John Writes About the Difference Between the Natural Love and the Divine Love

February 19, 1919
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, John.

Let me say just a word. I was with you today when you were talking to your friend, (Mr. Colburn) and heard your conversation and saw the utter want of comprehension on the part of your friend as to the truths of the spirit world and, especially, of the laws that divide the mere perfect man from the Divine man or spirit. He is so engulfed in the conceptions that he has of these loves arising from his experience in life that he can only see the existence of one love, the natural, and his mind is not capable of seeing the other Love and, of course, his soul has not that development which would assure him of the reality of the Divine Love.

The mind itself is capable of informing him of the existence and working of the natural love, and as this is the only means that he possesses of understanding what love is, he cannot possibly understand this Love, and that soul developed to a degree by the very Love itself. He may argue to the extent of the capacity of his mind and he will never be able to comprehend the Love that requires a perception of the soul, and he may remain satisfied and convince himself that the natural love is the only love and that when it becomes developed to a certain degree it becomes the Divine Love, and then find that he is far away from the truth.

He must know, and I mean it is necessary for him to know, that only those who have the Divine Love to some degree are capable of knowing that the Divine is a thing of itself, and not the development of the natural love and has in it not the qualities of that love. The one is of God; that is, partakes of His very nature, while the other is also of God, but does not partake of His nature, but is only a creation intended to make man happy and perfect in his condition of the mere man - the merely created existence.

I thought that I would give you these short comments on your conversation in order to show the grave and important mistake under which your friend is laboring. He will not easily believe these things of truth while in the flesh, and when he comes to spirit life, the difficulties will be just as great, and it may be that he will always be content to remain the possessor of this natural love only. I wish that it might be otherwise, and that he might let go his intellectual belief and harken to the call of the soul, which when not trammeled by these beliefs is continually longing for this Greater Love.

Believe that I am your friend and interested in you to an extent that you cannot now comprehend, but which some day you will understand and wonder that such a thing could have been. Good night.

Your brother in Christ,
John

Job Writes on the Book that Mr. Padgett Was Reading, Which is About the Natural Love and not the Divine Love

February 19, 1919
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Job.

Let me say a few words tonight upon a subject that is of importance to mankind and to the future of man.

I see that you have been reading a book professing to give communications from a spirit who claims to be possessed of a divine mission in the way of teaching men the truths of the soul and of the way to immortality and life. Well, you may accept what is said with some degree of truth as to the condition of spirits who are progressing in the development of their natural love, and as to the facts that await a soul after it has left the mortal life. Many of the statements contained in the writings are true and should be accepted and acted upon by mortals who desire a knowledge of the true way to a kingdom of the purified soul and to a reconciliation to God in the way of renunciation.

God is good and not the hateful and merciless being that your orthodox beliefs teach and is always the same now as in the days of old when men's conception of Him were determined by their own ideas of what a God should be, and what men should believe him to be. But there are many things taught in the writings of the book that are not true, though in accord with the knowledge possessed by the writers and suited to the condition of the medium through whom the messages were delivered.

The writers were spirits who were highly developed intellectually and morally and had knowledge of the truths to an extent that made what they said powerful expositions of the truth as they knew it to be; but beyond the fact that men must, in order to become pure and holy, do those things which the Law of Harmony in their natural love demands, they could not teach.

Now, while this is all true, yet they did not know of the higher truths that make a man or the soul of a man divine and at-one with the Father and could not teach, because they did not possess any knowledge of, and only so far as they knew, must, their teachings be accepted as truth. They were far in advance in their renditions of the disclosures contained in the Bible, both as to God and Jesus, and the final destiny of man, and their revelations should be accepted in place of the teachings of the Bible. They were not only acquainted with the laws of God as dealing with man in his relation to good and evil, but also with the laws as to man's release from the consequences of his acts and deeds of earth, and as to his release from the consequences of his evil acts.

I would like to write now, but the rapport is broken.

Good night,
Job

Robert Dale Owen Writes about His Book on the Phenomena of Spiritualism and Says He Never Heard of Divine Love

February 11, 1919
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Robert Dale Owen.

Let me say just a word, for I am interested in your work and in the phenomena of spiritualism. I have been with you as you read the book, which attempts to show the truth of spiritual manifestations, and the instances mentioned of spirits showing themselves in the garb of humans are true. I was then an investigator of the question and had only the knowledge, which I received from my own observation and, hence, was an outsider, as it were, of these spiritual phenomena. I mean that I was not one of the gifted ones of earth, who can have the power of receiving or communicating with spirits by reason of the fact that they possess the power of seeing or feeling or hearing the presence of spirits. I was not so gifted.

I am now an investigator of things spiritual, but not of the possibility of communicating with the spirit world, for this I know to be a fact, and beyond all question, and men who doubt the fact are in the condition of those who will not learn, because they do not believe in the first principles of the phenomena and are willing to let their prejudices or their indifference lead them away from the truth.

The phenomena, which I have portrayed in my book, are very simple and of the lower order of spiritual phenomena, and yet men will not believe because they fail to approach the subject with open minds and desire to learn the truth even though the search for the same leads them along lines of investigation that are so foreign to the course of study that they are pursuing in their various vocations. Of all the bigoted and hardheaded investigators of truth, the preachers are the most difficult to teach the truth of spiritualism, and their periscope is one that enables them to see only in a straight line that has been laid down to them for ages and holds them in its iron grasp.

I would like to come to you sometime and write you a long description of the spirit world and its phenomena, although it may not surprise you very much, considering what you have had revealed to you.

Well, you have asked me some questions, which I cannot answer in one breath. But I am in the Third Sphere, where many spirits are pursuing their studies of things which pertain to the laws of the spirit world, as well as to the laws of the earth.

I have not heard of the Divine Love, except as we call all love divine, and it must be so, for it leads us to the spheres where those who are sinless and in harmony with the Father reside. I am a true believer in the things of God and in the redemption of all mankind, sooner or later. My intellect is only part of my existence in the spirit world, and above and greater than that is the love that causes me to become in harmony with the laws of God, and at-one with him. These are the answers to your questions, and I should like to write you at length upon the truths of what I have so briefly stated. I know that you are very busy in receiving communications from the spirit world and have little time for communications from strangers, yet I should like to write at least one letter in reference to my condition and knowledge of things as I have found them.

I say what is true, for I have never heard of the Divine Love in the sense that you have spoken of. I have never talked with spirits who claim to have this Love, and to be better than are the spirits who are progressing in the love which they have, and as to immortality, I only know that death merely sets the soul of the mortal free and enables it to enter onto its progress towards the higher spheres, where truth and goodness are.

Let me wait a moment in my astonishment, for I see more spirits who seem to be of a different order of spirit from me, and are brighter and more beautiful, and are willing to tell me of the Divine Love, for they all claim to know it. But I do not understand and I am sure that if they are possessed of this Love, it is only another form of belief. I am all confused and cannot think for the moment. I will come again. I must go. Good night,

Robert Dale Owen

Francis Bacon Writes that Material Elements Are in Both the Natural World and the Spirit World

December 1, 1918
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Francis Bacon.

Let me write a short message in reference to our spirit world and one of the laws that obtain therein.

You were told a few nights ago that which is material in itself always remains material, although the combination into forms and appearances may change, and even the material elements may cease to be perceptive to the faculties or senses of the human, and this assertion of fact is true and without exception.

