Coming out of the government of force, man comes into the second, the Christian, or government of moral love, the government of charity. He then comes under the “new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another.” This second, or mediatorial sphere, is a moral one; hence this dispensation has been called the mediatorial dispensation. Hence I say there will be a second sphere of government, or second dispensation, as it was called; but that dispensation is only the magnification of the individual. It is only the representation of society as one great individual. Then there is a prophecy of the third and perfect dispensation, which is called the millennial, the divine dispensation. When the second shall have performed its mediatorial work, when every individual will have been perfected in his moral nature, and shall be prepared to receive influx from the divine, then will arise the third dispensation of government, known as the millennial. If we refer to the forms of expression by which it is designated, we will find it spoken of as taking place at the consummation of the age, at the end of the world, when that mediatorial age is through, when man is perfected in his moral nature, has put down all rule and power; then Christ himself becomes subject to the Father, and God, the Divine, becomes all in all. That brings in the third dispensation, the third sphere of government. These three spheres of love in man lay the foundation for the spheres exhibited in the Spirit-world. The governments upon the earth, as well as in heaven, have their basis in man. Man is but the footings-up of all past ages; and the Spiritual worlds have their foundation in him. Therefore, when you and I wish to study the Spirit-spheres, to know what constitutes a sphere and degree, we are not obliged to go out of ourselves and look into space ten, fifteen, or a thousand miles away. That is not the way to study the Spirit-world. The way is to go within and study the spheres of Spiritual being and affection. Individuals who are in either of these spheres are allied to one of the three spheres in the Spiritual world. The first is called the lowest, or dark sphere, the sphere of outer darkness, sometimes called the grave. The grave was called the place of darkness, where there was neither knowledge, or device, or wisdom, and was that to which allusion was made in saying, that those in the graves shall hear the voice of God, and shall live. It is sometimes called “Gehenna.” It corresponds to man’s lustful nature, and represents the darkness and impurity of man under the influence of his lusts. That is what characterizes the first or lowest sphere of Spiritual being. The second sphere corresponds to man’s intellectual or moral nature. It is called “Paradise,” the place of happiness. Jesus said to the thief on the cross, “To-day shalt thou be with me in Paradise.” Two days after, when Mary met him at the tomb, and offered to embrace him, he said, “Touch me not, for I have not yet ascended to my Father.”
He had been in Paradise—in the second sphere—and he told them that when he ascended to his Father they should see him no more. Both Gehenna and Paradise are spheres of Spirit-manifestation. Those who are charitable, and who do possess truly spiritual natures or affections, are in alliance with Paradise. Those in lust are in alliance with the sphere of lust or Gehenna. Those who have passed through, and fulfilled every impulse and every love in the second sphere, are said then to be brought into the divine presence. They no longer need a middle man between them and the Divine, because the Father can then speak directly to them. But so long as man is in the sphere of outer darkness or in Paradise, there is between him and the Divine (and he must approach by a mediator) something that can take the things of the Father and make them manifest to him in the visible sense. But when man has come into the third sphere, there is no longer a middle man; Christ himself becomes subject to the Father, and God becomes all in all. Then comes the New Dispensation, or the Consummation of the Christian Age. The point to which I wish to call your attention is, that the governments in earth, as well as in heaven, all have their basis in man —man being but the footings-up of all the ages of eternity. All is summed up in him; and he is the footings-up of all that preceded him; hence all the Spiritual spheres have their basis in man. Therefore, when we wish to study the Spirit-spheres, we are not obliged to go out of ourselves and begin to look off into space ten, fifteen, or one thousand miles away. The way is to come within, and ascertain the sphere of Spiritual being, Spiritual perception and affection; for all there is of the Spiritual universe is what has its basis in the individual Spirits who constitute the spheres.
