be slain, and afterwards presented it to his students unchanged, he had proved what he had taught, showing them he was not dead, and they knew it was proof of the Principle he had before taught, and disproved our opinions of a future resurrection, or a spiritual body at the change, called death; his body was a belief of matter, as before, until he rose to Spirit above the reach of personal sense, and triumphed over the last enemy, death, as before he had conquered sickness and sin, and this was what his followers were to commemorate in their lives, so far as they understood his teachings and demonstration; hence the saying, “The works that I do ye shall do, and greater.”
Theology explains the crucifixion of Jesus, a pardon ready for all sinners; Spiritualism finds his death necessary only for the presentation, after death, of the personal Jesus; calling this “a spirit's return.” We differ from both, and while we respect all that is good in the church, and outside of it, our later consecration to Christ has been on the ground of demonstration, and not profession, yea, to follow the commands he gave to those he sent forth. For conscience's sake we dare not cling to the old belief, insomuch as understanding somewhat the Principle of his proof, the Life, and not death, that Jesus showed forth, raised us from hopeless disease, and gave us a triumph over sickness and sin, we never had gained from our former beliefs and profession of religion.
The efficacy of the crucifixion of Jesus is the practical Truth it demonstrated for our understanding, and that ultimately will deliver mankind from sickness, sin and death. This Truth he had before spoken in their
