The Spiritist Review - Journal of Psychological Studies - 1863

Allan Kardec

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Thionville, December 25th 1862, medium Dr. R…



We allowed you to foresee the dawn of human regeneration. You must see the hand of God in that as with the whole march of humanity through the ages. We have said many times that everything that happens down here, as in the whole universe, follows a general law, the law of progress.

Bow before that law, you arrogant and proud ones that pretend to be above the Almighty’s designs! Look around for the cause of your miseries and delights to always find the hand of God.

But then, you will say, the hand of God is fatalism! Ah keep yourself from confounding this impious word with the laws imposed by the Providence, the Providence that gave you the free-will to give you the merit of your actions but seasoned by this so many times ignored voice that warns you of the dangers ahead. Fatalism is the denial of the duty because if our fate is determined previously there is nothing we can do to change it.

What would become of the world with such a horrible theory that leaves mankind to the perfidious suggestions of the worst passions? Where would be the objective of creation? Where the meaning of the remarkable order that reigns in the universe?

The hand of God, on the contrary, is the punishment that is always hanging above the head of the guilty one; it is the remorse that erodes their heart, censoring the crimes at every step of the way; it is the horrible nightmare that tortures the long sleepless nights; it is that bloody impression that follows everywhere as if producing the image of the errors all the time; it is the fever that torments the egotist; the perpetual anguishes of that bad rich that sees pillagers in all those that approach as if prepared to rob a badly acquired asset; it is the pain that they experience at the last hour when feel incapable of carrying along the useless treasures!

The hand of God is the peace of heart reserved to the righteous person; it is the kind perfume that feels your soul after a good deed; it is this sweet pleasure that one feels every time one does good; it is the blessings of the poor that is assisted; it is the kind looks in the face of a child whose tears we stop; it is the fervent prayer of the poor mother that was given the blessing of work to take her away from her misery; in a word, it is to be content with oneself.

The hand of God is finally the serious and austere justice, dressed by mercy! The hand of God is hope that does not leave behind a person in their most cruel sufferings; that always reassures and that allows the worst criminal touched by regret to foresee a corner of the celestial dwellings from which he thought to be expelled forever!”

Familiar Spirit

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