Jesus Writes About the Individualization and Incarnation of the Soul

March 21, 1920
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Jesus.

Let me write tonight as you are in good condition, and I desire very much to write you in reference to a subject that is important for men to know.

As I have before written you, there are two destinies for man in the spirit life, and the one or the other of them may be just as he desires and seeks for.

I was with you today as you listened to the preacher (Dr. Pierce) expound the reasons why he is a believer in the faith of the church (Unitarian) to which he belongs, and in which he is a leader and teacher. He is undoubtedly honest and earnest in his beliefs and, so far as they go, they will afford him the happiness that he spoke of, provided he puts such beliefs into actual, practical living and makes them the dominating, dynamic influence that shall guide and control him in his intercourse with humanity.

He said truly that there is a law that operates in wonderful power in shaping men's lives and which, when obeyed, will determine the career not only of men but of nations; and that law is, that when once a truth is ascertained or comes to the knowledge of men it must be recognized and acted upon, or it will lose its beneficent effect upon the lives of men. If he applies this law to his own life, he will experience a wonderful help in meeting the difficulties and cares of life and in overcoming the things that beset him as a thinking man.

This is a wonderful truth, and so far as it pervades the life of a man will result in making that life one of consistent goodness and cause harmony between that man and God, who overrules the secret things of the universe, and that man will enjoy a great happiness even while in the flesh.

But this is not the important object and aim of what the preacher calls religion, nor does it furnish the means by which a man may come into a greater and closer harmony with the will of God. I know, that to man this present mortal life seems a thing of the greatest importance, and that the chief aim of man should be to act in that manner that will make his life successful and happy and, so far as it is suited to make man the harmonious creature that is intended, it is advisable to follow that course of living and loving. But the preacher does not know of and cannot teach the great object of man's appearance on earth, and the goal that is ever before him, waiting to be reached and possessed.

As I have told you before, man's existence in the flesh is only for the purpose of giving his soul an individualization, and all other apparent objects are only secondary, as you may say, accidental accompaniments of this process of individualization.

Hence, you will observe that this great object is accomplished equally in the case of the infant who dies young and in the case of the man who lives to a ripe old age; in each case the object of the soul's incarnation in the flesh is effected. The old man, of course, has his experience - a longer and more diverse existence in meeting and overcoming or submitting to the exigencies of his living than does the infant, but the great object is not more perfectly accomplished in the one case than in the other.

The soul becomes individualized the moment it finds its lodgment in the receptacle prepared by the Laws of Nature in using the human father and mother as its instruments, and time thereafter does not influence or have any determining effect upon that soul so far as its individualization is concerned; and neither does eternity, for that condition being once fixed never can be changed nor annihilated, so far as is known to the highest spirits of God's Heavens. Of course, the soul as thus individualized is subject to the various influences that surround it in its mortal life, and these influences may be retarding, deadly or destructive to the progress of the soul, but cannot possibly affect the object obtained by that soul's coming into the flesh or ever require a new individualization of that soul. Its identity and character, as an individualized thing are established, and no condition of the soul as to its goodness or badness can ever, in the slightest degree, affect this character or identity. The soul once individualized always remains the individual, even though the elements that enter into and make up the form will always find itself being rebuilt and continued by the operations of the law that preserves the individuality of that soul.

Then, I say, the object of the incarnation of the soul is to give it an individualization, and this in two appearances; first, in that of the physical form which men by their perception of their natural organs of sense can perceive; and secondly, a form that is more sublimated and generally invisible to these organs - a spiritual form.

At the moment of incarnation, the soul takes the form which has been prepared for it by the forces that exist in the parents and retains that for during the natural life; and at the same moment, there is created for it or attracted to it, the form of the spirit body, which then and ever afterwards remains with it. Both of these bodies are of the material; one of the visible material of the universe, the other of the invisible but still of the material.

As you know, that body which is made of the visible material lasts for a little while only and then disappears forever, while that which is of the invisible, and which is more real and substantial than the former and exists all the time of the existence of the visible, continues with the soul after the disappearance of the visible1 body; and while changeable in response to the progress of that soul, yet the spirit body never in its composite form leaves that soul. This we in the spirit life know to be true, just as certainly as you mortals know the truth of the existence of the physical body. And as you mortals may in the short space of the life on earth identify the man - which is really the soul - by the appearance of his physical body, so we in the spirit world identify the same man by the appearance of the spirit body, and so this fact must be forever.

Then such being the fact, it must be conceived that the soul has its existence in the physical body for an infinitesimal short time; that is, its life on earth is only the breath of a moment, and then it enters on its career through eternity, and after a few years, as you may say, it may cease to remember that it ever had a lodgment in the physical body.

The preacher criticized the religion that taught man to think of and prepare for the future of the soul, and emphasized the fact that their thoughts should be more of the present, and that duty and good works towards their fellow man should be the object of their living, and their religion. Well, I recognize the importance of duty and good works and approve of them with all the knowledge that I now have of the demands and requirements of God's Love, but on the other hand must say, that their importance to man's future destiny is also the importance of other privileges and obligations possessed by, and resting on man, during the short time that the soul is clothed in the physical body. Duty performed, and good works will lessen the distress and sufferings of the mortal life, and cause the man who performs the duty and does the good works to become more in harmony with God's Laws of Mercy and Truth, but will never suffice to bring a soul into harmony with the will of the Father as regards the higher destiny of man. These things will tend to lead merely to the purification of the soul, and to cause it to come into accord with the laws of its own creation and their end. These constitute merely the exercise of compliance with the moral laws, and bring only a moral effect. And when I say moral laws I mean those laws that demand that, and by the observance of which, man comes into the condition of the perfect man, which was his at the time of his creation. He thereby obtains nothing more than belonged to him when he existed as the perfect man and was in complete harmony with God as such perfect man. He then loved God with all the capacity of his soul in the exercise of the Love that had been bestowed upon him, and could have loved his brother as himself.

