January 9th, 1918.
Received by James Padgett.
Washington D.C.
I am here, Helen.
Well dear, I was with you tonight and saw that you were not much benefited by Billy Sunday's sermon, and of course, could not be, because the preacher said nothing to feed the hungry soul. He said some things which were very good in the way of showing men and women what they should do in order to make the earth lives more happy and it will be well, if the hearers will heed and follow the advice. But nothing much was said to help the progress of the soul.
I saw that you were not in much sympathy with the methods and sayings of the preacher and thought that there was too much hilarity and not enough reverence present, as a meeting for the opening up of the soul and helping the development of those qualities that will lead to the Father's love and the Celestial Heavens. But nevertheless, some things that he said will do good to some people.
You must not forget that the teachings of the Master were twofold, and for those who were not in a condition to hear and understand his higher spiritual truths, he preached those things, which if followed, would make them better men and women and cause them to progress in the development of their natural love; and in this latter effort the preacher will do good and his work must not be undervalued, for all men are not alike in their conditions, intellectual or spiritual. And besides, here and there in his preachings some truths that he utters may by its influence upon the hearts of his hearers cause such hearers to think more deeply about spiritual things of the higher nature, and in thinking, their souls may be opened up to the influence of the spirits who have the Divine Love in their souls, and from which may follow the longings of these hearers for this Love of the Father.
Everything said that tends to cause a spirit to progress towards either of the conditions of love must be encouraged, for the Father works in His own way, and frequently the Love comes into a man's soul, and the man not being intellectually conscious of what the Love is. Whoever is not against us in this work is, in a certain sense, with us, for the salvation of men is the objects of all our efforts; and if we or mortals cannot awaken dead souls to a life in the higher condition, then we must work to bring them into that condition that will cause them to get into a state of purified natural love. They are all the children of God, and if they will not become His beloved children in the divine sense, then He wants them to become the pure spirits that the first parents were before the fall. So do not criticize or look down upon the work of this preacher because he does not show men the true way to the Celestial Heavens, or because he says and does things that may not appear to be reverent. God looks at the heart and the intentions and the forms of expression used by the preacher are not important, except as they may have the effect of causing some soul to turn away from the truths that the preacher may communicate. All men are not alike and the preachings of the man, while they may, as some say, disgust some hearers, yet others will be affected by them and good will be done.
I write this because I see that you are inclined to criticize the preacher and conclude that his teachings are not conducive to spiritual progress. Well, as you have been told, the large majority of men and spirits will never become inhabitants of the Celestial Heavens, but that is no reason why they should not be taught the way that will tend to purge them of their sins so far as the natural love is concerned. Those who will not become angels must become purified men, and any and everything that will help them to become the latter is approved by the Father and is the object of His favor.
Well dear, I will not write more now as I see that you are cold and must go to bed. But remember this that while all men will not become dwellers in the spheres of the soul in the Celestial Kingdom, yet they are brothers, and the favored brothers must try and help in every way possible the less favored brothers in obtaining that which the Father has designed shall be their portion, even though they refuse or neglect to seek for and obtain the great goal of Divine Love and Immortality. So love me and pray to the Father for His Love, and with all the sincerity of your soul, thank Him that you have found the way to His Great Love and the mansions in the Divine Heavens.
And what I have said to you I say to Dr. Stone, for I see that his thoughts are somewhat similar to your own and that you both think that unless a preacher can and does show the way to the Celestial Kingdom, his work is not worthy of much consideration and falls short of what he as a saviour of souls should do. And so it is, but all cannot teach the higher truths, for they do not know or understand them; but that fact must not cause you, or any who know the truths, to think that this work when sincere and beneficial in its moral teachings, should not be taught. I thought best to write this tonight, so that you may not get a wrong conception of what men who cannot teach the great truths should or should not teach. All men are not in that condition of soul and love and they should be taught the way that will lead them to those mansions in the heavens that will be theirs by free will choice.
I love you my dear husband, and am closer to you in your thoughts, and do not want you to think wrong in anything, even though you think right in a great many and the most important things. Pray and let your faith increase and believe that we are all with you trying to direct you aright; and one who knows is more anxious than any of us that your knowledge of the truths increase, and your experiences arising from that knowledge bring to you with more convincing force the truths, that God is Love, and your God. Good night.
Your own and true and loving,
Helen.