Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

prise If one is not sufficiently favoured by fortune to be able to afford the purchase of a coffin in advance, care is always taken before 'saluting the world,' as the Chinese say, a sick person shall at least have the satisfaction of casting a glance at his last abode; and if he is surrounded by at all affectionate relations, they never fail to buy him a coffin and place it by the side of his bed.

2056. “In the country, this is not always so easy, for coffins are not kept quite ready, and, besides, peasants have not such luxurious habits as townspeople. The only way, then, is to send for the carpenter of the place, who takes the measure of the sick person, not forgetting to observe to him that it must be made a little longer than would seem necessary, because one always stretches out a little when dead. A bargain is then made concerning the length and breadth, and especially the cost; wood is brought, and the workmen set about their task in the yard, close to the chamber of the dying person, who is entertained with the music of the saw and the other tools, while death is at work with him, preparing him to occupy the snug abode when it is ready.

2057. “All this is done with the most perfect coolness, and without the slightest emotion, real or affected. We have ourselves witnessed such scenes more than once, and it has always been one of the things that most surprised us in the manners of this extraordinary country. A short time after our arrival in the mission of the north, we were walking one day in the country with a Chinese seminarist, who had the patience to reply to all our long and tedious questions about the men and things of the Celestial Empire. While we were keeping up the dialogue as well as we could, in a mixture of Latin and Chinese, using a word of one or the other as we found occasion, we saw coming toward us a rather numerous crowd, who advanced in an orderly manner along a narrow path. It might have been called a procession.

2058. “Our first impulse was to turn aside, and get into some safe corner behind a large hill; for, not having as yet much experience in the manners and customs of the Chinese, we had some hesitation in producing ourselves, for fear of being recognised and thrown into prison; possibly even condemned and strangled. The crowd had now come up with us, and we stood aside to let it pass. It was composed of a great number of villagers, who looked at us with smiling faces, and had the appearance of being uncommonly pleased. After them came a litter, on which was borne an empty coffin, and then another litter, upon which lay extended a dying man, wrapped in blankets. His face was haggard and livid, and his expiring eyes were fixed upon the coffin that preceded him. When every one had passed, we hastened to ask the meaning of this strange procession. It is some sick man,' said the seminarist, who has been taken ill in a neighbouring village, and whom they are bringing home to his family. The Chinese do not like to die away from their own house.' 'That is very natural; but what is the coffin for?' 'For the sick man, who probably has not many days to live. They seem to have made every thing ready for his funeral.' I remarked by the side of the coffin a piece of white linen. 'That, they mean to use for the mourning.'

66

[ocr errors]

2059. These words threw us in the most profound astonishment, and we saw then that we had come into a new world-into the midst of a people whose ideas and feelings differed widely from those of Europeans. These men quietly setting about to prepare for the funeral of a still living

friend and relation--this coffin placed purposely under the eyes of the dying man, doubtless with the purpose of doing what was agreeable to him; all this plunged us into a strange reverie, and the walk was continued in silence. The astonishing calmness with which the Chinese see the approach of death does not fail when the last moment arrives. They expire with the most incomparable tranquillity, without any of the emotions, the agitations, the agonies that usually render the moment of death so terrific." 2060. It is remarkable that Mr. Huc cites an "entire want of religious "'* But it may feeling, as among the causes of this indifference to death.' be inquired whether that can be a proper kind of religious feeling which interferes with equanimity at the prospect of our spiritual birth. I can easily believe Mr. Huc to be correct, if his entire want of religious feeling means the absence of all fear of an eternal broiling, like that of Dives.

2061. It is the absence of that sort of religion which this sectarian . would teach; that which consigns the great majority of mankind to perpetual misery on account of their disbelief in Romanism.

2062. Widely different is the effect of the religion I have espoused. It has made a prodigious change in my feelings. I look forward to death with hope, rather than fear. (See page 32 (108) of this work for the different effect of Romanism on my mind.)

Conclusion of Strictures on Mr. Mahan's Religious Errors.

2063. It will be observed that under the general head of Mr. Mahan's errors, I have treated of not only those which he has advocated, but such as he sanctions by his general endorsement of Scripture. However, I here take my leave of Mr. Mahan and his errors.

1

CONCLUSION.

2064. In a work by the English bishop Warburton, is to be found the following allegation:

"The doctrine of a future state of rewards and punishments is not to be found in, nor did it make part of, the Mosaic dispensation."

The Pentateuch inconsistently represented as the basis of belief in human immortality, as will appear by the prefixed quotation, as well as the inability of any of its devotees to point out any part which conflicts with the right reverend author's opinion, above mentioned.—Injustice of representing disbelievers in the Bible as not having as good grounds for belief in immortality as those who rest their belief on a work which,

See vol. ii. page 42, Hue's Travels.

by its silence, tends to discountenance the hope of a future life.-Those who uphold the Bible against Spiritualism, the real antagonists of the only satisfactory evidence ever given to man of a future habitation in the spirit world.

