Kate Stone Writes About Her Work of Helping Dark Spirits Turn to the Light and the Father's Love

June 19, 1917
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Kate Stone.

Tell my brother (Dr. Leslie R. Stone) that what he heard a few nights ago in reference to me is true, and that I am engaged with my whole heart and soul in the work of helping the dark and suffering spirits, and when I succeed in turning some towards the light and the Father's Love, there comes to me a happiness I cannot describe. The fact of being an instrument in the redemption of one lost soul affords greater happiness than any mortal can dream of, and when I tell my brother that I have succeeded in showing the way to many of these spirits, he may, perhaps in a small way, realize what my happiness is.

To me the work is one of the greatest that we spirits can possibly engage in, and I never get tired or disheartened, and even though sometimes I fail to convince a spirit as to the way to light and relief from his suffering, yet I never feel disappointed, for I know that sometime sooner or later that spirit will perceive the meaning of my words and they will have their effect.

But not only can I see the results of my own work, but also that of you three mortals, for you all help these dark spirits by your talks with them; and my brother must not think that just because he cannot write, and thus be certain that the spirits are listening to him, that he cannot perform this task, for I must tell him that he does. When he talks to them, they give him their attention and believe him, and many take his advice and seek the Father's Love through the only way it can be obtained, through earnest prayer. He will know some day what the results of his efforts are, and when he does, he will thank the Father that he was given this gift.

Tell him to continue, and even though he cannot hear their response, I will come at times to inform him of results: a soul in darkness and torment rescued by a mortal who knows the truth. A crown of one star representing salvation of a soul is a glorious possession, but a crown of many stars bestowed for the saving of many souls is a treasure beyond description. This crown will be his, but while it will not be one to be worn, yet it will be a crown set in the joyous countenances of spirits relieved of their sufferings and radiant in the glory of the Father's Love.

I will stop now, as Helen says you are tired and must not write more tonight. With my love, I will say good night to you and Leslie.

Your sister in Christ,
Kate

Helen Writes About the Many Spirits Present and Confirms Messages Written Through Mr. Padgett

June 16, 1917
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, your own true and loving Helen.

Well, dear, you have had some beautiful messages tonight and in them was much love, and I was glad that you received these messages. Tell Doctor (Leslie R. Stone) that his mother (Priscilla Stone) actually wrote and that she is here now and says that she will accompany him alone and remain with him until he goes to sleep. Her love for him seems to be great tonight.

And dear Professor Salyards also wrote in his loving and sympathetic way. What a wonderful spirit he is in his deference to the female spirits and he sees only love and beauty in all.

The last spirit (Elizabeth Barrett Browning) who wrote, I am not acquainted with, but I have no doubt that she is who she represents herself to be. At any rate, she is quite a beautiful spirit but does not know what the Divine Love means and went with the Doctor's sister (Kate Stone), who will tell her. For Kate is a very beautiful spirit with much of the Love in her soul and seems so full of desire to let all know what this Love is. She is doing a wonderful work among the dark spirits and is one of the busiest of the spirits who attend on your evenings when the dark spirits come for help. And I must also say that she is so joyful in the fact that the Doctor has found the way that will lead him to the Celestial Heavens.

And there is another one present (Mary Kennedy) whom I must not neglect to mention, and I could not if I wanted to, for she says now: "Helen if you love me, tell Leslie that I am here and want only to say that I love him as he knows."

She is progressing in her soul development very rapidly and I tell her that she is commencing to look real beautiful and if the Doctor could only see her, he would think so, too. And she says that it does not matter whether she is beautiful or not; if she could only make herself visible to the Doctor, he would not look to see whether she was beautiful or not, because she would look at him with such eyes of love that he wouldn't see anything but her eyes.

Well, dear, you must not write more. Keep up your courage and believe what has been told you for you will not be disappointed. Tomorrow night the Master desires to finish his message. So with my love to you both, I will say good night.

Your own true and loving,
Helen

Elizabeth Barrett Browning Writes She Wants to Learn the Secret of Divine Love

June 16, 1917
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

Let me say a word and that is, that I have listened to the last message that was written you, (St. John) and if I could only utter from my soul as that spirit did the deep and true meaning of love and gladness, I would think that beyond the condition that I should then be in there could not possibly be any starry Heavens or beyond.

I am a bright spirit and happy, but my happiness is not that which I saw in the bright spirit who wrote, and my love to his is like a pale moonbeam compared to the glorious sunlight. I wonder now that such a spirit can possess such a glorious countenance of love and sympathy. When he spoke of the love of the mother for her son, his whole soul seemed to go with his words and to reflect the wondrous Love that he must possess.

This is the first time that I have ever attempted to write through a mortal, and my astonishment is great that I can do so with such ease, but I realize that it must be because there are so many beautiful spirits present encouraging me to do so.

You should be a very happy mortal to have all these glorious spirits around and so close to you, and they all seem to love you so very much and, as I write, they smile upon you and say that they love you, not only because they are your parents and relatives, but because in your heart - and I refer to both you mortals - there is a Love that responds to theirs and recognizes the fact of the mutuality of the affections.

Tell me what is the secret of this, to me, wonderful attraction, and what this Love is, for it must be beyond what I have experienced.

Well, I have heard what you said, and one beautiful spirit comes to me, and says that she is a country woman of mine and invites me to go with her for a little talk, and says that her name on earth was Kate, and now it is, a child of the Father and a possessor of His Love, which she says is a part of the Love that I see all around me. How wonderful this all is, and how I long to be among these beautiful spirits in their beauty and happiness!

Well, I will have to leave now and learn the secret of the Love. So thanking you, I will say good night.

Your true friend,
Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Priscilla Stone Writes to Encourage Mr. Padgett to do the Best He Possibly Can to Further the Important Work

June 16, 1917
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, mother of Leslie.

Let me write a line, as I am anxious to contribute my encouragement to what John has said, and I know that what he told you as to the powers that are working in this matter is all true.

While we do not pay much attention to "time," yet in the present case "time" is essential and every day is important in the furtherance of the work, and we know this to a greater extent than you possibly can. Do the best and the most that you can, until the time comes for you to have the surroundings that are so desirable to make the work easier of performance. You have the love of many high spirits and their powers are not to be underestimated.

You may think it strange that I write in this way, but you must understand that while I am not of those who inhabit the high Celestial Heavens, yet I am interested in the work, for I know what it means. The truths to be conveyed to you have saved me from the slow progression of the soul without the Divine Love and have also lifted my boy from the darkness of ignorance and false beliefs into the knowledge of the truth and the salvation of his soul; and what they have done for him, they will do for all mortals who receive the light and pray for the Love. And you can see that this Love is so great and of such a nature that we who have it to a degree want everyone of our brother mortals to know the way to obtain it.

So do not think that I, just because I am of little importance among the high spirits of the Celestial Heavens, may not help a little for I can and am endeavoring to do so. Tell my boy that his mother loves him with all her heart and soul and is praying for him, and that she knows, as regards his prayers, it does not depend upon the help of spirits to bring a response, for the Father answers directly and sends His Holy Spirit to bring to him the response. Oh, how I love the Father, and how His Love makes me happy and gives me a peace that only He can confer.

We are all present tonight with our love and influence and prayers. I must not write more now. So believe that I am a spirit who loves her boy with a true love that no earthly mother can know. Good night.

Your sister in Christ,
Mrs. Stone

John Writes that the Holy Spirit is an Energy of God's Soul Which Conveys His Love into Our Soul

June 14, 1917
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, John.

I merely want to say that your condition is improving and that in a few nights, we will be able to continue our messages, and then you will find yourself happier in more ways than one. I mean that you will feel better spiritually. I was with you tonight at the meeting (prayer meeting of Dr. Mitchell) and it did you good, for there were many spirits present who have the Love to a more or less degree and, of course, their influence was being exercised on and felt by the worshipers.

The preacher is a man with a considerable amount of the Divine Love in his soul, and if he only had the true conception of Jesus, he would find himself possessing more of this Love; and his idea of the Holy Spirit is such that it interferes with his receiving the effect of the work of the Spirit. He thinks and believes it to be an entity; in other words, a being of substance and thought and sentient capacity, whereas as you know, it is not, but merely the evidence of the working of God's own soul in bestowing upon mortals His Love and mercy. The Spirit is God's messenger for this purpose and is not a creation of His, as is Jesus and mankind. It is merely an energy of the Soul of the Father conveying His Love.

The Spirit could have no existence without the Soul of the Father and is entirely dependent upon the powers of that Soul for its existence, and only in the sense that it conveys God's Love can it be called the Comforter. And to grieve the Spirit, as the preacher said, means only that the Love of God is grieved, which is in fact not true for this Love is never grieved, as it is so great and so intense in its desire that men shall receive it, that it never becomes grieved, though it is often disappointed, as you may say, that men will not receive it. It is always present waiting for men to receive it, and by their longings and prayers, cause their souls to be opened up to its reception. And this remember: that this Love of the Father is so very great that the Spirit which conveys it to man cannot become grieved.

