Jesus Writes on the Importance of Knowing the Way to the Celestial Kingdom and the Plan of Salvation

October 18, 1919
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Jesus.

Let me write a few lines for I must tell you of an important truth that is necessary for men to know in order to reach the Celestial Kingdom, and a knowledge of the plan of salvation.

I know that the Bible contains many sayings attributed to me in reference to this plan, and many of my alleged sayings are believed in by those who claim to be Christians, which are not true, for I never said them and they are contrary to what I received from the Father as to the true plan of men's redemption from sin, and as to the only way, by which, they can obtain the true at-onement with the Father and a knowledge of their own immortality.

Many of these sayings were written by men who knew not the only way to a oneness with the Father, and were the results of the teachings of the manuscripts that then existed and were received by the Jews as the revelations of Moses, and of many of the prophets who had no knowledge of the Divine Love or of its rebestowal upon humanity. These men made me say those things that accorded with their ideas of what was necessary to a salvation or possibility of their becoming at-one with me and with the Father, and in writing their ideas confused the truth with what they supposed was the truth as contained in the Old Testament; and much harm has been done by attributing many of these sayings to me, because of the supposed authority that is thereby attached to them.

My disciples never taught and never understood that their salvation, or that of any man, depended upon faith in me as the son of God or that I, the mere Jesus, had in me any virtue to forgive sin or to ensure an entrance into the true Kingdom of God or that, I, as the man Jesus, was a son of God in the sense that the Bible teaches. They knew that the Father had revealed to me the truth, and that I had in me that Love, which to a large extent made me like unto and at-one with the Father; that my teachings of the rebestowal of the Divine Love was true and that when they, or any man, should possess this Love to the extent of that possession, they would become at-one with the Father, and also with me, who possessed it to a greater degree than any man. I say, they knew this and taught it to the people as I had taught it to them; but when the compilers of the present New Testament came to declare my sayings and teachings, they knew not of this Love and, hence, could not understand what many of my true expressions meant and gave them an interpretation so far as my real sayings were concerned, that would comply with their knowledge.

No, I am not correctly quoted in many of these sayings, and I may say in the large majority of them, for when they were written, as now contained in the New Testament, men had lost the knowledge of their true meaning, and out of their own minds recorded that which they thought was what I had really said.

I do not see how these false sayings can be corrected, except to take each saying and show, by its incompatibility with what I now say, its falsity. This would take too much time and expend much energy that could the better be employed in declaring what the truth actually is. But this I will say that whenever these sayings impart that I claim to be God, or that I could or did forgive men of their sins, or that whatsoever should be asked of the Father in my name would be received, are all untrue and has greatly misled the true seeker of knowledge of Immortality.

My disciples were close to me and understood better my sayings than all others, and yet they did not understand all the truth, and left the mortal life with many expectations that were not fulfilled and in the very nature of the same could not be fulfilled. They were in certain non-essentials influenced in their beliefs and expectations by their training in the teachings of these Old Testament manuscripts and were very largely Jews in belief when they died. They understood the vital things that determined their relationship to God and to their existence in the future world, but as to many of the non-essentials, they retained the faith of their fathers and were not able to receive all the truth, which I could have taught them.

I must not linger to correct these alleged sayings of mine, but must occupy my time and yours in declaring and revealing the Truth as it exists now and existed then, and you and the world may know that wherever and whenever these Bible sayings of mine conflict with what I have written and shall write you, they are untrue and were never said by me. Thus, in this general way, I will make plain to men that the Bible must not, in all particulars, be relied on or believed in as containing the Truth or my declarations of the Truth.

I will soon come and write a message on a vital truth and hope that you will be in condition to receive it. I will now say good night and God bless your efforts and keep you safely in His care.

Your brother and friend,
Jesus

Dr. Arbelee's Father Writes a Message to His Son About Divine Love and Life in the Spirit World

April 24, 1919
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, your father.

Let me write for I desire to tell my son (Dr. Arbelee) that I am with him in his sickness and am trying to help him and make him feel that there is more in life than the merely physical living.

I know that he has often felt that I am with him in my love and desire to help and encourage him in his afflictions, and his feelings are true, for with me there has never ceased to be the love and affections that were mine when in the flesh, and so long as he shall remain a mortal my love and care will be with him in all their fullness.

I am in the spirit world, which is very close to his world and am not very different from what I was when on earth, except that now I have not a fleshly body and cares and distractions of my physical living to disturb my happiness. I am in the Fifth Sphere, where all is so beautiful and bright, and where the Love of the Father is so abundant that we are happy all the time and enjoy that bliss which Jesus told his followers was in store for them when they should give up the ghost and enter into their rest, which is a rest in action and work.

I was with you last night when the gentlemen called (Mr. Padgett) and explained to you the truths of the existence of a soul that has been transformed by the Love of the Father and brought into at-onement with Him, and I want you to believe in this Great Love. Your days on earth, at the longest, will be very short and then you will have to come to the spirit world and leave behind you all the ambitions and accumulations of your earth life, and if you have not laid up your treasures in Heaven, you will be very poor indeed. Oh my son, realize that the pleasures and desires and efforts of earth life are but fleeting and for a moment only, and that then comes the great problem of living in eternity, and that the thoughts and deeds of that earthly existence comes with you to condemn or make you happy.

The great law of "whatsoever a man sows, that shall he reap" is in full force and exacts every part of the penalty that the life of a man for good or evil imposes upon him. There is no exception to the workings of this law and the full penalty must be paid until forgiveness comes, and then the demand ceases, and the soul emerges from its condition of suffering and darkness, a purified and redeemed soul. But forgiveness is not the mere release from or remission of these penalties, by the mere arbitrary dictum of God, as you are so often taught by the preachers, but it is forgetfulness.

That is forgetfulness - an oblivion as it were - of the acts and deeds that bring into operation the great law, and men when they become spirits must work into this forgetfulness in a slow and laborious manner. I say men must work, for on themselves depends to a large extent, their own redemption. No miracle will be performed, for as is said, the mills of the gods grind true but they grind exceeding small, and the spirit will have to pay the last penalty; and this must be so, as you will readily see, for the soul must in order to get into the condition of harmony with the laws of God, become purified and relieved of everything that would make it inharmonious. No soul can live in a purer state than its own qualities possess. And here let me say that no mere belief or sacraments or observance of church dogmas can bring about this purification. It is a work within the soul, and man must do the work.

Now, my son, I write all this to show you how inexorable is this great law of which the Master spoke when on earth, and which in its exactions never change. It has no mercy and admits of no shortcut to the goal of the purified soul. How few of mortals really understand the workings of this law, but in a careless and complacent manner depend upon the forgiveness of priests and preachers and the mysterious workings of some assurances of the church's dogmas.

So you will see the necessity for men to commence as early as possible to practice the renunciation and turning away from these things that contaminate and defile the soul; but, alas, as their lives on earth continue, most men, instead of renouncing these things, accumulate and add to them and come to the spirit world all burdened and filled with thoughts and acts that defile. And as they are the accumulations of many years of earth life, so many years will be required for these men, when they become spirits, to get rid of these things and false hopes and beliefs will not help them in the slightest, but frequently seem only to retard the purification of their souls.

If this were men's destiny, implacable and irrevocable, men would be in an almost hopeless and unforgiven condition. Indeed, forgetfulness would come only in a slow and sinuous way, and they would shed many tears and suffer much groaning before they could feel themselves forgiven. And this will be the lot of most men, but in the end forgetfulness will come and they will find happiness.

But my son, thanks be to God, the Father of us all, there is another provision of the Father which exists and is freely given to all men who will seek for it, and that is the Divine Love of the Father, in which are forgetfulness and mercy and oblivion of the thoughts and acts of earth, and which is greater than the great Law of Compensation, of which I have just written. When this Love comes into the soul of man, with it comes forgetfulness, which is the only forgiveness in the economy of God, and the demands of the Law of Compensation cease, and the soul becomes freed from the law. As Paul has said, then is a man without the law.

