| OCR Text |
Show fgH mi: hriitir of max. iB "Tiiniplrll and tlio body aro the flH soul of nun." That It (ho "Mormon" ISB Idtaof huiuiii eilttsnce. That there fM rplrlt In man'' If ono of the oldest UjjHR loiplratlonal aajlnzs ou rscord, and fflGj "Mormon" theology regard It as f HH (IxnlfyloK that there Is within the fH body of man a personal spirit which PJH ! the Intelligent ego. Tho account of llH the creation rjlren lu the Hook of (EM Abraham, published lu tho Purl of (H Urt-t Trice, slates that when man FIJHBS vat formed from the duit hit spirit, HjBg (that Is Iheman's spirit,) wa'.ut Into BfflB the tody, and the breath of Ufe wat FaH breathed Into bin nottrlli aud bo be tTl came a llrlng ton). ( Th spirit of man war, therefore, a JjJH preeilitent entity, and the body ! llijjHl formed for a corerlng to It, n medium if iR V' wu'c' l,' spiritual IhIuh may be iflleHI brought In opntact with grotttr ma H terlal thlngi. Tbei spirit, having ex. 1HS Med beforo the tody which It BB quickens and animate, can el- BBB lit alter tho body has ld BB the "debt of nature," or, ritlitr, tho BBB jxnally of sin, and baa crurahled JBBB back to dutU It Is that which thinks, HBBj feela, niovc! and gains eaporlenos; BOflH what are commonly called thn ronscs KBBH being vehicles of.communlcatlon from HBBj tho material world t the iplrllual be- IBBB Ing that dwella In thoihjthal boity. IBBlBj) These two componrits bocomo ao IHBjBj Intimately connected that they form IBfijHj ono iron and are mutually alleoted fflBHj by thlngi both temporal and eptrltual, ! rba "pIc" ' '"'', "(bl' lnlelll,nc" iBBBj and wisdom li not tho pertonal spirit of nBBJRI man, but It operate! upon him. When ufflBBJ! It ceaiea to dothla entirely, tboaptrlt BlBBjH and tbo bsdy teparate. The duit IfjflBB "returnt lo the earth at It was, and the gBBBJ aplrtt return! to Uod who gavo It." nBBfl lloth rtturn. The Iwdy to the vie- nUBB menu out of which It wai forinod, tho wjBBB spirit to the Creator who placed It In I9B1BJ the body, tho proceei being ordered pffiBBfl according to eternal lawi, both In the HlBBB union and tho dhmnlon of the nUBBM component! of tbo human being. 4BBBn What become! of thulndlfldualiplrlt HJHflBJ when freed from the ilcxh, and what HjBBj Iti coudltlon waa beforo It wai 1 1. ceil BjBHM In tbo body, are iuljecta which wo d BjMHJ not with now to (Tucli upon. It la tho BflUjH tMt "I ipl'ltual entity within but HHmHJQ dlircrcnt from the body, nud copublo of HBSBJ a ttparate exlitence, that wo now de- IBjBffl! aire to draw attention to. Intro hai WW been a belief In thl! ealitence from the itBBB I o''1'11. DK"- Td0 tplrlt, commouly ImfltH ' callid tho koul, hai been regarded at ujjflB i Immortal by thinking people among UB all racei. BB There havo been dltlcrent opinion!, IBBj however, at to lti origin, eulitauce, MuSf locatou and deitlny. Iho common H'fljfl I 1Jl' ' tnltt " """ "u with jtBB the body nud bal no auterlor eilil- UBl mce. Alia that It U liumuterltl lu BBJ ! lubitance. Bitot havuconUndedthat HaBBjH ltwatlcotted In tho brain, aomo In the KBB heart, other! lu arlout vital organ, BflBj an old Idert being that III waa in the BJHB pineal gland at tho buu of tho brain. BBB The doctrine of the "Mormon" BJmBjg, Church li that thu spirit of uiau It the IHBn. olltprlog of (lod, and that tho body DuBlTII (.ouformi to It! contour. Thatwbllolt !lt iplrltual In IU texturo It la not lm material. It It altogether dlllereut In uiuuy retpoctt from what It commouly callod mattir, but hai aouui tjualltlca lu common with matter, and It therefore not Immaterial. aBBBwarawni i It hi! cxlentlon