“Enter ye in at the strait gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat. Because strait is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth to life, and few there be that find it.” Matt. vii, 13, 14
My mind has been, of late, especially led to meditate upon this subject, by observing the manner in which the world is gliding down the broad road to destruction. Enter ye in at the strait gate, was spoken by our Saviour more than eighteen hundred years ago, and the reason then assigned holds good to-day: because the road to destruction is broad, the masses of the people are traveling in it; but in consequences of the strait gate and the narrowness of the way to life, but few find it.
The broad road was first surveyed and marked out by our arch enemy, Satan, before the fall of man, and the gate was opened when our first parents yielded to his temptations. God had given them permission to eat of every tree of the garden, except the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which was in the midst of the garden, assuring them that in the day they ate thereof they should surely die. But Satan came with his temptations, and inquired of them what restrictions God had placed them under. They told him that of every tree of the garden they might freely eat, but of the fruit of the tree which was in the midst of the garden they might not eat nor touch it, for if they did, they should surely die. Satan appears to have resolved upon a bold step. His reply was boldly and promptly uttered: “Ye shall not surely die!” The assertion was made, and it now remained for him to follow it up, to make good the deception. After thus presumptuously calling in questions the word of God, he proceeds to gild and adorn the bait which he presented, with all the skill he was master of, knowing that if he failed in this, his first attempt, his true character would be made manifest, and in all probability he could never accomplish their fall. Hence, he presents to their minds the beauty of the tree, the delicious fruit, then portrays its wonderful properties, intimating that the reason God withheld it from them was to keep them from the knowledge of something of great importance to them, assuring them that God knew that if they ate of it, their eyes would be opened and they would be as gods, knowing good and evil. They yielded to the plea of Satan, disobeyed God, and became subject to death; and the penalty, “Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return,” was pronounced upon them.
It was here that the doctrine of the immortality of the soul was first presented. God said, If ye disobey me, ye shall surely die. Satan said, Ye shall not surely die. It was here that the wide gate was opened, here the first track of the broad road was laid, which has been growing broader and broader, even down to the present time. It has been graded, enlarged and improved upon, from time to time, by such contractors as Paine, Hume, and Voltaire, assisted and controlled by the chief engineer, Satan.
But the greatest importance and the greatest effort that has ever been made to bring it into notice, and to induce travelers to enter in and travel it, is now being made by modern Spiritualism. This is Satan’s last work; and it will be his greatest. It is through or by this that he is to work with all power and signs and lying wonders, insomuch that were it possible he would deceive the very elect. But this is not possible. Why? Because the elect believe that the Bible teaches that man is mortal, and that the dead are unconscious until the resurrection, which is the only shield against the deceptive wiles of modern Spiritualism. The immortality of the soul is its chief corner stone, and without which it could not stand a moment; and when we are met with “wonderful revelations,” and “astounding developments,” purporting to come from the immortal souls of our dead friends, we can meet their author (Satan), with such arguments as the following— They cannot come from the spirits of the dead, for man is mortal, and consequently unconscious in death; for the Scriptures inform us that God only hath immortality. 1 Tim. vi, 16 And we are told to seek for it, Rom. ii, 7, and have the promise of it only at the resurrection. 1 Cor. xv, 51-54. Hence we cannot have it now. And that the dead are unconscious is abundantly proved by the following scriptures: “The living know that they shall die, but the dead know not anything.” Eccl. ix, 5 There is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave whither thou goest. Eccl. ix, 10 Job, in speaking of man in death, says, “His sons come to honor and he knoweth it not, and they are brought low, and he perceiveth it not of them.” Job. xiv, 21. And David says, In death there is no remembrance of thee, in the grave who shall give thee thanks?” Ps. vi, 5.
Some may think that Spiritualism has had its day, and that it will never amount to much; but such is not the cause. Spiritualism is steadily and surely making its inroads into all the walks of life. It is fulfilling its mission, “going forth to the kings of the earth, and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of the great day of God Almighty.” Rev. xvi, 44. But a short time since it was looked upon with horror by churches and church members. Now, in many places, Spiritualists are permitted to retain their places in the churches. It has also been very unpopular in the political world. But a few years ago, Judge Edmonds, of N. Y., embraced Spiritualism, and in consequence of its unpopularity, thought best to resign his office. Since that time a great change has taken place with reference to it. It is now no longer necessary for Spiritualists to renounce their doctrines, nor to resign their positions on account of their faith, but on the other hand it is becoming quite popular, and at this time many high offices of profit and trust in government are held by Spiritualists. In support of this, we will here give an extract from a late issue of the Banner of Light, a leading Spiritualist paper, published in Boston, which is headed, “Spiritual Public Men.”
“We have long needed such men in this age and this country, and the demand is going to be met with a corresponding supply. If knowing persons would take close and careful observations, they would find that there are more actual Spiritualists in public life in this country, than they have any idea of. They are to be found in Congress, in the Army, in the Navy, in the various Departments, among the governors, in the ranks of the Judges, in the State legislatures, and in fine, wherever there is public business to be performed and the public mind is to be influenced and molded into practical shape and form. It is not necessary for us to ‘call names;’ the whole effect would rapidly be lost, if it were usual to name those, and thus make them needlessly prominent—of the positive good they accomplish in their several places.