And with this Love comes a happiness and joy that no man can conceive of, and the possessor of it knows that he has become a part of God's divinity and immortality. Now, this Love does not come all at once in its fullness, but as a still small voice, it tenderly and timidly answers the call of the heart that cries for it in earnestness and faith, and as it is nurtured it grows stronger and more soul-possessing, and makes its presence felt to the supplicant. Unless it is earnestly sought for, it never comes into the soul but passes by unseen and in silence because the soul will not seek its possession.

You, my son, heard the way in which it may be obtained, and I urge upon you, with all your strength and longings of soul, to seek for it, and if you do, it will not refuse to enter into your soul, and you will know it, and then your start will be made not only towards forgiveness and forgetfulness - but towards the transformation of your soul into the very Love and Essence of the Father, and a progress that will last through all eternity.

I am the possessor of that Love and know whereof I speak, and to me comes the great assurance of a life continuous and never dying, filled with the bliss of angels and the joy of a redeemed soul. Oh, I do so much want you to obtain this Love and become one of us, who know that when death left us life took its place, bringing to us a knowledge that immortality was ours.

Well my son, I must stop writing. I have written in this way because I am more interested in your immortal soul than I am in your mere physical body, which will perish and be no more. But the soul, the great wanting, loving, hating, happy, suffering thing that it is!

I will be with you very often in my love and try to help you, and if you will think of me intently, I will impress you with my presence. I must stop now as the rapport is weakening. Good night,

Your father,
Arbelee

**********

Helen affirms that the father of Dr. Arbelee wrote to him, giving advice.

I am here, your own true and loving Helen:

Well dear, I am glad that you received a letter from the father of the sick man. He wanted so much to write and was here ready to do so as soon as you gave him the opportunity. He is a spirit who is in Fifth Sphere and has in his soul much of the Divine Love, and is so anxious that his son shall receive the benefit of the Great Gift of the Father and live the life that only those who know what Heavenly joy and immortality is. He was very thankful that he could write and he says that sometime he wants to come and write of his experience in becoming awakened to the truth of God's Love and his acceptance as one of his children.

So love us all and believe that we love you. Good night,


Your own true and loving,
Helen

George Butler Writes of His Progress From the Hells to the Third Sphere

March 15, 1919
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, George Butler.

I would like to write a few lines tonight, if you are agreeable. A long time ago I wrote you describing my condition and that of the hells in which I was then living, and you were kind enough to help me and bring me in association with some bright spirits who were willing to show me the way out of my awful condition, and who since that time have been helping me with their love and sympathy and prayers; and now I am happy to tell you that I have gotten out of my darkness and am progressing towards the heavens, which a development and transformation of the soul by the inflowing of the Divine Love leads to.

Tonight, I desire to express to you my thankfulness and gratitude for the great service you did me and to say that in all the spirit world, there is not one who feels more conscious of the truth which your advice leads to in the salvation of his soul and the redemption from an existence of darkness and suffering, than do I.

I cannot convey to you any conception of what this redemption means to me, or of the wonderful difference of condition in a soul that has experienced the possession of this Love, and one that remains in ignorance of the blessings that it confers. What I wrote you then, I now repeat, that the hell of a soul which is all tainted and permeated with the results of an earth life of sin and error is wholly true and the contrast between souls in the two states of existence is impossible of description.

When you spoke to me of the probability of my release from the hells and told me that this Great Love would work out my deliverance, I confess that I had very little faith in what you told me, and thought that you were trying to impose on me some of the old nonsensical beliefs of your church doctrines, of which I had heard a great deal when on earth; and when the bright spirits came to me and confirmed what you had said and offered their services in accordance with what you had advised me was the certain way to my obtaining a new state of living, I thought that it was an illusion or delusion, and that no results could possibly come to me by pursuing the course that they told me would surely lead to a change of my condition. But they were so earnest and so anxious that I should listen to them and seemed to have so much love for me and my welfare, which was a new experience for me since I had been in hells that I commenced to think that such evidence of friendship and anxiety for my betterment must have some foundation of truth, and that I would not lose anything by heeding their advice and making the effort to pursue the way pointed out to me.

And so I commenced to pray for the Love, and they prayed with me, and in a little while their Father appeared to me in a new light - not just real, but as something that might have a potential existence. I continued to pray and listen to their prayers, and my emotions were aroused, and I felt a kind of happiness that I had not before felt, and a feeling of hope that there might be some efficacy in their prayers, but had not much faith in my own; and notwithstanding my incredulity, I realized that I felt better in the atmosphere of their presence and in the influence that their prayers seemed to bring around me. They were very kind and sympathetic, and so wonderfully patient, and impressed me with the feeling that my soul's salvation, as they termed it, and the deliverance of me from my unhappy and suffering condition were to them matters of personal interest and importance; and, of course, with such feelings I soon commenced to think that if these beautiful spirits could have such interest in me, I should have interest in myself sufficient to earnestly seek for the relief that I so much needed.

Well, I then put more desire and longings in my prayers and tried to look upon their Father, as possibly my Father also, and so my longings became more real and intense. I prayed and called upon the Father to give me this Love and to cause me to have faith in prayer and in the Being to whom my prayers were offered. I will not tell you how earnestly I continued to pray and how the first faint realization of the answer came to me and with it the consciousness of a hope that might be fulfilled. After a while, this Love came to me and with it a feeling of happiness that I had never conceived of, and also the conviction that these spirits were showing and helping me on the true way to a redemption of soul and body, also, for as you may know, I had then and have now a body more substantial and real than the one which I possessed when on earth.

I will not here describe my progress or the different experiences that I had, nor the faith nor doubts that came to me in succession. I persisted, with the encouragement of these spirits, and after awhile found myself out of the darkness and sufferings and the hells, real and terrible, and an inhabitant of a brighter sphere and in the association of brighter spirits, who, though not like the beautiful spirits who had so lovingly worked with me, yet, were very different from those whom I had left in the darkness and the hells.

I am now in the Third Sphere, and if I had the time, or rather if I felt justified in consuming your time, I would describe to you as best I could, what this sphere is, and the wonderful beauty and happiness that belongs to it. Sometime, I hope to have the opportunity to attempt to portray the wonders of this sphere, and more particularly of my home and surroundings.

Tonight, as I have said, I merely desire to express to you my gratitude and to assure you of the truth and the results of what you told me was the true way to light and happiness. Never through all eternity shall I forget your kindness and the great help that you gave me, nor shall I cease to remember you in my prayers to the Father, whom I now know is a true, real, existing and loving Father. Oh, the difference in the condition of the Butler in hell and the Butler who is now writing you is beyond all description, and this Love, which is the greatest thing in all the universe and the greatest gift to mortals, is the cause thereof.

I must stop writing, although I should like to write longer, for I have already intruded too long. So remember my gratitude, and also that I am now a very happy

George Butler

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

Jesus Writes about After Death, the Judgment. What it is and what it is not.

February 25, 1918
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Jesus.

I am here and desire to write a few lines in reference to the "Great Day of Judgment," of which the preacher and teachers of theological things write so often. I know that the Bible, or rather some of the books, lay great stress upon this day when, as they claim, God will pour out His vials of wrath upon the ungodly and condemn them to an eternity of punishment.

There is, as you know, very great and diverse opinions among these learned men as to what is the meaning and significance of this day of judgment, and when, in a chronological point of view, it will take place; and all these varied opinions have many students and teachers who embrace and proclaim them to the world as being true and free from doubt.

Well, it is certain that all men must die and there will come the judgment, and that which follows the death is just as certain as is the death itself, and just as reasonable as is the following of any cause by an effect. So men should have no difficulty in believing in the judgment as a fact that cannot be avoided, just as death cannot be avoided.