and limit!, BnBJi It occupies ipaco, It hai nlatlou BBBjj ;; to duration, It can bo In but one place BBBji ' at one luilant, It can allect and be BBfljl f allecttd by grouer material thlngi, and LBBHJ I In other wayi la somewhat ilmllar tu BBBj t the lower forms of subttaucn aud BBBsft tbireforolt la not Immaterial, Indeed BBjK:n tho "Mormon" Idea latitat there It no BBUU tuch thlug as Immaterial subbincr,but BBJB that the terms are self-coulrudlctory BHjnM and Involve an nbrurdlty. BJHhIW. J In many Important rvtptcta spiritual BflHtM , Mibitance aud thegrmaer fortut of mat BBKBuM tvr are wlJrly dtllerent. They are BBBmL covernrd by dlilerent lows. Ihcy BBBPHt have their serat i herta. Hut It la BbBkJI j "'" lernal, Inieiarablo union of the BHBMIiji Kilrltual and the material In tried BBDJHd'l harmony that brluga a fulutes of Joy. BJBJ p Thut thu spirit ol man Is a iiiratu IHBJtt l eilltyfrom the body of man Is believed HHj J.) by nearly nil people who profits the BBHjHI "i Chrlttlon rulllon. Atheltts and In. jBBnlvu lldela of vailoua school! deny tble, aud BBBbbw are of the opinion that mlud, If not a BBJHSft'l product of matter, la to connected with hRhIIihIi 1 ' ''" J'"olvt'd when tbe body llMnll II I deraya, and that the dtulh of the fal !'l tf organism Is the end of thu Individual. HI 1 , Arguments on either side are as n rule 5,-ir ' rt waste of eflort when thu disputants 'S3 t are tiostloua In thel; vlewr. There have been, howovcr, some expcrlsocts that are worthy of notice and that may have some cllect on the skeptical mind, while they help to confirm con-firm tho falllt of those who believe In things spiritual. The I'rophet Joie li Bmllli declared that at the lime lie was drapgod from his hou'e by a mob In the night, beaten, atrli ped, tarrrd and ft athered, a vial of add fluid broken on his mouth and his faco excoriated with Iho nails of one of the Infuriated wretches who availed lilm, his tj Irlt Islt tbo body nod, standing In the air stove, he looked down upon hi bruited and battered form which be taw distinctly, and to whlc,li he waa auddenly attracted afterwarda. Others have given testimony to very similar experiences. Joseph's statement was made nearly sixty years ago. llo-cently llo-cently Ihero have been some Interest, log testimonies given to the world to the eamo elite'., tending tu (how that Iho spirit of man Is an e ntlly that can exlat as a person outs'de ol tbo body of man. IutheiVevfeMin Ji'stfouifur Ueptember, two very Interesting caws are reortad the particulars having been 'urnlshed by tho Hoclety of 1'sycnlcal Ilotearcb. They aro related by Mr. F. V. II. Myers. One Is tho per sonal experience of Dr. W litre of Iho HI. IjouIs ilcdkalnnd Surgioal Jovf mi!. The other Is that of Mr. Ucrt. rand n Huguenot minuter. Tliey are both worthy of publlo attention. WlltM came to the point or deitb Willi typhus fsver. He waa In full pos. tlon of his mental faculties but hit voloe failed, his strength left hint, he tllllenej aud lay for four h ours to all appiaraucodead lie became uncon-clout,puliolms, uncon-clout,puliolms, a needle was thrust luto various parts of his body without ilT.ct. IIo diMrlbrd his own sensa tlons In waking up to onnclouaniM and discovering that his "aoul" or spirit waa In tbo body but not of It. Hutayii " Ith all the lolereat of n physldan, I ttheld Iho ivondtrt of my bodily anatomy, Intlmalely Inttrwoven Willi which, even IImuo for lltaue, nua 1, tho living soul of that dead body. 1 learned that tho epldermla as the out-ble boundary of tho ultimate lutuea, ao tu apeak, of the aim), I realised my roil-illtlon