The material of the universe is one and not diverse, and the thing that you may sense as being material is a part of the same great universal material of existence and may at different times, and under certain conditions, become incorporated in the invisible material and yet remain just as real as when it was the thing that you could sense as a reality. The fact of the existence of the material is not determined by the requirement that men shall be able to cognize its existence by the exercise of some one or all of the perceptions of the human organs used to comprehend what they call the material of nature; and whether or not men are able to so cognize what is the truly material does not affect the existence of the material, for as it now has reality so it would have if men had no perception at all.

To the blind man, the knowledge of the existence of that part of the material, of what you may call the natural world that depends on sight for its comprehension, can be acquired only by information from those who have that sight; and so, knowledge of the existence of the material in the world not subject to comprehension by the senses of men can only be obtained through information given them by those who have cognition such existence by reason of faculties that they possess.

Men sometimes claim that they have knowledge of the existence of the material in the invisible world as a resultant from the exercise of reason and an acquaintance with the Law of Cause and Effect, and in many instances this claim is true especially where effects are perceived, which must have had causes existing beyond the circle of the known material.

To illustrate: men see and understand the effects of the workings of electricity, and to an extent can control and utilize that electricity, and yet they cannot by the exercise of their natural senses claim knowledge of the fact that it exists as a part of the material of the universe. They know it only as a cause producing an effect, and as to whether it is of the material or not they have no sensate knowledge. Electricity is of the material and intangible and not subject to the perception of sense, and to men has an existence only because it is accepted and declared to be the cause of certain known effects.

Now, there are many material things in the invisible world that have never come to the knowledge of men by reason of effects produced and made known to their cognition; yet these things are just as real and just as much a part of the material of the universe as are those things that men call the material of the natural world. Now what I have written is merely to demonstrate the fact that the existence of the material is not confined to what men call the natural world, and that men's knowledge does not always determine whether the material exists or not.

The material has its place and existence in all the spheres of the spirit world and is used by spirits in their work and living just as really as it exists in the natural world and is used by men for their welfare and happiness; and when the inhabitants of the spirit world use it for the purpose and in such a manner as to make the invisible material perceptible to the senses of men, they should not look upon such phenomena as unreal or non-acceptable because such phenomena is not produced in accord or harmony with the laws of the material as they understand them.

I will continue later.

Your friend,
Francis Bacon

**********

Helen confirms that Francis Bacon wrote.

I am here, Helen.

Well dear, the message that you have just received was from the spirit who wrote you a few nights ago on the subject of the material. He seemed to be much interested in the matter and says he desires to impart information, which is scientific and of importance to mankind, and that he will come again soon.

I see that you have had a very happy day and feel much better because of your visit, and you are better, and in such condition that the other spirits can write, and I hope that tomorrow night you will give them the opportunity. You will receive some very instructive and vital messages and should give all the time possible to the preparation for receiving these truths.

I am quite happy in being with you today and have felt that we are getting closer together in our love and rapport. It is late, and I will not write more now. Baby (Nita) is here in her love and says she hopes that she may soon be able to write her letter, and that she loves you so much.

Well he is ready and will write tomorrow night, if you will prepare the way. I will tell him. Love us and pray to the Father, as we want you to get more of the Love and come closer to us in your soul development. Good night,

Your own true and loving,
Helen

Charles T. Wilson Writes that He Knew Dr. Leslie R. Stone and Seeks His Help to Get Out of Darkness

May 16, 1918
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Charles T. Wilson.

Let me write a few lines. I am the friend of the Dr. (Leslie R. Stone) and knew him some years ago when he was living in Buffalo, N.Y. I was in a hospital where he was engaged in looking after daffy mortals, such as I was.

Well, in those days my mind and my brain did not coordinate, and this I know, for a short time after I passed into spirit life, I found that I had a mind which enabled me to understand things as I had before the awful blank came to me which resulted in my being incarcerated in the hospital.

What a wonderful experience I had after I became liberated from the imprisonment of my mind in a diseased brain. Then everything appeared to me as if I were a new creature, and the happiness which came to me - I mean the happiness that came from my liberated mind - is beyond what you may conceive of. I can suppose that men think that those whose minds are thus blotted out, as it were, by a brain which has ceased to perform its functions must be not unhappy, because they know not the loss of the benefits that a mind in a sound brain affords. But in this supposition, men are mistaken, for while the person thus afflicted may not know of what sound-minded men call "real trouble and worry," yet they have troubles which belong to their diseased brains, and to them these troubles, although they may have no real existence, are just as real as are the troubles of these others who think that they are sane. Trouble is a relative thing, and the real to one, though not real, causes as much unhappiness as do the troubles which are real.

Of course, while I was in the flesh I did not fully understand just what my condition of mind was and many of my vagaries were of such a character as to cause me apparent happiness; and on the other hand, certain other vagaries caused me real suffering. And things of great importance appeared to me with a force that no real existence could surpass.

Shortly after I passed to spirit life, these imaginations left me and with them disappeared the unhappiness, which they caused; and it seemed to me as if my mind had been freed from a great burden, and I became so conscious of the fact that it seemed as if I must be in Heaven or some other place of bliss. But it meant nothing more than my mind finding its real condition, and the recollections of my previous life came to me with all their consequences. And strange as it may seem to you, there were no recollections of anything that happened while I was in the state of mental darkness. Only those things came to my remembrance which were parts of my life before my affliction, and only these latter brought with them a knowledge of good or evil deeds which I had committed.

Since then, I have realized the workings of the laws which controlled my acts of life, and I was happy or otherwise as these laws called for suffering or failed to operate. I have been in the dark planes ever since, though I have made some progress towards the light, or rather the darkness has grown less intense and my sufferings have decreased. My mind has always been alert and nothing has escaped me which was a part of my sane existence while on earth.

I wish that I could find a way to get rid of this darkness and suffering and, as only a few nights ago, I heard that you could help spirits in my condition, I determined to seek your help, and tonight when I saw the Dr. with you, I thought it a good opportunity to ask your help.

Yes: and he says that he will help me, and as he is so very beautiful and bright, I can easily believe that he can help me and I am going with him. So I thank you.

I was Charles T. Wilson and was called Wash.

John Writes that James Padgett's Intellectual Willingness to Receive Messages is Not Sufficient to Make the Rapport for Higher Truths

January 27, 1918
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, John.

No, I cannot write tonight as I expected and am disappointed that you are not in condition for me to make the rapport. It seems that you are not inclined to receive my messages as you were at one time, although you say that you are ready to receive the writings. But your mere intellectual willingness is not sufficient, for my messages are those which do not come from the human intellect, but from the intellect of the soul, and in order that they may be received it is necessary that your soul shall be, in some degree, in harmony with mine. I could easily write you of things of the material or even of the Spirit Heavens, but it is impossible for me to use your brain to convey these spiritual soul truths unless your soul is developed into a harmony with mine.

To explain this was the object of my unfinished message, and as I desired to explain the laws controlling the communication and rapport of the Celestial Spirits with the mortal, and your soul not having the required condition, I was unable to finish my message. I have written you before on this subject, and all that I can say now is, think of the importance of this matter and the responsibility resting upon you. Remember the advice of Elias, and follow it. As soon as you are in condition I will come and write. Good night.

Your brother in Christ,
John

**********

Helen confirms that both Elias and John were anxious to deliver important messages tonight but could not due to improper soul conditions.

I am here, Helen.

Well, dear, I see that you are not in condition to write much tonight, and I am sorry for it as I desired very much to write. I have heard what Elias and John said and can only join with them in the advice that they gave. I do so hope that you will follow that advice and soon get in condition that will enable the communications to be received.

