The ShekinahDAWNS ON THE WORLD!
abf• ,frst lTolumc
THE EDITOR.
°'-40COZ-o ;\_ J: ~ .. l moo
DAWNS ON TllE WORLD!
E)lfs JJ(nt 11olume
Enlm'ed, acoordlng lo Act or ~ In the rear ISM, bJ
!!. B. BRI'M'A..'i',
-·
-
BY 8. B. BRITTAN.
"The Spirit giveth life.''-P&UL.
A SUPERFICIAL system of philosophy will always be material in its nature, since it regards only the outward forms and visible phenomena of the Univeree1 while a profound philosophy will necessarily be spiritual, because it seeks the mysterious depths of existence, and aims to discover those hidden laws and spiritual forces on which all physical developments depend. The deepest philosophy will, therefore, be the most religious, if not in the pop­ ular apprehension, at least in a rational and true sense. If " the undevout Astronomer is mad,'' it would seem that all our investi­ gations into Nature should serve but to deepen the reverence of the truly rational mind. Those who look at Nature from with­ out -who question her oracles from the world's remote position - never hear the responses from her inmost shrine. They know as little of her divine utterances as the traveler, in a strange land, may know of the forms of worship peculiar to the country he is in, while he only gares from a distance at the walls of its temples. We must enter the divine precincts- 'breathe the spiritual atmos­ phere - and bow at the altars from which the incense of perpetual worship ascends. Standing within the veil, we discover that the illuminated seers, and the inspired poets and prophets of all ages, in their sublimest moods, have but echoed the voices of Nature, or spoken the words of God, from out the inner courts of his Sanctuary.
The motto at the head of this article involves the consideration, that the vital principle in all things is Spiritual. In every object
l
THE BBEK J NA.B.
we traco the presence of a power, greater than all material thinge, as the actuating princi pie is superior to the gross forms it governs. The comparative immobility of matt.er, in its inferior combinations, is incompatible with the existence of the superior forms and func­ tions of organized being. The susceptibility of matt.er to motion, must be increased, by the attenuation of the physical element.a, in 11rdcr to develop those changes ancl com bi nations, among the ulti­ mate })articles which are indispensable to organic fonnation. It is e\'ident that, among the more ethereal conditions which matter 1L'lsumes, the atomic relations are constantly changing ; and as we traYerse the great spiral of ascending life, the forms in each suc­ ceeding grnclation become more curious and beautiful, and their functions the more mysteriona and divine. Enthroned above the tlcacl elements in an unparticled essonce, is the spiritual power from which their vitality is derived. The meanest form in Nature -the feeblest thing in which the living principle is enshrined and revealed- receives the quickening energy from the infinite Sensorium. From Nature's great heart the vital currents flow out through all the arteries of Being. All lifo is the action of Mind on Matter; it is the revelation of a t1pirin1al prei:ience - of God's presence I If we ascend to thotie 1>ublime Wghto, where thought l'olcls her weary pinions, and nsph-atiou seeks repose ; or3 if we <lesceud into the mysterious and fathomless abyss - to the n\Bt profounc.1 1 where the shadows of nonentity >eil tl1e germs of exis­ tence - in every place, and in all nntnres, is God re\'"ealed. In th~ cnc.l.le»s cycles of material and spirituru de,·elopmcnt - from the ,Jeep Center to the undiscovered circumference of heing-Ilis thoughts are written; and from all spheres accessible by men 1)r
angels, it is revealed that, "the Spi1it gi\'"etb life.'' Ilere we may announce, as the subject of this disquisition, TU1l
NATURE .AND MLC\SION OF SPlRITUA.LJSM.
