SUNDAY READING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 47, 4 June 1910, Page 10

SUNDAY READING.

GOD'S RENUNCIATION AGAINST SPIRITUALISM." (Rev. John Laird, in the Baptist Church, New Plymouth). There are people who to-day dabble in spiritualism and are unaware of the attitude of the Bible toward it, or of the great evil that it is. Spiritualism is the modern word and i 9 more polite than the words the Bible uses to describe the same thing. In the Bible it is termed sorcery, necromancy, witchcraft. The same "thing is denounced by God from one end of the Bible to the other. Like being addicted to* strong dTink, this evil hegins at first in a small way, but *n the end it brings ruin, and sad has been the awiful experience of some of those who have been deceived and led into it.

LET THE BIBLE SPEAK. In the Bible spiritualism is never practiced by a good man or for a good purpose—always evil. Notice first of a.ll 1 what God says" aoout those who .practice this aihominable thing on His loved Israel. In Deuteronomy, 18th chapter, verses 9 to 12, Israel is warned against spiritualism. There we have the reason why God put the inhabitants of Canaan out of that land. All, He says, who practice these things are an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations .the Lord thy God doth drive them out "before thee. Again in Exodus, chapter 22, verse 18, Israel was commanded to put the spiritualist to death. The same command is repeated in Lev., chapter 20, verse 27: "A man or a woman that hath a familiar spirit or that is a wizard shall surely be put to death." Israel did not obey these commands but preached the evil. in Isaiah, chapter 47, verses 9 to 13, God speaks of the punishments He is bringing upon them (for .their sinning in this thing—"evil desolation, 1 ' "loss of children," "widowhood." In the latter days of Israel God speaks of His hatred of it. In 'Mieah, chapter 5, verse 12, "And I wiU cut off witchcrafts (spiritualists) out of thine hand, and thou 6halt have no more soothsayers." And in the last hook of the Old Testament, chapter », Terse 5: "I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers and the adulterers and the false swearers, and against those •that oppress the hireling, the widow and the fatherless." Notice the company the sorcerer (spiritualist) is iput to in this verse. These statements reveal to us God's attitude towards spiritualism. Is. rael is commanded to put to death those who practice spiritualism. All who con suit with spirits are'an abomination. He put the Canaanites out of their land for practicing these abominations, and He threatens that He will cut off utterly all the children of Israel who practice witchcraft.- Spiritualism is not a little thing, then, or God would not issue such commands as these. It is in His eyes a vile thing, or He would never have said to Israel: "Stone the man who does these things with stone until he die." ATTENDING A SEANCE.

God not only speaks out 'and renounces the medium, but those who allow themselves to ibe deceived and duped by him, or ottener her. In Leviticus, chapter 10, verse 31, we read: "Regard not them that have familiar spirits, meither seek after wizards to be defiled by them." God says here spiritualism "defiles." In the sixth verse of the next chapter, we Tead: "And the soul t*at turneth' after such as have familiar spirits and after wizards to go a whoring after them, I will set my face against that soul and will cut him off from among his people." In I. Samuel, chapter 15, verse 23, rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft. These three passages would make a fine warning to be written over the door of a house where the mo-

dern seance is held. Spiritualism comes

and tempts men and women when they , are weak or in trouble, when sorrow •holds men in its ipower this insidious and evil thing comes and professes to put them into communication with the dead. The messenger of Satan comes as an angel of light. King Saul got into trouble and goes to the witch of .Endox to consult through her Samuel. He goes in the night, for that is the time almost all witches practice their trade. He got no message from Samuel except what was already in 'his mind, what Samuel had said to him (previously or what the circumstances he was placed in would naturally suggest to 'him. Saul knew that God was against 'witchcraft, but he is on the downward track and he goes and consults the medium sinning against light and knowledge. We read the result and punishment God inflicts on Saul in I. Chronicles X., 13-14: "So Saul died lor his transgression which lie committed against the Lord, even against the •word of the Lord which he (kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit .to enquire of it; and enquired not of the Lord; therefore he slew him and turned the kingdom unto David, the son of Jesse." We are just now mourning the death of our late beloved King, and thinking of the influence and the power he exercised for the good of the nation as King. One of the worst kings that ever sat on a throne was Manasseh. Among the evil things he did it is written in 11. Chronicles, XXXIII., (i, that he used enchantments and used witchcraft and dealt with a familiar spirit and with wizards; he •wrought much evil in the sight of the Lord to provoke Him to anger.

GOD HATES SPIRITUALISM. Yes, and punishes with great severity those who practice spiritualism and those who follow and consult them, but "God is love." Yes, and there is not anything that will punish and overthrow that which defiles the object of its affection its love will. Love will make war; iove will cause the (parent to .put out of the home and foe ever forbid the return of a member of the family whose influence would contaminate all the other members. Love in such a case says rightly, this moral leper must not infect the whole home. God says spiritualism' defiles, that it is abominable to Him. and that man must have nothing to do with it. The reason is He loves manso loved him as to give His only and well-beloved Son to die the death of Calvary's cross to redeem and restore him to communion with Himself. God never says '"Thou shalt not" except where the forbidden thing will ruin aiid destroy men. SPIRITUALISM IS ABOMIXAISLE TO GOD for the same reason that all sin is -hateful to name, namely, that it- mars the glory, spoils the happiness, anil brings misery t<> man whom He has made. The New Testament is equally against this great evil. In Aets X 111..' ID.' Paul calls Elvmas. the spiritualist, "a child of the devil, an enemy of all ri<rhtemis]ie-s and pcrverter of the right way* of the l/ml.'' Spiritualism has exercised ;m iiilrueiJce like this where it has been .practiced. In Halations, chapter .">. -spiritualism is associated with the grossest sins that man can commit, and in the book of Revelations the sorcerers will have their part in the lake which burnetii with lire and brimstone, which is the second death, whatever that may mean. Spiritualism is an attempt to uncover what God has hidden. It has been well described as "an attempt to -pick the lock of Heaven with a key from Hell." The

'baneful influence of spiritualism are too I painful to speak of now. It ruins the | whole man, body, soul and spirit. It is opposed and hostile to the Christ who' came to bless man and ennoble him. J Hence God says all who practice spiritualism are an abomination to Him.