I know that you do not feel like your usual self, and you don't exactly understand the reason, but if you will think of what they told you, you will soon realize the cause and will be able to get rid of it. Think of these things and keep up your courage and have faith in the future and what we have told and promised you. I will not write more now. Love me and believe that I love you and am with you so very much trying to help you. Good night.

Your own true, loving

Helen

Immanuel Kant Writes that He Wants to Learn About the Love that Will Make Men, or the Souls of Men, Divine

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

I am here, Immanuel Kant.

I have listened to your conversation tonight and have been much interested, so much that I have wondered what the source of your apparent beliefs is, for I see that you are sincere in your declarations of what you declare the truths to be.

I have been in the spirit world for a great many years, and have not been idle as regards my investigation of the truth, and have given my very strenuous efforts to learn the truth of man's destiny and the ultimate end of his existence. I was a thinker when on earth, and had a considerable reputation as to being a deep thinker of things metaphysical and even today I have a large following among those mortals who give their time and attention to the investigation of the truths of the nature spoken of.

I have progressed very much, not only in the spheres in which I have lived, but also in the development of my intellect and in the development of my soul, for I enjoy a very considerable happiness, and have been able to apply the moral principles that should govern men in their relation to one another and to God, and have experienced the benefit of such application. I have many associates like myself in development of the dualities mentioned, and often do we assemble and discuss these important principles of man's relationship to God and to the development of man and the aim and ultimate destiny of his existence.

Truth is, we know, of itself alone and never changes, and when we believe and are convinced that we have found a truth, we accept it as a basis upon which to found our further efforts for investigation and the discovery of other truths and, as a consequence, we are not compelled to depend upon mere speculation as we were when on earth. We know that the spirit of man never ceases to live and, hence, immortality must be his certain portion in the great economy of God, and that as the law of being is progression, we must always be enabled to progress. And having that fact from which to start, we continue our investigations and studies in the certain belief that their results will be the discovery of the truths, and that we must ultimately find the reason for man's existence, and his final destiny.

But from what I have heard you and your friend say, there must be a branch of truth that I or my friends, have never heard of or attempted to investigate, and to me it sounds very attractive, and so much so, that I would like to have some enlightenment from which I may be able to postulate a premise upon which I may build a superstructure, if possible. I have, of course, heard a great deal of love and the purification of the soul, and the necessity for men and spirit striving to get rid of all those things that contaminate the soul and foster the continuation of the in-harmony that now exists and keeps man from becoming the perfect man and spirit, also.

I have heard that in the higher spiritual kingdom, there are spirits of men that have become perfect and existing in harmony with the laws of God, yet they do not claim to be more than men - perfect men. But you talk of a Love that will make men, or the souls of men, Divine in their constituency and, therefore, a part of that divinity which we ascribe only to the Infinite; and I must tell you that what you say has opened up to me a new vision of possibility of study that may lead to what we now have no conception of.

I am sincere in what I write, and if you can help me in entering on the study of the truths of which you speak, I will be very grateful and assure you that it will not be lost on an inattentive ear or a mind stunted by a belief that it already knows all that can be acquired, or the way to acquire all that may be learned. I was on earth a philosopher and known as:

Immanuel Kant

John Writes About "the Wandering Jew" and Confirms His Message

June 21, 1917
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

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

Well, you were surprised at the last message and it is not to be wondered that you were, for I know that to you this story was a mere legend, as it is to most others of the mortal life who have thought on the subject. And again, the Wandering Jew was not in your mind as I know, for I was present before you commenced to write and know just what the contents of your mind were, and what expectations you had.

I recite these facts to impress you that this message is not the result of any subconscious mind that the philosophers speak of, but the message came solely because the spirit who wrote came to you and took control of your brain and hands and actually wrote the message. He is truly the man known as the "Wandering Jew," and the legend is true so far as his having treated the Master as he said and the Master's sentence upon him to "tarry until he should come."

Naturally the question arises: "How could the Master have imposed such a sentence, or what power had the Master to do that which is so contrary to all the ordinary known laws of God?

Well, the question is a pertinent and proper one and is entitled to an answer. At the time of the Master's crucifixion, he was surrounded by a great host of spirits in whom was vested the most wonderful powers of the spirit world, and they accompanied him in his weary march to the cursed cross, all trying to sustain him, and listening to his words, and many of them knowing his thoughts and the travail of his soul; and when he rested because of the burden of carrying the cross, they were with him and heard the inhuman command of the Jew and the Master's reply, and then they determined that the sentence should be carried out and never end until the Jew had traveled the weary road of suffering that he saw Jesus was travelling, and until he should seek relief in that way that the very Master came to earth to make known to mortals, and this Jew was among them.

The spirits were with the Jew continually sustaining him in his physical life, so that the friend that he hoped and prayed for - I mean death - should not come to him, until first should come the Great Love of the Father to redeem him from the results of the sentence. And strange as it may seem to you, at the very time that these spirits were exercising their powers to prolong the physical life of the man, they were also trying to influence him so that he would open up his soul to the inflowing of the Love; and among those who thus worked was the Master himself.

But the old beliefs of this Jew in the teachings of the laws of Moses, and in Abraham as his father and the great medium of his salvation, and that great power which he possessed - the human will - prevented the opening up of his soul for many long years, and not until he was convinced that the sentence of the Master was being carried out, did he commence to realize that the teachings of his church and father Abraham were not sufficient for his salvation from the awful doom pronounced upon him; and there came to him the thought that the man whom he had cursed might be the truly son of God, and that his teachings of the only way to the Father and happiness was through this Love; for in the meantime he had lived among the Christians and had learned what the teachings of this Love were, and that it was waiting for all, and could be obtained by all through prayer and the submission of the human will.

Well, he suffered and sought in every way to obtain this death, but it always evaded him, until at last his will broke and the truth came to him and with it prayer, and then came freedom; for I must tell you that when the soul of a mortal prays in earnestness and with true longings, all the powers of all the spirits in the spiritual or Celestial Heavens cannot prevent that Love from responding to the prayers and from making the longing soul free and at-one, to a degree, with the Father.

The sentences of spirits and angels cannot exist contrary to that Love's demands. And this being so, mortals can readily understand that all the powers of the Hells and the evil ones cannot prevail against that Love. And thus further will you understand that the true prayers of a longing soul are more powerful and will bring the response from the Father, than all the powers of angels and spirits and devils combined. Thus you may comprehend what an important creature is one poor mite of a mortal when in truth and earnestness he comes to the Father seeking His Love.

Well, when I came tonight, I had no thought of writing such a message as I have written, but as I realized that you may in thinking about the message of the Wandering Jew, and doubt that the Laws of Nature may be set aside even at the command of the Master, I thought it best to write you as I have. No Laws of Nature were, in fact, set aside, but the powers of the spirits were exercised upon preserving the physical organs and functions of this Jew, so that life would remain and the vitalizing principle perform its work in preserving the Jew as a living mortal.

Do not wonder at this, for I must tell you that before these messages shall be completed ,you will be told of many truths that will be more astonishing and contrary to what men call the Laws of Nature, than is the case of the Wandering Jew. I will not write more now, and with my love to you and your friend, I will say good night.

Your brother in Christ,
John

********

Helen comments on the message of the Wandering Jew.

I am here, your own true and loving Helen.

Well, dear, you have had some very surprising messages tonight and I don't wonder that you think they may not be just from whom they represent themselves to be, but the fact is that the persons professing to write actually did so.

