This body, of itself, has neither consciousness nor sensation, and in the beginning has only the borrowed life of its parents, and then when the soul finds its lodgment, it has only the life of the soul: for the human life can exist only so long as the soul inhabits the body, and after such habitation commences, the borrowed life of the parents ceases to exercise any influence or directing force on the body. This, then, is really the true description of the physical body, and if it were all of man, he would perish with its death and cease to exist as a part of the creation of the universe of God. But the soul is the vital, living and never dying part of man - is really the man - and the only thing that was intended to continue an existence in the spirit world. It was made in the image of God, and there is no reason for its existing for the continuing companionship of the physical body. And when men say or believe that the body is all of man, and when it dies man ceases to exist, they do not understand the relationship or functioning of soul and body, and know only the half truth which is visible to their senses - that the body dies and can never again be resuscitated. This is a determined fact and all arguments by analogy, to show that man must continue to live notwithstanding the death of that body, are not apposite and very inconclusive. All these analogous appearances only show that the objects of the analogy ultimately die, and thus fail to prove that these objects are eternal, just as much as if there had never been any change in their condition or appearance. The final demonstration is that they die, and when this analogy is applied to man, it must show that he dies also, and is no more. But the questions are asked, whence comes the soul, by whom created, how does it become incarnated in man and for what purpose, and what is its destiny? First let me state, that man has nothing to do with the creation of the soul or its appearance in the flesh. His work is to provide a receptacle for its coming - a mere host, as it were, for its entry into the flesh, and existence as a mortal or in the appearance of a mortal. But his responsibility in this particular is very great, for man can destroy that receptacle, or care for it so that the soul may continue in earth life a longer or shorter time. And while this receptacle is the creation of man and without him it could not be brought into existence, yet the soul is no part of his creation and is independent of the body - and after the earth life, in the spirit world, it will cease to remember that it was ever connected with or dependent upon the creation of its parents. The soul, in the spirit life, as a truth, is so separated from and dissociated with that body which was its home while in the earth life that it looks upon it as a mere vision of the past and not a subject for its consideration. As has been told you, the soul was created by the Father long before its appearance in the flesh, and awaited such incarnation for the purpose only of giving it an individuality, which it did not have in its preexistence, and in which it has a duplex personality - male and female - that is needed to be separated and made individual. We who have had this preexistence and incarnation in the flesh and have obtained this individuality, know the truth of what I have here stated. There is a law of God controlling these things that renders these preexisting souls capable of knowing the desirability of incarnation and they are always anxious and ready for the opportunity to be born in the flesh and to assume the separate individuality that they are privileged to assume. As men provide the receptacle for their appearing and homing, as it were, they become aware of the fact and take advantage of the opportunity to occupy the receptacle, and become ostensibly a human being with the necessary result of individuality. I am glad that you are in a better condition and will continue the messages as we have been desiring to do for some time. I shall be with you and help you in every way, and hope that you will keep up your faith and prayers to the Father. Good night and God bless you. Your brother and friend, Jesus February 16th, 1920 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving Helen: Well, dear, the Master will not continue his messages tonight as you are not so well and he does not feel it best to draw upon you as he would be compelled to do if he were to continue, or attempt to continue, the message of last night, and so I will write you for a short time and tell you of someone here and very anxious to communicate with her soulmate. Of course I mean Mary, and she is all aquiver with excitement, as you mortals might say, at the prospect of writing to the Doctor; and so I will let her come and write, but you must be careful and not let her write too long, for what she has to say would require you, in order to receive it, to write for the balance of the evening.   Mary now writes: Well, I am here and want to say a great deal, but as Helen has warned you, I will not trespass very long, and Helen does me an injustice when she said I would want to write all the evening, for I am as considerate of you as is possible and notwithstanding my opportunity, I realize your capacity. Tell my dear one that I have waited a long, long time to communicate with him, and that although I have the advantage of him, in that I can see what his thoughts are and know just how much he loves me, yet I also desire to tell him of my love for him, and want him to know it. He is my own true lover, and I realize that no other woman can come between him and me, even as to any earthly love that he may have; and just here let me say that I am not reflecting on you, for I know what the circumstances are in your case, and how it is best that you should have someone to comfort your last years on earth. But he does not need such a one, and I shall always be sufficient for him, as he is for me. Tell dim that I am very happy in the knowledge that he is all mine, and that my love for him is always necessary, and that my efforts to make him happy never cease. I am now in a higher sphere than when I last wrote him, and realize what the wonderful Love of the Father means more than ever, and also that with this increased Love I have greater love for him. I am with him more often than he is aware of, and am pleased that the thinks so much of me and loves me as he does. His life will at the longest be very short, and then I shall have him with the full consciousness that no earthly pleasure or condition can ever for a moment separate us, and that the bliss which I have will be nearer his than he can imagine. I really believe that when he comes over it will not be very long until he will find his home with me, and enjoy the happiness of my home - a wonderful home, not like anything on earth, or that has been conceived of by man. No, it is beyond description and the nearest approach to a description that he can understand is, that the Father's love is in and about it in a degree that renders everything beautiful and grand. He must not despair of coming to me, for he will come as surely as the sun shall rise; and then he will know what happiness means in the experience of actual enjoyment. I am so very happy that I can write to him tonight and encourage him with the knowledge that all these things will be his, and forever. He, I know, is not surrounded by those things which ordinarily make a man happy, but he has greater wealth than these things can possibly give him, for he has much of not only the Father's Love, but the love of a soulmate who is all his and ready to give him the real true happiness that only a union with a soulmate in the Celestial Heavens can give. He must continue to pray for an increased inflowing of the Father's Love, and as that shall come to him, I shall be able to see that the soulmate love for his Mary will increase also. I would like to write of many things that are here in such reality and grandeur, but as you must not write much more, I must forego the pleasure. But this he must know, that my love is all his and the many mansions spoken of by the Master will prove to him to be a reality, and not the mere hope that so many mortals rely on. I send him a kiss, yes, many kisses, such as only angels can send, and if his soul be opened up to their coming, he will realize what it means. Good night, I thank you, and with my love to him and the assurance that I am watching over him, and sympathize with him in all his earthly worries, will sign myself his loving Mary.   Helen now writes: Well dear, she has written and says she feels much better, and I know she does, for she looks very happy and grateful for the privilege. I am with Mary in her expressions of love and hope and certainty, and you must believe that these things that she has spoken of will be yours when you come to join us. Why dear, you cannot appreciate what all this means to you and to us! We are truly thankful to the Father for the privilege of knowing that we have on earth a soulmate - the very necessary part of ourselves with whom we can talk and communicate the inmost feelings of our souls. It is a privilege that not many mortals enjoy, and it is no wonder that men and women are earnestly seeking a way by which they can come into communication with their loved ones, even if these are only their loved ones for a short time. If they only knew what it means to be able to talk to a soulmate, and have that soulmate tell him of her love and the wonders of it all, they would become more anxious than ever, and the faith that they now have would cease to satisfy. But this cannot be so at this time, and it may be well that men and women generally are not fitted for such an experience. You know how much I love you and what this love means, and that there is no other love in all the spirit world, except the Father's love, that can so satisfy and make happy. I must stop now, for you have written enough. But do not forget that Baby is anxious to write, and you must give her the opportunity to do so before long. You will soon feel well again and be in condition to perform your work, which to you just now is the important thing. So I will say good night. Your own true and loving, Helen February 16, 1920 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Mary: Well, I am here and want to say a great deal, but as Helen has warned you I will not trespass very long, and Helen did me an injustice when she said I would want to write all evening. I am as considerate of you as possible, and not withstanding my opportunity, I realize your capacity. Tell my dear one that I have wanted for a long time to communicate with him, and that although I have the advantage of him in that I can see what his thoughts are and know just how much he loves me, yet I