But the word and the fact, "judgment," when used as an effect or following of death, may have many meanings in the opinions and understandings of many men, depending upon what men may believe as to things that are called religious or scientific or philosophical.

To the ultra-orthodox this term "judgment" means and necessarily comprehends the active pronouncement of a sentence by God, because of and determined by their lives and thoughts while living in the mortal life, irrespective of any of His general laws and the workings thereof. God is Himself the judge - personal and present - and by Him in this capacity are each man's life and works known and digested and made the basis of the sentence that He must pronounce in each individual case. God keeps the record of all of these acts of men, or, if man is conceded to be his own record-keeper, his records are, or will be, at the time of the great assemblage for judgment, opened up or brought into view so that nothing can be lost; and then, upon this record men will be sent to eternal happiness or to everlasting punishment or, as some believe, to destruction or annihilation.

Others, not orthodox, who believe in the survival of the soul and the continuing memories of the acts and thoughts of men, teach that the judgment will follow death as a natural consequence of the operations of the Law of Cause and Effect; and the effect cannot be escaped from until, in some way, there comes to the consciousness of men a realization that the effect in their suffering has satisfied the cause and that there is nothing mysterious or unnatural in the appearance and workings of the judgment. They do not believe that God by any special interposition or personal punishing will pronounce the judgment, or determine the merits or demerits of the one called to judgment.

Besides these views, there are others extant and believed in, but the two that I have mentioned are principle ones and are sufficient to show what the large majority of thinking or rather believing men conclude the term judgment as used in the Bible should mean or be understood to mean.

Well, the judgment of the human soul is an important accompaniment of the human life, both in the flesh and in the spirit world, and as regards the questions and punishments, hardly anything demands more of the thought and consideration of men, for it is a certainty that beliefs, true or false, he cannot avoid them. Judgment as certainly follows what men call death as does night the day, and no philosophy or theological dogmas or scientific determinations can alter the fact, or in any way change the character or exact workings of this judgment.

But judgment is not a thing belonging exclusively to the after-death period or condition, for it is present and operating with men from the time that they become incarnated in the human until they become disincarnate, and thereafter continuously until the causes of effects have been satisfied and there remains nothing to be judged, which happy ending is also a fact - for all men are dependent upon their progress towards the conditions of harmony with the laws that make effective as well as pronounce the judgments. While on earth these laws operate and continuously man is being judged for the causes that he starts into existence, and the after-death judgment is only a continuation of the judgment received by men while on earth.

Of course, men may not know this. These judgments, or the effects thereof, become more intensified after men have gotten rid of the influences of the flesh existence, and they become spirits having only the spirit qualities. And because of this fact, men must understand and try to realize that the expression: "After death, the judgment," has a greater significance and is of more vital importance than the saying that: "Judgment is with men all during their mortal lives."

After death, the causes of the in-harmony with the law becomes more pronounced and appear in the true meaning and force and, consequently, as this is true, the effects become more intensified and understood, and men suffer more and realize the darkness, and sometimes the gross darkness, that these effects produce. The in-harmony appears in its unclothed and unhidden reality, and the Law's workings bring to men the exact penalties that their violations demand.

Man is his own bookkeeper, and in his memory are recorded all the thoughts and deeds of his earth life that are not in accord with the harmony of God's Will, which is expressed or manifested by His Laws. The judgment is not the thing of a day or a time, but is never ceasing so long as there exists that upon which it can operate, and it diminishes in proportion as the causes of in-harmony disappear.

God is not present in wrath demanding as does the human who believes himself to have been injured demanding reparation by the one causing the injury. No, the Father is present only in love, and as the soul of the one undergoing the penalty, which his own deeds and thoughts have imposed upon him comes more in harmony with the Father's Will, He, as you mortals say, is pleased. Never an angry God rejoicing in the satisfaction of a penalty being paid by one of His erring children, but always a loving Father rejoicing in the redemption of His children from a suffering that a violation of the laws of harmony exacts with certitude.

Then, as I say, the judgment day is not a special time when all men must meet in the presence of God, and have their thoughts and deeds weighed in the balance, and then, according as they are good or evil, have the sentence of an angry, or even just God pronounced upon them. The judgment day is every day, both in the earth life of man and in life in the spirit, where the Law of Compensation is working. In the spirit world, time is not known and every breathing is a part of eternity, and with every breathing so long as the Law requires, comes the judgment, continued and unsatisfied, until man, as a spirit reaches that condition of harmony, so that for him no longer the Law demands a judgment.

But from what I have written, men must not suppose, or beguile themselves into that state of belief that will cause them to think that because there is no special day of judgment when God will pronounce His sentence, the judgment, therefore, is not so much to be dreaded or shunned. No, this state of thinking will palliate only for the moment, for the judgment is certain, and is and will be no less to be dreaded, because the immutable law demands exact restoration instead of an angry God.

No man who has lived and died has escaped, and no man who shall hereafter die can escape this judgment unless he has, in a way provided by the Father in His love, become in harmony with the laws requiring harmony. "As a man soweth so shall he reap" is as true as is the fact that the sun shines upon the just and the unjust alike. Memory is man's storehouse of good and evil, and memory does not die with the death of the man's physical body, but on the contrary, becomes more alive - all alive - and nothing is left behind or forgotten when the spirit man casts off the encumbrance and the benumbing and deceiving influences of the only body of man that was created to die.

Judgment is real, and men must come to it face-to-face, and want of belief or unbelief or indifference or the application to mens lives of the saying "sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof" will not enable men to avoid the judgment or the exactions of its demands.

There is a way, though, in which men may turn the judgment of death into the judgment of life - in-harmony into harmony - suffering into happiness - and judgment itself into a thing to be desired. Elsewhere we have written of this way open to all men, and I will not attempt to describe it here. I have written enough for tonight. You are tired and must not be drawn on further. So with my love I will say good night.

Your brother and friend,
Jesus

George Whitefield Writes the Great World Teacher Will be the Master Again Come to Earth in the Form of His Divine Revelations

October 11, 1917
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

Let me write a line or two. I have been present with you since you returned from the church and have listened to your conversation. I was with you tonight at the prayer meeting and heard what the preacher (Dr. Gordon) said, and was particularly interested in his ideas about the coming of the great world teacher, and saw that his idea of what constituted greatness in this particular arose from his estimate of human greatness.

The teacher will not be a great preacher, or a magnificent specimen of physical development, or a man with a wonderful voice, but a man who can reveal to the world the Truths of the Father regarding the relationship of man to the Father and the plan provided for the redemption and reconciliation of man to the Father.

It is a fact, and I know whereof I write, that the regeneration of the human soul is caused more by the quiet meditations of mortals of the truths of the Father and by the silent longings of the soul than by the emotions that arise from the fervid and persuasive sermons of the preachers and evangelists. These latter may arouse the dead souls to a realization of their need of a reconciliation to God, but not so often do these emotions bring the soul into rapport or unison with the Father, as do the silent meditations of which I speak.

There must be the true soul longings and aspirations for this Love of the Father, and in such cases these longings do not arise from the emotions produced, as I have mentioned, and especially where such emotions are the results of fear created by the picturing of an angry and revengeful God.

No, in the silence of the home chamber, where the mortal is, as it were, alone with God and lets his longings go to the Father for the bestowal of His Love. Because of the love that the mortal may have for the Father, does this Divine Love come in response and regenerating power. Only the mortal and God need be alone.

Excitement or the magnetism, which the preacher may give to the mortal, does not create the true longings or aspirations, and for the preacher to suppose that the great world teacher must be a man with this great personal magnetism or with a voice that can cause the feelings of the mortal to vibrate with emotion or excitement, is a mistake. Jesus when on earth, I am told, never tried to create emotion or excitement in this manner, but his teachings were as the still small voice that enters the soul and draws it to a contemplation of the Father's Love in all the power of a soul's longings - hungry and craving.

