-v* w* ^Ca/ty}iy/*s£ t^^Afc.. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. THE BIBLE AS A BOOK; AS IT IS AT THE PRESENT DAY; INSPIRATION, LOGIC, ETC. ALFRED W. HOAR, MEDIUM. Being a humble spirit of God, now in Heaven, I send forth this Epistle unto the world, in the year of Christ 1852, in the fifth month of the same. — paul. BOSTON: BELA MAKSH, NO. 25 CORNHILL. Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1853, By BELA MARSH, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Massachusetts. TO THE READER. I will state a few facts, relative to my experi- ence as a medium. It was on the 8th of last April, that I first discovered that I was im- pressed by an invisible power. I was away from home at a private party, where several per- sons informed me, that they could move the pen independently of their own will ; and that sev- eral spirits had written out names known to me. Not paying* much attention to what they said, I accidentally took the pen, and saw to my as- tonishment, that my pen moved involuntarily, half way across a sheet of writing-paper. Being desirous to investigate the subject further, I, the next day, took the pen again, and after va- rious trials, I succeeded in receiving the name of a spirit, who was my Grandfather. This was the first time I had ever seen any mani- festations, except seeing a medium tip a light- stand or table twice or three times at our house, 1* VI TO THE READER. by the aid of several spirits ; but the communi- cations received were not of any importance. The third day after I became conscious of an invisible power operating upon me, I became strangely impressed that I could become a me- dium writer ; and immediately afterwards, I consulted a spirit who appeared to be a wise one, and he informed me that I could be one, giving me the following names of men who formerly lived on earth, viz : — Zuingle, Calvin and Paul. I chose the former ; and in the evening I wrote by impressions, a preface to a work entitled, " The History of the World, from the Earliest Times.' , I will state that during the first two or three months after I discovered that an invisible power was about me, I almost daily attempted, by some means, to learn whether I was actually im- pressed by spirits whose names they bore, or not; and I have come to the conclusion, that, beginning as I did, to learn whether 1 held com- munion with David Wyman — my mothers father — and being satisfied by the communica- tions that I received from him, that it was in- deed he, and that he was far above us in knowl- TO THE READER. Vll edge, I can see no reason why I should doubt his word, when by his order, the spirits of Paul, Zuingle, and others, have communicated through me. He was known as an honest man while living here, and I see no reason why 1 should doubt him now. In relation to the writing of the epistle on the Bible, I will state that I first requested the spirit of Paul to give me some letters, by which I might learn something of the manner, or the way that spirits communicate to earth, and also the goodness of spirits after death. He an- swered me that he had another work for me to do : that he should write an epistle on the Bible first, and then, perhaps, he would comply with my desires. The writing then commenced by impressions. I was required to seat myself at a writing-desk, at a certain hour in the day — to remain as passive as possible — to ask no ques- tions, but let my mind be free from any thought, on a single passage in the Bible. Sometimes I was impressed to open the Bible for reference, and was often required to do so ; but I never re- ferred to it except under the influence of the spirit. Vlll TO THE READER. In writing, the words seemed to come to my mind, one by one ; and I could not tell what a sentence to come would be, nor do I even have any conceptions of what is to come. I have also been a medium for speaking, while in a conscious state, as in writing, and have frequently spoken for half an hour at a time, with great power — the spirit controlling my voice, and seeming to place his mind in my forehead, while mine lay listening. Also, in speaking, my voice has often changed when dif- ferent spirits have spoken through me. The speaking commenced a few days after I became a medium, but I have not lately adopted this mode of communication, because I am obliged to be a recorder. I am also a slight medium for tippings, al- though I do not receive communications in that way. The sounds I have never heard. I will also state, that in numerous instances, the hand-writing of the spirit, while living, is seen ; although I knew nothing of the person while he dwelt here below. Alfred W. Hoar. Westminster, Mass., Jaru 25th, 1853. THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. —$ 9 ■ <> t < >- The Bible is a Book, used at the present day, as the Word of God ; and I being a humble servant of God, He has given me liberty, to write a few words in relation to its authenticity. The Bible, when first written, was nothing more than a Book written through mediums, as I am now writing through my medium. Its contents were not composed of all the Books that are in it at present. Some of the Old Testament was written by men who had no more power than I had to preach the gospel before I had my conver- sion. The first Book in the Old Testament was written by a man years before it was said 10 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. to have been done by men at the present day. It is about as true as any fictitious work that is printed now. Its starting point is, in some measure, true, as it relates to the beginning of the world ; but the names that are recorded, are as fictitious, as some of the fables of olden times. I will not relate how man was placed here. I understand that some of the Hea- venly Spirits will write a Work on that subject. These Books, I will not deny, contain some truth, as any other book will that is written ; but to call it a Divine book is a sin against God, and the good sense of man himself. Over eighteen hundred years have passed away since Christ left the world, and yet man is still in ignorance of it. The next Book of the, so-called, Bible, is Exodus. This Book, as the others, received no inspiration from God, but was written by an enlightened man, who had some wis- dom ; and was as good a Book as could be expected in that day, when men, after they THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. 11 had once been nearly swept from the face of the earth, had become again enlightened. In this book are the ten commandments, which are very good, and show the wisdom of the man who wrote them. The people of a certain tribe were oppressed by their rulers, and kept in slavery ; and this man having some of the principles of God's will, brought down to him by an incorrect tradi- tion of His manifestations to the people of earth, before they were swept from it, was wont to assist the lowly to regain their liberty. After having done so by the sword, he wrote an account of their trials in this, and the three books that follow. The com- mandments he collected by tradition, at the same time writing them and declaring him- self inspired by the Gods to write, but un- fortunately, like many inspired persons, he was void of the spirit of God in many things. His name is called Moses, in his writings, and also in other parts of the Bible ; but his true name was not Moses, and many of the names given in the Books 12 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. of the Old Testament are not the real names of the characters, but used to show their goodness or a particular feature of their character; and many of the names, as I have before said, never existed. But as they are recorded at the present day to rep- resent the characters used, I shall call them, as in the days of Christ, by the names written. The next Book in the so-called Bible is Leviticus. The rules and precepts are good, so far as they relate to the well-being of man, but they are not directly from God, as man supposes them to be. The fourth Book in the Bible is Num- bers. This Book was written by the same man that wrote the previous one. Its laws are a continuation of the same. It signifies what man has made it, the numbering of the tribes which lived in that particular part of the world ; but they were not num- bered by God, as the words of the book imply. In the very first Chapter we see it said, that the Lord caused the people to be THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. 13 numbered for war ! Such an absurdity as that ought to be cast into the lowest depth of the infernal regions. I would not be understood as saying, that all now written in this Book, as well as the other Books I have mentioned, as written by this man, was written by him. By no means — it would be an imputation upon him, by reporting him as saying, that the Lord did all the devilish deeds recorded, by commanding his people, through Moses, to do them. This was, to a great extent, owing to the frequent translations of this part of the Bible, and also the superstition of the men by whom it was done. Indeed, the frequent occurrence of the words " God" and " Lord," was not in the Books of this man, when first composed by him. The next Book in the Bible is Joshua. This Book is a Book written by a General, who kept an account of the battles he fought. Almost the whole Book is false. It begins by saying that God gave certain powers to one man, and ordered him to carry out that 14 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. power on earth. O ! how can man read this Book, and think that it came from Heaven? Man, how small is thy judgment, to think that God would cause such a book to be written in His name. You are curs- ing your God by so doing; and it is time for you to repent before the day of your judgment come. In this Book it is written that God ruled over their battles, and caused man to slay his brother man ; and that he caused the sun to stand still, for man to continue his work of devastation and slaughter. This you will find written in the 10th Chapter of Joshua, from the 12th to the 20th verse. O man ! what do you think, and how do you conceive of God when you think that he is such a Being as this Book describes Him. The next Book in the Bible is Judges. This Book is about the same as the others ; and it needs no argument to show that it is void of inspiration. The next Book is Ruth. This is a small THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. 15 Book, without inspiration, the same as the others I have mentioned. Its contents will need no revision, as it is as unimportant to the human family, as other Books of a simi- lar nature. The next Book is Samuel. This Book gives some history of the people in those days; and a part of it is correct; but the names used in the book as being appointed by God to rule over them, are not true. The next Book is the second Book of Samuel. This is of similar nature as the other. Indeed, almost all the Books I have mentioned so far are full of wicked acts, committed by the so-called disciples of God. Acts of adultery were committed by one of God's appointed Kings. This we find in the 11th Chapter and 4th verse, in the second Book of Samuel. Can any man believe the Bible inspired, when he reads in it about God appointing such men as those to rule over his people? It is to show such absurdities as this that I was called from Heaven to correct it. Men seem so blinded that it is impossible for them to understand it. 16 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. The next book is the first Book of Kings, and is a continuation of the history of that age. This Book was written by order of Solomon — so named, for his wisdom in governing his country — as far as the Chap- ter that speaks of his death ; and the rest was finished by historians, who wrote in the same style. This Book, and indeed all the Books of the Old Testament, were taken by Demetrius Phalereus about 280 years before Christ, and translated into the Greek language. Multitudes of mistakes crept in at this translation. His putting the Books that were written by spirits, that had left the earth, with those written by false prophets, and all found in the hands of the priests, will show that the Books of the Old Testament are not reliable : and at this day it will be useless to point out the errors in each Book; and therefore, I shall only give them a passing notice, showing which were written by the aid of an invisible power, and which were not. The next Book is the second Book of THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. 