roil-illtlon and rrosonod calmly thuat 1 haro diet), as tnou term death, and yet I am as much a man as our. I am about logtt out of tho body, I watched tbe Interest. Ing procvsN of Iho separation of soul and ltody. lly aomo power, apparently not my own, the l'go mi rocked to and fro, laterally, as a cradlo l rocked, by which process lis oonnoctlou with tho tltauea of Iho body was broken up. After n little ttmo tbe laterst motion ocaied, and along the aoles of tbo feet beglnnlug atlbe toes, pa'tlnjr rapidly to the heels, I felt and heard, as It aoeined, the snapping of tonumerablo smalt cords. Abcu Ihls was accomplished, 1 Ix-gsn slowly to retreat from tho feet towartftho head, as a rubber cord shortens, short-ens, I remember machine the blr and saying to myself, "Xow, there Is no llfo lteluw tbe hljs." 1 csu reoall no rnsmory of imanlng through tho abdouien nndcboslbut rooullect dlsllnclly when my wholo self was collected Into tbe head, henl rcllKteilthuti "I am atl In tho head now aud I shall soon bo free." I pasted around tho brain as If I usro hollow, compresalng It and lu membranes slightly on sll sides lowsrds tho centur, and pnod out between the sutures of tho skull, emorglng llko tho flattened odgus of a bag of membranes, 1 recollect distinctly bow I appeared lu mysolf something llko a Jolly.flili as regards re-gards color and form. As 1 emcrr,ed from tbo bead I flouted up and down and laterally llko a sonp I ubblo attached tu tbo bowl of a pipe, until I at last broko looio from the body and toll lightly lo the floor, whoro I slowly rote and expanded Into Iho full stature of man. I eocinod to bo translucent, of a bluish cast, aud perfectly uskod. With a painful senao of embarasalnent 1 fled toward tho pirtlatly opened door toes-cape toes-cape the eyes of tho two ladles whom I wst facing as woll as olhors whom I knew wcro about inn; but upun reaching the door I found myself clothed, and sat-hlled sat-hlled upon thut point I turned uud fscod Hie company, "As t turneil, my left elbow came In contact with tho arm of ono of twogon-tlemen twogon-tlemen who were standing In the door, Tu my surprise, bis arm psaiwd ihrnuhh mlno without apparent nslsum-o, tha sovoral parts closing again without psln, Mali reuultes, I looked quickly up at his f ico tu seo It ho bad noted tho contact, but bo gavo mo no si gn only stood and gated towanf tho couch I bad Jutt left. I directed my gazo In the direction of bta and saw my own doad body. "I saw a number of porsons sitting snd slsuding about tbe body and particularly noticed to womon apparently kneeling by ray left sldo, snd I knew that they werO w coping. 1 hsvo slnco learned that they were my wlfo and my sister, but 1 had no conception ol Individuality, Ife, slater or frlond wcro us otto to mo, I did not remcmlicr any condition or relationship) relation-ship) at leuit I did not think of any. 1 coul 1 distinguish sex, but nothing further. Not ouo llftod bit ej os from my bod. "1 turned an 1 pasted out at tho open door, llutliilng my head and watching where 1 tut my foot as I stepped down on to tbo porch. 'I crowed tho porch, descended tho step., wslkod down tho path and Into the street, Thore I stopped and looked about me. Inoer saw the street more dhtlnetly than I saw It then, 1 took note of Iho redness of tho soil ami of the washes tbo rain hsd made. I took a rather pithotto look about me, llko ouo who Is aboat to leavo his homo for a long llmo. Then I dlsoovorod that I hud bnoino turgor than I was In earth life and congratulated mjself thereupon, I wss somen hat smaller lu tho body than I just liked lo be, but In the no t llfo, I thought, I am to bo asl doslrthl. "My clothes, I noticed, ha 1 aroomino. dated thomsolves lo my Increased stuturo, and I full to wonlerlug whero tbny carno hum aud how they got onto mu so quick ly snd without my kno lid go I exam Inpd tbo fsbrlc snd judge I It to bo of somo kind ofNcntch mute rial - good suit, I thought, but not handsome) still limtsnd good i nough. Thfl cost fits loosely, loo, and thai Is well for summer. 