Spirit Teachings

«I use that word as the most intelligible to my readers, though I am well aware that I shall be told that I ought not to apply any such term» — Moses, en la introducción, adopta el término *Spirit* por comodidad de lectura y anticipa la objeción de quienes le dirán que no debe usarlo para los seres que le escriben.

«It is no part of my business to enter into this moot question.» — y la abstención expresa: si sus interlocutores son espíritus o los restos de lo que fueron hombres, Moses declara que no le toca a él resolverlo.

«The laborious method of rapping out messages was manifestly unfitted for communications such as those which I here print» — la razón práctica que Moses da para haber pasado a la escritura automática: los golpes no daban abasto para un cuerpo de enseñanza seguido.

«If spoken through the lips of the medium in trance, they were partially lost, and it was, moreover, impossible at first to rely upon such a measure of mental passivity as would preserve them from admixture with his ideas» — y la segunda razón, que es de contaminación: la voz en trance perdía parte del mensaje y no garantizaba pasividad suficiente para que no se mezclaran las ideas del médium.

«I procured a pocket-book, which I habitually carried about» — el soporte material que describe: una libreta de bolsillo llevada siempre encima.

«I soon found that writing flowed more easily when I used a book that was permeated with the psychic aura, just as raps come more easily on a table that has been frequently used for the purpose, and as phenomena occur most readily in the medium’s own room» — Moses enuncia una regla de condiciones —el objeto habituado facilita el fenómeno— y la apoya en la analogía con la mesa de golpes y el cuarto propio del médium.

«When Slade could not get messages on a new Slate, he rarely failed to get one on his own» — y el caso que aduce para sostenerla: el médium Slade fallaba con pizarra nueva y acertaba con la suya usada.

«At first the writing was very small and irregular, and it was necessary for me to write slowly and cautiously, and to watch the hand, following the lines with my eye» — la descripción del comienzo del automatismo: escritura menuda e irregular que exigía vigilar la mano.

«The writing, while becoming more and more minute, became at the same time very regular and beautifully formed.» — y el cambio que dice haber observado después, hacia una letra cada vez más pequeña y a la vez regular.

«The answers to my questions (written at the top of a page) were paragraphed, and arranged as if for the press» — Moses describe la disposición material del diálogo: él escribía la pregunta arriba de la plana y la respuesta venía maquetada como para imprenta.

«and the name of God was always written in capitals, and slowly, and, as it seemed, reverentially» — el rasgo de la escritura que consigna como marca de reverencia.

«The subject-matter was always of a pure and elevated character, much of it being of personal application» — el juicio de Moses sobre el contenido, con la reserva de que buena parte era de aplicación personal.

«I am not responsible for the fact, the reason for which is sufficiently intelligible.» — la fórmula con que Moses se desentiende de explicar el fenómeno y solo se declara testigo de él.

«Judged as I should wish to be judged myself, they were what they pretended to be.» — el criterio que Moses propone para los comunicantes: juzgarlos como querría ser juzgado él, y entonces resultan lo que decían ser.

«Their words were words of sincerity, and of sober, serious purpose» — y el resultado de aplicarlo, según él.

«nor have his messages ever varied during all the years that he has written.» — Moses sobre el firmante *Doctor, the Teacher*: sostiene la invariabilidad de sus mensajes a lo largo de los años.

«Whenever and wherever he wrote, his handwriting was unchanged, showing, indeed, less change than my own does during the last decade.» — el argumento de identidad que Moses construye con la caligrafía: la del comunicante varía menos que la suya propia en diez años.

«The tricks of style remained the same, and there was, in short, a sustained individuality» — y el mismo argumento por el lado del estilo.

«a being with his own idiosyncrasies and characteristics, quite as clearly defined as the human beings» — Moses declara que el comunicante es para él una entidad y una personalidad, tan definida como las personas con quienes trata.

«After a time, communications came from other sources, and these were distinguished, each by its own handwriting, and by its own peculiarities of style and expression» — la aparición de otras manos, que Moses dice distinguir por letra y por estilo, cada una invariable una vez asumida.

«1 could tell at once who was writing by the mere characteristics of the caligraphy» — el criterio de reconocimiento que reclama; el *1* inicial es la lectura que el OCR hace de la *I* de primera persona.

«It must not be assumed, however, that all messages proceeded from one solitary inspiration.» — Moses acota, en la introducción, el alcance de lo que va a adjudicar a un solo comunicante.

«At other times, and especially since that time, communications have apparently proceeded from a company of associated Spirits, who have used their amanuensis for the purpose of their message.» — y describe el otro régimen, el de una compañía de espíritus asociados que se sirven del mismo amanuense; el *apparently* es suyo.

«But I have received these messages under all sorts of conditions.» — Moses niega que la escritura exigiera un escenario fijo, aunque en la misma plana declara que el aislamiento y la pasividad la facilitaban.

«When the publication in the Spiritualist was commenced I had no sort of idea of doing what is now being done.» — la historia editorial que Moses cuenta de sí mismo: los mensajes salieron primero por entregas en un periódico espiritista, sin plan de libro.

«I was governed only by a desire to avoid the publication of what was of personal interest only: and I perforce excluded much that involved allusion to thgse still living whom I had no right to drag into print.» — el criterio de selección que declara, y la censura que se impone por los vivos aludidos; *thgse* es errata del OCR por *those*.

«Very soon the messages assumed a character of which I had no doubt whatever that the thought was opposed to my own.» — el argumento de ajenidad de Moses en su forma más fuerte: el pensamiento escrito se oponía al suyo.

«But I cultivated the power of occupying my mind with other things during the time that the writing was going on, and was able to read an - abstruse book, and follow out a line of close reasoning, while the message was written with unbroken regularity.» — la prueba que Moses propone contra la hipótesis de que el texto salga de él: leer un libro difícil mientras la mano escribe seguido.

«Messages so written extended over many pages, and in their course there is no correction, no fault in composition, and often a sustained vigour and beauty of style.» — y el rasgo material con que la apoya: páginas enteras sin corrección ni falla de composición.

«So far as I know, it is always the case that the idiosyncrasies of the medium are traceable in such communications.» — el límite que Moses pone a su propio argumento: en toda comunicación de esta clase se rastrean las idiosincrasias del médium.

«It is not conceivable that it should be otherwise.» — y lo da por necesario, no por defecto.

«In one I can positively assert and prove the conveyance of information new to me.» — el caso mínimo que Moses dice poder sostener: al menos una vez le llegó información que él no tenía.

«I never could command the writing.» — Moses declara que el fenómeno no estaba a su mandato.

«I rose early, and the beginning of the day was spent, in a room that I used for no other purpose, in what was to all intents and purposes a religious service.» — la rutina que describe: cuarto reservado, primera hora del día y un régimen que él mismo llama servicio religioso.

«I cannot hope, I do not try, to convey to others what I then experienced.» — Moses renuncia a transmitir la experiencia del periodo de Imperator.

«But it may possibly be borne in upon the minds of some, who are not ignorant of the dispensation of the Spirit in their own inner selves, that for me the question of the beneficent action of external Spirit on my own self was then finally settled.» — y dice a quién puede alcanzar el relato: a quienes conocen por dentro esa acción.

«I have never since, even in the vagaries of an extremely sceptical mind, and amid much cause for questioning, ever seriously entertained a doubt.» — la afirmación de convicción, con la reserva de que su propia mente es extremadamente escéptica.

«I can only plead that I have reason to know that the history of the pleading of Spirit with one struggling soul has been helpful to others.» — la única justificación que da para lo autobiográfico del prólogo.

«I presume that no two of us ever struggle up to light by precisely similar methods.» — y la reserva con que ofrece su caso: nadie sube a la luz por el mismo camino que otro.

«It is their intrinsic claim, the end disclosed, the inherent and essential truth that they contain, which marks their value.» — el criterio de valor que Moses propone para los mensajes: no la forma ni el modo de entrega, sino lo que contienen.

«After a conversation on this special epoch in the world’s history, and its characteristics, it was written» — corchete editorial de Moses que abre la Sección I y sitúa la ocasión del primer mensaje.

«SPECIAL efforts are being made now to spread a knowledge of progressive truth: efforts by the messengers of God, which are resisted, now as ever, by the hosts of the adversaries» — con esto abre el comunicante la Sección I: hay un esfuerzo extraordinario en marcha y una resistencia organizada que lo contesta.

«history of the world has been the story of the struggle between the evil and the good; between God and goodness on the one side, and ignorance, vice, and evil—spiritual, mental, and corporeal—on the other side» — el marco que el comunicante da a esa lucha: toda la historia leída como conflicto, con el mal desglosado en espiritual, mental y corpóreo.

«At certain times, of which this is one, extraordinary efforts are made. The army of the messengers of God is massed in greater force: men are influenced : knowledge is spread: and the end. draws nigh» — el comunicante declara periódico ese esfuerzo y sitúa el presente como uno de sus momentos altos.

«Fear for them: but fear not for the cause of God’s truth» — a quién hay que temer, según el comunicante: a los desertores y los tibios, no a la causa.

«But how are many doubting souls to know what is God's truth ? Many look anxiously, but cannot find» — objeción de Moses intercalada en el mensaje: cómo distingue la verdad de Dios quien la busca.

«None anxiously look who do not find in the end, though they may have long to wait—yes, even till they reach a higher sphere of being» — la respuesta del comunicante, con su plazo abierto: el hallazgo puede posponerse hasta otra esfera.

«God tries all: and to those only who are fitted is advanced knowledge granted» — el principio de selección que enuncia el comunicante: el conocimiento avanzado se otorga solo a los aptos.

«This is an unalterable law. Fitness precedes progression. Patience is required. Yes..» — y la fórmula con que lo fija como ley: la aptitud precede a la progresión.

«The preparation must be complete before the step is gained.» — el corolario de esa ley aplicado al que aguarda.

«The obstacles from internal dissension, from the impossibility of bringing home evidence to many, from prejudice, from many other causes, seem alinost invincible» — Moses enumera los obstáculos que ve del lado humano —disensión interna, imposibilidad de probar, prejuicio— y los llama casi invencibles; *alinost* es errata del OCR por *almost*.

«Why interfere with that which is God’s work? Obstacles! You know not what they are compared with» — la réplica del comunicante, que devuelve la objeción y la relativiza contra lo que él dice haber padecido.

«Ah, yes! say not that evil is invincible when the power of God and of His Spirits has prevailed to cleanse even such a sink as that.» — el comunicante cierra con esto su descripción de la Roma imperial tardía, que había puesto como el peor caso conocido de dominio de las potencias oscuras.

«God is giving far more than you think.» — la respuesta del comunicante a la pregunta de Moses sobre si el intento presente volverá a fracasar.

«And from them it flows to others, and the glorious tidings spread until the day comes when we shall be called on to proclaim them from the mountain top!» — el modo de difusión que describe: centros pequeños que se comunican unos a otros hasta la proclamación abierta.

«Revelation is from God: and that which He has revealed - at one time cannot contradict that which He has revealed» — el principio con que el comunicante responde a la pregunta de Moses sobre si la revelación nueva contradice a la antigua.

«That which seems contradictory is not in the Word of God, but in the mind of man.» — y dónde sitúa la contradicción: en la mente del hombre, no en lo revelado.

«When a further revelation comes, instead of fitting it reasonably, it becomes necessary to clear away much of the superstition that has been built on the old foundations; and the work of destruction must precede the work of addition.» — la consecuencia práctica que saca el comunicante: primero se derriba lo añadido, después se construye.

«The revelations are not contradictory ; but it is necessary to destroy man’s rubbish before God’s truth can be revealed.» — la misma tesis en su forma corta, con la distinción entre lo revelado y lo que el hombre le añadió.

«He offers, but He does not force acceptance.» — el comunicante niega que la revelación se imponga, y de ahí deriva que solo la reciban los preparados.

«It must be so; and the dissensions and differences which you deplore are but for the sifting of the false from the true.» — y da a las disensiones que Moses lamenta la función de criba.

«Spirit-guides are not always attracted to those whom they direct, though this is usually the case.» — respuesta del comunicante a la pregunta de Moses sobre cómo se nombra a los guías espirituales, con la reserva de que lo habitual sí es la atracción.

«Very frequently, when there is no special mission for the soul, the guides are changed as the soul progresses.» — y la regla de relevo que enuncia para las almas sin misión especial.

«We cannot tell you more than that we higher spirits find it very difficult to find a medium through whom we can communicate.» — el límite que el comunicante pone a su propia respuesta sobre qué espíritus vuelven a la tierra: los altos apenas encuentran médium.

«Communications which you discover to be false are not always wilfully so.» — y la explicación que ofrece para las comunicaciones falsas: no siempre hay engaño deliberado.

«It is very startling to hear of such a powerful organisation of evil.» — reacción de Moses ante la descripción de los adversarios como banda organizada.

«There are some, you know, who deny the existence of evil altogether, and teach that all is good though disguised.» — Moses le opone al comunicante la posición contraria, que atribuye a otros: que el mal no existe y todo es bien disfrazado.

«Alas ! alas! most sad is the abandonment of good and choice of evil.» — con lo que el comunicante abre su réplica, tratando el mal como elección y no como apariencia.

«It is not changed save in the accident of being freed from the body.» — la tesis de continuidad que sostiene el comunicante: el alma pasa a la vida de espíritu con sus gustos y hábitos intactos.

«The soul that on earth has been low in taste and impure in habit does not change its nature by passing from the earth-sphere, any more than the soul that has been truthful, pure, and progressive becomes base and bad by death.» — y la simetría con que la argumenta: si la muerte no corrompe al puro, tampoco purifica al impuro.

«The one is no more possible than the other.» — el remate de esa simetría.

«It is no more possible that that character should be undone, save by the slow process of obliteration, than that the woven fabric should be rudely cut and the threads remain intact.» — la imagen del tejido con que el comunicante explica por qué el carácter no se deshace de golpe: los hábitos se entretejen en la naturaleza del espíritu.

«The spirit that has yielded to the lusts of a sensual body becomes in the end their slave.» — la consecuencia que el comunicante saca de esa doctrina del hábito.

«They can only progress by penitence, through the instruction of higher intelligences, and by gradual and laborious undoing of sin and sinful habit.» — la única vía de salida que concede a los adversarios; con ella niega tanto la condena eterna como la purificación automática.

«The idea that there is no such thing as evil, no antagonism to good, no banded company of adversaries who resist progress and truth, and fight against the dissemination of what advantages humanity, is an open device of the evil ones for your bewilderment.» — el comunicante devuelve la doctrina de que el mal no existe adjudicándola a los propios adversarios como estratagema.

«Spirits, good and bad alike, are subject to the rule of commanding Intelligences,» — a la pregunta de Moses sobre si los adversarios tienen un jefe, el comunicante responde que hay jefes que gobiernan, pero no el Diablo de los teólogos.

«The answers given in this section are from the same source. The conversation commenced by some questions as to what the life of spirit showed to be most serviceable work in the training school of life here» — corchete de Moses que abre la Sección II y declara la continuidad de fuente con la anterior.

«It was said that want of balance was a great cause of retrogression, or of inability, at any rate, to progress» — Moses resume en el mismo corchete lo dicho antes por el comunicante: el desequilibrio entre cabeza, afecto y cuerpo frena el progreso.

«I suggested the Philanthropist as the man who came nearest to the ideal. The reply was» — y consigna que la tesis del filántropo la propuso él, no el comunicante.

«THE true philanthropist, the man who has the benefit and progress of his fellows most at heart, is the true man, the true child of the Almighty Father, who is the great Philanthropist» — el comunicante acepta la propuesta y la funda en una analogía con Dios mismo.

«He is enlarging by constant exercise the sympathies which are eternal and undying, and in the perpetual exercise of which man finds increasing happiness.» — la razón que da: las simpatías son lo que no muere, y ejercitarlas es lo que aumenta la felicidad.

«The one, fettered by no restrictions of race or place, of creed or name, embraces in his loving heart the whole brotherhood of humanity» — el rasgo que el comunicante pone como nota del filántropo: no reconocer límites de raza, lugar, credo ni nombre.

«This is the true philanthropist, though frequently the counterfeit, who loves those who think with him, and will help those who fawn on him, and give alms, so the generous deed be well known, robs the fair name of philanthropy of that all-embracing beneficence which is its true mark» — y el contratipo con que lo delimita: el que ayuda solo a los que piensan como él y da limosna a la vista.

«The other, the philosopher, hampered by no theories of what ought to be, and what therefore must be—bound by no subservience to sectarian opinion, to the dogmas of a special school, free from prejudice, receptive of truth, whatever that truth may be, so it be proven—he seeks into the mysteries of Divine wisdom, and, searching, finds his happiness» — las notas con que el comunicante define al filósofo, y la condición que le pone al final: la verdad se recibe cualquiera que sea, con tal de que se pruebe.

«The union of those two—the philanthropist and the philosopher—makes the perfect man.» — la tesis del hombre perfecto como suma de las dos figuras, y no de ninguna por separado.

«Life is of two stages—progressive and contemplative. We, who are still progressive, and who hope to progress for countless myriads of ages (as you say), after the farthest point to which your finite mind can reach, we know naught of the life of contem» — a la pregunta de Moses sobre si la vida es eterna, el comunicante distingue dos etapas y declara no conocer la segunda; el tramo se corta donde la palabra *contemplation* pasa de plana.

«Life is unending, as you count it, but you are concerned with the approach to its threshold, not with the inner temple.» — y con esa imagen del umbral y el templo interior el comunicante se niega a seguir.

«We know of Him, but we know Him not; nor shall know, as you would seek to know, until we enter on the life of contemplation.» — respuesta a la pregunta de Moses sobre si los espíritus saben más de Dios que en la tierra: distinguen conocer de Él y conocerlo a Él.

«He is known to us only by His acts» — la fórmula corta con que el comunicante limita ese conocimiento a las obras.

«In further conversation I alluded again to the conflict between good and evil; and a long answer to my question, or, rather, to what was in my mind, was written» — corchete de Moses, que consigna que la respuesta contestó a lo que él pensaba más que a lo que preguntó.

«The storm was spoken of as one that would rage, with intervals of lull, till some ten or twelve years had passed, when a period of repose would ensue. This is almost the only case I have noted in which a prophecy was ventured upon» — Moses señala, en el mismo corchete, que este es casi el único caso de profecía fechada en todo el libro, y declara que deja el mensaje sin retocar para mostrar cómo era la enseñanza entonces.

«What you hear are the first mutterings of a conflict which will be long and arduous» — el arranque del mensaje del comunicante sobre el conflicto.

«If you could read the story of the world with spirit-sight, you would see that there have always been periodic battles between the evil and the good» — el comunicante hace periódico el conflicto y condiciona su lectura a una vista que el interlocutor no tiene.

«Especially are such seasons consequent on great wars among you. Many spirits are prematurely withdrawn from the body. They then pass before they are fit; and at the moment of departure they are in evil state, angry, bloodthirsty, filled with evil passion» — la causa que el comunicante da a esos ciclos: las guerras arrojan al otro lado multitudes de espíritus sin preparar y en estado de furia.

«It is bad that any should be dismissed from earth-life suddenly, and before the bond is naturally severed.» — el principio general del que deriva su objeción a la pena de muerte y a la guerra.

«It is for this reason that all destruction of bodily life is foolish and rude: rude, as betokening a barbarous ignorance of the conditions of life and progress in the hereafter ; foolish, as releasing an undeveloped angry spirit from its trammels, and enduing it with extended capacity for mischief.» — el comunicante desdobla el cargo en dos: bárbaro por ignorancia de las condiciones del más allá, y necio porque suelta al espíritu airado y le amplía la capacidad de dañar.

«You are blind and ignorant in your dealings with those who have offended against your laws and the regulations, moral and restrictive, by which you govern intercourse amongst yourselves.» — el juicio del comunicante sobre el trato humano al delincuente.

«You find a low and debased intelligence offending against morality, or against constituted law.» — el caso que describe.

«Straightway you take the readiest means of aggravating his capacity for mischief.» — y lo que dice que se hace con él: agravarle la capacidad de daño.

«The good angels weep to find an associated band of evil—human and spiritual—massed against them by man’s ignorance and folly.» — el efecto que el comunicante atribuye a la cárcel: concentra en un mismo sitio a hombres y espíritus del mismo signo, y los espíritus misioneros no pueden entrar.

«What wonder that you have gathered from such experience the conviction that a tendency to open crime is seldom cured, seeing that you yourselves are the plainest accomplices of the spirits who gloat over the fall of the offender.» — y con eso explica la creencia carcelaria en la incorregibilidad: el resultado lo produce el propio método.

«How many an erring soul— erring through ignorance, as frequently as through choice— has come forth from your jails hardened and attended by evil guides you know not, and can never know!» — la reserva que introduce en el propio cargo: el que yerra lo hace tan a menudo por ignorancia como por elección.

«But were you to pursue an enlightened plan with your offenders, you would find a perceptible gain, and confer blessing incalculable on the misguided and vicious.» — la alternativa que anuncia el comunicante antes de detallarla.

«You should teach your criminals: you should punish them, as they will be punished here, by showing them how they hurt themselves by their sin, and how they retard their future progress.» — el modelo penal que propone: la pena entendida como mostrar al que delinque el daño que se hace a sí mismo.

«You should place them where advanced and earnest spirits among you may lead them to unlearn their sin, and to drink in wisdom:» — y el régimen que le corresponde, con espíritus adelantados encargados de que el delincuente desaprenda.

«But you horde together your dangerous spirits.» — lo que se hace en cambio, según el comunicante; *horde* por *hoard* es del impreso.

«You shut them up, and confine them as those who are beyond hope.» — el diagnóstico que atribuye al encierro: tratarlos como perdidos.

«You punish them vindictively, cruelly, foolishly : and the man who has been the victim of your ignorant treatment pursues his course of foolish,» — y el círculo que describe entre castigo vengativo y reincidencia.

«Blind! blind! you know not what you do.» — la fórmula con que el comunicante pasa del castigo carcelario a la pena capital.

«You are your own worst enemies, the truest friends of those who fight against God, and us, and you.» — el cargo central de ese tramo: ejecutando se sirve a los adversarios.

«You falsely arrogate to yourselves the right by law divine to shed human blood.» — el comunicante niega que la ley divina autorice la ejecución.

«You err, and know not that the spirits you so hurt shall in their turn avenge themselves upon you.» — y la consecuencia que anuncia: el ejecutado vuelve como espíritu vengativo.

«You have imagined such a God, and have put into His mouth words which He never knew, and laws which His loving heart would disown.» — el comunicante adjudica al hombre la fabricación de un Dios celoso y cruel, y le niega toda palabra de ese Dios.

«Your wars and your wholesale murderings are even more fearful.» — el comunicante extiende el cargo de la pena de muerte a la guerra, y la juzga peor.

«You must learn the golden lesson, that Pity and Love are truer wisdom than vengeance and vindictive punishment;» — la lección que enuncia como conclusión del pasaje entero.

«Tell them that it will lead them to know of Intelligences whose whole life is one of love and mercy and pity and helpful aid to man,» — el comunicante encarga a Moses qué decir cuando le pregunten para qué sirve el mensaje.

«You must know of God, and of us, and of yourselves, ere you can progress and do our work instead of our adversaries’,» — el orden de conocimiento que pone como condición del progreso.

«Tell them that such is our glorious mission; and if they sneer, as the ignorant will, and boast of their fancied knowledge» — el cierre del encargo, con la previsión de la burla.

«The intensity with which the above message was written out was something quite new to me» — corchete de Moses que abre la Sección III describiendo lo que él vivió al recibir el mensaje anterior.

«The hand tingled, and the arm throbbed, and I was conscious of waves ot force surging through me. When the message was done, I was prostrate with exhaustion, and suffered from a violent headache at the base of the brain» — el detalle físico que Moses registra: hormigueo, oleadas de fuerza, postración y jaqueca en la base del cráneo; *ot* es errata del OCR por *of*.

«Your headache was the result of the intensity of the power, and the rapidity with which it was withdrawn from you» — la explicación que el comunicante da al día siguiente, según Moses.

«We would fain impress on you the paramount importance of obeying ever those unalterable laws which God has laid down for you, and which you violate at your own peril.» — la razón que el comunicante da para haber escrito con esa intensidad.

«Wars are but the product of your lust for gain, your ambition, your angry, proud, vengeful passions.» — el origen que atribuye a la guerra: codicia, ambición y pasión, no necesidad.

«Till you know better than this, your race will progress but slowly ; but you are perpetually sowing seed which produces a crop of obstacles to our work.» — y el efecto que le atribuye sobre la propia misión de los comunicantes.

«Your legislation must be punitive, but it should be remedial too.» — el comunicante enuncia lo que le pide a la ley penal: que además de punitiva sea remediadora.

«A few years ago, and you tortured them, and filled your madhouses with many whose only crime it was to differ from the foolish notions of their fellows» — el cargo que levanta contra el encierro de los que se tienen por locos: llenó los manicomios con gente cuyo único delito fue apartarse de las nociones de sus semejantes.

«recipients of undeveloped spirit influence. This you will one day know to your sorrow—that to leave the beaten track is not always evidence of a wandering mind ; and to be the vehicle of spirit-teaching is not proof of a mind unhinged.» — y la distinción que reclama el comunicante: salirse del camino trillado no prueba extravío, y ser vehículo de la enseñanza de los espíritus no prueba locura.

«From many the power of proclaiming their mission has been taken away, and it has been falsely said that we have filled the asylums, and driven our mediums to madness,» — el comunicante niega el cargo de que los espíritus enloquezcan a los médiums, y lo devuelve como dicho falso de quienes les quitaron la posibilidad de anunciar su misión.

«They have decided, forsooth, that to be in communion with the world of spirit is evidence of madness;» — el silogismo que el comunicante atribuye a sus acusadores y del que hace derivar el encierro.

«Were it not ignorance, it would be blasphemy.» — la calificación con que el comunicante cierra ese cargo, dejándolo en ignorancia y no en blasfemia.

«We have brought nought but blessing to our friends.» — lo que el comunicante reclama para los suyos frente a la acusación de dañar al médium.

«If man has chosen to attract by his evil mind and evil life congenial spirits who aggravate his wickedness, on his head be the sin.» — y a quién devuelve la responsabilidad de la obsesión: al hombre que por su vida atrae espíritus afines.

«Far more mad indeed are those besotted drunkards whom you deem not mad.» — el comunicante invierte el diagnóstico de locura y lo aplica a los borrachos que nadie encierra.

«What do you mean by living over again their base lives ?» — pregunta de Moses intercalada, que pide aclarar en qué consiste revivir la vida baja.

«These earth-bound spirits retain much of their earthy passion and propensity.» — la doctrina de los espíritus atados a la tierra tal como la responde el comunicante: conservan pasión y propensión terrenas.

«The drunkard retains his old thirst, but exaggerated; aggravated by the impossibility of slaking it.» — el caso con que la ilustra, y el agravante que le pone: la sed queda y la posibilidad de saciarla no.

«His innocent wife and babe starve and weep in silent agony, and near them hovers, and over them broods, the guardian angel who has no power to reach the sodden wretch who mars their lives and breaks their hearts.» — la escena con que el comunicante describe el límite del ángel guardián, que según él no alcanza al hombre embrutecido.

«This we shadow forth to you when we tell you that the earth-bound spirit lives again its life of excess in the excesses of those whom it is enabled to drive to ruin.» — la fórmula con que el comunicante resume la doctrina: el espíritu atado a la tierra revive sus excesos en los excesos de aquellos a quienes arrastra.

«It can only be found in the moral and material elevation of the race ; in the gradual growth of purer and truer knowledge; in advanced education, in its widest and truest sense,» — el remedio que propone, y su plazo largo: elevación moral y material de la especie, crecimiento gradual del conocimiento y educación en sentido amplio.

«This would prevent obsession such as you picture ?» — pregunta de Moses, que quiere saber si ese remedio bastaría contra la obsesión descrita.

«Yes, in the end; and nothing else will, so long as you keep up the supply at the rate you now do,» — la respuesta del comunicante, condicionada a que se deje de alimentar el suministro de esos espíritus.

«Do children pass at once to a high sphere ?» — otra pregunta de Moses, sobre la suerte de los niños que mueren.

«No: the experience of the earth-life cannot so be dispensed with.» — la negativa del comunicante: la experiencia de la vida terrestre no se salta.

«The absence of contamination ensures a rapid passage through the spheres of purification, but the absence of experience and knowledge requires to be remedied by training and ‘education, by spirits whose special care it is to train these tender souls, and supply to them that which they have missed.» — y el desglose que ofrece: al niño le falta experiencia, no pureza, y espíritus encargados de ello se la suplen por instrucción.

«But many a child-spirit leaves the earth-life pure and unsullied who would have been exposed to temptation and grievous trial; and so it gains in purity what it has lost in knowledge.» — el comunicante sostiene la compensación sin resolverla a favor de ninguno de los dos lados: el niño gana en pureza lo que pierde en conocimiento.

«elect to return to earth, and, by attaching themselves to a. medium, gain the special phase of experience which they need.» — el motivo que el comunicante da al retorno a la tierra: ganar por medio de un médium la fase de experiencia que al espíritu le falta; la a. suelta es del OCR.

«All who return, save those who, like ourselves, are charged with a mission, have an object to gain:» — y la excepción con que se saca a sí mismo y a los suyos de esa regla, por venir con misión.

«This is the one desire of spirit. More progress! More knowledge! More love!» — la fórmula corta con que el comunicante enuncia el único deseo del espíritu.

«Return to earth ts not the only method of progression.» — objeción de Moses, planteada como afirmación a verificar; la ts es lectura del OCR por is.

«No: nor even the usual one. We have with us many schools of instruction: and we do not employ a second time one that has proved a failure.» — la respuesta del comunicante, que niega incluso que el retorno sea lo habitual y alega escuelas de instrucción del otro lado.

«Some further conversation having taken place respecting the home and occupation of Spirit, I inquired, not getting much information that I could assimilate, whether the writer knew anything of states of being outside of his own, or rather above it;» — corchete editorial de Moses que declara la ocasión de la respuesta y lo poco que pudo asimilar de lo anterior.

«In reply, it was affirmed that spirits had no power to take in so vast a prospect as the range of spiritual existence:» — y lo que Moses consigna en ese mismo corchete como respuesta recibida: los espíritus se declaran incapaces de abarcar el conjunto de la existencia espiritual.

«and that their knowledge was barred by the gulf fixed between what were called spheres of probation, or sometimes of purgation, in which the soul was developed and perfected, and the spheres of contemplation into which it then passed, never (except in rare cases) to return.» — el corte que Moses resume: entre las esferas de probación o purgación y las de contemplación hay un abismo que casi nunca se cruza de vuelta.

«The passage from the highest of the seven spheres of probation, to the lowest of the seven spheres of contemplation, is a change analogous to what you know as death.» — el comunicante compara ese paso con la muerte tal como el interlocutor la conoce.

«We hear little from beyond, though we know that the blessed ones who dwell there have power to help and guide us even as we watch over you.» — y el límite que se pone: de las esferas de contemplación apenas oye, aunque supone que desde ahí se vigila como él vigila a los vivos.

«It is necessary for you to remember that spirits speak according to their experience and knowledge.» — la reserva que el comunicante pone sobre toda respuesta de espíritus, incluida la suya: hablan según su experiencia y su conocimiento.

«Some who are asked abstruse questions give replies according to the measure of their knowledge, and are in error. But do not, therefore, blame them.» — y la consecuencia que saca: los que responden más allá de lo que saben yerran, y no por eso se les culpa.

«your earth is the highest of seven spheres; that there are succeeding the earth-life seven spheres of‘ active work, and succeeding these, seven spheres of Divine contemplation. But each sphere has many states.» — el esquema que el comunicante propone como creencia y no como saber: siete esferas coronadas por la tierra, siete de trabajo activo tras la muerte y siete de contemplación divina.

«The perpetual choosing of evil and refusing of good breeds necessarily an aversion to that which is pure and good, and a craving for that which is debased.» — el mecanismo que atribuye a la degradación voluntaria: elegir el mal engendra aversión al bien.