17 Kings. This Book was written at a later period, and receives no inspiration. The contents of it are similar to the other Books mentioned. The next Books are the first and second Books of Chronicles. They are a continu- ance of history, written for the church, which at this time was at variance with a manifestation, similar to what you see at this day. These Books were written 700 years before Christ, and have no inspira- tion. The next Book is Ezra. This Book was written by a person bearing its name, with- out inspiration. This person did, at a cer- tain time, have a power given him beyond, his own, after a manifestation had closed similar to what is now seen on earth. Be- ing a priest of the church, which was at variance with the new church, founded on the principles brought down to them from the spirit world, he, after beholding several visions, went to the new church, and there he was soon promoted to a lofty position 2* 18 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. among them for his learning. The power with which he was blessed soon disappeared, and he beheld it no more. Soon after, with wickedness in his heart, he collected what books he could lay his hands on that were written by the Prophets, having inspiration, and also wrote the Books of Ezra, Nehemi- ah, and Esther, by his own hand, with the assistance of Nehemiah, who also turned from the true church. The Books called Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Jonah, Micah, and Malachi, were taken by him, from the hands of the Prophets, and written according to his desires in some things, and so written that neither the old nor the new church need take oifence. The true copies were destroyed by him, and his copies were translated into the Greek by Phalereus. The Book of Job was nearly all of it writ- ten through mediums. God, at this time, caused the spirits, who had departed to Heaven, to communicate to the earth, as they do at the present day. This Book was written by a man whose name was THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. 19 Job, who had been in affliction almost all his days. He lived in the western part of Asia. The communications came as they do now — slow at first, but they began to increase, until God caused a spirit to write a book through His medium. This Book would have been correct, had it not been that man, by passing it through so many languages, during the dark ages of the earth, destroyed its purity. The next Book is the Psalms. These were written in the same way, and some of them are correct. The 1st, 2d, 9th, and 51st Psalms, and others of a similar spirit towards God, have been brought down nearly correct; and let me say here that all which speak harmony, love, and peace, towards God, and each object of his creation, was given with in- spiration ; but all that is not harmony, love and peace, is void of inspiration. The Psalms were written at different periods ; and when we say that the Psalms were written through mediums, we do not intend 20 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. you to understand that the whole Book was so written. The next Book is Proverbs. This Book was collected in a similar way to the Psalms ; and parts of it were written by the spirit world through men. The next Book is Ecclesiastes. This Book is a good Book for every one to have. It was written by mediums, like the Books I have mentioned before. The rest of the Books of the Old Testa- ment are Solomon's Songs, Isaiah, Jeremi- ah, the Lamentations of Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. These are all the Books recorded in the Old Tes- tament; but there were several more writ- ten. They were lost, however, by the barbarism of the people at that age of the earth, and some were burned at several places. I will only speak of these. These Books were all written through mediums, and are somewhat correct in the main. I THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. 21 shall not speak particularly on these sub- jects, for I wish to write on the latter part of the Bible. But when man finds things in the Bible which do not treat God as a Being of great mercy, then those passages are wrong; and the superstition of the times, incorrect translations, and other causes which I have mentioned, have caused all the fearful errors of the Old Testament ; and, even in the days of Christ, it was declared as not binding on the people of that day. Let me say unto you, O man, at this day, in regard to the Old Testament, — Mene, Mene, Tekel Upharsin. 22 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. THE NEW TESTAMENT, The New Testament is a book of noted excellence ; but some of it is wrong, and I wish to dwell on it to some considerable length. The birth of Christ, in the annals of history, was once of the greatest import- ance to man. It broke forth on the haughty world, like a thunderclap. He was born in the western part of Asia, of poor parents. God adopted him as his Son from his birth, as he would every individual who should walk in the path that Christ walked in from his birth. His character was of a peaceful nature, and he walked in the way of God ; if any person was ever inspired he was ; but he was nothing more than a Medium. He was, however, permitted that privilege throughout his whole earthly THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. 23 life. The reason why I say he might have been inspired, is because, men may call mediums inspired, and they are so, in one sense of the word ; but that is not my sub- ject. I have only written this to show how Christ performed his works on earth. The first Book in the New Testament is that of St. Matthew. This Book gives a history of the work of Christ when he was on earth. The First Chapter gives a gene- alogy of Christ, which was gathered by Matthew from the Old Testament, trans- lated by Phalereus and accordingly not truly correct. To the earth, however, it is unimportant whether the true genealogy is given or not. From the 18th verse, it is not correct. As we have already noticed the birth of Christ, it will be sufficient to explain the verses that follow in this Chap- ter. The remainder speak of the great men of the east going to see Christ. This Chapter is true in the main. The mediums had performed to an alarming extent among the people, and after the birth of Christ the 24 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. kings determined to put a stop to it, as men will try to do in these days. O man ! you sing praises to us oftentimes on account ot our persecution. Now you will do the same thing yourselves. O, Churches ! See that you do not attempt to do this thing, like the churches of old ; for hard will be your lot hereafter if you do. In the third Chapter there are several verses wrong, as the 6th, 11th, and 13th, to the 17th, and all that relate to baptism in water. John, as a medium, was as strong a one as lived in those times. He wrote many epistles, and many of these are in the Bible. He was a good, honest man,- — upright in his character. But he never attempted to baptize one by going into the water, or any other way. When he wrote about baptism, he meant to be baptized in doing good to the human race. And in those places where he went, he used the phrase, " come unto rne, and be baptized in doing good." And when John spoke to Christ, when he THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. 25 came to him to be baptized, he forbade him by saying, " he had need to be baptized of him in doing good." The next Chapter is nearly correct, and therefore I shall not speak upon it. And hereafter when a Chapter is right in the sense of it, I shall not speak upon it, as I wish to make as short an epistle as possible, and I shall leave man to see for himself, what I do not point out. The next Chapter is one of the produc- tions from the land of spirits. If man will only read this Chapter alone, it is enough for him to know what God wants him to do. This Chapter is almost entirely, word for word, as the spirit spake it through the medium. Read, O m&n ! and see what the spirit said in regard to the Old Testament, — of Adultery, of Oath-taking ; of resisting evil; of going to law; of love to their enemy. Look into your heart, O man ! and see if you keep the sayings of the spirit, through Christ, in regard to these things. Remember this Chapter, O man ! and live it 26 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. out through the whole of your life. " For if ye love them who love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same ? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others ? Do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father who is in Heaven is perfect." The next three Chapters in this Book, are very good Chapters, and nearly correct in language, as it reads in them. Christ had the power to heal the sick. He had this power given to him, to show the people a greater power than men formerly pos- sessed, and to turn them from their wicked- ness. And so men will find it in these days, if they do not return from their wick- edness. The next three Chapters, in turn, are nearly correct, except in one or two in- stances, when it is said that Christ gave power to his disciples to heal the sick, it is not correct : for Christ had not this power THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. 27 to give to any one. God himself is the only being who has that power to give. The next three Chapters, in turn, are about the same as the others. In these Chapters an account is given of the death of John. Herod put him to death on per- sonal accounts. In the next three Chapters there are sev- eral things that are wrong. In the latter part of thelSth chapter, Christ is spoken of as feeding a great many people with bread and fishes. This was not correct. Christ always, as he went about doing good, en- tertained people when he had the means of so doing ; but he never entertained so many as is recorded. If men consider that it was a miracle he performed in feeding so many, they must first consider how far, what man regards as miracles, can be car- ried by the spirits of another world. In the healing power, it can be performed without putting aside the laws of man's physical nature. But if 5000 men were fed with a few loaves and fishes, it would put aside 28 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. the laws of man's physical nature; and furthermore, no spirit of God would attempt to accomplish an object destructive and contrary to the laws of man's physical nature. And lastly, God never gave power to any spirit or object of his creation to put aside any law of an object of his creation. These reasons are sufficient to prove, that the sayings in relation to Christ feeding so many people are wrong. The 16th Chapter is nearly correct, if you take the view I have given to the subject of Christ's feeding the multitude. The 26th verse, if it is rightly understood, does not mean, that a man will lose his soul. And surely, how can a man lose his soul? And if God destroyed one soul, He would sweep the whole human race from existence. "And what would it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul, or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" In the 17th Chapter, I find it speaks about the transfiguration of Christ. This THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. 29 is true, except as it relates to Moses and Elias. These spirits did not appear there. The next Chapter, the 18th, is wrong in some parts of it, — as the 12th, 13th, and 14th verses. These verses relate to man's going astray from God, and should be taken in their right sense. In the 12th verse it reads thus: — "How think ye? If a man have a hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray ; doth he not leave the ninety- and-nine, and go into the mountains, and to seek that which is gone astray f 7 In the next verse it is said, that the man after he has found the lost sheep, is more rejoiced than over his ninety-and-nine, which are not lost. Now, God in heaven does not think more of one sheep than he does of another ; his goodness is alike to all ; and when one has gone astray, and is found, he holds him in the same estimation as his other sheep which have not gone astray. In this light ought these passages to be regarded. The verses also that speak o£ 3* 30 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. everlasting fire, to the persons that have gone astray, are incorrect. The next Chapter, (19th), is a very good one, and nearly correct. The next two Chapters, 20th and 21st, are about the same as the other. The next Chapter is the 22d. Many verses are wrong, — as the 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, and 32d; as well as several others, I have not time to point out here. In these verses I have named, the Resurrection is spoken of, and it is a para- ble to show what the Kingdom of God is. It speaks of casting away such as are not prepared to go into Heaven ; and it also says, that many are called, but few are chosen. God, in his wisdom and mercy to man, has ordered that all men shall at last be happy. He has ordered that wicked men shall, for a little while, suffer punish- ment by their being in a roving state ; and they are obliged to remain with the evil spirit. But when they have paid for their crimes, they can go into the spheres of Heaven and stay there forever and ever. THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. 