Well, I did not intend to write on this subject tonight and what I have said is merely fragmentary, but sometime I will come and write in detail. You must pray more and let your faith increase and you will find what the Holy Spirit is and how it operates. Your prayers will be answered, and a great inflowing of the Love, and also your desires will be realized. Keep up your courage and you will not be disappointed. Today may look dark and dreary, but tomorrow the sun will shine, and you will enjoy the sunlight.

I will not write more now. So with my love and blessings, I will say good night.

Your brother in Christ,
John

Solomon Writes About the Necessity of James E. Padgett Receiving Messages as Rapidly as Possible

June 14, 1917
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Solomon.

It has been a long time since I wrote you, although I have been present many times when the other spirits were delivering their messages and, of course, have been much interested in you and the messages.

As you will remember, I told you in my message that you had been selected to do the work that the spirits of the Celestial Sphere, led by Jesus, had determined that you should do, and that you must realize the great importance of the work and also the importance of the mission conferred upon you in this regard and urged you to believe in the truth of what I had written.

Well, I come to reiterate what I then said, and also to impress upon you the necessity for doing this work as rapidly as possible for conditions are such that the world is very much in want of these truths, as men are turning their thoughts more and more to things spiritual and to the future life. This war will result in men seeking a religion that will satisfy not only the longings of their souls, but the efforts of their intellects in searching for the truth; and these truths when they are presented to men will give that satisfaction.

Well, the explanation is that these people when they pray attract to them the spirits, and also believe that God will answer their prayers, and these spirits endeavor to help them, and often succeed; and many times the things that these people pray for come to them by natural means.

And this I will say, that never does God by His omnipotence, as regards these material things, answer prayer. All His answers to prayer are brought about by the workings of the spirits who do God's bidding, and in no other way are prayers for the material things answered. I know that this may be surprising to many of these people who believe that God, by His great powers, answers prayer but it is a fact.

Well, that is an illustration of the work of spirits, as I have explained. These spirits, when the prayers of that man (Mueller) ascended to God, heard them, and in obedience to their work, impressed mortals to do that which resulted in answer to these prayers. Many prayers have been answered in this way and will be so long as mortals pray and have faith.

I will not write more now. So good night.

Your brother in Christ,
Solomon

John Writes About a Talk by a Lecturer Whose Conception of God Was Wrong

June 13, 1917
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, John.

I was with you tonight at the talk (on New Thought) of the lecturer and display of what has no foundation in truth. She has an idea that God is what man makes him to be, and that only as man's consciousness realizes the existence of a God in harmony with that consciousness does that God really exist.

She seems to have no conception as an absolute, unchangeable being, not dependent upon man's realization of Him or of man's consciousness that He exists in any other form or substance than as man sees Him. No, she has not a true conception of God or man. To her, man is just what his status demonstrates him to be and no matter whether a formless, senseless amoeba or a perfect man as originally created by God, he is still man and dependent upon his knowledge of the different conditions of himself in order to determine what he may have been in any state of his evolution.

She cannot define God or man. And that being so, how can she possibly help man to know these matters? It is all pitiable that any human should let his own salvation or future destiny depend upon such unreliable and erroneous conceptions.

I do not think that such lectures as this do you any good and I advise you not to attend them. Rely only on what you have received and shall receive from the Master and other high spirits as to what God and man are.

I see that you are in better condition tonight, and I hope that we may resume our messages and continue to reveal to you the truth as regards God and man, and the plan, and the only one given by the Father for the full salvation of him.

I will not write more tonight. So with my love I will say good night.

Your brother in Christ,
John

John Writes on What is the Reason Mortals Will Not Seek the Love of the Father Rather than Endeavor to Believe in the Creeds and Sacraments of Churches

June 4, 1917
Received by James Padgett.
Washington, D.C.

I am here, St. John.

I came tonight to write you a message that I consider very important, and as you are in good condition, I will endeavor to do so. In the first place, I desire to say that you are much more in that condition of soul development that enables us to make a rapport with you than you have been, and we are pleased that this is so for the greater development you have, the easier it is for us to express our ideas of the higher truths that we so much desire to disclose through you.

Well, the subject about which I wish to write is: "What is the reason that mortals will not seek the Love of the Father rather than endeavor to believe in the creeds and sacraments of the churches to which they belong or be affiliated with?"

Now it may appear to you that mortals, themselves, could better tell the reason of this preference and their actions in carrying out their preferences, but this supposition would not be true, because they do not really know. The knowledge of the truth, which they might obtain, and the supposed knowledge of truth, which so many of them content themselves with believing that they possess, are two and very different things.

And first, they believe that the creeds of their churches contain and disclose the truths as to God and as to mortals relationship to Him, and that if they follow these creeds, they will do that which is pleasing to God and in accordance with His will; and, hence, they rest satisfied to abide in such knowledge and seek no further to learn the truths of their being and of their salvation.

The creeds in most particulars do not contain the truths of these spiritual matters, for they are based upon error and, consequently, can have no truth as a superstructure, and from them mortals cannot learn the true knowledge of things spiritual. These creeds are man-made and are not based upon the real verities that can never be changed by creeds, nor any other thing that is the result of man's making.

But mortals do not know that these creeds do not disclose to them the truth, and this is one reason why they prefer to follow the teachings of the creeds and believe in them. They have nothing else to which they can resort, except the many statements of truth that the Bible contains; and even, though, they should resort to these statements, yet in their condition of mental and soul development, they would not be able to discover the truths as therein disclosed and to realize any distinction between such truths and what they believe are truths of their creeds.

For long years - generation after generation - these creeds have been accepted and believed in and proclaimed to be the truths by the respective churches to which the mortals may have belonged; and they have seen their parents and grandparents believing and resting in the assurance that the creeds contained the truth,and have seen these relatives live and die apparently happy in their beliefs; and, hence, they become satisfied to do that which those before them did and not question or search for the truth elsewhere, or even think that it can be found elsewhere. And as man is constituted, it may be said that such a position and condition is natural, and we or you who know the truth and also that the creeds do not contain the truth, should not be surprised.

Again, mortals prefer their creeds, because in the majority of the instances when a church or denomination has existed for a long time those who have, as I may say, inherited these beliefs in the creeds never consider for a moment, that they should do anything else than give an unquestioning belief to the teachings of their creeds and that in such belief they are in the truth and are not called upon to doubt or question. And thus growing up, as many do, in this belief, it becomes to them in many cases, a thing of mere form, having no vitality and creating in those who possess it, no special concern as to whether their belief is well founded or not. This belief saves them the trouble of exercising their minds to any comprehensive degree, and they say: "I am content with the creed of my church and do not desire to be troubled by questioning the same." And, hence, you will see, it is not difficult for them to make the preference for, in fact, there is no preference, but a condition of mind existing that has in it no room for the exercise of any preference.

And then again, this preference exists because of the social life of the people who believe in the creeds of the churches, for if they do not so believe, it is not permissible for them to become members of the churches, as the creed must be subscribed to no matter what else that may be vital is required to be believed in, or declared by the mortal who desires affiliation to be believed.

The church is the greatest of social centers in the lives of men, and its influence and power are very great and reaches further in the economy of social life than unthinking people may realize. So then when the applicant subscribes to the creed and becomes a member of the church, he becomes satisfied, usually, with his social position and his thoughts of spiritual truths are no longer plastic but fixed and as time goes by, he pays less attention to what the creeds may require of him, but in a kind of automatic manner acts upon them and rests satisfied. His position then becomes so comfortable and his mind free from efforts by the undoubting acceptance of the doctrines of his church creeds.

Of course, there are many exceptions to this condition existing among members of the churches, for while they subscribe to the creeds, yet their souls are not satisfied and go out in longings to the Father for His Love and many who possess this Love, though intellectually they do not know what it means. But with the majority, the preference is made because of the reasons that I have stated - and the difficulty will be great to cause an awakening from this satisfaction and feeling that in their beliefs lie the certainty of doing the Father's will and of their own salvation.

Now, while all this is true, yet these mortals do not realize that it is true just in the sense that I have described it, and the great work that lies before you and us is to cause the truths, which you are receiving to be presented to these people in such a way that they will not be satisfied to rest in the security of their old beliefs, but be persuaded to seek for the truth outside of the teachings of their creeds. And this I can say, that if these people will have such an awakening, and seriously and honestly seek for the truth, they will not hesitate to believe that they have been mistaken in their beliefs and will not be satisfied until they learn the truth.

I merely thought I would write this, because, while it is more of a subject pertaining to the merely living of men on earth, yet in its results and consequences, if the living be changed, the things spiritual will become the things of absorbing interest. These creeds shut out the truth, and men will never be able to find the truth until they shut out from their minds and souls the doctrines of the creeds.