'How well I feol,' I thought Unly a few lilinulns ago I was horribly skk snd dlstres.od. Then came tbo chsnge, called death, which I have so much dreaded. It Is post now, and hern am I still a Insn, allvo and thinking yes, thinking as closrly as over, and how well 1 foell The second cats Is that of Mr. tier Irand, who was traveling In tho Alps with sunn pupllt. While n'undlng thu Titlls Mountains, becoming wiorlcd ho sent tho students up tha mountain while he retted, lie rat and smoked nnd viewed thoicvncry, and suddenly felt himself struck as wllhnpopltxy. Jilt head was perfectly clear I lit his body was aralyted. "It nai the sleep of tho snow." Here Is hli own accuuut of his experience: "A kind of prayer wai sent to Uod, ami tin n I resulvod to study qtilclly tho progress pro-gress of death. My foel and bands were first frown, and llttlo by llltlo death reached my knees and olbon s. Tho sen-sallon sen-sallon was not painful, and my tnln I fall qulto eaty Hut when death bod been all oier my lody my hen 1 liecame unbearably unbear-ably cold, and It soenied to mo that con-csto con-csto pincers tqueozed my heart, so as to oi tract my life. I neicr foltsuchan acuto pain, but It lasted only a second or a minute, and my llfo went out. 'Well,' thought I, 'at last I am what they call a dead man, nnd hero I am, a ball of al.' In tho air, a captive balloon altaeheit to llio earth by a kind of elastic string and go-Ingupandalwaysup. go-Ingupandalwaysup. How straligol I sco U ttsr thsn ever,and I am dea I only a small space In tho sjaoo without a body! ... Whoro Is my last bodyt Ixioktng down I was astounded as-tounded lo recognUo my awn envelope. 'Strange!' said I lo myself. 1 hero Is tho enrpso in which I lived nnd which 1 called me, as If Iho cost wcro tho body nnd If iho body woro Iho tor'! What a horrid thing Is thai body deadly palo, wlthayellowlsh-blue color, holdings clgsr In Its mouth nnd a match lu Us two burned ungen! Well, I hopo that you shall neveramoko again, dirty rag! Old Ifonly I bad a hand and settlors ,tncut the thn ad which lies me tu It, "When my companions return Ihey will look st that and exclaim, 1 ho pio. lessor It dead! Toor young frlendtl They do not know that I neterwasaj allvo as I am, and Iho proof Is that I sen tho cul.to go og up rather by the right, when he promised mo to go by iho left) . wss lo bo tho last, nud lie Is neither tho first nor tho hit, but alone, away from tho rope. Now tho guide thinks that I do not seo Mm, heeauso bo hides himself behind tho young nun while drinking at my bottle or .Madeira. Well, go on, twor man; I hope Hist my lmdy will nour drink of It again. A hi there ho It, stealing a leg of my chicken! (Jo on, old lollowi st Iho wholo ot tho ehlckon It you chooso, for I hopo that my miserable corpus will novsr eat or drink again I fell nolthor surprlso nor vexation) I simply stated fscls with Indltreronco. Hello) said I, thero Is my wlfo going to Lucerne, and she told mo that she would not teat o beforo be-foro tomorrow, or alter tomorrow. '1 hoy aro flH beforo tho hotel of hungcru. Well, wife, I am a dead man. Oood-by. "I must confess that I did not call tltar