31 I have explained this here, so that hereafter, I need not speak of it in the several pas- sages that follow. The next Chapter is the 24th. In this Chapter there are many important things for man to know. It speaks in the first place, of the destruction of the Temple. This is true, for shortly after, one of the Roman Emperors destroyed it, and all its inhabitants. After the 3d verse, to the 51st, it speaks of the last days of the world. Some of it is correct, and some is not. When it speaks of great tribulations, and famines, and wars, it is correct, and also about the evil spirit deceiving the very elect. This was the case, and so it is now. The evil spirit is going around at the pres- ent day, yea at the present hour, deceiving the people. Beware of him, O man, and see that he does not deceive you in these things. For, as Christ then told his disci- ples, to beware, for the Kingdom of God was at hand, so, in this day, I tell you, O man, to beware, for the hour is nigh at 32 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. hand. This earth will not roll over but a few hundred years, before it will return to its former state. Yet man will not observe the signs of the times. In the 33dj 34th, and 35th verses, man made a wrong construction ; the language, and the words, as they are written in the Bible, are wrong. In the Bible it reads thus (3d verse), — " When ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors." This ought to read thus, — When man shall see all these things, let him know that it is near, even at the doors. The next verse reads thus, — il Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass, till these things be fulfilled." This verse ought to read thus, — Verily I say unto you, the generation of man shall not pass away, till all these things are fulfilled. In the next verse it reads thus, — u Heaven and earth shall pass away, but rny words shall not pass away." This is true, in the main, but the word Heaven, should be left out. In the 36th verse, it reads thus, — THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. 33 " But of that day and hour knoweth no man, — no, not even the angels in Heaven, but my Father only." This verse is some- what wrong. Those of the higher spheres in Heaven, now know when the hour is to come. All spirits from the 3d sphere can tell correctly, and understand it, so as to tell it to earth ; and the angels in Heaven know always when God will give some wondrous sign to the inhabitants of the earth. Verily, one of the signs is before you. The first part of the verse is true, as it relates to man not knowing the hour, when these things will take place. In this Chap- ter it speaks of " two women, who shall be grinding at the mill, — the one shall be taken, and the other left." This verse, as I have said of others on the same subject, is wrong. It might, in one sense be right, for God will leave the wicked for a little while, and then take them to Heaven when they become right. The next Chapter is the 25th. This 34 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. Chapter speaks of the ten virgins, and of the talents. These parables are good and nearly correct. They show how man ought to live on earth; and their sentiment is true. In the 41st and 46th verses, the lan- guage is entirely incorrect. As I have spoken of hell before, I need not speak of it to any extent now. Hell, as I have said before, is no particular place. There is no fire in or about it. The judgment comes to every person as soon as he leaves this world. He is immediately taken into the presence of his God, and judged according to the good works which he has done on earth. The next Chapter, in the remainder of this Book are the 26th, 27th, and 29th. These Chapters relate to the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ. Christ had at this time, caused such an excitement among the people, that the chief priests and scribes took measures to get rid of him. They tried every means in their power, at first, to silence him, by keeping their people THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. 35 under their control ; but finding that this failed, they at last determined to bring him before the rulers of the country. They indicted him on the ground that he was a blasphemer against God, and that he was destroying their power over the people. In the 20th Chapter it also speaks of one of his disciples, betraying him into the hands of the priests and scribes. This is true, — even one of his noted disciples betrayed him. Thus was Christ taken into the hands of the priests and scribes. And be- ware, O priests and scribes, in these days, that you do not do the same thing to the disciples of God; for hard will be your lot if you do. In the 27th Chapter it speaks of the death of Christ. This Chapter is correct. The wicked priests and elders, at last, succeeded in causing him to be nailed to the cross. Thus did man treat Christ ; and as I look upon the earth, I blush with scorn to see man thus treat his brother man, in these days; and then call upon the Bible and 36 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. Christ to save them. O man, (I must repeat it again), hard will be your lot at your judgment, if you do not repent. O ye priests and elders, do you know what you are doing? Are your hearts blind to the sufferings at your own doors? Look ye Ministers of the present day, and see your sins against God. There are but few among you, as in the days of old, who would not crucify the same Christ, if he should appear on earth again. Even in some parts of the country that I am writing in, the Chief Priests hold their brothers under them, and make them serve them as in the days of old. O, look, ye ministers at this, never open the Book which Christ preached while he was on earth, until you are willing to treat your brother as yourself. You may call this blasphemy against your sacred persons ; but remember, that as in the days of Christ, hard will be your lot, if you attempt to injure the lowest person on earth. You now call the spiritual manifes- tations around you, the works of the evil THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. 37 spirit, but you know not, that you have the evil spirit in your own hearts. Remember this warning before it is too late to repent ; for soon your hour may draw nigh, when you shall say you have no time to repent. In the last Chapter, it speaks of the Re- surrection of Christ. After Christ had arisen from the tomb, his spirit went to see his disciples, to give them a parting word before it took its final resting place in Hea- ven. He entreated them to go into every part of the world, to preach his gospel, al- though he did not say that all power was given him, both in heaven and earth. The next Book is St. Mark. This Book gives the history of Christ ; but as I have spoken of some of his works, I shall not re- peat them here. When any of the Chap- ters in this Book are not in accordance with the doctrine that I have spoken and shall continue to speak unto you, then you may know that it is a mistake in the Book, and I will not stop to point it out here. The next Book is Luke. This Book is 4 38 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. similar to the other, being compiled from the life of Christ, by his disciples, as the other Books were which I have named. These different Books were written so that the people in those days might see the truth of Christ's works. And, in respect to the miracles which he performed before the eye of man, they are to be taken as things of time, which have been and are now shown to the world. Those Books which are now in the Bible, as I have said before, have been altered in the sense by the trans- lation. There were several other Books written on the works of Christ ; and of the character of them, man may judge from what is in the Book ; and the mediums of the Books that are in the Bible, compiled the communications that they received from the invisible world ; and they being gener- ally unlearned men, did not always under- stand the sense that the invisible agent wished them to understand. To corrobor- ate this, let me turn you to the mediums in these days. The 1st, 2d, and 3d Chapters THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. 39 are not correct in the main ; but I have be- fore spoken unto you of them. In the birth of John there was nothing worthy of notice at this time. In the 9th Chapter it speaks of Christ casting out devils, as in other places in the Book. The evil spirits, at that time, were frequently entering the me- diums, which caused them to be possessed of evil intentions ; and they were even hurt bodily by evil spirits, and Christ was often casting them out, by the aid of the holy and true spirits; and his disciples were often displeased, because they had not al- ways that power. But Christ reproached them in the 41st verse, which I would re- quest that the mediums in this day would listen to and take warning also. When John spoke, and forbade a medium to hear Christ, — " Forbid him not," said Jesus, " for he that is not against us is for us." Remember this, O mediums. There are also many other things in this Book which are incorrect; but I have spoken of them already, and will not speak of them again. 40 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. The next Book is St. John. This Book was written by John. He was a good man, and walked in the path of righteousness. In the first Chapter, some men suppose that the " Light" and " Word " were used by John as meaning Christ ; but in the 8th, 9th and 12th verses, you will under- stand the meaning of John — 8th verse, " He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light." This refers to John himself; but in the 9th, he explains the Light which he came to bear witness of. — " That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. Who made man? — And He that made him, — is He not the Light?" In the 12th verse — "But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name." This shows you that as many as received God, are the sons of God. What more was Christ? And ivas he not, then, the son of God? The 14th verse — " That the Word" (meaning God) "was THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. 41 made flesh," — although vague as it reads, is correct, when man understands he was created by God, and made to exist in the flesh; and, although the Word is the author of all creation, man has his origin at the Great Word. There are many other things, if understood literally, are wrong ; but I have explained how John baptized. In the third Chapter of this Book it speaks of one of the rulers of the people go- ing to see Christ, to know what to do to be saved. I have spoken before on the baptism. I need not speak of it again at great length. But as this Chapter is of some importance to man, I will go through it. The third verse reads thus: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." The 23d verse reads thus: " And John also was baptizing in iEnon, near to Salim, because there was much water there, and they came and were baptized." God is a being of great mercy, and he gives every man his 4* 42 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. just reward. Heaven may be termed the happiness of the spirit ; for the true heaven is all happiness, joy and peace. All spirits love to serve God in heaven. Here on earth man's nature is not in communion with God, and he needs to be born again towards God, so that he can do the works God designed he should do. To be born again, is to do good to all. When any man has been doing the works of darkness, and sinning against his fellow-men by treating them ill, he needs to be born again of the spirit of God. The verses which I have spoken of, which relate to man's being born of water, are incorrect, and ought to read thus : " Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of the spirit of God, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God, where the holy angels are, and all that is holy in the sight of God." The verse which relates to John baptizing with water, is incorrect, and ought to read thus : " And John also was baptizing (in iEnon, near to Salim) the people in doing good ; THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. 