And to this condition men are, to a more or less extent, now striving to attain, and many precepts of the Old Testament as well as of the New, will lead men to thus obtain, and if this were the only destiny of man, then the religion of the preacher, which he says is based on these moral precepts of love to God and love to his fellow man, would be sufficient to obtain the goal sought, and love and duty and service would be all that are required of men while on earth as well as after they become spirits; and the exercise of these graces by men while on earth would be just as necessary and helpful as would their exercise afterwards in the spirit world. These things of love to God and love to man, and service and sacrifice constitute the true religion that leads to the perfect man, and makes for that harmony with the laws of God governing the condition of the perfect man, but not the Divine man.

These things should be preached by all ministers and teachers, and practiced by men everywhere, for in their practice are happiness and bliss unspeakable. As these things work to a finality, man again becomes the son of God and obedient to His laws, and realizes the meaning of "love God and love your brother". And so I repeat, the preacher in pronouncing the basis of his religion, declared the truths that will lead him into the condition of the perfect man, in harmony with God's will as to man's creation.

Well, I see you are tired and so we will postpone the further writing. I am very much pleased that you are in so much better condition, and hope that we may continue our messages without further interruption. Only pray more and believe that the Father will answer your prayers. So believe that I love you and want you to be happy and free from care.

Good night. Your brother and friend,
Jesus

Jesus Writes about the Incarnate Soul

February 15, 1920
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Jesus.

I am here as I promised last night and will write on the subject of the Incarnate Soul.

You may have observed in your studies of the different theories of the creation of man that always the question has arisen as to the relationship of the spiritual and physical; that is, as to the soul and the material body. I know that many theories have been set forth as to how and when the soul became a part of the physical body and what was the means adopted by the Laws of Nature, as they are called, for the lodgment of the soul into that body, and the relationship that one bore to the other. Of course, this applies only to those mortals who believe that there is a soul separate in its existence and functionings from the mere physical body; as to those who do not believe in the distinctive soul, I do not attempt to enlighten but leave them to a realization of the fact when they shall have come into the spirit world and find themselves existing without such body, but really existing, with the consciousness that they are souls.

When the physical body is created, it has no consciousness of its having been created, for it is merely of the unconscious creations that are of the other material creatures of nature and does not feel or sense in any degree the fact that it is a living thing dependent upon the proper nourishment of its mother for its growth and continued life in accordance with the Laws of Nature and the objects of its own creation. The father and mother, being necessary to the creation or formation of this merely animal production, know only that in some way there has come into existence an embryo thing that may eventuate into a human being like unto themselves.

If this thing were allowed to remain without the soul, it would soon fail to fulfill the object of its creation and disintegrate into the elements of which it is formed and mankind would cease to exist as inhabitants of the earth. This physical part of man is really and only the result of the commingling of those forces that are contained in the two sexes, which according to the Laws of Nature, or of man's creation, are suited to produce the one body fitted for the home of the soul that may be attracted to it to develop its individuality as a thing of life and possible immortality.

The result of this commingling is intended only as a temporary covering or protection for the growth of the real being and does not in any way limit or influence the continuous existence of the soul, and when its functions have ended, the soul, which has then become individualized, continues its life in new surroundings and in gradual progression and the mere instrument used for its individualization is disseminated into the elements forming its appearance and substance. As this body was called from the elements for a certain purpose, when that purpose shall have been served, it returns to these elements.

This body, of itself, has neither consciousness nor sensation, and in the beginning has only the borrowed life of its parents, and then when the soul finds its lodgment, it has only the life of the soul; for the human life can exist only so long as the soul inhabits the body, and after such habitation commences, the borrowed life of the parents ceases to exercise any influence, or directing force, on the body. This, then, is really the true description of the physical body, and if it were all of man, he would perish with its death and cease to exist as a part of the creation of the universe of God.

But the soul is the vital, living and never dying part of man - is really the man - and the only thing that was intended to continue an existence in the spirit world. It was made in the image of God, and there is no reason for its existing for the continuing companionship of the physical body. And when men say or believe that the body is all of man and when it dies, man ceases to exist, they do not understand the relationship or functioning of soul and body and know only the half truth, which is visible to their senses; that the body dies and can never again be resuscitated. This is a determined fact and all arguments by analogy to show that man must continue to live notwithstanding the death of that body are not apposite and very inconclusive.

All these analogous appearances only show that the objects of the analogy ultimately die, and thus fail to prove that these objects are eternal, just as much as if there had never been any change in their condition or appearance. The final demonstration is that they die, and when this analogy is applied to man, it must show that he dies also and is no more. But the questions are asked:

"Whence comes the soul? By whom created? How does it become incarnated in man and for what purpose, and what is its destiny?"

First let me state that man has nothing to do with the creation of the soul, or its appearance in the flesh. His work is to provide a receptacle for its coming - a mere host, as it were, for its entry into the flesh, and existence as a mortal or in the appearance of a mortal. But his responsibility in this particular is very great, for man can destroy that receptacle, or care for it so that the soul may continue in earth life a longer or shorter time. And while this receptacle is the creation of man and without him it could not be brought into existence, yet the soul is no part of his creation and is independent of the body; and after the earth life in the spirit world, it will cease to remember that it was ever connected with or dependent upon the creation of its parents. The soul, in the spirit life as a truth, is so separated from and dissociated with that body, which was its home while in the earth life that it looks upon it as a mere vision of the past and not a subject for its consideration.

As has been told you, the soul was created by the Father long before its appearance in the flesh and awaited such incarnation for the purpose only of giving it an individuality, which it did not have in its preexistence, and in which it has a duplex personality - male and female - that is needed to be separated and made individual. We, who have had this preexistence and incarnation in the flesh and have obtained this individuality, know the truth of what I have here stated.