So I say, the preacher's conception of this teacher was not a true one, and besides, while there will be a revelation of the truth, there will be no world teacher, but only a revealer of truths that will be disclosed. The Master, himself, will be the great teacher come again to earth in the form of his Revelations.

I wish that I could come and proclaim these truths, but I cannot, and only through the instrumentality of a human can my thoughts be made known, and they will not be my thoughts either, any more than will they be the thoughts of the mortal, because what I may attempt to impress upon the minds and consciousness of men will be only those truths that I have learned from the same source as will come the Revelations.

Of course, these truths will have to be preached and taught to men, but this will not be done by any great teacher, but by many preachers who shall learn the truth from what the Master shall disclose; and no man of himself will be able to claim to be the great teacher. The greatest will be those who shall have the most of the Divine Love in their souls and the greatest knowledge of the truths.

I also heard the preacher say that he would believe in any truths that might be confirmed by miracles, such as were performed in the time of Jesus - the instantaneous healing, etc. Well, you need not be surprised of such a demonstration, for it will surely take place. When a man shall receive in his soul sufficient amount of the Divine Love, there will come with it to that man a power and knowledge of the laws governing the relation of spirit to material organism that will enable that man to perform these same acts that are called miracles; and further, there will be some who will have that power and will demonstrate the same in confirmation of the truths that you are receiving.

The spirits who are now working to make known to man and convince them of these truths have determined that such so-called miracles shall take place in confirmation of the New Revealment. The Master is the leader in the movement and he will not cease to bring about this great demonstration, or rather not cease to work to this end, and he will not fail, if the human agents will follow his leading.

Well, I must not write more tonight, but as I am interested in this great work and saw that the preacher's conception of this great world teacher is incorrect, I deemed it wise to write you as I have; and what I have written is not the result of my individual belief or opinion, but the result of what these high spirits have determined shall come to pass; and back of it all is the will and help of the Father, for in His Love and Mercy He desires to see all men become His true children and redeemed from the sins and evils of their present human condition.

So with my love and as a co-worker, I will say good night and subscribe myself,

Your brother in Christ,
George Whitefield

**********

Helen Padgett comments on message from Whitefield.

I am here, your own true and loving Helen.

Well, dear, I see that you have had a very happy evening and it is not to be wondered at, for there were many spirits present filled with the Love of the Father and throwing around you their influence. Whitefield also wrote you and he was very much in earnest in what he wrote, and what he said is true, and you can place the utmost confidence in the truth of what he wrote you.

As he said, we all say, the only great world teacher will be the Master, and his teachings will be through the messages that you receive. There will be a great responsibility in disseminating these truths and, thus, making known to the world not only the truth but the identity of the Great Teacher. It is not reasonable for men to believe that any mere man can possibly be such a teacher as the preacher referred to, for only he who has the truth can teach the same, and no man in all the world has this truth and will not have it, except as he may learn the same from the Revelations of the Master.

I know that it is difficult for you to believe that this can possibly be, but it is not the miracle, as you call it, for that is the transformation of the human soul into the Divine Soul, which is the result of the Power of the Holy Spirit in its operations. No, the miracle, the great miracle is the changing of the human into the Divine.

Good night my dear husband.

Your own true and loving,
Helen

Mother of Rev. Mitchell Writes that Her Son Preached of the Divine Love of the Father and the Work of the Holy Spirit

July 29, 1917
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Mrs. Mitchell.

Let me say only a word. I was present at church this morning and heard my son's sermon and was so happy that he preached of the Divine Love of the Father and the work of the Holy Spirit. It made me think that the Truths of God's Love and man's redemption are becoming a part of his soul's knowledge.

There were many spirits present and many were affected by the sermon and turned their thoughts to this Love of the Father that had never before been preached to them.

I have great hope that my son will receive the truths that have been revealed to you in their fullness, and thereby receive to a greater degree of this transformation of his soul into the very Essence of the Father. I thank you for your kindness and will not write more. So with my love I will say good night.

Your sister in Christ,
Mother of Rev. Mitchell, Methodist

**********

Helen confirms that the preacher's Mother was very happy because her son will put away his dogmatic beliefs.

I am here, your own true and loving, Helen.

Well dear, you have received a message from the preacher's mother (Mrs. Mitchell) who was so anxious to write. She is very happy and believes that her son will have an awakening to the truth and put aside his dogmatic beliefs.

I was with you at church and was very happy, because I saw that you were happy. The Master was there as you realized in all his love and soothing influence and was pleased that the preacher delivered the sermon as he did. Many of the audience were affected by what was said and their souls responded to the truths told them by the preacher, and they experienced a feeling of Love that made them happy.

I see that you are sleepy and I will not write more. Only continue to think of these spiritual things and pray to the Father, and you will find the Love increasing more and more in your soul. So love me and believe that I love you. Good night, my dear one.

Your own true and loving,
Helen

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

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

I am here, Kate Stone.

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

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

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

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

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

Your sister in Christ,
Kate

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Your brother in Christ,
James, Brother of John

**********

Helen confirms James' Message

I am here, your own true and loving Helen.

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

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

Helen

Edwin Forrest Writes that He is out of Darkness and in the Light of Love

February 27, 1917
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, your old friend, Edwin Forrest.

Let me say just a word. I merely want to say that I am progressing and am out of my darkness and in the light of love, for I have been praying since you last heard from me and have had the prayers of many of the bright spirits ascending to the Father for me.

Well, Ned, I never thought that all this happiness could possibly come to me for, as you know, when I came to the spirit world ,I was sinful and all ignorant of the great Love and found myself in darkness and suffering, and why God should have been so good to me, I cannot understand. But this I do know, that if it had not been for your spirit friends and especially your wife, I would have remained a long time in my darkness and soul slumber. But, thanks to you, I had the benefit of their love and kindness and prayers, so that I am now on the way to the higher spheres that she tells me of.

I sometimes come to you at the office and see just what your condition is, and think that I am somewhat responsible for the same, and know that I am, and I cannot tell you how I regret what took place, and try to help you with all my powers. And I want to say to you to keep up your courage for you have many powerful spirits working for you, and I know that they will soon cause a change in the condition of your affairs.

I also know that you are rich in this Love for these spirits all tell me that you have received it to a large degree, and are doing a great work among spirits, and this I know, and are also preparing the way for bringing to humanity the truths that will give to men a knowledge of the Love and plans of the Father for their redemption. It may seem a little strange to you that I should write in this way, and I hardly know myself when I realize what I was such a short time ago, and what I am now.

Very soon now, I shall go to my mother and try to help her, as I have told you I intend to do, and I pray that I may succeed. It is all so wonderful to me that sometimes I think that I must be dreaming, but of course I awaken to the fact that my experience is true, and that this Love is a real thing, and that all my spirit friends are real.

Yes, I see Lipscomb sometimes, but I cannot tell you that he is any better. He seems satisfied with his condition, and it is hard to talk to him for he has not lost the characteristics that he had on earth. He still thinks that he knows it all, and that the life he is leading is more desirable than the one that I try to tell him of.

Miller is still in darkness, though he listens to us at times and makes the effort to realize the truth of what we say to him, but he seems to be unable to comprehend the truths that we try to tell him. We are working with him and will do so, so long as he will let us try to help him. Well, your wife says that you are tired, and I will stop.

So good night.

Your old friend,
Forrest

St. Luke Writes Further on "It is hard to learn of Heavenly things in Hell"

January 8, 1917
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here St. Luke.

I want to write a few lines upon a subject that may be of interest to you both. You have remarked upon the expression obtained in the letter that you have just received that: "It is hard to learn of Heavenly things in Hell." It is a statement in a succinct way of a great truth and one, if it were known and fully appreciated by mortals, it would cause them to realize the necessity of thinking and learning of these Heavenly things while on earth.

