As spiritual beings we become receptive of this influence through our spiritual nature, but impart it through our lower nature. To become a medium of potential action or manifestation, I must have the power to impart to that medium through which the power is to be manifested. To affect you nervously to relieve you from pain, I must be able to impart through my nervous system that power which I received through my spiritual nature. To be able to operate psychologically, I must receive through my interior being and impart through my outward being—must first have the powers of receptivity, and, secondly, must possess the powers of impartability. It becomes just as necessary to have a good, healthful physical development to be able to impart, as to have a good spiritual development to receive the power. The individual becomes stronger as a medium in proportion to his development in receptivity and impartability.
That Jesus was so much more powerful than others was owing to the perfectly harmonic development of his different natures. Our power to exert healing influences depends upon our development. The higher we are developed—the nearer we come to the great absolute Fountain of all power—the more largely will we be receptive of that power.
Jesus being fully developed in his religious and spiritual being, was in conscious communion with the Father and with Spirits of the most exalted character, and received largely of the Divine power. He was always aware whether he had the necessary power to perform any work. Being so fully unfolded as to perceive the causes of the disease to be cured, he knew beforehand whether it was worth while to make the experiment. He knew what was to be done to bring the individual into a condition to receive that which he needed to restore him. Therefore, when called upon to perform a cure, if the individual was not in the right condition, he commenced to bring him into it, requiring them to come into a certain condition called faith or belief. That he might perform the desired work, he required the assistance of those around him. When he went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and where he was looked upon as an ordinary man, his right to teach was called in question, and his learning doubted. What was his success there? Mark says he did not succeed, because of their unbelief. He could not command the conditions which were necessary to impart his power, and he could do no mighty work there, except to lay his hands on a few sick folks. Another writer referring to it, says, “He did not many mighty works there, because of unbelief.” We all know that Jesus said, “A prophet is not without honor save in his own country.“ He had to keep away from Nazareth simply because the state of mind was such that he could not control the conditions necessary to produce his mighty works.
Within three weeks before his crucifixion, when going to Jerusalem to attend one of the feasts, his brethren called upon him and said, “If you do these things, show yourself openly, for no man doeth these things in secret, and yet seeketh to be known openly; for,” says John, “his brethren did not believe on him.” Christ, even with his high degree of receptivity, found it necessary at times to call to his aid surrounding minds; and he could not always perform his work without faith being reposed in him. The question was very often asked by him, “Believe ye that I am able to do this?” When he had performed the cure, he immediately said “It is faith that did it.” They had no faith in him as the Son of God, as supposed by some, but simply in his power to work a cure.
I desire to enforce the idea, that if we wish to be mediums of high and exalted powers for the removal of diseases, it becomes necessary that we should be highly developed, not only physically, but spiritually and religiously. A high order of the absolute religious development is very essential to great power as a healing medium, because this highest nature, this absolute nature, in man, much more than any other, serves to unite him with the absolute Fountain of all power. The highest development of this religious nature in man is necessary to give him a clear perception of the nature of disease and the means for its removal. The man who has this religious faculty highly developed, needs not that any man should say anything to him of man, for he knows what is within him. Clairvoyant mediums know very well that that condition which enables them to see most clearly the state of the individual is that which is high and exalted; for when their thoughts and aspirations seem to be ascending—like the odor from the flower—there is a sort of conscious exhalation going forth permeating every thing around the individual, and he sees and feels clearly the condition of everything by which he is surrounded.
There is nothing in the world which summons the human being to such a degree of activity as that which we call the religious nature—there is nothing which takes hold of him so deeply. What other influence in the world could cause a mother to destroy her babe, but the stimulating influence of this religious nature, coming up as it does from the deepest fountain of the soul? Make a man believe that his religious nature requires sacrifice, and he will make that sacrifice, cost what it may, simply because his religious nature wells up so strong when it is moved, that there is nothing outward which can resist it. When the individual’s religious nature is highly developed, it is more powerful than all his other natures.
We will become healing mediums just in proportion as we are developed in this religious nature, so that we shall become more receptive and perceptive, and be enabled to exercise stronger mental power to accomplish our results. But a healthy physical development is quite as essential to good mediumship as is a high and healthy spiritual development. Good organs of impartability are required. Secure a good harmonic physical with a good harmonic spiritual development, knowing that you are receptive on the Spiritual side, and impartive on the physical side.
There is much folly connected with mediumship. That such should be the case with people so profoundly ignorant as the majority of mankind are with reference even to their having souls, is by no means surprising. Many people suppose that if their hands are touched, a Spirit has got hold of them, and is about to make something great of them, and they set themselves up as something wonderful. If they can perceive any influence coming upon them, it is attributed to a Spiritual agency. It may be so and it may not, because there are other than Spiritual agencies. I once witnessed the curing in five minutes of an individual who had been blind for three years. This, told to the world as an instance of Spiritual healing, would appear marvelous; and if I had happened to do it on the platform, before the people of New York, they would have thought I had almost performed a miracle. It is probable that not a particle of Spiritual influence was exerted in the case. The individual performing the cure did not suppose that he was a medium, though some would not hesitate to publish it to the world as a remarkable instance of healing by Spiritual aid. The blindness was doubtless caused by a paralysis of the optic nerve, and required only a little action to restore the sight. The individual proceeded according to the usual modes of mesmerism. The cure was not half as difficult as it would be to get a sliver from under the nail, nor was it half as mysterious.
A case of the restoration of hearing, by placing the fingers in the ears and taking them out suddenly, is also within my knowledge. Such cases are frequently circulated as evidence that Spirits do cure. The cure in this case was doubtless effected by a strong mesmeric current passing from the fingers of the operator over the nerve of the ear. As honest men and women, we should be careful about publishing these things as instances of Spirit-healing. We have abundant genuine evidence of what Spirits do. Attributing to Spirits that which is not produced by them, tends to make us dishonest with ourselves and our neighbors. Were due caution exercised in this matter, we should not need half the evidence which is now required to convince the world that Spirits do exist and communicate. When it is observed that everything is attributed to Spirits, the world will not believe us even when we tell them facts.
I know that Spirits do communicate—do exist. It is not with me a matter of conjecture at all—I KNOW it; but there is no occasion to make persons believe that every thing comes from Spirits. I ask Spiritualists to be more careful, more dignified in their investigations in these matters, and they will find that there are facts enough before the world to convince it of the truths of Spiritualism, when you can convince the world that you are duly cautious and not easily misled. I do not wish to lie for Spirits, nor do I wish them to lie for me.