Evening journal., 1911-12-11
ssDO THE DEAD
COME BACK?"
Rev. George H. Dole in Ser
mon Points Out it Isn't
Impossible
DISORDERLY TO SEEK
WORD WITH DEPARTED


Come Back suggested by the play.
Peter Grimm" His text was. "Ho
shall give His angels charge over
thee Ps xci: II.
The Following is a general outline
Of the discourse. In the play, Peter
Grimm. the central character dies,
comes back. and exerts "A conscious
influence. Naturally the question
universally arises. DO the dead come
back? The play suggests great
spiritual fact. the consideration OF
which may help us rightly to realize
more definitely the close presence of
the spiritual world and our departed
loved ones, and to understand more
concerning their relation to us.
Beyond all possible quibble tho
Bible teaches most clearly that the
spiritual world is not away off on a
distant star. but here. just as the
soul is within the body When the
Syrian army was about Dothan,
Elisha's companion feared destruc-
tion. Elisha prayed that the eyes of
the young man might be opened 10
see the heavenly host about him.
"And tho Lord opened the oyos of the
young man, and he saw; and. behold,
the mountain was full + hrses and
Charts Of fire round about Elisha"
To the three disciples. Moses and
Elias We're seen while upon the
mount John, while in tho Isle of
Patmos, saw the uumberless host be-
fore the throne Paul says. "There
lis a natural body, and there is mot
.a.N
can teach more clearly than the fol-
lowing that the angels. and even the
archangels. are people who have
kept the commandments. and that
they have como back in their spiritual
bodies? John fell down 10 worship
the angel who reproved him. saying.
"I am thy fellow servant and OF thy
brethren the prophets. and them that
keep the sayings Of this book" And
the Exemplar of all truth suffered
death. and came back, saying. IT Is
my self" And IL was possible for
Moses. elias. the prophets and the
angels to come back. because as
Jesus said. "All live unto Him
How did the dead come back2 Not
physically but to the subsconscious
or spiritual mind, While in this
world the seat of consciousness is
normally in the natural mind. but
after death its seat ascends to the
spiritual or internal mind. No spirit
or angel ever was or ever will or can
be seen by the natural senses. Spirit
ual objects arc seen by rendering the
natural mind unconscious and open
ing the spiritual senses. as the Bible
SAYS. of the prophet Balaam, falling
into a trance. but having his (spirit-
nab eyes open," or a Paul says. II
was i'm trance" or as John OK
presseS the same. II was in the
spirit" Those who have come back
from the dead have come back by the
sub-conscious mind being opened 10
see them as they are present TO the
soul; thus when the sub-conscious
mind is again closed they vanished
out of sight" and the Lord appeared
10 the disciples in the room. "the
doors being shut" The prophets saw
angels by the Lord opening the sub
conscious mind, and in a like manner
were all of His post-resurrection APP
perances of the Lord Jesus.
Could Come Back Now.
We must answer this question guard
edly to warn of unlawful practices.
Laws never change. BY the same laws
that the dead have come back, they
could come back now, We're It desir-
able or truly useful. II is disorderly to
seek communication with the departed
The reason is that the Lord alone
sees the end from the beginning, and
He is the only one who can rightly
guide and instruct. We are not to
worship any man or angel, but the
Lord Jesus Christ alone; therefore the
arch-angel, whom John fell down 10
worship, said, "See thou do It not.
Worship God The Bible is now be-
come the Trim and Thummim of man
kind. The Lord caused Il to be so writ
ten that He can fash through IL every
truth OF heaven and impart eternal
life. The lawful way to obtain truth
or life is to go 10 the Bible, and
seek the Lord in il. He can accom-
plish His entire will through IL. Be
cause to seek knowledge of spiritual
things in any other way than from
Him through the Bible, such as com
municating with the dead, is disorder
~, Jesus said, If they hear not Moses
and the prophets, neither will they be
persuaded, though one rose from the
dead" Those entering the spiritual
world are shown how the Lord alone
IS able to lead people to the best in
eternal life. The good see that their
coming back would interfere with the
Lords wise and loving providence, and
so they do not attempt to seek com
municaton with those left behind.
but gladly leave all with their Saviour.
whom they have come to know more
fully. In the other world, as i'm this.
some disregard the laws of the Lord
and the welfare of man, and seek to
communicate with the world For a
time they are permitted TO do this.
Hence arose the black arts. necro-
NANCY, wizards, and those who have
familiar spirits. or "spiritualism, as
practiced by the witch of Endor when
she called up" Samuel. Because such
communications are through evil spir-
Its i'm affinity with the hells, those
practices are forbidden many times in
the Bible, and all having familiar
spirits or practicing the art were COM
manded 10 be put to death under the
Jewish law. II is a most dangerous
practice 10 make an agreement TO
come back to one who is soon to be
left behind. and disorderly, for the
hbove reasons.
Good May Come Back.
But do not the good sometimes come
back? II is not impossible. Our de-
parted friends are closely associated
with us. Our affections are kindied
and inspired from the sphere of their
,.roconcc When tho o,to,.,,,f ,,.s,.a -