I know that many say, they will not believe in the orthodox Hell, or in the necessity of troubling themselves about the future, or that they will take their chance in the hereafter, if there be one. If these persons could realize the meaning of such a course of life, they would not leave their future to chance, but would, while on earth, seek for these Heavenly things and make a start for the realization of these things now and not wait until they had left the form of flesh.

They say that a just God will not punish them by condemning them to eternal torment, and they are correct; and while this just God does not condemn them at all, yet they are condemned by a law that is just as invariable as is the Love of that God, and that law brings its certain punishment, even though it may not be eternal. But it is certain, and upon the spirit itself depends very largely its duration.

If the spirit finds itself in that condition that it cannot make a start towards its redemption until a long time after its coming into the spirit world, then that punishment will longer continue; and, if the start depends, as it does very frequently, upon the ability and capacity of the spirit to receive and understand those things that will start it upon its progress, then many spirits will remain for years and years in the condition in which they find themselves when they first come to their homes in the hells. There is nothing in these places to induce or help the understanding of these Heavenly things but, on the contrary, everything to prevent and obstruct such understanding; even hopelessness and beliefs in an eternity of punishment and, frequently, want of knowledge that there is any other or better place than where they find themselves.

And I want to say here, that within the spirit there is nothing that has the qualities or powers to start it on a progression, and in this sense, the old Bible expression, "That as a tree falleth, so shall it lie," is true. Even as to the natural love these spirits in the Hells cannot initiate a start towards high thoughts and beliefs, and only when some influence from without comes to them can they have an awakening of their dormant better and true natures, so that their progress may commence. I don't mean by this that it is necessary that some high and spiritual helper shall come to them, but only that some influence from outside of themselves must come in order for them to have an awakening. This influence may be from a spirit* in an apparently similar condition to their own, but which has received some glimpse of uplifting truth that it may convey to the dark brother spirit.

All spirits can help others who are in a lower or more stagnant condition than themselves, and sometimes they do; but the great trouble here is that unless the possibly helping spirits have some desire to benefit their fellow spirits of darkness, they do not try to help, and so as your friend says, "It is hard to learn of Heavenly things in Hell." He realizes that fact fully, and even with the help that has been offered and will be given him, he will find it difficult to make a start. The mortal life is not the only place of probation, but it is the most important place, and the easiest for man to make his start in and understand the beginning of these Heavenly things.

I will not write more now, but will soon come and write a formal message. So with my love to you and friend, I will say to you both: "Have faith and let not doubt come to you as to the Heavenly things that we have written you about." Good night.

Your brother in Christ,
Luke

*Luke: And when I used the term spirit, I mean the soul clothed in a spiritual body.

John Writes that He Has Been Specially Designated to Help and Inspire James E. Padgett

January 5, 1917
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, John.

I merely want to say that you must keep up your courage and belief that everything will be fulfilled as we have promised for while there may appear to be a delay in realizing the things that you desire, yet, they will surely come and you will get what you want and in the condition that you think is necessary to enable you to live the life that will make you able to do the work of the Master without the interference of your earthly affairs.

You may be surprised that I should write in this way, but I am interested particularly in your accomplishing the great mission that has been bestowed upon you, and I want to tell you that I have been specially designated to attend you in the way of a helper and inspirer of those things that will work to the accomplishing of our plans to reveal to mankind the Truths that will cause their salvation and redemption.

I am not given to interfering in material affairs but in your case I see that these things stand in the way of your carrying out our designs and, hence, they must be gotten rid of and I will try as are many others trying to relieve you of these differences. So with all this, you must not suppose that you are not to do your part in accomplishing this end for you must work with us and bend all your efforts to bring about the desired end.

Many here of the high spirits wish to communicate to you and they are waiting for you to get into a condition that will enable them to deliver their messages as they wish to do. Think more of the Father and His Love and of the great privilege that you have in coming in close communion with these high spirits and receiving the benefit of their love and influence; for you are favored in this particular and in love (relying) upon you as our greatest instrument by which we are to accomplish our design and you must not let anything stand in the way of helping us to fulfill our plans.

You will find that you will receive more and more of this Divine Love and a greater soul development as you continue in this work and ultimately you will become a very happy and spiritual man doing much good and will have displayed in you the wonderful powers of the workers of old who lived with the Master and performed many things that were called miracles. So I say, try to realize the importance of the work that you have to do and the powers that will be given you. For I must tell you now that never since the days of the apostles have such honors been given to a man.

Well, I know just how you feel in respect to my prophecies but what I say will become true and you will live to see all these things fulfilled. Not that it is not a part of your work at this time now, you are only to receive these messages and also the wonderful soul development that I speak of for this latter is necessary to your receiving the promise that I speak of as these powers will be entirely things of a spiritual origin and unless you are in condition of soul to receive them, they cannot come into your possession.

After this shall have been accomplished then you will do work of a kind to demonstrate to the world the genuineness of your messages and for this purpose you will do things that by many will be considered miraculous and from them such good will come to man, not only physically but spiritually.

I came to tell you this because I see that the time is here when you must understand and fully appreciate the importance of your work as well as of the relationship that you sustain to God's spiritual instrumentalities in bringing about the great results that we desire and which men so much need. Well, I will not write more now but let me impress upon you the necessity of considering and meditating on what I have written.

Jesus is the one great instrument in doing this work and upon you he depends for that part of the work which belongs to the material. He is with you very often and he loves you with a very deep and lasting love and is exerting his promise to help you and enable you to do his work. And many spirits, both in the Celestial and in the Spiritual Heavens are with you in love and care and are trying to help you both spiritually and individually. So remember this and when you become discouraged think of the fact that you have sustaining you the wonderful love and power of the spirit world and of spirits who are high up in the Celestial Spheres and have more of Divine Love of the Father than have any other spirits in all God's universe.

So with my love and blessing, I am

Your brother in Christ,
John

Martin Luther Writes About the Futility of Religious Ceremonies as Redemption from Sin

June 29, 1916
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Luther.

I desire to write a short message tonight on the subject of: "The observance of the ceremonies which my church still uses in its worship is not approved by God or Jesus." I will not detain you very long and will try to express myself as succinctly as possible.

Well, as you may not know the church of which I am the founder believes and teaches the necessity of infant baptism and the observance of the Lord's Supper as necessary parts of its church doctrine, and of such very great importance that without them it is difficult to become an accepted member of the invisible church of Christ. Nothing is further from the truth than these doctrines for the baptism of infants, for they have no virtue to save one from his sins or to make him in atonement with the Father, and the mere fact that water is sprinkled on an infant's head and some blessing pronounced by the preacher does not in any way bring that infant in unison with the Father.

Baptism is of man's creation and to God it means nothing more than an outward ceremony that affects the infant merely as regards its connection with the established earthly church. It is not possible for this baptism to have any effect upon the soul of the infant and neither does it open up the soul faculties to the inflowing of the Divine Love. God cares not for these ceremonies, and rather looks upon them with disapproval, for their tendency is to make men and women neglectful of the great truth that will bring them in harmony with God's Laws of Love and redemption. And the same thing may be said of any and all kinds of baptism, whether the subject thereof be an infant or a grown man or woman.

As to the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, it has no part in God's plan for the redemption of mankind and it is merely a reminder of the association of Jesus with his disciples. It cannot affect the condition or development of the soul and, as now understood and practiced, this sacrament is of no importance for Jesus does not want to be remembered in the way of recalling to him the tragedy on the cross, which was only the result of the malice and envy of the Jews; and the blood spilt is not an element that enters into the plan of the salvation of men. And besides, with this sacrament there is always more or less worshiping of Jesus as God, which he, Jesus, abhors and looks upon as blasphemy.

So you see, the celebration of the Last Supper is a thing which is not acceptable to God or to Jesus. He does not want men to believe that they can be saved by any sacrifice of him or by any blood which he may have shed as a result of his crucifixion.