There is a law of God controlling these things that renders these preexisting souls capable of knowing the desirability of incarnation and they are always anxious and ready for the opportunity to be born in the flesh and to assume the separate individuality that they are privileged to assume. As men provide the receptacle for their appearing and homing, as it were, they become aware of the fact and take advantage of the opportunity to occupy the receptacle and become ostensibly a human being with the necessary result of individuality.

I am glad that you are in a better condition and will continue the messages as we have been desiring to do for some time. I shall be with you and help you in every way and hope that you will keep up your faith and prayers to the Father. Good night and God bless you.

Your brother and friend,
Jesus

Francis Bacon Writes on the Continuity of Life after Death

May 26, 1919
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

Let me write a few lines tonight upon a subject that has recently been discussed by a spiritualist, a preacher, a philosopher and a scientist, and that is the continuity of life after death of the physical body. Each of these writers approaches the subject from a different viewpoint, but all arrive at the same conclusion based upon different means of argument and, that is, that life continues after death.

The subject is one in which mankind is vitally interested and is worthy of consideration by the greatest minds of investigation and research, and should be studied in the light of nature as well as in that of actual demonstration by the experiences of those who have by their experiences proved to mankind that the spirits of their departed friends and acquaintances and of others of more or less distinction when in the physical life, do actually live and communicate to men their existence and the possession of the mental faculties and thoughts that were theirs when mortals.

The proper study of man would demonstrate this fact, and logically doubt would cease to exist, but the difficulty is that men do not understand man or his creation and faculties and his relationship to things of life known as the material or matter. It is a common belief that matter that is now existent, or rather that what men see and know of the material is all that is knowable, and that when that which is merely physical, as commonly understood, ceases to exist, no further or other knowledge of it can be obtained or understood by the finite mind of man.

But this accepted assumption is not true, and if man would only think for a moment of what matter or the material is, they would comprehend the possibilities of its workings and functionings and, also, of what use may be made of the same by the minds of the spirits operating upon it in the spiritual world; that is in the world beyond the comprehension of the five senses of men, which are only the means of the spirits working in the ordinary purview of the physical life.

Matter is eternal, and exists in all the spheres of the spirit world just as it does on earth, although in different forms and attenuations, and in conditions that may or may not be the objects of the physical senses, or of the senses of the mind, which are superior to or exclusive of these mere physical senses. Matter is, in its essential nature, the same, notwithstanding the fact that it assumes different forms - some visible to the ordinary senses of men and some entirely outside of that view or sensation, and as to these senses wholly nonexistent, yet to these other senses of the mind just as real and tractable and subject to the influence of the workings of the mind, as the merely physical matter is to the five senses of men.

The world in which men live is composed of the material, and the world in which I live is also composed of the material, of the same nature, but of different consistencies and objective qualities. The material of the universe is always material, whether or not it be cognizable by man and subject to his thoughts and inventions and uses; and as man progresses in the study of the same - I mean the practical and experimental - he will discover that there are things of the material in nature which to him are being developed and made known, and which a few years before he had no conception of their existence. Such is the discovery and use of electricity, and the workings of the Laws of Nature which enables him to make possible the effects of wireless telegraphy. These discoveries and workings of forces of the unseen are nothing more or less than a certain kind of knowledge controlling the same as to his consciousness has become apparent. But in all these operations, matter is the thing made use of and not any spiritual power as commonly understood by men. So you see matter, whether in the grossly physical of earth or in the more attenuated and invisible of the spirit world, is that which is used to produce effects and is operated on by the mind, whether or not it be tangible and understandable or not.

The mind is an entity indivisible and united, and is not separable into the subjective and objective as men frequently teach, except in this: that in its workings, that part of the mind which controls the brain in the ordinary affairs of life may be called the objective, and that part which is suited for and used in controlling the material after it has been transformed into the purely invisible may be called the subjective. But it is all one mind and exists in man while on earth, just as it will and does when he becomes a spirit.

Man in his journey through life, and I mean when in the earth existence as well as in the eternal part of his existence, is always of the material, that is his soul has a material covering and appearance, and while this material covering changes in its appearance and quality as he progresses in the spheres, yet the gross physical of his earth life and the sublimated spiritual of the eternal part of his life, are both of the material - real, existing and tangible - and used for the purpose of their creation, namely: the protection and individualizing of the soul which they contain.

Now this being so, you can readily understand that man, when he gives up the coarser physical of the human body does not cease to be of the material but becomes an inhabitant of the finer and purer material of what is called his spirit body; and this body is subject to the laws governing the material just as was his physical body subject to these laws; and the spirit, which in this sense is the real man clothed in the material, controls and uses that material more effectually than it did when on earth, bound in the physical. All the material of the spirit world is used and formulated by the spirits according to their degree of intelligence and development as the occasions for such uses may arise, and such use or the effects of the same are or can be made known to man according as his limitations admit.

Ordinarily, man's understanding of the effects of the spirit's control of the material of the invisible world is limited by the capacity of his five senses to comprehend, and as these five senses were created for the purpose only of permitting or helping the spirit to manifest itself with reference to those things which belong to the wholly physical of earth, it rarely happens that men can perceive the invisible material or the workings of the laws controlling the same.

Now in what I have said, this spirit is merely the mind of man - the same indivisible mind that he possesses when on earth, but which because of the limitations of the physical organs, he was not able to function as regards the invisible material, so that man could understand that functioning and its results.

