Realities of the Future Life.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IX, Issue 66, 19 February 1885, Page 4

Realities of the Future Life.

J (Harbinger of Light.) \ I This neat little volume, consists «f Selections fronf a large number of messages given tlirough the hand of , a medium, of whom ,the writer of : ithe' prefatory remarks says; '* I can I testify from intimate personal knowledge, that the medium is truthful, and is neither a yalitudiniiri.aji noiva Visionary/: *< And this -to the general reader is all-important, because) on the reliability of the medium as such depends ; the value, of evidence-given 1 ,as to the nature of the, future life aqd the .cpmmon experience of tHos£passing into it, which! the messages : treat upon. Did this book stand : alone, we should have to admit tjhat the-evidenCe was insufficient, but is . the messages harmonise with thousands received through as many mediums "whose reliability has been, tested;' they may reasonably be accepted by those at least who hay.e v received .simiFaf t.esUmony. . ; j , The first chapter is devoted; to descriptions by spirits of thei^ !eninto tliej new life. , One says : ■* I will. tell you- how I entered upon : my spirit-life. iWhen I knew any-i thing, I found myself resting m a couutry of beauty siich as it is im- 1 possible for me to describe. I ifelt refreshed after : the 'violent wrench m leaving the. earth-body, and I was : full of a sense of peace and comfort; : which was most pleasing after all I had gone through. .After some,.t|me I ;awoke to a more complete feeling bf where I was, arid 1 was awjare ' tjhat[ A was with me, and gradually ; I awoke "to the reality ; that I was- inthe spirit-world, and, that my life of happiness had begun,", ( : ; Another: '„,■■. \ ■■■ '■■.-, : „,■ "I passed. away from earth- unconsciously, and awoke as if I Bad been asleep a long. time. I was Ustonished to find myself "ma. beautiful country, and to see many bright beings; riear me ;' amongst themj 1 ,. recognised my 1 mother and brother, I could understand thejiv speech, though it J is ndt "here as ion eartn.,' I heard beautiful musjc; I felt refreshbd; all the weariness and duhiess gone." . ' . j And a third, preface's his description with : , ', ; ! . ■ *' When I woke m.; the spijritfworl'd, I could not at first understand that I was dead at all. j This seems to be a very common experience; all seems so real and natural, and so different from the' misty conceptions of orthodoxy, that it is hard for the awakening consciousness to realise that it has left the physical world and is what is erroneously called dead. In the second chapter, dealing with conditions m spirit-life, one writes: , "I have a real bpdy, without the infirmities of the earth-body ; it has increasing powers, and never feels ! tiredl" ; ■"■■'.'...■.■; . '„'.., Anpther: .: •.„,.'..■»■. •' ;^'e are qlpthed with the spiritbody ; it is the outward covering of. the. ransomed spirit ; the means fof ; conimunication, intercourse and recognition." This is the general testimony of all •:'•■■•• The description of homes m the spirifc-world are mostly very attractive and m harhiony with the tastes and conditions of those inhabiting "them. One says : : ; >--■■ "Heaven is a real place, — much more real than I supposed it to be. I should like my friends on ..earth to know that we continue , like ourselves. I don't feel much changed —except that my body is put off,— ■ bpt I am the man that, h was on . earth » only going -on I ; hope; yet slowly. lamin my home^ the air is so soft and beautiful, it seems to me I have a house to live m, but it is not much furnished. . > I jam that after a time there will, be more furniture than I see at present. I. have a few« flowers and a garden 'to. cultivate." '■, Another who is eyidently more adiyance.dj;W.riteS;:•.,.., s . i. ' ,1-, "You will imagine a house built of, coloured marbles, shining m the pure light of the sun, which is all around us, ; bringing every thinj? into .radiance and ; beauty. Into the house you enter by a. portico, whichi is. encircled by beautiful flowering shrubs and creeping plants ; then you, pass through a lofty hall with large windows j and on the windowsills you would perceive some Words written m gold letters,; each ivord containing some special truth ; you 'would see, looking carefully at these words, 1 that they change, ami, as each truth or specialty m teachiug ' is' absorbed into the inmost spirit^ another succeeds. The floor of ; the hall is of pure, white marble intermixed here and there with ,colp.ured [? marble], but the chief characteristic [is] white. ; Then passing along, you turn, into a room with a fair open ceiling ; there are seats on iwhich to recline for refreshment and real rest ; soft and beautiful, inviting ; repose. In the room you will find books, and various instruments of music are around you.' Music we breathe as the air of heaven. In this room many come, for ij; is a mdeting-room for disciYssio'n on various interesting subjects, and often when there are preachers and earnest teachers on earth , giving . fprth their thoughts, they are unknowingly helped,. and, I may say;' .inspired by the echoes which catch, conveyed to them from this and similar halls .of, meeting." • . ..; ; .. In the concluding portion j devoted to the teaching of Spiritualism, : tliere is matter which will inherently commend' itself to the rational thinker. "Eadh receives what is his 1 due, and whlat he hns justly earned. No perfection reached at first, and a

crown of glory won; no great change, m, fact, except. : i^ departure from t;he earth-body, which I grant, is a weary burden laid down ; but the spirit, clothed with the body which it has prepared for itself by the earth-life, is the man he was on earth, and [?he] goes where he has is right ; placp; where he feels he is at homeTh&cis ajudgmcht;— don't let that be forgotten,— and it is just and., rigjit.; [it is] not in-fbe fatf , distance future,— which some fondly think, and so the^theught becomes unreal. , — but when the spirit enters -the spirifclan'd, : if it docs ndt ; begin before : i .during • the earth life. T he' ; earth^life, 'its sins and incidents, was present to me. as I saw very clearly, without any excuses or earth-sha-dows;'very painful this was, ■[while]'. : the judgment J was] going on,' but salutary ; and "I am thankfulthough 1 1'h'jfd much to be, corrected, and the reckoning [might have] seemed hard, but tor the love and mercy of my, long-suffering God; whjch I could see and thank, him for." ; And another concludes so.mewiiat similar experiences with these words. "God is better far than ever we thought when on earth; He m His wisdom metes out to us as we have deserved, and I can thank Him with a deeper thankfulness- than I knew ■of on earth. Out Father's' love is over all His work. Hfs doings are beyond oqr poor thinking.' Yes, I 'Have found how little I, kndW. . I, am learn jng.V , . 1 HowSnucK more m harmony with the idea of a just and loving are ijhese ■, teachings.;; than those taught m the churches of a stern and -implacable judge* weighing theweak and erring m the balance, and consigning all below the standard to_ eternal torture ?