Continent of Europe: while an American writer of some note thus speaks of Boston, which used to be considered the most religious city in the whole of the United States:

"There is one singular aspect of the intellectual life of Boston. It is that presented, not by its sturdy scepticism, but by its popular credulity. There is probably no city in the world that is more sceptical and more superstitious and more credulous than Boston. Everywhere are to be seen the sign and advent of the seer, the prophet, the soothsayer, THE PYTHONESS, the turner of tables, THE MEDIUM OF SPIRITS, the reader of stars, and the measurer of souls. Walking the streets, one is carried back to the times of Elymas the sorcerer, and of Simon Magus; to the world of Appolonius of Tyana, and of Alexander of Abonotichus!"

Spiritualism," as is well known, was also introduced into this country from America about the year 1852; and alas! the demons found a people willing to be deceived by them even here; and now they number many hundreds of thousands, and their numbers seem to be increasing every year. And indeed when we consider that it is only about thirty-six years since "Spiritualism" first began to put forth its energies in this country, its progress in these kingdoms has been truly marvellous.

In opening out this part of my subject, in the book in question, I (1) gave numerous details of various cases, which had been communicated to me by persons upon whose testimony I could implicitly rely; and (2) gave extracts from various printed documents, detailing circumstances, that had taken place in the presence of other persons unknown to me; but whose veracity I had no reason whatever to question.

Among other things, I (1) quoted largely from the "Report on Spiritualism, of the Committee of the London Dialectical Society; together with the evidence, oral and written, and a selection from the Correspondence," published in 1871; (2) selected instances, culled from "Psychic Notes-a Record of Spiritual and Occult Research, and of the séances held in Calcutta by Mr. Eglinton, during November 1881 to March

1882," published in Calcutta, in 1882; and (3) gave several extracts from a work entitled, "Spirit workers in the Home Circle, an Autobiographic Narrative of Psychic Phenomena in family daily life extending over a period of 20 years," by Morell Theobald, F.C.A., published in London in 1887.

The Committee of the London Dialectical Society went very deeply into the subject; and as it appeared to them "to be of the greatest importance that they should investigate the phenomena in question by personal experiment and test, they resolved themselves into" six "Sub-Committees as the best means of doing so." "All of these" "sent in reports, from which it appears that a large majority of the members"-36 in number, consisting, amongst others, of Doctors in Divinity, Physicians, Surgeons, Barristers-atLaw, Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society, Civil Engineers, &c.—were "actual witnesses to several phases of the phenomena without the aid or presence of any professional medium, although the greater part of them commenced their investigations in an avowedly sceptical spirit."

"These Reports," the Committee said, "substantially corroborated each other;" and they certainly proved to a demonstration the extent, wide spreading influence, and reality of the phenomena therein referred to, as a reference to my book will shew.

Some of the witnesses before the Committee were Spiritualists, and others were not. Of the latter many were forced to come to the conclusion that the work was of the devil; and one of them, J. Lockhart Robertson, M.D., of Hayward's Heath, near Brighton; after enumerating many of the usual manifestations of the spirits on such occasions, wisely concludes his paper thus: "The writer cannot accept as emanations from the Spirit revelations of a spiritual nature inconsistent with his intuitive conception of the nature and attributes of God. He cannot trace the dignity of the divine power in breaking cedar pencils and tables, or ringing bells, nor its wisdom in the mild communications of the medium writings. He believes that if God

meant to reveal to him that this Spiritualism was the work of His Holy Spirit, He would not have given His will in the very heathenish oracular manner here recorded! He fails to see anything like divine wisdom or divine power in these unreasoning medium writings and grotesque physical phenomena. His own impression is, that the power is similar to that manifested AT THE DELPHIC ORACLE, and by THE ANCIENT SORCERERS AND MAGICIANS, and he believes that THE SPIRIT OF PYTHON silenced by the incarnation, HAS REVIVED WITH SOME OF ITS ANCIENT POWER!!" And this is, of course, the real truth of the matter.

In selecting instances of Spiritualistic phenomena, culled from "Psychic Notes; A Record of Spiritual and Occult Research" the first number of which was published in Calcutta on the 2nd Jan., 1882, and the last on the 27th of April, in the same year; I shewed that if Spiritualism has made rapid advances in these Kingdoms of late years; that it is as nothing to its progress in India: where, in conjunction with a so-called Esoteric Buddhism and Theosophy, it is advancing with gigantic strides indeed! And from several most important instances which were given, I furnished the most conclusive proofs of the identity of heathen, with spiritualistic "wonders;" and proved that the demons inculcating the various forms of worship, were all in league with one another to bring about the same end, as we shall indeed see further on.

