April 12th, 1917
Received by James Padgett.
Washington D.C.
I am here, Grover Cleveland.
Let me say a word, too. I am your friend and desire to say just a few words about what has just been written you, and of the necessity of keeping up your faith in what has been promised you, and your courage.
Of course, I am not of the higher spirits, but I am in the soul spheres of the spirit world, and it is so, as I am very happy to say, very largely because of your advice and help and consequently, you must know that I feel very grateful. I have not written you for a long time, and I have no doubt that you wonder who I am that is thus writing you; but in your wonder, think that I am a most grateful spirit, and one who desires to help you all that he can.
I acted on your advice and listened to the high spirits who came to me and told me of the wonderful plan of God for the salvation of men and the making of their souls pure and like unto His in Love; and I, at last, to an extent, believed what they told me and prayed and hoped and continued to pray, and found that my prayers opened up the way to the Father's Love, and to His Kingdom of Light and Happiness.
It was surprising to me how simple the plan is, and how the true longings of the soul will bring to itself this great Love, for I found that as I longed and desired in true earnestness, this Love was present, always present and not afar off to be searched for. Now the Father must love the souls of mortals and spirits!
Well, now I am in the Third Sphere and in the association of spirits like myself who are filled with this Love to the extent that they are in great light and happiness, always striving for more Love, yet always contented. You may not understand this seeming paradox, but it is true, contented yet striving for more. And this is because this great Love of the Father has in it those qualities that bring a satisfying happiness and, the same time, creates a desire for more love.
Well, my friend, I desire to tell you this because I know that you are interested in knowing something of my experience in the spirit world, and are pleased to know that I can call myself one of the redeemed. And now, knowing the truth of the Father's Love, and what its possession means to a spirit, I feel a great desire to tell you that what you first told me of is a thing of reality and that when you instruct spirits as to this Love and the Way to obtain it and happiness, you are conveying to them truths that are as real as the existence of our spirit world and the soul of men therein.
I heard what the other spirits wrote you tonight and also want to urge you to have faith for I know this; that all the powers of these high spirits are being exercised in your behalf, for they say that you have a work to do, that only you can do. What a wonderful thing to contemplate! I do not yet understand it all, but this I do know, that you seem to be of great importance to these spirits.
I am now much more interested in spiritual matters than in the war that your country has just entered, for I now see that among men and in their short lives on earth, wars and all such calamities are mere incidents, and do not determine the destinies of men in the great eternity, except as the individuals may or may not by their thoughts and desires carried into action, contaminate the conditions of their own souls and fit them for the hells and punishments that follow.
If men would only understand that, after they become spirits and possess some of this Divine Love, the mortals of earth, all alike, become their brothers, and nationalities and race distinctions disappear to the spirit's consciousness! All are brothers and the possible recipients of this Love.
But still, while we have no particular interest in nations as such, yet we have with us individuals and sympathize with them and love them, and are glad when those things which bring upon them unhappiness and misery cease to exist; and we try to exercise our influence for good on those who have the administration and directing of national affairs, and in this way we are interested in the war.
To us there comes no feeling of bias or prejudice against any nation, or desire that any one nation shall become victorious, except as we see the men of one nation are in their advocacy of principles and justice more in accord with the righteousness and truth than another, and then we are on the side of truth and use our influence for its success.
In this war, I think that the Germans and their Allies will be unsuccessful and believe that the war will soon end. But this is for man to determine, though we are exercising our influence to bring about this determination.
I will not write more tonight, but as I progress, which the higher spirits tell me I will do, I will come to you and write you of my progress.
With my love and gratitude, I will subscribe myself,
Your brother in Christ,
Grover Cleveland.