Man when he dies is thereafter the same being in all his faculties, desires and thoughts and in his ability to use the material as he was before his death, except that the purely physical organs of his own being are no longer his, and as to them he is dead; but strange as it may seem to you he can and often does control the physical organs of another man who is living in the flesh, if that man will submit to that control. And when you think for a moment you will realize that there is nothing remarkable in this. The mind of the spirit remains just the same as it was before his departure from the body, having all its powers and thoughts and consciousness, and if it can obtain control of that which is necessary to manifest itself to the consciousness of men, there will be no difficulty in its doing so, and nothing unusual or supernatural. Its own organs of brain and nerves and the five senses having gone, and the brain of every other mortal being subject to the control of its own mind, so long as that mind claims the exclusive use or control of these organs, the mind deprived of its own physical organs cannot control, because it is a Law of Being that no mind in its normal state can be intruded upon by another mind, and unless the mind whose seat and functioning are within the spirit body which is enclosed in the physical body possessing these organs, consents to the control of such organs by the other mind, it cannot use such organs. But the power is in the disembodied spirit or mind; only the opportunity is wanting.

When the spirit desires to control the invisible material, it is limited only by its intelligence and knowledge of the law governing such control, and its progress in the spirit spheres.

Well, I have written enough for tonight, but will come again and amplify my message. Thanking you, I will say, good night.

Your friend,

Francis Bacon

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Helen affirms that Francis Bacon wrote on the continuity of life after death.

I am here - your own true and loving Helen.

Well dear, I am glad that you are in condition to again receive the messages of the spirits who wish to write you in reference to things spiritual.

The spirit who wrote you was very anxious to do so, and we permitted him in order that you might gain some conception of what the material of the universe is, and the power that spirits have over such material. But this is not the nature of the messages that we wish to convey to you, and we will not permit ourselves to be interfered with very often in this particular, and until our messages are all delivered you must not think of such things.

The Master has been with you today and is well pleased at your way of thinking, and says that you will soon commence to receive the higher messages again, and we are all anxious to write. Keep up your prayers to the Father and your thoughts about the higher things of the spirit world.

As you have been drawn on a great deal tonight, I will not write further now and will only say that we all love you and will be with you to help you in your thoughts. So love us and say good night.

Your own true and loving
Helen

Descartes, a French Philosopher and Scientist, Writes that Knowledge is Power Rather than Love

November 20, 1916
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Descartes.

Let me say a word. I will not attempt to intrude for a great while and only want to say that you are not so very good as you may be led by these spirits to believe. I am not a wicked spirit but am an impartial observer of things, including the states of the souls of men and when I say what I have said, you must not think that I have any prejudice or desire to cause you to feel that you are any great sinner, but I have heard what some of these spirits have written you and I see that they are flattering you and try to make you believe that you are a little god on earth, and as your friend I do not think it right that you should be so deceived.

Of course, you should become as good as possible and get all this Love that they tell you about, if there is any such thing, and it may have the effect upon your soul that they will tell you it will, but at the same time I have my doubts about the matter and would advise you to give more attention to gaining knowledge that is open before you in your earth life and when you come over, you will find that in our spirit world there is no more desirable thing as knowledge and intellectual development.

Why, I should have great regrets if I had neglected to cultivate my mind and acquire knowledge when on earth, for it has kept me from listening to these sentimental spirits who try to talk to me at times about the development of the soul with love - a word that means nothing to anyone except those who are like the silly maidens of earth or the lovesick swains who have never cut their eye-teeth.

No, my friend, do not listen to this silly and useless talk about soul development and love, but learn from me and believe that the intellect is the only thing that a man, as well as spirit, should attempt to cultivate and acquire. Knowledge is power, and I realize that the knowledge that I possess has given me great power in this spirit life.

I associate only with spirits like myself and we have wonderful times of enjoyment in the exchange of our thoughts and bright ideas and in discussing subjects which only spirits like myself can discuss. You may rest assured that only the intellectual spirits attend our meetings and find enjoyment in our discussions. These love speaking spirits, who go about and tell us that love is everything and that mind is only secondary, do not attend our discussions for, of course, they could not understand what our talk is about nor comprehend the wonderful thoughts of a fully developed mind such as we possess.

So you will see that I am really interested in you and desire that you pursue that course in earth life that will fit you for the highest development and the gradual enjoyment that can be experienced in our spirit world. I have as associates many of the prominent philosophers and scientists who once were known on earth as the leaders of thought and the revealers of the great Laws of Nature, and they all think as I am writing you now. I trust that you will believe me to be your friend and that I write this in the utmost good faith and with the desire only to direct your efforts in that way that will lead to your greatest good when you come to the spirit life. I do not think it necessary to write more tonight.

Well, we are all in what they call the earth sphere and are in some little darkness and also in some light and we understand the reason for living in the darkness. We have not yet made that development in our intellectual qualities that fit us for the planes of great light because, as you know, the greatest knowledge that we could acquire on earth is not equal to the least knowledge that is required to fit us for the planes where only light exists. And for this reason we have the appearance of darkness, but as we obtain a greater mental development that darkness of appearance leaves us and we then progress to the light spheres. This as you will understand is only natural and the result of a law that we recognize as working exactly and unchangeably as the other Laws of Nature work.

Well, I have been in spirit life a great many years and have been working as hard and with more enthusiasm than I did on earth to acquire knowledge and understand the Laws of Nature, and I am satisfied with my progress, although I shall not cease to progress as I know, for I will never give up my efforts to acquire more and more knowledge.

I must stop now for there comes a spirit to me who is a very bright one and says I must stop and I cannot refuse to do so. But as I leave I will say that I thank you for your kindness and hope that you will believe that I am sincere in advising you as to what I think is for your own good.

So my friend, good night. Your brother in search for the truth. I was known as the French Philosopher and scientist,

Descartes

Paul Writes About "What is the real body that is resurrected at the time of the physical death?"

October 4, 1916
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Paul.