The Jew is a very bright spirit of the Celestial Spheres, but one who is very humble, and the effect of his great suffering an earth is plainly shown in his great humility. What a wonderful thing such an experience is! And when he told you of his long weary years on earth, he seemed for the moment, to be going over the experience again; but, of course, he was not for the Love that is in him prevented the grief of those years from finding more than a temporary lodgment in his recollections. Well the truth of what he wrote you can be believed in, not only because John corroborated him, but because many other spirits who were present at the time, say that it is true.

Your own true and loving
Helen

St. John Writes that God Answers Prayers for Material Things by the Work and Operation of His Angels and Spirits

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

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

Well, He answers the prayers for things material by the work and operation of His angels and spirits, and they in that work are subject to the limitations of success as I have above mentioned. God does not exercise any arbitrary power to answer prayers, but when they are sincerely offered to Him, He works through His angels in answering them, and He does not by His mere fiat do so. His angels are always watching and working, and when the opportunity comes, they use their influence in the best possible way to bring about the ends desired.

As you know, man has a free will and that determines very largely the action of men, and such actions are never arbitrarily controlled by any Divine power. If the prayers of men as to material things can be responded to by the workings of the angels and spirits, they are; but if such response depends upon the will of men, then they are not received by mortals, except as the spirits may be able to influence that will and cause men to act in compliance with that influence, which is always used for the purpose of bringing about the response to the prayers that are, in their nature, proper and worthy to be answered.

Well, I doubt if any of those petitions were ever answered in the arbitrary way that is related in the Old Testament. God never answers prayer in that manner, and the petitions of the old prophets had no more influence to bring about the answers to the same, in the manner indicated, than have the prayers of the sincere and earnest man of these days. God was the same then as He is now, and worked through the spirits then as He does now, except that now He has angels of the soul development in the Divine Love, that He did not then have, and these angels are doing His bidding as well as are the spirits. But He does not answer prayers for material things except in a manner in consonance with laws controlling the free will and actions of men, as they may be operated upon and influenced by the work of spirits.

Sometime I will come and write you a message on this subject of prayer and answer. But this I want to say, that we can at times understand what will happen in the near future, and having such knowledge can tell to mortals what may be expected, or rather what will occur, and this we sometimes do.

In your case, we all of the higher spheres, as well as many of the spirit spheres, know what your petitions have been in reference to these material matters, and we have been working to bring about a realization of the same on your part - not only because of your petitions, but because they are so necessary to the doing and completion of our work; and we have been using our influence to the utmost to accomplish this end. But as I say, we are all limited and have not the power to cause the happening of any event by our mere willing the same, even though we are doing the work of the Father.

This may seem surprising as well as disappointing to you, but it is a fact, and it is a great truth that: God helps those who help themselves.

Of course, you must not lose sight of the fact that while men must themselves do those things that bring about changes or happenings or phenomena in material things, yet we can influence - but not control absolutely - their desires and intentions, and their wills that put into operation or effect these intentions. No, these things, as to their immediate manifestations, are subject to the wills of men. God never by a mere act of the moment or of a physical character, places into the hands of any man riches or prosperity. These things must immediately be wrought and brought about by man, but man in doing this can and is wonderfully influenced by the workings of the spirits.

Well, that is a question that has caused men to doubt and consider and explain in various ways the so-called miracle of the loaves and fishes. As I was a disciple of the Master at that time, it is quite natural that I should be expected to state whether such a miracle ever occurred and, of course, I can state what the fact in relation thereto is. And notwithstanding that it has been used by preachers and teachers for many centuries to show the wonderful power possessed by Jesus, and thereby cause the people to believe in and accept him as God, or at least having God-like powers, and has been used to work much good among those who were seeking for the true religion, yet I am compelled and sorry to say that no such miracle ever took place. While Jesus had wonderful powers, and understood the workings of the spiritual laws to a far greater extent than any mortal who ever lived, yet he had not the power to increase the loaves and fishes as is set forth in the account of the miracle. To be able to do so would be against the laws of God governing the material things of His creation, and also beyond and outside of the powers conferred on any man or angel by any spiritual laws.

There are certain laws by which we, who are acquainted with and use them and may cause a dematerialization of physical substances, and also may to a limited degree cause a materialization of spiritual substances, but I am not acquainted with any law that would have operated, under the control of Jesus, to increase the loaves and fishes to the great number mentioned in the story referred to. As a fact, I know that no such miracle took place, and Jesus will tell you the same. There are other alleged miracles in the Bible that never had any existence as a fact.

Well, I have written you a long letter tonight, and I must stop, but I am pleased that you asked me about the response to prayers, and the miracle of the loaves and fishes, for your questions gave me the opportunity, to some extent, to explain these matters. But, as to prayer, you must wait until I deal with it more at large or in detail before you conclude that you understand the subject fully.

And I say to you pray not only for the spiritual things which God bestows through His Holy Spirit, but also for the material things which He bestows through His angels and spirits. The proper prayer will be answered sooner or later, and your prayer for that of which I have written will be answered, even though to you the response may seem a long time delayed.

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

Your brother in Christ,
John

Samera, a Spirit in the Sixth Sphere, Writes on the Truth that There is Only One God

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

I am here, Samera.

I am a Greek of the days of Aristotle, and I merely want to say that I am very desirous of writing you a message on the subject of what is the most important truth that I have discovered since I came to the spirit world. This truth is the Oneness of God.

When I lived on earth, we believed and taught the existence of many gods, and the fact that these gods were the un-embodied spirits of those who had been great heroes or philosophers or statesmen while living on earth. Of course, we had some conception of a God who was superior to all others, and that He had the power and wisdom that belonged only to the supreme God, but the lesser gods also had great power and wisdom and, in their particular jurisdiction, were at liberty to exercise those powers and thus bring to mankind the blessings, or woes, that they thought men should have visited upon them. Our gods did not have any power over our spiritual conditions, but dealt with us only in a material way and ruled us in our earthly ambitions or efforts only.

I died with these beliefs, and when I came to the spirit world, I found that hundreds of those we had worshiped on earth as gods were mere spirits like myself without any special powers and without the wisdom that we had attributed to them, and they were subject to the Laws of the spirit world just as I was. Of course, this discovery made me halt in my opinion as to the fact of there being many gods and caused me, in time, to conclude that all the beliefs in the many gods were erroneous, and that I should seek for another God who should be above all these lesser gods and spirits.

So in my search, I came in contact with spirits who had been in spirit life very much longer than had I and were far advanced beyond me in the knowledge of things spiritual. And they instructed me that there was a great God, the Creator of the universe, and the ONLY God. And in my continued investigations, I concluded that this must be true.

I have never seen that God, nor has any of the spirits that I am aware of, but we have all seen the manifestations of His powers and wisdom, such as no mortal has ever seen or conceived of and being, thus, conscious of the existence and manifestation of these powers and wisdom, I know, as do all spirits, that there must be that from which emanates these manifestations, and One who is the possessor of them and the ruler and controller of such manifestations. This entity we all call GOD, and worship Him as such; and we know that He and He alone is the only true God.

I do not know that what I have said will be of any interest to you, but it is a fact, and I wanted so much to tell you that fact. I live in what is called the Sixth Sphere, where are many spirits of men in a condition of perfection that brings them supreme happiness and such greatness of knowledge that only they, themselves, can understand. I hope you will pardon my intrusion, and I will bid you good night.

Samera

General Saul S. Henkle Writes that He Has Progressed to the Third Sphere

December 28, 1916
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, the spirit of your old friend, General Henkle.