43 and they came, and were baptized." In the 5th Chapter, it speaks of Christ healing the sick on the Sabbath day ; and that the people and the priests rebuked him for it. This is true ; Christ had all days alike with him. His doctrine and preaching was to do good on earth, on all days. He had no set time to work, but went about, on every day and hour, in doing good. In the 6th Chapter, when Christ speaks of coming down from heaven, to do the will of Him that sent him, and also of his speak- ing — " He that eateth my flesh and drink- eth my blood, dwelleth in me and I in him ; " he shows you the meaning in the 63d verse. " It is the spirit that quicken- eth, — the flesh profiteth nothing ; the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." This shows you that it was the spirit that cometh down from heaven, and spoke through Christ, saying that he had come to do the will of God. And Christ says " he quickenethmy flesh;" but the flesh itself profiteth nothing. There- 44 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. fore, he that believeth in the sayings of the spirit, the spirit dwelleth in him, because he does the works of the spirit to his fellow- beings. In the 7th Chapter, 20th verse, it is shown to you, O man, what the people said of Christ in his days. " Thou hast a Devil," they said, " who goeth about to kill thee V 7 What do the people say in these days 7 They say to the mediums, " Thou hast a Devil, who goeth about to kill thee V That is, the Devil (some great and monstrous beast, as they imagine) is entering the me- diums, and is going to kill them. Some even say, that he has killed some already, and is going to kill more. O, when shall superstition depart from the midst of men? When will they know that the greatest Devil is in their own hearts ? When will they learn that all the Devil there is, is in man ? And when will they learn that if a man dies with a Devil, that Devil will fol- low him until he casts him off. Jesus says, " I have done one work, and ye all marvel." THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. 45 In the 8th Chapter and 58th verse, it should read thus : " Verily, verily, 1 say unto you, before Abraham, am I Christ/ 7 — meaning in the works which he performed, while the people meant in regard to his existence. I will not speak any more of this Book, as I have before spoken ; and will speak of the most important things that are written in the New Testament. The next Book is the Acts of the Apostles. This Book was written by Luke, and com- piled by him, by means of the personal sketches of the other Apostles. This trea- tise was intended to show the people of that day what mighty works the Apostles had done as mediums. In the second Chapter is a sermon of Peter ; and in the 17th verse he prophesies of things to come; and the things which he prophesieth, by the aid of the spirit, have surely come. Behold this epistle is one of the wonders, that God has seen fit to allow his servant to show unto you. His saying that "God will pour out his spirit upon all 46 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. flesh," is used to represent, that God will cause the spirits to come to earth, and pour out their words upon all flesh. This ser- mon of Peter is nearly correct, except in some words, which I have before pointed out. The 4th Chapter shows you the success of Peter and John among the people ; and it also shows you the persecution that they received at the hands of the chief priests. Let the 19th verse be a warning to the chief priests in these days. So strong was their reasoning, that many people believed on them. In the 5th Chapter, it speaks of two persons selling out a possession, and bringing it to Peter, and saying unto him that they had sold out their lands, and had brought their money to give to him and his disciples. Peter answering, asked them if they had brought all of it, to lay it at the apostles' feet. They both replied that they had. Peter, then looking into their thoughts, replied — " O, ye wicked persons ! — why will ye lie to the spirit ? " They immediate- THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. 47 ly fell down and gave up the ghost. Al- though the people thought that it was a miracle, yet this was not the case. The death of Ananias and Sapphira was caused by their fear and astonishment, in finding that Peter knew that they had kept back part of the price, for they had told no man they had done so ; and, furthermore, their physical condition was such that their fear and astonishment led to their death. The 7th Chapter is incorrect ; but I have spoken to you in the Old Testament about Moses, and those that are written in the first Book. After Stephen had spoken unto them of their own prophets, as the church considered them, he spake unto them of their doings, in their own time, to the true prophets. But the priests took counsel and slayed him in the streets ; but, like a saint of God, he cried, u lay not this sin to their charge." In the 9th Chapter it speaks of my con- version. Before my conversion, I was ap- pointed by the priests to go and commit to 48 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK, prison all persons that did not believe in the Jewish church. There were numerous small churches establishing themselves over all the country around Jerusalem ; and they began to alarm the rulers in that part of the Birrnan Empire. I was then myself a cruel man, and I treated all Christians with great severity, and many did I slay in the streets of the city. On one occasion I was sent to Damascus, to fetch what Chris- tians I could find there to Jerusalem, to be imprisoned and slain. As it is recorded, I was going along the road, when all of a sudden I was stopped by an unseen power, who whispered in my mind, " Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" I replied that I did not know him, nor had I tried to per- secute him. The spirit answering, said, "Saul ; it is hard for you to kick against the pricks. I am Christ, whom thou perse- cutest. Repent, O Saul." I stood trembling, and asked, " What he wished me to do?" The spirit replied, "Go into the city and preach the gospel." My heart was then THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. 40 changed to the right, and by the help of the spirit I was able to reach the city. I then went to certain disciples there, but I was not entirely blind, as it is recorded, but it was true that my eyes were dazzled by the light of the spirit. Having talked with the disciples, I went into the streets to preach the gospel of Christ, and many believed. Great was the surprise of the priests to see me preaching the gospel of Christ, and they soon began to devise means to put me to death, but it is recorded in the ninth Chap- ter, that I was let down from the walls of the city by night by the disciples. I will now pass over the remainder of the sayings in this Book, as they are nearly correct, and show the manner that the invisible power worked in those days. It would be well for man to read these sayings and see if the same things do not happen in these days. 5 50 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. The next Book is my Epistle to the Romans. This Epistle, as it is written, is incor- rect in many points, and having the power to make known to you the things which are correct, and which are not, I will speak unto you of this Book at some length. The first Chapter is a preface to the Book, and begins by showing the people their sins. This Chapter is correct, except in a few little words which do not alter the sense. The second Chapter is correct ; and in the 11th verse it speaks of God having no respect of persons. He judges every man according to the deeds he has done while he lives on earth, and it becomes you, O man, to live a life of honesty while you live on earth, for every man who does what he wishes others to do to him, will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The third Chapter is correct. The fourth Chapter is not correct, as it is written, when it speaks of Abraham. There was no man THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. 51 in olden time by that name; but there was a righteous man who lived in olden time, who went by another name. But he had no power from heaven by which he per- formed his great works; nor had he the power of a medium. This was a mistake in the translation of the Book of the church, and also from books not written by medi- ums or prophets. In my brief survey of the Old Testament, man will understand the true cause of all that is incorrect in the New, in regard to these things. The next Chapter, the fifth, is nearly correct, except in a few words, as in the 14th verse. The verse should read thus, u Nevertheless death has reigned from the beginning of the world — even over them that have not sinned, after the similitude of transgres- sion/' The next Chapter, the sixth, is correct, only in a few words; but they do not alter the sense. The next Chapter, the 7th, speaks of the law of the land, and of its power over man 52 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. as long as he liveth. This is correct, for man's nature is so made, that without law he could not live in the state in which he now lives on earth. Law on earth is the will of God; but God lets man make such laws as he chooses, and some wicked men may for a little while hold sway over his brother. But his fall is certain; for in the nature of man it is written, that he must treat every man alike ; but when man grows wicked, God sends the spirits to earth to check that power, and bring men from their fallen state to a higher one. Therefore, I say unto you, O man, live under the law as long as you live, for it is better for you to live under wicked men, than to resist the law by injuring the lowest person on earth ; but obey no law willingly, contrary to the law of God. And when wicked men rule over you, pray continually to bring their power to nought, in the manner that Christ did, when he was on earth. In the eighth Chapter it speaks of persons being carnally minded, and in the sixth THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. 53 verse it reads thus — " To be carnally mind- ed is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." The meaning of this is, that to be after the world is death, but to be after the spirit is life eternal. God in his wisdom and mercy has placed man on earth to be happy, and he expects man will enjoy the world as long as he lives in the flesh. If men are worldly minded and fol- low out the doctrine that I have laid down, to be good to the poor, and treat every man alike, — if you, O man, follow out this in your life it will make no difference with you at your judgment, whether you are rich or poor. For the earth was made for man; and man was made to embellish the earth ; and, if he fulfills the law, to love one another, and treat every man as he would wish to be treated, he is spiritually minded. Although the flesh decayeth, the spirit lives, whether it be good or bad. God, as I have said, judges the rich as well as the poor, according to the deeds done in the flesh. 5* 54 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. These verses, that speak of this subject, should have this construction. In the next Chapter, it speaks of the names of olden time. These names are wrong, and some of them fictitious. In my original manuscript, when I was under the control of the spirit, these names were not applied; but when the works were written over again, by the persons and churches that I sent them to after my death, many of the names that they had in their posses- sion, were put in, as there were several mistakes in the epistles, that I wrote, they concluded that it must have been my mis- take. It is true, that I made mistakes in my writings, and that I wrote down many things that are not in accordance with the will of God. As I have said, when I was writing on the Old Testament, there were mediums in the early ages, but not so early as men at the present time suppose ; and the names recorded in the Bible mean some of these persons. The names used in this THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. 55 Chapter, and all other Chapters that have them, are not the true names that were given to them, while they were living. The 12th Chapter is correct, and the say- ings contained in it are necessary for a man to follow to be a disciple of God. In the thirteenth Chapter, first verse, it reads thus, "Let every soul be subject to the higher powers. For there is no power but of God, for the powers that be are ordained of God." The second verse reads thus, "Whosoever, therefore, that resisteth the power resisteth the ordinance of God ; and they that resist shall receive to them- selves damnation." This verse ought to read thus— " Whosoever resisteth the power therefore, does not resist the ordi- nance of God ; but those that do resist unto death must receive their damnation." The next verses that speak on this subject go to show, that we must not resist the law of earth unto death for conscience sake, and also if you wish to carry out God's com- mands on earth. 