2065. Religious people all very justly insist on the immense importance of a belief in a future state of existence, in which we are to enjoy a degree of happiness in proportion to our good conduct in this life, or of misery in proportion as we do evil.

2066. Throughout Christendom I believe such a belief is necessary to render a person competent as a witness, or to hold any office. As it is assumed generally by Christians that there is no other proof of immortality than that alleged to be afforded by Scripture, unbelievers in Scripture are assumed to be unbelievers in a future state, and the most unfavourable insinuations are made respecting such persons, (1310.) Bishop McIlvaine, in his "Evidences," has charitably represented that, as a class, such men are peculiarly vicious, and in their domestic relations immoral; not recollecting how far Christian prelates have been found wanting in the present, as well as in past times. But notwithstanding that the disbelief in a future state is held to be so universally pernicious in its influence, self-called orthodox Christians deem it impious not to bow before the Bible as the holy word of God, or to be wanting in respect for his inspired missionary, Moses. But admitting that the books found by Hil kiah (1940) were written, under divine inspiration, by Moses, how does it happen that those books and their author stand in such high estimation, when they actually give no evidence of immortality, but rather tend to prove that God, in communicating his will to Moses, thought it more important to give to the Jews directions for the decoration of a tabernacle, than to impart to them the invaluable knowledge of their eternal existence? Moreover, God is represented as holding in especial favour, those who did not think it of as much importance to inquire into the truth of immortality, as to obtain decorations for pharisaical worship. Why is Moses, a materialist, to be venerated, who so grossly trifled with his opportunities? There is either a flagitious misrepresentation, or he, of all men, had the best opportunity of learning this all-important truth; and therefore, dying ignorant of it, is proportionally more culpable. Wherefore is the uncandid and unfounded pretence resorted to, that attacking the Old Testament is attacking the basis of the hope of heaven, when, on the contrary, that record has really the opposite tendency-that of enfeebling the evidence of immortality?

2067. We see the heathen Cyrus, on his death-bed, (1980,) striving to impress upon his children a belief in immortality, while Moses, dying a worldly-minded, blood-thirsty materialist, employs his last moments in giving inhuman directions for the merciless massacre of every conquered

pagan. Yet, while Bishop McIlvaine, as respects his contemporaries, represents materialism as irreconcilable with virtue, Moses is to be venerated and the books attributed to his authorship idolatrously worshipped as the word of God! But if the advocacy of any thing which tends to lessen the hope of immortality be culpable, is it not culpable, against the truths of Spiritualism to hold up a book which authorizes disbelief in immortality, and that, too, upon such questionable authority as an obscure priest and fanatical and barbarous autocrat? (1937.) As respects the gospel, it has, I hope, been shown that, with all the exertions of the good parson Harbaugh to exhibit the heaven of Scripture in its most favorable aspect, (777 to 805,) Spiritualism has immensely the advantage in the description given of the spirit world, (409 to 469,) sanctioned by the replies given to my queries under test conditions, (552).

2068. Another ground of pre-eminence is the perfect immunity from any association with such a priesthood as that described by the Right Rev. Bishop Hopkins. Media, replacing the priests, will owe their office to nature, not to any aristocracy, monarch, or theocrat, (1307).

2069. Private disinterested Media will always outnumber and control any of the same class who may attempt to acquire unfair ascendancy, even if, in the nature of the case, it were possible that such a wrong could be contemplated.

2070. I trust I have shown that the actual morals of Christendom are irreconcilable with the precepts of the gospel, which denounce wealth and enjoin submission to wrong, these morals being also inconsistent with the materialism of the books of Moses. Under these circumstances, let the reader turn to the evidence which has converted me from a prepossessed skeptic to a devout believer in spiritual communication. Let that glorious portraiture of the spirit-world be considerd which has been opened to the view of mortals through the high spirits who have accredited me as one of their servants. I will not go over the evidence, nor recapitulate the arguments which I have already so fully urged upon the attention of my readers. I implore them to read with candour, and think earnestly of the facts and reasoning submitted in this volume.

P. S.-Explanation respecting Jesus Christ.

My spirit sister alleges that Christ never uttered the language recorded as his, and upon which I have commented. This being admitted, I wish that nothing which I have said may be considered as bearing personally on a Being who is so much the object of devotion with many of my dearest connections, relations, and friends. I wish that it should be considered that it is only upon the doctrines imputed to Christ, that I have intended to animadvert, not on Jesus himself. Surely I am justified as treating that language as coming from Jesus Christ, which is ascribed to him in the only history of his teachings which has come down to us, and which, under the name of the holy canonical gospel, is considered by more than three-fourths of all the Christians in existence as inspired by God!

« ZurückWeiter »