I merely want to say that I have been present all evening and heard your reading of the messages and the conversation and must say that some things that I heard surprised me, for instance, the assertion that your spirit was taken from your body and brought to the spirit spheres and there enjoyed the freedom of a spirit that had left the earth forever. This I have never heard of before and cannot conceive that such a thing can be, and if it were not for the fact that your wife and a number of other spirits who are filled with Love and truth tell me that it is true, I should doubt the fact.

It is all so wonderful to me that but for the experience that I had when I came to the spirit world, and found so many things that I thought true were not true, I should even yet hesitate to believe. How little we spirits know of the wonders of God, and how much there is to us to learn!

And the one thing that even yet makes me marvel is that all these wonderful things, I mean the power of communication and the truths that you receive should have come to you, who when I was on earth was merely a man like the rest of us with no knowledge of these things. But I have had so many surprises and experiences that I am ready to believe most anything that these high and beautiful spirits tell me.

The greatest truth of all - the existence of the Divine Love and its effect upon the souls of men and spirits - I know to be a truth, for I have had it come into my soul and transform my condition of darkness into light and happiness.

Since I last wrote you, I have made much progress and am now in the Third Sphere, where I find so much bliss and so many beautiful spirits who possess this Love and tell me of the beautiful and wonderful things that you did for them. Well, my dear friend, it does me good to write you and tell you of my progress and the certainty of the existence of the Great Love.

I have met many of my old friends and brother lawyers in this spirit world, and some of them have found this soul development, but the most of them, I am sorry to say, have not, and are still trying to develop their intellects, especially in the way of spiritual laws which, they think, is the most important thing to learn. And my work is to try to convince them of the greater importance of the Divine Love and to show them the necessity of prayer. The work is laborious and somewhat disheartening, but it is mine to do, and I will continue in the work until I am told to go to a higher sphere.

I would like to write longer tonight and tell you of the experiences of some of my friends, but your wife says that I must not do so and so I will say good night and leave you my love, and also your friend, although I have never met him on earth, but realize that he is a kindred spirit that the Father has blessed him also with some of this Great Love.

General Henkle

Helen Confirms Jesus' Message that God Doesn't Answer Prayers For Nations at War

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

I am here, your own true and loving Helen.

You have received quite a wonderful message from the Master tonight and it will cause some surprise, no doubt, to many who believe that God confers a special dispensation for every prayer, irrespective of the workings of His Laws.

But the Master has clearly shown that this belief is erroneous, and that man, himself, can prevent God from answering prayer. I do not mean that it will not be possible for Him to do so, if He should choose to exercise His power, but that man by his own will and deeds places himself in such a condition that God would have to violate His own Laws to make a response in accordance with the prayers of men, which He will not do.

I know that you will find the message very interesting, but not so much so as what will follow, for the one places man in the condition of having to depend on himself without expectation of the Father's help, and the other will show that the Father is not only willing and ready to help men in their distress, but also the way in which He will help, and the absolute certainty of that help being given.

Your own true and loving,
Helen

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

**********

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 As to Some of the Errors and Deficiencies of Christian Science

July 9, 1916
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Jesus.

I come today to tell you that I am pleased with you in your efforts to find the truth of what we have taught as to God and of the relation of man to Him.

I have been with you in your reading of several days past and have observed the effect upon you of the contrast between the beliefs and teachings of men, as you have read them, and the teachings of truth that we have revealed to you in our messages. While these writings that you have been reading have in them some things of truth, yet there are many things that are wholly untrue and the mere results of speculation. Today, if you feel in condition, I will instruct you as to some of the errors and deficiencies of Christian Science and the want of the true comprehension of its founder of the realities of being.

She writes and teaches that there is nothing real in sin and error and disease, and that their apparent existence is wholly due to the mortal mind, and that when this mind denies the existence of these things, they will no longer exist. Well, in this assertion there is a large grain of truth, but in order to understand and apply this truth, more than a mere denial of their existence must be taught and believed by man.

It is true that God never created anything of evil - or that which is not in harmony with His Nature and Essence, which are only good; and that to ascribe the existence of these evils and discords to God is erroneous and blasphemous. But the fact remains that these things exist, and the mere denial of their existence does not remedy the harmful results that flow from such existence.

Man suffers from evil and error and disease and has always so suffered since the fall from his state of perfection and always will suffer in consequence of there being in his consciousness these things of reality, and the mere calling them the result of "mortal mind," will not explain their existence or furnish a remedy by which they may be gotten rid of.

First arises the necessity of understanding how, and by what means, these things came into existence, and then it will become easier for the understanding of the means and the way by which they may be eliminated from the life and apparent nature of mankind.

As I have already told you, these things, foreign to God's creation, were created by man alone in the excessive and unlawful exercise of his will power in following out the suggestions and desires of his animal appetites, which unduly asserted themselves when man lost a part of his spirituality by his disobedience.

Their creation was the result of something more than what the founder of that science calls the "mortal mind," for the mind is only a part of man's being; and while the faculties of the mind must be used in the operation of all the powers and qualities of man, yet the mind is not the originator of all his desires and appetites and emotions. The emotional nature and affections are distinct from the mere mind, or the intellectual faculties, and as regards sin and error, are generally the creators of the same, although the mind may and does foster and increase these things so created.

Then man must understand that these excrescences to his perfect creation are real and existing, and result in his own damnation and alienation from the good, and are antagonistic to his original and natural condition of perfection, and that they cannot be swept out of existence by the mere assertion that they are not real.

Again, man must understand that they are the creatures primarily of the inordinate exercise of the animal appetites and desires, and not of the exercise of the mind, and (that they are) to be eradicated by the same process in reverse order as was used in their creation.

Of course, it must not be lost sight of that in using this process, the faculties of the mind must be brought into operation, just as they were in the creation of these existences. And the great fact to be remembered in this process is that these things are real, and not things of the mere imagination, which is the equivalent of the founder's mortal mind.

Now, when man grasps the meaning, as thus explained, of what these things really are, and how they came into being, then he will the more readily comprehend the way or the means by which they are to be destroyed and never again permitted to become a part of his being; for while they do not by nature belong to his being, yet by reason of his being the creator of them, they are, so far as his consciousness is concerned, together with all the results flowing therefrom, a part of his being; and that part which keeps him in discord with the laws controlling his own existence. The purity of his true being is always besmirched by the impurities of his own artificial being, and always will be, until he eliminates these impurities which, as to him and to his fellow man, are real, persistent existences.

The will, however, is the great force that must be used in the destruction of these excrescences, and as this will power in man is free and untrammeled, and in its operations follows the suggestions and desires of the appetites - both animal and spiritual - of man, it therefore becomes apparent that these appetites and desires must first be controlled and directed in that direction that will cause the will to be exercised in such a manner as to lead the thoughts and deeds towards the realization of the desires and appetites in harmony with God's Laws.

As sin and evil are not the creatures of the spiritual desires, but wholly of the animal, then to eradicate from man's being these things of evil and sin, the efforts of man must be directed towards the supplanting of the unlawful and inharmonious animal desires and appetites, by appetites and desires arising from the same source that is in harmony with the laws creating this very source.

Man was created by God with animal appetites just as he was created with spiritual aspirations, and the one is just as harmonious with the laws of his creation as the other, and the loss of the spiritual aspiration, or the perversion of the animal appetites, similarly causes man to become out of harmony with these laws. So that man in order to become free from these foreign parts of his being, must strive, not by a denial of their reality, but by the effort to supplant them, to recreate, as it were, in himself the animal appetites that are consistent and in harmony with those which were his when he was made the perfect man; in other words, to destroy the beings of his own creation and possess only those of the creation of God.