56 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. The next Chapter is the 14th. This is a true Chapter, and I will not speak of its precepts here. The next two Chapters close this Book, and they give the parting word to the people that I sent this epistle to. You will also notice in the 22d verse of the last Chapter, "I, Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord." This is to have you understand that in writing this epistle, I had some other power beyond my own ; and it is true, that I wrote the greater part of the epistles under the influence of the invisible power, in the same manner that I am dictating to the medium. In the same manner I shall say, I, Paul, who wrote this epistle (that I am now writing,) salute you in the Lord. My next Epistle is unto the Corinthians. I will, in this epistle, correct such verses as are most against the laws of God — leaving others to be corrected by you as you find them contrary to the laws of God. In the THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. 57 first Chapter, from the 17th verse, man may understand the wisdom of God, in these manifestations. Are not the same things seen now as of old 1 In the 2d Chapter, 14th verse — " But the natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God :" (that is those spirits that walk in the path of God,) " for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they are spirit- ually discerned." Is not this the manner that men speak in these days? Do they not say that it is all foolishness to believe in the spiritual things that these manifesta- tions present to them ? I will not be so foolish, says one, as to believe this mani- festation. It is nothing ; and when I be- hold it, I wonder how foolish some men have become, to participate in this (so called) spiritual manifestation. Truly, can the natural man know not the things that are God's,- and those that belong to Him. He would vainly suppose that God could not perform greater things than himself, and he knows that he could not create spiritual 58 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. manifestations; and, therefore, these mani- festations are foolishness to him, nor can he discern them. The 7th Chapter speaks of marriage. This Chapter was written by myself — not by the spirits who wrote through me. You will see it correct as it is written in the ninth verse — it reads thus, " But I speak this by permission, not by command- ment." It will be seen that I had the per- mission of the spirits to write this Chapter. In regard to marriages now, I would say unto you, O man, marry if you wish ; let every man and virgin act according to their own will ; and it is well to give in marriage, to avoid fornication, and for man to live in happiness on earth. It is the will of God to do so, but if you wish to marry, take one after your own mind, to avoid the troubles of earth. And I say unto you now, O man, that he that giveth not in marriage, doeth well, but he that giveth in marriage doeth better. Furthermore, I say unto you, O man, let your wives be equal to yourselves: THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. 59 and unto yon, O wives, let your husbands be equal to yourselves. Let both of you be equal before the law. In the 11th Chapter, 3d verse, it reads thus — " But I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of every woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God." This verse, as the rest of the verses that follow in this Chap- ter, are somewhat wrong ; and the whole that speaks of women was not written by the spirit, but by me. The third verse ought to read thus — I would have you know that the head of man is God, and the head of woman is God. In regard to the covering, I now would say, let every person be persuaded in his or her own mind in re- gard to what you wear. In the 7th, 8th, and 9th verses, it says that the woman is of the man, and that she is the glory of the man. It is wrong; both male and female were made from the dust of the earth, and in the sight of God both are endowed with the same privileges to the earth. 60 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. The 12th Chapter shows you the diversi- ties of gifts, and yet all of the same spirit. Is it not so now among you as then ? Have you not now the gift of healing? the gift of wisdom — which have but shortly been made known unto you ? — of prophecy ? — discerning of spirits? — divers kinds of lan- guages ? And these are not all ; but other gifts will shortly be made manifest unto you, as time brings, to a greater perfection, these manifestations. And I would say unto you, Are all prophets? Are all teach- ers? Are all the workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues ? But do not all these things come from the spirits ? And what one can perform, another has not given to him the power to perform. Look into these things, O man, and see if they are not so; let all try to get the best gift in peace and har- mony. In the 14th Chapter, 34th and 35th verses, it reads thus, " Let your women keep silence in the churches, for it is not permit- THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. 61 ted unto them to speak ; but they are com- manded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home ; for it is a shame for women to speak in the church. " These verses were not put in by the spirit, but I added some of my own thoughts as I wrote to the people ; but these verses are incorrect, as they were written by myself. I would now say unto you, O man, Let your women speak what they wish in all places, for it is the will of God that it should be so ; and if they wish to learn any thing, let them get it in all places where it will profit them to do so. And unto you, O women, let your husbands do the same in all things, for it is the will of God. In the 15th Chapter, it speaks of the res- urrection of the dead. This Chapter is not taken in its right sense by man. The body itself will not rise, but the spirit of the body; and the spirit of the body rises from the dead as soon as the body dies. It flies im- 62 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. mediately to its God, and is judged accord- ing to its works on earth. At the close of the earth life, as it is written, the people will be changed in "the twinkling of an eye." And, hereafter, I shall speak of this. The next Chapter is the closing of my epistle, and it gives the usual salutations. The next Book is my Second Epistle to the Corinthians. I will pass over this Book as I did the other. In the fifth Chapter, 10th verse, it says that all must appear before the judg- ment seat of Christ. It ought to be, that all should appear before the judgment seat of God. God is the judge of all men, and to him all must go to be judged. In this epistle, I do not find much that alters the sense of it, as it was written by the spirit, and by myself; and I will, therefore, leave this epistle for man to follow, and if he sees a word that is contrary to what I have said in this short review of the Bible, he may leave it out. THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. 63 My next Epistle, as it is placed in the Bible, is unto the Galalians. I will take the same review as in the other Book. The Chapters in this short epistle are nearly correct. In the ninth Chapter, 10th verse, it reads thus, "As we have, therefore, opportunity, let us do good unto all men, but especially unto them who are of the household of Faith." This ought to read thus, As we have, therefore, oppor- tunity, let us do good unto all men. My next Epistle is unto the Ephesians. In the second Chapter and third verse, it speaks as though men were the children of wrath. Although man is sinful before God, yet he is not the child of wrath. God is the same being to all men, and his power is just. In the 8th verse it reads thus — " For by grace are ye saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God." It ought to read thus — For by works are ye saved through grace, and that by your- selves — not the gift of God. 64 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. The 9th verse reads thus — " Not of works lest any man should boast." This should read thus — Let not any man boast of good works. In the fifth Chapter, from the 22d verse to the close, it speaks in regard to women obeying their husbands. This I have ex- plained before, so that man may see it is not the Christian principle. In the 6th Chapter, it speaks of servants being obedient to their masters. This is meant to be understood as meaning those that are living in families, where they are to labor for their good, and it exhorts them to be obedient to them for their good, and to the good of those for whom they labor. It means also that men should be servants to the laws of God, and obey them with due respect. The next Epistle is unto the Philippians. This Book was written by the help of Timotheus, and it is correct in the main principles of the Gospel, although some few THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. 65 words are not quiet correct ; but it will not be necessary for me further to notice this epistle. The next Book is unto the Colossians. In the 1st Chapter, 13 th verse, the word "us" should be omitted, and in the 14th verse it reads thus — " In him we have re- demption through his blood, even the for- giveness of sins." Christ, as I have said, gave man a way by his example, to be re- deemed from his sins, by following, in his daily life, the laws of his being, as Christ did; but if man thinks that by Christ's spilling his blood on the cross, his sins will be forgiven without following the Law and Gospel, of which Christ has set the example, he has fallen into a mistake that he should speedily rid himself of, if he wishes to enjoy the peace and happiness of a true saint of God, in his existence after he has left this world. This verse, then, should read thus — taking into consideration the verse before — In whom we have redemption, by follow- 6* 66 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. ing his example, even the forgiveness of sins. In the third Chapter, it speaks of putting off the old man and his deeds, and putting on the new man. By this it is understood that men should cease doing wrong to one another, and walk on earth after the wis- dom of Christ. If a man does thus he is rich in the sight of God. In the last part of this Chapter, it speaks again of women be- ing obedient to their husbands. This is wrong, as I have explained before ; and also about servants, which I have ex- plained. The next Epistle is unto the Thessaloni- ans. In the fourth and fifth Chapters, it speaks of the last days. I will not now speak on it, but do so hereafter. This Book is cor- rect in the main. THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. 67 The next Book is the Second Epistle unto the same people. In the first Chapter, 7th, 8th, and 9th verses, it reads thus — " And to you who are troubled, rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven, with his mighty angels in flaming fire, taking ven- geance on them that know not God, and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Who shall he punish with everlast- ing destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power." These verses should be construed thus — And to you, who are troubled, rest with us, and also rest when the Lord shall be revealed with his mighty angels from the heavens, in flaming power, and taking those from him who do not believe in his Gospel. These shall be taken from the glory of the Lord God, and from the presence of his power. The rest of the epistle is nearly correct, and I will not now point it out. 68 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK, My next Epistle is unto Timothy. In the second Chapter it speaks again in regard to women, which I now say is wrong. In the third Chapter it tells how bishops and deacons must act. These men were meant by me as being the rulers over the several churches ; and it was written by myself, without the aid of the true spirit. I would now say to the churches, and to the deacons and bishops, that it is well to have a ruler over a church, but that their power must be in accordance with the wishes of the people, and they must preside for the benefit of the church, and their characters must be according to the prin- ciples I have explained, and will shortly lay down. In the fifth Chapter it speaks also of eld- ers ; and I would say, Let them be counted worthy of all honor and praise, if they per- form their duty faithfully; add that they be treated with all respect. In regard to widows, let them all be treated with respect THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. 