It most be sufficiently obvionQ, that the religious faith and ~cientific philosophy of the worlc.l have heen sarlly at varinnce. It is impoi;."lible to flisguisc tho fact, that many of the most cxnlted mindR have, on this account, been drinm awny from the ~rrcat truths which most intimately concern the peace of the soul.­ This hn.c; re;;ultcd in a great degr<>e, from the mntorialistic nttri­ hutes and tendencies of 10t>tlcrn Thcolog~·, which haw! been mis-
llISSION OJ' 8PIBIT1J'ALI8K. 3
taken, even by men of great spiritual powers, for the divine real· ities of Ohrist'e religion. TWs theology, as it appears to ua, does virtually divorce the indwelling Divinity of the Univerae from ita outward form ; it severs all direct connection between the Creator and the spirits he has made ; it clOBe.s up the avenaea of spiritual sensation, and, by its cold formalism and mat.eriallty would oesify the very BOUls .,of men, ao that the Divine energy and the thoughts of angelic beings might no more flow into the human mind. What­ ever is inexplicable by the known laws or physical nature, this theology is disposed to regard ae WUJMNtaturoJ,; it limits all inspi­ ration to the writ.ere of a single Book, t.eaching that the day of revelation and miracle is past, and that man may no longer receive divine communications. The baptism of this theology in the name of Jesus, did not di vest it of its outward corrnptiona, or cle&nse it from its inherent grossness and materialism. The crea­ ture was about to enwrap himself in the dark folds of a cheerlesa and painful skepticism. The scholastic theology did not satisfy the rational faculties. Accordingly, Man sought for the evidence of his immortality in the natnre of things, bnt being unable to perceive interior principles, or to trace the connection between material ancl spiritual existences, the sweet hope of immortal life Wllil ready to expire in the soul. He paused in his investigations, lest he should discover the fallacy of all hie cherii::hed hopes. He B011ght to retire to the dim obscurity, in which he had alumbered so long; but deep, and thrilling utterances came from the invisible deptha, and the unresting spirit was moved by a myet.erious llnd nnknown power.
To the old, arbitrary Formalism we oppose a divine PJ1ilosophy, which regards spirit as the Origin and End of all things-the cause of all external forms, and the source of all visible phenomena. It teaches that Deity pervades and govems, by ~tablished laws, the Univel'l!le of material and spiritual existence; that all truth is nat­ twal, and adapted to the rational facultiea ; that God is enshrined in the human soul ; and, moreover, that all men, as t.hey become God-like in spirit and life, nre rendered snst'eptible ti> divine impresaions, anrl may derive instn1ction from a higher sphere of intelligence. The 11piritnal idea will be found to comprehend the reaults of our faith and philosophy. From this point of observa-
1'H.B SBEKINAR.
tion we perceive that, by an almoet infinite series of impercepd­ ble gradations, the material elements are sublimated to etbereality, and 01ganic existence becomes individualized and immortal. 1be relations of the visible and invisible worlds are here discoverable. E xistence is seen to be one nn broken chain, beginning in DeitJ and ending in the lowest forms of matter; while faith and science, tor the first time, meet and harmonize in one grand eyatem of universal truth. In tho lighi of these views, we discover that the limit.a of Nature are not to be determined by the capacity of the senses and the understantling to perceive and comprehend them. N atore, if not absolutely illimitable, extends immeasurably beyond the limits of all human observation. The essential principles of Revelation have been presumed to be at war with Nature, only because our investigations of the latter have been restricted to the circumscribed sphere of visible e~istence. The external world contains many grand and beautiful revelations of power and wisdom, but as we leave the mere surface uf being and descend into the great deep from which the element.s of all 1ife and thought are evolvetl, we feel a still stronger conviction that God is in all things, and that
11 Order ii Heaven's first law."
....,
KI8810lll' OJ' IPilUTVALIBK.
with divine coruscations, as though the Shekinah waa about to be renaled anew in one vut halo encircling the nation.a.
It may be proper to observe, in this connection, that the ~ ward circumstances and event& which constitute the chief element& of b1111laD history sufficiently indicate the inward nature and oon­ troDlng ideas of men. The great purpose of life, and the general pursuit& in which one ia moat actively employed, will be foaud to bear bis own image. Every day opens a new chapter for the world's observation, in which the individual man writ.ea his bie­ Wry in living and immortal charaetel"8. A man's life ia himaelf. Employ an artist to represent the Virgin, and whether he will paint the Madonna or the Venus, will depend on the meaa11J'8 of his own spiritual growth. His idea will be incarnated in a volup­ tuous or in a spiritual form, in proportion as the sense or the soul baa the preponderance. The sensualist - though gifted with the spirit of poeey and endowed with a mast.orly eloquence--if he were required to describe Heaven, would portray the paradise of the Arabian Prophet, peopled with those forms of physical grace and loveliness which ravish the senses while they enthrall the soul. The highest heaven of a refined sensualist would correspond to the Turkish seraglio, rather than the ethereal abodes of angelic life. Thus doea every man embody himself in his works, and especially do we find in his religious life the autobiography of his inward being. It indicates the specific degree of development to which he has attained. If his religion be material, it is because his nature is so. While the highel' faculties of the soul are slum­ bering in embryo, the religious principle very naturally clothes itself with material veetments, and the objects of its adoration are those forms which address themselves to the outward sensee. In a at.ate of savagism, men wol"Bhip some visible object. Thus the sun, moon, and stars, the elements, and even beasts, birds, rep­ b1es and plant&, have been invested with a sacred importance, and with those attributes which command the reverence of the benight­ ed human spirit.