As the societies of earth are composed of the individuals of earth, so are the spheres of the heavens composed of the individuals of the heavens, and the ruling nature of the different spheres is but the aggregate of the ruling loves of those composing those spheres. The laws of the spheres are but the laws of those composing the spheres. We are germinal universes. We are to be developed and unfolded consciously till the whole universe is translated into our consciousness. There is but one way to study the universe, and that is to come down into ourselves and study ourselves. This idea of looking out of ourselves, looking to any external method outside of our consciousness to find out what constitutes a Spiritual sphere or degree, is all fallacious. Spirits may come and rap, talk, and preach till doomsday; if they can not find the elements within your consciousness out of which they can construct that Spiritual sphere, you can not perceive or get any true idea of Spirit-spheres. It is as though I were born blind, and had never seen the light, and of course knew nothing of light, color, and darkness, and some individual should endeavor to make me believe that I was living in total darkness, when there would be no part of my being to which he could appeal to make me believe. There would be no possibility of conveying the thought to my mind, because I should have no conscious experience of light, color, etc. Outward language could not give me the idea. Unless I have had the conscious experience to give me the idea out of which to construct the idea, the Spirits from the Spirit-world may come from every sphere and degree, and they can not convey to my mind an accurate idea of those spheres and degrees. If they would make me understand who God is, and what he is, they must find in me the elements out of which to construct that God. I say it is useless to look for information out of yourselves until you know what is in yourselves. The first lesson is to learn who and what am I. I propose to commence my investigations in each individual’s own consciousness, starting with affirmations of that consciousness, and with definitions about which we can not disagree, and then go forward step by step, demonstrating every point, and ascertaining the law of manifestation as that law is revealed in us. I do not ask Spirits, and do not wish them to come to tell me about the law that governs in their sphere. The truth is, we can not avoid the fact, that all communications that come understandingly, must come in the method that God has ordained, and that method is that it must be written by his law upon our consciousness; and when it is written so, Spirits can come and point out the writing to us; and that is the best they can do. I desire you to understand distinctly what will be the basis of my lectures, what will be the points I shall attempt to establish. I shall endeavor to prove Spiritualism. I shall not come to the raps for a considerable time. They are so far off, I shall not attempt to prove Spiritualism by rapping for some time yet. People say we have got beyond the rapping. The truth is, a large portion of the world have not yet got to the raps. They are not yet able to appreciate the raps. We must make considerable progress before we can get the philosophy of the raps. We have much to learn yet before we can get the full benefit of a simple sound, even though it be not accompanied by much intelligence. The first lesson I shall attempt to teach—pardon me for assuming to be a teacher, I will be a pupil at any time—is how to study and know yourselves; how to ascertain the laws of your being, action, and manifestation; how to determine what is and what is not spiritual in you; how to determine whether you are under Spirit-influence or not—for there are laws by which all these things can be determined. In my investigation I shall perhaps be able to determine where that terrible creature, Jack, the Giant-killer, the Odylic force, resides, and show what it can and what it can not do. And I promise, too, in the face and eyes of all theorizers who believe that the Spiritual manifestations are traceable to this force, and to the satisfaction of everybody else, to demonstrate that it is not competent to produce them. I will demonstrate it according to President Mahan’s hypothesis. I will show by every known law of nature that the power exerted at the brain’s center, in a single instance he has given, was equal to a thousand steam-engines of a million horse-power at the distance of five feet from the brain. But that will merely come in as collateral when I consider the objections offered to our theory. I will endeavor to consider every objection which any objector has proposed to bring forward. I do not stand here to boast, but what I speak is to me absolute. I stand here fearlessly, and invite all classes of minds to raise any objection they can to the Spiritual theory; and I bind myself to answer them instanter, or confess my inability to do so. The invitation commences now, and extends to every moment I am in the city.
In my next lecture I shall begin with the question of Spirit-spheres, and endeavor to unfold to the consciousness of each of you the evidence of the existence of a first sphere, from which you will all do well to escape; and shall then proceed to prove the existence of other spheres, namely, the second, or relational sphere, and a third, or divine sphere. I invite skeptics and atheists in particular to be particularly captious.
CHAPTER II.
THE SPHERE OF LUST.
Man possesses three natures—the animal or sensuous nature, the intellectual and moral nature, and the divine nature. Mind, in whatever department it is manifested, possesses two qualities—perception and affection, and understanding and love; or, when understanding is united with true affection, wisdom and love. I have heretofore said, that since man, in the lowest department of his being, is animal in his character, possessing the faculty of perceiving facts and phenomena, that faculty was the perceptive part of his animal being which embraces self-love, or a desire after self-gratification. That portion of the mind which pertains to the second part of man’s nature was described as being that which investigates the laws and relation of things, inquires into what relates to that department of nature called the scientific, and studies that which relates to man and society. What is called the moral department of man’s being is that which relates to the affectional part of his nature, and which is called moral love or charity. That which pertains to the divine or absolute of man’s being was said to embrace the religious element in him; through which department the Infinite, as the absolute of being and of affection, is to be revealed to the mind. The love characterizing this department was described as divine love—the love of the Divine Being. The first love is objective in self, the second is objective in neighbor, and the third is subjective in God. Thus, then, was given the division of that department of mind pertaining to man’s perception and affection.
I am now to commence with the first—man in the lowest department of his perception and affection, to show you its nature, and its presence in him, in society, in government, and in the Spirit-world. If we would learn the laws that govern in that sphere of the Spirit-world called outer darkness, we need only learn the laws that govern in the sphere of outer darkness which is in man, and which is caused by man to exist in society. A singular idea has obtained, that this lower animal nature derives its quality from the physical body we carry about with us; and that when we come to be separated from it, we shall no longer possess any of that nature; as though this earthly body was the foundation of perception or affection—as though the instrument were the cause—as though this body, which we temporarily inhabit, exercised more control over us than the mind!
