THERE are many incidents related in the life of Christ, which, when
critically examined, furnish abundant evidence that he was what is now
known as a spiritual medium. He unquestionably represented, and often
practically exhibited, several important phases of modern mediumship.
1. The many instantaneous cures which he wrought, as reported in his
Gospel narrative, performed in the same manner that "spirit doctors" now
heal the sick, prove that he was an excellent "healing medium."
2. His declaration to Nathanael, "When thou wast under the fig tree, I
saw thee," and his recounting to the woman of Samaria the deeds of
her past life (acts similar to which are now performed every day by
spiritualists), are evidence that he was also a "clairvoyant medium."
3. His walking on the water (if the story is true), as D. D. Home has
frequently, within the past few years, walked or floated on the air
in the presence of many witnesses (including men of science, royal
personages, and members of parliament), entitles him to the appellation
of a "physical medium."
4. And the circumstance of his pointing his disciples to the mark of
the spear in his side, and the print of the nails in his hands, while
amongst them as a spirit, has led many spiritualists to conclude he was
also a "medium for materialization." His spirit was made to present the
peculiar marks which had been inflicted upon his physical body, cases
parallel to which are now witnessed every day by modern spiritualists.
Hundreds of cases have occurred of departed spirits presenting
themselves to their friends with all the peculiar marks which their
physical bodies had long worn while in the earth life. And the former
physical wounds have often been exhibited by the spirit in the same
manner Christ exhibited his. And thus spiritualism explains the
phenomenon which otherwise would be entirely incredible.
5. And there is yet another phase of mediumship which Christ often
exhibited in his practical life. He claimed to have frequent intercourse
with some invisible being, whom he called "the Father." But as modern
science has settled the question of the personality of God in the
negative, we are led to conclude that Christ, like many eminent persons
since his time, mistook some finite spirit for the great infinite but
impersonal Father spirit--though his attendant invisible companion
was probably a spirit of a very high order. And the great beauty and
grandeur of his life are exhibited by his frequent intercourse with and
dependence upon this his "guardian spirit." He declared he did nothing
of himself, so dependent was he upon his invisible guide. And the
strongest proof that he had a spirit companion, which he often looked to
for counsel and aid, and that this was the being he called the Father,
is furnished by the fact, that when he prayed to the Father, his
petition was answered by an angel spirit. (See Luke xxii. 44.) And there
is no account and no evidence of any invisible or spiritual being ever
presenting itself to him but an angel or spirit. That he should have
supposed this spirit to be the great infinite Father God was very
natural. Thousands since, and some before his time, committed a
similar mistake. The author has known several persons who had long had
intercourse with some invisible being they supposed to be God, who have
recently, by the light afforded by modern spiritualism, become entirely
convinced that they had simply mistaken a finite spirit for the great
Infinite Spirit. And did Christ live in our day, he would probably be
rescued from a similar error in the same way. In conclusion, we will
remark that it was doubtless his frequent displays of several very
remarkable phases of spiritual mediumship that contributed much to lead
the people into the error of supposing him to be God. And this fact will
yet be known.