Edwin Forrest Writes of His Progress Since Praying for Divine Love

March 10, 1917
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.

I am here, Edwin Forrest.

Well, Ned, I come again, but I will not detain you long, as I merely wish to tell you that I am progressing and am commencing to see the light and some happiness, and my hope has increased so much that I already feel that I shall soon get in the condition where my happiness will become so great that all my sufferings will leave me. Your wife tells me that my hope is certain of realization, if I will only continue to pray and open up my soul to the inflowing of the Love, and I am trying with all my strength to follow her advice.

I have been to my mother and she was certainly surprised to see my bright condition. I mean bright as compared with hers, and the condition of those who are around her, and she wondered what has caused it. And when I told her and begged her to follow my example and pray for this Love, and let go from her the beliefs in her creed and in the teachings of the priests, she said she was not ready to do this, but was compelled to believe what these priests had told her of the will of God and of the way to get out of her darkness, and that what I said to her may be true as to my experience, yet she was certain that the masses and prayers that the priests were offering up for her would soon have their effect, and she would soon get out of purgatory and pass into the Heavens of peace and light.

I insisted that in this, she was mistaken and asked her why it is that she, having been in the spirit world so much longer than had I, and that during these years of her existence as a spirit, their masses and prayers had been offered for her, that she is in no better condition than when she first became a spirit, while I, who was so wicked and sinful on earth was in the condition in which she saw me. Well, she could not explain and said she would think of the matter and ask some of her priests why it is so.

I left her and impressed her to think about the matter and said that I would come to her again and would continue to come to her until she should become convinced of the truth of what I had told her. Well, I believe that soon I will be able to convince her that she is in error and will never find relief so long as she continues in the beliefs that the priests and her zeal for her church while on earth caused her to imbibe.

I believe what you say, and I will follow your advice. I will now stop and with my love will say good night.

Your old friend,
Forrest