I will not write more tonight. So with my love, I will say good night.

Your brother in Christ,
John

Gottfried Leibnitz, a German Philosopher, Writes About His Uncertainty as to Immortality

June 4, 1917
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Gottfried Leibnitz.

Let me write a few lines. I am not an acquaintance of yours, yet I am not a stranger so far as my being in your presence and observing the different spirits who communicate with you.

I have been in spirit life a great many years and have been through the Hells and purgatory and all kinds of suffering and am now in the light and comparatively happy. I am in what is called the Second Sphere, where are many bright and intellectual spirits working out their own plans for accomplishing certain of their ideas and progressing to higher planes.

I was a professor on earth and gave much of my time to the study of psychology and kindred subjects and had many ideas of my own on these questions, and especially was I interested in the study, or rather speculation for I did not believe in the Bible or the teachings of the churches, as to the future of man. And my speculations led me to the conclusion that the physical death was not the end of man; for it seemed to me that if such was the case, the object of the workings of the great laws of evolution would be defeated by the ending of the existence of the greatest and highest resultant of that evolution, namely man.

I was a student of comparative biology and believed without any doubt and with the certainty of knowledge that man was the greatest product of this great principle of evolution and that for centuries upon centuries, it had been working to bring or develop man from the mere molecule to the high degree of perfection displayed in his wonderful mind and moral faculties, and that then, in a moment, end it all by this thing known as physical death was unreasonable and unjustified and, hence, I concluded, as I say, that men must live after the death of the body.

But when I got that far in my conclusions, there came the question: "What was beyond?" And here my speculations were not so satisfactory, for I had very little upon which to base any theories. Of course, I thought that as man in the past had made such wonderful progress in his evolution, and as he would live in the future, it was reasonable to suppose that this evolution would continue and that man's progress would be without limitation or ending, provided he should continue to live forever. And thus arose the question of man's immortality; and here, I was stalled, for I had nothing with which to make a comparison.

I knew that it was accepted as a truth in natural science that nothing could ever be destroyed or lost, and that the elements or atoms from which those physical things, perceptible to the senses, were composed should continue to exist forever, but this was not satisfactory to me upon which to base the fact that man would live forever. While these elements or atoms, themselves, could not be destroyed, yet many of those composite things into which these elements had entered and given form had been destroyed and as such composite entity and form no longer had an existence.

I had seen the oak start from the acorn and grow to be a mighty tree and live for years and suddenly, by a stroke of lightning, destroyed and ceased to live, and as such tree went entirely out of existence. And, hence, by analogy I could not say that man as the identical individual would not go out of existence and, in fact, I had seen him as regards his physical existence cease to be an existence and his body disintegrate and go back to its elements; and I could find nothing in all this to justify me in asserting that man, in whatever form he might exist after his bodily death, would not at sometime in the future cease to have the form that made him the very individual that had lived on earth and continued his existence in the spirit world. No, I could not, in my speculations satisfy myself that man was immortal. And so speculation was compelled to stop, and I was left without any assurance that my theory of persistence of man after death was not one that might not prove to be false.

But I died and found that I, the conscious thinking man, continued to exist with all the faculties of mind and feelings that were mine when a mortal. And, in addition, I soon met those who had preceded me in the spirit world, and who had since becoming spirits advanced in their evolution and were more perfect mentally and morally than they had been when on earth; and who, also, informed me that beyond where they had evoluted (evolved) to were spheres in which spirits of greater intellectual development and ancient in years lived and worked and speculated upon the same question that I had given so much thought to when on earth, namely: "Is man immortal?"

And they further informed me that these ancient worthies had not been able to solve the problem, but that many who had come to the spirit life thousands of years before were still living, and no spirit had ever been known to have passed out of existence or dissolve into the elements of which it was composed.

So you see, the spirits in the highest spheres, with all their intellectual development and thousands of years of study, can no more assert with certainty that man is immortal than I could when on earth. To me now, as when on earth, this is the greatest question that arises and engages my continuous thoughts, and I see no way to solve the problem. I remember, that when on earth the preachers and the churches claimed and taught the doctrine of immortality, and while I never deeply investigated the foundation of their claims, yet I cannot conceive that they can possess any more certainty of the supposed fact than did I. I can hardly believe that God ever revealed to man the fact of immortality; and in my opinion, in my present stage of development, only God knows, and all the teachings of the churches and wise theologians are mere speculations, not to be relied on.

Well, I have written you a long letter tonight, and you may not be interested, but I am, and as the opportunity came, I thought that I would like to write, for I know that there are many mortals who are working and speculating and attempting to find some basis for their hopes of immortality; and some believe that while they may not satisfy their hopes on earth, yet when they come to the spirit world, the difficulties will be removed and the problem solved; and to these I desire to make known the fact that they will look through just as dark glasses here as they are now looking through on earth.

Well, you surprise me and I can scarcely believe that you are serious, for I have never heard of such a way or of such a knowledge existing among spirits, and if you can show me that way I will, with all the energies of my soul pursue it. Well, you surprise me more and more; but I am willing to do as you say, no matter how absurd it may seem to me, or what little prospects I may see in making the pursuit. I will do as you say.

Well, I see a beautiful spirit who says that he is Prof. Salyards, and has heard what I said and what you said, and that he will be pleased to show me the way to obtain both a knowledge and the actual possession of this immortality, and I shall accept this invitation and go with him. I thank you very much for listening to me and for your expressions of desire to help me; and if what you promise comes true, you may rest assured that I will return sometime and tell you.

So my friend, I will say good night.

Your friend,
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibnitz

Helen Writes that Jesus Would Sometime Permit James Padgett to See Him Clairvoyantly

June 3, 1917
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here your own true and loving Helen.

Well dear, you had a rather unusual letter from John, and I must say that as Jesus appears now, even when he accommodates himself to the humblest human, the portraits do not resemble him. Of course, I do not know what he looked like when on earth, but John knows and what he says is true.

Jesus told you a short time ago that he would sometime permit you to see him clairvoyantly and when he does, I think that you will see him as he was on earth, or at least as he appeared to mortals after his resurrection; and I hope that when you do, it will be indelibly stamped on your memory, so that if you were an artist you could reproduce his appearance. So you will have to consider yourself truly favored when you see him in this way.

May the Father's Love be sufficient for you. Good night my dear husband.

Your own true and loving,
Helen

John Writes on the Portraits of Jesus and Describes His Appearance

June 3, 1917
Received by James E. Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, John.

I come to write a few lines on the display of what was supposed to be portraits of the Master and which you saw tonight. Well, the exhibits were quite interesting and showed the different and diverse conceptions of the artists during the centuries of what the Master looked like, but I must say that none of them is a correct likeness of him as he appeared on earth or as he appeared after his rising from the dead and made himself visible to his disciples and others.

I understand how the preacher and many others who were present at the church tonight love Jesus and enjoy the belief that, in looking at some of the portraits, they may get a conception of his appearance, and I only wish that his appearance might have been shown by some of the pictures, but as I said, none of them bore any resemblance to the Master whom I knew and associated with and saw after his resurrection from the tomb. None of them displayed the great spiritual light that shone from his countenance - even when he was suffering on the cross - and none of them gave a faint glimpse even of the spiritual beauty that was his when he associated with and helped sinners as well as his friends and disciples.

I never heard of any portrait having been painted of him while he lived on earth or afterwards by anyone who had seen him, and the oldest of these portraits that were presented tonight was not made until years after his death, and by men who could not have gotten a description of the Master from anyone who had seen him. I know that there was no original as the preacher supposed that must have given a suggestion to the artists who painted the ones that you saw, for there was never any original. No, the Master passed from earth without leaving behind him any representation of his appearance.

The portraits were the results of what the artists conceived in their artistic brains, if I may use the expression, of what the Master, who had displayed such wonderful qualities of heart and mind should look like, and as their conceptions of the spiritual and human qualities of the Master differed, so their portraits differed, and the only foundation for their pictures were their own spiritual or non-spiritual conceptions.

The Master, of course, like the rest of us who were his disciples, was a Jew, and it is quite natural to suppose that he had the features and hair and beard of the ordinary Jew; and as the Jews have continued to live ever since the time of the Master without much change in appearance or otherwise - I mean in his native land - the artists, who conceived him to be a Jew, based their supposed portrait of him upon the appearance of the Jew as they saw him at the time that they painted the pictures.

And while Jesus was a Jew, he was not what may be called a typical Jew in appearance any more than in other qualities, for he had in him that condition of soul that to a large extent determined and fashioned his appearance. His eyes were not dark or brown but a violet blue, and his hair was light and inclined to the auburn; his nose was prominent and somewhat long, and his beard was of the color of his hair, and worn not so long as was the custom of those days, and he never had a razor on his face. His forehead was not so very high or broad, but was well shaped and somewhat effeminate and indicated that there was not so great mental development as might be supposed, for I must say here that his knowledge was not so much the knowledge of the brain as of the heart and soul.