«The guardians retire affrighted from the presence; they cannot breathe the atmosphere which surrounds it; other spirits take their place;» — lo que el comunicante dice que ocurre con el guardián de un espíritu así: se retira, y otros de vicios afines ocupan su lugar.

«The slopes of Avernus are dotted with spirits hurrying to their destruction, sinking with mad haste to ruin.» — la imagen del Averno con que describe el descenso, fácil de bajar y penoso de desandar.

«In these spheres they must remain subject to the attempted influence of missionary spirits, until the desire for progress is renewed.» — la condición que pone a la salida de las esferas bajas: la influencia de espíritus misioneros hasta que renazca el deseo de progresar.

«It becomes amenable to holy and ennobling influence, and is tended by those pure and self-sacrificing spirits whose mission it is to tend such souls.» — y lo que sigue a ese primer paso, según el comunicante.

«So amongst us there are spirits who give themselves to work in the sphere of the degraded and abandoned.» — el comunicante equipara la misión entre los espíritus degradados con la de quienes en la tierra trabajan en los antros del vicio.

«Of the lower spheres we know little. We only know vaguely that there are separations made between degrees and sorts of vice.» — la ignorancia que el comunicante declara sobre las esferas inferiores, de las que solo supone separaciones por grados de vicio.

«They that will not seek for anything that is good, that wallow in impurity and vice, sink lower and lower, until they lose conscious identity, and become practically extinct, so far as personal existence is concerned ; so at least we believe.» — la extinción de la identidad personal como término del descenso, enunciada por el comunicante como creencia suya y no como dato.

«Mercifully, such cases are rare, and spring only from deliberate rejection by the soul of all that is good and ennobling.» — y la reserva con que la acota: casos raros, y solo por rechazo deliberado del alma.

«The sin, viz., of rejecting the influences of God’s holy angel ministers, and of preferring the death of vice and impurity to the life of holiness and purity and love.» — la definición que el comunicante da del pecado imperdonable: rechazar a los ángeles ministros y preferir el vicio a la santidad.

«It is the sin of exalting the animal to the extinction of the spiritual; of degrading even the corporeal ; of cultivating sensual earthly lusts ; of depraving even the lowest tastes; of reducing the human to the level of the lowest brute.» — y su otra cara, según el comunicante: exaltar lo animal hasta extinguir lo espiritual.

«This is the unpardonable sin. Unpardonable, not because the Supreme will not pardon, but because the sinner chooses it to be so.» — el comunicante niega que el imperdón venga de Dios y lo hace elección del pecador.

«Unpardonable, because pardon is impossible where sin is congenial, and penitence unfelt.» — y la razón que da para esa imposibilidad: no cabe perdón donde el pecado es grato y la penitencia no se siente.

«Punishment is ever the immediate consequence of sin; it is of its essence, not arbitrarily meted out, but the inevitable result of the violation of law.» — el comunicante niega que el castigo se imponga desde fuera y lo hace consecuencia inmediata de la violación de la ley.

«The consequences of such transgression cannot be altogether averted, though they may be palliated by remorse, the effect of which is to breed a loathing for sin and a desire for good.» — el papel que le asigna al remordimiento: no anula las consecuencias, las palía y engendra aversión al pecado.

«The spiritual atmosphere is changed, and into it good angels enter readily and aid the striving soul.» — el efecto que el comunicante atribuye a ese primer paso: cambia la atmósfera espiritual y los ángeles buenos entran.

«It was on this principle that we told you of the folly which dictates your dealings with the trangressors of your laws.» — el comunicante enlaza la doctrina del pecado imperdonable con su objeción anterior al trato humano del delincuente; trangressors es grafía del impreso.

«Were we to deal with offenders so, there would be no restoration, and the spheres of the depraved would be crowded with lost and ruined souls.» — y el contraste con que cierra la Sección III: si los espíritus obraran como los hombres, no habría restauración posible.

«The above are selections from a great number of messages which were written during April and May, 1873.» — corchete de Moses que abre la Sección IV y fecha en abril y mayo de 1873 los mensajes seleccionados.

«on May 22nd, I was writing on quite another subject when the message broke off, and the name of Thomas Augustine Arne was written.» — Moses fecha el episodio y consigna que la mano se interrumpió para escribir el nombre del músico.

«It was said that he had been brought into relation with me through his connection with a son of Dr Speer’s, a pupil of mine, who displayed great musical ability.» — el vínculo que, según Moses, se le dio para explicar la aparición: un hijo del doctor Speer, alumno suyo, dotado para la música.

«The date of his birth (1710); his school (Eton) ; his instructor in the violin (Festing).» — los datos biográficos que Moses dice haber recibido sin intervalo entre pregunta y respuesta.

«was contained in The Masque of Alfred; and a number of other minute particulars were given without the least hesitation.» — y el dato que Moses destaca de esa lista, junto con otras minucias dadas sin titubeo.

«for I know absolutely nothing about music, and have read nothing on the subject» — la razón por la que Moses declara ajena esa información: dice no saber nada de música ni haber leído del asunto.

«It was said to be extremely difficult, possible only when an extremely passive and receptive state in the medium were secured.» — la condición que, según Moses, se le puso a esa precisión: un estado de pasividad extrema en el médium.

«By reading; under certain conditions, and with special end in view; or by inquiry, as man does, only to spirits it would be more difficult, though possible.» — la respuesta que Moses consigna a su pregunta sobre cómo se informan los espíritus: leyendo bajo ciertas condiciones, o preguntando como hacen los hombres.

«No, friend, I cannot, but ZACHARY GRAY can, and Rector. I am not able to materialise myself, or to command the elements.» — el espíritu recién llegado niega poder leer y remite a otros dos que sí, uno de ellos nombrado en versales por el impreso.

«Will you write for me the last lime of the first book of the fEneid P» — la prueba que Moses pide por escrito; lime por line y fEneid por Aeneid son lecturas del OCR, y la P final es el signo de interrogación.

«Omnibus errantem terris et fluctibus estas.» — el verso latino con que responde Rector, y que Moses da por correcto en el corchete siguiente.

«Can you go to the bookcase, take the last book but one on the second shelf, and read me the last paragraph on the ninety-fourth page ?» — la segunda prueba que pide Moses, sobre un libro que declara no haber visto ni conocer de nombre.

«I will curtly prove, by a short historical narrative, that popery is a novelty, and has gradually arisen or grown up» — el pasaje que Rector escribe como lectura de esa página; el tramo se corta al pasar de plana.

«since the primitive and pure time of Christianity, not only since the apostolic age, but even since the lamentable union of kirk and the state by Constantine.» — y su continuación en la plana siguiente, con la unión de iglesia y estado bajo Constantino como fecha del daño.

«The book on examination then proved to be a queer one called “ Rogers’ Antipopopriestian, an attempt to liberate and purify Christianity from Popery, Politikirkality, and Priestrule.» — corchete de Moses que identifica el volumen por su título entero.

«The extract given above was accurate, but the word “ narrative ’’ was substituted for “‘ account.» — y la salvedad que Moses consigna en el mismo corchete: una palabra del pasaje quedó cambiada.

«How came I to pitch on so appropriate a sentence ?» — pregunta de Moses sobre por qué le salió una frase tan a propósito.

«I know not, my friend. It was by coincidence. The word was changed by error. I knew it when it was done, but would not change.» — la respuesta de Rector, que atribuye el acierto a coincidencia y declara haber advertido el error sin corregirlo.

«I wrote what I remembered, and then I went for more. It is a special effort to read, and useful only as a test.» — el procedimiento que Rector describe para leer, y el valor que le concede: sirve como prueba y no para más.

«Your friend was right last night: we can read, but only when conditions are very good.» — y el límite que él mismo le pone a la facultad de leer.

«Take it and read, and recognise our power, and the permission which the great and good God gives us, to show you of our power over matter.» — con lo que Rector cierra la demostración, presentándola como permiso de Dios y no como facultad propia.

«The book opened at page 145, and there was the quotation perfectly true. I had not seen the book before ; certainly had no idea of its contents.» — corchete final de Moses, que registra la coincidencia y declara no haber visto antes el libro.

«On the following day I had a long conversation as to the power exercised by spirits on our earth, which was said to be great and widespread.» — corchete de Moses que abre la Sección V con el asunto tratado: el alcance del poder de los espíritus sobre la tierra.

«It was insisted that spirit-action was universal, and that it was a question for man, to a great extent, whether that action was beneficent or not.» — y lo que Moses resume como insistencia de sus interlocutores: la acción de los espíritus es universal, y de los hombres depende en buena medida que sea benéfica.

«THERE are varieties of mediumship, as you krlow, and there are divers modes in which spirit influence is exercised.» — con esto abre el comunicante su exposición de las clases de mediumnidad; krlow es lectura del OCR por know.

«Some are selected for the mere physical peculiarities which make them the ready vehicles of spirit power.» — la primera clase que distingue: elegidos por su constitución corporal.

«They are not influenced mentally, and information given by the spirits who use them would be of a trifling or even foolish nature, and untrustworthy.» — y lo que el comunicante niega de ellos: no reciben influencia mental, y lo que se les dicta no merece confianza.

«Their work is not less significant than that which is wrought through others. They are concerned with the foundation of belief.» — la función que sin embargo les reconoce: poner el cimiento de la creencia.

«And some are chosen because of their loving, gentle nature.» — la segunda clase de médium según el comunicante, escogida por el temple del alma y no por el cuerpo.

«Others, again, are intellectually trained and prepared to give to man extended knowledge and wider views of truth.» — y la tercera, preparada intelectualmente para transmitir conocimiento.

«The most difficult task we have is to select a medium through whom the messages of the higher and more advanced spirits can be made known.» — lo que el comunicante declara más difícil de su oficio: hallar médium para los espíritus adelantados.

«It is necessary that the mind chosen should be of a receptive character, for we cannot put into a spirit more information than it can receive.» — la primera condición que exige, con su razón: no se pone en un espíritu más de lo que puede recibir.

«It must be a mind that has unlearned its youthful errors, and has proved itself receptive of truth, even though that truth be unpopular.» — la segunda, que incluye recibir la verdad aunque sea impopular.

«It must be free from the dogmatism of ‘theologies and sectarianism and rigid creed.» — la tercera, contra el dogmatismo de teologías, sectarismo y credo rígido.

«which is ignorant of its own ignorance. It must be a free and inquiring soul.» — y la cuarta, contra el medio saber que desconoce su propia ignorancia.

«It must be a soul that loves progressive knowledge, and that has the perception of truth afar off,» — la disposición positiva que pide el comunicante, además de esas negativas.

«One that yearns for fuller light, for richer knowledge than it has yet received; one that knows no hope of cessation in drinking in the truth.» — y el remate: un alma que no espera dejar de beber la verdad.

«Again, our work must not be marred by the self-assertion of a positive antagonistic mind, nor by the proud obtruding of self and selfish ends and aims.» — lo que el comunicante pone como estorbo de su obra: la mente antagonista que se afirma a sí misma.

«We desire a capable, earnest, truth-seeking, unselfish, loving spirit for our work. Said we not well that such was difficult to find among men? Difficult indeed, well-nigh impossible.» — y el retrato del alma que busca, con la dificultad que él mismo le reconoce.

«We inspire into it a spirit of love and tolerance for opinions that do not find favour with its own mental bias.» — el primer trabajo que el comunicante dice hacer sobre el alma elegida: infundirle tolerancia por las opiniones que no le agradan.

«This raises it above dogmatic prejudice, and paves the way for the discovery that truth is manifold; and not the property of any individual.» — y el efecto que le atribuye: descubrir que la verdad es múltiple y de nadie en particular.

«Store of knowledge is given as the soul can receive it ; and, the foundation of knowledge once laid, the superstructure may be safely raised.» — el orden que el comunicante impone a la entrega de conocimiento: primero el cimiento, después lo que se levante sobre él.

«Many and many fail here, and we abandon our work with them, finding that not in this world of yours can they receive the truth;» — el comunicante declara el fracaso como resultado frecuente, y el abandono del trabajo cuando el prejuicio no cede.

«Moreover, a perfect truthfulness and absence of fearfulness and anxiety are the steady growth of our teaching.» — lo que el comunicante señala como fruto lento de la enseñanza: veracidad y ausencia de miedo y ansiedad.

«We infuse a spirit of patient waiting for that which we are permitted to do and teach. This spirit is the very reverse of that fretful, restless querulousness which characterises many souls.» — y lo que le opone: la querella inquieta que atribuye a muchas almas.

«The old theology tells them of a God, who watches for their fall; and of a devil, who lays perpetual traps for them.» — el comunicante expone la doctrina que atribuye a la teología antigua, con su Dios al acecho y su diablo tendiendo trampas, para explicar por qué muchos se asustan y desertan.

«their friends are ready to point ‘to so-called prophecies which tell of anti-Christ.» — y lo que dice que les oponen sus allegados: profecías sobre el anticristo.

«There is nothing so utterly fatal to spirit influence as self-seeking, self-pleasing, boastfulness, arrogance, or pride» — la lista de lo que el comunicante declara fatal para la influencia espiritual.

«If it be dogmatic, we cannot use it. If it be arrogant and selfish, we cannot come near it.» — y las dos condiciones bajo las cuales dice no poder trabajar sobre una inteligencia.

«Self-abnegation has been the virtue which has graced the wise and holy men of all time.» — la virtud que el comunicante pone en el centro y que dice reconocer en los sabios de todos los tiempos.

«They who spoke to the- Jews, whose messages you have in your sacred records, were men of self-denying purity and singleness of life.» — el comunicante extiende esa nota a los profetas de Israel, cuyos mensajes sitúa en los registros sagrados del interlocutor.

«Jesus, when He lived amongst men, was a grand and magnificent instance of the highest self-abnegation and earnestness of purpose.» — y a Jesús, a quien presenta como caso máximo de esa abnegación y no como objeto de culto.

«In Him you have the purest picture that history records of man’s possibilities.» — lo que el comunicante dice ver en él: el retrato más puro de las posibilidades del hombre, y no una naturaleza distinta de la humana.

«Socrates and Plato, John and Paul, the pioneers of truth, the heralds of progress, all have been unselfish souls» — la lista con que el comunicante mezcla filósofos griegos y apóstoles en una misma serie de pioneros.

«Seek, friend, the mind of the philosopher, calm, reliant, truthful, and earnest!» — el encargo que el comunicante le hace a Moses, retomando la figura del filósofo de la Sección II.

«Add the self-abnegation of the servant of God who does his work and seeks for no reward.» — y la tercera pieza que le suma, el siervo que trabaja sin buscar recompensa.

«But you have described a perfect character.» — objeción de Moses, que ve en ese retrato un imposible.

«You have now no conception of what the Sas spirit is. You cannot know; you cannot even picture it.» — la respuesta del comunicante, que niega la objeción por el otro lado: lo descrito queda muy por debajo de lo que él llama espíritu.

«The character we have faintly pictured in such terms as are intelligible to you is not perfect, nor aught but a vague and distant resemblance of that which it shall become.» — y el estatuto que le da al retrato: semejanza vaga y lejana, dicha en términos inteligibles para el interlocutor.

«With you is no perfectness. Hereafter is progression and constant development and growth. What you call perfect is blotted and blurred with faults to spirit vision.» — el comunicante niega que haya perfección de este lado y remite todo crecimiento al futuro.

«Yes, surely. But very few such are to be found.» — la concesión de Moses, con su reparo: tal carácter escasea.

«Few, few: and none save in the germ. There is the capability on which we work with thankfulness. We seek not for perfection: we do but desire sincerity and earnest desire for improvement : a mind free and receptive; a spirit pure and good.» — la respuesta del comunicante, que rebaja lo que pide: no perfección, sino sinceridad, deseo de mejora y mente libre.

«Wait in patience. Impatience is a dire fault. Avoid over-carefulness and anxiety as to causes which are beyond your control.» — y el consejo con que cierra, contra la impaciencia y el cuidado excesivo.

«I suppose a secluded life is favourable for your influence, vather than the busy whirl of town ?» — pregunta de Moses sobre si la vida retirada favorece la influencia; vather es lectura del OCR por rather.

«Here the writing suddenly changed from the sitivute and very clear writing of Doctor to a most peculiar archaic writing, almost indecipherable, and signed Prudens.» — corchete de Moses que registra el relevo de mano en mitad de la sesión: de la letra menuda y clara de Doctor a una escritura arcaica firmada Prudens; sitivute es del OCR.

«The busy world is ever averse from the things of spirit life. Men become absorbed in the material, that which they can» — con esto arranca Prudens su respuesta sobre la ciudad; el tramo se corta al pasar de plana.

«They become so earthly that they are impervious to our influence ; so material that we cannot come near them; so full of earthly interests that there is no room for that which shall endure when they have passed away.» — la triple gradación con que Prudens describe el cierre del hombre absorbido en lo material.

«More than this, the constant preoccupation leaves no time for contemplation, and the spirit is wasted for lack of sustenance.» — y el daño que le atribuye a la ocupación constante: sin tiempo de contemplación, el espíritu se queda sin sustento.

«Round the busy city, with its myriad haunts of vice, its detestable allurements, its votaries of folly and sin, hover the legions of the opposing spirits, who watch for opportunity to lure the wavering to their ruin.» — la escena que Prudens pinta alrededor de la ciudad, con las legiones de espíritus contrarios al acecho.

«The life of contemplation is that which most suits communion with us. It is not indeed to supersede the life of action, but may be in some sort combined with it.» — Prudens sostiene la vida de contemplación como la que mejor conviene, y niega expresamente que suprima la vida activa.

«But the desire must be inherent in the soul; and where that is, neither distracting cares nor worldly allurements avail to prevent the recognition of a spirit world, and of communion with it.» — y la condición que la decide, por encima del entorno: el deseo tiene que estar en el alma.

«But it is easier for us to make our presence felt when the surroundings are pure and peaceful» — la reserva con que Prudens cierra, sin retirar lo anterior.

«At this time I met Mr Home. It chanced to be the Derby Day, and it was said through him that conditions were so interfered with that spirits could do nothing.» — corchete de Moses que abre la Sección VI: el encuentro con el médium Home el día del Derby, y lo que por él se dijo sobre las condiciones estorbadas.

«On the next day (May 29) I had some conversation on the subject, in the course of which» — y la fecha que Moses le pone a la conversación del día siguiente.

«ANY such occasion disturbs the moral conditions, and renders it hard for us to reach you.» — la respuesta del comunicante, que hace de la ocasión un problema moral y no de mecánica.

«The spirits who are antagonistic to us are massed together in great force whenever any occasion is offered for them to operate successfully on men who are gathered together for the purpose of gratifying their bodily passions» — y la razón que da: los espíritus contrarios se concentran donde hay multitudes reunidas para satisfacer el cuerpo.

«Yesterday there were vast masses whose passion of cupidity was excited to an enormous degree. They were the point of attack from similar spirits.» — el comunicante aplica la regla a la jornada del Derby, con la codicia como puerta de entrada.

«even when these baser passions were not actively excited, the moral balance was upset ; that calmness and equability which should regulate the temper, and which are as a shield against» — y la extiende más allá de la pasión encendida: basta que se pierda el equilibrio moral, que él trata como escudo; el tramo se corta en el límite de chunk del troceo.

«the foe, were absent, and so a chance of favourable assault was given.» — la continuación de esa misma frase al otro lado del corte: faltando el escudo, queda dada la ocasión del asalto.

«For, short of absolute evil, much ground for assault is given by an ill-regulated, disordered mind, by minds unhinged and ill-balanced.» — la formulación general de esa tesis: no hace falta maldad, basta una mente desordenada.

«Avoid allsuch. They are frequently the ready agents of spirit influence, but of undeveloped and unwelcome guides.» — el encargo que el comunicante le da a Moses sobre tales personas, a las que reconoce como agentes de influencia espiritual aunque de guías no desarrollados; allsuch va pegado en el impreso.

«Beware of immoderate, unreasoning, excited frames of mind.» — y la advertencia corta con que lo remata.

«But what you say would apply to all national holidays ?» — pregunta de Moses, que quiere saber si el reparo alcanza a toda fiesta nacional.

«Not necessarily so. So long as a holiday is associated with giving a loose rein to passion, with the immoderate use of fiery, intoxicating poison, with sensual gratifications, with the body and not with the spirit, it must needs be so.» — el comunicante niega la generalización y pone la condición: vale mientras la fiesta suelte la rienda a la pasión y se ocupe del cuerpo y no del espíritu.

«The body so situated places the spirit at the mercy of the adversaries.» — y el mecanismo que le atribuye a esa clase de fiesta.

«But the holiday that is associated with rest of body and refreshment of spirit is far from being such.» — la otra rama, que el comunicante sostiene sin retirar la anterior: el descanso moderado no cae bajo el reparo.

«when this is so, a gentle calm pervades the spirit, and renders it peculiarly open to the beneficent influences of the heavenly guardians.» — y el efecto que le atribuye: una calma que abre el espíritu a los guardianes.

«You must progress far in knowledge of spirit guidance and of the duties you owe to yourselves before your national holidays become aught but opportunities for the degradation of your people.» — el juicio del comunicante sobre las fiestas nacionales de su tiempo, condicionado a un progreso que dice todavía lejano.

«The holiday that is marked by riot and debauchery, by sensuality and gambling, and evil, angry passion and despair, this is no holy day to us, but one to be dreaded and watched and prayed over.» — y la distinción con que cierra, entre día festivo y día santo.

«I find that our séance was disturbed at this time by some erratic manifestations, and an attempt to obtain photographs of some of the communicating spirits resulted in failure.» — corchete de Moses que registra el fracaso de un intento de fotografiar a los espíritus comunicantes.

«Although the spirit whose figure was on the plate claimed the name of Rector, it was said by my friend that it was a spirit with whom they had no connection, a deceptive spirit, unknown to any of them.» — y el hallazgo de suplantación que Moses consigna: la figura de la placa reclamó el nombre de Rector y sus interlocutores la declararon espíritu engañoso ajeno a ellos.

«Rector could not communicate with you on account of your disturbed condition, consequent on the sitting which had severely taxed you. The information given was quite unreliable.» — la explicación que el comunicante da al día siguiente, cargando el fallo a la condición alterada del médium.

«Your mind was violently positive. You had assumed the picture to be that of Rector» — y el segundo cargo, que es contra la expectativa del propio Moses.

«When you feel such conditions present, seek no communications on any subject. They will be unreliable or imperfect under such circumstances, and in many cases hurtful.» — la regla práctica que el comunicante deriva del episodio.

«I was much annoyed, and complained that my scanty stock of faith would be drained by many such occurrences.» — corchete de Moses que registra su enojo y el desgaste de fe que temió.

«You have never placed yourself in communication save when I (Doctor) or someone who can warn and guard you has been present.» — el comunicante se nombra a sí mismo en el paréntesis y con eso adjudica el mensaje a Doctor.

«Your positive mind Rector could not influence: and your fevered state made it impossible to control you.» — y el reparto de responsabilidades que hace Doctor entre el estado del médium y el poder de Rector.

«Since then I have been scrupulously careful never to attempt automatic writing when I am physically - ill or in pain, mentally worried or anxious, or near any person so suffering, ‘or in the midst of any influences that might be disturbing.» — corchete de Moses con la regla que dice haberse impuesto desde entonces para la escritura automática.

«To this precaution i attribute much of the regular and equable character of my communieations.» — y lo que Moses le atribuye a esa precaución; communieations es lectura del OCR.

«Keep yourself as passive and quiet as you can. When overtired with work, or fretted with care, or exhausted, do not attempt to seek communion with us.» — las condiciones que el comunicante pide al médium antes de sentarse; el impreso parte overtired en el guion de fin de renglón, y la obra escribe overtaxing sin guion dentro de línea en la plana 57.

«Suffer us to perfect our experiments before you interfere to spoil them.» — y lo que le pide al círculo: no alterar su composición, que ellos avisarán del cambio que quieran.

«Do not alter the room in which you meet : and strive in so far as may be to meet with a passive mind and a healthy body.» — el resto de esas condiciones, que son de lugar y de cuerpo.

«Yes, working all day with body and brain does not improve conditions, I suppose. But Sunday is generally worse.» — observación de Moses, que además señala el domingo como el peor día.

«It is not a favourable day for us, because, when the strain is removed from mind and body, the reaction leaves the spirit _disinclined for action and more apt for repose.» — el comunicante le da la razón y explica el domingo por la reacción del cuerpo al levantarse la carga.

«we fear experimenting with physical manifestations lest they do harm. Moreover, they are not our object, only subsidiary to it.» — el reparo del comunicante ante los fenómenos físicos, que declara subordinados y no el objeto de su obra.

«They are but the signs which witness to our mission ; and we do not desire that you rest in them.» — y el estatuto que les concede: signos que atestiguan la misión, no lugar donde detenerse.

«No worse condition can be than that state of somnolence and torpor which follows on a plentiful meal during which stimulating drink has been taken.» — la peor condición según el comunicante, que distingue esa modorra de la pasividad que sí pide.

«It opens the door for the advent of the more material spirits, and stops our power.» — y lo que dice que ocurre entonces: entran los espíritus más materiales.

«But a weak body and temper disturbed by want of food ts bad, surely ?» — objeción de Moses, que le opone el otro extremo; ts es lectura del OCR por is.

«We do but counsel moderation. The body should be strengthened with food, but you should not sit down until the food is assimilated.» — la respuesta del comunicante, que acota la lectura extrema de su propio consejo.

«Equally when the body is replete with food, the grosser spirits may be expected to be in the ascendant, and we are unable to operate.» — y la simetría con que trata el exceso, con el mismo efecto que el ayuno.

«you should bring to the sitting a body healthy and sound, senses clear and watchful, and a mind passive and receptive.» — y lo que pide llevar a la sesión, en cuerpo, sentidos y mente.

«Even the light of which you spoke * under such conditions is pale, clear, and smokeless: under unfavourable conditions would _be dull, dirty, and smoky in appearance.» — el comunicante hace de la calidad de las luces fosforescentes un índice de las condiciones del círculo; el asterisco remite a la nota de Moses al pie.

«At this time we had a number of large phosphorescent lights at our ordinary sittings: clear and of a pale yellow under good conditions; red, and smoky when anything was wrong.» — nota al pie de Moses que describe las luces que decía tener en las sesiones de entonces.

«These lights were similar to the lamp borne by the spirit John King, and attained a great size under favourable conditions.» — y la comparación con que las sitúa, remitiendo a la lámpara del espíritu John King.

«It having been said that a friend and his wife who had frequently manifested were now removed to other spheres of work, I asked whether the marriage ties were perpetuated» — corchete de Moses que declara la ocasión de la pregunta por el vínculo matrimonial después de la muerte.

«That depends entirely on similarity of taste and equality of development.» — la respuesta condicionada del comunicante, que no afirma ni niega la permanencia del vínculo.

«In our state we know only of community of taste and of association between those who are on the same plane and can be developed by mutual help.» — y el criterio que dice regir del otro lado: plano común y ayuda mutua.

«Consequently no tie can be perpetuated which is not a help to progress.» — la consecuencia que el comunicante saca, y que subordina todo vínculo a la educación del espíritu.

«The uncongenial bonds which have embittered the soul’s earth life, and marred its upward progress, cease with the bodily existence.» — lo que declara disuelto con el cuerpo.

«so the relations are perpetuated, not because they have once existed, but because in the eternal fitness of things they minister to the spirit’s education.» — y la razón por la que dice que perdura lo que perdura: no por haber existido, sino por servir.

«In such cases the marriage tie is perpetuated, but only in such sort as the bond of fellowship between friends endures» — la reserva con que el comunicante concede la permanencia del matrimonio: al modo del lazo entre amigos.

«When the period arrives at which it is more profitable for them to separate they go their way without sorrow, for they can still commune and share each other’s interests.» — y la separación que admite sin duelo, porque de su lado no interrumpe el trato.

«No. But some, I can conceive, may not be exactly on the same mental or moral plane, and yet be full of mutual love.» — objeción de Moses, que le opone el caso de quienes se aman sin estar en el mismo plano.

«Spirits filled with mutual love can never be really separated. You are hampered in understanding our state by considerations of time and space.» — la respuesta del comunicante, que devuelve la dificultad al modo humano de contar tiempo y espacio.

«We know no time, no space. We could not obtain really close union with any spirit unless the intelligence be absolutely on the same mental and progressive plane. Indeed, any such union would be impossible for us.» — y el límite que se pone: sin identidad de plano no hay para ellos unión estrecha.

«Soul may be linked with soul in bonds of affection, without any intimate connection such as we mean by being on the same plane of development.» — la distinción que el comunicante mantiene entre afecto y comunidad de plano.

«Love unites spirits at whatever distance. You see that in your low state of existence.» — y la fórmula corta con que la remata, apoyada en lo que dice verse ya entre los vivos.

«The wife loves the degraded besotted ruffian who mutilates her body and strives to crush her spirit.» — el caso extremo con que ilustra esa persistencia del afecto sin comunidad alguna.

«She will soar while he will sink; but the bond of love will not be snapped, though the spirits may no longer consort together.» — y el desenlace que le da, con los caminos separados y el lazo intacto.

«And so you may dimly understand that with us union means identity of development, community of interest, mutual and affectionate progression. We know no such indissoluble ties as exist with you.» — la definición de unión que el comunicante propone, y su negativa a los lazos indisolubles.

«Then the Bible words are true, ‘‘ They neither marry nor ave given in marriage, but are as the angels of God» — Moses le opone la frase evangélica sobre los que ni se casan ni se dan en matrimonio; ave es lectura del OCR por are.

«It was truly said. We have before told you of the law of Progress and of the law of Association. They are invariable.» — el comunicante acepta la cita y la enlaza con las dos leyes que declara invariables.

«Much that now seems good to you, you will throw aside with the body. Your state now colours your views.» — y la reserva que pone sobre el juicio del interlocutor, condicionado por su estado.

«Much we are obliged to clothe in allegory, and to elucidate by borrowing your phraseology.» — la declaración de método del comunicante sobre su propio lenguaje.

«So that you,must not insist too strongly on literal meanings of words used by us to describe what exists only with us, which finds no counterpart in your world, and transcends your present knowledge, and which therefore can only be approximately described in language borrowed from earth. This is a necessary caution.» — y la advertencia que de ahí saca contra la lectura literal de sus palabras; la coma pegada es del impreso.

«That would account for discrepancies in spirit communications 1 some cases.» — Moses saca la consecuencia de lo anterior y la aplica a las discrepancias entre comunicaciones; el 1 es lectura del OCR por in.

«Such differences arise in many cases from want of knowledge on the part of the spirits themselves ; from their inability to get their ideas through the channel of communication: from imperfect conditions at the time of the communication, and from other causes.» — el comunicante desglosa las causas de esas discrepancias, y la primera es la ignorancia de los propios espíritus.

«Doubtless, one cause is, that curious and foolish questions bring foolish answers from spirits on the plane of the questioner.» — y la que atribuye al preguntón: la pregunta necia atrae al espíritu de su mismo plano.

«But would not a high spirit endeavour to raise the questioner instead of “ answering a fool according to his folly» — objeción de Moses, que le opone el deber de elevar al que pregunta mal, con una frase de los Proverbios.

«Yes, were it possible; but the foolish frame of mind precludes too frequently such raising. Like attracts like» — el comunicante concede el principio y lo declara impracticable en ese caso, por la ley de afinidad.

«A reverent, earnest mind gains for itself that information and instruction which it is capable of receiving.» — y el reparto que de ahí sale: cada quien recibe según la disposición con que llega.

«The self-conceited, flippant, ignorant, and curious receive only what they seek, and are sent away without reply, or with such as suits their query.» — el otro lado de ese reparto, según el comunicante.

«Some communications respecting the Neo-Platonic philosophy followed.» — corchete de Moses que abre la Sección VII y declara el asunto: la filosofía neoplatónica.

«I inquired, and was told that the conditions under which the partial materialisation necessary for photography are possible differ from those in which the spirit presents himself to clairvoyant vision.» — y la explicación que Moses consigna sobre por qué el espíritu fotografiado no viste como el que ve el clarividente: las condiciones de la materialización parcial difieren.