69 by all men ; and they should be suffered to live as it best pleases them in all things. In the 23d verse, it speaks thus — "Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake, and thine often infirmities." This verse should be thus — Drink no kind of beverage that will injure you in the least, for thy stomach's sake, and thine often infirmities. I would also say let every man partake of such things as will be a happiness to him on earth, and throw away all things that will injure his earthly nature. My next Epistle is the Second Epistle to Timothy. In the third Chapter and 16th verse, it reads that all Scripture is inspired by God. I have shown how it was inspired of God, although not all that is written in the Bible, which man has translated, is inspired as it has already been shown. The main part of this epistle is correct, and I will not therefore speak more upon it. 70 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. The next Epistle is unto Titus. Of this short epistle I will not now point out, as I have already pointed some of it out in my other epistles, as I closed the Books. I shall give some directions in re- gard to the conduct that men ought to pur- sue on earth. The next Epistle is unto Philemon. This is only a short epistle to a brother, and it is correct in the sense of it. The next Epistle is unto the Hebrews. In the 6th Chapter and second verse, it reads thus — "The doctrine of baptisms, and laying on of hands, and of the resurrec- tion of the dead, and of eternal judgment." This should read thus — The doctrine of baptism unto good works, and of the resur- rection of the dead from sin and judgment. In the 8th verse it reads thus — " But that which beareth thorns and briars is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing, whose end is to be THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. 71 burned." This should read thus — But that which beareth thorns and briars is rejected, and is cast away for a time. The 7th and 8th Chapters are not entire- ly correct, but I have already spoken on that subject in several places. In the 9th chapter, it speaks of former laws. This is correct in some points, but I will not explain in this short epistle what is wrong concerning this ; but man will know in some future epistle, that will ap- pear in the world at some future period ; and I will not speak more of this now; neither will I speak of the rest of the Chap- ters in this Book. The next Book is James. This epistle is nearly correct in words and sense. If man will follow out this epistle, he will be doing what God has de- signed he should do on earth. This epistle shows that men must do good on earth, and love one another. Follow this out, O man, in all thine actions on earth, and in heaven thou wilt find a resting-place, 72 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. The next Book is Peter. In the second Chapter 18th verse, it reads thus — " Servants be subject to your masters, with all fear, — not only to the good and gentle, but also to the fro ward." This should read thus — Servants be sub- ject to your masters with all diligence, and serve only the good for your sake ; but be equal with your masters : let them be mas- ters over their own house. In the third Chapter, from the 1st to the 7th verse, all that relates to wives being in subjection to their husbands, is contrary to the will of God, and should not have been written in any of the epistles. The 21st verse of the same Chapter reads thus — " The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us, (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the an- swer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ." This should read thus — The same figure, where baptism doth not now save us, except by THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. 73 having good works, and a good conscience toward God, and putting away the filth of the flesh, as shown by the resurrection of Christ. I mean by this, that Christ showed his good works by following out the laws of his being — both mental and physical — when he appeared to his disciples in the manner related after his death. In the 22d verse, it speaks of Christ having all the angels and authorities and powers, subject to his will. This is not correct. God is the only Being that rules over the universe; and He has the angels subject to Him — even Christ is next in power to Him : but he is subject to His will as the angels are. In the Second Epistle of Peter, second Chapter 4th verse, it reads thus — " For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment." This is not correct, and it was owing to the construction which Peter gave it in renewing the writing. No angels can sin in the sight of God; they are perfect be- 74 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. fore Him. And all spirits must be so, or they are not raised to the glory of angels in Heaven. The rest of the verse I have ex- plained. The next two verses speak of former destructions, and they are not cor- rect ; but of the devastation that happened to the earth, at the time supposed by men, I will not, in this epistle^ speak unto you. The tradition handed down to you, that there was a terrible overflowing of the waters upon the land is correct, although magnified by figures of speech : also the destruction of the cities. In the third Chapter, from the 7th to the 13th verses, it speaks of the dissolution of the heavens and earth by fire. This is not correct, as nothing but the earth will pass away, when the day that it here speaks of, will come to pass. This earth, as I have already said, will be destroyed by its re- turning to its fluid state after having ex- isted as long as God intended it should, when he first caused it to form a S3lid mass; (Although I leave unexplained the great THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. TO mystery, how the earth can be made to re- turn to its fluid state, without destruction to the planetary system, which revolves around your sun, I will say that the earth may be in such a situation to the other planets, that it would require the solid state of the earth to be made into a fluid ; and it is as certain as that you have a Creator, that the earth was formed once from fluid ; and that a path was formed to receive it in its passage around your sun. And it is en- graven in the existence of every man, that he holds his life at the hand of the great Fountain of all existence. But I have not now come to prophecy, but to give you un- derstanding of what has been told you.) Not for the day of judgment, and perdition of ungodly men ; for the day of judgment is every day with God, as long as the world exists. There will be ungodly men at its close, as there have been in all time, from the beginning. (I say this from the fact that there have been manifestations to the earth before ; and has the earth since the 76 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. time of Christ, been free from ungodly men? No man will say that it has; and looking at the future, I behold that there will be ungodly men until the end. In the time of Christ and his disciples, many thought, that in a time not far distant, the earth would be a place of peace and happi- ness. But I was then forewarned by the spirit, that it would not be so; and I fore- warn all men now, that it will not be so. I do not cast away the sayings of some good- ly spirits among you, and among us, that a time will come by these manifestations, which we make unto you, when all will be peace and happiness among you; but the time I do not see, nor behold, although I shall attempt to hasten the day, by making manifest my spirit unto you by words, to call you to be saints of God ; and although I shall see thousands becoming saints of God, yet I shall behold the ungodly still, in the by-ways and streets of your earth.) THE BIBLE A3 A BOOK. 77 The next Books are the three Epistles of John. In the First Epistle, 4th Chapter and 15th verse, it says that, " Whosoever shall confess that Christ is the Son of God, God dvvelleth in him and he in God." But I say unto you, O man, unless you follow out the doctrine of Jesus, God doth not dwell in you. You must follow in the foot- steps of his life, to have God in you. This verse, and all verses of the same import, are not correctly written. In the Second Epistle, 10th verse, it reads thus — " If there come any unto you and bring not this doc- trine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God-speed." This should read thus— If there come any unto you that believe not this doctrine, receive him into your house, but be not partaker of his evil deeds, neither bid him God-speed, but let them depart in peace, having spoken plain- ly unto them of your doctrine. These epistles are nearly correct in the main, and I will not dwell on them. 7# 78 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. The next Book is the Epistle of Jude. In this short epistle there are many things that are not rightly written, but I have al- ready pointed out the errors in other Books; and I will leave man to correct the mistakes here recorded. The next and last Book written in the Bible, and used at this day, is a Revelation of John. He wrote it in a state of unconcernedness to the world, and the visions which he saw, took place when he was in that state. This Book as it is now written to the people of earth, is incorrect in several important things; and I will write on it at some length. In the first Chapter, he explains to the churches the object of his Revelation, and that he wrote it to them for their benefit. It also speaks of the majesty of Christ, which is correct. By the seven candlesticks he meant the churches to whom he wrote this revelation. THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. 79 The next two Chapters are of the same amount, as he was speaking them unto the churches in that day. In the fourth Chapter, it speaks of his being shown into heaven. It speaks of the throne of God ; but the description which he gives of it is only a vision of it, and not the reality. Indeed his visions in this Book are merely scenes to portray the power of God, the glory of heaven, and the future destiny of man and the earth. John him- self understood what the scenes meant, that he saw in his visions; but no being who has not beheld visions, can read the visions of John, or any persons, and correctly un- derstand them. Men who do not under- stand the object of visions, suppose that all that John saw was, and is now a reality; but the whole of his visions, in this Book, are not realities, except in some small points of them. If I should give you a de- scription of God, and the throne of God, it would not, in your conception, be under- stood, as it should be understood by you. 80 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. Could you behold an immense Fountain of Matter, whose existence had no beginning, nor will have an end; could you behold the immensity of Creation, which owes its ex- istence to this great Fountain of Matter ; could you behold the harmonious manner in which He Creates, or Changes the differ- ent objects of His Universe; and if you could behold all this, you might have a slight conception of God. His angels are but the servants of His laws, which they now show to you, ye spirits of earth, in all communications that breathe harmony, peace and love. Around the throne of God, all is harmony, love and peace; and as we approach nearer the great Fountain, we become perfect in harmony, love and peace. As we approach the throne of God, the great Fountain, we are more under His care and attention; we have greater per- ceptions of Him, and we cannot but sing praises to Him, for His wisdom in giving us existence. At thy hands, O God, I am, and hold my existence. Can I assist thee THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. 81 in thy work of Creation? No; but I can and will make known thy will to earth. O man, I come to you, and some of you call me a Devil. What shall I do? — call you Gods, or call you but objects of the creative power of the great Fountain, who have disobeyed the laws, and are unrefined? The latter I shall call you, and repose my- self at the hands of the great Fountain, who has created all things, rather than re- pose myself with you, who have created nothing. The brightness of the throne of God, which is above the seventh sphere of God's angels, is beyond your conceptions. Were you to behold it, as you now are, it would cause you to be stricken for the deeds that you have done to one another. Here justice, wisdom, harmony, would first convince you, that the rewards you expect to receive at the throne of God, will be to conduct you to those spheres, where they do not triumphant reign. John's description of the four and twenty elders, is not correct. He meant when he gave it, His elect angels. 82 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. In the 5th Chapter, he describes the Book of God, which is opened in Heaven. The seven seals are the seven stages of the world. The manner of opening the Book^ as described, is not correct ; and it was owing to the translation of the Book, and the manner in which John wrote, which caused this mistake. I will, without cor- recting the verses, give a true idea of what is meant in the Chapters that follow in this Book. The Book described by John, was opened at the commencement of this earth. Then commenced the first seal. The first seal of the earth is represented by a beast, having a crown of gold, and eyes of dia- monds, and horns, shaped like bows and arrows. The seal continued for one thous- and years. At the end of that time, this seal was closed up, and all the people re- corded, were judged in Heaven ; and the seal was then closed up forever and ever. * When I speak of the Book of God, I wish not to be un- derstood as meaning a real Book, written in any language. THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. 