And as you know, and as all men may know who acquire the proper soul development, the soul has a brain (mind) of its own which is used for the disclosure of the knowledge of that which pertains to the spiritual truths. Mortals may not quite comprehend the meaning of this assertion, but I must tell them that in certain circumstances and conditions the brain or, to be more exact, the mind of the natural man becomes entirely absorbed in the mind of the soul.

So that, I say, it is not a correct conclusion to suppose that Jesus, because of having all the wonderful knowledge of the truths of God - his Father as he preferred to call God - must have had a large development of those portions of the brain that is ordinarily displayed by a large or prominent forehead. His head, in fact, was not very large, but compact and beautifully shaped. He wore his hair parted in the middle and reaching to his shoulders, and it was somewhat curly - a beautiful head of hair which seemed to be full of life.

No artist has had a correct conception of his appearance and no portrait or sculpture conveys a near likeness of him. But as the people realize how beautiful he was within, they can possibly in their own imaginations see a clearer conception of his appearance than any painted portrait gives to them.

I sometimes wish that there was on earth a true likeness of him, as he appeared during the time of his great work of love on earth, so that those who love him could have the further pleasure of realizing his physical appearance; but that may not be so, because as mortals naturally worship the pictures of the saints, and through the picture, worship the originals, the danger would be that if there was a picture of the Master, mortals would worship him even more than they do now; all of which worship is very distasteful and displeasing to him, and as he has said: "Blasphemy." The Master should be loved, and his presence longed for, as such presence has in it a wonderful love and influence to help and make happy those who are in condition to realize his presence; but he should not be worshipped.

Well, as I was with you tonight at the church, I thought that it might be interesting to you to have told you the truth in reference to the Master and his supposed portraits. Of course, it is not necessary that there should be any picture of him, true or otherwise, in order to enable mortals to enjoy his presence, for he is working among mortals today as he was when on earth, and his love goes out to them, and his desire that they become in at-onement with the Father; and when mortals sincerely long for his presence, sooner or later, as the laws of his limitations permit, he will be with them and will comfort and help them, if they will enable him to make the rapport. This is what is meant by his standing at the door and knocking. When the door is opened, the rapport is made and then his love and influence will be felt.

But the difficulty here is that mortals suppose it to be and confuse it with the great Love of the Father, when the fact is that this love of Jesus is the same Love, in quality but not in quantity, that the mortal himself may obtain by the earnest prayers and sincere aspirations of his soul. The love of Jesus can never transform a human soul into the substance of the Love of the Father, because this transforming Love can come from the Father only, and is bestowed through the medium of the Holy Spirit, as we have explained to you.

So let all mortals love Jesus with the fervor and fullness of their souls and crave for his love, but in doing so not forget or fail to know that in, thus, loving in order to become like Jesus, they must seek for the greater Love of the Father and give to Him all their soul's longings and desires for the inflowing of this Love into their souls; and the more they receive of this great Divine Love, the better able they will be to love their great brother, Jesus.

Well, I have written enough for tonight. I will come soon again and write you a formal message. So remember what I said to you a few nights ago, and believe and trust, and you will not be disappointed. With my love and the blessings of the Father, I will say good night.

Your brother in Christ,
John

St. Peter Writes that Jesus Did Not Perform All the Miracles Claimed in the Bible

May 30, 1917
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, St. Peter, Apostle of Jesus.

I have seen what you were reading (Luke's Gospel) and must inform you that many of the supposed miracles of healing and raising of the dead and the controlling of the laws or expressions of nature never occurred. No, these accounts are not true and are the results of the imaginings of men who attempted to add to the book that Luke wrote. Of course, there is a true foundation for some of these alleged miracles, but as to others, there is no foundation in fact.

Jesus did heal the sick and cure the blind and the deaf and the withered hand and the palsied man and resurrected the supposed dead, but not in the way described in the New Testament; and it is not good for men to believe in the truth of all these miracles.

Well, that incident never occurred, for Jesus in casting out evil spirits would have had no authority or power to permit them to enter into the swine, and it would not have been in consonance with his love and ideas of what was just to have allowed the swine to receive these spirits and thereby perish as the account says. And besides, the result of such an happening would have been that the property of the innocent owners was taken from them and lost.

In all Jesus' performance of miracles, or in any of his teachings, did he ever do or say that which worked wrong to a human being. All men were to him the objects of his love and the salvation which he came to earth to show men the way to. Sometime, I will consider these miracles in a message and inform you of those that he actually performed and those that are the mere fancies of some of those eastern teachers who had a very wonderful imagination and used them in adding to the truths of Luke's original writings.

Well, there is some little truth in that for we were in a storm and were afraid and he slept, and we awakened him, but he did not rebuke the storm and the waves and cause them to subside, but rather he allayed our fears by his talk and example and to us it became as if there were no storm, for when fear left us, it was as if we were not sensible of the storm so far as the dread of drowning or perishing was concerned. No, this is another interpolation and should not be believed.

Many wonders ascribed to Jesus were never performed, although it appeared to us as if there was no limit to the powers of Jesus. But sometime I will come and write fully on this matter. I must stop now.

Your brother in Christ,
Peter

Jesus Writes Further About "Who and What is God?"

May 25, 1917
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Jesus.

I have been with you as you prayed and joined in your prayer to the Father for the inflowing of His Great Love into your soul in great abundance; and I know that His Holy Spirit is present and that His Love is flowing into your soul, and that you are becoming in at-onement with the Father. His Love will always come to you when you pray as you have tonight, and His listening ear is always open to the earnest aspirations of His children who come to him with the true longings of the soul.

You have the secret of reaching the Father's Love, and on all occasions when you feel that you need that Love, or desire a nearness to the Father, use the secret and you will not be disappointed.

You are in better condition tonight in your soul development and perceptions and can receive my message which I have desired for some time to communicate and to do which I was waiting only for you to be in a complete rapport with me.

Well, you will remember that in the early stages of our writings, I communicated to you my knowledge and conception of: "Who and what God is," and that I have recently told you that I desired to rewrite the message, as your condition is now so much better to receive these truths than it was when the message was written; and so, tonight, I will deliver the message and will take a more complete possession of your brain and control of your hand than I was able to do at the time mentioned.

Then the question is: Who and What is God?

In dealing with this question, you must realize that it is not so easy to describe in language that mortals can comprehend the Essence and Attributes of God, and I feel the limitations that I am under in endeavoring to give you a satisfactory description of the only and true God; not because of the paucity of knowledge and conception on my part, but because of the fact that you have not the required soul development to enable me to form the necessary rapport with you in order that through your brain may be expressed the exact truth as to who the Father is.

Well, to begin, God is Soul and Soul is God. Not the soul that is in the created man, but the Soul that is Deity and self-existent, without beginning or ending, and whose entity is the one great fact in the universe of being.

God is without form, such as has been conceived of by man in nearly all ages, and especially by those who believe in the Bible of the Hebrews, as well as in that of the Christians. But nevertheless, He is of form, which only the soul perceptions of the soul of a man, which has arrived at a certain degree of development, that is taken on the Divine Nature of the Father and, thus, become a part of the Soul of God can discern and realize as an entity. There is nothing in all nature with which men are acquainted or have knowledge of that can be used to make a comparison, even in the spirit perceptions, with this Great Soul; and, hence, for men to conceive of God as having a form in any manner resembling that of man, is all erroneous; and those who, in their beliefs and teachings deny the anthropomorphic God are correct.

But, nevertheless, God is of form such as to give him an entity and Substance and seat of habitation, in contradistinction to that God which, in the teachings of some men, is said to be everywhere in this Substance and entity - in the trees and rocks, and thunder and lightning, and in men and beasts, and in all created things, and in whom men are said to live and move and have their being. No, this concept of God is not in accord with the truth, and it is vital to the knowledge and salvation of men that such conception of God be not entertained or believed in.

To believe that God is without form is to believe that he is a mere force or principle or nebulous power and, as some say, the resultant of laws; which laws, as a fact, He has established for the controlling of His universe of creation, and which are expressed to men by these very powers and principles, that to some extent, they can comprehend.

The child has asked: "Who made God?"

And because the wise men cannot answer that question, in their wisdom, they conclude and assert that there can be no real God of personality or soul form and, hence, only force, principle or evolved laws can be God; and in their own conceit think that they have solved the question.

But the child may not be satisfied with the answer, and may ask the wise men: "Who made principle and force and laws that must be accepted as the only God?"

And then, the wise men cannot answer unless they answer: "God," which they do not believe, but which let me say, is the true and only answer.