also desire to tell him of my love for him and how much I am interested in him and want him to know it. He is my own true lover, and I realize that no other woman can come between him and me, even as to any earthly love that he may have. And just here let me say that I am not reflecting on you for I know the circumstances in your case, and how it is best that you should have someone to comfort your last years on earth. But Leslie does not need such a one, and I shall always be sufficient for him as he is for me. Tell him that I am very happy in the knowledge that he is all mine, and that my love for him is always increasing, and my efforts to make him happy never end. I am now in a higher sphere than when I last wrote him and realize what the wonderful Love of the Father means more than ever. Also with this increased Love in my soul, I have more love for him in the full consciousness that no earthly pleasure or conditions can ever for a moment separate us, and that the bliss I have will be nearer his than he can imagine. I really believe that when he comes over it will not be very long until he finds his home with me, and enjoys the happiness of my home, a wonderful home not like anything on earth or that has been conceived of by man. No, it is beyond description and the nearest approach to description that he can understand is that the Father's Love is in and about it to a degree that renders everything beautiful and grand. He must not despair of coming to me, for he will come as surely as your sun will rise, and then he will know what happiness means in the experience and enjoyment. I am so very happy that I can write to him tonight and encourage him with the knowledge that all these things will be his and forever. He, I know, is not surrounded by those things which ordinarily make men happy, but he has greater wealth than these things can possibly give him, for he lives in much of not only the Father's Love, but in the love of a soul-mate, who is all his and ready to give him the real true happiness that the union with a soul-mate in the Celestial Heavens can give. He must continue to pray for an increased inflowing of the Father's Love, and as that shall come to him, I shall be enabled to see that the soulmate love for his Mary will increase also, and I shall be happier, and he will also. I would like to write of many things here in such reality and grandeur, but as you must not write much more, I must forego the pleasure. But this he must know, that my love is all his, and the many mansions spoken of by the Master will prove to him to be a reality, and not the mere hope that so many mortals rely on. I send him a kiss, yes, many kisses, such as only angels can send, and if his soul is opened up to their coming he will realize what it means. With my love to him and the assurance that I am watching over him and love and sympathize with him in all his earthly worries, I will sign myself his loving Mary February 27th, 1920 Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. Let me write a short time to-night as I see that you are anxious to hear from some of your friends in the spirit world. I have not written for a long time, though I have been desirous to do so, and and to-night will say only a few words in reference to my progress and happiness in my condition as a Celestial Spirit, for I am now in the Celestial Heavens, and know the truth of many things that have been written you. It is a little difficult for me to recite to you the wonders of these heavens and the perfect happiness that is enjoyed by those spirits that have found their home and abiding place in the many mansions that Jesus spoke of while in the flesh. You must know that heaven is a place as well as a condition, notwithstanding the fact that so many of the Spiritualists teach that it is only a condition or state of the soul. No, this is not all of the truth but is a great part of the truth, for the condition of the soul determines just what heaven it shall occupy and find its harmony and happiness in; but the all loving Father has provided that the soul shall have a place, corresponding to its condition, in which it may live and progress. If heaven were only a state of the soul, then it would not be a real, existing thing, with the substance and reality that the soul, even in its state of bliss, must have as a necessary accompaniment to the enjoyment of what the Father has provided for its true condition of living. Heaven, as a place, is real and independent of the state of the soul, though it is necessary for the soul to be in a corresponding state in order that it may enter into this heaven and fully realize that it is a home suitable for its condition and enjoyment. If it, I mean heaven, were not a real objective and perceptible place then the soul would be limited by its own condition that would be very narrow, as I may say, and confined to the limits of its own state, and separated from the states of other souls, and without the social intercourse that makes heaven a place of such happiness and contentment. Every soul would then be in the condition of the ascetic in human life, and introspection and contemplation would be the source and only means of possible bliss, and knowledge of those things that are spoken of as beyond the heart of man to conceive of, and which are truly and certainly provided by the Father's Love for the continuous and never ending progress of the soul towards higher and greater enjoyment, would have no real, conscious existence in that soul. As man in his earth life, in which condition of the soul determines his heaven, is provided with those surroundings and material things that are intended to make him happy or miserable, so in the heavens things material are provided to enable the soul of man to better enjoy its own condition. The things of heaven are not all spiritual, as conceived by so many men, but are partly composed of the material of the universe and are so constituted and formed as to supply the desires and wishes of the soul with that which will satisfy the soul's longings for beauty and harmony and perfect enjoyment. In the several heavens are homes, real and substantial, suited to the states of the souls and differing as those states differ in their requirements. These material things are not subjective as so many mortals teach, but are objective as are things of earth, and are the objects of sight and touch and of the other spiritual senses. When I desire to go into a city, and indulge my desires, I find a city with streets and avenues and houses and other things that belong to a city, just as do you mortals of earth when you visit your cities; and so, when I desire to go into the country and enjoy the fields and hills and streams and gardens. They are all here, real and existing, and not the subjects of mere thoughts or state of my soul; and when I am absent from city or country, that city or country continues to exist in all its beauty and magnificence just as truly as when I am present. Men must know that the soul in its heavenly life requires these material things, and has them, just as a soul when enveloped in a body of flesh, requires the material things of earth. While the condition of the soul determined its place of living, yet that place is also existing and real and awaits the coming of that soul in a condition of harmony. In these heavens there is nothing nebulous or impalpable or only a reflection or image of the soul's condition, but everything is real and substantial and lasting as the eternal hills; and when the soul finds a habitation it is not the effect of its own condition, but a place already prepared for the habitation of that soul and in accord with its true condition. Otherwise heaven would be a place of confusion and of appearances and disappearances, with no stability or abiding qualities, and the many mansions, spoken of by Jesus as existing in his Father's house, would have no real, permanent being, but depending for their creation and existence upon the mere state of the soul. The mansions are there and change not, and whether or not they shall have occupants depends upon the harmony of souls in their correspondence with the harmony of God's laws creating these mansions. l have written you this short description of the heavens, as based upon my knowledge and experience, devoid of speculation or metaphysical musings. I am glad that I could write you again. I am very happy and know that the Divine Love of the Father is a thing real and transforming, and the all sufficient thing to create in the souls of men and of spirits that state which will enable them to have and enjoy the mansions of the Father in the Highest Heavens. I will not write more now. Good-night. Your friend and brother in Christ, A. G. Riddle March 7th, 1920. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus: Let me write a line for I see that you are desirous to hear from me and obtain the encouragement that always flows from my communications. I have been with you tonight as during many nights passed with the desire to write you upon subjects important to the work that you are to do and was prevented from doing so only by the condition in which you were that prevented me from making the rapport. As I have told you before, we are governed by law in regards to the kind of messages that we may communicate to you and unless you are in condition that will permit these laws to be complied with we are powerless to use your brain for the purpose of delivering our messages. You also know what the remedy is for the defect that may exist at any particular time and we have urged upon you to seek this remedy and thereby get in the proper and necessary condition that will enable us to make the rapport. But you have not been successful in applying the remedy, not because it is not available to you, but because of your course of thought and failure to pray to the Father for an inflowing of His Love into your soul and thereby causing the proper influence to be caused upon your brain which will enable us to take possession of its functioning and deliver the messages that we have to communicate. You are in better condition tonight than you have been for some time and I hope that you will continue to think of these spiritual truths and pray to the Father and if you do this we shall soon succeed in writing to you many of the truths that we are so anxious to communicate. There are very many of these truths yet to be revealed to you, some of far greater importance than you have already received except those relating to the Divine Love, and we are anxious that you receive them as rapidly as possible for they are needed by mankind and many souls are longing for the truth that can only be made known through you. So my brother, think deeply of what I have said and let your work be to you the most important thing in