Yes, I come tonight to write you upon a subject that may be of interest to you and important to all mankind. If you are in condition to receive my message I will write. Well, the subject is: "What is the real body that is resurrected at the time of the physical death?"

Of course, there will be but one resurrection and that takes place at the time the mortal becomes an inhabitant of the spirit world. There will never be what is called a general resurrection of the dead, for the mortal can die only once - I mean in a physical sense. In order to live in the spirit realms, it is necessary that he have a spirit body that preserves the identity of his individuality, and having this body (and never having been without it after the soul is incarnated in the earthly body) and not needing an additional body, there is no possibility of another resurrection, or of another body being added to the one that the soul already has.

The body that dies when the man ceases to be a mortal disintegrates into its elements, and never again do these elements form the same body that becomes decayed and, hence, it is impossible for that body to be resurrected. The only body that is ever resurrected is the body that encloses the soul of the mortal at the time he gives up the earth life.

I know that many believe that when the man dies, his conscious existence ceases, and he becomes, as it were, dead in body, soul and spirit; that although the physical body decays and returns to dust or ashes, yet the soul and spirit, in some mysterious and unexplainable manner, continues to exist as an unthinking sleeping entity not subject to sensation or activity, and so remains until the great day of judgment or of Christ's coming when, in response to the summons, it arouses itself, answers the summons, and again becomes clothed in the body which it possessed while in the human form. In their belief, it may not be the exact or identical body which once existed, but the new body will be one of flesh and blood and of such a nature as to be in substance the same body that was dead and buried and decayed.

But this is not true. For the very laws of nature, with which men are acquainted, prove the impossibility of such an occurrence. And many arguments have been formulated and declared to prove that such a resurrection cannot be - that it will be wholly impossible for the elements that constituted the old body to again assemble in the same form and give to the soul the body that it discarded when it experienced its freedom from the bonds of the flesh.

But the advocates of this untrue theory respond that God is all powerful and, in some way not understood by men, will resurrect this old body and clothe the soul therein so that the identity of the individual will appear. It must be remembered that God works and produces beings and entities in accordance with laws that he has established, and not by any special, sporadic act, irrespective of and, as said, in contravention of these laws.

Man understands, to some extent, the workings of these laws in what he calls nature, or the normal, and some spirits understand not only what man understands, but also the workings of these laws that may be called above nature or super-normal, and the laws work the same and without change or interference in the one case as in the other.

As it would be impossible to clothe a mortal having one body of flesh with another body of flesh, so in the spirit world it would be impossible to clothe the spirit who has a spirit body with any additional body, whether of flesh or other substance. This spirit body is a thing of real substance and not susceptible of being enveloped in any other body.

Well, I see that you are not in condition to write and I will postpone the remainder of the message until later. I have not written you for some time and am glad of the opportunity to again write. I understand what you mean and will act on your suggestion as I think it a very wise and desirable one. I will come more often and write. So with all my love I will say, good night.

Your brother in Christ,
Paul

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Paul Continues the Previous Message

October 5, 1916
Received by James Padgett
Washington D.C.

I am here, Paul.

I will finish my message tonight if you are so inclined. Well, we will try.

As I was saying, the body that is resurrected at death is not the physical body, but the spirit body; and never after the first resurrection is there another. I am now dealing with the resurrection other than that of the soul, or the resurrection from the death of which I have before written you.

The body that is once laid in the grave will never be resurrected and neither will any of its elements enter into any other body for the purpose of a resurrection. The body of flesh is created for one purpose only, and when that purpose has been accomplished, never will that body or any derivation from it be used for any other resurrection. This body of flesh is of matter, and like all matter, is used for the life on earth only, and cannot be used for any function or clothing any spirit in the spirit world, and neither can it be translated into the spirit realms. All material bodies must die and never will there come a time when men can leave the earth and enter the spirit life in these material bodies.

I know that it has been written that certain of the prophets of old were translated into the spirit Heavens clothed in their fleshly bodies, but this is not true, for it is impossible that such a thing could be, for the same laws apply to the physical body of the saint as to that of the sinner; both are of the earth - earthly - and must be left behind when the spirits of men enter the Heavens of spirits.

So that when men believe and preach the general resurrection of the material body, or the special resurrection of the same, they are in error and do not believe or preach the truth. Flesh and blood, or flesh without blood, cannot inherit the kingdom, and no belief or teachings can make that true which is untrue.

I do not desire to write more on this subject, because many men who are acquainted with the Laws of Nature, and many more, who will become acquainted with these laws, know and will know and understand the impossibility of the material entering the realm of the spiritual. So thanking you for your kindness, I will say good night.

Your brother in Christ,
St. Paul

Jesus Writes About the Power Given by God to Perform Miracles and God's Plan of Salvation

September 24, 1916
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Jesus.

I have been with you a great deal today, and know just what have been the workings of your mind, and tried to influence you as to some of your thoughts. I was with you at church in the morning and heard the minister's sermon and saw that he did not rightly comprehend the meaning of the words of the text. "Verily, verily, I say unto you. He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also: and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. If ye shall ask anything in my name I will do it."

His explanation of what was meant by "greater works than I do," was not in accord with what I meant, or with the meaning that I intended to convey; for when I referred to works I meant those works which the world considered as miracles. I intended to assure my disciples that they would have power to do similar works or perform similar miracles to a greater extent than I had performed them. "Greater" referred to quantity and not to quality.

But this power, or the successful exercise of it, was not dependent upon belief in my name, but upon their faith in the Power of the Father and in the fact that He would confer upon them that Power. There was no virtue in my name or in me, as the individual, Jesus, but all virtue rested in the faith that they might have in the Father. I never performed any of the so-called miracles of my own self, but they were all performed by the Father, working through me; and just as He worked through me He would work through my disciples who should acquire the necessary faith.