In giving extracts from the work entitled, "Spirit Workers in the Home Circle, an Autobiographic Narrative of Psychic Phenomena in family daily life, extending over a period of 20 years," we were enabled gradually to trace the development of the varied Spiritualistic phenomena from the beginning to the close, i.e., from the gentle tappings of the demons in various ways, in the first instance, to make their presence known, thence through their varied communications, both written and oral, to actual contact and working for the apparent benefit of the family, down to the numerous materializations, &c.; when the whole family were found grovelling, as it were, at the feet of demons, led captive by the devil at his will! And awful is it to think, that this

family is but a sample of hundreds of others, who are now being seduced in the same way; and that this deadly evil is deepening and extending in all directions!

In dealing with "the doctrines of the demons," I pointed out that the inspired Word tells us that these demons, whose "consciences" are "seared with a hot iron "-for, as I said before, the Original clearly shows that it is of the demons themselves, that these words are spoken, Saiμoviwv, ev δαιμονίων, ὑποκρίσει ψευδολόγων, κεκαυτηριασμένων, &c.,are " seduc ing spirits," who would " speak lies in hypocrisy ;" and would, among other things, "forbid to marry, and command to abstain from meats."1

66

Now this passage has, as I have before observed, been exclusively applied to Rome; who forbids her priests to marry, and commands her members to abstain from meat on a Friday; and to this extent, it no doubt does apply to Rome; but certainly not exclusively. For Rome does not command her members to abstain from meat altogether; neither does she forbid marriage entirely: for she has even exalted it into a sacrament! But the advanced teaching of the demons in America does both. Thus we read in the pages of "The Rainbow," for Jan. 1867:-" Mr. T. L. Harris, a very intelligent Swedenborgian Minister, who became a Spiritualist, and lectured in Europe, said, as reported in the London Advertiser, 'The marriage vow imposes no obligation in the views of Spiritualists'! Husbands who had for years been so devotedly attached to their wives, that they have said that nothing in the world but death itself could part them, have abandoned their wives, and formed criminal connections with other females, because the spirits have told them that there was a greater Spiritualistic affinity' between these husbands and certain other women than between them and their lawful wives!" "In a speech at the Spiritualistic Convention at Ravenna, Ohio, July 4th and 5th, 1867, Mrs. Lewis said, 'To confine her love to one man was an abridgment of her rights! Although she had one husband at Cleveland, she considered herself

11 Tim. iv. 1-3.

married to the whole human race'!! Hundreds of families have been broken up, and many affectionate wives deserted, by affinity-seeking' husbands! Many once devoted wives have been seduced, and have left their husbands and tender helpless children, to follow some higher attraction'! Many well-disposed, but simple-minded girls have been deluded by affinity' notions, and led off by 'affinity hunters' to be deserted in a few months!" "At a Convention held at Providence, Rhode Island, in September, 1866, resolutions were adopted (1) abandoning all Christian ordinances and worship; (2) discountenancing all Sundayschools; (3) declaring that ANIMAL FOOD SHOULD NOT BE USED! And to crown all 'SEXUAL TYRANNY' was denounced"!! And a Theosophist, writing to the "Cleckheaton Guardian" of the 20th of December last, advocating the above practice of abstention from meat, says :-"If a meat diet excites the sensuality of a man, common sense -let alone Theosophy-says, 'Cut it off.'

In opening out this Division of my subject, therefore, I (1) shewed that the demons had travestied both of the Ordinances, as well as the Sacred Person, of our blessed Lord Himself; (2) gave a brief summary of some of the doctrines of the demons, gathered from various sources; and (3) gave several extracts from a work entitled "Spirit Teachings," published by an M.A. of Oxon-which is nothing more nor less, than the "Doctrines of the Demons" themselves, set forth, as it were, by their own authority; for the guidance of those who have been "seduced" by them-a pregnant proof, as I have before observed, that the close of this Dispensation is at hand!

In this last mentioned work, therefore, we have the authoritative doctrines, if I may so say, of the demons themselves; issued for the use of the faithful: as would appear, not only from the assertions of the demons; but also from the use made of them by Spiritualists, and the reverence they seem to have for the M.A., through whom they were originally delivered.

From this book, I gave many extracts, which proved most convincingly, that the "teachings" of these so-called