«The account of the special phase of the Neo-Platonic teaching was most minute and entirely new to me.» — Moses declara ajena esa enseñanza, y minuciosa.

«Souffism, the ecstatic meditation that endeavours by transport to throw off all that is not God, and to attain truth by transfusion into the Divine, was expounded at length, and illustrated in the person of one of its professors.» — y la doctrina que dice haber recibido expuesta y encarnada en uno de sus cultivadores; Souffism es la grafía del impreso por sufismo.

«I thus learned much that I have since been able to trace in operation, and especially in the teachings of the spirit in question, albeit toned down and modified by experience.» — lo que Moses dice haber rastreado después en la enseñanza de su comunicante, con la reserva de que llegó atemperada.

«another evidence of imposture at a circle which I attended caused me much questioning.» — Moses registra un segundo caso de impostura en un círculo ajeno y el desconcierto que le causó.

«I was urged to refrain from attending any circles at all so long as our own was held; and it was explained that it was of the greatest importance to avoid coming into contact with mediums, or strong magnetic influence of any kind.» — y la prohibición que dice haber recibido: no asistir a otros círculos ni acercarse a otros médiums mientras el propio siga.

«I should act as a disturbing element in other circles, and bring away disturbing influences to our own.» — con la razón que Moses consigna, y que corre en los dos sentidos.

«Some remarkable extracts from old poems, chiefly of Lydgate’s, were now written by a spirit who seemed to delight in such work, who did nothing else, and who used a very marked handwriting.» — otra mano que Moses distingue por su letra y por su oficio único: extractos de poemas viejos, sobre todo de Lydgate.

«Afterwards, at a séance held June 13th, 1873, many questions were put on points of theology, and a long trance-address was delivered, which was partially taken down at the time, but many points were necessarily omitted, or imperfectly recorded.» — la ocasión que Moses fecha, con la salvedad de que el discurso en trance quedó mal registrado.

«THERE was much in what was said last night that was imperfectly said, and hurriedly, and that was not accurately preserved in the record which was taken at the time.» — con esto arranca el comunicante, que declara imperfecto lo dicho la víspera en trance y por eso lo repite por escrito.

«The conditions of control do not always enable us to be so precise in speech as we are studious to be when communicating thus with you.» — y la diferencia que establece entre hablar por trance y escribir por la mano, a favor de la segunda.

«Perfect isolation commands conditions suitable for precision and accuracy.» — la condición que pone para la exactitud.

«Of the many difficulties which beset our path this is one of the most considerable, that those who are most congenial to our purpose, and whose co-operation we most desire, are usually so hampered by preconceived theological notions» — la dificultad que el comunicante declara mayor: los más afines vienen trabados por nociones teológicas previas.

«The pseudo-scientific man, who will look at nothing save through his own medium, and on his own terms» — el retrato que el comunicante hace del pseudocientífico, definido por poner sus condiciones a la prueba.

«who will deal with us only so that he may be allowed to prescribe means of demonstrating us to be deluders, liars, figments of a disordered brain—he is of little moment to us.» — y el propósito que le atribuye: que se le deje fijar los medios para dar por engañadores a los espíritus.

«His blinded eye cannot see, and his cloudy intelligence, befogged and cramped with lifelong prejudice, can be of little service to us.» — el comunicante no le concede utilidad a esa clase de examen para su propia obra.

«The mind long trained in observation of the phenomena of physics is best devoted to ’ the elucidation of those facts which come within its province.» — la reserva con que sin embargo le reconoce su terreno.

«Our sphere is. different, connected rather with the influence of spirit upon spirit and the knowledge of spirit-destiny that we can impart.» — y el deslinde que el comunicante hace de su propio asunto, que declara ajeno al de la física.

«And the ignorant and uncultured mind which knows not of what we would tell, and cannot know until a long course of preliminary training has prepared the way—this class of mind, though hereafter it may attain. to a plane of knowledge on which we can work, is of no service now.» — la segunda clase que el comunicante descarta, con la reserva de que más adelante puede servir.

«To the proud, the arrogant, the wise in their own conceits, the children of routine and respectability, we can say very little.» — la tercera, para la que dice hacer falta más evidencia física.

«It is to the receptive souls who know of God and heaven, and love and charity, and who desire to know of the hereafter and of the haven to which they tend, that we turn with earnest longing.» — y aquellos a quienes el comunicante dice dirigirse.

«too often we find the natural religious instincts, which are God-implanted and spirit-nurtured, choked or distorted by the cramping influence of a human theology, the imperceptible growth of long ages of ignorance and folly.» — lo que dice hallar en ellos: instintos religiosos que llama implantados por Dios, ahogados por una teología humana.

«They are armed at all points against the truth.» — la fórmula con que el comunicante describe esa defensa.

«Do we speak of a revelation of the Great Father ?—they already have a revelation which they have decided to be complete.» — y la primera objeción que dice recibir: ya tienen una revelación que dan por cerrada.

«Do we point to our credentials, and to the miracles, so called, which attest the reality of our mission, even as they attested the mission of those whom we influenced of old ?» — la segunda prueba que el comunicante dice ofrecer, equiparando sus milagros con los de los antiguos mensajeros; el tramo se corta al pasar de plana.

«us that the age of such miracles is past, and that only the inspired of the Holy Ghost long centuries ago were permitted to work such wonders as evidence of Divine teaching.» — y la respuesta que consigna: los milagros habrían cesado con los inspirados de antaño.

«They tell us that the Devil, whom they have imaged for themselves, has power to counterfeit God’s work, and they consign us and our mission to darkness and outer antagonism to God and goodness.» — la tercera respuesta, que el comunicante atribuye a sus objetores: un Diablo capaz de falsificar la obra de Dios.

«We must be, because in the Bible it is said that false and deceiving spirits will come; and so we must be the deceivers.» — el comunicante reproduce en primera persona el razonamiento de sus acusadores, apoyado en la Biblia.

«It must be so; for do we not place human reason above faith? Do we not preach and teach a seductive Gospel of good works, and give credit to the doer of them?» — y sigue con los cargos que dice recibir: poner la razón sobre la fe y predicar un evangelio de buenas obras.

«It is such arguments, honestly put forward by those whose respect we fain would win, that are to us a bitter sorrow.» — el comunicante concede la honestidad de esos argumentos sin conceder su verdad.

«before we can build on the sure foundation which they already have of knowledge of God and duty, we must perforce clear away the rubbish which renders further elevation unsafe.» — y el orden que repite: primero despejar el escombro, después edificar.

«Religion, to be worthy the name, must have its two sides —the one pointing to God, the other to man.» — la definición de religión que el comunicante propone antes de comparar su mensaje con el de la ortodoxia.

«For, at the very outset, we claim, as the only court to which we can as yet appeal, the Reason which is implanted in man» — y el tribunal único que reclama para esa comparación: la razón puesta en el hombre.

«We claim it; for it was by Reason that the sages settled the list of the writings which they decided to be the» — el argumento con que el comunicante devuelve la razón a sus objetores: por razón fijaron ellos mismos la lista de las escrituras; el tramo se corta en el límite de chunk del troceo.

«do our friends claim that Divine guidance prescribed for them what should be for all time the body of revealed truth?» — la pregunta con que el comunicante devuelve el cargo de novedad a la ortodoxia; el tramo empieza donde el corte de plana dejó la frase.

«We, too, are the messengers of the Most High, no less surely sent than the spirits who guided the Hebrew seers, and who ministered to those whose fiat settled the Divine word.» — y la equiparación que reclama: enviados como los espíritus que guiaron a los videntes hebreos.

«We are as they: our message as their message, only more advanced ; our God their God, only more clearly revealed, less human, more Divine.» — la diferencia que sí admite, y que es de grado y no de fuente.

«Whether the appeal be to Divine inspiration or not, human Reason (guided doubtless by spirit agency, but still Reason) sways the final decision.» — el comunicante sostiene que la razón decide en último término, con el paréntesis que le concede guía espiritual sin quitarle el nombre de razón.

«Blind faith can be no substitute for reasoning trust.» — la fórmula corta con que separa fe ciega de confianza razonada.

«For the faith is faith that either has grounds for its trust or not. In the former case the ground is reasonable; in which case Reason again is the ultimate judge» — y el dilema con que la argumenta: si la fe tiene fundamento, ese fundamento es razonable y la razón vuelve a juzgar.

«To Reason, then, we turn. How far are we proved reasonably to be of the Devil? How far is our creed an evil one ?» — las preguntas con que el comunicante somete a examen el cargo de diabolismo que dice recibir.

«After a long trance address on the subjects dealt with in the last communication, the writing was resumed on the following day, by the same spirit, Imperator using the ordinary amanuensis, who was known as Rector.» — corchete de Moses que nombra por primera vez en el cuerpo a los dos comunicantes de esta serie y reparte los oficios: Imperator dicta, Rector es el amanuense de siempre.

«especially an attempt was made to refute the charges that I brought against the teaching given.» — y lo que Moses consigna de la sesión siguiente: la respuesta a los cargos que él mismo había levantado.

«From the standpoint that I then occupied it seemed to me that such teachings might be called by opponents atheistic or diabolic; I, at any rate, should call them latitudinarian» — Moses declara el punto desde el que objetaba y el nombre que él daba a la enseñanza, distinto del que preveía en sus adversarios.

«with Protestant Church principles: that I had spent much time in reading the theologies of the Greek and Roman Churches, and that I had. accepted, as most nearly according with the views at which -I had arrived, the tenets of that portion of the Church of England called Anglican.» — la formación que Moses declara para que el lector sitúe su objeción: principios protestantes, lecturas de las teologías griega y romana y adhesión a la corriente anglicana.

«substantially I was what would be called a sound High Churchman.» — y la etiqueta con que se resume en ese momento del relato.

«From this time commences that state, to which I shall have often to refer, of. great spiritual exaltation» — Moses fecha aquí el comienzo del estado que llamará una y otra vez de exaltación espiritual.

«in a development of thought amounting to nothing short of spiritual regeneration.» — y lo que dice haberle producido: un desarrollo del pensamiento que él califica de regeneración espiritual.

«You have objected to our teachings that they are not consistent with the received creed of orthodoxy. We have more to say on this subject.» — el comunicante recoge la objeción de Moses y anuncia que la contestará.

«Religion, the spirit’s healthful life, has two aspects—the one pointing to God, the other to man.» — la definición de religión con que Imperator abre el credo, repetida de la sesión anterior.

«In place of an angry, jealous tyrant it reveals a loving Father who is not loving in name alone, but in very deed and truth» — lo primero que el credo del espíritu pone en lugar del Dios recibido, según el comunicante.

«It does not recognise any need of propitiation towards this God. It rejects as false any notion of this Divine Being vindictively punishing a transgressor, or requiring a vicarious sacrifice for sin.» — y lo que niega expresamente: propiciación, castigo vindicativo y sacrificio vicario.

«Still less does it teach that this omnipotent Being is enthroned in a heaven where His pleasure consists in the homage of the elect, and in the view of the tortures of the lost, who are for ever excluded in quenchless misery from light and hope.» — la tercera negativa, contra el cielo de los electos que contempla el tormento de los perdidos.

«No such anthropomorphism finds any place in our creed.» — la fórmula con que el comunicante resume esas tres negativas.

«God, as we know Him in the operation of His laws, is perfect, pure, loving, and holy, incapable of cruelty, tyranny, and other such human vices» — y el Dios que pone en su lugar, definido por las leyes en que dice conocerlo.

«viewing error with sorrow as knowing that sin contains its own sting, but eager to alleviate the smart by any means consistent with the immutable moral laws to which all alike are subject.» — con la reserva que le impide anular la consecuencia: puede aliviar el escozor, no las leyes morales.

«God, the grand object of our adoration, never of our dread !» — el remate de esa serie de invocaciones.

«yet none has seen Him: nor are we content with the metaphysical sophistries with which prying curiosity and over-subtle speculation have obscured the primary conception of God amongst men.» — el comunicante declara no haber visto a Dios y rechaza a la vez las sutilezas metafísicas sobre su naturaleza.

«We pry not. The first conception with you even is grander, nobler, more sublime. We wait for higher knowledge. You must wait too.» — y la abstención con que cierra el punto, que se impone a sí mismo tanto como al interlocutor.

«We know nothing of election of a favoured few.» — la primera de las negativas del credo sobre la relación entre Dios y sus criaturas; la frase sigue en la plana siguiente con la definición de los electos.

«We know nothing of the potency of blind faith or credulity. We know, indeed, the value of a trustful, receptive spirit, free from the littleness of perpetual suspicion.» — la segunda, con la distinción que el comunicante mantiene entre credulidad y espíritu confiado.

«But we abjure and denounce that most destructive doctrine that faith, belief, assent to dogmatic statements,» — y la doctrina que declara denunciar, la de la fe que salva por asentimiento.

«that an earth lifetime of vice and sloth and sin can be wiped away, and the spirit stand purified by a blind acceptance of a belief, of an idea, of a fancy, of a creed.» — el contenido de esa doctrina tal como el comunicante la enuncia para negarla.

«Such teaching has debased more souls than anything else to which we can point.» — y el cargo que le levanta.

«Nor do we teach that there is a special and potent efficacy in any one belief to the exclusion of others» — la negativa del comunicante a hacer exclusiva a ninguna creencia.

«We do not believe that truth is the perquisite of any creed. In all there is a germ of truth; in all an accretion of error.» — y el reparto que propone en su lugar: en todos los credos hay germen de verdad y sedimento de error.

«We know exalted intelligences who stand high in spirit life, who were enabled to progress in spite of the creed which they professed on earth.» — el comunicante separa el progreso del alma del credo que profesó, y lo apoya en casos que dice conocer.

«We value only the earnest seeking after truth which may distinguish the professors of creeds the most widely dissimilar.» — y lo único que declara valorar, transversal a los credos.

«We care not for sectarianism, save that we know it to be a mischievous provoker of rancour» — la excepción con que sin embargo se ocupa del sectarismo.

«Man—an immortal spirit, so we believe,—placed in earth-life as a school of training, has simple duties to perform, and in performing them is prepared for more advanced and progressive work.» — la definición del hombre con que arranca la parte práctica del credo; el so we believe es del propio comunicante.

«He is governed by immutable laws, which, if he transgresses them, work for him misery and loss; which, also, if respected, secure for him advancement and satisfaction.» — y la ley que enuncia, con sus dos efectos según se la transgreda o se la respete.

«He is the recipient of guidance from spirits who have trod the path before him, and who are commissioned to guide him if he will avail himself of their guidance.» — la guía que el comunicante declara disponible, condicionada a que el hombre la acepte.

«He has within him a standard of right which will direct him to the truth, if he will allow himself to be guided to keep it and protect it from injury.» — y el criterio interno que le reconoce, con la misma condición.

«If he tefuse these helps, he falls into transgression and deterioration. He is thrown back and finds misery in place of joy. His sins punish themselves.» — lo que ocurre si no los acepta, y la fórmula con que el comunicante hace del pecado su propio castigo; tefuse es lectura del OCR por refuse.

«This mortal existence is but a fragment of life. Its deeds and their results remain when the body is dead.» — el estatuto que el comunicante le da a la vida terrestre.

«Life, we teach you, is one and indivisible. One in its progressive development ; and one in the effect on all alike of the eternal and immutable laws by which it is regulated.» — y la unidad que reclama para la vida entera, de este lado y del otro.

«None are excused as favourites; none are punished mercilessly for error which they were unable to avoid. Eternal justice is the correlative of eternal love.» — la simetría con que el comunicante ata justicia y amor, sin favoritos ni castigo por lo inevitable.

«Mercy is no divine attribute. It is needless ; for mercy involves remission of a penalty inflicted, and no such remission can be made save where the results have been purged away. Pity is Godlike. Mercy is human.» — y la distinción con que niega a Dios la misericordia y le reserva la piedad, por definir la primera como remisión de una pena.

«We know naught of that sensational piety which is wholly wrapped up in contemplation, to neglect of duty.» — lo que el comunicante rechaza del lado devoto: la contemplación que descuida el deber.

«We preach the religion of work, of prayer, of adoration. We tell you of your duty to God, to your brother, and to yourself—soul and body alike.» — y lo que pone en su lugar, con los tres deberes que va a desglosar.

«Honour and love your Father, God. (Worship) . : . Duty to God.» — el primer artículo del credo del espíritu, con su rótulo entre paréntesis; la línea de puntos guía del impreso queda dentro de la cita.

«Cultivate every means of extending knowledge. (Mental progress)» — el artículo que hace del progreso intelectual un deber, no un adorno.

«Seek for fuller views of progressive truth. (Spiritual growth)» — y el que abre el credo a lo que todavía no se sabe, contra toda revelación cerrada.

«Within these rules is roughly indicated most that concerns you here. Yield no obedience to any sectarian dogmas.» — el comunicante da esas reglas por suficientes y prohibe la obediencia a dogmas de secta.

«Give no blind adherence to any teaching that is not commended by reason.» — y extiende la prohibición a su propia enseñanza, que somete al mismo examen.

«You will learn hereafter that the revelation of God is progressive, bounded by no time, confined to no people. It has never ceased.» — la revelación progresiva enunciada como cosa que el interlocutor todavía no sabe.

«God reveals Himself as truly now as of old He was revealed on Sinai.» — y la equiparación con que la fija, poniendo el presente a la altura del Sinaí.

«You will learn also that all] revelation is made through a human channel: and ‘consequently cannot but be tinctured in some measure with human error.» — el límite que el comunicante pone a toda revelación, la suya incluida: pasa por canal humano y se tiñe de error humano; el corchete tras all es del OCR.

«No revelation is of plenary inspiration. None can demand credence on any other than rational grounds.» — la consecuencia que saca, y que niega la inspiración plenaria a cualquier texto.

«ment other than that of right reason. Weigh what is said. If it be commended by reason, receive it ; if not, reject it.» — y la regla práctica con que cierra, aplicada a lo que él mismo dicta; el tramo empieza donde el límite de chunk partió la palabra judgment.

«A body wasted by fasting is not in any way profitable» — la primera mitad del término medio que el comunicante fija; la cita se corta en el guion de fin de renglón que parte la palabra siguiente, over-indulgence, porque la obra no la imprime dentro de línea en ningún otro lugar.

«Temperance and moderation are what help us.» — y la fórmula con que lo nombra.

«and grieve sorrowfully to find that which is derived from God charged on the adversaries» — y el efecto que le duele: que lo suyo se adjudique a los adversarios; la cita se corta antes del guion de fin de renglón que parte all-powerful, forma que la obra no imprime dentro de línea en ninguna plana.

«to accept it, then in the name of God put it aside, and cling to aught that satisfies your soul and helps its onward progress.» — el comunicante autoriza a dejar de lado lo suyo si el interlocutor no puede recibirlo; el tramo empieza donde el límite de chunk partió la frase.

«The time will come when what we lay before you of divine truth will be valued. amongst men. We are content to wait» — y el plazo abierto en que sitúa la aceptación de su enseñanza.

«I objected ‘to this statement, which did not by any means commend itself to me in my then state of opinion, that it was incompatible with the received teaching of orthodox churches, and that, as a matter of fact, it traversed some cardinal dogmas of the Christian faith.» — corchete de Moses que abre la Sección IX con su objeción: el credo del espíritu choca con la enseñanza recibida y atraviesa dogmas cardinales.

«I suggested that the message might have been adulterated in passage: and that much was omitted that I regarded as essential.» — y las dos salidas que Moses tanteó: adulteración en el camino, u omisión de lo esencial.

«THAT which has been told to you in its outline is so far correct ; but it does not pretend to be a perfect delineation of truth.» — el comunicante concede el bosquejo y niega que pretenda ser retrato acabado.

«It is but a faint outline, blurred and blotted in many ways, but substantially truthful.» — y el estatuto que le reconoce a lo dicho hasta aquí.

«Doubtless it contravenes much which you have been taught to believe as necessary to salvation.» — el comunicante admite el choque que Moses le señala, sin retirar lo dicho.

«In its broad outlines the spirit-creed would be accepted by all who have thought at all on theological subjects without trammel of preconceived ideas» — y a quiénes sostiene que el credo resultaría aceptable, si no mediara el prejuicio.

«We said that we must clear away much rubbish; that the work of destruction must precede the work of construction» — con lo que el comunicante repite el orden de destrucción y construcción anunciado en la Sección I.

«Yes: but the rubbish which you seem to me to be clearing away 1s precisely what Christians have agreed in all ages to consider cardinal doctrines of the faith.» — la réplica de Moses, que identifica ese escombro con los dogmas cardinales; el 1s es lectura del OCR por is.

«No, friend; not quite so. You exaggerate there. If you will read the records which so imperfectly record the ‘earth life of Jesus, you will not find that He claimed for Himself» — el comunicante niega la identificación y remite a los relatos de la vida de Jesús; el tramo se corta al pasar de plana.

«any such position as the Christian Church has since forced upon Him. He was more such as we preach Him than such as the Church called by His name has made Him.» — y la distinción que el comunicante hace entre el Jesús de esos relatos y el que dice que la Iglesia le impuso.

«I cannot think so. And the Atonement: What do you make of that ?» — Moses no acepta la respuesta y le pone delante la expiación.

«It is in some sense true. We do not deny it; we do but fight against that crude human view which renders God contemptible, and makes Him a cruel tyrant who needed to be propitiated by His Son’s death.» — la respuesta del comunicante, que concede la expiación en algún sentido y objeta solo la versión que hace de Dios un tirano a propiciar.

«We do not detract from Jesus’ work when we disavow the false and dishonouring fables which have gathered round His name» — y la reserva con que separa la obra de Jesús de lo que dice haberse acumulado en torno a su nombre.

«We shall have somewhat to say to you hereafter on the growth of dogma until an assumption becomes established as de fide, and its rejection or denial passes for mortal sin» — el comunicante anuncia una exposición del crecimiento del dogma hasta hacerse de fide y convertir su negación en pecado mortal.

«One great section of the Christian Church would claim infallible knowledge for its head, and persecute in life, and condemn in death, even to everlasting shame and torment, those who receive it not.» — y el ejemplo con que lo ilustra, sin nombrar a la iglesia: la reclamación de conocimiento infalible para su cabeza.

«This is a dogma of late growth in your very midst ; but so all dogmas have grown up.» — la fecha reciente que el comunicante le pone a ese dogma, y la generalización que de ahí saca.

«So it has become difficult, nay, impossible, for unaided human reason to distinguish God’s truth from man’s glosses upon it.» — la consecuencia que declara: separar la verdad de Dios de la glosa del hombre queda fuera del alcance de la razón sin ayuda.

«So all who have had the boldness to clear away the rubbish have been held accursed. It has been the story of all time.» — y la suerte que atribuye a quienes lo intentaron.

«But the belief in the Divinity of Christ and in His Atonement can scarcely be called dogmas which are of human growth.» — nueva objeción de Moses, que exceptúa dos dogmas de la acusación de crecimiento humano.

«You always prefix to your name the sign of the Cross [--IMPERATOR]. I presume, therefore, that in your lifetime on earth you must have held these dogmas.» — y el argumento de identidad con que Moses aprieta: quien firma con la cruz debió sostener esos dogmas en vida; el nombre entre corchetes es del impreso, con las dos rayas del OCR por la cruz.

«another communicating spirit, who also uses the sign of the Cross—must almost if not altogether have died jor them.» — Moses extiende el argumento al segundo firmante y le atribuye haber muerto por esos dogmas; jor es lectura del OCR por for.

«Here, then, seems to me to be a contradiction.» — la contradicción que Moses declara ver, y que es el nudo de su objeción.

«Have you changed ‘your opinions? Or were you a Christian while you lived on earth? or were you not? If not, why the Cross? If you were, why the change of sentiment?» — el dilema que le plantea, en las dos ramas posibles.

«The whole question intimately concerns your identity.» — y lo que Moses declara estar en juego: la identidad misma del comunicante.

«It is pure and beautiful, but surely it is not Christian. Nor is it the teaching which one who uses. the sign of the Cross would reasonably be expected to promulgate.» — el juicio con que Moses separa el valor de la enseñanza de su filiación cristiana.

«I only desire such reasonuble ground for forming an opinion as may satisfy my present doubts and difficulties.» — y lo que dice pedir con eso, ni más ni menos; reasonuble es lectura del OCR por reasonable.

«It shall be given in due course. Cease now.» — la respuesta entera del comunicante esa noche, que aplaza el asunto.

«The writing, though I earnestly desired and strove to obtain it, did not come until 2oth June. The previous message was written on the 16th.» — corchete de Moses que mide el aplazamiento en días; 2oth es lectura del OCR por 20th.

«I salute you, good friend. We would now give you more information, touching points which have perplexed and distressed you.» — con lo que el comunicante retoma el asunto de la cruz cuatro días después.

«You would know how far the sign of the Cross may legitimately be associated with our teaching.» — y como formula él mismo la pregunta de Moses antes de contestarla.

«Friend, the sign which is emblematic of the life and work of Jesus the Christ is one that cannot fairly be prefixed to much that now passes current for His teaching.» — la respuesta del comunicante, que vuelve el argumento del revés: la cruz no cuadra con lo que hoy pasa por enseñanza de Jesús.

«The tendency of all classes of religionists has ever been to make much of the letter and to neglect the spirit» — y el vicio de lectura que atribuye a los religiosos de toda clase.

«Men have gone with preconceived notions to search for the truth, and have found that which they expected.» — el mecanismo que el comunicante describe en la exégesis de los textos sagrados.

«Single words and expressions have been drawn out of their context by those who have professed to comment on the texts of your sacred books until they have been made to bear a meaning which their writers never intended.» — y el primer procedimiento que denuncia: la palabra suelta sacada de su contexto.

«Others have gone to the authors solely to find words to prop up a theory without even the poor pretence of seeking after the truth» — el segundo, que él distingue del primero por la ausencia de toda pretensión de buscar.

«We said before that much of what we should have to say to you would turn on what you understand by Divine inspiration.» — el comunicante anuncia que todo se juega en lo que se entienda por inspiración divina.

«Those who are known to you as the orthodox defenders of the Christian creed tell you that a mysterious person—one of the three individual persons who compose the Undivided Trinity—took possession of the minds of certain men» — y expone la doctrina de la inspiración que atribuye a los defensores ortodoxos del credo cristiano.

«Not only are the sentiments of David and Paul, Moses and John, consonant with the will of the Supreme, but they are the very thoughts of Deity.» — el grado extremo al que el comunicante lleva esa doctrina ajena, con los nombres que ella misma invoca.

«In short, the Bible is the very Word of God, both in matter and form: every word of it Divine» — y la fórmula en que la resume, extendida en el impreso hasta los traductores.

«Hence, you will see that doctrines the most tremendous, and conclusions the most far-reaching may be founded upon mere words and expressions» — la consecuencia que el comunicante saca de esa doctrina para mostrar adónde lleva.

«These are they who have grounded a number of dogmas on phrases picked out at their pleasure, neglecting and passing over all that pleases them not.» — y el uso selectivo que le imputa a quienes la sostienen.

«Those who have abandoned this view have entered upon a process of destructive handling of the Bible, the only termination of which is the view which we shall put for your acceptance» — la segunda posición que el comunicante distingue, y que anuncia como camino hacia la suya.

«They revere the sacred records which compose your Bible as being the records of God’s truth revealed to man from age to age, even as it is still being revealed.» — lo que esa posición sostiene, según el comunicante: registros de una revelación que sigue abierta.

«They watch the gradual unfolding of this revelation from times of ignorance and brutal barbarism when He was known as the friend of Abraham, who ate and conversed at the tent door» — y la serie de figuras de Dios que esa lectura ordena como crecimiento, desde el amigo de Abraham.

«down to the time when He became known in‘ His truer character of tenderness, and love, and fatherly kindness and compassion.» — hasta el término de esa serie, que el comunicante sitúa en el Dios de ternura y compasión.

«that such progressive revelation has never been closed ; and that man’s knowledge of his God is far from complete» — la conclusión que el comunicante espera de quien siga esa investigación hasta el final.

«To those who fondly fancy that they possess a perfect knowledge we say nothing.» — y aquellos con quienes declara no tener nada que hablar.

«They must be left to unlearn hereafter in pain and sorrow that which has so retarded their spiritual growth, and will be so dire a barrier to future progress.» — la suerte que les atribuye, con el desaprender puesto del otro lado de la muerte.

«We say, then, to you that the sacred books which make up your Bible, together with many others which are not included in it, are the records of that gradual growth in knowledge of Himself which the great and good God has given to man.» — la tesis del comunicante sobre la Biblia, que la iguala con otros libros no incluidos en ella.

«The principle which pervades all these utterances is one and the same: identical with that which governs our intercourse with you.» — y la identificación que hace entre el modo de aquella revelación y el de la suya propia.

«So much of truth is given as man can grasp; no more under any circumstances, but just so much as he can grasp, so much as suffices for his present craving.» — la medida que rige esa entrega, según el comunicante.

«That truth is revealed through the instrumentality of a man, and is always more or less mixed with the thoughts and opinions of the medium.» — y el canal que declara inevitable, con la mezcla que trae consigo.

«Nay, the communicating spirits are perforce obliged to use the material which is found in the medium’s mind, moulding and fashioning it for their purpose: erasing fallacies, inspiring new views of truth, but working on the material which is already gathered.» — el comunicante describe su propio procedimiento sobre la mente del médium: moldear el material que ya está, no ponerlo.

«The purity of the spirit message depends much on the passivity of the medium and on the conditions under which the message is communicated.» — y las dos variables de que hace depender la pureza del mensaje.

«Hence, in your Bible there are traces here and there of the individuality of the medium ; of errors caused by imperfect control; of the colour of his opinions» — la aplicación de esa doctrina a la Biblia, con los tres rastros que el comunicante dice hallar en ella.

«If Isaiah spoke to the people the, words of the message with which he was charged, he impressed upon that message the individuality of his own mind» — y el caso con que la ilustra; la coma pegada es del impreso.

«characteristic imagery of Ezekiel. Daniel had his visions of glory ; Jeremiah, his burdens of the Lord who spoke through him; Hosea, his mystic symbolism: each in his individual fashion told of the same Jehovah, as he knew Him, but each told his message in his own style, as it had been revealed to him.» — el comunicante reparte a los profetas de Israel por estilo y no por doctrina, y sostiene que el mismo Jehová se dijo en cada uno a su manera; el tramo empieza donde el corte de plana dejó la frase.

«If Paul and Peter found occasion to speak of the same truth, they almost necessarily viewed it from different sides.» — y extiende la misma regla a los apóstoles.

«The truth was not less true because two men of varying minds viewed it from different points, and dealt with it in his own way.» — la consecuencia que saca, que no hace de la divergencia un defecto.

«The individuality of the medium is palpable in the manner if not in the matter of the communication, The inspiration is Divine, but the medium is human.» — y la fórmula corta con que el comunicante reparte lo divino y lo humano en toda comunicación.

«Hence it is that man may find in the Bible the reflex of his own mind, whatever the tone of that mind may be.» — lo que el comunicante hace derivar de ahí para el lector de la Biblia.

«he selects from many the points which please him, rejects the remainder, and manufactures his own revelation piecemeal.» — el procedimiento que atribuye a quien no halla su ideal en un solo vidente.

«When they are brought face to face with others who have picked out other passages, then comes the twisting and distorting of words» — y lo que dice que ocurre cuando dos selecciones se encuentran.

«the interpreting of sayings in a sense never meant either by the communicating spirit or by the prophet or teacher.» — el resultado que el comunicante nombra, y que no adjudica ni al espíritu comunicante ni al profeta.

«With a theology so framed, we are accused of being at variance. It is true. We have no commerce with it.» — el comunicante acepta el cargo de estar en desacuerdo con esa teología y lo asume por entero.

«It is our mission to reverse its teaching, to substitute for it truer and nobler views of God and of the Spirit.» — y declara esa reversión como su misión, no como un efecto colateral.

«the assumption of infallible inspiration leads men not only to lay too much stress on words and phrases, but also to fall into the error of interpreting too literally that which was intended to be of spiritual and typical interpretation.» — la segunda consecuencia que el comunicante le atribuye al supuesto de la inspiración infalible: leer al pie de la letra lo que era típico.