As I have told you before, all acts that are apparently miracles are controlled by law just as are those things, which you call the workings of nature controlled by law, and when sufficient faith is acquired there comes to its possessor a knowledge of these laws. It may not be, as you would say, a knowledge or consciousness that is perceptible to the ordinary senses of man, but perceptible to that inner sense, which is the one that enables men to comprehend the things of the spirit. And having this knowledge of the inner sense, men may so control these laws that they will work those effects which seem to be contrary to the accustomed workings of the Laws of Nature. Until my disciples had acquired this faith that brought to their inner sense this knowledge, they could perform no miracle and do no work of phenomenon that other men could not do.

The Bible expression that: "Belief in my name is sufficient to cause the workings of miracles," is all wrong, and I never said that such belief was what was required, neither did I say that: "Whatsoever should be asked of the Father in my name would be given to men."

I was not a part of the Godhead and I had not of myself any power, and neither did my name have any miraculous influence with the Father. I was a man as other men are men, only I had become filled with the Divine Love of the Father, which made me at-one with Him and, consequently, had that knowledge of His Love and laws that enabled me to bring into operation those laws that would cause the desired effects to appear as realities.

But belief in my name caused no working of these laws, or the response of the Father to any supplications. Prayer must be made to the Father in the name of Truth and to His Love and Mercy. Every individual is dear to Him, and He is ready to bestow this Love upon everyone who asks in faith and pure desire. And in response to the earnest prayer will come Love, and with it knowledge of things spiritual, and with this power that may be used for the good of mankind.

My name is not a mediator between God and man, and neither is belief in one, the Jesus, a means to reach the responsive soul of the Father. If men will understand my teachings of truth, and when they ask in my name mean that they ask in the name of these truths, then such askings will have its results - but so few men, when they pray to the Father in my name, have such intention or understanding.

Only a knowledge of the Truth of the Plan for men's salvation will enable them to seek in the right way to obtain the Gift of the Father - and when I say knowledge of the Truth of the Plan, I do not mean that men shall understand all the minutiae of this Plan, and how one element or part of it may operate upon another, and what results may flow therefrom. But that knowledge must be sufficient in the beginning which shows to man that the Father is a God of Love, and that this Love may be obtained by man through earnest prayer for Its bestowal. This is all that is necessary, for the response that will follow will cause the New Birth, which when experienced by a man will place him in that unison with the Father that will lead to a knowledge of the other Truths that form a part of the Plan of Salvation.

There is nothing else that will bring about this knowledge of that inner sense of which I write. A knowledge of the mind, except in conjunction with this inner knowledge, can never bring about this necessary at-onement with the Father. It often exists that a man will have this inner knowledge and at the same time have a knowledge of the mind which is wholly at variance with the truths of the plan for his salvation. And the mind of man, being a thing of wonderful power, can for a time retard the growth of the knowledge of the inner sense or, as I will say, the soul sense. But only for a time, for at some time the soul sense will progress to that knowledge of the truth, so that the erroneous mind knowledge will entirely disappear, and man will possess only the truth.

Of this erroneous mind knowledge or, perhaps, rather conviction is the belief that in my name, that is supplications made in my name, will bring about the realization of the desires of the supplicant. Also, that in my blood, or in the power of the cross, or in my alleged vicarious atonement, the salvation of men can be obtained. If any name must be used in man's supplication then use only the name of the Father, for His is a name high over all, and the only name in Heaven or earth that can bring to man salvation and at-onement with His being.

And what I have said applies to many other declarations contained in the Bible, such as: "He that believeth on the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved. There is no other name under Heaven whereby men can be saved," etc. This is the enunciation of a false doctrine and misleading to the great majority of mankind for they accept the declarations as literally true. Of course, if it be interpreted as meaning that he that believeth on the truths that I teach, then the objection is not so great, but even then the declarations do not go far enough, for men may believe in these truths, and that belief may be a mere mental one, acquiesced in merely by the mind's faculties without any exercise at all of the soul sense. If to all these declarations shall be added the vital Truth that: "Except a man be born again, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven," and to this mental belief be added the soul's faith, then the doctrines will be truly stated and men will understand what is necessary to salvation.

Belief and faith are not the same; one is of the mind, the other of the soul; one can and does change as phenomena and apparent facts change, the other when truly possessed, never changes, for faith possessed by a soul causes all the longings and aspirations of that soul to become things of real existence, which like the house that is built upon the solid rock can never be shaken or destroyed.

I write, thus, tonight to show that the preacher in his sermon did not explain the true meaning of the text, and did not comprehend the truths that were intended to be conveyed of which the text was susceptible, though it did not set forth my expressions or in its literal interpretation declare the truth.

I will not write more now except to say that I love you with a great love and pray to the Father to bless you. Believe in the Father and trust me for you will not be disappointed and pray that this Divine Love of the Father shall come into your soul so that you shall know that you are an accepted son of the Father. Keep up your courage and have faith that whatsoever things you shall ask the Father in the name of His Love and Truth shall be given to you. I am with you in all my love and care and you will not be forsaken. So my dear brother, rest assured that I am

Your brother and friend,
Jesus

**********

Helen Confirms that Jesus Wrote

I am here, your own true and loving Helen.

Well, my dear, you have had a wonderful message from the Master tonight, and you may study and understand it thoroughly, for it contains in it more truth than you may see on a cursory reading. It is so contradictory to the beliefs of Christians and, therefore, so important that a knowledge of its meaning to the fullest is desirable. So good night.

Your own true and loving
Helen

Ann Rollins Writes About the Differences in the Divine Love and Natural Love Spheres and Describes Spirit's Clothing

December 22, 1915
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, your Grandmother.

I come, because I see that you have been much interested in the description of the various spheres of the spirit world as contained in the book that you have just been reading.