your life. As you know you have only a few years yet to live and if you do not do our work it may be that a lifetime will elapse before we may be able to get another who shall have the qualifications that are required. You sometimes, I know, realize the importance of your work but lately and more often you let your thoughts turn to and become absorbed in things that are of the mere mortal life and as a consequence the greater things are put aside and neglected. I like that this may not continue. We will be with you and give you all the help that is possible for us to give and hope that from now on it may be successful. Tonight I will not write upon any subject of a formal character and wish to say that we are ready to continue our messages and are dependent only upon you getting in the condition that will enable us to do so. So think of what I write and pray earnestly to the Father and you will be able to overcome this inclination to lower your thoughts to these material things. We understand just what you need to enable you to turn your life on earth and as we have told you these things shall be provided and you will not be compelled to suffer for anything of this nature that is necessary for your comfort or living. Only trust in us and do the work instead of thinking of these things. I will come soon and write another message that will be of importance and far reaching with its effect upon the belief of men. Many spirits are with you watching over you and ready to help. You must believe this and act on that belief. Well, as I have said, it is because of your want of condition and the spirit who moves your pencil are those who merely have the desire to write and are not present to do so. Your guide, the Indian, is a very careful guardian and will not permit many of them to intervene but occasionally he does let one write so that you may know that there are many spirits surrounding you ready to take advantage of the opportunity to write. But until our work is accomplished this kind of spirit will not be permitted to write. You will remember that sometime ago we suddenly stopped the spirit in darkness from writing you and asking your help. This was done not that we did not want these spirits to get all the help possible, but because the work that we are doing are just now of more importance to humanity as well as to spirits, and every other kind of communication must be stopped in order that our work shall proceed. Then you will see how important the work is for ordinarily nothing is of so much importance as the rescuing of a soul from sin and ignorance. I will not write more tonight. Yes, I will pray with you and I hope that you will let all the longings of your soul enter into your prayers for the greater the longing the greater will be the abundance of the love received in answer to your prayers. I will come soon, goodnight. Your brother and friend, Jesus March 21st, 1920. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. Let me write tonight as you are in good condition, and I desire very much to write you in reference to a subject that is important for men to know. As I have before written you, there are two destinies for man in the spirit life, and the one or the other of them may be just as he desires and seeks for. I was with you today as you listened to the preacher expound the reasons why he is a believer in the faith of the church to which he belongs, and in which he is a leader and teacher. He is undoubtedly honest and earnest in his beliefs, and, so far as they go, they will afford him the happiness that he spoke of, provided he puts such beliefs into actual, practical living and makes them the dominating, dynamic influence that shall guide and control him in his intercourse with humanity. He said truly that there is a law that operates in wonderful power in shaping men's lives, and which, when obeyed, will determine the career not only of men but of nations; and that law is, that when once a truth is ascertained or comes to the knowledge of men it must be recognized and acted upon, or it will lose its beneficent effect upon the lives of men. If he applies this law to his own life he will experience a wonderful help in meeting the difficulties and cares of life, and in overcoming the things that beset him as a thinking man. This is a wonderful truth, and so far as it pervades the life of a man will result in making that life one of consistent goodness, and cause harmony between that man and God who overrules the secret things of the universe, and that man will enjoy a great happiness even while in the flesh. But this is not the important object and aim of what the preacher calls religion, nor does it furnish the means by which a man may come into a greater and closer harmony with the will of God. I know, that to man this present mortal life seems a thing of the greatest importance, and that the chief aim of man should be to act in that manner that will make his life successful and happy, and, so far as it is suited to make man the harmonious creature that is intended, it is advisable to follow that course of living and loving. But the preacher does not know of and cannot teach the great object of man's appearance on earth, and the goal that is ever before him, waiting to be reached and possessed. As I have told you before, man's existence in the flesh is only for the purpose of giving his soul an individualization, and all other apparent objects are only secondary, as you may say, accidental accompaniments of this process of individualization. Hence you will observe that this great object is accomplished equally in the case of the infant who dies young and in the case of the man who lives to a ripe old age - in each case the object of the soul's incarnation in the flesh is effected. The old man, of course, has his experience - a longer and more diverse existence in meeting and overcoming or submitting to the exigencies of his living than does the infant, but the great object is not more perfectly accomplished in the one case than in the other. The soul becomes individualized the moment it finds its lodgment in the receptacle prepared by the laws of nature in using the human father and mother as its instruments, and time thereafter does not influence or have any determining effect upon that soul so far as its individualization is concerned; and neither does eternity, for that condition being once fixed never can be changed nor annihilated, so far as is known to the highest spirits of God's heavens. Of course, the soul as thus individualized is subject to the various influences that surround it in its mortal life, and these influences may be retarding, deadly or destructive to the progress of the soul, but cannot possibly affect the object obtained by that soul's coming into the flesh or ever require a new individualization of that soul. Its identity and character, as an individualized thing are established, and no condition of the soul as to its goodness or badness can ever, in the slightest degree, affect this character or identity. The soul once individualized always remains the individual, even though the elements that enter into and make up the form will always find itself being rebuilt and continued by the operations of the law that preserves the individuality of that soul. Then, I say, the object of the incarnation of the soul is to give it an individualization, and this in two appearances; first, in that of the physical form which men by their perception of their natural organs of sense can perceive, and secondly, a form that is more sublimated and generally invisible to these organs; a spiritual form. At the moment of incarnation the soul takes the form which has been prepared for it by the forces that exist in the parents and retains that for during the natural life; and at the same moment there is created for it or attracted to it, the form of the spirit body, which then and ever afterwards remains with it. Both of these bodies are of the material; one of the visible material of the universe, the other of the invisible but still of the material. As you know, that body which is made of the visible material lasts for a little while only and then disappears forever, while that which is of the invisible, and which is more real and substantial than the former and exists all the time of the existence of the visible, continues with the soul after the disappearance of the invisible body; and while changeable in response to the progress of that soul, yet the spirit body never in its composite form leaves that soul. This we in the spirit life know to be true, just as certainly as you mortals know the truth of the existence of the physical body. And as you mortals may in the short space of the life on earth identify the man - which is really the soul - by the appearance of his physical body, so we in the spirit world identify the same man by the appearance of the spirit body, and so this fact must be forever. Then such being the fact, it must be conceived that the soul has its existence in the physical body for an infinitesimal short time; that is, its life on earth is only the breath of a moment, and then it enters on its career through eternity, and after a few years, as you may say, it may cease to remember that it ever had a lodgment in the physical body. The preacher criticized the religion that taught man to think of and prepare for the future of the soul, and emphasized the fact that their thoughts should be more of the present, and that duty and good works towards their fellow man should be the object of their living, and their religion. Well, I recognize the importance of duty and good works and approve of them with all the knowledge that I now have of the demands and requirements of God's Love, but on the other hand must say, that their importance to man's future destiny is also the importance of other privileges and obligations possessed by, and resting on man, during the short time that the soul is clothed in the physical body. Duty performed, and good works will lessen the distress and sufferings of the mortal life, and cause the man who performs the duty and does the good works to become more in harmony with God's laws of mercy and truth, but will never suffice to bring a soul into harmony with the will of the Father as regards the higher destiny of man. These things will tend to lead merely to the purification of the soul, and to cause it to come into accord with the laws of its own creation and their end. These constitute merely the exercise of compliance with the moral laws, and bring only a moral effect. And when I say moral laws I mean those laws that demand that, and by the observance of which, man comes into the condition of the perfect man, which was his at the time of his creation. He thereby obtains nothing more than belonged to him when he existed as the perfect