tho ooo who hss always beou tiy ttuif to mo, an I that I fell neither regret nor Joy at baiting her. My only regret was thstlcuull not out tho suing. Itivaln I !rao!od through so boautllul worlds that earth became InstgnltloouU I bad only two withes) thocerttludeof not returning tooarlhand tho discovery of my next glorious body, without whrch I fell powcrlost. I could not bebappy bocsiuo Iho thread, though thinner than oer, was not cut, and the wlahod-fnr lmly w at still Invlslhlo to my searching looks. "suddenly shock stopped my ascension, ascen-sion, and I felt that fcOrucbody was pull Ing aud pulling Iho balloon down. My grlsf was measureless. Tho fsu v, it that whllo my young frleuds throw snowbslls at each other our guldo had dlsruvorod and adlulnUtored lo my body Iho well-known well-known remedy, rubbing whh snow) but as I nascoldundsiliras ice, be darod not roll mo for fosr of breaking my hinds still ne ir Iho clgir. I could neither sco nor hear any more, but 1 could moasuro my way down, ami when I rouchod iny tKHly again t hi 1 a last hopo the balloon set mod much too big for tho mouth. ".Sit Ideuly I uttered tho an fill roar of n wild boast Iho corpse swallowed tho hsltoou, nnd Ilsrtrsnd was llortrand again, though for a tlmo worso than before, "I never full moro violent Irritation, At last I could aay to my poor guide 'lletauao jotiaro a fool you tako motor a fool, whllo my body alone It sick, Ahl If you hud simply cut tbo string.' "'Tho slrlug? What strlngT You were nearly doadf ' " l)ca 11 I was less dead than you aro now, aud the proof It, that I saw you going up Iho Titlls by Iho right, while you promised mo to go by tho left,' "Tho man ttaggored betas o replying, 'ltecautottio snow wat suit and there nut no dangerof slipping.' " 'You ssy thsl becniito you thought me far away. on went up by tho right and allowed two young nion lo put atldo tbo rcjH. Who Is a fool? You not I Now show mo my butila of Madeira, and wonillseoltilUfull.' " Tbo blow wat tu"h thai hit hands left my body slid bo fell down "'oh,' said I brutally, 'you may fall down and staro at me at much as ou please, nnd rImi your poor explanations, explana-tions, but )ou lautiot pro.o that my cblckcuhastno legt, bocauto jou stolo ono,' "This wat loo much fir tho good man IIo got up, emptied hit kuapuoU while muttering a kind ot uouresilou, mid then flow nway, "When I arrived In I.ucerno I asked my wlfo why sho hsd lefl luderlaleen sxmer than sho had told mo. " 'lleeuuso I was afraid id another aiclltnt nud nnntidto bauoarer "'Wcrojoa flo lu the cii-rlftirn and did lou stop at tho l.ungron hot ut es,' And I w m away luublr c Thtsu narratloui are,to say the 1 catl exceedlinrlr lu eru,tlu.', lorn u. fi n I such tourer, they will occasion much thojghtln circles where purely then, logical questions are seldom discussed. They go to prove that the fplrlt and the body, which are the soul ol man, aro separate organism! though Joined In mortal life; that thu spirit can llvo when the body Is lifeless; life-less; that the bod) without tho spirit Is dead; that when "the silver cord la loosed," thoiplrlt ran return to give an account to thn Uod nho gave II, whllo "the duit return! to the earth as It wns." Thoio extrler.ces, which aro not entirely now to many rsons, will lie treated by the Intensely skeptical ru driams or vain Imaginations. Hut thoy will confirm tbo faith of those who bell, vo In tbe Christian religion, nnd to thu Litter-dny Faints will be additional evidences of tho truth of tbe doctrines thoy have received concerning concern-ing the Immortality and eternal llfo of man. |