God is back of force and principle and law, which are only expressions of His being, and which without Him could not exist; and they are only existences, changeable, dependent and subject to the will of God, who only, is Being.

God then, is Soul, and that Soul has its form, perceptible only to Itself, or that of man, which, by reason of the sufficient possession of the very Substance of the Great Soul has become like unto God, not in image only, but in very Essence. We spirits of the highest soul progression are enabled by our soul perceptions to see God and His form. But here, I use the words "see" and "form," as being the only words that I can use to give mortals a comparative conception of what I am endeavoring to describe.

When it is remembered that mortals can scarcely conceive of the form of the spirit body of a man, which is composed or formed of the material of the universe, though not usually accepted to be of the material, it will be readily seen that it is hardly possible for me to convey to them a faint idea even of the Soul form of God, which is composed of that which is purely spiritual - that is, not of the material, even though to the highest degree sublimated.

And although I am not able, because of the limitations mentioned, to describe to men that form which they may glean a conception of the Soul's form - as such form can be seen only with the soul's eye, which eyes men do not possess - it must not be believed that because men cannot understand or perceive the truth of the Soul's form, therefore, it is not a truth. A truth, though not conceived or perceived by men, spirits or angels, is still a truth, and its existence does not depend upon its being known; and even though all the mortals of earth, and the spirits and Angels of Heaven, save one, could not perceive the existence of that truth, yet its existence perceived by that one irrefutably proves its reality.

But, as I have said, the truth of God's form - the Soul's form can be testified to by more than one of the Celestial Spirits of men passed from earth; and the possibility is before mortals of the present life, in the great future, if their souls have become possessed of the Divine Substance of God's Love in sufficient abundance to perceive God as I have attempted to explain.

The created soul of man has its form, it being made in the image of God, yet man cannot see that form, although it is a fact and can be testified to by many in the spirit realms. And here it needs to be said that when in our message we speak of God as being without form, we mean any such form as men have or think they have conceived of, and our expressions must not be considered as contradictory to what I have tried to explain as the form of God.

Well, in addition to the form, God has a personality, and this is expressed and made known to man by certain attributes, which to the consciousness of man is existent in the universe; and to some philosophers and scientists and wise men these attributes are their impersonal God himself, and to them the only God. They make the created, the Creator, not realizing that behind the expression must be the Cause; and that greater than the attribute must be that from which the expression of the attribute is projected or, as they better like to say, evolved.

And here, I, who know, desire to say that these manifested attributes or forces and powers and principles and laws and expressions do not, all together, constitute or be that from which they flow or in which they have their source. God is Himself, alone. His Attributes or expressions manifested to mortals or spirits, are only the results or effects of the workings of His Spirit, which Spirit is only the active energy of His Soul - Himself. And, hence, the form of God is not distributed over the whole universe of creation where His attributes may be, or because they are everywhere manifested.

No, as was said by Moses of old, and as was said by me when on earth: God is in His Heavens. And although it may be surprising and startling to mortals to hear, God has His habitation, and God the Substance, the Self-existing and Soul form, has His locality, and men do not live and move and have their existence in God; but in His emanations and expressions and spirit they do.

As you are somewhat exhausted, I think this a good place to stop. I am pleased that you are in such good condition. So be prepared for an early resumption of the message.

With my love and blessings, I will say, good night.

Your brother and friend,
Jesus

James Writes About the Frailties of the Human Mind and Moral Qualities

May 24, 1917
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, James, and I came to write on the subject of: "The frailties of the human mind and moral qualities."

I have heard you read the Master's message and believe that in it you will find much truth upon which to reflect, and I desire to add a little to what has been therein said. And here I want further to say that while that message was intended for you personally, yet the truth and advice therein given may be applied to every mortal and the good results will follow, no matter who that mortal may be.

I have, as you know, been in the spirit world a great many centuries, as you conceive of time, and have during that long period been very close to mortals in all parts of the earth and of all nationalities and beliefs and education and enlightenment, and in my experiences with these mortals, I have observed the nature and temptations and the various ways in which mortals have been assailed by such temptations and their efforts to overcome the same together with their successes and failures.

Now, first let me say, that the nature of man is, today, the same as it was when I lived on earth, and the perversions and sins of the souls of men are just as many and of the same kind as they were in my day in the flesh, and temptations, both outward and inward, are just as hard to overcome as they were when first the glad tidings of Love and redemption were proclaimed by the Master; except that prior to that time man had not the Divine Love to help him overcome and subdue these temptations, as he now has. And the regret is, that while this Great Helper and Regenerator, and Conqueror of sin and temptation is now in the world of mortals and subject to their call, yet so comparatively few make the call, or realize the fact that this helper is always waiting to enable them to overcome temptations.

Prior to this time of the coming of the Divine Love, moral truths were taught to men just as they are today, and many men, and not necessarily among the Jews, understood and attempted to apply these truths to their daily lives and endeavored to overcome the temptations arising from the sins that so constantly formed a part of their existence, and that also came from the influence of the evil spirits. It is all wrong to suppose that in these early times and among these early races of earth, moral perceptions were not developed and taught; men then made the fight to overcome temptations and become good and noble beings, so far as these moral truths and principles were then understood and used by men would make them.

In all ages since the fall of the first parents, men have, to a more or less degree, had knowledge of what is called the moral truths, and the natural love of man has existed in a more or less imperfect condition. Men have been kind and loving and true and have, to an extent, controlled their appetites and tendencies to evil lives; and to suppose that men of today are not subject to so great temptations and are of themselves better able to resist the same is a mistake. The present great war proves the fact, for men were never - I mean those who make a pretense to culture and civilization - so brutal in their acts, and so apparently devoid of all conception of right and wrong and of mercy, as are many of those who are engaged in the present struggle.

So I say, men of today can lay no greater claim to moral qualities than could those of the times when they were supposed to be heathens and undeveloped in these moral qualities.

Of course, there is in the world today more of what may be called education and conventionality, but behind these things, which are largely the results of merely intellectual development, men have the same perverted souls, or rather appetites and desires, and are subject to the same temptations as were men of old; and if mankind were left dependent upon the cultivation and improvement of these merely moral powers, I fear that temptation would continue to have all its influence and harmful power on the souls of men that it had in the past.

I know it is said that: "The world is growing better." But the question is: "Is that assertion true; and if so, what is the cause?"

Go to India and to China and to some other countries where the teachings of the supposed moral laws only obtain and learn if there has been any improvement in the condition of men's souls, and if they have in any degree succeeded in overcoming the temptations that the human race is subject to; and in learning, you will find that, except in the case of a few of these people, the conditions of their minds and souls are just as perverted as they were in centuries past, and that it is only in those countries where the influence of Christian nations have control, do these people suppress the tendencies of perverted minds to do those things that arise from the want of the exercise of moral precepts or knowledge.

This is the truth of what mere moral teachings have accomplished where only the mere moral truths, as is supposed, are taught. Temptations are with men and will be with them forever, unless they be controlled or overcome by something greater or more certain than what men conceive to be moral truths. Now, you will see from this that merely moral concepts will not necessarily, or at least for a long time to come, be able to bring about the destruction of the powers of temptation that arises from the perverted nature of mortals.

I must stop now and in doing so will leave you my love and blessings. Good night.

Your brother in Christ,
James, Brother of John

**********

Helen confirms James' Message

I am here, your own true and loving Helen.

Well dear, you have had a very pleasant evening and so have we, who have been with you listening to your conversation, and I mean by "we"- many spirits who are interested in both of you and the Doctor. James wrote, and while he may not have written as easily as he generally does, yet he has conveyed some important truths which you will discover by carefully reading his messages.

Good night and God bless you both is the prayer of your own true and loving,

Helen

Jesus Writes that the Father's Love is Never Far Away When Temptation Strikes

May 23, 1917
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Jesus.

I come tonight to say a few words that you may be encouraged in your spiritual condition and made to feel that I am with you in your doubts and despondency.

I was with you last night and realized just what your condition is and tried to influence you with my love and sympathy, and when you felt that you were all alone, I endeavored to impress you with my help and the power of the Love that I have received from the Father.

I know that while you are in the flesh and temptations come to you, there will be times when you will think that you are forsaken, or that the Father's Love is not in and about you in all its beauty and sustaining influence, and that then thoughts will come to you, such as Job speaks of in the book that you have been reading, and God will seem a long way off.

But, my brother, let me tell you with all the knowledge and love that I have that God is never a way off from you in his love and that he is always ready and willing to help and comfort you, if you will only have faith and let your longings go out to him for the inflowing of this Love into your soul. It is never absent from you, and awaits only your invitation for making itself real and consciously present with you. You only can prevent its coming into your soul and, if you will believe that this is true and endeavor to realize how close this Love is to you and how anxious the Father is that you receive it, you will be able to overcome these thoughts that arise from the weakness of the flesh or, rather, from the strength of the animal part of your nature.