man and was in complete harmony with God as such perfect man. He then loved God with all the capacity of his soul in the exercise of the Love that had been bestowed upon him, and could have loved his brother as himself. And to this condition men are, to a more or less extent, now striving to attain, and many precepts of the Old Testament as well as of the New, will lead men to thus obtain, and if this were the only destiny of man, then the religion of the preacher, which he says is based on these moral precepts of love to God and love to his fellow man, would be sufficient to obtain the goal sought, and love and duty and service would be all that are required of men while on earth as well as after they become spirits; and the exercise of these graces by men while on earth would be just as necessary and helpful as would their exercise afterwards in the spirit world. These things of love to God and love to man, and service and sacrifice constitute the true religion that leads to the perfect man, and makes for that harmony with the laws of God governing the condition of the perfect man, but not the Divine man. These things should be preached by all ministers and teachers, and practiced by men everywhere, for in their practice are happiness and bliss unspeakable. As these things work to a finality, man again becomes the son of God and obedient to His laws, and realizes the meaning of "love God and love your brother". And so I repeat, the preacher in pronouncing the basis of his religion, declared the truths that will lead him into the condition of the perfect man, in harmony with God's will as to man's creation. Well, I see you are tired and so we will postpone the further writing. I am very much pleased that you are in so much better condition, and hope that we may continue our messages without further interruption. Only pray more and believe that the Father will answer your prayers. So believe that I love you and want you to be happy and free from care. Good night. Your brother and friend, Jesus March 21st, 1920. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. Let me write just a line as I merely desire to say that I have listened to what the Master has written and can testify that the love to God and love to our fellow man are not all that man needs for a basis of his religion. I was when on earth a minister and taught the same doctrines that the preacher of the day taught, and believed that they were all that man needed, and died in that belief; but, alas, I discovered after many years of darkness, and of happiness in my natural love that they would not furnish a basis for my progress to the Celestial Heavens - to the condition of the soul transformed by the Divine Love. I merely wanted to say this. If agreeable to you I should like to come some time and detail more at length my experience in learning the basis of the true religion. I will say good night. Your brother in Christ, DR. C____ March 24th, 1920 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Mary: Let me write, as I am very anxious to say a word to my beloved. I listened to his mother as she wrote on the photographs, and felt that while what she said was true and must be believed, yet I could not feel satisfied until I could write him of the happiness that I have in the knowledge that he has a picture of me, though not a satisfactory one, so far as I am concerned. But, yet, he has one, and will not now have to depend entirely upon his imagination to conceive what his soulmate may look like! If I could only have appeared to him as I really am, or to an extent, at least, that he could see without any inconvenience, I would feel so much happier and the more satisfied. I love him so much that I could not restrain myself from writing, and I asked Helen to impress you to take the pencil in hand and give me the opportunity; and as she is in such rapport with you, I knew that she could succeed in causing you to do as I wished. I am very grateful, and can only repay you by throwing around you my best influence, and helping you whenever possible. Oh, the wonder of it all, and how thankful I am to the Father that one little insignificant spirit such as I am, viewing all the hosts of spirits by whom we are surrounded, can enjoy such a blessing! Tell him that he must try to appreciate our privilege also, for it is the cause of a happiness that very few, comparatively, possess. I am now in the Celestial Spheres, higher than he can imagine, and yet I have these pleasures of joy and bliss, to come to him and tell him of my love, and enjoy his presence. What a wonderful thing the soulmate love is! And how it makes a spirit who possesses the Divine Love happier, in that it has a knowledge that this love of ours is not inconsistent with the Father's Love, and is the object of the approbation of the real, true Father. So you see, He is not a jealous God, as so many believe, but is anxious that all His children shall love and enjoy those things that He has provided for them, the least of which is not the soulmate love. You have been very kind, and I will not write more now, only to say how much I love him and want him to be happy. Helen is here and says she will write you and tell you of her love, and the things that await you when you come to the spirit world. Your sister in Christ, Mary Kennedy May 2nd, 1920. Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. Let me write for I am anxious to tell you that you are in a much better condition than you have been for a long time, and your thoughts of today and especially of tonight have put you in a spiritual condition, and if you continue in these thoughts and longings you will soon enable us to make the rapport by which we can continue our messages with greater frequency and with exact expression of what we desire to convey. I have been with you a great deal today, and have tried to exercise upon your soul and mind an influence that will cause you to more fully realize the responsibility that rests upon you and the importance of the work that you are to do. I was with you at church this morning and saw the impression made upon your mind by the preacher, when he asked the question - if any one had anything to offer that would show him that he had not grasped all of the truth as to the spiritual things, as he called them, that would cause men to aspire for and obtain a higher course of living - and also saw that you realized that your work, if carried to its conclusions, would answer that question. And so you must think of this question and try with all the powers that have been given you to learn these truths, so they can be made known - not only to the preachers of the so-called Christian Churches but to all mankind. You already have truths enough to show this minister that he is not preaching the true Christian spirituality that I came to the world to teach, and did teach, and that he must not rest satisfied with his knowledge of spiritual things but must seek for more light and truth, and then make them a part of his own possessions, and teach them to the world of men, and especially those to whom he has the opportunity of ministering. I am much pleased that you are in so much better condition of soul, and want you to persist in your efforts to obtain more of the Love of the Father, and then you will be able to bring true enlightenment to the unthinking and unknowing world, of the truths that are so vital to their salvation. I was also with you tonight and saw the impression made on you by the preacher when he set forth Samuel as he then was, as an example to be followed by the true seekers after the important things that lead to spiritual regeneration and perfect manhood, and was glad that you could appreciate how far the character of Samuel fell short of what is necessary to make a man the Divine Angel, or even the perfect man. The preacher does not experience the truth of the Divine Love in his soul, and in fact has not even an intellectual knowledge of its existence and operations. He believes that I am God, and that my blood washes away the sins of all men who believe in me; and thus thinking, he is satisfied to rest upon the promise of the Gospels, which he accepts as the true teachings of me. Samuel is now here, and was with you at the church, and realized how devoid he was, at the time spoken of by the preacher, of that thing which was necessary to his salvation. And that his demand upon the people to behold him, and then bring any charge of unrighteousness that they could against him and his conduct as a servant and prophet of Jehovah (sic). This is a very pretty story and to a certain extent contains in it a teaching of the moral laws that works for good, but it is not more important than many other things contained in the Old Testament. Samuel will come some time and write you of his life on earth, and his ministry as a servant of Jehovah . Well my dear brother, I will not write more tonight, but will soon came and write an important message, which I know will not only benefit but interest you. Well, I will write on the subject that you suggest, for this is an important thing for men to know, as so many think they are doing God's will in their various courses of living and in their various forms of worship. His will is one that corresponds with all the laws that affect man in every way, and men must know what this will is. I will come soon and write on this subject and hope that you may be successful in receiving my message as I intend to deliver it. With my love and blessing, and the assurance that I will be with you in all times of need, and try to direct you in your thoughts, I will say good night. Your friend and brother, Jesus May 2nd, 1920 Received by:James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here, Your own true and loving Helen. Well, dear, I am so happy that you are in such good condition to receive the messages, and that you have again realized the presence of the Love in your soul, and have turned your longings and desires to the Father for an increase of His Love. I cannot tell you how solicitous I have been for you, and have prayed the Father that He would pour out His Holy Spirit upon you, and call you again to the work that you must do. How different you are when in the condition of Love from what you are when indifferent and cold and shut in, as it were, to your thoughts of the material. If you could only fully appreciate what it all means to be in this condition of indifference you would try with all the powers of your soul and mind to never let the condition come over you. There is nothing in all the universe that can possibly compensate for the loss of this feeling of the possession of the active Love in your soul, and you must realize it. I am so glad that the Master wrote you as He did, and hope that you will remember what he said and become in unison