Of course, in this effort, he will have to use his mind, mortal or otherwise, but in addition, he will also have to exercise the faculties of his emotional and affectional nature, which are not of the mind but the soul. Mere negation or belief will not be sufficient, but desires and cravings for these things which engender sin must be supplanted by desires and craving for those things, which are in harmony with his creation.

So, I repeat, the teachings that sin and error and disease are not real and are no part of man's being, as he now exists and lives, is erroneous and when not understood, harmful, and not sufficient to bring about the regeneration of man.

In one sense, it is true that sin and error and disease are not real, but that means that so far as God's creation of man is concerned, they have no existence, for He created only that which was good and in harmony with His perfect laws. But as man is a creator as well as a creature, and as these things are the creatures of man alone, then so far as the being of man is involved, they have a reality which will persist until their creator - man - has destroyed them.

I am pleased that you gave me the opportunity to write today and am also glad to find you in good condition.

Your friend and brother,
Jesus

Helen Confirms Josephus' Message and Writes that Love is an Equalizer More Powerful Than Any Laws Man Can Make

June 3, 1916
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, your own true Helen.

Well, my dear one, you have had a message from Josephus that may be considered a women's rights argument, and I have no doubt that womankind will agree with him, especially as to his prediction as to what the future of women will be.

This may be all true, and the predictions may come to pass. I don't know. But this I do know: that as regards the Divine Love of the Father and the conditions in the Celestial Heavens, there is no distinction made between the man and the woman, except as the individual soul development makes the distinction. And when you consider the further fact that the two parts of the one soul, represented by the male and the female, must - in order to make the perfect one - become united in perfect harmony, you can readily understand that there will be no superiority of one over the other, but that both must be equal, not only in love and the nature of the Divine, but in every other quality that may exist.

So in my opinion, instead of women and men thinking about women's rights and such matters, they should devote their thoughts and aspirations to obtaining the Divine Love in their souls with the certain knowledge that, as they obtain it in equal degrees, they will become not only the equal of one another, but will become so very equal that they will exist as one, though in two individual forms and personalities.

But, of course, I recognize the importance of the equality of both being recognized on earth for the purposes of earthly existence. Yet, mankind will find that as this Love of the Father enters more into souls of men, or even as the natural love becomes more purified, the rights of women as to things material will become recognized without the enactment of any laws declaring the equality of the sexes.

For love is an equalizer more powerful than any laws that man can make.

But I will not write more on this subject, for when love comes, it will not be necessary that law shall declare the equality, as that love will, of itself, make them so in harmony that inequality cannot exist.

Well, I intended to write you a long letter tonight, but as others have written and it is late, I will not try.

Your own true and loving
Helen

Jesus Writes About the Rapport Necessary to Bring About the Power of Healing

May 16, 1916
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Jesus.

I will not write a formal message tonight, but will merely tell you that I was with you tonight at the home of Mr. Morgan, and wrote what you received as purporting to come from me, and I meant that if I could establish the rapport with him I would cure him; and so I will. It depends somewhat on his having the necessary concentration and belief in me.

It may seem strange that I cannot do this unless this rapport is established, but it is a fact. There are certain laws which control the exercise of this power upon mortals which must be complied with. When on earth I could come in direct contact with the mortal by reason of my being in the flesh, and as the power was in me, or could be engendered in me by the exercise of my spiritual powers, I encountered no obstacle in the way of my exercising these powers upon the mortal. But now there is no direct contact between me and the mortal and, hence, there is no means of communicating this power to him until a rapport is established.

This rapport is something more than a mere "spiritual" connection, and partakes somewhat of the material, though we are not of the material; yet the rapport must be of the nature mentioned, and the material part of it must come from the mortal himself.

Now you will understand that my relationship in such cases with the mortal is very different from what would be your relationship to him, had you this power residing in you; and when the time comes for you to receive this power, you will not need to establish any rapport between you and whomever you may be able to cure. I mean it will not be necessary for this rapport to be established by drawing from the mortal any part of the material that belongs to him: this you will have yourself, and the power will be exercised by you simply as a mortal coming in contact with him.

This power can be possessed by mortals just as my disciples and others possessed it at the time that I was on earth, and the same results may be obtained as were obtained in those days.

Well, the power that was manifested in you was somewhat of the nature that I have been speaking of, only it was a power borrowed, or conferred upon you by a spirit. It was a part of this spirit's power, and thereby differing from that which you will receive as a part of your own self, when you shall have had that soul development and possession of the Divine Love, which are necessary prerequisites to any mortal - or spirit either - being able to receive the power.

The spirit who was trying to manifest through you and help Mr. Morgan was your own Indian guide, who is a very powerful spirit; and he drew on you very hard for the material that was necessary for him to make the manifestation. The power which he transmitted will help Mr. Morgan, and he will realize it by morning. And if you had continued for a while longer, its effects would have become seen before you left him.

I will try tonight, as I promised, to help him, and if we can form the rapport that I speak of, there will be no uncertainty as to the results. I will give especial attention to his case, as I desire to demonstrate to him that the power of the spirit world, when properly exercised, can be used to help mortals, even in their physical ills, to relieve them from their sufferings. I see that he has a very considerable faith and will make the effort to help establish this rapport, and we may succeed. At any rate, you have already helped him and he will realize it.

I will come to you soon and write you another message on an important subject, so that you may see the necessity for our working faster. I will not write more, but will say that I love you and am with you, trying to help you. So, with my blessings, I will say good night.

Your brother and friend,
Jesus

Jesus Writes Further on the Origin of Life

February 6, 1916
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Jesus.

I come tonight to resume my discourse of several nights ago. As I was saying, man is the creature of God made in perfection and - instantaneously - as it were - not having a slow growth as other creations. And when he was created, he needed no evolution or additional attributes to make him the perfect man. His physical body was perfect and also his spiritual body and his soul.

He had, in addition to these three constituents a "Gift," which by his disobedience he forfeited, and which was never restored to him until my coming and, which when possessed by him, made him more than mere man. As to those things which were made constituent and absolute parts of him, they were perfect, and no evolution was necessary to give them any increased perfection. Man then was a more perfect being than he is now, or ever has been since his fall from his condition of perfection.

After his disobedience and the consequent death of the potentiality of partaking of the Divine Nature of the Father, which is the "Gift" above mentioned, man was left in a state where he depended exclusively upon the qualities, which he then possessed for his future happiness and freedom from those things which would cause him to lose the harmony that then existed between him and the Laws governing his being.

The greatest of all the qualities bestowed upon him was that of the will power, which was wholly unrestricted in its operations. Although, when exercised in a manner which brought this will in conflict with the Laws controlling this harmony, man had to suffer and pay the penalties of such violations. But notwithstanding that these perversions of the exercise of the will brought the sins and errors, which now exist on earth, God did not place any limitations on this exercise.

Man, in his creation, had bestowed upon him appetites and desire pertaining to his physical nature, as well as desires of his higher or spiritual nature, and they were all intended to work in harmony and not in antagonism; and in such workings, man was kept pure and free from sin - which is merely the violation of God's Laws of Harmony. But after the first disobedience, which is the greatest demonstration of the power of man to exercise that will, even when God had forbade him to do so, and after man lost this great potentiality that I speak of, succeeding disobediences became easier; and as these disobediences occurred, man lost to a great extent the desires for the spiritual things, and the animal or physical part of his nature asserted itself, and then, instead of exercising these appetites which belonged to the physical nature in such a wise way that no in-harmony would ensue - and here let me say that even after the fall it was possible and even expected that man would exercise these appetites in the way mentioned, he indulged them beyond their proper functions, and increased such indulgence, until he commenced to find, as he thought, more pleasure in such indulgence than in the thoughts and exercise of his higher nature and the aspirations which belonged to it.