So try to remember what I say, and whenever these thoughts come to you, look upon them as merely thoughts that come in the visions of the night and have no real foundation for their existence. As you may not know, real thoughts can arise only from that which is real, and when this Love of the Father comes into your soul, appetites and passions that arise from the perversion of the animal nature of your being cease to be real and are merely the recollections of what has been - a resultant of that perversion. This Love makes that - which aforetime was perverse - a genuine thing of truth in harmony with God and goodness.

Life is of God and, when not perverted by the will of man, is like unto the goodness from which it comes; and good and evil are conditions which are only, as in the one case God is real, and in the other, evil is not real as being a part of the creation of God. It, sin, is the creation of man, and that man disobedient and out of harmony with his own creation and the laws of his creator.

I write this to encourage your faith in the goodness of God, and in the inherent goodness of yourself, and to confirm your faith and knowledge in the truth that in God's universe all is good, and only that is sinful which man himself, in violation of the will of the Father, had created and afterwards cultivated and nurtured. So believe this, that when this Love comes into your soul you have the possession of that which will enable you to forget the creatures of your own will and make successful your efforts to cease the cultivation of this resultant of your own creation.

It is only when you, for the moment, forget or cease to realize that this Love is yours does the existence of the evil, which was as you may think to be naturally yours, become to you real, at least in your thoughts appear to be real. You have experienced the condition of soul when these thoughts had no place in your life, and were to you as if they had never been; and what you have thus experienced may, if you let live your faith in the possession of this Love continue to be your condition without intermission, and you be enabled to enjoy consciously the reality of its continuous existence.

And I further know that this state of freedom from thoughts of evil requires you to watch and, upon the first suggestion of such thoughts, pray to the Father for the increased expression of His Love and you will not be disappointed. As in the prayer, which I have given you, you are taught to ask that help may be given you to overcome all temptations of the flesh and the influence of the evil ones, so I repeat, let your supplications for this help ascend to the Father when first you feel the temptation, for so far as regards your condition of soul qualities, these temptations and influences are real.

The evil ones are with all mortals, and the condition of the soul determines whether they, the evil ones, can or not make a rapport with the mortals; and when this Love comes into the soul, such rapport is impossible. Then the secret of overcoming temptations is to have the soul qualities in such condition that the rapport cannot be made.

I know that men, sometimes, by their course of thinking of things good and pure invite this rapport, but this is not to be relied on as a sure preventive, for thoughts are changeable and the results of the appetites and emotions, and the natural, as I may say, tendencies of men are to gratify these appetites when not curbed by the higher development of their moral qualities, which qualities are very susceptible to the influence of the sensual natures of man.

I felt the necessity of writing to you as I have, for it is so important both for yourself, personally, and as my instrument for the work that has been given you to do, that you acquire more of this Love and the knowledge by which you may be helped so very much to overcome these temptations and influences. The more Love, the less the power of temptation and the possibility of thoughts that do not find their source in this Love. So I say to you: watch and pray.

Well, I will not write more tonight, and with my love and blessings will say good night and God bless you. I will come soon and write another message and hope that you may be in condition to receive it as successfully and correctly as you did my last one.

Your friend and brother,
Jesus

Paul Writes About Spiritualism and the Importance of Embracing the Truth of the Way to Salvation

May 20, 1917
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Paul.

Well, my dear brother, I have not written for a long time, and I now will embrace the opportunity to say a few words. I do not intend to write a formal message, though I should like to do so, but conditions are not just right to enable me to write as I desire.

I have been present quite often when you were receiving messages from the other spirits and used my influence to make conditions favorable to your receiving these messages, and also to cause you to feel that there was surrounding you an atmosphere of Love and harmony that enabled you to enjoy not only the messages but the feelings of Love and benevolent influences that came to you.

While I have been listening tonight to your friend read extracts from the book and the comments that both made on the same, there was suggested to me a text upon which I will write, and that is the spirit and the spirit body as to their nature and creation. I know that you have received writings dealing more or less with this subject, but I desire to enter more into detail in order to show that the writer of the book is all wrong in his conception of these things. Of course, you will remember Jesus' message on "The Soul," and it will not be necessary for me to say anything about the soul; but you can read my message in connection with that message.

As Mark has just written you, it is a great pity that a man in the position of a teacher of spiritualism should not know more of the truth so that he may disclose it to those who may listen to him and have confidence in his knowledge. And it may be that at some time, you will have the opportunity to read both messages to him, and the result may be he will seek for the truth in the way that shall be pointed out and, when he does so in earnestness, he will find it and make his find a blessing to many with whom he may come in contact.

It is very unfortunate that a leader of this great truth of spiritualism - and it is a truth and one that will ultimately supersede the old religions whenever it comes into contact or association with people who think for themselves - should have such little knowledge of what a true understanding of it would enable them to teach. We spirits have for a long time endeavored to enlighten these leaders and at times have been able to impress upon them some of the vital truths; but these efforts have not been very successful until now, when we are to deliver our messages through your writings. But this endeavor will become more and more earnest or successful in the future, and many of these people who are anxious to learn the true religion and are waiting only for some authoritative source will learn, and among them will be many leaders of what is now called Spiritualism.

The work is one that must become world-wide in its results, for the soul of every man on earth, no matter where he may be, is worthy to be saved; and, as you know, if the start towards regeneration can be made on earth, the progression in the spirit world will be so much more rapid. I know that the spread of the truth will take much time, but when the commencement is made the progress will become more rapid.

I do not think that I should write more tonight and will only add that the evangelization must start very soon, and those who work to start the truth on its way to the knowledge of men must put all their energies and love into the work. You know that now there are very few - only three (James E. Padgett, Dr. Leslie R. Stone and Eugene Morgan) who have any conception of the truth and what the plan is for the making known of these truths to the world. Yet Christianity was started by only one besides the Master, I mean John the Baptist, and he, as I must tell you, did not have the knowledge of the truth as you three have this day, and did not have behind him the power of the Celestial Heavens, as you have. His mission was performed and Christianity would have been a success if its truths had not become lost and perished by the acts of men who did not have in their souls the Love that has been given to you. The truths perished, and men perished as far as their souls' salvation was concerned, to a large extent.

But now these truths will not perish because they will be presented in living type, and no copying or recopying will be needed, and no addition will be made to, or anything taken away from the writings of the spirits who are now engaged in formulating these truths. It will not be a failure this time, and the way to the Kingdom of God in the Celestial Heavens will be made plain and no man will have an excuse for not walking therein. And those who do not will have a greater penalty to pay than was required of the Jews and pagans who lived in the time of Jesus, or who have lived since that time; for with increased opportunity to learn the truth will come increased obligations, and the one who neglects will have that lost opportunity as a part of his consciousness, and this may be even after he becomes the perfect man, for I tell you here that the memory of man lasts even when the highest perfection is reached, as to those things which it is not necessary for him to lose in order for him to become the perfect man.

Well, you are tired, and I will not write more. So, with my love to yourself and your friend, I will say good night.

Your brother in Christ,
Paul

John Mark Writes About the Spiritualist Kates Who Doesn't Know the Truths

May 20, 1917
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, John Mark.

I will write a few lines and let you know that I have listened tonight to your comments on the book of the spiritualist teacher (George W. Kates), and as I heard the Doctor (Leslie R. Stone) read extracts and then your comments, I was convinced that the writer did not know very much about either the laws controlling what may be called the physical part of creation, or those controlling the spiritual existence and relationship of things spiritual. It is a pity that men in his position do not make an effort to learn more of the truths in reference to these things, for it is not necessary even that he should have a knowledge of the truths that have been conveyed to you in order to learn many spiritual truths that would enable him to teach his followers those things that would advance them in the true knowledge of spiritualism.

I do not know the man personally, as I have never been in his society and have, therefore, never had the opportunity to observe his condition of soul and mind, and what I say is based entirely on what I heard read and what was said in your conversation. But this great error I do know and, that is, that he is all wrong when he says there is no God in the universe, but some eternal force which he calls God. It is pitiable that his knowledge is so limited and that he attempts to teach others the truths of the spiritual universe.

I will go some time when you visit him to where he may be and learn just what his condition of soul and mind is and then inform you, so that possibly you may do him some good in the way of teaching him the truth.

You may think it strange that I should write to you on this subject or think that his learning the truth is a thing of sufficient importance to give my attention to, as there are so many things to be written you, but I realize that he is in the position of a teacher of spiritualism and that he has the opportunity to influence a great many mortals who are seeking the truth, and who believe that he may be able to enlighten them. This is the only reason that prompted me to consume your time in this writing.

