El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-03-06
DR.fABBOTT'S BELIEF.
The Successor of Henry Ward
Beecher Says That There Is
Communication With the Spirit


Many are wondering today what Henry
Ward Beecher, the distinguished pre-
decessor of DR.. Lyman Abbott, would
say to the declaration of that divine
made plymouth churchFriday night.
when he announced his views relative
to possible communication with the
spirits of those who have died.
DR.. Abbott made q profound impress
sion by his declaration that the dead
are not far away from the haunts of
the living, and that departed spirits are
the guardian angels of those left be-
hind.
1t was DR.. Abbott's last prayer meet
ing in the church and few Of the men,
bers were absent.
He spoke of the Last Supper and of
Christ's great desire to be with the II
apostles at that time.
DR.. Abbott pointed out that Christ
made no reference to the past, no ap-
peal to emotionalism, to the impend-
ing tragedy of the cross. "He throws
them from the past into the future, ="
said the minister. 1.-THE gist of his
message is: I am going away from
you, and yet am not going away from
you. 1 will be more with you than be-
You'd.
REVEALED BY MODERN STUDIES.
"We Are beginning to get some little
hint in modern studies that the spirit
| trascends the body-that It runs be-
yond this present life and rises above
the horizon of it's corporeal limits.
How far we can trust Psychic science 1
do not know-certainly enough to
know that the spirit of man exercises
an influence beyond the reach of his
hand or the sound of his voice, even
while On earth.
81 don't know-who does?-what l
can do outside the realms of corporal
presence. know that 1 can pray for
help. strength or guidance for another,
and by some spiritual reality reach an
other with q wisdom better than my
own. There is spiritual presence
which runs beyond the physical. 1
believe there is q spirit which death
does not quench, but releases and
makes efficacious.
81 derive my belief partly from the
bible, partly from the testimony of
others and partly from my own ex-
periepce.
81 do not believe that those who
have died have gone far away from US.
They have passed beyond our ken, but
we are not beyond theirs. If our eyes
were open, who knows but that we
could see those who have gone from
US and yet have not gone from us?
DISCLAIMs BEING A. SPIRITUALIST.
"The more this faith comes to me
the less 1 believe in what men call spir-
itualism, the less satisfied L am with
rappings and physical demonstrations.
/ love to think my mother follows me
with her eyes as she did when l was
boy. love to believe that the strange,
subtle, inexplicable and indefinite in
duence that sometimes comes into my
life is from her.
ST l1,% % g. Ii
tipping or table rapping- Men may
ask me If am not afraid aid spiritua-
lism, but think it is just the ether
way. Those who are gone are minis
teriDg angels;fOr that very reason de-
cline to GO back to the inadeq uete
physical Manifestations.
"All this may be the result of imag-
ination. Lem not certain. do not
know, but of one think 1 am sure
He is not departed, although the world
does not see him.
G4ONGED no CLASP CHRIST'S HAND.
II may know him; may expect to
see him. Eow many times have long
face, to have him sit down beside me
At other times 1 am glad he is not ON
earth, not to be seen or heard or hand
led.
'"Where there is q community of
spirits it trsnscends ala community OF
words. There is no husband or wife,
chila or mother, who does not know
the experience of being closer to q
soul in silence than in talk.
increasing memory.
America is fuller of Christ today than
Palestine ever was. There is more OF
Christ's influence in the church and
state and home than when he walked
On earth and was cast out.
Through all these Is centuries
Christ has been growing in the world. /
We are all branches dwelling in him.
The one transcendent doctrine Of
is, Christ is In u.s.
REALLY PRESENT IN THE MASS.
In closing his talk, DR.. Abbott spoke
Of the Protestant misconception of two
doctrines of the Roman Catholic
church. He denied any belief in the |
'eal bodily presence in the eucharist, |
)ut affirmed that in the mass Christ |
vas really present liz spirit.
He said: "There ia the real spiritual |
presence Of a living Christ on the al
ar. 1 believe profoundly that the
Lord q table Is sacred memorial serv-
ce. 1 believe there is IA sacred memo
'ial 'service.{ believe ther is a commu-
ion with the dead. L believe that mex
sunday morning some, perhaps many,
+ those who have departed will be
here to share that holy communion
With the living church.
part of this is my faith, part my
ope. In time to come, vixen L cannot
it here, l hope to be here in thought.
t least, perhaps in some living in
Orporesl presence, and when the time
ONES that 1 bid farewell to the earthly
hurch 1 hope to come back with the
'ather's permission and in incorporeal
resence commune with you"
OTHER NOTABLE SERMONS