Of course, you will remember that the question, of what the wine and bread of the sacrament really were, was one that engendered much controversy and even hatred and ill-feeling on the part of those who were assisting me in the great Reformation. If I had known then what I do now, no such question would have been debated or believed in by me and taught for many years. The blood of Jesus was no more than any other man's blood, and the commemoration of the last supper that Jesus gave his disciples before his death is a useless ceremony and brings no help to those who indulge in this sacrament.

I see that you are tired and sleepy and I will not write more now. So with my love and wishes for an increase in you of the Divine Love, I am

Your brother in Christ,
Luther

Jesus Writes on "What is the correct way in which a man should live the life on earth, in order to receive the cleansing from his sins, so that he can acquire the purification of his natural love?"

June 11, 1916
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Jesus.

I come tonight according to promise and desire to write my message, if you are in condition to receive it.
I wish to write on the subject of: "What is the correct way in which a man should live the life on earth, in order to receive the cleansing from his sins, so that he can acquire the purification of his natural love?"

Heretofore, I have conferred  in my messages almost exclusively to the redemption of the soul by means of the Divine Love, so that the redeemed one may become an inhabitant of the Celestial Spheres. Now I will deal only with that cleansing that will fit him to live in the highest and purest of the spirit spheres, where he can have the happiness which a pure natural love will bring to him.

As has been written you, the soul, as it was created and placed in man, was at the time of its creation in human form, or rather at the time it found a habitation in that form, made pure and perfect and in complete harmony with the Laws of God controlling its existence, and that only after the fall by reason of man's own indulgence in the animal appetites and desires did it lose its purity and become contaminated by sin and error, and that ever since that time it has remained in such condition of impurity and alienship to God and His laws.

This impurity has been the lot of each succeeding generation of men and has never been eradicated from men's souls, notwithstanding all the moral instructions that man has acquired; but still there has been wonderful improvements in the purity of man's thoughts, as well as in his actions and habits of life, since the turning from the bottom of his degeneracy.

Now, there are several ways in which man may succeed in acquiring that purity that existed at the time of the creation of the first man and in time, this consummation will be accomplished; but in these ways man, himself, will have to be an important working factor, for man is the highest of God's creation, with powers and will possessed by no other of God's creatures, and there is no power in Heaven or earth that can or will redeem man from this condition of sin and error, unless man will cooperate in the work and that to the greatest and best of his ability.

These sins that I speak of were created by man's thoughts and desires carried into acts and deeds by the operation of his will, and they must be removed by the same processes. Where the evil thoughts and deeds created that which contaminated and defiled the qualities of his soul, these evil thoughts and deeds must be supplanted by good thoughts and deeds in order that the defilement may be removed and the soul purified.

Evil thoughts are born of suggestions, both inward and outward, and also of the influences of spirits of evil who establish a rapport with the mortals.

Let us postpone the writing for our rapport is not just right. I will come soon and finish.

With all my love, I am your brother and friend,
Jesus

**********

Helen comments on the lack of rapport.


I am here, Helen.

Well, I am sorry that you could not continue the writing, for the Master was very anxious to write the whole message tonight. Well, you were not in condition, and it was hard work for the Master to control your hand and brain. It may be that your brain was tired, and he could not transmit the thoughts. But you may have better success next time. He understands and says that you must not feel bad about it.

Goodbye for a while.

Your own true and loving
Helen

Professor Joseph Salyards Writes About Perfecting the Natural Love While on Earth

March 15, 1916
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Prof. Salyards.

Well, I was telling you of the object of man's life on earth, and the necessity for his doing certain things, in a general way, in order to bring to mankind the happiness which might be theirs while on earth. Now I desire to go into a little in detail with reference to these matters.

As has been written you before, there is only one way in which man can attain to the supreme happiness, which the Father in His goodness has made possible for man to attain to and which, when once obtained, can never be taken from him. But there is also another kind of happiness which is not in either its nature or results, the same as that which I have just referred to; and man may obtain it in a way and by a method which are different from those which are necessary to obtain the first kind.

Man was originally created good and pure and happy, and only by his disobedience did he lose these qualities which, when lost, finally made him approach somewhat the likeness of the lower animal, although the latter is probably not so unhappy as man became, by his fall from the state of the high condition of his creation.

When in his original state, he was happy in what we called, and what was, his natural love, which he fully possessed and needed nothing additional to make him happy. This condition made man his own master, as it were, and the Father's Divine Love was not necessary to develop him more as mere man than he then existed. He was pure and free from sin and in perfect harmony with God's Laws governing his creation.

But after the disobedience, he lost this harmony and in doing so lost also the power to preserve in himself the happiness which was his by right of creation; and he also soon realized that as this power left him, his dependence upon himself became less and less effective to keep him in a condition of purity and contentment and, as a consequence, he became less than perfect man and has been such ever since that time.

Now with the other qualities that were given him at the time of his creation, there was, and is, one that he has never been deprived of, and one that he has never realized his inability to exercise, although he so often exercises it wrongly; and that is the will, which is the greatest of the natural attributes that man possesses, for even God will not attempt to control that. I mean in the way of compelling.

And this quality is the one that, more often than any other, will help man to again attain to that state or condition in which he was the perfect man; but while this is true, yet it is also one of the greatest obstacles to attaining to that state.

Upon man himself, very largely depends the success of his regaining his pristine purity and harmony with the laws that govern his being, and he must understand this fact; for if he should believe, and rest in the belief, that other men, or other instruments controlled by men, can rescue him from his present condition of in-harmony and unhappiness, he will be disappointed and his salvation will be a long time delayed.

But the exercise of this will power in the proper direction will depend upon other things that he must possess in order to insure his return to his first estate. Among these are the necessity for his obtaining knowledge that will enable him to know himself and the relationship of himself to what is true and good. This knowledge will come to him as he examines himself and learns the difference between right and wrong, and this I mean in its general sense, for right and wrong mean harmony or in-harmony with the laws of which I speak, and not right and wrong according to the several circumstances of men, for these differ, and what may be right or wrong to one man will not be to another.

And man by proper contemplation and observation may learn the difference between right and wrong, in the sense in which I use the terms, and be enabled to embrace or avoid those deeds or thoughts that come within one category or the other. Again, he must realize that there is such a thing as the natural love being a part of him, and a thing which may be possessed and cultivated to such a high degree that all men will be brothers to him and the children of one common Father, who has Love and care for all alike who are content to remain the mere man.

Again, he must realize that he has a Father in God, his Creator, and that that Father has a love for him which will always bring to him happiness and peace, if he will only respond with his own love; for man must have an object of worship and adoration, even when he possesses only the natural love, and he must learn that his love must go out to the Father in faith and confidence. There are many other things that he may learn by contemplation and meditation as I have said.

Many qualities that are desirable will flow to man from the knowledge that there is a Father who loves him, and that he has or may have a love for that Father, and also for his brother man. In fact, from these two subjects of knowledge, everything else may come to man that will make him the perfect man in harmony with the laws of his creation and a pure happy and contented creature.

Now, when man obtains this knowledge - and here observe the distinction between knowledge of these things and the possession of them - he will naturally try to obtain all that knowledge shows him may become his to possess, and then will come into operation the great will power, and by its exercise there is nothing that can prevent him from arriving at the goal of his desires. In this way, one can, in a sense, be his own redeemer, but he will find the struggle hard, and the obstacles to be overcome, many and repelling.

There are many mortals who have a wonderful development of this natural love, notwithstanding the fact that they are living in sin and in in-harmony with the laws that I speak of, and who will find from that fact alone that their progress will be more rapid and easy when they come to the spirit world, on their journey to the state of perfect man. I do not believe that any mortal can ever attain to this condition while in the earth life, but he can lay the foundation for a rapid progress after he becomes a spirit. The temptations and desires that beset him as a mortal, at this time, are so great, that rarely can he become that perfect man while on earth.