Of course, his soul is one of a million and is no more valuable or precious in the sight of God than the soul of any other mortal and to select his soul for a special effort of salvation would not justify me in ignoring others in the way of seeking them out or in permitting them to learn the truths from spirits who may be interested in them using the privilege to communicate through you. But for the reason stated, I thought it advisable to suggest to you what I have written.

This is all that I can write tonight. So believe that I am interested in your work, although I do not come here very often.

I am your brother in Christ,
John Mark

Bismarck Writes His Opinion of the War

May 16, 1917
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Bismarck.

Well, I am here and will give you my opinion of the war as best I can. My views are based on the conditions that I am aware of in all the countries engaged in the war.

I understand that you do not want a long message tonight so I will say briefly that the Germans will have to sue for peace and that will happen, I feel certain, before the beginning of August. The condition of the German people is such that they will cease to sustain the Kaiser in the longer prosecution of the war, and the revolutionary party will grow so rapidly that the monarch of Germany will soon cease to exist.

This is the opinion of the one who is responsible for the formation of the Empire.

Bismarck

Jesus Writes on the Only Way to the Kingdom of God in the Celestial Heavens

May 15, 1917
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Jesus.

I come tonight and desire to finish my message and hope that you may be able to receive it. Well, to continue. I have described the way to the Kingdom of God on earth and in the spirit world, and now I will describe the only way to the Kingdom of God in the Celestial Heavens.

As I have written before, when man was created, in addition to having bestowed upon him those things that made him the perfect man and in harmony with the laws and will of the Father, he also bestowed upon him the potentiality or privilege of receiving the Divine Love, provided he should seek for it in the only way that God had planned for its attainment. But instead of embracing this great privilege, man became disobedient and sought to exercise his own will, and did so in that manner that lead not only to his fall from the condition  of the perfect manhood in which God had created him, but also to the loss of the great privilege of receiving this Divine Love, which privilege was never rebestowed upon him until my coming and teaching that rebestowal and the true way to obtain this Love.

Now, here it had better be understood what this Divine Love was and is, for it is the same today that it was when man was created in the image of God. This Love differs from the natural love of man, with which he was endowed when created and which belongs to all men and which they all possess in a more or less perfect condition, in this, that the Divine Love is that Love which belongs to or is a part of God, possessing His Nature and composed of His Substance, and which when possessed by man to a sufficient degree, makes him Divine and of the Nature of God. This Great Love God intended should be received and possessed by all men who should desire to receive it and who would make the effort to obtain it.

It is the Divine Love that contains in itself the divine, which the natural love does not. Many, I know, write and believe that all men, irrespective of the kind of love they have in their souls, possess what they call "the divine spark," which needs only the proper development to make all men divine. But this conception of the state of man in his natural condition is all wrong, for man has not in him any part of the divine, and never can have, unless he receives and has developed in him this Divine Love.

In all God's universe and creation of things material and spiritual, the only one of His creatures who can possibly have within him anything of a Divine Nature is he who possesses this Divine Love. The bestowal of this Love was intended, in its operation and effect, to transform man from the merely perfect man into the Divine Angel, and thus create a Kingdom of God in the Celestial Spheres, where only that which is divine can enter and find a habitation.

And you must understand that as it depends very largely upon man, himself to establish the Kingdom of God on earth or in the spiritual world, so it also depends largely on man to establish the Kingdom in the Celestial Heavens. God will not and does not by any power that He may have establish this Divine Kingdom, and if man had never received this Divine Love into his soul, there never would have been any such kingdom brought into existence.

There is now a Kingdom in the Celestial Sphere, but not a finished one, for it is still open and in the process of formation, and is open to the entry of all spirits, and men must seek for it in the only way that the Father has provided, and no man or spirit will be excluded from it, who, with all the longings of his soul, will aspire to enter that Kingdom.

I must also state that the time will come when this Celestial Kingdom will be completed, and thereafter neither spirit nor man will be able to enter therein; for this Divine Love of the Father will again be withdrawn from man, as it was from the first parents, and the only Kingdom that will then be accessible to man will be the Kingdom that will exist on earth or that which now exists in the spirit world.

Then what is the way that leads to this Celestial Kingdom? The only way - for there is but one.

The observance of the moral precepts and the cleansing of men's souls from sin by following these precepts, will not lead to this Kingdom, for as it can be readily seen, the stream can rise no higher than its source, and the source of the souls of men in a merely purified state, is the condition of the perfect man - that condition in which he was before his fall - and, hence the results of the observance and living of the merely moral precepts and the exercise of the natural love in its pure state is that man will be restored to the condition of the perfect man - the created man in whom there is nothing of the divine. But this restored condition of man will be so perfect and so in harmony with God's will and His laws governing the highest and most perfect of His creatures, that man will be very happy. Yet, he will continue to be only the created being, having nothing more than the image of his Maker.

So, I say, living in a harmony with the moral laws and the exercise of this natural love in its highest and purest state towards God and towards his fellow man, will not lead into the way to the Celestial Kingdom, but the greatest height of his attainment will be the Kingdom on earth or that in the spirit Heavens.

And the distinct and differing nature of these Kingdoms from that of the Celestial Heavens, will enable mankind to understand the difference between the missions of the great teachers and reformers who preceded me in their work among men, and the mission which I was selected to perform on earth. The former could not possibly have taught the way to the Celestial Kingdom, for until my coming, this Divine Love of which I write was not possible for man to obtain. The privilege was not, before that time, in existence after the first parents lost it, and there was no Celestial Kingdom in which men could find their eternal home.

So, I repeat, all the moral teachings of the world's history could not show the way to the Celestial Kingdom of God, and cannot now, for morality, as understood and taught by mankind and by the spirits and angels, cannot give to man that which is absolutely necessary in order to transform his soul into that state or condition that fits him for an entrance into this truly Divine Kingdom of the Father.

But the way thereto is simple and men were taught that way by me when I was on earth; and could have been taught that way during all the centuries since I left the human life; and I must say that some have been so taught and have found that way, but comparatively few, for the mortals whose ostensible and claimed mission and privilege were to teach that way - I mean the priests and preachers and churches - have neglected to teach the same, but rather, though in earnestness and realizing their allegiance to God and their obligations to mankind, have taught merely the way which the observance of the moral precepts would lead men into.

And all this, notwithstanding, that in the Bible, which most of those professing to be Christians believe contains my sayings and teachings, is set forth this way to the Celestial Kingdom. The words are few and the way is plain, and no mystery prevents men from comprehending the meaning thereof. When I said, "Except a man be born again, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God," I disclosed the only and true way to this Kingdom.

During my time on earth there were some who understood this great truth, and since that time, there have been some who not only understood this truth, but found the way and followed it until they reached the goal and are now inhabitants of this Kingdom; but the vast majority of men - priests, teachers and people - have never understood and have never sought to find the way. This great truth to their spiritual senses has been, as it were, a hidden thing; and as they read or even recite the same to their hearers it has no special significance, but is merely as one of the moral precepts, such as "Love your neighbor as yourself," and with not as much importance attached to it as to some of these moral instructions.

And so, all down the ages since the great Kingdom has been waiting for men, they, though in all sincerity and in love towards God, have sought for and to a greater or lesser extent, found only the Kingdom of the perfect man and have neglected to seek for and missed the Kingdom of the Divine Angel.

Then, as I have said, this Divine Love of the Father, when possessed by the soul of man, makes him in his substance and essence Divine like unto the Divinity of the Father, and only such souls constitute and inhabit the Celestial or Divine Kingdom of God; and this being so, it must be readily seen that the only way to the Celestial Kingdom is that which leads to the obtaining of this Divine Love, which means the New Birth; and which New Birth is brought about by the flowing into the souls of men this Divine Love, whereby the very Nature and Substance of the Father, and wherefrom men cease to be the merely created beings, but become the souls of men born into the Divine reality of God.

Then the only way to the Celestial Kingdom being by the New Birth, and that birth being brought to men only by the inflowing and working of this Divine Love, and whether or not a man shall experience this birth depending in its initiative on the man himself, the question arises how or in what way can a man obtain this Divine Love and this New Birth and the Celestial Kingdom. And because the way is so easy and simple, it may be that men will doubt the truth of my explanation, and continue to believe and place all their hopes upon the orthodox doctrines of the vicarious atonement - the washing of the blood, my sufferings on the cross and bearing all the sins of the world, and my resurrection from the dead - doctrines as harmful to the salvation of mankind as they are without truth or foundation in fact or effect.

The only way then is simply this: "That men shall believe with all the sincerity of their minds and souls that this Great Love of the Father is waiting to be bestowed upon each and all of them, and that when they come to the Father in faith and earnest aspirations, this Love will not be withholden from them, and in addition to this belief, pray with all the earnestness and longings of their souls that he open up their souls to the inflowing of this Love, and that then may come to them the Holy Spirit to bring this Love into their souls in such abundance that their souls may be transformed into the very Essence of the Father's Love."