with him and the work that he has given you to do. Be true to him and to yourself and you will arrive at the state of will that will make and keep you very happy while on earth - and give you the certainty of a home in the Celestial Heavens. Well, dear, you have written enough for tonight, and I must stop. But believe that I love you with all my soul, and want you to be very happy. Many spirits are anxious to write. So, good-night. Your own true and loving Helen May 10th, 1920 Received by: James Padgett. Washington. D.C. Let me write for a short time upon a subject that will be of interest to you and to those who may read my messages. What I desire to write upon to-night is the condition of those who think they have received the inflowing or baptism of the Holy Spirit, when the fact is that they have received only that advancement in the purification of their natural love and a harmony with the laws of their creation that causes them to believe that what they experience must be the result of a bestowal of the Love which the Holy Spirit brings to mortals. In this mistake so many humans indulge; and in the satisfaction or rather happiness which their experience, growing out of such an increase in the harmony, brings to them, they fully believe that the Holy Spirit has taken possession of their souls and caused the happiness. But in thus concluding, they are deceiving themselves, and will realize their mistake when they come to an awakening in the spirit life. The Holy Spirit is that part of God's Spirit that manifests His presence and care in conveying to men's souls His Divine Love. This Love is the highest and greatest and most holy of His possessions, and can be conveyed to men only by the Holy Spirit; and this appellation is used in contradistinction to the mere spirit, which demonstrates to men the operation of God's Soul in other directions and for other purposes. His creative spirit, and His caring spirit and the spirit that makes effective his laws and designs in the governing of the universe, are not the Holy Spirit, though equally part of God's Soul, and equally necessary for the manifestations of His powers and the exercise of the energies of His Soul. These deal with the things of the universe that do not have interrelationship with the Soul of God and the souls of men, and whenever the Holy Spirit is spoken of it should mean only that part of God's Spirit which transforms the souls of men into the Substance of the Soul of God in its Quality of Love. I heard the preacher discourse Sunday night on the work of the Holy Spirit as portrayed in the contents of the New Testament, and saw that his conclusions from these contents were wholly erroneous and apart from the truth. As he said, the effects of the workings of the Holy Spirit are shown in more ways than one, and not every one upon whom it is bestowed is filled with the same powers of displaying its presence and possession. Now in all these evidences of its existence in the experiences given, it must be understood that it is limited in its operations to those conditions and manifestations that have their source in the Divine Love of the Father, that was bestowed upon mankind at my coming in the flesh, and that those evidences of the existence that have no relationship to this Love are not evidences of the presence of the Holy Spirit. As mentioned in the New Testament, when it was bestowed upon my disciples at Pentecost, it came as with the sound of a mighty rushing wind, which has before been explained to you, that shook the room in which the disciples were assembled, and filled them with its powers, which means only that this Divine Love came into their souls in such abundance that they were shaken in their souls to such an extent that they thought the building in which they were assembled was disturbed. But in this they were mistaken, for the effect of the presence of the Holy Spirit is not to affect the things of inanimate nature, but is confined to the souls of men. And the preacher must know, that because men are possessed with powers to accomplish the mental or material things of their living, they are not necessarily possessed with the Holy Spirit. Much of the physical healing of mortals is caused by powers that are bestowed upon men, or some men that are not connected with or proceed from the Holy Spirit. That there is evidence of this, men will recollect that the Old Testament is full of instances where men were healed of their diseases, and other wonderful things performed, at the time that the Holy Spirit was excluded from man's possession. Yet these marvels, as then considered, were performed by men claiming to be endowed with the Spirit of God, which is working for the good and happiness of mankind, and which will continue to work until men shall become in harmony with themselves as first created. I understand the object of the preacher in attempting to show and convince his hearers, that because they have not those powers that the Bible describes as having been possessed by my disciples after the bestowal of the Holy Spirit, that therefore, they must not believe and conclude that they, his hearers, have not this blessing. His intentions and efforts were commendable, and arose from the desire that his hearers should not become disheartened and disappointed in their efforts to obtain the inflowing of the Love that the Holy Spirit brings to men; but on the other hand, his teachings were dangerous and misleading to these hearers, for the natural consequence of such teaching is to lead men into the belief or persuasion that they possess this power and Comforter, when they do not, and thus prevent them from seeking for an obtaining this Comforter in the only way in which it can be obtained. The Holy Spirit primarily, has nothing to do with great mental or physical achievements, and to say that because a man is a great inventor or philosopher or surgeon who does things without knowing where the inspiration or suggestion to do the things comes from, therefore he is possessed of the Holy Spirit, is all wrong and misleading. All things, mediately or immediately, have their existence and operation and growth in the Spirit of God, and only in that Spirit, and which Spirit is evidenced in many and varied ways in men's experience; and hence, men say that they live and move and have their being in God, meaning only that they live and move and have their being in God's Spirit. This Spirit is the source of life and light and health and numerous other blessings that men possess and enjoy - the sinner as well as the saint, the poor man as well as the rich, the ignorant as well as the enlightened and educated - and are each and all dependent on this Spirit for their being and comfort. This is the Spirit that all men possess to a great or less degree, and the brilliant preacher or teacher or orator, possessing this Spirit to a greater degree than his less favored brother, depends upon the same Spirit. It is universal in its existence and workings, is omnipresent, and may be acquired by all men in this sense to the degree that their mental receptivity permits. And this further demonstrates the fact that God, through and by this Spirit, is with men always, in the lowest hells as well as in the highest heavens of the perfect man. It is working continuously, ceaselessly and always at the call of men, be that call mental or spiritual. It is the thing that controls the universe of which man's earth is an infinitesimal part. This is the Spirit of God. But the Holy Spirit while a part of the Spirit of God, yet is as distinctive as is the soul of man distinctive from all other creations of God; it is that part of God's Spirit that has to do with the relationship of God's Soul and man's soul, exclusively. The subject of Its operation is the Divine Love of the Father's Soul and the object of Its workings is the soul of man, and the great goal to be reached by Its operations is the transforming of the soul of man into the Substance of the Father's Love, with Immortality as a necessary accompaniment. This is the great miracle of the universe; and so high and sacred and merciful is the transformation, that we call that part of God's Spirit that so works, the Holy Spirit. So let not teachers or preachers teach, or their hearers believe that every part of God's Spirit that operates upon the heart's and thoughts and feelings of man is the Holy Spirit, for it is not true. Its mission is the salvation of men in the sense of bringing them into that harmony with God, that the very souls of men will become a part in substance and not in image merely of the Soul of God and without this working of the Holy Spirit men cannot become in such union. I have written you before as to how this Holy Spirit works and the way in which it can bring men the Divine Love of the Father, and what is necessary for its inflowing. The way described is the only way, and men must not believe and rest in the security of such belief, that every working of the Spirit of God, is the working of the Holy Spirit. Except a man be born again he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God, and such attainment is possible only by the working of the Holy Spirit. Oh, preacher, upon whom a great responsibility rests, learn the truth and then lead men into the way of salvation. I will not write more now, but will come again and deliver another message. Believe that I love you and am Your friend and brother, Jesus May 25th, 1920. