November 15th, 1918.
Received by James Padgett
Washington D.C.
I am here, John Wesley.
I desire to speak to you upon a matter which is very closely associated with your mission and the work you are now doing. I am one of those spirits who are engaged in the carrying on of that work on this side of the borderline, and know the importance of the work and the necessity for its being done as rapidly as possible, so that men may have the opportunity to learn and know and teach the truths of God. I am with you quite frequently as you receive the messages from the spirits who are revealing these truths, and read your mind and soul, and know your exact condition regarding your conception of the task that has been imposed upon you and which you have assumed to do; and hence, can tell you with almost certainty of your attitude towards this great undertaking, and when I say attitude, I do not mean only that of which you are conscious, but also that which is apparently latent but which, nevertheless, is operating, and obstructing or assisting the progress of the work.
I am glad to say that just now you have a fuller appreciation of your position in the matter and of the necessity for completing the writings and the dissemination of the truths that they contain; and if you continue in this attitude and permit your desires therein to intensify and become manifested in actual performance, the work will progress rapidly and the great end in view will be accomplished.
If you will consider for a moment, you will realize that there is nothing in all your earth so important to mankind as the knowledge of these truths, for they deal with and affect that which belongs to the eternity of the hereafter and the future of the souls of men, and lead to a destiny which will be a Divine existence or a mere living of the perfect man of his original creation.
Of course, men are really more interested in their future destiny than in any or all things of earth and the life thereon, but give less attention to the ascertaining of the truths of the same than to many merely human things which exist only during the short earth life; and this is not to be wondered at, because they have no satisfactory or convincing means of learning what this destiny is or may be. It is natural for the desires and interests of men to be attracted to that which has certainty and probability of realization, rather than to that which is devoid of the elements that give assurance and hope founded on knowledge.
As you know, many of the expectations of men as to the future are based entirely upon what is called faith, which itself is founded upon what the teachers of the Bible call the mysteries of God, and which are not the subject of research or study, because God in His wisdom retains to Himself, with a jealous care, the understanding of these mysteries; and so men, in their lives, accepting the mysteries and applying the faith, turn their thoughts to these things very rarely and even then, in a perfunctory way, applying the idea that sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Consequently men live more for the present and in a way let the future come and find them in a condition that surprises and injures them, and makes for them a destiny that - were the truth known to them - need not be theirs.
When men shall be able to learn the truths that affect, or rather create, their destinies if believed in and lived, they will not be so indifferent to the life of the future, even though they retain their interests in the life of earth.
And now, in this generation, when men are thinking for themselves and not resting satisfied with the dogmatic teachings of their supposed leaders, they are becoming incredulous and demanding more light, and are refusing to accept the teachings of the mysteries as satisfying to their feelings of want of those things which will give them an assurance of the truths of living as mortals. Such faith is dying, and men prefer its death to the living in the uncertainties. But this preferring to thus die does not imply - nor is it really true - that they are not in their souls interested in the eternity part of their lives and all that it means. But, becoming hopeless because they see no succor from their unsatisfied condition, they resort to the moral teachings and conduct for their salvation, having the hope that a right living in accordance therewith will result in a future as well as a present in which there must be some happiness, and that "all will be well."
This, I say, is the condition of many men today, and because thereof, the ground is fallow for the planting and the nurturing of the truths that are being revealed to you; and so you must appreciate what the revealment and dissemination of these truths mean to the world at this time.
I know that you must give much time and labor to the work of fulfilling your mission, and also that you must live a large portion of your life and thoughts with the spirits who are using you for the great object in view; but this apparent sacrifice will soon cease to be a sacrifice, and become to you a joy and source of never-ending benefit to your soul and its future.
So you must work and think thoughts of the spiritual and, above all, continue in earnest prayer to the Father for increased bestowals of His Love; and you will not be disappointed. I felt that I should write you as I have, and while you, I know, expected some spirit to communicate some unknown and important vital truth, yet I believe that what I have said may serve to facilitate the delivery of the messages. I will not write longer tonight.
I am a possessor of this Divine Love, and from this you will understand what my love is for you, and how earnestly I pray to the Father to bless you and help you in the great work which is yours to do. Good night. I am
Your brother in Christ,
John Wesley.