If we apply this principle to Christ- and to his religion, as taught and practically illustrated by himself - it will be found to warrant the lot\ieet ideal of his spirituality. Hie religion was the ftuthest possible remove from a mere ritualism. Notwithstanding
6 TUB IHBJtllU.K.
the old Phariseea were constantly citing the authority of 1C0111 and the Prophets, Obrist oft'ered no written creed or deified boob, to which an unreaeoning conformity was demanded. Not one of the early Apoetles required subecription to any eharply deftnecl standard of opinion, either as the condition of preeent fellowalilp or of future salvation. It was manif'catly no part of their miMkm thus to tempt the weak and the unworthy. Ohristi1111ity newr contemplat.ed a onenua of opinion., it aimed at a more glorious oon­ summation - "THE UNITY OF THE SPIBrr." In this view of the subject, we have no occasion to undervalue it.a beliutifol preeepta, or to neglect the proper and obvious distinction between it& spirit­ ual realities and the materialism of popular theology.
While mortals would have honored Ohrist as the world delight& to honor its own, he would accept no earthly jnrisdiction, but sought the humblest place, saying, - "My kingdom is not of this world." And yet that kingdom was not far removed. No fath­ omless gulf separated his throne from the sphere of man's present existence. He :fixed the seat of his empire, and signified the spir­ itual natnre of his go\•emment, when he said,-" The kingdom of God is with yon." Christianity-not, indeed, as it is defined in the theological systems of the world, hut the Christianity of Christ -the religion of that divinely bcantifnl life-~as a SPIRITUA.LISH.
It had no visible material object of worship; it required the observance of no costly rites and ceremonies ; no gilded altars and fashionable temples- reared by the swent and blood of the poor -were consecrated to its serrioo. Christ announced the existence of one God -an all-pervading spiritual presence. The Heaven be disclosed-the IlcaYen reflected from the calm depths of his own l>eantiful spirit-was llinMONY. With him, the Universe was the temple of that Being whose appropriate worship- t11e pure offer­ ing of the grateful soul-was alike acceptable in all places. The worshiper was no more required to climb the Sacred Mount to be heard of God ; tho poor pilgrim, on hie way to some distant shrine, hallowed Ly the worship of' ages, might pause and seek repose, conscious of the Di'"iue presence and protection. The Father ofall spirits-the Infinite which Christ revealed-was there - was everywhere- to watch over his children. The lonely
KIBBIOJr 01' 81'.IBITV.ALIBIL
momataia, the d8110la&e wildemeBe, and the t.empeltW>UI sea, were alike CODBeCrat.ed by the holy Presence.
But iha apiritualiem of Christ's .religiqn waa aoi manife&t mm"ely a Aia mOl'&l precept&, in the simplicity of hia wo.,bip and the diviu.i~ of hia life, but in the viewa it unfolds of the relati<>l\8 of the visible aod invisible world.. The power of departed spirit.a w .idaence mankind- to infuse their thoughta into the hwnan soul, or to preeent themselves in the fonns which characterized their eutbly uiatence-ia everywhere recogo.ize4, Ohriat and hia Apoetlea, u well aa the Seers and Prophets of all ages and coun­ triea, eutertained this idea. All men, from tbe highest to the low­ est capacity of earth, were presumed to be infiuenced, in a pater or leas degree, by invisible spiritual agents. J esua i& said ~ve been led of the spirit into the wilderness, where he faated forty daya; at the baptism, a spirit descended and rested on him in tht' form of a dove ; in the mount of transfiguration-when the face of Jet1DS shone "aa the sun, and his raiment waa white as the light" ..,...M:oeea and Elias appeared and conversed with the disciples.­ (Matt. xvii. 2, 8.) Faith in the constant presE1nce and frequent appearance of disembodied spirits, was universal among the early Ohriatians, or we have read the New Testament to no purpose.­ When the disci pies were at sea in the night, and J osm approached .them, they were troubled and said it is a spirit. After the Cruci­ ixion, when the disciples were aBBembled at Jerusalem, Jesus appeared in their midst and they were terrified, supposing that they had seen a spirit. The Revelator testified that he was in the spirit on the Lord's day ; and again, that he was carried away in th~ spirit. Paul speaks of being " caught up to the third heaven," and of hearing " unspeakable words, not lawful for a man to utter." The same Apostle, writing to the Ilebrews, of those who .have deparie4 this life, says, " Are they not all ministering spirit.a, sent forth to minister to them who shall be heirs of salvation l" Under the preaching of Peter, aa would appear from the narration, about three thousand persons \\"ere, on one occasion, introduced illto a psychical state, so that they began to speak with other tongues as the spirit gave them utterance - in other words aa they were iqtpreased. There are numerous allusions in every part of the Scriptures to the presence and power ot' spirits, and many per-