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Nita: I am so glad that I can write to you again. It has been a long time since you let me write and I have been so anxious to tell you of my progress and love. Why, Daddy, I thought that you loved me so much that you would not keep me waiting so long to tell you of my love and how happy I am, but mother told me that you were not in condition to receive my message and that I must wait until conditions are different and I understand, but thought it strange that anything should interfere, to prevent me from writing to my Daddy. And now I want to tell you of my progress and how the love of the Father has changed my soul so that now I am in a sphere from where I may soon expect to go into the Celestial Heavens where mother is. When I first came to spirit life as you know, mother met me and took me in her arms and was so loving and tender with me, that I had no fear, because of the change in my condition, and with her were other beautiful and loving spirits who gave me their love and assured me that now I would soon find a home that was so different from my home on earth and would experience a happiness that I had never before felt. And I was not afraid and did not want to go with my body again as I was told so many newly arrived spirits desire to do when they first come over. I was satisfied from the first, and how could I not help being so when I had such a beautiful mother to enfold me in her arms and assure me that never more would I have to undergo the cares and disappointments of an earth life. How glorious this was and how I thought that if heaven should have all spirits as lovely and grand as was here, what a happy place it must be. Mother was with me for quite a while and also grandmother Padgett, who was also beautiful and bright, and who told me that I had nothing to fear, but to believe that I was in the truly spirit world when later I should find everything to make me happy and contended. But how badly I felt when the parting came, for you must know that this parting was necessary. Mother lived in a higher sphere to which I could not go and she could not remain with me all the time, as I wanted her to do. But she told me that she would be with me quite often to comfort and love me. That under the law I would have to go to the place that I my soul fitted me for and from thence I would have to pray and work for my own progress. That she could not determine for me where I should live and that only my own souls condition must fix my place and so as I say we had to part. I soon found myself in some darkness and suffering and did not quite understand why this should be so, or what was the cause of my darkness, but after a little I found that my recollection of my earth life came to me in wonderful clearness and that my conscious was causing me some suffering. I was awfully lonesome and wanted my mother so much, but found out that I had to bear my own burdens and obey the laws that fixed my condition. I know you would want to be with me if you could, to comfort and love me and protect me from my sufferings, but this was impossible for this law that I speak of, knows neither mercy or forgiveness, until it is satisfied. It is stern and unrelenting, and from the very necessity of things, must be so, because only through its workings can a soul be made purer and enabled to progress from its first condition. But thanks to my dear mother I had with me the hope that such condition was only for a moment and that soon the Love would come to me and take me out of the workings of the law and set me free and enable me to get into light and more happiness. Oh! how I prayed and prayed for this Love and tried to believe that it would come to me and display the darkness and the recollections of the evil things that I had done and thought when on earth. And mother and grandmother prayed with me, and encouraged me with their sympathy and love and the assurance that this love would come to me and that the Father would answer my prayers. While in this condition and on one occasion when I had been praying with all my soul, and when my faith seemed stronger, there came to me a beautiful spirit all tender and loving and said, my daughter, the Father will hear your prayers and soul longing and call you to higher service and brighter surroundings and greater happiness, for I know that he never fails to answer the prayer of an earnest soul and besides you are the very child of His Love and care and nothing pleases Him so much as when His children call on Him for His Love and help. And I am praying for you also and my faith makes it certain that you will soon receive the answer, only let your very soul breathe out its longings for His Love. Oh! how beautiful and grand he was and how tender his love, which seemed to flood all my surroundings and to give me such hope and encouragement that I felt that I surely must be a little weary in brain while he was talking. He then told me, that he was Jesus and was so glad that I had come to the spirit world with so much love surrounding me and also told me how he loved me and sympathized with me and wanted me to get out of my darkness and into the light. I cannot express to you how I felt as he talked to me and how I wondered if he were not really God. But he could not be God for he was so human and humble and seemed to think that he was a mere child of the Father of whom he spoke. When leaving me, he said, that he would come again and talk to me of the Father and His Love and blessed me and said: "You are a child of our Father and just as dear to Him as I am, and He loves you just as much as He does me. Believe in His Great Love and you will be happy." Well, daddy, you can imagine what my feelings were and how much I was helped. I will not stop to tell you now of how this love came into my soul, little by little, until at last it seemed to fill my whole being. Oh, how happy I became, and how beautiful my surroundings appeared and what beautiful bright spirits I found myself in an association with. I was satisfied and my home became to me the most glorious and happiest place imaginable. But this was only the second sphere of which I have written, and even that sphere surpasses all conception of man, and would satisfy the most hopeful and extravagant man as his house of bliss. But I continued to progress and more and more of the love came into my soul, and strange as it may seem to you, as I rose higher and higher, grandmother was with me so very much, became more beautiful and glorious than ever before. I understand now why that was. As she came to me in the different spheres, and as I rose higher, she approached nearer her home and took in more of the beauty and glory that are really hers in her sphere of living. But I have written enough for tonight, and besides you are tired. Now I am happy beyond expression and love you with a greater love than I ever had on earth, and know what love really is, and one of the happiest things that I now have before me is to wait until you come and meet you with all my love and goodness. Oh, daddy won't it be glorious when you come over and we can all be together in love. You thought that you had a beautiful Helen on earth, but when you come to us and see her in her glory, your very eyes will be dazzled at her appearance. We are with you a great deal, loving you and trying to help you and you must believe that we will never leave you, till you reach the heaven where we now are. And not then if you want us with you.So daddy, believe that I am your little Nita and that I write you and love you with all my heart and soul. Your, Nita. May 25th, 1920. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, your own true & loving Helen: I am so glad that Nita had the HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol3/hell11.htm" opportunity to write you as to her progress and happiness and I am so glad that she could do so. It makes her feel better to know that now somebody knows just what her condition is and how happy she is. She is a beautiful spirit and is progressing all the time and very soon now she will be in the Celestial Sphere, where everything is divine and beautiful. She is hugging me now and says that she is so happy and I feel the influence of joy. Well dear as you have written a great deal tonight. I will not write more. Love and believe that we love you and are with you very much. I will close and say goodnight. Your own true & loving, Helen June 2nd, 1920 Received by:James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus. Let me write to-night on a subject that is of importance to mankind and should be fully explained, that they may know the truth that will show them the way to immortality and light. I know that men have debated all down the centuries the question of man's immortality, and have attempted to prove the reality of its existence by various arguments and by reference to the analogy of the workings of God's universe in the fulfillment of His designs as displayed by the various creations of animate nature. In all these discussions they have not succeeded in definitely and satisfactorily established the fact of immortality. And why? Because they have not, in the first place, understood what immortality means, and without a correct conception of that which it is desired to prove, it becomes very difficult to successfully prove the existence of the thing sought for. I know that at times some idea of what immortality is has been conceived of and almost understood by some of the writers on the subject, and their efforts have been directed to show that by man's inner consciousness as well as by the appearance of those things in nature which die and live again, man is justified in inferring that man himself is immortal, or was intended by his Creator to be immortal. But the inner consciousness of man, meaning the knowledge of the possession of certain desires and aspirations, as well as the realization that his life on earth is too short to enable him to accomplish those things that his efforts and strivings attempt, and that what he really accomplishes in the way of his own mental and moral development, if they end with the physical death of men would mean only a useless exercise of the faculties and powers given him by God - is not sufficient to prove the immortality of the real man. Neither is it evidence of the uselessness of man's creation, though he is in one moment, deprived of all the learning and other benefits of a developed intellect, as well as of moral progression. There is a difference between the state and condition of a human soul that continues in the spirit world the life that it had when embodied in the flesh, and the state that not only continues this life but makes the extinction of this life an utter impossibility - even by God, who in the beginning of man's existence created that soul. True Immortality then, is the state or condition of the soul that has knowledge that because of the essence and qualities of itself, it cannot ever cease to live - the impossibility of it's ever ceasing to live being known to it, and a fact. It has been said that whatever has a beginning may have an ending - that which was created may be dissolved into its elements. And the possibility of this is true, and no man or spirit can deny the truth of the assertion. In your earth life you find that all things have an ending, that is in their individual and composite form; and in the spirit world why may not the same fate attend created things. The fact that there are things in the spirit world that exist as a continuation of things of earth does not mean that they shall endure forever. The mere change, caused by the death and disappearance from the vision of men, of things that were once alive does not establish the fact that as they continue to live in the spirit world, they must live forever. Death which is looked upon as a destroying angel is merely the result of the change from that which is visible to the invisible, and does not in any way determine the everlasting existence of the thing changed. The soul of man while in the flesh is the same soul as to its identity and individuality, as it is when it becomes an inhabitant of the spirit