But the time will come, I believe, when men will become perfect even while on earth and in this I have reference to his natural love merely. While, as I say, for man to obtain this state of perfection, he must depend upon himself to a very large degree, yet, it will be comforting to him to know, that there are hosts of spirit friends who are with him, trying to help him to obtain the knowledge of which I have spoken; and in his contemplations and meditations, they are with him suggesting to him and impressing on him the thoughts of truth that help him very much to understand the right from the wrong, and they also sustain him, in some degree, in the exercise of his will in the right direction.

So from this it must become apparent to man that a very important thing in the determination of this great problem as to what is right and what is wrong, is the kind of associates that he may have, and this applies to the mortal as well as spirit companions. And man must know this, that as his desires and appetites on earth attract to him companions of similar desires and appetites, so; also, does the same Law of Attraction operate in the case of his spirit friends.

Now, in all this, I have no reference to the redemption of man by the possession of the Divine Love of the Father, for such redemption and its way of saving man, are altogether different from those of redeeming him in his natural love. In the one case, when he has found the goal of his desires, he becomes a merely perfect man and nothing more. In the other case, he becomes an Angel of God, Divine is his nature, with no limitation to the progress that he may obtain and the happiness that may become his.

And - Oh, man! Why will you be satisfied to become merely a perfect man, when you may become a Divine Angel of the Father's Kingdom with immortality assured? Man may not know it, but it is a fact, that it is easier, and the way is shorter to become a Divine Angel, than to become a perfect man.

So my advice to all men is - and I speak what I do know from a knowledge that comes to me from experience and possession - to seek for the Divine Love of the Father with all their strength and efforts, and then they will become not only the perfect man, but will obtain that which our first parents never obtained, but which was theirs for the proper seeking, as it is all men's.

I have written enough for tonight and will close.

Your old friend and professor and brother in Christ.
Joseph H. Salyards

Jesus Writes that the Soul Must Have an Awakening in Order to Receive the Divine Love

March 2, 1916
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Jesus.

I desire to write tonight on the subject of: "How the redeemed soul is saved from the penalties which sin and error has brought upon it."

When the soul is in a condition of sin and error, it is not responsive to the inflowing of the Holy Spirit, and in order to get into a condition of receptivity to these influences, it must have an awakening as to its actual condition of enslavement by these things; and until such an awakening comes to it there is no possibility of its receiving the Love of God into it, and of turning its thoughts to the Truths of God and to the practices of life that will help it in its progress towards a condition of freedom.

I would not have mankind believe that any soul is compelled to stay in this condition of slavery to sin until the Holy Spirit comes to it with the Father's Love to bestow it in all abundance, for the mission of the Holy Spirit is not to awaken man's soul to a realization of sin and death, but merely to bring to that soul this Love when it, the soul, is ready to receive it.

The awakening must come from other causes that influence the mind - as well as the soul - and cause them to realize that the life man lives is not the correct life or one in accord with the demands of the Laws of God, or with the real longings of their own hearts and souls. Until this awakening comes, the soul is really dead so far as its having a consciousness of the existence of the truths of its redemption is concerned, and such death means a continuance in such thoughts of sin and evil, and in the life which leads only to condemnation and death for long long years it may be.

But to come nearer to my point of discourse. The soul that is existing in sin and error will have, sooner or later, to pay the penalties for such sin and error, and there is no escape from the payment of these penalties except in the redemption that the Father has provided by the New Birth. These penalties are only the natural results of the operation of God's Laws and they must be endured until the full penalty is paid. Even though a man may progress to higher condition of soul excellence and have much happiness, yet he must pay the last farthing and thus release himself from these penalties.

With much love, I am your friend and brother,
Jesus

St. Stephen Writes About the Invisible Church, Which is Composed of the Soul Worship of Men and Women Who Have Received Divine Love in Their Souls

January 17, 1916
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, St. Stephen.

I merely want to say a word on the importance of the subject which Paul has written on the resurrection. This is one of the most vital truths in all the plan of God for the redemption of mankind, and for the preservation and existence of the church; and when I say church, I do not mean any church which claims to be the only Church of Christ, but that invisible church which is composed of the soul worship of men and women, who have received the Divine Love in their souls. It is not necessary that there be any formation of congregations and ceremonies of church worship as men understand it, but the true, sincere worship of men founded on a knowledge of the Divine Love and its possession in their souls.

While men on earth may never form large congregations and erect magnificent churches in which to worship the Father with the true soul worship and aspirations, yet when they come into the spirit world, they will find that the Master has established his church in the eternal Heavens, where none but the truly Christian can enter and partake of its glories and happiness.

Jesus is the head of that church here in our Celestial Heavens, as he should be of the church on earth. And as he must be when that church has for its members only those who have had the resurrection from sin and error and death of the soul into the knowledge of the Divine Love and the life everlasting. Jesus referred to this resurrection when he said: "I am the resurrection and the life," and not the resurrection of the body either physical or spiritual.

I see that you are anxious to have these truths come and I am also anxious and a coworker. I will now say good night and in doing so say with all my love, God Bless you and keep you in His care now and always.

Your brother in Christ,
St. Stephen

George H. Butler Writes About the Horrors of Hell and Describes His Home of Ugliness and Torment

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

I am a spirit who cannot tell you of the joys of Heaven, but I can describe the horrors of Hell. For just as these other spirits described to you their homes of beauty and happiness, I can describe my home of ugliness and torment. Do you wish me to do so?

Well, know then that when I lived on earth, I was a man of very considerable intellectual powers and acquirements and, also, of an intense animal nature; so much so, that it overcame my judgment and what moral qualities I had, and I became at last a slave to my appetites which were varied, especially my appetite for drink. I had many friends of position, social and otherwise, and I was considered a brilliant newspaper writer and had access to the inner political circles that were then in control of the government.

My weakness, or rather the effect of the strength of my animal nature, was known to many of my friends and they, in many ways, tried to help me and rescue me from my evil and destructive course of living; and, at times, I would succeed in reforming my conduct; but, alas, not for any great length of time, when I would again relapse into my deplorable habits and become the controlled victim of my destroying appetites.

Of course, human friendship and sympathy had their limits and, finally, my friends gave me up as lost and past redemption, and I surely and quickly sunk lower and lower in my moral condition and, at last, died a drunkard, unwept and unsung except for the evil that I had done. It was undoubtedly a relief to my friends and acquaintances when I passed over and forever relieved them of the shadow of my presence and the ghost of what I had been.

But such was my end and when I came to the spirit world, I found that I still was deserted by friends who had become spirits before me, except some who liked the flowing bowl as I did on earth, and who were inhabitants of the unattractive place that I found myself in when my habitation became fixed. I never, when on earth, thought much of the future life, except to convince myself that there was no Hell and if there was a God, He was not bothered about me, a mere man of many millions. But oh, the fatal mistake! And the unexpected realization of the fact that there is a Hell!

Whether there is a God I don't know, for I have never seen Him or felt His influence. But since I came to you tonight and heard the messages of those two spirits who described their wonderful homes and their condition of happiness and ascribed them all to the kindness and care of God, I have commenced to think that there may be a God, and that my mistake was greater than I have heretofore realized; but this is a digression from what I started out to write.

That there is a Hell; I know to my sorrow and sufferings. For I have been the occupant of one for, oh, these many years; and it is always the same place of horrors and darkness, except sometime it is lighted by the flame of lurid light that comes from the anger and sufferings of some unfortunate like myself.

In this Hell of mine, and there are many like it, instead of beautiful homes, as the other spirits described, we have dirty, rotten hovels all crooked and decayed with all the foul smells of a charnel house ten times intensified. And instead of beautiful lawns and green meadows and leafy woods filled with musical birds making the echoes ring with their songs, we have barren wastes and holes of darkness and gloom and the cries and cursings of spirits of damnation without hope. And instead of living silvery waters, we have stagnant pools filled with all kinds of repulsive reptiles and vermin and smells of inexpressible, nauseating stinks.