“Some presses and individuals like to believe if they can, that the day for Spiritualism has ‘gone by,’ and that no vestiges of its influence are left. But because, like the creeds and systems, it has no set form of faith, and no fixed standard of authority, they would fain think it is powerless, or has entirely died out in the land. The noiselessness of its progress and career is the very best evidence that it is more actively at work than ever. While the creeds are tumbling, and their life-long advocates are lamenting because the bread is taken from their mouths, and position from their talents, Spiritualism utters no complaint, for it has none whatever to make. Its career in the future is destined to be as glorious as its origin is divine. It will be, of course, through human instrumentalities that its work will be preformed, and the men are at hand, to do the work, to-day. All observant souls will hail each new manifestation of this truth with joy unspeakable.”
The facts are here admitted. Names are withheld for the reason that public sentiment is not yet prepared for their announcement. There is still prejudice existing in the minds of many against their doctrines. This must be removed before it will be policy to give names. It is still necessary to work clandestinely to some extent, but the tie is not far distant when this necessity will be obviated, when, on the other hand, it will be necessary for candidates to show publicly their character and standing as genuine Spiritualists before they can obtain any important offices in this government, as none other will be supported by Spiritualists for the legislative or high executive offices.
The government of the nations will soon be entirely under the control of Spiritualism; and not only will Spiritualists hold the reins of government, but they will control sectarianism, or the nominal churches of the day; for it is not the mission of Spiritualism to wage a war of extermination against the popular churches, but only to make manifest the relation that exists between them, to eradicate all that is good, and to fill them up with spirits of their own castle.
Spiritualism proposes to leave the different sects in the enjoyment of their several beliefs and creeds, permitting them to erect what ever kind of structure they please, only requiring them to build on one common foundation—upon the foundation laid by their master in the garden of Eden— the immortality of the soul. They have lately published a work styled, “The Spiritual Sunday-school Class Book,” from which we extract the following, under the head of, “Beliefs and Creeds.” The teacher, after defining what belief is, asks,
“Now since religious creeds are so opposite and conflicting, how can you tell which to choose, or which is right?
“Scholar. I think that God has made men to have different beliefs, so each one believes as he is made to believe.
“T. Do you think that each religions belief is right?
“S. Yes; for sincerity is truth; and each believer is sincere in his belief.”
This teaches that, believe as you may, you only believe what God has made you to believe; therefore your belief is correct, and you will be saved by it, provided only that you are sincere in it. This work is selling rapidly, and is well received by Spiritualists generally, and as it is undoubtedly inspired by the author of their religion, its sentiments will be embraced by them all. It also teaches to “let alone” those who differ from them in religious belief.
The author, in commenting upon that teaching of Christ, “Love one, another,” says, “Ye do not this truly until ye are willing to leave men unmolested who differ from you on religious subjects.”
Thus the broad road is being made still broader, and travelers are hurried along to its termination.
Whatever apparent difference there may be between Spiritualism and modern Orthodoxy, there exists in fact a very close relationship, which Spiritualism is bringing to light. A writer in a late issue of the Banner of Light, in an article headed, Christianity and Spiritualism, says,
“The effect of a full belief in Spiritualism has brought tens and hundreds of thousands of inquiring minds that were before skeptical, unsettled, and consequently unhappy, into an entire conviction of the immortality of the soul. It has brought them also into the belief, and so far as human weakness may permit, into the practice, of the blessed teachings of Christ. the same facts which are the sole evidences of the truth of Christianity, establish also the doctrine of Spiritualism. Nor is there anything new in this view of the identity of faith which is sustained alike by all honest and intelligent Spiritualists, and all sincere Christians.”
They both believe and teach the immortality of the soul, and that there is in reality no such thing as death, the change which is called so, being but a transition to another state of being.
For the purpose of showing the relation between the two upon this point, and wherein they differ from the word of God, I will here give some extracts from the respective authorities:
“Death is but a kind and welcome servant who unlocks with noiseless hand life’s flower-encircled door to show us those we love.”—Spiritual paper.
“Why do we morn for dying friends,
Or shake at Death’s alarms?
’Tis but the voice that Jesus sends
To call them to his arms.”
Or,
“Death is the gate to endless joy,
And yet we dread to enter there.”
[Orthodox Hymn Book.]How close the relationship between the two! But how different from either is the Bible account of death. Instead of being represented as a welcome servant, it is represented as an enemy. “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” 1 Cor. xv, 26. And instead of the gate to endless joy, it is a state of entire unconsciousness, to continue until the resurrection at the last day. Job says, “Man lieth down and riseth not, Until the heavens be no more they shall not awake nor be raised up out of their sleep.” And Paul, in speaking of the resurrection, says, “Behold I show you a mystery, we shall not all sleep [die] but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, [when?] at the last trump, for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we [the living] shall be changed.” 1 Cor. xv, 51, 52.
The broad road may be a pleasant way to those who have the carnal heart unregenerate; but its joys are transient. The way thereof is death, and the end there of is destruction. Not so with the narrow way. Its gate is strait and the way narrow; but it leadeth to joys everlasting, and pleasures forevermore. So strait, or difficult, is the entrance that hypocrites and unbelievers cannot enter therein, but wide enough for the humble penitent to gain an abundant entrance into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord.
Dear reader, if you are a traveler on the broad road, will you not be entreated to retrace your steps, to leave the road which leads to death, and which will soon terminate in destruction? Will you not forsake it forever, and enter upon life’s narrow way which will lead you safely through this world of sin and sorrow? Or, if you have already started for the kingdom, continue to prosecute your journey. Do not grow weary. We are near the close of our pilgrimage. A few more ups and downs, a few more hills to climb, a few more valleys to enter and plains to traverse, and our trials will have ended, and we, if faithful, shall be permitted to pass through the gates into the city, have a right to the tree of life, eat of its fruit, and drink of the water of the river of life, and dwell forevermore.
E. S. W.
The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald July 29, 1862