world, and if it is immortal while in the spirit world it is also immortal while in the body; and if it may cease to have an immortal existence in the one state, it may in the other. Suppose that men by their arguments of the nature mentioned show that the soul of man does not die when the physical body dies but that it continues its existence in the spirit world as the identical, personal soul, then I ask, does that prove immortality as I have defined it? Death of the body and the continuing life of the soul thereafter do not work any change in the qualities or essence of that soul - it is still the same created soul that it was in the beginning, and why may it not be true, that being a thing created it may have an ending? This is logical and not unreasonable. Then I say, even if men by their arguments prove to the satisfaction of many, that the soul after the death of the physical body continues to live in the spirit world with all its faculties and powers in active operation, they do not prove, nor do all the facts possible for them to discover and marshal prove, that that soul is immortal. The soul of man did not always exist - it is not eternal, self existing or independent of everything else, but dependent upon the will of God that called it into existence, and why is it not reasonable to infer that in the long period of time to come, it will have served the purpose of its creation and be disseminated into the elements of which it was created? But I will say here, for the benefit of those mortals who believe in the immortality of the soul that from the time of the creation of the first man to the present, no spirit in the spirit world has any knowledge of any human soul that has ceased its existence and been dissolved into its elements. And further, that there are myriads of souls in the spirit world that are in just the condition of perfection that was the condition of the soul of the first man when created and God pronounced his creation, "very good." But as mortals have no assurance that at some time the life of their souls will not end, so also spirits who have gained the perfect condition of their creation have no such assurance. They have hope and belief that such may be their destiny, and also a knowledge that their progress as the perfect man has ended. They are in that state which limits their progress as the perfect man, although their enjoyment as such is not limited - to them in God's universe there is always something new and unknown appearing. But yet they have not the knowledge that they are immortal, and realize that they are dependent upon the will of God for their existence, and to many of these spirits, immortality is as much a subject of concern and speculation as it is to the mortals of earth. Men in their meditation, study and arguments of this question of immortality do not start from the foundation of the subject. They have no truthful premises from which they can draw a correct conclusion, and consequently their arguments fail. They reason that because of the existence of certain things in and outside of man - all things of mere creation - that tend to show God's intentions and plans as regards man, therefore, in order to carry out such intentions, man must be immortal. They do not consider or lose sight of the fact that all these things that they use as the foundation for their conclusions are things dependent and not self existing, and at one time or another the objects of God's creation. What God has called into existence He can also declare shall exist no longer. And knowing this, man cannot, or spirit either, rightfully conclude that the soul is immortal. But there is a way in which the immortality of the soul, or some souls - can be proved, and which, assuming the facts that enter into the argument to be true, necessarily establish the conclusion without possibility of refutation. Then in commencing the argument what is the only reasonable way to approach the subject? First, to discover and establish that which is immortal, and next to search for and find that which though not immortal, yet by reason of certain operations and effects upon it of that which is immortal, becomes itself immortal. Only from the immortal can immortality be acquired. Well this is a good place to stop as you are tired; I am well pleased with the way in which you have received my message. Have faith and pray, and all will be well. Good-night my dear brother, for you are in truth my brother. Your friend and brother, Jesus June 7th, 1920. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus: Let me write a few lines, for it has been a long time since you have received any writing from me, and I am desirous to write you. You will remember when last I wrote that I told you that there are many messages yet to be delivered, and that you must get in condition to receive the same, and I now repeat that statement with emphasis. As you have been told many times, these revelations can be made only through your mediumship and unless you become fully convinced of this fact, and act accordingly, these truths that are so important to man, and that we are so anxious to have come to the knowledge of the world, may not be made known. This I know may seem extravagant and hardly possible, but it is the truth and you must believe it. I am as much interested in the work as ever and also in the work that your two friends are now doing, as well as in that which they shall do in the future, and they also must realize this fact and believe what I tell them. The work of Mr. Morgan is one that is very important and causes the salvation of many souls that are now and have been in darkness, and he must understand that only he can so successfully do the work. As has been written him, there are myriads of these spirits who attend him when he gives his talks, and many more who make the effort to get near enough to him to catch the import of his teachings, but cannot get within the circle that desire the benefit of what he says. And as his spirit friends have told him, his band and others find much difficulty in giving the necessary attention to all those who have become interested in the truth because of what he says to them. But he need not hesitate to do the work because of this feature of conditions, for sooner or later, they will all have the advantage of the instructions of spirits whose mission it is to instruct in the way of life. But he is mistaken when he thinks because of what some of his friends write, that he can start the great truths to be made known, because that is not his work. They must first be completed when they can be made known to the world, and then this great work will commence and continue. No, upon you depends the necessity of receiving the truths. No other can do this now, and until they shall have been received our book must not be printed or circulated, for the world must have all the truth that it is now capable of receiving and assimilating. Just here I want to say that while the great vital truth of the new birth is already known to you and can be made known to men, yet, you, in your day, will not receive all the truths of the Infinite. Always new ones will come to the knowledge of men, and the revelations of truth will never have a finality - and no man or spirit can ever be able to say that his knowledge is complete. Progress is the one law of the universe that exists always, and man, when he gets in condition, will always be the object and subject of that law. But the messages that you have read tonight state a fact when they say that you are not in the condition of soul development that you have been, and are not in that rapport with the higher spirits that enables them to communicate. You must arouse from this condition and let your longings go out to the Father for his love, and your thoughts turn more to spiritual things. We are greatly delayed by this condition of yours, and as a consequence, some of the spirits who are engaged and interested in this work become a little impatient, and communicate their thoughts and encouragement as they did in the messages to your friends. I will come soon and resume my writing of the higher truths, if you are in the condition to receive them. Now think of what I have said, and in thinking, realize the importance of your work. I will not write more tonight; and will leave you with my love and blessings. Goodnight. Your brother and friend, Jesus July 19th, 1920. Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus: Let me write a few lines and see that you are in a better condition tonight and feel that you would like to hear from me. Well, my dear brother, you must know that always we are anxious and ready to write, and it is only because your condition is such that we cannot form the rapport that enables us to come to you and give expression to our thoughts. I have been with you this evening as you and your friend (Dr Leslie Stone) discussed spiritual things of the future, and saw that a new awakening had taken place in your soul and I felt very glad that such was the fact. It is useless for us to attempt to communicate when you are not in condition, for you would not understand just what we desire to convey, even if we could transmit our thoughts. But in the mere physical act of writing you must have a soul development or opening up to the truths that are ours, and which become yours when you are attuned to receive them. I will tell you of one fact that may be helpful to you both and that is, that many of your spirit friends are surrounding you, always ready to help you and inform you of their love. This is not said in the way of merely assuring you that you are very seldom alone, but of impressing on you the fact that only upon yourself depends the love words of these spirits in making known to you, consciously, that they are present and have thoughts to convey that are worthwhile. Nothing frivolous or immaterial to your soul's growth, but always that which will cause you to know that they are true, thinking, loving friends. Very soon now, I will come and write again about the great vital truths of the Father that are necessary for man to grasp and understand. Keep up your faith and pray to the Father, and ask for a bestowal of this love in increased abundance, and you will be like the man who while all adrift at sea, yet realizes that around him are those things that will save him and bring him safely to shore. I will not write more now. Goodnight, and God bless you both. Your friend and brother, Jesus September 19th, 1920 Received by James Padgett. Washington D.C. I am here, Jesus: Let me say a few words tonight as I see that you were disappointed in the sermon that the preacher delivered tonight. Well, you must not be so disappointed because he knows only that which he could deduce from the teachings of the Bible and while what he said was