The man who will thus believe and pray will never be disappointed, and the way to the Kingdom will be his as certainly as that the sun shines day by day upon the just and the unjust alike. No mediator is needed, nor are the prayers or ceremonies of priests or preachers, for God comes to man himself, and hears his prayers and responds thereto by sending the Comforter, which is the Father's messenger for conveying into the souls of men this great Divine Love. I have thus explained the only way to the Celestial Kingdom of God and to the Divine Nature in Love; and there is no other way whereby it is possible to reach this Kingdom and the certain knowledge of immortality.

So, I implore men to meditate on these great truths, and in meditating believe, and when believing, pray to the Father for the inflowing into their souls of this Divine Love, and in doing so they will experience belief, faith and possession and ownership of that which can never be taken from them - no, not in all eternity. And so it is with man to choose and fix his destiny. Will that destiny be the perfect man or the Divine Angel?

I have finished and feel that you have received my message as I intended, and am pleased. I will not write more now, and with my love and blessings, will say good night.

Your brother and friend,
Jesus

**********

Samuel Confirms Jesus' Message


I am here, Samuel, Prophet of Old.

I have heard the Master's message and as are all of his, it is filled with truths that are vital to man's future happiness and condition of being. I have also been with you very often, and have tried to help you in every way that I could, and you must believe that you have around you a host of celestial as well as spiritual spirits who are interested in you and endeavoring to assist you in your work.

I will come soon and write. So with my love I will say good night.

Your brother in Christ,
Samuel

Luke, the Guardian Angel of Eugene Morgan, Writes About the Great Work He is Doing Among the Dark Catholic Spirits

May 14, 1917
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Luke.

I want to take advantage of the opportunity to write while my dear and personal charge (Eugene Morgan) is present. As he knows, I have been with him a great deal, doing for him that which gives me great pleasure, and also helps him in his work of trying to convert some of the dark spirits who are living and suffering in the very erroneous beliefs that they had when on earth, and which, if they be left alone, will cause them to remain in their darkness for a time or times that cannot be determined.

I want further to say that he cannot possibly appreciate the work that he is doing, and its results upon these spirits who come to him, not for kindly purposes, but to pronounce upon him the anathemas of the church, which they used when on earth to scare the unruly believers of their congregations. Of course, I refer to the priests of the Catholic Church, for they, of all the spirits in the spirit world, make the greatest efforts to keep their followers together and with the greatest feelings of hatred and indignation resent any attempt to intrude upon and change the beliefs of these followers.

But I am glad that my charge does not become frightened or allow these priests to prevent him from doing his work, which is a wonderful work in this, that never before in all the history of the habitation of the Catholics and their deluded leaders in the Spirit World has any attempt by mortals been made to impinge upon the authority and domination of these priests and, consequently, he must not be surprised to know that his crusade, for I must call his efforts such, has started a very considerable commotion among these blind followers and their blind leaders; and more especially is this the case when it is known to be a fact that many of these Catholics have been shown the way to light and have embraced the opportunity to follow the instructions and teachings given them and get out of their darkness and away from the folds of these priests.

He is doing a great work and must persevere, for if he has been the means of saving only one of these poor benighted spirits, he has done a work greater than that of conquering a city, as the Bible says. But he has shown not only one to the light and truth, but many, and those thus saved from their darkness and suffering have taught others the way, and the work thus started by him goes on in almost geometrical progression. No man before has done this work among the spirits of that faith, and when it is considered that there are myriads of them, it can be appreciated what the possibilities are for an earnest worker in the way of changing a sinful and benighted and satisfied soul in sin into a spirit of light and happiness.

And I want further to tell him that this work of his is becoming noised all through the host of Catholic followers and many are asking about its effect upon the congregations of the faithful, and many also have become dissatisfied with their condition and commenced to doubt the truths of the teachings of the priests and their promises of salvation through the prayers and masses, and are commencing to make inquiry as to where this mortal can be found and how he may be reached. Now, what I have written you is a fact, for I visit these spheres where these spirits live and hear what is said among them, and know that the efforts that my charge has made to help these dark Catholic spirits who have come to him have resulted in good.

Well, I could continue much longer my description of what effect his work has had upon these spirits of darkness and delusion, but will not do so tonight. Now, I want to say a few personal words to him. As he knows, I am praying for him and am interested in his every thought as to spiritual matters and am with him, in times of doubt and loss of faith, trying to encourage him. And I want to say that he must not lose faith or doubt what we have written him or the truth that he has received in his soul the Divine Love to a great degree, and that if he will continue to pray, he will receive more and more, and after a time his faith will become so strong that it will almost be impossible for him to doubt and he will then realize the meaning of faith as the Master defined it; all the aspirations of his soul will become things of real existence.

He is blessed among mortals, for there are very few who have with them the association and rapport of the high spirits, as he has, and when it is understood what this means, it will be seen that he enjoys that which the civilized world among its church members pray for continually and yet never realize, as he does, palpably and unmistakably, the presence of these high spirits and the sensible presence of their love, and even that of the highest and greatest of all spirits, the Master.

I am so anxious that he shall realize all the privileges and blessings that have been bestowed upon him, for I want him to develop his soul and permit me to come into a higher and closer rapport, which only the greater development of his soul will bring about.

I will not write more tonight, as I see that you are somewhat tired, but in closing permit me to say that I most earnestly desire that he shall realize who and what I am, and how much I want him to understand that I am his own Guardian Angel, with a duty that only my love makes it pleasurable for me to perform, and that so long as he shall live as a mortal, I will be with him and as time goes by will get in closer rapport with him, which will result in his powers increasing more and more until, before the time comes for him to perform the great work that has been given him to do, he will be in that condition that will enable him to do it successfully to the glory of the Father and the salvation of mankind.

You may wonder that I write so enthusiastically tonight, but when you come to realize the great work that is to be done and that I know to the fullest extent what it means, and the further fact that I have in my soul the Great Divine Love of the Father to a degree that not many of the Celestial Spirits have, you will not wonder.

So, believe me and trust me, and know without doubt that I love you both with a more than brother's love. May the Father bless and keep you both in His care. Pray and pray and believe. Good night,

Your brother in Christ,
Luke

Priscilla Stone Writes that She is Grateful Her Son Has Some of the Father's Love

May 13, 1917
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Priscilla Stone.

I want to say just one word before you stop writing, for I have been present all evening and have heard your conversation, and have seen the condition of the souls of both yourself and my dear boy (Dr. Leslie R. Stone), and to tell you that I am happy because of this - hardly expresses my feelings. I am so thankful to the Father, that He has in His Great Love and mercy enabled my son to know and experience the presence of this great redeeming Love. When I think of the great number of human beings nearly all whom have no true knowledge of this Love and the Way to the great Celestial Kingdom of God, where there is so much happiness and the assurance of Immortality, I am almost overcome and wonder that such a privilege should be bestowed on my son who, of course, is no more deserving of this blessing than are thousands of others of mankind. God is good and I am so very thankful.

Tell my boy to remember what James the Apostle wrote him, and to believe and trust in what he said, as to what reward shall be his when he comes to the spirit world and realize the results of his efforts to help both mortals and spirits.

If my other children would only listen to him and turn their thoughts to these spiritual things, and to seek this Divine Love, I would be so happy that I would exclaim with David when he wrote in the 23d Psalm: "My cup of joy runneth over." And I am praying and hoping that some little truth will find lodgment in their souls and germinate until, at last, they shall find the pearl of great price from the Father.

Tell my boy to believe that his mother loves him so much and is with him so very often and that she is now trying to unfold her love to him and convey her thanks to the Father of all.

His father is here, too, and sends his love and blessings and says that his son must pray and believe and work, for in these three things will be found a power that will overcome all obstacles and bring to him that Love and peace that only the redeemed children of the Father can possibly possess or understand.

I will not write more now and thank you for the privilege. God bless my boy and keep him in the way of Love that leads to the Celestial Heaven. And so I will say, good night.

His mother - he knows that I am his mother without signing my name.

**********

Helen writes a message.

I am here, your own true and loving Helen.

Well, dear, you have had some messages tonight that were satisfactory to the Doctor and I am glad that he received them, for they make him feel better. James actually wrote him and was much interested in doing so, as he thinks a great deal of the Doctor and is trying to help him in every way.

I will not write more now as it is very late and you are tired and sleepy. So go to bed and get your sleep, and believe that I love you with all my heart and soul. I will say, though, that I was with you at church, and as they sang: "Home, Sweet Home," I was with you and tried to impress you with my presence and love. The home will be yours and you will soon, I mean when the work is finished, come to enjoy it.

I want to tell you that you must keep up your courage and hope, and you will not be disappointed. Be ready tomorrow night for the Master to write his message. Do so, and you will be successful in receiving it. So, sweetheart, good night and God bless you.

Your own true loving,
Helen