POPULAR MADNESS DEVELOPED BY MODERN MEDIUMS.

MODERN spiritual intercourse is treated very severely by both physicians and metaphysicians. Intelligent men, who pass current in respectable society, who are supposed to be firm Bible-believers, and first-class theoretical Christians, pretend to think that "all this" is nothing more than a manifestation of a natural law hitherto unknown!

These learned gentlemen last Sunday quoted the passage, "There is nothing new under the sun." And during the past week they have affirmed that spiritual manifestations occur in accordance with some unknown" (i.e. new), or as yet undiscovered, law of nature. Next Sunday they may enlighten their own minds, and promote biblical knowledge in the families and congregations, by reading (in the past tense, remember) how the visionary John saw "a new heaven and new earth;" then they will read the words spoken by the angel of the Apocalypse, "Behold, I make all things new!" And then these same "influential gentlemen" will continue to assert that "there is nothing new under the sun "!

These dogmatic and opinionated scholars of profound inconsistency are well aware that, in every branch of art, in every department of science, in the vortex of each natural law, and from the bosom of every old, eternal principle, something new is being continually evolved by investigators, for the world's universal advancement.

If the Apocalyptic angel ever used the startling language just quoted, he must have been endowed with a tongue, which he could not have used without a mouth, with which mouth he could have made no sound without a pulmonary structure, by which to inhale and expel the common air-in short, the particular "angel,” whom John said he "saw," must have been organized substantially and identically like John himself, or like human beings in general; and he must have been brave, too, and fearless of the profound wisdom and infallible sayings of Solomon-quite a revolutionary celestial reformer, not to say shockingly "opposed" to the Old Testament-otherwise he would not have dared to inaugurate the startling idea of "a new heaven and a new earth;" breaking up the good old straightforward, established order of things by making "all things new," thus unduly exciting the hopes and astounding the imaginations of attentive believers.

The methods and experiences of modern mediums, I

here freely admit, do not seem to be remarkably new. Does it not seem that Spiritualism is simply a revival of the same old, very old experience, of which (to say nothing of other sacred histories) the Old and New Testaments convey many faithful reports? Bible angels are wonderfully like American angels! They per

sonally and palpably appeared to seers. They looked like beings who were once human and earth-dwellers. They were self-possessed, and acted like intelligent men and women, only in a spiritual state. And thus, in accordance with the principles of divine government, the ancient mediums held methodical intercourse with their celestial visitors. Scientifically overthrow the fundamental explanations of prevailing spiritual phenomena, and you effectually melt away all the foundations of miracles, and all the astounding attestations of the divine origin of old-time Christianity. The spiritual laws of man's interior constitution do not change; like the astronomical laws, they remain forever immutable; so that all spiritual experience must be essentially the

same.

It must be acknowledged that the "madness" developed among men by the modern "method" is not more striking than the madness that was manifested by the ancients against their contemporary seers and mediums. It is in very truth impossible to draw a line of demar

cation between the "new" and the "old;" neither with respect to the method, nor as to the nature of these extraordinary and the ancient experiences. In order to show the perfection of this parallel-that the Past and the Present are Brother and Sister-the author of "Plain Guide" summoned the following instances, with chapter and verse:

A LOOK INTO THE ANCIENT MIRROR.

In the Mosaic account it is said the Lord walked and was seen in the garden of Eden. Gen. iii. 8.

An angel tells the abandoned Hagar where to find water to save herself and boy. Gen. xxi. 17.

An angel guides in the choice of Isaac's wife. Gen. xxiv. 7.

Jacob has a vision of a ladder on which angels descend and ascend, and he is afraid. Jacob wrestles with an angel; is touched, smote on the thigh, thrown to the ground, lamed; asks the spirit's name, gets no definite answer. Gen. xxxii.

Terrible manifestations-the plagues of Egypt, ending with the slaughter of all the first-born infants. Ex. vii. to xii.

Miriam sings and plays by inspiration. Ex. xiv.
Physical demonstration on Mount Sinai. Ex. xix.

The mediums, Aaron and Miriam, grow jealous of Moses. Num. xii. 2.

Balaam's ass speaks, and sees an angel. Num. xxii. Balaam becomes a trance medium, with his eyes open. Num. xxiv.

Jericho falls by invisible power. Josh. vi.

An angel cooks cakes and a kid for Gideon. Judg. vi. 21.

Samson is trained under angel direction. Judg. xiii. The child Samuel is inspired. 1 Sam. iii.

The ark of Israel becomes dangerous to the Philistines. 1 Sam. v. 6.

Samuel becomes clairvoyant, and tells Saul of his lost asses. 1 Sam. ix.

David's harp allays the evil spirit of Saul. 1 Sam. xvi.

Saul goes to the medium of Endor, and meets the spirit of Samuel. 1 Sam. xxviii.

Elijah touched and fed by an angel. 1 Kings xvi.
Elisha makes an axe swim. 2 Kings vi.

The heavens open, and spirit-hosts are beheld by Elisha. 2 Kings vi.

The shadow on the dial of Ahaz turned back ten degrees by Isaiah. 2 Kings xx.

Eliphaz sees a spirit. Job iv.

Jeremiah accuses the Lord of deceiving him. Jer. xx.