«In communicating to your mental plane ideas which are to you inconceivable, we are obliged to use expressions which are borrowed from your ways of thought.» — y la razón por la que dice que su propio lenguaje es prestado.

«We ourselves are very frequently at fault in misusing such expressions; or they are themselves inadequate to convey our meaning.» — el comunicante admite fallar él mismo en el uso de esas expresiones.

«Almost all spirit utterances are typical, Especially when spirits have endeavoured to convey to men ideas of the great God of whom they themselves know so little, the language used is necessarily very imperfect, inadequate, and frequently ill-chosen.» — y el estatuto que reclama para todo dicho de espíritus, sobre todo cuando hablan de Dios.

«To press to the jend of literal accuracy any spirit-teaching about God is mere» — la regla de lectura que el comunicante impone a su propia enseñanza sobre Dios; la j suelta es una marca de margen del escaneo, y la palabra folly cierra la frase en el renglón siguiente.

«Moreover, the revelations of God have been made in language suited to the capacities of those to whom they were originally given, and are to be so interpreted.» — y la regla histórica que le pone a toda revelación: se dijo a la medida de quien la oía, y así ha de leerse.

«was intelligible in the mouth of the impulsive seer who uttered it to an imaginative and enthusiastic Eastern hearer becomes /overstrained, untrue, and misguiding when coldly interpreted in the light of comment and verbal exactness to those whose | habits of thought and language are widely different» — el caso de la hipérbole oriental leída con exactitud verbal por gente de otro hábito de lengua; la barra y el palo dentro de la cita son marcas de margen del escaneo.

«The original language was inadequate enough ; it has become coloured more or less by the medium through whom it has passed, and is then less adequate than before.» — la doble pérdida que el comunicante cuenta en toda revelación: la lengua original y el médium por el que pasó.

«Rather it is man’s notion about a Deity whom he has framed for himself—framed as really as the image which the savage forms for his fetish.» — y la comparación con que remata: la deidad así interpretada queda al nivel del fetiche del salvaje.

«Moreover, in dealing with you, spirits always proceed in one uniform manner.» — el comunicante anuncia el método que dice común a todos los espíritus que enseñan.

«In the medium’s mind they find a growth of opinions, some false, some partly true, some distorted and befogged by early prejudice and training.» — lo primero que hallan, según él, y que no es una pizarra en blanco.

«Are these to be eradicated before the truer ideas are suggested? Is the mind to be completely cleared of all preconceived ideas? By no means. It is not so we act.» — la pregunta que el comunicante se hace y su propia negativa.

«Were we to do so the work of eradication would be so tedious that we should risk leaving the mind bare of teaching altogether, and should have destroyed without being able to create.» — y el riesgo que alega para no arrasar: quedarse en la destrucción.

«No; we take the opinions already existent, and mould them into closer semblance of truth.» — el método que declara en su lugar.

«All have in some sort the germ of truth, or we destroy them.» — con la única excepción que admite.

«Only we must eradicate dogmatism. That is all-important. Opinion, when harmless, we do not meddle with.» — y el deslinde entre lo que sí extirpa y lo que deja estar.

«Hence it is that theological notions may remain very much what they were, only toned down and softened in their asperities.» — el resultado que el comunicante anuncia para las nociones teológicas del médium.

«So men falsely say that spirits always teach that which a man has previously believed. It is far from being so.» — y la objeción corriente que de ahí sale, que el comunicante recoge para negarla apelando a la enseñanza presente.

«do indeed work on that which they find already in the mind ; but they mould and temper it, and imperceptibly change and adapt it to their ends.» — la parte de esa objeción que el comunicante concede.

«It is only when the views held are such as they cannot work upon, or of a positive and dogmatic type, that the change wrought becomes plain to your eyes.» — y la condición bajo la cual dice que el cambio se vuelve visible desde fuera.

«You find a man who has denied the existence of God and: of spirit, who has believed only what he can see and feel and handle ; such a materialist you see converted to a belief in God and a future existence, and you wonder at the change.» — el caso visible que pone: el materialista convertido.

«But the spirit that has been tempered, and chastened, and softened: that has been purified, and refined, and elevated: whose rude and rough beliefs have been toned and softened, of this change you make no note, because it is too gradual and subtle to be perceptible to your senses.» — y el caso invisible, que el comunicante declara el más frecuente.

«The crude is softened ; the hard, and cold, and cheerless are warmed into loving life; the pure is refined; the noble ennobled; the good made better» — la serie con que describe ese trabajo callado.

«The opinions have not been suppressed, but they have been modified and changed. This is the real existent spirit influence all around of which ye know nothing as yet: the most real and blessed part of spirit ministry.» — y lo que el comunicante declara la parte más real de su ministerio, y la que menos se nota.

«When, therefore, men say that spirits speak only the medium’s preconceived opinions, they are partly right.» — el comunicante concede a medias la objeción sobre las opiniones previas del médium.

«When the opinions are hurtful, they are eradicated and destroyed.» — y la excepción con que la limita.

«When we deal with special forms of theological creed, we Strive, in so far as we can, to spiritualise previous opinion rather than to eradicate it.» — el trato que el comunicante declara dar a los credos: espiritualizarlos antes que arrancarlos; la S mayúscula de Strive es del impreso.

«We know—as you cannot know —of how trifling moment are, forms of faith, provided the faith be alive and spiritual» — y el poco peso que le concede a la forma de la fe frente a que la fe esté viva.

«So the work of destruction precedes the work of construction. The soul is purged of gross error, and the truth is refined and purified as far as may be.» — la fórmula del orden repetida una vez más, ahora aplicada al alma del médium.

«Hence it is that we do usually teach a modification of the views of truth held by those to whom we speak.» — y lo que el comunicante reconoce como resultado ordinario de ese método.

«We have endeavoured, not to uproot from your mind the views which you have entertained of theology, but to modify them.» — el comunicante aplica el método al propio Moses y le dice qué hicieron con sus opiniones.

«If you will recall the past, you will see how your creed has been gradually widened from a very narrow basis to a comprehensive and rational one.» — y el recorrido que le atribuye a su credo, de estrecho a amplio.

«You have, under our guidance, been made acquainted with the theological tenets of many churches and sects.» — las lecturas que el comunicante reclama haber dirigido.

«You have been led to see, in each, the germ of truth, more or less developed, but clouded with human error.» — y lo que dice haberle hecho ver en cada una: germen de verdad y nube de error humano.

«The process has been long and gradual from the days when you were influenced to the study of ancient philosophies to later days, when systems of theology filtered through it, and left behind them that which you were able to assimilate» — el itinerario que le adjudica, de las filosofías antiguas a los sistemas de teología.

«The fixed and changeless creed of the Eastern branch of the Christian Church, with its crystallised dogmas no longer living and breathing truths» — la primera de las fuentes que enumera, con el juicio que le merece.

«the destructive criticism of German scholars who have dealt a much-needed blow to blind belief in the verbal exactitude of human utterances» — y la segunda, a la que el comunicante reconoce un golpe necesario contra la creencia en la exactitud verbal.

«now we wish to carry you further, and to show you the idea! truth, spiritual, impalpable, but most real, which underlies all with which you are familiar.» — lo que el comunicante anuncia como paso siguiente: la verdad impalpable que dice estar debajo de todo eso; idea con signo de admiración es lectura del OCR por ideal.

«the Christ is no more like the human notion, with its accessories of atonement and redemption, as men have grasped / them, than was the calf ignorantly carved by the ancient | Hebrews like the God who strove to reveal Himself to them.» — el comunicante separa al Cristo espiritual de la noción humana con sus accesorios de expiación, y compara esa noción con el becerro tallado por los hebreos; el tramo empieza donde el límite de chunk partió la frase, y las marcas de margen son del escaneo.

«We wish to show you, as you can grasp it, the spiritual truths which underlie the life of Him who is known to you as the Saviour, the Redeemer, the Son of God.» — lo que el comunicante anuncia como su asunto, con los tres títulos que el interlocutor usa.

«You ask how the sign of the Cross can be prefixed to such teaching. Friend, the spiritual truth of which that sign is typical is the very cardinal truth which it is our special mission to» — el comunicante recoge la pregunta de Moses sobre la cruz y responde que la verdad que ese signo figura es justamente su encargo.

«The self-denying love which would benefit humanity even at the sacrifice of life and home and earthly happiness—the pure spirit of the Christ, this is what we would declare to you as the godlike spirit.» — y el contenido que le da a ese signo: amor abnegado hasta el sacrificio de la vida, que él llama espíritu del Cristo.

«This is the true salvation from meanness and self-aggrandisement, and self-pleasing and luxurious sloth, which can redeem humanity, and make of men the children of God.» — la salvación que el comunicante define por lo que salva: de la mezquindad y del acomodo, no de un castigo.

«This self-abnegation and incarnate love is that which can atone for sin, and make man like to God.» — y la expiación redefinida como abnegación encarnada.

«This is the true atonement! Not, indeed, a reconciliation of sin-stained humanity to an angry and holy God, purchased by the sacrifice of His sinless son, but a higher and truer atonement in the ennobling of the nature, the purifying of the spirit; the making of the human and the divine, ONE in aim and purpose :—the drawing of man’s spirit, even whilst incarned, up nearer and nearer to the Divine.» — el comunicante niega la expiación como reconciliación comprada con la muerte del hijo y pone en su lugar el ennoblecimiento de la naturaleza.

«This was the mission of the Christ. In this He was a manifestation of God: the son of God: the Saviour of man: the - Reconciler: the Atoner: and herein we perpetuate His work, we carry on His mission, we work under His symbol, we fight against the enemies of His faith, against all who ignorantly or wilfully dishonour Him, even though it be under the banner of orthodoxy and under the protection of His Name.» — con eso el comunicante reclama para sí la continuidad de esa misión, y declara enemigos a los que la deshonran incluso bajo bandera de ortodoxia.

«Much that we teach must still be new and strange even to those who have progressed in knowledge; but the days shall come when men shall recognise the oneness of Christ’s teach» — el comunicante concede la extrañeza presente de su enseñanza y la resuelve en plazo; el tramo se corta al pasar de plana.

«and the human garb, gross and material, in which it has been shrouded, shall be rent asunder, and men shall see the true grandeur of the life and teaching of Him whom they ignorantly worship.» — y lo que anuncia para ese día: el ropaje material rasgado y el culto conservado con más conocimiento.

«In those days they shall worship with no less reality, but with a more perfect knowledge ; and they shall know that the sign under which we speak is the symbol of purity and self-sacrificing love to them and to their brethren for all time.» — la reserva con que el comunicante salva el culto mismo mientras cambia lo que se entiende por él.

«Judge of our mission by this standard, and it is of God, godlike: noble as He is noble: pure as He is pure: truthgiving as He is true: elevating, and saving, and purifying the spirit from the grossness of earthly conceptions and raising it to the very atmosphere and neighbourhood of the spiritual and the divine.» — el criterio que el comunicante ofrece para juzgarlo, y que es de efecto y no de credencial.

«Ponder our words: and seek for guidance, if not through us, then through Him who sent us, even as, in earlier days, He sent that exalted spirit of purity, charity, and self-sacrifice, whom men called Jesus, and who was the Christ.» — y la instancia a la que remite por encima de sí mismo.

«Him we adore even now. His Name we reverence. His words we echo. His teaching lives again in ours, He and we are of God: and in His Name we come.» — la fórmula con que el comunicante cierra la Sección IX y firma; la cruz y el nombre en versales son del impreso.

«I was not content, and took time to consider what had been written. It was very contrary to any opinions I then held, but I was conscious of an extremely powerful and elevating influence during the time the writing was going on. I wished to get rid of the influence before I replied.» — corchete de Moses que abre la Sección X: no quedó conforme, y declara haber sentido durante la escritura una influencia que quiso dejar pasar antes de responder.

«I objected to what had been said, that such a creed would not be. acknowledged as Christian by any member of a Christian Church, that it was contradictory to the plain words of the Bible ; and that such views appeared even to be the subject of special denunciation as those of Anti-Christ.» — los tres cargos que Moses levanta: el credo no pasaría por cristiano, contradice la letra de la Biblia y cae bajo las denuncias del anticristo.

«Moreover, I suggested that such vaguely beautiful views, as I admitted them to be, had a tendency to take the backbone out of faith.» — y el cuarto, que Moses formula concediendo la belleza de lo dicho: le quita el nervio a la fe.

«FRIEND, you have opened points on which we shall be glad to speak with you. As to our authority, we have touched on that point before. We claim it to be divine, and we await with confidence the acceptance of our mission when the times are ripe for our teaching.» — la respuesta del comunicante, que reclama autoridad divina y aplaza la aceptación al momento oportuno.

«That time must come after much steady preparation, and we are quite prepared to find that none can yet accept in full the teaching which we promulgate, save the little band to whom it is given to precede in progressive knowledge the rest of their fellows.» — y la reserva con que admite que por ahora casi nadie puede aceptarla.

«For, think! has it ever been that a fuller revelation has found acceptance among men at once?» — el argumento histórico con que el comunicante devuelve el cargo de novedad.

«The ignorant cry has always been raised against progress In knowledge that the old is sufficient: that t¢ has been proven and tried; whilst of the new, men say that they know — nothing save that it is new and contradictory of the old.» — y la fórmula de esa resistencia, que él atribuye a todas las épocas.

«It was the self-same cry that assailed Jesus. Men who had laboriously elaborated the Mosaic theology, which had served its time, and was to give place to a higher and more spiritual» — el comunicante aplica el argumento al caso de Jesús frente a la teología mosaica.

«religion: men who had drawn out the minutiz of this system until they had reduced it to an aimless mass of ritual, a body without a spirit, aye, a corpse without life: these cried out that this blasphemer (so they impiously called the Saviour of man’s religion) would destroy the law and dishonour God.» — y el retrato que hace de sus acusadores, con el ritual reducido a cuerpo sin espíritu; minutiz es lectura del OCR por minutiae.

«The Scribes and Pharisees, the guardians of orthodox religion, were unanimous in their disbelief of Him and of His pretensions. It was they who raised the howl which finally led the Great Teacher to the Cross.» — el comunicante nombra a los guardianes de la religión establecida como los que llevaron a la cruz al Gran Maestro.

«You know now that He did not dishonour God: and that He did but demolish man’s glosses on God’s revealed law in order that He might refine and spiritualise its commands, and raise it from the dead by infusing into it spiritual life and power, by breathing into it vitality and giving it renewed vigour.» — y la lectura que hace de la obra de Jesús: no derribar la ley sino quitarle las glosas del hombre y devolverle vida.

«In place of the cold and cheerless letter of the law which prescribed outward duty to a parent—a duty discharged without heart of love, with scanty dole grudgingly offered,—He taught the spirit of filial affection springing from a loving heart, and offering the unbought and ungrudged tribute of affection to earthly parents and to the Great Father.» — el ejemplo con que la ilustra, tomado del deber filial.

«The formalism of mere external conventionality He replaced by the free-will offering of the heart. Which was the truer, the nobler creed ? Did the latter override the former, or did it not stand to it rather as the living man to the breathless corpse?» — y la pregunta con que el comunicante somete a juicio esa sustitución.

«Yet they who were content to buy off from filial duty at the poor cost of a few paltry coins scornfully given were they who finally crucified the Christ, as a man who taught a new religion blasphemously subversive of the old.» — el comunicante señala que fueron esos mismos quienes crucificaron al Cristo, y con el mismo cargo de novedad.

«Again, when the followers of the Crucified stood forth to declare their gospel to a world that cared not for it, and which was not prepared to receive it, the charge against them perpetually was that they taught new doctrine which was subversive of the old faith.» — y el segundo caso que aduce: la misma acusación contra los primeros cristianos.

«They were devourers of infants: they who were the followers of the loving and gentle Jesus.» — la calumnia concreta que recuerda, y el contraste que le opone.

«Nothing was too monstrous to be believed about them; even as men now wish to believe everything that can discredit us and our mission.» — con lo que el comunicante equipara la suerte de aquellos con la suya.

«Has it not been so ever since? It is the story of all time that the new is spoken against and discredited in religion, in science, in all with which man’s finite mind deals.» — y la generalización con que extiende el caso a la ciencia y a todo lo demás.

«It is an essential quality of his intelligence that such should be the case. The familiar commends itself: the new and strange is viewed with suspicion and mistrust.» — el comunicante hace de esa resistencia un rasgo necesario de la inteligencia humana, no una culpa.

«Hence it is not any legitimate cause for surprise that when we teach a spiritualised Christianity we should at first be met with incredulity.» — y la consecuencia que saca para su propio caso: la incredulidad era de esperarse.

«The time will come when all men will admit, as you do, the beauty of the creed and recognise its divine origin.» — el plazo con que el comunicante cierra, apoyado en que Moses ya concedió la belleza del credo.

«It is not wonderful that our message should seem to contradict some human utterances. Nay, that it should really controvert some details of the teaching given through human minds more or less undeveloped in days long past is to be expected.» — el comunicante admite que su mensaje contradiga en detalle lo dicho antes por mentes menos desarrolladas.

«We have no desire to hide the plain fact that there is much in some parts of the Bible which does not amalgamate» — el comunicante declara sin rodeos que parte de la Biblia no cuadra con su enseñanza; el tramo se corta en el límite de chunk del troceo.

«with our teaching, being, indeed, the admixture of human error which came through the mind of the chosen medium.» — y la causa que le adjudica al otro lado del corte: la mezcla de error humano entrada por la mente del médium elegido.

«Revelation, as contained in your Bible, includes many progressive developments of the knowledge of God which are in themselves irreconcilable in minute detail. And, moreover, it contains much admixture of human error which has filtered in through the medium.» — la Biblia descrita como serie de desarrollos progresivos irreconciliables en el detalle.

«You can only arrive at the truth by judging of the general drift. Private opinions selected without reference to the body of teaching are but the sentiments of the individual, valuable as showing his mind, but not in any way binding as of faith.» — y la regla de lectura que de ahí se sigue: el sentido general, y no la opinión privada del escritor.

«To imagine that an opinion uttered many centuries ago is of binding force eternally is mere folly.» — con lo que el comunicante niega fuerza vinculante perpetua a cualquier dicho de otra época.

«Indeed, all such opinions are contradictory in themselves, and are contradicted by other and opposite opinions contained within the same volume.» — el comunicante sostiene que las opiniones sueltas de la Biblia se contradicen entre sí dentro del mismo volumen.

«No doubt it was a current belief, at the time when many of the writers of books in the Bible composed the treatises which you call inspired, that Jesus was God, and harsh denunciations are made against any who should deny the dogma.» — y adjudica a creencia corriente de la época, no a revelación, la divinidad de Jesús que los escritores dan por sentada.

«No doubt also that the same men believed also that He would, in mysterious manner, return in the clouds to judge the world, and that before theiy generation should die.» — el segundo caso que aduce: el retorno en las nubes anunciado para aquella misma generación; theiy es lectura del OCR por their.

«They were mistaken in both beliefs, and over one at least more than 1800 years have rolled and still the return is unaccomplished.» — y el juicio que el comunicante pronuncia sobre ambas, midiendo la segunda contra el calendario.

«What we wish to impress on you is this: You must judge the Revelations of God by the light which is given you: in the mass, not by the dicta of its preachers: by the spirit and general tendency, not by the strict literal phraseology.» — la regla de lectura que el comunicante pone para las revelaciones de Dios: por el conjunto y por el sentido, no por la letra ni por los predicadores.

«You must judge of us and our teaching, not by conformity to any statement made by any men at any special time; but by the general fitness and adaptability of our creed to your wants, to your relations with God, and to the progress of your spirit.» — y el criterio que reclama para sí mismo, que es de adecuación y no de conformidad con ningún dicho anterior.

«What, then, is the outcome of our teaching ? How far does it square with right reason? How does it teach you of God? How does it help your spirit ?» — las tres preguntas con que el comunicante somete su propio credo a examen.

«You have been taught in the creeds of the orthodox churches to believe in a God who was propitiated by the sacrifice of His Son, so far as to allow a favoured few of His children to be admitted to an imagined heaven, where for ever and for evermore, with monotonous persistence, their occupation should be the singing His praise. The rest of the race, unable to gain admission to this heaven, were consigned to a hell of indescribable torment, perpetual, endless, and intolerable.» — el comunicante expone la doctrina que atribuye a los credos ortodoxos, con el cielo de los pocos y el infierno de los demás.

«These miserable ones failed of bliss, some of them because they had not faith ; and others, because they had evil surroundings by which they were degraded. And others fell, being assailed with fierce temptations, by which they were led away and seduced to sin. And others were incarned in debasing and sensual bodies, and were overcome of ungoverned» — y la lista de las causas por las que, según esa doctrina, unos y otros se pierden; el tramo se corta al pasar de plana.

«And others had intellectual inability to accept ‘certain dogmatic propositions which they had been taught to believe essential to their salvation.» — la causa que el comunicante deja para el final de esa lista, y que es de incapacidad intelectual.

«And so they perished everlastingly ; and on their endless torments, from a height serene and secure, the blessed who have gained their bliss through a faith in certain dogmatic assertions, though many of them had been men of grievous and degraded lives, look with the satisfaction of undisturbed and changeless repose.» — el remate con que el comunicante expone esa doctrina ajena: los salvados contemplan sin turbarse el tormento sin fin de los otros.

«A life of gross sensuality, or of sloth, or of offence against all law, you are taught, is remediable by an act of faith.» — y la otra cara de la misma doctrina, la enmienda de toda una vida por un acto de fe.

«The grossest and most sensual ruffian may, by a cry on his death-bed, find himself instantaneously fitted for admission into the immediate presence of the God whom he has all his life blasphemed. He, the impure, base, degraded, earthy spirit admitted to association with the refined, the noble, the pure, the holy, in the immediate presence of the stainless perfection of the all-pure God!» — el caso extremo con que el comunicante la lleva hasta el absurdo.

«And yet the half is not told, but enough by way of contrast. We tell you nothing of such a God—a God of whom reason cannot think without a shudder, and from whom the fatherly instinct must shrink in disgust.» — el comunicante corta la exposición y declara no predicar tal Dios.

«Of this God of Love, who shows His love in such a fashion, we know nothing. He is of man’s fashioning, unknown to us.» — y niega conocerlo, adjudicándolo a la fábrica del hombre.

«We do but ask you to wonder with us at the presumptuous ignorance and folly which has dared to paint. such a caricature of the pure and holy God.» — lo único que el comunicante dice pedir ante esa imagen.

«Surely, friend, man must have been in a degraded spiritual condition ere he could have pictured such a Deity. Surely, too, they who in this age have not shrunk from such a creation must have sore need of a Gospel such as that we preach» — y la doble conclusión que saca, sobre el que la pintó y sobre el que hoy no la rechaza.

«The God whom we know and whom we declare to you is in very truth a God of Love—a God whose acts do not belie His name, but whose love is boundless, and His pity unceasing to all. He knows no partiality for any, but deals out unwavering justice to all.» — el Dios que el comunicante pone en su lugar, definido por ausencia de parcialidad.

«Between Him and you are ranks of ministering spirits, the bearers of His loving message, the revealers from time to time of His will to man. By His spirit-messengers the train of ministering mercy is never suffered to fail.» — y la escala de espíritus ministrantes que interpone entre Dios y el hombre.

«And you yourselves, what of you? Are ye immortal souls, who, by a cry, a word, by an act of faith in an unintelligible and monstrous creed can purchase a heaven of inactivity, and avoid a hell of material torment ? Verily, nay.» — la pregunta con que el comunicante pasa del Dios al hombre, y su negativa a la salvación por acto de fe.

«Ye are spirits placed for a while in a garb of flesh to get training for an advanced spirit-life, where the seeds sown in the past bear their fruit, and the spirit reaps the crop which it has prepared.» — y la definición del hombre que ofrece: espíritu en carne, en entrenamiento, que cosecha lo que sembró.

«No fabled dreamy heaven of eternal inactivity awaits you, but a sphere of progressive usefulness and growth to higher perfection.» — el cielo que el comunicante niega y el que pone en su lugar.

«Immutable laws govern the results of deeds. Deeds of good advance the spirit, whilst deeds of evil degrade and retard it.» — la ley que rige ese proceso, sin instancia que la remita.

«Happiness is found in progress and in gradual assimilation to the Godlike and the perfect. The spirit of divine love animates the acts, and in mutual blessing the spirits find their happiness.» — y dónde sitúa la felicidad, que es en el progreso mismo y no en un premio.

«Human passions and human needs and wishes are gone with the body, and the spirit lives a spirit life of purity, progress, and love. Such is its heaven.» — el comunicante define el cielo por lo que queda cuando se va el cuerpo.

«We know of no hell save that within the soul: a hell which is fed by the flame of unpurified and untamed lust and passion, which is kept alive by remorse and agony of sorrow: which is fraught with the pangs that spring unbidden from the results of past misdeeds; and from which the only escape lies in retracing the steps and in cultivating the qualities which shall bear fruit in love and knowledge of God.» — y niega todo infierno fuera del alma, con la única salida que le reconoce.

«Of punishment we know indeed, but it is not the vindictive lash of an angry God, but the natural outcome of conscious» — el comunicante conserva el castigo y le quita el castigador; el tramo se corta al pasar de plana.

«sin, remediable by repentance and atonement and reparation | personally wrought out in pain and shame, not by coward cries | for mercy, and by feigned assent to statements which ought to create a shudder.» — y el remedio que admite, que es de reparación penosa y no de asentimiento ni de súplica.

«Happiness we know is in store for all who will strive for it by a consistent course of life and conduct commendable to reason and spiritual in practice. Happiness is the outcome of right reason, as surely as misery is the result of conscious violation of reasonable laws, whether corporeal or spiritual.» — la simetría con que el comunicante ata felicidad y razón, y miseria y violación consciente de la ley.

«Of the distant ages of the hereafter we say nothing, for we know nothing.» — la abstención que el comunicante declara sobre lo que está más allá del presente.

«But of the present we say that life is governed, with you and with us equally, by laws which you may discover, and wtich, if you obey them, will lead to happiness and content, as surely as they will reduce you to misery and remorse if you wilfully violate them.» — y lo que sí afirma, con la misma ley para los dos lados; wtich es lectura del OCR por which.

«Sufficient has now been said to point the contrast, and to reply to our question: Whether such a view as this be not pure, divine, ennobling, the natural complement of that which Jesus Himself preached ?» — la pregunta con que el comunicante cierra el contraste, reclamando su credo como complemento natural de la predicación de Jesús.

«Is it less definite, more vague than the orthodox? It may be less minute in details which are repulsive, but it breathes a nobler and purer atmosphere ; it teaches a higher, holier religion ; it preaches a diviner God. It is not vaguer, not less definite.» — el comunicante recoge el cargo de vaguedad de Moses y lo contesta por partes, concediendo solo menos minucia en los detalles repulsivos.

«But even were it so, it deals with subjects into which the reverent mind will not curiously pry. It throws a veil over the unknown, and refuses to substitute speculation for knowledge, or to apply the cruder human notions to the very nature and attributes of the Supreme.» — y la reserva con que aceptaría el cargo: hay materias ante las que declara correr un velo antes que especular.

«If it be vagueness to veil the curious eye before the footstool of the divine and incomprehensible, then are we vague in our knowledge and indistinct in our teaching. But if it be the part of the wise to dwell only on the known and the comprehensible ; to act rather than to speculate; to do rather than to believe, then is our belief dictated by wisdom, conformable to right reason, and inspired by God Himself» — el dilema con que el comunicante devuelve el cargo, aceptando el nombre de vago en un sentido y rechazándolo en el otro.

«It will bear the test of rational sifting and experiment. It will endure, and inspire the myriad souls in distant ages when those who cavil at its teachings and insult its authors shall be working out in sorrow and remorse the consequences of their folly and sin.» — la prueba a la que el comunicante somete su credo, y el plazo largo en que lo espera vigente.

«It will live and bless its votaries in spite of the foolish ignorance which would charge its divine precepts on a devil, and anathematise its votaries as the children of darkness.» — y la acusación que prevé contra los suyos, de la que hace el reverso de su permanencia.

«That seems to me rational and beautiful. And I think you meet the charge of vagueness. But I fancy most people would say that you do practically upset popular Christianity. I should like to have from you some ideas on the general outcome of Spiritualism, more especially as it affects the undeveloped, whether incarnated or not.» — Moses concede lo dicho, mantiene el reparo de que trastorna el cristianismo corriente y pide lo que sigue sobre el espiritismo y los no desarrollados.

«We will speak to you of this in due course. But not yet. Ponder what has been said before you seek for further messages.» — el aplazamiento del comunicante, con el encargo de ponderar antes de pedir más.

«By this time the influence upon me had become so powerful as to shut out all other communications. On June 24 I attempted strongly to establish communication with the spirit who had usually written, but in vain.» — corchete de Moses que abre la Sección XI: la influencia se volvió tan fuerte que cerró el paso a las demás comunicaciones.

«The influence was of a singularly elevating character, and dominated my mind.» — y el carácter que Moses le atribuye, con el verbo que él mismo elige para describir su efecto.

«Though I did my daily work with punctuality, I devoted every minute that I could spare from it to pondering on this strange influence and on the teaching which was so new to me» — lo que Moses declara haber hecho con su tiempo libre en esos días.

«As I pondered, it seemed to grow into my mind, and to present itself with a force and orderly beauty that I had not recognised before.» — y el cambio que registra en su propia percepción de la enseñanza.

«Though I had studied theologies long and deeply, I had not by any means studied the various systems with a view to pick holes in them. I had collated rather than criticised them.» — Moses describe su método anterior con las teologías, que declara de recolección y no de crítica.

«But now I was confronted with a totally new view, and one which seemed to me to strike at the root of much that I had previously accepted as de fide.» — y lo que dice haber sentido esta vez: un ataque a la raíz de lo que tenía por de fide.

«have thought very much of what has been said by you, and I have read some of tt to a friend in whose judgment I rely.» — Moses declara haber consultado lo recibido con un amigo de cuyo juicio se fía; el tramo empieza donde la I inicial se perdió en el escaneo.

«It is startling to find doctrines , of Christianity, which we have been taught to consider as essential dogmas of the faith, denied under the symbol of the Cross.» — y lo que le sigue pareciendo el nudo del asunto: la negación de dogmas cristianos bajo el signo de la cruz.

«I cannot more strongly put my difficulty than by saying that though your statements command my assent intellectually, still the faith of Christendom which has lasted now 1800 years, and more, cannot lightly be upset by statements, however reasonable they may seem to me, which are not authenticated by any authority that I can test.» — la objeción de Moses en su forma más fuerte: concede el asentimiento intelectual y niega que baste para desbancar dieciocho siglos de fe sin autoridad verificable.

«Will you state clearly for me what position you assign to Jesus Christ? what authority you can show» — y las dos preguntas concretas que pone en su lugar.

«or develop teaching which bears His name, and to substitute a new gospel for the old one?» — la segunda pregunta de Moses, sobre qué autoridad respalda cambiar la enseñanza que lleva el nombre de Cristo; el tramo empieza donde el corte de plana partió la palabra reverse.

«Can ‘you gwe me satisfactory evidence of your own identity and of the reality of the mission which you claim? Evidence that would be accepted by plain, reasonable men.» — y la tercera, que pide prueba de identidad y de misión al alcance de un hombre común; gwe es lectura del OCR por give.

«I cannot undertake to accept what seems to me so revolutionary a change as of Divine origin and binding force, on the unsupported word of any angel or man, whoever he may be. Nor ought I to be asked to do so.» — el límite que Moses se pone a sí mismo: no acepta por palabra sola de ángel ni de hombre, y sostiene que no debe pedírsele.

«Though the change is very gradual, I think I discover a perceptible difference in your communica» — y el reparo que añade sobre la propia serie: cree notar un cambio gradual en las comunicaciones.

«And there seems to be a divergence in teaching between some spirits who have communicated through you: while the bond which can unite a number of opimions which profess to come from such discordant sources must be slight.» — el último cargo de Moses, sobre la divergencia entre los espíritus que le escriben y lo flojo del vínculo que los uniría; opimions es lectura del OCR por opinions.