83 The second seal is represented by a huge red beast, having eyes of glassy brightness, and horns of swords, and this is meant to represent this stage of the earth ; and this seal is now closed up forever in Heaven, and all the people are judged, living in this seal. The third seal is represented by a beast of perfect blackness, having eyes of perfect blackness, and horns of spears and swords, used to represent this stage of the world ; and all the people are judged, and the seal is now closed. The fourth seal is represented by a beast that is death, and it is covered with the beasts of the earth, and with all the horrors of earth. And it is used to represent this stage of earth ; and all the people are judged, and the seal is now closed. The fifth seal is represented by a beast having eyes of darkness, and an altar near him, where lies the blood of those slain, that believed in the Word of God. And this is used to represent this stage of the world ; and all the people in this stage are judged, and the seal is closed. The 84 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. sixth is represented by a beast of mighty strength, having numerous dungeons, where he placed the saints of God. And this is used to represent this stage of the world; and the people are judged, and the seal is closed, except to the wicked ; and the time since the first seal was opened is six thousand five hundred and fifty-four years — to the year one thousand eight hundred and forty-three, from the birth of Christ. The seventh seal is now opened in Heaven; but the revelation which John gives, of the manner of opening this seal, is not correct. At the opening of this seal, he says, the earth is to be closed up ; and he describes the seven plagues that fol- lowed, before it is opened. This is not correct, as man has seen ; and by the wis- dom of God, I, a humble servant, have been empowered to correct the opening of this seal, although I intend to convey to your understandings the reality, yet I shall use such figures, that you will correctly understand their bearing. Listen now unto THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. 85 me, O man, and see if what I tell you does not take place. The seventh seal was opened by God, in the presence of his mighty angels, in 1843, on the 15th of July, of that year, as time is reckoned by man, on the enlightened earth in this day, from the birth of Christ. The Archangel blew his trumpet in Heaven, and praises were sung unto the Most High God. As the trumpet ceased, God spake with a loud voice, in the minds of His Holy Angels, that the seventh seal was now opened, and that this was the last seal of earth. He then declared unto all Heaven and Hell, that the spirits had leave to come to the inhabitants of the earth, for a little while, as soon as the electric power of the four corners of earth would give them the means to operate on the inhabitants there- of, which by the power of God, occurred shortly afterwards. And behold he told us another wonder that would happen to earth, during the opening of this seal. There should be five angels, who should 86 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. blow their trumpets on the earth in turn, — one for two hundred years. And as he said this, behold the first angel blew his trum- pet on the earth. And then all evil spirits were let loose on the earth, for the first two hundred years ; and then they are to be closed up, not to be let loose again, until the fifth angel has blown his trumpet. And also on the earth there should be wars, and rumors of wars, which man already knows have begun. At the end of the first two hundred years, the second angel will blow his trumpet to the earth, and then there will be on the earth, pestilence of every kind, destroying the people from the earth, and the number of inhabitants of earth will be diminished. At the end of this period, the third angel will blow his trumpet, and then there will be civil wars on earth, and contentions that will break up the present most enlightened nations of earth. At the end of this period the fourth angel will blow his trumpet on earth, and then there will be famine and wars, that will destroy THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. 87 the people from the face of the earth. At the end of this time, the fifth and last an- gel will blow his trumpet on the earth, and then the evil spirits will be let loose to go forth on the face of the earth, to deceive those that desire to be deceived, in regard to the last days. And then there will be false prophets on earth, and there will be violent volcanoes among the mountains, and numerous earthquakes will take place upon the earth, and there will be swearing, by the people of earth, towards God, for these calamities — not knowing that their time draweth near, when they will have to stand before God, to be judged for their sins. In Heaven there will be rejoicing that the earth will soon be changed, and thus close the scene of misery of the human race upon earth, caused by their own ac- tions; and thus there will be a war of pow- er, between some of the saints of God, and the Devil and his saints. But he will soon be destroyed forever and ever. John in the 20th Chapter describes how 88 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. the Devi], (which is evil), will be bound for a thousand years. In this vision, it was intended to represent that the Devil (that is all that is evil), should not be allowed to deceive the earth, when he is situated beyond or within the planet — earth. All unseen powers that are evil, and teach evil to you, are to be bound, and are not to be allowed to come to earth, and deceive the people of earth in any shape or manner. The time that he is to be bound I have already told you. John also describes the first and last resurrection, which is not cor- rect; and it was owing to the writing that caused this mistake by him. I will now, by the grace of God, describe the last day of earth, and the last judgment day, and the closing up of the seal of earth. On the morning of this great and last day of earth, the spirits of Heaven will be pre- paring to receive the saints of earth, and songs of praises will be sung to the Most High God; and the Book will be in readi- ness for the judging of the people of earth. THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. 89 On earth the sun will cease to shine about the ninth hour of the day, and the earth will be clothed in darkness, and then there will be silence in Heaven, and Earth, and hell, for the space of two hours, except the wailings of the inhabitants of earth ; and the unrighteous will flee into the mountains to get from the sight of God, and there will be praying, such as never was before on earth, and gnashing of teeth, and cursing and swearing to the Most High God. At the end of this time God, with all his Holy- angels, will appear in the heavens, and they will lighten up the whole earth with their brightness, and God will, with a loud voice, declare that the end of earth has come; and instantly a great earthquake will follow, and the earth will break up and return to its fluid state, as it was at the beginning ; and all the inhabitants of the earth will change into the spirit form, and be brought into heaven. God, with a loud voice, will judge every man according to his works on earth. And unto the wicked 8* 90 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. he will say, depart from heaven, until you have paid the utmost farthing of your wick- edness on earth. And he will send them, as he sends all wicked spirits, to the infer- nal regions, there to remain until they have paid to the utmost farthing for their wicked acts, and are willing to obey the laws of God. And when all become harmonious, and obey the laws of God, the devil of earth will be destroyed, (that is, evil will no longer reign in the souls of earth's inhabit- ants), and in heaven, earth's inhabitants will repose forever and ever. And the entrance of those that were once evil spirits, into heaven, is the second resurrection, which takes place every day until the resurrection of all; and then the Book of earth will be closed, and this is as far as revelation is necessary to be known by man. The 21st and 22d Chapters are not cor- rect, as realities. And I have explained many things that are written in these Chap- ters before. I will not therefore now speak THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. 91 of what is wrong in them. The Revelation as John wrote it, was more correct than it is in the New Testament at the present day. The nature and object of the visions, were not correctly understood by the trans- lators of this Revelation ; and many wrong constructions were put upon the several parts ; but it will be unnecessary for me to speak more of this Revelation. Many of its visions are past, and others have no relation to the people of this age ; those that have a bearing are written in this epistle unto you. There were many other Books written by the Apostles, but the rude and dark ages have buried them in oblivion, and nearly extinguished the whole of the Apostle's writings and acts. I will now, as a servant of God, give my views of the whole Bible, as a Book, and explain to man how he must live, with a few parting words to man. The Bible, as a Book, represents God as a changeable Being, changing so as to suit the different periods of earth. At one time 92 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. it represents Him as a savage monster, send- ing forth his word to men to slay one another; and at another time, it represents Him as a merciful Being, dealing out mercy to all the people of earth. At another time He sends them into a hell of fire and brim- stone. Such, O man, are the principles, the Books, you call the Bible, are conveying to the inhabitants of the earth. O, horrible ! Can it be that man on earth thinks God is like himself? Do you, O, man, consider Him a fallible Being, ever changing from right to wrong? Yet the Books you now have collected together, teach of this doctrine ; and this is the reason that I, a humble ser- vant, have in spirit come to earth, to correct the errors you have made ; for God would not allow thee to sin any more in His name. God, as it speaks in one place in your Bible, is a never changing Being, holy above all things, both in heaven and in earth, and all other things that exist. He was the same at the beginning, and always THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. 93 the same forever and ever ; He deals with all men alike, — a merciful Being, endued with wisdom and love; and yet, O man, you will falsify His name ; even the churches, who profess to follow His laws, have committed acts in His name, acts which no being could perform, except the evil one. O, man, think and behold that the Old Testament, which Christ declared wrong and wicked, you are still calling the Word of God. And to uphold your iniqui- ties, you say that Christ told you he came to fulfill the law, not to destroy. I say the same, but I would have you understand the laws of God. I come the same as Christ came, not to fulfill the sayings of the Old Testament, except when these sayings accord with the law of God. It is truly wonderful, why the Old Testament had not been entirely extinguished in the dark ages, while multitudes of the works of the Apos- tles were swept away; and indeed almost all the works were lost. Men will under- stand the wonder that evil will allow evil 94 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. to remain, while good is cast away. The translators of the Bible in its present form, were not perfect men, as walking in the law of God ; yet they were as good then, as the churches at present, and would be as likely to allow the writings of the Apostles to be translated unto them. They did not attempt to make a wrong construction knowingly; yet if they did, they would have made the New Testament to correspond to the Old in all things; but they did not, although they made wrong constructions, and wrong con- structions were in the manuscripts which they compiled from ; yet after the correct- ings which I have made, and which you can now make without mistake, the New Testament will be as perfect a Word as can be received from any invisible power or agency whatsoever. The works of Christ, as you have seen, are the most perfectly written in the New Testaments. Nowhere did you see Christ angry with his fellow laborers, however wrongfully they treated him. His works are set before you, as per- THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. 