I propose first, then, to inquire how much influence the body exercises upon the mind, and how much influence the mind exercises upon the body, so that we may arrive at something like an accurate conclusion as to what our condition will be beyond the grave; for if we know how much is to be subtracted, at death, from our animal natures, we can know how much of that nature remains after we have passed beyond the influence of these material bodies. My first position is this: The manifestation of impulse in finite beings rises out of the relation which one finite being sustains to another. There is no impulse that does not grow out of this relation; and the impulse is according to the nature and character of that relation. In the divine order, if my body, as a physical and a finite existence, did not sustain any relation, it would be subject to no impulse; therefore, whenever I perceive an impulse arising within me, I am informed thereby that I sustain a certain relation to something, and that if I would become truly wise in controlling that impulse, I must learn what that relation is. I might begin back of mind or conscious being to show how uniform this law is in the material or unconscious world, as that the influence between the earth and the sun arises out of a certain relation existing between them, and that if you change or destroy that relation, you change or destroy that influence. But I will illustrate this truth by reference to a conscious being. If man could be isolated from all laws, he would be a very different being from what he now is, although he might retain the same constitution which he now possesses; because he could not then come into certain relations which are necessary, in order to have revealed within him certain affections. I will take, for instance, the conjugal relation. It is the nearest the Divine. It is the first-begotten relation below the Infinite. Until a man and woman come into the true conjugal relation, they can not experience that love known as conjugal love. Till then it can not be begotten in them. They may conjecture they know what it is, but until that true relation is established between them, they can never have an adequate conception of it—can never know what it is to become so oblivious in another as the true wife does in the husband, or the true husband does in the wife; nor can they, like the true husband and wife, experience that perfect harmony of soul, or listen to that sweet spiritual music within, till they have entered this relation, which alone can fit them for a proper conjugal union. The law exists, and the conditions exist; but man must place himself, and woman must place herself, within the sphere of the law and the conditions, or they can not experience the benefit to be derived from them. So with the parental relation. No woman can know what maternal love is till she becomes a mother. Is it not so, mothers? People may conjecture that they know what it is, and suppose it to be a pure and friendly love-feeling existing between mother and child; but they can have no adequate conception of the deep tenderness and holiness of maternal love—their idea of it does not begin to reach down into the almost infinite depths of that holy love. There is no possible way for an individual to know what maternal love is, but to come into the maternal relation. That is the way God reveals it in the soul. The reason is, that the true maternal impulse in the finite is the manifestation of the Divine in the finite sphere, and this manifestation can only be made in an individual when that individual comes into the sphere where the Infinite can confer that blessing. The same is true with reference to paternal, fraternal, filial, and social love: they all depend for their development upon those in whom they are manifested coming into the true relation which gives birth to them.
The same law holds good when applied to the relations existing between the body and the spirit. My body can not be nourished so as to become an instrument of individualizing in me an immortal spirit, unless it be sustained by those things necessary to become a part of its organism. I have needs, as an immortal being, which must be supplied, or I perish; and since those needs exist, they must have some means of manifesting themselves to me; and one of the means employed for that purpose is the feeling of hunger. A desire for food proclaims a need of my wasting body. The needed material can then be taken into it to build it up and fit it for its holy mission of being an instrument in elaborating an immortal spirit. So, likewise, thirst is the voice of God proclaiming a need of my body, and my spirit is induced to seek for that which shall supply the demand of a divine impulse originating in that plane. So it is in regard to all other needs of the body calling upon the spirit for gratification. The impulses, then, pertaining to this body have not their origin in this body, but only in the relation which this body sustains to my spirit; and when the spirit has fulfilled its duty of supplying the needs of the body, the demand ceases. When, being hungry, I have appropriated the proper quantity of food, the desire for food ceases. It is so respecting every other need—when it is supplied, the demand ceases, and the individual continues to be satisfied till the demand is again created. By studying the needs of the body, and making yourself acquainted with its condition as far as it relates to the spirit, you may learn exactly how much influence, truly and properly, it exerts upon your spirit; but when you look beyond the needs of the body, and find impulses asking for more, you may be certain that you are finding impulses which do not pertain to your body. Though they may lay hold of your body and stimulate it to action and administer to its gratification, yet they do not arise out of it, but out of some neglected need. Such impulses are the voice of God calling our attention to some need which you have forgotten or neglected, and they will not permit you to rest till you discover what that need is and supply it. I will illustrate this point.
Although man in the lower department of his nature is animal, he is nevertheless something more than an animal in the activities of his nature. The highest impulse of the animal is to provide for and protect its perishable mortal structure, and he has no immortal spirit to provide for in the future. He is content when the needs of the body are supplied. Did you never notice how content and unconcerned are the horse and dog when their demand for food is supplied? Young animals and young children, in their play, are supplying one of the needs of their body. But when the children have passed from childhood, desires of that kind cease, if they become properly developed men and women, and others take their place; while the animal, whenever the needs of his animal nature are supplied, is satisfied. Consequently, you do not see dissipated animals. Did you ever think of that? Animals do not get drunk, nor seek for gratification in any such unnatural channel. Animals are true to nature and to God. They can not have thoughts and desires that pertain to the undying spirit, their highest nature being merely animal. Were man as true to all the needs of his being as is the animal to the needs of his animal nature, he would not be the discontented, unhappy, and lustful being he now is. But in consequence of having to supply the needs of a higher nature, he finds himself far from being as contented as the brute, whose animal wants are all provided for.