«FRIEND, it is to us a source of pleasure that we have so far stirred your mind as to draw from you so earnest and rational a series of questions as these.» — el comunicante recibe las objeciones como cosa buena y no como resistencia.

«Believe us, so far at least as this, that no frame of mind is more pleasing to the Supreme than that which seeks earnestly and intelligently for truth; refusing mere dogmatic statements from whatever source they come; weighing all in the balance of right reason, and prepared honestly to accept the result.» — y la disposición que declara grata al Supremo, con el rechazo de todo dicho dogmático venga de donde venga.

«Far from wishing to quarrel with such a temper, we hail it as the evidence of a receptive and honest mind, which will not resign a former belief without substantial reason, but which, yet, is willing to learn new views of truth so they be authenticated by reasonable internal and external evidence.» — el comunicante pide para su enseñanza el mismo examen que Moses aplica a la antigua, con prueba interna y externa.

«Such doubts and difficulties are worth far more to us than the credulous frame of mind which gulps down indiscriminately all that comes under specious colour; far, far more than that stagnant temper which no storm can stir, whose glassy surface no breeze can ruffle, and on whose impassive, uninterested content no word of spirit warning can make any impression.» — y lo que el comunicante pone por debajo de la duda: la credulidad y el temple estancado.

«We hail your doubts as the best evidence of our successful dealing with you; we welcome your arguments» — la lectura que hace de las objeciones de Moses: prueba de que su trato con él ha surtido efecto; el tramo se corta al pasar de plana.

«There is a point beyond which it is impossible for us to present evidence. Of that you are aware.» — el límite de prueba que el comunicante declara de entrada.

«We labour under one great disadvantage, as compared with human witnesses ; we are not of your earth, and cannot produce for you the kind of evidence which would weigh in your courts of justice.» — y la razón que le da: no son de este mundo y no pueden producir la prueba que valdría en un tribunal.

«We can but state for your acceptance the evidence on which we ground our claims to your hearing and acceptance, leaving to your own mind in fairness to decide upon the points which we cannot clear up by evidence.» — lo que el comunicante ofrece en su lugar, dejando la decisión al juicio del interlocutor.

«For our own statements must, to a very great extent, be unsupported, save by statements of those who work with us.» — y la circularidad que él mismo reconoce en su testimonio.

«Many of us have told you of our earth identity, and have given to you proof that ought to be conclusive that we are fully acquainted with the earth-lives of those whose names we bear, even in the minutest particulars.» — la prueba de identidad que el comunicante invoca, formulada con cuidado: conocen las vidas terrenas de aquellos cuyos nombres llevan.

«If that is not convincing to you: if you reply that such information might have been gained by false and deceiving spirits, who might have gathered the facts for the very purpose of deluding» — y la objeción que él mismo se pone: esos datos podrían venir de espíritus engañosos que los reunieron para engañar.

«we point to the tenor of our intercourse with you, and remind you of the standards of judgment set up by Jesus Himself, “ By their fruits shall ye know them.” “Men do not gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles.» — la prueba que ofrece en su lugar, tomada de la regla de los frutos que atribuye a Jesús.

«We fearlessly refer you to the whole tenor of our teaching for proof that it is Divine.» — y la apuesta con que cierra el punto, que remite al conjunto de la enseñanza y no a un hecho.

«It would not consist with the dignity of our mission were we to dwell longer on this point. We are not surprised that you should have referred to it; but if our reply be not convincing to you, we have nothing further which we can add to it, and must await in patient prayer the time when the evidence will come home to you.» — el comunicante corta la discusión de las credenciales y la aplaza sin ofrecer más.

«We would not have you to accept our words before. We will patiently abide the issue.» — y renuncia expresamente a un asentimiento anticipado.

«With respect to the union of spirits who were in their earth-life divergent in their views of God and the hereafter: who dwelt in different climes, at different ages of the world’s history, we could say much, and will at another season.» — el comunicante recoge el cargo sobre la divergencia entre los espíritus y anuncia respuesta larga para otra ocasión.

«as we see, the almost utter worthlessness of what you call opinion.» — lo que el comunicante adelanta sobre el cargo de divergencia: el poco valor que del otro lado se le concede a lo que aquí se llama opinión.

«You cannot know, while yet the eye is veiled, how the veil is rent by the dissolution of the spirit from the earth-body ; how the speculations that have seemed so all-important are seen to be but idle, baseless fancies; while the germ of truth that has underlain the theological creeds is found to be very similar in essence, albeit of divers degrees of development.» — y lo que dice que se ve al caer el velo: las especulaciones resultan vanas y el germen de verdad de los credos, semejante en esencia.

«Ah, friend! religion is not so abstruse a problem as man has made it. It is comprised within narrow limits for the intelligence that is domiciled on earth.» — el comunicante reduce la religión a límites estrechos para quien vive en la tierra.

«And the theological speculations, the dogmatic definitions with which man has overlaid the revelation of God, serve but to perplex and bewilder, and to involve the spirit struggling up to light in the mists and fogs of ignorance and superstition.» — y el efecto que atribuye a lo que se le ha sobrepuesto.

«The groping after truth which has been characteristic of the progressive spirit in every age has been but the same story, different, indeed, in detail, but identical in issue.» — el comunicante hace de esa búsqueda a tientas una sola historia con variantes de detalle.

«The mazes of superstition bewilder it; the mists of human ignorance close around it. It staggers and wanders on its devious way, now here, now there, now cast down to earth and trodden under foot by the adversaries, but rising anon, and with outstretched arms struggling onwards still.» — la escena con que la describe, con el espíritu derribado y de vuelta en pie.

«Those wanderings seem to you similar, and when confined within the limits of a single sect they are indeed alike, but to spirit gaze they have very many points of difference.» — y la enmienda que el comunicante hace a la mirada del interlocutor sobre esas semejanzas.

«To us the theological opinions which have characterised certain sets of men called churches are not so identical as you think.» — el comunicante niega la identidad que Moses supone entre los credos de las iglesias.

«and we know that to no two spirits yet created were _ precisely identical views of the unknown ever presented. They have framed for themselves ideas more or less like those _ of other spirits, but never identical with them.» — y lleva la diferencia hasta el caso individual: no hay dos espíritus con la misma idea de lo desconocido.

«It is only when there is no desire for truth that error is permanent.» — la única condición bajo la cual el comunicante declara permanente el error.

«So you see, friend, that truth is the exclusive heritage of no man, of no sect. It may and does underlie the philosophy of Athenodorus, as he yearned after the refining of the spirit and the subjection of the flesh in ancient Rome.» — el comunicante niega la exclusiva de la verdad a hombre y a secta, y empieza la serie de casos por el filósofo estoico de la Roma antigua.

«It was as really existent in the groping after union with his Master which enabled Hippolytus to endure the loss of earthly existence in sure anticipation of a real life, even though he only dimly saw its characteristics.» — el segundo caso de la serie, con la reserva de que aquel solo vio a medias lo que anticipaba.

«The self-same seeking after truth elevated and ennobled Plotinus, and raised him, even in earth-life, above and beyond the earth-sphere.» — el tercero, el neoplatónico, que el comunicante da por elevado ya en vida.

«It dwelt in the breast of Algazzali, in spite of the errors by which it was dimmed.» — el cuarto, con la reserva de los errores que lo empañaban; Algazzali es la grafía del impreso.

«It—the same blessed germ of Divine truth— lightened the speculations of Alessandro Achillini, and gave force and reality to the burning words which fell from his lips.» — y el quinto, el aristotélico de Bolonia, con el nombre partido entre dos renglones en el impreso.

«The same pure jewel shines now in one and all of them. It is the common heritage which enables them to be banded together in a common work and for a common end—the purifying of that deposit of the truth which man has from his God, and the ennobling and elevating of man’s destiny by the outpouring of more spiritual views of God and of the destiny of spirit.» — lo que el comunicante declara común a esa serie de nombres y lo que los ata en una misma obra.

«To them their earth-opinions are of little moment now. They have vanished long ago, and have left behind them no trace of the prejudice which clouded the soul on earth and hampered its progress. They have died and are buried, and over their grave no tear of sorrow is dropped.» — y la suerte que atribuye a las opiniones que aquellos tuvieron en la tierra.

«No resurrection awaits them: they are for ever done with» — la asimetría con que el comunicante separa la opinión, que declara sin resurrección, del germen de verdad; el tramo se corta al pasar de plana.

«In its illuminating influences, in the aspirations which its presence inspires, lies the mysterious bond of sympathy which is powerful to unite in one work spirits who, in earth-life, were so apparently divergent in opinion.» — y el vínculo que de ahí saca para contestar el cargo de Moses sobre lo flojo de la unión entre espíritus dispares.

«This may serve to suggest for your consideration reasons why it may not be so strange as it now seems to you, that we should be now banded together for a common object, consecrated to a common work by one earnest desire to spread abroad the knowledge of a higher and purer religion, through an instrument chosen by us for special indications of fitness» — el comunicante ofrece eso como razón de su asociación, y reclama para sí el juicio sobre la aptitud del instrumento elegido; el tramo se corta al pasar de plana.

«For definite proof you must be content to wait until you, too, have rent the veil, and stand with unclouded eye in our company.» — y aplaza la prueba definitiva a después de la muerte del interlocutor.

«The most we hope for now is the gradual establishment of conviction. We desire that you should apply to us the same law by which the Master judged—the Divine law of judging others as you would yourself be judged» — lo que el comunicante dice esperar mientras tanto, y la regla con que pide ser juzgado.

«You err in supposing that there has ever been any discrepancy in our teaching to you. Arguments have been variously put, and different points have been taken by different intelligences who have communicated with you.» — el comunicante niega la discrepancia y la explica por la variedad de los argumentos y de las inteligencias.

«We do not deny that we have gradually led you up to the general idea which we have wished to convey, and we have, in so doing, avoided points of indifferent opinion which were not essential to our message, as well as points on which we know full well that your previous notions were rooted firm, and would clash with our knowledge.» — y lo que sí admite: haberlo llevado por grados y haber evitado los puntos donde su noción previa estaba firme.

«We have sought rather to develop the germs of truth which we discovered than to come into contact with the singularities of opinion which exist. To this end we have seized upon points of contact, and have made much of them ; while we have not dwelt on disputed and unimportant points, and have avoided discussing matters that do not lie in our path.» — el método que el comunicante declara, hecho de puntos de contacto y de omisiones deliberadas.

«Hereafter many points that at present are slurred over, or avoided, will be taken up.» — y el aplazamiento con que deja lo omitido.

«We can see well when the drift of thought is carrying you away from old mooring-places which no longer afford safe anchorage for your spirit ; and, seeing this, we have preferred to pilot you rather than to allow you to drop down the stream at the mercy of wind and current, and at risk of ship» — la imagen náutica con que el comunicante describe lo que hizo con las creencias de Moses: pilotearlo antes que dejarlo a la deriva; el tramo se corta al pasar de plana.

«We have loosened the ropes, one by one, gently and gradually, and we have charged ourselves with the mission of landing you in safer and surer harbourage.» — y el modo que declara haber elegido, de soltar amarras poco a poco.

«Had we tightened the moorings, the old ropes would have broken, and your spirit would have been tossed helpless on a stormy sea of doubt and difficulty, with no pilot at the helm, and no port in view, at the mercy of wind and wave, and with scant pros» — la alternativa que dice haber descartado, con el naufragio que le habría seguido.

«Do not blame us that we have chosen to anticipate the inevitable, and to smooth the rough passage. We could not prevent ; we may and can assist.» — el comunicante declara inevitable el cambio de creencias y limita su propio papel a suavizarlo.

«We would not, if we could, have added to the chains which would bind your spirit to the dead past.» — y lo que se niega a hacer aun pudiendo.

«In this endeavour we have studiously guarded ourselves from inflicting on you any rude shocks.» — la precaución que el comunicante reclama haber tomado con Moses.

«We have not misled you on any point. We have never deceived you in aught. Scrupulous exactness has characterised all our statements to you. But we have preferred to take the ideas which we found in your mind, and to enlarge and develop them. We have fostered, directed, instilled newer and truer views, but we have in no point falsified, distorted, or misled.» — y la negativa rotunda con que responde al cargo de haberlo llevado por donde no debía.

«Nor is there actually any divergence in the teachings of those who have spoken to you. Any apparent discrepancy is referable to difficulties of communication, to the varying influence of your own mind, to the state of your bodily health; to the novelty of the work to some; and especially to your own circumscribed views.» — el comunicante niega la divergencia y la reparte entre cinco causas, la última de las cuales es el propio Moses.

«We cannot teach what you cannot receive. We can only dimly symbolise truths which one day your unclouded eye will see in their full splendour.» — y el límite que se pone, que es de recepción y no de voluntad.

«cannot speak with clearness when the spirit of our medium is troubled, when his body is racked with pain, or his mental state vitiated by disease.» — las condiciones del médium que el comunicante declara capaces de enturbiar el mensaje; el tramo empieza donde el corte de plana partió la frase.

«Nay, even a lowering atmosphere, or electric disturbance, or the neighbourhood of unsympathetic and unfavourable human influences, may colour a communication, or prevent it from being clear and complete.» — y las condiciones externas, incluidas la atmósfera y la vecindad de personas desafectas.

«They are small enough and few enough, and they will all vanish when the difficulties are removed.» — el comunicante mide las discrepancias que Moses detectó y las declara pasajeras.

«You complain that there is little chance of the acceptance of such views as we have put forward. Of this you can know very little.» — el comunicante recoge el reparo sobre la aceptación de su credo y le niega a Moses el conocimiento para juzgarlo.

«The time is far nearer than you think when the old faith which has worn so long, and which man has patched so clumsily, will be replaced by a higher and nobler one—one not antagonistic, but supplementary—and the pure Gospel which Jesus preached shall find its counterpart again on an advanced plane of knowledge.» — y lo que anuncia en su lugar: la fe antigua reemplazada por otra que declara no antagónica sino suplementaria.

«What comes to you from us is coming to others too. This is but one among many branches of one great plan.» — el comunicante sitúa el caso de Moses como una rama entre muchas de un mismo plan.

«It will go on gradually and spread steadily among the children of faith who are fitted to receive it. The Master has so willed it. His time is not yours, nor is our vision circumscribed as yours.» — y el plazo que le pone, que no es el del interlocutor.

«Meantime, progressive souls are being educated; precious seed is being sown, and the reaping and garnering shall come in their course. For that you and wé alike must wait.» — la espera que el comunicante se impone junto con Moses; el acento sobre we es del impreso.

«If you will now think carefully over what has been said, you will see that the nature of the case precludes more than presumptive proof being given of the validity of our claims.» — el comunicante declara que por la naturaleza del caso no cabe más que prueba presuntiva.

«We say again, that God forces blessings on none. He offers : the responsibility of acceptance or refusal rests with you.» — y devuelve al interlocutor la responsabilidad de aceptar o rechazar.

«The internal evidence will be admitted by you and by all to whom we are now concerned to address ourselves. None but those» — la prueba interna como única que el comunicante espera que se le conceda; el tramo se corta al pasar de plana.

«who are hopelessly involved in the meshes of the shallowest bigotry, who are bound by the fetters of a conventional theology, and shackled by an iron dogmatism, will refuse to acknowledge the internal evidence of a Divine origin in the creed which we put forward.» — y los únicos que, según él, se la negarían.

«Nay, we do not even speak to those who find in the faith which has become ingrained in their very souls a sure and sufficient guide. In God’s name let them cling to it.» — el comunicante exceptúa expresamente a los que hallan suficiente su fe, y les concede quedarse en ella.

«To you, and to those who have advanced far enough to think with you, we need not further prove that we are not of diabolic origin or intent.» — y a quiénes dice dirigir la respuesta al cargo de diabolismo.

«you will see that we claim or our teaching that it is just one of those rungs in the ladder of progressive knowledge of God which mankind has been gradually mounting, from the time when man framed for him- {self a god like himself, to the present, when you are slowly learning that to attribute human infirmities and passions to ‘the Supreme is not to do Him honour.» — el lugar que el comunicante reclama para su enseñanza: un peldaño más en la escalera del conocimiento de Dios, no una revelación aparte.

«Our revelation is in no respect different from that which has preceded, save that it is a step in advance, even as each development of human» — y la igualdad que sostiene entre su revelación y las anteriores, salvo el paso de avance.

«Our knowledge flows from the same source, and is made known through similar channels. They are now, as then, human, fallible, and at times wrong. It must be so, as long as God reveals Himself through human agencies» — el comunicante extiende a su propio mensaje la falibilidad que atribuyó a los antiguos.

«If you will further recollect the standpoint we have selected, you will see that in place of blind faith, which accepts traditional teaching—the old, merely because it is old—we appeal to your reason: and in place of credulity we demand rational, intelligent investigation, and acceptance grounded on conviction.» — el cambio de criterio que reclama haber propuesto: razón en lugar de fe ciega, investigación en lugar de credulidad.

«So far from desiring you to accept what we tell you simply because we are spirit-messengers—the new merely because it 1s new—we ask you to weigh in the scales of reason, to ponder in the light of intellect, to reject if you be not satisfied, in no case to assent or to act until conviction has been thoroughly established» — y la simetría con que rechaza tanto lo viejo por viejo como lo nuevo por nuevo.

«So that not only is the matter of the spirit-creed eminently conformable to right reason, but the grounds on which we ask you to accept it are those which-a rational and logical mind will be most disposed to accept.» — el comunicante reclama conformidad con la razón tanto en la materia del credo como en el modo de proponerlo.

«God forbid that we should even seem to hurry any man into antagonism, real or fancied, with a creed which has for eighteen hundred years and more been adorned by the lives of many myriads of earnest and progressive, as well as earnest though mistaken souls.» — y la reserva con que trata la fe recibida, cuyos fieles distingue entre acertados y equivocados sin quitarles la seriedad.

«The fact that it has long endured entitles it to the reverence due to antiquity, though with our extended view we can see that it also makes it needful that some of its provisions, admirably suited as they were for a less advanced generation, should now fitly be enlarged and spiritualised.» — la reverencia que el comunicante le concede a la antigüedad, y el límite que le pone.

«At any rate, we would not disturb its reign with violent revolution. We would refine and infuse new life ; we would not dethrone and humble in the dust.» — y la vía que declara elegir, que no es la de derribar.

«As the Saviour told, in the accents of a life of loving and self-sacrificing purity, the story of a nobler faith than that which Sinai had revealed in accents of thunder, so we take up the Divine story at a later day, and proclaim for a world’s acceptance a creed more fitted to its advanced capacities, more suited to its later wants.» — el comunicante se pone en la misma serie que Jesús frente al Sinaí, y reclama para su credo el mismo lugar respecto del cristiano.

«Well, then, we at least have offered it, and to those who will surely grasp at it, its blessed influence shall seem the brighter from the contrast.» — la respuesta del comunicante al rechazo que él mismo se pone en boca del mundo.

«It is long, frequently, between the first promulgation of a truth and its final acceptance. The seed-time must precede the crop, and the rain and the frost and the cheerless wintertide may seem to be long drawn out, but the sun bursts forth at length, and the crop springs up, and the glad summer comes with the reaping and housing of the fruit.» — y la imagen agrícola con que mide la distancia entre anuncio y aceptación.

«You cannot retard it; you may aid in reaping it; you may even assist in sowing the seed; but in spite of man’s opposition, whether he aids or not, God’s work will be done.» — lo que el comunicante deja y lo que no deja en manos del hombre.

«It is to the individual alone that acceptance or rejection of the Divine message matters materially. A soul is advanced or retarded in the life of progress; and the angels rejoice or mourn over the issue. That is all.» — y dónde sitúa lo que sí está en juego en la aceptación o el rechazo.

«You inquire from us what position we assign to Jesus the Christ. We are not careful to enter into curious comparisons between different teachers who, in different ages, have been sent from God. The time is not yet come for that;» — el comunicante recoge la pregunta directa de Moses sobre Jesús y se abstiene de comparar maestros.

«but this we know, that no spirit more pure, more godlike, more noble, more blessing and more blessed, ever descended to find a home on your earth» — y lo que sí afirma: ningún espíritu más puro ni más noble descendió a la tierra, sin decir que fuera Dios.

«Rather would we give to all the meed of praise that is their due, and hold up the example of self-denial, self-sacrifice, and love to the imitation of a generation which sadly needs such a pattern.» — lo que el comunicante prefiere a la comparación: el ejemplo puesto para imitar.

«Had men devoted their energies to the imitation of the simplicity and sincerity, the loving toil and earnest purpose, the self-sacrifice and purity of thought and life which elevated and distinguished the Christ, they had wrangled less of His nature, and had wasted fewer words upon useless metaphysical sophistries.» — y el reproche que de ahí saca contra las disputas sobre la naturaleza de Cristo.

«Those of your theologians who dwelt in the days of darkness, and who have left to you an accursed heritage in their idle and foolish speculations, would have turned their minds into a more useful channel, and have been a blessing instead of a curse to mankind.» — el juicio del comunicante sobre los teólogos que llama de los días de tinieblas.

«But instead of this they have elaborated an _anthropomorphic theology which has led them to wander further and further from the simplicity of His teaching ; which has turned His name and creed into a battle-ground of sects» — y lo que dice que salió en su lugar: una teología antropomórfica que hizo del nombre de Cristo campo de batalla.

«Friend, you must discriminate between God’s truth and ; man’s glosses. We do not dishonour the Lord Jesus—before i} | whose exalted majesty we bow—by refusing to acquiesce in a fiction which He would disown, and which man has forced upon» — el deslinde que el comunicante le pide a Moses, con la reverencia a Jesús declarada en el mismo aliento en que niega la ficción.

«have dishonoured the Great Father of Him, and of all alike, and have impiously, albeit ignorantly, derogated from the honour due to the Supreme alone.» — el comunicante devuelve el cargo de deshonrar a Dios a quienes lo levantan contra él; el tramo empieza donde el corte de plana partió la frase.

«Not we, but they, though they have the prescription of long usage, though their words be coloured by extracts from writings which they have decided to be Divine: and though in those writings there be found words which pronounce a curse on any who may disagree with what is» — y la lista de lo que reconoce a favor de sus adversarios sin conceder el punto: uso largo, extractos de escritos que tienen por divinos y anatemas contra quien disienta.

«We do not regard such curses save with pity. We do not labour to upset belief when it is a harmless error, but we can lend no countenance to views that dishonour God, and’ retard-a soul’s progress.» — el deslinde que el comunicante hace entre el error inofensivo, que deja estar, y el que deshonra a Dios.

«The attributing to a man of Divine honour, to the exclusion in very many cases of per- | sonal honour and love for the Great Father, is a mischievous | error which derogates from the duty of. man to his God.» — el error que declara mayor, formulado con cuidado: atribuir honores divinos a un hombre, muchas veces a costa del amor al Padre.

«The holding of a narrow, cold, dogmatic creed, in all its rigid, lifeless literalism, cramps the soul, dwarfs its spirituality, clogs its progress, and stunts its growth.» — y el efecto que le atribuye al credo literalista sobre el alma que lo sostiene.

«says your Scripture, ‘the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth» — la frase paulina con que el comunicante apoya ese deslinde, presentada como escritura del interlocutor y no suya; el tramo se corta donde la palabra life pasa de renglón entre marcas de margen.

«Hence we denounce such views of God as are con-) tained in the fable of a material hell; and we proclaim to. you purer and more rational ideas than are contained in the | orthodox notions of atonement and vicarious sacrifice.» — lo que el comunicante declara denunciar: el infierno material y las nociones ortodoxas de expiación y sacrificio vicario.

«We proclaim to you a spiritualised religion. We call you from the dead formalism,; the lifeless, loveless literalism of the past, to a religion of spiritualised truth, to the lovely symbolism of — angel teaching, to the higher planes of spirit, where the material _ finds no place, and the formal dogmatism of the past is for» — y el nombre que le da a lo que pone en su lugar, con el simbolismo del ángel contra el formalismo muerto.

«We have spoken to you with care, and with a due sense ot the importance of what we say. Dwell on it with care. Ponder it with single desire for truth, and seek the Divine aid ministered to all who pray for it.» — la fórmula con que Imperator cierra la Sección XI, remitiendo por encima de sí mismo a la ayuda divina.

«I am reluctant to publish what is so private in its nature and bearings: but I am constrained to do so, and my justification is that what was the experience of one may be the experience of many, and the history of my mental and _ spiritual struggles may be helpful to others who are passing through a similar phase.» — corchete de Moses que abre la Sección XII y declara la única justificación que da para publicar lo privado.

«As I recall my state, I was perplexed and startled by what had been said. I was unable to accept what was ‘so new; and the great point that weighed with me was that of “Spirit Identity.”» — y el punto que Moses declara haber pesado más en su resistencia.

«It seemed in my then state that I must have complete proof of the earth identity of the communicating spirit before I could accept the statements made.» — la exigencia que se ponía entonces: prueba completa de la identidad terrena del comunicante antes de aceptar nada.

«I believed such direct demonstration to be procurable ; and I was distressed that it was not given. I did not then know (July, 1873) as I do now that the evidence of conviction is what alone is to be had; and that no cut-and-dried plan such as I propounded would really have carried with it the conviction I imagined.» — Moses declara desde el presente de la escritura que aquella exigencia era vana, y fecha el cambio de parecer.

«Moreover, I was distressed by the feeling that much that passed current for spirit communication was silly and frivolous, if not mischievous.» — el segundo motivo de su resistencia, que era el nivel de lo que corría por comunicación espiritista.

«I compared the teaching of the Christian moralists with spirit teaching very much to the disadvantage of the latter.» — y la comparación que hacía entonces, expresamente en contra de la enseñanza de los espíritus.

«I also considered that there was very wide divergence between teachings given by spirits, and that all sorts of opinions were professed.» — el tercer motivo, que era la dispersión de las doctrinas espiritistas.

«Most of these I disliked personally, and I did not believe that they benefited the people who received them. I fancied that many such were enthusiasts and fanatics, and was repelled by the idea.» — y el juicio personal que Moses consigna sobre sus sostenedores, sin atenuarlo.

«FRIEND, we are pleased to converse with you again; and if it be impossible for us to answer all your queries, and to solve all your problems, we can at least rectify some errors into which you have fallen as to the dealings of God with man, and the tendency of the mission which we have in charge.» — la respuesta del comunicante, que promete enmendar errores y no resolver todas las preguntas.

«The root of your error seems to lie in a false conception of God and of His dealings with mankind.» — y dónde sitúa la raíz de la objeción de Moses.

«Surely the page of human history bears upon it the story of one uniformly progressive revelation of One and the same God.» — la tesis que el comunicante opone: una sola revelación progresiva del mismo Dios a lo largo de la historia.

«The attempts of men to realise and picture to themselves the God whom they ignorantly worship have led to the strangest and most fallacious notions as to His nature and operations.» — y lo que atribuye a los intentos humanos de figurársela.

«In the early days of man’s history the crude notion of a God inherent in His spiritual nature took shape as a fetish, which was alternately prayed to with reverence or cast aside with contumely, in proportion as the prayer was granted or delayed.» — el primer estadio de esa serie según el comunicante: el fetiche, rezado o desechado según respondiera.

«Men knew not that the block before which they bowed was powerless, and that round them hovered ever the bands of spirit ministers who were ready to succour and defend them, and to bear to them answers to their reasonable prayers.» — y lo que sostiene que había realmente en torno de aquellos hombres.

«The tangible, palpable image was to them the embodiment of their idea. Mark this! of their idea of God, not of God Himself, but of the crude conception which was the best idea they could frame.» — la distinción que el comunicante subraya: la imagen encarnaba la idea que se hacían de Dios, no a Dios.

«Drawing ‘their information from their own dealings, they imagined for themselves certain rules of conduct by which they proceeded to judge the God whom they had created.» — el mecanismo que describe: juzgan al Dios que fabricaron con reglas sacadas de su propio trato.

«They feigned for Him human passions such as they found worthy of respect in their fellows. They credited Him with some failings which were inseparable from humanity» — y lo que le prestaron: las pasiones que estimaban y también las flaquezas de las que no podían separarse.

«He was jealous of His honour ; long-suffering and of tender pity; according as they who spoke of Him imagined that He ought to be.» — la lista de atributos que el comunicante hace depender del que hablaba y no del Dios del que se hablaba.

«He was, in short, a glorified man—a man endued with omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence. They feigned Him such and made Him act accordingly.» — y la fórmula con que resume esa fabricación.

«Consequently all the revelation of God is characteristic of the age in which it is given. It grows with human development, and is progressively proportioned to the development of human intellect and refinement, simply because the human medium becomes capable of being impressed with more accurate views of the Deity in proportion as he has shaken himself free from his former fetters of ignorance, and has himself progressed towards light and knowledge.» — la consecuencia general que el comunicante saca: la revelación crece con el desarrollo humano porque crece la capacidad del médium.

«We have frequently said that God reveals Himself as man can bear it. It must needs be so. He is revealed through a human medium, and can only be made known in such measure as the medium can receive the communication.» — la regla repetida, con su razón puesta en el canal.

«It is impossible that knowledge of God should outstrip man’s capacity. Were we now to tell you—if we could—of our more perfect theology it would seem to you strange and unintelligible.» — y el límite que el comunicante se pone a sí mismo, con el condicional que deja abierto si podría o no decir más.

«Indeed, since the conception which each frames for himself is to him his God, it cannot be that revelation can be in advance of capacity. It is in the nature of things impossible.» — la razón última que da: la idea que cada quien se hace es para él su Dios, y por eso la revelación no puede adelantarse a la capacidad.

«Hence you see that when you credit God with motives and |say, ‘This cannot be. God is acting here contrary to His ee He cannot so act now, because He did not so act then,” you are simply saying, “‘ My idea of God is so and so, and I cannot at present get another one.» — el comunicante traduce la objeción de Moses a lo que sostiene que realmente dice.

«And that is precisely what we say. You have made your God, and you have made Him act as you see fit.» — y con eso hace de la objeción un apoyo de su propia tesis.

«This is very much the case with all progressive minds. To some the time of development comes not in this life. They must wait for a newer light in a newer life.» — el comunicante extiende ese cambio a toda mente que progrese, y admite que a muchos no les llegue en esta vida.

«But to some there comes a flood of knowledge even in their present place of existence. The old grows flat and profitless. The soul craves for a newer and truer revelation; for something which shall be as the spirit among the dry bones, and shall give them a resurrection unto life.» — y describe el caso contrario con la imagen de los huesos secos.

«Well, you have had, or you are having, your revelation. Your mind, as some would say, has widened, and has pictured a God more in accordance with its advanced capacities.» — el comunicante aplica el diagnóstico a Moses, y da primero la versión que darían otros.

«Call it what you will. The two operations of revelation and comprehension, of knowledge and capacity, must be correlative. The knowledge does not come until there is capacity to receive it.» — y declara indiferente el modo de nombrarlo mientras se acepte la correlación entre revelación y capacidad.

«Neither does the mind get higher revelation until it has so far advanced as to feel the want of it;» — la condición inversa que el comunicante añade: la mente no recibe más revelación hasta sentir su falta.

«All your fancied theories about God have filtered down to you through human channels; the embodiments of human cravings after knowledge of Him; the creation of minds that were undeveloped, whose wants were not your wants, whose God, or rather whose notions about God are not yours.» — el comunicante hace de las teologías recibidas productos de mentes con otras necesidades que las del interlocutor.

«You try hard to make the ideas fit in, but they will not fit in, because they are the produce of divers intelligences in divers degrees of development.» — y explica por ahí que no encajen entre sí.

«Think! You say to us that we are not of God, because our ideas of Him made known to you are not compatible with some notions which you have derived from certain of the books in your sacred records.» — el comunicante reformula el cargo de Moses antes de pedirle que lo precise.

«Tell us which is the God with whom we are at variance in our ideal.» — y la pregunta con que lo obliga a elegir entre las figuras de Dios de sus propios libros.