I tell you that these are all real and not creatures of the imagination or the out flowing of bitter recollections. And as for love, it has never shown its humanizing face in all the years that I have been here - only cursings, and hatred, and bitter scathings, and imprecations, and grinning spirits with their witch-like cacklings. No rest, no hope, no kind words or ministering hand to wipe away the scalding tears, which so often flow in mighty volumes.

No, Hell is real and Hell is here. We do not have any fire and brimstone, or grinning devils with pitch forks and hoofs and horns as the churches teach; but what is the need or necessity for such accompaniments? They would not add to the horrors or to our torments. I tell you my friend that I have faintly described our homes in these infernal regions and I cannot picture them as they are.

But the horror and pity of it all is that hope does not come to us with one faint smile to encourage us that there may at some time be an ending to all these torments and, in our hopeless despair, we realize that our doom is fixed for all eternity. As the rich man in Hell said, if I could only send Lazarus to tell my poor, erring brothers on earth of what awaits them, how gladly I would do so and save their souls from the eternal torment.

Well, I have written you a long letter and am tired, because it is the first time that I have attempted to write for many long years, and I find some difficulty in gathering my thoughts so as to be able to write in an intelligent and collected manner. So I must stop.

Well, I will say that you are the best friend that I have had since I became an outcast while on earth, and that I will do whatever you may advise, but you must not expect me to have much hope, not doubting your desire to help me, but merely your ability.

Well, I don't understand, but I will trust you and will try to believe what you say - only don't create in me that of which I have been deprived of for so long, I mean - hope - and have me disappointed. Well, I have looked, as you advised, and see some spirits who are so beautiful and so bright that I can scarcely look at them. Never before have I seen such spirits or imagined that such could exist. They must be gods, or why all the great happiness and beauty and love which they have. Tell me, what does it all mean! Is it a star of hope that has come to me from afar and bids me trust that these Hells shall not be my home forever? Oh tell me, I pray, you are they the spirits of real mortals who lived and died as I did?

Such love I have never seen; and they look at me with such encouragement and almost human eyes of love and beckon me to come with them. I have asked if Mr. Riddle is there, and one spirit comes to me and says yes, and that he is glad to have me come with him, as he knew me on earth and is acquainted with my sad life. And now I remember him, for he was a friend who lived in the same city as I did.

He says: "Come George, and I will try to show you the way to light and relief from your sufferings." And I am going, and as I go a beautiful, glorious spirit comes to me and lays her hand on my head and says: "God bless you my brother and may His Divine mercy be yours;" and she tells me that they all love me and will help me.

Oh, tell me what does it all mean! Am I dreaming? Are you real and are they real, or am I in one of the deliriums that I used to have on earth? Oh, so beautiful and heavenly. But they say no, that they are real spirits and once lived on earth - sinful mortals like myself.

How can I ever thank you? I am overcome and cannot write more, but I will come again. So my dear friend good night, for I am going.

G.H.B.

My name is George H. Butler, and I died in 1886.


* * * * * * * * * *     
   
Helen Writes to Confirm Mr. Butler's Message    

I am here, Your own true and loving Helen.

Well my dear, you have had a variety of writings tonight, and I have been greatly impressed with the last message that you received, for the writer was a very intelligent spirit and seemed to be without hope in his soul. He was a very dark spirit and did not seem to have any love in his soul, but was the picture of despair and grief. He firmly believed that his position in Hell was fixed for all eternity and, hence, the hopeless despair in which he was.

I am so glad that he came to you and described these Hells, for he was capable; and no one can describe them as he who has lived in them for many years and suffered and experienced all their torments.

He seems to be very grateful, and I think that hope has come to him. He has gone with Mr. Riddle, who is much interested in him. We will all try to help him to progress. So you must pray for him now. We all will. It is late, and I will not write more.

Your own true and loving,
Helen

Jesus Writes That Salvation is a Thing Between God and the Individual Receiving His Divine Love

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

I am here, Jesus.

I will write only a few lines, and because I desire to confirm what Luke has so clearly explained as to what the atonement is. He has stated the true plan of God for the redemption of mankind, that is, for the placing of them in the exact relation to our Father that our first parents occupied, and which relation by their disobedience was taken from them and never restored until my coming.

Men must learn the true meaning of the great plan for their salvation and for their becoming at-one with the Father in His Divine Nature. No other plan has been provided and no other way is open to men to receive this Divine Nature of the Father and Immortality.

The material love of man - that is, the love of the Father that God bestowed upon men at the creation of our first parents - is a love that is pure and in harmony with God's laws and the workings of the universe, and which must be restored to its pristine purity in order for man to come into harmony with God as to the laws controlling it; and men must, in order to get in this harmony, become free from all violations of God's laws in their conduct towards Him and towards one another; and many of my teachings were directed to bring about this harmony.

The Golden Rule is one and this great teaching, if observed in the conduct of men towards one another, will tend to bring about the harmony. For to man, the most important thing is his own happiness; and when a man shall do unto others as he would have others do unto him, he will be proceeding towards that condition of conduct and the correct relationship of man to man that will bring harmony and an observance of those requirements of God's laws controlling such relationship. But the observance of the right conduct of man to man, or the regaining of the purity of this natural love, will not bring about the great reconciliation to God in the Divine sense; that is, make men at-one with the Father in His Divinity and Immortality.

And now I see and understand why my great teachings of the Divine atonement was not considered as important by men, after my early followers died, as the teachings that should control them in their conduct towards one another, that is, what may be called my moral teachings.

In those days, the great majority of men who professed to follow my teachings, as are written in the Bible that the church adopted, thought more of the rewards and happiness that might come to them as mortals than to those that might come to them after they became spirits, just as the Jews had thought for all the long years prior to my coming. These teachings were merely those of the earth, and as such teachings, whether of the Old Testament or any other teachings recognized by them as governing their conduct as mere mortals, were of more importance to them than were the teachings that showed them the way to the Celestial Kingdom.

And when the church, which my apostles founded, came under the control and government of men with only the temporal interests at heart, the greater importance was attached to those things which, as the rulers and leaders of the church thought, would cause the people to conduct themselves in such a way as would tend to increase the power and influence of the church. And, hence, the great truth of the New Birth was neglected and salvation was declared to be by means that could be more readily utilized by the officials of the church. In other words, salvation became a thing which depended on the church and not on the individual. So you see the great harm that was done by these teachings and the great power the church acquired.

Salvation is a thing between God and the individual and can be obtained only by the individual becoming at-one with the Father, who cares not for the teachings of the church or of man, unless these teachings will bring the souls of men in harmony with him. I say, cares not, but that does not just express what I mean, for God does care whenever His creatures are taught false doctrines, as He is waiting and anxious to bestow upon every man His Divine Love. But even He cannot or will not make such bestowal, unless man follow the Plan which He has prescribed. And He could not have adopted any other plan, for the only way in which men can become at-one with Him is to become, as it were, a part of Him to partake of His Nature and Attributes; and unless the soul of man receives from the Father these Qualities, it can never become at-one with Him.

As Luke said, my death or blood or any supposed vicarious atonement could not have made a man's soul a possessor of the Divine Love of the Father, because they could not bring man into that relationship with the Father that would cause the soul of man to open up to the inflowing of this Love. Let no man suppose that by a mere belief in me as the son of God and the savior of the world, or that I died for him, he can become at-one with the Father, for it is not true and has worked great harm to mankind.

Only the pure, honest, sincere aspirations of the soul of a man for this Great Love of the Father can possibly bring about this atonement that is necessary in order for that man to become a part of God's Divinity and partake of His Divine Nature.

I have written enough and will close.

Your brother and friend,
Jesus