Revelations from Celestial Spirits

Unto this sphere all human souls shall rise,

And dwell with holy angels in the skies;

From whence, through the Redeemer’s precious blood,

They flee unto the presence of their God;

Where, henceforth, all their worldly cares shall cease,

’Midst everlasting happiness and peace.

Spiritual

J. G. H. Brown's [A Message from the World of Spirits] next instruction, received from high celestial spirits, is to insert a revelation from a celestial spirit who, having passed through all the aerial spheres, is now sufficiently progressed and purified to become a celestial spirit of one of the orders of the planets in the celestial spheres.

A spirit appears, bearing a majestic appearance peculiar to the celestial spirits under Jupiter, and bearing with him a scroll, reveals the following revelation—

I am Habriskiel, of the second class, of the first legion, of the seventh celestial order, under the solar orb of Jupiter, and who lived upon the earth at a remote age, and was well known on account of my political career, having spent many years of the latter period of my life in the service of Elizabeth, the then reigning sovereign of this kingdom, and was known throughout the length and breadth of the land as Lord Burleigh; and who departed from mortal life at a period when all men were looking upon me with mistrust, and of my whole political career history bears testimony and is, therefore, unnecessary to be here related. The pangs I experienced at my death were similar to those which have already been described by other spirits; so, likewise, were the sufferings in the first sphere, and though at an advanced age, I remained in that sphere double the period of my natural and material life, suffering all the horrors of the tyrant, and dreading a future state. Passing from thence to the regions of space, where I enjoyed happiness incomprehensible to the human race, and continued for a period I am not able to explain, from which I passed to the angelic aerial spheres, which have already been described, and while passing through this sphere in the manner of progress, as others have described, I conducted fourteen individuals through the intricate and evil passages of human life, all but one of which moved in high circles and in political careers, whose lives varied in length according to their nature under the several orders of the planet to which they belonged. They, whilst living, lived only to their own interest to the detriment of those under their control. The last of my charge in the aerial spheres dying in infancy, I had then progressed to the first classes in the first order in the aerial sphere, when another change ensued, and which is now more than sixty years ago. Here I found myself, as it were, another new being, retaining the spiritual name I had received on entering the angelic aerial sphere, and then was invested with celestial powers, and celestial and angelical appearance; and was appointed as celestial ministering spirit to a person who emerged into life, and is still living, and whose whole career, since his days of manhood, has been marked with political events, which have gained for him the popularity of the one class and the disgust of the other, but I do not have the power to mention names or ages and, therefore, the progress of events will prove what prudence forbids to be explained. Our occupation in this sphere is the promptings of the human race to the good actions of their lives, even as the aerial spirits prompt the evil acts, we receive our commands from on high, and can permit only such evil acts to be committed as are marked out in their paths of destiny. The evil spirit being always present endeavours to allure from the path of virtue, we being instructed to show the errors; but man, being endowed with wisdom and understanding, is permitted to listen to the inclinations of his nature. That, being depraved, we point out the wrong, and leave him to judge, and the evil spirit allures him by his flatteries until the act is committed and the error becomes visible, and man is then left to the tuition of the celestial spirit, who again reminds him of his former warnings and his evil spirit then reproaches him with bitter reflection. Therefore, as a warning to man, let this be declared, that they may know that they are permitted to act only in accordance with Divine will and thus at times commit the very act which is permitted to end their career; such being the allotted destiny which all must fulfil and, for the fulfilment of God’s eternal will, shall be purified from these evils by passing through the various spheres of immortality until all shall reach eternal glory, which is known to all on reaching the celestial spheres, and which many have reached who departed after me, for my iniquities in life have kept me in long-suffering and progress and which I am commanded to declare, as a warning to the present generation, that they may refrain from oppressing and injuring one another—thus hastening the period of their final happiness and eternal rest.

A Message from the World of Spirits, J. G. H. Brown, Holyoake & Co., London, 1807