«Is it the God who walked | in human form with Adam, and is fabled to have wreaked direful vengeance on the ignorant creatures who are said to | have committed what you now see to be a very venial fault ?» — la primera figura de esa serie, con la reserva de que la falta castigada se ve hoy como leve.

«Or is it the God who reigned over Israel as an earthly monarch, and whose care was feigned to be devoted to the enunciation of sanitary laws, or to the construction of a taber- -acle, who went forth with the armies of Israel to battle» — la segunda figura de Dios que el comunicante pone en la serie, la del monarca de Israel que sale a la guerra; el tramo empieza donde el corte de plana partió la frase del sacrificio de Isaac y se corta antes del guion de fin de renglón que parte la palabra extirpation, donde el escaneo dejó además una marca de margen.

«Or is it, perchance, the God who enabled His servant Joshua to arrest the course of the universe and to paralyse the solar system, in order that the Israelites might revel a few hours more in gore and carmage ?» — la tercera, con el sol detenido por Josué; carmage es lectura del OCR por carnage.

«Or is it rather with the God who was feigned to be so angry with His chosen people because they wished for a visible monarch, that He visited upon them an elaborate revenge extending over many hundred of years ?» — la cuarta, con la venganza extendida por siglos a cuenta de haber pedido un rey visible.

«Or with which of the Gods of the prophets are we at variance ? with Isaiah’s God, or with Ezekiel’s? or with the lugubrious Deity that Jeremiah’s morbid mind imagined ? or with David’s Divinity— half father, half tyrant, cruel and yielding by turns, always \ Inconsistent and irrational ? or with Joel’s? or with John’s ?» — y la serie de los profetas, en la que el comunicante da a cada uno su Dios y su temperamento.

«or with Paul’s Calvinistic conception, imagined and painted with horrid phantasies of predestination, and hell, and election, _and a dreamy, listless heaven? Are we at variance with Paul, /or John, or Jesus ?» — el último de la serie, con la pregunta que deja abierta si el desacuerdo es con Pablo, con Juan o con Jesús.

«But there is no need to press the fact that revelation has always been proportioned to man’s capacity, and coloured by man’s mind» — la tesis que el comunicante da por probada con esa serie.

«The idea of God has been throughout the ages the conception, more or less vivid, of those who have been the media of revelation.» — y la consecuencia sobre la idea misma de Dios, que hace de ella conceptos de los intermediarios.

«To none has complete truth been given, only so much of truth, such aspect of truth, as was necessary for a particular age and people.» — el reparto que el comunicante sostiene: a nadie la verdad entera, a cada época el aspecto que le hacía falta.

«Of course, we and our God are not Joshua and his God: neither are we Paul and his God: though we challenge comparison between the God» — el comunicante se deslinda de aquellos Dioses y a la vez pide que se compare el suyo; el tramo se corta al pasar de plana.

«we know and reveal, and that Ged who was dimly shadowed forth to a people that knew Him nct, by Him who knew Him best, and lived nearest to Him, the man Christ Jesus.» — y con quién acepta la comparación: el Dios entrevisto por el hombre Cristo Jesús; Ged y nct son lecturas del OCR.

«He had received conceptions of Deity far clearer than any which His followers have grasped; His religion was simple, plain, and earnest. His theology was equally plain.» — el juicio del comunicante sobre Jesús, puesto por encima de sus seguidores y no fuera de la serie humana.

«The cry to “Our Father who art in Heaven,” how widely does it differ from the elaborate dissertations on theology in which the Supreme is first informed of the character which man has assigned to Him, and then is requested to act up to it with especial reference to the wants or fancied wants which the ignorant worshipper puts forward !» — el contraste con que el comunicante opone la invocación del padrenuestro a la teología que primero define a Dios y luego le pide que actúe conforme.

«God! Ye know Him not! One day, when the Spirit stands within the veil which shrouds the spirit world from mortal gaze, you shall wonder at your ignorance of Him whom you have so foolishly imagined!» — la interpelación con que el comunicante corta la exposición.

«Were He such as you have pictured Him, were He such as you think, He would avenge on presumptuous man the insults which he puts on his Creator.» — el argumento con que niega el Dios vengativo, tomado de que no ha vengado la ofensa de habérselo imaginado así.

«He blames not the ignorance. That is no shame, so it be not wilful.» — y la distinción que el comunicante mantiene entre ignorancia y obstinación.

«But He blames the folly which hugs a low conception of Him, and will have no light let in on the dark and musty temple in which the idol is enshrined.» — lo que sí declara culpable, con la imagen del templo cerrado.

«He blames the lovers of darkness, the haters of light, who cling to the. undeveloped fancies of the past, and can see no beauty in the simple moral grandeur of the God whom Christ revealed, but must needs graft on to that noble conception the anthropomorphic fancies of previous unenlightened ages.» — y el injerto que denuncia: las fantasías antropomórficas antiguas sobre la concepción que atribuye a Cristo.

«When you rashly complain of us that our teaching to you controverts that of the Old Testament, we can but answer that it does indeed controvert that old and repulsive view of the good God which made Him an angry, jealous, human tyrant» — el comunicante concede a Moses que su enseñanza contradice el Antiguo Testamento, pero solo en una parte que nombra.

«but that it is in fullest accord with that divinely-inspired revelation of Himself which He gave» — y con qué reclama estar en pleno acuerdo: la revelación que atribuye a Jesucristo; el tramo se corta al pasar de plana.

«through Jesus Christ—a revelation which man has done so much to debase, and from which the best of the followers of Christ have so grievously fallen away.» — y la reserva que sigue al otro lado del corte, sobre lo que el hombre hizo con esa revelación.

«If there be naught in what we say of God and of man’s after-life that commends itself to you, it must be that your mind has ceased to love the grander and simpler conceptions which it had once learned to drink in.» — la primera explicación que el comunicante ofrece para el rechazo de Moses, y que le carga a él.

«It must be that the machinations of the adversaries have availed to reach your spirit, and that the dark edge of that cloud which they have interposed between your world and its God, is resting with baleful influence upon you.» — y la segunda, que se la carga a los adversarios.

«We do not fear that any permanent harm will rest with you. Nor do we regret that you should try the foundations on which your knowledge rests. It will not be wasted time to do so» — el comunicante autoriza expresamente el examen de los fundamentos y no lo trata como falta.

«Cease to be anxious about the minute questions which are of minor moment. Dwell much on the great, the overwhelming necessity for a clearer revealing of the Supreme: on the blank and cheerless ignorance of God and of us which has crept over the world: on the noble creed we teach, on the bright future we reveal.» — y el encargo que le hace en cambio, con lo que declara asunto principal.

«Cease to be perplexed by thoughts of an imagined Devil. For the honest, pure, and truthful soul there is no Devil nor Prince of Evil such as theology has feigned.» — el comunicante niega el Diablo de la teología, con la condición puesta en el alma que pregunta.

«Evil comes not nigh him; the adversaries flee from his presence, and the powers of evil are powerless before him.» — lo que sostiene para el alma honesta, y que hace de la inmunidad una función del carácter.

«He need fear no Devil, unless he creates one for himself. His affinity for good draws around him influences for good.» — y la única condición bajo la cual concede que haya diablo, que es la de fabricárselo.

«His is no exemption from temptation, from the snares of the destroyer, or from the atmosphere which during his probation time he must breathe.» — la reserva con que el comunicante limita esa protección: no exime de la tentación ni del aire de la probación.

«The clouds of sorrow and anguish of soul may gather round him, and his spirit may be saddened with the burden of sin— weighed down with consciousness of surrounding misery and guilt, but no fabled Devil can gain dominion over him, or prevail to drag down his soul to hell.» — y lo que sí excluye, que es el dominio del Diablo fabulado.

«All the sadness of spirit, the acquaintance with grief, the intermingling with guilt, is part of the experience, in virtue of which his soul shall rise hereafter. The guardians are training and fitting it by those means to progress, and jealously protect it from the dominion of the foe.» — el lugar que el comunicante le da al sufrimiento dentro del entrenamiento del alma.

«It is only they who, by a fondness for evil, by a lack of spiritual and excess of corporeal development, attract to themselves the congenial spirits of the undeveloped who have left the body, but have not forgotten its desires.» — y quiénes son, según él, los únicos expuestos: los que por proclividad atraen a los espíritus afines.

«These by proclivity attract evil, and it dwells with them at their invitation. They attract the lower spirits who hover nearest earth, and who are but too ready to rush in and mar our plans, and ruin our work for souls.» — el comunicante hace de la invitación la causa, y no del azar.

«These are they of whom you speak when you say in haste, that the result of Spiritualism is not for good.» — y con eso contesta el reparo de Moses sobre el saldo del espiritismo.

«Blame not us that the lower spirits manifest for those who bid them welcome. Blame man’s insensate folly, which will choose the low and grovelling rather than the pure and elevated.» — el comunicante rechaza el cargo y lo devuelve a quien convoca a esos espíritus.

«Blame his foolish laws, which daily hurry into a life for which they are unprepared, thousands of spirits, hampered and dragged down by a life of folly and sin, which has been fostered by custom and fashion.» — y lo reparte entre las leyes que despachan almas sin preparar y las costumbres que las formaron.

«Blame the ginshops, and the madhouses, and the prisons, and the encouraged lusts and fiendish selfishness of man.» — la lista de instituciones a las que el comunicante carga la producción de esos espíritus.

«This is it which damns legions of spirits—not, as ye fancy, in a sea of material fire, but in the flames of perpetuated lust, condemned to burn itself out in hopeless longing till the purged soul rises through the fire and surmounts its dead passions.» — y la condenación redefinida: no fuego material, sino la pasión ardiendo hasta consumirse.

«Yes, blame these and kindred causes, if there be around undeveloped intelligences who shock you by their deception, and annoy you by frivolity and falsehood.» — con lo que el comunicante cierra el punto de los espíritus engañosos que Moses le había opuesto.

«And for myself, I hear the call which summons me to the adoration of the Supreme, when my prayer shall rise to the throne of Divine pity that a rill of that consoling grace may trickle down to your vexed spirit, and may shed on it healing and peace—the peace of God, the quietness of assurance and peace.» — la despedida con que Imperator cierra la Sección XII, en primera persona del singular.

«On reading over consecutively this series of communications which I had received, I was more than ever struck by their beauty, both of form and matter. When I considered that they were written with vast rapidity, without conscious thought on my part, that they were free from blot or blemish of grammatical construction, and that there was no interlineation or correction throughout their whole course, I could not but wonder at their form.» — corchete de Moses que abre la Sección XIII: lo que le admira de los escritos es material, la rapidez y la ausencia de tachaduras.

«As regards the subject-matter, I was still in difficulty. There was much in them with which I sympathised ; but at the same. time I could not get rid of the idea that the faith of Christendom was practically upset by their issue.» — y la dificultad que sigue en pie, que es de contenido y no de forma.

«No man, I reasoned, could accept such teaching, in its spirit as well as in its» — el razonamiento de Moses sobre las consecuencias inevitables de aceptar la enseñanza; el tramo se corta en el límite de chunk del troceo.

«A very extended acquaintance with the writings of theologians—Greek, Roman, Anglican, and Protestant, especially those of the modern German school of thought—had prepared me to make little of divergence of opinion on minor matters.» — las lecturas que Moses invoca para declararse curtido en divergencias menores.

«I also knew that individual opinion on abstruse mysteries of revelation is of little worth. I should have even been prepared for startling statements on such matters.» — y lo que dice que sí habría admitido, para marcar que la objeción no era de escrúpulo.

«But here was a very different matter. The points impugned seemed to me to be of the very essence of the Christian religion. To “‘spiritualise,” or, as I preferred to call it, to explain away these, seemed to me absolutely fatal to my belief in any revelation whatsoever.» — la razón por la que Moses no lo admite en este caso: espiritualizar esos puntos le parecía quitarle piso a toda revelación.

«I felt that I must have more time for thought: and that I, at any rate, was not ripe for the acceptance of a creed, however beautiful, which was not better attested, and less iconoclastic.» — corchete de Moses que consigna lo que pidió: tiempo, y un credo mejor atestiguado y menos iconoclasta; el tramo empieza donde el corte de plana partió la frase.

«You have said wisely. Time is requisite that you may ponder deeply that which is indeed of vital import. We leave you to think over what we have advanced with a full conviction that you will, in time, assimilate the teaching, and appreciate its importance.» — el comunicante concede el tiempo pedido y declara su confianza en el resultado.

«Should you desire enlightenment from us on any points, it shall be given; but we will not force upon you other communications until time has done for you what you require.» — y la suspensión que él mismo se impone: no forzará más comunicaciones.

«You know not in your cold earth atmosphere, so chilling, so repellent to spirit life, how the magnetic rapport between your spirit and the guides who wait to bear its petition upwards is fostered by frequent prayer.» — el comunicante define la oración por su efecto sobre el vínculo magnético entre el alma y sus guías.

«It is as though the bond were tightened by frequent use; as though the intimacy ripened by mutual association.» — y las dos comparaciones con que lo describe, sin decidir entre ellas.

«Your learned sages have discussed much of the value of prayer, and have wandered in a maze of opinion, befogged and ignorant of the real issue.» — el comunicante expone lo que atribuye a los doctos sobre la oración y les niega el planteamiento.

«They do not know—how should they ?—of the angel messengers who hover round ready to help the spirit that cries to its God.» — y lo que sostiene que se les escapa, con la disculpa incluida.

«They know not of the existence of such, for they cannot test | their presence by human science in its present state;» — la razón que el comunicante concede para esa ignorancia, que es de estado de la ciencia y no de mala fe.

«They try to gauge its results, and to estimate its effect by the compilation of statistics. And still they find themselves in difficulty, for though they grasp the shell, the spirit eludes their ken.» — y el método que les atribuye, con la estadística incluida.

«Such results are not to be so measured, for they are imperceptible by man’s science. They are spiritual, varying in various cases: different as are the agencies at work.» — el comunicante declara la oración fuera del alcance de esa medición.

«Frequently it is the unspoken petition which is not granted that is the cause of richest blessing to the praying soul.» — y la paradoja con que empieza la exposición propia: la petición no concedida como origen de la mayor bendición.

«very cry of the burdened spirit shot forth into the void—a cry wrung out by bitter sorrow—is an unknown relief.» — el efecto que el comunicante le atribuye al puro grito, con independencia de la respuesta; el tramo empieza donde el corte de plana partió la frase.

«The spirit is lightened, though the prayer is not granted in the terms of its petition. You know not why: but could you see, as we see, the guardians labouring to pour into the sorrow-laden soul the balm of sympathy and consolation, you would know whence comes that strange peace which steals over the spirit, and assures it of a sympathising and consoling God» — y la explicación que ofrece para esa paz, puesta en los guardianes y no en la concesión.

«The prayer has done its work, for it has drawn down an angel friend: and the bursting heart, crushed with its load of care and sorrow, is comforted by angel sympathy.» — la fórmula con que el comunicante redefine la eficacia de la oración.

«And under no other conditions can the full blessedness of spirit intercourse be realised. It is the spirit that is most spiritualised that alone can enter into the secret chambers where the angels dwell.» — la condición que pone al trato con los espíritus, y que es de espiritualización previa.

«This, friend, is invariable: another part of that unchangeable law which governs all our intercourse with your world. To the spiritual soul come, in richest measure, spiritual gifts.» — y el estatuto de ley invariable que le da a esa condición.

«Nor is it always the answer which man in his ignorance expects that is the truest response to his petition. Many times to grant his request would be to do him grievous harm.» — el comunicante niega que conceder lo pedido sea siempre la mejor respuesta.

«He has asked ignorantly, petulantly, foolishly : and his prayer is unheeded in its request: but it has availed to place his spirit in communion with an intelligence which is waiting an opportunity of approach, and which can minister to him strength and consolation in his necessity.» — y lo que sostiene que se gana igual: el contacto con una inteligencia que aguardaba ocasión.

«’Twere well if men would more strive to live a life of prayer.» — lo que el comunicante recomienda, antes de deslindarlo de su falsificación.

«Not the morbid lifé of devotion falsely so called, which consists in neglecting duty and in spending the precious hours of the probation life in morbid self-anatomy: in developing unhealthy self-scrutiny: in idle, dreamy contemplation, or in forced and unreal supplication.» — y la devoción que rechaza expresamente, hecha de deber descuidado y de autoescrutinio enfermizo.

«Prayer to be real must be the heart-cry,» — la definición de oración que el comunicante propone; el tramo se corta al pasar de plana, donde sigue con los amigos que aguardan cerca.

«The fancy of a prayer to the ear of an ever-present God who is willing to alter unalterable laws in response to a capricious request has done much to discredit the idea of prayer altogether. Believe it not!» — y la noción que declara desacreditadora, la de un Dios que altera leyes inalterables a pedido.

«Prayer—the spontaneous cry of the soul to its God through the friends who, it knows, are near, and are ever ready to catch up the unuttered petition and bear it upwards and ever upwards till it reach a power that can respond—this is no matter of formal preparation. It consists not in any act of outward show.» — la cadena que el comunicante describe entre el alma y el poder capaz de responder, con los amigos como primer eslabón.

«It is not necessarily syllabled in utterance: far less is it trammelled by conventional form, or bound up in stereotyped phraseology.» — y lo que niega que haga falta: palabra, forma convencional y fórmula fija.

«True prayer is the ready voice of spirit communing with spirit: the cry of the soul to invisible friends with whom it is used to speak: the flashing along the magnetic line a message of request which brings, swift as thought, its ready answer back.» — la definición positiva, con la imagen de la línea magnética.

«It needs no words, no attitude, no form. It is truest when these are absent, or at least unstudied. It needs but a recognition of a near guardian, and an impulse to communion.» — y lo mínimo que el comunicante declara necesario.

«To this end it must be habitual: else, like the limb long disused, the impulse is paralysed.» — la condición de hábito que le pone, con la comparación del miembro en desuso.

«Hence, it is those of you who live most in the spirit who penetrate deepest into the hidden mysteries. We can come nearest to them. We can touch hidden chords in their nature which vibrate only to our touch, and are never stirred by your world’s influences.» — y quiénes, según el comunicante, llegan más lejos por esa vía.

«For them are opened mysteries closed to more material natures: and their perpetual prayer has wrought for them this at least, that they live above the sufferings and sorrows from which it cannot exempt them, seeing that such are necessary to their development.» — lo que la oración perpetua consigue y lo que no, con la exención de sufrimiento expresamente negada.

«Were this grand truth better realised, man would live in the atmosphere of the pure and elevated spirits. His spiritual attitude would drive from him the base and baleful influences which» — lo que el comunicante sostiene que cambiaría si se supiera; el tramo se corta al pasar de plana.

«If it prevailed not to obtain exemption, it would provide protection, and do more to strengthen us than all else that man could do.» — y el efecto que le reconoce aun sin exención: protección, y refuerzo para los propios espíritus.

«Pray, then; but see that you pray not with formality, heartlessly, and with unreal supplication. Commune with us in communion of the spirit.» — el encargo con que el comunicante cierra el asunto de la oración.

«Leave abstruse and perplexing questions of man’s theological controversy, and keep close to the central truths which so intimately affect the well-being of your spirit.» — y lo que le pide dejar de lado, que es la controversia teológica entera.

«Nor is it for you to disentangle them, nor to decide what is or is not essential in that which has hitherto been revealed.» — el comunicante le niega a Moses el oficio de decidir qué es esencial en lo revelado hasta ahora.

«You will learn hereafter to view much that you now regard as vitally essential truth, rather as a passing phase of teaching which was necessary for those to whom it was given.» — y lo que anuncia que aprenderá: a ver como fase pasajera lo que hoy tiene por esencial.

«It is human weakness that impels you to rush to the end. You must tarry, friend, tarry long yet in the early searchings before you reach the goal. You have much to unlearn before you can penetrate all mysteries.» — la prisa diagnosticada como flaqueza humana, con el desaprender puesto como condición.

«I made no rejoinder to what was last said, but I thought over it, and was preparing to say somewhat, when I was imperiously stopped. The hand dashed off with violent speed, and the communication following was written without pause in an incredibly short space of time. So vehement was the effort that I was in a state of semi-trance until it was complete.» — corchete de Moses que registra el modo en que llegó el mensaje siguiente: la mano lanzada a velocidad violenta y él en semitrance.

«Stay! stay! stay! Attempt not now to argue, but learn yet again of the truth. You are impatient, and it is in your mind to say foolish things.» — con lo que el comunicante interrumpe a Moses antes de que formule la objeción.

«What matters it to you if what we say contradicts that which others have believed? Why shrink back at that ? Does not all faith firmly grasped contradict some other faith? Nay, does not each faith contain within itself elements of contradiction?» — y las dos preguntas con que le quita peso al cargo de contradicción, la segunda dirigida a la fe misma.

«From those old creeds and faiths, venerable in their antiquity, but crude too frequently in development, men have derived com- ‘fort. They have found their utterances convenient and suitable for them. They have derived from them a satisfaction which they do not bring to you.» — el comunicante concede que aquellos credos consolaron a otros, y solo niega que sirvan al interlocutor.

«Because your spirit has outgrown those old, and to you lifeless, utterances. They benefit you not. They are powerless to stir your soul. They have no voice for your spirit: no remedy for your wants. They are but faint and far-off echoes of what to some was a living voice, but which to you is cold and meaningless.» — y la razón que da para esa diferencia, puesta en el crecimiento del alma y no en el error de los credos.

«Why, then, perplex yourself at that ? Why linger, striving in vain to extract a meaning from that which to you has none ? Why turn a deaf ear to the living voice which cries to your soul from the land beyond in accents which are living, burning, true?» — la serie de preguntas con que el comunicante opone la voz viva al sentido que ya no se extrae.

«Why, for a fancy—from reverence for a lifeless past—cut yourself off from the living present, from the communion of spirits, from the society of those who can tell you noble truths of God and of your destiny ?» — y lo que declara en juego en esa fidelidad al pasado.

«Surely this is but madness, only the influence of spirits. who would gladly hold back the soul and drag it down to earth.» — el comunicante adjudica esa fidelidad a la influencia de espíritus que quieren retener al alma.

«Were our revelation a blank contradiction of the old, what is that to you? Ours speaks in living accents to your spirit ; you know it; you drink it in, and find it to be a blessed influence.» — y el criterio que ofrece por encima de la contradicción: lo que la revelación hace en quien la recibe.

«The old is dead to you. Why linger round the lifeless form? Why embrace the mouldering corpse which was once a living being instinct with Divine truth ?» — la imagen del cadáver con que el comunicante cierra el pasaje.

«So, friend, we say to you: Why linger in the dead past, the sepulchre of buried truth, seeking, in fruitless sorrow, for that which is no longer there? It is not there, it is risen.» — el comunicante aplica a Moses la frase del sepulcro vacío que acaba de citar, para pedirle que deje el pasado.

«It has left the body of dogmatic teaching which once for a restless age enshrined Divine truth. There remains but the dead casket.. The jewel is gone.» — y la imagen del estuche vacío con que separa la verdad de la enseñanza dogmática que la guardó.

«The voice which in ages past has sounded in the ears of those to whom has been entrusted the Divine mission on their earth and to their generation reaches even to this age and to» — la continuidad que el comunicante reclama entre las misiones antiguas y la suya; el tramo se corta al pasar de plana.

«It has ever been so. God deals now in no other sort than He has ever dealt with men. He calls them up to fuller light, to higher truth. It is theirs to accept or to reject the heavenly message.» — y el reparto que deja intacto: llamar es de Dios, aceptar o rechazar es del hombre.

«Probably it has been to each aspiring soul a difficulty that the past, the familiar, the venerable faith has charms from which it is hard to sever. In the first blush of perplexity it seems to the bewildered spirit that all must go that is old and cherished, and the new and untried must be accepted.» — el comunicante concede la dificultad de soltar lo viejo y la declara común a toda alma que aspire.

«It seems to be a death; and man shrinks from death. Yes; but it is a death unto life. It is a passage through the tomb to a land of life and hope.» — y el reparo que le pone a esa impresión, sin negarla.

«Even as the spirit soars in freedom from the body of death from which it has been emancipated, so does the enfranchised spirit, set free from the trammels of the past, soar aloft in liberty, the liberty of the truth which, Jesus said, alone can make man free.» — la comparación con que el comunicante equipara la muerte del cuerpo y la salida del pasado, apoyada en una frase que atribuye a Jesús.

«Were we in our mission the absolute contradiction of the old, what is that to you? The old words are spiritless, and you cannot infuse into them again the spirit that is gone.» — el comunicante deja de lado el cargo de contradicción y lo reemplaza por uno de eficacia: las palabras viejas ya no tienen espíritu para el interlocutor.

«Leave them to those for whom they still have a voice and a meaning, and follow with unfaltering step the impulses of the Divine Spirit which lures you on to higher views of truth. Quit the dead past, though it be to journey through a new present to an unknown future.» — y lo que le pide, sin quitarle valor a lo viejo para quien todavía lo oiga.

«But, friend, it is not so. The past casts a glamour over you, and you share the common idea that the new must utterly destroy the old.» — el comunicante niega la premisa que le atribuye a Moses, la de que lo nuevo tenga que destruir lo viejo.

«Did Jesus so say? Did He counsel the abolition of the Mosaic teaching? Yet, as we have before said, our teaching is no more startling development as compared with His than was His as compared with Moses’» — y el argumento con que la contesta por analogía, midiendo su distancia respecto de Jesús con la de Jesús respecto de Moisés.

«That which we present for your acceptance is the complement rather than the contradiction of the old; the growth to a fuller stature ; the development of a wider knowledge.» — la relación que el comunicante reclama entre su enseñanza y la antigua.

«If you meditate deeply on the state of the world when Jesus proclaimed to it His reformed faith, you will see many points of similarity to that which now obtains among men.» — el paralelo histórico que el comunicante propone entre su época y la de Jesús.

«It is not, we reiterate, more startling to read the gospel which we preach alongside of that which passes current among men for - religion, than it was to put the gospel of Jesus in juxtaposition to the ritual of Pharisaism, or the sceptical indifferentism of Sadducee.» — y la medida con que lo hace: fariseos y saduceos de entonces frente a la religión corriente de ahora.

«In those days, even as now, the revelation of God, which had been adapted to the special wants of a special people, had been overlaid with rubbish, until it had become a mass of ritual without a meaning and without life.» — el diagnóstico que el comunicante hace de la religión judía en tiempos de Jesús, y que repite para la suya.

«For many long years the voice of God had not been heard, and man had begun to crave, as he craves now, for a renewal of the Divine message. The old had become dead, and he sought for a new and living voice.» — y el silencio previo que declara condición de toda revelación nueva.

«It came to him—this Divine utterance—in the voice of Jesus; from a source the most unlikely, as men think; from a quarter least calculated to command the respect of the educated Pharisee, or to carry conviction to the scoffing Sadducee.» — el comunicante subraya lo improbable de la fuente por la que llegó aquella revelación.

«Yet that voice prevailed, and for 1800 years has animated the religious life of Christendom.» — y el saldo que le reconoce, medido en siglos.

«The creed so originated has become debased, but the spirit of the Crucified is in it even now; and it needs but the vivifying touch to call it forth into new life.» — el comunicante declara degradado el credo cristiano y sostiene que el espíritu del Crucificado sigue en él.

«The source from which our revelation comes is not more strange than was the source of that power wielded by Him who was to His generation the despised carpenter of Nazareth.» — el comunicante equipara lo extraño de su propia fuente con lo extraño del carpintero de Nazaret para su generación.

«Men sneered at Him in the plenitude of their scorn; even as they have sneered at everything new; even as they sneer at us.» — y pone la burla que dice recibir en la misma serie.

«They were ready to stare at His marvels; they would folow Him in hosts to marvel at the physical miracles which were wrought through Him; but they were not sufficiently spiritual to drink in His teachings.» — la distinción que el comunicante señala entre asombro ante los prodigios y recepción de la enseñanza.

«They are ready now to wonder at us and our mighty works, even as they wondered then. Even as then they sought for yet further and further tests—‘‘ Come down from the-cross, and we will believe on thee ’’—so now there is even one more test which is necessary to ensure complete conviction.» — y la aplica a su propio caso, con la exigencia de una prueba más que nunca se cierra.

«They called Him a deceiver, even as they cry out now. They hooted Him out of their society ; they drove Him out of their midst, and they strove by their laws and by their influence to crush out the new doctrine from their land.» — el comunicante enumera lo que se hizo con Jesús y lo declara paralelo a lo que se hace con él.

«New it was indeed, but the truth that it enshrined was old, old as the God who gave it, only new in form.» — la distinción entre novedad de forma y antigüedad de contenido, aplicada primero a la enseñanza de Jesús.

«Ours is new now, but the time shall come when men shall see that it is but the risen truth of ages past, rejuvenescent and eternal.» — y después a la propia.

«Both were progressive developments of the same continuous stream of truth, suited to the wants and cravings of those to whom they were vouchsafed.» — el comunicante mete las dos revelaciones en una misma corriente, ajustada cada vez a sus destinatarios.

«Meditate on the mental condition of Nicodemus, and contrast it with that of many such in your own day. And be assured that the same power which availed to stir the dead faith of the Jew, and to reveal his God more clearly, is still able to infuse new life into the well-nigh lifeless body of Christian faith, and to restore it to energy and vitality.» — y el encargo con que cierra la Sección XIII, con Nicodemo como figura del interlocutor de hoy.

«The communication last recorded produced considerable effect on me, and it was some days before I replied.» — corchete de Moses que abre la Sección XIV y mide en días el efecto del mensaje anterior.

«The parallel between the days of Christ and the present days is comprehensible. I can quite imagine an educated Sadducee looking on the pretensions of Christ with scorn; and he would have been wrong, as we now know; but, as I think, very excusably wrong. Judged by the mere light of reason, they would seem monstrous.» — Moses concede el paralelo y lo usa en contra: el saduceo se habría equivocado con excusa, juzgando por la sola razón.

«Yet he had a concrete man before him—one whom he could see, and whose words he could hear; one whose life he could test as to whether it was in accord with the holy teaching which fell from His lips.» — y la ventaja que le reconoce al saduceo: tenía delante a un hombre cuya vida podía contrastar con su doctrina.

«I am so far worse off that I have only an impersonal influence to deal with, only utterances which may conceivably be the voice of my spirit questioning with itself.» — la desventaja que Moses reclama para sí, con la hipótesis de que la voz sea su propio espíritu hablando solo.

«All around me I see Sbiritualism vague, and frequently contemptible, in its utterance. Its revelations are shadowy where they are | not silly; and frequently one is shocked by that which passes current under its name.» — y el juicio que hace del espiritismo que ve alrededor; Sbirit es lectura del OCR por Spirit.

«As to you, I know nothing of you, even if you be an entity at all.» — Moses le niega al comunicante hasta la condición de entidad, dejándolo en hipótesis.

«I do not see any way of satisfying myself avout you; nor would it help me very much if you were to assume shape as a previous dweller on this earth» — y declara que ni siquiera le serviría que el comunicante se presentara como quien vivió en la tierra; avout es lectura del OCR por about.

«Had you ever a personality, or are you merely an influence? It would help me somewhat if I could picture you as a definite individuality. But, on the whole, I wish you would leave me alone.» — la pregunta directa de Moses sobre la personalidad del comunicante, y el desistimiento con que la cierra.

«I had in fact become wearied ovt with this strenuous conflict between my own strongly-conceived opinions and those of an Intelligence so powerful in statement and so coherent in argument. I was torn by conflicting emotions, and undergoing, no doubt, a state of preparation necessary for what was» — corchete de Moses que declara el cansancio del conflicto y lo lee, desde el presente de la escritura, como preparación; ovt es lectura del OCR por out.

«FRIEND, we sympathise with your questionings, and will try to aid you. You say that the sceptical Sadducee was better off in that he had the definite personal Jesus before him.» — el comunicante recoge la objeción del saduceo tal como Moses la puso.

«Doubtless he had ; but, so far from that being a help to him, it would be an additional cause of perplexity.» — y la invierte: la presencia del hombre concreto habría sido estorbo y no ayuda.