8 TBE 8BEJCtlU.B.
IOD8 are declared to have been subject to the guardianship cl some invisible agency.
Now to say that all these experiences ceased with the age of the Apoetles, is not merely taking for granted what never hu been proved, it ie a gratuitous assumption for which there is no warrant either in Natme or Revelation. The Universe is one vaat reposi­ tory of means and iustrumente directed by the Omniscient llind to the accomplishment of hie great designs. The material ele­ ments and all the refined agents in Nature, are at hie dispoll&l, and subject to those laws "·hich are but the expreseion of his eternal thought. Reason and analogy authorize the inference that, in the spiritual as well ae the physical world, various instru­ mentalities are employed to secure the results of the Divine administration. If God moves in the elements, and goveme the revolutions of material nature, His presence is still more glori­ ously displayed 88 we ascend to those spheres where existence becomes more ethereal and divine. All subordinate intelligences may, therefore, be regarded as IIie ministers, sent forth in his name, armed with a meru>ure of his power, and in some way enb­ eervient to hie chief design. It is every where allowed, by the believers in revealed religion, that the deep things ot' the Spirit once found an utterance on earth - that Angels were sent to con­ ven;e with mortals. Alas I have they bid a final adieu to the 11phere of Man's present existence 1 To the spiritually-minded, it is a grave and important question which concerns the fate of those spirits who were wont to visit the earth, and to influence man in the olden time. Where, 0, where are they W Will some author­ ized expounder uf the modern scholastic divinity inform ns "'hether they are all dl'arl, or on a journey, that they are so gen­ erally presumed to have suspended their functions 1
It is a curious fa.ct that while the outward Church arrogates the exclush·e possession of all the clivine powers and graces now exist­ ing on the earth, it has little or no real faith in any thing spir· itual. Its theology separate.-;, by an impassable gulf, the spheres -0f visible and invisible life; it virtually denies to the soul any present susceptibility to the influence of more exalted nature.a; it sunders the golden chain which binds the spirit to the sphere of its immortal hirth - hurles it dowu from the high heaven of its
KI88IOJI OJ' IPIBITITALI8K.
aspiratiODB and t.he companiODBhip of .Angela-and leaves Man to grovel among the dead elements of earth. 'l'ne, it givea the ngae promiae of immortality hereafter, bat it affords no delnite eonception of the relations of 'that state and the present, while it 'lltt8rly discards the idea that epirita, in theee last days, have ay thing whatever to do with the affairs of men. lta heaven ia afar off, or ia peopled with inert spirits who eeem t.o love their ease and forget their frieoda. It will be perceived, I think, that Material­ ism does not find all or its moet distinguished advocat.ell without die pale of the visible church. The ablest defender& of the ao­ called Ohristian theology, denounce Spiritualism ae a moat ins!d­ ioaa heresy. When some BU8ceptible natnre ie seen t.o yield to paychological action, or to exhibit a faith in the great principles of epiritual ecience, the inference ie that he may be a fool, a knave, a madman, or perhaps that be ie " filled with new wine." They no more believe that angels ever speak to mort.ale, or mani­ fest the powerB by which they once influenced bnman thought and action. The whole Spirit-world is supposed to be silent now-and powerleN-as though palsy were an epidemic io Heaven I :Mod­ ern theology mggests the idea of a huge pttrif <J,Cti<m, existing, t.o be 811J'e, io a remarkable stat.e o{ preservation; but-Bo lifeleu­ IO cold-eo stony, that the contemplation chills the soul. But unlike the foeail remains of some ancient…