95 feet and infallible, and by his works you have seen the way that you should live; and whatever precepts you have seen con- trary to his works, you have seen that they should not be the precepts for you to follow. Although your angelic Fathers, by the wis- dom of God, are allowed to come unto you, and do away with all the wicked precepts of your Bible, yet you stand before God guilty, for not obeying his law, which was taught to you by Christ, and all true saints of God. Your fathers, either good or evil, are not come to give you any new law of God, but to show you the Old, which you already know. The evil spirits have come to show you the destiny of those that dis- obey the law entirely as they moved and had their being among you. Other spirits come, who show to you their rise and pro- gress after they have left your midst, prov- ing conclusively the words I have written unto you. How could the wisdom of God be better shown unto you ? How could his laws be better explained to your under- 96 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. standings? How, in the communications that you have received, could better be shown unto you, your own perfectness, and greatness, in the sight of God ? In no way could you be made to understand the wis- dom, power, and glory of your Creator, than in the manner that you now behold the various particles of invisible matter, corrupt and refined, appearing unto you. And now unto the churches I will write a few lines, hoping that they may under- stand what I write. And not as the churches of old, declare that these things are not so, and that nothing is true but the Book that you profess to follow as the Word of God. O, churches, follow the doctrine I have now explained to you, and keep the commandments that I will shortly give you, (the same which Christ gave). Let the world pass on, and suffer yourselves to injure no one, either in or out of you ; but preach to every one the doctrine that I have told you, in peace and love. Treat every one as your brother in the Lord ; for THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. 97 it is for your sake, and the will of God to have it so. Obey no laws but those in accordance with the laws of God ; neither resist them by the sword, for those that take the sword, shall perish by the sword. For this is the will of God that every nation shall perish by the sword that takes it. And see that you, O, churches, do not take the sword ; for if you do, you are not the churches of God. In regard to ceremonies and forms, see that you keep your hands washed from all vain show and forms ; for can a man ex- pect to be a saint of God, except by good works ? If ye be ceremonious, what greater reward will ye have than the Pharisees of old ? Christ did away all the forms of the Jewish church, and showed you that to love one another is all that is requisite to inherit the joys of heaven. The laying on of hands, and other ceremonies, which you practice among you, was not intended to be required of you, as necessary for you to become known as disciples of Christ, but it 98 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. was confined mostly to those persons that had the power to heal diseases; and the laying on of hands was a matter of neces- sity, and wholly connected with the mani- festations of that day. And when they passed away, these forms were meant to pass away with them. You will see the same things done in these days; but when these manifestations pass away, our manner of operating will also pass away, and you are to take the practical part, (to obey the laws of God), and leave our implements and forms as a matter of time, which is confined exclusively to us. The Lord's supper, as you term one of your ceremonies, is but a mere mockery, which shows that you are like the Pharisees of old, making great shows of your reverence of the laws of God, in performing vain ceremonies. Christ did indeed eat bread with his dis- ciples before his death, yet he did it as a man before parting with his beloved disci- ples; and although he conversed with them of the future, he never intended that it THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. 99 should ever be repeated again as a ceremony in honor of him. The sprinkling of Holy water, and the saying of the mass of the church, which was formed by the Apostles, are mockeries to the laws of God. I command you, as Christ commanded you, to be like little children in the sight of God. Be plain in all things; and if you wish to pray, go into your closet and pray to your Father who is in secret. Keep all days holy, for this is the will of God ; and it is well for you to keep a day apart from the rest, for the ele- vation of your minds towards God. But let every man be persuaded in his own mind, in regard to what day he keeps. Live in order, and every thing you do, do it in order; and if you have ministers, let these ministers preach unto you the words I have now written, — preaching them unto you plainly, for your benefit. And you, O, ministers, be not covetous towards your people; let them be equal with you, and you equal with them, for 100 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. this is the will of God. Preach not unto the people as in the days of old, supersti- tious things. Judge not of any thing until you, and your people have looked into the subject, carefully and willingly ; and after you have done this, let it alone if it is bad, but receive it if it is good. All things that you say, speak plainly and understandingly, so that a fool may understand. Blessed will be the churches and ministers that keep these sayings, and live them; but to those that do not, and preach unto the peo- ple that these things are not true, their judgment will be double to that of those who cannot understand these things ; they can understand these things if they will, and yet they do not. And unto the whole earth, I will write a few lines to let them understand these things. Let evil depart from your midst, and each one of you belong to one church whose principles will be in accordance with the laws of God as taught by Christ, and also by us. Turn away from all supersti- THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. 101 tion, let it come from what direction it may, — and from all things that will tend to pro- duce it. Do away with all war, and live in peace and harmony. Search into all things, and hold fast that which is good ; and unto evil say, depart from me, like the winds and the whirlwinds ; and these com- mandments obey. Live and have your being as time moves on, and with its rapid strides carries you to another state of exist- ence. First, obey, nor believe in any god but the great Fountain, which gave exist- ence to the immense worlds which revolve in perfect harmony in the immensity of space, which has no end, nor beginning. Second, bow in silent adoration and rever- ence to the Great Fountain which gave you existence, and obey these laws which are for you individually to obey, here on earth. First, thou shalt not steal : second, thou shalt not commit adultery : third, thou shalt not kill : fourth, thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor, nor covet thy neighbor's goods : fifth, thou shalt 9* 102 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. keep thyself from all uncleanness. And all these are combined in these words, — love one another with all thy heart, might and strength ; and without doing this, ye cannot love God, or obey his laws. To children I would say, honor thy father and mother here on earth, as long as they are with you ; and when they are absent in body, honor them still. Obey them in all things, until you are sufficiently developed to become like men ; and even then obey them if they are good, and obey the laws of God ; but if they do evil, discountenance their evil in peace, love and harmony. Take not the name of thy God in vain, nor swear, nor curse ; for by so doing you dis- obey God's laws. This command must be obeyed by all men ; and furthermore, take care of thy physical system : for if the body is diseased, thy mind will suffer also while it exists in the body. And if you disobey the laws of the body, you also affect the mental body, (which is the spirit), and by so doing disobey the laws which God has THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. 103 given you. Be temperate in all things and seek for the joys of heaven. Unto the rulers who are given to wick- edness, — return from your sins towards God, and make such laws as are in accord- ance with the laws of God. Rule no man, except with his consent ; and those that do not do this, and make such laws as are not in accordance with God's law, hard will be their lot in heaven ; for when you were in power, you did not do the things I com- manded you, but ground your people down to the dust, and took their liberty from them, and made them slaves to your power. Beware! — for the time draweth nigh when your power will be broken, and before God you will stand to receive a just reward for the deeds you have done. No laws are in accordance with the laws of God, whose principles are not according to the com- mandments given to you. Every individ- uality has a right to enjoy peacefully, a part of the soil of earth, given him by his Creator, without the dictation of man ; yet 104 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. it is right to have laws among yourselves in regard to these things, so that harmony may prevail throughout the earth. The right of every individuality to his own person, is a right that infringed upon by any individual, will cause him to stand before God, guilty of breaking the greatest and most important law of his being, given him by God, from which all other laws are derived. Remember these sayings, ye rulers, and see that ye destroy not the laws of God, given to the human race, to establish your own laws among the people. And all men, beware ! how ye treat one another; and return ye quickly from your evil ways. God frequently warns you of your evil ways, yet you heed it not, but follow on in wickedness, as you have done from the beginning. Already the devil is at work busily, to put a stop to these mani- festations. Even now he has entered into the churches, as in the days of old, and the ministers are preaching against God and THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. 105 His holy will, and taking from the Bible, now used passages to show that God is not the God of love and truth. Verily, I say unto you, O man, if you injure the least person on earth in regard to these things that I now say unto you, God will take so much of your inheritance from you in heaven, until you have paid the utmost farthing of the injury you have done. Again I say unto you, O, man, that every thing that is written in the Books in the Bible, now used by man, which were written through mediums in former times, and which agrees with the principles that I have laid down as correct, is the true Bible, and one which man must follow to live in the path of righteousness and peace. And unto all that believe, a rich reward in heaven will be your lot. Again, hold fast to that which is good, and depart from that which is evil. Let the light of the true gospel shine throughout the whole world ; and when you see a brother thirsty, give him drink ; and when he is hungry, give 1.08 THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. him food ; and if he is naked, clothe him ; and if he is ignorant in regard to the life to come, teach him the true and everlasting gospel, which has existed from all time, and is as lasting as God himself. Gather the saints together into one body, whose principles and actions shall be peace, love and harmony throughout the whole earth. Awake ! — the harps of your angelic fathers are sounding the sweet tocsin of love and harmony throughout your land; be ye ready, for the time is nigh at hand, when the wicked rulers of the East and West, will gather together to persecute the saints of God. Be ye strong in faith and strength, and go forth among the by-ways and streets, preaching boldly that the day has come, when men will see heaven open unto them ; and from out of hell behold the wickedness of man. And now I leave you for a little while con- cerning these things, hoping that you will re- pent and follow Christ. Let this humble epistle be read carefully by you all ; and if THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. 107 any man knowingly and willingly takes one word from this epistle to place evil therein, he shall pay the penalty of so doing to the fullest extent; for all that is written in this epistle, was written by my impressions on a good and honest medium. Greet all the brethren in Christ with a holy kiss ; let your hearts be turned towards God with holy love, and with a fervent desire to become his disciples. And may the spirit of God be with you all, until his coming at the end of earth. Grace, mercy, and peace be with you all forever and ever. Amen. 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