«He would find it far harder to associate the son of the carpenter of Nazareth with God’s new revelation, of which he recognised the want, than you do to associate us with the Supreme.» — la comparación de dificultades que el comunicante propone, a favor del caso de Moses.

«For he would see all around him the tangible and palpable difficulties which he could not surmount. The lowly origin, the humble friends, the world’s scorn, the rejection of the mission by all on whose opinion he had been accustomed to rely—all this would form a rea] and very insuperable difficulty ; one which, if your words are to be taken literally, you would yourself hold him justified in considering final.» — y las dificultades externas que le adjudica al saduceo, que Moses no tiene.

«And, assuredly, if in the end he failed to grasp the message and to accept the Messenger, he would, if honest, be guilty of no sin.» — el comunicante absuelve de pecado al saduceo honesto que hubiera rechazado la misión.

«He would but have lost an opportunity of progress which would recur when he was more fitted to avail himself of it.» — y lo único que le atribuye como pérdida, con la oportunidad puesta a repetirse.

«With you the case is otherwise. You have to deal with no external difficulties. You have simply to battle with intellectual doubt.» — el comunicante reduce el caso de Moses a duda intelectual, sin obstáculos externos.

«You know and acknowledge that the words which have been spoken to you are such as you might reasonably expect from a teacher sent from God.» — y lo que le atribuye como ya concedido sobre el contenido de los mensajes.

«They are fraught with a message the need of which you feel, the beauty of which you admit, and the moral grandeur of which commends itself to all who are fitted to receive it.» — las tres cosas que el comunicante da por admitidas por Moses: la necesidad, la belleza y la grandeza moral del mensaje.

«You know full well that it originates in some source external to yourself.» — y lo que le atribuye saber sobre el origen del mensaje, contra la hipótesis del propio espíritu.

«produce that which contradicts the outcome of your own thoughts. Were the thoughts we utter those which would naturally spring from your own mind, you might have room for hesitation,» — el argumento del comunicante contra la hipótesis del autoengaño: la mente no produce lo que la contradice; el tramo empieza donde el corte de plana partió la frase.

«And no theory of self-questioning, however ingenious, will satisfy your mind. You know that it is not so; and the phase of doubt through which you now pass, and which is so evanescent, can exercise no permanent influence upon you.» — y el pronóstico que hace de la duda de Moses, a la que declara pasajera. El impreso parte esa palabra en el guion de fin de renglón y aquí va restituida con guion; la obra no imprime la forma dentro de línea en ninguna plana, y la restitución se apoya en el uso general del volumen.

«When it is gone, you will wonder how you can ever have imagined that I am not an entity as real as yourself, as real as any embodied intelligence whom you call» — la afirmación de entidad que el comunicante hace de sí mismo, puesta al mismo nivel que la de un hombre encarnado.

«Yes, friend, time is all that you require; time for patient thought ; time to weigh issues, to estimate evidence, and to tabulate results.» — y lo único que declara hacer falta, con los tres trabajos que le encarga.

«The words which have stirred you so deeply —you know not how deeply—are the words of one who sees your thoughts, who sympathises with your difficulties, and not least with those very doubts and questionings which now perplex you.» — el comunicante reclama para sí la simpatía con las dudas mismas de Moses.

«During my earth-life I was a prominent actor in scenes of difficulty not unlike those which preceded the life of the Christ, and which are now recurring.» — lo único que el comunicante dice de su vida terrena, sin nombre ni época: un papel destacado en escenas como las que precedieron a Cristo.

«It has been so in all cycles where the revolving course of time brings round a similar condition of things. Man in all ages has been constituted mentally the same.» — y el marco cíclico en que sitúa esa recurrencia.

«He is developed: he progresses ; he thinks more deeply ; he knows more. But sure as in your world night succeeds to day, so surely there comes a time when his conceptions of the Deity become faint and unreal ; when the spark of Divinity within him craves for a fuller knowledge, and cries to heaven for a message from its God.» — el mecanismo que el comunicante describe: el progreso mismo desgasta la idea de Dios y hace pedir otra.

«A new revelation is needed. The craving spirit of man yearns for it. The old has done its work, and from its ashes rises the new, which is to the receptive soul the voice from on high that speaks words of consolation and comfort.» — y la sucesión que de ahí saca, con lo nuevo naciendo de las cenizas de lo viejo.

«And why should it cease to be so now? Why now, when man most needs it, should the voice be dumb, and the ear of the Supreme be deaf ?» — la pregunta con que el comunicante aplica esa regla a su propio tiempo.

«You say that you know nothing of me. Why will you confuse the messenger with his message, why will you insist» — y el reproche con que devuelve la objeción de identidad: confundir al mensajero con el mensaje.

«The result of the argument was that, in reference to my weak-kneed faith, I got what I obstinately fought for. And when I had so far prevailed, I saw how hollow was the boon for which I had contended. I began to grasp, as I had been unable to grasp before, the tendency of the teaching, and to separate it from the individuality of the messenger.» — corchete de Moses que declara haber conseguido lo que exigía y haber visto entonces lo hueco de la exigencia.

«The messenger became lost in the importance to me of his message: and the desire to probe and prove minute points of detail was lost in the full blaze of conviction that then first burst upon me.» — y el desplazamiento que registra en sí mismo, del mensajero al mensaje.

«This state, however, was evanescent. I was too wedded to old habits of analysis to let impulse and enthusiasm take the place of logical conviction, Moreover, early religious training asserted itself, and I recurred to my old theological objections.» — Moses declara pasajero ese estado y consigna la vuelta de sus objeciones.

«The first effect passed, and after an interval of two days I resumed my objections. During that time I had carefully read over and over again all that has been printed here, and much that is too personal for publication.» — y el trabajo de relectura que dice haber hecho en esos dos días, incluido lo que no imprime.

«I had estimated the experience of a year, during which I could discover no departure from strict truth. And I came clearly to the conclusion that the Power which was in action was—(I) external to myself; (2) truthful and consistent in its statements; (3) pure and elevated in the religious teaching which it conveyed.» — las tres conclusiones a las que Moses declara haber llegado sobre el poder que le escribía, numeradas por él mismo.

«This seemed clear to me: and I turned to consider the question of identity, and the claims put forward. As to other matters, I felt that they might wait.» — y el orden que se impuso: primero la identidad y las pretensiones, lo demás después.

«The points which had settled themselves in my mind raised a strong presumption that the truthful intelligence of the past was truthful still. But then came the doubt as to how far all might be the work of ‘Satan transformed into an angel of light,” labouring for the subversion of the faith.» — la presunción que Moses admite y la duda que le queda, formulada con la frase paulina sobre Satanás disfrazado.

«May it not be said with some pretence of fair criticism that your teaching tends to what men call Deism, Pantheism, or (wrongly, I know) even to Atheism?» — la objeción de Moses, que nombra las tres etiquetas y descarta él mismo la tercera entre paréntesis.

«Does it not degrade God to the level of a Force, and tend to breed in man a doubt as to the absolute truth of anything?» — y el cargo de fondo: Dios reducido a fuerza, y la verdad a duda general.

«God, one begins to think, is only a name for the influence which permeates the universe, pictured differently by different peoples in different ages. The revelation of Him comes ab intra, imagined in the mind, not revealed to it.» — Moses saca la consecuencia que teme de la doctrina recibida, con la revelación vuelta hacia dentro.

«Christianity is one of many forms of faith, all more or less mistaken. Man gropes on more or less blindly, evolving for himself, from time to time, ideas more or less erroneous.» — y el lugar que en esa consecuencia le quedaría al cristianismo.

«Since God exists only im the conceptions, each man has his God peculiar to limself. Absolute truth, out of mathematics, does not exist.» — el término al que Moses ve llegar el argumento: tantos dioses como hombres, y ninguna verdad absoluta fuera de las matemáticas; im y limself son lecturas del OCR.

«And so man, at his best, becomes a solitary unit, alone with his own spirit, replying to tts questionings, evolving views which satisfy for a moment, only to be succeeded by others, which in thew turn give way to newer ideas; unless, indeed, intellect becomes fossilised, and the old views are permanent because they have ceased to live.» — y la soledad que resultaría, con la única alternativa de un intelecto fosilizado.

«This colourless idea is to supplant a Gospel which bears the Divine imprimatur: whose precepts are precise, whose morality 1s as elevated as most men can- grasp, and which is enforced by a system of definite reward and punishment such as experience has always found necessary in dealing with men.» — Moses opone a esa idea el evangelio recibido, con sus preceptos precisos y su sistema de premio y castigo.

«This Gospel, so backed, has not been, as you say, successful in raising men to a very high pitch of moral perfection.» — y concede el punto del comunicante sobre el poco fruto moral de ese evangelio, antes de volverlo en su contra.

«How, then, am I to expect that a philosophy such as yours, which has a shadow of good, indeed, but a shadow only, dim, vague, and impalpable, which is destructive of the past, without the power to construct for the future: how can I believe that this can hold in hand rebellious minds which have chafed under a religion so precise in its moral dicta, so forcible in its appeals to human interests, so commended» — la objeción de eficacia: si el evangelio preciso no bastó, menos bastará una filosofía que Moses llama sombra, destructiva del pasado y sin poder para construir; el tramo se corta al pasar de plana.

«shed around it from the saintliest life ever held up for human imitation ? It seems to me most unlikely.» — y el remate de esa objeción al otro lado del corte, con la vida más santa puesta como aval del credo que se le pide dejar.

«I do not now repeat what I have said about the hazy source, from which this teaching comes: nor do I insist upon the dangers which I foresee from its general adoption. That danger is too remote to need enlarging on.» — Moses declara dejar de lado dos cargos y los enuncia al dejarlos.

«At the same time it is an important factor in the argument, that your teaching would, as it seems to me, relax many of the wholesome bonds which have been valuable morally, socially, and religiously to mankind.» — y el que sí retiene: la enseñanza aflojaría vínculos que él llama saludables.

«And were that which we know as Spiritualism to flood the community, I sadly fear that it would leave men enthusiasts and fanatics; and that the world, so far from having gained ground, would have relapsed into the blindest superstition, and the shallowest credulity.» — el pronóstico social de Moses si el espiritismo se difundiera, con el fanatismo y la superstición como saldo.

«I may be utterly wrong ; but so it strikes me. I cannot see that your teaching is any substitute for what men have believed.» — la reserva con que Moses acompaña ese pronóstico, sin retirarlo.

«Even if it be what it pretends to be, surely man 1s no more fit to be governed according to such notions than he is to live on angels’ food.» — y la objeción final, que concede la verdad de la doctrina y le niega al hombre la madurez para regirse por ella.

«In the name of the Supreme, we greet you. It is not in our power to help you now. What we say seems to you ‘other than it is.» — el comunicante declara no poder ayudar en ese momento, por el estado del interlocutor.

«The upheaval which has so disturbed your mind has left it in a condition little fit to weigh niceties. For that you must bide your time as patiently as may be; meantime the training is valuable to you.» — y el valor que sin embargo le concede a la crisis misma.

«You will know the why as you knew it not before; and impulse and enthusiasm will yield to experimental knowledge and calm conviction.» — el cambio que el comunicante anuncia, del entusiasmo al conocimiento experimental.

«The venerable belief which has been assented to rather than accepted will pale before the knowledge of truth which is born of investigation and logical analysis.» — y la distinción que hace entre asentir a una creencia y aceptarla.

«We would have you take every opportunity of reading over consecutively what has been written; and of thinking deeply on the whole tenor of» — el encargo de leer la serie entera y de juzgar por el conjunto; el tramo se corta al pasar de plana.

«We claim to be judged by our whole communion with you, by words and deeds alike; by the moral effect of our teaching, no less than by its relation to previous creeds; by the spiritual atmosphere which we bring with us, no less than by the imperfect utterances in which logical subtlety may readily find a flaw.» — y los criterios por los que el comunicante pide ser juzgado, admitiendo de paso que sus enunciados sueltos tienen fallas.

«For the present it is enough that we solemnly reiterate our claim to be the bearers of a Divine message. The words we speak are the words of God.» — la reclamación más fuerte del comunicante sobre el origen de lo que dicta.

«You are no more the sport of evil, than you are deluded by phantasies of a diseased brain. Evil does not tell of God, as we tell. Nor can any brain tell you what we have told, and give you evidence such as we have given.» — y el doble descarte que hace de las dos hipótesis de Moses, la del mal y la del cerebro enfermo.

«Were you in other state now, we should have somewhat to say concerning the sin of curiously seeking out indication of evil which may be fastened on that which is holy and divine, even as when the holy Jesus walked your earth ’mid its corruptions and its curses, the devils whom He ejected turned on Him through the mouth of the orthodo: religionists, and charged Him with association with Beelzebub.» — el comunicante compara el cargo de diabolismo con el que se le hizo a Jesús, y llama pecado a buscar señales de mal en lo santo; orthodo es lectura del OCR por orthodox.

«We do not care to answer such objections. They bear on their face their own sufficient refutation.» — y su negativa a contestarlas.

«For the present it is better that you give yourself to meditation and prayer. Pray, friend, with zeal and earnestness, that you may be guided into all truth.» — lo que el comunicante le encarga en su lugar.

«That prayer at least you cannot refuse to put up, even though it be dictated by the very Tempter.» — y el argumento con que se lo hace aceptable aun bajo la hipótesis de que él mismo sea el Tentador.

«Pray that you may be released from the fetters of dogmatism which would bind your aspiring soul; and that being released you may be guided in your upward progress, lest you soar and fall.» — la petición que el comunicante le dicta, con la advertencia incluida contra volar sin freno.

«may realise clearly the responsibility of choice or rejection, and that you may be saved, on the one hand, from obstinate prejudice, and, on the other, from hasty acceptance.» — la petición que el comunicante le dicta a Moses, simétrica en los dos peligros; el tramo empieza donde el corte de plana partió la frase.

«And, above all, pray for honesty, sincerity, and humility, that you may not mar God’s work by pride, by obstinacy, or by unworthiness.» — y lo que pone por encima de todo, con la advertencia de que el orgullo puede echar a perder la obra.

«We have answered so much of your objection as relates to the general outcome of the movement at large. We have shown you that deep down below the surface there is a something which does not meet the eye.» — el comunicante acota lo que ha contestado del reparo sobre el espiritismo en general.

«As in the days of the development of the knowledge of God, in whatever age it may occur, there are many silent devotees of whom the world knows little, who grow steadily up to more and more perfect knowledge, so we have told you it is now.» — y la comparación con que sostiene que hay un crecimiento callado que no se ve.

«Many there are, very many, who deplore the unlicensed vagaries which shock and distress them, but which have no power to alter or diminish the faith which is founded on experience.» — el comunicante reconoce las extravagancias del movimiento y distingue de ellas a los que las deploran sin perder la fe.

«We would further point out to you that all our intercourse with the material plane is governed by laws which your science has not yet defined. Neither we nor you know as yet many of the causes which interfere with our power. We are not able to lay down laws for your guidance, scarce even for our own.» — la ignorancia que el comunicante declara compartida sobre las leyes que rigen su trato con la materia.

«With you the vast importance of the subject is little appreciated even by those who interest themselves in our work.- In many cases sentiments of mere curiosity predominate. With some, even lower motives obtain.» — y el juicio que hace de los que se ocupan de su obra, con la curiosidad y motivos peores.

«No proper care is taken of our mediums. The instrument is out of tune, unstrung, or overworked. The atmospheric conditions vary.» — las causas materiales que el comunicante enumera para la irregularidad de los fenómenos, empezando por el trato al médium.

«We know not always how to meet the various effects so caused. Circles are not properly composed; and many things combine to make it impossible that phenomena should always be similar in their nature, or be evoked with precise regularity.» — y la conclusión que saca, que es de imposibilidad y no de capricho.

«What has been hinted may suggest to you another reason for dealing mercifully in your estimate of the vagaries of some circles.» — y lo que pide a partir de eso: benignidad al juzgar los desvaríos de otros círculos.

«Nothing now is said of those into which deceit ts admitted. There none but the most undeveloped spirits enter, and all is untrustworthy and repellent.» — con la excepción expresa de los círculos donde se admite el engaño.

«You can do much to aid us. You may help us to crush out idle curiosity and deceit. You know well how, in our own circle, the manifestations have gradually developed as you have followed our advice. You may say to others that they should use the same means.» — el encargo que el comunicante le da a Moses, apoyado en lo que declara haber logrado en el círculo propio.

«The cloud will in time be blown away. Meantime, the causes which produce it are at least as much in your hands as in ours.» — y el reparto de responsabilidad con que cierra la Sección XIV.

«The argument was continued, almost without a break, and with much energy and under powerful influence. I cannot hope to convey any idea of the influence that possessed me, and seemed to inspire my thoughts.» — corchete de Moses que abre la Sección XV y declara no poder transmitir la influencia que sentía.

«You question whether the tendency of our teaching be not Deism, or pure Theism, or even Atheism. It is indicative of the ignorance which obtains among you, that one usually accurate in thought and well informed should class Theism with Atheism.» — el comunicante recoge la objeción de Moses y le señala de entrada que confundió teísmo con ateísmo.

«We know nothing of that cheerless, futile nonsense which denies the existence of a God whose acts are palpable to all, even to the meanest comprehension amongst the most debased of His creatures. Were it not that we know how man can blind himself, we should refuse to believe that anyone could so blunt his senses.» — y el juicio con que despacha el ateísmo, sin argumentarlo.

«Doubtless we teach that there is one Supreme Being over all : one who is not manifested as man has fancied, but who has always announced to His creatures from time to time such facts about Himself as they are able to comprehend ; or, more strictly, has enabled them to develop in their minds truer views of Himself and of His dealings.» — lo que el comunicante sí reconoce como doctrina propia sobre Dios, con la revelación puesta como desarrollo de la mente humana.

«We tell you, as Jesus told: His followers, of a loving, holy, pure God, who guides and governs the universe; who is no impersonal conception of the human mind, but a real spiritual Father; who is no embodiment or personification of a. force, but a really-existent Being, albeit known to you only by His operations, and through your ‘conceptions of His nature and attributes.» — y la negativa expresa a hacer de Dios una personificación de una fuerza, con el límite de que solo se lo conoce por sus operaciones.

«This is what we have spoken to you, eradicating, so far as we have been able, that which in your mind seemed to us to be dishonouring to the All-Wise Father, but leaving undisturbed other theological fancies which are not of special import.» — el comunicante repite el deslinde entre lo que extirpó y lo que dejó estar en la mente de Moses.

«If you say that our teaching tends to show that there is no such thing as absolute truth in such matters, we can but express our thankfulness that we have so far made ourselves intelligible.» — el comunicante acepta el cargo de negar la verdad absoluta y lo trata como prueba de haberse hecho entender.

«No doubt there is for you, in your present imperfect state, no such thing as absolute truth, as there is no such thing as absolute perfection.» — y la simetría con que lo funda: ni verdad absoluta ni perfección absoluta en el estado presente.

«You surely do not expect that your eye can gaze undimmed into mysteries which dazzle the vision of the highest intelligences. Surely you do not hope that your circumscribed mind can grasp the Infinite and Incomprehensible; that which to us in remotest cycles shall still remain a subject of adoring wonder.» — el comunicante extiende ese límite a las inteligencias más altas, la suya incluida.

«We do not even pretend that we reveal to you absolute truth, seeing that we ourselves are yet ignorant, longing to dive deeper into much that is still mysterious.» — la renuncia expresa del comunicante a la verdad absoluta, fundada en su propia ignorancia.

«We do but give you such aid as we are permitted in shadowing forth for yourself conceptions of the Supreme, which are less widely removed from truth than those which have passed current among you as the immediate revelation of the Most High.» — y lo único que reclama para su enseñanza: estar menos lejos de la verdad que lo que corría por revelación.

«We have succeeded in evolving a system of theology which you admit to be coherent, beautiful, and elevated, and which is acceptable to your mind. We have not ventured to do more.» — el comunicante mide su logro por lo que Moses le concedió, y no por más.

«We have displayed to you a rational and comprehensible view of your duty to Him, to mankind, and to your own self; and we have established our moral code not by the persuasive inducements of a heaven and hell such as you are wont to hear of, but by arguments not less persuasive, by inducements which do not come home less forcibly to the mind.» — y el fundamento que reclama para su código moral, expresamente ajeno al cielo y al infierno.

«To say that we teach a motiveless religion is surely the strangest misconception. What! is it nothing that we teach you that each act in this, the seed-time of your life, will bear its own fruit ; that the results of conscious and deliberate sin» — el comunicante contesta el cargo de religión sin motivo con la doctrina de la siembra y la cosecha; el tramo se corta al pasar de plana.

«must be remedied in sorrow and shame at the cost of painful toil in far-distant ages ; that the erring spirit must gather up the tangled thread and unravel the evil of which it was long ages ago the perpetrator ?» — y el plazo largo en que sitúa la reparación, a cargo del que la causó.

«that the good which your influence produces is to you a source of gratification hereafter, while of the ill you must view the baleful effects in agony and remiorse ?» — y el saldo que anuncia para el bien y para el mal; remiorse es lectura del OCR por remorse.

«Is it nothing that we tell you that reward and punishment | are not delayed till a-far-off day faintly imagined, after a period | of torpor, almost of death, but are instant, immediate, super- — vening upon sin by the action of an invariable law, and acting ceaselessly until the cause which produced it is removed ?» — el rasgo que el comunicante declara distintivo de su sistema: premio y castigo inmediatos por ley invariable.

«Which faith will move the degraded most ? To tell him that for each sin, discovered or undiscovered by his fellow, he will have to repent; that | each must be remedied, not by another, but by himself; and © that no happiness is possible for him till he grows a purer, better, truer man?» — la misma comparación puesta en el caso del hombre degradado, con la reparación a cargo de él mismo.

«We know and you know which faith is most likely to appeal to a man’s reason and judgment ; which would be the strongest deterrent from sin; which would keep a wanderer in the paths of rectitude most surely.» — el comunicante da la comparación por resuelta y la deja al juicio del interlocutor.

«And yet you say that we preach a vague religion in place of a definite; a colourless gospel in place of one backed by a definite system of reward and punishment. Nay, nay. We are they who preach a definite, intelligible, clear system of reward and punishment, but in doing so we do not feign a fabled heaven, a brutal hell, -) and a human God.» — y devuelve el cargo de vaguedad reclamando para sí el sistema definido, sin cielo fabulado ni infierno brutal.

«You are they who relegate to a far-off | speck the day of retribution, and encourage the vilest to» — el cargo que el comunicante levanta a cambio: la retribución aplazada a un punto lejano y la entrada franca prometida al peor; la barra dentro de la cita es marca de margen del escaneo, y el tramo se corta antes de la siguiente.

«That faith, we say again, is Divine. It comes to you as the revelation of God. We do not expect or wish that it should become current among men until they are fitted to receive it.» — y la reserva con que no desea que se difunda antes de tiempo.

«When it does spread among men, and they can yield its precepts an intelligent obedience, we do not hesitate to say that man will sin less in hope of a cheap salvation; that he will be guided by a more intelligent and intelligible future; that he will need fewer coercive regulations, fewer punishments by human law» — lo que el comunicante anuncia para cuando su credo se difunda, incluida una consecuencia penal.

«and that the motive-spring within him will be found to be not less forcible and enduring than the debased system of heavenly inducements and hellish deterrents, which can stand no serious probing, and which, when once rationally examined, ceases to allure or to deter, and crumbles into dust, bascless, irrational, and absurd» — y la comparación con que cierra la Sección XV, sometiendo el sistema de premios celestes a la prueba del examen racional.

«This will account for much of the erratic character of the phenomena, as well as for the influence which is exercised over the curious who obtrude themselves» — el comunicante enlaza esa irregularidad con la influencia que ejercen los curiosos que se meten en el trato con las esferas; el tramo se corta al pasar de plana.

«For you truth must be variable, not to be grasped in its entirety, not to be viewed in minute detail, but seen only in shadowy outline» — lo que al hombre le queda de verdad según el comunicante: contorno en sombra y nunca detalle.

«Is it nothing that we tell you that words and deeds are as the pebble thrown into the stream which causes an ever-widening ripple, ceaselessly enlarging in its effects, and that for such influence you are accountable; that every word, every act, is of incalculable import in its results and influence» — la imagen de la piedra en el agua con que el comunicante mide la responsabilidad por la influencia.

«say you, is the most potent incentive to a holy life of progress : that creed which we have indicated? or that which teaches that a man may live as seems to him good, may wrong his neighbours, insult his God, and debase his own spirit, may break | all laws, divine and human, may be loathsome in his moral nature, | a blot on the name of man, and then, by a fanatical cry, by a | fancied faith, by a momentary operation of the mind, may be > fitted to enter into a dreamy heaven, where his sole joy is to be that which his nature would view with distaste, but which, | now that the magic change has been effected, is to become the congenial occupation of eternity ?» — la comparación con que el comunicante somete a examen su credo frente al de la salvación por acto de fe; el signo de margen antes de say es del escaneo.

«We boldly assert that we teach a faith which is more calculated to deter from open sin than any yet propounded for man’s acceptance» — la reclamación del comunicante en materia de eficacia moral, que es justo el terreno que Moses le disputaba.

«In answer to my objection that the outcome of Spiritualism was bad in the mass, or, at any rate, of mixed benefit, it was written, July roth, 1873» — corchete de Moses que fecha la respuesta a su reparo sobre el saldo del espiritismo; roth es lectura del OCR por 10th.

«You fall, first of all, into a mistake almost inseparable from your circumscribed vision. You mistake the results which obtrude themselves on your notice for the total outcome of the movement.» — el error que el comunicante le imputa a Moses: tomar por el todo lo que se ve.

«You are as they who are bewildered by the din and outcry of a small sect of enthusiasts, and who mistake them and their vociferations for a mighty power, for the voice of a representative body of opinion ; and lo! they heed not the silent power which works deep down below, which is seen only in its results, and is not heard by its much crying.» — y la comparación con que lo ilustra, entre la secta ruidosa y el poder callado.

«You hear much of a noisy, undisciplined mass, not numerous, indeed, but obtrusive; and you say well that it is not such cries that can regenerate the world.» — el comunicante le concede a Moses el juicio sobre lo que oye, y solo le disputa el alcance.

«Of the hidden, silent votaries of a faith which comes to them from the God who is revealing Himself to them in ways which come home to their several necessities, you hear and know nothing.» — y lo que sostiene que queda fuera de su vista.

«Such are outside of your ken; though they may and do exist all around you, the faithful communers with the spheres, who know in what they have believed, and who drink in, hour by hour, fresh store of grace and knowledge, waiting for the time when they, too, shall be emancipated from the prison-house of the body, and rise to take their part in the glorious work.» — la descripción que el comunicante hace de esos creyentes callados, que declara existentes alrededor de Moses mismo.

«And so it chances that, both from the obtrusive crying of the one and from the silence of the other, both from the limited nature of your faculties and from the still more limited opportunities for observation, you take a narrow view, and substitute a part for the whole, representing the great body by that limb which is least fairly a specimen of it.» — la doble causa que el comunicante da al juicio estrecho de Moses, y que reparte entre el objeto y el observador.

«We are disposed to question your conclusion as to any phase of Spiritualism being bad or mischievous in its outcome, while we deny altogether your ability to pronounce any opinion upon the broad question in its ultimate issues» — y el deslinde con que el comunicante gradúa su desacuerdo: duda de la conclusión y niega de plano la competencia para juzgar el conjunto.

«The operations of the Supreme are uniform in this as in all things else. The evil and the good are mingled.» — el principio que el comunicante enuncia para contestar el reparo: bien y mal van mezclados en toda obra.

«He does not use great messengers for that work which can be accomplished by more ordinary spirits. He does not send the high and exalted ones to minister conviction to an yndeveloped and earth-bound spirit.» — y la economía de medios que le atribuye al Supremo; yndeveloped es lectura del OCR por undeveloped.

«Far otherwise: He proportions his causes to the effects which they are intended to produce. In the operation of the ordinary processes of nature, He does not produce insignificant results from gigantic causes.» — la regla de proporción que el comunicante extiende de la naturaleza a la acción de los espíritus.

«They who are crude in intellect, and undeveloped in aspiration, whose souls do not soar to heights of moral and intellectual grandeur, such are the charge of spirits who know best how to reach and touch them; who proportion their means to the end in view; and who most frequently use matérial means for operating on an undeveloped intelligence.» — y quiénes quedan a cargo de espíritus que usan medios materiales, según esa proporción.

«The physical operation of force that can be gauged by external sense is necessary to assure some—nay, very many, of existence beyond the grave.» — el comunicante declara necesaria la prueba física para muchos, sin llamarla por eso mala.

«Such receive their demonstration, not from the inspiring voice of angels, such as those who in every age have spoken to the inner souls of the man who formed and guided that age, but from spirits like unto themselves, who know their wants, their mental habits and altitudes, and who can supply that proof which will come home to and be acceptable by those to whom they minister.» — y de quiénes la reciben: espíritus semejantes a ellos, no ángeles.

«And you require to remember, good friend, that extreme intellectual may co-exist with scarce any spiritual development ; even as a progressive spirit may be hampered by the body in which it is confined, or bound down by imperfect mental culture.» — la disociación que el comunicante le pide sostener entre desarrollo intelectual y desarrollo espiritual, en los dos sentidos.

«Not to every soul is the spirit voice audible. Not to every spirit is the same proof made clear.» — y la consecuencia que saca sobre el reparto de las pruebas.

«And it is very frequently the case that souls which have been so hampered by superabundance of corporeal or deficiency of mental development, find their spiritual progress in a sphere where those faults are remedied.» — lo que el comunicante anuncia para las almas así trabadas, con el remedio puesto en otra esfera.

«For nature is not changed all at once as by a magic wand.» — la lentitud que el comunicante declara ley del cambio; el tramo se corta al pasar de plana.

«Hence, to one who has been born with mental faculties in a high state of development, and who has improved them by perpetual culture, the means employed to reach the uneducated and unrefined must needs seem coarse and rude, even as the issues must seem rough and undesirable.» — y la explicación que de ahí saca para el disgusto de Moses ante los medios burdos.

«The voice is harsh, and the zeal evoked is not according to discretion.» — el comunicante concede el defecto sin discutirlo.

«The nature is being gradually changed from a blank and cheerless materialism, or a still more hopeless indifferentism, and there springs within them an enthusiasm at the new life which they feel swelling in their souls.» — y lo que sostiene que está pasando debajo de ese entusiasmo mal medido.

«They give vent to the joy they feel in tones not cultured but not less real, not pleasing, perhaps, to your critical ear, but not less grateful to the ear of the Good Father than the cry of the returning son who has wandered from his home and disowned his kindred.» — la comparación con que el comunicante pone esas voces toscas por encima del juicio del oído culto, apoyada en la parábola del hijo pródigo.

«The voice is real, and that is what He and we regard. We are not scrupulously nice to mark the exact accents in which the cry is syllabled.» — y el criterio con que declara juzgarlas, expresamente ajeno a la forma.

«So to the spiritually undeveloped the means used to ensure conviction are not the voices of the angels who minister between God and man, for they would cry in vain.» — el comunicante explica por qué a esos no se les manda ángeles.

«Means are used which may lead the spirit to ponder on spiritual things, and guide it to discern them spiritually. Through the agency of material operations the spirit is led up to the spiritual.» — y el papel que le da a la operación material, que es de escalón.

«Such operations you are familiar with, and the time will never come when they will be unnecessary. To some it will always be requisite that such training should be the commencement of their spiritual life.» — el comunicante declara permanente la necesidad de esos medios para algunos.

«And none can deny the wisdom of adapting means to ends, but those who are unwise and narrow in the view they take.» — y el juicio que hace de quien no lo admite.

«The only danger is in substituting the physical for the spiritual, and resting init. It is but a means, a valuable and indispensable means to some, which is intended to eventuate in spiritual development.» — el único peligro que el comunicante reconoce en los fenómenos físicos, que es quedarse en ellos.

«Is the voice which cries to Him in tones which sound so harsh, and which produces such results, the voice of evil as you seem to fancy ?» — la pregunta con que el comunicante plantea el caso que más le repugna a Moses.