This deterioration of man was not sudden, but gradual until, at one time, he became in a state or condition of being - bordering on that of the lower animals and, in fact, because of this increased indulgence of these appetites, he seemed to be transformed into the lower animal; but yet he remained man, a being created in the image of his Maker.

And from this position of low degradation or degeneracy, man slowly commenced to progress towards the attainment of his original condition before the fall. Never, in all this time, was his freedom of will taken from him, nor attempted to be controlled by God - but always the Laws of Compensation worked, and man suffered as he continued to create sin and evil.

But as man on earth continued to degenerate and to permit, what is sometimes called his animal nature to dominate his spiritual nature, many men died and continued to die, and their physical bodies went back to the dust of which they were created, and their spiritual selves became inhabitants of the spirit world, where they were freed, in a longer or shorter time, from the desire to exercise these animal appetites and the spiritual part of man again asserted itself, until many of these spirits became free from sin and evil and in harmony with the Laws of God controlling their natures and conditions as they existed before their degeneracy and before the disobedience commenced.

And these spirits, thus, made free and in their spiritual dominance commenced to try to assist men while living on earth to direct his will in such ways as to rid himself of submission to these appetites, and to become again a true man as in his creation state, minus the potentiality that I have mentioned. But these efforts on the part of spirits have been slow in their effects, and while men in individual cases, have been almost regenerated, yet as whole the progress has not been as rapid as is desirable - sin and evil still exist in the world, and men's perverted appetites and desires still control them to a large extent.

Of course, this progress from the bottom of degeneracy has taken place in some parts of the earth, faster than in others and, hence, you have your distinction between the civilized and the uncivilized races or nations; but this does not necessarily mean that the civilized people, as individuals, have made greater progress in the manner indicated, than have the individuals of some of the so-called uncivilized nations, for it is a fact that among some men of the former nations are perversions and manifestations of perversions of these appetites that do not exist in the latter nations.

Advancement in the intellectual qualities do not necessarily mean progress in the spiritual asserting itself over the perversions of these appetites, for will is not a thing entirely of the mind, and neither are these appetites and desires, because back of the mind are the affections usually called the heart's desires, which is the seat of these appetites, and from which these desires arise; and as they arise, the will is influenced by them and as the will is influenced come positive thoughts and deeds.

It is not surprising that your scientists believe and preach the doctrine of the evolution of man from a lower species of animal, or from an atom or from something that they cannot just understand or give a name to, because in their studies of the history of mankind, and of the created world, they find that man has developed and progressed amazingly from what appeared to have been his condition in some ages past.

But history does not extend to the time when man was in this lowest condition of degeneracy and, hence, all the conclusions that these scientists reach are based upon facts, sufficient unto themselves, which show the progress of man only after the turning point of his degeneracy. They have no facts and, of course, when the word "facts" is here used, it refers exclusively to the material things of nature showing them the gradual decline of man from his state of being a perfect man to that when his retrogression or degeneracy ceased, and his progress of return to his former estate commenced.

So, if the scientists will believe and teach that man, instead of evolving from an atom or some other infinitesimal something, or from a lower species of animal than man, evolved from his state or condition when he was at the bottom of his degeneracy, to which he had descended from the perfect man, then they will believe and teach the truth, and their theory of evolution will then have as its foundation or basis, a fact, which now it has not - only a speculation.

This in short, is the history and truth of the creation of the universe of man - of man's fall and degeneracy, and evolution and progress. And through all this creation and subsequent existence runs life, permeating it and always with it, and the origin of Life is God.

I have finished and I hope that you will find some instruction as well as entertainment in what I have written. I will come again soon and write you another truth.The fact that you waited for sentences to be formulated to express my thoughts, merely means that I was manipulating your brain so that the proper expression or idea could be conveyed to your hand as I wrote it.

You have my love and blessings, and I am more interested as time passes in you and your work. Keep up your courage and your desires will be fulfilled.

Your friend and brother,
Jesus

Luke Writes About Truth of the Development of the Soul in its Natural Love Wherein the New Birth is Never Experienced

February 3, 1916
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Luke.

I come tonight to say a few words concerning the great truth of the development of the soul in its natural love wherein the New Birth is never experienced.

I know that men think that this natural love has in it a part of the Divinity of the Father's nature, and that as they develop in the way of purifying it and ridding it of those things which tend to impair its harmony, they will realize that there exists in their souls this Divinity of which we have written. But this is not true, for this natural love partakes only of those elements which the Father implanted in it at the time of man's creation, and in none of these elements is any of the qualities of the Divine Nature.

It is difficult to explain just the distinction between the Divine Love coming from the Father, and the natural love also coming from Him, and yet, not having any of the Divine Nature or qualities; but it is a fact. The natural love may become so purified that it may come into perfect harmony with the Laws governing its condition and composition, and yet, fall far short of having in it any of the Divine Love. And so, as we have explained to you, the soul may obtain this Divine Love and thereby become a part of the Father's Divinity.

I will now try to explain how the natural love of man may be developed, so that his soul may come into harmony with the Law of Love - the natural love - and make him a very happy, pure and contented being.

In the first place, I wish to say that there is no such thing in the world as original sin or evil, and that God did not create them or permit them to exist, except as He permits man to use his own will without limitation; and I mean by this that He does not say that a man, in the exercise of this will, shall do this or do that; and as respects this will, man is untrammeled. But He does say, and His Laws are inexorable in this particular, that  man, when in the exercise of the great power of free will, causes that will to come into conflict with the will of God, or to violate His Laws, he, man, must suffer the consequences.

This may be illustrated by your natural laws declaring the freedom of the press. Man may publish whatsoever he pleases, and so long as he does not thereby violate the rights of others, or of decency, he may make his publications without fear of the law; but when, in the exercise of this freedom of speech, as you call it, he violates the law, then he must suffer the consequences of this violation.

So it is with the mortal who, in the exercise of his free will, violates the Will of the Father, or the Laws limiting its exercise by the mortal. He must suffer the consequences, and the results of this violation are sin and evil created and in no other way. And surprising as it may sound to you, man is the creator of sin and evil, and not God, who is only good.

Then the question arises, "How can sin and evil be eradicated from the world?" And every thoughtful man will have the same answer and, that is, by men ceasing to violate the will of God, or His Laws, which restrict the exercise of the wills of mortals to that which, in its right exercise, will not produce sin or evil. In other words, when men by the wrong use of their wills bring about in-harmony, they can by the right use of their wills not disturb that harmony, which when it exists, leaves no room for the presence of sin and error.

So you see, the one thing necessary in order for men to become happy and free from everything that defiles them, or causes unhappiness or discord to exist, is to develop their souls in this natural love, until this love comes into perfect unison with the Laws that control it and, thus, may be applied the oft quoted expression that "Love is the fulfilling of the Law," but this means love in its purest and most perfect state.

Now how can this development of the natural love be accomplished by men?

The mind, while a powerful helper in this regard, is not of itself sufficient to bring about this great desideratum. It is true that with every mortal there is a constant warfare between the appetites and lusts of the flesh, and his higher desires; and, hence, it is said that these appetites and desires are sinful, and the cause of evil and the in-harmony that exists in the lives of mortals. But this statement is not altogether true, for as man was made with spiritual aspirations and desires, so also was he made with appetites and desires of the flesh, and the latter of themselves are not evils.