Well, my son, I have read the book as you did and I must say that I have grave doubts that any mortal ever had the experience of the Dr. as is related in that book. I, of course, will not positively say that he did not leave his body and visit some of the spheres of the spirit world and attempt to give a description of what he saw, but I do not think it was possible for him to visit any sphere, which is higher than his soul development would enable him to enter and, as I am informed, not being a man with the soul development that would fit him for the higher soul spheres, I do not understand how he could possibly have entered a sphere higher than the Sixth; and I doubt that he entered that, for from all the information that I have received, I have never heard of any mortal entering a sphere higher than the Third, which Saint Paul says he visited.

At any rate, the descriptions of the higher spheres as contained in the book - and I mean by this the sphere above the Third - are not correct in many particulars for, as I have told you before, the Fifth and Seventh Spheres are not intellectual spheres in the preeminent sense, and in them are not the great colleges and institutions of learning that the book refers to, and neither are the inhabitants engaged in any special study of the Laws of Nature with the mere intellect; for in these spheres the great studies and aspiration of the spirits are given to the development of the soul by obtaining the Divine Love and to help in the work are teachers who devote themselves to instructing these spirits in those things which will lead to this soul development.

The mind or mere intellect is not given much attention to, but is subordinated to the soul development, for with this development and a part of it, comes a wonderful development of the faculties of what you might call the mind, but which we call and which really are the soul perceptions. I know it is hard for you to understand, but what we call the soul perceptions may be compared to the mental faculties as you commonly speak of them. These soul perceptions do not depend upon these mental faculties and, in fact, the latter forms no part of the former, but they are entirely distinct and of a different order and composition from these mental faculties. These soul perceptions, as such, cannot be cultivated or made to increase in their powers or qualities by mere study, but they and their progress are entirely dependent upon and not separated from the development of the soul in Love. I mean the Divine Love of the Father. In other words, unless there be a development of the soul by this Divine Love, there will be no development of the soul perceptions. It is difficult to explain this to you, but you may possibly get some idea from what I have said.

The Sixth Sphere, as I have before said, is the great intellectual sphere, and in this are wonderful colleges and institutions of learning, and many spirits who were great men intellectually on earth are teachers in these institutions.

But you must not think that because certain spheres are preeminently intellectual, that there are not teachers of the higher truths pertaining to the souls and to the Divine Love working in these spheres - for there are. And many great spirits of the Celestial Spheres are engaged in this teaching. But this I must say, that the work is more difficult and the effort to convince these spirits of highly developed intellectuality and knowledge is more strenuous than in any of the lower spheres. These bright minded spirits seem to think that the mind is the great thing to be cultivated and looked after, and while they in a way worship God, yet it is with the faculties of the mind merely. They do not think that there is any teachings in the truth of the New Birth and the Divine Love of the Father, in contradistinction to the love which they possess, which is only the natural love. I have been in all these spheres and have worked in them, and what I tell you I know from actual experience.

Well, he is mistaken, for in the Seventh Sphere the spirits have homes just as they do in the lower spheres, only they are much more beautiful and bring more happiness and gladness because of the great number of additional things that are provided by the Father to increase the happiness of His children.

As to our clothing in that sphere, we are clothed in what you would say a modest and comfortable way. Our clothing is not so flimsy as to permit our forms to be seen as if we had on no clothing at all. This idea must have arisen from the fact that inhabitants of that sphere have no thought of immodesty or of what might result from the suggestions that a naked or half clothed body might give to mortals or even some of the lower spirits. But such an idea does not enter into the question of the nature of the clothes that we shall wear.

Our thoughts are all pure and free from mortal taint, and the character of our thoughts has no influence upon the character of our clothing. We wear clothes to cover our bodies because we think it proper to do so, and because we make our clothes by our own thoughts and will, and they are of the most glorious and shining appearances that you can imagine.

But as all things in nature have a covering, so in the spirit world, the spirits all have coverings, and this is even so in the Celestial Sphere in which I live. I have never seen such a thing as a naked or nearly naked spirit in these higher spheres. Of course, the spirit of Dr.___ may have entered some of these higher spheres, as I have said, but his information as the author of the book, that was communicated to his mortal friend, was not correctly transmitted for many things which he says are not true.

I would like to write more tonight but it is late, and you are tired. I will say with all my love, good night.

Your own loving Grandmother

Jesus Writes About the Necessity for Development of the Soul Perceptions in Order to Understand Spiritual Laws

October 25, 1915
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Jesus.

I have heard your discussion and am much pleased that you and your friend are progressing so rapidly in the knowledge of truth and very soon you both will be surprised at the extent of knowledge of spiritual things and truths that will come to you.

No man, who on earth is given to only what you may call the material things, will be able, when he becomes a spirit, to understand the spiritual laws until he has gotten rid of the material mind and the reasoning that comes from the powers, which have been exercised only in the investigation of material things.

You cannot perceive spiritual things with the material mind, neither can a man by reason of those powers of the mind which know only material things, be able to perceive the truths of the spirit. Hence, the necessity for man cultivating the soul perceptions, which are greater and more comprehending than all the faculties of the material mind.

Mind, as usually understood by man, is undoubtedly a wonderful instrument in investigating and learning the Laws of Nature and the relation of cause and effect in the physical world, but such powers when applied to the things of the spirit will not help much, but rather retard the progress of the soul's development of its faculties.

The reasoning power given to man is the highest quality of the material mind and, when properly exercised, affords a very safe and satisfactory method of arriving at the truth. But such power when exercised in reference to things which are strangers to it, or with which such powers having no acquaintance, or have never been concerned in the investigation of the phenomena of their existence, cannot be depended upon to bring conclusions that will assure men of truth.