«With the question of evil we have dealt before, and shall deal again ; but here we fearlessly say that, save in cases readily discernible, and which bear on their face the marks of their origin, it is not as you fancy.» — y su respuesta, con la excepción de los casos que declara reconocibles a simple vista.

«Evil there is enough, alas! nor will it cease till the adversaries be overthrown, and the victory be complete.» — el comunicante no niega el mal ni el peligro; solo niega que estén donde Moses los pone.

«Not everything ill-regulated, uncultured, or rude is necessarily bad. Far from it! There is little, very little there that is bad; while evil may lurk where you least suspect it.» — y la advertencia con que invierte el diagnóstico.

«Those struggling souls, so young in their spiritual life, are learning to know that an existence of infinite progression is before them, and that their progress then depends on their mental, bodily, and spiritual development now.» — lo que el comunicante sostiene que están aprendiendo esas almas nuevas.

«In place of grovelling drunkards, they become enthusiastic abstainers from intoxicating drinks; and in their zeal they would force the habit upon all.» — y el ejemplo con que lo ilustra, con el celo abstemio y su exceso incluido.

«But is the rabid enthusiast, with all his illogical reasonings and his exaggerated utterances offensive to cultured taste, is he a worse man spiritually than was the loutish, loafing sot, whose mind was paralysed with fiery drink, whose body was defiled with sensuality, and whose moral and spiritual progress was utterly checked by habitual intoxication?» — la comparación con que el comunicante somete a juicio a ese entusiasta, medido contra lo que era antes.

«You know that he is not; that he is alive and awake to what he believes to be his duty; that he is not the hopeless, aimless creature that he was; that he has risen from the dead, a resurrection which causes joy and thankfulness amongst the angels of God» — y la respuesta que le atribuye al propio Moses, con la resurrección como figura.

«What if his cries lack in logic what they gain in zeal and energy! They are the voice of conviction, the cry of a spirit awaking from the lethargy of death.» — el comunicante prefiere la convicción tosca a la lógica en ese caso.

«There is more value, friend, to us and to our God in the one earnest, honest voice of a spirit struggling to make its new-found convictions heard, more to gladden us in our mission, and to cheer us on to renewed exertion, than in the conventional, dreamy, dilettante respectability which will only utter its half convictions in the monotonous drawl of decorous fashion» — y el contraste con que remata, entre la voz sincera y la respetabilidad que solo dice medias convicciones.

«You say that popular or vulgar Spiritualism is undesirable ; that its utterances are rude, and its tone repellent. We tell you, nay.» — el comunicante recoge el reparo de Moses sobre el espiritismo vulgar y lo rechaza.

«Those who thus forcibly state their convictions in terms not very exact and polished come home to the masses far more than any others could with polite and polished utterance. The rough, jagged stone shot from their sling with all the rude energy of assured conviction is more forcible than the calculated utterance of the most cultured and refined mind, whose words are measured by custom, and toned down to the line of respectable moderation.» — y la razón que da: esa lengua llega a las masas donde la pulida no llega.

«Because they are rough they are serviceable ; and because they deal with actual physical facts they come home to minds which are incapable of discerning metaphysical distinctions.» — la fórmula con que el comunicante hace de los dos defectos que Moses señala las dos virtudes del caso.

«In the army of the spirit-messengers there are ministers suited to every want. There is for the hard materialist who knows of naught but matter, the spirit that can show him of an invisible force superior to material laws.» — el reparto de mensajeros según la necesidad, empezando por el materialista.

«To the spirit that is best approached through the avenues of the mind by processes of logical argument, there comes the voice that demonstrates external agency, evolves orderly and sequential proof, and builds up by slow degrees an edifice of conviction founded on indisputable fact.» — el tercero, el que solo se convence por argumento y prueba encadenada.

«Aye, and above all, to those who have passed beyond the alphabet of spiritual agency,’ and who long to progress further and further into the mysteries which are not penetrable by the eye of sense, to such come teachers who can tell of the deep things of God, and reveal to the aspiring soul richer views of Him and of its destiny.» — y el cuarto, para el que el comunicante reserva la enseñanza sobre las cosas hondas de Dios.

«To each there is the suitable messenger and the appropriate message, even as God has ever adapted His means to the end in view.» — la fórmula con que cierra el reparto y lo remite a la economía divina.

«To the shrinking, timid soul which cares not for great issues, so it can be assured of the welfare of its own loved ones and of reunion with them, there comes the voice of the departed» — el segundo caso de ese reparto, el que solo quiere saber de los suyos y recibe la voz del que se fue.

«the Gospel message of old, a professedly external revelation, coming from the spiritual hierarchy to mankind: proclaimed as a revelation, as a religion, as a means of salvation.» — el comunicante define primero el espiritismo por lo que comparte con el evangelio antiguo, revelación externa venida de la jerarquía espiritual; el tramo empieza donde el corte de plana partió la frase.

«It is all this: but it is also other than this. To you, and to such as approach it from your point of view, it is this: but to the lowly and suffering, the sorrow-laden and ignorant, it is other far.» — y la segunda cara, que depende de quién se acerque.

«It is the assurance of personal expectation of reunion ; an individual consolation, of private application first of all.» — lo que el espiritismo es para el afligido, según el comunicante: consuelo personal antes que doctrina.

«It is, in effect, the bridging over, for divers purposes, of the gulf which separates the world of sense from the world of spirit.» — y la definición funcional con que lo resume.

«With the disembodied, as with the incarned, degrees of development differ: and to the undeveloped man comes most readily the spirit who is on his own mental plane.» — la ley de afinidad aplicada a los dos lados, con el desarrollo desigual entre los desencarnados.

«Hence it is that manifestations vary in kind and in degree ; and that frequently enough the scum rises to the surface, and prevents you from seeing what is going on beneath.» — y la imagen de la espuma con que el comunicante explica lo que Moses ve del movimiento.

«Could you see, as you now see, the signs which have attended and followed similar movements in other ages of the world, you would not fall into the error of supposing that these signs are exclusively confined to our mission.» — el comunicante niega que esos signos sean propios del espiritismo.

«They are inherent in your human nature, inseparable from anything which deeply stirs the heart of man.» — y de dónde los hace venir: de la naturaleza humana removida.

«They attended the mission of Moses to the Israelites of old, of the Hebrew Prophets, as well as of the Christ. They have appeared at every fresh epoch in the history of man, and they attend the present development of divine knowledge.» — la serie histórica en que los pone, de Moisés a los profetas y a Cristo.

«They are no more a sample of our work than in your political history are the ravings of the excited demagogue evidence of real and influential political opinion.» — y la comparación política con que mide su valor como muestra.

«You must distinguish: and to one who lives in the midst of a great movement it is not always easy to do so. It will be easier when, in the time to come, you look back upon the struggle which is now seething around you.» — el comunicante le concede a Moses la dificultad de distinguir desde dentro del movimiento.

«As I attempted to put other objections, many of which occurred to me, I was stopped.» — corchete de Moses que abre la Sección XVI y registra que se le cortó el paso a nuevas objeciones.

«WE have something to say by way of summing up what has already been spoken. You do not sufficiently grasp the fact that religion has a very scanty hold on the mass of mankind; nor do you understand the adaptability of what we say to the needs and aspirations of mankind.» — el comunicante enuncia dos cosas que declara mal vistas por Moses: el poco arraigo de la religión y la adecuación de su propia enseñanza.

«You cannot see as we see the carelessness that has crept over men as to the future state.» — y el diagnóstico que hace del estado de sus contemporáneos frente a lo que sigue a la muerte.

«Those who have thought about their future condition have come to know that they can find out nothing about it except that the prevalent notions are vague, foolish, contradictory, and unsatisfying.» — lo que el comunicante atribuye a los que sí lo piensan.

«Their reasoning faculties convince them that the Revelation of God which they are taught to believe to be of plenary inspiration, contains plain marks of human adulteration ; that it will not stand the test of sifting such as is applied to works professedly of human origin» — y lo que la razón les muestra en la revelación que se les enseña por inspirada de cabo a rabo.

«and that the priestly fiction that reason is no measure of revelation, that it must be left behind upon the threshold of inquiry, and give place to faith, is a cunningly-planned means of preventing man from discovering the errors and contradictions which throng the pages of that infallible guide which is forced upon him.» — la ficción que el comunicante atribuye a los sacerdotes, y el fin que le imputa. El impreso parte esa palabra en el guion de fin de renglón y aquí va restituida con guion; la obra no imprime la forma dentro de línea en ninguna plana, y la restitución se apoya en el uso general del volumen.

«Those who use the touchstone of reason discover them readily enough: those who do not,. betake themselves to the refuge of faith, and become blind devotees, fanatical, bigoted, and irrational; conformed to a groove in which they have been educated, and from which they have not broken loose simply because they have not dared to think.» — y el reparto que hace entre los que aplican esa piedra de toque y los que se refugian en la fe.

«It would be hard for man to devise a means of cramping the mind and dwarfing the spirit more complete than this» — el juicio del comunicante sobre la prohibición de pensar en materia de religión; el tramo se corta al pasar de plana.

«The spirit is condemned to a hereditary religion, whether suited or not to its wants. It is absolutely without choice as to that which is the food of its real life.» — y la consecuencia que le atribuye: religión heredada y sin elección.

«That which may have suited a far-off ancestor may be quite unsuited to a struggling spirit that lives in other times from those in which such ideas had force and vitality. And so the spirit’s vital nourishment is made a question of birth and locality.» — el comunicante hace del credo un accidente de nacimiento y de lugar.

«It is a matter over which they can exercise no personal control, whether they are to be Christian, Mahommedan, or, as you say, heathen ; whether their God is to be the Great Spirit of the Red Indian, or the fetish of the savage ; whether his prophet be Christ, or Mahomet, or Confucius; in short, whether their notion of religion be that prevalent in east, west, north, or south» — y la lista con que lo ilustra, que pone en una misma serie a Cristo, Mahoma y Confucio, al Gran Espíritu y al fetiche.

«The assumption that any one religion, which may commend itself to any one race, in any portion of your globe, has a monopoly | of Divine Truth, is a human fiction, born of man’s vanity and pride.» — la tesis central de este tramo: ninguna religión monopoliza la verdad divina.

«There is no such monopoly of truth in any system of theology which flourishes or has flourished among men. Each is, in its degree, imperfect ; each has its points of truth adapted to the wants of those to whom it was given, or by whom it was evolved.» — y el reparto que propone en su lugar, con verdad y adecuación en cada sistema.

«Each has its errors: and none can be commended to those whose habits of thought and whose spiritual necessities are different, as being the spiritual food which God has given to man.» — la simetría con que el comunicante reparte también los errores.

«Man likes to believe that he is the exclusive possessor of some germ of truth. We smile as we see him hugging himself in the delusion, congratulating himself on the fancied possession, and persuading himself that it is necessary for him -to send missionaries far and wide, to bear his nostrum to other lands and other peoples, who do but laugh at his pretensions and deride his claims.» — y el juicio que hace de la empresa misionera, vista desde los pueblos a los que se dirige.

«Divine Truth is too clear a light to be tolerated by human eyes. It must be tempered by an earthly medium, conveyed through a human vehicle, and darkened somewhat lest it blind the unaccustomed eye.» — y la necesidad del medio humano, formulada como propiedad de la luz y no defecto del canal.

«Only when the body of earth is cast aside, and the spirit soars to higher planes, can it afford to dispense with the interposing medium which has dulled the brightness of the heavenly light.» — el único momento en que el comunicante concede que se pueda prescindir de ese medio.

«All races of men have had a beam of this light amongst them. They have received it as best they might, have fostered it or dimmed it according to their development, and have in the end adapted to their different wants that which they were able to receive.» — el reparto universal de esa luz, con la adaptación puesta a cargo de cada pueblo.

«None has reason to vaunt itself in exclusive possession, or to make futile efforts to force on others its own view of truth.» — y la consecuencia práctica que el comunicante saca contra toda imposición.

«So long as your world has endured, so long has it been true that the Brahmin, the Mahommedan, the Jew, and the Christian, has had his peculiar light, which he has considered to be his special heritage from heaven.» — la lista de credos que el comunicante pone en el mismo pie, brahmán, mahometano, judío y cristiano.

«And, as if to make the fallacy more conspicuous, that Church which | claims to itself an exclusive possession of Divine Truth, and — deems it right to carry the lamp throughout all lands, is most conspicuous for its own manifold divisions.» — y el argumento con que devuelve la pretensión de exclusividad a la iglesia que la sostiene.

«But the days are approaching when a new ray of light shall be shed on this mist of human ignorance. This geographical sectarianism shall give place before the enlightenment caused by the spread of the New Revelation, for which mankind is riper than you think.» — lo que el comunicante anuncia contra ese sectarismo, con la humanidad declarada más madura de lo que Moses cree.

«They shall be made to see that each system of religion is a ray of truth from the Central Sun» — la doctrina de los rayos del Sol Central con que el comunicante ordena los credos sin igualarlos.

«The time draws nigh when the sublime truths which we are commissioned to proclaim, rational and noble as they are, when viewed from the standpoint of reason, shall wipe away from the face of God’s earth the sectarian jealousy and theological bitterness, the’ anger and ill-will, the rancour and Pharisaic pride which have disgraced the name of religion, and have rendered theology a byeword amongst men.» — y lo que anuncia que su propia enseñanza barrerá, con la teología declarada oprobio.

«Alas! alas! that that divine science which should tell man of the nature of his God, and in telling should breathe into his soul somewhat of that divine love which emanates from Deity; alas! that it should have become the battle-ground for sects and parties, the arid plain where the pettiest prejudices and the meanest passions may be aired, the barren, cheerless waste, where man may most surely demonstrate his own ignorance of his God, about whose nature and operations he so bitterly disputes !» — el lamento con que el comunicante contrasta lo que la teología debería ser con lo que dice que ha sido.

«You know how, in the ponderous volumes which contain the records of man’s ignorance about his God, may be found the bitterest invective, the most unchristian bitterness, the most unblushing misrepresentation.» — lo que el comunicante dice hallarse en los libros de teología.

«it has been the excuse for quenching every holiest instinct, for turing the hand of the foeman against kindred and friends, for burning and torturing and rending the bodies of the saintliest of mankind, for exiling and ostracising those whom the world should have delighted to honour, for subverting man’s best instincts and quenching his most natural affections.» — y la lista de lo que se ha hecho en su nombre, de la hoguera al destierro.

«Aye, and it is still the arena in which man’s basest passions vaunt themselves» — el comunicante pone la teología de su propio tiempo en la misma cuenta, y no solo la del pasado.

«It is still the cause for most that may make true men to blush, for in its stifling atmosphere free thought gasps, and man becomes an unreasoning puppet.» — y el efecto que le atribuye sobre el pensamiento libre.

«have been and are unable to see that the ray of truth which has shone even unto them, and which they have done their best to obscure, is but one out of many which have been shed by the Sun of Truth on your world.» — lo que el comunicante declara asombroso en los doctos: no ver su propio rayo como uno entre los muchos del Sol de la Verdad.

«and learn that best of lessons, to dwell on the good | rather than on the evil; to recognise the Divine even through vhuman error, and to acknowledge the godlike even in that i which has not commended itself to his own wants hitherto.» — la lección que el comunicante saca del reparto de la luz: reconocer lo divino en el credo ajeno aun a través del error humano.

«To such base ends has man degraded the science which should teach him of his God.» — el juicio con que el comunicante cierra su exposición sobre la teología.

«We tell you, friend, that the end draws nigh. It shall not be always so. As it was in the days which preceded the coming of the Son of Man, as it has been in the midnight hours which precede every-day dawn from on high, so it is now.» — y el anuncio de término, situado por analogía con las vísperas de toda revelación.

«The night of ignorance is fast passing away. The shackles which priestcraft has hung around struggling souls shall be knocked off ; and in place of fanatical folly, and ignorant Pharisaism, and misty speculation, you shall have a reasonable religion and a Divine Faith.» — lo que el comunicante anuncia en lugar de la noche: religión razonable y fe divina, sin las cadenas de la casta sacerdotal.

«you shall know that they — whom you call dead are alive amongst you» — y el contenido concreto de ese anuncio, con los llamados muertos declarados vivos entre los vivos.

«It was said of the Christ that He brought life and immortality to light. It is true in a wider sense than the writer meant.» — el comunicante toma la frase paulina y declara que vale en un sentido más amplio que el del escritor.

«The outcome of the Revelation of Christ, which is only now beginning to be seen amongst men, is in its truest sense the abolition of death, the demonstration of immortality.» — y el sentido que le da: abolición de la muerte y demostración de la inmortalidad, no promesa de ella.

«The immortality of man, held not as an article of faith, a | clause in a creed, but as a piece of personal knowledge and individual experience, this is the keynote of the religion of the future.» — la distinción que el comunicante hace entre la inmortalidad como artículo de fe y como conocimiento personal.

«In its trail come al] the grand truths we teach, all the noblest conceptions of duty, the grandest views of | destiny, the truest realisations of life.» — y lo que hace derivar de esa clave.

«You cannot grasp them now. They gaze and bewilder your spirit, unaccustomed to such a glare. But, mark well, friend, brief space shall pass before you recognise in our words the lineaments of truth, the aspect of the divine.» — la reserva con que Imperator cierra la Sección XVI, sin retirar el anuncio.

«I think that all my friends were satisfied that I was too persistent in my objections. I, however, felt that I had no conscientious course open but to do my best to probe to the very depths this strange message that stirred me so violently. I could not satisfy myself: nor could I rest unsatisfied. I recurred to the strife.» — corchete de Moses que abre la Sección XVII y consigna el juicio de sus amigos sobre su insistencia, junto con su propia razón para no ceder.

«IMPERATOR’S argument being concluded, I pondered it carefully, and two days after (July 14th, 1873) made a rejoinder on the points which still seemed difficult to me. These referred to—1, Identity; 2, The nature and work of Jesus Christ ; 3, External evidence confirmatory of the claims made.» — los tres puntos que Moses numera como pendientes tras la exposición de Imperator.

«I requested that independent communications should be made through another medium, and expressed my intention of seeking out some medium with a view to getting such authentication.» — y la prueba que anunció que iba a buscar: comunicaciones independientes por otro médium.

«My answer expressed fairly my convictions at that time; but I see now that my rejoinders were based upon insufficient knowledge, and they have since been met in many ways; sufficiently, at any rate, to assure me that what remains unanswered will in due time receive its reply.» — Moses juzga desde el presente de la escritura aquellas réplicas suyas, y deja lo no contestado en espera.

«FRIEND, your statement has the merit of candour and perspicuity, which you allege that ours lacks. We have no difficulty in seeing your difficulty, though we find it impossible to supply it; and undesirable even if it were possible.» — el comunicante concede a Moses la claridad que Moses le negaba, y declara la prueba pedida imposible y además indeseable.

«We desire earnestly to bear conviction in upon your mind; but in so doing we must use our own» — y la reserva con que se guarda el modo y el momento; el tramo se corta al pasar de plana.

«We are not omnipotent ; and we cannot influence you save by the ordinary processes of argument and evidence which do not now reach your mind.» — el comunicante niega tener poder sobre la convicción de Moses y se limita a los medios ordinarios de argumento y prueba.

«That being so, we recognise the fact that you are not yet prepared to receive our words, and we wait in patience for the time when they shall find an entrance into your mind.» — y la conclusión que saca sobre el estado del interlocutor.

«Into most of the questions which you have raised we do not follow you. They have been answered before, so far as it is now desirable to answer them. Nothing that we could now say would add any force to the replies which have been already given. Into matters of opinion it is idle for us to enter.» — el comunicante declina volver sobre lo ya contestado y sobre lo que llama materia de opinión.

«Whether what we say seems to you consistent with what we do or have previously done is a very small matter.» — y el poco peso que le concede al cargo de incoherencia, con la razón puesta en el estado de Moses.

«Whether the eventual outcome of what you call Spiritualism is what we say, or what you think, is equally beside the point. We view the question from a more extended standpoint, one to which you are not yet able to mount.» — el comunicante desecha también la disputa sobre el saldo del espiritismo, invocando su propio punto de vista.

«Whether you consider our teaching to be a legitimate development of Christianity is also of small moment. You admit its moral grandeur, and we need not discuss the meaning of development.» — y la tercera cuestión que aparta, apoyado en lo que Moses ya le concedió.

«Whether you believe it or not, it is teaching of which the world stands in sore need; teaching which it will sooner or later receive with thankfulness, whether you accept it or not; whether or not you receive us, and are prepared to aid us in disseminating it.» — lo que el comunicante sostiene con independencia de la aceptación de Moses.

«We had hoped that we had found an instrument suited to our wants. We hope so still; for we know that the phase through which you are now passing is but a transient one, soon to give place to that assured conviction which is born of doubt.» — y la esperanza que declara mantener sobre el propio Moses, con la duda puesta como antesala de la convicción.

«But even if it were not so, we must bow to the Almighty fiat, and seek anew for means of carrying on the work which we have in charge. No instrument is necessary to our end; though a good one is» — la salida que el comunicante contempla si Moses falla: buscar otro instrumento, que declara deseable y no necesario; el tramo se corta al pasar de plana.

«We should deplore greatly that you should put aside what is to you a means of enlightenment and progress, But over the issue we have no power.» — y el límite que se reconoce ante la voluntad del interlocutor.

«Any attempt to prove identity by such imposed tests as you have put upon us would be worse than useless. It would. probably end in failure; and would certainly fail to ensure conviction.» — el comunicante rechaza las pruebas de identidad impuestas, por inútiles antes que por imposibles.

«It may be possible for us to give collateral proofs from time to time. If it be so, we shall gladly avail ourselves of the opportunity; and if your connection with us is prolonged, you will find hereafter that many such proofs are accumulated.» — y lo que sí concede, con la reserva de que serán colaterales y no a pedido.

«But the validity of our claims must rest on some more solid foundation than that. The evidence is not to be built on so shadowy a foundation. It would not stand the test of time.» — el comunicante niega que la prueba física pueda sostener sus pretensiones.

«It is on moral grounds that we must appeal to you; and you yourself, we trust, will one day see that the physical is transient and unsatisfactory. For the present your mind is not sufficiently calm to weigh judicially the moral evidence.» — y el terreno que reclama, con la reserva de que Moses no está en condición de pesarlo.

«We are either of God or of the devil. If of God, as our words argue, then we shall not be likely to fabricate a story which, as you say, the world would receive with derision. But if we are, as you incline to think, of evil, then it rests with you to account for a story, which bears on its face the marks of a Divine origin, coming from an evil source.» — el dilema con que el comunicante devuelve el cargo, y la carga de la prueba que le pasa a Moses en la segunda rama.

«It is to the matter of the message rather than to the character of the messenger that we direct attention.» — y el desplazamiento que insiste en hacer, del mensajero al mensaje.

«For ourselves it is a small matter. For God’s work and God’s truth it is serious. For you and for your future it is of most vital moment.» — el reparto de lo que está en juego, con la parte mayor puesta del lado de Moses.

«The growth of the revelation which has centred round you has been rapid and dazzling. It may be well that you should have time for serious and sober thought before we say more.» — y la razón que el comunicante da para suspender los mensajes.

«that we may well withdraw for a time, and allow you to be at peace with your thoughts. We do not leave you alone; but rather with guardians more vigilant, and with guides more experienced.» — la retirada anunciada, con la salvedad de que no lo dejan solo.

«It is better, too, for us; for time may decide whether it be possible for us to continue the work begun; or whether precious time has been wasted, and the work must be begun anew.» — y lo que el comunicante declara que está por decidirse de su lado.

«It must in any case be a grievous disappointment that the fruit of so many labours, of so many prayers, should drop untimely to the ground.» — el balance que el comunicante hace de la posibilidad de fracaso.

«But we and you must act according to that light which is in us as the guide of our actions. We are responsible in the sight of God for so much as that ; and we must see to it that we weigh the issues aright.» — y la responsabilidad que se reparte con Moses ante Dios.

«After this I made several attempts at communication. I also went, as I had intimated, to a medium to whom I was not known. I tried to the best of my power to elicit some information as to my guides, and especially as to the identity of Imperator.» — corchete de Moses que registra la prueba independiente que fue a buscar con un médium que no lo conocía.

«The effort was vain. All I got was that the spirit with me was Zoud, a Russian historian. I inquired as soon as I got home by writing, and was told that the statement was false.» — y el resultado: el otro médium le dio un espíritu con nombre y oficio, que sus comunicantes de siempre desmintieron por escrito.

«We are not able to advise you to place reliance on the statements made. They are not trustworthy. If, contrary to our advice, you place yourself in communication with strange spirits who do not know you, and who are not in harmony with us, you will receive communications which are perplexing and. unreliable.» — la respuesta del comunicante, que carga el fallo a haberse puesto en trato con espíritus ajenos al círculo.

«I remonstrated energetically, and said that it would have been so easy to satisfy my reasonable desire.» — corchete de Moses que consigna su protesta: bastaba tan poco para satisfacerlo.

«No. We wish to give you every satisfaction ; but the chief ordered us not to attend, and we were unable to prevent you from going.» — la respuesta del comunicante, que invoca por primera vez a un jefe que ordenó no acudir y declara no haber podido impedir la visita.

«You get more harm than you can know from» — y la advertencia con que le pide dejar esas sesiones; el tramo se corta al pasar de plana.

«You require only patience. Impatient attempts to force matters on do but cause annoyance and distress to all of us. Far better that you rest in peace, and await the issue. The chief will do what is right, and any premature steps are mistaken.» — lo único que el comunicante declara necesario, con la decisión remitida al jefe.

«you all seem leagued to bewilder us. Can vou do nothing that I ask?» — la protesta de Moses en su forma más seca; vou es lectura del OCR por you.

«Friend, you cannot have the mathematical proof that you crave. Nor can we give you proof exactly when you wish for it. Nor would it be good for you if we were able. All is arranged wisely and well.» — la respuesta del comunicante, que niega la prueba matemática, la prueba a pedido y la conveniencia misma de dárselas.

«The spirit who communicated thus is the same who gave the earlier messages. I was fain to stop, for I could get no satisfaction.» — corchete de Moses que identifica al comunicante de este pasaje con el de los mensajes anteriores.

«On July 24th, some questions were put on theological questions, one touching the passage, “I and my Father are one” (John x. 30). I had insisted, in the course of conversation, that they were incompatible with Imperator’s statements.» — y la objeción escriturística que Moses puso a continuación, con capítulo y versículo.

«The words which you have quoted must be taken in their context. Jesus was at Jerusalem at the Feast of the Dedication, and the old question was put by the Jews—“ If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly?» — la respuesta del comunicante, que empieza situando la frase en su escena.

«They wished for a sign, as you wish for some resolution of your doubts. He referred them, as we have referred you, to the works and tenor of His teaching, as evidences of its Divine origin.» — y el paralelo con que el comunicante equipara la exigencia de los judíos con la de Moses, y la respuesta de Jesús con la suya.

«Those, He said, who were prepared—His “‘ Father’s sheep ’—heard and answered His voice. They accepted His mission. The questioners could not accept, because they could not understand, and were not prepared to believe.» — el reparto que el comunicante lee en aquel pasaje, entre los preparados y los que no podían entender.

«them and mankind at large, the Father and the Teacher were One—“ I and my Father are One.» — el sentido que el comunicante le da a la frase: unidad de misión, no de sustancia; el tramo empieza donde el corte de plana partió la frase.

«The Jews understood them as an assumption of Divine honour, and stoned Him.» — y la lectura contraria que atribuye a los judíos de la escena.

«But He justified Himself. How? By admitting His Divinity, and defending the claim—I am the Son of God, and I prove it? Nay, verily.» — el comunicante niega que Jesús se defendiera afirmando su divinidad.

«He asked, in amazement, for which of His miracles they were about to stone Him. For none, His accusers said, but for blasphemously claiming union with the undivided Godhead.» — y reconstruye el diálogo con la acusación en boca de los acusadores.

«Thus challenged, He distinctly put aside the claim. Why, He says, in your own sacred records, the term is applied to many on whom the Spirit was outpoured, ‘Ye are gods.” How then can it be blasphemy to say of Him whom the Father Himself hath sanctified and separated for so special a work, He is the Son of God?» — el comunicante sostiene que Jesús apartó la pretensión, apoyado en el salmo que llama dioses a los hombres.

«If you doubt, regard the works I do. There is no claim of Divinity there, but the reverse.» — y la conclusión que saca de la escena entera, contraria a la que Moses le oponía.

«On July 25th, we had a sitting at which Imperator controlled, and some information was given; but nothing that touched my mental condition. The other members of the circle were not in sympathy» — corchete de Moses que fecha una sesión con Imperator al control, y consigna que nada de lo dado tocaba su propia dificultad.

«Then a friend of mine, lately passed from earth, was brought, and strong proof of identity, by means of reference to events known only to me and him, was given. Though impressed, I was not satisfied.» — y la prueba de identidad que sí recibió, con datos que solo él y el difunto conocían, que reconoce impresionante y no suficiente.

«Then came the vacation, and I left London for Ireland. Then I had curious communications respecting a friend who lay sick in London, but nothing that bore upon the question now at issue.» — Moses sitúa geográficamente el intervalo y descarta lo recibido en él por ajeno al asunto.

«I had endeavoured to elicit answers, and was warned that it was not well for me to do» — y el consejo que dice haber recibido; el tramo se corta al pasar de plana.

«Employ yourself in meditating on the past. Think carefully over that which we have been permitted to do for you. Weigh again and again the total outcome of what is before you. Estimate its value, and watch the moral tendency of our words.» — el encargo del comunicante, que pone la tendencia moral como medida del conjunto.

«We do not blame you for doubts which have been the natural outcome of your peculiar frame of mind. It is inevitable that you should weigh and test everything, and your impetuous nature hurries you along too fast, while a mind naturally inclined to doubt conflicts with the too eager impetuosity.» — el comunicante absuelve las dudas de Moses y las explica por el choque entre su ímpetu y su inclinación a dudar.

«We do not blame; we do but point out that such a frame of mind is not that which is best fitted for impartial judgment.» — y el reparo que sí mantiene, que es de aptitud para juzgar.

«It needs that you should curb your impetuous mind, and resist the tendency to form hasty conclusions on the one hand, while you put aside carping criticism, and allow weight to that which we may call the constructive side of our teaching.» — lo que le pide en los dos sentidos: ni conclusión apresurada ni crítica que solo objeta.

«At present, you dwell too exclusively on the destructive.» — y el desequilibrio que le señala en su lectura.

«And remember, friend, that your doubts and difficulties must, until they are removed, operate as a barrier to our further progress. They have already hindered us much, and caused us to withhold much.» — el comunicante declara que la duda de Moses ha frenado la propia enseñanza y le ha hecho callar cosas.

«We urge you, then, to clear your mind once and for ever, by stern exercise of will, of all the mists which now becloud your judgment.» — y lo que le pide, por ejercicio de la voluntad.

«It is all-important that the circle to whom we communicate should be in perfect harmony. Rising doubts are to us as the fogs of earth which bewilder the traveller, and hinder him on his way. We cannot work in the midst of them. They must be removed.» — la condición de armonía que el comunicante pone al círculo, con la duda comparada a la niebla.

«If anything seems new and strange to you, do not therefore reject it. Estimate it according to your light, and, if need be, put it aside to wait for further enlightenment.» — la regla que el comunicante le da para lo que no pueda aceptar: dejarlo en suspenso, no rechazarlo.

«Only keep before you the fact that there is much that is new and true of which you now know nothing; many fresh truths to be learned; many old errors to be dissipated. Wait and pray.» — y lo único que le pide tener presente, con el encargo de esperar y orar con que cierra la Sección XVII.

«On Aug. 26, 1873, I had been reading over previous communications, and had thought much about the symbolic nature of spirit utterances. I had wondered whether we erred in being too literal in their interpretation.» — corchete de Moses que abre la Sección XVIII con la pregunta que traía: si se leían demasiado literalmente los dichos de los espíritus.

«I put the question, and was told that I was in no fit state for communing. This is one instance out of many where the difficulty of communication was apparent.» — y el caso que consigna como uno entre muchos de dificultad de comunicación por el estado del médium.