true, yet it is not all of the truth but discussed only one of the attributes of God and that is the loving care that he has for and exercises over the children of earth. To most men this view of God is satisfactory and give them much comfort and assurance in the security that arises from the knowledge that there is such a loving and caring Father; and to these men this assurance is of wonderful blessedness and comfort, and it is well that men can have this conception of God - a Father who is always solicitous for their happiness and welfare and to whom they can pray in the faith that he will hear and answer their prayers. But as we have written you before, the things that men generally pray for and expect to receive in response thereto, are not the things that God in his own personality bestows upon men in answer to such prayers. His great gift is His Divine Love, and these things of the material or earthly in themselves, he leaves to his ministering spirits to bestow, or, in other words, he delegates his angels to so come into contact with and influence the souls of men that they may feel that their prayers have been answered, as they have. The preacher's conception of God does not extend beyond these attributes that in themselves are sufficient to answer men's wants and make them better and happier. I will come soon and write you of God's attributes, and hope that you will get in condition that I may make the necessary rapport. It has been sometime since I have written you of these higher truths that are so important to men, and regret that such is the fact, but now that you have had your vacation, and feel that you are willing and anxious that our communications be resumed, I will try to assist you in getting in that condition of soul that will enable the messages to be written you. But as you know, much depends upon yourself and you must try with all the energies of your soul to obtain a greater inflowing of the Father's love, for only from it can come the condition that is necessary. Pray more and think deeply of the spiritual truths that have already been written you, and we will come together in closer communion and be able to give and receive the messages. I am glad that you have thought more of these things during the past few days, and hope that your thoughts will continue and that your longings will flow more to the Father. You cannot now appreciate the necessity for this condition, and if you could, I know you would give all your thoughts and longings and energy to the accomplishment of the work. Well, I will not write more tonight, but will be with you and pray with you and try to influence you in the efforts to perform the mission that has been given you. Have more faith and believe that you will succeed and you will not be disappointed. Your brother and friend, Jesus Note. This is the very last message received by James Padgett from Jesus, according to the HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/misc/Jesus.htm" Tablet. March 21st, 1923. Received by:Eugene Morgan. Washington D.C. I am here, James E. Padgett: We are all here and at last I am where I so often desired to be. And when I arrived I was met by Jesus and other high spirits who were formally with me so often and also by a great crowd of spirits who were unknown to me, but said that I had enabled them to get out of darkness and become Divine Angels. Was ever such beauty and happiness conceived of as is now mine. My soul mate is with me and says that a joyous mansion awaits me and that in a little time we will occupy it. I am in a beautiful place, but have not as yet asked its location. As many are seeking control, I must now stop. James E. Padgett   I am here, James E. Padgett: Well Morgan, here I am again, I must say that nothing I ever conceived of compares to the marvelous beauty of my home as you are aware. We are making as it were a mighty effort to progress. I mean those in the same plane as myself. When I entered this life, I was met by many thousands of spirits who said that I had helped them and you cannot conceive of the happiness the knowledge brought me. We must continue in this work, as my coming here will only change my location. I am trying for more of the Divine Love with all the powers on my being. I of course desire this for myself, but I also desire it that I may be better fitted to become a member of your band and participate in the work more fully than it is now possible for us to do. Tell the doctor that I was with him the other morning, and that he actually had the experience of leaving his body and looking upon his old friend. You are many times more developed in your amazing and wonderful powers of making clear and simple and obscure truths, than I ever thought you were. I also want to say that you are the mightiest force upon the earth and that you are known and spoken of, as I am told, all through the spirit world from the highest heavens to the lowest hells. Oh, my friend, if I had only put my energy and determination in the work as you have, how different I would now feel, but some comfort is left me, and that is, for a long time I did, and this has enabled the work to be begun. I am most anxious to see it started, and I am most anxious to make up for my delinquency by my efforts in this life. Jesus often comes to me and comforts me with his love like others of the Celestial Heavens do. Well, I must stop, as it seems that millions are seeking to get control to write. Your brother in Christ, James E. Padgett July 1st, 1925. Received by:Eugene Morgan. Washington D.C. I am here, James E. Padgett: Among those present tonight is your old and much astonished friend Padgett. Yes, astonished for I never had the slightest conception when we so intimately associated as to your marvelous intellectual possession. Morgan you are able to grasp what you are actually accomplishing. Wumas, a marvelous spirit, is your great admirer, and says: That, as a mundane man you have no equal in respect to the use of the reasoning faculties and powers to disclose their processes. I am engaged in the work and find untold happiness in the thought that I contributed what I did to its success and at the same time a sadness will creep into my very soul when I recall that I did not do this to the extent I might. Well that cannot be remedied and I can now only try to make up for my delinquency. My home is in the Celestial Heavens and Helen and I are together and supremely happy. She also participates in the work and in fact does, as you say, every spirit of the Celestial Heavens does in someway. For as a fact, you have awakened the desire of such countless numbers of spirits outside of our world that it requires the service of all of us to look after them. I have wanted to write for a long time, but conditions have not been such that I deemed that I was justified in gratifying my desires, but tonight it is possible and I have availed myself of the opportunity. When the Dr. is with you, read this message to him and say that I am with him a great deal as well as are spirits of the Celestial, whose love is always about him. Washington is a marvelous spirit and is second to Samuel in his capacity as an organizer. Let me say as a spirit of the Celestial Heavens that all men outside of these heavens, you are as the mouthpiece of the Master, the most transcendent in respect to position, as no king, ruler of nations or people are your equal. Wumas must write, as he says, soon as I finish, so I will give him the control. James E. Padgett As the above volumes were published from 1940 on, without the aid of computers, it should come as no surprise to discover that within these four volumes, messages have been repeated. In order to eliminate confusion in computer based word searches, only one instance of each message has been included on this web site. Where necessary, this is a composite message. A comment has been made in the index to reflex the incidence of a duplicate. These HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/duplicates.htm" duplicates provide the serious researcher with a unique opportunity to gain some insight into the accuracy of the transcription from the automatic writing of James Padgett. It would be fair to say that although some issues are raised, overall it appears that the transcription was extremely meticulous. A project is currently underway to scan all the handwritten originals of the Padgett messages. This will be used to verify the accuracy of the printed documents. However there are believed to be many hundreds of unpublished messages. We plan to list these as they become available, as well as any messages that are significantly different to that published. These additional messages HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/unpublished.htm" can be found here. A project is underway as of 2003 to scan all the originals of the Padgett messages. James Padgett received by automatic writing, and thus the originals exist. They are in very poor condition, as they were written onto cheap paper which is not acid free. Where messages are either significantly different from that published in the "True Gospel Revealed By Jesus", or was not published in those volumes, it will be listed here. It will take many years before this project is complete. August 10th, 1915. Received by James Padgett Washington D.C. I am here [xxxx] Amos; Amos the prophet. I merely want to say that I have heard the message of the HYPERLINK "http://www.new-birth.net/tgrabjvol1/ancient4.htm" spirit who wrote last and that it may be a true account of creation and the fall of man but that I prefer the story in Genesis. Of course I don't know that the latter is true but it reads better to me and as I was taught to believe it when on earth I must accept the other until I have good reasons to believe [otherwise]. I never saw him before but he is [a] very beautiful and high spirit and lives in the celestial heavens as I do but not in the same sphere I have never seen the first parents nor have I heard where they may be - If that spirit has knowledge of the past. Well it is true that in we never owned this divine love until after the coming [of] Jesus and of course the first parents [possibly] could not have received much after Jesus came - and they may not have progressed to the highest celestial spheres. I have never seen them […] Well as to the apple of course, partly that may be merely symbolical but the theory of the fall […] -- whether Eve gave [it] to Adam or not I do not know. I must not write more but I want to say that I am [a] follower of Jesus and have that divine love. I will now stop. With all my love I am yours in spirit Amos This message is not in the published volumes. Code: Uncertain text in italic; […] undecipherable text [xxx] obviously missing word in manuscript [xxx] word crossed out or corrected by Padgett