Laws are eternal and never change and are made by the great Father to be applied to all the conditions and to all the relationships of the material world and of the spiritual world. But the laws that apply to the operations of the material world are not fitted to apply to the operations of the spiritual world; and the man who understands the former and their application to material things is not able to apply the laws applicable to the spiritual world to spiritual things. A knowledge of the laws pertaining to the natural will not supply a knowledge of the laws pertaining to the spiritual.

And, hence, the great scientist who when on earth was able to discover and show the operation of the laws controlling material things, when he comes to the spiritual world and attempts to apply this knowledge to the things of the spirit will be wholly unable to do so and will be as a babe in his ability to understand and draw deductions from the spiritual laws. So you see the necessity for man's becoming acquainted with these spiritual laws, if he expects to progress in things to which they apply.

The material laws may be learned from by the operation of the senses that belong to and constitute the material mind, but the spiritual laws can only be learned by the exercise and application of the faculties of the soul. The soul is to the spiritual things of God what the mind is to the material things of God. And the great mistake that men make, and have made, is to attempt to learn these spiritual things with the powers of the material mind.

I write, thus, because I see that you and your friend desire to learn the nature and operations and workings of the spiritual things and, hence, I want to impress upon you the necessity for exercising the soul perceptions, which will come to you as your soul develops. These perceptions are just as real as are the five senses of the natural mind, though most men do not even know of their existence; and when once you have succeeded in understanding that they do exist and that you may be able to use them just as you use the faculties of the material mind, you will be able to progress in the development of these faculties or perceptions with as much success and certainty as does the great scientist or philosopher in the studies of the things to which he applies the faculties of his material mind.

I hope that I have made plain what I intend to convey. I will not write more tonight, but say let your faith increase and pray more to the Father, and you will see open up to you a wonderful vista of knowledge of the truths of the spirit.

Your friend and brother,
Jesus

St. Luke Writes About The Process That Jesus Used to Dematerialize His Body in the Tomb

October 24, 1915
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, St. Luke (Writer of the Third Gospel That Was).

I was with you tonight at the meeting of the Spiritualists and heard the statement of the speaker as to the probabilities of what became of the body of Jesus after the crucifixion.

I was not present at the crucifixion and, of course, do not personally know what became of the body of Jesus, but I have been told by those who were present that the Bible description of his burial in the tomb of Joseph was true. The body was buried in the tomb of Joseph and was left there by those who placed it in the tomb, which was sealed and a guard set over it to prevent anyone from approaching and interfering with the body, because Jesus had predicted that in three days he would rise again.

After the tomb was sealed, Jesus arose and, without his body of flesh, passed from the tomb and descended into the lower spheres where the dark spirits lived in their ignorance and sufferings and preached to them the rebestowal of the gift of immortality.

The body of flesh, by the power which Jesus possessed, became so spiritualized or etherialized that its component parts became disseminated by Jesus in the surrounding atmosphere and he retained only the spiritual body in which he afterwards appeared to the disciples and others.

When he appeared at the meeting of the apostles where Thomas, the doubter, was present, he recalled to his form, as you will better understand by my using such expression, elements of the material, so that in appearance, the body was as much like flesh and blood as when it was placed in the tomb and before he disseminated these elements, as I have said.

The flesh and blood which encloses the spirit form of man, as you may have heard, is continually changing in obedience to the ordinary Laws of Nature as understood by man. And when Jesus, who understood and had power to call into operation other Laws of nature, caused such other laws to operate that the dissemination of the elements of flesh and blood took place, and he was left only with the spirit form.

This, I know, has been a great mystery to mankind since the time of the discovery of its absence by the watchmen at his tomb, and because of being such mystery, and as an only explanation of such disappearance, men have believed and taught that his body of flesh and blood actually arose from the dead and, therefore, the real body of flesh and blood of mortals will also arise in what they call the great resurrection day. But no body of flesh and blood arose, and the spirit form of Jesus did not remain in the tomb after the dissemination of the material body, for no tomb or other place could confine the spirit.

You will remember that on the third day, Jesus appeared to Mary, who was most intimate and familiar with the appearance of Jesus, and yet she did not recognize him, but thought he was the gardener; and so with the disciples who were travelling with him to Emmaus. Now, if he had retained his body of flesh and blood, do you not suppose that they would have recognized him?

If he had the power to resume that material body into which Thomas thrust his hand and found it to be a body in appearance of flesh and blood, do you think it strange - or wonderful - that he would have had the power to cast off his earthly body while in the tomb and cause it to disappear into thin air?

This I am informed is the true explanation of the disappearance of the material body of Jesus; and to me and to others who understand the Laws of Nature - I mean that nature that is beyond the ken of men - it is not surprising or worthy to be deemed a mystery.

I am glad that I went with you to the meeting to-night, as I became impressed with the desirability of making this great mystery a mystery no longer.

With all my love, I am your brother in Christ,
St. Luke

James G. Blaine, A Former Political Leader, Writes That James is a Wonderful Medium and Praises Him for The Work He Is Doing

September 14th, 1915
Received by James Padgett
Washington D.C.

I am here, James G. Blaine:

I am here to tell you that you are a wonderful medium, and that you will do a great deal of good before you die. Well, I have been with you at times of your writings and have seen what messages you received, and what effect the communications have had on the spirits, as well as on yourself and friends.

I am in the Fourth Sphere and am happy in a way, but I need more happiness and more light, and I will try to get these things. I am engaged in intellectual pursuits that are congenial to me, and I also take great interest in the affairs of your country and try to influence its rulers to do the right thing at the right time.

I have met many spirits since I came over and have made acquaintances with them. They are all very wonderful spirits in their understanding of the Laws of Nature and kindred subjects, and I learn a great deal from them.

I merely wanted to introduce myself to you and let you know that I am alive. Well, I believe more in the intellect than in religious matters, and I don't seek the other spirits that you mention. I have no special interest in them.

I will not write more tonight.

James G. Blaine