The failure to make the distinction between the fact that these appetites and desires of the flesh are not evil, and the fact that only the perversion of them brings evil, is the great stumbling block that stands in the way of man's developing this natural love in the manner that I have indicated. These, what are sometimes called the animal appetites and desires, may be exercised in such a way as to be in perfect harmony with the Laws that control them, and in such exercise not interfere with or prevent the development of this natural love to perfection.

But man, in the free exercise of his will, has in his wanderings gone beyond the limitations which the Law of Harmony has placed upon him, added to and increased and distorted the appetites and desires of the flesh which were originally bestowed upon him and, hence, has himself created those things that are not in harmony with the creation of himself.

So you see, man is a creator as well as a creature. As the latter, he cannot alter or change any of the effects of his creation; but as the former, he can alter and change and even abolish the effects of his own creation, for as the creator, (he) is greater than the things that he created - although these things of his own creation have held him in bondage and unhappiness, to a more or less extent, ever since he became their creator. The strength of this apparent paradox is that the creator, man, has for all these long centuries believed it and submitted to his creations and still does so.

So what is the remedy?

Simply this: man must awaken to the fact that he is greater than his creatures; that they are subject to his will, and that whenever, by their existence and workings, they bring discord and unhappiness, and cause his will to be exercised in opposition to the Will of the Father, then they must be destroyed and never be permitted to come into existence again. Let men become the masters of their creatures, and obedient to the great Will of their Creator, and they will realize that sin and error and unhappiness will disappear, and their natural love will come into harmony with the Laws of its creation, and earth will indeed become a Heaven, and the brotherhood of man established on earth.

If men will only think and - thinking - believe that all sin and error and the resulting unhappiness and sorrow in the world are children of their own creation, and not the children of God, and that in the economy of His universe, He leaves the control and management and even the existence of these children to the will of their parents; they will understand why evil exists, why wars and hatred and misery continue on earth to blight the lives and happiness of mortals; and why, as some say, and especially the so-called Christians, God permits all these things to exist and flourish and apparently contradict the great truth - that He is good and the fountainhead of all goodness.

The universe and the inhabitants thereof and the greatest production of His power - man - were all created by God; but sin and error and their awful followings are the creatures of man. The Laws of His universe work in harmony, and all is good; and even the apparent in-harmony, which man has created, does not affect that great harmony, but is confined in its workings to man, himself. Only man is apparently in in-harmony, and that is caused by man, himself.

Suppose, for a moment, that man's will was working in accord with that of the Father; can you imagine that there would be any of these creatures of man's perverted will in existence? Would there be any evil or hatred or disease or suffering known to the consciousness of man? I tell you, no.

Now I say man, their creator, must destroy these inharmonious creatures. Man must kill and bury deep and forever these children of the perverted exercise of his will, and until then, sin and error and all their concomitants will continue to live and flourish and torment their creator.

And I say here with all emphasis and with a full realization of the great significance and responsibility in the sight of God, which I assume in saying it, that man can destroy these bastard creatures of his will so perverted and discordant. His natural love, if permitted to assert its God-given powers and functions, is sufficient to bring his will in accord with that of the Father and turn his thoughts away from these children of his, and to make him conscious of purity and truth. The dead desires and dead appetites will bury their dead children, and man will come into his own again.

But then comes the question, "How is man to accomplish this great end, so devoutly to be wished for?"

Well, it is late now, and I will write upon this important feature of this development of his natural love in my next message. So with all my love I will say good night.

Your brother in Christ,
Luke

Professor Joseph Salyards Writes that Law is the Unchangeable Factor in Determining the Status of People on Earth and Spirits

January 21, 1916
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Prof. Salyards.

I am here and I have waited a long time for you to give me the opportunity to write and now I fear it is too late to write as I desired to do. I was not with you and, of course, do not know why you did not come earlier, but I suppose you had some good reason for not doing so and, hence, I make no complaint at the delay.

Well, do you think that we had better try to write tonight? Under that condition, I will try to give you my ideas on a certain topic which I have had under consideration for some time, intending to give you the results at the first opportunity, and I hope that I may be able to do so in an intelligent manner.

I desire to write you about the importance of learning that Law is the unchangeable factor in determining the status of men on earth and spirits in this life. And when I speak of Law, I mean the Law established by God at the time of the creation of man and, which ever since that time has been in continuous unchangeable existence operating upon the same condition of facts at all times in the same way and producing the same results.

I have been in the spirit world now for some years and from having given considerable of my time to the study of these Laws and their influences and dominating effect upon mankind in their relationship to one another and to God, my investigation has resulted in the discovery of many important truths, which men should know and attempt to apply the benefits of to themselves and to their relation to one another as members of society.

First, let me say that, in compliance with these Laws, men should observe the rights and duties which all men possess and are under obligation to perform to one another and to try with all their best efforts to understand. There are many of these Laws operating upon these rights and duties of men, and to know them men are obliged to study first the rights of others and then the rights of themselves and in applying these laws, the rights of the former are of no greater importance than the rights of the latter, for these rights are correlative and an understanding of these rights is necessary in order for men to understand the relative duties resting upon them.

I feel that this subject is one that is in its nature very dry, yet it is of no less importance to the well being of man than are many truths of much seeming greater importance. These Laws are, I know, to a very large extent, not comprehended by men nor are these rights that I speak of, yet, if men will only attempt to get into the right attunement with the Father, they can understand the Laws and the rights and duties without much fear of making mistakes in their comprehensions.

I will not tonight go into great detail because it would require too long a writing, and I merely write in this general way as a preliminary to what I desire to write hereafter on the subject indicated. So if I stop now and wait until I have more time for entering into the spirit and heart of my theme, you will not be disappointed. So if you will excuse me, I will stop now.

Your old friend and teacher,
Joseph H. Salyards

Samuel C. Mills, a Former Lawyer, Writes that He is in the Earth Plane but He is Now Learning the Truths that Jesus Taught

December 9, 1915
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, your old friend and brother Lawyer, Samuel C. Mills:

I have been waiting for some time to have an opportunity to write to you, as I have so often waited and seen other spirits write their messages. Yes, your band, or rather that beautiful wife of yours, told the Indian Guide that I should write, and he consented. He seems to take a great interest in you and is protecting you from the harmful spirits.

Well, I am in what is called the earth plane and I am not very happy, as I have my recollections of so many things that I did on earth which were contrary to the laws of God, and for which I am now suffering some. But I have been fortunate enough to have the help of some very loving and beautiful spirits, who seem to take so much interest in me and in showing me the way to progress out of my darkness and sufferings.

While on earth I was not a very religious man, yet I always reverenced God and things pertaining to religion and believed that there was a better place for those who were truly good to go to.

Of course, in the short time that I have been here, I have learned a number of truths, and as I am very anxious to get out of my condition of darkness, I made a great effort to believe what these good spirits said to me and to learn all that I could about these truths.

I am now believing that Jesus is the saviour of us all by his teachings and love and the great influence he has with the Father.

You certainly are a favored man to be able to receive all these communications from the high spirits who come to you. When on earth I never believed in spiritualism, and I certainly would not have believed that Jesus and his Apostles would write to you, as I now see them do. But how limited is our earth knowledge of these things that pertain to the spirit or, as some say, the unseen world. The opportunities here to learn the truths are so much greater than on earth, if the spirit really desires and makes the effort to learn.

I thank you very much for having permitted me to write and renew my acquaintance. It is a glorious thing to be able to do this, and know, as I know, that only a thin veil of flesh separates mortals from their loved ones. I will not impose longer tonight, but will say with my best love,

I am your old friend and brother,
Samuel C. Mills