Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1892-01-07


to you" Aud all through the Bible
there are instances of open vision, by
which spiritual truth was revealed
among men. Prophets, seers and
apostles had their spiritual senses
opened and saw, touched and felt
those who had passed into the other
world; as instance, the case Of Abra-
ham, and Lot, and Jacob meeting the
angels; the case of MOnOah and his
wife in the field; the case of the young
man with Elisha the prophet, who,
after the prophet had prayed God to
open his eyes, saw the mountain
full of horses and chariots of fire
around Elisha. There also is the case
of the angel who appeared to John on
PatmOs and said, II am thy fellow
servant and Of thy brethren, the proph.
ets" The Bible is full of such in
stances, showing that spiritual beings
are near, and all that is needed is the
opening up of higher plane of sight
in us, which is opened at death, and
we might see them.
Then do not think of the departed
as gone far away, for it is not true.
Love can attract them to you there as
it could here. For there they have
no material body--no material checks
and hindrances to prevent them from
going where they will.
2. Another teaching Of eternal life
is, that Death Is not a terrible erper-
ie1lce. 10 death, where is thy sting ?'
There is an experience for the soul
which is the death of death. And
that is life itself, as two negatives
make an affirmative. All that makes
death terrible is our own sins and
fears and false way of viewing things.
The truth is that there is no such
thing as death. 1t is all fallacy OF
the senses. But you say the body dies.
No, even this is not true. How Can
that die which is dead already and
has no life of its own? +? My body is
just as dead now as it ever will be.
1t has no life of itself, but only from
the spirit. BY and by this life of the
spirit is withdrawn or indrawn 80 as
no longer to come down into and act
uate the body, and then the body will
appear in its true nature. My body is
dead noW. 1t appears to live because
the spirit moves it. But when the
spirit no longer moves it, it will ap-
pear as it really is.
The chisel of the sculptor as it
carves the delicate features SO intelli-
gently, appears to have life and intel
ligence of its own; but it has none ex-
cept as the sculptor imparts them.
When he lays the chisel down 1t is
seen to be dead, just as it always has
been. And if he lets it lie too long, it
will rust away, and nothing will re-
main. Just so with man.
A short time ago that piano seemed
a thing of life, but it was no more liv-
ing then than it is now, except as the
! player used it. If it should remain
long unused, the wires would rust and
the wood mould away. Just so with
US. The body appears to have life,
but 1t has it only as the spirit imparts
1T. When the spirit lays the body
down, it appears In its true nature and
after time it dissolves. The spirit is
the only thing that has life, the only
real man. The body is not the man,
but the coat he wears. Man is not
body and has spirit; he is spirit
and has body.
Do not, then, look upon this cold
form rs your friend. 1t is not he.
-, 70 ~ .e.e' io S, thn
s.h 70 =" oio Iii. III @ 0@ IT, 'nan an
ont e VI W. 80 M upo ,.L ~
"mnoS ;s s me,p ,ooA upon !" Will M,an Iee. 81
tnse ", sor,ow @ "nu h 1--we, wne dss =,
friend once lived, | cannot help be-
ing affected. | remember how that
one used to recognize me through
those windows and greet me at that
door. But that house is not nv friend
1t is crumbling with decay. And sc
YOU cannot help being affected as you
look at this form in which the rea
DIR. Shoemaker used to live. and from
which he used to greet Won. hut thi,
form is not he. Ifvour dearest frienC
has gone to Europe, and the clothes he
used to wear still hang in the closet
YOU do not think of going to the ward
robe and looking at those clothes a,
i your loved one. Or, if those clothe.
are worn and old, aud YOU have to dis
pose of them: or If thew have becom,
infested and YOU have to bury them
YOU do not think for moment tina
with man You are not going to pu
| DR.. Shoemaker in the ground to-day
but the garment he wore. | neve
think of my departed friends as il
the ground. | cannot think Of then
80, any more than could if | hat
only buried the coat of living friend
Death is not terrible.
There have been instances, where
for special purposes. the mind ba
blossomed into immortal vision be-
fore the time. as in the case of tn,
prophets, seers and apostles. Witness
also those instances of the premature
opening of the spiritual senses on tn,
death beds ~ hannv Christian sonls
) There are instances also even IN healtl
when the soul js exalted to an In
tense degree of activity and power-